Chapter 12: First Encounter

Nathan sped after the fireball, its flames burning everything in its path. He made sure to keep far enough, so as not to get burned himself, but also close enough so as to make sure his plan came to. He needed get back to the clearing they had passed through earlier, but the bushes had something lurking within. Nathan plan was simple, nothing in a forest would be foolish enough to stay in the path of a fireball of this magnitude. He simply had to follow it out and anything that would have attacked would be sure to avoid.

Just as he predicted, as the fireball travel, several shadows jumped out of the way. His planned had worked almost flawlessly, upon exiting into the clearing one of the shadows made a swipe at him. Nathan was able avoid losing his arm, but he was not able to escape injury. Whatever it was able to slit his arm. He took a look, blood flowed and drip to the ground, the pain came slowly, it was a good reminder, he was in danger and this was no game.

Nathan watched the bushes, now that he was in the clearing, the creatures had no choice but to come out of hiding. Six creatures emerge from the trees and screech at Nathan. Standing six feet, with huge gaping mouths, and arm like sickles, they slither toward Nathan. Nathan thought they looked a lot like a “Venus flytrap” from his world and he pretty damn sure they were not into eating bugs.

He looked back at his arm, the pain was slowly fading and the wound was healing. Nathan reached back and grabbed the other blade he had on his back and ready himself, whatever these things are, they were not going to let him go. Nathan watched carefully, this was his first encounter, no way was he going to lose. Something caught his eye, one of the creature’s sickle had a weird coloration, a spot of red.

“You’re the one that caught me, so I’ll deal with you first………..is what I would say, but I don’t think she will let me. The rest you might want to move away from him/her.”

A moment later a, a flamed lance, pierce through head of the creature that had cut Nathan, bursting into flames, leaving nothing more than ash. The other’s looked up to see Iris floating above them, enraged.

“HOW DARE YOU HARM THE HERO, UNFORGIVABLE”.

Iris was ready to clear the battle field, when one of the creature swung its sickle that stretch all the way up to where iris was poised. This took her and Nathan by surprised and she was barely able to avoid being split in half. The creature made a second attempt, but Nathan was already upon it and with one slash, he tore through the creature like paper.

Nathan, with creatures distracted by Iris’s power, took this chance and began to pick off the creature’s one by one. In the blink of an eye he had taken out two of the five remaining. Loping off their heads was a quick way to end them.

Nathan targeted the next closes, with a speed he didn’t think possible, he approached his target, but the creature was ready and swung both arms. Like a pair of scissors, it attempted to lop off his head. Nathan ducked, barely avoiding decapitation. Swinging his arm around, he proceeded to chop off both arms with great precision. The creature now armless and unable to strike, opted rather to bite off Nathan head, he dodged and back away. That was all it had, with no way to protect itself, it was a simple task ending its life. Nathan looked over, the last creature took a shot at Iris.

The blade never reached her, Iris had already unleashed a spell. Crimson colored arrows rained from the sky, ripping the creature to shreds. With the creature defeated, she slowly descended from the sky.

“Hero, are you alright, your bleeding, quickly, we must stop the blood, clean the wound to avoid infection.”

“Hold up, I’m good, look, it already healed.”

“Hero, never again will I allows such a plan, honestly using yourself as bait.”

“It worked didn’t it, I knew there was a chance I get hurt and that whole stretching thing caught us by surprise, but all and all it went about as I thought it would go.”

“Regardless, no more using yourself as bait, understand.”

“Okay, okay.”

*Ding**Ding*

Name: Nathan Lowell Level: 4 HP:2075/2075 MP:310/310

Race: Human/Lycanian

Legacy: Nature’s blessing

Skill: Tweak

M.Ability: Phytokinesis, Heal, Therapy, Tranquil, Plant Growth, Gardener P.Ability: Photosynthesis, Threat Detection, Clear Mind, Enhanced Reflexes, Hyper senses, Co-op

Stats Party

STH: 63 Inventory

DEF: 106

INT:53

AGI: 90

Luck: 79

Skills: Persuasion 9%, Bribery 0%, Thievery 30%, Charisma 10%, Finesse 5%

Titles: Hero? Sweeper

“Oh, I jumped three levels and I have some new abilities.”

Nathan look over his status; he still couldn’t tell if he had really good or really bad stats. Though, the results of the battle were basically one sided, they had the upper hand the entire time. With enemies like this, there was no way to tell how strong he really is. He would have to wait until he meet someone people, he could compare his stats to theirs.

“Hero, I have also leveled up, by two levels.”

“Well, I did defeat three to you two.”

“Hero, you defeated three and I defeated two, but were there six creatures that emerge from the bushes?”

“Yeah, one of them ran away while we were offing his friends, seriously, we made quick work of them, it probably saw that they were losing and went to get reinforcements.

