After Aed left I was left alone in the area around the fountain. My arm was still tingling as I pulled up my sleeve to see what he had done to me. A large black mark sat with a stark contrast against my skin and scales.
It showed a circle encompassing a flame with a helmet, sword, and hammer inside it. It was a very unique brand. There were lines that ran down my arm that had circles at intervals. The first circle held a helmet. The second a chest plate. The third a set of arm bracers. The fourth showed the waist and legs. The fifth showed the boots. The six showed a hammer and sword. Each of the symbols glowed with a gold hue. As the pain and tingling settled the glow died down.
"I've heard of tramps stamps but never this intricate." I said under my breath. A voice echoed through my head.
" It is not a tramp stamp!" I flinched a little. Guess he can hear me. Should have anticipated that. I got up and stretched my body to make sure nothing else had changed. I was still me. No super powers or godlike looks. Still me.... ( Not much I can do about this....) I thought as I was a little let down.
I started down the street I came from. As I walked I went through everything I could possibly tell Sam when I got back. After half an hour of walking I found the inn and sat down at a table. I didn't know what to say or what to do. I never talked with a girl who was distraught. My sister always came out of her mood swings quickly and I never saw my mother cry.
( So how do I deal with this?) I thought as my mind scrambled everywhere till I heard a chair creak and Sam sat down opposite me. She was quiet for a couple minutes before the awkwardness got the best of us.
"Why are you still here?" She asked quietly. Her head hung low as she sat in her chair. She didn't want to make eye contact. I sat back a little bit in my chair trying to relax as I pondered her question. The question itself was a little harsh but not without warrant.
"I was thinking of what to do.... But after meeting somebody who gave me a clue.... I'm thinking of sticking with the scared little girl I've known since my birth." I responded calmly. Her head bolted upright. "I am not scared! And who are you calling Little!" She scowled at me.
I couldn't help it. I laughed! A good hearty and heartfelt laugh. Her face reminded me of a kitten who was mad. It was too cute to take seriously.
"Hahahahahahahahahaha!" Her face turned red as she crossed her arms and turned her head to face away from me. After a moment of me laughing I sat up a little more and stifled my remaining giggles.
" So.... You'll stay by me?" She asked a little sheepishly.
I nodded "Yes. I think I will." The server finally came by to take our orders and we started eating. We had seared Gallow Owl with a side of Jack-o-Lantern soup.
/ Host has eaten gallow owl meat. Host has acquired Skill: Hallucination mist. Allows for host to create mist while flying that makes beings who inhale it hallucinate their worst nightmares. Cannot affect those who have poison resistance and high mental awareness./
/ Host has consumed Jack-o-lantern materials and has gained the skill: Soul consumption. Allows for host to consume the souls of dead enemies that host has killed. Does not apply to those host has not slain./
My face remained stoic as my heart jumped for joy. ( New skills! Hell yeah! But why are they so.... dark Ugh)
After our meal Sam sat back in her seat and seemed to think for a moment before talking.
" After all our time together I never asked how you survived in the forest till I found you. "
I sighed a little. "My time in the forest I would rather forget it honestly. But I guess it wouldn't hurt for you to know why I was as unwilling to come back for the longest time."
I leaned back in the chair and receded into my thoughts as I talked. I started at the point where I woke in the forest. Of course she had to tell me her Father specialized in Shadow Magic. But I continued. I told her how I was almost eaten by an Iron Horned Toad. The rest I guess I haven't explained to well. I even tried to forget some of it. After my incident with the toad I had found my way to a hollow tree. It was black and looked like it was dying. I dug a hole at its roots and excavated a fair amount out of it.
I opened the area under the roots and kept opening it enough for me to be comfortable. I focused on making myself a comfortable place to settle till Sam could find me. At present that was my goal. I was Sad of course that they sent me to somewhere weird without any sort of real warning.
I dug a small well at the back of the tree. Water was fairly close to the surface so it wasn't that deep of a well. Maybe 10 feet at most. My claws really helped when I needed to get out. I followed the standard routine for the out door survivalist for getting what I needed. Maintaining shelter, food, water, and stocking up for the possibility of winter. After a couple days I started a hobby of taking care of the tree as well. I made a bucket out of clay (from excavating the area) and baked it into a bucket shape. After getting some vines I tied them to the bucket and used that to get water.
I then mixed the ashes of whatever remained of my food in with it and poured that on the trees roots. Took a month before the tree would start to look healthy again. My time was spent hunting, scouting, and partially mapping and memorizing the area. Every once in a while I would come across scratches on trees and my instincts told me to avoid that area at all costs.
