Nathan extended his own plant arm, lighter-colored vines emerging from it and wrapping around him like a shield. The enemy vines crashed into it, deflecting off to the side. Nathan began to fall, no longer supported by the energy from his earlier jump. He needed to move, now.
His eyes sharpened. He clenched his fist, and water condensed from the atmosphere around him, forming a cocoon. He slammed it against himself, propelling him sideways and out of the vines' path. He landed—then ran. Just in time, as a half-dozen more vines erupted from the wall and attacked.
He sprinted down the alleyway until he reached the open street. A couple of children were playing nearby, and a few people were passing by, clearly busy with their own tasks.
Oh, this is gonna be ugly.
Roots exploded from the ground and surged toward the people. A man ran off screaming, while a woman pulled a weapon from her inventory and deflected the root coming for her. But the children…
A root rushed toward a young boy. He was only ten at most, maybe twelve. Right before the root ensnared him, a harpoon crashed into it, obliterating it on the spot.
Nathan heaved, sweat dripping down his brow. The child looked back at him in awe.
Nathan jumped out of the way of an incoming root and tore it apart with a quick use of Riptide Mastery.
I need more help. I need more allies. But where?
His eyes widened. The contract!
"Summon Fish!"
A bright glow appeared directly behind him, and ten fish materialized in midair. Nathan felt magic being cast—probably something to allow them to function on land—Nathan hoped, anyway.
"Nathan!" Finny swam up to Nathan's side and sliced through an incoming root with a single dash.
"Finny," Nathan dodged a root heading for his chest and sliced it apart with a blade of water. "So you can do things outside water. Good to know."
“Uh—yeah, can you explain what's happening?"
Nathan had managed to get close enough to his harpoon to grab it. He reached out, pulled it from the ground, and sliced through three roots heading for his head. A split second later, Finny came in like a bullet, taking out five roots that were targeting the other fish.
"Basically, the plants want to kill us,” Nathan said. “I need you to distract whatever this thing is and get any people still around here out of the area."
"Will do," Finny said. He looked back at the rest of the fish. "You heard him, boys. Move out!"
The fish spread out. Nathan could only hope they’d succeed.
Nathan made his way backward, throwing out occasional Riptide Mastery attacks to slow the vines down. He was tempted to use Maelstrom again, but he didn't want to risk losing control and blowing up the entire area. That would be bad.
If only his lightning manipulation actually worked! He could certainly use some explosive firepower. Where was Mara when you needed her…?
A mental image flashed in his mind: the entire forest on fire, survivors screaming at the top of their lungs while Mara laughed maniacally. On second thought, maybe it was a good thing she wasn't here.
Nathan was snapped out of his thoughts by a sudden flare of energy a few blocks away. He dashed toward it, noting the people fleeing deeper into the city as he ran. A woman rushed past him holding a baby, while a man tried to rally a defense with a few others.
How on earth did that woman make it down here with a baby?
Nathan ignored the statistical improbability and continued toward the energy flare. Within moments, he found himself staring at Bree, her choppy brown hair waving in the wind.
Behind her were half a dozen men Nathan had spotted earlier. They were working together, using their abilities to slow the invasion of roots and vines attacking the camp.
Nathan jumped up to Bree and sliced apart a root with his harpoon. She turned and nodded at him before refocusing on the vines. Her hands lit up with a golden glow, and a wall of earth appeared in front of them.
"Nathaniel, I see you're alive. That's good," Bree said.
"What is this?" Nathan asked.
"The Tree Wrath. Our ticking timer. We're trapped in this urban pocket, and with each passing day, there's a small chance that… this happens. And each time it does, the forest claims more territory, and we lose ours. It's only a matter of time before…"
"Before we run out of time."
"Exactly."
Before they could continue, the Tree Wrath burst through the earthen wall, shattering it like glass. Bree and Nathan jumped backward, but neither was fast enough to stop a vine from stabbing one of Bree's men.
