The Monarch

Chapter 9

"You misunderstand, William," Alistair explained, his arms crossed angrily. He had summoned me to his office, just an hour before my departure, "The issue isn't that you challenged another ranger. Duels are perfectly legal in our organization. The issue is that you killed the man!"

"Sorry, guild master," I told Alistair, "But I really didn't mean to kill him."

"Don't tell me you're unaware of your actual strength?" Alistair mocked, "If you tell me that, I would have no choice but to send you back to Baone to redo your stage two trial."

"Really," I gulped, "No, technically it isn't that. My opponent was simply too weak. I fully expected to knock him unconscious."

"Fair enough," Alistair sighed, resting his forehead in his palm, "But from now on, be more careful. It's a hard thing when we lose a ranger. It's even harder when it's because of another ranger."

"Yes, Sir," I nodded, standing up from my chair.

"Also," Alistair said, "be careful on your journey. You're passing through territory heavily preyed upon by Druids. If they learn you look like them, they'll attempt to kill you or imprison you."

"Yes, Sir," I said before turning to leave the room.

An hour later, the carriages had all been packed and the occupants had finished preparing. Josh had gotten himself a new weapon and looked very proud of his purchase. Constantin seemed to have trouble looking me in the eye, but I didn't mind. Rose was already in the carriage, coordinating with the carriage driver on which route to take.

As we climbed in, I was able to overhear part of their conversation.

"Because of the storm, we won't be able to go the usual route up the mountains. Instead, follow this road, to the west of the mountains, and you'll find a small village called Veter Village," I heard rose say, "Then, just reconnect with the route and continue how you would usually."

"If we're fast, we might be able to go the mountain route anyways?" The driver suggested.

"No, that's too risky. Anything can happen to prevent us from climbing the slopes carefully. Follow the route as I told you, and we won't be stuck in the mountains when winter starts," Rose finished. I felt the carriage rock as she jumped off the driver's seat, then watched as she fit herself through the large doorframe.

When the door closed, the carriage started to move. As we exited the city, I was able to hear the cheers and applause from the nearby houses and multi-story buildings. When I looked out the window, I saw a crowd of people waving flags and cheering us on.

"Are they giving us support because we're rangers?" Constantin wondered aloud, "Or is it because they might think it's a parade?"

"Most definitely because we're rangers," Rose stated, sitting down near Josh, "It's customary to wish rangers off with a farewell each time we leave. These things don't happen often, you know!"

"I wonder when they'll allow us to do our own thing?" I asked myself as I removed my hood and mask. It was nice to be able to breathe again.

Just as rose had predicted, a storm soon blocked our usual path, so the driver took a detour to the side of the mountain. The trip was supposed to take three days, but now it was to be extended by another two.

On the ride there, the group played several card games and road games. Eventually, though, the vast selection of party games became too simple for us to enjoy. Soon after, we started to ask questions about each other, to get to know the group better.

"Josh, you first," I started, "Where did you grow up?"

"Me first?" Josh exclaimed, surprised, "That's rather surprising. Um, let me think. I grew up in a town called Witherdale, just a few miles southwest of the capital. I grew up as the son of the nobles there. When I turned fourteen, I volunteered into the military, where the teachers there saw my potential and signed me up to start in the ranger trials. I met rose a few days after the first stage, near a favorite tavern of mine. We got into an argument because I supposedly 'looked at her wrong'"

"I was drunk!" Rose yelled, embarrassed.

"Anyways, we met again a few days later, at the guildhall. The teacher rose was supposed to be taught under died of old age, and she was assigned to partner with me last minute. The rest is history."

"Wait, you're a noble?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, I'm the son to a viscount's daughter and a wealthy merchant," Josh explained, "So I know one or two things about noble society. Constantin, your turn!"

"I'd rather not," Constantin said, his eyes hazy as he looked outside a window, "my past isn't something fun to talk about. All you need to know is that I lost my family, and I'm not fond of that memory."

"Sorry," Josh apologized, then turned to me.

"Alright!" I sighed. Then I started to tell William's story. There was no way I could tell them I was twenty-four by this point, they'd all outcast me.

"By the way you described it," Josh said, "I'd say you're a noble too? I mean, you've got a lake named after your family name!"

"No, there's no way," I said, "My father hoards all of our resources anyway. Even if we were nobles, we live just like any other commoner."

"Do you see your dad often?" Rose asked. I shook my head. Honestly, I didn't know what he even looked like.

"And of course," I said, "I've been sworn to secrecy about my time in Ithilia. Sorry, but I can't tell you about the elves."

"That's a shame," Josh said, looking disappointed, "Do you think you'll ever revisit?"

