Chương 11: Chapter 10 - Half Truths

"You're seriously going now?!"

"And you're following me… you don't need to do that."

"Daniel will be back tomorrow, you could wait for him and have the whole crew back you up!" Maybe I should have waited until she disappeared to do… well, whatever she did with her afternoons before having my revelation. It would've solved this headache before it had the chance to turn into one. But I couldn't turn back time unless I died, and I simply couldn't leave a problem that affected me alone when I was this close to identifying it. So I just had to hope she'd come to her senses and stop following me.

"A mob for a pest is a bit overkill, don't you think?" I shot back. We'd closed in on the edge of the forest and I stopped, looking back over my shoulder.

"Look, it's just a Mana Nymph infestation. They're dangerous to be around if you're not Activated, but are manageable if you know what you're doing," I explained. This only elicited a slightly slack-jawed stare from her.

"How do you know that's what it is? I've told you three things and somehow you've got the answer?!"

"Does no one in your family read?" I asked, and while it was meant as a joke, her eyes narrowed.

"That's not an answer, Corbin… I'm not stupid."

"I didn't say you were," I replied, and she stared harder.

"You implied it." I opened my mouth, paused, then closed it again. This was why I didn't like observant people.

"Fine," I said, turning back around. She needed an answer. If that would get her to leave me alone, then I'd give her one.

"Mana Nymphs are Manasphere parasites that feed on life essence. They're symbiotic and meld with organic material, then feed their host with the gathered energy. Nymphs inhabiting trees or plant life would start with the soil and the other plants closest to the center of the hive, then the Manasphere, tools… even people. Anything with life or spirit essence, they'll drain. And if the hive has enough of them, even monsters stop spawning.

Which is nice and all until the Nymphs decide the only life in the area is their food source." Willow listened with her arms crossed over her chest. When I'd stopped, she looked at me for a few more seconds before she almost seemed to stare harder.

"And?"

"And what?" I asked, unsure if I'd forgotten something. There was a look in her eye that made me wonder if she thought I was an idiot and I realized what she was asking.

"Oh, I didn't think you cared about pest control. You can actually kill the hive pretty easily, but you have to separate them from their host first and make sure you don't get infected while you do it. I've got a handful of stamina potions that should keep me from dropping dead until I pinpoint them, and… well, not to spell it out, but I'm an Alchemist, we do have Poisons in our recipe book. They're not smart, they charge right for the biggest bundle of essence they can latch onto when they attack."

"Okay… first off, where do you have any of the stuff you'd need to do that? Your pockets?! And more importantly how do you know this?!" I came up short as I realized my mistake and cursed under my breath.

"Does it really matter how I know, if I can take care of the issue?" I asked, hoping–probably pointlessly–that she'd drop the question of storage.

"Yes. It kind of does," she said firmly.

"Do you have any idea how many questions you've raised since you got here that just become more confusing the more I talk to you? Are you secretly some lord's son running away from home? Were you trained by the crown? How are you so rich, why are you actually out here, and where do you keep all of the stuff you keep magically having?!" I wasn't so easily shocked that a shout of questions could make me visibly react, not unless the questions were really out there…

but even still, I found myself looking at her with a curious eye. I could have lied to her. She'd basically teed me up for one easily enough. But that would mean having her think I was connected to one of the petty lords that considered themselves royal and… ugh, that was just not an acceptable option. A half-truth then.

"I'm not noble… but I am running away from something. Expectations, maybe," I said. Then, knowing it wasn't going to be enough of an answer to get her to drop it, I continued, "and I really am just an Alchemist, but I technically wasn't supposed to be. It's not what I'd been trained for but I really don't like to talk about that. So, let's just say I've left some people disappointed and leave it at that… okay?"

Willow stared, her eyes practically boring into me so much that I wished I could wave my hand and have her forget everything I'd said.

"Fine, we'll leave it at that," she said, and I slightly untensed until she added, "for now."

"Good… now, I'm going to—""Wipe out a nest of parasites that are suppressing monster spawns? Just like that? Is that really the best plan? Shouldn't you talk to Danny first?" she asked with a raised brow but I just nodded.

"I can't make a salve that can completely repair broken tools. Not without being able to grow things. Monsters aren't great, but with the road getting built and all the work your brother is putting in, everything will be fine. I'm sure Danwood will be able to afford to put up the standard wards that will keep them away," I explained. Since I knew the cat was partially out of the bag anyway I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Stars, I'll buy them myself if I have to because leaving this alone makes all that land I just bought worthless."

"And until then?"

