Back in Fyor, Lifre was flying towards the small opening in the tree, still waving her hands. If she were to be far enough back to view the tree in its entirety, this hole would be completely unnoticeable. As it was now, she didn’t feel like she was looking at a tree, but rather a massive, flat wall of bark.
“What are you?” One of the watching plant-people called out, a green spear forming in her hands as she used the same method of conversing via natural energy. Clearly, she was wary of the little pale girl flying over.
“Don’t be afraid of me! I’m not a bad slime!” She said, deciding to shift her body into a gelatinous white blob to demonstrate, before turning back to normal. “So, where are the things that I can punch!?”
The two were still stunned, with Lena and Petra appearing behind Lifre a moment later. Lena let out a small sigh, translating. She spoke in a strange language, using her divinity to ensure that Lifre and Petra could understand. “I’m sorry about my friend. She’s looking to take part in a battle against those that plague your wood. I assure you that we mean no harm.”
Hearing Lena speak in a familiar language, the two guards relaxed slightly, speaking more calmly. “Where are you from, strangers? And how do you know our tongue?”
Lena flew closer with the others, smiling. “We hail from a land far away, where the woods do not grow as they do here, and the crawlers do not roam. Our party travels in search of adventure, with the loud, pale one as our leader.”
“Loud? Pale?” Lifre asked, aghast at the description of herself, before nodding her head. “Okay, fair.”
The two guards nodded their heads, one looking at the other before retreating into the hole in the wood. The other guard moved to the center of the hole, as if to block them from entering. “My partner must go and confer with the others.”
Lena nodded her head in understanding, a gentle smile on her face. “Of course. May I take a moment to explain things to my friends? One of my abilities allows me to gain information from my surroundings, which is how I speak your language.”
The guard perked a brow, but nodded her head as Lena turned to face Lifre and Petra. Perhaps it was to be polite, but she continued to talk in the language of the tree spirits. “Right now, we are dealing with the inhabitants of the outer ring. They are the strongest breed of the tree’s inhabitants, as they fight to protect it from the monsters outside.”
“The one who just left is on her way to speak with an elder in the heartwood, the inner core of the tree. If she were to travel normally, we would be waiting for years for her return. However, the black walls within the tree allow for quick transportation to other areas of the tree. She should be back in only a few moments. Isn’t that right, my friend?” Lena asked, looking at the guard, who nodded her head.
“Oooh, so there are black stone walls in the tree? Wait, did the tree just grow around those in the first place? Is the gate to the next floor in one of these trees?” Lifre asked in excitement, while Petra furrowed her brow.
“Wait… how can they use the black walls? Even if they’re not the gate leading to the next floor, only one of the approved races should be able to use them, right?” Petra asked in concern, being far more familiar with how things worked in Fyor. Lifre blinked as she realized that the demon girl had a valid point, looking to Lena for an answer.
“It’s because these aren’t the same black stone walls.The black walls within the tree are artificially created from materials harvested beneath the roots of the tree. They have techniques to break the connection between the stone and its original partner, and then connect it to a new target. That’s how they created their gates.”
The guard seemed impressed by Lena’s explanation. “You truly do know much of our ways, stranger. Could it be that you are from another wood, similar to ours?”
Lena thought about how to explain it for a moment, before smiling. “No, I am not of the wood. The power I hold is similar to the one you call Heart Father. His power is that of Wood, and mine is of another theme.”
The guard’s eyes widened, but so did Lifre’s. “Wait, they even have a god here?” She asked, and Lena nodded her head in confirmation.
“That’s right. Actually, they have seven, but only one of them is seen as the true central figure of the tree.” She explained.
Petra couldn’t help but blink. “This is the first time that we’ve seen naturally occurring gods since the thirty-ninth floor.”
“Gods… is that the term you use for the Awakened?” The guard asked curiously, and Lena nodded her head.
“That’s right. We do not live among the woods as you do, but rather on the lands below in a place far away. There, gods are as numerous as the leaves of the great tree. It is even possible for one to ‘awaken’ multiple times. I myself have reached the limit of such awakenings, having done so nine times. Likewise, both of my companions have experienced at least one awakening of their own.”
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The guard’s eyes went wide when she heard this, shock evident on her face. Moments later, when the other guard was seen returning with a more muscular male, wearing brown wooden armor, the first guard pulled them both aside to whisper.
The expressions of the two newcomers changed drastically as the guard whispered to them, though Lena did not tell either Lifre or Petra what was being said. Instead, they just waited, the male figure floating out of the tree after the guard was done talking. He cupped his hands together and bowed to the trio.
“My apologies for making such esteemed figures wait for my presence. My name is Estyle, Branch Guardian of the great wood. How may I be of service to you?” He asked. Lifre was just about to speak up when Lena immediately placed a hand over her mouth.
