Spirit Tree (4)
The swamp inn was bustling as always. People seeking herbs, others coming for spoils of war. They were settling in for the night as dusk fell.
Screeech.
That was when a group burst into the inn. Leading them were a hulking man and a slender figure whose gender was hard to discern. More men followed, each armed with various weapons.
"Here for a room for the night? We've got plenty, no worries. Want me to grab one for you?"
The innkeeper greeted them. It was late, so he naturally offered rooms. But they ignored him, scanning the room.
"Where do we go to find the village chief around here?"
Short cropped hair with scratches on the sides. A blue tattoo covering half her face. A woman's voice came from the slender figure.
"A lady, eh. But why're you looking for the chief?"
"......"
The innkeeper pressed, but she shot him a cold glare.
"You know? Or not?"
"W-well, the chief's back at his place, but......"
"Fucking asshole, why didn't you say so sooner."
"......What'd you say? You just cussed me out?"
"Hey, Cheddin. What's going on?"
A group of drinkers noticed the tense exchange and approached.
"N-no, it's nothing. This one's spitting curses out of nowhere."
"What? Even in a lawless dump like this, you can't do that in an inn. First time here?"
"What a load of bullshit. Tsk."
The woman didn't flinch as they closed in. Instead, the giant man behind her stepped forward quietly.
"......Hold on, aren't you lot from that Orion group or whatever?"
One man spotted the emblem on their clothes.
"Yeah, looks like it. You hear the rumors? Some company's doing experiments, turning people into freaks."
"Yeah, I think I did."
"That's them."
"What? These guys are the ones doing that crazy shit? Then why're they here?"
The revelation stirred up the room. Word of Orion had spread among those in the know, and no one saw their actions in a good light.
"Ugh, annoying. Baken, handle it."
"Heh heh heh. Thanks, Jeanne. Leave it to me."
At the woman's words, the giant called Baken stepped forward. Over two meters tall, built like an orc. Arms crossed, he looked down at the men.
"Wanna roll around with me?"
"What?"
"Heh heh heh, nothing beats tumbling with a bunch of sweaty guys."
"......"
"You first—lie down there and wait for me."
"Wh-what? G-gahk!"
Whoosh.
Crack!
Baken swung his massive fist without warning. It smashed straight into the man's face, snapping his neck as he flew back.
"You crazy bastard!"
His comrades charged. One against six. But Baken grinned unpleasantly, seeming to enjoy it.
"Heh heh heh heh, yes! Perfect!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Each swing of his fists cleaved the air. Men dropped like flies. They were no pushovers themselves, but against an Ability user like Baken, they were outmatched.
Before long, he'd taken down all twenty men in the inn single-handedly.
"You lot, go drag that village chief bastard here. Now."
"Yes, sir!"
While Baken rampaged, the woman called Jeanne ordered her subordinates to fetch the chief.
"The ore we get from destroying that giant tree......"
Jeanne aimed to learn the tree's location from the chief.
* * *
Night had fallen. In the ever-shifting swamp terrain, darkness was dangerous. Without lights, navigating the changed landscape was nearly impossible. So we followed Jerard's lead into a small cave for rest.
"It's weird, though. Never seen dire wolves butchered like that before. And in pieces, no less."
Jerard sat by the fire he'd lit, recalling the scene they'd passed.
I found it hard to believe too. Hunting in a monster habitat is never easy, especially dire wolves. They hunt in packs with tight bonds, making them even deadlier.
But who here had that kind of power? Even my current level would struggle. And there was no reason for such overwhelming force to show up in a place like this.
'If not human, then monsters......'
What monsters could shred dire wolves like that? None I knew of in the swamps.
"......Doesn't this feel like that old incident?"
April, who'd been listening quietly, spoke up.
"Like what?"
"Not sure if I should say, but decades ago in the swamps. Everyone knows what happened when the orcs showed up."
"......The swamps' people and monsters alike were slaughtered, wiped out."
"Yeah! That's it!"
I'd pegged her as someone who blabbered nonsense, but she hit the nail on the head. Something I'd overlooked.
'......You're right. Them.'
