---

Akari stayed on guard as the barrier was besieged by the attacking wooden giants. Hopefully the barrier sustained the damage. Her dragon-humanoid teammate began to make a move and told their team to do something to the other one. Akari nodded.

Akari slowly stepped back for momentum and proceeded to accelerate. She climbs up onto the back of her massive dragon-humanoid teammate. Vaulted high enough while rotating in midair and executed a hand sign. Once again Akari unleashed a bluish, fire-whiskered dragon and completed her aerial backflip. The bluish fire dragon head traveled from air to ground towards the other wooden giant behind the front one. Her execution was just like a blink of an eye as it hard to anticipate.

She then descended and smoothly slid down from her party member's tail back to the barrier.

New roots and vines started to grow at the wound, only to be shrieking and withering by the touch of raging flames. The treent adapted by reusing its old plan. It ripped apart the road again and frisbeed a chunk of it toward the dome, where a giant, sickly green ethereal serpent was already waiting to absorb the blow. The defense stood strong, and the debris bounced off.

"Could you all deal with the Roots Slinging one?"

Said a very big knight with crimson armor. That was a sound plan indeed; thorns were still growing over the barrier, and although the Ranger knew what Vesemir was capable of, his mana wasn't anywhere near bottomless.

Suffering from mana shortage herself, she stepped out of the barrier looking for a clear line of fire to attack the backliner ent. It seemed to have been tunnel-visioned to break the barrier as if it were the most dangerous thing in existence. It still bowed, claws embedded into the ground. Its eye face forward, peering into the distance, flashing with green light.

And she aimed, breathed once to calm her mind. Sweat drops dripped down from her forehead, and tints of red surfaced on her blue irises.

An arrow released, its head gleamed with explosive enchantment. The frontliner ent saw it, but before it could throw itself to block the arrow, another ethereal thing in the shape of an orange jaw gripped its torso, dragging it away, and the burning ent tried to wrestle free.

The arrow blasted the backliner ent right on its single eye, heavily staggering it and forcing it to cancel the entanglement. Seeing the opportunity, the ninja climbed the now-lizard-shaped knight and sent forth another big fire toward the staggering ent, further knocking and immolating it instantly before satisfyingly sliding down her teammate's tail.

Just like their caster in the distance, now burning in fire, the rampaging growth of roots and vines suddenly lost its vitality and started to wither.

The grizzled mercenary coyly looked at her as she jumped back into the barrier. "Lady, you stole our job! What should we do now? Chopping burning logs?"
_________

Turn 2

Ent 1 (front) HP: 20% and currently under the effect of burn; loses 10% of its HP every turn, last 2 turns.
Ent 2 (rear) HP: 40% and currently under the effect of burn; loses 10% of its HP every turn, last 3 turns.

Rezello

---

Fia’s conjured lightning struck true, but unfortunately it was evident that electricity had little effect beyond searing the outer layers of their bark skin. With no other obvious physical vulnerabilities presenting themselves, the sole feature that stuck out as a potential weak point stood beyond the reach of Rezello’s weaponry. A bow and arrows - or at least a few javelins - suddenly seemed like a worthy addition to his collection of armaments, but now was not the time to regret not being prepared for every possibility. While he had been considering his next move, Degel had moved in to intercept the nearer of the two ents, while the elven archer and Akari had moved in to attack the one in the rear, setting it ablaze and draining the vitality of the vegetation that had begun to engulf the barrier.

Quickly carving an opening through any of the remaining growth that might have blocked his path, Rezello moved to place himself between the two ents; the frontliner seemed the weaker of the two, more visibly damaged and held in place by Degel’s grapple. Thus - and at Degel’s own urging - he stepped towards the burning, staggered rear-ent. While it had suffered severe damage already at the hands of the archer and the ninja, it still lived, and therefore was still a threat. Though the glowing sphere upon its head remained out of reach, and there were no weak points in the same way as a gap in the armor of a human opponent might have, the fire that was consuming it had likely weakened its natural armor.

Figuring that the wood that bent and curved to form the ent’s limbs was probably less resilient than that which the torso was made of, Rezello set to work circling the faltering foe, hacking away with his pollaxe at the scorched tree-flesh that formed its legs.

