Chapter 57: MossHeads

"That really is one big tree." Mako skid to a stop as the dual Rookies arrived at the edge of NorthClaw. Hues glancing upwards, the blue haired teen did his best to gauge the distance from the roots to the very top of the green monstrosity. "What’s the height on it Jakky? I’m thinking a dozen kilometers. Maybe over that."

"It’s about 2 dozen. Just barely."

The redhead didn’t offer any further input as he slipped passed his compatriot. Giving Knox a small pat on the head as he walked by, Jak carefully noted the environment before him.

The Aramlian city had undergone a total reconstruction since the last time the two youths had been there. Under the light of the four moons fixed to the pinnacle of the starry night sky, almost nothing of the old NorthClaw remained.

Gone were the waves of beige colored sand along the city’s outskirts, replaced by a mix of luminescent moss and rather thick layer of overgrown weeds. Clusters of shrubs and fresh vegetation sprouted from the remains of collapsed buildings, thick vines having caused the walls of the infrastructures in question to crumple in on themselves. Trees as big as eight story buildings towered over everything else, their multicolored leaves glistening under the glow of the numerous moons.

Further back, sprouting from the base of the World Tree, roots a kilometer tall snaked their way through the remains of NorthClaw. Relatively smaller roots broke off from the parent root at seemingly random intervals, spreading out in every direction like disjointed feelers.

It truly was quite a sight. The sheer size of the roots alone was enough to cause most common adventurers to do a double take, let alone the height of the World Trees trunk and overarching branches. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that even some Rift Hunters would be entranced by the spectacle, enraptured by the beauty of not only the World Tree, but the bioluminescent moss and smaller trees with differing leaves.

With that being said, Jak was immediately on guard, drawing his glowing red katana from its sheath. Captivating or not, it was a scenery made with malicious intent.

"Be on your toes idiot. We’re moving in."

"Right behind you. Bonehead."

Noticing his friend display his weapon, Mako followed suit, grabbing the battle staff fixed to his back. Giving it a few twirls, the blue haired individual moved closer to Jak as the two made their way into NorthClaws confines. Knox was the last to follow, the beasts crimson eyes staring far into the distance, out towards the center of the World Tree.

The three of them walked in silence for a few minutes, none of them uttering the slightest sound as they trekked through the dense underbrush. Eyes peeled for any potential danger, the dual Rookies set a course for the center of NorthClaw, more specifically the base of the World Tree. For all their alertness though, not a soul entered their path. Apart from the cool wind rustling dangling leaves and fallen vegetation, nothing around them moved so much as an inch.

"It’s quiet." Jak was the first to speak up, resheathing his blade as he picked up the pace.

"Yeah," Mako readily agreed. "No sounds of fighting. No movement. No signs of a struggle either. Do you think they all evacuated after the trees appearance?"

Jak frowned. "The Blood Guard would have taken action after the evacuation. I doubt they would just leave without a fight."

"Then they were taken out?" - Mako

"It’s a strong possibility." - Jak

"Let’s get to the Parthenon then." Mako summoned some water to the tip of his staff. The liquid quickly coalesced into the shape of a curved blade. "The protection barrier around it should have saved those inside. If we’re lucky, Meru and Kruger will be there."

"Very well. Lead the way."

Shing! Shing!

The moment Jak gave the go ahead, the young Water Mage cut a path through the thick vegetation, slicing through it all like a hot knife through butter. After a swift and clean trim from Mako’s magic, a clean path in direction of the Parthenon was created.

"Easy as pie." - Mako

"Guess you’re good for something." - Jak

"Don’t worry Jakky. You’ll have your chance to show off. One day." - Mako

Behind Knox, unbeknownst to the bantering duo, a large bed of moss fixed to the floor began to shift and stir. A neon green-blue pair of orbs swirled into existence as the bed of moss grew taller and taller. With newly obtained eyes, it fixed its orbs onto the trio.

"Yeah. Sure." Jak rolled his eyes, glancing back towards Knox for a brief second. "Let’s just...SCATTER!!"

Without asking a single question, Mako jumped forwards from the spot he was standing. Jak followed suit as a giant fist made from luminescent moss slammed into the ground, right where the youths had been. A small shockwave rippled through the nearby area as the fist immediately retracted, the owner of it standing up fully. Leaning back, the unknown creature let out a small roar, slimy chunks of unidentifiable plants flying in every direction.

"What the heck is THAT?" Mako scrunched his face in disgust as he regained his composure. "A monster?"

"No. It’s just a misunderstood pet. Why don’t you try talking to it?" - Jak

"Piss off." - Mako

The creature was around the same height as that of a Goblin Guard, standing at a full 4 meters in height. Glowing green moss covered a good portion of their body, mixed in with that of regular moss, a puke green color that looked rather ugly under the moonlight. Water dripped from its feet and hands, a strange water that reeked of decaying flesh and rotten garbage, further adding to its already unpleasant appearance.

