After he took a dip in the just cold enough to be unpleasant lake, Lucian did a brief jog to raise his body temperature and to dry himself off.

  Returning to his tent, he decided to take a look at the skills he was offered for reaching level 25 before going to sleep.

  Lucian immediately discarded [Enhanced Resistance]. Annabelle had told him she hit level 21, and took a skill called [Forest’s Protection] as her level 20 skill - a channeled spell that provided a protective effect as well as slight regeneration, “Sure, it would be helpful but Annabelle has that covered now, it feels like a bit of a waste.” Not to mention, he felt like it was about time he picked a ranged option.

  That left [Magic Missile], a classic mage option, and [Cleaving Wind].

  It was fairly obvious that [Magic Missile] was more of a poking tool. It had a low cost, lower potency scaling, and it had a homing effect. [Cleaving Wind] on the other hand, was a more burst friendly option. It had a higher cost, but it also had higher potency scaling. It lacked the homing capabilities of [Magic Missile] but it had an extra layer of versatility in that it could either be used from close range for higher effective damage, or from longer range to potentially hit multiple targets at the cost of reduced effectiveness.

  “[Cleaving Wind] is more suitable to be an alpha strike kind of spell, and frankly it's more versatile - though it gives up consistency to achieve that.” Lucian thought that [Cleaving Wind] leaned more into his fighting style so far. He could use it to engage from a distance before getting in close, or use it at close range for a large burst of damage - though he would need to actually test its effects at close range versus a simple [Slash] or [Penetrating Strike].

  He chose [Cleaving Wind] after brief deliberation, before putting his head down to get some sleep as Annabelle took first watch.

  The night passed without incident. In the morning they had a brief breakfast, and talked as they ate.

  “So, we should check out the tree, and then probably head back out for now.” Lucian looked up at Annabelle for her opinion.

  She nodded, “That sounds good, we have enough stuff to make it back now with a little extra, so we can’t stay here much longer…” She looked over to the massive tree as it loomed over them, “I only hope it isn’t interesting enough to make us regret leaving so soon.”

  Lucian chuckled, “It probably will be. But we can always come back.” He smiled, “I certainly want to, this has been fun.”

  “Minus the bit where I nearly died? It’s been great.” Annabelle laughed.

  Lucian laughed, “Oh come on, those are the most interesting parts.”

  The pair joked for a while, making conversation about this and that as they ate and cleaned up then packed up their tents.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Tree time?” Lucian asked as he finished putting his stuff away.

  “Tree time.” Annabelle nodded, “Maybe we should leave the bags outside the door?”

  “Hmn, it would be harder to move about if we take them with us, but if we get stuck without food it would be bad.”

  “Then we only take the food, and leave the tent bag outside.” Annabelle agreed, “Getting stuck without food would suck. Though even with what we have I’m not sure how much good it would do us.”

  Lucian smirked, “Long enough for me to try breaking through whatever's in the way, I hope.”

  Annabelle chuckled, “Yeah fair enough.”

  The pair approached the great door on the side of the tree, putting down their duffle bag full of most of their camping supplies on the grass beside the roots.

  Lucian stepped forward towards the door, swinging his hand out to the side and activating [Manifest Weapon], summoning his signature glowing blue sword, too big to be considered a long sword but not large enough to truly be a greatsword.

  “In we go.” He reached out with his other hand, pushing on the doors. He pushed, and they began to swing open with a soft grinding sound. He narrowed his eyes immediately, and as he pulled his hand back the doors continued to move, opening fully on their own.

  “Automatic doors, neat.” Annabelle glanced past him. The doors opened into a large hall made of a light colored stone, lightly illuminated by an orange light emitted by large organic bulbs that grew from vines that clung to the walls and pillars that looked to support the room.

  Lucian took the first step over the threshold, readying himself for whatever he might encounter. As he passed through the door, he felt a familiar presence within his mind.

  “Of course.” Lucian grinned. He glanced around, moving further into the room before deciding it would be safe for Annabelle, and gesturing for her to follow him.

  “Oh, a dungeon! You were right.” She remarked as she stepped through the door as well, following behind him at a distance, they both knew if something happened Lucian would be able to react to it first.

  Lucian continued further into the room, heading towards the far end where another door stood. As he advanced, the door slowly opened and a figure stepped through it. Lucian stopped in his tracks, looking up at another tree knight. This one looked nearly the same as the last, save for minor differences in the shaping of its armor, and the major difference of it lacking the corruption that the other knight had possessed.

  The knight carried a large greatsword over its shoulder, and looked at Lucian with its eyes of glowing green light, before looking to Annabelle, then back to Lucian. It moved its sword, leveling it at Lucian as if issuing a challenge.

  And then it spoke.

  “Warrior.” It intoned in a deep voice, “Step forward and face me in single combat.”

  “What the fuck, they can talk?” Annabelle stared as the knight.

  “I… Guess so…” Lucian blinked a few times, before stepping forward towards the knight, “If you’re sentient, I would really prefer not to kill you…”

  “And yet, my once sealed brother has fallen.” The knight remained stationary, glowing motes fixed on Lucian as he approached.

  “The corrupted knight? It didn’t speak to us…” Lucian felt a chill run through his body, “I didn’t know…”

  “He was once as I am, but his mind became gone as the blight took root. That you ended his suffering was a mercy.” The knight brought its sword down into a ready stance.

  “I don’t want to have to kill you…” Lucian said, stopping and not advancing further. Annabelle watched with bated breath, unsure if she should intervene or not.

  The knight adjusted its grip, angling its sword down and bringing it out to its side, “To fall in combat against a skilled warrior would be my honor. I will be reborn if the Great Tree wills it.” It moved one foot further back. Wisps of deep green light began to gather around the knight, swirling up from the floor around its feet.

  Lucian’s pupils dilated and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, his senses screamed danger. He brought his own sword up, taking a defensive stance. The last knight he fought was a dangerous foe. This one was uncorrupted, and had never been sealed. Lucian’s train of thought brought him to the conclusion that this one was stronger, though by how much he didn’t know.

  “I will test your mettle. I will measure your resolve.” The knight’s eyes shone brighter as the green energy coalescing around it reached a fever pitch. The floor underneath it shattered as it pushed off the ground, moving at Lucian like a blur.

  Lucian pushed to the side, using [Quickstep] to get as far away from the knight as he could. The knight’s blade cut through the air, unleashing a powerful wind as it displaced the air where Lucian had stood. The gust of wind crashed into the wall of the room, sending wind howling in all directions.

  Annabelle gritted her teeth and took a step forward raising her hands, the knight turned its head to glance at her, daring her to act. As it looked away from Lucian, he shot back towards it, swinging his sword down in a wide arc towards its shoulder, activating [Slash] as he did. His sword bit into its armor and the knight’s arm shot out, landing a punch in the center of Lucian’s chest.

  Lucian’s vision blurred and blacked out for a moment as he felt more of his ribs break. He was flung away from the knight and skidded to a stop on the floor. He involuntarily coughed and took a breath in, which sent pain racing through him.

  He looked up at the knight and it turned to face him, holding its sword at its side, the tip grazing the floor as it began to approach him…