Walking alongside each other, the Doervus and I traveled deeper into the dense rainforest, yet I couldn't help but feel curious about this world that I had been thrust into. So far, I had only seen a small portion of it, and the creatures that I had encountered were unlike anything I had ever seen before.

Everything about this world was so surreal, so beyond my wildest imagination. I had so many questions, but I did not know where to begin.

Hm... I should start with something simple.

"Doervus, can I ask you something?" I finally spoke up, breaking the silence between us.

The Doervus turned its head slightly, indicating that it was listening.

"What is this dimension called?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

The Doervus looked at me with interest, its red eyes gleaming in the dappled sunlight that filtered through the canopy, "This world, and all the realms that we inhabit, is called Zeldritzon, or Zeldritch—as it's sometimes known. It is a world that is home to many beings like us, each with their own unique traits and abilities."

"Zeldritch," I repeated, rolling the word around in my mouth. It was a strange name, but it suited the world we were in. "And what about the other beings that inhabit this world? What are they like?"

The Doervus's facial expression shifted, as if it were surprised by my question. "There are many different beings in Zeldritch. Very few Eldriyssals are benevolent, while the majority are malevolent. It's a dangerous world we live in, and you must always be on your guard."

I nodded, taking in what the Doervus had said. I have already taken that into consideration if I wanted to survive in this world.

"And what about the other Eldriyssals? Well, let's rephrase that. Are there other creatures like you? Other Doervus in this area?" I asked.

The question seemed to cause the Doervus to become glum.

"There are," the Doervus responded with a sigh. "However, my herd long cease to exist due to the actions of a rogue Eldriyssal. It's a long and tragic story, one that I do not wish to recount." The Doervus's eyes grew distant as it spoke, lost in thought.

"I'm sorry," I said softly, feeling a pang of sympathy for the Doervus. Losing your herd or family is something I can empathize with, given my past experiences.

The Doervus shook its head, snapping out of its reverie, "It's fine, Merecritt—" it then paused, "Aera. It's all in the past now. What's important is the present and the future. We must focus on surviving in this world, no matter the cost."

I nodded in agreement. Survival was the top priority, and anything that would help me achieve that was worth pursuing. "Thank you for telling me about Zeldritch, Doervus. I feel like I know a little more about this world now."

The Doervus nodded, "No problem, Aera. Knowledge is power as well, and the more you know about this world, the better your chances of survival."

Continuing our journey through the rainforest, I found myself lost in thought. The Doervus's words about survival had struck a chord with me, and I thought about the path that lay ahead. But there was something else that was nagging at the back of my mind, something that I couldn't quite put my finger—ugh, paw on.

"Doervus," I said suddenly, once again breaking the silence between us. "Do you have a name?"

The Doervus looked at me for a moment, as if confused by the question, before responding, "A name? I am Doervus. That is my species name."

I frowned, feeling disappointed. "But don't you have a name? Something that sets you apart from the other Doervus?"

The Doervus shook its head, "No. We do not have individual names in our herd, it's not something that's important to my species. We are simply referred to by our species name. We are simply known as the Doervus. I am a Doervus." It said once again.

I couldn't help but feel sad for the Doervus. It must be difficult not to have a unique identity or name that sets you apart from others. "That's a shame," I said calmly, "I think having a name is important. It helps us define ourselves, and it's an important part of our identity."

The Doervus looked at me for a moment, as if considering my words, before responding, "I have never thought about it that way. But for us Doervus, our species name is enough. It is what defines us, and it is what we live and die by."

I nodded, understanding the Doervus's perspective. But still, I felt like having a name was important, and I wanted to explain this to the Doervus. I frowned, frustration festering within me.

 

"NX655. Go out and destroy."

"He is not-"

"SILENCE, AERA!" exclaimed a uniformed man with a deep baritone. "Your worries are a distraction. We are on the brink of annihilation. Stay out of this and stop humanizing them!"

The voice echoed through the command center, drowning out murmurs and commanding attention from the other high ranking members—it belonged to General Raine, the hardened 2nd-in-Command of our resistance.

