Agility: 3
Charisma: 3
Spells:
Stone Touch (unique)
Rock Shards
Rock Wall
Earth Geyser
Hide in Plain sight (1 daily)
Skills:
Improvisation (INT): 6
Commune with Nature (CHA): 3
Nature's Lore (INT): 5
Stealth (AGI): 7
Earth Sense (END): 1
He was examining the silver leaves on the circlet when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. Terran turned, then climbed to his feet when he found Kumotake standing there like a humble petitioner waiting for a handout. The old elf could hardly meet his gaze, constantly looking back to the grass.
"Kumotake? Are you okay?" asked Terran, resisting the urge to put his hand on the older elf's shoulder.
"I have shamed myself," he said, tears in his eyes, hands clasped together. "I have been nothing but rude to you, acting like you were nothing more than a human usurper, but how wrong I was, how foolish. You are her champion, not quite a Rock leaf elf, but maybe more than. To think I thought you unworthy of my daughter. No, it is I that am unworthy of my position in the tribe. I will renounce my association and leave at once if that is your desire."
Terran didn't know what to say. It was the last thing he expected. He could see the pride in the old elf. A traditionalist. Everything that had happened had upset his view of the world.
"Kumotake, please. You are more than welcome to stay. You are our most knowledgeable and important loamer. The tribe would be at a great loss if you left now, and if you were not here, I could not ask for permission to pursue your daughter," said Terran.
The old elf's face brightened. "You would ask me? Yes, it is the old ways, the good ways, I knew all along that you were a good person, a good elf. The leaves are lifted from my eyes."
"Uhm, yes," said Terran.
Kumotake bowed low, bending his head down to his knees. When he was finished, the old elf turned and left as if nothing had transpired, leaving Terran a little confused because Kumotake hadn't ever actually accepted his courtship of his daughter.
"He can be quite difficult, even when he's trying to be nice," said Chanterelle as she strolled from the grove of trees at the crest of the hill. Light filtered through the canopy, casting her in a soft light. She approached him with a predatory smile.
"Now I know where you get it," he said as she pushed up close, caressing his cheek. They placed their foreheads together. She smelled like jasmine and clover. He wanted to bathe in it.
When they pulled away, he said, "I have a gift for you. Bounty from the fight."
Her eyebrows rose playfully, so he pulled the weapon from his bag, handing her the Nightblade. The short weapon had a smoky quality as if it had been dipped in darkness. She accepted it with both hands held flat like a plate, breath catching in her throat.
"It's beautiful," she said.
Chanterelle stepped back and made tentative swishes with her right hand. The blade left trails of black mist as it swished through the air.
"Did the blade have any requirements? I just don't know why Roald didn't use it," asked Terran.
Eyes wide with wonder, she danced around the clearing, graceful as moonlight, using the blade as her partner. She paused mid-step, tilting her head. "No. Nothing. Maybe he had better weapons already."
Terran thought back to the fight the previous night. Roald had been dual wielding daggers.
Chanterelle pulled the longsword from her shoulder harness and switched hands with the weapons, putting the Nightblade in her left. She made a few tentative practice swings, but the movements were clunky.
"Lhoris said you should be wielding two weapons," said Terran. "I'm sure he can teach you now that you have a proper one."
Chanterelle sheathed the longsword and threw her arms around Terran, careful not to stab him with the shorter blade.
"Thank you, Terran," she said, smashing her lips against his.
When they pulled apart, Terran was dizzy. He was about to kiss her again when Enoki ran up. The younger elf rolled her eyes at the two of them.
"Petram wants to see you now," she said.
Hand in hand with Chanterelle, he followed Enoki to the center of the settlement, where the Mother Tree commanded the sky. He thought it was only going to be the shaman, but the whole tribe stood in a wide arc. While their leaf armor had wounds from the night's battle, they had fierce smiles.
"Welcome, Terran the Tenacious," said Petram. "Today we stand here because of your efforts. We are a tribe once again, a settlement—like a sprout, small and spry, but growing due to your nurturing. As our leader, and as the Champion of the Mother Tree, you have given us much."
The shaman held out his hands. Within them was a woody, granulated seed, the kind that would grow into a new building for the settlement. But its existence confused Terran because it wasn't due to germinate for another seven days.
"The blood of our enemies and the great victory beneath the boughs of the Mother Tree helped produce this seed ahead of schedule. And before you start getting ideas about how we might plant it, we've made the decision for you, the tribe, as our gift to you. This seed will become the chieftain hut so you might have a proper place to rest, especially now that you aren't so challenged by moving through the trees."
The tribe settled into a gentle laugh, while Terran blushed.
"I don't know what to say," said Terran.
