Jack, Reina, and Rune hovered before the gate to the Trentree Sanctuary. The swirling spatial crack kept rotating with a silent power.
Jack felt no threat. Only a tempting, adventurous invitation to enter a secret space. He gave Reina a reassuring squeeze. Then guided them both forward. The moment they touched the shimmering vortex, it swallowed them whole. Rune followed them immediately.
There was no jarring transition. No sensation of being ripped through space. Instead, this time, it was like stepping through a veil. The crushing pressure of the deep vanished. The cold, dark water dissolved. They emerged into an entirely different environment.
It was a garden.
Not an underwater garden. But a normal, terrestrial one. One which was bathed in a soft, ethereal light that seemed to emanate from nowhere in particular.
Jack immediately canceled his [Voldyanoi Shapeshift]. Returning back to his human form.
He looked around. Giant, unfamiliar trees with broad, fan-like leaves were spiraling upwards. Forming a canopy. Their bark was a mesmerizing pattern of dark brown and deep green.
Lush, exotic flora covered the ground. Exuding vivid vibrancy of life. Their petals unfurled in a great variety of colors.
Jack took a deep breath. The air was warm and humid. And it was filled with the smell of wet earth and floral blossoms. A gentle breeze rustled through the thick foliage. Creating a soothing whisper.
It was a pocket realm. A sanctuary indeed. A remnant preserved from the cataclysm that had devoured its homeland.
Following Jack's action, Reina deactivated her [Underwater Breathing] spell and fog protection. She looked around in awe. Similar to what Jack was doing.
Rune glowed a soft, curious orange. Zipping around them. Exploring the strange new environment.
"Remarkable." Reina whispered. Her voice carried a note of wonder. "This is... entirely untouched."
As they took in the serene beauty of the sanctuary, a shimmering figure materialized in the very center of the garden. It was very similar to a holographic projection. Translucent and shimmering with light. Depicting a young man.
He was tall and lean. And clad in an impossibly intricate set of bone armor. So intricate that it seemed to be an extension of his very being., not merely worn. The man's face was stern. Yet, his eyes were ancient and wise... despite his youthful appearance.
The projection spoke in Elder Trentree language. His voice was resonating with an otherworldly echo, yet it was still clear and strong. "Greeting, Strangers. You have successfully navigated the lost path to the Trentree Sanctuary. I am Bonebrother."
Jack and Reina exchanged a glance. Bonebrother? The name resonated deep within their arcane knowledge.
"Bonebrother?" Jack asked curiously. "The God of Defense of the Nagaean Pantheon?"
Reina's eyes widened in recognition. "So, you were the 'stranger in bone armor'? We've found a cave drawings scribbled by a Trentree survivor. You are the one who helped the Trentree people, then destroyed their island in righteous fury after their king killed your sister."
The holographic projection of Bonebrother remained impassive. "I am indeed Bonebrother. But I'm just a sliver of his consciousness. Left behind to maintain this Sanctuary. And the tale you speak of is too simplified. Although, it is not exactly wrong."
He continued. "In both of you, I could sense small saplings of power from Cloudfather and Webmother." He looked at Jack. "And in you, I felt a trace of Rainsister's aura."
"We did pass some of the inheritance trials of Webmother and CLoudfather in Tideless Island." Jack affirmed. "And I did meet Rainsister several times. Is this the site for your inheritance trial?"
"So, she still stays in this world when everyone else has departed?" Bonebrother's projection mumbled. "That girl..."
He quickly went back to Jack's question and looked straight at him. "No. This realm, unfortunately, is not an inheritance trial. It is a sanctuary. It is also... a training ground."
He paused. A subtle shift in the shimmering light that composed him. "I established this sanctuary, and its power, to prepare worthy warriors. Here, I waits for those fated enough to find this place."
He continued. "And I set a training course they need to pass... to possess the strength, skill, and resolve to stand against the insidious threat of otherworld calamities. The Trentree tragedy was but a precursor, a glimpse of the greater danger that might consume this world in the future."
Jack listened, his expression intrigued. A training site. Not a simple treasure, but it was something far more valuable.
"Are we the first one to enter this place?" Reina asked. The entrance to this place was too troublesome to find.
"No. You re the seventh and eighth." Bonebrother replied calmly.
Jack and Reina exchanged a glance again. They were not the first? Six other people discovered the place? That was an intriguing fact. But not that hard to believe.
The cave with the Trentree survivor's drawing wasn't hard to find. Even if ones didn't find the hidden stone steel that enabled them to understand the language, they should still be able to guess the map in the final piece of wall drawing.
"So, what is the training?" Jack asked.
"I will send you to the memory realm where I battled the otherworld monsters along with the Trentree warriors." Bonebrother said. "You need to survive there until the monster king was defeated. Whenever both of you die, the next day, you need to redo the training from the beginning."
"Otherworld monsters, you say?" Jack mused. A glint was in his eye. "Sounds like my kind of problem. Or rather, my kind of target practice."
He was always up for a challenge. Especially when it involved taking down dangerous creatures and not risking his life. The fighting experience itself would be a great reward for this.
Reina also weighed the situation. A god's training ground, designed to combat existential threats? The knowledge and the experience that could be gained here could be invaluable for their future adventures.
Both of them looked at each other once more.
