Everybody give it up for day 3 of nonstop lore! Man, gotta be said the new season of Frontier Hunter almost kept me from finishing this in time, but I managed to push through. So now everybody, sit back, and enjoy our all-time favorite wanna-be-tree man...

ENJOY! DAY 3 ~ Lance

Swallowed By The Earth

Lance couldn't remember what it felt like not to have termites in his ass.

Drevas was a constant draining force on his mind, sapping him of the strength to move the weight that quite literally grew on his shoulders with every passing day. It didn't help that over the course of the years he'd had it, he'd become quite literally inseparable from his namesake weapon, the roots that sprouted from its handle now fused to his very arm.

Currently, the Hero of Vriksha found himself seated in a small grove, gazing up at the great World Tree a hundred paces ahead of him, it's brilliant leaves shining every color of the spectrum beneath the light of the sun. He was meditating, many had advised him, over the course of his travels, to never stop to rest; immobility would only increase the power Drevas had over him, as his body wouldn't as actively resist it. He found the opposite to be true however, the less he moved, and the less he sapped his own strength, the slower Drevas could work, And that was without a doubt the worst part of Drevas, it didn't ask, it just took things from him, he couldn't stop Drevas from feeding its power into him, replacing his strength with its own, it consumed him in every way it could, with everything he did.

He still remembered when he'd first stumbled upon the Demon Pike in one of his family's storehouses. It had been but a rusty old spike of metal at the time, but it beckoned to him; he'd always wanted to join the Vrikshan military, to protect others from the dangers of the world, but his family strictly forbade him. ' The military is no place for a young lord', they'd tell him, so one day, pike in hand, he'd run away to train on his own. It would be several years before Lance realized that, Drevas actually HAD beckoned to him.

Even now, the spear whispered to him, giving him breaths of its power, like morning dew in the air; just enough to be tangible, to let you know that it's there, and just enough to make you lust for more. It was enough that Lance found himself craving more, and in his younger years, he had given into these temptations, had taken and used Drevas' power to accomplish magnificent feats. But no more, he'd conditioned himself, steeled his will, he needed to last until the end of the war at least, if his people were ever in need and he'd already passed on….No, he would never forgive himself if such a thing were to happen.

The pain was excruciating though, that was one of the tricks, Drevas could inflict unimaginable pain on its host, and drinking of its limitless pool of power could ease the pain, at the expense of one's own life. He'd been the first, at least by what he could find of Drevas' previous recorded hosts, to successfully hold out for so long against its unbending will. As such, the Demon Pike had taken to him, seeing him as a challenge, a mighty steed to be broken in, and it took great pleasure in breaking him, very slowly, day by day, it would have its prize.

His flesh had slowly turned gnarled, stiff and scaled. Around his arms, where the takeover was more complete, his skin had the consistency of bark, it was even growing its own moss in some places. Insects of all kinds crawled and buzzed over his skin, for the most part this didn't bother him, after all he'd lost any vestiges of squeamishness a long time ago. But, then there were the damned termites, not even Drevas' tortures could equate to the pain that they inflicted. Lance shuddered to think where they might burrow to next.

Rowgen slung his rifle, Thorn, over his shoulder, gazing down at the living tree that was his quarry. This Lance fellow, he had branches and gnarled roots coiling around just about every limb, it seemed familiar almost. They twirled back around him, meeting at his back where they rose up over his head, hanging like a canopy over him, a great pale blue light hovering at the center of the cluster, pulsing gently. The hero was quite literally rooted to the ground, his days of threatening the gods were over.

But that wasn't to say that Rowgen was permitted to take it easy on the fellow, he had a job to carry out, and he'd not have his record tarnished by somebody so polite as to stand permanently in one position to accept a sniper round in the head. Lance wasn't even facing him, it would be too easy, but he couldn't take his target lightly, a wounded animal is the most dangerous kind. Removing the heavy black shield from his back, he plunged it into the ground at his feet, taking up a crouch behind the makeshift cover. He lined up his laser sight with the back of Lance's head. He held his breath, locking his target to the count of three, observing for any possible shift in movement before he took the shot.

As he gazed at the back of the Vrikshan Hero's head, something clicked in Rowgen's head, he'd seen the green-haired man before. It was the same man who had single-handedly foiled one of his operations back when he was part of the Atharvan National Army, when he was tasked with poisoning the World Tree, Lance, a boy then, had siphoned the deadly toxins from the tree's roots, taking it unto himself. Rowgen had imagined that such an experience would've at least seen Lance killed. It was an oversight he'd have to remedy immediately it seemed. He pulled the trigger.

