Forest of white - morning

The thick wood below my feet feels heavy, if that makes any sense. The roots of that giant tree surround us, no matter where we go on this mountain. Now that I notice it, the brown bark stretched far from the mountain, changing the structure of the mountain. Hell, I’m sure we’re not even on the mountain anymore, just walking on the roots acting as platforms. Can’t be certain of that, but it’s kind of my hunch talking more than anything else.

“Proxy, are we almost there?” Alex asks, watching his steps.

“Yeah, if I remember this right.” Please tell me I am. “It has a metal plate on its back, so attacks up there are useless.”

“A troublesome detail. Are its limbs protected?”

“No, but it won’t give us the chance. It likes ramming the shit out of people.”

“Vexing… Oh, perhaps we can strike its belly!?”

“Well, maybe, but it never showed it, so I’m not so amped about it. But that’s an idea, so let’s keep that on the back burner.”

“Nunnalé, do you wish to add anything?”

“No, and I have no need to. I shall be fighting by myself. You two would obstruct me from defeating this enemy.”

Freakin’ bitch. Acting like she’s better than us. Acting like she’s hot shit. I know she’ll be useful for fighting that thing, but she’s starting to piss me off.

“We’re almost there,” I announce, getting my skin to turn hyper-sensitive. It’s not gonna be like last time, this time, I brought the big guns. “Alright, it might come from the sky, so we have to be careful.”

“Understood.”

Nunnalé doesn’t even care what I have to say at this point. To her, we’re liabilities, nothing more, nothing less.

Making it past the tunnel, I look up for the spider monster… Wha… No way! Above, dangling on spider webs, the monster’s corpse displayed for all to see. Its blood dripped onto the ground.

“Who the hell did this?”

“This is horrible…”

Wait, what about its blood!? We need to get some before it bleeds dry! Running under it, my eyes scroll up to its back. It doesn’t have the metal plate on its back… This isn’t the same one from before.

“This isn’t the one, guys!”

“Are you certain?”

“Yeah, its back is bare.”

Alex stands next to me, confirming what I said. “Then, that would mean it’s somewhere else in this forest.”

You gotta be shitting me. If that thing is out here, then it could take us all day to find it! Shit, this is bad! Suddenly, a screech travels through the forest. That’s it, it’s that spider!

“Come on, we gotta–” Nunnalé goes leaping off the ground before I can finish, darting around using the trees as a platform. “Hey, wait for us! Come on, Alex.”

We’re not gonna catch up to her, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna sit here with my thumb up my ass. We dash through the roots, climbing, shimming, and leaping from root to root. This place gets a bit complicated the further you go.

“Huh?”

There’s something on the ground ahead. Takes no time at all to figure out what that thing is; another spider corpse.

“Another one?”

“Whoever did this is some kind of freak. Probably some psycho, too.”

Severed its head clean off. At least it ain’t human; pretty sure I would lose my breakfast if it was.

“There are more…”

“Where?”

Alex points above us.

“...Holy…shit.”

Dozens of them hang by spiderwebs, purple liquid dye the thin threads holding their corpses. Each one mangled in several ways, displayed like trophies for people to gawk at. There’re more down the path.

“W-we have to hurry! Whoever did this must be after our target.”

That ain’t good, definitely not good!

“Let’s book it then!”

This isn’t going the way I thought it would go. Not only are there more of these things, but there’s something else out there killing these things. I’d like to think a person isn’t capable of killing these things, but animals don’t make clean cuts like that. Some part of me doesn’t want to meet this guy, and the other part hopes that he’s on our side. Yeah, and pigs can fly and I’m an honor student.

…

The wood serves as an excellent means of travel. The wood is steady, enabling me to shoot forward without them breaking beneath my feet. Even without using Source to enhance my body, I am still capable of superhuman feats. The path below has no clear pathway, leaving it as a non-optimal way of moving through this forest.

From Alexander’s account, this forest spawned from the ground without warning. However, this is not a natural occurrence. The forest itself has a thin layer of Source all around. The mist is an unnatural side effect of this forest. Whoever fabricated this, as well as why is of no concern. For now, I should focus on reaching the arachnid that Proxy spoke of.

