Jack simply watched as Fauve shoved the body of the late barkeep into a cupboard and hastily covered up the blood, stating, "Yeah, that looks like it'll work." Out of sight, out of mind, after alltt. Granted, the scent of the carcass would probably still attract some attention, but the smell of filth inherent to the place would probably manage to cover it up for at least a short time. He glanced at Gabriel as the enchanter seemed to misunderstand the hero of the story idea, considering whether to correct him or not, but eventually deciding against it.

Instead, he chose to follow in suit with Fauve; the drinks wouldn't do anyone any good just sitting on a shelf, after all, and the barkeep certainly didn't need them anymore. He shoveled as much of the remaining alcohol as could fit into his pack, taking an extra bottle in hand for good measure, and exited the tavern, walking out as if nothing had happened. Jack acknowledged Gabriel's presence nearby with a nod and made his way over to a nearby tree, leaning against it and finishing off the last of his venison, washing it down with the contents of the extra bottle.

Taking a brief look around, he caught sight of the group from earlier situated on a small hill a short distance away. It seemed they were discussing something.

Lui opens her mouth to give a hesitant response to Dani's question when suddenly Dani grabs her head and pulls her closer. Instantly Lui freezes with fear as she starts to get worried. Did she trust the wrong people? Is Dani going to pull off her head? Is Dani simply distracting her while Aelih gets a rope or something?

If she got out of this alive she'd be sure to be a lot more careful. Maybe she'd take up the life as a hermit. Or maybe she'd end it altogether.

Then, Dani suddenly let go of Lui and started apologising. Apparently he'd lost track of what he was doing and got distracted by the gem in Lui's head. Lui stares at him blankly for a few seconds before managing a faint smile.

"It's... alright just... please give me time to answer next time, okay?" Lui responds quietly while cautiously eying Aelih. She had no idea what Dani had meant with that gesture after all.

"A-anyway, did you find out anything?"

"I think it's cursed!" Dannisus blurted out cheerfully with an idiotic smile plastered across his dumb face. He'd never come across a cursed artifact of such pristine quality before! It looked as if it- "Oh, right. That's a bad thing, Lui. Very bad! Not just the type of bad you can get rid of, but maybe two millennia worth of souls, bad. That's- Well that's uh, kind of..." He stopped himself and fumbled with his fingers. "Yeah, it's kind of bad." He flung his tail side to side without noticing, whipping Aelih in the process.

He had a vivid memory of those gems from when he was a child. Sylsashia forest was a resting place for relics of all shapes and sizes. Only the Myti could access local tombs without worry of the wildlife, but unlike the forest that hosted them, ancient runes did not acknowledge Sylsashia's cat folk as anything less than pillagers. The artifacts that lay buried beneath her benevolent forest floor often held wicked enchantment that condemned the living. Weapons. Lui's eye, if he wasn't to be mistaken, may have been one such artifact. If that was the case, there was no telling just how much danger Lui was in; Dannisus worried for himself and everyone else in Nadska in a similar fashion, as there was no telling how dangerous Lui could be. He dropped his book into his lap and reached over his shoulder in a hurry.

"Ehm, yes," Dannisus grunted with one hand already rustling around deep in his pack, "Can you tell me, um- Ack! If there are any- Well, effects or anything? I mean, damn!" He leaned to his side and reached deeper, searching desperately for one of his small notebooks. "For example, constant pain? Visions? Unwanted attention from the ethereal, or otherwise?.. Um... Anything at all?"

Lui's face goes pale as Dani declares the item cursed. She already feared as much, but she wasn't entirely sure. Dani just confirmed Lui's worst fears, but she didn't yet know just how bad it truly was.

Dani rambled on about just how bad it could be, but Lui wasn't really listening to that bit, she didn't really want to know just how much trouble she was really in.

Though, as Dani asked her another question, Lui was forced to think and respond. Just what side-effects could the artifact have? She'd already attributed Nightmares and Monster Attacks to it, but if there was anything else that could be caused by it, this would be the best time to mention them.

