I soon found myself looking out over the impromptu battlefield with a mix of anger, and confusion. It was so sudden, and violent, costing me nearly every last one of my servants save for a select few. The deer skull, the filly, and the crocodile thing were all relatively unharmed, but that was just about it.

Exempting those three, nearly everything else was dead, or was now so useless that they may as well be. My flock of birds was now only three strong, the rest were either too damaged, or were otherwise no longer able to fly. Those who had served faithfully and were now flightless were piled in a large heap near an evergreen. I intended on burying them around the forest as I’ve been told that adding bone to soil is actually quite good for plants.

That was a concern for the future though, as right now I had much, much larger concerns. The first, and most important of which was the enemy necromancer who was currently intent on killing me. This may have been a bit of a leap in logic, but it made complete sense to me anyway.

He was evidently only a single person, as he was only capable of piloting one of his servants. If he was a fellow ghoultree like myself he would have had no qualms with moving so many moving pieces at once. This was a bit of a relief, but also quite intimidating as it opened up a great number of possible foes.

Pegasi were apparently thing here, magic was real, dragons flew the skies, and monsters aplenty walked the earth. The possibility of some Smaug-like drake landing in front of me was enough to make my roots itch in fear. Which may not sound that uncomfortable to you, but trust me it's like feeling your intestines twist around inside of you.

Wait a second. I thought to myself. If it was a dragon why would he need someone to feed himself? Aren't they too proud for that kind of thing?

I dismissed that notion rather quickly, as I had almost no idea how dragons worked in this world, making speculation worthless. Furthermore they were considered lazy creatures in most fiction, so perhaps this one was too big for its cave and needed help. Again I shook my metaphorical head, and dismissed my endless musings, choosing instead a more focused line of thought.

Namely puzzling out more details about this new foe that had so designated me its prey.

It was most likely a single person, that much I had figured out from the various context clues. That and it was probably a living creature given all the meat it seemed to need. It also didn't seem to have any other undead servants save for these piles of half rotten wood it used to do its bidding.

This meant that it was either a novice, didn't have enough power to raise multiple things or it consumed its dinner, bones and all. Though, now that I was thinking about it, all three of those possibilities might be correct at the same time. Either way it meant that my foe was likely to face me in person, considering that I had managed to slay his servants.

Which indicated that he may be a bit more physically imposing then a simple tree. Though that logic was a bit shaky, I was fairly certain that my foe was a single person and that they were alive.

This meant one thing, poison. Or more broadly, poison, toxins, and all manner of unpleasantness could be used on him.

I immediately began to gather up every nasty plant and mushroom I could, while also sending out my swarm of bugs. These insects spread wide, flying towards the edge of my newly expanded zone of control. It would be a while before they were able to reach the edge however, so I focused on gathering up what I could.

Which also meant searching out more prey both big and small in order to replace the empty ranks left in my army. This cruel culling likely would have made me feel terrible, but I had my metaphorical and literal back to the wall here. That last bit of emotion I was able to taste indicated that my attacker was confident, and completely enraged.

Meaning his assault would be soon, and would likely be furious. Worse still, he had seen my ace in the hole, yet he was still just as sure of his victory. So he either had a counter to my rock crocodile, or his power was greater than my undead lizard.

Redoubling my efforts on hunting living prey, as well as nasty plants of all varieties, I soon found a great bounty of both. So I began piling one near my roots while the other was positioned near the pool at the center of my grove. Within a few minutes I had managed to gather a good amount of new servants, and a veritable mountain of cruel surprises.

The arrowheart mushrooms made up the bulk of my meaner attacks but I also found a good number of rodents. Normally I would be a little annoyed at the fact that I didn't find anything as big as even a fox but that didn't matter right now. These little critters werent going to hunt, or do anything other than carry their lethal payload before dying a second time, only this time in service to me.

This felt a little morally dubious, but they were already dead so it wasn't like I was forcing someone to become a kamikaze pilot. I also managed to catch a few birds, which I made sure to raise away from me so that they may keep their wings. They werent numerous but I planned on using these new additions in a similar way as their ground bound allies.

