Tree Guardian

by Andrew Karevik

  This must be a crypt, I thought, perhaps a tomb of some dead saint or great warrior. I did not hear any living beings within. I saw no sign of activity; besides, the gold was covered in dust and there were many cobwebs within, indicating this room had not seen anyone for a long, long time.

  I had a lot of other matters to attend to, but my damnable curiosity led me to organize a small team of goblin explorers. They were the skilled warriors of Ehdrid’s village, who were versed in both combat and navigating through the dungeon without the need for maps or compasses. I tunneled a small passageway for them to reach this mysterious crypt and instructed them to investigate. I needed to determine if there were any living occupants within before we helped ourselves to the treasure. There was no reason to make enemies of new neighbors, if I could help it.

  The expedition was running smoothly at first. Six goblins, armed with swords and chainmail armor, dropped into the hole and examined the room. The door was easy enough to unlock, as it was merely bolted shut. Once they were in the hallway, however, things took an ugly turn. I was able to watch, using my root as an eye and moving it along after them, and thus was able to see what horrors awaited them.

  One moment, the goblins were fine, marching two by two down the corridor. And the next, it was a bloodbath. Dozens of blades sprung out from every which direction, slashing about wildly, cutting into them. Acid released from above them, drenching their bodies in devouring liquids, and then the walls smashed in, killing all six of them in a single instant.

  Their essences were quick to arise, and I sought to capture them, so that I could bring them back to Ehdrid who may resurrect them if they so desired. But before I could, something else drew them away. Their essences faded from sight and, at once, I became aware of another presence. It was…everywhere. Completely surrounding my little root within the hall. It wasn’t divine, though. Not a god, but an arcane power, something…something I had never sensed before.

  Instinctually, I tried to connect to it, to speak and find out what it was.

  “Hello?” I asked, using my mind to touch the being. I felt a coldness from the entity, a brutality of sorts that was cruel and vicious.

  “What is this?” it asked, the words forming rather slowly, as if this were the first time it had ever spoken before. “You are not food.”

  “Food?” I repeated. “What are you?”

  The blades began to go wild in the hallway, slashing around violently as if they were trying to find something. I noticed that they were attached to long flexible mechanical tools that could move up and down in any direction. The way they moved, it was as if they were being directed by some other presence. As if they were being controlled.

  “Food!” the entity growled, dumping more acid on the ground in vain. My root was far enough away from the traps to be safe.

  “I am not food,” I replied to it. I could sense violent rage and bewilderment in this being. It was beginning to dawn on me that I was not talking to a person, but rather, I was talking to the dungeon itself.

  “Not food,” it replied. I felt an invasive force push into my mind, a carnivorous force that was desperately looking for something. “You take magic?”

  And it all fell into place at once. The reserves that I had been draining were not just some kind of natural force. They belonged to this dungeon, an unknown entity that had been operating deep below me. I had been stealing from it for quite some time and it had not known.

  “I would kindly ask you to release the essences of those goblins,” I replied. There was no answer for a while. This dungeon did not seem to comprehend what I meant. But I could sense more magic being pumped into the treasure room, one that contained the raw essence of the now dead goblins.

  “How do you speak to me?” it asked. “How do you know I am a me?”

  Was it stupid? Or had it never spoken to anyone before? Without the gift of speech like I had, would it be able to communicate or comprehend properly?

  “I am a Great Tree above you, living on the surface,” I explained while carefully extracting the essences of the goblins back. “I am a friend.”

  “What is friend?” it asked, snarling a little at me.

  “A friend is where you are…” I paused, unsure of how to explain what friendship meant to a creature that had, up until now, been entirely alone. “Friends are good to each other.”

  “Share food then,” it said. “Give more food. I sense it. Give magic back.”

  “I’m afraid that I was in error,” I explained, “I did not realize you were the owner of that magic. It has been spent already, but I will repay you, if you allow me the time.”

  “Repay?” it said. The ground around me began to shake rather violently. “Take!” it barked. In an instant, the treasure room’s ceiling began to expand, tunneling upwards as quickly as possible, extending up towards the passage the goblins had used for access.

  Was this dungeon really trying to attack by expanding into me? What, did it hope to ram me to death? My many roots came to defend me, stretching down and opening up, wrapping around the expanding corridor, forcing it still. I could feel the amount of magic this dungeon was burning in order to strengthen its expansion. It was quite impressive, but fortunately, I was stronger. I held it in place until the beast mind gave up.

  “You hide food,” the being said. “I can sense them. Hundreds running around. Give them to me. Friend.”

  He was, no doubt, referring to the goblin village that rested within me. I was not about to allow this monster to devour them. But could I teach this creature to distinguish between friends and food? Was it even worth it? I was unsure of what to do here. This dungeon was unlike me, of that I could be sure. It did not seem to care about anything other than growing in power. Was it evil or just animal? Too many questions and too many risks.

  I began to use the last of his own magic to create a magical barrier around the bottom of the goblin village. This would repel anything trying to move upwards into the village. On top of that, I would be alerted if the barrier sensed any kind of magic or growth moving near it.

