Chapter 3: Contact

Chapter 3: Contact

Birds chirped in Leif’s branches as the early morning sun filtered through the sparse canopy. It, or rather, he, now comprehended why the small forest animals seemed attracted to his form despite their survival instincts likely screaming at them to stay away from the [Juvenile Blight Tree].

And it wasn’t because they were idiotically ignoring the concept of self preservation.

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Aura of Nobility I:

Aspects: Aura, Social*

Your auric presence possesses traces of your noble baring and lineage. You may display your intent through your aura, your intent has a greater effect on those with a weaker aura.

You can control your aura in ways that are impossible without an aura skill.

Notes: Keep this suppressed around the Kossia family. They’re insufferable.

Two years later, one of them married my cousin! They’re closing in! HELP ME!

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And what's more, Leif knew why he could sense the emotions and intentions of the nearby animals.

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Court Empath:

Aspects: Social*, Perception

You feel the emotions and intents of those around you and can see in which direction said emotions and intents are directed. Your ability to sense such things is determined by your charisma attribute.

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While Leif couldn’t read the system windows, he could instinctually grasp what each of his skills did. As if some innate knowledge of their uses was trickled into his mind.

His roots spread out in a five metre radius around his trunk, some stretched downwards in search of ground water, others fanned out to cover more distance. Leif’s current self imposed task was to manually direct his roots.

Focusing on any one task was difficult, but as Leif willed his roots to move, they did so. He found that actively controlling his root’s growth increased their progress by one and a half small presences per warmth period.

This highly scientific method was interrupted the next day when it rained. As an entity with no sight, smell or hearing, accurately gauging the world was difficult. Sixteen warmths and three wets into the expansion Leif encountered something peculiar right on the edge of his ‘perception’.

An intent, hungry and searching. However the source of this intent wasn’t anything Leif had ever sensed before. He continued expanding in the direction and, after four days, reached the new being.

He reached roots. When Leif initially came into physical contact with the other tree’s root system he didn’t immediately identify it as the source of the vaguely hostile intent. Leif found it difficult to push his limited perception down to the far ends of his roots. And telling different root structures apart was remarkably difficult.

So for another week he pushed his roots towards the intent, and the other tree did the same in his direction. When the grass around Leif’s trunk began to wither and die he didn’t notice, he only noticed when a sharpened root erupted from the earth and struck towards a small presence on one of his lower branches.

The creature, a small bird, successfully dodged the assassination attempt. This resulted in the attack penetrating Leif’s body. Bark splintered and chips flew off into the forest. If Leif had ears he would have heard the sharp crack that split the air and sent the numerous occupants of his canopy fleeing in every direction.

Pain wasn’t something Leif could feel. Instead of pain there was a dull sensation of something being off, a rush as chemical processes within his body moved towards the wound, sap mixed with a sharp aroma secreted out.

Both trees remained idle for well over an hour, each trying to comprehend what had just happened. The other blight tree, not as blessed with incredible intellect, could feel that the tree it had encroached on was similar to itself. The faintest sense of a familiar bond pricked at its still burgeoning awareness.

Leif, for his part, felt no such familiar bond. Quite the opposite. The strange feeling of unease surrounding his existence prevented him from making such a connection.

He had been attacked! A part of himself the young tree didn’t comprehend was outraged, it instinctually wanted to counter attack. To fend off the danger. But what truly sealed the fate of the unfortunate blight tree was that it had scared off Leif’s tenants.

A protective pride swelled in Leif’s not chest. An emotion resembling the human emotion of anger bubbled to life. Leif’s entire world sharpened, he swept the surrounding area with his limited perception.

He saw clearly for the first time the reaching roots, like skeletal fingers clutching in his direction. The dead grass, vitality robbed by the attacker. The attacker...

Leif imitated the tree equivalent of squinting in indignant incredulity via his aura at the other plant. [Grand Action] boosting his might attribute the power of [Savage Roots] was heightened. Eight metres away from Leif’s trunk a spear of wood erupted from one of his probing roots. Damp soil was parted as the sharp blade punched into the other tree’s roots. It didn’t sever them, not entirely.

If Leif’s opponent noticed it had been stabbed it didn’t react. Or more accurately it would take several days to react if it did notice. In this period Leif began draining the vitality from the enemy root system via his opening.

It took two nights and a day before the roots withered and died, the faint intent leaking from the closer roots vanished.