How can anyone live without fighting? It would be the same as not eating or making love. It would be the same as not having children or a home. It would be crazy to give up such an essential part of life.

How can anyone live without the adrenaline of betting everything when crossing swords or using spells?

To not battle to death at least once would be the same to not experience life to its full potential. It would be like dying a little bit every day.

We can never live like this. And we will teach this to those who insist on living in “Peace”, as they need to understand that if they do not want to live life to the fullest, then they don’t deserve to live.

Veteran Soldier – Spokesperson for the Independent Tribes of the East

*

Rinlia was not willing to leave this battle on the hands of luck. When she showed herself in front of the nymph, she knew exactly Yvanna’s current positioning and, when she rejected Nafaester’s proposal, she knew that the vampire was already sneaking up behind the werewolf’s back. Rinlia knew that the lupines would arrive soon and wanted to wait for them, but the nymph wouldn’t give her enough time.

-You are right. – Nafaester says, adjusting the dagger in her hand. – We will not give you the jewels.

-Then I have no other option.

With a nod, the elf authorizes the vampire, who immediately throws herself at the werewolf. Weak, Gaenar is unable to resist her attack and, although Yvanna does not try to kill him immediately, she manages to throw her legs over his head, intertwining it and, using the impulse, throws him on the ground.

Rinlia wastes no time, running to the nymph, using the sword to repel the dagger Nafaester throws towards her head. The movement is fast, but it gives the nymph enough time to raise her own hand, rising water from the river. She accumulates magic in the liquid, strengthening her blow and, feeling the weight, she launches her arm, throwing the waters over the elf.

Rinlia stops her run and raises her own hand, repelling the force of the waters, forming a small dome over her head. To maintain the pressure, Nafaester keeps her arms raised, supporting her own magic.

A few meters behind them, Arthur and Thiago remain still. The soldier keeps his hands on the sword, but decides not to intervene. Although his desire was to help, his orders was to keep Arthur safe.

-Aren’t you going to help them?

-I can’t. I have my orders.

-This makes no sense. – The young man grumbles. The soldier looks at him as he continues. – Didn’t you say you wouldn’t protect me anymore? So, why are you wasting time protecting me?

Thiago remembers the warning Rinlia gave Arthur a few days ago.

-The situation has changed. – He says.

-Yes, it changed. For worse. You need to help them.

-I can’t take the risk of leaving you alone.

-And I can’t risk losing the only people willing to help me.

The soldier hesitates again. His orders had not forbidden him to leave Arthur’s side. As long as he kept an eye on the boy’s situation, he could provide some help in the battle.

He was about to draw his sword when the sound of a bunch of creatures bursting through the trees behind him. With a glance, they see the lupines, running to that point, guided by Lancelot’s enormous figure.

Eight lupines surround the two fighting pairs, looking for an opportunity to help in the battle. Yvanna and Gaenar get into an intense body fight. Despite the injury, the werewolf’s size and strength forces the vampire to be careful even with the most open blows, throwing her body to the safest positions while maintaining herself close to him.

She is able to hit him with a kick near the bloodstain in the stomach area. The surprise causes the werewolf to scream in pain, turning his snout towards the vampire. Angry, he throws his body forward but it is intercepted by Galaaz, who throws himself on his arm and, in one bite, pierces the skin and fur.

The werewolf’s howl of pain affects the smaller lupines. Unlike Lancelot and Galaaz, the smaller ones retreat for a moment, feeling the authority of the werewolf. Lancelot, however, wastes no time and takes advantage of the positioning of Rinlia and Nafaester, throwing himself on the nymph. In order to dodge the wolf’s advance, she need to step back. The movement destabilize her magic, which is finally repelled by the elf. The waters fall down, harmlessly.

Nafaester looks around and realizes that she is surrounded. Even though her brother had weakened the will of the wolves, they maintained formation, making it impossible to escape. Even if she used her magic to create a route, she would be immediately pursued and she knows she is not fast enough to outrun the lupines.

Nafaester takes a step back, stopping after realizing that there is a wolf behind her. Her brother, wounded in the stomach, staggers as he faces the vampire.

The nymph sees no way out of this situation, except for the jewel stored in the bag on her chest. She thinks about using it, but the battle indicates that she won’t have enough time. Desperate, she looks around, looking for a way out.

