I love The Dryad. She's kinda granny vibes.
Early chapter haha! Imagine being ahead of schedule!
Special thanks to all who leave reviews, notes and lore corrections.
Humans really are strange little creatures.
She couldn't have helped it. After a hundred years of not interacting with mankind at all, it was reasonable to forget how easily they became frightened. She had completely forgotten they were nigh terrified of everything that didn't look exactly like them! Of course, after 'The Blessed One' nearly had a heart attack upon laying eyes on her, she realized her mistake. With a clever bit of wood compression and vine-twisting, she pulled in her sprawling branches and iridescent insectoid legs into a comely woman's figure.
Rather amusingly, males of the species often attempted to woo her for the appearance of this form, but these two had just watched her transform from her natural state into one of them. Instead of attraction, they regarded her with equal parts wariness and terror... but at the very least, nobody was scaring themselves to death. The Blessed One seemed to be caught in a struggle between trauma, terror and overwhelming curiosity. The result was a rather amusing picture of the young man posing his questions to her while sitting on the edge of his seat and looking quite ready to bolt out the door at any sign of danger. Of course, he didn't know that she had already spread her roots all throughout the compound and could not be escaped from so easily. She withheld this bit of information from him to ease his mind.
"So...um, Miss Dryad... What happened? Was I was actually dead?"
The Dryad looked kindly upon him and held back the urge to pat his head, much like one would do with a very young puppy.
"Dead? Not quite, my dear. Halfway there, I suppose, but not to worry, I've arrived right in the nick of time to bolster the blessing in your blood. To imagine that I've come looking for the one who slew The Roaming Eye, but instead I find you! And you are far more precious."
The Blessed One looked rather confused with such a proclamation. The Dryad continued to chatter away.
"I know you alone are not enough to keep all of The Dreaming God's bits and pieces sealed away, but at the very least, The Wall isn't out and about. If you had died just now, The Wall would have broken free... such a thing would spell certain doom upon the land and we certainly don't want that, now, do we?"
She rattled the branches in her headdress in an expression of amusement, but neither man shared her laughter. Instead, The Blessed One stared at her sullenly, the flickering flames orange on his face. He sighed and rubbed at his nose with the back of his hand - far too rattled by his experience to engage her with any sort of enthusiasm. The Dryad, not reading the atmosphere of the room, continued to chitter away cheerfully. Laying bare terrible truths with the same demeanor as one gossiping over tea and crumpets.
"So, dearie, you must absolutely stay alive, until you have children that is. I've decided to help you along and took the liberty to flush out all the evil magic those malignant fish-men cast upon you, both curses - by the way - although I wonder where in the world you managed to pick up two... In any case, your mission now is just to stay alive... Ah-"
The Dryad paused and, with a loud crack, turned her head to face The Blessed One. Of course, she didn't need to move to see all around her, but recalled that humans generally looked at each other while conversing. She also decided to open her mouth to speak, but refrained from manipulating the area about her lips to mimic human speech. It was a rather tiresome exercise and she had forgotten which macular movements were associated with which sounds. Worryingly enough, her attempts to become more realistic seemed to cause the two humans in her audience considerable distress. They glanced at each other nervously and cringed further into their seats.
Well, at least they were paying attention as The Dryad posed her inquiry.
"Pray tell, where did that evil fish thing go? If it is here, I will certainly tear it asunder and water the earth with its wicked blood. Worshippers of that cosmic abomination have no right to life on this earth. Tell me, who cursed you - Blessed One?"
The Blessed One blinked at her and furrowed his brow. It took him a moment to realized he was being addressed, after which he shook his head firmly.
"I...I'll tell you once you answer all of my questions. So... The Wall, (he seemed to brace himself for something as he uttered the word, then came away pleasantly surprised when nothing happened.) What is it? Where did it come from? Was it trying to... kill me? "
The Dryad had lived a long, long time. She wasn't bothered at all having to wait on her own priorities and cheerfully answered all of The Blessed One's questions, albeit neither succinctly nor completely.
"Kill you, yes certainly my dear. It wants to be free! If you were to die, The Blessing is lost and the seal is undone. The Wall of Flesh is made of all sorts of souls. They've altogether become quite angry with their predicament; the evil eldritch power which binds them to their fiery chamber has changed them into something entirely unnatural. They are an abomination from the stars that will wreck havoc across the earth if given the opportunity. But as I've stated before, it can exert no further influence on you. I've dispelled your curses and bolstered your blessing. Simply take care not to wander into any of those nasty Fishmen's graves, nor go through their wicked documents. They are a vicious and terrible species that poison nearly everything they touch."
"..."
The fire crackled between them. The Blessed One pinched the bridge of his nose and pursed his lips. The Dryad could see the little cogs spinning and sparking behind his eyes, and decided that he was quite the sharp little human. He continued to query.
"Okay... okay, so it was trying to kill me, but now it cant... right?" (She nodded an affirmative), "and this whole thing started because I went to Ami-... the Fishman's burial chamber and read that curse about The Dreaming God?"
