Chronicles of Espiria Season 3
Episode 3 – A Chill Day in the Forest
Written by the Dude
Lyca was overseeing the training of the new recruits, who had a renewed sense of duty after witnessing the death of one of their own. Kaz was out on patrol, looking forward to the day that Ira would return from her mission so she could be a bother to her friend again. Arden was keeping Nemora company as she healed a few minor cuts suffered by Eletha and her elven friends. Ulmus was rooted next to Yggdrasil, tending the small blue flower on his shoulder that he hoped would one day blossom and release his friend.
No one was in the clearing with Ezizh's prison husk, so no one could bear witness when Khazard stepped into the clearing bearing a variety of supplies, both natural and unnatural. He paused and stroked the chin of the ice serpent coiled around his neck as he considered the husk and the evil that it contained.
"The time has come, my friend. The Hoard has need of your keen mind again."
Khazard laid the supplies on the ground and began arranging some of them in a circle around the husk, others in a triangle around himself, deliberately as if he were assembling a puzzle. With the items laid out, he began an incantation in the tongue of the Nightlanders. Upon speaking the final word, the items flared into ash and the prison husk split in half, releasing a pestilent cloud of dust that temporarily blinded Khazard. When the dust cleared, the creature that stood before him sent small shivers down his spine, despite knowing they were on the same side. In his new physical form, Ezizh was mostly a creature of purple mist holding together an iron carapace of armor plates. He appeared to hover just above the ground as he glided across the forest floor toward Khazard.
"Welcome to the real world, my friend." Khazard greeted Ezizh.
"Why am I here?" Ezizh asked, not bothering to hide his confusion and frustration. "I am meant to inhabit the Nightlands."
"That, unfortunately, has been made impossible by Tasi and the Wilders."
"Indeed, my memory begins to return. That blasted butterfly and her treant friend!"
"Calm yourself, my friend." Khazard said in a soothing voice. "Your opportunity for vengeance is here. You are not alone this time."
As Khazard and Ezizh spoke, a black, viscous fluid drained from the prison husk. All at once, the puddle of fluid rose up and took a definite shape, then color pigmentation. When it was done, the form taken by the fluid looked nearly identical to Arden, save that the eyes were still the soulless black of all Hypogeans.
"All we need is a plan, and this forest will be ours." Khazard promised. "Then we will find a way to return you to the Nightlands, where you can torment the dreams of Espiria's people to your heart's content."
Ezizh looked the Hypogean clone of Arden over for a moment.
"What exactly are you?" Ezizh asked.
"I am the curse that Khazard placed on Ulmus," the clone answered in a perfect copy of Arden's voice, "given form by the same magic that traps you in the physical plane. I can take the form of anyone that I come in contact with, including the treant if you so desire."
Ezizh grinned as he contemplated the possibilities. "Then I believe that I have a plan."
Not long later, Nemora finished her tasks. Eletha and the other elves thanked her and returned to their duties.
"Well done, Nemora." Arden said as Nemora began to leave.
"They were just minor injuries," Nemora answered. "It was no big deal."
"Perhaps, but many minor injuries can bleed as much as a stab wound. You never know when the smallest of actions will have overwhelming consequences. Now come, break bread with me; you'll need a good meal to renew your strength."
"I'll catch up."
"Your place will be ready."
Arden hobbled into his home. Nemora stayed outside and admired the view for a moment. Seeing the forest in this pristine state, and thinking of the people, her friends, who called this place home, had a way of bringing a smile to her face as she was reminded of what her effort was for.
She turned to follow Arden inside when she thought she heard an odd rustling in the nearby foliage.
"Is someone out there?" she called out gently.
There was no answer, but more rustling. Nemora drew her spear and advanced on the foliage, sensing a dark aura within.
"Who's in there?!"
This time, another sheep-like Wilder like Nemora emerged from the foliage, also armed with a spear. No, not just similar to Nemora; this new person was exactly like her, a perfect doppelganger save the eyes, which were the same black, soulless eyes one saw in the Hypogeans.
"What are you?" Nemora challenged.
"I could ask the same of you." the demonic entity answered in her voice.
