Chương 22: Chapter 21: Dead Ground

The green light beneath the bridge faded back to its earlier rhythm, but the scale of what James had seen remained clear. Every root around him belonged to the same magical network, and somewhere farther east a Level Fifteen Regional Boss could draw power through all of it. Natalie Venn lowered her damaged shield while the three survivors behind her kept their weapons ready, though none seemed eager to start trouble after watching James's group kill two Level Twelve Rootclaw Panthers.

"My name is Natalie Venn," she said as her eyes moved across Julie, Kevin, and the battered Warpstone Warhammer. She gestured toward the others with the edge of her shield before continuing.

"We've been hunting around here since yesterday, though surviving is probably a better description of what we've accomplished. We heard the announcement when somebody claimed the first Class Inheritance."

"James Roller," James replied as he studied their equipment. The bark shields had been built in layers, their spears used Iron Fox metal and monster bone, and every person in the group carried enough injuries to prove they had earned their levels the hard way.

"The snake is Julie, the spider is Kevin, and yes, Kevin is aware he has a human name." The narrow-faced man with the Iron Fox spear looked at Kevin.

"The giant spider is Kevin?" he asked as his weapon lowered by several inches. Natalie closed her eyes briefly, while James could feel Kevin's complete lack of concern through their bond.

"It seemed right at the time," James said as Kevin tapped one leg against the hammerhead. He looked toward Natalie before the conversation could become a debate over names.

"You said the entire eastern region feeds the Behemoth. I'm guessing you know that because somebody already tried fighting it." Natalie's expression changed immediately. She looked east, where the Behemoth's enormous tracks continued through the glowing trees, and her grip tightened around the ruined shield.

"Thirteen people reached its territory yesterday," she said after several seconds.

"They broke one leg, damaged an antler, and opened enough of its chest that they thought the fight was almost over." James waited.

"The Behemoth drove its antlers into the ground," Natalie continued as she kept watching the distant trees.

"Everything around it lit up. The broken leg straightened, the antler grew back, and the damage across its chest disappeared before the group could reorganize. Four people escaped." Julie's confidence quieted through the familiar bond. Kevin stretched a thread toward the glowing bridge beneath them and followed the steady pulse moving east. James crouched beside one of the dead panthers and examined the roots still wrapped around its paws.

"The power still needs an entrance," James said as Workman's Appraisal highlighted the dead connections. He traced one root from the bridge into the panther's bark-covered ankle before pointing toward the severed junction.

"The Behemoth might have thousands of possible connections available, but energy still has to cross from the network into its body." Natalie moved closer enough to see what he meant.

"We thought about burning the forest," she said as her gaze followed the glowing root.

"There's more living network than we could possibly destroy before the boss reached us."

"Fire would spread wherever the forest wanted it to spread," James replied as he looked around at the enormous trees. The Ember Core in his pack might create magical flame eventually, though testing that theory across an entire region would be an impressively stupid first attempt.

"If the Behemoth can control this much plant life, ordinary fire probably becomes our problem before it becomes his." The narrow-faced survivor cleared his throat. Natalie turned toward him before he spoke, and James immediately understood that the man was about to share information she had wanted kept inside their group.

"There's a dead area farther east," he said while shifting his spear against one shoulder.

"Black trees, dry roots, no green light. Nothing we saw healed while it was standing inside there."

"Tolan," Natalie said as her voice hardened. She stared at him for a second before glancing toward James.

"We agreed we weren't leading more people into that place."

"He's already walking toward the Behemoth," Tolan replied as he returned her stare. His hands tightened around the spear, though his voice stayed level.

"At least the dead ground gives him a chance to learn something before he walks straight into the boss." James rose.

"Why aren't you using it yourselves?" he asked as Kevin shifted on the warhammer. The damage across Natalie's shield suddenly looked more interesting than it had a minute ago.

"Something guards the entrance," Natalie replied as she lifted the shield. Deep curved grooves crushed several bark layers inward toward the center.

"Rootbound Guardian. Level Twelve, and I'm pretty sure it's Elite." Kevin fired a silver strand before Natalie could react. The thread entered one fracture along the shield, crossed through three damaged layers, and tightened between them. Blue light followed the silk. [Living Reinforcement applied.] Natalie almost dropped the shield.

"What the hell is he doing?" she asked as the crushed layers slowly returned to their original alignment. James stepped closer and examined the damage while Kevin reinforced a second fracture.

