Chapter 223: A Trap
And Aerith and his crow were right.
How did it feel to fall into a trap when you expected it, but didn’t expect how it would happen?
It was shocking, but it was mostly annoying. Team Aerith had fallen into a trap even after all their preparations and Aerith’s guidance. It was as if they’d been baited into it, and all their preparations were just part of the process. They had fallen into a nest of poison ivy. On the trees, in the bushes, hanging from vines, everywhere was full of poison ivy.
That was the worst part when dealing with intelligent beasts, especially naturally humanoid ones like poison ivy. It might sound stupid or unrealistic, but once a beast assumes a humanoid appearance, they become more intelligent and is capable of doing things humans and other bipedal beings can do. They acted and thought not as beasts, but as intelligent and wise individuals.
So, what if said beast is already humanoid from birth?
...
The jungle became quiet. Too quiet. Aerith’s eyes narrowed immediately. The corpses of the warthogs still bled onto the forest floor, yet not a single scavenger approached. Even the insects had gone silent. The air itself felt thicker now, heavier. His tailed crow circled lower overhead, giving uneasy cries.
CAAAW... CAAAW...
Something was wrong. Bartoc suddenly cursed.
"Why is the ground moving?"
Everyone instantly looked down, and lo and behold, he was right. The roots were already writhing beneath their feet. Aerith’s pupils shrank.
"MOVE!"
KRAAAAAAAAAK!
The earth exploded upward, as massive thorn-covered vines burst from beneath the soil like serpents, tearing apart the path and forcing the team backward. The carriage shook violently as several vines wrapped around its wheels instantly.
"Ambush!" Freda shouted.
But it was already too late. The jungle had come alive. Everywhere. From the trees, to hanging vines, to bushes, to flowers. Figures slowly emerged. They were women, or at least things shaped like women.
Their skin was dark green, smooth yet bark-like in certain places. Long red vine-like hair flowed down their bodies and moved on its own like living tendrils. Their deep crimson eyes glowed faintly within the darkness of the jungle. Some crouched upside down on tree branches, others emerged halfway from massive flowers. One sat lazily atop a thick vine while smiling coldly.
Poison Ivy, and there were dozens. Aerith’s instincts screamed danger. This wasn’t a random encounter. It was a territory. The ivy creatures stared at them silently for several seconds before one finally spoke.
"You killed our pets."
Her voice was soft, beautiful even, which somehow made it worse. Freda immediately released lightning.
BOOOOOOM!
The jungle lit up blue as the bolt tore toward the speaking ivy, but roots erupted upward instantly.
KRAAAASH!
A massive wall of intertwined plants blocked the attack completely. The Poison Ivy tilted her head slightly.
"Rude."
Then everything exploded into chaos. The ivy creatures moved simultaneously. They did not move wildly like beasts, but intelligently. Vines shot through the jungle from every direction like spears while flowers suddenly bloomed beneath the team’s feet.
Aerith reacted instantly.
"Don’t touch the flowers!" But he shouted too late. One burst open beneath Bartoc.
FWOOOSH!
Purple pollen exploded upward into his face, causing the massive bear-kin to stagger immediately.
"What..."
His movements slowed as his vision blurred. He’d been poisoned. A vine immediately wrapped around his leg and yanked him violently into the jungle.
"BARTOC!" Yuka shouted.
BOOOM!
Ice erupted outward instantly, freezing the vine solid before it could drag him away fully. Freda moved immediately afterward.
CRACK!
Lightning exploded around her body as she ripped through several incoming vines with brute force.
"They fight like humans!"
"No shit!" Yuko barked while narrowly dodging a thorn spear aimed at his throat. Aerith’s swords flashed repeatedly.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
Every vine entering his range was severed instantly, but his expression only worsened. There were too many, and worse, the jungle itself was helping them. The trees shifted unnaturally, roots moved beneath the ground, and vines blocked movement paths strategically. This wasn’t just combat: It was battlefield control. The Poison Ivies had turned the jungle into a weapon.
CAAAAAW!
Aerith’s crow suddenly shrieked overhead. A second later, something slammed into it from above. Aerith looked up sharply, and his eyes widened. A Poison Ivy had crouched on the crow’s back, her vine hair wrapped around its wings and neck like restraints.
"You rely too much on your eyes," she whispered.
CRACK!
She slammed the beast downward violently.
BOOOOOOM!
The crow crashed through the trees into the forest floor. Aerith’s calm expression finally cracked slightly: a mistake. One of the Poison Ivies smiled instantly.
"There."
The ground beneath Aerith erupted.
KRAAAAAASH!
Thorned roots burst upward and wrapped around his arms and torso before slamming him through several trees. Blood sprayed from his mouth.
"AERITH!"
Yuka and Yuko rushed toward him instantly, but several Poison Ivies intercepted them. The twins froze. There were six now surrounding them silently. One smiled faintly.
"You smell alike."
Another tilted her head.
"Twins?"
The vines attacked, and the twins reacted instantly.
"Ice Bloom!"
KRRRRRRRK!
Ice exploded outward in all directions, freezing several vines and forcing the Poison Ivies backward. But unlike beasts, they adapted immediately. One touched the frozen ground, and the plants beneath the ice suddenly exploded upward again. They were controlling the forest itself. Freda smashed through a tree with a lightning-coated punch while dragging Bartoc over her shoulder.
The bear-kin’s breathing had become ragged now. Purple veins spread slowly across his neck from the poison.
"This poison’s bad..." he growled weakly.
"It’s plant venom," Freda replied grimly.
"It’s attacking your nervous system."
As if hearing her words, laughter echoed softly through the jungle. One of the Poison Ivies appeared atop a branch above them.
"Smart girl."
Her red eyes glowed.
"But not smart enough."
Her vine-like hair suddenly expanded outward violently.
SHIIIIIIK!
Dozens of razor-sharp vine strands shot downward. Freda barely reacted in time.
BOOOOM!
Lightning burst beneath her feet as she leaped backward, but one strand still sliced across her shoulder deeply. Blood sprayed instantly, and the wound blackened immediately.
Poison.
Freda’s face tightened, while the ivy smiled wider.
"You bleed beautifully."
Meanwhile, inside the carriage, the veiled girl sighed softly.
"This escalated quickly."
Beside her, the darkness elemental trembled slightly.
"Should we help?"
The girl remained silent briefly while listening to the battle outside. Aerith crashed through the carriage roof.
BOOOOOOM!
The top shattered apart as his body rolled violently across the interior. Blood dripped from his mouth. Outside, several Poison Ivies slowly approached the carriage now. One of them smiled softly.
"There you are."
The veiled girl finally looked up fully, and for the first time since the battle began, her eyes lost their laziness.
