Chapter 14: Croaking Oak

“We’ve got a bit more. Not much, though,” Kat reassured her. “See the ground here? It’s startin’ to slope up. We’re almost at the hill at the centre o’ this thing.”

“You’d think with all this green there’d be a stream, a pond or something!” Annita groused.

“It is odd that we have not encountered such; however, this is God’s domain. The natural order as we know it may be entirely usurped. Seeing as it was a forest God, it is likely that They just had the trees for their world. I wonder if a greater forest God’s domain would be entirely made of a tree?” Bren pondered as he brushed a tree from his path. An explosion of angry chittering met the movement from the swarm of Warped squirrels that seemed to be following them.

“Not helping,” Annita huffed. “What I would give for a nice hot shower. Maybe a bath bomb, some good suds, my cats watching in horror as I got myself wet.”

“Ye had cats?” Kat asked as she leapt over a large root.

“Yeah, two. Pixel and Emeril. A tabby girl and a little tuxedo boy. Loved them to bits. They cuddled up with me every night and purred me to sleep. I know they were well cared for after my incident, but it still eats at me that I couldn’t take care of them myself. God, I hope they understood. They probably didn’t, but their mama loved them so much. Wish I could tell them that one last time.” Annita’s eyes grew misty as she spoke, a tightness rising in her chest. The most minor things brought up the massive loneliness she kept stuffed away. The feeling that no one in this world would ever really understand her. She wiped her eyes with the back of her arm, and doing so, got some plant gunk in her eyes. “Shit. God damnit.” She desperately tried to wipe it out of her eyes as tears began to stream down her cheeks. She felt a hand on her shoulder as she wept.

“Here. Use this to cleanse your eyes,” Bren offered softly as he handed her his water skin.

Annita took it and doused her eyes. Clearing quickly, she wiped her nose clean as well. Taking a shuddering breath, she handed the waterskin back. “Thanks,” she said quietly, not trusting herself with anything louder.

“Of course. You have been through much in a short time and have not had the proper time to heal. You may never have enough time. But know this. We will be here for you. I understand you and Kat have a deeper bond growing between you. However, please lean on me as well. She cares for you, and thus do I.”

“I…” Annita faltered. She felt another wave of tears boiling up and tried to push it down, but just couldn’t. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” The tears flowed unbidden. Something in her had collapsed. A fear, or a longing, she wasn’t quite sure. Quickly, she felt Bren’s arm reach around her waist, swiftly followed by Kat’s around her shoulders.

“Shhh, it’s all right. Let it out, Ann. We’ve gotcha.” Kat whispered as she lay her head on the shoulder closest to her. This only redoubled the sobbing coming from Ann.

She let it out. All the grief, the loneliness she’d felt during her coma, the fear of this new world and the pain she’d been through since. She cried until she couldn’t continue, and her body was left trembling in her companions’ arms. After she quieted, she let Kat wipe her tears for her, sniffling.

“Thank you, both of you. Sorry. Sorry, this came out here,” Annita sniffled as she wiped her nose. “Know it’s dangerous. Sorry.” She felt her lip tremble as another wave of sobbing threatened her. This time, however, she managed to control herself.

“Grief comes for us all, in different ways,” Bren soothed. “You have a larger share than most. Do not feel as if you inconvenienced us.”

“Aye,” Kat agreed. “Yer not a burden. Ye’ve got a lot goin’ on in that fuzzy head of yers. We’re here tae talk to if ye need us. You good to keep goin’?”

“Yeah. I think so. I’m on a timer. Ugh!” Annita blew her nose loudly, trying to shake off the aftereffects of the crying fit. “Let’s go.”

Kat looked up at her worriedly, but nodded and helped Annita to her feet.

The next half hour passed in silence. Annita was less on guard than usual as she collected herself, and the other two seemed to be picking up the slack. Gradually, the terrain began to incline, growing steeper and steeper until they were hiking uphill.

The trees had become obviously active at this point. It was to the point that they were moving within eyesight. The unnatural shifting as their roots slithered through the dirt was intensely unnerving, not to mention seeing their trunks bend and twist. The mammalian animal life seemed to quiet as they grew closer and closer to the summit. Only birds seemed to remain.