"Well... I'm not entirely sure if it's caused by the gem, but I get lots and lots of nightmares..." Lui said, glancing away. In truth, she didn't want to tell Dani in the case it meant that her eye was dangerous to even those around her. Then again though, it'd be better to know and possibly plan around it than not know and cause more problems.

"That... and I tend to get attacked by creatures that appear out of nowhere whenever I cast a lot of spells." Lui shuddered at the thought of such creatures. They were unlike anything she'd ever seen before, and she got away from most encounters by simply running. A lot of running. "...there might be more things but... those are the only ones I can think of right now..."

Dannisus froze. A tingle ran down his spine, all the way through to the tip of his tail. He cursed under his breath, "ץﻉٱค ๓ѻฝչ," still rustling through his bag.. After quite the search, his hand emerged from his rounded leather pack with a small black notebook. Without delay, he tore the book open and sifted through the pages, moving his hands dexterously as not to not crease the thinly hewn pages. "Here," suddenly his finger slammed against several lines of script, written just beneath a small sketch of a triangular gem, "The facets, pigmentation, and fractals of your gemstone closely resemble something that my mother showed me when I was just a kit. Here, look-" He urged her to take a closer look at the sketch. The details were astounding on a second glance. Beneath the penciled lines that closely covered each and every facet of the gem, there were smokey grey fractals of a different shade. "The Myti have a word for them, ๓ٱคกɗٱคร ɭٱคɭค. Roughly translated, it means Blood Diamond, gems not uncommon in Sylsashia, much like other gemstone artifacts, but these..." Dannisus furrowed his brow and pulled the book back, looking intently at the sketch he'd made when he was barely old enough to climb a tree. The drawing was nostalgic, and fearsome, linked so dearly with the history of his people. After a long pause, he started up again.

"About 400 years ago, Myti used to wear them as jewelry. Sounds absolutely ridiculous, doesn't it?" He chuckled lightly. "But they weren't compliant little hunks of rock. They had effects on our women that were... Uh, rather dire. They ranged from anything from what you've just described, so nightmares, unwanted attention, to more serious ailments. Worst of all, it took a quite while for my people to realize it back then, that the blood diamonds we'd treasured as frivolous accessories were cause to mass hysteria, insanity, and mana drought." He looked at Lui curiously. "Like I mentioned, the only Myti affected were our females. I'm not sure if it had something to do with their magical affinity, or gender, or whatever, but I can say with quite a bit of certainty that you've got something tremendously dangerous there. Hell, it was dangerous enough to violently shift Myti culture a few centuries ago." Dannisus' ears twisted rightwards and he jerked his head back towards the path they took away from the tavern. He noticed one of the men from earlier glancing in their direction. Though he met Jack's eyes momentarily, Dannisus lowered his head and eventually returned his focus to the notes in front of him. "You're not like the Myti, though. You're not biological, and your false eye is embedded in your skull. The solution my people came to was simple, stop wearing the bloody things, but if you can't just tear the gem out, it might be a little more complicated than that."

Aelih was barely listening to Dannisus lecture, although it was probably interesting, Aelih simply wasn’t very interested in magic beyond that of simply enchanting a weapon, or repairing things. Simple Magics, and very useful as well.

As Dannisus’ distracted tail moved to whip Aelih, the one free hand instinctively went up and caught it, and Aelih glared at Dannisus for a second before realizing what had happened and releasing it without a word, amused.

With a chuckle, Aelih turned back to the town at large and saw the man from before, with the gauntlets, looking at them for a second, and gave him a simple nod.

---

---

Fauve chugged back half a bottle of some well refined, sweet berry wine when she stepped outside. In her other hand she had a stick of bread, which she savagely tore a strip from and chomped at it with mouth open while taking herself a good gander around at the immediate goings on.

Jack was being his usual collective self. Gabriel was behaving in his usual conservative way. The pussy and his little group of misfit friends were prodding and conferring about something or another over by a grassy knoll. The other guards hadn’t yet any reason to suspect foul play, of course, so there wasn’t any sign of them as of yet.

Having herself enough of the bread, she discarded the remainder of the stick over her shoulder and made her way to the center of the road without having anything specific in mind to act on.

