Tiddles had not returned, and after the others had arrived at the portal, they had decided he better pass through and go and find him. As Kyto stepped into the orange light, his body went through the strangest sensation. The elongation and speed as he seemed to be thrown through at an insane speed before he stepped onto the forest floor. His head spun from the unnatural and strange sensation. There was no explanation as to what he had just been through, and nothing from his scientific knowledge even came close to explaining the effects of the portal. It should not be possible in the most basic of terms. Considering what he had begun to do since he had become Enlightened with his mana control and use, none of it supported any previous scientific understanding.
He stood, taking in a deep, calming breath to settle his stomach from the lurching sensation of the portal and took in his new surroundings. He was stood in a forest like none he had ever seen. The large fronds on the plants and the colours are all different and seemingly brightly unnatural in appearance. The colours were much more vibrant than the usual fauna he was used to. Especially at this time of year, it was as if life was slowly returning to the area around New Talisia after winter's grasp.
What hit him, though, was the oppressive heat. The humidity was intense, and the thick, warm clothes he had worn, half expecting to appear in a frozen tundra, were the opposite of what he needed here. He removed his backpack from his shoulders, and his notifications were triggered as he did.
Congratulations on beginning the second quest chain.
You have thirty days to locate and save Jabari.
The portal suddenly glowed brightly, and he turned as it collapsed in on itself to disappear before his eyes. Panic rose in his chest at the sight of being suddenly left standing on a forest floor in a strange land with no way of returning home or companions. He checked his display and saw that he was no longer in a party with the others. ‘What the hell is happening,’ he thought as he tried to calm his rising panic. He had no idea where Tiddles was and was not in a party anymore. The realisation of not being in a party reminded him what had happened to Tabs when she had left, and he hoped the others were not suffering.
He placed his backpack on the ground, removing and packing his outer layers. He had not brought much with him in the way of food or drink, as he had not expected the portal to close. He could feel the dampness clinging to his clothes, and his breathing felt heavy and uncertain in the humid air. It felt like he was breathing through a cloth. The moisture clung to everything, and even the greenery surrounding him looked wet. He felt sweat beginning to bead on his forehead and the stickiness of a hot summer day before rainfall.
He took stock of his surroundings once he had removed his outer clothing. The respite from removing the layers made the humidity more bearable than the instant feeling he had received on arrival. He had read many books over the years, and looking around, he believed he must be in a rainforest. All around him, he could hear the sounds of life. Skittering and humming of insects as they moved about their lives. Oblivious to the Risen who had just been cast into their midst. A large insect walked from the underbrush not far from where he stood. Its feelers tasted the air as it took in the new creature. It was a giant centipede but much larger than Kyto had ever seen. Its body was over a foot wide, and it stood motionless for a few moments before it continued its journey forward, ignoring Kyto. Kyto watched it pass not more than ten metres from him, its body being at least three metres long, before disappearing into the thick undergrowth.
“Okay. Okay. Think.” he said. He moved over to the side of the small clearing he was standing in and placed his backpack against a huge trunked tree. The trunk must have been four or five metres in width, and it stretched up so high into the canopy above that Kyto had no chance of knowing how tall it was. Considering the size of the huge centipede he had just seen, he shuddered, considering the size of the other insects that may be here. Not just insects but also Wild Ones. This ecosystem was entirely new to him.
One apparent thing was the abundance of mana. Everywhere he looked, he could see the bright yellow cores of the plants. They were much more potent than he was used to seeing when he focused on them. At least he would be able to refill his pool easily. He spent a moment breaking some strands down and flooding his body with endurance before pulling mana to refill his pool. He wished his mana regeneration was passive at times rather than him having to pull it into his pool physically.
He needed to find Tiddles. He had no idea where to start looking. He was not showing as a party member, so he could not track him that way. He remembered one of the system updates, and it allowed for mapping. He had not looked at it fully and quickly checked the requirements. On focussing on his display, it changed, allowing for a defined overlay of his surroundings. The display changed where he looked, opening up more of the map. It was as though it would not show him unless he had visited an area. He took a few paces around the edge of the clearing, the overlay adjusting as he expected. It seemed to be limited to his line of sight.
It also allowed the addition of notes to the map. He noted the spot he was at now as a portal, and a small red cross appeared. It even had the ability to change the icon, and he changed it to an orange circle instead. This new feature would help massively, especially in a forest where he could easily get lost and not see the sky above. He could not tell the sun's direction, so he could not even take bearings from it if he wished.
The panic he felt was slowly easing. It was not enough to instil him with confidence but enough for him to consider his options logically. He began to work through various questions. Had he arrived at the same location as Tiddles? He began to survey the forest floor; it was littered with decomposing matter and had a moist, squelchy feeling when he walked on it. This forest must have stood for centuries, and the plant debris has built up, supporting the forest's continued growth. He noticed his own footprints where he had been walking, and although he was not a skilled tracker, he found signs of what he believed were Tiddles’s paw prints leading from the clearing.
