Chapter 61: Safety

Woosh! Tak.

Kruger landed onto the moss ridden floor with relative ease, barely making a sound in the process. Wasting no time, the young Fennelis immediately made his way over to the other Aramlians, the same ones that had just started moving to the edge of the monster infested forest.

"Are you sure we have time to do this young Lord?" One of the Aramlians, an older Equenik with greying hair, voiced his concerns. "We can stil go back and assist the Adventurers-"

"We need to get to safety. That was their orders." Kruger shook his head. "Their efforts will have been in vain if we don’t follow through."

"As a warrior of NorthClaw and future Scholar, you have what it takes. Show me your resolve to keep those you love safe."

"éonct jesg jun réytz clawserz kinp?ld réytz Parthenon’s kinpóld, jesgde mre?to inctyl po jesg und dah mu qern." Kruger moved through the crowd of Armalians, the lot of them parting to let the young Fennelis through. "Y vyihjo reyolpi sef und xui?or u grostevi?t réytz wakanq!! Zutomp lut ruthaln!! Tuyendity fredih, cretik wyhlo yeq feduty beruqe hup réytz vuol!! (*Once we get the citizens beyond the Parthenon’s boundary, we’ll figure out how we can be of use. I need those who can fight to spearhead the front!! Cover all bases!! Everyone else, remain close and don’t stray from the group!!)

There was a flurry of activity as everyone moved to obey Kruger’s orders, not a one offering up any objections. Even Knox moved to take part, his short mane ruffling in the cool night air. The fighters quickly mobilized the moment the word was given, the common populace shifting towards the back of the pack. Sturdy pieces of wood were taken from the surroundings and fashioned into makeshift spears, magic spells were prepared in advance, and formations were quickly thought up and put into action.

From an outsider looking in, it was clear that the NorthClaw residents already knew what to do without any excess details.

Once the crowd of Aramlians had readied themselves, Kruger lead the way forward, wasting no time.

At the same moment though, the monsters prowling the edges of the forest wasted no time either. MossHeads, Poison Geckos, Vine Goblins, Rootlings. Hordes of various beasts charged towards the group, no hesitation in their steps.

"Yosh nijola!!" Kruger twirled his Scimitars as he sliced through a MossHead with relative ease. (*Cut through!!)

"Jinv Manifeez: Shiìn Deretn!!" (*Flame Manifest: Scorching Light!!)

"Yggd Manifeez: Orcashín Balla (*Earth Manifest: Jagged Teeth!!)

Under the light of the overarching moons, the area was bombarded with numerous magic spells, shouts ringing through the night as the group of Aramlians charged into the assortment of plant based entities. Wave after wave of magical monstrosities surged ahead, quickly replacing all that were cut down. However, despite the overwhelming numbers, the warriors of NorthClaw didn’t falter, staying course and fighting tooth and nail.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground shook violently, stones erupting from the vine ridden floor, piercing a line of MossHeads through their various limbs. Orange flames burst into existence, manifesting through explosions or over weapons to cut through monsters like hot butter. Sharp gusts of wind whipped through the area, shredding everything it came into contact with.

Boom! Boom!

Jak narrowly cut down the incoming, tree trunk sized vines sent in his direction, unfaltering as he quickly closed the distance betwixt him and the Nature Spirit. Katana ablaze, the redhead swiped towards the woman’s neck with pinpoint precision. However, before contact could be made, a series of luminescent green petals quickly gathered faster than the eye could track. Sparks flew in the air as Jak was summarily pushed back on the defensive, the floating leaves retaliating the second the Rookies attack was rendered useless.

"Water Manifest: Harpoon Gatlin."

At the same time that the fiery youth was forced into backtracking, Mako siezed the chance, slipping towards the Nature Spirit’s blindspot.

Spears of liquid morphed into existence before shooting towards the woman’s flank. Just like before, the glowing leaves returned to defend, shredding apart each and every harpoon.

Scowling, Mako evaded a swift counterattack from the woman as he maneuvered back towards Jak.

"Those things are getting on my nerves." The blue-haired adventurer skid to a stop upon reaching his compatriot, staff raised in defense. "What the heck ARE those things?!"

"Mugen Leaves. From the world of-"

"I swear to the Gods. If you say the World of Night." - Mako

"You want me to lie?" - Jak

"Preferably." - Mako

Slam!

The two youths barely managed to escape as a series of vines descended from above, nearly flattening them.

"Mugen Leaves are a defense mechanism of the Mugen Tree!!" Jak yelled over the constant attacks, switching between attacking and defending from the oncoming vegetation. "They act as a separate entity and will give their all to annihilate all things they view as hostile to the main body!! In order to destroy even a single leaf you have to at least be as strong as an Emerald Class, stronger still if you want to compete on the same playing field as ALL of the leaves!!"

