Chapter 432: The Dryad Matriarch

The sudden attention of the dryad matriarch put Kai on edge and his instincts, so long indulged in monstrous form, very nearly pushed him to attack before he reined himself in. He didn't have a complete grasp of Nymidria's soul, but she was in the neighborhood of 1300 - he was confident he could defeat someone with that much strength, but not quickly and not quietly. If he struck first, the cultivators all throughout the sect would no doubt join in, which would tilt the odds terribly against him.

So far there were no signs of attack from the tree... the eye disappeared under the bark and the spiritual pressure disappeared. Nymidria continued to speak to the cultivators in front of her as if nothing had happened. As he started to accept they wouldn't immediately be thrown into combat, Kai felt Zae Zin Nim lower her arms and Omilaena evaporate her needles.

Behind them, the door had been covered by vines.

"Do we prepare, or do we act like chumps?" Omilaena asked.

"We're at a disadvantage here," Zae Zin Nim said in a low voice. The way they looked at one another, they weren't going to come to a conclusion quickly.

"We wait," Kai decided for them. "If she's against us, the situation isn't really becoming much worse. But if she's on our side, then she'd be a critical ally that would change everything."

That seemed to settle it, at least for now. Nymidria finished her negotiations with the sect cultivators, who all filed back out. Once they were gone, however, the doors closed behind them without letting in another group. Instead silence reigned in the garden, stretching until a leafy sigh emanated from the center.

"Oh, just come out and talk," Nymidria said. "Those are solid shrouds, but I got a good enough look and I wouldn't want to fight a group like yours. You wouldn't have infiltrated if you planned a normal attack, and this doesn't make much sense as an assassination attempt. So what do you want?"

"You aren't going to call your allies on us?" Zae Zin Nim was no longer actively preparing qi, but she kept her feet set in preparation.

"That depends on who you are. Like I said, come and talk."

They walked to the front of the tree, where Kai finally got a real look at the dryad after all the tension. She had been dressed more provocatively earlier, but the way she readjusted her robes made clear that was just a tactic. Even though Kai didn't consider himself any kind of expert on feminine wiles, being married to Omilaena had given him a lot of experience with manipulation.

Instead, they faced a woman who clearly had both power and political acumen. She was large and half a tree, but that wasn't particularly relevant at the moment, so Kai just looked into those piercing silver eyes. Despite her lower strength, he thought that her spiritual senses were superior to theirs.

"So what do you want?" Nymidria asked. "If you're seeking immortality, I'm not involved. If you want magic fruit, those are just rumors, probably people getting confused about Rosemount."

"We might have gotten this off on the wrong foot," Kai began, reaching into his spatial ring for the items they'd been given. "We aren't here for ourselves, we're here on behalf of the dryads in your community."

He pretended like he wasn't paying much attention, but secretly monitored her reaction. The fear he'd carried with him from the beginning was that Nymidria had "gone native" and no longer cared about her kin, or had even been involved with having them kidnapped. A powerful faction like the Masterful Crown clan could offer her a great deal more than a few dryads from Deadwaste, after all.

But as he explained, he saw her expression change. There was a hint of skepticism, but mostly curiosity and concern. Nymidria leaned to the side, moving one of her boughs into position so she could use it as an armrest, and spoke quietly.

"Yet they didn't come themselves... why send outsiders?"

"This may be difficult to believe," Kai said, "but the Verdant River sect has kidnapped at least two dryads and used them f-"

"That's not hard to believe at all."

He blinked and stopped reaching for the items. The dryads had given them special leaves that were supposed to be some sort of proof of their imprisonment, but they seemed unnecessary. "What do you mean?"

"The Verdant River sect is an ally, and they're useful, but I don't trust them." Nymidria's gaze slid past them, over the walls surrounding her little garden. "I already know that they're killing their own, so it's not a surprise that they'd turn on my people. I want to speak to the afflicted, of course, but I knew this day would come eventually."

"You're trusting us too easily," Omilaena said. "It's making me nervous."

Nymidria let out a low chuckle that sounded earnest. "It's certainly not because you look trustworthy, my dear. No, it's because of your large friend. I haven't seen a Goralian in years... unless I am very much mistaken. You don't seem to have been much blessed by mana."

"Not at all." Kai could only shrug, just glad that his nature was a benefit for once. "But like you, I've traveled."

"So your soul proves. But in any case, a Goralian hunter is just the sort of person my dryads would trust, and also the sort who would... be willing to go out of their way to help others for no reason. Not something you'd see anyone do here, you understand."

Zae Zin Nim shook her head. "We are also here for our own benefit. You said you had nothing to do with their new path to immortality, but that is what we seek."

"Wouldn't say no to the Loam of the Gods either," Omilaena drawled.

Kai couldn't suppress a concerned glance over at them, just displaying their self-interest so blatantly. Not that his own concern was false, but it didn't seem like a good idea to start on that note instead of emphasizing what they could do for the dryads. Apparently his wives were right this time, because Nymidria nodded as if unsurprised.

