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

by Thomas K. Carpenter

  Nature's Lore (INT): 5

  Stealth (AGI): 7

  Earth Sense (END): 1

  Still sitting on the ground, Terran stared into the trees with the hardwood spike cradled in his hands. Luna came up and bumped her head against his arm.

  "How'd you know it wasn't going to kill you?" she asked.

  "I didn't," said Terran, shaking his head. "I kept expecting a gut full of claws. I guess the poor bear was in a lot of pain."

  The trip back felt like it didn't take as long, mostly because he wasn't filled with the dread of anticipation.

  When he reached the settlement and the Mother Tree, he found Petram waiting for him solemnly.

  "How did you know?" asked Terran.

  Petram tapped on his chest with his first two fingers. "I felt it in here. We all did."

  Terran was surprised that the other elves weren't waiting at the tree. The significance of the event seemed like it should have more attendance, but the shaman had other ideas, it appeared.

  "What do I...?"

  Petram gestured towards the wide Mother Tree. "Place the essence against the stone bark. The tree will do the rest."

  Feeling like a priest in a religious procession, Terran approached the Mother Tree with the essence in his hands. Luna watched with her head tilted from a little ways back, but failed to offer one of her normal quips.

  "For leaf and stone," he said as he placed the spike of petrified tree against its Mother. The bark separated, absorbing the essence, pulling it into the interior. As the gap in the bark closed, Terran pulled away, but found his hands wouldn't move. Before he had a chance to worry about it, he received a settlement leveling-up notification, and all thoughts and worries were obliterated when he was slammed with a vision…

  The view swung wildly, giving him vertigo, and before he knew it he was high above the forest, hundreds of feet in the air. The settlement borders were easy to make out, as the dome of the Mother Tree stuck up above the rest of the treetops, and there was a distinct autumnal tinge to the rock leaf trees.

  Then he blinked, and the valley transformed, and every tree within sight took on that autumnal glow. He knew he was seeing the height of the Rock Leaf civilization. The Mother Tree was three times taller in his version, a massive canopy, towering over even the hills. The top of the trees were only a short distance beneath his feet.

  He saw thousands and thousands of elves, merrily existing, scurrying across leafy bridges between the trees. Some of the elves wore strange armor made of leaves and inset with colorful crystals. Their empire controlled the land, which had been made into a veritable garden. He witnessed other races, the swampkin and Bullywugs, trading with the elves. They weren't the muddy versions he'd encountered and killed, but clean, well-dressed beings who had clearly benefited from the protection of the Mother Tree.

  Then the vision shifted forward, and a miasma of darkness sullied the lands. The massive Mother Tree, in all her glory, had somehow been damaged, diminished. The elves did not scurry, and their lips were grim lines as they stood guard at the borders of the reduced empire. In a flash, a host of Crag Trolls appeared, dressed in steel and wielding great weapons. Their numbers and superior weapons overcame the Rock Leaf Elves.

  Terran was forced to watch as a hooded figure, bracketed by a cadre of armored Crag Trolls, approached the Mother Tree, which was scarred and brittle from the war. The figure reached out their hands and blasted the trunk with crackling electricity. When the tree exploded, Terran sensed this was not the plan of the hooded figure, but a last-ditch effort by the Mother Tree to destroy her enemies. The explosion destroyed the nearby Crag Trolls, obliterated the hooded figure, and scattered the essence of the Mother Tree.

  He knew the story of the essence that had landed in the Spirit Bear, causing it great pain until he'd removed it. But the others went into other locations of the region. He did not see their final resting places, but knew that if he concentrated, he could find more of them, but their guardians wouldn't be as simple to deal with as the Spirit Bear.

  The vision shifted again, and he had the sensation of time passing quickly. When it stopped, it was back on his time, with the Mother Tree in her current state. But then he shifted, flying over the hills towards the mountains to the north. Even before he descended through the mangled trees, amid the sulfurous vents and bouldery slopes, he knew he would end at the lair of the Crag Trolls.

