Chapter 32
Pain, just harsh aching pain filled Gideon's world. His body felt twisted and broken as if he had gone a hundred rounds with Cinderblock, he should have broken bones and missing limbs after their impact, yet he felt whole and mostly undamaged. He tried to move, but the pain shocked through him and nearly caused him to black out.
Careful young mystic, you are still mending.
The voice from before he blacked out spoke into his mind, it was smooth and soft, yet old and wise. It was a comfort to him somehow, that the voice belonged to someone that he could trust. He wanted to thank it for saving them, though the moment he thought of Rhordan he panicked, worried about her condition.
Fret not little mystic, the other little mystic is mending well, her injuries are not as severe as yours.
A calm relief flooded through him, just knowing that Rhordan was alright made the pain he felt worthwhile. Then he remembered that the unknown voiced had referred to Rhordan as her instead of he, a slight note of panic rose in him as he wondered if the voice would expose their secret.
Little mystic, I care not why she hides herself as that of the opposite gender. The matters of your kind do not interest me.
Gideon felt somewhat relaxed yet irked that the voice could read his thoughts, it felt like an invasion of privacy. The voice merely laughed at his insinuation, causing Gideon's eye to twitch.
You are a mystic of the nature element, while connected to the forest, your thoughts can be heard as if it was spoken. It is only natural that you can hear the thoughts of the forest itself.
Gideon couldn't fault the voice's logic, though he was using the word that the instructors had used before, he wondered why he was called that, or why the voice had referred to Rhordan as a mystic as well.
A mystic is one that can command the element they control, it is common among all races for them to either borrow and replace the elemental energy or influence it to follow their direction at the risk that it doesn't respond. A mystic can freely use the elemental energy around them at their whim, and call upon it to aid them.
By that logic, a mystic would be extremely powerful. Gideon felt a grin growing on his face, his desire to become stronger had already being heard by some power of this world.
Being born a mystic is extremely rare, and though they are powerful, that does not mean you are inherently strong. You must be within a large enough forest to use the power of nature to its fullest, while outside, its effect and control is diminished greatly.
Berating himself, Gideon thought about how he could be stupid to actually think he was given an all-encompassing power that would make him strong, however he wondered if there was a way to become stronger through using it.
You would be correct little mystic, as your elemental power grows so does your connection to the element of nature. Allowing you to bring in far greater quantities of elemental energy into your core, though you must be careful little mystic, with that great of power entering your core you can easily break it.
A smile etched onto his face, Gideon had a way to become strong, though he had to be cautious and work diligently, something that wasn't his forte. Yet, he couldn't stop the smile on his face, he had a way to protect those he cares about. Relaxing somewhat, he thought directly to the voice, asking it its name.
I am Kagaras, a proud member of the Ents. Though, eons ago, I fell asleep on this spot and forgot to wake myself. With the passage of time, I was covered by the ground, left to slumber peacefully until not more than a few centuries ago when this accursed crevice was created.
Gideon felt sympathy for Kagaras, the Ent, if he was correct in assuming the voice was of the tree variety, was disturbed from his sleep by someone who cut a swathe through the land and left all this evil energy. Though, thinking about a person singlehandedly creating this colossal canyon scared him, the power needed to deal an attack that would such a mark on the landscape would be astronomical.
During my time upon the land, I knew those of your kind that could do far more than cut that single swathe across the land. The one that caused this wound upon the world was of the chaos element, a nasty element that only causes suffering and unyielding agony.
Offering his sympathy once again, Gideon couldn't imagine what it must have been like to continuously suffer because some random human had duelled it out over their resting grounds. He did shiver at the thought of the chaos element, yet he wondered if the sword he carried was of the same element.
You are correct little mystic, that weapon you carry exudes chaos energy, though that is not its original form. The chaos energy corrupted it before it was bound within the binds made of a tiny piece of the worldly metal and the void metal.
Whatever the 'worldly metal' or 'void metal' meant he was sure it had to be some powerful metal if only a tiny piece of it is needed to seal away the power that the sword exuded, but hearing that the sword wasn't originally cursed to begin with gave him hope. If he could find a way to uncurse the sword then he and Rhordan wouldn't be so worried about it falling into the wrong hangs.
That sword would have to be of the same power beforehand to have this amount of with chaos energy contained within it, the chaos element may be able to corrupt but it cannot increase the strength of magical items nor can it improve them. As for cleansing it of the chaos energy, that requires either an artefact or a blood relative of the original creator to purge it.
Sighing, Gideon reluctantly stowed that information for later, cleansing the sword would challenging enough, but a sword of that power could attract the eye of many unsavoury people, it would be best to forget about it for the time being. His curiosity was drawn to why the Ent was being helpful towards him and Rhordan, he was sure that the past events with the unknown chaos element wielder rudely awakening it, it would have a distasteful demeanour towards humans.
I am old and dying little mystic, my time within this plane of existence is drawing to close. Laying here within this chamber of chaos, I am reminded of all the years of peaceful life I have enjoyed. When I heard your call, I knew that I would rather go out as I lived, helping those who could not help themselves. Yet, after I have saved you, I find myself realising that there is little I can do in my weakened state.
Gideon could understand the Ent's reasonings, after he was under the care of his uncle, he doubted he could ever trust another human again. But, working for the doom patrol and the titans showed him that helping others escape their hell was far better than wallowing in his self-pity. He was also calm about hearing the Ent say it couldn't do much to help them, he gave them time to figure a way out, time they wouldn't have had before. Calling out to Kagaras with his mind, he asked him where they were since he could see anything.