Beaks covered in the sap of a manchin tree and bellies filled with toxic mushrooms, they would be potent attackers. I didn't rest on my laurels however, and covered every last one of my furry servants in a mix of unpleasant concoctions. I also got my deer skull preparing a potent spell, though that would take a considerable amount of time before it was ready.

I was drawn from my musings by another ping, this one coming from my insects who had found something interesting. Refocusing my main attention on the largest amongst the beetle swarm, I looked down on what seemed to be a giant pile of rocks. That didn't quite fully encapsulate what I was seeing, but that was at least my first impression of the place.

This was due to the fact that it was less a mountain, more like a million large boulders piled together. Like a giant cairn built by creatures of legend, this mountain stood tall over the mostly greenish brown landscape of the forest. It was also a good distance away from my current location and was just barely visible on the horizon if I used a bird.

No wonder I didn't see it, but shouldn't that be impossible? That mountain is quite tall. I thought to myself.

It should have been clearly visible for miles in all directions yet it was barely a speck from my current position. Looking at it for too long gave me a weird sense of vertigo however, and I chose to ignore that unpleasant aspect of it. Focusing instead on its general appearance and any sign of movement or habitation that was visible on or around it.

A quarter way up the gentler sloping eastside was a cave notable for its size and the fact that smoke was trickling out of it. This opening was large enough for a good sized city bus to pass through, and had numerous tracks running up to it. These looked to me like the kind of prints made by the wooden wolves, though at my current distance I couldn't be sure.

There were also a clumps of ruins both closer to the top of the mountain, and near the lake which brushed against the mountain’s western side. These were intriguing, and made me wonder if there were humans or other sapient creatures here but I ignored them for now. I had bigger concerns, and so I focused mostly on building up my forces while arming them with unpleasant tricks.

Yet I thirsted to know more about this mountain and my foe, so I urged the beetle further still. This resulted in an unpleasant tugging sensation, one which made me think I was pulling on a rubber band. Testing the limits of my control zone I was able to discover something interesting after a bit of experimentation.

Namely that as I pushed with the beetle, the rest of my zone retracted, as if adapting to my desires. This was acceptable though, as the cave was the only true lead I had discovered during my swarm’s searches. So I pulled everyone else back to my grove, and continued on with my rather intrepid beetle explorer.

This would take a few minutes though, so I shifted my attention back to my grove. Where I found that I had hunted pretty much every living thing I could even detect. Another pang of guilt shot up my side at this realization, and though it was ignored, I made a note to encourage a larger population of animals when I wasn't in danger. It couldn't undo all the lives I had taken, but it at least assuaged a bit of my guilt.

Then I heard it, the flap of wings, and the idle chatter of some sapient creatures nearby. Shifting once more to one of my avian servants, I observed that a pair of pegasi were patrolling the skies. Their pace was slightly slow, but was headed away from my current location, prompting an uncomfortable question to pop into my mind.

Should I contact them? I thought.

It was possible that they could render aid, but even if I spoke to them they likely wouldn't help me. I was after all, a necromantic tree who had mostly accidentally killed another sapient creature. The thought that they might be racist towards the dear and not care about my vile deed, was uncomfortably soothing, so I pushed it aside.

I didn't have time to grapple with morals at the moment, and chose instead to consider the possibility of recruiting allies. Only for this too to be dismissed as being so unlikely that it may as well be impossible for all the good it would do me. For one I could barely understand them, and worse still I couldn't speak the language, at least the bird couldnt.

The deer skull might be able to catch up, but a glowing skeletal head likely wouldn't endear myself to them. So, with some reluctance, I pushed the pair of golden armored pegasi from my mind and went back to preparing my defences.

Starting with digging a trench in a rough half circle in front of me and ending on either side near the rock wall. This I lined with spikes salvaged from my pit traps, which had already been deftly avoided by my attacker once. Which meant I would need a new trap, one that may be hastily constructed but would hopefully be altogether more effective.

