At night, Nick again heard strange noises every now and then. It wasn't enough to wake him up more than for a few moments at a time, and it certainly wasn't enough to get him to investigate.
It might just be the Midnight Panther swinging by and rummaging through his garden and porch for sausages again.
He didn't pay it much heed. But if it continued, he would probably have to do something about it or at least investigate.
For now, though, the only thing on his mind was the tree and the axe he was going to use to chop it down. His body ached, and his blisters had taken root during the night, but it wasn't as bad as he had expected. A little salve for the hands and a little stretching for his muscles and he was good to go.
After breakfast, he went at the tree again. He couldn't feel any eyes watching him, so he wasn't sure if Mijko and Tilo were back. But then again, he hadn't felt anything before either. It didn't matter that he knew about their existence. They could probably watch him from less than a meter away, and he wouldn't notice a thing.
Just to be safe, he looked up. He did not see them among the branches.
'Maybe they're the ones making noise at night,' Nick thought to himself, but he doubted it.
If they didn't make any noise when they were right next to him, why would they be loud enough at night that he could hear them even when sleeping?
Chopping down a tree was monotonous work. It was a swing, another swing, a third swing, and a swing again. But Nick didn't feel bored.
It was satisfying to see the wood chips flying, hear the tapping echo through the woods, and feel the axe dig into the tree. It was also satisfying to use his body and feel the muscles that had started to stiffen as of late due to lack of exercise heat up and become revitalized.
Nick also found a surprising amount of entertainment in getting better at it. He adjusted his grip, the position of his feet, the angle of his hips, back, and shoulders. He adapted to the shape of the cut he had made and the hardness of the wood deeper inside than on the surface.
Hours passed without him thinking much about it. He only cared about the steady progress of his chopping. He had already made a large ditch in the trunk. He was almost surprised that it hadn't fallen yet when he was basically at the middle.
With a shrug, he went over to the other side. Maybe it needed some weakening.
He started making another notch on the opposite side.
It didn't take long before he heard a creaking sound. Nick froze for a moment to make sure he heard right.
There it was again.
He slowly looked up.
Yup. The tree was falling.
Nick tilted his head as he started to back away. He frowned.
The tree continued falling and picking up speed as it did so.
It wasn't a big tree, but it was heavy enough to break through the few branches of its neighbors that tried to bar its descent. With a thud that traveled through the ground and up Nick's feet to the base of his spine, the tree hit the ground.
Nick was hit with a mixture of emotions.
Seeing a tree fall like that in person was majestic, even more so since it was all his doing.
It was just that it had fallen in the wrong direction.
It had fallen away from the clearing his house was in.
"Damn it," he cursed with his hands on his hips.
Going to the edge of his clearing was already as far as he dared to go. He was not brave or reckless enough to actually venture inside the forest when he didn't know what lurked within.
But he was done for now. He could think about how to handle the trunk later.
He grabbed the axe again and returned to his house, where the tentacle was already waiting for him with a glass of cool water.
"Thanks," he said, a little out of breath after gulping it all down like he had been trapped in a desert for a week. He wiped his mouth and nodded toward the trunk.
"You don't reach that, do you?" He asked hopefully.
Unfortunately, the tentacle had to let him down. It shook its tip. It did not reach that far.
"Ah, it's fine. Maybe..." Nick grew silent as he considered his options.
Sosora had said that it would be best if he didn't involve anyone else in his activities when he desecrated the center of Tiabe, since the monster kings might go after them instead of him. They had to walk through the center to get to him, after all. They couldn't stay in the safe vicinity of the tentacle for the rest of their lives.
So far, it didn't seem like the monster kings were targeting him for taking down a tree, but it could just be a matter of time.
However, what if it was someone who didn't have to fear the monster kings? Couldn't he ask them for help?
Nick's eyes lit up. He knew someone like that.
He turned to the tentacle.
"I think it's time for another sausage party," he said with a sly smile. Success would take some heavy buttering. The few sausages he had left wouldn't be enough.
Sosora had said her investigation and outreach would only take a few days. So, she could be back even as early as tomorrow.
With her help, Nick was confident they could quickly organize another sausage party.
He waited patiently. Tomorrow came and went. No big deal. She had said a few days. A few days could easily be three or four days.
But the fourth day also came and went. Sosora still didn't swing by.
Maybe she was delayed. It could happen. She hadn't set a strict time.
Nick was a little surprised that Kai also didn't come visit during that time, but maybe his parents had made a batch of sausage at home and finally convinced him not to enter the most dangerous region of Tiabe.
He could only wait for Sosora.
Five days. Six days.
Still no sign of Sosora.