“This is getting creepy as hell,” Annita sighed as they took a short break. The going was slower than they wanted. She had three hours left until her deadline.

“Yes, I do not like how the trees seem to be guiding us at this point,” Bren agreed. “It is likely we will be encountering the Guardian soon. Or one of them.”

“Aye. This is gonna be the big fight, Ann. Check yer Mind, see if ye got any back. Ye mighta while ye were cryin’.”

Annita pulled up her stat sheet and checked. Sure enough, her Mind was at an 11/20. “Yep, got enough for another Smite. That’s good.”

“Aye, likely gonna need it. Whatever’s waitin’ is gonna be tougher than the cat before the Seed. Usually, some kinda avatar of the domain. Probably a tree,” Kat mused as she kept an eye on their surroundings. “Unless it’s part o’ the thing’s nature, or how it defends the realm, there should be a clearin’ up ahead. If not, the surprise is gonna be a tough one.”

“Oh Gods, these things can ambush you?” Ann gasped, horrified.

“Oh, aye. Heard tell of a domain of a Goddess of cats. Thing hung out in tall grass waitin’ for the expedition to get close to it before attackin’. Was a larger Seed than this’n though. Regardless, won’t know until we get there. Let’s get goin’.”

Annita groaned as she stood, helping Bren up from his seat in the dirt and leaves.

They walked for another fifteen or so minutes before the walls of trees on either side of them. Ahead opened up a clearing as Kat predicted. It was a good two hundred feet across, with soft grass covering the ground. Annita was surprised they hadn’t seen it from their entrance to the Seed.

Standing at the centre was what could only be the Guardian. It was a massive tree, towering above them. Its gnarled trunk was ash grey with countless knots woven into it. A large split about five feet up ran across its surface in an approximation of a jagged mouth. Three large branches sprouted from its lower trunk up to the rest of its canopy. That was the worst part of it, though. It didn’t have leaves. Instead, its branches were covered with jet black feathers, all of which ruffled and glistened in the gentle breeze. While taking in the monstrosity, Annita also swore she could hear the faint croaking of crows coming from somewhere.

“Aye, that’ll be it. I hope it’s softer than it looks.” Kat said as she stared intently at the stationary Guardian. “Probably gonna start movin’ when we get closer. Get yerselves ready.”

“Can’t we just go around it?” Annita asked as she took in the sight.

“Nae, it’ll stop us. Sure as anythin’. I’ll lead, Bren, in the back. Just like the cat. Careful, somethin’s strange with this’n. Save yer smite if ye see some kinda weak spot. Let’s go.”

“Casting a shield and speed on both of you. Stay safe.” Bren said as he followed them toward the monolithic tree.

As Kat said, when they got within about fifty feet of the tree, it began to move.

The rustling of its leaves echoed over the field as it leaned to one side, the wood and bark groaning loudly, and it pulled an enormous set of roots free. Soil rained as it set the root cluster down with a heavy thud and repeated the process three more times before it seemingly completely uprooted itself. The three thick branches it had held aloft earlier lowered, two being long, spindly, claw-like branches, and the other a gnarled stump much like a club. It thumped the appendage on the ground, issuing its challenge to those who faced it as they stood in the shadow it cast.

“Holy shit, that’s a big ’un!” Kat shouted as she charged in, sword low and round shield raised before her.

“It’s a tree. What did you expect?” Ann called back as she moved to the left flank.

Kat got to it first and swung hard at a root. It snapped free as the blade cleaved through it, but the tree didn’t seem affected.

With a grumbling creak, one of the claw arms swept down from Kat’s right, the wind whistling through the twigs.

Kat turned and took the hit with her blade, feet barely moving despite the size difference. Locked down, she grabbed her shield and slammed the edge into the wood, trying to push her away. Splinters sprayed across her face, and she saw a deep dent in one of the “fingers” as the hand retreated.

Meanwhile, Annita tracked as quickly as she could to the left of the behemoth. Checking the cylinder to make sure she had all six shots, she snapped the weapon closed and fired off three into the trunk. It was hard to miss with how big the thing was. She was rewarded with another creaking groan from the tree she assumed was pain.

