After a few days of travelling, the group finally returned to the cave as they walked through the tunnels after the Creature gave them permission to enter.
The deer bowed in the centre of the fleshy cave as it slid the still unconscious shadow on the fleshy floor, the herd followed as they also dropped the unconscious puppets on the floor.
The Creature looked at the puppet and spoke "You seem to have been injured quite a bit, is this individual the reason?" The creature wrote and the puppet replied after reading "yes master, I am unsure of their intentions but they seemed to be overly cautious and kept on saying something about us being the men of someone and attacked us for the same reason i believe there is something they know for such caution".
The creature looked at the unconscious figure and used the panel but the panel this time was different.
[Error, the details cannot be shown as the system is unable to determine their identity pls submit a blood sample to unlock further details about the individual]
The creature nodded as it extracted a bit of blood from the open wounds on the body of the shadow and submitted, the blood evaporated into steam as the panel appeared once more.
[Organism: Human
Identity: Unknown
Realm: Genesis I
Skills: Cloud Step, Metor Sword, Imperfect sword Series
Charecteristics: Unable to show ]
The creature read and nodded as it wrote"Take him to the side of the cave and heal him, also heal the puppets I will give them a mission later on but for now they may take a break", the deer read and bowed as it followed it's command.
The large deer lifted the shadow and took them to the corner of the cave where it casted a light healing spell, the creature used it's revitalize to heal the wounds of the puppets as the puppet rose and spoke "thank you master" but the creature didn't move and spoke "As the army grows so does responsibilities, as such I will give you the name of Blade you are my blade and cut what I tell you to, now train those puppets and they require training to get better otherwise unlike today where they only got injured they would one day be killed and their death will harm our overall strength".
Blade bowed as it signalled all the other puppets and spoke "Master has given the order, everyone who is healed will now follow me to the surface I will begin your training officially, you must get stronger to protect the master from invaders" and the puppets nodded as they all rushed behind Blade to begin training.
After a few minutes, while the creature was engrossed in looking at the stats of his puppets, a sudden light killing intent rose from Blade's side so the creature stopped his work and controlled the flesh.
Outside, while blade was busy teaching the other puppets he felt a killing intent but his sword was far away and he knew by the time he held it, it would be too late so he rushed to turn but suddenly the flesh in his back rushed up as it held the shadow from all sides causing it to yell in surprise.
"Bring them inside Blade, I wanna talk to this fellow" a message echoed in Blade's Head as he nodded as walked back into the cave where he used the flesh to drop the shadow.
The shadow tried to flee again but the ground trapped his feet causing the shadow to stumble and barely balance themselves, it moved and looked at Blade "where the hell am I you bastard?!" But blade didn't respond to the provocation as he spoke "silence, my master has something to speak with you so you better co-operate".
The fleshy cave felt cooler and damper than usual after the long days of travel. The tunnels leading in were narrow at first, the walls pulsing softly with the creature's living flesh, faint wet sounds echoing as the group moved deeper. The mutated deer led the way, its hooves making soft thuds on the organic floor. The rest of the herd followed closely, carrying the injured puppets on their backs with careful steps so none would slip. The unconscious shadow lay limp across the deer's broad back, its breathing shallow and uneven, the faint metallic smell of dried blood still clinging to its clothes.
When they reached the main chamber, the deer stopped in the centre and bowed its head low, antlers nearly touching the fleshy ground. With a gentle motion it slid the shadow off its back, letting the body land softly on the soft, warm floor. The other deer in the herd did the same, dropping the unconscious puppets one by one with quiet thumps. The puppets lay still, their wooden bodies cracked and splintered in places, dark energy still leaking slowly from the deeper wounds.
The creature, sitting deeper in the cave, turned its attention to the lead puppet. It wrote slowly on the nearest wall, the letters glowing faintly against the flesh. "You seem to have been injured quite a bit, is this individual the reason?"
