World Keeper

Chapter 800: Forest Sanctuary

Serissa followed behind the elven man as he led her through the streets, attracting the eye of several pedestrians. Sylvans were very rarely seen outside of their grove, lest one went to Philia’s city in Sanctum. Everywhere else, they were a rare and exotic sight.

The elven man led Serissa towards the district’s police station, where a group of powerful soldiers and warriors could be found. As these were the people charged with protecting the peace in one of the world’s biggest cities, they had a rather extensive training facility to improve themselves.

When they entered the police station, a receptionist looked up from his desk, opening a new holographic screen. “Is there something I can help you with?” He asked, noting both the elven male and the Sylvan. He could vaguely guess what was going on at this point, but it was still best to get all of the facts before stating his assumptions.

The man simply gestured towards the Sylvan, who skipped forward and held her hand out towards the police receptionist. He raised an eyebrow, before remembering stories about how Sylvans communicate. Thus, he reached his hand out to grasp hers, feeling a voice in his mind.

Thank you for seeing me so quickly! I am Serissa of Fortune, born to the Mother Tree of Light! I have arrived in this city on my journey to take root, and I was hoping that someone could tell me where a suitable location would be.

The man’s brow furrowed as his suspicions were confirmed. It was good that she had a beneficial aspect, as that would make things easier. Still, it was known just how large the forests of a Sylvan could be. “Give me a moment.” He said, transmitting his thoughts through mana at the same time before pulling his hand back.

Typing at the holographic display, he pulled up a map of the world. He began filtering the map by data such as wide plots of land and forests, as well as the area’s local security. After a few moments, he gave a small nod, extending his hand. Serissa happily took it, letting him quite literally speak his mind to her. “From what I can find, the most suitable place for someone like you would be the Great Forest Sanctuary.”

The elven man’s eyes twitched when he heard that, but the receptionist continued. “The Great Forest Sanctuary is a dungeon located far to the south. Since people can’t teleport inside, and the central area is maintained by the dungeon itself, it should be a safe place for you to ‘take root’. If you negotiate with the dungeon core directly, you might be able to integrate your grove with the dungeon’s forest.”

The golden eyes of the Sylvan blinked as she listened. If we cannot teleport in and out… is there a shrine to Aurivy nearby? My people use these to stay connected between groves, and for an experienced elder to guide the new tree in its early years.

The man simply gave a small nod. “There is a temple to Aurivy along the main road, just after exiting the dungeon’s territory. The current price listed to travel there from here is fifty tokens of Aurivy, if you don’t want to travel manually. Additionally, the path between the entrance of the dungeon and the city is a dangerous one, so you’ll need to hire guards.”

Serissa maintained that same smile as the receptionist finished explaining. Thank you! Where can I find the closest temple, so I can make my way there? Also, is there a Boundless Caravan center that I can use? She wasn’t worried about the need for guards. Once she spent her coin at the Boundless Caravan, she would be able to request numerous red sisters from the Mother Tree of Light.

The man gave another nod, giving her directions to a nearby store, as well as the temple next to it. “Are you able to read and write?” Such a thing was only a given for people of their world, but he couldn’t be sure when it came to a reclusive race like the Sylvans.

And indeed, Serissa shook her head. We do not possess a written language. Everything is stored in the Mother Tree.

He let out a long sigh when he heard that, pulling his hand back to write a note. Once he was done, he put it in her hand. “Give this to the priest at the shop. He’ll help you find what you need.”

Serissa’s smile bloomed brighter at that, nodding and quickly taking the note. She stayed for just a moment, alternating between looking at the receptionist and the man who brought her to this point. After ensuring that neither of them had anything more to say, she gave a polite wave and began running from the building.

It didn’t take long for her to find what she was looking for. She purchased both travel to the Great Forest Sanctuary and a ‘travel voucher’ that could be used to connect her location with another temple, allowing reinforcements to come through.

Once she had obtained these items, she went to the adjacent temple, passing the priest her travel ticket to allow them to open the portal for her. As she appeared on the other side, she marveled at the natural scenery that existed just outside the temple.

Keenan stood at the edge of the city, eyes focused inwards. Since arriving in this sanctuary, he had managed to mature somewhat, losing much of his aversion towards other people. While he was still far from sociable, and he did not like to enter the city himself, he was willing to remain this close to it when he was waiting for something. Additionally, he had made a small shack for himself just off the main road where he gave away extra meat and hides from after his hunts.

“Sorry, did I keep you waiting?” The felyn Jace asked with a smile, his blindfold still on his face as he approached Keenan. Even to this day, he had yet to remove the blindfold a single time, allowing his luck to continue increasing and counterbalance Keenan’s own innate trait.

