Chapter 3: First Encounters

When they arrived in the Earthen Realm, Brandon and Tracy found themselves in a clearing about 10 meters across in a forest. It is through this forest that they are currently traveling in hopes of finding safety.

As they are traveling, Tracy is getting used to the weight and feel of her baton as she practices strikes with it. While she is doing that, Brandon is using his newly acquired knowledge of Mana and magic to cast simple spells. In each case, they are lacking in experience, which makes their attempts seem childish and uncoordinated.

Being so focused on walking and practicing their recently acquired skills, the two of them are oblivious to the fact that they are entering a dangerous situation. This ignorance ends as they hear a scream as an unfamiliar form comes charging at them.

Under attack, Tracy reacts on instinct. Years of soccer have given her plenty of strength and endurance. The addition of her cores being at the novice level help give her even more power. A power that she puts behind a roundhouse kick to the ape-like beast, which she follows up with a head strike with the baton.

As she is doing this, Brandon focuses on the beast’s eyes and manages to cast a spark in front of them, blinding it for a moment. He follows this up with a Mana-bolt that strikes the beast in its upper arm. He’s surprised that the Mana-bolt worked, but not that it missed his intended target, its chest.

Continuing with an aggressive style, Tracy attempts to focus some of her Qi into her next strike. It is partially successful and brings the beast down to its knees. Not giving it a chance to get up, she begins beating it with her baton. Each strike impacts its head until it falls down dead.

Brandon also managed a couple more attacks, but with Tracy in such close proximity, he has to take care not to hit her accidentally.

As the beast falls to the ground, unmoving, a tombstone appears over the body. When Brandon touches it, the two displaced teens feel a surge of energy enters their bodies. They also find the body fades away, and a small pile of objects is left behind. Among the items are a torn pelt, some meat, and a shiny marble of some kind.

With nothing better to go on, Brandon picks up each item and focuses on it while thinking, “what is this?” It is his hope and desire that he will receive an indication of what the objects are. His gamble pays off as a voice whispers in his ear, “Item: minor beast core.”

“Tracy, grab one of the items and think to yourself, ‘What is this?’ and you’ll receive the information whispered in your ear.”

Following his direction, she grabs the pelt and hears, “Item: torn pelt of a juvenile primate.”

“Cool. What should we do with this stuff,” she asks after hearing what it is.

“I think we should take it with us. I’m sure we can sell it or use it. The meat must be edible, though it will have to be cooked to be safe.”

Agreeing with his line of thinking, she wraps the ten kilos of primate meat in the pelt and stuffs them into her bag, along with the beast’s canines (four of them) and its penis. Yes, the penis is a drop. She tries not to think about it. As Brandon said, it will probably be worth money.

“Should we keep on going, or take a break,” Brandon asks Tracy. He doesn’t want to assume that he is the leader, so he makes sure to get her input.

“If you’re good, I’m ready to move on. I don’t like the idea of being in one place too long here. It doesn’t feel safe to be still for more than a couple of minutes.”

“Sounds good to me, let’s go,” he says. With that, they continue their trek through the forest. They do their best to keep going in one direction.

As they are walking, Brandon finally asks, “Tracy, are you okay? I mean, really okay? The way you caved that primate’s head in was beyond what was necessary. You seemed to become a crazed beast yourself for a moment there.”

Tracy doesn’t answer right away. Instead, she keeps putting on foot in front of the other as she reaches over and grabs his hand. When she does, her voice is a bit shaky, “Bran, I’m scared — terrified, really. The attack gave me something to take all my emotions out on. It felt good for a while, but afterward, it left me feeling empty. We had to kill it, but that doesn’t mean I liked doing it. And, I know we’ll be in more life and death battles. I’ll do my part, but I hate it. I really fucking hate it, Bran!”

In response, Brandon pulls her close and puts an arm around her as they make their way forward. Even as he is trying to comfort her, he is trying to cast a spell of perception to help with awareness of possible dangers.

The day grows warm and slightly humid. Therefore, it is a great relief when they find a river with waters moving at a quick pace. They have been out of water for over an hour and are feeling the need for a drink.

Since that first encounter, the two of them have been paying more attention to their surroundings. This heightened sense of awareness continues at the water’s edge. Both of them are wary of possible ambush from creatures like crocodiles.