Tangled

Commander Stone approached Riona, as she made a step toward the door. "Miss Riona, I can't just let you go so easily."

Riona tilted her head in confusion. "You've excused me of my crimes, yes?"

"Well, yes but---"

"And you want your people safe, yes?"

"I do but---"

She rested a hand on his shoulder. "Then you need to let me go. I'd stay and help your people but I can imagine they would reject the healing from a witch."

Commander paused in thought, knowing she was right. Before he could comment, Riona was already walking toward the door. He dashed around her, and stood in front of the exit. "What if I come with you?"

Riona's shoulders lowered with a sigh as she gave a gentle smile. "Commander Stone, you have a duty to your people."

He nodded. "A duty I will be fulfilling by ensuring I see this through. I might not be a sorcerer but I'd like to think another sword would be useful to you."

Her smile faded, and her voice dropped in tone. "You won't like what you see, Commander."

"Why are you trying so hard to keep me here?"

"Because, Commander Stone," Riona looked at him with concerned eyes. "if you come with me… you will die. Of that, I have no doubt. And I'd hope you were the type of man to learn from his mistakes and heed the warning of those earnestly trying to protect them."

The Commander sighed, and lowered his head. "I'm sorry."

Riona raised a hand under his chin, giving him another smile. "You're a good man, Commander. There aren't many of you left in this world, and I don't want to be the one to take you away from it." With a defeated sigh, the Commander was ready to step out of her way, but not before he heard a gentle knock at the door. He turned around and opened the door to find no one there.

"Hm?" He furrowed his brow. "Hello?" He leaned his head out and looked both ways to find no one even looking in his direction. "Who goes there?" He then felt a gentle tapping at his boot. Stone flinched at the sight of a snow owl at the ground looking up at him. "An owl? Peculiar." He made a brushing motion with his hands toward the street. "Off you go now. Shoo!"

"Hello Lilia." Riona said from behind.

The Commander looked back. "Eh? Is this your pet?"

"Uh…" Riona paused as she caught Lilia leaning around the side of the Commander with narrow eyed glare. "Yes… she is my pet." Riona looked to the Commander with a smile. "A very helpful scout in my journeys."

"You continue to astound me, Miss Riona." He said, looking back toward Lilia who looked up at him and made a brushing motion with her wings. "What?" With one wing, Lilia pointed toward Riona, and then repeated the brushing motion. "Oh, uh…" He stepped aside in the doorway, letting Lilia pass. "My… apologies." Lilia strut into the home as Riona lowered her wrist for her to perch on. "I must admit I'm a bit disturbed. I've never seen a bird act in such a way."

Riona scratched the top of Lilia's head. "Lilia is smarter than your average owl."

Stone raised his brows. "No doubt a result of your magic."

Riona's gentle smile faded again. "No…" She looked grimly at Lilia. "...not mine." She took her staff weapon and walked out of the house and toward the street with the Commander in tow.

The doctor trailed behind. "Commander." He said, giving Stone a nod as he walked away towards the street.

Riona gazed upon the destruction of Pinehold. Many buildings were destroyed, if not burned then collapsed. There were several plumes of smoke around the town as people walked around tending to the wounded, others cleaning up rubble as the entire town's guard aided where they could. The smell of burning wood was still strong. As cleaned up as she was, Riona still received glares from the townsfolk. She did her best to not make eye contact, but no amount of effort could ignore the hatred. They blamed her for this, she knew that.

"Get out of here witch!" cried a woman. "This is your fault!"

A man glared at her. "You've brought nothing but death!"

"Don't mind them, Miss Riona." The Commander said, putting a hand to her back. "Had I listened to you, things may have turned out differently."

A large stone flew from one of the ruined homes and crashed into Riona's head. She staggered to the ground, a hand holding her forehead as blood dripped to the ground. Lilia immediately shielded her master with her wings, and let out a hiss looking for the perpetrator. Stone's quick eye spotted the distressed rock-thrower.

"You!" Stone pointed with a scowl. "Arrest him!" He ordered as two nearby guards rushed to apprehend the man. In the short time he was distracted, villagers had already begun throwing food and rotten items at Riona while she covered her head from further injury. Lilia had already leapt at a few villagers who ran off at the angered owl. The Commander ran over and stood over Riona. "The next item thrown and you'll be on the pillory for a week!" He shouted. The restless strangers quieted. "Now, I am distressed as any of you. But I will not tolerate this behavior!"

