ThreeTree Defense Initiative

ThreeTree Defense Initiative

y75 m9

The month starts with rain. Rather heavy rain, though nothing damaging, as there is natural drainage within the valley itself. As the clouds dump water into the valley, the roots rejoice, the trees, all crave water, so, the roots lap it all up, absorbed by the growing number of normal trees and subsidiary trees, and it sated, for a moment, the valleys ever increasing demand for water.

For New Freeka, they had to work harder. Yvon and team had to quickly repair and setup additional drainages. They expanded so quickly to accommodate the large quantities of housing, that the existing drainage is just not adequate. Flooding occurred in a few spots, but with some construction type magic, temporary drainages could be built rather quickly.

The centaurs had some tents run off in the sudden downpour. Again, because one lives on hills and slopes, they are trading off flooding for mudslides and rockslides.

Still a few of the refugees drowned at the sudden flash floods. Nothing like a bit of death and destruction to teach a lesson about infrastructure planning, as morbid as it sounds. And after the event, theres usually some kind of death ceremony, a burial or cremation, or for the first time, I witnessed a real oddity, the death ceremony of a treefolk, where the treefolk is cut up into many pieces and served as a kind of soup, for the kin to consume.

For our loved ones live forever in us, and as a part of us. We are treefolk, and we carry the memories and lives of those who passed away before us.

Strange, but I suppose the ceremonial, ritualistic aspect of life is very much well preserved.

Lately, I have been getting more prayers. It's a bit like the conversations I used to have in Freeka, with the elves, where they would come and sit next to me and talk. Its got to do with the [tree of prayer], and their belief that [soul trees] are a way of communion with their ancestors, or gods, or whoever they worship.

So, in some societies, a [soul tree], a [shamanic totem], or a [spiritual rock] has a similar function as a church, or a temple. Like some kind of merger between druid beliefs, and conventional religion.

Oh tree, oh tree, make me rich, and make me free.

Huh, a refugee praying for money. As if the trees have the power to grant fortune. Actually, you do have some limited power to do so. The wisp interjects, and I brush him off. Im not going to make somebody rich. Else Id have people praying to me for winning lottery tickets.

Oh tree, oh tree, let me be free of my stupid husband.

Ah one of those. Do I have powers over domestic happiness? In some ways, if you are creative, you do!

Damn it, Wisp.

Oh tree oh tree, make us safe and stop all of this running. Let us find a home, where we can live in peace of the rest of our lives.

The common prayer of refugees, sick of running away, and finally finding a place to stay. I totally sympathise, I recall being evicted as a tenant and thats a horrible experience.

Oh tree oh tree kill the humans. Kill those who make us go through this suffering.

Ah, the vengeful too. Such is the anger, from those who lost their families, or friends. Vengeance is a common prayer topic, after all, refugees all have plenty of grievances from the experience they go through.

And, my [Tree of Prayer] responds to such energy, absorbing some of it and converting it into [Essence of Mercy], [Essence of Hope], [Essences of Anger] and [Essences of Vengeance], and in doing so, it also helps to reduce that anger and emotion in those who pray. That said, the rate of conversion is really low. Perhaps as it is just a prayer, the energy within that prayer is minimal.

Or maybe the absorption ratio improves as I level up this skill. Who knows. Maybe I should consider merging a [Tree of Prayer] with an [Artificial soul], maybe thatll create a [Tree-priest].

This month, ths traders also bring in slightly concerning news about Salah, their ongoing wars with the Nung and Takde Kingdoms.

Salah is winning, and so Nung and Takde now form a coalition, with possibly other nations that have historical grievances with Salah. Of course, in Salahs eyes, this is treated as an escalation, and Salah is now trying to get its own allies in, so there are hints of a bigger regional conflict brewing. If additional nations join into the war, New Freeka may end up being smack right into the middle of the war, instead of being on the other end of the battlefield.

This is of little concern to me, if Salah gets owned in a battle, thats not my problem. Bit, this worries Yvon, so Yvon and her council scrambles to send people to all the nearby nations to declare some kind of neutrality to this conflict. New Freeka, as a young nation, still trying to comply with its truce terms and safeguard its new citizens, is deeply concerned with any disruption to its growing trade, and food supply.

Personally, my ideal outcome is for the battles to be fought around me, without affecting me, such that I gain the souls from all this conflict.

