Well, there is your place, remain there! - Perun, highest god of the Slavic pantheon. From an old Belarussian folktale.

Alex was walking through a strange ancient forest. All around him were skinny white trees that meandered upward like serpents. Grass mixed with violet flowers to carpet the ground in all directions. Chirps of wild bird resonated through the air. It was a dream-like atmosphere.

"You sure we're going the right way?" Alex questioned Scott who was standing nearby. Alex had already summoned him in physical form earlier.

"Certainly, Sir. It's just a bit farther."

Soon after, Alex's nose caught a whiff of smoke, like someone was having a barbecue close by. The two passed through a thicket of tall bushes and glimpsed their first sight of civilization, albeit a destroyed and antiquated one. There stood a village of old wooden houses, many of which were now partially burned or completely razed.

Alex watched as people cleaned up the wreckage and treated wounded. 'There's clearly been an attack here...or...' He squinted his eyes and looked around more carefully. 'They got extremely drunk.'

*Pheew*

An arrow suddenly landed in front of Alex's feet. He looked up in the direction it came from to see a female standing on top of a house, holding a bow. She had wild hair and a rough earth-colored outfit. "Intruders!" she yelled. Within moments, the nearby people grabbed weapons and surrounded Alex and Scott.

"They must be spies for the wolves...we should kill them."

"We can't lose anyone else. They need to die before more come."

"This one looks too skinny to be a werewolf...a skeleton summon maybe." A female druid pointed her staff at Alex.

Alex looked at Scott. 'Can I kill them?'

'...Please don't, Sir. Let me handle this,' Scott replied. "We have come to see Devana. I am an old friend of hers. Regarding what has happened here, we have no knowledge of it."

Once Scott stated that name, everyone's faces became serious. "...To receive an audience with the lady, it's not enough to simply know her name. How can you prove that you actually know her as you say?" an older male druid, with a wise and kindly demeanor said, showing a polite smile.

Scott touched his bearded chin as he thought for a few moments. "Tell her...I miss seeing that sparrow shaped birthmark on her lower back."

...

Without changing expression, the kindly druid slowly took out a bow, placed an arrow in it, and pulled the string back to generate maximum power. The target was Scott's face. The other male druids were in the middle of transforming into bears or reciting attack spells. The females all blushed.

"What the hell are you doing?!? Did you say 'Let me handle this' or 'Let me show off and slut-shame their leader?!?'" Alex yelled at Scott.

"Enough!" A voice abruptly yelled from behind the druids and witches. They quickly separated to clear a path.

*Tap* *Tap *Tap*

A woman approached. She wore a long brown dress of fur and cloth. A short sword hung at her waist, along with a bow and quiver at her back. She carried them so naturally that it would feel strange to visualize her without them. Her head and back were draped with the fur of a powerful bear. Its head was her hat, with its powerful front fangs exposed at the front. She was clearly a huntress of the highest caliber, and a wild beauty on top.

"Hello, Devana," Scott said.

When she saw Scott, her eyes widened. "Radegast, why are you here?" Then she coldly smiled. "Forget it. Let's do things by priority. I heard you were telling an interesting story about a birthmark..." Killing intent oozed from her in all directions.

As she advanced towards Scott, everyone else couldn't help backing up and gulping. All of a sudden, her eyes squinted as she discovered something incredible. Then she looked at Alex and her eyebrows raised in disbelief. "Have you become a General? How is this possible?"

Scott sighed. "I'll explain, but this isn't the place to talk."

Devana got the hint and looked around at everyone. "Everyone, get back to your duties!" The men left, staring fiercely at Scott and gritting their teeth.

'I'll kill you bastard.'

'You better not sleep, cause I'll be there...on top of you. Knife straight in your face...'

'Did he say sparrow shaped? I wonder how big it is.'

...

The female druids and witches also gave looks of disgust, but deep inside, there were traces of curiosity and admiration.