Before you hit the ground, I used part of my life force to protect you before using what little control I have left of my body to catch and pull you both into the walls, shielding you from the chaos energy… the female little mystic awakens.
"Urgh… where am I?" Rhordan groggily stated, she felt the aching pain all around her body as well, though she fought threw it to regain her consciousness. "Gideon?"
"I'm… I am fine…" Gideon's voice was gruff and sore to use, he struggled to say those four words. It made him grateful he could converse with Kagaras with his mind. "We are safe… for now… try to rest… for a bit."
"We fell into the crevice, how can we be safe?" Rhordan didn't want to raise her voice but her panic rose when Gideon told her they were safe, she couldn't fathom how they managed to survive the fall, but to do so and still be in one piece was beyond her.
"Kagaras saved us." Gideon broke into a coughing fit, his lungs weren't coping with him speaking. Rhordan tried to reach out to him, but in the darkness ,it made things difficult to gauge the distance of his voice. Instead, she wondered who this Kagaras was. "Kagaras is an Ent that… was asleep below the ground… the person who made the crevice… rudely awoke him."
"An Ent?" Rhordan couldn't believe she had been saved by an Ent, from the few fantasy books she read, Ents were her favourite people as they were always wise and kind. She didn't know where to look, so she simple started her gratitude aloud. "Thank you, Kagaras."
In my state, I am unable to use my voice. Could you please tell her that it was my pleasure, I just wish there is more that I can do for the both of you.
"Kagaras says 'you're welcome'… he can't really speak… but I can hear him… with my nature element." Gideon had to be careful when he spoke, one wrong move and he would be having another one of those painful coughing fits. He could hear a small sad sigh escape from Rhordan, she sounded dejected that she couldn't speak directly to the Ent. Gideon mentally asked if there was anyway, he could include Rhordan in their mental conversation.
Unfortunately, she is not of the nature element. She is of the lightning element, a powerful element but not useable for communication between that of nature… hmm… there might be a way… take hold of her hand.
Blushing slightly, Gideon reached out and tried to find Rhordan, he eventually found her just off to his side. Reaching out, he found her arm and glided down it to find her hand, grasping hold, he awaited further instructions from Kagaras.
Hello little mystic.
Rhordan gasped audibly, she had heard the wise old Ent's voice in her head, though it was somewhat diluted. She could somehow hear Gideon thinking about how he was grateful to Kagaras for helping her, she smiled slightly before shaking her head. She mentally thanked the Ent, this time she wanted him to know that she was extremely grateful.
I am glad little mystic, though I am afraid there is not much more I can do for you two. My power is already weakened from the course of time, and I used part of my life force to save both of you. I will not be able to stay within this plane of existence for much longer, and when I depart, you both will succumb to the chaos element.
Rhordan felt sad that Kagaras was dying, and honoured that he would sacrifice part of his life force to save them both. She was confused about what the chaos element was, until she felt Gideon speak to her through the mental connection, filling her in on the basics of the conversation between him and Kagaras. Rhordan found herself agreeing with Gideon, the Ent had provided them with time to figure a way out of the crevice. She was also interested to learn of her element, wondering what she would be able to do with lightning.
You little mystics are very optimistic, you still try even though there is no way out. The crevice is nearly three leagues deep, there is no way you can make it to the surface before you succumb to the chaos element.
Gideon thought about the method they used to hide their magical trail, he wondered if they could adapt it to block out the chaos energy, though Rhordan countered with reminding him how painful it was for him to suppress just a small amount of chaos energy before. If they tried, they would most likely be in agony for the entire journey, and under that kind of stress they could make many mistakes and fall again.
I admired your ingenuity, you think cleverly and tactfully. It is refreshing to see such lively young mystics once again.
Kagaras' words touched them, they smiled warmly at his words of praise. Though they refused to let up their search for a way out, the mental link helping to reduce the time and confusion a normal conversation would normally have. Rhordan frustratingly cried out in her mind for her notes on the glyphs, she was sure there had to be one among them that could help them, or that book she found in the dungeon.
Those runes you think of little mystic, are a crude imitation of the true runes. Their power and effects would be far lacking. As for the book… that is far from the mockery of the previous runes… hmm… it seems as though it was a training manual for runecraft…
Rhordan was stunned by Kagaras' words, she couldn't believe that those crude runes covered the entirety of the dungeon and still managed to give it such amazing effects. If she could learn the true version, the possibilities were endless. As for the book, she wondered if this was a copy of the training manual that the creator of the dungeon had used to learn runes, that they left it behind for others to learn runes. Rhordan mentally asked Kagaras if he could teach her the true runes, as she doubted that she could read the book in the dark area they were in, nor would she be able to understand it without at least a year's worth of time.
Your ambition and thirst for knowledge is admirable. Runes cannot be taught, they must be studied and recreated into your own version, it is only through your understanding of the fundamentals and your own creativity that will grant you the ability to use runes. The person who wrote the ones you think of does not have a full grasp of the fundamentals and it shows as they need hundreds of drawn runes to apply a single effect, that said the one that wrote the book isn't much higher than the first's understanding.
