Chapter 3: Dryad

"Come on, Abel, quit messing with it. You're gonna break the clasps," Niel said harshly from Abel's shoulder.

"Sorry," Abel replied. "I'm not used to wearing armor."

"Well you're gonna have to, and fast. That shirt isn't going to protect you from monster claws…"

From the moment Abel and Lailah were sequestered away the day before, the townspeople of Hokes had been bringing all manner of offerings to the Abbey: food, money, various traveling supplies, even weapons and armor. So much had been brought that the other sisters didn't know what to do with it all. But Sister Alexei allowed Abel to comb over the offerings, and take whatever he wished for the road ahead. Under Niel's guidance, he picked out a decent sword, a small but sturdy-looking iron cuirass, a battered pair of iron vambraces, and a pair of worn, but tough leather boots.

"Shouldn't I get a shield, too, or something?" Abel asked as he searched through the pile of donations for a belt to hang his sword from.

"Remember Abel- everything you take out of this pile you'll have to carry on your own back all the way to Lohan," Niel replied. "And I hate to say this, but you don't look like you've carried anything heavier than a rolling pin in your life…"

Just as he finished gathering the supplies he needed, Sister Alexei came and pulled Lailah aside. So, as he waited by the abbey entrance, he looked out, to the north, over the sea of trees and to the flat, beige world beyond. Somewhere, beyond that distant horizon, was Lohan- and beyond that, the sea, and beyond even that, their ultimate destination: Lescatie. Abel had always dreamed of leaving Seles, but if somebody told him a year ago- no, just six months ago how far he would go, he wouldn't have believed them.

The main gate of the Abbey opened with a loud creak. When Lailah stepped through, Abel's jaw fell open slightly. She was clad in glittering silver armor, sans helmet, with a deep blue cross painted on the breastplate. He'd never seen a woman wearing armor before. He thought it would somehow detract from a woman's appearance, but in Lailah's case, it… didn't. She looked… noble, and, dare he say it, even… heroic.

She looked far more fitting in the role of Hero than he did, at least in his eyes.

Niel left Abel's shoulder. "Wait, isn't that… Crusader armor?" she asked. "Where'd you get it? Was it with the other donations?"

The priestess laid a hand on the breastplate. "No. This was Sister Alexei's personal set, from back when she was still with them. She said it would be put to better use in my care than rusting in a storeroom here."

Niel tilted her head, lip twisting "Huh. Good to know Sister Alexei hasn't lost that compassionate streak of hers. Anyway…" She fluttered back to Abel's shoulder. "…shall we go?"

The angel's words snapped Abel from his stupor. "Yeah. Let's get going." He headed toward the stairs leading down to the market. After spending a long moment looking back at the abbey, Lailah turned, and followed.

Though Abel believed that he would remain in Hokes for a few more days, the abbess urged him to depart for Lohan as soon as possible. The presence of a Hero in town, she said, would not go unnoticed, and not all of that attention would be positive. "I don't refer just to monsters," she'd warned, "but also to foolish, shortsighted humans who choose to throw their lots in with the Overlord." Their spies infiltrated all ranks of human society, and though the Church did what it could to root them out, the abbey could not guarantee Abel's protection should he tarry. Once he reached Lohan, where the Order' influence was stronger, he would be safer… or so she claimed.

So, though still hesitant, Abel decided to set out, with Lailah in tow- her accompanying him had been his one, and only request. The abbess seemed reluctant to let her go, but in the end, she obliged. "After all," Niel said at the time, "didn't you yourself say the Church was duty-bound to assist a Hero in whatever way he required?"

As the three descended the steps leading away from the Abbey, Abel asked, "So, what's this 'Fighting Guild' we're going to?"

"It's Fight-er's Guild," Niel said. "Do you know anything about anything? It's bad enough that you barely know about the Church…"

But before the angel could say more, Lailah stepped in. "The Fighters' Guild is an organization unbound by borders, lending shield and steel to those in need. They're known mainly for slaying monsters, but they provide other services, too, such as escorting travelers."

"I still say we should've waited for the Church to cough up a Crusader for us," Niel replied. "You can only trust mercs for as long as you keep their wallets full."

As the three descended the steps to ground level, Abel felt Niel stand up on his shoulder and lean into his ear. "So, any particular reason you brought the priestess with you? Don't get me wrong- I understand the appeal of traveling with a pretty girl at your side, but I hope there's a practical reason, too."

Images from the day before filled Abel's mind, right up until… "You didn't see her fight, did you? I did. She was… strong. I didn't know someone could be that strong." If he were that strong to begin with, then… maybe…

Lailah's face reddened, and she looked away, curling a stray lock of hair around her finger. "Well, I have always been good with weapons. Good enough that the Church wanted me to become a Crusader. But, I don't like fighting. I only ever wanted to use my skills to help people."

