The veil of darkness cast over the forest was slowly lifting.
One by one, I watch the glow of the dragonflies drifting through the trees slowly putter out and disappear completely. The forest would return to how I knew in a few minutes, meaning it was time to wake Tabitha up, which was arguably the most dangerous part of my job.
With the light increasing, I could better see Tabitha asleep on my tarp, and I didn’t miss how her hand was resting on the pommel of her sword. Even with her eyes closed, she looked ready to leap into action at the slightest hint of danger.
“How should I go about this?” I quietly mumble to myself. I had the first watch last night, meaning I’d already woken her up once, but that was before we entered the magic-dense region. She wasn't nearly as tense back then. In fact, according to her, the creepy remnants guaranteed we could get a peaceful night’s rest before we entered the magic-dense region without worrying we would be ambushed.
Of course, even though she said that her guard wasn't entirely lowered, and when I went to rouse her from her sleep, she still drew her blade halfway from its sheath before she recognized it was me doing the waking. Unwilling to get within stabbing distance again, I did the only thing I could and started to call out to her.
“Tabitha. Hey, Tabitha.” Though I was calling her name, I wasn't exactly being loud about it. Instead, I sounded like I was trying to get someone’s attention in a library.
“Tabitha!” I call out in my normal voice when she doesn't so much as twitch, still not wanting to get any louder than that. After all, who knew if any of those mysterious beasts were still hanging around?
And as if the universe wanted to prove my point, I hear a roar outside. That sounded like it originated from the base of our tree.
Oh yeah, if the sun was rising, I might be able to see whatever beasts were still nearby! Of course, I might only see one or two new species, but even then, it might give me an idea of what we might encounter going forward.
So, I choose to let Tabitha sleep for another few minutes. Then, using my left hand, I grip the edge of the hollow with all my strength before leaning out. But, first, I quickly scan our surroundings. Before looking down, I had to ensure nothing wasn't hiding in the nearby tree branches.
I spot a few birds stretching their wings, preparing for the new day, and one decently sized snake slithering in the distance, but neither looks to be of the giant murderous variety. I mean, come on, the snake didn't even look twenty feet long for heavens snake. Compared to the massive creatures I saw yesterday, the snake looked tiny by comparison.
When I don’t spot anything hazardous close by and directing Sense Mana outwards doesn’t reveal any hidden enemies, I am free to turn my attention below me; that was where the actual monsters resided.
Sadly, I didn’t see much on my initial scan. While we were getting a lot of sunlight up here in the branches, it had yet to entirely filter down to the forest floor below. Instead, the light struck the large tree trunks, casting a maze of deep shadows across the forest floor. It was one such shadow that obscured the base of our tree.
I could still see creatures shifting in the darkness, so I knew they weren’t all gone yet, but I still couldn’t get a clear view of them.
All I could do was wait, hoping the creatures wouldn't flee before the sun revealed them.
“I thought I told you to wake me when the sun rises.”
“Ahhh!” I yelp and reflexively let go of the tree after Tabitha successfully sneaks up behind me.
Thankfully, Tabitha doesn’t let me fall out of the hollow by grabbing the back of my gambeson. If I had fallen, I could’ve used Air Walk, but that would’ve forced me to tap more into my mana than I wanted.
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"You let your guard down. Again," Tabitha pulls me back into the hollow with a look of disappointment.
Shit, I only stopped watching her a second ago! “You just got lucky," I hyperventilate, holding my hand to my pounding chest. "I was focusing on outside the tree.”
“Ah-huh,” Tabitha rolls her eyes, not impressed by my excuse.
I grit my teeth in frustration, not because Tabitha scared me; I was okay with that. Instead, I was frustrated because I messed up again. I was focusing all my senses outward, and because of that, I failed to notice Tabitha waking up and sneaking up on me.
“Not all threats are external,” Tabitha warns me.
“I understand,” I hang my head in defeat.
Tabitha steps forward and places her gauntleted hand on my shoulder. "You're young; you'll learn. That's the point of this little trip of ours."
“I’m pretty sure this trip was supposed to be about me exploring," I sarcastically remind Tabitha. “A certain armored woman turned it into field practice.” I joke to try and hide my negative feelings, but it doesn't take away from the disgrace I feel from messing up again so soon.
“Then you should thank her,” Tabitha grins at me with a predatory smile. “I’d say you’re learning a lot.” She nudges me in a way I assume is her trying to say stop pouting.
I was learning a lot, mainly how much I was out of my depth, but I wasn’t going to give Tabitha the satisfaction of admitting that. “Maybe my teacher isn’t doing enough." I snarkily snap and regret my comment as soon as it leaves my mouth.