"This is her fault!" cried a woman. Others joined in a roar.

"By the law of Edgemere, no punishment will be dealt without proper trial. I am the Commander of Pinehold and I will decide whether or not she is guilty of this atrocity! Seeing as you are all so eager to sentence a woman to death rather than recuperate your lives, I will satisfy your bloodlust so we can get back to our lives." Stone looked around, glancing at the chattering crowd which seemed to come in unanimous agreement. "Very well. The trial will be held at the gallows… or what's left of it. Go now, I'll see if you haven't already killed her yet." Stone waited for the crowd to disperse before he kneeled down to Riona who was in the process of sitting up, a hand still at her forehead. "Miss Riona?" He offered a hand to her.

She shook her head, "I'll be fine. Thank you." With one hand she gripped her staff and pushed herself off the ground to her feet. Riona looked at the Commander, removing the hand from her head. While blood dripped down her face and soaked her glove and fingers, what would have been a sizable gash on her head was gone.

Stone narrowed his eyes. "You weren't cowering… you were healing." He paused to think of how quickly Riona stepped out of bed and walked like an entire building didn't collapse on her the night before. There was conflict in his eyes. The law spoke against such magic, and the people were adamant to uphold that. As he looked around his ruined city he saw the bloodied and injured and wondered what Riona could do for his people… not that they would accept it.

"You need not worry about me." Riona took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her face as clean as she could. "This isn't the first time."

"Well, you have a trial ahead of you." Stone said, gesturing toward the farther end of the city. The two of them began to walk away before some guards hurried over.

"Do you need assistance, Commander? To keep the peace and all that." The guard said.

"That won't be necessary." Stone dismissed them as they continued onward.

--

The gallows were fairly untouched from the destruction and the crowd was already swarming the platform, their voices rising as Riona and the Commander arrived. Once the two were on the platform, Riona took a seat center stage while Stone raised his hands and lowered them to command the crowd to quiet.

"I will make note to you all, I was ready to dismiss the charges against Riona this morning. But because it seems you will all not sleep at night until she is put on trial, here we are." He turned to Riona. "Riona. You are hereby accused by the law and people of Pinehold of practicing witchcraft. What have you to say for yourself?" He finished, his words sounding rehearsed.

"Nothing, Commander. Your guards witnessed my practice of magic, hence my arrest."

The crowd roared, "Guilty!"

Stone looked to her, keeping his voice lower than the civilians, "Honesty really isn't the way with an angry mob, Riona. Help me, help you." He hushed the people again.

Riona stood up. "What I practice are the natural magics that exist in this world whether or not you believe them to be real or deem it heinous and despicable. Forget not the history of this world. Magic was once prominent and more commonplace than a hearth in your homes. It was accepted, expected, and helped society function and defend ourselves against the dangers the world presents us on a daily basis. This ban against witchcraft is nothing more than a product of fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of things we do not understand. You've seen it for yourself. These creatures that attacked your city were no product of nature. They were products of evil."

"Evil magic!" shouted a woman. Stone silenced the crowd before they began.

"Indeed." Riona nodded. "Evil magic. It exists, truly. But for evil to exist, there must be good. And I assure you, evil will always exist in this world and sometimes it will beckon twisted and wretched magic and wield terrible power. And when it comes for kingdoms like Edgemere, swords and shields will never be enough to conquer it. I will say this once and only once, the world of Arkelos does not bend to the words of kings and queens. Magic will exist whether it is allowed or not, and the world will live as it chooses. It is up to you to decide if you will suffer death to a law that left you helpless all for the sake of integrity." Riona looked around as the crowd began to talk amongst themselves.

"What are you saying?" asked a man.

"That you fight magic with magic." Riona straightened herself. "You witnessed it yourself. These monsters tore down your masonry walls with little effort, and burned your homes with a simple breath. Your guards were thrown like dolls. What you believed to be a lifetime of sanctuary was uprooted in a single night." She looked to the Commander before stepping forward to the edge of the platform and folded her hands behind her back. "No matter my magic, I will not go against the law of the people. If you wish to pelter me with stone and food, so be it. If you wish to hang me, then I will hang. Regardless of your decision, Pinehold is not safe from these atrocities. I say this for your sake, if I die here… so shall you."

