As I jumped off the tree, I felt Catori retreat from our body. Well, it was mostly my body. Still, I was always happy to let her use it. For a bit.

Now that I thought about it, it was not surprising she was spending so much time ‘without’ me. Not that we could be separate but… She just paid attention to different things now that the option was there. And from what it sounded like, she was going to try to evolve the starling into a body she could use for herself. I was… a little conflicted. She was me, after all, but also her own person. I decided to let it be and think about important things. Like meeting a new species.

I caught my drop at the foot of the tree, of Hive, finding a lot of buildings set into the outer layers. Bark-kin were around and watching me arrive but the reaction was much much more subdued than last time. No big screams or pointed weapons. I decided to take the risk and dove the last thirty metres to the ground when someone in an expensive-looking robe waved at me with a smile on his face.

He had hair like willow branches, long and sinewy with a few small leaves here and there. The robe was white and gold with what were clearly silverwood leaves embroidered around his arms and down the chest.

A few other people stood around him in much simpler robes, still with golden accents on the hem and front. They were carrying a selection of… food. What I considered food. Live rats, hamsters, mice, lizards, and even insects. That in itself would not have been too weird but they were in simple wooden bowls. Not cages, or bags, no. Wooden bowls. With nothing stopping the critters from escaping. And yet they only crawled above each other.

As I landed, the bark-kin got to their knees. The ones holding the bowls bowed their heads while the leader met my eyes.

“Welcome, guest. I am Elder Bark. One of five Elders of the bark-kin. The Great Tree has heralded your arrival. May I know your name?”

I was taken aback but decided to go along with them, for now.

“I’m Fio. What exactly were you told about me?”

“That you are a Hero coming to learn our ancient techniques. We have prepared suitable offerings to greet you. Please, partake. If you wish.”

“Ah. Thanks but I’m full.”

I fired off a quick [Hidden Identify] at one of the nearby mice.

[Identify]

Species: Forest Mouse (mature)

Age: 1

Name: -

Gender: male

Status: healthy, subdued mind

Level: 23

Class: -

That Status looked a little strange. I just barely managed to take a closer look as the bowls were carried away.

Subdued Mind: This creature’s mind is under passive control of another one. It has been made to be docile and stay within a designated area. Approaching it is absolutely safe.

I almost reeled back. Mind control… was most likely Hive’s thing. Though I could not be sure.

“Then let me show you through our wonderful town, Hero Fio. There are quite a few sights to see.”

“Um… Would it be okay to [Identify] you?”, I asked.

I was not confident that someone like an Elder definitely had less Wisdom and Intelligence than me so I was careful.

“Of course, Hero Fio. We want to make sure you have a wonderful time and learn as much as you can. If you need help improving any of your Skills, we will be grateful to be of help to you.”

Luckily, a beak could not frown. My facial feathers could, though. At least I was able to keep the expression short as I activated the Skill again.

[Identify]

Species: Bark-Kin (adult)

Age: 80

Name: Elder Bark

Gender: male

Status: healthy, sapient, subdued spirit, affinity (terra)

Level: 77

Class: [Elder Bark], -

His Class was the same as his name? That was strange… Also, there was another one of those…

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Subdued Spirit: This creature’s spirit has been melded to depend on another one. It will follow its master’s wishes without exception. Do not get in its way unless you wish to fight.

Okay. So it was Hive. And from what I gathered I was in no danger from the tree-node… thing. Then I remembered the first bark-kin I met did not have this Status. A quick use of my Skill on one of the attendants confirmed that the Elder was the only one who had it. Hive’s control seemed not complete. Though with the society being built around those he manipulated, I was not surprised they followed his will. It was very likely he had taken over more of the bark-kin in key positions. I would learn about silverwood and then leave as soon as I possibly could.

“Thank you”, I said, “That was quite informative.”

“You are welcome, Hero Fio. Now, if you would?”

Two servants had returned by that point carrying a decently large branch at about the height of their hips. I looked between them and the Elder for a moment. Then I sighed mentally and jumped on top of the branch. The bark-kin held steady as if rooted to the ground. I looked at them but they completely avoided my gaze. When the Elder started to walk they followed him no more than two steps behind. My seat was still steady as if on a tree.

