“It’s going to be ok.
I got your back.” Kay said in a whisper as he nodded his head in reassurance.
Arthos smiled weakly and moved forward like a criminal on his way to the gallows.
He placed his right hand on the tree and released a deep sigh.
Nothing happened.
Arthos kept his hand on the tree, unsure what else to do.
He said in a deflated voice, “I…umm…I’m here…I came.
Sorry for the delay.”
The tree started morphing slowly forming a face on the bark of the tree.
Arthos half-smiled, relieved the tree responded to his call.
The tree said in a baritone voice, “we are glad you came back.
You took your sweet time.
Now get your hand off our face.”
Kay chuckled in amazement.
“Sorry, a lot happened since the last time we were here.
I followed the ring into NAVA headquarters in Lumina, New Mexico, and discovered the truth.
Are you…are you Marlin Ashford?” Arthos asked slightly embarrassed.
After the red orc army attack on Ray village, Arthos, Kristan, and Wain spent a lot of time discussing the clues they had uncovered.
Kristan believed the tree-man was Professor David Gates, the owner of the wedding ring the group had found.
Wain disagreed and believed the tree-man was Marlin Ashford.
“Yes, very good!
I am glad you figured that out.
I once was Marlin Ashford.
That was a long time ago.” The tree said with slight sadness.
“What happened to you?
How did you end up in a tree?” Arthos asked in disbelief.
“That’s a long story.
Too long to tell, and we don’t have much time.
It’s easier if I show you.” The tree said as branches creaked and extended like slithering snakes toward Arthos.
He didn’t move, didn’t budge, didn’t resist as the branches enveloped him like the arms of a mother cuddling her baby.
The branches tightened around him, not painfully, but firmly.
They anchored him in place as the forest dissolved into nothingness. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Light, sound, and gravity dissolved as Arthos experienced his soul being pulled through the branches into the tree…like a drop of water pulled through the roots.
Images appeared.
A young man stood before him.
He wore an oversized hoody with a superman tee-shirt underneath, blue loose jeans, and scruffy hair.
His eyes were quick, analytical, and keenly focused.
“It’s good to meet you in person, I’m Marlin Ashford.
Let me show you something.” He said as he moved closer to Arthos, standing side by side.
The vision changed.
It was a memory.
Marlin, Morgan, and Professor Gates sitting at a kitchen table late into the night.
They were having an argument.
“We can’t do that!
It’s just not right!!!
It’s not ethical!
They are real people!” Marlin exclaimed furiously.
“I’m not saying we harm the natives.
I’m simply saying we establish a colony there, which will allow us to safely mine the mana crystals.” Morgan said flatly.
Arthos stared at him for a long time…he looked awfully familiar.
The modern-day Morgan Novaris was somewhat of a recluse.
He hardly ever made public appearances, relying on his top executives to do all the public facing work.
The few times he did appear in public, he was shrouded by an army of security guards and assistants.
The few images that were available online were taken from a great distance and were of poor quality.
Morgan was young, appearing in his late twenties.
At first glance, nothing stood out about him.
He wore normal college student clothing, blue jeans, comfortable shoes, and green baggy tee-shirt.
However, looking closer it was apparent that his outfit and appearance was deliberate…as if he wished to hide by blending in.
The young man had striking features that he tried to hide but they still managed to stand out.
His long golden hair was too bright and lush to be categorized as “blonde”.
He wore round-rimmed glasses in an attempt to hide his honey-colored eyes that took everything in, like sticky honey, they calmly assessed every detail into the bottomless pit that was his intellect.
‘I know him…I have seen him before.
Where?
Where?’ Arthos thought to himself as he ignored the argument happening before him.
‘Where?
Where?’ Arthos searched through his memories unable to pinpoint the connection.
He had definitely seen him somewhere. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping.com.
But where?
“Is that really what we want?
To repeat history?
Spanish and British colonizing the Americas, Belgians colonizing the Congo, the colonization of Australia, the British colonizing India…in all these cases history repeated itself…its who we are…its what we do.
If we attempt to colonize the new world, we will end up destroying it.” Marlin said passionately.
“True.
Colonization has always equated to commerce.
Is that really what you want Morgan?
Commerce and money?
I thought we are explorers, pushing the boundaries of technology and science.” David said as he calmed the room.
“Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
That is the harsh reality the two of you seem to ignore.
Funding is necessary for innovation to progress.
What I am proposing will ensure we will have all the funding necessary to carry out our work.” Morgan replied to his colleagues.
“We have funding!
Billions!
From the three wealthiest families on earth!
What are you talking about?
Just say.
Just say it!
You want money!
I’m so disappointed in you…I thought you were different…turns out you are a filthy gold digger after all.” Marlin screamed in a fit of rage.
“Morgan…what are you really after?
It’s not money…you never cared for that…why start now?
What is it really?” David asked as he attempted to calm Marlin.
The heated discussion continued for another twenty minutes.
At some point Morgan gave in and said, “it was just a suggestion.
I don’t want to do anything the two of you are uncomfortable with.
How about we table the crystal mining for later and focus on exploration.
Tomorrow where should we explore.”
The vision changed to the following day.