I woke abruptly to the sensation of something wriggling across my face. The tickling, insistent pressure jolted me awake, and without thinking, I swung my hand with enough force that I felt a splat against my skin before I could register what was happening. The impact sent me sprawling back against a protruding root, a sharp pain blooming on the back of my head.
“Good morning, world,” I groaned through gritted teeth, wincing at the throbbing knot forming on my skull. Of course, it had to be a tiny creature crawling on me, and of course, I had to slam into another root. It felt as though this forsaken world was conspiring against me at every turn.
Struggling to push past the disorientation, I extricated myself from the tangled nest of roots surrounding me. Peering cautiously through their twisted gaps, I scanned the forest with wary eyes. The once menacing trees now seemed almost benign in the light of day, their oppressive presence softened by the serene quiet of the forest. The distant echoes of my night-time terror had faded into a more placid ambiance, offering a fleeting sense of calm amidst the underlying tension of my situation.
I assessed my condition before emerging from my makeshift shelter. The centipede bites on my leg had scabbed over, remnants of the previous day’s torment. I focused intently, willing new red blood cells to the site, their arrival a fascinating spectacle. The sensation of blood obeying my command stirred a flicker of hope—perhaps I had the power to influence more than just my injuries.
Rising slowly, I emerged from the shelter and glanced back at the tree where the Cormek had vanished the night before. Grasping the bone club and the Telesia flower, I noticed the flower’s glow had dimmed. Though the light was fading, I had time to understand its use before it completely lost its luminescence. Next, I directed my attention to the club and activated Identify:
Primitive Bone Club
The femur of an Elder Turun. Perfect for hitting things hard, at least if you’re a caveman.
Increases overall Blunt Weapons damage by 20%.
The description offered little clarity about the Elder Turun, but given the club’s formidable length—almost three feet—and its unwieldy weight, I preferred not to encounter one. Turning away from the direction I suspected the Cormek had taken, I ventured forth, triggering Identify on anything that caught my eye.
Species: Oalek Tree
Native to the Wertelli forest, this tree produces nuts
essential for the survival of many forest inhabitants.
Species: Rotgut Fern
This fern emits poisonous spores that debilitate animals that come
too close, ultimately leading to death from overexposure.
Species: Bloater
Level: 1
This insect explodes upon impact, coating prey
with a fluid that attracts more deadly members of its hive.
Species: Chirrer Bird
Level: 2
This bird is an omnivore, with a diet primarily
composed of small insects, nuts, and fruits.
The diversity of life around me was overwhelming, a stark contrast to the frantic rush of the previous night. With a renewed sense of hope, I carefully avoided the Bloaters and Rotgut Ferns. I tore off a large frond from a benign fern, fashioning a makeshift satchel to carry a handful of Oalek nuts and the dimming Telesia. As I munched on the nuts, their bland taste did little to quell the gnawing hunger in my stomach. My steps quickened as I hoped to locate the river or a fresh spring.
I had lost track of time, but my weary legs began to falter as dusk descended once more. The light that had guided me was now a fading memory. With each raspy breath, I scanned for shelter until I discovered a shallow depression nestled in the brush. As night fell, I practiced my Stealth skill, gathering leaves, twigs, and fronds to camouflage myself. Collapsing into the depression, I covered myself with the brush and surrendered to exhaustion.
When I awoke, I found myself covered in itchy bites and parched. I cautiously emerged from the brush, checking for danger before continuing. My limited supplies and lack of water made it unclear how long I could maintain this pace. The trees around me became a shifting blur of colors, and delirium tugged at my consciousness.
Eventually, I staggered to my knees, looking up in awe at a colossal tree that towered above, its height reaching beyond the clouds. Struggling to my feet, I climbed a massive root, hoping to find a source of water. Enormous roots spread out around me, veins of aquamarine running through them, yet I couldn’t locate the water source sustaining this giant. For the first time, attempting to Identify the tree proved fruitless.
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With trepidation, I approached one of the roots and, despite my uncertainty, struck it with the club. The tree’s lifeblood gushed forth, interrupted by my crude attack. I plunged my head into the stream, gulping the strange liquid with desperation. It had a sweet, honey-like taste that was a stark contrast to the grimness of my experiences. Drinking deeply, I felt a foreign energy surge through me, spreading from my stomach and causing an uncomfortable pressure akin to the pain I’d felt when increasing my endurance attribute.
“Raaaghh,” I screamed as the pressure intensified.
Panic surged as I realized the risk of death if I didn’t act quickly. My thoughts became muddled, and my muscles seized uncontrollably. Collapsing onto the ground, I lay atop the crude pouch, spilling its contents. The glowing Telesia flower seemed to beckon to me. With trembling hands, I willed myself to grasp it and bring it to my lips, swallowing it whole
For once, I didn’t pass out. Instead of the pitch-black void of unconsciousness, my eyes remained fixed on the crown of the enormous tree towering above me, my body locked in a macabre imitation of a mannequin. The tree’s eerie veins pulsed rhythmically, mirroring the burning sap now coursing through my own veins. The energy felt like the sun itself was flooding through my body, my veins glowing in stark contrast to my skin.
