Forest of the Ancients - Chapter 1
"Do you hear that?" the tired warrior asked her companion.
"No," she replied. "What was it?"
The bushes shook again, this time louder. Birds scattered.
----------------
This clearing in the forest was dark; clouds covered the sky, as they usually did this time of year. The camp the two warriors had set up was minimal. It had a fire pit and a tent pitched, with little else to sustain them. Prayers for rain were uttered every hour of every day, as their water supply ran thinner and thinner with each passing day. Perhaps today would be it.
The woman bent down to collect some sticks for firewood. At some point she began to wonder how her job as an assailant had sent her into the death mission that was scouting this forest. She was used to danger, but dehydration? Surely this wasn't meant to be her fate.
----------------
Endymion stood tall. His position as the Master Magician of the Grand Citadel was apparent to all that resided here, and his stature far outclassed that of the guests which knelt before him. He spoke, and his voice resounded deep through the chamber as he addressed the warriors in front of him.
"Some time ago, from this citadel was stolen a relic capable of increasing the power of my magical army by incredible amounts, the very army which keeps these lands safe. It was taken into the forest to the north, as far as I am aware, and has not yet been able to be returned."
Endymion paced. "This is why I have called you to me. I need it returned here as quickly as possible, and as two of the most powerful members of the Different Dimension Army, I have chosen you to complete this task for me." He stopped and turned to face them, a cold and stern countenance consuming him. His eyes glowed golden, pupils shrunk in sobriety and gravity. The two warriors before him remained knelt as he spoke. When he finished, they looked up and saw the gaze of Endymion upon them, glaring, burning holes into them.
Easy, they thought. To search a forest for a relic and return it. Far more difficult tasts were the daily demands of the Different Dimension Army, and there was no reason to deny something that would keep the alliance between Endymion and Sargasso strong. "We accept," stated the warrior lady confidently. "It will be returned post-haste."
"Excellent." Endymion turned away, arms crossed behind his back, gripping his staff. "Make sure of it." He left the warriors in the chamber with the guards, as he returned to his duties in the rest of the institute.
----------------
To the north of the citadel was a splendid display of nature. In the distance, snow capped mountains towered above the surrounding forest, which extended from the base for miles toward the Spellcasters' home. Crystals lined the citadel walls and the walkway out from it for quite a distance forward, displaying with brilliance the magic which created this structure. This was the first the warriors had seen of it. Sargasso did not have so much beauty, and nothing there could quite match the natural wonder of the Spellcasters' plane.
After walking for several miles, the warriors approached the Ancient Forest, the new home of the Relic of Endymion. Each tree before them stood nearly a hundred feet tall, maybe more, and they were wider than any monument they had encountered before. The trees were so many, and the branches so long, that they grew into one another, creating a web of nature both above and below the ground. Their roots were piling out of the soil, and where they split were flowers of all kinds and colors. The ground was littered with pink blossoms of sparse cherry trees among the evergreens, with the trees above them prepared for the winter with green livelihood, rather than the cold, dead winter trees the warriors were used to.
"So his mission is a nature hike, then," remarked one warrior to the other, and they both laughed. "This is nothing."
They stepped in, and after walking a few feet the still silence of the winter air was disrupted by a massive rumble. The ground shook the warriors to their knees, and after it was over they stood again to see that the way they came in was no longer a way out. The trees had grown in on one another; no light penetrated the forest from this side, and for as far as they roamed, the edge of the forest was closed with no return.
Deciding that escaping before their mission was over would not be smart anyway, they pressed onward through the forest, examining each tree and bush and flower and all the other things which inhabited this place in desperate search of the relic. As the first day neared the end, the warriors found a small clearing, with just enough room to set up a camp and sleep away the night so they could be rested for the next day of searching. Every day, they picked up their tents and carried on through the forest like nomads, settling down by night, leaving no stone unturned throughout the day.