His gaze bore into mine, filled with anger and frustration. There, I scanned the heart-wrenching scars lacerated throughout his face. I clenched my fists, fighting back the frustration boiling within me, but I held my ground.

"He is not just a number," I retorted, my voice trembling with suppressed emotion. "He's my brother, General Raine. He has a name."

The room fell silent, the tension thickening in the air. General Raine's eyes narrowed, his stern expression unwavering. "Your brother ceased to exist the moment he became NX655. We cannot afford such attachments. We are soldiers, Aera. We fight for survival."

My heart ached at his words, the pain of losing my family once again resurfacing. But I refused to let it consume me. "We fight for more than survival, General Raine. We fight for humanity, for our freedom. And we cannot lose sight of what makes us human. Our names, our identities, they matter."

Raine's face softened slightly, his gaze wavering. I saw a flicker of doubt cross his eyes before he shook his head, dismissing my words. "Sentimentality has no place in war. If we start naming our soldiers, we risk forming emotional attachments that will cloud our judgment."

"But what are we fighting for if not for the preservation of our humanity?" I pressed. "If we lose sight of who we are, what makes us different from the machines we fight against?"

The general's gaze turned icy, and he took a step closer, his voice low and harsh. "You forget your place, Aera. We are soldiers first, humans second. You were given a chance to fight, to contribute, despite your... capabilities. Do not jeopardize that."

My fists trembled, but I swallowed my anger and looked straight into Raine's eyes. "I won't abandon my humanity, Raine. Not again. Kenneth deserves better than being reduced to a number. We all do."

The general's gaze bore into mine once again. For a moment, I thought he might strike me down, but then he sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "Aera, you were always a stubborn one. Fine, do what you must, but don't let your personal mission jeopardize the survival of our resistance. Remember, sentimentality comes at a cost. And we can't afford to pay for it."

With those words, he turned away, his heavy footsteps echoing through the command center. I watched him leave, saddened yet resolved to stand by my beliefs. I knew the path I had chosen wouldn't be easy, but I couldn't let go of the belief that our names, our identities, were worth fighting for as well. In spite of that...

 

I gritted my teeth after reminiscing such events.

"Maybe, in our travels, we can come up with a name for you," I suggested, my voice hopeful. "Something that represents who you are and what you stand for."

The Doervus tilted its head, as if it were puzzled by my question. "Why would I want that? My species name identifies me perfectly fine."

I paused, trying to find the right words to explain such a foreign concept to the Doervus. "Having a name is like having your own identity. It's what makes you unique and sets you apart from others. It's a way for others to recognize and remember you. Don't you want to be known as something other than just your species name? Something that's unique to you?"

The Doervus seemed to consider my words for a moment, its red eyes searching my face as if trying to understand my perspective. "I see what you're saying, Aera," it said finally. "But we Eldriyssals don't place as much emphasis on individuality as yours do. To us, the species as a whole is what's important, not any individual member."

I sighed, feeling disappointed but also understanding of the Doervus's viewpoint. It was clear that our cultures were quite different, and it would take some time for me to understand the Eldriyssals’ way of life.

But still, I couldn't help but feel like something was missing. "Thank you for explaining things to me, Doervus," I said with a small smile. "I respect your culture and your beliefs. I just wanted to know you better."

The Doervus nodded, "I understand, Aera. And I appreciate your willingness to learn about our ways."

It was then my attention caught onto a small shadowy figure, one larger than my form but about half the height of the Doervus, darting across the forest floor. At first I thought 'human?' But the figure was too short and disfigured to even be one. Suddenly, the racket of screaming and howls of numerous hidden entities could be heard around us.

 

G.A.I.A. Online!

— Eldriyssals Detected!

— Species: Barbapt

— Sub-Name: "Goblin Imps"

— Rank: F

— Classification: Common

— DANGER ⚠️ DETECTED

— DANGER ⚠️ DETECTED

 

Goblin Imps? Another fabled creature by name, however, their howls and roars were enough to send shivers down my spine. I leapt on and clung onto the Doervus's back tightly as it turned to face the source of the noise.

