Battle of the trees

"Mouse, we're set up at the beach ready... They should be here sometime soon." Mouse nodded, smiling at the firewarrior and signing at him. "Agree... Looking forward to a fight with the unit, and to see you in action once again."

"I'm hoping this battle will make my blood boil." Mouse smiled and drew his short swords admiring them in the moonlight. "Harnio did a great job with them, didn't he?" He nodded at the firewarrior and looked over the fire eater unit.

"BOOOMM!" Mouse felt the ground shaking and looked towards the south. "It sounds like Drummen is working hard... We can't let him down, and lose the beach." He smiled and jumped up into the trees. "This is it warriors... We don't lose this beach, and nothing hits the city walls without it being dead. Show Mouse what it means to be a fire eater. He's not here to clean up our mess... Turn them all into ash!"

"Sir. Yes, sir!"

Mouse nodded and put his hand on the branch of a tree and closed his eyes. He smiled, as he felt the taint slowly approaching from the beach and the nearby islands. He opened his eyes patting the branch of the tree and landed in front of the firewarrior signing. "Good... They're coming over air and swimming from the islands. Be ready to fight... Snipers no flying beast lives past this night."

Mouse looked up and jumped out of the way as a green fireball landed on the beach where the firewarrior and he was standing. "We're in their range... Attack when you can... Kill when you can... Defend when you can."

"Sir. Yes, sir!"

Mouse looked at the leaves in his hands, and looked at the flying trolaiths. He started to throw the leaves hitting the closer beasts causing them to fall into the sea dead. He watched as their green blood started to wash ashore. He jumped and landed on a beasts slashing its wings with his swords before jumping to another. He smiled as he jumped from beast to beast killing, watching them fall into the sea dead.

"Focus." Mouse nodded and jumped into the air as a green fireball flew through the air where he was. He smiled. "Thanks Tofana..."

"I just want you in one piece... Don't be stupid." Mouse nodded, and continued killing the flying trolaiths before landing on the beach killing the beasts that swum across.

"Leave some for us Mouse... You're making my unit look useless." Mouse looked at the firewarrior as he sliced through a small group of them with his fiery long sword. He turned and looked at the trees, signing to the firewarrior. "Understood... You take care of those ones... We'll be right here. Send a signal if you need some help." Mouse shook his head and placed his hand on a nearby tree.

"Hello pulsating object... It has been some time."

"It has indeed sapling... I see you're busy with those tainted ones." Mouse nodded yes. "I'm talking with the trees, to see if they want to help bring their numbers down."

"I think the trees would like that very much... Just ask them... They're willing as always." Mouse smiled and looked at the object. "Thank you for what you did to me."

"You're welcome sapling... Grow stronger, and become a powerhouse for us." He nodded. "Don't worry about that... I will."

"Mouse duck!" He opened his eyes and ducked as a green blade landed in the trunk of the tree he was just touching. He turned and looked at the trolaith standing in front of him, looking at the new blade growing out of their arm. He shook his head and ran at it stabbing it in the head and body with his short swords.

"Mouse... These ones are doing hit and run from the forest... Deal with them!"

Mouse nodded and jumped into the forest running around before stopping and staring at a group of them looking at him. He smiled and jumped at them, as they tried to surround him. He spun out of the way as thrown daggers and swords kept trying to hit him. He jumped and landed on a trolaith's sword staring at the trolaith in the eyes.

"Kill it... We must eat this one... Become stronger... Eat him." Mouse frowned, shook his head and waved his finger at the trolaith. He jumped backwards and threw leaves at the trolaith causing them to fall onto the ground dead. He looked around.

"They're growing stronger... Take the energy in the area, and be even stronger than they are." Mouse nodded. "A good idea as ever Tofana."

"Sapling, you need to get stronger to beat these tainted..." Mouse nodded and closed his eyes opening his hands and jumping into the air. He felt the energy entering his body as it popped and cracked. He smiled as it filled his body with warmth and joy. "Such pure energy..."

"Your world here is very pure Mouse... You also have me protecting it from that thing." He smiled and kissed her on her forehead and lips." He opened his eyes and landed on the ground silently staring at the troaiths. "Attack... Eat him... Master wants his body... Eat and learn..."

Mouse sighed without sound and waved his hand as a tree behind him sent thousands of leaves shredding the troliaths into nothingness. He turned and looked at the tree with only a single leaf on its branches smiling. He patted it while signing. "You did well... You're fighting for this land to be free of this taint... Be strong, and never stop fighting." He took a step back from it, and watched as new leaves started to grow all over it. He looked at the leaves carefully, before signing. "They look sharp... I hope they kill many tainted ones."