His reckless behavior has jeopardized my master’s safety. Master and him have a “friend” relationship, and they seem to be on good terms. Now, with this incident, I am unable to leave my master with someone like him, thus, I cannot rely on him or anyone else that is not me… However, I share blame as well. When they left this morning, I should have escorted him, despite his insistence on not needing me to. This blunder of mine very well may seal my master’s fate…

“Hm?”

More spider corpses are gathered into a pile, each of them resembling that arachnid from earlier. For what purpose are they gathered up like this? Animals, let alone beasts, lack the intelligence to perform a task. I can only conclude it was a human, but that only makes this more puzzling.

“The blood is fresh…”

This was recent, so if I were to search around, I should be able to find the person in question.

“Sup, little girl?” Driven by instinct, I summon my sword, slashing the space behind me. “You’re pretty quick, and where did you get that sword? Ah, who cares?”

The voice is coming from above. From there, a man, appearing to be in his 20s’, dangles from a bundle of spiderwebs, perched next to an Arachnid wider than the ones I have already seen. It has a metal plate on its back.

“I demand you allow me to draw blood from that monster.”

“Why would I?”

“That is none of your concern, and I will not ask more than once.”

“Then why don’t you come and get it, if you want it.”

Does this monster not perceive this man to be its enemy? How was he able to tame this creature…? No, it matters little. All I am to do is draw and capture its blood. I should swiftly conclude this

Concentrating my power, I take to the air in a single bound. A slew of white threads excreted from the monster blocks my path. Cutting them accomplishes little. My body is tangled in webbing. I crashed into the ground, bounded.

“Idiot! Shouldn’t have tried that. Though, it was kinda surprising, not gonna lie.”

For a moment, I dropped my guard when I went for the attack. Another blunder on my part. No more.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Breaking apart the threads requires no effort on my part, just a simple appliance of force.

“Shit, you broke free from that?”

“I was told not to kill humans by my master, and as long as he’s around, I will not… But he is not here.”

…

Hopping on these damn roots is killing my legs. Nunnalé took off like a jet, and Alex and I have no idea where she went. Going straight is the best we can do.

“Are you okay, Proxy?”’

“Yeah, peachy. Just wish we didn’t have to go through all this bullshit!”

“Complaints will not make it better.”

“I know, I know. Just wish that brat didn’t speed off ahead of us.”

“I do not blame her.”

“Oh, come on! She left us in the dust and practically said we were useless.”

“I know, and I do not agree. However, I think she is directing her anger at us.”

“She’s angry?”

“Did you not notice?”

“I…yeah, kind of… It just never clicked that she can feel that stuff.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You serious? She always has that dull look on her face, and barely emotes, if not at all. Not exactly a person you’d think has any emotions.”

“Hmm, perhaps you have it wrong. Maybe she just does not know how to emote. Have you ever thought of it like that?”

Not once, and why would I…? But maybe that makes sense, in a sort of backward way.

“She may seem emotionless, but that is because she has barely begun to understand herself, let alone experience life. So, of course it seems like she does not have any. At least, this is what I observed thus far.” Still growing, huh? “That said. Proxy, even if we get this cure for Richard, you have to remember that your carelessness caused all this.”

“...I… You’re right.”

Of course, I was acting stupid… But now I’m not screwing around. I’ll show that thing what you get when you mess with the #1 delinquent of NewPort Island.

“You hear that?” Takes me a second to catch onto what Alex is on about. Sounds like metal hitting metal, or something like that, mixed in with hissing. “Nunnalé must have encountered it!”

“Then let’s get going!”

If it's her, then she should be fine, but letting her do all the grunt work ain’t my style. Then, surprising me, my sense goes off. From above! When I tried to dodge, I hesitated to move back. I’m not on stable footing, so it messed with my sense of movement. Yanked from the ground, I yell at Alex, “Go help Nunnalé!”

“I will come back for you!”

With that, he presses forward.

