With a graceful hop, Yarnha left the branch she was standing on and landed on the ground.
The Monster brought its center of gravity forward and bent its knees.
A dozen tree roots left the ground around the Spirit.
They swayed and dangled around it like tails.
"You're right. Trapping intruders in, that's how the Forest feeds itself. Interfering this way... Must be my third or fourth time in-"
It took no time for the Monster's claws to suddenly appear in front of Yarnha's eyes.
Crash-
Crack-
Bam-
Unable to properly control the speed with which its body was moving, the Monster crashed into a tree, breaking its trunk, and rolled on the ground multiple times.
"What was that?" The Spirit, who had disappeared into the ground below, asked after reappearing, its upper body emerging from a tree's trunk.
The Monster rose to its feet, and took back the same posture as earlier.
It concentrated on its feet that were in contact with the ground.
And the instant those feet started moving,
Wind Blast-
An instant acceleration that used the Magic Skill's recoil to further one's movement speed.
Once again, the Spirit disappeared before it could be reached.
The Monster crashed into the tree.
Crack-
Two ribs were fractured by the impact.
It felt the same way colliding with a gigantic boulder would have.
The Monster, panting for air, fell to its knees.
Bleugh-
"Throwing up on the ground. Disgusting." Yarnha commented. "Still, the blood isn't too bad."
"Those roots of yours... And this tree..." The Monster, gasping for air, said in a low voice. "They're not really alive, are they?"
Yarnha was positioned behind the Monster.
And yet, it had noticed the confusion and surprise.
The Monster rapidly lay a foot against the indestructible tree and,
Wind Blast-
The Spirit disappeared once more.
'Locating me with the rest of the eyes on its body. So creepy...' It thought to itself.
The Monster looked to its right.
It looked to its left.
It turned around, then looked up.
The Monster's multiple pupils moved and moved, looking for the target.
It took two steps forward, before coming to a stop.
The Monster raised its left hand.
"Looking for me?"
At the Spirit that had suddenly appeared, a Dark Corrupting Spear was thrown with great strength.
"Phew..." Yarnha whistled. "Your aim isn't bad." She said after dodging the attack by moving her head.
The Monster stared for a couple of seconds.
A second Dark Corrupting Spear appeared in its left hand.
"Think this one will do any better?" Yarnha asked.
The Monster remained silent for a moment.
"Why dodge?"
"Huh-"
With both hands, the Monster gripped the weapon tightly.
But as it was raised above its head, the ground below started shaking, and the Monster changed targets.
A Spirit dodging an attack meant a lot.
That much, the Monster knew.
And about more than that, it was sure.
The Monster let its hands fall back to the sides.
It bent its knees while holding on tightly to the Dark Corrupting Spear.
The next second,
'Huh? Seriously?'
The Monster had turned away, and was currently,
'Running away? Now?'
"Where you going?"
"You don't think you'll find the exit, do you?"
"You're trapped here."
No matter how far the Monster ran, the Spirit appeared suddenly a couple of steps away from it.
No matter how much it ran, Yarnha found it.
And perhaps, more importantly, the ground's shaking below didn't stop, no matter how far it ran from the initial position.
The Monster's mind, under the influence of the Green Mist, raced and raced.
Inconsistencies and coincidences.
Thoughts and theories.
Trees that could be brought down. Trees that couldn't be brought down.
Ground that shook. Ground that didn't shake.
Roots that could be torn by Fangs, but couldn't be damaged by anything else.
A connected Forest.
A single collective.
A moving heart that, despite asserting that the Monster was trapped, kept following it.
The Monster could only arrive at one conclusion.
Crack- Crack- Crack-
A barrage of trees suddenly blocked its way.
Without slowing down, the Monster lowered its body and spread its wings.
Flying up above the multiple trees that tried holding it down, the Monster stared at the Forest below.
Not all roots are indestructible.
Not all trees are indestructible.
"I'm keeping an eye on you."
A root found its way to the Monster's foot.
It wrapped itself around the Monster's ankle, and quickly brought its body down to the ground.
Freezing Mist-
"That level of Ice Magic won't do a thing against the mighty Forest's Roots. They are what keeps the whole Forest alive, you know?"
The Monster's body, which had been temporarily shrouded by the Freezing Mist, hit the ground with a 'Bam!'
But of course, the roots weren't kind enough to leave it be, as it lay on the ground.
The sinking roots did their best to drown the Monster under the earth.
And they would have, were it not for Fangs appearing on its ankle.
Yarnha slowly emerged out of a nearby tree's trunk.
With slow steps, she walked closer.
Why was the Spirit approaching?
Why was it keeping an eye on the Monster?
Yarnha stared as the Devourer lay unmoving, flat on its chest.
"..."
Mutters, that the Spirit had no interest in, left the Monster's mouth.
Pain directly inflicted by her, would be brought back to her.
Grabbing the Monster and slamming its body against the ground, didn't seem to count as "direct" infliction of damage.
"Now, will you behave? The sooner we can get this over with, the less pain you'll have to-"
Drop-
Drop-
Yarnha's body froze.
The Monster's lips, hidden against the ground, curled up.
Its nose twitched.
Its stomach growled.
"What... Did you do?"
It was such a sweet scent.
"What did you do?" Yarnha shouted as she brought a hand towards her nose.
The scent of a Spirit's blood.
"You used Krista and Elisa earlier, so..." The Monster said, and Yarnha's body twitched. "Don't feel bad about this."
The next second, the three weapons that hung up in the air started their descent.
"Dark Corruption, Colossal Harpoon".
