Rainbow Veins

A large pair of shears burst to life and were gripped tightly by Jazz's clammy hands. The shears gleamed underneath the table, constructed of a beautiful silver that reflected reality like a mirror.

Its handles were sleek and black, adorned with two bronze gems protruding from the handles rear.

Jazz held her breath. She had to given the foul odor that now permeated around her.

With a steady step, she proceeded towards the door. Along the way, she continued to grip her shears firmer and firmer until her hands burned white from the tension they were displaying.

Jazz slowly crept around the doorway, she held her box braids in her hand to prevent them from swaying into the hall.

Her eye crossed the line and the narrow hallway suddenly opened up before her. Far down the hallway, almost at its end, a massive worm-like creature trudged along.

The gelatinous creature wobbled as it moved, large bits of flesh repeatedly expanded into tumor-like masses before they were miraculously sucked back into the beast like they never existed to begin with.

The black worm was also extremely slimy. Its clearly moist skin reflected any light that touched it and a trail of cloudy sludge covered both the walls and floor of the hallway.

Jazz reacted swiftly. She ran into the hallway and made a stark turn away from the black worm before sprinting towards the exit.

She exploded from the laboratories entrance and immediately slipped upon hitting the soft dirt that occupies the rest of their camp. Luckily, as her body buckled and collapsed a streak of violet light erupted above her, crashing into the mudstone building.

"Wait!" A man's roar shook Jazz's core, "She's one of us!"

***

Shortly after gathering the remaining flora in Underneath's garden, the group immediately left. And since the bridges had long collapsed and they weren't familiar with the layout of Underneath, Willow single-handedly threw each of the boys through the hole in the ceiling.

Emerging from the depths, they found themselves atop the walls of the canyon. Leaning over the edge and looking down, Emile could see the collection of rocks Blood once threw at the metal wall.

But time was of the essence, the moment Willow's feet stepped atop the canyon walls the cohort exploded forth with remarkable speed.

They tore through the canyon, arriving at the wall of miasma in practically an instant. Without hesitation, each of them crashed into the vapor wall and kept on moving.

However, unbeknownst to them, the once deserted and decrepit forest was now filled with life of varying forms. Willow reacted first, she pulled her feet off the ground and crashed onto her knees before sliding across the forest floor.

Above her, an explosion of spikes soared inches away from her skull. The spikes zipped through the air and obliterated a line of trees behind them, sticks and splinters erupted into the air and covered the sky.

Willow immediately summoned her hammer and bashed it into the ground. The impact sent her spiraling through the air, high above the treeline, giving her a much needed bird's eye view of the forest below.

Instantly, her eyes raced up and down the forest. They teleported from foe to foe, memorizing the location of each beast she caught sight of.

While in the air, Emile and the others began to prepare as well. Blood summoned his dagger and pulled enough blood from his body to manifest his second arm before rushing towards one of the beasts hunting them.

Roy didn't idle either. His pupils started to radiate light as he peered between the hundreds of collapsed trees around them before pointing in one particular direction.

"Spright!" He yelled, hoping getting someone's immediate attention was better than simply yelling 'over there.'

Emile's torso twisted around. He first locked eyes with Roy before noticing his extended arm and finger. Tracing the boy's extremities, Emile looked into the horizon the moment before a four-legged beast burst over the treeline.

Its monstrous feet crushed the remaining black trees as it tipped its head towards the sky and released a bellowing shockwave throughout the battleground.

The shockwave decimated the remaining trees, the nearest ones splitting apart and shattering like glass.

Emile reacted on instinct.

He clenched his fist and arched his arm back, cocking it and preparing for a throw. He filled the new node in his soul core and the pearl-like sapling appeared in his clenched fist.

He pumped essence into the sapling before launching it towards the rampaging creature.

The pearl exploded in mid air, releasing a subtle flash of light before the roots within unfurled and expanded. Immediately, a long stem stretched into the sky.

The stem was unbelievably thick, already the size of a fully grown tree, but the entirety of the unraveling tree was see through, like a piece of glass come to life.

The tree's stem subtly began to radiate energy, producing a rainbow-like aura across the surface of the stem. Then, a single leaf grew from the tip of the tree.

The leaf continued to grow rapidly, expanding before everyone's eyes until a fully grown caladium leaf hung from the stem's tip, its surface contaminated with glowing strands of veins that ran throughout the tree's stem.

The rainbow colored veins pulsated with energy, breathing in tow with the tree itself. Finally, the weight of the now humongous tree began to take effect.

The chrome tree plummeted down to the earth below. Its weight toppled the rampaging beast, crushing it beneath its single stem.

The beast crashed into the ground and slid to a raging stop. Meanwhile, the tree's roots above it began to squirm like worms.

The mobile roots wrapped around the beast's limbs, tying it down before puncturing its skin and sinking its rainbow veins into the bloodstream of the beast.

The tree's veins expanded as it sucked the life force from the creature. Almost instantly, the powerful creature withered away before their very eyes, crumbling like dust in the wind.

A moment later and the beast had been sucked into oblivion, the only proof of its existence being the crushed trees and displaced dirt from its fall seconds prior.

With the beast gone, the alive roots slid into the soil. Once they took hold, the fallen over chrome tree started rising skyward until it stood tall and straight; it's single overbearing leaf slightly dragging it down, hanging low enough to the ground that Emile could touch it if he chose to.

[Tormented Diluke Slain]

Emile gazed absent-mindedly at the chrome tree he just manifested. Feelings of shock and bewilderment crept up on his heart leaving him momentarily unaware and defenseless.

The only thought occupying his mind was the sight of the tree's roots penetrating the beast's skin then succinctly absorbing the beast itself until nothing remained.

'I —'

'I just wanted to stop it for a second…'

Then, out of nowhere, a sharp pain struck at the back of Emile's shoulder blade. He stumbled forward, barely able to keep himself up before looking back and seeing Willow's frame, sparkles of light still dancing across her skin as her armor appeared.

"Get it together!" She yelled, "There are a lot more beasts out there than you think!"