The others had been surprised when Selene and I came running in, and more so when I grabbed various monster encyclopedias and began looking through them.
"Uh, did you find the recipe you needed?"
Jax asked turning to Selene with a cocked head. She nodded and said.
"Aiden was talking with a friend about the tree you all were fighting, and then I mentioned a monster I had learned about, he asked a question and came running over."
Liora turned to me as I flipped to the page I was looking for page, 714 of the Occult Monsters manual volume 2 by Relic Helia.
Blood Trent(E-C)
HP: 80-8000
Blood: 50-500
---Stats---
Str:45
Dex:25
Con:40
Int:10
Wis:25
Cha:0
---Notes---
A creature that derives from Trent's. It however can only be artificially made through interrupting the Trents natural process of seedling, planting, movement, travel, and reincarnation by making the seedling soak in blood, causing the seedling stage to mutate and the seed to be corrupted, becoming a creature known to kill and commit acts of cruelty. While Trents are stagnant in strength, a blood Trent can grow its strength trough killing and draining the blood of animals or using its roots to drain the nutrients of trees underground, causing the trees to change into a different creature called a Blood bush. The longer a Blood Trent is able to accumulate strength in this way the stronger it can grow, changing from an E class monster up to a C class monster in the worst of cases. Due to its violent and hostile nature, study of these creatures is both rare and difficult. However, looking back into history, it was said that a bloody seed should be given to those who you wish nothing but the worst for as a gift.
Blood Bush(E)
HP: 25
Blood: 15
---Stats---
Str:15
Dex:0
Con:20
Int:0
Wis:10
Cha:0
---Notes---
Blood Bush are creatures that cannot be found naturally and instead created through the cultivation process of Blood Trents(see above). While not known for their strength, Blood Bush serve as a Blood Trents minions and soldiers when in combat. What they lack in power they make up for with numbers and their hive mind connection with the Blood Trent they were created from. When Blood Bush are created, they serve to exponentially increase the rate of growth of the Blood Trent due to them often kidnapping livestock to feed the Blood Trent. They are similarly difficult to study for the same reason as the Blood Trent itself.
"Well, that sure is a creepy wh-"
Liora started before cutting herself off as she and Jax turned to each other and both exclaimed
"The tree they attacked."
Their outburst was meet by several shushes from other people in the library. As the rest of us winced at their sudden volume.
Jax and Liora leaned in and Jax, now controlling his volume said
"The tree that got attacked must have been in the process of becoming a Blood Bush"
"And the burn circle was to try to stop it from growing."
Liora chimed in. Kaelen leaned back and held his chin for a moment before he said.
I nodded and turned to leave, keeping a brisk pace in my walking. After a moment the other followed
"Since it almost infected a tree that means that its roots are growing faster than the ash spirits can burn, so we have only so long before it starts to grow to a point where we can't handle it."
"This seems a bit halfcocked to me, last I checked they attack us on sight, so how can we fight a Blood Trent, much less 3 very angry and hard to fight ash spirits?"
Kaelen asked seeming a bit worried as we rounded the corner on the road for the gate.
"Well, the book said it can be given as a gift to those you want nothing but the worst for, maybe some passing adventurers gave it to the shrine keepers and that's why they want adventurers to stay away."'
As Kaelen, Liora and Selene walked ahead I noticed that Jax seemed to be less talkative than before, so I turned to him as I saw he seemed to have a stern expression on his face.
"You ok there Jax?"
I asked raising an eyebrow as we passed the city gates. Jax walked a couple more minutes with me, to the point I thought he was ignoring me before stopping and sitting down at the edge of the woods.
"Aiden, I want to just make sure you are sure you want to do this."
At this I stopped, a bit surprised by the sudden gravity Jax seemed to have behind his voice and tone.
"What do you mean?"
I asked with a small nervous laugh that cut off after I saw Jax's stern expression that seemed to hide a hint of worry.
"It was one thing when it was just the ash spirits, since we have a whole party to work with on this we could have taken them down one by one and called it a quest, but the Blood Trent is both more dangerous than the ash spirits and there is a chance we get attacked on both sides by a Blood Trent and ash spirits."
