《I'm Just a Fox I Swear!》 Every day is Sunday for a Fox! In the middle of the continent sits a small forest. Deep in the forest, there is a little hole. And in that little hole, there is a little fox. Who chooses now, when the sun has long since risen, to wake up. "Good morning little hole! I hope you are holding up well." The fox thinks to itself, as it stretches out their lazy limbs. Of course, it didn''t say that out loud, for this is a normal fox, and normal foxes cannot talk. Once all lazy limbs have woken up, the fox peaks out of the little hole. "Good morning cloudy skies! Will you rain today?" Not that the fox disliked rain. It quite enjoyed the smell. The wetness a bit less, but the beauty often made it worth it. Seeing nothing around it''s little hole, the fox climbs out and begins strolling around. It has no particular goal for today, as it is a Sunday, and you should take it easy on Sunday. And so, the fox wandered around, smelling the nice flowers and shrubs and trees and leaves. Soon enough, after walking a bit between thin trees, the fox comes across a berry bush. Each berry was big and vibrantly red, and had a strong stinging smell. "Good morning pepper peas! Thank you for the meal!" The fox gives the berries a quick lick, making sure they''re ripe. A soft burning sensation makes the fox smile as it nips at the berries. After about a dozen, the fox''s hunger is sated. However, there is more for the fox to do here. Grabbing a branch of the berry bush full of berries, the fox yanks it off, tearing it away carefully so as to keep all the berries still on the branch. Then, with its newfound treasure, the fox hops away. "Birdies! Where are you?" The fox calls out, though it''s only just yips and yelps, for it is a normal fox. Soon enough, a crow caws back, and looking up at the trees the fox finds a friendly face. "Good morning Claudia! Or are you Jenny? Here''s today''s gift!" The fox places down the berry branch and backs up, sitting patiently a few hops away. A moment later, Claudia (who had a cool scar on their eye) floats down and pecks at the berry branch. They let out a loud caw twice, before taking two berries for themselves. A few more crows fly nearby, as the fox watches them passively. "Hello Nune, Will, and Sarah! Got any gifts?" Though the question is only in the fox''s head, the crows do drop something next to the fox. A nice little crystal, that shines beautifully in sunlight. "Thanks for the shiny! I''ll go hunting now, see you tomorrow!" The fox gives a final yip, before walking away. But first they go to their little hole to store the little crystal. The fox pays no attention to the periodic flapping of wings and ruffling of leaves; the crows seem to love watching the fox. After storing the gift from the crows within the little hole, the fox checks which way the clouds are flowing. It starts following the clouds, sniffing around for any signs of potential prey or danger. Of course, the fox barely does anything before the cawing of crows steal its attention. Looking up, the fox watches Nune the crow (who always smells of cherries) fly away. The fox chases behind, as cawing crows often have something interesting to see. Soon enough, they reach a briar patch, much to the fox''s annoyance. "Nune, I can''t go through there! It''ll tear up my fur!" The fox complained. Of course, the crow could not understand the fox, but the concept of impassable terrain was conveyed easily enough. The crow ignored this, and simply flew away, leaving the fox to stare at the briar patch with an annoying amount of curiosity. The fox begins circling around the briar patch, checking how big it is. Unfortunately, the fox''s patience runs out before they make a complete loop, and so the size of the briar patch is labeled as ''big''. Next, the fox starts looking for any abnormalities in the briar patch. It takes less than a minute to notice a slightly less dense patch of thorns. The fox quickly scavenges a long branch and tries poking into it, only to hear a very annoyed thump. It sounds like this is a rabbit''s home! "Sorry rabbit, I got curious. I''ll leave now." The fox silently turned and walked away, much to the rabbit''s relief. Of course, the rabbit waits a while before checking outside. And upon peeking outside, it activates ''observe II'', making sure there''s no hidden predator. After ''observe II'' doesn''t pick up anything, the rabbit emerges fully from their home, a bit thirsty and hungry. While the briar patch had enough food scattered inside, water required a hike to the nearby pond. Cautiously, the rabbit hopped out of the briar patch and past a particularly scratched tree. And then the fox leaps down from above and snaps the rabbit''s neck. Letting out a tired "thank you for your sacrifice", the fox tears open its meal and begins eating. Soon enough, the fox is full, and so it lets out a satisfied yip, before running back to the little hole to rest. And as the fox runs off back home, a group of crows make their way to the leftovers.
"She left us half the corpse this time! How generous of her!" Asparagus the crow calls out to the others, before taking his piece of the meat. He was lucky enough to be assigned to watch the fox today, an honor that few crows receive each week.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "Maybe she liked that mana gem we gave her? Let''s give her a bigger one next time!" Cherry the younger crow suggests, pecking away at her share of the meat. It was, after all, her idea to gift the excess mana gems. For the gems are far too hard for crows to utilize effectively; a major disadvantage many other flying beasts have. More and more crows gather to eat and chat, gossiping about the various forest folks. About how the bear challenged the prime wolf for territory and lost, or how there are many messenger pigeons passing through the forest lately. Of course, they eventually begin talking about the lone fox who has been so kind to them. And then there comes a shrill caw, as silence falls among the crows. A silvery white crow glides graciously down, as the other crows bow in respect. The wise crow Wisteria has arrived, a rare event, as this crow sleeps for years at a time. "It appears that something interesting has happened while I wasn''t around. Tell me, children, why many of you now have extra names?"
The prime wolf was a prideful beast. As a holder of a title, it considers itself one of the more important member of this forest. Of course, there are some who''d disagree. This bear that the wolf was now feasting on was one of them. Currently, they were sitting at the top of a small hill, a bit far from where the other wolves are. Of course, they aren''t concerned for the prime. The only one who can rival the prime is the wise crow, but the crows are a rather neutral bunch, sometimes helping, sometimes stealing, but never attacking. As they feast, the prime decides to check their stats once again, a habit they''ve grown after so many fights.
Leadership 2+ Pride 2+ Honor 4 [...] Analysis [A] Mooncall [A] Shadow Step [B] [...]
Nikola. An annoyance, the prime wolf despised names. It was a major vulnerability, as some abilities become more effective just by knowing one''s name. Of course, they needed a name, for titles are connected to names. As the prime wolf licks up a bit more meat, a slight rustle in the grass nearby alerts them. How odd? Normally, the mere presence of the prime wolf is enough to drive most creatures away (much to their annoyance when it''s time to hunt). As the prime wolf watches the rustling, a small fox staggers out, tangled in some vines. This amuses the wolf, wondering if the fox child is too young to even properly understand the magnitude of the trouble it is about to be in. Of course, the prime wolf is not a cruel or evil beast. Using ''Shadow Step'', the wolf steps into their own shadow, and then steps out of the fox''s shadow. Then, with a quick swipe, they cut the vines off of the fox. ''Let this be a lesson for you, to not make the same mistake ever again'' The wolf monologues internally, unable to actually say it out loud. They''re too shy to say anything longer than a single word. A flaw that the wolf is actively trying to overcome with great difficulty. When everyone runs away from you in fear, you don''t get to practice talking all that much. Realizing they got distracted, the wolf clears their head and returns to the current issue... which was the fox, who is now running away. The prime wolf sighs, assuming the message was properly conveyed. Out of curiosity, the wolf tries using ''Analysis'' on the fox, if only to learn its level...
Analysis; Oak tree; inanimate, age 23 years, minor scarring from [...]
The prime wolf scowls, mostly at themself. It''s rare, but sometimes with moving targets they can miss the analysis targeting and end up getting information from something nearby. In this case, the tree behind the fox. As the fox hops out of sight, the wolf lets out a silent sigh. Looking out at the setting sun, the wolf decides to take it easy tonight. After all, it will be a new moon soon, and that''s when idiots believe the prime wolf is at their weakest. The wolf chuckles a bit, their own rumor has spread quite far. ...A faint smell of cherry brings the wolf to full attention. Flying above is a single young crow, who glides down onto a tree nearby. "Message from wise crow Wisteria! There is a lone fox who will be under her protection. Do consider this as a warning-" "...Specifics. Which fox?" "Do not worry, there will only be one fox who is followed by crows. It will be extra obvious, especially for you." The prime wolf grumbles, but shrugs. If it is only a single fox, then it shouldn''t be a problem. Of course, there is the question of why, but the machinations of the crows can often be confusing. He will ignore it for now, assuming it won''t be a problem. The past animals the crows protected weren''t problems, after all.
After several wrong turns, the little fox finally finds its way home. Diving into the little hole, the fox moves some tangled branches onto the opening, hiding it from sight. Then, curling up on the warm bed of softened grass, the fox begins to nod off to sleep. Today was a nice day, as all days have been. After all, it is a Sunday, which is always a good day. As the fox''s breathing smoothes and calms, the crystal gifts from the crows start to glow. Annoyed, the fox covers them with some spare leaves and grass. Of course, the crystals are normally quite valuable mana gems, but the fox does not care, for it is a normal fox after all. If anything, the glow is quite bad for sleeping. Maybe tomorrow, the fox will dig an extra room just to store annoying presents like these. Curled up again, the fox finally gets to sleep. It''s a bit late, so maybe tomorrow they will wake up late. Oh well, it''s fine. It''s a Sunday tomorrow, after all! "...My name is Mochi, you know? Mr. Narrator, please call me Mochi. Good night." Unfortunately, some days are Mondays Since that Sunday, many more Sundays have passed. Mochi wakes up late (as always), scavenges some berries or fruits or, rarely, nuts, gift some to the crows who like to gift something back (often nice shiny gems, sometimes other stuff) and then go hunt some small meat, leaving the leftovers for the scavengers to enjoy. For Mochi, this is how it should always be. A nice and carefree life, with very little changing. Unfortunately for Mochi, there will always be outside forces that may intrude this ideal life. Mochi calls those days Monday. It started as any other day; Mochi woke up in her little hole, giving it a standard "Good morning little hole! Oh, a bit cracked today, huh? Let''s fix that up before the rain comes down later." Peering outside, Mochi regards the dark cloudy skies as usual. She doesn''t actually know when the rain will come, but it must be soon with such dark clouds and the smell of ozone. Then again, she said it''d come ''today'' for the past few days, so maybe she''s just wrong. Either way, Mochi''s first priority is getting a bit of food at least. "Can''t work on an empty stomach!" She claims. Hopping out of the hole, Mochi searches around. Eventually, she comes across a basket of apples. This is a problem, as baskets do not normally occur in nature. Either there''s someone nearby, or someone left it here; either way, Mochi deems it not morally acceptable to take any apples from the baskets. She leaves, unaware of the crows watching her. Normally, the crows would''ve taken the apples, as it is the fault of whoever left it there. However, they note the fox''s refusal to take any with suspicion. The fox isn''t one to decline free food, especially since the crows'' edible gifts were accepted quite quickly. Therefore, there must be a significant reason why the fox didn''t take any. Following her example, the crows leave the apples be. While continuing with her search for an easy breakfast, Mochi notes something flying overhead. A pigeon? This confuses Mochi for a moment, as pigeons do not live in this forest. "Maybe they are migrating... do pigeons migrate?" For a moment she is tempted to follow them, but is interrupted by a crow cawing nearby. Looking up, Mochi sees several crows sitting in the trees around her. Staring expectantly. "Sorry everyone, I haven''t gotten anything yet. Please be patient, I''ll promise to get something soon!" Mochi says apologetically. Of course, from the crows perspective she just whined a bit with a somber look. The crows interpret it as the fox having a bad day. Mochi runs away, continuing her search for breakfast. Eventually, she comes across a bush of blue starberries. Each one had six arms, equally spaced out and rigid, and nearly the size of her head. Mochi bites an arm and enjoys the mix of sour and sweet. Eating each arm, one by one, until only the center pit remains, she then buries it nearby, hoping it will grow eventually (even if she may never enjoy its fruits). After getting her meal, Mochi pulls off another starberry, and runs to where she met the crows. Placing it down beneath the trees, she does her usual call of "Birdies! I have a gift for you!" And waits. Yet there''s no response. Not even a cheep. Listening carefully now, there''s a rather dreadful silence among the forest. Following the forest''s example, Mochi silences herself and slinks to nearby foliage to hide. First comes a smell, unusual and unfamiliar. Metallic, and sweaty. Then came the sound of metal clicking against metal, of dull leather bouncing against chain. And then, two humanoids step into view. Too armored to be hikers, too loud to be hunters, too maintained to be bandits. They each wear a metal helmet with three feathers on the left, red orange and white. Plate armor over leather padding, with a few unknown markings. One wields a machete, the other a spear, both carry bags of supplies. Mochi silently curses. In her previous life she was a scholar of nature. Unfortunately, this meant she never bothered to remember anything about any kingdom''s military; not that it mattered much when they kept on falling and appearing every year. Though at the very least, she wished she memorized the emblems of some of the bigger armies. Oh well, now''s a terrible time to regret. The two knights continue walking ahead without speaking, leaving Mochi without any trouble. She stays still and silent for a few extra minutes (or at least what felt like minutes), before finally emerging. Luckily, it seems the starberry wasn''t noticed. She picks it up and runs back to her home. Right as she reached the little hole, a drop of water lands directly on her nose. It''s finally raining! Jumping inside, she tosses the starberry to the side and gets to work on repairing the cracked walls. Grabbing small clumps of dirt, she packs it into the cracks, and keeps pushing and packing it. After a while, enough dirt is packed together that the cracks are no longer visible. Hopefully, this will keep the water out. And now, Mochi waits. Outside, the drips grow to a drizzle, then a sprinkle, and then a full shower. As the rain grows to a relentless storm, there is a flash of lighting in the distance. "One. Two. Three..." Mochi counts, bracing her ears. After 15 agonizing seconds, a roar echoes into her home. "At least it''s far away..." Leaving the entrance room, Mochi delves down deeper into her den. She dug out about 4 rooms over a few months, but most are rarely used. The first is the entrance ''room'', though it''s only purpose is to store the hole''s coverings. "Oh right, almost forgot!" Returning to that room, she picks out a specially designed leafy covering. It took days to weave it all together, but hopefully it''ll be worth it, preventing any water from leaking in. She drags it to the now-wet entrance and places it into position, adding a stick to hold it in place. Anyways, she delves back down. The second room was supposed to be a bedroom, but its angle caused the night winds to sometimes blow in, directly on Mochi''s face. Now, it''s been relegated to storage of random sticks and stones and stuff. There''s even a spider''s nest in the corner, though Mochi has never seen any spider so far. Continuing on, there is a split path. The left is ''special storage'' where some more interesting objects are kept, though for now it''s mostly stuff the crows gift her; some fancy glowy gems, a few bits of metallic ore, a shiny blue pinecone, and a piece of amber with a snail shell inside.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Mochi instead goes to the right. A smaller room packed tightly with soft grass, shed fur, and spare feathers. The warmest, most comfortable bed a fox could make. And a perfect place to wait out the rain. Lying down, Mochi contemplates on the knights she saw. The three feather pattern bothered her, as if she remembered hearing about something similar before. Maybe it was a minor kingdom? Sighing, she decides to ignore it for now. Closing her eyes, the sound of rain drifts her to sleep, dreaming of magical poison apples and greedy kids.
Wisteria watches from the shadows of her Oclid tree. The rain makes it slightly harder to see, but it isn''t a problem for her in particular. Wisteria keeps one eye on that fox, mostly out of curiosity, and two eyes on the knights. They entered the forest about two days ago, and have been steadily making their way to the opposite side. Annoyingly, they almost ran into the fox earlier today, but luckily the fox noticed in time and hid away. The other beasts of the forest weren''t so smart or lucky. For now, it seems the two have set up some sort of tent for shelter against the rain. Wisteria laughs to herself, as the knights have set up next to a river; a good water source in any other circumstance, but a terrible flood risk today. Of course, if they get swept away that''d make things a lot easier for her. Changing her focus, she glances back at the fox''s den. There is a woven leaf covering keeping water out, a surprising sign of higher intelligence from the fox. Unfortunately, this meant she can''t spy on the fox today. How unfortunate, she thought they were quite cute when they slept. Especially in such a comfortable looking bed. "Lily, Asparagus, you''ve returned early. What important information do you have for me?" Wisteria doesn''t even look as two crows land haphazardly on the wet branches. Oclid trees are particularly slippery when wet, and it didn''t help that the two were in a hurry. "Yes. Apples. Poisoned." Lily says without bowing. Lily, still very young among the flying crows, is only just barely able to speak. If not for the fact that she is a direct descendant of Wisteria, she would''ve still been in the nursery. Asparagus, on the other hand, gives a low bow of respect, before clarifying Lily''s report, "The basket of apples were contaminated by blue scorpion venom. It was hidden quite deep, so likely an intentional contamination. We had to break one open to detect it..." Initially, Wisteria is uninterested in the report. While the circumstances are strange, after a hundred years you stop caring about every unusual event. It''ll be enough to tell the crows not to eat any apples. For a moment she considers warning the fox as well. And then she realizes something. The fox already encountered the basket of apples. However, they seemingly ignored it. At the time, Wisteria assumed it was preference; the fox only ever ate fruits it personally collected as its first meal. Wisteria used to do something similar, only eating nuts for her breakfasts. However, given the new detail of the apples being contaminated, Wisteria reconsiders the fox''s intentions. There may be a small possibility that the fox noticed something wrong with the apples... yet, if Lily had to have one broken open to detect the poison, then the fox''s method of detection would have to be a higher tier. This is very unlikely. "...spread the news not to eat any of the apples to everyone else. Thank you for the information." Wisteria gives a nod to the two crows, signaling them away. Then, she focuses all three eyes on searching for anything unusual. Whoever left those apples behind is likely still within the forest.
The prime wolf disliked rain. It dulled their sense of smell and drowned out any sounds. Being wet felt just a little heavier, and a lot colder. In general, hunting was significantly harder when it''s raining. However, there''s something even more annoying than rain right now. Currently, there are two knights in his territory. If it was any other day, the prime wolf would''ve hunted them down already. However, he''s getting hungry, and rain means less meat for the next few days. It''d be a terrible idea to get into any fights when food is going to be an issue. Therefore, reluctantly, the prime wolf will leave the trespassers alone for now. However, that doesn''t mean he won''t do anything to them. The prime wolf had learned the concept of stealing thanks to the crows long ago, and now is an ideal time to steal. Keeping a low stance, the prime wolf lurks around where the smell of metal is strongest. However, a strange sweet smell interrupts his plans. Apples? There shouldn''t be any apples around here? Unless someone dropped one, but a smell this strong must mean there''s several apples. Following the smell, the prime wolf comes across a basket of apples, left unattended. Are these the knights''? Unlikely, abandoning food is a terrible idea, and if it''s for later then you normally hide it. Bait for a trap? The prime wolf looks around, testing the trees, checking the leaves, he even grabs a stick nearby to toss into the basket. Nothing, no visible traps. Cautiously, the prime wolf approaches the basket. No pitfalls. He tips the basket a bit, checking beneath it. Nothing but dirt. No one is around either. Is it really not bait? Just in case, the Prime wolf circles around so that his own shadow is behind him. Then, with one quick dash, he grabs the basket and runs away. ...Still nothing happens. Just in case, the prime wolf runs a good distance away from where the knights should be, before finally slowing down. Placing the basket down, he hides nearby in the shadows of a bush. While the chances are low, there may be a possibility of it being used to track whoever takes it. The prime wolf sits there, waiting. He can afford it, especially if he proves to be wrong. One hour, nothing. Two hours, still nothing. After three hours of paranoid waiting, the prime wolf is left with little reason to suspect the apples anymore. Seeing as he''s a bit hungry right now, the prime wolf decides to eat one of the apples before bringing it back home. Unfortunately, the prime wolf''s suspicions are vindicated, as a bitter, sour taste burns down his mouth. "Ah. This is what regret tastes like." Quickly, his mind attempts to find a way out. The taste isn''t a familiar poison, but he can guess that it''s unlikely to be deadly. His head stiffens, jaws frozen in place. So it''s a fast acting paralytic poison. while unsure for how long it will last, he suspects it''ll remain in his blood for a long time. In that case, there''s one possible option. Quickly loosing feeling in his legs, he attempts to scratch and make small cuts. Hopefully, bleeding out some of the poison will reduce its duration. Finally, his legs lock up. The prime wolf falls, completely unable to move or even feel anything. It''s in this position that he smells a mistake. Blood, too much blood. It''s not a lethal amount, but the wound he made is a lot worse than intended. At this point, the prime wolf can only hope. Hope that the bleeding stops before becoming lethal, hope that the paralysis goes away soon, hope that, should he survive all of that, the wound won''t get infected. And most of all, hope no one finds him. In the forest, a single mistake is all it takes.