It was becoming increasingly clear that I had made a colossal mistake. Who in their right mind drinks tree sap? Great idea, Rune—let’s just drink from a tree. That’ll definitely help with dehydration. If I could have rolled my eyes, I would have.
As I berated myself internally, I realized there was no time for self-pity. The toxic tree blood would kill me if I didn’t act quickly. I focused on my Blood Control, trying to understand what was happening to my body. To my alarm, I discovered that my cells were being infused with a blinding energy, their membranes nearly bursting from the strain. This might have been an exhilarating cultivation aid if I knew what I was doing and I wasn’t so worried about my body exploding from trying to contain a nuclear explosion.
Yup I had no idea what a nuke was, but it sounded bad.
Suddenly, my mind seemed to slow. My racing thoughts became calm, as if panic were no longer within my reach. This must be the effect of the Telesia. There was no other explanation for my sudden return to rationality amid such excruciating pain. With this forced composure came clarity. I remembered the powerful main characters from my past readings who turned dire situations to their advantage. If I had too much energy, I needed a way to vent it or store it for later use. I needed a core.
Churning through my memories, I concentrated on the area below my navel, sensing a void where none should be. I had no idea how I could move the energy to the void, but maybe my skills would help? I had to try something. Using my Blood Control again, I pushed and prodded my sluggish blood towards the area. My extremities tingled and went numb at the sudden absence of blood. Realizing I had to act fast or risk losing my limbs, I Willed the blood to release the energy once it arrived at my nascent core and return to whence it came. Inadvertently, I created two currents in my veins, one moving to the core, and one moving away from it. Gradually, I felt the excess energy throughout my body begin to subside, but I still wasn’t sure what to do with the growing star in my stomach.
Instinctively, I Willed the star to condense, shrinking the dazzling sphere down to the size of a thumb-prick. I kept only the points where the energy currents flowed to and from my extremities flexible. While I no longer felt like I was dying, I sensed that I still needed something more. I needed equilibrium. Unsure if my reasoning was correct, I decided to maintain a continuous flow of energy within my blood, moving it back and forth between my core and the rest of my body to fortify my cells.
As if my cells were unruly children, I Willed them to take turns depositing and withdrawing energy. For a while, I focused intently on this process, ensuring it would sustain itself without my constant oversight. Finally, my body reached a state of uneasy equilibrium. It wasn’t perfect, but the makeshift circuit would keep me from exploding for now. With a final, weary sigh, I slipped into unconsciousness.
Awakening to the incessant blue light at the edges of my vision, I felt a moment of confusion. I wondered who had left the TV on before I forced my crusted, dry eyes open, blinking away the grit to focus on… a root? Gods damnit, what did TV even mean? Ugh, these half-remembered fragments were tiresome, though I supposed they had saved my life on more than one occasion. Shaking off my irritation, I turned my attention back to the inevitable, irritating messages waiting for me.
You have Qi poisoning!
As your body is untempered, it cannot handle large quantities of Qi. Especially not the Qi of a Monarch, you dolt!
You have ingested Telesia!
Increases the chance of successful meditation by 500% for 1 hour. Increases the chance of developing Qi Sense during meditation.
You no longer have Qi poisoning!
You have Qi exhaustion!
Your body is overtaxed from tempering with vast amounts of high-grade Qi. Make like Ross and paint some trees or something until you have healed.
New skills learned!
Qi Sense: Sorta like Bluetooth, except you don’t remember what that is lol. Sense the presence of Qi in the world around you. Higher levels of this skill will give more information.
Qi Control: Like magic…but cooler! You have the capacity to control Qi, rendering you capable of unimaginable feats. Higher levels of this skills will give more information.
New title earned!
Qi Body:
You are suspiciously lucky sometimes; you know that right? By directly overexposing your body to Qi before tempering, every cell has been changed to better accommodate Qi. Only time will tell what other effects this will have.
+10 to all stats
Status
Name: Rune
Level: 2 (250/1000)
Health: 659/1100
Affinities: None
Qi Body: Forming
Status Effects: Qi Exhaustion (Mental Confusion)
Free Attribute Points: 0
Attributes
Strength: 13
Mental: 17
Dexterity: 14
Endurance: 22
Skills
Blunt Weapons: 1, Poison Resistance: 4, Falling: 4, Meditation: 6, Pain Resistance: 4, Blood Control: 8, Will: 10, Identify: 3, Stealth: 3, Qi Sense: 3, Qi Control: 2
Titles
Qi Body
Welp… that was a lot to take in. Sorting through it all was going to be a task. It seemed that, if there were indeed people in this world, they didn’t typically drink tree blood saturated with Qi before tempering themselves—whatever that meant. I wasn’t too bothered by the Qi exhaustion or the smugness of the messages; I had survived and felt stronger for it. Still, I really needed some proper water.