Ashton stared at the last piece of notification and couldn’t help but feel his heart beating faster; it was a really exciting moment.
He had gone to sleep the previous night, slightly worried by how fast his plant sprouts would grow, but now that he had received an accelerated growth notification, he was sure they were going to grow even faster, but he just didn’t know how fast.
’How about I go out and check?’
He was just about to stand up and head outside when he suddenly remembered that it was morning again and he actually needed to do Selene’s personal hygiene.
"I guess that can wait,"
He stood up, staggered out of the room to prepare all he needed, and then he returned, slowly undressed her and carried her to the bathroom.
He allowed her to relieve herself out of instinct before proceeding to give her a bath, dress her up in new and clean clothes, and lay her back on the bed.
With that, he was done with his hygiene care.
[Willforce +5]
Seeing that Selene was now clean and fresh again, he smiled and moved to the living room, where he plopped on the chair with an extremely pained face.
Every movement he had just made was filled with excruciating pain; he hadn’t pay any heed to it, though, as he was fully focused on the task, but now that he was done, it came flooding out extremely.
So in order to regain some bit of function again, he just sat there on the chair bearing the pain and waiting for it to calm down again. In his current state, he didn’t dare think of having his own bath.
A few more minutes went by, and then the sting pain had reduced, which means Ashton could move around again.
’I should go check on the progress,’
He stood up, approached his door, and opened it a little to see if there was anyone standing there. After confirming that the coast was clear, he came out and headed towards his little backyard farm area.
There was a final turn before he could actually lay eyes on the spot, and nothing could prepare him for what he was about to see.
"What the hell?" Ashton suddenly shouted in a tone that was sure to startle anyone that heard it.
But if anyone was here to see the sight in front of him, they would have done the same or even more. The sight in front of him was just too shocking.
In place of his small garden were four absolutely massive pods attached to the ground by a small stalk. When he had planted the four sprouts, he had never imagined them to grow so much in one night.
Each of these plants stood a little above Ashton , with the last one towering over those.
’If I am not Wrong, that should be the one I wanted to be a guardian.
’It seems like it actually worked,’
Already intrigued by these results, Ashton moved closer to one of the plants and even touched it. It felt cold to the touch, probably because of the dew that was sliding off the side.
’I just hope they come out in time,’
With that thought, he was about to return to the house when he suddenly heard a rumbling sound.
Unknowingly for Ashton, that urge was all the four sprouts needed to escape their pods, and now that he had given the instruction, albeit unintentionally, they were ready to follow.
Following that rumbling was a cacophony of sounds that would make anyone smile from ear to ear but only prompt a surprised glance.
Not only were the sounds different, the way they tore out of the pod was also different. One pod had one single Vine poke the pod, and that spot even more vines grew out and created even more holes until the one thing became riddled with holes, lost its structural integrity, and fell apart.
One pierced the pod with a single wooden stick and proceeded to move the stick all around, leaving a large tear in the whole thing. Another one created didn’t directly attack the pod; it just looked as if it was stretching out the pod until it tore apart.
For the last one, things were much more difficult. A hand grabbed onto the pod and pulled as hard as it could, but it only managed to create a tiny tear, but the rest of the job was much easier, and soon it was finally out.
Ashton just stood there in shock, staring at the four new presences in front of him, and without any doubt, the same way he stared at them; they also looked back at him.
The first one to actually react was one that Ashton believed to be an attacker; its main body was made entirely of thick stems, but it was also covered in thick wood armor while also holding a weird stick. In response to Ashton’s gaze, it bowed and went on one knee.
The second attacker was the second to react, and its reaction and appearance were also much different. It was made entirely of thick, entangled vines that kept his form Sturdy. It didn’t kneel, though he placed both hands on his hand and waved them.
’Who taught it that?’ Ashton wondered.
The third one he looked at was made entirely of stems, but he didn’t have wooden armor; it was covered with leaves. In response to Ashton’s look, it just smiled.
The last one was by far the largest. It was wooden from head to toe, not just ordinary wood, but extremely thick wood. This one didn’t even react at all; it just stared off into space without a single emotion or reaction.
After doing a final cursory scan of the four, Ashton couldn’t even decide on what he was supposed to do or say. Just the sight in front of him was enough for him to feel a small tingle in his chest. A feeling that he was extremely rare.
He was growing excited.
"I think we should get inside first and see what you guys can do."