Chapter 4.1: How Does One Wear a Quill?
Mist was exhausted. She had been walking with almost no rest ever since she left Amirav three days ago. Her feet were blistered from the unaccustomed walking. Her hands and arms were all scratched up, bearing witness to the numerous falls she had taken when she hadn’t seen a rock or a stump. She was tired and sore but she kept following the tree’s direction towards the human she was chasing down.
When she took another tumble over an unnoticed outcrop she landed face first into a bush, adding scratches to her face.
‘Aahhh!! I am so going to kill something!’
She untangled herself from the miscreant branches and set down on the roots of a nearby tree. She resentfully eyed the branches and took out an apple. She had graduated from barley bread early on in her time at Amirav.
‘It’s the food of the desperate.’ She mused.
After finishing her apple Mist lingered at the tree, dreading the moment she would have to move again. So far she hadn’t encountered many beasts in the forest, and when she had, she had been able to avoid confrontation by fleeing on the spot. As soon as she would see a fox or a jungle cat she would run as fast as she could in the opposite direction. So far it had worked and she hadn’t needed to resort to the use of Book Immersion. She had never tried it on an opponent, which she had also never had, and was thus skeptical as to the outcome. To put it bluntly, she didn't think a book could do much against anyone.
As a result she was constantly scanning her surroundings, petrified of any movement in the greenery around her. She had often run away from rabbits that were known to be harmless, unless provoked. Once she had even ran when hearing the rustling of the leaves that had been caused by a gust of wind. Mist was more tired from the results of her extreme vigilance than se was from walking.
As she was preparing to set out again, she heard a rustling of the leaves in the tree above her and immediately tensed. She quickly snapped her head up and was shocked to see what she saw. Hundreds of Jewokees sat side by side, covering the branches of the tree on which roots she had been sitting. She quickly scanned the trees around her and realized that they too were filled with the creatures which looked like monkeys with the exception of their faces, which looked like that of a wolf.
She briefly considered the possibility of them not being hostile. Seeing the hungry looks they were giving her, she succinctly discarded that notion.
‘They planned this!’ she realized.
They had taken the opportunity when she had sat down for a break to encircle her and trap her. She wondered how long they had been following her. Considering she had been eating while walking, it could have been for quite some time.
‘How many times had those leaves moved because of them!? Here I was thinking I was going crazy…”
Jewokees were not very strong creatures individually, but their packs were deadly. She had read about them in one of the books Alfin had given her. It had been a story of an old herbalist who had lived with one of their packs for over a year. The herbalist had described his findings in great detail. He had been adamant the packs had exhibited advanced culture and sophistication. Looking at the pack before her, Mist didn't see it.
‘I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m dead.’
There was no escape. She knew that.
‘Damn it! This better work!’
She quickly took out a quill and a sheet of paper. The Jewokees were closing in on her. They didn't see her as threatening.
‘Of course they don’t! Why would they!? Do I have a sword? A knife? A bow even!? No. I have a friggin’ pen…. Maybe I should have given my profession some more deliberation. Damn it…. Write. Write. Write.'
… The forest clearing in which Mist had stood was suddenly empty… her pen scratched.
Skill has failed. The scenario you have proposed is too improbable.
‘Whaat!?’
She didn't have time for this! The Jewokees were running down the branches, some were already running down the trunk. She was trembling in fear at the sight of them. There was nothing she could do; she had done what Alfin had said would work – but it hadn’t worked.
‘I’m going to kill Alfin. That liar, he had said… Wait what had he said?’
She remembered the instruction Alfin had had provided concerning the Book Immersion skill. He had said that at her level she would be able to use it for illusions in duping the enemy so she could run away. But he had also said something else. Alfin had stressed that the story had to be good. If she couldn't provide proper reasoning it wouldn't work. He had said that any illusion could be made with the proper amount of words.
She remembered the example he had provided, “If I tell you that tomorrow spring will turn into winter, would you believe me?”
“Of course not.” She had replied. “Why would it suddenly be winter?”
-“Aha! Exactly! Why. What if I told you that it would be winter because the forest had gone into mourning? What if I added historic examples of when this had happened before? Before your time of course… What if I added knowledge you knew to be true to my explanation? When there is enough information claiming, no, proving something. Well, it eventually makes that thing true. Even if it isn’t… yet. Making the impossible possible, that is the true skill of a writer.”
