CHPT 528: Four and The Green Theory

"Vampires... "

"Merde…. Monsieur La Bete is ….ehhhhh entangling himself more and more with the anti-life…. This shit is foolish, no?" Rollan said as he stoked the fires they all sat around. The embers puffed and popped off the charred wood like fireflies, warm on his skin. Illuminating the greasy furs of his new subjects.

They weren't so unlike Claude. Determined. Emotional in their youth and lacking understanding of the world. But connected all the same. To the world. To their purpose. Their strength.

"F—foolish." Canis said and nodded before taking the cooked meat out of the fire. His calloused dark palms sheathed in steel sectioned gauntlets held the steaming meat.

Cassidy's twin hounds watched him. Saliva reflecting the campfire blaze off their canines that still smelled of coppery blood. Their black fur backs almost blended in with the night perfectly.

"Sit…" Canis held out a hand and pointed a thick finger at the floor covered in a second skin of dry brown tall grass.

The hounds seated in unison.

Canis leaned forward with the cooked meat held out to them. A smile formed on his face, causing his snout to crinkle and his blackened lips to peal back, revealing his assortment of humanoid and animal teeth. Only visible for a flash before his hair fell around his spiraling horns.

"My, you need a haircut…." Ma phased through the orb of forestry they rested within so their smoke trail wouldn't alert their... fellow combatants.

With all the change that had swept over their group in such a short time, Ma was a welcomed constant. Like usual, dark black mummifying robes. See-through blue skin. An elven air of ethereal beauty…. Until she wasn't.

Rollan raised a branch-like finger and waged it at the sound of her voice. "Ah ah, Omeness of Death….. you won't tear down….. ehhh what I've woven to be. Oui, it is good. Canis is a creature of the wild, no?"

Canis fiddled one of his golden brown dreads between his thumb and pointer finger, "Woven…?" The seeded gems and SpellBloom petals twisted around locks here and there fluttered with the movement.

Rollan nodded, "Oui… weaving."

Canis sniffed twice as if the scent of a new idea— realization, was near. He held up his hands, moving like a practitioner of yoga…. Or martial arts in slow motion.

"Weaving…?" Canis questioned again.

Piet and Ma watched silently.

Rollan's face brightened as he threw up his hands, "AYYYE!"

Piet huffed and affectionately punched his little brother in the arm.

Ma let out a celebratory high note singing of their celebration but also not knowing what they celebrated. It happened from time to time.

Rolllan nodded, "Yes, young one. Wood-Weaving and Weaving strands of hair into locks of dreads are similar. Same act, similar purpose."

Canis watched him with solid cobalt eyes.

"To be a Druid, is to be accustomed to the act of binding." Rollan grabbed a handful of sticks. "Binding leads to growth. Water to a seed…. Fire to food…. Power to the powerless…"

The flames picked up, flickering in and out of green and orange.

Canis nodded, "I see…."

"I bet you do. You grow like a weed…. In the mind, no?"

"Want to grow like…. Druid." Canis stated as he itched behind the hounds ears with the utmost care. It almost formed a sort of superficial dichotomy with how murderous he'd grown to appear… and sound.

Rollan chuckled, "Oui… oui… haha. I am honored, young one. But…. Merci— you are no more built for Druidry than a….. ehhh …. Than a fish is built for flight. Not in the way you mean, hm? But if you wish to follow the Druids ideological practices…. Then oui, you are."

Canis and Piet nodded.

Rollan held out his hands, "I mean look at the both of you… Merde! Yes there are…. Oui, I am, a Druidic Warrior. But there is a limit to how much Warrior a Druid must be. The both of you will shatter that limit in years. You are pure physical power, hm? There is no human boy as strong as you two…. Canis you're no older than fourteen….. and your brother is barely man. You both may pursue the way of the Juggernaut before Druidry in magic, hm?"

And juggernaut was truly an understatement Rollan realized as his bare feet settled into the dry Saharan grass and gave him vision of the seated young titanous figures.

