[SP–F1] «Secret Medicine of the Forest»

[Kira 0]

It's been a few days since my last encounter with the wolves and Earl. I was staying at an inn somewhere between the Town of Beginnings and this small village I'd been hearing about through some rumors. All I knew was that there was supposedly a tight-knit group of nomads that finally decided to settle down and call that plot of land their home. After asking some of the local bartenders in the Town of Beginnings about the village, each one gave me a different story, varying the distance from a few floors up to just a couple of meters outside of town. Nothing anyone told me sounded reliable, until I came across this mysterious looking man that was sitting at one of the bars when I inquired about the village.

He was rather gruff-looking and it looked like he had been through quite a a bit of hell. He was wearing a dark hooded-cloak, but I could make out the bruises and cuts that lined his lips and nose. Trying not to sound insensitive, I waved to the bartender to buy the man a drink and watched as he slightly tilted his head towards me as to not give away too much of his face. Taking the mug of ale in hand, he motioned it towards me in a "cheers" sort of fashion. He gulped and gulped the drink like it would save him from something he wished he could have forgotten. Sitting the mug down onto the counter, I finally found an opening to begin my inquiry.

"You want another?" I asked curiously.

Shaking his head, he merely spun his hand in front of him, telling me to continue asking him what I needed.

"Straight to the point? Alright...I noticed something caught your attention when I asked the bartender about this mysterious village that's been going around. Care to share?"

He let out a deep sigh and simply shook his head in disappointment.

"Listen, kid...What are you? Like...fifteen?" he asked sarcastically.

"Twenty-one actually...just last week..." I interjected.

Nodding as if it was the right thing to do, he said, "What a way to spend the week after, huh? Now...listen. I don't want to burst your bubble or anything, but there's nothing out there for you. And...that village of yours? It's not exactly all sunshine and rainbows out there. You hear?"

[Kira 0]

Setting my glasses down on the counter, I rubbed my eyes in slight frustration. The strongest lead I had on the village was looking down upon me, like I had no worth. I continued to pursue this information further, but before I could, he lowered his hood and revealed to me a face that had been torn up by something furious. It looked like a hurricane picked him up and toyed around with him like a rag doll. Putting my glasses back on, I stared at him until he locked his eyes with mine. After a few moments of silence, it looked like a sort of peace had washed over his face, relaxing his expression.

"You're the first person to not stare at me like I'm some kind of monster...Most people would have thrown a drink in my face or ran me out of whatever god forsaken place. What's your name, kid?" he asked with depth in his voice.

"Kenji..."

"Kenji, huh..." he said, nodding to himself. "Well, Kenji, this village of yours is just a few hundred meters due north of this town."

With excitement coursing through my veins, my hand tightened into a fist to hide my overjoyed expression. Just as I was about to get up and leave, the man grabbed my arm and stopped me in my tracks. Getting up, he put down some COL on the table to pay for the drink and walked past me, stopping just in front of me. With his back still turned, he muttered a few words. They were a little inaudible, but I could make out the words "beware" and "curse." And, with that, the man exited the bar, disappearing into the contradistinction of the blinding light of the outside world from the dark, ominous feeling that swept over the ambiance of the bar.

[Kira 0]

Checking my equipment, I set off for the village, taking the northern exit out of town. The vast expanse of grass that covered the Great Plains was breathtaking as always. The wind blowing ever so gently against the blades of grass formed the familiar ocean waves that I first experienced not too long ago. Sunlight blessed my skin, energizing me and providing its dual purpose of brightening up my day. With a deep breath, I could smell the faint scent of wild flowers that spotted the green expanse. My eyes bore witness to the flying seeds of dandelions migrating to their new homes. Much like those seeds, I felt myself slowly migrating more and more from the Town of Beginnings. Maybe I would be able to find a more permanent, yet still temporary, home to settle down in. Yes. Maybe someday. Taking the first step of many, I walked along the main road, eyes scanning left to right for any signs of activity. Things were just a little too quiet.

