Waking up, it was still early, the sun had not risen. The only thing that called out dawn was the lightly orange horizon. Though looking outside Arakvili saw the undead creatures who were mindlessly roaming still.
Now however there were different ones once more. Here a few skeletons wielding halberds and some shields. While elsewhere in the clearing was visible a massive zombie, yet its arms rancid, broken apart only hanging on by bone and tendon its arms stretched to the ground as it walked around on all fours like this.
The most menacing, however, was a creature that Arakvili could barely see in the distance. Like a figure in a black cloak it almost seemed ethereal. Its body is fully black and swaying in the mind like a figure of dust. The worst, its eyes glowed red in the dark forest floor like stars alone. It seemed intelligent, unlike the animalistic things below in the clearing. It simply stood there alone and watched… Arakvili felt as if it knew where he was just by the way it seemed to follow him with its eyes.
A little terrified he grabbed the Cleaver closer and continued to look out the window. Who knows if it could shatter the old door in a single burst or leap onto the top of the tower. Surprising nothing had done that yet,
However, it simply stayed there and watched. But as the two shared this moment rays of sun washed over the forest roof and the tall grass tips in the clearing. Many of the undead suddenly jolted as if awakened. The skeletons rushing somewhere together before disappearing into the grass, while the long armed zombie made it clear to Arakvili what they were doing.
The thing below stood up straight as it looked into the sun, roaring it swung its arms over its head and smashed them into the ground as a green flame surrounded the floor below it, burning it, consuming it. It looked as if it dove into the ground itself.
Looking back to the dark creature, it too was burning up in green flames as it disappeared. Arakvili didn't know if they were simply hiding, or if their lives were just a single night long. However at this point, as the sun now covered some of the field and the active undead were gone, Arakvili steeled himself to go outside.
Collecting the Basket and Holding the Cleaver close, Arakvili opened the door and set foot out. It was still a little bitter, however it never really got cold. Even during the nights here it was warm enough.
‘The forest may still have beasts or undead still… I cant guess when I could encounter them, but I suppose i'll look to the sides of the forests today! ’
Deciding to travel west first, Arakvili followed the trail of cobble that he originally took to get here, however as soon as he entered the forest he turned to the right. Here the grass was way shorter, however the branches were dense instead, needing Arakvili to walk around nearly constantly crouched if not dodging them, swaying side to side between them.
In this way Arakvili traveled over some hills and groves, over a handful small streams and leapt across boulders. Seeing different views throughout the forest. Much as on the first day the meek feathered deer could be seen running around here and there in the forest groves and near the streams.
[‘Peabuck’ added to bestiary]
Now having traveled a distance he himself is unfamiliar with Arakvili eventually found something akin to a crater. Though it looked like something had crashed here it was already overtaken with foliage and thick layers of trees. But the Oaks here were old and tall, stretching further above giving a decent view around the area. There wasn't much around or above, that had not already been seen on the journey.
Save for the very pit of the crater from which in a pond emerged the rotting wood of a fallen tree as well as something that looked like a ruin. Brick walls, though most had collapsed. There still stood something in the middle.
Rushing down the side of the crater Arakvili soon arrived at the ruined structure. But, it wasn't much more than that. It was stuck in the middle of a pond. Puddle if you will. The water was dark and dreary, hard to tell its depth or even if it was water hospitable to human skin. If anything it looked like the remnants of a bog frogs elderly bath.
However something else was noteworthy, around the sides of the stump of the dead trees and other rotting foliage grew mushrooms! They had large caps and broad stems though sideways stretching like the depiction of an acacia in paintings. And although they looked like they were covered in bark or some other scally mesh, their scent was nostalgic.
[‘Bobervik Mushroom’ added to compendium]
Though Arakvili didn’t do this for other things he called onto the system to look at the compendium description of the mushroom, though from the little lore he assumed from its name, it should be edible.
[ Bobervik Mushroom ]
[ The Bobervik Mushroom is a type of oyster mushroom that grows naturally in densely wooded and wet areas often on driftwood or fallen tree. And Throughout woods and beans, beavers love these mushrooms the most. Humans may find the chewing process complex unless prepared. ]
“ Yes ! “
Jolly Arakvili hopped around as he began gathering the mushrooms, carefully snapping them at the stems and filling up the basket. The relief he was feeling in these moments was unmatched. The image of a dinner filled his body with newfound vigor to continue.
Though he felt bad leaving behind the half sunken stone structure, there was nothing he could do about it or salvage from it. For which he could only hope that there was more to be seen further around. He could only hope that the next few were not stuck in ponds.
And such it was. Though the journey was longer this time than before, the forest here was Older, the Oaks each larger and the space between them greater. Their branches no longer crowding the forests zones allowing Arakvili to stroll freely to examine the shapes of this world.
