The First Cultivator

Hamal and Gerald listened to their entire idea; other than safety concerns, they agreed to help. Hamal knew where some smuggling tunnels were. He'd been using them rather frequently since the crisis began. They could use those tunnels to leave the city undetected. He even had a few weapons they could use. Gerald would get a wagon from his father. He would take it out of the front gate, meeting them on the other side. The rest was up to Azura. The others wanted to join her in the forest, but as their mana pools weren't awakened, they couldn't control their bodies' mana. The dense ambient mana would poison them as it leaked into their pools. Azura was on her own.

Azura tried not to think about what she was doing as she rode on the cart, the city growing farther behind her. She didn't want to consider what her mother would do once she found out. Perhaps dying in the forest would be less painful.

The mana forest wasn't too far from the city, about an hour's walk. The city was founded here because of the nearby mana forest. Such locales were a massive resource for mages. Yet the perils of entering such a place ensure few ever dare such a venture. Azura suppressed her fear as they drew closer.

Soon, a living wall came into view. It was an abrupt change from the landscape around Azura's group. A clear boundary denoting the change in mana density. The area surrounding the city was a fertile plain with a few scattered trees. The Mana Forest was just that, a thick forest with trees unlike any other. First was the colors. Vibrant colors of the rainbow were scattered randomly throughout the entire forest. It was like a child dumping a paint collection over the world. Some grasses were a typical green, while others were blue, next to a patch of yellow and orange. It was random, without reason. The trees were no better, with alternating colors on each leaf. Oddly, the plant life didn't reach for the sky but leaned inward toward the center as if reaching for the source of the mana. Azura gulped as the group stood on the precipice. Perhaps this hadn't been such a good idea after all.

"You don't have to do this," Toren said.

"I do." Azura picked up a spear and a knife that Hamal had procured.

"We'll be here if you need us. Just yell," Gerald said.

Azura nodded. She took a deep breath and inverted her mana pool. Then stepped across the threshold.

Instantly, all outside sound ceased. The wind, her friends, the creaking of the cart. It was gone so fast that she spun around, expecting the area behind her to be empty. Instead, they sat there looking at her. Toren's mouth moved, but no sound came out. She gave him a slight nod. She dried her sweaty hands on her trousers before heading deeper in. As she went, new sounds started. The shrill cry of insects from all directions. The squawking of birds that sounded like they were the size of dragons. Below it all was the constant hum of mana that was more felt than heard. As she went deeper, the sounds grew louder all around, and Azura made the tactical decision to bolt up the nearest tree. She stumbled a bit as she climbed, not having practiced using the claws on her paws in such a way before. Her human hands were good for grasping at least, and soon enough, she was standing atop a thick branch. The trees were so tightly packed that she found it easy to move from one tree to another.

As she went, Azura started to relax slightly. This wasn't so bad. Perhaps the mages were exaggerating about the dangers. It could be all… Azura froze. Her body froze. Her mind froze. The only thing loose was her bladder, which, luckily, hadn't allowed things to flow yet. Below her was a … thing. There was no other way to describe it. It loosely resembled a fish that had crossed with a cow that was wearing a porcupine skin. And it was HUGE! The damn thing was nearly as big as their cart.

Azura remained frozen as the beast shuffled along, leaving a path of destruction behind it. She breathed a small sigh of relief as the creature moved out of sight, but refused to move for another five minutes. Once her heart rate finally lowered below that of a hummingbird, she went on, but far more carefully.

Another ten minutes passed, and she was about to give up when she saw something promising. A boar. Well, close enough to one. It had tusks, but unlike its less magical counterparts, this one had some scaled hide. And it was big. Everything in this damn forest was, but this was manageable… probably. It was roughly the same size as her. Azura doubted she would find anything easier. Quietly, she moved along the canopy till she was above the beast who was feasting on a mushroom. She took a deep breath, then quietly dropped down, spear point leading the way.

Once she was near enough, Azura thrust the spear down with all her mana-infused strength, adding to the momentum of the fall. For a brief moment, she wondered what she would do if the spear point broke on the creature's hide. Would she have time to escape? The question was moot as the spear pierced the beast's neck. The crimson point burst out the other side, impaling itself deep into the mushroom the boar was messily consuming. It was so thoroughly pinned that the beast tore open its own throat as it instinctively pulled back. The beast's lifeblood spilled out, decorating the mushroom in a fresh coat of crimson. The creature gave a final twitch before collapsing to the ground. Blinking, Azura stared stupidly at the body for a second, unable to believe how easy it had been. Quickly, she looked around, convinced that this was the part where some boss monster emerged. Well, at least that's how the stories often went. She waited for several more heartbeats, and nothing happened besides some bugs deciding to land on the fresh kill.

Not wanting the creature from before to find her or anything similar, she retrieved her spear and hefted the corpse. Grimacing at the mana draw, she hurried toward the exit, dragging her prey behind her. Her only chance was to move as quickly as possible. If anything found her, she would have to fight or leave her kill.

Azura's luck held as she managed to exit the mana forest without issue. She dropped the boar when she crossed the boundary, panting heavily as her friends rushed to her.

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"Azura, are you hurt?" Toren called.

"Bloody shits!" Hamal exclaimed. "Look at the size of that fucker."

Gerald gave an impressed grunt as he hefted the kill toward the cart. He was having a much harder time than she had.

"I'm okay," Azura said, trembling slightly as she collapsed. She did it. She fucking did it! She wanted to laugh or cry. Azura wasn't sure which.

"We can head back now," Toren said as he watched her shake. "That should be more than enough."

"Wait," Azura said, getting to her feet. A quick mental check showed that she had exhausted about a fifth of her mana. Not bad. The higher quality of her mana made it last much longer. She didn't want to come out more than once a week. She would have to recover her exhausted mana each time before she could cultivate again. No, she needed more.

