Now, I don’t know if any of them heard me, let alone answered my prayer, but I am proud to announce that I did not go splat. While I felt the cold air around me, I didn’t feel the need to shiver. Almost as if my body wasn’t bothered by it. Coupled with the fact that I had flown through walls and floors, I had a growing suspicion that I was no longer in my body.
While this could mean that I was dead, I highly doubted that Barti or their group would have poisoned me, probably. It was more likely that I was being shown something or my mind had somehow wandered away from my body.
As my mind tried to figure out what was going on, my eyes started to take in the scene around me. Before me was a rather large wooden building. It reminded me of some Japanese temples. The mountain it sat on was tall and steep. A glance over the closest edge of the platform was rather informative. The mountain was just as steep below as it was above. Clouds far below blurred the edges until the stone disappeared entirely.
With a jerk back I moved away from the edge. I wanted to figure out why I had been dragged here without falling toward the ground far, far below. Seeing no other option available, I walked into the temple. Pillers stood tall as they supported the roof high above. They were one of the only things visible in the room. The only thing in the place was a large chair made of some material.
Not that I was paying attention to any of that. My eyes were stuck on the woman that lounged in said chair. Around her, multiple tails were visible. Some poured across the edge of the cushion while others laid over the armrest. Long, pointed ears pointed directly up out of the top of her frost-colored hair. They reminded me of the ears from a fox.
Her eyes were closed as she drew deep from a long pipe. The moment she let it go, an off-white cloud obscured my view of her. Not wanting to lose sight of her, I resumed walking forward. Out of nowhere, my shoes scuffed the ground. The light sound broke the silence that filled the place.
While I knew it wasn’t likely, I hoped she had not heard it. Too bad because, as the cloud dispersed, her face came back into view. Her eyes were locked on me as anger boiled off her. They stayed locked onto me as she stood up.
While she was taller than me, not counting the ears, she was shorter than I expected. Nine tails fanned out behind her as she pointed her pipe at my chest. The Japanese styling of the place, the number of tails, and her fox ears left no doubt in my mind that she was a Kitsune. Given what I knew about them, I knew to never fuck with one.
Too bad I didn’t have a chance now that I had caught her attention. “Humans are not welcome on my sacred mountain, no matter the method of travel. Return to your body but know that you will be unable to speak of what you may have seen of this place with anyone but my children.”
With a flick of her pipe, the world smeared as I was sent flying. The world didn’t stop moving until I smashed into the ground with enough force to leave bruises. With wide eyes, I got up and looked around to see where I had been sent this time.
Sitting at the table in front of me, Barti and the girls watched me. I opened my mouth to demand answers about what I saw but found that I couldn’t. The words were on the tip of my tongue but they simply would not come out. Even as I tried to ask roundabout questions, my voice failed me. Finally, I gave up and asked the only question that related to my trip that I could. “What in the HELL is that drink?”
“Pearlfruit juice,” Barti replied as he took a sip. His eyes closed for a moment before he continued. “The fruit grows deep in Elf-controlled territories. Harvested during special ceremonies and processed in such a way as to maintain the fruit's special magic. Magic that will allow the drinker to view something relevant to you or your future. It is one of the country's most strategic exports.”
I stared down at my cup in awe and puzzlement. I was surprised that there was such an item. But how was a temple in the middle of nowhere with a stupid powerful Kitsune a part of my future? Not that I could ask about it.
“What did you see?” Mindi asked, with unabashed curiosity. I tried to answer her but I found that I still couldn’t. An idea occurred to me and I pulled up a blank message in my mailbox. The moment I went to type, my mind blanked. Whatever that damn woman had done, I was truly incapable of talking about the situation. At least, I was while inside the game. Maybe if I left the game I could ask around on the forums about it.
With a sigh, I resolved to save that task for after magic training. “I can’t talk about it.”
“Ah,” Mindi whined. “Do you think you cannot trust us or something?”
“I don’t think that is what he is saying,” Barti said as his eyes studied my face. “I think it is more like he physically cannot talk about it. Probably a geas of some sort.” Which made sense. Though I had no clue when that woman had cast such a thing, she had said that I would be unable to talk about anything I saw. “Tell me, did someone see you while you were out? You don’t have to talk, just nod yes or no.” It was good that he just wanted me to nod because I couldn’t even say yes to that question.
