Bladewarriors Book 1: Refresh

A more elaborate structure there was not. A tree so old it was said to have been the first seed Kamentheon ever planted, the massive redwood towered over everything else in the Plant Realm, a testament to Plant's power over the other forces of nature. The massive trunk measured nearly six hundred feet around, and the tree dominated the realm's skyline at an incredible 1600 feet tall – over four times taller than the other mighty redwoods that grew around its base. And it was in this structure that The Tree Frog had built his home.

Legend had it that the Goddess Fleur had once protected the massive redwood with her strength, not letting any creature – even The Tree Frog – grow near it. But when the Dragon King rose and the Gods' power over the land waned, The Tree Frog took up residence in the tree. Over the years the creature had carved out the tree's innards, creating a massive and still ever growing castle from which to rule.

"Come with us, little girl."

Ivy lowered her eyes, unable to peer at the top of the massive plant, as one of the guards – if you could call them that – beckoned for her. They were two women, roughly as tall as she was, and seeming to be duplicates down to almost the smallest detail. The only difference she could note was the color of their eyes; one had dark blue pupils, while the other had bright red. Other than that, both had long black hair, and an almost purplish hue to their skin. They both wore translucent, flowing robes that fell down the length of them, pooling on the ground at their feet. Beneath the semi-transparent cloth Ivy could see the blurred black outlines of a top that seemed to cover only their breasts and a similar looking blur around their waists where a pair of tight – and extremely short – black shorts covered their crotch. While the front of the translucent robes was a whitish color, the back of them was draped in red, with small patches of black, reminding Ivy vaguely of ladybugs.

"The Tree Frog is expecting you, and you are already late." The second of the women scolded her.

"I'm sorry…" Ivy bowed slightly, turning away from them despite their urgency to hurry, and turned toward her father. The man stared down at her from atop the cart, his expression solemn as he looked down at his little girl, his little bramble patch. She smiled up at him, seeing the look of regret hidden in the recesses of the man's eyes. She wanted so much to leap up, to hug the man, to thank him fro everything he had done for her. She knew she had been a troublesome child at times – she wasn't his 'bramble' patch because she was always well behaved, after all – but the man had never turned away from her. He had always been there for her, even when her trouble was self-inflicted. But she couldn't reach out to him now – if she did, she had no doubt the man would do something foolish like try and steal her back.

"I love you, papa." Ivy bowed gently to the man and quickly turned away, walking toward the two women. She wondered inwardly if a tear might have escaped the man's stoic eyes, but she dared not turn around to check. She wasn't sure she'd be able to handle seeing him cry again if one had.

"You can go now, transplanter." The woman to Ivy's left stated, lifting a hand to shoo her father away.

"Your work is done. We shall take it from here." The second woman replied, motioning for the man to leave as well.

Ivy continued to stare forward, eyes fixated on the trunk of the massive tree in front of her, not moving even a moment until she heard the sounds of a horse neighing and the cart beginning to move, heading back to Verde Village.

"Come with us now." The lady on Ivy's right spoke, turning toward the tree. Ivy lifted her gaze slightly, watching as the ladybug-like woman placed a palm flat against the trunk's surface. A moment later, the bark split open like a door, revealing a small welcoming hall with a spiral staircase encircling the perimeter.

"We must prepare you for our lord." The second woman replied, moving into the room.

Ivy felt a gentle nudge on her shoulder from the 'guard' that had opened the way, urging her to follow. Little other choice, Ivy did just that, trailing the 'guard' in front of her as the woman led her straight toward the spiral staircase.

As the teenager entered the tree, she took a moment to glance around. While the entire room was simply carved from the trunk of the massive plant, the craftsmanship was still quite beautiful. Ivy could only begin to imagine how long carving all of the little details in the wall and wooden pillars of the room had taken. Or how long crafting the staircase she was now ascending must have taken either.

"If you do not wish to meet the same fate as your predecessor," the woman in front of Ivy began to speak as they all began to climb up to the next floor.

"Then we suggest you abide by our guidance, and show nothing but respect for our lord." The woman behind Ivy finished. The girl turned a moment, looking back at the woman trailing her, noting that she was the one with the dark blue eyes.

"After all, it is a great honor for you to be allowed to serve our lord so closely and directly."

