The trio raced across the northern plains, the sound of thundering hooves echoing in the vast emptiness as they pushed their horses to their limits. The sun was dipping lower on the horizon, casting long shadows that stretched across the land. They were racing against time, desperate to reach Bagon before sunset.
The plains were far from empty. Along their route, they encountered streams of refugees, their faces pale with exhaustion and terror as they trudged toward the safety of Nale City. Entire families carried what little they could salvage, some tending to wounded loved ones while others stared vacantly ahead, haunted by the horrors they had fled.
Leon's voice broke the grim silence. "Did those demons attack the surrounding villages too? Why are there so many refugees?"
Asuma's jaw tightened as he surveyed the displaced masses. "Whatever demon took Bagon is probably trying to secure a foothold in the north. Wiping out surrounding villages is a good way to start."
Amira nodded, her tone heavy. "It'll take time for Azel to mobilize its army. That's why the adventurers at the guild were hired—to buy the empire time."
Leon hesitated, his brows furrowing. "Do you think they'll be able to hold out until the army gets there?"
Asuma's eyes narrowed as he focused on the road ahead. "We'll find out when the battle starts tomorrow. By then, we should be out of that forsaken place with Uncle Rona."
As they neared Bagon City, the once-vast plains began to change. The golden grasses gave way to lush greenery, which quickly grew into an oppressive forest. Towering trees with thick, gnarled trunks loomed over them, their branches interwoven like skeletal fingers. Vines crept across the ground, and unnatural foliage choked the landscape. It was as if the land itself had been corrupted.
Leon reined in his horse, looking around in confusion. "Wasn't the north supposed to be all plains? Why is there suddenly an entire forest growing here?"
Asuma scanned the surroundings, his eyes sharp. "It's probably the demon's magic."
Leon's expression darkened. "For a demon to alter reality like this… doesn't that mean it's a rank 5 or higher?"
Amira's voice was steady but grim. "Only a demon of that rank or higher could invade the empire. Anything weaker would have been slain before it could take a single step onto Azel's soil."
Leon exhaled, trying to shake off the dread creeping up his spine. "Let's hope we don't run into the demon calling the shots. I don't think my mind's recovered from Camellia yet."
"None of us have," Asuma said quietly, gripping his reins tighter.
The deeper they traveled into the forest, the more grotesque and gruesome the surroundings became. The air grew heavy, filled with a sickly-sweet stench that made it hard to breathe. Corpses dangled from the trees, their bodies twisted and broken, some missing limbs while others were bound in vines, their lifeless faces frozen in terror. The ground was littered with petrified remains, some of which had been partially consumed by creeping roots and moss. It was a graveyard of nature's cruelty, a testament to the demon's unrelenting malice.
Amira covered her nose with her sleeve, her voice trembling. "This is… awful."
Leon muttered under his breath, his usual humor absent. "This isn't a forest. It's a graveyard."
Asuma clenched his fists, his anger bubbling beneath the surface. Demons… They have no regard for human life. They don't build, they don't create—only destroy. His jaw tightened as the sights around them reignited his resolve.
Up ahead, Leon abruptly pulled his horse to a halt, raising a hand to signal the others. "Hold on," he said, his voice low. "I'm sensing a large group of demons just ahead on the road. We need to get off the main path."
Amira nodded, guiding her horse to follow Leon as he veered into the dense forest. "We don't have time to fight them. If they spot us, we'll be swarmed."
The forest grew even thicker as they ventured off the road. The trees became tightly packed, their branches intertwining to block out the fading sunlight. The air felt alive as if the forest itself was watching them. After several minutes, the terrain became impassable for their horses. The vines and underbrush formed a near-impenetrable wall, forcing them to stop.
Leon swung down from his saddle, sighing heavily. "We'll have to go on foot from here. The horses can't make it through."
Amira glanced back at the animals, frowning. "I hope Garv doesn't hate us too much for leaving his horses behind."
Leon managed a weak grin. "He's a knight—he'll get over it. Besides, if we save Duke Vauh, I think he'll forgive us."
Amira gave a soft chuckle despite the tension, but her expression quickly returned to one of determination. "Let's move quickly. We're running out of time."
Venturing deeper into the forest on foot, an unsettling sense of unease clung to the trio. The air itself felt heavy, alive with a sinister presence, as though the forest was watching their every move. It wasn't just paranoia—this forest was alive, shaped by a demon's magic. High-ranking demons often altered reality itself, creating environments that amplified their powers. But such feats came at a cost: maintaining these warped domains consumed massive amounts of aura, leaving them vulnerable if their reserves were drained.
Leon broke the tense silence, his tone uneasy. "We should be careful. The last thing we want is for this forest to start attacking us."
Amira and Asuma froze, turning to him with simultaneous glares of annoyance.
