Gunununu.
An angry groan echoed throughout the forest. The sound originated from a figure collapsed on a tree branch. The strength of the protest was in direct odds against the lifeless form which did not even twitch. The eyelids of the figure began to close as it gave up.
Gunununu.
Her stomach groaned in protest at her decision. Her stock of food ran out the day before and now she had nothing to eat. If she descended and searched for berries, she ran the risk of encountering the wolf pack.
She had collected a wide assortment of fruit from the trees. Her main problem was that the food could be poisonous or cause various side effects. Back during the beta test, she died from eating an innocent looking carrot in the middle of a jungle. Just the memories of that time caused her to shudder.
Gunununu.
Your Satiety has dropped below 10%. You will lose 1 health every 5 seconds.
“Hah… If this keeps up, I will die. Well dying from hunger is much better than dying from food poisoning.”
Sylph had no energy. Her motivation was at an all time low. Her eyes closed as she displayed a smile as if she had made peace with the world. As she was about when a stray thought brushed by.
“That one title.”
A trace of alarm swept through her body, yet the haze pushed it down. Sylph wanted to rest.
At that moment, Sylph remembered. She was in the middle of a quest. A quest of the utmost importance. It was not as if the quest determined the fate of the world. Even so, she could not fail.
Failing meant that Sylph would fall into his hands. Falling into his hands, she would never escape his grasp. Her current situation would be like a peaceful dream compared to that.
Sylph’s eyes snapped open. With the last of her strength, Sylph checked her inventory. She eyed the list of potential food candidates. Some appeared completely harmless while others blatantly looked like poison. Warily, she grabbed one that appeared both safe and out of the ordinary, a golden apple.
Her health climbed down to a critical point. Sylph could delay no longer. She closed her eyes and took a bite. A smoky, woody taste with fragrant juices exploded on her tongue.
“Now what will it be?”
Her experiences in the past caused her to brace herself. Blurred vision, hallucinations, gut wrenching stomach pain, poisoned, paralysis, and random fits of rage were all symptoms she had experienced before.
Five seconds passed. Sylph fidgeted. A minute passed, Sylph nervously looked around. Nothing had happened.
“Did I manage to pick a completely safe fruit?”
Gunununu.
She waited another minute just to be sure. When no side effects showed themselves, she gave in to her hunger. Pulling out a stack of the golden apples, she scarfed them down. Her satiety shot to max and her lost health recovered. A warm, fuzzy feeling filled her.
“I haven’t felt this full in days… hic.”
Sylph basked in the afterglow of a sumptuous feast. She was so comfortable she almost fell asleep. A blue window popped up, surprising her.
Due to consuming a large portion of an unidentified food, you have determined its effects and nature with your own body. The food you have identified:Whiskey Apple
An apple that tastes like whiskey. If a person has a low tolerance to alcohol, they may become intoxicated.
Effects:
Satiety + 20%
10% Chance of becoming drunk
“What a silly fruit… hic”
Sylph waved her hand and the window disappeared. A warm haze blanketed her thoughts. Her vacant gaze wandered around the forest until it settled down on a particular tree branch.
A black cat was resting under the sunlight up in the trees. With quiet movements, Sylph leaped up the tree onto a higher branch above the sleeping cat.
The fur looked so soft that Sylph could not resist the temptation. Dropping down from a tree branch above, she landed on the cat and rubbed her cheeks into the smooth fur.
----------
The noble panther was particularly pleased with how his day was going so far. A bird fell prey to his sneaky claws and he impressed a fellow lady panther. Since the day went so well, he decided to take a nap in his favorite spot, a spot high up in the trees that warmed by sunlight. Directly below it was a soothing river that never failed to lull him into a comfortable sleep.
It was a spot he fought his fellow peers for, a spot that belonged only to him. His friends knew how jealously he guarded that spot. When he once caught a young kitten lying in his spot, oh how the kitten suffered. The kitten spent everyday for a week straight being dunked into the water. Ever since then, no feline ever dared to approach his spot.