Ivy sighed as the woman in front of her spoke again. 'Great honor'? She was getting tired of people saying that.

The teenager felt a sharp smack against the back of her head, stumbling forward from the shock of it, collapsing on the stairs.

"Do not 'sigh' like that at the thought of being given the gift of being allowed to please The Tree Frog." The woman behind Ivy glowered down at her menacingly. The young woman stared back up, trying to keep the contempt from showing on her face. She assumed she had been successful as the blue-eyed woman suddenly lowered a hand to help her up.

"My name is Nellidae." The woman stated, sounding oddly kinder than she had at all previously.

"And I am Cocci." Ivy turned as she returned to her feet, spying the woman in front of her – the one with red eyes. She tried to make a mental note of which of them was which, but she wasn't even sure she was going to remember their names at all.

"I'm Ivy." She introduced herself, brushing off her clothes slightly.

"Oh, that'll never do." The red-eyed woman replied. Ivy again tried to remind herself that that one was Cocci.

"The Tree Frog won't be pleased by that name at all." Nellidae added, pushing Ivy to continue up the stairs.

"… I'm sorry?" Ivy replied after a moment, not really certain how to respond to being told her name was inadequate.

"Not to worry." Cocci responded, looking back at her to smile for a moment. "We'll give you a new one."

"The lord has always been partial to 'Pulchra'!"

"No he hasn't, Nellidae. That's just you. I think her name should be Rosa."

"Rosa is far too common, Cocci! He'll turn her away with a name like that!"

Ivy sighed, refusing to take part in the bickering of these two women, instead turning to admire each floor of the tree tower as they passed through it. On some floors she spied other woman who looked remarkably like Cocci and Nellidae. And on still other floors she spotted other human girls. Some were cooking, and some were cleaning. Ivy didn't recognize any of them, though. She could only assume they were from some of the other villages of the realm.

It was only upon the daunting task of actually trying to climb every stair in the tower that Ivy began to understand exactly how tall the tree was. She knew it was massive – she hadn't been able to see the top when standing at its base, after all – but it was only once she actually traversed the length of its height that she began to fully appreciate how lofty the redwood truly was.

"Here we are."

"Here we are."

The two ladies repeated the phrase one after another after they had all walked up what seemed like an endless flight of stairs. The poor girl between them had lost count of how many stories they had risen, her legs exhausted from the formidable climb. She stepped out into the room, the walls of which were decorated with fine, silk curtains in various hues of yellow, orange, and red. The small teen was pulled forward, stumbling a moment as Cocci dragged her toward a distant vanity on the opposite wall, Nellidae pushing her from behind to keep her moving.

"Your gardeners did well raising you." The red-eyed woman stated as she forced Ivy to sit at the chair poised before the vanity. The teen stared into the mirror that sat atop the vanity, spying the beleaguered expression she was wearing. The climb seemed to have taken more out of her than she had realized.

"Agreed. You're very pretty, but you still leave something to be desired." The blue-eyed woman stepped up beside her, reaching out to pick up one of the 'tools' that lined the top of the surface the mirror was resting on.

"Don't worry, though. We'll make sure you're presentable before you meet our lord." Cocci leaned forward as well, picking up an instrument of her own, and the two of them set to work on her.

Ivy tried not to fuss as the two of them applied all manner of make-up to her face, and forcibly tugged on her hands and feet. She had never been much for getting dolled up – she had always felt more at home in the dirt. It was easier to compare her to a dandelion rather than a daffodil – when she was little, a lot of her friend's had even mistaken her for a boy due solely to her rough and tumble attitude. In fact, that day was the first time she had ever worn a skirt, and she had fought that decision vehemently, only finally agreeing to wear it when it was agreed she could wear a pair of short leggings underneath it.

As they primped and pruned her, the only thing Ivy wouldn't allow the two to change was her hair. The vine-like braids that flowed down from her head were the one part of her she wouldn't allow anyone to alter – especially not these two women, or their precious lord. Her mom had taught her how to braid her hair that way years ago as means of identifying herself as a girl – even if she was a bit rowdy, she still hadn't liked all the other kids thinking she was a guy. Ever since she had started braiding her hair that way, though, no one had made the mistake again.

"There!" Cocci exclaimed happily as she laid down the blush she had just finished applying.

"Perfect!" Nellidae added with an emphatic nodded.

