The kids shifted nervously. The elven city was too silent for a monster’s lair, and the wooden platforms and resin pathways suspended over our heads created too many blind spots. I expected Gloomstalkers and Mana Stingers to rain down from the ceiling the moment we set foot inside the Warden’s Tree, but the welcoming committee was nowhere to be found.

I still couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching us.

“Either this is a trap, or we killed every monster in the Lich’s army during the siege,” Ilya said.

“The Warden must be dormant. Let’s go. We have to find the Cloister before it awakens,” Hallas said, jumping a vine fence and leading the way through the plaza.

Across the plaza was a staircase sculpted out of pale wood and multicolor resin. Bioluminescent lights cast a rainbow over the steps and handrails.

“Stop,” I said as [Foresight] warned me of danger.

Crimson Scion Pods were on the base of the staircase, hidden inside closed buds. The kids reflexively aimed, and Captain Kiln gave me a confused look.

“Those are Chrysalimorph pods. Nasty things.”

I activated my mana sense, and the rainbow of colors disappeared. Strong mana streams flowed through the walls, converging in a single point suspended above our heads—the Warden’s Cloister. The Chrysalimorph pods, on the other hand, were dead. Upon closer inspection I noticed I could see through the crimson membrane.

“There’s nothing inside them,” I announced.

The citadel trembled, and the suspended platforms rocked above our heads.

We froze and looked up, but nothing came slithering down. Instead, the air inside the hollow tree seemed to freeze, and a familiar figure appeared on top of the stairs—a cloak with two electric-blue eyes. Like a spider spreading out its legs, ice encroached on the staircase.

A crack of thunder rang out as a bullet cut between the Lich’s eyes. The cloak, however, was empty, and the shot splintered harmlessly against the wall. The attack had been ineffective.

I raised my hand to stop any follow-up shots.

“I guess we know now who shot first,” the Lich said, his voice sounding like cracking ice. “This is your last chance, wizard. Hand me the Access Rune, and I might let your multicolored band walk away.”

There was no expression inside the cloak, but I felt the Lich’s anger.

“I’ve already destroyed your body twice, Alex. I don’t see how this time will be different,” I replied as I scanned the citadel. I detected only one source of mana, which meant the Warden and the Lich’s true bodies were probably hidden in the same place.

The Lich was set aback at the sound of his name.

“Our chubby yellow friend told you,” the Lich said, this time in English.

“I know two things about you. You are a competent puppeteer, and you should’ve been dead for a long time,” I replied.

The Lich’s laughter was unnerving.

“You know why I call you a wizard, don’t you?” the Lich said, entertained. “You are aware of our true power, and yet here you are, still a slave to the System.”

I remembered the sensation of power when I melted the cave above the Lich’s head.

“Don’t listen to that thing,” Captain Kiln put a hand on my chest and pushed me back.

Captain Kiln channeled her mana, and a golden chain emerged from her severed arm. The Lich, however, didn’t react to the provocation.

“Listen to me, wizard. Jeremiah lied to you. He didn’t give you the power of the runes as a gift. He sealed your true powers and set upon you on a mission destined to fail,” the Lich said. “You know the truth. You know how deceitful he can be. Join me. Give me the Access Rune, and I will make you a king. I will rule on this side of the mountains, you will rule on the other, and together, we will fight the monsters of the inner Farlands as countrymen.”

I put my hand on Captain Kiln’s arm, and she let me go.

“I would rather take my chances alone. Dealing with undead would set a bad example for my students,” I said, channeling mana.

The Warden’s Tree trembled again, and the currents of mana intensified.

“You will regret it when the gnome dies in your arms,” the Lich screeched.

“Good luck with that,” I replied.

Orchish Chrysalimorphs dropped from above us in the elven city.

Orcish Chrysalimorph Lv.27

Orcish Chrysalimorph Lv.28

Orcish Chrysalimorph Lv.32

Orcish Chrysalimorph Lv.35

The kids moved before the monsters could touch the ground. The MDBC bullets hit the Chrysalimorph’s bulking bodies, and mana was stripped away from them. Then, as we practiced, the kids activated the Wind-Shot Boots and retreated.