Mochi wakes up to a perfectly dry home. The sound of rain outside still continues, almost hypnotizing Mochi back to sleep. But her growling stomach tells her to at least eat something. It''s a good thing she brought that starberry in! Grabbing it from the entrance room, she brings it to the bedroom to eat. It''s the warmest room, and is worth the few extra steps. Biting one arm at a time, she''s careful not to accidentally bite the core. At some point, among the droning rain and sweet fruit, she starts talking to ease her mind. "I wonder if the crows are alright. Maybe they found the apples. That''s easy food for them... unless someone else gets to it first." Finishing most of the starberry, Mochi pauses and considers whether or not to finish it. Reluctantly, she keeps one last arm for later, in case the rain lasts all of tomorrow. Then, she spins around on her bed looking for the warmest spot, and lies down for more sleep. Reflecting on the day''s events, she sighs in discontentment. Today was a Monday, and a surprisingly full one at that. A basket of apples, two knights, and rain. A not so ideal day for a normal fox. That is, after all, all Mochi is. "Thanks Mr. Narrator. Good night. See you next time?" A Bed made of Wolf The rain continued for a total of 3 days. The first day was simple enough, spent mostly sleeping and eating the leftover starberry arm. For the second, Mochi had to run out to grab food as quickly as possible, before returning back home to eat. While she enjoyed the rain and thought it was beautiful sometimes, getting wet was a major downside that she did not enjoy. On the third day, Mochi spent some time messing around with some extra leaves to see if she could make an umbrella or something. Partway through, she notices that the sound of rain had stopped. Moving aside the door cover, the light of the sun shines down into her home. "Good to see you sun! It''s been a while!" Mochi calls out excitedly. While a few clouds still dot the sky, that''s of significantly less concern. Leaving the umbrella project for later, Mochi climbs out of her home and checks around for any storm damage. The little hole survived the storm unscathed, as did the trees nearby. A bit further away though is the charred remains of a tree, likely hit by lightning. Mochi checks for any potential embers, but doesn''t find any. She then breaks apart and collects some crude charcoal from the stump and stores it. There''s many potential uses for charcoal, and not too many ways to obtain any for a fox after all. After confirming that there are no immediate threats to her home, Mochi next begins her daily search for food. This is promptly interrupted by a loud cawing right above her. Looking up, she sees a crow with s scar on their beak. "Oh, hello Jenny! Been a while, huh? How was the rain?" Mochi smiles internally, as actually smiling might be viewed as a threat. Unfortunately, the crows neither know what Mochi is saying, nor can their response be understood by the fox. Cawing once more, Jenny flies away, but low enough to be seen by Mochi. She chases after the crow, assuming the cawing meant ''follow me''. It helped last time, and there was little risk after all. While following, Jenny periodically landed and checked behind to confirm whether or not Mochi was still following. This was especially necessary when Mochi has to run around deep muddy terrain. Cleaning mud out of fur was too annoying, so she actively avoided mud as much as possible. Eventually, the two reach a suspiciously loud tree. The leaves rustle constantly, a few branches shake now and then. Looking carefully, she sees that the tree is full of crows. And all of them are looking towards something ahead, something that smelled quite bad. As Jenny lands among the other crows, Mochi slowly creeps forward to get a good look at what the crows are staring at. There, knocked into the base of a tree, lies something furry and gray. And big, several times larger than Mochi. A wolf, and an especially large one. Mochi steps away cautiously. What is a wolf doing here? No, wrong question, this is a forest, of course wolves would be here. But what is it doing? Why is it just... lying there? As Mochi continues watching from a safe distance, she starts to realize that something is wrong with the wolf. Reluctantly, she slowly steps closer. The wolf''s fur is messy, still wet from the rain. Its whole body is motionless and stiff. It has several wounds on its legs, covered in blood. Is the blood new or just wet from the rain? With one last moment of hesitation, Mochi moves around to look at the wolf''s head. An eye watches, tracking her movement. The wolf was alive?! This changes her plans immediately. Mochi walks around the wolf several more times, noting everything. Injuries on legs, visible ribs indicating hunger or malnutrition, muscle paralysis... Next, she inspects the injuries more closely. Most are shallow cuts, which have already healed into scars. However, there is a single deeper wound, which appears to still be bleeding. It''ll need to be bandaged and treated to prevent infection. Of course, the problem is that Mochi is a fox. In a forest. However, this won''t stop her from trying. Mochi was a kind person in her past life, helping anyone and anything she came across. And while she may be a fox now, that didn''t change her desire to help. And luckily, she knows a few things about treating wounds in forests. First, she runs off searching for some particular plants and bugs. She only needs two, but finding any would have to be pure luck. Oh, and she should also grab some food as well. Meat... inedible, since they''re paralyzed. Berries should do though.
As the fox runs away, the watching crows are left with no idea what to do. They were here to see if anything special happened when the fox killed the prime wolf, considering its title, but this was unexpected. Normally, anyone and everyone would''ve dived at the opportunity to claim such a valuable kill. It would''ve guaranteed several levels, and likely grant additional rewards. Not to mention the meat. Higher level almost always meant better meat. Even the crows, which don''t usually care about flavor, would enjoy it. However, the wise crow Wisteria had given them an order; no crow was allowed to kill the prime wolf, not even when it''s in such a vulnerable state. However, there was a few loopholes to this order. Firstly, the crows were fully allowed to refuse any help to the prime wolf, and secondly, they can let someone else kill the prime wolf for them. And so, the crows decided to have the fox take the kill. After all, the fox was so nice to them, and thus they should repay that kindness with an invaluable gift. This also had the nice side effect of empowering the fox, which hopefully would mean the fox will hunt bigger and better prey, and leave the leftovers for the crows! Except, the fox didn''t kill the wolf. Instead, the fox seemed to inspect the wolf, before running away? Troubled, the crows started arguing about what to do next. "We should wait for the fox! Maybe it is planning something?" "No, it never refuses an easy meal" "Didn''t you hear about the apples? This wouldn''t even be happening if the fox took the easy apples!" "I''m going back to sleep. Stupid rain..." "Shall I lure someone else?" "No" "I''ll follow the fox. Maybe they''re planning something?" "You just want first dibs on whatever food they find!" "No-no? I-" As the crows argue, the prime wolf silently sighs in frustration. He suffered through the rain, unable to move as winds dragged him up against this tree, uncertain of how bad his injury is, and worst of all, now some crows are arguing about who should kill him. Well, at least he can''t feel anything. After some time, the crows came to an agreement to watch what the fox does before deciding further what to do with the prime wolf tomorrow. Most fly away while a few stay behind to keep an eye on the prime wolf and their surroundings. It was mostly unnecessary, as even paralyzed the prime wolf''s presence drives every other beast away. Eventually though, that fox comes back. That same fox the prime wolf scared away several weeks ago. At the time, he had assumed them a child, as the fox was so small and seemingly clueless of the prime wolf. Now though, he is forced into a significantly different perspective, as this fox has full opportunity to kill him, as the crows said. ...Though, why is the fox carrying a branch? Specifically, it appears to be a branch of blueberries! The prime wolf''s favorite, any other day. Now though, he feels a vague despair. Is the fox planning to torture him by dangling his favorite food so close while he can''t do anything? Was this that damn crow''s plan all along? The prime wolf curses, but nothing can be heard.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The fox places the blueberry branch next to the wolf, just barely in view. They carefully grab one using their paws... and stuff it down the wolf''s throat. If not for the poison removing all feeling for the wolf, he would''ve gagged or coughed violently. Now though, he can do nothing but panic. One by one, the fox shoves berries down the wolf''s throat. After calming down a bit, the wolf notes that the fox managed to not choke him. And while he hates to admit it, he is thankful for the food. At the very least, he won''t die of starvation soon. The fox then runs off once again, with a few more crows chasing after them. Maybe it''s the desperate situation he is in. Or maybe it''s due to gratitude. The prime wolf silently makes a promise. On his honor, he will repay that fox tenfold with the best meat he can hunt. That is, if he survives until then...
For the next few hours, Mochi runs through the forest, looking for a specific plant or bug. While feeding the wolf proved to be difficult due to a lack of fingers, Mochi was able to do it without any problems. Putting her paws into a wolf''s jaws was scary, but her desire to help outweighed all fear. However, the bigger problem was that wound. It''s still bleeding, though not as bad as that kind of wound should be. Either the wolf has lost too much blood, or blood flow to the wound is restricted, possibly due to paralysis. Either way, she needs to stop the bleeding somehow. Once again, she wishes she had proper fingers to work with. Seeing as bandages or pressure will be very difficult, the next best thing is a salve or similar. Something easy to apply that clots blood. Luckily, there''s a few things in the forest that can be used for that. Unluckily, Mochi has to find them. As she runs throughout the forest, she periodically glimpses a crow flying above through the trees. "Sorry, but I''m busy. I''ll get you food later!" She calls out, though she doesn''t expect the crows to understand her. Regardless, the crows rarely stay near her for any more than a few minutes before flying away. At some point, Mochi notes that she hasn''t seen any other animal around. Sure, she wasn''t exactly being quiet, but surely she''d see something by now? Her thoughts are interrupted by a faint minty smell. running towards the source, she finds lintmint. A plant with fuzzy seeds, but not useful right now. She continues running. And so, for the next few hours, she scavenges for anything useful. Pepper peas, water needles, cunglestratem, mulberries... food, but not what she''s looking for. Milkweeds, foxtails, tearvines, slikshrooms... useful if boiled, but that''s not something a fox can use. Hemlocks, villies, mercy plums, poppies... poisonous. So many ''useful'' plants in many other contexts, but not right now. As the sky glows to a warm orange, the fox is left disappointed. But maybe, she''ll be able to find something tomorrow... Or maybe, the wolf won''t live until tomorrow. With meager determination, Mochi runs on. It''s a gibbous moon, which should provide enough light to see. And luckily, plants all smell just differently enough to identify them even in darkness. And so, she searches. As the sun fully sets, the light of the moon guides her way. Until eventually, she finds an odd plant. One with pale grey leaves, ensnaring around the stump of a long dead tree. Ghostvines, a dangerous plant that causes pain when touched. And its sap coagulates blood. Exactly what she needed. Climbing up a tree and grabbing a large leaf, Mochi carefully tries to wrap the leaf around a part of the vine. Once she succeeds as much as she can, she pulls. The vine is too strong though, and the leaf tears before it. And so, Mochi grabs another leaf to try again. And it fails again. Mochi tries again and again, but the vine proves too tough. Reluctantly, she wraps another leaf around the ghostvine, and then goes past it and bites down on the vine itself. A searing pain surges through her mouth as she tears the vine. As soon as its torn enough, she releases and recoils back. The pain continues to spread around, burning her nose and throat. For a moment she thinks of resting it off, but quickly banishes the thought. The vine was damaged now, its sap is leaking. She needs to bring it back to the wolf. Grabbing the vine by the wrapped leaf, she runs through the forest back to where the wolf is. Along the way the pain dulled, but it still spread to her ears and eyes. Half blinded by tears, Mochi placed the vine down and made some final preparations. First, she grabbed more leaves to be able to hold the leaf without direct contact. Then, she uses a single claw to cut along the vine. She has to repeat it a few times to get a cut deep enough that it reaches the sap inside. Then, she carries the vine over to the wolf''s wound. Even now, after a whole day, it remains bleeding. She hopes this will work to stop that. "Sorry mr. wolf, this will hurt. But I promise it''s necessary." Mochi then places the vine down onto the wound, cut section down. Slowly, a viscous sap drips onto the wound, solidifying slightly. The wolf shows no response despite touching the vine, much to Mochi''s concern. Is the wolf already dead? She puts her head against its chest and listens close. It takes a moment, but a slow yet consistent heartbeat responds. She sits back and lets out a sigh in relief. Next would be a way to treat for possible infection. While the sap can help, it''s too weak against some of the more deadly infections. Standing up, Mochi pauses momentarily to stretch, her muscles starting to tire. However, it''s not enough to stop her, as she runs out once again. ... ... ... And so, for the next three days and nights, Mochi ran around looking for any useful plants. Along the way, she grabbed some more berries and forced them down the wolf''s throat, as well as some static seeds to hopefully help with the paralysis. Granted, the wolf might run away once the paralysis wears off, but that just means it''s recovered enough to run away, which Mochi would consider a success. During this time, Mochi sleeps for only a few hours at a time. If she could, she would''ve forgone sleep altogether, but she is just a fox, and foxes must sleep. Luckily for the crows, she still ate periodically though. They were unbothered by her actions, though they did note her odd interest with the wolf, and so left them alone. Today though, as the sun sets yet again, and the full moon guides her path, Mochi finds something important. Tucked hidden among the exposed roots of a long dead tree, is some blue glowing lichen. While otherwise seemingly uninteresting (other than glowing in the dark), Mochi identifies it as angel beard, a relatively rare specimen. While it was resilient and could grow nearly anywhere, its slow growth rate meant it never spread much. More importantly though, it was known as a preventative panacea, believed to have guaranteed protection against even the deadliest of diseases. Mochi knows that that isn''t true, but for the sake of protecting wounds against infection, it was perfect. Mochi wanted to grab some immediately, but she knew that would be shortsighted. First, she grabbed some grass and leaves and even went around to get some berries. Then, she chewed it all together into a blob of plant material. Rolling it a bit until it became a small plant ball, she then rolled it across the lichen. Bit by bit, small amounts of the lichen latch onto the plant ball. Finally, she grabs a dry leaf and wraps it around the ball. Only once she prepared for an attempt at farming the angel beard, does she grab the rest of it, scraping it into another leaf. Then, she carried both back home, stored the seeded leaf ball, and then carried the raw lichen to the wolf. Luckily, the wolf was still there. For a moment, Mochi could''ve sworn she saw its tail twitch, but she ignores it for now. She chews up the leaf and lichen into a mushy paste, and then applies it directly to the wound. Then, she wraps several layers of leaves around it to hold the paste in place. And with this, Mochi finally relaxes a bit. At the very least, assuming the wolf rests and whatnot, they should heal perfectly fine. It had been a long time since Mochi worked so hard, and for so long. As exhaustion catches up, she sits down to rest for a moment. She''ll rest, before getting last food and sleeping back home. In her warm bed... surrounded and safe... able to sleep until late... "mmmnnn~ warm. Comfortable~"
Deep in the forest, lies a forbidden sight. A small, cute little fox curled up against a pitch black wolf. The prime wolf moves just slightly, hoping to get into a more comfortable position without waking the fox. However, he realizes a bit too late that the only comfortable position is to curl up as well, which would certainly be a bit embarrassing. Oh, that fox. That damn savior fox. The prime wolf had complicated feelings about the fox. All generally positive, but more in a sense of wishing that the fox would at least consider the wolf''s feelings. No, but the wolf could not complain aloud. After all, it might wake the fox. Looking around, the wolf notes that there aren''t any crows around. Well, it''s not like his pride can be hurt any further. And so, Nikola curls up as well, providing the fox with a fluffy bed. In the future, he''d claim this was not intentional, but that would be a lie. After all, providing his savior a nice place to sleep was common sense for one with such a high level of Honor. And with his head tilted down away from any hidden ears, the prime wolf whispered, "good night, little fox" A return to Sunday Mochi wakes up to a bright light shining into her eyes. This is unusual, as normally she sleeps underground, with basically no light. Reluctantly and still half asleep, she opens her eyes, and immediately looks away because it was the sun. "~hm? Why is the sun visible? And why does it smell weird?" Slowly, as the questions begin piling up, her mind grows more and more awake. Did something happen that led her to this position? Well, what happened last night? She found angel beard lichen, helped the wolf, and then... Mochi slowly looks up, and her head bumps into the neck of the wolf. Ah, so that''s what happened. "Oh, sorry mr. Wolf! I must''ve been too tired!" She yelps, while carefully getting up and backing away from the wolf. They''re in a different position from yesterday, so has the paralysis worn off? Sure enough, once Mochi backs away enough, the wolf shifts positions into a half-sit, half-laying position. Likely due to the wounded leg, which is currently wrapped in way too many layers of leaves (Mochi definitely overdid it in her exhaustion). Now fully awake, Mochi gets a good look at the wolf. She didn''t have much time to really look before now. The wolf''s fur was a deep black, with bits of grey undercoat just barely visible from below. Their eyes were an odd blue color, which is usually impossible for normal wolves. And they look a bit big for a wolf, though maybe that''s just because Mochi is a very small fox. Finishing with a quick look over for any other injuries or issues, Mochi finds nothing else wrong (or at least, nothing that she can see). Now that she''s finished though, there''s a silent awkward pause where neither fox nor wolf knows what to do. "Uh... well, if you''re feeling good, then you can go now! I''ll check in later just in case... oh, try not to mess with the ''bandage'' too much." Mochi says, partially out of habit. Even in her past life she said this to beasts who couldn''t understand her. And then Mochi runs away, a bit embarrassed. It''s only once she''s far away does she realize that sleeping next to a wolf was, in fact, really dangerous. Especially for a small fox such as herself. Well, best not to think about what could''ve happened. Yep. Looking up at the sun''s position, Mochi realizes that it''s still fairly early in the morning. Normally, she''d still be asleep at this time. Given this opportunity, Mochi decided to go on a relaxing walk around and just enjoy the scenery. Maybe she''ll even see some morning roses! And so, the little fox walked, as birds chirped overhead, bugs buzzed around, and a cool blue breeze blew through. A mix of forest sounds and earthen smells filled Mochi with a relaxing mood. These past few days have been terribly busy. But now, she can just forget everything and enjoy today, starting with this moment. After thoroughly absorbing the atmosphere, Mochi begins looking for breakfast. Oh, and she''ll remember to grab some for the crows, of course. She hopes they won''t hate her for having to ignore them for a few days. Walking through familiar trees, Mochi decides to have some pepper peas today. And so, she makes her way to that pepper pea bush she found so long ago, and carefully eats a few. She enjoys the warmth in her mouth, before tearing off a branch for the crows. Now, where should... And then the sound of cawing fills the sky, as several crows emerge out of the tree tops. How convenient. "Hello crows! Sorry, I got busy, but I finished! Today is pepper peas~" Mochi calls out, before dropping the branch and backing away. Almost immediately, the crows drop down and peck at the peas. Leaving the crows alone, Mochi walks off to do something important that she almost forgot about. There was a special lichen that might be useful... if it grows properly. Returning home, Mochi covers the entrance to try and make the inside as dark as possible. In the darkness, on a blob of plant material, is a tiny patch of blue glowing lichen. The angel beard has taken root! That was the had part, now all Mochi has to do is store it in a safe environment. Luckily, the storage room is good enough for angel beard. Relocating the blob carefully to the special storage room, she stores it next to the glowy gems. She spends an extra minute in the room to check up on the other stored items, before leaving. Next she goes to her bedroom, where her bed is currently scattered around. Mochi spends a while fixing it (and obtaining more soft material from outside to make it comfy again). By the end, she feels a bit hungry again. It''s time for some more food! And this time, she''ll try hunting. Having a balanced broad diet was important, and the past few days weren''t exactly balanced all that much. Mochi hops out of her home and picks a random direction to hunt in. While looking for useful plants helped in learning where everything is, it didn''t help with finding spots with prey. And so, the next best thing is to just explore! Little did the fox know, a shadowy figure watches her leave her home. It slinks back away, out of sight of the crows now following the fox.
Sir Leitnir was supposed to be a third ranked knight. So why is he suffering going through the Blighted Forest! Even worse, it rained halfway through, and a flash flood nearly dragged away his supplies. Mottle wasn''t so lucky, having both his tent and sleeping bag washed away. On the bright side, less weight to carry. This mission was supposed to be easier. All they had to do was deliver a message to some random town in the middle of nowhere. Ideally, they would''ve just used the merchant roads around the forest. Unfortunately, a recent dragon attack meant the road was impassable. And the alternative, a long detour the other way, would''ve taken way too long. And so, through circumstances beyond their control, the mission was now so much worse.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. As Leitnir and Mottle grumbled about their bad luck, a rustling nearby catches their attention. Immediately, they stop and draw their weapons, a spear and a machete. Forests are dangerous places, but knowing where to watch makes things just a little easier. Out of a bush runs out a squirrel. And behind it, a small fox runs after it. The knights'' tension fades, as it is only a small fox hunting. Though, as the squirrel runs up a tree, the fox is left with no way to chase. It stops, before noticing the two knights and freezing in place. "Hey, how much do fox pelts go for again?" "Mottle, no. We''re not allowed to hunt anything in this forest. Might get blighted." Leitnir reprimands his friend. Though he immediately regrets mentioning the reason. "Ha! You believe that? Blight isn''t something you get, it''s a plant thing!" Of course, neither of them know for sure what ''blight'' actually meant. The scholars were the ones to coin the term, and they were knights, not scholars. "Just leave the fox alone. Not like it''ll be worth much with how small it is." Despite saying that, Leitnir uses ''appraisal'' just in case. There is always a small chance this is a rare species.
Oak tree [D]; significant damage to bark from recent storm, large fungal infection makes wood unsuitable for [...]
Leitnir curses. Aiming ''appraisal'' at anything further than a few steps away was always hard, especially when the target is so small. He''s tempted to get closer, but is afraid that he''ll scare the fox away. "Missed appraisal. Why don''t you try?" Mottle nods, and uses his own ''appraisal''. Normally he wouldn''t, as he can only use it once a day, but unlike Leitnir he''s a lot better at aiming-
No target detected.
"...wh-" The fox then runs away, as Leitnir looks over at Mottle for the result. However, Mottle is stuck staring at the result. "No target detected? But it was just- you saw the fox, right?" There are many skills that can be used to identify something. Some only provide limited information. Others can give in-depth explanations. But all have a few consistent abilities. First, when used against another creature, it always reveals the target''s level no matter what. Next, information cannot be faked, only hidden. And finally, anything you can see can be a target, even illusions and hallucinations. And yet, the fox could not be targeted. It broke the third rule. The two knights stand there, bewildered by what they just encountered. Something that looked and acted like a fox, but could not be targeted? If it was only Leitnir''s appraisal, then they could''ve written it off as missing. But Mottle was accurate down to a grain of rice. Just another reason to get out of this forest as soon as possible. The two knights keep walking ahead. According to their map, the village should be about one more day''s walk away. Good thing they found those apples, food won''t be an issue.
