Chapter 10: Into the wilderness

'He learned how to lie, but there is some truth in his words. I will play along for now... Maybe he truly developed a sense of self and wasn´t limited by his creator's shackles anymore. A Sakata's Immortal breaking out of their cage, and thinking on their own? What a funny development!'

The two of them stared silently at each other, but eventually, Kohnsu spoke up. 'Let's see how he will react to some light jabs.'

"So you still follow your creators' orders, that pitted your kind against each other for their own greed and power struggle?"

"We are just creations, highly advanced, yes, but still royal creations, to be commanded as our creators seem fit." Oberon sat straight and his hand slightly trembled.

Khonsu could only hold up his hands in a dismissive manner. "You know what? You are completely correct. You are just a mindless object that follows every biding of your dear creators"

The sand seemed to shift slightly as he spoke, Kohnsu could feel anger that slipped through the mana link. 'Maybe I have overdone it a bit...'

"Well, now with all the small talk out of the way, may I see the origin cube inside you? In exchange, I will tell you some information about the Staff of Zalka." One could practically see the grin on Kohnsu's face from the tone he was speaking in.

"The cube was entrusted to me. I will not hand it over."

"Oh don't be so on guard. I won't take it away I just want to take a look at it. Study it for a bit and in return I will tell you all I know about the staff's location. It is quite the deal is it not?"

Oberon shook his head and stood up. "No, I was instructed to keep the cube safe. I will go search for the staff on my own. There is no need for your help. I have wasted enough time here already." Seeing the sand golem leaving he sighed and just waved him off. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me. And a little warning, stay away from little blue lights."

Seeing the golem leaving the hut, he closed the mana connection. After taking a deep breath Kohnsu took off his mask and threw it against the wall. "Damn it!!!! I was so close!"

...

Stepping out, the mushrooms were now gone. Oberon looked into the distance and viewed his surrounding. There were unexpectedly lush trees around. Twisted and turned into grotesque forms, but still full of black and red leaves. The landscape changed completely in just a few moments when he was inside. The terrain was changing faster than Bard's tales.

He picked a random direction and started to walk deeper into the mana beast-infested place. He already has the staff's energy signature ingrained in his system from a previous encounter, so he just has to roam around.

There was no advantage of churning your system over it.

He walked through the lush red and black forest. With each step the green moss on the ground turned red, leaving a trail behind. Noticing something watching him from the moment he stepped outside the clearing of the hut, he formed a spear again. The creature crept ever closer, silently jumping from tree to tree without even making the leaves move. The creature's movements were fast, and the high ambient mana didn't help much to spot the beast.

Oberon could only see blurs of it and the clear yellow eyes. It didn't quite glimmer in intelligence like the desert behemoth, but it wasn't acting on pure instinct either. It was more curious than anything else. So, letting the beast follow him as long as it didn't obstruct him, he continued his track.

*zzzzzZZZZZZzzzzZZZZZZzzzz*

The sound of static shifting reached Oberon's senses as he saw a bright green flash in the distance. Long lighting arcs sparked into existence for a split second before disappearing again only to be replaced by another. Creating a web of green electricity.

The light show was just as amazing as the energy output. It was spectacular, to say the least. Oberon wanted to take a look to assess the situation there so he climbed a large ashen tree. His hands and legs deformed and sunk into the tiny crevices of the bark, before pulling himself upwards and repeating the process. With that technic, he could even climb surfaces that are as smooth as glass, so a tree was an easy feat.

The lightning stopped but Oberon continued to climb the tree. The creature that followed him was subtly climbing another tree still following him higher and higher off the ground.

Once high enough Oberon stuck his feet on a large branch and looked into the distance. A building-sized spider with iron like a carapace feasted on an almost completely chared corps of a thousand-legged monster. Or at least what remained of it.

It may have shown incredible strength, but even the giant spiders aren't apex predators around. The giant spider may have behaved like one. Ignoring stealth and silence for a pretty light show that was unnecessarily flashy, attracting other hungry beasts. An unnatural darkness covered the edges of the floor. It was slowly creeping towards the metal-skinned arachnoid who was too busy gorging on its meal. As soon as the black veil reached its feet shadow-like appendages grabbed the sharp legs of the feasting monster and pulled it toward the ground.

The spider turned its head around to see what has touched it only to realize that it was done for.

A second later the spider got ripped into pieces.

'Not going that way...'

