Robert sprinted with every ounce of his being through the woods opposite the direction the woman went. While he wasn’t sure if he would get away, he damn well would not lead the men back to her. After what Robert assumed was enough time, he turned around and took cover behind a thick tree’s base that was covered with ferns and other plants. If he could hide and lose them, he might have a chance.

He had gotten away, but the two men were barreling through the forest towards him. He wasn’t sure if he could outpace them for a lengthy period, so he stopped and looked for a place to hide. He crouched down low and found a spot at the base of a massive tree to hide. That’s when the larger man appeared only twenty feet to his right. Robert didn’t think the man saw him, but he stayed still just in case.

The large man lumbered slowly forward, crunching branches and kicking rocks out of the way. The man continued ahead toward the tree Robert was sheltering behind. If he continued, he would be right on top of Robert. Risking the movement, Robert kept his back against the tree and circled the trunk away from the large man. He needed to stay hidden.

Just as the man passed his position, Robert heard a voice from over his shoulder say, “There you are. Now, where were we?”

Robert reacted without thinking and dove sideways to avoid the blade he imagined was coming towards his back. It was the right reaction. The blade of the man’s short sword scraped Robert’s calf and imbedded itself in the tree Robert had just been using for cover. Robert finished the dive in a roll and quickly got back to his feet.

As he was about to sprint into the woods, he remembered the throwing spikes and pulled one free, launching it towards the man. It sunk into the thigh of the man with the sword, and Robert wasted no time sprinting away. Robert heard cursing and the crunching of branches as the large man circled back after hearing his friend scream in frustration.

Robert kept moving and tried to lose them rather than finish the fight. He would be taking an unnecessary risk trying to fight either of them head-on at the moment. He continued to run away, changing directions randomly to keep the men off his trail just in case they had a tracking skill. Eventually, he came to a clearing and slowed down. He couldn’t hear anyone chasing him, and he needed to conserve his energy. He bent over for a moment to regain his breath before looking around to pick a direction.

The moment he looked up, he realized he was surrounded. Just at the edge of the twenty-foot clearing, there were three people with bows aimed at him. Robert slowly raised his hands with his palms facing outward. As he did, the three advanced, and two more people followed closely behind. One was a tall man with a mane of almost silver hair, and the other was the woman Robert had saved.

She stepped forward and said, “Lower your aim. This is the man that saved me.”

The silver-haired man stepped forward and said to Robert, “Drop your weapons. Until this is resolved, we will restrain you.” Motioning with a hand at the others, he added, “We will take the half-elf with us. Find the other intruders.”

Robert felt smooth hands grab his arms from both sides, and a moment later, they bound his hands behind him. He was almost impressed by how easily they had done it, but it irritated him they wouldn’t let him go.

The woman stepped forward and asked, “Where are they? We need to find them.”

Robert looked her in the eyes and said, “I lost them in the woods. I wound the man threatening you in the arm and the leg. The short man is dead or soon will be. I thought it best not to pursue the other man.”

“I am Gaylia, and I promise no harm will come to you. Saleh means you no harm, he just wants to keep me safe and doesn’t know you. Please, just stay with us, and we will return to my village.”

Robert nodded and followed Saleh and Gaylia as the other three split off into the woods. He assumed they would track down the other men. He didn’t really care what they did as long as he got this all straightened out so he could be on his way.

It had to be the strangest character creation he’d ever gone through. He had no stats to look through or skills gained. He wasn’t even sure what race he was. The people around him were obviously elves, but he still did not understand where he was, why he was there, or what the point of the whole exercise was.

They walked for nearly half an hour and came upon a lone elf standing at full guard at the base of a massive tree. “Welcome back, Saleh. I see you found the princess.”

“Yes, she wandered off, and some outsiders caught her. I’m still uncertain what they were doing so deep in the woods, but when the trackers return with them, I’m sure we’ll learn more.”

The guard leaned forward, inspecting Robert. “I see you caught one. A half-elf.”

Robert let out a breath and relaxed. He could work with a half-elf. Well, as long as they were like the race in other games. So far Elysium had been a little different, and he wondered if that would carry over to other aspects of the game.

Gaylia stepped forward and said, “No, this is the man who defended me from the men when they chased me down. If not for him, I don’t even want to think about what would have happened.” She finished by shrinking a bit, disturbed by what they would have done.

“I see. You should talk to your father.” the guard responded.

He stepped back and pulled on a lever indistinguishable from the rest of the tree’s bark. A moment later, a grinding noise exposed a passageway on the face of the tree. Saleh took the lead, then Robert, and finally Gaylia. The passage was a spiral staircase carved into the inside of the massive tree leading straight up. Periodically small globes of light hung from silver threads lighting the way up the interior of the tree. Robert had a hard time guessing how high they climbed as he had no external reference. Sometime later, he was led out of another passage to a walkway built around the tree’s trunk.

Robert looked around him and saw ropeways and bridges leading between various platforms circling other massive trees for as far as his eyes could see. He could also see the twilight sky above him with stars brighter than he’d ever seen in his life. Three moons of different colors and sizes hung low in the sky, emphasized that he was in a fantastical land. It took his breath away.

On either side of him were guards in identical light armor. One of them said, “Stay between us. You are not familiar with the area, and we’d hate for you to lose your way or your footing.” He finished with a slight smile and a shove forward towards the back of his partner, who was already following Saleh and Gaylia across the first of many bridges.

Eventually, they came to a clearing where the tops of the trees were lower, and more of the sky was visible. This allowed Robert to see where they were going. A massive tree, unlike the rest, was directly in their path.

Most of the forest was massive pine trees. The tree they were approaching looked more like an enormous oak tree with branches spread out in all directions from a massive trunk. Instead of coming to a point, that tree had a rounded canopy sheltering everything below it.

The closer they got to the tree, the more massive it appeared to Robert. Lights danced around the base, and he could make out what appeared to be windows at different points all over the trunk. When they arrived at the base of the tree, Robert noticed they were no longer on platforms, but on wooden walkways laid over the earth. This tree was on a hill or something that the other trees surrounded.

He asked to no one in particular, “What is that?”

The guard behind him answered, “That is the mother tree. The tree from which all others come.”

The guard in front of him added, “It’s also the home of our king.”

As they approached, they were stopped by two guards in incredibly detailed armor. The guards who escorted him were in light armor of top quality; these two wore thick, heavy armor that gleamed of silver, gold, and white. To Robert’s eyes, it looked to glow slightly, but he could see no more detail than that.

The guard on the right stepped forward and said, “Welcome home, princess. Your father is expecting you in the Great Chamber.”

“Thank you, Garrik. I will join him shortly.” Turning to the guard on the left, she said, “Elion, I will have this guest brought with.”

Saleh stepped forward aggressively. “Gaylia, this is my prisoner. Until we know more, he will stay bound.”

Spinning effortlessly, all hesitation gone from her demeanor. “Excuse me, Saleh Vaqirelle, I think you mistake your place. This is my domain, and I will not have my savior treated as a common criminal. Release him from his binds now.” Her words carried an almost physical weight.

The change in positions confused Robert. Still, he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to bring more attention to himself than necessary.

Saleh backed down and replied, “I only meant to keep you safe, Milady. I meant no offense.” He swiftly pulled a knife from his belt and removed the ropes around Robert’s wrists.

Robert rubbed where the rope had been, pushing blood back into his numb fingers. “Thank you, princess.”

“You are welcome. Now follow me and please speak only when I tell you.”

She turned back to the mother tree guards and walked between them. Robert following as close as he was able.