As the three walked towards the center of the village, Alex couldn't help noticing the blood and charred ruins everywhere. "What happened here?"

Devana looked around, her eyes displaying both sadness and anger. "We were sneak attacked by a large group of werewolves last night."

Scott was slightly surprised. "Were they so powerful that you and Hecate could not fend them off?"

Devana looked at him. "It wasn't an issue of power but of numbers. Not only did they sneak attack at night, but they had many more in their ranks. The werewolves are numerous now...After all, they can be created with only a bite. Whereas with witches and druids, it requires special talent and many years of training."

While speaking, she led them inside an intact wooden house in the center of the village. As she looked out the window, there were less than 20 people who were healthy enough to walk around. She sighed. "Years ago, the European Druids were in the thousands...but when the Celtic Gods fell...the group's backbone was destroyed. Most of the druid sects have contracted to this region...I've just been trying to keep the spark alive." Thinking about their pitiful condition, she couldn't help but lower her head.

"How do Gods fall?" Alex asked.

"If the leader of a Pantheon dies or falls, all the gods in that line are doomed to fall and become mortals," Scott answered.

Devana was slightly surprised that Alex didn't know that, but she had her own problems so she didn't bother prying.  "Once Lugh fell...it was only a matter of time until they all followed. Those of us still around have witnessed it many times already..."

Scott's face became serious. "I'm afraid you'll have to witness it again soon, and...experience it as well."

Devana's face instantly turned pale. Her eyes opened wide as she gritted her teeth and stared hard at Scott. "What are you saying?!?"

"...Perun's dead. You should have felt it. I'm sorry."

She started breathing heavily. "No...How? Why?!?" She brought her fist down on the table in the cabin, instantly disintegrating it into small scraps of wood. She stood there panting for a long time, desperation and unwillingness written on her face.

Scott sighed. "Simargl is coming...The end of times approaches. That's why we're here. We'll need the support of the witches and druids if we're going to have any chance of surviving. I hope you and Hecate can pledge allegiance to my Lord."

Snort. "Your Lord?" She looked at Alex, not concealing her contempt. "Can this clueless chosen even do anything?"

"He can. In fact, he's our only chance. That's why you're seeing me here now," Scott replied, displaying firmness in his eyes.

Devana stared deeply at Scott, but eventually, her eyes turned cold. "I haven't seen you in who knows how many centuries. So forgive me if I don't just take you at your word." Then she looked outside at her destroyed community. As she was about to send them away, her eyes flashed."...I'll give you an opportunity to prove you're worthy of my trust. In any case, I won't make a decision by myself...Those werewolves kidnapped Hecate last night..." She clenched her jaw.

"One of the reasons we were beaten so badly is we didn't realize they were here until Hecate was already being attacked in bed. They must have used a sleep-inducing item within our camp...I don't know what they want with her, but if you bring her back in one piece, I'll listen to everything you have to say."

Scott and Alex looked at each other as they considered her proposal. Devana was trying to act cool but her fists squeezed tightly. She knew she had no chance of rescuing Hecate herself, and she believed this mortal in front of her had even less of a chance, but she really had no one else to turn to right now. Finally, Alex answered her.

"Alright. Where's their doghouse?"

Author's Note:

Devana is the Slavic goddess of the wild, nature, forests, and the hunt.

Radegast is a Slavic god. His name can be translated as “dear guest” or “welcomed guest”. He was proclaimed as the Slavic god of hospitality. His name may also refer to him being the council or assembly host, leader, or speaker. This view could be supported by the political role Radegast temple played in the life of West Slavic tribes.

Simargl is a deity or mythical creature in East Slavic mythology, depicted as a winged dog. Solar goddesses keep him chained to the star Polaris in the constellation Ursa Minor, to prevent him from breaking free and destroying the constellation, and causing the world to end.

"Devana," Wikipedia
"Radegast (god)," Wikipedia
"Simargl," Wikipedia