Chapter 148 - The Dense Forest Kin!

"Who are you calling a sassy little shit?" Asked the ten foot tall Woman who suddenly appeared behind Chan, possibly being the biggest threat he faced yet! Clearly, she wasn't satisfied with his expressions and or wordplay, likely with his overall approach on this part of the forest as well. Or at least, we can assume she is a she. It's quite possible that ghosts don't have gender or gender limitations, able to switch from one gender to the other with ease! Or appear as men but have a woman's reproductive system, likely the other way around as well. With the lack of research towards this, species... we can't really be certain.

"Iaaa..." At first glance, he got no doubt confused over some... different features of which he saw on her. Taking it as a light little example, she had a thick wide Black Beard! At least, she did upon first sight. But a couple of second after, the Beard disappeared without effort. Perhaps Chan glanced upon her while she was still transforming to this, large form. He was so close to the ghost, that when he looked up all he could see was her chin and a small part of her lips. There wasn't even a nose on her.

Another eye catching feature which, fairly failed to change even after her effort. Was her arm, it was too hairy and it bent the other way! Apart from that, it only had 3 fingers. Perhaps they can't mimic a human's form entirely, or they took this form as an example from some other creature? Where Demons run wild with its consumption granting the capability to mutate any breathing being, we can't really be sure. With the lack of well written research about it, we can't point fingers. However, we are allowed to make assumptions.

Not even allowing Guard Commander Chan to speak, she continued with her aggressively projected statements. "You come here... Disturbing our peace, arguing with our brothers and sisters, offending them too!! And from the looks of it, aiming to hurt our Ghost kind?! Tell me, how do you think i should handle a fool like you?" Her Grammar, compared to most of the Ghosts he ran into face to face or from a distance today was... how do you say? More diplomatic. She didn't curse, she didn't threaten him in any way(yet). She just didn't like her kind's peace disturbed.

Chan still being Chan even though he could quite possibly be facing death after a moment, got into her nerves and possibly on the nerves of the surrounding ghosts who were in hiding, by replying with. "Perhaps give me some food and water? I've been travelling for a week in this bristling cold and i barely had anything to eat these last days. A nice warm bed would be heavenly too." The nerve of this guy...

Leaving a several hundred year old ghost to a literal loss of words, all she could think of replying towards this groundbreaking stupidity was. "Are you drunk?"

"I wish."

Understanding that there was no way to argue with this person, she decided to ask a few questions. Hoping for his answers to be worthy, enough to not call this part of the woods his graveyard. But yet again, if he died here, certain paranormal territorial boundaries would force a result which would make Chan's spirit a part of this clan. A part of this kin which would possibly be viewed as something worse by the ghosts who met him. "What is your purpose here? Why do you come on our part of the woods. You claim that you know the Word of which would freeze us Ghosts. That's nonsense, no word could freeze us. Why do you come here with such fake threats?"

Not completely understanding all of her questions, he decided to answer with for what he is here for. Dumb bold enough, he could be risking his own life by answering truthfully. "Well. No offense to you, your Ghostness. But i need a branch from this so called Ghost Tree who is apparently deadly." Hey he decided to sound diplomatic too. That's for sure another twist.

Imagine seeing a Ghost scared. Crazy right? They usually do the scarring and not the other way around. Well, this ghost who could transform itself to a ten foot tall being, was scared and hissed to the thought of. "What. You are insane if you decide to approach that Tree."

Why would a Ghost fear another Ghost? Aren't they at this eternal journey together? "Why so?"

Taking a step back and sitting on the ground, reaching Chan's size to the point where they were face to face. She answered. "That tree, belongs to a strongly different Ghost kind. A different Kin. A different Clan."

Completely ignoring her different facial features (With the nose missing and an eye too), because he got used of such faces due to meeting King Xakro ill.u.s.trario lll a fair amount of times. He simply stuck to the ghost topic "Different?"

Surprised by his blank reactions towards her face but not enough to ask questions about them, she stuck to the Ghost talk too. "Yes! They are our enemies. They caused The Dense Forest Kin tremendous trouble. Many brothers and sisters were dragged to that tree, never to be seen again. I can't imagine what they would do to a living being. I suppose possessing one is the only chance of freedom they can get."

Although it took him a moment to process all of this sudden information about a Ghost breed of which the mortals don't know much about (even King Xakro), he gave out a little smirk once he understood that he could use this paranormal tribal hate to his advantage, making his task a lot easier and his return a lot quicker. He proceeded to state. "I need that Branch. And your kind seem to urge a taste of revenge for your fallen ghost brothers and sisters."

Confused of his sentences, not understanding at first how exactly they can gain revenge. She had to ask, "What are you implying?"

Close to revealing his entire offer, he expressed with a bit of hesitation. "Tell me the word which would freeze all Ghost kind. Alerato..."