The Dryad emitted a bird's whistle.
"Goodness me, Dearie. Quite an adventure you've had... but you've always been tied to The Wall. You are a seal, after all. I reckon you'd see The Wall sooner or later. Naturally, The Curse would have exacerbated the process, however it isn't the origin."
The Blessed One blinked at her. His face, blank with shock and disbelief. He spoke slowly and emphatically, raising his volume incrementally until he was nearly shouting.
"It wasn't The Curse then? It was you?" (she nodded, and her affirmation triggered a fit of rage) "Are you saying that whoever 'blessed' me is responsible for that horrible eldritch monster trying to murder me every night?! Why don't you take your blessing back, because I sure as hell haven't felt blessed!"
The Dryad wasn't particularity bothered his anger and answered with the same cheery enthusiasm as always. This seemed to enrage The Blessed One even further.
"Oh no, Dearie. What's done is done. The Blessing is composed of a great deal of The Dryad's power - life essence, if you will - I alone cannot change such a powerful enchantment. The Blessing is not for your benefit, but for the benefit of the whole world. You are merely a carrier but have become a precious existence because of the power in your blood. Aren't you glad that you alone are protecting the world?"
The Blessed One didn't look happy at all. He muttered and sighed and growled to himself before taking several deep breaths. He turned to her, clearly holding in an outburst.
"Okay, fine. Fine. But you fixed it, right?" (She nodded again) "You did... something, and now I just need to do my best to forget about the last two weeks. Now, what do you mean by the 'Blessing being in my blood'" He said the line somewhat incredulously, "The Crimson has been held back for a hundred years. I've only been alive one quarter of that time. It's impossible that I'm the only one keeping The Wall at bay."
The Blessed One glared at her tiredly, as if he was half expecting all of this to be some strange sort of charade had had to play along with. The poor thing looked like he hadn't had a good night's rest in months. The Dryad pitied him. She cooed at him.
"Oh, no - don't be silly. We blessed an entire city here - a little town a bit further towards The Crimson Border. We blessed every man, woman and child and expected them to multiply, strengthening the potency of The Blessing with offspring. How long ago was it?" She rattled her branches in an attempt to draw forth century old memories. Her attempt was fruitless, "Regardless, Even back then there was a good deal of blood to go around, more than enough to seal all of Moon Lord: The Crimson, The Wall, even the Brain and the Worms! The Roaming Eye, of course managed to elude us."
The Blessed One, suddenly excited, interrupted her. She, ever patient, cheerfully allowed it.
"A city nearby? Was it perhaps a Town! My Hometown? The one Southeast of us?! You 'Blessed' my entire fucking hometown?"
He gestured vaguely in the entirely opposite direction of 'SouthEast'. The Dryad rattled her headdress in amusement once more.
"Perhaps, my dear, or perhaps not. It's been a very long time, and I'm afraid I wouldn't recognize the place even if you took me there. However, I do know we even took care to make the land unusually abundant for your sakes. After all, we cannot allow famine to wipe out the carriers of our blessing... however, I'm quite surprised to find all of you dead! Goodness, I know humans do sometimes behave irrationally, but we collectively trusted you'd at least be able to survive a few generations. Men are like cockroaches. They scatter in the face of danger, and multiply as if they had nothing better to do. It's miserably difficult to wipe out all of you... perhaps."
Her wooden eyeballs creaked towards The Blessed One.
"You don't reckon somebody came and killed them all suddenly, do you?"
There was a moment of silence. The Blessed One's his face twitched, but he didn't respond. The Dryad nodded sagely, interpreting his silence as an affirmative.
"Oh, just as I suspected. What a pity. It is a sad thing for The Blessed Ones to lead short lives, as the moment they leave this mortal coil, they are immediately consumed by The Wall, as you nearly were...I suppose that's the price they pay for the honor of carrying the blessing."
The shocked silence between them persisted. The Blessed One was staring up at her, his eyes like coals and his jaw tight and trembling in rage. After a long, long while, he let loose his voice, almost whispering.
"...what? What did you say?! You... Your Bullshit Blessing is responsible for my family getting eaten by that thing?! I heard them crying in there! I saw them! I heard them! They're going to be tortured for... for god knows how long befo-"
"Oh yes. We hope The Wall will remained locked up forever." Her neck creaked loudly as she nodded, "It is far too dangerous to attempt to kill The Wall, and so - those whose souls are sacrificed to The Crimson will be greatly honored. Ah, it seems you are upset. Come - allow me to comfort you, my dear."
The Dryad cracked apart the bark over her torso and extended a tendril from beneath her ribcage. It slithered across the room in order to pat the top of The Blessed One's head. Instead of appearing encouraged, he recoiled in terror and shot to the other end of the sofa. The Old Bearded man likewise startled and began to struggle against his binds with mounting panic (she had forgotten she still had him tied up). The Dryad, frankly, had never been fantastic at reading human's facial expressions. Her tendrilled vine tracked The Blessed One's movement like a snake and, despite his attempts to evade and swat at it, ultimately ended up patting the man several times squarely in the face before retreating. He looked so openly furious afterwards, The Dryad was worried she had broken his nose.
