Level -120: "Flesh Fruit"

Survival Difficulty: Class 5e - Environmental

》Unsafe

》Unsecure

》Numerous Non-Entity Hazards

Level -120 is the 120^th negative level of the Backrooms.

Description

Level -120 is a majestic grove of undetermined acreage consisting of non-anomalous and anomalous weeping trees. Tucked away in this woodland paradise are several glittering lakes, rivers, streams, and ponds. The temperature is a cozy 70°F (~21.1°C) during the day and a brisk 50°F (10°C) at night.

Embrace this moment!!!

The breezy is cool. Not a cloud in the sunny, crisp blue sky. The lush grass is emerald green. The ruby roses and begonias are blooming. The sparrows are singing. A few mule deer can be seen frolicking in a nearby meadow. A swallowtail landed delicately on your finger.

If you are experiencing this on level -120, you are already dead... or at least on your way out. As death claims you, you might also have the misfortunate of catching a glimpse of the true horrors that awaited you upon entering this level. Wanderers who find themselves at level -120 unprepared for what awaits them are doomed from the start. What was described above was a hallucination.

Nullify the Deception

So... you enter level -120 and immediately drink at least 2 cups of Almond Water to ward off the hallucinations.

"Not under the influence". Level -120 is a grove of undetermined acreage consisting of iridescent, petrified trees. Hiding amongst this enchanting, petrified forest are several non-anomalous weeping trees. These trees bear bizarre flesh-colored berries. You cannot recall the last time you have eaten. You could eat from the supplies you have packed with you (if you have them, of course), but these berries are oddly tempting. You approach a nearby tree. You reach out, and upon touching these berries... you have this primordial sensation that something is wrong. These berries feel... wrong. You cannot pull away. You... You want...? You want to eat these berries? No... You need to eat these berries! You must eat these berries! You will eat these berries! You are eating these BERRIES!! You mindlessly scarfed down two handfuls of them like they were your last meal!

What in the world came over you...!?

Do you detect the taste of blood?

You could not help to notice the charming little lakes and ponds hidden away out here. The temperature is a fair 70°F (~21.1°C) during the day and a chilly 35°F (~2.2°C) at night. The air is still. Not a cloud in the sunny, blue sky. The grass is an eerie, rust color... is that blood? There is not a creature in sight, but this place is gorgeous. If you are experiencing this on level -120, you are dying. As death claims you, you will see the true horrors that awaited you upon entering this level.

Nullify the Manipulation

It is worth mentioning here that the two previous "scenarios" were technically the last moments of the two previous wanderers' lives who came through here. Let us see if you are ready. So... you enter level -120 and immediately drink at least 2 cups of Almond Water to ward off the hallucinations but either chase it with 1 of 6 of the following liquids:

1. Preferred remedy: 3 drops of Neon Water (100% effectiveness guaranteed)
2. Okay remedy: 0.5 shot of Rose Water (25% effectiveness guaranteed with the 75% risk of developing cancer of the GI tract)
3. Not great remedy: 2 shots of plain, boring, unremarkable water (12.5% effectiveness guaranteed with 87.5% risk of a reaction resulting in water poisoning)
4. Bad remedy: 1 shot of Random Water (6.25% effectiveness guaranteed with 93.75% risk of developing some random degenerative disease that results in paralysis)
5. Terrible remedy: 1 shot of Cashew Water (3.125% effectiveness guaranteed with the 96.875% risk of long-term memory loss)
6. Last resort: 1 shot of Liquid Pain (1.5625% effectiveness guaranteed with the 98.4375% risk of causing accelerated progression of all seven effects of consuming Liquid Pain)

Neon water is the best treatment, but it is a rare substance. You possibly do not have that on you... do you? Fret not! Let us assume you had the preferred option or the other less desirable options work in your favor. Upon drinking any remedy you had available to you, you now can see level -120 for what it is.

