Eirlathion’s POV

An alra-une. This was what Sagel had said was right outside at this time, practically sitting on their wagon. Why did they have to attract an alra-une? The more important question is, how are they going to deal with it? Because they WERE going to have to deal with it.

“I don’t suppose there’s any chance of suddenly teaching those human kid’s fame effect magic, is there?” Sagel said with a dry chuckle. “Honestly, this is about the worst match-up this group could have possibly got. We would need either fire magic or an alra-slayer to take one of those things down. Let alone an alra-slayer though, we do not even have a single blade between us.”

“Heh, I suppose those monsters are about the worst possible match for a green mage like myself then,” Eirlathion chuckled at himself in depreciation.

The changeling chuckled as well and shook his head with a shrug. “Those things are a pretty big threat no matter where they show up, aside from maybe the capital. Even most dryads have a hard time dealing with them, but that one of yours just might be a little different. In most cases though, yeah, dryads can’t really deal that well with a plant they can’t command. If a dryad can’t control them, there’s no way a simple green mage could.”

“Umm…” Túeth raised her voice with an uneasy tone. The two turned to look at her, but she just tucked her chin down and went quiet.

“What is it Túeth?” Eirlathion asked.

“I’m sorry, it’s nothing.”

Eirlathion sighed at his apprentice’s attitude. He had seen she was quite a brilliant student. It was a lot more than just her spirit that was strong, her mind seemed to be extremely keen as well. However, her confidence was practically nonexistent and her trauma was always getting in the way of her doing anything. He was certain that, even with her relative lack of experience, she could certainly come up with something that could contribute to this discussion.

“Túeth, we’re all trying to figure this out, and if we can’t get past that plant demon we will not be able to continue toward the capital or head back toward the village. We need that wagon to move the children. We would all be dead rather quickly if we encountered some demon on foot while we were each holding one of the kids and were unable to fight effectively. Also, nobody except for Dryad knows where we are right now, and by now the village is probably empty so there is nobody they could tell about our situation in order to send us help. So, by all means, if you have something to say then please say it. Any suggestion will help in this situation.”

“No, it probably won’t help.” She responds.

“We will be the judge of that. How about this, I promise that if your idea is a bad one we will say so, that way you don’t have to worry about us getting killed over something you suggest. Also, we will not criticize you for it either. Right now, we are lacking in ideas. Some suggestions from your young mind would certainly help us to at least have some options to consider.”

“Ahh...” Túeth took in his words with a gentle sigh and had a pensive look on her face that suggested she was struggling with some inner demons and finally winning. “Ok, well... I just thought, you said you needed fire right? Well, don’t humans have the ability to make fire without magic? I’m sure Master Sagel could use the human’s technique and...” She trailed off, getting nods from both Eirlathion and Sagel as she fell silent.

“Just Sagel will do Miss.” Sagel responded with a tilt of the head. “Changelings do not hold titles, you see. We are agents of the queen, but aside from that we hold no special status.”

“Ah, but...” Túeth tried to protest, but then went silent again.

“Hmm... as for your plan, I am afraid it will not work. Yes, I can make some fire with the human techniques, but it will be useless. That fire does not burn anywhere close to hot enough, it will not be able to burn a plant monster with all the water still running through it’s system.”

“It was a good idea though,” Eirlathion added, trying to keep her encouraged. “Please do not hesitate if you have anything else.”

“You don’t suppose there might be something useful in that book your dryad gave you?” Sagel suggested.

“Well, I could give it another read but I doubt it.” Eirlathion spoke back. “Oh... hold on! Now, why didn’t I think of this sooner?”

“What?” Sagel asked. Rather than answering him though, Eirlathion just walked over to one of the walls.

After a moment of concentration, the wood of the celing began warping, and a protrusion came out. That protrusion started as a narrow stick, and then grew wider as it went up. It appeared like a stick coming out of the bottom of a large stalactite, except that it was completely made of wood.