“Damn.” Mindi grumped.
“That’s not good,” Tindi spoke up as she dumped her small ramakin of honey onto her fish.
I took my time as I tried to ask about the liquid and what it showed me without bringing up anything about what I saw. “So, how much of what it showed me should I pay attention to?”
“As much as you want.” Barti sounded a bit sad as he spoke. Both of the girls looked at him in sympathy. Neither said anything but they both made it clear that they were there for him if he wanted to talk about it. I stayed quiet as his face clouded over in grief as he stared off into space. I ate my fish in silence as we waited.
Eventually, his mind returned. “I am going to tell you a story of the worst mistake in my life. All because of a mistake I made after drinking this liquid during a festival.” As he spoke, a mist lifted out of his hands. Surrounding our group as a breeze tugged it this way and that. Slowly, my mind fogged over as he started to tell his story. The world around me faded into the background. Replaced with what looked like cut scenes.
Suspended high in the air. The gentle wind swayed the long rope bridge that served as the pathway between the various tree platforms. It brought with it the sounds of laughter and talking from the platform that was just out of sight. Slightly out of breath, I ran up the slight incline toward the platform on the far side. While it was the largest in the village, that didn’t mean it wasn’t crowded. It was no wonder given that my brother and the chief’s daughter were getting married.
Everyone in the village had known it was going to happen, everyone except those two anyway. With how stubborn the two of them were, it was a wonder that they had ever confessed their feelings. “There you are.” Micah clapped me on the shoulder with enough force to nearly send me sprawling to the ground.
“Micah,” I growled. “Shouldn’t you be at the front getting ready for your bride to show up?” As people noticed us, they shifted as they created a path to the altar set up in front of the city's Mother Tree. It was the oldest tree in this section of the forest. Brought here from the elven home city when they were looking to expand. With every marriage, the couple would take a sapling gifted to them by the tree and plant it somewhere at the edge, increasing the size of the forest and thus the village.
“Now how could I get married without my best man? Your wife would kill both of us if you missed this.”
“My wife wouldn’t kill you.” I protested. “She would let Brianna have that honor.” We both laughed as we walked the last steps.
“Micah, are you ready?” A wisp of a woman asked from where she sat on the altar.
We both bowed while he answered, “Yes”
“Good,” she smiled as she pushed her body off the edge of the altar. It drifted down as if it was a leaf on its way to its next destination. “Because here she comes.” Spinning around, I took in the beautiful dresses both of our women wore. While the woman in front was gorgeous, my eyes were focused on the goddess behind her.
Her dark sapphire blue hair shimmered in the sunlight as the wind pulled it out from her head. My eyes drifted from her hair to her face. As soon as her striking emerald eyes locked onto mine, I was lost. She shone with laughter and glee. It was something I would never grow tired of seeing.
As they both moved up, I stepped away from my brother and toward my wife. We stood to the side as the platform went silent. “Welcome.” As the woman spoke, the wind carried her voice across the platform. “I have had the joy to unite many youngsters throughout my long life. Some brash, others long overdue.”
A ripple of laughter and abashed faces passed through the crowd at that. “I feel that this one has been a long time coming.” Her voice grew more serious. “Now, Micah, Brianna. You both stand before this village's Mother Tree. What do you seek?”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
As the magic faded, the platform erupted in cheers, whistling, and music. I lost myself in the party as I danced with my wife and daughter long into the night. We only decided to leave when Xilly started to yawn.
“Wait,” Micah called as we made our way through the much-thinned crowd, Xilly high up on my hips. Her head rested on my shoulder as I turned to find Micah racing toward us, his wife in tow. “Before you go, join us in one last drink.”
He held up a bottle while Brianna held up four cups. “One of the elders gifted us with a bottle of Pearlfruit juice.” My eyes shot to the bottle. That was one hell of a gift to give. While it wasn’t expensive, most were exported and sold to other countries.
As one, we circled around the nearest table. The patrons were long since gone. We all watched as Micah poured a shot into each of the glasses. The opalescent mana that flowed through the drink absorbed and radiated the light from the fires and mana lamps. Its light brightened the table. Small, nearly indistinct images danced through the beams. Something ran through a forest in one. As the image vanished, it was replaced by what looked like a dusty workshop deep in the mountains.