Drevas began drawing on Lance's power again, he grimaced, annoyed at the interruption to his meditations . The Demon Pike tugged at his conscious mind, trying to convince him to take more of its strength, clearly it was anticipating something, but he paid it no heed. The lance would use any excuse it could find, any disturbance to convince him that he would need its protection, even the most minor things, it distorted his perception to seem monstrous, But he would not partake of its power again, he had no use for such trivialities, what use did he have for power now?

A blast thundered across his little clearing, he grunted as the branches that held his body down tightened around him, threatening to strangle what little humanity was left in him, It strained behind him, tugging him slightly from his position, as if it wanted to tear free from his body, wanting to intercept something that he clearly wasn't able to see himself. He reached out with his mind to the branches and vines that fought against him, willing them back to him; he'd not have Drevas taking control of his body so easily. This proved detrimental to himself though, as moments later he was suddenly struck with splintering force by a small bullet, which lodged itself in his shoulder blade, throwing up a spray of thick, amber blood, which had taken on a sappy consistency as of late. The bullet itself wasn't what did the most damage to him, he despaired as instantly he felt Drevas begin to work, new bark like skin grew over the wound, sealing it and replacing it, continuing its work of making him more plant than man. Flowers and weeds sprung up in the wake of the round, it was agonizing, their instant sprouting forcing their roots to dig under his skin, drawing sustenance directly from his own life.

With great difficulty, he turned himself, glancing all around him to hopefully catch a glimpse of the shooter. A slight flash from his right, he wasn't fast enough to stop Drevas from willing the plants around him forwards, they formed up a barrier between him and the next bullet that tore through the air at him. He watched as the long arms were suddenly shattered, splintering into a thick brown cloud as the second bullet destroyed them. He doubled over again as Drevas used his life force to replenish the branches, which grew out before his very eyes with a sick grinding noise. Grimacing, he wiped sap from his mouth, his eyes locking on the shooter at last, noting from the distance, only a distinct black disk, easily visible against the green and brown background, and the singular red dot that seemed to follow him around. His eyes widened, he remembered that shield.

"The poisoner returns," he said simply, scowling at the sniper. His people had almost been destroyed when the World Tree was afflicted with that man's terrible poisons, if it had died, then all of Vriksha would've been left to fend for itself against the dangerous beasts of the lands, and the kingdom would've been plunged into darkness. He'd thought his chance at revenge was long gone, turns out he was wrong, which brought the barest ghost of a smile to his face. Thinking quickly, he made up his mind on what to do, whether he like it or not, the World Tree was his top priority, and the man would not destroy it, he wouldn't even get close so long as Lance was there.

"Drevas, you wanted me? Then I want you to give me your very best shot, give me all you've got, I can handle it, just give me the power to kill that man, and you can have whatever the hell you want." He felt the foreign presence in his mind that was Drevas give off a wave of perverse delight at his request, at finally being offered the chance to bring low so mighty a warrior, and soon the power flowed through him.

He wanted everything the Demon Pike could give him, and it held no punches. He cried out as the skin that had been shifting and changing all at once receded, giving him a solid view of his own arms again, for the first time in months it felt like. Every bit of foliage that had surrounded him seemed to recede, dissolving around him, and only causing the lance to glow brighter with each passing moment, Lance closed his eyes. His body exploded with power, green light radiating off his form as the branches of Drevas blasted forth from the spear, constricting the arm that held its handle until it was completely unrecognizable. Drevas itself seemed to nearly double in size in his hands, old Vrikshan runes began glowing along its surface, the vines and wooden limbs unrelenting as they burrowed and rooted into the ground at his feet. Wrapping all around him, they all strained wrapped around and behind him, rising up and over his head and connecting in an enormous wooden bulb-like structure, taller than he was, the pale blue light pulsed from within occasionally, as if it were some great, beating heart.

He felt strong, stronger than he had in all his life, all the other moments that he'd called upon Drevas paled in comparison to this moment, but it was worth it, that sniper wouldn't even see it coming. His senses were crystal, his vision sharp, he could make out every groove and curve of the shield that his assassin hid behind, tightening his grip around Drevas, he readied himself. With a titanic burst of energy, he swung his arm, and willed Drevas outwards. The Demon Pike shot from his arm like a cannon blast, more vines and tree limbs grew along the path it traveled, thickening into one single, enormous branch as it went, flying true on its course for the sniper. The man never even saw it coming, Drevas punched straight through the center of the shield, piercing the center of his chest and slamming him into the ground several feet back,

