Brand was taken aback; he thought Frey would stubbornly insist on staying again. However, seeing her composed expression, he understood that she had gained something from the dream.
The competent Frey now exuded a hint of future Valkyrie, which made him smile with relief. Turning his head, he said, "Roman, put on your ring."
Miss Merchant proudly raised her small hand and shook the distinct black and white ring.
"Your task is to listen for any movement underground. If you find anything, let us know immediately."
"Let’s go then. We’ll sneak past the cape under the rock and approach the Golden Magic Tree. Judging by the terrain, there should be a fault beneath that will delay the Golden Magic Tree from noticing our intention." As he spoke, Brand cautiously led the way. He quickly scrambled up a protruding rock and motioned for Frey and Roman to follow.
Frey grabbed Roman’s hand and followed, clearly implying: stay close and don’t wander off, I will protect you. She did this to ensure Brand could focus entirely on the attack.
The trio quickly passed under the cape Brand mentioned, and his memory was impeccable as they were undisturbed. However, just as they crossed the boundary, Miss Merchant immediately heard a rumbling sound from below.
"Brand, there’s a noise below us."
Brand’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately shouted, "Scatter, split up!"
Frey quickly pushed Roman to the side, and the three of them parted ways just as the ground was upheaved by two thick vines. The Golden Magic Tree hadn’t expected its attack to be so easily anticipated. Its roots emerged from the ground only to meet Brand’s prepared sword strike.
The young man quickly got up, raising his Elf Sword overhead and slashing down on the vine’s thick center. The blade sunk halfway in, and silver flames erupted from the sword, burning the vines with sizzling sounds. The pain made the Golden Magic Tree in the valley’s center shudder, making the whole valley echo.
It was summoning reinforcements, which made Brand’s heart sink. Just as he expected, time was running out. He couldn’t help but glance back: over there, Frey performed a beautiful sidestep to dodge the Magic Tree’s sweeping roots, then countered with a slash. Though her sword only cut a third of the way in, the display of skill was impressive.
This was at least level 2 Erune military swordsmanship. Clearly, Frey had gained significant skill from her dream.
"Brand, more noise!" Roman called out from the edge of the battleground.
"How far?" Brand instinctively shouted back, realizing he had misspoken too late. He had subconsciously treated Roman like a nightingale scout, though she was merely sensitive, not a professional spy.
"A hundred meters, maybe seventy," Roman guessed.
"That far?" Brand was surprised as he flipped his sword to deflect an attacking vine. The severed root fell limply, its end blackened.
"Now sixty meters away."
Though it seemed unbelievable, Brand decided to trust Roman. "Frey, leave it! See that path? Run through it."
Frey hesitated only a moment before guarding herself with her sword and using the vine’s attack to propel herself in the path’s direction. The Wind Feathers around her illuminated, forming a light net that reduced her impact. The ponytailed girl rolled a few times, then quickly got up next to Roman.
"Roman, come with me!" She grabbed Miss Merchant’s hand and rushed towards the direction.
Frey had finally learned to trust her teammates rather than acting alone. Brand felt relieved, worried she’d mix herself up in the fight. Not wanting the vine attacking Frey to follow, he made a clean slice through it along the previous cut.
After clearing the enemies, he knew he couldn’t delay. Even he could now hear the noises from underground, proving Roman’s judgment correct. Still, he wondered how the girl could perceive sounds from seventy meters beneath. Estimating quickly, he realized it required a Perception level of at least 5.
The thought flickered in his mind as he turned and ran. His dexterity made catching up to Frey and Roman easy, but the Golden Magic Tree’s roots blocked their way again. On the third encounter, they heard a loud noise from the southeast of the valley, causing all attacking roots to retreat.
Even without Brand’s reminder, Frey and Roman knew it must be the Stone Cone Worm’s appearance.
"Did we win?" Roman asked, surprised.
Brand shook his head. They still needed to enter the core area around the Golden Magic Tree. The tree would continuously balance its threats, deploying roots strategically. However, this patchwork defense couldn’t last, and they would ultimately be victorious.
The only problem was doing it in the limited time they had.
Less than five minutes remained.
(PS: Since hitting the tripods, controversy has increased.
Please collect and recommend!)