Reborn as a Demonic Sunflower - 006 (Patreon)

[ +30 Chi ]

Haylock trembled at the power that flooded through him.  His core felt warm inside, and at that moment, he could sense the part of him where everything was centered.  In the base of his stem, right at the roots, was a ball of energy, now unlocked by whatever Mimi had done.  

The older woman’s hand fell, and she was panting. Sweat was pouring down her face.  “Sorry… I can’t give anymore…”  She was taking deep breaths, slowly untangling her legs from her pretzel position. 

“You will need to learn how to cultivate that power.  I can sense it inside you.  In time, you should be able to progress further.”

Haylock saw Nini staring at her grandmother in shock.  Her eyes were wide, lips pulled back, and her eyebrows scrunched together.

“Help me, child,” Mimi said as she held out a hand. “I need to go and lie down.”

Without hesitating, Nini moved to help, pulling the white-haired woman to her feet.  “Why would you do that?” she asked.  “Why give that to the flower?”

Her lips turned upward as Mimi stared at Haylock.  “Because he is almost ready for the next step.  Time is running out, and soon, he will need to be stronger.  Fall and winter will be here soon, and he will need to be able to care for himself during those months.”

The dark-haired teen grunted as she helped her grandmother back toward the shed, glancing quickly over her shoulder at the flower from which she could feel the power radiating.  

All this time, Haylock was lost in thought at what he was feeling.

Why is this different than before?  What has changed?

He could feel the woman’s Chi flowing through him, yet not moving. It differed from the power he gained from the creatures and liquid she had fed him. Something about how it almost vibrated within him told Haylock this would be a new power he needed to acquire and learn.

Tired, he focused his mind on the spot where the Chi was and found himself drifting off, oblivious to the world around him.

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RePlant System Active

Day: 42

Daily System Credit: 2

Consumed Credit: 16

[Spend Credit?]

Stretching his roots, Haylock ignored the question and felt the sun sharing its warmth.

The Chi inside him continued to move around, spinning and rotating in different directions, but nothing happened, no matter what he tried. 

A whole day wasted trying to achieve something and nothing… nothing at all… Why would she share this power with me? 

Unable to figure out what the Chi was for, Haylock had spent the rest of the day trying to decide what to do with himself.

Consumed +10

A second creature had attempted to eat his roots, and Haylock had gotten a second dinner.  With that amount now gained, the choice was to try and save it or spend it.  

Forty-five points resulted in gaining a good skill, but it took forever to save that much.  Can I wait that long?  With the season changing soon, what did Mimi mean about having to provide for myself?

Struggling with a decision that might determine his path for a while, Haylock decided to wait.  

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RePlant System Active

Day: 43

Daily System Credit: 3

Consumed Credit: 26

[Spend Credit?]

Nini sat before Haylock, eyes closed, feet and legs folded like pretzels. She was breathing slowly, and he could sense chi flowing through her. Part of him wanted what she had, but the other part told him he couldn’t hold or use it anymore.  

Consumed +2

Consumed +2

Consumed +2

Wait… what if I sp… used them now? With those three mice, I can hopefully get something good. Spend Credit.

[Credits spent successfully, 35 credits spent]

[Unlocked Luring Scent [E] skill]

What the heck is that?

As if on command, Nini’s nose started to twitch.  A few seconds passed, and then her eyes opened up as an eyebrow cocked upwards.

“You smell… not in a bad way, mind you,” Nini said.  “It’s actually really nice.  Did you do something?”

Haylock bobbed his flower up and down, wishing he could smile when Nini did.

“That’s pretty nice.  Except for the part where you distracted my meditation.”

The young girl sighed, undid her legs, and got to her feet.  Stretching, she peered back at the shed and then let out a groan.

“I better go see what grandmother might need. I'm sure I’ll get in trouble for slacking if she comes out here and sees me not meditating or doing something worthwhile. Try to behave while I’m gone.”

Haylock wanted to shout for her to stay, just to talk or be near him.  It was lonely as heck, and the more time he spent with these two, the worse it got when they were gone.

An hour passed, and Haylock noticed an increase in birds in the flower garden.  Birds that looked like ravens, covered in black feathers with an awfully long beak, sat on some of the boxes further away, cocking their heads as they squacked.

A few mice scampered around the edge of his perception and even in the ground, another movement came that he could sense.

Why are all those birds–

Like an Alfred Hitchcock movie, a dozen black birds suddenly flew toward him, squawking and cawing as they came toward his massive stem.

One landed on the ground near the base of his shaft and stabbed him with its black beak.

“HOLY HELL!”

Without thinking his root shot from the ground near the bird, impaling it, and barbs appeared inside as it tried to fly backward.

A black liquid poured slowly from his shaft at the base, and like dogs fighting over scraps, the rest of the birds moved in for the kill.

Every moment the birds touched the ground near him, another root came, killing it and pulling it through the dirt.

Minutes passed, and soon, seven birds were dead. The remaining ones let out a cacophony of caws as they flew away, sounding like they were making promises to return with their big brother.

Unable to enjoy the seven meals he was about to start devouring, the same sensation of an animal trying to nibble on his roots came. Haylock pulled it back slowly, luring the creature into his domain, ready to strike.

-----

RePlant System Active

Day: 46

Daily System Credit: 3

Consumed Credit: 77

[Spend Credit?]

For three days, Haylock felt more alive than he could imagine. Birds, mice, burrowing creatures, and even one of those cat-like creatures fell to him.  The new scent had worn off today, and he wasn’t sure when it would return.

I guess there is a limit to how long I can produce that smell.  Eighty points… what could I get with eighty points?  What about one hundred?

Power seemed to flow within him, and it was difficult to contemplate how long he could avoid scratching the itch.

The sun was going to be up less today.  He had already noticed the slight change in temperature and the shorter days.  Even by only a brief moment, his body yearned for the sun's warmth.  

Staring at the area around him, he decided all he could do was wait.  Twenty more points would have to be worth it.  

-----

RePlant System Active

Day: 50

Daily System Credit: 7

Consumed Credit: 94

[Spend Credit?]

Finally! Spend Credits!

[Credits spent successfully, 101 credits spent]

[Chi Power Upgraded: 4th Stage]

[Choose a skill to acquire]

[Expanded Domain{C}]

[Bullet Seeds{E}]

Bull–

Haylock stopped himself before he found the choices offered gone.  

Being able to have a more significant influence on the area around me, even if I can’t see it, seems pretty impressive, but also having a projectile… I could shoot birds out of the sky.

The choices were difficult.  Unsure just how much further his roots could go, Haylock knew he was at the limit of the flower garden.  He couldn’t find any food where he was, especially without his lure working again and not being able to attract anything to him.  

The one might be useful, but what would I even shoot? How many could I shoot before I ran out, and how long would that take to regrow them?

If a flower could sigh, Haylock would have done so, but he was left with choices and no one to discuss them with. The choice became simple the more he considered the long-term choices.

Expand Domain.

[ Upgraded Expanded Domain{C}]

Like arrows shot from a quiver, his roots began to move in every direction.  Haylock felt them flexing, stretching, and moving as his domain increased.  The rest of the day was spent trying to sense just how far they had gone out from him.

I think I just tripled my domain!  

Tired and exhausted from the effort of growing his roots, Haylock forgot to even bother with the notice that had come from spending one hundred and one credits.  Yawning, he felt his flower begin to sag, and for the first time in a while, he realized his body was going to sleep.