Chapter 12: 2-4: Go Away, No Lemons Here part 2

I could hear a sharp breath from across the alcove, then a low growl. "Those hellspawn? What, were they the hordes of monsters?"

"No." I shook my head. "They were the desperate people cowering away from them." I reached out, tapping the trunk of the Necrotic Sapling. "But if you'll recall, the World Tree originally had only one purpose."

"To sustain life." He nodded. "I was listening, no need to check."

I chuckled. "You'd be surprised how few people do. Yes, it was created to read the minds of the many Races and create for them a World in which they could survive. But it was dying. Poisoned from within, assaulted from beyond. It had limited control, and the Developers' power was slowly waning. Stronger and stronger monsters began to appear. So the Tree did what it had done at the very beginning—"

I tapped the stone floor for emphasis. "It rewrote the Rules of Magic. It tightened every last rule, wringing out 'creativity' and 'freedom' in exchange for 'efficiency'. Every last scrap of power could be used, but it came at the cost of having a limited number of possible Spells."

"Tier Magic." Cure-Elim said grimly.

"Tier Magic." I agreed. "But that was just a small part of it. It granted its Blessing to the strongest, the bravest, the most capable of the Nine Realms. Their entire lives became determined by strict logic, but in return they became capable of more than they could ever imagine. The threat of an invading horde of monsters was alien, terrifying, inconceivable to fight against—so the Tree rewrote the World itself." I gestured grandly. "Life itself became a game. And the Blessed Ones were merely the Players."

"Infinite revivals at the cost of only a bit of power." I waved my talon through the air. "Unlimited growth so long as they followed predefined paths. The Developers were the administrators of this 'game', editing what the Tree couldn't fix and keeping those who would abuse their power from breaking the fragile balance."

"And it worked." I lowered my foreleg, resting it back onto the ground. "So long as the Tree could continue to revive the Players, they continued to fight off the encroaching evil. The parasite couldn't escape. I, myself, slaughtered the most powerful enemies by the dozen."

"But it didn't last." Cure-Elim's eyes narrowed. "You said there were others destroying the Tree as well."

"Precisely." I sighed. "The Tree began to heave its dying breaths, but the Developers had thought ahead. They took a single Seed and imbued it with a fraction of the power the First Tree had. They gave it to the one being they knew they could trust—a retired Developer from a previous World long passed. So as the First Tree burned, as the Nine Realms finally collapsed, the survivors were scattered through time and space."

"Arriving here."

I raised an eyebrow. "Not quite. More like you lot began to develop in the time it took for them to travel. The Second Tree took root and grew, only strong enough to sustain a single World. The Developers were far fewer at the End, after all. This New World was meant to be the home for the survivors, yet it began to develop on its own over time. Without the Players, the Second Tree had no reason to enforce their gamelike rules, so it allowed its own natural Magic to roam free. The Magic of the World itself, World Magic. Wild Magic, I believe you called it in those days." I shrugged. "Honestly, I was asleep during that time. I had just finished killing off the parasite, felt entitled to a nice nap."

Cure-Elim nodded slowly. "I believe I understand what happened from there. When the first Players arrived, the Second Tree started enforcing the rules of Tier Magic again, weakening World Magic."

"Ah." I grinned. "Not… really. See, it would've been pointless to hold the Developers to the same rules as the Players, so the Tree let them use whatever system they wanted. Everyone else got the watered-down Tier Magic, but those with direct access to the Tree?"

The Undead's eyes widened. "Is that it? This Tree can erase the effects of Tier Magic?" He asked, voice carrying a hint of fascination. "Is that by accident or by design?"

"Oh, entirely designed." I smiled. "I fudged the details in my story a bit to shorten it. The Developers themselves were users of World Magic, which they used to forge the Worlds the parasite had drained into Items. Some fell here with the Players—World Items, they're called. Extremely powerful acts of Wild Magic, on your terms."

"Yes… I've heard of these World Items." Cure-Elim hissed, eyes gleaming. "That damn Deep Darkness Dragon Lord has one… holds it over the rest of us like he's some sort of god." His gaze locked onto me. "Tell me, in time, might I be able to make these World Items?"

I began to laugh. Deep, echoing guffaws that were only amplified by the cave around us. "Little One, it took the Developers eons to master the art." I wiped a tear from my eye. "I am the last being capable of forging weapons of such power, and I'm afraid I would rather the art die along with me. They were cruel and desperate weapons, forged in the light of a dying age to fight an evil no one could comprehend. I can give you a World Item if that is your desire, but that is not the reason I gave you this Sapling."

'…I never actually tested if I can create new World Items, though… definitely something to test later.'

"So what is it, then?" He snapped.

