Chapter 40 – "From Sweetness to the Green Maw"
The mill's gears screeched. Sugar cracked like breaking glass. The puppies' song rose again — no longer cute, but a hollow wail that rattled teeth.
Crystal's countdown echoed: "Three. Two…"
Lin's jaw clenched. "Not today."
He hurled his club into the mill's heart and at the same time grabbed the guide's arm, yanking her away from the center of the compulsion.
"Host, cascade probability—" Crystal started.
"I don't care! Nobody dies for me today!" Lin roared.
The club struck the heart. A sound like a thousand candy canes snapping at once tore through the air.
Light flashed — iron red and sugar white — then everything collapsed inward.
The puppies yelped. Their glowing eyes blinked out like extinguished candles. For an instant they looked… normal. Actual puppies again.
Then the floor gave way.
---
Freefall
The sugar-iron ground melted, turning to syrup under their feet. Lin felt himself sliding, tumbling into darkness. He clutched the guide with one arm, Elara with the other. Nyra's scream faded into the roar of rushing air.
Crystal's voice snapped: "Biome shift detected. Brace for impact."
"What now?!" Lin shouted.
"Jungle coordinates. Unknown modifiers."
"Oh great. Tarzan mode unlocked."
They plunged into green.
---
The Jungle
They landed hard on damp earth. The smell hit first — wet soil, moss, sap. The air was hot and heavy, alive with chirps and croaks. Giant leaves glistened like emerald shields. Vines thicker than cables hung from colossal trees.
Nyra groaned. "Tell me we're not in another candy nightmare."
Lin rolled over, spitting dirt. "Nope. Jungle nightmare."
The guide sat up slowly, eyes unfocused. Her glow had dimmed. "You shouldn't have stopped me."
Lin barked a laugh. "Yeah, well, saving mysterious girls is kinda my thing now."
She blinked at him, then looked away. "You have no idea what you've unleashed."
Something moved in the canopy above — a ripple of green on green.
Elara stiffened. "Please tell me that's just a bird."
A deep growl rolled through the undergrowth.
---
First Blood
Out of the ferns stepped a creature like nothing on Earth: a panther the size of a truck, its body wrapped in living vines, eyes glowing jade. Each step it took sprouted moss and roots. When it exhaled, spores drifted from its jaws like green smoke.
Crystal's voice returned, sharp. "Host, warning: Vine Panther — apex predator of the Verdant Maw Biome. Physical attacks empower it. Recommend evasive maneuvers."
Lin muttered, "Verdant Maw? You've gotta be kidding me…"
Another growl answered from the opposite side. A second Vine Panther. Then a third.
Nyra whispered, "How many?"
The guide's voice was flat. "In this biome… there is no number."
Lin stood, wiping mud from his face. "Great. We left puppies that make you kill yourself and landed in a jungle where plants eat you alive. Beautiful vacation spot."
Crystal's dry tone: "Host, sarcasm detected. Irrelevant."
The Vine Panthers circled, green eyes narrowing. The ground beneath Lin's boots pulsed — vines were creeping up around his ankles, alive.
He tightened his grip on his shard, looked at Elara, Nyra, and the guide. "No more running. This time, we fight."
The panthers roared as one, the jungle answering with a thousand unseen calls.
To be continued…