Piet had always been large. Tight muscle and bulging veins beneath his shaggy brown fur. His legs were like blunt force explosives. In the Lupine trio and CO's absence they'd capitalized on that gift. He wore nothing more than a cloak up top, but his lower half was sheathed in armor. He even had knee and heel blades. Usually at least. Currently their armor was underground. It was too hot in their current location. Rollan had a fix for such events.

Aside from that recent change, he'd also begun teaching him fundamental Wood-Weaving movements to fully utilize his weaponized legs. But his true training was yoga. As Rollan stared he could almost literally see how the Satyr's massive muscle was pulling him into a tight ball.

He'd become deadly with proper flexibility. He'd need to. Simple power would be enough this time…. Not for what was coming.

He'd need to be more.

As would his brother. He could feel Canis still watching him. Like a wolf in a forest. Curious and cunning.

Creatures of the Tangents aged up fast. Survival required it. Satyrs were no different. But even for Satyrs, Canis grew fast.

Like his brother he was now nearing six foot not counting his horns. But still, his heavy blade stood at his back like a steel monolith. Training with a regular sized sword since he was the size of a child seemed to upscale his natural strength.

He and Rollan went through eight regular sized swords before Canis peeled his current one out of the hands of an undead giant.

It didn't take a rocket scientist for him to realize their origins.

Most assuredly they were offspring of a Tangent Boss.

What that meant for their development seemed to be playing out in his face in real time. Especially in the current swing of things….

"Anyway." Ma cut into the sile—

"Hold." Rollan cut back, holding up a fist.

Canis clicked his teeth. The Hounds stopped sitting and faced where he pointed immediately.

They all listened for a while. Winds blew. Dirt rolled through the dry grass, grazing the thin blades like fingers through hair.

Rollan expanded his Natural Vision— not too far though…. He had to conserve his Mana. It stopped at the jungles edge beyond. Worms and bugs slithered beneath the ground. Green slivers in the dark below. No birds. No life.

Ma cringed as he slowly turned to face her.

"What? I checked the jungle!"

"You didn't account for Camoflauge, hm?"

"Lizardmen can do th—"

CRASH!

A wooden spear ripped through the forestry orb they occupied.

It stopped inches away from Rollan's face. His hand, still held up in a fist, glowed as foliage and vines coiled around the spear.

He twitched to face the sounds of liquids.

"Poison." Canis said as he eyed the steamy fluids on the top of the spear.

"Oui…"

Another drop of poison fell, landing in the campfire and causing the flame to bloom and sputter black caustic fumes.

The dogs coughed and gagged once.

Rollan cringed, "Well…. Let's begin, hm? Our break was long enough."

Canis stood up with Piet. The brutish satyr raised a thick cloven foot over the flame.

"Aht aht— the flame is mine."

FWOWOOOSHHH…

Rollan held his hand over the flame. He may have been a Malformed Javelin. An unsuccessful Human Elf Hybrid, but the gift of Aether was his own.

He twisted his hand and formed a fist. The flames expanded and copied his movements as he swapped from Nature to the consuming heat of Fire.

With his other hand he grabbed the winds, twisting them into a needle-thin tornado that campfire flames could ride like a bird…. A Phoenix, fittingly.

The flames spun and compressed into a searing hot sliver of red flame growing so hot his heavy sweat evaporated and the air squirmed as if it had grown an uncomfortable conscious.

He could see the first unit of Lizardmen leave the jungle and step into his vision.

He smiled. "Found you."

He tossed the line of compressed explosive flame.

As soon as it ripped through the first bush around them, the rest of the forest globe was ash in seconds.

The explosion in the jungle was barely noticed.

[+80 EXP]

[+100 EXP]

[+70 EXP]

[+200 EXP]

The rest was formulaic.

Rollan stood, raising his cane-sword. His muscled state brought on by his Elemental Shroud came in a burst of energy that grew as he slammed his blade into the earth and twisted. Like a key into a door of power. Power from another plane.

He could hear his Druidic companion welcome him and his compatriots. Irritated by his use of other elements, but willing to work as always. The Oak was sturdy in that way.

Vines and wooden strands burst from the previously lifeless ground, crawling up his body…. Canis and Piet as well until three Oak Armored Knights stood.

