I spent an entire half hour circling the tree and looking for more Alraune or possible ways up. The side opposite of her still had plenty of vines and thorns, but no extra threats. It offered a glimmer of opportunity. Better yet, due to the trunk’s girth, I doubted she could even reach me if she knew I was there. I started growing used to her scent as well, my queasiness fading and the alluring potency along with it. Overall, I grew hopeful.

To be extra sure of myself, I spent a few minutes reading up on the race to help avoid nasty surprises. Apparently, due to the race being primarily secluded for most of their lives, their language skills were low and typically their mentality was quite simple; thus making payment or a deal utterly improbable.

They lived for several dozen years. Every Spring they migrated to a new area, planted a bulb, grew it, and used that as their home throughout the year. They were also harvested by Hated to create powerful potions and tonics.

‘Harvested by Hated…?’ I wondered, lightly tapping the word ‘hated’. I flipped through the tome till I found the entry and began to read. ‘Hated, or often called Pyrates, are those who harvest sentient races for valuable materials. This can include organs, skin, blood, hair, nails, scales, and so on. The most notorious Pyrates are Mer Harvesters, an organized group who capture and bleed Mer in order to collect their valuable blood; they are the chief suppliers of Mer blood to the underground markets.’

“…That’s pretty disgusting. People can really suck in this world too…” I murmured quietly, closing the tome and packing it away. I didn’t want to read any more on that.

Time. I needed to get moving or risk sleeping in an unknown forest with god… no, goddess-knows-what.

I left my pack against a tree and placed Ditto on my back, having it latch on tightly and readying for the climb. I pondered whether to leave it down with the pack, but just the thought made me nervous. The distance from it felt so frightening, as if I was detaching a limb and leaving it vulnerable while I went on a hike. I guessed the overwhelming feeling came because of the contract. Such a trite thing.

I still decided to bring Ditto along anyway.

Double checking I had my knife sheathed at my side, I started forward. The first part was the easiest. And the most painful. I moved up to the thorny curling vines, their greens, browns, and hooked fangs intimidating. My eyes skimmed for an easy path through, and sadly, I found nothing.

With a sigh I resigned myself to my fate. I pulled out the knife and began cutting through the vines one by one. I did so quietly, slowly, in order to avoid drawing the Alraune’s notice.

One vine snapped. Another. And my knife slid through a third. My fingers occasionally snagged on the thorns, erupting in a wave of pain that had me trying to maneuver my fingers to avoid slicing any deeper; like trying to get a fishing hook out of the flesh. Minutes into the task, bloody, frowning, and with still so much to go through, I knew I hadn’t a prayer.

It would take at least an hour to even cut through all the vines, if not longer.

I considered just walking through, but I would probably bleed to death. Maybe magic? Combustion could work… but then I’d have to deal with the Alraune. Also, since it was such a weak spell, it would take at least a dozen tries before a path formed.

“Why can’t things just… work out?” I mumbled, turning to head back. I was just going to have to find another tree to climb.

When I turned around, I saw a thorny, thick, green vine-like tentacle hovering before me. As if watching me curiously.

I froze, “…crap.” Instantly I braced myself for being grabbed. Being hit. Attacked. Something. But nothing happened. It just hovered there, as if curiously watching.

‘Okay… okay…’ I took a few rapid breaths to calm down. It wasn’t attacking. Yet. Maybe I could get around it.

The tree line was just a few seconds away. It was in front of me. If I could get passed it and dash, I could lose it in the trees. If it would even reach that far.

I looked the tentacle over and saw that it was already pretty stretched, its veins pulled this and the underlying muscles tensed.

‘If I just get passed it, I’m in the clear… no sudden moves…’ I slowly began shifting to the right to avoid it and stepped into several thorns that quickly reminded me to avoid them. Hissing, I grit my teeth and continued moving that way still. A few bleeding cuts were better than a monster tentacle.

The shaking of the vines caused the thing to waver, pulling closer and toward where I touched the vines. I froze again. The tentacle did as well.

Realization hit me. It couldn’t see where I was, obviously… so the thorny vines were being used like the webbing a spider, for sensing a prey’s arrival and location. As long as I avoided hitting vines, I could move around it without issue.

I breathed a sigh of relief and tried to move my leg out of the vine. It didn’t work, several thorns having embedded themselves in my skin. The tentacle moved slightly closer. Tension gripped near the shin, with a hurting sensation pulsing from the wound.

Looking down, I found that five thorns clung to me like desperate hands wanting me to stay. The vine was strained, ready to make more noise and movement if I moved. Shifting toward the vine would cause the vines closest to shift. Pulling free would release all the tension and still make a racket.

‘To heck with it!’ I pulled my leg out, turning it so the thorns would slip free. The vine snapped back, rattling, and the tentacle zipped forward.

I braced. Closed my eyes slightly, waiting to be grabbed and dragged through the thorns to my doom.

But… the tentacle stopped right before it reached my leg, as if waiting for one final noise before attacking. It was rather low, now.

‘This is not good for my heart…’ Raising my foot high, I stepped over it with one, then with the other. I walked toward the trees, wiping the sweat from my brow with bloody fingers. ‘Safe.’

Relieved, I reached the tree line and stepped forward to truly grasp safety, when something grasped my ankle.

Something yanked. I fell. The ground became the sky and weightlessness met me. I dangled from my leg. It pulled me around the far side of the tree. Quickly. The world spun in a blurring array of mixing foliage. My breath left.

Seconds later, I dropped. I had no time to recover. No time to fully realize what had happened. I just fell into a gel substance, thick and sweet like honey, but more grainy. Hands and vines began to grab me. I caught glimpses of the Alraune. Of green and yellow vines.

I was pulled beneath the surface and noise vanished. My sight blurred with translucent yellow. The lustfully sweet liquid filled my mouth. A shadow crossed my vision.

Time passed. Or time didn’t pass. I wasn’t sure.

The moment the shadow cleared, I attacked her like a madman. I grabbed her arms and pulled myself against her body, wrestling her off me. Tentacles and vines yanked on my arms and legs and waist, but I fought all the harder, wildly grabbing at her.

Some part of me thought of Ditto. Thought of using a spell. Flash. Then Heal. Stun her, then shock her with an overpowering Heal.

Ditto obeyed, moving to my hands now holding the Alraune’s arms. It used the blood on my fingers. Its body glowed. I closed my eyes and a flash of light followed.

The vines loosed. Her hands released mine. Opening my eyes, I saw her covering her own in pain.

‘Heal!’ my mind shouted. Immediately Ditto sent a Heal spell into her. The vines released and the Alraune arched back, crying out in some muffled yell. Fighting whatever vines held me, I stood and popped myself out of the fluid. The bulb’s fluid only reached to my waist when I stood.

She was before me, shivering. A dark green blush covered her cheeks, her hands cupping them as she panted and tried to regain herself.

“Heal!” I shouted, not giving her the chance. Ditto glowed and flashed and sent a sparkle over her skin.

“Aaaahhn!” Her aroused voice plunged into the sky. Her hands grabbed her hair while a violent pleasure rippled through her body, causing it to writhe and tremble. A stronger blush thrilled her cheeks. Stars danced in her eyes.

I wasted no time. Sliding out my knife, I held it to her throat before she recovered. Her movements stopped. Breathing, practically vanished. Her eyes filled with terror as her body became still enough to be mistaken as stone.

I coughed, breathing in the overwhelming scent she gave, but the adrenaline and fear kept me sane. I kept the blade close, pressing slightly in, just to keep her from trying anything stupid.

“Now…” I wheezed, “…let’s talk.”