11.

The park with the everpresent breeze wasn’t far away. It took less than an hour of only semi-determined bike riding to get there. His original bike had been hauled back in a wagon and was trying to be repaired by someone who said they could do it. Santi had his doubts they could do it. He had seen the sheared metal where he had broken the metal from exerting too much force. He was much kinder to this bike than the last one.

Santi had seen the park once or twice before the integration and after the integration twice. The park was across the street from an abandoned elementary school, the squat building having had every window smashed out of it. Santi was glad that the integration had started when none of those kids had been in the building. They would have had their last moments with their families.

Santi turned away from the empty building and towards the park. As Daniel had said the park was rather lackluster, just an empty field with a single tall tree in the middle of it. Mounds of dirt were thrown up in piles of loose earth while birds wheeled around in the early morning sky. The birds were the size of a compact car, which was different but felt normal to Santi.

Mutated animals were going to become more and more of a problem as time went on. The birds flying above the tree were just the first signs, just like the bugs they had killed on the road. And whatever it was that was making those big ass holes in the middle of the field. Animals needed to eat after all and the birds were obviously eating something bigger than a traditional ground squirrel.

Santi shoved the bike off to the side, leaning it against a building. He looked over the field trying to see what was different about it. The mounds of earth were one of the many obvious signs, but not the only ones. The grass was full and lush where the earth was undisturbed and the tree was taller than anything in this area should have been, rivaling the height of sequoia redwood trees.

From across the street Santi could feel a breeze tugging on him. Fresh air smelling of spring whisked away the smells of rot and decay that permeated the air in a constant miasma that most had gotten used to. He could feel the power pressing against his skin. Based on his experience Santi figured it was a decently powerful treasure, at least this early in the integration. The longer a treasure sat, absorbing mana and potential and whatever else it was that formed them, the stronger they’d be.

It was a fine line when it came to harvesting them. They provided slow growth potential if one stayed close to it, like the birds and whatever was in the holes were doing. A treasure could provide the necessary push one needed to push past a roadblock, help improve an affinity, become an ingredient in a powerful alchemical concoction, or used to fuel an evolution. The choices for use were speed and short term growth, or slow long term growth.

At this stage in the game everyone was much more interested in staying alive and the power needed to do it than sustainable long term growth. Santi was going to gobble up every treasure that fit his class and affinity. He couldn’t afford to worry about the long term. He needed to survive and be strong enough to protect everyone else.

So he needed that tree.

Santi watched the birds spin and dance in the air for a minute before shrugging. He needed it done, he would get it done. The morph blade transformed into a long glaive and he walked across the street and stepped onto the field.

The effect was immediate. It was like stepping into a tornado, winds whipping around in a fury. It was hard to breathe with the wind pressing against his face. He managed to get a few more steps, the wind growing stronger and stronger until he couldn’t push forward any more. Even with his enhanced stats the wind was impossible to walk against.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Santi leaned down and grabbed at the ground, digging his fingers into the thick grass. He still slid back, feet digging furrows in the ground as he tried to get traction. Santi began to understand why creatures lived underground. He eyed the closest hole and would have sighed if he could have taken a breath. He really didn’t want to go underground again.

With a surge of strength he turned the morph blade into a hook, ramming it into the earth to drag himself forward. The closest pile of loose earth was only a few steps but it took nearly thirty seconds to get there. His fingers pulled through the loose soil without getting a hold of anything and he slid back feet as his lunge failed. Only the hook kept him from being thrown out of the park.

Cursing in his mind, he gathered himself to jump again. This time the lunge was better, he got further and his loose hand was able to grab the edge of the hole. The earth was more hard packed and he dragged himself into the hole. He fell headfirst and was able to take a deep breath for the first time in over a minute.

The fall hadn’t been long, no more than five feet and the awkward fall wasn’t so bad. He hit on his shoulder and rolled to his feet, morph blade switching into a long curved knife. The tunnel was tight, his shoulders almost brushing across the tunnel's width. He had to duck his head and move forward in a crouch, the darkness hiding everything from sight.

He relied on his Air Current to tell him what was around himself. The spell had been a constant for him for years. His long time spent out by himself on his long range scouting missions had made him think outside of the box to better keep himself alive. The original spell form was often used as a fan by most mages he had met or to keep pungent smells away from them.

It had taken several years for Santi to slowly warp the spell into what it was to this day. A sphere of perfect omniscience. It was small right now, but with time and levels and an upgrade orb or two, he could have a powerful skill that would make him damn near unbeatable. As it was now, he could explore small tunnels blind with only a slight increase in worry.

Santi kept himself tucked down and moving quickly, blade extended in front of him. There was a particular musk in the tunnel that made him want to sneeze. Clumps of thick, coarse hair floated in the air. Santi kept moving towards where he felt the pressure of the natural treasure was growing stronger .

With every step the musk grew stronger and more and more hair floated in the air. Dung squished under his shoes the rank fecal smell overpowering. He strengthened the current around him, trying to whisk the smell away from him. It was pointless, it suffused every inch of the place.

The claustrophobic tunnels were a labyrinth and wound back and forth without seeming to care. It was almost a relief when he heard it. Claws scratching dirt. Wet snuffling. Something large hit his sphere and he reacted instantly. Air Shield snapped into being in front of him. Something slammed into it and froze for a second before the shield popped in a burst of violent air.

Santi cut the distance as the beast had been stalled out, its momentum spent. The long dagger slashed and cut, Santi stabbing out wildly with only the vague shape of the creature known. Hot blood washed over him and the creature’s screams were loud and shrill, deafening in the tight confines. Santi kept cutting, never stopping, always flowing around the slashing and gnawing teeth and claws of whatever the hell it was.

The kill notification was barely audible, but the creature finally stopped screaming was a good sign. Santi untangled himself from it, the rough fur damp with its spilled blood. He took a moment to check himself, making sure that a claw hadn’t somehow torn him open.

Mutated Ground Squirrel lvl. 19

It was a goddamn squirrel. Santi had to pause to catch his breath to take that in. A squirrel had almost ripped him apart in the dark. He really did miss those two days before the integration started.

Then he was stuck with another problem. The creature’s corpse blocked the entire tunnel. From top to bottom, the furry, stinky, squirrel stopped his progress. It was too heavy to drag around and he wasn’t going to drag it free even if he could. Santi cursed as he was forced to backtrack, running backward to find the last branch he went down. He had a feeling this was going to take awhile.