By the time Jun set foot outside of the building after discussing things with the farmer, the wolves and crows had already been taken care of. While some of them were still sluggish, others had already started drifting off as they made their way back to the forest. While the birds were less quick to recuperate, Griswold imagined that much made sense given how they were smaller and would therefore likely have taken more of a hit than the wolves would have. Making sure that the wolves did not get close to the crows when they made their way back home, the black swordsman hoped that they would not come back under the same kind of sway a second time, as that would just lead them into fighting the exact same fight again. Coincidentally, this was the first time he had even considered that the one responsible for the attacks might be hiding out in the forest instead of on the farmland.

Believing the place to at the very least be worth checking out, it seemed that the place was at the very least safe for the time being. But judging by how quickly the crows and wolves had appeared, he knew how easily that safety could just outright disappear, and would for that reason keep his guard up just in case. Not really knowing what the farmer might have told Jun while they were talking things over, Griswold knew that he had at the very least taken care of his part. For what it was worth, he deemed it mutually beneficial to share their findings with one another, as it did not really help either one of them if something were to happen to the farmer due to a lack of trust. Up until now, there was no questioning the fact that things had been going quite well, even though there were still some uncertainties dwelling inside of him ever since the deep-sea dungeon.

“The wolves and crows have been taken care of, some of them have already begun returning to their dwellings while some of them are still sleeping off the buzz, primarily the birds. So far, I’ve managed to establish that there is in fact something controlling these animals that seems to dissipate the moment the host is knocked unconscious or killed.”

Giving his report and detailing his findings to the point where it might have even been more than had been required, he figured it was better to prove a little more over providing a little less. Simply because of the fact that he did not really know the guy, he could not know whether he had any kind of information on the subject, or had perhaps been through a similar situation in the past. Even if it seemed somewhat unlikely, Griswold did not want to rule out the possibility just yet, at least not until the guy would be able to convince him of either outcome. Taking a walk towards the fence, Griswold placed both of his hands upon the wooden plank and leaned on them with his full weight, looking out across the field to follow the wolves that were slowly making their way back home. With his back turned at the mercenary, he deemed it time to learn what more there was to known here.

“So, what did the farmer manage to part with in terms of information. Anything that might help us further our investigation, or just the regular old northern tales and ghost stories told by peasants.”

586

“Liston... doesn’t ring any bells. Must be someone from before my time at the Lions. That said, I hardly spent enough time around there to actually know anyone by name… moving on.”

Trying to make sense out of the name so as to figure out whether he should have known who that was, he imagined the guy must have been a small fry that managed to survive long enough to retire and spend his money on a farm where he could sit out the rest of his days. Judging by the way he ran the place, he either had enough money to go with or earned enough with his farm to delegate most of the work to farmhands. Whether they were actually being paid a decent wage for the work they did however still remained to be seen, as Griswold never really trusted the word of someone who had worked among nobles for so long. Whether he was a noble himself or a commoner that had worked his way up, that still did not mean he would pay these people fairly for their work. For now however, he would have to focus on other things.

Because there was something Jun brought up that was rather interesting, and very much worth thinking over. Though it could not be confirmed just by looking at whatever mind control had come over the wolves and crows, it did seem like the land itself was working against the farmer for some reason. There was something about his choice of words, using “revolting” when talking about the actions that were apparently being taken by the land, according to Jun that was. With how quickly this farmland had been expanding, there was a good chance that there was something out there that did not enjoy this, likely something that had been living in the forest that was getting smaller and smaller to make room for more tillable soil. And if there was one type of soil that was ready to be farmed on, it was the land that used to have a high amount of biodiversity, such as a former forest soil.

“You know, there is truth to your assumptions. In my travels, I have encountered dryads that enthralled the minds of loggers that had come to cut down trees in their pristine woodlands. I’ve also encountered a creature that appeared to be a tree with a face in the basin to the west that seemed to control all kinds of woodland creatures.”