She tried to use that lesson for the situation at hand. ‘If I can’t make them not see me. I can’t escape! I need to get away from them…Wait! That’s it! If I can’t escape, then they have to escape. In the end it doesn’t really matter who leaves. As long as they are far, far, far away from me… Please let this work. I only have enough time to do try it once again… Though it doesn't really matter since I’ll be dead if it fails anyways…’
With trembling fingers she began to write as quickly as she could.
… although the Jewokees were reluctant to give up on the prey… Gulp… they had been chasing. A sense of doom filled the air. The afternoon light that shone through the leaves quivered as a high-pitched sound reached the pack’s ears. The closer they got to the elf, the louder the shriek became…
Mist was eyeing the approaching Jewokees as her pen flew across the page. Although her class allowed her to write incredibly fast, she was sure she wouldn't make it in time. To her surprise though, she saw them slow their descent from the trees. The ones who had already reached the base of the tree were clutching their heads and squealing in agony.
‘They’re not running away though…’
She had to finish with something that could guarantee her escape. She didn't have enough mana to come up with another scenario.
…soon the shriek reached every Jewokee in the area. It became louder and louder and louder and louder…
You have temporarily incapacitated your enemy.
As soon as Mist saw that all of the Jewokees were clutching their heads in pain – she ran. She didn't know how long the illusion would last and she planned to put as much space between her and the Jewokees as possible. Prefereably before they came back to their senses. So she ran.
Mist continued to follow the direction that the trees were pointing her in. When she ran out of breath she leaned against a tree and was surprised when a window popped up.
You have created a Fine Piece!
Fine Piece! You have completed ‘A Scribe’s First Words.’
The frenzied words driven by a passion for life gave bloom to unprecedented imagination. The will to live bleeds through every word.
Artistic Value: 7
Special Options:
* Stamina increases by 30% for one day.
Agility increases by 30% for one day.
Number of Fine Pieces created: 1Calligraphy skills have improvedComposition skills have improvedBook Mastery has advanced one level.Book Immersion has advanced one levelAll stats increase by 1 for creating a Fine Piece.
‘Well I am glad my near-death experience is being appreciated… wtf!?’
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
‘Whatever… I have to keep going.’
Mist shoved herself off the tree and continued on her trek. She had picked up her pace, uncomfortable with the encounter she had had.
She didn't see any other beasts for a couple of hours, but her head kept snapping from one side to another – the Jewokees hadn’t done anything to ease her nerves.
‘Should have just stayed in the library. I could be reading right now… but no… instead… I’m in the middle of the friggin’ jungle…’
That is when Mist caught something moving in the corner of her vision.
‘…being chased by death-monkeys. Now that’s just greeaaat.’
Mist saw that the Jewokees were trailing her and started running again.
After another half hour passed in this way, she noticed that the numbers were increasing – and they were beginning to box her in again. Some of the faster Jewokees were positioning themselves in front of her.
‘They are not very forgiving… are they!’
She took out her pen and a piece of paper and began writing.
…the Jewokee clan was, understandably, unhappy with their escaped prey. They had been chasing her for a long time though and the fatigue seemed to be catching up with them. Suddenly their vision was blurry. The trees and foliage in front of them lost their focus…
Mist imagined she saw some Jewokees falling from the trees.
Smirk. 'Yeah take that you pest!’
… A harsh white light filled their senses. All the darkness granted by the forest’s cover was bleached away by a light so bright it seemed to come in waves – making it impossible to see…
You have temporarily incapacitated your enemy.Book Immersion skills have risen by 12%.Calligraphy skills have improved.Book Mastery skills have improved.
This time she didn't wait. She was running again. She saw some more Jewokees fall out of the trees, giving her a satisfied smile but she knew they weren’t going to give up chasing her.
‘So much for: run away. Don’t engage… Alfin you’re so full of it. Why didn't you teach me something useful – something that could kill them?’
Had Mist encountered any other foe, the Book Immersions she was performing would have been sufficient to elude the enemy. Jewokees were famous for their persistent nature though. They were not going to give up any time soon.
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She ran, they caught up, she evaded with Book Immersion. She ran, they caught up, she evaded with Book Immersion. She ran… it was an endless cycle. It had been four days since she had initially encountered the pack during her food break. She was about ready to give up and let them kill her – even if it meant that she wouldn't be able to play for the next 24 hours.
The only thing that made her keep going was the incredible growth Mist was experiencing. Although the gains from each encounter with the Jewokees was less each time, all of her skills and stats had gone up as a result of the constant use of Book Immersion – particularly Calligraphy and Book Mastery.
