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Descension (A LitRPG Adventure)
Chapter 13: Solarheart lily

Chapter 13: Solarheart lily

I woke in the middle of the night covered in a cold sweat and an ever-looming dread hanging over my head. The feeling of something terrible waiting to happen to me, hiding in the darkest corner of the room waiting, biding its time to strike when I least expect it. My breath hitched in my chest as the panic and anxiety grew to an overwhelming level. My heart raced burdened and uneven. Sitting up with my hands over my knees, I finally steadied my breathing enough to attempt sleep again. I laid back down and within seconds, I was out again.

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I awoke in a less-than-pleasant mood, given the circumstances of the midnight panic attack. Shit just happens sometimes; I was hoping now I was away from my old life, it would have gotten easier. Well, on the bright side, at least I didn't have a sleep terror episode; those were a million times worse. Rolling my neck as I sat up in bed, I was greeted by an unexpected cheery Bram.

I cocked an eyebrow at him "What the hell has got you in such a good mood?"

"Don't spoil it you twit, get your clothes on and come to the back." His smile vanishing

Groggily waking up and throwing on my clothes and armor, I ran downstairs and left to the back. It was still early morning, and the sun had just finally chosen to be seen

"Holy shit, what happened?" I was surprised by the flower that we planted last night. It seemed to be triple in size and the once-yellow flowers had changed. Each flower had different colored petals; the bush it now was had side shoots growing berries of some sort.

"I think it is the soil here in Hillgrove, that or the mana being produced by the generators we bought. I was thinking you should harvest a flower and a berry each. Take it to the system store and see if it'll recognize it for you.

I walked up to the bush and followed his orders; he hadn't led me wrong yet. I ever so slightly plucked the smallest flower and pinched off a berry. Rushing back inside, opening up the system shop, and selecting the sell category, my heart started skipping as it was revealed:

Solar Heart Lily:

(This mystic rare bush thrives in mana-rich environments and is known for producing both beautiful flowers and small sought-after berries.)

The flowers themselves can be used to create major health potions when ground and mixed with water; only one petal is needed to craft a potion.

Cost: 3,000 system credits

Solar Heart Berry:

Many people highly desire this small berry from an extremely rare bush.

Each berry holds enough power to bring whoever ingests it into the next threshold of any chosen stat. Be warned, use at your peril.

Cost: 75,000 system credits

I blinked at the screen, my brain scrambling to process what I was seeing. My heart pounded as I read the description over and over, willing it to make more sense. "Bram, we have an issue," I said, my voice low and steady despite the storm raging in my head. "The berries from that plant... they're not just valuable. They're extremely rare. They can push someone through any stat thresholds... This is bad; what do you recommend?"

Bram's voice echoed in my mind, cold and calculated. "First rule: Do not under any circumstances sell them. The moment even a single one of those berries hits the system store, it's over. You'd paint a target on this town so big you might as well hang a welcome sign for destruction."

I swallowed hard. "You think it would be that bad? We could use these credits to streamline the growth of the town."

"Listen, you could do it and we would all be dead within the next day. People would try to destroy kingdoms just to get the chance to look at one of those things. Could you imagine the kind of beings that would track us down when one of them is sold through the system market? They could snap their fingers and the whole town would become a barren wasteland."

A chill ran down my spine as I imagined the chaos that would descend if the secret got out... "So, what the hell do we do, Bram?"

"We keep this quiet... So quiet you could hear a gnat's fart from a mile away. Harvest all of it and keep it in your spatial bag; we keep it as a last resort."

Letting out an enormous sigh, I went back out to the plant and harvested everything from it. The plant resembled a dried-up carcass once I was done, over the beauty it once held. I grabbed what was left and yanked as hard as I could, ripping the whole plant out of the ground. Taking the north entrance out I went west to the river and threw the plant into it. I grew increasingly anxious imagining the repercussions of the plant's proximity to the village. I felt terrible, knowing that the panic attack I struggled with last night had to have been tied to it. Calming my mind took longer than usual, but with a quick breathing technique and correcting my posture, I strolled back into town, acting as if nothing was amiss.

The town council meeting started without any local issues besides Tabitha (Head of Agriculture) needing more abertroxes to fill the pastures. The chicken count was steady and on the rise, which would mean more fertilizer to expand the farmland. Things were looking good except the System shop didn't trade living creatures, which means they would have to set up a trade route of some kind. There are traveling merchants that visit the area twice a year to sell goods, mostly oddities and foodstuffs. If we wanted to grow the livestock now, we would need to send a caravan of our own, which would take a month to the nearest city.

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Letting out an exasperated breath and running my hand through my unkept hair, I said, "I will be leaving to handle the orc raiding party. This matter could wait until then. It shouldn't take longer than a couple of days. Maribel, you are in charge while I am away." I spoke clearly and concisely. Not wanting to cause any more outbursts, I stood up from the chair and started the descent to the passage glyph.

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We materialized in Larksbury and the eerie silence was the warmest welcome we could hope for. The village road stretched east to west, a narrow dirt path lined with empty homes and shattered remnants of once-happy lives. Starting with the eastern road, we saw no visible tracks that suggested that the orcs left or came this way. Running through the abandoned village, which honestly only took ten seconds at most, the weight I felt of what happened here bearing down on me with every footfall. Broken shutters creaked in the wind and most of the doors were shattered, barely hanging by their hinges.

