Captain Godric raised his blade above his head, drawing the attention of every other knight in the chamber.

“LIOOOONS!...” two quick shouts were his answer, as shield-bearers on the front tightened their ranks “... March on! Defensive formation around Alabaster!”

Two more cries as shields were lifted from the ground, with spears pointed forwards, the knights started moving, leaving the safety of the barrier.

The naga, seeing us walking towards the tree let out a vicious hiss and together with her deformed offspring resumed the onslaught.

Beasts smashed their bodies over the shields, some of them being impaled on the weapons of the knights. With dozens of projectiles and spells flying over our heads, the battlefield turned into absolute chaos, for the knights, forced to battle with countless beasts, were desperately trying to keep their line while constantly moving onward.

Over ten knights kept on carving the path onward, while I was moving behind them in safety, surrounded by the ring of other warriors of the Order. By now, it was obvious to everyone that I could quickly turn the tide of battle - both for my allies and enemies, for even the monsters which kept on assaulting the group didn’t seem to look at the wielders of spears that just pierced its side, and rather above their shoulders - directly at me.

On the frontline, the beasts kept on thrashing, trying to squeeze past the defense getting deadly wounded in the process, and yet, they never took a step back. Wounded, mutilated, with limbs dandling only on a piece of skin while completely new joints were growing right from their wounds, they would keep on blindly scratching, biting, spitting venom or acid.

Hearing the cries of my companions I only gritted my teeth. Something in me kept on pounding, twitching, trying to force me into joining the ranks - it was the human side of me, the warrior, knight - whose ideals were forced by discipline and weeks of training. But, another part of me - the logical, cold and calculating, kept on repeating in a calm, forceful tone that I won’t help anyone by ‘dying like a hero’.

To the Tree - the voice kept on hissing - to the Tree.

And to the Tree, I kept on walking.

A slash of a clawed paw from above split one of the shields into two, sending defenders back creating a breach in the formation through which several other creatures ran past, deeper into our formation, running at the ring of my protectors.

First two or three abominations didn’t even manage to get any closer, as dozens of projectiles pinned them down to the ground while spells scorched them to the bone, making any form of regeneration impossible.

The other two rammed into guards, who skillfully stopped their charge, locking them in place, letting other knights surround them, massacring from both behind and their sides.

And then, the ‘Mother’ herself appeared on the frontline, apparently irritated by the lack of progress of her children - trying to also slip past the breach and most likely ‘deal with me’ on her own terms.

This was when Godrick, backed by two lieutenants, crossed her path. My dead heart skipped a beat seeing this scene - three fighters leaving the safety of the formation to challenge a monster that was capable of towering above them and nearly any other creature on the battlefield.

“FIRST LINE!...” he roared “...LOCK THEM IN! SECOND LINE - FLYING WEDGE! GET ALABASTER TO THE TREE!”

I watched how elite knights rammed their shields on the ground, rooting themselves in place, dedicated to not let anyone past their line, while those who volunteered to protect me formed an arrow-head like formation, raising shields and blades in front of themselves, starting their march.

A march which turned into a trot.

A trot which turned into a run.

And a run which finally became an all-out charge.

Running past the breach, the knights rammed into monsters waiting outside. Smashing them with shields and piercing with blades, they didn’t stop their charge running over them, trampling those who fell down.

Of course, there were more than just a few casualties on our sides. One of the flying monsters grabbed a soldier on my left, lifting him up and tossing him through the air a distance which made it all but certain for him to not survive the fall. From the side a house-like beast jumped onto the unprotected side of a knight, tripping him over and ripping his throat, just to have its head separated with one quick slash from the knight behind him.

Absolute chaos and utter madness.

Yet, eventually, we reached our destination - the Tree. It shivered at the mere sight of my presence and, flexing its entire existence, it sent another pulse of energy down its roots trying to awaken as many monsters as it could.

The knights formed a ring once again, this time around the Tree, making sure that no one could disturb me, as I approached the tree with my blade raised.

And then, I pierced its trunk.

There was a very strange form of resistance - not ‘physical’. It felt as if I had burrowed my hand into some elastic substance, which was now trying to push me out.

Reaching deeper into its core, I felt overwhelmed by a sensation of twisted, dark, suffocating ‘life’. Artificial essence - which granted no warmth, nor fulfillment, just pure, disgusting sustenance.

And then, I started draining it from its very core.

You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] Iv - Sapling of the Black Oak - Idol of Twisted Fertility Remaining Essence: [6720/10 000]

I could hear the sounds of battle from behind me. Well-known sounds of shields being shattered, of blades being stopped by hard scales. The agonal hiss of wounded monsters and cries of pierced soldiers.

