《The Vines of Bramblekeep》 VINES!!! In this universe, there are many planets classified under the extremely scientific label: Magicky places. One of these magicky places is a planet called Etchex; magic is scarce here, but powerful and dangerous. Fortunately, this planet does not have technology suitable for space exploration, or else the Court of Galactic Defence would take steps to remove it from this dimension. It is, however, a Class 4 threat. As such, researchers and their security detail must undergo a rigorous and lengthy preparation stage before visiting. This is not because there are many dangerous people who wield magic, but because the magic moves through the land and at any moment the ground beneath their feet, or the trees above their heads could turn against them. Usually, the magic of the land swirls about the planet like a maelstrom or a hurricane. But there are some places in which the magic lingers. Settling in like the dregs of water collecting in a pothole after a storm. We classify these places as Magic Puddles. These are incredibly dangerous and generally hostile, for reasons that are as of yet unknown. In the pursuit of elucidation, we have sent one of our researchers and a troupe of soldiers to investigate one such Puddle. In the region of the planet translated as Valarc, there is a forest that the locals call Valkoi Netsa, or in English, the White Forest. The locals tell many legends about the White Forest, and the ruins within. According to them, many hundreds of years ago Valarc was under the jurisdiction of Duke Cavren, his counts and barons scattered about the land. There are legends that say the Duke went mad and had a witch brought in to curse the land. Others say that Baron Hidness was a mage himself, and tried to blackmail Cavren into naming him the next Duke. When Cavren refused, Hidness cursed the land. Others say that the three Counts of Valarc worked together to destroy the Duke, and magic itself cursed the region in anger. We are fairly certain that these legends are simply that, but we must keep them in mind while investigating regardless. We have sent one Elissa Davis to investigate, and now direct you towards the screen. We have a camouflaged drone following behind her, so as to gather an unbiased perspective on the mission, to contrast with her own reports. ~~,~¡¯~~~,~,~~¡¯~,~~~ The trek through Valarc to get to the White Forest had been perilous at best. Two of the six soldiers sent as Elissa¡¯s security detail were injured, and a third, while unharmed, had nearly died to a sudden extreme quicksand encounter. The quicksand, or whatever it was, solidified back into a hard clay as soon as the soldier had sunk into it. The soldier then proceeded to shout that something was pulling him down. The danger wasn¡¯t his being pulled down to suffocate, but being torn in half, since the clay wasn¡¯t letting him sink, and whatever pulled at him was strong enough that it was a genuine possibility. They¡¯d gotten out of that situation alive and unharmed, but now, staring at the looming forest before them, every single one of the team was second-guessing their decision to stay. True to its name, every single tree in the White Forest was a dry, bony white color, the leaves a drained, de-saturated grey, the veins standing out against the leaf in the same white as the bark. The types of tree were all different, though none recognizable to the team except from the files on alien flora. The similarly pale underbrush grew thick on the forest floor. Dark green and purple ivy draped from many of the tree branches, while a deep, blood red moss crawled up the trunks. Both of these factors causing the supposedly bright forest to appear quite dark. One of the soldiers, a young man from the Southern colony, cleared his throat. ¡°May I ask why we¡¯re going into the creepy death forest again?¡± Elissa chuckled wanly. ¡°Bramblekeep castle isn¡¯t too terribly far from the edge of the forest, only a day¡¯s walk according to the locals. According to one of the legends, Count Keuric was the head of the secret alliance, and he was supposedly good friends with Hidness, so it would be most beneficial to explore whatever¡¯s left of it.¡± The soldier nodded. ¡°Will it be worth it?¡± Elissa laughed. ¡°Of course it will be. Even if we find out that there was a conspiracy after all, and yet it wasn¡¯t any that we were aware of, we¡¯ll still have learned something.