Not under the influence! Level -120 is "truly" a grove of undetermined acreage consisting of dead and decaying, unidentifiable trees. Standing amongst the rot unopposed are several "non-anomalous, weeping trees". How... strange? There are a few stagnant ponds of algae, tar, and Liquid Pain. The temperature is a moist 98.6°F (37°C). The sky is the color of blood. The air is stale and has a metallic stink. The grounds are covered in the viscera, blood, and bones of the many victims that came this way, human and entity alike. The only living creatures here at the moment are the "trees"...and you. You have this primordial fear that you are being watched. Something is lurking amongst the "trees". Something hungry. You need to leave...NOW!

Reaping Willows

My dear Gary! You are not out of the woods yet! The deception and manipulation are not quite over, but at least you are not mentally impaired... right? Level -120 is home to a species of sentient, predatorial and carnivorous weeping tree-like entities called the Reaping Willows. These "trees" mimic the appearance of non-anomalous weeping trees. You have a sinking suspicion that these are not trees of any kind. But, your speculations are irrelevant as this is an "unconfirmed, negative level" you have yet to escape from. Feel free to share your inklings with fellow wanderers once you have escaped.

Anyway! These trees do not discriminate when it comes to prey. They will kill and consume anything that enters level -120 but, they have to subdue their prey first. When human quarry enters level -120, these trees will immediately release a hallucinogenic "pollen". Once you are mentally compromised, the tree will uproot itself and, like an Octopus, will use its "roots" to crawl and slither towards its victim. The "tree" will use its "branches" to wind, coil, constrict, and restrain its victim. Once immobilized, the branches will project barbs, "twigs" and proboscides into the victim. The barbs release a potent analgesic to dull the pain. The twigs release a digestive enzyme to dissolve the body from the inside out. The proboscides will suck up the slurry. These entities cannot digest or want to digest everything, so bones, rotting organs (usually the skin, gallbladder, kidney, and intestines), and some blood is left behind. It is worth mentioning here that it takes five days for these entities to dissolve the body of an average-sized man. You will be alive for the first 2 to 3 days. In the meantime, the "tree" will shower you with hallucinogenic pollen and kairomones to keep up the illusion.

Protecting against exposure

The hallucinogenic pollen "can" be nulled by drinking the recommended amount of Almond Water (mentioned above). You need to chase the Almond Water with the recommended dose of Neon Water, Rose Water, water, Random Water, Cashew Water, or Liquid Pain to null the kairomones. DO NOT exceed the recommended dosage, especially for Liquid Pain. Good luck finding any Random Water. Do not mix any of these.

How these "recommended" fluids work to protect against the exposure of kairomones when it does work is unknown. Some chemical shunting effect must be taking place for the kairomones to be nulled by either Rose water, Cashew Water, Random Water, or Liquid Pain without the harmful or lethal side effects. Nevertheless, if the treatment were successful, the Almond Water should completely nullify the hallucinogenic pollen, which takes approximately 5 minutes to take effect.

Failure to null the effects of the kairomones will trigger an insatiable drive to eat the "flesh fruit". Flesh fruit is an unusual, sweet-blood favored berry produced by the Reaping Willows. These berries exocarp has the appearance and the feel of skin. Biting into these berries reveals muscle and capillaries where mesocarp and seed/pip should be, respectively. An unidentified compound in these berries can null the effects of Almond Water, allowing the pollen to induce a dampened hallucinogenic experience.

The Art of War and Mimicry

When under the influence, you would not notice how much these "trees" stood out in the dead and decaying world in which they reside. As hinted at before, the Reaping Willows (Genus Predatoridius) mimic the appearances of non-anomalous weeping trees. The harmless appearance of these "trees" might give wanderers the false impression that they are safe if they have not caught on that they still are in danger. Most wanderers would assume that the copious amount of mangled flesh and twisted bone scattered on the grounds was the doing of some other creature. Of course, the inhospitable environment would be enough to prompt wanderers to travel further into this grove, hoping to find the exit.

