Chapter 1160
The ape that tried to chew pieces out of Bear Hug found itself with suddenly rigid spikes of algae stabbing into it, followed by a sudden flow of blood. Bear Hug shook off the liquid, even though it was brimming with natural energy.
The horde of beasts was flowing past, many not even noting their fellow’s demise. When they did, they treated the ape as anything else- a source of food. Bear Hug was still on that list along with Anton, but some carefully placed arrows were molding the situation.
It wasn’t just one cluster of creatures that had dropped down on them, however, but many more at other places on the planet. Anton was monitoring the other sapient individuals he knew of- including, reluctantly, the briar patch.
Spike rather handily dealt with the wave of beasts, a few exploding fruit opening up a break in the flow and keeping the tree safe. A few beasts turned to attack the trunk of the tree regardless, but they found that it was a lot less pleasant to chew on than literally anything else. Not that they had long to regret their decisions as the tree’s natural energy extended the trunk’s spikes through them.
Liberty was overlooked for being quite small, and the slightly mobile tree also actively hid the natural energy within it. The pitcher plant that trained in ice was still up in the mountains, which were safe for the moment.
Anton had decisions to make. He didn’t want to disrupt the local balance, but he wasn’t certain if this was a normal part of the way things were. He took a few shots back towards Helix, toppling some approaching beasts and leaving their ivy friend with at least one good standing tree.
He also shot down more swarming towards him, coming in all shapes and sizes including forms that didn’t seem suited for living in an atmosphere. Some were large and billowed like jellies, but outside of the sea they appeared particularly slow. Yet even they managed to catch some other members of the swarm when they approached a moment of vulnerability.
Ultimately, the first wave faded out at a similar pace to how it had first begun. Some swarms remained a cohesive whole, tearing whole chunks out of the ecosystem before they had their fill. Others split up as groups of individuals, leaving smaller trails of destruction. In that way, they appeared little different than the briar patch. Except the invasive beasts didn’t just eat, but many also became food for the locals.
Bear Hug didn’t seem willing to consume anything directly, but the briar patch was sitting on a selection of butchered corpses, providing a fearsome visage that kept others away.