The corruption continued to spread and didn’t cease. There had been no activity from the side of the thorny vines. I also had to see any rabbits appear.
Do they know this is happening? What can they even do against this?
Muqu and I had tried everything but it either shrugged off our attacks or regenerated back.
We might have to get to the root of the problem but is that even possible? None of us can dig and the underground corridors are blocked.
Muqu entered the room via a corridor and sealed it with [Ice Walls]. “I’ve been keeping an eye out and it seems the corruption isn’t spreading through the tree. Our lair is safe.”
“But for how long...”
Muqu walked over, leaned on the green branches, and looked out into the jungle. “How far will it go? Or will it go on indefinitely?”
I didn’t know he answer so I continued looking out over the jungle. The corruption had almost reached the water spire and I was curious what would happen.
Would the corruption destroy the spire?
More mana flowed to my eyes to ensure I got a better view of what was about to happen.
The corruption got closer and closer to the spire’s territory while destroying everything in its path. The corruption made contact wit the territory of the spire and the corrosion started to affect the water. It spread, spread, and disappeared after it diluted.
“Huh? That easy?”
Was water all we needed to stop the corruption? It couldn’t be that easy. Muqu and I had tried water too.
More corruption encroached on the spire’s territory and got diluted in its territory.
I sighed in disappointment. I had hoped for a more exciting interaction.
The spire started to glow, first dinly but the glow intensified and water started to flow from it’s territory and attack the corruption.
“Muqu! Look! The spire is doing something!”
Water ‘leaked’ out of the territory and pushed back on the corruption.
“Azu! Look! It’s as if the corruption is getting purified!”
“But you tried [Purify] and it didn’t work, did it?”
I realized the foolishness of my question after water rushed against the corruption and continuously purified it.
This is on a larger scale and continuous. The good news was that the spire was winning, the bad news was that its territory was expanding. Which is the greater evil?
We had watched the corruption spread for the last 2 days and now we observed how it was getting pushed back and the spire’s territory was expanding.
Entering the spire is something we want to avoid at all costs. It would be game over if the last floor is underwater combat. Being a water magic user doesn’t mean that fighting in bodies of water is beneficial. It’s only beneficial for us to fight near bodies of water.
Popular are the stories in Misha water magic class, where water users had gotten cocky, fought underwater, and drowned miserably. Bonus points for attempting underwater combat in the ocean. Skilled sailors avoid doing that, why would we, ignorant landlubbers, know any better?
It's easy to forget the brutality of nature in a world filled with magic. A volcano, a hurricane, or the deep ocean doesn’t care how skilled you are at using magic, it will punish carelessness with lethal force.
I have experienced the Hurricane path and a volcanic eruption. I’m not eager to try my luck with a potential deep ocean experience. I’d rather stay dry and safe in this lair.
A mana wave went off in the distance and several followed.
Several figures approached the scene at full speed and swarms of petals blew in.
“Look Muqu! The rabbits have arrived!”
“But what can they do? The water is already doing their job. Are they going to stop the water?”
My excitement died down as only 6 rabbits had arrived. Is that enough? Did they underestimate this situation or...is this happening everywhere throughout the jungle?
2 rabbits shot their flower hand cannons at the corruption which got pushed back. 2 were pushing back on the water and the remaining 2 were... talking to the thorny vines?
They did mention that they could talk to plants. Would these vines just go ‘ok, my bad. I’ll go back to where I came from?’ Probably not, right?”
“Muqu, let’s help. We can’t do anything about the plant stuff or corruption but we can help push the water back!”
I ran to a barrel, took some energy shots. After checking myself in an [Ice Mirror], flew off to help the rabbits.
The rabbits waved at us before continuing their job. I recognized them as some of the nightshift rabbits.
Muqu flapped her wings and I landed to fan the water back.
The water receded and ceased it’s territory expansion after we had pushed it back into its original territory.
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“Thank you. It’s good to see that you 2 are ok!”
The rabbits gave us a friendly greeting by giving us a short wave.
“Thank you! How are you guys doing?”
The faces went from happy to concerned. “We’re busy as you might be able to tell. That tree over there is the source?”
Muqu and I looked back and laid eyes on what he was pointing at.
“No, there was something deep under the tree. I...I might have set it off, sorry.”
One of the rabbits frowned and stroked his goatee. “Hmm, I don’t think you could cause this. Could you explain what you encountered?”
“Well, I went to dehumidify the large tree as we had flushed the fairies out. It went well until I got to corridors below the roots. It had glowing plants that spot purple glowing poison.”
“Oh, Doomblooms, that’s not poison. Getting hit by that instantly kills you unless you have multiple lives. Good to see you survived those. But those shouldn’t cause this...”
I shivered and thanked my education for disallowing me to be extremely reckless.
“Well they were guarding a corridor and that’s where I found those vines but they weren’t glowing. I think the light from my [Fire Wisps] set them off...”
“Hmm, yeah, light could have done that. Anything else you saw? Like a strange plant or seed?”
I shook my head. “Besides those Doomblooms? No...”
The other rabbit stepped forward. She had short brown hair and looked quite young. “Do you perhaps know how deep underground you were?”
I shook my head again. “I’m sorry...”
The shorthair brunette sighed while looking down. “I’m going to get backup. We might need Benji for this but...”
“Wait?! Nothing happened to Benji right? Please tell me he’s ok!”
I had enough of people close to me dying. It was selfish and naive but I just wanted everyone to live and be happy.
