What little light broke through the forest’s canopy faded as hundreds of thousands of dark tendrils descended like rain. All of the clumped stranglevines on the walls and ground immediately lurched in Kyle and C.H.A.D.D.’s direction, the lashing vines serving to pull the detached pods from their resting locations. In mere moments, Kyle found himself assailed on all sides.
Without hesitation, Ignition bloomed to life once more as tendrils of Parasitic Resonance extended out from him, connecting to as many vines as possible as he ripped the mana from dozens in the blink of an eye. Still, it was far from enough. Individual vines snuck through, wrapping around his ankles, calves, and torso. Releasing a charge of Repel in an omnidirectional burst, Kyle managed to get released, just in time to narrowly avoid having a stranglevine pod drop directly on his head.
“C.H.A.D.D., what are these things? What’s going on?” Kyle cried out in a mix of shock and bewilderment as he tried to get his footing back. The darkness intensified by the moment as the ground was covered by more and more of the stranglevine pods. The sickly-sweet smell of decay grew stronger with each pod that fell. Synaptic Barbs warned him of incoming attacks from every direction, and he was forced to release another blast of Repel to avoid being swarmed.
[THEY ARE STRANGLEVINES, DR. MAYHEW. I AM UNSURE WHAT’S CAUSING THEIR BEHAVIOR, BUT -]
The drone cut off as Kyle felt a presence wash over the area. An unmistakable C Grade power fell over him, and his blood ran cold when he realized what they were facing. It’s the shadow we saw from the treetops. This is the Scourge Drokh mentioned. The stranglevines are part of it somehow.
Kyle’s thoughts were interrupted as his right leg was abruptly pulled backwards, one of the vines managing to reach him after the shockwave from Repel wore off. Swearing, Kyle pulled with all his strength, ripping the vine from its pod as he dashed away from the deathtrap that was Jell’Or. A low din of groaning wood and snapping branches could be heard as the shadows deepened. The Scourge was descending.
[DR. MAYHEW, DUCK.]
Kyle heard a telltale click from the pack as soon as the drone finished speaking, and he responded on instinct, not stopping his forward momentum. A wave of mana left his body, and a lattice of bamboo erupted from the pack, interposing itself between Kyle and the stranglevines. Thousands upon thousands of dark vines lashed at the sturdy material, splintering it as it was pulled away. Even then, the framework obstructed other vines from reaching the duo, buying them precious moments. Moments Kyle intended to use.
He fixed his eyes on the nearby road, and gritted his teeth as he activated yet another Repel, focused on the back of both of his shoulders as he leaned forward. He was rocketed toward his escape route, barely able to keep his feet underneath him as he tried to take full advantage of his momentum. If I can just get out of its domain, we can still survive this.
Vines shot down to obstruct the path ahead, and Kyle met the barrier with the mana blade from his buckler already formed. Parasitic Resonance withered dozens of the vines while the blade worked through the others, but the deluge was constant. What’s more, the vines that Kyle ripped free were still trailing behind him, giving other stranglevines something to grab on to.
Each step forward came slower than the last, and Kyle’s flash of hope was beginning to get replaced with despair. He was confident Storm Shelter could hold against the assault, at least for a while, but he could ill afford giving the creature time to finish its descent. Already the vines assaulting him were thicker, stronger than the ones he faced at first. If the heart of the Scourge surrounded them, they were dead.
[DUCK, DR. MAYHEW.]
Kyle obliged again, another lattice of bamboo offering a moment of protection.
“Is there anything else we can do?” Kyle yelled. “Anything at all from what you’ve learned about these things?”
[I AM WORKING ON A PLAN, ALTHOUGH I WILL NEED SOME MORE TIME.]
“How much time?”
[AT LEAST 30 SECONDS. AND I HAVE NO GUARANTEES THAT IT WILL WORK. IT WILL ALSO DRAIN NEARLY A THIRD OF THE POWER STORED IN THE SEED.]
Kyle inhaled sharply at the last part. With C.H.A.D.D.’s help and supervision, Kyle had infused a significant amount of mana into the World Tree Seed via Parasitic Resonance. The skill’s rarely used ramping effect had been slowly wearing away at the seed’s absurd resilience, and though Kyle was making progress, it was still far from easy to manipulate. To use that much energy at once…
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Is there another way for us to get out?” Kyle asked, slashing through more oncoming vines as several others managed to wrap around his left arm. He used Repel again, buying time to slip out and shake off some of the trailing pieces. The trees around him groaned, large limbs snapping and falling around him as the bulk of this… creature continued its descent toward the forest floor.
In response, C.H.A.D.D. brought up a scan of the area. More dense clusters of stranglevines were appearing every moment. [IT IS NOT LOOKING PROMISING, DR. MAYHEW. WE NEED TO CREATE A GAP, AND CREATE DISTANCE.]
Kyle nodded. “Then do what you need to do. Should I keep running, or use Storm Shelter?”
The drone considered for a moment. [GET AS FAR AS YOU CAN, THEN USE YOUR SKILL.]
