13 Cocoons

'FIRE.'

He thought as he wiped the blood off of his broken greatsword on his rags.

'How did I not realize this sooner? This damp environment, filled with water and mist... Of course, spider-silk wouldn't be resistant to fire. Although it isn't inflammable, it melts under intense heat; almost dissipating into thin air... How did I fucking forget that? And while I'm not sure whether that's the spider's weakness, they sure ain't fuckin' immune to it.'

D1 limped his way back toward the cocoon nest. The silk beneath his leather shoes was buoyant and moved a lot, straining his legs even further.

He finally reached below the cocoons. Looking up, he saw 13 cocoons dangling from the ceilings, all equal in length - but in different sizes. D1 then glanced at the tree trunk before him. Amongst his thoughts, he wondered... How would he make a fire?

He rubbed his shoulder as he swallowed his spit.

'Fuck... The water down below doesn't look too bad... I'd swallow my own piss right now if I needed to go...'

D1 then got closer to the tree trunk and started carving with his Broken Moon on the thick tree bark. Grunting in the process with every movement he made with his arms.

'Maybe I could use whatever's in those cocoons... If it's an animal, I could cook it and drink its blood... Jesus... That actually sounds really good... And if there are no animals in the cocoons, I could cut myself some spider meat. I remember spider monsters back in the human region tasted like a mix of cooked cod and a healthy cow... Goddamn... Too bad I can't risk it with drinking their blood...'

D1's mouth began to water a bit in its current dried state as he carved out a lump of bark the length of his Broken Moon as intense agony coursed through his hands; yet, saliva began dripping down his mouth as he started carving another, smaller piece of tree-bark; as the thought of food overwhelmed him more than the sensation of pain. He then laid all the pieces on the tree arm and sat down.

Before D1 laid 3 pieces of tree bark. One the size of his broken greatsword to the left, another one smaller but wider in the middle, and another piece the size of a finger to the right.

'Alright. Let's get this shit over with.'

He grabbed the smallest piece on the right and began carving it a little with his broken moon which was still strapped to his palm with his torn piece of cloth. He sharpened the piece, but not to a point where it could injure or kill someone - that wasn't his aim. He laid it back to the right. Soon after, he started unwrapping the cloth that held the greatsword's handle to his palm. Sharp pain soon took place in that palm of his after he finished unwrapping it, letting Broken Moon fall to his side.

D1: "Tcheeeesh..!!!"

Lightning was passing through that palm, it felt. D1 could tell that his palm was broken. He had quite the experience in that field before even joining Julian's posse. But that wasn't important. He can just tie Broken Moon back to that hand afterward. Creating fire to take out those cocoons took priority.

He then took that small, sharpened piece and pinned it against the middle, wide piece of tree bark and began rubbing with both of his palms against its sides.

He rubbed faster and faster, but the fire wouldn't come out.

He channeled his energy through his palms, using [FORCE] as he rubbed them against the piece. A few seconds later, his hands rubbed immensely faster in comparison to how he previously did it.

'Won't be too long now...'

Before too long, the friction between the small piece of bark and the wide one reached its peak, and the small piece caught on fire like a match, while raising smoke in the process.

'Well, even with my Energy level around E-Rank or so, currently; [FORCE] is a real lifesaver when used properly. Good thing I worked on manipulation & application rather than increasing my overall energy.'

Within the bodies of all races of Aqualia, exists a second form of energy - separate from their bodily function, yet functions parallelly. Should a being choose to do so, they could harness and use that energy - bend it to their will. The most common channeling & application method of that energy, but also considered the least potent one; is called [FORCE] which is simple physical enhancement - something warriors and non-mages would prefer using.

D1 discovered it as he went on a quest, and was joined to another party of adults at the age of 7 in the courtesy of the guild receptionist who felt sorry for him. As the adults stared at the child wearing nothing but rags and a kitchen knife, stricken with famine, they felt slight pity - therefore, had taught him the basics of [FORCE] during their quest together. Each one explained their own experiences and the logic behind channeling the energy within his body using [FORCE]. D1 had absorbed their ideas and managed to learn how to use [FORCE] in less than a month. Not common, but at the same time - not particularly rare for someone of his age to accomplish; especially for children from the royal capital who at that point got the basics of the second channeling method.

The second channeling method is called [SPIRIT].

Much, much harder to accomplish - but that much more rewarding. It takes years, if not decades to master its manipulations - as [SPIRIT] users could bend the reality outside of their bodies. Injecting their energy outside of their body, in contrast to [FORCE] which is used within, into nature to make their imaginations a reality. One had to have an extensive and creative mind to use [SPIRIT] to its fullest efficiency. The priest and priestesses claim that a [SPIRIT] user is a holy being by default, as their power equals in its nature to that of the Goddess... Yet, at the same time, is demonic - depending on that person's alignment.

