Year 68 Month 2

The temple is abuzz with activity, but the mood is tense. Injuries and wounds, by the cartloads, as people keep getting carried into the temple. Me, in the garden, I can somehow picture the image of blood everywhere, and the stench of it.

Or maybe it is just the newer initiates saying how strong the smell is.

"How many more do we have?”

“A lot more, Caretaker.” The Caretaker is like the lead priest of the Gaya temple, and he handles most of the administrative matters.

“Demons?” The Caretaker perch over one injured man, using some kind of healing.

“Yes, caretaker. Beast-type demons, about a hundred, from the rift.” An initiate explains, while assisting the others in carrying a few of the wounded soldiers into the temple grounds. Another initiate nearby helps to support a few that can walk.

Some initiates start putting up tents in the garden, and classifying the wounded by the severity of the injuries. Those needing less immediate attention are relegated to the garden. And so quite a lot of the wounded and their carers are within my range.

“I did not lose a llimb." One injured soldier vents at the guy next to him. "I had a scare when the beast lunged for my arm. It is thanks to the other guys."

"First battle?"

He nods. "I.. I just froze when that beast roared like that. I did not expect that."

"Their roar has a fear effect. You should not have stood so far away. You are lucky to get just a few cuts."

“Yea. Just a gash, probably will heal and be a manly scar later on. Maybe you can get girls with it.” Another soldier tries to lighten the mood.

“Girls do not like scars.” One of them said.

“Says who? I met girls who like scars. They say it looks really tough and they feel safe when they see it.”

“No way.”

“You guys are disgusting.” A female soldier comments, she turns to another side and face another sleeping female soldier.

“Hey, we did not die facing those beastdemons. Cut me some slack, I am just happy to live another day.”

“Yeah yeah.”

“Did you kill any of those beasts?” One soldier turns to ask another. There are about thirty of them in the courtyard, resting in makeshift tents. Most of them here are not very serious, light scratches or some gashes, and won't die if so quickly. But they do need some medical attention to prevent disease.

“No. Their hides are so thick. If I had one of those magic swords, maybe I would have gotten a kill or two.”

“Your skills, did they not work?”

“It did, but it is not enough.”

“When do you think the healers will come for us?” One of the soldiers that can walk asks, he sits next to another soldier.

“Once the heavily injured ones are dealt with.” An initiate interrupts, handing out water and some light food.

“Yeah. We understand.” The soldier nods. “How is in there?”

“Bad. Quite a few will not live through the night.”

The soldiers glance at each other. They sigh, but most are secretly relieves they got out of it mostly fine.

The initiate looks at the tree. “I think that tree produces fruits every now and then. It is edible, so feel free to take it, because we are short, do not have enough proper food.”

“Ah.”

Based on my current pattern, I produce two or three small peach like fruits per week, but if I want to I can trigger a small bloom to produce more overnight. I felt like helping these guys, and hopefully lead to some familiar contracts.

The next day, I have about ten small fruits, all containing mild healing effect. The soldiers did not hesitate to take and consume them.

“Tastes kind of bland.”

“Feels like I am eating some kind of disgusting forest herb.”

“If you don’t like it, you can starve your ass instead.” One grateful soldier smiles.

I felt a bit slighted at the comments, and at that point, I realise I did not select any skills that enhance the taste of my fruits. Such human aspects should be considered after all.

“I feel a bit better though. I think the fruit has some mild healing. [Appraise]” One soldier holds up his half eaten fruit, looking at it inquisitively. There are skills like [appraisal] too, and I wonder what is the difference with my [inspection] skills.

A loud horn blares. It is so loud that my trunk vibrates, and my leaves rustle.

“Oh. That is not good...” A few of the soldiers look at each other. “Another attack?”

“Looks like it.” Some of the soldiers stand and walks, “We should go.”

An initiate runs out. “No. You guys must rest. Going there injured will be bad.”

“I am fully healed.” A few of the men with light injuries have recovered as a result of the fruits.

The initiate looks at them, “Let me.. let me get the caretaker to verify before we let you out. I can't sign you out without his approval."

The soldier nods, “Yes yes. Normal tracking procedure. Please hurry and get the caretaker. The army needs our help, if it is anything like the previous attack.”

The initiate runs in, calling the caretaker. The soldiers look at the rest of the recovering soldiers.

“You guys better eat more of that fruit then. Need you people back on field once you are fine.”

“Yeah.” One of the soldiers shrug. “Stay safe, and don't get killed."

“We won’t.”

At that point, one of the soldiers walk close to me. “Hey, thanks for the fruit.”

Since he is just next to me, I pounce on the opportunity and immediately offer a familiar contract.

The popup probably startle the soldier, as he stares for a while. “Oh. Okay.” He accepts, and then he looks at the other soldiers. “Hey, go and say thanks. You might get something.”

Some of them laugh and walk away, but two others walk over and give me a pat on the trunk. Similarly I offer both of them a familiar contract, and they accept.

“Hey… did the tree just...” One soldier look at the other.

