Chapter 172: The Lake

Words : 1220 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

Chapter 172: The Lake It honestly took a while to recover from Luca’s earning methods. But after everything they have seen in the past two weeks alone, their hearts and minds have been strengthened. If someone said that the corrupted beasts could start speaking, this group of friends would likely nod and proceed to meditation. Yeah, they were already at that point in their young lives. It was just that one slightly taller shorty had been anxious since birth. And was now trying to cope by snacking and fiddling. Obviously, as much as he could accept his brother’s greatness, that didn’t mean he couldn’t think up all the ways that other beings would find his brother even more interesting. So, he worried and fretted like a little hen. And one that had to face this fretting was one perennially overworked assistant who had to move his head around to see his entire dashboard properly. "What are you looking at?" Ollie asked, feeling Kyle move around as if to check on something. "The last satellite images of this place. Something’s very wrong with it." Kyle tried thinking of explanations for this huge difference, but no matter how he looked at it, it would not have resulted in this mega-crater. Like it had been hollowed out. "What’s wrong? Your face looks worse than usual." Asked Ollie, who looked up to check his driver’s expression. "You don’t say? Still, I don’t think it’s as bad as yours." Returned Kyle, who already felt like the world was against him but figured he’d get back at the mop for once. "Excuse me, Mr. Panda?! I’ll have you know that the ladies find me very cute!" said the Indignant Ollie, who was really told this, but by old ladies. But this giant panda didn’t need to know that. And if those once-young ladies found him very cute, the younger ladies should think the same, right? Right?! On the other hand, Kyle wanted to point out that his Panda look was courtesy of whom again? Last he heard, it was because someone insisted on ’improving’ his mecha cockpit, which now housed an extendable footrest to accommodate this tag-a-long’s butt. And if he hadn’t stopped the insanity, he would’ve had a snack and drink tray, too. So, aside from looking over the plans for their departure, Kyle had to make sure his mecha wouldn’t end up butchered before they even left. And it was another sleepless night, so forgive the panda that had to sacrifice for the highlighter who clearly looked refreshed. "Yeah, I bet they do. Then, once this relationship ends again, you can return to beguiling those ladies." Said Kyle, who began identifying questionable points to be sent to everyone else. "You sound jealous, but you shouldn’t worry too much. Maybe the ladies could find you cute, too." Said Ollie, who tried looking for good things to say, considering the heavily tinted imaginary glasses he was wearing. "Whatever you say, Mr. Ladies man. Now send these over to the others while I compare the other data." Kyle knocked on the mop’s head as he looked for the next, more important thing. The Jade Vine’s original location. What was so special about this herb, to begin with? Hmm. Jade Vine was a lifeline for the Siren people. It was a rare herb with luminescent green tendrils that shimmered like liquid emeralds. And its essence was the key to the Sirens’ survival on land, countering the effects of their aquatic nature’s backlash and allowing them to walk in the dry world. Jade Vine should’ve been a plant that could endure decay, with legends speaking of its resilience and tenacity—a supposed beacon of purity in defiled lands. But that was before the dawn of corruption. The ancestors likely never imagined that such a thing could happen. This was especially true for an herb that used to be easily found and sometimes even treated as an annoyance because it grew everywhere. Well, used to. Now, it was classified as rare, causing the prices to soar and pushing many into debt or death. Such was the case for the Belgrave family. The father and son, Talen and Kael, had no choice but to venture into Kestrel Point in search of this precious herb. Their journey was one of desperation; Talen’s mother had succumbed to their nature’s backlash, her body unable to adapt without the relief that Jade Vine could provide. The father’s weathered face betrayed his determination as they decided to embark on this dangerous task. And worse was his heartache at the thought of his son joining what honestly looked like a suicide mission. But Kael knew better. Although he was a new soldier, he already carried a bigger burden of worry as he thought about his grandmother and his similarly ailing father, who was risking it all again for the family. But it was that or death, and so they journeyed against all the warnings—one that a group of budding mercenaries would also ignore. And in return, Kestrel Point greeted them with its haunting beauty. The towering peaks loomed like silent judges, their jagged forms etched against a perpetually gray sky. And if they weren’t inside a mecha, they would have smelled air thick with decay, with likely each breath tasting of rot and despair. But it didn’t use to be this way. Worse, none of the other planets used to be like this. However, that was a counterproductive thought as this was now their reality. So, they pressed on, guided by fragments of old maps and whispers of where the Jade Vine might grow. If anything, the trading groups who didn’t pick up their requests again were considerate enough to inform them of where these herbs were last seen. After nearly a day of navigating the treacherous terrain, they finally found themselves in what looked like a lake surrounded by jagged rocks. Here, amidst the murky lake bank, they spotted it—a small cluster of Jade Vines clinging to life against all odds. The tendrils glowed faintly, their light a stark contrast to the darkness around them. "Father, look! Over there!" Kael exclaimed excitedly. Relief washed over Talen and Kael as they hurried toward their prize, their mechas whirring as they accelerated to the small patch. But their success was short-lived. The lake beneath them trembled, the still waters suddenly making waves like it was suddenly an ocean. "!!!" Then, from the water emerged a monstrous form—the Sludgeborn Tortoise. Or what used to be the shell of the former guardian. The retired soldier’s heart thumped, threatening to jump out of his rib cage. This was something they only heard of in popular tales, and while everyone recognized its existence, no one had seen it since the time of their ancestors. So, why now? Of all fucking times. Honestly, Talen wouldn’t have recognized it if not for its size and those protruding ores that survived amidst the grotesque changes brought upon by the corruption. This was now the guardian of the wetlands, and it looked like it was coming for them. Its massive shell, once a fortress of wisdom and protection, had been reduced into a nightmarish landscape riddled with gaping maws. These maws dripped with ichor, their tentacle-like tongues writhing hungrily. And it looked really hungry for them. Shit.

Chapter 172: The Lake

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