The Guiding Branch

Year 205

Lumoof sat in their magical archives, there were just a few mages here. These archives used to have hundreds of mages, all pouring over where to push their magic. These days, every single mage was working in the workshops, making weapons, or fighting in the battlefields. 

“Not here.” Lumoof sighed. Our quest for Core Mana in this new world was fruitless. Not here, not Threeworlds. It seemed that we would need Stella here, if we want to find somewhere else with core mana. 

“Is this core so important?” One of the local dwarven mages asked. She had been tasked to attend to Lumoof’s queries. 

Lumoof nodded. They had relatively good maps, at least, from a decade or two ago, before the demons invaded. I felt like I was missing something. 

Why was there a stationary demon king? It’s not the first time the demon king had been stationary, but... why? 

-

Some time later, Lumoof and Ebon met the group gathered for the mission of rescuing the heroes. This was the meeting

They were all level 80s, the highest among them Level 87, a dwarven magical maceman of some kind. He was the stereotypical dwarf, with a grumpy attitude. Because of how extensive and long the war was, there were about fifty of them around level 80s, but only about twenty would join the mission. 

The initial concept was a small, dedicated strike team.

“Are you the upstart who called us here?” The dwarf said. 

Ebon hid his aura well, and shook his head. “That would be my superior, Lord Lumoof. This idea of rescuing the heroes was our benefactor’s suggestion.” 

Lumoof smiled at the dwarf, and the dwarf walked closer to Ebon, and sniffed. He returned the smile afterwards. “Well, at least we’re dealing with guys who can put their lives on the line.” Ebon shrugged, as they activated the fully-recharged hero-item. A group of mages explained the location of the possessed heroes. 

“We’ll do the rescue?” The group asked. “Against possessed heroes?”

“Yes.” The local archmages said. “Our current situation has been a stalemate for too long.”

“But then our defenses? Who will handle it then?”

“The rest of us will have to just hold out.” 

One of the lizardpersons looked at Ebon and Lumoof. “What if this is just a trap to weaken us. If all of us die, we just lost twenty of our strongest fighters. These guys are from another world, and maybe they are here to invade us.”

The dwarf nodded. “Exactly. Since they are suggesting it, shouldn’t they help us out? Not just that, how are we expected to deal with the possessed heroes? We can’t just kill them, right? We need the heroes alive. Somehow.”

“We certainly have no intention of anyone dying on this mission. We will go with you, though our role will be minimal, or only where your team does not have the capability. Are there any strong priests who are good with high-level exorcisms?” Lumoof answered.

There was a collective head-shake. “Our strongest priests are heavy healers and buffers. Exorcism isn’t something we have to deal with.” 

“In that case, if there are no further objections, I would like to handle the exorcism of the heroes. I would need the help of everyone present to just keep the rest of the demons at bay, and weaken the possessed heroes.”

“So we’re bodyguards.” One of them answered. 

“Perhaps.” Lumoof smiled. “Ebon will stay back and support the defense, if there are any particularly strong attacks during this period.”

“One person is not sufficient.” 

“Across all the theaters of battle, certainly. But if there are any huge threats, he is more than sufficient.”

***

The plan was relatively simple. Small group teleports as close as possible, then rushes for the possessed heroes. The hero-item confirmed that the heroes were still in the same location, and twenty-two level 80s and an assortment of level 50s from their various armies joined the force, mainly as support. 

Level 80s put them in the same category as Lausanne, so twenty-two of them were a very decent fighting force. This group could take down demon champions easily, even without the hero items. 

Some of them had anti-demon abilities too, thanks to the decade-long endless conflict. The system favored conflict, and awarded those who struggled really long against it. 

Lumoof had to just tag along, and followed the group as they pushed through the demon territory. Not all of it were occupied, after all, these type of army-demons favored ley lines as their bases, where there were no ley lines, these places were sparsely guarded, even if there were regular demonic patrols.

The only reason the locals haven’t taken these territories back, was because of how vulnerable their location was to the demons from the nearby demon bases. 

“You said you were from another world.” The group asked, as they made their way to their first rest spot. “How?”

“My patron has a way of opening portals to another world. This world is just in the same neighborhood.”

