Little Arboretum of Horrors

Special Brownsville Report : Online Edition
By the all seeing EYE

Half of the group gathered themselves as the Tendriculous took control of the situation.  "This looks like a small specimen.  I suspect it would be able to swallow at least 2 or 3 of us whole," continued Pas as he watched the creature with both alarm and awe.  "Though I doubt this small one could swallow someone as large as Groth, but don't take my word on it," he muttered almost to himself. Groth was the closest combatant to the behemoth vine.  He looked at the greataxe that he had been cradling in his crossed arms, then at the trunk, then back at his greataxe.  He shrugged and went to work.  With an awesome sidelong two-handed swing Groth chopped at the base of the Tendriculous. "This not too much diff'rent from work at home".   The creature shrieked when the blow fell and splinters sprayed about, followed by a sickly green sap that gushed down from the wound.  It lurched forward, almost as if it were about to be felled, and then the base of the tree split into a horrid mockery of humanoid legs.  It took another great stride and stepped completely out of the planter and down to the tile floor below, crushing a marble bench in the process.  Two-thirds of the way up the creature's trunk a great black maw opened with a horrible rending sound.  Just above it two more that burned with an evil green light.
Unquestionably, this thing was sentient.  Fox and Arin gave each other a sidelong glance. This was not going to be easy.  Fox was concerned for Arin because he was still having confidence issues that precluded him from being able to give his best efforts.  Although Arin was exceptionally large for his age, he had been picked on and made an easy target during most of his youth and it didn't help that his father reinforced this self image that Arin had adopted.  "No time for second thoughts Arin", Fox hollered over the din of splintering wood.
The creature had now completely uprooted itself now, severing roots and spraying soil in every direction.  "We're gonna need you at your best Arin. You CAN do this!"  Fox cheered Arin.  "Now, let's go do some pruning. This garden is WAY outta control!"  They both lifted their weapons and began to maneuver to position when suddenly a whipping vine screeched down the upper surface of the dome and then slammed into Pas with a meaty thud.  Pas winced in pain, but before he could yell out the vine wrapped around his torso...and he was gone.  The vine had whipped back to it's host so quickly it was as if Pas had simply been teleported away.  Fox looked back in the direction of the trunk and to his chagrin spotted where Pas had gone.  In the blink of an eye Pas had been yanked from his perch on the edge of the rose planter and deposited into the gaping black maw of the tree creature.  The maw snapped shut with a sickening crack, piercing Pas with it's splintery, jagged teeth as it did.  Pas moaned.  
Fox knew they had to act quickly or Pas would be lost forever.  He looked about and saw Arin staring, a horrified look on his face, at the place where the monster's mouth had snapped shut and Pas' leg still dangled limply.  "Arin! Your whip, quickly.  Can you entangle Pas' leg before this monster swallows him whole?"  Without comment Arin jumped into action. He tumbled towards the tree, barely evading the lashing vines that pounded the floor tiles to dust where he had just been standing.  At the end of his roll, as if an extension of his own arm, Arin snapped the whip.  The whip lashed out towards the maw just as the tree had lashed out at Arin, but Arin's whip found purchase.  It looped about Pas' boot like a constrictor snake and then went taut.  It suddenly occurred to Arin that a creature of this size and more to the point, this strength, would have no problem swallowing Pas and then using the whip as if slurping pasta to pull him in.
"Groth! Help me, grab the whip and pull. We've got to save him".  Groth was already halfway through another mighty chop however, and looked very content doing it. Almost cathartic. Fox fired off an arrow to try to harry the tree, but to no obvious effect.  "There's got to be a better way" Fox said, half to himself.  Groth turned to grab onto Arin's entangled whip but suddenly the whip almost pulled free of Arin's grip.   Without a conscious thought Arin unfurled the end of the whip that had tethered Pas from going down the vine monsters gullet (training made it muscle memory to unfurl the whip whenever it was about to be pulled from your hand, and worse case scenario he would just let go of the whip).  Groth looked confused and Arin looked dejectedly over at Fox; Arin had failed again.  Failed to save his friend from a horrible fate when he needed help the most. "He can't be dead yet" Fox cried.  "Let's fell this driftwood quickly, before it IS too late!".  The three of them set to the task with renewed vigor.  They would get Pas out of this beast's belly or die trying; a very real possibility it seemed.