Wandering through this unfamiliar place, it is not long before I discover this forest is not what I believed it to be at all. While I first believed it to be a wilderness or a forest, that now does not appear to be the case. Paths wind to and fro throughout the ‘forest,’ and lanterns illuminate the paths vividly. The trees and plants are sparse in numerous areas, and there are benches amidst several other such fixtures.

‘This is not what I anticipated at all. Perchance, is this a deer park? Nay, that does not seem fitting. This place seems more like an enormous garden.’ I glance around, spotting numerous snow-covered paths slithering within the trees, ‘I am not certain how I should refer to this place, so I will continue calling it a forest for now. More importantly, I am astonishingly hungry after losing so much haze to the wretched rat and the shrieking man’s ‘ride.’’

While I am pondering which path I should choose to travel, the wind picks up, and the snow starts to gradually pick up. I lift my hazy arm and watch it very closely to ensure the snow will not wash my haze away. To my relief, I watch as the snowflakes bump into and then slide off the membrane adaptation.

‘Aye. Without body heat, the snow does not melt, so as of now does not pose much threat. This is a relief, for many reasons, but mostly it means that I have some time before I must be wary of rain.’

Selecting a path that appears to be the most tranquil and abandoned, I resume my stroll through this ‘forest,’ finding that the lanterns are spaced every so often as well as benches. The lantern light is strange without a visible flame or flickering of any kind, but if there is one thing I have learned is that there are numerous varieties of light in this era.

Despite being hungry to the point of pain, I still find myself quite taken with the beauty of this place. The more I roam about, the more it appeals to me.

The land looks well-kept, mayhaps even better than many of the estates of the nobles back in England. Not far into the forest, I eventually come across an arched bridge made of gray stones more akin to the cobblestone that is familiar to me. I investigate it for a few minutes before my appetite pushes me to roam deeper into the forest.

After some time passes, I come upon what looks to be some variant of a pavilion. It is painted white with intricate patterns along the rails. Inside there is a gray stone floor and a bench. Nearby, a long stretch of rock runs into what appears to be a lake. I move onto the rock and gaze out over the lake as it reflects the moonlight. The snow continues to fall, and with the sundown, it sticks easily to the grass. Along the lake’s banks, the initial indications of freezing may be seen as ice forms at an almost visible pace.

The stars are strangely not visible, so my gaze returns to the moon, seemingly the only thing that has not changed since my time. I raise my arms and watch as the moonlight passes through as if I am merely the figment of someone’s imagination.

I spend a short time watching and studying myself, but the burning pain grinds at the kiln. ‘This is beautiful, but I am incredibly and painfully hungry. If I do not find something soon, I might do something I shall regret.’

Glancing at my Erysichthon value, it reads ‘85’.

‘It has never been this high before, even before I ate all the wafers. The feeling is nearly equal to when I was trapped in the Tenebrous Place.’

My eyes move to snow-covered ground and then to the nearby greenery. ‘Hmm, perhaps I may simply eat the trees? I believe they count as organic matter? During the reaping in Roanoke, everything was eaten, including the plants. Though, when I ate the wafers and dress, it took much more to satisfy my appetite than a single rat or the copepods, but what about plants?’

Approaching a tree limb, I gaze at it, curious if it will further my appetite. ‘Nay. It does not look delicious like meat, but I shall try it anyway.’

As I raise the cattail, the tendrils separate, gripping the branch, and draws the cattail over the last two feet of the branch. A brown and green haze flows into the cattail and toward the shell. The taste reminds me of… well, grass and is not especially appealing, but I feel myself growing slightly less ravenous.

Earl Interface:

Absorbed ‘1.8 feet of Elm Limb’ (Non-Magical)

Reduced Erysichthon value by 5

Essence value negligible.

0.0 Refinable Nebula

0.1 Refinable Vitrum

The purple wall appears. I look it over, hoping to discover something that tells me where exactly I may be. Then I study the numbers and compare them to my previous meals. ‘I received Vitrum, but the Erysichthon only decreased by five… It did not taste particularly good, and my instincts urge me to look for something else. But I am just so hungry. I am going to continue eating the trees. In my past life, I ate things that tasted much worse than this.’

Selecting two trees, I decide to experiment. I eat a leaf here or some berries there, comparing this and that to see what I get from each for as long as I may stomach it.

Earl Interface:

Absorbed ‘1.4 feet of Yellowwood Limb’ (Non-Magical)

Reduced Erysichthon value by 5

Essence value negligible.

0.0 Refinable Nebula

0.2 Refinable Vitrum

Earl Interface:

Absorbed ‘1.1 feet of Holly Limb & Berries (Non-Magical)

Reduced Erysichthon value by 7

Essence value negligible.

0.0 Refinable Nebula

0.1 Refinable Vitrum

After some time engulfing different parts of the tree limbs, I start to feel a bit light-headed. I pause, recalling a time I felt similar to this once before. ‘I have noticed things worsening with each meal. The Holly berries did not seem so bad, however. Perhaps, I should check my status? Aye… Status.’

Name: Constance Nightingale

Race: Kiln

Seed Type: Tower [Embryo]

Variant: Oort Stained Glass

Forms: [Particulate] [Collapsed **Inaccessible**]

Shell Level: 0 (Progress Past Embryo)

Flame Level: 0 (Progress Past Embryo)

Durability: 16.5/39

Mana: 43/210 [43/105 Max Shielding]

Erysichthon: 68/100

Inborn Effects: Corrupting Oort Cloud

Adaptations: [Cattail Tendrils] [Comrade Cracker]

Skills: [Feline Whip (N-0)] [Naturalist (I-0)]

Titles: [Roanoke Lost] [Parasitic]

Chronicles

Summoning the blue wall, I study it. ‘So it is using my Mana. Earl, may thou explain this?’ As I anticipated, Earl does not answer. ‘Not helpful as usual.’ Shaking my head, I turn toward the Holly tree. ‘Perhaps I shall solely consume the berries? Aye, let’s do that.’