[Foresight] injected information directly into my brain. The Orcish Chrysalimorphs were faster than their size suggested. However, [Foresight] detected a slight sluggishness in their movements. The MDBC bullets worked.

I channeled my mana and engaged the Lv.35. The creature grew a cleaver from its bark-like skin and tried to behead me. It was too slow. [Foresight] slowed time as [Swordsmanship] filled my brain with timing, angle, and distance information. The cleaver cut a centimeter away from my cheekbone. The recovery time of the Chrysalimorph’s attack was quicker than any human combatant, but I was even faster. I jumped on the Chrysalimorph’s back and stabbed its shoulder blade. My sword bounced off, but I left a deep notch in its armor.

“The kids!” Captain Kiln shouted in panic as her radiant chains constricted the Lv.32 Chrysalimorph.

I noticed she was having trouble keeping the monster at bay. I blocked my Chrysalimorph’s attack, and its strength sent waves through my body. A cascade of sparks left charred marks on the ground. The creature felt no fear or sense of self-preservation, which made it even more dangerous.

“They got this! Trust!” I shouted back.

Ilya ran around the plaza with a Chrysalimorph on her heels. The Wind-Shoot Boots gave her the boost she needed to stay out of reach. Reaching the plaza’s fence, the girl jumped four meters into the air, twisted, and shot from her hip. The bullet hit the Chrysalimorph’s chest, draining more mana and slowing it down.

For an instant, the Chrysalimorph even seemed disoriented.

Ilya landed on her feet and got away from the monster. That gave Wolf a clear view to take his shot. The bullet shattered against the Chrysalimorph’s shoulder, and a mana explosion sent the creature to its knees. The sparks scattered, revealing deep cracks in its armor.

Without giving the Chrysalimorph a moment to recover, Pyrrah snuck behind its back, her body gleaming with a reddish aura, and swung her war hammer. The hit sent shards of armor and resin to the ground, but Pyrrah didn’t stop. She repeatedly battered the weakened Chrysalimorph until its armor fell to pieces, revealing its fleshy interior. When the Chrysalimorph turned to catch her, she activated the Wind-Shoot Boots and fled at the last moment.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Meanwhile, Firana and Zaon gave the same treatment to the fourth monster.

Captain Kiln pushed more mana into her radiant chains and finally shattered her Chrysalimorph’s armor. Despite having ten levels over the Chrysalimorph, the chains weren’t as effective as the piercing capability of my mana blade.

I focused on my battle. Dodging my opponent’s blow, I found an opening on its defense. With a second lunge at the weakened armor, I opened a gap. Without giving the monster an instant to react, I shoved my sword through the bleeding crack and unleashed a mana storm.

I scanned the citadel. There were no signs of more Chrysalimorphs, and the Lich’s projection was nowhere to be found. Ilya threw her Leechflame Dagger to Pyrrah so the elf could finish the Chrysalimorph, while Firana did the same to her’s with her Aias Sword.

A moment later, the fighting was over.

“That’s all?” Ilya asked. She had a scratch on her face, but Wolf attended her immediately, and the redness disappeared. The fight had been flawless.

“The Lich isn’t wasting mana on more Chrysalimorphs,” I said.

Was the Lich’s attempt to negotiate a sign of desperation?

“Where is Hallas?” Pyrrah suddenly asked.

I was so focused on searching for monsters that I hadn’t noticed he was missing.

I had a bad feeling.

“Let’s hurry.”

The stairs took us to the first floor of the elven citadel. It wasn’t technically the first floor because platforms and suspended bridges didn’t exist in rigid planes but as clumps of structures. The platform was an elegant pavilion with a high ceiling and a firepit surrounded by vine-braided benches. Four bridges connected the platform to other structures.

