Mash descended onto the top of the tree. It wasn’t actually the highest point as some of the flower petals bent in such a way that they reached a little higher. However, the top of the tree was rounded and solid, making it a much more comfortable place to sit. The air was cold, and he was able to feel the full brunt of it. his body wasn’t actually at risk though. Red was probably in a similar situation. Even though her body appeared to be bothered by the temperature, she was probably not in any real danger.
His feet struck the hardwood first, and he was surprised to realize that it was swaying a little. The motion was small enough that he hadn’t noticed from above. Now, that he was standing on it, he felt the small change now. He didn’t worry about it and just absorbed his wings. As they shrunk, he fell backward into a seated position. His legs were splayed out in front of him, and he used his hands to prop himself up. His back was slanted so that he could stare into the sky. The sun was off to his left, and the sky was blue and unblemished. Not a single thing blocked his vision, and he gazed upward. It seemed like his world was free of dragons too.
The tree was alive, well more than a plant would be. He felt a connection to the tree and understood that it mostly just wanted to be left alone. It feared anything that would damage it. Mash wasn’t sure if it was a spirit, but it didn’t really matter. He would make sure that no one harmed the tree. When he thought about it, he felt an affirmation from the tree. It wasn’t intelligent but just seemed to act on its survival instincts. That was fine, Mash would still treat it properly. Red suggested that spirits were somehow sacred, so he could at least treat it like a living being. Plus, it was here before him, and he didn’t want to infringe on it. Whether the skill gave him the world or created it from scratch, this world was the tree’s home. Mash might care too much for a simple tree, but he felt like it was the right decision.
He sat there for a bit and just relaxed. The elders would be waiting but he didn’t let it bother him too much. How many days had it been since he just relaxed? Even if only for a few minutes. The time spent sorting through his memories certainly demanded some relaxation, but he just couldn’t find the opportunity. Eventually. Red came and joined him. She didn’t disrupt the rest but just sat with him on the large treetop. Mash opened his storage space and pulled out some snacks and drinks. Both of which became cold after a few seconds. Honestly, he thought he liked it more that way. Especially the drinks.
They stayed for around an hour before deciding it was time to descend. This time Mash seemed to know of a path through the brush. It was strange, almost like the tree had shifted slightly to let him pass. The tree didn’t move much, it just revealed an easily traversable path to him. The descent took significantly less time than the climb. Even still, the entire journey had been long enough to start changing the day to night.
“There are two moons. Look!”
Mash spoke aloud, extending his hands in opposite directions and pointing to what he thought was the north and south. Two nearly identical moons could be seen. The one rising from the north was slightly bigger than the one in the south. The smaller one was slightly redder than the other. Seeing them both rise, he wondered if they would collide.
“You think they’re going to crash?”
Red shook her head quickly but glanced between the two moons, nonetheless. Her explanation started soon after.
“No, I believe one is significantly closer than the other.”
Mash nodded agreeing with her judgment. He examined the moons more closely and saw that he could make out more detail on the bigger one. He had initially attributed it to being larger, but now he could tell that it was probably a matter of distance. Two moons that rose on the line yet in opposite directions. Although, he wondered what would happen if two moons collided. Would it destroy the world? It was something he didn’t want to experience.
The elders were staring at the two moons as well. Mash saw them sitting on the ground, and they were eating something. This was the first time he had seen them actually eat something. It just looked like some simple berries, and he wondered where they got them. The forests here had only had one type of fruit. These were a lot smaller and were entirely black. As Mash touched down beside them, he asked them about their diet.
“Do you guys eat meat? I have some food if you want.”
The elders stiffened but relaxed upon seeing that it was him. They had probably been anxious, and Mash could see why. The two of them had been abandoned in a strange world, while their supposed protectors had been leisurely relaxing for an hour or two. He felt a little bad but was feeling much more comfortable now. It was like the break had washed away the tension. Helped him deal with the anger and frustration of interacting with Jeral. It even helped him settle his emotions. The elders both nodded.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Yes, we do. We would be very interested in experiencing your culture.”
Elder AvJi was bouncing on the balls of her feet. She was excited, and Mash wish he had something more extravagant to offer. After thinking about it for a moment, he realized he did have a special item he could offer. He had a few fruits from Aifell’s world left, but they were extremely delicious. Opening his storage space, the two elders stepped back in alarm. A second later Elder AvJi walked closer and almost stepped into his storage space.
“Stop!”