¡± The soldier seemed fine with that, but one of the older soldiers, one who¡¯d gotten his arm nearly bitten off by a wild thugad (which looked like an alien cow, but was faster than a wolf and had teeth as sharp as knives), stepped forward. ¡°What if one of us dies? Will it be worth it then?¡± Elissa hesitated. ¡°What if all six of us die? Will it still be worth it then, miss?¡± ¡°This research could-¡± The soldier interrupted. ¡°What if you die. What if all seven of us die, and the drone is the only thing to make it back. Will it be worth it then?¡± Elissa took a deep breath. ¡°This research could lead to us solving the problem, and either calming, or getting rid of the magic puddles. If we were able to do that, that could save thousands of researchers and soldiers, let alone the number of natives we could save. The magic puddles serve no purpose but death, and if seven deaths can help save so many then yes. It is worth it.¡± The soldier stared at her for a moment. ¡°Alright missy. Tell me that same thing once we¡¯re done here, and lives have been lost.¡± Elissa held the soldier¡¯s iron glare for barely a second longer, before she turned away. ¡°Let¡¯s go and find this castle.¡± The soldiers fell into position around her as they marched forward, ducking under some particularly low-hanging ivy, and entering the shadow of the White Forest. Shortly after entering, the darkness grew enough that it almost could be mistaken for nighttime. The pale trees and foliage stood out dimly, but the dark moss and vines created eerie shapes in the darkness.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Faces leering out of the branches, alien monsters prowling after them, slender, humanoid figures lurking in the background. All of them mocking Elissa. Was this a fool¡¯s errand after all? Should she have insisted on a bigger escort? Should she have taken a smaller escort? Should she have taken a smaller, less dangerous mission? What if- A shout interrupted her doubts, drawing her attention to one of the five younger soldiers. He¡¯d drawn his sword and was glaring at the underbrush. The older soldier drew his own sword and stepped over. ¡°What is it, Arthur? What did you see?¡± The soldier, Arthur apparently, didn¡¯t look up from the ground. ¡°A big snake just brushed against my leg, and judging from the attitudes of all the other critters we¡¯ve come across, I have a bad feeling about it.¡± The older soldier nodded. ¡°Keep an eye out, gents, but lets keep moving. No sense waiting.¡± Elissa suddenly felt far less comfortable walking through the forest. Now it wasn¡¯t just creepy shadows and silhouettes. Now there were snakes, which meant there were other forest creatures, which meant that there were far more dangers and creatures for the magic puddle to inhabit, or whatever it did to them. The darkness grew deeper as they ventured further, the plants growing taller and more twisted, and the ivies hung lower, obscuring everything before them. The group didn¡¯t encounter the snake again, and nothing truly terrible happened for the remainder of the day, though there were many scares, and Elissa couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of eyes following her. She had thought that telling night from day would have been impossible in the forest, but as they kept going, their vision abruptly dropped to practically non-existent as night actually arrived. The only light was a slight luminescence from the veins of the leaves above them, but it wasn¡¯t enough to illuminate the ground where they walked. About an hour after it got darker, the party stopped to take their energy shots, so they didn¡¯t have to sleep in a forest that would actively try to kill them. The younger soldiers, including the one who had initially asked her if this would all be worth it, all chatted quietly, talking about what they had wanted to do before they¡¯d become soldiers, what their families were like, what their hobbies were, and what they still wanted to do. They didn¡¯t share their names, which Elissa was a bit disappointed by, but logically the four of them would already know their names if they had trained together around the same time. The older soldier didn¡¯t join the conversation, though he made no effort to quiet them and actually looked entertained, but he did stay a little