Defiance of the Fall

It looked like the demons hadn’t given up the chase . They had finally identified him and seemed determined to remove the problem . He quickly threw all the bodies and gear into his empty pouch and continued on until he found a secluded cave where he dumped them all , including their things . He actually wanted to bring them with him to hide his pathing , but who knew what else the demons could detect .

His speed slowed down somewhat due to taking even greater care to be completely silent , and thoroughly checking side-tunnels . But as he moved he was steadily moving upward . Zac figured the Demons might be impeded by the monkeys if he managed to exit into the mountains again . It was easier for him to hide as a solitary person , compared to their large groups .

He saw a party again as he checked a tunnel , but this time they were moving away . Zac kept completely still until they moved far away before skulking forward . At least it was clear that they couldn’t locate him anymore . It had just been a guess , but it truly seemed that those stones were some sort of tracking device .

He kept skulking forward and avoided any demons that he came across . He was lucky that the tunnels amplified sounds and it was almost impossible for a group of 10 people to be completely silent at all times .

He was forced into one more fight but ended it quickly before moving further up . After another hour he hadn’t seen any demons for 30 minutes and finally sat down and brought out a crystal . He should be some ways up the mountain by now , and could happen upon an exit at any time . Even if he didn’t want to stop he needed to recuperate before reentering the mountains .

The tunnels were endless and even if the demons sent hundreds of them into them it was still somewhat unlikely for them to happen upon him , as there was so much ground to cover . Meanwhile , he was afraid that the Herald had prepared an ambush for him the moment he reemerged .

So he finally allowed himself a break , eating some dried meat and then quietly waited for his wounds to get better . After two hours of quiet rest a loud ding entered his ears and forced him to his feet , warily looking around . But the area around him was completely deserted , with not a demon in sight .

Special Dynamic Quest activated . Emerge victorious and seize the Fruit of Ascension . Struggle for supremacy

It was the familiar emotionless voice of the System entering his ears , but Zac barely had time to reflect on its words before his vision changed .

He suddenly was up amongst the clouds and stared down toward the familiar sight of his island . He could clearly see the whole topography , but the sea around it was blurred somehow . The vision moved and he closed in on the island with terrifying speed , hurtling toward the mountains .

Soon he arrived at the valley where he fought the monkey king earlier , but it looked different from how it did when he visited . The zone of death around the red and white tree had expanded to stretch across almost half the valley , and even the azure pond was shrunken down to half its size .

After having almost exploded from the energy contained in just a few mouthfuls he was shocked at the amount the tree had absorbed .

The vision kept moving and in seconds he was next to the tree . Zac would have thought it would be even lusher after absorbing the surroundings and the lake , but it actually looked a bit dried out . A couple of leaves had even fallen to the ground .

Neither the herald nor any other monkeys were anywhere to be seen , but Zac didn’t ponder about it overly much as his eyes were glued to a pair of fruits that had grown on the tree . They were similar to a cantaloupe apart from their color . Instead , they were a glistening red mixed with white lines that almost looked like fractals .

The fruits were beautiful , but more importantly , they had some magical effect on him even though it was just an illusion . It felt like every cell in his body was screaming in desire , wanting nothing more than to consume the fruits . He hated the fact that he was just there in a vision , and not in reality .

As quickly as the vision appeared it suddenly ended , leaving Zac in the cave with a mixture of greed and hesitation .

Chapter 59 - Now or Never

That fucking monkey! - Ogras roared , this time enraged for real . No wonder it sent its underlings to keep his search parties out of the peaks . He thought it was just posturing that he’d allow for some time before setting monkeys straight . But Cindermane had likely found the Tree of Ascension long ago and just waited for its fruits to ripen . Somehow the monkey must have broken free of the clan’s mental restrictions , otherwise it would have been compelled to report such a find .

But if you think that breaking free from my grasp is that easy you’re in for a rude awakening… - he muttered and then turned to his aide . - Assemble the regiments , we’re heading toward the mountain . -