"Say nothing, but join us in song," said the shaman.
Petram led the tribe to a location near the Mother Tree. He placed the seed into a small hole. When he stood back, the song rose from the collective lips of the tribe. The growing songs of the Rock Leaf Elves always filled him with wonder, but this time, growing his hut, his home, it felt different.
As the song grew, slow and steady, the tree burst from the soil, expanding quickly as it raced towards the cerulean sky. The branches interweaved with the Mother Tree, but kept moving higher like eager woody snakes, exploding with leaves. The melody rose in an ever-building crescendo, and for the first time, Terran added his voice, only a whisper, but he felt the song in his soul, knew the notes as if they'd been written on his skin.
When the end of the song came, it left Terran in a complete state of bliss. While he'd only been a minor part of it, a tiny fragment of the overall symphony, it'd felt like the song had been played through him, rather than around him.
The tribe gathered around him, clasping his shoulder, telling him, "For leaf and stone," before returning to their previous duties, leaving only a few of the council members with him. Petram gestured towards the canopy.
"Have a look. It's your home now."
Excitement welling in his chest, Terran leapt to the vine ladder and scrambled up it like a squirrel with Chanterelle right behind him. He moved through the trees confidently, as if he'd always been a Rock elf, moving higher and higher. For a moment, he worried that he would get vertigo, but he paused, looking down through the crisscrossing branches, and saw only smiling faces looking up at him.
The chieftain hut rested at the top of the canopy, almost on top of it. The woven multi-chamber abode had a warmth to it that felt like home even though it was the first time he was laying his eyes upon it. The main chamber was wide and circular. As the others filtered into the room, Terran envisioned this would be a place for their council meetings.
A smaller room connected to the main one, sleeping quarters with a vine hammock stretched between the walls. Lhoris elbowed him in the ribs as he examined it.
"Big enough for two," said the elf captain.
"Uhm, yeah," said Terran, sharing a knowing smile with Chanterelle, who swung the hammock with her hand.
"There is an upper chamber as well," said Petram. "A viewing platform for the surrounding region. A leader must have foresight and vision, and this viewing chamber should help you."
"It's all so much. Thank you," said Terran.
"There is one more gif
t," said Petram as he reached into his pouch, a slight frown on his lips. "I had been saving it for a moment of need, but after your sacrifice for us, I feel that I cannot hold it back any longer."
The shaman handed Terran a small chip of rich azure crystal. The others seemed to know what it was and looked upon it with reverence.
"What is it?" he asked.
"A communication crystal," said Petram. "I'm afraid it's a poor substitute for the real thing. Only a chip meant for short conversations from a scout, or diplomat. One time only." The shaman seemed to sense his confusion. "The crystals can be grown by the Mother Tree, but only at a higher rank. There are many types of crystals the tree can grow—this is but a small sample of what is possible. Communication. Magical powers."
Terran recalled seeing the elves from the height of the Rock Leaf civilization wearing armor inset with the crystals. He nodded, finally understanding, as he accepted the azure crystal chip and held it between his hands as if it were a priceless jewel.
"Thank you," said Terran, restraining the trembling in his hand as he thought of what it represented.
"We shall leave you now," said Petram. "I'm sure you want to use that crystal."
As the others left, Chanterelle started to move with them, but he grabbed her hand. "Stay with me."
She smiled eagerly, with a furtive glance to the sleeping chambers. A promise for later.
They ascended to the viewing chamber, high above the canopy of the forest. It was shaped like a ball, a roof to protect against the weather, but with open sides so he could see in all directions. The clear day allowed a good view of the mountains to the north, craggy peaks topped with snow. To the west was a hint of deep blue, an ocean in the distance, while east and south were rolling hills of verdant green, tinged with autumnal glow.
At first, Terran worried that he wouldn't know how to use the item, but the knowledge seemed to be embedded in the crystal. It warmed in his hands as he made his intentions clear, then broke apart, turning to dust. Chanterelle stood beside him, with her hand on his lower back.
A circular mist, like a mirror or window, formed in the air. Instead of various shades of green, they were presented with sandstones and rock formations. Three familiar faces startled, looking his direction. Terran's heart burst with joy at seeing their faces. His face split wide with a grin, matched by his friends.
"Terran! What the hell. Where are you? How are you doing this?" asked Flynn as Zara leaned into the picture, squinting, and Newt looked up from his tome.
"Flynn! Zara! Newt! I don't know how long this will be open, but everything is fine. I got sent far away, but I have a settlement now. Rock Leaf Elves. It's on the Belavar continent, near the Jagged Peaks and in the Rockpine Forest. I don't know how you can get here from there, but head this way," said Terran, speaking in rapid-fire fashion, afraid the vision would disappear.
