They took off running into the woods, the path only lit by a sliver of moonlight. Ryu followed Sylfie close behind, clutching Aurora as they fled deeper into the thickets. Sylfie weaved in incomprehensible patterns, so much so that Ryu at several points lost sight of her, catching glimpses of her silhouette shooting forward out of the corners of his eyes.

Aurora pointed out Sylfie’s location whenever they became separated, her vision more adept than a human’s in the dark. Ryu occasionally glanced back, feeling his skin crawl as he saw the tree slithering towards them on its appendage-like roots. [Swift Foot] was in full effect when he finally caught up with Sylfie.

“What is that thing?!” he whispered.

“I thought I cleared out all the monsters in this area—apparently not.” She grasped at the air unconsciously, searching for a bow that wasn’t there. They had left their belongings at the campsite, right next to the wooden creature’s trunk. If they wanted to retrieve their items, they would need to circle back while avoiding their pursuer.

The trio crept quietly, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of movement. Sounds of the nightlife like the hoots of owls and the chirping of crickets made it difficult to discern the creature’s location by ear. As they reached an outcrop covered in vines, the surrounding foliage rustled, suddenly parting. The flora moved away from their group, exposing their location. Behind them, from across the woods, Aurora spotted the monster, charging towards them frantically.

“It’s coming, nya!”

“Don’t you know any offensive spells or something?!” Ryu exclaimed.

“Sylfie would get caught in the blast!”

“D*mn, we’ll have to figure out a way to make do—hey! What about me?!”

“Eh, you’ll be fine,” Aurora shrugged.

Ryu grimaced. If only he had more skills useful for Adventuring. As he was, he served as nothing more than dead weight. Running was the only thing he was good for…Ryu’s eyes lit up. Running was the only thing he was good for! He swept Sylfie off her feet without warning, ignoring her protests as he sped towards the tree.

“What are you doing?! We need to get away from that thing!”

“Trust me!” Ryu grinned.

They neared the creature’s hideous face, its gnarled limbs reaching out to them. Ryu got in close, jumping through its outstretched branches. He circled the creature’s bough, sprinting at full speed towards the campsite.

“Oh!” Sylfie finally understood Ryu’s intent. She jumped out of his arms, running beside him as they reached their equipment. The Dark Elf snatched her bow from the ground, notching a flaming arrow. The ground shook violently as the tree emerged from the earth in front of them. Ryu stared at the patch of soil the tree had sprouted from. Had it burrowed its way here?

“Ryu! Aurora! Behind me! I’ll incinerate this thing in one shot!”

The two obliged. They peeked over her shoulders as she pulled back her bowstring.

“Wait! Wait! Don’t shoot!” a voice suddenly cried out.

To their surprise, the shouts of protest came from the tree itself. Withered branches shook as it cowered in the face of a fiery demise.

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“It can talk?!” Aurora whispered.

“Why are you surprised?!” Ryu whispered back harshly.

Sylfie didn’t budge, keeping her bow trained on the sentient tree. “Speak. What do you want with us?”

The tree stammered for a moment, keeping its eyes fixated on the arrow. “M-my name is Elder Chestnut. I appeared before you three in an attempt to convey my thanks, and perhaps bestow upon you a quest.”

This piqued Sylfie’s interest. “What quest did you wish to give us, er—Elder Chestnut, was it?”

“Y-yes. Firstly, thank you for defeating the Legendary Hibiscus Stag. It has been using this forest to sharpen its antlers for decades. I’ve seen many a friend worn down to a mere stump by that ruffian. Oh! The horrors we were forced to bear witness to, unable to intervene for fear we would be next in line!” Elder Chestnut trembled in sorrow. “Ah, I am boring you with my story—”

“You are. Now, get on with the quest,” Sylfie stated, bluntly.

“You’re heartless! Have some tact!” Ryu whispered to her.

Sylfie rolled her eyes, awaiting the elder’s response.

“Yes, yes, the quest. Thank you for reminding me. In my old age, my mind tends to wander. Just this morning I was conversing with a particularly curvaceous oak, when—”

“The quest, old man!” Sylfie exclaimed, her patience worn thin.

“Right! The quest! Apologies, once again. You see, my children have been taken from me. Small seedlings of the Chestnut Clan were whisked away by thieves from the north. No doubt they want to sell them on the black market! Please! You must save them!”

Sylfie pursed her lips, trying to make up her mind. She lowered her bow. “Even if we were to help you, what’s in it for us? As much as I dislike the thought of children being kidnapped, I’m not the type to go out of my way to rescue strangers out of the goodness of my heart.”

“I shall reward you handsomely! Do not fret!” Elder Chestnut responded, eagerly.

“What sort of reward are we talking about here?” Ryu joined in.

“A reward of the Legendary variety, my dear boy. Though I’m afraid I cannot tell you what the item is due to its secrecy bindings. I will let you know, however, that this ingredient will be very useful for Adventurers in the Hunter subclass—”

“We accept,” Sylfie replied.

“Hey! We didn’t have a say in the matter—”

“Overruled. This is an Adventurer’s quest, so I get to make the executive decisions. We’re taking it.”

Ryu grumbled indignantly but didn’t protest any further.

“I must say, I was rather surprised when you took off in such a hurry. I was afraid you had seen something frightening and so, I ran with you. Pray tell, what had you in such a stir?” Elder Chestnut asked.

“Well, you’re reaaaaally ugly, mister. We thought you were a monster, nya.”

Elder Chestnut let out a good-natured chuckle. “Oh ho ho! I see…Well, f*ck you.”

“Is that any way for an elder to speak?!” Ryu sputtered.

“D*mn brats. I was being polite because you saved our forest, but you came into our territory uninvited, incinerated a sizable chunk of the land, pointed a weapon at me, and then had the gall to call me ugly! The Elder is not pleased! I’ll have you know, I was quite the solid hardwood back in my heyday! How do you think I came to sire so many saplings, if not for my charms and rugged good looks?”

Ryu had a feeling it was Aurora’s comment in particular that had the elder’s beard twisted in a knot. A low howl caused Ryu to stop listening to the elder in the middle of his tirade. “What was that?”

“Oh, this. See, when a tree grows, it naturally sheds its trunk, so the pieces of bark falling off of my—”

“No, you senile sap-for-brains! I’m talking about that sound!” Ryu hissed.

Another low howl carried through the forest.

“Oh! The sound. That would be the Night Crawlers. Nasty creatures. They must have found prey.”

Aurora scampered underneath Ryu’s shirt. He gulped as Sylfie raised her bow once again, aiming into the darkness. A sea of glowing eyes suddenly appeared all around them.