"treeline" - читать интересную книгу автора (Washington Marc)Magekiller: Tree LineIt was almost sunset. If I had a favorite time of day, then this would be it. Unfortunately, instead of watching the peaceful end of yet another day, I was tromping through thick brush trying to keep myself from being eaten alive by insects and trees. I would have added wild animals to that list, but there weren't any. Not any more. From the looks of it, the foliage had finished the animals off several months ago. No, that's not the usual state of affairs; that's why I'm here. My name is Sheridyn... and I kill mages. This time, my duty takes me to Wildhorn Wood... a tiny strip of wilderness located in an insignificant little kingdom by the name of Zofrel. It seems that Zofrel's reigning idiot, King Rellin, got suspicious when his royal patrols stopped returning from this particular area of the woods. So, being the intelligent fellow that he was, he did what any king would do... he sat on his ass while ever-increasing numbers of his royal soldiers took one-way trips into the forest. He was very circumspect about the exact number of men that he lost... so I'm guessing that the Royal Cadre must have been down to a few ditch-diggers and a stable-boy by the time I arrived. The king's eldest son, Prince Rellin, had the foresight to disobey his father and call me in. That put him a notch above the king in my book... but just one notch. A small notch. But then insisted that he and a handful of assorted lackeys accompany me, despite my insistence that, like most Magekillers, I work alone. I said no; they insisted. Fortunately, I've dealt with royalty before, and I am always prepared for such contingencies. We left the capital at dawn yesterday, and traveled together until nightfall. We made camp with the intention of setting out at dawn once again. I was the only one that made it. During the night, I slipped a little something into their canteens. The locals call it zung-water, but I call it my 'anti-obstinance' drug. The Prince and his boys probably recovered from the stomach cramps and violent, uncontrollable diarrhea around mid-day, which would give me about six hours head start. After dosing up the Prince just before dawn, I headed on to Wildhorn. I was dealing with a Tree. I knew that much before I even saw the first death-blossom or strangler vine. I didn't think I'd be seeing them again... not after Fernhelm. But a seed must have made its way out and set up camp here. It'd feed off the animal life for acres until there wasn't anything left. Then the main trunk would die of starvation, but not before producing another seed that would start the thing over again after a year or so of dormancy. That was the thing about Trees... a mage who had the misfortune to become one was pretty much guaranteed immortality... as a flesh-eating plant. Each seed is an exact copy of the original, right down to the memories. The only way to stop it was to kill the Tree before the seed dropped. I thought I had done that in Fernhelm, but I guess I was mistaken. This time I had to be sure. Fortunately the Tree had been dining on a steady diet of King Rellin's soldiers. It was fat and happy... and if I caught it quick then there wouldn't be any more coming after it. To that end, I had about forty pounds of silver strapped to my back. Actually it was a blend of metals... an alloy stronger that steel, but that was still almost 60% silver. Silver distorts magic, a fact that's made it about four times as valuable as gold. Magekilling is an expensive business, and over the years I've had my hands on enough silver to by six or seven kingdoms the size of Zofrel. Usually it ended up protruding from some slavering beast's chest, or in the case of Trees, buried in the ground around the main trunk. Currently, I had my standard assortment of silver tipped wooden spikes of varying lengths. These were good for lots of things... most notably vampires and werewolves. I also had a collection of silver-bladed daggers, ranging from balanced throwing knives to the huge machete that I was using to cut my way through the brush. Then there were the twin longswords and the woodsman's axe hanging from my belt. Even my leather armor had silver studs in it, mostly over vital chest and abdominal areas. I also had some medical supplies for the occasional 'sucking chest wound' that occurred in the line of duty. With all this jingling metal and equipment I certainly wasn't going to be sneaking up on anyone, but stealth wasn't going to be a big factor in this job. No doubt, the Tree already knew I was there. It probably thought I was another quick meal, but was wondering why I was cutting my own path instead of staying on the road. I stepped off of the main path just after I entered the Wood, and from the relative safety of the tree-line, I trailed the path as it wound deeper into the forest. According to the Prince, the path lead straight to the area where his men had disappeared. Most likely, the path WAS the place where his men had vanished. Every once in a while I would come to large, oblong lumps laying just off the road. They were completely covered with thorny strangler vines, and I'd bet my entire load of silver that if I took the time to slice one open, I'd find one of good King Rellin's royal soldiers strangled, crushed and dissolved to a nice, gooey consistency... just right for digestion. Yummy. I expected the strangler vines to lead off away from the road, but instead, they tracked it, and so did I. They would lead me right to the main trunk, and then the fun would start. I kept a steady progression until the daylight began to fade, then I lit a torch and began casting about for a place to camp. The Prince had said that there were hunter's cabins scattered through the woods... but so far I hadn't seen one. I should have had the whelp draw me a map before I slipped him the drugs, but it was too late now. I wandered for a while and found one just after it got dark. It was just off of the main road, but there weren't any stranglers or blossoms in the immediate area. But there was one small problem. Prince Rellin and his men burst out of the woods about five minutes after I arrived, while I was still inspecting the area. They were on foot, which was quite surprising considering they had had horses when I left them. They were also coming from the direction of the road... which made me instantly suspicious. They hadn't seen me yet, so I ducked behind the cabin and watched. There were five of them, and none of them looked very happy. One man appeared to be either unconscious or dead. Two others were carrying him. Prince Rellin was in perfect health, although he looked a little paler than he was the last time I saw him. He and another man each carried a torch in one hand an a sword in the other. All five of them headed for the cabin's front door without even bothering to check the area first. I figured it was time to do my good deed for the day and prevent them from being killed. I walked around the side of the cabin and shouted just as Rellin was reaching for the door. "HOLD!" "What? YOU!" Big surprise... everyone turned towards me and started waving weapons. "You POISONED US!" shouted the other torch-bearer. His name was Long. And if I remembered correctly, the unconscious man was Thurmond and the two carrying him were Shear and Wilyan. They were all career soldiers in the Zoften royal guard... which meant I could kick their collective asses with one hand caught in a bear trap. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that until AFTER I had done what I came to do. "I was trying to save your lives," I replied. "You probably figured that out by now." I nodded at Thurmond. I saw that his chest was moving, which meant that either he was breathing or that there was something squirming around inside him trying to get out. Either one was just as likely at this point. "The use of poison is punishable by DEATH, Sheridyn!" spat the Prince. "And using it on a member of the ROYAL-" "What are you going to do... kill me twice?" "In the morning, I'm taking you back to the capital where you will ROT in the royal dungeon." "Magekillers are above the law in any kingdom... we are bound only by Imperial Edicts and answer solely to the Priesthood. You know that." "The Priests shall hear about-" "Not only that... but I am authorized to take any action to complete my tasks. That means I could kill you all right now and not get so much as a reprimand." "He THREATENS you, Prince Rellin!" "Oh, shut up. I'm here to kill a mage. You interfere... you die. Plain and simple. I'm surprised your royal tutors didn't teach you that, Prince Rellin. Or maybe they did and you just conveniently forgot it." The soldiers looked at their prince, who could only nod and lower his sword. After all... I WAS right. "Let's check out this cabin and get settled in," I suggested. "Then you can tell me what happened to Thurmond." As if I didn't already know what happened to Thurmond. Prince Rellin reached for the door again, and again I stopped him. "Ahhh... perhaps you'd better let me do that," I said. "Why?" "You ARE royalty after all. Wouldn't want that royal blood of yours splattered all over this cabin like a coat of fresh paint. Mages like to set traps... let me check it out first." The Prince backed off. I unslung my pack and pulled out a glass globe about four inches in diameter. It was filled with a light green liquid. The glass itself was about an inch thick. I shook it, and the liquid inside began to glow, it's eerie green light bathed everything nearby. "MAGIC!" yelled Long. "Chemistry," I corrected him. I had just used a word with more syllables than he could count, and the look on his face was priceless. I held the globe in my left hand, I drew my sword with my right. One kick sent the door flying open with a bang, revealing the dark interior of the cabin. I couldn't see a damn thing. I put the globe on the floor just inside the door and nudged it with my foot. It rolled to the center of the room, where it's light illuminated the one-room cabin. Nothing moved. No winged horrors rushed forth, no spell-casting lunatics leapt from the shadows. I must admit I was a little disappointed. The cabin was empty, and just large enough for a small hunting party to stow their equipment and sleep comfortably. There were two windows that had not one shard of glass in them. Fortunately each one had shutters which could be closed and secured against the elements and intruders. "Are you QUITE through?" said Prince Rellin. He pushed past me into the cabin. His other lackeys followed suit. I was hoping that the wooded floor would collapse and dump the lot of them into the gaping maw of a passing wood-wyrm, but I didn't have any such luck. They placed Thurmond on the floor and tried to wake him up. I closed the door and secured the shutters. There was no stove and no lamps, so my globe was the only light we had. "How long has he been like that?" I asked the Prince. "A few hours. We were on the path and saw some strange vines. They had flowers... like this..." The Prince held up his hands about two feet apart in front of his chest. "White and yellow. All over the forest..." "Thurmond get a whiff of one?" The prince nodded. "Then what happened?" "While we were trying to wake him up the horses got into another patch of those flowers. They must have eaten them." "They're irresistible to animals. And usually fatal." "It was getting dark and I knew there was a cabin not too far ahead. We carried Thurmond-" "After the flower... Did you leave Thurmond alone for any length of time?" "He was with us. Why?" "Not even for a second while you saw to the horses? You didn't turn your backs for an instant?" The Prince thought for a moment, and then gave the tell-tale frown that told me I'd probably end up killing him AND Thurmond before the night was over. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, though... for now. I sat down in a corner, and unpacked my weapons. I placed my blades around me in a semi-circle, then took up each one and inspected it for patches of tarnish. Finding a few, I opened my container of saline polish and began applying a thick coat of it to every blade in my collection. The others looked at me as if I was crazy. They were waiting for me to tell them what the hell was going on. "It's a Tree," I said. It didn't explain a damn thing, but I just loved the look on the Prince's face when I went back to tending my weapons without another word. "My man is sick," he said. "And you're telling jokes?" "He'll be fine by morning," I lied. I was already trying to figure a way to get rid of this bunch. "You know what this thing is? This thing we're here to kill?" "I'M here to kill a mage." "Which is on MY kingdom's sovereign land." Like most royal families, the Rellins spoke with a peculiar mix of tone and grammar that made everything the said sound pompous and ridiculous. Prince Rellin was a master at it. Maybe even a Grand Master. The Prince's nose got closer to the ceiling with every word he spoke. Another two sentences and he'd be hanging from the roof by his nostrils. "Mages don't respect sovereignty," I said. "And neither do I." "Nevertheless, " said the Prince "I am here to do battle with this creature. Tell us what it is." "I told you." "You told us NOTHING!" The Prince drew his sword... probably more out of habit than of any intention to use it. I just looked up at him, my eyes going from his sword to his face and back again. He got the idea and put the pig-sticker away. Idiot. "These men... they are the best the kingdom has to offer." I skipped the obvious sarcastic comment. "They have lost friends and brothers to this thing in the woods. They will see it's blood on the end of their swords-" "Trees don't have blood. Just sap." "Then WHATEVER it has, it shall run in rivers upon the ground!" "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound?" "We'll find this thing and kill it... with or without your help." "You'll likely end up dead both ways. You don't know what your facing. And even if you did, you don't have the tools or the skills to face it and live." "We, sir," said Long, "are SOLDIERS of the royal guard!" "And I'm so very impressed. The experience you have catching thieves and pickpockets in town will REALLY come in handy when you're wrapped head to toe in strangler vines. When your bones are snapping like twigs and while inch-long thorns are pumping digestive acid into your muscles... the honor of royal guardsmanship will CERTAINLY save your ass, then!" As expected, Long took that opportunity to exit the conversation. "We WILL hunt this thing," said the Prince in his best royal-speak. "even if it ends us. You know this beast and how to kill it. If you do not share that knowledge with us then our deaths will be on YOUR soul." "Join the crowd." "You have no heart, killer of mages." "Oh, I have a heart all right. I just want to keep mine inside my chest where it belongs. YOU apparently want yours squeezed dry like a sponge and then dissolved from the inside out." "That is our choice." "Fine then," I said. "What do you want to know?" "The creature. What