Paradise

Ellis moved through the dense misty forest, every step quietly crunched the leaves and twigs under his feet. He was barely able to keep track of what direction he was going as there were so many trees and bushes everywhere. He couldn't even see the crystal sky above, just the diffused light from it shining into the thicket below. Suddenly, as Ellis was moving through the woods a quick flash of movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye but when he looked to where the movement had come from there was nothing there. Chills trickled down his spine causing his body to involuntarily shake.

Maybe I'm just seeing things. This forest has got me stressed out.

Ellis scanned the area watching for any sort of out of the ordinary movement and listening closely for any sign of a monster. After a few agonizing moments of silence, he could hear nor spot anything. Just in case, Ellis used Identify to make sure nothing was there that maybe he couldn't see with just his eyes.

It should be able to see the name of any monster within the immediate area at least, right?

As he scanned the area, nothing popped up from his Identify skill.

Tsk. If there is something in here, it can see me, but I damn sure cannot see it.

He continued moving forward through the brush again but was extra wary and kept his eyes out using Identify to scan the area religiously.

SWOOSH!

Ellis quickly swung his head to the right as he felt a gust of wind and looked frantically across the area. There was nothing there.

What the he-.

Before Ellis could even finish his thought or bring his eyes back to what was in front of him a loud noise cracked through the air.

WHIP!

The breath in his chest was suddenly extinguished all at once as something whipped out and smacked Ellis in the chest, sending him flying backward into the brush behind him. His back smacked into a tree and immediately decelerated him to a full stop. Ellis winced and gasped for air as he frantically looked around his surroundings. Again, there was nothing.

What the hell was that!

Ellis stood up warily and winced with each fall and rise of his chest as he struggled to catch his breath. Without taking his eyes off his surroundings, Ellis dragged his hand across his chest plate where he had been hit. Luckily, the new armor he had been wearing did its job well and was only dented in. Whatever it was only knocked the wind out of him and probably broken a rib or two but other than that he was completely fine. He released a small sigh of relief as he realized he was mostly unharmed.

If whatever hit him had struck him anywhere else, like his unprotected head, for instance, he would have been turned to bloody goo most likely.

Should I continue or head back? I don't even know what I'm up against here and it can attack without me even being able to perceive it.

Ellis looked around carefully, inspecting the area as he decided on what to do next. It would be stupid to continue forward with whatever was out there, but he also didn't want to turn his back to whatever had attacked him to try to leave also. All he could do was wait. Maybe whatever it was would slip up and he could figure out what it was. Ellis stood perfectly still with his back against the tree as he regained his breath and focused his identity skill on the dense green forest surrounding him. Hours passed as he scrutinized the area surrounding him and beads of sweat dripped down his face, but nothing happened.

This is pointless. Whatever it was, must have run off by now. There is no way it could still be here, and I missed it.

Finally, Ellis decided it was probably safe to slowly back out of the forest. He lifted his right leg and took a single slow step to the side.

WHIP!

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something flash toward him at an incredible speed. Ellis reflexively ducked out of the way as the tree behind him exploded into thousands of splinters. Ellis scrambled to his feet and ran with all his might, diving behind every tree he passed.

It wasn't doing him any good to wait around for the thing to move and he sure as hell couldn't fight something he couldn't even see.

Trees exploded around him, kicking up dust and debris as he weaved through the forest running as quickly as possible toward where he had come from.

WHIP!

WHIP!

WHIP!

The sound of supersonic whips was cracking all around him, it was a miracle he hadn't been hit yet. As he kept running, the whipping sounds slowly became less frequent until he couldn't hear them anymore. A faint light through the trees could be seen ahead as he continued to sprint, with everything he had left in him. When he arrived at the tree line, he threw himself at it and tumbled out onto the soft grass of the meadow. He immediately flipped around and peered into the forest waiting for whatever it was to come out, but nothing came.

Nope. I'm not going in there again anytime soon.

Ellis rose to his feet and dusted himself off. He decided the best course of action was to go off in a different direction instead. It was clear that he could not handle the forest right now so it might be better to grind some levels and then come back when he was stronger.

He looked up at the sky and saw the golden rays were now mixed with pink and red streaks in a beautiful painting-like display. The subtle warmth radiating from the crystals warmed his face as he looked up.

This could be a paradise if I had not just almost died back there. It seems to be getting dimmer out. This floor must have some sort of day and night cycle. I should find someplace safe to set up a camp. There is no sense in wandering around in the dark.

He turned around and headed back through the meadow toward where he had originally been teleported in. If this floor was anything like the first floor, then it should be relatively safe around the teleportation area. He stopped as he reached where he had first appeared on this floor.

This area should be safe, there is an easy line of sight in every direction and if anything approaches me, I'll be able to hear it before it attacks.

Ellis took off his backpack and set it in the grass. He began removing various materials from his sack to make a quick camp. He laid out his bedroll and plopped down on it as he ate a couple of the monster jerky strips he had come in with. They were so dry in his mouth that he had to guzzle down water with every bite.

It's clear Droven knows nothing about making good food. Just imagine that it's roast beef. Juicy and delicious roast beef.

Ellis thought to himself as he forced his mouth to chew the last bite.

At least it's something, although I think my dried meat was better.

Ellis's stomach growled, demanding more food but seeing as he only had so much food, he put his hunger to the side for the moment and grabbed his weapon and armor repair kit. After taking off his armor he began to beat out the dent in it and clean it thoroughly. After he finished with his armor, he did the same with his weapon. By the time he was done, it was almost pitch-black outside with the only light coming from the occasional twinkling crystals above. Ellis took in a big breath of fresh-tasting air as he peered up at the stary sky above.

This isn't so bad when I think about it.

Ellis thought to himself as he enjoyed the brief moment of serenity. He then put his armor back on just in case he was ambushed in the middle of the night and needed to fight. He didn't want to have to fight anything basically naked. After checking his surroundings, he laid down on his bedroll to get some sleep, and purposefully stayed half-awake.

I wonder how long it's going to take to make it to the 5th floor? A couple of months? A year? I wonder how Belial breezed past everything so easily.

Random thoughts weaved their way through Ellis's mind as he slowly drifted off into a half-sleeping state.

Ellis was suddenly awoken by the infinite sound of rustling and clacking. He quickly jumped to his feet and was met with a swarm of insects the size of infants.

Can I not even get an hour of sleep?

Ellis huffed in frustration as he readied his halberd toward the swarm of insects approaching him.