177 – Perfomance-enchancing substances.

The tree in front of us was massive. The largest I had seen so far without a doubt.

I walked around it a few times, checking the bark and the visible roots. The outer layers crumbled easily, falling to the ground and covering it with a dusty powder and revealing fungi-infested wood full of holes and blackened patches whenever I scratched at it with my hands.

How is this still standing? I wondered while looking up at it. What's keeping it from collapsing? I hummed and walked to it, then tapped the trunk. Should I climb and trim the branches, then go at it from the top down? I squinted my eyes and bit my lower lip. That's going to take me too long.

“Can I help you somehow?” Lapia asked from behind.

I turned to her and nodded. “How much do you think this weighs?” I asked her, gesturing at the tree.

The Elf looked at the thing for a few seconds, walked to it, and put a hand on the trunk. “Hmm... Two thousand tonnes the lightest.”

“Damn!” I blurted out.

“Mhm,” she hummed. “We could hollow it out,” she suggested.

I looked around us and an idea popped in my head. “How much weight can fifteen thousand Strength lift?” I inquired.

My girlfriend's emerald green eyes bore into mine. “Five million kilograms... for a mortal with a 1 to 2 growth in Constitution and Strength,” she replied, drawing a J in the air. “It's exponential”

I nodded. “Alright, hear me out.”

Lapia arched an eyebrow in suspicion.

“I'll juice up, use Intimidate Prey to get all the critters, beasts, animals, and monsters hiding around us to jump on me to boost my strength, then Dragon Roar to duplicate that boost, and lift the tree.”

“Didn't Dragon Roar just double your Strength against monsters?” Lapia questioned with squinted eyes.

I nodded and pointed at the huge tree. “This is monstrous,” I chuckled.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, “You'll end up overdoing it. Intimidate Prey is enough, I think.” She walked to me and crossed her arms. “You're forgetting something, though.”

“Enlighten me,” I requested..

“Tensile Stress,” she pointed out, lifting a finger in front of my face. “The wood is mostly rotten already,” she stated, lifting another finger. “If you try to lift it, it'll break apart and collapse on top of you and the swamp around it.”

I bit my lips and raised my eyebrows. “What does the Master Wizard suggest, then?”

Lapia's lips curled in a big smirk. “I'll keep it together for you.”

I nodded. “Alright. Let's make a plan. Do we need to get rid of the canopy?”

Lapia shook her head. “Not at all. You need to move it as much as Storing Laws require. That much mass would be...” she squinted her eyes. “A full arm stretch is my guess. I will make a solid foundation for you to lift, which will remove the possibility of the trunk splitting while I keep the first one hundred meters together.”

I nodded. “We need a surface for me to stand on. The wood won't hold.”

Lapia nodded back. “We could hollow out the base of the tree and place a stone I can flatten. Then, I cut the tree and you lift it.”

“Right,” I muttered and crouched. “Let's go over it visually. I don't want us to go out because of a falling tree. That'd be embarrassing.”

Lapia chuckled and crouched next to me. “Fair."

I produced a sketchbook and drew the tree. “So we hollow the base,” I drew a square inside the tree, “put a flattened rock or stone for me to stand on,” I drew a few lines, then a stick figure of me with its hands to the sky, “then you cut the tree, separating it from the base,” I ran a line across the tree, “then you hold the tree together for... let's say five seconds while I lift and I store it.”

“Natasha,” Lapia deadpanned.

I turned to her “Yeah?”

She pointed at a stick figure next to the tree. “Is that me?”

I nodded.

“Are those my ears?” She inquired, tapping at the doodle, where I added her long ears.

I nodded again with a smirk.

She arched an eyebrow. “You forgot something,” she said, took the pencil from my hand and drew an extra stick on my waist.

I blinked in confusion, tilting my head at her addition. “Is that my penis?” I inquired.

Lapia nodded with a smug grin.

We both laughed and I stored the masterpiece we both created.

“Alright. Let's get it. I'll go look for a stone while you hollow out the tree,” I suggested while standing up.

Lapia nodded. “Sure. Make sure they're big so I can sculpt them, too.”