Fully focused on the Tree, I didn’t notice that two monsters had managed to get past my companions. Only a powerful strike on my side, which sent me flying through the air and dropping me a few meters away from the tree, managed to break my trance.

You have suffered [0] [blunt] damage Armor rating reduced: 69.2% ➝ 62.9%

Ah, not feeling pain was quite a blessing, for the blow didn’t make me flinch nor drop my weapon, so as I found myself attacked by another group of monsters, I was able to fend them off.

First, rolling to the side, avoiding a morphed limb turned into an insectoid-like sickle. Then, kicking away the smaller creature that tried pouncing on me. It bought me just enough time to get off the ground and start blocking strikes from two beasts that attacked in perfect unison.

Deflect, step back, dodge, step back, parry, step back - they kept forcing me to give back the battleground - to get away from the Tree.

Still, like beasts that they were, learning their pattern was a relatively simple task. Waiting for the right moment between strikes, I forced myself between them. Ducking under the slash which wounded its companion - who was now behind me - I rammed my blade between the creature’s scales, kicked it away, forcing my sword out of its body, performing a half-pirouette and using generated momentum I cut off the head of another creature.

Being pierced in the guts wasn’t enough to kill the first monster, of course, but, trampling its head with my iron boot sure was.

Another creature tried to attack me from my “blind spot”. But, as the other knights seemed to finally fend off the first line of attackers, they quickly ran to my aid.

Someone threw a javelin - or a spear - at the creature behind me, forcing it back. Now, with a line of defenders once again forming around the Tree (though I noticed that it was at least one person short) I once again returned to my task or sucking the Tree of its essence.

As I once again reached into it, I noticed that the Captain and his two lieutenants were fighting a hopeless battle. Despite her ridiculous size, the naga was extremely agile. Combined with her ridiculous strength, a single blow - even if blocked with a shield, was more than enough to throw a skilled knight to the ground.

But then, the naga made a mistake - the gravest mistake that you could commit in the heat of battle. She was so concerned about the Tree being in danger, that she stopped looking at her opponents and instead gazed at me, trying to estimate the situation on the battlefield.

Someone as experienced as Godrick didn’t fail to use those few, precious, seconds well. Running at her from the side he rammed his sword deep into her side, cutting her belly open.

Not only that, from the distance I could hear loud “INCOMING!” followed by the sound of a heavy trigger being released as the ballista sent a colossal projectile into the air - targeting the easiest-to-hit target. In other words, the biggest. Which meant - the Naga.

Her arm was literally shredded away as her scales were ripped leaving a ragged wound around her left shoulder.

She screamed in agony and rage. Refocusing on the battle around her.

Lieutenants also pounded at the boss, momentarily distracted with pain, delivering a few lesser wounds, before she twisted in place, turning her colossal body and hitting them with her tail, once again, sending them away.

Bleeding, she moved back behind her offspring, hissing a chant of some spell in her ‘native language’.

You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] Iv - Sapling of the Black Oak - Idol of Twisted Fertility Remaining Essence: [5163/10 000]

I felt this strange, cold essence overflowing within my ‘veins’, clouding my mind with its euphoria of power.

Only then, a single thought appeared in my mind. That “the battle was going surprisingly well”, with me draining over 20% of total tree power in a surprisingly short period of time, with now only around half remaining.

Of course, I didn’t even manage to scold myself for jinxing fate in the middle of battle, as the Naga unleashed the spell that she was preparing.

Hundreds of water droplets started dancing over her head, slowly freezing into sharp icicles. For a split of a second, all of them stopped, hovering over her like arrows of death, before being shot at us at ridiculous speed, perfectly avoiding her kin.

Those warriors who managed to raise their shields or mages who quickly raised barriers managed to survive mostly unscathed, those who didn’t were turned into body rags with several holes. Though, not even a single drop of blood stained the ground as the wounds made by the icicles froze nearly instantly.

Again, using the short time when the Lions were busy protecting themselves from the vicious spell, the monsters pounced back onto the warriors, trying to once again turn the tide of battle to their favor.

This time, knowing what was coming, I decided to sever my connection with the Tree, just in time to see another wave of monsters about to attack the knights.

A flash of light reflected by iron appeared in the corner of my eyes as a small group of skirmishers came to aid us, attacking beasts from the side. Swords, small axes, daggers, and a single glaive danced among the enemies, causing chaos in the enemy ranks.

Warriors followed shortly after, cutting, slashing, and piercing, returning the favor to their colleagues, defending them now with their very own body before abominations could turn and strike the ‘vulnerable fighters’.

