Paralysis is the result of overstimulation, thought Sorin as the Thunder Panther pulled away and from his position and moved to flank him. Direct regeneration impossible due to lack of damage. Over-produced neurotransmission chemicals identified. Deploying reactive poisons to neutralize.

The alpha Thunder Panther was quick, but Lorimer was quicker. The duo clashed mere feet away from Sorin's position and continued to do so for the next three seconds. Lorimer, being the weaker demon, lost out on each exchange until, finally, he was sent flying, and the Thunder Panther launched itself at Sorin's throat.

Sorin completed the purge of his nervous system just in time. He raised gauntleted fists and punched the alpha in the snout with all his strength, using the recoil to launch himself backward to where the other three-star Thunder Panthers were located.

Lorimer intercepted the alpha when it tried to follow, providing Sorin the precious seconds he needed to clear the area for his companions. He summoned a three-hundred-foot python laced with Night Lily's Chains, then used Cobra's Glare to paralyze his opponents. They shrugged off the paralysis in less than a second thanks to their powerful resistance against mental effects—but not in time to avoid the crushing mana-inhibiting python that tightened around them.

Mana inhibition proved extremely effective against the weaker Thunder Pythons. There were too many of them, however, and Sorin's Python Coil began to warp and distort under the strain. But not before Lawrence and company used his shadow to appear beside the five early three-star panthers and initiate a counterattack.

Fenrig initiated with a fear-inspiring shout, and Astley followed up by summoning three tentacled monstrosities and having them entangle their closest opponents. Coverfire from Gareth immediately alleviated the pressure on Lorimer, who was struggling to keep up with the alpha.

Sorin used these precious uninterrupted moments to modify his poisons to account for the sound-infused nature of the panther's flesh, along with the resistances he'd detected in the first few clashes. He then used Autogenesis to modify the poisons each of his companions were wielding before proceeding to his main task, harvesting the Clearlight Moon Vine while simultaneously distracting the alpha Thunder Panther.

Enraged by the humans' audacity invading its territory, the alpha Thunder Panther bore down on them with its aura. It was demonic and infused with the power of its surroundings, making it much more powerful than any human equivalent.

Sorin's companions were instantly weakened, but that weakness vanished as Sorin's Aura of Ten Thousand Poisons permeated his surroundings and disintegrated the Thunder Panther's aura. His aura had two uses: the first was the deliver small quantities of poison remotely, while the second was to nullify other auras!

Seeing that it was impossible to suppress them remotely, the Thunder Panther summoned several bolts of lighting and shaped them into armor. Sorin responded by shaping Nemesis into a spear, as only its spear form would allow him to attack the creature without suffering another wave of paralysis.

The two flew into the sky and clashed several times, with neither side coming out the victor. The Thunder Panther's cultivation was powerful, but Sorin was a tarnished God Seed with a fully open Gate of Initiation. He could match the creature both in terms of output and endurance.

If things continued in this fashion, it would be impossible for him to harvest the vine. Fortunately, he had support. Mid-clash and arrow shot the Thunder Panther in the torso and shackled it to a tree, interrupting its movements and allowing Sorin to pierce its neck with a poison-infused spear.

"You have one minute," said Gareth, following up on his initial attack with additional arrows.

"Confirmed," said Sorin, stabbing the panther once more, this time infusing it with Night Lily's Chains. The mana-binding poisons caused the creature's limb to seize up, enabling Sorin to maneuver to the other side of the Thunder Panther and retreat towards the Sun and Moon Clear Well.

The alpha was quick to adapt. Its body split into three interchangeable sonic projections that hid its main body, making it difficult for Gareth to stun accurately.

Sorin used Adder Rush to dodge as he retreated, but the additional clone made things tricky. A claw struck him from behind, tearing through his armor and chipping bone, only to immediately shift to another clone and bite down from above. Sorin sent an acitoxin-laced python to intercept the creature, however, and the sonic projection exploded.

Soundwaves blasted Sorin and rattled his brain. His eardrums ruptured, but thanks to his powerful regenerative abilities, they immediately healed. Sorin dodged a follow-up attack by the panther but was thrown off-balance by the dizzying after-effects of the attack. A paw to the chest sent him flying into the Sun and Moon Clear Well.

This provoked an intense reaction from the five other Thunder Panthers. Lawrence, ever the opportunist, chose this moment to attack a weakened panther in conjunction with Lorimer. Under their combined attack, the rat managed to bite through the creature's skull and extract its core, greatly lessening the pressure on their small group.

Something's happening, thought Sorin. While he couldn't detect what exactly was wrong, his instincts warned him of an impending crisis.

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You really stepped on it this time, came Azrakul's smug voice.

"Shut up!" snarled Sorin, swimming through the Sun and Moon Clear Well's waters towards the vine at the center.

"Incoming!" Gareth shouted. "The wolves are mobilizing!"

Lawrence used Lorimer to launch himself up into the air and gain an aerial view of their surroundings. "The porcupines are on their way, too! They're spewing diarrhea all over the ground because of your poisons, but that's not stopping them!"

Sorin cursed. "Give me ten seconds!" The alpha Thunder Panther hadn't stopped attacking him, but it had grown more cautious to avoid damaging the Clearlight Sun and Moon Vine. Sorin took advantage of this caution by placing himself between the vine and the panther and sending out a spray of manatoxin-laced needles. The needles were too quick for the panther to dodge and too well-positioned for her to risk counterattacking. The needle struck key points in the panther's anatomy, resulting in widespread paralysis that would be difficult to dispel.

