"You should not be here."

I'm a little surprised by the Woodsman's first words, as they don't really give off the feeling I'm welcome. If humans are welcome here, why wouldn't I?

Alice looks nervous now, and I can't see Baby's face.

[Why not?]

The Woodsman leans forward, the grain on his surface shifting as he does. It looks as though he's connected directly to the floor of Barabar.

"Because you are a spawn of Noah. Such destruction is not welcome here."

I clack my mandibles in irritation. I haven't destroyed very much of anything yet.

[Was it my decision to gain power from Noah, or did he do it for fun?]

Under his hood, I can see two dark wooden eyes narrow. "You make a good point. Regardless, you should not be here. This is not a place for the merciless."

Bubbles rolls out of my shadow, yawning adorably before seeing the intimidating figure. Burbling in shock, he puffs into his hardened shape and rolls behind the earth dragon, which is growling quietly.

[What is mercy?]

"You prove my point, ant. Leave."

The door behind me reappears, and now Dylan starts talking. "Excuse me - uh, mister Woodsman? Sir? How do I - oh, never mind." He stands straight, takes a deep breath, then speaks.

"Sir, Null saved our lives. We were in severe danger from stucats and he killed them, including a Ruler. In fact, I was going to recommend that he become a Barabarian and work on contracts for the Tavern."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

I decide not to mention that I hadn't meant to save their lives and that I sincerely still don't know how I killed the stucat Ruler. And what are contracts?

The Woodsman looms over Dylan, and the walls start looking rather... spiky. "You disagree?"

The young man shrinks backward, but somehow keeps going. "Yes, I do. Noah seems really invested in Null and I don't think it'd be wise to annoy him."

Oh, now I see why he's standing up for me. It's a tactical maneuver, an attempt to stay in the good graces of Noah Cosmic. It's a good plan, one I'm in full support of.

[What if I didn't damage anything in Barabar?]

The tall man's attention turns to me, if he could indeed be called a man. "What do you mean?"

[Well, you don't want me to destroy anything, correct? Then I'll just agree not to do that. What would the issue be then?]

He sighed deeply, the walls slowly morphing back to their smooth aspect as he turns to Baby and Alice. "I trust you two. What do you think?"

They both seem reverent of the Woodsman but scared at the same time. I really don't understand humans at all.

Baby swallows loudly. "Uh, I like Null. He's a good fighter." Alice's claws were clearly itching to scratch something. "He's fine. I don't think Noah has affected him too much."

Turning to me, the Woodsman begins to dissipate into the floor, his wooden grains merging with the boards. "The terms have been set. I advise you not break them, or every creature in Barabar will hunt you down, myself included."

The moment he was gone, Baby and Alice collapsed against the walls, breathing hard. "Ohhh, boy." Baby put a hand on his chest, trembling slightly. "Null, you'd better not break your promise. I can't do that again." Alice agreed whole-heartedly, and Dylan simply nodded, pale.

[So, who was that?]

Alice brushed the think layer of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "That was the Woodsman. He's the physical manifestation of Barabar itself - he is the Tavern. Nobody knows how old he is, or how powerful he is, but it's common knowledge that he managed to even get Noah's attention in a fight. Seriously, Null, don't do anything stupid."

[Please. I'm an ant, not a termite.]

Joule chuckles in my head, startling me. I'd almost forgotten she wasn't using her body. [Null, moments like these are where I'm honestly happy Noah's backing us up. That guy was no joke.]

Well, if Joule says he's powerful, I believe her.