The Ohrn tree creaked and tremors spread, remaining closed so tightly before, the hole loosened up and opened completely wide.
Taking a brief glance outside. Am's heart dropped down to his churning stomach.
He waited, waited till another bloodcurdling scream scratched down on his ears. His wait didn't last for long.
[A-Anyone! Help!]
It is a platys playing with its food
Overlapping his voice with the prey's screams, Am avoided certain detection and washed out specific, important information. Words that immediately froze every contracting muscle from making any tremors.
'Seriously? Why in the world couldn't it just get killed in that damned inferno!'
Iye flashed a grim expression on her face, not that anyone could see of course.
'Don't tell me. Is it the baby of the platys I first saw?'
Coincidences did have a weird sense of humor in making the dangerous appear only when you really don't want them to after all.
She glanced at Cale, the urge of pulling a middle finger rose and skyrocketed.
'Because of you, this platys is screwing me over even though I could be relaxing in my house right now!'
Cale in Iye's eyes, was an omen, a bad luck charm that brought disaster. Which wasn't entirely wrong.
The instant Cale got sent to detention and after he finished his sentencing, solidified Iye's fate on a tombstone.
'Agh! Whatever, I'm also at fault anyway!'
Deciding on not pointing any fingers in this run or die situation, Iye scrambled for a solution. Any solution that could help.
'Alright, how can I save myself from this situation?'
She thought back to every piece of information she cached into her mind, piecing together what could be used to deflect eventual demise.
'What is here and what do I have, in order to accomplish a result'
She scanned her surroundings slowly, dead branches littered the floor, fluorescent lights hanged above dimming with the piercing light that cut through from outside. But deep within that light, embers could be faintly spotted.
In the distance, an inferno burned with no sign of ever stopping. This however was not the focus, the trees were what forged importance in Iye's line of sight.
'Where am I standing right now?'
The Ohrn Tree, all encyclopedias that Iye read from this area specifically sparked intriguing thoughts. Branches spiraling upwards like ornaments on a Christmas tree, fluorescent lights on the inside of the tree shimmered beautifully in the time of night. Thus the name 'Ornament Tree' which was later on shortened to 'Ohrn Tree' by priests of Natura was decided.
'This tree is known to be highly heat-resistant, also being well known for its durability against physical attacks'
Point is, the tree's exterior was extremely durable against both heat and physical force, physically having almost no effect against the towering Ohrn Trees.
But this also begged another question to be asked. What exactly was the gaping hole in this tree?
'I didn't have any time before to really ponder what it was, since the fog would have paralyzed me in place, forcing me to use my insight to move up and go through the hole'
It closes up when the inferno comes by, but why? If it were all truly heat resistant, then what purpose could the opening and closing of a giant hole in a tree serve?
'Think, think, think!'
She rummaged through shards of memory but no matter how much she tried to recall, there just wasn't anything else coming to mind except for one thing.
'Hold on. That inferno, what was it called again?'
It was recorded as a walking disaster, its name though was kept in secret by the priests. Not many could find the cause of it however. It burned without stop, its flames enveloping entire trees, cycling through every tree in a figure eight pattern.
The Ohrn trees didn't burn or wilt away, but some did, and that was the detail that fragmented itself in Iye's mind.
'Why did those trees burn and not the others?'
It wasn't like they were really close to the inferno, some burned and some were lucky that they didn't.
The surroundings were once again scanned in scrutiny, the branches, the insects, everything within the tree was molded into memory thoroughly.
Iye looked up to the fluorescent lights that shone dimly on the floor she crouched on, she looked carefully at it, making sure to take in any detail that could be useful.
'What is that?'
Something strange was happening to the lights above, they dimmed more than before, she strained to see what was happening. Her eyes widened and found clarity when she realized what it was.
'Could it be!'
Not all the fluorescent lamps dimmed, only a very specific few lit up.
This was all that needed to be known, as the rest of the cached memory she stored deep in her mind begun to crash into her like a wide river in a storm.
Iye wanted to immediately jump up in joy and enact her plan right this instant but restrained herself and instead waited for the perfect plan to get the perfect timing it rightfully deserves.
'It is makeshift, but it works perfectly in this kind of situation'
Guooooo!
