James slowed to a walk as he reached the northern most end of the rent. From the edge of Syria, or what was Syria; it brushed against the Mediterranean Sea, and then down to the Arabian Sea, nearly touching on the Red Sea. The rent had been scouted completely by him and Priest over the last week. There was only one facility, and that was in Syria, on the very tip of the rent.

The facility looked to be overgrown with black vines that pulsed with an eerie red color. The plants crept up from deep within the red, claiming the facility like a parasite, siphoning its host. The once gray bricks and pristine white pillars were crumbling and eaten by the vines. From a distance, they looked no larger than his forearm, but the reality was that the closer he got, the bigger they became.

By the time they reached what had once been the parking lot, the thick vines had grown in view to be wider than himself. Much wider. Pulsing with their red light, they seemed to clearly be alive and menacing.

Scanning them with his soul, he felt a familiar energy flowing through them. Reminiscent of his people. That in of itself wasn't that bad because he knew he would find it, but what was worse was that he didn't know if it was pooling in the building, or flowing down into the rent. Something was feeding the vines and it was hard to tell from where.

"Can we get in?" Amber asked.

James rubbed his chin as he walked through the crumbling half parking lot. One whole section had collapsed into the rent, with a few cars dangling on the edges. Their rusted frames and collapsed windows still had skeletons inside, telling him that the people of the facility likely died instantly.

"We should be able to," he answered after a moment. Drawing closer to the building, he panned his gaze over its three stories. The windows were cracked yet not busted out like he expected. The vines clearly punched through the concrete, winding their way into the building itself.

It took a moment longer to notice the bent and broken front door. Walking over, he noticed Amber had her Soul Claws out, and Zenaria had her Soul Wires at the ready. Yet, when he scanned the area, he didn't find any signs of monsters.

"You can relax," he said softly.

"Nope!" Amber snapped. "Not a chance. This place is freaky as shit, and I'm waiting for a ghost to pop out."

Turning to Zenaria, he found her nodding vigorously. Sighing, he pulled open the broken door the rest of the way and found a tangle of thin vines blocking the entrance. Summoning his sword, he planned to cut them down, but the moment he made contact, the vines ripped out his energy, drinking it up faster than he could withdraw it.

"Fuck!" he shouted as his hand went numb and the blade winked out.

"Are you okay?" Amber asked in a panic.

Nodding, he glowered at the vines. "They took my energy. I'm going to have to take it back."

Both ladies stepped back, not wanting to be anywhere close to the vines. As for himself, James activated Devour on the vines and watched as they started to thrash. A tendril snapped out, catching him on the cheek, splitting his skin as if he was a normal human.

Blood dripped down his neck as he ripped his people's energy from the plant. His soul thrummed with power as the vines withered and died, their red glow dimming until it went out completely.

Tapping the dead vines with his fingers, he watched as they crumbled to dust, covering the floor in black powder.

"You did it," Amber said with a chuckle. "That didn't look that hard."

Shaking his head, James entered the building. "My Soul Siphon evolved when I reached violet. I think that's the only reason I was able to kill them."

"Awesome—"

Amber was cut off as the vines rapidly regrew, sealing them in the facility and cutting off the dim light that was filtered through the open door.

"That's not good," Zenaria voiced.

James turned to her with a raised brow. "It isn't?" he asked with every ounce of sarcasm he could muster.

"Shut up," she grumbled.

Smiling, he panned his gaze over the hall. Five doors lined the hall. Two on each side, and one on the far wall. All five of them were bulging with plant life, filling the area with a pulsing red glow. It was enough to see by easily as their eyes adjusted.

"Which way?" Amber asked.

He honestly didn't know. Scanning the area with his Violet Eye, he found a ball of energy further in the facility, but he couldn't tell if it was up or down. It seemed to encompass a space nearly as large as the facility itself.

"The back wall?" he questioned.

"Better than standing here," Zenaria stated before taking the lead.

James walked behind, keeping close enough that he could pull her back if needed. The vines wiggled at them as they passed two of the doors, thin tendrils reaching for their souls.

