Chapter 17 (Day Two)

  Pleasant valley for the most part was pleasant so far. I found myself following the river as I figured it was the only real source of direction. The further I got from the Waterfall however the thicker the foliage grew and after a certain point the bank grew taller than the river so I found myself drifting further into the forest.

  The deeper I went the more interesting things I saw. Birds and squirrels the size of small dogs, and insects the size of Squirrels. Yashir had said that many animals exhibit signs of mutation, but the way that these creatures looked seemed unreal. They were all passive so far, But I figured with regular creatures this big, the predators had to be on another level entirely.

  As I was growing tired I came across a clearing. I looked around and didn't see any animal tracks and figured it was a a good enough spot to rest for a bit. I took a sip of water from my Canteen before closing back and sitting down with my bag to my back against a tree. The tree has greenish brown bark, only due to the moss and lichen that grew on it, but just beneath its bark it had a dark red sap. Absently I wondered what kind of tree it was. Looking up in it's canopy of leaves I could see a couple of beetles descending.

  They had a similar Dark red carapace, each one much bigger than any beetle should be, had wide and sharp looking mandibles. I suddenly felt very disincentized from sitting against its tree. Standing quickly I grab my bag and start to run but Im jerked back fall rather comically to my butt.

  Confusion sets in for a moment and then understanding replaces it. I start pulling at my bag and it's hardly budging. I groan looking up to count about twenty of these giant red beetles growing even closer to me. They don't move in a hurry, in fact they seem to be taking their time, but with every second I count one more beetle that comes into view.

  “Come on come on!" I groan channeling energy into my arms, my back and my core as I pull harder. I hear the bark of the tree pop and then snap a piece of bark splinters and flies off in multiple directions but the sap is just too sticky. I pull my Arc cell from my waist and channel my energy into the blade, my red Blade shoots out violently as a sporadically flickering sort of flame. I cut a half moon out of the tree to free my bag.

  This surprisingly caused the sap to catch on fire. I watched the veiny lines of the tree illuminate all the way up to the top of the tree. I then realize it's not fire but activated Arc. I looked on mesmerized as the tree glowed and the beetle's carapace began to glow this sickly red color too.

  I shake my head before returning to the task at hand and retract my energy from the Cell, returning it to my waist now that my bag is free. I can't help but laugh a little at the sight of a whole chunk of a tree trunk being stuck to my backpack. I put it back on my back just as the beetles reach the base of the tree skittering around looking for their meal.

  “You guys are quite interesting." I say as they move around obviously confused at the lack of a meal. “I would bet you guys can't see anything at all."

  I notice that the massive insects refuse to leave their tree. They will walk all the way to the bottom of the tree where it meets the soil and then turn around and walk back up the tree. I feel my former scientist brain pleasantly surprised by the strange fauna and flora of this world. “I call you A Maple Beetle, and I'll call you a Beetle Maple because of your symbiotic relationship.”

  The fact that I can't be so cavalier about touching stuff in this world is not lost on me. My backpack probably just saved my life.

  "If my skin got stuck to that sap at all I'd probably be getting eaten alive by you guys right about now." I Moved away from the tree and further into the clearing and made sure to sit in an empty space away from any Beetle Maples.

  Symbiosis was always one of my favourite things in nature. Sharks being chill with fish that keep them clean was the first example I'd learned about. Maple beetles work in a similar way. I can only imagine they help clean the tree of any pests that happen to get stuck to it, meaning they get to eat. I do wonder though why the sap and their carapace glows when in contact with Arc.

  Staring at the tree made me realize just how much about this world I knew nothing about, how extraordinary it was that I was even here. I missed working in the lab.

  “If only I could have some modern tools to figure this crazy place out… Would normal tools even work.” As I thought about these things I found myself wanting pen and paper.

  “Well technically… I could…” I put my hand up to my chin as I tried to think of ways to write out my ideas. The problem being despite the forest being full of potential things to write on, Not everything was long lasting or portable. A problem for another day I mused.

  After about thirty minutes of watching the Beetle Maple the energy I sent coursing through its Sappy vines seemed to dissipate returning the tree to its original inconspicuous state. The beetles seemed to hover around the bottom of the tree for about thirty or so more minutes before returning to the upper branches of the tree. While I watched the tree I wasn't exactly idle. I'd spent the entirety of this past hour cleaning the bark and sap off of my bag.

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  I for one am glad I nearly got eaten alive in this interesting natural trap, because without it I wouldn't have ever discovered such an interesting species. Taking a bit of the sap on my knife, I could feel it reacting to my Arc almost as if it were wafting the energy that came from me.

  “So the sap send a signal to the energy sensitive beetles alerting them that food has landed." I say to my imaginary audience. I chuckle suddenly feeling like I'm giving a dissertation.

  “So as you can see this is an incredible natural resource that could be fundamental in a number of incredible technologies." My voice raising a bit with my act.

  “The only problem probably being that it's so dang sticky.” I grimace while trying to clean the rest of it from my knife.

  “Nothing works up an appetite like being in a life or death situation.” I get up and start looking around, listening out for any creatures nearby. With no immediate Pique to my senses I start exploring around the clearing and find some tracks that look as if they've come from an oversized Squirrel.

  With limited ranged weapons I figure I'd be better off setting traps, so I spend the rest of my evening setting up traps. Using even some of the Beetle Maples sap to make them even extra sticky. Only for one trap though because the stuff is too annoying to clean off of my tools.

