Outrun – Cyberpunk LitRPG
Chapter 252

I staggered into the hollow section of Mother’s massive tree. They were careful not to push me too much though. The entire way here, they kept their eyes on me. No chance of escape. Not that I could given the situation. With a dozen of the ents, of which I could maybe fight off one when fully geared and prepared, my chances might as well be zero.

The hollow inside the tree was quite a large chamber centered around a raised altar in the center. A very visible ritual circle sat around the altar. The mountain of corpses off to the side of the chamber left no room for doubt. Another sacrifice ritual. Was that going to be my fate? Or did Mother want something else entirely?

A few people stood scattered around the chamber as monsters guarded them. Most looked like the Circle’s higher ups, wearing elaborate cloaks made from leaves and masks of bark. Evil bastards.

More importantly, Corvin, the traitor Greater Sprite of Crow, sat on a branch above the entire chamber. His six eyes glared down at me, full of spite and rage. And yet… there was glee in them. Joy. He hid it well, of course, but Cues wasn’t a weak Perk. Why was he so happy? 

His glare intensified as he noticed me staring. The bird flapped his wings at me, sending a burst of wind. Right before it could hit me, one of the ents stepped into the path. Guess she wanted me in an undamaged state, for better or worse. Hmm… were they not on the same page? 

Corvin looked much worse for wear than the last time I saw him. The vines and branches twined into his feathers had grown, and he looked about a quarter plant. Sickening pustules of green corruption hid under his feathers. Just as he was about to make a move, one of the ents motioned up at him. The bird’s expression dropped and he jumped, flying out of the tree.

“La~ La~ Le~!” The ents broke out into a chorus, forcing me toward the center of the space. The altar-

Why was was that here? I stared in confusion at the large egg sitting on top of the altar. Not just any egg, but the eidolonic egg that I was requested to steal after the auction with Sean. Vines writhed against the shell, ecstatically holding it. Did the Circle have it all this time? Was this the focus?

I hesitated for a moment longer before flicking Aetherial Perception on-

Eyes- so many eyes. Every wall was covered in them, and dark green corruption filled the walls like rot. They peered into me, twisting coquettishly. Vines rubbed against themselves like they were barely holding themselves back from me reaching out.

Underneath all of that? Corruption spread like a plague through the air, pushing back the Aether and contaminating everything else. Energy surged throughout the entire space, drawn here by the three ritual circles spread around Aythryn City. 

The egg was the last speck of Aether that I could see, but even that was fading as vines drilled into it. A small barrier kept it safe, but it was only a matter of time. With the sheer amount of death energy she collected here, it wouldn’t be long before things went her way.

I flinched as a vine caressed my face, dropping Aetherial Perception. As if the horror was all a lie, everything vanished. I stood in the tree once more. Ugh- my head. A bout of nausea hit me. Was this the end? Cold-Blooded kept me from puking, albeit barely.

The egg… it was definitely the focus that the Crusade spoke of. Nothing else here would make much sense. Was she trying to- to be reborn into this world through the egg? Not just a descent, but a full rebirth into flesh and blood?

One of the cultists stepped in front of me. He wore much fancier attire than the others. A jagged, zig-zagging dagger sat strapped to his waist. “You must be the Holy Daughter. I am Zenith, the High Priest of Mother.”

”I’d say it’s a pleasure, but…” My hand itched toward my pistol slowly. Hidden Hands and Hidden Weapons hid my action somewhat from prying eyes.

”Now, now-“

I quickly drew, activating Dexterity to speed myself up even further and pulled the trigger. The shot went perfect, slamming into the man’s mask and splintering it. He dropped, giving me a clear bead on the egg-

The gun was ripped from my hand by a vine, tossed to the far side of the chamber without a care. Another vine gently grabbed my wrists, pulling them behind my back like handcuffs. I tried to struggle, but they didn’t have an issue in the slightest holding me.

A few of the cultists looked over here, but no one seemed worried that I just executed their leader-

“Heh, heh. ThEy WeReN’t KiDdInG?” A broken voice spoke as Zenith staggered to his feet. His jaw dangled from beneath his mask, wagging around.

The wood shards covering his face fell away, revealing a creature that couldn’t be called human anymore. His skin was warped, corrupted into a bark-like substance. His eyes glowed with an ominous green light, and leaves had replaced his hair.

My shot, perfectly placed into his forehead, was slowly pushed out of his head. The bullet dropped to the ground, covered in sap as he fully regenerated from the fatal injury in a matter of moments. The nausea built up even further. My vision flared at the sides.

“W-what are you?” I flinched away from his gaze. His eyes seemed to stare into my very soul.

He cracked his jaw back into place, fixing his voice. “Zenith, the peak of humanity!”

The vines wrapped around me pulled me toward the altar. “L-let me go!”

Zenith smirked and followed me up to the altar. “Why? This is your chance! Your chance to evolve beyond the limitations of humanity! Join us-“

I launched a kick at the psychopath, barely managing to hit him in the groin. He didn’t even flinch as if he didn’t even have a sense of pain anymore.

The vines got what they wanted, hauling me up onto the altar next to the egg with little fanfare. They wrapped around me, more and more joining. The weight forced me to my knees, wrapping tighter and tighter as if to choke me out.

I could feel something pressing into my skull. Fear bolted through me, making my struggles return with a renewed fire. Eventually though, even that faded away. An intense surge of drowsiness hit me. “L-l-let, go…”

Even with my mind sagging in exhaustion, I could feel the corruption pushing and pulling at me as the egg and I got the same treatment. The egg had a protective shell. I didn’t.

