After hours of idly sitting inside the trunk, Hitirus noticed how tranquil the outside world sounded. Dawn cast a soothing light over the forest, calming down its inhabitants.
Hitirus stretched out his legs, pressing hard against the inside of the tree. When he couldn't stretch anymore, he forced himself to expand. Eventually hearing a crack.
"If you used me, it would've taken less time," a Thawed complained.
"You'll end up getting him killed, creature. A Yomie is what he needs. We're slick and used to being stuck in tight spaces. I'll crawl us out of here," a Yomie replied.
"Since he isn't choosing either of you, it must mean he doesn't care. Now shut up, the both of you," the Scaler snapped.
In a bizarre twist of events, they listened. For some reason, listening to the Scaler of all Variants.
Despite the oddity, Hitirus continued. He pushed harder until the trunk opened up. The instant he stepped through, Hitirus' body felt relieved.
Fallen leaves crunched as he struggled to stay on his knees. The bag fell beside him, still in good shape. Hitirus reached for it, dragging it closer.
Sweet morning dew gently washed away his drowsiness, motivating him to stand up. The air was cool and fresh to smell, perfect for a morning to relax.
Hitirus picked up the bag, fastening around his shoulder. He dragged his feet through the fallen green, brown, and yellow leaves. Letting them shuffle together as he went.
"Tough night..." Hitirus murmured. He stepped foot on the path. Curiosity encouraged him to look around, hoping to find a glimpse of what attacked him the night before. "Coshire's strange, doesn't even have an actual shape..."
"It does," a Dunes Feral replied. "You just never see it. Zeek told you about that, how the world - this world - is made in their own image."
Hitirus continued to walk through the path once again, feeling at ease after such a stressful night. But as he remained silent, his sub-versions began to argue again.
This new argument was about who kept making Hitirus look outlandish. A Brittle Ice Thawed complained about Hitirus' overall appearance at times looked crazy.
Such as now, when his hair was in a vibrant orange and eyes alternating between green and pink. His body also began to morph into a Sandy Yonie/Wind Ripper Feral.
His skin was now a bright yellow, very loose as well. Letting him turn around even when pinned. The Wind Ripper used some of the leftover skin to form a glider.
Even changing his vocal cords to howl gusts of wind powerful enough to rocket him out of the ground. Which would've been useful if he realized what it did.
"You lack ambition to fulfill your goal," the Wind Ripper commented. "Explore your body."
Hitirus shrugged him off, carelessly walking forward. To him, he was too tired to even acknolwedge what his sub-versions were saying.
After all, they always complained about not being picked or argued about who is better. Never a moment when they work together.
A gentle breeze washed over the area, waking Hitirus up with a shocking jolt. He shook his head, accepting it as a signal to pay attention.
"If anyone speaks... I'll cut off whichever part of my body morphs into you. I make no exceptions. Either you stop whining or I stop you," Hitirus threatened.
The threat worked, despite it not being worrisome to any of his sub-versions. None of them cared about dying, just like Hitirus, they knew he'd be back and so will they.
Hitirus eventually found himself by a small bridge that covered a running river. The water seemed restless, but comforting.
Despite having somewhere to be, Hitirus took off the bag. Placing it by the river bank. Then he undressed himself to take a dive inside.
"Others will drink from that water, y'know. Glad to see you, though. Right, 'Tirus?" a familiar voice asked.
"Befehlnadir!"
"Right on the dot," Befehlnadir chuckled. He emerged from the other side of the bridge. "Look at you! Being fed by the ones you're going to kill. Wouldn't that be considered as backstabbing?"
Hitirus shook his head. "Its called learning your enemy, creature. Of course you wouldn't know. All you do is catch me off guard."
"Oh? How come when I do it, I'm in the wrong. But when Zeek's pack did that same thing to you, he's in the clear?" Befehlnadir replied.
The response caught Hitirus off guard. He knew something was off about that night. Nobody would camp outside like that, especially near a road.
Befehlnadir grinned. "Ah, there it is! No response. Let me tell you something. A Noble Mind will never die, unless their King does. But of course, the same can be said about the King. So kill the Noble Minds first, they'll rest for a few days, then come back."
Hitirus frowned. "How do you know any of this?"
"While trying to blend in the previous town, a female Zegus got a little too friendly with me. You wonder why I wasn't stalking you? I was too busy messing up that wet tunnel," Befehlnadir joked.
"The hell were you thinking?!? We shouldn't multiply, especially out of Uvurim," Hitirus angrily scolded.
Befehlnadir chuckled. "Aside from having no actual physical traits of our own, you and I share a very cool trait: we're both sterile. Anyway, enjoy your bath."
Hitirus wanted to chase after Befehlnadir, but couldn't. The allure of a refreshing bath was too powerful for him.
He dragged his feet over the pebbles, kicking them into the stream. Then he promptly sat down, closing his eyes to focus on specific thoughts.
One of his thoughts was how he managed to make the Scaler obey and work with him. It went by too fast, and danger was too close.
Even more so when he ended up dying and coming back to use the Scaler again to locate the bag. However, it was difficult trying to figure out what happened.
This was like every encounter he had ever been in: rough, difficult, and ends with somebody dying.