“Damn, meant to catch both of you, but I guess it’s fine if I catch one of you,:” a guttural, rough voice with some cocky bravado to go with it, says.

“Who the hell are you, asshole?”

“Right back at ya, kid. This is my hunting ground.”

“Like I give a shit. Let me down!”

I’m being hung by some threads and this fur coat-wearing freaking is standing above me.

“Don’t know why you guys are here, but it doesn’t matter. Now that I got you, I’mma deal with your friends.”

“Hey, don’t walk away from me, you freak! Come and fight me, or are you scared?” He stops dead in his tracks. Looks like I pulled a nerve. “What, you gonna piss yourself or some shit? You’re so lame, man!”

Come on, take the bait, you stupid bastard!

“Hey… You wanna die or something!?”

Dumbass bit it. With monstrous strength, he pulls me up to the root he’s standing on. It’s nice and wide, good enough for two people to fight on.

“Alright, kid, you better be ready for me to smash your teeth out.”

“Funny…” Truth be told, I’m glad I found another human here, especially someone ready to throw down, cause now I can belt out my anger on him “...I was gonna say the same thing!”

Anger from all of Nunnalé’s jabs, this dude with a shit-eating grin, and at myself; I just wanna hit something as hard as I can!

That being said, I can’t savor the fight. We’re still running on time, so I gotta get through this in a snap. I’ll blitz the guy with a few hooks, rattle his brain, then knock him out cold. Alright, let’s–

“Too slow.”

A left hook finds its mark against my cheek. Heavier than I expected, and twice as effective as it should have been. It happened too quickly; his approach wasn’t that quick, but the way he charged in was seamless. I was still getting ready to fight.

“What, gonna cry?”

Gotta counterattack. Letting this guy lead is a bad call. I gotta retaliate! A left hook, going faster than I usually throw them. He brushes it aside and goes for another blow with his leg. I block with mine, but he takes his feet off the ground, rotating his body to deliver one hell of a heel kick to my head. My senses go hazy for a moment and kick back the moment I sense another attack coming from behind. Using all fours’, I leap to the side.

“Too close!”

What the hell am I doing!? I can’t mess around with this weirdo! I’ll have to just jump into it and give him no room to retaliate! Moving with my dominant foot, I swipe his fist out of my way. My fist pierces through his defense, striking his head. The knuckles in my hand and his skull tell me that it was a solid hit. That was packed with more than enough power to send a guy packing to dreamland, or give them a big ass headache.

“Too weak!”

A gasp is all I can get out before he strikes me with his leg. It whipped around the side of my head, juggling my brain. My eyesight is shaken, and he throws several hits my way, mixing me up with highs and lows that leave me with no time to respond. He shows off a level of agility I’ve never seen anyone show before. Hell, I don’t even know if I can do that! Each punch and kick has a consistent weight to it, battering me with the force of a baseball bat.

“So little bite for all that bark.”

Ending off his snide remark, he slams the back of his heel into my ribcage. The breath exits my mouth, leaving me weak.

“Give up?”

“...D…don’t even…count me out!”

“Kid…you were never even a match to begin with.”

“H-huh!?”

“You’re…” Don’t say it… “...pretty damn weak.”

There’s a pause, an oppressive silence that weighs down on my body. At that moment, all reason jumps out the window, leaving me with bottomless rage, roaring louder than any beast in this place. All this anger lunges me forward. I hate this guy for what he said, saying that I’m weak, that spider that hurt my friend, Nunnalé for insulting…

“Just shut up!” He twists his body, belting me with a hard kick to the head. The energy and strength from my rage vanish. “That was boring, man.”

Lying on the ground, waning between consciousness and unconsciousness, my body grows weaker. My thoughts become clearer. I don’t hate this guy, or Nunnalé, that spider, or Richard for saving me… just myself.

I…was acting all big and shit, thinking I was the strongest. “The legendary punk of NewPort island, he can defeat anyone and everybody if he wanted to. Even gangs can’t beat him. I’m the strongest in the world”... I’m such a fucking idiot! If I am, then why did Richard have to sacrifice himself for me!? Why can’t I even hit this guy once!? And why…couldn’t I protect myself…?

