A new "day" had dawned on them.
...Did I miss something?
He gently raised his leg, inspecting the vine hugging his feet before setting his foot back in place. He looked forth noting that each student had their own slender partner with them. She continued,
"... so that's why I've decided to mix things up a bit, we're going to have our neat little crash course inside one of these bad boys right behind me,"
Elliptic and thrumming with energy, the emerald shaded gate poured forth a beautiful green upon the patch of yellowed grass that lay before it. She called the attention back to her as she proceeded on,
"you're to be issued with a book, once you get in, try to get a feel for what you may find in there. The better you try, the better for you and also to tackle the issue with the Potions professor, I have made a small change that is possible to be graded while still doing the task I've given you, but, if you would still like to know more about potions, her lab is open to all plus we really need more product, the more, the merrier, ...any questions?"
"..."
"Alright then... yes?"
"... C... Can we move in groups, Mrs. Karina?"
The bespectacled boy was able to blurt out the words under the pressure of all those stares. She looked on to the crowd locking in on key faces before answering,
"Do you have anyone in mind?"
"Yes," he answered meekly.
"... then hurry and pair up with them, we're losing time."
The field silent, traced his steps as he walked over and stood beside the recently trending duo. He sheepishly waved at them, Seiza recognizing him with a nod and Aluri with a joyful whisper,
"Hello there! "
The crowd snickered at the interaction. Mrs. Karina, stretching out her beautifully crafted arm in grace sent her leafy companions to work. From within the brown box propped up on a large leaf besides her, sprouted a tree, of sorts. In mere seconds, the branches covered over the field, engulfing all of the students present under its expansive foliage. Looking up, the students reached for the "fruits" firmly held up by a network of tiny branchlets spanning across the fruit's upper half. A little tug and they let free. Once each got his own share, as quick as the tree sprouted so did it retreat back into its beige confines, leaving behind a sweet scent hanging in the atmosphere surrounding them.
"Harmony in Nature,"
She concluded the enigmatic phrase with a clap signaling the genesis of the main event. Park felt a familiar pain ascend his arm.
"Good thing I came prepared...,"
He paused for a moment as he flipped onto the first page. Silently scanning through the neat pages, he closed it up and headed for the portal. Her glossy, black eyes watched him as he walked to, into and onwards to the venue within.
"..."
"... this quest book is cherished property of one, Mrs. Karina and Madam Velena, once done with, please return it to the respective owner/owner(s). Thank you and Good Luck, Harmony in Nature."
"... and there is an Endtree's flower with...,"
"... I think that looks like wind?"
"Yes, thank you Sarou."
Aluri beamed, signing approval to him.
"It looks like...,"
"... we've been split from the rest, oh yes! the obvious!"
Durhma's crowd laughed at the person's expense who locked eyes with another, geared to pounce on him.
"... not now, Ax, now we need to think about doing something more important, plus getting our work done because books are stupid...,"
"Kekeke,"
"... we need to look for a particular group of people to explain something to us, might as well be able to do our work for us,"
"Kekeke... Nerds... Kekeke...," their brains overlapped with only chaos, twisted their faces with disturbing bliss.
"... hah, it seems we're down by quite a number,"
His indifference made them slightly shudder; did he already forget the horrifying screams that erupted from within the burning corpses? The nauseating smell that clung onto their clothes? Inhumanely charred bodies? Nothing?
"There are wannabes who have been trying to make a name for themselves,"
"..."
"Ah, yeah! the one with the kid who talks a lot and eats trash...,"
"..."
"... though I don't know they felt a bit different this morning while we were assembled, quite some vigor they had to them... ok, now I want them,"
How easily replaceable they were, they silently stood in wait anticipating their usual cursed orders. Meanwhile elsewhere,
"There she is!"
An inversion of her friend's glacial white complexion and black eyes, the dark-skinned Velena skipped over to Karina, liquid thrashing against its skin-like cage. Her glossy, milky eyes, although incapable of expression, always somehow pulled it off once she saw her dear elf. She came to a stop, right where Karina was, plopping down on a soft, flower-like construct that had been prepared for her. She could feel the fatigue drain from her as she gently glid her immaculate fingers across the breadth of the petals. It was everything she could ever wish...,
"Ahem?"
... for.
"... mmm, the left one,"
She said as she handed over the dark pouch to Karina. Karina blissfully shook the container, the sloshing liquids within making her eager to down it right away and so she reached for the cap, ritually twisting the runic top hearing a plop and that characteristic fizz. A fresh, cool scent escaping from within the darkness "spoke" to her,
"What did you get?"
It "spoke" in tandem with Velena. Karina motioned her to wait as she graced her tongue with the first sip. The maddeningly delicious fruity flavor drew her in into her first gulp, she almost cried.
"... it's that good, huh,"
"My gift for this wonderful chair you got me, and once you're done crying for that, I'd like you to cry for a few more...," Velena said as she tapped a ring that she had on her index.
"... it sounded better in my head...,"
"..."
"... H... Harmony in Nature."
"..."
[Puncture wound detected, a Puzzle Piece rids you of the pain equally increasing resistance in the index area and your whole being.]
I've been poking around for a while now...
[... Level up!]
... tough crowd.
[Enough vividity has stirred awake a new Puzzle Piece. New information will be now accessible to the user.]
[Existing Puzzle Piece has vaguely recalled its past memories, increasing the rate of the Piece's skill. Mastery has increased, 0.05 --- 0.010.]
"Hmm...,"
[Congratulations! The first plant, Milk Berry has been recorded within the new Puzzle Piece. Additional external information boosts Its vaguely returning memories. Mastery has increased, 0.000 --- 0.0050.]
Where is the extra coming from...
!... So, this is how it's being used!
[Your resistance has greatly increased; The First Puzzle Piece has drastically recalled more of its past memories.]
[The First Law of the ----- Print is strongly in effect.]
The raging flames within, gave out at the powerful command of the unique skill. The interface was brushed to a close by a leaf he gently pushed away from his path,
"Power's painful...,"
Ripha was last to emerge from within the green, walking over to the other three, he fidgeted his clawed hands over the tawny face of his quest book, he didn't have quite the time like the others had,
"So much rage,"
"You've been looking, saying and making all types of weird faces ever since we got here and don't you think they would show rage only if we cut down the trees or something,"
...
Isn't something usually supposed to happen...
The universe heard his plea, cutting the silence short with a beautifully timed bang that shook the entire forest to its roots. Lily whistled out a tune, disappearing behind some shrubs. Gionne winced in pain calling forth the splitting of greenery only to witness Lily holding her paw trying to shake off the starry menace that had lodged itself right through.
"That looks like the... Death Star,"
"..."
"..."
Like a mosquito, but much worse...
"My Oh. So. Beautiful. Luck, Wow it's in there real good...,"
"... why isn't anyone helping, and what's with the grim faces... am I actually going to die?"
Of frustration maybe.
Her owner took one for the team, with blessed intelligence he calmly explained the kind of morbid situation to Lily,
"You may have stepped on a wildcard...,"
"Ok, just a minute...,"
Lily cockily turned into her red, misty form thinking how she easily bested the insignificant,
"WHY IS IT GROWING?! WHY IS IT GROWING?! WHY IS IT GROWING?!" she hurriedly assumed her feline appearance,
"Wait!"
A crunch was heard as she landed back on all fours.
"..."
"So, on a scale of 1-10...,"
"20."
Could I help them? Of course, at the expense of looking weird.