Chapter 10!

Yay!

Enjoy!

Gren:

Liquorish, Mint, and Macchiato.

Gren was a nice planet, Mint decided. She liked it much more than Kovomaka, except for the lack of security that the school gave her. She followed Liquorish and Macchiato through the dense forest. They had landed in Gren the day before and entered the Tropica village. The trio had gone straight to the current leader, Triticum. She had understood their situation immediately, and was grateful that they had arrived. She also proved to be a great source of information, thanks to being so close to the plant guardian.

"So, where would this Protector be?" Mint had asked as they sat inside of the main house. Triticum's son, Durum, was crawling around, making baby noises.

"Well, the Protector is very sly, and hard to find. I promise that you won't find any clues near the Yggsalad tree," Triticum had said as she scooped up her son.

"The what tree?" Liquorish had inquired, pulling out the map. There was no tree mentioned.

"It's a magical tree. It wouldn't be on a map," Triticum said. She had pointed on a spot on the map. "It's located right around here. It was planted a few months ago, so it's only the size of a small house. It's where the Protector lives, but..."

"If the Protector was hiding, that would be the first place the enemy would check," Macchiato said. "And, if this Protector is as smart as you say, then there would be another, more secretive, hiding spot."

"I'm going to guess that you know where it is," Mint said. Triticum nodded.

"Me and my people do, but it is a closely guarded secret," Triticum said. "I can tell, however, that you three are not messing around. I will tell you where the hiding spot is. Just promise me you'll find the Protector."

And they promised. She told them what they already knew, that the hiding spot was in the roots of the planet, and that the actual hiding spot was in the center of the planet, underneath all that dirt. She sent a guide to take them to the tunnel that would lead them to the center. According to the guide, there were multiple complex routes that one could take to get to the center. Or, they could just follow the left wall, which would get them there in less than four hours.

"I'm glad we made this extra tunnel," the guide said. "Or, at least, that the Protector did. If I had to guide you through the old path, which led through the maze, I would probably desert the village."

"Was it really that bad?" Macchiato asked.

"Yes, there were traps and monsters and dead ends," the guide said, a faraway look in his eyes. "We've lost many a feline in there. The Protector of Plants eventually made the tunnel to help us get to the center of the planet safely."

"That sounds terrible," Mint said.

"It was. Thankfully, the maze also works to our advantage. Should our planet ever be attacked, we can always head down into the root system and hide there. The enemy will never be able to find us."

"What if they just follow the wall like we are?" Liquorish asked.

"No one ever thinks to do that," the guide said with a smile. "That's why it's such a brilliant idea." He stopped and pointed down. They were standing above the root system, with a long drop into empty space all around them.

"Uh-oh," Mint said, startled by the sudden drop away of the planet.

"Don't worry," the guide said. "Just follow me." He sprang onto an enormous root beneath them and began to walk along it, hoping from one root to the next like it was nothing. The trio of foreigners followed him cautiously, eventually reaching the mouth of a dank cavern. It opened up, as if wanting to swallow them whole.

"Is this it?" Liquorish asked in awe.

"Almost," the guide said. He entered the cave, which led to a twisting passage. After several minutes of walking, it opened up to a massive room full of doors. They were literally everywhere, showing the promise of another passage behind each one.

"Woah," Mint said, looking around at the doors. She frowned. "Are the doors alive?" Liquorish and Macchiato stared at her as if she was crazy, but the guide nodded, seeming interested.

"Why yes, my green haired friend. They are alive. They don't do much, but what they can do is amazing," the guide said.

"What can they do?" Macchiato asked curiously as he touched one of the doors. Immediately, a leaf-shaped band on the guide's wrist turned an ugly shade of red.

"It's an alert system," he explained. "Right now, the village knows that you all are down here, so they won't spring into any action."

"That's amazing," Mint breathed.

"Yes, now let me explain the passage," the guide said, getting their full attention. "You will come across several rooms like this one on your way. Just keep picking the door on the far left, and you should make it in good time. Once you get to the center, there will be a way out, so there is no need to worry about that."

"Alright. Thank you so much," Liquorish said earnestly. The guide smiled, still a little uneasy of the pig-tailed, purple haired girl. She was quite scary.

"And thank Triticum too!" Mint added.

"Of course. Not a problem," the guide said. He watched as the trio vanished into the tunnel, Mint talking cheerily with Macchiato about what she hoped they would find at the center.

The guide waited several minutes before leaving. He wanted to make sure that none of the kids came running back out. It had happened before. Being in such a dark place could sow seeds of fear in even the bravest souls. These students from Will-o-Wisp seemed especially brave. The guide smiled, glad that they were doing so well.

He climbed back up the root system and paused once he got back to the topsoil. The sun was going down. When the children reached the center, it would be dark. He hoped that they'd be okay. He chided himself not to worry, and that those kids could take care of themselves. He sighed and focused on the sunset, which was dying the horizon yellow, outlining the trees in gold. It made him smile.

And he died with that smile on his face and a dagger buried into his back. The murderer pulled the blade out of the dead cat's back with a sigh of annoyance. Blood all over the dagger, and it was a present from Master Kale. The killer took the body and threw it over the edge of the planet.

Oh well.

The murderer walked down the root system easily and up to the left door, which was still cracked. The figure paused, smiling at the plan that Master Kale had assigned: follow them, find the Protector, and kill them all.

"This is going to be as easy as pie," the murderer muttered as the door creaked shut.

Chapter done!

And...

My cast is gone!

Yay!

Thanks,

~CatKkit.