"Until then what? The Manasphere won't just suddenly replenish, it'll take weeks, if not a few months. There's more than enough time to get things in place," I said, then nodded back to the forest.

"Now can I go and take care of this?"

"Fine, you can go and I won't kick up a fuss, Danny will do that later… But only if you finally stop dodging and tell me where you store your stuff," she said, taking a few more steps toward me. Since she refused to drop it and I was really getting tired of being delayed, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a wallet-sized black bag.

"It's a—""Storage bag…" she cut me off, her eyes settling on it almost reverently.

"How rich are you!?" I found myself just a little more impressed, even if she wasn't completely correct. Storage bags were powerful magical items, usually capable of storing large amounts of things, but comparing that to my Bag of Endless Depth was like comparing a lizard to a dragon. Still, I wasn't going to correct her… fully at least.

"I didn't buy it, so I'm really not that rich," I said, technically the truth. Or at least another half-truth.

"Then how?" She'd gotten even closer, her hands raised like she was going to try to take it from me.

"Can I?" The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Thanks to the bag's properties, unless I let someone take it from me, I could have it sitting on top of my head and they wouldn't be able to lift it even an inch. Which… now that I thought about it would raise even more questions and I mentally willed the restriction away just before she grabbed it, without me ever actually saying it was okay, even if she did ask. That was a bit rude.

"I got it during my training…" I lied.

"Like I said, I left a lot of people disappointed."

"Okay," she said, placing the bag back into my hand after examining it for a minute.

"Don't come crying to me if you get hurt in there. And if you're right and you do come back, then you better make sure those wards go up… I've got a new duskwolf fear thanks to you." I let out the breath I'd been holding and pocketed the bag once again.

"Technically it'd probably try to eat Daniel first, there's a lot more meat on him," I said. This time I could place her look because I'd worn it myself many times. Exasperation.

"I'm taking your cabin when you don't come back." I waited until she'd made it halfway across the field. Then, I finally turned back to the treeline, took a deep breath, and closed my eyes. I still could've handled this had she refused to be reasonable and stuck around, but this was much better because I wouldn't have to keep force-feeding her Stamina Potions. With my eyes closed, I could feel it. The faintest pull at my energy. Almost like I was jogging even though I was standing completely still.

It was subtle enough that unless I was actively focusing on it, it would've been impossible to notice, even if I'd been walking along the whole perimeter looking for any reagent or flower that hadn't been taken by the drain. Mana Nymphs were gluttonous, but not necessarily thorough, and I knew that alone was enough to explain the few flowers I'd managed to find. I just had to confirm why they were here… even if I didn't like the most likely answer.

I took a few steps to one side, paused and waited, then went the opposite direction, all without opening my eyes.

"Subtle," I murmured, then opened my eyes and walked past the edge of the treeline. The deeper I walked, the quieter the world around me became. Even for me it was eerie and enough to make my skin crawl. A forest like this should be filled with ambient noise. Chirping, skittering, the occasional growl or hiss. But other than the occasional rustle of leaves from the wind, maybe even the light sound of running water somewhere, there was nothing but silence.

Every so often I stopped and closed my eyes again, then corrected course toward the distinct pull I was feeling. That made my gut turn. It meant the hive was probably clustered together instead of spread throughout… which meant that there was only one real source for this annoyance. I really did wish I had my spell list, particularly Trace. I could've just placed a hand against one of the trees, cast the spell, and followed the trail of stolen essence through the roots, back to the hive, and its queen.

It absolutely would've made this go a lot quicker than using myself as a human divining rod. I must've spent an hour walking, and it was becoming harder to navigate the farther in I went. The brush was growing thicker, the branches more lush and the leaves more vibrant than they had any right to be. And at the same time, the grass and everything else withered and rotted, leaving nothing but dirt across the ground. And most importantly, I could actively feel the effect of the drain growing stronger.

I drank another Stamina Potion. The crude mixture would normally have become useless to me within a day or two of Activating, but being trapped at level four had made my large stockpile of the otherwise useless potion viable. All of this just further reinforced the feeling I'd had in my gut, solidifying what, until then, I'd only assumed. I was getting increasingly grateful that Willow had stayed behind, because there was no world where someone like her had the stomach for what I needed to do.

Sure, the Mana Nymphs were dangerous and I was entirely positive that they were the cause of my soil's trouble, but they didn't just come from nowhere. I hadn't lied to her. Just… told her another half truth. Mana Nymphs were causing every oddity she'd described. I'd just neglected to mention that colonies this large rarely appeared without something cultivating them. The point was, she just didn't need to know what had caused the infestation.