They began to circle each other, spears at the ready, as Nemora tried to work out what she was looking at. They were still sizing each other up when Arden reemerged from his home, curious as to what was keeping Nemora.
"Arden, thank goodness you're here!" both Nemoras exclaimed as they turned to face Arden.
Arden looked from one Nemora to the other, more confused than anything else.
"I have lived longer than most of the trees in this forest. I have accrued countless memories and life experiences over centuries of life. And I can say with all certainty that I have not seen the likes of this before."
Nemora glanced back at the demonic entity and noticed that her eyes had changed to emulate her own. Moments later, Kaz emerged from the house with a mildly annoyed look on her face.
"Arden, I love you, but you keep forgetting that I'm a cat and I need my meat..."
Kaz's voice trailed off as she noticed the two Nemoras as well. Her look of frustration quickly turned to confusion and interest.
"Uh, do any of you know what's going on?"
"I think that fake there is a Hypogean!" one Nemora answered.
"Oh, that fake is definitely a Hypogean!" the other countered. "She had Hypogean eyes when you first came out!"
"Calm down, both of you!" Arden shouted. "I must give this matter some thought. Kaz, go summon Ulmus and Lyca; I would have their council on this...turn of events."
"Might as well look for a bird or something to eat while I'm at it." Kaz said as she bounded off.
"In the meantime," Arden continued once Kaz was gone, "I want you two to come inside. There is much we can discuss while we wait for the others."
Both Nemoras looked on each other with suspicion. Nemora couldn't help but note how odd it was for the doppelganger to continue the ruse when no one else was looking.
Meanwhile, Khazard slunk through a less densely populated portion of the forest. Since Commander Kane had sent him here, he had used his understanding of Wilder magic, gained through years spent living among them as an elemental, to conceal his presence from the Wilders, often the only evidence to betray him being a chill wind. He did not escape notice this day, however; he soon became aware of a warm, gentle wind at his back. Invisible under the thick helmet of ice, Khazard allowed himself a genuine smile as he turned to face the source of the breaze.
"Hello, Respen."
The figure before Khazard had the appearance of a human teenager, surrounded by gentle breezes and small wind eddies in the shape of birds. Khazard could tell by Respen's eyes that he was not as happy to see Khazard.
"It's good to see you, old friend." Khazard continued.
"There was a time when we truly were friends, Khazard."
"We could be again, Respen, if only you would join me."
"You know I cannot walk your path. Deep down, you do not wish to walk it either. You have been deceived by the ice serpent that even now coils around your throat and whispers its lies in your ear."
"No, the serpent has opened my eyes to the way the world truly is. He can do the same for you, if you let him."
"I have seen what insanity the Hypogean has shown you. It would have you wipe out all life in Espiria, lay waste to the land until all that remains is ash and ice and dust, then cast you aside like a broken marionette. I would cut out its forked tongue if I thought for a moment that it would release you from your madness."
Khazard dropped his head. "The day will come when, at last, you see things my way, my friend. I only hope that it is not yet too late to join me when that day comes."
"That day will never come. You were once my teacher; you showed me how to control my gifts, how to..."
Respen was cut short as a tree branch came so close to crushing him under its weight. Respen turned to see from whence the branch was thrown and turned pale as he recognised Ezizh.
"No! Khazard, what have you..."
Respen did not finish his thought; Khazard took the moment of distraction and used it to freeze Respen in a block of ice. Ezizh retrieved his branch and made to finish Respen off.
"No need!" Khazard shouted with more force than he meant. "He cannot stop us; that ice will take days to melt."
Ezizh looked at Khazard with curiosity, but consented to his demand. They continued on, but Ezizh was careful to remember this event.
Once Kaz returned with Ulmus and Lyca, Arden and the two Nemoras emerged from the house to gasps from Ulmus and Lyca.
"How..." Lyca started.
"I am as much at a loss as you. Both claim to be real, and further claim that the other is a Hypogean impostor. Unfortunately, I cannot read a Hypogean aura from either, and even their mannerisms seem identical."
"Then how can we tell who is who?" Ulmus asked.
"I have an idea." Kaz offered. "I bet the fake can't heal like the real thing. Let's give her a wound to heal; we can lock up whoever can't perform."
