As soon as I could control my body, I started testing out how it felt to move around as a Treant. My rough skin didn’t affect my movement like I thought it would, but I still felt somewhat sluggish. I attributed that to being a low-leveled character in an MMO. I was about to start looking for a stat screen when an entirely different menu appeared in front of me.

New Quest Obtained – Escape!

A newborn Treant is far from safe in demonic territory. Many dangers wander the area, and it’s a long way to safety. However, as you sit, pondering your options, you feel a pull at your very core. When you look down, you don’t see anything at first. Slowly, like your eyes adjusting to the dim lighting, you see a trail of green life energy leading off into the distance. Somehow you know that following this trail will lead you to safety.

Quest Objectives

-Follow the trail to see where it leads.

-Avoid alerting enemy patrols.

-Quest failed upon death.

As I read the quest information the glowing green trail it described appeared in front of me. It twisted and turned seemingly at random, but the direction I was supposed to go was clear. As I got ready to start moving, I heard noises close by. Crackling leaves, breaking twigs, and voices speaking a language I couldn’t understand made it clear that I should make myself scarce. Looking around in a panic, I found a small alcove to hide in, surrounded by large roots. Just after I managed to hide, a pair of demons rounded the corner, oblivious to their surroundings. Ignoring the unintelligible sounds coming from their mouths, I watched them pass by.

Devil – Level 10 Succubus – Level 10

The Devil look pretty much identical to the default Demon I looked at during character creation, with blackish red skin and two horns coming from his forehead. He wore some battered plate armor that didn’t look too special, but it would definitely protect him more than my bare bark. The Succubus had a brighter red skin tone and dark red wings folded against her back. I was grateful her black leather armor covered more than her kind usually did in media, but I was less grateful looking at their levels. The game wasn’t kidding when it called Hell mode a challenge! Why were there level 10 monsters right next to where I spawned? I slowly pulled back deeper into the alcove until I heard them move along.

Moving slowly, I creeped forward along the trail marked with life energy. I didn’t think I’d meet a good end if I deviated too far from the quest area when I was surrounded by high level enemies. It seemed to be evening, judging by the dim light that managed to break through the branches overhead. Using what little light I had, I tried to avoid stepping on broken branches or piles of leaves, but it was almost impossible. All the dead trees around me had littered the ground with refuse, turning the previously vibrant forest floor into a mass grave of trees. Since I was basically a living tree now, I might as well not disrespect the dead by stepping on their “bones.” With how slow I was moving, it took me a long time to get anywhere, but my caution proved wise when I suddenly found myself upon a camp of demons.

I quickly hid behind the tree I’d just turned past and observed the camp. It looked like there was only one Devil on guard, but he was level 10 like the rest. There were a few tents around the camp, so this was probably where the patrols in the area rested. I wanted to get out of there before a returning patrol caught me unawares, but there was a problem. The green trail I was following lead right into the camp, directly to a cage holding another Treant captive.

Quest Updated – Escape!

While following the trail, you come across another Treant being held captive in a Demon camp. However, his skin is blackened, much like the surrounding forest. With his eyes closed, you aren’t even sure he’s alive, but the life energy connecting you is your only clue to aid in your escape. Find a way to rescue the Treant without alerting the nearby guard.

Quest Objectives

-Rescue the Treant prisoner.

-Avoid alerting enemy patrols.

-Quest failed upon death.

After reading the quest update, I looked closer at the captive Treant. His body was indeed mostly blackened like the forest around me, save for a small area around his chest. The borders of that region seemed to be constantly wavering like a mirage, like his body was fighting back against the corruption covering it. It seemed there was more to this blackened forest than I had first assumed. Why were the demons capturing Treants? I had assumed it was just a natural side effect of the portal being opened, but maybe there was a deeper story. Regardless, if I wanted to find out, I’d have to figure out how to free the corrupted Treant.