A thundering roar whipped through the wind, tearing ear drums, within the deafening roar a voice rang out.
I do not believe in you
Am spoke, his voice held hostility, but it also kept logic at arms length.
Nor do I trust you in the slightest, as an aristocrat. I have the sole duty to stand up and represent the will to survive my tribe is built upon
"?"
'What the hell is he on about?'
But
Am paused for a few moments, as if his next words could decide his own fate.
I also do not believe that you are arrogant enough to think you can get out of this situation all by yourself while making us your enemies and fighting a platys at the same exact time
Am, still gazing outwards to the beast that feasted on its prey it kept playing with, looked back and spoke to the crouching Iye.
As much as it pains my pride to say these words, I have to ask
He paused, his face distorted in a disgusted manner, but feelings like these clouded judgement, and that was not something acceptable at the current moment. Not when his name shouldered burden.
Do you have a way to survive, and if you do. What is it that you need 'us' to do
"...."
Iye looked at the desperation that Am's eyes held deeply in them, desperation to survive, and the will to do anything to achieve that one goal. But also...a heroic will shone in them. Something she detested much herself.
Yet taking a swift glance at Cale erased the feeling, she made her decision. Being arrogant served to no one, if they attacked afterwards, then so be it, that is for the future. Dying in the present or potentially dying in the future, which of these options would one choose?
For Iye, the answer was obvious.
Raising her gloved hand up to the ceiling, she mouthed only a few words. Finding the silence outside to mean.
'Burn its babies'
A long pause followed shortly after.
***
Six hours ago.
"Damn it! Just where in the living fuck am I?!"
A man with black hair and a messy brush up screamed out.
"What in the world even was that?!"
He clutched at his wounded charred arm, blood trickled in a steady and slow stream. Causing the burns on his body to pain him even more so than before.
'Shit, it burns so much!'
His heart beat so much it threatened to leave his rib cage, he clenched on his jaw tightly, not allowing a scream to so much as leave him.
'Where did it all go wrong? After encountering one of those humanoid creatures, I tried fighting it in an attempt to kill it, but then it pulled a 180 on me and almost killed me!'
The young man now sought shelter, barely escaping even with the use of insight.
"I knew I shouldn't have gotten that permit! But no, I just had to be greedy because I heard there was treasure here that would help increase my survival chances in here"
Trudging forward, he stumbled across blood markings on strange trees with weird overarching shapes that seemed too dramatic for a place like this.
'It doesn't seem to be as hard as people made it out to be at least, with the way they were talking about it, I thought I would die in the first hour coming here'
A small smile tugged on his lips.
'I might really be able to find that treasure in the end'
And the best part, using his insight would shorten the search time by days.
"What was it again? 'Poisonous Omni-Boost'?"
'Apparently, the insight or whatever it was called passively boosts everything the more diseases or poisons I am subjected to'
A penalty based insight, but technically speaking, there was no weakness.
'If it boosts everything, then that must mean it also boosts my life span, immune system and even the durability of my skin along with of course my senses and strength'
And the only price for it was just to be heavily poisoned your entire life?
This was essentially a cheat code.
'I'm gonna be abusing this till the end of time~'
There is no reason not to after all.
"Ouch!"
A thorn pricked his leg, causing a startle.
The effects were almost instant.
"D-Damn, this thing is no joke"
He felt dizzy, his legs buckled and wobbled under his weight. It felt as if he were going to sleep, only that it would be for eternity if he did.
"St-ill...The buff is really great"
His body after a few seconds felt light all around, his senses sharpened and inhuman strength flowed with no stop.
Feet squelched, the torn flesh growing more prominent and repeated with each step.
Thump
A soft thump echoed softly, so softly yet so lonely, only that step could be heard in the silent forest.
Tiju turned his head towards the sound, however his expression remained light.
The beast hidden within the shadows revealed itself. It resembled a wolf mixed with a tiger, its body as giant as an elephant. Claws bigger than arms, and tusks like an elephant's, but the tusks were wider and slightly smaller in length than an elephant's. And most notably, there was no curve to the tusks, they pointed in a straight line to the sides.
