Logan scanned the area, counting a total of twenty-three ents. They stood motionless, like statues deep in meditation, their stillness making each movement or sound feel perilous without careful thought. His shield might protect him from the overwelming mana, but it would do little against a direct impact.
Frustration bubbled within Logan—why had he agreed to come with the crazy guardian? Especially one as unpredictable and carefree as that damn ferret.
He began cycling through his skills, hoping for a solution, and his thoughts landed on an idea involving his new creature's abilities. Logan activated Camouflage Cloak, a skill borrowed from the Crystal Chameleon, allowing him to blend seamlessly into his surroundings. He silently thanked his luck for crossing paths with such a useful monster before this moment.
His gaze returned to the ents—he needed the strongest one, the largest of the group. Cautiously, he moved closer to inspect each individually, using Predator's Grace, another of the chameleon's gifts, which let him navigate dense terrain as gracefully as the chameleon. It felt as though pads had formed on his feet, allowing him to glide silently across the forest floor. Still, Logan knew better than to rely solely on the skill; he matched its finesse with his own precision.
To aid his search, he activated Predatory Eyesight, a skill inherited from one of his feline beasts, enhancing his night vision and sharpening his focus.
Using both skills, Logan moved carefully, mentally sizing up each creature as he passed them. Up close, he noticed peculiar details: each ent seemed to have an attempt at a face carved into the front of its trunk, just beneath the canopy of foliage. The features were etched roughly into the bark, their crude appearance far from the elegant aesthetic Logan had imagined.
Their massive hands resembled clubs, with some sporting claw-like extensions at the tips—sharp branches that added a menacing edge to their forms. It became clear that not all the ents were of the same kind. Variations in bark texture, foliage patterns, and even coloration were noticeable as he examined them further.
Their feet, rooted firmly to the ground, gripped the forest floor with roots that extended a few inches below the surface. It gave the impression that each creature was slightly anchored to its surroundings. Size-wise, the ents varied significantly. The tallest stood around four or five meters high, towering above the rest. However, most were more modest in stature, ranging between two and three meters tall.
Upon closer inspection, Logan realized the biggest and tallest ents were beginning to rot. Bringing them onto a battlefield in such a fragile state would only spell trouble. Though the issue might be resolved through evolutionary correction, he knew that if he could take only one, it would be wiser to choose a mid-sized ent with greater utility.
In the end, he settled on three potential candidates. Fortunately, they were grouped together, their positions made clear by the ents' arrangement by size. It was a stroke of luck that saved Logan considerable effort.
[Now, how to tame them without alerting the others…] he thought, warily eyeing the surrounding ents.
[I doubt I can manage this while twenty or so try to kill me…] The risk of causing a disturbance made him think twice about what he was going to do.
Logan quickly dispelled any notion of employing his poisons or paralysis spells. The world tree's retaliation was not something he wanted to provoke.
The boy finally decided on which ent he would tame, his gaze settled on the middle tree of the three he'd selected. Unlike the others, this one bore fruit in its foliage, making it an especially appealing choice. The fruit that looked like lemons or green oranges stood out amidst the rough bark and dense leaves, hinting at potential uses that the other ents lacked.
Logan needed a diversion. He scrolled through his extensive skill list, flipping through what felt like twenty or thirty pages of abilities his creatures had passed on to him, until he found the one he needed.
Lowering himself to the ground, he placed a hand on the forest floor and began casting Shadow Minions—a spell from Regal, his dark elemental spider. Darkness mana surged around him as he hurriedly summoned hundreds of small, skittering spiders. Logan was acutely aware that the sudden shift in mana would alert the ents, so he worked quickly.
The tiny black critters scattered across the clearing, each targeting a different ent. With precision, they sank their fangs into their targets, attempting to use a weak poison on them.
The ents did not take kindly to the invasion. As the swarm of spiders crawled over their legs, the ents reacted with visible agitation. The critters darted away in all directions, dispersing into the shadows. To further lead the ents astray, the spiders began casting Darkness Pulse—small bursts of energy, just enough to catch their attention and lure them into following.
Logan stood perfectly still, biding his time and waiting for the right moment to catch the ent he had chosen off guard. Around him, the air was thick with dust, and the ground trembled with loud thuds as the other ents stomped furiously, attempting to crush the tiny black spiders scurrying at their feet.
Logan had used Regal's spider webs—undetectable and precise—to catch the large tree off guard. All he needed now was to charm it with his array of skills before the others noticed his presence.
He decided to rely on a familiar spell: Rubina's magic, a skill designed to charm the creature. But as the enchantment took hold, the tree's bark remained stoic and expressionless, seemingly unaffected by the spell. Logan clicked his tongue in frustration. [So much for plan A.]
Without hesitation, he moved to plan B. Just as he prepared to rush forward, a shadow loomed above him. A massive fist came crashing down, striking with terrifying force.
Logan's body splattered into a bloody mess, the ent before him moved faster then he had expected.