Wraithwood Botanist

Chapter 144 - The Case for Poisons

Fighting a fourth evolution soul was just as dangerous as it sounded. Obviously. Through Brindle's memories, I had seen these souls, and while he handled them with the ease I handled second-evolution beasts, I was not, in fact, Brindle. Obviously.

This was an important distinction. And for the record, I couldn't even replicate the things that Brindle did when fighting because I didn't have the mana or soul core necessary. I didn't have the muscle memory, either. I didn't have anything.

Even with all my advantages, it would be a very, very long time before I obtained even a fraction of his power.

He didn't live here for sixty thousand years for nothing.

Yet it was undeniable that my advantages—my Kyfer core and evolved cores were far stronger than his likely had been. I had god-level resources, an epic weapon, Brindle's memories, the Anima Numina elixirs—insights. So it wasn't unreasonable to think that I could at least kill a fourth evolution beast. Right?

I wasn't sure—but I was going to plan and prepare.

"Hey, Lithco," I said one night. "Can you add highlighting to show which poisons will kill fourth evolution beasts?"

"I won't alter the highlighting system just to help you kill yourself," Lithco said. There was no flash—just seriousness.

"It's a requirement," I said. "You saw Brindle's tribute, right?"

"I did," he said. "And I recall giving you solutions."

"Poor solutions," I said. "I talked to Yakana. Corrupting it with a soul could spread the corruption to the soul. Ripping it out of the ground at this point would be… impossible… and you can't convince a beast to stop eating meat by offering it a salad. Three solutions—all impossible. So if I'm going to fulfill Brindle's requirement and fulfill my soul pact and tribute, I have to."

Lithco scoffed. "Well? You're going to get yourself killed over a soul pact with a plant. I hope you're satisfied. Fucking idiot."

I glared at him, but his eyes narrowed, and I relented.

"I happen to like Yakana," I said. "And I resent being used to hurt him."

"And now you're going to kill yourself?" he asked. "'Cause that's what you're doing."

I took a deep breath. "Well, what's done is done. Are you helping me or not?"

He ran his fingers through his hair. "Done. Known poisons that can kill higher-level beings are highlighted in crimson. Lower level poisons that can stun or harm beasts are in bright red."

"Thanks," I said.

"You asking for my help this time?" he asked.

I thought about it. "Yeah. I'll be asking you for a map of flying beasts. I'm just going to follow the Diktyo past Harrowed Pass. With any luck, I'll find a ground beast I can snipe from the sky with poison hurricane arrows."

Lithco considered it. "Well, if any idiot can kill three evolutions above their station, it's probably the girl with a soul bow, limitless mana, and wings."

I nodded.

"Well, first, I'll recommend this skill," Lithco said. "It's 'free' with a reward."

I studied the screen in a state of perplexity.

-

Skill: Core Bleeding

Description: Drain mana cores to augment your attacks.

-

"Hey… um…" I paused. "Not to be weird, but the last time Kyro did this, he jacked up his hands pretty badly."

"No," Lithco said. "Kyro did this with soul cores, which is like holding dry ice with your bare hands and then sucking liquid nitrogen from them. Mana bleeding is different. It feeds mana directly to your core, and since your core cleans mana without resistance, it's theoretically possible that you could drain an entire third evolution core without resistance. Well, there will be spell backlash, but it wouldn't be from your core."

"Uh… what?" I asked with a gaping mouth.

"Yes, you heard that correctly," he said. "And if you ask me, if these gods want you to save their forest, they'll have to accept you nuking one of these fuckers with an annihilation ray."

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I chuckled, slowly at first and then with increasing intensity. "Lithco. If I did that, I couldn't collect its soul."

"Then get close enough and then annihilate an entire meadow or something," Lithco said. "You're underestimating the power differential between third and fourth evolution beasts. If you want to fight one without getting obliterated, you better nuke one and pray it stays alive, or you need to evolve. And I can tell you right now, if you evolve now, you're going to take a piss on all your gains. So… get the technique—and nuke it. I don't care how you nuke it… just nuke it."

I sighed and accepted the skill. "Teach me."

The next morning, I flew a few miles away from my village. Then, I pulled out a first evolution core. As I chanted, the energy left it and entered my own.

It's just like threading, I thought.

"No it's not," Lithco said. "It applies the same principle, but you never thread it. You just spin the mana around your core and release it onto the right path. If you don't, the mana will build up and cause you serious damage."

"Great," I responded. "I'm glad you're looking out for me."

"I don't want to hear it," he said.

I grumbled, but I practiced. When I failed, I threaded the mana around my core.

"That was smooth," Lithco said.

