Kad sat down shortly after entering the Reef. The path no longer cleared enough growth to see the sky, and the entire area was shrouded in a gloomy haze. The Reef was known for its dense brambles that dominated the region, weaving their way up the trees and stalks to form imposing walls of wickedly sharp barbs several feet thick.
The towns that lived on the Shoreline even cultivated the bramble walls into forming a natural barrier between them and Open Waters, the layer that composed the largest region of the Okocea.
The land out here was getting harder to move this low to the ground, and Kad had slipped enough times in the training courses set up in simulated Reef environment due to the boots they issued you for root work. He slipped the boots off and left them on the path by the sign.
He almost hid them behind a tree before looking around, shrugging, and leaving them by the sign. If anyone wanted his old boots bad enough to trudge out into a dangerous super forest full of hostile wildlife, they could have them.
Shadows hung over everything, the only light came from the wind sweeping through the canopy of the trees overhead. The shifting leaves sent slivers of light dancing across everything, like waves of stars moving across the land. It was beautiful. The way the Okocea manifested itself was half the reason that Kad became a root worker.
Kad moved slowly at first, scaling one of the easier to climb trees. When he got up into the lower branches he looked out again, trying to spot anything in the shifting waves of dim light. As the wind swirled and shifted the canopy above, different sections would briefly ripple into view. He could see the winding hills, dense grasses a few feet tall intermingling with the trees and stalks.
He saw the dim glow of mosses growing on the undersides of some of the higher branches. The mosses were one of the things he was out here to acquire. The most bioluminescent of them had strong antiseptic qualities, and they only grew in a few regions of the Reef, making them a prime export of Rootsaw.
He dismissed them for now, the glow they produced made them easy to spot and he’d rather fill up the pouches on his waist with the rarer and more expensive crops that grew out here, gathering moss on his way back out to fill up the remainder of his free space.
The Reef was massive, thousands of square miles that served as a natural barrier between the towns of the Shoreline and the inky darkness of the Open Waters. Kad took his machete out and carved an arrow into the trees as he passed, pointing his way back to the entrance path. The foliage was so dense that seeing anything beyond a few hundred feet was nearly impossible. If you got lost out here, it was a death sentence.
The flora was hazardous, but the fauna could be truly deadly. Most animals that lived this far out had adapted to hunting in a dark jungle like environment. Death came quickly and almost instantly if you weren’t careful.
Kad started to speed up, the branches of the trees hung close enough together that he could almost walk straight across them. He was looking for specific things as he went, thinking over the list of herbs that were most coveted.
He spotted a dead tree with a twisted trunk, hollowed out by time. He leaned down into the trunk, spotting the prize he was looking for. A large cluster of mushrooms grew along the inside of the trunk. They were a deep brown, popped open in star shaped patterns. A haze of spores floated above them, smelling of rotten wood and earth.
Kad pulled his canteen out and spilled a small amount of it down onto the mushrooms. He’d never seen this work before in real life, only read about it in books. He smiled as the star shaped edges of the mushrooms curled up, closing around the pod inside that released spores. They closed into spheres, making it easy to pluck the grapefruit sized mushrooms from the log.
Starpod mushrooms were known for being a good food source, high in calories and edible raw, they were often sold to workshops that turned them into travel rations. Looking at the interior of the log he saw a thick layer of the dusty spores caked on. Climbing out he carved a star into the trunks of several trees and stalks surrounding the log, making it easier to find next time.
Kad kept moving, over the next few hours he collected roots, vine cuttings, berries that smelled like wet dog and even a small container of a deep green sap. As Kad sat down on a high branch, he snacked on a slice of Starpod. He went over the materials he’d gathered so far, doing mental math on his haul.
The pouch came close to meeting his quota for the next few days. The little jar of sap by itself made the trip worthwhile. He had a couple hours left before he needed to turn around, and he figured if he found anything else on the level of the sap he could even slide Moz a few marks to make up for the days she’d miss.
He repacked his things and moved out, continuing to carve arrows in a path outward. The shadows grew denser and more oppressive as he got deeper in. The hills got more severe, the thorns on the thick brambles that carpeted the floor got bigger. They looked to Kad like the teeth of some impossibly large beast.