Arthur and Thiago, a few meters away from the two battles, watch the events unfolding. For a moment, the eyes of Arthur and the nymph meet and he wonders if she noticed something.

However, no one would have much time to think. Under the orange rays of the sun, facing the waters of the river, a large stone falls among the combatants.

Rinlia sensed the proximity of the boulder and did not move although she knew it would fall next to her.

The stone lay on the ground, causing the surroundings to shake and immediately scaring everyone.

-What is happening? – Arthur tried to remain calm, but the sight of a meter-high projectile ripping through the earth was not something he could ignore.

Thiago doesn’t answer immediately, looking around. In his mind, as well as that of all those present, the answer seems obvious, but a vain hope insists that irrefutable proof must be reached before admitting the reality.

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The proof is found almost immediately, when the image of a creature made of stone, with three meters high, drops a tree nearby, violently, facing them and using all his strength to lift another huge stone.

-Golems! – Thiago exclaims, widening his eyes, turning to Rinlia. – We are being attacked by golems!

*

Talking wolves, werewolves, nymphs and, now, living creatures made out of stone. The number of surprises that this forest brought to Arthur every day does not even give him enough time to get used to what has already been shown to him. And, as much as his mind has become used to the absurd of this world, it is still difficult not to fear the hideous figure of the werewolf or the strength emanated by the four stone figures that impose themselves a few meters away.

-Thiago, get him out of here! – Rinlia screams and Arthur feels the soldier taking his arm and pulling him in the opposite direction.

Seeing Thiago running in the same direction as the river, the elf turns to the nymph who, like herself, is also surprised by the presence of the golems. The expression tranquilizes the elf. As long as the nymph does not realize that the golems will prioritize the attack on soldiers and humans, the direction of the battle is still in her favor.

-Lancelot! – She calls, seeing the figure of the great wolf turning to the golems for a moment.

The stone figures are close enough to start a run towards them. From where they stand, each of the four gray-stone giants throw their projectiles. Two of them hit the river and fall to the bottom, raising waves that fall over the warriors. One of them makes the werewolf move. The vampire uses the distraction to jump on his back. The last stone forces Rinlia to dodge, separating her from the nymph.

Nafaester has to retreat towards the river bank. She looks around and realizes that she has few alternatives.

Arthur and Thiago run, following the river. Yvanna digs her claws close to the werewolf’s neck while Galaaz hits him in the leg. With his free hand, the vampire rips the leather bag stuck in the werewolf’s chest and pulls it off, bouncing back and distancing herself from him.

The nymph looks at her brother and realizes how weak he is. There not enough time to think, given the proximity to the golems. She knows that they will focus on the bigger groups and that is why she makes her next move.

-Brother! – The werewolf turns around immediately. She points to the river.

-They got my piece! – He points to his chest and she realizes that the bag had been taken.

-It doesn’t matter! Just follow me! – She throws herself on the river.

-Keep your promise! – He screams.

If she could, she would have immediately swum against the flow of the river. She would make the effort to swim back to the shore. However, she knew she could not do that now. Not while desperate and after using her magic.

Nafaester was washed away and the werewolf immediately turned to the four main enemies: Yvanna, Rinlia, Galaaz and Lancelot.

He was willing to sacrifice his own life to delay them.

-We will hold the golems! – Lancelot screams, making his subordinates come back to reality. – Galaaz!

Years of experience taught the reddish-fur wolf that the tone Lancelot used was authorizing him to separate from the group. Galaaz turns to the opposite direction to the golems, facing the werewolf. Rinlia notices that and starts to move.

-Yvanna, I’ll go ahead. Leave the bag with the wolf. – She signals to Galaaz. – You come with me.

The vampire does not ask questions. She tosses the bag to the wolf, who takes it with a bite and follows the elf, who runs. With a movement, he throws leather around his own neck, using it as a necklace. The werewolf tries to follow them, but it is immediately intercepted by Yvanna. Injured as he is, Gaenar is unable to escape her and the other two continue following the river, trying to close the distance in relation to the nymph.

The lupines, facing the golems, growl ferociously, running around them with Lancelot’s guidance. The wolf knows that he will not be able to kill four golems with the small number of subordinates at his disposal. However, he uses the opponent’s low intelligence to get their attention and make them run in the opposite direction from their allies.

