Jack followed in the long, lumbering steps of the two druid guides that were showing him the way out of the forest. He could tell that they were making progress by the change in the terrain.

For one thing, the mountain range that Jack had been trying to escape for months had finally been left behind. He could still see them looming over them when he looked back, but there were no more mountains ahead.

The tree beings walked side by side in front of Jack. He had to speed walk to keep up with their long strides. They rarely ever looked back to see if he was still there.

The older, taller druid still hadn’t said a word to him. Jack didn’t even know what his name was. In fact, he could not even say what color the Druid’s eyes were for sure. He didn’t think the craggy old tree had looked at him once.

Emrys, on the other hand, Jack had maintained an almost constant mental conversation with. Since the night they had first talked, they had spent much of their waking hours in covert mental communication.

Jack was just as captivated by druid culture as Emrys was with humans’. They asked each other question after question and payed rapt attention to the answers.

It was difficult for Jack to have full conversations without using any nonverbal gestures. He wondered if Emrys was more used to communicating without showing it because he seemed to be having a much easier time than Jack.

The temperature was also changing as they left the mountains behind. It was steadily rising as the three covered more ground. The needles of the evergreen trees were slowly replaced by shorter, wide-leafed trees with sprawling branches that formed a canopy.

Jack would miss the cool, temperate air of the mountain range. Apparently, his days of being constantly comfortable were coming to an abrupt end.

There also appeared to be a change in the dispositions of the druids. As they approached the edge of their territory, their calm, confident walk turned to a measured and reserved stride. They started looking in every direction while they tread more slowly.

When he noticed the tension, Jack asked Emrys about the cause of their behavior.

“The trees whisper a warning. We may come under attack” Emrys warned.

Jack focused his third eye on the forest around him. He tried to get a sense of what the druids were listening to, but there was nothing that he could hear.

He started looking back over his shoulders every few steps trying to pierce the shadows with his vision. Every sound drew his immediate attention, his head snapping around.

They walked like this for hours. Jack expecting to be attacked at any moment. The hypervigilance was exhausting, and soon, he could no longer maintain the same level of awareness.

Even the druids began to walk straighter. Jack was still trying to sense the forest around him with his mind’s eye and qi sense, but he never managed to pick up on so much as a hint of the voice of the forest.

He could not even sense the spirits of Emrys or his older companion which surprised him. Jack strongly suspected that both of them had ascended beyond the Mortal Realm.

He was pondering this when he heard a snapping noise behind him. Even though he had started to relax, his head was still on a bit of a swivel. For the hundredth time that day, Jack’s head snapped around to the source of the sound half-expecting to yet again see nothing.

However, much to his dismay, Jack turned to find the open maw of a furry monster the size of a fully-grown elephant. How this beast had snuck up on them was beyond him. It looked like a grizzly bear mixed with a Pit Bull and super sized.

In the instant that it took Jack’s mind to register the horrifying visage of the beast, it crossed most of the distance between them. He tried to manifest his lightning but it was far too late to save him. The monster had turned its head sideways to snap at Jack, its fang-filled mouth almost half as wide as he was tall.

Watching helplessly as gruesome death approached him yet again, Jack refused to give up. He began to circulate his qi through his entire body to prepare for a fight despite the fact that he expected to die in a moment.

He had forgotten about the tattoo on the back of his neck. As soon as his qi passed through it, time seemed to slow down as Jack’s nervous system gained a huge boost.

In the moment before his senses were overloaded, Jack’s perception of the world around him was enhanced powerfully.

He saw the beast’s maw approaching him in bullet time. Unfortunately, though his senses and perception were increased, his movement speed was not. He could only watch in horror as the jaws were about to wrap around him and snap closed.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack watched as the nameless druid who had yet to so much as say hello to him came to his rescue. It was slightly confusing to see that the druid appeared to be moving at normal speed while everything else was so slow.

With lines of green qi swirling around his body in a complex pattern, the old tree being stepped in front of Jack and backhanded the monster in the middle of its forehead. The deafening boom of the powerful pimp slap was the last thing he heard before his senses were overloaded by the tattoo’s enhancement.

