Geline notices him too as she tosses the last slaver into Blobert's bouncy body to be dissolved. Would this spoil his dinner? Or is this his dinner?
"You there. You have a creepy aura." Says Geline, pointing one of her sword-arms at the red haired stranger sitting in the front cart of the caravan.
"You noticed." His voice is thick with confidence. This could be really, really bad. He's confident, and wait a minute I can understand him, so he knows the Tongue of the Land. This is really, really not good.
There's nothing I can do to help Geline here, crap why haven't I been leveling. I should have killed some of those slavers too, maybe I could have evolved. Maybe while Geline distracts him I can... Ugh maybe, maybe, maybe! What do I do...
"Sim Lvl. 1 has been acquired." Says iAlice in my ears softly.
Sim? Like simulation? Wait, this can help right. Sim!
Suddenly in my minds eye a billion images flash by in my mind. I pick up almost one of it due to intense pain in my wooden head. Ugh, I thought my body nullified most pain! Looks like mental resistances were different.
"Simulation complete. There is nothing you can do." Fucking useless skill! I frantically look between Geline and the mysterious stranger. Neither one has made a move yet.
"You are with these slavers?" Geline asks, her voice is intimidating. Why is she giving him such leeway? Is it because he isn't attacking yet. Then she looks at me back to him. Cause of me... She's giving him the benefit of the doubt because of me? Oh big sis! I was so wrong about you!
And then her head cleanly slides off her body.
"B-Big sis..." I look down at the head of Geline, my raspy voice choking out the words. It begins to melt into the gelatinous goo she was truly comprised of. I had almost forgotten, she looked so human from the waist up I forgot she was a slime. Geline...
My rage returns. I look up at the smug son of a bitch that just cut down my first and only friend.
"A Treechild, well that's certainly-"
I launch myself up at his face. Using my roots to dig into whatever I can, his eyes, his nose, I don't care but he's not getting away. I saw how fast he can move and I won't give him the chance.
"A-ack get off me you piece of wood!" I've caught him by surprise. He's stumbling around, he definitely hadn't expected this. I make my body move, I'm going to smother him.
"Wood Morphing Lvl. 1 acquired." Perfect. I can't hear or see anything as what was once my head covers the strangers face like a mash, my roots pushing down his throat. I don't need to see, I need to feel his life ebb away.
"TOTAL DRAIN!" I my voice screams from around his head. His entire upper torso is encased in my wooden being. His arms are pinned to his sides by how tight i'm bound. My roots block off his air ways as Total Drain starts to take effect. He's definitely stronger than me, but he's still human. He needs to breathe.
"B-Blobert! Encase me!" I yell hoping he understands. He does, rolling towards me.
"You understand the Tongue of the Land right?" I rasp out, it's not rustling branches or babbling like a brook, it's a tree falling, the sound of a forest fire erupting.
"I bet you have some crazy stats to get one over on Geline, but what do stats matter when you can't fucking breathe!" I roar, I've completely lost all sense. Rage and fury overtake me. I don't care if it kills me, he dies. Become harder, I focus on the wood encasing the man. No airways. Sealed tight.
As Blobert encases me I push as hard as I can with my roots. He kicks and struggles inside of Blobert but considering he's floating freely now and has nothing to push off from. It's almost pitiful, he probably didn't expect any of this. I doubt I would have been able to accomplish this if he had considered me a real threat for even a second.
I can feel Blobert's acid eating away at my wooden form. It doesn't matter, I did what I did. I just really hope that Blobert doesn't eat the orc kids after I'm gone. The stranger finally stops struggling. Total drain deactivates, letting me know there's nothing left to drain. He's dead. I did it. I avenged Geline. I avenged the orcs. I should take a nap...
My limited perception as a sort of wooden coffin fades away. I can feel my health depleting, my magic power desperately trying to heal me, but Blobert's acid is slowly killing me. But i'm so tired... I did good right? I can rest now...
I feel some thing pull me and everything fades to black.
When I come too, I'm on my back and looking up at the stars. It seems to be the middle of the night now. It's only been about two days since I became a Treechild and so much has happened. Orcs, bandits, slime monsters, and that weird guy. Oh right that weird guy!
I feel around with my body and realize I've returned to my Treechild form. The mysterious stranger who took Geline's head is nowhere to be seen.
