I am at peace.
-[sunflower]-
you bathe in the sun
+1 exp
Experience value: 103/310 EXP(Birch): 113/160
The wind blew through the rocky landscape we had gone to separately, leaving the long-ago road in our past and the long-ago waterfall in our past.
I am at peace.
-Leave the red land stained with the blood of orcs, that is our distant past.
Birch climbed, trying her best to make her way through the field, which was made entirely of large rocks and stones, each the size of a boat and each the size of a house.
"Arrows," not long stingers, flew through the air, whistling like the scream of a swooping bird of prey as they hurtled towards our backs.
-I am whole.
Birch jumped down and ducked quickly behind a rock, just in time to catch a volley of arrows from our pursuers that rattled around us and fell to death on the karst limestone.
She held her breath, then turned, as footsteps approached us from above.
(Birch) Use: (Small Pulse)
Bodies fly. The struck goblin lost its footing and fell onto the sharp rocks below, breaking many of its bones. But it won't die.
It let out a terrible scream and we kept running.
-I am strong.
The sun shone brightly above us, and the sweat on Birch's skin shone with the ruby light of love of a new day, full of potential, full of possibility.
-[sunflower]-
you bathe in the sun
+1 exp
Experience value: 104/310 EXP(Birch): 114/160
-I am, I am sure, all of these things and more.
I spread the petals and balanced on Birch's back, looking up casually at the sun as I ran.
what a wonderful day.
Roaring sounds came from behind us, and these creatures, as I called them "monsters," continued to hunt. It seems they are indeed not birds.
very funny.
I never knew such things as monsters existed. But here they are.
-What a wonderful world.
More whistles, more arrows coming, most likely carrying deadly poison. They rushed towards us, trying to kill us.
this is the best.
Tell me, Birch; why are the goblins chasing you? Don't they want you to seek heaven? Is such a thing forbidden by the spirit of their clan and race? Or is it just a matter of principle now?
-We have wounded and killed many of their kind. Maybe this is really just revenge?
Although, this confuses me. Is revenge really so tempting that one would travel the world with their loved ones and weapons to hunt down one person?
Looks like a lot of pressure.
Why don't the monsters just sit in the sun and relax?
I think that's best.
-Maybe there are other reasons?
I can't say. I am a sunflower.
-[sunflower]-
you bathe in the sun
+1 exp
Experience value: 106/310 EXP(Birch): 116/160
oh.
Being hunted is exciting. Only those alive know the rush of adrenaline, the pounding of the heart, the pulsing of the limbs.
Is there any stronger feeling than fear?
ah. Life is amazing.
Birch and I reached the end of the rock, a cliff, and a drop of rolling grassland led to our escape. Goblins are fast hunters, but my friend is even faster. She is a very fast monster, maybe the fastest of all monsters?
I can't say. I've never seen a monster like her.
-Except for her kind. But they rarely run like she does. She also often avoids them. I would like to know. Who are you, Birch? What are you, not only a monster, but even your own flesh and blood are afraid of you?
Incomprehensible.
We slid down the hillside and escaped into the forest, again losing sight of the monsters that were hunting us.
rain.
Not much. It's not like the last time it rained, when we were hiding in the rocks while a powerful storm swept across the world.
No. It's just a drizzle.
It's very peaceful.
The weather is very warm.
I never knew rain could be so relaxing.
The sun still shone through the soft, light gray clouds, and I absorbed both its elegant rays and the raindrops, both washing over Birch and me.
-[sunflower]-
you bathe in the sun
+1 exp
Experience value: 108/310 EXP(Birch): 118/160
Rain, sunshine, they nourish us with energy and water; both are precious to life. Our escape, our bravery, nourish our excitement and danger; both are precious to the spirit.
Birch was out of breath and finally stopped and leaned against a tree.
We sat down to rest and enjoy the wet and warm feeling that this strangest of days had brought us.
I never knew perception could be so complex.