The puppet read the words carefully and replied in a tired voice, "yes master, I am unsure of their intentions but they seemed to be overly cautious and kept on saying something about us being the men of someone and attacked us for the same reason i believe there is something they know for such caution."
The creature stared at the unconscious figure for a long moment, the fleshy walls around them pulsing slightly as if sensing the tension. It summoned the panel, but this time the usual clear information didn't appear. Instead, a cold error message floated in its mind.
[Error, the details cannot be shown as the system is unable to determine their identity pls submit a blood sample to unlock further details about the individual]
The creature nodded calmly. It reached out with a tendril of flesh and carefully extracted a small amount of blood from one of the shadow's open wounds. The blood lifted into the air, then evaporated into thin steam as the panel updated itself.
[Organism: Human
Identity: Unknown
Realm: Genesis I
Skills: Cloud Step, Metor Sword, Imperfect sword Series
Charecteristics: Unable to show ]
The creature read the limited information and nodded again. It wrote on the wall clearly, "Take him to the side of the cave and heal him, also heal the puppets I will give them a mission later on but for now they may take a break."
The deer read the command and bowed deeply once more, its antlers dipping low. It followed the order without hesitation. The large deer lifted the unconscious shadow again, carrying it gently to a quieter corner of the fleshy cave. There it focused its nature energy and cast a soft light healing spell. Gentle green light spread over the shadow's body, slowly closing the worst gashes and easing the heavy bleeding. At the same time, the creature used its own Revitalize skill, sending warm waves of energy toward the injured puppets. Their cracks began to mend with quiet grinding sounds, wooden pieces knitting back together as strength slowly returned.
One of the puppets rose first, its body still stiff but functional. It looked toward the creature and spoke gratefully, "thank you master."
The creature didn't move much but wrote again, "As the army grows so does responsibilities, as such I will give you the name of Blade you are my blade and cut what I tell you to, now train those puppets and they require training to get better otherwise unlike today where they only got injured they would one day be killed and their death will harm our overall strength."
Blade bowed low, the new name settling over it like a heavy weight. It signalled to all the other puppets with a sharp gesture and spoke in a firm voice, "Master has given the order, everyone who is healed will now follow me to the surface I will begin your training officially, you must get stronger to protect the master from invaders."
The puppets nodded eagerly, their wooden bodies creaking as they stood. They all rushed behind Blade, moving quickly toward the cave entrance to start the training session outside.
After a few minutes, while the creature was engrossed in looking at the stats of its growing puppet army, a sudden light killing intent rose from Blade's side. The creature stopped its work immediately and took control of the surrounding flesh.
Outside the cave, Blade was busy teaching the other puppets basic stances and movements when it suddenly felt the sharp killing intent directed at its back. Its sword was still far away, leaning against a tree from earlier. Blade knew that by the time it reached the weapon, it would be too late. It rushed to turn around, skeletal frame moving fast, but before it could fully react, the fleshy ground beneath it surged upward. Thick strands of living flesh shot up from Blade's back and wrapped tightly around the shadow from all sides, holding it in place. The shadow yelled in surprise, struggling hard against the sudden restraint.
"Bring them inside Blade, I wanna talk to this fellow," a clear message echoed directly inside Blade's head.
Blade nodded without hesitation and walked back into the cave, using the controlled flesh to carry the struggling shadow. Once inside, it released the hold, dropping the shadow onto the fleshy floor with a soft thud.
The shadow tried to flee again right away, feet scrambling for purchase, but the ground beneath it suddenly trapped its feet, fleshy roots wrapping around the ankles and holding firm. The shadow stumbled forward, barely managing to balance itself. It turned angrily and glared at Blade. "where the hell am I you bastard?!"
Blade didn't respond to the provocation at all. It stayed calm and spoke evenly, "silence, my master has something to speak with you so you better co-operate."
The shadow's eyes narrowed, breathing still heavy from the sudden capture, the fleshy cave pulsing softly around them as the creature prepared to begin the conversation.