The Infected Core

Rina and Evona continue their venture deep into the Nekana Tree dungeon. As they make their way deeper into the tree, the same mushrooms on the kidnapped bodies could be seen along the dungeon’s interior. Compared to the ones on the bodies, these mushrooms were larger and released spores as they began to fill the area.

“These spores are going to be a problem if they’re going to keep getting dense,” Rina explained, since she began feeling off.

“WHAT WAS THAT!?” Evona yelled despite being right next to Rina.

The spores were clearly affecting Evona’s senses as well. The two needed to find the heart of the Nekana Tree and fast.

“At least we seem to be getting closer,” Rina thought as conversing with Evona had just become more difficult.

Just as Rina and Evona began to proceed forward, Rina heard something that alerted her. She stepped back from the wall the sound was coming from and readied her sword. Evona, reading the room, readied an offensive stance as well.

“AAAAHHHH!!!”

CRASH!

Kaito slid down and out of the hole and landed on his face. Khrom quickly followed, landing directly on top of Kaito, leaving him in immense pain from Khrom’s weight.

“Oh, it's Evona, and Rina’s with her,” Khrom said when he noticed the ladies. “Kaito, you were right!”

“Khrom…” Kaito gasped out in a raspy voice from being underneath Khrom, as he tried to writhe out from under him.

“Oh, my bad, Kaito,” Khrom replied, getting off of Kaito, realizing he was squishing him.

As Evona began poking at the in-pain Kaito. Khrom told Rina what had just occurred.

“Kaito said he heard Evona yelling from a hole and deduced you might be with him. I was hesitant to jump down that hole, but here we are!” Khrom explained.

“That pans out,” Rina responded, well knowing Kaito’s habit of acting before thinking.

“These spores are pretty gnarly,” Khrom said, noticing the air quality.

“Yeah, we were heading to the likely cause of them,” Rina began explaining the lady’s discoveries. “If we can kill it, we can save the Nekana Tree and all the missing people we found captive here.

“Sounds like a plan,” Khrom responded, realizing keeping the conversation short would be for the best. “Let’s get moving.”

With Kaito finally regathering himself, the whole group ventured deeper into the spores until they found the heart of the Nekana Tree.

The tree’s heart was near the ground and looked like an orange, crystal-like core encapsulated by tree roots and vines. Though Rina and Evona’s deduction was right in that the core was infected. Its orange core was being overtaken by a large mushroom, which seemed to be turning the crystal purple.

The group aimed to act fast so that no more damage could be done.

“Let’s get rid of this thing!” Kaito announced as the group prepared for battle.

Kaito initiated the sequence by firing an arrow at the mushroom virus, but it was blocked by a bunch of vines covering and protecting it and the tree’s core in a dome-like shape.

The virus, responding to Kaito’s attack, spawned a bunch of humanoid plant-like minions to fend off the group.

“Uh, that’s a lot of randoms,” Kaito acknowledged.

“It’s trying to stall us out, making us succumb to the room’s spores,” Rina swiftly analyzed. “Khrom will block any stray attacks, Evona and I will clear out the plant zombies, and Kaito, get in position to attack the mushroom virus.

With Rina’s quick thinking, the game plan was set. Rina and Evona began dispersing the plant-like minions, killing them one after another.

As the two attacked, a minion, who had a large mushroom growing from it, launched a spore projectile at Evona. Khrom, realizing the attack ran in front of the projectile and blocked it for Evona.

“The ones with mushrooms can launch projectiles!” Khrom announced. “Try to focus on them.”

“Got it!” Evona responded, jumping off and over Khrom and towards a mushroomed minion.

With a swift slash from Evona, she killed the mushroomed minon, leaving its parts to fall to the ground. Kaito, analyzing the fight from a safe distance, noticed that the dead minion was starting to bubble up strangely.

“Evona! Get away from there!” Kaito yelled to alarm Evona, but as her senses were dulled, she didn’t hear him.

The dead mushroomed minion proceeded to explode, releasing spores that fully encapsulated Evona. Evona became dizzy from the explosion and began toppling to the ground, but Khrom caught her before she fell.

“Evona’s vision is fuzzy,” Evona updated Khrom.

“Take some time to rest up,” Khrom suggested, helping Evona get into the bed shield on his back as he took the splitting shield out to use instead.

“Kaito, get those minions with your bow,” Rina updated their game plan.

With Khrom taking the offense for Evona alongside Rina, Kaito fired off arrows at the ranged enemies. The minion numbers were beginning to dwindle.

The mushroom virus was feeling the pressure, so it launched a large root towards Rina from where the core was, unveiling an opening to the core. Rina, noticing the attack, swiftly dodged it.

Kaito, recognizing the opening, ran towards the hole from on top of the root. Rina was impressed that she didn’t have to order him to do it.

“Make sure not to damage the core, Kaito,” Rina said, still aiming to aid Kaito’s advance.

Kaito ran into the shielded area that the mushroom virus had blocked off from the group, ready to attack it, but it was not on the core anymore. As Kaito hesitated in confusion on where it was, the entrance he came from closed, and the roots encapsulating the core began to close in.

“Kaito!?” Rina shouted in an alarmed voice.

“The virus thing isn’t in here!” Kaito yelled back, informing the others of the situation.

“It’s trying to squish him in there,” Khrom realized the enemy’s intention.

“Tch, how are we supposed to find the virus and save Kaito if it can move throughout the tree?” Rina complained.

As Rina complained, she started coughing. She was feeling the effects of the spores.

“I can hear it moving,” Evona, having recovered some of her senses, mentioned as he continued to hide in Khrom’s shield.

“Good, let’s chase it as Evona leads— *cough cough*” Rina responds, but couldn’t finish.

“No, Rina, stay here while I chase it down,” Khrom ordered. “I’m resistant to these sorts of effects, so let me handle it! Just be prepared to finish it off!”

With Khrom’s reassuring speech, Rina let Khrom chase down the virus. Following Evona’s instruction, Khrom chased after the hiding mushroom virus, but it fled every time Khrom moved towards it.

“This isn’t working,” Khrom thought. “With Kaito and Rina on a time limit, I’ll have to bank it all on this.”

Khrom, taking out his hollow shield, ordered Rina to fire off her Air Slash skill towards him. Rina was confused at the thought, but trusted Khrom’s plan. She launched the air projectile towards Khrom, but he absorbed it and held it in his hollow shield.

“Evona, go lead it towards me!” Khrom announced as Evona jumped from Khrom’s back to do just that.

Getting around the mushroom virus hiding in the room’s walls, the somewhat recovered Evona got the virus to retreat in Khrom’s direction.

“Above you!” Evona announced.

Khrom, pointing his shield in the general location that Evona announced, launched the hollow shield’s stored projectile. It was not a direct hit, but it was enough to get the mushroom virus out of hiding.

Rina, not willing to miss this opportunity, pounced swiftly from her standby position. Activating her Quick Slash skill, she darted towards the virus, aiming to finish it off. In a last-ditch survival effort, the virus mushroom sprouted out of the wall, causing Rina to slash its roots, detaching it from the tree.

As it fell down and out of the wall, the vines that were just about to squish Kaito released. Kaito, finally being able to see the situation at hand, had too much to process, but Khrom yelling his name in a rallying cry got him to focus.

Kaito, using his Acceleration skill, dashed towards the flailing mushroom virus and finished it off with a great slice from his dagger. Despite everyone but Khrom almost falling in battle, the group was victorious.