Chapter 93: The Meat Tree
*Day 66 since the Seal’s activation. Morning.*
Nathan and Liaraen left the settlement at dawn.
Harl had given them specific directions to the burned area’s location. Approximately two hours’ travel west of the settlement, following a small trail that the settlement’s hunters had kept clear over the past few decades. Nathan drove the horse calmly. Liaraen rode beside him with the sword at her belt.
The forest remained quiet.
Soul Sense at maximum range. No major hostile signatures. Only normal forest animals.
Approximately two and a half hours later, they arrived.
Nathan stopped the horse at the clearing’s edge.
And looked.
---
The burned area was considerable.
Approximately thirty meters in diameter. The ground covered in gray ash with areas where the fire had melted small rocks. The trunks of trees that had been within the area were charred to about half their original height. The leaves of nearby trees, within an additional radius of approximately ten meters, were brown and dry from the fire’s heat.
And on the ground, distributed among the ash, there were bones.
Nathan dismounted.
Liaraen did too.
They approached the clearing’s center carefully.
The bones were from various creatures. Some clearly medium-sized, with ribs Nathan recognized as likely from Greater Nightbrid based on the description Liaraen had given him the previous day. Others smaller, apparently from minor prey that the Nightbrid had had in the area. And some others, specifically different, that Nathan didn’t recognize.
Nathan checked Soul Sense.
Nothing major in the area.
Only residual signatures.
He crouched beside one of the bone groups.
He examined them carefully.
"Sprout."
"Yes."
"These bones."
"Yes."
"Have teeth marks."
"Teeth marks?"
"Yes. Apparently something bit them. With considerable force. The bone appears crushed at the impact points."
Liaraen crouched beside him.
She examined the bones as well.
"Nathan."
"Yes."
"The marks match creatures of considerable size. The bite force suggests an A-Rank or higher predator."
"Understood."
"Apparently the creature that eliminated the Nightbrid is considerably larger and stronger than them."
"That’s a bigger problem."
Nathan stood up.
He continued examining the clearing.
And approximately ten meters from the center, at the burned area’s edge, he noticed something different.
A large tree. Considerably large. Approximately three meters in diameter at the trunk. With bark specifically different from the forest’s other trees.
And with impact marks on the bark.
Large impacts. Deep. Apparently produced by something that had struck the tree repeatedly during a confrontation.
Nathan approached.
He stopped a meter from the trunk.
And looked at the bark carefully.
*Wait.*
*This bark isn’t normal tree bark.*
*It’s specifically...*
*This is flesh?*
He turned to Liaraen.
"Sprout."
"Yes."
"This tree."
"Yes."
"The bark is made of flesh."
Liaraen approached.
She examined the tree.
"It’s a meat tree."
"What?"
"Meat trees are considerably rare. They’re documented in elven catalogs as specifically high-rank resources."
"Explain."
"The tree’s bark is made of animal muscle tissue. The entire trunk. The branches. Everything except the leaves. Apparently it’s a hybrid organism between plant and animal."
"Sprout."
"Yes."
"How does that work?"
"They grow specifically in areas where the forest’s natural magic combined with ancient divine presence over centuries. They’re a primary cycle phenomenon. Apparently the trunk regenerates over time like a normal tree. If you extract meat from the trunk, the tree produces more meat over the following months."
Nathan looked at her with amazement at her knowledge while she looked back at him with pity.
"How do you survive knowing nothing about anything?"
Nathan shrugged.
"Sprout. Remember, I was a common human less than three months ago. I didn’t need to know these things about the outside world. Meat trees don’t show up in the Crossing packaging factory where I worked."
"Understood."
"Keep explaining."
Liaraen approached the tree. She touched the bark carefully. The bark apparently responded to the contact slightly, with a subtle vibration suggesting it was indeed living flesh.
"Apparently you could sell the meat for a lot of money if you manage to cut it out. The elven market and some high-quality human markets value it considerably. You could also obtain a seed from the tree if you apparently know where to look and how to extract it. The seeds sell for considerably more money than the meat because apparently they’re cultivable with proper dedication."
Nathan nodded.
"This burned area is specifically a lucky discovery."
"Apparently so."
"We can return to Greywall with something specifically valuable."
"Apparently..."
Liaraen stopped.
Her posture changed.
Nathan also noticed something.
Soul Sense reacted.
*Major presences.*
*Multiple.*
*They just manifested.*
*Apparently they were in total camouflage.*
*And now they appeared just when I was about to do something to become rich... they just made it personal.*
Nathan reacted with the speed he’d developed.