Kagaras' answer both thrilled Rhordan and dismayed her, the runes could be a powerful tool, but the time needed to learn them could take years, decades even. She wondered if she could learn what little she could from the book in the spatial ring, if she could work out some of the fundamentals then she might be able to create a shield for them against the chaos energy. Though, with no light where they were made it difficult to see the book, and they definitely couldn't use fire as the area they were in would fill with smoke and kill them quickly.
Hmm… there may be a way that I can help you with that, though it means taking most of what little life I have left.
Rhordan felt appalled that they could take away what little life Kagaras had left, they had already used some of his life force to save themselves and taking any more would be an insult to his generosity. Gideon thought about different ways they could solve their problem, options they hadn't explored yet or choices they could do instead, but they all sounded like wishful thinking.
Little mystics, your compassion is commendable, but I have lived for countless millennia. These past few centuries have been a living torment to me, constantly in pain and sorrow from the chaos energy coating this area. At most, I have but a few decades left to live, and it would give me great pleasure to die knowing that I had saved two bright and brave little mystics.
Gideon and Rhordan thanked Kagaras, they would never be able to forget his generosity, and if they ever made it out alive, they would find a way to commemorate his life in some way. To ensure his name isn't forgotten.
Do not thank me just yet, it is not guaranteed that you will survive nor be able to escape from this crevice. That relies solely on your two's ability to discover a way out for yourself, I cannot assist you any further than this.
Kagaras paused to let the seriousness of his words to sink in, allowing the pair to think among themselves before continuing.
There exists a forest to the furthest north-west of the landmass, the Forest of Ravas. A place of extreme power and home to many Prince and King ranked magical beasts and above. Within its boundaries live the peaceful race of the dryads, they use and develop their own set of runes to aid in the growth of the forest. If you can study and learn from them then maybe you can find a way to understanding the basics of runecraft.
Rhordan fought through the sympathy she felt for the Ent's plight to focus on how she could study runecraft, or better yet convince the dryads to let them study their runes. Though, she and Gideon were confused as to how they could get to the Forest of Ravas while stuck at the bottom of the crevice.
You won't actually leave this place, I can pull your souls from your bodies and transport them to the Forest of Ravas. Your souls will be powered by the forest itself, therefore you cannot leave its boundaries. And as souls, you will effectively be ghosts, no magical beast nor the dryads will be able to see or sense your presence unless they have the affinity for the spirit element.
That solved the issue of getting the dryads to help them, though it meant they couldn't physically hold anything nor ask any questions, they would be stuck trying to learn what they could from spying over their shoulders. It would be difficult, but it meant they could focus their entire time on studying rather than trying to survive.
Remember, those with the spirit element may be able to sense your presence, be careful. As for how long you have, it would require me to cut my life force down to a month to send and bring you back. You must find a solution within that month, otherwise you will be brought back here with no means of escape.
Before either of them could ask a question, the small cave glowed with a bright yellow hue, similar to that of Aurelia's power. Blinded by the power, they suddenly felt themselves be torn from their bodies, a strange experience but not one that was painful.
Lifting up, they floated in the air above their bodies, able to finally see themselves as the dark realm they had entered had a dim grey light coating everything. Hovering there, the yellow light suddenly surrounded them again, the yellow light exploded with an intensity of standing on the sun before everything went dark.
Taking several minutes to recover, the pair found themselves standing staring at a massive barrier of shifting grey and black energy, they could just see vaguely beyond it, a forest of strange red and blue leaf trees expanded as far as they could see. Scanning through the barrier, they didn't bother to turn around until a loud grunt sounded behind them.
Whipping around, they were stuck dumb by what they saw, before them expanding endlessly was a forest of bright and beautiful shifting array of colours. The trees soared high into the sky, taller than most skyscrapers, they ranged from bright light blue to lush dark greens, there was even a few that were a light purple.
The bark and moss pulsed an amazing dark green and earthy brown, each pulse different on each separate tree. Flowers glowed and dazzled all around them, radiating a vast array of bright colours, some even a colour they never thought they had seen before. The soft lush dark green grass burned a bright red colour as if it were fire dancing on it harmlessly.
Standing before them, was a massive four metre tall, ruby coated lion, a pair of equally massive ruby wings adorned its back. The gemstones making its body blazed with bright red energy that pulsed throughout its body, it stood proudly looking off into the distance beyond them. The lion strode forward towards the pair, they couldn't move nor speak as they watched this stunning creature leisurely walk up to them, the moment it was about to step on them its paw went right through them.
The ruby lion moved beyond the barrier, walking straight through the pair as if they weren't there, nor did they actually feel the lion pass through them. They stared stunned as the lion took flight in the small clearing beyond the barrier, soaring into the dark night sky above them.
What's going on! Gideon tried to speak with his mouth, but nothing came out, he couldn't speak nor make any sound with any part of his body. Eventually he exclaimed in his own mind in outrage, upset that he couldn't even talk, though seeing the transparent form of Rhordan standing beside him wince harshly told him his answer. Our minds are still connected.
Yes! You dolt! Rhordan angrily exclaimed, this time causing Gideon to wince at the volume of her words echoing in his mind. The two both silently agreed to not raise their voices inside their mind unless it was absolutely necessary, the pain from the sound ricocheting in their heads was staggering. Come on, lets go find these dryads and get to work. We only have a month, we can't waste any time.
Agreed… though how do we tell if a month has passed. Gideon voiced his confusion aloud, he looked up at the night sky before returning his eyes to Rhordan who looked at him strangely. I mean, we only counted the days, a month to us is thirty days. Who's to say that is the same here? What if it is twenty days or forty days?