is it?" "It was a man once. Probably a druid... a mage who draws power from the earth. Over time, the magic changes those who try to exploit it. First it drives them mad... then it turns them into monsters." "And what is THIS monster?" "A Tree. About fifty feet high and six feet in diameter, with a network of shallow roots that run for miles in all directions. The roots detect movement on the surface, and that's where it sends the vines. It strings a set of specialized vines up along any well-traveled route... which is why you didn't find any of MY tracks on that road. The vines have those sweet blossoms you saw... as big as a man's chest. The pollen is a potent sedative Dulls the senses to the point of complete numbness... then sleep... then coma. While a man is comatose, a different set of vines drags him off into the woods. If he were lucky, the vines would wrap him up and slowly digest him. But sometimes Trees have other needs besides food. That's when it gets ugly." "How do you kill it?" "Silver." I held up one of my silver spikes. "The main trunk is hidden somewhere in this forest. Probably not very far away, judging from the foliage density in the area. Beneath that trunk is a large, thick root that runs straight down, almost like a carrot. You've gotta take these spikes here and drive them in at angles around the trunk... pierce the root in about two or three places as far down as you can get it." "With THAT thing?" The Prince had a point... the spike I was holding was only about a foot and a half long. I showed him the rest of my gear, which included a hammer and a set of metal extensions that screw onto each spike. Each extension added another two feet, and I could keep adding them until I got the length I needed. "A hammer and spikes," said the Prince. "Silver spikes. Silver spikes laced with salt. In the morning, I'll start following those vines back to the main trunk. They can meander for miles, so it might take a while. When I reach the trunk, I'll spike it and then it'll all be over." "And this creature is just going to let you walk up to it and drive metal spikes through its heart?" "No. Strangler vines are quick and deadly... and the closer I get, the more there'll be." "Then it is lucky that you will have our assistance." "I work alone. You wanna wander around by yourselves... fine. But if I catch you following me then I'm likely to mistake your head for the main trunk. Stay away." "Then give us the tools to kill it. You have plenty to share...""I have just enough for me to do the job." "Then we will HELP you do it!" "You're talking in circles, Prince. You can't help me... and I've given YOU all the help you're going to get." The Prince nodded. "A contest, then. We shall see who reaches the trunk first. And if we don't have the tools, we'll PRY the damn thing up with our swords and drag it back to the capital!" My sudden fit of laughter nearly dislodged my lunch. In all my adult life, that was the closest I had ever come to soiling my own clothes. Well... except for that time in the Webstin Caverns. I have to admit, the Prince sure knew how to bring some levity to an otherwise morbid occupation. The fact that he was dead serious only made it that much funnier. I got control of myself several minutes later, but for the remainder of the night I subjected the Prince to more random outbursts of chuckling. Neither he, nor his men found any humor in it... which was too bad since they were probably going to be dead by this time tomorrow. Prince Rellin set up a watch schedule that included everyone but me. It seems that they were reluctant to let me have free run of their water and supplies while they slept. I wonder why? It didn't matter; I wasn't going to get any sleep anyway. Whether out in the open or sealed up in a hunter's cabin, sleeping in a Tree's territory was pretty high on the list of unique but effective ways to commit suicide. While the others settled down, I repacked my freshly-polished equipment and relocated to a corner as far away from the doors and windows as possible. I slipped into a light meditative state... a little trick they teach you in the first year of training. Sleeping on the job could get you killed, but if you could calm your mind just so for a few hours a day then you could go without real sleep for weeks. I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing. To everyone else I was asleep, but I had focused my attention on the sounds around me. Even with a man on watch... if anything happened I'd probably be the first one to know about it. 'Anything' happened about halfway though the night. Long was on watch, and everyone was asleep... including Long. He was dozing lightly enough to hear me when I got up and unsheathed my sword, though. "What are you doing?" he said. "More treachery?" "Wake everyone. There's something outside." "What?" I motioned for him to be quiet. A few seconds later he heard it... the soft hiss of something moving through the high grass outside. shhh...shhh...shhh...shh... "Sounds like a man walking," Long whispered "It isn't." "How do you know?" "Because I've done this before. Wake the others." I got closer to the door and listened while Long got the others up. "What treachery is this, Magekiller?" Rellin was a pompous ass right out of a deep sleep. Amazing. "Someone's outside," said Long. "SomeTHING'S outside. Several somethings, in fact. All moving towards the door." "Then let us-" "Let us shut the hell up and listen!" Something knocked on the door. It wasn't a battering or an insistent pounding... it was just a light, ordinary knock. "Who is there!" shouted Rellin. At that moment, I knew it was a mistake not running my dagger through his throat as soon as we left the capital. This man was dangerously inept. There was no reply from outside... except for a repeat of the knock. "Someone is outside," said Rellin. "Hunters seeking shelter." "Don't open that door." "You think this is your Tree, magekiller? Trees don't knock..." Rellin reached for the door, but I quickly stepped in front of them. "Yes," I said. "Actually they DO." "Bah!" "Rellin?" came a voice from outside. It sounded weak, but otherwise normal. "Your majesty, is that you?" "That's Brolin! One of my royal guard!" Everyone was crowded around the door now... and it was obvious that I was the only one that wanted to keep it closed. "Let him in," said Long. "Forget it." "It's one of US!" "How do you know that?" "I'd know that voice anywhere," said Long. "It's Brolin... he went into the Woods a week ago." "And never came back. He's dead... and THAT'S not him." "Prince Rellin... let me in! I'm hurt and... and there's something OUT here!" "He doesn't sound dead to me!" shouted Wilyan. "Let him in!" "NO!" "Prince Rellin, HELP!" "The first person that touches that door, dies." "Out of the way, Magekiller!" "If that's your man, then ask him who's out there with him." "Brolin, is that you?" "Prince? Prince Rellin?" "Brolin, is anyone out there with you?" "No... no it's just me." "He's lying. I heard more than one person." "So you SAY!" "Your majesty, PLEASE let me in!" "There's more than one of them out there. If you open that damned door-" "Let me in, PLEASE! I'm hurt..." "Ask him something only Brolin would know," suggested Shear. "It knows everything Brolin knew." "Open the door, Magekiller! I will not let your cowardice endanger the lives of my men!" "Your men are already dead... those are just empty husks-" "Your Majesty!" "-injected with sap and-" "Help us!" "-controlled by a root running along the spine. They're PUPPETS!" "Let us in, PLEASE!" "You see... He said 'US'! Why would he say 'US' if there's only one man out there!" I could see the realization dawning on Prince Rellin. Either that, or the zung-water hadn't quite worn off yet. "Brolin... Brolin who is out there with you?" "It...is.. some townspeople. I rescued them, but that THING is out here with us!" "Do you honestly believe that, Prince?" "...let us in..." "Well?" "...please..." That was when Long had his brilliant idea... "This is ridiculous... why don't we just open a window and LOOK outside!" "DON'T TOUCH THAT SHUTTER!" Long had his hand on the latch. I swung my sword, fully intending to cut the man's hand off at the wrist. Shear blocked my blade, and I heard Wilyan moving behind me. I ducked under his slash, spun, and kicked the sword out of Wilyan's hand. By that time, Long had the window open. "I don't see anything." ...shh...shh...shh... "CLOSE THE DAMNED WINDOW!" "There's nothing out- AAAAAHHHH!!!" Something reached through the window and clamped a pair of bony hands on Long's shoulders. There was no doubt that it had been human at one time... but the dead flesh was withered and drawn tight around the skeletal frame. The hard, knotted skin looked like the bark of an old tree. At regular intervals sharp, pointed thorns erupted outward. The smallest thorn was an inch long. A tangled network of vines wove through the animated flesh like roots sprouting from an old potato, and even as the spindly arms held Long, the vines began spreading outward, climbing along the wooden walls of the cabin toward the door and the other window.. More vines slithered down the thing's arms towards Long, who was desperately hacking at the creature with his sword. "HEELLLLLP!" "Keep those vines away from the door!" My order was promptly ignored as the others ran to help free Long. Prince Rellin, with cutlass in hand, was backing steadily away from the besieged window. "See," I told him. "this is why I work alone." "Help us!" "AAAAAIIIIGH-" Long's head was now covered in vines. I knew that even now, the thorns were injecting acid into his flesh. It would hurt like hell, but if he kept screaming the way he was, a few vines would wiggle down his throat and start ripping him apart from the inside. That would be very pleasant indeed. The others pulled and hacked at the thing in the window, but their swords made only tiny scratches in the hardened flesh. Even the thinner vines were like steel cord. "Move Back!" Wilyan stepped aside and I made a single chop with my blade. The silver blade passed through the vines and the arms that supported them, severing them cleanly. Tiny wisps of smoke rose from the blade as the sap sizzled and boiled away. Suddenly free, Long fell back into the cabin. The vines around his head went limp, allowing him to pull them off with ease. My concern was with the creature. Now armless, the thing was wiggling back out of the cabin window like a worm. "GRAB THAT THING! PULL IT BACK INSIDE!!" "WHAT!?!?!" "The vines!" More of the creature's vines were pulling at the door and the other window, trying to open them for its brethren. There were too many for me to get them all. While Shear and Rellin tried to cut them down, Wilyan grabbed the beast and hauled it back inside the cabin. It hit the floor and started flopping around like a fish in fresh air. Vines shot out of its skin, forcing Wilyan to run for cover. I saw the root... a thick wooden cord protruding from its lower back like a tail. It trailed across the floor and up through the window, where it eventually led all the way back to the main trunk. I cut it. The creature didn't howl, hiss, or screech... it just stopped. It lay ominously still, and its vines ceased their assault on the other entry points and fell to the floor. Everything was quiet for about three seconds. Then a second creature jumped completely through the window. It would have landed right on top of Wilyan, but the soldier was a bit too fast for it. He dropped to his knees and thrust his longsword up as it descended. The creature's own momentum drove the sword through its chest. Unfortunately, that just pissed it off. Unable to pull his sword free, Wilyan released it and tried to run. A strangler vine burst from the creature's face and caught the fleeing soldier around the throat. It drew tight and snapped Wilyan's neck with one quick jerk. More vines spread across the floor... some toward Long and some towards Prince Rellin. I made a quick glance at Thurmond... his unconscious body was already wrapped up tight. I could hear his bones snapping from across the room. Long was on the floor, still pulling bits of vine out of his ruined face. I didn't' wait to see if the Prince was actually going to defend himself. One chop from my sword severed the second creature's root. "CLOSE THAT WINDOW!" I shouted. Shear swung the shutters closed at exactly the same instant as the door burst open. One of the second creature's vines had succeeded in unlocking the door, and now two more animated corpses charged into the room. "That's BROLIN!" shouted the Prince. Indeed, one of the things was sporting a set of tattered rags that was reminiscent of the Zoften royal guard uniform. This one headed straight for Prince Rellin, while the other stopped just inside the door. Its sap-filled eyes popped out of their sockets and hit the floor with a disgusting squish "GET DOWN!" A second later, the eyeless corpse exploded. The nest of vines that had been tightly coiled up inside it shot out in all directions. They flew like arrows. I turned to the side and sliced two of them out of the air just inches away from my face. Another set of vines was dragging Thurmond's hopefully dead body across the floor and out the open door. Wilyan's wasn't too far behind it. "HELP ME!" Prince Rellin was trying to cut his way free of the first creature, and finding his cutlass completely unequal to the task. Vines had already circled his waist and chest. One good squeeze and King Rellin would be in need of another heir. Long finally managed to get to his feet. He staggered over to help his prince while I sought out the roots that were controlling these things. I couldn't find them. More strangler vines were pouring out of the remains of the second creature, and the walls and floor were nearly carpeted with them. Trying to pick out two roots in this forest would be impossible. Shear was by the door, trying to push it closed against the increasing number of vines forcing it open. Long had managed to keep the Prince alive for a few more seconds, but now they were both being overwhelmed by thorny vines. They needed weapons. I sliced my way over to the corner where I had stashed my pack. I had to cut away some vines that were attempting to carry it away. I reached in and grabbed a silver hunting knife. "PRINCE RELLIN!" I tossed it to him. Surprisingly, he caught it and started using it to cut himself free. I tossed my axe to Shear, who used it to clear the vines from the door. "LOOK FOR THE ROOTS!" I shouted. Shear found one and cut it. Most of the vines in the room went dead, which made it much easier to find the other root. It was controlling the first creature, which Rellin and Long were attempting to kill with my knife. I severed the root and the thing collapsed on top of the Prince. "SHEAR! THE DOOR!" The soldier slammed the door closed and secured it. All around us, dead vines fell from the walls. "Get this thing OFF of me!" Shear and I rolled the dead creature off of the Prince. "Dear GODS, man! What the HELL was THAT all about!" "I see you're still alive," I said. Too bad. "You'd said we'd be SAFE