Several small and agile figures darted out from the tree line, baring their razor-sharp teeth in a snarling growl. They were approximately half the height of a Doervus, had thick wild fur, and were eyeless creatures drooling cosmic smoke. The Barbapt were also plump but stout, with long, droopy, vine-like arms ending in sharp daggers and muscular legs that ended with hands for feet. The combination of goblins and imps as their sub-name was an understatement.

Their movements were fast and erratic, making it difficult to track them as they bounded from tree-to-tree.

We were surrounded... and I was prepared to fight!

The Doervus snorted, pawing the ground with its hoof as it too readied itself for a fight. "Stay close Aera," it said, its voice low and menacing. "These things are dangerous and numerous! And be extra wary of the Barbapt's arms and breath, they have impressive range!"

The Doervus let out a wild, bellowing roar that shook the trees and sent the Barbapt scrambling backwards, clearly intimidated by the Eldriyssal's size and power.

I nodded as fear and adrenaline coursed through my veins as lengthened my Merecritt ears. I may have formed a bond with the Doervus, but I knew that I was still vulnerable, and I needed to be on my guard if I wanted to survive. These creatures might be small, but they were clearly dangerous, and I was not about to let them harm me or the Doervus.

The Barbapt circled us, letting out a cacophony of howls and screeches as they closed-in - their razor-sharp teeth bared in a deadly grin—while they rushed at us with their claws extended and ready to strike.

With a fierce melodic growl, the Doervus charged towards the Barbapt, its antlers lowered and zapping. It was a sight to behold, the massive creature barreling towards the shorter creatures like a force of nature.

As the Doervus charged forward, its antlers—swept, swung, and sliced at the creatures around it; but the Barbapts were nimble, and many were able to dodge its attacks with ease.

Witnessing this, I climbed up onto the Doervus's antlers, using them as a vantage point to attack the Barbapts from above.

With a flick of my tiny paw, I summoned a small bolt of lightning [Doom Zap] and directed it towards the nearest Barbapt.

It let out a high-pitched screech as it was hit by the blast, but it didn't seem to be deterred. It continued its attack, lunging towards me with its dagger-like arms.

Reacting swiftly, I leapt off the Doervus's antlers, dodging the Barbapt's attack, and swung one of my Merecritt ears to slice off the swinging Barbapt's arm with a [MereEar Slash]. I then witnessed the Doervus skewer and fry the Barbapt with its electricity. The screech emitted by the Barbapt was horrendous and ear-splitting before it burst into particles.

Successively, I punched the nearest Barbapts that neared me with my stretchable set of ears, sending them flying across the field; their small bodies slammed into the trees, leaving a deep dent as they fell to the ground.

However, as it fell, I could not help noticing the Barbapts’ numbers were overwhelming. For every Barbapt that fell, three more seemed to take their fallen comrade’s place.

I channeled the abyssal particles within myself and summoned another bolt of lightning, this one larger and more powerful than the last. I directed it towards the Barbapts, hitting several of them at once, and causing them to back off for a moment.

The Doervus took advantage of the momentary respite, charging forward and slamming into the Barbapts with its antlers.

I continued to direct lightning bolts toward the creatures, my own adrenaline intensifying as the battle raged on.

But the Barbapts were proving to be more difficult to defeat than I had anticipated. They were too fast and agile, and their weapons seemed to have a longer reach than I had expected. I could feel my heart racing as I dodged and weaved through their attacks, desperately trying to find an opening.

Just as I was about to launch another attack, I felt a sharp pain slicing into my side.

One of the Barbapts had managed to land a hit on me with its dagger-like arm. I yelped in pain, but I didn't let it slow me down. I retaliated with a [Doom Zap], frying the creature and sending it disintegrating into particles.

The battle continued on, and soon, I found myself back-to-back with the Doervus as we fought off wave after wave of Barbapts. We were outnumbered, but we didn't let that deter us. I could feel the surge of power coursing through my veins as I fought through their endless waves—fueled by the bond that I had formed with the Doervus.

Even though the Barbapt were fast and dangerous, together the Doervus and I still managed to hold them off. We fought on, and on, our attacks becoming more coordinated and precise as we worked in unison to take down the tiny monsters.

Swinging my long ears with the best control I can muster—the pseudo-fists at their ends collided with and cracked the bodies of any Barbapt who drew near.

