ELDRITCH NIGHT (Rough Draft)

Chapter 32: Flowers of Change

My hearing and sense of touch combined to give me an acute sense of any vibrations in my immediate area – it was nothing compared to the sonar-sight I had temporarily gained while fused with my Companion, but it could still be useful for sensing surprise attackers.

My sense of smell had increased in power as clearly as my other senses, but it would take time for me to learn how to interpret the myriad of information and the cryptic messages that were furiously assaulting my nostrils.

My Companion flew above me as it scanned for threats. I hadn't taken over its senses since it had started flying, as I felt it would be too disorienting while trying to move and would slow my reaction if I needed to quickly switch back to my own senses. Instead, I decided I had no choice but to trust it to warn me of any danger.

I knew the area and it was a straight shot from here to Patriots Point Road, which I could follow east to quickly reach the area I intended to search. This knowledge tugged at my impatience, but I pushed it down and forced myself to continue my careful pace – at least for a short while.

It didn't take long before I had abandoned caution and started sprinting at full speed. The simian-like monsters were long behind me, and the lack of apparent danger combined with my concern for my friends convinced me that speed was more important than being overly vigilant.

My weight had increased only slightly as my physical stats had grown, my muscles had firmed but not grown noticeably larger. This allowed each one of my steps to send me forward in great bounding leaps that carried me above the blades of grass before gravity would pull me down. It was almost like floating, with only brief stops to push off against the earth once more.

I applied one of my newest feats, Inner Focus, and I felt myself falling into a trance. It might have been something like a 'runner's high.' I had heard about the phenomenon but had never achieved it for myself. Each step became more fluid and precise. Each movement seemed exact and measured with an almost machine-like efficiency, and there was none of the boredom or discomfort I normally associated with running.

It was exhilarating, almost to the point that I had forgotten why I was running – or to where. Within minutes I had cleared at least half the distance across the golf course. My focus began to wane, and I decided to stop on a small hill that poked up above the sea of grass.

The experiencing of running under such an effect had been exhilarating, endorphins and adrenaline had flooded my system leaving me with a faint glow of pleasure.

My speed had also increased dramatically, but I quickly realized that I had blocked off everything outside of what was necessary for the run itself. Instead I had been focusing solely on running and the feeling of wind across my face and rhythm of the earth beneath my feet.

My Companion had been screaming in the back of mind, warning me of something close by. As I came to a stop, I could feel the Companion's frantic pleading as it called out to me, but it took me a moment to regain my senses.

Rather than react I stood atop the small hill in a stupor. My confusion lasted only for a fraction of a second but that was all that it took.

I was vaguely aware of unusual movement in the grass around me when something large and heavy struck the back of my knees. I collapsed, and my shoulders struck the ground with a heavy thump that drove the wind from my lungs.

My legs where the only part of me remaining airborne when something long and tensile wrapped around my left calf before tightening and dragging me into the air to dangle only a few feet above the ground.

Two beady black eyes stared at me from above a mouth full of multiple rows of tiny, razor sharp teeth. Two enormous buck teeth poked out from beneath the snout of the creature, giving the otherwise razor filled maw an awkward appearance. It's 'fur' was green and mangy, like patches of grass growing out of diseased and putrid flesh.

On its back was a large growth, much like the bulb of a flower. Thick black vines grew from the open top of the bulb and thrashed around the creature and pounded at my ribs and limbs.

I immediately activated my Arcane Shield and conjured a blade of eldritch energy in my left hand. I slashed out at the appendage grasping my leg, but I found myself being swung around and thrust into the ground. My head rung, and my stomach lurched as I tried to move.

The mild confusion and nausea quickly passed, and the attack had barely done any other damage – even my mana was mostly untouched. I was once more tugged into the air and I cut out wildly with my conjured sword and began to create spikes of energy in the air above me. Each as long as a car and pointed downward at my enemy.

This proved to be overkill, however, as I heard the screech of a giant bird of prey piercing through the sky. The vine quickly went limp and I was dropped to the ground with a rib cracking thump.

"Dammit," I cried out. "What the hell was that thing."

I sat up and looked at the creature. A large hole had been drilled through its head, and a kingfisher sat upon its shattered skull pulling long strips of flesh from the creature's back.

"Nice save, but are you sure you should be eating that?"

The bird gave no response, so I walked over to the creature and gave it a closer look. It had the general shape of a large rat, and the two buck teeth reinforced my theory that this is what it had once been. A large green bulb grew from the center of the creature's back, and thin, branching tendrils of plant matter grew down into the rat's flesh fusing plant and mammal.

The bulb itself was made of four large leaves that closed into a point at the crest. The top of the bulb was slightly open, revealing red and gold petals. Thick black vines still grew from the center of the bulb but were beginning to liquify and seep into the ground beneath the creature.

I closed my eyes, readying myself to use the Eye of Madness to gather more information about the rat but a sharp chirp interrupted my concentration. I looked up at the bird, still feasting on the body, and I saw it shake its head slightly as if it to warn me away from my present course of action.

Instead, the Companion sent me an image of several more creatures around us. Bulbs, just like the one atop the giant rat, were hidden beneath the grass and spread around us at even intervals. I counted at least seven, but it was impossible to be sure.

"So, what do you suggest?" I asked the Companion.

It looked up at me once more, before sucking down a strip of flesh in one gulp as if it were eating spaghetti. Images once more invaded my mind, outlining the Companion's plan.

"Okay, we'll do it your way this time."