Continue to try and speak with her?

Vrasha eyed the sword and shield, but didn't make a move for them just yet. A spirit could see magic, and she would have noticed the power of the weapons. If Vrasha went for them, the forest spirit may decide she was under attack. Most swords couldn't harm her, but if Vrasha dove for one of the few that could, she would probably decide to defend herself.

The trick to dealing with spirits, she reminded herself, was not to let them scare you. Spirits were the ancient ghosts of those who had died in the area. Most ghosts faded away, and many didn't leave ghosts at all when they died. But if a ghost lingered long enough, it created a connection to the area, and eventually came to embody that area. The important thing then to recall was that even if a ghost was totally alien, it had started as a human. There was a point of similarity, communication could be had.

Even if they were sometimes legendarily stubborn.

"I am Vrasha." Vrasha tried again. "You are the spirit of this forest, yes? I can see that you are ancient, even by the standards of your kind. Tell me, do you remember how to speak? Some spirits forget, especially older ones. If not, we can try to communicate some other way..."

"I can speak." The spirit's voice was eerie, and seemed to drift from the world around her, surrounding Vrasha in a sphere of sound rather than coming from the spirit's mouth, which didn't even bother to move. That clenched it. She truly was an ancient spirit, if she was so heavily attuned that she didn't even need to use her body to speak. She wasn't simply connected to the forest, she was the forest.

"Good." Vrashsa said. "That is... that is good. You can speak. May I sit by your fire? I am soaking from my swim, and the day is quickly becoming night. I do not know if you still have to concern yourself with the cold, but I am yet mortal."

The spirit gestured towards the flame, and Vrasha happily moved towards it, enjoying the heat of the flame as it radiated against her naked skin. She took a seat around the other side of the fire, facing the spirit as she did. The flame crackled and roared, and she sank into a sitting position, her knees rising up to try and cover herself as much as she could. Her breasts were a lot cause, as far as she was concerned. To shield them, she would need to use her arms, which she wanted to remain free in case she needed to make a sudden reaction. But her pussy could at least be concealed by the position in which she sat. With her backside firmly on the ground, and her knees rising up to cover her lower self. She shook her head slowly, as she wondered what the army would think of her if they saw her now.

Speaking naked to a spirit. I am sure that they would have some stories about that to tell.

"Now." Vrasha said. "You have clearly come here for a reason, and you haven't tried to drive me out, so it's probably not because I have invaded your space. What do you want from me, spirit? Do you have a name?"

"My name is...Elody." The spirit said.

"Elody." Vrasha nodded. "A mortal name. This is what you were called when you were alive?"

"It is."

"Then I shall use it. Elody, it is nice to meet you. Tell me what you want."

"I want..." The spirit stumbled over the words, as though it had not had to speak for hundreds of years. Probably, it had not. "I want something..."

"Something from me?" Vrasha guessed, somewhat annoyed by the scattered way of speaking. She supposed it couldn't be helped, though. Spirits tended to remain on their own for extended periods of time. She was probably just lucky that Elody could still speak at all. "I am not sure what I have to offer forest spiri-ah, Elody. Moreover, I am not sure what you would offer me."

"Offer you...?"

"Yes. That is how your kind operates, is it not? Bargains? Trades? You don't do things for free, but you're willing to trade a favour for a favour. If want something from me, then you must have something to offer me, or else I would not have been approached at all."

"That is true." Elody said, inclining her head slowly. "That is correct. I am sorry. It has been a long time since I had to....to interact with someone like you... a mortal... my thoughts are...different now. Putting them into words can be a challenge. You are right. I want something from you, Vrasha of the Windblade. As soon as you entered my forest, I felt you. Your need called out to me."

"My need?"

"Your desire for a mate. I felt it as you walked these paths. Your thoughts echoed between the trees, and I found that I was...not as distant from a mortal as I had thought."

Vrasha blinked. surprised more than shocked, though she did feel her cheeks heating up as blood rushed to them. Her arousal had been so powerful the forest had felt it? Then, she realised what Elody was saying.

"You want to fuck me?"

"I would not...say it like that...but I do wish to enjoy your body... if you will permit it...and I will allow you to enjoy mine in turn..."

Elody cast off her robe as she finished speaking, the brown cloak fell to the ground, then sunk into the ground and vanished as the spirit stopped maintaining it. Vrasha looked for a moment in shock. Elody's body was perfect. Literally perfect. There was no flaw, no blemish, it was beyond anything that could be achieved by a mortal being, no matter how gifted in genetics. her skin was lithe, pale as Vrasha's own. her limbs were slender, her legs were long. Her chest was of medium size, her breasts were perky, her nipples a dark brown colour. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders as she peered forwards, looking hungrily to Vrasha. The curve of her body invited inspection, every inch of it was beyond human. She was elegance, and desire given flesh. The power of a spirit who could craft her own body. She stood boldly, her legs were spread far enough apart that Vrasha could see her pussy. Her mound was larger than Vrasha's own, with prominent labia.

"Do you like this form?" Elody asked. "I made it for you... based on your own, and your desires as well. I felt your need... you wanted someone to play with... a woman or a man. I was a woman in life... I cannot be a man...Not easily, anyway. But I know the form of a woman very well. Do you like it? I can change it if you like... taller, smaller, the size of my chest can grow or shrink... this form is not my own. It is a projection, and I can alter it at will."

