Vol. 5, Chapter 72: A Day in the Woods

When I opened my eyes it was already morning, or should I say, it was only morning. I wake relatively easily these days. I still need Asha to do her thing, of course, but according to her, it wasn't as hard to pull me back as before. The dreams as well had stopped, as if I've gotten to the end of a playlist with no looping function, the dreams I've been having just stopped happening one day.

"Good morning, friend. Slept well?"

"It wasn't bad. Wish they did something about that hole in the wall though."

As I leave the room, a giant humanoid lizard greets me. Of his two eyes, one is looking right at me while the other watches the hall with vigilance. This humanoid lizard is Seif, the chameleon-like Dragonbrood.

"There are few rooms that are not in disrepair. However, if you ask nicely, Asha may feel inclined to switch with you."

"Yeah, right."

I wave my hand in the air, dismissing the idea.

"Hey, I'm right here you know! Not that I'd give my room up, not on your life."

I knew Asha was right behind me. We're not exactly the best of friends, in fact, even the idea of us being friends is questionable, but at some point, I got comfortable around her enough to badmouth her while she's around. Are we close? Or do I just don't care anymore?

"Well, unlike our rooms, at least the breakfast is warm. What do you think is on the menu, Sief?"

"You'll be happy to know that Nibal dragged in a huge boar earlier in the morning. It was decided a stew would be made out of it."

"A stew, huh."

Inadvertently, while thinking the thick warm liquid going down my throat, my stomach begins to rumble. It's been a while since I've had something filling. I haven't had anything but fruits and vegetables lately. Even though this is supposed to be a forest, there just aren't many large animals to be found. It is to be expected I suppose, since this particular forest, the [World Devourer Woods], was formed just recently out of nowhere. I wonder if the boar wandered in at some point. I wonder if there's more.

It has been three days since we came to the Beastkins' capital of which had been partially consumed by the [World Devourer Woods]. It sounds like a bad thing, but the residents here, both old and new, seem to be rather content with the situation. At the moment, Beastkins, Faefolks, and then finally, Dragonbroods are residing within this forest-covered city. Considering that these factions had been fighting with one another up till recently, it all feels so very surreal. Still, this is only a temporary arrangement. As with all races on Elgardia, each can only live in their own lands, lands where their Keeper resides. Should a race from another land try to live where they do not belong, the land will reject their presence as if some kind of foreign bacteria invading the body.

At the moment, the only known record of another race surviving in the land of another is of the Beastkins, who eventually adapted to the territories of Mankind. However, the adaptation was not without its cost as the Beastkins have had their forms twisted to become more like those of Mankind, their fertility drastically lowered, and their lifespans roughly cut to half of what it was.

With that in mind, it is probably not a good idea for anyone that is not a Champion or a Faefolk to stay within this forest for the long term.

Following the half-collapsed halls now partially supported by the trees that collapsed them in the first place, Seif, Asha, and I arrive at one of the courtyards in the palace that has a temporary kitchen set up at the center. Surrounding it are what tables and chairs that could be salvaged from the palace. Here, I find the rest of the Dragonbroods gathered in one corner and the Beastkins at another. Though they're coexisting, I guess getting along would be a stretch at the moment.

On the Beastkin's side, I see a table seated with just Cecilia and a Beastkin with a head of emerald feathers in place of hair, his eyes sharp like that of a falcon. The two appear to be in the middle of a discussion while the other Beastkins appear to be leaving them alone. If I remember correctly, the one with emerald feathers should be one of the Beastkin's Generals, Gulford. He's the one who interacts with their Champions the most, though apparently he's also the one that also disagrees and argues with them the most. I hope he and Cecilia won't be breaking into another debate in the middle of breakfast. It's too early for that.

Of the Champions, it looks like, only Cecilia and I are here. I don't see either Six or Corona. Six is probably out to patrol with the rest. While it looks like he didn't like this world or its people at all, he works with others and does his job properly. That wasn't the impression he gave me back in Elysium Online. I guess he's more reliable than I thought he was. As for Corona, she might still be looking through the palace archives.

The archives were on the second floor of the palace, and with the connecting halls collapsed by the [World Devourer Woods], it took a while before the debris were cleaned up and an impromptu platform was constructed to lead up there. Once access was possible, however, Corona has been hanging around there ever since, looking for information regarding the summoning ritual.

She must still be there. I wonder if she had breakfast yet.

"You guys go ahead, I'll go get Corona."

