The Spirit stared at the twitching Monster.
A small portion of the Forest had been sacrificed to mitigate the Corruption's effects.
This allowed Yarnha to have no effects showing on her body. But the sacrifice did not come without a great deal of pain that she was doing her best to hide.
The Monster had taken a step back.
Was it about to leave like Yarnha had told it to?
"Leave, while I'm giving you the chance."
The Monster's twitching body remained impassive while the ingested substances affected its mind.
They're seeing sweet things right now-
Sweet dreams, little Elf-
Soon, those pretty sights will turn into visions of true horror-
For Elisa, this meant seeing the place she was from, the comfortable place she called home.
It meant seeing her father, the person she loved most.
And eventually, it meant seeing her father's killer.
But what would it mean for Mark?
Sweet things. Sweet dreams. Pretty sights. What would those be for Mark?
Would it be a part of his life before he was Reborn? Before his death? His life as a Human?
Or would it be after that?
Could the pretty sights and sweet things chosen by his brain and soul be from his life as a Monster thus far?
Could that really be the case?
Would it be moments he lived inside of the Dungeon, or outside?
There was no way for anyone to know the answers to those questions.
Only he and his brain could see those
But perhaps, the more important and pertinent portion of the visions for a Monster wouldn't be the pretty sights. But rather, the horror.
Mark's visions of true horror.
The nightmares that haunt his dreams and sleep.
The thing that stands at the top of every negative encounter the Monster had gone through.
What could it be?
Yarnha clenched her fists.
"Leave." Two dozen roots exited the ground around her. "This is my final warning."
Saliva went down the Monster's open mouth as it stared at the ground.
"Why... Should I leave?"
Yarnha's eyebrow twitched.
"Go back to them while I give you the chance. While neither of us has been hurt badly."
"You think... I haven't been hurt badly?"
The Spirit's eyes narrowed.
"Then leave before it gets worse."
"You think I'll leave... After finally finding you?"
Yarnha clicked her tongue internally.
Sigh-
"And I can disappear like that," She snapped her fingers. "Once again."
The Monster raised its gaze towards the Spirit.
"I'm not letting you go. Not after finding you."
It wasn't really a negotiation taking place.
Still, Yarnha perceived it as such.
The Monster had taken a step back earlier.
It was willing to leave.
But of course, the intoxicated's decisions were fickle and volatile.
The Spirit knew that well.
It was, after all, something Yarnha had counted on earlier.
But now, the intoxicated's instability stood in the way of what she wanted.
Yarnha took a deep breath in.
The Monster in front of her, she felt she knew it well enough.
The two had already talked plenty after all.
Therefore, to take the negotiation towards the ending she desired, Yarnha decided to...
"I was greedy. I shouldn't have done what I did when you were simply passing by. The Forest does trap intruders, but that is never the Forest's intention. It shouldn't be. I messed up, and I apologize for it."
"You... Apologize?"
"That's right. It's just like you said earlier..." Yarnha suddenly brought a hand to her nose. With her left eye half open, she remained silent for a couple of seconds. "This isn't how the Forest works. How Nature works." She continued. "Therefore-"
"Why are you apologizing now?" The Monster interrupted. Its body's twitching grew more and more intense. "Apologizing won't change anything. Not now. Not after-"
"Then what do you want? What should I do to make this fairer?"
"Fairer? Isn't it obvious? What I need you to do is..." A Dark Corrupting Spear was formed in the Monster's left hand. "Give them back."
Twitch-
"Give back... What?"
The ground below cracked and,
Wind Blast-
With the Monster moving even faster than earlier, Yarnha barely had the time to disappear below ground.
And with its body moving with such explosive acceleration, the Monster had no choice to control that speed but,
Wind Blast-
Use the Skill while aiming in the opposite direction to mitigate the speed.
"If you won't give them back..." Shrouded by a fog of dirt, the Monster raised its Dark Corrupting Spear. "I'll kill you."
Pierce-
Instantly, an intense pain took over Yarnha's body.
