Cato Emberson's Perspective:
I had set up my shop in a relatively crowded location on the floor of the jungle city.
My carriage and tarp were positioned across the street from a pub to attract rowdy warriors, possibly hoping to purchase some of the flashier items I had in stock.
The street I sold on had a constant flow of pedestrians and carriages, making it a perfect spot to gain information.
My business did surprisingly well for the first couple of days I had been open. I spent the nights perusing pubs or cultivating inside the carriage, keeping watch over my belongings.
By the fourth day of selling the items I purchased in Conterra, I had gathered some information.
Again, using the disguise of a merchant, I inquired whether there were any other large villages throughout Nature Tribe territory. Luckily, only small towns scattered the area nearby the Ocean Tribe's territory.
I continued gathering information about potential God Sources, careful to use vocabulary that wouldn't set me apart. I saw most of my success in this area when luring over wandering soldiers with flashy goods and then poking at their knowledge.
I had learned that the Nature Tribe had, in total, fifteen God Sources. Now, only six resided in the main village while the other nine spread themselves throughout the continent.
Hopefully, I would draw out one or two of the God Sources and eliminate them without much trouble before repeating the process and destroying the rest of the main village.
I cursed at the image I had seen when I first entered the Nature Tribe as it flashed through my head again.
Shaking the picture out of my head, I thought of the God Sources I would have to face.
'I can't start thinking about the destruction of the village while the God Sources are still alive.'
After multiple nights of continuous cultivation, I had gathered enough confidence in my natural source power to rival even the most skilled source energy users through brute force.
At least, that was my assumption for the time being.
Although ever confident, I still needed more information on where the God Sources lived and their standard patterns.
I had learned that Andreas was a night owl from simple observation of the colony he lived in, but making assumptions here would be much more complicated.
I looked up at the bridges that seemed to span infinitely throughout the forest and wondered how many routes someone could take and still end up at the same place.
The 'L' shaped tunnel that made up the colony seemed like a walk in the park compared to who and what I had to decimate this time.
I was spending some time in a pub with my carriage in a surveillance bay where the horses could rest, and I wouldn't have to worry about someone stealing anything.
I was drinking silently at a table in the corner of a noisy pub. The bar was packed with people shouting and drinking, and almost every table had their seats filled.
Much to my surprise, I was sitting alone in this pub. As I took a sip of the alcoholic beverage in my cup, I realized I might not have had the most approachable appearance.
Sighing into my cup, I closed my eyes and put the glass back onto the table.
'Maybe my eyes look kind of mean?'
I brought my eyes back open and was shocked.
The noise of the pub had entirely faded, and I was sitting, alone, in what looked like the dark blue haze that enveloped everything when I envisioned my energy pool.
I sat, looking for any landmark in my immediate vicinity when a ripple in front of me brought my attention forward.
Floating, encompassing my entire field of vision now, was the pale, dark blue of my energy pool. Instead of sitting on top, I sat parallel to the water's surface—my face centimeters from the liquid.
Behind the transparent wall that stood in front of me were more gray silhouettes. Except, instead of standing, motionless as they usually did, these silhouettes were lively—they seemed happy.
I sat, staring at the silhouettes, as they conversed and danced with one another.
'They're, partying?'
I stared intently at the figures behind the glass-like substance that stood in between us.
I was about to become uninterested—almost choosing to force myself out of the hallucination—when something caught my attention.
One of the silhouettes started to take form. It came to life with color and vibrance as it danced around with the other gray figures.
Soon, I realized what colors were appearing on its body. I berated myself for not learning sooner because of the size of some of the silhouettes. Still, right before my eyes, as the colors reached the silhouette's hair, making it a complete person rather than an outline, there was Angelica.
She was dancing with another incomplete figure that suddenly started to take color as well.
I knew it was Blaze before the process finished. His oddly broad shoulders for his lean build, the way he almost towered over Angelica, yep, that was him alright.
I pressed my hand up to the liquid in front of me. The liquid pushed back, not providing me with a centimeter of movement.
Channeling source energy was a fruitless endeavor, and I concluded that the liquid was an active barrier between the now fully completed Blaze and me.
I pounded a fist onto the wall as my head dropped between my extended arms.
I continued to hit the wall with no luck before looking back up at the silhouettes.
