The One Branch of The Tree
Chapter 17
I woke up with pain all over my body, my back ached, my hands were sore, my body felt almost empty and my head felt like it had been hit by reality over and over again.
Technically that wasn't far from the truth, I sat down slowly our hiding area this time was in a narrow rock crevice quite hidden by roots and wild bushes.
It wasn't comfortable but compared to almost being killed by the Winged Executioner yesterday my comfort standards had dropped drastically, a small fire was burning in front of Nara who was sitting cleaning her dagger again.
I'm starting to think he has a very healthy emotional relationship with guns.
“Morning,” I said hoarsely.
Nara glanced at me.
“You sleep like a corpse.”
I nodded.
“Professional experience.”
He ignored the joke rudely, I saw the status.
Name: Lock
Class:
World Tree Trunk Fragment
Level 18
Weapon:
World Thorn Sword
Condition:
Fatigue,
mild Mana depletion
Skill:
World Root Devour
Ember Slash
Root Snare
Nature Assimilation
Root Domain
Corrupted Burst
Corruption Resistance
Beast Vitality
Still alive, still intact, mostly pretty good.
Quest appears automatically.
Quest:
Survive 7 days in the Forbidden Forest
Progress:
Day 6/7
Time remaining:
18:42:11
Reward pending.
The last day finally, I stared at the countdown like a thirsty person watching a slightly emotional drink advertisement.
“I’m almost free,” I muttered.
Nara looked at me.
“Don't speak too fast.”
The universe seemed to have a hobby of punishing my optimism, I stood up slowly and stretched.
“Plans for today?”
Nara put her dagger back in.
"Endure."
Simple, elegant, traumatic we left the hideout after a simple breakfast of some wild fruit and water, a survival menu.
The forest felt quieter today, unlike the usual sounds of monsters, roars, movement or at least an air of threat.
Now? Almost nothing, I frowned.
“It's too quiet.”
Nara nodded.
“Monsters stay away.”
“From what?”
He didn't answer right away, which was a very bad omen. A few minutes later, I got my answer. We arrived at a small cliff overlooking the lower forest area, where the monsters were gathered.
Dozens? No, hundreds.
Various types of monsters moved in one direction like migrating or fleeing, I stared at the scene.
“Oh.”
I don't like oh like this.
“They're running away from something,” I said.
Nara nodded.
“Yes.”
“Executioner?” I asked.
“No,” he replied.
Worse was incredible, I stared at him.
“How could there be a worse answer than the Executioner?”
Nara pointed into the distance, I followed her finger and saw on the horizon the silhouette of a giant black tree.
No, not a tree, but something resembling a walking tree with roots like enormous legs, much larger than a normal monster. I could feel its aura of corruption even from here.
A notification appears.
Regional threat detected.
Corrupted Colossus
Threat level: Disaster
Recommendation:
Avoid contact.
Thank you for the very sensible suggestion system. The problem is that the giant monster is moving towards us, of course I'm watching the countdown.
17:58:03
It's still too long. Why does one day feel like a century? I rubbed my face.
"Okay."
“I have a question.”
Nara looked at me.
“Was my life always like this?”
“I guess.” A painfully honest answer.
We move immediately.
The goal is simple: get as far away from the Colossus as possible.
Execution? Probably a bummer.
We jumped from rock to rock, heading deeper into the hilly area, but the ground shook again. The monster was moving too fast for something the size of a building to move, I looked back.
A very bad decision Colossus was getting closer now its shape was clearer its huge body like a combination of tree trunk, rotting flesh, and black roots, dozens of red eyes glowing on its main trunk.
“Why do the appearance of monsters in this world always attack mental health?” I muttered.
Nara stopped suddenly I almost hit her.
"What?"
Before us was a deep, wide ravine, impassable by normal traffic. The map's design was incredibly hostile, and I could see no paths left or right.
Countdown:
16:41:29
The Colossus was getting closer, Nara stared at the abyss while thinking quickly then at me.
"Can you build a bridge?"
I blinked.
"With what?"
He saw my sword.
Oh yes the power of plants, I breathed.
“No pressure.”
I advanced to the edge of the cliff raising the World Thorn Sword mana flowed out, Root Domain activated to its maximum all the roots in the area responded.
A large root emerged from the side of the ravine, extending to connect the two sides, forming a crude, inelegant, but functional root bridge. I nearly fainted after the brutal mana drain.
“Go!” I said.
We immediately ran across the bridge, and halfway there, the Colossus arrived. The monster swung its giant root at us, and I turned around, feeling very cinematic and uncomfortable.
The roots hit the side of the bridge cliff, it shook violently then cracked, we ran faster almost there
CRAAACK!
The back of the bridge broke, and I jumped off Nara as well. We landed hard on the other side, and the next second the entire bridge collapsed into the abyss.
The Colossus stopped on the other side an angry roar echoed, the monster was too large to cross directly.
Thank God for everything, I lay on the ground laughing tiredly back to life, of course.
Countdown appears.
15:57:12
Still fifteen hours, I wanted to protest formally then Nara sat beside me.
“We have to keep moving,” he said.
I covered my face with my hands.
“Can we at least pretend to take a five minute break?”
Nara thought.
“Two minutes.”
Negotiations were successful, I smiled a little.
The sky was starting to turn orange. The final day wasn't over yet, it was still so long, and for some reason, I had a bad feeling. It wasn't about the Colossus, it wasn't about the monsters, but about what awaited me after this quest was over.
Because I know one thing: once I leave the Forbidden Forest… the real trouble may just begin.
[END CHAPTER 17]
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