A simple ‘hey’ to Gabriel in passing, and a grinning jerk-back of her head to acknowledge Jack, would have to do for now. Making her presence known to the two of them, she commenced to scratching her crotch while sinking back another chug of that tasty wine.

Lui stared at Dani with a blank expression on her face, she knew it was going to be bad, but she didn't expect this. For her eye to be a so-called 'Blood Diamond'. Never before had she heard of them, but it sounded very, very scary and dangerous. Not just to her, but also to those around her. Did this mean that she was a threat to everyone around her as well? Did this mean that people would be better off with her gone?

His explanation for what the Myti used as a solution didn't help much either. Lui had already failed at getting it out of her head in the past, and unless she found someone who could she'd be stuck with it for the rest of her life.

"I-I haven't succeded in my attempts to get it out... D-do you think you could?" Lui asked Dani. "A-and does that mean I'm a threat to everyone around me too?"

The only downfall of drinking a bit while on a stomach otherwise full of fruit, is nature calling a little too often. Fortunately for Fauve, Jack marked the perfect spot to conduct such business.

She moseyed on over and jerked down her tattered trousered, giving absolutely no appearance of feeling any shame for her exposure, and then squatted with her back against the tree, one hand gripped to Jacks pant belt for extra support.

“Ohhh, yeah…. Well, ain’t that the greatest feeling ever?” She said, letting it flow.

Having gone done and relieved herself, she stands to tug her trousers back up, and figuring there wasn’t really anything else to do at that time, she slugs Jack’s shoulder with a sense of rough fun and introduces herself.

“Name’s Fran, Handsome.” She said. Holds out her grubby hand and gives him a wink. “You got a name as well, or did you trade it with that traveler for them Gauntlets of yours?”

Naturally, being a wanted woman in various towns and cities across the land didn't exactly present the luxury of sharing her true identity with a perfect stranger. That wouldn't have been very smart at all.

Interacting with: Jack, Fauve
Mentions: @Valkon @Candy

---

Gabriel looked at the group of three from earlier - the interesting ones. After all, you don't get to see an Elf, a Construct and a Myti interact all at the same time in a small tavern in a no-name town like Nadksa. There must be more to this story. There was no way this could be a coincidence. He eyed Jack and Fauve as they exited the tavern, bags filled with the evidence that they sort of pillaged the tavern. He gave them both a smile and a nod. Then there was the case of that mysterious woman who went in and killed two people. And then the man with the mysterious gloves. It was such an interesting cast, and he had no doubt that Fauve might have her own uniqueness to show him.

He wanted to know more about those three specially though. He caught wind of their conversation inside the tavern before, and he heard that the Myti say that he studies magical artifacts as well and he wanted to share some notes. While research wasn't his main thing, he at least wanted to learn more about the number of magical artifacts that dotted their land. Maybe he could even help him with deciphering the runes that deactivated one of the magical artifacts they got back from the last ruin he delved into. It's been months and every experiment he pulled to activate the damned piece of gem, and he still didn't know what the effect of that gem is.

Gabriel's eyes narrowed at the group as the Myti pulled a book out and the Construct seemed particularly worried. Huh. Now that was odd. After a short while of looking at them and watching if the guards was going to rush the tavern - which they did not - he headed over to Fauve and Jack - swinging right by when Fauve introduced herself, missing anything that might have happened before. Perhaps for the best. "See you two had a field day in there." He said with a light laugh, obviously undisturbed by this. After all, ruin hoppers like himself were just glorified thieves - or grave robbers. Really, it depends on where they went. So he had no right to judge those who steal from the living, or else his own profession might be called just simple stealing people from the dead. However noble the reasons might be.

"As much as I don't think we'll be seeing each other after this, I would at least like to know who I spent this interesting night with." Gabriel first said as he placed his hand on his waist. At least the two weren't drunk yet, despite how many bottles they've downed. Their tolerance was admirable. "The name's Gabriel. If you don't mind, would you tell me yours?" His family name wasn't important, and it was a card he was not going to play. Not when it didn't really have a point. There's also that chance where saying it might put his possessions in jeopardy. What little he brings is important to his travels, so he'd rather not lose it.

