Complicated

The acorn man scurried across the treetops. 

Against the thick rope that bound Olive, the acorn man tried all that he could: sticks, leaves, pieces of bark, even a stone foraged from beneath the earth, but none of it cut the viscous twine. 

None of it was enough to save Olive. 

The acorn man needed another solution. 

So he slid down the tree and rummaged through the grass. 

He appeared before Olive in a place where she could easily see him. 

Waving his arms back and forth, the acorn man pointed to the ropes above and shrugged his shoulders. He was telling Olive, 'I don't know what to do.' 

Olive, of course, watched. She understood the message quite clearly, but she too had few ideas to offer. 

"You need a piece of silver." The words fell from Olive's lips. 

She no longer had the energy for proper conversation. 

In response, however, the acorn man nodded his head. 

Then, he scurried into the grass and blended in with the forest. 

Time passed. 

A few miles away, the acorn man emerged. He walked up to a pair of boots between the grass and tapped on the soles. 

Shaken, Clark woke up. 

And as his eyes landed upon the acorn man's figure, Clark's energy returned. He straightened his posture and grabbed the little acorn. 

"Did you find her?!!" Clark shook the creature. 

Unable to speak, however, the acorn man patted Clark's hand vehemently. He was desperately trying to tap out. 

Clark stopped shaking him and the acorn man pointed in the direction he came. 

"She's that way?!!" Clark nearly exploded when the acorn man nodded his head. 

But before he recklessly bolted into the forest, Clark stopped. He closed his eyes and rubbed his chin. 

"Hmm…" He fell into deep thought. 

"To go or not to go…" 

"That is the question…" 

Clark looked back at the acorn man. 

"Do I have time to tell the others?" He asked. 

The acorn man, remembering the sight of Olive's limbs twisted backwards with blood pooling beneath her, quickly shook his head. 

"No?" Clark muttered. 

"Do you think I could save her?" He asked. 

The acorn man looked at Clark. His little acorn head slowly panned from Clark's boots all the way up to the hairs atop his head. 

Then, the acorn man looked at Clark's round body and considered him climbing a tree. 

Immediately, the acorn man shook his head. 

"No?!!" Clark nearly shouted. 

"So I don't have time to call the others, but I also can't save her myself?!" 

"Then what am I supposed to do?!" 

The acorn man, hearing his master's pleas, began to think on his behalf. 

***

Meanwhile, back at the Orc's camp, the Orc's returned to Olive's side. 

As they approached, they threw an acorn and a bundle of sticks on the ground in front of Olive. 

"What is this?" The red Orc demanded. 

Olive pushed her eyelids open. She looked at the pile of twigs and leaves and shook her head. She didn't know. 

The red Orc glanced at the Orc positioned behind Olive. 

With eye contact made, the Orc advanced. 

It stepped towards Olive's back and pushed something against her skin. 

*ssss* 

Immediately following the action, the sound of sizzling blared. 

The Orc's were branding her. 

Olive felt the heat of the metal. She felt it burn into her lower back. 

Her nerves screamed as her skin melted, but the Orc just pushed the piece of heated silver further into her body. 

Olive felt her muscles spasm. 

Her twisted legs shook violently as the nerves that controlled them were seared to black. 

The Orc slowly withdrew the piece of silver. 

In response, all Olive felt was agony. 

Drowned in melted skin and congealed blood, as the Orc pulled the silver away, Olive's skin and muscle stretched along with it until, 

*snap* 

Pieces of Olive's back tore off, stuck to the silver piece like glue. 

Olive winced through the process. 

But even while her back was lit aflame, she felt cold.

She couldn't feel her legs anymore nor her hands. Blood perpetually seeped from her abdomen and dripped onto the ground. 

And Olive's mouth felt as dry as a desert. She could feel her lips crack and, at this point, she could no longer feel her tongue. 

Everything just felt cold and numb. 

The red Orc, of course, watched this in silence. She observed Olive's wincing with a sly smirk on her face. 

"Alright! That's enough for today." The red Orc said. 

She looked around for a white Orc, but none were present. 

"You!" She pointed towards a random black marked Orc, "Find a Blessed and heal her enough to live through the night! I'm not done with her yet." 

With her orders delivered, the Orcs left Olive hanging from the trees. 

Twenty minutes later, a male white Orc — the same one who healed Miles — arrived next to Olive. 

He placed one of his giant fingers against Olive's forearm and felt her pulse. 

It was weak and fading. 