That day, like usual, he spent the afternoon in his spot. He was having the most wonderful dream. His amour approached him. She sent him flirtatious cat calls. He was more than happy to carry on his duty to help create the next generation. He rubbed his nose with affection against her. He could not stop himself from purring at this sudden turn of events.
Something slammed into him from above. Whatever it was started rubbing itself into its fur. The panther sprang up in shock. He was so startled that he even forgot where he was. His leap carried himself out of the intruders hand and into the river.
The only thing the panther hated more than having his spot stolen was getting wet. Not only was his dream interrupted and his spot taken, the intruder also caused him to take an early bath. Oh, how the intruder would pay. Furious, the panther got out of the river and glared at the intruder. If looks could kill, the intruder would have died many times over again. Unfortunately, they couldn’t. He would have to settle for rending the intruder with his claws instead.
The panther took a good look at its enemy. There could only be one word that described her, weak. The panther instinctively knew that his foe was much weaker than himself. Despite her apparent weakness, a terrifying feeling of pressure took hold of him. Her gaze was not one of looking at a monster many times her level. No, the situation may be far worse than he first thought.
He had heard the stories told about how fearsome the humans were, but he had dismissed most of them out of hand. Yet, there was one story about humans that haunted him to this day. The most terrifying humans are not the ones wielding swords and bows, but the ones that approach empty handed, or so Old Swiftpaw told. Especially the empty handed females.
With an audible gulp, the panther looked at the human in front of him. Sure enough, she was both empty handed and female. He had not heard of one of her kind making it so deep into the forest. His mind raced as he tried to recall Old Swiftpaw’s tale.
The human female had approached Old Swiftpaw without a weapon, so the old cat had let down his guard. In the blink of an eye, the female appeared before Old Swiftpaw. With a grip that put a bear to shame, the female held the proud Old Swiftpaw down and rubbed his fur. As much as Old Swiftpaw struggled, he could not escape. Even when killed, the female would come back the next day. The torture continued for a whole week until the female tired and chose another poor unlucky animal as her target. To this day, the panther never forgot the look of trauma on Old Swiftpaw’s face as he told his story. Ever since then, the Old Swiftpaw passed down its story as a message for its descendants.
Be wary of humans who appear harmless. Before you know it, they will be grabbing you with superhuman strength. The hair rose on the panther’s neck. He was exactly in that situation right now. If he was not careful, he would share the same fate as Old Swiftpaw.
Even so, he could not forgive her. His spot was taken and the wretched water soaked him. She was weak. Surely, Old Swiftpaw embellished his story. He pushed down the terrifying pressure he felt and hopped up into the tree to kill his foe.
Her movements were strange and lacked any apparent reason. Her face flushed as she swayed on the tree branch. Framed under the sunlight, it all gave her a mesmerizing appearance. A bead of water plopped down from the panther’s coat, reminding him of the beauty’s crimes. He would have his revenge.
He rushed the beauty. The closer he got, the more his sense of danger acted up.
His claws flashed out. The girl’s body swayed to the side and his attacked passed right by her. It was unbelievable. She was so weak and yet she avoided it. The terrifying pressure behind him intensified. Thin, slender hands reached for him. The panther panicked and slipped. He plummeted into the river below a second time.
Sputtering out the water, he dragged himself to shore and glared at the girl. Not even his mother was ruthless enough to dunk him under the water twice in one day. Surely, her dodge was only a coincidence, thought the panther. Old Swiftpaw’s story got the better of him and he rushed his attack. That is why, reasoned the panther, she managed to avoid his lunge.
This time, the proud panther erased his presence and disappeared into the forest. From a branch nearby, he watched the beauty sit in his favorite spot. Not once did she glance his way.
The thrill of the hunt rose within the panther. Catching his target off guard and successfully capturing the prey was his greatest pleasure. Among his generation, there was not a feline better at hunting than him.
All it took was a moment’s distraction. Before the panther’s eyes, the maiden disappeared. The panther stared at the empty tree branch stupefied. A terrifying pressure behind him caused him to spring up and jump to another branch. A soft, clean hand brushed his coat before he managed to get out of the way.
Safe on another branch, his hair stood on its ends as he saw the girl standing where he was previously hiding. Her melodious laughter ignited his pride. His prey dared to sneak up on him. He would show her who was the true king of hunting.
