Not quite yet, but we have more to do anyway.

To my pleasure as well as my annoyance, it seemed that not much time had passed. A few hours as most, as the light outside was near nonexistent, hinting towards a time near midnight. I let out a sigh as I thought about what I should do with my remaining time before sunrise. 'I can't do any more publicity as it's near midnight. I suppose it is about time I did some xp farming.'

With my plan decided, I quietly left my room. The halls were dark, clearly having snuffed the candles and lanterns that kept it lit. I entered the main tavern, finding that it was no longer filled with **** people. However, I soon discovered the barkeep still awake and on his post, as I turned towards the door only to hear him clear his throat from behind me. I did an about face, finding him to be performing seemingly busywork, even this late into the night.

He looked up to me, "Couldn't sleep?"

I gave a friendly chuckle, "Could you not either?"

He let out a chuckle in return, "I suppose neither of us would be able to."

I raised my eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He let out a sigh, "In due time, I suppose."

I looked at him quizzically for a few moments, but he seemed to have no intent of continuing. In the end, I shrugged and waved to him as I left, deciding I would find out in due time as he suggested. He returned the wave, before returning to washing mugs with a cloth in the near darkness. With that strange encounter out of the way, I proceeded to the edge of town in order to get to the forest I had passed through on my first day.

Once I was outside of the city, I decided it was about time I dropped polymorph. I watched as my skin faded and morphed, shifting to a strange leathery looking texture of a deep green color. The skin had a slight translucent quality to it, but was otherwise firm. I could not see any details beneath this skin, it seemed I was otherwise solid. My hands had a slightly gnarled appearance to them, and my nails had turned to claws. I had a very thin but still muscled look, as if the only meat on my metaphorical bones was pure muscle.

With my self-inspection done to the greatest level I could manage in the dark with no form of mirror, I proceeded to resume my trip to the forest. I found that I could move much faster in my true form, moving at speeds that would rival a cyclist while expending energy equivalent to jogging. It was most certainly convenient, though I would have to slow down once I was in the forest due to the dense flora. 'I also shouldn't get too used to this, being in human form is most certainly going to be important for the time being.'

I reached the forest in no time with my newfound speed, but getting there was only half the battle. I was not experienced in hunting or sneaking personally, so I found myself unable to easily sneak up on any form of creature. I came to realize this might be for the best, as anything that weak may not even give me xp.

In the end I decided to just wander for awhile, seeing if I could find anything interesting while I searched for a fight. During my walk, I could see the effect my mana had had on the area. The plant life was thriving, growing to encompass most of the area, though it seemed to be slightly kept in check by the limit of the available light. After a good amount of time, I discovered a trail of sorts. With the amount of growth and its lack of development beyond dirt, I at first thought it to be an animal trail. I soon realized that a man-made trail would be most likely comparably overgrown due to my influence on the area, but I decided my first idea was still more likely.

The trail led past a large lake, within which I was able to see the reflection of my true form's face. I most certainly would fare better with the ladies while in polymorph. 'Well, I suppose that's not quite right, I did know quite a few weird individuals who called themselves "Monster Fuckers" in my past life, so it's not impossible that similar individuals would exist here, though I can't decide if monsters actually existing would increase or decrease that likelihood. Regardless, being "Mathew" is very useful.' I looked somewhat gaunt in the face, my cheek bones and jawline highly defined. My skull was angular, with a sharp pointed chin and back of jaw. I had a nose that was flat with my face, looking as if it had been ripped off before recovering as flesh upon my skull. And lastly, I only had one major eye. This eye was about center of my forehead, though I could most certainly tell I had other ways of getting vision, as my depth perception was as good as if not better than in human form.

Continuing to follow the trail, I came to a great cave. The cave was surrounded by small piles of bones, with large and deep scratches littered across the ground, trees, and even the entrance of the cave itself. I heard a deep breathing from within, it sounded like something large, something that should give a lot of xp. With this thought process, I decided to face its occupant in a fair fight, instead of just ambushing it while it slept.

I approached the mouth of the cave, before giving a form of hissing roar I felt appropriate for my current form. The breathing from within grew quieter, so I hissed again. I heard loud noises as the creature within shifted about. A great puff of breath came out of the cave, and I backed up a bit. My confidence did not waiver, but I needed to get a view of what I was fighting before it could attack me.

I stood back, waiting as the beast emerged from its secluded den.