Keeping the girls in the middle, he prepared Devour to assist them if needed. Reaching the far door was slower than he would have liked. The double doors were bent open, their frames twisted as the vines reached for them.

"Stand back," he ordered. Stepping in front of the girls, he activated Devour and feasted on the vines. When a dozen thin tendrils lashed out, he stepped back, trying to gain distance, but still felt one of them clip his shoulder, cutting through his shirt and muscle. Wincing, he fought through the pain in order to crumble the plant in his path.

"Hurry through."

Zenaria pushed through first, turning the dead vines into dust before Amber followed. Holding his shoulder, he stepped through just in time for the path to start sealing.

"How is your shoulder?" Amber asked.

Pulling his hand away, he winced. The wound was black and refusing to heal. "Corruption of some kind. My resistances will fight it off, but it's going to take time."

With a grim nod, Amber took the lead. They found themselves in another hall with more doors branching off the sides. The vines creeped across the ground, grasping at them as if they were getting desperate for their souls.

Holding out his hand, he used Devour as they walked, drying up the thin vines and forcing them back. Hurrying to the double doors on the left side, he repeated what he had done twice so far. Only this time, he didn't take an injury.

"Are we getting closer?" Zenaria questioned.

"We are." James scanned the facility again and found them nearing the large ball of energy. It was slightly below them now that he was getting closer. "We have to go down a floor."

Panning his gaze over the walls, he found numerous signs stating the locations of different areas of the facility. From research to dining rooms, he ignored all but the sign for the stairs. Thankfully, they were in the same hall he was in.

"Follow me." Waving for the girls to fall in behind him, he followed the sign until he came to an open stairwell leading down. It was packed with the vines, twisting in among themselves, and several of them thicker than his own body.

"Can you do this?" Amber asked.

Nodding, James raised his hand. "Be ready to pull me back."

Zenaria grabbed him around the waist and Amber grabbed his shoulders. Once they were ready, he activated Devour and felt the building tremble. The stone of the stairs started to crumble as the vines shifted and roiled from the damage. Dozens of tendrils lashed out and him and the girls pulled him out of reach before activating their own Siphons to speed up the process.

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Slowly, the vines withered away, their pulsing lights dying, allowing them to kicked the plants out of the way. With each step they took, dust surrounded their feet. With steadying breaths, they reached the basement and he felt the energy was close.

Turning them toward the energy, he found one last set of double doors blocking him off. With grim determination, he walked closer and found that nothing was blocking their path.

Pushing open the doors, they all froze at what they found. A swirling nebula of energy drifted over the large room. Hundreds of vines created a tapestry, holding the energy in as they siphoned away bits and pieces. Another set of vines pumped the energy back in place, feeding off of and replenishing the rent. It was an endless cycle of growth for the rent and likely the wasteland.

"Once I start Devouring that energy, we are going to be attacked," he stated.

Both ladies summoned their weapons.

Taking one last calming breath, he lifted his arm and started. Connecting to the vast energy created a flow of silver light that reached his soul. The next moment, his mind went blank.

***

Amber watched the energy flow into James, coating him in silver energy as his violet veins grew across his skin. Pressure rolled off his body, flooding the room with power that made it stifling to breath. His good eye glazed over as he grew distant.

Thankful that the plan was working, Amber was about to wait out the absorption when a dozen humanoid plant monsters dropped from the ceiling, having been formed from sections of the vines.

"I guess we are up," Zenaria said with a chuckle.

Amber regarded their pulsing red bodies. "Don't let them touch you."

"Only James is allowed to touch me."

Smirking, Amber coated lifted her Soul Claws and morphed her legs. The mere instant it took, the monsters rushed forward. Activating Soul Siphon, she gripped each monster and a moment later, she felt Zenaria do the same.

They may not have had souls, but the creatures had energy that felt absolutely amazing as she absorbed it. All of the souls before could compare to the sheer power flowing into her.

Their beginning attacks made the creatures rage. Tendrils extended from their fingers, snapping out like living whips. One of them touched James's side, ripping open a wound several inches long.