The goatee rabbit nodded at the brunette who hopped off. “Benji is ok but... a corruption like this happened a week ago and... it corrupted Wren. Benji had to...put her down...”
“No...”
Memories of Wren and Benji flashed by.
“These vines would grab our kin and continuously drain the nutrients out of them killing them at a rapid rate and depleting lives in no time. The more lives one had the longer the torture... we lost many. Wren had been a real leader and a hero saving many rabbits from that terrible fate and then...she got corrupted... It was a 3-day fight. Benji hasn’t been the same since then and Mishelly had also been heavily affected.”
My heart sank and my body froze. I didn’t know what to say or what to think. Why does this keep happening? People I care about keep dying around me. What’s the point of immortality when it just means that dying won’t ever be quick and painless but more a long painful torture?
My eyes got prickly and hazy.
“Are you ok?” The goatee rabbit wanted to console me but I waved him away.
“I’m ok, you guys are doing far worse than me. Don’t let me keep you from your task. Just tell us when we can help...”
Muqu put her hand on my back and offered me a cup made out of ice filled with chilled water.
“Thank you.”
She made a couch out of ice and we sat down and observed.
“Hey Muqu, what does immortality mean to you?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it... maybe I’m taking it for granted but I don’t see it as a part of my identity.”
“Fairies are immortal too?”
“We just don’t die from old age. You’ve seen that we can die. Quite easily if we’re stupid...”
“I also have that type of immortality. What do you think about the type of immortality the rabbits have?”
Muqu followed the goatee rabbit with her eyes as he was hopping around and shooting flower cannons at the corruption to push it back.
“I think it’s inconvenient. They have to worry about it constantly. But they don’t get the benefit that we have. If those vines attacked us it would be over just like that for us.” Muqu snapped to illustrate the suddenness.
“But they...they will live through it until their hundreds or thousands of lives have been depleted. I don’t know how it feels to have everything get pulled out of you but I don’t want to find out.”
Benji had once mentioned that having multiple lives was just a tool. Dying was inevitable with the tasks they had to do which would explain the nature of their type of immortality.
Surely there must have been a better type of immortality, right? Not that I’m aware of any other one besides my own and those of the tailed beasts.
A rabbit got pierced by a retaliating vine and goatee rabbit pulled him out. Not sure how many lives that rabbit lost but that must have hurt immensely.
They were using nature energy on him but it would just keep him functional and not completely remove his pain.
He might have wished that would have killed him but he will have to put up with that pain until either he or those vines die...
The corruption and the vines were slowly retreating but the rabbits had to work hard for it.
A quick calculation revealed that they would have to keep this up for 3 weeks at this pace to reach the big tree. The silver lining was that it would take about 2 weeks for reinforcements to arrive.
But that’s 2 weeks they have to hold on for reinforcements...
“Muqu. Do you think that something created a system that required the rabbits to deal with these tasks?”
“I don’t know but the mythical and legendary beasts of every dimension seem to have tasks so it’s either natural or a consistent system. But why though?”
That’s a good question. Why do these things happen? We know that the world is dying because the rabbits and other races don’t have the numbers to do their role but... why are these things happen. There must be a logical reason for it right?
Every time I try to ignore this impending doom problem it keeps rearing its ugly head. Is it because I’m aware of it or would it happen regardless?
The vines had started shooting their thorns at the rabbits and the fight was getting ridiculous. 5 rabbits fighting sentient thorny vines that want to take over the jungle. Nobody on Kaledon would believe me...
“Reality can be stranger than fiction eh? Say Muqu, if I would write a book on my life do you think it would be labelled as fiction?”
“I only know a small part of our life but these spires...”
We turned around to look at the water spire.
“I don’t think I would have believed you if I hadn’t been there myself.”
“So even a world filled with magic has objects and events that would challenge credibility...”
We turned around and I sent a water clone out to gauge how well I would do if i were to help the rabbits out.
My clone did well until she got hit by a vine after 17 minutes and got sucked dry.
“17 minutes eh...that’s not a lot...”
“Well you’re not as agile as the rabbits...”
The rabbits were performing insane feats of agility and still getting hit. It felt unfair and I couldn’t see a way out for them. They must have known and still went in.
“This is so depressing...isn't there anything we can do?”
The words had barely left Muqu’s lips as something crashed down in front of us.
A strange ugly cape was the first thing I saw. It was fluttering dramatically in the wind and revealed a short redhead after the cape stopped its unnatural movements. She had arrived with another person. This one had long light blue hair and was quite slender. She seemed almost translucent as if... she was made out of water.
“Rejoice forest rabbits! The mighty Bellia is here!”
“Can you stop that, Bellia? You can’t continue doing that and complain when others think you’re childish...”
“But you don’t think I’m childish right Della?”
This Della person looked to the side to evade the question and her eyes fell on us.
“Oh my, what an interesting combination. A fairy and a witch, both far from home.”
She walked over to us and made a princess bow as a skirt made of water appeared briefly and disappeared. “I am the Sarian goddess Ardella, I’m here with Bellia to help out with this...complicated problem.”
Ardella looked toward the water spine and frowned. “Truly an abomination. Bellia! Stop being such a brat and go help the rabbits!”
“I’m not a child!”
Bellia threw a tantrum and Ardella went back to calm her down. Their interaction looked like siblings of which Ardella was the older sibling.
“These Sarian gods get weirder and weirder...”