Cella struggled to move the golem as its behemoth body crushed Ren. With the orks, she tried breaking away the stone body that was now incapable of standing. The golem still ‘lived,’ if one could even call a golem alive. Yet it was immobilized and incapable of defending itself properly. The power deep within the golem was still trying to cling to the pseudo-life that the golem possessed. The power tried to continue fighting, regardless of the state of the golem.

Its body began to change. The humanoid form of the golem slowly molded with the solid stone that tried to climb onto its body. A more serpentine form began to take shape from the golem’s broken body.

An unceasing wave of attack continued from the orks and Cella together. Desperately, they fought to shatter its stone body and free Ren from the crushing weight pressing on him.

The golem’s body fully changed into a serpentine shape. It began moving into the ground, burrowing as the earth moved to form a tunnel before it.

Ukkar moved to collapse the forming tunnel, though the earth moved with its own will. The ground was brutally tough, far more solid than it would have been if some animal had dug the tunnel.

The golem, now a stone serpent, slithered its way down into the tunnel. In its wake, Ren’s broken body lay unmoving and crushed.

Cella rushed to him, she went to infuse a powerful wave of healing into him but stopped. If she did such a thing, the orks may see them as disgraced. Would Ren survive without her magic?

She looked to Ukkar who crouched down beside Ren as well. She couldn't speak the orkish tongue, nor could she understand their odd gestures. They could not communicate, yet she knew what Ukkar meant as a small string of guttural sounds came from him.

She healed Ren, the orks turning to avoid gazing at the act. They disapproved of magic, but they knew Ren would die if she did not intervene. Though their orkish beliefs forbid such a thing, the humans had their own way. In a situation of life and death, they did not shame the humans for doing what was only in their nature.

Cella sighed as she felt the spark of life within Ren strengthened. The damage he took as his body was crushed was immense, though it would have been a slow death. She was grateful to see the orks turn back towards her. With another string of guttural sounds, Ukkar left the group. He left Cella alone with the two of the orks, as he marched down towards the landslide.

–

Ukkar felt the honor in the battle, and the strength in the ancient guardian. It truly was an insurmountable foe. Having forced it to change shape, he went to take their prize.

Within the landslide the presence of the ancient amber was obvious. Small pieces of it shone in a honey-gold sheen. He found five small pieces of the old amber, pocketing them in a small pouch. He allowed part of him to enter the soil, an offering in thanks. A pulse of his energy left him and lingered within the soil. It would slowly be absorbed by the guardian, helping it heal and be restored.

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As he turned to head back towards the group, he ran his hand over the bag of amber. The power within each piece was intense. He wanted nothing but to have his piece, but he reminded himself of the honor of patience. The life trapped within the amber burned with an intense energy.

With slow steps, he came back to the group. Crouching down next to Ren, he grabbed the hand of the unconscious human. Placing it within his grip, the amber caught the eye of Cella.

She stared intently at the amber. Ukkar let a small smile come to his face as he presented a piece to her as well. As it entered her hands, she let out a quiet human expression Ukkar could not understand. Though he could not understand the human words, he understood the meaning. What else could it have meant, but to be amazement at the amber.

He stood tall and gestured the other two orks forward. He presented to them the amber. Each of them getting a single small piece. Joy and excitement came over all of them. They all looked deeply into the amber pieces. The old blood of an ancient, powerful tree. It was an honor to hold such a thing.

He looked down on the humans as the man stirred. Ukkar’s smile only grew as the human gripped the amber. An odd expression came over his face as he noticed the object in his hand.

–

Ren felt a deep aching within his body, but he was alive. He quickly realized the fighting was over, the golem gone. He felt an object within his hand, it was a piece of amber. He immediately thought there had to be something trapped within the amber, but it contained nothing.

An odd energy flowed within the amber, something very similar to energy within the golem. He glanced up and noticed Ukkar staring down at him with a smirk across his face.

“What is it?” Ren spoke with a croaky voice.

“The blood of an ancient tree. An ancestor who stood here an eon ago. It gave life to my people, and so it was killed.” Ukkar nodded looking at the amber. “Even now, it gives up strength and power, such is the way of orks and our trees.”

“I’m sorry to hear, but I’m not surprised. So, what is to be done with the amber?” Ren slowly sat up.

“We will take the frozen blood back. We will present it before the chief, and from there he will take over. For now, we will rest. You can not travel, and I will not dishonor you by carrying you as a child.” Ukkar nodded and turned toward the other orks.

Ren looked at Cella and translated what had been said.

“Ren, there’s something deeply powerful about the energy within this amber.”

“I figured so, but I’m not so keen on this type of energy.”

“I know, so listen when I tell you that this power is something far beyond us, something far beyond the orks. It has a quality to it, something I cannot understand. There is both quantity and quality in an affinity. A forest has a great quantity of life affinity, but this has the quality of something I can not yet understand. It is powerful.”

“I can tell it’s something special, but I have no clue what either.”

The two sat and meditated on the energy, resting and recovering. It was not only Ren who was deeply weakened. Cella had a terrible strain put on her from utilizing the life affinity mana she had pulsed throughout her body.

They rested as night slowly came to them. Under strange stars, they slept.