The leaves crunched under the heavy, silver greaves of Titania, the small unit of warriors proceeding through the dense and overgrown forest known as Foraoise. Kaze’s eyes began to fill with wonder as he stared up at the luxurious woods, the trees dozens of times taller than any regular oak. Titania would cut down vines and shrubbery that stood in the group's way, progressing deeper and deeper into the jungle.
“This place is incredible!” Kaze exclaimed with glee, following closely behind Titania, holding his kimono up by the sides with both hands as they stepped through the mud. Titania’s greaves began to dirty, in contrast to Kaze’s sandals, muddied only at the bottom, his bare feet completely clean. The rest of the group, however, seemed very disinterested or annoyed at the lack of anything very exciting occurring, save for the green giant with eyes sparkling brighter than Kaze’s.
He sniffed the stunning and bright wildflowers they passed by, admiring the grand woods that towered above them and gleefully clambering over the large roots that stood in their path.
“It’s pretty! Really pretty!” Ilgar’s voice crept out of his mouth, joy painted over his face as Michaelis gave him an upset sneer.
“It’s trees. You guys have never seen trees before?” Michaelis barked towards the pair, causing Kaze an amount of embarrassment, and his face to flush red.
“They’re not jus’ trees!” Ilgar barked back, a large grin painted across his face, “They’re enormous! The leaves are a perfect green, and the flowers are so bright and different! I ain’t never seen anything like ‘em!”
Michaelis’s eye twitched as he sighed and jogged forward towards Titania; “I’m seriously losing my marbles. Do you even know where we’re going Titania?”
“Ah, well…” The leader of the guild wiped her brow as she cut down some more shrubbery, “Not specifically. I know she is nested somewhere within this forest, at least according to our tip.”
“So you decided,” Karrow would interject, “that we should go into this massive forest that spans miles and look for the Goddess based on a single tip from a single individual? And you thought that was a good idea?”
“Apparently the tip is from a reliable source,” Titania spat back at him, “Now keep looking.”
Ilgar would pick and show Kaze different flowers as they continued to stomp through the violently green crevices. The group clambered and cut through the vastly grown woods, a powerful scent that felt as pure and fresh as nature could be, would flow into each of their noses.
“I doubt you’ll find anyone out here,” Fenrisolace remarked, “I’ve lived in these woods my entire life and I’ve never seen any Gods, nor Goddesses, only the beautiful blessings of Doiteain.”
“Well Fenrisolace-,” Titania began, only to be swiftly cut off.
“It’s Fenris. Don’t be so formal, we’re out here to beat the life out of some people, though still, I doubt they’re here...” The beastman snapped.
“We’ll search for a number more hours, you’ll be paid in the end so stop complaining. This isn’t for fun, this is your job.”
“This is worse than most mercenary work I’ve done.” Michaelis remarked, “At least in most cases I know who my target is and where to actually find them.”
Ilgar’s eyes lit up as he chimed in, leaning over Kaze’s shoulder beginning to crush the small man. “Oh! I did mercenary work!”
“I mean, I assume everyone here has.” Kaze chimed in, “Otherwise what’s the point in taking up such a high profile mercenary based job?”
In an instant, two voices chimed in, perfectly in sync- “Murdering Gods.” Michaelis and Fenrisolace glared at one another as the same words that left their mouths were shared by the man opposite them.
“Forget I asked…” Kaze mumbled, Karrow sneering towards the pair of hotheads who were now shooting daggers at one another. Kaze continued, “Well what about you Titania, why are you taking up this job?” Titania looked back at Kaze and smiled, followed by placing her hand on her chin as she pondered the question just given to her.
“Probably money.” She snickered to herself, “That’s quite dull but I suppose so are my desires. To have money, to have people to care about me and work alongside, though the people I’ve been granted aren’t exactly the kindest of fellows.” She chuckled some more, looking back at the group.
“Well, I suppose they’re not all bad.” She looked to Kaze with a soft smile, which turned his face red. “I suppose only time will really tell what kind of people I’ve got myself stuck with.”
“Who cares about Feints that deeply?” Fenris spat towards Titania, finally taking his glare away from Michaelis, who scoffed and he looked off into the distance. “Feints can buy you food, and a house, and anything you want but in the end that can’t get me what I want.”
“Dare I ask…” Titania mumbled, “what do you want, Fenris?”
“Glory! Bloodshed!” Kaze and Titania cringed as they continued to journey through the leaves, though Ilgar’s attention would be captured, beginning to listen intently to the preaching lycanthrope. “The Goddess of Fire Doiteain must be honoured with battles of only the strongest beings! Becoming one who hunts and battles the Gods themselves will do nothing if not help me become powerful beyond compare, into a champion that even Doiteain herself will recognise and shower me with praises!”
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“I don’t suppose you’re a sunwolf then Fenris?” Titania replied to his ramblings, in which his ears twitched.
“I am indeed! A sunwolf born to Fenrir, leader of the Sunwolf tribe, and it is my duty as the heir to bring glory to the sunwolves!” The beastman bellowed with pride and honour flowing from his voice, a confident grin on his face.
“Lots of talk for a furball.” Michaelis sneered.
