Paladin Of The Forsaken Lands (Monster Crafting "Nature" Paladin Lit-Rpg) 128- The Offering

King Chronus—Hopes End

Chronus was walking through the town market browsing the most eclectic market stalls he had seen in ages. The stuff on sale in Hopes End was just weird by any standard. The stall he was looking at right now sold four kinds of enchanted bug repellent that could flat out kill any user under the first tier it was so toxic.

They also had these oversized antidote bottles filled with three shimring liquids, all held in different chambers that fluted up to the mouth, so when you drank, you got three separate, very powerful potions that supposedly wouldn’t kill you.

Chronus shrugged and went to the next stall. He supposed that a horrible potion brew that made you feel like your insides had liquified was certainly better than your insides actually liquifying because a random snake in the forsaken lands nibbled on you.

Before he could browse, a commotion pulled his gaze up the street to a checkpoint manned by Rembrand forces and a few of the duke's n. They had stopped a cart going from one end of the town to the other and were searching it “to make sure no one was smuggling the paladin.” The cart's driver was less than thrilled.

A weathered old shoe of a man with wrinkles that folded over into other wrinkles shouted down at the paladin. Chronus was pretty sure his na was Charles, and he was so ancient wizard that had retired here. “What’s the aning of this? I’m going from my damned workshop.” He pointed to a square building that faintly leaked pure white light. “To the fucking blacksmith.” He pointed half a block down the road to a square building that had faint hamring coming from it.

“It’s the law, old man.” A cocky young paladin said with a sneer and gestured for the n rifling through the car to continue. They tossed things out without care for their fragility, shattering more than one clay pot and scattering the fine glowing contents across the ground.

“Oops, sha. Be more cooperative next ti.” The paladin said and simply walked away, leaving Charles to curse quietly as he painfully pulled himself from his seat and began scooping up the glowing pellets by hand and setting them back into the cart.

Chronus frowned deeply, popping his fingers before walking over to help the old man. “Mind if I lend a hand?” Chronus said with a smile and started scooping the solidified magic he was delivering to the blacksmith.

Charles gave a thankful, sad smile. “Thank you, Leyland. I’m sorry a good sort like you is stuck here when we have these disrespectful curs trying to instigate a problem.”

“I’m sure they won’t be here forever.”

“Oh, they wouldn’t be here for more than the next damned five minutes if we didn’t have the threat of old Chronus looming. A few brats like this I can even handle. The archbishop might take William or Cedric to deal with if I'm being honest. But that’s a moot point; we can’t go against the king and win.”

Chronus gave a sad smile back, bunching his fists slightly. And just returned to helping Charles refill his cart. Charles clapped a friendly hand onto his shoulder and gave him a wink. “Don’t worry, we aren’t just lying down and taking it without making it at least a bad ti for them.”

Chronus knew exactly what he was talking about. He had been paying very close attention to the situation. Firstly, there was a damned good rogue running around the town planting little patches of the forest Vrax left behind fucking everywhere.

It was actually kind of amazing to watch for Chronus and a stark reminder of how dangerous Vrax actually was. They still hadn’t managed to completely get rid of the adapted foliage he had spread towards town; it was scattered, burned remnants now instead of a dense tangle. But every single day new plants sprouted up where they thought they had scoured the ground down to the very hardpack loam.

That was in addition to the patches the rogue kept planting on the outskirts of town. At night now, if you went on the walls, occasional green glimrs could be seen scattered around, with a squad of paladins marching to it to try and smite it from existence.

Overall the town was faring better, or at least fewer people had gotten themselves arrested than Chronus expected for an occupation designed to rile them up. He felt for them; he really did. It was painful for him to walk back to browsing the stalls like he was powerless to end this.

But the rules he had in place had lasted for nearly five hundred years of peace because they were immutable; even he didn’t break them. It wasn’t just this town he had to worry about; his kingdom was ho to tens of millions and quite probably holding back an evil from overrunning the continent.

He had already started the process to free the town by giving Vrax his covert approval. What Vrax didn’t know was the loss of the town. Would trigger a three-hundred-year-old law that Chronus hadn’t used since he penned it.

