Chapter 13: The Seed

It was another cold morning. The clear skies and bright sun did nothing to aid with that. Annita thanked Orenous for her resistance to the cold as she watched Kat and Bren shiver as they trekked to the Seed.

She’d woken closer to Kat than when she’d drifted off. Apparently rolling in her sleep, she had found herself almost cuddled up to Kat. Thankfully, the sleepy Alf hadn’t noticed in her usual morning stupor, and she’d been able to create more distance. Yeah, they’d crossed several lines the other night, but she still wanted to respect Kat’s apparent struggle with establishing their relationship.

Bren had eyed them constantly as they broke their fast and packed up camp. He never said a word, but Ann got the feeling that he knew that they’d done something with each other. Every now and then, she thought she’d caught a ghostly smirk on his face, but he hid it quickly every time.

Eventually, they came to a clearing, snow covering the empty space in the trees as usual. The unusual thing was the wall in front of them. It was taller than Ann could see, even when craning her neck, and extended out to their left and right. It wasn’t solid either, more spectral than anything. It shimmered with greens, reds, blues and golds. Patterns danced over it like motor oil on water. Looking at it for too long made Ann feel nauseous.

“So, this is the boundary, huh?” she asked her friends.

“Aye, edge o’ the Seed. We’re already in the Warpin’ field, but our Blessings protect us. Once we step through there, though, we keep moving ‘til we’re out. Short rests, quick naps while someone is on guard, but no full night sleeps are ever recommended in a Seed. The less time spent in there, the better.”

“Yes, that is the general advice. Also, it would be remiss not to warn you that it will be disorienting crossing the barrier. I suggest closing your eyes. Those patterns you see will surround you while you walk. It is easy to lose your balance, or your breakfast.” Bren looked up at the wall with a face that said he’d experienced both.

“Ok, well, I guess this is it, huh?” Annita sighed, trying to sound confident and hide her nerves.

“Aye, hold hands, cross together. I’ll be lead, Ann in the middle. Bren’ll bring up the rear.” Kat turned back to grin brightly at Ann. “Do or die, lass. Time for some fun!”

With that, they took each other’s hands and stepped to the wall. Taking a deep breath, Kat entered first. Annita watched as she disappeared into the sickening swirl of colour. Closing her eyes as Kat’s hand tugged on hers, she followed.

She walked for what felt like a couple of minutes before she felt lips touch hers. Opening her eyes in surprise, she saw Kat smiling up at her.

“Welcome to yer first Seed!” The Alf twirled away from her, sword and shield drawn as she took in their surroundings.

The scene that expanded before Annita was nothing short of breathtaking. Gone was the cold blue sky and snow-covered plain. Instead, there was a lush green forest with a warm summer breeze. Looking back, she still saw the nauseating patterns of the border of the Seed, but she couldn’t see the other end of things. Looking further up, she could see that the trees weren’t normal at all either. From their low vantage point, she could make out what looked like a large hill rising into a towering, twisting tree that expanded over a good portion of the woods below. Despite this overhang, the warm sunlight was unimpeded as it lit up the trees below. She recognised pine, ash, willow, and some birch over to the right.

Several of the trunks before her were twisted into strange shapes. Most grew straight as was normal, but some were doubled over, looped around themselves, or split in an almost fractal pattern. It made absolutely no sense to her, and the more she tried to think about it, the worse the logic got.

There also seemed to be life in these woods. Birds chirped happily, and she saw something that looked like it used to be a squirrel but with too many tails and a beak climb a nearby tree.

“It’s kinda pretty, in a twisted way,” Annita said as she took in her surroundings.

“Aye! Best part o’ comin’ in these places. There’s always somethin’ new an’ wild to see.” Kat’s eyes had lit up significantly since she entered the Seed. An energy entirely different from her normal enthusiasm seemed to fill her. Annita could swear she was about to skip with excitement.

“Remember, Kat, this is not a walk in the woods. Danger lurks, and will take us if we show weakness.” Bren was cautiously watching the treeline. He was tense, his eyes shifting around constantly.

“Oh huff, spoil me fun, will ya? I know, I know, we’re in fer a fight. Gotta take in the experience, though. Not many people get tae see this shit!”

“Sooo,” Annita interjected before they could get to more bickering. “Which way do we go?”

“The most logical direction would be to the vantage point provided by the hill and the large tree at the centre. It is likely to be more dangerous there. However, it will let us chart a path out as well.”

“Aye, probably somethin’ valuable up there, too. Usually is at the heart o’ these things. Ye got lucky yer first excursion was a minor one. Anythin’ else we’d skirt the edge an’ exit quick as ye like.”

“Ok, sounds like a plan. I’ll let you two know if I get any feeling related to the whole Orenous thing, too.” Annita nodded, drawing her weapons.

With that, Kat led the way into the tall trunks before them. Once they were under the branches of the lower trees, it got much darker. The leaf-strewn soil was a wonderful feeling under her paws, but Annita couldn’t allow herself to enjoy the sensation as she kept her ears alert for anything that might be dangerous.

