'Wham'
The beast falls to the ground in a heap and the fear dissipates like a lie. Now that I have my faculties with me, I see the predator is barely larger than me.
"Careful with those Metapardus, they cast fear magic which can be hard to deal with for newbies." Travis says with a wink.
"I'll keep that in mind." With the fear gone, curiosity takes over. A gash covers most of the monster's face but I can discern that it has six legs, a whip-like tail, and almost slimy smooth black skin.
"You want it?" Travis asks. "It's not worth much but it's better than nothing."
"Sure." I respond and awkwardly sling the Metapardus onto my shoulder.
"I'll carry it." Josh offers.
"Oh, thanks bro."
Josh carries the monster much more easily than I could with the help of his large frame. I'm so overwhelmed by the lights and the Metapardus attack that i don't collect anything on this expedition.
While on the way back to town, I check to see how Sakura did, given that she was the only person to bring a backpack.
"Here look." She says as she opens her bag which is overflowing with fungus.
"Wow, that looks like a lot more than the things Travis talked about." I say.
"My Dad uses plants and stuff to make potions so he taught me all about the best things to look for in the woods."
"I thought he didn't want you to join the Adventurer's Guild; why would he be comfortable with you going in the woods."
"These aren't the only woods, stupid."
"Right, that makes sense."
"Also, my Dad used to be an adventurer himself so I think he was upset I joined as soon as I could." Sakura says with a finger over her mouth.
"He might feel differently if you give him that backpack full goods."
"You think?" She asks, looking inquisitively at her spoils.
"You would know better than me but parents are always proud of their children's efforts."
"Yeah, I bet he'd pay me top dollar for these." Sakura says while sporting a sinister smile.
"That's not really what I meant, but you do you." Next I move over to Josh. "What are you going to do with that thing?"
"It's yours."
"You carried it, you should have it"
Josh frowns at me.
"Okay, okay, how about we split it?" I offer.
He nods at me and drops the frown.
From what I can see only a couple people managed to find anything during the expedition and yet everyone is stoked to go on another. I can hardly blame them. That was an otherworldly experience.
"Pretty cool, huh?"
'...'
Josh nods but Nick doesn't respond.
"You alright?"
Josh nods.
'Yeah, I-I'm okay.' Nick says after a moment of hesitation.
"Yeah, I feel the same way, that was awesome. Do you want to go on the next expedition?"
Josh nods.
'Yes! That was so much more amazing than what I saw in those books. Thanks, I never would have done something like that before you showed up.'
"I'm just glad you're happy."
Josh nods.
'Thanks, that means a lot.'
We sell the Metapardus corpse for one hundred ten Denarii and I make sure to have Nick alter the story a bit when we explain what happened to Carroll. Vincent is ecstatic and even pats Nick on the head. I could feel the kid's joy from all the way at the bottom of the mind-sea. I can't help but feel that I'm slowly pulling the kid into more danger and yet it's hard to argue with the results. Everyone is happier now and that means so am I.
Nick rushes to the guild the next day before I'm even fully awake. He tosses control to me just as he bursts through the door and I stumble to the receptionist desk.
"You okay, Nick?" Catherine asks.
"Yeah, just a little more excited than I was expecting." I smile wryly. "Is there going to be another expedition today?"
"Yup! In fact, Jezabel was disappointed by the small harvest yesterday and is going to guide everyone deeper into the forest herself."
"Wow, that's awesome."
"I'm shocked she's taking such initiative, for the longest time it felt like she had given up after being assigned here." Catherine says while placing a hand on her cheek.
"Noted. Well, thanks for letting me know."
"Sure, good luck!" She smiles and waves me off while I head into the hall to find my team.
"Nick! Over here!" Sakura waves her hand from a table hidden away at the back.
"Morning, y'all."
""Morning."" the kids reply with vastly different tones.
"Did your Dad have any more of those baskets?"
"Yeah, I brought one for each of you."
"Thanks."