“Sure,” I replied and walked off towards Sonya. “Hey, girl. Want to go look for yummy rocks?” I cooed her while scratching her jaw.

The Ratnak huffed and sniffed the air.

I mounted up and patted her neck. “Guide me to boulders,” I instructed.

We left Lapia and her fox behind, returning to the swamp.

Five minutes later, I was facing a big boulder. It was the size of a house, had jagged edges, and sat in the middle of a wide pond of still, swampy water. Surrounding it sat a group of five or so rocks the size of a carriage, all of which were perfect for what I needed.

With a big smile and uplifted spirits, I guided Sonya to the prize. When we were halfway across the pond, the rocks groaned.

I rolled my eyes and sighed, then witnessed the rocks stand up in stubby legs.

Sonya let out a low, hungry growl.

[Stradahl Golem, 223]

[Stradahl Golem, 112]

[Stradahl Golem, 176]

[Stradahl Golem, 745]

[Stradahl Golem, 238]

“One is not like the others,” I pointed out to Sonya while dismounting into the gross water. “Mind the bigger one.”

The rocks, covered in moss and vegetation of various and dubious shapes, slowly made their way into the water, splashing it around.

Sonya huffed and leaped at the smallest one, biting and mauling it with great force and brutality.

I stopped for a second and observed nature take its course. The Ratnak booklet mentioned they preyed on Golems in the wild, and on ore veins in dungeons, making for a fantastical foodchain of large lizards eating living rocks.

Sonya's hard scales endured the Golems' slaps and pummels, getting low growls in return while she decimated the one she was focusing on.

Like a group of sheep watching a wolf feast on a lamb, the Golems couldn't do much to stop the bloodless killing.

“You go, girl!” I cheered for her while advancing through the muddy water towards the big boulder. “A snack does nobody harm!”

Suddenly, I felt something touch my leg through the plated boot.

“Сука блять!” I cursed in a high-pitched voice and jumped some ten meters away.

The water splashed upwards and a snake that wouldn't be out of place in the Amazonas rose up, looking directly at me with black, beady eyes. It was as thick as my thigh and easily ten meters long.

[Caicai-Lao, 372]

I scoffed and produced my spear. “You little shit! How dare you scare me like that?!” I demanded. “Go away! Shoo!” I waved at it with my weapon.

The beast licked the air and slowly went into the water.

I nodded, stored my spear, and continued walking. “Yeah. That's what I thought.”

The moment I was about to step into the ground the boulder was at, something pulled me by the leg into the water.

I immediately held my breath and reached for my foot, where I felt a slimy thing wrapped around it.

Whatever grabbed me pulled me out of the water for a second then slammed me against the shallow water's soil.

Fucking cunt! I cursed in my mind, feeling anger well inside me. I pulled my weapon out and activated Dragonclaw, spinning in place ten times in an instant, releasing me from the grip on my leg.

A loud hiss came from above me.

I turned to look up and found the snake quickly approaching me with it's maw wide open. With a click of my tongue I activated Pierce, Shielded Thrust, Sharp Spear, Long Attacks, Spear Finesse, and Coiling Attacks at once.

Light reflected on the blade of my spear with a flash, and the air was split with a ringing whistle.

The snake's head was turned into a noodle strainer in less than an instant. The many pieces it was cut into fell on me and the water, splashing blood and dirty swamp water everywhere.

I shook my head. “You stupid thing...” I lamented, looking at the floating bits. “Maybe self-preservation instincts malfunctioned and it thought it could eat me?” I wondered. “Natural selection, I guess,” I muttered and got off the water, then scrunched my face in disgust. “I want a shower,” I complained. “Stupid snake!”

Sonya had killed four of the Golems and was facing off against the larger one.

I sighed and let Sonya have her fun, choosing to thoroughly clean myself instead while watching the Ratnak.

Fifteen minutes later I returned to the tree with the Golems leftovers and the boulder in my storage.

Lapia got closer, and her nose scrunched up. “You reek,” she pointed out, pinching her nose.

“A big snake tried to make me its lunch,” I sighed while shaking my head. “Dragged me into the water and all.”

“A snake?” Lapia repeated. “What level was it?”