We walked down the street which was curved down to the left and right because it was just a very wide root. The ground had been pressed smooth by millions and billions of steps and formed some sort of terrace-like appearance where people travelled a lot. To the sides were houses. Of course, everything was made from wood. Mostly a slightly dark-red tone. Was that oak or something else? Cherry? Walnut? I really did not know my wood types. It could just be pine. Or was that a light brown tone? That made me wonder what Hive’s wood was like. The tree looked mostly like an oak or maybe a maple. I did not fully remember what the leaves of those were supposed to look like.

Disregarding the details about which kind of tree the houses were made from, they were mostly two stories with a slanted roof for an attic. Some had three stories, others only one, but those were exceptions. The width and style of the buildings varied greatly. There was a log-cabin look, both with horizontal and vertical logs, a truss and wooden planks mixture where the planks replaced what any normal civilization would use bricks for. Maybe they were not planks but full wooden blocks. I saw what appeared to be a perfectly smooth surface, flatter than concrete. A sort of segmented style with triangles of all shapes and sizes somehow making a perfect rectangle and leaving space for windows.

Speaking of, the houses had windows. They were see-through with an orange tint. Clearly not glass. Maybe some sort of crystal? Amber? That made a little sense, at least. Other decorations were all kinds of plants. Vines hung from roofs, flowers rose from beds around the buildings or gaps in the walls, and ivy crawled up and between the houses. The doors were also plants, mostly just vines somehow grown into a curtain or thick ferns you had to push aside to get through.

Here and there were gaps between the houses leading to a second row. And between all of that, trees grew. They were just as colourful as the buildings themselves. With my limited knowledge, I could barely identify a few. I was able to spot some firs and birches, and oaks here and there. And other trees that were clearly not something one could find on Earth. Leaves that were pitch black with cyan veins pulsing like a heartbeat, bark that was green like the ocean and seemed to form waves as well, and branches that grew symmetrical spirals and loops before reconnecting at the top. It was absolutely fascinating.

Throughout all that, Elder Bark was talking. I listened with half an ear since I was not really interested in the history of the city. I did pay some attention to their social structure, though.

From what I heard, they lived in what was pretty much a communist society. There were five leaders, the Elders, coordinating larger groups of bark-kin to ‘protect the Great Tree’. Yes, mind-control induced perfect communism. It seemed to work, at least.

The five Elders were Bloom and Leaf taking care of the silverwood trees and defending against the taint, Bark and Trunk training the bark-kin fighters and protecting against threats from the forest side of things and Root making sure everyone had supplies. When I asked what they ate, he told me bark-kin lived mostly on photosynthesis and symbiosis with the Great Tree.

The most constricted resource was vis. That could be gained in two ways. Either, become a hunter and seek out nodes within the reach of the Great Tree, or get it directly from their deity. He explained the hunters were also giving most of what they gained to the Great Tree as tribute. Especially if it was not herba or terra vis. I cringed a bit when he said ‘The Great Tree protects us from the terrible influences of the false life’ and then talked about how auram is the most important aspect for them and the one that was explicitly not given to their deity. Because it played a big role in raising silverwood trees.

Great. I already learned something. And of course, it was incredibly hard to deal with. At least silverwood trees often formed auram nodes inside of them so one could expect some sort of exponential growth. Maybe not quite that high but it would get easier with time.

As the sun started to set I realized we had rounded most of Hive and were now on the side towards the taint. Elder Bark introduced me to a diminutive female bark-kin in a similar robe to his. Hers had the silverwood leaf-pattern form a spiral around her legs. It thinned out as it reached her hips and disappeared completely before getting to the shoulders.

“I am Elder Leaf. Welcome, Hero. I will be teaching you about the raising of silverwood trees tomorrow. For now, please follow me. I have prepared a place for you to rest.”

I said goodbye to Elder Bark and followed the woman. This time on my own power with the two carriers following their Elder back to where we had come from. Elder Bark seemed much more upbeat and smiled a lot. I was much more comfortable around her. Then I had the idea that Hive made her be like that after seeing my weak reaction to the first Elder and my mood plummeted. Maybe it was not the case. Maybe it was. I decided to keep my distance.

I would just learn what I had to and then get out of here. Out of this disturbing city of mind-controlled people I could not help.