The earth's trembling intensified every second. Surroundings started reeking of rot and mold - the mossy carpet underfoot began to decompose, leaving behind thick puddles, which after a couple of moments were fully absorbed by the ground underneath. After the moss disappeared, the fog also disappeared; finally, it became possible to fully examine the surroundings.
Groups of monsters were approaching the children's attractions from both sides, and as soon as the ring closed, the creatures began to attack each other. Not sure if it’s a coincidence or not, but among them were only the most low-level creatures.
«Well, at least there is some advantage in this whole situation! Maybe this is where we can break out of the cordon.».
Not wanting to reconcile myself with the hopelessness of the situation, I tried to look for any opportunities to survive. Just need to somehow pull the dog away from the sub-elites...
Soft cries sounded out from among our ranks. I was too carried away by the sight of enemies and did not notice the oddities that were happening nearby. The weaker representatives of my temporary "allies" had already collapsed onto the rapidly yellowing sand, from which spiky stems similar to thistles, with scarlet tiny flowers, rapidly sprouted. Plants wrapped around uncomplaining people, and even hardened skin did not save them from sharp needle-like thorns piercing their bodies.
Carnivorous growths squeezed through from under my feet, but I managed to jump back onto the stone path in time. My mind frantically searched for some way to survive.
«The wheel!»
I rushed over there. In mere seconds, the area covered by the thistles had widened greatly: around the stone pavement, weeds were already half a meter tall. Small but thick sprouts made their way through the cracks in the paving stones, pushing the stones apart.
Changes also took place in the enemy ranks - magic projectiles stopped attacking the wooden Deity. Most likely the thorny thickets grown under them. Fire frogs, the natural enemies of plants, began pouring liquid fire all around, burning to the ground their younger brethren standing nearby.
I was halfway to the Ferris wheel, and the plants around me had already grown a meter and a half tall. The thistles on the sides of the stone path have practically formed a tunnel; soon they will intertwine and close overhead; and I will be in complete darkness, cut off from the moonlight.
I was only twenty meters away from the much-needed capsule; sharp long spikes stretched and scratched the wooden sturdy scales.
Fifteen meters - thorns blocked the path zealously, forcing me to jump and crouch as I ran, interrupting my breathing and speed.
Ten meters - thorny sprouts are trying to wrap around my limbs right on the go.
Five meters - scarlet flowers shoot at me with tiny spiked darts. Dozens of stings pierce my body and skin, and the system bombards me with dozens of notifications:
Aqen's body blocked the paralyzing poison.
Aqen's body blocked the paralyzing poison.
Aqen's body blocked the paralyzing poison.
…
Three meters - a green, foul-smelling cloud seeps from the ground underneath.
Aqen's body partially blocked the paralyzing poison.
Aqen's body blocked the paralyzing poison.
…
One meter left and I jumped over the iron turnstile. Success! Now I had to get into the pod. Wait, how did she get here? Once saved by me, a girl rushed at me from below, pushing me back to the turnstile. Other times, this tiny girl would not have pushed me even a centimeter; but now, tired and poisoned, I fell heavily on my back against the iron railing. The hypnotized girl wrapped around the sides with her arms and hung on me. The moment I raised my hand, ready to hit her shoulder with my elbow, as a thin thorny sprout entangled my wrist and instantly jabbed a variety of thorns, injecting poison.
Aqen's body partially blocked the paralyzing poison.
Aqen's body partially blocked the paralyzing poison.
…
“Damn it,” I jerked the hand back, and then hit the girl with my knee in the stomach. But even after such a move, the stubborn booger didn't unhook, winning a couple of moments for the fast-growing thistles. And these mere seconds were enough to trap us both.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Dozens of blackthorn sprouts, pumping with poison, slowly raised us to a one and a half meters, and I saw the extent of the so-called Deity harvest. For many hundreds of meters around, thorn thickets rustled, twisted and intertwined with each other. There were still some groups of resistance, but they could only defend themselves.
Three fire toads stood back-to-back and showered liquid flames. But their reserves surely weren't endless, and as soon as the mana runs out, they will share the fate of their younger brethren. The Necromancers were doing much better: five people and three golems were surrounded by a gray sphere pulsating with magic. Thistle shoots initially tried to attack the barrier, but after barely penetrating it, quickly rotted and died. In the end, the roots did the same as the toads - they encircled the enemies in a ring and waited.
«So, I’m going to perish here anyway, huh?»
