The path without thorns has never, ever been maintained, lamented Connor, his short sword in hand. He had modified it somewhat, he had kept a single edge and added some weight on the other side, thus making it a bit more like a mutated machete. His Master would have ripped his head off for this travesty. But he wasn't here. His arm was getting sore quickly, not even after an hour of workout. And still no idea where they were. Are we even going in the right direction?
Despite their effort, their footing was as treacherous as it could be. Furthermore, one wrong step and you could get a handful of nasty cuts. Metal armor did seem to work, but it couldn't handle the thorns for too long. Still, they were now all equipped with some gauntlets and greaves. Well, I shouldn't call those... things gauntlet or greaves. It's more like a mess of different metals fused into plates, again fused to cloth. It worked but... Deep inside, he knew that he was just complaining. He knew also he was being useful, and that he would become even more useful with some training. But his Path won't be any nicer than this one. He'd need to find a Soul Master to teach him, a Puppeteer Master would be the best of course, but it was such a niche Path that he doubted he'd find one. He'd settle for a Formation Master, or anybody that could teach him more, and he'd make up his own Path. Urgh, let's also not think about the consequences of using puppets... He shuddered. I don't want to be banned from Havens for the rest of my life. He was, understandably, deeply thankful his Jade's Spirit wasn't interested in living puppets, even if theoretically it would be far easier for him to work with living things.
The prospect didn't fill him with enthusiasm. He sighed in rhythm with his chopping. He'd need to add lessons with a blacksmith, a leatherworker, and a woodworker at the very least. If he wanted to leverage the most out of his Seal, he'd need to pick up some skills in every craft. Some Learning assisting Jade would come in handy... He was getting a bit ahead of himself, But that isn't the point of mulling over my options? He had only three Jade slots left. Just thinking about this made him feel depressed. Would finding a White Jade be of any help? he wondered. At least it would make things a lot easier... But even finding one such Jade was considered an achievement, so getting his hand on a second one was a bit preposterous of him.
What he needed was more Spatial Ring, or whatever, to store his creations. He'd need mobility as well, both for himself, and his puppets. He'd have to find or learn how to be a successful support. Maybe I should find a Talisman Master instead... After all, I only need a few pieces of information from the other Masters: just enough to get my puppets moving correctly, and how to set everything up without blowing myself up. The rest... I guess my Spirit Guide will be able to fill in the blanks. He chopped another sapling and sighed. Talisman crafting costs a lot, practically on par with Alchemy.
Behind him, Xander was restituting their old Master teaching, "In such situations as we find ourselves, it is of vital importance to stay focused, because that's when your mind wanders that some slug jumps at your face and bites it off." Connor softly laughed, as it was so out of character for Xander to use this sort of language, but it was the wording their Master had used.
"Yeah but, how do we stay focused? I mean, we've been walking for hours, and we haven't seen anything. I'm starting to think that we're going in circles." Takeo replied. He couldn't see him, but he could hear the frustration in his voice. They had been trudging in this maze for four hours now, and he had been complaining for the last hour.
His last question had some merits. Connor wasn't used to such spaces. He had been taught tracking in the darkness of caves, on mountainsides, and even in the dunes that covered most of Sandford's surface. But the forest was a new one for either of them. Their Master had bought some Illusion Talisman to show them and let them experience various settings, but it was nothing like the real thing. He could barely see the sun through the canopy, and the light was dimmed by the leaves, leaving them in a perpetual penumbra. The path they had been following turned around here and there. He had tried to keep track of all the turns, but after the hundredth one, he had given up. Thankfully he had nicked trees as they went along.
"Maybe you could teleport to the top of a tree and see if you can see anything?" Xander suggested. Climbing was still not an option but as his improvised machete went down, a flash of light drew his attention. One of the rare canopy openings sparsely illuminated a tree. It didn't last more than a few seconds. "Our Master had a game that would keep us entertained and sufficiently alert to keep our focus outward. Are you interested?" he asked, a bit of a smile in his voice.
Connor snorted. They'd almost pissed themselves when he had taught them that "technique" when they were trekking through the caves of Sandford. Takeo agreed. Shame on you, he mentally snickered.
Xander laughed softly. They'd kept their voice low, as they didn't know whether the wood was dangerous or not. This Challenge was supposed to be one of Endurance, so chances were that they wouldn't have to fight, but was there a point in tempting fate?
"Alright. It's quite easy, you take whatever you can see, and devise a plan for it to kill you. The one that finds the most horrific idea wins!" and he had trouble to contain his laughter.
Connor stopped and frowned. "Wait up," said the young man. Most trees were indeed covered in thorns but... "See that tree over there?" he asked, pointing at a tree not that far on their right, maybe five meters away. It had been under a brief spot of sunlight that had pierced the canopy. "It's not covered in thorns but by something that looks like thorns."
Xander and Takeo looked at the tree in question. "Is that so?" asked Xander. It was a tree like all the others around them. Tall enough that he had trouble distinguishing its height. Probably something around thirty or forty meters high. Just as its brethren, most of its branches were high up. The lower branches have been broken and left only stubs in place but left no hints as to why.
