Chapter 59: Nature Spirit

The shadow of an unknown figure appeared moments after the dual Rookies registered the voice, descending rapidly from high above their heads.

Kruger touched down lightly, his feet barely making a sound as he made contact with the moss covered terrain. Aside from the newly obtained gashes and patches of fur missing in multiple places, the young Fennelis looked mostly put together. The Scimitars he had brought along were chipped in multiple places, almost to the point of being rendered useless, and his torn clothes had collected even more rips and tears.

"Krugs!! You’re alive!!" Mako grinned as he walked over to the Armalian. "It’s good to see you!!"

"You look terrible." Jak removed his hand from the sphere and also moved towards the new arrival. "Seems like you had a run in with the monster party as well."

"Thank Desira!! Never thought I’d say this about adventurers. But. Am I happy to see the two of you!!" Kruger let out a breath, ears twitching and tail flicking back and forth. "Jak and Mako, was it? It’s also good to see the two of you!!"

"Grrrrrr"- Knox

Kruger grinned, turning towards the Vox Lion. "Even you Knox. I barely know you guys but I couldn’t ask for more reliable individuals to help me."

"Except maybe the BloodGuard," Mako rebuttalled.

"Or Hunopil," Jak continued.

"Or Ontoki." - Mako

"Any Rift Hunter really." - Jak

Kruger let out a sigh of annoyance. "Can’t you guys just take the compliment?"

"....." - Mako

"....." - Jak

"There was a compliment?" - Mako and Jak

"I now retract my earlier statement. You guys are insufferable." - Kruger

The young Fennelis didn’t realize it at first, but after the small back and forth exchange with the two rookies, he felt marginally better. It was as if the weight of the situation had lightened considerably, allowing Kruger to breath easier and to collect his thoughts in a more appropriate manner. It was certainly an odd thing thing to say, especially since the dual Adventurers hadn’t really said much since he arrived. However, the way they carried themselves, paired with the casual banter, inspired faith and hope that they knew what they were doing.

Even if that same hope was based off nothing more than wishful thinking on Krugers part. The Fennelis couldn’t help but draw a genuine smile at the absurdity of the given situation.

"In any case, what happened to you?" Mako gave the young Aramlian a quick once over. "You look terrible."

"And where’s Meru?" Jak rested his hand on the hilt of his katana. "Was she not with you?"

He only hesitated for a moment.

Then, Kruger freely explained everything that had happened from the moment they had left. Sending Meru off to the Bredalik, the appearance of the giant tree, his failed attempt at heading towards the Supper Hall, the wave of monsters. Lastly, he explained how he had managed to meet up with them, having traversed well over a hundred kilometers and climbed up the root of the enormous tree.

"So. Meru was captured as well then." Jak frowned, looking less than pleased.

"It would seem that way," Mako affirmed. "The only good news from that explanation is the Parthenon being a confirmed safe point. If we can get there we can gather our barings and sort things out without the threat of monsters."

"We’ll also have to look up information on these pods. We’ll need to find out the plant variant and maybe narrow down how to cut them loose. It might take a few hours but it’ll help us save everyone that’s trapped."

As the two spoke, Jak walked over towards the root once again. Placing his hand on the flat of the sphere he had cleaned off, the redhead stared at the body of the trapped Aramlian.

The beastfolk in question didn’t seem to be aware of his surroundings, their eyes tightly shut. From where Jak was standing, it looked to be some sort of suspended animation, where the one inside was neither living nor dead. It was genuinely difficult to make heads or tails of the spell entrapping the NorthClaw residents, even with the knowledge the group had been presented with. The only sure thing Jak could surmise was that the ensnared Aramlians were indeed still within the realm of a successful rescue.

Shing!

Without a word, the fiery redhead withdrew Masamune from its sheath, red blade catching the light of the four moons.

"Woah! Jak! What’re you doing?" Kruger immediately halted the conversation and made his way over, half stepping between the bubble and the sword wielding Adventurer. "Why’d you pull out the sword? There’s no monsters around here."

Jak calmly looked at the Fennelis, not moving. He didn’t attempt to cut anything nor did he put the weapon back.

"You know exactly why." - Jak

"Bonehead. You sure?" Mako also stepped up, shifting to stand beside his compatriot. Unlike Kruger, the young man didn’t seem to be in any hurry to take a side, merely watching. "We don’t know anything about these plants or the magic holding them. Any action taken by us could have drastic ramifications."

"Mako’s right!!" Kruger immediately capitalized off the rookies warning. "For now, we should leave these pods alone and head to the Parthenon. I’m sure there’s something in the library that could tell us what we need to know!! Cutting them out now could permanently harm them in the long run!! Or even kill them!!"

Jak let Kruger and Mako fully finish before opening his mouth.

"What if this was our only chance?"

"Come again?" Kruger looked utterly confused, almost as if he hadn’t heard what Jak had said.

"Let’s say we went to the Parthenon to look for an answer." Jak lowered his sword slightly, full attention fixated on the Fennelis. "We do everything by the book. We scour the library and find what we’re looking for after a few hours. When we come back, we find that the Aramlians, your friends and family, have all been absorbed by the tree. Gone and eventually forgotten to time. Something that could have been avoided if another route was chosen."

"But we don’t know-" - Kruger

"We DONT know!!" Jak cut the beastfolk off, raising his voice. "We’re completely in the dark about everything!! The course of the next minute, hour, day are all a mystery!! Unless we ask the one responsible for the spell, the fates of the trapped, YOUR people, remain unknown. Yet you want us to play it safe because the life of ONE individual might be harmed?! You don’t want to take the risk because you want to save everyone?! Don’t be stupid!!"