Growling, Amber raced to counter. Leaping at the first monster, she landed on its chest and felt it start to absorb her soul. Screaming in pain, she started slashing with everything she had. Thousand Cuts, mixed with Aura of a Thousand Kisses, ripped apart all twelve monsters. Their energy flowed into her rapidly, replenishing her soul as the one monster continued to draw on her.

A moment later, golden wires wrapped around all twelve monsters and lifted them into the air. Glancing at Zenaria, Amber watched the woman flick her wrist, and hundreds of wires pulled tight, ripping the plants apart. Half of their remaining energy flowed into the kitsune, making her groan at the surge.

"That wasn't hard," Amber said while catching her breath.

The building rumbled as the network of vines shifted. The nearby doors broke down, spilling a dozen monsters from each one. Within seconds, sixty monsters had flooded the room, all aiming their attention at James.

Gulping, Amber stepped in front of him and Zenaria fell in next to her.

"I'll stay here," Zenaria stated. "I'll protect him with my body. Get in there and rip them apart."

"Understood." Racing forward, Amber dropped onto all fours and slashed at the legs of the monsters. For each one she hit, wounds opened on nearly all of them. Energy bled into her as monster after monster was lifted and shredded by wires.

The mindless creatures didn't attack her as they snapped whips at James. Screams of pain filled the air as Zenaria blocked attacks with her wires, only to have her energy drained.

Glancing back, Amber snarled as dozens of shallow wounds littered the kitsune. Screaming in rage, Amber summoned her four golden cats. They may have their energy drained quickly, but within seconds, their flames coated all of the monsters, making them writhe.

Dancing among the flaming monsters, Amber continued to cut them down, ripping off limbs and severing legs. Minutes began to pass as the vortex of energy siphoned into James, never seeming to grow smaller.

Zenaria screamed out one more time and when Amber turned to her, she could see the woman's throat bleeding. The wound wasn't healing fast enough and the kitsune was growing pale.

With some of her last energy, Zenaria activated some sort of skill that filled the entire room with wires. Pulling her hand down, she ripped through all of the monsters, only for the wires to pass through Amber, leaving her unharmed.

Racing over to her sister, Amber helped her to the floor. "I have you."

Eyes closed, Zenaria could only groan as blood dripped from her wounds. Pulling out strips of bandages, Amber had never been more thankful that she had prepared for civilians. Wrapping each wound, she sealed them as best she could.

The ground rumbled again, making Amber snarl. The vines on the ceiling pulsed before dropping nearly a hundred monsters, using up their mass. Even the vines that were feeding on the energy disappeared, leaving James to easily claim all of it.

Pulling the bombs from her inventory, Amber smiled. She had saved the weapons for if they needed civilians help taking out cultivators. But desperate times called for desperate measures.

Pulling the tab on her largest bomb, she hurled it into the mass of monsters. One after another, she hurled bombs, spreading them out, and waited.

The first explosion rocked the room, sending shrapnel through the monsters and bouncing off Amber's chest. Several following explosions ripped the room apart before she started throwing smaller bombs out. Mixing them with Siphon, she pulled as much energy into herself as she could.

Tendrils snapped at her, catching her chest and arms as she ground her teeth through the pain. Keeping her body in front of James, she shielded him as her last remaining cat exploded, coating the room in flames.

Tossing out even more bombs, she watched as the last few monsters were blown apart, their bodies fading to ash like all the others. Breathing heavy, she dropped to her knees and looked up at James. The last of the energy was pulled into him before energy from further in the facility flowed through the walls. He was eating all of the remaining vines.

Crawling over to Zenaria, she touched the woman's neck and found her pulse still beating strong. Checking each bandage, she smiled, knowing that she would live. They were both likely going to be weak, but James could always carry them back.

***

Luna screamed in pain as she struggled to hold the temple together. James was absorbing such a large quantity of energy that she pushed chunks of it off onto the others, speeding up their recovery. The walls of the temple cracked and groaned as the forest outside ignited into an inferno.

