Unexpected Guests - Chapter 6 - Clear Cut

I stared up at the massive Treent as it slowly straightened up, towering over Bob. It had to be close to six meters tall, and that was without its branch like arms reaching toward the sky. Dozens of slimes clung to blackened, black, bark-like skin which would have provided it with the perfect camouflage if it had been standing in the forest. 

It hadn’t been though, it had been sitting here, waiting.

The two of us exchanged a long glance, evaluating each other. I could sense a deep intelligence, and immense amount of experience when I gazed into its green tinged, amber eyes. This would not be easy.

We spoke at the same time, the Treent letting out a deep, ‘hmmmmmm’ while I shouted at Bob.

“Get back! Stay out of range of its hands!”

“I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but even I know trees have branches, not hands… Oof!” 

I just stood there, shaking my head, as I watched Bob stand there and try to argue while the titanic tree man slowly wound up, then smashed him in the side of the head. The Evelyn sized fist sent the bear flying, tumbling end over end until he finally smashed into one of the trees standing around the perimeter of the arena.

“I’m okay…” the big bear muttered.

“Everyone else split up, and stay out of range of those hands,” I barked. “If you can get a shot at its back, take it. We take this slow and steady while we look for openings.”

“You got it boss,” Dusty exclaimed as the rest of the team dispersed. 

The Treent just stood there, calmly watching as we spread out. We probably weren’t the first ones to attempt to flank it, and we probably wouldn’t be the last.

When Bandit was just about to slip around its side the Ent reached up and scratched its head. Instead of bringing the arm straight back down, it casually swung its hand and and underhand pitched a handful of slimes at the fox.

I saw Bandit’s eyes go wide as he realized what was happening, and he dove to the side, just barely escaping the barrage of small monsters. The Ent let out another ‘hmmmmmm’ noise.

“A ranged attack to complement that brutal melee. That won’t be easy to deal with,” Deadbeat muttered.

“It’s not invincible, we just need to find an opening, just like with the Antithesis,” I replied quietly. “Observations?”

“The slimes are probably a much greater threat to most groups, with that combination of acid, poison and rot, it wouldn’t take much to put most groups out of commission,” Spooky said, scanning the Ent. “And considering the theme of this stage, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ent itself had some sort of poison attack as well.”

“I almost feel bad for the thing,” Dusty laughed. “That shits not going to do much against a squad full of robots, and the boss when she’s wearing environmental armor.”

The Treent’s eyes immediately flicked towards Dusty, a small smile crept across its weathered face.

“No more declaring our strengths and weaknesses out loud,” I growled, staring daggers at Dusty’s back. “This fight’s being televised, remember?”

“Oh, right… My bad!” the tan bear exclaimed. 

Even though I admonished Dusty, his little outburst DID benefit our situation. While the Ent was looking at Dusty, both Bandit and Heavy closed upon the creature’s back. 

Bandit’s daggers flashed, slicing through the thick skin on the back of the Ent’s legs with surprising ease. He got in six quick slices before dancing away. 

Heavy on the other hand, slowly trudged up, and brought his mace down with bone shattering force. Bark and sap flew everywhere, splattering the area, causing the Treent to stagger slightly. He should have backed off after that blow, but he didn’t, instead opting for another crushing blow.

The Ent’s counter attack came far quicker than I expected, based upon its previous slow, ponderous movement. It crouched down slightly, pivoted on one foot, and brought one of its tree trunk sized arms around like a battering ram.

Heavy calmly watched as the massive fist came around, waiting until the last second to throw his shield up to catch the blow.

Even though the force of the impact sent the polar bear sliding back more than three meters, he never lost his footing. As soon as he stopped sliding he immediately marched forward again, swinging his mace at the Ent’s injured leg.

With the Ent focused on Heavy Dusty and I sprinted forward. 

Expecting this attack, the Treent shook its shoulders, raining slimes down on the battlefield. I wasn’t going to let that slow me down. I slipped between the raining blobs and closed upon the injured before I got cut off, switched on my axe and buried it deep within the wound.

The weapon dug deep, sending the Ent to a knee, but didn’t sever the appendage. 

Again the Treent struck out, pivoting in place and bringing one of its massive fists around. I was relatively safe, tucked in right next to its leg, but Dusty wasn’t so lucky. 

Even though we’d charged at the same time, he had been just a touch slower. By the time he’d arrived at the slimes, the little putrid puddles had already reached critical mass and cut him off from his target. With nowhere to go, he’d been swarmed by the little blighters, nearly engulfed by the goo.

This sticky mess made it nearly impossible for him to move, never mind evade the massive fist that caught him in the chest.

I winced as the sound of twisting metal, and crunching sensors echoed around the clearing. Dusty’s limp corpse flew a couple meters through the air, then dissolved into motes of light.

“I really hope that projection works as well as I was led to believe,” I muttered.

Just as I started to turn back towards the injured leg a shout echoed through the arena. “HEY YOU OVERSIDED ROTWOOD, THAT WAS MY FRIEND!”

A big black blur shot across the clearing, slamming into the other leg like a wrecking ball. Bob immediately lifted a fist, obviously preparing to use one of the pile drivers to deliver a devastating blow. Thankfully he noticed me staring at him, frantically shaking my head before he did. 

Bob frowned, and quickly swapped to the massive axe before bringing it down on the Ent’s leg.

Unlike the slow, and methodical damage we’d been doing to the left leg, Bob outright severed the right.

The Ent immediately became unsteady, so I stepped back and delivered one last blow to the left leg. For the first time since the fight began, the Ent let out a screech. It was like the sound of an elderly grandfather mixed with snapping wood. 

I quickly stepped to the side as the Ent toppled, slamming to the ground hard enough to shake the area. 

After losing Dusty I couldn’t risk letting it recover. Hopping onto the tree man’s back, and sprinted between the remaining slimes. Sliding off its shoulder I landed directly in front of the Ent’s face as it tried to rise.

As I raised my axe a genuine smile crossed its face, “Well done little one.”

When the axe found its mark the Treent dissolved, leaving the team standing around the area staring stupidly at the space it had previously occupied.

“I think we better take this thing seriously,” Spooky muttered. “As strong as we are, we can’t afford to take losses on every floor.”

“Losses? Is that what you call it? That thing destroyed Dusty!” Bob roared.

I slowly turned my head and stared at the oversized bear. 

“Dusty is fine. Anyone that’s defeated in here is just disconnected from the simulation, and wakes up back in the chair,” I said quietly.

Bob stopped, mid outrage, and turned to look at me. “Really?”

“Pretty fucking sure,” I grumbled. “Now stop yelling, you're giving me a headache.”

Part of the arena shimmered, a handful of trees dissipated, a doorway appearing in their place. The warm light that poured through the opening revealed a small room we’d materialized in at the start of the dungeon.

I stepped towards the bright doorway and sighed. “One down, six to go.”