For a split second, Nathan saw a flicker of shock in Bree's eyes, quickly replaced by her usual steely gaze.
"What's the progress on the back line?" she yelled.
"They're almost done! Once they're on the move, we can get out of here, we just need to hold out a little longer!"
Bree looked back at the invading wall of vines and roots. "You say that like it's easy."
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As another dozen vines and roots exploded outward, Nathan couldn't help but wish he'd been given a different element—like fire. Fire would have been really helpful right about now.
In the distance, someone yelled something about "attack of the killer vines!" Nathan's left eye twitched. Chad was probably fine.
They continued fighting the oncoming horde, but it was getting harder. The vines were endless. No matter how many they destroyed, another dozen appeared. Even if Nathan used his full power—maybe even Basic Maelstrom—he doubted it would do more than delay the inevitable for a few minutes.
Finally, they got the call.
"They're packed up! Let's move!" someone yelled.
Nathan breathed a sigh of relief and started to retreat.
"Shit!"
Nathan's eyes flicked toward the noise. It was Bree. A vine had nipped her thigh as she ran. She stumbled forward and threw her hand back. An earth pillar crashed into the vines, pushing them back several feet.
"Go on!" she yelled.
Nathan pointed his hands forward, and a dozen blades of water appeared behind him. They crashed into the vines, washing them away and pushing them back. Nathan ran over to Bree and pressed his hand against her wound. Instantly, it began to heal as if it had never been there. Within seconds, the wound was gone.
Bree blinked.
"Let's go!" Nathan said.
They dashed out and away from the Tree Wrath.
Nathan shuffled into the back of the caravan, hundreds of people moving deeper into the city. Behind them, the Tree Wrath had subsided, but tension lingered in the air. Nathan's shoulders remained tense, and he couldn't shake the worry that vines or roots might sprout from the ground and attack again.
He’d had a brief chat with Finny and the rest before unsummoning them. Thankfully, it looked like no one had taken notice of the talking fish, assuming them to belong to one of Bree’s men.
Go figure.
He slowly made his way to the front of the caravan, where the experienced combatants were. Recognizing him, they let him pass, allowing him to approach Bree.
She glanced back at him. "Nathaniel. I was meaning to speak with you."
"Actually, I wanted to do the same. There's something I need to talk to you about."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Nathan bit his lip nervously. It was dangerous to let others in on what he was looking for—they might use it against him. Even so, part of the secret was already out, based on what that mysterious voice had said.
"My sister. I'm looking for my sister. Can you help me?"
Bree crossed her arms. "I can't guarantee anything, of course. But I can put out the word. Do you remember where you last saw her?"
"On Earth. Before all this happened."
Bree was silent for a few seconds.
"The odds aren't good, you know that, right?"
Nathan avoided her gaze. His shoulders hunched, and he felt an odd prickling in his eyes. He ground his teeth and forced the emotions down. There was no time for that.
"I'm aware."
"Give me a description and her name, and I'll do my best."
"Blonde hair, dark brown eyes. Lean, slender build. Early twenties," Nathan said.
Bree raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't look much like you."
"Different moms."
Bree nodded. "A name?"
"Sarah. And she'll probably be looking for her husband, I'd bet."
"Do you remember what her husband looks like?"
Nathan bit his lip. "Never met him."
Thankfully, Bree didn't seem to have an opinion on this. She simply nodded and turned to one of her men.
"Get the word out. See if anyone knows anything."
The man saluted her and walked off into the caravan. Nathan watched him go, then slowly turned to walk back toward the rear. Bree's voice stopped him.
"Can I expect to see you for the first dungeon raid?"
Nathan got the feeling this wasn't a friendly offer. It was a bargain—he helps her, she helps him.
Nathan had no objections. Fair was fair, after all.
"Of course. Just give me a time, and I'll show up."
Eventually, they reached deeper into the interior and began to set up once more. Like last time, Nathan soon saw laundry lines hanging from building to building, camps set up along the sidewalks, and fires roaring across the street.