Before the crowd could react to her grim words, the Commander stepped forward. "A proposition then. Riona, you will fight these monsters that terrorized our city. To ensure that you do not run away, I will escort you. We will let fate decide your life." He turned to the crowd. "What say you?"

After some discussion, people one after the other cried out, "Aye!"

"Then it is settled." The Commander noted. "We will leave as soon as possible. Return to your homes, rebuild what was lost. I will return with news… whatever sort it may be." He waited for everyone to disperse, staring at the people with his arms crossed. As soon as it was clear, he let out a deep sigh and dropped his arms. "That could've gone much worse." He looked to Riona. "That was quite a speech."

"Thank you… I've rehearsed it in my head more times than I care to think about." Riona adjusted her glove. "I always wondered how I would justify myself in a world people don't understand."

"Well, it seems to have worked. Though I think the outrage of the people was more of an inner turmoil than a hatred for you. Pinehold has been peaceful for decades. They are not used to a change of pace… especially one of this magnitude."

Riona nodded. "I understand, Commander Stone. This is not the first city I've been to that has suffered at the hands of… wicked sorcery. As I said, I've been on the hunt for a monster. And they, too, are responsible for equal atrocities." The two of them began to walk toward the city gates. Lilia took a perch on Riona's shoulder Taking detours from ruined buildings when needed. Still, Riona never felt like eyes were not on her. Riona caught the eye of a young child on the ground, crying for his parents. "I promised myself that I'd protect the innocent and the helpless from these monsters. My target might not have even come to harm Pinehold."

"But it would have come to harm somewhere else." The Commander walked alongside Riona. "Pinehold is my town. But that does not make the lives here any more valuable than anywhere else. I've been a soldier for as long as you've been alive, probably. And I've had to make some tough decisions. No matter the outcome, it never feels good." He looked to his left, seeing a charred arm still under the rubble of a building. "You did what you thought was right." They remained quiet for a little while longer as they observed what was left of many homes. Thankfully, the battle was isolated and a good portion of the town was still untouched, but that did not make them feel any better. "Miss Riona, with all your power and wisdom I can't help but wonder something." Riona kept her gaze to the floor. "My men that apprehended you... you let that happen. I may not have seen you in action, but I get the feeling you could've easily bested them and fled. You allowed yourself to be arrested. Why?"

Riona's eyes looked toward the now collapsed keep where she was imprisoned. "At the end of the day, Commander," She looked at him. "I'm just like you or anyone else. A law abiding citizen. I willingly committed a crime with my use of magic."

He scoffed. "That can't be the only reason."

Riona gave a quick grin before looking to the ground again. "I wanted to show that we who practice the arts are not all evil and malevolent." She closed a fist and held her hand to Stone. As she opened it, a wildflower bloomed right in her palm. "There was a time when it was good. And I hoped the world could see that." Lilia gently flapped her wings. "Lilia's right… time is wasting. We have a spriggan to hunt. With Pinehold's defenses down, a second attack won't leave much left." The two hurried at a brisk pace to the town gates where a familiar Captain Levitt was standing giving orders to soldiers and civilians alike. The moment Stone came into view, Levitt stiffened up and saluted.

"Captain Levitt." The Commander acknowledged.

"Sir!" Levitt replied.

"I'm escorting Miss Riona into the forest." Stone pointed toward the gate. "We're going to try and stop the creature that did this."

Levitt's disciplined stature dropped for a moment. "By yourselves!? Sir, that thing nearly destroyed Pinehold even with our full force in defense!"

The Commander nodded, waving his hand for Levitt to calm down. "I understand that, Captain Levitt, but Riona claims she can stop it. While I understand your hesitation to ally yourself with a witch, I've ruled her claims to be true. She's meant no harm, and if you want to oppose my judgement, you're permitted to voice your mind."

The Captain's eyes widened as he stammered. "N-n-no sir."

Stone put a hand to his captain's shoulder. "You've seen what it can do. Pinehold won't survive another attack. If Riona can stop it what have we to lose? We're all dead anyway."

"Aye, sir."

"Good." Stone moved aside and continued walking toward the gate. "You have command until I return. Let's go, Miss Riona." Levitt gave his superior a salute before looking at Riona who gave him a nod and followed after the Commander.