Several times, Kat called for them to pause. Annita’s fur bristled with anticipation on each occasion, but nothing ever came to attack. The first time, it was a bird rustling through the underbrush looking for some seeds, the second was what Annita could only describe as a vampire jackalope.

“Do ye feel that?” Kat whispered to her at one of these stops.

“I don’t know. I feel nervous, tense. Anything specific?” Annita answered quietly.

“Aye, feels like we’re bein’ watched. I don’ like it. That an’ I think the trees are movin’. Try tae keep an eye on ‘em, you two.”

Bren and Ann nodded, now suddenly very aware of the surrounding trunks. Gnarled and twisted bark stared back passively, never moving, but always watching. If Annita stared too long, she swore she could see faces in some of them. It was eerie. The gloom of the canopy didn’t help either, as shadows danced along the underbrush.

They were passing through a section of some kind of jungle, trees covered with vines, when Annita heard the rustle of movement again. Tapping Kat, they all froze, scanning their surroundings warily as they backed up to each other.

Suddenly, Annita was upside down and several feet in the air. It happened so fast that she had to take a moment to collect herself. Vines were everywhere, and they were no longer still. Like snakes, they writhed in as a green carpet across the ground, up the trees, and over bushes. They rapidly approached Kat and Bren, who had managed to avoid the initial snare.

Ann struggled against the vines around her leg, lifting her torso up to get a better look at what was happening past her flipped kilt. Staring in horror, she found a nest of similar vines above her dangling down to grab her other leg. Kicking hard, she spun around, losing the strength to keep her body bent. As she tried to regain her orientation, she felt a second vine wrap around her free ankle and pull taut.

“Oh fuck. Kat! Help!” she cried as she felt her stomach drop.

“Feckin’ tryin’! Gimme a minute!” Kat shouted back as she cut through several grasping vines. Each one severed seemed to be replaced by two more. “Kinda stuck here. See what ye can do. Feckin’ Hells, we need a mage!”

Annita shifted her focus back to her own predicament. The vines around her ankles had tightened their hold and began to coil down her calves, almost reaching her thighs. “I have seen WAY too much hentai to know where this is going. No fucking way!” Ann shouted as she pulled her body up and took a swing at the vine attached to her right leg. The cord cut with a satisfying snap, only for another vine to shoot out from the cluster above on the branch, replacing it. “Shit,” Annita grunted as she swung from the exertion. “Think, think. Where the hell are they all coming from? Bren! Do you see any core or something?”

“No, I do not. Though I confess I’m a bit busy fending them off!” he shouted back.

Annita felt the vines twisting further down her legs, reaching her mid-thighs with their smooth exteriors. Bile rose in her stomach as she envisioned their goals. Twisting, she desperately scanned the surrounding woods. The vines were everywhere she looked. It was hard to make out any patterns, but being suspended like she was, she found another clump like the one above her. Vines seemed to pour out of the bulging mass. Lifting her pistol and aiming, she took a shot at it. The shot went wide, hitting a random vine and spattering its contents across the jungle floor. It writhed like a cut limb before going still. Letting out a string of curses, she lifted the pistol and took aim again. This time, the bullet found its mark. A strange rustling noise came from the knot of vines, almost imitating a hiss. More importantly, the vines surrounding it flailed wildly.

“Kat! The clusters! Hit the balls!” Annita screamed as she swung again from the recoil of the shot.

“Got it!” came the response from behind her.

Returning her focus to her own predicament, she knew what she had to do. Sheathing her blade, she took the revolver in both hands. Once more, very grateful for her new body, she lifted her torso up and aimed at the bundle of vines. The recoil of the shot spun her once again. She could hear the thing rustle-hissing in pain, but it wasn’t letting her go. When she glanced back up, a baleful yellow serpent’s eye met her gaze. It had stopped hissing as two ancillary vines retracted. “Oh, screw you! Regenerating is not fair,” Annita whined as she realised what the thing was doing. Each vine was a part of it, and the Warped could repair any damage they did by consuming a vine.

Annita steadied herself as best she could while hanging upside down. Her head was starting to swim as blood filled it. She was losing time, and the vines were getting dangerously close to places she did not want them. Pulling deep, she felt the divine energies in her surge as she channelled a smite into her weapon.

The normal flash of the barrel was magnified with a blinding purple explosion as the bullet sailed and struck the creature. This time, it hissed even louder, its many arms writhing in pain. Gripping a tendril wound around her thigh, Annita watched as the eye retreated beneath a weave of green. Four arms retreated this time. Not enough. It still held on, and the remaining vines increased their pace.

Shit, I’m going to have to use it. On this thing, of all things? Fuck my life.

Annita heaved herself up again, one last time. Doing her best to try to sound seductive, she called out to the creature above. “Hey, you tentacled creep. Is this what you’ve been after?” As she spoke, she snagged her underwear with a claw and pulled it to the side, exposing her pussy to the thing.

