Chapter 94: Long time no See
Chapter 94: Long time no See
After revelling in his success for a while, Mercury was still smiling ear to ear as he headed out again. Every foot he placed in front of the other, the touch of his newfound companions seemed to envelop his paws. It was a very good feeling, welcoming and warm, and it lifted his spirits up by a long shot.
The rain kept pattering down softly, but the cat didn't mind. Nothing could ruin this day, well, at least there wasn't a lot that could put a damper on his mood. As a couple days before, he headed to the waterhole and drank a couple sips from it, before heading out to hunt. Well, perhaps heading out wasn't the right word.
A squirrel had decided to pay the floor a visit, and with just a glance from the hungry mopaaw, the verdant shrubbery wrapped around its legs and held it down. A swipe later, and Mercury had earned himself a solid meal.
He took the rest of the day slowly, exploring the forest a little further, and generally enjoying the atmosphere. It was the same as any other day would have been, but of course, it was special to him.
Not much later, Mercury decided that he actually wanted to go a little deeper in the forest. He had grown a little stronger over the pages, though he couldn't perfectly pinpoint the amount of time that actually passed. Didn't matter that much though, either, not in the forest at least.
For a little bit, he thought about returning to Stormbraver, but then he shook his head. No, before going back to the city he needed to at least complete his main quest on ihn'ar. Maybe after that, he would feel confident enough to start a settlement? He'd see. Eventually, he knew that much.
Still, as of right now, the forest was as good a place as any to be. After eating his lunch, Mercury headed back to his log, and swiped it into his inventory. He was still using it, and quite frankly, he didn't really feel like abandoning it either. It had been with him on his adventures for so long, and the amount of runes that were on it by now was nothing short of impressive, He'd bet it could withstand even some pretty tough hits from proper weaponry, though he doubted it would stand up against something like Yvette's sword aura. Someday, he thought.
For a few hours, Mercury ventured deeper into the forest, following the stream that fed the waterhole so he wouldn't die from dehydration at least. This might be as good a time as any to tell you to stay hydrated. Go ahead, drink a sip of water, you know you want to. Yeaaaah, there you go. Very nice.
True homies make sure you stay healthy after all.
Ah, where was I? Right, Mercury followed the stream deeper into the forest, where the leaves grew thicker. Yet, the trees were still so tall, and their branches spaced far enough away, that instead of receding, the underbrush actually grew larger as well. After a couple hours of jogging and walking, Mercury found himself face to face with ferns the size of himself.
Sure, that would be more impressive if he were a human, but for singular plants, it was still quite tall. Nevertheless, the mopaaw continued exploring further. In this environment, there was sure to be plenty of food for him to eat, so that was something at least.
The deeper Mercury went, the more untouched things became. This was a real wilderness by now, he could tell. There were very few tracks through the brush, and if there were, they had been created by hooves rather than boots. Humans probably never even came here. Made him curious how this place would have not gotten overtaken by an arch or a tunnel, but he could still tell there were none around.
After all, if there were, the flora wouldn't flourish so much. The plants were almost jungle-like by now, with fungus growing around the roots of trees, probably connecting much of the forest with mycelium, turning the plants into a hivemind of sorts. It was a weird thought, but Mercury knew mushrooms could do it.
They were incredible, after all. Allowing for the exchange of information, nutrients, and even water through their underground highways. That way, older trees would actually sometimes help younger trees grow, when they didn't get enough sun, water, or nutrients from the ground. Such incredible things forests were.
He shook his head again a little as he went further, most of the day passed by now as the rain quieted down. It had turned from a pour into a drizzle, and although his fur was still wet, Mercury kept shaking himself occasionally to stay dry. The smile still persistently clung to his face though, as his steps were comforted, and he could hear the whispers of grass below him.
Eventually, when night time rolled around, he decided to start settling down. His stomach was starting to rumble, and he had to catch himself some food. Luckily, the river still continued, so his water situation was sorted, though he still would like to find a larger source that was maybe cleaner.
Still, after having reincarnated, he noticed being a lot less picky about water, so that was something at least. Maybe he was just more resilient to disease with the system in place than as a regular human. Though he was still puzzled how disease even worked. Was it treated like a status effects, or were the bacteria actually creatures with their own system? What evolutionary tier would they be? Could they grow huge?
Mercury shivered a little at the thought. Maybe he didn't actually need to know that exactly, and could just enjoy some forest water without overthinking.
