[You are exposed to Necromantic Energy. Prolonged exposure will drain your vitality. Loss of 1 HP/hour]

"What ?" Fang screamed internally. "I don't have much time to venture in this place."

He carefully walked forward. He could see skeletal remains of armoured warriors, broken parts of weapons and war engines scattered here and there, some half buried in the red soil. "So it's not like any skeletal remain will be raised by the necromantic energy, huh ? That's a relief. " 

This side of the battlefield had some vegetation before. And it seemed it was a ruin of some fort. There were dead tree trunks and broken pillars standing here and there. He collected some small dried branches to make fire. Soon he collected enough branches that he could carry without much problem, made a bundle with hempen rope and strapped on the backpack.

As he was observing the place, suddenly he saw a tree branch moved from the corner of his eyes. He looked at it carefully, but there was no movement any more, and it didn't seem like it ever moved . "Is this creepy place playing with my mind ? No way this is a training ground for a novice rogue like me." 

He noticed a complete armored skeleton lying at the root of the tree. It was almost hidden behind a ruined short wall and his eyes skipped it before. Pale green moss covered the skeleton and the wall. This is the first time he saw something green in this hell. Curiously he walked towards the skeleton.

There was a small hole filled with red wine colored water behind short wall, just beside the skeleton. "The hole's diameter was only 2 feet, how could it still contains water ? The high temperature of the hell should have evaporated it."

"Fang, run . Quick ," a panicked voice sounded in his mind, it was Lily.

He jumped in fright, and turned around to run away.

Just when he turned, he saw a tree branch swinging at him, targeting his chest. The branch was just three feet away, Fang had no way to dodge this sudden ambush.

At that moment, Lily appeared in the air before him and blocked the branch with it's small tusks. She was forced backward and slammed on Fang's chest.

Rattling sound of bones came from behind. He looked back, the skeleton covered in moss was standing there. Blue fire was burning in it's eyeholes . It had a broken sword in one hand; the other hand was empty, but it was more intimidating with five long, sharp bone claws like five daggers.

A chill flowed through his spine looking at this vicious skeletal undead.

- 5 HP

[Fear of Boney Things Trait activated. You suffered psychotic damage]

"Fuck boney things. Fuck my curiosity," Fang cursed in dismay. He fell on this trap just because of curiosity.

"Fang, we are in quite dangerous situation. That tree is not something I can defeat in my suppressed condition." Lily communicated telepathically.

Fang quickly used Investigation skill on both the tree and the skeleton. He couldn't see any info of the tree, must be much much stronger than him. The skeleton was a variant, Botanical Skeleton.

"What's that tree, Lily ?"

"It's a Blight Tree. It can melee attack with branches and cast Animate Dead spell. I think that botanical skeleton is under it's control." Lily replied.

By this time , the skeleton started approaching. And the Blight Tree sent two more branches blocking the way behind.

"How strong is it ? Can a tree see ?"

"It's a skill, it has blind sight. Though it is limited to 60 feet, it can't perceive beyond that radius. And the tree is of Challenge Rating 3."

"OK Lily, you keep an eye on the tree. I'll fight with that skeleton and we'll try to slowly get away."

Fang equipped his Rapier and common Dagger. Death's Kiss dagger set was not a good choice against skeletons, as these undeads were immune to poison and necrotic damage .

Fang took the initiative to attack. He stepped forward and thrusted with his rapier.

- 6

The skeleton didn't try to block, it had no fear of pain or death.

Lily didn't try to do anything, she was ready to intercept if the Blight Tree took action .

The skeleton raised it's broken sword above it's head and slashed vertically at Fang.

Fang stepped right and dodged.

The Blight Tree swinged one of it's thick branches at them. 

Lily tried to block the blow with her tusks, she had no choice, if she dodged, Fang would suffer the blow.

The swinging branch changed it's direction and hit her in neck area.

- 6 

Lily groaned in pain.  She had resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing attack, halving the damage. Otherwise it would be critical wound.

"Lily," Fang was panicked seeing the blood in her mouth.

"Don't engage in fight, Fang, get away."

"Right," Fang dashed away from the tree, Lily followed.

The Blight Tree swinged it's branch to the fleeing duo .

The skeleton also dashed behind Fang to catch up.

Lily turned back and received the blow from the tree branch. She didn't try to stop it like before, rather just put enough strength to slow it down and floated back with the branch. By the time she stopped the branch, Fang was out of range.

Fang equipped his short bow and aimed at the botanical skeleton. 

The skeleton was not trying to attack him anymore, the tree couldn't sense him. So it controlled the skeleton to attack Lily.

The tree swinged another branch towards Lily.

Fang's arrow hit the skeleton.

- 6

Lily was already out of the branches reach in last round. The branch passed before her harmlessly.

She attacked the botanical skeleton with Gore Skill .

- 4

The bones of the skeleton crumbled.

[Your companion killed the botanical skeleton. You gained 50 XP]

"A creature with challenge rating 0.5 should have given 100 XP. Is it shared between me and Lily ?" Fang thought.

The tree emanated a black glow. Spores released from all of it's smiting branches and formed 3 black rays , falling on 3 piles of bones near the tree.