  Walking along the giant trees I came across a bush if Plump juicy berry looking fruits. The ground in front of the bush was nearly dyed purple with its juices. Little white pits sat within indicating that's what can be found inside of the little fruits.

  They looked edible, but I don't really know what constitutes edible and inedible other than trying it and seeing whether or not I die from it. All I remember from primary school is “Leaves of three let it be." And these have four leaves. Their shape is like that of a Y rounded until it meets with the stem.

  The berries grow from the center of these y shaped leaves, A few of them not yet grown show they make a Beautiful White flower, some of the still growing petals covered in the dripping purple juices from fruits that hang above them.

  Frankly the longer I stared at them the more I wanted to throw caution to the wind. They just looked so juicy, so delicious…

  " Sooo good!” I was right. I popped another one of the thick berries into my mouth, biting down the juices exploded almost like I were biting into a balloon. It's flesh tasting like freshly pressed blueberry and watermelon juice. I popped another the purple liquid stainning my hands.

  I ate and I ate, and I realized I couldn't rip myself away from the bush. I groaned and forcibly got my self to back up from the bush. Having realized I haven't spat out any of the pits. My vision spun, where was I brought my hand up to my mouth hesitant since it's now covered in dirt from my confused crawling around on the ground. I can't hesitate. I stick my fingers into the back of my mouth, the reaction is instant. I wretch, The berries and the seeds flow out in a steady stream coating the ground, I can still tell there's some left. I force the reaction again, wretching once more. The sound echoing through the trees surrounding me. I can nearly feel them judging my stupidity.

  My breathing quickens my heart beat however seems to be slowing, I drop from my hands to my elbows as I crawl back to my belongings. I drop now completely from my elbows flat onto my face as I can't support my weight any longer. The ground seems to shift under my feet and I suddenly can see the moon.

  The moon On most nights has this strong violet hue to it. I try to sit up and I realize I'm laying in the middle of the ocean. Looking down I see the perfect sky reflected beneath me however the tint is blue not the violet I've grown used to in this world. The water sits still and featureless despite my movements. I only know it's water because of the sounds and sensations but by looks alone it seems more like glass than water.

  I stand and look around, but there is nothing but a perfectly mirrored surface around me for miles and miles.

  “I guess this is my second death?" I ask to no one in particular. My voice not even carrying an echo despite the vastness of this space.

  “Anyone there?" I ask the space again hoping for some response. With caution I start walking, each step splashing but the mirror beneath my feat remains formless, not a single ripple distorting its strange surface.

  “Hello?" Again my voice is met with nothing as I continue onwards. I walk with splashing at my feet for what feels like hours before I stop, not having any semblance of the distance I've traveled or even any fatigue from my journey either. Now more frustrated than anything I sit and cross my legs, The traditional position someone uses when meditating.

  Palms up resting on my knees I allow my mind to drift its attention to my core. I can feel its tri bonded layers Pulsing gently as purified energy swirls within. I allow my mind to slip past my first layer, then into the second. I encourage my energy to flow outwards and use it to tentatively push the space around me. There is push back but not heavy, it's light and wispy almost like a thin sheet draped over me.

  I tug at this light energy and pull some into my core. like pulling a loose thread as I start pulling the strange bit of energy it keeps unravelling allowing me to pull more and more into my core. Satisfied I focus now on my gift of understanding and try to read this energy like how Yashir has tried to teach me.

  As I open my eyes now only the water beneath me glows a brilliant blue light and swirls me violently in a great vortex , But the surface remains still. I flinch back. The energy isn't raw, it's already refined.

  “Arc Poisoning?" I wonder aloud, my voice dripping with worry. I just knew at any moment now the Foreign energy was going crack my core and I was going do die an arc death. With my highest core only being a high orange stage, the blue energy flowing within would make it so that I can't refine any energy.

  It's that why I'm trapped in this strange comatose-like state?

  I sit confused wondering now just what I can do if I can't control the energy until I realize that for whatever reason, I can. I did, I was the one that pulled energy into my core. And by that logic I should be able to?

  I start channeling the energy from my core and I watch as my body blooms with a brilliant blue aura the spinning vortex beneath me begins to calm and slowly returns back to its calm and placid mirrored surface. The sky above me begins to brighten as I sit confused out of my mind. The sky brightens so much to the point where it blinds me and I find myself wincing. I open my eyes back to see I'm laying face first into the ground once again.

  “How am I not dead?" I cough violently as my throat is sore and dry.

  I check my core as normal and I can feel that my second core has progressed a bit and now sits at a high Orange just like my third internal core.

  "Now I can finally start refining my stupid red core.” I say excitedly regretting my excitement as I'm sent once more into a coughing fit. I weakly grab my canteen from my bag and drink greedily. Becoming increasingly more aware of where I am again. The clearing, it's no different than it was before my poor decision making. Looking up through the canopy of trees I can tell that the sun is rising… rather than setting. I'd been out for a whole night, and I'm lucky to have not been attacked by anything. I can't keep being so irresponsible otherwise something could come along and kill me before I even have a chance.

  "Strange Yashir said I couldn't take in the raw energy of a core, but isn't the energy in the core refined?” I think trying to understand what was happening.

  "But the refined energy I just absorbed helped to advance my purity level too…" I chuckle. “Maybe I misunderstood something."