Vrasha realised she was staring. Her throat felt dry, and arousal was screaming through her body. She blushed as she realised that, as she had no clothes on, Elody could see it all. Her pussy was still hidden by her sitting position, but it was clear from the way her nipples had started to harden that she was interested.

Elody saw her reaction, and a streak of colour entered the spirit's face as well. Her pale skin flushed red, only for a moment. Then, she seemed to realise, and banish it.

"Ah." She said slowly. "It seems that...that I am not so far passed my human desires as I thought... your eyes on this body are strange, even though I am the one who bared it to you. Your desire for me is obvious..."

"That's true." Vrasha said, seeing no reason to try and disprove the obvious. her body had already betrayed her interest. "Your body is perfect, and you're standing naked in front of me, telling me that you want us to fuck? I have never heard of a forest spirit doing anything like that. It's far too convenient. is this some sort of trick?"

"No!" Elody said, rising her voice for the first time. "Nothing like that! It's just that...um...well..." The spirit blushed again, casting her eyes towards the ground. "Your desire awoke me." She admitted. "I was sleeping as spirits do... sometimes for hundreds of years... we don't measure time in the same way as you... that's why you have to call us most times...you called to me in your own way because of your desire. Your a-arousal."

It was almost funny how the spirit chocked that last word. Vrasha was starting to suspect something quite heavily. She looked towards Elody.

"You may be a lot older than me." She said slowly. "But I am betting that women don't often come through here thinking about sex, do they? They'd mostly be travellers who were too worried abut bandits or animal attacks, or soldiers thinking about the battle ahead, or the one they've just fought."

"That is correct." Elody said. "My forest is not well travelled. Most who do move through it do so as quickly as possible, and tend to think only of survival, practicality. Such thoughts do not call to me... I sleep through them if I am not already awake."

"And the way that you speak." Vrasha went on slowly. "The way that you hesitate... did you ever have sex at all? Even as a human?"

Elody seemed taken back by that, a look of surprise flitted through her brown eyes. Nervously, she began to toy with her dark hair, one hand twirling it around her finger. "That is....I am not sure....it was so long ago... memories fade..."

She was stuttering again, this time, though. Vrasha felt sure that it was more due to embarrassment than anything else. The forest spirit was also blushing again, much more obviously now.

"You're a virgin." She said. "Lived for thousands of years, and you never had sex even once?"

"I was young when I died..." Elody admitted sadly. "Only eighteen. In this very place, by the river." She gestured. "My bones have long since been swept away. I fell, hit my head on the stones... sleep took me and I drowned... I was never able to enjoy the feeling of intimacy, or the act which fired my loins so much as a young girl. Since I became a spirit... I have grown more detached... I didn't think I really cared..,. but then you came along, and awoke something in me...I wanted to have you, and for a while, I did not even know why or what it was that I desired. I tried to remember and it stirred my mortal self... the desires came back... when you leave this place, I will return to what I was.... but while you are here... I feel like the girl rather than the spirit.... So please, I can feel your desire echoing between us even now... you want this body... you want to take to... t-to make it cry out.... t-to make me scream in pleasure. I can feel it in you, the fire is in your blood."

"It is." Vrasha nodded. "But I need more than that. A favour for a favour, that's what you said, right? The favour you want is to feel my touch. What is the favour that you are offering me?"

As she spoke, Vrasha's mouth felt dry. Her heart was hammering in her chest. She wanted to accept the deal quite badly. The way the Forest Spirit stuttered and blushed, like a human woman. The way she seemed so innocent, even in spite of her age. She might have survived for a long time, but it was clear to Vrasha that she had not lived. Should she do it? She was tempted. Vrasha was attracted both to men and women, so it wouldn't be out of character for her to accept. Especially not when it had been so very long since she'd enjoyed something like that herself.

But first, she needed to know every aspect of the deal. Sex was what Elody wanted. What was Vrasha being offered?

"I have....little to offer." Elody admitted. "Though I am...an old spirit....this woods does not hide many treasures I can easily afford to give. I could give you magic, but your blade would interfere when you tried to wield it... I am not the sort of spirit who can alter the tide of fate, or give you a token to summon me if needed. My place is in this woods, and this is where I will always remain. So I can offer you two things... the first is information... as I said, a spirit like me does not see time as you do, Vrasha. I can look beyond what is... see what will be, what might be, and what has been... I offer you knowledge of the future, and a way in which you might avoid your fate."

"My fate?" Vrasha said. "I don't understand. What fate do I have to fear?"

"We all have fates to fear." The spirit said softly. "And the future has many paths... I cannot say for sure what will be, but I can tell you which routes are most likely."

"Very well." Vrashs said. "That could be useful... tell me, what is the second thing you offer?"

"My friendship" Elody said. "I cannot leave this place, Vrasha. But within it, I am powerful. I will give you my blessing, so that these woods will always shield you from your foes, and should ever you be in danger, you need only return to this place, and I will fight for you."

The spirit looked at her again, two naked woman matching gazes across the flame.

"That is what I offer." Elody said, her words becoming more sure and swift as familiarity returned. "The blessing of an ancient spirit, knowledge of the paths yet to be. I-in return, I want your body... I...I want you to tease me, to make me cum...and I will try to do the same to you... we will enjoy each other, as I never had the chance to do while alive..."

As she said this, Elody flushed red again, her eyes darting to and forth, as though she were trying to look anywhere but Vrasha's face as she made her proposal. As far as Vrasha was concerned, coming from an ancient spirit of the woods, it was quite adorable.