Chapter 3: The Strange Forest

Darkness, that was all that Oz could see apart from speckles of lighting piercing through the moist blackness.

CHOONK!

Oz's pierced his fist up through the ground and silently groaned in exhaustion as he hoisted himself up from the soggy dirt.

His body still ached all over from the close life-or-death encounter.

His head was pounding, the scent of death was still looming over him as if ready to decapitate him at any moment.

Oz gulped in handfuls of air and began to slowly collect himself and observe his surroundings.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

'Hmm, evolving?', Oz still remembered the image he saw before falling unconscious last night, and pulled up his status window to be met with a new notification.

[Level Requirement Met, Evolve Available!]

[Level: 10]

[Realm: 0]

[Proficiency: Max]

[Bloodline: Available]

"Evolve?"

Oz lifted his hand to his chin and glanced at his status with an enthusiastic grin, "Finally maxed my proficiency!" Oz exhaled with a cocky smile, "well there's no point in waiting."

WOOOSHHH!

Oz mentally selected 'Evolve' and a bright flash filled his eyes and a surge of force swept throughout his entire body.

Veins bulged on the side of his head and muffled grunts slipped through his clenched teeth as Oz toppled to his knees in pain.

His veins rambled around intertwining and slushing around as if they were dancing.

The pain was as if millions of worms were trying to break through Oz's skin and it even felt like his heart was pounding against his chest like it was demanding its independence.

"Ughhh!!",

Oz tried his damnest to keep it all in, knowing full well that attracting a beast in such a vulnerable position could cause him to lose his life here and now.

"GAHHHHHHH!!"

Oz couldn't hold himself back and let out a guttural scream shaking the tree next to him and sending a surge of light in the air!

"AHHHHH"

As Oz's scream continued to ring, it felt as if everything had started clicking in the right place, soothing the pain and rejuvenating his mind and body.

WOOOSHH!!

Finally, the pain died down and Oz felt completely reborn, stripped of his past weakness.

He gripped his fist, a boon of power flowing through him, a giddy smile across his face, as he bounced around and laughed while flipping and cartwheeling, testing his body's newfound capabilities.

As he let out joyful laughs while flipping around, Oz remembered to check his status.

[Level: 1]

[Realm: 1]

[Proficiency: Low]

[Bloodline: Available]

"Hmm", Oz stopped flipping and pondered at the status screen, "so my Level and Proficiency reset but I reach a higher realm…"

Oz's smile disappeared and a grim shadow spread across "I wonder…" Oz closed his eyes and slowly breathed out, "his time will come, first things first I gotta-"

CRACK

Oz snapped around at the sound of a branch being broken as he happened to see an 'old friend'.

The brown and green feline creature that had nearly taken his life just yesterday, was now in front of him.

Coming out from the thick foliage, the two locked eyes as they were about 20ft (6 meters) apart.

'This scene seems familiar', Oz thought to himself. The whistling of the wind and the dancing leaves were all that sang in the whispering forest.

It almost felt like the feline was looking at Oz… angrily?

Oz didn't know whether to laugh or cry, 'no way this is the beast that ate my shit… right?'

Surely there was no way, as there must have been hundreds of other felines that look just like it.

As if it could read Oz's mind, the creature snarled and pranced towards Oz like it was demanding his head on a platter in atonement.

"Pshh, hehehe", Oz could barely keep his laugh under his breath, "sorry lil guy but you're the on the menu."

WOOOSH!

Before the creature had time to process, Oz launched himself from his position.

"WOAH!!"

Oz screamed out in surprise as he felt his legs shoot off from the earth like a pistol, the creature caught off guard from its arrogant act could only gawk at Oz like a deer in headlights.

Carrying this momentum Oz swelled up his right arm and swung to his left side, properly connecting with the feline's jaw and sending it flying.

WHAM!

"Ugh!" The one who yelled that out was Oz as not being used to going that fast, he fell on his shoulder and rolled after connecting his attack.

"Damn…" Oz groaned as he got to his feet, "I gotta work on the landing."

A smile seemingly bright enough to illuminate the cryptic forest beamed across Oz's face as he glanced down at his fists and flexed his fingers as if playing with some invisible object, "Nice!"

Oz turned with a huge grin spread across his face to see the feline with a broken jaw flattened onto the ground, and whining in pain.

