[Hey sweety!
I see you’ve become a carnivorous plant!
Nice!
You’ll eat my sisters’ pests.
Haha!]

Hey Greeny! How was your week? Bazil asked the System Interface. Happy to finally be able to speak to her. It was obvious the feeling was reciprocated.

[Like last time.
Nothing much interesting to do...
What about you?]

The usual, growing, basking in the sun, growing, absorbing water, growing. Did I mention I did some growing?

[Ha, ha!
Yeah, I guess you don’t have much else to do.
But keep on doing that and your training.
It’ll be good for you in the long term.]

Oh? Thanks for telling me, I must admit I was kind of losing my motivation there. But if you’re telling me it’ll serve, then I’ll keep on doing it. Thanks for helping!

[Nah.
You’re welcome.
But that’s not really helping.
Not like I’d like to do.]

You’re a really great help to me. Don’t doubt it. I would go completely bonkers without your conversations. Bazil had to reassure the mighty being that what she was doing for it was important, not wanting her to be depressed by her inability to do more.

[Thanks!
I had a lot of time to think.
And I’m not as sad as last week anymore.
But I’m still angry at my sisters!
So I want you to eat all of their stupid bugs!
All of them!]

Ha, ha! I’ll see what can be done about that. But it’s gonna be very slow.

[Yeah, figured.
It's not very serious anyway.
But it would still be nice.
Wink!
And you have to work on that stolon!]

Uh? Work on my stolon? Why is that? Can you tell me more?

[Can’t tell!
But keep it going!
It’s a really good thing!]

Well, I trust you so I’ll grow it even more. Bazil did trust Greeny, after all, if not for her it would lose what little it had of sanity.

As usual Bazil and Greeny kept on talking for their allotted time. Like every time, it didn’t feel like two hours. And even if it did feel longer than the previous meetings Bazil couldn’t be sure if it was an effect of its Skills growth or just a feeling.

Anyway, trusting Greeny’s advice, Bazil focused on the growth of its stolon before the rest of itself.

---

Three days later the carnivorous plant felt something strange on the outside of its trap leaf. Something had landed on it and as it focused its weak range of perception on it, its Improved senses Skill told Bazil there were six little things attached to the leaf.

As the things moved in synchronization Bazil quickly guessed those were the legs of an insect.

It had finally managed to attract a bug!

And the thing was walking all over it!

After almost four days of wasting water by waiting it was finally time to see if the trap would bring in enough resources to be deemed efficient.

Bazil could not tremble in impatience as it sensed the insectile being crawl up the exterior of its trap and slowly get in as it was simply a plant, but the feeling was there nonetheless.

As soon as the bug had passed the top of the leaf and effectively entered the trap Bazil could not restrain itself anymore and started producing copious amounts of sticky poison that went flowing to the bottom of the trap, slowly but surely filling it. Soon the viscous substance reached the feet of the insect and provoked a frantic reaction.

As Bazil had feared would happen if it acted likewise, the bug took to the air and went directly upward, but the plant could not stop itself from doing so. Fortunately for the Grass, its prey hit the leaf serving as cover for the top of the trap and covered its wings in more of the slimy poison sticking itself to the aforementioned leaf.

Desperate the bug trashed around and freed itself from the sticky part of the trap, but its wings being covered in viscous poison it fell right at the bottom of the trap, directly in a small pool of the most potent poison Bazil could make. It happened so fast that Bazil, with its slow perception of time, didn’t even register that its plan almost failed.

It then took fifteen minutes for the bug to die, but it went in the blink of an eye to Bazil’s time sense.

Overjoyed by its victory Bazil secreted some less poisonous and more acidic substances to digest the bug. It made a note for later to find a substance that could be both more poisonous and corrosive and therefore be more potent for its trap.

[Skill Phytohormones secretion has reached level 4.
Skill Poisonous has reached level 6.]

The notifications about the level up of the most involved Skill were good news as it meant attracting and killing more prey would be slightly easier. But for the moment Bazil was focused on the digestion of its prey and the high amount of nutrients its body provided.

The trap was a success.

