Athelei was hovering above the many beasts when he came upon a curious phenomenon. The horde of beasts were all being barred from approaching the Emerald Tree.
'Royal Lizards?'
Athelei noted the presence of reptiles, gleaming with scales lined with gold.
These lizards were humongous. Titans, even, as they lorded over the beasts below them. They were as large as a Silver Starwhale, but their tails extended much further. The ones tamed by the High Shaman of the Greater Goblins seemed like infants in the face of these towering beasts.
Their low grumbles already made the earth shake as a whole family of them encircled the Emerald Tree. Living walls was what they had become, warding off all the starved beasts.
All these Royal Lizards had to do was lie down and wait, as the surrounding beasts seemed to be intimidated by their presence. It was reminiscent of commoners before their kings and queens.
And thus, the eerie tranquillity at the roots of the Emerald Tree where magma bubbled and burst was an oasis. One that stood in the midst of a chaotic horde of hungry beasts.
Athelei turned back, leaving a few wisps to monitor the area. He had seen the wisdom present in one of the Royal Lizard's eyes. They were clearly waiting for the moment the fruit ripened, to take it into their bellies.
At the same time, the angel wondered just how the other beasts ought to retrieve the fruits in the first place. They weren't taller than ten metres, and yet they eyed the fruit that sat on branches a thousand metres in the sky?
Athelei wished to see how they would go about such a predicament.
.
.
.
Four days passed and Athelei's stolen Cloak of Tranquility had already crumbled. In the first place, that cloak was already old and battered. He had stolen it for the purpose of research.
That was all.
Choosing to come to the [First Kingdom] was a decision made more or less on a whim when he saw that Hilvar's invasion had brought about a Stain of Existence to appear.
The way he survived the nights without losing himself was not because of his unique consciousness but because he was making use of the giant-horned ram tattoo. He had found a random beast's dying body, injured by its own brethren's urgent movements.
From there, it was easy to satisfy the requirements for the tattoo's absorption of the beast's skin. It provided Athelei's frail physical body with decent protection.
'This is also my first armour...' The angel had thought to himself as he retreated from the horde to return to his hiding spot.
Now, Athelei was near the Emerald Tree once again. An army of Orcs had fought their way through the chaos and had successfully made it into the tranquil oasis wrought by the auras of Royal Lizards.
'Even the Orcs seemed affected by the grandeur,' Athelei observed their behaviours, 'Worthy of such a title.'
His eyes flashed as Inspect was once again executed on one of the Royal Lizards. New information was added to the relevant file.
[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]
Tilroewa
=o=o=o=o=
Health: 938/940
Energy: 12/14
Mana: 17/17
=o=o=o=o=
Strength: 48
Defence: 79
Dexterity: 34
=o=o=o=o=
Intelligence: 11
Will: 29
Psychic: 13
=o=o=o=o=
- Race: Royal Lizard (80% Crystalline, 20% Earth Dragon)
[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]
These Royal Lizards were all just a little short of Ulthasiar in physical attributes and yet they seemed to have abilities drawn from the Dictator class as well. It was a formidable lineup, and the Orcs had lost quite a grand amount of morale when they saw the royal family.
'This turnup of beasts and monsters is truly worthy of a tree that gave birth to those underground myths.' Athelei had been eavesdropping on the conversations the Orcs were having, allowing him to learn about the background this majestic tree had.
'If the Orcs are fighting through this just for an opportunity to become High Orcs, then the ability to be revived is likely no joke to those mortals in the know.' He surmised as he chuckled, 'If the humans heard of such a tree, the chaos then would be quite the sight...'
A sigh then escaped his lips. 'If only I could interview these beasts and ask them what exactly is so enticing about the fruits. Ignoring the differing effects of the Emerald-Essence Pear on different species is much too bold an action, after all.'
Over the course of four days, the file on the fruits' details had grown as well:
[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]
Emerald-Essence Peach
- Grants [Dark Vision]. (Humans)
- Contains genes of the Crystalline. When one hundred (100) Emerald-Essence Peaches are consumed for the purpose of evolution, grants a single chance at revival through special circumstances. (Humans)
- One bite grants the opportunity to evolve into a [High Orc]. (Orcs)
- A droplet of juice grants the opportunity to evolve into a [Greater Goblin]. (Goblins)
- Consumption grants attunement to [Mana]. (Ogres)
- Carves a simple circle of Mystic Patterns into the mind. (Ogres)
[]-[]-[]-[]-[]-[]
Athelei quickly shoved those thoughts aside just as they came.