---

It’s hard to say how many bony mindless devourer creatures the forward party was dealing with before the arrival of Fia and the second wave. It but compared to how much they struggled to hold the small-fry back and how well the group was handling the dragon’s henchmen, it could be said the second wave significantly improved their survival chances. Despite the bombardment of fire and lightning, the treents were still up and menacing. Tremendous forces of natural growth collided with the barrier as roots bore into the magical wall and stone rained from from above. Mere fire was not going to halt them.
Fia pursed her lips as she watched the treents focus on breaking through the barrier, with little to no regard to their own self preservation. Even if they had no regard to retreat, at least attempting to quench the flames of the other felt necessary. At this rate, the forward ent was going to burn to ash before it broke through.
“Alright darlings.” said Fia to no one in particular. “I’m sure there is still plenty of work to do once we finish our controlled burn, no? But I see our dear benefactor is starting to worry and that barrier is not looking to last much longer. Lets hurry it along.”
The glass sphere by Fia’s side changed color again. This time it went from pale yellow to deep red. The ent was already on fire, and though the fire ate at the ent’s flesh, it did not seemed deterred. Fia held out her arm again, her fingers spread. Magical energy trailed from the chromatic heart floating silently by Fia’s right shoulder. It snaked around her arm and started to condense near the palm of her hand. As the energy gathered, the temperature rose locally around her. The bead of energy grew brighter. White hot energy forming a bullet, outlined by wisps of red, orange and yellow as oxygen was consumed. Then all at once, the bead of fire flew forward, at a speed comparable to loosing of an arrow or releasing a crossbow.
The bead was aimed at the forward ent. Hot and small enough to burn through the roots and bark that made its body. If all went well, the bullet would pierce through the ent entirely and continue towards the second in one continuous straight line. The condensed heat hopefully would be enough to start to burn the ent from the inside out at that point. Depending on the defense of the ents, and if all went well, the bullet would do the same to the second ent. The magical fire would fizzle and fade before it set any more of the trees behind the second ent on fire.
Everyone’s combined efforts was enough bring the ents to their knees, now it was time to end it before the walking pyres could do any significant damage to the barrier, let alone break through it. Fia and her colleagues had just met up with Vesemir, and it would not be a good look to have significant injury so soon into their journey.

The heat, the heat. Verdant hissed, standing rather close to the walking bonfire just beyond the barrier. Fresh trees were generally resistant to fire, but only up to a point. Once the blaze grew large enough, it'll draw and evaporate the moisture from the trees at which point the dried and cracked wood made for perfect kindling. Case in point, the view before her.

The radiating heat seared, a nearly palpable wall of scorching air that strongly discouraged them from approaching. She felt her scales getting uncomfortably dry already, her eyes watering from the smoke as one arm raised to cover her face with the cloak. To some extent, it worked. For now. But it wasn't a long-term solution, obviously.

"Bossman, can the barrier move back? Looks like they'll burn out soon anyway!" She hollered, loud enough to be heard over the merry crackling of flame consuming creaking woods.

If it's not possible.. well, the hard way then. At least Viridian was more resistant to the flame, though the ethereal serpent wasn't looking comfortable coiling around her free arm. Even as a spiritual beast, it's hard to avoid countless generations of natural instinct.

Natural instinct, and a healthy dose of common sense because who'd even walk straight into an inferno?

@Valkon

Figuring that the wood that bent and curved to form the ent’s limbs was probably less resilient than that which the torso was made of, Rezello set to work circling the faltering foe, hacking away with his pollaxe at the scorched tree-flesh that formed its legs.

Already under significant tension, the roots severed with satisfying snaps, and the deed ruffled bits of burning ashes and fire into the air, touching Rezello's mask and armor. The treents were still on fire, and this particular one tried his last chance to offer resistance by swinging its massive limb to swat the hacking knight, which the knight could easily evade.

Dagel's orange, astral jaw was still holding it, limiting its movement severely and keeping it kneeled, and Fia used this opportunity to construct another spell. A condensed ball formed in front of her, and let loose soon after.

Fia held out her arm again, her fingers spread. Magical energy trailed from the chromatic heart floating silently by Fia’s right shoulder. It snaked around her arm and started to condense near the palm of her hand. As the energy gathered, the temperature rose locally around her. The bead of energy grew brighter. White hot energy forming a bullet, outlined by wisps of red, orange and yellow as oxygen was consumed. Then all at once, the bead of fire flew forward, at a speed comparable to loosing of an arrow or releasing a crossbow.

@Randomness

The elven ranger knew all kinds of fire magic and thrived around its heat she could tell the difference between each spell and ordinary fire just by sensing the heat, but the heat of this one drew her attention. The way it was concentrated, was more or less similar to her own arrow enchantment, but this one did not need any medium. The process was impressive, to say the least, and the result was not disappointing.

Not at all.

The fire bead made a cavernous hole in the front ent's shoulder and exited on its lumbar, hitting the second ent but with less destructive force. It burnt itself out upon making a significant hole in the second ent's torso, yet wasn't enough to finish it.

It wasn't so lucky to be put out of misery as quickly as the first ent, which now shriveled as it tried to root its remaining leg back to the earth like a desperate fossorial animal. The fire was still burning it, and it let out a loud mixture of moan and creaking sounds before its elongated limbs fell off its body, and another loud cracking sounded as the body itself split, broken apart into several burning pieces that would soon be consumed by the fire, leaving only ashes, and a rounded emerald that glitters under the starry sky.

