The violet sap on Rozah’s skin brightens in time with her heartbeat. The open gate looms behind her, and the forest shivers as if it breathes through her ribs.
Roots slide over her shadow, not around it, knitting themselves into her outline like they belong there. The glowing residue on the shattered horn mark does not fade. It settles.
Kraz
It is not leaving her. It is taking hold.
Hooded Rider
So this is what you wanted. Not a weapon, a host.
The violet pulse answers from Rozah’s arm, and the clearing stills. The forest’s attention fixes on her, patient and hungry, as if she is now the anchor it has been searching for.
Hooded Rider
Snarl meant to bind the tribe to the grove, and I meant to ride the aftermath. Now the grove has chosen its own chain.
✓ Quest Accepted
Achieve symbiosis with the corrupt roots
“I command the roots to weave into my skin and become my armor.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -3)
Rozah spreads her fingers and pushes the command inward. Violet threads answer at once, slipping under her skin like wet roots through soft earth.
They knot along her forearms, crawl across her shoulders, and seal into a living mantle that plates her flesh without breaking it.
Rozah the Goblin
The roots fit. Too well.
A thin hiss escapes her arm as the new armor tightens. The price is a sharp burn beneath the skin, and a bead of violet sap rolls down to the ground.
Kraz
It is not wrapping her anymore. It is wearing her back.
Hooded Rider
Look at her hands. The forest is answering before she moves.
The clearing holds its breath. Around Rozah, the roots settle into a second skin, and the silent beasts in the brush remain still as if they recognize her as part of the grove now.
Quest Complete
Achieve symbiosis with the corrupt roots