Mystical Energy was swirling around the Emerald Tree now, rousing the family of Royal Lizards to attention. The chaos in the distance suddenly lulled as a tantalizing aroma leaked out of the thousands of leaves that sheltered those below it.
The Emerald-Essence Peaches were ripening. The fruits themselves had turned into shining balls of light.
Energy and light grew with every passing second and minute. The beasts all watched the gradual process, staring at every peach as if entranced by its grandeur.
The beauty of silence descended. The Mystic Energy that converged into the Emerald Tree fought back the Baneful Shroud, allowing the Emerald-Essence Peaches to shine in their full resplendence.
It was then, that after half an hour of waiting, did something suddenly fall into place.
An overwhelming flash of vibrant green blinded the swathes of beasts and forced Athelei to see the world in grey just to keep observing.
"The fruits are ripe..!" Athelei breathed in the sweet savoury aroma.
'Twas an aroma so powerful that it was untainted by the scent from the blossoming flowers of blood below.
The beasts were in a frenzy as they charged the Emerald Tree. Some sought to climb its gemstone bark, and some were charging straight into it like angry bulls, causing waves of vibration to shake the towering tree.
The Royal Lizards were all glowing with metallic, light green Tangible Will. The beasts that clamoured beneath their bodies and between their feet were ants to them as they ignored every passing critter. Topaz-coloured reptilian eyes were gazing at the fruits hanging a kilometre above their heads.
They were focused on the fruits and only the fruits.
The lizards then shot out a long beam of light green light, moving to encircle a peach each. Liquid-like and gas-like Tangible Will all grabbed hold of many of the fruits, and then the Royal Lizards began to pull.
Hilvar and the other Orcs had been swept up in the stampede, forcing many of them to climb atop the Royal Lizards to save themselves from having to battle the horde. They glanced at the fruits wrapped in Tangible Will with hesitation.
Should they take from the Royal Lizards they now stood upon? They had to at least try.
And so, they waited awkwardly in different spots, some were clinging to a nearby pillar while hundreds of them were standing atop indifferent Royal Lizards. They were like stranded penguins atop a lonely block of ice on a warming planet.
As for Athelei, his fog had already spread across a large area. Streams of grey fog were being absorbed by the thousands of wisps he could control. His second pair of wings continued their growth.
He was relishing in the experience of his growing abilities as he fed off of the carnage. The mysterious power within his wings that Irene identified as spatial in nature was creeping across his entire being.
But the angel still had an eye on the Emerald-Essence Peaches nonetheless. He was looking forward to the moment that the surprisingly stubborn fruits get plucked off of the tree. His wisps were already there, lying in wait.
The Royal Lizards were straining themselves as they began to abandon taking a pear each. They realised the limits of their abilities.
ROOAAAAAAHHHH!
One of the giant lizards roared, blasting a wave of Tangible Will that travelled outward in a visible ripple. Other Royal Lizards began roaring back as messages were passed around.
An idea was transmitted through their roars and they now all focused on a single fruit to pull. Grunts and groans then resounded from their vocal cords as they drained themselves of strength. From what Athelei could tell, they were likely in a rush.
The beasts capable of climbing were already halfway up the tree. Their starved expressions almost turned manic as they swam in the Emerald Tree's sweet aroma. Their apparent desperation was a wild sight.
Sweat beaded down many of the Orcs' green skin as they stood like statues and fought the temptation of the Emerald-Essence Peaches. They were The Enlightened. As warriors, losing sight of their target was a humiliation.
Joining the beasts below them was a disgrace to all the years they practised and honed their skills.
Focus was a lesson pounded into them since their birth, and they weren't going to lose the battle any time soon.
Their eyes were dead set on the one fruit that the Royal Lizards were now pulling to themselves. They awaited the opportune moment. Hungrily. Greedily.
It was then, that a satisfying note played throughout the area.
Snap!
A hundred leaves swayed as an Emerald-Essence Peach was pulled free of its branch.
The first fruit had been plucked.