Anger was something I had previously been numb to. There was only so much loss, betrayal, and failure you could take before the heavy blanket of apathy put the emotion to bed. But now it had awoken with my new abilities. Did I enjoy it? Not really the correct question - slightly missing the mark. It was a tool I used to further my goals, and I would put it away once the heat of battle had cooled.

My boots surged across the wet mulch, slightly slower than I would have preferred due to not wanting to slip. As I charged forward at the bulb, the first root-like vine of the monster slammed down atop me.

I rolled to the side, sliding and amassing filth along my side as mud and decayed leaves sprayed out from the impact. Two arrows came from the side, blazing in green light, and struck into the body of the plant appendage. Although the damage he had done was minimal, it put a pause on the thick limb, which gave me enough time to swing my blade and hack off the end section.

As it recoiled away, a second one jabbed out at me like a spear. Caught flat-footed, I turned my blade to block the strike - the force barely absorbed as I was sent sliding backward, falling onto my backside briefly before I quickly righted myself.

Florence continued her besotted pathway straight for the opened maw of the fleshy bulb. The mind control didn’t seem to be something the Cleric could cure, as he moved in front of her to attempt to push her back. A giant vine jabbed out at him but halted before impact - not wanting to injure its red-haired prey.

Jakob was releasing a constant barrage of arrows, most of them striking lower down on the extended plants. There was little his normal arrows could do against such a wide and absorbent enemy. I growled as I watched one of the limbs peppered with arrows slammed down at him, the Ranger rolling out of the way at the last moment. The vine retracted in apparent pain, the thinner tip roving into the air with a bear trap clamped into it.

Back to my feet, I ran back into the fray. If we spent all our time caught up on the vines of the monster, then we’d run out of time. There was only one thing to do.

Moving as fast as my unsteady footing would allow, I barrelled straight into the Mage, knocking her to the floor and a few dozen feet back once she finished sliding along the muck.

“Victor.” Basil chastised me, brief confusion in his eyes before the realization hit.

If she was hurt, then that was a far more minor threat than being eaten by the enormous plant. Hells knew that if it came to it, I would break her legs to ensure she wouldn’t meet the worst fate.

Ah, there it was. A little bit of the cold apathy coming back.

I twisted to the side to avoid an onrushing attack, over-turning due to the slick flooring - before I jammed the end of my blade into the vine. A spray of dark sap spread out from the gash it widened with its own movement. With a crimson swipe, I parried a second vine, separating part of the barbed end off. All were somewhat weakened now, and I felt more confident in wading into the true horror at the center.

With a brief look back, I was slightly surprised to see Jakob, rope in hand and trying the Mage's legs together. A smile curled up at the corner of my mouth. Basil stood between us, ready to support who most needed it.

I intended that to be me.

[Enrage] boosted my adrenaline. A warm fury pulsed throughout my limbs and shirked off the cool mud that caked most of me. How dare this monster commit such an act against my Party? I shook with fury, and my boots dug into the thick mud as I burst forward into a sprint.

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Either through luck or centuries of muscle memory, I managed to maintain my footing across the space separating us. The maw snapped forward at me, a brief upswing catching it the only thing stopping it from nipping at me. I spun to the side, turning into a whirlwind across the slick floor, leaving a few gashes of bright yellow across the side of its mouth.

It reared up in attempts to bite at me whole, but I enclosed, hopping atop one of its bristle leaves. A mistake quickly punished as my legs went numb. With all my strength, I managed to maintain footing, not falling face down to certain death.

From behind, a burst of energy filled me with energy as Basil leveled a healing spell at me. Temporarily I regained feeling and took another few steps across the wide leaf before succumbing to the numbing sensation again. Another heal got me close up to the bulb itself.

Arrows started to pelt it from a distance, and now I was beneath one of its petals; it tried to twist to actually reach me. I could sense the next attack, as it would be what I would do in the same situation. These kinds of monsters operated on a simple and cold process, and in that regard, I had a small mote of respect for it. There was no games or illusion where it tried to hide its nature.

As the fleshy petal opened wide in an attempt to flatten me against the paralyzing leaf, I forced my greatsword upwards and turned to carve a rough circle. Darkness and pressure enveloped me, and briefly, I considered the day lost. Then the pressure released as I burst through the weakened flesh and climbed on top of the spiked inside.

The plant panicked, but knowing that I was now within prime eating position, it began to close by reflex. Shredded alive by hundreds of rows of teeth and then having my corpse drank dry of all nutrients sounded like a pretty miserable way to die - good thing it was playing into my intent perfectly.

With the petal rising to close amongst its three other brethren, my footing began to slide as I rose into the air. If it expected me to fight the inevitable, then it was sorely mistaken. I did the opposite; it was inevitable, after all. Why not act with the advantage of knowing the outcome? I leaped towards the center.

Sword blazing bright crimson, illuminating the fleshy and toothed hell fast closing in on me. I fell over a dozen feet and stabbed the blade downwards into the middle of the creature. With a twist, I carved a chunk of the pinkish base. A shudder of the greater whole gave it pause, and that gave me every excuse to continue my assault. With the full extent of my fury being reached, I slew into the brain-like center of the plant. Visceral chunks of gooey flesh turned to chunder.

The darkness abated as limply the four petals of the once-hungry maw opened and crashed to the floor. Pain radiated through my body. I hadn’t even noticed the wounds during my assault. Two large teeth had separated from the maw and were embedded into my back, and the viscous goo looked to be slightly caustic if my burning skin was anything to go by.

That was the trouble with anger, and my ability, the comedown into the cool knowledge of normal thought often brought with it the pain of consequence. A radiant heal burst through me and things didn’t seem that bad.

Gently I clambered out of the maw, avoiding the spiked teeth. My boots fell to the muck, and I sighed at how filthy they had become.

“Why am I tied up?” Florence glared at the Ranger as the question bit through the air sharply.

“It’s a short story, but I don’t feel like telling it.” Jakob shrugged and began to untie her.

“I also feel like my shoulder is dislocated; what actually happened?” Some of the fervor had left her voice now as the confusion and cold pain sunk in.

Basil gave her a heal before putting away his spell book. “You were under the spell of that plant,” he jerked a thumb backward, “we had to stop you being eaten.”

“We couldn’t talk you out of it, so we had to use untoward methods.” I gave her a sheepish grin and put my sword away. “I’m sorry for the arm.”

“It’s fine,” she shook her head and glared at the floor. “I just remember vines and a nice smell.”

I turned back to the defeated monster, the vines dotted with arrows also limp against the floor now that the main part had died. Was that really a F Rank Villain's minion? A full Party of five probably would have fared better; maybe I was only judging it based on my own actions - not that the others hadn’t helped. Were it I that had been put under the spell, would they have been able to save me?

With a sigh, I gestured for everyone to continue now that danger was temporarily defeated.

If the necromancer could apparently bring plants back to life, I didn’t want to be hanging around when it happened.