Compulsion of a Flower's Essence Ch. 04

Chapter 4 -- Warmest Winter

Greglas Daenan stood firmly within the grove, faced with the large bulbous plant. Tightening his already firm and steady grip of the trusted halberd, his eyes sharpened to gain a greater awareness of the potential threats. A taunting voice emanated from within that plant; whatever it was certainly wasn't trustworthy!

"No games! Show yourself!" Greglas shouted, his tone true to his words. "Whatever you are, I assure you we're both better off if you stop hiding!"

"Oh dear, you're really no fun, are you?" sulked the muffled voice. "Well, if you insist...."

Still shimmering in the sunlight, the large pink petals flickered gently before slowly unfolding, just enough to reveal half a woman's body inside. Her shining amethyst eyes opened to look down upon the half elf in front of her, as he froze in awe at the beautiful woman with pale green skin and long bright purple hair. Many delicate vines rested upon her body, violets were neatly placed in her long hair, while small yet pretty lilacs dangled from her earlobes. Both breasts were as visible as they were giant, with the woman's arms held across the nipples, only drawing the half elf's attention to her colossal cleavage.

Greglas trembled, struggling to comprehend his sight and situation. "A-Are you...one with this flower?" he queried, still far from trusting her.

"Indeed I am!" the woman giggled. Her purple lipped smile grew, happy to hear interest from the man in front. "You seem very tense, so allow me to explain. My name is Lilla; I'm what's commonly known as an alraune. I'm by far one of the most beautiful and lively flowers you'll ever feast your eyes upon! This forest is far more rich and vibrant than most, which is partially thanks to elegant flowers like myself! Tell me, what's your name? What's a handsome fellow doing here in my grove? Did my delicious aroma distract you per chance?"

Greglas stared bewildered. He'd heard about humanoid-plant hybrids in the past, though he believed it to be that of myth. Yet here he was, standing right in front of what claimed to be an alraune of all things! As friendly as she seemed, that would probably just leave Greglas at a greater risk. Mimics taking the forms of treasure chests weren't the only weapon nature had against naïve creatures. Orchid mantises and pitcher plants followed the same tactic. It'd be all too easy for this plant to take him and eat him!

Greglas took small steps back, halberd ready. Switching to breathing primarily through his mouth rather than his nose, he readied himself for any sudden attacks, without taking another step closer.

"You seem friendly enough, but that doesn't mean we should trust each other." Greglas claimed, his serious tone not wavering. "I'm only here in search of my lost friend, not to play games with you!"

"Lost friend, hmm?" Lilla placed a hand near her mouth, tilting her head in thought. "Sadly, very few humanoids have paid me a visit lately. Any chance your friend was a handsome human with dark green hair?"

Greglas squinted, paying close attention to both her words and the subtle sounds of movement in the ground. Did some vines move within the ground beneath?

"'Was?' hmm? Would like to think my friend IS a human with dark green hair! What did you do?"

"Oh, I di-...did him no harm. Randi should be safe and sound right now, I assure you." Lilla looked upon Greglas, seeing a burning fury in his deadly eyes. "Ah, hold on. Let me elaborate. I used the wrong tense earlier. My intended words meant there was a human round here who has since left. Would have thought he'd be back with your people right now?"

"Listen you...." Greglas retained his focus, taking no chances. "You're going to explain everything you did to interact with Randithas Rowynn. Nothing about you is trustworthy. You're like a pitcher plant that attracts humanoids, I can tell. You better do something to convince me you haven't seduced and eaten my friend, you I'll drive this halberd straight into your chest and any other vital areas! I'm well trained with polearms and all creature types! Cooperate if you expect to live!"

Lilla's smile drained, sadness and disappointment washing over her. Her intense gaze defocused, veering off to the side as her arms sagged to the side. She let out an annoyed sigh before regaining her composure, though not her facial expression.

"Fine, I'll explain. Randi sh-, um, Randithas showed up nearly a week ago, lost and confused. He was exhausted and afraid of the forest night time, so I offered him comfort for a few days. During days he'd roam the local area to gather food, during nights he'd cuddle up to me as I kept him warm. Within that time, we forest inhabitants worked together in hopes of finding a good path out the forest. He departed a few days ago, so depending on his speed and navigational skills, he should already be back home by now! Since we were unaware on the location of Fletchington pass, he may be circling the forest right now, soon to arrive home."

