The Beast Within
Chapter Thirty-One – The Nature's Order
The green ghastly fog lingered around this part of the Mere. It was so thick; Leela could not see anything past her outstretched hands. The ghostly outlines of trees whispered and sighed around them. The rotten smell filled her nose; to a degree it nearly knocked her off unconscious. The air genasi covered her nose with one hand and coughed uncomfortably. Not very far, Elanee slowed her steps, spun around and looked at the forest helplessly; her face was filled with confusion and fear. Her slightly dampened cloak hung heavily on her slender frame.
"I must admit…I no longer recognize this place anymore." The former member of the Circle turned her head around over her shoulder and gave the Knight Captain an apologetic smile: "I swear to you the Mere isn't usually like this. It was less…" Her words drifted off, seemed greatly disturbed by her once-familiar forest.
"Stuffy, perhaps?" Bishop next to Leela mocked slightly, his brows tied into a deep knot: " Or haunting? Or something preying behind those curtains of greenish smoke?"
"Something evil," Ammon Jerro added, folding his arms: "no doubt."
"Shadows…" Elanee half-closed her eyes and inhaled briefly: "You can almost feel the shadows in the air…if you stay still for too long, it's like they start…clutching at you, trying to drag you down."
The air genasi scanned around in alarm, suddenly remembering one of the farmers back at the West Harbour complaining about his crops during the Harvest Fair, as well as Daeghen's mumbling about the same problem for the last couple of years. This must have been going on for quite some time now: "Is that what this is?"
"Whatever the Circle did, they must have found a way to shield themselves from it." The former Mere Druid carefully stepped forward: " If…if we can find out how they've done it… then we can reach the Vale of Merdelain, I'm certain of it."
Leela narrowed her eyes and tried once again to see past the overlapping tree profiles. The unnamed ill feelings hung in the air, slowly suffocating her at each breath, making her harder and harder to breath. She swayed, staggered backward and her knees nearly gave up. She felt a pair of strong arms grabbing her from behind and steady her silently. The Knight Captain half-turned her head and noticed it was Bishop, who looked at her with some concern written across his handsome face.
"Are you alright?" He leaned forward slightly and whispered next to her ears.
The air genasi nodded.
The dark ranger stared at her for a while, eyes glittering with fast emotions, before pressing his lips on the corner of her forehead and released her quickly.
"Not exactly the most romantic place to hang out, yes?" The corner of his lips curled up: "Well, we will have to get whatever we are after quickly and leave this place."
Nearby, Ammon muttered about the same thing. Elanee traipsed with caution a little further, kept stopped and scanned the surroundings. Finally as they came out of an small open Glade. The former Mere Druid suddenly came to a halt.
"Here is the gathering place." Her back was stiff and seemed on edge: " Now… wait…something's happening…"
In front of them, animals of all kinds crawled out of the low trees and shrubs, grunting and growling as they were thumping their heavy steps across the ground. They gathered around a sick looking willow tree. Even across the drapes of green fog, Leela could still see its stem were full of cuts and burnt marks. Large chunks of barks were peeling off its branches. There were no wind around the opening, but the tree was waving wildly, as it was shivering. The air genasi withdrew a sharp breath: what or who could have done this to a tree?"
"The tree is in great pain…" Next to her, Elanee whimpered slightly: "What's this? The Mere wouldn't allow it. They wouldn't allow any life form suffering this much here!"
The old tree Gnarlthorn still laid near the stream, formed by the melted snow. Its bark moved as it struggled to grasp some air. A thin layer of greenish blighted smoke lingered around its huge body, drifting and swirling, trying to drag the once powerful and old treant into the hell with them. Sensing there was movement nearby, Gnarlthorn's eyes fluttered and opened into a slit.
"Is…Is that you, little sapling?" The treant panted. Its low voice sounded distanced and it lacked strength.
"Yes." Leela stepped forward and placed her hand on the darkened barks: "I am here, Gnarlhtorn. And I've brought something that could heal you."
"You have?" The old treant exhaled and seemed tremendously relieved: "That's…wonderful news… Well don't waste it on me, little one. Just see that the other trees in this glade are restored… Place your gift in the pond here—" it pointed at the near pond formed by several small streams: "their roots will drink from it."
The air genasi tilted her head. She could not believe what she had just heard.
"But…" She stammered: "You have the blight, too. Have you not?"
"I have, little one." The Gnarlthorn sighed: "But it is not right for me to fight it. When I was first stricken with this blight all those years ago, it happened because I cheated death."
"What?" The druid was confused: "What do you mean?"
"I survived; the draining of my life was an affront of the natural order. I suffered long for it," The treant side-glanced Leela and her companies: "but such was my penance, and it was necessary."
"No…I don't—" The air genasi shook her head: "I don't see why anyone should suffer just for something against the 'natural order'."
"Leela." Kaelyn placed her hand on the druid's shoulder:" It is good that you are sensitive to such struggles, and the reasons behind such suffering, whether natural or not."