I could feel it writhing against my mind. I could feel her pulling at my brain, rewiring and rewriting to Her heart's delight. I blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to push off the sudden drowsiness with flushes of Cold-Blooded to no success. Why was she doing this to me?

So freaking tired… So sleepy. My eyes drooped. A bundle of leaves slowly shifted into a comforting pillow. Safe? No- I- This wasn’t right-

「~~~Re-requ - Res- give in - Received

• He-help is on- sw33t daughter, st0p r3ssi5t1ng m3- Re-resist Shiro!

• Reward: A ca-caring m0ther.~~~」

My eyes flicked to the vine clad interface. Trying to read it though- it only made me more drowsy. My eyes closed of their own volition as the tension throughout my body faded away.

— — —

Inquisitor Ligh sipped at his canteen, feeling the Waymaker tremble underneath. Now that the majority of the AA was out, flyer support was an option once more. The Crusade was taking full advantage of that, as were the other factions vying for control of the AEZ. The objective was clear: strike at the heat of Mother’s base.

His face twisted in distaste as he sipped at the canteen. Just water this time. Actually just water this time. He didn’t feel like drinking. A bad feeling made his gut churn, and it'd only been getting worse as time passed. Something was going to happen. And soon.

As if that wasn't bad enough, even after they successfully recovered Dev, there was no sign of Zuku anywhere. She could already be dead, laying in a pile of rubble somewhere… there were some Knights searching, but he’d been called back by Lykos before he could do too much. It was time.

“Sir?” Hope’s voice called from his side. Her eyes were twisted in concern as she stared up at him.

”Yes?” 

“Why do you think they sped up the strike?” Hope asked.

Ligh half-heartedly shrugged. They were originally supposed to shell the place for a few hours before making their move, but things changed. “Heard the Magi started going ballishtic.”

His Squire shifted in her seat uncomfortably. “Eidolons say something?” 

“Probably…” He looked out the window once more, staring after the tree that dominated the AEZ skyline. A hacking cough ripped from his throat, blood splattering out as he wiped it away with a handkerchief.

He felt something dribble down his face. Casually, hiding the motion slightly from Hope, he wiped at his nose. Blood came back. So it was already beginning, huh? Hopefully this time would be quick. Control on this scale was always… risky. Several days of going on full blast to get every piece into its best possible position hadn’t been kind. After this? After this he’d need at least a month of vacation to recover. 

Lord Lykos’s voice came across the comm lines as they approached the tree. “Remember the target! We must destroy the Focus. It could be anything, as long it has a strong connection to the Aether. If you see it, destroy it immediately!”

The Waymaker filled with quiet chatter. Everyone was nervous. They were flying into the heart of the AEZ, the very source of all the destruction and havoc over the past week. The death count was already extremely high, and it’d only be higher by the time this was over.

Ligh glanced toward his lone Squire. Joshua stayed back with the injured Dev, and Zuku was missing, leaving just Hope coming with him to the tree. She looked stressed, her eyes weighing heavily. After this, maybe he should give them all a vacation? A month- maybe two… at least, assuming everyone survived-

“Contact!” A voice shouted. “It looks like- like some kind of giant bird!” 

— — —

“Shiro! It’s time to wake up!” Mom called me. I felt a hand lightly shake my shoulder, pulling me from sleep.

I shifted, rubbing at my eyes tiredly. Had my hands always been this small? She stood over me, a loving smile on her beautiful face. My voice came out shaky. “M-mom?”

I barely managed to suppress the sobs, but I couldn’t stop the tears from pouring from my eyes. Trails led down my face. Ugh- my head- why was I so sad over seeing her again? 

Her face twisted in concern. She crouched down next to my bed, gently brushing my hair. “Did you have a nightmare again, my darling daughter?” 

I tried to remember, but nothing came to mind. I could feel a migraine building though. Why had I been so stressed? So worried? And why did my heart feel so heavy when I looked at mom? There was something, but… “I- I must’ve.”

She lightly kissed me on the forehead. “There, there, it's all over now.”

I pulled her down into a tight hug before she could back away, feeling her warmth. Another intense surge of sadness weighed my heart down. “D-don’t leave.”

“I’d never.” She hugged me back, her strong arms pulling me tightly into her embrace. My sobs had stopped, though I still felt tears pooling at the back of my eyes. As if she knew that, she didn’t pull away and just sat with me. I guess parents really were omniscient, heh.

”Mom…” I looked up into her grey eyes as she watched me. Her expression was a bit worried, as if I might burst into tears at any moment again.

She ruffled my hair lightly. “Must’ve been quite the nightmare, huh?

”I guess…” I looked up at her as if trying to memorize her face.

“It’s all over now.” She pulled me into another tight hug. It was crushing, as her hugs always were, but so, so warm. This time it was quick before she pulled away and stood up.

“S-stay with me t-today?” I asked her, my voice coming out in a weak mumble.

”Chek! My cute daughter wants to spend the day with me? How could I not stick around!” She laughed lightly and headed for the door to my room. “Now c’mon, Shiro, breakfast is ready.”

I watched her leave, feeling a pang in my heart. I sat in bed for a few moments, my eyes shifting to my room’s window. Outside, a storm raged. Lightning screamed and rain poured.

”CAAWWWW!” A birds cry faintly over poured the rain. For a moment, all of the sounds merged into screams of agony-

I shifted, looking away for the storm. I was safe here. Nothing would happen. Home was always the safest… it was only a matter of time till dad got off work, and we could all be together again.

I stood up, feeling unsteady on my legs, and moved after mom. Right, it was all just a nightmare… and out running nightmares was always easy.