Any anointed duke who loses one-tenth of his lands or, and this was the important bit, more than ten percent of their tax revenue through malfeasance or ineptitude in one year was subject to an audit at the king's pleasure.

Hope’s End provided so many exorbitantly expensive trade goods that it accounted for almost exactly twelve percent of all the duchy’s revenue. According to Chronu’s very well-paid bean counters.

So if Vrax won and managed to hold the duke for a little while, Chronus would be seeing this region shift to new managent peacefully, legally, and with perfectly due cause. Blacking the church of Rembrandt’s eye was just a bonus.

So he browsed so scented candles made from exotic spices and tried to forget for five damn minutes that he held the lives of millions in his hands and could turn this town to sand. This was one of those days he wished he had simply stayed in his father's cozy watch shop instead of venturing off to war for his grandfather.

Vraxious- The Forsaken lands

Vrax had trekked for several days back to the Ravenous grove, dropped off his treasures and new eggs, and then imdiately left without giving anyone the chance to interrupt him with pesky things like kingly duties.

The only one he had even spoken to was Stereos, a quick little “Hi, I didn’t die yet; going to go find an ancient beast, bye.” Thankfully the bookworm was more than happy to leave it at that and get back to his research.

Now nearly two days later, Vrax was finally approaching the rough area where he had first encountered the serpent of bloom; he was being damned careful. The odds of him running into Rembrand’s forces this close to town were much higher. Earlier that day he had been scouting from the top of a tree and seen faint greenish smoke trickling from the direction of town.

It was a ssage from Feldwin that they had agreed upon nearly a month ago now. Red smoke for “holy shit, co help, they are trying to kill us.” Yellow smoke ant that things had gotten worse and the town was probably under observation. Green roughly ant the paladins are on the crusade and posted up in town, but all is as good as it can be.

Vrax might take a peek nearby the town later and see if he could make the occupiers' lives more difficult, but for now he needed to find that damned snake. He and Malice thundered through the field of flicker grass to the grand tree rising proud above its neighbors, where he had last seen the serpent of bloom.

There was still a scar across the land completely overrun in flowering roses where it had utterly obliterated a forsaken wolf last ti he was here. Vrax looked over the tree, hoping that he would be laughably lucky and the Serpent would just be presiding in its grand branches. Of course it wasn’t. He started making slow circles out from it, stopping every quarter league or so to use his enhanced hearing. Listening for that sorrowful, songlike sound the serpent was accompanied by.

On his fourth stop he heard a strange dragging sound like corpses being trailed across the ground and hopped off Malice quickly, blending into a thicket in case he was being hunted by sothing.

A tree was roughly dragging itself across the ground in rough, inching, wormlike movents, hundreds of blood-red roots trailing behind it, groping around hungrily. The tree lifted its top up slightly and surveyed the area ahead of it with an angry pair of dull eyes set above a wide toothless mouth. Predators gaze confird what Vrax already knew [Blood Root Tier-1](Lvl 44)[Threat:low]

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Oh psshh… it's just a bloodroot... ha. I rember when I hid from you guys like my life depended on it…Well, it definitely did, but still, here, et a better version of you!

Vrax’s Stigmata flared out, lting the nearby undergrowth and summoning a single mangler tree he had grabbed on his way back through the Grove. The bloodroot looked almost offended as the mangler tree's eye locked onto it.

Vrax started climbing a nearby tree to get a good vantage point while one of the forsaken land's classic tree monsters t its replacent. Vrax spared a glance back to at least see if the Blood Root would put up a good fight. He didn’t expect it to have a good ti; it fought by exsanguinating its victims with the roots and sucking up the nutritional goodness.

There was a crunch, when the mauler tree rushed up and damn near stepped on the other hungry tree's face before clamping onto its head region and doing its signature full-bodied heave. Vrax flinched as an eyeball smacked against his cloak and bits of red plant matter fluttered wetly through the trees.

“Okay, geez, that isn’t even much of a fight. Moving along!” He kept climbing until he found a good branch to peer from.

