Chapter 22: Plant

Twilight Initiator, Zed, Son of Shadows, Shadow

Imperial Calendar: Year 1596, Month 3, Day 31

Riverland Mountains Interior, north of the Imperial Territory

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An assassin. I didn't know for sure, but the first time I saw that young man, I felt something was off. His aura was different from everyone else's, silent, almost imperceptible, calm and serene. A world apart from the others. Call it intuition, but in this world, people have a small aura around them, and his was the scent of death and blood. It hadn't crossed my mind that he was an assassin; I thought he might be an adventurer or something like that.

Likewise, I can believe he felt the same about me. After all, to recognize an assassin, you must be one. And in this case, it matched.

Walking patiently, he approached the mutant plant. That's what the original Zed called it. The vines were playing with the soldiers as if they were mere puppets. It was macabre, to say the least. Those poor souls had no chance in the midst of this deep darkness and terrible cold.

The problem was... I could feel the incredible amount of mana at the exact spot where the mutant plant was. I suspected the dragon stone with an affinity for darkness was behind it. And at the same time, the plant the noble's daughter needed was in the same place... It's tempting, two birds with one stone... or three. But to get there, we first had to deal with the plant stuck to the wall like gum. Maybe that was its energy source?

So, based on that hypothesis, if we could somehow detach it from that place, it might dry up like a fish out of water. It's a rather wild idea. I can't do it alone, of course. Looking down, some soldiers had grouped together with other bastards, all trembling uncontrollably.

Below me was a slightly steep slope. Beside me, some rocks barely held in place... I contemplated for a while, looking towards the assassin. This would make a lot of noise. I didn't know how the plant would react, but this place was strange. There was noise, but minimal... Sensitive to noise? Maybe. This might explain why this place was always silent. The noise would also alert the soldiers because practically, it would be falling right on their heads, forcing them to move. The mutant plant would also react violently.

What I was seeking was simple.

Chaos.

Sometimes it's the best weapon one can have. The most normal thing to do is somehow distract your enemy or agitate them, making them nervous and on edge, or driving them crazy. This rule applies here. The factors are in my favor: death, darkness, and silence. The hearts of the soldiers and bastards are filled with fear and desperation. So, what happens if you add the jingle of a bell to this silent chaos? More chaos, more disorder, and hence, more madness.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The soldiers ran everywhere like children. The loud crash completely shattered the silent calm. The soldiers' minds were already at their limits, letting their most basic instincts take over, the primal survival instinct. Because fear clouded their minds, they ran everywhere, but most headed forward, where the plant violently thrashed its vines.

Yes, the hypothesis was correct. When the rocks crashed to the ground, the mutant plant writhed, becoming even more violent. First, green substance spewed from its mouth in large quantities. It shook its petals as if trying to tear them off. From this movement, glowing pores released. I suppose it was some kind of damage. A pity there weren't more rocks.

Taking advantage of the moment, the shadows of the place clung to my body, making me disappear from sight.

-It's time to move.

Amid the chaos, more and more bodies fell to the ground, most of them halved or with large holes in their bodies, and a minority mutilated. It was a spectacle worthy of a horror movie. I wrinkled my nose; the smell of blood was the worst thing here. Avoiding the bloodiest areas, I moved silently. In my line of sight, the assassin was always present. He was much stronger than me. In fact, everyone here was stronger than me, except the bastards. Even a soldier could cleave me in half with his sword. I could barely create a small shadow between my hands.

As I said, my goal wasn't to fight that thing. I simply wanted the plant. I had coveted the dragon stone, but it was too much for me. After all, my life was more important. Someday I will return, if the Riverland Mountains remain unconquered. I am eager to have that stone.

With some difficulty, I dodged the raining vines falling brutally from the sky. The ground was full of deep holes left by the mutant plant. I started counting.

-1... 2... 3... 4...

A mental counter, so to speak. I was counting the maximum time I could stay in this form, which was precisely half an hour. That's the time I have to steal the plant and get out of here. I can't kill that thing, and on top of that, it's behind the wall, the most dangerous place also being the most beautiful.

The plants around glowed delicately. If you looked closer, you'd realize they were absorbing the blood from the ground like crazy... different sizes and colors, all doing exactly the same.

BOOM!

The ground split.

-HIIIIIIAAAA!!!

An inhuman scream came from ahead. The ground's fissures rose into the air, and the wall behind the plant shattered. The mutant plant stood up as if trying to get on its feet.

Opening my eyes wide, I saw it...

A stone, no bigger than a soccer ball, shone intensely. It was black, but mana moved within it as if it were alive. The shadows inside called to me from afar. It was the dragon stone with an affinity for darkness.

The vines plunged into the ground, holding the mutant plant upright.

The cause of all this was the assassin. Somehow, he placed an explosive on the wall, causing a collapse. The ceiling seemed like it was about to fall on us.

Acting quickly, I ran at full speed. He was near the plant.