--------------------- Guard #43 POV ------------------------

I'm glad I am just keeping watch at the gatehouse instead of being out there getting myself killed by rampaging orcs. I really don't care about some wheat fields getting destroyed, food for soldiers is a priority anyway. It was a right move to make sarge win that card game. While I just lost a couple silver coins, those guys will lose their lives. But me and sarge, we are best buddies now.

"Oh, sarge, your tankard is empty. Let me pour you more mead."

"Thank you #43. I have two Barons. My win again, hehehehe."

I fold my cards down, and quickly shuffle them into the deck. Sarge won, yay. I had an Earl in my hands though.

Then the earth rumbles. The few horses left behind in the stables neigh and grunts. Stuff is breaking. We rush to the window leading to the inner courtyard.

An ancient tree, one they say was there before the garrison was even built is rising out from the ground. Huge tufts of earth are tossed around as its roots pop out and gouge the ground. Branches twist and entwine and take the shape of arms. Four of them. Sinister glowing red eyes appear right below the treetop, and it begins to walk. The thing is as tall as five carriages piled up!!!!

"MO MO MO MO MONSTER!!!" I fall backwards, and freeze in panic. Above me, I see sarge drawing his bow, and an arrow flies into the wooden monstrosity. Sarge is made of steel!!!

The thing groans. It is only angered by the arrow. One of its branch-limbs swings across, and the gatehouse roof and walls are no more. I am there, laid on my back and covered by debris. Above me, only the sky clouded by smoke.

The thing is not interested in me. I can't see Sarge. It rumbles, and walks to the stockades. All the prisoners were conscripted to fight the orcs, there is nobody there. The wooden monstrosity kicks and stomps the stockade building. For several minutes, it stays there, pounding stone until nothing is left.

"Hey, #43, can you hear me? Can you move?" Someone in metal armor is above me, removing the debris. "What is that thing? Was it the tree in the stables yard?"

It is the lieutenant. He is bruised and there are cuts in his face. Probably the orcs did that to him. "I am fine, but I can't move my legs." I answer to him.

"Your legs were crushed soldier. Stay there. We are going out to stop that monster. Good gracious, what is that? Is it a C or B rank? It is too big to be a C. Maybe..."

A B rank monster requires an extermination force of fifty knights. If that is a B rank, the town is doomed.

"Is that orc sorcery? I can feel a big magical power from that. No way that monster was sleeping inside the garrison all this time."

"Everyone get some flaming arrows. We are taking that thing down." Lieutenant is awesome too.

Another soldier lifts my body at my request. They are wrapping bandages on my legs, and even when I try to tell them it is not hurting, just a bit numb, they grimace and keep their work. It is not bad, is it?

Flaming arrows rain on the tree monster. It is walking to the outer wall. The orc's plan is to break the wall from the inside, then conquer the garrison and invade the city. If there is such powerful shaman among the orcs, there might be an orc general leading that horde...

Then out of nowhere, rain falls around the tree. The fire from the arrows is doused. The few soldiers that returned with lieutenant keep firing, but they are less than a handful. Everyone else is out fighting the orcs. And now the tree is all damp. It will be harder to catch on fire.

It moves toward the outer wall. The town is doomed. It kicks, it punches. Stones break and fall around. It pushes and pushes until the top of the wall is toppled down. A hole in the shape of an U is left in the wall.

Nonchalantly, the tree climbs the wall debris, crosses that U and gets out into the fields.

"All men, secure that wall hole. Don't let any orc into our town."

I want to go and help, but my legs won't move... Crushed? What did you say?

--------------------- Marcy's POV ------------------------

What the heck just happened? Since when could my little girl Helen make such things? We are riding inside a huge tree monster, and this thing just trashed half the garrison complex and the town wall. With lumbering heavy steps, we are getting away from town. I look around through small holes and see several orcs running to the hole left behind. I can also sense their presences so even with this poor smoke-ridden air I can know what the figures moving around are. But helen is not feeling good. I can tell too.

"Helen, are you fine?"

"It is just MP exaustion. It will recover in a jiffy." She is sweating and breathing irregularly. Maybe she is a MP exaustion addict? Every time I see her in the last days she is exausted and without magic.

