The Stone Tree: A LitRPG Adventure (Kingmaker Saga Book 1)

by Thomas K. Carpenter

  In that moment Terran decided what he had to do. He would go find the seer and try to get a message to his friends. His previous attempt at getting the essence proved to him that there was no way to defeat the bear, so there was no reason to bother trying again. He was worried about what the elves would think, though, so he decided it was best to lie. They would think he was out hunting the bear, and in a week, after the Crag Trolls destroyed the tree, it wouldn't matter anyway.

  "I better gather my supplies to hunt down this bear then," Terran lied.

  Luna cocked her head and narrowed her eyes at Terran's words, but said nothing. The elves jumped into action, making plans for when the settlement would level up. They seemed to have no doubt that Terran would defeat the bear and bring back the essence.

  "Why don't you leave in the morning after you plant the fifth seed. We will need to use the last of the Sky Moss to speed up the growth, then you can gather up your supplies to be ready first thing tomorrow," Petram said.

  "Good idea. I'll go spread the Sky Moss now," Terran said with a pit of remorse in his stomach.

  Luna followed him as he gathered the remainder of the Sky Moss and spread it on the ground around the Mother Tree's trunk. The final seed would be ready to plant first thing in the morning. With the looming Crag Troll attack Terran knew the weaponmaker tree needed to be built if the elves stood any chance of winning. With the weaponmaker tree they would have a twenty percent increase in damage they dealt and access to making lots of different kinds of weapons.

  "Are you really just going to lie to them?" Luna's voice chastised in his head.

  "I'm trying to leave them with at least a little hope. Maybe they could win if they have hope, but there's no way they'll win if I take that away from them," he explained.

  The Rock Leaf Lynx bared her teeth. Her disappointment hit him in the gut. He wanted to stay and fight, wanted it badly, but the chance to find his friends again… How could he pass that by?

  Luna stalked away, not looking back. "Coward."

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The sun rose in the sky, turning the horizon pink as Terran stood alone after planting the seed. He wasn't sure if there was even an elf at the settlement that was trained to make weapons, but the damage increase alone made the tree worth having. A hole in his stomach opened up as he turned and walked back to his place in the Mother Tree, unable to watch the tree grow to its full size.

  Terran gathered the supplies he had packed the day before. Through his window he could see the dew clinging to the grass outside and the birds flitting around looking for their breakfast. Luna stirred and stretched as he moved around the room.

  "Still planning to find the seer?" she asked telepathically.

  Terran only nodded in response. He had lain awake most of the night mulling over his decision. As the night wore on the pit in his stomach grew, and his sleep remained restless. He'd awakened feeling irritable and confused, but also excited about the idea of finally locating his friends.

  The smell of the apple he ate for breakfast reminded him of the sweet aroma of Chanterelle's hair. His heart quickened as he remembered the feeling of her lips so close to his. Suddenly the image of the elves' faces when they first saw the Mother Tree regrown filled his vision. Their joy had been palpable. He stared at the fruit in his hand as the pit in his stomach tried to devour him. Hurriedly, he shouldered his pack, tossed the apple into the fire pit, and stormed out of the tree. Luna followed in silence a few paces behind. He had made his decision, now he just needed to find the seer.

  As he looked around the glen he realized he had helped create everything there. All at once he was flooded with doubt. He stood at the edge of the glen reweighing his options. He really wanted to find his friends, but how could he just walk away from the elves and his settlement so easily? Luna was right, he was a coward. Terran let out the long breath he had been holding.

  "I am not a coward," he said to Luna with resolve. "Let's go find that damn bear." As soon as he said the words the pit in his stomach disappeared.

  Luna smiled at him wistfully. "Glad you changed your mind, Terran, but sorry that you'll miss out on your chance to visit the seer. I know you want to get back to your friends."

  "It's not like I won't ever get a chance, but it'll be much longer," he said as the ache of longing constricted his chest.

  Finding the valley where the Spirit Bear lived was easier the second time, but knowing that a Crag Troll attack was imminent and that if he failed, there was no chance the settlement could survive made the time it took to reach it feel like it dragged out forever. He tried not to have regrets about his decision not to leave, but there was a nagging part of him that still worried he'd made a tragic mistake.

  "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were constipated," Luna said as she padded next to him.

  "I worry that I made a mistake in coming here," he said.

  "Still wishing you'd gone to see that traveling seer?" asked Luna.

  He sighed. "I do. I hope you don't think less of me that I considered it."

  The gray lynx paused, sitting on her haunches. "I would have thought you a fool if you hadn't considered it. I know you miss your friends, but I think you know that if you'd abandoned the settlement, you wouldn't have been able to live with yourself."

  Terran put a hand to his head. "I think you're right. Thank you. I needed to hear that."

  "Good," said Luna. "Now focus on the Spirit Bear, because I'd rather not have the same result as last time. I still have nightmares about those claws."

  "Any ideas?" asked Terran.

  "Don't die," said Luna.

  Terran looked through the valley. They'd run all morning. Sunlight exposed dust motes floating between the trees, giving the forest an idyllic feel, even though he knew it was a lie, since big, furry death was waiting for him.