in here!" "I never said anything of the kind. And we WOULD have been reasonably secure had your man not opened the damned window." "I was... I was trying to help..." said Long. "Famous last words. We need to pile the corpses, vines and roots in the corner. Don't worry about burning 'em; they're not dangerous any more. Once disconnected from the main trunk they'll dry out and decay away pretty quickly." While the prince and his stooges saw to that, I started cleaning the gore and sap from my weapons. All the while, I kept a watchful eye on the windows and door. "What now?" said Shear. "We rest until morning," said Rellin, "and then we go and hunt this thing." "What about Thurmond? And Wilyan?" "Dead and dead," I said. "And I hate to spoil your plans for the night, but if you think that little skirmish was the end of it you're crazier than I thought." "What?" "Listen." Without the swearing and thumping of boots, the sounds of movement outside became all to clear. The gentle 'hiss' of things moving in the grass. Footsteps. Rustling vines. It was coming from all directions at once. Whatever was out there wasn't approaching the door, it was just circling the cabin. Vines and puppets biding their time while reinforcements arrived slithered out of the woods. The Tree had located its enemy, and it wasn't going to spare any effort to prune us away. "More of those things," said Rellin. He drew his- I mean MY hunting knife and stood fast... as if those things were gonna come in and challenge him to a duel. "We're ready." "The hell we are. Fun and games are over, this is serious. Here-" I dug a small tin out of my pack. It contained a waxy, oily salve, which I quickly applied to the skin around my nose. I tossed the tin to Rellin. "Protect you from the death blossom pollen. Those flowers'll be all over the place in a few minutes." "We could have used this on the way in. Thurmond would have at least been awake to defend himself." "And if Long had kept the damned window closed Wilyan would still be alive. So what the hell is your point?" Apparently Prince Rellin didn't have a point, judging from the way his mouth flapped open and closed for the next few seconds. He applied a generous amount of the salve and passed it around to his men. One of the window shutters started rattling as something tried to pull it open from the outside. The sturdy wood held fast. For now. "What now, magekiller?" "I'm gonna walk out that door-" "What!?!" "Are you MAD!?" "-and you three are gonna be right behind me. You wanted to help, well here's your chance. The longer we stay in here, the harder its gonna be to fight our way out when we DO decide to leave. Give enough time, it'll can cover this whole cabin in strangler vine and crack it open like a candy egg... with us as the nice juicy treat on the inside. That could take days... but we aren't gonna be around when that happens. YOU three are gonna stay here and raise as much hell as you can with those things, while I go out and hunt for the main trunk." "In the dark?" said Long. "They're called torches... ever heard of 'em?" "Your sarcasm will get you killed one day, magekiller." Now BOTH shutters were rattling, and something was pounding incessantly on the door. "I will come with you," said Rellin. "I will see this slayer of men dead at my feet." "No. The more of you here fighting, the better... the tree'll be throwing all its resources at this place instead of at me." "So we're distractions," said Shear. "Decoys." "Exactly." "A fools mission!" "And your point is?" All the time we were having this nice little conversation, the things outside were stepping up their assault on the cabin. There were several pairs of fists pounding on the door. The shutters banged noisily under the onslaught from outside. BAM! BAM! BAM! "You wanted to help. This is your chance. Some advice... if you see Wilyan or Thurmond out there, do yourself a favor and kill 'em quick, no matter what they say to you." BAM! BAM! "The corpses aren't that strong or fast; concentrate on the vines. They're deadly. BAM! "One of you needs to stay by this door at all times. Keep the entrance clear and make sure nothing gets in... you might need it as a place of retreat if things go bad. And the WILL go bad." BAM! BAM! "You said it can crush the cabin." BAM! "By the time that happens I hope to have put this thing to rest. Permanently this time. If you're overwhelmed, just get inside and hold out as long as you can. DON'T run out into the woods and DON'T try to follow me." BAM! BAM! Rellin and his men started firing off questions and complaints, but I ignored them. I grabbed a torch from my pack and lit it. I threw one of my swords to Long, and kept the last one for myself. I reminded them that I'd be retrieving my weapons when I returned, then, without so much as a "Ready-Set-Go," I threw the cabin door open. Four plant creatures rushed the doorway. I slashed the first one in half at the waist, and let the momentum of the swing spin me completely around. I bought the blade down at an angle and severed the control root. Long impaled the next one, while Rellin and Shear dealt with the one that followed it. The fourth got a face-full of my torch, which distracted it long enough for Long to yank it into the cabin and dispatch it. With the doorway clear, I stepped outside and was assaulted with the sickly sweet smell of flowers. Death Blossoms. They were all over the cabin, clustered around the door and windows like decorations. I ignored them and focused my attention on the dark shapes lumbering out of the tree line. Corpses... their emaciated bodies drained of nutrients and then reanimated as the Tree's soldiers. There had to have been at least a dozen of them, with probably twice that many either on the way or still hidden in the trees. At their feet, strangler vines snaked through the grass all around cabin. There was so much movement on the ground that it looked like running water instead of firm, solid earth. "Not as bad as I thought," I said to Rellin, who looked like he were about to piss his pants. "Some of you might survive this thing." "Zounds!" "Make sure you and your boys remember what I said...keep the cabin clear, and DON'T follow me into the woods." I picked a direction and started running. I got maybe five steps before strangler vines moved to intercept me. They snatched at my feet, trying to grab hold of my ankles and pull me down. The sharp silver burrs in my boots kept them from getting a good grip, but they slowed me down long enough for one of the corpses to move my direction. It stopped about a yard away. I drew back and threw my sword... the blade sliced his petrified skull clean down the middle just before he could make with the 'exploding body' trick I saw in the cabin. I swept the ground with the torch, setting the grass aflame. The smaller vines retreated, while the larger ones braved the flames and tried reached up my legs, hoping to avoid the silver in my boots. I drew one of my smaller daggers and hacked them away. More were coming, though; I could hear them in the grass. Two more corpses stepped out of the woods and lumbered my way. All the rest were headed for the prince and his boys at the cabin. Not wanting to depress myself, I didn't look back to see how they were doing. Instead headed straight for the woods, stopping long enough to pull my sword out of the first corpses head. The going was slow but steady, but the two corpses didn't have to deal with the vines like I did. They reached my just as I was leaving the clearing. One reached for me and lost its hand to my blade. A follow-up slash opened up its chest... a soupy mixture of sap and tiny, shriveled organs spilled out. I ducked under the second creature's clumsy grab and spun around behind it. I set that one on fire, and shoved it into the lumbering path of the first. While they struggled with themselves and the rapidly growing flames, I turned and nearly ran right smack into Thurmond, who'd been sneaking up behind me. His face was a caricature of itself.... still clearly recognizable despite being dried and shrunken, like an old vegetable left out in the sun. His body was still covered in strangler vines, which proceeded to spin off of him like thread from a spool... all of it headed for me. One slice with my sword cleared the air in front of my face, but some still caught me around the waste. "UNGH!" Suddenly I couldn't breathe, and pain shot up my back as my spine nearly yielded to their powerful grasp. Fortunately I didn't drop my sword. I sliced them away. One circled my forearm, but it quickly retreated as my silver bracer burned its flesh. I thrust my torch in Thrumond's face. He grabbed the burning wood and tried to yank it out of my grasp. I let him have it, adding a powerful shove to send it staggering backwards. Flames shot up his arms, singing the vines that were already reaching out for me. I spun away from them and sung my blade low. Both of Thurmond's legs vanished, and the rest of the body hit the ground with a hard thud. I danced away from more vines and found the control root, which was snaking through the grass back into the woods. I grabbed it and sliced it in half. All the nearby vines fell to the ground... including the one that was winding its way up my thigh at the time. The control root writhed and jerked in my hand, trying to pull free. I wouldn't let it... this baby was going to lead my right where I needed to go. I heard a shout and turned to see how the others were doing. I was amazed to see that they were still alive, though they were clearly out matched. A few dead zombies lay in disintegrating heaps nearby, but strangler vines danced all around him. Shear was screaming for help. One of his legs was completely covered in vine; the limb was probably broken in about fifteen places by now. Long moved to cut him free... completely ignoring the zombie moving up behind him. Maybe Rellin would see it. Maybe not. They weren't going to make it out of this. I turned away, retrieved my torch, and followed the vine as it snaked its way back into the woods. --- The thing about Trees is they aren't as stupid as people think. They know their limitations, and they know how somebody like me would exploit them. The control root I was following went dead after a only few minutes... cut free at the source. I could've followed the dead root to the place where it was cut, but by now some zombie was carrying it as far away from the main trunk as possible in an effort to lead me into a trap. I dropped the limp, sagging root and quickly found another one. Or rather, another one found me. Two corpses, either looking for me or on their way to the cabin, decided they wanted a taste of magekiller. The fight was quick, and afterwards I had two more roots to follow. They split up, so I picked one and stuck with it. They would both end up in the same place eventually anyway. The one I followed didn't go dead for quite a while. I'd followed it into a clearing when it occurred to me that the Tree could've been using the live root to lead me into a trap. I hate it when I'm both right and late at the same time. One nest of stranglers was buried about an inch underground, and another bunch hung overhead, suspended from the trees like a spider's web. Before I knew what was happening, both halves of the trap had sprung. It was like a steel cage had dropped on top of me. Vines snapped up into the air and lashed around my torso, pinning my torch-arm to my side. The torch fell. It scorched a few vines and started a small fire, but not enough to make a difference. I was swinging my sword when the hanging greenery enveloped my shoulders and started winding its way up. I couldn't breathe. My legs were pulled out from under me and I hit the ground. I felt thorns piercing my leather armor... trying inject the digestive acid. My leather had enough silver in it to slow the vines down... or else my long and otherwise successful career as a magekiller would have ended right then and there. I rolled to the left and ended up in the fire that the torch has started. I wish I could say the move was intentional, but magekilling involves as much luck as anything else. About half of the smaller vines withdrew from the flames, which was more than enough to allow me to free my left arm. I pulled a dagger from my belt and made a quick slash from my lower abdomen to my throat. More vines fell away, but when I tried to move I found that they'd wiggled their way into my armor and were still holding me down. There was a sudden jerk and I found myself being dragged through the woods by my armor. All the while, the vines were still trying to feel their way deeper into me. No problem. I hit the quick-release latches on my armor. My chest-piece fell away, and quickly vanished as the vines yanked it into the darkness. My pack of supplies was right behind it. I dove for it. A few slashes and my pack was free, but now I was down to boots and bracers for armor. Great. I didn't waste any time trying to figure if that was intentional move to disarm me, I just picked up my equipment and started in the general direction the last root had been going. I picked up another one a short time later. The zombie it was controlling was nowhere to be seen... probably at the cabin with the rest. I cut it loose and followed the root. The next few traps were easy to spot. I avoided them and, three zombies and four strangler-nests later, I could tell I was getting close. All the vegetation started looking drained and dead. The natural trees were starving as the monster in the woods soaked up all the nutrients from the soil... now they just served as places to string vines and hang death-blossoms. I saw more and more of those damned flowers. I cut down the first few that I came to, but pretty soon there were just too damned many to bother. The air was so thick with the scent that I could hardly breath. My salve kept me from going under, but my head still spun from the odor. The blossoms covered up the other scent that I knew was there... the reek of rancid meat and decomposing plant matter that marked the Tree's lair. I caught a whiff of it here and there, and as I moved it grew strong enough to overpower even the flowers. No need to bother with the roots any more; I could just follow my nose. Everything around me was covered in thick stranglers that constantly reached out for me. I had to fight for every inch of progress I made. The sky was just starting to brighten when I reached the Tree's clearing. The thing was there waiting for me. The grayish-brown trunk was about ten feet in diameter and forty feet high. Instead of branches, it a clusters of tentacles near the top. The smallest one was a foot thick. One swat could knock a man's head clean off. About eight feet from the base of the trunk was a huge cancerous bulge with a dark, gaping hole in the center and two pulsating knobs just above it. It was a face. As I entered the clearing, the eyes slid open and looked right at me. A chill went down my spine. It wasn't fear... it was more like disgust than anything else. How such a creature could be so twisted and inhuman, and yet possess a pair of eyes that looked