"Patience." I soothed, shifting my position to get more comfortable. "I gave you this so that you might research it. Learn from it. Discover the ways lost to time. You could while away the rest of eternity and only scratch the surface of its capabilities."

Understanding sparked in his eyes. "…Patience." He repeated. "Yesterday, you said you approached me because of my patience. You said my patience was my most important virtue."

"Precisely." I gestured towards the Tree. "Here, a font of infinite power." I gestured towards myself. "Here, a wellspring of ancient knowledge, all at your disposal. I've given you all the tools you need, all I want to do is see how far you can go with them."

He fell silent for a time, likely digesting all the information I had unceremoniously dumped on him. I waited, watching the timer for the Tree Spirit's development tick down. "I have a number of questions." He finally said.

I inclined my head. "I will answer to the best of my ability."

"First, why are you passing this on to me?" His crimson gaze scrutinized me, looking for the smallest sign of deception. "Surely you are capable of doing this yourself?"

I shook my head, smiling in bemusement. "I certainly have the capabilities, but I have neither the will nor the motivation. My days are spent enjoying my last time on this world. I have two new mates who I adore and dote on, as well as a multitude of other projects that might easily keep me busy well into the lifespan of the next World. I believed you to be the academic type, so I thought I might offer you a way to spend your immortality."

My smile faded. "And, in truth, being the strongest being in this World is somewhat of an issue. I had to be the one who slaughtered the worst of the Terrors in the age of the Players, simply because they lacked the strength to do so themselves. It would not be a bad thing if you were capable of putting down most threats before I have to act."

He nodded slowly. "You are planning to raise young?" He guessed.

I shrugged. "Eventually. After I ensure this World won't collapse under them. Previously I had forty-one allies who took care of business for me, even if I aided them from time to time on matters they couldn't handle. Unfortunately, all but one were lost in the End, and the last is still on his way."

"I see." He shifted gears. "What can you tell me about my Tree, then? Do you have any instructions for its care? Any advice on how to begin studying it?"

I chuckled quietly. "Ah, yes… there is one thing you need to know." I paused for dramatic effect. "It's sentient."

The Dragon Lord blinked. "Excuse me?"

"It's sentient." I repeated, enjoying his expression. "It's growing at an incredible rate right now, devouring the excess buildup of Necrotic Energy that you've been collecting for centuries. In just under two days, it will have fully awakened."

"Would you mind explaining further?" He frowned. "Will it attempt to drain me of my energy?"

"No, no, no." I shook my head. "On the contrary. You see, the First Tree relied completely on the Developers to survive, so it never needed to manifest. But the Second was in the care of a single being, which it relied on completely to keep it safe until it was capable of creating defenses. So, being a logical creature, what does it do?" I reached out, tapping the trunk. "Simple. It tries to create an interface of sorts, designed to keep the protector happy. So long as the protector cares for the Tree, it will always be protected, so it goes out of its way to create you the perfect interface. It creates an Empathy Link, scans your subconscious—"

"I'm Undead." He deadpanned.

"The Tree eats your immunity for breakfast." I deadpanned back. "It runs on World Magic, do you honestly think your Undead immunity would function? Anyway, it scans your subconscious to create for you the perfect partner. It'll take a form based on what you like, tailored to your needs. The Sapling itself is effectively defenseless, meaning the Spirit's only job is to convince you to keep defending it. It will exist to ensure you're happy, whatever that might mean."

"An assistant of sorts." The Dragon Lord mused. "Well, so long as it isn't human, I won't complain. The price of such a valuable tool."

"It'll probably look somewhat Draconic." I yawned. "Probably take on a few qualities you find attractive, just to hit you in the feels."

"I assure you, I'm quite immune to seduction." The Undead said drily.

I stared at him. "…Immune to a creature that bypasses your emotional barriers completely with full knowledge on how best to shower you with adoration?"

His scaled eyebrows rose. "Are you telling me you fell in love with your Tree?"

"Let me put this another way." I gestured vaguely. "What qualities might attract you to a humanoid woman—don't bother denying it, Dragons are hardwired to consider humans attractive, it's part of our adaptive instinct. We can turn into humanoids for a reason, because our own kind are very sparse and we're capable of cross-breeding."

"Physically attractive qualities." He repeated blankly. "…Why?"

"Humor me."

He frowned for a moment. "…Childbirthing hips, I suppose. Nothing else serves much of a purpose. A beautiful face as well, since otherwise I would hate to look at her. A few Draconic features would be nice, though entirely optional."

"All right, then." I smiled. "Picture the most beautiful face matched by the most perfect body. Now. That girl is going to be yours in a short while. Her basic personality will be there, according to what you prefer, but you'll have to teach her right from wrong and so on. Within a year's time, you'll have the perfect female waiting on you night and day without the slightest desire for a reward. Can you honestly tell me you wouldn't fuck her?"

