Wraithwood Botanist

B2 - Chapter 41 - The War Resumes

My heart rattled when I heard the wyverns approaching. The lurvines turned to flee—but Keal jumped in front of them, snarling and barking and snapping. Sina did the same.

The pack fought back, threatening them with saliva dripping from their teeth, but they lost out, turning away shamefully. Then, they ran toward the river as a pack, moving in the same direction as the wyverns.

I wasn’t tied down, so the pressure of gravity and acceleration threatened to pull me off as we weaved between trees. There were probably three miles left to the river, and we were moving fast. The wyverns were moving even faster. Their cries grew more intense as we ran, and just when we thought that we would make it and have time to dunk Aiden and heal Halten, we entered the jaws of hell.

Hundreds of beasts cried in the distance, crashing into trees in a bloody stampede. It sounded like a Roman battle, depicted in the Iliad or other texts from old, and it only intensified as we approached.

Just when Keal jumped onto the rocky bluff above the river to get a better vantage point, we heard a new and terrifying cry that rocked the heavens. I grabbed my ears and winced, with the lurvines doing the same. It was a wyvern cry, but it was sick, deranged, primal, and furious.

Then all was silent.

I looked into the forest and saw nothing. A light wind blew through the canopies, rustling leaves and leaving a whirling melody that smelled of autumn and peace and tranquility.

Then, there was a loud whack, and a dozen objects hit the trees in rapid succession, followed by yet another shrieking roar.

It was Halten.

Beasts cried out in wild hoops as they retreated through the forest. They came in countless descriptions, each vicious and raw and huge like grizzly bears or something greater, all sporting wounds from some bloody battle, likely fighting over the first to eat Halten. Seeing them fleeing from the river, like a golden stampede in the Serengeti was nerve-wracking.

It only got more intense. I could hear crashing in the distance, perhaps from Emael—the River Guardian—or maybe it was just my imagination as the wyverns behind us released their cries.

"Circle once!" I yelled. "If there’s an opening, take us to the river! If not, move south, we’ll find another spot."

I wanted to save Aiden, and that could happen at any part of the river. That said, I went through a fuck load of effort to save Halten, and if there were a chance to save him, I would. It didn’t sound likely. He sounded as primal as the birds with soul corruption did, only he was a thousand times their size at least. But if there was a chance, I wanted to know.

Kael snorted and looked at all the second evolution beasts—or higher—kicking up dust from the forest as if to say, You’re insane to even suggest that.

"Fine." I got off and untied Aiden.

Sina growled at me, and I turned at her with raised eyebrows and continued. I released Aiden.

"Come on, Kline."

Kline increased his invisible body and I put Aiden onto it, sitting on him as well. But before we could leave, Sina jumped in front of us.

"Wh~at?" I asked sharply.

Sina growled, and I couldn’t tell what that meant.

"What?" I scoffed. "We’re teleporting. Okay? They won’t be able to find you."

I took her gesture to mean, You’re being selfish to put us in danger, but when we tried to move, she followed.

"What do you want? Are you worried you won’t evolve in time? Here." I pulled out the Diktyo River water bottle. "This’ll give you another three days to evolve. So consider our contract sett—"

Sina growled, and Halten did the same, releasing another cry as beasts crashed into trees. Then came Thorvel and the wyverns, releasing terrible cries above us.

"I..." I looked at Sina and saw genuine concern. It was... bizarre but moving as well. Yet... I couldn’t just back down. Not now. I told Emael and Thorvel I was going to create the elixir, and I did.

I think that’s what was driving me toward the river so desperately. That pact. The declaration to Thorvel that I was going to create the elixir and did. That’s why I wanted to go instead of just saying screw it and searching for another river.

It wasn’t rational. If I were, I would have prioritized self-preservation or at least frozen in fear when I saw the stampede of beasts.

But...

I couldn’t do that. Halten, Emael, Brindle, Yakana... each one of these beings had helped me survive.

Yakana helped me in the river on the first day. Help me build a core in the first week. Taught me how to cleanse to convince Emael that I was Brindle’s pupil and could be useful to this forest.

A strange pressure built within me when she looked at me, and I blurted out a protest without thinking.

"I can heal her!"

"Silence!" Thorvel screamed.

"I made a soul elixir! Brindle helped me—"

I don’t care! Thorvel panned his gaze between Emael to me. Brindle was a leader—he isn’t our god. Our pact—our creed—is to protect this forest. That’s all. And ever since you’ve come here, you’ve done nothing but destroy it! I don’t care if it’s your fault. I don’t care what you’ve done. I don’t care what you’ve made or what you’ll do. Your presence is threatening everything!

I bit my lip bitterly. The Oracle announced my presence without my input and started this mess. The Oracle sent me here, and I had done everything I had just to survive. It wasn’t my fault—

—but I understood.

Thorvel seemed unreasonable, but his job was to protect the forest, and my presence had messed that up. Now, there was an "army" of Harvesters coming into the forest in three weeks to have a heyday.

I refused to leave this forest against my will. I refused to see fault in my actions. But at the same time, I couldn’t blame him.

Thorvel narrowed his eyes at Emael and snorted. Now, even this ring’s guardian is injured. Pathetic.

But—

—that final addition really pissed me off.

"I can fix her soul!" I yelled.

Thorvel turned to me with rage in his eyes. Do you want to die?

"Do you want to protect the forest or not?" I yelled. "’Cause Emael’s sick right before the Harvest, and you’re acting like healing her is worthless!"

Thorvel’s eyes widened, and he turned to Emael. You told her your name?

Emael looked at me with a complex gaze. I did not.

Then who?

My chest twisted into a hot knot of rage and then it exploded. "Brindle!" I screamed. "What part of Brindle’s student don’t you fucking get? You might not care but stop treating it like it isn’t true. I cleansed that fucking river, and..." I pulled off my backpack, jumped onto the river’s shore, and pulled out a large, vibrant jar of Teelia elixir. "He helped me make these!"

Is that... Emael looked into my eyes. That’s the Teelia elixir. Is it not?

"It is."

Where did you get it?

"I just told you—Brindle."

No. Where did you find the Teelia flower?

I looked down to see if Aiden was conscious. He wasn’t, but I covered his ears with my palms, anyway. "Brindle led me to a secret location," I said.

Thorvel turned his glassy eye to me. Halten cried out in the distance. The wyverns surrounded him, preparing to strike.

"Wait!" I screamed. "I brought an elixir for him, too!"

He’s beyond saving. Thorvel said coldly.

No... Emael said. He’s not. She walked up to me as I opened the jar, and she snorted it with her large nostrils. Not with this.

I nodded. "Does that mean you’ll trust me?"