Sealed in Steel [ Tank Litrpg ]

On the afternoon of the second day after leaving Golden Grove, Elian and Reese met with Gideon. The floramage, eager to administer Viney's cure, was shocked to see what had happened to his precious creation.

"Gideon, this is Reese Gustall," Elian said. "He will be—"

"Storm God! What have you done, Penitent? Wha-what…? Huh…?" Gideon wildly gestured at the Barkskin cocoon as his eyes bulged, mouthing words with no sounds. The three of them were inside the undrawn carriage, rolling along the rough path back to Sabyn Mountain. From there, they'd resume their intended journey to Ohmenstrat, the region neighboring Raelyon.

"I can explain," Elian slowly said, understanding Gideon's reaction. It was Elian's fault that Viney was exposed to negative energies. Then, not even five days after parting with Gideon, Viney had turned into… this. It would appear that Elian wasn't very good at taking care of his symbiote. "Don't be angry. I have a perfectly reasonable explanation. It's going to be a long—"

"Angry? I'm… I'm astonished by this… this… evolution. Yes, evolution—this is exactly what it is." With his twig fingers, Gideon knocked and scratched at the cocoon. He even sniffed it like a hungry dog. "I marvel at my creation's form! It has ascended to its next form!"

"Oh. Ascended?" Elian narrowed his eyes. "So… you're not angry?"

"Of course, I am! Furious, even! You've risked my creation in another one of your brain-addled misadventures that could've resulted in your death. Extreme conditions are the only explanation for why it forced itself to adapt drastically. If you die, your symbiote does as well. But since you're so bone-knuckled tough to kill, it's my creation that ends up suffering."

"Okay, okay. I'm really sorry about—"

"Nevertheless, I'm grateful that you've provided my creation the right environment and conjunction of factors for this to happen." Gideon's big smile multiplied the wrinkles on his face. He fondly caressed the cocoon. "I'm proud of my creation for rising above the occasion, pushing itself to adapt and evolve."

Elian couldn't help but chuckle. It was a rollercoaster ride talking to Gideon. "Oh, wait! Viney is supposed to do this?"

"Supposed to? It has the ability to. Consider this, Penitent. I've made the Guardian Exactor Vine using the Repulsion Dread Sapper as a base, taking advantage of the Sapper's evolutionary prowess to manifest the characteristics of its prey. I merged the essences of popular plant symbiotes to the Sapper, yielding what you have now on your arm.

"Like the Revulsion Dread Sapper, my masterpiece, the Guardian Exactor Vine consumes your attributes and makes them its own. That's why your Viney has plenty of Armor. Now, I don't know what you did, but you made your Viney consume something that triggered its evolutionary trait. Pray, tell me what happened, so I may know the steps to take to bring its next stage to fruition."

"Well, it's going to be a long story," Elian said. "And I haven't finished introducing our new travel companion."

After Elian explained what happened to Viney, Gideon poured over his books, completely ignoring Elian and Reese. The floramage mumbled something incessantly about Essence of the Forest and ascended evolution, while removing the floorboards of the carriage to access the tomes stored underneath.

Elian grinned at Reese. "Now, you've met Gideon, the floramage. Unregistered, by the way."

"Unregistered and proud!" Gideon shouted while he stuck his head into a hole in the floor.

"He seems quite… interesting," Reese said, all smiles. The young Grovenian enjoyed the start of his new adventure. Elian knew that feeling and hoped he could have it again someday.

"Let's get out of Gideon's hair," Elian said, opening the carriage's door while it was moving. He pointed up at the ceiling. "I'll tell you about my… our, including you, mission."

The fresh forest breeze cooled Elian and Reese, sitting on top of the carriage. The canopies of tall trees on either side of the road shielded them from the afternoon sun. And so, Elian began his tale about visions of the impending Giant invasion. Since he had told it a few times, he knew how to package it to be easy to digest for the skeptical listener.

Anyone would be shocked and doubtful of news about a long-gone race showing up in a few months to spread destruction. But Elian's present situation was very different compared to when he told Jadewell about this. Reese witnessed Elian's heroic deeds; though illogical, power was credibility to some extent, whether on Fellenyr or Earth. Plus, Elian also had the stone bracelet, showing he had the backing of the Hundred-Armed Magistrate and its priests.

