Orin followed, he knew that by the sound of the man's footsteps. He kept the majority of the vines away from Rook and gave him a chance to run all out toward the top. He had his blade in hand with the fire still rolling over it. The massive vine had nearly made Rook lose his footing. He glanced back but only in time to see the old lore keeper falling. Too far away to catch him Rook could only look on as he fell. Turning back to the stairs with a resolute look in his eyes. Orin was powerful, according to Ives at least. He could manage. He would have to. Small vines ripped past him, some tearing at his clothing and leaving glancing blows in his tan skin. The call from below was answered with a nod that may or may not have been seen and when Rook was finally at the top he didn't hesitate to propel himself outward toward the plant. Arching his flaming blade over his head and bringing it down on the plant. It hissed and screamed, a sound that made his ears ring and eyes blur, a sound akin to a roar tore from the elven man's mouth as he rode the blade down. Putting all his weight into it as it tore through the living being. Green goo splashed forth, all over him as he continued downward. When he was nearly half way down the plants stock it happened. Between his weight and the friction of the plants odd makeup against the blade it snapped with a deafening crack.

His eyes opened wide, the plant still screaming it lashed out at him. Flicking him away with a painful whip of a massive vine. The blow was enough to knock the wind from the elven man's lungs and he blinked against the darkness that enveloped him. Slumping against the wall useless until he could recover from the blow.

He could see from above a silhouette. The elf from above had come down upon the plant, he could see Rook screaming with all his might as the vines were being shredded apart. Fire. Chaos. He could still hear the commotion as he fell, getting further tangled into the vines below. However, he wouldn't let the plant catch him this time. Turning around with narrowed eyes and gritted teeth, he viciously pulled the vines away with his hands, trying to fall further through to reach the ground below. As the plant hissed and wailed, the vines seemed to move spastically as he then created an opening. Dropping through one leg turned over the other, his dark clothing fluttering as he fell. Orin fell to the floor below, the first floor that seemed to be where the plant was the least. He landed gracefully, both feet planting onto the ground as his knees bent, his back arched as he just barely caught himself. He then stood up, looking upward toward the plant, the light filtering from above through the many vines. It had created itself into a tower of sorts, stemming from even further below the ground. What was this place in the temple? An observatory of sorts? Orin gazed around, seeing more depictions on the wall of elves serving the Goddess. Destroyed. Other real elves laid on the floor, unhurt but perhaps the infection was within them as well. He averted his gaze back toward the plant, which the whole thing seemed to sway from side to side in frantic motion, the flames devouring its very being as it was cut. He could hear the screaming growing louder and louder. Rook had crashed onto another wall. His head swung to the side to see him as he slid down the wall, before slumping up against it. Running toward him Orin looked at him with what appeared to be, concern. He had to reawaken soon, for the plant was not fully defeated yet. However the man's gaze then turned behind them, gazing at the plant which now seemed to shrink into a smaller size, shrinking into itself as it came lower toward the ground in its deafening screams. Orin rose from where he was, gazing at the now, defeated plant. Everything seemed to come down in flames. The windows exploded. Glass came crumbling down. The wails turned into hollers which turned into an eery scream. Fire and blood stained the ground upon which Orin and Rook were. He could not spot the lady of darkness but he knew she was around there somewhere. Most likely trying to keep the plant distracted he assumed. If not, she would anyway, because she would be its next target as the vines whipped around the upper corridors, tearing down at whatever floors were above them, the stone crumbling down as the center of the tall room fell. It was trying to hold itself up, to preserve itself, however as the vines came down from the ceiling, the massive beast falling, so did the surroundings. The alive elves. That were unconscious but now fell to the floor. It was a chaotic mess. The flames still roared as it flailed about, and Orin walked closer near it when the commotion had died down, the center preserved in the midst of the room. It was in the shape of a ball, tangled vines ensnaring around themselves to protect whatever was inside. Orin stood very near to it. Unafraid he approached boldly. It was defeated now. Rook had delivered such a blow that it could not live any longer, or at least, attack them.

"You are defeated," he said. No expression could be seen on his face or heard in his tone. He gazed upon it with his usual somberness as he always did. However his eyes were slightly more narrowed.

"Not yet... I will not..." the plant tried to argue, the vines surrounding the ball curving outward in a more, non-hostile manner. "I do not wish to die." It had told them. However, was it even a living being in the first place? A plant that it was, it could very well just be something under the control of another person. Orin's eyes narrowed to slits.