Wisteria lets out a sigh of relief. While the two knights haven''t done anything yet, their encounter with the fox was certainly bad luck. Unlike with the prime wolf, who properly understood the danger of hurting someone under her protection, the knights were outsiders. Speaking of the prime wolf, his encounter with the fox was... unusual. The fox actively helped them recover. Well, Wisteria would be lying if she said she didn''t expect this. The fox was already a fairly kind individual, giving free food to crows. Force feeding a wolf was, technically, similar enough. There was also the ghostvines though. Wisteria knows how painful those can be, so why did the fox put it on the prime wolf''s wounds? Clearly the fox knew it hurt, so was there a special reason to it? Wisteria notes to experiment with ghostvine later. Maybe it had medicinal properties. Though, now that the prime wolf isn''t paralyzed anymore, she should check up on them. She shifts one of her eyes over to the prime wolf''s territory, and searches around. Yet oddly, she doesn''t find them at all. Though, the other wolves have calmed down, so the prime wolf must''ve at least told them he''s fine. Oh well, Wisteria doesn''t particularly care what the prime wolf does. She looks back over at the fox, who seems quite discouraged by the failed hunt. Oh well, not every attempt will be a success. Out of curiosity, she wonders what level the fox is now. "Lily, what is it?" A young white crow lands next to Wisteria, who spends no time questioning Lily''s intentions. However, Lily remains silent, and simply snuggles up to Wisteria. Wisteria sighs, but wraps a wing around Lily anyways. Lily worked hard the past few days, she deserved this moment. Looking out over the entire forest now, there is a faint glow of mana spread throughout. The pollen was spread nice and evenly. Everything will grow just a little better this year. Another step closer to a holy land.
Mochi walks, head down in disappointment. Today''s hunt was an utter failure. She tried three different times, but every time they managed to escape her. First was a rat that hid in a deep hole, then a hare who outran her, and finally a squirrel who ran up a tree. Well, this isn''t the first time she failed hunting. That''s just how it ends sometimes. Maybe she''ll have better luck tomorrow. Hopefully, she won''t run into those knights again. She was lucky enough that they were too far to attack her, but next time she might not be so lucky. Though, she did find it odd that they were so slow to react. Maybe they were as surprised as she was. After all, if you were expecting a bear or something, and then a tiny fox jumped out, then surely you''d take a moment to react? Well, Mochi wasn''t sure. She isn''t a soldier, she''s a fox (formerly a scholar). Maybe they were waiting to see if she attacked. Anyways, Mochi finally returns home... and notices something odd lying nearby. It looks to be a rabbit, though completely unresponsive. Walking up to it, Mochi tries shaking it. A bit stiff and cold, the rabbit has likely been dead for less than an hour. Uncertain of what to do, she checks around for any danger. Yet, finding nothing, and no sign of the cause of death, she decides to not let the corpse go to waste, and eat it. Of course, there''s a risk of disease or something, but Mochi knows where to get some silver capshrooms. If she feels sick tomorrow, she''ll be able to treat it. (She''ll get some anyways since there might not be symptoms.) Finishing up, she moves the corpse a good distance away from her home for the scavengers to find. Then, she goes down into the little hole and straight to her newly made grass bed. Curling up, she begins drifting off to sleep, as today was the first Sunday in quite a while. "I wish I knew what you''re saying, mr. narrator. Good night!" Perspectives The next few days were some nice Sundays for Mochi. Wake up nice and late, go to a random bush and eat breakfast, feed the crows, enjoy the forest and life and everything else, then try hunting. Go home before the sun fully sets. Go to sleep. Over time, she notes a few areas of interest in terms of hunting. A clearing in the forest with lots of flowers, a river with plenty of footprints, and that big briar patch. Each consistently had more prey then anywhere else, though they all came with their own challenges. The flower field attracted many animals. Some were good prey, like mice or rabbits. Others were ignorable, like the many bugs that buzzed around. But a few competing predators, like snakes and giant mantises, were quite threatening for a fox. The river, on the other hand, held a necessity; clean water. Plenty of animals went to the river. However, the river was too big. While not too deep, crossing it still took a few seconds, which meant when hunting, one could only target the side of the river they were on. Even worse, sometimes prey would drink further up or down river, making Mochi wait for nothing. The briar patch was the opposite. No sizable animal could go through the dense thorny briars, and so only small creatures like rabbits and mice could be found in it. Additionally, it''s nearly impossible to chase anything safely. For most prey, this was a fairly safe area. But for Mochi, who had the intelligence and patience to set up a trap and wait, this was the safest hunting ground. By the end of the day though, it didn''t matter whether or not Mochi''s hunting was successful. Every time Mochi failed a hunt, when she returned home, there would be an already dead animal lying nearby. At first, Mochi worried there was something dangerous around her home. But eventually, after being unable to find anything, she reluctantly assumed it was intentional. And it was quite easy figuring out who''s responsible; wolves have a distinct smell. Now, there was still the questions of how the wolf(s) found Mochi''s home, or why they''re doing this, but at this point Mochi doesn''t really care. As long as it doesn''t impact her simple easy life, she''ll let the wolves do whatever they want. And so, she enjoyed the ongoing Sundays.
The prime wolf spent the last few days watching that savior fox. During that time, he learned more about how the fox lived each day. Eating berries or nuts or other fruits, giving some to the crows, and then seemingly resting and exploring, before finally going hunting. The prime wolf had to admit that the fox was pretty smart. It determined the best hunting spots, and compensated for any weaknesses it had. It proved quite patient, willing to wait hours for prey to not only show up, but even get so close the prime wolf could see individual hairs. Though, rarely the fox failed its hunt. Those days, the prime wolf obtained and delivered prey to its home. After all, the fox fed him when he was at his most vulnerable state. The prime wolf''s honor refused to do any less than the same, if not more. The prime wolf''s feelings on the fox was a lot more complicated than simple honorable repayment. There were many questions, such as why the fox even saved him, or how it was able to do it so effectively. The fox''s closeness with the crows also raised some suspicion, especially with Wisteria waking up recently. Though he doubted Wisteria would choose to save him through a fox. The prime wolf also felt envious of the fox''s relationship with the crows. One that held no fear, no threats, and no competition. Unlike his relationship with the other wolves, who he believed only followed him out of fear or to benefit off of his hunts. Stalking the fox was just a convenient excuse to not have to spend time with the wolves. But there was another part of the fox which raised curiosity. No matter how many times he tried, he couldn''t use ''Analysis'' on the fox. It was as if the fox didn''t exist. ... Tomorrow he will try talking with the fox. He practiced a lot. And Wisteria will be busy. But for today, well, he found who left those apples.
Leitnir and Mottle were in trouble. Despite following the map as best they could, it was clearly outdated. Old landmarks weren''t visible due to new trees, rivers were much larger and wider due to the recent storms, and old footpaths have long since become overrun by vines. It was undeniable at this point. The two were completely lost. Every tree looked the same, yet they could never tell if they''ve gone in a circle. They once tried climbing a tree to look for any landmarks, but all they could see was more leaves. Even worse, they were running out of food. Earlier, they tried eating the apples, but after cutting them in half to share, they found the insides were already rotten. It must''ve been the blight, though they still couldn''t agree on whether or not it''d affect them. As a last resort, the two began following the sun East. While it won''t lead them to the village, it''d at least get them out of the forest. Hiking towards the edge of the forest, the knights feel a gradual sense of unease. A natural, instinctual feeling of being watched. Glancing around, they''re unable to notice anything out of the ordinary. Then, remembering their training, Mottle looks up. Ambushers liked to hide in leaves. He doesn''t see the shadowy wolf dive out of his shadow. Nor does he see Leitnir get dragged down into a tree''s shadow by that wolf. All Mottle hears is a quick, uncharacteristic yelp from Leitnir, and then absolute silence. Looking over at where his ally once stood, Mottle only sees a dark residue on the ground. Mottle unsheathes his machete and begins looking around for any sign of the attacker. Usage of ''Appraisal'' requires seeing the target, and until then Mottle is fighting with minimal information. Slowly, he backs up to a nearby tree, blocking off his blind spot. Now that he was just a tiny bit safer, he looked over at the dark residue, the only remains from the first attack. It is a deep black, and looks slightly fuzzy. Mottle realizes that its actually fur, though he doesn''t know of any beast with fur that black. Leitnir was the one who read monster guides, not him!This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. A stick snaps ahead. Mottle tenses up and points the machete towards the sound. He just needed to see it, even for a moment. Mottle feels a drop of water hit his shoulder. His immediate thought was "Oh, it''s going to rain. Not again!" His next thought was "There''s no clouds." From above, a shadowy wolf dives down and bites through armor, dragging Mottle down into the tree''s shadow. He swings the machete wildly, as the result from his ''Appraisal'' floats above.
??? ??? Honor 5 [...] ??? ??? Shadow Step [B] [...]
All that remains is a few cut tufts of fur.
To the south of the forest spreads a wide, unending desert. To the east there are frozen mountains. And sitting right between all three is a nice little village by the name of Panace. Though surrounded by harsh terrain, the village itself is on a small fertile hill. Its residents enjoy a slow yet relatively safe life, far from most conflicts or disasters. The worst event to happen here is the periodic accident, or a lone monster attack. In this calm little village, there lives a hunter of great skill. Dorlin is a Merthene, yet he had mastered archery by 13, and could identify any forest plant or beast in a single glance. In any other city, he would''ve been a great ranger or scout. But here, in a village with no need for those, he is a simple hunter. Every morning he wakes up in his wool bed, makes and eats porridge with a side of orange, and packs up his gear for some hunting. An ebony bow, a gift from the whole village, and a quiver of seven bone arrows, all he needs for hunting. Every day, right before he leaves his home, a little Belmthene child runs up and hugs him goodbye. Pom, nicknamed after the yellow fuzzy fur around her hands, was an orphan he saved from the blighted forest a few years ago. Since then, she stayed in his house, always waking up just in time to hug him goodbye. And every day, she silently wishes he''ll come back safely. Walking through the village, Dorlin makes sure to greet everyone he passes as he makes his way to that day''s hunting ground. Sometimes its the dessert, looking for shrewd reptiles. Other days the mountains are his grounds, a goat his bounty. And sometimes, when the weather is ideal and the trees are quiet, he ventures into the forest. Of course, that was what Dorlin did under normal circumstances. When the desert was dry yet calm. When the mountains were steady and visible. And when the forest wasn''t lying. Yet recently, there''s been a slight interruption. A week ago, a messenger pigeon came to the village with news that the Kormilian Empire intends to send troops to claim part of the mountains nearby. Likely an attempt to grab more resources. While the Panace village itself won''t be affected, a few soldiers will likely arrive to ensure the message was properly conveyed. And obviously, no one wants to cause any unnecessary incidents. And so, most of the children, Pom included, had to stay indoors, while only Dorlin was allowed into the forest to act as first contact. Which is why Dorlin was currently sitting in a tree, cursing to himself, as he really didn''t want to be in the forest so soon after a storm. Yet, the damned under-maintained roads were ruined again, making the forest the only real route where any outsider may arrive from. Dorlin lets out a sigh, calming himself down. He''d make it up to Pom once this whole situation was over. If he remembered correctly, Pom said they wanted to see some living animals. While Dorlin approved of her curiosity, he believed she was too young to accompany him to his hunts. So instead, Dorlin will try to capture something and bring it home in a cage.
Wisteria chewed a branch in frustration. The two lost knights seemed to have disappeared while she was busy watching the cute fox sleep. It was a major problem that she wanted to keep absolute track of, yet somehow they vanished entirely, without any tracks. She could think of a dozen possible ways this could have happened, but ultimately, all of them were bad. Most involved high ranking magic or skills from a third party who either helped or evicted the knights. And of course, there was the prime wolf, though he wasn''t one to attack unprompted (no matter what he claims). On a related note, the prime wolf has been acting odd these past few days. They''ve been hunting alone without any other wolves, and some prey he hunted were far too small for him. Granted, he almost died recently, and Wisteria wasn''t that good at understanding the thought process of a wolf. She closes her eyes and breathes deeply for a few moments. Calming down, she discards the chewed up branch and begins flying above the forest. While the knights bothered her, she couldn''t let her worries distract her from her duties. Today was the summer solstice. The longest day of the year. The ideal, and possibly only, time for the ritual of prosperity to take place. Sunlight was valuable for a forest after all. After a while, Wisteria reaches an odd clearing in the forest. 18 stones placed in an approximation of a triangle. A pile of dried fruits and berries on one side, an old copper bucket full of some alchemical mixture by another side, and charcoal scavenged from trees hit by lightning in the recent storm. Landing in the middle, Wisteria waits for the sun to rise. She reviews the process one final time, checks all of the prepared ingredients, and when no further preparation remains, she hums a faint song. The sun peeks over the trees, and so the ritual begins. A morsel of food is pulled from the pile and placed in the center. A piece of charcoal is placed on top. Then, the liquids in the bucket is spilled into the center. The center ignites a small green flame. It''s begun, and now Wisteria needs to maintain it for as long as possible. Periodically, she pulls another piece of food and throws it into the flames, fueling it. When the flames get too big, a piece of charcoal is thrown in. With careful control, the flame persists as it bathes in the sunlight. This kind of ritual normally has a whole village or city maintain it. But Wisteria trusts only herself in this forest. And so, with great effort, she alone shall give this forest prosperity. She just hopes nothing bad happens while she was busy.
Mochi was currently sitting on a nice warm rock she found, relaxing in the sun. For some reason the crows didn''t accept her gift today. Maybe they weren''t hungry? The crows were flying around in a rush it seemed. Not Mochi though. She had no need to be so active today. If she counted her days right, today should be the summer solstice! (or maybe it was yesterday or tomorrow?) Which meant an extra long day, and so no point in being fast! And so, as she lazed around, she felt something soft next to her. Looking over, a mound of black regal fur with slight grey underfur had appeared next to her. It was that wolf! Mochi almost jumps back in surprise, but manages to keep herself still. The wolf was currently lying next to her, in a surprisingly passive position. Despite that, it still maintained a confident, almost overbearing posture. Mochi silently curses her lack of knowledge on wolf body language. At the very least though, neither of the two display any aggression for the other. And so, Mochi and the prime wolf sit together silently, enjoying the warm sun. Though the prime wolf wasn''t able to say anything out of shyness, he accepts the silent company instead. Maybe he''ll talk in the future. Side Story; the stars The sun is a frighteningly beautiful thing. It dominates the sky during the day, demanding attention and respect. On the other hand, The moon is a calming beauty. It is only a small part of the sky, sometimes overshadowed by the sun, sometimes glowing brightly among the night sky. And ignoring both are the stars. When the sun is no longer shining, or the moon is quieter than normal, the stars echo from the void beyond the sky.
Dorlin curses, stretching off of the tree he was hiding in. No soldiers today. At this rate, they might not even come. After all, the village got three messenger pigeons already, so maybe they think it unnecessary to send soldiers. Walking back towards the village, he looks up at the starry sky. The moon hasn''t risen yet, leaving the sky just a little emptier. Yet, he still can''t help but look at the stars. Dorlin steps out of the forest, past the guardian stone, to the edge of the village. There, standing alone in the middle of the village, is a child staring up at the night sky. Pom''s quasi-compound eyes stare transfixed by the stars, a reflection of the night sky glittering in her eyes. Her hands are held out above her, a reference point for a sky devoid of a moon. Despite the coldness of the night, Pom is entirely unbothered. Soft yellow fur covers her wrists, neck, and legs, sometimes interrupted by a stipe of black fur. Her long paper wings, too big for a child, wrap around her shoulders, forming a living cloak to guard against any wind. She reminds Dorlin of a bee, though far cuter and huggable. Pom''s antennae twitch, sensing something familiar. Turning away from the stars, she sees Dorlin, and immediately dives forward for a hug. Of course, he catches Pom with a full smile and returns the hug, before tilting his head questioningly. He was asking why Pom was outside.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Silently, Pom simply looks up. Dorlin follows her gaze, and they watch the stars together. The two lie down on the grass and stare up, sometimes pointing at something interesting, sometimes simply watching silently. Pom''s internal mandibles start clicking in contentment, and Dorlin hums a simple tune in response, though Pom can''t hear it. Eventually, Pom falls asleep to the field of starlight. Dorlin gets up and carefully carries Pom back home.
Wisteria lets out a sigh of relief. All of the stress and tension releases and vaporizes in the green smoke. The ritual of prosperity is complete, and now she can rest. Sitting down on a warm stone, she looks up at the night sky fading in. It has been a long time since she last watched the stars. For someone who lives so long, something as unchanging as the night sky starts being boring after the hundredth year. Yet, tonight she still stared up. So what if nothing changes, the stars still shine beautifully. With the ritual complete, the other crows arrive to enjoy the remaining warmth of the fire. Dozens of crows to each stone, nestled together in harmony. Though, only a few join Wisteria. Three white crows sit with Wisteria; two adults and a young one. Lily nestles up to Wisteria, enjoying their closeness, while the other two simply sit nearby out of respect and professionalism. Of course, Wisteria doesn''t care about that, and so she wraps her wings around the two and brings them closer. And so, as a family, the crows watch the stars. The stars that everyone sees.
A wolf and a fox sit together, watching the night sky. They do not speak, though neither can understand the other even if they tried. The fox appreciates the company. Mochi hadn''t really had companionship like this in a long time. Sure, the crows are friends, but they leave too soon. And most other animals either fear her, ignore her, or actively scowl against her (territory is an important thing). And so, being able to just sit with a wolf is an enjoyable moment that she wants to keep for as long as possible. The prime wolf Nikola, on the other hand, was quite anxious. Not out of fear of danger, but because he had never experienced something like this before. Other wolves were quite active in their socializing, much to his annoyance. Yet, now, the fox was too passive. In truth, he simply did not know how to act. He was afraid of scaring the fox away, or hurting their feelings unintentionally, or offending it, or or... And so, for now, the two sit together, silently watching the stars whisper by. Incursion The prime wolf Nikola awakes with a start. Reflexively, he sits up, fully tense. It takes a moment to remember where he is and why. He is currently sitting on a warm smooth stone, with a clear sight of the sky and morning sunrise. Last night, he and the fox had been watching the stars. It was an activity he hadn''t indulged in since he was a pup. And at some point, he... fell asleep? No, that''s odd, the fox was still awake and yet, he fell asleep first? The prime wolf always slept alone, hidden, and cautious. Sleep is when he''s most vulnerable after all. When around anyone else, he''d make sure to stay awake, or otherwise hid away into the shadows to rest. Yet, something about that fox broke the habit. Was it so harmless that he didn''t even consider it as a threat? Or maybe it had an ability to put him to sleep? And where has it gone? Is it plotting something? ...Nikola sighed. Deep down, he knew why he fell asleep so easily next to the fox Because it had already done the same. That night, when the fox treated his wound, and fell asleep by him. Whether intentionally or not, it showed their own most vulnerable moment, after helping him out of his own. His pride would''ve lied and said he only did the same as a form of honor. But no one was around to hear his pride lie. The truth was, he trusted the fox. It had all the opportunities to kill him, yet instead it saved him. He had no caution against them. If anything, he felt...? As Nikola contemplated his exact feelings for the fox, he stood up and walked into that shadows. He''ll be back later, in case the fox is here again. But first, he''s hungry~!