Nie let out a small chuckle, her gaze turning back to Abel. "Well, you better hurry to Lohan, then. Wouldn't want to stop her from achieving her dreams, now would we?"

It didn't take long for the three to arrive at the Fighter's Guild, but there, they encountered a problem. There was no shortage of mercenaries for hire, but while the townspeople may have been awed by Abel's display the day before, the mercenaries were not so easily impressed. The road between Hokes and Lohan was long, and growing ever more dangerous with each passing day. Escorting travelers through such conditions would cost a hefty sum, and the funds provided by the Abbey and the townsfolks's generous donations wasn't an enticing enough offer for any in the guildhall to take the job. Even Lailah's promises that the Church would provide full compensation for their services fell on deaf ears. Defeated, Abel and the others retreated to a nearby tavern, to regroup and discuss their next course of action.

"I told you this was gonna happen," Niel said, before diving into a tankard of ale headfirst. She remained submerged for a few moments, before emerging to take a few quick breaths and diving right back in.

"What should we do?" Abel asked. "Can we make it to Lohan by ourselves?"

"I don't know…" Lailah replied. "We have Niel, and plenty of supplies. But if the road is as dangerous as the mercenaries say it is…"

All of a sudden, a new voice joined the conversation: "Um, hi! Hi there." Abel and Lailah looked to the source: a girl with long silver hair pulled into a braid, clad in black armor with a shield strapped to her back, was standing by their table, looking rather uncomfortable. The first thing Abel noticed about her were her eyes- round and youthful, a vibrant green, behind glasses with black oval frames. The next thing he noticed was that the girl was… incredibly short- although he was sitting, he was still tall enough to look her in the eye.

The girl continued, "I, uh… I couldn't help but overhear you were looking to hire an escort over at the guildhall. Are you still looking?"

Abel didn't answer, but looked at Lailah silently. He could be oblivious at times, but he was certain he had never seen this girl before in his life. And she most certainly hadn't been at the Fighter's Guild. Lailah returned his look, seemingly sharing his suspicions.

The priestess then turned to the strange girl. "You're with the Guild? I don't remember seeing you at their hall."

"That-That-That's, because I… came after you left!" she stammered. "I was out… doing an errand, and I overheard the others talking about you." She then added, "I-I'm Holly, by the way."

Abel and Lailah looked at each other again. The girl was lying- about being with the Guild, perhaps even about her own name. But at that exact moment, Niel surfaced from her tankard. "Huh? Whozat?"

Holly shrieked in surprise and stumbled back, drawing a few curious glances from other patrons. "What- What is that?" she stammered.

Niel stood on the table, and pointed at Holly. "You! You should show more respect. I'm an angel, y'know!" She looked up at Lailah. "So?"

Lailah glanced at Holly for a moment, before looking back to Niel. "She claims to be a member of the Fighter's Guild, and that she's willing to escort us to Lohan."

Niel looked at Holly, tilting her head, her whole body leaning slightly. "'Ssthat so?" She waved Holly over. "Hey, c'mover here. I wanna get a good look at ya."

"Huh?" The confused reply came not only from Holly, but Abel and Lailah as well.

"I've-" Niel staggered. "…I've been around for a long time, so I can judge mortal's worth from just a glance. Now… get over here!" The angel waved Holly over again, a bit more vigorously.

Hesitantly, Holly bent down toward the tiny woman. Niel reached up, touching the mercenary's face, leaning this way and that… until she lied too far in one direction and toppled over. Stumbling back to her feet, she looked over to Abel and Lailah. "This one… I like this one! Let's start negotiating."

Abel and Lailah looked at each other for a third time. Perhaps the angel could see something that they could not, but it was hard to shake their misgivings. Eventually however, Abel spoke. "Alright. Have a seat."

Lailah looked over, surprised. "Abel?"

"The other mercenaries gave a fee for their services," he replied. "Let's at least hear hers. Then we can make a decision."

Lailah glanced at Holly for a moment, before replying, "I suppose that's fair."

Holly sat down across from Abel and Lailah. When she was seated, Lailah asked, "So what's your normal rate?"

"Huh?" Holly jolted. "Oh! Uh, well, I'm new in the Guild, so I've never had an escort assignment before. And since I'm new, I can't charge too much." A pause. "…How much are you offering?"

"The Abbey gave us one hundred twenty dinars for our journey," Lailah answered. "We set aside fifty for supplies, so we have seventy to spare."

Holly tilted her head, clearly confused. "Seventy…dinar? Is that a lot?"

Abel and Lailah looked at each other again. Seventy dinars was enough to buy a handful of sheep, or a young, healthy ox. It wasn't an exorbitant amount (although it was more money than Abel had ever had in his entire life up to that point), but neither was it a paltry sum.

"Sorry," Holly said. "I'm from Vulkan, so I'm used to prices being in rubles." Her tone changed- it seemed more relaxed, more… genuine.

It was probably the first true thing she said since starting the conversation.