"Of course, you'd jinx us," Asuma muttered, exasperated.
"Now we're definitely going to be attacked by the forest," Amira added, her tone deadpan.
Leon opened his mouth to protest, but before he could, the forest responded. Vines erupted from the ground, coiling and twisting like serpents. They lunged toward the group, their movements unnervingly precise, as if directed by a malevolent will.
"Next time, don't jinx us!" Amira snapped, slashing through the advancing vines with a flurry of spear strikes. Asuma followed suit, cutting through the relentless vegetation with swift, calculated movements.
The vines were relentless, attacking from all directions in a chaotic barrage. They coiled and lashed out, trying to ensnare the trio, forcing them to keep moving. Their energy waned with each passing second, the forest seeming to grow angrier the longer they resisted.
"We need to get out of this forest!" Asuma shouted, his tone commanding. "I'll clear the way. Stay behind me and cover my back!"
"Got it!" Leon and Amira responded in unison.
Asuma took the lead, his sword blazing with determination as he hacked through the writhing mass of vines. Behind him, Leon and Amira fought to keep the rear secure, deflecting and severing the tendrils that tried to encircle them. The forest felt endless, the suffocating trees and vines closing in tighter with every step.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the trees began to thin, and the oppressive aura eased slightly. They broke free from the forest's grasp, stumbling out onto a clearing near the eastern gate of Bagon City. Breathing heavily, the trio paused to catch their breath.
Leon let out a low whistle, his eyes wide as he looked toward the city. "What the hell is that?" he said, pointing.
In the distance, an enormous oak tree towered over the ruins of Bagon. Its massive trunk and sprawling branches stretched so high it seemed to pierce the heavens, casting an ominous shadow across the land.
Asuma's expression darkened. "That tree explains a lot. Ever since we saw those refugees pouring into Nale, with branches fused to their bodies, I've had a suspicion. This demon… it's probably a dryad. And not just any dryad—a powerful one."
Amira frowned, gripping her spear tighter. "A dryad? Aren't they supposed to be spirits of the gods? Why would one attack a city?"
Leon's eyes narrowed as he glanced at Asuma. "Yeah, isn't their whole deal protecting nature or something?"
Asuma nodded grimly. "Under normal circumstances, yes. But dryads can be corrupted. When that happens, they forsake their allegiance to the gods and swear themselves to the Goddess of Death. In exchange, they gain immense power and become something entirely different—demonic dryads."
Leon shivered. "A demon dryad… I've never heard of one before."
"Few have," Asuma replied. "Only a handful have ever been recorded. But they're always catastrophic."
Amira pulled a folded map from her satchel, her expression determined. "Before we left, Garv gave me this. It's a map of Bagon's underground tunnel system. We can use it to sneak into the city without alerting the demons."
Asuma leaned closer, examining the map. He traced a path with his finger. "They're probably keeping the hostages in the Taslis Castle, at the center of the city. This route here leads straight to it."
Leon peered over his shoulder. "Tunnels are better than fighting through hordes of demons, but they're probably crawling with them too."
"This whole place is radiating demonic aura. We'll have to be careful. Stick together, stay quiet, and don't engage unless necessary."
Amira and Leon nodded in agreement. There was no room for mistakes.
The trio pressed forward, skirting the city's edge as they searched for the entrance to the underground tunnels.
The entrance to the underground tunnels was well-hidden, tucked behind an old, crumbling house just outside the east gate. Dense grasses, now entangled with the burgeoning forest, had almost entirely concealed the hatch, but with careful searching, the trio managed to uncover it. The rusty hinges groaned as they pried it open, revealing a dark passage leading into the depths.
Asuma peered down, gripping the edge of the opening. "This is it. Let's move."
The tunnels beneath Bagon were a labyrinth, a maze of crisscrossing pathways that stretched across the city's foundation. The air was damp and stale, the walls slick with moisture. Once, these tunnels had been a lifeline for the city's people. During the Black Raids, when Bagon was under siege by pirates funded by the Sea King Empire, the tunnels allowed supplies to reach the defenders, keeping the city alive until the Azel Army could break the siege. Now, however, they were eerie and desolate, their history buried beneath layers of dread.
As they ventured deeper, Asuma couldn't shake the sense of something massive lurking below. The sensation was oppressive, a pulse of power radiating from beneath their feet. He glanced at Amira. "Did your map show anything about another level below us? Something deeper?"
Amira shook her head, her brows furrowed with unease. "No. But you're right—there's something down there. Whatever it is, it doesn't feel natural."
Leon sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Let the army deal with it. We're here for Uncle Rona, not to pick a fight with some unknown monstrosity. After the guild and the empire retake this city, they can investigate all they want."
Asuma nodded reluctantly. He's right. We're not here to confront the dryad or whatever is lurking below. Our mission is simple—find Rona, and hopefully Duke Vauh, then get out alive.
