Lauren took a deep breath and gathered her energy, causing her short black hair to sway with the wind.
Her blue eyes turned red as a spark appeared on the palm of her hand.
"Blaze..."
She snapped her fingers and torched the roots in front of her, creating a path leading towards the lair's exit.
Odysseus whistled and nodded. "That spark was strong enough to torch those roots. You really are strong, Lauren."
"Shut up, loser," Lauren began walking, Odysseus trailing behind her.
"... How'd you do that...?" Lauren managed to ask.
"Rizz you up? It was simple, really–"
"I'll gouge out your eyes if you finish that sentence."
Odysseus simply smirked and searched his pockets, pulling out one of the glowing crystals from the tunnel.
"This crystal repels mother nature. This is why the moss and fauna didn't cover them."
Lauren's eyes slightly widened. "That's why the stone wall was clear on some patches... Even the floor had small patches of greenery..."
Odysseus nodded proudly. "Even the light's reflection is strong enough to repel plants."
Lauren clenched her fists and glanced at Odysseus. "Good job. I guess you're good for something."
Odysseus chuckled. Then, out of nowhere, he cupped his hands and shouted, "Julius!"
Spooked, Lauren glared at him. "What are you doing?!"
"Julius! Where are you?! If you don't reveal your location, I'll tell everyone here that you're a vi-"
BOOM!
A burst of flames shot through the roots and soared towards the sky, burning them and revealing the others' location.
Odysseus and Lauren ran towards the flame, moments away from being touched by the regenerating roots.
They finally regrouped with the others.
Alex immediately ran towards Lauren and hugged her tightly, Lauren embracing him with as much affection.
"You okay?" Alex asked in a low voice.
Lauren nodded. Then, she glanced at Odysseus. "He... protected me..."
Everyone's eyes landed on Odysseus, who simply shrugged in indifference. "She was close by."
Alex scoffed in disbelief. "Yeah, you expect me to believe that this little fu-"
"Not now," Belle interjected. "Yusuke, survey the damage."
Yusuke jumped on the branches, climbing them until he reached the top. His eyes widened upon witnessing what was before him.
"Oh no..."
The massive tree had grown even bigger, its leaves red in color as they shaded the surface.
The bark's intricate shapes began forming a single eye, green in color, mirroring its surroundings.
The eye moved slowly, almost like a robot, as it scanned its burnt roots.
Seconds later, the roots repaired themselves, growing closer and closer to sealing the opening the group had created.
Yusuke choked on his saliva as he stared at the monster before him.
His breath hitched, his sweat beaded on his head, and his hands shook.
"Get out of there!" Yusuke shouted.
Without thinking twice, Julius carried Odysseus and jumped on the roots, scaling them until they reached the top.
Belle, Alex, and Lauren did the same as they narrowly escaped the roots.
Now, the entire group saw the monster for themselves.
"Holy Scylla..." Alex muttered as his eyes widened.
"A fauna boss..." Belle added as she narrowed her eyes.
The boss's eye finally landed on the crawlers, its beading sclera piercing them.
Them, a flurry of spikes flew towards them. Belle drew her sword and swiftly cut them down, protecting the group.
"Don't forget why we're here! Stick to the plan, and we'll be able to see our loved ones again!" Belle bellowed as she pointed her blade at the monster.
"Charge!"
Belle and Alex ran first, jumping off the roots and sifting themselves through the openings on the ground.
Alex clenched his fist, a golden energy swirling around him as he threw a heavy punch, breaking the roots.
Belle blasted a fireball spell that charred the roots and prevented them from regrowing.
Then, she blitzed through more roots, allowing Alex to use his own flame spell to seal off their regenerating patterns.
'They're good... Guess that's why they're called the Pillars of Flame.'
Everyone in Belle's squad was a pyrokinetic user. While Alex had to learn a few spells, the rest of the group were born to be pyromaniacs.
Julius and Yusuke soared through the air, Julius using his sword to cast a flame spell while Yusuke blasted flames on his palms.
Yusuke spun in the air and gathered enough energy to create a giant flaming hand.
He yelled loudly as he punched the eye of the tree, causing it to shut itself as the flames roared on its bark.