“Then we must make haste, we need to finish it before it can call its companions.”

“No, no, no, were going to wait for them to come back, besides, it could have already met up with its friends and if were to just run off after it while we know nothing about the area, we could get ambushed.

“Hero, the odds of that thing, returning with a greater force are high, should we not prepare ourselves.”

“No need, in about thirty seconds, numbers won’t matter, but we should do one thing before they come back.”

-

-

-

Nathan laid out in the grassy field, the sun was at highest point and the effects of his “Photosynthesis” ability was in top form. He basked in the warmth and relaxed, or so he tried. Just a few feet from him, Iris was on high alert, doing her best to watch every inch of the forest surrounding them. The constant motion of her head made Nathen dizzy from watching.

“Iris, would you quit worrying, come over here and lie down next to me.”

“I refuse, I honestly can’t see how you can be so calm, even though we have been completely surrounded.”

“We haven’t been completely surrounded, I don’t smell any in that direction, looks like there not taking any chances this time, they won’t attack until they are sure we can’t escape, but it’s I keep picking up this really strange scent?”

“Strange scent?”

“Hmm, oh nothing, it probably just me, oh look that their starting to move.”

The creature, now having surround the two intruders begin to move. There were only six last time, but now around twenty. With a force this big there was no longer any reason to fear and the creatures charge towards the two.

“Hero, now?”

“Wait for it.”

Unexpectedly, none extended their arms, instead opted for a full on charge, they were not risking losing their limbs against Nathan’s speed. This worked out better for Nathan plan, the creatures were nearly in striking distance.

“NOW!”

Iris, once again took off into the sky and began to chant. The creatures instantly ignored Nathan and begin to focus on iris. The creatures were naturally weak to fire and were not going to give her a chance to finish her spell, all at once they extended their arms towards her, intending to strike her down. No matter how fast Nathan was, with so many blade aim at her, at least one would connect, or so they thought.

None of the blade ever reached their target, for at the same time they launch their attack, Nathan sprung his trap. Tentacle like vines sprung from beneath ground, the “Snyare” Nathan had eaten earlier, was now wrapped and coiled around the creatures, successfully halting their movement. Somehow, a few were able to cut themselves loose, in an attempt to escape, poison the poison the Snyare secrete was preventing that. Nathan began cutting down the creature closes to him, with the creatures now immobile, they were easy pickings. One by one each were decapitated, Nathan felt no remorse as he swung his sword. After Literally cutting the force in half, Nathan stepped back.

“Alright Iris, let it go.”

“Understood, “Crimson Squall”!

With her word, fire rain from the sky, the creature, now almost dead from the poison, could do nothing as fire rain down on them. They didn’t stand a chance, even with their numbers, Nathan and Iris had the complete advantage over the situation. Nathan thought as Iris floated back over to him, did he even need this plan?

“Wow, that was some crazy spell Iris, “Crimson Squall” was it, I never heard shout the name before.”

“It easier to envision if you call out a spell name, it helps the concentration.”

“It made really quick work of these things, another massacre.”

“Yes, it seems such a spell was unneeded.”

“I was just thinking that, but I can’t tell if we’re really strong or these things are really weak, we’ll need to find some people to gauge our strength, But in the meantime, look souvenir!”

“Hero, is that a piece of those creatures?”

“Yup, snag it before you fried them, good thing too, Bon appetite.”

*Smack*

Iris slapped the piece of the creature out of Nathan hand and then with a spell, burn it to ash.

“Hey, I was going to eat that.”

“……………………”

“Iris, you hear me?”

“Hero, I allowed you to eat the Snyare from earlier, I understand the reasoning behind it, however- “

Nathan started backing away, she was really pissed.

“HOW, COULD YOU SO CASUALLY ATTEMPT TO EAT A CORPSE, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, HAVE YOU NO COMMON SENSE?”

“B-but it, it looks like a plant, so I was just thinking I could- “

“RIDICULOUS, just because one looks like another, does not make it so, it seems you need a lesson in this worlds biology.”

Iris waved her hand and several books appeared.

“(I knew she filled it with books.)”

“Please have a seat Hero.”

“Iris, m-maybe we should wait for another time to- “

Iris turned to Nathan, though she was smiling her eyes were not.

“Hero, please have a seat.”

Nathan sat down immediately, Iris set and front of him and started to read. As she read, a little way’s off in the bristle, a figure watched the two for a while, bewildered by the strange sight of a fairy lecturing a Lycanian, the figured decided against showing themselves, opting rather to wait for another time and simply left the two to themselves.

“*Sniff* *Sniff* That smell again, where?”

“PAY ATTENTION!”

“R-Right.”

Iris continued her reading, while Nathan tried not to get killed.