Dubhan was careful as he moved. One slow step at a time, keeping the blade of his scythe low and making sure it didn’t catch on any plants on the ground. It was a simple enough plan. He’d sneak around the rafflesia through the trees and move in to attack from one side, keeping it distracted for Allouet to attack with spells from the other side. With the advantage of stealth and numbers, even a rafflesia would be dealt with quickly.

There was a sound in the trees, a small animal running across a branch above the rafflesia. Dubhan didn’t even have time to see what the animal was before one of the vines shot up towards it. It grabbed the animal, a frosty mist rolling off the vine, then dragged the small furry thing off the tree branch and into its sharp-toothed maw in an instant. The branch was coated in a thin layer of ice where the vine came into contact with it. Perhaps there was a bit more to be worried about than Dubhan had originally expected. Too late for that now, though.

Dubhan ran towards the rafflesia, raising his scythe up as soon as there was space between the trees. As the scythe came down in an arc, the rafflesia’s vines came up to defend itself, forming more ice around them. The makeshift shield of ice was unnaturally strong and provided enough resistance that the scythe came to an abrupt stop, but still managed to slice through one of the vines.

Allouet took the opening, appearing from the trees before conjuring an arc of lightning, aimed precisely to strike the rafflesia in the back. Whatever counted as its back. The plant monster flailed, furious and pained. As it shook about, Dubhan spotted a cloud of pale red pollen spread into the air from its petals, falling into the air.

Dubhan hooked the scythe’s blade around the rafflesia where the stem met the flowery head, and leaped back away from the poisonous cloud, yanking the scythe back with him. The blade dug through the rafflesia and, in one quick motion, severed the flower clean from the rest, dropping the monster to the ground.

Dubhan kept his distance from the body of the rafflesia as the toxic pollen it had sprayed into the air dispersed and settled onto the ground amidst the grass. “That’s… fine for us to be around, right?’

Allouet was still watching the monster’s corpse for any signs of life, but when he realized Dubhan was speaking to him, said, “Ah… I… believe the pollen loses its toxicity quickly.”

Dubhan approached one of the rocks on the ground, kicking some stray dirt away from the bottom of it to reveal more of the glint under it. It seemed the directions they’d marked on their map were correct, this was the place. “Then… I think we can call this job a success! And hey, we didn’t even get chased by a furyhorn today!”

Allouet sighed. “Don’t… Don’t remind me of that while we’re here, please.”

Dubhan began to cross the distance back to Allouet, but stopped when he heard something. A rustling in the leaves nearby.

Allouet froze and Dubhan turned his attention to the trees. Suddenly, Allouet said, "There." He pointed, and Dubhan could see something shifting in the foliage where the trees had grown thicker again beyond this clearing. He lifted his scythe just as he spotted the red coloration of the petals. Another rafflesia.

This one was more prepared to act than the first had been, and it rushed forward faster than anything with no legs had any right to, wriggling ahead with several vines pushing it forward. Dubhan stepped before Allouet just in time to raise his scythe and block several of the frost-coated vines coming down atop them both.

Behind Dubhan and the second rafflesia, Allouet took a step back. He needed to clear distance to aim his spells without hitting Dubhan, intending to conjure more controlled shocks to strike the monsters. The moment he'd taken that step back, however, he heard more rustling behind him. Out of the corner of his eye, Allouet spotted a vine move among the trees. He turned around, spotted yet another rafflesia rising up over him in the trees. He raised him arms up in instinctive defense as one of the vines struck out at him, its thorns scraping his skin just before he felt the freezing cold seep through his coat and burn his skin, causing him to shout out in pain.

"Allouet!" In the brief moment Dubhan was distracted, more focused on his ally's well-being than his own, the rafflesia he'd faced off again gripped its vines around the scythe, threatening to yank it from his grip.

Allouet struggled in the grasp of the rafflesia, unable to free himself. Panic taking over, he conjured a mote of flame into his hand and shoved it straight towards the monster's mouth. The flame caught onto the petals surrounding the mouth, bringing about a hideous screech from it. The rafflesia let loose a cloud of its pollen, too close for Allouet to avoid, and he immediately felt the toxic dust invade his throat and his lungs, burning and choking him.

“No!” Dubhan screamed out the word and tightened his hold on his weapon, pulling back hard. With panic and fury began welling up inside him, a familiar black mist began to seep out from the blade of his weapon. It creeped out onto the rafflesia, sapping the strength from its vines. The monster's grip loosed, and Dubhan pulled the scythe free. He swung back, then brought the scythe through the flower that made up the rafflesia's head, causing this one to crumple to the ground before him. He turned to Allouet and the last remaining plant monster, allowing the mist to climb over his own body as he did.

The rafflesia backed away and released its hold on Allouet, allowing him to collapse to his knees as he coughed and gasped for breath.

Dubhan gave the rafflesia no chance to make more distance that that. It brought its vines up, some to defend itself with ice and some to lash out and attack, but Dubhan tore his scythe clean through them this time. As he did, remnants of the mist clung to the rafflesia and spread over its body, not draining this one of its strength, but causing it to seize up, unable to move. It toppled backward onto the ground, and Dubhan swung the scythe down to pierce through it and straight into the dirt below.

Dubhan allowed himself only a moment to breathe, clearing his focus and letting the mist surrounding him and his weapon fade. Then, he was running back to Allouet, dropping his scythe to the ground. "Allouet, stay with me! You'll be alright, you'll be—you'll be fine!"

Allouet was still struggling to breath from the poison, shaking. He managed to look up at Dubhan. “I—is it…” He broke into a ragged coughing fit.

“D—don't talk, Allouet, it's alright," Duban said. He knelt down and pulled Allouet into his arms to lift the warlock up from the ground. "I’m… I’m so sorry, I… You’ll be alright, it’s okay.” He hurried back for the path he and Allouet had come from, moving as quickly as he could manage.