Ch #10

"The Ground Swallows"

Waves rose and fell among the savanna, with the last bit of sunlight catching the edges of the grass, glittering like a sea of gold. The orange-red sky receded as darkness encroached upon its domain. The leaves rustled and swayed in the last bit of warmth; Kai shivered, pulling his coat a little closer and tucking his hands in, holding them close to his chest. He breathed out white, misty smoke.

The smoke took shape in front of his eyes turning into people, huddled together, chains clanking as they were pulled into trucks, the dark things...

Kai never liked the cold, unlike someone else. The snow got into places and ruined his shoes. It was hard to move and even harder to stay warm. The wind bit into his skin, and his fingers blistered, joints like stone.

He wouldn't be able to spend the night like this. He had to warm himself. What would she do? A fire would solve his problems, but a fire on a branch? It would be like sitting on the couch and setting it on fire. Thinking of a solution, he thought of his desperate use of fire to kill the abomination.

A minuscule amount of mana flowed from the necklace to his chest, weaving into a symbol under his command. Keeping it steady and holding the shape in place, Kai supplied it with mana continuously. The shiver subsided, and stretching his arms, Kai took in the feeling of warmth enveloping his body. It wasn't much, but it would do for the night. She would have liked it. Thinking so, he closed his eyes.

Raising his arm a little, he observed the timepiece wrapped around his arm with a chain and cuffed to his wrist. The timepiece still had the ancient rustic bronze look, only now it had a bit more dark shine. The edges caught the light, shining between the leaves of the canopy.

Kai had woken up at first light. Stretching his arms and gyrating his back, searching for that satisfying pop, he did not expect to find his left arm so heavy. The timepiece had appeared on it at some point. The chains rattled as he moved his arm, making clinking noises. A swing of it would surely crack someone's head, he thought.

***

{clock of fantasia}

Rank-1 Legacy artifact (soul bound)

Tier: 0

Type: Charm

A unique relic, concealing a pocket of the uncharted. Key of the end, tending to the flow of time is but a fleeting role; nurturing wisdom is its true essence. It bestows upon its possessor formidable mental and spiritual fortitude.

***

Kai looked in wonder at the runes describing the artifact. Although the relic was of lower rank, its abilities were literally out of this world.

An entire subspace inside it? Kai wondered how large it would be. And the mental and spiritual protection... Kai was reminded of his good-natured and energetic professor who had turned out to be much more than just a professor.

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Scaling down the tree, he saw the half-eaten carcass of the Acnionyx he had slain yesterday. The fur, once a testament to its sleek power, was now ruffled and disheveled, split at many places. Bones peeking from within, exposed to the elements, whispered of its fierce existence. He had fallen asleep when night fell. When had the beast gotten scavenged? He thought.

Still, this might be good for him. Time to put the wilderness survival classes to use, he thought. Kai broke off a fang with much difficulty and cut off a few sinews. Breaking off a thin but live branch from the tree, he cut notches into the head and tied the fang to the branch with the sinew. The wet sinew was tightly wrapped around the fang, binding it to the branch. Formidable, he thought.

Chuckling, Kai slung the makeshift spear on his shoulder and made his way toward the mountain in the distance. He hoped to traverse some distance before the sun reached it's peak.

Bisons trekked toward patches of trees in search of water, while small critters and rabbits stayed in the shade of trees. Kai sat, hiding near a water well, taking a sip of fresh water. He had traveled a few tens of kilometers at least.

He felt his stomach rumbling, and water wasn't going to cut it. Kai had taken a bite of the Acnionyx after roasting it. Dry heaving and retching, he had spit the meat out. He washed his mouth, gargling water. He had learned the hard way that not everything was edible, even if cooked.

Taking the spear in hand, he crept, hiding in the tall grass, looking for the rabbits he had seen. Hopefully, they would be more palatable. There were a few holes around the tree roots and a few chewed-off grass leaves.

A leaf swayed unnaturally. The sound of a thump. The spear flew. Kai rushed to see, nothing... He sighed. Bad luck, he thought.

From the corner of his eyes, something swayed. Swipe. Miss. The thing ran off toward a peculiar, large tree. The giant thing swaying its leaves at the very top of its canopy, creating a play of light and shadows around it.

{Giant Acacia}

Kai ran, chasing. He steadied his arm, stopping from the sprint; sliding on the grass. Lowering his core, he threw the spear. Blood splattered. Flying straight, it hit the target true.

{You have killed a Dormant, Bronze core, Grass Murkeep}

So it wasn't a rabbit, Kai thought. The skin was more yellow-barkish, like dried autumn leaves, with a long, fluffed-up but muscular tail. The spear had caught the little creature in its shoulder, with a long snout and a few whiskers, and two shovel-like paws hanging limp on the side.

Throwing an inspect on the creature, Kai steadied himself. Looking in front, he saw the burrow of the Murkeep in between the roots of the tree he was under. He shifted his weight a little, spreading it out more and lowering himself.

He hit the ground in front of him, smashing the blunt end of the spear into it. Nothing... Tentatively taking a step forward. Slip. Darkness.

\*\*\*

Dormant

Race: Grass Murkeep

Core: Bronze

Attributes: {Tunnel frenzy}; {Cathemeral}

Beware, lest vigilant eyes miss lurking shadows. Where solid earth crumbles to naught, these pesky rodents burrow. Large tunnels and pitfalls all around their habitats, found throughout the grassland.

***

A white mist descended, pale light falling onto a pale face. Shiver. So cold, he thought. His back was so cold. Kai opened his eyes, the whistling sound picking up around him. A shiver went up his spine. Cold, too cold. The tip of his fingers had stiffened, his legs felt oddly numb. Looking up, the pale, illuminated sky looked farther than normal.

He had fallen into a pit of some kind. The dead body of the Murkeep still clutched in his hand, the spear a distance away.

He warmed himself with magic, laying on the cold earth. Comforting, he thought. The moon looked so comforting.

When he finally regained some feeling in his body and pushed himself up, he dusted his coat. The thing would require a few more patch-ups. One more thing to fix when... No, he would not think of something so distant.

Picking up the spear, he looked around the pit. It was rather large at the bottom and more natural too. The curves of the walls were more weathered, the roots old and dense. Not the handy work of the Murkeep he thought. Probably loosened the top though.

A tunnel, probably dug long ago and abandoned then shaped by nature's expert hand, he thought. Making his way in, he saw glowing bulbous plants.

{Fluorescent shroom}

Mushrooms, hundreds of them, spread out and popping up in clusters, illuminating the dark, damp tunnel. The place was an RGB lover's paradise. Spear at the front, Kai walked onward. Step, step, stop.

A ruin, he thought. A buried ruin, the entrance half covered by earth. Looking at the inscriptions on the somewhat circular gate, Kai sighed. He'd been doing that a lot lately, sighing...