Ch. 27 Thieves and Raiders

As I sat there staring at the bizarre sight of a foe that seemed both terrified and excited to see me tear flowed endlessly from their eyes. I just couldn't think of what to do. Clearly the fight has apparently ended but the creature of water was attacking me. Why stop now? I've never had an opponent give up before. Waiting patiently for anything to happen I felt a sudden pounding painful sensation. Something was slamming on my vines. At the door to the rat's cavern something had shattered the stone and was breaking through damaging my vines now while the vines themselves can simply regenerate endlessly they are dealing a bit to much damage they might be able to slip through whilst it's regenerating.

I look at the water elemental once more, then kick off the roots I had been standing on swimming out of the room and climbing back upon the ice leading back the way I came. Quickly I rushed back but the wolf wasn't fast enough and to many of my ravens were away along with my hawk. Quickly I begin to bring my ravens and hawks back while rushing back with my wolf. A hand full at a time I start moving ravens from the tree towards a ridge nearby the caverns entrance to arrange a cannon barrage just encase as I rush back incapable of preparing to many ravens at once while also moving all of my combat squad. I had a good deal of room to work with since a ton of my ravens went into bolstering and crafting the wall in time as the pigeons weren't enough mass to make it faster then the water elemental was gonna break through. Before my army had even made it half way back the vines had been broken through and a few people slipped in I didn't shoot immediately instead simply moving my vision to one of the cannon's I had set up and watched carefully to see what the invaders were and what they were doing. As I looked down I saw a group of humans in leather killing the rat guards one by one. Poor rat guards I don't think I could save them as of now. I need to wait. The vines were broken through by what appears to be powerful flame so I have to assume there's someone else capable of using magic with these humans. No creature smaller then my wolf could have broken through my vines with pure force and my wolf is a good deal larger then these humans. Sure they had swords and torches but they wouldn't have been able to do that level of damage a torch would have burnt but it would have gone out before burning to much because of the level of moisture in my vines and I'm a tad to hard to be cut by just any sword.

As they finish up I begin healing the rats wound slowly while holding them down to allow the humans to continue on none the wiser as I save the little rats. Watching them cautiously walk forward towards my main body from above I waited to see what there intent was. As they get closer and closer to me tension rises countless time over. I will go ahead and recall all of the ravens and move them onto there perches in my branches while I'm at it might as well begin creating a new kind of weapon while I wait. With a thud one of my leaves darts off me as it whistles like a arrow and slams into the ground nearby as it carriers a new stationary version of the light cannons again and again a leaf gets shot off my body digging a giant bit of tendrils into the ground and placing another cannon as I watch the humans very closely intending to stop the moment they get into sight as to make as much defenses as possible. My entire tree has been surrounded with countless circles of cannons before I knew it, I would have already been there and back by now with my wolf or birds I guess I've gotten quite fast over these years no longer moving at one tenth the worlds speed anymore. I wonder when that changed. My wolf and birds are about to reach the door I guess now is about the right time to start planning what exactly I'm gonna do. I'll just let them leave if they hold no interest in attacking me. I would prefer not to kill humans without good reason. I then begin slowly mushing every rat entirely out of site as the time passes I cannot allow them to be spotted clearly the humans attack them on site for whatever reason. I guess they were only rabid beasts with a high intelligence when I found them. However now they are craftsmen who follow me and are good little rats. Just as the last rat was hidden away the humans have finally gotten into site of my little home what I once thought was them heading towards me turned out to be them heading towards the little shrine the rats made? I wonder why. The humans have never entered here before they wouldn't even know of its existence but they headed straight here to my shrine. As I wait patiently I notice that one of humans it's assumed the mage is holding something I am quite familiar with. It's my fruit. Well an extremely toxic variety now that I think about it. Isn't that other human one of those people who camped out with me that one time? Such a small world I keep seeing this guy did they reach this place through some kind of tracking spell placed upon my fruit? That's an interesting idea I never thought of that. However if they want my fruit why rush towards the shrine I'm not in there. I guess there are many fruit inside that aren't toxic but buff certain qualities of a individual. Hmm well whatever.

As they reach the area close to my main body I immediately wrap them up in vines before they can do anything and take up and aim multiple cannons at them. No need to let them do whatever it is they came here for I was simply curious to see if they were here for me. As I trapped the humans I also started puppeteering a rat guard who was hidden away in the temple quickly forcing him to grab a fruit from the king's fruit stash and rushing outside towards the group. They struggle in fear of what is about to happen. However they didn't quite guess. As the rat reached them he simply placed a fruit before the wizard then walked back inside. Then a raven for each of the none magical humans brought out strengthening fruits. I only wished to scare them a little if I do it again they might not be as scared of the little rats. After each fruit has been placed I untie the humans and prep the cannons aimed at them as a raven nearby pointed it's wing at the fruits before each individual. The none magical ones all seemed rather confused but the magician immediately understood and told everyone to eat the fruit. I don't know if he understands what the fruit is but he certainly seemed to shit himself when he saw all the cannons lighting up about to fire. I really just want to know what these fruit that strengthen the rats will do for the humans. As I watch the human's eat the fruit I put away the cannons stowing them back in there dormant invisible state as I wait the humans seem to just stand around unsure if they were allowed to leave so they just waited for a sign as I sat watching them with a bunch of ravens. They were surrounded so they didn't seem to dare move without invitation. As both sides waited my army finally returned as it rushed in a much smaller swarm of green birds flying towards us along with a giant wolf to boot. As they approach the humans seem to hear the paws striking the ground and look quite terrified but the mage immediately stops them before they can freak out and attack the ravens I guess he understands that if I wanted them dead they'd already be dead smart mage. As the ravens perch themselves endlessly onto the branches my wolf stops on one side of the humans as my hawk lands on the other side staring at them. The ravens that were surrounding them immediately flew back to there perches in my branches before my hawk flies up again and I kneel my wolf down offering a ride to the humans. The wolf was designed to be quite large so the humans should have enough room for the wolf I probably can't take them all the way to the entrance of the tunnels with the wolves large body it would be a tad to cramped but I can certainly take them to the door of the cavern. The mage yet again seemed to be the only one to understand as they hopped up onto the back of the wolf and beckoned for his partners to do the same I am unaware if they've achieved there goal or are simply retreating but they all seem happy to leave. As the last one hops onto my back I bolt towards the cavern entrance one of the humans flies off immediately with a small yelp he finds himself caught in mid air by a swarm of tiny birds that just put back onto the wolf while it was still running. The other humans stare just as shocked as their ally at the fur of the beast they sit upon realizing it's countless small birds that now seem to be gripping there cloths with beaks to hold them in place. I chuckle inwardly at the cute human while watching them and the way we are going from my hawk in the air. As we get closer to the exit I plant a butch of pigeons into the humans clothing and armor to see continue watching them while they are away. As my action weren't kindness but research I very much want to see how exactly these humans handle the fruits effects. It buffs the rat's and mutates them into a stronger variety of their own species as countless more powerful guards, priests and black rat's continue to spring up all over the population. I assume the peacefulness of there civilization also helps. Granted it would seem many of the guards and warriors aren't capable of breeding anymore... To bad forgot about that when I put that armor on them... Don't ask about waste... I'ma tree remember... Anyways while the guards seemed a tad upset they didn't really have a way to change anything they can't communicate with me or damage the armor without it just regenerating immediately after poor guys will just have to be celibate for a bit. As we reach the exit I lift them all off my wolfs back with the pigeons and put them upon the ground and drag the humans to the rat guards then force them to bow and then throw them all out of the door and close it once more behind them.