"He's holding the structure together temporarily," James said as Workman's Appraisal expanded through the shield. The restored shape made the failure pattern much easier to read, and every major crack curved inward toward the center.

"Whatever hit this applied force from several directions at once." Tolan frowned.

"How does that help?" he asked as he looked between the shield and James. The question carried genuine frustration, because knowing the attack pattern had not helped them survive the first encounter.

"The Guardian crushes," James said as he traced the curved fracture with one finger. He followed each crack mentally until the different pressure paths met near the center.

"If several roots pull from different directions, every one of those roots needs something anchoring it. Find the anchors and the attack loses leverage." Natalie studied him. Fear remained obvious in her face, though something sharper had begun replacing resignation.

"You think you can kill it," she said as Kevin withdrew one strand and the corresponding crack slowly reopened.

"I think I can learn enough by fighting it to make the Behemoth less impossible," James replied as he settled the warhammer over one shoulder. Julie immediately sent approval through their bond.

"You can guide me there, or Kevin and I can follow whichever direction all of you keep checking every thirty seconds." Natalie looked toward her companions. Nobody appeared happy with the idea, but Tolan had already made retreat from the subject pointless.

"We show you the route," she said after a long silence. She adjusted the shield Kevin was still partially reinforcing.

"We plan before we engage. I'm done watching people charge something because a level number made them feel brave."

"Good," James replied as he started harvesting the best material from the Rootclaw Panthers. He cut free several bark-covered claws and rolled part of the layered hide into his pack while speaking.

"I enjoy plans. Julie tends to consider them optional once biting becomes available." Julie stared at him. Natalie laughed once despite herself. The route east followed a series of elevated roots that twisted through the forest like raised roads. Natalie's group knew which sections shifted under weight and which trees reacted badly when people stepped too close, so James let them lead while Kevin tested everything with short vibration threads. The magical pulses beneath them became stronger with every mile.

James noticed a pattern after the fifth pulse. Energy moved east through the network and disappeared somewhere ahead, yet almost none traveled back toward the outer region.

"The Behemoth is drawing power even when it isn't healing," he said as the next wave passed beneath his boots. Kevin confirmed the direction through their bond.

"It's storing something." Natalie glanced over her shoulder.

"Any idea what?" she asked as the forest brightened around them. James looked toward the massive tracks crossing the roots and shook his head.

"I'd prefer to find out from very far away," he said as he continued walking. Julie's red-gold markings brightened at the idea of another magical attack, and James felt her excitement immediately.

"That comment was mostly directed at you, Jules." Three Barkhide Boars attacked before they reached the dead forest. The creatures came along separate elevated roots, forcing Natalie's group into a narrow intersection where surrounding them would have been difficult. James met the first charge with the warhammer while Natalie and Tolan drove the second animal toward an edge, and Julie intercepted the third as green light gathered around its tusks.

James struck the lead boar's jaw and felt bark split beneath the hammer. Kevin reinforced the cracked head of the weapon during the rebound, keeping the damaged spatial rune stable while James shifted his footing for another swing. The boar tried to push forward, but Measured Strike marked the root connection behind one foreleg. The next blow broke it. Green light across the creature's shoulder dimmed. James finished it with a strike beneath the eye. [You have slain a Barkhide Boar — Level 11.] [Experience awarded.] Julie absorbed a blast from the third boar's tusks. Her Rune-Touched Scales glowed red-gold as green energy entered them, though this time she controlled the release. A smaller portion left through her first bite and burned open the boar's bark armor, while the remaining power stayed within her markings. James felt satisfaction through their bond.

"Much better," he said as he moved to help Natalie's side. Julie's response carried enough smugness that he almost regretted complimenting her.

"Don't let it go to your head." Kevin adjusted his own technique. Instead of maintaining Living Reinforcement across an entire body, he laid tiny strands across the exact sections of Julie's scales or Natalie's shield that were about to receive impacts. Each connection lasted only a moment, reducing the strain on him while still distributing the worst force. The final boar died under attacks from Natalie, Tolan, and the two other survivors.

James did not step in once they gained control, allowing them to finish their own fight while he watched the surrounding roots for another attack. The group resumed east after a brief recovery. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. The glowing forest ended abruptly. A line of black soil cut across the ground ahead. Beyond it, enormous trees stood dead and dry, with cracked bark hanging from their trunks and roots reduced to gray wood.