Without a word, he pressed forward. Kyle focused on the tendrils of Parasitic Resonance, pushing to draw out even more. Each one was more difficult to form than the last, but he’d been training. Soon, over 45 tendrils were snaking around him, withering stranglevines as fast as he could as the continued to run. Even so, it wasn’t enough. Hundreds upon hundreds of vines launched at him every second, and he was losing ground once more, even with the help of Repel. With his mana reserves dwindling, Kyle let out a defiant scream as Storm Shelter sprang to life, rebuffing the rain of vines slamming into it like hail.
“Will your plan still work if I borrow some mana from the seed as well?” Kyle asked above the sound of impacts on his barrier.
[IT SHOULD, ASSUMING YOU’RE NOT LOOKING TO MANIPULATE THE SEED.]
“Just looking to try and replenish my reserves and get a boost. I think we’ll need every edge we can get.”
The area around Storm Shelter had visibly darkened in the brief seconds they’d been talking, and Kyle could feel the source of the C Grade mana getting closer. The Scourge wasn’t a singular organism, like the other C Grades Kyle encountered, rather giving him the impression that it was many parts of the same whole, controlled and guided by that C Grade heart. The closer it got in proximity, the more powerful and precise the individual stranglevines seemed to grow.
Despite the danger, Kyle closed his eyes, focusing instead on his connection to the World Tree Seed through C.H.A.D.D. With an effort of will, he pulled on the connection. What once felt like forcing cement through a straw was now more like a slow trickle, golden mana entering his body and infusing his very being.
When his eyes opened, he could see faint golden light dancing around the crimson aura from Ignition, and Auric Perception allowed him to feel similar energy swirling around inside the C.H.A.D.D. pack.
“Are you ready, C.H.A.D.D.?”
[YES, DR. MAYHEW.]
The pack opened, and a massive tangle of vines and leaves wrapped around the duo, encasing them like a cocoon. A fait scent of sugar wafted through the air, and the only light left was a gentle golden glow from inside the barrier of leaves.
[WHEN I GIVE THE SIGNAL, DROP YOUR BARRIER. THEN RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN.]
“What is this?” Kyle asked.
[AN ANSWER BETTER RESERVED FOR LATER, DR. MAYHEW. IF YOU CAN, ONLY STEP ON THE BAMBOO. NOW, GO!]
Kyle released Storm Shelter, which was immediately followed by an explosion of golden light. A spiraling tunnel of bamboo materialized in front of him, wrapped on the outside by tightly-wound red and gold petals. Without hesitating, Kyle sprinted down the path opened before him. He could hear the impacts raining on the outside of the construct, but the golden power infusing the plants made them far, far sturdier than before.
The sounds of the attacks on the outside were soon joined by a sizzling sound, and a moment later he let out a gasp of pain as a drop of liquid fell from the wrap above him, landing on the exposed flesh of his right arm. Adaptive Regeneration was hard at work, but the acid was stubbornly burning him as fast as he could repair the damage.
He looked up just in time to see C.H.A.D.D.’s construction coming to an abrupt end.
[DR. MAYHEW, BLAST THE END OF THE TUNNEL, NOW!]
Still grimacing in pain, Kyle followed instructions, releasing a blast of Repel. Golden light illuminated the otherwise invisible eruption of force, slamming into the last frame of bamboo and what he now realized were sundew petals. They exploded outward, showering the area outside in acidic sap as Kyle sprinted past, ignoring the hot flashes of pain from the drops that got on his body.
There were still some stranglevines on the road ahead, but it looked like the majority of the plants were focused on the construct itself. Kyle allowed a quick glance backward, showing the whole tunnel collapsing underneath the weight of tens of thousands of vines piling atop it. With a shudder, he turned his focus back to the road and ran as fast as his legs would carry him, tearing through the remaining vines between him and freedom.
Nearly an hour later, Kyle finally took a moment to slump against a nearby tree, breathing heavily. The strain from using so many of his skills finally caught up to him, and he needed to rest. Fortunately, both C.H.A.D.D.’s sensors and Synaptic Barbs confirmed there were no stranglevines nearby.
Kyle could still feel the acid burns, and decided to take this opportunity to use more targeted applications of Healing Impetus to speed his recovery. While he did, he spoke to C.H.A.D.D.
“That was an incredible move back there, C.H.A.D.D. Are you okay?”
The drone was silent for a moment before responding. [I WILL BE. I NEEDED TO USE SOME OF THE OTHER FORMATIONS I HAVE BEEN STORING INSIDE THE SEED. IN ADDITION TO DRAINING ENERGY, IT ALSO TOOK THE FRAMEWORKS I HAVE BEEN CULTIVATING. IT WILL BE SOME MONTHS BEFORE I AM ABLE TO REBUILD, MUCH LESS ACCUMULATE ENOUGH ENERGY TO USE IT AGAIN.]
Kyle understood that it was a costly technique, but from C.H.A.D.D.’s tone it was clear that this was a much larger setback than expected. “Thank you for being willing to use it all, C.H.A.D.D. If you hadn’t, I think we’d be dead right now.”
[YOU MOST CERTAINLY WOULD BE, AT LEAST.]
Kyle chuckled. “True enough. Once we’re back and settled on the Hub, I’d love to learn more about how you pulled this off. I’m committed to helping you get back everything that you spent, with interest.”
[IN THAT CASE, YOU SHOULD GET MOVING. ER’MITHREN IS STILL A GOOD DISTANCE AWAY.]