"Oooh, so scary~"
Tiju's voice trailed off, mocking the creature in front.
"Come on, don't you wanna bite my head off? What are you waiting for?"
It didn't listen to Tiju's cheap provocation, only waiting for the perfect moment, which didn't take long to come.
Purring, it inched closer and closer to Tiju.
Tiju let it approach.
"So unnecessary"
He said, peeling off the charred skin and exposing the newly healed arm.
Then, very subtly, he pricked his arm into many thorns from the plants below him, maximizing the full effect of his insight, whilst backing off slowly.
Its claw trembled, pupils in the platy's eye sockets dilated.
Almost immediately after, it rushed forth, claw moving in like a spearhead.
"Hup!"
Tiju hopped on a branch with a jagged zig-zag form, then jumped even higher than before.
Letting his body fall down with force, his buffed up hand slammed into the skull of the platys, crushing it partially.
Bam!
The platys staggered on its four legs, but Tiju didn't give it time to rest again and struck it again, this time from a higher vantage point.
Crash!
The impact was immense, the head of the platys was driven straight to the ground, cracks formed on the ground just as cracks in the skull appeared. Blood spurted like a fountain from the head of the platys. Its large predatory eyes remained unfocused.
Movement became difficult with each slam it received, Tiju was grinning at the sight.
"See? There is no way anything here can beat me"
Not only was the forest filled with poison waiting to buff him, he also regenerated quickly due to how deadly the poison in here was. Virtually speaking, he was essentially impossible to beat if in the Sabe Serotifio.
'Just in case'
He plucked a highly venomous plant that held many diseases just from breathing the air around it. And most diseases that the plant stored inside were extremely dangerous to humans. Ranging from the black plague and venom snakes usually have, to multiple skin diseases and if left for too long, it can cause 'petrification' a disease specifically created by Natura. It was essentially an alternate version of deep frostbite.
Of course, Tiju did not know this when directly consuming such a plant.
"O-Ugh!"
The petals of the plant scratched against his throat, he was barely able to consume it without vomiting.
Staggering a few times, his vision cleared. Bloodshot eyes looked at the world from a different perspective, hands itched to be slammed against something hard, wanting to penetrate through skin and wall alike.
His legs trembled slightly, but soon enough he shook off even the tremors spreading through his convulsing body.
However, it didn't take long to know that he was not okay, as the veins in his body started to bulge out, popping and regenerating just as quickly as they exploded.
'It hurts!'
Hands scraped against his nape.
'It hurts!'
Nails dug in deep, skin infinitely restoring itself back to its original state.
'It hurts!'
Broken shards of bone scattered everywhere.
'It hurts!'
His tongue, bitten down so hard, fell to the floor, regenerating almost immediately.
'It hurts!'
Teeth shattered, gums bled, healing with no stop, yet the pain remained a vivid nightmare and never stopping.
'It hurts!'
Eye sockets bled, the pupils in his eyes were searing red, he felt on fire, he felt something faint snapping in the distance.
IT FUCKING HURTS!!!!
Everything hurt, the more time stretched endlessly forward, the more in pain he felt.
On the ground, a grim sight followed, head squashed completely in, unrecognizable to anyone was the platys. It still wiggled and struggled from the inside.
Gu! Wa! Wa! Wa!
From its stomach, something muffled wailed, strangely.. like a human baby, it fiercely and viciously slammed and scratched against its mother's womb.
Wailing nonstop, Tiju.... was already unconscious, not able to handle the pain.
Which also meant, he didn't know what was happening outside to run away.
Eventually, after a few back and forth attempts of trying to leave its womb.
Tearrrr
Something tore through the stomach, eating its way out of its mother's womb.
It was a baby platys, it kept growing with no sign of stopping, by eating the flesh of its dead mother, it grew stronger. Its side-curved tusks grew longer and longer, its predator-like eyes flared with a certain intensity the more it ate.
Then, eventually, after almost half an hour passed, it gazed at the wide-awake Tiju.
Scanning Tiju's face, he saw an emotion swirling wildly inside of it. Fear, he felt so much of it, salty water formed at the edge of his eyes.
The platys, seeing this fear.
Smiled with a grin so wide, it threatened to tear through its jaws.