exactly like a man's, I'll never know. But there they were... dark green eyes... more human than those I've seen on some people... staring out at me from the face of a damned carnivorous tree. I didn't waste any time looking at them. Just as a knot of strangler-vines burst from the ground behind me, I pulled a throwing-knife from my belt and let it fly. One of those perfect eyes vanished in a spray of thick sap. The tree's tentacles thrashed wildly, like enormous whips in the hands of some maniacal giant. The tree's mouth stretched open with a creaking sound like old leather, and it let out a monstrous groan. The pitch was almost too low to hear, but I felt the ground vibrating beneath me, and my bones humming in unison with the sound. I hacked away at the strangler vines and began assembling my stakes. I quickly screwed the extensions onto the end of the silver-tipped spikes. More strangler vines snaked in my direction, but by the time I got there I was already gone. I made a running start, then when I got within range of the tentacles I immediately dropped to the ground. A two-foot thick cord of wood went over my head, missing me by inches. The wind from its passing almost threw me off balance. When I rose, my sword was ready. A second and third tentacle were swinging towards me from two different directions. I ducked and swung. The blade bit deep, and I was rewarded with another low-pitched moan that I felt more than heard. Something hit the ground beside me... a chunk of severed tentacle. Another dodge-slice and I had a clear path to the trunk. I ran, stopping briefly to deal with some stranglers and chop off another thick tentacle. I was close now... about four yards from the trunk. More tentacles swatted at me. I swatted back... my silver sword sliced through the monster's enchanted flesh like soft butter. I dropped and rolled forward... moving past another patch of stranglers and gaining more ground. Three yards, now... and the tree wasn't happy. It knew what was coming, and it was doing everything in its power to prevent it. Fortunately, 'everything in its power' didn't amount to a whole hell of a lot when up against razor-sharp silver and years of honing my skills against tougher opponents than Trees. The sun was beaming in through the trees now. I didn't need my torch so I discarded it... right into the tree's mouth. It didn't like it, and while it was thrashing around I got the first spike started. I clasped a dagger between my teeth, lay my sword down, and picked up my hammer. I held the stake with one hand and pounded it in with the other, all the while I heard stranglers rustling towards me. Three hits and the stake was stabilized. I grabbed my sword and swung it without even looking. Severed vines hit the ground, but more stranglers wrapped around my legs and yanked me off my feet.. They didn't last long. I sliced them away and rolled hard to the right- THOOM! A tentacle thundered against the ground. Had I still been there I'd be so much red pulp. I took a chunk out of it as it retreated, and started hammering again. That's the way it went for the next few minutes. I'd hammer the stake in about a foot, then I'd have to stop and fight for my life. This was where I could've used the prince and his boys to watch my back, but the truth is they wouldn't have made it this far and I'd still be doing this all by myself. Finally I struck home. The silver tip of the stake sank into the main root beneath the trunk, and the Tree responded with a wail like nothing I'd heard since... since the last Tree I killed. There's no way to describe it exactly, but to the Tree it must have felt like being castrated with a red-hot fireplace poker. I've seen that done to a man, and the sound he made was remarkably similar to what I was hearing now. Every vine and tentacle started thrashing around randomly. If there were any zombies left at the cabin, they'd be dancing around like a barefoot drunk on hot coals. As the main root convulsed, the whole clearing rose up beneath me and then slammed back down again. I barely maintained my balance. I grabbed my stakes, ducked under a randomly-thrashing tentacle, and made my way around to another part of the trunk. I'd only driven one stake. I'd have to do one more to kill it, and at least one additional one to be absolutely sure. I started the stake while the Tree was still writhing in its agony, but when it came to its senses the fight was on. It was a fight to the death, and this Tree already had one foot in the grave. Fear and desperation are pretty powerful motivators, even for monsters. I was leaping, rolling, and slashing vines for at least five minutes between hammer-strikes. One duck was a hair too slow, and I took a hit to the chest. I flew a few feet, hit the ground and rolled into a knot of stranglers. My chest-plate would've saved me the two broken ribs, but since Old Man Tree saw fit to relieve me of it in the woods, I had to bear down and push through the pain as I fought my way free. I took some nasty wounds. Vines wrapped around my left arm and started pumping digestive acid into my muscles. By the time I pulled free it felt like the whole left side of my body was on fire. Meanwhile, the Tree was taking that opportunity to undo all my work. Strangler vines were all over my second stake... vigorously yanking it out of the ground. "Oh, HELL no!" I sliced the vines away and then saw that one of them was slithering off with my hammer. Rather than jump for it, I drew another dagger and threw it. I pinned the thieving vine to the ground, retrieved my hammer, fought my way back to the stake and struck three of the hardest blows I could muster. Damn near dislocated my already-throbbing shoulder, but it was enough. The Tree's mouth opened so wide to scream that the sides split open. Its one remaining eye bulged grotesquely, on the verge of popping right out of the trunk. This time, the whole forest seem to shake as the secondary roots began their death throes. I had to crawl to a new position, and began the third stake while on my knees. There was no resistance this time. The two stakes had certainly killed it... all that was left was the Tree's magic and life force violently expending itself. The third stake would hasten that process along. I drove it in, and when it struck home everything went still. The trunk let out a fetid gust of putrid wind... a final dying sigh.... and then, nothing. No explosions or thunderclaps... just ominous silence to mark the twisted creature's passing. All over the forest, vines and flowers began falling from the trees like rain. The trunk was already beginning to sag. It'd be laying flat on the ground by nightfall, and by tomorrow morning every scrap of evidence that it had even been here would be decayed and gone. Another mage down. Hopefully for good, this time. I got to my feet and took a deep breath which quickly reminded me of my two broken ribs. Some medical treatment would be in order. My armor could be anywhere in the forest, but I was too tired to even think about going to look for it. Eventually someone would find it, rip all the silver out of it, and sell the metal for a small fortune. Good luck to 'em... I could care less at this point. I had plenty more armor where that came from. The stakes were another matter. They'd have to stay in place for a while to dissipate the residual magic, or else some pretty nasty things could spontaneously generate from the Tree's leftovers. I bound my wounds with the tattered remains of my shirt, and got to work pounding the stakes all the way into the ground. I kicked some dirt over the top of each to keep someone from stumbling over it, and then grabbed my pack. I got a very uneasy feeling as I left the clearing. Prince Rellin. What had happened to him and his men? If they were still alive they were certainly out of danger now... but why was it nagging at the back of my mind? I made my way there as fast as I could... much faster than my ribs would have liked. I found the cabin with no problem, though it took me a second to recognize it. The whole thing was covered from top to bottom with strangler vines. Not one inch of wood was visible. The vines were dead, but the fact that there were so many made me suspicious. The vines I fought through were just a small fraction of what I was looking at here. This was a lot just for a cabin and three idiots... and I seriously doubted that Rellin and his men put up enough of a fight to warrant that much of a response. Something was wrong. I entered the clearing and stepped over about a dozen corpses just to reach the door. One of them was Wilyan. Just under one of the windows was an oblong shape, entirely enclosed in dead vines. I cut it free to see who it was. Shear. His body was swollen and black... digestive acids were still eating away at his insides. I rummaged through the vines until I found the weapon I'd give Shear... my silver hunting axe. I used it to chop the vines away from the door. I lit a torch and stepped inside. The interior was just like the outside... floor, walls, and ceiling all completely covered in wilting greenery. There were also two more oblong shapes... one by the door, and another in the far corner. From the looks of things, they'd retreated into a cabin that had already been compromised. I can't say I didn't warn them... when a magekiller tells you to guard the door, it's usually a good idea to guard the damned door. I should have left then and burned the cabin down from the outside. It was as decent a burial as could be expected given the condition of the bodies, but then my weapons were in this mess somewhere. Silver is silver... I'd already lost a chest-plate; there was no need to walk off and leave a sword and a machete behind, too. I was cutting the vines away from the body by the door when the one in the corner started moving. I thought it was a trick of the light at first, but it moved again... and then a third time. The bottom half jerked back and forth, like a bound man trying to wiggle his way across the floor. "Hold on!" I steadied the trembling shape and cut the vines away with my knife. Inside was Prince Rellin. His skin was alternating patches of purple and green. His mouth was wide open, locked into a permanent scream. It looked like the vines hadn't injected enough acid to kill him. He looked like hell, but he was alive for now. As I cut more of the vines loose I saw why. Rellin's throat was swollen to more than twice its normal size.... bulging out like he'd swallowed a cantaloupe whole. The skin wasn't broken... the thing in Rellin's throat had gotten there through is mouth. It wasn't going to come out that way, though. I just hope I wasn't too late. "Rellin. You there?" I smacked him none-too-lightly on the cheek. His eyes flickered open, but I doubt he could see anything.... the fluid in his eyes was a greenish mixture of blood and tree-sap. The prince tried to move. His lips trembled and he made a weak, choking sound. I couldn't tell if he was alive or if this was the thing inside him... the seed that the Tree had place there. "Prince," I said. "If you're still in there, you know you've got something inside you that needs to come out. And it needs to come our right now. Usually when I do this, the person dies. But hey, there's a first time for everything..." Rellin moaned. His eyes moved. He was still in there. "Here we go." I was never one for preliminaries, so I took my dagger and split the skin of his neck from his chin to his collarbone. I made two intersecting incisions and then peeled the skin back. Then I cut into his air passage from the top of the ominous bulge to the bottom. Prince Rellin took it like a man... which surprised the hell outta me. Of course, there wasn't much screaming he could've done with a giant seed lodged in his voice-box. It looked like a giant walnut, just bigger than my fist. It had tiny hair-like filaments trailing off of it, which were even now tying into Rellin's nervous system... turning him into a living puppet just like the others. Only THIS one would be controlled from the inside. It had been a set-up from the beginning. As soon as I left the cabin, the Tree had thrown almost everything it had at Rellin's men, hoping to subdue one of them and use him to carry the seed. Rellin would've walked out of this forest and traveled halfway across the kingdom searching for another home. When he found one, he'd dig himself a hole, fall in, and pull the dirt in on top of him. A few weeks later, the whole thing would start all over again. Not this time. I grabbed the seed with one hand and began slicing the hair-thin filaments free with the other. With each one I cut, Rellin's body convulsed. I kept as much blood as I could from getting into his air passage, but some got in anyway and Rellin started choking. Blood was spurting everywhere. It wasn't looking good. And the Prince was still conscious. "Oh, to hell with it." I got a good grasp of the seed and yanked it out, filaments and all. Prince Rellin sat bolt upright on the floor, blood pouring out of the gaping hole in his throat. He made a hissing sound that would've been a scream if he had vocal-cords left. His bloody eyes got incredibly wide... and then he passed out. First things first... I threw the seed on the ground and chopped it in half with my axe. Then I saw to the prince. Magekillers learn how to sew up their own wounds as a necessity... it's a dangerous job, and usually there's nobody around but us and the monster we're trying to kill. Performing throat surgery on someone else usually isn't in the job description, but the principles are still the same. I cleaned the prince's wound, stitched it together and bandaged it as well as I could... which was probably better than he'd have gotten from the royal healers. He was still breathing when I finished, and was awake by noon. "Don't try to talk," I said. "You can't. When we leave, I'll probably have to carry your sorry ass back to the King. My ribs are gonna love that." The prince blinked at me. I don't know if that was a 'Thanks' or a 'Go to Hell,' but I took it to be the first one. Actually I didn't HAVE to take him anywhere. My job here was done, and rescue missions were usually left to someone else. But then, when dealing with mages, there usually wasn't anyone left alive to rescue. The prince was still staring at me. He was probably wondering what was going on. I told him. "You were messed up pretty bad," I said. "The Tree planted a seed inside your throat and it had already started changing you. It's gone now, but your body isn't the same as it was. Maybe you'll make it; maybe you won't. It's too early to tell one way or the other. I wouldn't count on a singing career, though." Another blink. This one was definitely a 'thanks.' "You're welcome," I said. "Now get some sleep." I decided to forgo the big 'I told you so' that the prince had coming. He should have kept his ass out of the woods, but I'm sure he'd realized that by now. Instead, I sat back and rested my eyes... which turned into full-fledged sleep within a few minutes. <<Another job done,>> I thought as I drifted off. <<At least this one had a happy ending...>>
