NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44: Desperate Escape and an Uncertain Path Forward
The group races through the forest, chased by an onslaught of Plant Spiders. Like the Plant Brain, these creatures lash out with sharp, tentacle-like limbs and are even capable of casting deadly thunder spells if given the chance.
They leap down a small cliff, into a ditch, but the spiders quickly surround them.
“We have to fight our way out!” Zidane shouts.
At the same moment, Alex charges forward and strikes one of the spiders with his powerful [Sword of Pluto].
You have dealt 39 damage to Plant Spider
He swiftly jumps back, evading a strike from a nearby spider. With his free hand, he pulls out his [Mr. 5’s .44 Caliber 6-Shot Revolver] and delivers a point-blank shot to the spider he struck moments earlier.
You have dealt 25 damage to Plant Spider
You have killed Plant Spider
You have received 100 gil
Meanwhile, Vivi launches a fierce fire spell at another Plant Spider closing in on Alex, while Blank and Zidane work together to take down a third spider blocking their way. Steiner, burdened with the unconscious princess, can’t assist but skillfully dodges the encroaching enemies.
Alex, raising his shield high, leads the way, bashing aside an intercepting Plant Spider as he clears a path. Steiner and Vivi follow closely, barely able to keep up with Alex’s relentless pace.
More and more spiders join the chase, scuttling through the trees until Alex notices not just roots shooting out wildly, but the entire forest beginning to petrify. “Oh, shit! This looks scary as fuck,” he thinks as they flee, the very ground freezing beneath them.
In the chaos, he barely catches sight of Zidane, who is rescued at the last second by Blank who gets trapped by a monster instead. Zidane manages to catch the map Blank throws at him before the latter is swallowed by the petrification wave, frozen in place as the group finally breaks free from the Evil Forest’s grasp.
The exit looms closer, and Alex stumbles through the clearing, relieved to be out of the forest. Steiner and Vivi follow, and just as a giant plant tendril reaches for Zidane, Alex whips out his revolver, firing a shot that slices through the root, giving Zidane just enough time to make it out.
Outside, the group watches in awe as the petrifying roots solidify, blocking the only exit and sealing off the Evil Forest. Alex, barely able to catch his breath, is stunned. It may have looked cool in the game, but experiencing the panic of dozens of giant plant spiders and gnarled roots chasing them while everything behind froze in stone was terrifying. "One wrong step, and we'd be goners," he thinks, feeling the thrill of survival ebbing into exhaustion.
The group takes shelter beneath a nearby cliff. They give Garnet the antidote, arrange a few blankets, and Alex is startled to see a tiny tent somehow appear out of nowhere. "Did Steiner or Zidane pull that out of thin air?" he wonders, too exhausted to care. They gather around a small fire set up beside the tent, each sinking into the warmth and stillness.
As he sits down, Alex winces as Steiner starts berating Zidane again. This time, it’s about Blank, who’d sacrificed himself for Zidane. “A bit harsh, don’t you think?” Alex reflects, feeling sorry for Zidane, whose friend was now left behind, petrified in the Evil Forest.
Then, Garnet stirs, letting out a soft moan as she wakes up. Steiner nearly jumps for joy, and she blinks, sitting up beside the fire, looking at the group with gratitude. Vivi, shyly looking away, gives her a small smile. Steiner beams with pride, insisting it was his duty to protect her. Alex nods in acknowledgment, happy to have made it out together.
Zidane, half-joking, recounts how it was his quick moves and Vivi’s magic that helped them escape, pausing to admit Alex’s “incredible shield skills, that ranged weapon, and that wild explosion spell helped a lot, too.”
Steiner cuts him off with a sneer: “You useless monkey, this whole mess is your fault in the first place! If it weren’t for Master Vivi, Alex, and myself, you’d have been a goner! You hardly deserve any credit.”
Alex chuckles quietly to himself, “Please, make this stop,” he thinks, exasperated.
Garnet, in her usual soft grace, thanks each of them profusely. She even turns to Alex, saying, “I guess fate was on my side, bringing you to the Knights of Pluto just a few weeks ago?”
Alex laughs, “Well, I think I’m due for a pay raise, seeing as I haven’t even received my first paycheck yet!”
Garnet’s face flushes as she laughs, clutching her small wooden mage’s rod, clearly the only possession she has.
After another exhausting argument between Steiner and Zidane, the group finally agrees to rest, given the late hour and cold, dark surroundings. Alex, thoroughly worn out, manages to get a solid night’s sleep, despite waking up every few hours to create a few grenades, but staying warm with a few blankets from his inventory.
When Alex wakes up for good, the others are still asleep, so he gathers some extra wood to revive the campfire, which has burned low overnight. A few minutes later, the rest of the group stirs, nodding their thanks as they see the flames crackling warmly again.
Steiner, with a serious expression, turns to Alex. “I’m thankful I took you under my wing. I can’t believe how far you’ve come in just a few weeks. Your shield and defensive skills, in particular, are remarkable! During that fight with the monstrous Plant Brain, your timing was perfect, not only blocking its root attacks but deflecting them right back at it. It’s as if you were born to wield Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship, a style that emphasizes both offense and defense. You truly excel at using a shield as well.”
Vivi and Zidane nod in agreement, with Vivi adding, “Thank you for protecting us.” He then hesitates, looking thoughtful. “Alex… that small metal thing you summoned… I’ve never seen anything like it. It doesn’t feel like black magic but… something almost brutal. If that thing were used against a person, it would do terrible damage… blowing them up, burning them, and then the shrapnel…” Vivi trails off, visibly disturbed by the thought.