  "I think my plan last time was decent," said Terran. "Maybe I can refine it a little."

  He looked to Luna for reassurance about his plan, but she padded forward through the leaves, heading up the hill.

  They found the previous trap in the same state they'd left it in when they'd died. The woven vines connected to the log were still there, though they were knocked out of place. Terran thought back to the first fight, wondering if this plan was truly a good idea, but time was his enemy as much as the Crag Trolls.

  "Let's get this trap reset," he said.

  With Luna's help, he moved the log back into position, retightened the vine ropes, and cleaned up the area.

  "Now why is this going to work this time?" asked Luna.

  "It sensed the trap before, either through some psychic connection, or it could sense the stone, I think," said Terran, tapping on his chin. "I need to disguise this deep stone."

  "We're disguising stone now?" asked Luna. "Shall we make it a jaunty hat? Maybe a bushy mustache."

  "Do you think that would work?" he asked, the corner of his lip twitching upward.

  "Well, at least you're in a good mood before you die again," said Luna.

  Terran moved atop the lichen-covered stone and placed his hands on a cleaner section. He closed his eyes and opened his mind. He felt a stronger connection to the earth in this location. Without knowing how, he could see how deep the stone went. This wasn't just a boulder lodged in the crown of the hill, but a part of the bones of the region. The longer he crouched there, the more he felt its potency.

  I need you to stay hidden, he told the stone. You must not let the Spirit Bear see you.

  He wasn't sure how he knew that the stone had heard him, but when he stood up, he felt calm, as if he'd been given a suitable answer. Then when an interface popped up, he knew it for certain.

  [You have gained the skill Earth Sense]

  Skill: Earth Sense 1 (END)

  Just to warn you, the mountains are terrible conversationalists.

  "Did you actually, uhm, do something, Nature Boy?" asked Luna.

  "I asked the stone to hide its potency for a bit, a
nd I think it said yes," said Terran as he strolled towards the far side of the hill, where the ledge would give them a good view of the valley below. He had a good idea they'd find the Spirit Bear there.

  Luna hung her head. "I know this fight is getting to you, but talking to rocks?"

  "Hush," said Terran, "we're sneaking."

  "If you're calling whatever it is you're doing sneaking, then I'm flying right now," said Luna.

  But when they reached the ledge, they both quieted. Terran crouched next to a tree and surveyed the valley below. He didn't see the Spirit Bear at first, as much as sense it. The enormous dirty white bear was sitting in the stream, letting the cool water rush across its legs. In that pose, it almost looked cuddly, but even from a distance, and through the leaves, the dagger-like claws could be seen resting on its legs. Those weren't cuddly.

  "I'm almost going to feel bad about disturbing him," said Luna. "Almost."

  The lynx disappeared down the hill, and after Terran checked back up the slope to the bear's location, he found that he could no longer see Luna. As he waited for her to reach the Spirit Bear, Terran thought back to his last fight. The star-shaped wound on the bear's shoulder seemed significant, though he couldn't figure out why, and like his time with the stone, he'd felt a connection with the bear, right before it killed him.

  Maybe I can use this knowledge to help me fight him, thought Terran. Anticipate its attacks or something.

  That didn't feel quite right, but he knew he had run out of time to ponder it anymore when he heard a yelp and a roar below him. The Spirit Bear was splashing down the stream after a streaking Luna.

  As he watched the Spirit Bear sprint, he saw that same partial limp, from the wound in its shoulder. Strange that an injury had lasted that long, especially in such a majestic beast. He was sure that it should have healed by now. Shaking off the distracting thoughts, Terran returned to the location of his trap as the bear came up the slope.

  Terran stood on the far side of the deep stone, positioning himself so as the Spirit Bear ran at him, it would catch its head in the vine loop hanging from the trees. Once it was caught, and over the stone, he'd detonate it, sending a geyser of stone through the beastie, and hopefully, after that, he and Luna could finish it off.

  When Luna came bounding between the trees, not bothering to stay silent as she crunched leaves and twigs alike, Terran grabbed a pine cone from his pouch and turned it to stone. The Spirit Bear barreled in a straight line after Luna, trampling over or through any obstacles in its way.

  As the Spirit Bear neared, it hesitated, just for a moment, as if the memory of the previous fight had returned to it, but rather than deviate from its path like last time, it kept coming, right as Terran planned. Luna zigzagged past him, leaving Terran to face the charging bear.

  "Maybe this wasn't a good idea," he muttered to himself as he widened his stance and lifted his right arm to throw the stone pine cone.

  When the Spirit Bear hit the vine loop, Terran thought it was going to break. The rope caught around the creature's neck, snapping the log up the tree, where he had run the line. The Spirit Bear kept coming, closing the distance at increasing speed, but at the last moment, the log hit the V part of the tree, catching it in place, and the vine yanked the bear backwards.

  The impact shook the tree, sending down a cascade of leaves, and the Spirit Bear roared with frustration. But as he looked at the creature, caught in his trap, he felt the pain in its shoulder, where the star-wound remained. The Spirit Bear thrashed against the vine rope, which he knew wouldn't last forever. The creature stood exactly at the center of the deep stone. All Terran had to do now was trigger the spell, sending an explosion of stone shards into his opponent.