---

About an hour into their journey, the forest turned from its relaxing sunlit and green vista to an unsettling and overcast nightmare. As they continued on, the critters were less bold and far more quiet. The morning dew that coated the ground was replaced by an ominous fog. And while the trees were still green, the clouded sky paired with the mist seemed to sap the woods of their color. Visibility gradually lessened and while it was drawing closer to noon, it appeared to get darker. Still, Riona was ever vigilant. Her eyes gazed around constantly searching for clues to the spriggan's activity. Even Lilia continued to rotate her neck like a sentinel in search for any signs of danger.

"You're able to track this creature through all this?" Stone asked, sticking as close to Riona as possible.

"Quite well." Riona answered, focused on the task at hand. "I only have trouble tracking creatures that don't want to be found. But this spriggan is not smart enough to cover its tracks."

"And... What about that bear? The Feyn?"

Riona almost paused in her step before she shook her head. "As I said, the Feyn is not a threat, nor our concern. And unlike the spriggan, the Feyn is extremely intelligent. We wouldn't find it if we tried."

"I was just wondering. You said it attacks other monsters. If we could---"

"I see your logic, Commander. Truth is, the Feyn never normally leaves its prey alive. Why it retreated during the Pinehold attack… Well, I don't really know. But it's unlikely we're going to run into the Feyn out here. The spriggan drew a lot of attention to itself in the town. Now I feel it's biding its time to heal. If it survived a fight with the Feyn, then it's badly wounded." They continued on for a few more silent minutes as Riona directed them left and right and through all sorts of difficult terrain.

"Tell me about yourself, Riona." Stone spoke again.

"Hm?" Riona said, distracted.

"So it's just Riona then?"

"What do you mean?"

The Commander shrugged. "Well, you never introduced yourself fully."

Riona nodded. "Ah, no… just Riona. I was orphaned at a young age due to war. I don't remember my parents, or my home."

Stone sucked in air through his teeth. "I'm sorry."

Riona gave a weak smile. "It's all right. I was taken in by a man with other orphans."

"Quite a burden to take so many wayward children."

Riona nodded. "He was a good man. He meant well… always did."

"What of him now?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "It's been years since I last saw him. When we were able to fend for ourselves we left."

"Is that where you learned magic?" With his question, Lilia's head turned around to stare at him.

"No. I… had a natural gift. Something I've just learned to control over the years."

Stone nodded again with a sigh. "I see… Do you miss them?" Riona seemed confused. "Your caretaker… the other orphans."

"Oh, yes. I'd very much like to see them all again. They were all still family." Riona cleared her throat. "Enough about me, Commander. What about you?"

Stone scoffed. "I'm sorry, my life isn't nearly as interesting as yours. Raised by a merchant family. Signed up for the guard. Fought a few wars. Promoted to royal guard… then reassigned myself to Pinehold."

"Commander Stone not comfortable with an idle job, why am I not surprised?"

"I figured guarding the King in a fortified castle alongside a hundred others inside a walled guarded city seemed redundant. The position was filled the moment I left.They can have it."

Their conversation was distracting enough. While it was subtle, the forest was definitely cursed. She couldn't see it through the thick fog, but now that they were in the middle of it, it all became apparent. The spriggan wasn't far. Riona held out a hand to her side, signalling to stop as she kneeled down. She dipped her hand into the wet ground. Taking a look at her dirtied fingers, she narrowed her eyes.

"What is it?" Stone asked.

"This corruption…" Riona said, rubbing her fingers together. The mud was unnaturally black and oily. As she continued forward, she saw the various trees were rotten, many of them with fissures in the wood. Deep in the recess of the cracks was a familiar purple glow to the Commander.

"I saw it once before, when I found the remains of my men."

Riona put her hand to the bark. It was soft, black, and sloughed off like flesh. Her eyes widened as she gasped and took a few steps back. With a nervous breath, Riona muttered a few words under her breath and tapped her staff to the ground twice. The fog immediately began to dissipate around them revealing how truly corrupted the forest was. All of the trees here were dead and rotting, featuring the same fissures as before. Dead animals littered the floor, already covered in fungus. Riona spotted a deer, its furry nature now almost tree-like as wood covered most of its body. It made unnatural and disturbing whimpers as it tried its best to move with its stiffened ailment. The forest itself began to give a certain vibration, a deep hum almost like a heartbeat, though at times it felt irregular. The birds themselves were either silent or made horrifying calls.

