The group woke up with the morning sun. They slept as well as they could. The exhaustion from the previous days still hung heavy on their shoulders, even if they were in a better position now than they were then.
The hard ground gave little comfort, the cold wind and loud cries from both the monsters of the forest trying to charge at them and hitting the ring of protection and the spiders trying their luck again caused them to cuddle in the middle.
The group also found out that when Kai reached a deep sleep, he was known to snore. No one really cared anymore, and they all rested as much as they could.
They didn't have any food left to eat and didn't want to risk getting sick by eating day-old bodies. The last of the water was also shared as equally as it could be, Skye giving his share away for them to split, still choosing not to mention that he has been absorbing water slowly though the ground at night.
He wasn't ready for the jokes that would come from that, or the side eyes he would get when they all assumed he could do it this whole time and didn't share.
Everyone packed up the last of their gear, summoned their weapons or put on their armour, and got ready to head out. With Thorn in hand Skye approached the Brood Mother one last time. Her body towered over him and used the morning sun to cast a chilly shade.
As he got near her he could see that a few bites were taken out of her body already. Like a whale sinking to the bottom of the ocean, the weaker and smaller monsters will surely eat well for a few days. He placed his hand on its flat face.
Thanks for not killing us, even though you tried so hard. Sorry it had to be you but it couldn't be us. Not yet.
He didn't know why he felt such guilt for the death of this monster more so than others. Maybe it was the human eyes. Maybe it was the feeling of being trapped and helpless as life leaves your body, something he's seen a few too many times.
He saw it in his own mother. How she tried to get up time and time again to go to work, how her spirit was strong but struck in such a weak body. Her shifts were so long and the money was so little that she couldn't miss a day or else they would lose everything. That must have driven her to keep trying even as the fever tore her apart from the inside.
Skye heard from a distance the echo of a cry from a child, not reacting to it at all, letting it fade with the wind. He knew it was all in his head, it always was. He would never escape it. That sound haunted him for days until it finally stopped, and now it only haunts his dreams. No one cared about a kid begging for help in the slums, there were too many of them, even if one of them had a starving baby in their arms.
Skye pressed his forehead to the beast and took a deep breath in. He would take this moment to feel this, all of this, and when he turned around he would let it go.
One
He slowly let his air escape his lungs until he was empty inside.
Two
He took another deep breath until he was full.
And Three
He pushed it out with all the force his lungs could give him and turned around, heading back to his new group.They'd have to move fast and would most likely find themselves stuck in the middle of the forest with nowhere to hide. This could very well be the most dangerous hurdle they have yet to face.
They didn't know how far this tunnel had pushed them out from where they had to go, but they knew they had to get there one way or another.
Skye took lead and the rest followed in a wedge, the forest was beautiful in the morning dew but no one had any clue what hid behind the curtain of nightfall. They didn't want to find out yet either.
Skye wanted to make sure they were ready for this. He spoke to everyone behind him.
"We're going to have to push ourselves, maybe for days, if you fall behind you will die. When nightfall hits we'll be in the open and vulnerable. They'll attack us from all sides and constantly. Their bodies will attract things I've not encountered yet. I'm not stupid enough to think I've seen everything this world has to offer."
He paused as he picked up the pace from a light jog to a purposeful run, yelling back to the group.
"I don't know if we'll all make it but those who do will have to survive on."
With one last stern look back Skye commanded
"Don't fall behind!"
The atmosphere was tense as they continued their fast paced run. Within a few hours they were exhausted, the slivers increased their physical strength and endurance but they were still no better than a fit human. They took a quick break, collapsing on the ground, slunched against large trees for support. Skye took the chance to connect with the forest, feeling his way through the intertwined roots.
His mind wandered the highway until he felt something that didn't make sense. He was connected to a system of roots that sprawled out in a uniform shape, like a circle that kept encroaching outwards.
The system instantly recognised him as a friend and fed into his mana reserve, two extensions of the roots turning into plants that seemed to wiggle in acknowledgement of his touch.
This can't be.
He thought as he continued to feel it, becoming more sure with every passing second.
He lifted his hand from the roots of the tree and walked back to the group, kicking a loose rock as he approached, hands now placed on his hips.
