Chapter 71 - Vir'ava

Shadow's POV

I groggily wake from my slumber. Too tired to quite grasp what the steady stream of notifications I'm receiving mean, I try to turn over to go back to sleep, only to have my neck gently tugged at by the Osseous Slime. Seems they really want me to get up.

I'm smaller than the Slime now, and as such, when I don't try to move on my own, I'm unceremoniously grabbed by the scruff of my neck and carried outside. Is this the indignation a kitten might feel when their mom picks them up?

My tiredness soon vanishes, however, when I see the scene outside. Unknown monsters stand outside the little hut the Osseous Slime and I share. Most of them seem to be of the same species, with one odd one out. And... three humanoids?

What's going on?

The odd one out, a tall, feminine looking humanoid figure, her skin is smooth and shiny like lacquered wood. She looks like she's a carved wood statue come to life. Her hair is a dark forest green, looking more like dreads made of moss covered in small white flowers. Two large buds on her forehead give the impression of horns.

Although her proportions are off, arms just a little too long, fingers a little too sharp, she exudes an ethereal beauty. I find myself getting lost in admiring the fine details of her face.

We're staring each other down, me and her. Then it dawns on me. It's the Huldr! S-She must have Evolved somehow!

"Ah- Huldr- I mean- What's going on?" I manage to stammer out.

A smile widens across her face. "Vir'ava found intruders!" She proudly gestures towards the three humanoids. One human, two Pyreans by the looks of it. Clad in black-dyed leather armor, and their scent... Unmistakably, these are Aurellium.

I glance at the other monsters here. Now that I look closely, they are just humanoid skeletons wrapped in leaves and vines. Each and every one of them carrying vacant stares from empty eye-sockets. I'm guessing these are the remains of those that fought back.

"Good... good..." I praise absentmindedly, still tired. Noticing her disappointed look, I hesitate. "C-could you watch over them for tonight? I'm too tired at the moment to dispense judgement on these fools. Tomorrow, though..." Her face lights up again. Seems I just dodged a bullet.

I'm already half asleep by the time Osseous Slime has carried me back inside the hut.

The next morning, before getting up, I confer with World Knowledge on what Huldr has Evolved into, and what those other monsters are.

*Vir'ava*

*A Goblinoid monster of mythical strength. Said to be the eternal guardian of the ancient forests, this all female species of monster has an affinity for plants that is only rivaled by Plant aligned Dragons. Specifically, the presence of Vir'ava causes a certain species of Throttling Vine to appear, the Springthorn. Combining the peculiarities of this plant with the ability to summon and control mist, along with a devastating array of offensive and support Spells, it is no wonder this monster is spoken of in hushed whispers in the areas where it most often appears.

Most often come across when Hunters wander into their territory on accident, this monster is rarely hunted due to its power and generally reclusive nature, never actively seeking to hunt humanoids unless there's something amiss in the local ecosystem. Regardless, Its entire body is a trove of high quality parts, and any hunter that manages to take down a Vir'ava is handsomely rewarded and their name passed down in local legends.*

*Rank: 7 Stars*

*Springthorn*

*An odd plant that sprouts at the command of a Vir'ava. It is carnivorous, and feeds through a multitude of suckers placed just below each of its innumerable thorns. Able to move around freely, it possesses no true root-structure, instead attaching some of its vines to the trunk or stem of nearby plants to drain nutrients if prey is not currently available. Acting as a trap, if someone or something steps on it, it wraps the victim in its vines that then immediately begin searching for an exposed vein through which to begin feeding. Should the victim attempt to flee or otherwise exert force upon the plant, the thorns that lie folded within the vines themselves burst forth, ripping the victim apart in the process. The plant then begins to feed.*

*Spriggan*

*A Death and Plant aligned Sprite type monster created when a Springthorn plant has entirely absorbed the nutrients of another being, leaving only the bones. The vines of the Springthorn wrap around these bones, taking on the role of muscles, tendons and ligaments whilst using the bones for structural support for further growth. An older Spriggan might look identical to the creature whose bones it is made up of, only covered in plant-growth.

It possesses uncanny reach, as its joints aren't fixed, and merely loosely held together with very elastic vines, letting it "throw" its limbs at foes, grabbing or knocking down the target in the process. Once the target has been grabbed, a deathly kiss is delivered, in which a Springthorn seed is deposited within the victim's lungs that rapidly sprouts and tears the victims lungs apart. Soon, a new Spriggan is born from the corpse of the suffocated victim.

Bones of various creatures can be harvested from the defeated Spriggan (make sure to discard any humanoid bones!), and the wood-like mass that encases the torso of older specimens make for excellent parts as well.*

*Rank: 3 Stars*

Oh dear. That's quite the combo. Mist to conceal the presence of the landmine-plants that explode into barbed wire should they be disturbed, creating plant-zombies from the remains. I'll have to have a talk with Vir'ava about limiting the amount of Spriggans she allows to be made, otherwise I'd have to cull them myself.

So... Word of Millibelle's incapacitation must have reached Aurellium somehow, unless they're the one behind that armor going on auto-pilot... No, that must be what happened. So, to finish the job, they send a team of assassins into the Domain, only to be facerolled by the newly Evolved Vir'ava.

Ugh, this is just perfect. Well, since it's what She would have wanted, I'm going to give them some options, and then they can choose their fate themselves. The quicker they're dealt with, the better, as I'm still awaiting reports from the Celestial Marble and Oasis Water teams.

