Chapter 21

This close I could observe them better, none of them is prepared for battle, they only know how to use the properties of the forest very well to amplify their magic, these vines are not typical, I suspect they can be used to contain and if necessary strangle the prisoners, the clothes are animal skins, there are inscriptions of basic protective runes, it is not something simple at all, Garraverde, who is the one watching me, does not take his eyes off me, even if they have a limited magic field, an invocation of mine would be noticed immediately, until I understand what they are trying to do, apart from the settlements they fled from, I will spare their existence from a fight with me or my people.

 Laughing and joking, I am transported to the front of the circle of druids, all wearing some version of Garraverde's clothing, one by one they introduce themselves, but most are too far gone to say anything coherent enough to be understood, all smoking reed pipes, Whatever they are drinking has a high alkaloid content, which leads me to believe that it is the stew of some animal with psychotropic poison, they offer me a bowl but do not seem bothered by my refusal, when they all have a cup their leader begins to speak.

 -Whatever your proposal is, herald of destruction, we don't want it, here in the Valley of Shadows we learned to live with nature, when we left the cities dead of fear the forest took care of us, nature taught us what to eat and where, it explained our powers and when the succubi came it explained how to survive them.

 -You represent everything and everyone who still walks these lands out of hate. The forest told us where you were going, it told us of the risks you were taking, it even warned us that your newly acquired Alcazar would face hard times if you didn't return in time, so come back! Your people, denied and loaded with bad energies, are waiting for you, not to be a stain on the cursed ground of inedible mushrooms, we will not leave here, but at the same time we will not let you take anything, we will be exiles, but we believe in honor, respect and duty, none of these you follow, so you should not be respected... but if you are willing to give up your burden, that monster you carry and left stored in your castle, here you can find peace, which is what everyone is looking for..... -

By this time I had too much, they made me curious, especially how they got their abilities, who was this "nature of the forest", but I came for them and the others they mentioned, I won't leave without at least one of them, from what I see they are "green" magic users, so it's time to show them why they shouldn't be confident, my aura expands a bit, enough to collide with theirs, noticing the threat their field charges and they start attacking me, the first magic is a very sharp and obviously poisonous thorns, I have and will use only one spell, my mouth opens as I trace the rune "Explode", my field overheats and burns their ridiculous thorns, as my magic is special the vines disappear in seconds, the next one summons some stones that circle around it in a kind of silly shield, I draw the sword, the spell is the same, only now it comes in the ruma of the sword, a single fluid movement, a downward arc and without the tip hitting the ground, a shockwave extends the attack and brings it to the druid's feet, The rocks could protect him from physical attacks, but the fire comes from the ground, there are no stones there, there is nothing but some leather clothing that starts to smell burnt, the third one has been in an incantation for a while, I see the clouds start to charge, the static charge on his body starts to become visible, his dirty hair stands up, what he wanted to do is a difficult magic even for the adepts of magic, because he doesn't have enough magic field, He concentrated everything around him and from there he attacked, very ingenious, the four spheres of pure electricity he concentrated and then it was a "chain of light" to see someone unprepared cast such a spell, I can't face that with fire magic, but it's not so necessary, I nail my sword to the ground, I just need a little more magic, the rune is "thunder" and that deadly energy slides harmlessly to the ground, Garraverde chooses that moment to raise his hand "stop" he says in a low voice "the enemy is here".

 I knew that the druids did not want to hurt me, their attacks, though ingenious, were not meant to hurt, but rather to demonstrate all that "the forest" had shown them, but now they took out their staffs and began to summon really big magic, their fields expanded to the limit, some summoned golems, others mixed stone shields and electricity, one even summoned a shield made of branches, unprotected only Garraverde and I were left, while I unearthed my sword, the older druid sat on a trunk and began to prepare a joint.

 Just when I want to ask him what they're protecting themselves from, and more importantly, why he doesn't start listening to them, they sound like promises, like pleasure, like lust, they're velvety, vibrant voices, the women start coming out of the woods, they're red, they're all red with black, they're naked, They are naked, they are naked with black, they are naked with black, they are naked with red, they are naked with black, they are naked with black, they are completely red with black, they are naked and without any modesty, they are voluptuous and ungainly, I also see men coming out, all very thin from the waist, showing a kind of attractiveness, They surround all the druids and begin to call them, inside their protection the druids drink and smoke, waiting for them to leave, hoping not to give in to temptation, in front of me I found the wretched creations they made in the villages with the help of the high elves' gadgets, I ask Garraverde why they don't go after him "As a child I never had smallpox, It took many days and it was terrible, when it was over my priest said I could never conceive, since we arrived here none of them try anything, I think they are looking for nutrients I can't give them," he says, taking a long puff on his joint.

Without realizing it, three of them surround me, while the druids with their purity at risk try to attack these creatures, however they seem to have a high magical resistance, the thunder and other magics only make them scream more, but it only means torture for them, One of them without being able to contain himself brutally hits an incubus that came too close, the blow sends it to one side of where I am, it was a strong blow, in the expression of the creature I see pleasure but its belly is burst by the blow, without hesitation I approach it.

 As soon as I have it within the sphere of influence, I solidify my field, I approach to check, apparently my suspicions were true, the poor being that agonizes here at my feet was destined to die, instead of stomach it has a continuation of small intestine, I begin to understand why they look for partners, hunger makes their curse more intense and forces them to look for them because of the permanent remains of the aphrodisiac in their bodies, they have not eaten more than sperm and lubrication in weeks, perhaps months, if it were not for the apparatus of the high elves their appearance would not be this, they would be miserable walking skeletons and not these voluptuous people, however I had already studied this case when I was in the Alcazar, I brought for that purpose several test tubes with distillate of the dark mushrooms.

 These mushrooms besides being nutritious have a high magical content, I give to drink to the human misery that already makes at my feet, after drinking it his skin clears up a little, his eyes when opening are no longer a pupil line, they are "normal", he realizes that as he looks and voluntarily deactivates what in magic is known as "charm" which gave him that imposing physique and vocal features as well as his perfect teeth, the man sees me and mutters "I just wanted a partner for me. .." and dies, my potion is a success, but to carry it out would kill everyone present, there must be another way out!