[Corrupted Ashleaf Tree – Adept 3] “Demon tree,” Reya muttered. “Hey,” Lillia said. “Generalization much?” “Sorry,” Reya said sheepishly. Lillia flashed the other woman a grin. “I’m just screwing with you. Definitely a Demon Tree. But who the hell makes a demon tree? Sounds like a stupid idea. It’s a bloody tree. It can’t move.” “You think someone made it?” Olive asked. “The Dungeon Heart isn’t going to go sticking itself into something, is it?” Lillia asked. It was a good question. Arwin wasn’t sure what the answer was either. He was certain he’d probably come across Dungeon Hearts before in his life as the Hero, but he’d never really paid attention to any of the loot that they’d gotten from dungeons. His concern had been fighting and nothing more — the only bits of the dungeon rewards he’d bothered with looking at were the materials the crafters used when they’d made his armor. The bricks around the tree cracked. Something slithered through the ground beneath them, moving out toward Arwin and Rodrick like a snake just beneath the surface. At the same instant, Arwin realized what the smell was. Thick roots burst out from beneath the ground, their ends sharpened to jagged points. They shot out toward Arwin and Rodrick with the speed of a flitting hornet. Arwin brought his shield around, bracing himself against it. A loud crash rang out as the root slammed into its surface, forcing him a step back. Rodrick dodged out of the way of the attack directed at him, then swept his sword through the root and carved it in two. All around them, more roots pushed up from beneath the ground. They pressed out from the walls, twisting to cover the red brick, sealing over the exit just as Lillia had predicted. Arwin didn’t have time to check if everyone had made it inside. More roots shot out for him and Rodrick, screaming through the air with blinding speed. Arwin slammed one out of the way with his shield. He crushed a second with Verdant Inferno. One drove into his chest and another into his leg, both screeching against his armor and leaving thin gouges in its surface. Arwin brought Verdant Inferno down on the ground, crushing a growing patch of roots. Red sap bubbled out from their pulped remains as he lifted the hammer, and the scent of blood in the air grew stronger. I can’t use the special ability of Wyrm’s Revenge yet. If I miss the block, I could mistakenly take myself out of the fight. I’ve got to figure out how this thing fights first, then wait for an opportunity to strike back while keeping its attention. “I’m going closer!” Arwin yelled. Rodrick carved another root down, but even more of them twisted up in his blind spot and tried to drive him in the back of his neck. Water swirled in the air behind Rodrick as his armor activated, slowing the attack for long enough for him to spin and slice through the woody growths. “I’m behind you!” Rodrick yelled back, darting around another root and joining Arwin as they ran toward the tree. More roots rose up before them, rising from the cracked red stone ground like twisting maggots. Blue energy slammed into the Ashleaf Tree, washing over every root in the room. The large monster froze in place for a brief instant. It was just long enough for Arwin and Rodrick to dash around the growths and toward the monster’s trunk, where the Dungeon Heart still beat. The Ashleaf Tree snapped back into motion as Reya’s magic faded. The branches above them rustled and leaves ripped free, flashing down through the air around them like a hail of falling knives. Arwin lifted his shield over his head and the red projectiles rang off it with a series of loud clangs. Rodrick was slightly less fortunate. The water that rose from his armor wasn’t enough to completely protect him. Several of the projectiles made it past his defenses and cut into his armor and across sections of exposed flesh. Gentle white energy rolled over Rodrick, sealing the wounds shut even as the formed. “Thanks, Anna!” Rodrick called. “Focus on the fight!” Anna yelled back, which was remarkably good advice. A branch whipped down from above, heading straight for Rodrick’s head. He moved to dodge out of the way, but before he could, a shadow passed above him. Olive landed on Rodrick’s shoulders with her sword raised above her. She didn’t even have to swing the weapon — the tree had swung its branch into her. Olive’s blade sliced clean through the wood and the branch crashed down harmlessly behind her and Rodrick. “Thanks number two,” Rodrick said to Olive. A root swirled up from the ground and shot at her back. Rodrick’s blade flashed and cut the attack from the air, spilling red sap across his front. Olive gave him an appreciative nod. “Arwin!” Lillia’s call cut through the room. “Split up and get closer! Get more of its attention. The tree struggles to focus more than one target at once, even though it can attack just about anywhere in the room! Rodrick, Olive, keep it occupied there!” Arwin heeded Lillia’s orders. Verdant Inferno sang delight in his mind as he crushed another root that rose before him. Leaves pelted against his shield as he raised it overhead, failing to reach their mark, and he launched himself forward with [Scourge]. His feet slammed down into a rising nest of roots at the base of the Ashleaf Tree, crushing many of them with a wet, crunchy squelch. The Tree didn’t just take his attack. Woody growths drove into Arwin from every direction. He didn’t even try blocking it. Arwin swung Verdant Inferno, pouring power into the weapon with [Scourge]. It slammed into the Ashleaf Tree’s trunk with a loud crack. Wood splintered and flew, even as roots carved across his armor and bit into any parts of exposed flesh it could find. [Indomitable Bulwark] prevented the attacks from doing any truly significant damage, but pain burned in Arwin’s legs as roots wormed into the soles of his feet and bit at the thin gaps between pieces of armor. The damage he’d dealt to the Ashleaf Tree was more superficial than anything else. It was just a crack in the outside of its trunk — but it was a blow. And with Verdant Inferno, every single blow struck harder than the last. Arwin reared back. His opponent was a tree. If it couldn’t kill him with leaves and it couldn’t stop him with roots, then it wasn’t like it could do anything to stop him from wailing on it until it shattered. A groaning creak filled the room, and Arwin’s eyes went wide as the huge trunk suddenly accelerated toward him, crashing down toward him — quite ironically — like a falling axe. The entire tree was moving to crush him like a bug. Wood bindings slammed shut around Arwin’s legs, locking him in place.