Shaking the trees around the clearing with each stride, the guardian of nature charged toward the guardian of light.
"Finding balance will enhance your growth", evading the charge with flowing grace the blue woman added, "wanton violence will bring your fall".
Roots growing inside the guardian's body buried themselves in the ground felling it in an avalanche of brambles and folliage, its usual rustling of branches and leaves sounded out of place to Jeremy though he couldn't say why, branches behind the guardian of light curved and snapped back like a slapping hand flinging Ashashit at another tree.
"If you can't take a joke", the guardian of light said, "step off the stage", branches on the edges of the forest behemoth dried up, turning white and curling before falling off to the ground.
Disturbed again by something in the sounds of the forest Jeremy couldn't tell what it was when a root shot up from the ground like a thrust spear and almost impaled the blue creature, "too slow old champ", came a retort and the woodlands monster started moving slower, looking at its slow motion in contrast to the trees around almost enough to get motion sickness.
Shaking its top in agitation and pulling its roots from the ground the hulking creature started another rumbling charge at the guardian of light, "enhance your cool" at the words a freezing cone of ice emanated from where she flotaed on her cloud, washing over the other monster and creating rivults of ice on its surface, with a loud crack one of its main branches broke and fell to shatter on the ground.
Shaking snow off its foliage in a twist an arm shot out in a sweeping motion and grazed Ashashit's abdomen even as she was gliding back leaving furrows glistening with purple blood.
"May the force be with you", words followed by the giant treelike creature being flung back as if pushed by a giant hand leaving deep treads in the earth where its roots dragged.
"Enough of this" Julian clearly got over his soapy opera, "kill it" pushing one of the sorcerers toward the fighting mosters.
Looking back frightened the man still did as commanded shouting "scorching ray" and hitting Ashashit in the back.
Turning to the group the blue humanoid seemed almost sad, "if you will not respect your elders" the familiar words almost making Jeremy pity the fools, "you will learn to fear them"
Screams and running feet were the next actions of almost half of the party and the other half had white knucles and sweating faces over shaking legs, "what the fuck Julian", was shouted at the same time with "we cant fight something like this" and "what in all hells?"
A calming breeze moved through the forest, even Jeremy fealt it bolster his nerves as the canopy of trees parted to let the sun shine through in beams of light filling his heart with joy and memorys of a better time when sitting on his grandpa's knee and listening to stories about the wonders of the forest made him dream of adventures and finding new monsters to be friends with.
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The party found new strength and those who didn't run turned back to face their enemy, "I could use a keg of beer about now", one of the Salesworths said followed by, "a cause to win this fight", and "no pain no gain"
"Buff a gnat and its still just an insect", words flowing through the forest, "yet enough tiny bites will fell even the mightiest of trees", hissing sounded from the guardian of the forest and it toppled down to crash at the forest ground, hordes of insects swarming out of it eliciting more cries of fearful disgust from the group.
Gathering itself with the groan of dungeon forests during winter the monster seemed diminished, less a giant healthy bush and more like a wiry windswept loner tree, its branches twisted and gnarled, ash white bark filled with furrows and scars from fire and wind, it lumbered forth in a majestic gait holding a long felled branch like a sword in a play, creaking with every step as it swiped its blade in a downward attack barely evaded the guardian of light.
"Finally showing your true self?" She mocked, "the king of the forest returns to a burnt kingdom".
Jeremy could only describe the sound as an enraged roar when the giant tree swept its blade aside almost hitting her before she floated up, he hadn't seen that tree since he was a boy, sitting at its feet and playing wizards and pirates with his friends, thinking back it almost seemed strange how the adults let them wander danger filled dungeon grounds unsupervised but now he knew who kept them safe, did Julian do the same for the new kids around the guild, Jeremy didn't think so.
"Web", one of the posseys cast the spell entangling Ashashit and the hulking tree together, "fireball" sounding almost before the first spell finished manifesting.
Balefires rose when the web was consumed blowing up the sword branch and sending the guardian of light tumbling uncontrollably into the nearby bushes where flames and smoke continued to rise, but Jeremy didn't see it as the roars of fire mingled with something else, suddenly he knew, all the strange forest sounds were just like the flowing waters of Ashashit, the old tree was alive, and living things could die.
"No" he screamed and dropped already running as he hit the ground "healing word", trying to buy more time, "double cast", he reached the ancient giant as it toppled down to the ground wisps of smoke rising from its smoldering body, "Julian cast healing rains" he screamed back.
"Where in hell did you come from?" Julian mocked him, "you don't get to give me orders", looking around at his party, "besides no one is hurt so why should I waste mana?"
"The king of the forest is hurt", Jeremy suddenly understood his grandpa's favorite legend, "you have to help him"
"There is no king of the forest silly boy", laughing, "its just a stupid childrens' story", the group joined in laughing.
"Just cast the spell" begging never helped anything, "please Julian"
"Enough chit chat where is the treasure", Julian was getting angry from his brother's nonsense.
"There is no treasure" Jeremy coukdn't believe his brother would be so cruel to his own summoned creature.
"You lie", Julian screamed "allways lying" then a malicious smile split his lips, "believing in fairytails", looking at the guardian of nature he said "dismiss", but the smoking tree didn't vanish, turning to one of his sorcerers "blow it up"
"But your brother is there" came the reply.
"Blow them both up or I kick you out of the party right now", Julian screeched at him.
"Fireball", Jeremy didn't have his longstride or magic armor on, he couldn't run fast enough to avoid the blast, a branch fell in front of him in a crash, taking on the full blast of the fireball and somehow shielding Jeremy and then the old tree vanished.
"Get him" he heard Julian command and the Salesworth brothers surrounded him in the blink of an eye blocking his escape and readying to attack if he cast a spell.