Battle the elephant.

She may be a powerful druid, so you have to remain cautious. You haven't battled one before, so you're not certain what they can do. You run up past Niki with incredible speed. It surprises even your opponent, as when you leap into the air and strike out with quick precision, she's unable to dodge in time. It's only your first blow, but you manage to cut one of her tusks clean off before you land to the grassy soil beside her.

Unfortunately for her, while you might be in the domain of a druid within this forest, she's also in the domain of a dryad. Peony raises her hands once again, and this time, a root from the Elder Tree itself raises up to slam up against the side of the elephant's stomach.

Niki propels Zido away with a bash of her shield. She then continues forwards. As the elephant tries to ram its weight down against her, she greets this challenge with a grin. Instead of using her weapon, she grabs into the elephant's trunk to take the full power of the attack. The two begin a competition of strength, each trying to push the other back.

"Amazing," Zido whispers. "The Demon King and his army are truly a terror."

"Zido! You've been tricked, damn it. She doesn't give a shit about Gobiidae," you call out.

The elephant reels back and slams up against the side of the dying tree. After a poof of magic, its shape shrinks back down to that of a gnome's, but she doesn't seem all that injured. She uses a nearby root to hold herself up as she thrusts forward her other hand and shouts, "Moon Beam!" After she does, a glowing, silver circle appears high in the air above. Then just as quickly, an intense spotlight of radiant power falls upon Niki and the area around her.

Niki yells out in pain as the laser engulfs her body.

"I've got you," Peony says. From between her feet, a root fires out and grabs onto Niki's body. Before it can fall apart, it yanks her back out and towards the others.

Sizzling, Niki looks up with a thumbs up. "Thank you..."

"Do not worry! I have you too," Amara says as she kneels beside the injured warrior to bestow a healing spell upon her. Though as she casts her magic, she takes a moment to shut her eyes, take a deep breath, and shudder--a quiet, embarrassing noise barely heard beneath the noise of combat. "And if you need more healing--"

"I'm good," she says as she sits up and takes Amara by the hand. "Take a breather."

The beam stops as Grenmila clutches her hand closed. "I will not let you have the Elder Wood, nor will I let your evil seed corruption to Gobiidae. You speak of this man Elok Daven, but you couldn't be more wrong. I know of the man, and I'd never work with him. Now Zido, we need to finish this quickly." She turns to the side. "Zido?"

The battle halts as the guard captain remains frozen in place--skin pale, eyes wide, a trickle of blood rolling down from his lip.

Then he drops to the ground.

A cloaked figure looms behind him with a hood over its head, and a bloody dagger in its hand. Upon closer inspection, there's a pair of eerie, glowing blue eyes, green hair, and strange wood-like skin. Not only that, but there's a second one standing behind it.

"... Huh?!" Grenmila nearly stumbles over.

One moves forward and immediately begins to pick up pieces of the wood Zido was previously chopping.

"No way," you mumble. "Alice! Not ours. Two ALICEs. And you said you didn't work for Elok, huh?"

"I don't," she whispers quietly. "What are you two doing here?"

"Eliminating future threats and securing valuable materials," the one in the back speaks. There's no doubt about it. She even has the same voice. Suddenly, she leaps with incredible speed towards the druid, and as she lands, her left arm radiates with the same pale blue magic. She strikes down as the druid dodges, but her attack makes contact with the roots and soil where she once stood, causing an explosive impact.

You step between them, sword at the ready. "So she's really not on your side, huh?"

The ALICE stares at you for a long moment. Then suddenly, as it speaks again, its voice sounds distant and different. What comes out is one that belongs to Elok Daven himself. "That she is not, Kyle Warren."

Your brow twitches. "It's you."

"That it is, Kyle Warren." He chuckles. "Do you not find this rather interesting? Right here, beneath the dying Elder Tree, the armies of three Demon Kings stand present in combat. Truly this is a story for the ages."

"Wait. What do you mean?"

Suddenly, a vine lashes out from behind you. It goes for your neck, but with quick reflexes, you dodge to the side, and it grapples your upper left arm instead.

"Seriously?!" you snap back.

Grenmila looks winded and nervous but she grins regardless. "Elok Daven you bastard."

Stuck in the middle, you look between them. "You're not one of Vex's people, are you?"

"I've been watching you for some time, Warren, all from the safety of Gobiidae. All I needed to do was slowly poison and weaken the Elder Tree. But I was recently instructed to instead take what I could left from the tree itself and flee back home. Ramon was supposed to watch you, dryad. I told him it was important, but that damned old man didn't listen. There's no way he was onto me."

Peony points. "Jokes on you. I don't listen to anyone but my beloved husband. When he tried hard to keep me from leaving, I tied him up behind his house."

"You did what?" you ask.

A laugh comes from the ALICE's mouth. "What an interesting conflict," Elok says. "I admit, your party is in far better shape right now than I expected. I do believe I have been underestimating you. Or should I say, my work."

"Our work," a second voice comes through. This one belongs to a girl.

"Yes, yes. Our work. Of course. Anyway, I will leave you to handle my weapons. Try not to scratch them up too much. They can be expensive to fix."

The ALICE closes her mouth.