He wished he had paid more attention to tracking with Sniffer and Tiddles. He had not expected to be by himself again suddenly. His years as a nomadic scavenger came flooding back to him. He had not realised how comfortable his life had become with his friends, and the social interactions had become commonplace. ‘I know how to survive,’ he thought as he began to form a plan. Locate Tiddles was the priority. Locate food. Find clean water. Find this Jabardi.
It seemed so simple when he thought about it. He picked up his backpack and, putting it on, adjusted the straps. It was already quite bulky now that he had placed his outer layers in it, but it was not as heavy as when they had left set off from the Branches those months ago after the fire.
“Okay, Kyto. Time to find your friend.”
The sounds of the forest were unnatural, and he felt he was being watched as he slowly followed the tracks that he believed were Tiddles’s. Thankfully, the soft, moist earth made it a simple process, and he remained on the track, moving through the thick, close underbrush. He saw several large insectoid beings as he moved through the foliage. Thankfully, none of them seemed interested in him. He was unsure if humans had ever visited this forest in its history.
He pushed through a thicket of vines, and with his next step, he felt wetter ground. He looked at his feet, being careful where he trod and could see the ground becoming more moist a thin layer of water seeping over the forest floor. He carried on his path until he lost sight of any prints. He stood for a few moments, considering his options, but the ground was so moist now that the prints were being backfilled with every step he took. His map had captured his route for him, so he knew he could return to the portal's origin if he needed to. ‘Straight on,’ he thought as he continued. He was glad that he was wearing his winter boots. His feet were sweltering, but at least the high ankles prevented them from being filled with water as he walked.
Not much further, he appeared at the side of a river. It was the first large open expanse he had seen since being in the forest clearing, and the river was wide, stretching for at least one hundred metres. He stood looking over at the thick forest on the far side and suddenly appreciated how large some of the trees were. Looking across the river, trees stretched at least a hundred feet into the air, if not much taller. The canopy seemed so dense, and he could see multi-coloured Wild Ones flying above the trees. Their cries and caws contrasted with the forest's hum and the bubbling river before him.
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The river was a muddy-brown colour and did not look pleasant. There was no way he could use this as a source of water. The skies above the forest were bright, and a haze seemed to grasp at the tree tops on the far side.
“Where the hell are you?”
“Tiddles,” he shouted across the expanse. He was not sure why he had not called out before. It was not as though he was aware of any other Risen around. However, he was unsure about attracting Wild Ones to his location, so he did not call again after not hearing a response. He knew he could not swim across the river, and if that was where Tiddles had gone, he was now stuck. He wished he had learned to swim better than he was able to. The Dungeon had proven his inept ability clearly for his companions to see. He looked up and down the river and noticed it narrowed further to the left from where he stood. If he was going to try and cross, it needed to be as narrow as possible. He followed the river's edge as he approached the narrower location.
∆∆∆
Tiddles had been saved from the huge snake thanks to the new friends he had made. When he had jumped into the river, he had not even considered what may be in its depths. He had been nearly halfway across when he had been hit from below. The huge form of the serpent struck him and grabbed one of his legs, pulling him downwards. As he had been drawn down under the surface, the serpent had begun to wrap its thick body around him. He had no mana charge, so he could not use his Flaming Claws or Bite, but he did have his elemental core charged. The serpent had begun to squeeze him. Every slight movement he made seemed to make it tighten its grip, and he could feel that he was beginning to run out of air. He had panicked, not knowing what to do initially until he remembered his new skill. From what he could tell, it was supposed to be a last-stand skill, and considering he was being dragged deeper underwater and had lost all sense of direction and location, he triggered his Elemental Blast.
The same sensations had flooded his body before his core erupting out from his body. The serpent had released him as he triggered it, and he had pushed for the surface, gasping for air as his head broke. He had then, with all his might, swam as fast as he could to the far bank. He knew the serpent had not been killed because his notifications only showed him that he had achieved 27% damage to the Anaconda. He had no idea what an Anaconda was, his Codex not triggering as he had not seen it clearly. It was huge by the thickness of its body as it tried to squeeze the life from him.
The new Wild Ones had rescued him, and he was now talking to them. The Anaconda had recovered from the shock of its underwater boiling, and Tiddles had seen its body moving across the water's surface towards him, knowing he could not outswim it when the other creatures had appeared. They were three or four times the size of Keefir, their huge forms swimming and intercepting the Anaconda's path, preventing it from catching up to him. There had been a group of thirty or so; he had initially thought they would also attack him.
It was only when he had reached the bank and dragged himself onto the shoreline that he realised that his foreleg had been damaged and his health and display were showing signs of severe injury. He had hopped away from the water's edge and into the treeline before collapsing, gasping for air and wincing fully at the pain which radiated from his joints. His whole body felt bruised, and he knew that without his skill, he would have been crushed to death. The Anaconda had been huge. It reminded him of the Dungeon serpent they had faced.