Jack closed his eyes and cut off the circulation of qi to the tattoo. It was extremely jarring to go from almost dying in slow motion to not being able to make sense of the world for a few seconds. Adrenaline surged through his veins as he panicked.

Jack thought he felt himself flying through the air but he couldn’t be sure. His every sense was being overwhelmed with input. It was not a pleasant experience. It felt like being underwater and on fire at the same time.

When he could finally perceive his environment again, Jack found he was being held in Emrys’ right arm. He looked around frantically for the monster and squirmed to get free. Emrys allowed Jack to set his feet down and stand on his own.

Looking up, Jack was greeted by the sight and sound of confusing violence. The monster and the old druid were engaged in a heated battle.

For Jack, who had lived his life in a world where size was the better part of strength, it was interesting to see the much smaller druid stand up to the massive furry monster.

Even with the long, shaggy fur, the rippling muscles of the bear like creature were bulging like it just got out of prison. Still, the smaller tree met it blow for blow fearlessly.

The speed of the the combat was eye-opening for Jack. Even using his lightning qi, he couldn’t keep up with the movements of these titanic beings.

One thing that Jack had learned from his talks with Emrys was that most druids were not known for their speed. The fact that he was moving faster than a lightning artist could keep up with spoke to his much higher advancement.

Something else had changed while Jack was insensate. He could now feel the older druid’s aura spread throughout the area. It felt like a weight pressing down on him.

After feeling the crushing pressure of the druid matriarch and her beastkin counterpart, however, Jack was not exactly blown away by this druid’s power. That being said, it was much greater than his own.

He could also feel the monster’s power. It was difficult to say who was stronger, but one thing was clear, Jack was completely outclassed by both of these beings. He began to circulate his qi in preparation for action, being careful to keep it away from the tattoo on his neck.

Emrys held his long, wooden arm out in front of Jack like he was holding him back. He must have wrongly assumed that Jack was planning on jumping in. He knew better than to get involved in this fight.

The two combatants were a blur to Jack’s eyes. The only time he could see them, was when they connected with each other. The monster was standing up and fighting like a man. It had paw-like hands with long, wicked claws.

When their fists met, the fight would slow down enough for Jack to see.

When this would happen, the force of their blows alone would send out shockwaves that damaged the forest around them. A visible displacement of air would tear through areas where they came to blows, spheres of air expanding and ripping apart bark and branches as the force of their strikes dispersed into the world.

Emrys lowered his arm when he realized Jack was not going to enter the fray. Jack looked up at the young druid and decided to ask a question.

“I thought the beasts and the druids were on the same side” Jack projected to Emrys’ mind. “Why did it attack?”

Emrys nodded his head sagely without looking away from the fight.“Our leaders are allies. That does not mean everyone adheres to that policy, however. This beast must believe that this gamble is worth the risk.”

“What could it stand to gain from this battle?” Jack asked.

Emrys glanced at Jack and immediately looked back to the battle. Jack got the sense that the druid was somewhat surprised by the question. “It is probably trying to advance.”

Zachias chose to expand on Emrys’ answer. Jack heard the heavenly warrior’s deep, rumbling voice in his head. “He is saying that the beast is putting its life at risk by challenging a stronger opponent. You will learn that there is no faster way to make large gains than to take large risks.”

Jack watched the fight closely and attempted to get a better sense of the qi being used. He could feel the beast’s spirit as well as the druid’s. It did seem like the druid had the advantage despite the smaller physical size.

He was fascinated by the fighting style of the old druid. It was nothing like he had ever seen. The tree being would dig his roots into the ground as an anchor to give himself leverage from any angle.

He could lean back almost parallel to the ground and still throw powerful punches. This ability also allowed him to dodge in ways that a human or a beast simply could not. It made druid martial arts completely distinct from human’s.

The beast and the druid came together with a thunderous boom that shook the forest. The druid was cycling his qi through a pattern that surrounded his body. Jack had yet to see him manifest so much as a leaf. He assumed that he was using a technique that enhanced his movement or body in some way, maybe both.

On closer inspection, Jack noticed that the beast was also surrounded by lines of brown qi that formed a pattern around its body. He hadn’t been able to tell before because it was blending in with the brown fur.

