The Monarch

Chapter 10

I woke up surrounded by the pleasant smell of breakfast and an audience of three. I was lying in a bed, surrounded by Constantin, Josh, and Rose. Near the bed was a bedside table carrying a tray of pancakes, bacon, and a slice of toast.

The three of them were in a happy conversation with each other, some of them laughing as they talked. None of them had a face of worry. I sighed, closing my eyes again.

"He's awake!" Josh yelled, grabbing my shoulder. I opened my eyes, slightly annoyed with him, "Dude, we've been waiting!"

"How the hell did you kill that thing?" Rose asked, her face full of disbelief.

"Only a druid can kill a druid," Constantin laughed.

"I'm not a druid," I sighed, my voice weak.

"Gotta," Constantin laughed along with the others.

"Where are we?" I asked. I looked around some more. The room we were in looked similar to the hospital room in Ithilia. Stone walls, simple furniture, and an open window near the bed. The only exception was that I wasn't alone this time.

"Veter Village," Rose responded, "We saw the fight from the distance, but we never expected to see the giant fall. What did you do? Your weapons are crushed!"

I brought up my hands in front of my eyes. The roots were much thicker now, hiding much more of the skin underneath, "I have no idea. Maybe if it works again, I'll show you."

"When you get out of the hospital, you better," Constantin said, "And in case you're wondering, we've already found the laboratory. It's up to you how we go about patrolling it."

"Our main concern is the laboratory," I said, "as we've been ordered. Can you guys show me to the person in charge of the village?"

"Sure," Josh said, "but only when you're released. You have several broken ribs and bruises all-around your ankles."

"That's not a problem," I said, moving my hand to my chest. I closed my eyes, then spoke the incantation for Root Heal. When I opened my eyes, the three others stared at me with shocked expressions. I ignored the slight root growth near my hands. Then, fully healed, I sat up in my bed.

"Let's go," I said, looking around some more. Then, realizing something was missing, I looked to rose, "Where's snow?"

"A bunch of children are playing with her outside," Rose said, "But I should tell you before you see her,"

"Tell me?" I asked, "Tell me what?"

"There's been... a slight change in snow's appearance,"

My eyes were widened full as I was frozen in place, shocked. I stood at the doorway to the village's small clinic, wearing my full ranger's gear. I looked forward, toward a group of children in the grass.

"What about this?" A young boy asked, showing a piece of paper to a young white tiger. The paper had a small picture drawn on it.

The tiger seemed to smile, wagging its tail in glee. The boy was maybe eight or nine.

Another boy, about the same age as the first one, held up another piece of paper, this one having a different design drawn on it. The young tiger seemed to smile again.

"Very good, boys," the young tiger said, a kind voice escaping her mouth. The tiger looked very different from the Snow I was familiar with. For one, she was much bigger, almost the size of a fully grown golden retriever, "Now, go ahead and draw me!"

"Yes!" The boys happily agreed, each of them grabbing another paper from a stack.

"Is that what I think it is?" I asked, stepping forward a bit. The tiger turned her head toward me. Below her left ear, the one formerly facing away from me, grew a very small antler, similar to my own, "Snow?"

"We have no idea how that happened," Rose said, "last night, we tucked her into a bed just near yours. The morning after, that talking tiger was in Snow's place.

The tiger stood up, then apologized to the two boys before walking over to me. The tiger stopped in front of me before sitting down. Its eyes were very blue and its fur was as white as the snow.

"How did this happen?" I asked, looking deep into the girl's eyes, "Snow, is that you?"

"Yes," The tiger responded, her voice just as kind as her smile, "It's me."

"How," I started, "How are you here? Like this?

"Ask bal," Snow responded, "He's the one that thought this was a good idea."

"This is bal's doing?" I gasped, still shocked from the surprise, "But why would he? No, since when have you been like this?"

"Since Rose woke me up, I guess. I don't remember transforming, so it must've happened in my sleep," Snow shrugged, a weird action for a tiger, "But I don't know how you would talk to bal now. You don't have the offerings prepared and we are nowhere near Baone woods."

"Talking to him isn't out of the question," I said, "But I trust him. I'm surprised by the new you," I crouched and started to fluff Snow's ear, "But I never said it was bad."

"Are you the elder of this village?" I asked the oldest person in town. The senior citizen took a while to respond to me but slowly nodded after I waited for them.

"Yes," The man slowly told me, his voice shaky, "My name is Cedric Took. How may I help you, my son?"

"Hello," I responded, speaking at around his speed, "My name is William Vercotti. I'm a ranger assigned to this area. Can you tell me anything you know about the laboratory deep in the forest?"

"Ah," The man sighed, "That place has been a curse upon this village for generations. Sit down, son, I can tell you have more than one question."