With that there, Eirlathion raised his hand and grabbed the stick that came down. It began reforming itself further the moment he touched it, the stick grew a knot of wood at the end which became a pommel, and then the “stalactite” of wood released it, revealing a wide and long blade, and then it immediately dropped to the ground as he was unable to hold its weight.

“Ugh!” He grunted.

“Yeah, that’s a problem. Wood may not be as heavy as steel, but if you make it the size of a proper alra-slayer, it’s going to be too heavy to lift with a normal person’s strength. Those things are just no good unless you have them enchanted properly to reduce the weight and it’s also gotta be made out of wind metal in the first place.”

“Hah! Well, I ought to be able to manage it with the hand of the woodlands. The magic can make up for the lack of strength.”

“And how are you going to support the weight of your arm? If you cannot lift it with the strength of your legs as they are now, holding it with your enchanted hand will do nothing to decrease the weight even if you are able to lift the thing.”

Eirlathion looked down. He had not really considered that in so much detail.

“Also, are we certain this can stand up to the rigors of battle?”

“Well,” Eirlathion responded, “I can at least account for that by using some wood strengthening magic. About the weight though...”

“Wait!” Túeth spoke up. “I think I might have an idea about how to handle that...”

-

“Well, this has got to be one of the stranger situations I have been in throughout my life.” Eirlathion complained. He heard one of the boys giggling. He couldn’t see which one it was.

[moose!] “hehe!”

“Are they laughing at me, or are they laughing at you? I can’t really tell.” Eirlathion said to Sagel, who had changed into a large moose. He said this form had the best balance between speed, mobility, and strength, and was ideal for the purpose of the plan they were implementing. It was, indeed, a pretty large creature. The issue was, he was currently laying face-down against Sagal’s hairy back-side, lashed onto his body with vines as Túeth was still adding more just to be certain he did not slip.

“They seemed to get quite excited when they saw me change my form, I believe this might be the first time they have seen it happen right in front of them, that might be why.” The changeling responded thoughtfully. “Anyway, if you are concerned about looking ridiculous, this is actually not as uncommon among humans as you may think. In fact, they ride four-legged animals all the time. Of course, being lashed to your mount in this way is another matter.”

“Well, I do have to admit that it is a good idea. You did well Túeth.” Eirlathion said, looking down as his apprentice was working to secure the last vine against Sagal’s side.

“Hmm...” She nods in acknowledgement. She still looks a bit insecure, but she does seem to be easing up a bit. “I think that is secure master.” She looks up into his eyes with a light smile, but it turns dark rather quickly. “good luck out there.”

“Yes, it should not be much of a problem.” He says.

“Do not waste time!” Sagal interrupts. “Your spell will wear off if you take too long. If you are prepared, we should get moving.”

“Ah! Yes, of course!” Eirlathion responds. He looks to the floor where the large wooden sword, the blade close to the length of an entire adult man, is laying on the floor. He reaches out with his hand of the woodland wich stretches down from his place on the back of Sagal’s moose form. Túeth had begun running off toward the wall in front of Sagal at the same time as he began this motion. She gave both of them a quick nod as she placed her hand on the wall and supplied the mana needed for Dryad, all the way back a day’s travel away, to open up the side of the tree.

With their way cleared, Sagal began his march... or rather, trot out into the early dawn landscape. Sagal had spent the entire night lecturing Eirlathion on the particulars of this kind of mounted combat and going over their combat plan. It was time to see if all that effort had paid off.

As soon as they were clear of the tree, Sagal sped up to a full gallop as he went toward where they had left their wagon. It was not that far, and soon enough Eirlathion could see a large vine as large around as a person’s thigh winding across the ground. Such a large vine, this was a known sign of the alra-une. It extended those powerful vines in every direction in order to catch prey and then drag them back to the main body to be consumed.

Sagal slowed his pace. They were inside of its territory now. One wrong move here could mean their death before they could even get close enough to strike the killing blow. Their best bet was to be able to cut off its stock in a single swing. That was the entire purpose of the alra-slayer sword’s design in the first place, the reach necessary to reach the stock without risk of stepping on the vines closer to the creature’s base. With the added reach provided by Eirlathion’s hand of the woodlands, this should be more than possible.