So, instead of worrying anymore, the mopaaw placed down his trusty log, and began to make some markings on the trees that were around. Just scratching some runes into their sides so he could feel them when he expanded his mana, and see their slight glow as well with a little luck. Other than that, he also made sure to at least trim some of the plants a little, the ones that would reach hip-height for normal humans just had to go, or he couldn't see shit.
For an hour or so, he just cleaned up the place a little, placing the plants he cut down aside but still within his territory, as he worked on getting some grip on the layout of the place. For now, he kept his exploring within close proximity to his log though, making sure to at least not go far out with his brush-clearing adventures. No need to attract unwanted attention.
However, when darkness finally rolled around, Mercury couldn't resist the hunger anymore. He looked around for a few minutes to check if smaller animals were around, and soon enough, he found something decent to chew on. It was a large lizard, a bit bigger than a bearded dragon, and it was laying on a decently sized rock, trying to keep warm.
Since it wasn't exactly in direct vicinity of the grass, his companion couldn't help Mercury out, but when it came to this prey, he didn't think it was necessary. The lizard was already almost asleep, and Mercury was still as awake as ever. Silently, he pulled a single rock from his inventory, floating it in the air with <Telekinesis> as he snuck closer to his foe.
With him using both <Stealth> and <Quiet>, there was very little noise as well, and not long after, Mercury was only about 10 meters away from his target. He tapped the prepared stone with his tail, activating <Throw> on it as it shot through the dark, only to clatter against the rock senselessly. No, it wasn't a miss, actually, the cat had made sure to keep it on track with <Telekinesis> as the rock flew. Instead, somehow, the lizard had dodged.
Mercury had kept his attention on the thing, and when the rock was whizzing through the air, its eyes suddenly shot open as it took a few steps back, evading the projectile. He could see it looking around frantically, not seeing him yet, and still somehow it dodged the rock.
Very slowly, Mercury pulled out another projectile, launching this one with more force as he put more stamina into it, watching as it whizzed towards the reptile at a far higher speed than before, yet once again, it couldn't make contact with the target. This time though, the lizard didn't fully step out of the way, and Mercury was sure the rock should have grazed it, but somehow, when it made impact, it just harmlessly passed through the thing.
While the cat was thinking though, his prey was already starting to make its escape, deciding to abandon the warm spot for another night of survival. For just a second, Mercury wanted to click his tongue, but he refrained, instead choosing to chase as silently as he could. Whatever sounds he did make were masked by the slight drizzle of water from the sky, as he began to dash after his meal.
Luckily, he had much longer legs than whatever lizard he was chasing, and even a slight size advantage too, so not long after, he had caught up, and leapt at it full force, pressing himself off the ground with <Dash> as well. After a very short soar through the air, Mercury finally landed on the morsel and dug his claws in, stopping the lizard immediately and finishing it off with a bite. As he did so, he noticed a strange, slightly translucent liquid on its skin, making him pause immediately.
Was that poison? <Appraisal>!
[Bearded rock salamander mucus: This species of amphibian has evolved to secrete a special mucus to refract light, obscuring its true form. Its movements will oftentimes look blurry and hazy, as its skin is at all times coated with this substance. It is hard to hit them with projectiles, but once caught, they do not have much of a way out. The mucus is entirely harmless to the individual, though its taste is poor.]
After quickly skimming and confirming that he wasn't in mortal danger, Mercury let out a sigh of relief and read the whole thing attentively again. With this, it at least made sense that he couldn't hit it with his rocks.
With the chase done, Mercury began to start eating rather quickly, his stomach making it clear that he needed some sustenance without being very polite about it. Luckily, the lizard actually tasted pretty alright, disregarding the skin with the mucus on it. He decided he would rather not put that inside of him, even if <Appraisal> said it was harmless. It also told him a tree was a tree once before, so who knows how much info it got right.
Soon, most of the lizard was gone, and Mercury's belly full as he decided to abandon the rest of it. Something would take care of it for sure, probably ants or some other animal that liked to eat this thing. Instead, Mercury decided to head back to his log and pick up the stones he'd thrown along the way. He still needed those after all.
Finally, before going to bed, Mercury washed himself in the river, not wanting to get mud all over his blankets. Once his fur was somewhat clean, he tried his best to shake off the water and get and remaining dirt off his feet, before finally laying down in his trusty home and enjoying the comfort of his blankets. With a peaceful mind, he slowly began to drift into sleep.
