Honey stepped down from the Altar and her steps were short. "This is.. Underground?" She pulled her hand away from Mike's chest and looked around, "Its not where I thought I was."
"Its these stones, they help simulate the sunlight." Mike wasn't sure what had just happened, to him it looked like Spirit Manifestation but she was clearly humanoid and speaking. 'Only a soul that's gone through enlightenment should have been able to naturally enter spirit manifestation. CBG? Nah, it can't be that easy to explain.' Mike rubbed his chin. "Are you a Treant?"
"Treant? What's a Treant?" Honey asked.
"Usually, a Treant is a Tree that can talk or move, sometimes both. But I've never heard of a humanoid Treant, much less one with.. buds." 'The blue glow maybe?' Mike looked down at the thin dress, it was illusory, revealing everything underneath. His heart was pounding.
Gold within gold, her body was flawless and smooth.
"I don't feel like a Tree." Honey took a step onto the soil and pulled herself back, wiping it on the edge of the altar. "Carry me." She threw herself toward him entirely unreserved.
'Diva?' Mike wanted to frown but it was all just too strange. He caved and carried her out of the tunnel and into the Casino.
Her facial expressions needed work, but she was smiling while they entered the building.
Vella saw Honey and immediately rushed up. "Master, who is this?" It was clear to Mike that Vella had some form of jealousy compelling her actions just then.
"Have the Girls take a break and meet me in the back, make sure you're there too." Mike set Honey down and walked her through another door.
No guests were present and it was an empty room. Mike had Honey sit down and began looking her over, checking her hands and feet. He checked her arms and when he was about to check her lower body, his face between her legs, the girls walked in.
"OH!, it smells so good in here!" Rissa had always liked the smell of Cannabis. She followed her nose. 'its her..' "Its her!"
"Everyone, I'd like to introduce you all to Honey. She'll be staying with us from now on, can one of you find her some shoes and something to wear. This." He gently picked up the thin film that looked like a dress. "This is way too thin for the public."
"I can make it thicker." Honey giggled and the dress became more opaque, darkening into a shade of sky blue and a deep green. There were patterns on it, the patterns reminded Mike of the larger cells in a fan leaf.
"Yes, but what happens if it gets dirty? Can you even take it off?" Jodi came up and pulled at Honey's dress. It tugged against her body. 'Is it stuck?'
"Don't pull." Honey got nervous, a fragrance spread throughout the room and the girls got giddy.
Mike assumed that she had undergone some sort of evolution, one that gave the plant the opportunity to gain enlightenment. 'the Blue Glow, I knew it..' Mike's mind began to go down the rabbit hole when he saw the girls picking on Honey. 'Those might be her means of photosynthesis!' "GIRLS!" Mike snapped them out of it and continued. "Don't pull at her, she's special and those are part of her body. Instead, get her somewhere to sit and you all can introduce yourselves. Talk to her, don't pull and strip her when you meet." Mike wasn't sure why he was the one in the house with a moral compass, the girls inhibitions were always thrown directly into the gutter at their first opportunity.
He watched them all gather around Honey asking her question after question but Honey was new and just smiled, unable to respond to most of the questions because of context issues or simply not understanding the question entirely. Mike's sense of adventure was calling, Honey's evolution, if it was indeed evolution, had inspired him greatly.
When March finally asked a question that she could answer, Honey wanted to try it. "Do you wanna try singing?"
Honey looked to Mike. "Go, have fun but don't overdo it."
The things on Mike's mind were important, he had to write them down. "Vella, Go check on the Stoners and get me an update on the Dragoons. If they need any meat, please just handle it."
Vella wanted to learn more about Honey but she understood that Mike's order was important. "As you wish. I will be back shortly."
"Alright, I'll be in my Office." Mike hurriedly closed the door and grabbed a pen.
In the background, he could clearly hear the hoops and hollers of the fans in the lobby. March was on stage again. Her singing was not too bad but it was still an improvised form of Karaoke. 'At least she's having fun.' Mike looked to the book and found a place where he had written his notes on the blue glow. His observations and thoughts on the matter had been greatly expanded today.
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There were a multitude of lights hitting Honey while she was on the stage next to March. The lights were bright and had a sort of warmth to them. Combined with March's body heat, it caused Honey to emit a trace of her stored energy. The crowd fell asleep and March lost her place in the song.
People were passed out on the floor and only Honey was left standing.
"Mike!" Honey ran back to the rear of the building, Mike was sitting in his chair minding his own business and making his notes.
When the pounding came on his door, he stood up. It was already abnormally quiet in the Casino but he figured it was just time for March to switch out for Jodi or one of the new hires. "What's up? Are you okay?" He could smell the cannabinoids in the air but figured it was just someone smoking.
"Everyone fell down." Honey looked worried, which didn't help her situation. She was stressing out and her complexion darkened.
"Slow down, take a drink." Mike passed her the Condensed Elemental Water and watched her guzzle it. "You should really drink slower, now.. I'm sure its not that bad. Lets go check."
Grabbing Honey's hand, Mike was instantly high. He shook his head, it had been a while since he had actually felt a real buzz. He led her to the lobby and looked around. Everyone, including the card dealers were passed out. Hearing their breath's he knew they were alive. "They are all just asleep. What happened?"
"I was nervous and on stage, it was hot. I.. I don't know." Honey looked upset, Mike calmed her down and explained.
"Its okay, I think I understand. Just think of it this way, Honey is formidable." He brought her out of the light and into the back room where she could relax. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"If they are not hurt, then I am okay." She took it well but Mike could tell that she was thinking it over.
There was little he knew about Treants, Mike didn't know how to help her control her bodily functions or even how to explain everything but he was certain that she had many more abilities yet to be discovered.