Swiftly, I enhanced my elongating ears with [Regal Ram], through this I was able to increase their strength and devastation with each attack that impacted the Barbapt.

It was a shock to me, however, as my impacts formed holes upon the Barbapt's bodies. Yet with each strike performed, I gasped and gagged in horror.

I beheld a nightmarish sight as I witnessed there were some among the Barbapt who briskly got up without a problem, chunks missing from their bodies. There were even Barbapt with their heads missing and those were not hindered from continuing their assault against me.

As the battle continued, I could feel my heart racing with excitement and fear. I could feel the Barbapt's hot breath on my fur as they closed in, their claws shallowly cutting into me as I weaved and evaded their strikes. The wounds emerging on me stung even more as their hazardous, cosmic breath blew through the air—their breaths being the hardest among their attacks to avoid.

I continued to punch and slice my way through the Barbapts, my Merecritt body twisting and turning as I dodged their attacks. The Doervus was equally impressive, its massive antlers zapping and slicing through the creatures with ease.

Together, we made a formidable team, and we were slowly whittling down their numbers.

During the process, the two of us absorbed the abyssal particles leaking from the Barbapt which was drawn to us. I felt slightly stronger, but greatly repulsed as I absorbed the particles.

However, their numbers seemed to not seize. Our efforts were not enough and more Barbapts continued to swarm us from the depths of the rainforest. It was clear that we were getting nowhere, and we needed to come up with a plan or find a way to retreat if we were to survive.

I quickly decided the next course of action as I punched through a Barbapt, knocking it into a piled mass of its buddies.

"Doervus, we need to come up with a plan!" I yelled; my voice barely audible over the howling of the Barbapts.

The Doervus nodded, "Agreed. We need to lure them into a trap or bottleneck them."

It was an acceptable plan so I scanned the area, looking for anything that we could use to our advantage....

That's when I spotted a narrow passage between two large boulders. "Over there!" I pointed, "We can lead them through there and trap them!"

The Doervus nodded, understanding my plan, and turned to face the direction at which I had pointed. With a roar, it charged forward toward the passage with me hoping on and clinging to its antlers. Its mighty rush scattered the Barbapts that attempted to block our path.

While on top of the Doervus, I continued to unleash [Doom Zap's] bolts of lightning, keeping the creatures at bay as we made our escape.

The Barbapts furiously followed, their howls and screeches echoing through the forest.

As we approached the passage, the Doervus suddenly stopped in its tracks, causing me to almost tumble off its head. I looked up at it in confusion, wondering what had caused it to stop.

"That passage," the Doervus said, its voice low and ominous. "It's a trap."

I immediately knew that these tree-creatures were not to be trifled with. The memory of our past encounter pounding my heart.

As I observed closely, I realized that among them were oddities within the ranks of the tree-creatures, exhibiting a more distinctive appearance as if they were a different variant within their species. The few distinctive tree-creatures had spiked spine-like thorns adorning their backs, running up and down, and across their arms, which made them appear more intimidating.

 

G.A.I.A. Online!

— Eldriyssals Detected!

— Species: Tropiruth

— Sub-Name: "Tropic Treants"

— Rank: F

— Classification: Common

— DANGER ⚠️ DETECTED

— DANGER ⚠️ DETECTED

 

G.A.I.A. Online!

— New Eldriyssals Detected!

— Species: Tropiruth

— Sub-Name: "Tropic Treants"

— Rank: F

— Classification: Uncommon

— DANGER ⚠️ DETECTED

— DANGER ⚠️ DETECTED

 

I gasped, realizing that we had led the Barbapts straight into the territory of even more dangerous creatures. The Tropiruth were a whole different level of threat, and I didn't know how we were going to get out of this alive—and prolonging the fight was no longer an option as I could feel exhaustion taking ahold of me.

The Doervus snorted, pawing the ground nervously as it assessed the situation. "We... we need to retreat," it said firmly. "There's no way we can defeat them all."

I nodded in agreement, feeling dread envelop me as I turned around, to see that the Barbapts were approaching. We needed to find a way out of here, and fast, before either the Tropiruth or Barbapt decided to make us their next meal.