Though such tall tales might sound like folly, it was in fact that opposite of that. For as much as humans liked to use their magic for their own purposes, they often forget that magic existed within nature as well. The dryads he described were women that appeared to have been made up entirely of plant matter rather than flesh and bone, while the tree creature was just that, a very power, old and sentient tree that could manipulate roots to attack and move things around at a distance. How exactly these two unaffiliated creatures controlled the minds of animals and even people however was beyond him, though it was likely some kind of illusionary spell they had managed to weave. Regardless, he deemed this kind of information to be worthwhile, thus pushing him to share it with Jun for later. Whether his stories would actually prove useful, or whether Jun would choose to actually believe them however remained to be seen.

“Which means that the threat to this farmland might very well be moving underneath us through the use of roots, while the body itself is controlling all of this from within the forest. I imagine it would be worth exploring.”

As he brought it up, it was almost as if the thing they were after had heard them speaking of it, as if it had realized the gig was up. Through his Ki, as well as his actual mana sensory, he could now feel strong vibes coming from the ground beneath the farm, though it was currently just that. As if building up strength for a later point, things remained quiet above ground for now, though this was clearly just the calm before the storm. Looking over at Jun, he nodded at him before turning his eyes towards the field and nodding towards it. As he did so, he placed his hand around the handle of his blade, ready to draw in an instant once the threat itself manifested above ground. But for now, he would patiently wait and see.

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Hearing out what Jun had to say on the matter, there seemed to be some similarities in the way they viewed things and in the things they had experienced at this point. It was especially true that many of the things that came to be around this time of year where many things either withered and died or began going into hibernation, that the people could be exceptionally cruel. During the mid to late spring period, as well as the entire summer period, people did not have to worry about things like running out of food or having nothing to keep them warm at night as those things were being foreseen by nature. Crops growing, wild berries growing on the trees and shrubs, plenty of wildlife to hunt as many of their numbers had been replenished in the spring months, as well as plenty of growth happening in the woods.

All things considered, nature would foresee people of many things, all it took was them going out and taking what they needed, which was very much the opposite of what things were like during the autumn and winter months. While there were nuts and berries still to be found, as well as lots of mushrooms growing to begin cleaning up the dead remains of plants, trees and even animals, figuring out which to eat and which posed a danger to ones’ health was often too difficult for most. And with everything becoming more difficult to obtain, it was not uncommon for people to crank up their prizes and wring out every last penny one had for the sake of stocking up their larder with food or obtaining enough firewood to get them through the harshest months of the year. And that was just one of the ways in which people proved how their greed often trumped the needs of others.

Huffing at Liston’s remarks and paying him no further attention, there was something about the man that wasn’t sitting right with him. Even if his wife was sick, that was no reason for him to act this hostile towards them, though that was not what wasn’t sitting right with him. The fact that he told them to do something about all of this, and if they didn’t, that he would be getting to it himself. It implied that the man knew more than he was letting on, and had therefore clearly not been upfront and honest with Jun when he had spoken to him indoors earlier. And the thing about his emotional outburst that was bothersome to Griswold was the fact that, had he been honest about what was going on here, they would have been able to take care of the real issue a whole lot sooner. If nothing else, the man was doing it all to himself at this point.

“You’re right, nature does what it does to survive, which is why it’ll still be here long after we’re all dead. What it doesn’t do however is placing cursed idols or taking control of the local wildlife, at least not unaided, which feels like something caused by dryads. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen them do it, and they do everything they do for the sake of nature’s preservation and continued perseverance, meaning this Liston probably wronged and angered them.”

And if he were a betting man, they were wronged by allowing a farmer to move into their lands, only for him to keep cutting down more and more of their forest and replacing the woods with acres upon acres of tillable soil and space for his livestock. Though it should have put him into a rather nasty predicament, given how he had been raised in the ways of humanity on a much smaller farmland, something about Liston and his blatant disregard for nature rubbed him the wrong way. Moving on from the issue that was the highly ungrateful prick of a farmer, he began to wonder what the totems or idols or whatever they were were for. Undoubtedly, they could not possible serve any beneficial purpose, that much seemed about as clear as day. So when Jun picked one of them up and attempted to break them, it seemed odd that it just reformed. But still, that was exactly what it did.