Let's just hope that it's the same as our old world… though I imagine they would have different words for their frame of time that somehow manages to translate into our own version, so hopefully it is the same. Rhordan tried to sound reassuring, though in the back of her mind she knew he was right. They never bothered to ask about the days or how long the months or years were, though those questions would have raised suspicion over their past. There was one thing they noticed over time, the days and nights were somewhat longer than their old world, they had once counted the time from sunset to sunset and found the days to be only a few hours longer than their old world. We should focus solely on trying to solve our issue at the abyss first, once that is done then we can use this time to learn anything else that we can.
Gideon nodded to her and the pair set off into the forest, searching for anything that could direct them to the dryads. While walking, they noticed their stamina and fatigue were meaningless, no matter how far they walked they didn't feel tired. With that knowledge in their minds, they started sprinting through the forest, with no fatigue they could speed up their search greatly.
As they ran, they saw many other magical beasts they had never seen before, they occasionally had to stop and marvel at a few of them. One of which was a herd of huge six-legged horses coated in thick purple skin and electric sparks flying off spines on their joints and mane, they looked rather intriguing as they grazed happily. A moment passed and a familiar creature appeared, the Ice Spine Panther lurked through the forest. It was staying low to the ground, trying to keep its presence unknown to those around it, though the moment it saw the herd of grazing horses it nearly leapt in fright. The Ice Spine Panther bolted away in fear of the herd, not daring to try its hand and attack them.
It seems as if Kagaras is right, this forest has many higher ranked magical beasts. Gideon muttered in his mind, garnering an agreeing sound from Rhordan who could only watch in amazement as the herd of horses didn't bat an eye at the approaching predator nor did they react when it bolted away. Walking forward, Rhordan stood before one of the light purple horses, staring in awe of it.
Kagaras said my element is lightning, I wonder if I can learn something from them… Rhordan pondered aloud, trying to rest her hand upon the side of one its impressively built legs as she wasn't tall enough to reach its snout, though her hand just went through the horse like a ghost. A thought occurred to her, she turned to find Gideon smiling at her. How did you figure out your element?
Not sure… Gideon was taken aback by the sudden question, he was admiring Rhordan as she gazed in wonder at the large horse. Thinking back to the moment he gained his element, he couldn't remember how or why he managed to gain it. Best guess, I think because you were heavily injured and the forest must of heard my pain and called out to me… or maybe I called out to it… Yeah! I called out to it because I wanted the power to save you.
Rhordan ignored the blush growing on her face and focused on his words, trying to decipher what he meant when he said he 'called out to it'. She wondered if she would have to be in a dire situation to attain her element, however she remembered that the best way to find out your element was to use the special stone, and that stone only told you what your element was, not how to unlock it. Rhordan put her raging thoughts aside, there was little she could do outside of her body, but if they managed to find a way out of the abyss then she would devote her time to finding her element on her own.
Pressing onwards, they continued into the sparkling forest, marvelling at anything and everything they could while keeping an eye out for any forms of civilisation, anything that would lead them to the dryads. They spent hours running around the forest, even splitting up at one point as their mental connection didn't fade over distance. Nothing, no signs or evidence that a civilization existed here.
Kagaras was buried under miles of earth, he could have been down there for thousands of years. Gideon and Rhordan had met up at a clearing, the sides that they took to scout proved fruitless. The only fascinating things they found were the magical beasts, they would have looked at the plants or flowers but they had no idea what they were looking at. Frustrated, they had agreed to meet up at the clearing to regroup and think things over. Its possible that the dryads have long since disappeared from the forest…
From the looks of this forest, we have only covered a small potion of it. Rhordan countered Gideon, she refused to give up on escaping the abyss, no matter the obstacle she refused to relent, to never be as helpless as she was falling into the crevice again. Death had seemed certain falling into the darkness, but now with her new lease of life she vowed to become stronger, to be free from the grasps of the evil beings of this world and live peacefully on her own terms. But, in order to attain that dream, she had to fight, to push onwards and never stop until she achieves her idyllic world. Let's keep searching, you take the far left and go as far as the barrier, follow it around the forest while I go through the middle. We will meet up when our paths converge at the other end.
Gideon nodded, immediately turning away and dashing off into the forest. He could not let her down, nor could he give up, his desire burning in the back of his mind, a constant reminder of his promise to himself and to the world around him. Rushing through the forest, he cleared several miles in minutes. The spirit world didn't have anything like gravity, wind resistance, or obstacles to avoid, he could just go straight through everything in his path without hinderance.
Halting before the looming dark grey mass, he changed his direction and bolted towards the area they hadn't searched yet, keeping the barrier on his left.
As he was phasing through another colossal dark oak tree, one that's trunk spanned nearly twenty metres in diameter, he caught wind of faint voices just up ahead. Invigorated, he pressed onwards, trying to find the source of the voices. The closer he got, the more feminine they became, until he was close enough to hear them giggling and chatting happily.
Phasing through a set of dense bushes at high speed, he immediately found himself heading towards what looked to be a hot spring. Inside the warm waters he could clearly see three light green skinned women, each with moss like hair and vines wrapped around their arms and legs, except they were entirely naked.
Shocked by the sight, Gideon forgot about the lack of physical resistances within the spirit world as his high speed careered him directly into the barrier, rebounding off it harshly he flew through the forest for several hundred metres before managing to regain his senses and coming to a stop in the one place that they had been looking for.