Julius closed in and stabbed it, drawing black blood that resembled ink and sap, sicking onto his skin.
"Gross."
He pried his blade out of the eye and began stabbing the monster, over and over, causing the roots to writhe, the leaves to wither and the tree to quiver.
Before Yusuke could torch the tree again, a branch smacked him so hard his body twisted and shot towards the sky.
"Damnit!"
Julius removed his sword and jumped towards Yusuke, grabbing him before he could fall and hit the ground.
As he held him in his arms, he realised Yusuke was bleeding on the side of his head.
Before he could ask for assistance, Julius was also smacked away by the monster's branch.
"You prick!" Alex threw more punches while Belle burnt more branches, sealing the regeneration.
The monster was slowly starting to lose its strength. Lauren smiled softly as she watched her teammates at work.
"They've got this!"
"No, they don't," Odysseus corrected her.
"No mimics, no hallucinogen has been used, no poison or low ranking mobs to stop them.
"We've been standing on this branch and not once has it attacked us..."
Odysseus then pulled out the crystal from before, realising that it was the only reason why they weren't being attacked.
"Lauren, how accurate is your shot?"
"... Damn near amazing."
Odysseus handed the crystal to Lauren and pointed at the monster's bleeding eye, which was slowly regenerating.
"Blast it straight towards the eye," he instructed. "Belle, plunge your blade straight towards the eye when I give the signal!" he exclaimed afterwards.
Belle turned her head and raised an eyebrow. "What?!"
"No time to think! Lauren, now!"
Lauren coated the crystal in her flame, moved her arms intricately to form a burning bow and arrow, the tip being the crystal.
She drew her bowstring back and exhaled sharply.
The arrow boomed through the air, weeping as it buzzed across the wind and landed directly into the monster's eye.
The monster shrieked, causing the earth to shake, the vines to pulse and the roots to smash the ground violently.
The roots Odysseus and Lauren stood on began bashing violently.
Lauren grabbed Odysseus's shirt and jumped off the vines, blazing gentle sparks to allow them the pleasure of hovering through the air.
"Do it, Belle!" Odysseus screamed as loudly as he could.
Belle towered through the raging roots, dodged any attack that threatened to touch her.
Then she ran on the bark of the tree, scraping her blade against it as she left a trail of red flames.
Her blade finally pierced the monster's single eye, colliding with the crystal and planting it deeper.
The tree released one last shriek before falling completely still, the withering leaves turning into withering branches.
They fell and hit the ground. As they did, the tree itself began breaking apart, like an old soul that had longed for peace.
"Julius! Yusuke!" Alex shook their arms with a worried expression on his face, even though they were both fully conscious.
"Relax, you big oaf. We're alright," Yusuke assured him as he stood up.
Then, he offered his hand to Julius, who grabbed it and used it to stand up.
"Thank you," Yusuke bowed gently.
"Don't mention it," Julius smirked.
"Your comradarie is honestly making me jealous," Odysseus joined in on the chaos and weeped sarcastically.
Julius chuckled, Yusuke groaned and Alex rolled his eyes.
"Good call on that attack, Odysseus," Belle praised him as she stood next to her crew.
"Huh?" Alex's eyes widened.
"Odysseus here saw a pattern and told me where to strike. It should've been obvious."
"It wasn't obvious at all," Odysseus spoke up. "That crystal is the only reason why you were able to take down the monster.
"Otherwise your plan wasn't going to work."
Belle smiled softly. "Either way, you did good."
Julius playfully smacked Odysseus's shoulder and gave him a thumbs up.
Odysseus chuckled.
"Alright, let's cut up the rest of these roots just in case this thing has a second heart."
Before anyone could make a move, the tree creaked, its eye bring split into two as more blood stained the tree.
The bark screamed as the wood fell apart, revealing a slimy and dark entrance within itself.
A massive hand, crimson and wet, emerged, along with a massive vessel that towered even higher than the tree itself.
A giant without an eye emerged, ears pointed, mouth wide with 3 different openings and sharp fangs on each end.
Its hand was the only part stained with blood. It licked it clean off, scratching its neck afterwards.
Although it had no distinct genitalia, it was clear from its muscular build that it was a male.
"Greetings, mortals."