“Is that so,” Tabitha’s eyes narrow, and she stops talking in third person. “Maybe you’re right; maybe I haven’t been pushing you as much as I should. But don’t worry,” Tabitha steps in close to me. “That will all change going forward.
Once again, I’ve successfully shoved my foot into my mouth.
“Now, what were you looking at?” Tabitha steps beside me and peers over the edge.
“I was trying to see the beasts below us,” I grumble, following her example, being careful not to lose my grip again.
“Oh, they haven’t left yet?” Tabitha asks curiously.
"I don't think so; I was waiting for it to get brighter,” I point out.
And it was slowly getting brighter. By now, most of the shadows had receded, and I could more clearly see the forest floor below us for the first time since yesterday. My eyes scan for and zero in on the spot we briefly camped yesterday evening, and I catch my first glimpse of what remained of my defeated foe.
Once in my past life, I saw my father accidentally run over a dead bird with our lawnmower; the scene below us was eerily similar. Feathers were scattered all over the place, some still connected to chunks of bird flesh. Most of the bones were picked clean, minus the head, which was missing. If I didn’t know what the bird initially looked like, I wouldn't be able to distinguish it from any other pile of bones in the forest. I could hardly believe the bird’s corpse had been reduced to such a state in only one night.
The only meat left on the carcass looked to be part of one of the bird's wings. And it was that wing that was casing the commotion I heard earlier.
Standing over its feathered prize stood a lion. The oversized feline put Earth’s lions to shame, standing taller than me at almost seven feet and was at least double that from head to tail. Instead of sporting a golden mane around its head, the fur around its neck was a brilliant silver, while the rest of its coat was a more washed-out grey. It was baring its teeth, trying to scare off its challengers.
Surrounding the oversized cat with clicking mandibles were seven ginormous beetles who wanted what the lion had. The beetles were half the size of the tiger and were varying shades of green and brown, blending into the forest floor. I could hear their angry hisses and clicking mandibles from all the way up here.
Tabitha and I watch as one of the beetles charge the grey lion, challenging it for its food. Unfortunately, that was not smart on the bug's part; the forest lion easily sends it flying with one swipe of the cat's paw. The beetle hits the ground hard and flips a few times before landing on its back. Its legs claw at the air while it struggles to right itself, but one of its buddies comes to its rescue. The nearest beetle rams its overturned ally, flipping it upright as turtles do.
After the beetle was flipped back over, I could see scratch marks on its carapace from where the lion hit it, but other than that, the bug looked utterly unharmed by the attack.
Sense Soul clues me in on the levels of the beasts Tabitha and I were watching. All of the beetles were between levels 50 and 60. While the grey lion was….
“Level 96!” I couldn’t help but exclaim. “Tabitha, it’s around your….” I turn to gauge Tabitha’s reaction to the beast, only to pause when I see her staring at the lion with hungry eyes.
Tabitha’s hand trembles around her sword’s hilt with what I suspect is yearning.
“You aren’t going to try and fight it, are you?” I nervously ask. I still wasn’t back up to 100% yet, and if Tabitha wasn’t absolutely sure she could handle it by herself, I might need to step in if things got dicey. And unlike the beetles, who seemed willing to push their luck due to their numbers, I had no intention of fighting the cat who had 22 levels on me.
I start to get worried when Tabitha doesn’t answer me. “Tabitha!” I lean in, speaking directly in her ear.
Tabitha jolts at my voice and seems to realize what she is about to do. Her hand slides off the handle of her sword, and she lets out a small sigh. "No, you're right," Tabitha reluctantly agrees with me. “It just looked like it would make a good opponent,” she remarks just as the lion sends another beetle soaring through the air with a well-placed swipe of its paw.
Those beetles must be defense-oriented to survive such powerful strikes, meaning it would only take a single hit for the lion to knock someone like me out. A small part of me wanted to see Tabitha go all out for the first time, but my rational side outweighed those thoughts by far.
Just as well, the grey lion seems to have decided it was overstaying its welcome. Before other beetles can charge it, it bends down and grabs the bird's wing in its razer-like jaws. The bugs let out a screeching noise like nails on a chalkboard and rush the cat as one, seeing their prize about to be taken away from them. But made for speed, the beetles were not.
With food in hand, the grey lion leaps over the angry insects and rushes deeper into the magic-dense region. The beetles didn’t even come close to stopping it.
Tabitha and I watch the disappointed beetles scour the area for any scraps left behind. A few of them find a bit of food, which is funny because as soon as one of them did, it would immediately try and flee before any of the others realize it.
It doesn’t take long before the last of the bugs scuttles out of sight, and almost as if they timed it perfectly, the rays of sunlight peeking down from the canopy return to what they were yesterday. Finally, the sun was fully up, which meant it was a new day; time to get ready!