Head for the town

While going back to Namina to report on the necromancer's activities would be a good idea, Venus knew she wasn't equipped for the trip. Her lack of even basic gear would make her **** to anything more than a minor threat. With that in mind, she turned north, and started walking, alert for any threats.

A rather tense hour later, Venus came to the edge of the forest. The road wound along the edge of the forest, leading to the town about a half a mile up it. When she saw the town, a small gasp escaped her mouth. The town's wall was a mess, with multiple holes in it, and many of the houses and building were smashed. She couldn't see much signs of life, either.

Her gaze ran across the town a second time, assessing the damage itself. It looked recent, no more than a few days old. Whatever had done the damage had to be large, either some kind of siege engine, or a monstrous creature.

Venus stood there for a moment, torn between her desire to see if there was anyone to help, and knowing she had almost no equipment to fight anything with.

Helping others won out. Venus flat refused to ignore the plight of others where there was even the slightest of chances she could help. She set off towards the town, her pace markedly improved by the soft grass alongside the road.

Fifteen minutes later, she walked up to the edge of the town. The destruction was far more impressive and horrifying up close, than it was from a half a mile away. Massive chunks of stone were strewn everywhere, punctuated by shattered wood beams. The various buildings at the edge of the town were absolutely destroyed.

Venus began carefully picking her way over the rubble, mindful of the multitude of sharp edges and points left by the splintered wood, as she headed towards the center of the town. A slight breeze carried a number of voices raised in a heated debate to her ears. Though she couldn't make out much, she did pick out one voice demanding to evacuate the town, and another saying "Stay and fight!"

Spurred on by the voices, Venus scrambled across the last of the rubble and headed for the voices. She rounded a corner, and spotted a group of about 15 men standing there, divided into two groups. One of them saw her, and gestured for silence from the others.

"Welcome to Woodsedge, or what's left of it," he said, offering a massive hand. "I'm Daerin, the leader of what's left of this town." Venus took the proffered hand, which completely enveloped her's, and replied, "I'm Venus. What happened here?" Her eyes took in Daerin's massive frame, easily standing eight inches taller than her. His red hair was an unruly mass, and every inch of his frame was covered in muscle. She could see his bright blue eyes wandering over her body, too, and she blushed a bit, knowing just how little her shirt was actually covering.

To her surprise, his eyes came back to her face almost immediately. He frowned hard, then said, "We're woodsmen. That's what this town is built on. About a week ago, a lumber party went out, about 10 men strong. One returned. He was rather beat up, and nearly incoherent. All we could get out of him was 'The trees. The trees are moving.' We had no idea what he was on about, but these attacks have continued. About a third of the men are missing. We think they're dead. Day before yesterday, they came here. Giant humanoid trees, covered in vines, hurling boulders or just outright smashing houses with their hands."

Daerin shudders, and adds, "There were only two of them. We fought, but couldn't seem to do anything to them. Right before they left, they told us we had three days to evacuate, or they'd come back and finish what they started."

"Treants. Normally they aren't aggressive, though. They only fight when they have to. Did they approach you beforehand?"

"No. They just came and started attacking. Said we were desecrating their forest or something."

Venus pondered that for a moment. Something wasn't right. Treants were known to be protective of their forests, but not to the point of leveling settlements, unless other methods had failed. Someone, or something, had stirred them to action.

She looked back into his eyes, and asked, "And you're trying to decide whether to stay and fight or cut your losses and leave."

Daerin nodded, looking as if a great weight was on his shoulders. "If we stay, we'll probably die. But everything we have is here. If we leave, we'll have nothing..." His voice trailed off, then, and Venus felt a pang of sorrow at what had happened to these people.

Her mind raced. She could stay and help them, but she had no idea if she could lead them against the Treant threat. She could urge them to evacuate, and use her own skillset to try and discover what was behind these attacks. Or, painful as the thought was, she could lead them out to safety. As much as she wanted to help, her lack of equipment put her in a tough spot, too.