After watching the Elder think for at least 5 minutes with his hands covering his face, I came to the conclusion that the elves had the habit of thinking silently for a long time even when they were faced with an imminent danger. Elandris did the same thing before. I kicked back and relaxed while he thought to himself. It was normal that our sense of time was different as they lived for hundreds of years. The problem was the fact that I found myself slipping away as I sat down. My body slumped several times, waking me up. Hmm, thinking back, I conquered 3 floors without sleeping. While it was hard to make an accurate guess about how long I have gone without sleep, a rough guess using the skills that could be used once a day… It was somewhere about 24 to 48 hours. Considering the mana usage and the physical exhaustion of fighting, it was a miracle that I hadn’t collapsed to the ground.
Gökbörü had been sleeping except for the time he popped out to chase away the spirits in my shadow. He was still young so it made sense that he needed sleep more than I do. Lily and Methild were playing some kind of game. I didn’t know how they got that close in this short amount of time but birds of the same feathers flock together, I guess. Elandris also was slumped over but it was clear that he was more alert than me.
“This is a difficult situation.”
Elder finally spoke up to say the obvious. I forced myself to straighten up in my chair, pushing back the fog of fatigue that threatened to overwhelm me.
“We hoped that it wasn’t the Nidhogg itself. Even if it was, we hoped that it was a larva. We can’t deal with an adult Nidhogg.”
He solemnly declared.
“Why? Poyraz killed 2 dragonic beings. With me and your help, this thing will be a walk in the park.”
Surprisingly, Lily seemed to be paying attention at least a little.
“Nidhogg is our nemesis. Every attack it does is fatal to us. While humans would fare better, even you would fall to its poison.”
Elandris explained. I already knew that. Since elves were born out of the Mother Tree’s blessing and Nidhogg was the predator of her, it was normal that it had ways to deal with the elves.
“So it is a poison type and you are grass type…. Hmm.”
Elandris looked at me with confused eyes. Naturally, he couldn’t get the reference.
“This why we are here. Mother Tree’s deal with me was the get rid of the Nidhogg.”
I chimed in after a tired sigh. Elder looked at me and I saw his lips curl with hesitation. He was clearly uncomfortable about trusting a human. Gathering my determination, I wiped the all signs of tiredness from my face.
“I realize that you have your own experiences and traditions that may affect your decision. But Lily and I are from a place that fell ruins. I know what it is like to see your home and people be eradicated. That’s why we are willing to do whatever it takes to stop it from happening to other people. Perhaps Mother Tree gave her root to me because she sensed that.”
As I spoke, I could see the Elder's expression soften slightly, his features shifting from skepticism to contemplation. It was clear that my words had struck a chord with him, resonating with his own concerns and fears for the safety of his people and their homes. I guess I still had it after all.
"You speak with conviction, Poyraz Karabulut," the Elder acknowledged, his tone thoughtful. "And your words carry weight. The Mother Tree's guidance is not to be ignored, and if she has chosen to bestow her blessing upon you, then we must trust in her wisdom."
Despite his words claiming that he trusted me, he looked at Elandris for confirmation. He nodded.
“I fought together with him and I can say that he is a formidable warrior and trustable ally.”
Lily poked me.
“Hey, I have the dips on him.”
I slapped his hand away wordlessly.
The Elder's gaze shifted back to me, his expression still tinged with uncertainty but tempered with a newfound respect.
"Very well, Poyraz Karabulut," he said, his voice carrying a note of solemnity. "We shall trust in the guidance of the Mother Tree and place our faith in your abilities. Together, we shall confront this menace and safeguard our home."
Methild tapped on the table with her nails.
“The question I have is how did it get to the main roots of Mother? We should have noticed it. Mother herself should have noticed it way sooner. Our barriers are undisturbed, I checked while Elder thought.”
It was a good question. Unfortunately, I had no answers. Lily, on the other hand, looked at me as if asking for permission to say what he was thinking.
“Spit it out, Lily.”
If he felt the need to ask for permission, it was something either incredibly stupid or serious.
“If there are no signs of someone entering from the outside, what about the inside?”
Methild waved her hand in the air dismissively.
“It is impossible to teleport unless you carry the gift of the Mother if that’s what you mean.”
“That’s not what I meant. Entering a guarded place without detection requires a lot of things but the most important one is someone from the inside.”
A traitor. A traitor must helped Nidhogg to reach the Mother Tree. That’s what he meant and I couldn’t really disagree with him. As Lily's words hung in the air, a heavy silence descended upon the room, each of us contemplating the implications of his suggestion. The idea that there could be a traitor was a heavy thing to swallow.
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“It is not possible.”
Elder spoke up with a heavy tone.