“My friend here comes seeking adventure from a foreign land. When I spoke of those which ail your tree, she wanted nothing more than to combat them in the hopes of driving them away. We do not wish to cause harm to your wood, nor change your way of life. If you wish, we may establish a friendly connection with one another, and more of our kind may appear in the future, but it is not our goal to harm you in any way.”
“More of your kind?” Estyle asked curiously. “The awakened as numerous as the great leaves?”
Lifre chuckled, her voice muffled by Lena’s hand, while the latter nodded her head. “The gods, yes, but also more. There are those among our kind who possess similar levels of power without being gods themselves. As you have introduced yourself, I shall do the same. My name is Lena, and I am the servant of one we call Keeper, the creator of all. My pale friend here is Lifre, also a servant to the Keeper, and the girl of red skin is named Petra, one we call friend.”
Estyle nodded his head at that. “I see. If I may guide you to the canopy, esteemed ones, I would show you the enemy that we face, and see how you would drive them out.”
Lena gestured for him to lead the way, finally removing her hand from Lifre’s mouth. The slime let out an exaggerated breath, rolling her eyes at Lena. “It’s not like everything goes wrong when I speak!”
“No, but you aren’t really delicate when talking to new people.” Lena said, sticking her tongue out playfully as Estyle turned, leading them into the hole of the tree. Inside, they saw a flat road, lit by glowing veins that ran along the walls.
“Just to let you know…” Estyle said, looking back at Lifre and the others. “The crawler is feeding right now, so the hive beasts are remaining dormant for the time being.”
“Yeah, about that!” Lifre spoke up suddenly. “If the ‘crawlers’ only eat plant stuff, why are the other monsters so scared of them?”
Estyle blinked for a moment, as if he thought the answer was obvious. “If a small creature were to try and disrupt your meal, you would swat it, would you not? It is the same with the crawlers. Should the hive beasts emerge and disturb them as they are eating, the crawler will smash its nest.”
“Ohhh.” Lifre nodded in understanding. “And these hive beasts, do they also eat the leaves of the tree, or…” Her words trailed off, eyes widening when she saw a faint look of pain on Estyle’s face. “No… don’t tell me they eat you guys?”
“The hive beasts eat as they will. If we do not regularly fight them off, they will break into the wood to find their prey. Thus, it is the work of Branch Guardians like myself to take a stand against them.”
Hearing Estyle’s explanation, Petra smiled. “You must be really strong, if you have such a heavy responsibility. It’s one thing to be chosen for the job, but being able to survive it shows that you have the strength to deserve it.”
Estyle seemed to enjoy the compliment, his back going a bit straighter. “Thank you for your kind words, esteemed Petra. However, I am but one of many. Every branch is defended by countless guardians.” As he said that, they arrived at a wall of solid, black stone. Estyle placed his hand against it, energy rippling from his palm.
“I will hold the gate open, until the three of you are on the other side. You will be able to see for yourself the branch I defend.”
Lifre was the first to walk through, followed by Petra, and finally Lena. On the other side, it looked as if they had entered an entirely new world. The ground stretched as far as they could see, covered in alternating patches of green and brown. “Grass? No, this is moss, right?” Lifre asked, to which Lena nodded her head.
Up above, they could see a dense network of branches spreading millions of kilometers above them, as well as massive leaves that nearly blocked out the light above. However, Lifre could also see the ‘hives’, brown structures the size of giant planets, hanging from the nearby branches.
The branch trembled as a massive, pink wall rose up beside the branch, wrapping around a leaf and pulling it back down. Lifre’s body froze at the realization that that was just the tongue of the crawler below. “Holy Keeper that puts things in perspective!” She uttered, looking at the hive again. After a moment of observation, she could see a few of the hive beasts emerging, and they looked different from what she had imagined.
These were not creatures such as wasps or hornets. Rather, they resembled black squids with hardened bodies, flying through the air by releasing bursts of energy behind them. Each of their tentacles had a thick stinger that glinted in the light. Their entire body was only about ten meters long, and two meters thick. “Wait, is that it?” She asked, as if disappointed in the enemy that she had come so far to fight.
Estyle shook his head, following her gaze. “That is one of the hive beasts. However, when they swarm, they form a dense, black cloud of death. Individually, I could fight them for hours without growing tired. Yet, when I face ten, a hundred, or even a thousand on my own, I can only pray that the wood protects me.”
Petra couldn’t help but gasp at that, looking around. “And every branch faces this plight? How many hives are there?”
“None have lived to count them all.” Estyle informed her. “Should a hive be destroyed, those from other hives will rebuild it, while their attacks will become more and more dangerous to replenish their numbers.”
Lifre grimaced, realizing that this was a more challenging trial than she had expected. Of course, that only made her expression form into a grin a few moments later, excitement building within her.