Jax seemed to be slowly swirling his paw in the dirt as the others stopped and turned back to us. I sat down on a nearby rock and asked.
"So, what are you saying Jax, don't beat around the bush."
Jax took a centering breath before he said
"You said it yourself, this is a temporary arrangement, and I can see your warming to the idea, but this isn't like what you imagine as a kid, people die, people die a lot, that's the cost of potential fame and fortune."
As he said that I thought back to the first time we encountered an ash spirit, how its claws could have bisected me in a single swing, a feeling of dread gripped my stomach as the thought of what could happen if Jax and the others were occupied with the Blood Trent and I had to be the one to take those claws, it was terrifying. As I sat there in silence Jax continued.
"You have a good thing here, your house on the mountain, your minecart, your grandfather's shop. Don't jeopardize that just because I or the others asked you too."
I turned to the others who seemed to have solum looks on their faces. I leaned back, staring up at the stars through the gaps of the trees above and thought back to my dreams as a child, of being an adventurer compared to my life right now, how my dreams of grandeur had slowly melted down to dreams of mediocrity. As I thought my mind flashed back to a time when I was 11 and watching my grandfather work, mixing potions and ingredients with a practiced skill. I had been sad because alchemist couldn't fight well, and I couldn't be an adventurer.
"Well why can't you be an adventurer?"
My grandfather has asked with his usual hearty laugh
"Because if I can't fight good then I will be attacked and have to be saved and be unable to help."
I had said while mopping. My grandfather, large a man as he was had leaned down to my level, ruffled my cyan hair and spoke
"Life's always got a bit of hazard in it, my boy, whether it's stirring a risky potion or facing monsters on the open road. What truly matters is that you move forward with purpose and heart, for it's in that leap of faith we often find our greatest rewards."
I opened my eyes to see Jax and the others looking at me as after a moment Jax bowed his head, seeming to be accepting of my silence as he said.
"I'm sorry for dragging you in, we just need one more night at your home and we can complete our quest and give you a cut."
He started to slowly walk to the others as I stayed seated and after a moment I said loud enough to be heard
"My grandfather had a saying, what truly matters is that you move forward with purpose and heart, for its that leap of faith that we often find the greatest reward."
Jax and the others stopped and turned back where I was now facing them.
"So, what are you saying?"
Jax asked turning with a spark of hope in his eyes.
"I'm saying I know the rest of you are gonna need a lot of potions in the future."
Jax gave me a goofy grin as his tail wagged, and he asked
"In that case, Aiden Hollowcreek, would you like to join our adventuring team?"
I smiled as I could almost see the shell I had once been crack open as I stepped forward from my stagnant dream and into the horizon of possibility.
"You bet"
I said walking towards the group, internally hoping that everything goes well.
"um, what about me?"
Like a record getting grinded to a halt, we turned to Selene who stood to the side, sitting with her legs together in a polite and patient way on a rock across from us. Maybe it was some secret adventurer only telepathy or something, but I could practically feel that both Jax and I thought the same thing.
"We were so wrapped up in the drama of that we completely forgot about her."
We stood there for an awkward moment before Liora in an exasperated sigh turned to Selene.
"Do you want to be an adventurer?"
Selene nodded
"Do you still need your medicine Aiden mentioned?"
Selene nodded
"Are you willing to do a plate quest where you fight a Blood Trent?"
Selene nodded.
Liora threw her hands up in the air at this and turned as she already started up the path.
"It's that easy, now come on drama kings, it's getting dark, and we got a mountain to hike."
As we followed after Selene Jax leaned over, shifting Kaelen on his back.
"It wasn't too dramatic, right. It felt like a good balance to me."
"I think it was a good level of it, Selene, we wern't being too dramatic, right?"
I asked turning. Selene refused to meet my eyes as she quickly walked ahead nervously looking around as if trying to find an excuse instead of answering. Jax and I came to a stop as he shrugged and said.
"Well at least we know if adventuring doesn't work out, we can try theater."