ways ahead of the group, sword still in hand, his other hand hovering near the gun strapped to his belt. As they kept walking, Elissa began to wonder if they were going the wrong direction, or if the entire existence of Bramblekeep was a fabrication. Quite a bit of time passed before they finally arrived at their destination. The ivy hanging from the trees was incredibly thick at this point, and it took some doing to push through it, but once Elissa emerged on the other side, her eyes widened and she couldn¡¯t help but grin. Standing square in the middle of a large clearing, sat a strange structure adorned with the luminous veins of leaves. ¡®Twas strange only because it looked so similar to a European castle, but with a far smoother, more twisting design to it. Of course, the finer details of the structure were hidden beneath the plethora of vines that wound up and around it, along with the same red moss creeping up from the foundation. ¡°We did it!¡± Elissa exclaimed, hurrying forward. ¡°Come on, we should get started already!¡± The older soldier caught her arm. ¡°Now hold on, miss. This is an old building in a hotspot for aggressive magic. With all due respect, I think I should check it out first.¡± He turned to the other soldiers. ¡°Check the perimeter. If I don¡¯t return in fifteen, take the lady home. Understand?¡± The remaining soldiers nodded, scattering to do as instructed. Elissa crossed her arms. ¡°Listen, I understand the need for caution. I truly do. But we can¡¯t come all this way for nothing.¡± The older soldier glared at her. ¡°You haven¡¯t noticed have you?¡± ¡°Noticed what?¡± Instead of answering, the soldier took two steps closer and leaned forward menacingly. ¡°If I don¡¯t come back, my men are leaving with or without you. You can stay here and study this house until my corpse is a skeleton of dust, but I will not make any of my soldiers die for your little research project.¡± He straightened up and turned back to the house, marching off without another word. Elissa frowned. What had she missed? The grizzled soldier had been calling all the shots, so it wasn¡¯t like she could have led them wrong, or made a wrong decision. She was jarred out of her musings as one of the creepy humanoid shadows of ivy dropped to the ground with a rustle. One of the soldiers rushed over at her yelp of fear. ¡°Where¡¯s the trouble?¡± He asked intensely, both gun and sword in hand. Elissa pointed to where the ivy had fallen. ¡°Some ivy fell and startled me,¡± she replied, her voice wavering despite her best efforts. The soldier, contrary to her expectation, nodded seriously, holstering his gun and gripping his sword better. He crept off into the woods and, upon finding the offending pile of leaves, stabbed it several times, chopping it into pieces that were about the length of a hand. Once he was done with that, he straightened, glancing around to make sure no other plants dared fall from their branches. Upon ensuring just that, he poked the remains of the first offender, scattering them about before returning. He nodded at Elissa, saluting her with his sword. ¡°If you see anything else suspicious, don¡¯t hesitate to shout. And well spotted.¡± Elissa frowned at his rather extreme reaction to falling vines. Sure, they¡¯d seen the land do some pretty crazy things, but since they¡¯d been in the forest nothing had happened to cause alarm, and they hadn¡¯t been that jumpy beforehand. She decided not to worry about it too much, and was saved from trying not to think about it further by the return of the older soldier, who Elissa was considering nick-naming Gruff, just so she could think of him by something other than ¡®the older soldier¡¯. He whistled sharply, and the younger soldiers scampered over. ¡°Is the perimeter secure?¡± He asked as soon as they had all gathered. One of the other young soldiers, not the one who had murdered the offending ivies, nodded. ¡°Yes sir. Perimeter secured with minimal encounters.¡± ¡°Minimal?¡± The ivy killer (Elissa was thinking of thinking of him as Clarence for some reason) stepped forward. ¡°Ms. Davis caught a potential problem before it escalated into something troubling, quickly and effectively calling for backup. I took care of it to the best of my ability, and found no other problems in the vicinity.¡± Gruff nodded. ¡°Well done. The building seems structurally sound, and I didn¡¯t encounter any enemies or traps, so I think that it¡¯s safe to explore.