"I'm not done yet," Azura said firmly.

"We can come back tomorrow," Toren said.

"Azura's right," Hamal argued. "The more we do this, the higher the risk."

Not wasting time as the evening wore on, Azura plunged back into the mana forest.

***

Two times. Two more times, she ranged into the mana forest without issue. Next, she brought back the mushrooms that the boar had been eating. She had to tear it from the ground as it was as thick as a mid-size tree. She made a mental note to bring an axe next time. Then she found something that resembled a raccoon but with crab-like pincers. A quick spear thrust, and it was dead. The trouble arose on the third and final expedition, when she discovered the eggs. The problem was that she wasn't the only one.

She stumbled across the nest as she leaped to a rather sturdy branch nearly as thick as she was tall. She had almost landed on them in the low light. The eggs were dark brown and almost the size of her head. Visions of massive omelets danced in her mind. She didn't know where the mommy bird was and didn't care. She just picked up one egg when she saw it. A flash of movement in the corner of her eye that most certainly wasn't the dancing omelet. Turning, Azura's eyes went wide, her legs going weak. A snake. This wasn't a little critter you had to worry about stepping on. This thing was massive. It was larger than her house. The damn thing was easily big enough to swallow her whole. Surprised, she did the only things she could think of. Scream and throw the egg in her hand.

The scream wasn't an effective weapon. The egg, however, caused the snake to flinch back as the egg shattered, smearing yolk over the serpent's face. That was enough for Azura. As far as she was concerned, the only thing worse than snakes was spiders. Azura bolted across the canopy. The trees became a blur as she rushed out, but the crashing behind her told her that she wasn't alone. A glance back showed the serpent deftly following, the trees trembling at its passage.

"SHIT!!!" Azura hollered as she dropped from the canopy, the snake's mouth snapping shut where she was moments ago. The thunder of the snapping jaws rattled the leaves. The tree shattered from the impact of the serpent as its momentum carried it forward. The top half toppled as Azura ran on, not daring to look back.

After four minutes of frantic chasing, Azura burst out of the mana forest, gasping. Her friends were some distance away, running toward her. Undoubtedly, the stupid reptile would give up... right? Azura swore as she dived to the side as the serpent broke through, plowing through the dirt where she had previously rested. Her friends hollered and drew weapons as Azura scrambled away in an awkward tumble, finally getting a good look at her pursuer.

The serpent was a bright yellow, with emerald eyes and two horns protruding from its head. Most disturbingly, its underbelly wasn't that of a snake. Hands. Countless hands lined the entire underside of the creature as they grasped the ground, pulling it along.

"Gross," Azura said, feeling nauseous. The only good news was that the creature seemed to move more slowly on the open ground. Probably less for those hands to grasp.

Azura considered running away when a bolt sank into the creature's side. Both she and the serpent turned as Toren struggled to reload the crossbow. Gerald, next to him, held a rather sizeable two-headed axe at the ready. Hamal was more direct, flinging several throwing knives that bounced off the creature's hide. The serpent gave a furious hiss and turned from Azura to the bigger prey.

The others shouted as the serpent bore down on them. Unsure what to do, Azura chased the creature, leaping on its back. It didn't even notice. It did notice when she drove the spear into its flank. With a hiss, the creature thrashed about, tossing Azura off. The spear's shaft splintered from the creature's movement. Azura was still tumbling as the creature turned toward her, its jaws wide. Off balance from the toss, Azura did the only thing she could think of and seized the top and bottom of the maw. The strain was incredible, and Azura felt her mana usage surge as she held the maw apart. The serpent, undaunted, pushed her backward, her paws leaving deep furrows in the ground. The pair stopped several yards back. Each opponent straining against the other at a momentary stalemate. That was until the axe descended.

Gerald was not as strong as Azura when her body was augmented by magic. None of them were. But he was a bear-kin and large for his age. The blow buried itself deep into the creature's back. The serpent's head rocketed upward at the sudden pain, dragging Azura with it. Azura shrieked as her feet left the ground. She nearly lost her grip as she was tossed about. Desperate, Azura, against all reason, pivoted her body so her legs were in the creature's mouth and began cat-kicking. Her claws carved deeply into the creature's mouth, shredding the flesh. A torrent of blood-soaked Azura. She turned to head, spitting out a mouthful of blood as she kept kicking. Gross.

***

The creature wasn't having any more fun than Azura was. What had started as an easy snack had become a lesson in agony. Little creatures were cutting fissures into its side, and the one in its mouth was cutting it deeply. This had indeed been a mistake. Who would have guessed something so small could be so ferocious? The creature turned and began heading back to its mana-rich home. It would spit out the annoying snack and crush it before swallowing, this time, when something changed. The kicking pest had reached something important in its head. The serpent had a fleeting moment where it wondered why everything smelled like strawberries before it collapsed, its brain the victim of Azura's claws. Its last semi-lucent thought was that the thing in its mouth tasted like urine.

***

Azura was sliding out of the serpent's maw, trying not to vomit in disgust, when a familiar hand reached down to help her. Toren gave a mighty heave as Gerald lifted the head slightly. Soon, she could look at the massive creature with her friends. Toren wrinkled his nose.

"Did you wet yourself?"

"N, no…" Azura replied.

"You did! You totally did!" Toren cried.

"I'm soaked in its saliva and blood," Azura replied haughtily.

"Is that any better?" Hamal asked. "Besides, it might be me you're smelling. Damn near soiled myself also."

Gerald nodded as he held the axe before himself. A faint blush could be seen in his ears.

"Fine," Toren said, and Azura noticed that the front of his trousers was suspiciously moist.

They all looked at each other and began to laugh.