Age Of Eldritch

Its daunting figure wasn't human in any way. Its movements were unnatural—a slow, deliberate sway that evoked primal fear in anyone who was unfortunate enough to witness it. Its sheer size was astonishing, towering high above the forest floor like an ancient sentinel.

Kenan crouched low behind a cluster of thick bushes, his sharp gaze locked onto the fiend as it moved in eerie, calculated patterns. The dim light filtering through the canopy highlighted the unnatural shimmer of its surface.

From the way it swayed, it was clear the creature had lost sight of him. Its steps, if they could be called that, were slow and deliberate as it slid forward, leaving the cover of shadows. Its towering form loomed fully into Kenan's line of sight.

The creature's name suited it perfectly: a Blood Bloom. At first glance, it resembled a plant, though no natural vegetation could be so grotesque. Its twisted, snake-like stem rose high above the underbrush, its girth as thick as a small carriage wheel. Deep, blood-red leaves adorned its body, trembling faintly as though alive, casting flickering, foreboding shadows across the ground.

At its apex sat five black, curved petals, each threaded with fibrous veins that glowed faintly with a sickly red light. The air around it rippled and distorted, as though the very atmosphere recoiled from its presence.

Kenan's eyes narrowed as they settled on the creature's maw, between the petals—a gaping orifice lined with pristine, razor-sharp teeth. Droplets of acidic saliva dripped from its teeth onto the forest floor. The acid released a cloyingly sweet aroma, one that grew stronger with every drop that hissed against the soil. The scent was sickeningly pleasant, like overripe fruit left to ferment.

At the base of its stem, whip-like tendrils slithered through the air, their sucker-tipped ends writhing like living creatures. Thick roots snaked deep into the earth, throbbing with a strange vitality that seemed to pulse in rhythm with the glow of its veins.

Kenan's pulse quickened as he crouched lower, every instinct screaming at him to remain unseen. The Blood Bloom looked nothing short of a nightmare incarnate, a being that defied all natural logic. Its tendrils stretched outward, feeling the air, seeking prey.

Kenan's mind was in disarray, however...

His hand drifted to the ring Jim had given him, its smooth surface a comforting weight on his finger. With a steadying breath, he whispered the activation code: "JMS."

The ring shimmered with a faint blue light, and a holographic interface flickered into existence above it. Kenan wasted no time, swiping hurriedly through the options until his eyes landed on what he needed—a katana.

"This'll do," he muttered, tapping the screen. The blade materialized in his hand in a flash of light.

It was heavier than it had looked in the hologram. Pulling him down, the weight of the weapon a stark reminder of what lay ahead. The edge gleamed sharply as he lifted it once again, and he could feel its promise of lethality as he gripped the hilt tightly.

The Blood Bloom shifted. Though it had no eyes or ears, Kenan felt its awareness sweep toward him. Its tendrils stiffened, with the trigger hairs all over its body quivering like taut wires ready to snap.

Without a second thought, Kenan sprang to his feet and bolted in the opposite direction. His boots pounded against the forest floor as he wove through the dense underbrush, his katana clutched tightly in his hand, ready to take the defensive.

The Blood Bloom followed, its serpentine stem slithering across the ground with an unnatural grace. Though it couldn't move quickly, its steady pursuit was relentless, the sweet aroma of its acid growing stronger as it closed the distance.

Kenan pushed himself harder, leaping over roots and ducking beneath low-hanging branches. He avoided dry leaves and brittle shrubs that might betray his position with a crunch.

Finally, the sound of the fiend's movements faded, and Kenan slowed to a stop, pressing himself against the rough bark of a tree. His chest heaved as he tried to steady his breathing, his ears straining for any hint of pursuit.

The oppressive silence was broken only by the faint rustle of leaves above. He risked a glance back and saw the Blood Bloom looming in the distance, its form swaying gently in the dim light.

It didn't advance.

Its tendrils twitched, reaching into the air, but the creature remained rooted to the spot. Its black petals unfurled once again, revealing dozens of smaller, newly grown, razor-sharp leaves hidden within. The petals quivered, releasing another wave of that sickly-sweet aroma, which clung to the air like an invisible fog.

Kenan's skin crawled, and he tightened his grip on the katana. The fiend wasn't moving, but he could feel its intent—its silent challenge.

He turned and ran once more, the eerie hum of the creature fading behind him as he plunged deeper into the forest. But the respite was short-lived.

As he rounded a bend, he stumbled into a clearing—and froze.

Dozens of smaller Blood Blooms dotted the area, their wiry stems coiling around the trunks of ancient trees. They trembled and writhed, their fibrous veins glowing faintly in the dim light.

One of the smaller blooms flared suddenly, its black petals peeling back to reveal jagged, knife-like leaves. It lunged at Kenan, spitting acid that hissed as it struck the ground.

Kenan reacted on instinct, swinging the katana in a wide arc. The blade severed the bloom's stem in a single stroke. Its hum ceased abruptly, and it collapsed to the ground, a thick, clear liquid oozing from the severed stem.

The liquid splattered onto his sleeve, and a sharp, burning sensation made him recoil. He shook his arm frantically, trying to dislodge the caustic fluid before it burned through.

More blooms stirred, their stems twitching as they sensed the death of their kin. One by one, they lunged at Kenan, their acidic saliva hissing against the ground.

He fought with all his might, the katana flashing as it cut through stem after stem. The air grew heavy with the cloying scent of their acid, mixing with the faint tang of ozone.

But for every bloom he cut down, two more seemed to rise in its place. His arms burned with exertion, and his breath came in ragged gasps as he realized the futility of his efforts.

Then, from the underbrush, a larger Blood Bloom emerged. Smaller than the one he had fled from but far larger than the others in the clearing, it radiated a menacing presence.

Its stem pulsed faintly, and its tendrils writhed with unnatural energy. Kenan raised his katana, ready to strike, but as the blade connected with the stem, a horrifying realization dawned on him.

This bloom wasn't acting alone.

His gaze darted around the clearing, taking in the quivering stems and the glowing veins that connected the smaller blooms. The pattern was unmistakable.

"They all had to be connected to something else," he thought to himself with trembling hands.

This wasn't just a random gathering of creatures. The smaller blooms were merely extensions, feeding into something larger—something far more dangerous.

Somewhere in the depths of the forest, whatever connected them was waiting. And Kenan had walked straight into its domain.