"I know this is hard to believe," Elian began to say, "but you—"

"I completely trust you, Penitent," Reese said with a serious expression.

"Huh? You trust—?" Elian cleared his throat. "I mean, I'm grateful for your trust. Many won't immediately believe my words. I'm not a famous seer… I don't even claim to be one, save for these specific visions about the Giants."

"A deity believes you." Reese gestured at Elian's bracelet. "And so, will I. More than that. In the short time we've known each other, I can feel in my deepest heart that your soul is genuine." He thumped his chest with his fist. "I'm with you, Penitent."

"Uh, I think it's better if you call me Elian. We're friends, after all. And there'll be a lot of Penitents when we reach Ohmenstrat. Would just be confusing if you keep calling me Penitent."

"Elian, it is," Reese said. He looked over his shoulder at the road they had passed over. "We should've told the people of Golden Grove. They only have months to prepare."

"We should be careful with this information. Either the Giants have agents on the continent, or they have powerful scrying spells observing the happenings over here. Point is, they know what to expect upon their arrival. It's not a random invasion. If the Giants see that people are preparing to defend, they'd just cancel their landing at Sarnival Port and attack elsewhere. The Giants could also choose to postpone their invasion, let's say for a year or more. By then, people would think that I'm a fraud and that the Magistrate is peddling lies. We shouldn't make open moves or we'll change the future."

"Ah… I understand now." Reese slowly nodded. "You know where the Giants will first land, and so we'll prepare to meet them in secret. If we visibly fortify Sarnival Port, the Giants will change their plans."

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"And I can't be sure to be blessed with visions again. We'd be in the dark. Word of the Giants will spread after the battle at Sarnival Port. By then, everyone would be convinced to prepare and unite."

"Such a complicated situation this is," Reese said, his brows furrowing. "What will we be doing in Ohmenstrat? I had thought we'd make known to the people there about the Giant invasion, but that doesn't seem to be so."

"We'll find allies among the Penitents residing in Ohmenstrat. Others, too, even if they're not Penitents, so long as they're strong and reliable. But we should pick those who can keep their mouths shut. If it spread that I, a wearer of the Magistrate's stone band, am saying that Giants are coming, there'd be panic for sure. My other goal in Ohmenstrat is to obtain a Boon."

Elian explained to Reese about the Impel Order of the Peace-mongering Crucible, a Boon that hindered and punished those with the intent to harm. It was the perfect defensive Boon for pacifists.

"Now, I'm not saying I'm a Pacifist," Elian said. "But it's more efficient if I stick with what I'm good at, being hard to kill, and leave all the fighting to warriors like you. To make the most of my quite sturdy self, I'd want enemies to want to kill me. The Impel Order is the reason—if they don't dispose of me, they'd be weakened with me around."

Reese snapped his fingers, beaming as he understood Elian's plan. "Enemies will have to hit you, sparing others from harm. You'll shrug off their attacks and continue to restrict those in your presence. Two strikes with one arrow. I haven't heard of such a brilliant strategy before."

"It's something only a Penitent can pull off," replied Elian, pleased that Reese thought he was a genius. Reputation was a much-needed resource for Elian to succeed in uniting humanity against the Giants.

It was the same as back on Earth. Popular people, be they politicians or celebrities, could get away with a bunch of crazy stuff. Elian had seen people believe alien invasion conspiracy theories spouted by charismatic grifters. In comparison, the story of a Giant invasion in an actual magical fantasy world seemed easier to believe.

Night was falling when the carriage halted, and Gideon came out. They set up camp, lighting a fire and boiling a small meal. Reese offered to cook for them. Elian wondered if Reese was as good a cook as during the previous cycle. All the while, Gideon was muttering to himself, his eyes out of focus.

As the water boiled the vegetables and meat the Grovenians had given them, Elian decided to ask, "So… Gideon, do you know what to do with Viney?"

"What to do—? Oh, yes, yes. No… I'm uncertain. But my research yielded records of such an occurrence."

"You mean this has happened before? Lost Souls of a magical forest merging with a plant symbiote?"