"It's pretty natural," I said. "That elixir's made threading significantly easier. I can thread a second evolution core in an hour. A third in five or six."

"Well, then there's hope for you yet."

I didn't get used to it on the first day. Or the second. Or the third. But on the fourth, I was finally able to move mana through the channels I chose while bleeding the cores. Once I learned how to release it, I charged up a hurricane arrow while draining a first evolution core, and the hurricane sphere ballooned to the size of a beach ball. When I released it, it ripped through multiple trees, sending them spinning and flying into other trees with a terrifying crash.

"Well then," Lithco said. "Now imagine that, but… think Death Star."

"You realize that I'll alert the entire forest if I do this, right?" I asked.

"Well, yes," Lithco said. "But it's better than guaranteed death."

I sighed and pulled out a second evolution core and said, "How about instead of water, I nuke the river with death spores?"

Lithco laughed. "And then go in there yourself?"

I sighed. "What're the chances of tricking these beasts with illusions?"

"One hundred percent," he said. "If… if you knew what the beast cares about. How they perceive the world. Whether they can see mana or soul force. Fourth evs are a completely different breed. Not only do they possess magic, sometimes multiple types, but they also have stronger intelligence and power."

I know… I thought. But…

It's hard to watch things through Brindle's eyes because his brain could process them in ways that made it possible for me to keep up. And his strength was so absolute that it never felt like a fight until he was facing entities that crushed entire valleys. The enemies grew fewer yet vastly stronger. I knew this, but… it was still hard for me to process.

"Okay…" I said. "I think I've finally admitted that I'm out of my league. So instead… why not bait one with poison?"

"You did hear the part about intelligence, right?" he asked.

"Of course," I said. "So we'll just treat them like humans. And well…" I pondered it for a while and said, "Humans are super egotistical toward weaker prey, right? Maybe we can…"

I got a pretty terrible idea, and when I threw it past Lithco, he said, "It's not what I would've recommended, but… if you can pull it off… who knows."

I smirked and continued my annihilation ray practice. That was my backup plan.

If you ever need to announce to your guests that you'll need to step out to kill a colossus and to not expect you back that night or really ever… just don't.

It just sucks.

I sat around the dinner table, avoiding life, picking at my food and when the awkward conversation got too much, I blurted out the truth.

"I'm killing a fourth evolution beast this week. If I die, the lurvine will take care of you."

At least, that's what I think I should've done. Or, actually, not. There was simply no rational way to put things, so I pulled the classic "left for a pack of cigarettes and never returned" move and said: "I'll be going on a trip soon. I'll be gone for a few days."

Cassain put down her fork. "Where're you going?"

"I didn't find those snowblooms, so I'm going north to find something else," I said.

"North…" Felio said. "Aren't we… near the top?"

"Not really," I said. "The Diktyo goes up for probably twenty miles or so before it even reaches the Keliam River. And then there's still a bit through Harrowed Pass before it hits the Fifth Domain."

"You're rather comfortable with that information," Asail said casually.

"Last year, my tribute required me to enter the Fifth Domain," I said.

Half the guards dropped their forks.

I shrugged. "Look, guys. I have a god supplying me with extraordinary wealth and power, but that comes with a serious price. So yeah, you should expect this. Especially considering that I'm required to go there next year."

Felio bit her lip. "What about tomorrow?"

"Nowhere tomorrow," I said. "Before I go, I'll need your help. Well, if you got the guts for it. 'Cause the alchemy I'm doing is really, really dangerous."

The guards protested, but Felio's eyes were set ablaze.

"I don't care what it is," she said. "Let's do it."

One does not simply make poisons. The reason why is quite simple: if they're good enough to kill your enemies, they're good enough to kill you. And the stuff we were making was designed to poison beasts the size of blue whales that ate people.

To make these poisons, we obtained a lot of equipment—gas masks, filters, and portable domains. Felio also set up domain wards that kept fumes localized.

"This'll keep the fumes contained," she said. "But if you prick your finger, you're still in trouble."

"Well, then avoid it," I said. "'Cause Diktyo can't cure what we're working with."

"Excuse me, what?" she asked.

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"Plants are loosely ranked," I said. "For example, wisteris is ranked at third evolution, and Diktyo only clears poisons up to two. Beyond that, you need stronger antidotes. Anyway, I'm not ever planning to let either of us touch this stuff, but make sure you stay away from it."

Felio nodded. "Okay… so what are we making?"

"Dunno," I said. "Let's go search for the gnarliest poisons this ring has to offer. I just got an upgrade that shows me layers of toxicity—and it's the best thing ever."