Seed Of Speed

::You're an idiot, you know::

Diego heard the moment he started to regain consciousness. He suppressed the urge to chuckle as he faked being unconscious while Celita carried him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. It was the disorientating feeling of passing through a teleportation gate that woke him, although he did not realize that fact.

(Well, she already wanted to kill me... Might as well have some fun at her expense before she could,) Diego replied with a mental shrug.

::You might as well open your eyes. Celita knows you're awake, but she does believe you are paralyzed::

Of course, when Diego opened his eyes, his first view was of Celita's well-toned backside as the clothes she chose to wear were skin-tight. He turned his eyes as he suppressed another chuckle and looked out over the village.

While most of the Hutia trees in the heart of the Evernight Obor Jungle had a diameter of roughly a hundred meters, the Zivot tree was three times that size, and there was a staircase of small winding branches along the trunk which the trio was walking up. There were dozens of the Svetlo fruits hanging below the thick canopy which lit up the hundreds of hanging bridges and dozens of hanging nest-like structures that made up the village. As if the natural beauty of the woven branch spheres were not enough, each had unique patterns of multi-colored bioluminescent moss covering the outside.

At the canopy level of the Hutia trees, the stairs the trio were following stopped at a large hole hollowed out in the Zivot Tree. This was the home of Rozama, the Grand Mother of the village, and their caretaker. Without her presence in the village, the beast-men village would be overrun by the Motyl Swarms or the Uboziak since few were actually strong enough to defend themselves against these threats.

Rozama had an amused smile on her face as she watched Zedava and Celita walk into her room with a human on her back. Celita dropped him without any kindness, but instead of falling heavily on the floor, Diego caught himself.

"Thanks for the ride," Diego mocked with a toothy grin.

Celita let out a low rumble as her arm twitched but she did not lash out like he expected. Diego could truly feel the Seed of Speed in his body for the first time without trying. It was practically radiating out with a strange power that made his body feel like it was vibrating at his speeds. If this old monkey-woman was tied to the tree as Katalina had explained, then he knew she should be able to sense his God Seed.

"Well, this is a change. Who is this new guest?" Rozama asked.

"Grand Mother, Diego didn't do anything wrong and Aunt Celita attacked him for no reason!" Zedava said quickly, dashing to the old woman's side.

Side by side, the family resemblance was uncanny since the only really difference between the two monkey-girls, aside from age, were the older one's golden eyes and fully bloomed, golden flower that looked to be perfectly tucked behind her right ear. Where Zedava was like a warm spring day, (Wisdom) felt autumn in the sunlight, still warm, but lacking the vitality of spring.

"He speaks our tongue and knew of your golden flower! He must be a spy from the grasslands to search for the next heir," Celita said.

"He is not! He's from the desert and he was wash overboard during a storm!" Zedava yelled back at Celita.

"He's also bewitched the little one as well," Celita said, crossing her arms.

"He did not! You're just being mean!"

"Enough, enough," Rozama said with a light chuckle. "While I understand why you were so drawn to this young man, your aunt and I have told you repeatably how dangerous it is for a human to see you. No leaving the village for a month, and don't think you will manage to sneak out either."

"But Rozama..." Zedava w.h.i.n.ed.

"No buts! Now, off to your room. You can see Diego later."

Zedava started to pout then as if the realization of Rozama's words bloomed in her mind, she perked up and gave the old woman a hug. "I'll see you later, Diego!" she said with a big wave then ran out the opening.

"Grand Mother, I must object..." Celita sighed once Zedava was out of sight.

Rozama raised a hand to silence her and looked straight at Diego. "It has been over two thousand years since the last carrier of a God Seed found their way here... I was beginning to lose hope that another would appear. Do you even understand the power that ties you to this tree?"

"Honestly, ma'am, I barely understand the basics of this power... let alone, how it's tied to a tree larger than a skyscr.a.p.er," Diego said shaking his head.