I spent some of my days sun bathing at the top of the tree. Others were spent upgrading the living area. I had managed to find the back of the frog. It was coated in plating similar to iron. I took it back to the house (seeing as my teeth weren't hard enough to eat it) and made it into my door. It fit quite nicely. It was only jammed in place but it still works.
The tree was about ready to bear fruit too. The bark is green with stars on it. And there were big white blossoms. They kinda look like swirly swastikas if I was to describe them. (Poor description. But still it's better than nothing.)
About a month later I felt a rumble go across the ground. The ground shook and things in my hutch were rattling like they were in an earthquake. I jumped into the well and clung to one of the walls. (What ever was coming is either really big.... or there's alot of them...) I thought.
Suddenly I heard animals running past the tree and a deafening amount of noise from them as they passed. One of the big ones hit the tree and ripped it from its place above my head exposing my hutch. I became terrified as I saw hundreds of animals fly over my head trampling everything I had done to nothing. They continued passing for hours.
I had finally given to digging into the side of the well so I could give my claws a little rest from clinging to the wall. After what seemed like a day the commotion finally died down. It was dark, cold, and lonely in the hole. As I sat there I wondered about if the dead ever felt like this. Cold, alone, and left in the dark.
/Host has percieved a piece of understanding of darkness./ I heard in my mind. Without batting an eye at it I ignored it.
( In my current situation darkness won't help. I need food, warmth, and shelter.) I thought. I tentatively stuck my head out and saw a clear night sky above me. And once I heard nothing I started moving up the hole.
As I reached the top I realized how bad things were. The trees had been trampled in a path of destruction and death. Some monster lay dead here and there as though they had tripped and got caught beneath everyone else. I looked around more and noticed that the tree from before was still okay. Just laying off to the side mostly unharmed. A couple pieces of bark had been scraped off somewhere along the line. I waddled over to it and started digging. I soon heard the tree sliding into the hole. I backed out as it settled. I immediately started caring for it. ( I have worked on this tree too long to let it die now!) I thought hurriedly.
I went about making making the pit wider. I would stop once in a while to eat and make ashes to feed the tree. Strangely enough it was gobbling up the water and ash. It retained its green appearance and started to sprout fruits after a week or two. ( Resilient tree) I though in shock.
Its roots were growing deep into the ground again as they had before. I kept the well where it was but I managed to put a few broken logs above the hole and make a small tunnel to it so I wouldn't have to worry about going outside. Eventually I was able to make my nest underneath the tree again. This time it was alot deeper and wider. I had a pit to cook my food and a bed of ash and splinters to make sure I could ignite myself and stay warm.
Every once in a while I would feel a little homesick for Sam or the mansion. But I would always remember how she had gotten sick and how they might kill me this time if I went back before she got better. But I also thought the forest wasn't so bad.
The day I found myself in the forest collecting food. I had found a fairly barren clearing with small holes obviously left by small burrowing creatures. I was about to pounce on a mole like creature as it stuck its head out of its hole. But I heard the snap of a twig.
I spun and faced whatever it was. Never could have prepared myself for it. It was the tiger. Its scales were beaten and scarred. Its fur was covered in blood and it had he look of a hunter in its eyes. It didn't care what I was. I was nothing but food in its eyes.
I immediately went on the offense. I charged at it and ignited myself. The tiger jumped out of the way and clawed at me as I went past. I tumbled away as the grass caught fire. The clearing was mostly barren which was good cause the forest most likely would get caught in the fire. Then my heart almost stopped.
The cat started waltzing through the fire like it was air. ( WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING!?) I yelled in my mind. I Prepared my thoughts as it slowly approached. I spat a few lobs of sticky poison at it which it easily avoided.(What can I do..... crap.) I turned off my fire and booked it as I realized I couldn't hurt it with my current arsenal. I heard it charging after me through the trees and bushes. I rounded a tree and it rushed after me.
As I ran past another tree I got an idea. As I rounded another tree I jumped. I got hold of a branch and made it bend with my weight. The tiger rounded the tree but couldn't react fast enough.
The branch smacked it in the face and sent me flying. Unfortunately I couldn't just fly away seeing as a tiger tooth tore a nasty line across my wing as I hit it. Pain hit me. But it was nothing compared to evolving.
I hurtled through the air and landed with a thud. I ran up another tree and turned around to see what happened to the cat. It was laying on the ground stunned or possibly knocked out. ( I am not doing that again) I thought as I quickly made my way down the tree and back toward my hole.
My wing hurt alot. / Host has been infected by poison claw. Poison currently lower than poison resistance and current poison host possesses. Nullifying. Successful/ I heard the system chime. Maybe my poison would have worked if I had hit it.... I didn't care anymore. I made it home and settled in the ash pit for some well deserved rest.