After a while, walking through Death's spirit energy was like walking through a thick fog at night. It was like there was some sort of distortion to the senses caused by an eerie presence.
I had to feed more of my energy to the crystal to expand the dampening field. Although I could only see ten feet around me, I felt a little less disoriented now. Adding more would've caused me to pass out from exhaustion, so ten feet would have to do.
Trik, on the other hand, could simply filter his sight somehow, which helped him see through the darkness, while his flashlight helped me know what direction he was in if we strayed apart.
Being surrounded by the dark energy was becoming more and more stressful as we ventured. Considering what its borders did to us, I could only imagine what it was capable of this far in.
And its density was something else. I could actually feel its weight outside the field pressing against it. The spirit energy was so dense that a lot, though weakened, was able to get inside and swirl around us as we moved. It didn't have the same strength and power it did before, though; the most we felt was a mild increase in panic, but so long as we kept its influence in mind, we could shake it off.
"How close are we, Trik?" I asked, by passing a fallen tree. We were somewhere deep into the forest that was even darker and denser than the rest of it. I could tell we were close to the energy's center.
"Not sure," Trik called back from the tree. Soon after entering the forest, we discovered it was mostly dead, just like the field.
He examined some of the trees, trying to see what caused the forest to be in this state. At first glance, it seemed like there was a fire since the trees looked kind of burnt and crumbled at the touch, but it was his theory that Death must come here frequently. That would cause the area to be deeply affected by his spirit energy.
"I don't know; it's like he's all around us. Maybe if he didn't have his energy released like this, it'd be much easier to pinpoint his location," he continued as he caught up to me.
"Well, he has to be close by; the spirit energy is thickest here." I proclaimed. Though pointless, I looked around, hoping to spot something.
"Hey, let's get a higher view. Maybe you can see something from a vantage point," I suggested.
"Good idea, hmm...." While searching the scenery around, his gaze locked somewhere above us. "There's a thick branch about 30 feet above us; think you can make it?" he asked.
Maybe it's just me, but was that a smirk? Was he seriously trying to provoke me right now?
No, I'm an adult now, a warrior for the gods. I won't let him goad me.
"If you can't, I understand; you've got your limits. I can try carrying you," Trik said, holding his arms out.
"Okay, let's not act like I'm too heavy for you to lift," I exclaimed icily.
"I mean, I could barely lift you early," he replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"That was gravity, and you know it!" I protested. "Besides, that doesn't necessarily make me heavy. You could just be weak."
"I'm not...Whatever," he retorted. "Anyways, like I said, I can try to carry you up if you need me to. You can't make the jump; it's understandable."
I said I wouldn't let him goad me, but a warrior also wouldn't shy away from a challenge, so...
"That won't be necessary. I can get up there easily," I bluffed.
My vertical's just over 30 feet, so I was cutting it close, but my competitive nature couldn't let that challenge go unanswered. "Bet I could even make it up there before you," I added. Provoke me; I'll provoke you.
Because Trik's incredibly proud of his race, I knew that'd trigger him.
"You think your organic body can outperform my advanced technological one?" He scoffed, taking offense.
"Organic, yes, but also supercharged," I responded wittily. To top it off, I put on the smug I'm-better-than-you expression that always pissed him off.
It causes him to lose focus, returning him to his robotic form and his LED lights to turn red, showing me that I'd gotten under his skin – so to speak. He's such a child.
"Fine," he grumbled. "Don't complain when you lose."
"Oh, I'll win," I remarked. With an EQN of 1,800, I have a large spirit energy compared to other humans – most in my family do for some reason – but it's not limitless like his, so I knew he'd outperform me. Plus, I can't fly.
But luckily, Trik is oh-so-predictable when he gets like that, so I already knew exactly how I'd win.
Trik aligned himself next to me so we'd both be directly underneath the target branch. I slowly entered a squatting position. While concentrating, I let my energy gather, feeling the pressure build in my legs as I lowered like a spring being slowly compressed. Once I felt I'd gathered enough strength, I halted, holding the tensed energy in place, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
"Are you done," Trik asked, casually floating next to me.
"Ready when you are."
"Alright. On your mark." I noticed several tiny orifices on Trik's body open, and out of them came energy that cloaked him in a green aura.
"Get set." The energy set onto his surface then seeped back beneath, but now he had a visible hue outlining him and a green internal glow revealing nooks and crannies on him that were otherwise unperceivable.
As expected, he's gonna go overboard.
"Go!"
We both shot skyward at an incredible speed; however, Trik managed to completely fly past the intended branch and most likely out of the forest. He would have won had he not overcharged himself, which was a stupid thing to do for a 30-foot jump. Now I'll have to wait a few minutes for him to cool off and come back down.
I reached out to the branch for stability as I came up from beneath it, pulling myself up into a graceful landing. The tree's extension was thick enough for me to move without worrying about balancing myself. It was a good thing it was because, upon my landing, every muscle in my body instinctively froze.