A Plant's Life 27 Breaking The Walls Between Us!

John a.n.a.lyzed: "So interesting, I have received a nickname, which has led to a pa.s.sive ability. I could not find it myself, as it was not located within the body, rather it should be inside mana imprint! Since they believe I deserve this t.i.tle, it is recorded in their symbols, which has a connection to my mark. This link doc.u.ments the relations.h.i.+p between all monsters, as expected of the dungeon core, nothing is left out. This is a very good opportunity to find the channel between the symbols, checking their vulnerability. There is also more detail for skills, the descriptions are more detailed. This could be due to an increased level, stronger race or higher imprint's connection to the soul. My previous hypothesis points towards the last possibility; greater connection leads to more trust. Since raising monsters is difficult, once they are bonded, the system provides more information to the subject. Now would be the time for action, killing two birds with one stone!"

Kala was sweating from all pores, the pain had been excruciating. He had no idea in regards to the pa.s.sage of time, it had felt like 1000 years for him, with no ending in sight. The worst part about it had been the rests! Just when he thought death was looming on him, dispersing his senses, releasing him of this prison of torment, the agony would stop. Then the suspense of the next wave of torture would drive him close to a mental breakdown. Just when he started to feel somehow relaxed, the anguish would come, wreaking havoc within him. Slowly, he forgot his village, his enemies, his daughter and himself, the last image in his mind had been of a rusty sword. Kala did not understand the significance of this tool anymore, yet he had held onto the memory with all might. If he had known that John had thrown the sword away, it would have broken his little heart, driving the monster crazy.

Suddenly the pain stopped, he fell to the ground, free from the inside of the big flower. The flower rapidly shrunk, turning into few vines. Yet it should not have been underestimated, as it had been responsible for the imprisonment of this poor soul.

A deep voice came: "You have successfully paid the price, now is time! You shall be the strongest sword, go and break all that stand in your way"

Kala responded with much effort: "I am weak, what can I do? I am anything but a sword, I am …broken"

The voice said in a warm and rea.s.suring tone: "If you do not go, I will start tormenting you again!"

Fear was visible on the shaking soul's face, Kala hastily said: "I shall be your sword, point me towards the enemy"

Without any warning, the poor soul was pushed towards a tunnel of light with blue shades. Going through, Kala felt strong pressure, it felt as if his soul will be torn to pieces and dispersed in a second. However, a cooling sensation surrounded him, acting as protection against the crus.h.i.+ng strain. After some time, he hit an invisible wall, not being able to go further, Kala had no idea on what his next action should be. Going back meant being a prisoner again, he wanted to run away, yet the plant had sent a small vine with him, controlling his actions all the time. All of a sudden, a strong scorching hot current came, breaking through the invisible wall and Kala was left behind a tall white wall. He was not able to see the top of this structure nor any gates. Feeling desperate, he sat on the white sandy ground, looking around.

The deep voice came from the vine: "Do not be disappointed, put me beside the wall, and step back"

Kala complied without asking any questions, his painful time had taught him the importance of patience. After planting the fragile vine on the dry white sand, he ran as far as possible. While rus.h.i.+ng away he heard a loud cracking sound, turning around, he was shocked to his core. The small and frail green plant had grown higher than the wall, surrounding it. The growth was continuous with no sign of slowing down, unbelievably thick branches were expanding in all directions. Breaking the wall down part by part, yet rather than throwing the stones down, they dissolved them! It seemed as if this gigantic monster was feeding on the impregnable fence.

Kala was scared beyond words, something deep within him was mortally terrified of this ma.s.sive herb. Trying to run away was the best course of action, from his point of view, yet before any step could be taken, a branch picked up and carried Kala towards the broken barrier. Kala was finally able to see what lied inside this heavily protected infrastructure. A sphere was floating in the air, filled with small unfamiliar letters.

The deep voice ordered: "touch the sphere, hold your hand on it!"

"I am scared, it feels dangerous" Kala objected, but still obeyed the command.

A shock beyond his limit of grasp filled him, and since the protective cover was removed, Kala felt all the agony. This defensive mechanism broke some chunks of his soul apart. A second later, Kala seemed more like a ghost, paler and filled with scars, with the left arm and an eye missing.

"Now touch the other symbol" The deep voice commanded coldly.

This tie Kala acted without any words, if bystanders were present, they could see a dull look within the eyes, it suggested mental breakdown.

A flash of light and a pitiful scream followed after Kala felt the mark. Now He was deathly pale, with a disfigured face, no arms or legs left. The ball of symbols had many cracks covering it, it seemed falling apart at any moment was a strong possibility. The vine had completely devoured surrounding wall, so it turned towards this ball. Slowly covering it from outside, it followed a specific order on holding the marks, similar to opening a treasure box.

CRACK

The cover broke down, displaying the prize, a moving force of energy. The vine inhaled all this force, then swiftly took Kala and retreated at maximum speed. When they were moving back the blue light tunnel was showing signs of instability, this would have terrified Kala if his mind was not damaged beyond repair. In fact, after this adventure, only a small fraction of the soul had remained, with everything else lost.

Two cold eyes opened, showing indifference and cruelty, John concluded:

"The reward of this round was much more than I had expected, using soul parts to break into mana imprints are much more successful. First, I had to cut the main spirit into smaller, separate parts, then send each one towards a target. They carry a small part of my energy with themselves, yet gaining access is easy for them. As they have a spiritual connection to the dungeon core, which is ultimately the controller of imprints. I can crush the forcefield barrier outside the victim's body, give access to the soul fragment. Once inside, its presence disables offensive measures against intruders. Then I consume the energy wall, force the spirit to establish a connection with the core, in which case purifies the spirit, was.h.i.+ng it from its ident.i.ty. By reading the reaction waves, the sphere can be decoded, releasing the energy inside. After taking it, and ripping of the connected soul parts, running is necessary. This act will immediately kill the subject, by detonating the remainder of soul and mana imprint parts, it will look as if someone attacked their mind. Destroying all evidence for the time being, since another pre-programmed system is responsible for this batch of monsters it should not detect abnormalities. The outcome of this endeavour had been truly marvelous, the energy attained has much higher quality, with a silver of unfathomably sharp essence found within the crux of mana imprint. With this harvest, I can cultivate my core extensively as I have origin energy. If my hypothesis is correct, I may gain some authority over the system. My experiment on souls had also bore fruits, now is the time to a.s.semble the parts and measure it for future references!"