"Oh dear, you're not hurt are you?"
"..."
The Blessed One stuttered and hissed something incomprehensible to her. He looked like a very angry, but very small dog - and she did her best not to rattle her branches in laughter as he bared his teeth to snarl at her.
"Get out! Leave me the fuck alone! I'm not just some container you can just use and abuse, then throw me in hell when you're done! Why did you choose my town! Why me! Fuck!"
The Dryad tilted her head back to consider The Blessed One carefully. He was panting. He looked fairly distressed. His sandy coloured hair was mussed and quite unkempt. The dark bags beneath his eyes were in stark contrast to his ashen pale skin. Even his hands and legs trembled to keep himself sitting upright. The poor thing looked like he would keel over at any moment from stress alone. Perhaps she had best leave him for now. With a loud creak, she stood to her feet - the top of her head nearly touching the ceiling of the small hovel.
She clucked her tongue, emitting a noise between a frog's croak and the chittering of cicadas.
"Interesting... it seems you are not pleased with our decision, regardless, what's done is done. It seems that this revelation has upset you, my dear, and for this I apologize on behalf of my people. Let us continue this conversation at a later time. Come find me when you've calmed down and had some rest."
"Cultist, have we not granted you all you asked? You had promised us an unkillable soldier with which to slay The Tyrant, and in response, The Resistance would fund and protect the endeavor to raise your deity. We have already supplied you materially. We have given you one of our most valuable captured slaves to work on your project. Even now, we continue to shield and protect your cult members and draw Yharim's attention from your project in The Dungeon... and what have you given in response?"
Braelor's voice boomed in the court chamber, echoing off the cold marble stone and the tall crystalline windows. The sun had already set, and the dusk was barely staved off by the multitude of candles lighting the hall. The Lunatic Cultist stood before The Commander and inclined his head respectfully - although every spectator knew he must been grinding his teeth beneath his long bird's mask.
Braelor continued. His voice was emphatic.
"You have provided to us a spoilt child who is neither obedient nor reasonable. It is your responsibility to make him useful to us, Cultist. It is disappointing that I've had to step into your role - yet I will not annul our contract over this. I understand there is a time constraint to move your projects from The Dungeon - however I simply cannot spare my men, until your man is battle ready."
"..."
The Cultist paused for a moment before he spoke.
"Lord Braelor, I must implore you. Should we wait much longer, the full moon will surely draw Yharim's attention to The Dreaming God's body! He is already growing stronger as the moon waxes, and such emission of lunar energy will easily appear on The King's radar. Should he find us, then all will be naught. Will you risk the death of my project - and our agreement - over a timing issue? Commander, I ask you to reconsider."
The Half titan shook his head gravely.
"I have considered, and will not change my decision. The burden of our transaction has weighed solely on The Resistance for too long. You have yet to deliver anything save vague information on battle tactics. The Hero's first mission will be to extract your Moon Lord project from the dungeon. The timing depends entirely on you. Whether you retrieve The Hero from where you've abandoned him or destroy another town to make a new one is entirely up to you. Just uphold your promises! Dismissed."
For Delivery to: Commander of The Goblin Army
General,
I am sure word has already come to you concerning a sum of Rl'yehian treasure that recently appeared in your vaults.
You may keep it. It is yours.
However, there is much more I am willing to part with for a small favour.
One of my curses along The Crimson Border has been dispelled. The only peoples able to do so are an ancient enemy of mine. Bring me the head of a Dryad and destroy all who accompany her. You may face a valiant fighter, however he is alone - and can be killed with overwhelming force.
Be sure neither Statis nor Braelor are aware of these activities. Your top sorcerers will not be needed for such a skirmish, and I recommend they remain at base to keep up appearances.
See the map attached.
This note will now destroy itself.
-Tag-
Hero: "Tag, you're it!"
Perforators: *growls in 'die already'*
Slayer: *standing on the sidelines, pouting* I wanna be it...
Braelor: *Drinking Coffee* "Children, play nice"
Guide: *On Phone* Yes, I know this is the fifth time I come in this week, and I know it's still Tuesday- but I NEED to see My Therapist again.
Hero: Am I in trouble?
LC: Guess
Hero:...No.
LC: Take another Guess
So some shit happened. Dryad(s) are actually the origin of all the trouble. if they hadn't been used to Seal The Wall, then none of this would have happened.
Of course, none of this would have happened either if The LC had just chosen a different town to nuke.
And The Slayer only appeared because the extra 'life magic' that composes The seal made him. Otherwise we'd just have Faze, non-crimson spreading, and the only victims of The Wall will be successive generations of The Guide's town.
Definately more of a curse than a blessing. RIP.
Aight love and kiss. write me a note