This escalated far too quickly. The wave of crushing ethereal power is becoming something I believe I can handle, after all its power has lessened considerably after hitting those makeshift walls.

The fourth hastily made cluster of energy has managed to take form but it’ll shatter in a moment’s time.

I’ve come to a point where I’ve stopped ascending, I can feel the energy gathering and forming into a platform. Like an unfocused picture I can visualize it, Son has to be doing some amazing work, maybe conventional way of conversing would slow us down.

Well, I say that, whilst everything I see and process appears to have dramatically slowed down.

The small platform is slightly tilted, perfectly aligned with my left leg. I intend to leap to the side, it won’t be a ninety degrees angle but as close to it as I can get.

Once I feel the platform underneath my feet I start bending my legs preparing to spring out. This feels a bit awkward, I’m unconvinced the platform will be able to take the weight once I push all my strength onto it.

Ho! Surprisingly or maybe not, the Cen-platform shattered but not before I managed to shoot myself to the right. Now we have to repeat the process but in a softer angle.

My speed dramatically increased for a moment after I jumped, the problem is I really should have practiced different variations of moving with the Cen-platforms. Currently I’m leaning to the side and not facing the bastards trying to blast me out of the air.

There are some branches I could leap towards, I feel that would be a mistake, I can however use them as cover.

Even if they are some incredibly advanced insects I highly doubt they’d be able to easily destroy branches of the Naturai tree with ranged attacks.

I feel far more confident as I step onto the second Cen-platform, I use it to dampen my speed and to ready myself to jump from a third platform that is forming. Finally, I am no longer running, now I’m just being evasive. There is a difference.

Alright, let’s try this with one the smaller stakes. I grab one that is strapped to my left hand. The problem right now is, if I am not standing on solid ground my throws will mess up my balance.

Okay, one more jump and we land on that branch, quickly discharge one of these bad boys and then keep moving.

I wonder if my energy shield will actually work against their attacks. I think I have to assume it does and doesn’t.

I step on a virtually invisible platform and like a projectile I shoot towards one of the giant branches of the Naturai tree. To the side I can see one of the multi-legged monstrosities, this is nightmare inducing.

I might even prefer a swarm of tiny flying fire moths to this. Why do these things have supernatural power? I thought we had all come to an agreement.

I’m just about to land, I got to act quickly because these things are shooting out wave after wave of energy in my direction. Granted it isn’t a very efficient way of attacking but they don’t seem to be lacking any energy.

Feet land on the tree, slightly position myself, I’ve already started pouring energy into the stake, which wasn’t hard considering its miniscule capacity.

My hand feels that tingle and starts rapidly swinging forward and I release the stake, I am aiming at a target so big it would be harder to miss than hit.

Question is, will it dodge, defend or can the stake pierce that shimmering carapace that envelopes it.

As the small stake leaves my hands I start running along the tree branch, it's faster than jumping around.

These giant insects are crawling on the side of the tree in their attempts to chase me down. The middle of the tree’s platform is completely vacant.

I can see my stake pierce into one of these monsters, it disappears into it, so we at least know the stakes work. What I want to know now is whether or not it actually caused some worthwhile damage or if I have to hit its more vulnerable areas, like its head.

I’ve already got another stake in my hand as I run towards my pile of spears that I conveniently dropped on the platform.

I repeat the familiar process and let the stake fly towards another one of these bards. I can see the disturbance in the air the waves of their energy cause.

I doubt my spear would be able to actually force its way past these waves but luckily it doesn’t have to. The stake lands awkwardly on its side, a glancing blow.

The stakes fly off the insect, it doesn’t seem to have any noticeable effect on it.

I’m still filled with energy, I think it is either my capacity is just becoming bigger or the adrenaline is causing me to feel too excited.

Let’s throw another stake. I still have three spears strapped on my back in the case I need them, but they are more of a hassle to get to than my stakes.

You know what? I think I can do this. They might be powerful, they might outnumber me but I’m surprisingly fast and agile.

This is a learning moment. Fast and agile. That’s one way to survive, I should put more focus into this since my stealth killing days seem to have taken a backseat.

I throw my, my uh. Fifth? Projectile. Am I wasting precious brain power to describe this? But it just feels so natural to do so. Everything becomes dull once we stop conversing. You know? Okay, let’s take these things down!

I bend down and pick up two spears, one in each hand. The weight might not be much but it is more than double that of the stakes of which I still have abundance of.

The tree isn’t quite large enough to run around in so I’m about to jump back into the air, I’ll use a branch as cover and find another opportunity to strike back at them.

