844 Desperation Part 4 (1/2)
The Grendelings started to bite at the surrounding treehouses, feeding off the Sapling's essence that coursed through them while tendrils coming out of their feet dug deep enough in the ground to reach the Sapling's roots.
Between the corruption spreading throughout its body and the Grendelings' mayhem, the Sapling was suffering as it had never happened in millennia.
'My terms are simple.' Gremlik's voice invaded the mind link between Leannan and the ancient tree. 'Kill all the humans, surrender yourself to me, and imprison all the plant folk of Laruel.
'If you do that, I'll let you live and I will uphold the same deal you had with Erlik. My tissues can prolong your life just as well as his. Once Laruel is under my rule, we'll Awaken together. Refuse and I will kill you.'
'Why would I trust you?' The Sapling's mind was filled with pain and outrage. 'Awakened or not, I would still be under your thumb. You don't want a partner, you want a slave!'
'Please.' Gremlik said with a sneer. 'How could I possibly trust you? First you betrayed your own kin, then Erlik. I just want to make sure that the third time is the charm. Besides, I could say the same thing about you.
'Without my contingency measure, what would stop you from killing me once I've outlived my usefulness?'
'The same reason why I needed Erlik.' The Sapling replied. 'As you said, I've betrayed my kin. Once I Awaken, I'll become an outcast and the undead will be my only possible family!'
Those words shook Leannan to the root, making her understand how deep was the madness twisting the Sapling's mind.
'I'm not Erlik! I don't care about family or the undead, only about myself. It's been too long since I had a proper feast and I can't wait to eat some plant folk. Now bend the knee or die!' Gremlik said.
'You insolent whelp. If I interrupt my slumber, I'd have all the power I need to kill you.' The Sapling rebuked him.
'With your roots rotting and my Grendelings I'm sure that I will manage to escape, whereas you'd be left with just a few years left to live. Unlike you, I've got nothing to lose.'
The rage and desperation in the Grendel's thoughts struck at the Sapling like a slap. The two of them were like the two sides of the same coin. Gremlik had eternal life but nothing to live for, whereas the Sapling had little time left and too much to lose.
Yet the thought didn't garner the Grendel any pity, only more spite.
The World Sapling tried to kill the insolent undead with its arrays, only to discover that the plague not only affected its body, but also its mind as well. For the first time in millennia, the ancient plant folk was helpless.
The moment the Sapling had bestowed upon Erlik the communion runes, Gremlik had used the anomaly that having two Sovereigns at the same time created to mess up with the Sapling's mind without it noticing.
'There's no other way, my chosen Sovereign. You must kill the undead and free me from his grasp.' The Sapling's commanding tone, as if nothing had changed between them, flabbergasted Leannan.
Meanwhile, on the outside, the Grendelings were proving to be more formidable enemies than a Draugr ever could. They couldn't fly nor Warp, but nothing the defenders of the city had attempted left a scratch on them.
Their size made physical attacks pointless and the amount of elemental energy empowering them nullified even tier five spells with ease.
”It's a pointless struggle.” Kalla-Trouble said. ”As long as they can feed upon treehouses, even if we manage to damage them, they can easily recover.”
”Yet we have to stop them.” Marth said. ”Such creatures cannot be left alive. They are a walking disaster. Once they finish destroying Laruel, they'll consume everything in their path.”