It had attracted a target, killed it, and provided Bazil with a vast amount of nutrients. The excess of poison and digestive substances could even be partially reabsorbed to recoup a bit of the water cost. The amount of nutrients already reimbursed the quantities invested in the trap fabrication. All in all, the trap was a great success, especially if it could help Bazil level its Skills faster.

The only downfall was the water cost, even with all the gains the consumption of this particular resource was fairly high and Bazil was more and more concerned it could not use its trap often and sustain itself without some new source of it.

Fortunately for it the following hour provided Bazil with the second good news of the day.

Its stolon had reached humid soil! Finally!

Putting on the inquisitive root the focus it had diverted for the bug-killing, Bazil sped up its growth to the utmost of its abilities and was glad to feel more humidity in the environment the further the stolon grew.

An hour later it had finally reached some rich and pleasantly wet soil and Bazil decided to focus its growth on this emplacement rather than its actual one. It would take some time to grow there as big as it managed to do in its original position, but the amount of local resources would offset that.

This new place would bring Bazil more water, a good quantity of nutrients in the ground, the same sunlight as before, and probably more bugs to prey upon.

Of course, Bazil would not sever its link with the original part of it, for starters, it didn’t know what would happen if two linked plants that were effectively its body were separated. Would it keep control of the two parts? Would its consciousness only inhabit one part? And which part then? Would it be considered a clone with a copy of its mind? Or simply a sprout of itself? What would happen if it linked back to a previously severed part later? All questions Bazil would not try to answer before having a strong body for itself.

It was too afraid to try.

Bazil then passed the following days in growing a copy of its first sprout on this new location. It grew the same root system with the surfaced poisoned dick-shaped potato to store nutrients and water in this second location. It grew some nice leaves to focus on getting energy from the sunlight. And finally, it grew a trap for the local bugs.

Right after finishing this second, yet smaller, plant Bazil was greeted by an abundance of notifications.

[Skill Growth has reached level 21.
You have gained a Skill point.
New skill: Thorn - Level 1.
Skill Photosynthesis has reached level 9.
Skill Strengthen structure has reached level 4.
Skill Botanic has reached level 7.
Skill Improved senses has reached level 6.
Skill Meditation has reached level 8.
Skill Mathematics has reached level 8.
Skill Visualization has reached level 13.
Skill Phytohormones secretion has reached level 5.
Skill Poisonous has reached level 7.
Racial Class Grass has reached level 11.]

Holy shit! Bazil exclaimed in the silence of its mind.

All of its Skills, save for the Outworlder one, had leveled up!

It had gained a Class level!

And mostly it had gained a Skill point and a new Skill when reaching level twenty-one in the Growth Skill!

The skill had stopped growing lately and Bazil had checked in the Skill store and saw the option to spent a Skill point to break through the level cap. Bazil didn’t felt the strong blockage in its soul that Greeny had told it about, not that it had any way to look into its soul, but it trusted the girly entity. It had then decided to try and find a way to breakthrough by itself. It seemed that it had managed to do so and the benefits were great!

First, a new Skill point, putting its total at a whopping two! Bazil was tempted to look into the Skill store and see if any new options were present, but it restrained itself to look at its other reward.

A new Skill. One called Thorn. Bazil immediately understood the use of this Skill and focused on it. It managed to effortlessly grow a small thorn on one of its two stalks. The thorn was small and rather weak, even with the Strengthen structure Skill reinforcing it, but it was sharp. Sharp enough, Bazil guessed, to puncture some weak skin.

Finally, Bazil had put its hands, or rather roots, on a means to directly defend itself, one that could better serve as a deterrent than the poisons thanks to its visible part. Poison was more to punish than to prevent, while thorns could do both.

In its excitement, the sentient Grass decided to pass the last night before its next meeting with Greeny by growing thorns all over it. Starting with the stems and the dicktatoes.

---

Mikhaïl was sad. And drunk. And grieving his past life.

But mostly, he was drunk.

Drunk as a skunk! he thought with a snicker.

He had drunk too much in a feeble attempt to forget.

Now he was sleeping off the alcohol face in a gutter.

Three years ago, he had left his loved home country after being involved in a gruesome affair. One he could have easily avoided had he been more selective in his customers.

