Ix-Lok immediately moved to aid its sibling Golem, firing a regular great arrow at the larger wolf’s skull as it charged forward, then slamming the brunt of its great bow down on its head a moment later, ensuring it was very dead.

[Your party has slain a Dire Wolf; Flesh Cursed - Level 11. You are awarded 121 experience points]

Fogwarth continued his own battle with me in his grip, and we pummeled the fuck out of this big wolf before us. This one had held us on the fence, dashing in and out of the mist almost guaranteeing that we wouldn’t be able to land the head shot we needed. My hope was that we could fend it off just long enough for the Loks to be upright and ready again, then they could land a couple arrows in it the next time it attacked us. Unfortunately it seemed like their reunion was short lived, because when I glanced over after a long horizontal sweep I could see they were already being swarmed by three of the grotesque, big ass, nasty, oily brown, mushroom covered roaches. Unlike the wolves, it seemed like these were a tad slower and easier to maneuver around, but their thick insect chitin and small heads made them tough opponents for the Golems to land decisive hits on.

Plan B it was. Just like it always is. Honestly, you have to wonder why movie missions even bother with explaining Plan B and Plan C since Plan A inevitably never works. Why not come up with a Plan A and then just default to B or C anyway?

Well, my Plan B move was to wait for my rose-hip ability to come off of cooldown and use it to hopefully tangle up the thing long enough for Foggy to hammer the hell out of its mushroom-infested skull. Plan C was hoping I could review my new ability choices in enough time to get one that worked. Technically I knew that I was useless given I only had a single move that wasn’t even ready to use yet, but the fact that I could at least help by looking out around us for other enemies was at least something. I could see other things in the mists, some were moving closer and I’d shout it out to Fogwarth as he battled the wolf, but nothing had come close enough to make a move.

What really fucking sucked was trying to figure out what the hell they were. Shadowed shapes didn’t do much. So far we had dealt with wolves, snakes, and roaches. The wolves I could make out well enough now, though they varied in size, from their movements and shapes. The roaches were a little harder but most grouped together so I only had to look out for small clusters of oval things skittering around close to the ground. The snakes? Impossible. I had yet to see them in the mist even as one lunged out of the fog at Ix-Lok right after they had put down the second roach. Still, there were shapes and figures in there that I couldn’t make out or didn’t recognize at all, and clashing sounds rang out around us that could have been various mushroom zombie things fighting one another as well.

Then I remembered why were were here and the color drained from my berry. What if the sounds were the bee people’s forces? What if they had been the ones to take down a small section of the south wall to invade but had come into contact with the fog and the zombie things too? We could be facing these hideous decaying monsters now only to be facing down a whole contingent of bee soldiers immediately after. I swallowed hard, feeling a pit rise in my throat.

Blueberries didn’t have pits but it worked better than lump, alright?

Fogwarth swung me around in an arc, missing the creature but slamming his foot down hard to call on his ground spike ability. It momentarily slowed the wolf as the spikes pierced it just as the last one, but it didn’t seem to take even a little of the fight out of it. Luckily I had enough time to gain back my rose-hip ability again and cast it, rooting the ugly wolf just as I had the cub. I watched the tiny little number one’s fly up, realizing I really didn’t do any damage, and saw the wolf rip free of several tangling thorn stems only to be rooted again the moment its paw touched back down.

It was just what Foggy needed.

The big spanworm did his jump into the air, bringing me up and then crashing me down with all of his force and momentum, completely splattering the wolf’s head as if it were a water balloon full of putrid pudding. Fogwarth wasted no time, moving over to the Golems before we even got the notification of the wolf’s death.

[Your party has slain a Dire Wolf - Alpha; Flesh Cursed - Level 15. You are awarded 163 experience points]

I blinked away the notification, ignoring it as I had for the roach ones as well. If waves of enemies kept coming like this then I would hit level 5 without even wanting to. I quickly thought of my other options for evolutions but wasn’t thrilled about any of them the way I was about the Rootling path. My options were essentially a bigger berry, a berry with stubby arms and legs, or a berry tiger. The berry tiger had also been blown out of the picture considering Fogwarth couldn’t get a stealth kill even if he snuck up on a sleeping enemy. In fact, the more I thought about it the more I felt totally fucked.