Mash held his arm out to stop her. He had obviously been a bit too forceful with his words, and the elder practically scampered away. Although she managed enough composure to stop by the other elder. The two elders obviously had different ages. AvJi acted significantly more childishly than SerJi. While she might just be a more genuine person, he felt like there was more to it than that. her curious nature was too honest. She was also the one to speak her mind and had asked many questions related to their beliefs. It was her questions that had pried the information of their bodies out of Red. Oddly, Red struggled to interact with the girl. It was almost like she didn’t know how to respond. Weirder still was the fact that she seemed to enjoy the conversations. Well, it was hard to dislike an honest person, and he had just frightened her.
“Sorry, I’m not angry. It’s just that it might be unsafe. I feel like it’s pretty safe but have been told it's risky to enter another’s storage space. With that said, you can enter if you want to still.”
He knew that he was caving to the curious and hopeful gazes of the elders, but he didn’t worry too much. The storage space was safe so long as nothing unexpected happened. It was only dangerous to utilize in a fight, but it should be fine here. The best word used to describe his world thus far was peaceful. Red didn’t seem as happy with his response. He thought it was fine as he had explained the risk to it. It was ultimately the elder’s decision. To his surprise, neither of them hesitated and started walking into his storage space. Mash followed behind them, to answer any questions and point things out if needed.
“Thank you. But we are elders and knowledge is our only desire.”
Elder SerJi spoke as he stepped past Mash. He was speed walking but slowed only to pass the words. Mash couldn’t help but smile as he saw the childishness in the actions of the elders. The irony was not lost on Red either, or he saw her smiling from outside of the space. She hadn’t entered and just stood at the edge. Mash saw that his storage space had grown since he had last been inside. He wondered what had happened.
“What’s that?”
Mash heard AvJi ask the question, and he saw her standing in front of a mutilated wyvern corpse. He looked at, and physically smacked himself on the forehead. He was one for over-the-top gestures, but he had never done that before. The wyvern corpse was something he had forgotten about entirely. He easily could have used it instead of one of Priscilla’s bodies when he had changed his core. But it had slipped his mind. Seeing it there, he wondered what he would do with it. Things like wyvern scales were only really good for making magical items and typically armor at that. Thus, it was useless to him.
“A wyvern corpse. Uhm, it’s a powerful monster.”
Mash could tell that his answer hadn’t been sufficient. Both elders were obviously still curious, but he didn’t want to explain everything. Although, it looked like they wouldn’t leave it alone.
“I can tell that this creature was powerful. Its body still radiates great energy. How did this creature fight?”
The questions came from Elder SerJi, and Mash was caught off guard. That was usually the type of questions he got from the other elder. Mash thought of a response, but let it die in his mind. He was wildly incapable of properly describing the fight he had. It felt wrong to say anything and ruin the experience of the fight. He had another idea though.
“Um, if you let me, I can send you my memories of it. Or a recreation of them, though you would have to accept my magic.”
Again, Mash was surprised by how little the two elders hesitated. They smiled eagerly, and both spoke in unison.
“Knowledge is everything.”
The way they both responded. He wondered if they were linked like Priscilla was to her bodies. He couldn’t let such commitment down.
[Send it to them. And before you ask, I don’t mind showing them my abilities.]
Mash could sense Priscilla’s concern, and he stopped it early. That fight had been before his recent evolution, and any information from that time would be wildly inaccurate. He observed Priscilla’s use of magic. It was something he still hadn’t been very good at grasping. The elemental magic was easier to understand, but the mental stuff was complicated. Priscilla said that mental magic was typically hard to master. Her kind had a natural aptitude for it, even if she hadn’t natively had the affinity. She explained that her connection with her bodies was a type of mental magic. It was a bodily function that replicated the magic.
The elders seemed to receive the memory slowly, but it was over in a minute or two. Fights always felt longer than they were. The wyvern had been arrogant and given him plenty of time to recover between attacks. Even still, the whole fight was fast. It was one of the fights that he remembered fondly. When he had been sorting through his memories, it had been this fight that reminded him of the love of fighting. The desire to compete in such a complete way. To put everything on the line; both sides are fully ready to kill. He struggled with how much his wants and beliefs clashed now.
The two elders finished observing the fight and turned to face Mash. Their expressions had changed a lot. It wasn’t like they weren’t respectful before, but the look he was getting now was something else. The way their eyes were slightly wide and focused, and the slight shuffling of their bodies were recognizable. Aifell’s people had reacted much the same when they found out about his abilities. Although there was more awe than reverence here. It didn’t look like the elders were going to treat him like a god, but he expected several more questions to come.