Malukai Jaet, one of the Apostles of Justice, is a fine example of an avid [SPIRIT] user who attained the highest known level of it yet... Besides Julian Elsven; an expert in both [SPIRIT] and [FORCE] despite being so young.

With every complete exhaust of energy within a being, its maximum limit grows ever so slightly. Some might notice differences in two months or even weeks, like Julian... While some might not notice it even after two years...

D1 was of the latter type. And since his energy barely grew... He figured he should focus on manipulating it more efficiently. As a result of his countless experimentations...

Energy Past Rank: C

Current Rank: F ~ E

[FORCE] Rank (Past & Present): A+

'Tsk, gotta attach a piece of cloth again. I need the fire to burn something...'

D1 then instinctively glanced at the silk he was sitting on, widening his eyes a bit as he examined the silk briefly.

'No... Wait... Spider silk! I can wrap some of it around the big tree bark piece; Making a makeshift torch... This will work..' He struggled as he lifted his broken greatsword and carved out a chunk of spider silk from a small portion of the ground - wrapping it around the tree bark... Then, using the small bark piece as a match, he lit the silk on fire; which burned it slowly and the flame was low... But it was enough.

'Jesus fuck, I feel like I just discovered fire!' He looked at the fire burning with a slight smirk and sparkling eyes.

'If there's nothing inside those cocoons, I will cook the shit out of the two spiders I nicked.' His stomach growled loudly.

Shillan: 'So unsightly. Rejoicing over such a lowly victory... Just as I'd expect of you, D.'

'Oooh, don't you worry you oversized fishstick. I'll be cooking you alive as well... I wonder what your flesh tastes like? I can live with being half-cannibal.'

Shillan: 'Such a crude and paltry threat. You could not even touch me back then, what makes you think you can touch me now?'

'....'

'... Your mother is a full fish... Yeah... I'll cook that fucking whore first before your eyes. She did give birth to you, after all. Everything you do is her fucking fault.'

Shillan: 'Pfft.'

D1 strapped his greatsword back to his waist with the piece of cloth he took off. He stood up while holding his burning torch. He looked up at the cocoon, stretching his hand upwards to burn the cocoon from the bottom.

Lilian: '....'

D1 stopped his motion as he frowned.

'I am not going to climb on those cocoons and burn the threads that hold them at the ceiling. You think I got enough strength to do that? It'd be just a waste of precious energy for nothing.'

Lilian: '...'

'So what if there could be people in there? Why do you care? I was also people. You fucking... Fucking hypocrite. Why do you fucking care? Why do I keep seeing you in my head!? If they're tough, they'll survive it! It's just a little fire!! NOBODY DIED FROM BEING BURNED A LITTLE!'

D1 ground his teeth as he tensed his facial muscles.

'Fuck you, Lilian. I'mma burn it just like that... It might even cook the animal inside for me...'

D1 got his torch closer to the cocoon, beginning to melt it - as he noticed a smaller cocoon hanging right next to the one he was about to burn.

He then lowered his hand a bit.

'Children can't even live in this damn forest. No kid would have even made it this fuckin' far... Even if they did, they were probably killed by the Stalker spider's tackle. There's no reason to hesitate...!!'

He raised his torch again, resuming the melting process of the silk cocoon above himself.

His mouth was dry again.

His heart rate rose significantly as smoke began rising from the bottom of the cocoon...

But he kept burning it... Not stopping.

'No reason to fuckin' doubt it. No... Nothing good will come out if I just leave them be... I need to burn them all... I need to cook the animal inside... It's just a fuckin' animal... All of them... All of them are in my way. All of them are in my way for survival.'

The scent of burning flesh started filling the air. D1 thought it smelled good as he turned more sweaty, carefully looking at the cocoon as it burned under the flame's heat.

Lilian: '....'

'You're not even there... I'm done listening to you. This is your will, your heart, and your desire... Not mine.'

'Besides... I'm already a psychotic rapist in your eyes. What adding 'murderer' to the list would do to me, or our companionship? Right? Oooh right, you can't respond. You're probably living your best life in the fuckin' capital, being praised as a heroic Apostle priestess, probably believing this entire time to Alicia's shit claims about me. Meanwhile, I'm here - fighting for my life in this godforsaken forest.'

'Just... Fuck you, Lilian.'

It burned... And burned... Until the bottom disappeared entirely...

A wolf's corpse fell down at D1's feet.

'Just as I fucken' thought...'

D1 chuckled.

D1: "You see that, Lilian!? You're just too stupid and naive for your own good! You have it so far up your ass, you can't even think straight!" He spoke loudly to himself, as he began hesitatingly burning the second cocoon which was of a smaller size. D1 compared it to the size of a child once more.

'There are no children in here... None at all..'

He thought to himself repeatedly as he burned the silk. Thinking occasionally about the 'animal' inside that might feel the heat.

He burned it. It burned considerably quicker than the previous cocoon. 4 small animals, seemingly dark-brown rabbits. They are painted like that in order to hide away from predators... They're seen more in the drier parts of the Dark Forest, D1 recalled.