-----
With his keen instincts, he eventually figured out the secret to her success. To put it plainly, she was weak. His initial assumption was not wrong. She was pitifully weak. This deep into the forest, she was on the level of a newborn kitten. Yet, the weak have their own way to survive.
She was weak. An oppressive aura, a shining strength, a strong presence, she lacked all of these. Precisely because she was weak, her presence within the forest was small. The difficulty of hiding an terrifying presence was many times more difficult than hiding a weak presence.
She was weak. Although only at the level of a mere human, she would still fear those much stronger than her. Because she was weak, she could point out the direction of a monster by searching for the source of her fear.
Not only was she weak, she also adapted. To hunt, one had to consider the wind direction, the location, the approach, and the timing. A sudden change in the wind could give away your intent. The ever changing forest would reveal your presence at a moment’s notice. Only those that took care in considering the situation would be successful.
Her long stay in the forest helped mask her scent. Her presence was neither loud and boisterous like a typical human. Instead, her presence was like a breath of fresh air that gently brushed fur with its passage. It was not a presence native to the forest. Even so, it was a presence that slowly integrated into the forest.
To a king of the game such as himself, the panther could gauge her abilities. Her approach was naive. She failed to mask her intent when she pounced. Her actions spoke of her utter inexperience at hunting. Yet, her sensitivity surpassed his own. That earned her a measure of respect from him.
She fully utilized a passing breeze to hide her presence. Jumping from tree branch to tree branch would inevitably create some noise. Such a noise would alert the prey to the hunter’s intention. The only option for the hunter was to either lay in wait or move at a time when the forest drowned out the sound.
The average hunter chose the former. Yet, the inexperienced huntress immediately went with the latter. Her movements followed the wind. As the leaves rustled through the wind’s passage, she stalked her prey.
Already, the panther could not deny it. This game of cat and mouse would not allow him to deny it. The ease with which she moved through the forest, the natural grace she carried herself with, she could no longer be considered an outsider. A human would not own such qualities.
The panther flicked his tail in annoyance. Befriending a human, what a stupid idea. The panther pounced at the girl. She gracefully leaped to another branch and then disappeared. The panther did not let his guard down.
He focused his ears. He hated to admit it, but the girl was skilled. Her passage would only rustle a few leaves. If he did not listen carefully, he would miss it. The difficulty only made the game more worthwhile.
----------
Loves Honey and Beeswatter ambled through the forest in search of their favorite delicacy. The two bears were accomplished partners in stealing from the pesky golden bees. The biggest problem they ran into was knocking the delicious honeycombs to the ground where they could enjoy the feast. Bears were not the best of climbers.
Loves Honey was quite satisfied with today’s target. They had stumbled upon the mother of all honeycombs. Beeswatter would have his hands full if they managed to bring it down. There was just one problem, the target was far up in the tree.
A tantalizing dessert just out of reach. Even when he tried standing on Beeswatter’s back, the two of them did not have the height to knock down the hive. Loves Honey wished he could call upon his other forest brethren. Unfortunately, the panther’s who excelled in navigating the canopy did not share his love for honey.
It was when he was about to cover his face with his bear paws in shame that he heard it. A melodious laughter that tickled one’s heart. Although it provoked a gentle feeling in his heart, Loves Honey could not help but stand up on his haunches and back away slowly in fear.
That laughter belonged to only one race. Humans.
Old Honeyfoot still told stories of that day. A lone human, innocent and frail looking had pranced into the forest. Honeyfoot had thought to intimidate her. It was a well known fact that among the forest, bear’s were the strongest. Unsuspectingly, Old Honeyfoot fell right for the girl’s trap.
With power bellying her size, the girl wrestled evenly with Old Honeyfoot. For three days and three nights they fought. Never once did the two combatants separate. When three days later, Old Honeyfoot collapsed in exhaustion. His opponent was not even tired. The girl had leaned against him glowing in satisfaction.
