I slept for the rest of the day and then part of the night. When I woke up, I once again felt the trailing edge of wakefulness. I had been out for about eight hours and I was quite hungry. Dawn was so close to me that I couldn't move, so I waited for her to wake up.
“Ugh, what was that?” Dawn asked and blinked her eyes. “Why am I awake?”
I chuckled. “That's my fault. I waited too long to rest.”
“What... wait, that was you?” Dawn looked at me with surprise.
“If I use too much energy and don't rest and recuperate, I pretty much take whoever is around me with me when I literally fall asleep.” I said. “Now I'm hungry.”
“Me, too.” Dawn said.
“Then a quick breakfast, even though it's the middle of the night?” I asked and she nodded. We left the bedroom and went to the kitchen. “Hey, Fred.” I said and pat the man's shoulder as we passed. “Thanks for keeping watch when I couldn't.”
Fred nodded and didn't get up. I led Dawn into the kitchen and quickly cooked up a light and fast meal. I included some of the dry rations that god had blessed to taste delicious, then gave plates to Dawn and Fred, then went to the room with the elves. I knocked on the bedroom door and waited. One of the elves came over and opened the door.
“Just a light breakfast, so we can all eat and still go back to bed.” I said and handed her four plates of food. She didn't say anything and I could tell she was surprised by my outfit. I shrugged and walked back to the kitchen and ate my plate of food as well. We all went back to bed after eating, and this time I rested intentionally. I didn't have to, since my Presence had recovered hours ago; but, I also didn't want to mess up my sleeping habits. I had to make sure to rest at the appropriate times from now on, rather than try to push through and do as much as I can before my Presence use wore me out.
I was sure that if I kept pacing myself, it would make my recovery times that much shorter. Just because I could handle so many more things didn't mean that I should on a regular basis. It was the mental strain of doing so many things and concentrating that was the most tiring after a while. I promised myself to rest more, especially if I met another group of creatures like those acid things.
Maybe I should time my movements to arrive at cracks in the mornings when I'm fresh? I asked myself as Dawn cuddled in close. No, that would probably wipe me out like today and I'd lose almost a whole day and then that night resting. Okay, then. Either at noon or evening, then I can get a solid rest before the next day. With that resolved in my head, I dozed off and meditated partially to go over the map and planned the new route.
The next morning, I fed the horses and then made breakfast for everyone. We were all in happy moods, even the four elves that were supposed to be my guards. They had completely relaxed because other elves had been doing their jobs while they rested for the first time since they had joined my journey.
It seems someone else needs to completely rest occasionally, too. I thought and finished eating.
We were escorted out of the city, right to the edge of the buildings, then we moved on. None of the guards with us questioned why the horses were still glowing blue. I hadn't told them that once I had helped boost them, it made a temporary connection with them and I could just keep adding Presence to keep the speed boost going. I was at the point now that I didn't even have to concentrate to do it. I just funnelled some of the surrounding mana, converted it for my use, and put it right into the horses.
We visited two more towns without incident, then we approached another crack. I was surprised that there weren't any creatures around it at all. There were a lot of bones, though. When I walked over to the crack and looked inside, I was met with piles and piles of bones. One of the piles moved a little, and then something made of bones came together and stepped towards the crack. I moved out of the way and the thing came through, looked around and started to walk... and then like a puppet with its strings cut, it dropped to the ground and random bones scattered.
“Yeah, okay.” I said and closed the crack and sealed it. “I'm not taking that chance.”
“What was it?” Dawn asked and everyone came over when the gaping maw illusion disappeared.
“Whatever it was, is either animating the bones or giving them life.” I said. “There were... a lot of bones on the other side.”
“So, you're not completely insane.” Fred said as he kicked the skull of the thing and it crumbled.
I chuckled. “You almost sound sad about that.”
“Well, sometimes it's fun.” Fred said and grinned at me.
“Come on. The Forest guide is eager to visit its friends.”
“What do you mean?” One of the guards asked.
“We're approaching the heart of the forest.” I said and the four guards stood still and stopped breathing. “Yeah, it's a sacred place. I'm going to leave you all close by.”
“You can't go in there.” One of the guards said. “All life except forest life is forbidden.”
“Don't worry about it.” I said. “I'm sure it will block me if it wants to.”
They didn't respond and I could hear the doubts and fears in their minds. I thought about trying to reason with them and to calm them, then shrugged. I've been feeling my guide's anxiousness and its heightened awareness for a while now, and I also knew that the heart of the forest wanted me to visit. In fact, I was pretty sure it needed me to, because there was a crack very close to it, according to the map.