  A horde gathered in the shadow of the mountain, and though they weren't as large as they were at the fall of the Rock Leaf Empire, nor armored like their predecessors, he knew there were enough of them to wipe out the fledgling Mother Tree once and for all.

  Before the Mother Tree released him from his vision, he felt her presence more keenly than he ever had before. Not a singular being, but a connected web reaching out through the valley. A single thread even reached the lumbering Spirit Bear, who seemed more content than it had in a long, long time. But that web was fragile, glass-like, ready to shatter at the first hard strike. Terran sensed the destruction that would occur if they lost their fight against the Crag Trolls.

  Though the Mother Tree used no words, he sensed her need, a desire to bond more deeply for the defense of the land. This need solidified before his eyes.

  You have received a quest: Champion of the Mother Tree [Unique Quest]

  Become one with the Mother Tree (minimum length of time - one year)

  Reward: Character and settlement enhancement

  While he was the leader of the Rock Leaf Elf settlement, the quest made him realize that they were only the protectors of the tree. The Mother Tree was offering an upgrade in return for one year of service, and while the abilities would be a nice bonus, he really wanted to find his friends. Being bound to this location for that amount of time, as much as he was enjoying himself with the Rock Leaf Elves, seemed like a life sentence. Though it pained him to tell the Mother Tree no, he pushed away her request, which faded away gently as he returned to his body.

  You have received a quest: Defend the Mother Tree [Unique Quest]

  Defeat the Crag Trolls coming to destroy the Mother Tree.

  Reward: Unknown

  The details of the offer quickly faded away as the reality of their situation came back in full as he knew with absolute certainty the amount of time it would take the Crag Trolls to reach their little settlement because the location had been near his route to Mt. Moss. Seven days. They had seven days to ready themselves. Seven days wasn't a lot, considering how fragile their settlement was, but it was all they were going to get.

  Seven days...

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The amount of work that needed to be done in the next week was a little overwhelming, and Terran had to study the settlement tab to figure out the best use of everyone's time and resources. He knew he had ten elves needing occupation assignments, so he went looking for Sythorn to ask for suggestions instead of spending the time to seek out each of the newcomers.

  Terran found Sythorn in a conversation with Lhoris outside of the weaponmaker tree. "Hello," he called out.

  Terran assumed the elves' grim faces were due to the dire situation they were in, not directed at him. Everyone seemed to be ill at ease, and the spontaneous singing had all but disappeared. The anxiety was palpable. Terran really needed to make some decisions and get everyone preparing to lessen some of their anxieties. Working on preparations would give everyone at least a little sense of control.

  "Sythorn, I was hoping you could help me assign occupations for your group. It would be wonderful if there was someone that could take on the weaponmaster position," Terran said.

  Sythorn actually smiled at Terran. "As luck would have it, I am a weaponmaster. Lhoris and I were just discussing which weapons he thought we should start making for the upcoming battle."

  Terran stood a little straighter hearing such good news. "That is wonderful. Any ideas what the other nine elves should do?"

  Sythorn quickly rattled off occupations for all the e
lves with Lhoris nodding in agreement the whole time. Terran opened the settlement tab and assigned everyone their new roles as Sythorn was talking.

  Settlement: Gneiss Glen (Tap to rename)

  +20% defense

  +20% attack

  +20% damage

  +20% food production

  +10% morale

  -5 days seed production

  Level: 2

  Fortifications: none

  Bramble wall 0/1

  Watchtower 0/5

  Gate 0/2

  Population: 30/75

  Housing: 5/10

  Seeds grown: 5/10

  Days until next seed harvesting: 15

  Total Buildings: 5/10

  Barracks 1/1

  Fungi Garden 0/3

  Shaman Hut 1/1

  Chieftain Hut 0/1

  Orchard 1/3

  Leaf Armory 1/1

  Weaponmaker 1/1

  Crystalline Conservatory 0/1

  Aviary 0/1

  Archery Range 0/1

  Occupations:

  Orchard Tender: 3

  Mother Tender: 1

  Armorer: 1

  Captain: 1

  Shaman: 1

  Tenders: 2

  Warriors: 5

  Loamers: 7

  Weaponmaster: 1

  Gatherers: 3

  Builders: 3

  Terran was pleased to see fortifications were now available and there were some new buildings that he hoped to be able to create someday after all this was done. He also saw that each of the buildings had upgrades that could be bought using resources the settlement collected. He would have to spend some time analyzing all of that before he made choices about what to upgrade.