Grinning widely, Ann used her boosted speed to dodge the club branch as it rocketed down at her. The thing was keeping both her and Kat busy at the same time. When its arms weren’t engaged, it was trying to snare them in the roots at its base. It was tricky staying free and out of harm’s way. A branch hand came sweeping from her left, forcing Ann to hit the dirt to avoid getting swatted away. Rolling onto her back, she let off two more shots with the pistol into the underside of a particularly thick root.

Another groan signalled damage, but this time Annita saw more of why. It was bleeding. Not the goopy green blood of the vine creatures. No. This was blood. Bright red and flowing from the holes she’d just put in it.

Ann scrambled back to her feet, backing away from the monster and trying to get a better view of things. Kat was still heavily engaged, taking hits one after the other on her shield and parrying the best she could, considering how big the thing she was fighting was. She’d scored a few good hits of her own, and blood flowed from several branches on the thing’s hands. Bren had been focusing primarily on healing her and fortifying her defences against the blows she was taking.

Ann couldn’t take long to admire the sight, though. She quickly dug five bullets from a pouch she’d affixed to her belt and reloaded before darting back in. Two more shots into the trunk, red trails spilling down the wood as she set to work with her falchion. Twigs snapped free, for the most part bloodless, but when she hit a thicker portion, the red began to flow. The feeling of hitting the thicker portions of the tree was also off. It was definitely wood, but it was more pliable than it should be. Instead of a hard impact after a swing, it seemed to give a little before stopping her blade. Not quite like cutting the cat, but definitely not like hitting the training dummy.

Ann dodged another swipe of a clawed branch, hacking at it as it sailed past, but this time didn’t notice the tree had followed up with the club arm. She felt it hit her side; the air left her lungs, and then the world was spinning. She bounced painfully once, twice, three times before coming to a stop. She lay there, gasping desperately, trying to get her lungs to work. Quickly, she felt a trickle of Bren’s healing magic enter her, and she could breathe again. Groaning and sitting up, she checked her body and winced. Either something on her side was broken or heavily bruised. At least the healing from Bren kept most of the pain down as she stood once more.

Something was still bothering Ann, though. She could still hear the muffled caws coming from somewhere. It seemed like it was nearby, but as far as she’d seen, none of the feathers on the tree were attached to living birds.

At that moment, Kat landed a significant strike, cutting a large gash down the front of the trunk. The tree shook, its feathers rustling in pain as it staggered back slightly. “Ha, didn’t like that, did ye?” Kat bellowed after it, taking the moment to collect herself.

“Kat, something’s wrong. Do you hear that?” Ann called out as the birds got louder.

The muffled cawing was growing. Louder and louder until it was a cacophony. Then the front of the tree split open in a jagged grin with dark black teeth.

With frightening speed, it barreled forward at Kat, overwhelming her with both branch arms and a mess of roots. It lifted her, drawing her struggling body closer as if to swallow her in its new maw.

Ann ran as fast as she could, digging her paws in and leaping as hard as she could. She landed in the mess of branches around Kat and took hold. Kat was struggling hard, but the tree was determined to keep her still this time. Ann tried to break her free, hacking at the surrounding branches. It did damage, but not enough to get the thing to loosen its grip.

“Fuck,” she swore as the screaming crows became deafening. It seemed like the closer to the mouth they got, the louder they became. “Oh, oh fuck.” She saw the teeth. They weren’t teeth. They were all crows. Individual crows without wings, each fused from above their legs into the flesh of the tree. Their beady black eyes tracked Ann and Kat as they were brought closer with a hungry intensity. Inside, the mouth was more of the same, forming a tunnel of grasping beaks and deafening noise.

“Get me the feck out o’ here!” Kat screamed as she redoubled her efforts to free herself. She got her sword arm free and began to hack desperately at the other branches holding her.