For the next hour or so, I pluck berries by wrapping the tendrils around branches and pulling, which leads to barren branches along with a pile of berries and leaves. I sweep everything into a pile.

‘After ranking the whip skill to the Novice rank, this sort of task seems a bit easier than before.’ Once I have gathered everything into a heap, I remove the berries and count them until I have five-hundred of them in a pile exactly. ‘This way, I may have a general number to know their effect.’

The cattail engulfs the pile, and a bitter taste saturates my body.

Earl Interface:

Absorbed ‘501 Holly Berries’ (Non-Magical)

Reduced Erysichthon value by 20

Essence value negligible.

0.0 Refinable Nebula

0.0 Refinable Vitrum

Immediately, I notice the Mana usage is less, and the amount of Erysichthon seems to be greater for the berries than the wood limbs. Yet, something else demands my attention as well. ‘Oh, Earl, I appreciate that thou would count for me, but “501?” Earl, I believe thou hast made a mistake; it is most assuredly five-hundred.’ I shrug my shoulders dramatically. ‘However, nary a need to worry, Earl, everyone makes mistakes.’

I lower myself and inspect the holly berries closer as I do so; a blue wall abruptly appears.

Achieved Interim Naturalist [Grade 1]

‘An increase in Naturalist skill? Is it because I have been studying and learning the name of the plants here? Hmm, if that is the case, perhaps I should continue consuming bits of plants as I explore. Aye, there is nary a reason not to do that. If I only consume small amounts, I assume the amount of mana used will be just as small… Though I will need to be careful as I cannot afford to lose my awareness. Actually, I should wait if I know me, I will get distracted. I should not allow anything to distract me until I have planted the seed.’

Sweeping the remaining berries and some of the leaves into a pile, I engulf them. My Erysichthon drops another nine leaving me with an overall value of thirty-nine Erysichthon.

‘I am still hungry, but I am at least not feeling excruciating hunger pains, and my haze has thickened. I also do not wish to eat any more leaves due to the Mana consumption… This should be good for now, and the berries seem to be much more efficient than the tree limbs. I should check my status.’

Checking my status and the thickness of my haze. ‘Aye, it certainly seemed a bit more efficient. I will have to check it against meat when I get the opportunity. As for the haze, it’s thickened a lot compared to what it was earlier. So let us begin searching for potential locations to plant the tower seed. Perhaps if I am lucky, I can find a more secluded area. Hmm, but I do not really know how to tell what is a good place for planting. Earl, can thou help me?’

Earl Interface:

Activating Tower Location ‘scouting’ feature. Essence consumption will increase in this state.

‘A scouting feature. Earl is actually going to assist me!? Ah, wait, now I remember Earl mentioned this some time ago.’

Abruptly, long absent sensations wash over me—ones of heat and coldness.

’Warmth and chilliness? Two sensations I have not felt in some time. Let’s see, the chill feels uncomfortable and wrong, so I presume that suggests it is not a proper location. Hmm, I feel a bit of heat in the direction of the pavilion.’

Stopping under the pavilion, a small itch and warming sensation strikes me, and I instinctively understand that it is indicating the area’s suitability for planting.

‘The warmth is pleasant, but…’

Suddenly, hearing two voices nearby, I immediately rush into some hedges. To obscure my eyes, I place both my hands over them. My vision becomes clouded, but it is still easy enough to see shapes and figures. Nearby I make out two people wandering nearby wearing some type of black uniform. One looks to be a man in his thirties, fairly tall, and brown hair. The other is a woman who also looks to be in her thirties with light brown hair and good posture. They spend some time bickering with one another about things I do not understand. The only part of the conversation that sounds important enough to make a note of is the conclusion.

“Leo, we’re never going to find anyone out here, and it’s cold as hell,” the woman says, wrapping her arms around herself, “Besides, those guys were so hysterical I don’t really believe anything they had to say.”

‘Oh? It appears they are actively searching for someone. It cannot be me, can it?’

“Yeah, I know, Jessica, but you also know we need to investigate. Our client wouldn’t be happy if they heard we didn’t properly check for anything suspicious,” the man oddly emphasizes the word “client.”

“Well, this does kind of fit what they told us, but to be fair, asking us to keep our eyes open for ‘anything that sounds too weird’ isn’t exactly helpful,” the woman named Jessica, sighs sending a mist away from her mouth.

‘Nay... I believe I can be almost certain they are searching for me.’

“Again, I know, but we’ve only been asked to keep tabs on the area, so if something happens that fits that description, we’re screwed if we don’t report it,” the man named Leo says.

“Yeah, but it’s too sketchy for us to be out here during the blizzard. Why don’t we just come back once things have settled down?”

Leo shrugs his shoulders in defeat. "Fine. It's not like I want to be out here right now anyway. Still, let's take a drive around to check for anything suspicious."

The two turn, disappearing into the distance.

‘I shall have to be careful to keep my presence from being known by too many.’

Pausing for a moment, I contemplate waiting a day before hunting for an area to plant the seed, but eventually, I conclude searching the area needs to be done posthaste.