Surviving the Lock Keeper's Game

009- Strange plants, and even stranger people

“What the fuck are you?” Corey marvels, stretching his arm to touch the leaves. Some are green, and some are pink. The tree bends out of reach, and giggles. Stunning Corey even more. “It can laugh. Amazing.”

He took a picture to store in his memory.

NewAge: ELDRIS EYES IS A LITERAL NAME FOR THE PLANTS THAT RESIDE NEXT TO THE TOWN. THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO SUCK AND DRAG ANYONE INTO THEIR FOREST TO FEAST ON THEIR BONES, NOT FLESH.

THEY HAVE A BAD REACTION TO CERTAIN CRITERIA OF SKIN. LIKE OGRES AND ORCS. EVEN DEMONS.

IF YOU WANT TO MAKE IT TO THE TOWN, KEEP WALKING ALONG THR STRAIGHT PATH UNTIL YOU END UP IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY STREET.

“Why is it called Eldris eyes?”

NewAge: SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS AGO, A SEER NAMED ELDRIS ATTEMPTED TO ASSAULT A WITCH. SHE CURSED HIM, BY TURNING HIS ENTIRE BODY, INTO THIS FOREST AND FORCING HIM TO STAY STUCK AS TREES WITH EYES FOR ETERNITY.

UNABLE TO EVER TOUCH A WOMAN AGAIN.

THE TOWN NAME AFTER HIM, HAS THE HIGHEST CASES OF ASSAULT AND SEX TRAFFICKING.

THEY’RE NASTY PEOPLE, COREY…..

“I know, I should kill them.”

NewAge: INDEED, YOU SHOULD. AND I KNOW YOU WILL.

Whilst keeping his senses peaked and his eyes on the tree that is still surveying him, Corey raised a questioning brow at his system. “How can you be so sure?”

NewAge: SIMPLE, WHEN YOU GET TO THE TOWN. YOU’LL SEE FOR YOURSELF WHAT I MEAN BY….. NASTY

If the system had the ability to laugh, Corey would bet that in this moment, it was bursting with laughter.

‘Nasty huh?’ How bad can one fantasy town be?’

Corey dug his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, taking a generous step to see how the trees would react. Two more twisted towards him. Opening their eyes. They were definitely the strangest type of palm trees he’d ever seen.

If the witch wanted to curse Eldris, why did she give him something this- cool? Corey asked mentally. If he wanted to curse something, he’d drop a meteoroid on it. Watch it crumble under the force of the hot rock.

All the trees did was follow him, and occasionally lick their running juices. The wind picked up, and walking became harder for Corey. The rumble of thunder, followed by a pink zapping shade of lightening in skies.

Corey awed at the weather. Another fascinating part of the game, he thought with excitement. Not worried that the currents might make his journey to the town, slower.

He was having fun, struggling to keep his feet from slipping off the ground. Fallen brown and grey leaves flew across the air, some hitting him in the face. The further Corey walked the more he saw. Deeper into the forest, he can pinpoint exactly what tree has eaten a person. In their stems are what appears to be faces.

The figures had their mouth in an ajar position, screaming for something. Or while they were getting the bones sucked out of them. Corey got the faintest clue that the pain must have been immeasurable for them. And the trees planted the remnants of the skins and faces into their roots.

Someone how regrowing it in their stems. It made no sense when Corey added his prior knowledge of biology. But it was interesting, and he reminded himself to make a note on the forest. He couldn’t destroy this, no matter how many people died. These trees are one the most unique things he’d seen. Topping the jellyfish trees he had seen when he first came too.

And besides, he thought, a level fifty and above could survive being here.

NewAge: CORRECT. ELDRIS EYES IS A LEVEL NINE. ANYTHING ABOVE THAT CAN KILL IT.

This had Corey frozen for a short period of time. ‘Level nine?’

If Eleanora, a great fighter was at level five. And this dangerous living forest is a level nine, Corey felt a punch in his rib from the fast pounding of his heart. He needed to see something of level one hundred.

‘It has to be a titan? A god? Something powerful to be at the level one hundred. And that isn’t even the highest.’

WARNING: INCOMING ATTACK FROM YOUR LEFT!

The movement in the corner had Corey spinning on his heels, nearly slipping from the force of the wind. He sprung his hand up, wanting to test something. The tree that had charged at him, released its sharp teeth, sparkling clean. Seeing the eye part to form a mouth would be terrifying, almost bone chilling to some people. Especially when one is surrounded by more than a hundred of them.

But never Corey Feldman. The excited teen grinned when the eye sunk its teeth into Corey’s arm, and attempted to suck his bones out through it. Corey watched the tree struggle, but his mind was slowly sleeping into a geek place.

He felt the teeth, noting that they were like vacuum cleaners with holes made for sucking. He was intrigued beyond mere words. Just jotting down all he could about the creature.

He could piece together how the trees would suck the bones out of a person. And they would have to do it really fast.

Because of their allergy to flesh.

Corey hummed, the tree relinquished its grip on Corey’s arm. Sputtering a black liquid now.

Tilting his head, Corey made another note.

‘Red liquid means good. Black means, they’re about to die.’

WARNING: INJURY SUSTAINED TO RIGHT ARM.

BITE ISN’T POISONOUS, BUT A LEVEL ONE BLEEDING AT THAT RATE CAN LEAD TO DEATH.

