I woke up feeling refreshed and renew. I needed to remember to rest more often. It was still dark out. It was funny to see Thor and Loki resting upon the branches with me. I smiled seeing them curled around each other. They were such good friends.

Since they were still sleeping and it was still dark, I decided to look at my inventory. I had all those herbal components I found earlier. I really needed an identify skill or something.

The first plant I pulled out was a delicate, silver-hued root with fine, hair- like strands that shimmered softly in the moonlight. The root was thin and about six inches long. I carefully cleaned the root, ensuring it was free of any dirt or debris. Given its delicate nature, I was extremely careful to avoid damaging the fine strands.

To test the root’s properties, I opted to eat a small sample. I sliced a tiny portion of the root and popped it into my mouth. I felt like this wasn’t the best way to go about it but whatever.

The flavor was a subtle and earthy with a hint of natural sweetness. I waited to see if I felt any different.

[verdant dominion +1]

What’s this? I can increase this skill just by eating plants.

My mind unfocused a little bit and the name of the plant floated into my mind, carried as if by a breeze. “Whisperroot.” I sensed the magic take hold. I could feel enhanced clarity, especially when focusing on complex ideas or spells.

I tried speaking a phrases in Spanish. I took out the ancient artifact I found from earlier on a hunch. I felt like I would be able to understand more about it. The letters on the device flickered and moved. I would probably have to take a bigger dose or make a different formulation.

I waited around fifteen minutes after I stopped feeling the effects from the whisperroot before I brought the next plant out. I couldn’t be sure I wouldn’t cause an interaction or if the whisperroot was out of my system. The rational part of me said I wasn’t doing the science properly. The other part me said I can shoot lightning from my hands. So on average, I think I was pretty steady scientific ground here.

The flowers had a deep iridescent blue hue that shifted and morphed in a most pleasing fashion. The petals felt soft and velvety under my fingers, and in the dim moonlight, it softly emitted an otherworldly glow.

I placed a petal on my tongue, noting its surprisingly pleasant, mildly sweet flavor. The petal dissolved on my tongue. I felt a gentle wave of coolness wash over my eyes. It was a soothing sensation, not at all unpleasant.

I felt a remarkable change in my vision. The darkness seemed to recede, allowing me to see with astonishing. It’s as if the night has transformed into a muted version of daylight, with details and objects becoming visible that were once hidden in the dark. Oh, this was going straight into the dimensional shard.

The world became muted. I got up without noise. I hopped from branch to branch to see if I felt different. Loki stirred in her sleep but didn’t get up. I could see the gleam of her eyes as she tracked my movements. I noticed I was moving more gracefully, and it felt like it deepened the shadows around me, increasing my stealth.

I felt a subtle but distinct connection to the moon and its energies. It was an ethereal sensation. Like a thread of silver light tethered me to the moon. This was something I would have to explore later. I made a note to further experiment with this plant under different phases of the moon.

In the interest of not contaminating my experiment, I waited for the effect to wear off. I sat down with my back to the tree and entered a meditative trance. The effect from the flower lasted for several hours, gradually fading as the night progressed.

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Once the effect dissipated, I felt no adverse reaction. Instead, there was a sense of tranquility, as if I shared a moment with the night itself. “Moonshade Petal.” The name floated up from the depths of my soul. I thought verdant dominion just gave me control over plants but it seems to provide insights into plants.

The effect from the moonshade petal persisted for several hours. The effect began to fade as the sun began to rise. That made sense as the moonshade seemed connected to the moon.

I rose to me feet. Thor and Loki stood and stretched next to me. “Alright you guys.” I started to explain my day to them. I always talked to my dogs as if they could understand me. Someday I wished that they could respond in kind. Fingers crossed for living in a magical world. Really, when you think about, talking dogs would make the whole world ending thing much easier to process and handle.

“I’m looking for the source of the corruption. There has to be a center or source of the undead. I know I shouldn’t trust the system, but it hasn’t let me down before.” I continued to mutter under my breath. “If I ignore all the death and destruction that it heralded.”

Thor and Loki listened intently, their heads tilted, eyes fixed on me, understanding in their own way.

“I mean, it’s not like I can just ignore everything that’s happening,” I said, gazing into the distance. “The undead, the chaos, it’s all too real. And if there’s a chance I can make a difference, I have to take it, right?”

Thor gave a soft woof, as if in agreement, while Loki nuzzled my hand, offering silent support.

I knelt down, petting both of them. “You two have been incredible through all this. I couldn’t have asked for better companions. With your strength and my magic, we’ve got a fighting chance.”

I stood up, taking a deep breath of the fresh forest air. “We need to find the heart of this darkness, the root of this undead plague. It’s the only way to restore balance. And I have a feeling it’s deeper in these woods, possibly near that old cemetery we heard about.”

Thor barked, his tail wagging, ready for action. Loki’s eyes sparkled with a mix of courage and readiness.

I smiled, buoyed by their enthusiasm. “Okay, team, let’s move out. Keep your senses sharp. We don’t know what we’ll encounter next, but we’re ready for it. Together, we can face anything.”

With that, we ventured deeper into the woods. The forest became darker and more ominous the further we went. The deeper we we went, the more palpable the sense of foreboding grew. The air felt heavier, and the usual sounds of wildlife were eerily absent.

We finally came upon a clearing that was unnaturally still. In the center stood an ancient tree. Its bark gnarled and twisted, towering above them like a silent sentinel. Its roots were sprawling and seemed to pulse with a faint, otherworldly energy.

I approached the tree slowly, a sense of awe mixed with apprehension. As I got closer, I noticed something unusual about the tree’s base. Part of the ground near the roots was disturbed, as if recently dug up and hastily covered again. Curious, I began to carefully excavate the area with the help of Thor and Loki. After a few moments of digging, they uncovered a small, intricately carved wooden box. It was old and weathered, but clearly crafted with great skill and care.

I gently opened the box, revealing its contents. Inside, I found a series of objects. There was an ancient tome. It was bound in leather, with pages yellowed by time. It was filled with writings in an unknown language, accompanied by detailed illustrations of various plants and herbs, some of which I recognized but many others I did not. I was confused, I was usually pretty good at recognizing writing systems, but I was fairly certain this had never existed on this planet before. Did more happen to our planet than just magic and lightning falling from the heavens. Maybe I died and this is heaven? I didn’t know.

I shook my head to clear my mind of the distractions. There were more things in the box. There was a crystal pendant. It hung upon a delicate silver chain. There crystal pulsed with a soft light. It seemed to resonate with the same energy as the tree and the surrounding forest.

Next, I pulled out a set of runes. They were carved from wood and stone, each rune was inscribed with symbols similar to those found in the ancient tome. I guessed they might be tools for divination or spellcasting, but I had no idea how to use them.

The last thing I found was a bundle of dried herbs. They were tied with a faded ribbon. The bundle contained herbs that emitted a faint, calming fragrance. I couldn’t wait to figure out what they did. Once I perused the items, I put everything back into the box.

It was time to find this cemetery and end the undead.