The Lord of the Oak stretched his mind, scanning the scope of his kingdom. It was a large mind with as many neurons as there were grains of sand in the sea or stars in the sky. Synapses rushed like lightning through the network of countless antennae, thinking, processing, and planning.

The oak tree stood strong at the center of the kingdom with its lush green leaves, fat cattle, and golden hanging castles. It was their stronghold, their strength. Inside it, treeants worked hard to eliminate choke points in the bark and roots to facilitate the flow of bioenergy. With each nodule they eliminated, the tree seemed to breathe in relief and grow greener and taller. After their intervention, the number of golden castles had already doubled, and the oak tree’s roots were spreading, cutting, and squeezing their way into the soil and rock.

Outside the oak, workers tended to the cattle. The tiny, lonesome aphids that had survived through sheer luck and hiding from predators were now guarded by treeants. They drank the oak’s excess sap, eating their fill and converting the rest into sugar, which the treeants collected and brought to their larders below the oak.

Countless tunnels and chambers ran parallel to the roots of the tree. Lea, their queen, ate and laid eggs in the newly built queen’s chambers. It lay at the deepest, safest place in the colony, surrounded by rock, roots, and a battalion of mandi bladers and lancers. For anything to get to their queen, they would have to pay their price in blood.

The military guarded every intersection and patrolled each tunnel, ensuring the colony's safety, while the workers skittered busily from task to task.

As his mind spread from the colony's center, the Lord followed the construction of the many larders, nurseries, weaver’s shops, and chitinsmith workshops. The colony was more numerous than ever, and its tunnel complex spread throughout the underground.

Yesterday, the oak roots were successfully joined with those of the snake tree, but there was still a lot more wiring to be done. The roots of the many plants had to be connected to form a stronger unit.

The colony’s greatest success was its most dangerous liability. The colony had never been stronger or hungrier. Most of the mandiblader division still had no equipment, not to mention the lancers and the shieldbearers. Sadly, there was no raw material to work with. They had purged their domain of every mantis, wasp, and beetle. In eradicating the predators, they also robbed the domain of precious raw materials.

The fruits and seeds they could forage here were hardly enough to sustain their daily needs and were certainly insufficient to allow for future growth. Therefore, it was time to expand their operations and nurture the colony further. They needed to expand their territory. They needed more—more nutrients, food, space, and bioenergy. He had to connect the oak to more life.

Even though the Lord wished he could have prepared better, it was time to proceed. He had guarded the master tunnel as well as he could with his resources. Opening the door into more land also invited more danger, and the Lord had been working hard to build a stronghold in each of the tunnels.

The benefactor had told them which tunnel led into the most bountiful domain. The Lord marshaled his newly born army together through the golden gate. It was time to expand their land. The aperture was wide enough for five ants to walk side by side. The invading army of 5,000 ants marched through the gate and entered the new, unexplored domain.

The first priority was to find a stronghold. Somewhere where they could hide from the giants and expand their operations. The army marched forward while scouts were deployed in every direction. The Lord followed each scout with interest as he looked for the more suitable place to build a stronghold. He had already spotted two trees that brimmed with potential.

“Contact!”

The Lord concentrated on the sighting of prey. It was a giant beast as large as a praying mantis. However, it had smaller legs and was armored all over. It had two sharp pincers that could rival the scythes of a praying mantis. In addition, it had a long segmented tail with a large stinger. The Lord was filled with elation. There was so much armor and so many crafting materials to make blades.

And was that the smell of tender meat within its shells and bubbling poison within its stinger? Such wealth!

“Attack,” the Lord commanded.

The army turned toward the sighting and marched to take their first kill in this new domain. The benefactor hadn't failed them again. He had directed them to land filled with promise and crafting materials.

*

Roth petted Lua, who was panting, exhausted. They had been galloping non-stop for hours, constantly chased by packs of infected, mad beasts. It felt like the whole Dark Abyss was out to get them. However, a few miles ago, the beasts had vanished. Hopefully, that was a good sign.

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“This is it. I think we can catch our breaths for now. They seem to have given up,” Roth said while glancing back.

“What are we supposed to do now, human?” Lin asked.

Lua snorted, frustrated. “I've told you, kitten, you will address the human as Her Royal Highness’s Protege.”

“What are you talking about, you mad horse? I've told you, he's my pet, not yours.”

“Oh yeah? I don't see you with a crown that allows you to bark orders. From what I've heard, you're nothing but a clone. You do not have an ounce of genetic authenticity in you. I’m of a long line of purebloods. I should have you whipped for your insolence, clone.”

Lin drew his claws. “What did you say, stupid princess?”

“Silence, you two,” Roth said, letting out the full might of his overwhelming charisma. The air thick with death and decay was replaced with heavy pressure. Lua and Lin quieted down but still threw hateful glances at each other.

Roth massaged his temples. All the years of rageaholic meetings failed to contain his annoyance at these two. They just didn’t stop bickering! Roth had given up on getting his two pets to get along and decided to make the most of the small respite caused by his stern scolding.