Mochi wakes up in her comfortable bed in her comfortable hole home. She had a wonderful dream about dragons and dragon fruits and having actual thumbs again. After enjoying the last moments of being half-asleep, Mochi stretches out of bed and begins her daily routine. First is checking up on the angel beard farm. Well, calling it a farm is a bit misleading; it was simply a ball of plant material slowly rotting away. An excellent medium for angel beard. For now, it was stored in the special storage room, and is growing nice and slowly. Next she checks around her home for any cracks or other damage. Luckily, there was none. She gives the walls a firm pat and a "Good job for staying strong!" Peaking out of the entrance, she gives the clear skies a proper greeting, "Good morning bright sun! Looks like it''s all clear today!" Though she wasn''t able to confirm the sky would remain clear or not. Weather is quite fast sometimes. Hopping out of her home, she begins walking to her local breakfast bush. Today was a blueberry kind of day, but that one was a bit of a hike away. Of course, Mochi could take as long as she wanted, as today is the summer solstice! Longer day meant more time for breakfast! And so, Mochi walks ahead, enjoying the smell of summer flowers and growing trees. Periodically she notes the smell of some forest animal, but mostly ignores it, as she''s not hunting right now. That is an afternoon activity. Soon enough, she reaches the blueberry bush and starts eating. Due to their size, Mochi could eat three in a single bite, though that sometimes led to some leaves in her mouth. After eating her fill, she bites at one of the branches and tears it off, before going to look for a crow. She barely went ten steps before a caw overhead signaled the arrival of the crows. This one smelled like cherries, and so it must be Nune! They seemed quite excited today, swooping down and pecking for berries before Mochi even puts the branch down. She laughs silently, finding the energetic crow humorous. Carefully putting the branch down, she backs away before more crows come to swarm it. After watching the crows eat, Mochi returns to the blueberry bush. She wanted to try something, though it might be risky. Taking another branch off of the blueberry bush, she started walking towards forbidden territory. The territory of the wolves. A few weeks ago, back in spring, when Mochi didn''t know the layout of the forest as well, she once wandered into wolf territory. It smelled odd compared to the rest of the forest, though at the time she didn''t think it was a bad smell, just unusual. In hindsight, she should''ve been more careful about abnormal odors. She encountered the pack of wolves then. Quite a scary bunch. They snarled and growled at her, and so she ran away. They didn''t chase, luckily, but Mochi is now confident that even if they did, she''d outrun them easily enough. Being so small was sometimes advantageous. While last time was unintentional, today Mochi was planning on entering wolf territory with a purpose. To meet that black wolf again. She suspected that it was that wolf she saved that was leaving meat by her home. And so, she wanted to repay them! Of course, there was the risk that the wolf didn''t belong to this pack. Or maybe they''re busy and she won''t find them. Or they''ll get mad at her for intruding on their territory. And many more things can go wrong. Yet, Mochi wanted to try anyways. After all, that wolf is the closest thing to a friend she made so far. Stepping into the wolves'' territory, Mochi focused on the odd wolf-y smell. Theoretically, going in the direction where it''s stronger should lead to either the wolves, or their home. It''d be a terrible idea to go in that direction unprepared. Which is why Mochi keeps an eye out for hiding places and escape routes! Following the scent, Mochi eventually walks into a clearing. There, five wolves of various sizes stand frozen, starring directly at Mochi. Seems they sensed her first. Unfortunately, the black wolf isn''t among these five. While discouraged, she still hesitates to leave. Should she leave the blueberries behind? And then, the wolves acted strangely. They lowered their body, their tail tucked behind their legs and ears pulled back. A submissive stance, one that bewildered Mochi. Previously, the wolves demanded her to leave their territory with snarls and growls. What had changed? Was it the branch?This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it For a few moments longer, both Mochi and the wolves stood still, neither side quite sure of what to make of the other. It felt like an hour, though really only a few minutes of awkward silence passed. Someone had to make the first move eventually to end the deadlock. Mochi hears something landing behind her, and a slight shadow around her. Turning around carefully, she sees black fur. It''s the wolf! and a lot closer than expected, standing only a single step away. Their head is held high in an admittedly regal posture, looking down on the other wolves, but not Mochi. Well, now or never. Mochi places the blueberry branch in front of the black wolf, and gives a friendly yip. The black wolf looks down, and for a moment their expression softens. They let out an almost silent whine, before picking up the blueberry branch, gently nudging Mochi with their cheek in the process. Satisfied, Mochi runs back out of the wolves'' territory. Hopefully that wolf enjoys blueberries. Done with that side project, Mochi decides to get an early supper. Longer day meant more time to hunt! Hopefully she won''t need to ask for meat from that wolf today, else it''d be quite ironic. Running along familiar forest, she eventually reaches the river. This hunting ground took the most patience and time, but today Mochi had plenty of that!
Dorlin finishes setting up the last trap soon after noon. Just like the others, it is a simple hidden cage that closes when something heavy enough steps on it. He double checked to make sure it was set up properly, and adds an orange as bait. He hoped to catch some small animals, likely squirrels or rats. He isn''t sure if Pom has ever seen any before, but it will make for a good lesson in common harmless animals. And if the traps manage to catch something else, then he could teach Pom more about the wider variety of the forest. Retrieving his bag from a hidden nook, Dorlin begins walking home, keeping an eye out for any threats. He isn''t that deep in the forest, so the odds of running into anything dangerous is quite low. At worst, it''d be an exiled wolf or some young monster that got chased out. Both of which Dorlin can deal with. As he walks, Dorlin forages for some extra mushrooms to add to his soup. Pom had made some yesterday, and while she seemed quite proud of it, it was slightly bitter. Of course, Pom, as a Belmthene, did not notice the bitterness, and so Dorlin chose not to mention it. The first mushroom he finds are everred fingers, small red stick-like mushrooms. While not poisonous, it is spicy, which unfortunately neither Dorlin nor Pom enjoy. The next mushroom is a whitecap, which Dorlin decides not to touch, as it is either very poisonous, or edible but tasteless. Not worth picking. Next are some nice crabarm mushrooms, which look and taste like crab claws. He grabs a few and stuffs it into his bag, leaving behind half for the forest. And so, Dorlin makes his way home, picking up a few more edible mushrooms along the way. Emerging out of the forest, he crosses paths with a team of lumberjacks carrying a large log to the village. He makes an offer to help, but they kindly refuse, telling Dorlin to spend more time with Pom. Continuing ahead, he passes the guardian stone and enters the village of Panace. Some neighbors wave as he passes, to which he returns a smile and a nod. Normally, he''d go hand over what he hunted to them, but today wasn''t a hunting day. Dorlin enters his small house, and is immediately met by a fluffy yellow Pom jumping into him. The fuzzy fur around her arms and neck traps Dorlin in a comforting hug, as he carefully sets his bag to the side and hangs his quiver and bow. Once his hands are empty, he gives his side of the hug. "Pom Pom. you''ll be getting a nice surprise soon!" Dorlin says, careful his mouth isn''t visible to Pom. She can''t hear what he says, of course, but her lip reading is scarily accurate (or maybe he just has a readable mouth). Releasing the hug, Dorlin gestures to the kitchen, where a warm soup awaits some additional ingredients. Pom gives a nod and retrieves his bag, as the two begin to cook. Luckily, both are able to enjoy the wonderful smell of sweet vegetable soup.
Wisteria stretches her wings, enjoying the day of rest after doing so much yesterday. The other crows do not get to enjoy such luxury, though they do not mind. Being together last night was more than enough for the crows. Roosting in her Oclid tree, Wisteria decides to check up on the rest of the forest (and especially that fox). She connects with the tree, her three eyes spreading out and looking around. The first looks over at the fox, who''s currently dangerously close to wolf territory. Luckily, the prime wolf is there, so she doubts the wolves will do anything to the fox. She knows he fears her still. Her next eye checks the north and east, but doesn''t find anything of note. Just the normal forest as far as her remote eye could tell. The frozen mountains may be storming slightly, but the direction of the wind meant it wouldn''t come to the forest. Finally, Wisteria checks the west. And she is immediately glad she did. A small army, of sorts, is gathered at the forest''s edge. For a moment, she felt vindicated in her suspicions of those two soldiers from before. This is immediately replaced by annoyance and despair. Wisteria doesn''t know why they plan on invading the forest, but her experience with greed lets her make some guesses. Maybe they want the land, or the trees, or food, or some other resource that she doesn''t care about. Or maybe, they''re just dumb. She will have to be quite careful in how she handles this. It''d be quite inconvenient if her actions draws too much attention to herself. Her priority is protecting the forest.
Mochi stretches out of her hiding spot atop a tree. She was quite unlucky today, just barely missing several prey. Feeling discouraged, she decides to leave for a different hunting spot. There''s still a few more hours of sun after all. As she makes her way to the flower field, Mochi thinks about what to do later. Should she go straight to bed and sleep early? Or maybe she''ll watch the stars again. Yeah, that sounds nice. Maybe the black wolf will join her again. She hopes they do. For now though, she makes her way through the forest... and sees a random orange? How strange, she didn''t think oranges grew in the forest. Though, looking around, she doesn''t find any other oranges. How did it get here? Approaching to investigate it, she steps on something metallic, as a cage snaps up around her. She jumps up in surprise, but it''s too late. Mochi got caught in a trap. Annoyed, Mochi checks the cage to try and figure out if she could escape. Pushing on the sides, they shift a bit out, but only a paws worth, not enough to get out. Theoretically, if she pushed on all sides at once, she might be able to escape out of the top, but it''d be hard. She next checks the joints. Each side is connected to the base by a simple screw. Unfortunately, Mochi''s lack of dexterous fingers makes it impossible to unscrew the joints. Though, even if she had fingers and a screwdriver, it wouldn''t''ve opened due to an unseen nut on the other side. Finally, she checks the top. There, the four sides converge to a single point, where a simple spring and pin locks the sides in place. Jumping up, she pits and pulls on the pin, unlocking the cage and causing the sides to fall open. That was surprisingly easy! Letting go of the pin, the fox drops back down on the base of the cage... which snaps back up closed. It appears standing on the bottom causes the cage to close back up. And so, Mochi spends the next hour trying to find a way to open and leave the cage without touching the bottom. She stops early when she hears someone approaching. A Merthene with an ebony bow and seven bone arrows. They say something in a language Mochi doesn''t recognize, before picking up her cage. Well, this might be a problem. Hopefully the wolf won''t mind if she''s a little late. Retribution Originally Mochi planned to escape as soon as an opportunity arose. Unfortunately, the hunter put a blanket around the cage, which made judging the perfect opportunity quite difficult. Though, based on how bright it is, the sun is starting to set. While she may not be able to see outside, the opposite is also true. And so, Mochi makes preparations to be able to escape when necessary. First, she pulls out the locking pin. Pushing on a side slightly, she gets the pin stuck in the unlocked position. With this, the sides can open as long as there isn''t any weight on the bottom. Of course, that is the hard part. Mochi lacks the strength and dexterity needed to stay off of the bottom and push open a side at the same time. And her lack of fingers means climbing the cage is too hard. Maybe if she jumped... but she isn''t sure if she can jump hard enough. In any case, she''ll have to wait for the opportunity to escape. Until then, she sits down and waits. Being moved around without seeing outside is slowly making her feel sick, and the smell of old wool wasn''t helping. In an attempt to distract herself, she starts counting each of the hunter''s footsteps. Given little other information, the dull thumping was a tiny clue on how far the hunter is taking her. Thud thud, step step, one two, ten, twenty, a hundred... After 500 steps, the footsteps get a little harder. The ground is probably dryer, with less tree coverage. At 1300 steps, an orange glow passes through the blanket. Mochi is saddened at missing the sunset. Around the early 3000s, Mochi sneezes and loses count. Mochi isn''t too bothered though, and starts back at 3000. A few extra steps isn''t a problem. Finally, at 5600 steps, the distinct yet unnoticed smell of the forest fades away. Mochi had forgotten the forest had a smell, reminded of its presence only once it''s no longer there. Though, she wished she remembered this on her own terms, rather than being carried out in a cage. And then, Mochi hears the hunter shout something. Unfortunately, it''s entirely gibberish to her. She wasn''t exactly the linguistic kind of scholar. At the very least, she does recognizes the word for ''fox'' though! Though it just meant they got the word from a different language. Soon enough, a few more voices shout back in response. There''s a brief argument (maybe?), before Mochi''s cage is placed down. Wonderful, no more motion sickness! Or so Mochi had hoped. "Ugh, wait, no. It''s catching up. Let me rest real quick..." She lies down on the floor, balance swaying and head aching. This was why she never took cart rides. As Mochi is busy dealing with motion sickness, the sound of more and more people surrounds the cage. By the time Mochi is able to sit up without falling over, there is a buzz of conversation all around the cage. Her escape might be a little harder than expected. The hunter shouts out something, silencing all of the conversations. He then says a few more things that Mochi could only guess was gloating, before the blanket around the cage is pulled off, revealing Mochi to a crowd of people of many different races. Unfortunately, it provided no clue as to where she is, as the crowd blocks view of the surroundings. The hunter continued talking, as Mochi looked through the crowd for anything interesting. For the most part, they appear to be simple townsfolk. Though, there is a lack of guards or soldiers or anything, which reassures Mochi that the surroundings will be relatively safe. And then Mochi notices something odd. While most of the crowd are adults, there is a single child among them. Even stranger, she doesn''t recognize what species they are, though they look like a bee. Mochi and Pom make eye contact, and for a moment Pom feels like she''s seen something similar before. She steps forward, closer to the cage, and stares at Mochi, trying to figure out what''s so familiar. Pom doesn''t notice everyone else looking away, looking to the forest. Pom didn''t hear the howl. Mochi did hear the howl. A wolf''s howl, deep and sharp. The others heard it as well, turning right to where it came from. Which probably meant the forest was in that direction. How convenient for Mochi. But there was something else to that howling. There isn''t any responding wolves. A second howl echoes out, identical to the first. A deep, sharp howl. And to Mochi, it sounded desperate. That wolf is looking for a response. And, while it might be mean, Mochi decides to take advantage of that. Breaking the staring context between her and the child, Mochi lets out a high-pitch howl of her own. It was messy, horribly dissonant, and an overall terrible howl. And it drew the attention of everyone. People started shouting. Some ran away, others stayed and argued, the child is swooped up and carried by the hunter. There is chaos and panic. And for Mochi, this is a good opportunity. Backing up to a corner of the cage, she springs forward with a powerful jump directly into the side, knocking it open and tumbling out. Mochi is momentarily stunned by the impact. It isn''t for long, but by the time she recovers, a large farmer has already caught her in a gentle hold. Mochi attempts to bite a finger or something to get free, but her mouth is kept far from any vulnerable flesh. She is completely unable to escape. And then came a shadow. A maw of darkness rushes between Mochi and her captor. She drops down, released, the hands holding her sinking into the shadow of a wolf who stands above her. A large wolf with noble black fur, and a leg wrapped in a leaf bandage.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
''Mooncall'' is an [A] tier skill, capable of communicating a message to a single target as long as both the user and target can see the moon. The prime wolf gained it upon their evolution, but never actually used it. That is, until one minute ago, when he used it twice to try and ask the fox where it is. And why it''s scent was covered by Humanoids. And now, the Prime Wolf Nikola stands over Mochi protectively, an indescribable fury growing in his throat. Around them was a crowd of people in various states of panic. They pose no threat to Nikola, and normally Nikola would hold no malice to them either. So then, why does he feel such a rage? There is only one reason. They took the fox. That fox who saved him. The fox who stayed with him. That fox who gave him a moment of companionship. And he wasn''t going to let someone take that from him. They start running away, and the prime wolf prepares to hunt. But a small squeak draws his attention. The fox steps out of his shadow and walks back towards the forest. They pause for a moment, turning back to Nikola and letting out a yip. And before Nikola could respond, the fox walks to the forest. Nikola wished he could understand what the fox wanted. Was it revenge? or forgiveness? Was it apologizing for needing help, or saying thanks? Or maybe, it simply wanted to go home. No one else dies today, as Nikola runs to catch up with the fox. They return to the forest together, making their way to a nice warm stone, with a clear view of the night sky. Where they witness an aurora and half a moon and fall asleep together.
317 Kormilian Empire soldiers entered the blighted forest. In the first day, they killed three deer, a wolf, four coyotes. They trampled countless shrubs, uprooted many flowers, and cut down three trees. In one day, so much was destroyed, and nothing was given back to the forest. Wisteria decided they won''t be given a second day. She knew that, at the very least, these soldiers weren''t here to help the forest. They have so far only taken and destroyed. And if she allowed them to continue any longer, it''d take years to recover. Years that she did not want to waste. Flying out of her Oclid tree, she flies up as high as she could. She had to at least try to minimize collateral damage. She released her mana, sending a rippling wave of glowing threads across the sky. And from the glowing weave, came a hypnotic song. One by one, the forest fell asleep. The song''s effectiveness depends on one''s level, and the soldiers had above average levels, so most of the forest falls asleep before the soldiers begin to fall. But eventually, they all do, with the leader only a mere minute of consciousness above everyone else. Then, as the aurora and song fades away, Wisteria glides down to the sleeping army. She opens her extra eye, and everything starts to decay. Armor rusts, leather bags tear away, cloth unravels, and flesh melts. All that remains are bones. The wise crow Wisteria hypnotized and tranquilized everyone as a personal mercy, and to hide her own identity. For what stands over the forest of bones is certainly not a crow. Or rather, it is no longer a crow. Confirming there to be no survivors, Wisteria closes her third eye. Feathers regrow between bones, covering her once more in a royal white coat. Her heart aches, using too much energy today. She returns to the Oclid tree to rest. Well, she might as well spy on that cute small fox again. ... And she couldn''t believe her eyes. Blinking all three several times, the sight doesn''t change. The prime wolf and the fox sitting together, awake, and watching the night sky. Firstly, the prime wolf and fox being together was a surprise to be sure, but not an unwelcome one. Sure, the fox did save the prime wolf''s life, so it made sense that at the very least, he''d be fine with the fox being nearby. But sitting so close, and looking at the night sky? This meant more than tolerating your savior''s presence. Wisteria contemplated how to feel about this. In the end, it''s relief. This meant the prime wolf held no ill intent against the fox, and may even want to protect them. That''d mean she won''t have to worry about the fox as much (not that she worried much to begin with). The second issue though, was that they were awake, despite her hypnotic aurora. For the prime wolf, it just meant their level was fairly high, at least 60. But for the fox, she had no idea how they were awake. The sleep from her aurora can''t be woken up from before sunrise. So either the fox has a passive or skill that countered it, or it didn''t hear the song. And the clue is the prime wolf next to them. He has experienced the aurora before. He knows hearing the song is part of it. And so, he must''ve made sure the fox didn''t hear the song. With that, the fox would remain awake. Yes, that is a reasonable answer, and that is what Wisteria chooses to believe. Because the alternative is far too unnerving. As Wisteria watches, she hears a crow land next to her. Their skill and grace, as well as the circumstances, reveals their identity to be Laurel, a white crow and Wisteria''s only living son. "Mom, bad news! That bee-child''s village kidnapped the fox! They got them in a cage and none of the others could do anything about it! What should we-" "Oh? Do not worry. It has already been dealt with." Wisteria lets out a relieved laugh. The prime wolf Nikola is certainly a proactive one, if a bit shy.
Soon after the wolf''s howling, Pom was carried back home by Dorlin. Of course, she didn''t hear the cause of everyone''s panic, but it was clear something was happening. Running into their house, Dorlin lets down Pom. He makes three simple gestures. ''Quiet'', ''Hide'', and ''Wait''. Pom nods in response, tempted to ask questions but trusting Dorlin to explain later. Then Dorlin grabs his ebony bow and arrows, and exits out the door, locking it shut. And so, Pom silently waited. There weren''t much hiding places, but she was small enough to hide in a basket. It was quite comforting, hiding somewhere so tight. It reminded her of before the village, before the forest, of the hive. After what felt like hours, Pom grew bored. She had no way of knowing what''s going on outside, lacking any hearing, and her antenna unable to pick up anything beyond the door. No, that was wrong. Her antenna could pick up details beyond walls and doors, but only things moving, things she''s familiar with. Normally she senses the neighbors all day, but now it''s completely... empty. Fear started to creep in. What is happening outside? Why can''t she sense anyone? Is she all alone again... Pom left her hiding spot. She went to the door and stuck an antenna threw the crack at the bottom. And she sensed something. People, unmoving, on the ground. The door unlocks and Pom runs out, to see everyone unconscious. They were still breathing, thankfully, but... what happened? Pom only had a single clue. That fox. That cute, little, familiar fox. She remembered what it reminded her of. The monster that shattered her hive had the head of a fox.
New title; Caller of the wolf
Error; Mochi data missing
As Summer Ends Mochi wakes up in a warm furry embrace. She is momentarily disorientated, but manages to remember the events of last night. Currently, she is lying within the black wolf''s fur, still outside on a warm rock in the sun. After escaping the cage, the wolf appeared and helped Mochi escape. When she saw how agitated they were at the villagers, she decided to leave before any violence broke out. Of course, she told the wolf she''d meet them at the rock (Or at least did her best with the limited vocabulary of a fox). What she didn''t expect was the wolf to follow without doing anything to the villagers. While she was glad at the lack of an further bloodshed, she was a bit uneasy thinking about how the wolf was far stronger than she initially thought. And for some reason, this wolf followed her. Why do they care so much? Was force feeding them blueberries and treating their leg so important to the wolf that it''d prioritize staying with Mochi over anything else? Is it because they were friends (or whatever their relationship is)? ...wait, did they think Mochi would get caught again? Well, Mochi does appreciate the wolf regardless of their reason. And spending time together watching the night sky was nice as well. Even if they can''t talk with each other. She wanted to show off her knowledge of star trivia with the wolf, but names are hard to communicate using barks and yips. And then, after stargazing for a while, she though of going home to sleep. But wolf fur was so much more comfortable and warmer than her normal bed that she ended up falling asleep without going home. Though, knowing how strong the wolf was, she felt pretty safe sleeping with them. "...pst, Mr. Narrator. If they have a name please tell me." Mochi whispers to no one in particular, alerting Nikola that she is awake. He sits up and stretches, and Mochi follows suit. Nikola looks around, though it was unnecessary thanks to the wise crow Wisteria''s little tantrum. It was mostly just to make Mochi feel safe, if only by a bit. Mochi, on the other hand, gives Nikola a quick nuzzle as thanks, before walking off for some breakfast! Today was a tomato kind of day, though last time she found tomatoes they were still green. Hopefully a few weeks is enough to ripen. As Nikola watches her leave, he thinks back to yesterday. He didn''t ever expect her to try to visit him in his own territory. Thankfully she had just enough of his scent on her to have the other wolves not attack her. Though, the blueberries definitely made up for the embarrassment of having to explain to the others why a random fox was allowed in his territory. Then there was Mochi''s kidnapping. He should''ve been watching her. He could''ve rescued her a lot sooner. And did he make the right choice, to follow Mochi without taking revenge? It would''ve been easy, but Mochi... ...there was one last issue. Mochi wasn''t affected by Wisteria''s aurora. He didn''t fully know why, but considering how weak Mochi seems, he doubts its due to her level. Maybe she has a passive immunity, or a counteractive skill? Or maybe she''s deaf... no, she responded to his howls. Nikola shakes his head out of the constant questioning, and quickly dives into the shadows to chase after Mochi and keep watch. He wasn''t going to let anything happen to her anymore! Mochi, on the other hand, was planning out a slight expansion to her home while eating tomatoes. She hopes it''ll remain stable enough. Worst case scenario, she''ll have to move somewhere else. Oh well, she''s fine with that anyways. ... The rest of the day remains uneventful, thanks to Nikola''s mere presence discouraging anything within line of sight from approaching (except for crows, who didn''t enjoy the tomatoes as much as Mochi hoped). At the end, the two watched the sun set together, sitting silently and enjoying each other''s company. Mochi then returns home, and begins digging.