Ivy now stood, staring at herself in the mirror, almost unable to recognize her own reflection. The two women had stripped her of the garments her mother had so painstakingly crafted for her, replacing them with a set of clothing very similar to their own. A semi transparent robe flowed down over her, white in the front, and green on the back. Beneath it – rather than the tight top and shorts the two women wore – Ivy had form-fitting strapless dress that cut off about halfway to her knees. The teenage girl would say one thing for the outfit: she had never worn anything that made her breasts stand out so much, hiked up by some unseen support. She didn't like it… though she didn't dislike it either.

The two attendants had also performed all manner of work on her face. A pair of plump looking bright red lips and light green eye shadow had been painted on the young woman, and the ladies had – painfully – applied mascara and eyeliner for her. Ivy's eyes were still burning from when the product had managed to sneak into her eyes. The two women had also given her a full pedicure and manicure, then painted her nails a shade of green that matched her hair.

"I'd still very much like to try something else with your hair, though." Cocci frowned, the red-eyed woman's reflection staring at her in the mirror. "Maybe a ponytail?"

"I said no." Ivy protested, reaching up to hold on to the braids and protect them.

"Well it doesn't matter right now, we don't have time." Nellidae replied, wrapping her hand around Ivy's arm as she began to tug her back towards the stairs. "We've left our lord waiting long enough to see you. He'll be quite cross if we leave him in anticipation much longer."

Cocci sighed, following along behind them. "I do suppose that is true."

Ivy grimaced as she eyed the stairs, wondering how much further they still had to climb. She had at least been granted a brief reprieve while the two women had assaulted her with make-up and grooming, but she had really hoped they were completely done with those damn stairs by now.

"Not much further, don't worry." Cocci stated soothingly as she patted Ivy on the back, seeming to understand what the girl was thinking. "In time, you'll get used to the climb."

Ivy sighed, wondering if that was true.

As the three of them continued up, Ivy noticed there were longer stretches between each of the floors, creating long periods where she had nothing to stare at but smooth wooden walls on either side of her. Occasionally there would be a window carved into the tree, allowing her to glance out at the world. Each time one past, she would steal and peek outward, trying to find her village in the world below, but the forests and plants seemed to mask it from sight each time.

After another five minutes of climbing the stairs, the two women brought her to a halt, pausing just before what seemed to finally be the top of the tree. Nellidae turned, her expression sour and serious once more – much like it had been when the two women had first greeted her at the base of the tree.

"It will be in your best interest to simply follow our example, and do nothing more."

Cocci grabbed Ivy's shoulder, spinning the young woman a face her, the same grave expression coating her face as well. "And do not talk unless he addresses you directly. Even then, though, keep it short, and concise. If you talk too much you risk saying something that will anger him."

"Until you learn to navigate his temper like we do, you'd do best to just nod and agree with everything he says."

Ivy turned to face the woman standing on the steps above her, wondering why they were warning her. Ivy knew enough to know these 'women' had not always been women. Their strange skin and appearance was enough to tell her they had once been beasts, but were granted human form by The Tree Frog. Normally, the creatures of the world didn't show humans any form of kindness, so she could only wonder what purpose they had in preparing her.

"Alright." She agreed with an unsure shrug. The women on either side of her exchanged glances then continued up the stairs, entering the – thankfully – final chamber of the tremendous tower.

"My lord." Both girls spoke in unison once all of them had entered the chamber, stopping just in front of the stairs. Ivy felt a hand press down on both her shoulders, forcing her to kneel and bow as both the ladies did the same. Despite being forced down, though, the teenage girl couldn't help but raise her head to steal a glance.

As she raised her eyes, though, the first thing they focused on was not the Creature of God that ruled her realm, but a large ornate pedestal that stood beside him – or more accurately, what lay atop it. Perched there, in a specially made stand, was a strange sword. The weapon had a brown hilt that somewhat resembled the trunk of a tree, and from it sprouted two deep green blades that seemed to circle about each other like twisted vines before coming together at a point. Ivy only stared at it for a moment, but that was all she needed to recognize it as the Mystic Blade of Plant; The Thorn Cutter.

