Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Two Strange Encounters

"Uh… Hello?" Liri asked, taking a cautious step back. She raised a hand, seeing it tremble nervously as the feeling she had in her gut worsened.

The other ven had blank eyes and dry skin, with black lines running all throughout her body, like corrupted versions of the light green veins that ran throughout Liri's own core. It looked like her right leg was broken, as she dragged it behind her, taking steps toward Liri.

"A-Are you okay?" Liri asked, her voice trembling as she took another step back. Swallowing, she began to ask, "i-if you need help, I can…"

The ven wasn't having any of this.

"Aaaurgghh!"

[Crap.]

It was an animalistic, barbaric noise. Something that sounded like it could never have come from one of Liri's own kind. Something that shouldn't have come out of any humanoid creature.

The ven began rushing to her.

Well, as much as she could with a broken leg. Liri recalled the second technique she'd been taught from the Druidic Arts and, sensing that she may be in danger here, decided that now was probably the best time to use it.

Liri put her hands together and spread her energy throughout her body. Just before the ven reached her, Liri spoke the mantra.

"Juvin melnir, na coran!"

The ven grabbed her and went to bite her neck, but wood spread throughout Liri's body before it could do that. Her teeth failed to break through the new armor.

"H-Hey, seriously... stop."

The ven wouldn't listen.

"Can you hear me? I'm telling you to stop!" She tried to speak more clearly. The ven only tried even harder to bury her teeth into Liri's neck.

Finally, Liri cracked.

"BACK OFF!" Liri called out before moving to punch the ven in the face.

In doing so, however, she ended up decapitating her.

The ven's head went flying, slamming into a faraway tree. Instantly, the ven's body collapsed.

Liri's jaw dropped.

"I-I didn't mean to…" Liri quickly said in a hushed tone as she looked down at it. A message appeared over her head.

Soul Rating Gained: 50

Soul Rating: 2950

Liri was a bit too shocked to look at that little message, however. Her eyes remained fixed on the ven at her feet. Sure, the woman had appeared mindless, but Liri couldn't help but wonder if she truly had to kill her just now.

[She looked like a zombie,] Liri thought to herself, as black blood poured out of the ven's body. [What happened to her?]

Looking down at her own hands, Liri glanced back at the Mother Tree. A sad smile appeared on her face.

[I'm glad that I can defend myself, but I didn't set out on this journey so I could go kill zombie ven like this. Whatever, let's just keep moving.]

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Far away from the reactivated Mother Tree, Liri tested her Clairvoyance Mantra once again. She wanted to keep herself occupied, as anytime she slowed down, her thoughts would go back to that ven she'd killed. 

[What was wrong with her?] She asked herself. [No, no. You're not gonna figure anything out no matter how hard you think about it. Just... Just focus on your responsibilities. Well, the ones I can get done right now, anyway.] 

Sitting with her legs crossed and her back pressed against a tree, she calmed herself down, pushed the thoughts of that ven out of her mind, and focused on building her energy. Then, she muttered:

"Orma nevin."

The effect began almost immediately. Raw power began to charge up within Liri's body, little by little. The sensation was alluring and serene, numbing Liri's mind and keeping her in an almost trance-like state.

The strength that bubbled up inside of her felt as much like a natural part of her as her hands did. As though it had been scattered all around her up until this moment, where she finally picked it all up and focused it in front of her.

She lost track of time. The sun was beginning to go down by the time her eyes finally reopened.

[Ah… I should go get some food. Definitely wanna head in the direction of the nearest Mother Tree, though.]

Once again, she activated Clairvoyance. Not to charge up power this time, but for the sake of guidance.

"Orma nevin," Liri muttered. Upon selecting one to the northeast, she began to walk toward it, keeping an eye out for any tracks.

Alma's lessons were still fresh in Liri's mind. It felt like only yesterday that she'd been walking through similar woods with her, the sun weighing heavily on their shoulders as the two of them had made light conversation. She could almost hear Alma pestering her about getting herself a girlfriend. Her heart ached at the thought of those conversations. Small talks here and there that she'd never get to enjoy again.

[Don't worry… Hopefully, I'll get a chance to avenge you,] Liri thought before she paused.

Some grass up ahead looked like it had been stepped on, and flattened. Liri's stomach grumbled, and she began following the footprints.

Along the way, something else joined the footprints in leading Liri forward. Blood.

[I guess whatever it is got injured,] Liri noted as she kept going. She remained low, making sure to be somewhat stealthy. Eventually, she realized something.

[Wait…] Liri thought. [These don't look like animal footprints.]

Balling her hands into fists, Liri kept that wooden armor Mantra on the tip of her tongue, just in case she was about to get into a fight.

For one minute, she followed those tracks and soon, she found the source.

Liri froze.

[… What?]

Up ahead, surrounded by crushed flowers and dried-up blood, was a fallen woman.

Liri felt like she'd just stepped inside a painting. The blood Liri had been following, of course, led up to her. It didn't seem like she was in good shape. 

However, given what had happened in Elmira, Liri wasn't too sure that humans could be trusted. So, she walked a little bit closer to get a better look at her and soon discovered that wasn't something she needed to worry about.

[Wait... Huh?]

Liri discovered something as she took in more of the fallen lady's features. 

This woman wasn't ven, but she certainly wasn't a human either. 

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