¡± Elissa stepped forward eagerly. ¡°Excellent! Any last-minute warnings, or can I get started?¡± Gruff almost sneered at her. ¡°Did you figure it out yet?¡± At her confused silence, he scoffed. ¡°Then by all means, go ahead. You and you, stand guard at the door. Let nothing in, and if you hear screams or yells, or anything out of the ordinary, try to make it home, understand?¡± The two he¡¯d pointed out nodded and took up posts at the moss-covered archway that led into the castle. Gruff turned to Elissa and nodded shortly, prompting her to take the lead. She hurried quickly, yet carefully into the old building, Gruff, Clarence, and the other young soldier following behind her. The architecture was beautifully done, hard stone and metal carved into soft swoops and swirls, making the walls, floors, and ceiling blend together like cloth. The vines, moss, and ivies from outside were still everywhere inside. Thick vines trailed across the floor, thinner ones winding up barely noticeable pillars, and underneath all of it a thick layer of moss. Elissa happily bottle up samples of each and labeled them, just in case the inside of the house had any significant impact on the growth thereof. The first couple of rooms were surprisingly sparse as she went on with her exploration, and those that had much furniture usually were just empty counters, tables, chairs and whatnot. In fact, it wasn¡¯t just the first couple of rooms that were useless, but the entire first floor seemed almost determined to have nothing interesting in it. The furniture was alien and pretty, and the general architecture continued to impress, but other than that there was no art, no books, no writing of any sort, and no musical instruments. No ancient food containers, no cracked pottery or shattered dishware. Not even any mundane silverware or cooking utensils. Then they found the Staircase. VINES!!! (Pt. 2) The Staircase was a single, straight flight of stairs leading up into an eerie, inky blackness. Vines and ivy lined the steps and draped down the sheer rock walls that flanked the steps. Elissa started for the stairs, but Gruff once again grabbed her arm. ¡°Hold up missy. I didn¡¯t head up there before. This has been too easy, and I don¡¯t trust that the magic isn¡¯t trying to lull us into a false sense of security.¡± Elissa crossed her arms. ¡°I¡¯ll wait then. By all means, check it out and come back once you figure out that it¡¯s safe.¡± Gruff narrowed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not the sort to let ignorant pride get my people killed. If you want to head up into the obviously evil miasma of death, be my guest, but I am not sending my men up there.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Nothing has gone wrong, so why are you so tense? In the worst case scenario, something starts going weird and we book it out of here. No harm no foul.¡± Gruff¡¯s narrowed eyes widened slightly and Elissa could see his jaw tighten. ¡°Nothing has gone wrong, ey? No harm no foul. Is that right? Well let me ask you something. In your many years as an illustrious researcher, did you ever learn to count?¡± Elissa widened her eyes in mock surprise. ¡°Oh you know,¡± she said in a similarly mocking tone, ¡°I don¡¯t think that in the seven years of advanced galactic courses I ever learned how to do that. You know, maybe I should take the basic courses again, see if they teach it now.¡± ¡°Maybe you should. How many of us are there, missy. Tell me that.¡± She rolled her eyes again, but answered the question. ¡°Seven. Myself and a security detail of six.¡± Gruff glared at her, but didn¡¯t say anything. After a solid twenty seconds, Elissa shifted uncomfortably. ¡°What?¡± she finally snapped. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Three soldiers up here. Two at the door. You. Count again, genius.¡± Elissa¡¯s heart dropped and her stomach tightened. She suddenly felt cold. ¡°W-What do you mean? Did you leave someone at the edge of the forest?¡± Surely we would have left someone back to guard the transport, right? ¡­ ¡°Did¡­ did one of them ask to go back home? Did he lose his nerve or something?¡± After another moment of silent, steely glaring, Gruff nodded his head towards the stairs. ¡°Have fun up there, missy. Hope you get enough info before you and your little drone get torn to pieces.