Both Nemoras were concerned as Kaz pulled out a knife and held up her arm, but it was the Nemora on the right that spoke up.
"There has to be a way to figure this out without hurting anyone!"
Arden motioned with his head, and Kaz put her knife away with a disappointed look.
"Worry not, Kaz, we'll think of something." Arden reassured her before turning his attention to Ulmus. "I am reminded of a time when one of your seedlings carved a blade from one of his own branches and tried to test it on himself."
"It was disconcerting seeing it protruding from his chest." Ulmus noted, wondering why he thought of this now.
"But he was unharmed and looked so proud of himself." Nemora on the right added with a small giggle.
Everyone looked directly at the Nemora on the right with suspicion. She soon realized her mistake; that event took place centuries before the real Nemora was born. The Hypogean had accidentally accessed a memory it stole from Arden.
Before anyone else could react, Arden thrust his hand into the ground. Moments later, roots reached up and wrapped themselves around the demonic entity, holding it in place.
"Who are you, and how many Hypogean skinshifters are with you?!" Arden demanded of the false Nemora.
"Skinshifter?" it answered with a dismissive snort. "I am no mere skinshifter! I learn your darkest secrets from your blood! You cannot hide from us anymore!"
The entity waved its spear in tiny circles. Moments later, five dreafs burst from the ground. Not true dreafs, Arden noted, but magical counterfeits like the false Nemora that summoned them; there was no trace of good in these creatures, which somehow made them less unsettling than real dreafs. The false dreafs charged at the group, but their counterfeit strength proved ineffective against Nemora's shield. Protected by Nemora's shield, Lyca and Kaz easily cut them down. Everyone's attention returned to the false Nemora, only to find that in the confusion, it had escaped from Arden's vines.
"Where'd it go?" Nemora wondered out loud.
"Kaz, get the others!" Lyca ordered. "We need to find this fake Nemora!"
"I've never had mutton before!" Kaz said as she bounded off.
"Arden, what did he mean?" Nemora asked, "When he said that he learns about us from our blood?"
"It could just be Hypogean trickery." Ulmus answered. "Or he could be exaggerating his own abilities."
"If he were telling the truth, though, then his skinshifting abilities and memory absorption could be dependant on tasting our blood." Arden noted. "But when would this entity have taken blood from me and Nemora?"
Ulmus gasped as one possibility occurred to him. "Lyca, check on Ezizh's prison! Now!"
At that same time, Ezizh and Khazard finally found their way to the edge of the forest overlooking the Azure Cove. Khazard seemed reluctant to follow the faint path to the cove forged by Arden over the course of years of periodic visits.
"Khazard, surely you do not fear the new water elemental." Ezizh taunted.
"Seirus is of no concern to me; it's his hammer wielding pet that worries me."
"Leave the turtle to me. You deal with the elemental."
They cautiously approached the cove, on alert for the appearance of Seirus or his indomitable ally, Gorvo. Once at the water's edge, Seirus rose up from the depths of the cove with a trident in his hand and a grimace on his face.
"Khazard, you are no longer welcome in this place."
"How will you stop me, Seirus? I am not alone." Khazard gestured at Ezizh.
Seirus just smirked. "Neither am I."
Ezizh and Khazard jumped out of the way just in time to avoid a heavy hammer strike from behind. Both turned to find Gorvo already rearing up for another swing of his hammer. Ezizh backed away along the beach, searching for more favorable ground from which to counterattack. Khazard backed into the cove, freezing the surface of the water wherever he stepped. Gorvo stomped off in pursuit of Ezizh, leaving Khazard alone with Seirus.
"Do not think that because you were once an elemental, that I might hesitate to end your existence." Seirus warned Khazard.
"I would expect nothing less than a tsunami from the water elemental."