After coming so close to dying, he had decided to stop hiding who he was. Ishu Telryn was dead, and while he still considered Tovao his brother, he was done pretending. These beast-men already knew he had a God Seed inside his body, and were not trying to eat him, so what would him being from another world matter?

Sure enough, Rozama gave a small chuckle and said, "Joshua used to tell me stories of steel and glass buildings that pierced the clouds, but that seems as strange to me as this is to you. The Zivot Tree is the divine tree that connects our world to another fifteen, but its rooted in the body of a fallen God. I'm sure you can feel the effects of being so close to the same power."

"Yeah, I do," Diego agreed. "But just where does that leave me? I likely have a Daemora that's looking for me, and your protector doesn't seem the friendliest of people."

Celita narrowed her eyes at Diego but did not speak.

"The Avatar of a Daemora cannot step under the canopy of the Zivot tree, so you do not need to fear him... but unfortunately, I cannot allow you to just leave. Zedava's existence can't be exposed, or the same Daemoras that hunt you, will do the same to her."

"And promising to keep my mouth shut won't help?" Diego asked sarcastically.

"I'm afraid a Daemora delights in breaking minds, so your promises can only amount to so much," Rozama said.

Diego sighed and looked down at the ground as his thoughts drifted back to Rainshower. Katalina had also explained that Daemora were masters of the mind and, although that Daemora had likely brought her to the edge of her sanity, it still was her choice to attack him. He would not gain any more power from her actions if he fully took her 'will' from her.

"I can, however, tell you this won't be a permanent situation. As long as Jedava's flower becomes gold, her power will be tied back to the Zivot Tree and will no longer be valuable to others."

(So... is this what you had in mind?) Diego asked silently.

::Yes, aside from the benefit they will receive, you will be able to start developing the powers of your Seed as well::

(And what exactly do I need to do to change this flower gold?)

::Well, there are a number of methods, but the one I think you will most comfortable with is cultivating the divine power in both your bodies together::

(Zedava is a child!) Diego snapped instantly.

::While that is an option, pervert, I was referring to a completely platonic cultivation method. You would sit across from each other with your palms touching and pass your God Seed power through her body while she does the same to yours with her power from the divine tree. It's not as fast as your method, but it will still accomplish the d.e.s.i.r.ed effect::

Diego chuckled at his rushed assumption and said with a shrug, "I'm willing to help her, but I don't have a lot of experience with this power."

"Zedava won't be able to cultivate the power of the Zivot Tree until her flower blooms in a few years, so I must ask you to be patient during your time here. We will see to your needs in return for your loss of freedom, and I thank you for your cooperation," Rozama said with a gentle tone.

"Grand Mother, you can't allow a human to live here! Even if he has this power to make Zedava like you, can he really be trusted? What if this is all some elaborate plot to find and learn about our village then they will target our weaknesses?" Celita asked while glaring at Diego.

Rozama gave Celita a smile, but it made the scales on the back of Celita's neck rise and she said, "Then if you are so worried about him, Diego will be in your care and you can ensure he has no chance to put any of us in danger."

"But, Rozama, I have my duties to attend to as well as watching the young heiress. I can't..."

"Your sons have been begging for a chance to prove themselves for years now, Celita. Let them get a feel for protecting the village while you keep an eye on Diego and Zedava since she is going to be drawn to him due to their unique power. You never know, he might be different from what you think, and you could learn to trust him enough to return to your job," Rozama said with a bit of amus.e.m.e.nt.

"I'd feel better with him in irons," Celita complained, crossing her arms.

"Treat him as a guest until he proves himself to be some else," Rozama ordered in a voice that left no room for argument.

"Come on, brat," Celita said, grabbing him by the collar before he could react. "I'm not letting you out of my sight until you slip up."

"But if I don't, you can't do anything to me," Diego chuckled, not fighting her grip.

"You will," she growled.