As you hobble away from the site of the attack Haden activates the shield. "I am not sure how much longer this thing will last." She says.  Talik, Alster and you trudged along with you away from the vine field in the desolate landscape where the once vibrant terrain of Morian Island had succumbed to the encroaching corruption. The ground beneath them still was a dismal mix of purple and black, with twisted, lifeless plants stretching out like grasping claws. You cross a small stream and desperate for water you go to bend down and cup some water to your mouth when you spy a fish swimming in the stream and in and out of corrupt plant matter waving under the water. The fish had 3 eyes and what looked like an open wound on its left side. "Don't drink that," Alster said as he pushed your hands down tipping out the water. "Here wipe this serum on your hands, The corruption is even in the water here, did you see that fish? He asked. But you had seen it and it was a terrible reminder that there was no safety here anywhere you were.  Yet, in the distance, a vibrant spot of purple stood out in the centre of the Ruined Lands and the tower there was a beacon of hope. 

"We need to get to that tower just over the ridge," Haden said, pointing to one last jagged outcrop that loomed ahead. You all scrambled up the rocky outcrop hoping that it would be the last challenge before finally getting to the tower and a place you could recuperate. 

As they reached the top, Talik looked down the slope and saw an open field. "I think we can cross that field and we'll be there." He said hopefully. 

Suddenly, the ground trembled, and the corrupted vines that lay dormant around us began to stir. Panic surged through the group. "Oh no, more vines. Run!" Haden shouted, her voice strained with fear and exhaustion. Together we sprinted toward the distant tower, Haden limping forward as best she could. Alster run to the front and poured the last of the serum onto a cupped hand and flicked the liquid onto the path in front of us by rapidly opening up his clenched serum soaked hand. The vines, while damaged from corruption, had shaken off their initial shock of acidic stimuli and were slithering after us with renewed vigor. Alster's heart pounded as he realized his potion supply was exhausted; they couldn't afford to get caught in the trap a second time. The path that Alster provided was just toxic enough to slow the vines and keep them at bay.

Breathless and desperate, we crossed the threshold of the tower just as the vines snapped at our heels. To your astonishment, the vines retreated, as if they didn't dare enter. 

We collapsed inside in tower not confident that the invisible boundary holding back the vines was enough to provide safety, taking a moment to catch our breath, relief washed over us. But our respite was short-lived. Alster's voice trembled with horror as he pointed to some sprites in the tower drifting weakly to the floor.

"Oh, no," Alster said. "I think they're sick. The corruption must be reaching them even in here."

Haden's heart sank as she peered behind them into the tower, its walls infested with creeping corruption. The air was thick with a noxious, toxic quality that threatened to overwhelm them. Panic clawed at her throat as she realized the gravity of their situation and her shield as if sensing the moment of despair drove in the final nail and shut off. 

Time was running out. How long until we, too, succumbed to the corruption's toxic effects? Not only did we need to save the island—now we needed to save ourselves.

With renewed urgency, we pressed deeper into the tower, the hope of the green oasis or safety inside the tower now a distant memory. Every step was a battle against the encroaching darkness, but our resolve was unyielding. They had to find a way to cleanse the corruption before it was too late.

In this story the plants nearly ate the group. Name a plant that eats or a story that includes plants that eat in Thy Quests to continue.

Next: E6Q2 Forgotten Memories