Magekiller: Tree LineIt was almost sunset. If I had a favorite time of day, then this would be it. Unfortunately, instead of watching the peaceful end of yet another day, I was tromping through thick brush trying to keep myself from being eaten alive by insects and trees. I would have added wild animals to that list, but there weren't any. Not any more. From the looks of it, the foliage had finished the animals off several months ago. No, that's not the usual state of affairs; that's why I'm here. My name is Sheridyn... and I kill mages. This time, my duty takes me to Wildhorn Wood... a tiny strip of wilderness located in an insignificant little kingdom by the name of Zofrel. It seems that Zofrel's reigning idiot, King Rellin, got suspicious when his royal patrols stopped returning from this particular area of the woods. So, being the intelligent fellow that he was, he did what any king would do... he sat on his ass while ever-increasing numbers of his royal soldiers took one-way trips into the forest. He was very circumspect about the exact number of men that he lost... so I'm guessing that the Royal Cadre must have been down to a few ditch-diggers and a stable-boy by the time I arrived. The king's eldest son, Prince Rellin, had the foresight to disobey his father and call me in. That put him a notch above the king in my book... but just one notch. A small notch. But then insisted that he and a handful of assorted lackeys accompany me, despite my insistence that, like most Magekillers, I work alone. I said no; they insisted. Fortunately, I've dealt with royalty before, and I am always prepared for such contingencies. We left the capital at dawn yesterday, and traveled together until nightfall. We made camp with the intention of setting out at dawn once again. I was the only one that made it. During the night, I slipped a little something into their canteens. The locals call it zung-water, but I call it my 'anti-obstinance' drug. The Prince and his boys probably recovered from the stomach cramps and violent, uncontrollable diarrhea around mid-day, which would give me about six hours head start. After dosing up the Prince just before dawn, I headed on to Wildhorn. I was dealing with a Tree. I knew that much before I even saw the first death-blossom or strangler vine. I didn't think I'd be seeing them again... not after Fernhelm. But a seed must have made its way out and set up camp here. It'd feed off the animal life for acres until there wasn't anything left. Then the main trunk would die of starvation, but not before producing another seed that would start the thing over again after a year or so of dormancy. That was the thing about Trees... a mage who had the misfortune to become one was pretty much guaranteed immortality... as a flesh-eating plant. Each seed is an exact copy of the original, right down to the memories. The only way to stop it was to kill the Tree before the seed dropped. I thought I had done that in Fernhelm, but I guess I was mistaken. This time I had to be sure. Fortunately the Tree had been dining on a steady diet of King Rellin's soldiers. It was fat and happy... and if I caught it quick then there wouldn't be any more coming after it. To that end, I had about forty pounds of silver strapped to my back. Actually it was a blend of metals... an alloy stronger that steel, but that was still almost 60% silver. Silver distorts magic, a fact that's made it about four times as valuable as gold. Magekilling is an expensive business, and over the years I've had my hands on enough silver to by six or seven kingdoms the size of Zofrel. Usually it ended up protruding from some slavering beast's chest, or in the case of Trees, buried in the ground around the main trunk. Currently, I had my standard assortment of silver tipped wooden spikes of varying lengths. These were good for lots of things... most notably vampires and werewolves. I also had a collection of silver-bladed daggers, ranging from balanced throwing knives to the huge machete that I was using to cut my way through the brush. Then there were the twin longswords and the woodsman's axe hanging from my belt. Even my leather armor had silver studs in it, mostly over vital chest and abdominal areas. I also had some medical supplies for the occasional 'sucking chest wound' that occurred in the line of duty. With all this jingling metal and equipment I certainly wasn't going to be sneaking up on anyone, but stealth wasn't going to be a big factor in this job. No doubt, the Tree already knew I was there. It probably thought I was another quick meal, but was wondering why I was cutting my own path instead of staying on the road. I stepped off of the main path just after I entered the Wood, and from the relative safety of the tree-line, I trailed the path as it wound deeper into the forest. According to the Prince, the path lead straight to the area where his men had disappeared. Most likely, the path WAS the place where his men had vanished. Every once in a while I would come to large, oblong lumps laying just off the road. They were completely covered with thorny strangler vines, and I'd bet my entire load of silver that if I took the time to slice one open, I'd find one of good King Rellin's royal soldiers strangled, crushed and dissolved to a nice, gooey consistency... just right for digestion. Yummy. I expected the strangler vines to lead off away from the road, but instead, they tracked it, and so did I. They would lead me right to the main trunk, and then the fun would start. I kept a steady progression until the daylight began to fade, then I lit a torch and began casting about for a place to camp. The Prince had said that there were hunter's cabins scattered through the woods... but so far I hadn't seen one. I should have had the whelp draw me a map before I slipped him the drugs, but it was too late now. I wandered for a while and found one just after it got dark. It was just off of the main road, but there weren't any stranglers or blossoms in the immediate area. But there was one small problem. Prince Rellin and his men burst out of the woods about five minutes after I arrived, while I was still inspecting the area. They were on foot, which was quite surprising considering they had had horses when I left them. They were also coming from the direction of the road... which made me instantly suspicious. They hadn't seen me yet, so I ducked behind the cabin and watched. There were five of them, and none of them looked very happy. One man appeared to be either unconscious or dead. Two others were carrying him. Prince Rellin was in perfect health, although he looked a little paler than he was the last time I saw him. He and another man each carried a torch in one hand an a sword in the other. All five of them headed for the cabin's front door without even bothering to check the area first. I figured it was time to do my good deed for the day and prevent them from being killed. I walked around the side of the cabin and shouted just as Rellin was reaching for the door. "HOLD!" "What? YOU!" Big surprise... everyone turned towards me and started waving weapons. "You POISONED US!" shouted the other torch-bearer. His name was Long. And if I remembered correctly, the unconscious man was Thurmond and the two carrying him were Shear and Wilyan. They were all career soldiers in the Zoften royal guard... which meant I could kick their collective asses with one hand caught in a bear trap. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that until AFTER I had done what I came to do. "I was trying to save your lives," I replied. "You probably figured that out by now." I nodded at Thurmond. I saw that his chest was moving, which meant that either he was breathing or that there was something squirming around inside him trying to get out. Either one was just as likely at this point. "The use of poison is punishable by DEATH, Sheridyn!" spat the Prince. "And using it on a member of the ROYAL-" "What are you going to do... kill me twice?" "In the morning, I'm taking you back to the capital where you will ROT in the royal dungeon." "Magekillers are above the law in any kingdom... we are bound only by Imperial Edicts and answer solely to the Priesthood. You know that." "The Priests shall hear about-" "Not only that... but I am authorized to take any action to complete my tasks. That means I could kill you all right now and not get so much as a reprimand." "He THREATENS you, Prince Rellin!" "Oh, shut up. I'm here to kill a mage. You interfere... you die. Plain and simple. I'm surprised your royal tutors didn't teach you that, Prince Rellin. Or maybe they did and you just conveniently forgot it." The soldiers looked at their prince, who could only nod and lower his sword. After all... I WAS right. "Let's check out this cabin and get settled in," I suggested. "Then you can tell me what happened to Thurmond." As if I didn't already know what happened to Thurmond. Prince Rellin reached for the door again, and again I stopped him. "Ahhh... perhaps you'd better let me do that," I said. "Why?" "You ARE royalty after all. Wouldn't want that royal blood of yours splattered all over this cabin like a coat of fresh paint. Mages like to set traps... let me check it out first." The Prince backed off. I unslung my pack and pulled out a glass globe about four inches in diameter. It was filled with a light green liquid. The glass itself was about an inch thick. I shook it, and the liquid inside began to glow, it's eerie green light bathed everything nearby. "MAGIC!" yelled Long. "Chemistry," I corrected him. I had just used a word with more syllables than he could count, and the look on his face was priceless. I held the globe in my left hand, I drew my sword with my right. One kick sent the door flying open with a bang, revealing the dark interior of the cabin. I couldn't see a damn thing. I put the globe on the floor just inside the door and nudged it with my foot. It rolled to the center of the room, where it's light illuminated the one-room cabin. Nothing moved. No winged horrors rushed forth, no spell-casting lunatics leapt from the shadows. I must admit I was a little disappointed. The cabin was empty, and just large enough for a small hunting party to stow their equipment and sleep comfortably. There were two windows that had not one shard of glass in them. Fortunately each one had shutters which could be closed and secured against the elements and intruders. "Are you QUITE through?" said Prince Rellin. He pushed past me into the cabin. His other lackeys followed suit. I was hoping that the wooded floor would collapse and dump the lot of them into the gaping maw of a passing wood-wyrm, but I didn't have any such luck. They placed Thurmond on the floor and tried to wake him up. I closed the door and secured the shutters. There was no stove and no lamps, so my globe was the only light we had. "How long has he been like that?" I asked the Prince. "A few hours. We were on the path and saw some strange vines. They had flowers... like this..." The Prince held up his hands about two feet apart in front of his chest. "White and yellow. All over the forest..." "Thurmond get a whiff of one?" The prince nodded. "Then what happened?" "While we were trying to wake him up the horses got into another patch of those flowers. They must have eaten them." "They're irresistible to animals. And usually fatal." "It was getting dark and I knew there was a cabin not too far ahead. We carried Thurmond-" "After the flower... Did you leave Thurmond alone for any length of time?" "He was with us. Why?" "Not even for a second while you saw to the horses? You didn't turn your backs for an instant?" The Prince thought for a moment, and then gave the tell-tale frown that told me I'd probably end up killing him AND Thurmond before the night was over. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, though... for now. I sat down in a corner, and unpacked my weapons. I placed my blades around me in a semi-circle, then took up each one and inspected it for patches of tarnish. Finding a few, I opened my container of saline polish and began applying a thick coat of it to every blade in my collection. The others looked at me as if I was crazy. They were waiting for me to tell them what the hell was going on. "It's a Tree," I said. It didn't explain a damn thing, but I just loved the look on the Prince's face when I went back to tending my weapons without another word. "My man is sick," he said. "And you're telling jokes?" "He'll be fine by morning," I lied. I was already trying to figure a way to get rid of this bunch. "You know what this thing is? This thing we're here to kill?" "I'M here to kill a mage." "Which is on MY kingdom's sovereign land." Like most royal families, the Rellins spoke with a peculiar mix of tone and grammar that made everything the said sound pompous and ridiculous. Prince Rellin was a master at it. Maybe even a Grand Master. The Prince's nose got closer to the ceiling with every word he spoke. Another two sentences and he'd be hanging from the roof by his nostrils. "Mages don't respect sovereignty," I said. "And neither do I." "Nevertheless, " said the Prince "I am here to do battle with this creature. Tell us what it is." "I told you." "You told us NOTHING!" The Prince drew his sword... probably more out of habit than of any intention to use it. I just looked up at him, my eyes going from his sword to his face and back again. He got the idea and put the pig-sticker away. Idiot. "These men... they are the best the kingdom has to offer." I skipped the obvious sarcastic comment. "They have lost friends and brothers to this thing in the woods. They will see it's blood on the end of their swords-" "Trees don't have blood. Just sap." "Then WHATEVER it has, it shall run in rivers upon the ground!" "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound?" "We'll find this thing and kill it... with or without your help." "You'll likely end up dead both ways. You don't know what your facing. And even if you did, you don't have the tools or the skills to face it and live." "We, sir," said Long, "are SOLDIERS of the royal guard!" "And I'm so very impressed. The experience you have catching thieves and pickpockets in town will REALLY come in handy when you're wrapped head to toe in strangler vines. When your bones are snapping like twigs and while inch-long thorns are pumping digestive acid into your muscles... the honor of royal guardsmanship will CERTAINLY save your ass, then!" As expected, Long took that opportunity to exit the conversation. "We WILL hunt this thing," said the Prince in his best royal-speak. "even if it ends us. You know this beast and how to kill it. If you do not share that knowledge with us then our deaths will be on YOUR soul." "Join the crowd." "You have no heart, killer of mages." "Oh, I have a heart all right. I just want to keep mine inside my chest where it belongs. YOU apparently want yours squeezed dry like a sponge and then dissolved from the inside out." "That is our choice." "Fine then," I said. "What do you want to know?" "The creature. What is it?" "It was a man once. Probably a druid... a mage