___

The ranger drew her bow again and enchanted her arrow after mentally warning herself that she was very near to knocking herself out by sheer exhaustion. She would loosen her rigid discipline this time, just this time. Why, because it seemed whoever these hirelings were, they were pretty capable. That alone meant she could afford to be more relaxed... right?

The arrow was released, striking the last Ent that had just recovered from the sorceress's stray magic. It shattered its head, giving the creature no chance to retaliate or escape before it fell to the ground like any giant being would, ultimately perishing.
__

Vesemir uttered a spell and the shield shrunk. For a moment, the old elf looked around, eyes fixed on the sky. And then With a smile on his face, he approached the battlefield, stopped near Verdant, patted her head, and laughed.

"Ha-ha-ha! Very thrilling, yes? Reminds me of expeditions in Nehset eons ago!"

His posture and sudden joviality sounded like mockery to the Forces of the Land that we all have subdued handily. He then sounded a whistle and asked everyone to gather around and follow, while he proceeded to the corner of the road where a pack mule had been hiding. Considering what happened to the horses earlier, this one was uncannily fortunate.

"Well done! Well done!" He said as he guided the beast back to the road. The grizzled mercenary named Stepan helped him unload several pouches from a box slung on the side of that beastburden, and Vesemir distributed the leather pouches to everyone.

You opened it and found that it contained no less than 150 gold coins.

"Here here here! Your payment! In Varenheim, they have a saying: pay your worker before their sweat dry!"

The elven mercenary could only watch in silence, and Stepan too wasn't as thrilled as their boss.

"But, boss, what about the carriage?"

"Goodness gracious, you are right! A prayer to our poor coachman---"

"I mean--- yeah, whatever you say boss..."
____

The elven ranger approached the still-burning ent and slung her bow, placing her hand nearer to the fire and feeling the warmth recharge her body. Wasn't it ironic that the element that caused the demise of her enemy was also nourishing her? In that regard, there wasn't much difference between her and those devourers. The ranger sighed; deep down, she had slowly made peace with the morbidity of her situation.

When she was deep in her own thoughts, the elven mercenary had already stood next to her. "Should I ask Vesemir to move on? Or maybe you need a moment? Not gonna lie, you look like you could have fallen asleep standing."

"I need a moment," answered the ranger, huffing an air to shake drowsiness away. "Ten minutes, and then we leave."

___
Turn ends

---

Once the battle was over. Akari retrieved the backpack from a safe distance and returned to the party. She glanced at the female elven ranger for a time before receiving a pouch of gold from one of the mercenaries. Confused about what the experienced mercenary stated to them after dividing the compensation. Traditionally, she toiled until the job was completed before receiving payment, and the mission is only beginning. She shrugged and put it in her bag. After that, her focus returned to the female Elven ranger, who appeared to recoup her lost life ki by simply being near the fire. Strange. Later on, the female elven ranger regrouped with the party and gave them a ten-minute break.

Still recovering her mana, not yet ready for Shadow Clones to retrieve her throwable weapons. Recollecting from her memories from her duplicates nearby the Snake Girl. There was a time that Snake Girl consumed the beast in a barbaric manner. Her stomach and whole body reacted. Mouth gotten full, decided to move away from the party, and nauseated on the ground.

Welp, looked like her fellows were very thorough this time around. A zoom, a bang, and suddenly the angry burning trees was now a (probably) angry burning pile of wood. Verdant covered herself from the last burst of searing air, skipping away from the source of heat once she confirmed the wood-things stopped moving.

The road's gonna be unusable for a day or so, with how much heat the ground drank in.

Viridian dematerialized, the remaining serpent taking a deep breath as adrenaline receded. It had been brief, but summoning her sister was an exhausting affair. Perhaps she could've do it less recklessly, but honestly? Verdant was getting restless after four days of monotonous ride.

She followed along the bossman, whathisname? Vermicelli..? Great, she forgot. Pretending that she hadn't just came upon an awkward realization, Verdant trundled and raised an eyebrow at the hefty bag of clinkies. There's scant few material that weight and clink like that, and sure enough it was her payment in full.

Now she feels bad.

"Wow, thanksies!" Said the serpent happily. And speaking of the carriage... "Oh, I could take a look, couldn't be far. Maybe big lizard only take the horse."

With a skip Verdant went off the way they came from, seeking to find where the carriage was wrecked. Overhearing what sounds like the combat captain's words, she had ten minutes. A bit tight if the horse had went on a full gallop, but doable. Unless somehow the dragon nabbed a different horse and their coachman was actually five miles out and counting, but in that case she'd just turn around then.

Only taking a brief stop to reclaim her bag, she strapped it tight before continuing on her short run.

"Wow, thanksies!" Said the serpent happily. And speaking of the carriage... "Oh, I could take a look, couldn't be far. Maybe big lizard only take the horse."