- - -
When Mercury opened his eyes soon after, he wasn't in the forest anymore. He was in a place that felt more than a little familiar. A field that stretched all the way towards the horizon, with a citadel of fire to the north, a small fountain down south, a castle of glass in the west, and a range of mountains to the east.
The sky was a clear blue, and the greenery around him seemed ever more vibrant.
Lately, he had been coming here again. For a long while he had been unable to dream, but it seemed his astral self was finally becoming healthy again, allowing him to work on his mana in there, and it was good.
But there was also an old friend here, whom he had not seen in a very long time.
'Uunrahzil...' Mercury whispered in his mind, the strange construct of mana veins in front of him showing a hint motion that could only be a smile.
'Old Uunrahzil,' they corrected slowly. 'It has been some time, hath it not?' Mercury could read a twinge of regret in Dreamweaver's thoughts, yet it was suffocated below happiness.
'It's been months,' Mercury made sure to underline it with regret. 'You shouldn't have given me a gift if it poisoned you.'
'Poisoned?' Uunrahzil's thoughts were laced with surprise. 'Not poison, young one, gripped me. This one appears to have simply groweth soft. Unable to give even a simple gift to mine student.' There was amusement, and concealed worry as well, though Dreamweaver would never wear it on their face, no, veins, no, thoughts. Wouldn't wear it on the forefront of their thoughts.
'Teacher, we have known each other for some time now, yes?' Mercury asked.
'Indeed, yes,' Dreamweaver nodded, as best as they could.
'And I have been honest with you, have I not?'
'Thee haveth, young one,' old Uunrahzil replied slowly.
'Then have I not earned thine honesty yet?' Mercury's voice was dejected, and slightly hurt. He would be honest to Dreamweaver once again. 'This one knows some of your manners now, old Uunrahzil. And when you tell me such clear lies, it is... disappointing.'
For a moment, the dream remained silent, before a deep sigh rumbled out from Uunrahzil's mind. It was the wear only old age could summon forth from a person, soft as rocks ground down by the sea, yet deep as the water itself.
'I did not mean to be dishonest, young Mercury. I have simply grown... secretive of my nature.' Once more their voice wrote with regret. There was pain written there, a wound older than a scar yet still bleeding, and an apology as well.
'Thee are right,' the old one continued. 'Mine gift was... unhealthy for me. In truth, my age has long since plagued me. I do not leave thee alone for swathes of time because of my wishes, but rather because I must. Thee are mine only student, young one, and I truly wish the best for you, and yet I can only give advice.'
'Mine condition is complicated, but if I had to put it as best as I can, I am... forgotten. Obliveta. Those who remember me are few, and if they do, it is only a part. My mind is thus fragmented, split and spread across the realms, and drawing power from mine other bits is an ordeal. Some of them are uncooperative and seek to yank what is mine away, while others are so selfless they would almost begin throwing themselves into a crucible to become fuel for my actions.'
Once again they sighed.
'My gift of time came at my own expense. Not of my soul, young Mercury, do not fret. It will cause me no lasting harm. It simply caused me fatigue, and this part of me went dormant. No, rather, instead of being dormant, it lied inbetween. No wakefulness, no sleep. No eyeun. I wasn't, as simple as that. Yet, now I sleep again, and wake again. As such, I am here.'
Finally, the old one was finished. Mercury certainly didn't quite get what was happening, but he could read enough from Dreamweaver's thoughts. Pain, regret, confusion, and a taste of something that seemed less a feeling and more a shred of nothingness, seeking to devour existence.
'I apologize, I didn't think it would give you so much trouble to talk about this,' Mercury spoke, still thankful he at least got an explanation.
'It is of no issue,' Uunrahzil assured him. 'Young Mercury, my trust has long since been earned by you. We are bound as tri'ht, as learners, in a way. It is a deep bond, one that requires honesty, and thee have every right to ask such of me. Yet now, I must ask it back, as I see your ihn'ar hath progressed?' This time, as Mercury listened, he only read of warmth and comfort, of homeliness and trust, and finally pride. He felt like to some degree, he understood this tri'ht.
Slowly, he nodded. 'Yes,' the mopaaw said. 'I have understood grass. Its woes, and pleasures, how it bows and rises, ebbs and flows, always reliable and relying on other too, filling the space wherever there is some.'
'Very good, young Mercury! This is a most incredible improvement! Thine breath has grown better too, it is relieving to see you make such progress.' Dreamweaver was clearly proud, very proud even, of their student, and Mercury was happy in reply.
'Of course, I will continue to work on things. Now, old Uunrahzil, what would my next lesson be?' he asked.
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