I let [Foresight] scan the surroundings and saw Hallas’ shadow walking over a green resin bridge twenty meters above us. The elven city curled and twisted, so it was hard to tell where he was going, but there was only one point of interest inside the Warden’s Tree.

“Is he a coward?” Captain Kiln asked.

“He’s looking for the Cloister,” I replied.

“Hallas is not a Gardener. He can’t seal the Warden’s Core,” Pyrrah replied.

Something was wrong. Hallas had stated that he needed my strength to deal with the Warden. Why was he going solo?

“Firana, get me onto that bridge. Pyrrah, guide the rest up.”

Firana put a hand around my waist, and we shot up beyond the normal range of the Wind-Shoot Boots. The floor left my feet, and adrenaline rushed through my veins. We overshot the bridge by a few meters, but Firana activated [Feather Fall], and we landed softly. Hallas was still a few meters above us.

“Hallas! Don’t do anything reckless!” I yelled.

Hallas ignored us and used his Wind-Shoot Boots to jump from one platform to another. For a split second, I saw Hallas' body directly, and I noticed a black thread coming from his head. I blinked but when I looked again, he was already gone.

We jumped to the next platform. Despite not having a definite confirmation of the Cloister’s location, all the mana in the Warden’s Tree gathered in the same spot.

“Over there!” I pointed out—a hundred meters above our heads was a solid platform apart from the rest of the citadel.

[Foresight] warned me of the danger an instant before the attack. I pushed Firana behind the bridge’s parapet. An icicle crashed against one of the thick support vines where our heads were a moment earlier. The vine snapped, and the bridge shook and tilted. On the ceiling of a room complex carved on the wall, an underdeveloped Orcish Chrysalimorph glared at us with electric blue eyes.

The Lich had taken a new body.

Enchanted icicles flew in our direction, so I ducked behind the parapet and pushed Firana’s head down.

“On my signal, go for Hallas, but don’t engage in close-quarter combat. With the enchanted fruit, they are strong. Use the rifle if he tries to do something stupid,” I said.

“How will I know if he’s trying to do something stupid?!” Firana replied.

“Trust your gut.”

Firana nodded.

I jumped over the parapet. The icicles crashed against my protection, but I raised one new barrier for each destroyed layer. Mana flowed wildly through my body as the barriers drained more and more magic. Then, I channeled my mana blades and shot them forward, forcing the Lich to drop behind the building.

“Now!”

Firana shot up like an arrow into the cover of an upper-level bridge.

I scanned the nearby platforms and detected a hint of black mana. The Lich was sitting on the floor behind the wooden building. The leg of his Chrysalimorph’s body twisted at a strange angle. The body hadn’t completely developed, and the armor was a thin translucent layer over the orc’s original body. The sight was disgusting, and [Foresight] suppressed my desire to vomit.

The Lich tried to channel an icicle, but the spell dissolved into thin air.

“You are running out of mana,” I said.

“And you are running out of time,” the Lich replied defiantly. “Say thanks to your elven friends for the gift.”

The Chrysalimorph’s eyes turned white, and like a puppet without strings, it crumpled to the ground. The Lich was gone.

The Warden’s Tree shook even more violently than before, and with a mighty crash, the resin bridge collapsed. I leaned over the edge. Captain Kiln’s chains wrapped around the group, creating a defensive shell as the bridge pieces rained down. The spot of Corruption in my chest pulsated.

I ran over the fallen bridge and jumped onto a platform. The vines that kept the citadel suspended above ground creaked. [Foresight] scanned the landscape. The regular path was a wide spiral going upward. I had no time for that. I jumped over the void and clutched a vine. I pulled myself up until I reached a platform a few meters under the Warden’s Cloister. The jump was just above the range of the Wind-Shoot Boots.

“Firana!” I yelled, but the grumble of the shaking citadel drowned my voice.

I sprinted towards the outer wall and buried a mana blade deep into the tree. Then, I planted a second mana blade and a third and used them as steps to reach the upper platform. The stunt drained a good chunk of my mana, but I was finally there.

The tremors only got worse.