Bram appeared next to me as I reached the western road, the ever-present snark absent from his tone. "They came in and out this way and headed into the forest. We have to hope it's not too late once they return to the camp... because then, It'll be too late..."

Giving him a sharp nod, we took off, cutting through the trampled bushes and broken branches, leaving an easy trail to follow. Sprinting through the woods, a sickening feeling grew in me the deeper I went. Was I making the right move here? One orc was nearly enough to end my life without the help of Bram. I bit the bullet here; I should've chosen a ranged class. These thoughts came rushing through the front of my mind as I kept sprinting. Apparently, the orcs lacked stealth, or perhaps it was the prisoners they were escorting.

Sometime later, I stopped to catch my breath and take a slosh out of my waterskin. The air slightly turned during my run here as if it too were against my chase; it had gotten heavier and thicker with moisture. Not quite so bad as the beach I landed on, but still the change was noticeable. I wondered if this forest would eventually give way to a swampy region, but given the last area, the transition happened instantly. Not given much thought to it, I put away the waterskin and continued the chase.

The run had been exhausting, and I would need an adequate break before too much longer. Under the dead branches clung with moss and the overcast skies; I couldn't tell how late in the day it was, but I had been running for hours at this point. The ground had slowly become more wet and muddy over time; the track was still easy to follow though. It is as if they plowed through everything in their path; within the next day I would be upon them hopefully. That also brought another worry, sleeping out here at night. I was unlucky last time, and something ruined my chance to rest. I’ll make the efforts to avoid a repeat occurrence.

It was quickly getting darker, but the swampy environment had slowly been revealing drier ground with each step; eventually I came across several rock outcroppings where the trees weren't so thick. Choosing the largest one, I ran up to it and scaled it. This would be the best spot to take a break, it was eerily quiet compared to the audible buzzing sound of the swamp. If only I had the foresight to actually pack rations, this was going to be one helluva trip. I took out the waterskin and took a healthy pull off of it. Then the silence broke, subtlely at first. A low groaning sound that seemed to stretch on forever, I peered towards the near tree line, thinking that's where I heard the sound coming from. Trying to see anything through the wavering moss that clung to the branches was a pain in the ass. The groaning quickly turned into the sound of scraping stones.

Bram narrowed his eyes. "Don't make any sudden movements." He spoke telepathically, "We have company and not the good kind." half chuckling as he did.

I slowly turned my head left where Bram was looking and that's when I saw it. It being a four legged monstrosity that I couldn't even use my game knowledge to describe. It had a glistening canine skull, with moss and smaller branches clung to its body. I tried to pick out more details but the thing was still rising from the ground.

"Bram, please tell me it's at least slow." Alarm clearly evident even through my mental voice.

"How the hell should I know? I've never seen anything like that in my life."

The creature let out another long, rattling groan as it fully emerged from the swampy ground, chunks of mud and tangled roots sliding off its hulking form. Its canine skull tilted unnaturally, empty sockets locked onto me with an unsettling focus. The rest of its body was a grotesque amalgamation of rotting bark, sinewy vines, and pulsating fungal growths that oozed a sickly greenish fluid. Each movement it made sounded like wet stone scraping against itself, and with every step, more of the swamp seemed to cling to its shifting mass.

I tightened my grip on my weapon, heart hammering in my chest. "Fantastic. Just what I needed—a moss-covered nightmare."

Bram floated a little higher, watching the beast with a mix of intrigue and concern. "It’s not just moss, genius. Look closer—see those patches glowing under its ribs? That’s decayroot fungus. Highly toxic. One scratch, and you'll be seeing colors that don’t even exist."

"Great," I muttered, slowly inching back toward the other side of the rock outcropping. "And you don't have any bright ideas?"

The creature let out a sudden, guttural snarl and took a lumbering step forward, its heavy limbs sinking slightly into the damp earth before it pulled free with a wet pop. Bram’s voice slid into my mind again, casual but urgent.

"I mean, we could run. Or you could try fighting it, but you don’t have rations, and I’m guessing you don’t have antitoxins either, so..." He trailed off, shrugging.

I cursed under my breath, weighing my options. The swamp wasn’t exactly full of escape routes, and if this thing was territorial, I’d be running for my life for who knows how long. On the other hand, facing it head-on seemed like a death wish.

The beast took another step, and I could hear the gurgling of water trapped inside its massive chest. Then, without warning, it lunged, faster than something its size had any right to move.

"RUN!" Bram shouted unnecessarily.

I didn't need to be told twice. I turned and bolted off the rock, hitting the ground in a dead sprint as the monster let out a blood-chilling roar behind me. The swamp blurred past me in a haze of branches and shadows, and I could hear the beast crashing through the undergrowth, relentless and unyielding.

"Remind me," I gasped between strides, "why I thought... this trip... was a good idea?"

Bram, effortlessly keeping pace, grinned. "Hey, you wanted adventure. Just think of it as aggressive world-building!"

I sprinted like never before, gaining as much ground as possible away from that... Thing. The swamp had returned in full, I wasn't even sure how I wasn't slipping and sliding on the mud, but I was thankful. Darkness was in full swing, with only one of the giant moons looming overhead. I quickly slid under a fallen log and made the mistake of looking back. The beast was forty feet back and gaining. Rising to my feet scrambling, I took off, within a few feet the ground disappeared and I was tumbling down through some sort of muddy hell hole descending cave.