"It's been about a month since I set my alarm spells, and one of them has finally been triggered," I whisper to myself, sprinting through the forest. The training I've done over the past month has given me more than enough stamina to keep up this pace.
As I approach the pathway, I see a group of humans just getting ready to move deeper into the forest. Quickly, I cast shadow magic on myself. It's not that great yet, but it should be enough to hide me if I stick to the trees and stay out of sight.
I carefully follow them, staying quiet and watching from the shadows. Just before they head into the forest, one of them speaks. It's a girl on the left, her hair a silky brown, wearing leather armor.
"Alright, let's go over it again," she says, her voice steady but cautious. "The Flashmanes own territory to the east, the Voidleverets control the north, and the Nightlaces dominate a large portion of the Black Forest to the west and northwest."
Wait... Black Forest? I think to myself. This place isn't even black...
"And lastly," she continues, "we don't know what it's called, but there's supposed to be a terrifying beast that lives in the center of the forest. It controls most of the central territory."
Whoa, whoa, whoa... a terrifying beast? Hold on, are they talking about me? No, no, that can't be right. There's no way they mean me.
Before I can process the thought, another human from the group speaks up. This one is a tall man with silvery-white hair and a strikingly handsome face. He's carrying a sword on his hip in a fine hilt.
"What lives in the middle? From the way you're describing it, it sounds like it's just one beast. Why don't we go there and kill it? I'm sure we can handle it and leave without much trouble."
Kill? Wait... I'm the only thing that lives in the middle... THEY DO MEAN ME!
My shadow spell wavers for a moment, threatening to fade. My panic rises, but I quickly calm myself down and refocus on the spell, reinforcing it. The magic stabilizes, but I can feel my heart racing.
The girl and the rest of the group freeze and turn to the tall man—Rucka, apparently—with shocked expressions.
"Rucka, did you not just hear what I said?" she exclaims, clearly exasperated.
Rucka? Man, I feel bad for this guy already, I think to myself.
"It's a single creature," the girl continues, "but it doesn't just fight the Flashmanes and the Voidleverets—it fights the Nightlaces, too! Do you have any idea how insane that is? The Flashmanes and Voidleverets are a challenge on their own, but the Nightlaces? Even experienced parties capable of taking down dragons tend to avoid them. They travel in groups, and their threads can cut through most armor like butter!"
Wait, what? I blink in disbelief. The old owner of this body lived here fighting those things? He must've been way more terrifying than I thought.
Almost as if to confirm my suspicions, the girl adds, "And this beast doesn't just defend itself—it actively takes territory from them! I mean, look at this."
She pulls out a different map, noticeably older than the one she handed to another member of the group. That person, small and slight, appears to be the healer. Girl? Boy? I can't quite tell. The girl points to the older map and draws their attention to the center.
"This is what the creature controlled last year," she says, tapping the smaller circle that marks the center. "See how much smaller it is compared to the new map?"
I watch as she places the newer map side by side with the older one. The circle in the middle—marking what I assume is my territory—has nearly doubled in size.
I've hunted a bit of all these creatures, and they didn't seem that hard for me. The old owner of this body actually did all that? but didn't he die to his own bear trap
Rucka seems to shrink slightly, his earlier bravado evaporating. "Let's... let's avoid the middle," he mutters, clearly uneasy.
The girl nods, her tone firm. "Yeah, just like I thought. Back to the plan."
She turns her attention to the smaller healer and the average-sized boy with a leather satchel on his side. "Nina and Jack, you two remember the plan, right?"
So, their names are Nina and Jack. But what's this girl's name?
Both Nina and Jack nod in unison. The girl then looks back at Rucka, who shakes his head, earning an exasperated sigh from her.
"One last time," she says, her voice tinged with annoyance. "This is a simple mission. We just need to go into Voidleveret territory—around the border near the center. There, we'll find a herb..."
She pulls out a small drawing of a plant with vivid red leaves. My breath catches. Of course, I recognize it. It's the Blood Saguist, a plant used to make detoxifying potions. I'd read about it in the original body's diary.
"The Blood Saguist," the girl continues. "The person who issued this request is a noble whose son was recently poisoned. The Saguist is the key ingredient for the antidote. The problem is, it only grows here. We have one week to get in, collect it, and get out—or the commission is a failure, and the boy dies."
Her words hit me like a hammer. Oh... this is bad.
My hand instinctively moves to the small pouch on my side. I open it slightly, revealing its contents—an assortment of herbs. Among them is the unmistakable crimson glow of Blood Saguist leaves. I already picked all of it.
My shadow spell falters, flickering as my concentration wavers. A sense of guilt tugs at me. If they go to the border and don't find any Saguist, the boy dies. That would make me feel a bit uneasy with myself.
But another thought gnaws at me. If I reveal myself to them...
I clench my fists, torn between two choices. Think. Think. Think!
wait why don't i just replant one of them slightly Infront of them before they move
As the realization hits me, I act swiftly. Without hesitation, I move through the forest, my shadow spell cloaking me as I dart ahead of the group. My heart pounds in my chest, not from fear, but from the weight of my decision.
I reach a spot just a few feet in front of their path and kneel down, my fingers fumbling through the pouch at my side. Two Blood Saguists—just two—are still intact enough to be replanted. I hope this works.
Using a bit of earth magic, I loosen the soil, creating a small patch where the plants can rest. Carefully, I place the herbs into the ground, pressing the dirt around their stems. My jaw tightens as I grit my teeth, knowing what has to come next.
I clench my hand into a fist, forcing the sharp edge of my nail into my palm until the skin breaks. Blood pools and drips from my hand, falling onto the soil and the roots of the Saguists. As soon as the crimson liquid touches the plants, they seem to respond, their leaves regaining a faint vibrancy, almost as if they're drinking in the essence.
So that's why they only grow near the border of the Voidleverets' territory and mine... The thought dawns on me as I finish. They thrive on blood.
I rise to my feet just in time to hear the group's approaching footsteps. Without a second thought, I slip into the shadows of the nearby trees, crouching low as the spell envelopes me again. My breathing slows as I watch them draw closer.