The Black Tree

The Sanctuary of Gidul lies in the valley between the two mountain ranges that border the edge of the Ardri lands. This valley pass is the only way into these lands unless you decide to cross the mountains themselves. Gidul was neither propitious to, nor tolerant of, your ancestors. When the pre-exile Atmorans drove them away they were **** to pass through her lands, which was a most unfortunate thing indeed. How many lives were lost no one can recall, however, her cruelty cannot be forgotten. You are not the first to have wondered why she stays in one place when all of the great forests of the north were once hers, but perhaps you will be the first to ask her this.

It took you several days with relatively few losses, but at length you are near her sanctuary now, the growth of the forest becoming interminably more proliferous and overgrown. Still despite the density of the vegetation, the general salubrity of the flora in this region seems to diminish markedly with each step. The soil itself appears to be taking on an unnatural atramentous complexion. You were close now, much too close to risk the lives of your followers any further unnecessarily. You stop for a moment and so do they, with the exception of Rigga who seems intent upon continuing further. You firmly put your hand on Rigga's shoulder to keep her from moving on ahead.

"It would be best if you wait here with them." You say. You had thought it common knowledge that you alone could face Gidul. There was sort of an unspoken understanding that such a responsibility was wholly yours. If anyone had asked you three weeks ago you would have told them that you intended to go over the mountains and avoid Gidul entirely, however, the moment you began moving to the southeast rather than the southwest, your intent became obvious to all. Still, Rigga looks back at you with apparent confusion.

"It would? Why is that my mate?" Her voice now abounding with sarcasm and resentment.

"This hunt is mine, and I hunt best alone." You reply. Though your words are true they are also precipitous and it only intensifies the concerned look from her face.

"I see." She says, with downcast eyes. There is uncertainty in her tone, her worry is all but plain. Perhaps it is out of anxiety for the uncertain future you all face, but you hope it is out of concern for your personal wellbeing. "If something so small as my mere presence can upset your hunting so severely, then it must be that either I am a terrible burden or you are a novice hunter. Which is it Ogma?" She says. The look in her eyes reminds you of that night when you claimed her. Then, as now, she had murderous intent in those eyes. If you chose either of her options you were admitting defeat in a way. This would require more tact than that. You took her aside a short distance and whispered lowly in her ear, "I worry for our group. If we leave them alone they will be leaderless, and if we take them all will surely die. While we both agree that only the strong should ultimately survive, I do not think it wise to lead our whole advance **** to slaughter. Please lead them while I go, they need one of us here. I need you here." She considers your words and accepts them dutifully replying, "I will not fail you. You can depend on me, worry no more. Keep the laws Ogma."

"I won't be long. Keep the laws mate Rigga." You say casually, taking to the path with greater haste than before. Your senses are going wild in this unfamiliar place. There is an abundance of perplexing and peculiar sounds and scents, not to mention the grotesque sights. The trees and grasses you were so accustomed to had assumed contorted and malformed appearances. The greens and browns and many colors of the forest were replaced by harsh shades of gray and black. This is unlike any forest you have ever seen before and it can hardly be considered a forest at all in your mind, the place reeks of disease and decay. There is an aura about this area that seems to actively oppress you, growing in strength and intensity as you progress deeper and deeper into the wood.

At length you find yourself standing in the umbra of what is best described as a pitch-black tree. Massive branches jut out at odd angles from its gnarled and twisted trunk. Its piceous bark continually oozes a viscous ichor that slowly trickles down into the soil. It is here in the shadow of this tree that the ominous aura waxes to its full potency, the very air now heavy with enmity. Instantaneously and seemingly from nowhere, a tall feminine figure appears. A glowing green energy crackles violently around her earth-brown body. Deep bark-like fissures wind down the curves of her form and a vivid viridian energy flows and pulses through the channels. When your eyes come to rest on the face of the being you are certain must be Gidul, you are confused by what you see. A face that is weathered and worn looks back at you with luminous eyes that convey a queer mixture of grief, despair, and rage. Great branches reach up from her head like the pinnacles of a crown, though the boughs of said crown are quite barren. You reach slowly for the Stone of Binding to avoid drawing her attention.

