Under The Oak Tree Manta Novels & Stories

Some of the roots of the oak tree led to the water, descending into the riverbed. Cory waited for her eyes to adjust to the scene and she gasped when they did. Before them was the most colossal tree she had ever laid eyes on. It stretched upwards indefinitely, towering over the rest of the jungle. The tree bore strange markings that covered its entire surface in a series of uniformed patterns. Upon closer inspection, Cory realised what the markings were. A multitude of tiny walkways and flights of stairs had been carved into the bark of the mammoth tree. Miniature lanterns had been placed at regular intervals to light the pathways. Sandwiching each carved path and stairway were columns of po

"Analog." He whistled. A sharp, bird-like trill—their old signal from the orphanage days. A whistle answered from the left. Marcus. A whimper answered from the right. Haley. Jack moved through the undergrowth. The vegetation was dense—ferns the size of cars, vines as thick as pythons. He found Marcus cutting Haley down from a tree. She was shaking, but unhurt. "Where's Ben?" Jack asked. "I heard a splash," Marcus pointed north.

Always had. "How much further?" I asked instead. "Two hundred twelve meters. Based on the map. The terrain has changed nineteen times. We've crossed five streams. Encountered eight different tree species. The dominant one is oak. Approximately sixty percent oak. Thirty percent pine. Ten percent birch. Alpha Manuel." "Noted." "You didn't ask about the trees. Alpha Manuel." "No. I didn't." "Then why did I provide that information? Alpha Manuel." "Because you can't help yourself."

"You would be killed on the spot. That kind of mixing is considered an abomination. It is forbidden." "That's what Fenton said." Ike chuckled as they were let out into open water so deep that it dimmed the glow of the plants and fish. The tunnel faded behind them, and ahead they were over a forest of underwater trees. The tops had huge flowers of gold and silver. "He calls me Frankenstein," Ike added after a minute passed.

POV: Rhea Mooncrest "Micah, get back! Don't you dare give that monster what it wants!" Rhea’s voice was a jagged rasp, cutting through the heavy, ozone-thick air of the Under-Whisper. She was slumped against the petrified, obsidian roots of the World-Tree, her fingers digging into the cold, dead wood as she struggled to stand. Every inch of her body felt like it was being held together by rusted wire and sheer desperation. Across the glowing fungal moss, the Heir—the dark, mirror-image construct of Rhea herself—towered over the battlefield, its mirror-eyes reflecting a world already won.

None, even at their most ambitious, was brazen enough to wish for a tree. "We found a Moon Mango tree and a few other plants of the same affinity. We have also found a tribe of moon fox in the Medicine Mountain and have taken some of their sucklings for grooming. We will put mana bricks on the market in a few months, but it will only be available to those who join our organization. So far, it's just the Devos Province who's joined, therefore, you will be our first and only customer."