The First One Of The Cosmos -OLD VERSION-

Chapter 6 - The Living Forest

After taking a look at my map, I realised just how far I had gotten away from the edge of the Jungle of Wrath. Going as fast I could, it would still take over a week to get back.

I didn't have time to worry about that yet, though. My top priority was getting food. All the monsters I had hunted in the ravine were completely obliterated by the Cosmius and the rations in my handcrafted bag had almost run out.

Not having any particular direction in mind, I headed in the direction of the sun.

Before long, I found a little spring with some bushes of fruit growing around it. Though they weren't filled with a mysterious power, the little berries overflowed with delicious juices.

After I had satisfied my stomach, I started to head towards my destination.

I saw some lone monsters that had strayed too far and silently killed them, earning me a new skill. Assassin wasn't exactly the type of skill a student at a prestigious school should have, but it helped with sneaking up on unsuspecting beasts.

I saw a couple larger monsters as well, surrounded by their minions. Though they detected me before I could get to them, dealing with them with Cosmius was pretty easy.

It was almost worrying that there weren't as many strong monsters around that the library books said there were, but the less threats to my life I encountered, the better.

A couple hours later, it was getting dark, the thick canopy had obscured the sun's rays.

In the distance, I could see a faint blue light among the tree branches.

I wandered over to the source of the light. Above me were thousands of multicoloured orbs, glowing in a slow breathing pattern.

I never knew such a beautiful place existed in the world, especially in the monsters' den.

I checked my surroundings for any monsters, before setting up camp for the night.

Sitting in my makeshift shack, gazing up at the incandescent fruit, swaying on the vines in the dusk breeze, I drifted into a peaceful slumber.

<Hey, you! Wake up this instant!>

I was abruptly woken up by shouting in a language I had never heard before. I rubbed my eyes to clear my eyes.

<You're under arrest for intruding on restricted space!>

When my senses cleared up, I could finally see who decided to rouse me.

A beautiful woman with green skin and hazelnut hair was looking at me sternly. Was it a monster? It tried speaking to me, not that I understood any of what she said.

I was about to stand up but was shoved back down into my bed, I was held down by a staff of coiled wood.

Whoever this was, she wasn't a friend.

I tried to reach for my sword but I couldn't even reach my pile of belongings before I was knocked out cold by a swift blow to the head.

The next time I woke up, I was behind bars and shackled to the wall. I was in a prison and I didn't even know what crime I committed.

Anything I tried to do made the cuffs curl and get tighter around my wrist and ankles. I grunted in pain. Despite being made of wood, they felt stronger than steel.

I called out for someone to come, a guard appeared from behind the corner and shoved his staff through the bars into my chest.

I fell back in a coughing fit. Whoever these people were, they were definitely stronger than me. I checked the status of the man outside while he was still in view.

I wasn't surprised to find that most of his stats were over double mine. Even if I tried to escape using Cosmius, I'm not sure I would escape unharmed. I might not make it out at all.

I had nothing else I could do so I decided to conserve my energy. I sat against the wall and drifted back to sleep.

I had been stuck in the prison for about a day now, that's what it felt like, at least. There were no windows in the cell. Only the entangled roots of ancient trees.

Suddenly, the door swung open and the kidnapper from the forest strutted into the room outside the cell. She stepped into the cage and tapped at the shackles tying me to the wall. After pulling me to my feet, she signalled me to follow. I complied, following her through to the other room.

An intricately carved desk and chair set was at the center of the room. Another pretty woman I had never seen before sat at the table. She looked quite weak, compared to the others. I couldn't let my guard down though, you can never know what to expect in this strange forest.

Analysing her, I saw that she had the Translator skill. They must have realised I can't speak their language. Whispering into the translator's ear, she took glances at me, judging the way I acted.

The guard sat down next to the frail girl. With only one chair left, I sat opposite them.

Finally, the smaller person spoke.

"My name is Ash, I am a nymph. What is your name?"
"Saarl Harticus," I replied in a monotone voice, "Please can you explain why I've been put in prison?"
"You have intruded upon our territory. This area of land is prohibited to outsiders like you."

A nymph? It must be one of the intelligent monsters that were in the books at the academy library.

"I apologize, humans like me don't live in these parts so I didn't realise."
"You are from outside this forest, correct? How did you end up here, on your own, no less?"

I briefly explained what I had gone through over the past four months, leaving out most of the details. I didn't want to bore the nymphs, but I didn't want to reveal any important information to a group of strangers.

"Your story doesn't seem to be fabricated. And from your status, it looks like you are not a demon in disguise."
"Demon? Is that a species of monster?"
"Something similar. They're a branch of monsters that use a power like yours. That power is a burden to the monsters that use it. Often, their minds are corrupted by that power and they go insane, causing destruction to everything around it. Us nymphs are an offshoot of the demon race that has not been corrupted by the power we have."
"So are you peaceful then?"
"We only attack when provoked by another party."

At that moment, another nymph came into the room with a stern look on his face.
<Priscinus and the other representatives have arrived.>
Ash and the female guard got up from their seats and were about to leave, but looked back at me. They spoke in the nymph language, but my gut told me that they were discussing how to deal with me.

<What should we do with him, should we just give him a guest room?>
<I'm not sure, but I get the feeling that he could help us with our current predicament.>
<Are you sure we should bring an outsider into this?>
<It's better than wasting such a good opportunity. He survived all that time in the jungle alone, so he must be quite capable. The more help we can get, the better.>
<Alright... let's bring him.>

They stopped talking to each other, I was worried that they were going to throw me back into my cell but instead, they undid my shackles. I felt like a great weight had been lifted off of my body.
"Follow us."

While we were walking to wherever they were taking me, Ash began explaining the current situation.
"Remember the demons I was talking about earlier? One of the dragons, Voidin, has lost control of his mind and began his rampage through this entire region of the jungle. We aren't sure exactly how strong you are, but we would appreciate your help in dealing with the beast."
"Why do you need my help? I took a look at all of your statuses and the guards seem to be a lot stronger than me."
"The main difference is the type of power we use. Demonic power is a weaker copy of cosmic power. If we can utilise your power to its fullest potential, we may be able to defeat the Voidin."

"There's no reason for me to help you, though. What's in it for me?"
"If Voidin decimates this forest, no one will be able to stop him, and his next target will most likely be the human kingdom."
"Ah, that definitely wouldn't be good. Well, I guess I have no choice but to help you then."

Ash's worried expression turned a little less pale, but I knew that this wouldn't be easy.
"Now, let's hurry to the meeting, I have to introduce you to the others."