----------------
The crisp winter air was chilling to the bone, though the trees blocked the wind, making it a bit more bearable. Every night was a new challenge as the water they brought with them ran low; they did not find any streams or ponds here yet, and rain seemed not to fall when needed most. As clouds rolled in, new hope was gained, but not a drop fell.
The warriors found a larger clearing than before and decided to set up camp for the night. They slept, thirsty and hungry, but tired enough to not care. When they awoke in the morning, the clouds were darker than ever, the sky almost completely blacked out. Difficult to see, the warrior lady began trying to search for food to cook while the assailant searched for wood. Then the assailant heard a faint sound that ripped apart the otherwise total silence of the mid morning forest.
"Do you hear that?" the tired warrior asked her companion.
"No," she replied. "What was it?"
The bushes shook again, this time louder. Birds scattered.
"That." The assailant turned to face the source of the noise and inspected the bush. Out of it fell a bug, tiny and insignificant. Surely it wouldn't have caused so much noise on its own. It began chirping at a very high pitch as it hopped away back into the woods, a unique sound the warriors had never heard from an insect.
"Look out!"
Behind the assailant emerged from the trees a massive black and pink monster, like a centipede, but the size of an incredible dragon, rampaging through the camp in hunt of the warriors. Its mandibles opened wide as it lunged for the assailant, prepared to clench down on first strike. From the rest of the trees emerged a great army of beetles with antlers like that of stags, summoned by the howl of the insect. The warrior lady jumped in between the assailant and the centipede, preparing her blade to rip a hole in the dimension, taking it to her own arena of combat so that it could not harm anyone else.
But when she did, the sky brightened. The clouds broke and a field of energy seemed to surround her and her partner, protecting them from the onslaught of these insects. They looked up to see a legion of angels above them, whose light forced back the monster and its compaions into the depths of the forest.
The first angel spoke. "Fear not, for I am Tethys, guardian of the skies and protector of the distressed." And Tethys led them away from this clearing some distance away to a pond in the forest where they could find water.
"No," she replied. "What was it?"
The bushes shook again, this time louder. Birds scattered.
----------------
This clearing in the forest was dark; clouds covered the sky, as they usually did this time of year. The camp the two warriors had set up was minimal. It had a fire pit and a tent pitched, with little else to sustain them. Prayers for rain were uttered every hour of every day, as their water supply ran thinner and thinner with each passing day. Perhaps today would be it.
The woman bent down to collect some sticks for firewood. At some point she began to wonder how her job as an assailant had sent her into the death mission that was scouting this forest. She was used to danger, but dehydration? Surely this wasn't meant to be her fate.
----------------
Endymion stood tall. His position as the Master Magician of the Grand Citadel was apparent to all that resided here, and his stature far outclassed that of the guests which knelt before him. He spoke, and his voice resounded deep through the chamber as he addressed the warriors in front of him.
"Some time ago, from this citadel was stolen a relic capable of increasing the power of my magical army by incredible amounts, the very army which keeps these lands safe. It was taken into the forest to the north, as far as I am aware, and has not yet been able to be returned."
Endymion paced. "This is why I have called you to me. I need it returned here as quickly as possible, and as two of the most powerful members of the Different Dimension Army, I have chosen you to complete this task for me." He stopped and turned to face them, a cold and stern countenance consuming him. His eyes glowed golden, pupils shrunk in sobriety and gravity. The two warriors before him remained knelt as he spoke. When he finished, they looked up and saw the gaze of Endymion upon them, glaring, burning holes into them.
Easy, they thought. To search a forest for a relic and return it. Far more difficult tasts were the daily demands of the Different Dimension Army, and there was no reason to deny something that would keep the alliance between Endymion and Sargasso strong. "We accept," stated the warrior lady confidently. "It will be returned post-haste."
"Excellent." Endymion turned away, arms crossed behind his back, gripping his staff. "Make sure of it." He left the warriors in the chamber with the guards, as he returned to his duties in the rest of the institute.
