Chasing after the girl was easy. Her wounded leg hindered her speed significantly, and even if she had been in peak condition, my agility and strength would have easily outpaced her. I saw the small figure ahead of me struggle through the underbrush.

"Just hold on! I'm not what you think!" I called out, my voice laced with a mix of exasperation and amusement. The girl, however, paid no heed to my words, her determination to escape evident in the way she pushed her body to its limits, despite her injury.

Just as I was about to reach her, to finally explain the mix-up and perhaps offer my help, she came to an abrupt halt. I slowed down as I followed her gaze to what lay ahead.

There, emerging from the trees, was a group unlike any I had encountered before. They were creatures of a race unfamiliar to me. They bore a resemblance to the goblins or orcs of fantasy tales, yet they wore normal clothing, some donned in simple leather armor. They were armed, swords drawn from their belts and bows ready firmly in their hands, their expressions hard and unwelcoming.

The girl's fear was palpable, a tangible force that filled the air as she backed away, her wounded leg seeming to protest with every movement. It was clear that these warriors, for lack of a better term, had less than noble intentions. As I appeared behind the girl, their attention quickly shifted towards me, their malicious eyes now filled with surprise.

“What the…”

“Is this a gemtail? In this part of the forest?”

“No way, it looks larger than a gemtail…”

They started bickering amongst themselves, and I felt a vein bulging from my forehead as once again I had been mistaken for an oversized lizard.

"Um, hi there! I believe there's been a bit of a misunderstanding," I started, my voice trailing off as I realized the absurdity of trying to reason with armed strangers in the middle of a forest chase.

My attempt at diplomacy was met with narrowed eyes, their stance shifting into one of aggression.

Can they understand what I’m saying? Tom immediately understood me when we first spoke…

We stood at a standoff for a long moment, until the guy at the front spoke to his group.

“Torak, get the girl. The rest of us will take down the creature. I don’t know what it is but it looks like its materials could fetch a good price.” He grinned maliciously as his companions started to encircle us.

I thought of fleeing. With my speed and agility it would have been easy to lose them into the woods. Yet, as my gaze fell upon the small girl crouched on the forest floor, her bright eyes wide with fear, my heart clenched and I released a deep sigh.

Fine then.

As they advanced, I quickly assessed my opponents. Three wielded swords, one had readied a bow, an arrow nocked and aimed in my direction, while the last clutched what seemed to be a staff, though it looked more like a thick branch than a weapon of any real power.

With a deep breath, I prepared myself for the clash. The swordsmen charged first, their weapons raised. My body moved instinctively. The first swordsman's attack missed its mark, his blade slicing through nothing but the cool forest air. My eyes, however, were already on the second attacker, who swung his sword down at me in a wide arc, aiming to cleave through me.

I raised my claws in defense. There was a moment of silence, a brief pause in the chaos of battle, as his sword met my outstretched claws. Then, with a sound like the shattering of ice, the sword snapped, its blade crumbling under the sharpness and hardness of my claws.

The swordsman's eyes widened in shock, the broken hilt of his weapon still clutched in his hand. I looked at him.

I am just as surprised as you.

He stumbled back, his confidence shattered as surely as his sword. The third swordsman hesitated, but I noticed a glint at the edge of my vision as the archer shot his arrow at my flank. At the same time the last guy wielding the staff shot some sort of icicle from my other side.

I wasn’t caught unaware, as two large roots sprouted from the ground to shield me from the impending attacks. The arrow found its mark in one of the roots, embedding itself deeply. My attention then turned to the icicle spell. It sailed through the air with chilling precision, piercing the root meant to protect me before I could fully react.

The icicle struck my front leg, and I braced for the pain that was sure to follow. Yet, to my astonishment, the sharp, cold bite of the ice didn't bring the agony I anticipated. Instead, there was only a fleeting chill, a minor discomfort that barely registered against my scales. I looked down at my leg, expecting to find injury or harm, but there was nothing, no wound, no mark, only the lingering sensation of cold where the icicle had made contact.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Suddenly I heard a commotion to my side, where I noticed the third swordsman had grabbed the girl and was attempting to drag her away. I moved to stop them, but the war cry of the first warrior brought me back to the fight, as he launched himself forward.

