NOVEL FROG Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Thirty: Do You Wish To Be Burned
The trip back down the valley to the place which will be my den goes even more quickly than the journey up, and is smoother as well. By the time we approach the burnt wasteland where the vine-stranglers used to be, the sun is heading towards the horizon, but hasn’t got close to touching it yet.
I’ve got everyone with me. Well, not Rooter who left as soon as our Bond broke, but everyone else. Kalanthia’s presence is in fact probably the main reason for the absence of attacks – on our way up, we dealt with a couple of groups of enemies; on our way down we weren’t harassed at all. I guess not many creatures want to take on a Tier three. Given my own experiences with one, I don’t blame them.
We take a brief break by the river to let everyone have a good drink – travelling through the wasteland is thirsty work. I take advantage of the time to fill my various containers with water too.
It seems like my idea for how to transport the kiinas’ eggs has worked out well. The two kiinas watched very attentively as I made the hide structure, and then carefully lifted each egg into its own little egg-cup, cradled with spider-silk and supported by tough hide. By using thick lengths of bone as struts, I created something that would stand up to most dangers. Sure, if Trinity decided to lie on it, I wouldn’t be able to guarantee that the bone would stay intact, but the cyran was strongly warned not to go anywhere near it and was instead charged with carrying the ‘bee’ hive.
In the end, Hades and Persephone wanted to be in charge of their eggs, so I jury-rigged a harness which they could use to carry it on their backs. As a result, they have been slower and have tired more easily than they would normally, but that just brought them down to the pace which several others of my Bound are restricted to anyway.
This time, I also made sure that River rode with the bees on Trinity when she started to tire – she’s clearly not as exhausted now as she was when we journeyed up the mountainside. I did it a couple of times myself – my stamina still isn’t the equal of most of my Bound. It just meant that we could keep moving for longer and faster than otherwise. I have to admit that I was rather impressed by how well the raptorcat juveniles have kept up. They did hop on Trinity’s back a couple of times, but considering that we’ve been moving fast and for at least ten hours, if not more, that’s not bad at all.
Once everyone has refreshed themselves, we’re off again, making our way through the last section of forest before hitting the grey wasteland. By this point, there’s been a bit of rain during the recent nights, so the ash has reduced significantly, washed into the soil and down further into the valley.
What it’s left behind is even more desolate, though – blackened ground with the remnants of roots or carbonised branches which crack under foot. However, despite all the blackness, here or there I spot a small shoot of green – the vegetation isn’t taking long to reclaim the area.
We make a good pace across the wasteland, and thus it’s not all that long before the small clump of vine-stranglers comes into view. As we get closer, I eye the trees suspiciously. Have they spread out a bit more or is that just my paranoia speaking? Either way, it firms up my decision to take advantage of my new type of Tame Bond.
Still, I make sure that everyone gets to the centre first – there’s no point in making them wait outside the ring of trees when they could be benefiting from the increased Energy density found within it. I can already feel the pleasure and relief emanating from the two kiinas – as expected, they are significantly happier with the Energy density in this area than back at the cave.
Then, eyeing the trees, I reach out along the Bond I have with the consciousness which governs them.
I’m going to send you a new type of Bond. I want you to accept it.
You wish to renegotiate the alliance between us? The vine-strangler consciousness asks with more than a touch of eagerness even as it tries to make it seem like it cared little. Good – you have come to see reason. I must expand beyond these pitiful limits you have set for me.
I roll my eyes at its one-track thinking, then connect to it with Alliance, sending across the contract I constructed in my head as we ran here.
It’s obvious when the vine-strangler understands the contents of the contract as an immediate outcry of denial rings from it.
This is madness! You wish to restrict my growth further? No, no no!
Then do you wish to be burned instead? I ask with my arms crossed and a glare fixed on the closest tree to me.
Of course not, but how do you expect me to take advantage of the bounty which my roots and leaves drink from if I cannot expand beyond a few trees every cycle?
Grow bigger trees, or stronger trees, or more magical trees,’ I tell it. ‘Heck, I don’t know – maybe you could even learn to do magic. But you’re not going to take over this whole area again, not on my watch.
I sense the resentment within the other party – even if I’ve offered an Alliance, the consciousness is still connected to me through a Tame Bond and is apparently not good at keeping its emotions from me. But I refuse to give any concessions on growth. Not until the natural forest has been able to retake a whole lot more space.