"I think that's not a bad idea," said Vesemir. It was hard to discern whether he was appreciative or nonchalant with the idea, maybe the mix of both if Verdant bothered to study his expression closer.

After that, the masked elf could be seen discussing something with Vesemir. Maybe his payment? The next route? Whatever it was both men seemed to have reached an agreeable conclusion, and he finally requested Eblana to take care of scrapes on his forearm.

"Where was that child going?" the healer asked when she tied the last knot of a bandage on the masked guy's forearm. The masked guy, not bothered to remove his mask could only tilt his head.

"Seeking the wreckage."

"What wreckage? That cart? Alone? Shouldn't we ask someone to accompany her?"

"Nah, midget could handle herself just fine. She gobbled the devourer's tentacle... poison and all like nothing. I am sure she can survive whatever this cursed land throws at her just fine."

"Terrific investment, ain't it?" Said Vesemir, who suddenly joined them. Hard to say if the other elves found the term 'investment' apt, but at this point, they have gotten used to Vesemir's peculiarities none of them speak up to correct him.

"So, we ready to move out?" asked the masked elf. "I saw you spoke to her earlier, so what is the navigator's wisdom this time?"

Vesemir lets out a seemingly disappointed smirk before answering.

"She needed a sleep... There is a glade just seven furlongs from here, not far from the road--"

"Digenrana glade, I know the site." Said the masked elf. "So, we will make a camp there."

Vesemir nodded. "A rest well earned, I'd say. We just need to wait for our small friend Verdant. Yeah, I think that's her name. Verdant, interesting name."

@A5G

Being a snake, Verdant just needed her ultra-sensitive nose to track to locate the ill-fated cart, and Creator be praised, the wreckage could be found just a couple hundred distances away from the party.

A half-sized horse was lying about near the destroyed wooden vehicle, and one shouldn't ask where the other part was. Considering it still has its harnesses and other things strapped, it seemed the dragon managed to snatch the entire carriage farther from here, and carefully dropped the rest in this site.

Speaking about the rest, there was no sign of the coachmen. Not even a speck of his blood could be smelt and Verdant was damn good at differentiating it with horse's. Unimportant. The most important thing was that the stored provisions remained mostly intact, except for the eggs and pickles in the jars.

Finding the cart was easy. The mixed stench of blood and viscera blew right into her face in the night wind, mixed alongside hint of pickles and fresh eggs. Of which when combined made for a rather volatile mixture of the nasty kind. A tickle of bestial instinct urged her to gorge on the carcass, but it was stamped down as soon as it reared its head.

Heh, she sure had went a long way. A couple centuries back and it would've been a feast. Now? Verdant definitely was a tad spoiled.

Not like she'd trade it back. Good food was part of living well after all.

She found the cart alright, as well as the horse pulling it. Well, the half left uneaten by the dragon. It looked like the overgrown lizard snapped at the horse and brought the poor thing skyward until it quite literally ripped in half under the cart's weight. The result, well. Messy was an understatement. If someone were to restore the cart they'll never get the stench of blood and horse guts out of the wood.

But that's irrelevant. What's more important was the food supply, mostly still sort-of secured in the wrecked and overturned cart, though some was strewn all over the road. Verdant worked quickly, cutting and tearing through the sturdy canvas that was once the roof of the cart, before laying down what boxes and sacks and whatnot that looked relatively unsoiled. The eggs and pickle fluid kind of splatter everywhere, mixing with some flour and grain spilling from some broken and torn containers, but for the most part the packaging was sufficiently sturdy to survive the fall.

Thank goodness for that. Hunting for sustenance in this kind of place was... likely risky. Not to mention whether it was even edible in the first place. Like, Verdant herself probably would be fine. The rest of the party? Not so much. Would be a sad end to the trip if they're forced to turn around for lack of a bite of bread.

Ah, wait. She was so preoccupied with the supplies that she kind of missed one important thing. Tilting her head to listen, followed by a sniff, the serpent simply failed to catch any sign of their coachman. She focused inward, soon after flicking a serpentine tongue as she tasted the air, but same result. No scent of coachman. No sweat, no blood, no lingering fear and adrenaline in the air. Nothing. As if the man had vanished from then and there.

Or had something similar to those Kadanian Woodswraith. She still had no idea how they managed to elude all her senses.

Well, whatever. If he wasn't dead here he's probably on his way back home already. It's not like Verdant can afford to backtrack, she already spent most of her allocated time here. Dusting her hands as she finished piling the last box on the center of the somewhat rectangular canvas, the final addition clanging in the telltale noise of cookwares, she gathered the corners and roughly tied them together with a similarly salvaged rope. Just to keep it from falling out during transportation.

As for the transportation? Verdant focused further, her form melting down and elongate until in her place was a massive serpent with scales the hue of deep, glimmering emerald. She snapped up the rope and pulled the canvas bundle along, making good progress despite the rather unwieldy bulk of her luggage.