“You can’t talk. What’s with the black eyes?” Fenris began, glaring back towards Mick. “And the tattoos, who are you trying to impress with the shadow warrior schtick?”
“I think you both look swell!” Ilgar remarked, putting his arms around both of their shoulders only to have himself shoved away swiftly by both parties.
“Please don’t start a fight right now.” Titania sighed, looking back towards the pair with worry beginning to paint her face.
“Uh, Titania-” Kaze exclaimed, pointing ahead. Karrow leapt forward straight away, through the last of the vines and bushes only to find himself at the edge of a massive circular clearing, seemingly randomly in the middle of the towering and immense forest.
“Well, there’s nothing here!” Karrow spat, looking very irritated. “Great job snow-head, you let me get my hopes up.”
“That’s not true,” Michaelis remarked, a slightly shaken tone in his voice, walking ahead of Karrow, looking around the clearing while squinting. The rest of the party entered, looking up at the trees, with Karrow and Fenris clearly uninterested.
A swift slash through the air echoed through everyone in the party’s ears as Titania stood tall and ready. Her blade would be held high in the air, some grass softly falling from the space where her sword had moved to. “I think you were right on the money Kaze, we found where we were looking.”
Michaelis looked towards Titania, before looking towards the mountainous treeline. “There, to the south high up in the trees.” He finished pointing directly towards a small brown figure hiding in the canopy of the lumber tower.
Titania brought her blade to her side as she looked up to the top of the woods. The rest of the group just arriving from the west, Titania squinted her own eyes before they widened, a soft smile appearing on her face. “I’m going to go say hello.”
“I’ll come with you!” Kaze remarked, but she was already gone. A second after she vanished a large gust of wind blasted backwards and hit the group in the face. Michaelis’s eyes widened as he watched Titania go from standing still to flying through the air towards the very top of the treeline. She embedded her blade into the side of the timber, just below their attacker, holding on tight and looked up to him with devilish eyes.
The immense sapling quaked, the target leaping to another trees trunk, the attacker running vertically straight down towards the clearing. However, in what seemed like a fraction of a second, Titania had already arrived at the bottom, dust still settling around her. The rest of the group was stunned by Titania’s reactions and movements, this same shock shared by the one who had seemingly attacked them.
With a beige cloak covering most of his body, he seemed quite normal, however, patches of his skin were replaced by what seemed like layers of leaves, with bloody crimson eyes and long black hair. He would leap backwards from Titania, a wooden bow present in his hand having the string pulled back, as some grass erupted from his fingertips enveloping itself until forming into an arrow. His fingers released the bowstring as the arrow discharged and launched towards Titania. Despite this, without a moment of hesitation, she swiftly swung her blade upwards, another collective of grass blades whistling slowly towards the ground.
Michaelis’s eyes widened, as a shiver ran up his spine. “He’s not alone!” He bellowed across the clearing, causing Titania’s ears to twitch. She took a soft step backwards as a powerful and quick rumbling from the earth lead to a large drill made of grass, leaves and vines erupting just in front of her, thrusting immediately towards her chest, only to be just out of range.
“Thank you, Michaelis.” She smiled softly as she cut the large construct from the ground in a single slash horizontally, before stepping over it. “I’ll be leaving them up to all of you then. Remember what I told you.” Titania’s knees bent as she licked her upper lip, staring down the young man who lunged into the woods to his left, only for Titania to leap up into the trees and pursue him.
The rest of the group looked around themselves, Michaelis squinting his eyes again as he grabbed the handle of his chain blade, slowly pulling the dagger from the side of his waist.
A being would be at the opposite end of the cleaning, body completely green, made up of leaves- a dryad, with hair made of vines which wrapped down to her shoulders, it was confusingly stunning despite being inhuman. “There’s our target.” Michaelis spat, gripping his chain with his left hand and holding his dagger tight with his right.
Karrow, Fenris, and Kaze stepped forward, with Kaze drawing his longsword from his hip and holding it in front of himself with both hands, the handle of his blade gripped tightly. But while they prepared for battle, Michaelis’s eye twitched, looking back towards Ilgar who had yet to join the group, in their battle-ready stance.
A grim look of a monster drew across the orcs face as he grinned like a beast. He tightly gripped his right wrist with his left hand, holding it in front of his legs, just below his torso. A bright light appeared in his palm, a generating orb of energy which caused Michaelis’s eye to twitch once more. Quickly he grabbed Karrow’s arm and pulled him out of the way, Kaze and Fenris, realising they should follow suit, dipped to the opposite side, making way for the orc.
Ilgar swiftly slammed his hand into the ground causing the orb of light to detonate, clearing the ground beneath him of grass, a mass explosion propelling the green giant across the clearing, the only thing audible outside of the ringing from the detonation to the group, was a faint “Yahoo!” as the warrior rocketed through the sky, his massive war axe tied to his back.
Michaelis began laughing hysterically, like a fire was lit in his eyes he smiled from ear to ear as he watched the madness of a green mercenary, flying through the air straight towards a God. Only two words were able to leave his mouth, and express how he felt in that moment.
“Holy shit!”
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