Josh and I put on our own backpacks and wait for word from the guild. I half listen to Sakura ramble about different plants until I see Jezabel walk through the door. It strikes me that she's moving at normal speed. She must have been real stressed about the changes in the forest when I first arrived to have been darting around everywhere.
"Shut up!" Jezabel shouts, though it's wholly unnecessary as everyone stopped talking the moment she stepped in the room. "Meet at the treeline in ten minutes or you're getting left behind."
Everyone looks around at each other for a second and then a stampede for the door begins. I hold my team back so we don't get crushed and then follow up the rear. We pass a number of very confused looking townsfolk on the out the north gate and arrive at the treeline just as Jezabel is about to depart.
"Stay close. We're going to walk a few clicks into the woods before stopping to forage so don't fall behind harvesting fungus before then."
Jezabel takes the lead and a steady line forms up behind her. Most people look to be relaxed while my team is drenched in sweat while gasping for air. I guess this just shows the difference between those who have leveled up and those who haven't. A rough head count of thirty or so people are here which is considerably more than yesterday; they all must really trust the Guild Master.
We stay near the back and are the last to enter the forest. I stay as close to the person in front of me as I can until I can see the glow of the fungal layer. After yesterday's excursion I'm more mentally prepared for the assault of colors, but it's still overwhelming. I manage to spot a couple plants and fungi that Sakura points out but we can't stop to gather them without losing track of the others.
We weave back and forth through the psychedelic passageways for over an hour until the glowing fungus is replaced by a gentle light filtering from above. The tree trunks narrow and show a variety of girths and barks. The sounds of nearby creatures flow in and my eyes adjust to the brightness. A heavy hum fills the air which makes my heart clench.
The path then opens up into a field and the full light of day shines down on us. Jezabel gathers everyone's attention by clapping her hands.
"You have twenty minutes before we move to the next location, go!"
Everyone scatters into the treeline to scavenge for anything that might be worth something.
"Over here!" Sakura cries as she points at the ground, "This is a Hephaestus flower which is normally only found at the upper layers!"
The flower in question is a deep blue and purple with a silver stripe through the middle. I reach down to grab it but someone bowls me out of the way.
"Hey! What the hell?"
I look up and see the tall, long haired boy from Kyle's gang.
"Tyrion." A chill shoots up my spine at the sound of the Guild Master's icy voice. "I let you join the guild on the condition that you wouldn't cause any issues; don't make me regret my decision."
"Whatever." Tyrion says as he stomps away.
"Nick, are you okay?" Josh asks as he helps me up.
"I'm fine. Let's just keep looking around; we don't have much time."
With Sakura's coaching we manage to find a substantial amount of plants but not enough to fill our packs.
"Alright, everyone gather up. We're going to leave for the next location." Jezabel walks toward the treeline when we all hear a rumble in the distance.
"What the hell is that?" Someone asks from the crowd.
"Quiet!" Jezabel silences us and focuses on the approaching noise. At some point all the noise of the woods stopped; even the deep hum as drifted away. "Travis, take everyone back to town. The rest of your team stays with me, we'll slow them down."
"Wha- Got it. Let's move! Follow me!" Travis pulls the axe from his back and starts running back to town while slicing apart the trees in front of him. The whole expedition funnels after him with my team at the back again. Just before I disappear into the woods I glance behind me at the backs of four people blocking way. Jezabel has dropped her guild robe and is wearing mail armor with flames gently wrapped around her hands. The other three surround her with a woman wearing a blue robe and holding a staff, a man in leather armor notching an arrow on his bow, and a woman in white cracking her knuckles while wearing a two piece outfit that doesn't look very protective.
The rumbling intensifies when suddenly a huge monster bursts through the treeline on the other side of the field. It almost looks like a long-necked dinosaur but the ground twists and groans with its every step.
I burn the image of those people into my mind and dart into the woods while death breathes coldly down my neck.
The path has been cleared well enough that we all can easily find our way even into the fungal layer. Chunks of ice line the newly made scars in the trees like a trail of particularly cold bread crumbs. We're all running as fast as we can and yet fall further and further behind.
