“They don’t have enough people, which is par for the course when they are trying to fight two wars at the same time,” Kael informed him.

“Their leader had the guts to provoke the vice of Serpent's Embrace, a Tier 7 guild. It’s only a matter of time before they crumble.” Erik said. Elijah gulped when he heard the tier of the Serpent’s Embrace. How strong would someone at that tier be?

Chapter Begin

On their way to the last marker, they left the forest behind. Elijah had mixed feelings as he grew accustomed to his arboreal surroundings in the last few days. It gave him a certain sense of comfort to know that he was surrounded by numerous trees in case someone attacked them. Or him.

While he felt much more comfortable with their group and the possibility that the three friends would attack him seemed increasingly unlikely, he still tried to be mindful and did not completely dismiss the possibility.

His minion was always in his immediate vicinity and was at all times either between Elijah and a member of the trio, or behind one of them.

They traversed the mountain range which rose a few hundred feet away from the forest as Aric let loose another arrow. The bat-like creature screeched as it fell to the ground with a loud thump. The moment they stepped into the mountain range, a group of giant bats swarmed above them. Elijah got the feeling that apart from their size something about the bats was different. His assumption was proven correct when one of the bats dove down and nearly crashed against him in its erratic flight.

They were entirely made of stone and Aric had a hard time shooting them down at the beginning. Despite their bodies being stone, Erik was unable to use his abilities on them and was constrained to shoot earthen projectiles. Elijah wondered how their thin leathery wings could keep them afloat, which also proved to be a major weak point of theirs. Their group brutally took advantage of that.

With no other wood available in the mountain range apart from himself and his minion, Elijah shot wooden splinters from his own body, imitating the others’ tactic to aim for the wings. He also took care of a few bats which dove down and needed a second or two to take off again. His aim was nowhere near as good as the others.

Kael’s abilities proved entirely useless in this fight. His fire only warmed the creatures and even their wings seemed to be resistant to fire. Elijah had to laugh as the man tried to hurt them nonetheless and his cousin began making fun of him.

“Even Root is doing more damage than you!” Erik taunted his cousin as he shot down a bat. The minion was on the bat as soon as it landed, tearing apart its leather wings. The creature tried to resist and left gashing marks on the minion’s body but the wooden construct didn’t feel any pain, killing the bat soon after with wooden tendrils tearing apart the inside of the beast.

Each kill brought Elijah closer to the next tier and he could feel that he had almost enough essence required to break through.

“We should take care of the bats first! They could alarm the Cloud Raiders of our presence,” Kael shouted over the screeching.

“If they haven’t already. But I would have preferred it if Root made that suggestion.” Erik laughed as Kael rolled his eyes. “Oh, please be quiet.”

“Agree with both of you.” Aric laughed as he shot two arrows into the eyes of a nearby bat, only to evade another one.

While the friends were bickering during the fight, Elijah’s excitement grew with each passing second. Each bat he or his minion killed brought him closer to Tier 2.

This is it. The essence from the last kill joined the accumulated essence inside his spirit and Elijah felt how it turned from a liquid substance to something else. The essence moved on its own as it began compressing. Elijah continued to fight the bats but the trio noticed what was going on and provided cover for Elijah.

“Finally broke through?” Aric asked as he grinned.

“Congrats!” Erik shouted as he slammed his palms onto the ground, shooting several spears toward the flying beasts only to roll to the side to avoid an attack.

“Take your time choosing a new perk! Do not do it now!” Kael suggested as he used his flames to distract the bats from Elijah.

Elijah nodded in thanks as he concentrated on his spirit for a moment. The essence finished compressing, leaving a tiny core behind. It resembled a seed and Elijah could see the new essence streaming into him forming a new layer around the seed.

The rest of the fight passed quickly as the group had already taken care of most of the bats. It wasn’t quick enough for Elijah though, who was excited to choose a new perk. Seems like I get only one new perk per tier from now on. He thought as he looked at his opinions.

Erik created seats for the five of them and sat down as he took in deep breaths. “What a fight! Sit down Root!” He patted the stone seat next to him but the minion remained standing while the rest of the group sat down. They all needed a break and rested for a minute.

“Dude,” Aric said in between breaths. “I don’t remember the last time we had to deal with such stubborn enemies.”

“There were too many. I hate beasts that attack in swarms, even if they’re weak on their own.” Kael complained. “At least Elijah tiered up from this fight.” He looked at the new Tier 2 who was already going through the list of perks he could choose from.

Choose a new Perk

Arboreal Adaptation

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Enhance your connection to the forest and the natural world. Gain the ability to blend seamlessly into the surroundings, becoming one with the trees and foliage around you.

Timber Guardian

Embrace your wooden essence and bolster your defenses. Your wooden form becomes sturdier and more resilient, providing enhanced protection against physical and magical attacks.