Mako twirled his staff, water coating the entirety of the weapon. The liquid shifted and refined itself until the staff itself was akin to a raging saw. Swinging it around, the Water Wolves leader made quick work of the vines surrounding him, shredded chunks of green raining down around him.

"Remind me to never visit Noxta." - Mako

"Noted." - Jak

"So. What the heck are we supposed to do here?" Mako tapped his staff against the ground before once again blasting forward.

Then, the Nature Spirit raised her hand, palm stretched towards the approaching youth. From the space itself, what looked like an enormous sunflower appeared. Hovering in the air, the large neon yellow plant spun rapidly like a possessed frisbee, rotating faster and faster with every microsecond that passed.

"Pray." The woman answered Makos question with a look of disgust on her face. "Lowly insects."

"JAK?" Mako shouted questioningly as he slid to a complete stop.

"No clue. Evasive action!!"

Right as Jak hollered out his instructions, a hail of fist sized seeds shot from the sunflowers face with a sound resembling machinegun fire. Mako, caught unaware, was barely able to avoid all of them, forced to knock some of them away in order to escape injury. The majority of them sailed harmlessly by, losing speed before dropping around Jak.

Silence.

And then.

Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!

Thin vines shot from beneath the moss covered sand and wrapped themselves around whatever part of Jak they could reach. Wrists, ankles, shoulders, biceps. Each strand was incredibly strong, strong enough to hold even the redhead in place without so much as budging. The more that the ensnared Rookie struggled, the tighter the vines seemed to become.

Unable to move or put up a proper fight, all Jak could do was watch as a thick vine slammed into him from the side, sending him rocketing through numerous trees and fallen houses before slamming into the wall-like root of the World Tree. The root quivered from the impact, kicking up dust and raining shrapnel until the redhead was momentarily hidden from view.

Around the same time that Jak was being thrown, Mako found himself in a similar situation as his compatriot.

The few seeds he had knocked aside in self defense activated, green strands wrapping around him and preventing him from moving.

"Truly. It’s a wonder how such a pitiful species has survived this long." The Nature Spirit’s voice dripped with venom as she lowered her hand, the sunflower breaking apart and dissolving. "Even with being weakened as I am, unintelligent and useless infants such as yourselves couldn’t hope to match me. I’ve lived over dozens of your lifetimes, brat."

"This is some excellent foreplay honestly," Mako remarked, flexing an arm against the vine to test its sturdiness. "Love a woman that can tie me up. You gonna punish me next?"

"ENOUGH!!" The Nature Spirit’s face grew angrier, an aura of magic surrounding her body. She was clearly not a fan of Mako’s humor.

The ground rumbled and vines that looked to be sharper and more refined made their appearance. Unlike before, these ones had jagged barbs running along its length. If she hadn’t been trying to kill them before, it was clear that she was definitely doing it now, the diamond on her forehead glowing brightly.

"DISAPPEAR FROM THIS WORLD YOU INSECT!!"

Waving her hand, the vines launched themselves forward. However, even with the incoming missiles aimed straight for his chest, Mako merely smiled as he leaned forward, looking the Nature Spirit dead in the eyes.

Tak Tak Tak Tak.

"Don’t underestimate us insects." - Mako

Tak Tak Tak.

Shing! Shing! Shing!

Streak after streak of fiery crimson appeared almost instantaneously as Jak reappeared, katana slashing apart everything in sight. Even the vines that had kept the blue-haired Rookie fixed in place were torn to apart.

"Because we just might surprise you."

"Mako." Jak bent his knees, crouching low. Blood dripped from his head and arms, but the youth didn’t even seem to notice.

"Right." - Mako

With respective elements coating their weapons, the two blasted from their positions, blazing a path towards the Nature Spirit. Switching between dodging and utterly decimating each vine thrown their way, they closed the distance far faster than any time previously. The Nature Spirit herself looked taken aback by the sudden switch up and quickly tried to backtrack, throwing up a wall of luminescent moss to halt their movements.

Shing!

It didn’t even cause them to pause as Jak sliced the wall apart. Mako, following closely behind the redhead, used his compatriots shoulder as a springboard to propel himself forward and upwards. Flipping in midair, the Rookie cleanly landed on the other side of the Nature Spirt, halting her attempt to regain some distance. Following up, Mako stepped forward, staff lined with refined and sharpened liquid.

"Water Manifest: Inverted Spear!"