Its jaw limply hanging like his old hut shack doors and its eyes like large pools of pity as it whined at Oz.

It attempted at struggling to its feet, hoping for any semblance of forgiveness from Oz.

WHAM!!

A large punch sent the creature's head down into the earth sending a cloud of thick smoke into the air.

"Would you let me off if I begged?"

The feline whose face was semi-sunk into the earth and was unable to move its head, barely shifting its eyes as it locked contact with the little demon in its sight.

A pool of light yellow liquid spread across its shivering lower body.

WACK

WACK

WACK

Sometime later...

.

.

A pack of felines emerged from the thick foliage to find their comrade, buried into the earth.

Its bones were mangled and its body crushed, yet it was missing an entire leg...

The leader of the group leaped forward to inspect, smelling the corpse and sniffing around for any evidence of the perpetrator as its group spread out to do the same.

Oz watched atop a tree from afar, laughing at the feline leader's stupidity.

His clothes and silver hair now dyed a slight tinge of yellow.

"That's a bit too many for now", as he saw four on-alert felines patrolling below. "But soon."

He flailed around his "lunch" for later and leaped off into the forest, away from the felines and looking for a place to cook his meal.

.

.

Oz massaged his swollen knuckles as he held the raw meat in hand. It was 2ft (0.6meters) long and 1ft (0.3meters) wide, truly demanding of a fitting appetite but he was up for the challenge.

A pile of sticks lay in front of him as he just blankly stared at it. Oz closed his eyes and deeply inhaled, "yuh!" Oz shot out his hand above the sticks.

BWERP!

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His belly bellowed in demand and annoyance.

"Sigh.", Oz put the meat into his mouth by the leg bone and picked up 2 of the sticks from the pile, and began rubbing them together.

WSHWSHWSH

Eventually rubbing them together till they became incredibly thin and wispy strands of insubstantial matter.

Oz stared blankly at his attempt at making fire and groaned out as his belly called upon him again.

GUGUGU

His stomach was at its breaking point with Oz's stupidity and it was audible about it, it demanded nutrients!

Oz picked the leg out of his mouth and sighed, "here goes nothing."

…

"Bleugh!" Oz let the hairy green and brown leg roll off his tongue. The deep earthen and piss-flavored taste was overwhelmingly strong and Oz scratched at his tongue.

Oz then thought of the "Food Preparation Unit" from the Dung Den Oz and remembered seeing them cut off the skin to prepare meat.

At least for those "important enough" to eat the valuable resource.

Oz gulped, remembering the face of delight and utter ecstasy of those who enjoyed the high-end nutrient.

He, however, didn't have anything to cut with and after the debacle, at the Dung Den, he wasn't in the mood to go on an egg hunt for any random stones either.

Peering down at his two hands Oz firmed himself before grasping tightly onto his prized meal.

RIIIIP!

Oz was shocked! He had seen those at the Dung Den, struggle to even cut and prepare a piece for those to consume yet he had just done so now.

Oz greedily gazed at this tender piece of meat and tore the skin off like a Christmas wrapping before shoving the leg right into his face socket. "Ohh!" Oz moaned out.

The Dung Den barely provided adequate meals as is, with what could only be described as, "rice water soup" by most, though unseasoned this feline leg was like a luxurious meal, though still a bit earthy and uncooked.

The juicy, bloody meat exploded in Oz's mouth with flavor. The blood was almost sweet, tasting vaguely like kiwi.

Oz gobbled the entire strangely sweet meat whole and patted his stomach in satisfaction, it sending a burp through his mouth in approval.

Oz gazed at the bone lying on the ground now, he remember what some of the inmates said about the bone marrow.

The meat inside bones, the most delicious meal any creature can ever taste from even the most fowl and sickly of the beast.

Oz salivated at the bone, his stomach widening for just enough space, he steeled himself and picked up the bone with two hands gripping it strongly and standing up with his legs spread out.

Oz was sweating from anticipation and desire, now was the time to feast!

"Ughhh!" Oz's veins protruded from his forehead as he tried his damnest to bend the bone but it wouldn't nudge even a bit.

"Huf" Oz collapsed on the ground in exhaustion, his hands red and calloused from his failed attempts. He could almost hear the old inmates laughing at him.

.

.

"Don't even think about tryin some, newb."