The waters of the Sun and Moon Clear Well attacked Sorin as he drew near the vine. Fortunately, the strength of the clear well wasn't at its strongest near the surface; Sorin was only interested in the Clearlight Sun and Moon Vine's fruits and had no intention of diving deeper.

He reached out to grab a fruit but froze as a hand formed of water shot out and grabbed his wrist. He moved to pull it back but relaxed as he saw a half-naked female figure behind the vine. Her delicate smile and gentle movements caused his mind to wander. A lullaby urged his eyes to close as the half-naked woman pulled him into the water, where sun and moon energies began to ravage both the poison and corruption in his body.

Reaction… unnatural… thought Sorin as he struggled to free himself from the creature's hypnotic gaze. Creation is inhuman and composed of water. Aspect… is Jealousy! Intense charm attributes confirm opponent is a Nymph.

Nymphs, like dryads, were elementals. Though both could charm their opponents, nymphs specialized in such attacks and were considered by far the more dangerous myth.

Unable to directly free himself from its influence, Sorin activated Cobra's Glare. His spirit clashed with the enemy's spirit, resulting mostly in damage to himself. In doing so, however, he was able to free himself from the nymph's spell long enough to slash Nemesis across his own chest, filling the pristine waters of the Sun and Moon Clear Well with his own poisonous blood.

An attack on well's clear waters was an attack on the nymph's unprotected body that forced her to abandon her attack on Sorin and focus on purifying the water. Sorin emerged from the water and took the opportunity to escape.

"It was a trap!" shouted Sorin. "There's a fourth party here controlling everyone via charm!"

"Make that fifth!" said Lawrence, pulling out a crossbow and shooting it into the sky. The bolt struck an eagle mid-swoop while two of Gareth's arrows shot down another two. A fourth, much larger eagle cut through the air and flew towards Sorin's position.

"Where did these birds even come from?" said Sorin, attacking the eagle with a poison-infused spear. He summoned a python beneath his feet like a bridge and ran off the Sun and Moon Clear Well. "Don't tell me… above the clouds?"

"They apparently have a nest in the clouds," said Gareth. "We just couldn't see it from all the way down here."

None of this would have happened if you'd listened to me, said Azrakul. Charms are basic! Something easily detected with just a little more corruption.

Sorin was tempted but set aside the matter for now. "We should get out of here."

"A little late for that," said Gareth. "What happened in the Clear Well?"

"The vine was a nymph," answered Sorin. "Or part of a nymph? Its main body is living in the Clear Well. It seems this nymph was the source of my uncertainty. Those groups are all enemies, but because of the nymph's charm, they're more than willing to cooperate."

Sorin looked up and saw that the alpha panther wasn't done with him. This time, it let out a conic breath attack. Lorimer tried to intercept it but was blocked by a Gold-Furred Dire Wolf, forcing Sorin to face the attack head-on.

This time, he was ready, and the sonic attack only stunned him for half a second. Unfortunately, Fenrig was just behind Sorin and took on the brunt of the attack.

The alpha Thunder Panther appeared beside Fenrig. Sparks flew as Fenrig shrugged off the paralysis enough to raise his axe to intercept the panther's deadly claws.

As for Sorin, he was forced on the defensive by a coordinated needle attack from the group of Steel Light Porcupines that had just arrived. Sorin summoned a python to tank most of the attack, and Astley's tentacled monstrosities used their bodies to block the rest.

This is more than just a simple charm, Azrakul admitted. It's something much stronger—a demonic pact formed for mutual benefit. Charm facilitated the pact. You should know that demons would never think of violating a demonic pact. It will be difficult to divide and conquer this group. Without my help, that is.

Looking around at his companions, it was clear that the situation was getting out of hand. They were holding out for now, thanks to their Heroic abilities, but their energy reserves were running low.

"I don't need you to teach me," muttered Sorin. "I already know what to do. Gareth?"

"Yes?" said Gareth.

"I need an opening for the leader of the Steel Bright Porcupines. Can you get me one?"

Gareth shot an arrow at what Sorin now saw was a Soaring Cloud Eagle and struck it in the wing, forcing it to pull back and recover. "That depends. Lawrence, have you figured out how to pierce through their aura blockade yet?"

"Not yet," said Lawrence, tumbling out of a tree shadow where a Thunder Panther was waiting. "I think we're going to have to retreat the old-fashioned way."

Gareth looked at Sorin. "I can get you to the Steel Light Porcupines, but that will make it more difficult for us to retreat. What exactly are you trying to do?"

"I'm going to try to make them fight each other," said Sorin. "It will be difficult but not impossible."

Gareth nocked an arrow and shot another eagle out of the air. They were weaker than the other three groups of demons but much more numerous, making an aerial retreat impossible. "I'll buy you an opening as we retreat. Whatever it is you're doing, you have a minute to pull it off."

The archer proceeded to do something that made Sorin's hair stand on end. He reached into the air and pulled out an arrow made of pure wind. This arrow was the antithesis of corruption, and when he shot it out, the eagles, thunder panthers, and wolves in the area scattered leaving Sorin an open path to the ridge where the Steel Light Porcupines were located.

Sorin shot out towards the porcupines, ignoring their violent needle attacks in favor of increasing his control over his inner corruption. Violence reinforced his body while Madness formed a chaotic shield that intercepted half of the needles sent his way. As for Strife… Sorin embraced it and deepened his assimilation.