Kad was nearly ready to turn around when he heard rustling on the forest floor. He flattened himself out along a higher branch, trying to meld into the leaves. The brambles on the floor shifted. The shadows were too deep down there, and Kad dared not risk anything by turning on the headlamp he wore. He peered at the movement below.
The dense hedges moved, parting and rustling as something massive moved beneath them. The thing beneath the brambles moved slowly, methodically. There was no loud thudding footsteps or deep growls, just silence sliding along slowly. It stopped as it was directly underneath him.
His heart was in his throat, the rush of blood in his ears. His arms and legs were tensing, ready to run if something sprang at him. Kad had no illusions about being able to outrun something that lived its entire life out here, but he’d been trained on how to move out here in a way that dodged predators. Almost everything out here was an ambush predator, if something wanted him all he needed to do was stay away long enough for it to tire out.
A thin snout poked out from the brambles, deep browns and blacks in streaks sniffing the air. Its face poked out, feline features scanning the canopy. Green eyes with vertical slit pupils flicked back and forth.
A Matal Wildcat, a massive feline with a long slender body. It was named after Matal, a trickster spirit of the Okocea who could shapeshift and slide around silently, appearing from nowhere to wreak havoc.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Kad’s body was frozen, he refused to breathe as this humongous cat searched. His lungs screamed as it moved to the base of the tree he was hiding in. He was over thirty feet in the air but he knew this cat could cross that in the blink of an eye.
He watched as it approached the base of the tree, fully stepping out from the brambles. He marveled at its deep brown fur. It seemed to be completely unharmed after moving through the brambles. Kad dismissed the idea of putting up any resistance. If those foot long kitchen knives couldn’t scratch the thing, then his machete and spike would probably just give it a sore throat as it swallowed him whole.
It swished its short tail around, looking side to side. Kad shuddered as it did so. If this twelve foot long cat was making sure it was safe, he didn’t want to know what kind of behemoth would be a threat to it.
It reared up on two legs, stretching its long legs up the trunk of the tree. It sunk its massive claws into the trunk of the tree, scratching it. Every scratch shook the tree, Kad even swore he felt it crack a little under the sheer force of it trimming its claws.
It yawned, massive yellowed teeth flashing as Kad tried desperately not to shit himself in fear. It gave another cursory glance and sniff to the surroundings and slinked back off into the brambles, moving deeper in.
Kad stayed still for minutes, waiting for the sound of shifting hedges to fade. He descended slowly after a few minutes to look at where it had clawed the tree, curiosity getting the better of him.
The gouges were inches deep, the trunk splintered and cracked where the claws had parted the wood like it had taken zero effort. He shook his head, marveling at the strength of the beast. He noticed something lodged in the trunk and pulled his spike out, using it as a lever to pry something out.
It was a shed claw, nearly half an inch thick of a hollowed out imprint of the claw the cat had left behind. Kad touched the tip of the claw and blinked as blood flowed freely from the site. He could have sworn it hadn’t even touched him yet and yet his finger was starting to throb.
Kad found that… deeply disturbing to say the least. He wrapped a cloth around the claw and put it in its own pouch, trying to make sure it wouldn’t slip and disembowel him the next time he turned the wrong way.
Kad climbed back up and moved in the direct opposite direction the Matal cat had gone, determined to not be almost murdered twice in one day. He moved quickly, settling down only when he found a nice clearing with a small pond in it. He took a map out and plotted the route he’d taken, trying to determine the best way to get back to the entrance he’d started at.
His legs swung from the branch as he worked, listening to the ambient sounds of the Okocea. The wind had died down and most of the sounds right now were the small chirps and whines from the small bugs that lived at this pond.
Kad leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree, relaxing for a little while before he headed back. He didn’t know what the claw was worth but he was sure it’d fetch a nice price. The thing felt dangerous to even look at and the wickedly sharp point could probably be used by the Expedition Force members as some kind of way to develop sharper pointed weapons.
He was daydreaming about the crates full of money he’d be paid for the claw, even considering that he knew where the thing roamed, meaning he might be able to reliably get more of them if he was careful. It was too long before he realized the sounds of the bugs stopped.