"The spriggan is spreading death and madness. If we do not kill it, this forest will no longer be safe."

"What do you mean?"

Riona turned and faced the Commander looking as serious as ever. "If it infects the forests further it will spread… and spread, turning this entire land into a noxious, poisonous wasteland. More spriggans will emerge and I'd wager the entirety of Edgemere will be lost."

"The entire kingdom?! What mad power could've sparked all this?"

"Remember when I told you I was scrying the forest? I was looking for someone… I've a strong belief they're behind this chaos."

The Commander balled up a fist at his side. "But why? What does anyone have to benefit from this twisted mayhem?"

Riona shook her head, looking toward the forest. "Nothing Commander. Villains like this aren't in it for profit, power, or anything that would normally vex the common man. They want something far more lasting and precious." She looked Stone in the eyes. "To send a message. Come… stay close."

The two continued on deeper into the forest. While the mist did fade, it was only replaced with a more disturbing sight. The rotten trees were now covered in unnaturally large fungus. Cool air was now warm, and the gray fog was switched with a strange orange-brown substance in the air. The creatures were now walking corpses. A wolf walked in the distance with no eyes, a body covered in fungus, and a rotten abdomen. It's innards were clearly visible through its bare ribcage. Distracted, Stone didn't see Riona reach over to hand him a cloth.

"Take this." Riona said. She reached to her neckline and pulled a stretchy green fabric from her shirt and tugged it over her nose to form a mask. "The air may get the better of you here." Stone nodded and tied the cloth around his face much like hers. "Mind your step, Commander. It needs only one swift strike to take your head before I've a chance to save you." The Commander learned his lesson on taking Riona's warnings. He immediately drew his sword and shield.

"Strange there's no wind here." The Commander asked. He watched as a large mushroom convulsed and squeezed spores into the air. He moved away from it and kept his mask tight.

"Even the wind has a mind of its own. It knows better than to pass through corrupted woods and spread its disease in the air."

"And you fight things like this norm--" The Commander was caught off guard as a strong force smashed against his armor. Riona watched as his body tumbled along the ground paces away.

"Commander!" Riona cried.

Stone sat up, pointing behind Riona with his sword. "Behind you, Riona!" She instinctly ducked, as Lilia flew into the air. There was a strong wind above her head before she rolled away and turned around and faced the towering spriggan. It gave no pause and tried impaling Riona with its front leg several times. Each miss left a sizable puncture in the ground. It was certain death if Riona made one mistake. She took whatever opportunity she could to slash at the creature with her bladed staff, all the while dodging its menacing limbs.

"I will end your torment, spirit." Riona growled as it swung at her with one of its arms. Just as it missed, Riona severed it with a well-timed swing. It attacked again in fury, missing once more but its claws cleaving through a nearby tree with ease. As it swung once more, the Commander watched Riona put up her staff and stop its attack. Riona was unmoved.

"What strength…" Stone muttered in disbelief as he shook away his surprise and ran for the fight. The spriggan pushed against Riona, her feet losing traction as it slid in the mud. Though it had no eyes, its head turned to the left, as the Commander rushed in. It pulled its arm away from Riona and swung at the Commander who cut off its hand. The beast roared in anger again, and as it did, its severed arm and hand grew back immediately.

With a raspy roar, it spewed out a noxious orange mist from its mouth that covered the entire area. The two of them could hardly see their own hands in front of their face. All was silent for the time being. Occasionally they heard skittering, and movement in the trees and bushes. Riona and the Commander pressed their backs together, spinning around to keep a watchful eye. Their eyes darted around frantically as they searched for the monster that seemingly disappeared.

"Did it run aw---" The commander was interrupted as Riona pushed back against him. A giant claw slashed towards them and barely missed as it dug into the ground and dragged back into the mist. Stone kept his shield up high as he continued to search. After a moment, another wooden tendril flew from the mist. The two of them ducked just in time as the whoosh of wind passed overhead. Riona narrowed her eyes before she heard a slight rustle behind them.

"Commander!" Riona cried as the beast tried to impale Stone. She pushed him out of the way taking the full brunt of the strike. Riona was sent flying into a tree before hitting the ground.