In the center of the platform, a green pod the size of a house was embedded into a nest made of wood, vines, and white petals. Firana hit the pod with her [Gust Blade], but the sword bounced against a mana barrier. Thorny vines shot from the pod’s nest, but Firana twisted in the air to dodge them.

“Where is Hallas?!” I shouted.

“I don’t know!” Firana replied as she landed.

I blocked the thorned vines with a single swing of my sword and scanned the platform. The pod had so much magic swirling inside that it blinded my mana sense. Unlike the other Chrysalimorph pods, this one wasn’t empty.

“Hallas!” I called as the vines tried to coil around me.

I drew the Mage Killer sword, but the vines had so much mana that the anti-magic effect couldn’t overcome their barriers. I jumped back, trying to get some space, but the attack was relentless. The vines shattered my barrier and cut my skin. The Ghoul skin armor protected me from critical damage.

[Foresight] pinged my brain. The leaves and the roots of the Warden’s Tree absorbed the last speck of environmental mana and fed it to the pod. I used [Identify].

Corrupted Immature Warden’s Pod.

I let out a sigh of relief. Whatever was inside the pod wasn’t ready. The petals hadn’t even withered, and despite the raw amount of mana, the concentration was still too low. It felt like the Immature Scion Pods we had found days ago.

“We still have time! Shoot the pod. We can’t let it collect more mana. I will cover you!” I said.

Firana nodded and sheathed her sword. With a swift movement, she put a bullet in the chamber and shouldered the rifle. A swarm of vines shot toward her, but I raised a series of small mana barriers. Mana was violently siphoned out of my body, as the vines were as strong as Orcish Chrysalimorphs.

Firana took the shot. The bullet snuck through the gaps in my barrier and the wooden nest to hit the pod. She loaded the next bullet, shouldered the rifle, and closed her right eye. The girl didn’t even turn to follow the vines that crept on her side. Her trust in me was absolute.

Sensing the danger, more and more vines moved to defend the Warden’s Pod. The vines took human form and detached from the nest. The newly created monsters surrounded us.

Thorned Sapling Lv.35 (Corrupted) [Identify]: Spawns of an Undead Forest Warden created to protect the Warden’s true body. Deadlier than their regular counterparts, the Thorned Saplings are connected to the Warden’s true body. Weakness: Fire, Water.

“Keep shooting! They are small fry,” I said as I summoned a swarm of mana blades to engage several Thorned Saplings at the same time. However, despite their mid-level, the mana from the original vines gave them as much protection as the Chrysalimorph’s armor.

There were more than a hundred of them.

“I’m running low on ammo!” Firana yelled.

The Warden’s pod was losing more mana than the Tree could provide.

“We are doing great! The others will be here at any moment!”

A Thorned Sapling swung a wooden axe at Firana’s head, but I shot forward and blocked the attack. The girl loaded the next round without skipping a beat. Then, I took my Leechflame Dagger, buried it in the creature’s chest, and expelled a stream of fire directly inside its ribcage. Smoke blinded me as the Sapling burst into flames.

Firana’s [Aerokinesis] cleared our sight line as I threw the blazing Sapling away.

“Hallas!” Firana said as the smoke dispersed.

The elven warrior was standing on top of the Warden’s Pod. A thin black thread emerged from his head. He was being controlled.

“Hallas! Snap out of it!” I shouted.

The Thorned Saplings closed around us.

“I’m trusting my gut,” Firana muttered as she raised the rifle and aimed at Hallas. Then, she shot. The bullet hit Halla’s shoulder, but the effect was dampened by the Insulation Shirt I had enchanted in case of a stray bullet.

I cursed.

Hallas put his hand in the enchanted fruit pouch.

Firana shot again, but the bullet only grazed Halla’s head.

A thin thread of blood flowed down his jawline and onto his chin.

Hallas extended his hand and let the enchanted fruit fall into the Warden’s Pod, but instead of bouncing off the mana barrier, the fruits fell through into the foggy green liquid.

The Lich’s voice echoed inside my head.

Time’s up.