This ditch was easily dug by my rock covered crocodile using its plough of a head which it used to toss aside dirt. Such disturbance likely would have earned me the ire of my fellow trees on a good day, but I sensed a sort of agreement amongst them. From the smallest bush to the largest oak, they shared my unease, and passively agreed with my choice to disturb the earth.

I didn't dig up any saplings however, nor did I trample any living thing, merely transplanting what I couldn't avoid. The job was a bit slapdash, but I was pressed for time and didn't exactly care to make it anything but effective.

I did this by raising the side of the ditch which was further from me and lowering the side closer to me. I then angled the spikes outwards, so if someone came charging over the hill they would find themselves falling face first into a spike. I didn't have enough remaining poisonous plants or fungi to cover all of the impromptu spears. So I used what I had left on the ones which lay on the path the lead wolf used last time.

Though my foe was intelligent enough to use magic, they were evidently quite passionate, and probably wouldn't think things through. Or at least that's what my hope was anyway, otherwise my ditch and spikes werent going to be very effective. Either way I got that done and began digging out a hiding spot at the bottom of the pond when I felt another ping.

It was the beetle again, he had reached the mountain, and was about to enter its halls.

Once more I shifted my focus, and once more I felt the slight strain of vertigo as my full attention was centered on a single point. I immediately found myself within an entrance half of some kind, though it hadn't been properly maintained in many years. The corners were home to dust and cobwebs, while the floor had a fine layer of sediment covering it.

It had clearly seen better days, for at one point it had likely been brightly lit and quite welcoming. Now however, it was a vast, dark tunnel leading into the mountain, its tall ceiling creating a mass of shadow that were nearly impenetrable. Statues stood sentinel along the walls at regular intervals, or at least the shattered remnants of them did.

They were barely even recognizable as statues, as ninety percent of their features were destroyed. Leaving only the hooved or pawed feet of whatever historical figure that they had been modeled off of. I did notice that the majority of the statues sported only a single pair of hooves, or paws, though I did note a few quadrupedal hooved statues.

I could have likely figured out more about this lost civilization or people if I inspected the stone stands a little closer but I chose not to. Time was ticking away, and I needed to locate my foe quickly if I was going to be able to use any information I gathered. So I pushed on, urging my scout to pierce deeper into the tunnel system, its wings buzzing furiously.

As it flew, I inspected the ground and noted that there were plenty of prints made by the wooden wolves. There were also signs of something having been dragged down the tunnel, likely indicating that they had taken down a larger foe. There werent any other prints however, at least none that were fresh enough to make out anything significant.

My attention shifted as the tunnel widened slightly, only to narrow again further down, creating a bottleneck. It was at this point that I saw a large wall rise up in front of me, a destroyed gate house standing in its middle. Anchored on both sides of the tunnel, the fortification sported many arrow holes, and a few spots overlooking the ground, which could be used to deliver burning pitch.

It was a formidable defence, or at least it would be if its linch pin was not a pile of rubble. Which itself had barely been cleaned up, with only a small path having been cleared in its middle. There the prints were much easier to see given the large amount of crushed stone that littered the path.

Again I saw the evidence of numerous wooden wolves passing through the area, their prey sometimes dragged behind them. There was also no other sign of another creature joining the wolves during any of their hunts. Only the comings and goings of the bark covered predators as they brought their prey back to a point somewhere beyond the walls.

I continued to follow them, though I was paying more attention to my surroundings this time around. I was almost immediately rewarded with emerging out into a much, much larger cavern that was unlike anything I had seen before.

Directly in front of me was a second set of walls, though these were almost completely knocked down. Whatever invading force that had attacked this place had left most of what I saw intact, with the exception being any defensive structures. Walls, barriers, and fortifcations had been pierced or toppled, allowing me to see the city beyond relatively easily.

And it was beautiful.