"Well, seems like you've got a good handle on things," Niel said, stumbling back to her tankard. "If you need me, you know where I'll be." Hand with that, she dived headfirst back into her ale.

"How is she?" Abel asked.

Lailah glanced down the front of her robes, to the tiny sleeping figure nestled against her chest. "Still asleep. I don't think she'll be waking up for a while."

"So, who… what is that lady?" Holly asked. "Is she a fairy?"

"Not exactly," Lailah replied. "She's an angel, part of the Chief God's host."

"Really?" Holly's brow furrowed. "They're a lot smaller than I was expecting…"

With their business in Hokes concluded, Abel and the others had set out, with Holly in tow. Negotiations had proceeded smoothly- Holly had accepted a payment of sixty dinars, half upfront, with the remainder to be paid upon arriving safely in Lohan. At the moment, the group was passing through the thick forest of cedars surrounding Hokes, the sun high overhead. Lailah expected they would make good progress- if they continued at their current pace, she estimated they would arrive at the city in less than a week.

As they walked the hard road cutting through the trees, Abel asked, "Hey, Holly, where did you say you were from? 'Vulkan?' Where is that?"

Lailah answered before Holly could: "It's a principality to the northwest, beyond Apollonia and Ermis. I've heard that they've been having troubles with their neighboring country, Peryn, recently." The priestess turned her attention to the mercenary. "Is that why you joined the Fighter's Guild? To avoid being swept up in the conflict?"

Holly hesitated, adjusting her glasses. "Mmm… something like that."

"So, how did you end up in Hokes?" Abel asked.

Holly hesitated again, so Lailah again answered in her stead: "Moving members to branches outside their homeland is standard procedure for the Guild. They're meant to be a neutral party, so doing this helps to prevent conflicts of national interest."

Holly clapped her hands together. "Y-Yes! That's exactly right!" she said eagerly. Perhaps a bit too eagerly.

Lailah gave Holly another look, but a groan sounded from within her armor, and a tiny head poked out from behind her collar. "Nnngh… why is it so bright out here?"

The priestess looked down her collar. "Ah, Your Grace, you're finally awake. How are you feeling?"

Niel climbed onto Lailah's shoulder, trying to shield her eyes at the same time. "Like someone kicked me in the head with steel plate boots, how do you think?" She glanced over at Holly. "…who's that?"

"That's Holly," Abel replied. "She's the mercenary we hired to escort us to Lohan."

Niel fluttered up to the mercenary, looking her up and down, before turning back to Abel. "Seriously?" she asked incredulously. "You hired her?"

"You told us to!" Abel replied, indignant. "You said you could judge someone's worth at a glance!"

Niel glared back at the young man. "I'm pretty sure I'd remember saying something like that. But there's an easy way to figure this out. Draw your weapons."

"What?" both Abel and Holly said.

"Your Grace," Lailah began. "I don't think this is an appropriate time to-"

"Now is the perfect time" Niel snapped, cutting Lailah off. "It beats waiting until she chokes when all our lives are in actual danger. Now hurry up and draw those weapons!"

A few minutes later, Abel and Holly took their places a dozen or so paces apart in the middle of the road. Lailah stood at the side of the road a safe distance away, Niel standing on her shoulder. Abel had drawn his sword; Holly had taken the shield from her back and strapped it to her right arm, but that was all. He couldn't help but ask, "Don't you have a weapon?"

Holly shook her arm, making the shield rattle. "This is my weapon."

Strange… Abel thought. He'd never heard of someone fighting with only a shield before. Though, if what Niel had to say about him was correct, he didn't know a lot of things. But before he could dwell on that further, Niel called, "Begin!"

Abel drew his sword back, and began to run toward Holly. The mercenary raised her shield and began to charge in turn… but only took a few steps before tripping and falling on her face, with a loud cry and a heavy thump.

Abel skidded to a stop, almost falling himself. "A-Are you okay?" he asked.

"What are you doing? Don't stop!" Niel shouted. But Abel waited until Holly was on her feet again.

"I'm… okay," she said, wiping dirt off her face. Once she was ready, Abel resumed his attack, drawing back his sword to strike. He aimed his swing at Holly's shield- being such a large target, he didn't miss. His swing had none of the finesse it did while Niel was guiding his hand, nor its sheer power, but there was enough strength behind it to send Holly stumbling back. Catching herself, the mercenary took a quick step forward, drawing back her arm to swing the beveled edge of her shield at Abel. He quickly stepped back… though he realized he wouldn't have needed to. Holly's swing fell well short of where he had originally been standing, and her swing threw her off-balance. Niel probably would have yelled at him for not taking advantage of such a wide opening, so Abel circled around, raised his sword and swung down, aiming for the shield. Again, his aim was true, a resounding clang ringing out as he struck Holly's shield, sending her sprawling.

Before she could rise however, Lailah said, "Alright, I've seen enough." Abel stepped back, fumbling in his attempt to sheathe his sword as the priestess approached them. And as she looked down at Holly, she asked firmly, "You aren't actually with the Fighter's Guild, are you?"