  For now he needed to reassign some duties for various people. The gatherers would work to get supplies to make armor, weapons, and anything else that Ara and Sythorn needed. Since there was more than enough food stockpiled for now, the loamers would gather special mushrooms used for traps and any herbs that Petram needed.

  The most intriguing upgrade at level 2 was the ability to make walls. He wasn't sure how this worked, but it seemed like the most important thing to do.

  Grow walls around the settlement.

  Requirements: 30 settlers, 12 hours to create

  "Let's start by building walls around the settlement. After that's done we can go from there," Terran said to Lhoris and Sythorn, who each nodded in agreement.

  "I'll gather everyone and we can start right away," Lhoris said before turning to leave.

  "I don't like that this will keep everyone busy for twelve hours, but we have to have walls," Terran said after Lhoris had left.

  "Petram was right about you. It's the right decision." Sythorn smiled. "When you get the chance you should talk with the builders about what they can do. They may have some helpful ideas."

  "Thank you, Sythorn. I'll do that. Let's have everyone meet at the fire pit. I'll go over a few things and then we can get started with the walls."

  It didn't take long to gather everyone by the fire pit. Terran's palms were sweaty and his leg bounced while he waited for everyone to settle so he could explain his basic plan. He had never spoken in front of this many people before, and his breath caught in his throat. All their expectant eyes were locked on him.

  "As I'm sure you all know, we have been informed that a horde of Crag Trolls is headed this way to try and destroy the Mother Tree," he began with a shaky voice. "We cannot let that happen. Since I was able to capture the essence from the Spirit Bear, we have been able to upgrade the settlement. The first thing we should do is build walls to at least slow the trolls down. I'm also going to reassign some jobs for people to help gather needed supplies and create weapons and armor.

  "I haven't made any decisions about building upgrades yet, but I will get to that. I'll get input from you all before I do that though. I want to spend what resources we have in the best way possible. I know that if we all work together, we can protect the tree." He finished by pounding his fist into his palm. "Now let's build some walls."

  Terran wasn't sure what he expected to happen, but the singing was no surprise to him at this point. He was shocked when the elves sang at least a ten-part song, as their other songs seemed to have only four or five parts. There were so many different voices that Terran couldn't count them all, but it made for a powerful, eerie sound. The harmonies rang out, invigorating Terran and the roots that were erupting from the ground around them.

  With each note of the song the roots grew taller and thicker, weaving together into an impenetrable wall one small section at a time. The elves continued their eerie melody until the wall was about twelve feet high, then the slowest parade ever moved about five feet to create the next section. Terran now understood why it would take twelve hours to build the wall. He wasn't sure how the elves would have the stamina to sing for that long, but he was often amazed at what they could do.

  As the day crept on, Terran tried to make himself useful as the elves grew the wall. He refilled waterskins and passed out mushrooms when someone was hungry. His pulse quickened as his fingers brushed Chanterelle's when he returned her filled waterskin. They shared a brief smile, but with Kumotake's piercing gaze on him, Terran quickly moved away to help another elf.

  The air grew colder as the sun set, but still the elves sang. They were nearing the completion of the encasement of the settlement, and seemed to be nearing the end of their stamina. Finally they worked to grow the last five-foot section. They had left a ten-foot gap in the wall to use as an entrance. They would close it before the Crag Trolls arrived, but for now they needed a way in and out of the settlement.

