Banda carefully dug out the soil around the roots of a stalk-leafed plant with a purple balled flower. The trunk of its stem was swollen, apparently storing a mass of watery sap.
Grogwort was its name, Eres told him. Drinking its sap would relieve pain but bring about a dizzy stupor. She said it was used to make ale, a strange water humans drink to deliberately impair themselves. Banda thought that the height of foolishness.
With the earth scraped away, Banda rooted and pulled out the plant whole, taking care not to break the stem.
Herb in hand, he looked over to Eres. She was using a knife to carefully scrape at the edges of a dully glowing light-gray moss on the bark of a tree.
Fog Moss caused forced aura suppression if eaten. It typically grew on rocks and trees in dank environments, and was among the most common herbs they found within the Misty Forest.
Herbs were spread out between themselves for the most part, and many were difficult to find. Especially when the priority was to remain vigilant against monsters and other threats.
The two continued on silently, both accustomed to the system of travelling and searching they had employed since the first light of dawn.
Against Junky’s two-faced advice, they had not ventured out yesterday. Instead, Eres had read through the whole of the herbalism book, until she could recount it from the echoes in her mind.
It only told of what the uses of herbs were, and how to harvest and prepare them. Nothing on how to make something more of them through the craft called Alchemy. A craft, Eres explained, that could make things called potions and pills which could bestow wondrous effects on those who consumed them.
But it did, importantly, cover everything from low grade to high grade.
Banda glanced to the side as something caught his eye. A dark-blue flower with its petals closed up. There was nothing inherently remarkable about its appearance, but he could sense the density of mana within it that surpassed normal plants.
“A Moonflower.” Eres spoke up, catching sight of his focus on the herb. “It only blooms at night, and wilts if harvested when not in bloom. So it’s useless to us now. A crushed paste reduces slight illnesses, I imagine that’s what Ubin needs.”
As she spoke, Eres noticed something else. A hanging plant at the base of a tree with a delicate bell-shaped silver flower. “A Silverbell… This is mid grade.”
She walked over to the herb and Banda followed, paying no more mind to the Moonflower. This was the first mid grade herb they had found yet.
“Breathe on it strongly.” Eres said, as she took out a piece of simple white cloth.
Banda glanced at her, then did as she asked. The plant swayed violently but its roots held firm and its stem did not break. The silver flower jarred loose, carried off in the flow the wind. Eres dashed next to it and deftly wrapped it in her cloth before placing it in a small clay jar.
“It’s getting close.” Banda referred to the time they had remaining until the temporary antidote stopped working.
“Yes, this will do.” Eres understood exactly what he meant. “We shouldn’t bring too much on the first day.”
“The old human that sells herbs spoke of potions…” Banda said. “We should take some, to heal like the beastwoman.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Eres dismissed the idea without consideration. “Any low-grade swill she brews up will amount to little more than mud balm.”
Banda narrowed his eyes at her, but did not argue. She was reckless, but not thoughtless. If she cared so little on the matter, then the herbalist’s potions would likely be of no real use to them.
As they headed back to the town, Banda thought about the trace of poison he could feel running dormant through his veins. It agitated him. True threats struck fear into him, and he hated that. But a trick like this, a problem that he could not solve by simply killing his enemies filled him with a strange disdain.
The moment he was free from this affliction, he would tear apart that iron human. No matter what it took.
---
“I expected better.” Tath criticized as she ruffled through the sack of herbs they brought her.
But still she indifferently clenched a wound on her hand and made two antidote pills. These ones were glossy with a brighter color, like the one she had given her brother, who stood behind her now glaring at them.
“A week of relief.”
Banda took caught the pills and smelled them tactlessly. Nothing in his instincts sensed danger, just as before, so the pair swallowed them. There was no difference in his physical health, but he could feel a sort of ease flow through his body.
“You should consider venturing into the mountain range next time.” Tath said, though her tone held a trace too much discontent to be considered genuine advice.
“That’s too dangerous.” Eres replied.
