Chapter 7: Mother Nature
Traces of sunlight made their way through the glassy exterior of House Buné's greenhouse, scattered by the dense leafy conglomerate that composed the canopy layer of the thicket surrounding the structure.
The shining rays illuminated the enticing sight of an alluring, verdant-haired woman peacefully standing in front of a row of potted plants.
Well, at least she looked peaceful. Martha Buné's inner thoughts couldn't be more irate, her eyes narrowed with spiteful contempt as she carved out some of the bushier plants with Wind Magic, making complete use of her laser-like focus and precision to shape them to her specific image.
All the while, she was controlling an army of Grass Puppets a few meters away from the greenhouse—using them to mercilessly barrage her son until he painstakingly made his way towards her, fighting for every millimeter of ground he covered.
This is ridiculous. Martha looked down, clutching the unanticipated letter Sebastian had given her at the dinner table.
It's just inviting trouble, nothing more. So what if she's able to become a Pillar? Her clan's a mess.
Not to mention that she's only just become the #10 Ranker, she hasn't even stabilized her position among those monsters for crying out loud. Who's to say she won't just drop back down in a couple months' time?
Her clasp tightened, a harrowing expression befalling her as the sheet of paper was promptly incinerated by a wisp of her Fire Magic, crumbling into a pile of ashes on the ground.
We don't need that Clan Trait. Alduin is enough, but because you won't let go of that inevitably deceased woman and her child, who'll undoubtedly face the same fate. You're willing to jeopardize all the hard work and dedication I've put into this family.
She could feel her son's presence getting increasingly closer to the greenhouse's entrance as she contemplated.
You're pathetic Sebastian. Or at least this version of you is. If you can't be the spouse I need, then I suppose I'll be left with no other choice but to discard of you.
Her gaze steeled with steadfast resolve. I know you can't bring yourself to care about Alduin, but he carries your blood. Your absence is a recoverable loss as long as I have him.
While observing the ashes, the corner of her mouth twitched into a sly grin.
I mean. That's what you wanted isn't it? A new breed of Buné. Of course, what you really want is a tool to get your oh-so-beloved Gilda back. The only woman you have eyes for in spite of my best efforts to fulfill the role.
Her smile widened, an obsessive glint shimmering within her leafy irises. I wonder. If I turn him into my tool first, would you finally look at me then? Husband.
As the saying went, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
===
Finally! I've finally made it to the greenhouse!
That woman's completely lost her cool! What I just experienced out there made all the previous experiences in my memories look like mere child's play. For crying out loud, she literally created a miniature Kaiju-lookinggolem for me to battle against.
It's a technique called Biollante. It's one of my mother's signature techniques, even though she only used a tenth or less of its full might in this instance. It was still enough to force me to pull out all the stops while narrowly avoiding death.
I'm not sure how she actually performs the technique since I'm not at that level yet, however I do know it has something to do with her Dryadic Blessing—because that creature just wouldn't stop regenerating!
I had to constantly chip away at it using my Fire and Wind Manipulation to deal damage, and my Earth and Wood Manipulation to bind and limit its movement as much as possible.
Which as one can imagine, is much easier said than done against a raging mass of sentient biomass.
Oh well, I've made it past everything she wanted to throw at me and I'm still in one piece. I might as well just count my blessings and get a move on.
"You took longer than I anticipated," Martha spoke upon my entrance. "Your form's lacking, if you had used your Wood Manipulation more efficiently you wouldn't have struggled as much as you did."
Oh splendid, that's how we're starting this conversation.
"Maybe if you hadn't increased the difficulty level tenfold all of a sudden, I would've gotten here faster." I gestured to the myriad of open wounds and fresh blood stains riddled all over my body and clothing.
"Complaining is a crutch only the weak rely on." She was quick to retort, side-eyeing me with a glare that indicated I was naught more than a whining child from her perspective.
Seriously, even among the Underworld this family of mine has to be an oddity.
"Perhaps. But if there's anyone who should be complaining, it's you." I declared boldly.
"Excuse me?" That comment finally seemed to get her full attention.
"You don't think I can tell that something's been off with you lately? We might not get together as a family as often as I'd like us to, but after last night's dinner, I can tell that you've been pissy. And I know it's because of something he told you." I looked down, noticing a pile of ashes on the ground beside her.
I wonder what that's about?
She stopped, the atmosphere around her growing tense as the sinking sensation that I had overstepped a boundary settled in.
Not that I can go back at this point, the words have already been said after all.
"I'd highly suggest you watch your tone, Alduin." Her voice dropped to a low, warning pitch. "What goes on between him and I is none of your concern, all you need to do is focus on the training we've laid out for you. That's it."
"Even if your psyche is affecting said training—"
Swish!
A root shot out from where she was standing, one that eclipsed the speed of all the ones I had fought outside by far.
"Kuh!" It grabbed me by the torso, pulling me towards her eye level as her eyelids dropped to the point where they were hauntingly cutting the top of her pupils.
"We are not having this discussion." She declared before constructing a chair beneath me with her Wood Manipulation and setting me down atop it.
"Hmph. If you say so," I rolled my eyes, still using Dryadic Blessing to heal my remaining wounds. I don't have the necessary information to piece together what exactly is going on between them, but I'm determined to find out.
You can't fix something if you don't know the root of the problem after all. Whatever's happening, it's enough to warrant a change in attitude from someone as remarkably composed as Martha, and I feel like that's a pretty good reason for me to be concerned as well.
I'm not keen on letting this life crash and burn before it even has a chance to flourish.
