POV:Chase
the moment Andrew noticed how grave the situation is Chase wasted no time, grabbing him and sprinting, with Damian not far behind.
The rest of the group followed, nobody dared to get left behind. They saw the water droplets and weren't willing to find out who or what was waiting for them should that happen, using mana to keep pace.
Andrew, having already gotten the point, broke free from chases grip, keeping pace just behind Damian.
"What happened to Donnie?" Chase said, panting. "Don't know but we'll end up just like him if we don't move faster" Damian responded. He was burning up the most energy in that heavy suit.
"No way we lost him again." Andrew chimed in. Chase hoped that was the answer.
loud thumping sounded behind them. Turning to look back, Chase saw dozens of those golems, slamming the masses of roots they had for feet onto the soil beneath.
Seeing Chase almost stop in his tracks drove Andrew to make orders. "Keep running and whatever you do, don't look back!!!"
Everyone already planned on it.
The sound of roots writhing once again entered their ears as the noise of the running golems stopped.
Everyone was shocked, and nobody exactly wanted to check, but Damian wasn't going to be able to go much longer. Looking back, he saw nothing, and his legs took it as an order to stop.
as he collapsed he said, "we could just fight them if they pop up." Chase also stopped and subsequently looked back. Seeing an empty path, surrounded evil looking trees on both ends, he went back for Damian.
pulling him up by his shoulder pad, Chase noticed the grim look on his face. he hated to admit it but this place was slowly getting to him as well. "Hey, the monsters are gone. Let's destroy this fucking shard or whatever and go home." He said looking Damian in the eyes.
With a sigh, Damian got off if his knees and stood up. He didn't say thank you but he turned around and nodded. That was thank you enough for Chase in a place like this. the group stopped shortly ahead, they were dog tired as well.
as they were walking now, vast thick roots would begin appearing along the road. Nobody was saying much to conserve
energy however.
eventually they made it to a place that was just a bunch of roots. Every on was confused.
Chase pulled out a sword and stabbed a root.
"Maybe we start digging" he chuckled at his terrible joke.
Andrew rolled his eyes and Damian was constantly on lookout. A surge a mana enveloped the group, Chase only had time to pull his sword out before he was tumbling ten feet down.
upon getting up, the entire scenery was changed, giant living roots lined the floor,
All leading up to something from his nightmares. The thing he saw in his dreams.
It wasn't a heart, but a glowing red shard that had taken the consciousness of a tree, wrapping itself in the roots and vines it controlled for more protection.
Chase was having flashbacks for a moment.
Andrew washed no time ready to use whatever mana he had left. Damian dashed to the shard, trying to destroy the gem.
"hello dear subjects" an overly posh accent flowed through their bones. Damian dashed forward, a root flew at him and sidestepped it and cut it with his axe.
Seeing His group ready, Chase had to be, he also dashed in. The rest of the group also began launching spells, arrows or providing support.
the tree had to work double time, constantly sending roots to the remaining 8 rank one fighters as well as Chase.
Chase jumped over the first one, cutting it with a downward slash, Andrew shot a water blast at him that was blocked by roots quickly covering its core.
"Such UNRULY GUESTS!!!"
The shard said again.
"I don't think it needs to be said, but don't listen to that thing." Andrew added.
"Thanks for that, I was about two seconds from going to the dark side" Chase said as he
cut another root, before dodging the next.
Damian was more of a brawler. At this point he had activated his fire abilities one more. riots flee his way he began shedding them.
"ENOUGH"the tree had combined three roots and aimed them, drilling at Damian. 'I'm not moving' Damian promised himself.
One it got close enough, he swung with all the strength he could muster, bringing his axes down from overhead. At the same time, Andrew was shooting the side of the roots, weakening it from the starting point.
The result was Damian smashing the root downwards before collapsing. "I'm so fucking cool"
"Are you now?" The tree gloated. the tree was about to keep gloating, but the the man his full plate was smiling a bit to hard.
looking around, he was keeping the mages and the swordsman at bay. WAIT! Where's the - *shink* a sword was now lodged into the gem.
Chase was the obvious perpetrator, trying to shove it as deep at possible and end this.
"Let's go home!" He shouted from every fibre in his being.