“Damnit!” A light, wet sensation trickles down my cheek… Damnit, Goddamnit! I’m so pathetic!

“Huh? You still want…more?”

My feet can barely support my weight, I’m suffering from a pounding headache, and my body is lacking the energy to keep going.

“I…I can’t… I can’t…”

“What do ya want out of all this? You just wanna prove you’re stronger? You just wanna kill me? What keeps you going, kid?”

“He’s…he’s… That guy is my best friend!”

Without a plan, I just go for it. He waits for me, preparing for a counterattack.

I don’t know who my parents are, and the earliest memories I can recall are from 7 years ago, facing a hospital room ceiling. Anything before that is vague and pointless to remember. There were other kids like me, kids who survived the Black fire. Oddly enough, it never affected me as a person, so I almost never react when someone mentions the fire. But I was different from most of those kids. I was given a nice apartment when I left the hospital. No one questioned me about living by myself, and I never made a big deal of it… But that made me feel separated from everyone else.

Sure, Lauren lost her mom, but she had her dad and Holly. I had no one to begin with, no one to come home to. Though I never showed it, I just wanted to have fun with my life. But then, I met Richard. His parents weren’t around, and his brother didn't keep tabs on him. He had this isolated look about him; like he was just going through the motions of living. Naturally, I gravitated to him, and in no time, we were hanging out. He didn’t want anyone to come close to him, pushing anyone away, but I think that was to protect himself… We understand what it’s like to have no one in your corner, so I wanted to be in his, and him in mine; 'cause if I help him, it’s like I could help myself…

I hate myself for being so weak, and for being so stupid! Nunnalé was right. I put my own friend in danger. Richard is the first person I could call a best friend! Take away my title as the strongest punk, but not my best friend. Anything but that!

In the blink of an eye, me and my opponent trade blows. His fist hit my goggles, absorbing the whole blow. Mine never landed.

“All that and you still couldn’t–”

“I’m not done!” Reeling it back, I throw my fist. It slams right into his ribcage. My fist is pounding as if a horse stomped on it, crushing the bones in my fingers. Now’s my chance, while he’s recovering from that wound.

“G-get back here!”

He isn’t able to stop me from getting away, but as I was slipping by, he tears off my goggles. “I’ll be taking this as a trophy…”

Damnit, I… Those are… Shit! I keep running, abandoning the one item I treasure in the world. If it’s for my buddy, then I ain’t gonna turn back! Even if I gotta throw away my pride. If I got this right, then I’ll be able to get down without splattering on the ground. Leaping off the root, the air blisters past me. Snatching what I need, I use the spider strings to swing along the forest. A downward acceleration carries through the forest. The mist spread as my body tears through the white veil.

I’d be screaming my goddamn head off right now if things weren’t so deadly serious. The others gotta be here somewhere… Hm? Hey; I think I found them! Alex and Nunnalé are duking it out with that spider’s webs; Nunnalé cutting them to pieces but having to cancel her attacks on it before they can bind her. Alex keeps ducking and weaving out of its way, only using his sword to slice its legs.

What am I gonna do? What can I do? Nunnalé is the only one who could skewer that bad boy… Gah, what the hell am I grumbling about!? That big bitch needs to go down, that’s all that matters… No matter what I gotta do.

“WATCH OUT!” I slam into the spider with all my weight, using the downward momentum to hammer into it with my feet. An ungodly shriek pierces my ears, almost messing up my landing.

“Proxy, are you unharmed!?”

“Yeah, I’m in one piece.”

My attack shook that thing up, but that ain’t gonna keep it down. We need to kill this thing, now!

“Nunnalé… I’ll give you an opening. Stab the shit out of it when you get the chance, got that?” She doesn’t speak a peep, glaring at me with cold disdain. “...Please…I’m weaker than you, so this is all I can do… I want to save Richard, no matter what!”

I run up to the spider, ignoring all the shivers rolling down my skin. One swing from its blades, and it’s over. But it’s fine. Even if I get killed, it’s fine! I’ll give her that chance and get that thing’s blood!