  “I am bigger and stronger,” I told it. “I will eat you if you bother me again. Go away.”

  I felt a great anger in the creature, welling up towards me. But there was caution amidst the anger, a sense of self-preservation that allowed it to accept my terms. “You stay up,” it growled, “I stay down. No eat other’s food.”

  “Agreed,” I replied. “No eat other’s food.” I could still sense the fury within it, the carnivorous hunger to simply engulf anything in its path. And I could sense on a rudimentary level a desire to eat all that I had within my own dungeon.

  But the question was: would this creature indulge in its desire? Or would it just leave me alone?

  Chapter 5

  News of a recently discovered dungeon beneath me spread like wildfire. Ehdrid was able to bring back the spirits of the goblin warriors and they had told their stories. Unlike other races, whose souls were made to depart from the land and move to an afterlife, goblins had no such luxury. They were tied directly to their life essences, which meant they could have very well been trapped for a long time by the terrible Dungeon Below. Their gratitude to me for my quick thinking in rescuing them meant that the story would be told to every goblin in the village.

  Predictably, the idea of a voracious, monstrous entity living below the goblin village caused a lot of chaos. Many of the villagers became terrified of the possibility of their own destruction at the hands of this creature. Other, braver goblins proposed that they form an army and march down with alchemist firepowder to obliterate it, room by room. Immix had a field day in adding to the terror by hiding in goblin closets, whispering to them that he was going to devour their very souls.

  Ehdrid came to me early in the morning, on the second day of the chaos, to see if I had some measures planned to contain this threat. We met in his spiritual hut, as always, to speak of such a grave matter.

 
“Great Tree,” Ehdrid said, leaning against his staff. The years were beginning to take a toll on his body. He had been an elder when I had first met him, and goblins aged much faster than other races. He was pushing close to sixty-three and looked to be quite withered. I wondered how much time he had left in his mortal form. “My people are living in terror.”

  “They are safe, Ehdrid, of that you can be certain,” I replied. “Have I not pledged to protect you with my own life?”

  “You have, you have,” Ehdrid said, nodding at those words. “But while our bodies are safe, our imaginations are victim to the terror of being devoured. Every creak in this dungeon, the sound of a startled animal, the whispers of Immix, they all lead my people to panic. I cannot convince them that they are safe here. You see, it is one thing for our bodies to be destroyed, as that is to be expected. But for our spirits to be eaten? A goblin spirit must remain in the land, to wander and to live as it pleases. To speak to shaman brothers and to find peace in the natural world. To be trapped in a single place would be like for a human to be sent to the underworld.”

  “How can I help you in this matter? I have created a powerful shield that will push the creature away. It is strong, yes, but I am far smarter than it.”

  “You do not need to convince me,” he replied. “You must convince the people. Already there has been talk of escaping to the surface by some of the wealthier members of the goblin tribe. To split a tribe would be to weaken our spirit magic. This cannot happen.”

  “Is this not a case for Immix then?” I asked. “He is your trickster, yes? Tell him to weave a great tale to convince the people they are out of harm’s way, rather than running about on all four claiming to be possessed by the dungeon.”

  “The shaman cannot ask of the trickster,” Ehdrid said. “If I were to ask for his aid, he would double down in his efforts to cause more fear. He reflects the minds of our people in this way, his efforts are a symptom of our collective worries.”

  “I see. Leave me for a time to contemplate. I shall solve this problem,” I replied.

  Ehdrid stood and bowed deeply to me. “I thank you for your wisdom and kindness, Great Tree.”

  I thought for a while about these fears. The goblins did not deserve to be so afraid, but they truly were not in any danger. I could address them all collectively, to appease their worries, but this did not have the kind of flair that would be reassuring. A public announcement from a disembodied voice wouldn’t seem nearly as safe, especially when their fears were of another dungeon.

  An idea came to mind. Perhaps what they needed was a symbol of protection. I called forth Tynd, to see if he could be of any service to me.

  “Great Designer,” I spoke to him as he was busy painting a headless statue of an armored human on the third level. “I have need of your aid.”

  Tynd paused and looked up at me. He was one of the shorter goblin breeds, with yellowish skin and the garb of a very wealthy noble. His purple and green clothes, however, were stained with splotches of paint that were over a decade old. All of his clothes looked like that, extremely garish but ruined by paint.

  “So, the Tree speaks!” Tynd says. “Do you wish to complain more about stained glass? Yes, I know these classless adventurers will destroy it in the hopes of treasure, but it makes these halls gorgeous.”

  “We shall argue about that another day,” I said. “Are you aware of your kin’s state of terror?”

  “I haven’t been down in the village for a few days, but Immix was here earlier trying to bite on one of my workers’ ankles, so I suspect something is up,” Tynd said, returning to his painting duties.

  I was quick to explain the state of fear they were in, but Tynd seemed unconcerned with the task, at least until I told him what I wished.