By this point, Olive's alabaster skin had shifted from white to gray. 

A blue hue tinted her skin and purple highlights appeared all around her body from her lips to her legs to her hands… 

"O'Father Light, Holy and Blinding, may comfort beseech thee as life is reborn. Heal!" 

The white Orc pressed his palm unto Olive's head. From his hand, a vibrant green glow erupted and seeped into Olive's pores. 

Almost immediately, Olive's complexion changed and her breathing steadied. 

Color returned to her lips and the wound on her abdomen slowly sealed. 

"I don't know why the Princess is interested in you," the white Orc said, "but it'd be best if you cooperated. The wounds to your legs… they cannot be healed by myself alone. Without your legs, you will be abandoned." 

The white Orc turned to leave. 

"Please just cooperate." His back was turned to Olive, but he sounded solemn. 

"Allow her majesty to grant swift mercy." 

***

While Clark and the acorn man were thinking up a strategy in the forest, the bushes to their side started rustling. 

Another creature similar to the acorn man, made from sticks and twigs but with the bulbous head of a dandelion, emerged from the brush. 

Upon spotting Clark, the dandelion man waved its arms in earnest. 

He pointed into the forest. 'I've found something!' It seemed to say. 

Clark scrutinized the dandelion man. 

"The acorn already found Olive! I didn't tell you to search for anything else!" 

But the dandelion man stomped his foot on the ground. He pointed to the acorn man. Then, he pointed to Clark. 

"Huh!" Clark said. 

But the dandelion man did it again! He pointed to the acorn, then to Clark, then to himself. 

At the end, he spun his stick-hand around in a circle and brought it close to his chest. 

On the side, the acorn man brought a twig to his eye. 'Breathtaking!' He seemed to convey. 

Clark watched the charades in awe. 'What are these two trying to say!?' 

Meanwhile, the acorn man and dandelion man embraced each other. Hoping to communicate with their master, they showed true comradery! 

"A team…?" Clark mumbled. 

The two crafted creatures jumped in joy. 'That's it!' 

"You found Olive's teammates?" Clark said. 

"Wait. They're not together?!" 

The acorn man and dandelion man shook their heads. 'No!' 

Clark gawked at the ground. 

It just got a lot more complicated. 

*** 

"This is preposterous!!" An Ambassador raised his voice. 

Fifteen minutes prior, G.U.A.R.D. and its representatives delivered their presentation for the resort in Gate One. 

In response, the United Nations Assembly perked up in their seats. Some, like the Liberian Ambassador, found the idea insane. 

"This is a place with a 90% mortality rate! Those are your numbers! You reported it!" They argued. 

But since the Gates grounding, there hadn't been a single human death within the Land of Trees. 

With the use of modern technology, the Goblins were reduced to nothing more than target practice. 

To show this, G.U.A.R.D. displayed a livestream of the Gate's entrance. Men and women were moving between the two worlds in droves. 

They exchanged resources, bringing wood and ores from the Gate to the real world and vice versa. 

A successful camp had been established in the Gate. They've procured safe drinking water, built homes and lodges, and enough storages to hold enough food to last four months in the Gate in case it ever closed. 

Sniper towers were built. Radars were installed. 

The black pyramid and a two mile radius around it were under around-the-clock observation. For all intents and purposes, the black pyramid and its immediate surroundings were safe. 

For hours, the Assembly debated the resort. 

How much would it cost? Which countries will gain access to the Gate? 

Did a criminal record deny entry? If so, what are the other rules? 

Each time a question was brought up, however, Director Adams had a well-thought-out response. 

So in the third quarter of the year, the United Nations Assembly held a vote. 

As a result of the vote, construction within the Gate will begin immediately and the investors will gain priority access to the Gate, followed by immediate family members, then the general populace. 

For a price, of course. 

Interestingly, another regulation was slipped into the vote. 

"Those summoned by the Gate will not be refused re-entry into the Gate. See exceptions below." 

"Unregistered Awakened will not be permitted access." 

"Awakened with criminal records as a direct result of their newfound power will not be permitted access; extended parameter: Awakened with minor offenses prior to awakening will be re-evaluated upon return." 

And the last point. 

"Awakened deemed 'dangerous' by the Assembly will not be permitted access. See 'dangerous' parameters below." 

"Dangerous: A Class or Ability that directly harms another human in its use; or in its requirement to function." 

///LostNoteFound///

Again! I am flying to Mexico today — I'm actually on the plane right now — but thanks to moofin for the stones!!!