Incident report for the disappearance of mountain securement vanguard; Two weeks ago, a vanguard consisting of 317 soldiers were sent ahead to secure a position by the Evansow mountains. Due to common roads being damaged and impassable, an alternative route through the blighted forest was chosen. While it was risky, the large amount of personnel led to confidence that any dangers could be easily overcome, or in a worst case, at least some survivors could escape and provide additional information on the monsters found within the forest. Soon after entering the forest, all communications were lost with the vanguard. Remote communication skills were ineffective, and messenger pigeons were too vulnerable and did not return after entering the forest. Additional resources for the purpose of re-establishing contact was considered, but denied due to a lack of available personnel. Since then, with a continued lack of response from the vanguard, they have been marked as missing, potentially dead. No further action is to be taken, and repair of roads is to be expedited. Addendum from Zerri of Lue University; Report fails to mention a major astronomical anomaly that occurred soon after the vanguard entered the blighted forest. A type C aurora was visible above the forest for a few minutes, with those nearby falling unconscious. Similar events have been recorded several times in the past, tracing back to 1200 years ago (older records were lost due to a fire). In all cases, all people within the forest when an aurora occurred were either found dead, or never found at all. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the vanguard is dead, not just missing. I shall say once again, the blighted forest is forbidden territory for a reason. Please stop trying to use it as an alternative route, it has never worked and it won''t work anytime soon. "Zerri, you do know there''s evidence that a route through the blighted forest did exist about 1400 years ago-" "I think that''s long enough ago that it doesn''t apply. Also, that was before it was blighted."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
After a few weeks of work, Mochi finally expanded her home to be significantly bigger. And just in time for the sunset! She runs to their meeting place, the warm rock with a clear view of the sky. There, already waiting for her, is Nikola. She takes her position, sitting next to Nikola, before leaning into his fur. It feels just right, as it always does. Maybe it''s the warmth, maybe it''s the smell, maybe it''s hearing a steady heartbeat among the silence. Well, she isn''t a scholar anymore, so she doesn''t need to worry about why this feels right. It just is. And then Nikola speaks. The language of the forest, a passive through which all intelligent animals could communicate. And unfortunately, Mochi could not understand it. But she didn''t need to, as the language of the forest conveyed more than just words. There was an emotional aspect to it. And Nikola, the wolf who always acted so cold and apathetic and stoic, spoke full of emotion. There was gratitude, embarrassment, contentment, pride, shame, anxiety, happiness, confusion. And throughout it all, a faint love. While Mochi didn''t know what exactly Nikola was saying, she could tell it was probably important. Especially since he never spoke before. And so Mochi responded with encouraging, happy purring. And Nikola let himself enjoy the sound, caring little if what he said was understood, because he understood that Mochi enjoyed their companionship. The two then enjoy a moonless night sky together. And as Mochi grew tired, she got up and signaled Nikola to follow. And the two went to Mochi''s home, with an expanded entrance big enough to have Nikola enter. Mochi gives a tour of the inside, showing off her admittedly impressive collection of trinkets and nice gifts from the crows. And finally, she showed off her bed. For Nikola, it had been a while since he slept feeling safe. Even when hidden in his own shadow, there was always a faint fear of being found defenseless. Yet now, with Mochi by his side, he slept his best in a long time. Not because it was safer, but because it was with someone he trusted. He''d ask about the concerning amount of mana gems tomorrow.
A rumor was gently spreading. Thanks to the repaired roads, Panace could trade with neighboring villages. Of course, there was talk about the strange aurora. But for Panace, there was something more to it. A fox and a wolf. It started with mention of a fox caught in a cage, which then mimicked a wolf''s howl and caused a wolf to come attack. If it was only that, then maybe it could be called a coincidence, or a made up story. But when the wolf followed the fox, it called for attention. A wolf who followed and protected a fox. A fox that could call for wolves. Two rumors branched in opposite directions, both of a wolf and fox, but with different focus. In both ways, it was a story of caution. And then news of the lost soldiers spread and collided with the rumors. It overshadowed the aurora, mixing together into a single event. Details got swapped, mixed, lost, and re-found. And in the future, the story of what happened is significantly different than what the reports say. "They tried to catch a fox, but it called for wolves to hunt the soldiers instead." "The soldiers threatened the fox, and so the wolf protecting it fought back." "The fox''s call can create an aurora, which takes the form of a wolf!" "The fox and wolf? They''re one entity, split into two to test people." "It''s the ghost of those lost soldiers!" (No one believes this one ever since ghosts were disproven) "The fox is simply bait, which the wolves use to hunt with. It lets out a ''call'' when caught to signal the wolves." In any case, no one hunted any foxes for years. The power of rumors even reached the capitals, but the consequence of that is yet to arrive. Normally, a rumor this widespread would beget a title. Yet, no title is given out. The oracles interpret this as the fox having no name. Of course, they are wrong.
Mochi was having trouble. As summer was nearing its end, the available food options was also changing. And so, she has to recompile the imaginary map of every breakfast spot nearby. Well, at least for Nikola the blueberries are still around for a little while longer. While it isn''t a big problem right now, Mochi does dread the eventual winter. It''ll be her first winter as a fox, and her current hunting skills definitely wouldn''t be sufficient if she was alone. And relying on Nikola made her feel bad. Just because they were good friends, didn''t mean she was fine with Nikola doing all the hard work for her. Even if hunting isn''t hard at all for someone as strong as Nikola. There was a limit to the help Mochi was fine with receiving! Of course, Nikola does not think of it as Mochi taking advantage of him, especially considering how minor it is for him. After noting down yet another berry bush that isn''t available anymore, Mochi runs with Nikola to the next one. Nikola wants to offer to carry Mochi to the next location, but he''s too embarrassed by the idea. Though, for Mochi, running together was a lot more fun. Nikola thinks about what he''s seen so far of Mochi, and the concerning signs that she isn''t a normal fox at all. First is that, while undeniably intelligent, she can''t seem to understand what he says. She doesn''t seem to have the language of the forest yet. Another problem is that she''s unaffected by his shadows; He can''t bring her into his shadow, which made him quite sad at the time, nor can his shadows move her. But most importantly, his shadowy attacks also ignore her. Nikola has a theory that Mochi has some form of immunity to magical skills. It''d also explain why Wisteria''s aurora had no effect either. But then, why doesn''t ''Analysis'' work either? It isn''t magic as much as it''s a basic function of the system. In a way, while Nikola trusts Mochi and would do anything for her, he is also cautious of what she is. But until it causes any problems, Nikola chooses to ignore it for now. "Alright, little fox. Which bush is next?"
Wisteria shakes her feathers again, the discomforting feeling still remaining. It was a sign that she''d fall asleep soon. She used too much power last time, and now her false form was blighted. The white feathers have tiny spots of green, vaguely itchy and never going away. Well, even if she did have to go to sleep soon, it''d be fine. No additional soldiers meant they learnt their lesson, as they always do. And the small fox is now being guarded by the prime wolf, of all people. Fate always brought together the strangest pairs. Her next problem was the rituals, but her daughters should be more than capable of doing it themselves. Laurel will take care of the oclid tree while she''s gone as well. Now, was she forgetting anything else...? Nothing comes to mind, but it doesn''t relieve Wisteria. She always manages to forget something important at the worst moments. Well, if an emergency occurs, the crows can wake her up easily enough. She just hopes that cute fox will be alright. ...Actually, she might as well go and meet them before going to sleep. Maybe only a quick look. Of course, she won''t even say anything so as not to scare them. The prime wolf might be a bit frightened though, ironically. With a slight chuckle, Wisteria flies up and goes towards the duo. The wolf notices her first, and looks up with an alarmed look. He immediately takes a defensive stance, before shifting to deference instead. Of course, he''d stand no chance in a fight. The fox, on the other hand, looks up and tilts their head. There is an odd flash of... recognition? Wisteria flies past, wondering if she misread their emotion. In any case, she returns back to her tree and shakes her feathers again. Some fall out easily, decaying away into mana. How ironic, her false form being weak to her own blight. Maybe she could improve it next time. That''s what she promises herself every time. And of course, she never does it. After all, there''s so much to be distracted by. Like a certain fox, who can''t be targeted by ''Wisdom''.
Mochi recognized the skeletal bird. It had three eyes, though one was closed. The true form of the Wise Crow. The patron of the holy forest. So that''s where she is! The holy forest, a large and plentiful forest on the southern continent, surrounded by lush plains and cold mountains. She had only heard of it through legends and stories from adventurers. To think that she gets to experience it herself! Oh, maybe she can one day ask the wise crow some questions as well! Maybe she can- Her thoughts are interrupted by Nikola picking her up and running back home. He didn''t know why she was out, and he wasn''t going to risk anything! Interlude; A long, long time ago "Thank you for your service, scholar Lue. Your lifelong dedication to this institute and achievements in the field shall be honored, and your name remembered for generations to come. We wish you a peaceful retirement. As a symbol of our gratitude, we''d like to give you the first copy of the Natural Encyclopedia, with personal signatures from everyone involved!" The owl-like director of the institute holds out a big book while bowing. Giving an appreciative bow back, I take the book and hold it close to my chest. It is the culmination of decades of work, made real thanks to the newly invented printing table. The people around me clap and cheer, congratulating me. Looking around, the faces blur together as my head feels faint. I give a smile, and walk towards the door. I wasn''t one to give speeches or anything. And with my work finally over, I needed a break. Stepping outside, with a flick and a snap, I grow a tree to provide shade. My legs give out, as they always do. And then I faint. When I open my eyes, some time has passed. I am now sitting in a nice leather bed, some sort of servant walking out of my bedroom. A plate of desserts was placed next to the bed on a table. I try to say thanks, but nothing comes out. Snacking on the desserts, I reread the Encyclopedia. Flipping to random pages, quizzing myself on random topics. The wings of birds, the skeletons of mice, the communication method of wolves, the medical uses of mushrooms, the growing seasons for blueberries... Eventually, the pages blur together. I''m all out of desserts, and something smells salty. The door opens as an odd pirate walks in, their identity unmemorable. They start talking about some sort of sea monster they encountered. A starfish that shot lasers out of its center. Tired eyes blink, everything blurring slightly, as someone else replaces the pirate. A red haired knight, with some fancy armor. Their story is of a continent to the south, full of verdant fields, flowery hills, lush plains, and a blessed forest. A messenger pigeon lands by the bed, delivering a letter with the institute''s seal. Opening the letter, I read of a planned expedition to that southern continent. There is a tinge of envy, as I remain unable to join it. All I can do is request the direct reports from the expedition. And sure enough, more letters arrive. Telling more about the holy forest (it has a title!) and the incredible diversity of its fauna. Then came the identification of a large white crow, who explained more about the forest. Of course, someone was dumb enough to try and check it''s stats. The wise crow Wisteria, level 74, countless skills. A truly legendary entity. For a moment, I feel self-conscious. I check my own stats, but only a faint, half-broken box appears;
The of Nature, Lue lv 12
HP: SP: MP:
Information is missing, but that''s what happens if you try to rely on memory. All things considered, it''s fairly average stats. Maybe a bit low, thanks to my current condition. It only got worse over time. At some point, I accepted my fate. And then, out the window, far in the distance, I can clearly see a bird with royal colors, just as weakened as I. And it bursts into flames, and from the ashes steps out a newborn phoenix. The only known form of natural reincarnation. And there is yet another sense of envy. I built up a few favors over my lifetime. No point in saving them now! Lucy the librarian was a bit concerned by my request for some forbidden or restricted books, though I reassured them it was pure curiosity. After all, most of it was historical texts, considered outdated. There definitely wasn''t anything dangerous or cognito-hazardous. It all starts with a monster that forgot how to evolve.
Excerpt from "Improper System Evolutions"; ...Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Under normal circumstances, the maximum attainable level is 20. To grow beyond level 20, one must either break the system''s limits (of which there are many consequences) or evolve to a form that can better handle the mana. Each evolution normally increases the maximum level by another 20, though some rare evolutions can have higher or lower limits. Normally, evolution is a safe and automatic process, simply taking only a few hours to gather the necessary mana. However, under the wrong circumstances, evolutions can fail. Sometimes there''s simply not enough resources for evolution, in which case it is postponed until sufficient resources are acquired. Sometimes it''s just a matter of stress, and evolution can resume once one calms down. But sometimes, an evolution can begin, only to be unable to complete, and resulting in those who are partially and improperly evolved. The most well known example is the False Phoenix, which started off as a bird-type monster. It attempted to evolve, but for whatever reason it was unable to. Despite that, it still attempted to evolve, eventually forcing one to begin. The result was an uncertain mess of bird-parts. Extra wings, too many eyes, teeth, and one leg. Since then, the False Phoenix attempts to evolve every few weeks. It never works, only evolving random parts, adding or removing limbs. Though, in a twisted way, it achieved a form of immortality. Each time it ''evolves'', its age resets and injuries heal, just like a normal phoenix. Other examples of improper evolution are ''mulification'' of horses, and boneless snakes. ...
This book was forbidden due to its implications. That forcing an improper evolution acted as a sort of ''reincarnation''. At the time, this was mostly theoretical, and unreplicated. The very concept of reincarnating was new, spreading thanks to the phoenixes and fungal fey, which seemed to ''die'' and create offspring from their remains, that then retain memories. Of course, this was long before my time. Nowadays, reincarnation is known, just neglected. Compared to other forms of immortality, reincarnation came with too many downsides. Despite that, a certain wizard went through the trouble of learning everything about reincarnating. Including its consequences. It did help that the wizard wrote it down.
Collection of notes, "Forms of reincarnation and the drawbacks"; 3 current known forms of reincarnation; Natural biological, through the "Reincarnate" skill, and through a magical ritual. Natural biological: Special organ(s) that retains memories, skills, etc. and reforms a new body after death. New body is not identical to previous body, which is what differentiates it from regeneration. "Reincarnate" skill: A passive skill that allows reincarnation upon death, though at a pre-determined cost. Requires making a deal with the system(?), often harsh costs. Magical ritual: Single-use, uses mana and raw materials to create and transfer to a new body. Takes long time to fulfill, high resource cost, only one with chance of failure. For all intents and purposes, the biological method is impossible for normal people. Additionally, ritual method is not sustainable nor reliable. Therefore, the best achievable method would be to obtain the "Reincarnate" skill. First one must contact the system. No consistent method known. Once contact is made, attempt a deal to obtain the skill. Decide on what you are willing to sacrifice each time you reincarnate (or sacrifice once permanently). If deal succeeds, congrats, you have the "Reincarnate" skill. You may also start hearing the system audibly, but you will not be unable to understand. ...
Obviously, having a step-by-step process of how to reincarnate was considered "too dangerous" and the notes "went against all understanding of the system". If younger me, 40 years ago, were to have read this, I would''ve thought the same and ignored it. But with a certain encounter, my thoughts have changed. A hermit that lived in a shack by the sea. Our unexpected meeting was short. But oddly, he kept speaking to nothing in particular. When I asked about it, he said it was the system asking questions. At the time I thought him crazy. Now I question why I, as a scholar, didn''t investigate more. How does one contact the system? Through prayer or song? By reaching out with magic or looking within? Or is it as simple as saying "hello"? Maybe it''s different for everyone. But for me, all it took was offering it a hug and cake. 400 years ago, the false phoenix made a deal. It sacrificed its ability to evolve for the "Reincarnate" skill. 120 years ago, a nameless wizard finally managed to make a deal. No one quite remembers who it was, their name gone. And today, an old scholar wants to see the true nature again. She decides to sacrifice something no one else would ever dare get rid of.
Mochi wakes up from her dream to the sound of gentle breathing. Warm black and grey fur surrounds her, and the faint sound of rain tells her to put the rain-door up. However, peering around Nikola, she sees that the woven rain-door is already in place. She whispers a thanks, and tries to go back to sleep. Today''s a Sunday after all, and Mochi likes to sleep in late on Sundays. "Mr. Narrator, you didn''t have to narrate this. Now be quiet and let me go back to sleep..." Leaves Fall, Foxes Howl, and Bunnies Boom Mochi wakes up once more to an empty yet comfortable bed. The faint rumbling of rain disappoints her, as she wanted to go to the river today. Reluctantly, she stretches and stands up, looking around to see if Nikola is here or not. A sour crunch towards the entrance causes her to flinch. Worrying that something might''ve broke, she goes to the entrance room and sees Nikola chewing on a surprisingly large mana stone. He notices her, and drags a large chunk of meat out of his shadow and silently offers it for breakfast. "Thanks, but you didn''t need to. I''m fine with getting wet!" Mochi says while taking a bite out of the meat. It tasted oddly sweat and salty, causing her to wonder what kind of meat it is. Though, based on the size of the mana stone, it must''ve been quite big and strong. What Mochi failed to consider was that Nikola did this so that Mochi didn''t need to leave without his supervision. Rain dulled the senses too much to risk being separated. Though maybe Nikola was being over-protective of the one person he trusts. As the two eat together, Mochi starts thinking of her plans for winter. Neither wolves nor foxes hibernate, and the lack of edible vegetation will mean most of their food will have to be through hunting. She doubts Nikola will have any problems, but she still needs to work on her hunting skills. Especially sneaking. Finishing up the meat, Mochi next begins inspecting her home for any potential damage. Normally she would''ve done this before any rain, but this storm came quite suddenly. At least mud will be easy to obtain for any repairs. As Mochi inspects along, she notices an odd bump in the storage room. It looks like a dirt coin? She walks up to it and taps it, and an annoyed spider jumps out. The small, slightly fuzzy spider waves two arms around angrily, before crawling back into its hole and closing the trapdoor. Mochi finds it incredibly adorable. Unfortunately, she isn''t quite sure what kind of spider it is, but it doesn''t matter too much. She whispers a small apology, and promises not to bother the spider too much. Finishing up her inspection, Mochi gives a satisfactory nod at her current home''s state. No visible cracks, holes, or pests (thanks spider). ...Now what? The rain is still pouring, so going outside is slightly unappealing. It wouldn''t even be good hunting practice. Having nothing else she needs to do, normally Mochi would''ve gone back to sleep. However, with Nikola here, Mochi wonders if maybe they can try and play a simple game. Surely it won''t be too hard to teach a wolf?
"That''s all they had on Belmthene. It''s quite in-depth but... are you sure you don''t need help?" Dorlin flips through the book, giving a firm nod. "If there''s any problems, I''ll ask for help. Don''t worry." It''s been a long while since he picked up Pom in the forest. He''s been working hard trying to take care of her, but his lack of knowledge on Belmthene was bothering him. There was always the fear of causing unintentional harm to her. As such, the village pooled together enough to buy a book to help. Dorlin returns home, with no hug from Pom as she continues to nap. Though, her antenna does twitch with recognition, calming down as he sits next to her and pets her. And as he comforts the child, Dorlin begins to read about the Belmthene. The book starts with how the Belmthene came about; A queen bee achieving a heritable evolution, which was retained by its offspring. For most other new species, there would be difficulty reproducing, but for the newly evolved queen bee, it alone was enough to produce a stable community. Dorlin skips past most of the early history, looking for any vulnerabilities he has to watch out for, as well as normal behavior. That''s when he notices an important detail. Belmthene normally live in large hive-communities, and only adults are allowed to exit the safe structure. Pom is a child. Why was she out in the forest? He flips over to the culture section of the book. The Belmthene do not discriminate against disabilities, and deafness is the least impactful disability for them thanks to their antennae. They have no proper concept of exile or banishment, and they certainly wouldn''t abandon a child. Dorlin calms himself down. He can worry about why Pom was alone later. Flipping over to the dietary section, Dorlin feels relieved at seeing the omnivore symbol of a boar. Interestingly, the book also claims that there''s no known example of a Belmthene having any allergies, though that may just be a lack of data. In any case, Dorlin''s worries of improper diets was dispelled. As Dorlin continues to read on the common foods Belmthene eat (which of course includes honey), he feels a set of arms grab onto his shoulders and try and pull him down into a hug. Pom has awoken, and unleashes her sneaky back hugs! Letting out a laugh, Dorlin puts down the book and rolls over, flipping Pom into a reverse-hug. The two go back and forth, as the rainy sun sets.