"Hey," Burch said, breaking the silence that had lasted between us for several days.
I miss her voice.
"Thank you for being my friend," she said. "Even after I dragged you off the battlefield."
That's meadow, not a field, Birch.
But I appreciate your sentiment.
When I couldn't speak, I used my roots, through the muscles of her back, to reach for her beating heart, so that I could grab it, so that I could touch it tenderly, so that I could drink. Her rich, dark heart blood so that she can receive my most precious sugars and minerals.
-Is this true friendship?
I think so.
Maybe I'm wrong again? Could something as vicious and evil as a monster offer such warmth, grace, and companionship?
I don't know any monsters, but I feel like the answer to that question is "no." Maybe this means my friend Birch isn't a monster after all? What a fool I am.
We continue to move forward, getting closer and closer to heaven day by day.
-What else could she be?
I wish I could ask her, but I have no words.
Ah, how strange.
I realized I care about this.
I realized I wasn't indifferent.
This is most unusual for sunflowers.
I realized that I cared about Birch perhaps more than I cared about the concept and place of heaven. So, I guess, it doesn't matter if she's a flower, or a fish, or a bird, or a monster, or a fox, or anything else in the world that's with us. What matters is that she is my friend.
-It's unusual for Himawari to think that, isn't it?
This may even be the most unnatural.
I survived. I feel it now. I have traveled, seen, and experienced the most amazing, wonderful, magical things. However, none of these memories compare to the feeling of not being alone in this moment.
oh.
It doesn't matter.
I guess my mind wanders to strange places sometimes. I wonder, if they wander long enough, will they also find paradise?
I can't say.
I am a sunflower.
die.
Death will come to us all eventually.
Maybe that scares some people. But I'm not afraid of death.
-If anything, I find it...sad.
After all, it is an experience in itself, which will be the most exciting. But when it comes, will I crave experiences in this world that I haven’t experienced yet?
Birch thrust the "knife" into the monster's heart and nailed it to a tree. It squirmed and kicked and screamed, but Birch pressed the blade deeper and deeper, and the deeper it stabbed, the darker the shade of red that flowed from its body, coating us both.
After I die, will I long for unseen shores? For sunrises I have yet to feel? For the feel of the wind, for those faraway places, for those strange sensations I have never experienced?
--Maybe.
I'm afraid that, if anything, I'll miss a lot that I haven't seen yet. That's the only thing about death that bothers me. However, maybe, if I'm lucky, my friend and I will be able to die together?
That's great.
The monster was silent, its last heartbeat passing through the dagger, down her arm, and into my shaft, and I shivered with excitement.
It fell limply, and Birch drew the dagger from its breast, and breathed a sigh of relief, for the last of the pursuing monsters lay dead at our feet, and five more lay scattered about us, beaten. Broken, slashed, devoured.
But despite the death and coming decay that surrounded us, my dearest friend seemed more alive than ever since we were gone. Her eyes sparkled like the brightest sunshine in the morning and she bounced around like a naughty bunny making the strangest, most excited noises that I happened to find extremely endearing.
I'm glad she's happy.
Although I don't quite understand why. Maybe she's starting to understand the joy of killing too? My friend Birch is a lot like me.
-[End of battle]-
(Monster) (Monster Scout) (Monster Archer) (Monster) (Monster Shaman) are all dead.
+48 exp
Experience value: 156/310 EXP(Birch): 160/160
Level!
Congratulations! You are now level {5}!
+1 skill point[5]
You can now choose a class.
-[Bu
ch] -
Health-Poi
ts: 27/27↗↗ Soul-Poi
ts: 23/23↗
Level: 5↗ Experience: 06/240
Class: None Subclass: None
Race: Human Opel: 000
-[statistics]-
STR: 07 Agility: 12
Wisconsin: 06 INT: 06
Lu: 09 Value list: 05 ↗↗
oh.
She's happy, which is good.
life is Beautiful.
This is good.
