42: Free Feather

The trail led further into the fae forest, but unlike the other two paths, this place was quiet and dark. Evidence of animal habitation was everywhere, and I scanned my surroundings with wary eyes.

It was a pretty claustrophobic forest. On the floor, there was a wild tangle of brush, which looked soft and inviting at first glance, but many had thorns hidden under their broad green leaves. The trees themselves were various ones I was familiar with from home, but different somehow. Ash and birch were there, but the ash had a strange red and pink lichen growing on it. The birch, instead of having the characteristic black scars on its bark, had vibrant glowing blue ones.

A slight shine on the muddy dirt of the path caught my attention, and I bent down to look. The shimmer expanded when I got a closer look, surprising me for a second before I realised it was my HUD. A little indicator flashed up, showing that I'd gained a new skill. I pulled the notification up and skimmed it.

Faerym Perception

The art of teasing information from the natural and magical worlds. This skill allows you to perceive hidden, magical, or otherwise subtle details about your surroundings. Has added benefits when within fairy territory.

Note: This skill is required to progress into the Faerym Seeker subclass. For the duration of the Wild Way instance, this ability will perform as though it were fully unlocked.

Huh. Interesting. I mean, I knew that the base abilities of the new class you evolved into didn't require a point—But, maybe this trail was like a tutor for the class? Like, if I completed all the little challenges I’d get access to the class and the ability full-time, even without an NPC tutor? It made sense, since this was a game, and games wouldn't give you the option without the ability to actually get the evolution.

Using my newfound ability, I was able to more clearly discern the tracks of something that had moved through here. Long hooked claw marks gouged the mud, and something soft had trailed behind. Whatever it was, it was clearly not entirely comfortable with walking on the ground, given the mess it was making.

Somehow, the undergrowth became even more dense, with vines curling around every trunk. Their flowers were a wild kaleidoscope of colour that blinded the eye to the hidden dangers of the forest. It was kind of a theme, actually. Everything in the faelands seemed to be hiding deadly intent behind a beautiful facade.

My new ability was exceptionally useful in this strange and dangerous environment. It gently highlighted obvious dangers, like thorns and sharp rocks hidden partially in the mud of the path. It did not warn me about the innocuous vines that had draped themselves down to partially block my path.

When I brushed them aside to clear the way, they moved. As quick as a striking snake, the vines wrapped around my left arm and hauled me sideways. I let out a startled squeak and tried to wrench my arm out, but it only gripped me tighter.

Alright then, let’s see if you can follow me through a Ribbon Roll. With a flexing of my mind, I attempted to cast my dash ability. Nothing happened, at least not physically. A little warning notification flashed centre stage in my vision though.

Movement abilities are disabled when grappled.

Shit.

Using my free hand I reached over to draw my sword, and the damn thing trapped my hand there.

"You bastard," I hissed, and threw every simulated neuron I owned at the problem.

Wait…

Laughing at myself for forgetting such a fundamental part of my race—With a twist and a flick of mental command, I transformed, dividing my total height by five. The vines seemed confused for several seconds, and during that time, I moved on it.

My sword flew, hissing with power as it sliced apart the vines, until they were nothing but a pile of noodles oozing sap.

Triumphant, I turned my attention down the path and shook my sword at the foreboding woods. "Take note, vine things! I'll cut you if you try that hentai shit again!"

Obviously there was no response, but I felt good anyway.

Since I was flying now, I didn't have to worry so much about standing on something nasty or brushing against some toxic plant. If the world hadn't already been neck deep in magic, I'd have mused that us fairies had evolved our tiny forms to deal with the jungle. Like, it was obvious to me now that everything was built to kill larger animals, while things as small as me could get by relatively unscathed.

Flying proved to be much faster too, and I zipped headlong down the path, slashing away with my katana like some sort of tiny crazed explorer. Vines were severed, vicious poisoned thorns were avoided, and tracks were tracked.

Until I burst out into a large clearing at the foot of a small waterfall. The water didn't appear to be going anywhere once it had settled in the pool, despite the large amount flowing in. It was very odd, but I knew better than to gawk now. Strange and interesting shit usually obfuscated deadly secrets in this forest.

The clearing itself wasn't exactly an open book either. While it was devoid of trees, it did have a whole bunch of random metre high shrubs and the like. Plenty of space for creepy stuff to hide.

Looking upwards to make sure I wasn't about to be eviscerated by some razor blade wielding jellybird or something, I flew higher to get a better view. The clearing was quiet, but it felt almost… tense.

Then, chaos erupted. Thorn covered vines began to flail, lashing their bulk towards a spot near the centre, while other, thinner vines lunged, grasping. For a moment, I thought they were after me, but… I was like six metres up in the air.

A decidedly inhuman squeal of pain pulled my thoughts and focus into a sharp point. Something was being attacked, and I'd be damned it I was going to let this fucking forest win.

Sword blazing, I slashed and cut with as much speed as I could manage. Sap sprayed out in glittering arcs, wet and sizzling with an unnatural magic. It was disturbing how blood-like it seemed, actually. Wasn't sap meant to be thicker than that?

My lapse in concentration while I pondered the sap was swiftly punished by the flailing forest, and I received a whip crack vine to my legs. Since I was so tiny, it spun me head over heels and way back into the undergrowth until I smacked painfully against the trunk of a tree.

"Ah, fuck!" I swore, trying desperately to regain my balance in the air.