The two fighters traded thunderous blows for a moment, neither able to get past the other’s guard. The old druid used his roots to plant himself and the beast tried to grapple him to the ground, a mistake the tree being made the beast pay for.

The monster bent over and dove into the humanoid tree trying to sweep his legs out from under him. Instead, the furry creature just ran into his wooden hips and struggled, unable to lift or bowl him over.

The druid raised his long, bark covered arms over his head and locked his fingers together. Jack watched as the pattern of qi around the tree man’s arms surged with power.

He brought his clasped hands down on the beast’s back like a sledgehammer. The force of the blow threw out the largest shockwave yet. Displaced air tore through the forest sending bark and splinters flying.

The monster was slammed face first into the ground like it had fallen from space. It was buried in the dirt at the bottom of an impressive crater with an earth-shaking boom.

Jack started to relax thinking the fight was over, but he then noticed that the weight of the beast’s spirit was still there. How it had survived such a powerful blow was beyond him.

If anything, the beast seemed to be getting stronger.

Jack had to bend his knees to compensate for the shaking ground which was not settling for some reason. It continued to quake even several seconds after the impact.

The beast still had not risen from the dirt it had been buried in at the bottom of the crater. Jack cast his qi sense down to try and feel what was happening. He felt a build up of power directly underneath the old druid. The wooden man must have sensed the same thing because he retracted his roots from the ground and bundled them back into foot shape, readying himself to move quickly.

Jack looked at Emrys. “Do we need to help-” the world seemed to explode around Jack as events happened faster than he could process. When his mind caught up, he was looking down at the place where he had just been standing.

The dirt that he had been standing on had exploded upwards with enough force to kill him. Jack looked over at Emrys who was holding him around his midsection. Emrys set him down on the large branch of the massive, oak-like tree and allowed Jack to take his own weight.

It finally registered in his mind that Emrys had just saved his life. He had carried Jack up the tree just before the eruption of earth would have killed him.

Jack looked over and began to thank the young druid when Emrys held a hand out and pointed at his counterpart. The old druid was dodging similar explosions of earth with a look of strained focus on his face.

Emrys spoke into Jack’s mind with his calm, languid voice. “It is not our place to interfere. Observe. You are about to witness the Path of Crushing Timber.”

At that moment, there was another surge of qi from above and below ground. Jack watched as the older druid spread his arms and gestured to either side.

Jack had to crouch down and grab onto the branch to keep from falling off as the shaking intensified. The ground and trees shook with the power being released.

The nameless druid had gestured down to the ground and seemed to be trying to pull something up. The shaking reached a crescendo as the ground in the crater exploded upwards.

From within the eruption, Jack saw the massive beast for the first time since it had made that crater. The monster was now covered head to toe in a plated armor made of light grey rocks.

The only thing that could be seen of the beast was its angry, brown eyes. Even its head and snout were covered by a wicked looking helmet with angular features and serrated teeth.

It burst from the ground quickly followed by a dozen thick tree-roots that seemed to be attacking the beast. The wooden tendrils were surrounded by shimmering air as if they were coated in power. The creature crossed its arms in front of its face and blocked a few of the roots.

They struck the armored forearms of the massive animal and seemed to explode with force. Splinters flew from the impact in every direction.

Despite the apparent power of the roots, the rocky armor of the beast was unmarked. The rest of the roots moved back and surrounded the old druid like they were protecting their master.

Suddenly, the battle began anew, with sonic booms releasing even greater shockwaves than before. The thick armor that the giant beast was wearing slowed it down to the point that Jack could keep up with its movement.

The druid, on the other hand, disappeared from Jack’s perception completely while the roots it was controlling swirled around the rocky titan in a blur of whipping and slashing.

The thunderclap sounds of the battle took on a faster tempo as the druid’s speed increased. Still, Jack had been expecting a bit more from the way Emrys had been talking. He turned and glanced at the antler-headed tree person.

“Is this it? The Path of Crushing Timber?” Jack questioned skeptically.

The young druid merely smiled without looking away from the battle. “This is the way of warriors. He will not use his greatest techniques unless he has to. The beast must draw it out of him first.”

