"My name is Uriel fleshling. And I've come to see what you chose to do with the sunlight you've stolen by felling an elder of the forest before its time."
PL40
To be blunt, my current qi level or power level was 14. Qi levels rose based on how long a breathing technique was used, food supply, and battle experience. After fighting Samael, my qi levels increased, and I had another gain after constantly fighting Mekael while wearing my weights. My 14 was extremely impressive. The forest god avatar was more powerful than me. That couldn't be denied if we looked at sheer qi supply. He could bring over 3 times my strength to bear.
He was a creature made to tear people like me apart. Only there were more factors at play. I was a liar at heart, and I loved nothing more than picking apart opponents. If this turned into a nondeadly encounter, I decided to let it believe I wasn't as powerful as it. Of course, if we compared PL, that was the case. It had all the power it needed to use an untold number of techniques. With just light's speed, it could destroy me before I could even make a defense. With a Light Beam or Photon Burst, the fight between us would be over in a flash. I couldn't even use either of those moves; light was just out of my reach. I couldn't sense out the light of the binary suns to replicate that power. Much less use the solar storing ability only forest god avatars could use. A light technique against it would only make this creature even stronger.
With that in mind, I couldn't defeat Uriel. I actually had little information despite Temael's digging for me. Zosimael was still trudging through her own memories after recovering from her poisoning. Looking at it from any perspective like that, I was at a major disadvantage.
"I can hardly grow something new without sunlight. That's the problem with such large and old forests; the new rarely gets a chance to grow strong while under the shadow of an elder wood." I said.
"They are hardly new other fruit-bearing trees grow elsewhere. Yet, you slew an elder instead of working to find one and earn its fruit by competing with others. How can you justify defending yourself against other loyal fleshlings for closer fruit-bearing trees?" Uriel said.
"You act like I did something wrong. I needed sunlight and a clear area to grow the fruit I wanted, so I made the room. How is it my fault that an elder tree couldn't defend itself and no others came to defend it? It's not like it asked me to stop. Besides, it's not truly gone; I've repurposed it." I said.
"Should I wear the skins of fleshlings then in retaliation? Would that be fair?"
I had to act like I didn't care but also show I had teeth. Backing down would only put me in the avatar's power.
"Try it; there are plenty of moose and lizards. But attack one of mine, and I'll destroy you." I said.
The 6m tall living tree looked at me with what I could only call humor. Between the two of us, it was obvious that I wouldn't stand a chance if we fought. David and Goliath's stories were just that stories. In a fight, all tools being equal, the more physically powerful individual would win. Unfortunately, intelligence rarely wins a fight when it's a head-to-head battle.
"I don't understand how it is better to slay a moose instead of an elf. The moose can become sapient just like an elf. Is it because elves become sapient faster? I've had many more pleasant conversations with moose than I have elves. Even the priestesses who try to form a relationship with my kind are hardly good conversationalists." Uriel said.
"Once again, you are mistaken. I don't care about the relationship between elves and the forest god or its avatars. You need the elves to keep the skull god at bay. While they negotiate with the skull tribe and send ambassadors back and forth, the skull god won't attack. Without the forest elves, the skull tribe would invade and burn down this forest, and the skull god would come with them. It most likely has avatars much like yourself. No matter how good they are at conversing, moose can't tie the skull tribe up with trade deals and ambassadorial missions." I said.
"You are not an elf, but you belong to that tribe and take on elf mates. No elf would do this to the forest on purpose, but you chopped up a living testament to history with glee; what are you?" Uriel asked.
"I am that which alters the world to suit my needs. Whether it's the land, sea, or air, I will alter it as I see fit. For example, the oak tree covered the forest floor with acorns and killed everything beneath it. So, I got rid of it. Not only that, but I plan to bathe the soil with qi-rich blood to grow superior fruit. My power will grow by eating that fruit, and what I can do to affect the world will increase." I said and stared at the avatar.
"Despite your grandiose claims, you have succeeded in removing an old partially rotted tree and planted new trees in its place. While the elder wood was old and contained a great history, you didn't destroy it for no reason. By planting new saplings after their destruction, all you have done is encourage new growth. So long as you maintain this situation and keep your destruction limited. Then, I can overlook this act of violence against the forest. We predicted a harsh forest fire this year, but you may have created a break in it instead. So, that which alters the world, while our goals align, I will not slay you as an encroaching species in a foreign habitat. But remember your limits. I'll keep my eyes on you." Uriel said.
Shortly after that conversation many of the avatars were reported to go into hibernation to assist the forest god in absorbing the sea god's power.