“How is it there?”

“From what I can see, we’re very similar. We also have regular demonic attacks, but we’ve not had a situation like this.” Lumoof answered. 

“I always thought heroes could never be possessed by demons.” One of the mages on the trip said as they discussed the idea of a possessed demons. “Guess what the temples tell us isn’t always true.”

Lumoof laughed. “Honestly, they don’t know any better. The gods don’t exactly communicate much.”

“But yours does.” 

“Well... that’s because my patron is a rising native god. Aeon lives on our world, and Aeon gets stronger over time. Have you spoken to your gods?”

All of them shook their heads, and I was secretly impressed by Lumoof’s clever sowing of doubt. “How powerful is Aeon?”

Lumoof grinned at the question. “I’m sure anyone here knows that power isn’t so simple to explain, especially with the way classes work at high levels. In Aeon’s field of mastery, I would say Aeon is unparalleled, just like how I’m almost very good at what I do in my field. My companions are similarly powerful in their chosen field. Power isn’t a linear scale.” 

They nodded in agreement. One of the knights present couldn’t help but ask. “Sir Lumoof, may I ask... what level are you?” 

Lumoof smiled, as they took the bait. “More than level 100.” 

There was a collective gasp. “How? We all stagnate at level 80s.”

The dwarf rolled his eyes. “You don’t really need us to protect you.”

Lumoof didn’t respond to the dwarf, and instead looked at the rest. “The system limits most of us to level 80s, and only a rare few can break through with incredible force of will. But my patron, Aeon, is a Spirit Tree, a master of souls and spirit.”

We had their attention. 

“And he has a special fruit, that could break through the limitations of our soul, so that we can ascend even higher.”

There was a collective silence as they digested the statement. The dwarf asked. “Ebon. That knight of yours. He’s level 100s too?”

Lumoof nodded. We would rest in this quiet mountain for an hour. 

“Do you still need the heroes?”

“Yes.” Lumoof answered without a doubt. “Even with our levels, the gap between us and the heroes is incredible. Even my patron, Aeon, cannot stand against the demon king alone. We still need the heroes.” 

For now.

The group present digested Lumoof’s words, but eventually one of them approached Lumoof during the break. “How do we get that fruit?”

Lumoof shrugged. “It is Aeon’s to give, not my decision.” 

“Can we have an audience, somehow?” Greed. Lumoof sensed it. A lust for power. Lumoof smiled, and shrugged. 

“Perhaps.” 

That started a torrent of inquiries, as the others all asked for it. They all believed they could go further. Lumoof just nodded, shrugged and repeated that it was not his to give.

But Lumoof’s abilities as a priest allowed him to measure the weight of each of their personalities, and he concluded that only three persons may be worthy. The dwarf, one of the knights, and one of the rangers.

Rest time was over, and the group continued. We met more demons, but the group was strong enough that they crushed them easily. Only champions would really delay them, especially a small group like this. 

In a large-scale war, it is very easy to attack, especially with a small, highly powerful mobile force, but very hard to defend when the attacks could come from anywhere. It was this observation that led to the plan to attack the demon worlds preemptively. 

Offense is focused. Defense is spread out. The sheer speed which the group cut through the demon’s territory and towards the possessed heroes was evidence. 

The group arrived at the possessed heroes’ supposed location within two days. There were just one demon champion there, and a horde of the regular mobs. Easy pickings for the group. 

Of the two heroes, only one was able to fight, and even so, it couldn’t use the hero’s powers. Only a limited range of abilities, derived from demonic mana from the possessing demon. The giant demon knight fought the group, but the group of twenty-two level 80s outnumbered them. 

Lumoof stayed back and watched. He did use a blessing or two to help those in trouble, but this was their fight. 

The champion was slain, the demon knight-hero was quickly defeated. 

One of the mages blasted the ground and we soon found the cage. It was a massive demon, and the hero was wrapped in tentacles and demonic organs. 

“Alright. This is where we step in.” Lumoof nodded, and he moved towards the cage. The living demonic cage wriggled, as it attempted to defend itself. Lumoof merely placed both of his palms on the demonic cage itself, and then, my Avatar descended. 