Smoke rose from the floor and their viewing screen cracked. Her throat felt raw as she screamed until she was hoarse. Even then, she continued to gasp for each breath. Her vision was filled with spots as she funneled all of the energy into growing their soul.

From level twelve, they passed swiftly into level thirteen. All of his people's energy that was collected in the facility and rent cracked the foundations of the temple, making her tremble as blood dripped from her mouth and nose. If she hadn't been there to help James, his soul would have shattered.

"Finish it, James!" she wheezed.

Like a switch being flipped, the energy stopped, and she collapsed to her knees. Jamie was on her a second later, using a wet towel to wipe her down.

"I have you, love," Jamie whispered.

Luna's eyes started to close, but she was at least able to see the cracks on the floor and wall start to seal. Their soul was going to be okay, and now she needed to rest.

***

James woke on the ground, his head resting in Amber's lap. He wanted to smile until the pain set in. His soul felt like it had been ground into dust and then pieced back together. A series of notifications were waiting for him, but there was only one that he was interested in right away.

Massive energy source absorbed: Soul strength: 13.0123875 (+?)

The sheer amount of energy absorbed couldn't be quantified as he tipped immediately over to level thirteen. The other notifications talked about his resistances increasing and there was a message about soul damage. He didn't have the mental capacity to read them at the moment and would wait until he could at least stand.

"You're wake," Amber whispered.

James closed his eyes and savored the warmth of her lap. He was unusually cold.

"You're awake, right?" she asked.

"I am," he whispered.

Soft lips pressed to his a second later. Amber's warm breath washed over him, making him smile.

"What was that for?" Opening his eyes again, he found her smiling at him.

"You destroyed all of the vines, but Zenaria won't wake up," she announced. "When you linked to the energy, the vines created monsters from their mass. They were kind of stupid intelligence wise and were only after you. She used her body to deflect attacks."

Rolling his head to the side, he found the kitsune covered in bandages. Her breathing was even and she stirred slightly, but didn't open her eyes.

"How long have I been out?" he asked.

"Only a few minutes. Our wounds are healed it would seem. I gained a ton of levels in Soul Resistance and Corruption Resistance. Not to mention that I'm nearly level eleven from absorbing energy from the monsters."

"Wow," he whispered, unable to raise his voice higher.

Chuckling, she brushed his hair back. "You did it, James. The atmosphere that I normally felt from the wasteland is gone. The stench of death and despair has disappeared. The world is healing."

"Thank god…"

"Are you thanking yourself," she teased.

Chuckling, he winced as his body shook with pain. Grinding his teeth together, he calmed himself. "I don't think I'm going to be moving anytime soon."

"That's okay. I'm enjoying you on my lap." Smirking, she leaned down and touched her nose to his. "At least this way, you can't escape me."

"Never…" Closing his eyes, he felt himself begin to drift off, sleeping claiming him quickly.

***

Amber touched Zenaria's side. "He's out."

Rolling over, Zenaria groaned as she propped herself up on her elbow. "His soul is denser and stronger. He leveled up."

"He did," she agreed. "But we won't be leaving for a little while. I think the others held his soul together. It shouldn't have been possible for him to absorb so much energy."

Wincing as she scooted closer, Zenaria laid her head on his stomach. "Wake me when it's time to go." Closing her eyes, she blindly reached out and took Amber's hand. "Thank you, Amber. I wasn't doing well in that fight."

"You did fine, Zenaria. All three of us need to sleep." Laying down, Amber scooted so that James's head was resting on her chest. Closing her eyes, she let herself relax as the world healed.

***

Victoria stood at the site of the nest, the area slowly regrowing green plants and small birds flitting from destroyed building to building. On her journey to the city, she marveled at all of the life that was reclaiming the wasteland, as if the planet was simply waiting for James to pass through.

She was about to return to the sect when a pulse of energy rippled from the direction of the rent. Her eyes widened as she watched the clouds part above her.

"What the hell caused that?" she murmured out loud.

Changing her heading from the sect to the rent, she started walking with her few followers. Had James really destroyed a rent as well? Would the canyon heal, or would they always be able to reach the Underworld? She needed to find out before the other sects beat her there.

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