The mist soon dissipated and Stone faced the beast with fearless eyes. His practice in war came to light as he blocked attacks with his shield and used little openings to strike back. It didn't take long for the spriggan to learn, however. It eventually grabbed on to his shield and pulled it away from him. No matter how many appendages he cut, the spriggan would regrow them and the Commander quickly drained his stamina. Eventually he fell backwards, staggered from a blow that nearly took his head. He scurried backwards, pushing away from the corrupted spirit as it tried to impale him to the floor.

Riona groaned in pain as her eyes narrowly opened and caught sight of the Commander. With a weak arm, she raised her hand in the air towards Stone and slammed an open palm to the ground. Instantly the Commander was encased in a dome made from tree roots. Barely any light got in, but he could hear as the spriggan roared and attacked the dome repeatedly, but the shelter was far too thick to penetrate. Riona raked her fingers through the mud, pulling her hand towards her. The protective dome covering the Commander suddenly tightened around his entire body, constricting him to the point where he could hardly breathe. His body was then pulled underground. The spriggan attacked the floor, driving its sharp claws to impale the now missing Commander. Stone only experienced the sound of passing dirt and rocks before his body emerged to the surface and was freed from its vine-like casing. He opened his eyes to see Riona beside him, struggling to stand to her feet.

"Thank you." Stone said, catching his breath.

Riona pushed herself up with a grunt, leaning on her staff as she did. The spriggan was still preoccupied with stabbing the ground where Stone had vanished, leaving her ample time to mutter a spell under her breath. Her incantation was spoken in whispers which quickly became multiplied and sourceless. Her bladed staff stood upright on its own as the green crystal embedded in it began to glow. Her weapon began to float and the spin rapidly in the air as her voice became louder and louder like an echoing thunder.

The spriggan took notice and began charging toward her but found itself struggling as roots from the ground sprung from below and wrapped around its limbs. No matter how many times it broke free, the spriggan would be arrested by more and more. Soon it was immobile and defenseless. Riona grabbed her spinning staff and charged toward the spriggan, leaping into the air before thrusting her blade straight into its mouth. The force of her body knocked it over, snapping the roots that held it in place. Riona kept her feet on the edges of its mouth as it snapped rapidly to consume her, but with a few twists of her weapon, the spriggan remained still.

As Riona's eyes began to glow, the spriggan's monstrous form slowly became less bestial and appeared more like a fallen tree in the forest. Glowing wisps flew from its corpse and scattered themselves into the forest.

She leapt off the still body and caught her breath as Commander Stone approached.

"Is it dead?" Stone asked.

Riona nodded, still panting.

"I'm sorry, Miss Riona. You were hurt because of me."

"I did tell you, Commander." Riona stretched her back.

Commander Stone nodded. "I would die."

Riona sat on the ground and beckoned for Stone to join her. The corrupted orange grass on the floor turned healthy and green around them. "If it's any consolation, Commander. You fought well. I didn't expect you to last as long as you did."

Stone snorted a laugh. "I've never stopped training. But it seems dealing with monstrosities was never part of a guard's skill set." He joined her on the ground. "What now?"

"Rest." Riona said. Lilia came from the canopy and perched on her shoulder. "I must cleanse the forest. The spriggan may be dead, but its corruption must be purged. Get some rest, Commander. You're safe now." She rested her hands on her knees and shut her eyes. Little glowing wisps circled around her, multiplying as they did and flew around the forest. Little by little, the corrupted woods were slowly being restored. "We can return to Pinehold in the morning."

"I'd find it difficult to rest after all this madness, Riona. How are you so calm?" Stone said, his sword still in hand.

"Because, Commander, we have no time to waste."

"Then I'll keep watch."

Riona raised a hand toward the Commander. "Sleep, Commander." And just like that, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion befell the Commander and he was comfortably fast asleep.

---

The cold wet air of morning shook Stone awake. His mind was foggy for a few minutes. He tried his best to remember the events of last night. Surely the spriggan was defeated but events after that had gone dark. As his mind cleared he tried to push himself up, feeling a bit of resistance as he felt his body partially covered in soil and moss. He shook himself free of the dirt, and sheathed his sword he was sleeping on top of. It was then he looked up and around. The forest was now rich, lively and extraordinarily green. The orange tint of the air was gone, the fungus had vanished, and the wildlife returned in droves. Squirrels and deer paid no mind to the Commander's presence despite him being so close.

