Lord of Annihilation

In the planet of Fortun. 

Green forests and dense jungles occupied almost 70% of the planet's surface, with the remaining filled by fresh-water bodies. The skies were bluish-green in color with abundant sunlight entering the planet's atmosphere.

The planet's ecosystem had evolved in such a way that, plants were the dominant species. There were little to no predatory animals, with the majority of other lifeforms being insects and bugs.

Ever since the planet was discovered in the year 2270 IE and has been an important resource hub for mankind. It is a peaceful planet with great visual scenery and abundant resources.

Today, on the 24th of July 2321 IE. The scenic views and quiet peace were nowhere to be found.

Fires burned in various parts of the forest. The noises of gunshots, screams of the people, the roars of the chainsaws as the trees were felled, echoed throughout the air.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"AH! Quick, Shoot those slimy bastards." 

"These damn vines! There's no end to them!!"

"Reinforcements! Where are the goddamn reinforcements?!"

Inside a certain room in the backlines.

"Oi, Mark! Stop slouching around and help us! It's your turn to cover the front!" a tall, dark-skinned soldier roared towards a weak-looking youth.

Hearing the command, the body of the youth quivered and he hurriedly spoke.

"...ye-yes.. leader!" his voice was quiet and devoid of any energy.

Immediately getting up to his feet, Mark started to head towards the frontline.

He hugged the rifle in his hands close to his chest, as he staggered through the sky-bridges that were constructed dozens of meters up in the air. His body was covered with numerous wounds, which oozed with a pale-green liquid. His skin had yellowed and his muscle mass had shrunk.

This weak youth was named Mark. And he was currently dying.

The toxins from the plant poison had already entered deep into his system. The vitality in his body would slowly be consumed by the poison, which would eventually turn him into a dry-husk.

And the worst thing was, there was nothing that he could do. No cure had been invented and many soldiers just like him continued to die every day.

Oh, it had to be mentioned. Mark was a soldier. He was nineteen years old when he had joined the Earth Alliance Military and was posted to the beautiful planet of Fortun.

Six years had passed in the company of his soldier friends and these plants. Mark loved everything about this planet, especially the quiet and peaceful surroundings. He almost felt a spiritual connection with the plants and had never lost his direction within the jungles.

In fact, he was the Champion Navigator and had held that title for three years in a row, much to the envy of the other soldiers. It was the perfect life for a freshly-graduated soldier.

But that all changed, when the golden rocks fell from the sky.

Since then, for the last 2 months, living had been a struggle for Mark. Every day was a battle for survival between the humans and the plants. The previously immobile and docile plants had gained sentience and started to attack the humans with a vengeance.

The very plants, which he felt a special connection with had turned into his worst enemies.

The soldiers and the people stationed at Fortun fought with everything that they had. Alas, with the dwindling ammunition and their inability to contact the Alliance HQ, coupled with the fact the environment around them favored their enemies, mankind started to quickly lose ground and people.

They were pushed into retreat time and time again. Losing base after base and hundreds of people in the process. Morale was at an all-time low and survivors were beginning to lose hope.

'At this rate, there is no chance for our survival.' Mark grimly thought to himself, as he continued to walk.

"Mark! You are here. Quick head to the 'Epsilon region, 2nd Tower' and relieve the solider there!" a loud shout, quickly woke Mark from his thoughts.

Giving a sound in affirmation, he quickly started to head towards his assigned region. The paths were built into the sky since the plants were able to attack the bases on the grounds using their roots. A painful lesson had taught the survivors of Foturn to never step onto the ground.

Navigating his way through the endless sky-bridges, Mark quickly arrived at his assigned location.

"I'm here to relieve you of duty!" he spoke with a hoarse voice.

The middle-aged man who had been lying on his stomach while scouting the endlessly green forests with his scope heard his words and turned his head.

Seeing the sickly appearance of Mark, he spoke in concern.

"Are you up for it? You look like you can die any second now." 

