Damion had no friends in the whole world, but there was a place he always went to to get some moment of reprieve when he wasn't in the combat class, his first safe haven.
That spot was known only to a few, and amongst those few, none ever visited that place, except him of course.
The place was an abandoned greenhouse that had lost its original beauty and grandiosity, due to a wild growth of various floras.
The transparent glass that acted as its roof was broken, shards of glass laying around, both on the floor and on some plants with large leaves.
Damion sighted several objects, whose use he didn't know off, resting on the dirty walls a few meters away. They looked like large sized tasers, and he could only wonder what they were used for… Perhaps the plants were unruly.
The heaters previously hanging high above looked to have fallen to the ground, also laying in shambles with scattered and broken parts everywhere.
Damion could see different weeds and shrubs that were dangling around, barely sticking in the soil they were planted in.
Some plants with crazy survivability and tenacity, grew through the ground itself, piercing through the metallic flooring to search for nutrients.
The plants struggle for survival was funny to look at to most, but it taught Damion a deep life lesson instead.
"Only the most adaptable survive," he muttered to himself. "Not the strongest, nor the most intelligent..."
The plants were planted in pots of thick clay, and the clay, though having unnatural toughness, was still cracking at its mouth from overload.
Damion stared at the plants for a while, just sitting there and doing nothing. He looked at them from a distance, standing near the entrance of the greenhouse… Then he moved.
An idea bloomed in his mind, and he activated Dragon's Authority.
Dragon's Authority had increased from its level 1 10 meter range, to 15 meters after its upgrade to level 2. Not only did the range increase, but the potency did too, making Damion's presence rise from that of a ferocious untamed Tiger, to an armored Rhinoceros.
Damion walked slowly and casually through the greenhouse, and as soon as he was 15 meters away from the plants, he felt something push against his Authority, and he was hit by a strong headache.
He staggered back and almost fell on his butt, but he powered through the pain and stood straight, pressing a hand against his head and groaning.
"What was that?" he asked, but the reply he got wasn't what he was expecting.
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[Quest Received]
[Quest Description: Your Authority as the Draconic King of Shadows has been challenged.
Brave the dangers of the Green Rose Poison Heart, and make it succumb to your Will]
[Quest: Overrule the Green Rose Poison Heart's Will]
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Damion stopped rubbing his head for a second when the message popped up in his visage, and he read its details carefully.
"Green Rose Poison Heart," Damion uttered, looking up to see the plants writhing in their places and slithering towards his position.
He almost took a step back when he saw the plants merging together and began to form a large figure, but Dragon's Authority seemed to remind him that it was cowardly to do so.
Damion frowned.
He wasn't against the idea of standing and facing the danger of the Green Rose Poison Heart, but it'd be quite foolish if he didn't create distance between himself and his opponent, just because he felt it beneath him to do so.
Having this thought, he ignored the nagging feeling he felt and retreated quickly.
The plants were still merging when he processed these thoughts, so he had enough time to jump back and start assessing the situation.
His eyes darted around, searching, but before he could find anything useful to him at that moment, his danger sense blared, and Shadow Walk was used in the next instant, causing him to drop into his shadow and rise out of a shadow tens of meters behind.
Damion's frown deepened. His Mana had dropped by half from that one use of Shadow Walk.
He tried to find an exit to leave the greenhouse, but the door he had come through was already blocked by a wave of roots snaking across the dirty glass.
Damion tried to use Shadow Walk again, but he realised too late that he needed to see the shadow he wanted to exit from before it could work.
Damion felt pressured. He had no idea a creature like this was hiding in this place. If he had known, he might not have even stepped a hundred meters from it, not to talk of entering its domain.
His gaze sharpened, and he stood tall, facing the forming creature confidently.
He shot a gaze to the side, remembering the tasers that were resting on the wall, and his hand reached out, picking up one.
The taser was light and easy to move around, though it was sturdy, so he picked up another, he was going to use them to defend himself if any wrong move was made.
Damion banged them together, and some rust and dust fell from its surface, revealing the faint silver luster underneath.
They were a bit too large for his hands, but he used them anyway, it wasn't like he had a choice at the moment.
Looking on ahead, he could see the plants forming a humanoid shape with its roots, twisting and turning like muscle fibers to form a strong figure.
The bark of plants came together to form a protective armor around it, its dark brown and black color making it look like a fearsome wooden armor.
The countless leaves winded around its surface in weird patterns and rested in different spots, before merging with the tree bark to give it a greener tint.
Damion had expected it to form a rose, just like the system had stated its name was, but it had turned into a humanoid creature contrary to his expectations.
The creature had no visible eyes, its facial features were obscured by a veil of leaves, and its long arms ended in large and heavy hands.
Damion stared at the creature, waiting for it to move. But, it neither made an attempt to come at him, or acted as if it noticed his presence.
However, Damion only waited some more, his feets shifting into a stronger stance. A few seconds later, a root suddenly burst out of the ground and whipped at his back.