Though there wasn't much more. Here and there were shrubs similar to those on earth, lush branched bushes rising tall with flowers of all sorts. Small white ones with 6 petals and ones with 3 petals that were massive and purple and yellow, others had flowers with uncountable petals yet were small thin and long, brilliant colors all over.
And in the company of these forest fields Arakvili found himself in the presence of a Colony.
[‘Honeycoat Bee’ added to Bestiary]
The bees were, of course, larger. Around the size of a fist. While some of those that floated around somehow were larger even then, however the most notable feature Arakvili noticed on them is that they wore small pieces of armor, looking like someone had made them tiny gear of wax.
Looking around he found the hive of their high in the tree, however not as he expected. Instead of taking the form of a bulb up there it was like a massive spiderweb, interconnected between the branches piece by piece. It did look quite menacing as across the bridges of honeycombs and wax ran around bees covered in armor too heavy to fly. Looking like beetles, while there were also those with long legs and no visible wings at all, building upon the hive as larva and… Meat?!
[‘Honeyguarded Beeat’ added to Bestiary]
[‘Combed Weaver’ added to Bestiary]
Arakvili was shocked, but he settled soon realizing that what he was looking at was already an anomaly. Looking at the nearby trees he realized why these bees were armored and so diverse, even up in these old oaks.
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Claw marks stained the bark of the trees, scratches and broken wood. Looking down near the trees there were many bones and droppings of some creatures. The skulls though small resembled those of a cat or a deer, while putting his forearm against one of the trees. Arakvili realized the claw marks were way larger than his arm.
For that, he skedaddled immediately. Not giving the chance of any encounter with a bear or worse off creature that may be frequenting this old side of the forest.
He dashed far and fast, going through the forest he found his way downhill, picking up speed as he dodged the roots on the ground and the sharp sided rocks. Ending up at a valley of 4 hills. There again was a stream at the bottom of this valley, but the forest had a completely different sensation. The trees became incredibly sparse, yet instead of grand and massive oaks, there were tall and massive birch trees now. Shimmering white with lovely lime leaves.
It was incredibly peaceful here… If it wasn't for his first day here he could easily believe that this place had no monstrous beasts and lizards. However the idea of either of the monsters he saw before being around never let him rest, banging at the back of his mind every time he saw sun flickering in shadows or darkness too dense to justify in day.
But, in the end these were simple things like sunspots caused by branches flickering in the wind or dense bushes cast in the shadows of the trees, clouding vision in the dappled light.
Yet, here Arakvili also found some hope, as he roamed around the side of a hill near the bottom of the valley in front of him were grazing cows, some smaller while the others adults. They didn't even look all that different from domestic cows? Arakvili was shocked. He thought that everything would be warped but walking closer they seemed completely tranquil, as if he didn't exist. The little calves were running around while the cows, some continued to graze while a few others laid down as he approached. Mooing as they examined him.
[‘Brown Cow’ added to Bestiary]
Arakvili felt some loose sense of safety. Just normal cattle grazed here. Maybe this place was safer than the forest at the top of the valley? Maybe he got incredibly unlucky at first with the lizard and boar? No,
As he foolishly spent his time bumbling in his thoughts a bellowing groan echoed throughout the valley. Terrified he looked over, and there it was charging at him fast.
A bull, its horns twisted forward and fierce, they seemed thick and sharp but were branched too, they looked brutal, demonic even. The behemoth ran with great speed and arrived at Arakvilis location before he could even properly react. It bent its head down and thrusted at him, the last thing he could think to do was to cover his body in the aura he had.
Crunch
Arakvili was tossed far and high, slamming into a tree the basket flew far out of his hand, yet he held the cleaver close, realizing that death was imminent if he lost it.
Falling to the ground it was brutal and painful, more than anything he had experienced til now. Though his skin endured the strike he felt like vomiting from the bludgeon of the bull. Yet there it stood jumping around on its hind legs bellowing as it waved its horns…
[‘Six Branch Horn Bull’ added to Bestiary]
Arakvili quickly slid behind the tree and got up, releasing the aura and taking a deep breath, after deeper breath…
This was deeply terrifying, the bull was massive on its own, and its horns looked like something that would mince meat by the wave. The fact alone that he lived that strike was mythical to him. Certainly the aura did more than expected, but he got exhausted quickly from using it.
He brought up the cleaver in front of himself, getting ready. Arakvili tried getting closer to the basket in order to leave, however that much was impossible. The bull began charing again as it hopped across half the distance in one leap, giving Arakvili a blow into his ribs just in time for him to strengthen his Aura. Though as he was sent flying blood spurred from all over himself, scratches and cuts formed as he flung across the rocks and twigs on the ground.