She had little time to stare at the sword, though, with the looming figure of the Tree Frog beside it. On the opposite end of the room, perched before a window, staring out at the realm below, was a slender, effeminate looking man. He was wearing bright, flamboyant robes in various colors, all of them appearing to be translucent – much like the one she wore – and caused the cacophony of color to blend together. The man slowly turned his head, eyeing the three girls that bowed in his presence. His face was handsome – no, it was more pretty than handsome, and he might have been a looker if it weren't for the bright green skin and the fact that he was a horrendous monster in disguise.

The Tree Frog grinned as his eyes met Ivy's and the teenager quickly lowered her head, remembering the words of warning from the two girls beside her. She heard the man trek across the wooden room toward them, stopping close by where Ivy had her forehead planted against the ground.

"Stand, human."

The Tree Frog's voice was sweet and alluring, but still rang out stern and demanding as he gave the order. Ivy raised her head slightly, looking to either side of her for a cue on what she should do. Neither woman glanced in her direction to instruct her, so she simply did as she was told.

Ivy stood, raising herself up in front of The Tree Frog, but kept her eyes lowered to the ground. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to look at him or not – the two ladies weren't bothering to glance up at all.

"Hmm…"

Despite not being able to see the creature's face, Ivy could feel his judging gaze passing her up at down. She suddenly felt very exposed and uncomfortable, instinctually lifting an arm to lay over her chest as she gripped her opposite arm. The Tree Frog reached out a few moments after she did, sliding the limb down and away from her breasts, making the young woman feel even more uncomfortable as she realized he was staring at them.

"They're… a little small…"

Ivy felt her cheeks flush red as the pervert spoke, partially from embarrassment and partially from fury at the comment. It took a great deal of strength to resist reaching up and smacking the frog across the face, but somehow, she managed.

"I do like the hair though."

The teen felt a hand slide down through the braids, batting them a bit as it reached the bottom.

"What's your name, human?"

"Ivy." She replied sheepishly, still staring at the ground. She vaguely recalled the argument the two women had had about giving her a new name, and wondered if she should have made something else up.

"I suppose you'll do." The Tree Frog stated after a moment. The man reached out, placing a finger beneath Ivy's chin to raise her gaze to meet his own. The young Thornian girl stared into the strange man's sapphire colored eyes.

What happened next, Ivy would forever deem unavoidable as The Tree Frog leaned in and forced a kiss on her primped up lips. Out of utter shock and repulsion, the young woman couldn't help but raise her hand up and smack the man on the cheek as hard as she could, causing him to stumble a step to the side.

Ivy heard a pair of loud gasps from either side of her as the two women suddenly raised their heads and stared at her in utter horror. It wasn't the look of shock on their faces that alarmed the teenage girl as she turned to face them, though. It was the look of unbridled terror that sent a shiver down the girl's spine.

"How dare you…"

Ivy spun back to face The Tree Frog as he stood erect once more, facing away from her as he held a hand to his cheek.

"You whore!"

The young woman had no time to react as the flamboyant man spun around, returning the slap tenfold. The man's hand came in contact with her cheek, letting out a large crack as she felt the force on her head lift the rest of her body from the ground, sending her spiraling across the room. The world spun around her as he body twisted before crashing to the ground and sliding up against the far wall with a crash. Ivy coughed as she remained prone on the ground, caught in an unshakable stupor.

"Cocci! Nellidae! What is the meaning of this!?" The Tree Frog screamed, his tone making him sound deranged as he spun to face the two cowering women.

"O-our apologies, my lord!" Cocci shouted quickly.

"W-we knew she was still a bit wild, but we didn't think she would be so imprudent!" Nellidae added, sounding panicked.

"Give us more time, lord!" Cocci said, lowering her head in another deep bow.

"We promise, we will break her!" Nellidea swore, following her partner's gesture.

The Tree Frog glared down at the two attendants, mentally debating whether or not to simply kill them for their incompetence. They had failed to keep the last girl in line as well.

Ivy turned her head as the two women pleaded for forgiveness, begging for another chance. And as she watched how The Tree Frog glowered down at the two of them, Ivy suddenly understood why they had primped her and warned her: they had been trying to protect themselves. The young woman watched as The Tree Frog raised a hand, a large wooden spike poking out from his sleeve – as if from nowhere. He was going to kill them.

Ivy pushed herself up, reaching up to grab at the ledge behind her for support.