But this conflict also exposes the [ThreeTrees of Mana], as its a big blue shoot me sign in the area. Its huge, its obvious, and it does nothing else. Its also quite far from me, as that is where the leyline is

At this moment, I am uncertain whether anyone will react to the presence of the [ThreeTrees of Mana], perhaps the nearby nations will ignore it, perhaps they will think its some kind of strategic asset and seize it or anything, really.

So, if a conflict does happen, protecting the ThreeTree will also be something I need to do. If the nations turn hostile, defending it is my priority.

I mean, theoretically speaking, the location of the ThreeTrees of Mana is already contested territory. Abandoned during the previous demonic battles, its last owner is the kingdom of Salah, but historically that plot of land has changed owners a few times. Unlike the valley of Freeka, which is somewhat-legally, under the truce arrangement, a part of this new nation of New Freeka.

Even if Yvon manages to get some kind of neutrality declared for the valley, that neutrality would likely not extend to this newly claimed area of mine. In fact, it may even be seen as a hostile act from New Freeka for claiming that dungeon. So, I may have invalidated the truce already!

But! I would not part with the leyline. Thats fact, so if a battle does pop up, I will defend it, and unfortunately for the New Freekans, Ill have to drag them into the battle if I have to.

Ah, so many moving variables though so many ifs. If only i have eyes and ears into all the nearby nations...

Hah.

Youre overthinking. Meela pops up, poking her head into my thoughts.

Why? Ill end up dragging the refugees into battle which is a bit too bad for them. So I should be thinking about what to do next carefully, no?

It didnt happen yet, right?

Thats not how I see it. Not planning for things is how I got into trouble the last time, I should do better, right?

I think youre getting a bit too into that whole long termist tree thinking.

Uh, and thats wrong because?

Uh how about the here and now? Oh come on, dont tell me that.

Its reality that I have to plan a bit more into the future. Im a tree, I cant just wing it.Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com

I also discover that Meela did experience some change from the additional repair from the [soul forge - black]. She gains a bit more awareness of my thoughts, and to some extent, knows what I think. Its unnerving, as I dont enjoy having my mind read. But she denies it, she just says she has a very good innate sense of what my thoughts are, but shes not reading my mind.

But all souls do get their minds read.. A little. According to the wisp, a soul tree can very well read and rummage through the memories of the souls that pass through it, if certain conditions and abilities are met, and this exchange is mutual. Of course, for most souls, this doesnt really matter because when they reincarnate, they forget them. Heroes however retain their memories, and if they carry knowledge of a soul tree into their next life, that makes them rather dangerous. Frankly, the mechanism is still confusing. Apparently some reincarnation gods will wipe the memories clean, but some dont.

Someday if I meet Mozart again, I need to ask him about this memory wipe thing. How does it even work...

Ah.

Meela, so, what would you do? If this war happens, my leyline is under threat.

Fight them off then.

So you agree with me.

No. How does anyone know that bunch of trees is anyway related to New Freeka anyway. Most people cant even tell two trees apart!

Meelas spirit bobs around and twirls.

So, act as if the two sides are separate unrelated camps. So find a way to delink the two, visually. If they look different, nobodys gonna suspect the two tree groups are related. Dont you have some kind of ability to make it as if they look different or you dont? Some [camouflage] or [illusion] skill? And do you have a way to remove the straight line of [subsidiary trees] that, so that its not so.. Erm.. obvious?

No. My [truth detection] did not trigger, nor did my [detect false statements]. They are being honest if they say there are no great healers here.

Hmmm. Maybe they dont know.

Exactly. This place is a hive of refugees, so many that run here, a few thousand of them. Some of them may be hiding their talents, and the leaders know not of their talent.

But Salah never had a great healer either

Indeed it is strange that the oracle guides us here.

You know how oracles are, they will answer your question, but it may be because our question is not correct. One of the men speak, while munching on some potato salad. Maybe its a trick answer, and we need to look for something else.

Whatever it is, we cant go back without the healer. Well get our heads chopped. We start our search for the healer after we rest tonight.

Year 75 Month 10

My ginseng tree got attacked by a flying creature. It pulled it out of the ground before a root strike struck its head. So once again, I had to restart my ginseng tree. My constant failure to cultivate and protect my ginseng tree reminds me I still have a problem with airborne monsters. Maybe I can get flying leaves as a weapon, kinda like Pokemon.

Right?