The constant green glow vanished at the boundary. James stepped across. Workman's Appraisal responded immediately. [Severed Eastern Network Section] [Connection destroyed by prolonged runic corruption.] [Living energy cannot pass through the damaged material.] James crouched and touched the ground. No pulse moved beneath his fingers, and Kevin's vibration sense suddenly cleared enough to distinguish individual footsteps, insects, and falling pieces of bark without the entire forest humming through his awareness.

"This place can work," James said as he looked across the dead valley.

"If the Behemoth enters far enough, the network can't reach it through the ground." Natalie pointed toward a stone arch ahead. Dried moss covered most of its carvings, and dead roots surrounded the structure in thick piles.

"That's where we got stopped," she said as her reinforced shield came up.

"The Guardian stays near the arch." The ground moved. Dead roots rose from the soil. Stone, bark, and hardened sap assembled around them until a nearly ten-foot humanoid stood beneath the arch. Its arms reached below its knees, and thick living roots trailed from its back through the dead ground into the luminous forest behind it. [Rootbound Guardian — Level 12] [Elite.] [Protector of the Eastern Regional Boundary.] [Controls connected roots through a central command core.] Green light awakened inside the hollow opening where a face should have been.

"Dead ground!" James shouted as roots behind Natalie's group began moving. He pointed farther into the black region while everybody ran.

"Get away from the living side!" One root twisted around the youngest survivor's ankle. He jumped before it closed, and Tolan shoved him forward while Natalie moved between them and the Guardian. The group crossed completely into the dead region before the first attack landed. The Guardian extended one arm. Living roots erupted behind it and crossed the boundary. Their green light disappeared after several feet. Their momentum did not. James knocked one aside with the warhammer.

Dead wood shattered under the impact, though three more came behind it from separate angles. Natalie blocked one with her shield and skidded backward across the black soil as Kevin's silk kept the damaged bark from separating. Tolan cut through another. The third wrapped around one survivor's legs. Julie attacked it, but her fangs scraped uselessly across hardened bark. She released part of the green energy stored in her scales through the next bite, and the magic traveled backward through the root.

Branches erupted from the dead section. The sudden growth loosened the coil. Tolan cut his companion free.

"The Guardian is still feeding the roots until they cross the boundary!" James shouted as he studied the connections trailing from its back. Several thick roots ran from the living forest directly into the Guardian's spine and shoulders.

"Those big connections are the anchors!" Kevin fired Silver Thread toward the Guardian's left side. The web wrapped around one of the largest roots and connected to two dead trees inside the valley. The Guardian lifted an arm. Three living roots grabbed Kevin's lines. The dead trees ripped from the ground before Kevin could fully reinforce them.

"Move!" James yelled as the trunks flew toward the group. He activated Measured Strike, saw a pale fracture line across the first trunk, and brought the warhammer through it. The dead wood split in midair and passed to either side of Natalie. The second trunk hit beside James. Broken branches tore through his sleeve and struck the damaged breastplate. One metal plate shifted inward before Kevin sent a reinforcing strand into the binding and stopped it from collapsing against James's ribs.

The Guardian took another step. Every movement pulled against the living roots behind it. James watched the force travel. The creature's arms were dangerous, and the roots could reach almost anywhere near the boundary. The command core described by Appraisal sat somewhere inside the torso, translating energy from the network into movement and control.

"We can't reach all those connections," Natalie said as she moved beside him. Her shield had begun separating again under the strain.

"Every time we cut one, three more come forward." James activated Workman's Appraisal. The Guardian opened into layers. Stone armor. Bark. Root channels. Internal bracing. Green pathways converging near the chest. There a dense structure sat behind several crossed plates. [Command Core identified.] James smiled.

"We don't need every root," he said as he pointed the warhammer toward the Guardian's chest. Natalie followed his gesture, and James saw comprehension replace confusion.

"Everything answers to one place." The Guardian attacked before they could organize. Both long arms swept outward. Roots followed from opposite directions. Natalie's group scattered, but one survivor stumbled. James caught the root heading for his chest with the hammer shaft and felt the crushing force immediately begin closing around the weapon. Kevin reacted. Silver Thread wrapped the root. Living Reinforcement locked its outer fibers in place. The root lost the flexibility required to tighten.

James twisted the warhammer and tore free.