Leaving Seif and Asha with the rest, I head on towards the palace archives.

***

"Oh, good morning."

En route to the archives, I run into a familiar face, a girl with horns, but unlike that of Asha's, hers have a sense of majesty in them, though I don't suppose that they might be murder for her slender neck.

As always, she stares into space with her unfocused eyes. Apparently, she has a tendency to wander here and there, seemingly on some sort of whim even though she was said to have no will of her own.

"Champion, have you seen the Purifier?"

From behind, an inaudible voice calls out, a voice that rings in one's mind. How did I know that it was from behind when it was in my mind? I have no idea, I just do.

Turning around, I spot what they call the 'Bestial Champion'. She's not like us, of course, looking at her disproportionately massive limbs covered in dark purplish fur, there's no way she's a human from our world. At first, I thought that she might look like that due to the [Corruption], but even after converting to the [World Devourer Wood]'s influence, she still looks the same. The only reason we call her a 'Champion' is because she has the strength comparable to one.

"If you're looking for the Purifier, she's right there."

I point to the hall I saw the Purifier in only to then quickly retract my finger.

"Wait, what?"

She is gone, the Purifier. Even though this is a straight hallway with no twist or turn, she's nowhere in sight.

"She's not there..."

"She certainly isn't."

"I don't know what to say. She was right there a moment ago."

"It's fine. She does that. I try to see if she's by Aurelius."

"That's where she likes to hang out, isn't it?"

"It's where she prefers to be, yes."

I wonder if it's because she's derived from Zero, that girl Aurelius said he saw in his visions. From the way he talked about her, it sounded like the two got along.

With that, the Bestial Champion heads back the way she came. She seems nice, but Aurelius and the others said to be wary of her, that she's not on our side, not yet. That being said, Aurelius is confident that she wouldn't do anything to hurt us, not to the Champion's at least. Apparently, she needs us for something, though Aurelius didn't say what. It's kind of, no, definitely suspicious. Why the need to hide it from us? Cecilia and Six seem to be fine with it. They just trust him that much I guess, but I want answers. That said, it's not as if I could just waltz into his room and ask him. That place is heavily guarded and apparently I'm not allowed near it without permission. I guess I did try to kill him once, but in my defense, that was when I thought he was a [Demon].

After traveling up the wooden platforms and stairs to reach the archives, I find myself walking into what I can only describe as a labyrinth of books, scrolls, and bookshelves. I didn't think that the Beastkins liked their books so much. From what I heard, the Beastkins used to live in small settlements within forests, their buildings made of wood and mixed with mud or clay. For food, they hunt or forage. Their civilization and culture can be said to be primitive. However, that changed when their Keeper was vanquished by Nine many years ago, turning their land barren and forcing them east, to the lands of Mankind. Managing to survive there for some decades, their bodies were not the only things that adapted to those lands, their culture have as well. When their Keeper was reborn, the new Beastkins brought with them the culture of Mankind, their own histories largely forgotten. Maybe that's why the Beastkins built this archive. They didn't want to forget, and perhaps, with their declining lifespans and population, they didn't want to be forgotten either.

As I navigate my way through the labyrinth smelling of old paper and wood, I spot specks of shining dust trailing overhead. Those must be from the fairies. If I remember correctly, Aurelius lent some of them to Corona to help her search through the archives.

Following the dust trail, I arrive at a large table with books piled on top and beside it. There, on that table, sits a lone scholar, diligently flipping through the pages of a book in hand, her eyes scanning over each sentence swiftly before moving on to the next page. Corona, if I remember correctly, told me that she learned speed reading when she was young. I asked her to teach me once, but I never quite picked it up. She said something about taking in the whole sentence rather than just a word at a time, but I just can't do it, I just can't. I guess some people can do it better than others and I'm not one of them.

"Good morning, Oro."

"Did you hear me coming?"

"That's right."

"That's rare. I thought you'd be more absorbed."

"I must be losing my concentration."

For the first time since I entered, Corona turns towards me. She smiles, but with those tired baggy eyes of hers, the smile loses some of its usual radiance.

"Maybe you should get some breakfast?"

"I should, shouldn't I?"

Corona raises her hand into the air, prompting a fairy to fly down, placing a leaf in Corona's grasp. Placing the leave in between the pages she was reading from, she shuts the book and placing it down on the table.

While sitting on the chair, she arcs her body backward and stretches out her arms. Then, lazily, she gets up.

