The forest was too quiet.
After the Colossus fell, the endless groans and rattling of roots had stilled. Yet in that silence, Elior felt it—something ancient breathing with him, beneath him, around him.
The Veinheart Core pulsed in his hand like a second heartbeat. Its glow seeped into his skin, threads of crimson wrapping up his wrist like veins eager to claim him.
The warhorse pawed the ground uneasily, its silver mane crackling faint sparks as if sensing the unseen.
> [System Alert: Unknown Presence Detected]
Threat Level: Unmeasured
Recommendation: Proceed with caution.
Elior smirked, teeth glinting in the dim red haze. "Caution? Not really my style."
---
The Forest Shifts
The trees leaned in as though listening. Bark split open across several trunks, forming crude mouths that whispered in unison.
"Blood… fire… convergence…"
The voices were not loud, but they slithered into his skull. Elior staggered slightly, pressing his hand against his temple.
> [Warning: Mental Corruption Imminent – Resist or Submit]
The Dragon Protocol roared inside him: Burn the whispers. Silence them.
The Vampire hissed with amusement: Listen. Feed on the voices. Make them yours.
He ground his teeth. "Not yours. Not mine. Both."
He bit his thumb until blood welled, then smeared it across the Veinheart Core. The whispers hissed louder, the forest trembling as though in pain—or pleasure.
---
Manifestation
From the shadows between the trees, something stepped forward.
It was no beast of flesh. It was a figure woven of bark and crimson light, vaguely human in shape but shifting constantly. Where a face should be was only a hollow mask of wood, cracked to reveal glowing veins beneath.
The warhorse shrieked, lowering its head like it would charge. Elior raised a hand. "Wait. Let's hear it first."
The figure tilted its head. Its voice was layered, like many speaking as one.
"You bleed upon our heart. You burn our veins. You carry hunger within hunger. Why?"
Elior chuckled, though his chest still ached from the Colossus fight. "Why? Because I don't plan on stopping until everything that stands over me is crushed beneath my feet."
The figure's hollow face split wider, light pouring through. "Then prove it. Take us. Or be taken."
---
Dungeon Awakens
> [Mini-Dungeon Expansion Triggered: Heart of the Forest Veins]
New Guardian: Whispering Avatar (Tier 4 Projection)
Reward: Assimilation or Annihilation
The ground split open at Elior's feet. Roots spiraled downward into a pit glowing with red light, the whispers echoing louder: "Step in. Step in. Step in."
The warhorse stomped nervously. Elior stroked its mane, then slid the Veinheart Core into his armor's chestplate. "Guess we're not done bleeding yet."
He stepped into the pit.
---
Trial of Whispers
Darkness swallowed him.
The world became a void of twisting red roots. They coiled around him, brushing his skin like skeletal fingers. Each touch whispered memories that weren't his—sacrifices, screams, centuries of beasts and men fed to the forest.
> [Status Effect: Whispering Corruption – 3%]
[Status Effect: Whispering Corruption – 6%]
[Warning: At 50%, permanent assimilation occurs.]
Elior snarled, his fangs bared. He lashed out, his blade carving through roots that hissed and bled light. But each cut only spawned more voices.
"Why fight? Be ours. Eternal. Rooted."
The Vampire in him purred: Yes. Give in. Eternal life, eternal hunger.
The Dragon thundered: No. Eternal chains. Burn it. Tear it free.
Elior grinned savagely. "You both forget—I make my own path."
---
Claim or Be Claimed
The Veinheart Core glowed within his armor. He seized it with both hands, raising it high. The whispers screamed, recoiling, but their tendrils still grasped for him.
"Mine," Elior roared. "All of it—mine!"
He bit into the core.
Molten crimson fire erupted through his body. His veins lit up, visible beneath his skin like glowing rivers. His armor screamed with him, fusing tighter, its runes searing into his flesh.
> [Evolution Triggered: Crimson Vein Assimilation]
Risk: 87%
Outcome: Unknown
His Health dropped to single digits. His Blood Pool boiled, spilling power into every limb. His eyes turned pure crimson, no whites, no pupils.
The void exploded.
---
Aftermath
When Elior opened his eyes, he was kneeling in the ruined pit. The whispers were silent. The trees around him bowed inward, as though submitting.
The warhorse stood nearby, watching warily, its mane sparking faintly.
He rose slowly, the Veinheart Core now gone—dissolved into him. His veins pulsed faint red beneath his skin, his armor veined with crimson light like it had grown alive.
> [Evolution Complete: Crimson Vein Assimilation]
New Passive: Veinborn Resilience – Regenerates 1% Health every 5 seconds when in corrupted zones.
New Active: Rootlash – Summon living roots to entangle foes for 3 seconds.
Blood Pool Capacity Increased: 300 → 400
Elior flexed his clawed hand. Roots sprouted briefly from the soil, responding to his will. He laughed, low and sharp.
"I told you," he whispered to the forest, "I'm not prey anymore."
---
Cliffhanger
As he mounted the warhorse, the horizon lit with a silver glow. A column of paladin fire pierced the night sky far beyond the forest. The Silver Order was still on his trail.
Elior smirked, crimson light flickering in his eyes. "Good. Let them come. Let them see what their forest has turned me into."
He spurred the beast forward, crimson and silver sparks scattering into the night.