Nature’s Revitalization

Tap into the life force of nature to heal your wounds and rejuvenate your stamina. In the presence of flora and the embrace of the natural world, you recover from injuries more swiftly.

Arboreal Affinity

Amplify your affinity with trees and plants, enabling you to communicate and commune with them on a deeper level. Gain insights, guidance, and assistance from the wisdom of the forest.

Sylph’s Grace

Embrace the ethereal grace of woodland spirits. Enhance your agility, reflexes, and coordination, allowing you to perform acrobatic maneuvers and nimble dodges with uncanny finesse.

“Between how many perks can you choose?” Erik asked before Kael interjected. “It is inappropriate to ask such a thing.”

“Not as many as the first tier. Is that the case for everyone?” Elijah said as he avoided giving a direct response.

Aric nodded before they let Elijah choose his new perk.

Arboreal Adaptation is out. I don’t want my abilities to be limited to usage in forests only. Arboreal Affinity seems useless in fights as well. It’s also limited to forests, judging from the description. I’m content with my current regeneration for now. In the worst-case scenario, I can cover wounds with my skin again and alleviate the bleeding until my natural regeneration heals the wound. His hand rested on the thigh where he was wounded. It still hurt a little.

Timber Guardian, Sylph’s Grace, or Nature’s Revitalization.

“I’m kind of stuck. I can’t decide between three perks.” Elijah spoke up.

“What kind of perks are they?” Aric asked. “You don’t have to tell us anything specific.”

Elijah nodded. “I can improve either my defense, get healing abilities, or a perk that enhances my movement abilities.”

“Aren’t you literally made out of wood? I saw you manipulating your own body. Your trait is wicked by the way.” The comment earned Aric a glare from Kael. “Don’t be so stiff. We’re all friends, after all.” Aric laughed before he continued as Elijah rubbed the back of his neck.

“As far as I’m concerned, your defense is good enough. You’ve probably got a higher constitution than we all have.” The others nodded. “That leaves healing or enhanced movement.”

“I would go for enhanced movement. That’s also where I struggle the most. I’m too slow.” Erik said.

“If that perk not only covers speed but also ease of movement, I would choose that one. You will probably become denser eventually. There has to be a certain balance between each attribute. You can’t put all your points into strength and neglect all other attributes.” Kael explained.

Elijah read through the description of the perk again. Reflexes and coordination sound like an improvement to ease of movement to me. Or it would add more fluidity to my movements at least.

“The perk would give you more leeway in distributing your attributes. You can always choose another perk that has to do with healing later. And until then you can use potions.” Aric said.

“We shouldn’t forget that not everyone is as rich as you, Aric.” Erik raised his eyebrow as he looked at their leader.

They all laughed as Elijah picked his new perk. The moment he chose Sylph’s Grace, his physical self-awareness changed. He intuitively corrected his posture, sat up straight, and felt different.

His three companions watched as Elijah stood up and walked a few steps. His movements felt more fluid and his body seemed to follow his instructions better. "It feels like I've restored a connection with my body that was previously disconnected.” He muttered.

“While we ain’t gonna see a difference from just a few steps, some perks have crazy effects. Try experimenting, there might be more to the perk.” Aric said.

“I’ll distribute my free points real quick before we continue,” Elijah said as he opened his status screen.

Erik laughed as Elijah looked at his status with wide eyes. He couldn’t hide his surprise. His constitution somehow jumped from 34 to 57,8 while he got another 80 attribute points to distribute.

After some consideration he decided to invest 25 points into willpower while 15 points went into strength and intelligence each, leaving him with 25 left. He invested 20 points into endurance as he remembered the times he was out of breath since he came to this world and the last five points went into perception.

As he finalized his distribution, a shock went through his body. His muscles contracted and he felt a mental block being lifted. His mind seemed clearer and his perception improved significantly. After taking a deep breath, Elijah stretched his body as he looked at the trio.

“I miss that feeling,” Kael said while watching Elijah trying to get a feel for his new body.

“Let’s get going,” Aric said. He stood up and continued to walk toward the marker. Kael and Erik walked behind him and Elijah followed them as he took a last look at his new status.

Elijah Oak

Tier

2

Race

Human - Woodman

Health

2740 (19.43/min)

Mana

480 (8.1/min)

Stamina

1100 (12.1/min)

Strength

46.2

Constitution

57.8

Endurance

28

Dexterity

22

Intelligence

19

Willpower

34.1

Perception

15

Charisma

4

Luck

5

Attribute Points

0

Perks

Planar Gift

Roots of Strength

Photosynthesis

Sylph's Grace

Skills

Woodman’s Constitution

Innate Wood Manipulation

Summon Wooden Minion