"Uuuh, yeah, I think so," replied Takeo. "The thorns are... less solid? They seem to be flowing with the wind, faintly." Not that the wind was particularly strong under the canopy, but there was a slight breeze that let them breathe easily. That kid has good eyes, observed Connor. His Perception Jade is no joke. For most trees, the thorns came out of the bark, like a hedgehog's spine, albeit curved upward. It gives the tree a strange look as if it was a bit hairy. But for this peculiar tree, the thorns seemed softer, and when the sun had shone on it, they seemed to move a bit more, as if excited to be at last in the sun. That's how Connor had spotted it.
"So there are fake thorns around us?" asked Xander. "How do we know which ones are real and which ones are fake?" That was something Connor had always liked about Xander. While he never was mischievous, he understood things quickly and just as quickly intuited consequences and implications.
Connor turned around and tried to spot other such trees. Takeo was doing the same. "I don't know," he replied, "But we can at least check this one out?" He pulled a leather strip from his spatial ring and attached it to a nearby tree. Of course, by the time he had finished, the thing had almost been torn to shred, but it was highly visible and would serve as a reminder of their current position.
But to get there... they'd have to cross five meters of highly thorny bushes and even some impressively wide vines. Chopping the bushes with his altered sword would only result in a broken weapon. "Think you can reach the tree without stepping on the ground Takeo?"
Their new charge's face said it all. "I can try?" he replied uncertainly. "I've never tried Teleporting other than in a straight line..."
At the very least he has some balls, approved Connor. He is right though, it might not be possible...
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"Let's try something else," said Xander catching Takeo by the shoulder. "I can probably shave some of these shrubs with my ranged slash. It shouldn't degrade my weapon, but it might take a while."
Connor shrugged, but Takeo objected, "I still would like to try," he said. "I mean, it's good training, and could be useful in the future."
And you're also bored out of your skull, completed Connor. Not that he could blame him, he was bored too and getting tired.
The swordsman contemplated the young man's proposition, "Not yet." he declared. "Let me first attempt to clear the path, then when we reach that tree, we will rest a bit there, you can try to teleport then." He turned to Connor. "Be ready for anything."
Connor nodded, and couldn't sheath his weapon with its altered shape. "Shit," he mumbled. He put it in his spatial ring instead. Probably more practical, anyway. He summoned his bow and quiver. He nocked and watched around. So many places to hide, he lamented.
The swordsman requested Takeo to move a few steps back so that he had some space to do his performance safely. His sword shone, bathed in white light, and with a quick slash, the light left his friend's weapon and slid through a meter of shrubbery before digging into the dirt. "We're going to need some metallic shoes..." muttered Takeo.
"Seems to work, but I'll be drained once we reach-" but he was interrupted by a cold wind that seemed to animate every tree and bush in the vicinity. "Oh shit," groaned Xander.
Connor saw several trees shivering. Trees. No way. He stored his bow and quiver back in his ring and took out his machete again. "We need to backtrack, and quickly!" he said, his voice getting louder with anxiety and emergency.
The ground itself heaved under the pressure of the roots. "They're all around us!" shouted Takeo, panicking, but he had kept enough sense to quickly move back. Thankfully they had cleared the path on their way in. The thorny trees bent and their branches howled through the airs, attempting to swipe them out of their path. Takeo was the lucky one, as he quickly got out of the ring of awakened trees. Xander deftly cleaved one branch in two, ducked, and Stepped forward. Connor was in a dire situation, as he didn't have any Movement Ability, but he was agile. He jumped forward, hand first, rolled under another swipe, and pushed himself back up running. He jumped again, this time high, a foot landing on the passing branch, and pushed himself further. He landed heavily this time, his foot slipping on the remains of a shrub they had badly cleaved out earlier. A tree backhanded him which propelled him out of the animated tree ring.
He saw stars for a second and felt light-headed. He could feel hot liquid running from the back of his head down his back. By the time he had recovered enough to understand, Xander had already dragged him further away. "Take out the medical supplies!" he shouted. "We need to stop the bleeding!"
What is he talking about? he wondered for a second, then he remembered. He quickly pulled out Xander's pack from his ring. Xander immediately went to work, and not even a minute later, he had been cleaned and bandaged. "You're lucky," he said, "And you've got a hard head!" he added with a smile.
All were now sitting on the ground, panting. Connor was still a bit dizzy, his stomach wanted to empty itself and his head was still throbbing. A few meters away, the trees were still agitated, but thankfully, they were still rooted in the ground, and whatever made them animated seemed not to propagate. That's fortunate, he thought. I don't think I could have handled more of this.
"Are you alright?" asked Xander concerned.
Connor massaged his left foot, it was bruised but not sprained. "Well enough..." he replied softly. "Maybe we could abstain from doing that once more?" he added with a smile.
Xander laughed, "I think we can agree on that!" he said. "I'm sorry, I didn't think that the trees would be able to move like that."
