All throughout the cavern, the sounds of treants working could be heard. Some mined out more caves, some sowed and harvested at the multiple gardens, some worked on production, all worked for me. I wish I knew what to do with them, I just needed the twenty treants to work as security. Treants aren't even supposed to be capable of such higher understanding.
One thing needs to be said about them though, the bare cave has been decorated with flowers, vines, and forest green carpets. It isn't a big deal, but it does look better. My hoofs clopped emptily as I walked along the carpet and down the cavern stairs. All of them nodded silently as I walked by.
Birch walked behind me, now wearing a silk green robe. "Where did you get silk to make that robe?" I asked, pointing a hoof at him.
"From the garden, master. We started growing silk fungus as soon as we could." He replied softly.
"Silk fungus, that's a bit advanced for all of you, isn't it?"
"Multiple treants working in unison allowed the sowing, it was great labor, but worth it if it pleases you." Birch said, looking down at me.
I had not truly noticed him or his treants since I conjured them, as I've said, they were primarily meant to serve as security, not as people. Birch stood taller than his siblings with two large and long tree stumps for legs. His thick wooden arms gave way to four sharp and powerful claws, perfect for ripping open an assailant. His eyes were a bright green, like any summon of life, but him like his siblings, had irises. Most summons lack proper eyes due to their freewill being suppressed during the conjuring process. His hair and beard were matching sets of bright green leaves that flowed with the breeze.
He caught me staring too long, "Would you like a robe, master? We'd be honored to sew you one." He asked and I shook my head to say, 'no'.
"Okay, don't hesitate to tell us though, we're storing a large portion of silk down on floor B107."
B107? Just how many floors are they building? "You mentioned having gardens down here, right?" I asked, having put my prior question away for now.
"Yes master, as per our dietary habits and reproductive needs, every floor is built around 5,000,000 acres of garden." The treant seemed unfazed by what exactly he had just said.
"Five million acres?! Birch, that's not a garden, that's a farm! A very, big farm, in fact. What are they even eating from them?" I asked incredulously.
"Your magical signature, master. Though the garden above ground is far better equipped with that, the lesser farms suffice." He said with a smile.
"Birch, what if the natives catch wind of what you're doing? You know there has to be magical powerhouses on this planet, what if they don't like it, and decide that destroying us all is the only way to maintain their rule!" I wasn't quite sure if I could beat whoever was from this planet so I would rather avoid confrontation.
Birch's claws grabbed hold of me and he lifted me up to his chest before wrapping his arms around me gently.
"It's okay, I won't let anyone hurt you." He said while scratching my mane. I know I should've fought him off, it would've been easy to, after all. Just being here though, being held, having an itch I didn't know I had scratched. It just felt okay.
One of the treants approached us and called out for me. "Master, a caravan of ten will be here in an hour."
"Caravan, merchants or performers?" I asked, still enjoying Birch's claws as they move up and down from my back to my head.
"Merchants, master. A lot of us have spread out across the desert in disguise to scout potential threats. We're still setting up patrols, but this caravan was comprised of merchants, we're certain. " The treant replied, he didn't seem to bothered by what Birch was doing.
"What are their wares?" I asked, my eyes closed as Birch scratched behind my equine ears.
"Ponies, as they're called here, master." Ponies, like smaller horses? Smaller like me?
"These ponies, do they share species characteristics with me?" I asked, jumping out of Birch's claws.
"Yes, master, They are ponies, similar to you, but far inferior as creatures."
"Inferior, how so?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at the treant.
"They are not you, master, all beings are inferior to you." I tried to face hoof, but birch stopped my hoof in mid air delicately.
"Please, don't hit yourself." He sounded sad as he said it.
Turning back to the treant, "What are their wares again?" I don't recall hearing him answer the first time.
"Ponies, master." Their wares are ponies?
"A slave caravan?" I asked with a grimace.
"Yes, master. It's likely they're heading to Klugetown to a slave auction." I didn't even know Klugetown had slave auctions, let alone slaves.
"You guys have to do anything and everything I tell you to do, right?" I asked, hatching a plan for the slave auction.
"Of course, master, it's an honor to serve you." Every treant in the vicinity said in unison.
"Fetch my travelling gear and storm bucks, I want fifty of you to sneak into Klugetown underground and prepare to attack on my command."
"Yes, Master." They lumbered off to carry out my will as Birch and I travelled back above ground.
"Master," Birch started. "Must it be you who goes? I don't like the idea of you being in danger."
"I won't be in any danger, Birch. I'm completely capable of defending myself, and besides, this could go very well for us." Birch looked confused as I finished talking.
"What do you plan on doing, master?" He asked, his wooden claws clamped together.
"We'll stage an attack on the auction house, kill the slavers and buyers, and imprison the slaves. Oh, have a few cells made, they likely won't open the auction until night fall." I ordered.
"But master, aren't you going to buy a slave?" Birch said, looking a bit frightful.
"No, no, I'm just pretending to be a buyer, have a dozen cages built, one big enough for me."
"You want us to put you in a cage?!" He screamed in fear.
"Temporarily! It will make it look like I'm not the one in charge here, the people of Klugetown need to believe that their dear friend, Sugar Hoof is another innocent victim in all this." I replied sternly.
Birch seemed relieved to an extent, but still looked unwary about my plan. "What do you intend to do with the slaves once we catch them?"
I took a breath and thought for a moment before replying, "I'll question all of them, learning more about where we are could be good, and I should do some research and experiments on them."
"I thought you were supposed to be an innocent victim?" Birch reminded me.
"Oh, yeah ... guess I'll have to question them and experiment on them in disguise then."
Birch looked even more relieved knowing that nobody would know that it was me doing the experimenting. I wondered if he knew that by 'experimenting' there would likely be some dissection done as well.