Chapter 245 – The General’s Plant Sister
Soldier Jorath:
Everything descended into chaos in a matter of seconds. One mont, I was sitting down, savoring my soup, and the next, the air was filled with the sound of spears slicing through the wind and magic explosions ripping the camp apart. Screams ca from every direction, soldiers barking orders, commanders trying to restore order, and mages unleashing destructive spells. I barely had ti to grab my sword before the battle was upon us.
The enemy’s small army appeared from the last place we expected: the Forbidden Forests. A treacherous area, nearly impossible to traverse without suffering losses. They must have ridden part of the way on horseback, then continued on foot. The terrain is a trap in itself, with hidden ravines, wild animals, and whispered legends about monsters dwelling within. So say there are secret trails and underground tunnels winding through the caves, but only the ruling family of the duchy knows of these hidden paths.
“Who the hell is crazy enough to challenge Marquis Nikolaus?” muttered the soldier beside , his voice trembling as he ducked to avoid an arrow. “This was supposed to be a military exercise, not a real battle! Who planned this ss?”
“Hell if I know!” I snapped back, scrambling for cover. “Find the mage we’re supposed to be protecting!”
The fight was far fiercer than it should have been. Spells tore through the sky like teors, detonating with violent force. I saw n and horses flung through the air like ragdolls. A group of enemy mages had gathered, forming a unit to conjure a massive wave of water that swept across the battlefield, hurling soldiers and carts into disarray.
“Damn it! I hate mages!” I yelled, feeling the crushing weight of helplessness.
I wasn’t gifted with magic. My only protection was my blade and the hope that my armor could withstand whatever was coming.
“What’s happening here?” shouted a staggering soldier who had just joined us. “Most of our mages and commanders are in the fortress! They were supposed to provide support and use the walls to bombard the enemy with spells! We had the advantage! What went wrong?”
Without answering, I dove behind a toppled cart, hitting the ground hard. Magical arrows zipped through the air, crackling with elental energy that promised destruction on contact.
“Watch out!” soone scread, but it was too late. A massive stone arrow struck our group of archers, exploding into fragnts that scattered in all directions. Agonized screams erupted as the shards tore through flesh and bone. One of the archers collapsed next to , his hand mangled by a jagged piece of stone.
The sll of blood mixed with sweat and dust was overwhelming. I gripped my sword tighter, forcing myself to ignore the rising panic threatening to consu . Facing those mages head-on was impossible. They were tearing us apart, and we had no idea how to fight back.
I scanned the area, desperate for any sign of reinforcents from the fortress. Nothing. Only more chaos, more screams, and more death.
“Take the horse!” a young armored recruit shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. A rider nearby had been struck by fire, his body ablaze as he was dragged across the battlefield.
I peeked out from behind the cart, surveying the madness around us. We were in the middle of an improvised camp, surrounded by chaos and carnage.
Riding into battle against mages was suicide. It made you an easy target, and the cacophony of spells drove the horses mad.
“You!” I barked at the recruit. “Get over here and help us! Forget that damn horse!”
“I’m just a recruit, sir…” he stamred, clearly regretting speaking up.
“You’re wearing armor, but the emblem says you’re a mage. At least you’ll be useful for sothing. What elent do you command?”
“The Earth elent, but I’m still learning. I awakened my magic two years ago. I’m 17,” he replied.
Even an idiot managed to awaken magic, and I, unfortunately, haven’t...
“Let’s move!” shouted another mber of my team, pointing in the opposite direction. “We need to reach the cannons! There are only a few left nearby, but we might be able to provide so support.”
The cannons were our best chance against mages, even if they weren’t entirely effective. Depending on the elent they wielded, a simple stone wall could neutralize the projectiles. But at that mont, it didn’t matter. There were enough targets to make the effort worthwhile.
“You there!” a firr voice called out. I turned to locate the source of the command and imdiately recognized the silver armor adorned with a wolf emblem on the chest. It was one of Lord Nikolaus’s trusted n.
“I need you to protect ,” he ordered, approaching with heavy steps. His right arm was wounded, blood dripping down his armor. “One of those damned maids managed to injure , but I can still be useful. I command the Water elent.”