"The Verdant River sect is using me, but I'm using them as well. That's the way of the world." Nymidria's gaze slid over the three of them again, examining faces instead of souls this time. "If you had spoken to me three decades ago, I would have said I was still primarily loyal to them. But the current patriarch is not his father's equal, and his son is a worthless little shit. So I'm not surprised that they're causing further trouble."

"We heard there was some trouble with a young master..." Zae Zin Nim prompted.

"Yes, that would be Yul Wei Ren. Heir to the entire Masterful Crown clan, but he barely even cultivates beyond what his parents handed him. The patriarch sent him down here to manage their project, maybe hoping that he would grow up. Fortunately, he leaves almost everything up to servants, so the project hasn't fallen apart, but he keeps demanding more security."

Omilaena seemed to have relaxed entirely, now watching the dryad with a skeptical expression. "Is it really him, or is he being used as a hollow stamp to approve someone else's policies?"

"He receives instructions from the entire clan, so I don't think he's being manipulated locally. This immortality secret you're seeking... so is everyone else." Nymidria waved a hand vaguely at the land outside the walls. "The Loam of the Gods is an Insanity, but because they had to use it sparingly, it has never been an overwhelming advantage for the clan. That was always the excuse they gave me, when I asked for even a bit of the sacred dirt. But in recent years they claim to have unlocked its powers, leading to all these new immortals."

"And you really don't know any more about that?"

"I have my suspicions, but they're keeping me far away from the details, just like they're keeping me away from the Loam of the Gods. I long ago gave up on the idea that they would actually give me what I want, despite all their promises."

"Then why keep working with them?" Zae Zin Nim asked.

"Sorry, but you can't pull me away from them so easily," Nymidria said with a laugh. "The Masterful Crown clan is the most powerful force in all the Southern Rivers, and they have many things I need. Yes, it's a concern that one of their schemes has taken other dryads, but if I apply pressure, they'll bend. False apologies, to be sure, but they'll execute some of those responsible."

"Wait, surely we can come to an agreement." Kai stepped closer, looking up toward the dryad and not flinching at her bright gaze. "All of us are being kept out of the innermost areas, and we all need answers. Why not collaborate to actually get what we want?"

"Oh, it could work in theory. If you could somehow get me the Loam of the Gods, I would throw aside the Verdant River sect and get you all the immortality elixir you need. But many have made such claims, over the years, and their bodies now feed the trees."

"So you're trying it yourself." Kai was going based on a gut instinct, but he saw the flicker of recognition in Nymidria's eyes and then she nodded.

"Indeed, I have gotten closer than they know. They take me less seriously because I'm stationary, as if trees don't have roots. Yes, being in their garden limits me, but it also grants me access they would never allow anyone else. I am very close to breaking through the barriers... but exactly how close, I refuse to say, unless we are truly working together."

"We want to get the Loam too," Omilaena said, "and we don't need all of it. That seems like a pretty obvious collaboration."

"Unfortunately, there is one rather large obstacle." Nymidria shifted back against her tree and folded her arms. "Yul Wei Ren controls the deepest barrier, which can only be used by his bloodline. And these days he uses it like a tyrant, only opening the barrier when he can get something from someone else. So long as he's in charge, even combined we couldn't steal everything we want."

"Then we kill him." Zae Zin Nim struck a fist into her palm. "You said he wasn't a real cultivator, so how hard can it be?"

"Unfortunately, the patriarch of the entire Deepriver clan has been sent with him as his personal bodyguard. The man is truly powerful and, despite my best efforts, apparently incorruptible. Since he was given the order by the head of the Masterful Crown clan, he'll give his life to protect his young master. The three of you seem like you might try to take him on anyway, but how much of the sect can you fight?"

"Poison, then," Omilaena suggested.

"Reasonable in theory, but have you forgotten that the Masterful Crown clan also controls the Purple River sect? They have him shielded with their best poison treasures, and all of his food is first tasted by slaves in any case." Nymidria shook her head. "No, I fear that they have removed such easy solutions. Yul Wei Ren himself is a fool, but his protectors are not."

"You're leading us somewhere, aren't you?" Kai had been thinking over everything the dryad matriarch had said, and it increasingly seemed like she was herding the conversation toward a conclusion. "You already have a plan."

"Why, whatever gave you th-"

"So the only question is whether you're using us to take the fall."

Nymidria smiled broadly and shifted her branch so she could lean forward, focusing fully on him. "Astute, but too cynical. If I was seeking simple tools to use in a plan, I would have found them already. What you offer is someone who actually cares about my dryads, despite the protests of your companions. I think we could truly work together... on a plan to start, and in everything if we can steal the Loam."

Kai folded his arms across his chest. "Well?"

"The security is flawless, from a cultivation perspective, but every system that involves humans has security flaws built into it. To start, we will need to convince the young master to relax his defenses..."

(Normal chapters this week, but FYI, I will need to take an admin week.)