A city made of vines, leaves, moss, and flowers coated an entire section of the forest from huts on the ground to colossal tree houses high in the sky, people exactly like the three women he saw strolled about with clothes made of large leaves of different colours. The language they spoke wasn't eligible to him, but from their tone he could tell they were happy within their little paradise. There were some that wore bark like armour and carried around large pole arms, a sharp green axe or odd halberds.
Rhordan… found em… Gideon was still trying to rid himself of the imagery of the woman from his mind, his voice breaking slightly in his mind as he spoke. Not wishing to let her know what had happened.
You sound startled, what happened? Rhordan asked worriedly, through their mental connection she could track his location and was heading towards him quickly, ecstatic that they managed to find the dryads after all. She had been worried they wouldn't fine them as she scanned her area of the forest, wondering if they would have to resort to finding a ruin or a residual remnant of a long-forgotten civilisation to provide them the resources they needed to escape the abyss.
Nothing! Gideon replied all too quickly, determinedly to end the conversation quickly, though his wish was cut short as the image of the woman popped into his mind once again. A seething hatred exploded through the mental link as he suddenly remembered they could send images through it, beelining towards his location with an immense amount of rage burning through her mind, Gideon panicked and tried to apologise. She was seconds from reaching him when she got the second part of his memory of him smacking off of the barrier and sent flying towards the village.
Hmph! Serves you right. Rhordan stood before him, glaring harshly at him, though a part of her spoken through the mental link told Gideon that she was trying not to laugh at his predicament. Gideon had been curled up into a standing ball, his leg and arm trying to protect his body and head when he felt the hatred from Rhordan, he was sure she was going to kill him and all he wished for was if the barrier could have knocked the image from his head when he hit it.
Sorry. Gideon sheepishly apologised though for what he wasn't exactly sure, he didn't mean to see them. I didn't look where I was going and rushed towards them when I heard their voices.
Do it again and I'll make you regret it… Rhordan harshly stated before wandering off through the village, staring wide eyed at the dryads and their constructions. Gideon was left standing there dumbfounded, unsure if he should be terrified at her words or glad that she hadn't killed him, though a part of him had the slight inclination that she was jealous… Gideon dismissed that notion and took it for granted that his accident straight after the incident placated her somewhat.
Walking through the dryad village, Rhordan tried to ignore the burning hatred in her heart, she couldn't explain it, nor did she understand why it caused such a violent uproar in her mind. The moment the image appeared in her mind she felt betrayed and angry, upset that he looked at other women, but why she had this particular reaction to eliminate his existence baffled her. Burying the feeling, she focused on trying to find anything that could help her understand runes, or at least distract her from the weird feeling.
She was irked slightly at being unable to understand their language, and even more so that she didn't have any writing equipment record notes on the dryads themselves, and to record whatever runes she came across. Though they had unknown time limit, they had to focus on their task at hand rather than their curiosity.
Searching through the village, they found dryads working various jobs, some gathered leaves, vines and other items that had fallen onto the ground, others tended to plants and vegetables. Some even worked within a pen filled with the large six-legged horses they had seen earlier, training them and feeding them. The pair found it fascinating, so much so that they had to shake themselves free of their admiration to focus on finding what they came for.
Searching through all of the buildings, they couldn't find much in the way of runes, other than the few they found engraved into the buildings or armour of the soldiers. Those weren't anything that Rhordan could learn from as they resembled worse versions than the one in the dungeon, and without her writing equipment she couldn't write them down for later study despite their horrific design. She had to memorise what she could while Gideon searched the other buildings.
Making their way down the pathway between the buildings, they came across a large building made entirely out of glowing light green crystals at the end of the path. Rushing towards it, they found numerous guards protecting it, and the number of protectors rose as they stepped inside. This had to be the royal palace, or whatever the dryad equivalent was.
Admiring the interior design of the palace, the pair walked through the glowing crystal corridors, checking room after room for anything that could help them. The rooms were decorated much like that of the other houses; moss beds, glowing crystal lights hanging from the ceiling, furniture made from vines and bark.
Working their way through, they found themselves in what could only be described as the throne room as there was a seat at the far end of a large chamber made from even brighter crystals than the building. Upon it sat a largely overweight man with a crown upon his head of similar crystals to that of the throne, he wore what looked to be a bright purple gown with an eerily familiar likeness to that of the horses in the pens.
The king looked to be talking with small group of men all dressed in similar gowns though theirs weren't as gaudy as the king's, they all had their heads bowed as they listened to the king speak to them. What they were conversing about was beyond the pair, but from the look on the faces of the group of men, it wasn't good.
Watching the interaction, they felt a distinct hatred towards the king grow, they were not sure why until one of the two doors on both sides of the throne opened. In walked several young girls covered in chains, rags barely covered their battered and bruised bodies, and sullen looks permanently etched into their faces. These girls seemed vastly different from the typical dryad they had seen living outside, their skin colour was different, and they had markings on their heads where something was supposed to have been there, except it wasn't. They couldn't exactly decern if they were a different species of dryad, or a subrace, but they had noticeable differences that had been deliberately removed and altered to make them resemble that of the common dryad in the area.
The pair stared in horror as the king lick his green lips and looked eager of their arrive, Gideon could only guess what was about to happen, but he couldn't stay there to watch, dragging Rhordan behind him he left the palace as quickly as he could. Gideon tried in vain to bury the repulsed hatred surging in himself as he walked away, he found himself unable to look Rhordan in the eye as they left the palace.