"The laboratory was built three hundred years ago, during a forgotten war long ago. Its purpose has been forgotten and lost in our records. Two hundred years ago, the building was swallowed by the earth in a mudslide, killing several dozen of the scientists inside. Their bodies have not been given last rites, and their spirits haunt this village and the forest still. If you're truly a ranger, have you arrived to help us eradicate them?"

"If we see it necessary to complete our mission, we'll do it," I told the elder, "What else can you tell me?"

"There isn't any way to get into the laboratory. All of its entrances have been sealed off for centuries," The elder said, "And the laboratory is too unstable to dig through. Trust me, my son, we have tried and failed many times."

"If the entrance is sealed, how have undead scientists escaped and started to haunt you?"

"You'll see when you get there, my son,"

Several hours later, the party set out for the forest, hoping to create a long-term camp next to the laboratory. The walk was long and tedious. Often, we got lost along the path and would have to cut through patches of trees hoping to stumble upon the correct path. Other times, we would double back to find the correct path.

By the time we reached our destination, night had fallen. The laboratory, in the night's darkness, looked like a large mound located in a giant crater. Its edges and walls were blurred and hidden.

"Let's set up a camp for the night," I told the party, "We can worry about building the long term campsite once we wake up,"

That night, I had a nightmare again. I was lost in a lonely forest, surrounded by nobody. The trees were all black and white, hovering over a thick layer of fog. There were no hills and no rivers, and the trees all looked exactly alike. Each of them was spaced out from each other at the same distance, creating an eerie grid feeling to the dream's forest.

I knew immediately I was in a dream, but I couldn't find my way out. I walked for what seemed like forever, in no specific direction. The trees would always appear from a wall of fog in the distance, never showing any signs of difference or uniqueness.

The sun never showed either, but the light above seemed to shine from a specific source, directly above me.

"I know you're there," I finally sighed, speaking loudly to the sky as I stopped walking, "Come out."

"Yes, your highness," A voice chuckled. A shadow appeared in the corner of my eye. They seemed to use the trees as cover. Whenever I would turn to look at them, they would quickly move out of my sight.

"Who are you?" I asked, "You've appeared in my dreams before, haven't you?"

"Yes," The shadow answered, "I am your loyal servant, your most obedient slave."

"Slave?" I repeated, "I'm your master? Then who am I to you? Why won't you show yourself?"

"Because you aren't you," The shadow answered, still dodging my eyes, "I have waited for five hundred years, waiting for you. However, you haven't awakened from your slumber yet, master. I must wait more, and wait I will do."

"Awakened from my slumber? I'm very much awake, thank you very much. Well, not now."

"Your memories," The shadow said, "They aren't where they are supposed to be. You, a powerful monarch. Master of war and rage, herald of famine and betrayal. You truly carry your title with honor, master. However, you have tainted yourself with the magic of the forest. A druid monarch. Truly a disgusting creation."

"And?" I asked, "What do you intend to do about that?"

"I will not tell an unawakened master," The shadow said, "Forgive me, but you will understand soon."

"Soon?" I asked, "Are you leaving? Stop! Wait!"

I awoke, sweating from every pore in my body, as I shot up out of my bed. For the next few minutes, I walked back and forth, around the camp, as I rubbed my arms. My body shivered from the cold, despite my thick layer of clothing.

The sun had not risen yet, I had noticed. I reluctantly slipped back into bed, but my eyes remained open.

"Monarch?" I whispered. Again, the name had come to my attention.

The next morning, almost an hour after the sun had risen, we carefully set up our long-term camp. Getting the idea was the hardest part. We brought architects and carpenters from the village to inspect which area would be best.

Some said close to the laboratory so we could use a large area of flat land. However, the others said opposite things.

"I'd suggest building alongside the trees," One man, a carpenter, said, "It's hidden, easy to run away from, and easy to defend."

"How would we get up there?" I asked. The man shrugged in response.

"No idea," He told me, "But you're rangers. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

I looked up at the trees, then back to the ground to compare it to the rest of the ideas. The carpenter wasn't lying. Building several treehouses, all connected with rope bridges, sounded like a good idea. But how would we build it?

"If we can figure out a plan," I told the carpenter, "We'll go with your idea. Thanks,"

"No problem," The man responded, looking proud of himself, "Let's go look to see what trees are suitable."

For the next half hour, the man walked around the outskirts of the laboratory, inspecting each tree carefully. He investigated its roots, the thickness of its trunk, its age, and finally, the leaves color.

"Why does the leave color matter?" I asked the man while he was writing down notes in a small notebook pulled from his jacket pocket. He looked at me, confused by my question.

