Chapter 5

Okay, hunting ratbits is successful, if not still slow, but yes, they do eat meat. I don't know if they ate anything else, but the smell of blood before it froze did cause more of the creatures to move into the area. One death after another caused them to both be cautious and to move closer due to hunger. I could see the battle raging within their tiny brains. Food or safety and starvation. Eventually, one side would win… me.

I'd love to say the rest of winter was exciting, but it wasn't. I did spot a massive bird that looked like a plane once, but it was only a glimpse. Each time I see strange things like that, I'm reminded yet again that I really am on another world, er, moon.

With the following Spring approaching, when the last vestiges of glistening white snow began to fade, I saw off into the distance. What did I see? A human. On this alien rock, filled with alien life, the last thing I expected to see was a human. Honestly, I was disappointed. I wanted to see little green men or grumpy warriors with strange patterns on their heads wielding weapons like the Bat'leth while shouting war cries like, "Today is a good day to die!"

Actually, I'd take an Orion or a Twi'lek any day. Yeah, I know, I just crossed universes, I'm a fan of both. Okay, I'm off trek here, sorry, track. Where was I? Right, the human. Well, now, this is odd. I knew it was a human because I could see him clearly from a long distance away as if he was about my height, but now he was larger. As he continues in a straight line for my position, he's… getting bigger. I know that is how distance works, but… hold up… is this a… giant? It's either that, or I grossly overestimated my own height.

Oh crap, shit, what do I do? None of my pitfalls are large enough for something his size. He wore blue trousers, had a logger flannel shirt on, with a shovel resting on his shoulder. The man's burly muscles were extremely evident, as was his prominent thick black beard. Was he coming to cut me down? I'm not a tree or anything worthy compared to his size.

The panic started to settle in. Sure, I hated being a flower, and in the beginning, I wanted to just die. But, over the year I existed here, I was actually getting caught up with the sensation of being a flower. Of being alive and being new in a world, er, moon, that I was free to explore and discover new things. What the hell did this dude want? He didn't look like the giants from myth. You know, the dumb ones that spoke in riddles. This giant looked like a man, dressed like a man, and had a freaking shovel.

Despite having already scoured thoroughly the Skill and Item list, I still frantically searched for anything I could use to defend, hide, or run away with. Which was amazing that I could do that while using Astral Eye. I felt my time on Astral Eye ending and quickly spent the Energy to refresh my total and spent it again on Astral Eye. True, I might've needed those points for whatever might save me, but the idea of not seeing my demise terrified me worse.

However, the giant man finally came to my parameter, and I hadn't found anything that would help. His footprints were so heavy and large that my pitfall traps merely became indents along with the rest of the area. Then, I found one skill that I had noticed but felt I didn't need until now.

Skill: Vibrational Sensory T3-L1

Description: Grow the membranes for sensing vibrations

Passive skill: always active. Works with Language T9-L1

Cost: 150 Tokens

I had a feeling this would give me a version of hearing, but seeing a world, ugh, moon, without sound was okay when you consider I spend most of my time in darkness with only a System Menu for company. But now, I desperately wanted to know more than what I could see. So, I quickly spent the Tokens and waited for the giant man.

He seemed to stare for a while before crouching down to one knee to examine things closer. Then, after what seemed to be ages, of which I had to refresh my Astral Eye one more time, he finally spoke. Although it was to his audio recorder, he fished out of one of his pockets.

"Fascinating. There appears to be a new flower of an unknown species type. Around it are many mushrooms of various types, and my Identification Skill is hazy on what they are. I can sense tremendous Ki coming from one of them, but I also sense foulness in a few others. I'll have to take samples for further testing."

He then pulled out of thin air little bags with which he used to pluck my shrooms and place them separately in their own baggy. After he finished with that task he spoke again into his recorder. "I'm not sure who planted this flower here or went through the painful process of safeguarding it with an elaborate set up of sticks and wire, but whoever it is, I'm sorry, but this is too fascinating to leave here. Also, there appear to be other forms of fungi covering the area. One of them is the Phoenix Liverwort. I will collect that, too, as it is a precious resource. I honestly can't believe this find."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

He then pulled a large pot out of nowhere and, with the giant spade of the shovel blade, began to uproot me! He more or less managed to get all of my territory in one fell swoop. He did cut through several of my deeper roots, which caused me to cry out in pain, but then the next thing I knew, I was settled inside the pot, mostly intact with the rest of my remaining shrooms, algae, and liverworts.