----------------
To the north of the citadel was a splendid display of nature. In the distance, snow capped mountains towered above the surrounding forest, which extended from the base for miles toward the Spellcasters' home. Crystals lined the citadel walls and the walkway out from it for quite a distance forward, displaying with brilliance the magic which created this structure. This was the first the warriors had seen of it. Sargasso did not have so much beauty, and nothing there could quite match the natural wonder of the Spellcasters' plane.
After walking for several miles, the warriors approached the Ancient Forest, the new home of the Relic of Endymion. Each tree before them stood nearly a hundred feet tall, maybe more, and they were wider than any monument they had encountered before. The trees were so many, and the branches so long, that they grew into one another, creating a web of nature both above and below the ground. Their roots were piling out of the soil, and where they split were flowers of all kinds and colors. The ground was littered with pink blossoms of sparse cherry trees among the evergreens, with the trees above them prepared for the winter with green livelihood, rather than the cold, dead winter trees the warriors were used to.
"So his mission is a nature hike, then," remarked one warrior to the other, and they both laughed. "This is nothing."
They stepped in, and after walking a few feet the still silence of the winter air was disrupted by a massive rumble. The ground shook the warriors to their knees, and after it was over they stood again to see that the way they came in was no longer a way out. The trees had grown in on one another; no light penetrated the forest from this side, and for as far as they roamed, the edge of the forest was closed with no return.
Deciding that escaping before their mission was over would not be smart anyway, they pressed onward through the forest, examining each tree and bush and flower and all the other things which inhabited this place in desperate search of the relic. As the first day neared the end, the warriors found a small clearing, with just enough room to set up a camp and sleep away the night so they could be rested for the next day of searching. Every day, they picked up their tents and carried on through the forest like nomads, settling down by night, leaving no stone unturned throughout the day.
----------------
The crisp winter air was chilling to the bone, though the trees blocked the wind, making it a bit more bearable. Every night was a new challenge as the water they brought with them ran low; they did not find any streams or ponds here yet, and rain seemed not to fall when needed most. As clouds rolled in, new hope was gained, but not a drop fell.
The warriors found a larger clearing than before and decided to set up camp for the night. They slept, thirsty and hungry, but tired enough to not care. When they awoke in the morning, the clouds were darker than ever, the sky almost completely blacked out. Difficult to see, the warrior lady began trying to search for food to cook while the assailant searched for wood. Then the assailant heard a faint sound that ripped apart the otherwise total silence of the mid morning forest.
"Do you hear that?" the tired warrior asked her companion.
"No," she replied. "What was it?"
The bushes shook again, this time louder. Birds scattered.
"That." The assailant turned to face the source of the noise and inspected the bush. Out of it fell a bug, tiny and insignificant. Surely it wouldn't have caused so much noise on its own. It began chirping at a very high pitch as it hopped away back into the woods, a unique sound the warriors had never heard from an insect.
"Look out!"
Behind the assailant emerged from the trees a massive black and pink monster, like a centipede, but the size of an incredible dragon, rampaging through the camp in hunt of the warriors. Its mandibles opened wide as it lunged for the assailant, prepared to clench down on first strike. From the rest of the trees emerged a great army of beetles with antlers like that of stags, summoned by the howl of the insect. The warrior lady jumped in between the assailant and the centipede, preparing her blade to rip a hole in the dimension, taking it to her own arena of combat so that it could not harm anyone else.
But when she did, the sky brightened. The clouds broke and a field of energy seemed to surround her and her partner, protecting them from the onslaught of these insects. They looked up to see a legion of angels above them, whose light forced back the monster and its compaions into the depths of the forest.
The first angel spoke. "Fear not, for I am Tethys, guardian of the skies and protector of the distressed." And Tethys led them away from this clearing some distance away to a pond in the forest where they could find water.
