Chapter 38: Nighttime hunting

In record time I make it back to Sairal’s tree, looking behind me if the Cave crawlers are on my heels. For whatever reason they don’t seem to be intent on chasing me down, not that they could do that.

Entering the clearing, I pull up my log and check the notifications of the fight. I scroll through hundreds of kill notifications, compressing them into a single small window.

*Congratulations. You have slain [Juvenile Cave crawler] lvl 2/5 (I). 0.003 Event points awarded.

…

*Congratulations you have slain [Earthen Cave crawler mage] lvl 2/20 (G). 25 Event points rewarded.

*Congratulations. You have gained a level. You are now level 4.

+10 HP +15 SP +2 Strength +2 Agility +1 Perception +2 Constitution +2 Endurance +2 Mind +4 Unallocated stat points.

The skill levels are good for such a short fight. Claw Infusion, Bindweed Manipulation, and Bindweed Conjuration all gained a single level. Dance of Death got its first two levels and I’m liking the skill a lot. The drawback that it can only be used in large-scale fights is a bummer though. Maybe when I get it to level 20, I can upgrade the skill and remove that restriction.

Close to Sairal’s tree, I see that he’s crafting things again. The five mushroom guardians are casually hanging around him as they watch his hands blur as he throws item after item into the cauldron. Leo keeps trying to dip his fingers into the glowing solution but with a flick on his cap from Sairal, he sulkily retreats.

Looking around, I don’t see the two mushroom guardians that usually are around. “Where are the two (F) grades?” I ask.

Sairal doesn’t look up from the cauldron too focused on a new concoction, “Those two? They kept throwing pebbles into the lake even when I told them not to. I sent them out to hunt and blow off some steam.”

I fold my arms over each other, “They didn’t listen to you? Shouldn’t you be worried about things like that?”

Sairal looks up at me and rolls his eyes. “It isn’t as bad as you make it sound. We’re all on edge with Zulis at our borders. It isn’t any different for them.”

I nod and walk into the sun and stare at where the (D) grades fought earlier this day. Nothing looks out of place or strange there. There aren’t any new spells being thrown around or golems rising from the ground. Only the lazy trails of smoke that reach up high in the sky serve as a reminder that everything truly did happen.

“What happened to the Zulissian forces?”

Sairal sighs and puts the cauldron away, having finished his work for now. He stands up and watches the trails of smoke too. “When you were gone the King announced that the main focus will be on defending the Inner and Central forest. Forest dwellers and Dryads living in the Outskirts should prepare to retreat and leave their homes.”

I give him an incredulous look. I spent a few hours hunting those insects and so much has changed in that timespan. “Then shouldn’t you pack up your things before Zulis makes its way here? How do dryads move their hearts anyway?”

Sairal shakes his head and turns back to his tree. “That isn’t important now. One of my punishments was to guard the Outskirts near Zulis for fifty years. Thirteen remain so I’m unable to leave.”

My eyes narrow. His shoulders aren’t hunched as you would expect. They’re calm even; reserved.

“It’s a death sentence,” I state.

“Exactly. I told you before that dryads never kill their own. We let other things do it for us; push them into impossible tasks to redeem themselves, knowing that they are unable to succeed. That is why I was sent here, Green. To die.”

He turns back to me and I stare into his verdant eyes, seeing the network of his roots in his irises. “I won’t let you.”

It is enough to draw a dry chuckle from him, “And I’m not planning to. You have been gaining levels, I have been creating weapons of mass destruction. Usually, I dislike tainting the land, however, this is all or nothing. No matter what, it is likely that we’ll lose the Outskirts. Why should I care about collateral damage when the forest dwellers and the dryads are all gone?”

“You are crazy. You do know that right?”

He rolls his eyes, “I’ve always been crazy.”

Sairal turns back to the carpet of moss. “The other thing I’ve been doing is awakening all the spores I’ve had in stock that aren’t any good to craft with. I have a few thousand in hibernation now. When I evolve I will have an army. One that will rise in strength as the event progresses…” the dryad continues to mutter to himself and starts checking the things in his Spatial Pocket.

In just a few minutes he resumes crafting those spores that can cause mass destruction. I keep looking at him while I stand in the sun. I’m glad that he’s a friend and not an enemy. I don’t think I can beat him even if we were the same level.

