So I need to get enough [Gold Coins] to pay for my armor set and I need to get enough materials for the swords. I'm definitely getting the [Wood Infused Stone Sword]. Then hopefully I'll be ready to fight that Dreamspinner Boss Monster. I also need enough money for an inn tonight plus meals, and if I can afford it, a potion for my aching body. I've really got to stop falling out of trees. Axel shook his head.
With more thoughts swirling around in his mind, Axel stepped through the gate and back into the wilderness. The lush, green forest was beautiful. It was almost calming if not for the monsters that lurked beyond the dirt path. Why they dared not step foot onto it was unknown. But, it was not like he was complaining.
Following the blue-haired smith's directions, whom he should have asked her name for. At the Crystal Deer area, Axel took a right turn at the crystal, making sure to enter a less-populated sub-world first, having to deal with other people was not exactly on his mind. Veering away from the dirt path, he carefully skirted around any Crystal Deers, mindful of their blinding antlers.
After a while, he spotted a small hill in the distance, sloping gently downward towards a tunnel entrance nestled at its base. The entrance was illuminated by the soft glow of a portal, giving the rocks a luminescent blue hue.
Entering through the radiant gateway, Axel found himself in a spacious cave. Glowing stalactites and stalagmites lined the cave walls, creating a much-needed latticework of dim orange light. The air was dank with a bitter chill, a sharp contrast to the cooling breeze from outside.
Axel was not the only one here, there were more people within the cave than he had expected. Although he could not see any of them, their presence was evident through the sounds of battle echoing throughout the cavern. They were engaged in combat within different sections of the cave, all attempting to defeat whatever monster was lurking in the dimness. Their fights echoed through the cavern, blending into a cacophony of battle cries.
Taking a deep breath, Axel felt the hairs on his arms and neck stand on end. Adrenaline pumping, heart beating faster, hands tightening around the handle of the [Wooden Training Sword]. Caves were the last place he wanted to be.
Relax Axel, relax. I've done it before so I can get through this. I've done it before so I can get through this, Axel mentally repeated to himself.
With a deep breath, Axel proceeded cautiously deeper into the cave, his senses on high alert. He followed the main pathway for a while before deciding to veer off into a side tunnel, away from the tumultuous sounds of battle echoing through the cavern.
The cavern was littered with the same glowing stones, providing just enough illumination for Axel to make out his surroundings. As he moved forward, the air began to feel less stale. It was odd, considering the fact that he was venturing deeper into the cave, but Axel simply felt thankful for the fresher air and continued onward.
After a while, he saw... something. Amidst the shadows, a mysterious shape captured his attention. Its form slowly emerged from the shadows, revealing itself to be a tentacle of sorts. Four large appendages slithered in the darkness, like a snake stalking its prey.
Axel tightened the grip on his swords, readying himself for the inevitable battle with whatever this creature was. With every muscle tensed, he waited with bated breath, eyes focused, watching the creature, anticipating its next move. As the appendages slithered past a glowing stalagmite, Axel could finally make out its appearance. It was brown in color, looking like the bark of a tree, with bits of gray embedded haphazardly. The weird brown appendages were connected to something else that was further away, but slowly inching closer.
As it drew nearer, more of its form revealed itself to Axel. He remained steadfast, unmoving, watching its every movement, ready for when the battle commenced. Only when it drew within striking distance did he finally gain a clear view of it.
The monster was unlike anything he had seen before. He had expected some sort of weird animal, like the past few encounters, but not something like this. At the end of its four limbs was a gnarled, wooden trunk. It dawned on Axel that the tentacles weren't tentacles, but in fact, the roots of the monster tree, gradually pulling its main body forward. It was surprisingly short, being roughly Axel's height, and lacked any leaves whatsoever, showing off its labyrinth of naked branches.
As the creature drew near enough to be observed, it too could sense Axel's presence. How it could sense Axel without anything resembling a face was a puzzle, but one that could be solved later. The roots shifted slightly, the tips twisting in the direction of where he was standing, before retreating back. Then, in a sudden burst of movement, it launched an attack. Despite its main tree-like body remaining stationary, the roots shot out towards Axel with alarming speed.
The four roots came at him in succession, aiming right for his torso. Axel [Blocked] the first root, with a resounding thump that echoed throughout the cavern. Then he [Blocked] the second root… then the third… and finally the fourth. Each [Block] resonated against the cave walls with a thunderous reverberation.
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The roots recoiled and slithered their way back toward the creature's main body, preparing for another strike. The roots were akin to a coiled spring, gathering energy for an imminent burst of force.
Axel braced for the next round, readying himself for whatever the monster would throw at him. He raised both swords in a defensive stance, awaiting the imminent attack.
Once more, the roots surged toward him with the same speed and ferocity as before. And once again, he [Blocked] all four strikes. The soft blue hue of his swords as he [Blocked] the attacks illuminated the area just ever so slightly.