"No, no. You misunderstand me." Gideon tapped the cocoon. "This is a protective state of the Heart of the Forest, which has been observed many times by floramages past. Think of it as the magical forest entering hibernation, waiting for favorable conditions to sprout anew. Do you know that seeds can remain viable for centuries? Not even magical ones, mind you.

"What we have here is the seed of a magical forest residing inside the plant symbiote. It had triggered your Viney's defensive capabilities, forming this cocoon. As far as my references are concerned, this is the first time it has happened. I have no guidance on how to proceed."

"Are you saying that I can no longer use Viney?" Elian asked. He wasn't able to call up Viney's attribute display since it had merged with the Lost Souls. Did it mean that Viney was effectively gone for the foreseeable future? Would the Lost Souls consume Viney? "What are we going to do?"

"I'm not too sure myself," Gideon said, staring off into the night. "If it were just the seed, the hibernating core of a magical forest, it would be quite simple. Plant it in an area of abundance, fertile soil, clean water, thick Aether, and so on. Sensing ideal conditions, it will begin anew."

"What if you planted the cocoon?" Reese suggested as he stirred the pot. "Dig a hole and stick your arm into the ground. Wait for it to sprout and then pull it out. Although… it may take some time before that happens."

"I might get stuck to the ground if I did that," Elian said, smiling at the silly image of him rooting and becoming a tree. "But I'm not beyond trying anything to awaken Viney."

"If you'll try it, make sure to do it far from Golden Grove," said Reese. "I wouldn't want trees marching to destroy Golden Grove decades later."

"That won't happen. What about you, Gideon? You must have some ideas."

"Ideas come to me aplenty," Gideon said. "Whether they work or not is the question. I am willing and able to test my ideas. But there might be an easier way of solving this." He turned left and nodded at something in the distance.

Elian followed Gideon's line of sight. A dark mass blotted part of the night sky. "Sabyn Mountain… The Twins."

"Here you are again, before me, servant of the Abominable Hand," said the boy twin.

"We are pleased that you've handled the situation amicably," the girl twin said.

Elian, an excited Reese, and a grumpy Gideon, complaining about the climb, had returned to the peak of Sabyn Mountain to meet the Sabyn Twins of Autumn. The deities appeared to be expecting them. They must've sensed the Lost Souls inside Elian's arm the moment he stepped on the mountain.

"What do you mean amicably?" Reese's voice started to rise. "Many Grovenians have died and—"

Elian stepped in front of Reese and shushed him. "This isn't the place for that." Elian subtly nudged his head at the Guardian Herbalists surrounding them. Why were Maveron and his relatives so hot-headed? To the twins, Elian bowed in apology. "We are not here to fight. We are here to ask for your divine help once again."

The boy twin rose from his bed of flowers and approached Elian. "How to awaken the core of the forest in your arm—is that your question?"

"His friend slumbers," said the girl, probably referring to Viney. "We empathize with your desire to reunite with your friend."

"I'll be very grateful for your help," Elian said. "If you can teach us what to—"

"There's no need for you to do anything other than ask for my Boon," said the boy. "It will certainly awaken the forest's core soon enough. Your old friend and your new will be with you."

Elian didn't expect this answer. "You're going to give me your Boon?"

The boy smiled. "You are going to ask for my Boon."

"The test—"

"I will waive," the boy interjected.

"I won't be tested?" Elian had read that the tests of the Sabyn Twins before granting their Boon were difficult and time-consuming. But if he didn't have to undergo a test…

"You have earned such favor," the girl added.

Should I ask for it? This Boon wouldn't be related to herbalism; that wouldn't help Viney and the Lost Souls within it. The boy truly might have a Boon separate from the girl. Something to do with plants. If the Boon boosted Viney, then he'd shift his build to be more oriented to plants. It would work out well since he was with Gideon—the floramage would d create more symbiotes for him.

Moreover, Elian didn't have the luxury of hunting for the best Boons for the strongest build. He had an invasion to stop in a few months. Taking this Boon now would allow him to use his Favor Points. Add to the Impel Order from Ohmenstrat, he'd have two Boons for the Sarnival Port tournament. And he shouldn't be worried about not finding a melding partner for this Boon because there were other plant deities.

Elian knelt and extended his right hand to the boy twin. "Divine Twin of Autumn, I ask to be granted your Boon."