There was no way I would reach 70% combat experience by level 5, not with the Golems in our party stealing most of the damage and kills. And, although they were obnoxious, they were vital to us staying alive at this point. I had no arms or legs, and I didn’t have a magical pouch, so me owning a rare sword just wasn’t happening either.

I was feeling berry pessimistic about my future.

A roach had jumped onto Ak-Lok’s chest, its mandibles carving small fissures into the stone skin of the Golem just as Ak-Lok pried it off with its bow. Ix-Lok launched over to assist, smashing the roach with its bow just as it hit the ground, popping it under the weight of the weapon. Another notification came in my vision regarding the dead roach but I wiped it away just in time to see the viper strike out again, its teeth piercing into the stone of Ix-Lok’s shoulder. The viper anchored itself and then wrapped its body around the Golem, constricting it within the length of its own body.

“Ix,” said Ak-Lok, its voice grinding out but lacking any real emotion. I could still somehow tell that the Golem wanted to shout and show fear, and it pained me on a human level seeing how it was unable to convey that at all.

Fogwarth was there in a moment, letting go of my haft with one hand to reach out and pry the viper off of the golem. Ak-Lok did the same, leveraging its enormous bow under the snake’s jaw and pulling to release it. Ix-Lok squirmed and shifted but was unable to free even a single limb in its own defense, and I watched from my low vantage as veins of black ever-so slowly crept out from the fang wounds. Venom? Poison? Or something else entirely?

Fogwarth pulled and tugged, yet he made no progress in releasing the Golem or removing the snake at all. He clenched his fist and moved towards striking the beast with huge blows, his gauntleted knuckles bashing the creature relentlessly. He lurched his fist back for another big strike, only for me to feel a sudden tug of force that sent us both careening sideways into the dirt and stone below. Before I could even get a grip on what was happening, a huge boar was mauling us with its massive tusks as if trying to open Fogwarth like a can opener. From its side were two protruding arrows that must have been the ones the golems had fired off earlier.

He grabbed onto both tusks, letting me fall to one side as he wrestled with the beast. Just like with the others, it also had mushrooms sprouting from its eye sockets and ears, even a few from its wide nostrils, along with a whole cluster from a clearly ripped apart right side of its rib cage, with the mushrooms weaved in and out of its bones.

Fucking gross.

I spared glances to the shadows, suddenly feeling the gravity of our situation settle down like a descending meteor. Fogwarth was pushing the beast back but was unarmed, and I had to imagine that his [Warforged Weaponeer] class meant that he was real good with a weapon and probably real disadvantaged without one. Ak-Lok was making no progress on the snake, and the blackened webs from the fangs were now spread out all around in several inches. I watched the golem grow even more desperate, using one of the massive arrows like a short spear and stabbing the snake’s head repeatedly but not having enough reach to fully pierce it while also not wanting to fire the bow for fear that the arrow would fly through the snake and into the Ix-Lok.

Alright. It will be okay. I told myself that again and again as if it were a mantra. My rose-hip ability was still on cooldown and would be useless against either, with the boar being literally on top of Fogwarth and the snake being fully coiled around Ix-Lok. With more shifting shadows dancing in the mist around us I feared it could all be over in only a handful of seconds, so I risked it all and brought up my skill tree, praying to whatever this place had for Gods.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

[Kaberry Kaboom - Active. Type: Nature, Chaotic. Cost: 52 Mana. Cooldown: 300 Seconds. Effect: Summon a single curling vine of up to 12 clustered blackberries at a designated target area. When an enemy comes within 3 feet of the cluster, the blackberries detonate causing 3X damage where X is equal to the Angiomancer’s current rank per blackberry. Warning: This is a Chaotic ability. The number of clustered blackberries will vary on each cast]

