In the sunlight next morning, Sol took to a towering tree to get a lay of the land once more. Throughout her journey, she persisted in her path and continued to follow the river. Though she didn’t regret her actions, Sol was starting to suspect something was wrong.
Weeks of travel, hundreds of kilometers, and yet she had nothing to show for it. Civilization was just as remote as it was previously. Part of her started wondering if there was even something to be discovered. Considering her memory and situation, she couldn’t dismiss the idea that she was alone on this planet. The idea was fleeting, but Sol found the concern rising to the front of her thoughts more often as she traveled without result.
Atop the tree, Sol’s gaze flickered as she took in every detail she could make out. Treetops continued for hundreds of kilometers in every direction. The terrain repeated as if only this biome existed on the planet. Sol dismissed the heavy thoughts and kept her attention in the distance. Since her progress was so slow, Sol was looking for anything that would suggest she was on the right track.
After nearly 3 hours of detailed observation, Sol was ready to give up when she noticed an abnormal movement of the treetops in the distance. Different from how the wind would uniformly swap the tops, there was a series of trees that drifted as if its base were being pushed.
In her heart, Sol knew it was likely to be a large animal, however she wasn’t willing to let the slightest clue escape. Maybe, just maybe, humans were pruning trees or setting traps. She found it unlikely that there wouldn’t be a single village or city along the massive distance she crossed. The more likely reason was that humans set up homes deeper into forest and kept their distance from the river for the same reason she did.
Sol’s legs moved quickly and her body flickered from the tree top. Tree by tree, her body gradually covered a great distance. She maintained her gaze on the moving trees and tried to circumnavigate the area. Last thing she wanted was to come face to face with a powerful beast.
Caution was embedded in her every action for now. The distance cost Sol nearly 6 hours of travel, however she eventually arrived near the swaying trees. Her eyes peered into the depths of the forest canopy, yet nothing came into sight. Sol’s brows burrowed at the lack of activity.
Dread and caution gradually built up in her system as the forest appeared normal. Sol remained at the top of the trees and refused to drop below the canopy. Her only chance at escape if it was a large beast was to remain at the peak where she had free range of movement.
Her cautious actions allowed her to eventually glimpse signs of movement near the forest floor. Through gaps in the canopy, Sol was able to detect a creature of some sort jumping off trees. It was clear the beast was chasing another creature, however the prey eluded her sights.
Knowing the trees were moved from a powerful beast hunting, Sol started considering retreat. There was no need to engage in wasteful fights when she already knew she was near the bottom of the food chain here. Deciding so, Sol retreated from the site.
She leaped from treetop to treetop just as she came. As she landed on the fourth tree, a sense of danger overwhelmingly stirred her consciousness. Sol ignored the treetop and directly fell from the canopy into the heavy cover of the forest under-canopy.
Behind her, Sol could hear the emergent tree that was to be her foothold snap like a twig. Her cover was blown and Sol no longer held back her life saving skills. Spiritual awareness blasted forth from her figure and enveloped the region.
As information flooded in, Sol caught sight of the creature chasing her. Six thick limbs with 4 claws on each ripped into the fallen tree. The creature appeared almost wolf-like however it had a series of mandibles that leaked a continuous stream of drool.
After sniffing the air, the beast’s gaze turned in Sol’s direction and kicked off to chase after her. The aggressive chase gave Sol a sense of urgency. The beast clearly didn’t consider her a threat and she had almost no knowledge on the beast. Her brows knitted together and her legs carried her between trees even faster.
While she was being chased, Sol tried many tricks to lose the creature rather than directly fight it. Sadly, her tricks were useless against its sense of smell and keen eyesight. Through her spiritual awareness, Sol could tell the beast was locked onto her as it followed her trail almost exactly.
Unable to lose it, Sol considered fighting it. She had few combative experiences since waking and her primary experience was being outdone by those weaker than her. Even though she was outmatched in speed by the more demure creatures, Sol felt they were specialized in escaping.
