The forest hung silent except for the faint crunch of broken branches and the soft hiss of leaves underfoot. Nug's sharp senses picked up every detail, the faintest smear of blood along the trail, dark and sticky, leading just ahead. His keen sense of smell confirmed it: this was Daku's blood, fresh and recent, a promise that he was close.
Next, he noticed the ripped pieces of cloth tangled among the foliage. They were faded, torn, and bloodstained. They were Daku's, Nug was certain. A cold knot tightened his stomach. Then he spotted the broken spear, jagged and discarded in the underbrush. It was the weapon Nug himself had seen Daku carry, the one Daku had fought to hold onto.
Nug's hands moved instinctively. His woodworking skills, polished through years of crafting and repairing, flowed into action. With a sharpened blade and trembling focus, he began to mend the broken spear. Wood creaked and splintered, but Nug's craftsmanship was precise. Soon, the muses said his skill with tools finally leveled up, now at level 7 in his Blacksmith class, a testament to his dedication and talent. The muses whispered of his growth, an echo of the skills he had gained from Avcoor's teachings. That of resilience and ingenuity.
In that moment of concentration, Nug's mind drifted, recalling the device he had been working on before he left the boys' army. A compass, crafted by his own hands, that could navigate through any terrain of Midgard. It was broken, sheared apart when he was attacked by monsters. It was lost in the chaos of life. So many followed his departure from the group. Nobody ever accepted him after that.
Yet now, amidst the broken wood and scattered leaves, Nug saw a fragment of that dream. With the right kind of wood, but lightweight, he might be able to mend it. He just needed to find it.
A moment of hope flickered within him, guiding his hands as he worked. His inner monologue echoed softly: If I fix this, I can find a way. I must find a way. The device, his guiding star, might yet lead him through this darkness.
But as Nug lifted his head, eyes narrowing, he saw the terrible truth firsthand. Daku was sprawled on the ground, trying desperately to push himself upright. Standing over him, towering like a living tree, was a colossal humanoid monster, an enormous Man Tree, its bark-ridged muscles rippling as it hunched, its branches lashing ominously. Its face was a crude, angry visage, rough bark for skin and glowing green eyes that seemed to see into Nug's soul.
The muses revealed his pixel and a brief sketch of his stats. It hovered on the edge of Nug's mind. Each being, each creature, had a class, a path that defined them, gave them strength. In this creature, Nug discerned its class: a humanoid monster. Complex, layered, suggesting it was a weakness to Chemists and Rogues, but Nug lacked those classes. The muses revealed their type: it was a Green type, a neutral element of earth with no particular weakness.
Nug's heart sank with the first exchange. Every strike he landed seemed barely to faze the beast. Its thick bark-like skin shrugged off his expertly aimed blows, the creature's strength barely diminished by his efforts. It was no ordinary monster; it was a tank, built for destruction, thriving in a class that naturally hindered Nug's Ranger skills. The Man Tree towered, its enormous limbs swinging with brutal force, each blow a reminder of Nug's helplessness.
He performed a quick Scan, memorizing the creature's stats. A high Attack and Defense Stat, which made his durability immense, with no weaknesses. A sense of despair crept in. What hope did he have against such a creature? His own body ached from the relentless assault, every hit sapping his vitality. His fists clenched in frustration, feeling the weight of his limitations and his inexperience against monsters with such raw power.
Just as the despair threatened to consume him, Gaia's voice brushed softly against his mind, her whisper like a breeze stirring the leaves. Daku is the key, she said. You must help him accept his orc heritage. Only then will you have the strength to defeat this beast.
Nug's eyes widened, a flicker of renewed purpose igniting within him. The weight of helplessness lifted slightly, and hope glimmered through despair. If he could reach Daku, coax him to trust himself, and embrace who he was, his strength, his blood, then perhaps they could turn the tide.
But time was running out, and the Man Tree loomed.
In the shadows of the forest, the wind carried Gaia's words—hammering home the truth that only by uniting their spirits could they face this impossible foe. Nug steadied himself, adrenaline coursing anew, as he prepared to make one last desperate attempt to reach Daku and turn their fate around.