"Ithilia?" I asked, then gave it a long think. Finally, I shook my head, "The only reason I'd come back is for the woods. I spent more time near the trees than near the city. Plus, the one who taught me likes to travel. She probably isn't even at Ithilia right now. That's actually why i'm so excited about our destination. It's in the Ymir Forest, the sister to Baone woods!"

"Luckily," Constantin sighed, turning his head to us, "There also aren't any druids there. The most we'll have to worry about is the laboratory,"

"True that," I laughed, remembering what Alistair said just a few days earlier. Which one was correct? Alistair or Constantin, "Alright rose, your turn."

"Alrighty! Hello, I'm Rose Redwater, daughter of Vennessa Redwater! I grew up in Rivertown until I was eight. Then, my family moved to the capitol for my father's job. I actually entered the tournament by accident, but I was suprised by how easy it was. In the end, I won by barely trying! I like chocolate, long walks at the beach, and sleeping in! And that concludes my introduction!"

"Rivertown?" Josh said, recognizing the name, "That's the town right next to Witherdale, is it not?"

"Yep, we're neighbors!" The group laughed, allowing for a moment of peace. That peace was rudely interrupted by a dark object in the back of my mind. My instincts told me to hide, to run away. Nobody else seemed to have noticed but just continued laughing.

"Everybody shut it," I said. The laughter stopped, causing a long silence. The dark object clouding my mind grew stronger as if it was watching me from right behind, "Get out! Now!"

I pushed open the door and ran out. The others followed suit, confused by my sudden actions. As we ran out, I looked behind us. For a moment, I saw nothing. The moon was low in the sky, stretching the shadows across the treeline.

"What is it?" Josh asked, confused.

"The carriage stopped," Rose noticed.

"Maybe it's just because we left?" Constantin guessed.

"No, the driver isn't there anymore," I said, noticing his absence from the driver's seat. Then, I saw a giant shadow move from among the trees. A moment later, a silhouetted shape blocked the moon. It was morphed like a person, with two legs, two arms, and a normal head. However, they stretched easily above five stories. Then, they arched their back into the air and let out a horrible roar. The ground shook as they roared as if the beast was pouring all of their hatred into the earth and the earth responded back. Then I watched as the beast rose its arm, something small held in between its fingers. Then the creature slowly lowered its arm to its mouth as it ate the small item in its fingers.

"What is that?" Josh gasped, staggering back. The rest of the group looked on in shock as well, staggering back several feet.

"Did it just eat," Rose gasped, her voice almost unhearable, "the driver?"

"f**k," Constantin muttered, "f**k, Fuckety f**k! They weren't supposed to be down here!"

"What are they?" I asked, turning to Constantin.

"f*****g guess!" Constantin yelled, dropping to his knees, "They weren't supposed to be here!"

"They're druids?" Josh said, dropping to the floor.

"That's a woodland giant," Constantin said, "You can't see its skin because of the dark, but that thing is a jigsaw puzzle of trees and roots. Near its heart is its core, a body of a druid. Based on the size of that monster, it's more than a few dozen years old. That druid is dead by now, but the giant is still alive!"

"So what's controlling that thing?" I asked.

"A pure form of bloodlust," Constantin said, "whatever emotions the druid feels before creating that thing is what the creature feels when it's given free will. Druids only created these things for war."

"We need to find shelter," Constantin said. Josh nodded, agreeing.

"Veter village isn't far from here," Rose told us, "We could make it there by sunrise, as long as it doesn't notice us." The giant in the distance roared again, for the second time. The roar lasted for several seconds, shaking the ground up to my body. I could feel my limbs shaking and my heart beating faster.

The giant turned in our direction, then roared a third time. It took a slow step forward, followed by a similar step. It took several steps forward, slowly gaining speed, until it started to arch itself forward. It swung its arms wider

"It knows we're here," I realized, backing away, "We need to run, now!"

The party turned around, deeper into the forest. We ran uphill, as fast as we could. I immediately ran to the front of the party, but Josh and Constantin started to lag behind.

"They aren't fast enough," I mumbled. I looked up toward the giant, who was getting closer to us. Then, I looked to rose, who had caught up to me before the other two, "Make sure they get out of here!"

"What are you going to do?" Rose asked as I walked back down the hill. I turned around to her.

"I'll try to lead him away from you guys. Once I think you're far enough away, I'll make a break for it. Meet me at the village tomorrow, at noon!" I told her, before turning around again.

"You won't survive against that thing!" She yelled as I stretched out my legs. I took my cloak and mask, then brought Snow from her sleeping spot. I handed all of it to Rose, entrusting her to it. A moment later, I began running, leaving the others in an instant.

When I ran toward the giant, I kept my eyes on the creature. My heart started to beat harder, thumping against my rib cage. What was happening? I felt drawn to this creature.