Or shoot seeds as a projectile, like a rapid fire machine gun in PvZ. I already have fruit bombs, so launchable fruits would turn them into fruit-artillery and fruit-flak cannons? Come on system, give me something similar or a skill like that?

A fruit cannon. A seed cannon is fine too. Something to shoot at all these flying stuff thats starting to really bug me.

System? Give me a skill, please?

[Insect warrior variation unlocked : Web-trap Spiders]

[New customisable branch option : Web-trap spider nests. Home to 3 web-building spiders.]

[Web-building spiders have little direct combat abilities except for their poisonous fangs, but are able to build webbings between your trees, laced with paralysing poisons and build trapping cocoons]

Uh.

Not exactly what I wanted, but, I suppose a spider able to build traps is still better than nothing, so I designate one.

A spider crawls out, and its really rather tiny, about the size of a small dog. Each of the spider can build and maintain three sets of webs, so, one branch, has three spiders, and so, nine webs.

The first spider quickly demonstrates its ability, building a massive web between the branches and trees, about 10 meters across and wide, and it counts as one web. For anti-air, its not exactly ideal, after all, if a dragon or something came up, a trap like this isnt going to work, is it?

Ah, a tree cant pick the insects to decide to live in it, so fine, webs and spiders.

Theres a spider! Jura shouts, and pulls out his sword. He just came out of the hideout and is surprised to see a spider so near the main tree. I guess having a bunch of webbings right above his head kinda shocked him too.

No. Stop. Its my minion.

...really?

Yes.

The girls are not going to like it. At least the beetles kind of look like a giant armor, but this spider looks like a fuzzy monster. And its dark brown and black.

I frankly did not realise its creepy.

EEP!!! Belle screams when she too steps out of the hideout, and spots the spider.

Its my new minions. They are my anti-air defense.

Can we not have them near here, at least? Laufen too, comes out, after hearing Belle screams.

Hmmm I mentally command the spiders to build their webs higher up, perhaps between the canopy layer of trees. That way they dont come across the refugees or elves so often, except for the ginseng tree area, which I will cover in multiple layer of webs. Just to prevent airborne monsters from pulling the tiny ginseng tree out of the ground again.

With that, the spiders hide away on the tree tops, and the elves go about their way. Except Jura.

Paws has been rather talkative lately, since he hit level 20 and capped out.

Oh, how is he? A bear made of wood appears next to Jura.

I am fine, master. I recently acquired this wood-form summon, which allows me to take this rather weak form, but at least I can act independently.

Yeah, hes been telling me about having to upgrade as a eidolon, to unlock more powers...

Yes, master TreeTree. Paws walk up, and stands next to the [Forge Tree], and as he does, a prompt appears.

Paws, Woodbear Eidolon has reached his level cap. To upgrade (ie to Level 30), the following options are available :

Blue - Armor path - 50 small copper ingots & 5 medium red rubies neededBlack - Claw path - 50 small iron ingots & 5 medium onyx needed.

Ah.

For artificial souls, they start off at level 20 cap, and if I have a single color soul forge, I can unlock one upgrade, ie, level 30. Each extra color increases the upgrade by one, so, if I have all the necessary resources, I can upgrade twice, to level 40.

It seems, the colors of the soul forge represent something lacking in the artificial souls. Each color adds an affect, and makes a more robust artificial soul.

TreeTree?

Im afraid we need to acquire some resources, can you get 5 medium red rubies and 5 medium onyx, and a lot of copper ingots?

Jura pauses, Is this like the blood crystal thing?

Yes. Where are you on that, anyway? Ah yes, Trevor too, needs an upgrade. All 3 of my first artificial souls have reached level cap.

Its being shipped here. After the dungeon raid Ive gotten enough money to buy it, but the trader says the supplier is really far away, so itll take some time. Maybe next month well get it.

Fine then. Are the visitors bothering you?

Yeah. They seem to be looking for some great healer or some great magical cure, but we dont know of any. But they are still here, claiming that their oracle never lies.

Should we be afraid of them? Lausanne then pops out, asking the question to Jura.

Well, not really. But Baroosh is one of the larger kingdoms around, at the same level as Salah, so they are a respectable force. Making allies of them would be ideal for Yvon and gang, but we really do not have healers to offer. Juras response is actually meant for the elves, but Its also an education for me, because the names of all these nations kind of slip past me.