Day 4: Druids

This morning, while I was playing with the dagger Lorthax had given me. Based on the shape I judged that it was supposed to be that, a dagger and not an utility knife. Still its purpose was going to change when in my hands. Something this sharp could easily cut through anything. Skin? Now I could sew much more easily. Bones?  I wouldn't tire myself with breaking them if I want to eat bone marrow. That was just great.

While thinking that I heard the chief talking, so I went outside to see what was going on. A crowd had even gathered to listen to him. 

"The preparation for the farm is ready, but as you know we need to diverge the stream. For that I require a lot of energy. Bring as many living creatures as you can, if you can." he ordered. 

How to bring something alive? I couldn't say, but I wanted to help... Well, I'd figure it eventually. About 45 minutes later I was ready. 

As I was leaving the village with the intention of going south (I was carrying another wooden spear, a bone axe and the knives. I had actually made something resembling a belt from leather I found lying around just to carry them.)

"Hey! Wanna hunt together?" somebody asked. 

I turned around. It was a woman, about 155 centimeters tall. Her eyes were dark purple, the facial features were fine. She had long straight hair that was reaching her shoulders. You could call her pretty. 

Her equipment consisted a spear with a stone tip, a sling, a small pouch, worn as a necklace (presumably full of small rocks to be used as ammo for the sling), and a backpack, made out of tied together sticks. 

I guess company wouldn't hurt. 

"Of course, I guess." I said "I'm Stralk, by the way. Why do you want that?"

"I'm Ish. To catch big stuff, help is needed. You seem free."

"You're not wrong. So, shall we go?"

"Excellent!" she smiled. 

"What do you think we'll find?" I asked some time later. 

"I dunno. The chief wants living things. The smarter and bigger, the better, I've heard. Together we could capture a raptor or wolf, if lucky."

"Sounds good, but don't they came in groups?"

"Hmm... There's that. Will see."

"Right... "

"Look!" Ish interrupted me and pointed to my right. 

A young Urlean bird was standing about twenty meters away from us. It wasn't facing us, fortunately. Urleans were a type of flightless bird with enormous beaks and strong legs. Even though adults could reach almost three meters in height, this one was much smaller, a bit more than a meter. 

"I'm gonna get it. Ready if I miss, okay?" Ish said. 

"Okay." 

She put a small, round rock in the sling and started rotating it. I had my spear ready. The projectile was increasing in speed, she aimed and released the rock. It got straight through the bird's skull. The creatures dropped dead. 

"Wasn't aiming for that. Sorry." 

"Whatever." I replied. 

That was still a source of food and other things to me. 

"Well, lunch time. I guess." 

"Right."

We found a nearby meadow, to which we dragged the bird. I noticed some mushrooms at the base of a tree and pick them up, while Ish was skinning the Urlean. 

Just as I was bending over I felt something fall on my back. 

"What the...?"

It was moving. I caught with my left arm and moved it, so I could see it. I felt intense pain doing so. It was a small creature, a bit bigger than my closed fist. It looked a bit like a small humped humanoid with bark for skin and leaves growing on the limbs, head and back. A druidic shrub! 

It tried to move upwards on my body with my mouth as its target. It shouldn't go there. Shouldn't. 

Having it in my hand, I hit the shrub into the tree. Phew. I wasn't doomed to suffer for eternity...for now. I looked up. On the branches above me I could see the silhouettes of more shrubs. At least forty. I stepped backwards. The shrubs were awakening. 

"Ish! Druids!" I shouted in terror. "Help!"

Four shrubs had landed on me a few seconds later, even though I was running away. I did my best to shrug them off. Three fell. If not finding a host one hour after awakening the shrubs would either either return to static behavior, basically just a plant, or die off. If a host was found... the shrub would enter the body, take over the mind of the host and reshape him into a druid. Misfortunate fate. At least no druid had come into action. 

And then I was tripped by a root. I don't think it was there. My eyes were moving around frantically. The one shrub left was trying to enter my mouth. I felt somebody's arms push me down. I couldn't rise up. I was keeping my mouth closed as tightly as I could. The shrub was using its arm branches to apply more and more force on my mouth. I had an idea. I could see Ish charging at the druid with her spear. 

Together we could kill the druid. Hopefully. But I need to get myself into better condition fast. 

I opened my mouth wide. No longer facing any obstacles the shrub started moving. Click. I closed my jaw with as much force as I could. I didn't split in two with that move, but then I started chewing. By the time the plant creature died my mouth was full of small wounds caused by its sporadic spasms. 