¡± He gestured for Clarence and the other soldier to follow him back through the house. Elissa only had to watch them walk away in silent shock for a moment, because the silence was soon broken by a pair of shouts, which morphed into a single panicked scream. Gruff and the two soldiers turned and ran back to Elissa. ¡°Forget about going upstairs we¡¯re getting out through a window right now.¡± The screaming hadn¡¯t stopped. ¡°Wh-what about them? What about¡­ about-¡± she strained to remember his name, ¡°-Arthur. What about Ar-¡± ¡°Arthur is the one you didn¡¯t notice. Now MOVE.¡± Clarence spoke up, voice obviously tense, but it did waver one note. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any windows yet, sir. I think they¡¯re all on upper floors.¡± Gruff swore, which shocked Elissa out of her daze. ¡°But, those two could still be ali-¡± the scream abruptly stopped. ¡°-ve¡­¡± Gruff glanced around and swore again. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ll get your wish after all, miss. Everyone up the stairs.¡± He took the lead, sword out and at the ready. The other soldier pushed Elissa forward, while Clarence pulled out his gun and followed them backward up the stairs, keeping an eye out behind them. As they approached the darkness it became more and more evident that it was not natural darkness, sitting as a sort of sheet over the top step to the landing. In order to get out, they would have to go through it. Gruff didn¡¯t hesitate, stepping into it without missing a beat. He poked his head out immediately thereafter. ¡°It didn¡¯t kill me, so it¡¯s better than whatever¡¯s down there, come on!¡± Elissa wasn¡¯t given a chance to think, as the other soldier (I should give him a nickname too¡­) dragged her forwards through it. She¡¯d been expecting the darkness to be cold, but it just felt like running through a silk blanket. The upstairs was even more covered in greenery, leaves crunching beneath her feet with every step, and ivy caressing her face as it hung from ceiling. ¡°Get a move on!¡± Gruff shouted from halfway down a hall. Elissa was pushed along. She turned her head to see if Clarence still followed, but he hadn¡¯t come through yet. ¡°Wait, we need to wait for-¡± ¡°He¡¯d dead or dying, Davis! Move!¡± She was dragged along by- (Dead¡­ dying¡­ why didn¡¯t I give the door-guards nicknames either?) -as they followed Gruff through a maze of creepers, climbers, crawlers, and all manner of leafery. They finally reached a window, the hanging plants stopping a foot or two away from the sill. Gruff peered down. ¡°Good, there are vines here. Grab on, but don¡¯t hold on too tight. Just follow it down as fast as you c-¡± Elissa screamed. She¡¯d been looking out at the forest. The moss, the dark, dark red moss was dripping, sliding off the trees like- (No!) -a liquid. Running down, surrounding the castle in a moat of red moss. ¡°Sunev take it all!¡± Gruff swore, shocking Elissa out of her horror again. But to her surprise, he wasn¡¯t looking at the moss. He had turned back towards the hall and was staring at the ivies. They shivered with an unnatural breeze, twisting around, slowly moving like a million tentacles reaching out for something to grab. Gruff turned to look back out the window, but more moss streamed in from the forest. He looked back at the ivies. ¡°Hang it all. Moss can¡¯t strangle you. Out the-¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°No.¡± The other soldier pulled his gun and switched his sword to his right hand. ¡°The last research team found that the moss is toxic. That much would kill you just as surely as if I stabbed you right now.¡± He turned to Gruff. ¡°Sir.¡± Elissa could tell that there were leagues being said with that one word, but she didn¡¯t, or couldn¡¯t know what it was. She glanced back down the hall and nearly screamed again. The ivies weren¡¯t slowly, calmly reaching around anymore. They strained forward towards them. But aside from that, the thick vines that had been climbing the stairs, had evidently finished their climb, because they now slithered down the hall like great, leafy snakes. BANG! A loud ringing filled her ears, and several more shots were fired into the thickest of the vines. They didn¡¯t stop, slithering on, despite their fresh wounds. The soldier pulled a flare out of his bag, lighting it and flinging it amongst the ivy, catching them on fire, before darting forward under the flaming plants, and swinging his sword into the vines. The vines suddenly moved incredibly quickly, wrapping up around his legs and torso, but he lifted his arms above him before the vines could pin them. He set to hacking the vines and ivies above him as well, losing form and flailing about almost like a madman. Griff grabbed Elissa and dragged her forward, pulling her through flaming ivies and past the coil of vines. ¡°What are you doing!?