Speed was of the essence, so I moved forward, peeking around the bend in the path to see what had happened to the goblins. The path widened ahead and right near the edge of the path was a half-dead tree. For something planted in a thriving tropical jungle, the tree looked dried out and sickly. It was devoid of leaves, and nothing grew in the ground around it. Hanging in its branches were the two whimpering and struggling goblins. The tips of several branches were stuck into the flesh of the goblins and the tree seemed to be feeding off them somehow.
Options were limited, and even though the path was a bit wider near the tree, the monster had more than enough reach to grab whoever tried to pass by. It also had more than enough limbs to snatch up me and all my minions, so sending one of them in as a sacrificial lamb was out. Maybe the condition of the tree was the answer to how to deal with it.
“Rupert, Glum, run back to the goblin bonfire and bring back some burning sticks,” I ordered. The pair scampered off to follow my orders, and in less than a minute they came back, each hauling a burning chuck of wood.
“Toss them at the tree, but don’t get too close,” I told the pair. They moved forward, and though they were well out of range of the tree, I could see the limbs of the monstrosity quiver in anticipation of another meal. Marvin Glum’s throw was a bit off the mark, and the burning log landed in the desolate ground around the tree. Rupert was on the mark and his shot hit the trunk of the tree and rolled only a few inches away.
A rumbling, creaking sound erupted from the tree, almost as if it was trying to move away from the deadly threat just a few feet from it. I sent the pair back for more burning logs to toss, but as I watched, their first shots seemed to be doing better than I had expected. The dried-up ground around the tree was littered with dead plants, likely victims of the tree as it had grown there. Despite the humidity, the tree seemed to absorb all moisture around it, and the flames of both logs were starting to catch in the dry kindling the tree had inadvertently created with its feeding.
By the time Rupert and Glum returned, a small fire was starting at the base of the tree and the bark of the trunk was starting to catch. The tree began to swat at the flames, using the bodies of the two goblins like a pair of fire blankets. It would have been effective if the goblins hadn’t been summoned creatures. The earlier feeding, combined with being slammed into the fiery mulch killed the fragile goblins who disappeared in a puff of mana vapor.
The tree tried to use its branches to swat out the flames, but the dried limbs started to catch fire themselves. My minions threw their next round of burning logs and I had them target new spots, away from the existing flames. Both shots were decent, and the evil tree now was ringed in fire that was licking at the trunk. In no time, the fire engulfed the tree, which began to shudder violently before finally going still.
“Let’s move, keep to the far side of the path,” I ordered. The hound was positioned in front, with me right behind. Rupert was behind me, and Marvin Glum brought up the rear. I could feel the heat of the blazing tree, and half expected it to reach out in a final act of defiance, like a villain in a horror movie, but the thing was good and dead by this time.
Once past the burning tree, we moved back to the center of the now wider path. I kept up the pace of a slow jog, which was surprisingly easy to do with my enhanced stats. Most of my physical stats weren’t high, but I was stronger than I had been before becoming a summoned being.
In less than a mile, the jungle gave way to rolling plains and well-tended fields. A crop that looked like wheat, or something similar was growing, and though I was no farming expert, it looked like it was ready for harvesting. In the distance, a small village stood, with several indistinct figures walking around it. A low wall surrounded the village with an open gate near the road. While the wall looked like it was built for defensive purposes, nobody was standing watch, or giving me and my team more than a casual glance.
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It was odd, even when I got closer to the village, the images of the people remained indistinct and blurry. Even the structures were hard to make out the detail of. With weapons at the ready, we pressed forward, there was nothing to be gained by standing back and trying to analyze things further. As we neared the village gate, my vision swam, and a system prompt appeared.
You have reached the second stage of the challenge. All health and mana will now be replenished. Your current rank is 306/1000.
For this stage of the trial, you must take control of the village in front of you. Three other villages are inside the valley and a war is waging between them. Eliminate the other three challengers to secure victory. Select your faction from the remaining choices. Further instructions will be given once you and the other three challengers are ready.
Congratulations, you are the first of the four challengers in your group to reach this stage. You will have first choice among the four factions vying for control of the valley. In addition, you will receive 2 immediate structure upgrades while the other challengers will receive 1.
While you will not be able to leave the confines of your village until the other contenders arrive, you will have the advantage of inspecting your village and plan for the coming fight. Please choose one of the following factions to align yourself with.
1. Human Wheat Farmers.
2. Elvish Vinesingers.
3. Halfling Fungus Burrow Tenders.
4. Orcish Hog Wranglers.
This was strange, it looked like the next stage in the arena challenge was some kind of village battle between four factions. A summoned being would oversee each village, and we had to participate in some free-for-all battle if we wanted to secure victory. This was going to eliminate a huge number of contenders before the next challenge, as only one in four would make it past this stage. I was already moving up the ranks and was at 306/1000. If I could pull this stage of the challenge off, I’d likely be among the top-ranking contenders.
There were four different faction choices for me to pick from. The system was being its usual vague self once again and didn’t give me much of an idea of the advantages and disadvantages of each faction. With nothing else to go on, I’d have to say that the orcs seemed like the best choice. This was going to be a fight, and I had to believe that orcish hog wranglers would be better in a scrap than some halflings growing fungus.
Of course, I could be completely misreading this whole thing, but I remembered Lavelle’s advice. Lavell had told me to be bold and aggressive as the other contenders at tier one would tend to be a bit more cautious given it was a new experience for them. Nothing said bold and aggressive like an orc.
You have selected the Orcish Hog Wranglers as your faction. Step forward and claim your village.
I walked past the village gate, and it was like everything snapped into focus. The indistinct buildings became crude but sturdy structures, and the wall went from a nice stone affair, to a rickety looking one that was made from mismatched pieces of lumber and stood between six and eight feet tall, depending on what bits of lumber had been used for that section.
The streets were dirt and mud caked, and the smell was something between a farmyard and a septic tank. My hound whimpered and tried to shake the filth off his feet, but only succeeded in spraying the rest of us with the gunk. Getting over the olfactory assault, I could see my new village was a hive of activity. Orcs went about their tasks, with most of them tending to a bunch of oversized hogs that were stuffed into four corrals.
Unlike the first orc that I’d ever seen, these guys weren’t nearly as impressive. They were larger and more muscular than an average human, but they didn’t have the battle-hardened look that the other orcs I’d run into possessed. A few larger specimens of the orcs manned a quartet of rickety watchtowers placed just inside the wall.
The ones in the watch towers were at least equipped with simple armor and weapons and they had the familiar, predatory look about them. Sadly, there were only four of the buffed-up orcs in sight, one in each tower. The rest of this village seemed to consist of the scrawnier farmer orcs, all of which were moving in slow motion like a bunch of tired, unmotivated kids.
I wasn’t sure what I’d gotten myself into and was beginning to wonder if elves or humans might have been the better option. Unfortunately, there was no way to go back and change my selection.
“Oy, you da new boss?” A rumbling voice growled from behind me. I turned to see an older orc in thick studded leather armor holding a well-used battleaxe in each hand. He had scars over most of his exposed skin and I could tell this guy was a real fighter. Finally, this was the type of orc I was hoping to find.