“That’s… peculiar. Though it’s a good thing you didn’t explode, as I have no idea who your mother is or where she lives. If you’re able, I’d use your mana sense to see if you can pick up on any others that might be hidden around the area. If this is part of a curse, it would make sense for them to be placed in all four cardinal directions, meaning north, south, east and west.”

While it could be quite dangerous to handle cursed objects, which was something he had seen not too long ago when he dealt with a small group of werewolves that had been cursed by a bleeding stone hidden away in a cavern. Though two of them had already perished at the edge of his blade before he broke the stone, Griswold still felt bad about not being able to lift the curse on the other two. Had he known breaking the stone would cause the curse to be lifted, he never would have killed them in the first place. But that was behind him now, and it was not something he was going to be repeating any time soon. So as the moon began shining above them, what few clouds being up in the sky parting for the eerie white light to illuminate the fields at night, Griswold began looking for the second totem.

Because of the fact that his senses were quite well attuned, not to mention the fact that he had begun mastering Ki quite recently to aid him in his search, he could feel a kind of mana that was similar if not exactly the same as that of the totem. Locating it within one of the fields, as he reached down to pick it up, he pulled his hand back moments before a scythe came down in an attempt at cutting it off. Instinctively striking at it, his fist connected with the body of a straw man, flinging it across the field as a lifeless doll. What remained in its place were a bunch of squirming and squiggling roots that swiftly retreated into the ground as soon as the body they had been controlling had been taken away from their control. Looking down at the ground, it seemed like they were indeed dealing with some kind of supernatural force that controlled natural elements.

With the totem in hand, he began wandering towards the next one, which was going to be a fair distance from this one if his belief about cardinal directions was on point. Figuring Jun would be going to get the fourth and last one on his own, he hoped he would keep his wits about them as there were a lot of scarecrows around this place. And if these roots controlled them with such ease, there was no telling where they’d be popping up next. But one thing seemed to be certain, and that was that they were actively trying to keep anyone from claiming the totems.

Making his way from one of the locations he had uncovered towards the next with a steady stride, he kept his focus on his surroundings, knowing now that the terrain was particularly treacherous in how peaceful and serene these farmlands seemed under the white light of the moon. Since a full moon only came out every so often, he usually made a case out of actually staying out and getting to enjoy it for all of its beauty, though today turned out to be quite different. Having learned by now that whenever there were any celestial events, that the weather seemed to always be so bad that it obscured most of it from sight, the fact that he could actually see it now but got disturbed because he needed to help out some cunt of a farmer annoyed him. Feeling the ground continue to stir from time to time, it was clear that whatever they faced, it could hide its presence really well.

Because with his sensory being fairly well developed, as well as his Ki, the fact that he had only picked up minor stirring in the ground for an instant before new scarecrows had popped up in different locations should have already been a testament to that. So as he traversed the farmland, he reached the next place where one of the totems had been buried in no time at all. However this time, the being that had been halting their progress was doing so in a far more direct manner, throwing several scarecrows at him while causing various sharp and violent roots to come shooting up at him from the soil. Reaching for his sword and wasting no time with the theatrics of doing things with his bare hands, he knew that these scarecrows were not alive, and that the roots themselves would likely have the damage dealt to them restored in time, as was often the case with Dryads.

So as his sword was drawn from his back, a quick flurry of well placed and precise strikes severed the roots before they could draw too close to him. Slicing and dicing them up with little to no resistance, as he had come to expect from the swords he took such good care of, even magical vines would not stand a chance against its edge. And with the roots carved out of his path, it was only a matter of time before the first scythe clashed against the blade. Shattering the simple iron cutting tool with almost the same ease as it did the roots, Griswold cleaved through three attacking scarecrows at the same time. In the process, he also severed the roots that were attached to them, controlling them from the ground. When he did, an unnerving howl could be heard from the small forest not far from the farm. A howl with such intensity, it caused the birds to scatter from the treetops as Griswold momentarily stopped in his tracks.