Dannisus shuddered at the thought of actually touching the gem. At a first glance, it looked a little different from what his mother had showed him. It had a distinct presence to it like it was possessed. He looked at her again. "With time, I might be able to figure something out. But I would need to take an even closer look at it," he slapped his book shut and tossed it back into his pack. "Certainly not on this hill, though." Dannisus' overwhelming desire to learn more about Lui's artifact had long since disappeared by now. He took a look around, only to notice a plethora of prying eyes all around them; A few of the guards near the jammed gate, several civilians passing by, and even a couple people that recently popped out of the tavern. He looked at Lui assuredly and nodded, offering the most sincere smile he could muster, despite how dishonest his next statement might have been. That smile quickly contorted into a disjointed look of pain and surprise.

"ץﻉٱค!" Dannisus screeched, suppressing his voice only slightly while he yanked his tail away from Aelih. "Please don't do that, ever." He looked at Aelih with a hint of anger in his voice for the first time since they'd met. It vanished quickly, and he offered a curt nod. _{"It's not funny."} His attention returned to Lui, reaffirming an air of contentment rather quickly.

"I'm certain I'll figure something out. I have to look around town for some supplies, but once I've built a ɭٱคกร, I should be able to tell you a lot more." Dannisus picked up his pack and quickly rose to his feet, suddenly overcome with a case of scholar's passion. "You're both welcome to come with me, but it'll be a while. You're better off meeting me..." He thought on that for a moment. There was no way in hell he'd be going back to that tavern, even if he'd already gotten a room. There had to be other buildings in town were they could get away from the gawking public. "Ah!" He pointed across town, "South gate, where I came in. There was a fairly nice looking inn near the side of the road. They have a sycamore tree growing in the field next door, and a big wooden sign out front that reads 'rest your weary soul' or something. We can meet there at sundown. For now, you'll likely pose no threat," he reassured, comforting Lui with a light pat of her head. By now, he'd recognized her as nothing more than an innocent child, and children didn't deserve to feel any kind of torment. torturing kids... That was the worst, the absolute worst thing anyone could do. Even if she wasn't a real person. "Don't worry yourself! There are a bunch of tough people around here..." He paused and smiled through the biggest lie he'd told anyone in years. "I'm sure that they'll protect you, and themselves if anything happens." Even if he preferred to think better of strangers, part of him knew that humans were far less selfless than the other races.

"They're nice people!"

He felt like scum. But he wasn't entirely wrong.

"Aelih," Dannisus chirped, "I don't mean to impose, but you seem keen enough on our company. Do you think you could keep an eye on Lui while I take a bit of a walk around the market stalls?" He wasn't sure if he could really trust Aelih, but he couldn't lie to himself. The fact that she wasn't human made him infinitely more at ease with the idea. The underlying issue was clear though. The markets weren't fully set up yet, probably wouldn't be until tomorrow, but he didn't know that. His eyes drifted towards Jack, Fauv and Gabriel again. He might've cringed at Fauve's display if he didn't originate from the forest. Still, at least his kin had the decency to cover themselves up. He spun back towards Aelih with a light smile.

Aelih turned to Dannisus with a worried expression. "I just barely grabbed it... I had heard that Myti tails were sensitive, but that sensitive? I'll have to remember that." "Sorry."

Aelih turned back to watching as he talked to Lui for a bit, then listened to Dannisus as he talked directly to the elf again.

"Hmm... Lui seems very... naive. What in... WHY." Aelih looked away from the woman off a distance away relieving herself. "I swear, humans sometimes... such an odd race."

Aelih sighed, then turned to Dannisus and nodded to answer his question "I'll keep an eye on her, yes." Aelih nodded seriously, stepping closer to Lui and preparing to follow her. Aelih gives Dannisus a thumbs up, and a small smile.

Loud thumping sounds could be heard near the edge of the forest near Nadska. A large silhouette made it's way through it's many bushes and trees. It's posture was impressive, and it's body muscular. Though, it would have looked better if the individual didn't have such a sloppy way of walking. "Corc..." The giant green Orc mumbled, as he slowly made his way towards the town. Corc had travelled for several days, and finally reached Nadska. The giant seemed threatening at first glance to most, but he had no intention of causing any harm. Not to those who didn't cause him harm, anyways. He carried a large helmet, and his large mace on his back.

