Nod glared at the snarling Boggan leader, Ronin at his side, two rows of leafmen behind them. All of them the last line of defense between Mandrake and the pod, the life of the forest. Above them the remaining flyers were trying to break up the swarm of bats Mandrake had called to block out the moon. Distantly Nod could hear Mub or was it Grub yelling that the pod was blooming in darkness.
The air was thick with tension from the stalemate between the leafmen and Mandrake. They were keeping Mandrake away from the pod, but the moonlight wasn't getting through to the pod either. The stalemate ended with a wave of wind and power expanding from the pod. Mandrake is thrown back, while Nod and Ronin struggle to keep to their feet.
Black mist covered the floor on the chamber, Nod tried to kick it away as tendrils began climbing up his legs. He didn't see Mandrake watching him in anticipation, nor could he see Ronin and the other leafman watching in growing horror.
"I'm sorry." A voice, voices? whispered in his ear as more of the mist rose around him, "but I know you are strong enough to bear this." Then the mist engulfed him.
Nod gasped trying to draw breath to scream. He felt like ice was running through his veins, stabbing pinpricks of pain, fire was raging over his skin. He struggled to breath as the mist tightened around him. His sword slipped from his fingers.
"Stupid, stupid Nod." He thought to himself. "Never let go of your 's told you that so many times. Ronin! Ronin, what's happening? It hurts!"
The mist finally retreated, leaving Nod stunned and gasping. Struggling to regain his bearings, Nod looked for Ronin. The chamber was quiet, at first all Nod could hear was his own breathing, until Mandrake's triumphant laughter rang out. Looking up Nod found Mandrake closing in on him, the Boggan King grabbing his shoulders.
"My Dark Prince!" Mandrake declared triumphantly, his smile wide and malicious. Pulling the struggling young leafman closer, Mandrake smirked over at Ronin. "He's mine!"
"Let him go, Mandrake." Ronin's voice was low and dangerous as he approached the pair.
"Why would I do that, Ronin?" Mandrake sneered, his grip tightening on Nod's shoulders.
Forcing himself to focus, Nod raised his hands, growling "Let go of ME!" Shoving Mandrake away, Nod stared in shock as Mandrake was thrown several paces away, a spear of Rot piercing through his chest.
Bile rose in his throat as he watched Mandrake struggle to remove the spear, even as the Rot ate away as his flesh. Taking a step back, Nod looked down at his hands in horror, vaguely noting his skin was paler but more frightenly his nails had elongated into claws tinged grey and black with Rot.
"What's happening to me?" Nod murmured stumbling back. A clatter brought his attention back to where Mandrake had fallen. All that was left of the Boggan was a pile of bones, his cloak, and staff. A terrified whine started in the back of his throat, unable to turn away from the morbid sight.
"NOD!" Ronin's voice cut through the panicked haze in Nod's mind. Turning his head Nod found Ronin now standing beside him again, concern etched on his face. Ronin reached out to hug Nod. "Nod you need to calm down. Just breathe."
Nod jerked back, hitting the raised bowl where the blacken pod still floated. "D-Don't touch me. The rot? What happened?"
Ronin pulled his hands back reluctantly, "Okay, okay. That's fine, I wont. Just focus on me and breathe." Ronin kept his voice slow and even. "The pod bloomed, but we weren't able to clear the bats away from the moon. The life of the forest went to you."
"Why me?" Nod questioned, wrapping his arms around his torso, keeping his eyes on Ronin.
"I don't know, Nod." Ronin answered, "but for right now, you just have to keep calm and don't panic. Your powers and the forest will be connected to your emotions."
Nod stared at Ronin a moment feeling an urge to laugh hysterically. He knew he was the worst person to hold the lifeforce of the forest, the now corrupted lifeforce. He had killed Mandrake with Rot, his hands were still dripping with the poison. And Ronin wanted him to be calm.
Before he could begin to laugh, several of the remaining Boggans landed in the Blooming chamber. Ronin glared at the intruders drawing his sword as he stepped in front of Nod, signaling to the leafmen into defensive positions. Oddly the Boggans did not move to attack. Instead a large frog Boggan wearing a vole skull for a helmet knelt down besides Mandrake's remains inspecting them. Finally the Boggan picked up Mandrake's staff and approached the defensive line of leafmen, his eyes focused on Nod.
"You killed Lord Mandrake." The Boggan stated flatly gesturing with the staff. "and you command the Rot."
Surprised at the Boggan's behavior, Nod could only blink as he answered. "Yes, I did and I do. What do you want?"
The Boggan glanced at the others before dropping down the one knee bowing his head, his companions following suit. The he spoke again, 'The weak shall fall, the strong shall lead. By Boggan law, you are our king."
Shocked silence fell over the room as no-one dared to breathe at the Boggan's claim.
Nod found his voice again, whispering to Ronin, "Ronin, can I panic now?"
"No. Panicking is a really bad idea"
Author's Note: Well since I apparently didn't have enough projects to work on, I started another alternate universe. I also have an ask blog on tumblr .com