"I-I'm-" Holly stammered.

But Lailah cut her off. "New members of the Fighter's Guild are required to meet minimum standards of training before they're allowed to take assignments. Of course, if you truly were with the Guild, you would have known that."

Holly… said nothing in reply.

Lailah knelt down in front of Holly. "Why did you lie? If you're an independent mercenary, you should have just said so."

Holly looked away, her face red. "…you wouldn't have hired me if I said I wasn't with the Guild."

"Why would that matter?" Abel asked. He looked to Lailah. "Is her not being with the Fighting Guild a bad thing?"

"Not necessarily," Lailah answered. "There are plenty of independent mercenary groups. But the Fighter's Guild is famous for its reputation." She looked down to Holly. "Unfortunately, there are those who would try to exploit the Guild's reputation to their advantage."

Abel looked between Lailah and Holly. "Well, what should we do with her? Should we take her back to Hokes?"

"I say we leave her. She can find her own way back to Hokes," Niel replied, jumping down from Lailah's shoulder. "After we get a refund, that is."

At that moment, the ground shook violently. Holly's head snapped back and forth. "W-What was that!?"

There was another violent tremor. "I knew it…" Lailah muttered, slowly drawing her spear from her back.

Abel drew his sword, falling in line next to the priestess. "What? What is it?"

Lailah's eyes narrowed. "That treant from yesterday… it wasn't alone."

The trees alongside the road were suddenly knocked aside, revealing a towering beast. It was another tree monster, like the one that had come the day before; its branches were woven into long arms ending in wicked claws, and a crude face with vacant eyes and a snaggletooth jaw was set into its trunk. But there was a significant difference: its roots, like its branches, were woven together, forming short, stubby legs. So now, instead of merely being three times Abel's height, the monster stood almost double that.

The treant raised its fist. Abel instinctively ran away, out of its reach, but Holly… she wasn't moving. She was just laying on the ground, staring up at the monster wide-eyed. He began to turn back. "Holly, get out of the way!"

But before he could do anything, Lailah picked up the mercenary in her arms and darted away. The treant's fist came down, sending up a cloud of dust that blocked his vision. "Holly!" Abel shouted. "Lailah! Are you guys okay!?"

All of a sudden, Niel's voice rang out in his head: "Abel, swing your sword, horizontally!"

"What- why?" Abel stammered.

"Just do it! Now!"

Abel obliged- the moment he began his swing, a branch rose up, reared back like a snake ready to strike. But it never got the chance, as Abel's sword cut through it with ease. "How… did you know that was coming?"

"Hello, angel here? Been alive since basically the dawn of time? I know how to read an enemy's movements." She then ordered, "Now get yourself some space!"

Abel retreated. "I thought you said you weren't going to help me," he said, spinning around and cutting a branch that tried to grab him from behind at the angel's command.

"I only said- duck!" Abel did, the air above him rippling as the monster's arm extended past him. "I only meant I wouldn't take over your body again. But I can help you in other ways. Now hold out your hand and speak the name of the spell: 'Angel Fire.'"

Abel held out his free hand toward the treant. "A… Angel Fire!"

A torrent of white flames erupted from Abel's palm. The flames washed over the treant- it let out a hollow roar and stumbled back… but as the fires died away, the monster remained, seemingly unharmed. There wasn't even a scorch mark on its bark. "Shit, roll!"

Abel obliged, rolling to the side as the treant swung its claw at him. As he clambered to his feet, he asked aloud, "What just happened? Why didn't the spell work!?"

"I was afraid of this- jump!" Abel jumped, leaping over a vine that tried to grab his ankle. "Angel magic is based on empathy- how you feel about its target. You need to be willing to bring harm to your target for the spell to be effective."

Abel slashed his sword upward at Niel's behest, cutting through a series of branches trying to grab him. "What, you think I don't wanna hurt this thing!?"

"It isn't that," Niel answered. "It's not that you don't want to hurt the treant. It's more that… you don't feel that you can. That you aren't strong enough to. Step back."

Abel did, falling just outside the range of the tree monster's reach as it swung its claws at him. "What do I do?"

"Get angry. Find something in your past- a memory of a wrong committed against you that you will never forgive. Use it to fuel your spell."

Something he would never forgive. That was easy. The memory of the day before played out in his mind- the treant raking its claws across Lailah's front, the blood… her screams. He would never forgive that monster for hurting her… but more than that, he would never forgive himself for letting her be hurt to begin with. He would never let anyone be hurt, as long as he could do something to stop it.

Not Lailah. Not Holly. Not anyone. Ever.

Abel felt something within himself… snap. Like the weak link of a chain breaking. He stopped, and faced the treant. It raised its claw, preparing to swing at him, or crush him under his fist, or… whatever. But Abel wouldn't give it the chance. He thrust his free hand toward the tree monster and roared:

"Angel Fire!"

