One would think that I was used to insults now. While how the military “toughened” their soldiers up changed between countries, all drill sergeants I worked with insulted me one way or another. My first Turkish superiors called me a skinny weakling who would fly away with the slightest wind. They often talked about how I would cause my entire squad to die because of my weakness. My second American ones liked to talk about how my nonexisting girlfriend was fucking dudes behind my back. Germans were the most polite and the cruelest as they gave us impossible tasks and then punished us for failing them. No matter the creativity and harshness, the goal of them was simple: Can you work under pressure? How long before you break down under stress? Will you go mad when we carve you up and install foreign enhancements in you?
I say that I am quite good at accepting the insults thrown at me. However, ever since I came to this world, I have been receiving constant bovine fecal matter and I am getting quite irritated with it. Especially since I did nothing to deserve it. Like, come on, “Foul beast-smelling monkey”? What the hell is that?
I ignored the stupid wind elemental and stood beside Elandris.
“Any ideas where Nidhogg went?”
Elandris’s gaze left the massive corpse of the beast and looked at me. He seemed to be deep in thought and probably didn’t even hear what his elemental said to me. Thankfully she also stayed silent.
“I highly doubt I can track it down. Its mana is all around and our battle must destroyed what hints it left. Tracks also don’t last in dungeons. Massive mana usually shifts the floor, causing everything to be a mess. However…”
He paused. He looked like he was not sure whether he should tell me or not. He furrowed his eyebrows and thought with his hand on his chin. I didn’t interrupt as I guessed that whatever he was thinking must be important. I waited, waited and waited.
After a minute of waiting, I wondered if the difference between our life spans caused them to see time differently. I mean it must but now that he hasn’t given an answer for over two minutes I decided to gently prompt Elandris. I wanted a shower and sleep badly and every minute he spent deep in thought meant I was away from my needs.
As I opened my mouth Elandris suddenly jerked his head, his eyes widening with surprise. After minutes of stillness, his sudden jump nearly caused me to smack him in the head with the side of my sword.
“Mother?”
He asked, softly. I wanted to ask what was going on but my words were cut before they could leave my mouth by a bunch of branches. My first instinct was to cut them down before they could immobilize me but a soft voice whispered in my ear.
“We mean no harm.”
It was hard to tell the gender of the voice. It sounded so masculine yet so feminine. All I could tell was that it wasn’t hostile. It was quite the opposite as it sounded… welcoming? I accepted being surrounded by the branches and for a second, I was in complete darkness. That darkness didn’t last long however as I found myself in a green, lively place with a blue sky. Thin clouds lazily drifted with a gentle wind and the sun shone brightly. Despite its warmth washing over me with a cozy sensation light didn’t bother my eyes. Countless flowers covered all around me. Their fragrance filled my nostrils. Despite the various different flowers their smell didn’t clash. Instead, they mixed together perfectly to form a nicer smell.
“We apologize for our sudden invitation.”
The flowers split apart to create a road to a tree as I looked at where the voice came from. A naked elven woman sat under a tree. She had a faint smile on her face. Despite my experience with fairer sex, I felt myself blushing. She wasn’t sensual or anything despite her nakedness. It wasn’t something else. She looked too pure, too innocent. By looking at her I felt like I was dirtying her somehow.
“We ruled that this form would be ideal for conversing with you. Were we wrong?”
Her mouth didn’t move when she talked. Considering her words it was normal. This place was what I called a “Mind Place”. Wolf King and Aliera also pulled me to mind places before though they weren’t as welcoming as this one.
“No, it is okay. You must be the Mother Tree, am I correct?”
I steeled myself and looked at her eyes.
“We are glad. We do not understand human minds as well as we do our children’s. We were afraid that you would find our form repulsive.”
I shook my head, trying to ease her concerns.
"No, not at all. Your form is... serene. I appreciate the effort to communicate with me in a way that makes me comfortable."
Her form nodded, her eyes reflecting gratitude.
“It is the least we can do after you helped our children. However, the danger is not over. The parasite is already deep inside us.”
A sillier part of me wanted to make a joke but I knew that this was very very serious.
“What do you mean by that?”
The smile on her face wavered for a second.
“Our roots cover this entire area. Children of Ancestor Spirits, Home of Fire Spirits, and last our children. Our roots reach all of them, just like a mother bird shielding their hatchling with their wings. However, not all of our roots are equal. What you would consider as our main roots are under our main body. Root Gnawer already found a way to reach them.”
I listened attentively to the Mother Tree's words, my mind processing the gravity of the situation. Root Gnawer was the Nidhogg but how did it find a way to reach the main body of Mother Tree? Elves didn’t even allow beastkin who were allied with them to enter the deep forest, how could a massive dragonic creature reach her?
“How can I help you? Also, why talk to me? I mean no offense but I am a human. Wouldn’t it be better if you told it to Elandris?”
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The Mother Tree's ethereal presence emanated a calming aura as she responded despite my somewhat stressful questions.