[Kira 0]

Tightening my grip on my sword and readying up my shield, I prepared myself for the possibility of an ambush waiting for me along the dirt road. As I heard the sifting of small rocks and the rustling of grass, I stopped dead in my tracks and tried to stay absolutely still. Again, silence filled the air. Sweat dripped down my face, and the only things that were moving were my eyes and the grass around me. The slight breeze made it harder to listen for any major sounds resonating from the tall grass, but the snapping of a small twig grabbed my attention. As my body tensed up, I could feel my heart beating faster and faster. I tried to control it by breathing in a slow rhythmic fashion, but as soon as I was about to relax, a wolf jumped out from the grass to my right and two more followed suit.

In a matter of seconds, I was surrounded on all sides by the three wolves and they circled me like sharks. Each one had a look of ravenous hunger in their eyes, which glowed red; a distinct red that reminded me of the mother wolf I killed just a few days ago. Shaking my head, I snapped myself out of that state of reminiscing and prepared myself for combat. With my head on a swivel, I studied the movements of the three wolves, spinning around slowly in circles in place. The wolves growled with intense ferocity and showed their teeth as a form of intimidation. One of the wolves was much more aggressive than the other two, barking and howling. He was probably the alpha male of this pack. Without notice, the alpha male lunged towards me with daunting speed, and I found myself struggling to react.

Battle Initiating

Battle Dice: 10

Just as the alpha was about to dig his teeth into me, I shoved the edge of my blade against the sides of his mouth and prevented him from digging his teeth into me. For a few seconds, I wrestled with him on the ground, watching as he bit incessantly at my blade. Building up my strength, I pushed against him and sliced the sides of his mouth, causing him to yelp in pain. I got back up and readied myself for another attack, making sure that I wouldn't be caught off-guard again.

Kenji's Health: 11/11

Alpha Wolf's Health: 3/5

Wolf's Health: 3/3

Wolf's Health: 3/3

[Kira 0]

As the alpha attempted to shake it off, I knew the pain of losing his ability to bite would be crucial for my victory against them. I observed the other two wolves to see how they would react. Looking at their expressions, I spotted a hint of doubt, leading me to believe that cutting off the head of the snake would be my best bet in assuring victory. The odds were stacked against me, but I believed that I would be able to get out of this fight alive. As the two subordinate wolves clenched their teeth, they bore their fangs at me, attempting to distract me from the alpha. Luckily, I was smart enough to see it and noticed the alpha crouching for a strike from the corner of my eye. Readying my shield, I prepared myself to block his attack and potentially knock him back for a proper opening.

Battle Continuing

Battle Dice: 3

Midway through the air, one of the subordinate wolves tackled me to the ground and the alpha male merely strutted around me as if celebrating some kind of victory. I clenched my teeth at my failure.

"So the alpha male was the distraction...I have to be more careful when dealing with these ones...They're certainly different..." I thought to myself.

With a back-fist to the wolf's head, it stumbled off of me, and I got up to prepare myself for their next attack. It felt like I was merely reacting to them and they were the ones coming up with the strategies.

Kenji's Health: 10/11

Alpha Wolf's Health: 3/5

Wolf's Health: 3/3

Wolf's Health: 3/3

[Kira 0]

Looking much more confident than before, the alpha decided to play it much more safe and let the subordinates weaken me before going in for the kill. Scoffing, I shook my head as I waited for the next attack. Surely enough, it came from the other wolf that hadn't attacked me yet.

Battle Continuing

Battle Dice: 2

As I thrust my sword at the attacking wolf, it ducked, allowing its partner to come in for a quick bite at my arm. It held on tight, digging its fangs deeper and deeper into my muscles. I vigorously shook my arm to try and get it loose and it eventually let go, returning to its formation with the other wolf. The alpha sat back and observed with glee. Checking my wounds, I saw dark red bite marks that contrasted with the color of my white coat. With anger in my eyes, I took a wider stance, hoping to build more stability in my defense. Readying my shield, I prepared myself for a successive attack.

Kenji's Health: 9/11

Alpha Wolf's Health: 3/5

Wolf's Health: 3/3

Wolf's Health: 3/3

[Kira 0]

Just like I predicted, the wolves came at me again, utilizing the same strategy as before. All they were doing was alternating which one went first as the distraction. I was sure of this. Feeling my forearm tense up, I brought my shield closer to my chest in hopes of slamming one of them away.