It drank greedily of the life force of its newest kill, fueling itself, in seconds all that remained of the sniper was the midnight armor that he'd worn. Drevas appeared in Lance's opposite hand in a small burst of green light, and all at once he felt the toll of the attack rip through him. He sank to his knees as the wooden heart over his head grew in size, thick, sturdy branches that could easily be mistaken for whole trunks sprouting forth and shooting off in all directions, some even finding themselves wrapped around the limbs of the World Tree itself. He couldn't get back up to his feet, such was the sudden strain, and he only sank lower as even more began to sprout, filling his nostrils with the sharp scent of chopped wood. He sighed, this was to be the end of him then, there was nothing else for it, he'd given into Drevas one too many times, and now he would pay the price, at the very least he did so, defending his beloved home one final time.

"Hero of Vriksha, that was truly remarkable." Lance craned his neck up to see a man approaching him, a knight, judging by the look of his light plate armor. He couldn't muster up the energy to even move his arms again, let alone do so with intent to harm the man, so, with nothing else for it, he addressed the man.

"Who are you?"

" I am known as Ark, my friend, and I come bringing glad tidings." Lance's pained expression softened at the man's words, his enthusiasm was infectious, a welcome respite from the self-imposed exile he'd placed on himself for all this time. " You see, I don't know what to make of it, but last night I received a vision, a vision straight from our high Lord Lucius!" Lance smiled, the man was a nut, but it felt beautiful to have any company at all at the moment, and besides, the man's voice held a soothing warmth, he felt himself drifting off even now to the mere sound of it. " He told me to come here, to the heart of the continent, and I would find a man there. I didn't believe it until I saw you with my own two eyes, and lo and behold it's the man that saved all of Vriksha countless times already! What an honor it is to meet you sir truly!"

"Yes, thank you, Ark," Lance responded weakly,

"Lucius told me that I would have to tell you this, 'with what you've accomplished here today, believe it or not, you've just ended the war my child. The people will flock from the gods to live in harmony once again as their leaders fall. You can lay down your burdens now, and be at one with the clay from which you rose in this world, return to it, so that countless new generations may be born under your eternal watch, for it is their lives that you have saved today.'"

Lance was crying by the end of the man's speech, nutty or not, even if they weren't true, those were exactly the words that Lance needed to hear at that moment, for the first time since he'd laid his hands on Drevas as a child, he no longer felt its weight bearing down on him, nor its corrupt essence floating around his mind. Closing his eyes at last, he allowed himself to fall to the sweet embrace of sleep.

Ark smiled at the green-haired fool, watching with delight as the Demon Pike consumed him, this had been easier than he'd thought. He imagined that he would have to contend with the full wrath of the forest, but all he needed were a few simple words and the Hero of Vriksha had fallen for it, simply given up. He watched for a moment as the beating wooden heart that had been steadily expanding over Lance's head began to rise, taking its place at the center of an immense tree that was swiftly taking shape around the dying hero's corpse, one that dwarfed even the World Tree, reaching well above the tallest canopy in sight, a wicked thought struck Ark, he smiled, leaning in closer to what still remained of the Earth Legend, he whispered.

"No matter what you've done for this land, little hero, it can be undone in an instant, now that you've passed from this world, I will make sure that both you and your beloved World Tree are burnt to the ground, and that the entire kingdom comes burning down around you." Willing forth some of the powers that had already been bestowed upon him by Lucius for his work with the first two heroes, Ark conjured a small, perfect white flame in the palm of his hand, kneeling down, he placed it at the base of the newly sprouting tree as the last of Lance was finally swallowed up. The flame sputtered, caught on the wood, and within seconds any flames that touched the bark were extinguished, leaving only the small orb again. "What?" Ark watched as again, the flame caught on the tree's wood, grew for all of two seconds, and were all at once smothered, Quickly realizing what it was, rather than become enraged like he thought he would, he chuckled. The Demon Pike's supposed, 'limitless supply' of energy sustained the tree that it created, guarding against any and all harm that should come to it. Unfortunately, with its host now completely drained of his life force, its energy now very much did have a limit, and one day, that tiny, adorable little ball of flame, would catch, and the Lance would be unable to quench the fire that ensued. For now though, it stood simply as a decoration, a reminder of the man who had perished here today,

"Three down. Only three remain, soon, all the power I could ever want will be mine to command."

...

Day 3, done! I'm on a roll! As always, please do leave a comment, anything at all you want to say whether you liked it or hated it, who's your favorite starter, I got two ears and I'm ready to listen to what all of you have to say. Ta Ta for now, be sure to check in tomorrow, for Day 4 : The Thunder King's End.