Make an expeditious retreat.

You were so not ready for this. After the last few days you thought you were pretty top-tier, at least for this zone, but you were obviously letting your arrogance get the better of you. This wasn't a fight you could win, not now. Gingerly wading back up the beach, you creep away from the colossal tantrum unfolding around you. It was a close thing, you're buffeted this way and that by shockwaves and the slimy coils of muscle as they search for you. They really don't seem to like touching your bark, which is probably the only reason you reach the tree line unflattened. As soon as you can sink your roots into solid turf once more you surge into the forest, putting as much distance between yourself and the water as possible.

You keep up the pace far into the woods, smashing through any vegetation shorter than you are, till you can't hear the living calamity demolishing the beach behind you. When you do finally slow to your usual trundle, you're most of the way back to your hollow. You take quick stock of your faculties: heavy bleeding in the area your trunk was shattered, a few handfuls of your roots hadn't regenerated, and you still felt slightly stunned by the overwhelming show of **** you'd just witnessed. Fearfully you turn your attention to Dana, still clutched in your tendrils. She looked awfully pale, staring behind you with wide eyes. Realizing you might be squeezing too tightly, you loosen your grip. Dana? No response. Physically she looked fine but you got the impression she wouldn't be going near water anytime soon.

It's a bit more difficult to push through the improvised walls of vegetation with your recently solidified frame but you manage to slip into your lair without completely wrecking your rudimentary defenses. You let out a low breath in relief to find Miera still passed out in the center. She looks like some kind of forest nymph, lying naked on the grassy meadow, hair strewn about wildly. In fact the hollow looks considerably more lush since the last time you'd been here, tall grass and even a few flowers rising in uneven patches scattered across the otherwise mossy ground. It takes a minute for you to recall this morning and put the pieces together... Oh... Herbal Flow! It must work on normal plant life as well. Huh... Cool. You swell a little at the idea of your presence influencing the world in such a subtle way. It was almost Boss-like.

You "tiptoe" up to Miera, draining her alarmingly replenished mana reserves, before rooting down in the sun for some much needed rest. Was it uncomfortable to have so much mana? Very much. Would it have felt better to settle in the shade? Probably. You just really wanted the familiar glow of the sun right now. Some comfort food, as it were. Wrapping the still-unresponsive Dana in your softest tendrils, you settle down for some much needed recuperation. Your armored petals creak open as you finally start to relax and you bask wearily in the dappled sunlight falling across your face.