My (Monster?) Hero Life

Chapter 222: The Root Of Progress

Shadow was the only one to accompany him on his journey through the sprawling city. The goblin would not hear of his Lord travelling anywhere without a guard. Now that he was not directly led to a specific area in the city, Kace took the chance to properly analyse how things had changed. 

Before, he could only see the superficial changes on the surface. Since Shagrat had been in too much of a rush to go directly to the mansion. It was only now that Kace realised that he had probably cleared the streets on his way to meet him at the docks. The monsters moving throughout the streets seemed hurried and disorganised. The few that took a moment to look at him quickly greeted him respectfully before continuing on their way.

He had to stop for a while at one of the junctions, this was mainly to stare at a sight he never thought he would see. Four giant spiders from the forest on the mountain were being used like horses. They were harnessed together, while strange metal bands with glowing lines were wrapped around their abdomens.

The harnesses were connected to a large cart that was carrying a large block of stone. An orc was sat in the driving seat and was whipping them to make them move in the way that he wanted. The corner was quite tight, so it took a bit for him to complete the manoeuvre, but it was skilfully done in the end.

'They are learning from the things they have seized from humans.' Kace's eyes narrowed as he made the comparison. It would definitely help with the logistics for the armies, and Kace immediately knew that this would not be the only thing that they made their own. Eventually, if they continued down this path, the monsters would reach a civilised society that mimicked humans.

It would be a funny sight to see, but at the same time, they would just end up charging headlong into the same fate that awaited the human race. Hopefully, they could find a way to minimise the effects that such behaviours would have on this world. Obviously, the presence of magic could most likely solve a lot of those issues. However, Kace was not exactly an expert or scholar. So he could only make suggestions on a limited capacity.

Shadow was eagerly taking in every sight that the city had to offer them. At the same time, he was trying to analyse the level of danger each thing posed. Most of the time, he was picturing different scenarios that could endanger Kace in this environment and formulating plans to counter them. However, he visibly relaxed when he realised that most could be avoided by diving into the shadow world.

It would only be a direct assassination attempt that went unnoticed that could be a threat. However, there seemed to be nothing but respect towards his Lord in this city. So he slowly lowered his guard and tried to put on a more friendly expression. In this environment, it would benefit his lord more if they appeared to be approachable, rather than attempting to scare them off.

It did not take long to discover where Elderbeard's home was. Beyond one of the gates was a large forest where new homes had been built around the outside of it. Obviously, the forest was actually the Treants who were sleeping. The homes that been built held various people from the different races who just preferred that environment.

There was a clearing in the centre of that forest with a solitary ancient tree standing there. Kace knew that this was their destination when he saw it. The only problem was whether or not it would be safe to awaken such a creature. Even if it were, then how would he go about it?

Kace studied the ancient Treant as he tried to ascertain the location of any sensory organs. It was but a vague hope that he could use these to awaken him from his slumber. 

'Let me try.' Sylvan laughed within their shared consciousness. It amused him to no end that Kace never even thought to ask for his help. 'Go ahead.' Kace shrugged his shoulders in response as Sylvan's purple vines connected with the earth beneath his feet. They wormed their way through the dirt as Sylvan searched for the Treants roots. As an entity that shared similarities with that race, he could guess that they observed nutrients from the ground while they slept in a sort of hibernation cycle.

Sylvan soon found what he was looking for and directed his vines to wrap around the roots that belonged to Elderbeard. He quickly sent some mental pulses through the physical contact to disturb the ancient being's dreams. The trunk that made up the body of Elderbeard began to groan, it resembled the act of bones cracking as a human stretched after waking up.

Kace soon saw two large wooden eyes open higher up on the trunk. The treant seemed to be stifling a yawn when a sudden look of confusion spread across its face. The look intensified when he saw Kace standing before him, but that still did not answer his initial confusion. At least, until he saw the purple vines retracting from the soil to take their place around the stave in Kace's hand.

"Lord Kace, it is an honour to receive you in my grove!" Elderbeard chuckled while his eyes remained fixed on Sylvan. 

"Lord Elderbeard, thank you for the kind greetings. I apologise if I disturbed your rest." Kace gave a respectful bow that hid his worried expression. He had noticed the interest that the leader of the Treants displayed towards Sylvan.

"Not at all, it is a minor matter." Elderbeard's voice was calm and friendly, it radiated a warmth that felt like summer had just arrived. "Tell me, what can I do for you?"

Kace raised his gaze to meet Elderbeard's. A moment of hesitation ensued as he pondered again about the cost he might be asked to pay. 'I'm not sure if this is worth it anymore. I might have revealed something too tempting for him'