  “I have a great gem,” I said, “infused with power that will keep the village secure. But a gem alone is not a symbol. Will you craft a statue for me in the center of the village? Hide it from view until it is finished.”

  “A statue? But of what?” he asked. “Perhaps of you, looming over us all?”

  “Nothing so heavy handed. You are the artist. Make something beautiful and meaningful to them. And leave space so that I may place the gem in the center.”

  Tynd glanced up at me and sighed. “You really wish to take me away from my work here for that? Let the goblins suffer their fears, it may inspire them to create great things.”

  “Do this as a favor to me,” I said. “And I shall repay you in kind.”

  “How so?”

  “By keeping those damnable stained glasses,” I repeated, knowing full well goblins would be busy replacing those things three times a week minimum. This was more than enough to motivate Tynd to comply with my request.

  Tynd was able to move much faster than other goblins thanks to a special charm I had given him. This amulet, when worn, allowed time to move faster in the mind of the goblin as well as increase his physical speed. All of his skills were still in place, but he was able to get most of the important work done at a higher pace. This allowed him to decorate, paint, sculpt and even chisel works of art in a matter of hours, where most of those projects would take days or weeks to do.

  Within a day, he had sectioned off the center of town, putting up big curtains and posting guards to prevent anyone from entering. A large block of marble had been transported in, a block that had been purchased originally for another set piece for the second level. With Gariatha’s market connections, we were able to get a steady stream of marble shipped to us at a very generous price.

  Two days passed and the villagers all became curious about what was going on behind the curtains. Whispers and questions passed around, and for a brief time, many of the goblins forgot about the Dungeon Below. At least, until one child had a terrible nightmare about it, leading to another widespread panic and emergency town hall meeting.

  It was during this meeting that Tynd called upon me, to tell me that the statue had been finished. I took advantage of the fact that all the goblins were gathered together and spoke to them in a loud, booming voice to capture their attentions.

  “People of the Ehdridkin tribe,” I bellowed in the town hall, my voice echoing throughout the entire village. They all recognized my voice at once and quickly became silent. I had only addressed them all one time before and that was to make an example of someone who betrayed me. This time would be meant to reassure them.

  “I have heard your fears of what lies deep beneath the earth,” I continued, once everyone had settled down. “Do not think that I am unsympathetic to your worries and dread. But you have nothing to be afraid of, for I am your fierce guardian and protector. Step out into the town square and gaze upon a great symbol of protection.”

  Ehdrid was the first to leave, raising his staff high to guide the other goblins out into the town square. Tynd was standing by his creation, hand on the ropes that would pull down the tarps to reveal the statue. Once all the villagers had assembled, he did as I requested and pulled the ropes to show a beautiful, ornate carving of six warrior goblins, ascending upwards. Beneath their feet were sturdy roots, pushing them upwards. These roots surrounded their legs and grasped them, not to harm but to guard them. It was the story of how I had rescued the spirits of the six warriors who had explored the Dungeon Below.

  In the center of one of the guardians’ armor was a slot, designed to hold a special gem I had created for this occasion.

  “This statue is a monument to the bravery of those who sought to aid me in my work,” I said, “and a reminder of my oath to all of you. As long as you live within me, I shall protect you. Even in death, should your spirits be loosed upon this earth, I will steward and safekeep them.”

  The goblins were all gazing at the statue in awe of the work. Tynd truly was a master sculptor, with such a keen eye for detail and the ability to tell stories with images. Even I was in admiration of what he created. Once they had taken in the work of art, it was time for me to
alleviate their fears once and for all.

  A green gem, large enough to fit in the center of the statue, came drifting down. It moved slowly, so that everyone could see the glistening energy pulsing from it. It sparkled inside, with the light of the sun, and everyone gasped at the sight of it.

  “This gem is infused with my power,” I said as I guided it to the slot. “And as long as this gem is here, sealed into this statue, it will defend you from what lies beneath me. Its power is great and a mere fraction of what I am capable of. It will never fail you, for as long as I live.”

  And with that, I sealed the gem into the center of the stone guard’s armor, causing a great green flash to come across everyone. There was a great silence in the hall, as everyone gazed upon the sparkling gem. But I could see a sense of relief on many faces. One goblin began to clap and cheer, and this caused the rest of the village to join in. They clapped and cheered at the realization that they were now safe, thanks to my efforts. As long as the shield beneath the village was intact, the gem would glow. And I was confident that the gem would be glowing forever.

  Chapter 6

  With the crisis of the goblin village resolved, I turned my attention to the matter of learning more about the dungeon beneath me. I wasn’t so foolish as to think that the being below would not cause problems for me in the future. No, whatever this dungeon was, it would need to be handled properly, but with a degree of discretion as well. I did not need for the goblins to get wind of the fact that I was still investigating it.

  So, I turned to Regar for aid. I asked if he had any such experience with this dungeon before. As far as he knew, I was the only dungeon within the Feverwood, and all of the maps of Yehan indicated the same. There were a few possibilities as to why neither of us had heard of it before.