¡± Elissa screamed at him. ¡°Saving your starving life!¡± Gruff shouted back at her, opening a door and shoving her through into a surprisingly empty room. He slammed the door shut, flipping a stone table over and pushing it over to block the crack beneath the door. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t block the sound of screaming that started shortly thereafter. The room had no window, which was unfortunate, but it also didn¡¯t have any foliage. What it did have, however, was a person. The person lay on a bed of sorts, very old, ratty clothes draped on him like he were a coat rack. He looked rather young, but simultaneously very old and very ill. He sat up slowly and smiled at Elissa and Gruff. ¡°Hello there.¡± ¡°You can speak En-¡± Elissa started, before Gruff covered her mouth with a hand, but the strange man laughed. ¡°I¡¯m not really speaking right now. If I were, neither of us would be able to understand each other. You can thank Elthe for this.¡± Gruff glowered at Elissa. ¡°Don¡¯t let him waste our time.¡± He turned to the man. ¡°Do you control the vines? Call them off. Let us go. We won¡¯t come back.¡± The man laughed again. ¡°I don¡¯t control the vines. The vines merely are. They are like trained animals, only without the capacity for even the most basic of emotions. They kill only because it is what they were¡­ you might say programmed, to do. But enough of that. You don¡¯t want me to waste your time, so let me answer you. No. I won¡¯t let you go. You understand nothing, and would act on impulse. The magic of this world has a purpose.¡± ¡°Death. A grim purpose, but if you let us go, I will make sure that we strike these coordinates and classify this planet as threat level 7. No one within the Galactic Court will come near you.¡± ¡°I think not. But if you want your friend not to die in vain, you might want to leave.¡± Elissa pulled Gruff¡¯s hand off her mouth. ¡°We¡¯ll just die anyway so tell us, who are you? How are you still alive? What is going on here?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time-!¡± Elissa scowled at Gruff. ¡°We¡¯ll die. You asked me if it would be worth it if we all died. I don¡¯t know, but it definitely won¡¯t be if we get no information.¡± She turned back to glare at the man. ¡°Information before death? That I will allow you. After all, the story is simple. A civil war broke out in the kingdom. Duke Augdes and Duke Ieysig joined forces to conquer Duke Cavren. I did not wish for that to happen. Elthe, the Baron Hidness¡¯s wife, gave me a ritual that would protect this land from intruders. All it would take was my life and tie to magic. I thought myself ready to give both. Unfortunately, I did not realize what it meant. Magic took my life and tie, but it didn¡¯t end them as I¡¯d thought. It claimed them. I now protect a land that is devoid of my lord and his people. Or rather, the land protects it, and I stay here, a puppet. The end.¡± The man shrugged. ¡°So then, you are Count Keuric?¡± ¡°The one and only. Count of Bramblekeep, and kept by the brambles.¡± The Count smiled. ¡°Was that all?¡± Gruff scowled. ¡°No. Tell me this. How do we stop you?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t, I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯m tied to magic now. That is why I can talk to you. Magic speaks to anyone, which means it must be able to speak to everyone. But I belabor a minute detail. Magic has settled here. As long as it remains here¡­ the land will protect itself.¡± Gruff nodded. ¡°I thought as much,¡± he said, sheathing his sword. Keuric looked up sadly. ¡°I have resigned myself to living until this planet burns. A near eternity as¡­ how might you put it? An accessory to murder. A near pity.