Neither of them said a word, both appalled that they didn't have the power to do something about it, but in their non-corporeal state they were as affective as a dull breeze. Gloomily pressing onwards, they searched through the village once more, continuing their search while trying to forget what they saw.
Here I thought dryads were a kind and caring race. Gideon morosely stated after a while of silence between them, his broiling anger welling within in him hadn't ceased growing, it threatened to consume him if he didn't manage it or find an outlet for it.
Just like humans, there are the good and the bad, no matter what there will always be those that crave power, wealth, fame, or… that… Rhordan shuddered as she recalled the look in the king's eyes, unable to shake the horrific scene as she recalled the words from one of her old teachers. Gideon couldn't deny her words, a distasteful feeling settling into him as he thought about the people who were plotting against Alex and what they would be doing in their spare time.
Shaking themselves from their brooding, they focused on searching the village, praying they could get through this month quickly. They wondered if they could really be titans after everything they had seen and walked away from, the thought of calling themselves heroes sickened them to their core. This world was tearing them apart piece by piece, and if they couldn't adapt to its cold harsh reality, then they were sure they would die long before they could even have the chance of finding a way home.
What they felt was a week flew by as the pair scoured through everything, the dryads that Kagaras had once praised had long since lost their ways of runecraft, what little remained of the fairly decent runes was almost as bad as the ones decorating the dungeon. Rhordan struggled to learn anything from them, they had managed to find something that resembled a school, but it was more of the same. The dryads had lost their knowledge of runes, why or how wasn't apparent to them but they had an inkling that the king had something to do with it.
The reason for their suspicions was the runes surrounding the palace were far better than any around the village, they were stronger and had greater effects that protected the palace from intruders. They struggled to be anywhere near the palace after their first run in with the king, the nightmares plaguing them just seeing the crystal structure from a distance, though with their unknown time limit they had little choice but to go there.
As spirits, there was little they could do to interact with any physical objects, nor could they or any other living being interact with them. It was useful to get around the palace without having to worry about the guards, nor doors for that matter as they once found themselves inside the vault beneath the throne room.
The vault had the best runes around the entirety of the dryad village and the palace combined, the vault itself was filled with many gems and books, books that they couldn't read nor open but theorised were the original texts of the runes that dryads use to use. Rhordan didn't exactly outright believe Gideon's suspicions of the king deliberately downgrading the dryad people to keep them complacent under his rule, but just hearing the noises coming from the king's chambers, she wouldn't put it past the evil monster if he actually did.
After the week of scouring and examining the runes throughout the palace, Rhordan had learned nothing useful, the runes were all different with their own powers and changing connections. The runes were so complicated and annoying that Rhordan practically screamed in rage and stormed out of the palace, Gideon following on behind her trying to comfort her in any way he could.
Runes had a complex structure to them, the more runes needed to apply a single effect the worse they were, however that same notion doesn't apply if the single effect is something insanely powerful. The two weeks they spent studying the runes they found that the best runes were the ones that layered themselves on top of itself, Gideon compared it to a circuit board from back in their old world. The smaller and more complex the design, the better the rune.
Rhordan's outburst sent her storming far out of the village, far enough that she accidentally came across as segregated part away from the main area. This area was enclosed with crude wooden walls and guards that prevented anyone from going in, or out.
The residents inside the segregated area were similar to the dryads outside, except their skin was far paler than the others. Their mossy hair was cleaner and more well kept than the others, their speech parts held an accent far simpler than the others, and they had vines coiling around their necks that extending up out the top of their heads like antlers. Their appearance was eerily similar to the group of young girls that they saw within the king's palace.
Gideon and Rhordan surmised that from their different appearance and the king's nature, these dryads were ostracized from the village because they didn't conform to his views of what a dryad was supposed to be. Their enclosure was tiny in comparison to their numbers, houses that would fit one or two in the main village housed ten or twenty, all crammed inside as the night in their location froze badly.
The people were all in bad conditions, malnourished to the point that their bones were almost visible, others missing entire limbs which the pair suspected had to be removed due to frost damage. Their living conditions were absolutely horrendous, they could not clean their surroundings nor could their wash themselves as the only water sources was a tiny stream that they had to keep clean otherwise they would lose their drinking water.
Gideon and Rhordan had stayed there that night, just wallowing in the helpless feeling they had, unable to do anything to help these people, or themselves for that matter. There was one particular girl they found that inspired them, she refused to let anything get her down, to dampen her spirits. She would run about the small space and help whoever she could, regardless of if she got beaten by the guards, or if it costed the meagre rations she got.
The girl was an inspiration to the pair, that even in the direst of situations, there was always hope. They were about to leave and return to their mission of learning the runes when they noticed a shady group among them, ducking into a slightly covered area built into the ground. With their curiosity piqued, they followed them into the underground area, it was a mere hovel carved out of the ground with a dim light emanating from a crystal poking out of the wall. There they found that these people were plotting some sort of break out from the enclosed area, they had plans drawn out and were timing the guards, they had also been testing the walls strength as well if Gideon's assumption of them pointing at particular points to mean anything.
The pair could not understand what they were saying, but from the animated conversation and the plans on the table, it was relatively clear as to their goal. Gideon and Rhordan happily watched them plot for an hour, finding relief in them working together to save their people. That was, until Gideon took a step outside for a moment to look at the beautiful night sky, as he left the room, he found a group of guards heading directly towards where the dryads were plotting in.
