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As the old Groot closed off the tunnel, with the last embers of its powers it held down the mechanical beasts.
She didn't know how long it had been since she last fought against them. But it had been long that's for sure.
She looked at the closed-off tunnels as she looked around, the vacant halls of the prison she called home for years. If Sanji was successful, then it would be destroyed… and knowing that brought her peace.
When she was first brought here, she wasn't alone. There were others. Groot that were far older, wiser, and more powerful than her. All of them were captured for one reason only.
To fuel the research of a mad man who had lost himself in revenge.
She still remembered why she was brought here. The mad man tried to build something that blended nature with tech, to create a being powerful enough to fight off against its enemies. And also extend his life.
The latter of his goals was unsuccessful, as he was killed by his own artificial creation. But the said artificial creation was also far more crueler than the madman that created him.
And this was the reason why they were experimented on. One by one, every one of her kin fell. Either not surviving the cruel experiments or turning mad and ending their own lives, not being able to keep up with the pain and agony.
Even the love of her life succumbed to the cruel experiments. She would have taken her life as well, but she couldn't. Not when she had a child to take care of.
A young Groot sapling… her child was so little back then. Even now, he was taking longer to reach maturity.
For a Groot, their life span was long, easily twice or thrice that of a giant. Even she herself was nearing the end of her life span.
If she didn't have her son, maybe she would have perished like her other kin. But she didn't. With all of her will, she was somehow able to survive against all odds.
And around maybe four hundred years ago, something happened that made the experiments on them stop. But by then she was the only survivor. She and her growing son.
Usually, a Groot took a lot of time to be born. Even then her son took way longer than it should have. And after that, he was taking way longer to grow as well. But it was a given, for a Groot to grow and reach maturity, they needed earth, and moonlight.
Without moonlight, it was very hard for the little one to grow. They might be trees, but they didn't rely on the sunlight. They relied on the moonlight instead.
A given thing, since they were originally from there. Sure, they had light sources, but they were unnatural. Just something to mimic the moonlight, not the actual thing.
The only reason why her son survived was because of the taboo task she did. Nurturing herself and her newborn with nothing but the remains of her fallen kin and the other beasts that laid within the dungeon. But she had to do everything for her child to survive, and so she did.
Her only wish was for her child to see the open sky. To find freedom. But as time passed on, she had given up on that hope. Her last few years were spent with constant worry, about leaving behind a child that hadn't seen anything of the outside world.
Her lifespan was reaching it's end. And she knew she would need to part with the world soon. So she had almost lost hope, until today.
A group of humans.
'This… how was this possible?' she had thought, 'Did they come here from the outside… from the surface?'
But it didn't make sense. Wasn't the dungeon supposed to be dead?
It had been years since that day. When the dungeon lost it's power. Other than the light source and some self-generating engine, every part of the dungeon had shut down. She had tried everything, going around all rooms, trying to break free. But she was unsuccessful.
The dungeon was big, a labyrinth that was purely made to stand the passage of time. An artificial creation that wanted to build the perfect mechanical warriors to serve its cause. Others might have not known this, but she did.
She had spoken to the artificial creation after all. She had pleaded to him, to at least give her son the freedom. But the artificial creation didn't have the power to do so. As the artificial creation itself didn't know how to get out.
This dungeon, this prison was built underneath the city of Shandora. A complex build, that outstretched quite deep into the island. It was built in a way that simulated a complex array of environments. It was made in a way that the prisoners could survive in here.
The colony of Groots weren't the only creatures that were trapped here and experimented on. No. There were others here as well. Other creatures with odd powers, but most of them were unintelligent. Even if some were, they didn't survive long enough. Like her kin, all of them perished, leaving behind only her.
This wasn't the only room either. This was merely the biggest one. There were other rooms, but like every one of them, they were empty and lifeless.
So she was surprised when outsiders came here. This dungeon… it was supposed to be dead and closed. No one could get in or get out.
That's what the artificial life form had said to her… then… was she lied to? Or, or was it, that somehow the dungeon was fixed?
Somehow, for some reason, the dungeon was locked out from the outside world. Along with it, the source of its power was cut off, almost disabling the dungeon. The only reason why it was able to survive was because of the self-generated power sources it had.
That's why she was surprised that new people actually managed to come here.
The dungeon was a prison as well as a testing ground. Built to gift powers to those who passed the trials. The artificial creation wouldn't let her pass, as she was a prisoner. But her child, if he was able to pass the trials, the artificial creation might set him free.
It didn't matter for her. Her life was already ending. But it did give her hope… hope for her child.
The only memory she had of the outside world was difficult for her to remember. It had been so long… If only her child was able to see it himself.
But even with that hope. She knew her child didn't have the power to pass the trials. But maybe… just maybe… these strangers would be able to help him.
However, she was reluctant, why would she trust people she had just met?
But when she heard the newcomers speaking about going back to the outside world. She just couldn't stop herself. She had to do something, it was a risk. But it might be worth it.
The open sky with the blazing sun, the radiating moon and the star filled night sky. How many years had it passed…? She might have lost her time, but her child hadn't.
The young Groot mostly spent his time sleeping. Having nothing else to do.
Over the years, the child had went to almost every room in the dungeon except the one that it couldn't open. The room of that artificial creation. The dungeon was a pretty big place, but even then, it was nothing compared to the outside world.
At least she wanted her child to be free.
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