Having seen enough he stayed on the tree and continued climbing from branch to branch, tree to tree. Avoiding touching the ground. But danger lurked everywhere, not only on the ground but in the sky and in the canopies of the trees.

It didn't take long till he sensed a presence above him. A long lanky branch looking animal reached down and tried to take a bite.

Oberon ducks down to avoid the attack.

*Pop*

Feeling something wet dripping on his head he looked up. The head of the animal has a small hole in it where blue blood gushed out. But even in death the creature's legs clung to the branch above and not falling on him.

Looking around he couldn't sense anything near him, but that doesn't mean much.

*Thud*

Something impacted his forehead so hard that it just went through his head and came out the other side. It left a sizable hole there, but no major damage was done. He closed it up again and searched for the culprit. The auto-defense mechanism didn't work as he wasn't on the ground where he could release vital sand around him at all times. His senses didn't pick up anything that could have been the one. He even released a scanning pulse, but the mana in the air was too disruptive. The one that hit him was either too far away or just really good at-

*Thud*

Another impact, but this time his leg.

The leg was blown off but he didn't buckle, shifting the sand he reconnected it. Oberon couldn't even see the projectile as it just pierced through the tree he was standing on. The shots were just highly annoying, but if one hit his core it could end him in an instant. The force behind the attacks was crazy. The core sand was very durable and sturdy, but against such piercing damage, it was just too useless.

There were at least three shooters, the angel of the projectiles were all slightly off of each other. His core calculated the projectiles' flight path. Trying to shack off the snipers, he jumped down the tree and zig-zagged through the dense forest.

*Thud*

His erratic movements made the shot only graze him. But still, the accuracy was frighteningly precise. Even shooting through trees to hit him. It was close to a unique grade high-precision sharpshooter. The shots didn't make any sounds or radiate energy, making finding the culprit just a tad bit more difficult.

Aimlessly running through the terrain was too dangerous so he run diagonally toward the shooters trying to get in range. Calculating the shots he knew exactly where they are. Getting into range Oberon formed a javelin and threw it at one of the positions in a big arc. The javelins seemingly hit home as the distant sound of shrieking reached his senses.

Shortly after that, a shockwave hit him, and a second later the sound.

The sound attracted a lot of attention. Bold creatures moved toward the place as the weaker ones fled the scene.

'That was unexpected. If the chance arises, study those creatures.'

*Thud* *Thud*

Two hits straight into his throat and stomach, but those projectiles were different. They didn't pierce him. Instead, they stuck into his vital sand. With a quick scan, he annalized the bullet. It was a rooting gloom seed. An abnormally fast-growing seed that lodges on animals that touch them sucking all of the nutrients out and discoloring the body pitch black. A very deadly plant for biological creatures.

Luckily for Oberon, his body is made out of pure vital sand that is held together by the core.

The lodged projectiles tried to root themselves inside his body but the vital sand just pushed them out.

Having sustained no real damage, but having the new locations of the attackers he pulled out a spear from his core sand storage reared his arm, and threw.

*Boom*

Feeling the shockwave hit him Oberon wanted to relocate and eliminate the last pesky creature. Reaching close enough he could see the faint outline of the creature. It was only half his size with a roughly Hulka-shaped form. It was probably a mutated Tanto Tanto. Forming another javelin he reared his arm back.

*Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud*

Ten shoots in rapid fire hit him all over his chest, making him miss the target completely. The bullets penetrated his armor but otherwise stuck inside his body. It was yet another kind of projectile as he could see it radiate energy. Like the last one, it only lodged inside the vital sand instead of penetrating all the way through, but when he tried to get the bullets out a chain reaction of explosions riddled his body.

His chest was completely blown open with a revealed core and the cube being the only thing holding his upper body and lower body together. This one did sustainably more damage than he thought the sniper could ever deal. Losing his grip on the tree from the shock wave he fell to the ground. His hands are blown away as well as his left leg. Using excess energy he reformed his body.

'How annoying.'

Creating a javelin he threw it toward the creature. It flew through the air and landed center of the creature pinning it to a tree, and not exploding like the others. It was still alive but not for long as the smell of its blood already attracted tons of predators.

All the animals here have changed so much that he doesn't recognize them or are vaguely similar to their nonmutated relatives.

...

AN: Happy new year my readers. Fun fact: it is also my birthday! So comments and Power Stones are a welcomed gift. :)