"Get to work, young warriors. It is here that you grow like a weed by a stream."

Canis and Piet charged. Heavy footfalls. Armor moving like a second skin. Stranded and pulsing intrinsically like muscle.

Piet leapt, landing in the collection of Chameleon-like Lizardmen with an explosive two footed slam. The shockwave knocked down a handful of them that never got a chance to recovery as Piet muscled his way through the horde, stomping in their heads.

All the while, others chased him down with spears and venomous fangs.

Canis came in with a heavy swing. The weight of the blade clear in its massive wind cutting sound.

WOOM!

Four Lizardmen lost their heads as if they weren't ever even connected.

Instead of trying to muscle the sword back into swinging stance, Canis let the weapon turn him and charged into the horde further, mashing his shoulder into the chest of another Lizard with a hooded neck like a cobra.

The venomous Monster fell back fjrst, twisting to try and bite his legs in the chaos.

Canis swung his sword upwards as he jumped, giving him more ascent.

He turned on the way down and let the blade fall.

The Cobra-man's eyes could see its end before its mind could. If that made sense.

CRSHHHH!

The blood of the Cobra traveled up his blade like liquid magnets all the way down to the lopsided half crescent hilt. The blue jewels along the handle glowed and his slight exhaustion disappeared.

Vigor Swallow was a good sword. It didn't take an expert to know so.

It didn't take an expert to use it well either.

Canis kept on. Stamina like a wolf with the help of Vigor Swallow.

And where he faltered as the flames crept out of the now barren jungle, Piet had his back. Ma had his back. Rollan and the Hounds had his back.

He knew who to engage. Who to leave— even if the enemy was within striking distance. He had a feel for the battlefield. And he played along.

After no more than five minutes, they were all that remained.

"Très bien…. Oui, we are done here. This Tangent is no more, hm?" Rollan announced as he stood surrounded by over a dozen barely recognizable Lizardman corpses. His Oak Armor was fully red from it.

Canis watched, wondering how he always knew. But knowing, Rollan only answered simple questions….. no, questions that needed answering was a better way to put it.

So, as usual, they began rummaging through corpses and fields for valuable items.

Another day defeated.

***

After no more than twenty minutes, they'd gathered what mattered and left the Tangent out of fear of catching ablaze.

The cooler forested lands of New Gloria never felt so good. Especially with Rory gone.

Even so….

"You rush us into battle these days, Druid." Ma said as she floated around him like a ghost of his past.

"I must, musicienne."

"Why?" The Banshee asked.

"You remember how I told Claude of something wrong being in the desert."

Ma nodded.

"Well…. That uhhh…. Sense. It's a theorized gift belonging to many Druids. I could sense the Demons, Musicienne… because the green spoke of it, hm?"

"The green?….. you can speak to plants?"

Rollan shook his head, "It's not so simple, Banshee. An Element is easily as strong as it is present. A Fire user in a forest fire is a lot stronger than a fire user in the arctic belt, hm?"

Ma nodded.

"Well, think about that and then remember where Nature is."

"Everywhere…."

Rollan nodded from his blindfolded face.

"Nature is the world. Nature isn't just a plant and some blades of grass, no? And the world is subjective…. Nature is spread acrosss that subjective expanse like….. uhhh what's the word?"

"Blanket…?" Ma guessed as Rollan wrapped his cloak around himself.

"Oui. A blanket. The world can be many things. Many worlds…. My world… your world…. It is all part of the green. And my connection to the green allows me to peek into those worlds…. Speak with them, hm?"

Ma stared silently.

"At least that's the theory of a few….."

"How come you never taught this to the wolfman?"

"Oui…. Something tells me he has enough voices in his mind."

"I see. And what of this… green?"

"It's been speaking to me. I stopped drinking after….. becoming a teacher to Monsieur La Bete…. My senses grow back to what they once were….. I can hear it now, you see…"

"Hear what?"

"Claudes world….. his green. He is in serious danger. I say this knowing the constant danger his life is. It feels like we're uhhhhh reaching an apex— on a mountain of dead bodies, hm? We have to be ready to pick up his slack where he cannot."