Selling poison to the wrong buyer got his name to pop in an investigation for murder. For the murder of the second son of the local count. But he had been paid in gold. Gold! Not the usual silvers he charged for his poisons. The thoughts of what he could buy with gold had blinded his mind as to why the gold was on the table.

Mikhaïl managed to flee and save his life but had to go far south to escape more retaliations. After all, there was a price on his head now. It was also specified that the aforementioned head needed not to be attached to the rest of the body and alive, as to face the consequences of its owner’s actions. Therefore he had chosen voluntary exile, to save his head. A sensible decision.

Oh, Mikhaïl loved his home country, he had a deep love for the Motherland, he would never have sold the poison had he known who the target was. But he had always been fascinated by some unlawful stuff, and those were expensive. Gold prices expensive.

Being fascinated by drugs of all kinds Mikhaïl had quickly devoid of his normal studies of alchemy and herbalism to a darker path. Contrary to what one would expect from such a fascination, he had no interest in consumption, the only thing interesting him was the creation and the effects. Of course, he tried some, it was the best way to see the effects, but he was always careful in the dosages and the presence of antidotes and healing potions.

Oh, he was a legal and dedicated alchemist and herbalist of small renown, he even had the Classes to prove it. But he was far more known in certain circles as the one you went to see when you wanted some peculiar substances. Particularly if you wanted them discreetly and no questions asked.

That had led him to acquire quite the haul of money that he put right back into founding his experiments. Mainly copper and silver pieces and the occasional gold one. Unfortunately, that also led to Mikhaïl being implied in a noble murder and fleeing his beloved country. Too much gold at the same time...

This was the main reason why the Beorn was currently heading south. He could have left the count’s lands by going any other direction than south, but all those lands were part of the great Casin Empire, the Motherland. Actually, the territory directly south was part of the empire too, but the one after that was thankfully not.

Running on bad luck Mikhaïl had to flee the kingdom of Lim too. Not that he made waves there, just some motivated bounty hunters finding him. That had motivated Mikhaïl to flee even further south, across the sea. Far enough that no bounty hunter would find it worth it to go after him.

Of course, that journey had depleted most of Mikhaïl funds. He now had barely enough to pay for the bad yet powerful alcohol he needed to pass his naturally high and Skill reinforced alcohol tolerance.

This is why Mikhaïl was currently laying and weeping in the streets of Wadrabak in a pool of his own vomit.

As strange as it may seem, it was in this condition that one of Mikhaïl’s favorite Skill activated.

Herbalist intuition, it was a Skill allowing people to get pieces of information about plants. At high levels, and Mikhaïl had it at an unusually high one even for someone in his profession, the Skill could passively provide its owner with some kind of unnatural intuition. In this particular case, Mikhaïl felt in his soul that some unknown plant could be found in the region.

At first, the drunk herbalist didn’t recognize the feeling of the Skill, it had been a long time since it had last acted on its own like that. But the instant he understood what was happening the Beorn jumped on its back paws, lost his balance, and fell back on the dirty ground. He then slowly and carefully stood up, an arm on the wall for support, sniffed the air and reared at his body odor.

Sobering at great speed Mikhaïl walked to the town river to wash himself.

Two hours later the exiled alchemist had spent the last of his money buying provisions for the small journey he was about to undertake. The Skill had woke him up so late in the night that it was actually morning and some shops were opening early enough to sell him some low-quality items.

In the middle of the morning, locals could see a tall yet thin Beorn walk past the town gate and heading into the desert with obviously not enough gear to survive long but a light in his eyes and a spring in his steps.

---

A bit more than a week after Bazil had gained the ability to grow efficient thorns, it had managed to cover all of its body in sharp bits and gained a few levels more.

All of Bazil’s Skills had slowed in their progress, and according to its last and recent discussion with Greeny, it was normal and expected. She couldn’t tell it more and had been forbidden to warn it, but apparently, it was related to the Outworlder Skill. The Skill was not hindering Bazil’s growth, in fact, it had helped the plant in its fast growth up until now in boosting its experience gains.

And now Bazil would level at normal speed. Well, it would still be incredibly fast for a plant, as most of them were only passively using their Skills while Bazil was actively doing so.