Mochi shouts out in frustration as Nikola beats her in yet another game of Fieldom. It took a while for her to explain the rules (through lots of gestures, barking and yipping, and example games) but once Nikola got it, he''s been winning constantly. The current score was 1: 32, Mochi only winning once to Nikola''s 32.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Nikola, on the other hand was enjoying this immensely. Initially he didn''t quite understand the appeal of such a simple puzzle. But with each win, Mochi seemed to make it harder and harder, encouraging Nikola to focus even more. And the satisfying feeling of winning despite the growing difficulty was addictive. Of course, the games can''t keep going forever. Eventually, Mochi is hungry again, and so she has to politely ask for a break to get dinner. And when Nikola tries to start another round, she politely pokes him until the two go out into the rain to obtain some food. Sticking close together, Mochi checks a few different berry bushes while Nikola keeps watch. Unfortunately, many of the berry bushes no longer have any fruits or flowers, and so Mochi has to resort to picking bloody peppers, which are quite messy to eat. Nikola was also very vocal about the painful smell of the peppers, despite the rain masking most of it. With food taken care of, Mochi also takes an opportunity to clean herself off. The gentle rain washed her outer fur, but it takes a great amount of effort to wash deeper. Luckily, a rough rock was surprisingly effective for that, though Nikola was very concerned the entire time. Once she is done, Mochi heads back home, where she spends a minute drying in the entrance room before going any deeper. Nikola, on the other hand, emerges out of his shadow completely dry, with only mild jealousy from Mochi. And of course, Nikola immediately sits by the makeshift Fieldom square Mochi dug out, requesting another game. Reluctantly, Mochi accepts, though she tries to convey that she''ll only play once before going to sleep. After all, she''s just a small fox, with equally small stamina. At least, that was the initial plan. But of course, she lost the first round. And the next. And a few more after that. Until her turns take minutes and she periodically dozes off, and Nikola has to carry her to bed. And as the rain fades away, the prime wolf keeps playing by himself. Until a tiny spider crawls over, plays a single round, and wins. Of course, the prime wolf whisper-demands a rematch, but the spider ignores him and crawls into their own hole. And so for the rest of the night, Nikola practices by himself.
The sun rises, a bunny wakes up. It hops out of its den, as do many other bunnies. This bunny hops to the edge of the briar patch, where the deadly fox likes to hide. This bunny is not afraid. All the other bunnies watch this one for a moment. Eventually though, they follow. After all, nothing attacked this bunny yet, so surely it''s safe. This bunny hops along until they reach a field of flowers. Tasty, tasty flowers. And as the first bunny here, it gets to have first pick on the best, sweetest flowers! "...it''s too quiet." The brave bunny looks around, between the trees. They check for anything abnormal, a potential danger. It looks up into the leaves, where birds watch silently. Or rather, the birds are watching something behind the bunny. They turn around too late, as sharp jaws snatch them by the neck. The bunny lets out a shrill cry, alerting the others of danger. All the other bunnies run away, but it''s meaningless for the coyote. It already caught one, and that is all it needs for now. However, the coyote misunderstood something. Of course, it lacks the language of the forest, and so it can''t understand what the caught bunny shouted out. The danger wasn''t the coyote, but the bunny. "Grass-plosion" A surge of mana ripples through the ground, spreading out to surround the coyote. The grass''s mana ignites. The area explodes. As the smoke fades away, a single bunny sits, unharmed, among the blasted remains of the coyote. It growls, annoyed at the loss of grass in the surroundings. And the flowers were so good too~. But luckily, there is some nice meat to replace the lost food. As the boom bunny finishes eating the remains, other bunnies peak their heads out of tree roots. Given the all clear, they approach and feast on the remaining flowers. Boom bunny, on the other hand, wanders back home. Explosions take up lots of energy, so they''ll go rest now. A spectating crow is disheartened by the lack of scavenge-able corpse. He really wishes it was his turn to watch the fox now.
As autumn continues, the forest reddens. Leaves begin to fall down, covering the ground in a thick layer. Days are slightly shorter, slightly colder, and slightly dryer. And for Mochi, she has more ways to play around. While a lack of hands makes scooping up leaves difficult, pushing together piles of leaves is still easy enough. And with far less time spent on locating food, Mochi is able to collect ginormous piles of leaves, several times her height! (Which as a small fox, isn''t much.) And what does one do with giant piles of leaves? Jump in them, of course! Whether it''s from the ground, from a tree branch, from a boulder, or from the back of a large black wolf. Let the leaves break the fall, and swim around in soft clutter. Mochi also has a secondary reason for doing this. It''s practice for when she has to jump into snow to hunt during winter. Yep, she''s totally practicing. This is definitely a transferable skill. And she will most likely also be diving into the side of piles of snow for essential stuff. Of course, Mochi still needs to improve her normal chasing and hunting skills while it''s still autumn, when prey is abundant. But there''s plenty of time before winter... "Mr. Narrator, I can feel the sarcasm even if I can''t understand you!" Mochi shouts, muffled beneath lots of leaves. Nikola, as concerned as ever, keeps watch while Mochi plays. However, the fallen leaves are already almost as deep as she is high, and the piles she gathered certainly don''t help. So recently, Nikola and Mochi made a basic form of emergency communication. Inspired by that time Mochi got kidnapped and responded to his Mooncalls with her own howl, Nikola tried to convey the idea of Mochi using howling as an emergency signal. And with great effort, Mochi got the basic idea to howl if she''s in trouble. Of course, there was one detail that Nikola couldn''t leave alone. Mochi''s howling sounded terrible. Unlike his harmonious howls that can echo across the entire forest, Mochi''s howls sound like rusted copper wheels against ceramic. And so, each night, while watching the night sky, Nikola trains Mochi''s howling. And gradually, it becomes less and less painful to listen to. It still doesn''t compare to his own howling, but it would probably take years to reach that level of harmony and grace. By the third week, Mochi''s howls were now passable, and could even be called slightly cute. However, should anyone ever encounter her and hear that howl, they''d feel immense dread. After all, rumors are powerful, and the title of "Caller of the wolf" apparently belongs to a particularly small fox. The Hunters of the Forest It''s a beautiful morning in the forest. And Mochi is still asleep. With the deep design of the den, no light reaches the ''bedroom''. Combined with the insulating warmth of her ''bed'' and Nikola, and Mochi has no reason to wake up yet. Nikola is different. Thanks to his high level, the prime wolf requires very little sleep. He can even go weeks without proper sleep (assuming proper food and mana intake). Though, his time with Mochi has certainly impacted his sleeping schedule. He should''ve been awake three hour ago! First things first, and probably the most challenging thing Nikola does everyday. Get up from the bed without waking Mochi. Luckily, Mochi went to sleep first last night, which meant she isn''t leaning against him. With careful navigating and half a roll, he manages to escape the bed. He then begins his morning inspection of the den. He knows Mochi will do one as well anyways, but if he can find problems earlier it''d make things easier. And plus, he has superior eyesight in the darkness, just a lot less experience. Once he completes the inspection, he then goes out to hunt and fulfill his responsibilities as the prime wolf. Whether it''s ordering wolves around to prevent any internal conflicts, fight those attempting to take his title (despite titles not working like that), or patrolling his territory. For the most part, these responsibilities don''t take much time to complete. Once he is done, Nikola returns to Mochi''s den and plays Fieldom by himself. By this point, he''s confident he can always win, or at least force a tie. Motivated, he calls over that spider. This time, Nikola does a lot better. He manages to survive three turns before losing, compared to two last time. A significant increase of 50%! Believing himself one step closer to victory, he challenges the spider again... except the spider ignores him and goes back to their hole. Nikola sulks off to the side for a moment, before returning to the makeshift board to reflect on the game and how he can improve. Someday, he will beat that spider. He just needs to figure out how. As the sun passes noon outside, Mochi finally wakes up. She lets out an annoyed whine upon seeing Nikola focusing on the Fieldom board, before checking on the angel beard lichen. It''s stable and slowly growing. Maybe adding some additional plant matter will help though. And now, it''s time for breakfast. Mochi peaks out of the entrance, checking to see if there''s anything nearby. Confirming the lack of anything notable, she hops out, followed by a large shadow below her. The two begin wandering around, as Mochi contemplates on what to eat for breakfast. At some point, the two pass by a blueberry bush. As a shadow stretches out and wraps around the bush, Nikola lets out a whine of despair, as there are no more blueberries. He dashes off to check on the other known blueberry bushes, hoping that at least some remain. Mochi doesn''t realize that she''s left by herself. She simply wanders around, eventually running into a pumpkin! Although quite small, compared to the smaller Mochi it''ll be more than enough to feed her. The only problem is breaking it open. She turns around and lets out a sharp bark, attempting to get Nikola to break open the pumpkin for her. However, there''s no response. Glancing around a bit, she lets out a disappointed sigh. It appears that she will have to handle this her own way...
Pom finishes cleaning up lunch in complete silence. Today was dandelion stew with a bit of mice, a simple recipe she learned from Tochan the cat-lady. Of course, Pom had to ask around for mice to cook, as she''s not that great at making traps. The taste is a bit dull for Pom though. It lacks a certain sweetness. She contemplates using some nectar, but chooses not to this time around. It takes too long to generate, so spending it on a simple stew was inefficient. With lunch over, Pom decides she''ll spend today practicing. Someday, she wants to be as great of a hunter as Dorlin. She wants to be strong enough to protect him and the village, so that what happened to her hive doesn''t happen again. And deep down, hidden behind the desire to protect, is an ember seeking revenge. Pom skips over to the drawer and takes out a rolled up piece of wax. She made it last time she practiced her racial skill. She sticks it to the wall, and draws three circles. A target, like the ones in those pictures. She steps back to the opposite wall, and takes a deep breath. First she peels a layer of wax from her arms and twist them into a rod. Then, she unwinds a thin strand of silk from the fur on her neck. Tying the silk to each end of the rod, she twists it until taunt. Three more strands of silk are tied in the same way, then spun together to be slightly stronger. From the garbage basket, Pom takes out an old arrow. It''s head had broken off, but the body is still in one piece. Good enough for practice. She hooks the arrow onto the makeshift bow''s string. It sticks just enough to not fall off. Drawing the bow back, Pom takes aim. Breathe in, shoulder stiff, back straight. Breathe out, lock elbow, relax wrist. Fire The silk string snaps forward, flinging the arrow ahead rapidly. It cuts across the room, sticking into the wax target. The bow cracks, as part of the bowstring unravels from a loss of tension. Pom was lucky it didn''t explode on her. She''s already making plans to improve the next design. But first, she walks over to the target and checks how accurate her first shot was. Just barely in the second circle. For a child with no prior training, it is an amazing achievement. But unfortunately, that is all she can practice for today. She doubts the bow will survive, much less fire a second shot. And it''ll take time to regrow the used wax and silk. And so, recycling the bow, she spends the rest of the day practicing her wax forming skills.
Nikola returns to Mochi with a severe lack of blueberries. He shouldn''t have been so surprised, considering how it''s already nearing winter. And yet, he can''t help but feel disappointed.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Mochi, on the other hand, is currently gorging on a small sweet pumpkin. It had taken quite the effort to break it open, using the power of gravity and a rock, but the uniquely hearty and sweet taste was a worth reward. Of course, she gives a sarcastic greeting to the now-returned Nikola. There is a momentary silence as Mochi eats the pumpkin. Nikola is tempted to ask for his own pumpkin, but feels too awkward and shy to ask, especially after he ran off without telling Mochi. He cautiously wonders if she''s mad about it, but still doesn''t say anything. Mochi sighs from within the pumpkin. She knows Nikola enough that she can tell from his periodic glances that he wants some pumpkin as well. Climbing out of the pumpkin, she pushes it to Nikola, letting him have the rest. Though, considering how small it is, it''ll only be a snack for him. Sure enough, he finishes it with a single bite. Taking a moment to contemplate the taste, Nikola lets out a satisfied huff. With breakfast done, Mochi starts her daily wandering, only to be immediately stopped by Nikola. Winter was approaching, and she was still far too bad at hunting to be self-sustainable. At best, she''ll just barely catch enough for herself. At worst, Nikola will deliver disappointed scraps. And so, seeing as she has consistently gotten distracted, Nikola shall be responsible and force Mochi to practice. He carries her to a clearing in the forest with flowers; there is almost always prey here, and so will provide plenty of opportunities for Mochi''s practice. Mochi complains silently. She considers running, but knows it''s useless, especially with how easy he can catch and carry her. So, reluctantly, Mochi attempts to hunt. First attempt was a squirrel. Mochi tried getting close, but was too hasty and made too much noise when moving, causing the squirrel to run away. Second attempt was a vole. While sneaking, it kept on moving around, until eventually it stopped right in front of Mochi. She pounced towards it, but overshot and flipped off course, missing the vole. Nikola pretends not to have seen what happened. Mochi appreciates the gesture. Third attempt was a big bunny. It appeared to be leading a few other bunnies, but this meant it got distracted often. Moving closer only on those opportunities, she sneaks right behind the bunny. And then Nikola smells something wrong. He smells something burnt. Mochi pounces, landing directly onto the bunny. She refrains from biting, as this was mostly for practice though. Losing targets would just make it harder later. And then the grass around them explode. Nikola is momentarily stunned. His first instinct is to run, avoiding any potential follow-up. His instinct is overwritten by concern, Mochi was right in the middle of the explosion. Did something happen to her? The concern melts towards rage. And then from the smoke, steps out a very annoyed fox, holding a panicking bunny. As Nikola huffs in relief, Mochi considers what to do with the troublesome bunny. She definitely won''t eat it, as it smells and tastes like burnt grass. But letting them go unpunished would be too generous. It certainly didn''t help that Mochi was incredibly bad at being cruel. She didn''t want to hurt the bunny either. After thinking about it for a while, Mochi uses the prolonged capture time as an excuse and lets the bunny go, much to Nikola''s dissatisfaction. As the bunny runs away from what it assumes are two extremely strong monsters, Nikola uses ''analysis'' to try and figure out what the explosion was in the first place.
Leadership 1 Selfless 2 Taboo 2+ [...] Material Detonation [A] Entice [C] Instinct [C] [...]
Seems it''s a newly-evolved one. While he''s never seen this particular evolution before, he doubts it''ll be a problem for him. And clearly, it also doesn''t affect Mochi either. And so, Nikola holds minimal concern for the boom bunny, his previous anger already pacified by Mochi. ...of course, this doesn''t mean she''s excused from practice. Nikola catches her as she is about to run away, and this time brings her to the river. Mochi spends the next few hours practicing under Nikola''s supervision. "Who knew they''d be so strict~"
A cart carrying hay lies unwatched on the edge of the city of Hormstid. The owner, an agricultural trader, laughs along in the tavern nearby, making new friends and connections. Every so often, a guard patrols past the cart, but pays little attention to it. Inspection of goods takes place at the gates, and so there shouldn''t be anything wrong with the hay. At least, that is how it normally works. Inspections are primarily done to prevent anything unwanted from being smuggled into the city. But there''s very little need to prevent something from leaving the city. Sure, sometimes a thief steals something valuable, but then you''d use tracking skills to locate either the thief, or the stolen object, rather than doubly inspect everything that leaves the city. So when a little something climbs into the hay cart unseen, and takes a little nap, and becomes nearly invisible and silent? No one will ever know, nor will they even bother to check. And so on the next morning, when the trader drives their cart of hay past the city''s gates, no one notices anything strange. The cart is driven across the roads, through several villages, towns, and cities. Sometimes hay is dropped off, sometimes more is added. But every time, no one even senses the presence of a hidden passenger. And eventually, the cart stops by Panace. A small village, right in the middle of three natural barriers against expansion. The desert to the south, wide and deep. Mountains to the east, frozen and jagged. And the blighted forest, where the recent disaster occured. It is here, when the trader is busy talking about rumors of foxes and wolves and strange lights, that the passenger sneaks off. It slinks past houses, through shadows, into the grass. It leaves the borders of the village, down past the guardian stone, and right into the trees. The creature smells something upon entering the forest. Something that makes it cautious. Something at the apex. Level 100. A faint smile cracks on the creature''s face, as it realizes that that damned bird has finally done it. Its smile fades though, as it fails to detect her. Is she asleep again? How unfortunate, they wanted to talk with her. But then again, that isn''t their main goal this trip. No, they''re here for something so much more interesting. And now, they also don''t have to worry about being sneaky either. As the illusory field breaks away, a young... person fixes their hair. For a moment, their face flickers, swapping through a dozen different guises. A beautiful man, a grizzled soldier, a scarred woman, an innocent girl, a proud boy, a terrible thief, until finally it stops on the face of a Belmthene. Stepping forward, they pass through the forest, instincts on full alert. They try to locate their target, but countless skills fail to track it. Instead, it only draws the attention of a snake. With a scowl, a bolt of blue flames cut out from her back, slicing the snake apart. The illusion on her back shatters, revealing a dozen different tails of powerful beasts. They quickly cover it with another illusion. In the blighted forest, it is always better to play it safe. It only takes a single mistake. The hunter of all beasts understands this the best.
"I am spider. I like hiding. Fur is very good hiding spot. Very simple request." "No, do not even dare crawl on me." "Why not? You let fox on you." "Fox earned it. You have not." "Okay. I make offer. If I win, you let me on." "...what will I get if I win?" ...it didn''t matter, as the spider won anyways. Winter Arrives In the southern continent, there exists a forest. In the forest, there is a briar patch. And in that briar patch, there are bunnies. Hundreds of bunnies, hidden among the thorny briars, trying so hard to survive. And among those many bunnies, there is a boom bunny. The boom bunny is a uniquely smart individual. Through careful analysis of predator habits, territories, and food sources, they''ve been able to survive significantly longer than the other bunnies. For 9 years they''ve survived, at the great cost of countless other bunnies. Sometimes they let others venture out first, as bait for lurking dangers. Sometimes they ate bad grass, so as not to be exposed when the hawks fly overhead. Sometimes they scavenged the corpses of starved predators in the desolate winter. And every time, they avoid a death another bunny faces. Of course, they held much more guilt and regret than any other bunny. Their desire to survive costs the lives of his fellow bunnies. Sometimes, they wonder if they could''ve saved at least a few. With a high enough level, surely they could fight back? Surely they could defend their kin? ...but doing so would risk their life. A single mistake is all it takes to lose everything. The bunny suffered 9 years of guilt, unable to save their kin. At best, they could order everyone around so that the youngest are least likely to die. But that doesn''t prevent death, it simply changes who dies. If only there was a way to fight back, to guarantee safety. And then, as the leaves fall and pile up on the ground once again, they reach level 20. A rare achievement among bunnies. And with it, came evolution. And with the evolution came a way to truly fight back. No longer shall boom bunny let others go first only to perish. They shall take the lead, and unleash their newfound power against any and all threats. Of course, they do need to be careful of collateral damage. Luckily, it only takes a few minutes to explain the concept of explosions to most of the other bunnies. And so, overconfident with power, the boom bunny threw themself into danger, only to annihilate that danger. Of course, the boom bunny knew that there are still a few threats that they can''t handle. But most wouldn''t even target a small bunny, and so they assumed themself to be relatively safe now. And then came a fox, sneaking through the grass. Boom bunny heard them already, and so warned the other bunnies to go away from them. Partway through giving orders, the fox pounces. Boom bunny''s "Instinct" skill doesn''t react. Next thing they know, they''re pinned down by the fox. But the fox doesn''t attack beyond catching them. Did they hesitate? Don''t they know how dangerous a mistake can be? Well, it''s not a lesson you can learn twice. Boom bunny detonates the grass around them, just like how they defeated every predator before. They prepare the inevitable fall after being thrown up by the force... ...Except the fox is still pinning them down. And then the bunny is picked up, filling them with shock. As the smoke clears, and the fox holding the bunny remains unscathed, boom bunny''s confidence in their explosion fails them. How did a simple fox manage to survi- no, outright ignore their attack? In hindsight, they never did test exactly how strong their explosion was against something that could survive a blast. At what level allows something to survive it? Level 20, like them? level 40? How strong is this fox? And then the fox brings them face-to-face with a shadow in the shape of a wolf. The manifestation of an idealized wolf, a menacing presence that the bunny has only ever felt and hear of, but never witnessed. And the prime wolf was now staring directly through the bunny. In a way, this answered part of a question. This fox had some sort of connection to the prime wolf. Of course it''d be able to survive their explosion. After all, the prime wolf is surely not one to be swayed by any weakling. For a few agonizing minutes, the bunny is held between the two menacing predators. They''re almost tempted to unleash another explosion, but there was a flaw with the skill; the bunny had to say out loud what they''re detonating. The wolf should be able to react and kill the bunny before they can finish activating the skill. Suddenly, the fox releases the bunny. They don''t bother to stick around for any moment longer, sprinting across the flower field, through the forest, back to the briar patch. And there, afraid for their life, the bunny falls asleep. Over the next few weeks, boom bunny would encounter the fox several more times. Every time, they try whatever they can to not get caught. And every time, Mochi catches them anyways. And every time, they''re let go without any harm. It only makes them more wary of the fox''s intentions.