He looked around at the trees surprised as all their leaves were also changing. He closed his eyes entering his world. "It seems you all want to fight... Than lets fight together." He opened them signing at the trees. "Where are they?" He watched as the branches moved revealing a path. He could feel the taint coming from the direction and ran as fast as he could.

He stopped running and looked at the group of dead troliaths surrounded by tree roots and their bodies covered in sharp leaves. He looked at the trees smiling, and signing. "You've done well... Never stop protecting this place from the tainted ones... This shall be a place known by all as the untainted forest."

He saw the trees move and shake in joy. He looked around, trying to feel any taint. He opened his eyes, and looked back towards the beach. He ran towards the beach jumping onto a branch, and being pushed through the air at high speed.

"Thud."

He looked around the beach and jumped off the trolaiths he had just killed before looking at the pile of dead beasts in front of the fire warrior and his unit. "Mouse good timing... The beach is now free of those beasts, what about your end?" Mouse smiled and signed at him. "That's a relief... We should go and check on the others." Mouse nodded.

"BOOOOOMMMM!"

Mouse felt the ground shaking and looked to the south. "Hahaha... Drummen must of had enough if he caused the ground to shake that much... We should go meet up with Star and Harnio..." Mouse nodded and walked through the forest with the fire eater unit in silence.

"Hey Mouse, these trees look different... Even their leaves seem to be different... What happened in here?" Mouse shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe the trees have decided to fight back against them as well." He stopped and turned around, looking at the forest as a sense of taint faded from his senses. He smiled as he past a tree patting it on its trunk. "Good work..."

"Mouse..." He looked at the firewarrior. "We're almost at where Harnio and Star are... There doesn't seem to be any trouble here." Mouse looked around nodding. "I don't sense any of them around here. They should be safe."

He looked up and pointed, at Harnio and Star floating above them. "They must of taken care of all of them..." He watched as they floated down onto the ground. He smiled at Harnio. "Mouse... I bet you did well defending your area." He smiled and nodded. He pointed at the both of them. "We also had some fun... They seemed to have focused their forces in the south... Cliffhopper went to meet up with Drummen... Hope they're fine over there." Mouse looked to the south of the city and nodded. He ran and left the others behind rushing towards the south. He stopped and looked at the empty clearing with countless bodies of trolraiths and drones. He watched as he saw Drummen and Cliffhopper talking.

"You saw her again brother? You mean she did all this?"

"No... It was her brother... I did some of this, but the both of them took them all out..."

"Her brother... What did he say to you?"

"He said welcome to the family, and called me brother in law..."

"Hahahahaha... really?"

Mouse shook his head and walked up to them smiling with his thumb up. He turned and saw the others catch up to them. "Monk... You wiped them all out?"

"Something like that... How about you all. Are your areas safe?"

"We defended our points well... The city is safe."

Mouse saw Drummen let out a long breath. "They're safe... We should fix the port so that it can be used again... Did we find any tunnels on the island?"

"No brother... There isn't anything else on this island. just this place."

"Good work all of you... We need to free the other cities that have been taken... We need to set this place back to the way it was, and than we can move on." Mouse nodded and signed at the firewarrior. "He said, the people should be allowed out, since the city is now safe..."

"Yes... Lets go set those people free, and let them live their lives now."

Mouse followed the group to the house and watched as Harnio removed the wall of wind, watching as the people came out looking around their city. "The city is now safe... We'll be fixing the docks for you, and this wall will keep you safe from any future attack... What you do with this free city is your choice as it is a free city and yours to look after."

"Thank you warriors... You've kept us safe from the attack... How will you fix the docks?"

"Leave that to my brother and I... We'll make it better than it was before." He turned and looked at the brothers giving them a thumbs up. "Mouse... come with me... I want to show you something amazing that has happened." He turned and looked at the firewarrior signing. "He said... The forests will keep you safe, as long as you look after them, no evil beast will take over this place."

"Thank you all... We must celebrate."

"Mouse are you coming?" Mouse nodded and followed Harnio up onto the wall as they looked over the sea watching the sun start to rise. "We fought all night... See what we have done to protect this place." Mouse looked at the dock, watching the brothers start working on re building it. He looked in the distance smiling as a sail appeared on the horizon. "It's the Princess. It's going to come and dock here... We'll be moving to the next place soon... I just wanted to make sure you saw all the hard work we did here."

Mouse nodded and smiled enjoying the morning sun. He stretched his arms and looked at his hands. "It's all for you Tofana... All for you."

"Sweet mouth... Has the monk been teaching you how to talk to woman?" Mouse shook his head and held her close to him. "Just my heart has been teaching me."

"I'm glad your little brother works in this place, I didn't know it wasn't able to work since you lost your legs." Mouse smiled. "You don't have to worry about that. I'll be strong enough one day to make it work again, and than we can fix Athlos together."