Ch 55. Living Grove part 1

The guards were doing their job, stopping any muck-rats that came our way, maiming them, but leaving the kills for me.

Even so, I was seriously on edge about this Gawn fellow, and my initial impression was the worst. All he did was stand around posing with his cloak while he watched the others do all the work. It reminded me a little of myself... but I had all the excuse to do that. This jerk was supposed to be a knight. 

While I studied him, he was similarly studying me. Neither of us doing anything to help with the battle. 

I was the first one to break off, doing my rounds killing the disabled and injured rats. Even if they weren't worth a lot, the little bits would add up over time. 

A shadow passed over my work, letting me know there was someone behind me.  Gawn looking over my shoulder as I stooped over a freshly dispatched muck rat slinger. Instantly irritating me. 

This guy was really getting on my nerves.

"Can I help you?" I asked him.

"Is there a reason you do that?" He asked me curiously.

"What?"

"The killing." He said, motioning to the entire field of alive but maimed muck-rats, crying and squealing in terror. 

I looked over the scene, unable to really come up with a good explanation. It really did look like the work of a madman. Things were easier when nobody dared to ask. 

"Don't ask." I ended the conversation and narrowed my eyes at him, using my authority to avoid unwanted questions.

Packing up again we were headed towards the forest, soon nearing the edge of the grasslands. But instead of heading directly in, we walked parallel to it as I read my commission page. A crude map and directions drawn, depicting the location of the living grove that an adventurers group had recently discovered. The guild undoubtedly paid them for this information, given that the city had an interest in paying for the extermination, and that the guild would be the initial purchaser of the monster parts, they were no doubt turning a profit. 

I was looking for a landmark, supposedly the group had flagged the area.

I managed to take a bit of distance from that weird knight, heading over to my brother Tristan. 

"What's that guy's deal? Seriously." I whispered to him.

Tristan just shrugged, "He's always been a bit weird... but people really respect him around here. He's more than proved himself as a knight."

Continuing to walk while asking questions.

Sure enough we came across a tree spike with an orange flag on it, nailed to the base. Looking back at the crude map, "This is our spot." I let the guards know. Heading straight in. 

Tristan seemed to take issue with me leading the way, insisting I stayed in the back given my new status. It was a bit awkward at first, having my brother act like guard, but it seems like he was wasn't particularly jealous about it. Apparently my marriage had done a lot for my other brothers, allowing them to rise the ranks far quicker than normal. 

We followed the markers, the orange flags easy enough to spot with their contrast against the moss covered bark of the oversized mana-fed trees. The undergrowth, which had previously been just short grass and moss, was beginning to give way to thicker underbrush. Brambles and vines, mainly concentrated around the trees themselves, but still requiring those at the front to clear the way. Using their swords like glorified machetes. 

One of the soldiers raising a cry suddenly, slipping to the ground while a vine coiled around his ankle, trying to drag him. The rest cutting off the crawling vine before it could go any further.

"Well, that's new to me..." I muttered to myself, mildly alarmed as I observed the situation.

"Never seen a treant before?" Gawn asked me, whispering in my ear as he managed to sneak up behind me. Finding my reaction amusing as I jumped forward, already on edge from the situation.

He wrapped his arm around me chummily, pointing with his sword up the tree to direct my attention to one of the dozen branches high above us, all of them covered in vines. The vine that was just severed retracting upwards as if in pain. One branch in particular started to shake, previously hidden roots plucking up from the side of the tree that held it in place.

Gawn took a position next to me, looking like he was guarding me against the threat. I watched as the treant fanned its branch-limbs, each of the ends sharpened to a point like a spear, a mouth appearing on its side, letting out a creaking groan like that of a cut tree as it dropped down towards us, shrieking the whole way.

Gawn suddenly yelled for me to dodge out of the way at the last possible moment, preemptively rolling to the ground himself. The treants branch tips now aiming solely at me as it descended, knocking me to the ground with a thud. 

It was like I had been hit by stack of iron, the sheer force knocking the wind out of me, but the pointed limbs breaking uselessly as they failed to pierce my armor. One of the soldiers next to me having his leg caught alongside me, echoing in my ears with a sickening crunch. The treants flailing its limbs as it scratched and beat at us.

I stabbed wildly, trying to fend off the blows. None of them harmful, but still managing to panic me. 

Each strike feeling like I was hacking at wood, going a few inches in each time with a hollow sound. It tried to grab me with the vines, but I was strong enough to rip my arm free and kept going. The other soldiers hacking away as well, hewing off the flailing limbs, and making my job easier. Only when the mouth opened to try to bite at me did I have any real success, stabbing in with the same arm it was trying to chew on. The sword finding soft flesh on the interior while the treant shrieked in frenzy.

Blood-colored sap pouring over me as it struggled its last.  

Panting with adrenaline, I hugged the fallen tree lying on top of me. Trying to catch my breath as I heard my heart beating in my ears.

I really wasn't ready for that...

Seeing Gawn standing over me now that the beast was dead, my temper flared. That guy almost got me killed. 

I was pretty much pinned under the treant body, able to lift it up a little bit, but not enough to free myself. Fortunate enough to have access to the inventory, managing store the fallen tree ontop of me. Rolling to my side now that I could breath easier, steadying myself as I stood. 

"You're alright?" Gawn remarked flatly, almost in disbelief, sneaking an eye at the poor soldier who got crushed alongside me, the man's leg probably broken. 

His armor did its job, not letting any of the spear-points through, but there was not much that could be done to mitigate what was essentially a falling log. Some armor might be able to do that if they had magical effects, but those would be extremely expensive. 

"No thanks to you." I spat out spitefully, still shaken up. I don't know what this guy's problem was but I'd never be taking him along again. If he was a real knight he'd be sacrificing his own life for my safety, not rolling out of the way. I'd have to have a chat with Jagen about punishing him later.

I wasn't hurt in the slightest but my combat experience was not particularly rich, and even then getting jumped on like that was going to take some getting used to. I had a rather durable body, but it's not like I wasn't still afraid of getting hurt. 

Kaguro