Caedric had left the group at Lion's Watch. He talked to the troops there, telling them where he was going and how long he'd be gone.

It felt wrong, as he was the second in command, but he wasn't useful around the fortress anyway. He inserted himself too often into other people's business in an attempt to remove their burdens, which was a problem.

And so, he left. It wasn't defeatism that drove Caedric to leave, but rather opportunism. Throughout his life, he'd heard stories of an azial goddess who could fix the impurities of any natural body with ease. The best part of the tale was that she lived in a glade not far south of Lion's Watch.

Caedric felt as though if the rumors were false, it at least gave him time to think and give his friends a break from his antics, but if the rumors were true, he could finally be useful again.

And two weeks after his decision, he finally reached it. The Glade of Life, a dramatic name if there ever were one.

It was beautiful, even from a distance. Caedric had always loved nature, and so had many others in Ander's army. The trees displayed the way plants only grew when they were lovingly watched over. The green leaves of the summer trees were greener than any Caedric had ever seen before.

Birds flew overhead, but fixed to their skulls was a bone structure shaped almost like a halo.

Walking through the woods, Caedric enjoyed the sounds of nature, with frogs ribbiting and zipflies humming. It almost made the two-week trip worth it all by itself.

Looking up at the hill, Caedric could see a herd of pure white deer galloping past the small incline.

Taking in a deep breath, Caedric turned, taking in all the wonders of nature with closed eyes.

But when they opened, his eyes met an abomination face to face.

Caedric reacted quickly, drawing his sword, but the massive centipede charged at him even quicker, bowling him over completely.

It had ten body sections, each with their own pair of legs. The section closest to its bony head sported two stubby arms, only good for carrying its prey's carcasses. The monster was by no means a natural creature, as Caedric could peer into its ribcage and watch its grey heart sit dormant.

Getting ready for the beast to charge again, Caedric hefted his heavy steel longsword. He was best as a duelist, with a shield, but as he only had one arm, this would have to do.

Just when Caedric had resigned himself to his nigh-hopeless battle against a monster that nature itself seemed to want dead when a large man approached. He wore a helmet that hid his facial features and a jacket despite the humid summer heat. Around his neck was scarf, and over his sleeves was a leaf-like metal plating. Caedric had heard of this man.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

He was the paladin of nature, a right hand to the supposed goddess of this glade, and he wielded an axe as large as men were tall.

Knowing he'd be allied with this legend among men, Caedric felt a little more confident with his chances.

Caedric dropped his sword and pounded his hand on the ground, gritting through the fiery pain the pyromancers had inflicted upon him. Creating vines, Caedric was able to pin the monster in place as the nature paladin, Kapar, chopped it with his axe.

Despite their best efforts, the axe only sunk in about halfway.

Kapar pulled his axe out quickly, just barely blocking the undead creature's attack. Caedric picked up his blade rushed forward with his it in tow.

Three plausible factors made for an unplausible outcome. First, Kapar was focusing on parrying each of the monster's blows at speeds Caedric hadn't seen before, and the monster was focused just as hard. Second, the monster conjured a mound of stone spikes behind Kapar, where he couldn't interact with them. Lastly, Caedric was on the other side of the monster, and didn't have the energy left in him to push Kapar out of the way due to his long journey.

So, as Caedric's sword pierced the monster's torso, Kapar was stabbed in the back of his abdomen by spikes he only barely noticed.

Harnessing all the power available in his dying body, Kapar silently chopped down with a devastating attack from his axe, splitting the centipede's chitinous skull in half, but he crumpled as soon as the beast fell.

Running over to Kapar's side, Caedric was only able to hear his gurgle as his words failed to form past his injuries.

'Why isn't he healing? He's a paladin, his magic should be able to account for a wound like this.'

The quiet man seemed to be unable to. Understanding his situation, Kapar gave Caedric his scarf instead.

After Kapar passed, Caedric performed burial rites for him with the assistance of the wildlife around him and tearfully prayed to Aliran that Kapar's soul would find comfort.

Pushing past his sorrows, Caedric pressed on to the innermost part of the glade, where he met a fellow azial who wore green, leafy armor, and wielded a farming hoe.

Kneeling down, Caedric spoke to her: "Goddess, I-"

Caedric was interrupted by her melodious chuckle. She turned to look at him, her grass-green hair waving at the quick motion, her rosy-red eyes seemed to pierce right through Caedric's mind. "Goddess? I'm not one of those. I care for nature and those who are hungry or lost, but I'm no divine being."

"Oh, uh, sorry then, I guess," Caedric didn't know what to say, it was very quickly turning into an awkward conversation. "I originally came here to get my arm regrown, but as I travelled through your glade, I was forced to fight a horrendous beast and your paladin was killed. I was wondering what he meant when he gave me his scarf."

"He always was a stoic," the woman said sadly. "When he gave you his scarf, it was his way of telling me to choose you to be the next paladin of nature." She paused for a second. "Would you accept?"

Caedric rose up. "While I doubt that I'll be any use to you, it was Kapar's last request, so I'll see it done." Even a short time fighting by one's side shows their heart, and Caedric felt that Kapar's was a large one.

"Good," the full azial said. "First I must mend your arm. Bring it closer."

Caedric extended his crippled arm as far as he could, and the woman grabbed onto it. With a quick uttering of a magic word, she renewed Caedric's arm.

"Caedric Greentree, I, Frina, daughter of the wilds and facet of Aliran, do hereby appoint you as my paladin, if you accept so."

"I accept this responsibility and the consequences that come with it." Power flowed through Caedric's whole being. He felt as though he could survive any injury and run for days without stopping.

"Make sure, paladin, that you do not abuse this power," Frina warned.

"I will not."

"Now that that is cleared up, I'm going to train you in everything you will need to know and do as my paladin, and soon I will prepare equipment for your escapades." Caedric's new leader waited for him to internalize her words. "Now let's get started, your friends will need you soon."