Her smile seemed to say she would not mind going for another few rounds. Honeyfoot had no choice but to concede his defeat. It was only when the girl finally fell asleep did he run away in terror, never to return to that part of the forest. The most courageous bear of them all still had nightmares about that moment even to this day.
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Humans were terrifying, especially the more sweet and innocent they looked. That is why when the girl showed up, Loves Honey immediately put himself on guard. Only his great size hid his shaking.
Beeswatter, ignorant of the latest arrival, kept reaching for the honeycombs in the tree. Loves Honey cursed at his choice in companions. Taking in the scene, the girl’s smile widened. The bear was about to turn tail and flee, leaving his friend as the next helpless victim when it happened. She moved.
With an agile grace that could put a haughty panther to shame, she appeared on the branch above the beehive. With a great kick, she knocked down both herself and the beehive. Covered in honey, she laughed foolishly.
The girl pulled out a golden apple and smothered it honey. Taking a bite, a foolish grin appeared on her face. Loves Honey finally relaxed his guard and joined her in the meal. Perhaps Old Honeyfoot exaggerated how fearsome humans were. Anyone that loved honey could not be a bad person.
The curious fruits she had plucked from the highest of trees was an excellent compliment to his favorite honey. A loud angry buzz filled the air. Beeswatter’s eyes glowed with a joyous light. His time finally came. From the crushed beehive came a swarm of angry bees. Loves Honey was a bit worried for his newest comrade with how weak she was, but his worries vanished as she proved herself quick to escape.
Loves Honey watched her go with a warm sense of camaraderie. Silently, he wished for another chance to share in the sweet delicacies of a honey covered apple.
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Blackscale slithered through the forest looking for delicacies to feed on. As an apex predator in the forest, he had little to fear and went where he pleased. One of his favorite haunts was the spider territory with half dead trees. The reason was that the spiders liked to bind his prey in their webs, making them easy pickings for him to feed off of.
The snake flicked out his forked tongue, testing the air. Satisfied, he headed for a nearby web. When he got there, he hissed in surprise.
Several stingers were bound head to toe in the surrounding web. Dead in the center, was a large figure covered almost entirely in webs. Only strands of silver peaked out from the bindings. Blackscale could not make heads or tails of exactly what kind of animal had walked into such a web.
Long and skinny, he thought it might be one of his snake brethren. Sighing to himself at the stupidity of the younger generation, Blackscale decided to free the captive. If it was one his young uns that got caught, why he would deny them the right to sunbask for three cycles of the moon.
With his poisonous fangs, he easily rended the web to pieces. He ate the bound stingers as a consolation prize for his hard work. When the large silver bundle fell to the ground, he and webbing fell away from its face, he finally recognized exactly what had been caught.
A human, and a female to boot. Immediately he braced himself for the loud shocking vibration that would come from her. Blackscale waited and waited… and nothing came. Puzzled, he looked at the human.
He was almost disappointed to find that the human female was asleep. A line of drool leaked from the foolish grin on her face. Blackscale felt like his grandeur was being underestimated. His old granddad spoke about the time he encountered a female human. Why the moment they met, she let out such a piercing scream that it vibrated through the old man’s body and left him stunned.
Never carelessly approach a human, especially females, was the lesson of that story. Yet, now their was a human female that did not mind his presence one bit. She underestimated him. Angry, he hissed at the female to wake up.
Weak grumbles reached him as finally the stubborn girl woke up. Blackscale beamed at his success and waited for the impending screech. As the female fully opened her eyes, he watched her slowly register his terrifying form. Only, her reaction left much to be desired.
Instead of shrieking, only her eyes widened. After a moment, the female furiously started struggling. Because of the web binding her, leaving only her face exposed, she could do little than slither.
To Blackscale, it was an exceedingly peculiar sight. Although obviously a novice, her movements had a certain beauty to it. Still, that was not enough to stop the insulted snake from swallowing her whole for offending his existence.
He was terrifying, Blackscale reassured himself. It was just that this human was too ignorant of the grandness of his being to shriek. His old granddad must have been exaggerating. As he was about to make a move, a change occurred to the struggling female.
She managed to free only her hands towards her head, but she could not escape the binding. A silver instrument appeared in her hand. Thinking he was about to be attacked, Blackscale drew back and readied himself to kill the female.
