I rummage through the stasis box a little more only finding objects only meant for human use so they were useless to me. I drop off the table and head towards the closed door, I coil my roots around the knob and with a mighty yank I rip the knob off of the door. The knob was much less stable than the door and as such, the door remains closed to my disappointment. I survey the room for another ventilation shaft but only find the one I came from on the ceiling. Considering there were other paths blocked by earth earlier I could free up those paths with my magic I thought as I wrap my roots around the leg of a chair pushing it under the vent.

I climb the chair, extend my roots, and attempt to use magic to drag down the earth to reach me. Unfortunately, I found out that I can only manipulate earth that my roots are in contact with. With that unfortunate limitation in mind, I take a daring upward leap from on top of the chair and only barely am I able to re-enter the ventilation. I head to the path blocked by an earth wall nearest to the vent I came from and allow one of my roots to pierce through using magic to push the wall back into the vent ceiling before going forward. As I traverse the vent, I get to asking my two companions about magic of which, their answers were similar to their knowledge of technology which means they were comparatively lackluster.

Dongung: "Uh... I don't know. Magic isn't really that common in full humans, only monsters and demi-humans can learn to use it. Humans need to be born with the ability to tap into it."

Untou: "Like papa! He was half chipmunk!"

While that was interesting in its own right and does make me question what happened to their father, that wasn't very helpful to my current predicament. I need someone with more knowledge on these subjects... Wait a moment, Dongung and Untou were human before, which means they were turned into a genie sprout. How... I took some focus away from moving to read the memories of the two. The procedure as to how they became a flower was blurred but I do notice that they were in a room not unlike the one this facility models itself after, perhaps this facility would have some answers. If I can figure out how they were turned, I can capture a scientist and assimilate them into the Posy. Their mind should have much clearer answers to my technical questions than these two.

I continue moving retracting my focus from their memories as I spot another exit from the vent below me. I check if it was yet another trap but this steel gate was bolted down unlike the other one so I ripped off the gate and dropped inside. The room was empty thankfully with only furniture around, it was rather small and I could sense a large rectangular opening above a side desk along with several small square boxes. Despite being off put by these objects, I decide to go through the opening and only when I land on the other side do I hear a familiar voice deeper down the hallway I just entered.

Sickly Scientist: "Damnit what am I supposed to say hm!? That the thing tricked us and is still on the loose? Look at these data points! They're all defective! I knew that thing was tricky! But of course, he wouldn't listen even if I put a microphone to his ear!"

Another voice spoke up, it was gruff yet only slightly unfamiliar to me but it sounded similar to the armored personnel from earlier. Could this also be some sort of security? Why did they sound so similar then?

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Security personnel: "Listen, I got things to do so here's what we're gonna do. I'll go alert the monster extraction team that the beast is still roaming the facility. You go get yourself to a safe place and...."

I heard him suddenly stop, I wasn't sure what happened but the next thing I knew, I felt the vibrations of the security personnel rush towards me.

Dongung: "He spotted us!"

Well it's not like we were hiding, I bend my roots as I spring forward towards the security. I hear a loud bang and fell something small pierce through my interconnected roots causing me grain pain but not stopping my momentum as I land on his face. My roots cover his head as he flails and I can hear the scientist run away screaming, with a quick gesture I pierce his head with my roots. I take this chance to test a theory and I touch him with my petals, he shudders as the poison enters his body and it acts faster than anticipated as the man soon slumps before falling over unconscious.

His immune system was surprisingly weak for a security guard I thought. I use my thorns to absorb the blood from his body leaving him a dry husk of flesh and bone as I wish for a way to escape the facility as a whole... Nothing happens and I naturally assume that I need more blood. Before that, I unleash the power of my core and make another wish for enhanced perception.

Skill Ascension: Echolocation is attempting to ascend to Moderate.... Ascension complete.... Skill Ascension method unrecognized.

That again... Method unrecognized... More than before, it sounds like a bad omen. In any case, that only took half of my supply, though I had human eyes, I could recognize my surroundings in more detail and differentiate sounds with more clarity. I could now recognize the face of the husk and his individual movements or, lack of in this case. The hallway I was in was much larger yet rather empty with there only being what Dongung recognized as a vending machine and some artificial potted plants scattered about. While in my thoughts, I heard a deafening cackle and I felt something scorching hot fly over my body. Focusing my attention towards the origin of the sound, I sense an armored man not too dissimilar to the acid spewing one from earlier. Finer details tell me that this one and the one I met in Yan's office wore different helmets, this one was shaped like a bird while the other was more serpentine.

Untou: "I think that's the monster extraction team.... Mama this is bad"

Dongung: "You don't say... Why are you just standing here? RUN!"

I turn and quickly make way from the armored man but his speed was incredible. He caught up with us within seconds and I felt his large hand pick me up by my core. I felt myself go limp as his grip tightens around it and I could hear him speak to someone even though there was no-one else around us.

Monster Extraction Personnel: "Genie Swarm captured, core has mutated meeting initial expectations. I will bring the monster to the extraction point. Prepare a skill examination, I suspect it has gained an overflow of skills since its escape."

I feel myself weaken further as he speaks and soon I feel myself being carried away as my senses fade, no longer able to think clearly.