The fading body of the young boy grew more and more as time passed the longer it took.
Thankfully, right now was the weekend and Cale wouldn't suddenly be 'cleaned' spotless, so there was still a lot of time left, just not enough that would make one breath a sigh of relief out.
'Why is this the shortcut damn it'
Currently Iye was at the 'pelvis' of the Sabe, she needed to reach the head of the forest, but she also needed to cross the 'heart' the strongest organ that continually pumps 'blood' to every crevice and vein of the body.
'I need to be quick before the baby from that platys is born'
At best, only an hour remained before birth.
She kept walking the 'vein' to the 'heart', movements delicate and careful, missing poisonous plants by an inch, making small detours to avoid paralytic fog and even hiding high up in a hole that seemed to be punctured by a woodpecker, the space inside of said tree big enough for a family of four to house it easily. Shortly after awaiting for potential danger to pass Iye moved after a wildfire occurred in the vicinity.
The branches twirled upwards in a spiral like staircase format, creating a rather peculiar shape otherwise impossible for normal trees.
'So it does connect, that encyclopedia proves to be still useful even in these times'
Following the giant branches, it eventually overlapped with another Ohrn Tree's branch, below the branches a thick fog flooded the ground, every creature that required breathing to survive remained paralyzed in place, unable to even shed tears of fear as they get eaten by the 'Oksi'. Creatures of the shadows that only attack at your weakest moment, this environment marked as their playground.
'At least it is somewhat balanced'
If the Ohrn trees did not exist within the 'stomach' of the Sabe, it would have been deadly and hard to even consider this as a route worth taking at all.
The poisonous fog served as the sole proof as to why it garnered difficulty to traverse the stomach. A spray bottle exactly like the one Iye used might have some sort of effect.
'But that is like telling me to sew my mouth shut'
The spray bottle she had struck out as a very convenient item so Iye kept it on her person 24/7, but it could not be the sole silver hope even if useful.
[SPRAY AWAY THE POISON THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO HAVE DIARRHEA EVERY TWO SECONDS. NOW AT A LIFETIME DISCOUNT OF 38% OF ITS ORIGANAL PRICE]
"They couldn't have used a better label? Well it hooked me so I guess it worked?"
It felt like a scam when reading it but it proved to be very effective against bees, wasps, mosquitos and even deadly poisonous snakes.
Iye took a piece of old parchment from her bosom. Elegant calligraphy making it so hard to make out that she had to squint to read it.
[๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐พ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐.๐น๐๐๐: ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ '๐ฎ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐' -๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐]
The last lines left even Iye stunned, she didn't experience the 'Clause Events' herself but the way everyone gossiped about it, truly shook her to the core when first hearing about it.
'I just have to pass this and get to the edge of the area, its less crowded there even if it borders to the habitat of the platys'
"Anyway, this spray bottle only works when the target is either poisoned or poisonous itself, if it isn't either it burns you instead"
Premise and reason why it existed in the first place were simple, but Iye found an interesting fact trying it out.
'It weakens poisoned blood and drinks it to sustain its solidifying, surprisingly delaying the effects of the poison from an estimated minute to days'
Taking something in order to do something, like payment.
"Shit"
Iye stared at the wildfire inching closer, a burning bird hovered above the inferno, its form remaining a silhouette in the blazing tornado.
Air burned and made breathing feel like torture, glancing at the swaying giant branch a glint of hesitation showed but eventually she leaped and pounced at it, the spiral branch was climbed down in an instant, at times Cale's weight made Iye lose her balance but she still made it safelyย to the other hole of the Ohrn tree a woodpecker dug out, smaller and more compact than the one she sat in beforehand.
'Because of this walking disaster, it's making my life harder by forcing me to hide in a hole like an insect'
By now, she should have already been to the 'edge' or at least close to it, but Iye purposefully slowed herself down due to the inferno swirling towards her.
'It's kind of crazy to think that this is the quickest and safest route to take now that I am here with my own two feet'
Other riskier paths did present themselves, but not worth the overall trouble it would cause to take.
'They also take too much preparation just to ensure you won't die in the first two hours'
And what do you know? They whipped Iye into this kind of place completely unprepared!
'I could have at least taken my bloodline equipment but nope. I just had to take this adopted animal for resurrection because if I don't he'll disappear the next day'
Soon enough, she reached the hole that she decided to nestle in for an hour and gently placed Cale's corpse inside like how cults would offer a sacrifice to their evil god.
Only the 'god' here to be.
GididiGuk!
Digigi!
Gugugugu!
"Ah"
A bunch of Oksi, bipedal creatures that had the head of an extinct Dire wolf, arms like a Bear's and tusks like a baby Elephant, its legs oddly human and feet like a platypus.
Truly, an image so defile and cursed even Natura herself said she'd never go and make something like this on a whim again.
"We cool?"
'Yeah sure!'ย Is the usual response to humans, so what about the Oksi?
Well, they have a very amazing greeting to first timers, first they bend their heads unnaturally sideways.
Crack!
Check.
They also apparently stick out their long tongue that is always lubricated and coated in their very, very paralytic saliva and apply that to their claws for God knows what reason, knock a platys out cold, the silhouette inside the inferno and basically anything and everything that has a heart pumping blood in their system.
And the best part? They have the lowest tolerance to poison, so the Oksi in irony paralyze themselves to their predators and prey alike.
"Aha, so I'll get going and you three can have whatever orgy party is going on here, 'kay?"
Fuck you
"...."
'They speak English?'
Speech was not mentioned in the encyclopedia, nor the fact they could swear.
The three Oksi readied themselves for wrestle. Iye equally readied herself in kind.
The inferno inched closer and closer, prompting Iye to finish her business quickly and shelter herself.