Jack accepted this answer with a nod of his head. It made a certain sense, but he had always wondered why the heroes didn’t just start with their strongest technique. It would certainly save them a lot of time and effort.

Observing the fight, Jack guessed that the beast was going to draw out something more from the druid. The rock covered creature was moving slower, but it was tanking every bit of damage the druid threw at it.

Unfortunately for the beast, it was not dealing any damage either. It stood tall and weathered the druid’s onslaught, like a rock breaking the rapids.

It must have realized that it needed to do more, because the angry-looking monster dashed forward and uncrossed its arms at the same time forcing the druid to break off and dodge.

The beast reached out to the side with its right arm and Jack felt a massive welling of qi. Before his eyes, a grey slab of rock condensed from thin air. It took the shape of an eight foot long meat cleaver that shimmered with power.

The tide of the battle turned as the druid was forced to dodge the swing of the giant rocky blade. Fortunately, the beast was still much slower than the tree person who continued to make use of his leg roots to dodge in unorthodox ways.

Still, the beast was controlling the flow of the battle. Jack glanced to Emrys, but he was as sanguine as ever with a slight smile on his smooth wooden face.

Jack was starting to worry that their side would lose this fight. He was also skeptical about the reason that the beast had attacked them in the first place.

Although it was true that the beast’s spirit had grown more powerful throughout the battle, Jack doubted that was its original motive. There was something nagging at the back of his mind but he just couldn’t put his finger on it.

He watched as the beast swung his massive blade from right to left, parallel to the ground. The old druid dug his left leg’s roots into the ground and fell to his right side as the cleaver passed over him.

When the swing missed, the old druid pulled himself back up with the roots it had dug into the ground and push kicked the beast with his right leg. The kick landed in the beast’s right shoulder and shoved it back a couple steps.

The old druid immediately used the opportunity it had created and reached out with both hands. Jack sensed the greatest surge of qi yet and he was amazed as the entire forest seemed to respond to the druid’s call.

More roots sprang from the ground and branches reached out from the trees around him. The tendrils of wood swirled around the druid and wrapped up his arms and torso. They all shimmered with power and swarmed him until Jack lost sight of him completely. It was like he was becoming one with the trees.

When the forest settled, the druid stood proud in front of the larger beast wrapped in a thick layer of roots and branches. The wooden armor was even more impressive than the beast’s rock armor.

Although the armor did not make the druid much taller, it more than doubled the thickness of his torso. Also, many of the branches and roots that made it up were still attached to the trees around him. It appeared that this technique synthesized with, and borrowed from, the power of the forest.

The most striking aspect of the druid’s technique, however, was the size of his right arm. The tendrils of wood had swirled and twisted around that arm until it was bigger than the rest of his body combined.

The roots and branches that made up the giant arm were still connected to the forest around him. More than anything he had seen so far, the giant arm absolutely radiated power. It was surrounded by a cloud of clear shimmering energy.

Jack watched the beast as it took in the druid’s powerful technique. He saw the fire in its eyes turn to resignation. It knew it could not weather this next blow and dodging was not its strong suit.

Then, with determination, it raised its gigantic cleaver and moved to charge. The druid cocked back his massive arm and closed it into a fist. The clear shimmering energy began to swirl around the wooden knuckles. It swung to meet the beast’s charge and time seemed to slow down as the battle came to a head.

On instinct, Jack manifested his lightning and even allowed a small trickle to flow into the tattoo at the top of his spine. His hope was that using a smaller amount of qi would not cause the tattoo to overload his senses.

The two combatants were about to slam into each other with fist and cleaver. Just before they met, Jack watched the beast turn its focus on where he was standing up in the tree. As their eyes met, he knew that he had been right about the giant beast’s true motive.

It glared at him and threw the massive cleaver directly at Jack with all of its strength.

Now he was sure. The powerful monster had come here to kill him.

Jack used all of his strength, chakra and qi to hurl himself backwards, hoping that he would be able to dodge the deadly weapon that was flying towards him.

Before the cleaver had made it more than halfway to Jack, the druid’s powerful technique landed on the monster’s chest and released the massive amount of kinetic energy it contained back into the world.

The resulting shockwave expanding toward him was the last thing Jack saw before his world turned to a chaotic mix of sensations.