Granted, I'm in no position to confront Martha. So I'd best give up on trying to extract any answers out of her directly before I end up being turned into plant fertilizer.
"So, what's next on the agenda? Mother." I rested my cheek against my fist.
Usually, these morning sessions consist simply of her advising me on how to use my Dryad abilities more effectively. They're quite helpful, it's just that the old Alduin wasn't that great at putting theory into practice.
He was more of a physical learner, hence why Martha had adopted the routine of having me fight my way here with my Dryad abilities before I'm actually allowed to enter.
"Your ability to keep track of what's going on around you is lacking as ever," she sighed in disappointment. "Sona Sitri's eighteenth birthday is next week. Naturally, you have an obligation to attend." She looked at me with a judgmental stare. "And more importantly, you have an obligation to behave when you're there. If I find out that you caused so much as a brief scuffle in the Sitri Estate, I'll leave you buried underground for a week."
Yikes. She's being serious. Not that I've ever seen her joke before.
I offhandedly folded my arms behind my neck. "Relax, it's not like I have any bad history with Sona in the first place. What's the worst that could happen?"
"Your relationship with her isn't what concerns me." She paused, breathing an exasperated sigh. "It's the fact that in the same way you're expected to attend, so will Riser Phenex. Your best friend."
I felt my face immediately stiffen in response to the mention of the rooster.
"That—" She circled her finger around my face. "—is precisely why I'm worried."
"I can't help it! It's Riser! I have an obligation to pummel him whenever he's in my line of sight."
"I really couldn't care less about the ongoing petty little grudge between the two of you. While in the presence of the Sitri Clan and the rest of the attendants, you will remain civil. Or you won't come back home at all."
So strict!
"What if the rooster attacks me first? Surely you don't expect me just to stand there and take it?"
"Naturally, Thora will be there with you since I don't trust you to behave on your lonesome. If any complications arise, she'll handle them."
Wait, is she trying to say that Thora's actually capable of dealing with the rooster?
Come to think of it, how strong is she? She trains the four basic forms of Elemental Magic with me, but according to my memories she's never actually gone all out against me in our mock battles.
Furthermore, I don't believe she has a Clan Trait either. Is it possible to deal with someone who has literal immortality without one?
Perhaps I should try to coax out a little more of her strength during our training today, assuming I'm capable of doing so.
"Now then, back to your Wood Manipulation." She stood up, strolling towards the greenhouse's front entrance. "There's still much you clearly don't understand, so I'll do my best to cram the information you're lacking through that thick skull of yours."
This is sure to be eventful.
"Yes, Ma'am." I gave her a sarcastic salute before following along.
With the mere wave of her hand, the surrounding forestry started to bend outwards in a circular motion—creating an open clearing around me and her as she clasped her hands behind her back.
Show-off.
"Remind me, which two elements allow us to utilize Wood Manipulation?" She began, her gaze expectant.
"Earth and Water," I answered promptly. The reason why we're able to use Wood Manipulation while other people possessing affinities for Earth and Water can't, is because they lack the "transformative" power to mesh the two with one another. That ability is unique to my maternal bloodline.
Other people may have the ingredients to create the wood smoothie, but we're the only ones with the blender.
She nodded approvingly. "Good, and what are the characteristics of those elements?"
"Earth is tough and rigid, making it specialized for defense. Whereas Water is smooth and flexible, allowing to provide the user with more utility and versatility."
"Oh? Maybe Sebastian's hopes that you finally decided to start paying attention weren't in vain after all." She wore a faint, condescending smirk. "If you're aware of that, then would you mind explaining to me why you're only making use of one aspect of Wood Manipulation?"
"What?" I didn't catch on to what she was implying immediately.
"In your battle against one of my summons, you were only making use of Wood Manipulation's sturdiness. Every time you failed to bind it, you wasted time and gave it a window of opportunity by dismantling and creating an entirely new spell instead of modifying the one you had already cast." Her eyes narrowed. "It's like I said, you weren't using it efficiently."
"Is such a thing even possible?" When your spell is dismantled, then shouldn't that be it? I don't quite understand what she's trying to teach me here.
And all of a sudden, I had a sinking feeling that I shouldn't have asked that question.
"Of course it is." She flicked her fingers upward. "Observe."
Ruuuummmmmble!
Tremors started to surge through the ground beneath me, the vibrations fierce enough to make my entire skeletal structure tremble.
Uh oh.
Thick, imposing trunks of bark shot out of the dirt and started to encircle me, snaking around my position like prowling serpents—threatening to bind me in place.
Swish! Swish!
Reflexively, I sent out a sequence of wind slashes in all directions, successfully cutting through the dense timber.
Well that wasn't so bad—
"A battle's never over until it's over. It'd do you good to remember that."
The trunks quickly started to grow back, shooting towards me even faster and entangling each of my limbs. Even as I struggled, the constructs would continue to twist and turn in tandem with me—as if they were sentient grapplers maintaining their hold.
"That one's called Tree Bound Burial. The wood can regenerate itself with my application of Dryadic Blessing, and it's still able to remain immensely flexible despite its mass thanks to the balanced ratio I've struck between the amount of Earth and Water I imbued it with."
Now you're just bragging.
"Yeah yeah, it's all very impressive." I groaned, not a fan of being trapped in a dome of regenerative wood. "You can let me go now."
She raised her eyebrows. "What would be the use of that? It's important for you to understand both sides of the coin, binding, and what it takes to escape the binds you create. Only then will you be able to increase your comprehension of the art."
Fwoosh!
She flickered out of sight with some kind of movement technique, leaving me in place.
That damned woman!
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