She's stronger than she looked, after all. Especially after absorbing Viridian back in the days.

---

“Phew.” sighed Fia as she let her arm slowly fall to her side. She used her other hand to move the stray hairs that brushed up over her eyes. She didn’t exert as much physical effort as many of her fellow comrades, but she still shared in their relief in the end of the fight. However, looking at the condition of the little Nippon girl, maybe Fia wasn’t so deserving. The poor girl must have exerted herself too much. Fia looked around a little. The two others she was able to conjure were gone. Probably in the explosions of fire that occurred earlier. Still, it was an impressive technique.
Fia half-closed her eyes and bowed her head towards her shoulder bag as the chromatic heart that up until then floated near her dropped into her open palm. She gingerly stashed it back into the bag as her gaze was drawn to the fires and ashes that remained of the two ents. Fia was disappointed that their demise had come the way it had. Much of anything worth harvesting or studying was burned away, though the glimmer of green sheen was noticed. Maybe there was something to salvage from the forest folk remains after all.
Fia’s attention was quickly drawn to the older looking of the elves. His demeanor took a sudden change as though they were not almost overrun before the arrival of Fia’s group. And then there was the dragon to consider. It looked as though only the blonde with the bow would have been able to put up much of a last stand, and even then she would be easily overrun. Still, Fia was not going to turn down gold for a job well done. She accepted the gold with both hands and smiled.
“Thank you, darling.” said Fia graciously, “It is a relief to see that we managed to survive that encounter. Er, I guess most of us? Had the coachman stayed near, perhaps we might have protected him as well. I fear for the fate for that deary is not a pleasant one.” She didn’t mean to be insensitive about the coachman, his importance in the recent situation was minor at best. He got them there and then left like that of a cheap novel introducing the love interest to the dashing main lead. Still, the dragon did procure its equine meal from it, so it’s hard imagine his fate being any better than that of the horse.
As Vesemir was distracted by Verdant’s proposal as well as the others in the forward party, Fia meandered near the remains of the ent that took vanguard. Smoldering bits of wood still smoked and bits of warm ash scattered with the slightest of breeze. The area felt much darker now as the fires died down and the air settled. Yet even with the faint light of flickering flame, Fia saw the glimmer of what hadn’t burned. A gem perhaps, like that of an emerald? Was it a true gem, or perhaps something the Ent took from around? Whatever its origin, it fell from the confines of the treent’s body, and now free for Fia to take herself. Fie squatted down, dusting the ash off the gem’s surface before she picked it up, holding it in the light of the stars. As Fia admired the glimmer of her newly acquired treasure, her eyes wandered near the other, that ent still burning, and the elven woman resting in its glow.
“I see.” said Fia, suddenly near the ranger, “You’re not simply looking to warm yourself, are you, darling?” Fia couldn’t quite grasp what it was about the elven ranger’s disposition that led Fia to the conclusion, but something was different. Enough at least to see that the elf was doing more than recuperating in the heat of fire. “You don’t need to explain. You’ve earned a rest. I hope you don’t mind I keep you company until we next depart, dear.”

“You don’t need to explain. You’ve earned a rest. I hope you don’t mind I keep you company until we next depart, dear.”

"I do not mind." Said the ranger, smiling. "I see that you are quite a collector yourself. Many jewelers and mages would pay a hefty price for it. I saw the other piece fly in that direction."

The elven ranger pointed at a location under a tree on the left side of the road, where a gem was hidden beneath the blades of grass.

Verdant returned, towing a half cart's worth of provision salvaged from their ill-fated transport. Stepan was the first to help her, followed by others to carry the goods to their next stop.

It was a much-welcomed resource. While some of them were trained to survive in this kind of place, hunting takes time, and Vesemir would prefer their adventure not to be prolonged by menial tasks such as gathering food.

"No sign of our coach?" Asked the old elf to Verdant while carrying a small sack of unknown grain. The youkai's answer was not a good one. "That's unfortunate." mused the scholar, and he did not speak about it again.

After a long walk, they arrived at the site. Digenrana roughly meant Lonely Moon in elven, probably named so because from here, they could see the moon, stars, and the whole sky without being obstructed by encroaching branches. It was a quite large glade with mostly flat terrain, a perfect place to set up tents, make firewood, or just lie down on the carpet of grasses that covered the area. For a location situated in a so-called cursed forest, the glade seemed calm and welcoming. There was a small river at the side of it, and the water was swift and as clear as crystal. An apple tree in the northeast was bearing fruit, and the grass was short and neat as if the glade were a well-maintained garden. Maintained By who? Nobody knows, not even the elves know the answer; it had been like that since countless years ago.



It was 11:04 on the Ranger's pocket watch. The campfire was built, lit at an intensity that some may find unsatisfactory.

"Ain't gonna take a chance, lassie." Said Stepan, shaking his head as the ranger piled more wood into the small fire. "Shouldn't you be easy with it? Forest Guardians back then were no joke. Wouldn't want to draw their ire if I were you."