Instead, she lifted to the instrument to her lips and wonderful vibrations spread throughout his entire being. Was this what his granddad was talking about? Rather than a painful experience, it was something… soothing. The old man must have wanted to monopolize such an experience all for himself, Blackscale reasoned.
His intention to attack faded and he gave himself over to the vibrations. His body began to sway in tune. Blackscale completely forgot his original goal. When the song ended, he felt invigorated and rejuvenated.
Blackscale scorned his old man. He would not be selfish like the old man and monopolize this wonderful vibration. Picking up the female, he carried her to his home so that all the snakes could share the wonderful vibrations a human female could produce.
-----
Kor flew through the air. She prided herself in being the ruler of the sky. Today, she decided she would have her revenge. Birds and snakes were natural enemies and that damn snake had gone too far. Some of his kind, oozing black taint, had attacked one of her own. Unforgivable. A snake should know its place as the prey of birds. She would steal his most precious son and feed it to her children.
When she reached the snakes nest, her feathers ruffled in bafflement. Her keen eyesight picked up an encirclement of snakes surrounding a silver snake. This white snake was producing a melody that the rest of the snaked undulated too. She was too far away to hear clearly, but what little she caught delighted her.
If the snakes who were too deaf to hear the music properly were captivated, what would happen to her kind who had much more sensitive hearing? Wouldn’t that just be heaven?
Stealing away the snakes source of enjoyment would indeed be a fitting revenge. Deciding on her target, Kor swooped down and snatched the strange white snake. Instead of the hard scaly body of a snake, her claws gripped soft flesh.
The strange silver snake continued to produce music despite being kidnapped. If anything, amidst the whistling howls of the wind, the music got better. The song reminded Kor of the freedom of the skies and the joys of flight.
As she expected, the damn snakes below were livid. She redirected her flight path to her nest and crooned to herself in joy. Although she had not figured out what kind of strange creature she had captured, she intuitively knew it was weak. This was a sense that all denizens of the forest could grasp. Even her hatchlings should have no problem if the strange creature was a threat.
Reaching her nest, she dropped off the silver creature in her nest. The shock of the fall finally caused the music to stop. Full of curiosity, Kor turned landed and looked at the creature she had captured.
It was not a snake like she had thought. Instead, it was a human bound in spider webs. Kor was impressed with her courage for one as weak as her to stare down. Many lesser creatures would avert their eyes in fear.
It was the chicks that interrupted the staring contest. The strange female yipped in pain as the chicks mistook her for the latest dinner and pecked her. White strands of web fell away and finally the human was fully released from her bindings.
The hatchlings looked at her in curiosity. They had never seen a human before, especially one in such a sorry state as her. Strands of web clung to her body. Twigs were in her hair and splotches of honey stuck to her clothes. Not to mention the feathers that had stuck onto the honey. The human was a mess.
Seeing her chance, the female brought the silver instrument up to her lips and played. The birds lost themselves in the music. Even the hatchlings who had never flown before felt like they were above the clouds. Kor gained a greater appreciation for the human. She truly understood the fickle mood of the wind.
Not many landlubbers understood the difficulties of fighting an updraft or the thrill of a dive. As Kor immersed herself in the song, her body relaxed and eventually, she drifted off to sleep.
Seeing her audience pacified, the musician lowered her instrument and walked off carefully in order to not wake the young ones.
By the time she was back in a familiar area by the lake, she had worked up a foul odor. The warm haze was slowly fading from her thoughts. Nothing would be more comfortable than a nap, but first she needed to clean off the grime of her journey. With nary a thought, the girl jumped into the lake.
The ice cold water penetrated through the haze of her thoughts and Sylph woke up. As she recalled the events of the day, she shuddered in horror. Her body temperature plummeted.
She struggled out of the waters and onto the shore. Her wet clothes clung to her body. A breeze across the lake caused goosebumps to break out on her skin. With an unsteady gait, she climbed a tree to her familiar perch.
A blue box rewarded her for her efforts. Sylph sneezed.
You have caught a cold. Regain your warmth to recover.