An intense wave of heat washed over Abel as another torrent of white flame gushed from his palm. The beast roared as the flames engulfed it, but its roars were different, keener… as if it had actually been wounded. And as the fires died down, Abel saw that its body was blackened, the green leaves attached to it completely burned away.

But it was still standing. "Angel Fire!"

Another burst of fire washed over the treant. The monster's roars became louder, and as the flames died, one of its arms fell from its body, the branches it was composed of burned to ashes. Abel gritted his teeth. His head was pounding- he'd taken blows to the head before, but his pain was far more intense than anything he'd felt before.

But… the monster was still standing. He gasped, holding up his hand again. "Angel… Fire!"

A third torrent of white fire consumed the treant. There were no roars this time. And when the flames died away, nothing was left behind. Not even ashes.

The sword slipped from Abel's hand. He dropped down to one knee, then the other. His temples pulsed painfully, and his face was drenched. He wiped it away, only to see his hand covered in red. Was that… blood? But, how? The treant hadn't hit him thanks to Niel's guidance…

"Abel!" Holly and Lailah rushed to his side. The mercenary gasped. "Oh my God his eyes are bleeding! What's wrong with him?"

Lailah put a hand under his chin and turned his head, forcing him to look her in the eye. The gesture would have made his heart race in any other circumstance, but he was in too much pain to pay it much thought. "Mana depletion. Second stage, if I had to guess."

"What is that?"

"Every living thing has a reservoir of magical energy within their bodies," Lailah explained. "The energy in this reservoir- what we call mana- is what fuels spells. Mana replenishes over time, but if a person tries to cast a spell that exceeds their mana capacity, then the spell will siphon away their own life force to fuel itself, damaging the caster's body in the process. At first, this damage comes in the form of painful headaches- then, minor blood vessels rupture, then major blood vessels, and finally, the body's organs begin shutting down."

"Wh-What!?" Abel stammered, trying to stand. "A-Am I gonna die!?"

"No. Your mana depletion hasn't reached that stage yet. You'll be alright. You just need to rest." She looked to Holly. "I'm going to get his armor off. Put out a sleeping bag for him."

"Right!" Holly hurried to their bags, and began searching through them.

As Lailah undid the clasps of his armor, Abel asked in a low voice, "Lailah… am I really gonna be okay? You aren't just lying so I'll feel better, are you?"

The priestess smiled reassuringly at him. "You'll be just fine, I promise. The whites of your eyes might be black for a while, but that'll clear up on its own."

Her smile instantly vanished when the ground shook again. There was another crash as trees were knocked aside.

Another one. Another treant had emerged. It raised its arm, the branches it was composed of unraveling to form over a dozen individual branches that resembled sharp stakes, all aimed at Abel and Lailah. Then, they launched at the two. Lailah wrapped herself around Abel, holding him close to shield him-

"I'm coming!" Holly began sprinting towards the two. She stumbled… but caught herself, and slid to a stop in front of them, shield raised. And not a moment too soon- the branches struck the metal, bouncing off with a number of loud clangs.

But all of a sudden, Holly cried out as she was yanked off her feet and hoisted into the air. A branch had wrapped around her ankle- she bent, trying to reach up and strike it with her shield, but her reach was just too short. And before long, other branches wrapped around her limbs, immobilizing her.

"Holly!" Abel called. But suddenly, Lailah shoved him away. He hit the ground hard, bright spots dancing across his vision. As he tried to rise, Abel saw why- the second treant had seized the priestess with its claw. He staggered to his feet, seeking his sword.

"Abel, what are you doing!?" Niel demanded in his head. "Get out of there, now!"

"But, Lailah… Holly… they're in trouble," Abel breathed. His head was still pounding, but he fought through it as he tried to find his sword. "I have to… help them…"

He finally found his sword, and snatched it off the ground. Gripping it tightly, Abel ran at the second treant- though it was more of an awkward, loping gallop- his sword drawn back. He swung with all the strength he could muster, striking the treant… but his sword barely did anything at all, leaving only a small notch in the tree monster's bark.

The treant raised up its other claw. Abel stumbled back, trying to get out of range, but tripped over his own feet and fell forward. The last thing he heard before the claw fell upon him was Holly and Lailah screaming his name.

It took several moments before Abel realized he was still alive. The treant hadn't crushed him, but was pinning him to the ground with its claw. Abel squirmed, but he couldn't move at all. But he could still see. And he could definitely feel, as the earth shook under steady, thunderous footsteps as something approached. This time however, the trees seemed to bend, to slide out of the way as the source of the footsteps stepped into the open.

A third treant. Just how many of these damn things were there out here?

"Vile humans…" a cold voice whispered. "Desecrators of our domain… our vines will strangle the life from you. Your blood will nourish our roots." The voice didn't seem to come from the tree monster in front of them. Rather, it seemed to come from all around them. As if the forest itself were speaking.

