Up to chapter 44 available on Patreon at the first tier.

"Hm. How to take it down." He pursed his lips, and shrugged. Let me see if I can pull it up." Baris grasped the trunk about waist height and pulled up. "Well, I kind of figured that might happen." It was an oak tree, with a massive root system.

"I hate to do this, but I am going to chop it up anyway. How high should I cut it to make sure it sprouts again?" He pondered for only a few seconds as he heard a whisper on the wind.

'Chest height.'

He blinked, then bowed. He realized that someone gave him the answer for a reason. Chest height would allow the trunk to retain some growth mass, but at the same time, the root system would be intact. Once the trunk sealed itself, or dried the surface, it would sprout shoots off the trunk and continue to grow.

Being careful to cut at the height he was told, he chopped the tree down quickly as his strength allowed the blade to go through the wood easily. He removed the limbs, and cut it down to fifteen feet. He sighed a bit.

"Destruction is sometimes necessary to preserve the whole. Goblins and orcs would completely destroy this forest in time. I'll make sure to plant some oak, chestnut, and walnuts in among the maple and birch. The fairies might be able to return one day." He trimmed the trunk so he could more easily grasp it, and put his ax over his shoulder.

"Time to turn those orcs into paste."

* * *

"I like this choice, Nu." A slender red haired woman said as her wings allowed her to float over to her sister's side.

"He likes balance, Iana. Nature helps to balance out the sentient species, and he likes nature." Nuella said softly, and felt her gentle sister's lips at her ear.

"Even Lillith likes him." She said with a gentle soft whisper, which made Nuella blush.

"You tease." Nuella sucked in her breath as a slender green shoot slid into her ear. "You and Lily are the exact same, but with different purposes." The shoot slid deep within her brain, and traveled to all the places Iana liked to explore.

Even if Ethys had bothered to watch, she would never see the shoot as Nuella's hair hid it. Nuella would never say a thing as Iana's method tended to clear out the fog the curse had put her in, and connected the two sisters together. For Iana, this was quite intimate, and deeply erotic.

Only Nuella would let her explore her like this. It made her feel closer to her sister, as usually the ones she did this too were already deceased.

"You are as delicious as you always are, Nu." Iana whispered. Slender shoots traveled throughout her sister's body, and began to feed gently off her.

"Be good, you imp." Nuella said softly. "I'll need a week to heal if you go any further." The shoots retreated, but hesitated around her middle. "Don't leave another seed, Iana." She saw the pout on her dear sister's lips, and sighed. "Oh, alright. Just one this time. I had to spend weeks replanting them in the forests last time. I don't have the focus anymore."

"When are you going to break it, Nu? This is a dangerous game she's playing." Iana said quietly, and put her other hand over Nuella's other ear. Nuella sucked in her breath slightly, as another slender shoot slid inside her body. Now that she was distracted, she grew her shoots down into her belly, down her thighs, and calves. When they were coiling about her toes, Nuella sighed, and moaned softly as she felt the shoots begin to root. She loved her sister, and even enjoyed this form of loving only Iana could do. It was the only form of loving Iana could do as she was a plant based lifeform.

"She hasn't been taught a proper lesson, so not yet, Iana. And don't leave a shoot behind. Lily will be back soon, and she'll be quite upset with you." Iana froze, and looked down.

"She came to visit?"

"Recently."

"Damn. I had hoped I could have a bit more fun." She sighed sadly. "No one else lets me."

"That's because you get a little greedy, Iana." Nuella said. "You would root me to the ground and leave me encased in a pear tree like you did when we were younger, if you weren't told to behave." Iana pouted. It was a fond memory as she was the pear tree, and she got to explore her sister's body for a month before their father found out. Not once did Nuella force her off, or away with her overwhelming magical strength.

"But you're so tasty, Nu." She felt Nuella's lips pull on a shoot and begin to suck firmly on it. Iana shuddered as she felt her energy begin to get drained. "Alright, I'll be good, Nu." The energy drain stopped, so she pulled her shoots back, and stopped at her belly again. With a soft giggle, she left several seeds behind.

The reason for the seeds? The way she invaded her sister's body was sex to her, and leaving a seed was the only way to leave a part of herself behind.

She loved Nuella to the point of distraction, which was why their offices of oversight were so far apart. Like with Lilith, neither sister could get enough of her.

"Soon, Iana.  We'll play like we did before."

* * *

"Bloody hell. Look at how he smashes those orcs!" The captain said in shock. The tree was swung like a baseball bat and a club. Either it came down on a few orcs, or it swatted them away. Both impacts tended to cripple or immediately kill the victims.

"Where is he going?" The guard asked as the man ran away. The captain rubbed his chin, but heard a voice behind him.

"That is a tree, captain. It takes a lot of strength to use it, and a lot of stamina." The captain turned.

"Guild Master." he said quietly. "Thought you would leave us to die."

"A lesson had to be taught, captain." She said. "There was an artificial dungeon to the east, and there is another to the west. Do you think my people and I should waste our strength protecting those who caused this trouble to begin with?" He snorted.

"Not a chance. I'm just surprised you're coming out now." He said. "That guy allowed us a breather, but we don't know when he'll be back, or even if he'll be back."

"He will be. He's an ally. The fact that he decided to come thin the horde is a little surprising, but he must have his reasons." She said, and pulled her sword. "Since he has a reason to take out the horde, we will help until he can finish the job." Two dwarves appeared at her side.

"Guild Master, the horde is thinning on the other gate as well. They are heading west, and look like they are in a blood lust." Lorkas said. Aleda thought for a moment.

"What would you do if you used an army from another source to soften your enemies up?" She asked quietly. He frowned at the seemingly unrelated question.

"If I used another group to fight, and both sides were weakened, I would probably either group up to attack both sides, but that may have the opposite effect. It would turn both sides against me." He said. The captain groaned.

"Son of a bitch." He swore. "If Fairgate was involved in these invasions, they don't care who wins or loses, as long as they win in the end. We are fucking pawns!"

"And now you know, captain. Someone out there is using you and your people to gain an advantage. The only problem is that they've weakened their own footing."

* * *

Baris sat up high in a tree, and looked over his stats.

"Hm, hammer user has merged to form blunt weapons, and now the entire category rises whether I use the hammer, or the tree. I wonder if the ax will rise with a halberd, or a pike. Both are heavy weapons, but I've never used one." He sat for a while, and sighed.

"Stamina has returned. I should go out for another push. I won't be able to rest until I get inside the city." He groaned. "I just leveled up, lost a few points, and I think this is going to get worse for wasted XP!"

"And there is still another dungeon to clear. Fuck."