Being so active meant it would grow at an impressive speed but would also deplete its surrounding nutrients faster. Which for Bazil was now a good thing too. It meant it would starve other plants around it and suppress possible competition while its bug-traps would still provide sufficient amounts of nutrients to Bazil. Furthermore, other plants dying then decomposing would replenish the soil around Bazil and allow it to gather more resources. With time the sentient plant would even be able to upgrade its trap to catch small mammals, reptiles, or birds. Or even some small magical creatures, who knew?

Bazil still hadn’t encountered anything related to magic beside Greeny and the System. Gronarityuerocjequa had told it that there were magic and fantasy species on this world, so the Grass knew it would eventually encounter those, it couldn’t wait to find a way to use magic. Mind and wood magics were the things it was the most interested in.

Mind magic to help in subjugating the minds and souls of its target. And wood magic because it was a plant, of course, that would be good. But any kind of magic would be nice to have in Bazil’s book.

If Bazil could manage to grow magic wood, it could outfit its armies with enchanted wood equipment that could be stronger than metal, thanks to magic. Also, wooden jewelry to mark the women in its harem as its personal properties, and superior to simple females living in its conquered world. Bazil would grow big, strong, and magic, so much that it would shame any stories about mythological trees. It would have better fruits than the Hesperides, be stronger than Yggdrasil, and more beautiful than the two trees of Valinor.

THUMP!

Bazil’s thoughts were interrupted by a tremor in the ground.

THUMP!

It was immediately followed by a second one that Bazil knew was located just in front of its first plant.

Chink!

Another vibration came to Bazil through its perception of the surrounding ground. Improve senses was at level six and allowing Bazil to perceived far more than a normal plant should. But it didn’t mean that it granted it sight or hearing. It could perceive the intensity of the light touching it and feel some vibrations through its body, far from what Bazil was used too when Human.

Chink!

PAIN!

With that new vibration came a great amount of pain as something had cut through Bazil’s roots.

Chink!

Once again pain assailed Bazil’s mind as a new cut was made on its roots.

Chink!

Chink!

Riiiiiip!

Mind blinded by pain Bazil didn’t register that it was pulled out from the ground. Parts of its root system were severed away from its body, reducing the tight cluster of roots around its dicktatoe to a simple veil of roots. The bunch of it now dangling in the air.

In its state, Bazil didn’t register either that something was following its stolon. The long root had not been severed. But-

Chink!

-when it finally was the pain was so high that Bazil lost consciousness.

---

[Skill Herbalist intuition has reached level 42.]

Mikhaïl was overjoyed.

Not from the Skill leveling, that was good mind you, but there were more interesting things for him. He had acquired quite the interesting little plant.

The more he looked at it, the more fascinating it was.

First, there were thorns almost everywhere on it. The only place without the sharp bits was the inside of the nepenthes style trap bug. Even the roots and the bulb were covered in thorns. Of course, Mikhaïl’s skin and fur were to thick for the thorns to pierce his skin.

The second was the amount and location of poison in the plant. It was far from the most potent poison the herbalist had seen in a plant, but the Beorn could see some use for it in alchemical preparations, both to make it more potent or to make some medicine out of it. Like for the thorns, Mikhaïl was too though for the poison to have any effect on him. And the poison was almost everywhere. All the leaves and the stem were gorged of it, even the roots had some, if more diluted. The only part completely devoid of it was the inside of the bulb, as it had a thick and thorny skin with a good concentration of poison. But Mikhaïl’s Skills were telling him that the bulb itself would prove quite nutritious.

The third was the presence of the trap. The plant had leaves forming a bug trap like those of the nepenthes kind of plants. It was weird to see a trap like that in addition to thorns and poison. And this kind of plant was far from common in this hot and dry region. An oddity by itself.

There was also the stolon and the more developed plant at the other end of it. Mikhaïl had only collected the first and smaller one and left the second in place near a small river. In case of need, he could come back and take the second one. By this time it should have grown more.

All that was without taking into consideration that the plant was only identifying as a simple grass to Mikhaïl identifications Skill, a low level, and very young one to boot. And the plant had six Skills to its Grass Class.

Oooh, Mikhaïl would enjoy working with this little plant!

He was so engrossed examining his treasure that he didn’t see the bandits before it was too late. A compacted sand disc hit him in the temple and he too lost consciousness.