Eric walked, sword in hand, on the sandy path. The canopy stretched above him, casting menacing shadows as he passed. He was not alone in this forest, he knew it and was prepared for any confrontation. The further he advanced, the thicker the vegetation became, and the more afraid he became. Being prepared didn't exclude some anxiety, apparently.

- I'm here, show yourself! he shouted in vain through the forest.

A heavy silence answered him. The leaves fluttered and the branches swayed in the wind.

- Fucking forest... He grumbled. It was definitely not his favorite terrain, he who had grown up in the city, training with determination every morning with his fencing master in the castle courtyard.

But now, he had been sent on a rescue mission to the Abdar Forest. It was both a mission of public utility, the city's arcanist was missing, and a sort of unofficial rite of passage for his status as Paladin of the Order.

He continued on his way, prayed with all his might to the resources that had been made available to him, all these incantations, spells and martial techniques that he knew and progressed with a more sure step.

A shadow passed to the left. Or was it the wind? This damned forest was playing with his senses, he was sure of it. The Order had informed him of the psychic threats in his mission order, but that didn't change anything. The feelings were there, and the fleeting impressions too.

To the right now, he turned his head suddenly, his senses alert, and cast a piercing glance through the bushes lining the edge of the path.

- Who's there !? he thundered

Always the same answer, the sound of the wind. Maybe this was how the forest communicated? It was said to be alive, full of connected creatures, forming a collective consciousness in communion with nature. A bunch of druidic delusion for Eric, who believed in his Divine Paladin principles and in Arcanism when he needed it – it was useful, sometimes, he had to admit.

Returning his attention to the path, he noticed a sharp bend followed by a staircase made of stone slabs. He climbed them one by one, always on the alert, and finally reached the top of a ridge.

Before him lay a crater. The forest had suffered, that was certain. Brambles lined the crater, as if to protect the forest from whatever was in the center (or was it a prison?). The steep slope was glazed. An explosion of incredible power followed by immense heat must have occurred in this area. In the center of the crater was a shape, humanoid in appearance, curled up.

Definitely the Arcanist, another one of his experiments gone wrong. An aborted teleport, an adulterated summon, a corked vial of mana... It was a capricious science that was beyond him, nothing matched the stability of the Divine Order of Paladins.

He put his sword back in its sheath and grabbed his knife. Sliding down the slope, he landed near the creature's body. A cursory inspection showed dark blue mottled skin, and long ears. Long ears? He had already seen this in one of his books when he was studying, but impossible to remember it... He turned the inert body over to observe the stranger's face. Eyes closed peacefully, no trace of injury. Had it fallen from the sky? Had he been summoned by a witch ritual?

For the moment, he would have no answer to his questions because the stranger refused to open his eyes, despite his insistent requests - based on slaps. Eric considered leaving it there. After all, he had not come to collect all the poor unfortunates of the forest. The verses of the Order were clear, he preached generosity, clemency and mercy, especially towards his tribe, not towards all the poor of Adua. With a shrug, he figured that the study of such a creature might interest one of the city's scholars, so he summarily tied her up and hoisted her onto his shoulder.

Setting out again, he arrived at the top of the crater, from the opposite edge, and cut the brambles with a skilful stroke of his sword. He was making his way through the brambles when suddenly he heard a howl, followed by a crack in the mana field. Probably the Arcanist, one spell too many perhaps? He tried as best he could to pass through the thick vegetation, with a well-placed sword, to reach the source of the cry. He seemed to have reached his goal when he heard cracking voices:

- So sorcerer, where are your little luminous soldiers?

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- You are not welcome here, especially to carry out your dismal experiments… Added another voice.

- Offer it as an offering to the forest. Commanded a third voice.

Three Dryadis surrounded the city Arcanist, who was in a pitiful state. His mage robe was torn, and the catalyst on his staff was charred. As for the man, he was white as snow, had glassy eyes and was sweating profusely. Seeing the Arcanist in an unfortunate posture, Eric did not hesitate for a second and prepared for combat, gently letting the stranger who was trapped in the crater slide to the ground. Diplomacy was not in the Paladins' ropes, it was an order known for its impetuosity.

Patre sancti divinus aegis defendat me ... Within seconds, Eric chanted a divine incantation of aegis , protecting the caster with the powers granted by his Order of Paladins. A golden light followed by a gentle warmth invades it. Cracking his muscles, he knew he was protected, because he was on the right path. This kind of divine envelope drastically limited the amount of his movements. He advanced discreetly towards the nearest Dryadis.

Like his peers, he was an ugly and dark being. Like dead wood, a pitiful mutation of the Dryads, the Dryadis were a people thriving in dead and gloomy plant environments. No surprise to come across them not far from the crater. Like all the intelligent beings of Adua, they formed a people, with vague boundaries, certainly, but a people all the same. Scholars believed that they communicated through the layer of dead vegetation buried in the ground, found almost everywhere.

Eric was now two steps away, coming up behind the creature. He brought his sword down diagonally across the back of the neck and sliced the creature straight up to the hip.

– Eric Molor! Kill these Dryadis and serve your King!

- I was not waiting for your permission, O Arcanist, and try not to embarrass me! Ira deus infernum imber spectatum! With a quick gesture, Eric planted his sword in the ground, raised one hand to the sky and aimed his other hand at the second Dryadis, then recited a verse from Ira – divine wrath .

A fiery arrow descended from the sky, passed through his hand and out in the other, towards the creature. She collapsed, her paws on her incandescent abdomen, where Ira had struck; his howls grew louder and the devouring fire did not fade. Eric did not master the manifestation of divine wrath nor the effects on the creatures attacked. As long as he had faith, and his target was evil, everything worked, he didn't question the Order's invocations further.

Enraged at having witnessed the death of his two subordinates, the last Dryadis was ready to confront the Paladin. Letting out a shrill cry, it grew thorns on its body and severed its limbs, like dead wood, thus generating two sharp spikes. The creature charged.

Eric left aside all divine help, having invoked the help of his Order twice already in a few minutes, he knew he was indebted and risked having any additional prayers refused.

Eric picked up his sword from the ground, grabbed it with both hands and stood firmly in his position, waiting for the right moment to act. When the Dryadis was in range, he cocked a slash and swept horizontally in front of him, hoping to hit something. The Dryadis passed under the blade and hit him head-on, taking him with him in his race which ended up on the ground. The thorns pressing against its luminous envelope, Eric knew he was in relative safety. After a few unsteady rolls, he quickly managed to grab his knife and dealt a fatal blow to the heart of the creature, which collapsed on top of him with a final death rattle.

He pushed her aside and got up with difficulty.

- Thank you for all this Paladin, I am in your debt.

- I was looking for you, the Consul charged me with bringing you back. Why were you gone for so long?

- I was on the trail of a creature announced by the Stars, which fell from a cosmic fire not far from here.

- Do you want to talk about this stranger? Eric pointed to the stranger tied up on the ground further away, still asleep.

The Arcanist turned his head and froze.

- Yes, he said in a breath.