My presence instantly caused the demons around us to freeze, and their movements slowed to almost a halt. The wriggling cage whimpered, and my mana pumped through the Lumoof’s body. 

The demon knight also wriggled and struggled, but with my demonic suppression aura, the mages quickly disabled it in a cage of magic. 

It wasn’t hard to flood the demonic cage with my mana, this was easier than the demon king by a mile. My mana pumped through cage, and within ten minutes, I felt the demonic cage itself transform. 

The cage wriggled, and shrunk into a small wooden chest. 

[Natural Mana Overwhelming has assimilated the demonic hero-cage mimic. Demonic Hero-Cage Mimic transformed into a Tree-Cage-Mimic].

The hero trapped within collapsed, pale, unconscious but alive. A shot of healing later, color returned to his face, but he still needed to rest. “Take care of him, let me deal with the other one.”

The wooden chest jumped onto Lumoof’s back. The group of fighters present stared. “That-”

“Oh ignore it. It’s part of my patron’s powers.”

Lumoof walked to the weakened demon knight, the effects of my aura essentially meant it was quite weak. I wondered whether I could’ve saved Alexis back then, if I had the strength I had now. I probably could.

Funny how things repeat themselves. I suppose when one lived for so long, we can’t help but notice the way things repeat, just in different iterations and forms. 

Lumoof touched the demon knight at the head. It struggled, but disabled by the power of my aura and the spells of the mages. 

Again, we flooded it with my mana, and the giant demon knight shook violently. This one refused to be assimilated, and rather than let my mana overwhelm it, it attempted to kill the hero within. But my mana had already flooded every bit of its body, and I quickly protected the hero. 

The demon knight exploded to reveal an unconscious young human girl within. We also healed her, and it was time to get out.

Getting out was easy. A small group was incredibly mobile. 

***

The demons did not launch any large-scale attack during the time, which was rather strange. Ebon didn’t even have to fight during the three days. 

The heroes regained consciousness on the 2nd day, but remained groggy and were rather zoned out. They were already fully healed physically, but their star mana took some time to restore itself, and their souls were weakened from the prolonged possession.

Everyone gave them space to recover. They were teenagers, thrust into the role of a hero by gods that treated them like disposable tools. 

Once we reached the city, the two heroes were in better shape, and began to talk about their fight. They were essentially underlevelled. Their entire party were only in their level 80s because they didn’t farm enough demon champions. This demon king didn’t produce that many champions in the first place, preferring massive armies. But these individually-weak massive armies didn’t help them level. 

So when they got to the demon king, the demon king easily overwhelmed them and consumed them. It killed the rest, and captured the two of them. 

From what the heroes shared, I realised that the demon king may have a certain range of demon-creation abilities, as they could create these demonic cages and the possession demon. That meant the demon king was essentially the tactical mind behind the entire demonic invasion, even if some of it was delegated to the stronger demons. 

With the heroes returned, there was a sense of excitement in the councils. The heroes were still compelled by their hero class to defeat the demons, and they seemed eager to return to the field within two weeks of their freedom.

“They really are children.” Lumoof said. “I felt it only a bit with Prabu and the rest, but these two really felt like children to me.”

“Teenagers.”

“Still children.” Lumoof sighed. “Such great responsibilities in the hands of the young, and there’s not a trace of guilt among the kings for letting them do it.” 

Defeating the demons didn’t gain levels, sadly. 

***

Thanks to the success of the rescue mission, the council of King had increased trust in Lumoof and Ebon, and we were given access to many parts of the civilised worlds. The heroes, of course, realised their mistake and went about farming demon champions. With the heroes returning to the battle with their heroic powers, they made noticeable gains against the demons within months.

We were given a small escort, and we visited many of their cities and temples, and more importantly, places where we suspected may have things of value.

We found one soon enough, practically hiding in plain sight. In the center of one of the largest cities, there was a massive park with an ancient tree. Thanks to the war, there wasn’t much maintaining it. 

The rest of the park was an overgrown mess, but we sensed it the moment we were in the city. We headed there immediately. Lumoof looked at the overgrown park, and we gradually made our way in. We didn’t cut any of the trees or vines, but we felt the pulsing presence of something smaller. 

