“It might be possible… but is way to risky to experiment on someone just to try to create another Woodwalker outside of my own Avatar.”
Leafy seems to be in a good mood, so I am too. It is now a few weeks, since the visit into the Root City. Petal wrote back again twice, while Leafy always answered. Another delegation is scheduled to come for the resuming of the talks about Mana dew. This time without nagging guards, hopefully.
“Good to know, Lord Null. It is nice to see you apprehensive to try modifying just anyone for your goal.”
“Of course not! This would be such a bad Idea!”
I would lose resources without any reason. The created Woodwalker would not certainly be on my side and giving the Root more power might be detrimental for my goals. There might be some day an outing, when they try again to take from me, and it will be harder to retaliate with them stronger than my own Avatar.
For some reason Leafy smiles, so I get a bit embarrassed, as I do not really know how to respond.
Finally I remember something important. There was some talk about ‘taking’ being dangerous. I need to understand what is happening there.
“Leafy, I forgot something important to ask.”
Raising her eyebrows a bit she seems to have forgotten too.
“What is it Lord?”
“Well you had talked about something with the Queen at that time about ‘taking’. There was the notion of something I do not remember, and need your help to understand it.”
A slight gulp came from her. She seems to remember the talk, well it helps she knows what I was referring to.
“I have no recollection of that time. I was with Snow at that time, and did not think straight it seems, but was only for a short while… at least I thought that, but seems wrong. What really happened, while I was out of it.”
She seems a bit reluctant. Maybe she tries to find the best words for it.
“Lord… If that time is the same as what happened within your Domain, then I can tell you about it. Just please promise me to always reign in your anger, if this is something, that happens, when you are distressed.”
Sounds ominous, but what can I do. I can try my best, but if it happens it happens. ...then again, if something takes my consciousness from me and makes me do things, I do not want I will fight it with everything I have, so for now I nod to her.
“When you were attending Snow, I was in the Garden tending the herbs, and collecting fever medicine, when it happened. The earth was quaking and wind was blowing, but the feeling was all wrong. I felt hate, distress, sadness and... madness inside everything. Even space seemed wrong and started distorting. Then the voices came.”
She shivers and holds herself. It seems there was more to all of it than I expected. Warping space? This could be a clue to going back. I should look into that part.
“The voices always revolved about things like ‘taking’. I will take back what they stole. Never again will they take without bleeding horribly. Everything will be taken away by me. They will suffer until I finally take their lives. The voices did not stop. They overlapped themselves and said more and more… insane things like taking the World for themselves and taking away every ones way to die for eternal suffering.”
This sounds rather manic. If this is inside of me, I have much to do in form of coping.
“Well, it seems the whole betrayal has left a deeper scar in me, than I thought. Those things sound rather crazy…”
Leafy nods. Well I can not blame her, hearing such things are a tall order. Taking death away. Is it even possible? Well one or two might be worthy of that, but not all of them… And taking the World? Well the Kingdom was big, but not the whole country. But the elves were in it too… Maybe the dwarfs too… Beastmen were also not fully innocent in that World. Seraphs might be under the rule of that God… I will see, when I am back.
“That explains my lapse in recollection. Thanks Leafy, I might need you for holding me back maybe in the future.”
“I… I will try my best to help you staying sane. For your own good and the World, Lord.”
She is rather clammy right now, but it seems she will help me… for now.
…
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It is time for Petal to come, and she did not let us wait for long. Early in the morning she came through the tunnel with two guards. This time we awaited them right at the Market place next to the Statue. After seeing us the Guards slowed down and stood further away while Petal and Leafy start their greeting.
“Voice of the Crater, I am glad to see you in good health.”
“Ambassador, it is good to see you visiting our humble Domain again.”
With small bow they look at each other… this can not do.
“Come on you two. We worked so hard for you two to get some time to visit each other as friends. Don’t be so official.”
My talking made them look at me incredulous at first, but then both giggle and start to hug each other
“How are you Petal? Are you well? Is everything back to normal?”