"Aaa!" Ish pushed the druid away. 

"Thanks." I said while spitting blood. 

"No problem. How kill it?"

"If I knew we be in danger. I suggest applying as much force as we can for as long as we can."

Ish rolled her eyes. "Obvious."

Meanwhile I could get a better look at the druid. It was not much more different than a male goblin, but with his skin turned either into bark (the entire back and neck plus the bottom half of the front) or much lighter shade of green (chest, arms, legs and head). 

And all I had on myself was the bone axe since I had left most of my things at the meadow. I hope I was a good craftsman. 

Ish was the first to attack with her spear. The druid moved to his right dodging her. It then touched the ground with his too arms for a moment I could almost feel the energy released from the druid flowing into a single grass, which started to grow unnaturally fast. The creature moved and kicked Ish in such a way that she fell on the still forming spike. Her hip was impaled. 

The magic the druid had performed. It was no druid. Druids were called those infected by a shrub that gained the ability to control some animals and easily coordinate with other infected and shrubs. This was something far worse. A dryad: a being capable of tapping into the energies of the world and doing magic to a level equal to Freyr. 

At about the same time the dryad's magic had started working I entered the fray with a powerful swing of my axe towards the creature's neck. It didn't get deep at all. The bark was too thick. 

The dryad turned to face me. I narrowly dodged a punch to the head and then blocked a second one with my left arm. The dryad started heating the place where our arms met, which forced me to step back. I didn't get any burns, though. I attacked again and thrusted my weapon into the dryad's chest. 

By that time Ish was back into shape to move. She used her spear to stab the dryad's back. The stone was enough to penetrate the layer of bark, so she could make a second strike. 

While the creature was busy with Ish I could attack rather freely. Two two rather powerful swings I cut the dryad's right arm at the elbow. 

"What do you think?" I asked Ish. "Do you think we can have it captured?"

"Be valuable for ritual!" she shouted in response "Good idea!"

Whether because of our words or because of the immense pain the dryad was feeling it screamed in pain and charged at me. 

Ish kicked it on the ground. 

And we were basically ready. The fight had taken less than five minutes, but I felt terrible. My mouth was full of blood... and small pieces of wood. 

"Gonna check the home tree for others. And kill as many shrubs as possible." Ish said. 

"Okay. Are you first?" I asked. 

"Yeah. Only here." Wish showed me an enormous wound going from the outer side of her hip to the inner. 

She had to move her loincloth a bit to the side to show the full extend of the damaged. I wondered how she could even walk. The spell was a nasty trick, let's just hope that there was no poison. 

"You not look good at all."

"Don't worry." I assured her as I was cleaning my face from blood once again. 

The excessive bleeding didn't seem to stop. 

"I go." said Ish. 

"Okay."

Yeah, she was definitely not walking properly. Now my attention shifted towards the dryad. I took the sharp metal dagger and starting cutting him finger by finger, the nose and ears too. I needed to make it impossible for this creature to concentrate and cast a spell. By the thumb of its only hand left it started to... cry. 

"Please... Pl.. Please.. Leave me." it said. 

These were the dryad's first words spoken to me. 

"No." I whispered and continued until Ish came and told me that we should go.

I suggested that we should keep the interesting drydic body parts as souvenirs. Ish agreed and we decided to split them after we get home and so we picked everything we had gathered. 

We proudly entered the village an hour before sunset. 

"Wow. How did you get that!?" Freyr asked when he saw the dryad. 

"Luck. Some very questionable luck." I replied "Is it useful or not?"

"Oh, very useful." Freyr smiled "That's like a herd of deer into one. Lot's of energy, in short. It's also commendable that you two have taken on a druidic nest. Well done!"

Ish locked proud of herself. To be honest, I was too. 

"Well, I planned to start the ritual later, but since we've got enough energy... I will start." Freyr said. 

The place where we left the dryad was a twenty meters in radius circle next to the village stream. A few animals were already placed by the edges. Freyr closed his eyes for a bit and then all the creatures within the circle started twitching around until they all died. 

"So what's going on?" I asked. 

"I think that a Kelipari from will be a good addition to the village." he started explaining "But we can't just dig a hole by the streams since its not big enough and the plants need clear water. That's why I am connecting it to some underground water. I just used those creatures' energy instead of mine to fuel a chain of explosions that will clear the desired area."

BOOM! 

"Sorry if you have problems sleeping today."

"Don't worry." I shrugged. 

"Also have Lorthax check you. Ish too." chief ordered "You must feel terrible."