It clicked: the black orcs from the second expansion pack. Unlike regular orcs, they acted like a true race—strong, well-equipped, human-level threats.
'But they shouldn't be here yet.'
The timing was off. The only explanation: the game's base story had been altered.
'They debuted by massacring swamp monsters too.'
April's words solidified it. Whatever the cause, the orcs that ravaged the swamps decades ago were back.
"We move at dawn tomorrow. Jerard, can you pick up the pace?"
"......"
Jerard trembled, too scared by "orc" to respond.
It was understandable. To swamp folk, orcs were special horrors.
"Jerard."
"Y-yes?"
"Can you go faster?"
"Y-yeah, possible. But it'll be rough on you two. I'm used to it, but......"
"I love walking!"
No, that's not—
April seemed to think it was just a stroll.
"Uh...... Not just 'like.' It'll be non-stop running."
"Yep, fine. I've been trained by my brothers since I was little. Don't worry about me, go full speed. They always said the outside world's dangerous, protect yourself. I agreed, but didn't really want to...... (omitted)."
"Oh, really? Got it."
Hmm, April's got layers.
* * *
Four days passed. After the cave, Jerard's pace quickened. We moved only by daylight, rested at night. Fewer live monsters too—more corpses.
'Looks like they're on the move.'
Time was critical. They'd come prepared. If left unchecked, unlike decades ago—or the expansion where they overran the swamps—it'd be worse.
"Found the spot you mentioned!"
We'd reached the exit to the second zone, entering the third. One more zone, and the giant tree.
I pushed through the forest path ahead.
"Whoa......"
"Th-this is......"
Unlike the dim terrain before, sunlight beamed down. It bathed the tree, surrounded by vibrant herbs.
The trunk alone was stadium-sized. I'd seen it in-game, but real life left me speechless.
'This massive......'
The tree that shaped the swamps, later reviving to raze everything. For now, just a tree.
"This tree......"
Jerard trailed off. The one his grandfather fled to, abandoning the village to orc attacks. First time seeing it; I couldn't imagine his feelings.
"......Did Grandpa really abandon the village under orc attack to run here? Mom said he wasn't the type."
"......"
I couldn't answer. Per the game's story, he had.
'Anyway.'
First, my goal: mana herbs unique here. Needed to get closer.
"Huh? What's that?"
April pointed to the tree's right—opposite us. A crowd poured in.
"......Grandpa Kepa?"
Jerard spotted the dragged leader: swamp village chief Kepa.
Kepa saw Jerard first, eyes bulging.
"Y-you bastard...... Why the hell are you here!!!"
Bloody and battered, his rage boomed.
"What scheme are you pulling?! Do you know where this is?!"
"N-no! It's not—!"
"Shut your damn mouth!"
Thwack!
"Guh!"
The woman in gauntlets punched him. Dual swords on her back. Level 20. Gauntlet swordsman?
'Fifty-plus numbers, Descartes uniforms......'
Black clothes, hoods—like the ones I fought with Jackson's crew.
'What business here? They didn't know about the tree. But using the chief, straight here......'
Story altered again. Originally, Descartes didn't know. But now they did—Orion influence or otherwise. They moved differently.
"Who the hell are you? How'd you know this place? He said only he knew. You after the ore too?"
The woman who'd hit Kepa glared at me.
Yep, after the ore. But not easy—only from the revived Spirit Tree.
Wait. Trying to awaken it?
Boom!
Crash!
Then, chaos from another direction. Trees blocking the path toppled.
-GRRAAAAAH!
-GRRAAAAAH!
Black-skinned orcs emerged, roaring. Nearly a hundred.
My fears realized. They really aimed to awaken the Spirit Tree.
"......What? Why so many? This is a pain."
The dual-sword woman grumbled. Unfazed by black orcs—probably her doing.
Something's off. They didn't grasp what they'd unleashed.
'Three factions after the giant tree......'
Me and April. Descartes' crew. Black orcs.
My goal: mana herbs.
Orion: tree's ore.
Orcs: revenge.
'Then.'
Situation bad. But exploitable.
Yeah. Let's awaken it, as they want.
The 10-man raid boss: Spirit Tree.