"We are the druids of Somita," The eldest of the new group said, as Luita was catching his breath. After such an encounter with the bugs, he was exhausted, but also curious about this group.
They looked like the humans they had seen, except they were much shorter and leaner. Their entire stature was smaller compared to the average human. Their hands and feet were similar to those of a monkey, built for grabbing hold.
Luita had never seen such a species before. He was even shocked that they could talk. More than that, they had even rescued him and his companion while in a desperate situation.
"Little fairy," The leader spoke once more, this time with some bit of urgency in his voice, "we must leave this place at once. Since we have alerted those that live there of our presence, they will be coming out soon."
Sure enough, they could see some movement in the distance tower. Luita did not want to stick around, but he still did not know who these people were, and where they came from. Turning to look at Nixa, he found his sister looking back at him.
"Leader, we must follow them," Nixa said, causing Luita to raise an eyebrow. Since when was she this humble. She even acknowledged him as the leader. All through, she had been touting her leadership prowess. Such a change meant that she was scheming something.
"Very well," Luita said as he signaled the fairies. Seeing the approval from the fairy they believed to be in charge, the group of druids started running in the forest.
The fairies could fly, and even they were shocked by the agility of the druids. They could barely keep up. These druids were masters at parkour. Every jump, swing or grab was a masterpiece, executed with such ease that one could only sigh in praise.
Not one to back down, the fairies also put their best forward, flying as fast as they could through the foliage. The different specializations of their wings made them especially agile as they ran in the forest. They too were showing off their abilities.
As a result of the competition from both sides, it only took a short period of time before the group had covered vast distances. The bugs and the bog were a thing of the past. Finally, once they were several miles away from that place, the druids seemed to slow down some and then move with purpose.
After a few more twists and turns, the druids finally turned towards a cluster of trees. In a dense forest, it usually seemed as though one place was similar to another. Usually, it's true, but to most forest dwellers, they could tell the patterns of the forests, and the trees.
This cluster of trees looked different from the usual. To the fairies and the druids, seasoned forest dwellers, it was quite distinct. As they went deeper in this cluster, they seemed to form some sort of shelter, completely covering the underside of the trees.
As the fairies were admiring the features, they discovered that this was the dwelling place of the druids. Beneath this canopy of trees, there were several druids milling about, going about their business. They seemed at home, as though this was where they felt completely safe. In short, they were home.
As the group came in, the druids immediately beelined towards a specific section of the shelter up in the tree, like a bird's nest, but much larger. As the druids could not fly, they simply climbed with ease.
"Look, fairies," Someone said, noticing the little fairies following the party. Instantly, the whole place was galvanized, and their reaction was wander and excitement. Looking at them, from the adults to the children, they were all fascinated.
"Have you never seen fairies before?" Nixa asked the few in front of him.
"Well, not really, but we know how you look like," One of the druids answered. The leader was silent and focused, anticipating what he was going to report.
Once inside the shelter, the group found what must have been a great elder. Even for fairies who did not know much about druids, they could tell the guy before them had clocked a couple of centuries.
"Fairies? How wonderful," The old man quipped as he saw the group entering his abode. His face shone with joy, as if seeing a long lost friend. He even rose from what must have been his throne with his arms wide open.
Soon afterwards, introductions were made, and the druids they had come with took the time to explain how they had come into contact with the fairies.
Apparently, they were a hunting party, responsible for finding food for the colony, as they called themselves. They were not supposed to go near the bog, since they knew of the old necromancer that lived there. However, being teenagers, they could not help themselves. That's when they saw the flocks of insects, and, inside this cloud, fairies were caught up.
Luita realized the arrows that had been used to fend off this cloud of insects was an enchanted arrow. Had it not been for these, he was not sure he would have made it, let alone with Etal.
Once the explanation was done, the fairies also took time to explain how they came to be in that bog. How far they had traveled, and the enemies that had recently discovered their hideout.
"Are you saying these things have discovered your mother tree?" The elder druid demanded, suddenly turning pensive. To him, there was nothing worse like that to happen to them.
"Who is the guardian among you?" He asked once more. The group turned to look at each other, even Nixa turning to look at Luita. She had said that he was the guardian previously.
"Apologies, Elder," Luita began, when he saw the elder look at him. "Our guardian is back home, looking after mother. We are the reconnaissance team, here to obtain intelligence on the enemy.
"Tell me this, have any one of you been captured by them?" The man asked once more. His every statement carried a sense of urgency.
"No. None of us had fallen into their hands," Luita replied.
"Good. That is good," The elder said, more to himself. He seemed to be in deep thought, considering a lot. "You must go quickly. Run back home and deliver a message to your guardian."
"What is the message, sir," Luita asked.
"First, he must never allow a single fairy to fall in the hands of this kind of enemy," The elder said. "The kind of evil it would unleash would be disastrous. Fairies have a high affinity for his kind of magic."
"Secondly," Luita quietly questioned. Deep down, he was rolling his eyes. Of course Kigen would not let any one of them get caught.
"If he can, he must come to meet me. I will make it worth his while," the elder said. "Now, off you go. You must not tally." The fairies, once chased out, had no option but to leave. Meanwhile, the druids actually cheered once they caught sight of the fairies, even though they were running off.
Several miles away, a sullen water golem was reconnecting with the other members of the mud golem, the ones that remained. She could see the look of disbelief in the eyes of their counterparts when they learned that the entire crew was decimated, and only she remained.
"I am telling the truth," she insisted. "Your people were much too careless." She was addressing Mongik with fury.
The old general just looked on, not commenting a single word. The others couldn't tell what he was thinking, but everyone had their eyes trained on him. Eventually, he spoke:
"These fairies are more interesting than I gave them credit for," He mused. "Shona, this is now on you. Find me a weakness, or an entry point."
Just they were discussing, they suddenly got a message, from deep within them. A message sent by their puppeteer, the one pulling all the strings. "How courageous of them, they actually attacked the fort. Too anxious to die?"
When he was speaking, he let out a laugh. Started small, but then grew into a frenzy. His fellow golems joined him, all except the water golem. Dianah was finding it harder and harder to face the fairies.
It wasn't that they packed a punch, or were difficult to deal with. No. This was much more scary. She had been alive for God knows how long. Moreover, unlike the other golems that were stuck in a dinky tower, she was always up and about.
She and Junis, the one who died first after capturing Manati, were always kept on the move. The errand boys. Junis had an affable personality, while she was very durable. Together, they formed the diplomatic department. However, Junis was dead. Not coming back dead, but dead dead.
This was what was so scary about these fairies. They were so efficient in killing the golems, it was not even funny. She had escaped them a few times, but sooner or later, they were going to figure her out. Then what? How long did it take for them to figure the mud golems out.