Battle Continuing

Battle Dice: 3

With little success, all I did was block their attack and the wolf merely bounced off of my shield, regrouping around the alpha male as soon as they recovered. Having rested long enough from our previous bout, the alpha decided to step in and commanded the subordinates to stay back with a forceful bark. Our eyes locked, and I knew that I couldn't just stay on the defensive forever. So, trying to think up a strategy, I drowned out the world around me and felt only the presence of the alpha and myself. I observed his breathing, the way his muscles twitched with each and every step, and the way his eyes would cringe from the pain of opening his mouth. I saw his plan, playing out in his eyes as if I were watching some kind of movie. Unfortunately for him, I would not be going down without a fight or going down at all for that matter.

Kenji's Health: 9/11

Alpha Wolf's Health: 3/5

Wolf's Health: 3/3

Wolf's Health: 3/3

[Kira 0]

Trying to predict his movements, I dug my back foot into the ground and readied myself to attack. Grip tightening around my sword, I banged it against my shield to psyche myself up and intimidate the alpha at the same time. He seemed to look unfazed by my tactics, but it was of no consequence to me. Pushing off of my back foot, I lunged at him with great speed, adding momentum to my sword's attack. With rage in my voice, I shouted, "Vorpal Strike!"

Battle Continuing

Battle Dice: 2

Having never used that ability before, I failed to use it and ended up missing my attack instead. My blade barely grazed his fur, and I watched as he side-stepped to his right to dodge my attack. I stumbled a little bit, feeling myself lose my balance. As soon as I recovered, I felt the head of the alpha dig right into my back, knocking me to the ground. I tumbled and rolled for a few meters, until my shield stopped me. I felt my body ache from hitting the ground so much and my back was definitely killing me. I laid there for a bit and stared up at the clouds as they rolled along.

Kenji's Health: 8/11

Alpha Wolf's Health: 3/5

Wolf's Health: 3/3

Wolf's Health: 3/3

[Kira 0]

The clouds looked so soft and welcoming. I imagined them as comfortable pillows that I could lie down with, making me think of home and everything I was missing out on by being locked up in this prison of a world. Everything around me appeared peaceful, but I knew better than that. With the growling and barking entering my ear, I reentered the cold harsh virtual reality of Aincrad and stared down the alpha, dusting myself and my equipment off. Taking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes, dug my back foot into the ground, and prepared to attempt that attack again. Trying to learn from my mistakes, I felt the muscles of my sword arm tense up as I raised the sword into the air. Pushing off of my back foot again, I shouted, "Vorpal Strike!"

Battle Continuing

Battle Dice: 4

Although my sword got closer to landing a hit, I was still unable to make contact with the alpha. Merely causing him to run out of the way, I quickly regained my footing as to not repeat the same mistake as last time. I stood there with much frustration, trying to figure out a way to make the attack work. Taking into account my starting, ending, and transitional movements, I tried to adjust my body to perform the attack effectively.

Kenji's Health: 8/11

Alpha Wolf's Health: 3/5

Wolf's Health: 3/3

Wolf's Health: 3/3

[Kira 0]

Building further confidence in my abilities, I stared at my reflection along the blade of my sword. Our eyes locked, and as I nodded to him, he nodded back at me. Trying to perform the attack one last time, I brought my feet closer together, taking a much more narrow stance. Raising my shield, I brought it squarely in front of me and raised my sword above it. The blade pointed down towards the alpha and my stance resembled that of a scorpion, getting ready to strike at its prey. Feeling my entire body tighten up from the tension, I tried to relieve it all by letting out a deep sigh and screamed, "Vorpal Blade!"

Battle Continuing

Battle Dice: 10

As the blade began to glow, it emanated an ominous red and purple that swirled and danced around, instilling fear into the alpha's heart. Pulling my sword arm back, I could feel the power coursing through my veins, and I launched at him with great speed. It added to the momentum of my strike, and as my blade came around from behind I tucked my shield arm to give it that extra push and sliced right through the middle of his head. As soon as my blade cleared through, it hit the ground, causing it to crack and shatter slightly upon impact. Little rocks, dirt, and dust bounced off of the ground and filled the air, making it hard for the subordinate wolves to see what had happened. The alpha's facial expression was overtaken with surprise. It happened so fast the the alpha's head seemed to still look intact. Upon sheathing my sword, his head split in two and his entire body disappeared into a cloud of data.

