The Nymph

The passage led into another chamber claimed by nature, of a much more impossible appearance; there were entire trees growing in the vast room, housing what looked like its own ecosystem. 

He dropped down first, finding his boots landing not on firm stone, but a cushion of soil. The grass that grew went up to his knees, bringing an almost overbearing amount of green around him. 

Behind him, the archer dropped down with a quiet landing, "Think we're getting anywhere?"

Emma asked, brushing her shorts off. 

"Hope so," he responded. 

With slow, careful steps, he began exploring the room, keeping an eye on the peculiar trees that didn't look like any he'd seen before; of dark bark and slanted branches. Just as he pushed past the dense foliage to see the heart of the chamber, a mass amount of rustling met his ears. 

He immediately raised his sword, placing his free hand behind him to bring his companion to a stop as well. 

"Kip. Kip. Kip."

"Kip!"

"Kip-kip!"

The small chirps came from the small creatures that ran out of the dense grass: the humanoid, plant-like fiends. They didn't move towards the two adventurers, nor seemed to even acknowledge their existence, only moving in the same direction. 

"Mandragoras," Emma whispered, "Where are they going?" 

"Dunno," Blake answered quietly, keeping his eyes forward. 

As he carefully followed behind the migrating creatures, the rendezvous was found past a wall of vines: stationed near a wall coated in overgrowth was a domal home built of dirt and flowers. 

"A hut?" Blake remarked. 

"Weird…Think they're hiding treasure in there?" Emma asked. 

"You have one thought on your mind, don't you?" Blake said, looking over at the avaricious companion of his. 

He got closer to the mysterious hut, not directly keeping in as he instead listened closely. The chirps of the mandragoras could be heard, alongside a muffled voice. 

'A person?' He thought. 

If it was really another human in there, and if they had some sort of connection with the hostile plants, then there was a good chance his hypnosis would be effective. At least, he hoped as much. 

"Anything?" Emma asked in a whisper. 

Blake glanced at her, "I'm going to check it out–stay here."

"That's totally dangerous though," the red-haired girl responded worriedly. 

"It's fine, trust me. If you hear those things in there shriek, then back me up, alright?" Blake asked. 

"Alright, but be careful," Emma accepted hesitantly. 

There was something that stood out to him as he carefully approached the flower-covered dome; the entrance was much bigger than necessary for the small bodies of the mandragoras. In fact, he felt it was perfectly sized for a person. 

'…Don't make a sound,' he reminded himself. 

As he carefully ventured into the entrance of the hut, the chirping of the mandragoras became more clear, as did a voice. 

"Oh, you planted more today? Good job, Vil. A couple humans you say you saw, Ger? Ah," the light voice of a woman spoke. 

The sight became clear to him as he moved in: a dozen of the child-like plants gathered around a single person–a woman of pale, smooth skin and hair that resembled vines inlaid with flowers. 

"And who might you be?" The question came from the softly-spoken, mysterious girl, pointed right at the uninvited guest. 

She was completely deprived of clothing, standing there with no qualms of herself being on display. There was no doubt that the mandragoras fell to her command as they each turned around to face the adventurer as well, holding angered expressions as if ready to attack. 

'If I give a bad answer, or even a truthful one for that matter, it'll probably end up badly. Let's see…I have to use my experience from playing visual novels for this one,' he thought about it for a moment. 

It didn't take much thinking to know that the nude girl was not normal, perhaps not human at all. There was a good chance of his hypnosis failing, thus leaving him to one choice: 

"I'm an admirer of flowers," he said both to himself and the mysterious girl. 

[Hypnosis successful.] 

The pale girl of luscious, green hair that was decorated with colorful flowers stepped closer with clear doubt, "Is that so? You're not just an adventurer here to harm my little friends here and ransack our treasure?" 

Blake placed his hand over his heart, speaking with a passion that did not exist within him, "I meant completely. I absolutely love flowers. From graceful lilies, romantic roses, even adorable peonies! I love them all—especially this one." 

As he proclaimed his admiration for nature, he smoothly reached over, caressing the blue flower in the girl's hair. 

"Oh!" The girl of amber irises reacted with a slight blush. 

Of course, none of this was normal behavior for the young man—"I'm an admirer of flowers"; the self-hypnosis did all of the heavy lifting. 

"I came all this way to see the beautiful gardens within Emerald Mountain, but I can see the stories have undersold the true loveliness of it all," the entranced Blake spoke with passion and suave. 

'What the hell am I saying? Guess…it's working?' He thought, feeling like a passenger in his own mind. 

The mysterious woman tilted her head, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. At the very least, he wasn't blasted by the combined shrieks of the plants just yet. 

"How wonderful! I thought humans like yourself no longer existed," the flower-haired girl accepted, placing a hand over her bare chest, "I'm Basil, a nymph that protects this little patch of wonder." 

As soon as the spiel finished, the self-hypnosis was cast away as Blake breathed out, not much of a fan of the embarrassing rant it made him go on. Still, he was thankful it seemed to save his hide. 

"What might your name be, young man?" Basil asked, stepping closer with a smile on her face and a look in her eyes that seemed nothing but flirtatious. 

He was somewhat confused by being called "young man" by the girl that looked younger than him, though he chose not to question the ways of a fantasy world, "Blake." He answered. 

"Blake? That's a name I've never heard before," Basil put her hand to her chin. 

The mandragoras mimicked the same pose made by the nymph, even copying the same head tilt she did as if they were completely subservient to the girl. 

"Well, I've never meant a nymph either. You learn something new everyday," he said with a slight sense of sarcasm. 

It spurred a laugh from the girl, and in turn, the many mandragoras beside her, "You're amusing. Be on your way then, Blake the human. Rest assured my friends won't bring you any harm."

"Thanks," he said, taking his leave from the hut while the nymph and the plants waved him away.