“Well, not really everything,” Will said. “Just everyone here.”

Mother Tree: No. You have not seen it, so you do not understand. The Mother of Wolves, she—

Rising up above the hedge in the direction of the Mother Tree, Jake and Will spotted a thorn warrior tossed into the air spinning.

Mother Tree: She is a force far beyond any of her spawn or their own.

My Thorn Sentinels, the might of my kingdom, I am afraid they can not hold out much longer against her. And with their defeat, my demise becomes certainty.

“There’s still us,” Jake said. “Thorn of My Vines included.”

Mother Tree: Without the last of my guard, you’d all be walking into your deaths. Or carried in the Thorn of My Vines case, this one supposes.

Thorn of My Vines: Whether I walk to my death or am carried to it, I would gladly meet it for your sake, Mother Tree.

Mother Tree: Then for my sake, this one wishes that you would flee with these champions and take the saplings in tow with you.

The goblins riding the wolves are carrying the golden spores of fire across my kingdom and setting it alight. The fire here has been contained, but it is but one small flame amongst many.

This One fears that all shall perish to the invaders. My people have not the swiftness to escape them or their flames. If you, my champions, could only help just a few get to safety, then it would be enough.

New Quest!

Quest - Snatched From the Flame

There is little hope left for this small garden kingdom. Secure hope from the fires that seek to consume it by rescuing as many of the saplings as you can from the goblin bombers.

Rewards

Progress Towards Level Up

Game Tokens

U.S Dollars

Note: Rewards vary based on the number of goblin bombers slain and saplings rescued.

Failure: If you fail to save the saplings, all of the kingdom’s subjects shall be lost.

Mother Tree: What say you to this last request, my fated champions?

“I say nay,” Jake responded. “I’m not sure if Will forwarded you the message, but the invaders will retreat if we kill the wolf mother. We can still win this.”

Mother Tree: This One has seen your capabilities champion. Your skills make you versatile. They make you capable of filling in for what our warriors lack.

But on your own, could you hold the beast down? Could you let the beast trample you, bite down on you, and toss you to the side, only to return to your feet?

“Won’t know until I’ve tried,” Jake said. He was pretty sure he knew the answers to those questions already, though.

Mother Tree: This One would not have you try. You have done enough.

“And who decides that?” Jake asked. “I don’t think I’ve done enough, so let’s keep going.”

Will didn’t seem to be as sure as Jake. “You really think the three of us don’t have a chance?” he asked.

Mother Tree: Forgive my words, but This One does not believe you being present would give any benefit to a fight with the Mother of Wolves over just Thorn and Jake.

Ouch, Jake thought, but Will just chuckled.

“It’s my first day on the job,” he joked, taking the Mother Tree’s comment in stride. “So what if it was just Jake and Thorn who went then? How would they do?”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Mother Tree: They would die. Not without leaving their mark like my Sentinels have, but they would still die.

Will turned to his friend. “You sure you still want to do this Jake?”

Jake shook his head. “I don’t want to, I have to. It’s just going to get harder from now on and I need to get stronger.” Plus, he still didn’t know if the fruits of the generated garden could help his grandmother. He couldn’t let it be burned

“You’re actually going to die if you mess this up, you know?”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not going to mess this up then.”

“Yeah, that’s online, but this is real life, man.”

“Real life doesn’t change the fact that I trust you,” Jake said, grabbing his friend’s shoulder. “Do you trust me?”

Will shook his head. “I don’t think the way I answer that is going to change what you’re about to do.”

Mother Tree: This One knows you are not happy with this outcome, but time is of the essence. Please my champions, This One has beared witness to your strength.

My people are dying and this is the only hope left to us. Every second’s delay will only sign another life away. This One only request that you—

“Look,” Jake said in a firm tone, closing the message with a thought. “Giving up means the end of this place and of your people. We can save the saplings, but we can’t save the ones being left behind. That means no Thorn of My Vine, no Branch That Moves Stone, none of them.”

“You can give up on them if you want,” he continued, “But don’t get in our way and force us to give up on them as well. I’m not leaving until I’ve at least seen what I’m supposed to be running from.”

For a short time there was silence. The Mother Tree did not send her response.

Jake clapped his hands. “Come on, every second’s delay, remember? We don’t have time for this.”

Reluctantly, the Mother Tree sent her next message.

Mother Tree: Very well…

More lives will be lost wasting time failing to convince you, than if This One let you witness the monster that awaits you.

“Are there any thorn warriors still alive along the way to the saplings?” Will asked.

Mother Tree: Yes.

“Then let Thorn of My Vines go with Jake,” he said. “I’ll take one of the other thorn warriors along with me over to the saplings and Thorn can back Jake up.”

Mother Tree: That would not be for the best.

Will crossed his arms. “Why? Because I wouldn’t be able to handle things myself until I ran into back up?”

Mother Tree: This One did not mean for—

Will waved his hand. “We're wasting time even talking about it. If we have Thorn go with Jake, he can pull Jake out if he tries to run in and get himself killed.”

Thorn of My Vines: I will do my best.

Mother Tree: …Very well

Jake could almost hear the sigh that had been left out of that message.

There was a rustling sound coming from both the hedge in front of him and behind him. Jake noticed a gap open in the hedge about fifty ahead in the direction leading away from the Mother Tree. He turned around and saw a gap that was also the same distance away that opened in the direction of the Mother Tree.

Mother Tree: The path leading towards This One is for you and Thorn of My Vine, Jake. The path leading away is for you, Will.

Will and Thorn of My Vines shared a look and nod, before Thorn turned away from him and marched over to Jake. Jake squatted down and let the wooden child climb up onto his back. Once Thorn was secure, Jake stood back up and turned to Will.

“Stay safe, man,” Will told him.

Jake nodded. “You too, Will.”

As the two friends went their separate ways, Jake received a message.

Will: Don’t worry about Thorn trying to stop you. He’s coming along to help.

Apparently, your words about not giving up sparked a fire in his small wooden heart.

Jake looked over his shoulder at the thorn sentry on his back. Thorn sent him no message, but he showed him a nod in the place of one. Jake nodded back.

Will: Don’t get yourselves killed and make sure to look out for each other, okay?

Thorn of My Vine: Right.

Jake echoed the message.

Jake: Right.

Will: Seriously, Jake, take care of yourself. Remember, you’ve still got your grandma to go back to out there and if you disappear at MY house, the next person who’s going to be in danger after you die is me when I can’t explain that.

Jake: That’s true.

His friend had agreed to join him in the beta and that was his choice. What wouldn’t be Will’s choice would be him being suspected for his murder if he died.

Jake thought of giving Will some reassurances, but received another message before he could.

Will: Matter of fact, get back here, we're leaving. I can’t believe I actually thought it might actually be good idea to let you do this.

No, turning back around, Jake replied with a thought and a smile. I’mma clutch it.

Will: I’mma real scared when you say it like that.

As Jake and Thorn stepped through the gap in the hedge and out of Will’s Data Share range, they received one last message.

Mother Tree: This One wishes you luck, my champions.

“Thanks,” Jake said. With how sure she was that they’d die if they fought the wolf matriarch, Thorn and him were going to need it.