Chapter Nine
Flapping wings echoed through the forest, leaving a foreboding feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her bow fell to her side. She swallowed; she’d been lucky. Whatever the Puca was or wanted, it could’ve easily killed her and Duke. Thankfully, it was gone now.
“Let’s hope we never see that creature again.”
Duke tilted his head.
“Let’s get moving,” she said, clenching her teeth.
Moira picked a direction and strode into the forest. Duke followed closely behind her. Dead plants crunched beneath their feet as they passed a maze of purple trees that had become synonymous with the Silivea forest. Day turned into night, and they kept walking.
Moira kicked a rock, watching it bounce off of a tree and into a bush of vibrating crystals. She Analyzed it on instinct, while Duke sniffed up ahead. Over the past several days, she’d made a lot of progress on her first quest. She pulled up the quest, checking her current status.
Quest: Go Exploring
Analyze 100 unique beings.
87/100
Reward:???
Moira closed the screen. At least she was doing one thing right. No matter how easy it was.
Sniff Sniff
She looked up. Duke’s nose was pressed against the ground as he slowly approached a large flower that loomed over the pathway ahead. Layered crimson petals drifted delicately in the afternoon breeze. Each petal was edged in black, turning bright ruby red as it reached the center.
Moira sighed and Analyzed the plant.
Death Petal
Level 10
A plant of carnivorous habits, when in bloom, attracts its prey with an intoxicating scent. Be careful, this man-eater comes with sharp teeth.
Duke stepped up to the flower, sniffing it intently. Moira’s pulse raced as the blood rushed to her head.
“Duke!”
He ignored her, inching closer to the deadly flower. He lifted his snout towards the petals, his eyes rolled back as he inhaled the dangerous scent.
“Duke, no! No!” She pulled out her bow, watching with horror as the flower’s petals opened wider, exposing rows upon rows of serrated fangs.
Duke had unknowingly walked into a death trap.
Moira lunged toward Duke, yanking his blue leather collar and dragging him away from the plant. The flower swung down, clamping closed on the space where Duke had been standing, seconds before.
Duke coughed, choking, as she gripped the collar tightly. She loosened her grip, letting him go. He stared back at her, pressing his ears back against his scalp. Moira reached to pet his head. He turned away, refusing to meet her gaze.
She kneeled beside him, turning his face toward her. “You need to listen. You hear me?” she pointed at the Death Petal. “Danger, got it?” Her voice wavered slightly, but her gaze didn’t falter.
He lifted his nose up in the air, his tail tucked between his legs, clearly pouting.
Moira sighed, her anger subsiding. Maybe she’d been too harsh?
She glanced back at the flower. It seemed closer than before. She tilted her head and frowned. It had definitely moved.
Moira stepped back slowly, pulling out her bow.
“Duke, come. Now.”
He obligingly stepped up to her side, strained tension built between them.
Moira raised her bow, nocking an arrow.
The plant moved. Slowly, two green paws breached through the surface of the soil. It flexed carefully, retracting ruby red claws from each paw.
Moira put her arm in front of Duke, taking a step back toward the path.
The plant stretched upward languidly. With a shredding rip, it tore its stalk apart, forming two strangely muscular legs. The Death Petal turned its flower toward them, an enormously large tongue slipped out from the creature’s mouth, and it licked its lips.
“Oh, shit.”
Moira stumbled back, letting loose her arrow. It missed, slamming into the tree behind it.
With the speed of a cat about to pounce on it’s prey, the Death Petal lunged toward them, bounding forward with sudden strength.
She nocked another arrow. The plant was almost on them. She could see blood dripping from its teeth.
The second arrow made impact. Digging into the creature’s mouth. It roared, shaking its petaled head, dislodging the arrow.
Duke leaped forward, biting into its stalk and tearing into it. Green liquid spewed out from the bite wound. The plant fell to the ground, momentarily injured.
Moira shot off another arrow, this time aiming for its sensitive stalk. Arms split forth from the stem, three-fingered with powerful claws the size of dinosaur teeth, emerged. Each finger dug deeply into the dirt, and it pulled itself forward, crawling toward them. Its bottom half hanging on by a thread. The creature picked up speed, adjusting to its new method of movement. Unwilling to give up on its prey.
The Death Petal grinned.
The bow wasn’t working. It wasn’t causing enough damage. She needed another weapon. A sword or a knife. The spear. The spear could work. It was damaged and dull, but maybe if she put some force behind it—it could be enough. She pulled out the spear. The pointed tip was still scorched.
The plant was almost on them. It hissed, lunging toward them and snapping at their feet. Moira slammed the spear into its mouth and down into the ground. Pinning it in place. It yowled, screaming in pain.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Duke tore off the rest of its stem, decapitating the flower. It convulsed for a moment; the smile falling from its face as it grew stilled.
Congratulations! You have defeated the Death Petal!
Congratulations! You’ve reached level 8!
Congratulations! Archery reached level 4!
Congratulations! Spear Basics reached level 3!
You now have 15 free attribute points available.
Moira leaned down and touched a petal.
Would you like to loot the Death Petal?
Yes/No
She selected yes. The Death Petal dissolved into a gust of black mist. She dismissed the loot notifications. Just more food and general necessities. No core. It likely wasn’t a strong enough monster to have formed one.
Moira wiped the sweat from her face. Apparently, if it had a level. It could kill you. A lesson she wouldn’t soon forget.