The Orc had some trouble moving his giant feet through the many bushes and the overgrowth of the forest, especially considering it was night time. As such, he ended up losing his balance and slamming his head against a tree. "COOOOOORRRCCCC!!!" He whined. He staggered back briefly for a moment, glaring at the tree before him. How dare the tree bump into him! Corc would show him! He began to roar at the top of his lungs.



The large Orc threw a mighty right hook with his spiked gauntlet into the tree, smashing the center of it's trunk into pieces in an instant, causing it's top to crash into the ground further ahead. Corc huffed angrily, and continued on his way. Fortunately, the lights from the town made it easy for him to see his goal. He began to calm down, looking at the many houses ahead. A few travellers spotted the giant, and pointed at him. "An Orc?! Come on, let's leave!" A man shouted. The two people ran off, and Corc seemed sad. "Corc..." He muttered. "Corc not do anything to humans...But humans always run..." He spoke.

@Hokum

A quick hand tugged at the rogue's cloak as an attempt to hold her in her tracks. Even now, the warmth from the unexpected kiss tingled at the suture marks lining his lips. He really never thought this action through, but now, staring at the woman once more who was no older than he was, Ren felt that he should express something. People, even the monks flinched at the sight of the memories which stitched his past together-- the twisting scars always made men avert their eyes in misplaced politeness. They never asked about the scars for anyone knew the horrors behind it. But, Devlin was different. This was the first time that someone looked at his wounds without disgust; this was the first time that someone laid their hands upon the tapestries of torment which shaped Ren into who he was now.

Then, there were those sudden yet small smiles which clenched his insides. He could still see the rabid restraints she yanked upon these split-second bits of joy. How he wished to just express that she should let go of her hesitations, but he knew that the scars which littered her life at the massacre at Despiun would continue to haunt her forever. In the eyes of most, she deserved no happiness as she would carry the bloodied remnants of an entire village with no real chance at redemption. But, Ren questioned, was she not allowed a moment of respite from the nightmares which might torment her forever?

Meanwhile, a peculiar sense of happiness washed over him in a very long time, and a burst of hope swelled inside Ren as he believed that after years of helping people, maybe he also needed a little bit of help himself. The sudden awkwardness of the situation dawned on him, and Ren let go of her cloak as if something scorched his fingers. Under the lone drops of moonlight floating down from the stained-glass windows above them, after a long time, Ren found it difficult to look someone in the eye. Ren prided himself for his honesty and lack of deception when it came to interacting with others. If someone asked him for the truth, he found no problem in telling them how it is. But, at this moment, he wondered what kind of prickling secret his heart hid within him which made this woman before him so hard to deal with.

He held up his hands, motioning for her to wait a while as he went over to his cabinet. He opened a drawer, pulling out a small brown pouch which jingled with a mixture of silver and gold pieces. He held her hand before placing the pouch on it, and then, enclosing her fingers over the small wealth he had. Before she could do anything else, Ren backed off before raising his hands again. He pointed at her, and then, grinded his fists together before holding up a lone index finger.

'You choose to work alone,'

He opened his palm to her and then wagged his finger before making a slicing motion down his hand while a lifting motion followed. A gentle smile accompanied his actions as he tried to express that while she chose to shoulder the world's shadows on her own, there was nothing wrong with getting a little help from time to time. This was his village, too, after all. If what Devlin said was true that her 'nemesis' (whatever in Heren's name that meant) skulked around here, then, perhaps Ren could also defend the village. The lad had no idea where this newfound courage stemmed from, but this different perspective of being willing to fight for something and... not just escaping from the storm... felt refreshing.

Perhaps, he had run away too many times now. The Warmth House. The Merchant Union. Ren's gaze fell on Devlin once more, and he sent a silent prayer to Heren in gratitude for the bravery this woman instilled in him. With the plethora of emotions welling inside him, Ren picked out one that stood out the most: impending gloom. At the thought of her imminent departure, the lad felt something akin to sadness. A certain sting of worry also stabbed at him when he thought about her getting caught (not that she would be caught easily, if Tavas had anything to say about it). So, he did what he knew was best

He quickly grabbed another piece of paper, rapidly writing on it before giving it to Devlin.