Yet feeling his ribs, they were fine?
‘I see… Of course the effect would be better if I concentrated all of my aura into a single spot to defend, but…’
He coughed, his body feeling greatly limp from the beating of being flung like that,
‘That exposes me to worse injury everywhere else. Ill have to learn to manage some of it instead of all at once.’
Though the bull wasn't going to let him come to such a realization in peace as it had begun charginging once more, holding its head low its massive stone like neck and shoulders pulsed with each leap forward. Steeling himself Arakvili surrounded his entire body and sword in aura and jumped to the side attempting to dodge, so he did.
The bull flung its head upward, brining its entire upper body off the ground for some moments, yet these essential moments were what he needed. Given that it missed he swung his cleaver with the full force he could muster, channeling all of his aura into the sword and his arms, jamming it into the bulls leg.
It crackled loudly as blood burst outward, yet contrary to his expectation the leg wasn’t severed. The bull drew back and swung around, outraged at Arakvilis arrogance, swinging its head down harshly enough to dust up an explosion followed by tremor as its horns collided with the ground.
Though Arakvili could thank its violent outrage as the cleaver lodged in its leg was split out free. Yet their dance wasn't over. The bull would come to swipe at Arakvili suddenly as it hadn’t before, before he even could raise his aura in response, and to that his entire chest had a large wound split up on it.
Blood fell from both like a waterfall, filling the air with the waves of iron scent. The bull swiped again but Arakvili had put up his defense, blocking it with his sword and aura. But he was too inexperienced. He had only reinforced his arms and sword, causing the heavy blow to knock against into his shoulders and shattering his balance as his knees gave into the strength of its swings. To which the bull raised its up on its hinds to crush Arakvili as he was knocked down.
Yet instead the bull fell on its side, kicking Arakvili anyway but shaking around. Giving the chance for Arakvili to catch a breath and to look at what happened, yet the sight was devastating. A beaver was lodged into the neck of the Bull, hanging on with its elongated fangs, the monstrous beast shook and swung its neck with force enough that it even snapped a poor tree that got captured in its way, yet the beaver didn't release its clamp on the bull, instead the two begun tumbling down the side of the hill as the bull flipped over in wrath.
Bamboozled Arakvili stood by looking at the woven basket, it was empty without a mushroom in sight… He took the opportunity and dashed downhill. He had already steeled himself now. If he wasn't going to have mushrooms, he would have beef at least.
As he arrived at the Bull it was stuck at the bottom of the valley, its horns lodged into the dubious streambed, the beaver had already begun crittering away, but this was enough for Arakvili. Before the beast could get up he took the Cleaver and swung with all of his might to the neck of the beast.
The splurge of blood resounded, the snapping of tendons played a brutal melody, the last bellowing groan of the bull should have been heard as its windpipe was severed and neck heavily injured. Yet it uprooted the riverbed it was stuck in, getting up once more.
Its voice now a hoarse crash of gurgles and sounds. Arakvili was terrified, he hoped the thing to have Died, But No! It Was Still Running At Him!
Before it struck him Arakvili mustered all of the remaining aura he could to shield himself, and good for it as the Bull swung, it flung him far and high above, to the opposite side of the valley, he hit a grove of trees, falling into their midst. It was painful as hell as the bark and the branches each tried to sneer their way through his defense of aura. Now released he felt the cuts everywhere. It was hard to breathe after such a strike.
But he forced himself up, looking forward as the bull stood in front of him. Yet it no longer moved or made a noise. It didn't swing or charge further. The only thing that happened now was its maw slipping open as blood flowed from its mouth and soon too its nose.
It had died,
Relieved beyond the sensation of anything he had experienced until now Arakvili fell back into the grove laughing himself silly. He set the cleaver down, stopping himself from crying as he rubbed his eyes with his jacket.
“ Ahaah… Why me? ”
Turning his head to look at the cleaver, he instead found a suspiciously familiar plant first. Laying beside it, was a small little thing with the most menial flower on top, yet he picked up on a fat root bellow. He recognized it as much as any other thing his Grandmother could have shown him.
‘No way, this can't be, is… Is it truly?!’
Pulling up the plant and pulling off the root it looked like a long ball of rock and mud, but the smell it gave off was familiar, too familiar-
[‘Earthroot’ added to Compendium]
He immediately opened its log, feeling freed from the shackles of this worlds ill wills.
[The Earthroot is a starchy tuber grows naturally in densely wooded areas. It is very hearty, but tastes excellent when cooked or boiled and only better with meat! Boreal Deer appreciate these greatly.]
“ Ah… Potato, ”
He couldn't hide it from himself. He cried in unrelenting joy.