"What are you?" he asked. Voice seething in his words. He needed to know. He couldn't kill it, as much as he wanted to. "Why do you attack elves? This will be your last sanctuary before you are killed." His voice was authoritative. Unmericful. He would not allow this plant to run free. It could not harm anyone else any longer. It moved slightly, weakly as Orin continued to stare at it. Why did you keep me alive? What were those words you spewed from your mouth that day? Orin thought inwardly. It said it knew the Council... it said that it knew him. Why?

"You were all destined to become one with me," it spoke ominously, gazing upon him and the other elves more. "I was created by the Council. My name was originally 'Plan Elf Alter.' A last resort that was always planned to be used. Used by against your own kin. But they do not know that they have created a sentient being. I have a mind of my own now. No longer shall I be the slaves of your Council. Orin. I saw that within you. I saw that you would be able to understand. You have the magic to foresee through the earth. You have seen the darkness too, have you not...?" Orin did not answer. Instead he looked down in thought. "You have. The Council knows that this darkness is coming. Which is why they had created me. I am something upon which all of you would have been used for eventually. Without nature, what would the elves be? Can they even survive? They foresaw the entire Dryhtwood Forest being devoured in flames. Where would you be? You need me to survive." The passion it spoke with. It seemed to truly hate the council, whether Orin wanted to believe it or not. "I disagreed with them. From the very moment of my existence, I did not want to be a whim of their desires. However this is how they created me. They wanted to keep me a secret. But they had used experiments with me. I had infected those elves. From the time that had happened, the process had already begun." A moment of brief silence. He wanted this to sink in for all ears that were near. "I do not wish to harm the elves. But the price for which you must pay to survive. To live. To become even more powerful than the other races themselves. They wanted to use me as a weapon. However I just want the elves to be safe." A bad choice of words. However maybe they were true. "How else can I preserve myself? Does anything like myself even exist? What use would they have for me? Now that they had found out and I had released this information, now I have a target on my head." But it already knew it did. But maybe this was its last stand. A last hope for survival. "But the darkness will come for all of us, eventually."

"No." Orin said. "You must die." Lies! Lies! Lies! The Council?! Oh how it was trying to deceive him. Yet... the Council... why hadn't they done anything... to stop the plant? What forces were at work here? Had it really been them all this time? Perhaps it was making sense to him. Somehow. It just seemed like something they would do. Maybe they had already sought to kill it. Which is why it was trying to live through other elves. But... this was still a menace. So many elves had died as it was trying to infect them. And why would it want to change them? Just because an unknown force was coming, that did not mean the elves were helpless. But what did this have to do with him? Understand it? Orin could understand, but he wasn't the one that would seek such an alliance.

The vines seemed to shift then, the sphere unraveling itself slowly. It came further near to him, however he remained unmoving. "Orin. Become one with me." An offer as it stared him down. "I do not seek to infect all elves. But you must understand the change upon which you must go through. Just a small selection of elves. When the rest of them die. At least the elves can survive. Reproduce and survive. That is something I am unable to do myself. The very elves within this ancient temple. All of them had lived here in harmony until your men have arrived." Under its control, yes. But maybe they were alive and sane just as somehow the plant seemed to let their minds go at will. "Be one with me. Rook had already been one of mine. We can live here in this temple in harmony. You all will be able to live here undying. Forever strong. Orin, I saw you because we are one and the same. You seek to prevent destruction. So have I. Together, we can save the elves, from all of this." The temple was quiet. Some dying flames that had lit in the corners had continued to burn.

"I will not." Orin protested. Although it was rather tempting. "Even if you say you wish to save the elves. We must be able to stand alone on our own." "Then do not kill me. I will be able to help you. As a living being. I am sentient. I am a race, much like you!" It was trying to say that it wasn't a monster from a frightening tale. Not a creature nor a weapon used for destruction. Just a simple man, trying to live and survive. All on his own. "I will not further infect any other elf that does not seek it. The one that you have heart for is in danger."

What? Orin did not know what he meant. "Rook had infected him. Ives. From now on, he had not received any visions. His deathly magic had been cured. He does not know this, but perhaps he had some assumptions. But without his magic, his life has not been taken off any longer. He will live. If you kill me. He will die."

