After salvaging everything he could from his wrecked cabin, Emrys left his old home behind. It was a very sad day for him. He had lived in this place for many years. He even has memories of living with his long dead relatives there.
Emrys pushed the sadness from his heart and focused on the path ahead. He hoped the next place he decided to live in would be just as good if not better.
It would take a lot of work to replace all of the rare plants he collected over the years but who knows, maybe he will find something new.
For now though, he decided to travel through the forest to assess the damage, and to check on his friends the Griffins, Dire Wolves, and Pixies.
He couldn't imagine what they had all been through in his absence.
First on his list was the Griffins, as they were the closest to where his cabin was. While moving through the forest he was able to see the vast changes that had happened.
The beautiful trees were now covered in black ooze and looked like they had been set on fire and left to die. It was heartbreaking to say the least.
The various shrubbery that used to be a vibrant green color was now black and purple and looked like it would be poisonous just by touching it.
The soil was no longer fertile, and held no moister at all. Although treants had the ability to repair such damage, it would take far too much mana. Maybe if he had another hundred or two of his race to help, then they could start reversing the damage.
He continued to move steadily through the forest. At this rate it wouldn't be long before he made it to the Griffin territory.
"Not to be a plant in the mud or anything, but doesn't this situation seem a bit hopeless, my friend? I mean what do you plan to do once you find the other inhabitants of the forest?" Thoko asked. He just couldn't see how one treant, even if he is the guardian, could repair such damage and also fight against the demons at the same time.
"Simple." Emrys replied confidently. "I will...do...what I can...until...my death." He said in his deep and guttural voice. He would never abandon the forest or the ones living within. It was not in his nature.
"I see. Then I will do my best to support you however I can guardian."
A few minutes later they finally made it to the same spot he had met with the Griffins before his fight with the demon that almost killed him.
Strangely, or I guess it wasn't that strange, there were no Griffins to be found. He looked around the area and only found the same corruption that plagued the rest of the forest now.
Just then, before he left the area, both Emrys and Thoko heard a loud booming sound in the distance. Not long after they were hit with a small earthquake of sorts.
It shook the ground violently for a few seconds and then stopped suddenly. With his forest senses, Emrys could tell the direction that the explosion came from and took off towards it.
If there was someone who had survived and needed help, then he would do everything he could to save them.
Pretty soon once he got closer he could see a large amount of smoke float up above the trees. He began moving faster.
There was a clearing up ahead. He burst through the trees and that's when he saw it. It was a demon. Although not a powerful one compared to its brethren. If one was to compare it to the average forest inhabitant it was still pretty strong.
And most creatures that live in the forest didn't have the skills or resistances that treants have against corruption.
The demon was holding a deadly looking red and black spear. The tip was engulfed in hellfire. When Emrys got closer he could see a smirk on the demons face.
Just what was this demon fighting exactly?
Well, when the smoke and dirt cleared away, he could see something that gave him hope deep in his heart, but was quickly replaced by anger.
It was an adult Griffin, but not just any Griffin. It was the very same one that he played around with on the last day he was alive. It was that same baby Griffin but now it was all grown up.
He was in bad shape as well. He had cuts and bruises all over his body, and parts of his fur was set aflame by hellfire. If this fight were to continue, then he would surely perish.
"Thoko...can you...help? I'm...going in." Emrys said with fiery determination in his eyes.
With those words Thoko was snapped back into reality. He couldn't believe that there was still a surviving Griffin in this forest. Not that they were weak mind you. He just thought the demons were just too powerful.
"Of course, my friend. My strength is yours." Thoko replied.
With that, Emrys burst forward. It wasn't that fast compared to most creatures, but for him it was a sort of powerful sprint that most things would be unable to stop.
"Thoko...now!" Emrys shouted when they had made it halfway to where the demon was standing.
Thoko then extended out its thorny vines and used them to encase the demon keeping it from moving very well. The thorns dug deeply into its skin causing blood to drip from the wounds.
"What is this!" The demon shouted in surprise. It was so focused on the puny Griffin in front of it that it didn't notice the attack from its side until it was too late.
The demon wasn't worried though. It couldn't be held back by vines such as these. At least, that's what it was thinking. But when it flexed its muscles to try and break free, not only did the vines endure, but the thorns dug in much deeper causing it a lot of pain.
The demon started to feel panic inside its chest. On the other side of the clearing, the Griffin was just as surprised. It was ready to lay down its life in this battle.
Emrys size quickly grew in accordance with his anger.
During this, Emrys never stopped moving and had finally made it close enough to attack the demon.
He jumped into the air and extended his knees forward. With all of the momentum he gathered, he collided with the demon. His knees smashed into its chest causing it to cave in from the impact.
The demon was thrown to the ground because it wasn't able to move its legs to compensate. He landed on the ground hard and coughed up a surprising amount of blood.
Emrys immediately pounced on top of the demon and landed several powerful blows to its face and head with his massive tree trunk like arms.
Each hit slightly dented the demons skull to the point it died from internal bleeding. The demon didn't even have enough time to react to the situation.
The Griffin couldn't believe its eyes. The demon that he had been fighting for hours was taken down in all of fifteen seconds.
No matter how hard he tried he couldn't even put a scratch on the infernal demon.
"Wait a second. Is that?! The guardian!" Despite his grievous injuries the Griffin ran full speed towards the treant and sat down right at his feet just like a puppy.
"Guardian! I cant believe its really you!"
"It's good...to see...you Indigo." Emrys responded while patting the Griffin named Indigo on his fluffy head. Indigo, even when sitting, was still a head taller than Emrys. He had beautiful blond fur and strong wings covered in feathers.
The griffin's happy expression quickly faded away. "Where have you been? Everyone...everyone is dead. Only a small group of us remain." It looked down to the ground with sadness in its eyes.
"I'm afraid to tell you that we almost lost our only guardian. He encountered a powerful demon and just barely came out on top." Thoko explained. Emrys nodded in confirmation.
"These cursed demons. I will make them pay!" Indigo roared. "They have ruined everything. After you disappeared the demons rage went unchallenged. They stormed across the forest, destroying everything in their path. Even my father...my family."
"I'm...sorry." Such unimaginable sadness. Emrys wished more than anything that he could go back in time and prevent all that had happened, but that was not possible.
The Griffin finally looked up and locked eyes with Emrys. "If I may ask for a favor, guardian?" Indigo asked.
"Yes?" Emrys was taken aback by the determined look in Indigo's eyes.
"I would like to follow you, and fight with you. If you would permit it."
Emrys thought for a moment. What he wanted more than anything was to keep the forest and its creatures safe. If Indigo fought with him, he would surely be in grave danger. On the other hand, its not like he could face all of the demons on his own.
He was conflicted. So he turned his head to Thoko on his left shoulder, wanting his opinion.
"If these demons are not stopped soon, then we will lose much more than one Griffin. I say we let him join us."