Wanderers will soon learn that their ordeal is far from over. These "trees" are entities of voracious appetite. The use of hallucinogenic pollen and kairomones is not always successful in subduing prey. The "trees" have evolved to use their unique physical characteristics to capture more challenging prey. Below are six examples of these predatorial mimics:

Genus Predatoridius:

This image is of a normal Higam Cherry Tree and is serving as a representative of its mimic, the Cherry Dart Tree from level -120.

Cherry Dart Tree (Species Predatoridius mimiprunus subhirtella dartitius)

• The Cherry Dart Tree mimics the Higam Cherry (sp. Prunus subhirtella). This tree-like entity is 20 ft (~6.1 m) tall and showcases cascading branches of fuchsia, six-petaled single to double blossoms. Each blossom conceals six needle-point darts that the entity can fire out, in unison, at speeds of 1700mph (2736 km/hr). The Cherry Dart is an ambush predator. It waits for prey to get within a radius of 40ft (~12.2 m) of it before showering a barrage of darts at it. If the speed of the darts does not kill the prey, the paralytic compounds in the needles will immobilize prey allowing the tree to come and collect.

This image is of a normal Weeping Flowering Apricot Tree and is serving as a representative of its mimic, the Weeping Apricot Gland Tree from level -12O.

Weeping Apricot Gland Tree (Species Predatoridius mimiprunus mume secretii)

• The Weeping Apricot Gland Tree mimics the Weeping Flowering Apricot (sp. Prunus mume). This tree-like entity is 10 ft (~3.0 m) tall and showcases cascading branches of purple, semi-doubled blossoms. Each blossom conceals dozens of tiny glands that secrete apricot-scented, sticky slime. Like the Cherry Dart, this mimic is an ambush predator. It waits for prey to get within a radius of 20 ft (~6.1 m) before releasing a sticky "net" onto its prey. Struggling when caught only increases the amount of slime produced. If the slime does not subdue you, the epileptic compounds in the slime will. Once immobilized, the prey will be drawn into the "tree" via its branches.

This image is of a normal Weeping Japanese Larch Tree and is serving as a representative of its mimic, the Weeping Nine Larch Tree from level -120.

Weeping Nine Larch Tree (Species Predatoridius mimilarix kaempferi catoninetius)

• The Weeping Nine Larch Tree mimics the Weeping Japanese Larch (sp. Larix kaempferi 'Pendula'). This tree-like entity is a 7 ft (~2.1 m) tall, deciduous conifer bearing branches that can reach the ground. Unlike the other two trees mentioned here, the Weeping Nine Larch is a pursuit predator. So, if you see these "trees"... RUN! This entity bears a multi-tailed flailing implement, similar to the cat-o'-nine-tails, at the ends of their branches. This predator's method of acquiring prey is brutal and sadistic. Prey will be whipped and hooked until it succumbs to blood loss. If repeatedly getting flesh torn from one's body does not kill you, the dozens of infectious microbes present on the end of the whip's hooks will. Opening wounds and filling them will infectious microbes work just as well. The tree will then stalk its prey and wait for it to succumb to septic shock.

This image is of a normal Weeping Fig Tree and is serving as a representative of its mimic, the Weeping Fluoroantimonic Fig Tree from level -120.

Weeping Fluoroantimonic Fig Tree (Species Predatoridius mimificus benjamina fluoroantimonic acidicus)

• The Weeping Fluoroantimonic Fig Tree mimics the Weeping Fig (sp. Ficus benjamina) [Dwarf variant]. This tree-like entity is 3 ft (90 cm) tall and showcases drooping downward, woody branches of glossy, chartreuse green pointed leaves. Like the Weeping Nine Larch tree, the Weeping Fluoroantimonic Fig is a pursuit predator. DO NOT let the fact that it mimics the harmless houseplant variety fool you. This entity conceals hundreds of extendable and retractable hollow thin, needle-like parts called stylets between its branches. The reach of its stylets is 9 - 12 ft (~2.7 - 3.7 m). This predator's method of acquiring prey is callous and calculating. This predator's small size makes it easy to rush its kill. It quickly impales its victim with its many stylets followed by its barbs to prevent escape. The restrained victim will be pumped vigorously with enough fluoroantimonic acid (H₀ = -31.3) to damage the skin, vital organs, and bones. If you do happen to escape, you will not get far. These figs can crawl up to speeds of 25 mph (~40.2 km/hr).

