“We’re under attack! Close your doors! Secure the children and elders! Hide in the safest corner of your houses!”

The senior forest rang the town bell. The residents and peasants immediately fled back. They shut their doors one by one. Children cowered inside their blankets while the adults grabbed nearby weapons. Machete, rake, shovel or pole would suffice for protection. They were hoping that no garou would break inside their houses.

“Please help us again, adventurers! Our militia is currently outnumbered!” Rothar panicked and hidinside a closet and shivers.

Wasting no time, the adventurers prepared themselves. Corbin and Nia evacuated from the balcony back to the main room. Milas tightly wrapped her wrists with the same tattered cloth. Rez reloaded the magazine of his rusty firearm.

“Let me join you, Corbin. I will use my magecraft to cast a protective ward for everybody” Nia followed the three adventurers upon opening the lodge’s door.

“Stay on my back, I’ll guard you” Corbin accompanied Nia to the settlement’s plaza.

The adventurers rush to the commotion. The sky burned to vermilion once again. Everywhere was full of garou surrounding the forest militia. Their cackling and hissing pierced everybody’s ears. They can also feel the tension rising.

A glimmer of hope arose as the adventurers arrived. The forest militia felt relieved in the midst of peril. Corbin watched carefully as he struck down three garou with his sword. His mighty swings were enough to cut them. Milas was already fighting a pack of garou in her corner. Four of them were screeching angrily as Milas effortlessly hurled most of them like rags. Rez pointed his firearm near Corbin with no hesitation. He shoots accurately to a garou about to lunge at their backs.

“You! What’s that for?!” Corbin exclaimed as the bullet passes between him and Nia.

“Watch your back, partner. Can’t afford to lose lady Nia.”

Corbin grumbles, but Nia reposed. Both of them then approached the center of the forest settlement. The once peaceful plaza was now filled with fighting. Nia found an elevated platform and began to conjure protective wards. She also uses her magecraft, empowering both adventurers and the forest militia. Clasping her hands, Nia recited a draconic prayer. An azure light illuminated from her body. White pentacles encircled at the feet of everyone fighting against the garou. Some of the garou noticed Nia enchanting the adventurers and the forest militia.

“No, you dont!” Milas smacked one of the garou’s jaws and its limping body slid across the floor.

Corbin climbed the elevated platform and parried the garou’s swipes. Surrounded by garou, Rez hid his firearm, stands upwards with his hands and rotates himself. His spinning upside-down kicks hit every garou in a flash. The younger forest militias looked impressed with his dance-like attack.

The garou whittled one by one with the joint efforts of everybody. They grew confident while the garou whimper. Just as the adventures and forest militias were about to clear the horde, the mirage-like elementals emerged from the woods. They have gangly extremities, wide, jagged torsos made out of crystals, and a glowing core tainted with shadows. The elementals raised their arms and the garou spawn again.

“That’s impossible! We already outmatched them!” One of the forest militia aggressively complained.

A daring forest militia attempts to bash one elemental with her pole, but it misses. In retaliation, the elemental breathed chunks of ice. The forest militia got hit, knocking her down.

“I see, the enraged elementals are indeed influencing the garou to become violent.” Nia observed while shielding the fallen forest militia with her magecraft. Her magical shield protected anyone from physical or magical attacks.

Corbin, Milas and Rez also attempedt to attach the elementals. Their slashes, punches and shots however passed through them. Corbin feels cold and his movements slow down. Milas felt a jolt of electricity from one of the elemental’s overhead swipes. Rez caught himself on fire, so he rolled on the ground.

“That’s what Rothar told us before. How do we stop them? They’re as thin as fog.” Milas stepped back beside Nia. She countsed how many are the elementals.

“I’ll try to make them tangible for you to at least hit them.” Nia prepared another spell to weaken the elementals. She concentrated very hard, emitting streams of yellow bolts to the elementals. From their once untouchable state, Nia turned them into corporeal beings. The elementals noticed it as they swayed in confusion.

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“The elementals are now tangible. Now try to attack without killing them. They’re still the forest’s guardians. “The older forest militia remarked. They still respect the forest spirits even if they are corrupted by a malevolent force.

Corbin striked the elemental with his sword’s pommel. The strength of his strike is strong enough to stagger the ice elemental.

“Sigh, gotta do it the old-fashioned way.” Rez improvised his firearm into a blunt club. He whipped the elemental’s head with his firearm’s grip. Then he swiftly kneed the elemental for attempting to incinerate him earlier.

“No more cheating this time!” Milas wound up sideways, turning her core muscles and back, and finally swinging her intentionally-bent arm. She made a quick aim in a horizontal arc, hitting the elemental that shocked her earlier.