I pushed my way through one more dense section, simultaneously downing another potion. I had to shield my eyes. Moss, lichen, and the bark itself shimmered with an eerie bioluminescence from the edge of the clearing, circling a single absolutely massive tree. A feminine but alien figure was etched into the side of the trunk. As I stepped into the clearing, the shape shivered and peeled itself out of the wood.

"Human," a light, melodic voice echoed in the air.

"Dryad," I spat, my nose scrunching as I looked at it, the wooden texture visibly part of its skin.

"I take it that you're the reason this forest has overgrown?"

"Healthy. Spread. Peace." Each word came with a trill, the dryad's oversized eyes examining me as the branches pushed to let it look down at me. I hated having to crane my neck.

"Got it, so the whole forest, that's just this one tree, isn't it? That's what you're spreading?" I asked. Though dryads always sounded like they were singing, they were frustratingly minimal with their words.

"Yes. No monsters. Safe."

"At the expense of almost everything but weeds," I argued and the dryad shook. There were small specks of light starting to drift out from the forest, fluttering as they filled the air like a cloud.

"You're making it impossible for anyone to live nearby, you know that right?"

"We live. Peace. Them. They cut me. Them. Leave. You. Invade home. You. Leave."

"You grew and expanded at the expense of all other life. That's not peace. That's conquest. Trust me, I know the difference," I said, cracking my neck as I tilted it to the side.

"Now you've got two options. Find a new forest, or die."

"No. You. Die." The cloud started to surge, pulsing as it rushed toward me as the only viable target and I let out a sigh. I hadn't wanted to do this. He'd have been such a good little tool on the farm once I broke his spirit… but he did probably raise entirely too many questions that Willow had already proved smart enough to think of. Better to get at least one use out of him and I did need somewhere to contain the Mana Nymphs until I could exterminate them properly.

I reached into my pocket, shaking my bag as the massive cage holding the Stoneboar popped out of it. As it came out of its stasis, the boar panicked and slammed against the locked door. It did a lot more than that and a distinct smell filled the area much to both the dryad's and my displeasure. With the new source of life in the clearing, the amorphous cloud that the nymphs had gathered into turned and rushed for its new prey. The boar redoubled its efforts and tried harder to break free from the cage trapping it.

I plucked a few more ingredients from my inventory, including a cheap dagger, then bent down and scooped some of the fresh boar dung into my mixing bowl while it was still trying to force its way out the front. The dryad seemed to realize what had happened, its large, bulbous eyes turning back as I used Mix, dissolving the Lion's Dawn thorns into the Stoneboar dung before I stirred it with the dagger, a glimmer appearing over it.

"No. Incompatible. Don't."

"Sorry. You had your chance." I examined the dagger, a Decay condition attached to it with a sickly green glow. Stoneboar dung really did have a lot of uses depending on what you mixed it with… I risked a glance at the boar, the Nymphs surging into its sides as it let out a squeal of panic.

"Forest. Needs me. Life. Protect," the dryad protested again, then I flicked my wrist, throwing the dagger right into its center of mass. Dryads weren't strong, even though they were immensely annoying if you didn't know how to track them down. It's why they were as reclusive as they were. The moment the dagger hit it, the branches connecting the large central tree to it crumbled and dropped it to the ground. The dryad cried out, then started to drag itself, its mouth spreading as it gasped.

It was trying to crawl back to the tree, to merge back and reabsorb life essence to stay alive. I couldn't let that happen.

"Don't worry, your forest won't die without you, and the rest of the land will be better off without the Nymphs stealing from it." I knelt down, placing my knee in the center of its back to pin it. Once the Dryad was dead, I could set fire to the boar's corpse and burn the colony out before the Nymphs found a new host. So, before I could hear it beg, I retrieved another cheap dagger from my bag, and plunged it into its back, roughly where its mana core should be.

Everything went quiet once again, even as my display lit up. [Congratulations!] Alchemist Level Increased: 4 -> 5 Spell List Updated: Your Basic Tier spells are now available. It would've been a rather nice little success all things considered… if the Stoneboar didn't get back to its feet. Strands of moss and lichen rapidly grew over it, lining the boar's stone plating like veins. It all started to glow with that same bioluminescence the clearing's edge had before the Mana Nymphs swarmed.

Its lifeless eyes glowed green before it started to thrash. It bucked harder, bashing against the cage door again and this time smashing it open. The beast went tearing off into the trees, the sound of smashing retreating into the distance as the Dryad's body crumbled beneath me. I let out a sigh.

"Dusk take me, you've got to be kidding…"