"G-Geline..." I choke out. it's finally starting to set in. My first friend. My big sis... I was gonna ask her to braid my leaves when we got closer... Do all kinds of big sister stuff.. And now...
"You did good, Cedar." Says a familiar tough voice. "But I had it covered." I look up and there she is, Geline.
"Did you really think that would take me out?" She asks with a smile. She seems excessively pleased about something. I practically run and jump into her arms.
"G-Geline! I thought... when you! your head... and then he?!" Geline holds out a hand to stop my stammering.
"I'm a slime, silly. As long as the main body is fine I'm pretty much immortal. I don't really like fire though, it can steam parts of my body." She grimaces like she's experienced it way too many times, she was a hero-killer after all.
"S-So he didn't hurt you?"
"Oh it hurt, still does even. That sword of his was cursed. I melted it down in Blobert, though, maybe it'll give him some awesome power, right lil bro!" Says Geline casually. I kinda hope it doesn't...
"W-Where is he?" I look around, his body was gone. Maybe I hadn't finished the job after all.
"Also in Blobert." Says Geline. Blobert pats his stomach in satisfaction. I wasn't sure which of them was scarier...
"And the orcs?" I ask, really hoping the two of them hadn't gotten hungry.
"I uh... I'm not good with children..." Says Geline awkwardly, she scratches the back of her head and looks away.
"So they're still in the cage...?" I ask.
"Yes all safe... I'm not sure what you intend to do with them... They can't exactly fend for themselves, and their home is..." She's right. What am I thinking? I haven't thought at all, that's the issue. It's just goal after goal! Now that we have them, what do we do with them... Clearly we can't take them to Abaho. Even if it wasn't what appeared to be the evil capital of the world, I have Geline with me. There's no way we can get close enough to see them to safety before someone who lives on the outskirts or some traveler sees us. Shit!
"I... I healed one of the orcs back at the first village. Maybe we can leave them with him..?" It's the best solution we have for the time being. I doubt that orc will wanna raise like thirty children, but maybe we can find some sort of agreement.
"That seems feasible. It will be slow getting back, the kids can't travel by air with us." Honestly I'm kind of glad for that. The last time nearly killed me from shock.
"Alright should we get going?"
"Aren't you going to say some words to the children first, you have the most experience with humanoids after all." Says Geline. She's right, but honestly I think i'm probably just as bad with kids as she is. Also i'm a creepy doll... Wait a minute. I got that skill that lets me shape my body when I... well I don't really wanna think too hard about why...
I lost my cool before with the stranger, Geline had been fine after all.. Maybe.. No he was with the slavers, there's no excuse. And he attacked Geline! He didn't know she'd be fine. And she said it hurt, so... I keep excusing my actions until Alice pipes up.
"Wood morphing!" I try to envision myself looking sort of like one of the mascots of a video game I had liked. Big head, round eyes, soft on the corners.
Leaves grow out of my body and turn into a makeshift tunic and leggings, the ones atop my head turn into a swoop and wavy almost hair like design that stands to a few points, and then on either side of my face vines fall down like strands of hair.
"Aw don't you look adorable!" Geline says, attempting to pinch my wooden cheek. It doesn't work very well considering i'm made of wood and she's made of slime, but it's an appreciated gesture nonetheless. Walking with Geline I had gotten pretty self-conscious about my appearance. Sure she was a slime but at least from the waist up she looked human.
"T-Thanks Geline. Wish me luck." I say nervously and walk towards the cage. The children look terrified, and rightfully so after everything they experienced. On top of that a few hours ago, a giant slime fell out of the sky and killed most their attackers with the aid of a smaller but equally terrifying creature. And THEN a creepy wooden doll like me suffocated the last one alive. Yeah, I really hope they didn't see that.
"H-Hi..." I wave one of my small appendages, trying to sound warm as best I can with my weird voice.
The children look at me wide eyed, clutching each other, they look to who appears to be the oldest for guidance. She steps forward, a young girl, I think but then again I don't know how orcs age. She has a seed like birthmark on her cheek. That can't be...
"You... It's you." She says, looking me up and down in wonder. And I remember, I remember that voice. The one that seemed disappointed at how I had drained the life out of all the other Tree Saplings. The one who had grabbed me. The one I almost killed, and the one I learned Minor Bless to save.
It's her, seriously?!