Nikola watches as Mochi completes another practice hunt. He gives an approving nod, much to Mochi''s delight and exhaustion. Over the last few weeks, Nikola did his best at teaching Mochi how to actually hunt effectively and efficiently. And through that great amount of effort, Mochi is more capable of supporting herself in terms of meat. And not a moment too soon, as the first flake of snow begins falling in the morning. Of course, it isn''t all just hunting practice for Mochi. There''s plenty of other things she did in preparation for winter. First, for her den, she dug out a channel by the entrance to protect against the colder wind. She also added a layer of sticks and leaves and mud above her den as an insulating layer, though it''s only needed until the snow gets thick enough, as snow itself is an insulator. Inside, the floor is covered by shed fur, as Mochi''s winter coat replaced her summer one. There''s an especially large amount of fur in the bed, as it''s fairly comfortable to rest on. Unfortunately, Nikola does not shed fur, likely having to do with his unique shadow-based biology (or at least that''s Mochi''s best guess). Mochi also took advantage of the mana gems still in storage. She kept on getting them as gifts from the crows, likely because the crows couldn''t use them. Well, neither could she, really. But she does know enough alchemy to turn them into something more useful. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. By covering a mana gem with charcoal, it can draw out a tiny amount of raw fire mana. Then, placing a rock on top of it causes the fire mana to warm up the rock. The effect is tiny, but in an enclosed space and over a long time, it actually warms up the den slightly. Nikola silently considers this an incredible waste of mana gems, but is at least assured that the mana gems aren''t spent in the process. If consumed, there''s enough for even him to level up, much less Mochi who''s undeniably a low level and such would benefit greatly from consuming the gems. Though, he still doesn''t understand fully why she would keep so many in storage. He tried asking a while ago, but it seemed she didn''t quite understand the question. The language barrier remains a major obstacle. And as the first snow piles up to a thin powdery blanket, the inside of Mochi''s den remains warm and cozy! Just like she planned. But this is only the beginning. For the snow will only get worse, and eventually there may even be blizzards. But Mochi isn''t going to worry about that for now. Instead, she''s hungry again, and so it''s time to put all that practice to the test! Today''s hunting ground is the river, which is already shrinking as the source freezes up. This forces some to get into slightly more vulnerable positions to get a drink. For example, a squirrel that''s forced to stray far from their safe trees. Mochi takes position in the cold grass, slowly shuffling forward. She''s careful of the snow, making sure not to step on any hidden sticks or anything. Periodically, she freezes close to the ground as the squirrel looks up and around for movement. When it sees nothing unusual, it returns to drinking, and Mochi takes another step forward. Then, when she''s close enough, Mochi pounces. In a single instant, she''s able catch the squirrel, and snaps its neck. Silently celebrating the successful hunt, Mochi carries her prize back home to eat, giving a quick glance at Nikola who was watching behind a tree''s shadow. Giving one last approving nod, Nikola runs off for his own hunt, as well as exercise a bit of his more destructive skills. Sniffing around, he locks on to a deer that passed by a few hours ago. Swimming through shadows, he rapidly approached the location of the smell. He stops, hidden within the shadows. He found the deer, but there''s something unusual about the surroundings. He can''t quite tell, nothing looks unusual. Yet, a faint whisper of doubt lingers. It''s a minute of observing that the prime wolf notices what was so odd; the deer isn''t moving. No, its image was moving, back and forth, looking around. But the scent, the source, is still and unmoving. An illusion, likely. And a very competent one, capable of movement. He contemplates on using ''Analysis'', but decides to wait and hope for any other details to be revealed first. And sure enough, after a few minutes, the prime wolf''s patience is rewarded. The illusion flickers off, revealing the deer on the ground with something sitting atop. The entity appears to be anthropomorphic, with sharp clawed hands and bony feet. The chest is covered in heavy brown fur, but it''s hard to tell whether or not it''s clothing. And it has the head of a bee, eyes devoid of light despite the sun shining through the clouds. The prime wolf attempts to use ''analysis'' now. If even this is an illusion, then he knows enough to run. But thankfully, the result appears.
Obsession 5 Dysmorphia 3 Mercy 7- [...] Assimilate [S] Wisdom [A] Flawed Illusions [C] [...] [???]
The prime wolf doesn''t hesitate. Diving deep into the shadows, he runs as far and fast as possible. For several minutes, he continues to run. He doesn''t see the bee head watching him leave, nor the glimmer of disinterest in its eye. He keeps running, until he reaches the forest''s edge. "What was that thing? Level 93 with a title, imperceivable stats, ''Assimilate''? There''s no way it''s native to the forest. Dammit, where''s the crow when you need her!" He lets out his frustration with the lazy wise crow, before carefully thinking of how to handle this entity. Obviously, he can''t fight against them, that would just lead to his death. As far as he knows, the prime wolf is faster than them, so running if he ever encounters them again is a good choice. But what about the fox? Nikola runs over to Mochi''s den, checking the surroundings and erasing any sign they were there. Then he dives inside, much to the surprise of a resting Mochi. ...Right, how can he tell Mochi about the danger in the forest...
Pom''s antenna has been twitching for the past few weeks. Something has been bothering her, but it was hard to describe what it was. A faint... nostalgia? Homesickness? No, those weren''t the right words. It was more concrete than that, a mental tug to something vaguely familiar, yet undoubtedly different. When she told Dorlin about it, he suggested that maybe it has something to do with her past, something so long ago that she''s forgotten, but that her antenna vaguely recognizes. The idea was appealing, but also frightening. There weren''t many good things left from her past, she was certain. In any case, Dorlin offered to take Pom to whatever or wherever the source of it was. Yet, when she pointed to the forest, he hesitated. The forest was a dangerous place, and Pom was still just a child. If something were to happen... He reluctantly agreed, but they would go in a month during the middle of winter. It is during this time that the most dangerous predators are dormant, and there is a lack of hiding spots from which they can get ambushed. Until then, he''ll teach Pom everything she needs to survive in the forest, should something go wrong. During the night, he reads several books, specifically on first aid, and medical treatment for Belmthene. And unbeknownst to him, Pom practices her archery and wax forming skills. She refused to be a burden during the trip. But one day, a dull stinging sensation echos through her antenna. It wasn''t painful, yet it caused Pom to panic. She recognized the sensation from a long time ago, one that she will never forget. It was the signal for when the hive''s queen was injured. She ran out, towards the source, into the blighted forest.
Boom bunny was having a terrible, terrible day. As always, that damned fox came around again! This time around, they managed to escape, only to run into some weird clawed bee monster thing(?). It was fast, but through perfect timing, the bunny managed to blow up the ground right as before they got grabbed. And this time, they invested a large amount of mana for even more power! Of course, this distraction did result in them getting caught by the fox, to which the bunny kept on shouting curses. But as the smoke clears, the bunny and fox watch as the monster stands mostly unharmed, except for a minor burn on its arm. Something shimmers, as blue flames break out of its back, revealing twelve tails. And Mochi begins to run, still holding the bunny. The language barrier between Mochi and Nikola meant he couldn''t fully explain the unusual nature of the monster. But at the very least, Mochi understood that this thing was strong. And as Mochi runs, a bolt of blue flames zips right next to her. The bunny shouts out a warning, but it isn''t understood in time. With one swipe, the flames shoots straight through the fox. The Hunted of the Forest Nothing happens. Mochi continues to run, as more of the blue flames zip through and around her. Yet, they have no effect on her. The bunny almost thinks the flames have a non-damaging effect... until one grazes their right arm, disintegrating it. The bunny faints, going limp in Mochi''s mouth as she sprints around trees and through dormant bushes. Taking cover behind an old charred stump, she glances back at the monster. It stares directly at Mochi, their head reforming into a more feline form. A cheetah''s head? Crouching down, it begins running rapidly towards Mochi. Making a split decision, she leaves the bunny behind the stump and jumps out. Luckily, the monster targets her, turning slightly to pursue her. Mochi is at a severe disadvantage. At their current speeds, the monster will reach her in just a few seconds. The nearest tree is too far, no other obstacles to use, and no way to fight back. However, Mochi did have one thing; knowledge on wildlife. With each stride, the monster gets closer. Until it gets within two leaps from reaching Mochi. Suddenly, she stops completely. If she couldn''t outrun them, then she''ll outmaneuver them. However, a small tilt, a quick glance, a momentary twitch of a foot. The monster determines Mochi to be going left. Cheetahs have an incredible ability. They can turn their body in midair, preemptively making sharp turns. Of course, their direction of movement changes only once they next touch the ground, but this is enough for the monster to direct themself to catch Mochi whether she stays still or go left. But Mochi knows that. She turns left. The monster taps the ground, a single leap away. It lunges slightly left. Mochi jumps backwards, to the right. The monster bends, reaching for her. But still in the air, they''re unable to prevent themself from overshooting. A small victory for Mochi. She doesn''t notice the snake tail until it whips into her, knocking her away. She rolls through the snow and dirt, disoriented and staggered. She got too focused on escaping the ''cheetah'', that she neglected the other 11 tails of the monster. Mochi struggles to stand, leaning against a tree for support. The monster slowly walks towards her, saying something in a language she doesn''t understand. It had a mocking tone, but Mochi ignored them. How can she escape... Behind the monster, unseen and unheard, a bunny jumps onto the tree stump. It points its remaining left arm to Mochi''s right. She takes the chance, jumping right. Directly into an explosion. The monster lets out a curse, before sending a blue bolt of flames towards the bunny. However, it had already planned for that, and blew up the stump, launching themself away. Annoyed, the monster dashes into the smoke, chasing after Mochi. However, it immediately realizes the problem. The smoke not only blinds them, but the smell makes it impossible to locate the fox''s scent. The monster''s head morphs again, back into the Belmthene, and it searches for movement using its antennae. One signal behind them, likely the bunny. One signal close by moving away, the fox. And another signal, weak, far beyond their detection range? Whatever, they can deal with that later. With a precise pounce and thrust, the monster stabs their claws through the fox''s signal.
"Mom, who''s the strongest person you know?" "Well, that depends. Strength is relative. The best swordsmen would lose to an archer from across the forest, while impenetrable armor fails to protect one from poison. But if you wish to know who would be most troublesome for me, then it''d have to be Birstim the Lich." "Well, how about strongest against the forest beasts? Like that black wolf?" "Against them? That''s easy. The hunter, Lilaphen. They''re not particularly smart, but their skill is deadly in close combat. And since most in this forest lack ranged options, they have no way to win." "Oh, I remember that name! That''s the one who absorbs others, right? Do you think I can beat them?" "No. But they definitely can''t kill you either. You lack power, they lack range." ... ... "Mom, I hope you were right."
The smoke settles down, as the monster curses in an ancient tongue. In their hands is a mutilated squirrel, not a fox. Twice now, they have evaded capture. The monster becomes even more enraged, yet also motivated. It was rare finding something that can evade them for so long. It makes the hunt so much more satisfying when it ends. They search the snow for tracks. There''s several, but ignoring the large ones and the ones made earlier, there''s three that could''ve been made by the fox. The monster''s head morphs into that of a dog, sniffing each track to see which one is most likely the fox''s. Finding the third one to have the strongest, most recent scent, the monster begins following it. Though, after a while, it notes an odd sense of being watched. Pausing for a moment, they look around. Nothing unusual, just trees and snow. And then, in the far distance, they see the fox. The monster''s head shifts to a reptilian form, intending on a more stealthy approach. Their skin shifts and folds, colors draining away, until they become nearly invisible. Taking care to minimize sound, the monster pursues the fox. Initially, the fox seems to remain clueless, continuing to run ahead. the monster circles around at a faster stride, intending to end up in front of the fox and let it run into them. Yet, as the monster circles around, the fox stops and looks directly towards them. The monster hesitates. Did they get heard? Carefully, and with absolutely no sound, the monster crawls along to a different angle. Yet, the entire time, the fox watches them. Somehow, the fox could see through the monster''s invisibility. Having no further point in stealth, the monster charges for the fox. Yet this time, the fox doesn''t run. Instead, it sits down, staring directly at the monster. The monster suspects a trick. Of course, it wouldn''t be an attack, as the fox would''ve used something by now. Rather, it likely had a plan to escape. The monster''s head shifts into a goat, halting just a few steps away from the fox. Their tails flare out and surround the fox, ready to catch it should it run closer. Taking a deep breath, the monster breathes out bright orange flames, engulfing the fox and the surroundings. It only persists for three seconds, before the monster runs out of flames. And of course, the fox sits unscathed. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! At the very least, the monster confirms the fox''s immunity to magical attacks and skills. Their secondary plan for the breath was also successful; removing anything and everything behind the fox, providing no place to hide. The monster lunges forward, confident that the fox has no way out. And they were right, the fox themself didn''t have any way out. The fox''s shadow sends an edge piercing through the fox, out their head, and directly into the open claws of the monster. It crashes with great force, knocking the monster back and shattering harmlessly through the fox. "Well, I didn''t expect you to be brave enough to interfere. Oh well, I''m fine with taking you as well." The monster gives a sinister smile, as from the fox''s shadow a black wolf melts out. The prime wolf gives a piercing stare, as it attempts yet another analysis of the monster. The monster''s head morphs to a more draconic form, as their skin hardens and calcifies, and claws ignite. It charges ahead, and is met by swinging shadows. With a single punch, the shadows shatter away, forcing the prime wolf to grow more. The monster takes another leap forward, crashing through a makeshift wall of shadows. It''s only after seeing the other side that the monster realize the two''s plans. The fox has already ran off, the lack of snow making tracking where they went difficult. This was only a distraction.
Mochi compiled everything she''s seen so far as she runs from the fight. Whatever this monster is, it either doesn''t have any innate skills, or can''t utilize them for some reason. Otherwise, why would it only use the skills of the monster it has the head of. It started with a bee-like head, which she didn''t recognize. Next was a cheetah, and with its super speed. Then a greater chameleon, with lesser invisibility. And finally, the fire-breathing goat head of a chimera. Assuming its tails are directly connected to at least one head, there''s still at least 8 more, and that''s without the possibility of heads without tails. Luckily, she knows enough to make an educated guess as to what some of the remaining heads may be; bull, scorpion, drake, shark, and centipede. The remaining tails are too ambiguous, but are likely for a furry mammal, bird, and reptile. Hoping she''s right, Mochi runs to her den. There is a momentary temptation to hide, but she quickly brushes it away. For the shadow wolf''s sake, she''ll do everything she can to help. And luckily, she has a few useful tools. She grabs two mana gems, small yet dense ones. Then she makes her way to the home of the bunnies, the briar patch. She faintly smells something burnt, a good sign. Letting out a casual yip, she receives an immediate response from her recent friend, the boom bunny, as they stomp their feet angrily. Ignoring the aggression, Mochi places down the two mana gems on the edge of the briar patch. This immediately draws the attention of the bunny, though it doesn''t remove their suspicion. Reluctantly, they emerge out of the briar patch and pick up a mana gem. It''s the perfect size to consume, specifically chosen for the bunny. Just as the boom bunny was finally letting down their guard, Mochi grabs them and the mana gems, and begins running. And it was towards where that monster was. The bunny curses Mochi as she locates an ideal position. Close enough to be accurate, far enough to avoid detection. The plan is risky. She doesn''t even know if it will work. After all, she was only a scholar of nature. And now, she is just a fox.
"The probability of a mana gem forming is only one percent per year that a creature lives. It forms by the liver, and has no real impact while inside, neither positive nor negative." "But would it not provide additional mana for skills?" "Unfortunately, no. Its passive output and the energy cost of your body dealing with it cancels each other out. And of course, further output requires the gem to be broken, quite difficult when it''s by your liver." "What can it be used for?" "I''m getting there, be patient-" "Question, is mana gem formation related to mana crystal formation?" "Yes, both are the crystallization of an accumulation of mana within the body. Gems are simply refined and ''focused'' by the liver, while mana crystals can form wherever." "Oh cool, my cousin-" "Shush, let teach speak." "...as I was saying, mana gems are very dense in mana, but it''s refinement makes it quite stable and difficult to utilize. That''s why you usually have to break them to release the mana for use. You may have seen some of the alchemists do that. However, there is a way to utilize mana gems without breaking them. By consuming one whole, you can fuel your body''s growth, accelerating leveling and providing a small boost. It''s enough to bring most of you up by a level or two! However, there is a secondary effect; the next skill or spell you use is amplified." "Wait, is the accelerating leveling temporary or permanent?" "Temporary, based on several factors. Just know that it''s more effective when your level is lower." "That means teach doesn''t know!" "It''s a complicated field of study. I wouldn''t recommend it." "Of course you tried it, mister everything." "Of course you didn''t, miss nature Lue." "That''s enough. Please stay on topic. Now where was I..."
Nikola rolls out of the way of yet another wild swing of the monster''s claws. The tree behind him shatters, smoldering. He swipes with his own claws, shadows following behind, but it fails to even scratch the hard metallic scales. A kick from the monster knocks him away. He falls into his own shadow and back out behind the monster, only to have an armored elbow crash into his nose. Recoiling from the pain, he fails to avoid a swinging tail as it knocks him back again. "Third time. That''s the third time I could''ve killed you already. You''re not worth hunting. So don''t make me change my mind." The monster mocks Nikola, turning and walking away. This wasn''t the first time the fight ended. Earlier, the monster landed a hard punch to his chest, knocking him down. Yet instead of finishing him, the monster simply tried to leave. If it was the prime wolf, then he would''ve swallowed his pride and stayed down, thankful for the mercy. But the monster said something, something that forced Nikola to stand up again. "I can''t wait to catch that fox~" He attacked again. And was knocked down again. And was sparred again. But it was too soon. Mochi hasn''t had enough time to run. And so he got back up. Again and again. "What is it about that fox that makes you so determined? Oh, who am I kidding. I''m already thirsting for them as well." The monster turns around, hand grabbing Nikola just as he attempts another pounce. It drags him down, crashing against the ground. And this time, they don''t let go. The monster lifts Nikola up again, annoyed and yet smiling. "I gave you the chance to live. You made your choice. Now here''s a new one; what kind of death do you want? A long and painful one, or painless?" Before he could even give a response, a sharp electric pain sears from the monster''s grip through Nikola. It lasts only for a moment, but an echo of pain persists. "That was just an example. So, what''s your choice?" "...take as long as you want" He''ll buy Mochi every second he could. After all, she saved his life, and so it''s only fitting to return the favor. The monster shrugs, indifferent to Nikola''s decision. In the end, ''assimilate'' functions the same whether or not the target is alive. They activate the skill, and begin draining Nikola''s mana. The prime wolf is rendered helpless, as pain surges through. First through the skin, then into their muscles, then deep into their bones. His mana drains, but the skill needs more. And so it seeks out his soul, looking to tear it apart and absorb it. But for a split moment, something interrupts the process. The invisible tendrils of assimilate notice a bit of mana they haven''t taken yet. A minuscule amount, but it was enough to delay reaching for the prime wolf''s soul. The tendrils seek out the drop of mana. Except, it wasn''t a single point of mana. The tendrils follow as the small piece of mana courses through a vein-like system, spreading throughout the wolf''s fur. It wraps around, back and forth, interwoven between every strand of fur. Of course, eventually the tendrils figure out this web of mana. But it took a minute. During which Nikola enjoyed a respite from the pain. Though he was still held immobile, and exhausted, he had a cleared head. And a clearer sight of the sky. The clouded, dull sky. With two white crows. Laurel and Poppy, the direct descendants of Wisteria. They fly together, watching the monster Lilaphen from a safe distance. The crows'' original plan for them was to leave them alone, as long as they didn''t get too close to Wisteria or the Oclid tree. But with Lilaphen targeting the fox, things got complicated. They cannot kill Lilaphen, they lack the power. Or rather, it''d take too long, and Lilaphen is too fast. Additionally, it''d cause collateral damage, which Wisteria doesn''t like. And so, they circle above, indecisive and unable to stop the fight between the prime wolf and Lilaphen. However, with the prime wolf caught in their grasp, the two agree that they have to do something now. It may cause great harm to the prime wolf as well, but that''s a minimal amount of collateral. And then they spot something. And then Nikola smells something. And then the monster, the hunter, Lilaphen, hears something step through the snow right below them. There runs a small fox, holding a mana gem. "Material Detonation; mana gem" Manaless The prime wolf Nikola wakes up to a mix of pain and sickness. There''s the deep echoing feeling from when his mana was drained out, a searing burn across his lower half from the explosion, a few lingering cuts and bruises from being thrown around during the fight, and a constant ringing in his ears as it tries to recover from the explosion. Looking around, the surroundings are still obscured by a cloud of smoke and powdered snow. He must''ve been out for only a moment. Carefully, he tries to stand, but his legs fail to gather enough strength. And then something starts approaching him. A small figure in the smoke. Wholly uninjured despite being at the epicenter of the explosion, Mochi steps out of the smoke and towards Nikola. He lets out a huff of relief, as the fox circles around him and inspects his injuries. "You didn''t need to come back, little fox" He whispers, before coughing a bit. Mochi responds with a faint purr, silencing his comments so that she could determine the extent of his injuries. It was fairly bad, not including any internal injuries either, but for the most part it wasn''t life-threatening. Concluding her inspection, Mochi gives a thoughtful nod, before seemingly remembering something, and running off. Running away from the smoke, Nikola watches as Mochi reaches a normal tree and climbs up. Through the branches, he can just barely make out a... bunny? Oh, so that''s where the explosion came from. He''d forgotten they even existed. The bunny angrily thumps its leg on the tree, shouting out curses at the damn fox that dragged them back into danger. Mochi waits patiently and apologetically, until the bunny finally calms down. They then demand help getting down, since Mochi was the one who brought them up there. Mochi picks the bunny up and carries them down the tree, dropping them at the base. As the bunny runs away, Mochi grabs something hidden at the base of the tree, before returning to Nikola''s side. She tries to pass a small mana gem to him, as a thanks for all he has done. He hesitates, "I do not need it. Use it yourself, little fox-" Frustrated, Mochi bites the gem, shattering it. She then forces the pieces into Nikola''s mouth. She needed him to recover as much mana as possible. They didn''t have much time. The monster probably survived. The last of the smoke fades away, revealing a gruesome sight. The monster, the false tailed hunter, Lilaphen, on the ground with their entire lower half burnt. They glare at Mochi, a mix of rage and crazed obsession. And then, Lilaphen shouts in old Reathic. Nikola doesn''t understand it, but Mochi does. It was her native language after all. "You- You''re a- Smart little fox. A truly perfect specimen. Someone worth hunting. Let''s make a deal, you have something we want. No, not just something... we want you" Mochi takes a step back in fear. The monster should be immobilized, incapable of hurting her, and shouldn''t be a threat. But something was wrong. A tiny itch in the back of her mind telling her that she missed a detail, that her fear is warranted. ...did it always have a wolf''s tail? Nikola reacts first. A shadowy spike flies towards the monster. But before it reaches, the monster drops into their own shadow and emerges behind Mochi. They grab her, and their tails swing into Nikola, stabbing and knocking him away. And then a beam of light drops down onto the monster and Mochi. The two white crows, Laurel and Poppy, circle around the pillar of light, fueling it. Bit by bit, the monster''s flesh begins to break and decay. This is the power of the white crows. It''s slow and weak, yet ignores all resistances. And with the monster''s lessened mobility, it might actually work. But Lilaphen laughs it off. Because it has the one thing that can counter this power. Even now, the fox remains unharmed by the indiscriminate decaying light. Lilaphen activates ''Assimilate''.