"ARE YOU LOST?" she says in a voice that echoes in your head painfully as though spoken in a cave. She looks at you carefully for a moment before continuing. "YOU ARE AN ABOMINATION. HAVE YOU COME HERE TO DIE?"

You very cautiously grip the stone and prepare to throw it. When you speak at last, your words are calm and deliberate.

"When my ancestors were driven into this place you could have sheltered us. Instead you chased us deeper into the wilderness to starve and die. Because of your kindness we have learned and we have grown. Because of you we are strong. I have come here to repay your gift in like kind." Even before you finish you prepare for her to charge, keeping one hand on a blade. Gidul snaps forward with inconceivable speed, seemingly disappearing into thin air and immediately reappearing almost a foot in front of you. You don't even have the time to take a second step backward before she strikes you hard in the lower left side. A hand that has transformed into a sharp wooden spike pierces all the way through your body, skewering your left kidney.

The blow is horrendously painful, but you are well accustomed to pain. You feel the spike growing inside you, as it begins to take root in your flesh. You draw the first blade and cut the transformed hand off at the elbow with a flourish, managing to cast the stone at the ground beneath your feet without her noticing whilst she is focused on your blade. A bright circle forms around you and Gidul with the stone in its center. A number of bright lines extend from the stone to the edges of the circle like the spokes on a wheel. You grab the spike embedded in your side and tear it out of yourself removing large chunks of flesh with it, blood now flows freely from the wound. Having the object removed didn't ease the pain any and it certainly didn't increase your chances of survival, but it made movement much easier.

Her arm has already healed itself from your attack, and she disappears again. This time you are prepared, or so you think. With all of your speed you draw your second blade and spin to face Gidul who appeared behind you. You manage to sidestep a crushing blow from one of Gidul's fists as it crashes into the earth, only to have your feet ensnared by thick roots that have grown out of the ground and coil themselves tightly around your legs. With one swipe from your left blade you free your legs while you raise your right blade to hold between you and a powerful thorn-laced punch from Gidul's left arm. The Tusk flawlessly splits the enemy's fist and continues on down the forearm to the elbow as Gidul follows through with her attack. Her damaged arm immediately regenerates while her right snaps forward aimed for your chest. You swing your left blade in a low horizontal arc which severs her foot completely off, allowing you to sidestep her blow as she falls forward. You were hoping she would fall to the ground but those hopes were in vain as her foot grows back before she even has need of it.

Your opponent now straightens her posture and extends her arms outward horizontally. You take a stance and ready yourself for the next attack, although the blood loss is slowing you a bit. Suddenly a deep crack forms along Gidul's arms length wise. Then with a sound like the creaking and groaning of wood her arms split, forming two identical arms in place of the one. You look down at the binding circle on the ground noticing that several spokes are missing from the wheel. 'That must be how much time I have remaining.' You think to yourself. It looks like about a quarter of the lines have disappeared and no more than a minute could have possibly passed. You have even less time than you had thought you would and you were barely able to keep up with Gidul when she had two arms, how in creation did you expect to match her with four and in so little time? To some degree you knew it would come to this, although you had really hoped it wouldn't. "YOUR TIME IS SHORT USURPER, YOU HAVE TRAPPED YOURSELF HERE WITH ME. YOUR UNDOING IS AT HAND."

She lunges at you swinging her fists furiously, your strength waning with every evasive step. You feel a massive **** connect with your chest, her right leg collided into your ribs. Your impressively durable bones creak and then crack against the **** of it which sends you flying only to slam against the binding barrier around you. You know several ribs are broken now and every breath is labored. There is no other option. Now the time has come.