62 Change of plans

Isa held his breath as he watched the dark figure of Nero move closer to the stirring vine-creature. The low visibility aided Nero's approach, but they were uncertain if the creatures had any other means of sensing Nero.

They'd already sensed that they reacted to aether, so as long as Nero did not use his ability or any card, he should remain undetected.

But that was not the issue that Nero was facing. Instead, he was considering how to take down the creature as silently as possible. If it weren't covered in vines, he would aim to knock him unconscious. That loss of consciousness for the host seemed to affect the vines' ability to control them, something he had noticed with the very first vine creature he took down.

But since the hosts were now thoroughly covered in vines, such an approach was impossible. Cutting enough vines to make it bleed to death was an alternative option, but it wasn't exactly a stealthy option.