As Kaleb stared into the darkness, he momentarily thought about logging out and then back in. He seemed to be stuck in a dark void of nothingness. But after a few more seconds the void receded until he was standing, alone, in a white room. The floors, the walls, the ceilings, even the lone table and chairs in the room were all a bright white color.
Kaleb scanned the room, looking for an exit, but he found none. Other than the table and two chairs, the room was pretty sparse. Cautiously, Kaleb moved over to the table and searched around, hoping to find something written on it. But once he moved closer, the chair on his side of the table moved. It slid back as if asking him to take a seat.
With no other options and not really getting a dangerous vibe from the room, Kaleb sat. As soon as he did, the air across from him twisted and a humanoid-shaped being appeared out of thin air. Kaleb jolted for a second before calming down. Whoever this being was, if they had wanted to attack him, they probably could’ve already done so.
He studied the being across from him as the being seemed to study him. The humanoid figure across from him was clearly some kind of Tree-person. Their skin was made of bark and they had no gender-defining characteristics of any kind. They didn’t even have a face, just two arms, two legs, and a thick neck, all ending in a batch of twisted roots. Soon, the roots attached to the neck began to twist and smooth themselves out.
The roots congealed and transformed until Kaleb was staring at a wooden version of a slim human face. At least it looked human, or maybe Elven. Kaleb could see pointed ears. It certainly had the beauty most games ascribed to elves. Kaleb was about to say hello when the being, probably a manifestation of the magic tree they had been touching if Kaleb guessed right, spoke. Its voice was soft and ethereal, but also powerful.
“You, who have bested my guardians, what do you wish of me?”
Kaleb straightened up once the being confirmed it was the massive magical tree. Putting a smile on his face, he asked.
“We have come for the Driadarin.”
The being’s face contorted into a questioning look. “Odd. I asked your fellows this same question and all of you speak for the whole. Do you not wish for anything for yourselves?”
Kaleb blinked before hesitatingly speaking. “Uhhhh, I wasn’t aware we got to choose other gifts. We were just told to retrieve the Driadarin.”
The avatar of the tree grinned. “You undergo the Hunter’s Trial? Yet none of you are hunters. You certainly don’t fight, smell, or even look like hunters. Though I admit my interactions with the two-legged have been limited.”
Kaleb grinned back. “Yeah, I imagine being stuck on this tiny island in the middle of a magical park doesn’t make for a lot of visitors.”
The being’s smile went away as it stared back at Kaleb. Kaleb felt his skin crawl as an unseen force washed over him.
“It is not because of a lack of ability. It is simply because I do not deign to ingratiate myself with the local populace. Indeed, my roots spread throughout this so-called city. I see much through them. Your ‘Heroes,’ your ‘Villains,’ and the populace that praises and fears them both.”
Kaleb gulped as the unseen force eased off him. “Ahh, yes. Well, we just need the Driadarin for our trial. While we aren’t exactly hunters, we need them so that the local hunters allow us to work in the area as Heroes.”
“Interesting,” the being said, tilting its wooden head. “So your mandate is also outside the beings of fae and other creatures that intrude upon your world?”
Kaleb shrugged. “I guess. I mean, we also deal with criminals.”
“That is good. Then I have a request for you. My other selves are making the same offer to your compatriots as we speak.”
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Kaleb raised an eyebrow as he stared across the table at what was probably an incredibly powerful being. “What could we do for you?”
The being seemed to pick up on his incredulity. “I may be powerful, but something blocks me from interfering. Someone or something has tapped into one of my roots and is trying to siphon off pieces of my power. I have isolated the root system and they are only receiving bits and pieces. However, they deign to take what is mine. So they must be punished!”
Kaleb felt that wave of power wash over him again. This time it was so oppressive Kaleb couldn’t breathe. Whatever was going on had pissed the being off, and it barely had a handle on its rage. Kaleb didn’t want to think about what this being would do to someone who had pissed it off.
“Ahem,” Kaleb coughed, trying to find his voice in the tumult of power washing over him. “So we just find this individual and make them stop?”
The being seemed to get a handle on its anger and roped in its rampaging power. Its dead wooden eyes glanced over Kaleb’s body as it shook its head.
“Oh no, all I request is that you remove the blockage. Something they have done limits me from seeing or even doing much near the root systems. Once the blockage is gone, I shall take care of them.”
“Uhhhh, I don’t know how the city would respond if you went around ‘taking care’ of people.”
“Oh, it will be quite alright,” the being smiled. “I have an understanding with the local governance. They leave me alone and I act as a tourist attraction and training ground in equal measure. Of course, when the populace intrudes upon my being, then I have free rein to deal with them as I see fit. It really has been a lucrative agreement, and I have only had to deal with such problems a few thousand times since my abduction from the Fae realms. But now I tire of this conversation. Do you agree?”
Kaleb rubbed the back of his neck and thought about the others. Sure, they had already said they had enough to do. But this entity seemed like one that would hold a grudge if he said no. Also, he was pretty sure at least Jar-lock would say yes. Probably Claire and Two Gun too. It was almost gamer law to accept every quest that came your way, even the impossible ones. Those were the best kind, anyway.
“Sure thing. If the others disagree, I will at least try to. I could probably find some people to help.” Kaleb said, grinning.
The being nodded imperiously. “Good. Then I give you 200 years to see my request to completion. After that, I will take action myself. You and your friends are free to leave my domain with your prize as proof of our agreement.”
Kaleb nodded and went to stand, but as he did, a bright flash of light penetrated his eyes. As Kaleb blinked away the spots, he found himself in front of the massive gate they had used to enter the forest in the first place. Jar-lock and the others were nearby, also rubbing their eyes. Two Gun was cursing up a storm about rude tree people while Claire was trying to shut him up.
“Damn wooden bastard could’ve at least warned a man! I’m damn near blind!”
Claire tried and failed to keep herself from laughing at her husband.
“Yes, dear. They were quite rude, however, we should probably abstain from bad-mouthing them until we are outside of their forest.”
Kaleb nodded, still rapidly blinking his eyes. “Although that probably wouldn’t matter if I understood them right.”
“Yeah,” Jar-lock said from nearby. “It sounded like their root system went all throughout Austin.”
Two Gun was still cursing up a storm as Kaleb’s vision came back. He pondered on the entity and what they knew of them when a thought crossed his mind.
“I wonder how that being’s root system deals with Under-town. It’s a massive underground city, but every time I’ve been down there, I haven’t seen any roots.”
Jar-lock finished blinking his eyes and looked toward Kaleb. “I’m willing to bet that entity has kept his roots away from the town on purpose.”
Kaleb nodded as Claire asked. “So, did anyone ask where we are supposed to find this person or thing messing with the giant magical tree’s roots?”
Kaleb slapped himself in the face as he saw Two Gun look chagrined. Apparently, both of them hadn’t thought to ask. Kaleb shot a hopeful look at Jar-lock. The large mage was looking at all of them before he sighed and explained.
“Yeah. I asked. It is apparently happening somewhere out in Windsor Park.”
Kaleb nodded as he gestured toward the exit. “Well, let’s finish up and get out of here.”
“Where’s the magic fruit thing?” Two Gun asked as he checked his pockets and looked around.
Kaleb also checked his person, but he came up empty. After a quick search around where they landed, they found the small fruit. It was a small spiky gold oblong. Two Gun and Claire said it looked like a golden Durian, but Kaleb had never seen one, so he had to take their word for it. After gathering up their prizes, the four of them made their way out of the magical forest.