"Wait...you know the name of our home?" said Greglas in surprise, his aggression fading. "Sorry, this is a lot for me to take in...."

"Not to worry, I understand." Lilla replied as a warm smile returned to her. "I apologise for not being able to help much more. Such things prove difficult for rooted creatures like myself."

Discomfort had taken Greglas. He'd feel bad for attacking, primarily in the off-chance she was actually being honest and helpful. Still, he couldn't leave yet. There must have been something he remained oblivious to!

"Well then, okay Lilla...." Greglas pretended to calm down, holding his halberd by his side. "Though I understand it's probably just the way you're grown, care to explain more about your purpose here? It's strange that a flower out here would hold such great resemblance to an attractive woman, along with how much this floral scent is weighing me down and trying to lure me. Sounds like Randithas trusted you an awful lot, yet now there's no trace of him here!"

"Hmm, you still see me as a threat it seems..." remarked Lilla, holding her head with a hand. "You'll insist that I had to have hurt your friend, correct? Are you that desperate for a convenient explanation or an outlet for your anger? Perhaps you should stop comparing me to those gross pitcher plants! I hold no such acid within my petals, just sweet delicious nectar...for the local honeybees."

"Fine then, an orchid mantis. Beautiful and attractive to your prey, until you feast upon them. Your appearance and aroma say it all, you lure in men and have your way with them. You said it yourself, few people have visited you lately. If Randithas really left this forest, he'd have returned home by this morning when I left." Anger rapidly dwelled within Greglas, his fist clutching his halberd more tightly. "I know for a fact you've been hiding something, probably in hopes of luring me in too. In that case, fine...I'll approach you halberd first!"

Greglas bolted forward, halberd firmly pointed forward with its thirsting tip ready to strike. Lilla's face of discontentment shifted to pure terror, screaming as her prepared vines shot out the ground, reaching for Greglas from every angle. Many vines grappled his limbs and torso, while Greglas wasted no time in pulling and slashing away at however many possible. Though his movement had slowed down, it hadn't halted. More vines kept lashing out, not that they could restrain him for long.

"No! NOOO!!" Lilla cried, her petals rising as her body leaned back. Her aroma hadn't pacified Greglas. If his burning rage was any indication, it had merely fuelled him. "Greglas please! Stop!"

Tripping and struggling as he staggered forward, Greglas fixated on his target. At this point, there was no turning back. He had to believe in the potential danger of this alraune! Just before his halberd entered the range of Lilla's petals, loud rapid thumping intensified to his right. From the distance, someone ran towards him, fast! Dashing at dangerous speeds, a large woman with chestnut coloured skin and large fluffy brown paws was ready to pounce, her razor sharp claws prepared to shred Greglas to pieces.

Greglas turned his weapon and body to face the new foe, or at least his tried to. In a brief moment of distraction, his halberd faced entanglement. Multiple vines wrapped it all over while continuing to restrain it, locking Greglas out of free movement or defence. Was this it? Dodging wouldn't buy much time!

"Oreithyia! Please don't!" cried Lilla, the aggressor halting in place. What appeared to be a bear hybrid stood at two meters tall, with round ears atop her long dark brown hair. Her big muscular arms stood on show, not covered by her dark brown dress, tied above her stomach. She slowly reeled back from her stance, having nearly slashed with her shining razor claws. Greglas knew for a fact that one slash a second later would have meant certain death. "O-Oreithyia, don't attack him! Please!"

"Lilla? Have you lost your mind?" Oreithyia spoke with bewilderment and aggression, her eyes switching between the sight of Lilla in terror and the half-elf who nearly attacked. Said half-elf was locked firmly, though struggled hard in futility to evade the fearsome bear in front. "This man wants you dead! He's desperate to rip you apart! You of all flowers! Clearly he's an enemy to us all!"

"He's just lost and confused, okay? He's just...he's a close friend of Randithas. He's convinced I hurt him. I'd never do such a horrible thing!"

Oreithyia grabbed the halberd below its blade, yanking it out of both their firm grasps with ease. Without hesitation, the halberd was sent flying into the far away bushes.

"Lilla, I know you wouldn't hurt Randithas. This guy however...would gladly hurt us all." Oreithyia pierced through Greglas's mind with a death glare, towering over him while nearing her claws to his face. Greglas shuddered in panic, no words to mutter or movement to make. "You'd better give me a damn good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart right now. You wouldn't be the first threat to the forest I've slain!"

