The roots reacted.
A cluster of thorned vines lashed toward him.
Zealth cut through the first two, ducked under the third, then rushed forward. The crystal was only a few steps away, but the roots between him and it moved like a living cage. They crossed, withdrew, stabbed, curled back, trying to keep him away.
He forced his way in.
Cinderbrand burned through vines.
Black sap hissed.
A root pierced his side armor and scraped his body beneath. The impact nearly stopped him, but he grabbed the root with his left hand and pulled himself forward instead.
Dull pressure spread through his ribs.
Still unpleasant.
"Move," he growled.
He reached the crystal.
The golden surface was warm beneath his palm.
The boy inside did not move.
Zealth raised Cinderbrand.
A thick root struck his back.
He stumbled, one knee hitting the ground. Another root wrapped around his arm. He twisted, cut it free, then slammed the burning sword into the crystal.
The sound rang through the hollow.
Not crack.
Not break.
Ring.
Like striking a bell.
The tree shook.
Above him, thousands of skulls clattered at once.
Zealth lifted the sword again.
"Come on."
He struck.
Again.
The crystal flashed yellow.
A thin crack appeared.
Roots screamed.
Not metaphorically.
The entire space filled with a sound like wind forced through throats.
Zealth gritted his teeth and struck a third time.
The crack widened.
Inside, the boy's fingers tightened around whatever he held.
Zealth saw it now.
A small bundle.
Wrapped cloth.
Maybe a doll.
Maybe a seed pouch.
Maybe something worse, because Jupiter01 enjoyed emotional precision.
He did not ask.
He struck again.
The crystal fractured.
Golden light burst through the cracks.
A thorned vine drove into his shoulder.
Another stabbed through his thigh.
A third scraped across his cheek.
His armor flashed warning after warning, but Zealth leaned into the crystal and drove Cinderbrand forward with both hands.
"Break!"
The crystal shattered.
Golden fragments exploded outward, scattering across the roots like broken sunlight. The boy fell from inside, limp and weightless, then slumped onto the ground at Zealth's feet.
For one second, everything stopped.
The roots froze.
The skulls went silent.
The beams outside died.
The entire tree held its breath.
Zealth stood over the boy, chest rising and falling hard, Cinderbrand smoking in his grip.
The boy's body twitched.
Then slowly—
He rose.
Not stood.
Floated.
His feet hung inches above the ground. His head tilted downward, hair covering part of his face. The green glow beneath his skin intensified, pulsing through his veins like cursed light.
The system panel updated.
Rotbound Farmer
Supreme Undead
Status: Released
Zealth's throat went dry.
The boy lifted his face.
His eyes were not empty like the skulls.
They were tired.
Anciently tired.
His mouth moved.
The voice that came out was small, broken, and full of rot.
"Kill… me."
Zealth froze.
Something inside his chest pulled tight.
The nobleman.
The child.
The student on the road.
No.
Not now.
"Don't do that," Zealth whispered.
The boy's expression did not change.
"Kill… me…"
The tree answered for him.
Every root in the hollow moved at once.
Zealth barely saw them.
A storm of thorned vines burst from the ground, the walls, the ceiling, the broken crystal roots—too many, too close, too fast.
He raised Cinderbrand.
Cut one.
Two.
Three.
It did not matter.
The rest struck.
A thorned vine pierced through his armor at the stomach.
Another drove through his shoulder.
One punched into his leg.
Another through his side.
Then more.
Zealth's body jerked as the roots lifted him slightly from the ground, pinned and suspended beneath the tree like another decoration waiting to be hung.
Black particles spilled from the wounds.
He tried to move.
His arms refused.
Cinderbrand slipped from his hand and clattered against the roots below.
The boy floated in front of him, green eyes dim and pleading.
"Kill… me…"
Zealth tried to answer.
No words came.
The world darkened around the edges.
A system panel appeared.
YOU HAVE BEEN DEFEATED.
Do you wish to Respawn?
YES
NO
Below it, another line glowed.
Ganymede Candy available: 1729
The countdown appeared at the bottom.
9
Zealth's finger moved immediately.
No hesitation this time.
8
He pressed YES.
The panel flashed.
Ganymede Candy consumed.
Revival Initiating…
Warmth surged through him.
Not gentle.
Violent.
Artificial life forced itself back into place. The roots holding him burned with red light, then shattered away from his body. His wounds sealed in bursts of black particles and pale system glow. Cinderbrand flew back into his hand as the revival completed.
Zealth dropped to the ground on one knee.
Breathing hard.
Alive again.
The Rotbound Farmer floated before him.
The tree groaned above.
Roots shifted.
Skulls rattled.
Zealth slowly stood.
His armor was damaged. His body felt heavy. His sword hand trembled.
But his eyes sharpened.
He rolled his shoulder once, then lifted Cinderbrand.
A thin, crooked smile touched his lips.
"Care for round two?"