11 Chapter 11

The Leshen's body contained exuberant vitality. So long as I remained connected to the earth, natural energy was automatically drawn into my body.

I noticed also that my connection to the world around me had undergone immeasurable changes. The grass I had once so carelessly trampled underfoot now shared it's consciousness with me freely.

The consciousness of a single flower was weak, but when thousands of them came together, their spirits joined together to form a powerful force.

With just a thought I could control vines to mature in seconds and grow wildly until they became thick and strong enough to restrain any prey.

The countless animals and fauna in the forest belonged to various genus and species.

I was now their king and they were my subjects.

Closing my eyes I shared the perception of the trees and insects around me. The forest spoke and I listened.

I urged my lower body to grow and thick gnarled roots shot into the earth, lifting me higher and higher into the air.

I announced my delight to the forest with a voice that came directly from the breeze and the rustling leaves, "I will consume anything that stands in my way!"

The sun's rays fell upon the bark that now served as my skin. I enjoyed the warm sensation and observed through the red energy's perception how light energy was captured and transformed into nutrients by my cells.

The Leshen's ability to photosynthesize was an unexpected gain and provided a new avenue for me to obtain a stable source of red energy.

Due to their magical nature the Leshen's cells were supernaturally effective at transforming light into energy. By stimulating the cells to function beyond their normal rate, I could obtain roughly a stag's worth of red energy per hour.

Instead of accumulating red energy like I normally would, I chose to direct all of it into accelerating my aging process.

The Nekkers I had slain on my travels had provided me with enough energy to push my new body's development beyond the juvenile stage.

I was still far from the standard of an elder Leshen, but I was strong enough to retreat and attack a Witcher as I pleased.

Without the use of fire Leshen's were painfully difficult to kill.

Regenerating huge areas of my body could be done in a matter of minutes.

I no longer had any internal organs to protect. So long as I did not receive such excessive damage that I was unable to heal myself, I could regrow any section of my body.

"I shall find you Witcher."

I extended branches from my chest and back, using them like arms to move me freely through the treetops.

The huge deer like skulls that were characteristics of Leshen's were removed from the body of a large mammal native to their home world.

The sacred Leshen tradition of wearing a skull was engraved into my DNA, but I chose to forgo this in favor of creating a human like face.

Instead of wearing it, I had incorporated the skull into my chest, it's terrifying appearance pleased me greatly.

The pull of destiny led me south.

As I traversed though the trees, I practiced growing and transforming various weapons from my body.

Much like the juvenile Leshen I sorely lacked combat experience.

Currently I relied almost entirely on instinct to move and attack. I simply willed my body to move and roots shot out to fulfill my intention.

Elder leshens had vast stores of magic and their bloodlines contained various spells which would awaken with their old age.

On it's homeworld the juvenile Leshen had heard whispers from the forest about a brown giant so huge that it's head pierced the clouds.

I imagined what it would be like to wield such power.

I found joy and companionship in communicating with the variety of animals I encountered while travelling. 

Leshens were protectors of the forest, mindlessly killing some wild beasts no longer aligned with my nature. Moreover it was far more effective to gather energy by slaughtering a nest of Nekkers.

Stronger prey yielded a greater harvest of red energy. I would not waste my time in destroying an ecosystem by removing its predators, when I could spend that time hunting out true monsters. 

Without realizing, I soon had an entourage of beasts following behind me. The wisps of natural energy that leaked out from my body were no different to growth hormone to the inhabitants of the forest. 

My passive influence upon my environment was so great that if I choose to remain in an area for an extended period of time, tens of miles could be transformed into supernaturally dense jungle. 

Unlike sorcerers who required preparation and years of grueling training to harness the power of magic, I was able to wield it instinctively. 

I was keen to acquire some magical tomes and see if I could cast any of the spells recorded within. I held particular interest in learning spells pertaining to nature. With my profound connection to natural energy I felt that I would be able to transform even an ordinary spell into something incredible. 

"Witchers are often bedfellows with sorcerers. Perhaps you will lead me to the knowledge I seek." I spoke aloud. 

Beneath me a wolf pack howled in response, they did not know the meanings behind my words but they could sense the emotions carried in my tone. 

I looked down at the monstrous shadow cast by my body as I moved through the trees. It looked as if some arachnid abomination was pulling its huge bloated body from tree to tree. 

I judged from the pull of destiny that the Witcher was still a fair distance away. He appeared to be resting for his position had not changed in several days. 

I made a note to not appear before him until I had altered my form to a more humanoid one. 

Humans, even mutated ones, were prejudiced towards scary monsters. Even more so ones that looked like they had just crawled out of a nightmare. 

I intended to use the Witcher to gain access to human knowledge, if he refused to cooperate or sought my destruction I would have to adjust my principle of equivalent exchange to a more violent approach. 

I hoped that I would not have to kill one of a dying breed. 

"I wonder though. 

How do you taste Witcher?"