He could see Sourceless falls jutting above the landscape in the distance and a faint trail of sickly looking smoke from the ashen stands. He slowly let his vision creep across the treetops until he saw sothing at least promising. Another tree that stood proudly apart from its neighbors had thick, curling branches with almost too-green, dense leaves in clusters that looked nearly artificial.

I an that’s at least halfway promising, onward to the extra impressive tree!

The mauler tree shuffled by under Vrax’s lookout branch towards a feline beast that had been sneaking up under Vrax, probably trying to ambush him when he climbed back down. Right now it was bristling its blue fur in a poofy threat display and questioning its life choices as the tree kept on chugging, obviously not caring if it got clawed.

“Oh dammit, stand still so I can add you back to the nagerie!” Vrax complained before lightly dropping from the tree, rolling onto his feet, and rushing after the mauler before it got sidetracked with another monster after the cat and wandered off too far. So far his recall attempts on them had worked exactly zero tis. They just had no shits to give.

***

Vrax slowed Malice to a “gentle” trot as they approached the massive tree; it was even more impressive up close. It looked too perfect, too healthy; it had normal wear and tear on its bark, but everything about it practically exuded life energy. Even the flowers growing around its base were so plump their stems could barely hold them up.

I an...Serpent of the Bloom with a freakishly healthy treehouse fits.

Almost as if greeting him, a haunting lody began whispering on the wind, caressing around the edges of Vrax’s mind. There was sothing different about it this ti it seed familiar it took Vrax a mont to place it .

The song had a raw, primal edge, equal parts promise of beauty and violence. It cast a slight chill down his spine. He finally realized what made it so familiar—it carried the faintest traces of Vurune's power. That raw, primal edge that the feast father, as so many called him, exuded.

Vrax sent Malice back to the nagerie with a tap and slowly approached the tree. He used his free hand to pull free the trophy from the erald predator and held it high. His spear was kept at the ready, and his eyes roved over the ground and the nearby trees.

It was here, and he needed to be ready. If this went wrong, he would be in a fight for his life against a nearly tier three divine beast. He almost certainly wouldn’t win a straight up fight but he would be damned if he just let it eat him without one hell of a fight. Best case, he might be able to maim it enough to escape.

Vrax stopped, standing in the open ten strides from the tree. His skin prickled as the sound of scales sliding against bark echoed from above him. Standing in the open like this was damned torturous for him; he would much rather be stuffed in a bush sowhere and throw the trophy into the clearing, but the trial was clear: he had to present it to the holy beast.

He pulled up the trial description one last ti, making damn sure he hadn’t missed anything.

[Predator’s Recognition]

Slay a worthy Apex Predator of the Forsaken Lands. By the might of your hand and with the aid of your non Colossus, adapted entities. Your kill must be presented to one of the last of Vurune’s original holy beasts still stalking the lands. The Serpent of Bloom, the Everchanging Spider, the Dragon of Decay, or the Mycelium of Death. If it judges your prey as worthy, you will pass the trial; if not. Your trial will change to defeat the [Serpent of Bloom, the Tier-2](Lvl88) least of Vurune’s Holy Beasts.

Nope, it calls for to damn near feed myself to the thing. Alright, serpent of bloom, co on down and judge the prey. If you think it isn’t impressive firstly, fuck you I killed a enemy a tier above that had eaten god knows how many adventurers and secondly get ready to get stabbed in your stupid face.

The Serpent of Bloom suddenly wrapped down the tree above him. It was still a startling creature with long crystalline fangs, forest green scales, and dripping in lichen and moss that would make it look like just another patch of foliage when it was still.

Its malevolent eyes locked with Vrax’s held visage as he looked up at it. He held the trophy in front of himself and adjusted his grip on his spear. The serpent didn’t descend like he thought it would. Instead he felt it start to rifle through his mind, like it had when he had first started out on his pilgrimage.

He grimaced; it was far more unpleasant this ti. His ntal defenses felt like a gate in his mind that had been pried open to let a slithering invader inside. The Serpent paused, seemingly amused at his fights with Rembrand’s Paladins, and nodded approvingly as the Kings Claim mory sprung unbidden to the front of Vrax’s thoughts.

It shuffled ahead to where he and his creatures had killed the bedlam guard, pausing in confusion and what he assud was pleasant surprise as it realized that wasn’t the quarry they had brought a trophy of.