“We already informed him. However, we are afraid that he and his siblings couldn’t stand Root Gnawer. Its poison is fatal to everything but especially to our children. With how many of our roots it eaten, we are afraid that it grew beyond what our children could deal with. You, the brave champion of the Radiating Sword of Justice on the other hand aren’t as vulnerable as our children and have the power to repel threat.”
Radiating Sword of Justice. Another name for Aliera. She really liked giving different names to others, didn’t she? She knew that I was her champion. I wondered if she also knew that I was an outworlder.
“We are not so presumptuous to ask for a favor without giving anything in return, of course. We not only offer you our eternal gratitude and friendship, we also offer you one of our roots.”
I carefully considered the Mother Tree's words. The situation seemed even more dire now. Not only we were facing a mature dragonic creature it also managed to infiltrate her main body.
“I don’t mean to offend you but what do you mean by offering me one of your roots?”
Honestly, that sounded a little bit ominous like entering a cult. Instead of saying anything avatar of Mother Tree opened her palms. I took a step closer and inspected the thing on her palms. It was a piece of tree root which was not surprising. Unlike the roots Elandris summoned before which were in different shades of brown, this one was a vibrant shade of deep green. Its texture looked resilient with thorns. A subtle, green energy exited out of it remising of breathing, forming a brief shield around it.
“If you were to accept our gift you would become a Guardian of the Forest. A part of us will reside inside you and grant you power. We also guess that if you had our gift, our children would have an easier time accepting you. They can be a little… cold to outsiders.”
…
……
…….
I narrowed my eyes. Reside inside me? That’s not comforting at all. Accepting another thing inside my body sounded weird. Also, could I fully trust Mother Tree? Yeah, she allowed the surrounding area to thrive and I sensed no malicious intent but what about the future? What if they betray me in the future? What if they try to discard me after Nidhogg dies?
“I already have a pact with Aliera, Goddess of War. Not only I can’t stay in this forest to become a full-time “Guardian of the Forest”, but I also can’t be sure if Aliera would be offended by me making pacts with other entities.”
The Mother Tree's serene expression remained unchanged as I voiced my concerns. She seemed to understand the complexity of my situation and the existing pact with Aliera, the Goddess of War. A thoughtful silence filled the air before the Mother Tree responded in her calming tone.
"We understand the bonds you have with other entities, and we do not wish to impose upon them. Your allegiance lies with the Goddess of War, and we respect that. Our intention is not to replace any existing connections but to offer aid in the face of a dire threat."
She gently closed her palms around the vibrant green root, and the ethereal shield dissipated. The energy within the root pulsed, seemingly waiting for a decision.
“Does this mean I only need to kill Nidhogg and not be a full-time bodyguard for you?”
The Mother Tree nodded, her eyes reflecting understanding.
"Indeed, Poyraz Karabulut. Our proposal is not meant to bind you indefinitely. Your primary task is to face and defeat Root Gnawer, the Nidhogg that threatens our existence. While we hope for your friendship and goodwill once the threat is vanquished, we have the intention of forcing you.”
Hmm. That sounded better than I initially thought but there was still the problem of a part of her being inside me.
“The part of you… Will you be able to see or hear through it?”
The Mother Tree shook her head, her expression remaining serene.
"No, our essence within the root will not grant us the ability to see or hear through it. We will also have no way of retrieving that part unless you try to hurt our children or us without a reason. Even then you would have to be brought to our main body and exposed to a ritual.”
I had no way of confirming her words but I wanted to believe in her. However, I could always ask someone for more knowledge. Let’s hope that she picks up.
“Aliera. Are you watching? If you are, give your approval.”
Silence lingered for a moment, and just as doubt started to creep in, a red light shone brightly from my right side. When I looked down, I saw the Requiem for Unfinished Dreams shone bright with Aliera’s divine power.
“Does this mean yes? Please blink once if it is.”
The light blinked. With Aliera's approval, a weight lifted off my shoulders. While Aliera had her secrets, she had all the reasons to aim for my well-being. I turned back to the Mother Tree.
"I accept your offer. Let's do it.”
The Mother Tree's expression brightened, and she gently extended the vibrant green root toward me. As I reached out to accept it, it suddenly came alive and coiled around my forearm. Its thorns dug into my skin and I winced with pain. Unfortunately for me, it was just the beginning. The root lashed and pierced my skin and started to enter my body through my forearm. As it passed through my flesh and blood its thorns cut inside my body. I gritted my teeth as the root made its way to my chest and stopped there.
(You acquired the title Guardian of the Forest.)
“A heads up would been nice.”
I spat out between gritted teeth. That shit hurt.
“We are sorry. We were so excited about you accepting our offer that we forgot to warn you. But now the essence of the forest now flows within you, and you shall be a Guardian in times of need.”
Despite the initial discomfort, a subtle power surged within me, a connection to the natural forces of the forest. The pain gradually subsided, leaving a lingering sensation of the newfound energy coursing through my veins.
“It is time to say farewell, Poyraz Karabulut. We wish you a long and good life. Goodbye.”
The mind place faded and I found myself on the last floor of the dungeon once again.