Finally filled up with his, bullshit. Even though he talked to him for a very short while, she yelled in anger while subconsciously raising her arms. "By Source's sake! It doesn't start with Ale!" Shouted the ghost as she slapped her forehead with one of her raised hands to this large stupidity. Thankfully she did it with the normal hand. Afterwards she proceeded to correct another one of his false claims. "Also, that word doesn't affect "all Ghost kind". It will only affect the Cursed Tree Kin."

Not hearing it expressed this way before, not even by King Xakro. He asked while scratching his green head. "Cursed Tree Kin?"

"Yes! The place where you wish to obtain the "Ghost Branch", belongs to the Cursed Tree Kin."

At this point, he asked a very obvious question. If he was close to a man who loves to obtain such uncommon knowledge, he would write book after book about this. But no he isn't such a man. "But how is the tree... Cursed?"

Finding the few nerves to even bother explaining anything to this fool, she proceeded to explain. "Long before the First Era, at a time and date not certain, a large man like creature did countless experiments based on trees, their roots and their overall nature. Whatever he wanted to discover, it only ended up with a strong fatality. Cursing the tree, from the looks of it, for as long as this Continent shall stand. Our sources of information tell us that whichever ghost kind enters that tree, corrupts him or herself with uncontrollable evil, doomed to live an eternity on the tree, forced towards its addiction."

Confused to the point where he was forced to ask an intelligent question. Chan proceeded. "Then why not use the special word to become immune towards them? That way, none of your Kin has to suffer because of that tree."

Her, surprised to this insightful question as a start coming from him, but again not being anything she didn't hear before when she encountered other more reasonable mortals. She stated what she did state to other people before who asked a similar question. "We tried it for hundreds of times, it only resulted in blank effects and loss of allies. It doesn't work for us, we can't use it against them."

Giving out a scheming smile, he confidently said something no other mortal was bold enough to ever dare saying before. Which is, "But I can!" 

Due to the fact of never hearing such a sentence before from a clear mortal, she had no other choice but asking a question which could help her catch up to his dumb bold mindset. "What are you implying?"

To every roaming ghost in the surrounding Area's surprise. He offered. "What if I break more than one branch? That way, whatever ghost gets stuck in that branch, will freeze eternally, never being able to move or cause more damage."

Feeling a bit guilty, strongly unsure of this plan. She first expressed. "That's actually a good idea. Theory has it, the less branches the Tree has, the smaller its Ghost Dragging Radius would be. At the moment, we can't be less than 300 feet near the Cursed Tree, or it sucks us in!"

Being a bit overconfident in his abilities and his current upper advantage to this, unique conversation. While crossing his arms he said. "Bring me an axe, tell me the word and victory shall be by your side for once."

The guilt kicked in, and although this likely isn't her true form... The guilt was all over her face, obvious to glance upon. "But our brothers and sisters... Even though now corrupted with evil, they still used to belong to our Kin. To our Tribe!"

Finding an appropriate response to her guilt which might lead to him succeeding with his plans, he asked. "I assume you don't know a way to pull them back from that tree and undo their new nature?"

"No, no way in particular."

"Then we should sacrifice them to prevent the rest of your Kin to share the same fate." Well damn. This was the smartest thing he said ever since the first time he was introduced to this story.

Strongly displeased of his plans, she stood up swiftly and yelled her sentences in anger. "Impossible. We will never betray our Kin." Afterwards grabbing the collar of Chan's Fur coat, lifting him a couple of feet above the ground.

But before she was about to toss him possibly to the next life. A creature approached the two and stated. "The mortal is right, Tribe leader." The creature who questioned the leader's wisdom was a Wild Boar. And, you guessed it. It is the same Wild Boar that was on Chan's trail for so long. Forcing him towards this part of the woods in the first place. The same Boar that almost killed him.

"Holy shit." Yelled out Chan in fear, feeling as if his heart sunk down to his sock. The fear from seeing this large WildBoar once more, far outbeat the fear of being lifted from the ground by this 10 foot tall ghost. Now he had even stronger reasons to be spooked all the way down his dumb soul. A talking WildBoar?!! Even though he saw one bad and weird scene after the other today, this one had to be the worst!

To his relief, a blob like white faded figure slowly flew out of the WildBoar. SQUEL! SQUEL! SQUEL! Yelled out the WildBoar in fear and discomfortability as it shrunk smaller in size by the second, running away and disappearing into the woods until it was no longer heard. Does Ghostly possession improve or increase physical characteristics beyond the average or possibly even, beyond natural capacities? That was the best assumption based on what Guard Commander Chan just witnessed, but the theory was still not solid.

That floating white figure, quickly transformed into a man. Well sort of. This one was almost hard to tell from a Human being if he managed to hide his thin long Lion like tail. His skin was as pale as snow. I guess this tribe of ghosts has the capabilities to transform to almost anything they like. What would you do with such power?

"The Dense Forest Kin has suffered long enough. It is time for a change."