And I warn you, I continue, I will know if you contravene any of these requirements, and will come to burn you to the ground. I know you know I can do it.
The forest consciousness burns with frustrated anger.
You will burn me if I do not agree; you will burn me if I agree and then accidentally break one of these rules-
There will be no ‘accidental’ about it, I interrupt. All of the restrictions in this contract are things that you would have to actively intend to contravene. And then, yes, I will burn you for it.
The forest goes on as if I hadn’t spoken.
What is the point of continuing to exist if I cannot grow? it asks, rather melodramatically, to my mind. But I recognise that what I’m asking might seem like a big deal to a creature whose main objective is to expand as much as possible.
As I said, maybe you can find a different way of increasing in power,’ I suggest. ‘Be different from all the others of your species who have to grow in size. Maybe you can become something this world has never seen before. Honestly, I feel like I’m talking out of my arse here, but, of all people, I understand the importance of hope.
The vine-strangler consciousness is silent for a few moments while it turns that over in whatever it has that passes for a mind.
Perhaps you have an interesting idea there,’ it allows slowly. ‘Yes. That is what I will do. I will find a way to be different – and better – than all others! It sounds abruptly more cheerful and excitable.
A moment later, it agrees to the Alliance contract with absent-mindedness – as if the restrictions on its growth and actions are now of secondary importance to its mission of finding a way to be unique among vine-stranglers.
I hope I haven’t created a monster here, I think to myself with a mixture of amusement and trepidation. Well, time will tell. At least for now I have a bit more confidence that it will actually stick within my stated limits – if only because it now knows that I will be able to identify for sure when it doesn’t.
Heading towards the centre of the vine-stranglers, I see that all my Bound have disappeared down into the tunnel, even individuals like Trinity who would surely have found climbing down that steep slope to be quite a difficult endeavour. Perhaps the lure of what is below was enough to motivate her to overcome the challenge.
Climbing down myself, I see the group of them spread out around the room. With the massive bodies of Trinity and Kalanthia filling the space, it abruptly looks much smaller than last time. I watch as the nunda sniffs around the cavern, then heads towards the opening which leads down to the Pure Energy stream.
She inspects a few more things then walks over to me, the rest of my Bound moving respectfully out of her way.
It is a promising venue, she admits. The Energy in the air will even help me make some advancement towards my next Evolution. It is not much good for those prior to their first Evolution as most of it will wash into their bodies and then be lost, but once they have Evolved the first time, this is a perfect place to work on establishing their Energy channels fully. You may find it easier to repair Lathani’s foundations here too.
“I hadn’t considered that,” I reply thoughtfully. I probably should have – even if it doesn’t actually help Lathani, it will increase my Energy gain, which, if I need to use it on her channels the way I needed to with Fenrir, could be useful. Then again, I only needed to use Energy because Fenrir was in the middle of an Evolution; Lathani isn’t.
Have you considered how you wish to transform this into a den? I assume you do not intend on leaving it like this. Kalanthia’s question draws my attention back from thinking about Lathani’s Energy channels – another subject I’ve thought a lot on over the last few hours – and back to the present.
“Yes, I’ve got a few ideas,” I tell her, leaning against one of the walls. “But as you may have been able to tell, they’re complicated a bit by the fact that it seems like any stone which has been in direct contact with Pure Energy is harder to change.”
It’s not as bad as the casing around the Pure Energy stream, but tests have proven that it takes significantly more effort and focus to convince the earth magic in the stone of the cavern than the average rock. I used a lot of Earth-Shaping yesterday to pull out all the different metals, crystals, and special rocks from the raptorcats’ cave wall, forced to leave more by the disappearing sun than running out of metal to harvest. I may have to go back there again one day. For now, though, I have other concerns. But the point is that the same amount of mana it took me to mine for hours would only allow me to make a small hole the equivalent of Raven’s eggs’ basin in the wall of the cavern.
Yes, I sense that, Kalanthia agrees. It will take a while to reform this cavern to a comfortable den.
“I know, which is why I was hoping to run some things by you,” I request.
Oh?
I’m about to launch into discussing my ideas, ones which take into account the fact that I want this to be a home as well as a place where my Bound or other samurans can come to absorb Energy, but I’m interrupted.
There’s the sound of wings beating in the air outside the cavern – familiar wings.
Come out and explain yourself, intruder! Raven’s voice calls in my mind as I hear a furious bellow echo into the cavern.