“Could we please look for her?”
“Fine by me, look around the Village as much as you want, just do not disturb the Villagers, or I will see that as an aggression.”
“We do not mean harm, we just want to search for her. She is ill and needs attention. Please understand.”
“Well, I do not, but whatever makes you happy.”
The Root are here again. Most of the time I tweaked our playground of hide and seek the adorable rat in the chaotic staircase. Now it is time again to butt heads with them.
While there are now eight guards, six of them are here to only search for a ‘missing child’ which they say has an illness that needs attention. Of course they mean Petal. Leafy is with me, but they ignore her as she is officially not a Root anymore and can do what she wants.
While Leafy is angry and holds it in like a Volcano close to eruption, we both knew she is not in the Village. If they want to find her, they need to go to the Castle and if they would ask, I would forbid it anyways. So that is that.
“I apologize, but they are under the order of the Dancing Tree and not directly under the control of the Queen Mother.”
“Don’t sweat it Seed, I know your Queen would be way more open minded and not that rough with our friendship. They just do, what they think is right, even if it isn’t.”
While Leafy can not throw her anger around, I can do it for her. She is a bit more relaxed by hearing my words, and the Ambassador inclusive the normal two guards more stressed.
“I must apologize again, as I have a message from our Queen. Right now she works hard to just let her two lost saplings sprout how they want, but she can not stop the direct asking of their child back. If they do not get her back this time, next time or the time after, they might come with an edict of giving back the Member of the Root, which does not belong here.”
As it is per saying it is not official talk, but shows a hint, that she can not stop them from forcing us to give her back. Dear Queen you have a plus point in my book for warning me, this will make everything more problematic, but with forewarning I can send them maybe out of the Forest to be happy somewhere else.
…
“I do not want to go.”
Well scratch that Idea.
“I understand you Petal, but there are some things I can not stop. Leafy has worked so hard to make peace with me and the Root. Right now I have such a big problem with keeping peace, like Leafy wants and just eradicating the Root of the Problem, if you understand.”
“Thank you my Lord. But I am with Petal. If there is nothing we can do, we have to bow to our Matriarchs. Our love is beautiful, but if there is no option it has to wilt and we keep our memories.”
That is not what I want to allow. Those guys can shove it. If there is nothing I can do, I rather do the wrong thing, as nothing at all. Seems like we will have some more trees around the Crater later on.
“…there is a way.”
Huh? Petal seems to have an Idea.
“They want me back, because I am Root. If I am not, I would be not in their ruling.”
“Petal! Do not say, what I think you are saying! Do you know what might happen to you? Losing you is heart wrenching, but seeing you… it would kill me!”
Uh oh… Does she think what I am thinking? That is no laughing matter. The only time it worked was…
“I am rather here with you than being reeducated by Grandmother my Leaf. Please understand, I would risk everything for you.”
“This is insane! Did you not see them? They are grotesque! You would…”
“She isn’t.”
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Pointing at the only one being what I can imagine as perfect… Snow.
“Well, I can help maybe with explaining how to become what you want.”
“Really Snow?”
This helps not Snow… You might bring her further into something, Leaf might hate you for later on. Petals eyes show hope, while Leafys eyes show despair.
“Snow, please stop. If I lose Petal, everything will be gone for me!”
“But you will lose her, if she gets stolen, no?”
“But… I…”
Petal hugs Leafy. Seems she wants to sooth her, but how much it helps I can not say. She really wants to change into something different, then it might be very dangerous. The thought about this twists even my innards.
“Leaf dear… I know it is dangerous, I know there might be a chance for me to lose myself… But if I get taken away to be indoctrinated I will for sure lose myself. Without you… without us being together I would rather die. What about you?”
“I… if you are gone I would be already dead. Wilting while still being alive. But if you are gone that way… What shall I do?”
“I will not be gone. I will stay. Trust me, please.”
“I… I trust you and always will. Please be sure about what you do. I want to be with you forever.”
“Lord Null, could you… I want to become something different.”
Ho boy. This will be such a scary experiment, as I like Petal way too much. It is close to seeing Snow changing in the Vat. So, at best I should make it like Snow and give her Options.
“...I am uncomfortable with this as I would hate to see Leafy or you hurt in any way, but whatever. There is just one question I need answered. What is your favorite plant?”
…
Right now three people are walking through the Forest. A Root with a rather sad look but determination burning in her eyes. She is not really sure about everything we do, but forces herself to go through with the wish of the one she loves.
With us is a Rat Girl. Just for precaution she needs to be with us, as I do not know if there might be some ‘accidents’ for right now Leafy is the reason for one of their own not going home… despite her being one of her own just months ago.
And the third is me in Ava. What? Thinking I should be better going with Red? Close to summer, while the plants talk without pause? I would rather go as a Mouse than him right now.
Our destination is a small place in the south of the Forest. The place is one of the more vile places where Miasma is being cleansed right now. The place has some different Phenomenon, which means the Miasma sorts itself and makes that place really dangerous.
Inside grows a patch of flowers called dream Flowers, but we are not here for them. We are here for the one which grows on the most dense place and the most beautiful one in Petals eyes. The Tombstone Flower.
A giant flower with carnivorous tendencies. When a Tombstone Flower entices its prey with their beauty and magic it wraps around it gently and while the prey sleeps a beautiful sleep it gets digested. The name comes from the way it folds around itself, like giving the prey its own tombstone in honor of their sacrifice for nourishment.
Leafy is right, Petal sees in many things beauty, even if they look scary in other eyes, I would not say this flower is beautiful, rather frightening, but as it is not big enough to eat a sapient or larger animal, it is still alright.
Finally being at the border I can see the stale Miasma in the air with my enhanced eyes. Why did no one say, this is a swamp area? I have the wrong shoes!
“Leafy, Snow. Be careful we come into the danger zone.”
“Okay!”
Leafy just nods. Now we have to wade through that area.
Great, new kind of Monsters are here I never seen before. That Mosquito looks prehistoric. Luckily it keeps its distance, as we travel deeper inside.
Purplish pink Flowers are visible. There are the dream Flowers. They are rather nice looking, but maybe we should rest before going further, as I am rather sleepy right n… wait, since when do I need to sleep? Dang those Flowers are powerful!
“Careful those things want to make you sleep, so you drown in the swamp!”
“Just a nap for a second…”
“No Snow, if you sleep now you might miss the new dessert the children have thought of.”
“I am awake!”
Good, that helps. Asking Snow to use her rats to harvest the Flowers directly in our way the sleepiness slows down. Also the other flowers start to furl back and stop with the sleep as if they notice us harvesting them because they try to make us sleep. Clever plants. Are those already monsters?
Seeing our goal in front of us. The Tombstone flower is huge. About a meter diameter unfurled she waits for some prey. Maybe we should just let it, as… No we need it for Petal… but what do we gain from it…. DANG IT!
Pushing all my Mana to circulate finally the suggestions stop and I can start working. Going to the huge flower it furls itself like a scared child, if I would not force myself to be clear headed I would already move back but no dice you annoying flower. Digging out the roots the earth is filled with hundreds of little bones from different animals. That thing has eaten healthily.
“Snow, put the plant into your shadow, we need to get out of here quick!”
“Do we have to, it looks so sad and…”
“No dessert for you if you…”
“DOING IT!”
And gone is the plant. Now we need to get the hell out of this death trap. Leafy is close to falling over, we are not safe here!