Kenji's Health: 8/11

Alpha Wolf's Health: 0/5

Wolf's Health: 3/3

Wolf's Health: 3/3

[Kira 0]

Seeing their leader leave this world, the two subordinate wolves fled into the tall grass and retreated to whatever hole they came from. Having achieved victory, I fell to my knees and stared at the clouds again, still rolling along without a care in the world. I watched them for a few minutes, wishing I could be like a cloud; just going about my business and not having to deal with such troublesome problems and worries. But, having no knowledge of the consequences of using Vorpal Strike in such a succession, I suddenly felt an excruciating pain overtake my entire body. Falling to the ground, my face cringed from everything feeling so painful. It felt like thousands of extremely heated needles were pricking my body all at the same time, digging deeper and deeper until it eventually made me emotionally and mentally pained. It hurt so much that I ended up blacking out from the intensity.

[Kira 0]

As I slowly regained consciousness, a blurry figure was standing over me. It was dark, but I could make out the cuts and bruises above the man's lips. In utter surprise, I quickly sat up from my bed, feeling around my body for any possible signs of damage.

"Easy, Kenji...You're lucky I came across your body..." said the cloaked man.

Rubbing my eyes, I asked, "Wh-where am I? And....who are you?"

With my vision clearing up, I saw that it was the man from the bar. Taking off his hood, he gave me a smile and sat down on a nearby stool. Looking around, I noticed that I was in a dark hut, which appeared to be made up of various natural materials from nearby. There were no windows but a small fire in the middle of the room provided just enough light to see. Sitting on top of it was a small metal pot, which was boiling something foul. Covering my nose, I flapped my free hand in front of me to try and blow away the smell.

"Jesus! What edible thing smells like a year-old corpse marinated in vomit and piss?!" I said, scowling at the pot.

The man laughed at my words. "That's oddly very descriptive! It's a special concoction for you! Well, I'm missing a key ingredient...and I can't get it...it's..."

Noticing his dismay, I got up and stretched, feeling my legs buckle from lack of use. My bones cracked in my spine, realigning to straighten out. As I yawned, the man stood up in surprise.

"Lie back down! You've been poisoned!"

Opening one eye to confirm his words, I sat back down and grabbed my sword and shield.

[Kira 0]

"What do you mean by 'poisoned?'" I asked the man.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sat back down and let out a deep sigh. "Okay...maybe I overreacted a bit..."

Palming myself in the face, I pointed my sword at the old man. "Overreacted is an understatement! What do you mean by 'poisoned?'"

Pointing at my arm, the man directed me towards the location where the wolf's bite marks used to be. "It's a minor form of rabies..."

Thinking back to my fight with the wolves, I noticed that they looked much more ravenous than any other wolves I've encountered before, especially the one that bit me. I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw foam being secreted from its mouth. Looking back at the old man, I sighed.

"What's the missing ingredient?"

He stared at me in wonder. "What...do you plan on fetching it yourself? Do you understand what kind of a condition you're in?! Excessive movement will only make it spread faster! Do you have a death wish or something?!" he shouted, lecturing me like my parents would have in a similar situation.

[Kira 0]

Standing up, I put on my coat and walked outside of the hut, observing my surroundings to see exactly where I was. Scanning the area from left to right, I noticed that the hut I was in was built upon a clearing and around me were trees; tall, bushy trees that made it hard to see anything beyond a few meters. What made it even more difficult to see was this dense fog that sat right over the village's location. The air felt lightly humid and it was dark. The moon was right above me, sitting in its full-moon phase, but this was of no use to me considering the fog made me feel like I was walking in, what felt like, complete and utter darkness. Holding out my arms, I felt around to see if I could make my way towards the lining of trees. From there, I would make my way to the main road and back to the Town of Beginnings. Hopefully, I would make it back in time to receive some medical attention.

As I made my way through the darkness and the fog, I heard a voice call out from some nearby location. Seeing a dark formation to my left, I slowly made my way to it. I put my hands on what felt like grass and wood. With my hand anchored to the object, I cautiously circled the it until I came across an entrance. To my surprise, it was another hut, but there was something different about this hut. Feeling something ominous grip my heart, I walked in to find a little girl lying down on a makeshift cot. Carefully, I approached the little girl, hoping to not wake her. Just as I was about to put my hand on her, someone grabbed my arm and yanked me back. Looking back to see who it was, I saw the cloaked figure standing right above me.