This image is of a normal Inversa Norway Spruce and is serving as a representative of its mimic, the Internal Inversing Nowhere Spruce from level -120

Internal Inversing Nowhere Spruce (Species Predatoridius mimiinternal piceall organandus 'inversa')

• The Internal Inversing Nowhere Spruce mimics the Inversa Norway Spruce (sp. Picea abies 'Inversa'). This tree-like entity is 15 ft - 20 ft (~4.6 m - 6.1 m) tall and showcases dense, glossy, dark green needles on arching and mounding branches. Like the Cherry Dart Tree and Weeping Apricot Gland Tree, Internal Inversing Nowhere Spruce is an ambush predator. It waits for prey to get within a radius of 25 ft (~7.6 m) before launching and latching its branches onto its prey. This tree will project a secondary set of barbs into its prey once restrained. These barbs consist of muscle relaxants that target the muscles in the jaw. This unknown muscle relaxant causes the mouth to slack and flop open. The 'tree' will proceed to mercilessly insert dozens of branches into the victim's mouth and down into their throat. The branches will continue down inside their victim until the stomach is breached. These branches will release hooks and spikes into the victim. The hooks and spikes will latch onto internal organs. The tree will retract its branches out of its victim, pulling out the victim's organs.

This image is of a normal Weeping Willow Tree and is serving as a representative of its mimic, the Weeping Whisper Tree from level -12O.

Weeping Whisper Tree (Species Predatoridius mimisalix babylonic whisper)

• The Weeping Whisper Tree mimics the Weeping Willow (sp. Salix babylonica). This tree-like entity is a 40 ft (~12.2 m) tall, riparian species that can be found near the few stagnant ponds present in level -120. Like most "trees" on this level, I am an ambush predator. My leaves produce a hypnotic substance... it has no name... that implants false memories, thoughts, and feelings into your head. I have been feeding you false hope that you, Gary, are getting close to the "exit". One of you will find it one day. Sadly, it will not be you. You have been slowly rotting here for two days now. I have been giving you "unconfirmed" information to take "back" with you once you get out of here. You are a partially dissolved mess, so good luck with that. You creatures harbor so much hope and... it is delicious. Your last thought before I caught you in my snare was, "I am going die here..." and you would be correct. Do not take it personally. It has been a while since I have had a meal, and you happened to be it...

Colonies and Outposts

There is reason to believe this level does exist but exploration for further confirmation is not encouraged. Due to the inhospitable nature of this level and the suspicious information provided, colonies and outposts are not recommended to be established here...

and become one with the trees.

Entrances and Exits

Entrances

• Death Inception (possibility score - 1 x 10^-13 %): Dying on a level has a minuscule chance to send you here. If you are not prepared to be here... Look! You died, remember! So, let's assume you are not... you are going to die again but in level -120. Whether you die permanently this time or "respawn" elsewhere is anyone's guess.

• In the wilderness (possibility score - 0.1%): There is a small chance that leaning on a tree in level 311 will result in you no-clipping through the tree and landing in a stagnant pond of algae on level -120, however; this cannot be confirmed.

• Conveniently placed door (possibility score - 100%): While fleeing any entity on level 489, you found a door labeled -120 and went through it. (You should have picked a better door.)

• Living Nightmare: Falling asleep under a willow tree in Level -382 will transport you to Level -120.

Exits

• There is an exit on level -120. You just have to survive long enough to find it. Of course, I am not telling you where... I like to play with my food.