"So, are you willing to enter the training practice?" The projection of Bonebrother asked in serious manner.
"We are." Jack replied. "Let's do the training, Bonebrother. We will face and defeat this challenge."
Bonebrother's projection seemed to nod. A subtle shimmer rippling through his form. "Excellent. Your willingness is commended. Prepare yourselves. You won't die for real, but death will still hurt... a lot."
Before Jack or Reina could respond, the garden around them shimmered. Distorted. The exotic flora, the giant trees, the soft light... All dissolved like smoke. The soft, fertile ground beneath their feet ceased to exist. In an instant, they were no longer in a peaceful sanctuary.
They were in a wild battle zone.
The air was thick with the tang of rage and fear. The ground was the hard, churned earth. Littered with broken bodies and destroyed trees.
Around them, ancient Trentree people screamed and fought. They were very tall and had unnaturally long limbs. Clad in simple hides. And armed with glowing wooden maces and rods. Their crimson eyes were glowing and blazing like raging flames.
Opposing them were horrors born of nightmares... hulking, contorted tree monsters. Their bodies were gnarled masses of wood and thorny vines. Their roots were like grasping claws. And their gaping maws filled with splintered fangs.
The tree monsters roared. It was a deafening sound. Shattering the air with its volume. They moved in a very clumsy manner. Yet devastating. Each swing of a branch-like limb was capable of crushing bone and splintering flesh.
Jack instinctively drew steamrune shotgun. Reina did the same with her twin steamrune handguns.
Rune now glowed fiery red color. She zipped aggressively around Jack. Threat came from almost every direction.
Jack aimed his steamrune shotgun. And blast it against the gnarled trunk of a charging tree monster. BANG!
Pieces of shattered wood exploded all over. The creature shuddered. Its thorny branches whipped wildly before collapsing.
"Left!" Jack heard Reina yelled.
He instinctively pivoted. A vine-laden monstrosity charged at him from that direction. Jack aimed his shotgun and pulled the trigger. Blasting the monster. But this one didn't collapse. It was tougher than the previous one.
Jack was ready to follow with another attack. But Reina was already there. Her twin handguns spat fire. Twin streams of lead tore through the woody hide of the creature.
It emitted a sound like grinding timber. And extended a thick, root-like limb.
Reina flickered. A short-range teleport blurred her out of harm's way. The limb smashed into the churned earth where she had stood moments before. Leaving a crater.
Rune was a fiery red blur. She zipped around the monster's face. And a quick laser shot from Rune's core struck one eye. Burning a shallow divot.
The monster thrashed. Momentarily distracted. Allowing Reina to land a series of precision shots at its core. It staggered. Then crumbled. iIs branches snapped like dry twigs.
Jack looked around. This was a nightmare. Not a honorable fight.
The Trentree warriors fought with savage grace. Their glowing maces and rods crashed against woody flesh. They were powerful and skilled. But for every monster they felled, two more seemed to rise from the ravaged earth.
Jack switched his steamrune shotgun to flamethrower mode. A gout of searing white fire erupted. Washing over a cluster of smaller, scuttling tree horrors.
They shrieked. A high-pitched, woody screech. And withered into smoking ash. The heat was immense. Baking the already dry air.
"Too many of them!" Reina yelled. Her voice was strained.
She manifested a shimmering illusion of herself. Drawing the attention of a hulking, four-legged tree-beast. Its massive head was a knot of hardened wood. And it slammed into the illusion. Dissipating it harmlessly.
While it was occupied, Reina sheathed her twin handguns and took out her grimoire quickly. She unleashed a volley of [Mind Piercing Missiles]
Bolts of energy tore through the beast head. Causing it to convulse. Its head wasn't damaged. But it staggered as if struck by an invisible hammer. Its movements became sluggish for a moment.
On the other side, Jack tossed a [Fire Elemental Grenade] from his [Spatial Belt]. It detonated in a burst of scorching flame. Engulfing three more monsters. Their roars turned to gurgles as they burned.
And then, his battle sense warned him. It made him whirled and switched his steamrune shotgun quickly with his rarely used [Nightmare Mace]. A smaller, but incredibly agile, tree-creature sprang at him. Full of sharp thorns and snapping vines.
Jack met it mid-air. The mace was crackling with dark energy, slammed into its body. The creature exploded into splinters. A faint wisp of black smoke rising from the impact point.
The battlefield was a swirling chaos of wood and blood and fire.
Jack found himself surrounded. He immediately activated his [Chains of Vengeance] bracers. Black, blazing chains erupted from his wrists. Whipping out with incredible speed.
They wrapped around a pair of charging monsters. Binding them. He yanked. Pulling them together. Swinging them like toys. And then slammed them to other monsters. Sending them crashing all over.
Reina came close to Jack and materialized a dense fog of concealment around them. The swirling grey obscured vision. Giving them a momentary reprieve. She used the cover to unleash a [Lightning Strike] spell.
A crackling bolt of pure electricity arced. Striking a monstrous tree beast that was about to crush a Trentree warrior. BOOM!
The tree beast spasmed. Its gnarled limbs locked up. Its woody body were vibrating violently before it toppled over.
"This is getting worse, Dear!" Reina called out. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps.
The fog was thinning. Torn apart by the sheer force of the monsters' movements.