I jumped, easily ascending above the tallest tree. In a moment, I was looking at the giant from his eye line. I drew both of my longswords, then used the momentum of my jump to start swinging them as hard as I could.

As I swung, flying toward the giant, I gained enough momentum to start spinning like a ferris wheel. I landed against the giant's shoulder. My blades stopped almost insntatnly, halting my momentum. I was flipped onto the giant's shoulder.

As soon as I made contact, he halted, bringing his run to a stop. Trees and ground below him were obliterated, leaving a noticeable scar underneath him.

His hand immediately started to move toward his shoulder, where I was laying. But he was slow, giving me enough time to notice. I moved toward my weapons but realized they had been embedded too deep into the wood on his shoulder. I ran toward his other shoulder, clinging closely to his neck.

His hand crashed into his shoulder opposite of me, causing a loud explosion of sound to erupt. He staggered backward from his own blow. Then looked at his hand. He roared in anger after realizing he didn't kill me. I covered my ears, fearful that his scream would shatter my brain.

Then, he turned his head toward me. His glowing green eyes moved toward me, targetting me. I prepared to run again, but he did nothing. Maybe his other hand didn't work as well?

Then, roots started to grow from my feet. They started to wrap around my ankles, tripping me. I struggled to get out, only to meet his other hand taking me by surprise. I barely escaped in time, but I fell off of his shoulder. I knocked against his leg a few times before falling into the trees below.

My back landed painfully against the ground, knocking all of the air out of me. The giant turned his body toward me, then crouched down. He moved his hand down, toward the ground. I tried to get up, then tripped back to the ground. My leg screamed in pain, twisted in several different places. His index finger and thumb were large enough to pick me up with ease.

I was slowly lifted off the ground, then brought up above him. He opened his large mouth, revealing years of moss growth and a horrid smell.

"Let go!" I screamed, gazing into the abyss of his mouth. He lowered his hand to his mouth, bringing me with it. I struggled against his grip, "I said, Let. Me. Go!"

As I struggled against his grip, I could feel my hands start to warm up, as if they were being heated above a fire. I looked down, then saw the roots near my wrist start to grow in size, extending far above my elbow. The roots near my knuckles started to writhe like snakes, rising far above the bones underneath them. They seemed to call out to me, begging for me to use them.

I suddenly got an idea, but it was a horrible risk. I extended both of my hands toward the monster's face, then closed both of my fists. I watched as the roots near my knuckles shot forward, obeying my will. Underneath the roots, my hand grew to a much darker tint of green.

The roots shot toward the giant's eye. He screamed in pain, dropping me. I swung down, still attached to his face. My legs landed against his chest, one of them stumbling in pain. I winced, then looked down.

"!laeH tooR ,kaew eht nehtgnerts dna nekorb eht dnem ,derujni dna kcis eht laeh ,redro ym wollof dna lliw ym wolloF .nwo ym sa cigam fo swal eht dleiw dna erutan fo swal eht rehpiceD .eeht dnammoc I ,rewop s'laB fo ecruos sA"

My leg started to twist itself, forming the correct position. Roots started to poke through the clothes, forming little holes near my knee and ankle. Was I growing more roots there? Would I eventually look like this giant?

The giant struggled again, swinging me back and forth. I struggled to stay in one spot. Then I gripped the roots touching his eyes harder. With the momentum that the giant gave me by swinging me around, I pulled hard. Another few pulls down and I started to hear cracks from above me.

The giant started to struggle more. My own heart started to beat faster. The giant was telling me that it was in significant pain.

Another pull and the roots came loose. I started to fall to the ground. If I landed on the ground below me, there wouldn't be a tree to support my fall. I would die.

No, I wouldn't die here. Forbidding death, I shot my leg forward. Similar roots shot from my leg, wrapping around his waist. Then, I swung between his own legs and shot up toward the back of his neck a moment later.

When I needed them to, the roots I had extended were cut down near the base and new ones grew a moment later. Now that I was behind the giant, I could see why he was screaming as he was. His hands were covering his eyes, black blood spurting from in between his fingers. My roots didn't just come loose but instead had ripped his eyes from their sockets.

Surprised by not fazed, I took my chance to extend a pair of roots from my hands again, this time targetting the center of his back. They pierced through easily, appearing again near the front of his chest. The giant screamed in pain again, struggling for a bit.

Then, he started to fall to the ground. I held on tightly to the roots, then pulled myself to his neck. I rode the back of the giant to the ground until he had crashed onto the trees below him. Dirt from the land nearby rose up, forming a wall around me.

I fell back against the giant's wood frame. Had I killed it? I fainted, exhausted.

Update on 3/8/21!!