I ran through the forest dodging trees for an hour when Chantelle was suddenly twenty kilometers closer and more to the east than the north.

It didn't change much with my running, I was still making a tunnel through the snow that collapsed behind me and brushing past tree trunks as I ran. I just had a slightly different direction to be running in. The constant pain from refreshing my muscles distracted me, though I was able to build up a full working model of my body at the cellular level.

Half an hour later Chantelle was back to the north twenty kilometers further away. A couple of minutes after that the snow I had been tunnelling through ended and I ran into a well lit open area. There was a ten meter gap and then a wall of ice that was magically crafted.

I had my power sunk into the ground in front of me to scout ahead, and I could sense that the wall was only a meter thick by the void it made in my sense. I crossed the gap in about a second, leading with my shoulder I braced myself with my power and charged through the wall.

I broke through the wall to find that the source of the light was from the trees on the other side. They were the same types of trees as the rest of the forest; meter thick trunks, six meter long branches, and forty meters tall; but they all glowed with a pale golden light. There was no snow on the ground inside the wall, and I probably could have sped up, but I was set in my pattern of refreshing my muscles and continued on as I had been.

When I got to one hundred meters in from the wall Forest Keepers with spears started dropping down from the trees, blocking my path. I dropped my perception of time. There was a path through them. I ignored all of them that weren't directly blocking me, which left only five that I had to deal with. The first one thrust out his spear to block me as I came close. He wasn't attacking me, just trying to stop me. I dove forward under his spear. Turning the dive into a roll I came to my feet behind their lines and continued running. Looking up into the trees showed more Forest Keepers trying to get ahead of me.

I was moving too quickly for them to form another blockade against me. I had outran them when I came across an enormous tree that was shining with an inner blue light, the trunk was at least six meters across. Its branches formed a clearing twenty meters wide. It was directly in my path, forcing me to go around.

As I got to the side the ground started shaking. Tree roots from the trees at the edge of the clearing rose from the ground, weaving into a barrier. I could cut my way through it, but it might slow me down enough for the Forest Keepers to stop me.

I stopped running for the first time in what felt like forever. As my muscles refreshed to peak condition the ever-present pain vanished. What was I doing? The pain had made it so that I could only think about one thing, getting to Chantelle. Which was definitely my main priority, but I didn't want to make an enemy of the Forest Keepers if I didn't have to. I considered them to be allies, at least so far as Mal'Thorn was a diplomat representing them and he was an ally.

"Lord C.C." Someone said, behind me.

I turned to find Mal'Thorn climbing down the barrier. "Greetings Mal'Thorn." I said. "How is it that you are here?"

"We had just arrived and were looking for a way past the wall when you ran through it." Mal'Thorn said. "I followed you as quickly as possible and changed the Order of the Forest from kill to a block and detain."

"One of your Forest Keeper powers?" I asked. "I thought you could only use them on people who broke your rules?"

"There are no limitations on our power when it comes to defending the Heart of the Forest." He said. "This great tree is the center of our power."

"I didn't mean to intrude." I said. "Now that I can think clearly I see that I was led here by winter. I take they have an army besieging your people?"

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"That would be a good guess." He said. "There were winter priests atop the wall you ran through. I've only just arrived myself, I have yet to report to my Queen."

"Which you should do now." A female voice said from above us. "Explain yourself Mal'Thorn. Why did you modify our Order to remove this intruder?"

The owner of the voice dropped from the lowest branch of the heart tree, a six meter fall, and landed easily to stand two meters away, facing me. She was wearing a gold crown and green silk robes, and was as tall as I was, looking me in the eyes. Mal'Thorn was behind her, ten meters away, and dropped to one knee.

There were other Forest Keepers appearing now, coming down the barrier and the trunk of the heart tree. The ones coming down the heart tree looked to be elite guards. I noticed my hand was gripping the hilt of my sword at my back, and after a moment of consideration chose to leave the sword sheathed. The best way through this is likely to talk.

"This is Lord C.C., of the new claim to the south." Mal'Thorn said.

"The Champion with earth mastery." The Queen said. "It would have been wrong to kill a vassal so lightly. Though his standing at the heart of my domain without showing any deference makes me reconsider that."

I smiled. Mal'Thorn must have read something in my expression, because his eyes widened in alarm.

"Please, my Queen, do not threaten him." Mal'Thorn said. "We, the Forest Keepers of Mal Forest, owe him a debt."

Mal'Thorn explained what had happened with the head priest of winter, including his declaration of war against the Forest Keepers, and how I got them past the siege of my fortress, and then incidentally through the siege here.

"I would further suggest." Mal'Thorn said. "That he has the personal strength to kill everyone present. It is my belief that it is within his power to offer refuge from Winter, for the Forest."

At this point we had the Forest Keeper elite guards surrounding us in a rectangle, keeping a five meter distance from each of the three of us. At Mal'Thorn's mention of my being able to kill them all there was a universal reaction, teeth bared, tails lashing, and grips tightened to whiteness on the hilts of their thin swords. It was a pretty impressive display from the sixty guards.

"You would admit weakness of the Forest Keepers in front of him?" The Queen said.

"He was going to attack." Mal'Thorn said. "Not because he was insulted by your threat against him, or from any fear. He would have attacked because it would be entertaining to him, and he would have seen your challenge as permission to test his strength against you."

My smile turned into a grin. Huh. I hadn't actually thought it through fully, but Mal'Thorn's assessment was basically accurate. I was just going to cut a single line in the cheek of all of the guards, and with that done knock them unconscious if they continued to fight. Of course it would have been difficult, and with the Queen being able to control the Forest I would have had to prioritise taking her down. It would have been interesting. Entertaining, as Mal'Thorn put it.

The Queen didn't look convinced.

"A demonstration?" I asked Mal'Thorn.

He sighed and looked to his Queen, who nodded.

Any contest with the guards would end up either failing or with them all unconscious. I slowed time and considered different possibilities. It needed to be flashy, a show of my strength that couldn't be countered.

I sank my power into the ground at my feet, reinforcing it so that I wouldn't leave a hole. Fusing the bottom of my wooden shoes to the ground for the few moments I needed, I crouched, detached my shoes from the ground, and leapt in a dash towards Mal'Thorn at near maximum strength.

My path would take me right past the Queen, and I timed it perfectly to both take her crown and cut a very thin line in her cheek. She wouldn't feel either, but the cut would bleed for a few moments before stopping.

I moved my leading foot back to the ground as I neared Mal'Thorn. I sank my power into the ground to prevent a hole where I landed, then pressed down to stop my momentum, pivoting as I did so.

I nearly stumbled as I came to a stand facing the Queen, my muscles exhausted. I started refreshing them as I brought my perception of time back up. The Queen took a half step backwards from the wind of my passing and turned to face Mal'Thorn and I.

"What was that?" The Queen asked.

"A demonstration of my personal combat strength." I said, spinning her crown around my finger.

"My Queen, you are bleeding." Mal'Thorn said.

"A superficial cut." I said. "It's already stopped bleeding. I wasn't sure if you had any personal defences, and I wanted to be sure it was known that it wouldn't matter."

I turned to Mal'Thorn. "This diplomacy, establishing our positions, is important." I said. "But my ultimate priority is Chantelle. She is with Winter now, and I need to get her back before they decide they don't need her anymore."

I handed him the crown. "I can leave a portal here, so that I can return quickly once I'm done." I said. "Though it won't work without me nearby."

It would take me half an hour to carve, but being able to come back any time I wanted would make it worth the time invested I think.