Taller and taller the trees did grow. What started as roots at the base of the spire had grown into a massive trunk which was twisted in a spiral which reached high up in the sky. The black spire was no longer visible, having vanished within the great mass of the tree that grew. The entirety of the mountain at this point was gone, having been converted into the trunk that formed the great tree. It's head was quickly sprouting branches which reached out far and wide, grazing the bottoms of the clouds above with their outstretched twigs. Already the surplus of brilliant red and orange leaves which grew upon the great tree's canopy cast their shadow across the lands below. The wider the tree grew the more trees were pulled into it's mass, the great woods below merging into this gargantuan tree's mass as it ballooned outward and upward. The only space this massive tree did not cover was a hole set precisely in the middle where the helical beams were cast forth past the comforting blue of the day lit sky into the yawning infinity.

Meanwhile down on the forest floor where the trees still grew ever larger Hayim could hear the movement of a tree behind him, great orange leaves rustling high above him.

"Wh... Who are you?" Asked a great, rumbling voice which emanated from the wood that loomed over him. The source of the voice was a large face naturally formed into the trunk. The face which once belonged to a man was now stretched and distorted into the natural shapings of tree knots which, despite their wooden nature, flexed and moved like natural muscle. As was clear by it's query this particular fellow either didn't know of Hayim or couldn't recognize the deity now that he, like himself, was changing still.

_
"It matters not... I know not what I've become or how but it's clear your feet are free, unlike mine." The man who was now a tree bent down, lowering a great branch to Hayim's level.

"Whether or not you can fix all this I do not know... Seeing as you haven't ran like those more fortunate than I you clearly have your aims set upon this... fountain of light." Even as the tree man spoke, sluggish though his new form was, The roots from the great tree were started to lift the earth below them. The whole landscape upon which they stood rose to a tilt like that of a hillside and had no appearances of stopping.

"I can get you to the top where the tree opens up for the lights... I must implore you, if it is within your ability... Please disentangle my tribe from the tree... Many rest upon the tree's face but I fear some may have been pulled inside of it... If they remain I fear they may never see the light of day nor the escape of death."

It awaited his response, ready to help bring this wayward being into the heart of the tree with it's newly gained branches of great length.

_
Meanwhile well further behind him the girl whom was now sinking below the dirt could only look on in helpless despair. Had her patron deity really failed to hear her or did he simply not acknowledge her plight? Forsaken by the one she called to in her most dire hour she hung her head low under the great weight of her sorrow as her upper torso was now submerged in the dirt. Strangely enough the dirt below felt strangely smooth and perhaps a tad slimy. She knew not what to make of it for the most dominating thoughts currently occupying her mind were both the terrors of being buried alive combined with the inevitability of it all.

Even as her neck sank into the loamy earth she breathed in deep despite the weight of the earth on her chest knowing that this would be the last time she would know the invigorating joy of having air fill her lungs. As the earth closed in over her face she shut her eyes tightly before disappearing below.

In her bravery she prepared to face the greatest fear of all: the certainty of one's own impending demise. Or so she thought...

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[u][i][b]Meanwhile down in the dwarven colony...[/b][/i][/u]
[hr]
Deep within the home of the dwarves they could feel a deep tremor throughout the earth. What started as distant tremors had grown into a constant rumbling which shook the mountain itself. Much like thunder the sound was heralding the arrival of it's cause: Roots.

The roots that arrived were simply the tips of far greater branches that ran below. Even still they wormed they way through the worked earthen walls of their homes, poking up from the floors and reaching out through the walls. This was definitely cause for much disturbance amidst their community. For as far as the roots reached however they reached even deeper, growing down further and further towards the core as the great tree rose higher and higher.

How did they react? Well...

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Relevant to - [@Duoya][@Leotamer][@Lmpkio][@Legion02]