"What have I done…"

Seymour had known for a while that things were getting more and more out of hand. But he'd felt that he needed the plant so badly that he'd tried to ignore it, tried to tell himself that he could find a way to put a stop to everything before anything worse happened. But as he took in the sight of the monster that burst through the doors and took flight into the stormy night, it was clear that the situation had gotten far, far beyond his control.

A good deal of people were already trying to flee, some making a break for the stables and some opting to go straight for running away on foot. Others had armed themselves and hastily scrambled to do what they could to take a stand. But despite the valiant efforts, no attempt at an attack seemed to be doing much good. Spears and arrows appeared to bounce harmlessly off the creature's tough hide, and even if there was any hope of a mace or spear doing more damage, no one could manage to get close enough to the green monster swooping through the air to find out. The one bit of luck the people had was, that while they didn't know why, the plant didn't seem particularly interested in going out of its way to hunt down any of them.

Seymour, on the other hand, knew exactly why it hadn't bothered with anyone else yet, and why it had chosen to start circling above the estate grounds instead of taking off to terrorize some unsuspecting and less-defensible village nearby. It would surely want to get up to that later, but in that moment, it was looking for him. He was certain he could sense the creature's glee, and he knew just how pleased it was with how powerful it had become. He could practically hear the deep voice in his mind boasting, "I don't need you anymore, Seymour. Now you'll see what I can do!"

The one thing he knew plain as day was that a plan needed to be formed, and quickly. The odds were very much stacked against them if they were facing down a creature impervious to any weapon they hurled in its direction. Somehow, they would need to find something much stronger. Not to mention that the ground had become slick with mud and wet grass, and the rain was now coming down in such thick sheets that it was almost a good thing how large the plant had grown, because it was doubtful anyone could see well enough to aim at a moving target very effectively. The storm was clearly right overhead, and the tallest spire of the estate had already drawn in several bolts of lightning. All in all, this was a very, very dangerous situation. But whatever it took, he had to find a way to put a stop to it.

"Audrey!"

Not realizing she was right behind him, he nearly ran straight into her as he whirled around. She placed her hands on his chest to help him before he could slip.

"Audrey, I think I have an idea." Even after he had steadied himself, Audrey didn't move away, and he placed his hands on her arms in a reassuring gesture. "It wants to go after me. When I go out there, I'm sure it won't be focused on anyone else. If I keep it distracted, can you make it back inside and get to the armory?"

He had always known that Audrey was a lot braver than most gave her credit for, and he wasn't at all surprised when she gave a slow, but determined nod.

"I can do anything you need." She assured him.

He didn't want to put her at any more risk than necessary, but time was of the essence, and there was no one he trusted more than her. And if all went well, he would be able to keep the plant as far away from her as possible. Though the storm had grown loud enough to easily drown words out from a distance, he didn't want to take even a chance of his plan being heard by the monster overhead, and he leaned in close as he explained the rest of what needed to be done in a soft voice. Audrey looked quite nervous for him, but it was also easy to see that she held as much faith in him as he did for her, and after a deep breath, she gave him an encouraging nod and stepped away to let him go after the plant.

Picking up the axe again, Seymour stepped out into a clear area where the green creature could more easily see him, squinting until he could determine its exact whereabouts in the sky. It didn't take much shouting to get its attention, and as soon as its gaze snapped in his direction, the pod forming the head was nearly split in two with an eager smile. As it landed in front of him, he waited for a rumble of thunder to pass, but still had to shout so he could be heard over the rain.

"Is this what you had in mind all along? Destruction? Laying waste to the kingdom?"

"And I ought to thank you for all of it!"

Seymour gripped the axe tightly, planting his feet firmly in the ground. He needed to hold his ground, at least for a few moments longer. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Audrey run past, though he didn't dare to look closer out of fear that the plant might follow his line of sight.

"You won't get away with this. Your kind never does."

The plant only laughed in response, but Seymour maintained his unwavering glare.

"I don't care what it takes. Only one of us leaves this place alive." He stated firmly.

Though the plant didn't look the slightest bit intimidated, it seemed to be getting impatient for a real fight to begin, and it swiped a few thorny claws in his direction. "Well, quite the gall this little one has."

Seymour tried to respond with a swing of his axe, but the plant easily and almost lazily dodged.

"What do you suppose you are? A brave warrior? A knight in shining armor, even?"

The long tail lashed out in his direction, and Seymour scrambled to dodge. Or at least, he tried to dodge. What actually occurred was more akin to slipping and falling, though it at least had the same effect of getting him out of the way.

"Face it, you don't have the first idea what you're dealing with."

A paw formed of roots and vines pinned him down before he could even begin to pull himself upright, and the giant pod suddenly loomed above him.

"You've been more of a hindrance than a help for some time now. But you were good for a few meals, and I suppose I owe you a chance to save your own hide. Stay out of my way, and I may let you live to see tomorrow."

By that point, he knew much better than to trust a word out of that creature's mouth. He fumbled to find the spot where the axe had fallen, and in one swift motion managed to pick it up and smack it into the plant's jaw

Though he doubted he was truly harming it, the plant was momentarily distracted by the blade's sting, and he had enough time to get back to his feet and put some distance back between the two of them. Of what little he could make out through the rain, it appeared that everyone else had given up and was joining those who had already fled. He couldn't blame them, and though he had to push back a wave of fear at the knowledge that he was now alone in the courtyard, it felt only right that this had to be his fight.

He just had to last long enough for Audrey to complete her part of the plan, and then there would be nothing to do but pray that it worked. He also realized that he would have to get closer, and this might be his one opportunity to make his way back towards the estate. He heard a flap of wings behind him, and put on a frantic burst of speed. The plant returned to the air, though perhaps it wasn't done toying with him yet, as it soared straight past him from above. He was panting for breath when he reached the large building, and his hand slipped against the slick stones when he attempted to catch himself against them. His feet skidded beneath him and he fell to his knees, but he quickly looked back upwards, bracing himself for the creature to circle back around and dive at him.

But instead, it landed with a heavy thud on the wall above him. Before he had time to realize what it was doing, it had already begun to dig its claws into the stone that easily crumbled under its grip, and it tore out a huge chunk of rubble that came crashing downwards. There was no time to run, and all he could do was curl into a ball and cover his head as more and more of the wall was torn down and fell to the ground to bury him.