¡± Gruff narrowed his eyes. Bang! Elissa gasped. Gruff scowled, holstering his gun and grabbing the small spherical drone from over Elissa shoulder. He stared straight into the camera. ¡°To the family of David Arthur. Your son did not die in vain. He paid the ultimate sacrifice in service of his country and planet. He was a good soldier, and a good man. You have my personal, and sincere condolences. ¡­ To the family of Charles Wingless. Your son lost his life in the line of duty, defending and guarding innocents, in service of his country and planet. He¡­¡± Gruff continued speaking, pulling his sword out of its sheath. Without pausing in his speeches, he handed the sword hilt-first to Elissa. ¡°I-¡± Gruff glared at her without pausing, thrusting the sword at her. Elissa accepted the sword, confused, and then scared, as the stone table somehow began to wiggle as vines pushed against it. ¡°To the family of Jason Flemming¡­¡± I don¡¯t even know who¡¯s who. I¡¯m going to die here, not being able to put a name to a single one of the men who sacrificed their lives for this¡­ The table began to slide, ever so slowly, away from the door. ¡°-sincere condolences. ¡­ To the family of Garth Svelthen-¡± Elissa looked at the sword. The soldier was still screaming. How long had it been? ¡°Keuric lied,¡± she said softly. ¡°The vines aren¡¯t trained killers¡­ they¡¯re trained evil. Assassins don¡¯t torture people.¡± Gruff didn¡¯t respond, continuing his messages. The table stopped moving, the gap wide enough for the vines to slip through. Elissa gripped the sword tightly, and kicked the door open, slicing down through the vines before they could ensnare her. She tried to pull the door closed again, before bolting down the hall. Ivy wrapped around her face and pulled her hair, vines wrapped around her feet, unintentionally pulling one of her boots off. The entire time she slashed the sword through everything she could until she finally got to where the soldier lay screaming. Blood pooled on the floor around him from his arms and legs, the twisting vines slick and red. She couldn¡¯t turn away, she couldn¡¯t hesitate, she had no time at all. She wanted to curl up and cry, but the soldier met her eyes, tears running down his face as he couldn¡¯t help but scream as the vines twisted through his limbs. Please. Elissa squeezed her eyes shut, and went to plunge the sword into the soldier¡¯s chest. It stopped short. Elissa opened her eyes. She had lifted her hands too high. The hilt was caught in the ivy. A vine wrapped around her ankle. Slow. Methodical. It knew she wasn¡¯t going anywhere. It had all the time in the world. A moment later she began to scream as well. Pain like nothing else she¡¯d ever felt, as the vines twisted around her, holding her in place even as they dug into her arms and legs. The ivy brushed against her face, the thin, rough leaves rubbing just wrong so as to leave a million stinging paper-cuts. How can this be worth it? she thought through her screams. Bang! Elissa opened her eyes and, though she was momentarily startled into silence, a vine twisted up through her foot, causing her to scream anew. But the soldier was silent. Elissa squinted through her tears to see a figure down the hall. Gruff. Gun in hand, vines leisurely twisting their way up his legs. Bang! A sharp pain hit Elissa, and the world slowed as her vision grew dark and the feeling drained from her body. She tried to see what Gruff was doing, but the tears, the foliage, and the encroaching darkness all prevented her from doing so. Her last thought, before slipping into the waiting arms of Death, was, Did those guns have three bullets¡­ or four? ~¡¯~,~~~~,~~¡¯~~,~¡¯~~ The efforts of the good Captain were not in vain, though the effects would not be felt for many years, as it so turns out. According to the conversation from the drone footage we recorded, Count Keruic had tied himself to magic. As long as he lived, magic would follow him. This may be an explanation for other Magic Puddles. Regardless. Once Keuric was no longer living as an anchor, the magic was free to disperse. Of course, that took a particularly lengthy amount of time, and never dispersed completely. While every plant and fiber is no longer seeking to torment and kill any human not part of Cavren¡¯s duchy, there are tales even still. On dark nights and stormy days, should an unwitting stranger stumble across Bramblekeep castle, some say the vines still give their particular brand of welcome.