Combat was out of the question. I had no weapon, no skills, and, most importantly, no chance against a level 10 Devil. The Treant was being kept in a crude iron cage, barely even big enough to fit his rather large frame. More importantly, the cage was locked. I looked around the camp for the keys, but couldn’t find them anywhere, not even on the Devil keeping watch. That was both good and bad. It meant I wouldn’t have to figure out how to get them off the Devil, but I’d also have to spend time searching for them after I distracted the guard. Not that I knew how I was going to do that yet. Baby steps.

Since I needed to search those tents, I definitely needed to get the Devil to physically leave the camp. Something like throwing a rock or just making a loud noise wasn’t going to cut it. Carefully, I backed away from the camp and circled around, hoping to find something to help me accomplish that. It was a game. Despite the difficulty level, there had to be some way to do it. I just had to figure it out. Pondering that, I almost walked right in front of… something.

It was like a small, red ball with wings, about the size of my fist. The front of its body was taken up by a large eye, slit like a snake. Bulbous veins covered the rest of it, although they didn’t seem to stay in one place, flexing and moving at random in a rather grotesque manner. The wings on its back didn’t seem large enough to life its own weight, but I wasn’t going to question stuff like that in a world filled with magic. Besides, I had more important things to focus on, like what the hell that thing was and what is was doing hiding up in a tree.

Demonic Watcher – Level 0

Well, that name pretty much answered all my questions. This thing must be how the Demons kept watch around their camp. I wasn’t sure if it would make a loud noise if it saw me or if it was somehow connected magically to the Devil back in the camp, but one thing was for sure. I did not want to let it see me. I went around behind its position, making as little noise as possible. That thing might not visibly have ears, but I had no real way of knowing if it could hear me anyway. I was just about to get out of its range so I could keep looking when I realized: that thing was level 0!

If the game made those other Demons level 10 to tell me to stay away, the Demonic Watcher being level 0 was basically advertising it as part of the solution. Maybe I could draw away the guard by killing that thing! It probably wouldn’t buy me much time, so I’d have to be quick, but it could work…

Quest Updated! – Escape!

While exploring the area around the camp, you’ve located one of the Demonic Watchers they use to monitor the area. Maybe by killing one of these, you can draw the guard away from the Treant prisoner. However, you’ll need to act quickly. You don’t think the Treant will survive much longer without your help.

Quest Objectives

-Rescue the Treant prisoner.

-Avoid alerting enemy patrols.

-Quest failed upon death.

Okay, it definitely could work. It was interesting that the quest update seemed to react to my thoughts rather than my discovery of the Watcher, though. The game would give me hints, but it wasn’t going to hold my hand if I couldn’t think for myself. Speaking of hints… that quest update mentioned that this was only of several Demonic Watchers. Normally, I’d just follow what the quest log said, but if the quest system was as dynamic as I was suspecting, then it wasn’t necessarily displaying the “best” option for completing the quest.

While I was worried about the dying Treant, I wanted to make sure I did all I could to prepare for my rescue attempt. Me getting caught would get me killed, while I wasn’t 100% sure the Treant dying would fail the quest. I started looking for more Demonic Watchers, which was a much easier task than I’d expected. The damn things were everywhere. It was a wonder I hadn’t been discovered in the first place, although it occurred to me that maybe these things were the reason the life energy had led me on such a convoluted path.

I made sure to memorize the locations of the Demonic Watchers as I made my way back towards the camp. I figured it wouldn’t keep the guard busy for long if I just randomly killed one, but maybe if I killed multiple in a path leading away from the camp, I could draw him away for longer. I just had to make sure I didn’t get caught when I circled back, so I plotted my return trip ahead of time, making sure it contained plenty of cover. Of course, this would all go to shit if I couldn’t kill the Demonic Watcher quickly, but I had faith in my ability to kill a level 0 monster.

I crept up behind the first Watcher and climbed up the tree it was perched on as quietly as I could. Interestingly, my feet seemed to stick to the bark of the tree as I climbed, almost as if it had become part of me. Benefits of being a Treant, I suppose. It made my life easier, so I definitely wasn’t going to complain. Getting a grip on the stick I’d decided to use as a weapon, I braced myself against the trunk with my weird tree-melding ability. And I stabbed.