who draws power from the earth. Over time, the magic changes those who try to exploit it. First it drives them mad... then it turns them into monsters." "And what is THIS monster?" "A Tree. About fifty feet high and six feet in diameter, with a network of shallow roots that run for miles in all directions. The roots detect movement on the surface, and that's where it sends the vines. It strings a set of specialized vines up along any well-traveled route... which is why you didn't find any of MY tracks on that road. The vines have those sweet blossoms you saw... as big as a man's chest. The pollen is a potent sedative Dulls the senses to the point of complete numbness... then sleep... then coma. While a man is comatose, a different set of vines drags him off into the woods. If he were lucky, the vines would wrap him up and slowly digest him. But sometimes Trees have other needs besides food. That's when it gets ugly." "How do you kill it?" "Silver." I held up one of my silver spikes. "The main trunk is hidden somewhere in this forest. Probably not very far away, judging from the foliage density in the area. Beneath that trunk is a large, thick root that runs straight down, almost like a carrot. You've gotta take these spikes here and drive them in at angles around the trunk... pierce the root in about two or three places as far down as you can get it." "With THAT thing?" The Prince had a point... the spike I was holding was only about a foot and a half long. I showed him the rest of my gear, which included a hammer and a set of metal extensions that screw onto each spike. Each extension added another two feet, and I could keep adding them until I got the length I needed. "A hammer and spikes," said the Prince. "Silver spikes. Silver spikes laced with salt. In the morning, I'll start following those vines back to the main trunk. They can meander for miles, so it might take a while. When I reach the trunk, I'll spike it and then it'll all be over." "And this creature is just going to let you walk up to it and drive metal spikes through its heart?" "No. Strangler vines are quick and deadly... and the closer I get, the more there'll be." "Then it is lucky that you will have our assistance." "I work alone. You wanna wander around by yourselves... fine. But if I catch you following me then I'm likely to mistake your head for the main trunk. Stay away." "Then give us the tools to kill it. You have plenty to share...""I have just enough for me to do the job." "Then we will HELP you do it!" "You're talking in circles, Prince. You can't help me... and I've given YOU all the help you're going to get." The Prince nodded. "A contest, then. We shall see who reaches the trunk first. And if we don't have the tools, we'll PRY the damn thing up with our swords and drag it back to the capital!" My sudden fit of laughter nearly dislodged my lunch. In all my adult life, that was the closest I had ever come to soiling my own clothes. Well... except for that time in the Webstin Caverns. I have to admit, the Prince sure knew how to bring some levity to an otherwise morbid occupation. The fact that he was dead serious only made it that much funnier. I got control of myself several minutes later, but for the remainder of the night I subjected the Prince to more random outbursts of chuckling. Neither he, nor his men found any humor in it... which was too bad since they were probably going to be dead by this time tomorrow. Prince Rellin set up a watch schedule that included everyone but me. It seems that they were reluctant to let me have free run of their water and supplies while they slept. I wonder why? It didn't matter; I wasn't going to get any sleep anyway. Whether out in the open or sealed up in a hunter's cabin, sleeping in a Tree's territory was pretty high on the list of unique but effective ways to commit suicide. While the others settled down, I repacked my freshly-polished equipment and relocated to a corner as far away from the doors and windows as possible. I slipped into a light meditative state... a little trick they teach you in the first year of training. Sleeping on the job could get you killed, but if you could calm your mind just so for a few hours a day then you could go without real sleep for weeks. I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing. To everyone else I was asleep, but I had focused my attention on the sounds around me. Even with a man on watch... if anything happened I'd probably be the first one to know about it. 'Anything' happened about halfway though the night. Long was on watch, and everyone was asleep... including Long. He was dozing lightly enough to hear me when I got up and unsheathed my sword, though. "What are you doing?" he said. "More treachery?" "Wake everyone. There's something outside." "What?" I motioned for him to be quiet. A few seconds later he heard it... the soft hiss of something moving through the high grass outside. shhh...shhh...shhh...shh... "Sounds like a man walking," Long whispered "It isn't." "How do you know?" "Because I've done this before. Wake the others." I got closer to the door and listened while Long got the others up. "What treachery is this, Magekiller?" Rellin was a pompous ass right out of a deep sleep. Amazing. "Someone's outside," said Long. "SomeTHING'S outside. Several somethings, in fact. All moving towards the door." "Then let us-" "Let us shut the hell up and listen!" Something knocked on the door. It wasn't a battering or an insistent pounding... it was just a light, ordinary knock. "Who is there!" shouted Rellin. At that moment, I knew it was a mistake not running my dagger through his throat as soon as we left the capital. This man was dangerously inept. There was no reply from outside... except for a repeat of the knock. "Someone is outside," said Rellin. "Hunters seeking shelter." "Don't open that door." "You think this is your Tree, magekiller? Trees don't knock..." Rellin reached for the door, but I quickly stepped in front of them. "Yes," I said. "Actually they DO." "Bah!" "Rellin?" came a voice from outside. It sounded weak, but otherwise normal. "Your majesty, is that you?" "That's Brolin! One of my royal guard!" Everyone was crowded around the door now... and it was obvious that I was the only one that wanted to keep it closed. "Let him in," said Long. "Forget it." "It's one of US!" "How do you know that?" "I'd know that voice anywhere," said Long. "It's Brolin... he went into the Woods a week ago." "And never came back. He's dead... and THAT'S not him." "Prince Rellin... let me in! I'm hurt and... and there's something OUT here!" "He doesn't sound dead to me!" shouted Wilyan. "Let him in!" "NO!" "Prince Rellin, HELP!" "The first person that touches that door, dies." "Out of the way, Magekiller!" "If that's your man, then ask him who's out there with him." "Brolin, is that you?" "Prince? Prince Rellin?" "Brolin, is anyone out there with you?" "No... no it's just me." "He's lying. I heard more than one person." "So you SAY!" "Your majesty, PLEASE let me in!" "There's more than one of them out there. If you open that damned door-" "Let me in, PLEASE! I'm hurt..." "Ask him something only Brolin would know," suggested Shear. "It knows everything Brolin knew." "Open the door, Magekiller! I will not let your cowardice endanger the lives of my men!" "Your men are already dead... those are just empty husks-" "Your Majesty!" "-injected with sap and-" "Help us!" "-controlled by a root running along the spine. They're PUPPETS!" "Let us in, PLEASE!" "You see... He said 'US'! Why would he say 'US' if there's only one man out there!" I could see the realization dawning on Prince Rellin. Either that, or the zung-water hadn't quite worn off yet. "Brolin... Brolin who is out there with you?" "It...is.. some townspeople. I rescued them, but that THING is out here with us!" "Do you honestly believe that, Prince?" "...let us in..." "Well?" "...please..." That was when Long had his brilliant idea... "This is ridiculous... why don't we just open a window and LOOK outside!" "DON'T TOUCH THAT SHUTTER!" Long had his hand on the latch. I swung my sword, fully intending to cut the man's hand off at the wrist. Shear blocked my blade, and I heard Wilyan moving behind me. I ducked under his slash, spun, and kicked the sword out of Wilyan's hand. By that time, Long had the window open. "I don't see anything." ...shh...shh...shh... "CLOSE THE DAMNED WINDOW!" "There's nothing out- AAAAAHHHH!!!" Something reached through the window and clamped a pair of bony hands on Long's shoulders. There was no doubt that it had been human at one time... but the dead flesh was withered and drawn tight around the skeletal frame. The hard, knotted skin looked like the bark of an old tree. At regular intervals sharp, pointed thorns erupted outward. The smallest thorn was an inch long. A tangled network of vines wove through the animated flesh like roots sprouting from an old potato, and even as the spindly arms held Long, the vines began spreading outward, climbing along the wooden walls of the cabin toward the door and the other window.. More vines slithered down the thing's arms towards Long, who was desperately hacking at the creature with his sword. "HEELLLLLP!" "Keep those vines away from the door!" My order was promptly ignored as the others ran to help free Long. Prince Rellin, with cutlass in hand, was backing steadily away from the besieged window. "See," I told him. "this is why I work alone." "Help us!" "AAAAAIIIIGH-" Long's head was now covered in vines. I knew that even now, the thorns were injecting acid into his flesh. It would hurt like hell, but if he kept screaming the way he was, a few vines would wiggle down his throat and start ripping him apart from the inside. That would be very pleasant indeed. The others pulled and hacked at the thing in the window, but their swords made only tiny scratches in the hardened flesh. Even the thinner vines were like steel cord. "Move Back!" Wilyan stepped aside and I made a single chop with my blade. The silver blade passed through the vines and the arms that supported them, severing them cleanly. Tiny wisps of smoke rose from the blade as the sap sizzled and boiled away. Suddenly free, Long fell back into the cabin. The vines around his head went limp, allowing him to pull them off with ease. My concern was with the creature. Now armless, the thing was wiggling back out of the cabin window like a worm. "GRAB THAT THING! PULL IT BACK INSIDE!!" "WHAT!?!?!" "The vines!" More of the creature's vines were pulling at the door and the other window, trying to open them for its brethren. There were too many for me to get them all. While Shear and Rellin tried to cut them down, Wilyan grabbed the beast and hauled it back inside the cabin. It hit the floor and started flopping around like a fish in fresh air. Vines shot out of its skin, forcing Wilyan to run for cover. I saw the root... a thick wooden cord protruding from its lower back like a tail. It trailed across the floor and up through the window, where it eventually led all the way back to the main trunk. I cut it. The creature didn't howl, hiss, or screech... it just stopped. It lay ominously still, and its vines ceased their assault on the other entry points and fell to the floor. Everything was quiet for about three seconds. Then a second creature jumped completely through the window. It would have landed right on top of Wilyan, but the soldier was a bit too fast for it. He dropped to his knees and thrust his longsword up as it descended. The creature's own momentum drove the sword through its chest. Unfortunately, that just pissed it off. Unable to pull his sword free, Wilyan released it and tried to run. A strangler vine burst from the creature's face and caught the fleeing soldier around the throat. It drew tight and snapped Wilyan's neck with one quick jerk. More vines spread across the floor... some toward Long and some towards Prince Rellin. I made a quick glance at Thurmond... his unconscious body was already wrapped up tight. I could hear his bones snapping from across the room. Long was on the floor, still pulling bits of vine out of his ruined face. I didn't' wait to see if the Prince was actually going to defend himself. One chop from my sword severed the second creature's root. "CLOSE THAT WINDOW!" I shouted. Shear swung the shutters closed at exactly the same instant as the door burst open. One of the second creature's vines had succeeded in unlocking the door, and now two more animated corpses charged into the room. "That's BROLIN!" shouted the Prince. Indeed, one of the things was sporting a set of tattered rags that was reminiscent of the Zoften royal guard uniform. This one headed straight for Prince Rellin, while the other stopped just inside the door. Its sap-filled eyes popped out of their sockets and hit the floor with a disgusting squish "GET DOWN!" A second later, the eyeless corpse exploded. The nest of vines that had been tightly coiled up inside it shot out in all directions. They flew like arrows. I turned to the side and sliced two of them out of the air just inches away from my face. Another set of vines was dragging Thurmond's hopefully dead body across the floor and out the open door. Wilyan's wasn't too far behind it. "HELP ME!" Prince Rellin was trying to cut his way free of the first creature, and finding his cutlass completely unequal to the task. Vines had already circled his waist and chest. One good squeeze and King Rellin would be in need of another heir. Long finally managed to get to his feet. He staggered over to help his prince while I sought out the roots that were controlling these things. I couldn't find them. More strangler vines were pouring out of the remains of the second creature, and the walls and floor were nearly carpeted with them. Trying to pick out two roots in this forest would be impossible. Shear was by the door, trying to push it closed against the increasing number of vines forcing it open. Long had managed to keep the Prince alive for a few more seconds, but now they were both being overwhelmed by thorny vines. They needed weapons. I sliced my way over to the corner where I had stashed my pack. I had to cut away some vines that were attempting to carry it away. I reached in and grabbed a silver hunting knife. "PRINCE RELLIN!" I tossed it to him. Surprisingly, he caught it and started using it to cut himself free. I tossed my axe to Shear, who used it to clear the vines from the door. "LOOK FOR THE ROOTS!" I shouted. Shear found one and cut it. Most of the vines in the room went dead, which made it much easier to find the other root. It was controlling the first creature, which Rellin and Long were attempting to kill with my knife. I severed the root and the thing collapsed on top of the Prince. "SHEAR! THE DOOR!" The soldier slammed the door closed and secured it. All around us, dead vines fell from the walls. "Get this thing OFF of me!" Shear and I rolled the dead creature off of the Prince. "Dear GODS, man! What the HELL was THAT all about!" "I see you're still alive," I said. Too bad. "You'd said we'd be SAFE in here!" "I never said anything of the kind. And we WOULD