"Belavar?" asked Flynn, turning to Newt, who had a pinched look.
"Hmm," said Newt, "that's quite some distance, months of travel, assuming we can navigate the terrain."
"It doesn't matter how far," said Flynn, grinning from ear to ear. "We're coming to you. Can you meet us in the middle?"
"No, I'm sorry. I've got to stay here, lots to do, but trust me, you want to come here. I have a lot of people I want you to meet." He turned. "This is Chanterelle. My, uhm, girlfriend."
Zara whistled. "We look forward to meeting you, Chanterelle."
"And you as well," she said.
The hovering circle of mist started to waver, breaking apart.
"We don't have much longer," Terran spat out. "Head this way. I might be able to do more later to help you, but for now this is all I got."
"We're just happy you're alive," said Flynn. "See you, I don't know, soonish, buddy."
As the vision faded, they all waved and smiled, and by the time it was over, Terran's whole body buzzed. He slumped against the wall, hand on his forehead.
"That was amazing," he said. "I didn't realize how much I needed to see them."
Chanterelle captured his hand and caressed his cheek. "I am glad for you. I look forward to meeting your friends."
"Yeah, I know, I can't wait," he said, glancing across the valley.
She gently pulled his attention back to her. "I'm sorry to interrupt this moment, but you have important business ahead."
"I do?"
The corner of her exquisite lips twitched with mirth. "Yes. We must test out the hammock to confirm that it can safely hold two people. I would not want our tenacious leader to injure himself."
Terran swallowed. Blushed. "Yes, of course. Very important business. Cannot wait another second."
"I'm glad you understand," she said, leading him towards the spiral steps that returned below, adding a wink for good measure. "For leaf and stone."
He squeezed her hand. "For leaf and stone."
###
Purchase the second book, The Crystal Bard, in Kingmaker Saga Series on Amazon in September.
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Special Thanks
As always, it takes a good raid party to successfully slay all the gremlins hiding in every manuscript. So to all those people that helped make this possible: thank you! People like Ravven the red-headed bard who conjured the covers with magic, my editor the Tamara Blaine the fighter who deftly slayed the errors in the manuscript with her mighty pen, the beta readers (Tina Rak, Carole Carpenter, Lana Turner, Melanie Coupland, and Andie Alessandra Cáomhanach) who provided the DPS for the raid, and to the Vanguard (Erin Edgar, Lynda Christensn, Jess Churchfield, Joseph Zygnerski, Elaine Stoker, Phyllis Simpson, and Tami Cowles) who played crowd control on all the adds. Your time and effort have helped bring to life this moment of joy in readers' lives. Thank you!
The Hundred Halls Universe
THE HUNDRED HALLS
Trials of Magic
Web of Lies
Alchemy of Souls
Gathering of Shadows
City of Sorcery
THE RELUCTANT ASSASSIN
The Reluctant Assassin
The Sorcerous Spy
The Veiled Diplomat
Agent Unraveled
The Webs That Bind
GAMEMAKERS ONLINE
The Warped Forest
Gladiators of Warsong
Citadel of Broken Dreams
Enter the Daemon Pits
Plane of Twilight
ANIMALIANS HALL
Wild Magic
Bane of the Hunter
Mark of the Phoenix
Arcane Mutations
Untamed Destiny
Also by Thomas K. Carpenter
THE DIGITAL SEA TRILOGY
The Digital Sea
The Godhead Machine
Neochrome Aurora
GAMERS TRILOGY
GAMERS
FRAGS
CODERS
ALEXANDRIAN SAGA
Fires of Alexandria
Heirs of Alexandria
Legacy of Alexandria
Warmachines of Alexandria
Empire of Alexandria
Voyage of Alexandria
Goddess of Alexandria
THE DASHKOVA MEMO
IRS
Revolutionary Magic
A Cauldron of Secrets
Birds of Prophecy
The Franklin Deception
Nightfell Games
The Queen of Dreams
Dragons of Siberia
Shadows of an Empire
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Thomas and Rachel reside near St. Louis where they have hosted their bi-monthly D&D group for nearly twenty years. Before that, they were members of top raiding guilds in both Everquest and Worlds of Warcraft. When they aren't writing or playing D&D, they can be found out hiking.
Tom keeps a regular blog at www.thomaskcarpenter.com and you can follow him on twitter @thomaskcarpente. If you want to learn when his next novel will be hitting the shelves and get free stories and occasional other goodies, please sign up for his mailing list by going to: http://tinyurl.com/thomaskcarpenter. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
The Stone Tree: A LitRPG Adventure (Kingmaker Saga Book 1) Page 21