“Yes.” The other nods.

“What happened?” Those who are still injured seem a bit curious, because they seem a little startled by the weird expressions on the three soldiers faces.

“I think this tree, it.. it gave three of us familiar contracts?”

“Really?”

“What does it do?”

[Ironbark skin] One of the soldier’s skin glisten in a brownish shade. “Some defensive skills and healing skills. It is a tree familiar."

“Hey, this is useful.” The soldier right next to me taps my trunk lightly. "Thanks."

“Yeah. Don’t let it get your head though.” One of the injured soldiers say.

“Let me check, everyone please come over.” The caretaker arrives and starts looking at the soldiers that say that they have recovered.

A while later, he nods.

“Hmm. It seems you guys are fine. Free to go.”

“Thanks Caretaker.”

The recovered soldiers go off, and the remaining soldiers, about twenty of them look at each other. After a while, they start talking again.

“You think this tree can give us a familiar contract?” One of the injured soldier approaches.

“I still can give a few more, if you guys are not believers of Gaya.” I reply to him telepathically.

“Ah!” The injured soldier loses his balance and falls. “It… It talked!”

“It did? I did not hear a thing.”

“It.. it talked into my head!”

“What did it say?”

“Uhm. I think… I think it said it can give a few more if we are not followers of Gaya.”

“Huh, but we are in a Temple of Gaya?! Is this tree not a Gaya's spirit?”

“I’ll go call the Caretaker again.”

The Caretaker approaches me, and then looks at the injured soldier. “You said this tree can give you familiar contracts if we do not believe in Gaya?”

“Uh… yes.” I attempt to reply on behalf but somehow is repulsed by some kind of telepathic barrier.

The Caretaker looks at me, and then touches my trunk.

[Detect Evil] and [Detect Spirit]

His eyes widen. “It really is a spirit.” He looks at me, and then he calls an initiate to bring some materials over. He then seems to chew on some kind of leaf.

After a short while of chewing, he then looks at me.

[Ethereal vision]

“Hello tree spirit.” The Caretaker looks at me, and then he notices Gewa next to me. “And… you too, old friend.”

“Hey.” Gewa smiles.

“Hi.”

“Who are you, and what are you.”

“I am a tree.”

“But you have a spirit. That is rare.”

That contradicts the statement I receive from Mozart. I thought he said trees of a certain size has spirits….

“Yes. I do have a spirit. I do not know whether I am rare."

“You told the soldiers you can’t give them familiars if they are believers of Gaya?"

“Yes. Your believers will reject a nature familiar.”

The Caretaker thinks for a while, and he says. “Hmmm… I do recall one of blessings of our god is we can only use familiars of god, but I must confirm that later.”

He then looks at the soldiers. “Any of you not believers?”

“I’m not.” A soldier walks over. “Not yet, at least.”

“Can you give him a familiar contract?” The Caretaker asks me. "Will help me assess what I should do?"

I offer him a familiar contract. The Caretaker bites a different kind of leaf.

“Accept the contract, and open your menu. Eat this leaf.”

The soldier nods, accepts the familiar contract and munches on a kind of leaf. Seriously, do they have weird drug-like leaves in this world? Wait, they must have, it’s a fantasy world.

Then his menu appears for all to see. It is far more complicated than the menu I have. I wonder how I could see it, but.. I just do.

[Tree Familiar Level 1]

[Element : Earth and Wood]

[Rank : Nature Aspect]

[Alignment : Neutral]

[Active Skills : Ironbark skin, Healing Fruit, Minor Regeneration, Wood Shield]

[Passive : Damage resistance, Improved Healing, Earth Magic and Wood Magic enhancement]

Hey, there are more skills than I used to remember.

“So… is the tree evil, Caretaker? Should we revoke the contract?"

“No. Probably not. But it is just not aligned to Gaya.”

“Trees have alignment as well?"

The Caretaker shrugs. “No idea. Still, you soldiers can accept the familiar if you want to, I think it will be helpful for the battle ahead. As for me, I need to go talk to some druids….”

Year 68 Month 3

“Move it somewhere else.” The Caretaker sighs.

“Yes Caretaker. This is really necessary?”

“Yes. I brought this up to the temple counselors, and the conclusion is that we are a temple cannot accept a spirit that does not accept Gaya in our compound. It woukd be perceived negatively by the common folk if a tree tells people not to believe in Gaya to receive a familiar.”

“It is a tree.”

“I would have chopped it down if it’s just a tree. But it has been helpful and I do not see a need to destroy it. So moving it to more... neutral location would be better."

The druid nods. “Understood.” Inside his head he scrambles to think where to mvoe the tree.

Still, did not take long for them to decide, I see a few druids come over, surround me, and once again they move me.

“Caretaker says you’re a spirit, so we got to move you.” The druid says apologetically. "We will be gentle, and you will not come to any harm."

Before I could respond, he casts some kind of magic, and the earth shakes. And once again, I lose consciousness.

Seriously, being moved around is annoying.