It took us several hours of travelling on the roads to get to the right spot, even at our full speed, and then we had to enter the forest. Our progress slowed to trotting speed as the forest became too thick to use the horses to their potential.
“It looks like we're walking from here.” I said and we all dismounted. The Forest guide took us through the thick underbrush for another couple of hours. Almost like magic, a clearing appeared in front of us and it even had a depression in the middle for a campfire. It was also completely surrounded by trees. When we entered, it closed behind us.
“This looks like a campsite.” Dawn said.
“That's because it is.” I said and the Forest guide bobbed up and down. I took out the tents for Dawn and Fred and then filled the depression in the center with kindling and a few pieces of wood. I lit it on fire with the flint on the very first spark and it became a full fire in an instant, to everyone's amazement. I created a table shape with Presence and left it blue and made it solid, then set out some food for them to pick at.
“You really shouldn't go.” One of the elves said. “No one...”
“I was invited.” I said and she didn't know what to say. “Sit. Relax. Eat a little.” I smiled. “I'll be back.”
“If you need help, just holler.” Fred said.
“Thanks.” I said and my Forest guide led me over to the side of the clearing, then I kid you not, one of the trees stepped aside using its roots, to let me pass. I looked at the thirty foot tall and two foot thick tree for a moment. “Thanks.” I said and stepped through the space it made.
*
“By the Queen's grace!” One of the elves exclaimed. “He really is a friend of the forest!”
“I will send a message right away.” One of the guards said and sat down to cast the communication spell. She spoke her message and the little ball flew away from her and tried to zoom through the trees... then popped in a burst of light.
“Looks like that's not happening.” Fred laughed and ignored some of the food on the table and picked up one of the dry ration packs Hunter had left. He had never tasted anything so good in his life and he had eaten hundreds upon hundreds of dry ration packs during his thirty-six years of life. They were cheap, plentiful, and could be added to anything to give you the nutrients you needed to live. Stews and soups worked the best to add moisture, and it could even be used as a side for wild game.
“Hunter said we would have to wait, so that's what we need to do.” Dawn said. “No scouting. No trying to see what's happening.” She glared at the elves. “Just sit there and be quiet.”
One of the elves turned and was going to tell her to shut up, then the one beside her grabbed her arm to stop her. With a small shake of the second one's head, the other elf relented and held her tongue. They all sat down to wait for however long Hunter was going to be.
*
It felt like I jogged for an hour, which meant I had travelled a long way, then my Forest guide's blue arrow shape faded away. It bobbed and weaved around for a second, then it expanded. My eyes widened as it became slightly bigger than me and then it stuck to the side of a tree.
“No way.” I said and walked forward. “You can become a portal?”
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
I felt its affirmation, then its condition that it only worked within the heart of the forest.
“Are you coming with me, or am I meeting whoever it is alone?”
I felt its sadness and its thoughts about not being allowed to come.
“I'll see you when I get back, then.” I said and stepped into the portal. “You've done a fantastic job so far.” I said as I passed the threshold, heard its thoughts of gratitude, then I was inside a huge arena of some kind. I thought that was odd, until trees sprouted out of the ground and they swirled and grew together and formed a human-shaped figure that was about thirty feet tall.
“Defeat my minion.” A harsh female voice spoke from all around.
“Are you sure?” I asked. “Am I to prove my worthiness or my cunning?”
There was silence for a few moments, then the voice repeated the demand.
“Defeat my minion.” She said, only her voice wasn't as harsh.
“Very well.” I said with a smile as I looked at her minion. It was huge and looked to be a formidable opponent, except it had a glaringly obvious weakness. I held a hand out towards it and from its feet down, I formed Presence around them and the roots it still had in the ground. With a bit of applied force from a solid lever and a fulcrum I formed behind it, I pushed one side down and lifted the creature right out of the ground. I made the Presence around its roots solid and then held it in the air with the lever.
The creature started to mewl like a little kitten that had been taken from its mother. It was almost laughable that a thirty foot humanoid creature was crying like a baby; but, I didn't laugh. I knew this was the worst possible thing to have happen to it. I could have cut off its arms and its head, and it probably would have grown them all back. Burning it would have done damage as well. However, separating it from its source of power and comfort utterly defeated it.
“Release it.” The female voice said and I absorbed the Presence from around its feet and roots and used the lever to lower it back to the ground. It's mewling and crying stopped as its roots sunk back into the ground and I heard its thoughts of gratitude.
“I'm sorry about that.” I said and formed a giant Presence Hand, left it blue instead of making it invisible, then I scratched the tree-creature's belly bark and touched it with Presence so it would feel it. “I would have been in a little trouble if I hadn't seen how you grew into place.”
