Chapter 19

Gaps in the foliage leak the meagre red light sky in, ensuring Lavinia and her prisoner are not completely in the dark. The earth is loose and soft between her toes, lush with sweet smelling flowers and spreading moss over stone surfaces. Tall imposing trees with grizzly barks carry the whispers of the forest wind on their fine leaves, a strong scent of blood mixes with the perfume of the sprawling forest.

Beyond her sight an incessant thumping reverberates throughout the forest, rattling bald birds out of their nests, cracking eggs against the gnarly, thick roots snaking from the trees. Lavinia stifles the urge to groan and lash out at every thump as the closer they journey to Corym, the louder it booms.

Having drained the Trirax a third time it's no issue watching her back, her inspiration to escape or even fight back seems to have given out after the third time. However, the drain does nothing to stop her talking—

"Aaannnd— thuuoomm!" the Trirax lifts her arms, barely getting them all the way up as she whoops in forced excitement. She looks back with her single eye half-lid and bloodshot, but Lavinia pokes her cheek away with the GroveStaff, "Okay, okay. Just checking if you've still got the edge, good news, you still do."

Lavinia growls, ploughing through and over knots of roots, vines and the occasional rotting corpse. The constant thumping and chattering sends a persistent ache through her head. She sneers at the Trirax eager to be rid of her.

A cacophony of hoots and rumbling follow, reminding Lavinia of her first walkthrough this forest. The curly-tailed demon's grunt and growl amongst themselves close by and along with the thumping, Lavinia grows weary of the edge of their territory— handling a prisoner and fighting an enraged curly-tailed wouldn't be prudent right now.

The lead Trirax's footprints went dead many thumps ago, forcing her to rely solely on her prisoner's sense of direction and desire to remain useful under threat of consumption but she is daring, "Stop playing. Corym, where is it?"

Her Trirax prisoner responds with a hearty chuckle for a demon drained of blood and energy, "It's miserable enough that I'm here, prisoner to some Pink youngling, I know you could be worse, you could be eating me right now."

As if on command, Lavinia's stomach lets out a loud growl.

"Ignore your stomach, you don't want to eat me right now. I don't know why I said that." She quickly retracts the statement and through pants asks, "What's your name? Do you have one even? I'm Seraph."

Lavinia's lips part to answer instinctively but instead says, "I am hungry, take me to Corym."

Seraph, the Trirax, shakes her large prism shaped head at this as she lazily vaults over a fallen trunk in the path, "Corym. What do you think that place is? How do you even plan on getting in? I know Prime has eyes searching for a fork in the path like you. Jonn would've warned him, you chased after him after all."

Trying not to furrow her brows any deeper, Lavinia inhales deeply before answering, "See Corym. Then eat you before I approach with ring."

A short pause prevails before Seraph bristles, "What? That's the plan? It's a good plan but I think you're missing where-"

"Enough talking. Moving in circles." Lavinia says with an undercurrent of rage, tapping a tree with the GroveStaff, "Marked this tree before, seen it three times. Take me or I will eat you now."

Seraph's stiffens at being called out and silently leads Lavinia off the travelled path to thicker foliage. Another thump reverberates through the earth, rattling up Lavinia's feet as Seraph cuts through bushes, coming onto a wide, open swamp. It's murky waters, tangling flora and sinking soil only serve to annoy Lavinia more. Digging out of the gunk, Lavinia follows after a fast pacing Seraph, strolling through the wet gallery of fat bulbous plants and their buds.

"Wait. Slow down." Lavinia demands, the cumbersome weight of the GroveStaff coupled with her own has her struggling to keep up through the swamp.

Seraph spares a look over at Lavinia, a smirk finds her rubbery lips as she takes one more step forward. A loud snap rings alarm bells for Lavinia faster than the peeling buds and premature flowers blossoming all around them do.

The plants, much like last time she was in the forest, release a noxious gas into the air, "Seraph!" Lavinia growls, ripping her foot out of a particularly wound mess of vines underneath the swamp.

The gas thickens, clouding up what little light the deep red sky provides allowing Seraph to slip away without a word. Lavinia waddles out of her trappings choking and coughing away as she searches for the disappeared Trirax as she powers through persistent vines clinging onto her.

Groaning and straining against their pull, Lavinia chokes down gasps of the poisoned air as she slashes away at the vines and roots wrapping around her feet and waist. "Seraph!" She sneers, stumbling out of a puddle, shawl wet and damaged from her careless slashing.

The thick fog of gas clears as she walks through aimlessly. The loudest thump rattles her senses as it booms from right beside her, billowing wind and dust the same as the day it threw her to the wind and to Lucy.

It clears the air and with ringing ears Lavinia is treated to a full view of the demon city, Corym. Tall, large walls guard around the city and its gate, made of obsidian crystals and hard timber, the city makes an imposing first impression sitting across the swamp with a significant moat between. Spires and towers extend from within the walls, telling of an expanse to be explored. The twisted swamp's murky waters and tangling flora form a natural defence for the city and the deep, dug moat full of inky water and creature's unknown ensure nothing comes in without the drawbridge coming down.

But before that…

"I told you to set me loose while you had the chance." Seraph voice drips with condescension, safe from Lavinia on the other side of the moat, watching as several wiry-framed, green creatures lurk around and behind Lavinia, forming a tight circle.

Having a look, Lavinia casts {Inspect} on her visitors, returning their mischievous grins with a stern glower.

[Level 3— Goblin]

[Level 7— Goblin] 

[Level 3— Goblin] 

[Level 4— Goblin] 

[Level 5— Goblin]

"Don't think that's all! I know just how strong you are, you fiend!" Seraph calls across as with a proud wave she's backed by three more— {T-2/L-1— Trirax}, "Thanks for bringing me home! Show her some hospitality!"