"Oh hey guys, ah, good news"
He looked around aimlessly, unsure of what to say.
"So we're here I think, I guess it spat us out a lot closer than I thought"
The statement hung in the air, their bodies still gasping for breath. They looked around and replied at the same time.
"You're bad at this."
Nora said bluntly
"So this could have been a nice walk."
Elli pointed out
"You should feel stupid."
Kai had a point
He was bad at this, it could have been a really nice walk, and he did feel stupid. All things were true. He gave a big speech as the master of the forest and now they were just… here? A bit anticlimactic.
They picked their bodies off the ground and began the long and dangerous 300 meter walk to the base. Anytime Skye tried to speak Nora put her finger to his lips, looking him dead in the eyes. Even she knew that anything he said wouldn't be recovered well.
The clearing met them far sooner than Skye expected, stumps littering the landscape. What came into view wasn't a dinky wall made out of some logs stacked on top of each other but a fortified base.
Claire sure had been busy
The wall was now about 13 meters high and had spikes planted at its bases pointing outward, as they circled around the outside walking towards the opening, claw marks and chunks were clearly missing. Even the walk to the entrance seemed to take longer, like the whole thing was expanded.
No longer were the trees stacked on top of each other and tied with rope, but they were standing upright and dug deep into the ground. Without having more rope she must have figured out a way to keep it structurally sound.
As they walked around the fort they came into view a section of wall that looked different from the rest, these trees were tied together and stacked four trees high, resembling the original walls Skye helped make.
They weren't attached to anything but deep drag marks could be seen in the ground. This must be how Claire answered the question of how to make a gate with no tools, you just drag some logs in front of the opening of course.
As they approached the flower boys were the first to see them, now placed on top of the wall like two turrets. The roots from the ground have started to climb up the walls, giving them an ancient feeling, even though they must only be a few days old.
Using that system of roots, it seemed like the Flower Boys could travel? This left Skye with more questions and a deeper feeling that he wasn't using his abilities correctly at all.
As they excitedly wiggled, Skye no longer had any doubt, standing straight and dusting off his hands on his trousers. With a wide gesture he held open his arms and stepped in front of the gate and exclaimed
"Welcome to my home sweet home"
As he did a sword flew past him and wedged itself in the wood behind him. He stood there unmoving as a strand of his unkept brown hair fell to the floor, swaying in the wind. Skye audibly gulped.
"Who are you, get out of here!"
Yelled a high pitched voice from the entrance of the forest, a young woman with blond hair appeared from the clearing pulling a makeshift sled.. Skye slowly turned around and waved both out stretched hands as frantically as he could.
"Oh hey Claire! It - it's just me, your buddy and teammate, best friend in this whole world actually if you think about it! Please don't throw anything! Please please please."
Claire squinted her eyes and raised her hand to protect it from the sun, then her hands fell to her side as she quickly unbuckled herself from the sled and took off into a sprint towards the group.
She didn't slow down as she opened her arms and leaped at Skye
"You're alive!!"
She shouted into the world, sounding as if her wildest dreams just came true.
"I hoped you were but I didn't know, you've been gone for so long!"
More time must have passed in the underground cave than they thought. There was no sun, only their own bodies to tell them when they were tired or not, but they were tired constantly.
"Really love what you've done with the place, what's in the sled?"
Skye said as he regained his balance and hugged her back, breaking away from the embrace. It was nice to see his old friend again. He was worried how she'd do on her own but it seemed like there was nothing to worry about. In fact, it almost seemed like she thrived.
"You haven't seen anything yet! And I found a place up north where there were more skeletons in an abandoned town just outside the woods. I've been going there to get weapons, armour, and anything else I could find. Even found some edible vegetables and mushrooms and some… not edible ones. I'm so much faster now just wait until you see!"
She turned around and acknowledged the group of strangers, slightly embarrassed at the sword in the wall
"I'm so sorry! I thought you were here to steal from us! I'm Claire, pleased to meet you!"
She quickly shook hands with everyone around, her hands were covered in dirt and muck but so were theirs.
"Please come in, let's get everyone set up. You must be Kai, and… which one is Elli?"