The tree-creature let out what I hoped was a laugh and I absorbed the giant Presence Hand. I couldn't quite make out what it was thinking, probably because it only had a few stray thoughts in its head, and then it reversed its growth and disappeared into the ground.
“Again.” The female voice said, just as harshly, and a portal like the one I had stepped through appeared across the arena. “You cannot use Presence to restrain it.”
“ROOOOOWWWRRRR! HOOOT! HOOOT!” The large armored monkey yelled and charged at me.
I pulled out two arrows and used Presence Hands to drive them right into the creature's eyes. It howled as it lost its sight and then it stumbled and fell face first... which drove the arrows into its brain and killed it. I walked over to it and slipped it into my creature bag of holding.
“Are there any other restrictions you want to put on me before you send out the next thing for me to kill?” I asked.
“Arrogance is not a good trait to have.” The voice responded.
“Right back at you.” I said. “I didn't come here to be tested. I came here because you invited me.”
“You cannot use Presence Hands.” The voice said and a portal opened at the top of the arena. Something like a huge bird came through and squawked at me. The five foot long creature opened its beak and spat a fireball at me. I created a half circle Presence Wall in front of myself and sent the fireball right back at it. The bird-like thing was struck by the fireball and lit up like it was dry wood. It flew right into the side of the arena with a slam and a burst of both feathers and fire, then it dropped to the ground. I covered it in Presence to snuff out the flames.
I bet Sam the monster expert would want this thing. I thought and stuffed the creature into my bag.
“You cannot use Presence Walls.” The voice said and then a portal near me opened. Hundreds of ants the size of my hand came out of it. I shook my head and used Presence Lightning. It killed all of them on this side of the portal and then thousands on the other side before the portal closed.
“You cannot use Presence Lightning.”
Another portal opened up and a really nasty looking humanoid lizard came out of it. It was eight feet tall and had green scaly skin. It had crude armor and a six foot long sword. It also wore a dented helmet. Three more stepped out behind it.
“You're kidding, right?” I asked. “No? Okay.” I reached out and formed Presence around their hearts and crushed them. They opened their large mouths and spit out their life-blood and fell down, dead.
“You... cannot do what you just did.” The female voice said, unsure.
I laughed. “Sure. What's next?”
A very large portal opened up and a garglemacer dropped down into the center of the arena. It was almost full-sized, which meant it was pretty powerful; but, I knew their weaknesses now. I unhooked my mother's Light sword from my belt and threw it by the creature's head. At the last second, I used Presence to catch the hilt and activated the sword to slice right through the creature's eye, its brain, and out the other eye. It dropped dead and I turned off the Light sword and pulled it back to myself.
I calmly walked over to it and thought about taking it as it was, then remembered how heavy and awkward it had been to carry. So, I covered it in Presence and then pulled all of its scales off in only a few seconds. It looked like a furless cat when I was done and I dropped all of the scales into my loot bag. I was tempted to take the head whole, just because I could, then laughed and used the Light sword and severed it. I was barely able to stuff the thing into a cheap sheet and get it into my first bag of holding.
“Anything else?” I asked. “Although, my bags of holding are getting full. I can't take much more.”
The voice didn't respond for several minutes. I stood there and waited, knowing that something big was coming. I wasn't sure what it would be; but, I could feel the sheer strength of the mana as whatever it was came closer. The ground in the center of the arena split open and the garglemacer's carcass was tossed aside as if it weighed nothing, and a huge and bright ball of green mana floated up. The light coalesced and shrank away, then it became a slightly green tinted female form.
She was exactly my height and her facial features formed into a very generic and also pretty form. I thought that was an odd thought and realized she was trying to glamour me. I smiled at her, like she expected, then clothing formed around her. It was a nice green flowing dress and covered everything, not that I looked anyway. She smiled back at me and reached out to touch me. I leaned back and stayed out of reach.
“You reject me?” She asked, completely surprised.
“I don't fall for every pretty face that comes along.” I said. “Is that why you brought me here?”
“I need a powerful protector.” She said.
“I'm sorry, I'm spoken for already.” I responded as diplomatically as I could.
“My forest is being threatened constantly. You must help me.”
I felt a wave of compulsion hit me and I stood up straight... then it washed over me and fell away. “I'm already helping as much as I can. I'll have the rest of the cracks closed by next week. All that will be left is to clean up.” I said. “The elves can handle it, once all the sources are removed.”
“How can you tell me no?” She asked, completely confused. “You should be on your knees and beg me to let you do it.”