He extended his left arm toward Liaraen. He grabbed her by the waist. He pulled her toward him with the strength his Class allowed. He held her with his open palm protecting the back of her head. And he turned his body so his back faced the anticipated danger.
All in less than a second.
Liaraen let out a small sound of surprise.
Her pale green eyes widened.
Her cheeks flushed considerably.
"Nathan."
"Sprout."
"What are you doing?"
"Danger."
"Danger?"
"Yes."
"Nathan..."
"Yes."
"You’re holding me in a considerably different way than the situation requires."
Nathan looked at her.
His arms still around her.
His palm still on the back of her head.
"I’ll let you go now."
Liaraen whispered.
"Five more minutes..."
Nathan released her.
With calibrated efficiency.
He straightened.
He turned in the direction of the signatures.
And saw the creatures.
---
Approximately ten creatures.
Bipedal. Each approximately two and a half meters tall. With muscular bodies covered in dark, almost black skin with red veins that seemed to pulse subtly. Their heads were elongated, with snouts showing multiple rows of teeth visible even with jaws closed. Their arms ended in curved claws approximately the length of a human forearm, specifically sharp. And on their backs, two structures that resembled partial wings but weren’t functional for flight—apparently rudiments suggesting interrupted evolution.
And from each creature, a dark aura emanated visually. Almost like mist. With veins of the same pulsing red as the skin’s lines.
The ten creatures surrounded the clearing.
Approximately distributed to block all escape directions.
Nathan checked Soul Sense.
He confirmed the readings.
*High B-Rank.*
*Ten creatures.*
*With a strange aura I don’t recognize.*
*Apparently this is going to be considerably harder than the Nightbrid.*
Liaraen positioned herself beside Nathan.
She drew her father’s green sword.
She held it with both hands in front of her chest.
And with the calm voice she’d developed for critical situations:
"Nathan."
"Yes."
"They’re Lesser Drakain."
"Drakain?"
"Yes. Lesser Drakain are evolutionary cousins of the Nightbrid but considerably stronger. Apparently Drakain appear when Nightbrid are eliminated by something larger. Apparently they’re scavengers of the forest’s evolutionary cycle."
"Understood."
"However."
"However?"
"The dark aura they emit isn’t common in Lesser Drakain. That indicates something is empowering them. The same something that probably eliminated the Nightbrid."
Nathan processed that.
*Apparently then the larger creature didn’t eliminate the Drakain either—it used them, empowered them, and left them here to eliminate any interference.*
*That means the larger creature is far away but coordinating from a distance.*
*Good.*
*Future concern.*
*Present concern: ten empowered Drakain surrounding us.*
Nathan turned to Liaraen.
"Sprout. Strategy. I tank, you attack."
"Nathan."
"Yes?"
"That strategy won’t work against Drakain."
"Why?"
"Lesser Drakain have considerable physical resistance. Apparently they absorb direct hits and apparently feed kinetic energy back. Apparently if you let yourself be hit, apparently each hit will strengthen them."
"Understood."
"And the empowered aura probably increases that feedback considerably."
"So I don’t have a plan."
"Nathan, if you try to absorb hits, apparently you’re going to die in approximately three minutes."
"So tell me what to do. I need a better option."
"Let me think for a moment."
Liaraen thought quickly.
With the efficiency of a second daughter of a major elven house who had extensively read creature catalogs for sixteen years.
"Drakain weaknesses. One. The rudimentary structures on their backs contain the magical core. Apparently if you manage to specifically damage them, the feedback collapses. Two. The neck skin is considerably thinner than the rest. The sword can penetrate there specifically. Three. They’re considerably slow at turning. The attack angle from behind is specifically vulnerable."
"Understood."
"Four. Apparently the empowered aura likely has a source. If you eliminate enough Drakain quickly, apparently the source depletes at some point—the aura dissipates."
"So that I can do."
Nathan nodded.
"New strategy."
"Go ahead."
"I distract. Quickly. With Pale Rider activated at maximum intensity. I’m going to move continuously so none of them can hit me accurately. You position yourself near one that has its back to me. You attack the rudimentary structures with the sword. And your father’s sword can probably penetrate them."
" Agreed."
"When one falls, I activate Lesser Necromancy on the body so it reanimates and attacks the others. Necromancy works on post-mortem bodies regardless of their original physical resistance. If we turn one of their own team into an ally..."