“We’re heading toward the cannons, sir,” I replied, trying to mask my exhaustion.
The commander scowled and spat on the ground, irritated. “Most of the gunpowder and explosives have been ruined. So damned mage conjured snow over our supplies, soaking everything and rendering it useless. It’s left you with even less firepower, turning this battlefield into a nightmare for any soldier who isn’t a mage.”
I clenched my teeth. Just another problem to add to the pile. The snow not only made the ground slippery and treacherous but had also wiped out what little chance we had to turn the tide of the battle by ruining the gunpowder.
“And now, sir?” I asked, trying to calculate our next move.
“Now,” he said coldly, “you’re going to keep alive until we reach the front lines. We’ll make do with whatever’s left of the arsenal and pray those bastards don’t have a second mage as creative as the first.”
He surveyed the camp before turning back to us.
“The cannonballs might still be useful. I can use my Water elent to create a powerful jet to fire them. But I’ll need your help to carry them to ,” the commander explained.
We quickly agreed to the plan, despite the growing sense that sothing was terribly wrong.
“Sir, don’t you have a healing potion? Your arm looks awful,” the recruit beside asked. The commander let out a bitter laugh.
“A healing potion? Who would be dumb enough to leave one of those lying around? Those things are scarce, kid. If we die with one of those in our storage bracelets, the enemy will take it and use it against us! The potions are with the mages who were supposed to be here with us, along with the support soldiers.,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “But those bastards are all stuck in that damned black cloud.”
We began running through the camp, dodging injured n being carried away and disoriented soldiers. The battle hadn’t fully reached us yet, but it was only a matter of ti. The distant screams and the constant sound of explosions were a grim reminder of the chaos surrounding us.
“Get back to the fight!” the commander yelled at a group carrying the wounded. “Forget those n, go back and fight! We don’t have room for weakness right now.”
We headed toward a large tent, the place where the commanders gathered to plan their strategies. When we arrived, a disturbing sight greeted us.
“What the hell is this?” I murmured, my eyes fixed on what should have been a routine scene of soldiers preparing for battle. But there was no one. The entire area was deserted. In place of the soldiers, bizarre trees had sprouted, their distorted green forms standing out starkly against the surrounding darkness.
“Where’s the injured guy?” asked the soldier who had been scolded earlier. “I left him here just a mont ago, on the ground!”
A chill ran down my spine. Sothing was terribly wrong.
The commander raised his hand, pointing toward a tent that seed to harbor sothing inside. The wind howled, making the shadows from the lights flicker on the fabric. But the shadows… they weren’t human. They moved unnaturally, twisting and writhing in an ominous way.
Without hesitation, the commander fired a powerful jet of water toward the tent, collapsing its structure in seconds. But as the canvas fell to the ground, there was no one there. What stood in its place, partially covered by the fabric, froze us in place.
A tree.
But it wasn’t a normal tree. The trunk was green, as if coated in moss or so kind of fungus, and its branches seed to move with a life of their own.
“What the hell kind of tree is this?” the commander muttered, his voice laced with disbelief.
Before anyone could answer, a cracking noise echoed around us. The tree began to shift. It stretched, its branches rearranging themselves. The bark peeled away in plates, revealing sothing beneath: pulsating green tendrils.
The bizarre structure unfolded before our eyes, and what once appeared to be a tree revealed itself as a monstrous creature made of living wood and writhing vegetation. The air grew heavy, and the sensation of standing before sothing utterly unnatural beca almost suffocating.
“Get ready!” I shouted, my hand instinctively reaching for my weapon. “That thing isn’t normal.”
“What the fuck!” scread one of the soldiers, his voice trembling with sheer terror.
It wasn’t a tree but a living, monstrous creature disguised as vegetation. The being turned toward us, revealing its true form: a quadrupedal beast made of roots and vines, covered in leaves that pulsated as though alive. On the creature's back was sothing even more horrific: a massive carnivorous plant with razor-sharp teeth and a grotesque grin that seed to mock us.
“Attack that thing!” the commander roared, firing jets and orbs of water at the beast.