“It’s fine.” Keenan answered, looking at the long, cloth-wrapped pack on Jace’s back. “Is that what I asked for?”

Jace nodded, reaching back to grab the package and hold it out towards Keenan. “I gave them the specifications you asked for. It should work with ki, spiritual energy, and natural energy.”

Keenan nodded his head, a small smile touching his lips as he unwrapped the package, revealing a wooden bow. There was currently no string, but Keenan had long gotten used to how modern bows worked. “Thanks. Did Torban have any more advice?”

Jace focused, thinking more a moment before letting out a tone of exclamation. “Ah! He wanted me to congratulate you for mastering void arrows. He said that this means you officially graduated as a true archer, so now you should try to come up with your own techniques.”

“My own techniques…” Keenan hesitated, giving a small nod. It had been some time ago when he was found by an archer in the forest, one that noticed his unusual talent. Although they rarely had direct contact, Torban had taught him the methods to train as an archer. In the end, it was still up to Keenan himself to discover how to use this training. “When you see him again, thank him for me.”

Jace chuckled, putting on a wide smile. “I’ll pass it along.” After he said that, his expression suddenly turned serious. Keenan’s senses picked up the disturbance at nearly the same time, both of them moving to the side of the path. “What’s coming?” He asked, only hearing the sounds of numerous marching steps. It was unusual for people to move in groups like that when coming and going from the city, and the footsteps sounded… wrong, somehow.

“Tree people.” Keenan answered, his gaze piercing into the forest to watch an army of red, wooden soldiers marching together. At the center of their formation was a single pair of golden women made of similar plants.

“Tree people… Sylvans?” Jace asked in surprise, barely able to keep himself from opening his eyes. He had never encountered a Sylvan before, so he wondered why there was one suddenly appearing now.

The Sylvan group passed them by, the red ones not even sparing them a glance while the two golden girls gave gentle waves at their passing. Keenan didn’t know what to expect from these Sylvans, clutching the new bow in his hands.

I sat on my chair within the Underworld, continuing to watch the surroundings and study the changes being made. By now, the tip of the waterfall had formed, and I was certain that a great river was taking shape behind it. The more I looked around, the more I realized that this scenery reminded me of one of my first training trips into the world, one where I met a pair of unassuming slimes… though those slimes had been swiftly abducted by Aurivy following my departure.

As I thought about that, I felt a presence approaching from not far away. Just on the other side of the stream, a black figure approached on six legs. It was hard to describe it purely as a feline, giving the tendril-like whiskers and the complete absence of any fur, as well as its almost finned neck.

It approached while keeping its eyes on me, and I quietly prepared to eliminate it if it launched any sort of attack. Both sides vigilant, the creature stopped at the far edge of the stream. It leaned its head down, tongue lapping at the water

For a moment, I wondered what it was up to, until it simply curled its body along the side of the stream. Though, it kept its head facing towards me, as if wary of an attack from me. I relaxed my divine power, and it lowered its head.

Was this monster akin to a simple beast, recognizing the natural scenery that had been recreated? I couldn’t help but wonder that as I watched the spirit opposite me, my world sight scanning through its body.

As expected of a creature in this region of the Underworld, its body was composed of hundreds of fragmented spirits, seemingly devouring one another while vying for control of the body. At a guess, this odd feline creature had devoured those other spirits, resulting in it achieving at least temporary dominance over them.

I brought a hand up to stroke my chin, letting out a long breath. My divine energy slowly rolled out of my body, wrapping around the creature. It didn’t seem to have the capacity to sense divinity itself, only hostile intentions. Since I didn’t have any with this move, it didn’t appear to raise its guard against me.

My goal was simple, cleansing the remnant wills of the spirits within the monster. Once I did so, they stopped fighting for control, simply allowing themselves to be integrated with the spirit of their devourer.

The creature’s head rose sharply, seeming to notice the change. It turned towards me for a moment, and I could see what looked like confusion in its gaze. Anything that had devoured that many spirits must have gained at least some level of sentience, yet was so tormented by the remnants within that it would have spent most of its time in a pained rage.

With those remnants silent, it felt as if it were able to relax for the first time. It lowered its head once again, though this time I saw its eyes closing peacefully, as if it were trying to rest. Choosing not to disturb it, I once again turned my attention towards the waterfall, a smile playing at my lips.

I could sense my divinity well on its way to completion, but there was still so much more for me to understand. And while this was indeed peaceful, the simple contemplation of my surroundings was doing much to help me understand the basic facets of the soul.

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