The third tree monster bowed down. Its branches weaved together, but not to form another claw. Rather, the shape they took looked… human. The branches weaved themselves together until they formed a woman's figure, her head crowned by branches that fanned out to resemble a deer's antlers. The female figure stepped down onto the road, its gaze turning to Abel and each of his companions in turn.

As he looked at the strange wooden woman, a thought came into his head: a memory nearly forgotten. "Wait…" he said. "Are you… the Dryad?"

The wooden woman suddenly stopped. "You know what this thing is!?" Holly asked, frantic, still trying to escape the grasp of the monster holding her.

Between heavy breaths, Abel replied. "I only heard rumors. But the men back in my village said there's a spirit that lives in the forest. They're supposed to bring it offerings before they cut down any of the trees."

The wooden woman looked at Abel, her hollow eye sockets narrowing. "…so, there are still those among you who remember," she said. "…which makes your transgressions that much more unforgivable."

"Of course…" Lailah said. "All the injured woodsmen… that was your doing, wasn't it?"

"An agreement was made," the dryad said. "An agreement that your half has failed to uphold. Thus the blood price must be paid."

Blood price? Abel didn't like the sound of that at all. The second treant began lowering Holly. The mercenary thrashed against the branches holding her, to no avail. "Nuh… no! I… I didn't do anything!"

"So readily does your kind forget the promises you make," the dryad said coldly. "But our memory is long. And we do not forget what is owed to us." The dryad ran a single claw along an exposed part of Holly's thigh, between her leg armor and breastplate, forming a thin red line. Holly let out a piercing scream, either out of pain or from sheer terror.

"Wait!" Abel shouted. "If… if it's blood you want, then… then take mine. Take all of it if you want. Just… just don't hurt them. Please."

Lailah began straining against the claw holding her, forcing it to open a little… but not enough to free herself. "Abel, no. What are you doing!?"

"It's okay," he replied, hoping Lailah wouldn't hear the shaking in his voice. "Putting yourself in harm's way to protect others… isn't something like that what a Hero is supposed to do?"

The dryad turned away from Holly, facing Abel's direction. The tree monster pinning him down lifted up its claw. But it wasn't to release him- instead, it picked him up, and held him in front of the dryad.

"You're an idiot," Niel's voice said in his head as the dryad neared. "You know that? 'Isn't something like that what a Hero is supposed to do?' No, it's not! You're supposed to slay the Overlord! How are you supposed to do that if you die!?"

Abel didn't really have anything to say in reply. At least, not to Niel. "You won't… hurt them, right?" he asked the dryad.

The dryad approached, saying nothing.

Abel's voice began shaking. His whole body began to shake. "If you take my blood… you'll… let them go… right?"

Again, the dryad said nothing. Then, it reached out to him. He flinched in spite of himself, but there was nowhere to go. There was a burning sensation as the dryad ran a claw across his cheek, and she pulled back, drops of fresh blood on her fingertip. She looked down at Abel's blood, before returning her attention to Abel himself.

"The wood has tasted your blood. The toll has been paid, for the time being."

Wait a minute, what?

The treant gripping Abel suddenly released him. It released Lailah and Holly as well. Holly hit the ground hard, landing right on her rear. But the priestess landed on her feet, darting between Abel and the dryad. She'd lost her spear at some point, but her fists were raised, ready to fight.

"Stand down, sister of the human church," the dryad ordered. "I do not wish to fight, but to parley."

Lailah lowered her fists, but remained tense. "Alright…" she replied. "Say your piece."

"When your kind first came to this wood, your predecessors in the church approached me. They promised the trees their protection, and that should any be felled, an offering equal to its value would be given in exchange. I agreed, unaware of your nature, and so our bargain was honored… for a time. But more and more humans came, felling greater numbers of trees, returning fewer and fewer offerings, until eventually they stopped entirely." She pointed a claw at Lailah. "You will take me to the leader of your church, that they might redress me for their broken promises."

Lailah was silent for several moments, before turning. "Very well," she replied. "Come with me."

"Wait, Lailah!" Abel called. "Are you sure about this?"

"Part of the Church's responsibilities is to negotiate with spirits of the earth. If an agreement was made as she claims, there should be a record of it. And as the head of the Abbey, it would be Sister Alexei's responsibility to address any issues that arise with the agreement." She continued on, the dryad following. After a moment, Abel and Holly followed, too.

It was about sunset when they returned to Hokes. He hadn't paid much attention to the town as they left, but seeing it rising above the surrounding trees was quite something. But that quickly changed as bells rang out, and the town gate quickly shut. The town guards gathered at the wall above the gate, bows in hand, drawn and aimed at Abel's group… or rather, at the dryad.

"Hold!" the guard shouted, bow in hand, arrow nocked and ready to fire. "What is that… thing!?"

But Lailah ignored his demand. "I need you to send word to Sister Superior Alexei of the Abbey. Tell her she has a visitor."