A group of grown lanky men laughed as they huddled around with their bowls of 'rice water soup',

"I know biology and I seen the femur's the hardest bone in the body." One of the inmates who looked to be one of the oldest spoke up.

A gruffy-looking inmate with an oily face playfully shoved and interjected, "twat's that gotta do with anything?"

The older inmate shoved back, and lifted his finger up with an arrogant smile while looking at all those around him like a teacher among students,

"means' ain't noone like us is breakin it, ya gotta be much, MUCH stronger than the creature to even try breakin it. How're we gonna taste some when we can't even get some goddamn meat!"

He yelled as his thin wrinkly hands clutched his bowl, looking at the ground as if contemplating while cursing.

The other inmates all tried hushing the man down as they looked around cautiously, many quickly gulping down their soup and getting back to work.

.

.

Oz smiled as he looked at the bare bone in his calloused hands, "guess I'm still not strong enough."

He chucked the bone away as he gazed into the bright sky, "but I will be!" Oz thought back to when he had killed the feline after beating it.

.

.

[Experience Gained, Killed Realm 0, Medium Proficiency  Creature.]

[Bloodline Detected!]

[Fuse Bloodline?]

"Fuse?", at the time Oz knew the feline's companions would arrive soon. He quickly continued reading.

[Fuse Earthcat Bloodline?]

[Element: Earth and Wind]

[Rank: 0]

[Grade: Low]

Thinking back now, Oz had time to have fused with the creature known as an "Earthcat", however, what abilities it would give him or what a bloodline even was, he didn't know for sure but, one thing was for certain.

Those elements it had wouldn't have helped him to cook the meat any easier.

Thoughts of meat aside, Oz stopped himself from carelessly picking that creature as his "bloodline".

Thoughts of that dastardly pervert leaving footprints of fire in his path, snapped Oz out of his infatuation and impatience to quickly fuse with the creature, instead choosing to stay patient for the best possible match, something stronger.

Oz cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck as he got up from his makeshift campsite, taking large cocky struts towards the forest with a large smile plastered on his face, ready for any adventure he may endure. "Let's do this!"

.

.

"Hmm, report?" A cloaked figure standing 7ft (2.1m) tall, called out in a voice so gruffy it could cut wood.

His hulking figure loomed over the large redheaded man across him, causing the redheaded man to shudder in fear.

There was a presence about the cloaked man, a shadow cast by him even in the dark night of the forest.

The redhead opened his mouth slowly, before closing it again, hesitant about what to say.

The tree leaves whispered in the wind, the rustling sound being all that filled the forest.

The cloaked figure's hazel brown eyes pierced out from under his cloak, and the redhead man felt choked just by the cloaked figure's gaze.

"E-everything's going fine."

The pervert was finally able to let out, before panting for breath, just being in the cloaked figure's presence alone was enough to cause him distress.

"Ohh?" The cloaked figure mused out, "so the shipments will all be arriving as planned?"

The redheaded pervert lowered his head to avoid eye contact, "y-yes, there was a bit of a beast problem but…" the pervert gripped his fist in frustration, "but it's all taken care of."

The cloaked figure gazed at the redhead pervert's gritted fist, "hmm, alright."

As the cloaked figure turned to leave he looked back, "and the prisoners, are all accounted for?"

The pervert's eyes widened before quickly adjusting, "there were a few losses but, it won't affect our workflow too much."

The cloaked figure nodded his head, "hmm, good." The pervert crossed his hands over, finicking with them as if hesitating on something, "what is it?"

The cloaked figure called out, reading the pervert's distress.

Surprised, the pervert straightened his back and spoke out, "I um, was wondering when, um I can get the-", "hmm, yes," The cloaked figure cut in, "We know what you desire. SHE knows what you desire."

The cloaked figure turned his head forward and began walking, the long cloak that enshroud his entire body made it look as if he was floating along the ground.

"Complete your term and make sure we get the shipments, and you will receive what you desire."

He continued walking before additionally chiming in, "I see you've been eating well, remain grateful to the hand that feeds you."

The cloaked man faded into the forest, disappearing as if he was never there, to begin with.

The pervert dropped to his knees and hands, gasping for air as thick droplets of sweat rained off his face. His bones creaked in agony from the pressure of that mysterious individual.

As the pervert looked up into the night sky a greedy gaze pierced through his pained expression, "Soon."

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