Alex responds gently, “Don’t worry, Vivi. I only use this ability to protect myself and my friends. Ideally, I wouldn’t use it at all, but with a monster like that, I didn’t see another choice.”
Vivi nods with a small smile. “It’s not about the ability itself, but how you choose to use it. Thank you for saving us!”
Zidane grins. “Yeah, I could use a few of those myself!” Seeing the opportunity, Alex pulls out a set of eight grenades and holds them out.
Everyone instinctively jumps back, and Vivi even stumbles and falls.
“Relax,” Alex laughs, “they’re safe for now. They’ll only be active once you imagine lighting the fuse. It takes about three seconds to explode, so make sure you’re ready to throw it immediately after activating it.” He hands out two grenades each. “These won’t last forever, about 6 to 10 hours, depending on when I created them. So if you need to use one, make sure to throw it far enough from any of us. The explosion radius isn’t huge, but the shrapnel is deadly.”
Alex estimates each grenade’s duration: a base of 5 hours, with an additional hour per skill level. Right now, 11 hours is the max he can extend them. Not a long time, but enough to arm the group with a backup weapon in case of ambushes.
They eye the grenades in their hands, a mix of awe and nervousness visible in their faces. But there’s also relief, knowing they have an extra line of defense. After some planning, Zidane and Garnet take a moment to visit the petrified forest while Steiner and Vivi discuss improvements to their “Magic Sword” combination attack.
Seeing the opportunity, Alex finally opens his chest, debating if he should wait for more LUK points to boost his drop rate. But he knows that greed could cost him when he’s already secured valuable gear, the five-piece armor set, sword, and shield. “I’ve got what I need,” he thinks, “Now I just need to survive and complete my mission to kill all three Black Waltzes so I can keep them. Let’s see what fate has for me this time.”
[Large Chest]
World: Final Fantasy 9
Quality: Green
Level: 1
Note: Dropped by the Plant Brain in the Evil Forest
You received 1400 Fantasy Coins.
You received Plant Essence x2
You received Soul Crystal (small)
Alex feels torn between excitement and frustration. On one hand, he’s amassed a fantastic amount of Fantasy Coins and, even better, a rare Soul Crystal, exactly what he needs to upgrade his core skill, Genius Conjurer lvl 1, or even his recently acquired Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship lvl 0. But the practical downside is glaring: none of this loot is immediately useful in combat. The Plant Essence is nearly a gamble in itself, its limited healing effect isn’t worth the risk of a random status ailment like poison or worse.
He checks his status, noting his MP is low after creating grenades for the group all night, but he’s grateful for the potential his recent gains bring, even if his current combat power remains unchanged. Alex frowns, recalling the rare chance he has to acquire skills under his subskill Arcane Medieval Armory. “Do I need to land the final blow myself for it to trigger?” he wonders, thinking back to how Steiner landed the finishing strike on the Plant Brain. “A skill like Annihilation Grenade would be really useful right now,” he sighs.
Alex Kerber: Lvl 1
HP: 130/130, MP: 23/80
STR: 7 (+1), AGI: 7 (+1), PHY: 7, SNS: 7 (+1), CHA: 7 (+5), MNA: 7, INT: 7 SPR: 7 (+5), LUK: 7
Available Stat Points: 1
Innate Skills: Genius Conjurer lvl 1, Statistical OCD lvl MAX
Free Skill Slots: 0/2, Free Basic Skill Slots: 0/8
Basic skills: Basic Close Combat Prowess lvl 1, Basic Footwork lvl 1, Basic Endurance lvl 1, Basic Long-Range Combat Prowess lvl 1, Basic Eloquence lvl 1, Basic Concentration lvl 1, Basic Meditation lvl 1, Basic Mana Control lvl 1
Passive Skills: Pistol Proficiency lvl 1, Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship lvl 0
Active Skills: Annihilation Grenade lvl 1
Fantasy Coins: 3000 Soul Crystals: Small x2 Gil: 2700
Current Weapons: Mr. 5’s Revolver (Downgraded) (Deep Blue), Sword of Pluto (Deep Blue) Barbed Dagger (Light Green)
Current Equipment: Commander Shepard’s Dog Tag (Deep Blue), Shield of Pluto (Deep Blue), Armor of Pluto (Blue), Visor of Pluto (Blue), Cuisses of Pluto (Blue), Gauntlets of Pluto (Blue), Sabatons of Pluto (Blue)
Miscellaneous Items: Navalia Wolf Jerky x4 (Gray), Healing Potion x2 (White), Potion x5 (White), Antidote x3 (White), Eye Drops x2 (White), Freshly baked Pumpkin bread x 2 (Gray), Various cards x57 (Mix) Jack’s Spare Silvery Mask (Light Green) Navalia Fur Armor (White), Navalia Fur Boots (White), Navalia Fur Gauntlets (White) Solid Marine Saber (Light Green), Plant Essence x3 (Green)
After a few moments, the group gathers, and Zidane pulls out Blank’s map, pointing out the current situation. North Gate and South Gate, the two main exits from the basin they’re trapped in, are sealed. However, Blank’s map shows a cavern leading upwards, away from the mist-choked forest and toward safer ground.
"This cavern looks like our best shot out of the basin," Zidane says, though the path is uncertain and likely filled with danger.
With renewed energy and a new goal in mind, the group heads off, eager to put the Evil Forest behind them for good.