Somehow, Lee was feeling ominous behind his back. He did not care to turn back or slow down. D advised him to fight the trolls that can give him a lot of progress points, and Essence generator. Lee simple replied-
'NO!'
*whish*
Something wrapped around his leg, and brought Lee to an absolute and instantaneous halt. This unanticipated deceleration threw Fero off his bosom. But before the hyena flew out of the range, Lee brought him to his EsGen storage.
A gust of wind hit Lee's back. Lee looked down in complete shock. The night vision kicked in as the daylight gradually disappeared. D was pale to see a vine coiled around Lee's leg.
"What the-"
His words could not be completed as the vine dragged Lee towards the trolls at a frightening quickness. He lost all control of the body and felt like going numb. D warned him that something is silently trying to enter his being.
*shocked*
Lee was pale when he heard the distorted voice of D getting faded away. D was silent since then.
'What the f**k is happening?!'
Lee struggled to regain control of his body as an unknown force kept attempting to invade. For a third person, Lee can be seen as twitching continuously.
'D.Dee..damn it. My blade!'
Lee found himself in a difficult situation as his Inventory was inaccessible. He summoned his bow and blade multiple times, but silence was the answer. His emotions became quagmire, when he opened up the system panel.
==========
Name: Lee
Age: 20
Title: -----
Fame: 3985
Essence: 487030 (6 P.M.)
Money: 7416 Gold, 2396 Silver, 86 Copper
----------
Spouse: An (+)
----------
Health: 320
Strength: 320
Vitality: 320
Agility: 320
Defense: 320
Endurance: 320
Sense: 320
Intelligence: 320
Resolve: 325
----------
Mastery:-
Absolute Blade Mastery
Absolute Nunchuck Mastery
Medium Bow Mastery (1189/10000)
----------
Cultivation: Peak stage Core Formation realm
Qi: 0/1100
Mana: 0
----------
Skills:-
View
Foresight
EsGen & EsConv
==========
Stunned Lee tried to shout out, but his voice dispersed before it came out of his mouth.
'What!'
The surprise came in the least expected form. His status was somehow partially disabled. He did not had any affinity or immunity, neither could he access the Map or his Shop!
Lee found the vine unyielding to attacks. His strength could not tear it apart. But, everytime he attacked it, it coiled more vigorously around his leg! When Lee came to notice the surroundings, the green vine had dragged Lee all the way back to the Ground Trolls.
The dreadful Ground Trolls gripped their maces and blunt weapons with eagerness, as Lee was being dragged nonconsensually.
One of the trolls stepped forth to beat Lee to a pulp with his large wooden club. Unfortunately, he was also being dragged in the right direction!
'Ah...screw it!'
The Foresight was forcefully activated when Lee assigned the forthcoming troll as his enemy. Time slowed down and progressed like a 13 frame per second movie.
Lee skimmed through every nook and corner and deduced the number, position and elevations of all trolls. His amplified thinking capability derived a course of action from the conclusions.
Darkness had gradually conquered the vibrance of day. The dark red sky exposed the presence of rain clouds that silently crept up on them. But this detail was only noticed when rain began to drip. The natural coolant toned down the heat of the day as petrichor crept up the noses of trolls.
Lee made up his mind as the vine dragged him further nearer to the trolls. He relaxed his body as his torn tee could not protect his back against the dirt. Like a pair of sledgehammers, his arms came down and the palms made contact with the ground.
*thum*
The reaction caused Lee to rise up into the air. The vine hauling Lee became a blessing in disguise, as its pull enabled Lee to draw an arc in the air. Lee bended forward and twisted his torso, and positioned himself upside down. The advancing troll was stunned by Lee's sudden change to a projectile. The troll stood astonished as Lee flew past it's neck.
*PAK*
The troll's chest was much larger than the palm of Lee. But it delivered a sharp pain upon contact. Lee decided to try his luck and uttered inside-
'EsGen!'
As all the Ground Trolls beheld, their comrade vanished without a trace! More and more trolls vanished as the vine pulled Lee through the stunned bunch.
*gra gri gri*
A relatively shorter Ground Troll shouted agonizingly. The giants who had fallen into the stunned state came out of the trance. Their eyes bulged with rage after witnessing the perplexing disappearances. Wooden clubs and spikes came aiming at lee, but they 'mysteriously' disappeared. Lee found out that the EsGen can act as an alternative Inventory, when he withdrew a spike from it and impaled a giant troll.
=====
7 A.M.
15749 Essence harvested.
=====
When they shouted in unison with rage, a deafening response came from the direction in which Lee was being dragged! Fear tried to overpower Lee's mind, but was not successful. The pull began to slow down and gradually came to a stop. Lee jumped up and saw the trolls taking a few steps backward.
He realised that these beasts have surrounded him. He skimmed his eyes around, not expecting something so extraordinary!
His eyes caught the sight of a large cave opening, inclined into the ground. It was about 40 metres away from him. He missed to notice its presence as he concentrated on the trolls alone. The ring of trolls had already encapsulated Lee and the cave in one big ring. The unyielding vine extended into the pitch blackness. The rain clouds slowly retreated upon sensing the tension in the air.
Lee tried to shake up his leg and found that the numbing presence is no more. When he never expected, D's voice faintly uttered three words inside Lee's mind, before fading again.
[Tubian. Amortal. Descendant...]
The alertness of Lee did not falter as the three words resonated in his heart. The faint voice of D and his message conveyed a hint of an overpowering enemy to Lee. As he intensely stared into the darkness, the vine unwinded and disappeared into the cave, in a blink!
*ghu..ghu..ghu..ghu..*
As soon as the vine went back, the trolls began to chant in unison. Their weapons joined the chorus as they kissed the ground at each phrase. The threatening atmosphere and absence of D when Lee needed him, felt oppressive.
*ghu ghu ghu ghu ghu ghu....*
The beat gradually increased as time passed. Lee stood facing the cave, but his senses were scanning all around him. An increment in the pace unconsciously warned Lee of the approaching danger. His posture changed as he slightly bent his knees and leaned his body a little to the front. His palms facing the ground were a little farther from his body, as he tried to bring out either his lightning or poison affinity, but ended fruitless.
*ssss...*
A slithering voice came from the depths of darkness as the beat achieved its peak. The roars were deafening and disorienting to Lee, but maintained his composure. His senses could pick up any slight change in the surroundings, but failed to notice his own heart beating like a mechanised bass drum!