(RoS) Weedwhacking - Ch. 72 (Patreon)

A massive vine ripped itself free from the earth and lashed out at them. Cyll and Patty jumped forward at the same time. Each of them brought their huge weapons to bear just before the vine slammed into the rest of the group.

The ground shuddered from the impact and both of Maya’s crewmates were forced backwards through the dirt, but they managed to stop the majority of the plant’s attack.

White smoke erupted from Humbol as his ghostly crew filled the room. In an instant, the man appeared behind the plant and drove his thin rapier into its back. The boss let out a hiss, the flower on its head pulling inwards and pursing itself like a mouth.

Humbol vanished and reappeared in the place of a crewmate near the rest of the crew as a thorny vine erupted beneath him. It slammed into the ceiling hard enough to make the entire room shake.

“The hide is tough, but it’s still a plant. I’m not sure how much use my rapier is going to be against this. We’re going to need something big and heavy,” Humbol reported. “Just don’t let that thing hit you.”

“Genius. I couldn’t have figured that out on my own,” Cyll replied, bounding towards the plant creature.

A vine burst from the wall, swinging wide and slamming into the immortal pirate before he could react. The man launched backwards like he’d been shot from a cannon. He crashed into the wall a short distance from the rest of the group.

“I told you not to get hit,” Humbol said helpfully.

Cyll rose back to his feet with a slew of curses, ignoring his crewmate and charging at the boss once again. Patty dashed forward as well to back him up, and Humbol disappeared once more.

Maya remained beside the door, watching the fight unfold helplessly. The cloak on her back rippled impatiently. The captain grit her teeth as she watched her crew slowly gain ground on their foe.

Despite the recent improvements to her power, the Heart of the Sea was still, for all intents and purposes, useless.

The young captain ducked to the side as a vine lashed out at her. Her cloak wrapped around her body to shield her from several thorns that drew too close. Maya spun, lashing out with her sickle.

The strike made a thin line along the vine, as it slithered back into the ground, but it didn’t look like she’d done any significant damage. Maya grimaced and clenched her fists.

A wall of thick writhing vines swarmed out of the ground surrounding the boss monster, forcing Maya’s crew back before they could get too close to it. Cyll charged forwards once again, letting out a battle cry as he chopped downwards with his stolen weapon.

The hefty blade cut a thin opening in the wall. At the same time, a vine shot out and punched through his chest. Cyll coughed and staggered back, but Humbol appeared beside him. His rapier flashed and the tendril split in two.

The immortal pirate ripped it out, the wound disappearing, and slashed at the vines again before the gap could close.

Patty followed his attack up with a violent axe swing that tore through the thorny wall like paper. She and Cyll rushed forward, both simultaneously swinging their weapon’s at the huge creature’s body.

Roots and vines reached out to stop their attacks, but Humbol buzzed through the air, swapping positions and cutting down the smaller vines in rapid succession.

The two heavy strikes connected against the boss monster’s body. Cyll’s bit deep, cutting several feet into the dense plant. Patty’s went clean through, her momentum nearly causing her to stumble.

The vines abruptly slumped and collapsed to the ground. Maya lowered her weapon, her brow furrowing. She put the sickle away with pursed lips before forcing a grin onto her face as she approached her crew.

“Damn, you guys made short work of this thing,” Maya said, nudging the top half of the plant.

“It was a plant. What did you think would happen?” Cyll asked.

Humbol sent a pointed glance at the large hole in the immortal pirate’s shirt.

“I’d say you got your ass handed to you,” Humbol said. “I’m pretty sure Patty did all the work this time.”

“That’s not true,” Patty said. Cyll’s face brightened. “Cyll made a very good meat shield.”

Humbol burst into laughter as Cyll glowered at both of them. Maya ignored her crews antics and knelt beside the fallen flower. She pulled the petals back and reached inside it.

“What are you doing?” Cyll asked as he noticed Maya rummaging around the monster’s corpse.

“Looking for this,” Maya said, pulling her hand back. It was covered in yellow pollen. She opened it, revealing a palm sized orb.

“A seed?” Humbol asked, peering down at it.

“Exactly. Maybe it’ll grow some of the plants we found in the safe room!” Maya said.

“Or we’ll make another bloodthirsty plant,” Cyll replied.

“I’ll be happy with that too, to be honest,” Maya said, giving the seed a thoughtful look before putting it in the small travel pouch at her side. “Cyll, is there anything else we should do after defeating a boss? Or do we just continue through the dungeon?”

“We just keep marching, unless you want more stuff from the plant,” Cyll said. “Normally, the bosses are kitted out with something a little more interesting. The plant was honestly something of a disappointment, but the food was so good that I’ll give the dungeon a pass.”

The other three nodded in agreement. With the massive plant dead, it didn’t take them long to spot the entrance to the next room. The door was, unsurprisingly, lit with the brownish orange light that signified a normal dungeon floor.

However, unlike the previous doors, this one opened into a stairwell that led deeper underground. Cyll took the lead as the four of them descended further into Dredd’s Tomb. Maya gave the plant’s corpse one final, complex look before her eyes narrowed and she slammed the door shut behind them.