Wait, are you shitting ? Would the Bedlam have been enough?

Then the serpent replayed almost the entirety of Vrax’s battle against the erald predator, slowing through each decisive blow and near-death mont. It withdrew from his mind like a serpent slithering out of a cave. Vrax sagged in relief; he hadn’t realized how rigid he had beco for that process.

The serpent gave him the subtlest of nods and wound back around the tree, disappearing into the boughs above.

Vrax stood there in disbelief for a good few heartbeats. “Wait, that was it? Did I fucking pass you overgrown garder sna..” He cut himself off mid-shout as a pair of system notifications flashed into his vision.

[Trial Completed]

[Achievent Granted]

[Legendary Hunt]

You have slain a beast far beyond what was required for the approval of your deity and completion of your trial.

[Reward]

[Talent Evolution]

[Forest Strider] [Evolution Available]

The forest around you will subtly aid your movent based on intent, be that speed or stealth.

[Passive]

Vrax didn’t even get to react to the fantastic reward before he felt himself forcibly drawn into his sanctuary by the pull of Vurune’s power. Apparently this upgrade was of the right the hell now variety.

His sanctuary materialized around him for about half a second before his view was drawn to the god's-eye view of the cloaked man in a glade he was so used to for skill selections.

Man, I bet my body dropped like a damn sack of potatoes in the real world; that snake better not eat .

The glade this ti was a shimring marsh of ankle-high water filled with wide-flanged, capped mushrooms that sparkled with an inner blue light. The mushrooms ca nearly to the man's shoulders in height. He crept through them towards a troll-like beast covered in shaggy red fur with claws that could cut a horse in half.

The man stepped across the marshy ground, his every step materializing a water lily that carried him across the waters without a single splash or even the hint of sound. The mushrooms in a vast swath around him shifted their colors in a brilliantly subtle way, angling their shadows so that he was never illuminated.

The man continued forwards, striking at the beast. Then darting back into the cover of the mushrooms as it whirled to respond. He played a ga of cat and mouse with it, his every motion, even when he wasn’t near the plants, shrouded in subtle shadows, disappearing from the beast’s gaze with deft steps and quick rolls only to strike again from another angle.

Okay, so this evolution just takes what Forest Strider already does and makes it much, much stronger. Would the branches above shift so that my every step in the forsaken lands was in shadow? I would be a pain in the ass to fight; it's not invisibility, but it's certainly disorienting.

And the lilies his steps are summoning—if this lets walk on water too, if plants are around, that’s honestly hilarious and exactly the kind of thing that would save my life in so dire situation.

The glade reset this ti; the ground was covered in an eclectic mix of shrubs, dense grass, and carnivorous plants shifting around eerily. A few willows were dotted across the glade, slightly breaking up sightlines. The cloaked man was nowhere to be seen; instead, a trio of gold-armored figures cautiously walked down the center of the grove, weapons in hand.

As they passed a willow tree, Vrax noticed slight movent: the cloaked man's held head turning to track them with a slight shimring of light browns as the haze of magic obscuring him faltered.

He followed then in a slow crouch, the forest bending slightly to aid him and keep him in the shadows. Every ti he paused, he slowly blended back into his surroundings with near-perfect invisibility.

He stalked them this way, approaching all the way to within arm's reach of one man's back before striking. Two were dead before they even realized they were under attack the final whirled only to see his opponents form slowly shifting back to match the surroundings.

Alright, that’s not a half-bad option! Actual invisibility, although only when you are sitting still—I could see how damned good that could be for , especially with most of my power coming from my critters. But honestly I like to fight too, and it doesn’t seem like it would do much if I'm moving fast.

Vrax selected the first option that seed like an almost straight upgrade to his existing talent instead of a twist on it. The description and na changed after the evolution.

[Forest Specter]

The forest around you will drastically aid your movent based on intent, be that speed or stealth.

[Passive]

Thank you, Vurune! I would solidly say that’s a good reward for nearly getting eaten. Now let’s find a safe spot and spend so ti leveling up. I have a ton of essence to spend and a new skill to select.