Chapter 29 The Willows Whisper part 3

### Chapter 29: The Willows Whisper (Part 3)

The air had grown thick with the scent of decay as the corrupted tree spirit loomed over the caravan. Its limbs, gnarled and twisted with dark magic, lashed out at anything in its path. The goblins, once a nuisance, had now retreated into the shadows, watching the chaos unfold. Trill could feel the heat of Bren's fiery presence at his side, but his mind was focused on a greater threat.

"The trees are restless," Trill muttered, watching the ground tremble beneath the monster's weight. His eyes narrowed as the corrupted creature swung its massive, jagged limbs in the direction of the caravan, scattering the defenders like leaves in a storm.

Bren stood ready, her blade in hand, but her eyes were already alight with determination. Trill knew her better than anyone now—her magma abilities were a force to be reckoned with, but even she could not take down such a massive, corrupted tree spirit on her own.

"This thing is beyond what we've fought so far," Bren said, her voice steady but tinged with urgency.

Trill nodded, his gaze still fixed on the beast. "I know. I need help. *Our* help."

Without another word, he closed his eyes, reaching deep into the earth beneath him, calling upon the spirits of nature to aid him. The trees were restless, their branches swaying as if alive with energy. The air around him crackled as his connection to the earth grew stronger. With a sharp exhale, he snapped his fingers.

The ground rumbled.

From the soil emerged his summons—an army of garden gnomes, their stony faces fierce and determined. They sprang to life, their eyes glowing with an almost unnatural intelligence. In their hands, they wielded small but deadly weapons—axes, sickles, and spades—all crafted from the enchanted wood of the forest. They had the strength to challenge creatures of the forest and protect those they deemed worthy. And they were under Trill's command.

"Move forward!" Trill shouted. "Defend the caravan!"

The gnomes rallied, running toward the corrupted tree spirit and the surrounding goblins with surprising speed and agility. They did not hesitate, striking the goblins with precision as they kept the corrupted beast distracted. The sight of the gnomes charging into battle with such fervor was a strange mix of whimsical and terrifying.

As the gnomes fought, Trill reached out once more, his fingers moving through the air. His next summon was more delicate, but no less powerful. A group of flower fairies fluttered into view, their wings shimmering in the dim light of the battlefield. The fairies surrounded Trill, their soft voices whispering words of protection and healing. They moved swiftly, darting around him and above the caravan, ensuring that the injured were tended to and the defenders stayed strong.

Bren, seeing the gnomes and fairies join the fray, did not wait. She knew this battle was far from over, and she would not let the corrupted tree spirit go unchecked. She charged forward, her magma abilities flaring as she summoned flames that danced across her blade, heating the air around her.

The moment her foot hit the ground, Bren's body surged with power. Her blade ignited, leaving a trail of fire in its wake as she swung it toward the tree spirit. Her movements were fluid, but there was a ferocity to them that made her seem more like a force of nature than a woman. Her eyes burned with the same intensity as the magma she wielded.

"Take this, you twisted thing!" Bren shouted, her voice carrying across the clearing.

Her blade connected with the corrupted creature's bark-like skin, and the resulting explosion of fiery heat caused the beast to stumble back, its bark splintering. But it roared in defiance, swiping its massive limbs to strike at Bren. The force of the blow sent her flying back, but she rolled with it, landing on her feet and charging once again.

"Bren!" Trill called, his voice urgent.

She glanced toward him, and for a brief moment, their eyes locked. She nodded. She knew what she had to do. Bren launched herself forward once more, her magma abilities glowing brighter than before, her blade arcing toward the tree spirit. She would burn it down, piece by piece, until nothing was left.

Trill didn't watch her. His attention shifted, sensing something else, something far more dangerous lurking behind the veil of the trees. The trees had whispered to him earlier, warning of an impending presence—*the little Many*. But now, another whisper cut through the air, one that was darker, more sinister.

A figure emerged from the shadows, cloaked in black, with a staff in hand. Trill's heart skipped a beat as he took in the presence of the cloaked figure—a figure that seemed to command the forest itself. The trees groaned in response, as though they recognized this being.

The cloaked figure did not move quickly, but every step it took seemed to shift the very air around it. The figure was tall, with a presence that felt ancient, as though it had walked the earth long before even Trill had learned the language of the trees. But what struck him the most was the aura of corruption that surrounded it. It was a force that sickened the land, poisoning the life around it.

Trill's grip tightened on his blade. He knew exactly who this was now.

A Wood Sage. Corrupted, twisted, and utterly malevolent.

The Wood Sage raised its staff, and the ground trembled once more. The trees around them groaned and cracked as they bent to the will of the sage. Vines thickened, twisting into monstrous shapes as the corrupted spirit of the forest followed the sage's command. The trees themselves had been corrupted, as though the sage had turned nature into a weapon.

"You... have come," the figure spoke, its voice like the rustling of dead leaves. It was a whisper, but it carried across the battlefield like a thunderclap.

Trill stepped forward, his stance firm. "You've turned the forest into your weapon, corrupting everything that lives."

The Wood Sage's voice was cold, mocking. "I do not turn. I shape. I make the forest stronger than it has ever been. And you will not stop me."

Trill's mind raced. He knew that if they couldn't stop the Wood Sage here, the corruption would spread throughout the entire forest. It would consume everything—the caravan, the creatures of the forest, even the land itself.

"You're wrong," Trill said, his voice low and steady. "The forest will fight back against you. I've seen it before."

The Wood Sage laughed, the sound cruel and hollow. "You have no idea what you're facing. *I* am the forest's true voice now. And you? You are nothing more than a fleeting echo."

Trill's hand gripped his sword tighter, the power of the earth and the forest still pulsing in his veins. He knew he was running out of time. Bren was locked in battle with the corrupted tree spirit, and the caravan needed protection. But this figure, this corrupted sage, could not be allowed to roam free.

"I won't let you destroy this place," Trill said, stepping forward. His voice was resolute, as strong as the roots of the oldest trees.

The Wood Sage raised its staff, and the earth trembled in response. "You'll see. In time, the forest will bow to me. And you will *never* leave this place."

With a wave of its staff, the Wood Sage unleashed a wave of dark energy that surged toward Trill. The ground around them cracked open, sending splinters of bark and shattered stone flying into the air.

Trill leapt back, narrowly avoiding the blast, his heart pounding. The battle was far from over. And the real fight had just begun.

As the dark energies roiled around them, Trill felt the weight of the forest's ancient power pressing against him. The battle with the corrupted tree spirit had been brutal, but this? This was something far worse. The Wood Sage was a true force of nature—and Trill could feel its malevolent presence wrapping around him, trying to strangle the life from the earth itself.

But he would not back down.

The caravan depended on him. The forest depended on him.

And this corruption… would not claim them.

"Get ready, Bren," Trill muttered to himself. "This is just the beginning."