Chapter 34: Planning and scheming

System events are blessings or curses. They can roughly be separated into three categories, each relating to how they come to be.

Firstly, there are the events created by the system to reveal long-lost artefacts, hidden knowledge and other miscellaneous things. It is difficult to say why the System does this. Perhaps it is to force us to look into the history of the world and the people that came before us. Maybe it is to keep the nations of this world strong and healthy by supplying them with artefacts that have been lost.

The second category is a strange one. These events aren’t created by the System but by beings instead. When the higher grades are forced to overcome the challenges set by the system, they can come in the form of events. These events often relate to defending a territory, destroying a territory, and finally surviving something the system throws their way.

Last but not least are the events that are solely generated by the system on its own. It has watched the world, and now to make nations clash or to break the balance, it throws an event into the mix. These types of events are feared by the Greater and lesser races. Often they are dangerous and demand participation, unlike the other types of events.

Events like these are the rise or fall of cities and kingdoms. They are the death of the higher grades and the rise of the lower grades.

An excellent example of an event that falls into this category is the opening of the abyss eye. Nearby nations, trillions strong, fell in hours to the monsters that crawled out of the Depths. Later it made many heroes rise to fame and became the heart of a new empire…

Written by Mecrizural Mirestia (E)

***

I feel the mossy carpet between my fingers while I go over the event messages once more, reading the list of groups and individuals over and over again, knowing that I will face some of them sooner than later.

There already are dozens of parties on that list and it will only grow longer as the event progresses.

Sairal clears his throat, drawing me back to the conversation, “What can we do for you Cobalt?”

The blue beetle’s bug eyes stare unblinkingly at him before she speaks up, “Dryad Sairal, I have come seeking guidance on the recent revelations. I have been continuing my war against the Cave crawlers. Am I right to assume that things will change?” It takes a bit of effort to make out what she exactly says since her voice mainly consists of clicks and clacks.

Strangely enough though, I still understand it. It’s something I should ask Sairal later.

As always, the dryad muses on the question before replying. “It is difficult to say. From what I heard when I was in the Central forest, the Queen is taking on the Depths that have been trying to reach the surface. Clearly, things like small Segriad snails and Cave crawlers are slipping past. It might get worse if she doesn’t get more reinforcements from the Courts. It all depends on their actions in the end,” he says with a shrug.

Cobalt nods, “Thank you, Dryad Sairal.” She stiffly turns towards me, “We meet again.” I wilt under her gaze. Somehow with those insectile eyes, she still manages to give me a piercing glare, sizing me up.

She continues, “I have to say, I was quite surprised when I found another being fighting those detestable bugs in the depths. Especially when that being turned out to be someone like me. Tell me, What is your name?”

I give her a faint smile, “Green.” An uncomfortable silence blankets us. It forces me to speak up again, “Cobalt, is it? You seem to hate the Cave crawlers a lot? I don’t like them either but to be actively hunting them…” I trail off, letting the rest of the sentence hang in the air.

Cobalt clicks her mandibles together in joy? “Mandrake Green, It is correct for you to assume that I hold immense distaste for those despicable creatures. Back on my Homeworld, I often fought with monsters that shared quite a few similarities with the Cave crawlers. I lost everything to them. It brings me some kind of satisfaction to be able to kill them in my second life. While I can never look back, and see the outcome of my actions, I still pray to the Worldheart and search for my revenge.

“Isn’t it strange that in this incomprehensibly large world, I appeared near monsters that resemble those of my world so closely? It is fated, I daresay.” If this would have been a tea party, this is the moment where she takes a gulp of plum tea from her delicate porcelain cup.

Cobalt nods to herself, “May I enquire about your own Homeworld?”

I give her a shrug and turn to her. She stares at me, her mandibles open in displeasure. Unconsciously, I stop slouching and sit up straighter, “Well, I come from the universe of humans. It doesn’t come with any of the monsters that are in this world. Certainly no monstrous insects…excluding Australia.” The blue beetle is still looking at me, possibly waiting for me to continue. “What was your world like?” I ask, deflecting the conversation.

Her regal tone fills the air again, “I myself come from the universe of Malruk. It is indeed good that there weren’t any monsters on this ‘Earth’. Humans are quite frail compared to the Malruk.”

I raise an irked eyebrow. I’m not human anymore but I’ve been one for 17 years. I still hold some kindling of pride, even if in this world they have tried to kill me several times. “You are familiar with humans, but I’m not with Malruk. What do they look like?” I ask.

Cobalt claps her hands together, “Excellent question, Mandrake Green. Malruk stand two metres tall on average. W-they have thick skin that ranges from colours that are green as Cinderbeal moss to the bright green of budding leaves. The largest difference between a human and a Malruk is that Malruk have two sets of arms.” She continues to prattle on about her former species.

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I kind of understand that you would see humans as weaker when you compare them to two-metre-tall giants that have four arms.

“—Sadly I haven’t encountered any of my previous species in this world yet. It would be intriguing to see how they would live here and make use of the system in their own way.” She chuckles to herself. The sound is strangely high pitched and yet it still carries some resemblance to a prudent chuckle.

“Now that we are talking about it, I realise once again that having just two arms is quite disconcerting. The next time I evolve, I will find an evolution that will grant me an additional set of arms. You should look into that too, Mandrake Green.”

