Mash and the others talked for a little bit, but his thoughts shifted when Priscilla finished gathering her information. He had left one of her bodies to watch over his world. He trusted that she would act within his own beliefs. Some people might consider him insane for trusting a monster, but he was one too. Even if he didn’t look like it all the time. The information went from Priscilla to him, and his mind drifted away from the others. Their words turned into buzzing in his ears. They had been talking more about everything that happened in the tower. It was important to know, but he couldn’t help but let his thoughts shift. The Elders and Kishiv in his world had done a lot. Although there was a more alarming change that he heard.
The world was changing at this very moment. It had started a few hours ago. According to Priscilla, it had started around the time his skills had changed. She hadn’t noticed when he had last come here, but now a few strange things had popped up. That being monsters. Monsters specifically those he could imitate had begun appearing in the world. Not just as infants either. Priscilla had noticed small creatures thus far. Rats like those he had fought so long ago. Some lesser animals had started appearing too. Fishes and birds. Those he would find on a farm or in a common store. He had never bothered making imitations of such creatures or trying out if he had forms for them. This suggested that he did, but it still didn’t feel like he had any reason to try it.
This information wasn’t a good thing. While another food source was interesting, there were too many other concerns. The world was becoming less safe for his occupants, though Priscilla assured him that the people were safe. Even Kishiv children could handle things like the rats. Mash wondered how that was possible, but he guessed that it had to do with levels. Well, not levels but approximate strength. The rats he had fought when he had first become an adventure were minor monsters. They would be too weak to appear even in beginner dungeons. The Kishiv on the other hand had been connected to a dungeon that he had gained access to from hitting level 100. The difference in strength made sense.
Although there were other implications that rushed into his mind. His eyes darted around. They were on a small hill, and he tried to look into the distance. All he saw were trees and strangely colored ones at that. They weren’t like his trees anymore either. He didn’t seem to control what appeared in this world, and where did come from? Was his magic creating real life somehow? If so, why couldn’t he do that normally? And that meant that he was making real life. That shouldn’t be possible. He wasn’t regulating his world at all either. What would happen if another Priscilla formed? A creature like her could dominate his world.
[Not as long as I am here. If it is a replica of my old state, then I would be far superior to it. My body here has grown significantly in my absence.]
That was something he would address, but she wasn’t his only concern. The winged cat thing, which he learned was known as a sphinx, was another danger. Plus, it was intelligent in a similar way to Priscilla. Even those creatures fell short of his strongest transformations. The wyvern and dragon would be horrible, and he didn’t think the elders could do anything to them. Even still, those would be nothing if a dragon appeared. Mash could at least do something about the other monsters. He knew that he couldn’t do anything if a dragon appeared.
[I have not noticed any creatures of worth. I will make sure to monitor for them.]
Priscilla was reading his thoughts and was trying to be reassuring. It fell on deaf ears. Or it entered a blank mind. Either way, Mash took little comfort in her composure. His friends would need to hear about it, but he paused as he realized that Priscilla had more to tell him.
[The Kishiv and Elders have gained much from this world. According to them, there is a lot of valuable energy in the air. Enough to construct more complex creations than in their previous world. Many different kinds of wood exist, and they each hold different attributes. The wood grows quickly too. That is what is most dangerous to the people. The forest expands rapidly. Before long, your world will be nothing but forest and ocean. Though the Elders and Kishiv have been cutting down trees as quickly as they can manage.]
Mash's stomach twisted at the thought. On top of the new life forms inhabiting his world, his people had to deal with ravenous forests. How did someone even fight a forest? Priscilla sent him many images along with her information. He saw what she meant. They were making more servitors as they called them, and they were elaborate. The wood they used now was easier to shape than the stone of their world. The images he had seen made it clear that the servitors they made now were much more humanoid. They were kind of like wooden training dummies, but Mash could see the value. They were creations that could use the natural attributes of the wood. He wanted to go explore the towns, but he needed to share the information with his friends first.