I hesitated to grab the cup. Afraid of what the liquid would show me. Afraid of what magic itself would point out as important to my future. And, glancing at the rest of our group, I found I wasn’t the only one.
“Pwetty,” Xilly said, her hand reaching out to the nearest cup from where she sat in my lap.
Her movement broke us out of our hesitation-filled stupor. Each of us grabbed our cup and gulped the liquid down. Flashes of the forest filled my mind's eye. Monsters raged across the ground while their footfalls crushed everything as they went. The scene disappeared, replaced with another full of monsters as they torre across the canopy. Overloaded branches fell, taking their passengers with them.
Yet again, the scene disappeared, replaced with a scene of devastation. Monster corpses littered the forest floor. Some of their bodies were crushed while others had wounds from various weapons and spells. Mixed in were the bodies of elves. Elves that I knew.
The magic faded, taking with it, the visions. Not that I would forget what I saw. Based on the looks everyone else had on their face, I was the only one shown such things. In fact, they all looked like they were shown something amazing. I didn’t want to ruin any of that for them so, before they could see my shocked and fearful emotions, I forced myself to think of something happy. I would just have to ask an elder about it in the morning.
Early in the morning, I walked into the shack. The elder was thankfully at his desk. Taking up a ready position, I voice my request. “Elder Quickblossom, may I have a moment of your time?”
“What have I said about calling me Yandre?” He said in his brusk tone as his eyes glared at me and his hands finished filling out a piece of paper.
“Protocol…”
“Look, son, I helped raise you after your mother lost a part of herself when your father passed. I will not accept protocol from you except on formal occasions.” His eyes bored into mine as he waited to make sure that I understood what he was saying. Not that either of us believed I would do as he asked. If I had then he wouldn’t have had to ask every time we met. His breath rushed out in resignation as he spoke, “Now, what can I do for you?”
After a quick look around the room, I asked, “Is there somewhere we can talk?” His eyes studied me for a moment but he didn’t ask the question that I was sure was on the tip of his tongue. He knew me well enough to know that I wouldn’t ask for him to talk privately if it wasn’t important. With a simple flick of his hand, a spell flashed into place. The world went silent around us while every sound we made echoed.
“Well?” He prompted when I didn’t immediately start talking. I started and stopped as I told him everything the liquid had shown me. The more I said, the more the color in his face drained away as he sagged deeper into his chair. By the time I finished, he looked defeated and deflated. His nearly five hundred years of age peaked through as what I said sank in.
“There are only two things that could be.” He started in a voice that was soft and full of anguish. “It could be a dungeon break or a mass migration. Given that we are nowhere near a monster nest, it has to be a dungeon break.”
“We have a dungeon close enough for such a thing to be a threat?”
The old man’s head shook back and forth. “Not really. The outskirts of the city were growing too close to the entrance. After weeks of debate, the elders finally agreed to eliminate the core. They sent a team in with your father. So, unless it has managed to regrow its core in the last fifty years, it is not a threat.”
Hearing that floored me. Dungeons were great resources for the nation that owned them. Adventurers from all over would come to challenge it. The cities around them benefited financially as they spent their money and sold any loot they found. For it to be eliminated, it had to have posed a definite risk.
The old man's eyes met mine. A fire burning in them as he came to a decision. “I want you to take your team and investigate the dungeon. Eliminate all the creatures you come across and make sure that core is destroyed.”
Fist to chest and feet snapped together, I said, “Yes sir.”
“So there was a dungeon under the rock,” Beetle stated as he stood at the top of the hill with the top half of his body hanging over the edge of the hole. A hole that had been covered by a supposedly sacred rock we were forbidden to touch. Yeah, more like it was a coverstone for a dead dungeon.
“Beetle, don’t stand too close,” Uru said from where she stood. Her eyes were focused on the terminal in front of her. “We don’t know how stable the ground is.”
“It held that stone up for longer than I have been alive.” He protested.
“So are you saying that it is more stable than you or less?” Patty asked, though she didn’t wait for his answer. “What monsters and traps can we expect?”
“No clue. It has been too long for any of our information to be reliable.” I answered as I anchored a rope deep into the ground. “So stay as nimble…”
“As a squirrel and vigilant as a fox.” They all finished together. It was a saying that I had heard somewhere and it had stuck.
