Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 162: Plants vs Claws

"What happened?" Xeno said, muscles taut, scanning the area.

"We need to leave," Visha whispered.

Though whispering would not help, it was the only thing she could do now. The Stone-horn and River clan had already dealt with something like this. Metal was unable to stop them; she did not think that they, without weapons, would be able to do anything significant.

Without asking questions, Uri and Xeno began to move.

They knew that if Visha was so adamant about moving, there must be a reason. They used their own instincts to find danger, but could not find anything. Xeno asked Visha through the link what was happening and why they couldn’t sense any danger.

"You really don’t sense anything? Neither of you?" She was confused. She knew they had great instincts.

"There’s nothing here," Xeno responded.

"There is, and it’s moving towards us. I don’t think we’ll be able to leave."

No sooner had Visha finished the sentence than a vine moved quickly towards her. She dodged, barely able avoid the attack. Uri lunged forward, attempting to grab the vine. As soon as his hand touched it, he felt something pierce his palm.

He released to see blood on his palm and another vine moving towards his hand. This time, he did not try to grab it. He used his claws as weapons and sliced towards the vine. The sound of metal clashing against metal surprised him.

Xeno, on the other hand, was being attacked by leaves. A small shrub whipped leaves towards him. He used his claws to intercept some; others he was unable to slash in time, and they cut his cheek and arms.

As they fought against the plants, Visha, with little battle experience, was being protected between the two. This was not her first time being protected by them. It was not her first time feeling useless. But staying in the caldera had made her complacent. She had forgotten which world she entered.

A place where no fighting power meant she would die. From what she had seen, pertaining to females, it’s not that they do not fight. The cheetah women were also warriors. But she spent most of her time around Willa, who was non-combatant. Then being a priestess, there was never a reason for her ot learn how to fight.

Now, as she watched them protect her, she felt the urge to learn as much as she could in a short amount of time.

You already know how to fight. Use your instincts, you dummy. Stop resisting and remember.

She knew that voice. The one that had always accompanied her. The voice sounded closer to her than ever before. It wasn’t a distant echo like it usually was. It sounded as though it came from beside her ear.

Remember what? Visha asked herself. Remember that she doesn’t know how to fight? She watched her mates receive blow after blow. She had to step in. Whatever instincts her beast was talking about, they would have to show me right now.

She stepped out of their protective radius and lunged towards a plant attacking Xeno from the side. Her claws crashed against it. The grinding sound made her clench her jaw, but she did not give up. For every blind spot she found, she would rush out and stop the plants from causing serious harm.

From clumsy at first to proficient. The rate at which she learned to fight was not something a beginner could do. Her heart pounded. She felt an excitement inside her that she did not believe she should be feeling.

But her excitement soon turned into dread. No matter how much they fought, the plants didn’t stop. And unlike the seemingly endless energy the plants possessed, they were getting tired.

She needed a way out of this.

System, I could really use your help right now. She was anxious. The plants had surrounded them.

They were closing in, and there was no answer from the system.

Sys, seriously, I need you right now! If you don’t do something, I’ll die.

[Use the Rite of Vitality]

That’s for healing. Visha replied immediately, happy that the system finally answered. Why would I want to heal them?

[It won’t heal them, just use it.]

The system stopped answering after that. Even though she resisted using it, she had no other options. Uri and Xeno were tired. She could see it and feel it. She summoned the power she held as a priestess.

Testing it on one plant, she released the power. She had never been so far away from an object she was using the rite on before. It took a while for her to get it correctly, but when she did, she saw something she had not expected.

The plant that was attacking stopped.

It stopped mid-swing, and the vine retracted. Visha slowly retracted the power. The plant did not attack again. The second time went more smoothly, and every time after that was easier.

But Visha noticed something. The more she used it, the weaker she became. It was not just her energy. She felt as if her life force itself was fading. The amount was minuscule but still noticeable because of attunement with the rite.

As soon as all the plants stopped moving. She collapsed.

"We need to leave, now. I don’t know how much longer they’ll stay like this."

Seeing Visha pale-faced and breathing heavy, no questions were asked. What they needed to do now was run. They needed to get as far away from these things as possible.

Only when they arrived at a section of rock did they stop. This place had sparse vegetation. They stopped to gather their strength. Leaning against a large boulder, Xeno couldn’t stop himself from asking.

"What just happened? Why couldn’t we sense anything?"

"Because they are plants," Uri’s voice was calm, certain.

"How are you so sure?" Xeno asked.

Visha sat, collecting her strength, listening ot the conversation. She had no input to give. She still needed to collect herself after what she had just done.

"We are warriors. Our instincts react to other animals or beastman threats. But plants have never been a danger to us. Since we don’t see it as a danger, we won’t register it."

Uri’s statement hung in the air. Plants aren’t dangerous.

"Looks like we honed the wrong skills," Xeno laughed breathily.

In the end, they decided to stay where they stopped for the night.