Book Mastery was a passive skill, but it allowed her to read faster. She thought the skill had long plateau-ed, since it hadn’t gone up at all in the last couple of weeks when she had been reading. But now it skyrocketed and she was on the brink of reaching the Intermediate Level in Book Mastery.
She had learned how to use shorter and shorter scenarios to create illusions. Mist had seen that some things were easier done than others. Changing the position of physical things for the ‘reader’ (aka. Opponent. aka. Jewokees.) was much harder than changing intangible things. Mist could alter the perception of light and sound much more easily than she could change the appearance of say… a tree.
As she mastered the ways of using Book Immersion, she felt herself getting stronger, a little less reluctant to face opponents. She started pinning her hair up with multiple quills. After a particularly close encounter with the enemy, she decided it was important to have her ‘weapon’ at the ready. She hadn’t been able to decide where to position it – she didn't have a belt.
‘How exactly does one wear a quill?’
Mist had then tripped and fallen again, and her hair had gotten caught in the branches again.
‘Two birds with one stone.’
She had readily gathered her hair at the top of her head, pinning them with various quills.
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Mist was considering taking a break and letting the Jewokees surround her again.
‘If one thing this monkey-marathon has taught me, it’s that this Book Immersion thing really works… and I really need a break. If those wolf-monkeys don’t kill me, my feet definitely will.’
That was when she thought she heard something, music. It had an eerie feel to it, but it was beautiful. Mist decided to find out where it was coming from and headed towards it.
As it got louder and louder, she was able to determine it was a flute’s sound and not some forest mystery. When she was sure her target was less than 50ft away, she crept up behind a tree as quietly as she could. When she looked around it she was shocked by what she saw.
A human man was sitting on a fallen tree holding a flute to his lips. A ray of light was shining down on him from where the dead tree had left a gap in the canopy. The human was surrounded by light, giving a glow to his copper-colored hair. The clearing was one of the most beautiful things Mist had seen since she had entered Royal Road. There was moss growing on the dead tree and wild-flowers covered the area.
The thing that had shocked her was the man’s appearance though. He seemed huge, even from this distance. With shoulders so wide they seemed to be hunching in on themselves. His arms were like logs and his hands were equally large – making the presence of the flute at his fingertips a somewhat comical sight. It didn't fit the image of the man at all.
The music continued and Mist was lulled into serenity. The pain and constant stress of the last couple of days melted away by the harmonic notes the man created. She leaned into the tree and listened. Mist closed her eyes and felt herself sigh in content.
An indeterminable amount of time had passed when the music was cut off. With the end of the soothing music, Mist jumped in alarm. Popping her eyes open, the first thing she noticed was that it was dark.
It had been mid-afternoon when she had arrived at that tree, of that she was sure. She remembered the way the light had been hitting the man clearly. ‘The man!’ She looked around the tree into the clearing of the dead tree. The large man had put away the flute and was, from the looks of it, cooking. She released her breath in relief.
Slumping against the tree once more Mist closed her eyes. She felt rested for the first time in days. Ever since she had encountered the Jewokees she hadn’t had a moment of peace…
‘The Jewokees!’
Mist scanned the trees around her quickly but didn't see a single one. She was both relieved and worried.
‘They wouldn't have given up the chase just like that… Something or someone must have scared them away…’
Mist glanced back into the clearing but the man seemed to be performing other domestic (non-threatening) tasks.
She deliberated. ‘Well… no matter. At least I got those damn monkeys off my back. Now I can get back to my quest…’
Mist then realized the trees had stopped their directions. When she reached out to find out more, she realized she had reached her destination.
‘That was the human she was supposed to track down?’
She glanced at the stranger once more before backing away. Mist needed to find a place to contact Alfin. Those had been the directions of the quest. She was both relieved, she had finally reached her destination, and wary. She didn't know what the ‘further instructions’ from Alfin would demand.
She found a large sequoia tree that had large roots twisting and meshing into each other. In the midst of the roots she found a crevice in which she could pour the Spirit Tree Water Alfin had given to her. She eyed the puddle she had created and watched as Alfin’s face came into view.
Chapter 4.2
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I approached this chapter a bit differently than I have so far.
I had my sister read over the story and she had said that I was rushing it and that I needed to be more descriptive. I tried… but what do you guys think? Too much?
(I usually think descriptions are quite boring, so I am not sure if this is the way to go --> also reason why not much happened... sry.)