'It's late. Guards are alert due to incident. If you want, stay the night here. You saved my life. This the least I do for you.'

However, he became flustered at the idea that probably he was forcing too much on her. What if she did not like sleeping? What if she was not even tired in the first place? As such, he quickly wrote another note to amend what he thought was an error in his logic.

'But, if you no intent to rest, then, we can stay at Bell Tower. The stars be beautiful there. It also gives good view of village if it helps your mission.'

Lui cautiously looked around when Dani mentioned he couldn't help Lui here, noticing all the people around. Did they overhear their conversation? Did they know that Lui was carrying something dangerous? Were they planning on attacking her now? Dispose of her because she was dangerous? Sell her to their enemies to get rid of them. Perhaps she should just run away now, off into the night. Her lantern might've been an obvious think to track her with, but she could always turn it off.

Fortunately though, Dani was quick to tell her she wasn't in any danger. After dealing with having his tail touched by Aelih, Dani quick went to assure Lui. Apparently her gem wasn't a threat to those around her, and if anything did happen the people around her would probably protect her. It was... different from what she knew of humans, but she trusted Dani. After all, why would he lie to her after all this, and about such a thing.

Then, he turned to Aelih, and asked the Elf to protect Lui. Personally Lui would've preferred staying with Dani however, it's not like she had anything better to do. But still, at least somebody would be staying with her. Maybe Aelih had something fun to do.

"Fine, even though I'd much rather follow you since I don't really have anything better to do... Besides, what you do is interesting!" Lui said, sighing but smiling. "But if you think we should go do something else then I guess I'll follow Aelih for the time being. JUST DON'T FORGET."

Turning to look at the mysterious Elf, Lui manages a smile, getting up from her sitting position.

When the Elf and the Myti noticed Jack looking in their direction- evident by the former's nod and the latter's brief eye contact- he gave them a quick salute before returning his focus back to the tavern. Fauve had emerged from it; as she jerked her head back in acknowledgement to him, he returned it with the same sort of nod he had given Gabriel. Jack watched her as she approached, but as she pulled down her trousers and it became evident what she had come over to do, he returned his eyes to the rest of the town.

After her introduction, Jack looked down at her hand, giving it a shake. As he was about to answer, Gabriel approached, commenting on the looting that the two of them had engaged in before introducing himself and asking their names. Jack took the opportunity to answer both of them, replying, "Name's Jack. I'd shake your hand as well, Gabriel, but the gauntlets don't typically agree with magic users."

Whether or not he intended to shake Gabriel's hand soon became irrelevant, as the book-reading stranger collided with the enchanter. As soon as he had arrived, however, he had already left, collecting all of his things that had spilled to the floor before continuing on his way; or, rather, almost all of his things. Kneeling down, Jack picked up the paper that had been left behind, looking at the map on it.

It only took a few seconds for him to recognize the area as being Nadaska and its surroundings, the small town crossed off and a location nearby marked with a circle. "Well now... I wonder what this is all about?" As he spoke, he held the paper such that Fauve and Gabriel could see the map as well, glancing in the direction the stranger had ran off in.

He heard the angry roar and the meaningless words, and the crack and thump that soon followed. He felt the vibration as the tree was felled, another one lost. The tree-being felt the offender move on, and he withdrew his roots from the earth. I can't protect them. He took his first step, the thud startling some nearby birds. Their hurried flapping spoke of fear, for they knew of what walked below. What does it matter? Another step, another thud. A nearby deer fled into the thicket, a crisp crack echoing through the woods as it stepped on a twig. I can avenge them. The mass of stone and foliage that was the giants leg stepped down on a hollowed log, producing a loud crash that frightened away many more birds from the tree tops above. I must carry on.