Just as all the previous attempts to directly attack the green-skinned woman, the Mugen Leaves returned to protect her as stupidly sharp spear shaped water extended from Makos staff. However, right when it looked like it was about deny the spell, the spear shifted trajectory entirely. It shifted hard to the right and then back to the left, completely avoiding the makeshift wall of glowing leaves. Surprised, the Nature Spirit didn’t have much time to react, resulting in the water spear grazing her face.

From the other end, Jak took the chance to strike, swiping his katana towards the woman’s midsection. Of course, Masamune was once again stopped in its tracks by the Mugen Leaves.

Jak then rubbed a free hand across the blades back.

"Flame Manifest: Red String."

Boom!

The flames and ensuing explosion engulfed the redhead and the Nature Spirit, Mako himself escaping the blast just in time. Skidding to a halt, Mako smirked as he wiped some blood away from his eyes, having gotten cut up by the Leaves retaliation.

(("Did he just explode himself with his own spell?")) The youth let out a breath. (("That’s some dedication."))

As the explosion died back down, Jak could be seen standing standing a few meters away from where he had struck, looking a tad bloody and beat up but otherwise fine. On the other hand, the Nature Spirit was bruised in multiple places and even looked severely burned in several others. White blood trickled from open wounds and her clothes were singed and smoking.

It had taken them a while, but they had finally managed to do some damage.

"Do you surrender?" Jak asked, crimson eyes unwavering. "We can promise leniency and a reduced sentence for the crimes you committed."

"If not, then we’ll have no choice but to cut you down." Mako took his spot right beside his brother, staff end hitting the ground. "It would be a shame to end your life. Especially for one as gorgeous as you."

"Tch. All you humans know is destroy and murder. I doubt my surrender will lead to anything but my demise." The Nature Spirit wiped the blood from her cheek. "Not that I would EVER submit to the likes of worms!!’

"You tried to kill us first though???" Mako tilted his head in confusion.

"Very well. If you refuse to cooperate, than we’ll simply have to stop you by any means necessary." Jak let his magic run rampant, flames spreading along Masamune’s edge. "Prepare yourself, Spirit."

"Great Forest Manifest: Tranquil Paradise."

Sitting down on the ground, the green-skinned woman crossed her legs and closed her eyes. All around her, fresh grass, flowers, and even soil materialized into existence, forming a perfect circle almost a full 5 meters wide. Then, before Jak or Mako could even register it, a dome made up of the same bioluminescent moss that stopped the redheads very first strike appeared. It covered the Spirit and the flowery area in its entirety.

"Good news Jakky. I think she took your words to heart." Mako grinned, tapping his friend on the shoulder.

"Shut it."

Only seconds after Mako made his sly remark, the ground began to rumble, causing the two youths to look around in confusion. Their gazes then landed on the far distance where the hordes of monsters they had left half a kilometer back were parading forth, sights clearly locked on the dual Adventurers.

"Well isnt that nice. A welcoming party." Mako let out a sigh. "I swear. How long is this gonna take."

"Réylu fe oj!!" Kruger raised his voice, ensuring he could be heard over the utter chaos surrounding him. "Eón mahd lonct!!" (*There it is!! One more push!!)

With the Parthenon now in sight, a wave of morale spread through the ranks, inciting everyone to push harder against the monsters. Those at the front quickly spread to the sides and the flank to cover the tail end as the NorthClaw citizens finally breached the Parthenon’s borders. As the Aramlians flooded into the safe point, the various plant based entities howled and snarled in frustration as they met with an invisible wall.

"Esshhh!! Y nadena y par vrutiom u ven!!" (*Whew!! I thought I was going to die!!)

"újio jen hyet xunpwer!!" (*You got that right!!)

All around, citizens plopped down onto the sand, the only sand that hadn’t been affected due to the Parthenon’s boundaries. Kruger didn’t bother to say anything to them as he quickly made his way towards the building, only one thought crossing his mind. He NEEDED to get the necessary data and figure out the best course of action to help the Adventurers. Since the Aramlians were already within the barrier, there was no longer a need to worry about them, only the task at hand.

Unknowingly, Kruger was operating as a true Aramlian warrior, his mind far removed from any sort of expectation, whether it be others or his own. The rampant self doubt and heavy burden he had placed upon himself was temporarily lifted due to the dire situations NorthClaw found itself in. All unnecessary thoughts, feelings, and actions were tossed to the wayside as Kruger planned out his next move, assessing the best course of action.

It was just as Jak had said. Rely on no one’s expectations and push forward.

This was the time for Kruger to push through and show everyone what he was capable of, even if he himself had yet to actually realize it.

Now that they had reached safety, it was time for the young Fennelis to pull his own weight. It was time to get to work.