  As the last high notes of the song drifted into the air, a strange calmness fell over the glen. After hearing singing for twelve hours the sound of the song still echoed in Terran's ears, but the elves were still. Their bodies sagged with exhaustion as they all stared with joy at their creation, and a notification sprung into Terran's vision.

  You have created a wall. Building upgrades are available under the Upgrades tab.

  "That was amazing," Terran cheered. "If you all can do that for twelve hours, those trolls don't stand a chance." Although he wasn't sure he believed what he was saying, Terran thought it was important to motivate the elves and remain positive. "Now go get some rest."

  Tired smiles shone on the elves' faces as they silently dispersed to their own spaces for the night. Terran had too much on his mind to be able to sleep, so while he paced the perimeter of the wall, he opened up the upgrades tab to look over what was available.

  Barracks (Level 0):

  Level 1

  +5% HP (1000 Loam)

  Level 2

  +5% attack (1500 Loam, 25 Sap)

  Level 3

  +2 STR(2000 Loam, 50 Sap, 1000 Leaves)

  Shaman Hut (Level 0)

  Level 1

  +5% healing(1000 Loam)

  Level 2

  +5% herb gathering(1500 Loam, 25 Sap)

  Level 3

  +2 INT(2000 Loam, 50 Sap, 1000 Leaves)

  Orchard (Level 0)

  Level 1

  +5% food gathering(1000 Loam)

  Level 2

  +5% temp HP(1500 Loam, 25 Sap)

  Level 3

  +2 END(2000 Loam, 50 Sap, 1000 Leaves)

  Leaf Armory (Level 0)

  Level 1

  +5% AC(1000 Loam)

  Level 2

  +5% defense(1500 Loam, 25 Sap)

  Level 3

  +2 AGI(2000 Loam, 50 Sap, 1000 Leaves)

  Weaponmaker (Level 0)

  Level 1

  Create reach weapons(1000 Loam)

  Level 2

  +5% attack(1500 Loam, 25 Sap)

  Level 3

  +5% damage(2000 Loam, 50 Sap, 1000 Leaves)

  Wall (Level 0)

  Level 1

  Stone wall(5000 Loam)

  Like all upgrade trees, things progressively got better as improvements were made, but the resource cost also increased.
Although Terran would love to turn the wall to stone, he thought the 5000 loam would be better spent upgrading all the other buildings. The bramble wall would have to do for now. They needed reach weapons and stat bonuses if they were going to win against a horde of Crag Trolls. He immediately spent 2000 loam to upgrade the weaponmaker tree and orchard, leaving 4000 loam left in the stores. Sythorn could get busy first thing in the morning making reach weapons now.

  Terran could no longer keep his eyes open as he made his way to bed. The adrenaline from the day had worn off and he felt like a zombie as he laid his head down. He would have to get some sleep before he made any other decisions.

  The bright morning sun shone through Terran's window, raising him from his slumber. Thoughts of defense plans immediately filled his brain, so he didn't bother to lie in bed. After a quick bite to eat and a warm cup of tea, Terran went in search of a builder to see what they could contribute. He found all three of them having a discussion under a large branch of the Mother Tree.

  "Hello," he called to the group. "I have a few questions for you all."

  The builders waved Terran over. The tallest one said to Terran, "We were just figuring out where the best places to add bridges and platforms would be."

  Terran's eyes went wide. "Platforms, like up in the trees?" All three builders nodded. "How long does it take to make them?"

  "It takes a day to make each platform and several hours to create a bridge. We could probably do three bridges in a day."

  Terran did some quick figuring, "So you could build four platforms and six bridges in six days. Where were you thinking would be the best places?"

  "We were thinking if we built platforms on the leaf armory, barracks, weaponmaker, and orchard trees then connected them with bridges it would make a nice perimeter. We could place elves all along them to fire bows at anything trying to attack the wall. The other option would be to put a platform on the Mother Tree instead of the orchard and be able to quickly get to her if needed," the taller elf explained.