Move With Urgency

You follow the pixie through the forest in a daze. Your thoughts are blurry and indistinct; fear, confusion, anger, and worry wrestle and writhe together, orbiting a single thought: Holly. At last, you reach her.

She's laid down in a shallow pool off the side of the stream, and the naiad is standing over her. She says something to you, but you ignore her, rushing to kneel next to Holly. Her vibrant green has been replaced by a dull brown, like a wilted plant, and splotches of purple.

"Oh, Holly," you say, "what happened you you?"

You must have been looking at her for a long time, because your Perception called up her bio.

Holly, Level 4 Dryad

Elemental, Nymph, Explicit

Conditions: Poisoned, Sickened, Weakened

Her eyes crack open just a little, revealing slits of sickly yellow. "Squire," she mutters, "the tree, I, they–"

"Don't talk now," you say, "save your strength." You wrap your arms around her, holding her by her back and legs.

"I did what I could," says the naiad, "but she needs to bond with something. Soon."

"I can handle that," you say, "I just need to get her back to the barrow."

"I didn't notice anyone else when I was looking around earlier," chimes in the pixie, "the area should still be clear."

You stand, picking her up as you do. "Do either of you know what happened to her?"

"She mentioned something about heroes when I found her," says the naiad, "but other than that, I only know her conditions." The pixie only shakes her head.

As you walk back to the barrow, you're finally able to marshal your thoughts into some semblance of order. This had been the work of heroes. Those heroes had somehow inflicted her with three separate conditions and destroyed her tree. But she was still alive—despite having gotten an opening to destroy the tree, they hadn't gone for the kill.

Ladrieth's quest menu had said the objective was the destruction of the tree, and thus guaranteed quest rewards. But Holly's **** would have given experience. Any Hero strong enough to no care about the experience wouldn't value the quest rewards—it had been basic equipment and money. And any who wanted both would have taken both.

The only other possibility is that they had been too weak to go for the kill, even with the harm destroying the tree caused. But then, how would they have destroyed the tree in the first place? Holly wouldn't have just stood aside and allowed them to attack, and there isn't any way to sneak into her clearing.

Her old clearing, rather. That thought fills you with anger all over again.

You push those thoughts out of your mind as the barrow comes into view. Instead of the barrow entrance, you bring Holly atop your home, where an ancient holly tree stands. Gently, you lay her on the ground, back against the lowest boughs. She gives you a weak, tired smile.

"I can feel it," she says, "it's old. And stubborn."

"This land is mine," you say, "it will take you in. I will make it, if I have to." Placing a hand on her shoulder, you lean in and plant a kiss on her forehead. "Rest, now. Become strong again."

Gently, but firmly, you push her back into the boughs of the tree. Her eyes flash open, and her breath shudders. But before you can say or do anything else, she grabs your wrist, holding you in place. "Your Holly. That's what you said yesterday."

"I meant it." You smile sadly—this was not how you had wanted to bring her here.

She tilts her head up, capturing your lips with her own. You stay like that for what feels like a long time.

When at last you part, she begins to slide back, hidden all too soon among the branches.

Fame: 203 [+?? Pending]

Recent Activity:

Got a Minion! +23 (Expanded)

Got a minor Minion! +1

Gained an uncommon minion +3

Salvation Recruitment +10

An Oath, Thrice-Sworn. +9

A shudder runs through you, the part of yourself tied to the land that is yours feeling the tree bind itself to Holly, and bind her to it, wrapping and shielding her in the weight of its age and permanence. You heave a sigh. She is safe, now.

You lean back to sit, and turn to find the pixie holding out two handfuls of berries. You take them with a quietly-muttered thanks. You aren't hungry, but you eat them anyways.