Rushing back inside, he told Rhordan of the danger as they had forgotten to cover their light at night-time and didn't have a sentry posted. The two tried everything they could think of to warn them, yet nothing work. However, when Rhordan angrily swung her arm through the leader of the group, he stopped and shuddered from her arm phasing through him. The group before them looked at one another before quickly stowing away their plans in secret compartments just as the guards burst through the doors.
The group were punished for what the pair assumed was being up past curfew, but they got off lightly in comparison to whatever the punishment was for being found plotting against the king. Rhordan's new ability to influence people by phasing through them sparked a light of hope in their hearts, it meant they could interact with the dryads indirectly and help them escape the confines of the enclosure, though they weren't sure if they have the time to continuously help them with their time limit.
Gideon tried to mimic Rhordan's actions to no avail, it seemed the ability lied solely with Rhordan, not that he was complaining as they at least managed to save the group plotting against the evil king. Using this newfound ability, the pair set about working with the group plotting their escape, warning them whenever the guards were close or directing them towards weak points in the wall. Since Gideon could not do the same as Rhordan, he scouted the walls and guards, relying weak points that Rhordan tried to point the people towards.
For the second week in their spirit forms, they stayed and help the people locked within the segregated area, uncaring that they were wasting time doing so. They had on many occasions abandon others to their fate just for their own survival, seeing these people suffer like this, they couldn't walk away. Not this time.
Rhordan stood watching over the shoulder of the leader as he spoke to his comrades, Gideon had recently spotted a gap in the wall's security perimeter that the guards couldn't be bothered to watch. The guards had been working this job for a considerable amount of time, long enough that they had grown complacent. Rhordan was doing her best to manipulate the leader towards that section of the wall, her hand resting where she imagined the leader's magic core was as this seemed to be the best way for her to communicate with them.
Gideon was sat by the gates, watching the coming and going of the guards, tracking and memorising each and everyone of them to figure out if it was the same guards or if one set changed out with another. The reason for this was that each guard had their own personality and skill, he searched for the worst guards and when they were on duty, if he could find the perfect time for the group to commence their escape attempt then they would stand a far better chance. Except, as he sat there on the wall, he noticed something that chilled him to the core.
Rhordan, you better get out here! Gideon called out worriedly, the sight before him forcing him to his feet as he watched fearfully. There, on the makeshift road leading to the compound, was the king and his entourage of guards. Nothing good came about when that evil creature did anything, and even more so now that he was heading towards the segregated area.
Exiting the secluded area, Rhordan reached the front gates in time to see the king confidently stride through them. If she had a stomach at that moment, she would be emptying it just at the sight of the vile fiend, but all she could do was shudder in fright of the verminous beast.
As the king entered, the dryads within the compound were rounded up and delivered on their hands and knees before him, even the leader and his group were there trying not reveal the looks of absolute hatred in their eyes. Whatever was happening, it wasn't good, especially considering the look the king was giving most of the women bowed before him.
Remembering their first time in the palace, the pair realised why these people look almost identical to the group of women that were brought out for the king's enjoyment, the king was here to pick those he liked to take back to the palace. Their suspicions were confirmed when the king pointed to one of the girls on the ground, the guards rushed forward and captured her, brutally attacking what the pair believed to be the girl's family when they tried to stop them.
One by one, the king picked many girls, the guards rushing forward and capturing them without mercy. The pair were stunned at first, though that didn't last long as it was replaced with a boundless rage, Rhordan rushed straight for the king, intent on doing anything towards the vile fiend that might be considered an attack.
Stop! Gideon managed to grab her and held her to his chest, Rhordan fought aggressively against his hold, refusing to let the king get away with what he was doing. You don't know anything about the ability you have. For all you know, touching the soul of that monster could do more damage to you than it.
I don't care! Rhordan roared, she didn't have the level of restraint that Gideon had, she couldn't think clear enough to realise the possible consequences of her actions. She just wanted to do something, anything, to stop the fiend.
I do! Gideon roared back, he couldn't bare to lose Rhordan, even if he agreed wholeheartedly with her actions. If he could, he would tear that king apart with his bare hands, taking the time to ensure he suffered before his death, but he had to protect Rhordan. The two of the slid to the ground, Rhordan couldn't stop the flow of tears escaping her as she felt helpless once again.
They stayed like that for an unknown amount of time, trying their best to blot out the sounds from around them, that was until an explosion of noise erupted from the entirety of the light skinned dryads. Drawing their attention away from each other, they watched in horror as the girl they had come to admire was hauled towards the greedy king who licked his lips lustfully and rubbed his hands together. The girl had helped so many people in the compound selflessly, the one that had given away her rations to those who starved, the one that told stories to the children to get their minds off of their hunger and suffering.
The people rose in anger, refusing to relent as the guards attacked them mercilessly. They roared in rage, calling for what the pair had assumed was enough of their treatment. Their cries only caused the king to laugh out loud, calling for the girl to be brought to him, and there in front of all of them he attacked her.
The pair had to wrench their eyes away from the horrific scene, their rage burning as bright as a nova. They held onto one another, unable to take the screams from the girl that echoed around the compound. Slamming their eyes shut, they held onto one another, failing to notice the bright green and purple auras escaping them.