"Now that she's evolved, does that mean she is immortal too?" Mike spoke to himself and wrote some things down.
"What's Evolved? Immortal?" Honey laughed, those words sounded funny to her.
Mike didn't know if he was wrong for having mentioned it aloud but his compulsion to answer questions was notorious in of itself. "Evolution.. Its when a change that never happened before, happens. You were a plant, a special plant but still a plant. Through a strange set of circumstances you were changed, giving you new found capabilities. Now you have legs, can speak and even think for yourself. That is cause for celebrating, its certainly an evolution." Mike took a hit and blew the smoke out.
"Golden Hair, Blue Eyes, Golden Skin.. I bet you have Golden Blood." Mike shook his head. "You must learn to remain calm and collected." He was still holding Honey's hand and he could feel a pulse. 'She's definitely alive.'
When he let her go, Honey perked up. She was lost in his eyes, like her attentions were hanging on his every word. "Okay." She smiled and seemed to have completely forgotten what she had just been through.
"Stay in here for a moment, I'm going to go check on everyone." Mike left and locked the Casino Doors, he put everyone into comfortable positions and walked outside.
The night sky was full of clouds. He was hoping to see the stars. "Well, at least it couldn't get much worse." Mike regretted the words that escaped his mouth, he looked out into the distance and saw fire.
"F▓CK!" Mike didn't even bother to check if others could help, he flew directly toward it.
With an Ice Crystal in his hands, Mike slammed into the fire. The concussive force have him a fighting advantage, the fire was suffocating and he was still holding the ice crystal. Looking for the source of the fire, he saw several figures flashing between the formations in the fields.
"WHO'S THERE!" Mike flew up, ignoring the fire.
If there was intruder, they picked the wrong place. Mike threw out his vines and a large wall of woven vines crashed into the edge of the brush. He had effectively cut off their escape.
A blast of pink light hit the Vine wall, it twisted slightly. Mike flew toward the light and stood on the other side of the blasting arsonist.
"Where the f▓ck do you think you're going?" Mike's silent appearance was like a grim reaper tapping on their shoulders.
All five of the men nearly jumped out of their skins.
They backed up and tried to surround him.
"Oh?" Mike laughed and waited to see what they would do.
A pink, lash-like magical attack, flew toward his face. It moved slowly, Mike's eyes looked at the others who were beginning to cast their own attacks.
'Is this another of my powers?' Mike stared, they moved at regular speeds but he was seeing their every movement like it was written down.
He cocked his head to one side, the pink lash flew past.
A green fist flew toward his gut, he took a step forward, avoid it and the punch that was directed at his jaw was hit by a similarly red fist. It happened in an instant, the three of them clashed into each other and were hit by their associates attacks.
Mike turned to face the leader, a man who hadn't moved. He wore a strange bracelet on his arm and was a lot more decorated than the others. The clothing was definitely very expensive.
"Hahah... Fool, You dare defy Ornian's Laws? You will be executed! Kill this scum." The Man pointed at Mike and hollered as loud as he could.
Perhaps it was because of the twenty foot wall and magical flashes in the area, or perhaps it was because the man yelled so loud, there was an impact into the ground between Mike and the Ornian.
"WHAT.THE.F▓CK!" Vella stood up, rock dripped off her wings and rained down from the air. She turned and swiped her tail, it cut into the man's leg.
He fell over, screaming.
She picked it up and began to beat the man with it. "You.F▓cking." Space seemed to fold in on itself as she swung down, the man's leg penetrated his crotch and his face twisted until he threw up blood. "BASTARDS! DEATH ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH."
Vella looked like a Demonic Doll, risen from hell to destroy anything in her path, the other four were quickly sliced into small chunks. Vella wiped the blood from her fingers and looked at Mike. "What?"
"Nothing. It would have been nice to question one of them." Mike was glad they were dealt with but now he didn't even know if they were spies, saboteurs or some sort of agents sent by Ornia. Not too long ago, the Prince had come by with a request to help quell their advancement. He had even warned Mike about the pace and manner in which they were doing things. 'This is just too fast, are they trying to take this Kingdom?'
Mike still didn't know which kingdom he was actually in, but the Poocha Kingdom was next door. He had left but never bothered to look or even ask. It was possible that the Ornians would invade, or had already.
"Vella." Mike got her attention again. "Clean this up, I have to go take care of those fires."
She nodded and he flew away.
Several minutes went by until he could disperse all the fires. There were large swafts of charred land. The Air had gotten so hot that the plants within the formations never stood a chance.
Mike was furious. There were no more plants. He had seeds, but everything in the garden was set ablaze.
"AH!!!!!!" Mike pounded the dirt, caving it in. 'Fu▓king bastards.. You fu▓king bastards...' He was seething. Lonestar City had not done anything to provoke others or made bad business moves to give cause for anyone to have attacked or burned down his grow. Even if everything was replaceable, he had still been attacked. 'If there were guards, what would have happened? Would those that were watching over it have been killed?' Mike's mind spun out of control. He spread his wings and flew back to the Casino.
"VELLA!" Mike called out loudly when he returned. Vella was sitting with Honey in the back room. "Watch the Casino and City."
"Why? Where are you going?" Vella stood up, she was concerned. Mike's eyes were terrifying.
"I'm going to kill them all." Mike's expression was serious, he grabbed several rings that he had put aside in case of emergency. "If I'm not back in a week, move on." He stuffed a cloak into a bag and then put it into his ring, then, he grabbed Honey's hands. "I know we've just met, but Vella really is a good person. Listen to her while I'm gone."
Mike's aura was wild and violent. He was bloodthirsty and wanted payback. Those five that had lost their lives were just an appetizer.
When he had gathered a few things from town, he flew to the west, across the open water.
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