"Colin!" Rita was angry. "Why didn't you WARN me?! Don't you remember?! I set my Starting Location to Lakeside! If you're going to destroy the place, at least TELL me first! I just got double-killed! One of my bees went Frenzied!"
"You want a warning before I destroy a place?" Colin's voice was odd. Really, really odd, like he was speaking from somewhere far, far away.
"YES!" Rita said, keeping up her anger despite that.
Colin's next words froze her anger.
"Get out of Riverfork. Now."
***
"Satrox! Help!!"
"Rita?! What's wrong?!"
"It's Colin! He's gone berserk! He's wiped out Lakeside and now he's told me to get out of Riverfork!"
"Rita, what are you doing? If he says get out of Riverfork, my advice is, GET OUT OF RIVERFORK!!"
"I'm going as fast as I can! But you have to stop him! He's going on a rampage! What's he going to do after hitting Riverfork?!"
"Who knows? Maybe he'll take out Lamico Town."
"You have to STOP HIM!"
"What for?" Satrox asked grimly. "Rita, I know Colin and so do you. Personally, I'd rather trust him than most of the people I've spoken to in the last three days. If he's going around destroying towns, I believe he's got a good reason for it. Besides, he's just doing his job… the way he was shown how."
"But what if he really destroys Lamico? And I'm not talking about the town, I mean the whole continent!"
"He won't." Satrox said, sounding unbelievably sure. "I'm betting that he's after the Union, not the Protectorate or the Republic. Colin knows about the different factions. No matter how much time he's spent with his forest Wilds, he still knows what he knows."
"Satrox, he's destroying Riverfork! What do they have to do with logging camps and forests?!"
"Who built those camps, Rita?"
"The Union."
"Who profits from expanding them or abusing the forest?"
"The Union."
"Who commands them?"
"The Union."
"What's the Union's last remaining center of power?"
"Riverfork." Rita concluded with a sigh. "But is this really going to solve anything? I mean, you said that when Floras was wiped out, the Union was done for. All that did was make them even more desperate for resources. They've been robbing caravans and raiding farms and all sorts of stuff! How much more desperate will they get now?"
"How can they possibly continue? Already nobody's taking them seriously. Even the mercenaries are abandoning them. Believe it or not, I think Colin's doing us a favor. The Union's stubbornly trying to raid and rob to make a comeback, and the whole continent would suffer for it if we let it continue. They could have been a sore for months. But with this…"
"Is that your solution to the problem?! Destruction?!" Rita barked. "What sort of justice is this?!"
"Forest justice. Colin never said anything about wiping out another village before." Satrox pointed out. "With the Union so desperate, I bet they did something to make him even angrier. Enough that he wants them gone for good."
"You're saying Colin's declared war on the entire Union?"
"Yep. And he's winning."
***
"Lucy…"
"Colin?! Goodness, what's going on? I'm hearing all sorts of weird things! Are you going to cancel the contract?! Do you want us to pull out of the forest? Because I'd rather pull out than lose Benjamin Town."
"Don't leave." Colin said, in a voice that held no feeling. "I have something for you."
"What? If it's a fireball or something to kill me, I…"
"Lumber." Colin told her softly. "All that is stored in Lakeside. It's not destroyed."
"Lumber…? You're giving me {lumber}? All of it?!"
"You who respect the forest…" Colin said. "You are welcome in our shade."
Lucy fell silent for a minute. "Um… Colin… that doesn't sound like you. What happened? Are you all right?"
"Come to the forest." Colin said softly. "Lamico needs wood. You need wood. Come to the ruins."
"What ruins?" Lucy asked. "Which one?"
"The ruins of Floras Town." Colin told her then, giving her a fright. "The ruins of Lakeside Village and Riverfork Town."
Lucy gasped. "Riverfork too?!"
"Come." Colin said. "And build."
"BUILD?!" Lucy choked.
"Lamico needs wood." Colin said again. "And the metals from the mines. Destroying one village is not the end; it is just the beginning. The ash must be buried. Much more needs to be done. If we leave it alone, everyone will suffer. It needs to be replaced."
"Colin…" Lucy trailed off. "You've changed."
"I've learnt a lot…" Colin said slowly. "Who leads the Protectorate?"
"Um… three leaders. My father's one of them."
"May I meet him?" Colin asked.
"You're… not going to kill him, right…?"
Colin didn't answer that.
"Guess not." Lucy sighed. "All right. When do you want to meet him?"
"Now."
***
Lord Silvero Earnest, silver-haired with a trimmed beard and in a formal black suit, stood before the ruins of Riverfork Town and shook his head. "Things were simpler when we didn't have a Forester on this Continent."
"We had Foresters before… for a short time. They just never showed us their power." Lucy said. "But Colin doesn't seem all that bad, really. He's just very protective."
"Too protective." Silvero muttered.
Colin stood three feet behind them and said nothing, watching them both in silence. They didn't notice him there.
"Ease up, dad. He wants us to take over the Union's territory. What's so bad about that?"
"As much as I cherished the idea for a long time," Silvero said, "I always thought it would be by our own skill and strength, not handed to us on an ashtray!"
"He's practically won the civil war for us, you know. If he's really backing the Protectorate and offering us exclusive logging rights, then… shouldn't we be thanking him?"
"We should." Silvero agreed. "And that irritates me more."
Lucy nudged him. "You could thank me too, you know. It's because of me that he's supporting the Protectorate rather than wiping out our towns."
"That," Silvero said at last, "is what irritates me the most."
"What?" Lucy protested.