"Miss Riona?" Stone looked around. Lilia swooped in from the green canopy above and landed on the ground before the Commander. "Ah… Lilia, was it? Where's your master?" Lilia narrowed her eyes before turning around and flying away. She landed on the ground again before looking back to the Commander. "Oh, right." On his way to Lilia, he found his shield on the ground, covered in moss and picked it up. Nearly an hour of following Lilia before Stone had caught up to Riona. The white-haired sorceress was found kneeling by the roadside, picking herbs and putting them in a pouch.

"Ah, Commander." Riona said, still plucking plants from the ground. "Sleep well?"

"Quite well… especially given the circumstances." The Commander said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't worry, I didn't abandon you. I just thought you needed more rest."

"Right… right…" Stone said. "I notice you uh…" He glanced around. "You fixed the forest. I'll say it certainly looks more green than I remember. Especially for the season…"

Riona chuckled. "It will balance out eventually." She stood up, tightening her leather pouch before smiling at Stone. "We should head back to Pinehold and let your men know the threat is dealt with."

"Right."

----

A couple hours into the morning and the two were just outside of Pinehold's land. The town was just in sight over the crest of a hill. While too far to make any details, it appeared the smoke completely died down, perhaps too much. Normally there were smoke stacks from chimneys, but the town was completely bereft of any such activity. Initially, Commander Stone thought nothing of it. The usual day to day was disrupted by the spriggan and Feyn attack. The townsfolk were certainly tired and exhausted from all the healing and reconstruction. He hoped Captain Levitt organized some sort of schedule for his people.

"Commander." Riona said, looking forward. Her voice shook him from his thoughts. He looked to her, but she only gestured to the path in front of them with a quick raise of her nose. Stone caught sight of a lone person running towards them from down the hill. The figure soon appeared as a simple peasant, dressed in dirtied and simple clothing. What concerned the Commander was the pace at which he was running. As the man drew closer he was clearly panicked, not even looking where he was running as his arms flailed about.

"You there!" Stone called out. The man stopped at the familiar booming voice of Commander Stone. "What's wrong? What's happened?" The man looked too frightened to formulate an answer as he only stammered words. His darting eyes looked to Riona before they opened wider and he darted off with a scream. "Stop!" The man refused to listen and continued running. Stone and Riona looked at each other and began running as quickly as they could downhill toward Pinehold.

Minutes later the two arrived at the ruined walls of Pinehold. There was a strange green aura in the air. As they arrived the town was completely overrun with fungal overgrowth. The town looked like it had aged a couple hundred years as the buildings were long rotted and collapsed. More disturbing were the fate of the townsfolk. Several humanoid-like figures were stuck, statue-esque in an anguished pose, covered in the same fungal growth. Some were in the midst of crawling on their knees, reaching out for help. Others were holding their head, bent over in agony. Riona looked at the remnants of a woman, her skin mostly turned to a hardened mossy bark, jagged in places and her greenish skin covered in vines that dug into her eye sockets. Another man was only a skeleton, his innards replaced entirely of plant growth, and a giant mushroom sprouted from his shoulder pushing the skull aside.

"Oh no…" Riona said, her voice trembling from disbelief.

"What is this…" Stone said as his hands began to shake. "Hello? Anyone?!" He cried. "I am Commander Stone. What has happened?"

Just then, a corpse emerged from the vine covered ground. It rose from the floor, its two feet firmly planted as its back arched upwards and then leaned over forward before looking at the two humans. It's body was also mostly turned to rotted wood as pieces of its exterior shell began to fall off with each movement. It was slow, and non-threatening in its approach but also disturbingly rigid in movement. Both of its hands were missing, and only left jagged edges where a semblance of bone protruded. Its eyes were hollowed out, as was its mouth. Furry vines poured out of the top of its head like a macabre head of hair, weighing the skull to the side.

Stone and Riona took a defensive stance as it approached. It looked in Riona's direction, its body perpetually trembling and twitching from time to time.

"Hello Riona." said a smooth, and deep male voice. Its sound reverberated inside the wooden and hollow skull of the once citizen of Pinehold.

"Who are you?" Riona questioned, her nose wrinkling with anger.