Several minutes passed. Eventually, either because a message was sent, or by overhearing the commotion, the gate opened slightly, and a priestess clad in a black-and-white robe emerged. She jolted, gasping slightly at the sight of the dryad. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Sister Superior," Lailah said. "I apologize for returning so soon, but… this spirit asked to speak with you."

"…then, you knew that a dryad was behind this?" Abel asked.

"I didn't know it was a dryad specifically," Lailah replied. "But I knew that something was out there. Treants are just constructs. Automatons made to do another's bidding. So their master couldn't have been far…"

Sister Alexei's negotiations with the dryad took longer than Abel had expected. By the time things concluded, and guards had come to escort the dryad out of the town, the sun had long since set, and the moon stood high in the sky. What little progress they had made had been wiped away. Though Lailah pressed her for details, Sister Alexei would only say that the matter had been resolved, before generously permitting them to stay at the Abbey for one additional night before setting out.

At the moment, Abel and Lailah were in the chapel of the abbey, seated at separate pews. Abel had hoped to glean a little more information about the situation, but it seemed the priestess was as uninformed as he was. So, he steered the conversation elsewhere. "That dryad… she seemed so set on killing us. What made her change her mind?"

"Who can say?" Lailah replied. "It's possible Niel's blood was enough to sate her. Or maybe she realized you were a Hero, and getting on your patron's bad side wasn't in her best interest. You might have impressed her with your willingness to sacrifice yourself for mine and Holly's sake. Or perhaps it was simply a whim- spirits of nature have always been a fickle and capricious sort."

"Speaking of Holly, you have any idea where she is?" Abel was certain that the mercenary had been with them when they arrived at the Abbey, but now that he was paying attention, he realized she was nowhere in sight.

"I'm not sure," the priestess. She then stood. "But… it's been a long day. I'm going to get some rest. You should as well."

Abel nodded. "Right." The two left the chapel and parted ways. Abel retraced his steps through the abbey, but found no trace of Holly. Surely, if she had been wandering, the other priestesses would have found her and brought her to him and Lailah, which could only mean… he returned to the entrance, and stepped outside, to the plaza atop the third terrace.

Sure enough, Holly was there. She was seated at the bottom of the small flight of steps leading up to the abbey's front gate, arms wrapped around her legs, her knees pulled against her chest, staring at nothing in particular.

Abel sat down on the step next to her. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

Holly curled up more tightly, but didn't answer.

Abel struggled for a moment as he searched for something to say. "You… did you have Lailah look at your leg? If not, you should. We don't want that cut to get infected."

Again, Holly didn't answer. At least, not at first. Instead, she took a pouch from her belt, and set it down next to her.

"What's that?" Abel asked.

"It's… the money you gave me. I shouldn't take it. Not after lying to you," Holly replied quietly.

Abel looked down at the pouch. "Holly…" he began.

Holly curled up, voice quavering. "I… I know I have no right to ask this after what I did, but… can I still travel with you? I don't have anywhere else to go. I am from Vulkan- I didn't lie about that. But, I'm not a mercenary. I… I ran away from home. Some things happened, and… and now I can't go back. So please… let me stay with you. At least… until I can figure things out for myself."

Abel was quiet. In truth, he'd already made his decision, but didn't want to be judged for answering too quickly. "Well," he finally began. "We did hire you to escort us to Lohan. And before, you protected us. It didn't seem like you were lying then. As for what happens after that… we'll talk about it when we get there. You, me, and Lailah." He picked up the pouch, and placed it back in Holly's hand. "Just… no more lies, alright? Can you promise me that?"

Holly looked at the pouch in her hand, then to Abel, her eyes shimmering. Then, she took off her glasses, and curled up into a ball, her face pressed against her knees, gasping and shuddering. "I'm sorry…" she whispered weakly. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

Abel… wasn't quite sure what to do now. So, he stood, and walked to the edge of the terrace to give Holly space. The whole world was shrouded in darkness now, the distant horizon he'd looked to that morning nowhere in sight.

"You're too soft," a scratchy voice said. He didn't see Niel, but he did feel her land on his shoulder.

"Is that really a bad thing?" Abel asked. "I thought the Church liked mercy, and forgiveness, and stuff like that."

"You aren't wrong about that…" Niel began. "But there are limits on how much the Church is willing to forgive. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." She fluttered up from his shoulder, to look Abel in the eye. "You got very lucky today, Abel. As nature spirits, dryads are very protective of their territories, but they aren't truly evil. They can be reasoned with. But don't make the mistake of assuming that you can negotiate your way out of every encounter from here on. You need to be ready. Ready to fight. To kill your enemy, if it comes to that."

Niel began to fly toward the abbey, but then stopped. "One last thing. You might think it's brave to put yourself in harm's way to protect others. But… it isn't. You have a mission, Abel: pass on Lord Hermes's message, receive the Praetor's blessing, and slay the Overlord. Anything else is secondary to that."