Waving away the window, she cursed her situation once more. She blamed Loki for her poor luck today. Surely he had a hand in all the misfortunes of the world. A yip below interrupted her thoughts.
Her ever so persistent guides had found her, was Sylph’s first thought. It turned out that traipsing through the forest while getting webs, feathers, and honey on her did a good job of hiding her scent.
Wolf cubs play bit each other on the ground below. A few adult wolves watched the scene with a twinkle in their eyes. Without the constant fear of being monitored and detected, Sylph was able to watch them peacefully. She had never noticed this side of them before.
Although her body was cold and sick, her heart was warm. She thought back to her quest. Loki had tasked her with removing the corruption in the forest. That is to say, he had given her a mission to protect scenes of innocence like the wolf cubs playing before her. Just maybe, he was not such a bad guy.
A snarl broke her out of her reverie. It was directed not at her, but a newcomer. Pitch black ooze covered a wolf shape and its eyes glowed red with menace. Sylph gasped at the sight of the corruption. Before anyone could react, the red eyed wolf was on one of the cubs, tearing into its throat.
The other cub attacked the enemy, but the monster swatted the cub aside. The child landed below Sylph’s tree, where it laid unmoving. The older wolves howled and charged the corruption. Furious howls and snarls evolved into a clash of claws and fangs.
Sylph shivered at the sight. She must still be drunk or her cold was worse than she thought. Her mind was considering to help the child. They were her enemy, who had chased her around for days without rest.
Sylph’s eyes strayed to the fallen cub who was playing earlier. Even when outmatched, it yipped and struggled to stand. The fight was going poorly for the wolves. The corrupted one was stronger. Sylph hesitated. Her head heated up.
You have caught a fever. Regain your warmth and rest to recover.
Her body was cold and yet, her head was overheating. The breeze across the lake chilled her to her bones. Sylph needed something warm… something fluffy to recover herself from her fever. That is why, it couldn’t be helped, Sylph reasoned to herself.
For the first time since she arrived in the forest, Sylph dropped out of the tree branches and approached the small wolf. Picking up the pitiful bundle of warmth, she held it tight to her chest and fled. Even if she stayed and fought, she would get both of them killed. The only chance for the little one’s survival was if they fled.
Sylph rushed through the forest, leaving the snarls of combat behind. The cub in her arms struggled weakly in protest. Sylph tightened her arms in response.
Her mind was a mess and her fever made the world sway. It was not long before the howls of wolves quieted. An eerie silence took its place. Even so, Sylph did not stop her feet. The fear from the corrupted wolf had not gone away.
Sylph’s breath came in gasps. She knew it was behind her and rapidly approaching. Each second, her fear grew stronger. Branches snapped and bushes rustled. Even though her actions were futile, Sylph desperately fled.
Her hazy mind immediately latched onto the game with the panther. Almost on instinct, Sylph blended her two strongest arts, Natural Beauty and Deception. Her presence grew thin as it merged with the forest. Her speed also picked up.
Still, she could not hide her scent. At best, her efforts would only delay the corrupted wolf for a little bit. The fact that she had a fever did not help.
She could almost feel the corrupted wolf’s gaze upon her back. Without the Fear Resistance art equipped, her fear grew as the monster closed in on her.
Her stamina emptied and she ran on fumes. The bushes rustled behind her. She tripped over her own feet and crashed into the ground. Sylph tightly hugged the wolf cub to protect him.
Her fever and sudden frantic flight caught up to her. Her vision grew dark. Behind Sylph, the corrupted wolf jumped out with a victorious snarl.
“So this is the end.” Sylph murmured.
Sylph blacked out as the forest around her erupted into a flurry of snarls.
-----
Sylph woke up to a warm fluffy paradise. It was like her pillow was born just to bring her this supreme comfort. She wanted to continue sleeping but something wet touched her face.
“Nnnn..?”
Blinking away the sleep from her groggy eyes, she looked around her. She was in the middle of the wolf pack with most of her body covered by fluffy wolves. She pinched herself, thinking she was dreaming. The pain told her this was no dream.
“.... What the hell!?”