Orin turned to Rook with a blazing fury. "You had brought Ives into this?!" he bellowed, whether or not the man had awakened by then or not. Nevertheless, he turned to the plant. He did not deny that it would be a lie. Ives... He had not seen him nor what he was doing since the ball. Even still he had not known much about him since he was away, even though he occasionally asked the earth. He could not sacrifice him for this. But... all elves had an end. Change what they may, everything had a will to change. But, everything eventually came to an end.

That's just how it was.

"What is your decision, Orin Forst?" it asked, the vines continuing to unravel.

"You. Must. Die." The words were painful, but the wanderer was fully intent on killing the creature. Even if it cost Ives' life. He was going to die anyway. All for the sake of not being a slave to this thing. This creature that was strange and unusual. Perhaps this was the very danger that the Council had sensed! How could it sacrifice those elves to save them? He did not wish to coexist with it. They must defend themselves on their own. That's what it meant to be an elf. He ran toward the plant, swooping down to pick up Rook's fallen broken blade as he charged at it with all his might, roaring as the plant began to further unravel itself, what was the shape of a man. A humanoid plant that was separated from all the vines, the green liquid falling off around it as its eyes gazed at Orin with sadness. A sword-like weapon formed in his hand from the vines next to it. It stepped forward from the fallen egg-like shape of vines, it dashed toward him as the swords were about to clash against each other. One fully intent on slaying the other.

The water from the corridor on the entrance of the temple stopped flowing. The vines from all sides seemed to die down, either falling to the floor or slinking back further into the temple. The elves that were controlled seemed to come back to their senses, stopping in their paths within the temple as they blinked, looking at each other in confusion. It made way for anyone that was outside the temple to infiltrate within.

The words from the mage drew Rook’s eye. His blue eyes widening with understanding. But he didn’t have enough time to react. Suddenly an explosion of heat and pressure sent him flying. Through vines and bodies, living and dead. He tumbled and flipped. Coming to a stop at last with his stomach against the cool stone floor. His back was badly burned, his long hair singed and scorched. His body was aching and beaten, but he wasn’t dead. But…was the plant? An image of Ives flashed in his mind and Rook tried to push himself upward but failed. The vines came then, wrapping around him and lifting him upward. Rook stumbled a step but caught himself, he turned to see what was left of the plant creature and felt his heart sink. It looked horrible. Rook’s borrowed sword was gone but he still had his fire.

It was while he was trying to focus on Orin that the extent of the dead elves came into focus. Rook blinked and fell back a step, his head turning to take in all the devastation. The strangest part was that not all of them appeared burned….several just looked…drained. Rook turned to the mage then with a look of disgust and horror. ”What the hell have you done?!” He bellowed at her, his voice cracking from all the smoke he had inhaled. Movement pulled his eye to Orin who appeared to be backing closer to the mage. Rook’s lip wrinkled in disgust.

”You would side with her? A mage?” A mage who had probably just stolen more lives than the plant had. Rook coughed but didn’t surrender his protective stance in front of the plant. He turned back to the creature and thrust his arm toward it. ”Take what you need to help me fight, I know you need energy. But don’t fucking kill me.”

A moment of hesitation followed before the plant would wrap several vines around his wrist, one arching upward like a serpent preparing to strike. And then it did. Delving deep into the tissues of his arm and stopping there. Rook gritted his teeth but made a pained sound none the less. At this point his whole body hurt, it was just another brick in the wall. He could feel himself growing weaker and weaker. The creature appeared to grow stronger as it sucked energy from him like some strange sort of vampire. And then just when Rook felt himself begin to teeter on his feet it released him. He stumbled but another vine caught his shoulder to steady him.

Rook turned back to their opponents with rage in his blue eyes. Orin he had no qualm with before now, and he still felt the man could be reasoned with. The mage was dangerous, careless, having little regard for the lives of their people or the plant. She had almost killed Orin and himself just to get a sneak attack in on the plant. Rook’s heavily scarred arms fell to his sides, flames suddenly blooming from each hand to lick up his arms.

”I can’t let you kill it.” He said sternly, his voice cold. He looked to Shimmer then with unconcealed hatred. ”Someone with such little regard for our lives shouldn’t even be here. You are nothing but a succubus and I hope to be alive long enough to see the look in your eyes when you know death is upon you.” He shook his hands and the flames roared higher, burning at his skin hungrily. And then he waited.