Assessing the situation, It seemed like the monster could only launch its roots after pulling them back and storing up enough force. Taking advantage of the opportunity, while the roots began to withdraw, Axel dashed forward with the aid of [Strength Boost] and slammed his sword into one of the roots with [Slash].
Though his strike lacked the force to sever the root, it did manage to inflict some damage, slicing a clean gash into the root. The monster showed no visible reactions to being cut into. Instead, the monster launched another attack, unleashing all four roots towards Axel in response.
Again, they were all [Blocked], and again Axel went for the roots with a combination of [Slash] and [Strength Boost] to deliver a more powerful hit. This time, his attack inflicted even greater damage on the targeted root. While it still was not enough to sever it right off, the root began to sag toward the ground as the monster attempted to retract it, practically hanging on by a thread.
Once again, the roots retracted, preparing for their next onslaught. However, this time, only three of them shot towards him, while the last one sluggishly slid along the ground, returning to its body. Axel [Blocked] the attacks and took another gander at a root, [Slashing] it as it retreated.
It was a waltz between person and tree, with Axel [Blocking] its attacks, before retaliating against the root, and then their dance continued. As the jive carried on, his dance partners became increasingly off-beat, barely even aiming for him. Axel’s dance partners slowly decreased as the tango progressed.
Three [Strength Boost] empowered sword [Slashes] was all that was needed to sever a root until Axel's foe had been whittled down to one final dangling root.
The lone appendage made a final desperate last lunge at Axel, only, to miss. Its trajectory was thrown off course by the heavy damage it sustained. A final [Slash] rendered the monster limbless and immobilized, the roots simply lay limp and lifeless on the ground while still attached to the tree.
.
Axel marched forward to the now defenseless tree monster, in order to take a closer look. It was definitely a tree. It looked like a tree, smelled like a tree, felt like a tree, all except for the peculiar stone-like protrusions embedded in its bark. Axel attempted to yank out one of the shards, but they were firmly lodged within the tree's surface.
Giving up, Axel readied his skills, utilizing both [Slash] and [Strength Boost] to wail on the monster, raining blow after blow upon the wooden enemy. Splinters flew with each strike as the weapon repeatedly broke apart the tree, shattering its wooden surface into smaller and smaller pieces. The sound of wood breaking resonated throughout the tunnels, echoing down the hallways. Eventually, the tree began to sway and finally collapsed to the ground. But just before it hit the floor, it vanished into thin air, leaving behind 4 [Gold Coins] and 3 [Stone Infused Wood].
[Juvenile Timberstone Tree was slain. Gained 11 points]
The battle was surprisingly easier than Axel thought it would be. Simply render the roots useless and that was it, the only problem was how long it took to just fell the tree. It took more hits than a squad of Pig O' Battles, but at least he could just wail on it without the need for constant blocking or dodging.
One concern nagged at Axel: if what he had just defeated was merely a juvenile, how much stronger would the older ones be? Not like he really had a choice to opt-out now, since if this dropped the weaker [Stone Infused Wood] there stood a great deal of a chance that the older one would drop the stronger [Wood Infused Stone] that he sought after.
Shaking his head and taking a deep breath, he refocused his mind on the task at hand. The cave was dark, save for the glowing stones, lighting the cave like the stars in the night sky. It was a vast improvement over his past endeavors before the barrier, far better than stumbling around in complete and utter darkness, relying only on touch. Now, he could actually see, albeit not perfectly, but good enough to see more than just a meter or so ahead of him. It was somewhat comforting, but he wanted to be over and done with his task already. Axel just wanted out of this damn cave!
Delving deeper into the cave, Axel would periodically stumble upon the roots of a Juvenile Timberstone Tree, slowly lugging the main body forward. Each encounter was more of the same, [Block] the incoming roots, then counterattack, and repeat. Slowly wilting away the appendages until the main body was left vulnerable, allowing Axel to deliver the final blows.
It was slow and laborious, but far better than the adrenaline-inducing fights against the Pig O’ Battles or even the Air Fox. At least now he had the time to use both [Slash] and [Strength Boost] against his foes, which paid out nicely as [Strength Boost] had finally risen up to join the ranks of its brothers, Rank E.
Every now and then, Axel caught the echoes of other combatants in battle. But, he paid no heed to them, deliberately avoiding them, heading in the opposite direction. His sole focus was to get the materials and get out as quickly as possible.
Doubts crept into Axel's mind as he pondered whether he was heading in the right direction. Were the adults actually deeper in the cave? That did not make much sense. He was sure that the juveniles that he had encountered were near the entrance to the cave, but why leave the helpless juveniles guarding the entrance while the adults lurked in the safety of the back? It should logically be the other way around.
Maybe it was actually Axel who was wrong. It had been years since he was in a cave, and he definitely tried his best to suppress those memories. Maybe it was just the screwed-up logic of the world, and he just had to adapt to it. Whatever it was, Axel just prayed he was heading the right way, and that he could get out post-haste.