"Well, maybe we should try it again," added Takeo. "Look over there," he said, pointing at a tree that was almost within hand reach. "That's the tree we were looking for."
Both were surprised, "Is that true?" asked Xander. "We didn't run in the right direction for that, did we?"
Takeo shrugged, "It's not the same same, but it's the same in that those ain't thorns." He brandished his staff, "Look!" He brushed the tree's trunk with his staff, and the thorns moved like hairs on a dog.
"So there are more of them than just the one we saw?" muttered Xander. "That was expected, but two in the same area? We really were blind..."
Connor pulled himself up. A spell of dizziness came and went. He went closer to the strange tree to observe it. It really looks like all the others, he mused. But what's the point? If it's not the tree then, it is something else related to the tree. He looked around. All he saw were trees, and bushes, and vines. He wasn't in the right mindset to think about this. He sat down again.
"There is something that must be done with those trees. I... I just can't find it right now," he said. "Sorry."
"It's alright, buddy," replied Xander. "Take a short nap, we'll keep watch."
Connor nodded a bit reluctantly. He summoned his water and took a sip. Seeing the puppy eyes Takeo did, he handed him the gourd. He then took out a strip of meat jerky and chewed on it. He wasn't truly hungry, but it helped. He sighed and closed his eyes. This Challenge is bull... he thought and his consciousness drifted away.
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He woke up, startled by Xander's voice. It wasn't loud nor urgent so he let it go. His dreams had been filled with rage, anger, and some jealousy. He had been fighting, but he couldn't remember against whom. Yet, I know... He looked at Takeo. This guy doesn't even understand the luck he has. Had I been given his Seal,... but he stopped himself. Their Master had told them, that that kind of thinking was a waste of time. His brain certainly understood, but his heart wasn't there yet. He sighed and pulled himself up.
"So, did I miss something?" he asked a bit nonchalantly. He looked around, trees everywhere, just like before. I guess I didn't miss much.
Xander shook his head, with a distinct pout on his face. That doesn't bode anything good... He pointed toward their origin. The path they had cleared, a bit savagely maybe had been well cleared. "You did some gardening?" he asked. Takeo seemed to be in a somber mood too.
"Not really, but I did some backtracking," replied Xander. Connor could already guess what would follow. "The track has been overgrown again. This time, it has got thorns all over."
"Shit on a stick," mumbled Connor. "Any good news at least? How long was I out?"
"Barely an hour, don't worry yourself too much," replied his friend with a smile. "Besides, we should get used to that kind of thing happening. We had been forewarned." He nodded toward Takeo, "Unlike some."
Connor grumbled. Lady Jessica, you're all brave and kind. Could you lend him some of your strength, at least up until we reach the next Haven? he silently prayed. He found it freeing to voice such demands, even if they never bore any fruits. He couldn't do much to help their charge get over everything that was happening. Xander was the one with a sweet tongue.
"Right, right. Found any use for those trees then?", he asked. They weren't in a desperate position, yet. They had water aplenty, and food to last them another few days. From the sound of it, this forest was populated. Hmm, well, I for one haven't spotted a single Gurtav blasted bird... Maybe a squirrel, but that could have been the leaves of the lower bushes.
"Yeah, maybe. Takeo helped reach the tree and climb it. It was a bit tricky but I managed it. The good news is, the hill is not that far away. It's difficult to see from the ground, but if we continue for a hundred meters or so in that direction, we should begin to see the slope," he commented, pointing a little to the right of their previous path. "Also, I think I spotted a cave. To be more precise, I spotted boulders. It may be a cave or a resting place for us," he paused. "But, it's not in the right direction."
"That's where the tree could take us," commented Takeo. He was still a bit shaken by the events of the day, but he was doing his best to keep his spirits up. "If we can chop the tree in the right direction, it could fall toward already two-trunked trees that are suspiciously well positioned." He tried to grab his attention toward some of the trees just over the bushes. "There, see? It's split, ready to hold a bridge." He pointed a bit further, "And if you stand up, and look over there, you can see the exact same tree. That simply doesn't happen in nature!" he shouted, a bit miffed.
Connor looked at the trees and tried to evaluate their thornless tree height. It does seem to be of an appropriate length. The trunk itself wasn't that wide. It would require them to perform a bit of a balancing act, but it was doable. "And you think that the forest will let us chop the tree?" he asked.
Both shrugged, indecisive. "We don't know for sure," replied Xander. "But it let us butcher the bushes. So maybe these are fair game too?" He let that hang in the air for a few seconds. "Besides, I went up again knowing that and tried to see if I could spot other such V-shaped trees. And I did. Some of them were even well-oriented to reach the hill."
"I guess it's chopping time then..." Connor wasn't that enthusiastic. "But let us be careful... I don't want to be caught in another tree battle ring, or whatever you want to call it." He suddenly wondered if the wood from the trees would be of any use. The strange idea surprised him, I guess I'm getting influenced by my Seal... He shook his head, wondering if he could fashion stilts out of the wood. But only if they are sturdy enough to withstand the thorns. He sighed, I guess I'll have to test that as well.