NewAge: YOU HAVE NO SAFE RESPAWN PLACE, COREY, USE THE OINTMENT AND REWRAP YOUR HAND. IT WILL HEAL THE INJURY.

BUT A SCAR WILL REMAIN

“Uh-huh.” Corey mutters, still in a fixated trance watching the tree throw up the black liquid. The other trees fled, covering up. Corey took a high guess that the liquid was bad for them as well.

He thought of a jar, and snatched it once it appeared. Walking toward the dying tree to collect some of its deadly nectar.

Once the jar filled, Corey sealed it tight and added it to his inventory.

NewAge: REMINDER; YOUR INJURY, COREY!

“Oh.” He says to the system, having not realized he was bleeding. The lack of pain to inform him.

Corey got the ointment, and slid one side of his jacket off. Unwrapping his arm while he walked, the winds had died to a minimum. Walking was pleasant. While he cleaned his arm, and enjoyed seeing a scar on his skin. Every injury that left a permanent stain in Corey’s body was difficult to look at but this one, he found he liked.

Then he winces once he sees an old knife gash. He quickly cleans the rest of the injury, and wraps it with precision and subconscious care.

He found the end of the forest soon, walking directly into traffic. Corey leaped out of the way, a herd of horses nearly trampling him.

He dusted himself off, and scanned around for the so called seer. Only, NewAge never mentioned what the man looked like. A mystical seer, with magical eyes.

The civilians wore rags, and Corey got a rotten stench flying up his nose. This town, he finally stopped his thinking to get a clear look, is foul. The people are dressed like they were born into poverty, yet, Corey could see expensively built homes.

‘Where does all the money they have go? Into building fancy houses?’

But that was far from the case. Most of the buildings, majority even, looked like run down shelters for the homeless. While a few, and the tallest, biggest foundations, were cleaner. And more, livable.

He made a face under his mask, pulling the strings of his hoodie to shield a bit of his covered face from the public eye.

No one noticed him. As Corey searched for the seer, he saw the people were like mindless drones. Just going about their normal routines. Flies, and rodents crawling around without any one giving a damn.

The worst part wasn’t their environment, Corey could live with them being pigs, but it was their skins. Pink and purple. Leaking a similar fluid he had seen in the trees. If he had to put a perfect description to them, it would be old, disgusting people.

They looked like life had aged them the wrong way. That even their children, were as old as they are.

“Come people quickly, the black girl has escaped.”

Huh?

NewAge: THE NASTY BEGINS.

‘What do you mean?’

NewAge: FOLLOW THEM. SEE WHY EVERYONE HATES THIS TOWN.

YOU WILL WANT TO DESTROY IT.

Interest peaked to one hundred, Corey followed the hurrying crowd. Sneaking around them to get a look at this so called-

‘Did they say black girl? That’s racist to say.’

He found a gap between two chubby-

NewAge: DRISIANS

‘Thank you.’

Two chubby drisians, crouching and peaking to see what the ruckus was about. People were shouting in a language Corey didn’t understand.

Through the tiny hole he saw a small girl, maybe not over ten. She didn’t look old like them, she was fairy from the glitter fill wings stuck to her back. Her eyes were bloodshot with tears, purple bruises surrounded her face.

Corey recoiled, and prayed to every deity he could list that they didn’t do anything sexual to this girl. She was frightened, shaking and her lips were swollen.

She could hardly get a sentence out.

NewAge: THAT IS MILA. AND YES, SHE’S BEEN HERE FOR FIVE YEARS. STOLEN FROM HER PARENTS, AND- YOU CAN GET THE GIST.

LOOK AT THEM, COREY, THE LOCK KEEPER DOES NOTHING. THIS POOR GIRL AND OTHERS ARE SUFFERING. WON’T YOU DO SOMETHING?

END THEIR REIGN OF ABUSE.

Corey wanted to shake NewAge off this time, but he couldn’t. He just couldn’t do it. This girl, five years her life must have been torture.

Then he saw something. A man, his eyes sending waves of pure energy to the people. Silencing them as he approached the little girl. She turned away from him, and tried to run. But the crowd blocked her.

Pushing her back. She fell with a resounding smack to the ground.

The man watched her fight to get to her feet.

Corey only took one thing into his mind, that was the seer. And he had a terrible idea that this man, had the entire town under his control.

If his aura was anything to go by.

Corey sweeped his leg at the ankles of one of the men in front of him. The man tumbled forward, drawing attention to him.

Corey used his back as a stepping stool to get out of the crowd. Whispering followed.

He ignored all of them, and went for the little girl.

The scars on her body appealed to his wounded heart. At a tender age like her, he had suffered much too. Though looking at the finger indents on her thighs, Corey was all the more grateful he was never sexual abused.

It didn’t make his trauma lighter.

She whimpered, looking at him with fear.

Corey removed his backpack and jacket. Covering the girl with the jacket, and throwing the backpack over his shoulders again.

He stood, and still keeping an eye on the girl. He raised one hand, pointing a finger at the man.

NewAge: DO IT, COREY. THERE ARE OTHER LITTLE GIRLS LIKE HER. THEY WANT TO GO HOME.

KILL THESE PILES OF DIRT AND HELP THE INNOCENT. AFTER ALL, THEY’RE JUST LIKE YOU. NO ONE STEPPED IN TO HELP YOU….

DON’T DO THE SAME THING.