[Conjure Life Stem - Active. Type: Nature. Cost: 80 Mana. Cooldown: 600 Seconds. Effect: Summon Life Stem at a designated target area, offering 12 HPS to all allies within a 6 foot radius of the Life Stem. Angiomancer gains an additional 2 MPS regen while active. Life Stem remains active for 3 Seconds per Angiomancer’s current rank]

[Sunflower Beam Cannon - Active. Type: Nature, Light. Cost: 67 Mana. Cooldown: 360 Seconds. Effect: Summon a stationary sunflower cannon at designated target location. Sunflower will target the closest enemy available and will attack utilizing a stream of Light-base energy, dealing a base 10X flat damage where X is equal to Angiomancer’s current rank. Adds a paralyzed debuff that lasts for 0.5 seconds per caster's total level]

Oh. Oh no.

They were good choices. Really good choices. Each of them could actually put me on the map for this team, two of which made me a real source of damage. It was the life stem that got me. I saw it in my vision, hovering there haunting me in my system interface. That was it. That was what I needed. There was a very real possibility that the life stem would count for my Rootling evolution path. It wouldn’t have to miss out. I wouldn’t have to haul berry ass back to the northern side of the orchard and time my level 5 hit just right. If it worked like I thought it did, that would be sufficient enough for my evolution requirements as long as I used it right before my fifth level yet. It would be difficult, but far from impossible. I’d have to just plan it out enough to ensure it was cast right as the last foe fell right before the experience notification came. This was it.

But it wasn’t one that would help me out now. It was the only one that didn’t help me out right now.

I opened my eyes to see Fogwarth struggling against the boar that seemed to have bottomless pits of stamina. Ix-Lok now had black veins up spreading over his neck and chest, inching ever closer to its face like creeping ivy over an old stone building. The stonework portrait of the solemn woman’s face didn’t move or shift, it just remained stiff and expressionless. It could not even show its own agony. Ak-Lok had moved towards burning the creature with gouts of flame from its palm but it seemed to do nothing at all, simply scorching already dead flesh and scales.

My [Decay Timer] shifted ever downward, as if mocking me in my moment of crisis. What do I do? How was there any right move? I could be giving up my only shot at evolution and it was the path I most desired. But would I even get to my fifth level to evolve in the first place without their help? Ak-Lok should be helping Fogwarth, but it was too blinded with the fear of its sibling’s own situation to do anything.

Don’t be a piece of shit.

God dammit stupid conscience. Let me be me.

I had already wasted too many seconds on this decision, and so I held my breath and chose what I needed to. With another thought and intense focus, I felt the Mana drain from me as the earth a few feet from me began to break apart and move as something sprouted from below.

A [Sunflower Beam Cannon] ripped from the ground, bright yellow petals unfolding like vibrant eagle wings to reveal its pitted brown center. The cannon was about four feet tall, but the flowering part was easily triple the size that I was. I watched in brilliant fascination as orbs of light formed over it, each connecting and zapping with static energy as it seemed to absorb energy from the air around it, coalescing into a brilliant dazzling force at the center. The light it exuded became blinding, and I had to squint just to watch as a thunderous explosion ripple from its center. A beam of light ripped forward, circular orbs of power falling out around it like gentle snowfall, as it shot forward with a scream of raw fury. The beam collided with its target, ripping shreds from the ragged skin as it did so. It was a grazing blow, only narrowly catching the edge of the creature.

But it did as it intended, and the thing suddenly lost all hold it had over the Golem and fell to the ground like a limp pile of dick.

“Fuck you!” I yelled furiously at the noodled snake, just as Ak-Lok fired two arrows in rapid succession straight into the thing’s skull at full force.

Both arrows penetrated through its skull and embedded into the dirt for nearly the full length of the shaft. Ak-Lok pulled a third arrow to fire, clearly dealing with some kind of inner rage it was incapable of actually showing, and began pulling the string back.

“The boar, dumbass!” I screamed. “Kill the fucking boar!”