Some of their fur was burnt and mixed with their flesh and skin as they lay before D1's feet. Their mouth opened in shock alongside their dried eyes.

'Haha... Right again. And look at that, both of the animals I burnt were already long dead. There was no hope for humans to be in those cocoons, to begin with!' D1's hesitation quickly faded. As he burned down one cocoon after the other. He finally made it to the last one... And burned it down as well without doubt lingering in his mind.

Out of that one, came down a human. But was also quiet like the rest, as she fell from the cocoon, her clothes burnt and partially stuck to her skin from the heat. The woman had no bags or equipment attached to her. Just a measly gown.

D1 clicks his tongue as he glances briefly at the female, not catching a glimpse of her face or the size of her body. He sighed deeply.

'See...? The human I do happen to find is already long dead... Either way...' D1 then swiftly looks back at the animals.

'At least one of them died recently. I could extract their blood and drink it... Fuck, I'm so thirsty. When's the last time I had anything to eat or drink, really? I know I was at the hands of the demons, but why can't I seem to remember any of my time with them? I only remember the last few moments when that demon struck a deal with me. Is this that thing's doing? Or... Nope. That's definitely their doing. I'm not this much of a pathetic little bitch to forget a bit of torture because it was traumatizing or whatever. I still wonder what debt I have to pay for it. Well... Can't worry about that for now.'

D1 went back to the wolf at the beginning, flipping it and examining it.

'My luck is that the stalker spider doesn't sting... No venom entered the wolf. Probably safe to drink. If I had the means to boil, I would've extracted the spider's blood as well... The stalker spider definitely doesn't have any venom or poison in their bloodstream but I can't be too careful with this. Blue blood doesn't really scream "safe to drink" for me. What a waste. Either way, I better prepare that thing quickly. Who knows how long before the stalker returns to its nest... Tsk... I should've listened to that druidic shitling during his lectures about these things.'

D1 began skinning the beast awkwardly with his dull, broken greatsword.

Xander: 'Already wishing I was here... Classic D.'

'I don't need you or your help, shitling. I just wish I hadn't used your blabbermouth self a bit more before you stabbed me in the back.'

Xander: '... It was Alicia, of all people. She would never lie or cry for no reason - and you know that as well. Perhaps you're just so used to doing stuff like that all the time that you didn't think it to be that big of a deal to remember?'

'Okay, sure. Now go back sucking off your goddess's tits. Do you know how much literal shit I had to go through because of your druidic ass? We never collected plants and vegetables for potions OR herbs for some quick & cheap rations just because you couldn't bear the sight of them getting plucked out from nature, and... 'dying'. Forcing us to never make potions or make empowering concoctions or even eat something fresh and light... Do you fuckin' know how much money I had to spend buying ineffective elixirs at every stop before giving up on potions entirely because of you?'

Xander: 'Oh, you poor and pitiful soul - having to eat meat every day. How underprivileged you are. Potions? Forcing *US*? Please, a true fighter doesn't rely on potions to help them power through their obstacles. We were all strong enough without them... Besides... Heh... You, of course. Malukai was also a bit frustrated, I admit, but you were the only one to use them more often than any of us.'

'Oh! I know exactly what I'm gonna do to you. I'll eat a salad right in front of you before I pluck out your eyeballs. Little bitch. I wonder if you can really hear the screams of plants as they die... I'll be sure to test that as I chew an apple right next to your ear... Ooh! Maybe I'll even use a little sapling as a hostage.'

D1 chuckled as he continued clumsily skinning the animal while panting, fighting against his pain.

D1: "Daddy's gonna eat well tonight... Fuck yeah..." D1 uttered to himself as he looked hungrily at the blood-dripping wolf corpse, forgetting he was supposed to hang it upside down before cutting a cardinal artery to let all the blood flow out of the body...

But D1 didn't care much. At this point, his mouth was wide open as he drooled with the little fluids that were still left in his body.

Without a second thought, he pounced on the raw flesh of the wolf, instinctively using [FORCE] on his jaw, ripping with his accelerated physical prowess, the juicy, raw flesh of the wolf right away - chewing and swallowing the meat like a lion feasting on his hunt. For D1, the bland, undercooked texture and flavor were something he just couldn't get enough of. A bite, after bite, after bite, after bite...

Covered with the wolf's blood all over, his hunger was moderately sated while his thirst was slightly quenched from the juices within the meat. He felt slightly more rejuvenated. The pain around his body hurt less, the itching and his fever didn't bother him as much.

'First meal after several years was a raw wolf... Not bad...' He panted as he sat on his knees with a wolf's leg bone in his hand, completely chewed out as the wolf's skin lay next to him on the silk.

'Now, I just need to get the fuck outta here-'

"Uhm... M-... Mister...?" A soft, delicate yet shivering voice traveled to his ears.

D1's eyes widened as he turned around, covered in blood.

D1: "... The fuck...?"