The Dragon regarded me. "I honestly don't know."

I shrugged, rising to my feet. "Well, I might've just gone mad in my old age, then. For now I'm afraid I must leave, though I must ask. Do you know the [Sending] Spell?"

"…Do you mean the [Message] Spell?"

"No, no…" I shook my head. "I suppose this World never had any wars of information, then. Anyway. The gist of it is that you send a short message of two minutes or less to someone you've encountered before. They hear the Message in their mind, recognize you as the sender if they know you, and can answer in a like manner immediately." I activated the Spell silently to speak the rest. "You can send the message across any distance and even to other planes of existence, though if the target is on a different plane than you, there is a small chance that the message doesn't arrive."

"Indecipherable, I assume?" He murmured.

I nodded. "It's not exactly the [Message] Spell in terms of utility, it's actually a Tier or two below it. But what it loses in utility it makes up for in security. It's impossible for anyone to eavesdrop on a two-way [Send], as opposed to [Message], which can be intercepted by anyone with enough knowledge in Divination."

His eyes widened. "[Message] can be intercepted?" He hissed, eyes flashing.

"Aye." I rattled my scales, giving him a grim expression. "Once your Tree grows, it can create a bubble that negates all Tier Magic, but until then it might be safer to keep anti-Divination measures up at all time."

"Why would I have anti-Divination measures?" He snarked. "I live underground. I'm a Necromancer. How would you suggest that I protect against Divination?"

I blinked. 'Well clearly someone isn't nearly as paranoid as I am.' "…Using Tier Magic? That is the usual method. I can cast an anti-Scrying barrier if you want, should last a few months."

Cure-Elim paused. "…You can use Tier Magic?"

"Of course I can use Tier Magic." I snarked. "I helped create the damn system in the first place. I was tossing Spells around before Players even existed. Do you want the barrier or not?"

"…Yes." He finally said. "I would be foolish to deny it."

"[Extend Boosted Magic: Iron Curtain]." I flared my mana, and instantly there was the sound of glass shattering. My eyes widened slightly, and I cursed.

I had only broken a few of Innocence's lowest-Level observation Spells, but it had the intended effect.

"Someone was spying on me?" Cure-Elim hissed, eyes flashing. "Who would dare…"

"I don't know." I glanced around, lowering my voice. "You said you've been here for a long time, yes?"

"Centuries." He confirmed.

"Then tell me, is there any single one of your enemies who doesn't know where you are?"

He snorted. "My enemies aren't powerful enough to even scratch the walls of these caves."

"I wouldn't be so sure." I warned. "I know not the locations of all the World Items that fell. Even a human child can use a World Item, no matter how weak or sickly they may be." I made a show of internally debating for a few seconds, then sighed. "The simplest way of gaining immunity from World Items is to have one of your own. I would teach you a Job Class that allows for resistance against their effects, but I'm afraid I have neither the time nor the patience to do so now."

I reached into the fold of my wing, concealing my Inventory as I pulled free a cloth-wrapped object. "Here." My voice was subdued, as if I were handing over a great treasure. Technically I was, it just wasn't exactly the grand sacrifice that might imply. "Take this."

He cautiously approached, taking the object and drawing back the cloth to reveal a beautifully ornamented chalice. It was made of pure gold and festooned with jewels of all kinds, glowing softly as all World Items seemed to.

"That is [Hygieia's Chalice]." I said quietly. "The World Item that governs absolute health. Anything you place inside will instantly be cleansed of any filth or poison, and should you drink any liquid from it you will be healed even from the brink of death. Be careful with it, it's your only defense against other World Item users right now."

"I will make sure to return it in the same condition it's in now." He promised, eyes gleaming as he examined it.

I resisted the urge to snort with laughter. The chalice had been chosen and Mirrored specifically for him, just because I didn't trust the bastard. It couldn't be used offensively in any way and it was difficult to hide it on your person, meaning if I ever had to take it back I could do so with relative ease. He intended to experiment with it at great length the moment I left him alone with it, but what he didn't know was that I would learn more than he would.

"Keep it." I said instead, smiling sadly. "I have many World Items hidden away, that one is merely something I carry around for nostalgia's sake. I'm sure it would come to much greater use with you. I just ask that you let me know if it has any hidden functions I don't know about. That was created from the golden ichor of a goddess of medicine, so chances are it can do more than I ever discovered."

He blinked. "…You have my deepest gratitude, then." He said, bowing slightly. "I will keep you informed of anything I learn."

I nodded, turning away. "I may make you an Item of your own one day, or I may teach you to use Wild Magic to defend yourself from enemy assault. But for now, keep that close. In my experience, the more power you gather, the greater the attention you receive."

And with those parting words, I left.

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