On the same note, she noticed the river creature was extremely reliant on its camouflage. Though this forest contained a plethora of monsters, they were all specialized in their way of the hunt. Considering that logic, the beast chasing her would likely be similar. Closer observation through her spiritual awareness showed the beast followed her trail almost as if it were mirroring her movements.
The forest itself didn’t seem to impair the beast’s movements as it clung to trees and used limbs to leap when needed just as Sol was. Taking advantage of the mimicry, Sol stabbed a few stakes she made earlier in a few of the limbs she landed on. Unless one knew they were there, the tricky movements she made would make any follower suffer from an impaling.
Such were her expectations. Sadly, she felt beads of sweat build up after the beast smashed into the spears without any damage. The spear snapped before even penetrating the beast’s fur. Plan A was a total failure. Plan B then.
Sol changed her direction and rushed to the river. Along the way, Sol grabbed a few branches and snapped them at their base. She directed what little focus she had in surplus to reinforcing the limbs and she eventually ended up with 15 makeshift staves when the river entered her view.
Though she couldn’t see the aquatic predator, Sol had the most experience in dealing with it. The water bound beast could be said to be the closest thing to a friend Sol had at the moment. She understood its habits, likes, and dislikes relatively well.
Sol’s figure fell from the under-canopy on land beside the river and she stabbed 10 of the staves into the ground. The remaining 5 she kept in hand as they weren’t too large. Calculating the time between she and the chasing beast would encounter each other face to face, Sol used a staff on hand to slap the surface of the river.
After capturing a ripple in the surface moving in her direction, Sol took a short distance from the river. Between her and the river, the 10 staves were stabbed in as if to act like a defensive line. Seconds later, the beast chasing her snarled and fell from the under-canopy onto her position.
Sol dived under the creature and dodge its first swipe. Of its six legs, 4 secured its landing while the other two reached for Sol’s body. Sol whipped a staff and slapped the creature’s claw from reaching her. The staff shattered on contact and barely managed to alter its trajectory.
Though the beast didn’t look strong, Sol understood how much power it took to shatter her staff like that. Sweat poured down her back as she split her focus between the river and the beast. The six legged beast crouched and stalked Sol in a circle. The two soon exchanged positions with Sol at the river’s edge.
“Roar!” The beast lunged at Sol and opened its 4 front limbs wide as if to bear hug her. Sol only paused for a second before kicking back closer to the edge of the water. She was now only a meter or so away from the edge with a series of staves between her and the water.
Through her spiritual awareness, Sol was tracking the aquatic predator by the ripples along the surface of the water. The creature was nearing its strike range and Sol only had to buy another few seconds of time.
The six legged beast roared once more after Sol dodged its initial grapple. Its hind legs compressed for another leap and Sol was forced to use another of the staves in hand. Infusing magic into the spear, she launched the staff into the beast’s chest.
Although it didn’t damage the beast, it still bought Sol a second of time as the beast never would have thought Sol would fight back against it. Upon regaining its mind, the beasted roared in fury and lunged at Sol once more.
Just in the nick of time, Sol saw the 10 staves near the river flex slightly. Her lips curled into a smile and she injected a burst of magic into her tiny limbs. The remaining two staves in her hand swung at the beast while her legs erupted with strength to throw her aside. The beast took the strike straight on, yet only snarled at the futile effort.
Its gaze tracked Sol and was ready to follow up upon landing when tendrils wrapped around its torso. The beast had no idea what was going on and its limbs scratched the ground repeatedly to hold fast against the tugging force. Its mandible gnashed at empty air and Sol only witnessed a few specks of bluish liquid squirt from some invisible limb.
After digging into the ground, Sol started perspiring watching the six legged beast gradually overwhelm the aquatic creature. Without looking back, Sol took off and left the two creatures alone to battle. If the aquatic creature couldn’t kill the beast, Sol was at a loss.
Roars resounded through the forest and Sol could hear the sounds of battle even after expanding the distance between her and the river. Soon, the roars faded and Sol felt uneasy at the abrupt silence. Her pace picked up and she was soon flickering through the forest at a pace her reaction speed could barely handle.
