Erik made his way through the thick forest. He was worn out and tense at the same time. He was engulfed in the pitch-black night, which made it difficult for him to see more than a few meters ahead of him. In these sections of the forest, where the density of the vegetation was particularly high, the branches that formed the canopy above blocked out even the most insignificant trace of moonlight. It was a maze of shadows, and every rustle of leaves and crack of twigs seemed to reverberate through the eerie stillness that pervaded the area.
As the awakener's thoughts turned to the nocturnal creatures that lived in the forest, the awakener's anxiety level increased. His awareness of these thaids and the danger they posed fueled his unease about the situation.
Nightstalkers were among them. These felines, stealthy predators, had claws that were as sharp as razors and eyes that glowed so brightly that they could see through the darkness. They stalked their prey in complete silence, relying on their heightened senses to help them locate them.
Another dangerous beast was the Shadow Serpent, a thaid that resembled a snake and had scales that appeared to absorb any light, making it almost impossible to see with the naked eye. It moved stealthily through the underbrush, ready to pounce on unsuspecting victims with its poisonous fangs, which were powered by the mana pumped by its brain crystal.
Erik was also familiar with the Nightshades, which were beings that were able to blend in perfectly with the shadows. They were equipped with a brain crystal that gave them the ability to rob their victims of their mana, leaving them helpless and confused as a result.
There were also monsters called Moonhowlers that lived in the forest. These were enormous wolves with glowing eyes and razor-sharp fangs. They were significantly more powerful than Leylarhads, but they were only active at night.
They moved in groups, their cries ripping through the darkness and striking fear into the hearts of even the most courageous individuals they encountered. They were comparable to the Leylarhads since they were a sort of wolf kind, but their brain crystal gave them the ability to absorb energy from the moonlight. This gave them a significant advantage in combat and made them particularly dangerous after dark.
These were merely some of the examples of nocturnal thaids that Erik was familiar with. Each creature posed its own one-of-a-kind risk, which, in combination with the treacherous plants that grew there, made the dark forest an environment fraught with peril.
The young man was well aware that his life depended on his ability to navigate this perilous realm without falling prey to the beasts that slumbered there, so he kept his wits about him at all times and did his best to avoid drawing their attention. His survival depended on it.
There was a strong odor in the air that was reminiscent of damp earth and rotting leaves. A faint crunch accompanied every step that Erik took, and the thick undergrowth brushed up against his legs, leaving behind a trail of sweat on his skin. The night was filled with the calls of various nocturnal animals, which served as a constant reminder of the wild and untamed nature of the forest because of their distant nature.
The awakener's eyes were straining to make out any discernible shapes in the darkness, but he could hardly tell the silhouettes of towering trees apart from one another.
His senses were sharpened to the point that he could detect even the smallest sound or movement. The night was a symphony, and the occasional hoot of owl-like thaids or the scurrying of smaller ones contributed to the music. But Erik was on edge because he didn't know what was going on, and his mind kept conjuring up images of threats that were hiding just beyond his line of sight.
"System, can you confirm that this is the path that we should be taking?" Erik questioned the intelligence of the biological supercomputer.
[INDEED. YOU ARE CURRENTLY HEADING EAST BASED ON THE MAGNETIC FIELD. HOWEVER, I RECOMMEND YOU CAMP SOMEWHERE SINCE NAVIGATING THROUGH THIS DARKNESS IS NOT VIABLE. THE USER IS STILL FAR FROM ETRIUM AND RELATIVELY CLOSE TO NEW ALEXANDRIA, BUT HE SHOULD BE SAFE FOR THE TIME BEING.]
"Fuck... this is not a good situation at all," Erik said.
The young man was led by his biological supercomputer, which alerted him to potential dangers whenever it detected even the faintest of thaid. However, he also proceeded with extreme caution, relying on his senses to guide him around the dangers that he could not see that lay in his way. A few times at regular intervals, he would come to a halt and strain his ears, looking for any indication of presence or movement in the darkness.
<I need to find a way to see in the dark. Should I make a torch? But I know nothing about how to start a fire. I planned to learn this at military school, as I didn't think I would leave the city now.>
Despite the fact that Erik couldn't see much, a fire of determination burned inside of him. He had no choice but to flee that hellhole known as New Alexandria. It broke his heart to not even have the chance to say goodbye to his friends, but he knew that if he remained in that place, he would never experience happiness in his life.
He was aware that he needed to keep moving forward in order to navigate his way through the forest and arrive at his destination. The difficulties that lay ahead served only to strengthen his resolve, just as the thaids that he was going to hunt served only to strengthen his physical prowess.