“I’m trying!” Ann yelled back as she swung harder at a particularly stubborn branch. Blood flew everywhere, but it just would not let Kat go. Cursing, she shifted her angle and looked down the maw of the Tree. It was the only place they hadn’t hit yet. She sheathed the falchion and drew the revolver. Aiming, she took two shots into the gaping cavern of screaming crows. Two of the birds exploded in a puff of feathers. This, somehow, seemed to do the trick as the tree staggered, loosening its grip on Kat.

Wrenching herself free, Kat dropped to the ground, shortly followed by Ann. “The feck did ye do? It worked.”

“The birds. It’s the birds. The tree is a nest, I think. Or they’re the core or something. I don’t know. Just hit the birds.” Ann was panting. The fight had been going on for what felt like hours, and she was getting tired.

“Think ye can keep it busy for a minute? I’ve got somethin’ that’s got a good chance o’ clearin’ em out, but I need time tae get it charged.” Kat took her shield and planted the edge into the ground as she spoke, driving her sword into the dirt behind it.

“How long?” Ann asked. The tree was recovering quickly and looked ready to re-engage any moment.

“Two minutes. I have to focus fer this and I can’t miss. Ye should be fine. You’ll have Bren backin’ ye up. Ye got this,” Kat reassured her as she knelt behind her sword and shield.

“Yeah, new, level five, giant fuckin’ tree. I’ve got this,” Ann huffed to herself as she leapt back into the fray.

The following two minutes were nothing but pain. The crows in the tree had gotten louder, their piercing cries overwhelming Ann’s already sensitive hearing. She flattened her ears to her skull in a futile attempt to dampen the noise. The Warped paid her back in full for every strike she landed. Either a branch slapping roughly against her, leaving cuts and raised red scratches, or the clublike arm slamming into her. In a serious lapse in her defence, the club slammed into her left shoulder, and a sickening pop sounded out as her arm dislocated.

Ann stood, blood dripping from a cut in her forehead from one of the branches she’d barely dodged, her left arm hanging uselessly, and her good arm scarcely able to hold up her sword. Dirt, welts, and other minor wounds covered her body, which she knew she would feel in the morning.

“Twenty seconds!” Bren shouted out behind her. He’d been constantly keeping her apprised of how much time was left. She appreciated it, but also hated him a little for it because it made her acutely aware of how slow time was moving for her.

Grunting her acknowledgement, Ann moved back towards the hulking mess of roots, bark, and feathers. She took a stance with her left arm behind her, raising the falchion in a challenge.

The tree cawed at her with a hundred throats as it charged her. Ducking the initial swipe of a long branch, she shifted her feet to roll to the side, avoiding the overhead slam of the club branch. She swung hard, pushing her Smite into the blow, but the sword bounced off the tough appendage and only left a charred line. Grimacing as her hand went numb, Ann couldn’t stop to recover. The Warped sent a root sweeping at her legs, forcing her to leap and roll over it. Bile rose in her throat as she landed and rolled on her dislocated shoulder, but she held it together.

“Five seconds!” Bren called again.

He’d been trying to help, but the fact was that Ann was too inexperienced not to take a lot of damage. She felt him numbing her pain, fixing some minor wounds that would have impaired her, but he was also straining his magic reserves.

A branch swung at her, and Annita glacially reacted, barely catching the limb and diverting it. The bark still left a scratch across her stomach as she stumbled, falling to a knee. She was at her limit. She couldn’t move anymore. Gasping for breath, she stared back up at the Warped above her and checked her health. 5/200 It seemed to sense that she was done as it leaned down, opening its maw. The deafening squawks neared, then surrounded her. She closed her eyes, lowering her head, and prayed to the old God she knew and Orenous. As she did, she felt a hand shove her roughly to the dirt as a heat flared at her back. In a moment, the crows went silent. The heat was gone, and she just had the hand on her back. A moment later, a large thud sounded behind her.

The hand left her back, and she felt the person gently rolling her over on her right shoulder. Opening her eyes, she saw Kat drenched in sweat, kneeling over her.

“Two minutes,” Ann said faintly.

“Aye. Two minutes. Ye did amazin’. The Guardian’s dead. Take a rest, Bren is too. I’ll keep watch.”

Nodding softly, Ann felt herself drift into unconsciousness.