Roth urged Lua to approach the mountain. This was the third mountain Roth visited in the game. There had been the mountain between Green Country and Rock Canyon, with its winding, sinuous path riddled with snakes, and the mountain range close to the Dwarves’ village. Those mountains had seemed inhospitable, but this one was on another level.

The mountain looked like the core of an eaten apple springing from the ground. It was a black column that was thicker at its base and top and disappeared high above into the stormy clouds that perpetually hid the Dark Abyss from the sun. Even though he had the [Climber] title, he couldn't fathom climbing such a thing. Double-checking the world map, Roth saw that he was at the intersection between the Frozen Tundra, the Molympic Coliseum, and the Abyssal Sea. That and the conspicuous landmark… This had to be it.

Looking at the clock, he bit the inside of his cheek. Roth had already wasted 10 hours to get this far. He had to hurry if he wanted to be on time for his date and to meet up with Jack and Godsfried. “Let’s go around the mountain. Perhaps there’s an entrance on the other side?” Roth suggested.

Lua neighed discontentedly.

“That is if Her Royal Highness believes it is a good idea,” Roth said, forcing a smile.

“We may do as you suggest, Martyr.”

Sighing, Roth let Lua run for him, drawing them closer to the mountain. The closer they got to it, the thicker the silence became. Even Lin and Lua were quiet. The only sound was his breath and the breath of his mare, together with the muffled trot of hooves on ash. The mountain was quiet. Too quiet. Roth kept his eyes peeled for any signs of danger. They couldn’t afford to be ambushed now.

Lua circled the mountain, and after trotting along for 20 silent minutes, Roth finally spotted something. "There! A path. Go for it, Lua."

Excited at the prospect of being able to run again, Lua took off. The path Roth found could easily have been mistaken for a crack in the rock. It was a fissure in the mountain wide enough for Lua. It would have been impossible for two horses to navigate the cramped path side by side: that or an elephant. This worked just as well. Even if Pegasus caught up to him, they would have a hard time chasing him here.

The sound of hooves on ash was replaced with their clatter on rock. The mountain was made of a dark, glassy rock, almost crystal. Roth touched the mountain. It felt cold and polished.

Initially Roth could still figure out where he was in comparison to the reference points he had used to get here. However, after taking a series of twists and turns through the narrow path, he wasn't sure which way was north, south, east, or west. All he could tell was that he was climbing up. It wasn't important, though. The important thing was that the path cut through the unclimbable mountain and had to lead somewhere.

Several minutes passed, and the path reached its highest point, slanting downward, making it easier on Lua. After a never-ending series of twists and turns, the echo fainted. The path opened up ahead. “Lua, hurry!” Roth said excitedly. Lua stood on her two hind legs, neighing victoriously, and accelerated down the path. She galloped and took the last turn.

“What?!” Roth was met with a disappointing sight. There was a black horizon. He was back at the ashen plains of the Dark Abyss. Looking back, he found the mountain towering over him. He had arrived at the other side of the mountain.

He scratched his head. “What am I missing? Crow Emperor… Crows… they like shiny things. They like riddles. Riddles…” Roth mumbled.

He checked the riddles that had brought him here, looking for any details or clues he might have missed, but found nothing.

“The enigma diamonds!” he whispered.

He grabbed the diamonds from his pocket and stretched out his hand. The diamonds emitted the faintest glow. He would have missed it without his heightened perception and attention to detail. He turned toward the mountain and had Lua move forward. The diamonds shone a little brighter. He grinned.

“Hyah!” Roth disappeared back into the mountain.

Now that Roth knew how to find the Crow Emperor, everything became easy. The diamonds kept getting brighter as he ran through the mountain's path. Knowing that it didn’t take too long to cross the mountain from side to side, he relaxed. He was almost there—he could feel it.

As he reached the point of the path where, from being uphill, it slanted downward, the diamonds in his hands burst into an explosion of light. Roth tried to keep his eyes open, but the brightness was too much. The diamonds in his hands grew hotter. Roth tried to hold on to them but couldn't. It felt as if they would melt through his flesh. "No!" He couldn’t take the blistering pain, and the diamonds broke free from his clutch.

The sound of clinking was heard as if coins had fallen to the ground, and the mountain shook. It wasn't the sound of an earthquake, but of things disassembling and reassembling. Lua was panicking, moving erratically, and even Lin was hissing and shrilling. “Calm down, you two!” Roth tried, but it didn’t work. Finally, the earth stopped trembling, and the blinding light subsided. Slowly, his pets calmed down, and Roth regained his vision.

The enigma diamonds had become encrusted into the mountain wall, forming a doorway. Roth gulped. He dismounted and walked toward the door. There was a faint hum. Roth stretched his hand, and it went through the crystal wall as if it were liquid. Roth gulped and, taking a deep breath, stepped in. After he went through the liquid gate, the diamonds crumbled into dust, and silence returned to the mountain.