Annoyed, I decided to put a quick end to this. As the sword swung down on me I caught it with my claws, easily stopping its momentum. The warrior looked at me with shock in his eyes, but his hesitation was all I needed as my other clawed paw slashed at his throat, easily severing his head from his torso.

First Mokmire slain, Experience has been doubled.

Phytomancer - Experience +104

Explorer - Experience +52

As he dropped before me with a loud thud, I focused my attention back to the struggling girl. As I moved again to intercept them, the girl bit her captor, prompting him to release her. The warrior let his grip go and screamed in pain, his hand now bleeding. In a fit of rage he raised his sword, ready to strike at the girl still on the ground.

Just as he was about to swing down his weapon, a sharp root sprouted from the ground in front of him, piercing his body from side to side.

Phytomancer - Experience +24

Explorer - Experience +12

I focused back on the remaining enemies. I noticed a broken hilt of a sword on the ground, meaning that the second swordsman had already fled. Looking at the edge of the clearing I noticed the archer and mage were also nowhere to be seen.

They just left at the first sight of difficulty huh… they were probably just bandits after all.

As the silence of the forest returned, I turned my attention back to the small girl. She gave me one last glance filled with fear and resignation, her exhaustion evident in her luminous eyes, before her strength gave out, and she collapsed onto the forest floor. I looked her over and thankfully she wasn’t dead, she had most likely fainted from stress and fatigue.

She probably still thought I was going to eat her huh…

For a moment, I stood there, conflicted. What was a child like her doing in the forest? Was she being chased by those brutes or was it a chance encounter? I had too many questions and no way to answer them. I was reluctant to involve myself further, but my conscience wouldn’t allow me to just abandon her, stranded in the woods.

With a gentle thought, I summoned vines to weave a makeshift stretcher beneath her. Carefully, the vines lifted her from the ground, ensuring not to aggravate her injuries. I then secured her onto my back, the vines holding her in place as I began to navigate through the trees, my mind set on finding a safer place for us to spend the night.

Some of those bandits escaped, finding refuge further into the forest will be a safer bet.

I went back to the nook I had made into the large oak to retrieve my satchel and provisions. After securing everything, I proceeded deeper into the woods, my senses alert, scanning for any sign of a suitable shelter. After another hour of walking, the sun had almost completely set, its light only barely peering through the canopy. I decided to settle for one of the larger oaks I could find. It was smaller than my previous shelter, so instead of creating a nook into its trunk, I willed the roots to create a small alcove at the base of the tree, just large enough to fit the both of us inside.

With care, I lowered the girl onto a bed of soft moss I had prepared with my abilities, ensuring she was as comfortable as possible. Her breathing was steady, a good sign, but the pallor of her skin and the wound on her leg were cause for concern.

I opened my satchel and pulled out a healroot.

“Now how do I feed this to her…”

As I thought of a way to have the girl ingest the golden fruit, a sudden notification popped up at the edge of my vision.

Clarification. While ingesting healroots may be beneficial, most creatures dislike their taste. They are more commonly utilized as valuable medicinal ingredients for various medicines and ointments.

“Hello to you too, System. But ointments huh?”

I went outside and found a large leaf from a nearby fern-like plant. After settling back into the alcove, I chopped and mushed the healroot into a paste and spread it onto the leaf, then I proceeded to wrap the leaf around the girl’s leg, tightly securing it with a vine.

A sigh escaped me as I settled down beside her.

This is the best I can do, now it’s up to you.

The exhaustion of the day's events finally caught up with me. Looking outside, the light had now completely faded, giving way to the starry sky that now enveloped us.

I haven’t been gone for a day and I already fended off some orc bandits and saved a little girl in the woods… am I the main character of this world or what?

I let out a giggle as I finished recollecting the events of the day while munching on a couple fruits. Just a single day outside the heart of the forest and I was already reminded of how little I knew about this foreign world. I had so many questions that I couldn’t remember them all. It was scary yet fascinating, but my heart ached for more, I wanted to explore more, find out more of the secrets of this untamed vastness that surrounded me.

I took one last look at the girl. I noticed her breathing was stable and I let out a sigh of relief.

Maybe if she wakes up she can help satisfy some of my curiosity… but for now, time to rest.

I willed the tree and its roots to cover the entrance of our alcove, camouflaging it from unsuspecting eyes, before settling back down, my thoughts giving way to dreams of fantasy tales and exploration.