I cursed endlessly as he proceeded to vanish his shovel into the freaking air and then hoist me up onto his shoulders as he carried me off to who knows where. All my plans, all my efforts, gone. This inferno man-giant just stomped on all my goals, and worse, he's taking me like some lab project. Shit.

Maybe I should've tried Evil Eye on him. But I was too freaked to think clearly. Also, I wasn't confident that anything I had would be anywhere near effective on this guy. If I was right at around six feet in height, then this giant was easily five times that. However, just like thorns or a bee sting, small things can hurt big things. I'll need to buy my time and plan better.

I will not let this insult and assault slide. If he plans on studying me, I'll study him. If he prods me, I'll prod him. This is war. And I always win. Unless it is a truck with logs. Blasted Truck-Kun! Okay, maybe it wasn't his direct M.O., but it could've been his cousin.

Interestingly, I didn't need Astral Eye to hear. Which meant I now had a means to the outside world without activating a skill or relying on my roots to be nibbled on. Kind of makes me wonder why I didn't take this sooner. Oh, well, live and learn.

I don't remember when I drifted off to sleep, but I do remember I was still being carried. Makes me wonder how this giant learned of me. Regardless, it was now Day 176, and I awoke to a stillness. The weird part was that I felt amazing despite not feeling the sun's warmth. Using Astral Eye again, I found myself in a room dimly lit by a strange purplish-blue light. I turned my gaze to the right and… Aaahh haaa! The face of the giant was peering at me up close with some kind of eye spectacle. What the hell, man? Does he not know what personal space is?

I mean, seriously, I can see up his nose… ewe, gross. Ooh, now is probably the best chance to see if Evil Eye can harm him. I know I should wait and observe more, but meh… what's the best way to find a result? By doing the testing. I opened my eyes and cast multiple strings of attempts to curse this inferno giant.

Ugh. I got a lot of bad news from the system:

System Notification!

Pain was resisted.

Suffering was resisted.

Dread was resisted.

System Notification!

Pain was resisted.

Suffering was resisted.

Dread was resisted.

.

.

.

This went on for a total of twelve attempts for all three. Blasted inferno giant!

Ooh, my skill went up a level. That's good, at least.

"Woah, this is incredible! Julies will be thrilled!" The giant exclaimed after seeing my eyeballs.

Crap. I didn't think that one through. Now, I'm a plant with actual eyeballs for him to examine. I knew that even after closing the eyes, he would likely try and pry them open again. I was in for a world of pain. Dammit.

The man opened a notebook of some kind and began to sketch what he saw. Okay, that's not so bad. But I spoke too soon because next he took some kind of instrument and I knew what was coming next.

I screamed in pain as one of my eyeballs was plucked right out and gently placed onto a plate for him to do whatever stupid scientists or botanists do. After some time, he took my eyeball and disappeared upstairs. Which is when I really got a chance to look around. I'm glad I had a lot of energy to spend.

I'm in the basement of a three-story house, plus a basement, if you count that as a fourth floor. The first floor is a shop for herbs, medicines, and other odd potion creations. The second floor is a general quarters space that includes a kitchen, living room, and even a nice bathroom. The third floor had three bedrooms. My basement had me and all sorts of junk. But there was something that looked like an alchemy station, at least from what I've read in fantasy books. Or this giant is a witch. The Jury is still out on that one.

Sometime later, the giant came back and first checked on the bulbs he had set up. "Good, the lighting of all the types I tried, these seem to be the most effective on the plant. I can tell by the way the leaves naturally move toward the light. I first thought the solar bulb would've had the best effect, considering where I found the plant, but this seems to not be the case. This flower thrives better under moonlight. The fact that we are on a moon is likely the reason it was able to survive outside in the first place, but the sun seems to negatively affect the plant. When exposed to Ariet's second moon's light, the plant seemed to wake up in a matter of speaking. These lunar bulbs seem to produce the same results. But I still need to create a balanced cycle. I'm switching on the solar light now."

Huh? I've always fallen asleep during the night and felt alive during the day. What is this guy on abo… Oh, my. The difference is suddenly and drastically different. I felt the warmth, sure, but I also felt a lack of Energy. I don't know how else to explain it. I rechecked my Status sheet and realized that after spending a sleep cycle here last night, I awoke with twice as much energy and Tokens to spend. Wait, am I really a lunar flower? I honestly don't get it.

"Now that I think about it. The plant was located at the base of the mountain on the south side. The flower would never have felt the effects of the lunar night from its position. I'm curious about how it will grow under the correct conditions. Side note: Who planted that flower in such a terrible spot? Mysteries to uncover for later, Alchemist Soran, out."