Headed by a Snake

⟬ The Heart of the Tree God's Forest. ⟭

Coraline steadied her heart as she spoke the words of the final incantation.

The circular stone tablets began rotating, their edges ground past each other... and they locked into place with a satisfying, if dust-filled, clunk.

With that, all the gems were set in their proper positions.

In the event that the logic puzzle had no reset switch, Coraline had even checked her notes a dozen times.

The answer she'd determined... had to be correct!

...Therefore the door should open.

That's... that's how riddles worked.

"...Stars and stones! Open up, dang it!" She shouted.

Coraline pounded on the stone with her fists.

...As that made zero noise, she went back to yelling, "Come onNNNnn!!!"

⊰ listen ⊱

Coraline stopped, heeding her familiar's warning... and her ears twitched when she sensed a low, rising thrum from her surroundings.

Slowly but surely, the six-pointed gate began to open inward.

Fearing the sentience behind the stone gate would change its mind, she meeped a quick 'thank you!' and squeezed through.

She was glad she did. As soon as she and Beatrice made it inside, the rotating door rolled shut behind them.

"Well... this most certainly qualifies as an adventure," She sighed. "I sure hope everyone else got through their challenges. I know Sir Tycon can probably handle the riddles, but the others are probably still stuck on 'speak friend and enter.'

Coraline stretched her body and rubbed on her sore calves.

When everything was finished... when she finally fixed her stupid boyfriend... she hoped she wouldn't get tired of the life. It was something she always wanted-- to go adventuring with Lone... for as long as they could.

She made her way deeper into the tunnels, having to climb roots thicker than she was or lie flat and crawl through holes, squishing the foamy earth with her elbows.

Finally, Coraline found herself in what was probably the largest underground cavern.

Though, if she was being honest with herself, it looked like a Boss Room.

There were thousands of drawings etched into the stone and colored with magic, sprawled even at the tops of the walls.

...But if there was anything Coraline had, it was time.

Cracking her knuckles, she took out her notepad. Even if the Tree God didn't exist, she had the next best thing: his arsenal of secrets.

...That is, if the whole room wasn't yet another riddle.

"Beatrice, light please."

⊰ burn? ⊱

Coraline's eyes shot open, glancing at the thin and thick roots sticking out of the ceiling and walls. There was a lot of dry, burnable material in the area.

"Oh, no. Noooo~," She flailed her arms, shaking her head. "Not here, you. I'm a liiiiittle resistant to burns, Beatrice, but if the whole place goes up in flames then your poor summoner will be toast!"

⊰ like toast ⊱

"I know you do, babe," Coraline sighed... "We'll ask Sir Tycon to bake some bread, next time we see him."

With the walls better illuminated, she wandered for a short while until she found a particularly interesting column of images.

"That's... a dragon, it looks like. And... it's fighting all these other people."

One particular image looked like it was an elf-- their ears were extra ridiculous, though.

...but it was the only figure that held two white swords.

"Are these supposed to be... gods?" She furrowed her brows, "But where is the Tree God?"

The low groan of bending wood, creaked from beside her.

Coraline looked up and to the side... "Tree God?"

Standing beside her was a burly tree-person about as tall as Ellie. He stroked a beard of green and yellow leaves streaming down his chin as he spoke, his voice as rumbly as the earth quaking beneath her feet.

"I... am Root."

Coraline gulped. Root was... somewhat appropriate. He looked like he could have been a normal-sized person-- but instead of armor, he was wrapped up in dozens of thick root-like tendrils.

That is... he didn't look like he had any weak points that she could stick a tap into.

...Maybe the eyes?

"You're smaller than I thought you'd be," Coraline tilted her head.

She placed her hands behind her back... quietly unsheathing the secret weapon she'd ordered with Tycon's help.

It was an expensive dagger, its only identifiable quality that it was made of Arcanite. However, hidden in its design was a highly illegal function.

It was a weapon utilized by Blood Mages for nefarious purposes. The center of the blade was hollow... and it had a mechanism that drew blood, holding it within a chamber in its hilt. However, that made it perfect for forcefully attaining the Tree God's sap-- in the case that he didn't want to be so forthcoming.

Granted... stabbing a literal god was probably the stupidest plan Coraline had ever come up with.

"Small?" Root chuckled, "Oho? You wound me, child... But 'tis true... This form is... but a small vestige of my power. My true form is elsewhere in my forest... locked... in battle with a powerful foe."

Coraline nodded in understanding.

Then she realized that she was relatively alone in a dark cave, standing next to an unknown man with hard-as-bark abdominal muscles.

...She leapt back, stumbling on the uneven ground, "S-stay back! I know martial arts!"

Sir Tycon and Captain Krysaos taught her a basic fighting stance, some strikes, and a shoulder throw. It wasn't really enough to defend herself if she were really in trouble... but it sounded good if she yelled it like that!

The tree-person ignored her, walking forward and placing a hand of gnarled bark on the wall.

"I have always enjoyed... drawing, especially in this... smaller form."

He spoke in a low voice and measured tone-- but thankfully faster than trees usually speak, "The younger bloodlines... live... and die so quickly. In recording fleeting moments of my life... their lives... My understanding of... mortal-kind has... grown."

"But this painting-- this is of... a dragon war?" Coraline asked, "You mean-- that actually happened? There's... no written record of it, anywhere!"

"Yet you know of it still," Root crinkled his nose, ruffling his long beard, "Your blood... still remembers."

He sighed, placing his hands in front of his naked, wooden waist.

There wasn't anything down there... which was a great relief to Coraline. She'd have been appalled if the first thing she ever saw didn't belong to her boyfriend.

However, her face grew red-hot when she realized she was thinking about the Tree God's thing.

Was this cheating? No. Couldn't be. Loyalty loyalty loyalty!