"Stop!" She yelled out as she forced herself to her feet, commanding The Tree Frog's attention. "Leave them alone!"

All three of the beasts turned to watch her as she stood, two looks of surprise and one of befuddled amusement staring in her direction as she did. The teenage girl shakily returned to her feet, leaning on the piece of furniture next to her for support. She took in quick, deep breaths, trying to fight through the pain – she hadn't realized until she tried to stand how much the force of that man's strike had reverberated through her entire body. Her cheek was hardly even the most painful spot on her.

"Step away from there, human."

Ivy watched as the flamboyant man lowered his arm, turning to face her fully.

"You shouldn't be touching that."

The girl paused, turning to look at what her fingers had been pressing against. Affixed atop the piece of furniture providing her support was that odd, dual-bladed sword. Her eyes stared, transfixed by the weapon as they slid down it's length, stopping where the tip of one of her fingers was pressed lightly against the base of the sword's handle. The girl turned her attention back to the frog, realizing that her even grazing the blade was making him uneasy.

"I've been told I shouldn't do a lot of things today…" Ivy replied, willing her legs to be firm and stop shaking. "But I think I'm tired of doing what everyone else tells me."

The Thornian reached out, slipping her hand fully around the hilt of the Mystic Blade, lifting it from where it was resting. She was surprised at how light it felt, despite its size and shape. And she was surprised by the feeling she got as she swung it in front of her, placing it as a guard between her and the flamboyant ruler. It somehow felt… right.

"I see…" The Tree Frog lost all sign of amusement as Ivy lifted the blade. "I understand now why you two failed… she's not one who can be broken by the likes of you."

Ivy stared defiantly across the room, unsure what her plan was, but sure that it involved sticking the sword in her hands straight through the frog's heart the first chance she got.

"If it's someone like her… I'll have to break them myself!"

The Tree Frog threw up his arms, a shower of thorns shooting out from the man's sleeves at Ivy. Startled, the girl raised the blade in front of her, as if expecting it to magically act to save her on its own. But it didn't. It did nothing as the torrent of wooden needles rained down on her, piecing her over most of her body. Ivy screamed, falling to her knees from the dozens of sharp piercing strikes. But the pain was momentary, passing a second later.

"Is that it?" Ivy asked, stupidly challenging the man to try something more.

"No." The Tree Frog responded, grinning. "But that's all I need to take care of you."

Ivy had only a second to wonder what the flamboyant man meant, as a moment later the world around her began to bend and distort itself. She wavered as she tried to stand, collapsing back down to her knees as a feeling of dizziness and lightheadedness overtook her. She didn't have to struggle to realize the truth of that moment: the thorns had carried poison.

"I don't know who you think you are, girl," The Tree Frog spoke, his voice sounding odd as the poison continued to spread through the girl's body, "but not just any pathetic human can wield that sword. It takes someone especially pathetic."

Ivy began to panic as the world around her began to spin and twist, and as The Tree Frog began to move toward her through the distorted chaos.

"I thought for a moment, when you picked it up, that maybe that someone was you. But it appears I was mistaken."

The Tree Frog stopped before the girl as she stared up at him, head bobbing back and forth as she tried to fight off the toxin he had injected her with. He grinned maliciously as a sharpened wooden blade slowly began to extend from one of his sleeves.

"You've got spunk, though. It's just too bad for you that I hate spunk."

The man lifted the sword up, an action Ivy could recognize even through the oddly deformed world. She suddenly realized she was going to die – either from this man's poison, or from his blade. She was going to die.

Ivy clenched her eyes tight, shaking her head. This wasn't supposed to be how it went. She wasn't supposed to pick up that sword. She wasn't supposed to slap that man. She wasn't supposed to be there! All she wanted – all she wished for – was a way out. A way to escape – a way to run! A way to survive!

The Thorn Cutter clenched in the young woman's hand responded to her desire, glowing only a moment, but a moment was enough. From nowhere a thicket of vines rose up around the young woman, encasing her on all sides, surrounding her and wrapping around her – protecting her from every direction as it masked her from sight.

The Tree Frog gasped at the reaction, watching in shock as the vines grew up at the girl's beckoning – she was the one! He had to end it quickly. As the vines moved to finish their shield, The Tree Frog swung out, slicing through the protective plants before their shield was finalized, and through everything they may have been protecting.