have been reasonably secure had your man not opened the damned window." "I was... I was trying to help..." said Long. "Famous last words. We need to pile the corpses, vines and roots in the corner. Don't worry about burning 'em; they're not dangerous any more. Once disconnected from the main trunk they'll dry out and decay away pretty quickly." While the prince and his stooges saw to that, I started cleaning the gore and sap from my weapons. All the while, I kept a watchful eye on the windows and door. "What now?" said Shear. "We rest until morning," said Rellin, "and then we go and hunt this thing." "What about Thurmond? And Wilyan?" "Dead and dead," I said. "And I hate to spoil your plans for the night, but if you think that little skirmish was the end of it you're crazier than I thought." "What?" "Listen." Without the swearing and thumping of boots, the sounds of movement outside became all to clear. The gentle 'hiss' of things moving in the grass. Footsteps. Rustling vines. It was coming from all directions at once. Whatever was out there wasn't approaching the door, it was just circling the cabin. Vines and puppets biding their time while reinforcements arrived slithered out of the woods. The Tree had located its enemy, and it wasn't going to spare any effort to prune us away. "More of those things," said Rellin. He drew his- I mean MY hunting knife and stood fast... as if those things were gonna come in and challenge him to a duel. "We're ready." "The hell we are. Fun and games are over, this is serious. Here-" I dug a small tin out of my pack. It contained a waxy, oily salve, which I quickly applied to the skin around my nose. I tossed the tin to Rellin. "Protect you from the death blossom pollen. Those flowers'll be all over the place in a few minutes." "We could have used this on the way in. Thurmond would have at least been awake to defend himself." "And if Long had kept the damned window closed Wilyan would still be alive. So what the hell is your point?" Apparently Prince Rellin didn't have a point, judging from the way his mouth flapped open and closed for the next few seconds. He applied a generous amount of the salve and passed it around to his men. One of the window shutters started rattling as something tried to pull it open from the outside. The sturdy wood held fast. For now. "What now, magekiller?" "I'm gonna walk out that door-" "What!?!" "Are you MAD!?" "-and you three are gonna be right behind me. You wanted to help, well here's your chance. The longer we stay in here, the harder its gonna be to fight our way out when we DO decide to leave. Give enough time, it'll can cover this whole cabin in strangler vine and crack it open like a candy egg... with us as the nice juicy treat on the inside. That could take days... but we aren't gonna be around when that happens. YOU three are gonna stay here and raise as much hell as you can with those things, while I go out and hunt for the main trunk." "In the dark?" said Long. "They're called torches... ever heard of 'em?" "Your sarcasm will get you killed one day, magekiller." Now BOTH shutters were rattling, and something was pounding incessantly on the door. "I will come with you," said Rellin. "I will see this slayer of men dead at my feet." "No. The more of you here fighting, the better... the tree'll be throwing all its resources at this place instead of at me." "So we're distractions," said Shear. "Decoys." "Exactly." "A fools mission!" "And your point is?" All the time we were having this nice little conversation, the things outside were stepping up their assault on the cabin. There were several pairs of fists pounding on the door. The shutters banged noisily under the onslaught from outside. BAM! BAM! BAM! "You wanted to help. This is your chance. Some advice... if you see Wilyan or Thurmond out there, do yourself a favor and kill 'em quick, no matter what they say to you." BAM! BAM! "The corpses aren't that strong or fast; concentrate on the vines. They're deadly. BAM! "One of you needs to stay by this door at all times. Keep the entrance clear and make sure nothing gets in... you might need it as a place of retreat if things go bad. And the WILL go bad." BAM! BAM! "You said it can crush the cabin." BAM! "By the time that happens I hope to have put this thing to rest. Permanently this time. If you're overwhelmed, just get inside and hold out as long as you can. DON'T run out into the woods and DON'T try to follow me." BAM! BAM! Rellin and his men started firing off questions and complaints, but I ignored them. I grabbed a torch from my pack and lit it. I threw one of my swords to Long, and kept the last one for myself. I reminded them that I'd be retrieving my weapons when I returned, then, without so much as a "Ready-Set-Go," I threw the cabin door open. Four plant creatures rushed the doorway. I slashed the first one in half at the waist, and let the momentum of the swing spin me completely around. I bought the blade down at an angle and severed the control root. Long impaled the next one, while Rellin and Shear dealt with the one that followed it. The fourth got a face-full of my torch, which distracted it long enough for Long to yank it into the cabin and dispatch it. With the doorway clear, I stepped outside and was assaulted with the sickly sweet smell of flowers. Death Blossoms. They were all over the cabin, clustered around the door and windows like decorations. I ignored them and focused my attention on the dark shapes lumbering out of the tree line. Corpses... their emaciated bodies drained of nutrients and then reanimated as the Tree's soldiers. There had to have been at least a dozen of them, with probably twice that many either on the way or still hidden in the trees. At their feet, strangler vines snaked through the grass all around cabin. There was so much movement on the ground that it looked like running water instead of firm, solid earth. "Not as bad as I thought," I said to Rellin, who looked like he were about to piss his pants. "Some of you might survive this thing." "Zounds!" "Make sure you and your boys remember what I said...keep the cabin clear, and DON'T follow me into the woods." I picked a direction and started running. I got maybe five steps before strangler vines moved to intercept me. They snatched at my feet, trying to grab hold of my ankles and pull me down. The sharp silver burrs in my boots kept them from getting a good grip, but they slowed me down long enough for one of the corpses to move my direction. It stopped about a yard away. I drew back and threw my sword... the blade sliced his petrified skull clean down the middle just before he could make with the 'exploding body' trick I saw in the cabin. I swept the ground with the torch, setting the grass aflame. The smaller vines retreated, while the larger ones braved the flames and tried reached up my legs, hoping to avoid the silver in my boots. I drew one of my smaller daggers and hacked them away. More were coming, though; I could hear them in the grass. Two more corpses stepped out of the woods and lumbered my way. All the rest were headed for the prince and his boys at the cabin. Not wanting to depress myself, I didn't look back to see how they were doing. Instead headed straight for the woods, stopping long enough to pull my sword out of the first corpses head. The going was slow but steady, but the two corpses didn't have to deal with the vines like I did. They reached my just as I was leaving the clearing. One reached for me and lost its hand to my blade. A follow-up slash opened up its chest... a soupy mixture of sap and tiny, shriveled organs spilled out. I ducked under the second creature's clumsy grab and spun around behind it. I set that one on fire, and shoved it into the lumbering path of the first. While they struggled with themselves and the rapidly growing flames, I turned and nearly ran right smack into Thurmond, who'd been sneaking up behind me. His face was a caricature of itself.... still clearly recognizable despite being dried and shrunken, like an old vegetable left out in the sun. His body was still covered in strangler vines, which proceeded to spin off of him like thread from a spool... all of it headed for me. One slice with my sword cleared the air in front of my face, but some still caught me around the waste. "UNGH!" Suddenly I couldn't breathe, and pain shot up my back as my spine nearly yielded to their powerful grasp. Fortunately I didn't drop my sword. I sliced them away. One circled my forearm, but it quickly retreated as my silver bracer burned its flesh. I thrust my torch in Thrumond's face. He grabbed the burning wood and tried to yank it out of my grasp. I let him have it, adding a powerful shove to send it staggering backwards. Flames shot up his arms, singing the vines that were already reaching out for me. I spun away from them and sung my blade low. Both of Thurmond's legs vanished, and the rest of the body hit the ground with a hard thud. I danced away from more vines and found the control root, which was snaking through the grass back into the woods. I grabbed it and sliced it in half. All the nearby vines fell to the ground... including the one that was winding its way up my thigh at the time. The control root writhed and jerked in my hand, trying to pull free. I wouldn't let it... this baby was going to lead my right where I needed to go. I heard a shout and turned to see how the others were doing. I was amazed to see that they were still alive, though they were clearly out matched. A few dead zombies lay in disintegrating heaps nearby, but strangler vines danced all around him. Shear was screaming for help. One of his legs was completely covered in vine; the limb was probably broken in about fifteen places by now. Long moved to cut him free... completely ignoring the zombie moving up behind him. Maybe Rellin would see it. Maybe not. They weren't going to make it out of this. I turned away, retrieved my torch, and followed the vine as it snaked its way back into the woods. --- The thing about Trees is they aren't as stupid as people think. They know their limitations, and they know how somebody like me would exploit them. The control root I was following went dead after a only few minutes... cut free at the source. I could've followed the dead root to the place where it was cut, but by now some zombie was carrying it as far away from the main trunk as possible in an effort to lead me into a trap. I dropped the limp, sagging root and quickly found another one. Or rather, another one found me. Two corpses, either looking for me or on their way to the cabin, decided they wanted a taste of magekiller. The fight was quick, and afterwards I had two more roots to follow. They split up, so I picked one and stuck with it. They would both end up in the same place eventually anyway. The one I followed didn't go dead for quite a while. I'd followed it into a clearing when it occurred to me that the Tree could've been using the live root to lead me into a trap. I hate it when I'm both right and late at the same time. One nest of stranglers was buried about an inch underground, and another bunch hung overhead, suspended from the trees like a spider's web. Before I knew what was happening, both halves of the trap had sprung. It was like a steel cage had dropped on top of me. Vines snapped up into the air and lashed around my torso, pinning my torch-arm to my side. The torch fell. It scorched a few vines and started a small fire, but not enough to make a difference. I was swinging my sword when the hanging greenery enveloped my shoulders and started winding its way up. I couldn't breathe. My legs were pulled out from under me and I hit the ground. I felt thorns piercing my leather armor... trying inject the digestive acid. My leather had enough silver in it to slow the vines down... or else my long and otherwise successful career as a magekiller would have ended right then and there. I rolled to the left and ended up in the fire that the torch has started. I wish I could say the move was intentional, but magekilling involves as much luck as anything else. About half of the smaller vines withdrew from the flames, which was more than enough to allow me to free my left arm. I pulled a dagger from my belt and made a quick slash from my lower abdomen to my throat. More vines fell away, but when I tried to move I found that they'd wiggled their way into my armor and were still holding me down. There was a sudden jerk and I found myself being dragged through the woods by my armor. All the while, the vines were still trying to feel their way deeper into me. No problem. I hit the quick-release latches on my armor. My chest-piece fell away, and quickly vanished as the vines yanked it into the darkness. My pack of supplies was right behind it. I dove for it. A few slashes and my pack was free, but now I was down to boots and bracers for armor. Great. I didn't waste any time trying to figure if that was intentional move to disarm me, I just picked up my equipment and started in the general direction the last root had been going. I picked up another one a short time later. The zombie it was controlling was nowhere to be seen... probably at the cabin with the rest. I cut it loose and followed the root. The next few traps were easy to spot. I avoided them and, three zombies and four strangler-nests later, I could tell I was getting close. All the vegetation started looking drained and dead. The natural trees were starving as the monster in the woods soaked up all the nutrients from the soil... now they just served as places to string vines and hang death-blossoms. I saw more and more of those damned flowers. I cut down the first few that I came to, but pretty soon there were just too damned many to bother. The air was so thick with the scent that I could hardly breath. My salve kept me from going under, but my head still spun from the odor. The blossoms covered up the other scent that I knew was there... the reek of rancid meat and decomposing plant matter that marked the Tree's lair. I caught a whiff of it here and there, and as I moved it grew strong enough to overpower even the flowers. No need to bother with the roots any more; I could just follow my nose. Everything around me was covered in thick stranglers that constantly reached out for me. I had to fight for every inch of progress I made. The sky was just starting to brighten when I reached the Tree's clearing. The thing was there waiting for me. The grayish-brown trunk was about ten feet in diameter and forty feet high. Instead of branches, it a clusters of tentacles near the top. The smallest one was a foot thick. One swat could knock a man's head clean off. About eight feet from the base of the trunk was a huge cancerous bulge with a dark, gaping hole in the center and two pulsating knobs just above it. It was a face. As I entered the clearing, the eyes slid open and looked right at me. A chill went down my spine. It wasn't fear... it was more like disgust than anything else. How such a creature could be so twisted and inhuman, and yet possess a pair of eyes that looked exactly like a man's, I'll never know. But there they