“I am great! How are you? It got so different suddenly, but in a good way. I still acclimate myself.”
“To be honest I am still a bit shaken. Too much happened in such a short time, Lord Null is also not helping in making me feel less frightened.”
“Um… Leafy?”
Rude! Ah, well whatever. The two are back to being friends and talking like they done before, so it is a good thing.
…
The whole Mana dew was quickly decided. As I can not make much of it in a short time, it will be rather exchanged every Month. A large vial of about 200 Milliliter will be exchanged for two flasks of dew and one flask of sap. Every flask has around 2 liter, so it is rather much for the low yield. It is enough for Leafy to have a taste of home and for me to try potion making with it.
The reason it is so sought after is now revealed too. No one stopped her from spilling the beans. The Mana dew itself is toxic, but diluted it can help plants to strengthen and fight of parasites or illnesses otherwise hard to cure. Also it has an interesting effect if left out in the open in high Miasma areas. It dissipates the Mana and helps the Miasma to dislodge. Although it is not the only way to clear those places, it is by far the easiest. Nothing disturbs the pure Mana dew as it is toxic to a degree to even radiate a sense of danger to Monster, the Root only need to watch it from afar and not go inside after putting it up.
The herbalists already work on more ways to use it as it has enough mana to overfill someone with mana just in its presence. I can tell a tale about it, as it worked WAY too fast on Red, and he was not even a full day inside as it suddenly broke through the limit.
Petal and Leafy are already gossiping again, while the two guards rest in a recently finished gazebo. They are this time really relaxed, seems like they see it more like a small vacation.
…
“Lord Null, why do you have the face of a Human right now? I heard you were a great creature of the woods, while with the Queen Mother.”
Ah yes. Petal is inquisitive and luckily not afraid of me. Better not explain again how I am a Ghost, I do not want a repeat of Leafy.
“This form is right now a necessity. Albeit it is extremely restraining, it is better to train in this form, as when I go to the human Cities, it is easier to have enhanced control in this Form.”
She nods, it is nice to see her understand right away.
“The shape of a human needs training right?”
“Yes, otherwise it would be way too weak and might not move like I want.”
“I understand. To blend in with humans, it would be easier to not only look like a human but also walk and talk like one. Unlike us in the Forest, you cannot just hide in the trees, as you need to be unsuspecting when in the open. Must be hard.”
“You have no Idea. Even a small mistake made them follow me. I had to escape them one time.”
“I heard the recounting of the scouts. So they followed you because you stood out somehow. Luckily you escaped in this limiting form.”
“I made some tools to help for such situations. In this form I can not hear the trees warn me, so I have to make do with that.”
“Like this, you can not hear the plants? Must be horribly inconvenient walking through the Forest like that. You have my respect, Lord Null.”
“Thank you.”
It is nice to talk to Petal directly and informal. She has a rather bubbly personality in opposition to Leafy. Leafy is more a rigid and honor bound person, but has her kind side too.
While thinking about her, she has a rather strained smile on her face. Looks like she is a bit torn seeing Petal admire me. Well I do not blame her, as I do not really know, what I did do for the admiration, but oh well.
…
Petal is leaving today. She was here two nights and her guards did not bat an eye. They had provisions and even started to braid some ferns to a living… Well it was not finished, so I do not know what they worked on.
While they are going I have to equip Ava with his new armor. This time I have made some configurations better suited for it. The Acid thrower in the shoulder guards of Reds prior armor got put into the helmet this time for Ava. Way better way to control the aim. Adding mice veins into the Alpha Falchion I have now not only the wind cutting, but a way to use lightning. Testing shows something incredible. I can throw lightning by swinging! The wind blade cast by the core of Alpha gets infused with lightning and a shocking wind blade gets shot. Not lightning fast, but it has its uses, as the range is about five meters.
The mask is now more of a visor. Better to move, and I do not have to take the whole helmet of.
I am ready to go back to the City! Just which one?