[color=8dc73f][center][h2]Freyr[/h2][/center][/color] Passed the initial shock, Jote's expression quickly changed from alarmed to enraged. [color=007236]"Nera is very well trained! For someone to capture her..."[/color] Jote said, clenching her fists. [color=007236]"You wanted me to believe in you before, Freyr. This is your chance. As the Elder, I can't leave the village and it would take some time to gather the Wood Warders. You can still hear the voice of the woods, follow her and she will show you the way."[/color] Jote said. Despite her trying to keep calm, it was clear that she was extremely irritated. Not only with the fact that someone dared not only to invade the Vieran Woods, but to go as far as to capture a Viera. After dismissing the group to their mission, Jote started giving orders to the two guards that were in front of her house, telling them to warn the Spellweavers to fortify the Village's barriers and illusion spells. In most other places, a single incident, like a villager being killed by bandits or captured would be brushed off as bad luck or something, but to the Vieras, for whom the concept of 'war' was almost an alien one, it was most certainly something to be worried about. [color=8dc73f]"Thank you, Ditzy, Nagare. We should hurry, but please keep your guards up... I have a bad feeling about this..."[/color] Freyr said before the group left the village in a hurry. [center][h3][color=007236]The Vieran Woods[/color][/h3][/center] This time, both Ditzy and Nagare were able to feel the forest's intentions clearly. Instead of whispering or talking to the Vieras like it normally did, it was almost as it was trying to guide them [i]all[/i] and not just Freyr. A strange, mystical breeze carrying many tree leaves, both dead and alive pointed the way, surprisingly enough, instead of pointing further inside the forest, it was clear that they were going towards one of it's borders as the vegetation started to get less dense and the mystical feeling they had when deep inside the woods became weaker. Somehow, it seemed that the forest changed it's initial thoughts regarding both Ditzy and Nagare. From those who had stolen one of it's children from her to those who wanted to protect the forest as well. As they followed the strange wind, Nagare started feeling a rather strange magic coming from further ahead in the forest. It wasn't Vieran magic. In comparison to it, it was much more... rough and crude but undoubtedly it had more raw power. It seemed like the type of magic humans would use. After running through the forest for a little while, the group finally arrived on a clearing on the forest. To Nagare, it was obvious that the strange magic energy was strong there. As they entered the clearing, they finally found what they were looking for... It was Nera, kneeling down, motionless exactly in the center of a runic barrier. Inside the barrier, surrounding Nera there were around four dead corpses wearing full, heavy sets of armor that were known to be used by soldiers from Varjo. Notably, their armors were almost tore to pieces like it was nothing. Holes and big claw marks were apparent, revealing their flesh inside. The barrier, made of a strange, gray energy surrounded Nera, forming a dome of around 2m in diameter. On the very borders of that barrier, five dark crystal fragments were stuck on the ground, each one of them was engraved with many runes and magical symbols, glowing with a slightly red tint. Nagare would clearly notice that the strange magic power was strong in the area around the barrier, but strangely enough, she would also notice that somehow it was coming not only from the crystals forming the barrier, but from a few points behind them as well. Before Nagare could warn the group though, a second barrier trapped them inside the clearing. [color=gray]"Ohoho~ Wow. You guys keep making my job easier and easier!"[/color] A strange voice, who seemed to be genuinely entertained with the scene in front of him said, coming from outside of the barrier. When the group turned around to where the sound came from, they saw a transparent silhouette, distorting the light as moved, coming out from behind a tree. [color=gray]"First that Viera woman comes by herself to try and spy on us, now this?"[/color] he said, almost as if he was happy by Freyr, Ditzy and Nagare coming. [color=gray]"I never would've thought that you guys would fall for the very same trap your other Viera friend fell for!"[/color] The man said, laughing as he finally [url=https://i.postimg.cc/NFSjLvW5/f105b5d6470b27d553758d7050854f52.jpg]revealed himself[/url]. [color=gray]"You know... I gotta give it to you rabbit man, your village is ridiculously hard to even get inside... Illusions, barriers and the whole damn forest seems to want to kill me... Not counting on how capable your warriors are... For a 'peaceful' race, you guys sure know how to kill, huh? It took me quite a while... and quite a few disposable soldiers... to realize that with the help of a certain crystal and a few runic spells, I could become pretty much undetectable to whatever is this strange energy around the forest. Plus, they can be used to make this little barrier as well!"[/color] The man said, walking around them from outside the barrier, with an arrogant smirk on his face. [color=8dc73f]"What have you done with Nera?"[/color] Freyr asked, hissing towards the man as he ran towards the center of the clearing, where the barrier Nera was trapped inside was. Just as he had said, while inside the barrier, neither one of you could feel the strange energy you were feeling when inside the forest. It was just... empty. No energy, no breeze, no birds... nothing. [color=gray]"Don't worry, she is alive. Just not quite... herself. Uh oh... I wouldn't do that if I were you..."[/color] The man said, clearly amused with how desperate Freyr was trying to break the crystals and free Nera. The moment Freyr succeeded though, Nera immediately got up on all fours, immediately pouncing on him, grabbing his head and hitting it full force against the ground, immediately making him unconscious. Her expression was completely different from the Viera Ditzy and Nagare had seen before. She was snarling, almost growling with a feral expression. Her muscles were tense and her movements were far less 'graceful', but far more feral, agile and powerful than before. [color=gray]"Ouch! I told you... I'm surprised, but a bit disappointed that he is still alive though... I'm glad that I'm outside the barrier and not in there with you two though..."[/color] the strange man said, looking to both Ditzy and Nagare with a chuckle. [color=gray]"It is indeed just as King Joshua said. Vierans are really... intriguing... He will be interested to know that his little theory turned out to be true... Despite being animals, their kind will be useful to us in Varjo... As weapons."[/color] the man said, chuckling with the same arrogant smirk on his face. [color=gray]"Now if you excuse me, I do have some interesting things to tell King Joshua... My time is short, but I sure would like to see you three getting brutally killed by your Viera friend. Well... I'm pretty sure there will be [i]a lot[/i] more opportunities..."[/color] The strange man finished, laughing as his body started to become transparent once more before he started calmly walking away from the forest. Even though you could still see the distortion in the light it was produced when he walked, the wild animals and the forest seemed to completely ignore him. Regarding the strange barrier around Ditzy and Nagare, they would immediately notice that the crystals were far larger than the ones from the small barrier that was keeping Nera trapped a few moments ago. Breaking them wouldn't be an easy task. But Nagare would also notice that she would be able to interfere with the crystals' magic by using her own magic to create a hole in the barrier, just enough to Ditzy to reach them and break them freeing them from that prison. But before thinking that, they had other, more urgent issues to solve... Nera, still in a frenzy was now looking straight at Ditzy and Nagare, abandoning Freyr's unconscious body on the ground. Trapped inside the barrier, you two have only one choice. Either kill or somehow incapacitate Nera. As the feral Viera looked straight towards the ones who were still conscious, you would be able to see burn marks and charred scars on her body, going straight through her clothes. Nagare would easily recognize those markings as runes and magic symbols, made to imbue magic into whatever they were graved into. Unlike how they were normally used, in objects, that man from a while ago had the twisted idea to use a branding iron to burn those magic symbols on Nera's very flesh. Upon seeing that, it was clear that the state Nera was into right now was the same 'frenzied state' Freyr had mentioned a while ago, when Vieras were exposed to too much magic. After analyzing the two for a brief second, the time to think was finally over as Nera ran towards Ditzy and Nagare with an unbelievable speed. [@AzureKnight] [@Restalaan]