He froze. Shit, how long has it been this quiet out here? He thought, pulling himself up into the branches of the trees, trying to make himself small
Did the cat catch my scent? If it did I’m dead. A thousand thoughts moved through his head. Until the stranger walked into the clearing. Kad’s brain short circuited, nobody should be out here. He was the only R2 around right now and this route was closed to anyone lower. Whoever this was would be in deep shit if anyone found out.
The stranger walked into the clearing, a deep green cloak wrapped around them. It seemed impractical to Kad, considering the number of ways that could go wrong out here. Which was demonstrated by the tattered edges of the cloak. It had caught on anything and everything as the stranger traveled.
The stranger seemed to be travelling light, the cloak covering a rectangular bulge attached to their back. They moved toward the pond, wide flat feet taking long thudding strides as they moved. They stopped at the edge of the pond and reached up to take off the cloak.
Oh this ought to be good Kad thought, wondering what kind of edgy freak was walking cloaked through the Reef. As the cloak came off, the ‘person’ underneath came into view. Kad involuntarily put air quotes around person as he saw them, because whatever this was could only loosely be described as human. Thick limbs on pale skin, wide veins that seemed to bulge and twist around everywhere.
Long dark hair twisted into braids unfurled from the hood, the head shaped in a way that Kad could only describe as wrong. Square jaw, cheekbones high and sharp, veins spider webbed across the face up into the eyes, pure white spheres with small pupils punctuating the blank space.
As they pulled off the cloak, Kad saw a tattoo wrapped up their arm. An anchor that started near the wrist, multiple links of chain winding their way up past the elbow. Kad scrunched his face in confusion. What is the E.F. doing out here? He thought. Judging by the number of times the chain wrapped, they were pretty high ranking as well.
They pulled the box off their back, setting it down at the edge of the pond. Kad leaned out a little. Something felt off here, and he knew he should probably just slink away slowly and make it back to town. He had the distinct impression that this person was not supposed to be out here, and if they heard him moving they’d catch him. He stayed put, his eyes glued to the box.
They opened it, and inside were two things. A small black sphere that seemed to be pulsing in a slow steady rhythm, and another box, this one small and metal, a lock sitting on the latch.
The stranger picked up the little box and gripped the lock. They pulled, ripping the lock straight off the box.
Well, looks like I’m gonna find out if they can smell human urine at this distance he thought, his heart beating faster at the feat of brute strength. The box opened and the Stranger pulled out something shaped like a giant sunflower seed. It was close to a foot long, the woody shell of the seed shined with an opalescent sheen.
The black orb in the box seemed to pulse faster in the presence of the seed.
Well, that simply can’t be good. Kad thought. He looked at the stranger, and the thick veins that wound their way around their body seemed to be shifting, pushing against their skin from the inside.
Okay, that one definitely isn’t good. He thought. The stranger tossed the orb into the pond, the water seemed to turn slimy in seconds. They placed the seed down on the edge of the pond, almost reverently.
Time seemed to slow as the stranger knelt there, head bowed in what looked like prayer. The water stilled, darkening as it seemed to congeal into a thick sludge. Bubbles surfaced as the pond seemed to boil. Every bubble made a squelching sound as it popped, disturbing the jellied surface.
The surface of the pond churned as thin black limbs started pushing against the slimy substance, seeming to be incapable of breaking the surface tension. The surface of the water seemed to be covered in thin black veins, and Kad had a horrible realization.
Something was being born. And whatever it was, it made the hair on his arms stand up just seeing it scrabbling against its slimy prison. Kad gulped.
Then the stranger turned their head and looked at him, a terrifying smile on the veiny bulging face. Cracked yellow teeth that seemed too small and far apart to fit the mouth they sat in. They spoke with a voice that wheezed out, rattling breath that sounded like they were drowning.
“Come out now, witness the birth of a demi god” they swung a brutal looking arm out in a large dramatic gesture. Kad froze, staring in the face of this monster.
He opened his mouth, trying to think of something witty to say to this freak.
“I-“Kad bolted, turning and sprinting out from limb to limb in the direction he’d come from.
He ran, trying to ignore the sound of the stranger crashing through trees, cackling in a half drowned wheeze as they chased him.