The vines became more numerous as they continued to get closer. Eventually, he caught sight of the white canvas tarp of the wagon. It had somehow become smashed down into the wagon’s body, likely a result of the alra-une’s explorations of their scent all over the thing as it searched for food.

He could not see the flower of the une itself, it was supposed to be right here though so the only conclusion he could come to is that it must be hidden from his vision by Sagal’s head and antlers.

“Eirlathion.” Sagal said in a very uneasy tone. He lowered his head after that, revealing exactly what it was that got him so disturbed. The bud... it was open! That meant that it was awake and it could see them. The form of an alluring female was plainly visible above the wide flower, and she was looking straight back at them as a look of terror suddenly painted her face.

“Help! Please! Help me!” The woman screeched as she bent forward toward the edge of the petals, clawing at the edge of the large flower with one hand as the other reached toward him. Eirlathion’s eyebrows furrowed. He knew this was a tactic used by these demons. The woman was a part of the demon, and she was acting as a lure in order to attract prey just as the vines acted to help catch them. However, to hear such a heart-rending cry in a female voice... even if he knew it, it did not make this any easier.

“Eirlathion, now!” Sagal warned.

Yes, he had to strike fast before the vines became active. The alra-une still did not know about his arm, so he still had a chance to catch it off guard. He extended his arm upward, while at the same time swinging from the shoulder and having his still extending arm enter a whip-like swing. This was a spell he was very practiced with in combat, so the chances of him misjudging the distance were small. And as soon as it got to the correct length and stopped extending, the whip motion caught up with the hand holding the blade and descended rapidly toward the large plant monster.

“Noooo! Ahhhh!” The female voice shrieked and her form cringed as the vines rose up to protect her. The large sword cleaved straight through the wall of folded-over vines. It was just as Sagal had said, the extra weight that this thing had gave it even more than the typical alra-slayer. There were at least five of those thick vines, and this thing had severed all of them. Well, it got caught in the second layer of the folded vines, but that was far more damage than a normal blade would do.

He had to retract his arm in order to dislodge the blade. However, before he could raise his hand again for another swing...

“I gotta move!” Sagal yelled and began running off in the same direction as the vines he had just severed.

“No! Where are you going! Help!”

“Tsk!” Eirlathion spat. How can she keep up with that act after having just lost so many of what should amount to limbs for her? He looked back, he could see the winding vines already trying to pursue them as Sagal put the wagon between them in order to block the line of sight. He extended his arm again and brought it down on the vine that was winding toward them, causing Sagal to stumble several steps to the side as he deviated his course. These sudden staggered steps almost made him miss, but he did still manage to land a good cut into the vine.

“Not while I’m moving!” Sagal barked back. “I almost fell!”

Eirlathion clenched his teeth. How was he supposed to not swing with something like that coming after them? This was quite the situation. They couldn’t swing while Sagal was moving, but if Sagal stopped then they would be caught for sure. Sure, this giant sword did have the advantage of cutting power, but the weight really did present a whole host of other problems.

What’s worse is that they were caught. They only had one chance at a sneak attack in order to take that thing out, and they had been spotted. They were not going to get a chance like that again.

“Where are you going!? Come back! Help! Heeeelp meeee! Please heeelp!”

We’re the ones who need help here lady, help to deal with you! Eirlathion cursed in his heart against this demon. Alra-unes were not considered to be in the top-tier class of most threatening among the common demons for nothing. What’s worse, those vines could be regrown. That meant that even that bit of damage he did just now was going to amount to nothing.

Suddenly, Sagal got blown to the side. He had apparently taken a hit, but fortunately the direction he was toppling over toward was the right and not the left. On this side, Eirlathion was able to extend his arm and brace it on the ground in order to steady him.

“Thank you.” The moose beneath him grunted and took a few more unsteady steps to regain his balance. Meanwhile, Eirlathion turned his head to the other side in order to see the offending vine that had attacked them.