***

Later in the evening, I play tag with Aeru, Leo and Cinella on the mossy carpet. The mushroom guardians are terribly slow and I’m finding it difficult to think that once I too was this slow. I tag Leo and in anger, he bites on the bindweed that makes up my shin.

Under his tree, Sairal’s eyes glaze over and pulse green. It is something I’ve seen before. Messages are being sent through the roots of the trees that connect us all. He stiffens for a few minutes and a pained expression washes over his face. “And so it begins,” he says softly.

“Care to explain?” The mushroom guardians get bored and continue playing on their own.

“The humans have successfully set up a teleportation circle. More forces came through so the dryads pulled back. Luck is on our side, though. In the fight most of the materials needed to set up the teleportation circles have been destroyed. It’ll at least take a few days to a week for them to assemble their armies.”

His eyes shimmer once more and he rolls his eyes. “Everyone needs to retreat from the Outskirts now.” He turns to me and gives me a look.

“I won’t go to the inner forest.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Besides you have a plan already.” I haven’t heard anything from him about it. But he has a plan. He always has one. The face he pulls only confirms it.

Avoiding the conversation he stands up and pulls his bow from empty space. “I do have a plan, though, it isn’t anything solid yet. Just…an idea. Anyway, the first step, whatever we are going to do, is for me to reach (D) grade. And for that, I need to kill.”

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Without saying anything more he walks off. A dozen paces further he blurs away towards what’s probably the nearest Cave crawler outpost.

For the first time in my life, I pity those Cave crawlers.

The small guardians look at me, their big beady eyes showing fear. I pat them on their caps, telling them that it will be alright. My eyes drift back to the trails of smoke where the (D) grades fought. It will be alright.

I give Leo a fist bump with one finger, not wanting the inky liquid on my hand.

“I need to become stronger too,” I comment to myself and the mushroom guardians. “Cave crawlers just won’t do. I need something stronger…like the monsters that hunt at night.”

The remainder of the day is spent catching every ray of sunlight and turning it into experience. I need every point.

I watch the two large guardians that have returned teach the smaller ones how to play rock paper scissors.

Overhead the sun slowly starts to set.

***

The calm forest becomes something else at night. The canopy of trees that shielded from the sun and monsters in the sky now blocks out the light from the moons, plunging parts of the forest into deep darkness. The air is frigid and almost stale as it drifts past, uncomfortably pressing against my skin.

The terrain I knew like the back of my hand has morphed into something else with the coming of the night. And along with it come the nocturnal monsters that are stronger and larger.

So why aren’t there any? The darkness around me isn’t deep enough to hide something from me, the faint light from one of the moons enough to light the way with my meagre Perception.

I open my mouth to call out to a nearby monster but think better of it. I only want to fight one.

Letting a steady trickle of Stamina flow into my claws, I move through the forest. The trees are almost painted in shades of grey, the light not enough for colour to be.

Behind me up in the tree, leaves shift and branches rattle. The air thrums with magic and I turn. The first thing I make out are scales that dimly reflect the light of the moons. Eight eyes stare at me.

The monster crawls over the branches and through the leaves, making the rest difficult to see. I count the legs of the monster, noticing that it has far too many.

More stamina flows into my claws and bindweed snakes around me as it is conjured from thin air.

The monster stops moving, allowing me to finally count all the limbs while it fires up its own magic.

My face sours when I count four sets of limbs. Of course, the first damned monster I have to fight is a spider-lizard.

The magic solidifies and in one of its legs, a weird spear appears.

I can barely make it out in the darkness. The thing continues to morph into something else, the edges fading into shadows that are deep between the leaves.

Knowing the game we are playing, I change tactics and conjure a long whip of bindweed for me to wield. This stupid monster will just stay in its tree and wear me down.

Before the whip is complete, the spider-lizard throws the spear down at me. I leap towards the left and see a faint flicker and something presses into my gut.

I look down at the projectile, golden sap already leaking out of my body. Did the trajectory change?

Nausea rolls over me and my throat feels dry. The world tilts and I’m lifted into the air, like a fish stuck to a hook. I look up at the smiling monster as it watches me ascend while it reels me in. My claws cut the air above me, catching the invisible string holding my weight.

I fall to the ground and land with a painful thump. My hands grasp around the shadow-like spear, the sap slowly spilling out between my fingers. Nerves whisper in pain, subdued by the shadow magic. The thought of pulling it out crosses my mind. I think better of it and reach for my whip.