Mana fuels the soul. Or the soul produces mana. It is an argument started before written history, and continues to this day. Neither can be true at the same time; one must by false. When you breathe in, mana is drawn from the surroundings. When you breathe out, mana leaks out. But it is less than the amount breathed in. And thus, some of the mana is kept, used as fuel for the soul. When one completely uses up their mana, they are exhausted, but not harmed. Even when kept in a mana-less environment, they can survive just fine, and can even regenerate mana (though at a slower rate). Thus, mana is not a fuel for the soul, but instead produced by it. The argument persists.
Lue wakes up in a long, empty hallway. Behind her was a door made of crystal. Ahead was just darkness. She tries the door first, but turning the handle didn''t do anything. Or maybe the door was simply too heavy for her. Either way, she has to give up on the door, and so walks into the darkness. Contrary to her expectations, the darkness wasn''t cold. It was comfortably warm, like a constant hug. Periodically, a faint smell would float past her, often of something vaguely familiar. The smell of wood, rust, smoke, bread, medicine, spices, blood, flowers. Lue isn''t sure how far she''s walked, but she isn''t tired, so surely it isn''t too far. Eventually, in the far distance, a soft glow becomes visible. With a mix of curiosity and hope, she runs towards the light. The hallway opens up to a large library. Shelves stacked on shelves of books. Ladders are placed haphazardly, some even stacked together to reach even higher. Looking up, even the ceiling has bookshelves hanging down, ropes dangling from them, likely the only way to reach such high books. In any other context, Lue would''ve been ecstatic with the density on information. But after going through a dark hallway with no memory of how she got here, she''s slightly more wary of this place. Walking deeper into the library, she finds a counter, with a strange draconic man writing something. Lue approaches cautiously, hoping that they may be able to tell her about this place. The man stops writing, looks up, and gives a confused frown. "...hm? You... you''re not supposed to be here." The man''s voice echos among the books, reminding Lue of the pure silence up until now. She shakes her head, "I don''t even know where this is. What is this place?" The man hesitates for a while, thinking carefully on what to reveal and what to keep hidden. "This is the system''s archives. It''s a restricted area, certainly not somewhere a lost soul should be able to wander into..." Standing up, the dragonoid walks up to Lue. They stare for a while, before frowning even more. "Hm... I can''t seem to read your soul. Tell me, what''s your name?" Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Lue? Mochi Lue, to be exact." The dragonoid nods, before walking up to a bookshelf. The shelves suddenly begin to move around, sliding across the floor and each other. Once they stop, the man checks a few books, before pulling out one with Lue''s name. "hm...? That''s strange. You died quite a while ago. Your soul should''ve... ''Reincarnate''? Oh, that partially explains things..." "Can you please tell me what happened and why I''m here?" "You''re dead. Or well, your body died. Normally, when a body dies, the soul leaves it and gets collected by the system. But for you, because you have ''Reincarnate'', your soul retains your memories and remain uncollectible. Then a new body forms, the soul inhabits it, congrats on reincarnating. However, something has gone wrong. Not quite sure what, but it did, and now you''re here." The man returns to his desk, and opens a drawer. Searching through it, he eventually takes out a stone tablet. "Hopefully this can help diagnose the problem. Please hold this and tell me if there''s anything unusual." He hands the tablet to Lue, who holds it with trepidation. It lets out a brief flash, before a familiar screen fades onto it.
Curious 3 Selfless 1+ Friendly 1 [...] Reincarnate [S] Wisdom [A] Pacify [C] [...] [System Corridor]
There was something in the sixth box. As far as she knew, there shouldn''t be anything in the sixth box. It''s always been an empty box, all of the books said it was always empty... but of course, books aren''t perfect. "There''s something called ''System Corridor'' in the sixth box? What is it? Is it bad?" "Oh! That''s how you''re here then. Well, first of all, congrats on making contact with the inner system. I guess you deserve a more in-depth explanation then... go ahead and grab a chair or something." The dragonoid gestures around, a few different chairs folding out of the shelves and floor. Lue sits down onto a comfortable sand-filled chair. She gives her full attention to the explanation, caution overridden by curiosity. "Hm... let''s start with the basics. Levels, traits, skills, all of those that appear on your status screen are actually about your soul. Level is the size and strength of your soul, traits affect the shape, and skills are carved into your soul. The system only looks at souls and displays the information; it can''t affect any of these normally, as your soul is an independent entity. But rarely, the system does affect a soul. Specifically, when it grants a skill through a deal. To grant the skill, the system must manually carve the skill into the soul. But since it normally can''t affect souls, the system has to create a connection with the soul to interact with it and carve in a skill. This is a ''System Corridor''. However, this corridor is a two-way connection. Using it, a soul can affect the system. Luckily, the system is robust and has countermeasures against any attempts to alter it. At most, a soul can only prevent others from seeing their stats. Finally, when someone dies, their soul normally gets collected by the system and recycled. But for you, with ''Reincarnate'', your soul is protected from being collected by the system. And using the corridor, you entered the system. The question is, why are you here and not in a new body already? Even others with ''Reincarnate'' haven''t had this happen..." "Uhm, maybe it has something to do with what I traded away?" "Hm? What is it? That information was redacted to me..." "I traded away the ability to interact with and be affected by mana." "Oh. Oh no. To make a new body through reincarnation, a soul uses mana. But you-" The dragonoid opens several drawers, taking out books and notes and an abacus as big as Lue. He flips through the pages, rapidly doing calculations that Lue can''t even begin to understand. "...Well, good news is that a body can be made without mana, just that it''d take a long time. Congrats on finding an oversight in the system! As compensation, we''ll nudge a few details around. Got anything you want to reincarnate into?" "...Well, a fox sounds fun..."
We are Lilaphen. A collective of dozens of souls, assimilated into one entity. We love to hunt. Anything that can put up a good fight against our collective strengths is a worthy prey. The longer they can last, the more we obsess over them. Today, we met a fox. The source of a few recent rumors. Apparently it would howl like a wolf, summoning them to defend it. We did not believe those rumors, but our curiosity and boredom led us to the blighted forest anyways. When we first found the fox, it was in the middle of hunting a bunny of some kind. We took the opportunity to attack. But at the last moment, an explosion made us miss. The bunny seemed to have a special skill. We decided to hunt it, but was beaten by the fox, who stole away the bunny. Sending a few wisps to chase after them, we expected the hunt to end there. No matter how fast the fox ran, it couldn''t outrun the wisps. ...But the wisps did nothing. They flew through without even cooling down. We checked for possible illusions, but the bunny got injured as expected. This was where our suspicions of the fox began. We shifted to a more speedy skillset. Sprinting towards the fox, we caught up within seconds. The fox stopped in a vain attempt to dodge us, but we could see, hear, taste which way the fox would go. Left. ...But the fox the jumped backwards. We bent around, trying to catch them, but the last leap left us unable to turn. Forcefully, we flicked our tails around trying to hit the small target. It hit, knocking back the fox and stunning it. The fox struggled to recover. It was a short hunt, but a satisfying one. We were outsmarted, even for a single moment. We asked if the fox wanted a painless death or not. But before we could reach them, yet another explosion blocks us. The bunny had recovered, much to our annoyance. A wisp was sent to deal with them, but nothing more. Our target was the fox. It took a while to find them. When we did, we went for an alternative approach. Turning invisible, we circled around the fox. But it was useless. Somehow the fox could sense us. Throwing the idea of stealth out, we charged. Of course, we expected more possible tricks from the fox. So a few extra precautions were used to minimize any room for escape. And then that dumb wolf came around. Honestly, after seeing them run away in fear last time, we were surprised they tried fighting now. But in a way, that just lent more credence to the rumors. The fox really did summon a wolf. We expected a good fight. But it ended up as only a distraction. The wolf''s attacks lacked the strength needed to pierce our defenses. And they failed to adapt to our abilities. They weren''t even worth being our prey. But given the opportunity, we tried to assimilate them. But only tried. We were interrupted by the fox and bunny again. They wasted an entire mana gem to blow me up. And it worked! Our legs were damaged to the point of immobilization. We had underestimated them. We thought they had no way to hurt me. We thought we couldn''t be surprised. But that fox proved us wrong. And that just made us want them even more. Even though it was interrupted, we still extracted a skill from that wolf. ''Shadow Step'', it teleports us to a nearby shadow. A simple yet effective skill, with the only drawback being it takes a while to use multiple times. But we only needed one. Appearing between the fox and the wolf, we caught our prey, knocking the wolf away after injecting some poison. An aura of decay descended onto us, but we ignored it. After all, we would be obtaining the fox''s immunity soon enough. We activate ''Assimilate''. We see the fox''s soul. And it far exceeds ours in beauty. A perfect pearl of a soul, yet as dense as gold. We reach out for it, but ''Assimilate'' can''t even touch it. A fatal mistake. A skill as powerful as ''Assimilate'' always has restrictions. The first is that it requires touching the target. The second is that it must first drain the target''s mana before targeting the soul. And last, Lilaphen cannot move until either the assimilation is complete, or they stop touching the target. But Mochi cannot be assimilated. And so, as long as Lilaphen is touching Mochi, they cannot move.
Everyone watches as Lilaphen slowly breaks apart. First goes their skin, burnt away. Then goes flesh, muscles, tendons. Rotting away to dirt. Organs spill out, only to grow moldy before shriveling up into dust. All that is left are bones, still holding onto Mochi. Refusing, or unable to move. As the light fades away, the two white crows out of mana, Mochi wiggles out of the skeleton''s grasp. The moment she does, it collapses apart. She runs over to check on Nikola, who had the unfortunate luck to be stung by the monster''s scorpion tail. Luckily, Mochi identified it as mostly paralytic, and not lethal. Of course, the irony of Nikola being paralyzed again was amusing to the spectating crows, but eventually they too leave to rest. "...I wonder what to eat later~" Mochi hums while treating Nikola''s injuries again. Though it is slightly harder finding good materials, with the lack of accessible grass or good leaves. She doesn''t even notice a little spider weaving some bandages on her back. Interlude; Many Meanwhiles Most of the southern continent''s coasts are high cliffs. Atop one of these cliffs, hanging precariously half over the edge, sits an inverted castle with towers and spires hanging down. Within the throne room, a large snake slides through the doors, a somber and slightly nervous look on her face. "Plan A will die." Oros the serpent reports to her teacher. She lowers her head in sadness, genuinely hurt by the future loss. Especially after how much effort Oros spent tracking down and monitoring them. But her teacher doesn''t care. "Please remind me, which one was that again?" Oros holds her tongue, forcing herself to remain calm. It might simply be that her teacher remembers them by name or some other identifying information. "The false tailed hunter, Lilaphen. The one with ''Assimilate''. The one most likely to possess a system corridor. Plan A for your goal." "Oh, right, them... so they will die. Oh well, on to the next one." Her teacher shrugs, indifferent to the severe harm to their progress. Oros takes a moment, freezing time, and shouts into the abyss. All her frustrations, her despair, her rage. And then time proceeds, her outburst unknown. She does complain though, "It will likely take another few dozen years to locate someone with an S-rank skill, and among them we can''t even guarantee a system corridor. His death will delay your plan by another decade at least! How can you be so... apathetic?" Her teacher lets out a deep sigh. Oros feels time rippling as her teacher looks at her with entirely empty eyes. "So what if it''s an extra decade. Time is no cost for me. And plus, Lilaphen was always a bit unstable. Not my favorite plan A." Oros holds herself back from saying anything else. It was no use arguing anymore. Or rather, it''d only be a waste of time. She leaves the throne room, letting the doors close behind her. Slithering through empty hallways and climbing along cold stairs, she eventually reaches the observation room. Dozens of scrying gems line the walls, labeled meticulously by Oros, with minimal mistakes. She grabs one labeled "Lilapen" and inserts it into a pedestal. A faint image of a multi-tailed monster burns onto the gem. As the pedestal lights up, the image becomes clearer. A live view of Lilaphen, though it periodically lags behind sudden movements. Time pauses. Oros takes a deep breath, and steps forward in time. 3 minutes. 30 minutes. An hour. 15 hours. 5 days. She stops at 5 days, 9 hours, and 11 minutes into the future.
The fight between Lilaphen and Mochi (and everyone else) lasted for 13 minutes. Starting from when both sides saw each other, the first hit was boom bunny''s explosion. From there, Mochi picked them up and ran for 21 seconds before taking cover. Lilaphen chases after them as a cheetah, reaching Mochi at 29 seconds. She dodges them, but gets knocked away by their tails. 30 seconds. She stands up, and manages to escape thanks to the boom bunny at 38 seconds. Lilaphen chases, and stabs the wrong target at 42 seconds. It takes 2 minutes for Lilaphen to find Mochi. During this time, Nikola sees Lilaphen, and travels through shadows to Mochi. Lilaphen tries sneaking around Mochi. 2 minutes 24 seconds. Mochi sees them. They stop hiding. Eradicating any potential escape route, Lilaphen sets up a guaranteed strike by 2 minutes 33 seconds. Nikola counter attacks. He stands in front of Mochi, and sets up several shadow barriers as cover. Lilaphen breaks through easily, but Mochi is already running back towards her den. She reaches home at about 5 minutes. Grabbing two mana gems, she then runs to the briar patch and calls out the boom bunny at 8 minutes. It takes a while to get them out and pick them up, but finally they return to the fight at 10 minutes. Nikola tried their best to stall during that time. For six minutes he does his best. At 9 minutes, Lilaphen grabs him and threatens ''assimilate''. Nikola refused to listen to the threats. ''assimilate'' is activated. 9 minutes 11 seconds, Nikola''s mana is drained. 9 minutes 12 seconds, assimilate notices additional mana on Nikola. The spider gives Nikola small bits of mana through a web hidden beneath his fur. It stalls long enough. At 10 minutes and 6 seconds, Mochi runs in carrying a mana gem. 10 minutes and 9 seconds, the white crow duo notice. 10 minutes and 10 seconds, Nikola smells the familiar scent of mochi. 10 minutes 12 seconds, Lilaphen notices a fox right below them. At 10 minutes and 12 seconds into the fight, a mana gem is detonated. Mochi is unaffected, the explosion of pure mana ignoring her. Nikola is burnt slightly, but a combination of distance and something being between him and the explosion helps minimize damage. The spider is safe thanks to being on the opposite side of Nikola. And Lilaphen''s lower half is damaged significantly, immobilizing them. Stolen novel; please report. The smoke from the explosion grants everyone a moment of respite. Nikola is force fed a mana gem to speed up recovery of mana, boom bunny runs away, and the crows wait to see if interference is necessary. 11 minutes, Lilaphen wants Mochi no matter what. 11 minutes 3 seconds, Nikola sends out shadows to attack, Lilaphen shadow steps between Nikola and Mochi, knocks Nikola away, and grabs Mochi. 11 minute 5 seconds, the crows deploy the decaying pillar. It would normally take 2 minutes to kill Lilaphen with it. It''s easy to move out of the light and survive. But now Lilaphen can''t move. 13 minutes. Lilaphen finally decays completely, leaving only bones. ... ... ... 27 minutes. Pom follows the instinctual message from an injured hive queen. She arrives at the sight of a small crater, where boom bunny struck with a perfectly timed explosion 27 minutes ago. The only clues she could find was the faint smokey remains of the explosion, and tracks leading ever deeper into the forest. To follow, or to not follow... She doesn''t get to choose, as Dorlin comes up behind her and hugs her tightly. "Please don''t ever run off like that again. It''s dangerous out here. Especially with that explosion earlier..." Of course, Pom can''t hear what Dorlin says, and being hugged means she can''t read his lips. But she understood his concern. After all, it''s that same concern that made her come here as well. Concern for a loved one. The two go back to the village for now. Everyone is relieved that Pom wasn''t hurt. She realizes how dumb she just was. To cause so much worry over even the faintest of hopes of seeing the queen. She ducked her head in guilt, but also in determination. One day, she will prove herself. One day, they won''t need to worry for her.
There was a fox. A small, regular, unevolved fox. It gets caught, easily. ''Assimilate'' is used. Nothing happens. Lilaphen dies. That was all Oros got to see. Oros smiles with a glimmer of hope. The rank of a skill determines it''s priority. A higher rank skill will always override a lower rank skill. In order to counteract an S-rank skill, another S-rank skill is needed. ''Assimilate'' didn''t work on the fox. It wasn''t resisting it, nor stalling. It simply didn''t work. A potential S-rank skill, and a defensive one. This is exactly what Oros needed. This fox is her best chance at breaking free. Now she just needed a way to hide the fox from her teacher... Oros loses focus. Time shatters back to normal. She recoils and writhes in pain and exhaustion. The pedestal is knocked over. The scrying gem shatters. ... ... ... "...we lost the signal." "And by accident as well. We really should''ve invested in a sturdier gem." "Can''t afford it. Alchemists have been buying them up recently." "Well, at least we got something. The false tailed hunter, Lilaphen, will die." "Assuming they don''t try to change the future?" "If they could, they wouldn''t be worrying about it." "...What do you think, Mr. Lue?"
Attempting to grant title...
Error; Mochi data missing
Attempting to...
Notice; Reached 1,000,000 attempts. Forcefully ending task
Sending bug report to inner System Management
"...Oh? It''s been a while since a failsafe got triggered. Let''s see... Mochi?"
Creating Override...
New Override; Data meant for Mochi sent directly to archives.
Notice; This will lead to a discrepancy between archived information and knowledge base of Mochi
"Humph! I know, I know! But it''s not like there''s any other- wait, actually..."
Add Narrator language; Reathic
Set Narrator language; Mix
Nikola wakes up in a panic. His instincts scream danger, and his body burns in exhausted pain. He''s vulnerable. He needs to seek shelter. Where''s the fox? He needs to regain his strength before someone dangerous... ...his cloudy vision clears up enough to see that he is currently inside a dark enclosed... den? No, it''s crude and only a few feet deep. The ceiling is made of packed snow, and a small hole lets in cold wind. Though, the cold does provide some relief for his burns. Sensing no immediate threat, Nikola calms down slightly. Now he just needs to figure out where he is. Clearly it''s some form of shelter, but how did he get here? Was it the fox... no, they''re not strong enough to move him. Trying to sit up into a more comfortable position, he lets out a whine, as his joints and muscle ache, barely able to move. He had received many injuries from the fight, and combined with complete mana exhaustion, Nikola is lucky to even be conscious now. Though, all things considered, his injuries aren''t as bad as he expected. While he does feel some tight wrappings all over his body, similar to what the fox did when they rescued him, there doesn''t seem to be any deep injury beneath them. Only a single injury can be felt; where he got stabbed by a scorpion tail. And even this has already scarred over. Right... he hopes the fox is doing alright. Even if he was out for only a day or two, that is still time that he couldn''t defend the fox for. And what about food! The fox''s hunting skills were... passable, but still, Nikola can''t help but be concerned. And then, at just the prefect time, Mochi pokes her head in through the small hole in the ceiling. The two stop and freeze, staring at each other in equal surprise. Nikola opens his mouth, about to say something, but is tackled over by Mochi jumping in and hugging him. As Mochi attacks with affection, Nikola notes an odd inconsistency. Mochi is a little bigger- no, a lot bigger than he remembers. And certainly a lot stronger as well, enough for that tackle to knock him back a little (though maybe that was just him being weakened). "...how long was I out?" He asked, but didn''t expect any answer. After all, Mochi can''t understand what he''s saying. But the small spider hiding on her back certainly does. "It''s been a boring year without a good game of Fieldom. This fox is quite bad at it."