Immediately, the thing’s eye popped back out from the inner portion of its body, staring directly at her exposed sex. Sensing an opportunity, it sent several tendrils down at Annita, greatly reducing the mass of its core.

Guess the skill works on anything. Hopefully, this finishes it. With her Predatory Sensuality clearly taking hold, Annita levelled the sights, channelled a smite, and pulled the trigger once more. A purple explosion emitted from the barrel, and a split second later, the thing’s eye exploded. Its limbs went limp, and it slumped off the tree branch.

Ann hit the ground hard, bouncing off her upper back with a grunt of pain that radiated down her spine, before she landed on her back. Rolling on the loamy soil to her stomach and pushing herself up, she took stock of the rest of the fight.

Kat was still dealing with two of the vine-balls. One was up in a tree, and the other was scurrying around in the underbrush, desperately avoiding her sword.

Bren was dealing with his own creature, hacking wildly at the limbs with a knife. It was a losing battle. Not suited to direct combat, the creature found openings to wrap itself around his legs, holding him still, and others to lash across his robes.

“Hold it still, Bren!” Ann called as she charged in with her falchion drawn.

He glanced at her for a second before taking hold of a few vines that were trying to entangle him. All too happily, the Warped quickly ensnared both him and itself.

Sword met vined flesh as she pushed the point of the falchion deep into the core of the creature. Ann grinned wildly as green blood gushed up to coat her face and the creature struggled in pain. Spitting out the ooze that had shot past her lips, she withdrew the sword and brought it down again in a hacking motion, severing several vines as it tried to defend itself.

Time slipped away as she hacked at the creature. Green blood sprayed over her shirt and kilt, coating her chest and face. After some time, the thing went still. Panting, Ann lifted her head to see what else had happened while she was occupied.

Bren had apparently been freed some time ago, as he had moved over to help Kat with the remaining Warped.

Kat, ever the experienced warrior, had finished one of the creatures on the ground and was dealing with the second. Two more lay dead to the side, earlier victims of the woman’s proficiency with the blade.

Annita stood, making her way over to the pair as they worked to finish the last aggressor off. “Grab on to it and get ready to pull,” she ordered Kat as she drew her revolver and sighted the core.

Doing as she said, Kat quickly sheathed her sword and grabbed a vine in each hand. The crack of gunfire rang out, and the creature recoiled with the force of the bullet. As its limbs flailed, Kat pulled hard, yanking it from its perch. It hit the ground, bounced, and was driven back into the dirt by Kat’s quickly drawn sword.

Huffing, Kat remained hunched over the creature’s body as she caught her breath. Annita had leaned up against a tree and was doing the same. Bren was the least physically affected of the three, but even he sat down to rest for a moment.

“Not a fan of those,” Annita said as she slid down the tree to sit as well.

“Aye, annoyin’ little shits. Seems like they hunt in packs. Weak individually, dangerous as hell in groups. Even more so if they get the drop on ya.” Kat kicked the vine creature’s core off to the side before joining the other two in sitting.

“Not to mention randy. Think the one that had me was trying to get into my pants. Also, apparently, Predatory Sensuality works on more than just humans.” Ann leaned her head back as she talked, closing her eyes.

“Oh yeah? What’d ye have tae do to get it goin? Invite it in? Show it the goods?” Kat teased.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Annita huffed. “Ugh, that’s going to bump my libido up a good amount. I lose eight hours every time I use that skill.”

“Yes, an ability best used sparingly,” Bren agreed. “Though with the situation being what it was, I believe this was an appropriate use.”

“Yeah, agreed.” Annita opened her eyes and opened her skill sheet. Her health was at 180/200, probably just from the fall. Her libido was sitting at 100/125. “Ugh, not good. I’ve got five hours until whatever happens at my libido cap.”

“That is definitely unfortunate. We will have to increase our pace.” Bren sighed and stood.

As she struggled to do the same, one other thing on her sheet caught Annita’s eye. She walked over to Kat and offered her a hand, which the woman happily took. Instead of letting her go, Ann pulled her closer, whispering, “Hey, uh, looks like last night counted for gaining Desire.”

“What? Really?” Kat whispered back.

“Yeah, it’s at 20/80. So, uh, yeah. Just thought you should know.” Annita’s cheeks were burning. Something about the stat having increased, and the description of it requiring trusting partners, made the increase feel more significant than it otherwise would.

“Aye, thanks. Huh, well, at least ye’ve got use o’ that skill now,” Kat whispered back as she broke the hug they’d found themselves in. Kat nodded, a slight pink gracing her cheeks as well, before turning and clapping Bren on the shoulder.

“Ye good, mate?” she asked a little too loudly.

“Yes, quite?” Bren looked at her, confused, with an eyebrow raised.

“Good, then let’s get goin’. We’ve got land tae cross, an' less time to do it. C’mon ya chucklefucks.”

With that, she led the way further into the Seed, Bren and Annita in tow.