were... dark green eyes... more human than those I've seen on some people... staring out at me from the face of a damned carnivorous tree. I didn't waste any time looking at them. Just as a knot of strangler-vines burst from the ground behind me, I pulled a throwing-knife from my belt and let it fly. One of those perfect eyes vanished in a spray of thick sap. The tree's tentacles thrashed wildly, like enormous whips in the hands of some maniacal giant. The tree's mouth stretched open with a creaking sound like old leather, and it let out a monstrous groan. The pitch was almost too low to hear, but I felt the ground vibrating beneath me, and my bones humming in unison with the sound. I hacked away at the strangler vines and began assembling my stakes. I quickly screwed the extensions onto the end of the silver-tipped spikes. More strangler vines snaked in my direction, but by the time I got there I was already gone. I made a running start, then when I got within range of the tentacles I immediately dropped to the ground. A two-foot thick cord of wood went over my head, missing me by inches. The wind from its passing almost threw me off balance. When I rose, my sword was ready. A second and third tentacle were swinging towards me from two different directions. I ducked and swung. The blade bit deep, and I was rewarded with another low-pitched moan that I felt more than heard. Something hit the ground beside me... a chunk of severed tentacle. Another dodge-slice and I had a clear path to the trunk. I ran, stopping briefly to deal with some stranglers and chop off another thick tentacle. I was close now... about four yards from the trunk. More tentacles swatted at me. I swatted back... my silver sword sliced through the monster's enchanted flesh like soft butter. I dropped and rolled forward... moving past another patch of stranglers and gaining more ground. Three yards, now... and the tree wasn't happy. It knew what was coming, and it was doing everything in its power to prevent it. Fortunately, 'everything in its power' didn't amount to a whole hell of a lot when up against razor-sharp silver and years of honing my skills against tougher opponents than Trees. The sun was beaming in through the trees now. I didn't need my torch so I discarded it... right into the tree's mouth. It didn't like it, and while it was thrashing around I got the first spike started. I clasped a dagger between my teeth, lay my sword down, and picked up my hammer. I held the stake with one hand and pounded it in with the other, all the while I heard stranglers rustling towards me. Three hits and the stake was stabilized. I grabbed my sword and swung it without even looking. Severed vines hit the ground, but more stranglers wrapped around my legs and yanked me off my feet.. They didn't last long. I sliced them away and rolled hard to the right- THOOM! A tentacle thundered against the ground. Had I still been there I'd be so much red pulp. I took a chunk out of it as it retreated, and started hammering again. That's the way it went for the next few minutes. I'd hammer the stake in about a foot, then I'd have to stop and fight for my life. This was where I could've used the prince and his boys to watch my back, but the truth is they wouldn't have made it this far and I'd still be doing this all by myself. Finally I struck home. The silver tip of the stake sank into the main root beneath the trunk, and the Tree responded with a wail like nothing I'd heard since... since the last Tree I killed. There's no way to describe it exactly, but to the Tree it must have felt like being castrated with a red-hot fireplace poker. I've seen that done to a man, and the sound he made was remarkably similar to what I was hearing now. Every vine and tentacle started thrashing around randomly. If there were any zombies left at the cabin, they'd be dancing around like a barefoot drunk on hot coals. As the main root convulsed, the whole clearing rose up beneath me and then slammed back down again. I barely maintained my balance. I grabbed my stakes, ducked under a randomly-thrashing tentacle, and made my way around to another part of the trunk. I'd only driven one stake. I'd have to do one more to kill it, and at least one additional one to be absolutely sure. I started the stake while the Tree was still writhing in its agony, but when it came to its senses the fight was on. It was a fight to the death, and this Tree already had one foot in the grave. Fear and desperation are pretty powerful motivators, even for monsters. I was leaping, rolling, and slashing vines for at least five minutes between hammer-strikes. One duck was a hair too slow, and I took a hit to the chest. I flew a few feet, hit the ground and rolled into a knot of stranglers. My chest-plate would've saved me the two broken ribs, but since Old Man Tree saw fit to relieve me of it in the woods, I had to bear down and push through the pain as I fought my way free. I took some nasty wounds. Vines wrapped around my left arm and started pumping digestive acid into my muscles. By the time I pulled free it felt like the whole left side of my body was on fire. Meanwhile, the Tree was taking that opportunity to undo all my work. Strangler vines were all over my second stake... vigorously yanking it out of the ground. "Oh, HELL no!" I sliced the vines away and then saw that one of them was slithering off with my hammer. Rather than jump for it, I drew another dagger and threw it. I pinned the thieving vine to the ground, retrieved my hammer, fought my way back to the stake and struck three of the hardest blows I could muster. Damn near dislocated my already-throbbing shoulder, but it was enough. The Tree's mouth opened so wide to scream that the sides split open. Its one remaining eye bulged grotesquely, on the verge of popping right out of the trunk. This time, the whole forest seem to shake as the secondary roots began their death throes. I had to crawl to a new position, and began the third stake while on my knees. There was no resistance this time. The two stakes had certainly killed it... all that was left was the Tree's magic and life force violently expending itself. The third stake would hasten that process along. I drove it in, and when it struck home everything went still. The trunk let out a fetid gust of putrid wind... a final dying sigh.... and then, nothing. No explosions or thunderclaps... just ominous silence to mark the twisted creature's passing. All over the forest, vines and flowers began falling from the trees like rain. The trunk was already beginning to sag. It'd be laying flat on the ground by nightfall, and by tomorrow morning every scrap of evidence that it had even been here would be decayed and gone. Another mage down. Hopefully for good, this time. I got to my feet and took a deep breath which quickly reminded me of my two broken ribs. Some medical treatment would be in order. My armor could be anywhere in the forest, but I was too tired to even think about going to look for it. Eventually someone would find it, rip all the silver out of it, and sell the metal for a small fortune. Good luck to 'em... I could care less at this point. I had plenty more armor where that came from. The stakes were another matter. They'd have to stay in place for a while to dissipate the residual magic, or else some pretty nasty things could spontaneously generate from the Tree's leftovers. I bound my wounds with the tattered remains of my shirt, and got to work pounding the stakes all the way into the ground. I kicked some dirt over the top of each to keep someone from stumbling over it, and then grabbed my pack. I got a very uneasy feeling as I left the clearing. Prince Rellin. What had happened to him and his men? If they were still alive they were certainly out of danger now... but why was it nagging at the back of my mind? I made my way there as fast as I could... much faster than my ribs would have liked. I found the cabin with no problem, though it took me a second to recognize it. The whole thing was covered from top to bottom with strangler vines. Not one inch of wood was visible. The vines were dead, but the fact that there were so many made me suspicious. The vines I fought through were just a small fraction of what I was looking at here. This was a lot just for a cabin and three idiots... and I seriously doubted that Rellin and his men put up enough of a fight to warrant that much of a response. Something was wrong. I entered the clearing and stepped over about a dozen corpses just to reach the door. One of them was Wilyan. Just under one of the windows was an oblong shape, entirely enclosed in dead vines. I cut it free to see who it was. Shear. His body was swollen and black... digestive acids were still eating away at his insides. I rummaged through the vines until I found the weapon I'd give Shear... my silver hunting axe. I used it to chop the vines away from the door. I lit a torch and stepped inside. The interior was just like the outside... floor, walls, and ceiling all completely covered in wilting greenery. There were also two more oblong shapes... one by the door, and another in the far corner. From the looks of things, they'd retreated into a cabin that had already been compromised. I can't say I didn't warn them... when a magekiller tells you to guard the door, it's usually a good idea to guard the damned door. I should have left then and burned the cabin down from the outside. It was as decent a burial as could be expected given the condition of the bodies, but then my weapons were in this mess somewhere. Silver is silver... I'd already lost a chest-plate; there was no need to walk off and leave a sword and a machete behind, too. I was cutting the vines away from the body by the door when the one in the corner started moving. I thought it was a trick of the light at first, but it moved again... and then a third time. The bottom half jerked back and forth, like a bound man trying to wiggle his way across the floor. "Hold on!" I steadied the trembling shape and cut the vines away with my knife. Inside was Prince Rellin. His skin was alternating patches of purple and green. His mouth was wide open, locked into a permanent scream. It looked like the vines hadn't injected enough acid to kill him. He looked like hell, but he was alive for now. As I cut more of the vines loose I saw why. Rellin's throat was swollen to more than twice its normal size.... bulging out like he'd swallowed a cantaloupe whole. The skin wasn't broken... the thing in Rellin's throat had gotten there through is mouth. It wasn't going to come out that way, though. I just hope I wasn't too late. "Rellin. You there?" I smacked him none-too-lightly on the cheek. His eyes flickered open, but I doubt he could see anything.... the fluid in his eyes was a greenish mixture of blood and tree-sap. The prince tried to move. His lips trembled and he made a weak, choking sound. I couldn't tell if he was alive or if this was the thing inside him... the seed that the Tree had place there. "Prince," I said. "If you're still in there, you know you've got something inside you that needs to come out. And it needs to come our right now. Usually when I do this, the person dies. But hey, there's a first time for everything..." Rellin moaned. His eyes moved. He was still in there. "Here we go." I was never one for preliminaries, so I took my dagger and split the skin of his neck from his chin to his collarbone. I made two intersecting incisions and then peeled the skin back. Then I cut into his air passage from the top of the ominous bulge to the bottom. Prince Rellin took it like a man... which surprised the hell outta me. Of course, there wasn't much screaming he could've done with a giant seed lodged in his voice-box. It looked like a giant walnut, just bigger than my fist. It had tiny hair-like filaments trailing off of it, which were even now tying into Rellin's nervous system... turning him into a living puppet just like the others. Only THIS one would be controlled from the inside. It had been a set-up from the beginning. As soon as I left the cabin, the Tree had thrown almost everything it had at Rellin's men, hoping to subdue one of them and use him to carry the seed. Rellin would've walked out of this forest and traveled halfway across the kingdom searching for another home. When he found one, he'd dig himself a hole, fall in, and pull the dirt in on top of him. A few weeks later, the whole thing would start all over again. Not this time. I grabbed the seed with one hand and began slicing the hair-thin filaments free with the other. With each one I cut, Rellin's body convulsed. I kept as much blood as I could from getting into his air passage, but some got in anyway and Rellin started choking. Blood was spurting everywhere. It wasn't looking good. And the Prince was still conscious. "Oh, to hell with it." I got a good grasp of the seed and yanked it out, filaments and all. Prince Rellin sat bolt upright on the floor, blood pouring out of the gaping hole in his throat. He made a hissing sound that would've been a scream if he had vocal-cords left. His bloody eyes got incredibly wide... and then he passed out. First things first... I threw the seed on the ground and chopped it in half with my axe. Then I saw to the prince. Magekillers learn how to sew up their own wounds as a necessity... it's a dangerous job, and usually there's nobody around but us and the monster we're trying to kill. Performing throat surgery on someone else usually isn't in the job description, but the principles are still the same. I cleaned the prince's wound, stitched it together and bandaged it as well as I could... which was probably better than he'd have gotten from the royal healers. He was still breathing when I finished, and was awake by noon. "Don't try to talk," I said. "You can't. When we leave, I'll probably have to carry your sorry ass back to the King. My ribs are gonna love that." The prince blinked at me. I don't know if that was a 'Thanks' or a 'Go to Hell,' but I took it to be the first one. Actually I didn't HAVE to take him anywhere. My job here was done, and rescue missions were usually left to someone else. But then, when dealing with mages, there usually wasn't anyone left alive to rescue. The prince was still staring at me. He was probably wondering what was going on. I told him. "You were messed up pretty bad," I said. "The Tree planted a seed inside your throat and it had already started changing you. It's gone now, but your body isn't the same as it was. Maybe you'll make it; maybe you won't. It's too early to tell one way or the other. I wouldn't count on a singing career, though." Another blink. This one was definitely a 'thanks.' "You're welcome," I said. "Now get some sleep." I decided to forgo the big 'I told you so' that the prince had coming. He should have kept his ass out of the woods, but I'm sure he'd realized that by now. Instead, I sat back and rested my eyes... which turned into full-fledged sleep within a few minutes. <<Another job done,>> I thought as I drifted off. <<At least this one had a happy ending...>>
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