Mark showed a bitter smile on his face.

"I will be fine for the...*cough*" he suddenly coughed out a mouthful of green-blood.

Seeing this scene the middle-aged man felt pity for the young youth. However, he quickly stood up and started to head to the backlines. 

"Don't die on duty, kid. Scream through this pipe, if you spot any of those monsters approaching." he patted Mark on his shoulder and sincerely warned.

Mark nodded his head before taking the position of the middle-aged soldier. Lying flat on his stomach, he placed the rifle on the ground and quietly observed the jungle through his scope.

Time continued to pass, as the sounds of gunfires and explosions sounded out in the distance.

'Seems like they are attacking the other side today.' Mark thought to himself.

'Phew, that's good. Hopefully, the rest of my shift remains peaceful.' his eyelids were starting to feel heavy, as an intense desire to sleep overcame him.

Losing his vitality made him feel unenergetic and sleepy all the time. Biting down hard on his lips, Mark forced himself to stay awake.

'Mustn't sleep. If there is an attack, many lives will be lost due to my carelessness.' he reminded himself. 

Just as he was combating the allure of sleep within his mind, Mark's sharp eyes noticed a slight movement in the under bushes of the jungle floor.

'What's that?' instantly alerting himself, Mark keenly observed.

Minutes passed in trepidation as Mark scanned every inch of the jungle floor. Nothing was seen.

'Did I see it wrong? Was it a hallucination?' Mark wondered.

His eyes might have seen wrong, but an ominous feeling was felt in his heart. This feeling was unmistakably real. It was his instincts warning him that something was definitely wrong.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

At the next instant, Mark saw the culprit.

Sounds of heavy footsteps were heard along with the crashing of trees. From the center of the jungle, a large being was forcibly creating a part by destroying the trees blocking its path

A thick leg covered in the brown bark of a tree stepped out. Following its four-foot-tall legs was an equally massive body. Its body was brown in color and had a woody texture. Tiny branches spilled out from within its body and green leaves sprouted on them.

A massive claw-like hand swung down from the air, as it casually uprooted a gigantic tree and threw it to the side. Its head was covered with a lush canopy of leaves, and its facial features were hidden underneath it.

Seeing this moving 'tree', Mark laid stiffly in shock. His mind was unable to process the contents of his eyes, as he laid there blankly.

Behind the body of this 'tree', were dozens of other 'trees' with similar builds. Their massive bodies finally came into view, as they stood in a straight line, observing their surroundings. 

The platform of the humans was cleverly camouflaged within the trees using the surrounding and also some optical technology. As such, these humanoid trees weren't able to immediately spot Mark's location.

Waking from his stupor, Mark quickly reached out his hand to grab the metallic pipe that lay next to him.

Due to the interference in the air, the soldiers were not able to use proper walkie-talkies or other communication devices. Such being the case, they resorted to the old fashioned, tin can telephone methods. (with some modifications)

"Cen-central Co-command! Epsilon Region Second Tower, Private Mark here!" he stammered while speaking.

"Hostiles detected! There is a batch of.... humanoid-like alien trees here! Requesting reinforcement!" Mark wasn't quite sure how to describe these beings

"*broken noises* ...uest for reinforcements received. Could yo.....escribe the hostiles?" a broken female voice replied from the other end.

Suppressing the panic within his heart, Mark screamed.

"They are humanoid-like trees with the ability to move! They have already arrived at the frontline. Please send someone immediately!" Mark cried.

It was at this moment, one of the trees' suddenly lifted its hand and pointed precisely at Mark's location. Its 'mouth' opened and closed a few times, as unrecognizable sounds flowed from within.

Suddenly all the other 'trees' also stopped and looked towards Mark's position. Their bright green eyes vaguely shone from behind the canopy of leaves hiding their face.

Looking at this scene, Mark felt his heart drop.

'Shit! They found me. I'm finished!'

But that all changed, when the fire nation attac...*cough* *cough*( going off-topic there, don't mind me.)