With a few howls and minor attacks on the creatures’ legs, they are able to irritate the golems, which put down trees and destroy part of the land trying to trample the lupines. Some wolves are caught and their bodies are thrown meters away.

Concern for their own safety is not a priority at the moment. Lancelot do not want any lupine to be injured by the confrontation, and for that, he understands that he needs to finish this task as fast as possible. He guides the golems to a land with large trees, where the creatures cannot move freely.

The strategy is largely successful, as Yvanna and Gaenar end up alone. However, one of the golems, noticing that the other three have moved away, looks in the opposite direction to the wolves.

In the distance, he notices the glow of Rinlia’s armor running alongside Galaaz. In front of them, the image of two humans also stand out among the vegetation. There are not enough lupines to guide the golems like sheep. Therefore, when the fourth golem strays from the group, its advances in the opposite direction cannot be stopped.

He passes right by the werewolf and the vampire, continuing towards the others. Each step in his run is a bang that makes the region’s ground shake.

-Rinlia! – Arthur’s voice is accompanied by a gesture to her back. The elf does not need to turn around to know what the boy is pointing at.

The wolf and the commander manage to approach the other two, running alongside them.

-Where is she? – The elf asks with her eyes on Thiago’s face.

-Still in the river. She couldn’t get out and, at this rate, she will fall.

He points to a place several meters ahead, where it is possible to see where the Moss waterfall disembogue. Closer and closer, by this point it was already producing enough force on the waters of the river to prevent any attempt to swim in the opposite direction.

-Let’s hope you’re right. – She says. – That give us time to deal with this other problem.

The golem is getting closer. Thiago knows that he will catch up with them soon.

-I’ll delay him a little. – The soldier announces, waiting for the authorization from the elf.

-You won’t be able to defeat a golem alone.

-If we continue like this, we will all end up fighting him and she will escape. I can at least give you enough time to get out of his sight.

The elf knows he is right, but does not want to give the order. Unfortunately, there is no time or resources enough for her to ignore the offer.

-Don’t die. We just need a few seconds. After that, you can run away and regroup with Yvanna.

The soldier waves, immediately stopping his run and turning to the opposite direction.

-He… - Arthur finds it difficult to ask, looking at the figure behind him. – Will he be okay? That thing seems to be strong.

The elf does not answer. Galaaz doesn’t even turn to see the image behind him before saying:

-It is not up to us to know if he will win. It is up to us to respect his desire and not waste the opportunity he is trying to create.

Arthur feels a shiver, following the two and listening to the noise made by the golem. The terrain next to the river becomes more and more rugged and, little by little, shows signs of the slope next to the waterfall.

The three pursuers keep their eyes on the river. The nymph raises her arms, trying to control the water with magic, but she is just able to delay her own fall. Rinlia raises her hands, but without coordination with the nymph it would be impossible to do anything.

-It’s futile. She will fall. – The commander announces, running towards the slope. Keep running. If she survives, we’ll find her down there.

-If she survives? – The tranquility which these creatures dealt with the notion of death is not something that Arthur’s brain can get used easily.

Rinlia does not answer and, this time, Galaaz has no words to say. Instead, they move on, in silence, looking for the safest foothold to start their descent.

*

Nafaester feels the waters pulling her body towards the fall. Even if she used all her magic to lessen the impact, she would still be falling from something higher than a tower in the middle of strong waters. It would be a fast and violent fall to the surface of the river below. And that would only be truth if she was lucky enough to not hit any rocks on her way down.

She clinches her hands and struggles to keep her head on the surface. The intention is to gather as much air in her lungs as possible.

She knows that the fall is inevitable by this point. That water fall – Moss – is known to be over 100 meters high. It is the tallest in the Valley and one of the tallest in the entire Forest.

“I left my brother behind only to die right after. And by the hands of Nature itself.”

She can see the end of her journey ahead. The sound of the waterfall is deafening. The strength of the river is unquestionable.

“You finally did it, didn’t you? Is it my life that you want? Let’s see if you can get it, you piece of-”

The “Princess” of the Great Forest falls down, ready to die the way she always wanted: Cursing the entities and the belief that the Forest places on them.

*

*