[The Hand We’re Dealt: Tutorial pt.3]

Taking in the various gHosts' expressions, the fox SOULS jumped from the man's shoulder skillfully, soaring into the air. When it reached the highest point of its trajectory, it burst into a series of tiny floating lights. Instead of disappearing, the balls of light hung suspended in the air and soon took on the shape of the number ten. Nature's own countdown began, an ominous premonition filling everyone's heart as the lights got closer to zero.

Kyrha's muscles tightened in anticipation, her calves pushing off the thick branch. Her eyes flashed darkly when the movement triggered a numb tingling shooting up her legs. Calculating, she readjusted her angle when she spotted an opening in the midst of the gathering below. She flipped through the air in a full arc and Ace mimicked her actions. Both landed right as the countdown ended and the forest sank into unnatural darkness. Her next thought was to regain her normal mobility. Pinching her thighs hard without drawing blood, she used the pain to fight the emerging sensation of pins and needles.

With the crimson red trees and luminous leaves suddenly dimming until extinguished, an eerie presence crawled over the group, sinking into their spines with a chilling frost. The oppressive heat was long forgotten, a foreign uneasiness taking its place to choke the weaker willed.

Senses heightened, she then silenced her breathing and movements until the traces of her prese were erased, finally closing her eyes. She focused on the information flowing into her nose and ears first. The heavy scent of sweat, several gHosts had shifted closer to her since landing. 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥. Her ears twitched as she heard slithering movements similar to snakes hiding among the bending grass. Her eyes shot open. Flashing in the direction of the closest sound, she peered at shadows that become more distinct the longer she watched. Her sight quickly adjusted to the lack of light from years of experience. Just in time to see what was once a hulking vague shadow block in front of another as if sensing the incoming movement. Almost as if to mock the valiant effort shown, screams suddenly erupted, followed by the sound of bodies dropping heavily to the ground, writhing.

The noise shattered the quiet darkness, reawakening the world. The firefly leaves reignited, brightly illuminating the abnormal scene that tested peoples' sense of reality under the haunting glow. The adrenaline pumping, many forgot this was virtual.𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯'𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥.

Over a dozen bodies were scattered on the matted blades of grass. Some clawing helplessly at whatever trapped them, some at the ground until they pulled up clumps of dirt and greenery to no avail, and others lying still, trying to endure the torture wreaking havoc on their bodies and possibly think of a means of escape. But they all had one thing in common. Each and every one of them were tangled up in a blood red vine winding tightly around some body part—an arm here, a leg there, and for the less fortunate, it reached as high up as their neck.

As if their condition was contagious, most of the gHosts still standing retreated back, giving a wide berth of space around the fallen forms. Only a few who were acquainted with those on the ground drew cautiously closer. A younger man threw all caution to the wind, clinging to his companion as he called out her name. A spark of hope and unwillingness emerged in her eyes as she struggled harder against the entanglement, but the light soon dimmed as the restricting plant climbing up her arm got tighter and tighter. The pain blinded her senses, not giving her any time to push her loved one to safety when the vine suddenly split apart and trapped him too. After a couple of similar occurrences took place, no one was willing to get any closer to those ensnared.

Taking in everything that was happening, a series of thoughts raced across Kyrha's mind. She looked again from the blushing trees surrounded by vegetation to the vine-like objects causing chaos. 𝘙𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴...𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥. Wanting to test her hypothesis, she quietly made her way over to the first gHost she watched get attacked.

Before she could get within a couple feet of him, a man and a monkey blocked her way, his grey eyes now wary. She raised her hands in surrender.

Her jaw motioned to the body prone on the ground by them. "I think I can do something about that." Similar to their first interaction, he gave her another penetrating stare, assessing his options. "Cautious, I like that." She grinned, breaking the tense atmosphere. Surprisingly enough, it was the blonde girl who made the decision.

She walked closer around the man to Kyrha, holding the white creature tightly for support, and stopped when only an arms-length distance was between them. She looked into Kyrha's eyes for a moment, the noise and distractions around them fading. When she saw the lack of emotion there, she wasn't concerned, but actually found it calming. Finally, she gave a small smile. "We'd appreciate the help." Her voice was soft but full, like pouring honey over the ears.

Having gotten the girl's okay, the one blocking her let Kyrha approach their companion. Watching her crouch by the wolf rubbing its nose against the man's strained face in concern, he wanted to sate his curiosity. "Why'd you come down? Didn't you think you were safer up in the tree?"

Playing a generous persona, she decided to enlighten him. "I could feel the thrumming pulse of the branch I was sitting on quicken the longer the countdown went on. Whether it was excited or planning something, I felt my odds were safer away from such things. Turns out, I was onto something, or my muscles wouldn't have been slightly numb when I tried to move. I'm almost certain the numbness was caused by prolonged exposure to the eucalyptus fragrance in the area. That's why so many were caught so easily. Their sluggish movements—though distance and body types factored into the severity as well. Truly a sly fox..."

She kept her attention trained on the figure that was resisting the binds, thus missing the budding admiration in the eyes of the two beside her. Observing for a moment, she confirmed her previous guesses. The more it sucked, the more obvious the pulsing. 𝘈𝘴 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴? The man's pupils were dilated and the veins bulging at his temples hinted at the silent pain he was experiencing, but he refused to release any sound from his throat. His once tanned face was paling rapidly into a sickly pallor. Ignoring this, she met the deep blue irises. "The more you struggle, the tighter it gets. Don't move."

She redirected her next sentence to the man standing to her left. "If my guess is correct, any water source around the soil here should be affected by the blood the roots carry, making it a suitable substitute for salt water. I spotted a few scattered rivulets nearby while atop the tree. Find a way to bring enough water back so we can wet the binds."

~ 𝟙𝟘 ~ 𝕁 ~ ℚ ~ 𝕂 ~ 𝔸 ~ 𝟙𝟘 ~ 𝕁 ~ ℚ ~ 𝕂 ~ 𝔸 ~ 𝟙𝟘 ~ 𝕁 ~ ℚ ~ 𝕂 ~ 𝔸 ~

When the roots finally loosened, a relieved gasp sounded below them. The girl's eyes glistened with deep respect after checking on her friend. The delight in her voice soothed their fatigue. "That was amazing! How did you know that would work?"

"I once read about a special type of rope that gets tighter when struggling but loosens in salt water. After recognizing some similarities between the two, I thought it was worth a shot." Finished with her explanation, Kyrha scratched her nose, affecting a humble expression.

[I'd expect no less from the one I've acknowledged.] Ace stated proudly, popping out from her other side.

"Oh, so now you want to make your presence known? Where'd you run off to after we jumped down from the tree?" Ace merely gave a sheepish chuckle, but his expression was beaming.

However, it was too soon to celebrate. "The screams have stopped." Who knows who realized this anomaly first.

The roots had progressed even further, reaching their tips into the mouths of their prey to quicken the pace of the blood draining, conveniently blocking their voices in the process. They noticed that there were fewer bodies lying around and then they saw the terror-stricken faces of those still watching. When a root dragged one of the captured gHosts back, receding into the darkness, they understood. It appeared that the forest wasn't so willing to easily give up its newfound prey.