"Don't touch her!" he whispered as quietly, yet as loudly, as he could.

Trying to make light of the situation, I merely responded with, "You should at least buy me a drink before pulling me away like that." As I slowly got up, I brushed myself off. "What's your name anyways? I gave you mine, so let's hear yours."

Lowering his hood, the man muttered, "Horatio..."

[Kira 0]

Having finally learned his name, I questioned him about the girl and what I heard was quite the tale.

"There were twenty of us...and we traveled a great distance. As nomads, we moved from town to town, city to city, until we settled upon this plot of land right here. We worked as a team to clear out this area of trees and wildlife, and we built up huts and families. We were never the most prosperous bunch, but we were happy nonetheless. That girl you see there is all that's left along with me and these abandoned huts."

"Where did everyone else go?" I asked with curiosity.

With tears rolling down the sides of his face, he replied, "Dead...the lot of them..."

Those words shook me straight to the core.

"They died...one by one...some sickness plagued the village and all that is left of what was once a peaceful and loving group is us...I...I lost my wife to the plague and that girl there is my daughter...She was the first one to get sick..."

Staring the girl up and down, I checked for any signs of movement. "She's...she looks healthy still...I don't get it..."

Horatio nodded his head. "Yes...I too am sick. If you haven't noticed by now, I am wearing gloves." he said as he showed me his gloved hands. "The sickness seems to only spread when skin to skin contact is initiated. Everyone else that came here before you ended up catching whatever it is she is harboring, which is why I told you not to touch her."

"And what of those people?" I asked, feeling like I already knew the answer.

Silence.

"I see...and have you just been-"

Before I could finish my sentence, Horatio interjected, "We don't have time right now for history lessons. We need to get you your antidote right away! I'll go into the forest and gather the final ingredient, and you just rest in the hut over there. I'll be back before you know it!"

[Kira 0]

"Wait!" I shouted, hoping to convince him. "I'll go get the ingredient. You just wait here, and I'll be back before sunrise." Walking up to him, I felt a tension in the air. "Look, we're both not in the best shape we could be, but I am definitely much more capable in terms of getting the material. You can't argue with that!"

Clenching his teeth, Horatio lowered his head in concession. "Be back before sunrise, or I'll have to carry you and the ingredient back."

Nodding, I looked at my map to see where I exactly was. There was a fog of war and only a sliver of the map leading to the village was able to be viewed along with the village itself. Before I could ask him about the area, he walked over to my side and began pointing at this blank spot on the lower right-hand corner of my map.

"There...that's where you'll find the Little Nepents. They're a plant-like creature that use that spot as their main hunting grounds. Know what a Venus flytrap is? Well....consider these something like those, except they're bigger and carnivorous."

As I closed my map, I inspected my equipment to make sure everything was in tip-top shape.

"What you want to find and collect is the «Little Nepent's Ovule», and the only way to identify which Little Nepent is holding it is by seeing which one has a large blooming flower growing out of it."

With all of the information in mind, I turned towards the southeast and walked past the lining of trees, throwing my hand in the air to let him know that I would make it back before sunrise.

[Kira 0]

It was dark. Using my sword, I cut branches off of the trees in front of me to pave a way for myself. Owls hooted from above, peering down at me with big, round eyes that were the purest color of gold. Other night time critters skittered past my feet as I slowly made my way towards the Little Nepents' hunting grounds. Unable to see a huge root shooting off from a nearby tree, I tripped and fell forward, landing into a bush.

"Damn it! If I only had some damn li-"

Before I could finish my sentence, something radiated in the distance. Hurriedly, I tread through the vegetation and found myself staring at a large glowing flower. Taking cover behind the trunk of a nearby tree, I peered around the corner and saw a larger plant underneath it, swaying gracefully in the wind. As I observed the Little Nepent, I saw little bugs flying circles around the flower. They were most likely entranced by the light radiating from it. Continuing to take mental notes on the species, an owl swooped down to try and eat one of the bugs. Without notice, the Little Nepent quickly opened its mouth and caught the owl right at the lowest point of its dive. Unable to react fast enough, the Little Nepent captured the owl and a small struggle was underway. In a matter of minutes, all movement had ceased, and the plant gulped down whatever the owl had become.