"But it shouldn't be like this!" Leela snapped and growled in frustration: "This treant…it did nothing wrong! It clung to its life like everyone else! It's natural. Why did he say it's not?"
"I would not expect such understanding from one so young." Gnarlthorn smiled weakly: "But one day when your trunk is many ages thick and your roots have delved far into the earth, you, too, may realize how delicately our existence is balanced on the laws of nature."
"Of course I know, I am a druid!" The air genasi shook her head disbelievingly: "But—"
"Really, you mustn't feel sorrow for my passing." The treant smiled, its essence was slowly fading away: "For me, the time has come for a peaceful and long-overdue slumber. I trust you will tend the younglings and see them healed, which means I can stop clinging at last."
"Gnarlthorn…"
The old tree beamed. Its rigid body finally released all its tensions at last: "Nighty-night, and farewell, little one. The spirit of Ashenwood will never forget what you did."
Leela watched in great sadness as the ancient treant breathed out the last breath, like a gentle breeze in the forest. The green smoke dwelled on its body finally left and evaporated into the crisp air. She remained bracing her hand on the dead tree, her head hung on her shoulders.
"Leela." Gannayev stepped forward and whispered tentatively.
"We should go now," Okku tilted his head: "and see what he wishes are honored."
"…Daeghun always wondered on how I seemed to be very emotionally attached to the forest beings, much more than I should." The druid opened her mouth abruptly, almost like speaking to herself: "I used to sulk over some tiny little animal death, or some treant struck dead by lightening, or certain plant was ill, back in the Mere. To him, and most of the others, it's natural way of life. But to me, spending more time with them since I was very young, I've always felt like they are…"The air genasi jerked her head up and snapped back to the present situation: "Sorry, we…we need to do this thing quickly, before the blight will spread even wider."
She turned around and strode toward the pool not very far from them. The druid walked into the icy cold water and did not stop until it covered her ankles. She then dug her waist pouch, found the beautifully crafted vial and uncorked it.
Leela's gaze fixed upon the dribbling water as her hands tipped the bottle. The content poured into the frosty pond, sending ripples around where it dropped. For a while nothing happened. Just as they started wondering if they might have missed any sign, the ill fog hanging around between trees started to clear up. The sunlight shun through the branches again, drizzling them with golden rays. The air genasi's eyes half-shut, turned her face upward and smiled contently as she bathed in the smoothing warmth. Next to her, Gannayev glanced at her admiringly, before realizing what he was doing and tried to hide it.
"Looks like the blight is cured." The corner of Safiya's mouth curled up a little.
"Humph…"The tree around them rattled. Suddenly, Kaelyn the Dove's voice sounded alarmed: "It looks like some of the trees aren't happy about your treatment.."
"The druid jerked her head up, saw several treants pushed past the bushes, making angry snarls and waving their thick gnarl-like branches to attack the group. Gannayev shot a Fire Wall in front of him to slow down a treant emerging from the nearby hedge. He ran toward Leela, who already drew out her Drow bow 'Forever' and began to fire at several tree creatures, and cast another fire spell to blast another treant off. The dreamwalker recited another spell. A jet of fire shot out of his finger and hit a red leaf plant monster right on the stem. Okku leaped in the air, using his front paws as weapon and swipe-bashed several blighted wood creatures at once.
"Where the hells are those things coming from?" Queried the Red Wizard through the gritted teeth. She murmured the familiar syllables and summoning meteor shower dropping upon them. Fireballs showered the area like the sky was on fire, knocking off several tree beasts.
"Does that matter?" The blue hagspawn shouted back: "Get rid of them before we all turn into mashed spuds!"
The air genasi hopped onto one of the treant's branches and began to call out the Lightening Storm. Lightening bolts slashed down fast and hard, split several blighted plants in half. Kaelyn flapped her wings and tried to fly into the mid-air, but was caught halfway by one particular large treant. Holding her by the wings, the fury monster shook its branch violently and almost torn the wings off the half-celestial's body. She hissed, and shrieked, unable to hold the piercing pain that rippled through her.
"Kaelyn!" Leela yelped in horror and frustration. She was trapped on the bulky branches of the treant. If she jumped off and tried to rescue the Dove, she would be stomped to dead before she reached her. Her brain was fast ticking away, trying to figure out a way to help her friend.
Before she could think of something, another jet of Inferno roared past the druid and torched the blight monster's arms. The beast snarled and dropped the half-celestial. The air genasi jerked her head around and saw the Thayan wizard glaring at the growling monster with anger.
"Nasty buggers, absolutely rude and most of them only have the brain of small walnuts!" She panted as she blew the smoke coming out of her fingers: "Never liked them. I prefer clay."
"Thank you." Shouted Leela as her fingers dug deep into the rough barks of the blighted plant creature and the other free hand holding katana high, and readied to strike down at any moment.