Even empty, and partially destroyed, I could tell that this place had once been home to a powerful civilization. Homes and buildings were constructed on the two towering sides of the cavern, several series of long staircases connecting them all. The ground was occupied mostly by defences, or a large fresh water lake that ran lengthwise down the open cave.

This strange, long body of water was fed by multiple waterfalls that originated from further in. Their source was ultimately a hole in the ceiling, from which poured a continuous torrent of fresh mountain runoff. Which was then carefully guided through many narrow passes occupied by hundreds of now inert, and broken waterwheels.

Before finally landing in the jagged green lake that ran most of the length of the cavern and effecitvely dividing the city in two parts. From there it was cut up into four levels, each one of which rose up above the other, creating an enormous staircase. That ended near the ceiling, where a large, partially damaged stone bridge connected the two sides.

On the left side of the bridge there was a small guard house that had been almost completely leveled. While on the other there was a relatively undamaged castle that sported the only sign of movement anywhere in the cavern. Peering a little closer I could see what looked like dozens of bat winged ponies crawling over its exterior.

They werent alone however, as twice as many wooden wolves were corralling them back into the central keep. There they were sequestered away from my prying eyes, disappearing so quickly that I couldn't figure out much about them. They looked thin though, and wore only ratty clothing or literal rags which dangled over their privates, saving their modesty only slightly.

With the workforce now locked away, I expected to see a great swarm of wooden wolves emerge from the castle. That however, didn't happen, rather a single creature nearly ten times the size of the other predators made its presence known. Immediately I was beset with terror, as I watched a great black dragon sprint across the bridge and run in my direction.

Its wings were enormous, but were so ragged and tattered that they obviously wouldn't be capable of generating lift. That didn't bother the great beast however, as it was quite fast, and was making disturbingly good time. Its long, leaping gait may have looked a little odd to most, but it was quite effective in carrying its enormous bulk.

Focusing a little closer, I inspected the creature as best as I was able to while it traveled down to my level.

It was the length of most buildings, and was likely as long as an entire city bus, without even counting its tail. Its wings were three times its size, but had very little flesh connecting the bony parts of the appendages, giving him an almost skeletal appearance. Though intimidating, he was definitely not undead, as I could see his chest expanding and contracting as he ran towards me.

His great chest filled with air, stretching the thick grey plates that covered his belly, and the majority of his underside. The upper half of him was protected by onyx black scales that were each large enough to serve as the breastplate for a human warrior. These scales were smaller around his four, three toed legs, the less visible scales blending together like chainmail.

His head was perhaps the most unusual part of his anatomy however, as his long, narrow skull sported two horns. These resembled that of a bull’s almost, as they stuck out a few feet before curving forward and extending past the end of his mouth. Which was predictably filled with daggerlike teeth, though I noticed that he was missing several of his pearly whites.

That wasn't the only thing he lacked however, as one of his eyes was a milky white and sported a deep scar running over its middle. The frill running down the majority of his long, almost serpentine neck was similarly damaged, as were some of his scales. Everywhere I looked I saw numerous discolored sections that had likely regrown imperfectly after he had recovered form some battle.

I couldn't speculate for long however, as he began to near my location, thus allowing me to see more of his features. Namely his bright yellow and slightly glowing eyes that burned with naked contempt. His thin, slitlike nostrils snorted, causing twin clouds of green gas to shoot out of them like a pair of exhaust ports.

All in all he resembled the black dragons of legend, his body long, and a mix of both serpent as well as lizard. His wings were connected to his body on the back, directly above his foremost legs, and his tail sported a single bone like spear tip at its end. He was also quite heavy, as I could hear the echoing thump of his passage long before he reached my beetle’s location.

So enthralled by his appearance was I that I didn't even think to retract my beetle until it was too late. The dragon had noticed my scout, and with a snort, unleashed what looked like a blast of acidic smog. My theory was tested a second later when my buggy servant was dissolved and my connection severed.

Great, acid. Just what I needed. I thought to myself. How am I going to counter that?

I didn't have an answer, so I did the only thing I could do, prepare for the worst.

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