  Instead he stepped onto the deep stone with the Spirit Bear.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  "What are you doing?" asked Luna from somewhere behind him.

  What am I doing? Terran thought to himself as he took another step towards the Spirit Bear that was thrashing against the vine rope, stretching it to the point it would eventually break. Its claws put gouges in the lichen on the deep stone, a reminder of how easily they would rip flesh from his bones.

  When the bear roared again, he heard more than anger, more than the desire to kill him—though he heard that too. He heard pain. As he had when he asked the deep stone to quiet itself, Terran reached out, careful not to move within reach of the Spirit Bear's claws, and tried to mentally communicate with the enormous creature.

  It was hard at first, because Terran's heart was jumping around in his chest like a frightened jackrabbit, but as the connection with the Spirit Bear that he felt before returned, he was able to push away his own fears.

  "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," said Terran, reaching out with his hand.

  "But it's going to hurt you," said Luna. "What are you doing? It wants to eat you. It's a bear, that's what they do."

  "It'll be fine," said Terran over his shoulder, then under his breath, "I hope."

  He refocused his attention on the Spirit Bear, which was still fighting against the vine rope, but not with as much fervor as it had before.

  "Yes," said Terran. "You feel that. I could have exploded the stone. I could have hurt you, but I didn't. Because I want to help."

  Somewhere behind him, he heard Luna's quiet voice. "Because you're a loony."

  The Spirit Bear, much to Terran's surprise, stopped fighting against the rope. It huffed a great breath, which knocked the hair around his face he was so close. The bear's warm breath smelled like roots and grass.

  Without it thrashing around, the star-wound was more visible. He could see that something was lodged inside the bear's shoulder. When Terran closed his eyes and reached out with his mind, he found that the object had some connection to the Mother Tree essence.

  Terran held his hand out. "I can help. I can remove it, free you from the pain. You sense that, right?"

  The Spirit Bear roared, slamming its claw on the stone, which sparked out a chip. Terran clamped his eyes shut in reflex, his life flashing before him, but when he dared to look at the bear again, it was regarding him with more curiosity than anger.

  "A simple yes would have worked, but that'll do, I can take that as an answer," said Terran as he scooted forward and a message filled his vision.

  [You have increased the skill Commune with Nature]

  Skill: Commune with Nature 3 (CHA)

  You might be able to negotiate an acorn from a squirrel now.

  The closer he moved, the more the hairs on the back of his neck straightened. The Spirit Bear's dirty white fur around its mouth had nicks in it from fighting. This wasn't a peaceful bear—it could do serious damage, as he knew from previous experience.

  When Terran stepped within reach of the claws, he hesitated, giving himself a chance to leap away, but the bear stayed still. He moved up near the shoulder, right beneath the head. At this nearness, he realized the Spirit Bear was about three times larger than the Crag Troll they'd fought a few days ago.

  The Spirit Bear was breathing heavily, as if it were trying hard not to eat him. Terran could feel the rumble in the bear's chest, like a tremor that wanted to become an earthquake.

  He reached out and placed his hands on the object embedded in the Spirit Bear's shoulder. As soon as he did, he knew what it was, a sliver of the Mother Tree. A vision shot through his mind, of the Spirit Bear wandering through the forest, drawn by the sounds of fighting, and when the tree was finally destroyed, it got hit by the shrapnel of the explosion.

  "I'm going to pull this out," said Terran. "It's going to hurt. You're going to have to do your best. I'm sorry, but if you eat me, then you're stuck with it forever."

  The Spirit Bear made a huffy noise and pawed at the ground, which Terran interpreted as, "Hurry up already."

  "Okay," said Terran, getting a good hold on the sliver. "One, two…"

  He yanked on three, and when he did, he was certain the bear was going to bite his head
off. It roared, an ear-splitting sound that rang through Terran's ears, but he had to focus on the spike, giving it everything he had to remove it. What was worse was that Terran could feel the pain in his own shoulder, which made pulling even harder, but he matched the bear's screams and put his foot on the thick furry leg, giving one last yank.

  When the spike slipped from the bear's shoulder, he fell onto his rear. The Spirit Bear rose upon its hind legs, snapping the vine rope, and loomed above him for a moment. There was nothing that would stop it from crushing him beneath its bulk, but then it gently set its forelegs down and ambled off into the forest, gronking as it went.

  You have obtained a Mother Tree essence

  You have completed a quest: Acquire the Mother Tree essence from the Spirit Bear

  You are now Level 7!

  Terran quickly opened his character sheet and assigned his two points in the normal Intelligence and Endurance.

  Character: Terran

  Level: 7

  Class: Earthen Mage

  HP: 140

  Mana: 260

  Sta: 170

  Strength: 1

  Intelligence: 7

  Endurance: 8

  Cunning: 1

  Agility: 1

  Charisma: 1

  Spells:

  Stone Touch (unique)

  Rock Shards

  Rock Wall

  Earth Geyser

  Hide in Plain sight (1 daily)

  Skills:

  Improvisation (INT): 5

  Commune with Nature (CHA): 3