Rhordan could feel herself connect to the grey lifeless world around them, as if the spirits were feeling the immense rage and hatred she felt towards the king and reciprocated it with a far greater amount of their own. She couldn't quite place the feeling, but she didn't care. Her power was rising rapidly, and from Gideon's mind she could sense the same power rising.
Sat there, in the middle of the compound, the two's aura expanded, encompassing the compound completely. That intense aura stole energy from the surrounding forest, plants and flowers, draining it all before it slammed back towards a central point. Gideon and Rhordan felt themselves move on instinct, they stood, hand in hand, and walked towards the king and girl. Standing before them, they knelt and placed their spare hands upon each of the girl's shoulders.
The king had stopped his assault, the girl below him that he was still trying to rip her clothes of suddenly gripped his arm with a strength far beyond that what she should have. The king could only stare in horror as the girl slowly stood up, still holding a death grip on his arm.
The next few moments stunned everyone there, the girl opened her eyes and stared coldly at the king. Her eyes shone with an intense green and purple light filled with boundless rage, a light that caused anyone to look at and cower in fear. The guards barely managed to collect themselves, rushing towards the king's aid, though their valiant charge was in vain as the girl snapped her head towards them.
A surge of green energy shone through her before disappearing into the ground seconds before vines exploded from the ground, impaling the soldiers and tearing them to pieces. Returning her gaze to the king whimpering and begging for his life, the green light pulsed once again, and several vines lifted the king from the ground.
Suspended in the air, the king was slowly ripped apart, limb by limb, his dark green blood poured down onto the girl. Drenched in blood, the girl turned to her people, speaking just a few words was enough to rile them into a frenzy. Grabbing whatever weapon, they could, they stormed towards the gates. The girl picked up the crown and carried it with her, walking towards the gates as well.
The mob broke through the remaining guards and charged towards to the village, Gideon and Rhordan still held their hands on the girl's shoulders as she led the charge. Upon entering the village, many of the villagers tried to flee while the guards rushed to take them down. The scene was a mess, one side heavily equipped while the other a ragtag of disgruntled and outraged people who couldn't take their treatment anymore.
Neither side could claim any ground, not even the girl with the powers of nature at her fingertips could do much damaged to the highly trained guards. These guards seemed to be the ones that protect the village, and not the corrupt ones that protect the king, a truth that didn't become apparent until one of the villagers trying to escape got knocked to the ground.
The villager stared in shock and fear as the assailant of the light skinned dryad rose their weapon, seconds from striking them down and killing them. The guards had stopped their assault on the group and tried to rush to the aid of the villager though they would never make it in time, seconds before the villager was about to be killed, a vine exploded from the ground. Instead of targeting the guards or the villager, it impaled and killed the assailant, depositing the body in a heap on the ground.
The girl turned around and spoke to the mob, telling them something that caused them to stumble in their step and look at one another. It wasn't until the leader of the group the pair had been helping strode forward and stood before them, he gave a very enthusiastic speech that caused the mob to slowly put their weapons down one by one. He then turned to the guards and held out his weapon, showing that they didn't want to attack them, they just wanted the freedom.
Gideon and Rhordan had been practically passengers on this, they could only influence the girl's actions somewhat, but for the most part they only watched the events before them as if one would at a cinema. Playing parts of rageful spirits that had very little control over the situation and were reacting entirely out of instinct rather than rational thought. Though, the amount of energy they expended to give the girl power was slowly causing them to black out, and the moment that the guards walked towards the leader as they put away their weapons, they lost consciousness.
They didn't know how long they were out for, yet they seemed to be able to hear the vague thoughts of one another in the void they found themselves in. At first, they thought they were dead, that they had expended their life force to give the girl power, but a part of them still stung from the excess energy used which disproved that notion. They thought over what had happened, they still had no idea how their aura worked, but they did figure out that through Rhordan's ability to touch people's souls, they were able to transfer Gideon's mystic ability to command the forest. It was the only explanation as to how she managed to become that powerful, as well as be able to control the vines like he had not long ago.
Residing in the void, they both agreed that if their first notion of them being dead did come true, or if they run out of time and die to the chaos energy, then they couldn't complain. Even Gideon put aside his desire to agree with Rhordan, that he would be fine if their last action on this world was to save those oppressed by that evil creature. They finally knew how Kagaras felt, to do something at the end of their life for the benefit of others did spark a warm glow within them, knowing that they had done something to improve the life of others. Even if it meant sacrificing their own.
Author's Note: Apologies for the dark chapter but I don't know if I should put a warning at the top, if I should then I will but for the time being I will leave it alone as this is suppose to be a M rated story.
Anyway, the time scale thing was something that I had been thinking on, I wanted to create my own version of time with something like 'sol' for day and 'cycle' for seasons/month, but I had used the standard time frame throughout the story and don't feel like going back and rewriting it, so I did the lazy option and just glossed it over that it was the language translation. That they have their own time system in place but its translated to the equivalent words from earth, however the time scale is somewhat off from the old world which is why the pair were constantly worrying over how long they really had as they never asked about it.
Not going to reveal Raven's ability just yet, but it should be obvious what it is. That said, Kagaras explained that a mystic is only powerful in a zone where their element exists, well that logic is only somewhat right as its not fully explained yet it is hinted at. The power of the large forest outside Logara gave a Beginner rank the power akin to a low ranked Baron, but the Forest of Ravas is an extremely powerful magical forest, the power difference is extremely vast.