“Good, let's go.” I grabbed the rope and dropped into the cavern deep below. Quickly followed by the rest of the team. After hours of fighting and exploring later, we found the core. Based on the odd spikes sticking out from various sections, it had started to heal. I smashed it and scattered the pieces across the floor before declaring the mission a success. It would be at least another century before this place had the energy to send out any sort of monsters.
As I climbed the rope and exited the dungeon, I found the surface quiet. There were no sounds of playing kids. None of the teens or adults were high up in the trees playing or training. It was the silence of the grave. I didn’t wait for the rest of my team to come back. I ran for the nearest rope ladder only to find it ripped apart and crumpled on the ground. Pieces of it were scattered across the forest floor along with various wood boards.
I raced across the forest floor. Jumping over corpses and destroyed items as I raced to where my family would have been hiding in an emergency. A pile of monster corpses covered the ground in layers around the Mother Tree. Sitting on top was the corpse of the Mother Tree’s spirit herself.
While I wanted to find my family, the sight of the spirit caused me to freeze. Her dull eyes met mine. One of her arms twitched as she smiled a bloody smile. A bloody mist erupted from her mouth as she went to speak. My body blurred as I raced to catch her falling body. I hugged her to me as I tried to shush her, to tell her that help was on the way, but she shook her head. “We both know I am not long for this world.”
“But surely there must be something I can do.” I followed where her eyes glanced as I said that. The trunk of her tree was badly gored. It was bad enough that I was surprised the tree was still standing. There was nothing I could do. The only one who could heal such a wound was an elvish priestess of the highest order. Too bad there hadn't been one of those in the last millennia.
“Do not feel bad for me. I have lived a longer life than most. One of my children will take up the burden when they are ready.” A tear ran down from her eyes. “But just know that none of this is your fault.” Her hand cupped my cheek as her thumb softly stroked my cheek. “Know that the gods and goddesses have plans for you. In time, you will have your revenge.” Her voice grew less and less distinct until I could barely hear her.
Without warning, the Mother Tree let out a loud crack. The sound was so powerful that it reverberated through the ground. The trunk swayed back and forth as it teetered before finally giving out. Its size and mass took out multiple other trees as it came down. As I looked down at where the spirit had been, I found her gone.
Grief pulled at my heart for the Mother Tree but I had someone else I needed to find before it was too late. My feet slipped and slid as I raced down the pile of monsters. An eternity and a moment later, I made it to the town's central shelter. It was gone. Leveled. The ground looked almost like a giant monster had simply stepped on the shelter and crushed it. There was no way anyone could have survived.
While my mind prayed that my girls were not inside, my bond with my wife told me they were. I was supposed to protect my wife until the end, yet I had failed her. I had failed Xilly. Now that they were gone, what was there for me in this world? Pulling out my knife, I prepared to meet them in the next cycle.
As my knife made its way to my chest, a hand stopped it. “Do you think she would want you to end your life like this?” Uru cried. While she was right, what would be the point of living a life without any joy in it?
The mother tree’s words came back to me. If there was a chance that I could punish those responsible then that is what I would do. That is what I would live for. Only when that was done would I be allowed to meet with my wife again.
The forest faded as the guild hall returned. The grief of his story was vivid even though he had shown us only bits and pieces. Everyone was silent for a moment. None of us said a word as we all wiped away tears.
Finally, Barti continued, “While I don’t expect you to understand what I went through, I do expect you to understand that, no matter what you were shown, it may not be the entire picture. One wrong assumption, even unintentional, can and will lead you down a path you may not expect or want.” His voice grew more horse and emotional as he talked.
I had never been all that good with emotions. Hell, my words were blunt at times. I wanted to ask him if he had ever found out what had caused the monster swarm. Why he was in this town of all places? I wanted to ask that and a multitude of other questions. All of which I was sure were not welcome, nor would I ask them even if they were.
Instead, I bowed at the hip. My head nearly touched the table as I spoke. “Thank you for the warning.” While I would keep my eye out for the Kitsune, I would not let it lead my life nor divert my path. Not until I learned as much as I could and had no other choice. Maybe not even then.
“Well,” Mindi said as she stood up, “With that, I think it’s time I train you on some magic.” I stood up. As one, Mindi, Tindi, and I left the table as we made our way toward the training room. Barti stayed behind to deal with his memories and the stirred-up emotions in peace.