“This is not the work of Dryads…”

Talking to himself as he was much too far away for Jun to hear it, Griswold wondered to himself whether this was a howl of pain, a howl of sheer anger or perhaps a mixture of both. One thing at least seemed certain, that being that this creature was far from amused and was likely losing whatever patience it possessed, if it had the capacity for such a thing. With dryads no longer being his main guess, he really had nothing to go with right now as he was just about out of information on woodland beings that had this much control over the land. With more of the scarecrows stirring in the fields and coming his way, it seemed the gig was up now. Sending just about every last one of them in his direction at the same time, Griswold reached for his second sword. Wielding Faerdaenahm and Disglair simultaneously, he began reaching through their numbers.

Like meat being pulled through a grinder, the black knight dual wielded his way through every single one without missing a beat. With a quick display of mastery and speed, roots withdrew into the soil left and right, not wanting to get severed at the base like the others had. Beginning to believe this was something that well and truly hurt it, whatever it was, the straw men were torn to ribbons in mere moments. Being no threat whatsoever to someone who had trained day and night, week after week, month after month, year after year to fight werewolves, vampires, wraiths, all in preparation for when he was supposed to get out there to take on an archdemon and his lackeys, Griswold bent over to pick up the third of the totems. Hoping Jun had managed to get the fourth and final one so they could figure out how to break it, he just strolled his way back to where they had met up before.

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Destroying the scarecrows that were in his path with little to no real effort, which was often the case whenever it came to him drawing his sword, there was plenty to think about right now. What with the wild roar he had heard originating from the forest, the roots that were controlling the scarecrows and the totems, all he could really rule out right now was that there were dryads behind this as they often took to using illusions to make people attack one another. If that failed, they had their branch and root based magical attacks, though the execution was vastly different. This was incredibly calculated and precise, almost surgical, allowing for the control and manipulation of puppets. And with the control that was exerted over the woodland animals, whatever this was, it had a good amount of strength backing it up, and a lot of willpower to boot.

Pondering it over as he wandered through the fields and back to the farmhouse, he exerted a bit too much pressure on the totem in his hand, shattering it into pieces. Shrugging as he now needed to wait for it to reform so he could pick it back up, after about a minute of just staring at the pieces, it seemed that it wasn’t about to happen. Using his mana sensory to see that whatever residual energy within it had been dissipated, he reached into his pocket to pick up the other one. Shattering it in his hand like the first, it too was not putting itself back together, which was rather dubious. He had after all seen Jun do the same, only for it to put itself back together, so there was something different about it this time. Maybe it did not work for one but worked for the other, or maybe he had somehow managed to meet certain requirements.

With no real idea what the requirements might have been as it seemed odd that there were any personal requirements bound to it, he wondered if maybe they had to be brought closer together before they could be broken. This meant that Jun had managed to find the other two and had likely begun breaking his a second time, this time being more successful. If this were to be the case, it would also mean that whatever curse had been cast on the household that had been affecting Liston’s wife should have been broken along with the totems. Picking up the pace of his stride a bit to reach Jun that much sooner, it appeared that he had indeed broken the ones in his care, which at least explained a bit as to why they did not return this time. Maybe they drew power from one another in some way? It didn’t really matter.

“Ah, I see you’ve managed to find and shatter your totems. Good. Though this means that now, we have to do the follow-up investigation and see who or what the owner of these totems is. And while I have no idea what it might be, I can at least say that I’ve ruled out the possibility of dryads, meaning this thing is a lot more dangerous. And from the sound of it, a lot angrier.”

While he was not exactly trying to build up suspense or anything along those lines, he figured that when it came to these kinds of missions where people had to rely on one another, thinking out loud was probably the best way of going about it. It meant that whatever musings he had going on in his head might in turn trigger something from the person he was with, as they might have knowledge in the field where his own was lacking. Not really expecting it in this case as even he had never encountered a thing like this before, the only way to find out about it was to head into the area and see it with their own eyes. Maybe it was something that could be reasoned with, but in the likeliest scenario, it was something they would need to kill for it to stop doing what it did.

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[End of Thread]