Secret ingredient

The bear glared at me and I ready my Dagger. It slowly made it's way my direction keeping an eye on my actions. I began to circle around the clearing and that was clearly the wrong decision. As soon as I made a move the bear charged me, it raised it paw and attempted to smash me.

I rolled out of the way just barely fast enough to avoid the second paw as it tried to catch me mid dodge. I hopped back up on me feet just in time to see that the bear leapt the the side in an attempt to body check me. Unable to get out of the way I was launched across the open field. Bouncing a few time I landed in th bloody stream, it was sticky and wet.

I claimed out of the water but the bear wasn't chasing after me, it honestly looked confused as if he couldn't find me. He hesitantly walked my direction while keeping an eye on his surroundings, following the holes I made with my body he made his way to the section of the stream I fell into. It hesitated and looked around questioning as I stared at it from several feet away, it's gaze wondering over me.

I looked around and the trees started to relax visually the vines slowly parting from their makeshift wall. The bear walked back to the tree and vines jutted out and stabbed it and it withered into nothing as it's entire body flowed up the vine. A new cocoon formed smaller than before, I took this chance to flee.

Keeping to the flow of the blood like substance I left the clearing, until I heard a voice coming from the forest on the other side. A man dragging a wagon full of empty vials came up to the tree, he dropped a large sac at its base. The tree quickly devoured the parcel and in return it filled the vials in the wagon. A vine came down and split into hundreds of thread each entering a vial. Soon the containers were full, from the back the man grabbed a small child that was tied up. He forced the child's mouth open and dumped the vial into her mouth.

The child violently convulsed before a gut retching screen came from her mouth. The bindings on her body snapped and she stood glaring at the man who stood there nodding. Blood poured from the little girl's eyes as she continued to scream loudly, not long after a vine pierced her heart and drained her of all her blood. Another cocoon formed but this time much smaller than the rest. Thean bowed to the tree and pulled his wagon out of the forest, the trees making way by lowering there roots and lifting their branches. The man had no trouble passing through the man eating forest, thinking he knew the way out I followed him at a distance.

I was hindered by every tree, bush and mud puddle that I could find in my attempt at stalking the hooded individual.

But luckily the trees returned to their natural state soon after the wagon passed making my journey that much more difficult. We eventually left the forest and I noticed the farther away from the center we went the more lush and green the trees became.

I followed him for over a day, we came to an old dilapidated stone building. It resembled a church of some kind but one that hasn't been maintained for several hundred years. The wagon passed right through the main doors that were not a rotten decaying mess on either side of the building.

Hesitantly I followed him inside, I was lost and didn't know where I was. Hopefully I could atleast find a map in this place, unlikely but worth a try.

The man continued until he reached a large stone platform in the center of the room. It was hexagonal in shape with various designers and payers encircling the top of the raised stone.

As he walked up the platform, he pulled out one of the vials and dumped it in the grooves around the hexagon. That caused the runes and lines to begin to shine, he made his way back to his cart and centered himself on the stone. The stone pulsed once, twice and then a bright flash of red light went off and both the man and the cart were gone.

I stood there shocked and looked around, maybe he just had some ability to turn invisible but with the careful use of the blood grooves and the stone that was still pulsing I didn't think that was the case.

The lights begun to dim and I made a split second decision to rush the stone platform a bright flash of light exploded in my vision and I felt like I was falling forward. My stomach lurched and I felt like I needed to empty my guts out. In no time at all I felt my feet touch solid ground again and I collapsed to the floor gasping for air. The man and the cart were long gone, looking around I saw the same delapidated building down to the runes and blood grooves. Getting up shakely I walked towards the main entrance. Walking out I found myself knee deep in sludge, brick buildings were nearly gone. Nothing but the foundations and a bit off remaining on the majority of them. People huddled together by fires or slept in between buildings. They all wore thread bare rags and all of them were malnourished and sickly.

When I appeared all any chatter before stopped, their faces paled and they all some how disappeared in seconds. One minute a few dozen people were scattered around and the next they all moved less than a few feet and poof, it looked deserted.

Ignoring them I made my way down the street looking for greener pastures this was clearly the city, maybe the slums. Walking for awhile and using the city wall as a point of reference I began making my way towards the city center. Soon I found better built buildings and paved roads, shops started appearing but all of the people here reacted the same way as the slums. One looked made them all pale and run off in the opposite direction, looking around the place was deserted again. I pouted, whats wrong with these people.

Before I could move further I found myself surrounded by a dozen flying swordsmen in military like uniforms that I recognized. One man stood forward and took hesitant steps forward before I found myself in a bear hug. "Kana, thank God your okay" I smiled and patted her on the back Vel really looked good in military attire, it really showed off her figure.

"What happened to little white? Is he at the barracks?" I asked looking for my little white familiar.

Vel didn't say anything at first and just held me closer. I started to worry "Vel? What heppened?"

She stood up and wiped the blood and mud off her hands, she now looked like she came from a battle field. "let's talk about that after you had a bath, and my uniform gets cleaned. I have some bad news dear"