The Hero's Fall to Rise: Chapter 7,The Forest and Darkness

With his rope of hives and a new invigorated feeling of strength, Gregory started to make his way into the forest. Chompers followed close behind as Gregory started walking between trees. 

Weaving in between trees, he saw more and more foliage covering the forest floor. With each step crisp crunching noise resounded out, almost echoing in the vast forest. "It's rather creepy in this place, huh Chompers" Gregory said as he looked behind him. Chompers just gave him a blank stare. 

Not much happened during his first few hours of walking. Some sunlight would peek through the large canopy above, yet for the most part it was just a vast expanse of trees. Gregory never encountered any other flora during his walk. The deeper Gregory made his way into the forest, it would get more dark. Looking farther ahead from where he was Gregory saw that there was little to no light. While he stood still had a good amount of light from the sun overhead. "It's almost like someone just snuffed out a flame from that point on. I might have to make some kind of torch if I want to keep going deeper in." Gregory said to himself.

Gregory asked Chompers to gather some large sticks. While Chompers went to gather sticks for him, Gregory rummaged around the area he was in. Mostly full of leaves that covered the forest's floor. Grabbing a hand full of leaves that were dry, and grabbing a few twigs and sticks he placed them in a pile. "I haven't done this in a while, I hope I can do it while it's still light out," Gregory said as he grabbed his dagger from his side. Although crude, and uncomfortable to hold the dagger at the end of the day was still metal which was something Gregory had very little knowledge about. The only thing that Gregory knew about metal was the fact that it was hard, and it could be made sharp. 

One of the few things you had to learn to survive in the empire was to make fire. Many people's deaths were caused by a lack of heat. So to survive fire was a necessity. In the empire, made items like matches worth gold. Gregory grabbed a stick that was as thick as his thumb. He placed his dagger parallel to the stick and started shaving the bark. Then after shaving the bark, he shaved the wood down, giving him tinders. After placing the tinders on the pile of leaves he had collected. Gregory started to rummage around the forest floor. Only took a few minutes till he found a decently sized rock. "I heard from the bard's hovel that if you hit metal and rocks at the right angle you can create sparks. Let's hope that's true." Gregory said as he walked back toward the tinder and leveas pile. 

Chomper returned about 30 minutes from when he first left. With him had had 5 rather large sticks in his mouth. How he had managed to get all 5 in his mouth at the same time is something that puzzled Gregory, however, he just ignored his curiosity. Chompers placed the sticks at Gregory's side. 

"Still how am I supposed to hit a rock, it can't just be as easy as hitting the rock head-on would it?" Gregory mumbled to himself. "Still I guess if anything I can just have Chompers do anything that requires fighting if I break my dagger," Gregory said to himself. Taking his dagger, he flipped it to its dull blunt side. Gregory placed the rock next to the pile of tinder and leaves. He then raised the dagger and smashed the blunt end side into the rock. "No sparks… I guess I'm not surprised." Gregory said as he looked at the dented dagger. Over several minutes, Gregory tried various ways of using the dagger and rock to try and make sparks. Still, after sitting down panting he hadn't found any way that produce sparks. As the sun overhead continued to fall, Gregory got more and more frustrated. 

Hold the rock and dagger in hand Gregory fiddled with them as he saw the sunlight diminish slowly. "I'm running out of time. Might as well try and sharpen this dagger, that is if I can with this dang rock." Gregory said. Most things that Gregory had heard from the Bard's hovel were nearly that, just passing conversation, and rumors. He never saw firsthand at how things were done but how they were described. Which in the case of sharpening any kind of metal weapon, was the use of a whetstone and run it along the metal's sharp edge. 

Now Gregory had no idea what a whetstone was, still, he thought if anything he could improve his weapon for anything that might attack him in the night to come. Holding the rock firmly he placed the dagger's "sharp" edge if you could even call it that, along the rock. Then he moved the dagger along the rocks. A grating noise could be heard throughout the forest. Back and forth Gregory slowly moved the dagger against the rock, with every couple of passes checking if it was getting any sharper. He found that while it did get sharper it took way too long at the pace he was going and wanting to make as much out of his sunlight left started to move faster. 

Placing the dagger on the rock again, Gregory thought about putting as much speed as he could into sharpening the dagger. With a quick *thwisssh* Gregory saw something he hadn't expected. Sparks flew off the rock as he moved the dagger along the rock quickly. Seeing this revelation Gregory shouted out " Holy! so that's how it works!"

As the sun started to set in the distance, Gregory made haste in trying to make a fire. *thwissh* *thwissh* *thwissh* sounds of attempt after attempt to make a fire start with little sparks. Gregory was huddled over his tinder and leaves pile scrapping his dagger along the rock. "Come on, please just work," Gregory said as he made more sparks fly. *thwissh* With another swipe around the rock, the dagger threw more sparks. These sparks landed just how Gregory needed them too. Falling on the dry leaves and tinder, small bits of smoke started to rise from the pile.

After carefully tending to his little smoke, Gregory now had a little fire growing. Sending Chompers off to gather more sticks. Sitting down, Gregory saw as the last bit of sunlight left the forest. Leaving him and a little flame that he fed dry sticks and leaves. Chompers returned with more sticks and continued to help fuel the fire. 

After an hour of gathering larger sticks and wood, the fire had grown to a large size that would seemingly keep Gregory warm for most of the night. "Still this place is odd. I've heard of wolves and other creatures living in places with dense trees but how come I haven't seen anything in this entire place?" Gregory questioned out loud. "Well if anything I'm sure it has something to do with why that area is so dark," Gregory said 

As he looked over, the same area that looked pitch black stood silent. Even the moonlight that shone a little in the night had no effect on its shroud of darkness. The place beyond that threshold gave Gregory an uncomfortable feeling as he looked toward its direction.