“ARGH!” the creature bellowed, thrashing its body violently. The carnivorous plant on its back opened its mouth, emitting a high-pitched screech that made the ground quake. Roots erupted from the soil, snaking toward us like living serpents. By pure reflex, I dodged, barely avoiding the impact of one root as it smashed into the ground beside .
The carnivorous plant’s predatory gaze locked onto us as the monster it rode began charging. Each step was a thunderous drumbeat, amplifying the terror that gripped us. It was pure, unrelenting horror.
It lunged at us with alarming speed for sothing so massive. Before I could react, the beast’s massive fist struck directly, sending flying through the air. My body collided with a tent, the impact leaving dazed as debris rained down around .
“ARGH!” scread the recruit. When I turned to look, I saw the carnivorous plant stretching its grotesque neck like a serpent, biting the recruit before wrapping its tentacles around him. He scread, struggling in vain, as it pulled him toward its gaping maw. A sickening sound echoed as the plant began to devour him.
“Shit!” yelled the commander, struggling to get back on his feet, his face twisted in desperation.
The green monstrosity roared again, charging toward us. It grabbed an abandoned carriage with its massive claws and hurled it like a toy. The carriage shattered in half as it crashed into the ground near us.
“Water Art: Piercing Shot!” the commander bellowed, his magic transforming a nearby puddle into a sharp tendril that shot toward the beast. The creature roared, crossing its arms in a rapid motion. Its roots ford a robust wooden shield, deflecting the attack as it continued to advance.
The battle felt hopeless. The creature was strong, fast, and brutally relentless. The commander fired spell after spell, desperately trying to maintain so semblance of an advantage. But then, the creature did sothing unexpected.
With one of its massive hands, it grabbed a cannonball from the ground and hurled it with terrifying force. The projectile tore through the air at incredible speed, striking the commander before he could evade. The impact sent him flying, his scream of agony echoing as he crashed to the ground. His already injured arm was ripped clean off, landing a few ters away. Blood gushed like a fountain, painting the ground in vivid crimson.
"Ahhhhhh!" the commander wailed, writhing on the ground, his life ebbing away with every passing second.
I stood frozen, watching the scene in sheer horror, feeling the crushing weight of the hopeless fight bear down on the last shred of courage we had left. The creature, now drenched in blood and more terrifying than ever, roared with fury as it pressed forward.
The squad of n was paralyzed, terror etched on their faces as the commander lay screaming in the dirt, his voice a haunting cry for help. Our swords trembled in our hands, and no one knew how to respond to this abomination. This wasn’t a battle; it was a slaughter.
The creature moved toward the commander, who was desperately trying to summon the strength to cast another spell. But it was futile. From the monster's green body, dozens of grotesque, thorn-covered tentacles erupted, their tips sharp like cactus spines. Before the commander could act, the tentacles coiled around him, stabbing into his flesh. His screams echoed across the battlefield as he was lifted into the air, helpless, and torn apart before our eyes.
Blood sprayed everywhere, pooling on the ground in a dark red puddle. The creature, now dripping with crimson, turned its predatory gaze toward us. The carnivorous plant on its back curled its lips into a sinister grin, baring rows of jagged teeth, as though savoring the fear it inspired.
"This is madness..." one of the soldiers muttered, instinctively stepping back.
Then, a voice broke through the chaos. Calm, yet laced with sothing deeply unsettling.
"It seems even you are keeping your promise to tear the heads off your enemies."
We all turned toward the voice, and there she was. A pale woman with chestnut-brown hair, walking casually toward the creature as though none of this chaos or horror fazed her. Her presence starkly contrasted with the carnage around her, as if this was just another ordinary day.
"What is that thing?" one of the soldiers shouted in pure desperation.
The woman stopped next to the monster, which seed to recognize her.
"Just my son’s little pet," she said in a tone so indifferent it felt mocking. "And it’s hungry."
The creature let out a deafening roar, its blood-soaked tentacles swaying ominously in the air as it prepared to attack again. Its empty, ravenous eyes locked onto us, while the carnivorous plant on its back writhed like a serpent ready to strike.
Without warning, the creature charged at us with terrifying speed. The ground shook beneath its massive strides, and before we could react, it leapt, its shadow engulfing us completely.
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