“True.” Tath commented. “Let me rephrase. Bring me only mid grade herbs from now on. Or no antidote.”
The two held firm in the face of Tath’s oppressive tone, though neither of them replied. They waited for a moment then quietly left, with the slumlord lord’s watchful gaze following after.
“We should speed up the effort into looking for a cure.” Eres spoke calmly, though her eyes were sharp. “Tath isn’t a short-sighted fool, but she’s unstable… We should train for the next few days, and head out to the mountains near the end of the week. It’s best not to meet her too often. Ah, and I do mean train. No runeforging.”
Banda didn’t argue. His interest in runes was as keen as ever, but he knew when to prioritize. The stronger the humans he fought were, the more tricks they had.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
He could still manage with the strain beyond the limits of Feral Form, but there was a limit to that as well. He needed to be stronger. And the fastest way to achieve that, was to master the Basic Aura Techniques.
---
Banda and Eres trekked through the fog covered forest towards the mountains in the distance. They had been avoiding it ever since the harpy hunt, but they could do so no longer.
Chancing upon mid grade herbs like the Silverbell in this Misty Forest was not something they could rely on. They had to take their search to where the danger was greatest.
It was the fifth day since they got the antidote, and it worked just the same now. On that front, Tath had not deceived them, at least.
Eres stopped beneath a tree to kneel besides a clump of long grass with a golden streak in the center of its blades. She grabbed it at the very base and pulled it straight up with one clean motion.
It was an Evergold, the other most common herb alongside Fog Moss. Balm made from crushing it into paste increased the body’s natural healing speed.
A giant spider dropped down from a tree towards Eres, and Banda’s fist splattered its torso into vile green goo. It had hidden its presence and sound, but it couldn’t fool Banda’s instincts once it attacked.
Eres’ face twisted into disgust at the twitching creature, but that was easily usurped by irritation at her lack of defense. “I wouldn’t have this problem as a god… This wretched Tower had better compensate me suitably.”
“Is the Tower alive?” Banda asked. He knew the words she had used, but he didn’t understand how a building of stone could give something to her.
Eres’ gaze shifted to him, and she calmed herself somewhat. “I told you before. This Tower is full of opportunity. The only reason I intended to bypass it was because I had no choice. Traits like my Fire Spirit Root or whatever it is that heightens your instincts can be found and acquired if we’re lucky. Of course, scared grade is extremely rare. But it’s still possible.”
Banda was silent in thought for a moment. “Since my instincts feel like using only a part of me… that makes it a trait.”
“Your memory is surprisingly good.” Eres complimented. “Yes. Your Feral Form is your bloodline. Bloodlines may merge or mutate but a person can only have one.”
Eres looked at Banda in a long silence.
“...what?” He asked.
“Your trait needs a name.”
“No, it doesn’t.” He didn’t understand her insistence on names.
“Feral is already taken. Savage… doesn’t fit quite right. How about Primal Instinct?” She suggested as she mused with genuine interest, ignoring his complete lack of it.
Banda ignored her as he walked on ahead. Whatever his response, he knew she would do as she pleased all the same.
They made it to the base of the sprawling mountain range in short time. Banda’s eyes narrowed slightly with vigilance, and Eres grew more serious.
They could defeat mid grade monsters, even those at Rank 2. But such creatures were demanding to fight, and their aura capacity was small. The threat of them being overwhelmed through sheer numbers was a very real one.
The fog released them from its wispy grasp as they ascended the mountain with caution. Banda took the lead, stressing his senses and instincts to guard against all around him.
A figured blurred down at high speed from the sky. Banda detected it fast enough to hurl a stone, but with a flap of its wings it shot back from the projectile and the huge bird hovered in the air above them with animosity.
Its body was twice as tall as a man and its four wings twice as long as that. Bronze feathers covered its entire body that kept a dull sheen. It had a large broad beak built for shattering through the bones of prey and pitch red eyes filled with aggression.