A blur of black and dark green flashed past me, and I spun to keep whatever it was within my field of vision. It landed in the wet decaying leaves of the forest floor and bounced once before coming to a stop with a hissing groan of pain.

Contorted as it was by the fall, I couldn't tell exactly what it was, only that it had both fur and feathers. The former was black, with each strand tapering to a vibrant dark green at the tip. The feathers were similar, except their outside edges held the green, while the black hugged the core.

It didn't stay all ragdolled for long. In a flurry of awkward movement, it righted itself as best it could and glared blue-eyed hatred at the oncoming vines.

Not that I was at all paying attention to the angry foliage. The little creature was gorgeous.

It had a long, feline body, with powerful legs in the rear, but at the fore were wings that shared a lot of their shape and structure with a bat's. Except rather than a membrane stretched between the fingers, they sported those faintly shining black and green feathers.

Its head was a sort of mix between a snake's wedge shape and that of a fox or something, complete with long, large triangular ears. Unlike the rest of its body, the fur on the top of its head was a bright orange and red, like a fluffy imitation of an oddly shaped flower.

"Aw, flowers!" The little creature swore, in a voice that was both very small and very feminine.

Realisation clicked into place. It was— they? She? I'd go with she, for now—was a Faerym. A tiny fairy dragon with big fox ears and a long fantail of vibrant feathers.

Before the vines could reach her, I jumped into a Ribbon Roll and swept my sword through the leading bunch.

They sizzled and spun, released from the control of whatever they belonged to. Still, more were coming, so I planted myself between the Faerym and the vines. One after another, I deflected, dodged, and parried attacks from the angry plant, until one slipped around me.

It was going to hit the little dragon, but I couldn't stop it, couldn't get to it fast enough. My response was automatic and lightning quick. Flexing my simulated mind, I reached out and activated Mind Flutter.

I knew something was different about the ability the moment it happened. Rather than an indistinct, shadowy form appearing to cause a distraction, a much more solid misty figure materialised. It swung its katana with precision, and the vine was cut in two. Then, as quick as it had appeared, it vanished.

You have unlocked a new ability.

Psychosomatic Sunder.

Faerym are natural masters of deceit, and as a student of their magicks, your Mind Flutter ability has gained the ability to turn fiction into reality, if only for a time.

Upgrades Mind Flutter with the ability to deal real damage equal to 20% of your attack damage.

Note: This skill is required to progress into the Faerym Seeker subclass. For the duration of the Wild Way instance, this ability will perform as though it were fully unlocked.

Oh, that was really cool. Time to use it again.

For the first time since I’d started this character, my mana began to dip into the lower quarter of my reserve. My abilities came on and off cooldown repeatedly while I fought with both my blade and my mind, until the vines finally gave up their pursuit of the small Faerym. I was more than a little tired by the end, so I fluttered down to rest on the ground close to the dragon.

The costs of my abilities had been growing every time I upgraded them, and I was finally hitting the limit of what my base pool could handle. It might be time to put some points into Intelligence. Right now my main concern was the bedraggled dragon laying a few feet away.

“Hey, are you alright?” I asked, tilting my head this way and that to get a proper look at her. She was favouring one leg, and her feathers were ruffled and dusty from the scuffle, but she looked okay otherwise.

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, and she began to back away from me. “I am… but why did you help me?”

I frowned, watching her expressive face for clues. Why was she hesitant about me? “Because it was the right thing to do? You were being attacked.”

“W-well… thank you, but I can’t stay and speak to you,” she said, her head bowing down and sort of to the side. “My mother has always taught me not to talk to fairies. She said, ‘No daughter of mine is going to fall for a faerie’s honeyed lies!’ So, even if I don't know how a lie can have honey on it, I still gotta listen to her.”

Before I could even open my mouth to ask why, she was off, flapping awkwardly up into the sky. Her flight wasn’t exactly a graceful one, either, and she dipped and wobbled like a drunken duck. Poor girl had been messed up pretty bad.

Sighing, I turned my attention away from the retreating dragon and back towards the vanquished vine creature. As I did so, a flash of light on the ground caught my eye. “Huh?”

Returning to normal size, I walked over and picked up the item, which turned out to be.. a dragon feather! Black on the inside and dark, gently glinting green on the outside, it was one of her tail feathers!

Juvenile Snikanaa Faerym Tailfeather.Slot: Class ItemA class item that can be equipped by the rare Faerym Seeker class and its various derivative subclasses. Decreases Mana cost of all Psychosomatic Abilities and increases their damage by 10%. Additionally, this item attunes the wielder to the acidic element.

+1 Intelligence+1 Wisdom+1 Focus

Oh, sweet! Mana issues delayed! I wonder how I was supposed to equip it? I didn’t have a slot for it in my character sheet, so maybe… I had an idea!

Swinging my braid around so I could grab the end of it, I took the feather and wove it into my hair. It took a bit of finessing, but eventually, it was snug within the hair. That seemed to do the trick, because a moment later, a notification announced itself with a little trumpet fanfare.

Congratulations! You have unlocked the Faerym Seeker subclass! Would you like to select this subclass for your level 25 class evolution? Yes/No.

Faerym Seeker Abilities that will be awarded:

Faerym Perception.Psychosomatic Sunder.Flutter Cascade.

Flutter Cascade? I expanded its entry… and gasped. Holy hell, that was so cool!

I pressed Yes.

Your Fae Wanderer class as evolved into the Faerym Seeker class!