“Can you tell us what her goal is?” Leo asked. “Every group we find is either heading into the forest or already there, but we don’t know what she’s doing in there.”
“She’s trying to take control of the Magnacio forest. The entire forest works in unity, a thriving collection of life. She’s been sending waves of infected soldiers to vulnerable areas to weaken its resistance to her influence.”
“What makes somewhere a vulnerable area? If we could find a way to root them out, then we could know where she’ll strike.” Marem asked.
Leo recognized the look on Koram’s face, the one he gave before explaining something he had studied. “Mana is a source of energy, something that flows like water and spreads like air. It can be used by people and the world around us. But that same world is also a source of mana.”
Koram stood up, getting more invested in his explanation. “Even though we pull mana into us for our magic, it still leaves after we’ve used it. It’s a constant cycle. The Magnacio forest has certain locations which expel high concentrations of mana, pulled in from the millions of nearby plants.”
“Many of these areas are guarded, but not by any formal army. These areas attract druids and dryads, who protect the balance of nature while being fueled with mana sourced from these mana wells. Cordylia is targeting the areas where the defenses are lacking.”
“The issue is, I’m not certain what she’s doing there. I’ve only ever encountered her forces before they accomplished whatever goal they had in mind. The forest helps me find them, but I still haven’t gotten any information on what I’m stopping.”
“Okay, well at least we know what her end goal is even if we’re not certain what she’s trying to do in the forest,” said Leo.
“You do?” Koram asked.
“She’s connected to the dracolich that we saw on the mountain.” Leo could see Koram’s face turn sour. “They seem to be trying to become Gods, but I’m not certain how that works. David was making an army, so I’m going to guess her plans would lead to similar levels of death and destruction.”
“But you can’t just become a God, that’s not how it works.” Marem spoke up. “There’s a lot mixed up with uncertainty and rumor, but one can’t choose to be a God even if they build an army or destroy a forest.”
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“Maybe we should try finding out some more from her, if that’s possible. Koram, are there any nearby Cordylia groups that the forest has told you about?”
“There is one, but it would be dangerous to go there.” A panicked look sprawled onto Koram’s face. “Not only would there be too many to cure, but it seems that she has a powerful force travelling alongside them.”
“That’s a good reason to go after it then. Even when she took over a city of thousands, she didn’t have an army defending them. If she’s protecting it, then that means they’re important.”
“But it could be dangerous,” Koram said, his breath quickening. “We don’t know what could happen. What if you get hurt? We should just rest for today and go looking again tomorrow.”
Leo reached out and placed his hand on Koram’s, trying his best to soothe the elf. “Koram, nothing is going to happen to me. It won’t be like last time, I promise you. We’re strong, capable, and possibly the only people who could stop whatever Cordylia is planning.”
Koram took a few deep breaths, calming down. He was happy to see Leo again, he had missed him in the time they were apart. But now that they finally met again, it was as if reality had come back in full force.
He’d spent the past few weeks fighting against Cordylia, building a reputation, and helping people in need. It was almost enough to make him forget about the death of his longtime companion. Now that he finally was able to see Leo again, it was as if a reminder of that night followed him.
But Leo was right, even if he felt grief clawing at him, Koram couldn’t let it drag him down. If he wasn’t willing to help Leo in this fight, then why did he come all this way? Some people had taken to calling him the Druid Savior, and he couldn’t just let them down.
“Alright, Leo. You always had a way of convincing me to do the most foolish things. You should contact the kingdom about the finding before we head out.”
“Oh, that’s not really a thing we do,” Leo said.
“Why not? The entire reason behind you coming here was letting the king know about what was happening.”
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Koram continued to lecture Leo as they marched through the woods. “I swear, you always find yourself in the most ridiculous situations. While I can’t say you were in the wrong, surely there could’ve been a better way to handle the situation.”
“It didn’t go great, but we got away,” Leo defended.
“‘Didn’t go great’ feels like a real understatement when it’s about being hunted by the most powerful group of heroes in the world. If it wasn’t for the kindness in my heart, I would’ve turned tail and run the second you told me. I’m certain that they won’t look favorably at me helping a criminal who attacked the king.”
“He didn’t attack the king, he just fought in the throne room,” Marem said.
“Okay, I’m going to table this discussion, but I still have many more questions. Cordylia’s group is up ahead, are you ready?”
Leo let out a sigh. “Yeah, I am.” Once again, he was being used as the group's dog.