Blue glow emanated from the bones, soon the bones were rearranged and connected to each other and three skeletons appeared. There were blue flames in eyeholes of the skeletons, like the previous skeleton they killed. But no plant material on it, they looked like just pale white skeleton. They were wearing some broken armors, and equipped with shortsword and shortbow.

Fang used investigation skill on the skeletons 

 

All three skeletons started moving towards Lily, one aimed shortbow and other two raised their short swords.

Lily teleported to Fang's side, they both were out of the tree's blind sight range, it couldn't sense them .

The skeletons stop moving forward and turned back to the tree .

"We have to leave this place. And it's dangerous zone, the necromantic energy is dense; it wouldn't be a surprise to if stronger creatures appear," Lily spoke in grim tone. "How did you get here ? And you are injured "

Lily touched the wounds of his face with trunk and cast "Cure Wound" spell.

+ 3 HP

The wound on the face he got from Abyssal Chicken was closed and completely healed. Fang checked his status

Level : 01(XP 200/300)

HP : 5/17

"I slightly changed my direction from that of yesterday and reached here," Fang answered.

He looked at the skeletons, they were in his shortbow's attack range . He could sneak attack them like killing sitting ducks, easy 150 XP.

"Let's go, Fang. This is not a place to grind, you may not survive a second encounter. And I can only cast 'Cure Wound' spell once more today."

[Exposed to necromantic energy for more than one hour]

- 1 HP

Harsh reality struck Fang, "What was I thinking ? I only survived because Lily helped. Otherwise I would be minced meat before I could realize something is wrong. And  would become nutrition for that tree." He unequipped all the gears, shortbow, rapier and dagger in Ring of Weapon Storing. And turned to go around the Blight Tree and follow the path he came here to exit.

"Wait ," a torrent of light sparkle washed away the dread he felt after facing the botanical skeleton. The invading necromantic energy also slowed down.

"Thanks, Lily. Let's go back to the infernal machine."

Lily entered his soul space. Fang walked very carefully, he checked every bone piles for sign of animation, also stayed away from the dead trees; who knows which one was a camouflaged fiendish tree.

Within a hour he exited the dreadful battlefield.

"Lily, did you gain XP after killing the skeleton ?"

"I don't get XP anymore. I'm in final evolution stage of the Holyphant race."

"Oh, OK." Fang thought , "So XP gain is divided equally among the members who killed the creature together. Though Lily didn't get any xp, I still got half of the XP."

"You are having chicken in dinner ?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, you are having too. I wish I had some seasoning."

"I don't need to eat, but yeah, I can taste fine food . It's long since I had tasted any food."

"You don't need to eat ? How do you survive ?" Fang was surprised.

"We, extra planer beings, don't need to eat food like you , the denigens of material planes. 

"Celestials absorb the positive energy of joy, laughter, love and kindness.

"Devils sustain on the energy of the tormented souls. They also devour the demonic foes.

"Same goes for demons. Though they feed on other demons, that's why few demons can survive to the full potential. And every survivor is a great warrior, the greatest ones make the ranks of Demon Lords and can threaten to tear the Abyss with endless warring.

"But all of us can eat for fun or pleasure. Specially the demons, they consume a vast amount of foods. " Lily explained in detail.

Fang reached the Infernal Machine , the journey back was without any event . He investigated the surrounding area and the hatch, didn't find any sign of intrusion.

He unlocked the hatch and entered the vehicle. The woman was lying in same position, everything was same as he left there. He noticed the "Bag of Holding" . "Ay, I didn't check the bag yesterday."

Fang decided to make meal first. He took out the tinder box and mess kit and a torch from backpack. The mess kit contained some simple cooking utensils. Then he lit the torch. Also he put the woods he collected before on the torch, soon the moisture on the woods evaporated and caught fire.

He used the mess kit tin box as cooking pot. Poured water in it to boil. Then took out the Abyssal Chicken and skinned it. Though it had no feather, but the skin was as hard as his leather armor. He chopped the chicken in  two. Then took half of the chicken, cut it in few small pieces and put it in the boiling water .

He lit another fire and started roasting the other half with the help of a sword and a branch .

It's a fiendish chicken, so he was prepared that it will take long time to be cooked. He checked the cooking pot frequently. When the meat came of the bone, he removed the pot from fire and let it cool slightly. Then he removed the bones from meat, and cut the meats in smaller pieces. Then he put one ration of his food in it, and stirred. He hoped that the ration would give it some seasoning taste. Soon a yellow colored chicken broth was prepared.

"Lily, taste the chicken broth."

She appeared beside him from the soul space and looked at the pot; wondered how to eat from it.

Fang took a spoon and fed Lily a spoonful. "How is it ?"

"Hmm, not bad. I won't mind few spoons more."

Fang smiled hearing the complement, "Sure, here . Take." He fed her more.

Lily stopped after some time, "OK, You made it for the woman, right ? I shouldn't finish it by myself, ha ha"

"Yeah. But you can have more. There's still three-quarter of the broth remaining."

"You can eat the remaining or save for tomorrow. And you know, I don't need to eat. Tasting your cooked food is satisfying enough."

Fang couldn't help but pat her head. The roast was ready too. Though there was no salt and seasoning, it smelt good. He quickly ate without caring about the taste.

Now the next task, feeding an unconscious woman.