"You wouldn't want leaves to fall onto your creation and dirty the place, would you? It's better to build along the trees with the green leaves. They're evergreens and won't bother you as much as the normal, nonevergreen trees," The carpenter explained suddenly, "The other thing's I'm looking for, including its size, age, and root strength, are all factors we have to take into account before we start building. If a tree is too weak, it'll collapse randomly after we've built the project. That would be extremely unfortunate, so we need a strong foundation. In this case, we're using the trees as a foundation."

"Gotta," I nodded, slightly understanding, "What happens if a tree is too strong?"

"Too strong?" The man asked with a confused expression on his face, "There isn't any such thing as a 'too strong' foundation. The stronger it is, the better. In my opinion, at least."

"Done!" The man happily sighed, wiping sweat from his brow. He took a few steps back, then pulled up his notebook and showed me his results, "I'd say the grove on the west side of the laboratory is your best bet. The roots there are strong and the trees there are tall, suitable enough to a strong foundation."

"What about building costs?" I asked.

"Talk to mark, the town's head architect. He's out on a hunting trip today, but he'll be back soon. Take him to the grove when you get the chance, he'll help you out for sure," The carpenter told me, tearing off the noted pages from his notebook. He extended his hand to me, giving me the bundle of pages, "Show these to mark when you can. He'll be able to read them just fine. Hopefully, after he comes up with a few designs, we'll work out what type of wood to use and how much weight it can support."

"Good," I nodded, "Thanks. I'll pay you after the project is completed,"

"Fair enough," The man sighed, stretching, "But don't forget about it. Five gold pieces, just as we agreed!"

"The five gold pieces were for your service throughout the entire project, not just today," I told the man, putting the papers deep in my cloak. The man chuckled, "I'm sure you won't complain."

"Of course," He nodded, "That's five times how much I make in a month. See you!"

Until the carpenter, Alex, found his brother, the Architect Mark, I couldn't plan any further with the long-term camp project. To pass the time, members of the party started to spar with each other. I had missed out on the first few matches but returned just in time for Constantin and Rose to face each other.

I sat on a rock, surprised by the spectacle. I turned to Snow, who moved over to sit beside me.

"How long has this been going on?" I asked her.

"The fight?" Snow confirmed. I nodded, "It will start soon. They've been fighting each other for nearly an hour now, though. This match along is their sixth rematch."

"Their sixth?" I asked, "Who's winning?"

"Rose is 3-2, while Constantin is 2-3," Snow answered, "So if rose wins this match, she wins the entire thing."

"But isn't Constantin at a disadvantage with this matchup?" I asked, "He's an illusion magic-user, skilled at tricking his opponent from a distance! Rose is all about closing that distance, isn't she?"

"That is true," Snow shrugged, "But Constantin has done a good job fixing that problem. Watch, the match will begin soon."

I turned my attention to the field, where Constantin and Rose were standing, several feet apart. Constantin brandished his weapon, swinging it around a few times. Rose crouched low, strengthening her posture and stance. Even from here, she seemed as secure as a brick wall.

"Begin!" Josh yelled from across the field. Instantly, the two ran at each other. They ran fast enough to seem superhuman, but my eyes had no problems tracking them. As expected, Rose tried to close the distance immediately. When she successfully did so, with no resistance, I thought the match would end there.

"Watch!" Snow yelled. I leaned forward, watching as Constantin's form disappeared when rose struck it. His body disappeared in smoke as if it was being absorbed into the sun.

A moment later, he appeared behind her, as if jumping out of nothingness. He struck her with the broad edge of his sword once, but she swung her hand around to dodge instantly.

Having lost the advantage of the first attack, Rose's performance seemed increasingly worse as she faced Constantin. His rapid strikes with his rapier flickered in the sunlight. Rose did well to block his attacks, but she couldn't stop his advance from pushing her into a corner.

"Has she been beat?" I asked, holding my breath. When the fight continued, Constantin seemed to get more desperate. His attacks started to become faster as his hand gripped his sword tightly. I was able to see the sweat drip from his brow and the veins that popped near his knuckles.

Rose continued to block all of his attacks perfectly, but she was starting to look exhausted as well. Now, it was a matter of who gave up first. After a while, it seemed that nobody would be the first to give up.

Then, as the sun was finally starting to set, Constantin was the first to lower his weapon. Rose didn't take a moment to spare. Within a moment, she grabbed his arm, turned completely around, then vaulted his exhausted body over her own. He landed painfully on the ground in front of Rose, his weapon missing from his hand.

"Rose wins!" Josh announced, yawning. I looked back to the field and saw both contestants breathe heavily from the strain of the fight.

"Constantin," I said, jumping from the boulder I sat on. I slowly walked over to him, then crouched near his body. His eyes found mind within moments, but everything else seemed too tired to move, "Show me that disappearing act you pulled earlier."