"Oh… you should know that by now. We're such good friends, you and I." The body answered. Lilia began to fluff up her feathers on Riona's shoulder.

Stone shook his head, his grip still on his sword as he whispered. "What foul magic is this?"

Riona's eyes were fixed on the figure in front of her. "The Spriggan… that was your doing."

The humanoid seemed to shrug, and looked back toward the town. "You forced my hand, Riona. Pinehold would've been fine if you weren't so persistent in finding me."

She gripped her staff tighter, her fingers turning white. "Don't you blame me for this. You left me with no choice."

"You had a choice." Its head lowered. "If you stayed here, you could've treated their wounds and found that the Spriggans curse had spread the night it attacked."

���They wouldn't have accepted my help!" Riona lashed out, startling Stone.

The figure tilted its head. "Did you try?" Just then Riona's anger quickly dissipated. "Hmm… you see. You can't escape your true purpose. How could you help these people when you were bred to kill?" The figure's head quickly turned to Stone. "Do you even know who you travel with, Commander?"

Stone looked to Riona. "What does he mean by that?"

The figure hobbled as it turned around and looked at the ruins of Pinehold. "You think you can convince the world, Riona. You think they'll listen and change?" It turned back around, pointing a stump of an arm toward Riona. "Your mistake in all this, Riona, is that you think you've broken free from the puppetmaster, but you're still wrapped up… and tangled in strings." Riona scowled at the figure. "Oh… that face says you think it's the other way around. But look at this chaos you've done, Riona. It's a good thing I left survivors. They'll be sure to tell the world what you've done."

"That won't stop me from finding you… all of you." Riona growled.

"A tall order, Riona." The figure spun around clumsily. "We're everywhere."

"I'll find them." Riona bit back her last bit of patience.

The emotionless face of the figure seemed to smirk. "You don't sound so sure."

"I will find them!"

The figure chuckled as it fell to its knees, unable to support itself any longer. "Then come, Riona." Its body began to rapidly decay as fungus took over what was left. "We're all...waiting."

Riona dropped her staff as she fell forward to her knees, clenching her jaw in rage as she grabbed a handful of loose soil. Sound became muffled and distorted as she began to hear her own heartbeat.

"Riona." The Commander called out.

The rotten and fungal humanoids that were once still and lifeless began to twitch and convulse. The sound of hissing and guttural roaring echoed from all over the town. Dozens of the corrupted citizens poured into the street, stumbling over each other as they rushed as fast as they could towards the two humans.

"Riona!" The Commander said, backing away.

Riona punched the ground and stood to her feet with her staff in hand. "Ready your weapon." She said, watching the horde of undead people flood toward them.

"We can't kill them, they're the people of Pinehold aren't they? Can't you save them?"

Riona shook her head. "They are no people anymore."

One by one, Riona and the Commander cut down the husks of people, all of them clambering to maul the two humans. While they were extremely fragile, their numbers compensated for the lack of power. The Commander's military training proved more valuable here than against the spriggan as his sword and shield made quick work of the undead. Meanwhile Riona used her staff in conjunction with her magic. With each body brought down, Stone swallowed the guilt and sorrow in his heart as some of those he killed were faintly familiar faces. Riona cut down her foes with anger, anguish, and remorse. With each one she killed, her attacks became more violent and brutal. It seemed endless as they stampeded around every corner, and even emerged from behind them. The two humans carved their way into the city, stepping over rubble and corpses as even armored guards came to attack them.

Once there was a break in the onslaught, Riona hurried deeper into the town as more husks poured in from the alleys, and flooded over rooftops. The gem on her staff began to glow as she muttered a spell. Her voice grew louder and louder and her body began to float off the ground. She waited until a massive horde was in front of her. As they were only inches away, a bright burning green beam of magic fired all the way down the street and through a decrepit building. Once her attack stopped, she fell back to the ground. A long scorch mark marked the entire street as smoke rose from the floor and the horde of undead were reduced to nothing.

Riona stared at the burned street, her heart pounding as she panted vigorously. It was all quiet again. Stone cut down the last monster as Riona's panicked eyes looked at the carnage. Pinehold was covered in bodies. The buildings were ruined and smoldering. And all of it fed into her guilt. She threw down her staff and fell to her knees before she let out a cry to the skies above.