Kruger grit his teeth, opening his mouth briefly before closing it once again. It was clear that he wanted to argue, but anything said would be based on pure emotion rather than logic.

Everything Jak had said was painfully accurate. Cold and logical, but spot on nonetheless. If they didn’t at least attempt all the available options, the outcome Jak predicted could very well come to pass. Seeking out the caster of the True Magic was also out of the question given the scale of the World Tree spell alone. It was tantamount to suicide, which would help no one. Even as Kruger tried to find a work-around in order to save everyone, there wasn’t a single idea that would sufficiently override Jaks idea to cut the pods open.

Reluctantly, Kruger stepped aside, allowing the fiery redhead to continue towards the sphere.

"You have to pick your battles. Somtimes, not everyone can be saved." Jak gave the youth a small side glance before moving on.

"Krugs. Your heart’s in the right place man." Mako placed a hand on the Aramlians shoulder as Jak walked by, a sympathetic look on his face. "You wanting to save your people is commendable. However, in order to save the majority, risks need to be taken. There will be no reward if all we do is wait around and take our time."

"Who are we to make these decisions though? To play with the lives of others?" - Kruger

Mako shook his head. "We choose a path that will guide us to the best destination. Thats all. That’s what it means to be an Adventurer. Self confidence. Faith in the choices you make."

"Self confidence? To be an Adventurer?"

Shing!

Masamune left a trail of crimson flames as it flashed across the surface of the plant pod, cutting through it like warm butter.

The innards of the bubble spilled out, the murky green liquid spilling out onto the moss coated ground. Following closely after, the sealed Aramlian slipped through the freshly made gash and plopped down onto the wet floor. The clothes of the individual were soaked and possessed numerous chunks of off colored slime, but it was clear that the Aramlian was indeed alive. Coughing and sputtering, the beastfolk opened his eyes as all remaining liquid from the sphere exited his lungs.

Immediately, Kruger moved to tend to the Oxuon, helping him sit up properly. Knox took the chance to trot over and give the man a quick sniff and a small licking, tasting the weird liquid that remained on his body.

Jak took that chance to take a step back, moving a bit away from Kruger and the free Aramlian.

"Huh. It worked." Mako tilted his head. "That’s a nice surprise. Figured your rotten luck-"

"Don’t push it."

"On another note," Mako continued, shifting tracks. "I didn’t expect you to get that worked up. Was it really just about taking risks or were you trying to help Kruger grow a spine? Did you already know it was gonna work? If so-"

"One more word...and I’ll cut you."

After that, Jak walked away, leaving Mako alone.

"Poor Jakky." The blue-haired adventurer grinned, shaking his head. "Unable to admit he still has a heart of gold. What a bonehead."

From that point on, Mako, Kruger, Jak, and even Knox spent around twenty minutes cutting people down and freeing them from their vegetative state. The pods were easy to slice open, much easier than one would expect them to be.

Most likely, the ease of opening them was attributed to how potent the trap itself was. Once the person was encased inside, it was virtually impossible to escape from without some sort of outside assistance. With the spawning of monsters to protect the pods and the futility of escape, it would’ve been a foolproof plan had Mako and Jak not departed to search the Pyramid Dungeon on that given day.

The Aramlians were rightfully confused when they came too. Disoriented and wet, they each had the exact same story when Kruger would ask them what had happened to them. They had been in the middle of the celebration, gathered around the bonfire for the Bredalik when the ground began violently shaking. The floor beneath them erupted and some sort of plant would wrap around them before plunging them into complete darkness. No warning of any kind, be it physical or magical, just a few seconds of chaos before losing all sense of reality.

Needless to say, the Armalians weren’t going to be of any help in garnering information. That being said, Kruger still took the time to ask each individual what happened to them and even managed to calm them down in the process.

After over a hundred or so NorthClaw residents had been freed, none of which were BloodClaws unfortunately, the group halted their prison break and reconvened.

Right as shit hit the fan.

"Well. It seems we have a few insects wreaking havoc on my forest."

A feminine voice, one youthful yet old, powerful and full of authority, echoed through the night. The heads of everyone, from adventurer, to lion, to Aramlian, turned in the direction of the one speaking. All chit chat came to an immediate halt, the atmosphere becoming heavier with each passing second.

"Two children, one desert dweller, and a baby cat. Very interesting. I wonder how I should deal with this...infestation."

Thick vines erupted from the ground, twisting and turning through the cool night air as if they were the appendages of some living creature. Wrapping around the newcomer, they didn’t attack immediately.

The new arrival was a woman with skin the color of a light green, a rich color unlike the pasty skin of a Goblin or MossHead. Neon yellow eyes, a diamond mark of the same color in the middle of her forehead, and long pointy ears with three piercings in the left one. She looked similar to a Hobgoblin, but her hair looked closer to braided vines than actual follicles. She wore a lopsided black belt that held up a red cloth, concealing her front and back but leaving sizeable slits for her legs. Her top was black and stopped at the midriff, revealing her stomach and rather small waist. On her arms and shoulders, she wore fur from an unknown animal.

A deep scar ran along her stomach, marring her almost perfect figure. Needless to say, she was exceptionally attractive. And exceptionally dangerous.

Even from a glance, Jak and Mako knew what they were dealing with. If things hadn’t looked good during the spell casters appearance, it was definitely looking worse when they realized who she was.

They were dealing with a Nature Spirit.