“A Konru.” Eres told him. “A mid grade monster. It’s feathers are like metal.”
The konru dove at them without warning with blurring speed. Banda lunged this time to punch with an iron fist but the bird evaded again and shot towards Eres.
An Avatar Arm formed behind her and thrust its simple spear. The konru twisted around it with ease but its beak slammed against a giant shield.
The impact slowed its reaction, as did the failure of its attack, which was opening enough for the feral savage who lept from behind.
Banda struck with all his might. The clash of his metal fist and the bird’s metal feathers thundered through the sky as the konru slammed across the ground. But the bird stuttered upright and took off into the air.
Banda steeled his gaze. He was still within the limits of Feral Form, but that was a Harness enhanced punch, one that would have turned any other monster he encounter on this first floor into chunks of flesh. And yet it seemed unharmed. The durability of this beast surpassed that of the iron human.
The konru let out a droning screech in raw hatred. Mana surged around it and it shot down again at blinding speed.
A monstrous form took Banda for a moment as his instincts flared. He rolled away from the spearing dive just in time, and then again as the beast dove back barely after he had set his feet.
Banda prepared for a third but it swooped down at Eres this time but once again her shield perfectly firm, as though anchored in place. The konru flew up and dove straight down again. Eres managed to shield herself in time but strain started to show on her face.
The konru rose and dove without end in quick succession. It was all Eres could do to defend against this rain of spears, and the slightest spiritual crack formed on her cheek.
The giant bird dove again, and a boulder the size of itself crashed into it. Banda picked Eres up and sprinted away. That hit wouldn’t damage the beast. Not much. But it would buy them time.
He ran into a gorge filled with tall rock formations and suppressed his aura, with Eres doing the same. They could hear the heavy flap of the konru’s wings as they hid. The monster lingered for a while, then continued on past the gorge in its search.
“We should have killed it.” Eres said once they could no longer hear its wings.
“Costs too much aura.” Banda countered. “5 Crystals is not worth it.”
“Maybe so,” Eres said. “But konru are petty. They hold grudges forever, so it’ll keep searching for us from now on.”
A problem to be dealt with another time, Banda thought. He crouched to his feet and something lunged from the cover of rocks. A monstrous creature seven feet tall with the head and hide of wild hound, but the shape of a man. It wore metal armor like a human and raised back a battleaxe.
Another mid grade monster, Banda could tell from the emanations of its mana this close. But this one was at the peak of Rank 1. And Banda savaged it.
He stared at the corpse of the creature. On a closer look, its weapon was chipped all over and its well-worn armor a poor fit for its body. Banda guessed it merely used whatever it could plunder, but something more pressing was on his mind.
“These beasts are strange.” He said. “Like the harpies.”
“That’s because they’re not beasts.” Eres answered. “There are seven main types of monsters. Beasts, you know well enough. Undead are corpses and skeletons and dead things that walk around with a hatred for the living. Angels and Demons, I’ve told you about before. Elementals are fire and air given souls. Fey are creatures of the Dream Realm. And lastly are Jinn, monstrosities of sorts. Tiamat’s creations, the first ones at least.”
“If you see a twisted creature part human part monster, it’s probably a jinn. They’re usually smarter than beasts with more mysterious abilities, and thus more dangerous. This one’s a gnoll, I’m fairly sure.”
“Why have I never seen these jinn?” Banda asked. He had expected new beasts on his journey, but he had expected them to be beasts.
“Cedar Forest is unique. Only beasts are allowed to reside within it. The place itself rejects and attacks all other monsters." Eres explained. "Ah… Now that I think about it-”
Her words were interrupted by a pack of gnolls stepping menacingly out from all sides. Banda, too, was surprised as they had somehow evaded his notice. And even more, they had been smart enough to restrain their hostility until now.
A gnoll larger than the others made himself known. It was a foot taller and wore far heavier armor. Its long limbs carried a brutal shield and a spiked flail, its eyes filled with an intelligent malice. And the mana of a Rank 2 emanated forth.