“We deal with the elementals. You focus on the garou.” The forest militia followed Corbin’s impromptu order.

“Charge!” The forest militias systematically maneuvered and thrusted their poles at the confused garou. The garou no longer receive any telepathic commands from the downed elementals. They are defenseless, with no commands to follow. The forest militias formed a horizontal line and pointed their poles against the garou. Their aggressive prodding pushed back the garou away from the settlement.

The garou and elementals retreated again as dawn rose. The forest militia cheered for their impossible victory. Joyous hollering and laughing can be heard in the settlements. The medicine men attended the injured militia. Some children snuck from their houses to witness the aftermath. Rothar was relieved that they made it through the night.

“This is getting way dangerous. We have to get into the source of the invasion at once.” Nia suggested to the adventurers.

“The problem is tracking down the Motherlode. Any ideas on how to find it?” Milas ask while undressing her makeshift gauntlets.

“The elemental is in despair. It’s asking for help. They are being controlled against their will.”

Nia reached to an unconscious elemental abandoned by its companions.

She touched the elemental’s craggy torso and began to concentrate. The shadowy taint dissipates as she uses her magecraft. Then she caresses the elemental’s tiny head, composed of rocks and gems.

“Well, that’s tough. Sounds like slavery to me.” Rez grabbed a pack of medicinal herbs, tucked them in a roll of paper, and burned the edge with flint and tinder. He proceeded to draw the herb’s smoke and blows out a gray fume.

“Nia, go ask the elemental who is their captor.” Milas approached Nia out of curiosity.

Corbin observed the two women inspecting the elemental. He takes a bush critter’s fur and whetstone. He casually cleaned and sharpened his sword. It has been dull since the last time they fought the garou and elementals.

“The elemental doesn’t know. The culprit managed to conceal their presence.” Just as Nia attempted to ask more questions through telepathy, the elemental crumbleed away, leaving a debris of precious elemental dust.”

“What now? We must find them.” Corbin suggested while puzzled.

From the distance, Roathar carefully brings the forest shaman to the adventurers. The forest shaman is the settlement’s elder and guardian. Clad in fur and a painted robe, she slowly approached them. She even carried some spiritual accessories to help them.

“We finally found her from her destroyed hut. She was hiding from the garou yesterday.”

“Time is running out, adventurers. Two days from now, in the coming nightfall, the garou and elementals will be forever corrupted. Unless you can find the culprit. Fortunately, I can guide you.” The forest shaman volunteered herself despite her minor injuries.

She burned some antique torches around the elemental dust, chanted shamanic music with her tongue and performed a ritualistic dance. Everybody observed the forest shaman doing her job. A bright yellow pentacle encapsulated the elemental dust while the torches glow from yellow to emerald. The dust floated and became a hardened gem.

“Dear priestess of the east, please take the gem. It will guide you to your destination; The Motherlode. Unfortunately, turning the gem into a divination rod is a forgotten art. We even have no clues of how to make one.” The forest shaman reached out to the pentacle and took the glistening and kaleidoscopic gem. Nia received the gem from the forest shaman.

“Oh, it’s like a dowsing device or compass.” Rez emptied the medicinal herb and stomped at it.

“A dowsing device?” Milas scratched her head.

“Let me try tinkering with this beauty.” Rez borrowed the gem from Nia. He took some scrap metal from his satchel. From there, Rez took a sharp pin, stroked the needle to the gem several times, pierced the other end of the pin to a soft pellet, and fashioned the pin and pellet to a metallic plate. The needle’s tip began glow glowing, pointing towards the east.

“Let’s see, so the ruins are located to the east. Our problem would be the precise location. It can be underground, obstructed by trees or above the mountains.”

“Trust the gem, young infernal, it never makes mistakes. Once you arrive at the location, the gem will break and return to the Motherlode. Remember,, the ruins are filled not only by garou and elementals but also the remnants of the distant past.” The forest shaman coughed as she spoke.

“Adventurers, you might need to rest first before going. That whole night might have exhausted you. You can start trekking tomorrow at daybreak.” Rothar decides to butt in. He knew that the adventurers have been fighting since midnight.

“How far are the ruins, Rothar?”

“See if you can find a boat, young lady. The stream leads to the ruins. It’s a massive, gaping hole next to a river. It will take half a day through a boat ride.”

“We’ll take your advice, Rothar. Let’s call it a day and prepare for tomorrow.” Nia suggested her new companions to rest. They never noticed that nighttime almost arrived during the whole ordeal. Their situation looked more dire than ever. Not only the forest spirits became enraged, but also a mysterious mastermind was behind everything.