“Sagal! Brace!” Eirlathion commanded. He responded immediately, bracing his legs firmly against the ground in order to allow Eirlathion to swing again. He extended his arm and swung it over his head, successfully hitting this vine. There were more than just that though, now that they had stopped he continued to swing and cut down one pursuing vine after another. There were still some writhing and wiggling vines in the distance, slowly closing in.

What a situation. If they start moving, they get assailed by vines with no way to fight back. If they stay where they are, the demon will get closer and eventually close the net on them. The closer it gets, the more vines get involved, and they will eventually be overwhelmed.

Suddenly, there was a very loud creaking, a sound Eirlathion had grown to recognize as a tree shifting its position. The leaves rustled in the direction of the alra-une. "EEEEEK!!!" The demon's voice shouted. This one sounded a little less like the begging it used as a lure and more like genuine distress, just like when it had raised its vines to defend against his swing. The vines nearby jerked and flailed, and ceased to move in a coordinated manner. Eirlathion swung and cut a few of the nearest ones and then retracted his arm to a more stable position.

"Ok, now's our chance!" He shouted at Sagel. He immediately took off at a full sprint, well beyond the gallop he started off with. Their destination was the tree they had stayed the night in. The second they got back, Eirlathion wasted no time cutting the vines binding him to Sagel, after which he dropped the sword massive sword to the ground and then immediately opened the door. He saw Túeth on the other side waiting, holding Levin and Aerien in her arms with a look of expectation on her face.

“We failed.” He told her. Her expression dropped, but she only nodded at his words and took a step toward Sagal. Eirlathoin grabbed and cleared away the vines still clinging to Sagal’s back, and then helped lift Túeth up in order to get in a good riding position. She had been prepared for this. They had discussed it all the previous night. In case of a failure, they would have to abandon this location along with the wagon. The alra-une would probably wind up following them back to the tree and plant itself right on top of their location after they ran away from it. If they did not leave right now, they would never be able to escape at all.

In reality, they had already been prepared for this. The attempt at going against the alra-une was not something that had a high hope of success to start with, and depended too much on chancing upon the good fortune it might be asleep. However, if they won that gamble, they would get their wagon back. With the wagon, they could cultivate and rest while in travel. Riding on Sagal’s back would be a lot harder on all their bodies, including Sagal himself. Having the wagon would be ideal. However, in this case, it was something that could no longer be.

Eirlathion ran to collect Rolwen, and Gaerien, only to realize something. “Hey, where’s Gaerien!?”

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Subscriber's comments of the chapter

"Oh shut she's gone!"

                          -meowingLexi

"a moose knight!"

                          -Roy

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Lol, yes, a moose knight. We are now at the point where the audience can enjoy my unique kind of logical absurdity. It's something I really quite enjoy, those scenes where, if you see everything that lead up to it, it all makes perfect sense. However, if just for a split second you take a snap-shot at any point in the process aside from the very earliest steps, it seems as bizarre and absurd as it gets. Yeah, expect more of this from me.

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Author's note.

So, I know some people expected Dryad to get involved here. I actually have my reasons for why it didn't happen, and no they are not all for the reasons of forcing a conflict. I tried to give something of a satisfactory explanation, and it was something that made sense in my own mind, but I'm sure it's not enough for some people. Anyway, please let me know what you all think on this subject especially and in particular.

(This is one of the hazards of having advanced chapters. None of the subscribers found it strange, but comments last chapter indicated that some people here might. I would have likely written it differently if I had the comments from last chapter before I wrote this one. I actually went back and checked this chapter after reading that comment and asked myself if the explanation I gave was really enough. I felt it answered some questions, but might not be 100% satisfactory. So, I am left in a place where I am unsure whether or not that needs to be changed. There is also the difficulty that there are other things that are the way they are for a very specific reason and will be revealed in future chapters. I promise you guys, every one of the named characters so far, and I really do mean EVERY one, have things going on that the audience has yet to be made aware of... except maybe Tueth. Most of her secrets were bared to the audience rather early on.)