"Look, Foeldar, over there through the trees" He heard her whisper in his ear, strands of her blonde hair dancing in his peripherals. Foeldar turned to look, and there he saw an orc in the distance. I swore it. The creature was just barely visible through the trees, it was a wonder how Lily managed to spot it. "Lily is good at this." Foeldar whispered back, taking a much slower and much quieter step. The orc no doubt could've heard his earlier stomping, and might be more cautious by now. I won't fail again. That'd be perfect, as Foeldar's natural camouflage might very well give him the surprise advantage - and surprises always worked best to fend off unwanted trespassers.

He continued taking slow, quiet steps for a few seconds more, holding nearby trees for extra balance as he moved. The sound of crushing wood filled Foeldar's ears, suddenly and without warning. YOU'VE FORGOTTEN. His eyes went wide as he stepped on the tree felled earlier by the orc. Its fresh scent proceeded to penetrate his nostrils and invade his mind. AVENGE HER!

Releasing a roar to dwarf that of the orc's, he charged full steam ahead. The bushes in front of him sought to slow him down, so he crushed them beneath his feet. The trees were trying to hold him back, so he threw them aside. Lily faded away, her weight no longer felt on his shoulder - simply vanished without acknowledgement. The only thing that mattered to him now was crushing that orc.

---

Two days earlier...

A breeze gently blew through the fields, the grass, flowers and trees wavering ever so slightly. Birds chirped peacefully and flew overhead, while deer stepped quietly through the forest at the edge of the meadows. One of the deer tentatively approached the edge of the forest, crossing out into the open field. Suddenly the deer heard a slight noise, a sound which was so unfamiliar as to instill fear. The deer froze and listened closer, but nothing happened.

Slowly the deer eased back into a sense of comfort, assured that the noise was nothing as nothing had happened. Lowering down to sniff the grass, the tentative creature heard another sound. Quickly raising its head to look for the sound, the deer's face was met with a mass of rock, wood, and vine. Then, a loud chink and snap as two halves of an arrow flew to either side, hitting the ground with a soft pat. The deer quickly glanced upwards, finding that the mass that just saved its life was actually a leg belonging to a hulking beast made of tree and rock, and atop that beast sat a little girl with soft blonde hair which flowed in the gentle breeze. But the deer did not run, for it did not feel the need.

The beast which blocked the arrow let loose a roar, turning to where the arrow had come from. Lifting its leg it began to take a step, foot crashing with a thud. Soon enough the beast reached a jogging speed, its footsteps becoming thunder as the ground shook. "Foeldar, there!" The girl shouted, pointing off towards some nearby shrubbery.

Angling his body and digging his toes into the ground like roots, the massive tree beast - Foeldar, it was - reached an arm up to protect the girl on his shoulder. His feet dug into the earth like plows, leaving the ground beneath him upturned in his wake as he came to a grinding halt. Foeldar relaxed his arm as he slowed to a near standstill, looking to find where the young girl had pointed. There, hiding amongst a dense cover of shrubs, Foeldar spotted the poachers just as they turned to run. Taking in a deep breath and continuing to track his query through the dense foliage by the vibrations of their feet as they ran - a process which proceeded to become more difficult by the second. But all he needed was just one second more, for he then let loose a booming roar which traveled quickly through the trees and prompted the little girl on his shoulder to cover her ears.

One by one the buzzing hornets appeared and charged after the fleeing poachers, hundreds becoming thousands as more of them flooded out of what almost seemed like thin air. The little girl watched in awe at the mass of insects summoned by Foeldar, to which she also seemed invisible. She cheered as the tail end of the swarms disappeared into the labyrinth of shadows and foliage, reciprocated by the faintest hints of pained cursing in the distance. Foeldar intended to send a message which he hoped would finally persuade those poachers to hunt elsewhere, providing a mere taste of what would await them should they return once more.