"Just keep following the ice on the trees, we're almost there." I say knowing full well we're still deep in the forest. With the sound of the nearby creatures gone, all that can be heard is our ragged breathing. After another few minutes of running without seeing anyone else ahead, a silhouette begins growing from the darkness.
"Who is that?" Sakura shouts.
"Tyrion."
The long haired boy is doubled over, gasping for air.
"Go on ahead, I'm going to help him."
"Ni-"
"Go!" I shout at Sakura before she can finish and she drags Josh with her into the dark path ahead.
"Come on," I say as I sling the boy's arm over my shoulder.
"I," gasp, "don't need," gasp, "your help," gasp.
"Yeah, real convincing. now shut up and move."
We clumsily follow the signs of ice on the trees when suddenly a roar cuts through the air
'Brrooauurrr'
The sound trips us up and we tumble off to the side and fall down a hole in the ground. Laying in a heap, I look around and try to catch my bearings.
"Get. Off. Me." I hear Tyrion's muffled voice and roll to the side.
"Sorry about that." I feel around for my backpack but can't find anything except dirt and rocks. A bright light peels away the darkness and temporarily blinds me. I peak through my fingers and see Tyrion holding a glowing orb while covering his eyes as well.
"Brighter than you thought, huh?"
"You're welcome." He replies snidely.
"Yeah, thanks."
We sit for a few seconds to catch our breath.
"Help!"
I look over at Tyrion.
"Wasn't me."
"Heelp!"
The tiny voice is coming from deeper down in the hole. We look around and find a man-sized path and slowly descend into the darkness. The bottom the path opens into a small cavern.
"Help!"
Near a wall lies a tiny person with a rock laying on one of their wings.
"Cool, a fairy." Tyrion says.
"Yeah." I walk over to the fairy and lift the rock. They immediately run and hide behind another stone a few feet away.
"Hey, I'm Nick. What's your name?"
"..." The fairy crouches down further and tries to hide. their damaged wing is bent at an odd angle.
"Gimme." I say as I reach my hand toward Tyrion.
"What?"
"Gimme it. I know you have one."
"Fine, but you owe me." He says as he pulls a small red bottle from within his robe. I open the bottle and pour some of the substance on a scratch and watch as it instantly heals.
"Just as I thought." I smirk. It was a bit of a leap but given that Sakura's Dad makes potions and Tyrion looks like a rich kid, I figured there'd be a good chance he had some type of healing potion on him and my vague inquiry would give me plenty of room to maneuver if that wasn't the case.
"Hey, we're just here to help." I say as I lean closer to the fairy.
"No, you just want to eat Woohee!" She seems like a girl based on the sound of her voice and she hugs the rock in front of her like an anchor.
"No I don't, I've got a healing potion right here."
"Stay back or Woohee will eat you!"
"Oh no, you will?" I ask in mock horror.
"Yes, Woohee will eat you right up!"
"I'm pretty big, I don't know if you could eat me all at once."
"Woohee would make you into stew!"
"What kind of stew?" I ask as I reach over to her wing.
"It'd be a yummy stew!"
"Oh, would you share it?"
"Yes! Woohee will share the stew with everyone and everyone will say thanks for the yummy stew Woohee." I rub the potion on her wings while she rambles and the bone snaps back into place. It looks painful but the little fairy didn't even seem to notice so I guess the healing process doesn't hurt. I'm sure I'll be grateful for that myself at some point in the future.
"Well, you're all fixed up." I scoot back after she finishes her dumb story. Woohee feels her previously broken wing in shock and then scampers to a rock even further away.
"What are you doing? Just grab it." Tyrion hisses.
"What? No, why?"
"They're worth a bunch of money because they can be turned into elixirs."
My eyes narrow and I glare daggers at the greedy little boy.
"Fine, leave it. But you still owe me for that potion."
"Whatever, just go."
I push Tyrion back up the slope until we reach the surface.