Needless to say, Jak and Mako weren’t the biggest fan of their newest friend. The fiery redhead drew his blade and the water Mage readied his staff.

"It’s a MossHead." Jak made a face, clearly annoyed by the smell. "I hate fighting these things."

"The heck is a MossHead?"

BOOM!

The monster didn’t bother waiting for Jak to explain as it lunged towards the blue haired Rookie. It’s fist once again struck the ground as Mako narrowly dodged it.

"It’s from the World of Noxta. It’s highly resistant to fire and has an irritating regeneration speed."

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Name: MossHead

Origin: World Of Noxta

Rank: Tier 5, Grade 2

Type: Plant. Tank

Information: Residing within the deep recesses of the planets forests, MossHeads are creatures that despise the light. Only active during the nights, these beings get their power from the environment, soaking in water and utilizing it in various ways. Highly aggressive and territorial.

Elemental Affinity: Earth and Water

Abilities: Regeneration (A), Fire Resistance (B), Water Absorption (A), Body Manipulation (B), Stealth (S)

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

"Noxta is starting to sound like a pain." Mako twirled his staff, preparing to start a counter attack.

"Grrrrr"

"Not you buddy," Mako corrected, raising his voice so the Lion could hear him.

"That’s definitely one way to put it." Jak leaned forward. "Don’t use any water magic. It’ll just absorb it."

CHOMP!

One of the MossHeads legs disappeared from its body as Knox, the Lion Of Ashes, made his reappearance, ripping a chunk of slimy vegetation away from the monster. Spitting the thick appendage out of its mouth, the Vox Lion let out a growl as he moved over to the side, giving Jak and Mako a clear shot.

"Move in."

As the MossHead was forced onto one knee, it’s lower leg rapidly regenerating, Mako rushed forward. With a sharp swipe of his own staff, the blue haired teen knocked the monster off its remaining leg, toppling it over. Quickly following up, Jak dashed from his spot, briefly disappearing from the starting point and than reappearing behind the toppled monstrosity.

Calmly resheathing his blade, Jak glanced back slightly as the MossHead erupted into clean yet uneven slices.

"That was pretty easy." Mako tapped his staff against his shoulder as he walked up to his red haired compatriot. "Thought you said you hate fighting these things."

"They can’t be sensed by the normal means," Jak explained. "Most of the monsters on Noxta have an ability that makes them undetectable with any of the senses except direct sound, smell and sight. You have to be up close and paying close attention to detect it."

"So that’s why we were caught unaware." Mako frowned. "Even Knox didn’t detect anything until the last second."

The Lion in question let out a low growl. Lifiting his leg, the feline began to literaly piss on the MossHeads disintegrating corpse.

"That aside, why was there a monster from the World Of Night here in ’Ard Araml?" Jak glanced from the monsters corpse over to the World Tree.

"I have a theory of sorts on that." Mako hit the butt of his staff against the floor. "The monster appeared after I cut a path to the Parthenon. It didn’t bother us before then. My guess? The monsters sole purpose is to protect the tree and the forest surrounding it. I’d say it’s an added effect of the True Magic Spell. Same way the plants from Noxta was summoned is the same way the MossHead was brought here."

"That could explain why it took over a month to activate the spell," Jak added, agreeing with Mako’s theory. "Generating monsters to guard the tree would cost an ample amount of power depending on the strength of the monsters."

"Yeah. Even more so if there’s MORE added effects."

BAMM!

Just like before, there was no hint or indication of the monsters presence. A fist the size of a tree trunk slammed into Jak, sending him flying into a collapsed house.

"Wow. You were right. They ARE pretty stealthy." - Mako

From across the path, Mako could hear Jaks reply. "Yeah.....go fuck yourself."

Mako laughed a little as he backed up, putting some space in betwixt him and the newly formed MossHead, narrowly avoiding another attempted punch. Another MossHead made its presence known, lumbering behind the first one shortly after Mako had finished preparing himself.

A third one appeared shortly after that. Then a fourth.

A fifth.

A sixth.

And a seventh.

From every direction, the MossHeads surrounded Mako. Gigantic amalgamations of slimy vegetation. They weren’t too keen on keeping quiet either, stomping on shrubs and knocking aside nearby trees.

"Crap. Jak! I think we got a problem."

"Grrrrr," Knox affirmed, moving in close to the blue haired teen.

"Not so funny now, is it?" The fiery redhead pulled himself out of the wall and onto his feet. A few MossHeads took note of him and immediately adjusted their course away from Mako.

"Yeah. Now it’s just annoying."