Lifting one of his legs to take a step forward his foot uprooted a mass of dirt, the sound of snapping roots echoing through the now quiet air of the forest. Foeldar winced as he realized his toes were still anchored in the ground, the chunk of earth falling apart as it fell back down into the hole he had created. Before he could attempt to take another step, however, Foeldar noticed a small patch of lilies growing ever so closely to being crushed only mere moments ago. Intrigued by the lucky little flowers, the entish being kneeled to pick one and raised it up to the young girl sitting atop his shoulder. "Does Lily want?" The beast's deep voice spoke slow and soft. To which the girl smiled softly and replied. "No, you keep it, Foeldar. Or... ooh! Here, I know!" She paused to pinch the flower ever so gently, taking it from Foeldar and searching around for something. "Let's let it grow... here! On you, Foeldar! It could be something to remember me by when I'm not out here with you." She continued, laying the stem into Foeldar's shoulder with a smile. "Soon there'll be a whole gaggle of lilies on you, right Foeldar?"

Foeldar's hearty laugh echoed through the forest and across the fields, nodding his head. "Yes. Then Lily will always be here with Foeldar in spirit." The young girl smiled brightly at the giant's words, but upon looking to the sky her smile vanished. "Oh no! It's almost supper time, I'm going to be late!" She said in surprise, turning to look down at Foeldar as he had already began to run in the direction of her home.

That memory was still fresh in Foeldar's mind, its blissful joy bringing nothing but pain. What was once an endless stretch of green was now broken and blistered by a mass of black, littered with the stark grayness of burnt trees. The once beautiful landscape was now unmistakably and irreparably scarred by fire, and in no worse a spot than here - for the biggest scar of all was right in front of Foeldar. The mighty ent dropped to his knees, mouth agape, eyes unbelieving of what they saw. The ruins of a home, burned down to the very last foundations. That was Lily's home... was. Now, it was gone... she was gone. Foeldar could see charred corpses in the ashes, but dared not take a step closer. Was she really gone? Could she really be gone? A low whimper seeped out from his mouth as his head dropped low, and he questioned himself as to why he had not come back sooner. How long had he been gone? Only a day, he swore it! But... he had also sworn to protect these forests, and to protect her and her home... hadn't he? Did his word now mean nothing? Could she really be gone... just like that?

A drop hit Foeldar's thigh. Soon after, another, and another after that. There was a sensation of water streaming down his face, but when Foeldar opened his eyes and turned his head to look to the sky... there were no rain clouds in sight. There was only ash, lingering in the air above, coming down like the lightest drizzle of snow which melted even before it touched the ground. What had happened here? You forgot. Another drop hit his thigh, again and again as tears continued to drip from his chin. Foeldar was overtaken by such strange and powerful emotions, the likes of which he had never felt before. It was odd, he didn't like it - he wanted it to stop. His head lowered once more, taking care to avoid catching sight of the terrible display in front of him. What he found sitting at his knees, however, was - to him - almost as unbearable. A lonely little lily sat in the blackened dirt mere inches away, poking out from amongst a collection of charred wood.

It seemed so incomprehensible that such a fragile flower could remain unscathed - nay, utterly untouched - by the destruction that so clearly plagued the beauty of the land before him. How could this measly flower survive what she could not? Its presence insulted him, its name mocked his loss. Foeldar slouched forward, a shadow enveloping the flower as it quivered in a breeze that crept out from beyond the trees. How could you let this happen?! His hand clenched tightly into a fist, and in an instant he thought to bring it crashing down upon the little plant which seemed to offend him so. I won't let you go.

Foeldar recoiled in shock at the thought, eyes growing wider at the realization. Was... was he about to crush that innocent, little girl? You know what you thought. Even now, the lily appeared to be quivering in fear - wishing to run away but trapped in place, unable to move. How could he even think to hurt Lily? Why would he ever hurt her? You won't forget this time. Foeldar pet the flower's petals, a single finger gently wiping the tears from her cheek. The first time he met Lily... she was crying then, just as he was now. She seemed so soft and frail, like this flower... and now... he had to believe she was gone? No! Just like that? It's not true! She couldn't be, I won't let it be! "Now, now... don't cry, little one. Foeldar is here, no need to worry..." He whispered, and Lily turned to embrace him. PLEASE DON'T LEAVE. She wasn't there, yet he could feel her in his arms. Foeldar helped her climb up onto his shoulder. Her petals flowed in the breeze as he rose to his feet. REMEMBER ME. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

I WON'T LET YOU GO.

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