As he made his way through the tunnel, the path in front of him dimly lit by Luminore, he quickly noticed something. The plants here, they were…different, in a way. They seemed to bend where there was no airflow. Leaves shifted from one shade of green to another. Some of the trees even gave off a faint sheen, similar to that of a gem.
'Never heard of magic like this,' he thought, tilting his head. It must've been something not all that important to write down.
As he continued on the path, he found himself in what could be described as a massive greenhouse of sorts. Plantlife grew across the entirety of the room, painting everything in a wave of mainly green. The only things not covered were the stone paths and orbs of Luminore, covering everything in a light cyan glow.
As he made his way on the stone pathways, he noticed a pattern. Every minute or so of walking, he came across a totem of sorts. Nearly a foot or so taller than him, it was covered in a mixture of both plant life and markings. At certain points, he could see the vines seemingly meld into the wood.
'Must hold some type of religious values,' he thought as he looked over one of the totems. Certain symbols seemed to appear again and again, signaling importance.
A leaf, bright green in color.
A singular note of music.
Something looking similar to wrapped vines, covered in spikes.
'Strange,' he thought before continuing on the moss-covered road. As he kept exploring the greenhouse, he suddenly felt something snap under his feet. Turning his gaze downwards, he was met with a rotted hand, semi-wrapped in roots and vines.
Huh, strange.
Following the roots, his eyes met those of a corpse staring back at him. Kneeling down, he looked over the carcass, making note of the uniform's design. As did so, he noticed their remaining hand was covering their chest, seemingly protecting something. Moving the arm aside, he was met with some type of seed, similar to a pinecone. Picking up the pine cone-like object, he looked over the glowing item before putting it away in his bag.
'There's probably extra stuff like this,' he thought before continuing on his way, his eyes now looking for human remains. As he patted down the bodies, he found various items, from an intricately designed pencil to a similar leaf pendant.
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Eventually reaching the exit, he watched as trees flanked either side of him, almost acting as pillars. As he walked through the trees, he couldn't help but notice how everything seemed…melodic. The drum-like beat of his footsteps, the whistling of the trees, all of it blending into each other.
How strange.
As he made his way down the verdant green hall, he found himself in what was practically a forest. Various types of trees surrounded him, each one seemingly bleeding into the other. It was like he was inside of a watercolor painting.
As he made his way through the labyrinthine forest, making note of the occasional markings he came across, he suddenly paused.
Something is close.
Placing his hand on his holster, he scanned his surroundings, searching for movement.
Suddenly, he heard a light groan. Quickly pulling out his pistol, he fired off a shot towards the direction it came from. Hearing the sound of a crumpling body, he made his way towards the source, reaffirming his grip. Eventually, he came across a corpse, a hole clear in its chest. As he looked over the rest of the body, he noticed something. The clothing, those that weren't wrapped in roots or covered in moss, seemed similar to the ones he saw earlier. However, it was much more fanciful, the embroidery being more detailed.
'Must've been a higher ranking of some kind,' he thought before going back to the path. Best to keep a lookout.
As he continued to traverse the arboretum, looting anything that he could find, he eventually found himself in front of a large wooden door. Covered in etchings of leaves surrounding a massive tree, he felt…odd. He could feel the blood rushing through his veins, the low voltage of the nerves in his body, the air brushing over his skin. However, all of it was miniscule to that feeling of…hunger, if that was the right word for it.
Pushing the feeling aside, he stepped towards the door before pushing it open. As he did so, he found himself in front of a massive tree. With its leaves being an emerald green and its bark a dark bronze, it felt more like a statue than anything. Stepping forward, he watched the fluttering leaves seemingly pause, almost confused, before resuming as if nothing happened. As he got closer, he noticed a fruit hanging from one of the branches. A mixture between pear and orange, the skin a gleaming silver. Plucking the fruit off its branch, he looked it over, his face reflected back at him, like he was holding a mirror.
‘Might as well,’ he thought before biting into the fruit. As his teeth dug into the silvery flesh, he noticed that it was…rather sweet. It tasted more like candy than anything that could be considered natural.
Strange.
As he consumed the last piece of edible fruit, he suddenly felt memories flash before his eyes. Names, locations, events; all of it flashing before him. Just as quickly as it appeared, it ended, leaving him in silence. As he mulled over the information given to him, he noticed that he felt…different. Lightly bouncing on his heels, he felt energized. It was as if he had a full night of rest.
Neat.
‘This could be useful,’ he thought as he exited the room. For now, however, he should prepare himself for tomorrow.
Making a bow would be useful.