"They are not as common as pebbles, and they don't just attack people over campfires." said the elf, casting a small fire spell to enhance the campfire's flames.

"They don't usually attack people in the outer forest either, yet they did a moment ago." deadpanned the masked elf, causing the ranger to let out an annoyed sigh.

"Then we are screwed either way," she replied. "If that's the case I'd rather sleep with some fire near me than nothing. Wake me up when they come, yeah?"

Stepan looked at the two inquisitively. One would wonder, did elves speak in a code language or something? Even a stupid could draw a conclusion that there was something terrifyingly unusual in the place that itself was naturally unusual. Why were they being targeted? Who was that dragon? Was it another usual or the unusual? He wondered if their boss Vesemir already calculated this, that was very unusual of him. Why did nobody speak about their encounter yet?"

"That's one heck of a dragon..." He said finally.

"Viladred'saca. That's the name I have heard before but no idea what it entails." Said Vesemir who walked toward them and then gestured for Stepan and the others to stand up rather insistently, much to their silent protest. Then he turned and clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention. "Speaking about knowing names, I believe we have not yet moved past the introduction yet. I, as some of you may have known, Vesemir Barandir, a humble archeologist. This is my secretary Eblana Lacquamarine.

Vesemir's secretary was a young, blonde elven woman with golden eyes clad in a rather stylish sweater and knee-length grey skirt. When she smiled, she radiated a sense of friendliness that felt genuine.

"And, this is my old friend Stepan."

The grizzled mercenary managed to wave and smile awkwardly. Although the title of "friend" was open to interpretation, Stepan seemed to have been with Vesemir longer than anyone else, except perhaps Eblana. Many people often mistook him for a hired thug, and the scar on his face, particularly the crooked smile he often sports, did little to dispel that impression.

"And this is... err, he prefers to be called Mr. Mask. or Mr. Elc, if you want to."

"A ranger, with side jobs." Mr. Elc bowed politely, his mask still in place. It was difficult to determine whether the mask was a fashion statement or a necessity. The masked elf did resemble someone you can find in Varenheim's standing army; moderately athletic, with eyes sharp as knives, and looked like a person who knew much more than he let out.

"Last but not least. Our Navigator Ms. Gilmariel."

"Jazdia would do." The last elf was a blonde with blue eyes that seemed to have lost their sparkle long ago. Her choice of attire was unusual: a blue blazer and shirt paired with a plain black skirt, leggings, and boots. She carried a seemingly elaborate quiver and a bow, giving off the impression of an office worker or a manager who suddenly grew bored and decided to grab a bow and embark on a dangerous journey on a whim.

"Miss Jazdia and I did not necessarily have similar goals, but our paths conveniently align. Ahem!"

After giving a moment for everyone to introduce themselves, he then continued.

"Friends, I know we had a rocky start back then, but Praise be the Sun we managed to move past it with almost no lives lost. Please make yourself comfortable, I know the food has been heavily rationed for four days, but today feel free to enjoy what we have. We will move tomorrow morning. In the meantime, don't hesitate to ask me anything."

---

She cleansed her mouth with water from a gourd-shaped water bottle and spat it on the ground. Akari took some time for resting during the break and time to retrieve her thrown weapons. Her luck will be decided by the god. Once she gathered it for a chance, she repacked her things and tagged along with the rest to depart once the snake girl went back.

After they arrived at the campsite. Akari chose her spot nearby to the campfire. She listened to the rumors about this place until the party went for the introduction. She waited respectfully for her turn, and once it went to her. "Akari, a once ninja from a faraway land," she said with a smile.

Later on. She went straight to the remaining food supplies for a checkup. Realized that it can only make a stew. She can be seen preparing a stew. It will be a hunter's pot.

Rezello

---

The steel blade of Rezello’s polearm cleaved through the treent’s limbs with ease, the once tough wood rendered brittle by stress and heat. Embers thrown into the air by the melee singed his armor, leaving marks of ash on the blackened steel; had the fight gone on for too long, the accumulating heat might’ve sapped his strength, but fortunately it didn’t seem like that would be a problem. As he stepped aside to dodge a sluggish, desperate swing of the ent’s remaining limb, a bolt of concentrated flame shot a hole through the ent in front of him and left a crater in the second; an arrow loosed by the elven ranger finished off the latter, the treents collapsing into burning heaps.

Making his way out of the field of ash and flames, Rezello’s pollaxe vanished from his hands as he returned the weapon to its place in the Armory. Returning to where the carriage had been, he sorted through the hastily discarded luggage until he found his travel pack, picking it up by the strap and slinging it over his shoulder before returning to the rest of the group, receiving a pouch of gold from Vesemir upon his arrival. A substantial sum for as early as it was in their mission; now all he had to do was survive to the end to make use of it.