"Oreithyia, we can't antagonise him!" Lilla interrupted. Greglas glared to Lilla in confusion. Was she seriously as caring as she claimed? "Causing any harm to our visitors is counter-intuitive. If they're acting out of vengeance as opposed to malice, we're all better off pacifying them!"

"Grr, fine!" Oreithyia stood straight, arms crossed. "Half elf, I can't really say I'm sorry, but at least be thankful to Lilla, okay?"

"O-Of course! Was j-just about to!" Greglas clearly wasn't okay. Though no longer seething with rage, the vision of those claws had grazed into his mind. "U-Um, thank you Lilla! I apologise for getting violent. I care about my friend's safety, and truth be told I've learnt the hard way that nature often can't be trusted. Do you know for certain if Randithas is safe?"

Lilla resumed her loving composure, gently sliding the vines away from Greglas. Though their grip can be strong and adamant, their touch can be soft as silk if desired.

"By all means...." Lilla spoke, much calmer than before. "Provided Randi can follow directions, he should have no problem. Should have only taken a day to leave. As said before, it's possible he's been required to walk the perimeter of Klaia Forest, which would take far longer."

As Greglas stood to take in the details and any potential implications, a shy spoken voice emerged from behind Lilla.

"U-Um...i-if I may...." spoke an orange haired girl with strange antennae and sparkly amber eyes. She glided out of hiding very slightly, Lilla's petals only partially covering the view of her. The honeybee hybrid's bodysuit and thigh-high boots felt ominously distracting, foiling a response from Greglas. "I...did see Randi a few days back, though that path he headed down was an arduous one. An adamant enough path, but not one he could get through before yesterday...."

"Oh? So tell me Melaenia...." Lilla grabbed the honeybee by the chin, staring into her now paralysed body. "Why do you too call him Randi, hmmm?"

"Aahh! T-T-Tha-That's j-just his n-name, isn't it? It's w-what you kept calling him!" Melaenia struggled meekly, flailing her limbs about. "I-I just h-helped him follow a-along his path! Okay!?"

Giggling away, Lilla pulled Melaenia into her petals, cuddling the honeybee with the back of her head pressed cosily against Lilla's cleavage. Melaenia abruptly quelled her panic, Lilla's comfort already overwhelming her with an increasingly aroused face explaining it all. Greglas looked to Oreithyia in confusion, who simply nodded and smiled. They all seemed to get along fairly well, each seemingly fond of Randithas. Lilla stared at Greglas, a warm and comforting smile accompanying her beautiful eyes.

"Greglas, I believe you said something about having left this morning? Sorry we sent Randithas down a longer path, we were simply going by what we knew. If per chance he's still in this forest, we'll send a message to Fletchington Pass!"

"Ah, thank you Lilla!" Greglas responded, bowing slightly out on instinct. "Sorry again for almost attacking you. Not sure if I can ever suppress that regret...."

"If he's somehow still here, we'll at least take good care of him!" Oreithyia added. "Though when you get back, be sure to tell your friends about us! The more people come here without seeing us as threatening, the better!"

"With that in mind, Greglas..." spoke Lilla, a mild smirk forming. "Certainly be sure to visit again in spring! Bring a few extra people! We'll have the local forest creatures welcome your return!"

"Thank you, everyone!" responded Greglas. Finally, the reassurance he needed had arrived, hidden away in what appeared to be a group of monsters. Something about their special aura seemed to naturally pacify him after receiving some extent of reasoning to believe they aren't harmful. "Would love to stay, though I need to get going. Maybe I'll even visit again with Randithas, assuming he'll be up for it!"

A strange wave of excitement washed over the three of them, each doing a terrible job at concealing it. All said their goodbyes as Greglas left the area, first heading to the large bush that was previously sliced through by his halberd. Thankfully he hadn't lost it. Such a weapon wasn't cheap!

Looking over to wave a final goodbye, Lilla put Melaenia into Oreithyia's arms, despite the honeybee's protest. Clearly Melaenia wasn't actually fond of the giant bear girl, for obvious reasons, though that certainly didn't stop Lilla from playing around. Perhaps letting Oreithyia cuddle Melaenia was Lilla's idea of a gift for saving her? Regardless, it was a pleasing sight, at least when Greglas convinced himself that Melaenia didn't truly mind deep down...

"Oreithyia, please go help Greglas find his way out." requested Lilla, shortly after Greglas left her sight. "I want to make sure he gets home safely. It'll help us out a lot!"