I began hallucinating because of blackthorn's poison. It seemed that hundreds of small whitish worms squeezed out of my face and chest skin. Some a little smaller, others bigger, they quickly crawled onto the thorn trunks and gnawed their way inside. And now, one after another, the flexible and strong sprout was heeling and, as if deprived of a core, fell to the ground.
The community of dozens of plants that hung me up in the air almost immediately fell down and I, along with the girl, collapsed right after them. Still feeling unwell, I stared at the dead zone expanding around me. At some point, small white worms began to crawl out of the corners of the eyes, ears, even in the mouth, there were a lot of them. The thought came to me - how good it is that I am now under a poison's influence; otherwise I might just go crazy.
Suddenly, through the poisonous anesthesia, sharp pain struck the center of my chest. The wooden scales ruptured, leaving a slit the length of a couple of fingers. A dozen small pointy legs and a whitish spherical body appeared from there. For some reason, this creature evoked in me the same feeling of kinship as any thing which I infused with my energy of Nihility. But the feeling was many times stronger with this creature.
Once out, it swiftly shook off the remaining dark thick blood and began to dig into the sand. Before the creature disappeared, I was able to make out the letters of the target's status:
Younger Progenitor (***)
Level 1
Purple faction
“Damned insects!” I leaned back and stared up at the night sky. According to the status, I will be paralyzed for another two minutes.
As soon as the timer reached zero, the overwhelming effects on my body were gone. I immediately touched my chest - the wound closed, forming a bluish scar. I still felt a lot of small hollows and cuts on my face and hands, although, for sure, most of them had already healed.
“I wonder if these little beetles will deal with the huge pine cone?” The area of withered thistles widened another ten or fifteen paces.
I looked at the huge cone, which transformed into a truly lush flower. Throughout its woody structure there were huge cracks, from which outlandish, dissimilar flowers sprouted. Its status has also changed:
Mother Tree, Molting (***)
Level 8
Green faction
«Damn it… What are the chances of a small level 1 critters winning against such a creature?»
Be that as it may, the attack of small white larvae intensified. Penetrating inside the plant, they devoured its core from the inside, leaving behind only an empty, lifeless shell. And when the bugs swelled from gluttony, their bodies were torn apart, giving rise to a dozen more tiny critters.
At this rate, their numbers increased exponentially every moment. New sprouts did not even have time to hatch, as they were immediately struck by parasitic beetles. Finally, the Mother Tree turned her attention to the dying flock and moved on to retaliatory actions. A cloud of greenish smoke arose from the ground into the air; the bugs that contacted it, fell on the ground in batches.
«We have to run!»
I grabbed the unconscious girl, freeing her body from the dry thorny sprouts, and headed straight for the moving Ferris wheel pod. Locking the door, I started watching the ongoing chaotic battle outside through the glass windows. At first it seemed to me that Mother Tree's single attack was enough, and all the insects died as the thorny bushes began to sprout again in their former places. However, three long whitish worms suddenly burst out of the ground; their mouths opened like lily petals, and the parasites began to draw poisonous vapors into themselves. Just a minute later, the fervorous attack of the larvae resumed.
Then, as if in a game, the turn passed to the plants, and innumerable flowers on the thorn bushes began to shoot powder into the air, shining in the moonlight. The glittering particles collided with the flesh of the worms and left extensive burns on their bodies. There were so many tiny particles that the insects melted under the onslaught.
The battle between the forces of nature and the parasites lasted about fifteen minutes, and probably, due to the equality of forces, would have continued for a very long time. From the outside, everything looked like a protracted chess game; for every action there was an immediate reaction in response. However, there was another participant in the game, one who was left unnoticed.
The apprentices of the necromancers at that time, in addition to the protective sphere, performed some kind of ritual: one of the fleshy golems fell apart, and a two-meter ghostly shadow with scythes instead of hands appeared from parts of its flesh. Stepping out of the sphere, it began to briskly cut its way through the thorny bushes. The Mother Tree unleashed a dozen well-executed anti-insect combat techniques; however, it had little effect, as the shadow not only did not stop, its movements did not even slow down.
In a swift dance, the shadow broke through to the gargantuan body of the Mother Tree and, slicing the wooden skin open with the scythes; an explosion blasted out and a column of violet flame flared up. A bomb went off inside my head, hinting at the bond that has remained between us to this moment.
After such huge damage to the Mother's Tree body, the field of thorn bushes swayed and their flower tops bowed down. The earth hummed and shook with intensified force. The whole construction of the Ferris wheel cracked at the seams and gnashed the metal insides.