After what supplies from the carriage that could be recovered had been salvaged, the group carried on to their next destination. The glade they arrived in seemed almost idyllic, as though it were an inverse of the reputation the rest of the forest had. In all likelihood, it would be their last taste of peace before they delved deeper into the cursed lands. Once the camp had been set up, Vesemir called everyone over to begin introductions, starting with the members of the initial party. Eblana, Stepan, Mr. Elc, Jazdia, and of course, Vesemir himself.

The first member of the reinforcement party to introduce themselves was Akari, the girl with the self-duplication magic. She described herself as a ninja, a term Rezello wasn’t familiar with, but seeing as she was from a “faraway land”, he figured it was a regional title in the same way that “Sten” was, to his knowledge, only used in Scheel for their knights. After she finished her introduction, Rezello spoke up, stating, “I am Rezello Fulsteel-Ashton. Was trained as a knight before I became an adventurer.”

The campfire piled high and burned brightly, fuel was piled nearby, and Jazdia finally considered it up to her standard. Yet, despite the fatigue and comfortable settings, she couldn't get herself to fall asleep. In addition to the ailment currently gnawing at her insides, she could guess what the problem was. Quickly, she walked toward the supply crate and rummaged through to find a kettle, a metal tankard and some iron bars to be assembled near the campfire. And then, finally, a freakin tea! The scent made her feel so happy that she would have flipped if there had been no witnesses here.

Stepan helped to assemble the irons, while Jazdia went toward the river to fetch the water herself. Upon returning to the campfire and scrutinizing the water under the light to verify its cleanliness, she happily declared: "Okay, that seems safe."

After hooking the kettle above the campfire, the ranger checked on the foreigner, who seemed busy preparing dinner. Yeah beef sausage, potatoes, beans, and onions, all chopped. Very staple ingredients for a stew.

She rolled up her sleeve and grabbed one of the potatoes to peel it, concluding that his whole chore seemed too much for one person to handle. Looking at the party, Vesemir and Eblana were busy with their tomes, and the others were still dealing with knowing-each-other-names. So she summoned the only person available.

"What is it again, lass?" grumbled Stepan.

"Hungry? Get some water, please? Ask Mr. Elc too. We need at least two basins of water; one to fill the pot and the other to wash the vegetables. It is safe. I scooped some samples before. Chop chop! The stew isn't going to cook itself!"

After much muttering and under-breath protesting, the water was delivered, the pot hooked and a bag of Instant condiments made by Ensling-Co was torn open, poured into the pot, and allowed to simmer.

Jazdia handed the peeled potatoes to Akari, insisting that she liked them peeled. "Takes more time, maybe, but that's a small detail that reminds us that we are civilized beings."

Pausing to take a breath, she eyed ripe apples hanging low on the trees near the river. "Let's throw some apples in that stew. Why the hell not."

Verdant was more than glad that the party divested the luggage across them. She may be strong enough to lug the whole gigantic sack, but snake anatomy simply wasn't build for load-bearing. She still carried a good portion of the supplies, finally divesting the entire thing on the pretty little glade that they decided to rest in.

Snake instinct said open ground bad, owls will get you. She should find a nice hole to burrow in. Verdant countered that an own large enough to nab her (probably) doesn't exist.

But she'll stay smaller. Just in case. Less tasty for potential passing giant owls. Or dragons, for that matter.

Reverting to humanoid form with a series of muffled but still very much audible noises of crackling bones and fleshy rips, the serpent stretched her neck as the phantom soreness of the latest task followed even when it really shouldn't have. Apparently brain worked weird like that... who told her that again? Well, she had a brain and it worked weird so it's probably true anyway.

"Pretty sure we lost all the eggs and pickles. Some of the jars probably broke too, but if the content is dry it should be salvageable." She mentioned to no one in particular, mostly to those who rummaged to tally what supply they had left. What can be kept, what must be thrown out. She certainly wasn't precise in the picking earlier, a keener set of eyes should take another look. "Too bad for anyone who love eggs boiled in pickle juice, but there's enough variety for other stuff. Probably."

With that she flopped next to the rising campfire, the warmth pretty comfy to tired muscles. For a moment Verdant did nothing but bask in the heat, eyes glazing to the vast expanse of cosmos so far beyond. Gaining a human's vision had been... disorienting, back then, but unlocking the mesmerizing beauty of nature was something she could ever go back from. So many stars tonight... few places had such potent display of glimmering tapestry.

Her short break was interrupted by Vesemir, who called for introduction. Turning her attention to something much closer, such as the bossman - Vesemir! That's his name! -, and the other escorts from the first team. Verdant smiled and waved at each one, sitting up criss-cross-applesauce from her spot but otherwise not rising. It's simply too comfy.

"I'm Verdant, a regular snek!" She said cheerfully at her turn, completely serious about it. As far as she's concerned, it's actually accurate. "I like naps, food, sightseeing, and exercise! Peached to see you all. Oh, where are we going exactly?"