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Another long conversation began. The others listened closely, but they were open to walking and talking. Mash’s portals seemed to open up to random places, but they were never too far away from the large tree. Plus, the tree was big enough to act as a guide regardless of location. But he could just head towards Priscilla’s body if he really wanted to. They had appeared in a forest, but he hadn’t really paid much attention to it at first. Priscilla’s information changed his attitude and he stared at the trees. They were noticeable. Before they all somewhat matched the central tree, but now he could see that the trees were multicolored. They were all still somewhat brown, but they had a hue to them that made the forest disturbingly colorful. The trees ranged from yellowish hues to bright pink ones in some places. The leaves matched the hues on the trees too.
All of the colors alone would’ve made the forest seem like it was from a children’s book. However, the trees here took it a step further. The trees that were bluish actually dripped water from their leaves. Mash’s feet froze when he spotted one. He slowly let the water fall on his open palm. Cold water pooled in his palm for a moment, before he raised it and took a sip. It was refreshing and clean. The water was so smooth that he thought it was something else at first. The others were just as surprised by the liquid. After they spotted that tree, they paid much more attention to the surrounding forest.
Luke pointed out as a leaf from one of the red trees fell. It burned rapidly and turned to ashes before landing on the ground. They spotted another blue tree though one that was a shade darker than the water ones. He only realized that it was different when it zapped him as he passed by it. It stung a little. Although, it wasn’t any worse than the shock someone felt when touching some staticky. Interesting trees aside, they had run into a few mundane animals as well. The most common creature he saw was chicken, though Priscilla said there was plenty of fish as well. Mash considered his diet and decided that he would try and eat more normal creatures.
They wouldn’t give him power, but he should probably try and give this world more than just new monsters. Plus, he hoped that it would make it less likely for something like a dragon to appear. Were there any fruits or vegetables? Priscilla didn’t know, but she said the world was still changing. She would send him information as her body discovered it. That was fine, but he was concerned about the world. It couldn’t just survive off of random monsters and animals. There were things a place needed, and he doubted that his diet would cover everything. Did that mean he would need to eat bugs and stuff? The image didn’t really disgust him as much as he thought it would. There were worse things out there, some of which he had already eaten.
Jill pointed in the distance, and Mash saw buildings built into the forest. There were no walls, but he noticed smooth stone streets weaved between the structures. The stone at least was a plain grey. Any other color would’ve made the sight far too silly. The trees of the forest surrounded the streets and buildings, which he noticed were also built on a smooth stone floor. No walls felt risky to him, but Priscilla was quick to point out the reality.
[Up until a few hours ago, there were no harmful living creatures. And you requested that they make their cities as unobtrusive as possible. Even now there is nothing truly dangerous. The elders have built a few secure subterranean structures. There are some elevated safe spaces as well. Though infrequent the storms in this world are dangerous.]
Mash appreciated the information but frowned at the images she sent along with them. The storms were terrible The images he got were more like recollections of her memories. The sound and feeling came along with the image. The thunder roared across the ground, and the lightning shook the ground like an earthquake. The rains would be thick and could easily flood a poorly designed house. He was glad to hear that Priscilla had been able to prevent any serious injuries among the inhabitants. But all of the information made him feel kind of shitty. He had ruined their home and brought them here only to face new dangers. There were some apologies that needed to be made.
He picked up the pace and talked quickly. The others listened as he explained the situation as Priscilla had seen it. They told him that he was overreacting. That he had come here recently, and Priscilla would’ve mentioned if the people here were struggling. It was true. So, he contained his reactions a little as the group arrived in the town. Village was probably a more appropriate word with the building layout. The buildings were made of wood but were placed on top of stone platforms. Everything in the village was like that. Mash had asked them to be unobtrusive, but this was excessive. The wood that lined the walls of the building was laid vertically next to one another. It reminded him of the paintings of elven villages he had seen.
Priscilla told him not to stop at any of these buildings. Most of the buildings here just contained random families. The leaders of both the Kishiv and Elders would be found deeper into the city. This was the only village at the moment, and he could tell that it was big. Buildings appeared in the corner of his eyes. They were hidden behind some trees, but the stone floors let him notice the many paths. They snaked into the forest and stretched toward the edges of vision. His world had changed from more than just his powers.