Before I can wrap my mind around everything she said, Cobalt stands up and dusts herself off, “I must say that it has been a delightful chat. It was quite the pleasure to meet another Second-lifer. Let us do this again some other time,” she says and bows to the two tall mushroom guardian.

Happily, they wave back at her.

The blue beetle then turns to the dryad, “Dryad Sairal. I will be delving into the Depths below. This time, however, I will try to venture into the last trek of the first layer. If I sense any changes during my travels, I will relay the information to you when we meet again. ”

She walks off, leaving me stumped as I sit on the grass. With my spine still uncomfortably straight, I let my entire posture slouch as she vanishes over one of the small hills.

I lay on the grass and turn to Sairal with my head. He’s scribbling something in a notebook with a stick of charcoal.

He looks up at me and quickly stuffs it into his pocket space and gives me a sheepish smile, “It isn’t every day that two second-lifers meet.”

“Is she always like that?” I say as I look at the canopy of his tree.

He hums a bit before replying, “She is certainly…refined. It is only expected when you lived her life.”

I sit up and look at him, “Howso?”

He frowns, “It isn’t my story to tell but Earth with humans and all might’ve been a paradise compared to her previous world.”

I let the topic drop and settle onto another one, “What about those Malruk she mentioned? Are they strong here?”

Sairal cocks his head to the sides and begins to pull out the things he bought at the Wandering Bazaar from his pocket space. While he does that he answers me, “I haven’t met any. They like to wander around the world in small hunting parties.”

I resume laying down on the moss, Idly watching the event timer count down in the bottom left of my vision.

*Time remaining: 299 days, 7 hours, 13 minutes, 39 seconds.

Each tick of the time pulls me more into this event. What will happen in five days, let alone 50? How will the forest look when the event finishes?

It sends dread down my spine, enough for me to break out in a cold sweat.

I force myself to think about something else, so with reluctance, I parse through the bits and pieces of information Cobalt let go of in that almost one-sided conversation. “I haven’t asked you about the other races that have their own universe,” I say more as a question.

In the corner of my eyes, I see Sairal nod while he inspects the contents of a vial, “And that is something we will discuss later. We need to talk about how we will move forwards. You should expect the system to put another target on your back. Whoever kills you will probably get bonus points.”

My mouth falls open in horror and surprise, “That was a joke…was it?”

He doesn’t reply, instead waltzing on, “I will work on the spores and items I have bought. Now more than ever we need powerful tools. You should do the same with that bindweed. Assimilate it, then start hunting. Who knows when it will become too dangerous for you to go out on your own.”

He hands me the ball of flowering bindweed and practically shoos me off to my home. When I look back to his tree, he’s pulling out more spores and vials. The air shimmers around him in faint hues of green, showing that he already started.

On my short trip to my home, I watch the timer continue to tick down again. I turn it off and it evaporates from my vision. I look around the forest, taking in deep gulps of air, calming myself.

My mouth is dry and tastes like ash. The air is clammy around me, hugging everything tight, pushing up against my skin.

I just want to go back to the days when birds jumping out of trees were the biggest of my worries.

Honestly, how did I end up here? Before I knew it the birds were replaced by a tsunami that wiped away monsters of the forest, and now the system has focused its eyes on wiping us all out.

Back home, my root cellar is still the same as I left it. The dirt walls are held together by the dry roots that form strange patterns. In a way, draw comfort from it. While some things change, like Luxia now being officially fucked, at least my home is still the same.

I’m still here. We’re all still here.

Out of habit, I pile dirt into the entrance. Better be safe than sorry.

I grab the Binding of Bindweed in both hands and double-check the description.

*Assimilation possible

With a mental nod, I accept the prompt. The Binding starts to untangle itself and snakes up my arm. Bit by bit the strands bind with my body, tangling up into something stronger and better.

My bindweed takes on a deeper green, conveying that I’m stronger now. The flowers that were on the binding travel over my body and join the crown of leaves on my head, somehow merging together with my leaves.

Like what happened to my arms, the Binding of Bindweed wraps around me in a comforting hug that fills me with strength.

Some time later the system gives me the notification that the assimilation has been completed.

*Congratulations. You have successfully assimilated the Binding of Bindweed (G).

+15 Constitution.

That’s an entire level of stat points from assimilating a bit of bindweed.

I flex my body, feeling tougher and stronger.

Easier than before, I pack the dirt away from the entrance.

Darkness greets me and I wince, knowing how much time I spent getting those stats.

I step out of my home into the night. I spent nights in the plains. The forest can’t be much worse.

Silently, I make my way towards Sairal again, curious if he’s still creating spores or guardians.

The bright moon above me provides just enough light for me to make out where I am. In the distance, I can already see the carpet of moss, lit by the mushrooms that pulse in strange colours.

A bit closer I can make out the dryad sitting on the moss while he leans against the trunk of his tree. He’s humming a slow tune as he looks over the vials that glint in the light.

Further away, I hear the two mushroom guardians throw rocks into the lake, angering the tentacle horror that still lives there.

The dryad seems to be captivated by the vials, not noticing me as I approach.

I step out into the darkness to join him on the mossy carpet.