I felt another wave of compulsion and smiled as it passed. “If I was that weak minded, I would be useless to you, anyway.”
She frowned at me and I felt her mana flare. “Help. Me.”
I felt a very strong mental probe bounce off of my mental shields. She winced at the pain as her attempt backfired and gave her a little mana burn.
“It was nice meeting you.” I said and walked over to where my portal had been. “Forest guide! I'm ready to leave!”
“You can't go.” The female voice said. “I need you.”
“Yeah, being all demanding and domineering isn't going to impress me.” I said. “I'll close the cracks, as I agreed to do for passage through the magical barrier. I have plans after that, so I won't be staying here forever to be your lapdog.”
Her calm face turned angry. “You. Will. STAY!”
I felt a huge buildup of mana as she tried to create a mental probe, so I pulled out that bird-like creature and pointed it towards her, then squeezed the glands in its throat. A fireball burst out and flew towards her and she had to stop her mental attack and divert the fire. In the next instant, her attention returned to me and I had the tip of my mother's Light sword pressed against her chest and burned a small circular hole in her dress to expose the skin underneath.
“I am your friend. I have been your friend for as long as I have been in the forest. I have not harmed you in any way and I have always respected the trees. I also know their importance and wouldn't allow them to come to harm if I could prevent it.”
She stared at me with anger in her eyes.
“However, as I told the elves, I would burn it all down just so I would be rid of all the trouble, if I didn't believe that the trees deserve to be protected.” I said. “Do you really want to try and force me to be your pawn? To declare me an enemy?” I asked. “Please reconsider your decision.”
She glared at me and then looked at the Light sword. “You cannot kill me with that.”
“Who said I would kill you?” I asked. “I know this is just an avatar and you're inhabiting it. I also know that you gain power through all of the life in the forest.”
Her glare shifted back to me and then the glare softened to ambivalence. “You will no longer be a friend of the forest. I rescind all protections and bonuses you have within the forest.”
I felt the all-pervasive mana around us fade away. “Trying to starve me?” I shook my head. “Fine. I will remove my own bonuses and protection from you and yours.”
She took in a sharp breath as I cut off all external links I had, which included the horses and my Forest guide, and I also stopped my Presence from leaking out. Her ambivalence became a glare again.
“I told you that I knew you gained power from the things living in your forest. Turnabout is fair play.” I said. “Now open the portal and let me leave, or I will cut my way out.”
She waved a hand and a portal opened slightly to my right.
“I'm not stupid.” I said and pointed. “Open this one to my Forest guide, so I can get back to those waiting for me.”
She closed the portal and opened the one where I pointed, and I felt the thoughts of my Forest guide.
“Remember. If anything gets in my way, they will be cut down.” I said. “I won't hesitate.”
“I thought you respected the trees.” She said, angrily.
“I do. I can't fault them for following your orders, either. You are their progenitor.” I said. “If you order them to not move for me, then it's the same as killing them yourself. You're letting them die.” I smiled. “How long will it take for them to see that you are the one being unreasonable?”
She frowned at me. “Begone.” She spat. “Finish your work and leave my forest.”
“That was the plan from the start.” I said and stepped through the portal. “You were the one that threatened me with slavery.”
The portal disappeared and the Forest guide reformed into a small ball of light. It was green again.
“I'm sorry your mistress is angry that I refused.” I said and held a hand out and let it land. “Thanks a lot for helping me so much. I don't know what I would have done without you.”
It wavered slightly from side to side and I could tell that it didn't know what to do.
“Yeah, I'm going to have a lot of trouble navigating now; but, that's not your fault. You really did do a good job.” I felt its sad thoughts. “No, no. You completed your job. You even did more than I asked and took me everywhere I needed to go and not just to the cracks.” I said. “Thanks for being so diligent.”
It wavered a little and its light flickered.
“Yeah, she would be angry if I gave you some.” I said and then smiled. “How about you keep it a secret?”
It glowed slightly brighter and I felt its agreement as a very small part of itself slipped out. I touched it with a fingertip and gave it a drop of Presence. The thing glowed bright blue and was brighter than the main body. The Forest guide opened and the blue glowing part slid back inside. It's own glow didn't change, which meant it had worked. It could keep my Presence a secret.
“Good work.” I said and let it feel my happiness for a moment, then it faded away. “I'll... ah... well, I was going to say see you later; but, I guess we won't be seeing each other at all, let alone later.” I felt its sadness and it matched my own. “Goodbye.”
It floated up, became an arrow for a second and pointed off to the left, then it became a ball of green light and zoomed away.
“Thanks.” I said and headed off in the final direction my guide had given me.