"Alright, let's go."

***

In the afternoon, we were informed that Aurelius has once more awakened. I've heard about it already, but apparently, he's in the same situation as I am, what with his soul unable to properly link up to this body of his. In his case, it's much worst, being only able to stay awake for up to only an hour at a time. If my condition was caused by being close to death, giving my soul a hard time recognizing this body as alive and valid, then for Aurelius, his body might not even register as being living at all. According to Aurelius himself, the only thing keeping his bodily functions active is the tree he's bound to, acting like some kind of life support. Without the tree, his body is as good as dead. He's more or less a zombie now.

"Good of you to come."

Aurelius greets us with an energetic smile unbefitting of a dead man as he sits at the base of the tree, cradled by the roots. The Faefolks call him the Lord of the Forest, mostly because he controls the woods, but looking at him like this, as he's cradled by the roots, it certainly looks as though he's sitting upon a throne. Standing beside him, looking like a guard or an attendant, is ironically the Bestial Champion, and beside the Bestial Champion is the Purifier, staring hazily at the leaves rustling above as sunlight filters through.

"First, I have bad news. It came to me just now and I need all of you, especially Oro, to keep calm."

Why'd he singled me out? I mean, I may not be the calmest here, but I am certainly not that much prone to panicking than the rest.

"According to the reports from the scouts sent to watch the situation across the Great River, a small army was spotted marching north. Judging from their banners, this army is suspected to belong to the remnants of Mankind. Amongst them, unusual looking individuals had been spotted. They are highly likely to be Champions, and there were six of them. In Elysium Online terms, they've got themselves a full party."

Aurelius, he said it so calmly and monotonously, it's as if he's just reading out his script as a news anchor. Is this just someone else's business to him? I guess it would be, wouldn't it?

"So, what do you plan to do, Oro?"

"What do I-!? I'm going to help them of course!"

"That's fine and all, but let me remind you that you are currently under the influence of the World Devourer. If you go to the Dragonbroods in the north, they'll just try to kill you with everything they've got. I only have the power to adjust the cognition of those under the World Devourer. I can't do anything about those of the other Keepers. Are you still going to go, despite knowing all that?"

"Well, that's..."

Aurelius lets out a sigh.

"Take your time to think about it. Talk it over with the other Dragonbroods if you have to."

"Yeah... I think I'll do just that. Is there anything else?"

"No, not really. It'll be just small talks for the most part."

"Then, if you'll excuse me."

I want to go. I can't just leave them to their fate. Over there are friends and allies. However, even if I go, what can I do? Aurelius doesn't seem too intent on doing anything about it and I doubt Cecilia would disagree. Not to mention, I might end up having to fight them, the Dragonbroods, and if not the Dragonbroods, if I manage to catch up to and intercept the army of Mankind before they reach the northern edge, I'll have to fight their Champions. After realizing that the supposed 'enemy' Champions are Aurelius and the rest, those with the remnants of Mankind, those are probably our guildmates too. Can I fight them knowing that? I can't, can I, knowing that they're just caught in the same situation as I am.

Shit! What should I do? I wish someone would just decide for me, someone like Corona. But, I'll bet Corona would just tell me to decide for myself. I'm scared though. A good number of decisions I've made recently have been disastrous aside from a few lucky cases. Will I be able to properly make a good decision? Should I make a decision at all?

"You know asking for advice is rather different from asking someone to make a decision for you, right?"

"Wha-! Corona?"

I didn't even notice that she had been beside me. Was I that deep in thought?

"If you want my thoughts, I have plenty to give. I won't be responsible for what you decide later though, so don't come running when you screw up again."

"I won't do that! Of course I won't do that! Who do you think I am!?"

"I'm just being careful. You never know. There are all kinds of people in this world and a lot of them like to pass blame around."

"I told you I won't, promise."

"Good."

"With that out of the way, I... What do you think about this?"

Corona puts a finger under her chin.

"Hmm... I mean, we obviously don't want to fight, right?"

"Yeah, of course not. They might be like us."

"Then I guess we'll just have to make them turn back."

"Easier said than done."

"Oh, is it though?"

She smiles slyly at me. You don't get to see that on Elysium Online's avatar, not quite like this, even with emotes. There's a certain expressiveness that just wasn't n the game. Somehow, this makes my heart skip a beat.

"C- Corona, you have something in mind?"

"Say, Oro, have you ever heard of guerrilla tactics?"

***

End of Chapter 72