~~~
Elsewhere in Draco Forest-
Sidney braced as the leaf lizard swarm slammed into his kite shield once again. He hated this place.
“Ella, cast that stupid spell already!” He roared in frustration as the constant tide of small lizards, designed to look like and camouflage in the fallen leaves, started to push him back.
Sidney hated that there were so many obstructions to wherever he tried to take his party of adventures in these blasted woods.
A distinct crack of thunder rang out as Ella the mage cast a lightning spell that hit part of the staggered swarm before instantly fanning out and connecting all the nearby monsters with arcs of electricity. It also connected with his shield but he had insulated the back of his massive shield for this very purpose.
He hated that his party had goaded him into taking on this quest. He didn’t even want to be a noble! And that was only even a factor if they got the one-in-a-million chance to catch this blasted “wyrm” before anyone else found it! There just wasn’t enough of a chance of success for them to reasonably risk a journey this deep into the world’s most dangerous forest!
Braid the iron fisted monk laughed heartily as the last of the swarm was cooked in their own scales.
“Good work there Ella!” Braid’s naturally booming voice rang out. “It’s always a relief to have someone on the party who can deal with the swarming type of monsters! Front and heavy fighters like me just don’t really have the moves to take them down without getting swarmed!”
The dainty looking Ella blushed at Braid’s compliment even as the last member of their party groaned. The rather rotund cleric of the party, Saintess Bethany, chided Braid as the party got to work collecting some of the fried lizards for food later, they were a rather filling meal if seasoned a little.
“I understand that you two are officially engaged for marriage and all, but as I’ve told you before; keep the flirting to a minimum while we’re doing a quest. Lord knows you could use the practice in restraint.”
Braid looked properly chastised, yet in the silence of their surroundings they all heard Ella mutter, “you’re one to talk about restraint.”
Saintess Bethany, for all her hard work and dedication to the ways of her faith, had an equally enormous sweet tooth. As they finished collecting the lead lizards and began moving again, Bethany took the chance to defend herself.
“Just because I happen to enjoy sweets a bit too much doesn’t mean I can’t restrain myself! I’ll have you know that I only eat sweets once a day, now!”
“That mindset is probably why you haven’t been able to learn any top ranked spells.” Ella grumbled.
Bethany’s eyes narrowed into accusatory slits as she said her next words, “and you would be able to use stronger spells by now if you studied magic with the same intensity you study Braid’s abbs.”
Braid let out a knowing chuckle as Ella flushed a deep red of embarrassment. She was about to talk back again when Sidney finally stepped in.
“Enough.” Those words held such an authority that they all stopped to look at him. “You’ve already dragged me all the way out here on this unnecessarily dangerous mission.” There was a burning fire of the rage that he was holding back in the inflection of his voice. “So at least while we are exploring the most dangerous forest in the world, can you please not argue?”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
What Sidney hated most of all was how single he was. He hadn’t been able to keep a girlfriend for more than a month before they would dump him. The last one doing so right before they had left town. None of them ever even told him why! It was just one day they’d be all smiles, and the next they were already seeing another man! And here half his darn adventurer team was, flaunting that they were happily engaged and deeply in love!
“You know,” Ella stated, changing the subject. “I’ve heard that even Eltnon is out searching for this creature.”
Braid scoffed, “the dragon whisperer?”
“Yeah! Rumor has it that he was able to steal and hatch two different dragons, but they are both female, so he wants to have a male as well.”
Braid lets out his signature booming laugh at that. Even Sidney has to chuckle at the absurdity of it. “What does that fool think dragons are? Horses? If he really thinks sticking a male and female dragon in the same place is enough to-“
Sidney cuts himself off as they entered a small clearing covered in grass, they watch warily as all the grass immediately stopped swaying upon their arrival before the ground gave a shuddering heave and all the grass in the clearing coalesced into one being.
“Fuck, it’s a dryad!” He cursed, immediately regretting it as he received a system notification that he had lost a level for swearing.
Turf Dryad
HP 60/60
MP 300/300
This dryad’s form was that of an eyeless wolf-kin, looking like it had healthy green grass in place of fur. A trick that would fool only those who didn’t know what a dryad was.
Dryads were actually born from the fusing of a powerful Druid’s spirit and their favorite plant. This only occurred after the Druid’s death and if the Druid was especially in tune with nature. Carrying with it parts of the Druid’s knowledge in life, dryads were known to be sapient monsters, able to be reasoned with… depending on the plant. More naturally hostile plants tended to become much more hostile as dryads, devouring all organic life in the area in the worst cases.
Sidney kept a wary eye on the turf dryad as it seemed to study the human party in turn. When it spoke first, its soft voices seeming to be made of the wind whistling through a field of grass, Sidney’s whole party tensed slightly.
“Fwho-what is a party of humans doing here?” Its voice seemed to whisper directly into each of their ears.
Saintess Bethany stepped forward first, to answer, “We humbly greet you, avatar of nature.” She started, giving the monster a polite bow. “We were tasked to find a specific monster and were searching for it when we accidentally happened upon your grove.”
The eyeless, wolf-kin shaped dryad seemed to ponder Bethany’s words. A long tongue, made up of the interconnecting roots of turf grass, slid from its mouth to lick along its muzzle in a considering gesture.
“Describe this creature, that I may direct you its way if I can.” It finally said. “Your presence here disturbs the balance and we’d much prefer your kind leave this place as swiftly as possible.”
Bethany looked back to Sidney, who was clearly considering the offer. It wasn’t a bad deal per say, but one thing stuck out that worried him. “What did you mean by ‘we’?”
The turf dryad let out a hum as it considered answering. “… My sisters and I communicate through the forest roots.” Was all she would say.
Sidney considered that as well as he decided his party’s next course of action. “Well this could be the best chance we get for a clue to the beast’s location. We’ll just have to play it extra carefully, in case this is a trap.” He reasoned to himself. He gave the Saintess a nearly imperceptible nod.
“We seek a dragon. Likely to be a recently hatched wyrm. Its name should be Wyrmwood.”
“A dragon? The only dragon I’ve seen in these woods since your kind swarmed this place is an old quetzalcoatl by they name of Mayflare.”
The all party members seemed to slump a little at the news. They didn’t know who this ‘Mayflare’ dragon was, but it clearly wasn’t the creature they were searching for.
“Well, thank you for your time, we’ll silently take our-“
“Ah.” The dryad interrupted Bethany’s parting words.
“One of my sisters to the west has just stated they’ve met a dragon hatchling. Though its form confuses them.”
The party’s intent instantly sharpened at those words. “Could you describe it? Its title notes that it’s supposedly a ‘host of decay’, so it having a mutated form wouldn’t be remiss!”
At the drop of the title name, the turf dryad recoiled as if slapped. “You seek the kin of the bog mother? Away with you! I won’t be dragged into this!”
Sidney’s party was surprised by the dryad’s reaction. “Please!” Bethany pleaded, “can’t you tell us anything about it?!”
“Speak to the bog mother if you are so desperate for permission.” The dryad said as its form started to fall apart, once again becoming a small clearing of soft grass. “You know where she resides, ask for her and she will answer,
as.
has..
Always…
Been….”
And with that, the presence of the dryad was completely gone, leaving the party standing there to discuss what they should do next.
~~~