They were all no longer silhouettes. All of them were in full color. I could see my father and mother dancing healthily. Blaze and Angelica were drifting between each other and their families.
I sat, staring at the scene that made my soul ache. The raw emotions I had pressed down for so long were urging me to let them out.
I watched as humid, heavy air started to surround me.
A thick fog covered my brain and only brought one feeling with it:
Brutal, insufferable loneliness.
A feeling much more potent than any other emotion I had buried long ago.
Seeing everything I wished for, within arms reach, but blocked by my immense energy source.
'Was this the fate of the Reaper?'
I tried to shake the name out of my head, only to replace it with even more terrorizing thoughts.
My normal voice in my head was spinning out of control as I stared at my friends and family laughing and enjoying themselves.
'They took it from me.'
'I need to bring vengeance for my tribe.'
'I must avenge them.'
'I must.'
'I must.'
The simple phrase repeated in my head as my vision blurred while I pounded on the wall in my face.
Tears continued to stream down a face as 'I must.' continued to radiate through my brain.
A low whisper somehow drowned out everything screaming in my head.
'I just want that.'
As I thought that simple phrase, my mind went silent, loneliness ached through my entire body.
I stared forward in silence for only a few seconds before an ice-cold grip landed on my shoulder.
The now almost familiar low voice resounded by my side.
'A true shame, but what will you do?'
I could almost hear the voice smile before it continued.
'I genuinely wonder, Reaper.'
Whipping my head over my left shoulder where the icy grip had come from, I was suddenly back in the pub.
A man had placed his hand on my shoulder with a concerned look on his face, "You okay, pal?"
I quickly gathered myself, realizing my knuckles had gone white, gripping my glass, and tears had stained my cheeks.
Wiping my face on my cloak, "Yep, doing good." I replied, slightly muffled.
The man sat in the chair across from me, placing his glass on the table, "Having a flashback or something?" He asked.
I allowed a brief chuckle before responding, "Something like that."
"What, were you on the raid team for the Fire Tribe attack?"
"Oh, no, not me." I took a sip from my glass, "I'm just a merchant, but I had some friends who died valiantly in battle." I said, only half lying.
"Ah, I'm sorry to hear about that—those filthy tunnel thriving scum." The man spat out his last words.
I bit my tongue, holding back my dissatisfaction, before giving a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes and taking a swig of my beverage.
"Say," I started, "I have some pretty pricey items that I'm trying to sell right now."
The man gave a short nod before I continued, "They're nice pieces of armor and weapons that seem to be too expensive for the clientele roaming the streets I'm selling on."
The man across from me seemed to be understanding what I was saying, but I continued anyway, "I was wondering if you knew where I could find some strong people to sell to?"
The man took a final sip from his glass, finishing his drink. "Well, you're in luck. I know just the place."
I followed suit and finished my glass before motioning for another round for the both of us.
The man seemed pleasantly surprised by my actions and spoke up, "Why, thank you, kind Sir. I appreciate the drink."
"Business has been quite beneficial recently," I began, before solidifying my gaze, "and thank you for providing this information."
The drinks arrived as the man replied, "Of course."
He started his fresh drink before continuing.
"There is a pub that houses the strongest of the strong here in the Nature Tribe. It's near the very top of the canopy, and you could find it pretty easily just by heading upwards. However, they test the people attempting to enter, so, being a humble merchant and all, I don't know if you're going to get in. I would recommend catching some of the regulars as they come out and attempting to sell your items that way." The man finished, nodding to himself before raising his glass to his mouth.
"What's the name of the pub?" I asked.
The man thought for a moment before replying, "I think it's called 'The World Tree' or 'The Blood Tree.' I'm not sure, but it's something like that."
"I appreciate it, Sir."
"Of course, I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help." He said, flashing a smile.
I finished the rest of my drink and stood up, "No worries, I appreciate all your help."
I waved to the man I had talked to and left the pub, turning right towards the surveillance bay to stay in my carriage for the night.
I would cultivate some more tonight and tomorrow; I attempt to sell my priciest pieces to some God Sources.
Finding these people would make this mission successful or not. I needed to eliminate all six of the God Sources currently residing in the Nature Tribe if I wanted to demolish its entirety.
My hunting would begin tomorrow. For now, I'll cultivate.