After what felt like an eternity of navigating the twisting tunnels, they finally arrived beneath the castle. Climbing up through a hidden passage, they emerged in the lower levels, where the castle's dungeon lay. The sight that greeted them left them momentarily stunned.
The once-stark stone walls of the dungeon were now covered in vines and blooming flowers, their vibrant colors standing out sharply against the dim lighting. The floor had transformed into something unnatural, resembling the lush grass of the forest outside.
"The dryad's turned this place into its home," Leon commented, his voice low.
Amira stepped cautiously, her gaze darting around the transformed dungeon. "If this is its home, it's also its trap."
But amidst the beauty lay horrors. The cells lining the dungeon were a grotesque mockery of life. Flowers sprouted from the corpses of prisoners, their bright petals feeding on death. Vines coiled around other bodies, squeezing the life out of them in agonizing slow death. Some victims were partially transformed, miniature trees growing from their mouths, as though the forest itself was consuming them.
Asuma gritted his teeth, disgust flashing across his face. "This is horrible. Demons have no limits."
Amira scanned the cells, her heart racing. "Uncle isn't here," she said, frustration and fear creeping into her voice.
Leon looked around, his hand resting on the hilt of his weapon. "If he's not here, they've probably moved him deeper into the castle. But there's no telling how many demons are up there."
Asuma closed his eyes, focusing on the pulsing aura coming from above. "There's something powerful up there. If we go in blind, we'll be slaughtered."
Leon frowned, his tension mounting. "Then what's the plan? We can't just wander around hoping to stumble across Rona."
Asuma's gaze hardened. "We'll get captured."
Leon stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. "What? Are you insane? They'll kill us on the spot!"
Amira stepped closer to Asuma, tilting her head thoughtfully. "I think I understand. They're not killing all the prisoners, are they?"
Asuma nodded. "Exactly. Look at these bodies—they're from non-magic users. The demons are likely experimenting on magic users instead of killing them outright. If we let ourselves get captured, they'll take us where they're keeping their magic-using prisoners. That's probably where Uncle Rona is."
Leon threw up his hands, exasperated. "And what's the part of this plan where we fight through hundreds of demons to escape?"
Asuma smirked faintly. "We'll use the guild's attack as our cover. When the adventurers launch their assault tomorrow, the demons will be too distracted to guard us properly. That's when we make our move."
Amira nodded in agreement. "It's risky, but it's the only way we'll find Uncle Rona. Searching the entire city isn't an option, and fighting our way through isn't either. This plan gives us a chance."
Leon crossed his arms, clearly unhappy. "Fine. But if this goes sideways, I'm blaming both of you."
"Noted," Asuma said, his tone unwavering. "Let's move."
Climbing the winding stairs, the trio felt the oppressive aura intensify with every step. The stone walls, once pristine, were now overrun with crawling vines and luminous flowers that pulsed faintly, as though alive. Each step brought them closer to the main floor of the castle, and to the unknown horrors awaiting them.
When they finally reached the grand hall, they froze. Before them stood an army of demonic entities, their forms grotesque yet eerily human-like. They were constructed of branches and twisted roots, their limbs creaking as they moved. Their faces were malformed, like poor imitations of humanity, and each one was armed with crude but lethal weapons made of fused metal and wood.
The creatures sneered at the trio, their glowing red eyes fixed hungrily on them.
Leon's grip tightened on his bow as he muttered, "I don't think they're planning to take us in."
The demons began to advance, their movements slow and deliberate, like predators savoring their prey. Leon raised his bow, readying an arrow, while Amira and Asuma prepared to defend themselves.
Just as the first line of creatures tensed to lunge, a commanding voice rang out, cutting through the tension like a blade.
"Enough."
The demons froze mid-step and turned, parting to reveal a figure strolling leisurely through their ranks. He was a young man, his sharp, angular features marking him as barely older than Asuma or Leon. His lime-green eyes glowed with an unsettling brilliance, locking onto the trio as if peering straight through them.
His armor was a striking blend of black and green, etched with intricate patterns that seemed to shimmer like living vines. A faint, demonic energy radiated from him, a stark contrast to the brutish aura of the other monsters. He moved with an air of regal authority, his confidence unshaken.
But what truly set him apart were the branch-like horns curling from his head, a telltale sign of his demonic nature. Though he looked almost human, it was clear he was anything but.
The young man's lips curled into a mocking smirk. "What are you dimwits doing?" he said, his voice laced with disdain. "Kneel. You are in the presence of the Prince of Mercy."
At his words, the demons instantly dropped to their knees, bowing their grotesque heads to them. The trio stood frozen, their minds racing to process what was unfolding before them.
"What the hell is going on here!?" Leon blurted.