The sun had already set, and the forest was dreanched in an oppressive darkness, leaving Reid pacing within his small hollow.
Introspecting
His fingers pressed to his temple. His thoughts spun in endless circles, searching for answers he didn't have.
He had a lot of questions and literally had no answers.
Where did that eagle - like monstrosity come from ? Was it even an Eagle?
Then he recalled it's descent from high above him, a memory so vivid that it sent shivers crawling up his spine. His eyes instinctively darted upwards , towards the hollow space extending into the unknown heights of the great tree.
' What even is that abomination '
He thought as he walked towards the opening , needing a distraction for his scattered thoughts.
And then there it was !! Another fucking theatrical mess. He was met with an unbroken wall of pitch black.
Total darkness
The moon was nowhere to be seen, the stars hidden behind dense, rolling clouds .
Our little coward Reid didn't even dare to extend his senses into the jungle below. Just the thought of what might be lurking out there froze him in place.
He was a wimp. Afraid he may see what was not meant to be seen.
Turning back, he also came face to face with other burning questions
" What was this place..? How the hell did I get here ..?
...And what in the holy ghost's name were these glowing mashrums and vines.
" Glowing mushrooms ...." He said to himself, his voice heavy with disbelief .
" Yeah , because that's totally normal."
The mushrooms glowed with a crystal like glow while the vines and the moss glowed green, as they illuminated the place.
Although it was a good thing for him, he was still scared shitlless.
Who woundnt be !! They were fucking glowing , literally illuminating the whole space.
Grrr ... Grrr ..Grrr..
And then there was the growling of his stomach. A low insistent reminder of his situation. Reid had been trapped in this behemoth of a tree for a whole day and who know how long before he woke up.
The hunger was gnawing and he couldnt ignore it anymore.
He was hungry and his stomach was letting him know.
' aaaah mushrooms !, Mushrooms are edible right?? '
'but are glowing mushrooms edible ??'
Reid looked at the mushrooms , his face making a weird expression where his cheeks drooped down to his chin.
"ooh fuck it !!
I'll just close my eyes !! And hope for the best . "
Reid uprooted a mushroom. They were slimmy but had a rough texture in his mouth.
The first bite was tentative , his expression contorting as he chewed.
' tastes like..aaaaah..!! ...Mushrooms..?'
Seeing no reaction by his body , he was supprised. Nothing catastrophic happened and so Reid decided to help himself and uprooted some more.
He feasted on them raw like there was no tommorrow.
....
The second morning Reid woke up feeling energetic and was ready to face his first trial since comming to this world.
" Alright!! time to climb down this godforsaken tree."
He had no idea how to, but knew he had to.
'Staying here will only lead to starvation '
That was his reasoning. It was correct. He had tried some moss while he was eating mushrooms, it wasn't pleasant.
....
He stepped to the opening and looked down. The ground seemed impossibly far, an abyss stretching hundreds of metres below.
One wrong move , and it was over.
If he tried climbing down the twisting
vines, there was the added risk of becoming prey to the eagle-thing -or whatever else might be lurking. Reid's jaw tightened as he
considered his options.
He also knew that death by starvation wasn't any better but a coward like him would always choose the safer option.
Being prey to that abomination wasn't even an option to him. He would gladly eat moss until he died.
" Dammn it heaven ! " Reid yelled , throwing his arms into the air .
" You couldn't have just dropped me into a nice castle or a pavilion? Nooo, you just had to throw me into some giant tree in the middle of monster hell!!
Screw you !!
Wtf is this situation!!
Fuck you!! "
Resigned , he plopped down at the opening , sitting cross- legged.
" Alright ! " He said to himself , inhaling deeply . " If novels taught me anything , is that when the mc needs a level up , he just needs enlightenment .
Meditate and answers will come "
He was low key trying to mimic cultivators he had read in novels. His weird logic told him that what he needed was englightement and that he needed to meditate.
But could he ! , Reid Brown find the stillness and harmony needed in meditation ??
Hell no !!
He just sat there for five minutes and gave up after seeing nothing happening.
He stepped inside the opening with his disfigured expression on his face.
But then it happened ...
BOOOM!!
A loud explosion resounded in the middle of the canopy jungle with defeaning might.
The explosion shook the tree, it's force rattling the hollow and sending glowing spores tumbling down it's wall
Reid froze, his heart hammering as he scrambled to the ground.
Another blast followed.
BOOM!!
Then another.
BOOM! BOOM!!
The deafening sounds came one after another, their origin somewhere deep in the canopy below. Reid clenched his fists, every instinct screaming at him to stay hidden.
But against all reason, a spark of curiosity ignited in him.
His logic-twisted as it was-spoke loud and clear:
If you heard the explosion, then it didn't hit you.
He moved toward the opening, peering out into the darkness below. His heart pounded as he tried to make sense of the chaos unfolding in the forest.
" ... J..just what the hell is going on ?? "
He whispered , his fear mingling with a strange , inexplicable pull to find out.