"We fought so long for economics and power, planned and ployed as best we could. But in the end, we win the war not because of the strength of our military, or the strategies of our tacticians, or even the wisdom and sacrifice of the Justice Knights, but because of a trust between two friends."
Lucy smiled.
Silvero looked at his daughter and stroked his moustache to hide a proud smile of his own. "This boy, Colin… are you particularly… {close} to him?"
Lucy shook her head. "Dad, he's only about twelve. And I think it's time I told you, I already have a boyfriend."
Silvero choked.
"And Satrox tells me that Colin's got someone special too." Lucy added. "So don't try anything funny."
Colin watched them, and said not a word.
"What's taking him so long?" Silvero asked, glancing at his watch. "I thought he was already here."
"I am." Colin said at last, and watched both of them jump.
"Since when…?!" Silvero gasped.
"Things were simpler when you didn't have a forester here." Colin echoed. He turned aside. "You were right."
"Wha…?" Silvero stared.
"Where are you going?" Lucy asked.
"To the port, where there are benches, and we may sit." Colin said.
Behind him, Lucy said, "Colin, you really sound weird."
"It will pass." Colin told her. "But before it does, I want to settle everything."
They sat down on the benches overlooking the river. Silvero dragged up a second bench to face Colin, but Colin stood up. "Don't."
"What?" Silvero blinked.
Colin dragged the bench and placed it beside the first one. "Let's sit side by side, so that we'll share the same views."
Behind him, he heard Silvero ask Lucy in a whisper. "Are you sure he's twelve?"
"Satrox said so." Lucy answered, also in a whisper.
"Lord Earnest." Colin said formally. "What I'm asking of you here is not a continuation of what was. The West Lamico Forest is no more. It has changed forever."
"What?" Silvero stared. "What are you talking about?"
Colin projected a map from his watch. "As of now, this is the island that proclaimed itself 'Lamico Continent'."
Silvero eyed it, noting the items on it that had changed.
One boy became a Forester… and two towns and a village were gone. The Union's settlements were now 'ruins'.
.
Image link:
https://imgur.com/NxrTVfB
.
"It seems to be accurate." Silvero said.
"This," Colin pulled up another map. "Is what I intend."
.
Image link:
https://imgur.com/oh3iva5
.
Silvero saw it. "Ah." He nodded. "Now, {this}, I can understand."
"What?" Lucy asked.
"He wants to increase his territory." Silvero said. "The West Lamico Forest is going to become the South Lamico Forest, covering both sides of the river, stretching all the way across the continent, even as far as Lost Paradise."
"You build the towns, I'll plant the forest. Shift all logging to Riverfork and Benjamin." Colin added. "Cut no trees at Lakeside. Floras may mine ore, but no logging."
"Everything relies on lumber from Riverfork, then. If that will satisfy our needs, we won't have to try logging elsewhere. A centralized source." Silvero mused. "More efficient for processing… but more vulnerable."
"Protect it." Colin shrugged. "Isn't that what the Protectorate does?"
"You make it sound so easy." Silvero grunted.
"I will supply all the wood and building materials you need." Colin went on. "There were a lot of hidden passages and underground tunnels in each of the Union's Towns. My forest friends found a great deal of construction machinery and stuff. It seems to me they were getting ready to build whole towns from scratch."
"They were probably planning to build another airport." Silvero figured.
Colin shook his head. "Too much materials. Those things had been stored in there a long time. They were stockpiling long before the airport was attacked."
"You're saying they were planning to build another town?"
"I don't know what they planned, only that the materials are there." Colin told him. "Use them. There were other valuables in the ruins. Use everything; I want none of it."
Lucy whistled. "That's very generous, Colin."
"I have conditions." Colin said.
Silvero sighed. "I knew that was coming."
"First, you'll find those responsible for the crimes at Flora and the evil at Lakeside. Whoever ordered it, and those directly responsible, I want them banished from Lamico."
"I think most of those who were at Lakeside already fled. Some of them were seen trying to swim out to sea without waiting for a ship." Lucy pointed out. "They kept screaming and looked awfully scared. Whatever it was you did, I don't think they're coming back."
"If they do," Colin said softly "they will regret it. All the Forest Wilds will kill them on sight."
Lucy shivered.
"The forest has changed, Lucy." Colin told her then. "It has become hostile to humans. It's like a dungeon in itself."
"Even Travelers?!" Lucy gasped. "Even tourists and herbalists and…"
"Like I said, treat the entire forest like a dungeon. At least, for now."
"And how long…?" Lucy trailed off.
Colin didn't answer.
"I'm sure the Wilds will calm down sooner or later." Silvero cut in. "And then we'll all be back to business as normal. The important thing is that the towns we build will be built in the forest itself. Can I have your word that those towns will be safe from the Wilds suddenly attacking?"
"Those who respect the forest are welcome in its shade." Colin answered.
"In other words, use Lucy's rules." Silvero muttered. "This is really going to be inconvenient, you know?"
"But you are the ones who benefit." Colin pointed out.
"I hate it when you're right." Silvero growled.
Colin suddenly closed his eyes and held his head. "That's it… I'm done."
"What?" Lucy said.
"My head. I can't think straight any more." Colin told her. "Ugh… now I'm getting dizzy."
"Colin?! Are you all right?!" Lucy jumped.
"Just kick the Union off a cliff and take over, all right?!" Colin barked. He turned to Silvero. "I'll support the Protectorate or whatever side Lucy's on, so just get on with it. I'm out of here."
As he left, he heard Lucy say, "Now, {that} sounds like the Colin I know."