The claws and jaws were stopped by shields and spears as bodies of creatures were being hacked and chopped and cleaved with swords, axes, and hammers.

I noticed Agnes - fending off three attackers at once. Her long weapon kept on dancing in her palms, constantly changing places leaving small wounds on the beast’s bodies, yet she was still being constantly pushed back. Just in time, I jumped in, striking down a limb that was about to attack her from the side before she could react to it. Now, taking my spot on her side, back-to-back, we resumed the ‘unfair’ battle.

She pierced through the enemy core, as I rammed another monster with my sword, slashing vertically another beast. Agnes twisted her weapon, enlarging the hole before withdrawing her weapon and changing places with me, leaving me to finish the now wounded and slower abomination before it managed to regenerate. Strike with my shield sent it to the floor, then, I pierced its heart before it managed to rise back up, sucking the essence out of it, I didn’t allow our opponent to heal up.

Throughout all of this, we had been silent. We understood each other without words. They were unnecessary. We had the same teachers. We fought with the same enemies. We saw each other fighting on several occasions and had fought side by side multiple times.

On the battlefield, our minds were connected. This deadly dungeon was our dance floor and for each other, we were partners.

Cut, swing, pierce, dodge, block - change. Finish off, essence drain - repeat.

The tree was already raising new monsters from their slumber as I once again ran towards its, driving my sword into it and resuming the drainage.

You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] You have drained [200] essence from [Iv] Iv - Sapling of the Black Oak - Idol of Twisted Fertility Remaining Essence: [3479/10 000]

The tree was physically withering. Its roots were dying, leaves falling down, and fruits rotting while still on the branches.

Hirshia, seeing countless bodies of her child on the ground and the Tree that she thought to be her savior also about to fall, let out yet another confusing shriek. She was bleeding from her shoulder, mouth, abdomen, and more but seeing her birthing den filled with terror and death, caused her to completely give up on her defense and go straight for me - or so I thought.

Knocking warriors who were trying to stop her, suffering additional great wounds, she approached the Tree.

Mistaking it as a desperate act and trying to remove me from the battlefield, together with my ‘guards’ we stepped away from [Iv], wanting to fight her on the open ground where we would have an advantage.

This proved to be a great mistake…

She pounced on the tree, wrapping her tail around it, digging her claws and teeth into its bark.

And then, she started sucking on the Tree itself.

Iv, also sensing the Mother’s desires and seeming to understand her plan for it reached into her with branches and roots, tieing them around her, increasing the essence flow.

A powerful wind surrounded both the Tree and the Mother, not letting us get closer.

I was momentarily confused at what I was seeking. That murkey, dark, essence that was both in the Tree and in all the monsters began flowing in reverse. But, to my growing horror, it began concentrating not in the Tree but in Hirshia herself.

Iv - Sapling of the Black Oak - Idol of Twisted Fertility Remaining Essence: [2860/10 000] Iv - Sapling of the Black Oak - Idol of Twisted Fertility Remaining Essence: [1911/10 000] Iv - Sapling of the Black Oak - Idol of Twisted Fertility Remaining Essence: [1025/10 000] Iv - Sapling of the Black Oak - Idol of Twisted Fertility Remaining Essence: [339/10 000] Iv - Sapling of the Black Oak - Idol of Twisted Fertility Remaining Essence: [0/10 000]

She had drained it all, and with the Tree’s consent had done it in a span of moments.

The Tree turned into a dried shell, cracked, and crumbled into dust, as Hirsha kept on standing with her eyes closed - seemingly without any changes.

Then, her body flexed, she leaned forward, as if someone punched her in the guts, puking with blood and purple fluid.

Her back cracked open, pierced by sets of bones being covered in muscles, veins and skins - growing wings.

Her scales started to fall off, then regrowing, then fell off again only to grow once more. Bigger, thicker, darker, with a now changed pattern.

From her lower torso, she grew several limbs, making her take a stance of a tauric-creature.

Her face also cracked open, shedding like an old skin, revealing a face of a beast-woman, greatly human in appearance. Bah, based on her face alone she COULD be mistaken for a human, if not for two horns growing from her temples and few scales on her cheek.

Blinking a few times, she looked at us. Her expression changed, looking at us with no madness, no hatred. More with annoyance, like a gardener looking at weeds that had infiltrated her garden.

“Everything in my head…” IT whispered to itself “... of course that mere cold-blooded being wouldn’t be able to fulfill its role…” It moved a couple of times as if getting used to its new body “...And so, let the harvest begin…”

Raising her numerous frontal limbs she prepared for battle, or some culling of pests from her perspective.

Avatar of Iv - Deity of Bloody Harvest