"AGHH!!" The Spirit shouted as its upper body emerged from a tree's trunk.
"No matter what..."
Dark Corrupting Spear-
Wind Blast-
"You're dying here."
The pain could not be compared to anything the Spirit had ever experienced.
Torn skin and muscles?
Crushed bones?
Nothing could come close to it.
Yarnha's vision turned blurry as tears hung to her eyelids.
She wanted to scream more.
She wanted to close her eyes.
But now wasn't the time.
Not when the Monster could inflict that wicked Magic Type upon any portion of the Forest.
"Hurts..." The Dark Corrupting Spear approached the Spirit's emerged body. "Doesn't it?"
The sharp tip collided with the indestructible tree's trunk.
But before that tip had even touched the trunk, the Monster's neck had already moved.
Which is why as soon as Yarnha appeared, Mark was able to locate her.
Freezing Mist-
The Monster's body was hidden for a moment, and the Dark Corrupting Spear collided with the Forest's ground.
Clink-
What is necessary for Yarnha isn't visual input on the attack or the spot that was being targeted.
Knowing, guessing, or deducing the general area was more than enough.
But because Mark, despite being shrouded by the Freezing Mist, knew Yarnha's location,
Throw-
With all his strength, he threw in the Dark Corrupting Spear in the opposite way.
Away from Yarnha, so that the Freezing Mist could act as cover for as long as possible.
As soon as the Spear was thrown, he exited the Mist and ran towards the Spirit.
'Slower than earlier. Why? Why isn't he using the...!'
Blood started running down the Spirit's nose.
'He didn't want to blow away...' Yarnha brought a hand to her bleeding nose. 'The Mist!'
In all of the Spirit's existence, this was the second time it had bled.
The first time had taken place a bit earlier.
Instantly, it became much clearer.
The Monster was different from the Beast living inside the Forest.
It was different.
It had to be thrown out, if not eliminated.
"I'll deal with you," Yarnha, whose charming face was bleeding, extended a hand forward. "Even if it kills me."
Instantly, a dozen roots started moving. Their sharp ends, aiming for the Monster's heart.
[Your Skill "Combative Eyes[D]" is activating!]
Nothing but Yarnha and the approaching roots remained as part of the Monster's field of vision.
With perfect timing, the Monster killed its speed.
Sidestep-
Fangs appeared on the Monster's shin as it threw a vertical kick.
The roots were cut, and their sharp ends were disconnected from the rest.
Before the cut ends could even begin falling to the ground, the Monster was running towards the Spirit.
Yarnha watched, as the Monster got closer and closer.
The ground below it broke, but it refused to be swallowed and spread its wings.
Wind Blast-
"What are you hoping to accomplish here?"
"What do you want?"
"Why won't you leave?"
Again and again, Yarnha disappeared.
Again and again, the Monster followed.
What was going through its mind, what chemical reactions the ingested substances had brought forth, and what visions it had seen, none could tell.
Eventually, the Monster's speed dropped.
It stared with hateful eyes.
A starved and injured Beast.
"Give... Them back!" The Monster shouted as it panted for air.
"WILL YOU LEAVE ALREADY!"
The Monster's body froze.
The next second, it extended a hand forward.
Twitch-
Yarnha raised her gaze upwards, and the Monster ran forward, a Dark Corrupting Spear in hand.
Dark Corruption, Colossal Harpoon-
Dark Corruption, Colossal Harpoon-
Two weapons made of Corruption were falling from the sky.
A third was approaching.
The Forest, or the Spirit?
The Forest, or its Protector?
Which should be saved?
Which should be sacrificed?
Yarnha made her choice, and disappeared.
Seconds later,
Bleugh-
The Monster stood tall, as a chill went down its spine.
Excitement.
It slowly, slowly turned around.
"Why... Won't you..."
A pond of dark blood at her feet.
Black tears down her eyes.
A collapsed Yarnha on her knees.
"Hurts..."
The Monster smiled.
"Doesn't it?"
