CHAPTER 14
THE FOREST OF TREANTS
Rudolf savoured a hearty bite of meat, relishing its rich flavour as he cast one last gaze at the boy. With a contemplative air, he mulled over the lad's question before parting his lips to offer a response.
Hans, apart from humans, elves and dwarves, there are creatures living in high mana zones like Ghost Isles called beasts.
"Gramps, tell me something I don't know," said the boy with an obvious gaze.
Rudolf clenched his fist in front of Hans's face, adding the words "Shut up and listen first brat". Releasing his clenching, he spoke once again,
But there are some special plants or trees that could use mana and those things are called Treants. They come in many forms. It could be as small as a sprouted bean or as big as a thousand year's old trees,
Hans asked again, thumping the table in excitement,
What about their class?
Rudolf answered
There is no class division for those since only Ghost Isles have them. One could be of class one or class seven.
"Are they strong"? asked Hans again with a questioning gaze.
Rudolf answered him again
I won’t say they are strong, but they are tenacious bastards. It's hard to kill one. If you leave any part of them alive, it will regrow in no time and come back to bite it in your ass with a forest of them. So I don't want to mess with them if possible.
Hans found his thoughts increasingly consumed by the Treants now. And just like Sam in the past, he wanted to meet one himself. He coaxed his Grandpa with his puppy eyes to take him to see a Treant. Rudolf saw this coming from the moment words of Treants escape the child's mouth. He sighed and nodded, indicating his agreement.
After sharing a leisurely midday meal, Rudolf forced himself to set about making preparations, not eager to grant Hans's wish and introduce him to one of the annoying forest Treants.
Though Sierra didn't try to stop them, she could not help but issue a warning, cautioning them to be careful in their little adventure. With a gentle peck on Sierra's cheek, Hans bid her farewell before taking his place on Rudolf's shoulder, a position he had grown quite accustomed to. As they made their way through the wilds, Hans's heart beat with anticipation, eager to experience for himself the wonders that had so captivated Samson.
As Rudolf led Hans through the heart of the central forest, a place teeming with formidable mid-range predators, the air crackled with tension. Though these things were not a threat to them, the sight of these creatures gathering in groups would make even Rudolf's blood run cold, forcing them both to flee for their lives.
Rudolf imparted his knowledge of the Treants' ways, cautioning that though they posed no immediate threat, they were fiercely territorial and would not hesitate to attack any perceived intruder. Despite their cautious steps, fate had other plans, as the pair suddenly stumbled upon a group of ferocious beasts, their muscles rippling with power.
As Rudolf came into the sight of the creatures, some scampered away while the others paid no heed, sensing that he posed no threat. Soon after, their attention was drawn towards a peculiar sight- a treant, its body resembling an uprooted tree, snaking through its roots with an eerie grace. Its numerous branches seemed to serve as hands, waving in the air as if beckoning to them. A humanoid tree, few feet taller than Rudolf yet its movements were far slower than what Hans had anticipated. Unable to contain his curiosity, he turned to Rudolf and spoke,
Do the Genas also have Treants?
Rudolf responded,
They are, but they are rare. I never saw any of the plant-type beasts in Genas.
Hans was carrying a small journal with him and was writing whatever he found. He interpreted Ghost isles as a special place where beasts differed from the mainlands and as far as he inferred, Treants were just awakened trees that gained consciousness and mana.
As they walked further, his keen eyes caught sight of yet another uprooted tree. This one, however, had a unique feature- a face-like structure on its enormous trunk, distinct from the previous one. The humanoid form of this treant was more pronounced, with limbs that moved with much effort, creating a cacophony of sounds as if large boulders were being dragged around.
To his surprise, the surrounding beasts showed no signs of disturbance, granting the treants an unobstructed passage. Rudolf's words were proving to be true, even the most powerful creatures bowed down to these slow-moving behemoths
For what seemed like hours, Hans had been observing the Treant in awe. But his fascination lay not in their grandeur, but in their mastery of mana. He longed to witness the power they wielded and the energy they commanded. But alas, a treant would only use mana to defend itself, and no beast in their right mind would dare to provoke a single treant, for the overprotective nature of their kind was well-known throughout the forest. So, Hans could only watch and wait, hoping for a chance to see the treant's magic in action.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Hans could feel his impatience growing with every passing moment. He was eager to witness the treants' magical abilities, and the waiting was making him restless. Suddenly, he sensed a pair of eyes on him, and it made him uneasy. He turned to Rudolf, hoping for a quick explanation, but the old man didn't detect any fluctuations in the mana around them. The constant stare made Hans irritable, and he closed his eyes, asking Rudolf to put him down.
