(Previous chapter - Gauge and Var land on floravere and find a talking tree)
"Yes. The village is dying slowly because of it."
the tree calls out on it's brethren and with a dramatic ground tremor, all the trees in the clearing makes way for Gauge and Var,
"You must take a look at the village for yourself before you decide to fight such an opponent..."
The way forward is free, Gauge and Var walk through the passage provided by the trees. At the end of the passage is a village,'The sunflower village' as the natives call it.
A blossoming village in the shores of a River, so fresh and pure reflections bounce of it like a diamond glowing. The shores filled with fruits and vegetables playing, their parents; the plants, restricting them from playing too much.
Unlike Xerith here the sunlight is actually absorbed by the atmosphere and all four suns illuminate the village pleasantly.
At least that's what it was supposed to be.... Instead they found a dead lifeless river. fruits and vegetables rotten and spread across the village. Plants laying lifeless on the ground, Decaying.
Both of them were shocked. For a planet of sentient plants and trees this was the Human equivalent of a famine. As they watch closely they observes large roots of a tree from far away spread across the soil of the village like an infection.
Gauge enters the village, the sad sight turned down all his excitement for a new planet.
He notices a strawberry plant still alive, he rushes to it. The plant exhausted and lying on the ground opens her eyes and looks at gauge,
"What species of tree are you? doesn't matter, if that tyrant sent you report back to him the sorry state of this village, we have nothing left."
Gauge pitied her state poor plant she has to watch her whole village die as he closes his eyes and kneels before her. He then clarifies,
"I am not one of them, I am just a passerby."
The plant realizes he wasn't a threat, and then cries,
"They die...everyday...my babies. My sweet strawberries they sprout off me lifeless, staring at me. Yet the Tyrant wouldn't stop taking from us, he drained our river off it's water, our soil of its nutrients, and if any of our children are lucky to survive, he eats them too.
He has found a new source of energy, one radiating with a bright blue colour, to contain more of this energy he needs to grow larger. The more of that energy he takes the more water and nutrients he needs to sustain.
The damn tree is planning to go against our god and take control of this planet. You need save us, you both look like advanced species, please help us. Meet our village elder he might give you more information."
Gauge looks at all the other plants thriving to live and agrees.
Meanwhile somewhere near the central depths of Floravere,
a large tree covered in shadows, opens it's eyes radiating with ethereal green energy.
It senses the arrival of a strong being....
Gauge and Var head up to a tree alive but dying, its leaves weathering off, the tree notices them and speaks,
"within my roots the village elder awaits you."
there was a small underground beneath it. Inside were all the dead plants, buried. at the center, was a large withered off sunflower, the village elder. As both and Var and Gauge approached him, he looks at them,
"So... you were the ones she sensed of. I have nothing to give or say, but the The Tree of Life wishes to speak with you."
Var was shocked upon hearing this, he rushed near to the sunflower elder and asks,
"THE Tree of Life? the very seed of the universe?"
The elder looks at him, his life was leaving his body,
"Yes the very one who still anchors this universe. Now I do not have much time (roots flow from the bottom of the elder and emerged behind both of them) She awaits you." the elder fell unconscious.
A small sapling about a few feet tall grew out and its branches emitting green energy.
"Welcome honorable guests, My name is Yggdrasil. Forgive my poor presentation, my roots are placed far away from where you stand and my branches extend into the heavens to anchor this universe. I could only afford to send this small extension of myself."
Her voice echoing from all directions as if she was present everywhere. Gauge looks at Var shaking in his boots,
"It isn't a problem your divineness, what did we do to owe this spectacular audience."
Gauge giggles your divineness? spectacular? Var urges him to stop. Yggdrasil continues,
"It isn't what you did, it's what you have to do. You see, this Tyrant tree that you clearly know of, He is drawing power from the gate behind him, I myself in this form cannot stop him and as you know my movements can shake the universe. So I want you to kill him."
The voice though omnipotent sounded sad, Gauge and Var look at each and then back at her ,
"Sunflower village isn't the only village that was affected, a lot more parts of Floravere suffers the same state. If he were to draw all the power from the gate and challenge me, that might even destroy this planet. You must stop him now when he has only affected a few villages"
Var looks hesitant, Yggdrasil added," I have naught but to offer you as of now, But i will offer you a kill contract(a contract appears on the riftcore screen even without no connection)
Target : The tyrant tree of Floravere
prize : 250 death units
Accept Decline
A silence fell, Not even Var knew what a death unit is. He looks at Gauge staring the screen for a while. Gauge declines the contract.
The silence continued, Var thinks why would he do that but doesn't utter a word neither did the Tree of Life herself. Gauge speaks,
"I've seen pain and that's enough, I will no longer let the plants of this village suffer."
He clenches his fist and his hands begin vapourising, but Var grabs his arm and calms him down.
Not a moment later, they hear rumbling outside. Var rushes outside to check in on the disturbance followed by Gauge. Several roots tore through the village as the plants tremble in fear - too weak to flee. A few trees emerged out of the forest, somehow able to move. They were filled with blue gate energy just like the gatekeeper's axe.One of them speaks,
"You useless plants, you cannot even bear fruits to help our master in his glorious ambition. You all have forgotten the taste of fear, let us familiarize you..."
A sharpened vine lashed out, arrowing toward the exhausted strawberry plant. Her eyes widened, but she couldn't for the life of her,scream. The vine cut through the air—
—and stopped fell to the ground petrified .
All the plants and minions gaze at the tree only to find Gauge, with his fists pierced through the trunk of the tree.
The tree rasps in pain, " who... are you?"
Gauge doesn't speak a word, he holds him by the mouth, snaps him in half and drops him on the ground lifeless. He gazes at the familiar strawberry plant,
"Do not worry, you will see your children live again."
She cries out of emotion. Gauge is surrounded by the remaining Minions. as they sharpen their vines, Gauge charges his fists and prepares his footing...
Next chapter - To Bait a Tyrant