Malonymous

  “No, no, and no! A thousand times no!” The beaver smacked her tail against the water, making a loud spsh.

  “Piotra, it’s me!” I said. “We just want to know if you’ve seen any giants around. A lot has happened, but I’m still your sister!”

  “I’ve no giant for a sister, and certainly not one that has anything to do with a stinking otter!” she huffed. “Now away with you two!”

  Frie and I had found Piotra chewing a tree outside her lodge, but the beaver quickly retreated to the safety of her dammed ke. She had built her home in a more secluded river in the forest without a view of the valley below. Given my new form, I didn’t have high hopes for our reunion… and now I could say it was going about as well as I expected. At least I had a higher vantage point to study the wall of branches, rocks, and mud that Piotra built for herself. It wasn’t quite like the masterpiece my dam had been, but she did a good job.

  “Hey!” Frie shouted. “What do you have against otters?!”

  “Bloody fish-snatchers, the lot of them. Just waiting for us to give up our homes that we worked so hard to build. Maybe you’ll show up one day and think you own the pce!”

  “W-well, uh… That’s basically how I met Beaver, but still. That’s kind of offensive!”

  “Go cry a river about it! And do it somewhere very, very far away!”

  “You…!” The otter turned to me. “Is this beast really your sister?”

  Hmm… I can’t get close enough to confirm her scent, but I have another way.

  [Piotra, Level 0]

  [Jakie bydl?!]

  “Yeah, it’s her,” I said. She has never been this defensive before, though. It’s a bit unlike her, even given the situation. “Piotra… Is something wrong?”

  “Aside from uninvited guests making enough noise to alert half the forest?” the beaver shot back. “I heard this terrible sound the other day, like a whole mess of water tearing the nd apart. Don’t suppose either of you know anything about that?”

  Oh, dear. I can’t exactly say that’s not reted to our visit…

  “Go on then,” she insisted. “There’s nothing else for you here.”

  “We’re not going anywhere until we get some answers!” Frie said.

  The beaver made another spsh with her tail.

  Something is definitely off about her to be so protective of her lodge. It’s unlike her. Unless… “Piotra, did you have kits?” I asked.

  “W-w-w-what nonsense are you on about?!” she stammered. “N-no! No giants, and no otters allowed! Now away with you—begone!”

  Ohh! So that’s what’s going on here.

  “Does she have baby beavers!?” Frie gasped. “I wanna see, I wanna see!”

  For a moment, I thought Piotra was about to leap out of the ke and charge at the otter. Something caught her eye, and she rushed to dive underwater instead.

  “Hey, where are you going?” Frie shouted. “Don’t swim away! We’re not finished—”

  “Frie, quiet.”

  The forest had fallen eerily silent around us. No birds sang. Maybe those two had been making too much noise arguing. I gnced around, watching, waiting. A sudden breeze shook the leaves of my primitive clothing and the branches of a giant tree behind us, carrying the smell of damp moss and cold bark… and something else.

  “Beaver, what is it?”

  “Danger.” I drew my wooden sword. “Piotra saw something. Stay behind me.”

  “Huh? What—”

  A twig snapped with an air-splitting crack, then a fsh of leathery skin darted out from the other side of the tree. A small gray figure with twisted horns and a thin tail stood hunched over on two short legs. The creature curled its cwed fingers around a sharp, curved bone, its pair of beady eyes locking onto the otter.

  “It’s a creepy demon goblin!” Frie screamed.

  “Food, food!” it cried in a raspy voice before lunging.

  I swung in the creature’s path. My sword struck against its bde of bone with a shock that jarred my arm.

  It jumped away, hissing at me through jagged teeth. “Tallfolk bad! Food good!”

  “Otters are friends, not food!” Frie cried.

  I sshed the air. “Stay back!”

  The creature circled around me before leaping with a snarl, sshing wild and fast. When I stepped back to avoid it, my feet nearly slipped on wet leaves, and the sharp bone tore off a patch of my leafy outfit. I swung again, the wood cracking against the creature’s arm. It let out a shriek before jumping back.

  “Beaver, use the pointy end!” Frie shouted.

  “I’m trying!”

  I stabbed with my sword as hard as I could, over and over again. The creature ducked and dodged every strike. I gritted my teeth and unched another flurry of attacks to no avail.

  How did this happen? I’m still not really sure how to use this weapon that Frie regards so highly! The wood feels too heavy in my hands, the bde isn’t long enough, and the enemy seems too fast and nimble… At least I can keep it on the defensive like this.

  What even is that thing? I’ve never seen one of these monsters before!

  [Worm Food, Level 8]

  [Oh, you poor, lost soul…]

  It doesn’t look too much stronger than me. I can handle this! Before, Frie and I would have jumped in the water and ran away… but my sister lives here. This is her home. We can’t leave with this monster here! I just need a longer weapon, a lighter sword with enough reach to scare it away. Is there really time for me to use my magic and make a new weapon? Maybe if I can just get to that branch over there…

  “Worm Food, wait!” I called out.

  The snarling creature froze. Its dark, beady eyes studied me with a new curiosity. “My name? How? You—”

  The wood began to shift in my hands. All at once, the sword’s width warped into a new length, unching its pointy tip outward to pierce the creature in the chest.

  It gnced down with a cry, reaching with tiny cws that never made it to the wound. With one st raspy gurgle, it crumpled to the ground, never to move again.

  [Your power increased to Level 5.]

  Oops. Well, it seems like my ‘Dendrokinesis’ can do more than just cut and move wood. I can even change its shape like this… That could be more useful than I ever imagined.

  Cautiously, Frie approached the small body on the ground, examining the trickle of dark blood spilling from the wound. “I-is it over?” she asked. “I was just wishing that I’d told you to craft a spear instead of a sword, but you actually did it… Beaver, you did it! Nobody is going to be lunch for goblins today! We’re saved!”

  For what felt like the first time all day, I finally took a deep breath. “So this is a spear? I only wanted a longer weapon so I could scare it off. It was kind of an accident.”

  “That thing attacked us. Serves it right!”

  “I guess so. Piotra won’t be too happy about this mess right outside her home, though. We don’t want to lead anything nastier here.”

  First I pulled out my new spear and wiped off the dark blood on its sharp end. I looked down at the creature’s body, resting motionless in the shade of the giant tree. We could carry the body somewhere far from here, but a pool of blood had begun gathering below it… and I wanted to try a better way.

  I walked up to the tree and pced a hand to the rough bark of its trunk. Focusing, I could feel its countless heavy branches above and all its roots below, almost like they were extensions of my own body. I ‘reached out’ to the closest root, thick and buried in the ground.

  “I need to borrow your strength. Frie, get back.”

  The earth began to churn and tremble. Moving as if I was lifting my own new leg, the tree’s powerful root rose through the soil and breached the surface. In a cloud of dirt, it wrapped around the creature’s body before carrying it below, returning back to the root’s familiar depth.

  The freshly stirred earth hid all traces of the battle here. I nodded, satisfied. That small creature had been hungry, but now it would be food for the soil and this tree.

  I turned to find Frie staring at me. “You can make the trees move?” she asked, wide-eyed. “I didn’t know you could do that! Hey Beaver, next time try getting the tree to fight for us!”

  Huh. I almost can’t believe I’m thinking it, but that’s a very interesting idea…

  [Bober Kurwa, Level 5 Demon Lord]

  [Ascension: Phase One]

  [Skills: Dendrokinesis Rank 2, Poison Resistance Rank 2]

  [Abilities: Gift of Language, God Sight]