Taking a deep breath, Hans drew upon a skill that Rudolf had taught him long before. It wasn't a skill that required mana, but one that honed his senses, a skill that was essential for a knight. As he focused on his inner self, his senses sharpened, allowing him to detect even the slightest movement or change in the environment.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, and what he saw before him left him speechless. It was a Treant, its gaze fixed on him as if studying him. Hans could feel the energy radiating off the treant, and he knew that it was the creature's mana that he was feeling. Excited and nervous, Hans could hardly believe his luck - he was finally going to see the treant's magic in action.
He pointed toward the source and said to Rudolf,
It feels like that thing is calling me.
Rudolf tried to stop him, but with a firm rejection, Hans started moving forward, leaving Rudolf no choice but to follow him cautiously. As Hans went deeper into the forest, they came face to face with hundreds of treants, who fixed their gazes on them.
Rudolf broke cold sweat and tried to pick Hans to flee, but he got rejected once again. He was growing impatient because if the treants wanted to do anything to them, he would need to up his game this time. But his worries were for nought as Hans opened his eyes, his golden pupils shined a dim light and all the treants shook like welcoming him.
Hans ran towards the biggest one, putting his hands on it. Rudolf panicked and was about to go for Hans but the other treants politely stopped him. He only sensed curiosity in the treants, so he calmed down. But ignoring his anxiety, Hans was enjoying his surroundings. The biggest Treant opened the two bright hollows, that looked like eyes, and started using mana to grow little plants surrounding Hans.
As Hans made contact with the treants, a wondrous transformation unfolded before his eyes. In an instant, the forest was awash with a kaleidoscope of colours as flowers and foliage sprouted from every surface. The treants had harnessed the very essence of nature, bending it to their will with effortless grace. It was as if they had an intimate connection with the surrounding mana itself, controlling it with a mere thought. They were in no need to form a mana heart, they could control the mana around like nothing, just as the book stated.
As Hans observed in awe, he realised with this the treants possessed an almost boundless reservoir of mana. Hans didn’t realise how time flew while conversing with Treants. No words were needed, they were sharing their thoughts with a mere touch.
Some more moments ticked by and the time of departure drew closer. Hans felt a warmth in his heart that he hadn't experienced before. For the first time, he had made some friends, and he promised to return the next day to visit them.
On their way home, Rudolf turned to Hans,
"What was happening there?" He asked, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Hans couldn't help but smile as he recalled the incredible experience he had with the treants.
They asked me how a Treant like me looks like a human. They thought I was one of them.
"You have a knack to surprise people, squeaky", said Rudolf in wonder.
When they finally reached the house, they found Sierra anxiously waiting for them. Without any regard for her tired husband, she rushed to Hans, searching for any sign of injury. Normally, Hans would take pleasure in tattling to Sierra about Rudolf's mischievousness, but this time he decided to act maturely.
Rudolf recounted the bizarre incident of the treants mistaking Hans for one of their own, and Sierra couldn't help but burst into laughter. She playfully teased Hans, saying, "Well, at least our 'squeaky' is a tree now."
After talking a lot about his day during dining, he went up to his room and opened the fifth page with anticipation
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> If you are as curious as I am, you should have visited the forest of treants, where the unexpected might happened to you. Who knows, they might have even become curious about you, and have thought of you as one of their own kind.
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> Instead of reading my theories here, ask a treant if it can teach you to control nature’s mana. Show them your utmost sincerity, and they might take pity on you and share their knowledge. They have a soft spot for their offspring, and if my hypothesis is correct, they might be able to understand you.
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> But if you cannot, this book will introduce you to my hypothesis. Some of them might work for you, but you and the treants share the same mana affinity, albeit different in structure, and learning from them is the best coarse.
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> Once you learn the way, we will embark on a journey of experimentation with your mana. Some may fail, but some will pass, and I am confident that you will soon tap into the pure nature's mana and use it to your will.
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> Convincing a treant might be challenging, but I have faith in you. You are different from me. My presence and mana nature always subconsciously invade their will for submission, but you can approach the elder of the treants and relay your thoughts to it. May the magic of Osiris be with you, and good luck.
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> END OF PAGE 5.
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Hans realised all that the book stated here was true. He couldn't understand the treant’s language, but their mind got connected when he touched the Treant, resulting in a conversation without words. Once again, he marvelled at Samson’s thinking and got excited about testing the experiments.
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