There was a rationale behind Erik's decision to wait until now to start a fire. The first reason was that he was located too close to the city, and there was a chance that the soldiers would figure out that he had fled the city. The second reason was due to the thaids, as they were capable of locating him even in the dark, and a significant number of them were not easily frightened by fire.
<I can't go forward; it's hard to see obstacles and thaids this way.>
The young man then made an effort to find a solution to the problem. He could merely create torches, but the best thing for him to do would be to absorb the brain crystal power of some thaids that possessed the ability to see in the dark; the problem was that there weren't many around here, as most of the ones that could do that, could because of some biological reason, and not due to their brain crystal power.
The young man thought about the best thaids' brain crystal power to deal with this situation, and that was around these parts.
There were a few choices, but the one that would be the least difficult would be to kill a Shadow Owl. This creature stood only about 30 centimeters tall and had magnificent wings that were only slightly larger than their length. This was one of the few rare exceptions of reasonably strong flying-like thaid, as it wasn't that strong. Its feathers were a gorgeous shade that looked like a cross between charcoal and dark gray, giving off an air of mystery and covertness.
According to the literature, the feathers of the owl had a velvety texture, much like the night sky. They were incredibly soft to the touch. Its wings, which gracefully extended from its body, were veined with delicate traces of silver, which cast an ethereal glow during the hours when the moon was out.
The most captivating aspect of the Shadow Owl was undoubtedly its large, mesmerizing eyes. They had previously sparkled with vibrant emerald hues, and they were powered by the presence of a specific brain crystal power that enabled the owl to see through the veils of darkness and provided it with the ability to see in the dark.
This being did not require an offensive brain crystal power to hunt properly. It was active at night, and its prey consisted of rodents; plus, it still was a flying-thaid, which meant they were strong in their own league.
Its wings were designed in such a way that it made almost no sound when it flew, and its talons were so sharp that it could kill its prey almost instantly. Its ability to see in the dark was its most potent weapon because it allowed it to locate prey in any environment. In contrast, other creatures would never be able to figure out where the thaid was hiding.
That would be a good alternative; however, the territories of the Shadow Owls were at least two kilometers away from where he was standing, and besides, he had no way to attack from a distance, so he could not hunt them. The most effective strategy would be to eliminate the monster during the day when its activity level was at its lowest point, but even that wasn't simple, even if he could. But what actions should I take at this point? Erik asked himself.
Erik was startled when he heard something rustling in the bushes, which quickly brought the kid back to the present. He went on high alert as soon as he heard the crackling of leaves and the faint snapping of twigs, and he scanned his surroundings with his eyes, getting ready to confront whatever danger was hiding in the shadows.
As he climbed a tree at a breakneck speed, Erik's dexterous movements were obscured by the rustling of the leaves. Adrenaline was surging through his veins. He was able to get a good look at the forest floor below him thanks to his elevated vantage point. An eerie howl ripped through the air at that very moment, reverberating through the forest and sending shivers down Erik's spine.
In a matter of seconds, a pack of Moonhowlers materialized out of the darkness, their massive forms prowling with graceful deliberation. Their predatory gaze narrowed in on Erik, focusing on the child's scent as they fixed on him with glowing eyes that looked like orbs of lunar radiance. Their ravenous appetite was made clear by the eerie glint of razor-sharp fangs that shone in the dim light of the moon.
"Shit, that was just what I needed…"
Erik managed to maintain his composure despite the precarious nature of the situation and clung to the branches. He knew that challenging these creatures in the darkness would be a battle that he could not win with his current power, so his instincts were telling him not to get down from the tree, where the beast couldn't reach him.
His anxiety began to tighten its grip on him, and his instincts also urged him not to get down from the tree. He continued to wait in the relative safety of the tree, where he was perched, with his body hidden among the dense foliage.
The Moonhowlers were circling the base of the tree as their menacing growls reverberated throughout the night like a symphonic performance of danger. Their most basic instincts were able to pick up on Erik's presence, but the fact that he was hiding in the tree made it impossible for them to overcome the obstacle. He stood there helplessly as they sniffed the air, their eyes searching for any sign of their prey as they used their noses.
Even though Erik had been clinging to the tree for a significant amount of time, he did not become exhausted. On the contrary, he was able to rest because the branches were large enough to keep him comfortable. When the Moonhowlers realized there was no easy prey available, they eventually withdrew and disappeared into the darkness of the nighttime landscape. After waiting a few more hours, Erik finally worked up the courage to descend the tree, feeling relieved that he had made it through the ordeal.
Erik's choice to remain hidden in the face of the all-encompassing gloom was the only way for him to maintain any chance of survival. As the moonlight washed over the forest, he steeled his resolve and made a pact with himself to become more powerful and hone his skills until he was capable of facing the Moonhowlers and other dangers head-on.
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