She must have seen the names appear under Skye's when they joined the team.
"Oh, we were a bit too busy to officially ask. Nora, do you want to join our team?"
Nora was a bit taken back.
"Oh, I thought I was already a part of it. Yes I'd like to join?"
As she said yes her name appeared in their eyesight and hers clearly visible to them now. She flinched a bit at the new revelation, unknowing what the formal joining would bring.
"So I guess we've completed Phase One, do we have a team? Was that it?"
Elli said questioning, unsure of what happens next. Her soul guide said
"I'm sure we'll find out soon, and then we'll come up with a plan"
Everyone turned around, looking at her guide.
"Hey, why can I see you? Actually, why can I see all your balls"
Kai said, stating the obvious, but it needed to be stated.
"I have… no idea? But I'm feeling a bit naked"
Dubs said, drifting slowly to the middle of the group. In fact all 5 of their soul guides were drifting towards the middle. At first slowly and then quickly.
"Hey hey get the fuck away from me"
Kai's ball of anger said, only to be rejected by Dubs.
"No you get away from me you ball stalker??"
Dubs was pulling away from the force bringing them together.
They started to swirl around and around each other, like marbles stuck in a cyclone.
"I'm going to be sick!"
laire's bubbly bubble screamed as she whirled past.
The spinning sped up until their shapes couldn't be differentiated from each other. Their bodies turning into streaks of light. The souls clashed and merged into one, then shot high into the sky, crashing back into the world at the centre of the camp.
Bright lights raining from the sky and finding their ways back into the bodies of the party. They entered into their chests and fell all around them like fireworks returning to earth.
"Where did they go?"
Elli yelled while looking around frantically, unable to tell where they all fell, only seeing one return.
"How do we get inside Claire?"
"I'll move the door!"
Claire said while leaping into action, grabbing two notches in the large wall and dragging it away, creating an opening in the wall for them to get in.
The group collectively ran into the middle of camp to see where it crashed, Skye not able to recognise the camp anymore, everything had changed. He ignored it for now and arrived at the location where he thought they landed.
Something inside them was changing with every step.
They smashed into the earth at the exact location of where Skye's roots combined and emerged from the ground. The roots were twisting into one single stem and rising from the ground. It was slowly growing upwards and leaves were unravelling.
The group stood around the little life form while the light above it started to shimmer.
[Welcome, the 6th party of humans to completely form a team. You are now bonded. This space is now claimed. I am Ora. I am you. You are me.]
The shimmering lights started to rain little flakes of glitter on the plant beneath it. Its voice was a symphony of their collected voice, taking on more of a feminine tone.
[I now represent your group and have residence in this tree. If it dies, I die. If I die, you die. Ensure it grows strong and so shall you. Let its leaves shade the future of humankind]
Behind them and towards the forest, sounds started to emerge from the tree line. Yells and rustling, confused voices could be heard. The group was too focused on what was happening in front of them to notice.
[Your first task was to begin to learn and change yourselves. Your next will be to begin to change society. Survive well and make it to the next phase]
The light went silent, but continued to hover above the newly formed plant. Soon a voice came from behind them, entering from the gate left open.
"H - hello? We're lost and don't know where we are. Can you help us?"
The entrance was now full of people standing there, more appearing from the forest, all dressed differently and somewhat clean. A few stood sheepishly, looking around while the others huddled together..
The group of five turned around to face the newly arrived people.
"My god, there must be hundreds of them."
Kai said under his breath, trying his best to count them. Elli replied to him
"I think… we're meant to lead them."
Nora pulled out her bone daggers from her belt
"Or kill them."
"Put that away, they must be scared to death already."
Claire said while putting her hand on Nora's shoulder. Skye stepped forward and addressed the group.
"Hello, this must be really terrifying for you guys. Sadly your lives have changed forever and every day is going to be more scary. Come inside quickly and I'll do my best to explain."
I was told I should kill myself when I first got here, but it seems Dubs died before I did. I won't make the same joke just in case the same thing happens to me.
A couple weeks ago they were all strangers lost in this world, then they chose to be teammates, now they're forced to be leaders.
Damn. I'm going to miss dubs aren't I…