The weapon flies through the air, hitting the bark or the branches of the tree but never the monster. In turn, the monster stares down at me confused why I’m not currently in its claws being torn apart.

Soreness sets in my arm and all too soon another spear of shadows appears in the monster's hands.

Before the spider-lizard can shoot the projectile, I conjure a wall of bindweed and hide behind it.

A few seconds later the impact of the spear makes itself known to me.

I grab onto the spear and search for the thread it uses to pull prey into its clutches. After a painfully long moment of feeling around, I find it. I pull on it and the monster squawks out in surprise.

A branch breaks, the monster slips and it falls to the ground.

It’s time for revenge.

Claws filled to the brim with energy, I sprint towards it.

The monster turns towards me and opens its mouth. Flames gush out and fly towards me.

I roll over the ground, parts of me getting singed. My hands cover my crown, protecting it as much as I can. Flames lick my body and I pat them out as the world around me stops tumbling.

With renewed hatred, I make an end to the Lizard’s life.

With the Kill notification and a few extra levels in Fire Resistance, I continue the hunt.

***

He sniffs the ground near the broken branches, tracking it around the trees.

Zorza can imagine what happened here. One of the Shadow web Lizards took on prey that turned out to be predator.

He moves from the corpse to wilted greenery that has a strange scent. Circling around it, he stumbles onto a sweet, sickly scent of health; pure vitality.

There is only one thing that it can be.

Licking the grass he tastes the blood of the monster.

The Mandrake.

Eagerly he runs back to the Master’s home, wanting to tell him about the four dryads he killed and that the mandrake is still alive. This event is truly great. Zorza loves seeing the points go up in the event store. If Master didn’t gain all of the points he gathered he would have over two thousand.

He can’t wait to get more points. He will get the most. He will get them all.

***

When dawn breaks I enter the clearing. A whole night of hunting for a single level and a few skill levels. It can always be worse, I guess. Most of the nocturnal monsters, while strong, are stupid. The sheer variety of the monsters made it far more fun than taking down insect after insect.

I head into my home, push some dirt into the entrance, and earn some well-deserved sleep.

Later that day I wake up to the ringing of explosions outside.

Bleary-eyed and dead tired, I stumble out of my home already running towards Sairal’s dryad heart.

An arrow cuts through air and releases a shriek when it lands on a shield.

Sairal follows up with another arrow, this one explodes upon impact, making the human fly backwards, close enough to the lake that the tentacle monster gets him.

The woman aims her wand at the tree and chants a spell. The carpet of moss that’s always laying at the base of the tree, rises up and wraps around the tree protecting it.

The spell is cast and arcs up in the sky, it falls down and hits the base of his tree with a low thump.

Her expression changes when the moss doesn’t catch fire. It worsens when she sees one of the (F) grade guardians advance on her, fists raised.

She conjures a barrier that blocks the punches it throws. Then she is caught off-guard by the second mushroom guardian that has been sneaking upon her.

Together with the first guardian, they slam against the barrier, shattering it like glass.

The mage tries to raise her wand to cast another spell.

Before she can do so the two guardians tear her apart, literally.

My eyes flick back to Sairal who’s engaged with the last human. This one wielding a short sword. Blades meet almost too fast for me to see. Metal clangs together rhythmically when the blades meet. The sound ends with a painful groan as Sairal somehow managed to slam the butt of his sword into the man’s chest.

In the moment of disorientation, Sairal finishes the human off, flicking the blade in his hand and slicing through the neck of the man.

He claps his hands together, pleased.

“How did it go with the Cave crawlers?” I ask as I approach.

Sairal turns to me and smirks, “The encampment is no more, and their queen is dead. Together with this stupid human party, it has been enough to grant me one level, and I feel like I am close to the next one.”

I look down at the beheaded human, his face twisted in discomfort. “Why are they here anyway? Shouldn’t they have taken more time?”

Sairal rolls his shoulders and begins to strip the human corpses. “Probably just a scouting party. Nothing serious.”

In the distance, I see a blue speck move. I turn my head and see Cobalt moving to greet us.

I wave my hand to greet her. I stare at her as she comes closer and notice that’s something wrong. Her left leg drags over the ground, stiff as a board. One of her antennae on her head has been torn off and there are cuts all over her body that show her insectile insides.

“Mandrake Green and Dryad Sairal," she wheezes and plops down on the grass next to his tree, “We should discuss our next course of action. I have dire news from the depths.”