I don’t really need to find cover though, do I? I feel more secure, not going to lie, I already felt pretty nonchalant about the whole process. There was a spike in tension when I suddenly had to face three over the top attacks at the same time but once you get warmed up it feels a lot more relaxed.

Aim for the head. Their body is enormous and easy to hit but I doubt it will take them down in the end. I’ll have to dig deep into my spear throwing skills, enter the depths of my inner spear thrower.

I’ve been jumping from one Cen-platform after another, I’m about to land on one of the branches. Got a spear in my hand, already filled to the brim with energy.

I’m not too sure about these things, they don’t seem too intelligent. They wantonly and indiscriminately shoot out their load with no regard what is in their way.

I’m fairly certain they might have hit their fellow overly legged comrades once or twice so far. I can’t make out whether or not they are wounded after getting hit by friendly fire, at least not from my limited glances.

As soon as I can feel the ground beneath my feet I turn around, the center force? The force that is generated while I turn around is adding to my already over the top rapid hand movement speed.

I’m no scientist but I think the speed is making up for the almost negligible weight of the spears. This is also how I broke my arm last time I did this. It created a shockwave.

I’m paying attention to the pressure that is being created as I dramatically continue the swing. I think I’m reaching a point where the shockwave is created. I won’t push it. I let the spear go, hopefully it won’t deviate from its course and hopefully my aim is true.

My hand feels sore, it’s pulsing in pain but it hasn’t fractured, it just feels like my body has reached a limit, my hand that is, my hand looked like it reached its theoretical limit.

In the time the spear takes to fly to the target I have no time to turn around, I mean they’re not exactly far away from me.

I can see the spear just vanish into the upper part of its odd looking external, what is this? Scales? Carapace? What exactly do you call an insect’s outer shell? Shell? Ah.

I am not familiar with its anatomy but it reacted, it flinched backwards. Not because of the spear knocking backwards but because something clearly affected it internally.

Or that’s how it looks, the spear can’t possibly move that giant thing. There is both clear and green liquid gushing from it. This thing gets more and more disgusting.

I´ve reached out with my somewhat unsteady, shaking right hand for another spear. I´ve got two left, both strapped to my back.

I pull one straight up and instantly activate rapid hand movement and roughly aim at the now still target. I think it’s definitely maimed but I want to make sure it is thoroughly downed.

This time my aiming has greater precision and hits its, eh? Face? I´ve got to pick up a book or two on general wildlife. It shakes violently as I start moving again.

From my peripheral vision I see it slowly keel over and fall onto a branch it was above. It manages to keep an odd balance, not falling towards the ground or the tree’s platform.

The other two insects don’t seem deterred at all and have already caught up with me, one of them seems to have given up on ranged attacks and is charging towards me, it’s surprisingly fast. Might even be faster than me, this wasn’t part of the plan.

Hahaha, okay that was surprisin. As I began running away from the bastard charging at me, he suddenly got hit by what looked like nothing, I can only assume there was some friendly fire.

Too bad I’m already midair shooting towards another branch. There is a lot less pressure now that there are just two of them.

Granted, them charging at me rather than discharging that ethereal energy wave at me isn’t ideal but they still can’t leap into the air, worst case scenario I’ll have to run circles around the tree.

I’m starting to feel the effects of constantly creating platforms and to have Son reside inside my head delivering a near unfiltered stream of information. Information I have hardly anything to do with, yet I get it, there are other color spectrums and the heat fluctuates slightly.

I mean I can’t make use of this right? Ah shit, my head is starting to feel a bit fuzzy. Oh, my right hand started bleeding, I can’t feel any pain though. In this case the pain is preferable to the numbness.

I’m still mid air but I’m about to step on a Cen-platform to increase my momentum, as soon as I step on the platform I’m going to try to backhand a stake towards them.

it’s a lot easier to throw stuff at them if they aren’t spitting that power out constantly. And they are getting eerily close to me.

Bending my left knee, put pressure on the concentrated mass of energy. At the same time I wave my left hand, which has a charged up stake. This is going to be inaccurate but with them running straight towards me, it’s hard to miss.

Ah, it looked awkward. I almost lost my balance there, the stake flew off to the side, hitting nothing. My three dimensional combat abilities are next to non-existent.

Well shit. I’m going to have to act fast when I land on the branch. One of them is a bit further away, while one is close enough I can hear the vibrating noise it makes even with the ambient music going out of its way to overwhelm me.