They were sitting, finishing their meal, chatting happily. Well, until the lynx stole a pastry from the drelf. The plants began to rush towards the thief, so creating a great chaos, in which Goldmi could hardly hold back her laughing.
Suddenly, all the plants stopped. Maldoa turned her head and looked into the distance. She first frowned. Then, little by little, her face became more and more intimidating. Her disguise fell, and her real power arose, but not only that. Thorns sprouted from her face, from her arms, from her legs, thus showing her anger.
Some roots seemed to be growing from her feet. They were connected to the ground and the rest of the forest, so receiving information from the plants. When those roots were broken and the drelf started running, Goldmi had no doubt that something serious was going on.
“How dare they!” Maldoa spouted angrily.
In an instant, the elf gathered everything and went after her friend. Although she hadn’t asked her for help, the archer wasn’t going to abandon her when the drelf might need her.
Her Light Feet was essential to follow the drelf, from some of whose thorns a dangerous poison was beginning to ooze. It was clear that whoever her enemy was, she was determined to kill. She was gritting her teeth furiously, like they had never seen her before.
The lynx said nothing. She just followed them, but it was evident to her sister that she too was worried. She was ready to use all her power at any moment.
Suddenly, Maldoa stopped, her face ashen. Around, the plants were swaying in fury.
“Damn them!! I’m going to tear off every piece of their filthy flesh!” she screamed, full of anger.
“What’s going on?” Goldmi asked as she caught her breath.
The drelf turned towards her and grabbed her hand without saying a word. It scared her for a moment, and caused the feline to show her teeth. But none of the thorns or poison touched the elf. It was just a strange sensation, yet familiar.
Through her friend, she connected to the plants, to the blurred image of a young woman who seemed to be in her fourteenth year, but was probably quite older. The greenish bark, spines, or plant-like skin meant that she was a dryad. Perhaps, she was also a hybrid, like Maldoa.
A mixture of blood and sap was leaking from her arm. It was being collected in a transparent container, while she was dragged into a cave. The image became more and more blurred, until it disappeared. The cause of it shocked Goldmi.
The plants around the cave were dying, being poisoned by the toxic cloud that covered the area, and which Goldmi could clearly see from her position. Even dying, they had continued to broadcast, but had finally perished.
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“They’ve kidnapped my cousin Miletna. How can they…!? That cloud prevents us, dryads, from passing. Dammit! They want to steal her essence… They’ll kill her…! I won’t stop until I tear apart each one of them…! ” she explained while clenching her teeth. She was furious and desperate. However, something unexpected took her by surprise. “No! Wait! Goldmi! It’s too dangerous!”
But the elf had broken free and moved toward that toxic cloud. It was aimed at plants and dryads, but not other beings. Maldoa wanted to stop her, but she was already out of her reach.
She sighed with relief when she saw that neither her friend nor the lynx were harmed by that toxin. She watched as the elf approached the cave, while merging with the dead plants through Camouflage. The elf wanted to prevent those who guarded the entrance from discovering her. Next to her, there was her sister.
“It’s been a perfect job. Ha, ha. With her blood, we’ll be immortal,” laughed one of them. He was a demihuman with feline appearance and level 46.
“That fool believed that there was no danger just by being in the forest,” mocked his partner, of the same race and one level higher.
“Yes, it was worth hiding among the combatants for so long. With her body, we can even make ourselves good armo… Arrgggh!!” the first boasted, before being pierced by a dagger.
Goldmi had attacked from her Camouflage by surprise. She had used Stab to thrust the blade between the seams of the leather armor, thus reaching one of his vital points, and killing him.
The elf hadn’t even thought about killing another humanoid being until then. It is true that she had become used to fighting beasts and the losts, but that was a line that she didn’t even believe she was capable of crossing.
However, she had seen the cruelty with which they had treated the young dryad, the cruelty in the words of that pair of demihumans. They were willing to sacrifice her to get personal benefit. Furthermore, she had seen and felt Maldoa’s fury and despair. So, surprisingly, she didn’t hesitate.
“What…!?” his partner exclaimed incredulously, but that was all she was able to say.
From the shadows, the lynx attacked swiftly, and closed her jaws on her victim’s neck. She tried to react, but not only the claws were Shredding her arm, but the fire was consuming her. It was entering her through her wounds.
The elf stared at the scene for a moment, almost in shock, but she gritted her teeth and moved on. Right now, she couldn’t allow herself to think of anything other than rescuing the dryad.
Her sister followed her. She had seen the drelf. She had felt her sister and part of her connection to the former. She had heard the words of the now two corpses. She was furious.
On the one hand, the lynx appreciated Maldoa. On the other hand, it was more than a sacrilege to attempt on a dryad. Finally, her sister’s fury was her own. She didn’t feel any kind of remorse for her actions, nor was it the first time. Perhaps for the elf her actions in the game had been diffuse, but not for the feline.
She followed her sister while the drelf was waiting outside. Maldoa feared for the lives of her friends and her cousin, while anger and frustration filled her heart. However, there was nothing she could do except wait, and pray that Cathair Taibhse didn’t take her friends.
The fairy hadn’t entered either. That toxic cloud didn’t restrict her movements, but there was nothing she could do to help. Besides, being there could distract Aunt Omi, or alert a stranger and dangerous presence. However, she felt angry, as a fairy can rarely feel. It was an unforgivable act to attack a dryad, a being that was one with nature.
Perhaps, the kidnappers were unaware of the forces they had managed to enrage. Even if they got their way, there would be no place on the face of Jorgaldur where they could hide.