#
They’d been walking through the forest for a week now, still unable to find an exit. They’d run into several more monsters, another Death Petal, and a couple of small rodent-like creatures with the ability to fly. Moira and Duke had taken them down with only a couple of injuries. Thankfully, with each injury, there came a health potion in the loot. It was uncanny how the system knew her needs and fulfilled them. It felt like she had some magical cheat code.
She had leveled again and could feel that she was close to breaking through level 10. Her archery had also improved, now at level 6. Every fight felt easier, less of a battle for survival, and more of a fight to win.
Moira had also almost completed her quest. She only had one thing left to do. Moira pulled it up on her screen.
Quest: Go Exploring
Analyze 100 unique beings.
99/100
Reward:???
Moira grinned to herself, and she looked over at Duke. She knew just the creature to fulfill the quest, and used Analyze
Duke Thompson the Standard Poodle
Level 6
Companion to Moira Thompson
Special Abilities: Misdirect, Biting, Scouting, Mind Walker
“Thanks, bud.” She scratched his head.
The notifications came quickly, overwhelming her screen.
Ding!
Quest: Go Exploring! Completed.
Congratulations! Analyze reached level 5.
Processing rewards….
(1)Short sword, Destiny’s Song has been added to your Inventory!
A sword. That was something she could use. While she appreciated her bow, it was pretty much useless in close combat. She pulled out the sword, feeling its weight in her hand. The hilt was shaped like an x and was coated bronze with emerald inlays. Her palm sat comfortably against the center of the hilt.
She drew her finger across the blade, a bead of blood dripped from her finger. The blade itself was double-edged, and grew wider toward the tip. It was shorter than the practice sword she’d used with Cyrus. But it felt more comfortable, less bulky, like it was made for her.
Congratulations! You’ve reached Level 10!
You now have 25 attribute points available!
Classes are now available! Please choose a class.
Finally, she could choose a class. While each fight had felt like a battle to the death, it also felt like she’d been on beginner mode. Like the preview of something, like each fight had been leading her to this point. Now, with a class. She couldn’t imagine how much strength she’d be able to gain. She looked down at the list and read over her class options.
Rogue:
A master of stealth who utilizes their fighting prowess and wit to trick its opponents, moving through the shadows to overcome enemies.
Ranger:
A warrior and survivalist that utilizes weapons mastery and nature magic to survive in the wilderness. Has innate connection with animals.
Healer:
A mage with the sole focus of healing magic and has light mastery in simple weapons. Has innate empathy with companions providing additional buffs.
Three class options. All of them were pretty basic. And no Mage option. She rubbed the engraving on her bracelet. She’d always started as a Mage class. In every game she’d ever played, she’d been a magic user.
Her hand fell to her side. She stretched out her fingers and clenched them into a fist. Cyrus’ explanation of classes running through her head. Class options were based on experience and she’d had no direct experience with mana since falling into this world.
She kicked herself, she should’ve been practicing using mana, unlocking spells. Now she was stuck with her class options. Moira swallowed, there was nothing she could do about it now, at least she had a choice at all.
The Rogue class was interesting, and it reflected what she knew about Rogues, but she felt like the description didn’t really fit her. She wasn’t someone to lurk through the shadows.
She disregarded the Healer class. This was a world of monsters. She needed a class that would help her fight back, not rely on others to protect her.
Moira contemplated the last option, Ranger—that seemed right. She’d learned how to survive this past week. The class focused on fighting, survival skills, and had some magic. It wasn’t the same as being a Mage but at least she still be able to explore magic. Maybe she could upgrade it in the future to a more magic-oriented class. Overall, it seemed well-balanced and flexible. She made her choice and mentally selected Ranger.
ERROR ERROR
Ding!
Unable to select the class Ranger
Reloading available classes
Classes are now available! Please choose a class.
Rogue:
A master of stealth who utilizes their fighting prowess and wit to trick its opponents, moving through the shadows to overcome enemies.
“What?”
All the other options had disappeared, leaving just one—Rogue.
Fury bellowed up from her belly, burning within her, bubbling up like a volcano ready to explode.
No. She refused to be a Rogue class.
Her life had been upended and had been completely out of her control for the last week. This was supposed to be her choice. It was important. Her class would alter her path in ways she couldn’t even foresee. She deserved to have this choice.
She would have a choice.
Moira pursed her lips into a tight line, concentrating on the notifications and scrolling back up to the first list of class selections. She focused closely on the Ranger class. Her head pounded, pressure building as she continued to glare at the screen. Blood flowed from her nose. She ignored it, forcing her will upon the Ranger class until suddenly she felt a pop, and the pressure in her head released.
Ding!
Congratulations! You have selected the class, Ranger!
Moira smirked. She’d made her choice, whether or not it was the right one, only time would tell.
#
Cyrus stepped out of the forest. It’d been a week since he’d run after the lizard and gotten separated from his party. He breathed in the fresh air and turned back, looking at the forest. It’d been a confusing maze of moving trees. He’d only made it out by periodically climbing the tall Silivea trees to figure out where he’d been moved each time the trees changed locations. The trees cooperated, thankfully, and allowed him to leave.
I hope she’s okay. He thought to himself, thinking of the brunette Outworlder. Because if he failed his quest, if he couldn’t find her again, then all of Caelum could be doomed. He pushed back those thoughts and took a step forward, heading to Tersus, where his party would to be waiting.