The battle I sent the Death and Life Dragons to is over. The enemies camp was taken, only to find it had been abandoned around the time the Dragons showed up. By then, the ones who hadn't marched to their deaths had surrendered, telling tales of being administered some sort of salve, blacking out, and then they woke up amidst the chaos of battle.

Seems the Aurellium has been aiding the Queen in more ways than providing the resources to Summon the Hero.

I stretch before heading outside. The grove looks quite spooky with the covering of thorny vines everywhere. Seems it's a side-effect from the presence of the Vir'ava. A light covering of mist also clings to the still damp forest floor, giving the entire place an ethereal ambiance.

Vir'ava is waiting outside the cave. The buds on her forehead have bloomed, looking akin to lilies, crimson red before the edges of the petals give way to a pure white. A sweet aroma wafts from them.

"Good morning. Where are the captives?" I ask her. She excitedly shows me the way to a newly created... nest? It looks like a beehive, except made out of densely interwoven vines. There's an opening, and two Spriggan guard it.

I peek inside. There they are, three humanoids, they are tied up with vines, looking more like they're stuck in sleeping-bags with just their faces poking out of the tangle.

"P-Please! Release us! I cannot stand it anymore!" One of the Pyreans shout the moment they see me. Vir'ava tuts before the vines crawl up over their mouth, making their pleas for mercy just muffled moans as tears start streaming down their face.

I get in front of the three, rising up and settling on my haunches. "I am the Great Monarch. I am merciful, and I will give you three a choice." I address all three via Telepathy, taking some delight in the winces of discomfort my voice brings them.

"Three options: Death, Servitude, or Rebirth." I take a pause to let them consider before explaining in more detail. "Death is simple enough. I end your lives, your skulls are crushed and your bodies are given to my Servants to eat." I have no need for more Undead nor Spriggans, and so long as Delpha and Samantha don't see the feast, I have no qualms about recycling their bodies like this.

"Servitude: I bond my mind to yours, making you my servants. I then send you back to your master, and you act as my spies." Most likely, they'll be found out quite soon given the extensive use of mind-control in the Aurellium, but whatever info I can get before they're found out would be useful.

"Rebirth: I perform the Ritual of Rebirth upon you, forever freeing you from the influence of the Aurellium. The drawback is that you will become a monster, and must live the rest of your life like one. I will of course allow you to stay here if you so desire once the Ritual is preformed."

There is no such Ritual, not yet at least. It is a fancy name She came up with to make it seem more legit. Make is seem less like We're winging a method of undoing the effects of Social Titles by killing and reanimating a body, and that We actually know what We're doing.

I look at them each in turn. Their faces contorted in equal measures of fear and contemplation.

The Pyrean who had their mouth covered tries to speak. I glance at Vir'ava to let her know to let them. "I- I wish to be free! Please, do whatever you need to do! I only want to be free of the Aurellium!" They cry, their voice shaky and trembling.

Lowering their head, they whimper "Please... I didn't even want this..."

The human speaks up next. "I- I don't want to die. Please." "So you choose Rebirth?" "...Yes."

That leaves the last Pyrean. They spit at me, and I scramble to force the monsters around us to not react to it. "So, Death? For if it wasn't for me, you'd be dead from that little stunt of yours." I keep letting the others listen in to our conversation, and their faces are even more ashy pale after that open act of hostility.

Honestly, I don't get humanoids sometimes. You're in no position of advantage and then you make it even worse for yourself.

"Eat my ass, I refuse to be part of your games." They hiss. I sigh before forcing their mind open. Their expression turns from one of unabashed hate to a blank, slack-jawed one as I shut off the higher brain functions, leaving just the autonomous actions such as digestion, breath and heartbeat.

The combination of a max-tier Telepathy and Hivemind Skill is powerful indeed. If it wasn't for Her apprehension for going all out, my other half could easily rely on this alone to get her way.

"W-What did you do?" The human whispers as he looks on with worry. "I made them sleep for a bit. Hm, yes, all a show, indeed." I rummage through the rebellious Pyrean's mind, finding the truth. Anger and hate are common defense mechanisms. She's afraid for her life, and lashing out like this is the only thing that has worked for her before.

"So it is decided. All three of you chose Rebirth. If you'd like, I could arrange for you to be free to wander the grove in the meanwhile. There are quite the preparations to make, it might even take weeks."

Hesitation is apparent on the faces of the two who are still conscious. "What would that entail?" The other Pyrean asks. "I use my Hivemind Skill on you, placing you under my control. That way, you'll be able to move freely within the grove, and my Servants and I will be secure in knowing you present no threat to us."

"The other alternative is to remain here until it is time to perform the Ritual." I add. The prisoners look at each other, then nod. "Please, we wish to be free to move around." The human male requests.

"This is Erkut, Tiana and Kelsh. They will be our guests for some time. They're under the effect of my Hivemind, and pose no threat, despite being ex-members of the Aurellium." I introduce the three captives to the Servants living in the grove currently.

Ame and Mabe stare the three of them down before placing themselves between the captives and Delpha, distrust apparent despite their expressionless faces. Indeed, everyone seems a bit put off with the situation.

The three of them are dressed in Octopus Cloth, the armor they were wearing previously has been either stored or dismantled.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have sunbathing to do." I announce before leaving to find a good spot in the sun, ignoring the bewildered looks of the captives. Photosynthesis is by far the most cost-effective way of recovering SP, and I need lots of it to power this body. In fact, it seems that as time has gone on, my SP is draining at a higher rate.

It could be that the Body Double has a short lifespan before it breaks down, or it could be a side-effect of me regularly draining my SP to refill Hers. I hope it is the latter, because if this body gives out on me before I manage to construct the Divine Spring, all is lost.