“No elf can betray the Mother. Without her blessing, life for us is simply unbearable.”
Even though I found the idea that there was a traitor plausible, all three elves looked extra comfortable with the topic. Maybe it was because they saw Mother Tree as a mother and other elves as family and the idea of your family betraying you felt too much to bear. That’s why, I signaled Lily to not push it any longer.
I pushed my chair back and despite it being seemingly fused to the floor, it moved back.
“Both Elandris and I are very tired. While I understand the urgency of getting rid of Nidhogg as soon as possible, I wish to eat and rest so we can be at our best while fighting. And if I am not being prosperous, may I bathe? I haven’t had the chance for some time…”
Even though I froze the blood and innards stuck on me and then “shed” it, I still wanted to have a bath.
"Of course," he replied, his tone softening with empathy. "You and your companions must rest and replenish your strength. I will be talking to others to gather items that may aid you in your battle. Elandris, I trust you to show the way to our guests.”
With a sense of relief washing over me, I rose from my chair, stretching out the kinks in my muscles as I did so. The weight of exhaustion seemed to lift from my shoulders, if only momentarily, as the prospect of rest beckoned to me. I followed Elandris out of the room and felt the space shifting again. This time, we were in something akin to a cafeteria.
“Elandris, where exactly we are?”
I asked, not being able to suppress my curiosity.
“Inside the Mother, of course.”
Lily shot me a mischievous look but I ignored him.
“Are you telling me that Mother Tree has rooms inside her?”
As I questioned Elandris about our location within the Mother Tree, he nodded in confirmation, his expression calm and unruffled despite the unusual setting.
"Yes, indeed," he replied, his voice carrying a note of pride. "The Mother Tree is not merely a physical entity, but a vast and interconnected network of life and energy. Within her vast expanse, there are chambers and chambers, each serving a different purpose and function."
I scanned the entire room. Most of the room was wood with some metal utensils.
“Does it hurt her?”
Elandris's expression softened at my question, a thoughtful look crossing his features as he considered his response.
"No, it does not hurt her," he replied, his voice gentle yet firm. "Does your organs hurt you?”
He sounded so proud that I couldn’t talk about how flawed the human body was and how much my back hurt most of the time. Still, it was impressive. To think that she could house entire chambers within her vast expanse without experiencing any discomfort or harm was truly remarkable.
"But what about the rooms? How were they made?" I pressed further, my curiosity piqued by the idea of the intricate chambers nestled within the heart of the Mother Tree.
Elandris smiled, a hint of pride shining in his eyes as he began to explain. "The rooms within the Mother Tree are not constructed in the same way that buildings are made. Instead, they are formed through a combination of natural growth and the manipulation of mana."
He gestured around us, indicating the wooden walls and furnishings that surrounded us.
"The wood and materials used to create these chambers are all part of the Mother Tree herself, infused with her essence and energy. Through the skilled manipulation of mana by the mages among us, these materials are shaped and molded into the various rooms and structures that you see."
Methild puffed her chest and pointed to herself silently. I guess she was one of those skilled mages. As we sat down, Elandris and Methild went to get food.
“You are not going to rest, aren’t you?”
I poked Lily. He jumped a little then waved his hand dismissively.
“With elven babies all around? Of course not.”
I sighed.
“If you speak about being tired, I’ll beat the shit out of you. Also, you should learn more about being an elementalist.”
Rather than listening to me, he turned to the side in a sassy manner. I narrowed my eyes. This bastard.
“All work and no play makes for a dull life.”
I sighed.
“All play and no work makes for a worthless life.”
I reached out and grabbed his bare neck before he could react. I released a wave of coldness from my palm. He tried to wriggle out of my grip but I was too strong for that.
“Elandris said that what you do is dangerous. What did he mean by that?”
Despite his initial attempt to wriggle free, he soon realized that resistance was futile and settled into a resigned stillness, his expression a mixture of annoyance and curiosity.
"What did Elandris mean by that?" he echoed, his voice tinged with a hint of defiance. "He probably meant that manipulating elemental magic without proper training and control is risky. But hey, where's the fun in life without a little danger, right?"
I tightened my grip slightly, a warning to remind him of the seriousness of the situation. "Danger is one thing, but recklessness is another," I replied, my voice firm.
“I buried you once. That’s one more than I could take it. Do you understand me?”
I released my grip on his neck. Lily rubbed his neck and stuck out his tongue.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. But I remember you saying that one can only expect things they can do from their underlings. If you stop jumping in danger, I promise that I will be more careful.”
Before I could say anything he turned away from me, even further away from the previous time.
“But we both know that it will never happen. You won’t stop trying to punish yourself and I won’t stop being whimsical.”
Elandris and Methild arrived with food on their hands but my appetite was lost.