Roy found a glimmer of hope in his goal to scale down the cliff only after about another hour in the scorching heat. At some point, he had taken off his shirt and used it to shield his head. It did not seem like the sky had changed at all since he woke up, worrying him as to how long the days were here. Without there being a sun visible, it could even be perpetually hot and bright. He could feel his feet beginning to blister, sending pain with every step he took. He was desperate for a drink, his lips dry and cracked. He had stopped sweating, and his exposed skin was burning.
That was why his relief was palpable when he saw the roots of one of the massively tall trees that very loosely populated this rocky desert had burst through the side of the canyon and cause a rocky collapse. It still looked to be a steep slope, but with the roots reaching to the bottom it appeared to be relatively climbable.
As Roy approached, only then could he truly appreciate the sheer size of the tree. The trunk was completely straight, with the sparse, leafless branches only growing out at the very top. The massive roots that overturned the rocks were more than twice as thick as him, let alone the trunk itself.
Looking up as he reached its base to examine it closer before climbing down, he saw that there looked to be pods hanging from a few of the branches.
Curious, and in the hopes of them being edible, Roy found a fist-sized rock and threw it with all his might at the lowest pod, wincing in pain from the excessive movement. Unfortunately, it fell short and was not even close to hitting the mark.
Not wanting to exhaust himself anymore trying to his such a hard target, as well as being prodded to move onward by his thirst, he imbued his next throw with his Homing Shot skill. He watched it fly up in a straight line as if drawn to the pod and smack it hard enough to cause it to sway. Roy quickly threw a second rock, and to his pleasure, caused the pod to break off and plummet to the ground. A dull, wooden thud resounded as the pod splintered into pieces, Roy making sure to step back to avoid any shrapnel. Once the dust settled, he saw that the pod had been mostly hollow, with what appeared to be an uprooted, miniature copy of the tree having been contained within. It lay on its side in the middle of the debris, its trunk only slightly thicker than his arm.
It might have been intriguing if Roy were not so disappointed in it not being a fruit, but as he was about to turn to leave, what looked like a large wooden eye opened on its trunk, looking up at the sky. It was eerie how much it resembled a human's, save for its unnatural size and material.
Roy began backing up, being unarmed and faced with an unknown creature. He watched it from a distance as it shuffled a bit before using its roots to right itself, the motion looking like the reverse of a tree falling. It then began twisting itself left and right, observing its surroundings with its single unblinking eye.
Roy was glad it did not settle on him as he kept his distance when he suddenly had an idea and began speaking in a hushed tone.
"Hey, Gaia, or guide or whichever, got anything on that thing?"
Treant
Tier: 6
Rating: S
Upon seeing the popup, Roy made sure to take a few more steps back, weary of its apparent high tier. The rating, which was new, did not bode well either.
"What is that rating?"
Rating
A difficulty scale commonly assigned to the Denizens of the Underworld. It denotes the danger that the demon would be to one of the same tier.
- S - Special
It does not fall under regular danger categories. Consult for specifics.
- A - Avoid
Do not engage without thorough preparation.
- B - Beware
Do not underestimate.
- C - Confront
Manageable by an individual, but not advised.
- D - Dispose
Generally not life-threatening.
- E - Eyesore
Considered mostly harmless.
The rating originates from the Denizens of the Overworld and has been provided to you due to your racial similarities.
Roy quickly skimmed through the list, irked by the lack of clarity of what an S rating meant.
"So what are the specifics?"
Error
Classified Information
"Are you serious?"
As he kept his gaze focused on the treant as it began stumbling about like a newborn chick, his view got blocked by another window.
Bonus Goal Updated!
Bonus Goal: Slay the newborn Treant
Reward: The Fruits of your Labor
"Gee, thanks. You want me to punch a tree? Is that it?"
Being bombarded with information along with the heat getting to him, it took Roy a moment for him to piece two and two together.
"Oh, shit."
He whirled to the massive tree looming overhead and demanded from the guide to scan it, the window popping up before the words even left his mouth.
Elder Treant
Tier: 8
Rating: S
Knowing firsthand how deep the gulf can be between the weak and the strong, he went on full alert for any signs of movement from the massive treant. Even without the tier and rating, however, a moving tree of that size would easily crush him like an ant, and his only hope would be that it was slow.
After what felt like ages of observing the two treants, Roy finally calmed down after seeing the newborn lifting and dropping the shattered remains of the pod with its roots.
Hedging his bets that it was nonaggressive based on the Special rating, Roy began to inch ever closer to the newborn, halting in his tracks and ready to run as its eye suddenly settled on him. The way it stared made it impossible to guess what it might be thinking, but due to it not doing anything more, Roy continued his approach.
Overall, the treant was a head shorter than Roy, causing the eye to ever so slightly shift its gaze upward as he got closer. It really did not appear too dangerous to Roy and made him question if a tier of six was even considered high.
"Well, aren't you... adorable? Now, how do I kill you?"
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