NOVEL WEB Chapter 16 – Protest
"GET OUT HERE, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!" Screaming elfs are gathering infront of my house. Their eyes are red and they are wearing leafy nature infused clothes and waving around leafy weapons.
"Ignore them, never admit to anything." A court official stands next to me, advising me. His sword is glowing with battle aura, most of the more rowdy elfs became a little bit more subdued from his passive show of force.
The multiple weeks of draining the life out of the surrounding ecology seems to final show its negatives. Forest guardians came out in force and want to rip me apart. The Sylas kingdom is dominating its borders. So they are scared of actually going all the way.
"It was my fault, that the vitality was weakened." I am a little intimidated, there was a plan to eventually fix it. But i needed the money to buy my toys.
"No one cares about some shrubbery, you just need to follow my lead. Then its all going to blow over." He hushes me. He acts with the natural demeanor of extreme experience.
When the protest started, i ran to the communications orb. in only a towel. Because i was railing a certain vixen in the shower. It took less then a minute to have him show up and take complete control of the situation. The only thing that gave me some time to even think about the orb and wearing my clothes, was the adventurer party.
The whole adventuring party is standing behind me, They are cutting a really intimidating figure. Overly equipped with high end equipment and the spellsword mecha simply completes the picture of a high ranking party. that can fuck your shit up.
"I am going to get their leader to come with us and we will discuss it in a controlled environment. Let me do all the talking, agree with everything I tell you. Those tree humpers are very particular about certain subjects." He pats my back and walks towards the belligerent crowd of forest elfs.
A few moments later the crowd parts way for him and a decrepit old elf. She walks with a cane much like my own. But it seems to be made many tiers better than my staff.
We start all going in to the mansion, my crew covers my retreat from the venomous stares of the elf crowd.
When the old woman walks past me, she ignores me her face is a perfect old person poker face. But her bodyguards shoot me dirty stares. Not possessing the same level of control.
"Well miss Lavigne, thank you for talking with us." His tone is completely different to what it was. He is respectful and calm. Not showing much emotion on his face. Controlling his body language.
"I doubt you are truly thankful. This situation doesnt make anyone happy." She responds with the same demeanor.
"What could have upset you miss Lavigne." He responds
"YOU BASTARD." The old woman places her hand on the guard. He calms down, but hes still like a smoldering flame.
"The forest spirit has called upon us. To discover the reason of the creeping death. The only difference since the beginning of the creeping death was this young mans appearance." She says. The guards huff steam. Forehead veins showing.
"If i may. I am a capable druid my self. I communed with the garden spirit in my property. It has told me that its lifeforce was being adsorbed through necromantic means. There has been a fight with a witch coven. It would not surprise me if they were responsible." I look to the court official. He gives me a nod, approving of my response and monotone speech. Due process is only done for the high class like me. If i manage to deflect to this mostly dead group, the i am home free.
"If what you say is true, then we deeply apologize for suspecting you. If you wouldnt mind, i am going to commune to the spirit and confirm your story." Shit, my garden spirit had to be trapped and enslaved to allow me to absorb its life force. I have a risky plan to fool her.
The reason lifeforce is so important for the anti plague potion, is because it has to kill the plague and to off set the damage by the poison. You need an equal amount of lifeforce to bolster your form. You dont want to kill someone, when you are trying to save them. High quality materials provide enough for the potion.
"If you may." He looks at me questioningly, i give him a nod. Motioning for him to trust me.
She folds her legs up, while sitting on the sofa. Her hair rises slightly, as the energy of nature is gathering around us. I prepare my plan to fool her. A soul quiver spell. Its an arcane spell, that needs a high magecraft level. allowing me to mask a spirit to look like another one. High levels of this spell allow you to fully convert them to other types. If i summon a house spirit to lie to her. Then she wouldnt know the difference. This spell isnt a druid spell, She shouldnt even know of it. Its also not used alot, except for rare cases like this one.
A house spirit is a mages first familiar. You call upon the spirit realm to look for a servant that cleans and cooks for you. As you study magic. I am skilled enough to get a really loyal spirit, that continued serving me even after its contract was over. After leaving the academy their value was below nothing. I had servants that cooked and cleaned better then it did and thats pretty much all it can do. So i hid it inside a jewel, leaving it in a state of stasis.
I form the spell inside my stomach. Hiding it from even mage hunters form sensing my casting. With it fully formed. I connect with the house spirit, making my mind partly take over its mind letting me speak through it. i shroud it with the energy, the mind link makes it understand the situation near instantly.
"great spirit of nature, hear me now. I wish to commune with you." My house spirit feels someone trying to communicate with it. She must have been fooled. As she directed the target to the house spirit.
"I hear you now. Greetings Druid. Tell me that what you wish to know." The wording is a little awkward. But i mimicked the lingo of nature spirits well enough.
"I wish to know, of the owner of these lands and the cause of the creeping death."She continues. So i have to have said it good enough. Is it well enough? The wording doesnt matter in my head. AAHH.
"I answer to you. My carer has helped point to the cause. We have learned that it originated from a curse that siphons from my life. Forcing me to stay connected to the other spirits. Or i would be killed with in the hour." Thats exactly what i did. Making a curse that held the spirit in a lock and not allowing it to disconnect from the network of forest. Slowly funneling in the lifeforce of both surrounding greenery and forests. The garden spirit in my basement should be unconscious. Not aware that i even kidnapped it since i first came to this house.
"I ask presumptuously. Why have you not communicated with the other spirits." This is the first time, i heard any emotion from her. It seems like shes going to break into tears. She is sad, because of the plight the spirit is having.
"I answer honestly. Attempting to leave this manor is near impossible. Even communing with you is dangerous. The curse strengthens it self, as i weaken my struggling against it. If i wished to communicate with my brothers and sisters. Then the curse would have overpowered me completely." This is a plausible alibi. Because of my background on curses. I know fully how insidious they can be.
"Apologizing heavily. You have answered me, I will close the connection. To no longer place you at risk." The communion cuts suddenly, when she finished talking.
I keep the house spirit shrouded, but i cut the mind connection with it. The elf woman has the surrounding energy settle down, as she ends the druid spell. I focus back to the material plane. Everyone was silently waiting for her to finish.
"I apologize for scorning you sir. It has been confirmed by the spirit that you are innocent." Both guards stand stunned their mouths open like they are holding an invisible egg.
"It seems as the situation is settled. I ask that you placate your people outside the mansion." The court official has the same poker face emotionless body. But internally he is incredibly confused.
"As subsidiary members of the Sylas kingdom. I wish to ask for assistance dealing with a curse that has befallen the nature spirit." She half kneels and the two guards fully kneel. They calmed down considerable, after my innocence was proven.
Fuck, now i need to find a nature treasure to heal the land. The real problem is how i am going to get more lifeforce for my potions.