There may had been a mention of some ruins or whatever. She didn't quite catch it. Or read it fully. It's somewhere inside the dreaded forest, and that's all that mattered.

"I'm Verdant, a regular snek!" She said cheerfully at her turn, completely serious about it. As far as she's concerned, it's actually accurate. "I like naps, food, sightseeing, and exercise! Peached to see you all. Oh, where are we going exactly?"

@A5G

In normal circumstances, it should be the navigator's job to answer that question, but Jazdia was too stunned upon hearing the story of a gastronomical disaster involving eggs poached in pickle juice she spent the next moment wondering if she had offended someone with her earlier statement about civility so Mr. Elc had to take over.

"For now, we are heading toward Laisle Grand Library. Or at least what is left of it." answered the masked elf. "There is a tome or some artifacts that Vesemir wants to... obtain."

You didn't know why, but it sounded like Mr. Elc said that with a veiled disgust like he was in the position of someone working with an employer who wanted to rob his ancestor's tomb, and the academic excuse for it was nothing but an utter malarkey. Such disposition remained even when Vesmir, attracted by the topic of tomes and artifacts joined the conversation with ears perked up.

"Not just that. I want to see for myself the work of the Greatest Artificer ever lived! Theriadore was one of the Five founders of, ugh... modern Varenheim and it IS a great shame that most of his works were left abandoned, sealed inside some underground vault. We will find that vault, that's our first mission."

The battle finished quickly after that, and after gathering themselves(and the supplies) they moved to make camp for the night.

The clearing seemed cozy enough, and the night sky was easily visible with it's twinkling stars staring down on them, so he couldn't complain. Degel didn't know why, but those bright tiny dots were always able to hold his attention.

His reverie was interrupted as everyone started introducing to each other. The Shadow Hunter was apparently a "ninja", but he pegged the Snake-Kin and Masked Knight correctly at least, a point towards his deductive capabilities for sure.

As he moved towards the Apple tree, The Severe Venator wanted them after all and his hands were unoccupied at the moment, he sensed a lull in the conversation, and spoke

I am Called Degel Kraft He didn't understand truly understand names, so his "name" was what he was, The Power of the Crucible, transformed in a "Name" from those he encountered when he fist awoke. He didn't know why he knew that was who he was, but he did nonetheless.

As he started plucking the apples he continued As you have seen, i'm able to embody some monstrous features, and i have been told i am "Tough Nut". Bringing his spoils he set them beside "Jazdia",careful not to crush them as his attention was quickly stolen by the conversation between the elves and the Snake-Kin.

A library... A place to hold and research knowledge if he remembered correctly, and seemingly one of great renown. And grand things tend to hold grand dangers.

Seeing how we have been received when we entered the Twilight Lands, am i correct in thinking that things worse than the "Viladred'saca" may be on our path? If he were honest, Degel wouldn't mind seeing the Dragon again. It was unlike anything he saw before, and he wondered how it came to be in such a state, or how an actual fight would pan out.

Seeing how we have been received when we entered the Twilight Lands, am i correct in thinking that things worse than the "Viladred'saca" may be on our path? If he were honest, Degel wouldn't mind seeing the Dragon again. It was unlike anything he saw before, and he wondered how it came to be in such a state, or how an actual fight would pan out.

@Deide

The masked elf shot Vesmir a look before answering solemnly.

"The dragon promised to us that he will be our hindrance later. In my career as a ranger, I have heard reports about him. A stalwart guardian of the ancient citadel Ostianor. We never heard of it traveling far from its bastion, nor did we hear any report of it attacking adventurers. We too have no idea why that dragon resides there, we never checked, and it is only a few of us ever set foot anywhere near Ostianor, let alone enter it. Rumors say there is something more sinister than a spectral dragon haunting the citadel. It is hard to verify the truth of those stories, and I do not have the heart to ask, even if one of those few people is in this very party."

Almost at the same time, a cold wind howled from the dark treelines, disturbing the campfire, and temporarily bringing back the eeriness that had been absent since they entered this tranquil garden.

"All more reason for me to go there," said Vesemir. "I've been to many places in the world, and while I do not dispute the existence of ancient spirits guarding the site, myths surrounding them were mostly fabricated throughout centuries to preserve the site from unresponsible hands. To some extent, it has its merit, but I found it folly that virtue has to be enforced through artificial ignorance."

"You will hear no disagreement from me." replied the masked elf with a nod. A moment passed before he shifted back at Degel. Someone as enormous as he was rare --maybe not as rare as a burning undead dragon that can talk, but still impressive nonetheless.

"I don't doubt that people have referred to you as that, Sir Dagel. However, until we discover ways to overcome the ethereal advantage that those spectral creatures possess, I'm afraid that physical toughness won't do much if our goal is to defeat them."