"No worries!" Safiya shouted back, jerked her head around and cast another fire spell to those damn creatures.
Gannayev dived past another treant's attack and managed to approach the writhing Kaylen. His hands shimmered with glowing light. The pain inflicted upon the half-celestial's body stopped almost immediately. The former doomsguide's ragged breath slowly returned to normal under the dreamwalker's watchful eyes.
"Thank you." She nodded toward the blue hagspawn as her eyes flicked open again.
Gannayev turned his attention back to Leela before smiling at the half-celestial over his shoulder: "You look prettier with those feathery wings, my sweet."
He charged off, waving his quarterstaff and joined Okku attacking another wave of treants just springing into life.
"Why…why did they attack us?" It took them another good two hours to clear off a contingent of treants in the area. When they done, the air genasi couldn't even move a muscle. She lied on the snow ground, trying her hardest to grasp some breath. Every single one cell of her body ached like hells. The hunger within her threatened to emerge and take over.
"I don't think they were having the will of their own after being affected by the blight." Kaelyn replied, while leaning against a fallen treant. It now looked no different than the ordinary trees they saw in the forest.
"Y'alright, Lee?" Safiya turned her head and glanced at the air genasi.
"Not too bad at the moment." The druid replied: "But I wouldn't be so sure if more of these treants turn up."
"Let's hope not." Okku grunted. He was sitting in the middle of the pool, staring mindlessly at the treant in front of him. It was broken in half—his own masterpiece.
"I think that's about everything here, is it?" Gannayev managed to drag himself up and stumbled toward Leela: "Did Nadaj say we have to do anything else?"
"No." The air genasi shook her head: "That's it, but where is the Wood Man?"
"We must have missed something." Kaelyn cocked her head sideway: "I suggest we go back and check with her."
"Humph…" the druid rubbed her chin thoughtfully: "Might as well."
"Do you think Dalenka will be nicer to us this time?" Asked the blue hagspawn as they traipsing through the thick snow: "Now we have 'tidied up' the forest for her?"
"Is that important?" Safiya arched her tattooed eyebrow: "Are you so keen on being in friendly term with every female in Rashemen?"
"Why, of course!" The dreamwalker shrugged: "One less enemy, wouldn't that be nice?"
"One less angry farmer trying to slit your throat, you mean?" Okku chuckled.
"Ouch! That hurt!" Gannayev complained weakly.
The Lake of Tears Garrison was just as empty and cold as they were here last time. The guard did not even bother to nod toward them courteously as they passed the gate. They huddled around the brazier and their face remained as cold as stone. The snow fell thick and hard around them, almost blocking their visions completely. The air wasn't as crisp as when it was sunny, but still hurt like shards as they breathed. Leela had to wrap her hand around a small jar, where she kept a magically conjured flame, really tightly to actually feel any warmth.
When they hurried toward the town's square, they saw Nadaj pacing back and forth in front of a wooden hut, hands kneading, looked terribly anxious.
"There she is." Gannayev nudged the air genasi: "Goodness, she certainly doesn't look happy, does she?"
"Well, it's freezing." Corners of the druid's mouth curled up slightly: "Let's go and inform her about the task."
The young hathran's face certainly lightened up a little as soon as she saw them.
"You are back!" She exclaimed quietly: "How did it go?"
"The problems in the woods had been dealt with." The air genasi inclined her head: "You no longer need to worry."
"Arh, that's wonderful news!" Nadaj clapped her hands: "This is the first good news in some time. I am greatly relieved that you were able to do this."
"…And yet you don't look completely content." The druid tilted her head sideway.
The young witch blushed and suddenly looked very uneasy: "You…you must forgive me," She begged: "but there is one further matter in which I need your assistance."
Leela frowned. She turned around and found others had similar expression written on their faces.
"WHAT?" Okku barked: " Another one? I was under the impression we get to see the Wood Man after we complete what we just done?"
"No…milord!" Nadaj immediately on her knees: "I…I…this is not something I could speak freely to an outsider!"
"Outsider?" Anger flickered through the bear god's eyes: "You are calling me and outsider? Who am I?"
"Okku! The telthor bear god!" The young hathran looked petrified: " I had to…make sure the others can be trusted…I had to…see if they are capable of…things… Now…I can see it wasn't coincidence that brought us together…"
"WELL!" The spirit leader arched his eyebrows: "now you can see we are all back in one piece. So what is it?"
"Let me speak plainly, my friend." Nadaj withdrew a deep breath: "My garrison has been betrayed. My berserkers were sent to their deaths in the forest!"
"Huh?" The air genasi's eyebrow shot up.
"Explain." Okku tilted his nose, indicated the young witch to continue.
"A few more attacks and this garrison will fall completely!" Nadaj bowed, her face touching the icy ground: "It's… Dalenka. She wills it! She is a durthan spy, here to weaken hathran influence on this place."
"Huh?" Said everyone in unison. Now they all looked absolutely bewildered.