"W-Wait!" yelled Melaenia. Oreithyia was tightly holding her just as Lilla was, completely unfazed by Melaenia's vicious flailing. "Why put me here? Lilla! Stop laughing at me! I wanted to stay cuddled with you!"

"Aww, I know! It's best if you both go help him though, right? Go work together! It'll be wholesome and endearing!"

"Exactly!" Oreithyia agreed. She cuddled tightly, rubbing her face against Melaenia's head. A horrified expression plagued Melaenia's face, easing her flailing out of pessimism. "Better if I go help Greglas with a cute and tasty treat for myself at the ready!"

"That's...barely a compliment coming from you..." lamented Melaenia, as Oreithyia carried her away. Distracted my Melaenia's own sweet scent and huggable body, Oreithyia overlooked the nectar coated vine that stroked her shoulder.

"....That should do it!" Lilla commented, Oreithyia also having left her sight. "Now then, my dear Randi...I'll be needing you to return to me very soon...."

--

Greglas trekked forwards, through the bushes and vines that layered upon the forest soil. These trees had grown giant, with many gathering in small spots. If it weren't for having taken such a simple path, Greglas would be breaking down in panic. Carrying the stress of almost murdering an innocent forest creature, or being sliced open by one, really didn't resonate in the slightest. Reminding himself of how little he should trust the unknown calmed him slightly, but not upon remembering how he effectively submitted to paranoia.

Violent bursts of rustling and crunching soon followed. Turning round in a mildly spacious area, Greglas began reaching for the halberd again, only to relax upon seeing a jolly-looking Oreithyia approach through the foliage. Melaenia was still locked tightly in her arm, her face void of hope before noticing Greglas again.

"Ah, you two!" Greglas spoke, comfort held in his voice. "Can I help you per chance?"

"Nope!" Oreithyia promptly responded. "But can we help you in any way? You appear rather lost!"

"Wait, lost? Are you sure? I'm simply following the path back, onwards to the larger and simpler road in this forest. It takes a while to reach, but it's a simple and straight path!"

"Umm...are you certain of that?" Melaenia intervened. Her tone carried a mix of attention and dreariness, along with mild inconsistency to its pacing. "You uh...have been weaving through different arcing paths. Oreithyia here has been following your subtle trail while I can't help but...remain alert to the twists in your route...."

"Are you...kidding me? I'd made notice of various inconsistencies between the larger pathway and Lilla's area. So far it seems like I'm on that same path!"

"Yeah...but you probably made mistakes I guess? Some parts of Klaia Forest hold weird similarities...very convoluted for outsiders. Ah, Lilla probably knew that, hence why she told me and Oreithyia to help you out!"

Greglas temporarily held his hands against his hips, glancing aside in frustration. "Ah, sure thing. If I need the help here, I'll take it! If anything I owe you and Lilla my thanks."

"Great!" Oreithyia boasted, borderline shouting. "Well, Melaenia here will probably help you more than I will. She maps out the forest better. Here, catch!!"

With both arms, Oreithyia threw Melaenia directly at Greglas as she flailed her limbs in protest. With Melaenia's distorted attention and the powerful launch she got sent through, she simply screamed as she flew straight against Greglas, knocking him to the ground. Oreithyia giggled audibly as she strolled towards the two.

"Aahhh! I'm so sorry!" Melaenia yelled, mounted atop Greglas. He caught himself from the fall, minimising damage, though still had a fairly lightweight humanoid pinning him down. "Y-You're not hurt, a-are you?"

"No, it's fine. I'm unharmed. Definitely been hit worse before!" Greglas reassured. Staring into Melaenia's amber eyes for a few passing seconds, he caught the memory of why she had shown up to begin with. "Oh yeah, so...you know the way to that main path, right? It's between Fletchington Pass and Longhilt if that helps."

Melaenia gazed at her surroundings, from the gaps between trees to the positioning of the radiance above. Seemed to take a while, with little sign of recognition. Oreithyia wasn't helping much. She simply crouched down beside Greglas in curiosity. Her short dress wasn't showing much more modesty, her thighs and lack of underwear becoming very perceptible.

"....Where are we...?" Melaenia asked Oreithyia. The latter simply offered a shrug in response.

"All I know is we found Greglas." Oreithyia clarified. "I was too caught up in the moment, so most of my focus went to tracking him instead. Besides, I was sure that you were given to me to help track our location? It's either that or Lilla agrees with me when I told her how delicious your skin is!"