Ak-Lok rotated its torso and bow upward in the strangest, stiffest motion I had seen yet, and fired a flame-imbued shot right at the boar. It plunged deep into its side, shifting it off just enough for Fogwarth to get the upper hand. Fogwarth used his size and weight to follow the arrows momentum and push the boar off to his side, then quickly mounted it from the back. His fists were still gripped around the thing’s tusks, and I could see the fatigue present in him with each rise and fall of his chest. He inhaled a deep breath, then with a grunt of force he began wrenching the tusks sideways, twisted the boar at the neck and straining its neck inch by inch. I heard the horrible sounds of bones cracking and snapping, I saw the wrinkled flesh rip like a wet paper bag under Fogwarth’s strength. A moment later Fogwarth leaned back, straining with all of his night as the head finally tore free.

He panted, still holding the severed head for a few moments before tossing it aside. He turned to me and we both shared a smirk in relief for our survival.

[Your party has slain a Dweller Viper- Alpha; Flesh Cursed - Level 14. You are awarded 145 experience points]

[Your party has slain a Great Wild Boar; Flesh Cursed - Level 13. You are awarded 117 experience points]

“Ix-Lok!” Fogwarth shouted, standing to his feet and grabbing me up in the process.

The Golem was kneeling on the ground, the black webs of the bite still pulsing on its stone flesh. Two circular wounds were visible, both containing more of the matte black ooze. Ix-Lok was stiff, even more than usual, and it appeared to struggle to even stay upright on its knees. Its bow laid beside it, but it made no move to grab it. Ix-Lok simple knelt, its expressionless face staring into the dirt.

“Are you alright?” Ak-Lok asked in its monotone. “Can you stand?”

“I will be alright,” Ix-Lok answered immediately following the first question, then added, “I can,” after the second.

The Golem shook a bit as it retrieved its bow beside it and stood to its full height. It was sluggish, even by its stone standards, but despite that Fogwarth had chosen to stay silent so I joined him. Ak-Lok stood before its sibling and both gave a nod to one another in unison and slung their bows over their backs.

Enemies still surrounded us, though their numbers were greatly diminished. The few shadows that still shot around in the mist seemed to be already engaged, with squelches and the clang of metal humming from the fog.

“Icaraz?” I asked as we formed up our ranks and scanned the surroundings.

Fogwarth shook his head. “Whilst it may still be of their doing, the Empire has little reason to take on these peculiar foes. It would be far more efficient to allow such monstrous beings to roam our farmlands and reign destruction amongst our yields and citizens.”

“It is a single fighter,” Ix-Lok said.

“It is one warrior,” Ak-Lok also said.

“One person? You’re telling me it is one person fighting these things in this hellhole? How?” I raised my voice.

Ak-Lok shrugged. “She is skilled.”

“Quite skilled,” Ix-Lok added.

“Yet she is sustaining great damage,” Ak-Lok continued, placing a hand on the other Golem’s shoulder and beckoning it not to speak. Ak turned back to us. “We have monitored her progress with our passive vision ability since she joined the battle, though the mist still hinders our optimal efficiency. She is fast and talented with a sword, yet she is being weathered by the length of her battle. Her movements have slowed, thus she has only narrowly avoided the last three strikes. I have estimated that she will defeat her current foe within the next thirteen seconds, however the two that lurk just beyond her vision will take the opening to strike.”

“A fellow warrior in distress?” Fogwarth queried, gripping me and getting into an all too familiar stance. “Loks, please assist me by firing an arrow at one of her would-be attackers.”

Ak-Lok looked at its sibling Golem as it unslung its great bow, revealing the cracked and splintered lower arm. The damage from the wolf partnered with the strain of leveraging the snake had taken a toll, and as the Golem pulled the bowstring back it began to crack and warp. It shook its head as it slung the bow back over.

They shared a brief pause of silence then nodded to one another in unisons

Ix-Lok turned and pulled its own bowstring back sluggishly, barely able to draw it to its full force as it had before. Its hands shook, but it released the shot true and the great arrow ripped through the fog in a blur. The sound of it puncturing wet flesh echoed into the mist, followed by the glinting flash of steel. Fogwarth, hunched down with me raised at the ready, activated his charge ability and shot forward into the fog with the two Golems trailing behind.