A tree spirit, like myself. 

Smaller, and not yet a domain holder, because Lumoof instantly detected it wasn’t very high level. Only about level 80, despite it’s extremely old age.

“Greetings.” Lumoof said. 

There was no response, and Lumoof got closer, and placed his hand on the tree’s trunk. In an instant, I felt a mental connection.

< Greetings. > I said through Lumoof. 

I was instantly flooded with images. 

> Greetings. < It sounded old, like a very tired old grandmother. 

< I am Aeon, a tree spirit from another world, and Lumoof is my avatar. >

> Well met, Aeon and Lumoof. I am Tgtherian, a tree spirit. < 

< Yes. It is always pleasant to meet another of my kind. > I said. Generally tree spirits have been... nice. 

> Ah. Our kind are few. Many trees are cut down before our consciousness can fully form. < I reckon it took centuries for that to happen. A soul only takes root in a tree after a certain size and age. 

Tgtherian, didn’t know much. It was about 1,800 years old, but it spent most of that time in this park, from a small sapling, and she gained consciousness and awareness about 1,500 years ago. She leveled slowly, even though she offered familiars to druids, shamans and rangers. She didn’t have the hero fragments supercharging her experience. 

Because she was relatively ‘young’, she didn’t remember about the Will of the World, or any other such things.

A shame, but I suppose I can’t expect every spirit I meet to be as powerful as me. Many would be below level 100. 

Now that I met another tree spirit, I wasn’t sure what I was about to do with it. I decided to just leave her alone for now. 

***

Stella continued to experiment with the rift gates with Alka. Alka already made his first prototype star-mana bomb, and he came with a rather interesting idea.

“Aeon, do you think you can fuse a soul with the bomb?” 

“You want to make a sentient bomb?” 

“Yes. Our theory was that souls can reduce the decay from storing star mana or void mana. But I’m also interested in whether it could function as a regulator of the star mana, if the storage function was handled by the hero-item.” 

Prabu made it with the [hero forge], but Alka wanted to see whether there’s potential for hero-made items and souls to coexist together. Hero-made items didn’t leak star mana that much, due to some unknown mechanism, so Alka wanted to inject a soul within it to examine how that worked.

It didn’t work. The hero-item rejected my attempts of inserting an artificial mind into it. “Nope.”

“Darn.”

It would be quite overpowered if it could. 

***

On the parasite demonworld, we started deployment of my newly developed treechikomas, version one. That was the name I gave for the walking tree-labs that’s a hybrid between a demon walker, a beetle and a lab, invented, or really, modified from a demon walker ‘base’. Courtesy of my Tree of Life’s evolutionary powers.

Treechis, for short. 

The Treechis, each of them with their own artificial minds, were assigned to scan and examine the demonworld in more detail, with more ‘active’ and ‘live’ testing with their ability to directly perform tests. 

The Treechis each had a different type of lab on their back, were each about the size of a small car, and they worked in teams of five. They would test the soil, test the mana, and perform examinations in contested territories.

For now, they didn’t produce any spectacularly groundbreaking findings, but all the little bits of new data helped push my knowledge of the demon world, and supported our researchers out in the fields.

Along with the Treechis, we also began experimenting with specialisation of the Treefolks and Lizardpersons of the Central continent, through thematic use of my new evolutionary-inherited skill powers. 

Our goal was to create natural-born, ‘skill-engineered’ specialists, even if it did feel like I was robbing these guys of ‘choice’. Like, what if a Treefolk who was born with a natural skillset for healing and defense wanted to be a fighter? Or a lizardperson who inherited a bunch of spear skills wanted to be an archer? 

Then again, that’s how it was in our world too. Not everyone had the physique to excel at certain kinds of activity. 

Oh well. For now, the treefolks seemed alright with the inserted skill-experimentation. I started with simple skills harvested from some fallen paladins and knights, such as [Demonic Resistance], and skills from some of the rangers, such as [Strength]. I wanted to see the implications of having inherited skills in young babies, and how they manifested. 

I didn’t want super powered little babies killing their caretakers. 

Spaizzer

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