Nathan didn't know how Bree did it.
Once again, Nathan was tempted to open up his soulbound town—see if he could help.
But he knew he couldn't. The desert people were already taxing his town to its limit. They couldn't handle any more residents, and they had enough problems of their own.
Besides, it would definitely attract undue attention… Did anybody else even have a soulbound town? He vaguely remembered it being discovered that Vinny had one, but that was it. Nathan would stick out like a sore thumb.
Nathan ended up finding a cold, quiet corner all to himself. He opened up the quest menu. It was about time that he viewed the conditions for escape on his own.
There were no side quests, only a single main quest.
[Forest of Nightmares: Now with Extra Murder]
Welcome to the Third Circle, where the trees are alive, the ground hates you, and the very air is conspiring against your well-being. The Treewrath is in full swing, meaning the forest is expanding like an invasive species on steroids, swallowing cities and generally ruining everyone's day.
The only way out? A Sigil of Passage, which the Forest Queen could totally just give you—but no, that would be too easy. Instead, you get to play fetch quest from hell and gather four mystical components from dungeons designed by a lunatic botanist.
The Dungeons (A.K.A. Places You’ll Probably Regret Entering)
1. The Gloamgrove Catacombs—An ancient root network so thick it’s basically a subterranean jungle, filled with the remains of those who got lost and never found their way out. The air is thick with mist, the roots shift when you're not looking, and there’s something moving int he trees. Your goal? Find the Umbral Seed, a pulsing heart of darkness hidden amongst the fog.
2. The Rotwood Fen—A steaming, disease-ridden swamp where everything is rotting but somehow still alive. Trees weep black sap, fungal horrors rise from the muck, and stepping in the wrong place might get you dragged under. Somewhere in the decay lies the Blightbloom, a parasitic flower that feeds on corruption. Try not to breathe too hard. Or touch anything. Or exist, really.
3. The Thorned Labyrinth—A shifting hedge maze that actively hates you. The walls move, the plants scream, and the deeper you go, the more the maze remembers you. Oh, and the exit? It only appears when it feels like it. Buried at its core is the Sanguine Briar, a blood-red thorn that drinks the life of those who hold it. Should be fine.
4. The Elderbark Sanctum—A massive, hollowed-out tree that serves as the final resting place of every ancient guardian that ever failed their duty. The spirits of old warriors whisper through the bark, and the wooden sentinels inside don’t take kindly to intruders. At the very top, wrapped in sacred vines, rests the Verdant Heart, pulsing with the last echoes of a dying age. You just have to climb up there and take it.
Easy, right?
Every few hours, the Treewrath surges, expanding the forest and twisting the land into something even worse. Wait too long, and the dungeons become harder, deadlier, or simply cease to exist—taking their precious loot with them.
Completion Reward:
- Sigil of Passage—The magical ticket to the Fourth Circle, where hopefully fewer things want to kill you (probably not). (ONLY APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS OF ONE URBAN POCKET. AND DON'T TRY TO CHEAT AND MOVE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE FROM POCKET TO POCKET... THE FOREST WON'T TAKE KINDLY TO THAT!)
- Forest’s Favor—The Queen’s reluctant blessing, which may or may not make the trees hate you slightly less.
- Mystical Loot—Whatever you can pry from the cold, dead hands of the things you fight.
Nathan folded his head into his hands.
It could never be simple, could it?
In particular, Nathan was concerned about the limits of the Sigil of Passage. If Nathan was reading this right, there was only one. Or at least, a limited number of them. Nathan was pretty sure there were other pockets, too. So that meant they would be competing in order to get to these dungeons and use them.
It just gets better and better.
Nathan leaned his head back and rested it against the concrete. One thing was for sure—this would certainly be an interesting challenge.
He shut his eyes.
Then he heard the sound of the gentle waves and his heart sunk.
"Miss me?"
Nathan opened his eyes and turned around. Looking at him was none other than Thalassa.
He groaned aloud.