Synexus did dream from time to time, but normally it was a memory. It could be his mother’s memory or a memory of his time with the Branch but tonight was different. The peaceful sleep had induced a dream of his mother, but it wasn’t about her goodbye. It was about how she would see him today. She was sad that she wouldn’t see the person he would become and for a long time he thought that would just be a boring nobody who dreamed of adventure. Now, he was somebody. He had power, however minimal it was. He was an adventurer out on the journey of a lifetime. He was a Progress Druid. Would that make her proud?

  In the dream she cried again, but this time she was happy. Her smile lit up the room and her eyes glistened in the beautiful mirror-like silver like his own. She told him how incredibly proud she was of who he became and who he had yet to become. He was growing like one of his plants and he’d be amazing.

  A noise startled him awake and out of the best dream he’d ever had. He realized his cheeks were wet with his silver tears but couldn’t dwell on that when whatever had woken him was getting closer. Grabbing his gear and wiping his cheek, he ran towards the noise.

  What he found was a group of people watching a girl around his age fight a monster. It was a walking figure almost like the silhouette of a massive gorilla but made of what seemed to be rock dust.

  Synexus snuck as close as he could without alerting the group that was watching the battle. All these people were in full armor that looked brand new. The weapons hanging from their waists were magical and looked expensive. That’s when he looked down at himself and realized how much of a mess his clothes were. One pant leg was completely gone due to the spiders, and his shirt had a ton of small holes from the razor thin projectiles. He looked unapproachable, but that did not stop the group from doing so.

  He didn’t even notice the approaching footsteps while he was contemplating going back to the waterfall for a quick rinse. The tip of the sword in his face was what caught his eye. The man holding the sword had deep tanned skin and dark brown hair. His face had a scar across the cheek which Synexus had to look up to see since the man was at least six and a half feet tall.

  The man spoke in a grumble, “Slowly put your hands up and stand up. If I see you even attempt to use a skill, you will die where you are.”

  Synexus did as he was told to avoid conflict. Once he was standing, he said, “I assure you I mean no harm. I was asleep and was awoken by the noise of this battle. Realizing someone could be in trouble, I ran to see if I could help.”

  “Who are you then? And what is your business in these woods?” the man questioned in a stern grumble.

  “My name is Synexus. I’m making my way from the Branch settlement to the coastal city of Gale.”

  “The Branch, hmm? Interesting. Well, if you cooperate, I’ll put down my sword and we can walk over to the others. I’m sure our leader will have some more questions for you.”

  Synexus nodded in agreement and followed the man back to the others. He was nervous, but it wasn’t because they were armed, it was because this is the most humans he had ever encountered at one time. What if he said the wrong thing? Or found out he was awkward. The Branch found him outgoing and fun to be around, but these were humans.

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  “Lord Ahae, I found this one over in that bush. He claims to be coming from the Branch settlement and he’s heading for Gale.” The guard spoke for Synexus like he wasn’t even there.

  Lord Ahae looked him up and down before saying, “He is obviously telling the truth. Look at his clothes, he had to have been out in the wilderness for days fighting any beast that crossed him. Then look at his armor. It’s clearly Branch armor, Laroy.”

  The guard, Laroy, looked at Synexus like he was scanning him and then spoke, “Uhh, if you say so my Lord.”

  “I am Ahae Kaze, and I’m the lord of the village known as Whisper. What is your name traveller?”

  “Synexus, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “You will address him as lord” Laroy said forcefully.

  “That’s quite alright, Laroy. He’s obviously startled to find such a large group of guards out here in the woods.” Turning back to Synexus he continued, “What business do you have in Gale?”

  “I was raised by the Branch and now that I chose my class, the Elder suggested I take a journey to learn this world. I’m making my way to Gale to find a ship to carry me across the sea.”

  “Raised by the Branch? How curious. I thought they hated all beings made of flesh and blood.”

  “They have an aversion, this is true, but they are kind to anyone. I was there my whole life pretty much and they treated me as one of their own, my lord.”

  “Well, I can’t argue with that. I’ve personally never met them, even though their settlement is only a few days from here.” He turned back to the fight, but continued to speak, “That’s my daughter Kumo. She also just received her class, so we are out here helping her get some levels under her belt. She doesn’t really need our help as you can see, but I don’t want anything to happen to her. Then there’s the Branch sending you across the world to find yourself.” He shook his head before asking a rhetorical question, “Have I been too protective?”

  Synexus stared at the battle in silence thinking about the things he would do against the rock monster. His sword might be useless when the monster was in its dust form, but it would be able to cut when in its solid form. The tactic would probably be to wait out its transformation. That or he would use Accelerated Growth on some leech moss to throw on the monster and hope the dust couldn’t phase through it.

  Leech Moss (common): This moss feeds on mana when in contact with any living being. The longer it stays in contact, the faster the drain becomes.

  That had been growing in the deep forest, and he felt it’d be useful, so he grabbed quite a bit. He also really wanted to use Gene Editing to see if he could change the drain to both health and mana, but that was a project for later.

  Kumo had been using some kind of wind skills on the creature, and it was quite the sight to behold. She could manifest air into cloud blades or obscure her movements in a thick fog. It was quite impressive to watch, and the monster didn’t hold out for much longer.

  After the fight she sat down while her father and one of the others in the group gave her some notes on her fighting. She looked bored, and Synexus could tell she didn’t want to be watched this closely. That was one thing he always had, freedom.

  A few minutes passed and he noticed that she kept looking over at him as her father was speaking. Synexus didn’t like the thought that they were talking about him, but he couldn’t help but make eye contact with her. Her eyes were storm cloud gray which was a first for him. Most humans he met had brown, black, or blue eyes in different variations. On top of that, her hair was light sky blue and that complimented her eyes to the point that he stared for a little too long. It was like his mind wandered into the gray and couldn’t find its way back out, until her father brought him back to reality by asking him to come over to them.

  Synexus slowly approached, not sure what he was supposed to say. He still wasn’t sure if he’d gain social acceptance. Luckily, Ahae Kaze broke the silence. “This is Synexus, he’s travelling by himself to Gale to board a ship and start the adventure of a lifetime. You will be going with him.”

  They both looked at each other, before turning to her father and saying, “What?”