Chapter 2: [CORE] C002 – Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.

After climbing through the debris, my view is greeted by a sea of grey and green trees. To either side of me, mountains rise in the distance, their peaks obscured in clouds. I've never seen mountains before and it takes a moment for me to realise that this entire area must be part of some kind of forest.

Not wanting to stay here any longer than I have to, I start making my way towards the nearest hilltop as fast as my legs will carry me. After a few moments I come to realise something important is missing, my Aruval, a type of sword/machete with a forward curving point used for tearing when used in a slashing attack. Originally designed for agriculture it was a weapon forged for me when I took up the champion position for my goddess. We are reminded that our blades serve our people and that even working in farms is honourable.

Now my life hangs in the balance and I need to find somewhere to hide from monsters until I recover my mana. Without my blade, this task is made harder since my main tactic for killing monsters and other threats is slicing or hacking them apart. So grabbing a fallen tree branch and tapping it against a nearby tree to make sure it has some durability, I continue to walk along, hoping nothing attacks me in this unfamiliar forest.

─ Skill Acquired: Stealthy movement

Whats that make now? I open the app menu.

::Skills Addon list::

Basic Skills- Bodyslam, Deadlift, Sympathy, Stealthy movement.

I suppose its one way to keep a record of things I've managed to do.

A few hours have passed since I started walking towards the nearest hill and I've noticed that there hasn't been any monsters roaming around. Does this mean I'm likely near a population center related to those children, or has the areas monster population gone down because there aren't many people nearby? Maybe they're all hiding underground due to some event happening. That's probably why it seems like everyone abandoned this place, there was some sort of threat happening.

Whatever caused it is long gone and it seems safe for now so I decide to rest for a little and figure out what needs doing next. As I take off my pack to put it aside, I notice a slight tremor beneath my feet, followed by a distant rumble and a sharp pain shooting up through my right leg. Poking up from the ground seems to be a root of sorts, or something similar. I bend down and try pulling it from the ground, only to have it rip out of its holding spot on the earth, lashing out at my legs.

The tree I sat under suddenly erupts into life, swinging branches at me and launching some roots into the air. Its a large Laughing Tree, a type of living tree which can make the sound of laughing with its leaves to confuse prey or distract predators while it tries to feed. In this case I can understand why they'd want to keep an eye on things; this one appears to be rather hungry.

It takes me several seconds to react, using everything in my arsenal to defend myself. The branch ready in my hands while placing my weight more on my good leg as I focus on defending myself from this new foe. The Laughing Tree swings its branches at me first, each strike causing a dull thud upon impact that sounds almost like thunder if you listen closely enough, and each strike also sends a shock through my skinsuit, the impact resistant material saving me from the worst wounds this time around.

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I'm forced to jump out of its reach, using the extra momentum to launch myself forwards and onto its trunk. As soon as I land on it, the laughter stops and the tree goes quiet as it stares back at me. A sudden sense of unease comes over me, not knowing exactly why as it doesn't really feel like anything is wrong. Still, I move back from the tree, unsure what to expect now. A sudden truce with no cause or reason for it leaves me confused but I ignore it as I begin scanning the surrounding area with my eyes searching for what gained its attention so suddenly.

The sky above begins changing colour, growing darker by the moment as streaks of lightning streak across it. I watch in surprise as the storm begins to grow and darken, before finally a loud crack sounds from above as a small tornado forms in the sky. The noise it makes echoes in the distance, filling my ears with its roar and rattling the trees nearby. Now there are multiple creatures watching me.

A sudden gust of wind blows through, forcing me back towards the shelter of one of the large trunks as leaves and dirt fly through the air around me. A large reptile, similar to a dragon but lacking the mana pressure one would normally exert, so it must be a weaker subspecies.

After a small silence as it flies quickly overhead, I make a move away from the tree while it remains distracted, nursing my wounded leg. The dragons body falls through the sky, claws tearing into the trunk before it lifts up the Laughing Tree into the distance. A small chuckle escapes my lips as I check over my shoulder in the direction it left in and smile at what I saw. Two smaller drakes have joined the larger one in carrying off this tree, taking it away to eat or use as some kind of sacrifice to gain mana or strength, perhaps both.

A sigh of relief as they leave eyesight, allowing me to finish the last climb to the top of the hill for a vantage point.

The glow of the afternoon sun lighting up the green forest below, casting everything in a warm red tint. A gentle breeze blows over me bringing with it the scent of freshly cut grass, reminding me how close nature can be to humanity even here where civilization has fallen. A soft groan escapes my lips as I lean on my good leg, letting out a tired breath as I survey what's left of my surroundings.

Far off in the distance there seems to be a slight reflection of the sun peeking around the trees, a potential lake in the distance. What might be some smoke.

─ Skill Acquired: Totally not a forest fire.

Dang AI addon.

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