"Don't put myself in harm's way?" Abel asked. "How? Isn't my life already in danger just by being a Hero?"

Niel folded her arms across her chest. "Again, you aren't wrong about that. Your mission carries with it a certain amount of risk- risk that is completely unavoidable. But part of that mission is also to ensure your own survival, to mitigate unnecessary risk. When it comes down to it, you need to preserve your own life, above all others. You understand that, don't you?"

Abel didn't answer. Niel waited, but Abel still said nothing. Finally, the angel turned. "I'm going to assume your silence means you do understand."

Niel fluttered away. Abel mulled over her words in silence. He couldn't argue against her words from a logical standpoint. By all rights, her stance was completely justified. But… maybe it was just the way the angel had phrased things, but it didn't sit right with him. He may not have known everything there was to know about Heroes, but he still knew something. Their goal was to slay the Overlord, sure, but there was more than that. They were supposed to stand against evil in all its forms, protect those who couldn't protect themselves. And what Niel told him… flew in the face of everything he thought he knew about Heroes. He didn't understand.

If he wasn't willing to protect the people standing right next to him,… how could he be expected to protect the entire world?

Abel looked up to the sky, as if seeking an answer there.

But among the numberless stars glittering above, he found none.

Unbeknownst to Abel, someone was watching him. It was not a monster, however, but a human. A woman with narrow eyes, standing at the foot of the grand staircase leading up to the Abbey.

"Interesting…" she said. "I think I just found a new target of interest."

She had been here at Hokes, when the treant attacked. Though her role was simply to act as an observer, she'd been ready to intervene at a moment's notice… but that had been unnecessary. She'd followed her target when she left town as well, prepared to step in when the dryad revealed itself… but again, someone else intervened before she had needed to.

That boy. Abel.

The power he wielded would be enough to flag him for investigation on its own. But to not only show such tremendous power, but also talk down a nature spirit as well… that was definitely worth noting. And, though they had no way of knowing it, they'd made her plans of watching the both of them that much easier by deciding to travel together.

She sent two requests to her superiors: first, a request to receive all relevant biographical information pertaining to the young man; and second, a request to flag the young man as a potential target of interest, and to commence observation of his movements. Her role- their role- had always been to act as observers. Silent witnesses to events that would shape the world, never involving themselves, lest they disrupt the intricate plots developed by their master. But…

The woman grinned, and opened her eyes fully, her left eye glowing with an electric blue light. "Sorry in advance, My Lady. But I don't think I'm gonna be able to sit on the sidelines for this one."

At the same time, deep within the Abbey, a certain priestess was watching events unfold through a dark mirror.

"My my…" Sister Sarai said. "It seems you've found yourself a most interesting companion, haven't you… dear sister?" Her finger traced over the mirror's surface, over a certain blue-haired young man staring up at the sky.

Almost from the moment he came to the Abbey, she'd been aware of his true nature. Long before the others had found out. Likely before the boy himself knew. And thanks to the abbess placing him in her care, she was even able to ascertain his patron. She maintained the cold, distant facade she'd established, even as she served as his caretaker, but in truth, she found him endlessly fascinating. She even enjoyed the way his name felt on her tongue, often wondering how his tongue would feel against it. But it was his character, his nature, that piqued her interest the most. Wielding such incredible destructive power, yet gentle and compassionate, almost to a fault.

And he was a virgin to boot. Which meant he would have absolutely no defense against her.

It seemed she'd found the missing piece for Mother's plan at long last.

If it were up to her, she would have swooped in and carried him back to Akheros herself. But, that wasn't her call to make. So, she grabbed a small crystal from her nightstand and slipped it into her pocket. Contained within was all the information she'd gathered about the young man. Mother could review it at her leisure. Granted, leaving her dear sister unattended could have serious ramifications… but then again, her new companion was a Hero, ready to fight to the death to keep her safe. And she had done an excellent job of concealing her true nature thus far. Sarai was sure that Andr- that Lailah could look after herself for a few days at the very least.

Sarai looked around, at the small, barren white-walled room that had been her home for the last few months. "Well then… I suppose there's nothing left for me here. Good riddance, I say."

She held out her hand toward the wall, and focused. A pair of wings, leathery and as black as the night sky, emerged from her back as she focused her magical energies, creating the bridge between her location and her destination. She opened her eyes, shining in a bloody red light, and in a guttural, inhuman voice, uttered, "Kyda."

The wall before Sarai warped, dilating and expanding, opening to reveal a black world beyond. Xibalba, the humans had named it. The Land of Terror. But to her… it was home.

Sarai stepped forward, but stopped. "Oh, before I forget…" She snapped her fingers. "Anyca Sasuno." The sister then stepped through the portal. It closed behind her without a fuss, and with that, all traces of the woman named Sister Sarai were erased from the Abbey of Saint Katherine.