I shrugged and dismounted. “Three hundred and seventy two,” I replied.

“Sounds scary,” she commented. “Are you okay?”

I nodded. “I feel dirty,” I replied. “But I got a big boulder. A few Golems were sleeping around it.”

Lapia nodded, then inquired, “Dalenium or Stradahl?”

“Stradahl,” I confirmed with a nod. “Sonya ate them.”

Lapia nodded a few times. “That's great. Stradahl absorbs a lot of E'er, sometimes producing Golems around it. Very durable. It's used in the forging of armor, so it's very good for you to stand on.”

“No shit? That's cool,” I cheered.

“I'm done with the tree,” she informed me. “Made a hole big enough for you to fit in a squatting position.”

I nodded. “Let's get to it.”

The inside of the tree smelled of rotten wood, fungi, and dead vegetation.

My armor didn't give me bonuses to my stats, so I stored it. Instead, I was wearing the leather garments with sportswear on top to make the lifting comfortable.

Lapia sat at the entrance of the hole she made, looking at me. “You ready?”

I shook my head. “Let me juice up first,” I replied and produced a number of flasks of different sizes, colors, and brightness.

[Tonic of Strength]

[Tonic of Constitution]

[Potion of Strength]

[Potion of Constitution]

[Elixir of Strength]

[Elixir of Constitution]

[Dew of Strength]

[Dew of Constitution]

[Draught of Strength]

[Draught of Constitution]

The tonics were a dark, brownish liquid inside test tubes with a tight cork on top. The potions were a bit wider and the color was clearer, like coffee with milk. The elixirs were clear like chocolate milk, had bubbles, and came in round-bottom flasks sealed with higher quality corks. The Dews were clear like water with a few drops brown colorant, with a proper twisting cap. The Draughts were bubbly, transparent, and had a soft glow to the liquids inside. Those also had a twisting cap and the glass was much thicker.

I drank them one by one in case there weren't enough living creatures around to fully boost my strength with Intimidate Prey.

Lapia laughed at the silly faces I made when the taste of the foul drinks was too bitter.

With a full stomach, and almost like it was pre-workout, I felt energized and ready to lift the massive tree.

Lapia covered her ears and gave me a nod. “Go for it.”

I nodded back and assumed position, holding the tree with my hands. Then, I took a deep breath and activated Intimidate Prey, “YEEAAAHHH BUDDY~! LIGHT WEIGHT~!!”

The tree shook a little with the sound wave, and I felt my muscles react to the increase in stats.

Natasha NovakForest Halve

Status-STR: 5404( +935) (+10000) -CON: 2702 (+935) (+750) -INT: 675 (+250) -WIS: 675 (+250) -DEX: 4053 (+750) Health: 54000/54000 Stamina: 13450/13500E’er: 13000/13500

Right then, I felt E'er above me shift, forming something solid and tight.

Straining every muscle in my body, I slowly pushed upwards, stretching my legs and arms. “LET'S GO!” I screamed and lifted the tree in one swift movement. My back trembled a little, and my legs burned with satisfaction. I then tried storing the tree.

Nothing happened.

Release! I sent Lapia through the bond.

The Elf's eyes widened in panic and she waved a hand.

The wood above me groaned and rumbled, having lost what kept it together. I felt it bend and lean to the side, getting heavier on my right side.

The massive boost in strength made it unsurprisingly easy, but I was panicking a little either way.

If I failed to store the tree now that it had been cut from the base, it would inevitably fall and cause damage beyond my imagination. I had used Intimidate Prey, meaning all monsters below my level in the immediate surroundings were rushing towards me.

With such circumstances upon us, I stretched my arms above my head.

Cracking wood loudly echoed inside the tree, and the vibrations reached my arms and spine.

With full body extension, I tried storing the tree.

Light invaded the tree stump, the groaning of wood went quiet, and the weight on my body vanished.

Lapia stood up and clapped, then jumped at me and hugged my neck. “You did it!” she cheered and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

I deactivated Intimidate Prey and let out a long breath. “My back...” I groaned, feeling the muscles tight and burning. “Ahh... my back...”