"So I think I'm ready to do a bit more exploring. I'm gonna do a couple more circuits of the area, then maybe see if I can find a really tall tree to climb, or something?" Miria said while they ate lunch.
"Go for it. While you're at it, I'm gonna get some paper and start working on a map. Tell me if you find anything worth putting on it." Claire responds. "Oh, rocks in particular - I want to like, start making a fireplace or something. I think I can get clay out of the ground without too much effort, but we'll still need rocks to stick together with it."
Miria nods. "Yeah I know I've seen several on the forest floor - I'll take a bag and grab a bunch, and see if I find any notable outcrops or whatever."
Claire finishes her lunch and stands up with a stretch. "Glad to hear it! I'll get to work on that map then."
------------
Miria paced through the forest, leaving another several monster bodies behind her. She'd already made several circuits outward, and slain a variety of monsters, including several level 2 ones. Before her rested an unusually large tree, towering substantially above the surrounding forest. Miria circled it carefully, checking for monsters, then stowed her sword in an improvised sheath across her back and began climbing, her six limbs finding ready purchase on the trees rough bark, an early split in it's trunk creating something of a crevasse to make her climb that much easier. Soon enough she was past and into the trees low hanging branches, four hands pulling her rapidly upwards towards the canopy.
*Ah, here we go! What a view.*
She found herself a decent resting spot, and spent a couple minutes just enjoying the sun and looking out at the mountains.
*Damn but those fuckers look steep. Hell of a place to go rock climbing, I bet. I never used to be in to that kind of thing, but I guess the extra limbs must be getting to me, cause it's sounds fun now...*
She sighed and stretched, then began properly surveying her surroundings.
*Right, okay. Well, there's the stream - looks like it joins up with a larger river down that way. Mountains extend quite a ways, and it looks like the forest gives way to plains down that a ways.. Oh, and what's that?*
She peered down at the black scar cut through the forest, an expanse of asphalt with a large building visible alongside.
*...Is that the big grocery store from down the road? Well, fuck me. Wonder if there's any survivors there?*
She took another couple moments to scan for anything else noteworthy, and to cement to grocery stores relative location in her mind, before she began clambering down the tree. She moved heedlessly, in one case accidentally breaking an old dried branch on her way down and sending it clattering to the ground, but she barely noticed, it was so trivial for her to adjust - at least until she clambered down to the ground and found herself staring down a half dozen monsters.
[Razorleaf Seedling, Level 2]
[Saproling, Level 2]
[Saproling, Level 1 x5]
"...Ah. Can we talk about this, perhaps?" She said, slowly raising her hands, only for the seedling to blast a hail of razor sharp leaves at her. She growled and dodged as quick as she could, one hand drawing her sword, while the other blocked the leaves that were aimed at her face, leaving her to tank the rest of them.
[-9 HP]
She darted forwards, one foot lashing out to strike and tear a gouge out of a saproling as it sought to bite at her, while her sword arm brought the blade down on the seedling, cutting the top half of it's body in twain and leaving it to collapse to the ground.
[Razorleaf Seedling, Level 2 Defeated! +15 Essence!]
Another of the Saprolings lunged forwads and closed it's jaw around her leg, biting down hard enough to make her chitin creak.
[-5 HP!]
She cursed and sliced it in half, then just barely dodged aside as the other Saprolings came at her, and cut them down one by one. "Fuck!" She cursed, surveying her resources:
*Yeah, I'd better get back. Fuck, and what an awful time, too - I just found a place that might have other survivors...*
She sighed and moved into a steady jog, quickly returning to the apartments...
---------
"Hey! How'd it go? Oh, jeez, are those wounds?" Claire said, leaning over and fussing over the paper thin scratches the leaves had left in Miria. "...What's your HP at?" She said, narrowing her eyes as Miria looked away.
"Uh, well, I still have some?" She swallowed as Claire gave her an unamused look. "...Yeah it's at 2. I got a ton of essence though...!" She says, bringing up her character sheet.
Claire crossed her arms. "Yeah, and you'll pay through the nose if you want to spend it on anything that gives you more HP. And you had all that stuff when you just went and lost all that HP anyway, didn't you?"
Miria shrugged. "Look, it's just some HP, it's not that big a deal anyway. I just got careless and let some monsters ambush me when I came down from the big tree I climbed, dumb mistake, won't happen again. But forget that, I saw the big grocery store from down the street! The Kangaroo Suppers, you know the one! I think they got abducted or whatever, same as we did. There might be other survivors there!"
"Won't happen again!? How are you going to ensure that? If Ambushes are a problem, maybe I should come with you - I'm the one with all the awareness stats. And trying to seek out other survivors doesn't do us any good if we just end up getting killed along the way..." Claire says, her hands grabbing at Miria's hips and trying to pull her closer.
"...I don't want to put you in danger! I'll go first and clear a path, check if there are actually any survivors there, then I can come back and escort you, maybe with some other survivors if any of them are up to the trip..." Miria said, trying to pull away.
Claire hissed and grabbed Miria by her improvised chest covering, pulling the taller woman down to her. "You idiot! You don't even know if you can make that trip once! Besides, we have no idea if there are survivors there, or if they're friendly, or what!"
Miria grabs Claire's hands and pulls them off her so she can stand up again. "If they're not friendly then I'll make them friendly! I'm not just going to give up on the idea."
"You'll need a lot more levels if you're going to make that work." The dryad says, crossing her arms and glaring up at the taller woman.
"Well, fine then! I'll go get them!" Miria said, and turned to storm from the room.
"What - don't leave! Miria! MIRIA!" Claire shouted as Miria slammed the door behind her...
Well, at least we know Miria's Dominance isn't doing too much to Claire
Yeah, it's level 1 and she's not making the best use of it. And Claire's mental stats give her some resistance, too.
Thanks for the chapter. Oof, Miria has strong protective instincts, and doesn't understand how to control them yet. It's likely that she's pent up too.
somethign
Typo.
and to cement to grocery store's relative location in her mind,
Cement the grocery store's.
Thanks for the chapter.
and to cement to grocery stores relative location in her mind
cement the grocery store's?
Those instincts are showing up.