"Kevin, freeze the anchors when they pull," James said as the spider climbed onto the shaft. Kevin sent immediate understanding through the bond.

"Julie, chest openings. Natalie, I need one arm occupied long enough to get inside." Natalie looked at the ten-foot Guardian.

"How long?" she asked as Tolan moved beside her and raised his spear. James adjusted his grip.

"Long enough for one bad decision," James said as he started forward. Natalie shook her head once, though she followed.

"I make those quickly." The Guardian swung. Natalie took the first arm on her shield. Kevin reinforced the center at the moment of impact. The bark layers held. Tolan and the others attacked the elbow joint, driving spearpoints into gaps where root and stone met. The Guardian turned toward them. James reached its chest. Measured Strike spread pale lines across the armor. One joining point glowed brighter near the lower edge of a stone plate. James struck. The plate cracked.

Julie rushed through the opening and bit the exposed roots beneath it. She released the rest of her stored nature energy, overwhelming the connection with power it had no room to carry. The roots split. James hit the plate again. It tore free. Green light poured from the opening. The command core pulsed inside. The Guardian reacted instantly. Roots wrapped around James's waist, chest, and right arm. They tightened. Pain exploded across his ribs.

The pressure increased from several directions at once, exactly like the damage Natalie's shield had shown.

"James!" Natalie shouted as she and Tolan pulled against one root. The others grabbed another, but the Guardian had too much leverage through the living forest. Kevin climbed directly onto the roots crushing James. Silver threads spread across every contact point. Living Reinforcement activated. The roots hardened. For one strange second, the Guardian's own weapons became rigid around James. They could no longer tighten. James sucked in a breath.

"You clever little bastard," he said as he forced his left hand toward the exposed chest. Kevin's strain flooded the bond, leaving no time to waste.

"Hold it." James jammed the hooked side of the Warpstone Warhammer into the opening. The hook caught behind the command core. The joining point resisted. Julie wrapped around the exposed root bundle and pulled. Natalie's group dragged the Guardian's arm sideways. J ames planted both boots against the dead ground. He pulled. The core moved. Green light flooded the opening. The Guardian convulsed. One root slipped free of Kevin's reinforcement, but James ignored it and pulled again.

The hook tore through the final connection. The command core came out in a burst of green light. Every root collapsed. The Guardian remained upright for one heartbeat before bark, stone, and dead wood separated and crashed around James. He dropped the core onto the black ground. Then he raised the warhammer. One strike split the center. [Rootbound Guardian — Level 12, Elite defeated.] [Experience awarded.] Blue light surrounded James, Julie, and Kevin. [Level up.] [James Roller is now Level 11.] [Rune Carpenter growth applied.] [Strength increased by 2.] [Intelligence increased by 2.] [Endurance increased by 1.] [5 Attribute Points available.] [Julie is now Level 11.] [Kevin is now Level 11.] James sat on a shattered root while the new strength settled into his body. His breathing steadied, his grip tightened, and Workman's Appraisal became clearer around the wreckage. He remembered the Guardian crushing him from several directions and decided where his free points belonged.

[Vitality increased by 1.] [Agility increased by 1.] [Willpower increased by 1.] [Perception increased by 2.] Julie directed her free growth toward Intelligence first, with additional points strengthening Agility, Willpower, and Perception. Kevin focused heavily on Intelligence and Perception, adding enough Vitality to support the strain his reinforcement skill continued placing on his body. Their bonds sharpened immediately. Julie's impressions approached recognizable concepts.

Kevin could separate individual vibrations traveling through different roots without losing track of the others. Natalie stood beside the shattered Guardian and stared at the destroyed command core.

"You actually killed it," she said as Kevin finally released the reinforcement on her shield. The bark layers began separating again around her arm.

"We killed it," James replied as he pushed himself upright. He nodded toward Natalie's group while Julie moved to his left and Kevin climbed onto the warhammer.

"You held that arm. Kevin stopped me from getting crushed. Julie opened the chest. Everybody did their job." The stone arch awakened. Green carvings appeared beneath the dried moss. Beyond it, the dead valley descended toward an enormous basin filled with black trees. Something moved at the far side. Six hooves struck the ground. Antlers rose above the canopy. [First Eastern Boundary breached.] [Runebark Behemoth territory accessible.] The Level Fifteen Regional Boss turned its glowing eyes toward the broken arch. James rested both hands on the warhammer. The Behemoth roared.