He had then turned to see the large waterborne creatures casually swimming in the river. One of them approached the bank and stuck its huge head from the water. Tiddles, at that point, had said, “Thank you.”
It was then he had got the shock of his life when it had replied.
“We are here to help.”
Tiddles had thought he was hearing things at first. “Do you understand me?”
“Yes. You sound strange when speaking, but I understand you well enough.”
‘It must be the potion,’ Tiddles thought. He remembered the description.
Potion of Communication - one-time use, allowing the consumer to understand and communicate with all.
He had never considered being able to communicate with other Wild Ones, only wanting to talk to his Risen friends.
“I am new here and am trying to locate something called a Jabari. I do not suppose you know of it, do you?”
“No, sorry. I have never heard of one of those. If it is from the forest, I would not know we are water-bound beings and cannot travel into the trees.”
“I am Tiddles. What is your name?”
“Marhosi. I am the leader of our aggregation.”
“Nice to meet you, and again, thank you for your help. The Anaconda would have caught me if you had not blocked it.”
“I believe it would have. I have not seen your species before. What are you?”
“I am a beast. I am from an area far from here.”
“I see. You are injured?”
“Yes. That serpent has crushed my foreleg.”
“You need to move away from this area. The anaconda is not the only predator that would take a chance at an easy meal if you are injured and unable to defend yourself.”
“What Wild Ones?”
“I do not know the term Wild One. If you mean predators, then there are many in the forests.”
“I had not seen any yet, and I would be classed as a predator back home.”
“You look too small to be a predator.”
“Small?”
“Yes. Many of the predators here are much larger.”
Tiddles had not even considered that there would be predators larger than he was. He was an apex back home and would have to consider this fact.
“You mention moving from here. Where should I go?”
“If you can make it there is a pool about a mile upriver with an island with a freshwater supply, and it is free from local predators.”
“Can I get there on land?”
“Yes. Follow the river to the right. If you stay near the shallows, you will eventually arrive at the tributary, which takes you to the pool. We congregate there in the evenings.”
Tiddles knew he could not swim back across the river with the serpent and his injured leg.
“I will start making my way there. I just hope my friend is ok and comes looking for me.”
“Your friend?”
“Yes. My friend Kyto. He is a Risen, but he has healing abilities and can fix my leg,” Tiddles winced as he placed his weight onto his crushed limb and hobbled in the direction the Wild One had indicated.
“Can I ask what you are?” Tiddles asked.
“We are the Manataeliak.”
“Well, I am so glad I met you and your kind today.”
“We prefer peace over the hostilities of the forest and the river terrors. Thankfully, there are very few that will ever try to attack us. The occasional Camenanic or Anaconda will try to snag one of our young, but it is rare as our children are quite capable of defending themselves.”
“What is a Camenanic?”
“It is a reptile that lives in the river. They grow quite large but not to a size that can threaten us.”
“If the river-based Wild Ones are as bad as you say, I am interested in seeing what the forest-based ones are like.”
It had taken them a couple of hours, with Tiddles hobbling to reach the pool. It was a large opening in the forest, and as Marhosi had said, there was an island in the middle. The island was only fifty metres long and not much wider, but it would be as safe a place as anywhere else to stay. The water in the pool was much clearer and did not have the same churned-up muddy-brown colour of the main river, and he could see the true size of the Manataeliak. Their massive forms easily glided through the deep water of the pool, and he watched as they ate the water plants at the bottom.
He entered the water and painfully swam over to the island before climbing out and flopping down. His leg throbbed, and he had been causing further damage by travelling on it.
“I hope my friend will find me,” Tiddles said.
“Where will he be?”
“I hope he goes to the river. I know he will not swim across because he is not a strong swimmer.”
“I can send a couple of the aggregation to swim the route and see. We do not normally come back here so early.”
“Thank you again for your help. I need to rest, though. My leg is very painful.”
“I understand. You are safe here. No predators will try to cross the pool. The island is a safe location.”
Tiddles thanked him again before he rested his head on his uninjured paw. His foreleg throbbed, and he felt exhausted from the fight and the walk he had completed while injured. He checked his notifications to consider the damage when he saw something new flashing in the corner of his display. It was a small Codex image. He selected the Codex, opening it up. It was the first time he had looked at it since the upgrade, and he was amazed at what he saw. Every type of Wild One he had ever seen was now listed alongside the Tiered monsters they had fought. It was a zoologist's dream, with images and text describing each variant's patterns and behaviours. Tiddles knew that Sniffer would love this. Thinking of Sniffer made him feel sad; his friends would be worried that he had not returned. He sat feeling quite miserable until his exhaustion and injuries took their toll on him, and his eyes closed, allowing him to sleep.