"Stop thinking rude things (pant). It is showing in your face, Marcy."

"Helen, this is our farewell to this town, right? Is this 'golem' coming with us?"

"No. The cores were not strong enough to hold all its magical power. It will turn back to a normal tree in a few hours after dawn. I could supply it more magic, but it would drain me too much."

"I see..."

"I'm afraid we will have to walk after a while."

Hey!!!

"Helen! Please can I ask you one big favor?"

She reaches for my cheek and gently caresses it. "For the Marcy that gave up her old life for me, anything." I'm flustered. This girl, does she has an unique skill to make me blush?

"I'll carry you all the way north, I don't care. But please use the power of this creature to save the town!!!"

Helen is enraged. "You want ME to save THAT town? It is thanks to Alvus, your mom and you that I am not destroying it and wilting the crops into dust. But to SAVE the town? After... they, to me... Whaaaa..."

I will never understand what Helen went through. How much they abused her. I could only see and soothe the bruises. I can only wipe the tears. Even this close to her, I am still a mile away from her heart. We hug and I pull her close to my chest.

"Marcy, I can't breathe..."

"I know you hate that town. But you said it yourself. There are people in that town that are worth of saving. Mom, Alvus, Cloude. Right now they are there, fighting to save other people they think are important too. Even Julius is doing his best." I almost mentioned Master out of habit. I must get the last scraps of him out of my heart. However hurtful that might be.

"Marcy! Release me. I understand. Stop crying. Not you too, silly girl."

She grabs my head and thrusts it into her chest. Not bad. "You have grown, Helen."

"Probably true. I wouldn't dare think of saving a town I hate before..."

"No, that's not what I was..." I touch something soft.

"Stupid! Idiot! What are you grabbing there?" She covers herself. "They are just swollen these days. Stop that! It is creepy!"

This is vengenace for making me blush. I stick my tongue out and then laugh. Pouting Helen sitting on the ground can cure any heartbreak.

"I don't care anymore! Ahhhh!!! Save your town all you want, borrow my golem. You are carrying me, right?" Those upturned eyes, if I were a guy, I'd push you down right now. I send those strange thoughts down to the deepest reaches of my mind.

The golem stops, Helen casts a spell and an opening appears at the bottom of the hollow. We climb down, I take Helen in my arms. Was she this much light?

"Go around the town fields, and kill any orc you see. Do not attack humans, stay away from them. Try not to destroy the crops. When you are about to go out of magical power, root yourself back in place."

Golem groans in acknowledgement. Helen hugs my neck. The rats are all nested on her belly. Its heavy steps go in the direction of the orc-infested fields.

"Lets go to the forest, Marcy. I want to meet Grendel."

"It is impossible. The forest is a deathtrap now. Basiliscs, orcs, and something even more dangerous in the deeper parts. I went in trying to meet Grendel and ask for his help, but we were forced to flee before that." Helen is not happy, but she is not complaining. "We should go to the north country after your parents. After we get stronger, we can come back and look for Grendel."

"Yes. If an Orc Horde was pushed into our lands, things in the deep wilderness should be really dangerous. I don't like it, but we will return later, right?"

"Of course. I think Grendel is living inside the Death Willow Meadow. We can go there once we are stronger."

Helen picks up the tiny ribbon rat, and talks to it. "There is a friend, a Troll that I want to find. Can you stay behind and find him for me? Please." The rat nods. Smart fellow.

I put Helen down, and take some vellum, ink and pen from my bag. Although expensive, vellum is smooth and can be used for writing messages the smallest possible.

"Here. Write Grendel a letter. We can attach the letter to the rat's ribbon." Helen picks the materials, and starts to write. "And maybe you should leave another rat behind, so these two can help each other. If this little fella is left alone with the letter, it might lose it."

"Sounds like a plan." She keeps writing.

I look around. In the distance, I can see the wood golem's figure fighting something. Is this golem a lower B or higher C rank? And if Helen had a stronger core, what could she do?

We leave the two rats with the letter behind, and begin our journey north.