Seirus summoned such a wave and pushed it at Khazard. An expected move, and one which Khazard countered by freezing the wave and shattering it to snow. While his movement was concealed by the snow, he cast a pair of icicles at Seirus, which Seirus dodged with lightning reflexes. He was not quick enough, however, to dodge the ice serpent, which wrapped itself around Seirus' wrist in an attempt to restrain him. Seirus managed to free his wrist, but not in time to stop Khazard from knocking the trident from his hand with another icicle, sending it back into the depths of the cove. Khazard formed two more icicles in his hands and charged at Seirus, but Seirus caught Khazard by the wrists and wrenched the icicles from his hands, letting them drop and melt in the waters of the cove.
As Seirus and Khazard wrestled, Gorvo continued his onslaught on Ezizh. Ezizh cursed his decision not to test the limits of his power in this new physical form more; perhaps he would know better how to deal with the walking citadel that slowly advanced on him. Then it occurred to him; Gorvo advanced slowly, not quickly. He may have the durability of a mountain, but he was still a turtle. It was difficult to see the grin on Ezizh's face, but Gorvo still found it unsettling. Ezizh waited for Gorvo to attack him again, then dodged the massive hammer strike and hurled dark magick at the turtle's face. Gorvo managed to block the magick with his helmet, but the helmet was severely damaged in the process and still failed to deflect all the magic. Gaining confidence from the roar of pain and the dark burns on Gorvo's face, Ezizh pressed the attack, throwing dark magick at other parts of Gorvo's body to test their durability. Magick that struck his shell simply bounced off or dissipated into nothing, but exposed flesh, like his left leg, suffered the same burn wounds as his face. Then came the amateurish mistake that Ezizh would later curse himself for making: he stood his ground as Gorvo advanced instead of backing away. As injured as he was, Gorvo was still able to stun Ezizh as he struck a glancing blow against Ezizh's face.
Khazard noticed Ezizh's predicament. Thinking quickly, he pushed Seirus back and raised a thin ice wall between himself and the water elemental, then threw a single icicle at Gorvo. It shattered uselessly against Gorvo's shell, but it was enough to draw the turtle's attention. During this moment of distraction, Ezizh mustered his remaining strength and reached under Gorvo's shell to deliver one last blast of dark magick. Gorvo roared in pain as he fell to one knee.
"Gorvo!" Seirus shouted as he shattered the wall Khazard had raised.
Ezizh lifted his hand to deliver a killing blow to the mighty turtle, but before he could finish the spell, Khazard encased Gorvo in ice as he had Respen.
"What have you done!?" Seirus shouted.
"I have spared your friend, Seirus. For now. While he remains frozen, there is yet hope that the wounds inflicted on him by Ezizh might be healed, but only if you find him a healer in time. Take your friend and save him; neither I nor Ezizh will stop you."
"You would have me abandon my duty for the sake of one life?"
"It is your choice, of course." Khazard said in a mock-innocent tone. "But I promise you, he will not survive another assault by Ezizh."
Seirus' eyes darted between Khazard and Gorvo as he wrestled with the choice presented to him.
"You will regret what you have done today, Khazard."
"We will see."
Seirus glided across the water to Gorvo. He picked up the block of ice containing his friend, then carefully carried it across the land to the Dark Forest, a difficult task for a water elemental used to moving across water. As the two Hypogeans watched him leave, Ezizh regarded Khazard with renewed respect. And fresh suspicion.
"I underestimated your cunning, Khazard. Finding a way to dispose of Seirus with so little fight is no small task."
"Seirus was stronger than I expected. It was the only way to ensure victory."
"Indeed." Ezizh said nothing more on the matter, but did not forget it. "Now that we have the Azure Cove to ourselves, it is time for the next component of the plan."
"Of course." Khazard said with a measure of glee.
Khazard glided to the center of the cove. He gathered all the strength he had remaining after his battle with Seirus; once he was ready, he unleashed it all at once. A thick sheet of ice formed on top of the water. The clear sky was suddenly shrouded by thick clouds that spewed snow over only the cove at first, but advanced agonizingly slowly toward the Dark Forest.
This turn of events did not escape the notice of the denizens of the forest. Arden, Ulmus, and Lyca were on their way to check on the prison husk of Ezizh when they saw the sky darken and the air grow chill.
"What's going on?" Lyca asked, her concern growing by the second.
Arden was silent as he considered the changes in weather, noting that the darkness and chill seemed to originate in the Azure Cove.