Daren looked at the tree and asked, "This… will be my Origin Bead?"
Landor replied, "If we are successful, then yes. This is a Hundred Roots Aspen. Although this one seems to have almost grown into a Thousand Roots Aspen."
"Thousand Roots Aspen?" asked Daren as he looked at the tree curiously.
Landor replied, "Yes. They start at Ten Roots Aspens. The unique thing about this particular species is its root system. It is incredibly robust and develops wildly. You see this entire forest, it is a single tree. A single organism. The main tree extends its roots, and new 'clone' trees grow.
They begin with ten clones and then grow more as they age. The grove slowly covers more and more area. Don't let the docile and serene image fool you. This is a hunter. All who enter the grove are prey. The beings who inhabit these groves don't even realise that they have willingly stepped into a trap. The grove provides for them, and devours them when the time is right."
Daren felt his skin prickle. The trees around them swayed softly in the breeze, but now that Landor had said it, he couldn't help but imagine the roots shifting just beneath the soil, waiting.
Daren said, "Like fattening pigs before slaughter."
Landor nodded and said, "Yes, just like that. It is the perfect choice for you. If you absorb this, your roots will strengthen dramatically, just as we planned. And you may even inherit some of its draining abilities, complementing your own. And its vitality is extremely tenacious. So you might even upgrade your Wood and Life affinities.
The choice for the first Origin Bead is incredibly important. Because your Anima Origin is pure right now. Untainted. So the first Origin Bead will have the greatest effect on you. But hunting this will be no easy feat. We're not just fighting a single foe. If we strike its trunk, its roots will strangle us. Burn its crown, and it will heal through its lattice."
Daren asked, "Then what are we supposed to do?"
"It is a hunter. But so am I. And a hunter always comes prepared," Daren said as he chuckled. He gave Daren five waterskins.
The sudden change of topic made Daren's heart beat faster. He clenched the waterskins tighter than he meant to, his palms damp with sweat.
He said, "Although I would have preferred if we had a Fire attribute Anima User with us, we will have to make do with this."
Daren asked, "What's in the waterskins?"
Landor replied, "It's oil. Rendered from the fat of multiple beasts, it is extremely flammable. Here's the plan. I will distract the main tree. While I do that, you need to spread the oil throughout the grove.
Target the root junctions, bark fissures, and sapling clusters. The oil's flame is also extremely difficult to put out, so do be careful and don't get any on yourself. Remember, this is a battle of cunning. Do not fight the roots. Outsmart them.
The tree is sentient, but it isn't nearly intelligent enough. It will probably treat me just like any other being who enters its grove. Though it will focus on me since I am much stronger. But to the tree, I'm just a fatter, juicier pig. So don't worry about me and be patient."
Daren nodded, and Landor said, "Begin once I start singing. When you are done, you start singing and leave the grove. Let's go."
Landor walked up to the main tree. He could feel the ambient essence itself tensing, a symbol of how much control the tree had in its grove. But he didn't exude any hostility. He just sat down and summoned his Anima. The Iron Oak appeared behind him, its roots penetrating the ground.
He felt the situation tensing even more. If he made even a little mistake, the roots would attack indiscriminately. So he began cultivating. Some time passed, and seeing that he did not pose a threat, the tree relaxed a little. It even intermingled its own roots with the Iron Oak's, connecting with it. Now that it had relaxed, it saw a delicious meal.
Sensing this, Landor's breath grew shallow. The Aspen's essence pressed against him like a predator circling. For a heartbeat, he wondered if his disguise would hold — then he smiled subtly, burying fear with memory.
Sensing this, Landor smiled subtly and began singing. It was a song from his village. He remembered how his wife would sing it in her beautiful voice. The laughter of his children. While he was lost in thought, Daren had begun his work. He moved throughout the grove with the caution he had developed while travelling through Celestria.
He would pour some of the oil at the base of every tree and any cluster of roots that he found, gradually increasing the amount as he neared the main tree. Once, the soil shifted under his feet, and a tendril surfaced, brushing the air as if sniffing for intruders. Daren froze, barely daring to breathe until it sank again. His back was soaked with sweat.
Sometimes, he would feel the ground shift and stop entirely. It was a sign that the roots were moving. He didn't want to provoke the roots and be marked as an enemy.
It took him three hours, but he was almost done. He used the remaining oil to form a circle surrounding the grove. He moved closer to the centre so that Landor would be able to hear him and began singing. It wasn't even a song, just a poem that he had learned a few years ago. But it was enough.
He moved out of the grove and lit a torch some distance away. He felt the ground shaking. Suddenly, roots began flying around everywhere. Daren was shocked by the sudden change, but as he looked forward, he understood the reason.
It was Landor. He was running as fast as he could, and the roots were trying to stop him. At some point, his skin changed colour to steel grey, and he simply began punching the roots in front of him in an effort to break through the siege.
One root lashed around his ankle, dragging him down. Landor roared, smashing his fist against it until it split. The Iron Oak's power rippled through him, each strike splintering wood and spraying sap like blood. He staggered free, but another mass of roots writhed toward him.
When he had almost escaped, he yelled, "DAREN, NOW!!"
Daren didn't hesitate and threw the torch towards the grove. It wasn't that he wasn't worried that Landor would get caught up in the flames. He had moved instinctively. A result of his absolute trust in Landor.
Landor also somehow became faster during the final stretch. He just escaped the grove as the first clone tree was engulfed in fire. He looked behind and saw the fire spreading at inhuman speeds. He laughed. He had survived. His first Anima Skill had saved him, but not his shirt. It was completely burned from behind.
He walked up to Daren and put his hand on his shoulder. He said, "Good job."
Daren nodded but kept his gaze on the inferno. A thousand years of slow growth erased in minutes. He didn't know whether to feel triumphant or guilty — all he could do was grip the strap of his waterskin tighter and remind himself this was the price of survival.