Argent

New Land Arc, ep1

Episode 1: "The things in the forest"
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Nearly a thousand years after the events of the story remembered as "Tales of the Past", life was thriving on Azeroth. Centuries had passed and generations had come and gone under the Sun.

In the lands of the human kingdom of Stormwind, a young human warrior by the name Tristan Crestfall had begun witnessing strange things at night.

Living in the small village of Northshire, Tristan often walked to the nearby lake at night to watch the waterfall. Listening to the sound helped him relax and sleep easier as a child, but ever since turning 16, Tristan has been seeing things and feeling foreign presences. He never told anyone, as he knew the others would think he's crazy, but he knew these things were real.

Sitting on that same spot near the lake again he saw them. The things looked back at him, but never approached. He had heard stories of people disappearing, but never considered blaming it on the creatures from the shadows. They appeared peaceful, almost as if existing only to watch as the world moved on. "What were they" he wondered. Some were the size of dogs, others as big as humans, but they all shared one thing - they were all malformed. Some had 3 eyes, others had no eyes at all. Long claws, sharp fangs, claws, pale skin - sometimes purple with red marks. He nicknamed them ''Forest Devils''.

Whatever they were, they didn't seem to possess any threat to human kind, but just in case Tristan kept his blade around at all times.

One evening Tristan was going home after sword training in Goldshire, when he heard a child's scream for help coming from the woods. The nearby guards seemed unbothered.

- Tristan: Hey, didn't you guys hear that?

- Guard1: Hear what? It's a perfectly silent night.

- Tristan: I think you should go check just in case.

- Guard2: Leave us be, our shift is almost over and we're tired.

There was no point. Without saying anything, Tristan went into the forest alone with his blade in hand.

Arriving at the scene, he saw a little girl being approached by a forest devil of human size.

Without hesitation he rushed forward to save the girl, only for the forest devil to turn towards him and slam him in the chest with its mutated arm, sending him flying into a tree. The impact left him in pain and unable to move.

- Tristan: What.. the hell was that strength.. It's unlike anything I have felt before..Damn it.

Tristan could do nothing as the creature approached the little girl, who had nowhere to run. Ashamed of his failure, he looked away and kept his eyes closed, not wanting to witness what was to come.

The thing then leaped towards the little girl, but instead of screams, Tristan heard nothing. The forest went silent.

Ep1.P2

When Tristan opened his eyes again, he saw the girl sitting on the ground, the forest devil - split in two pieces in front of her, and what seemed to be a young woman in a black and white long sleeve robe with long black hair, wielding a longsword. After slicing the forest devil in half, the woman knelt down before the little girl, who was still in shock. Tristan closed his eyes and thought..

- Tristan: What the hell did I just witness..This better be a dream.

Tristan pinched himself to see if it was a bad dream, but it wasn't. When he opened his eyes again, both the little girl and the young woman were gone. Not even the two parts of the recently halved forest devil were there.

His eyes widened, but his remaining strength soon left him. Right before blacking out, he heard the voices of footsteps of the approaching road guards.

When he opened his eyes again,it was morning and he was in the Goldshire infirmary. A few minutes went by and a physician entered the room.

- Physician: Well hello there, friend. Tristan, is it?

- Tristan: Yes, ma'am.

- Physician: It's a good thing you woke up, we were starting to give up on hope.

- Tristan: What happened.. How long has it been?

- Physician: Our nighttime patrol found you unconscious in the nearby woods 3 weeks ago. They launched an investigation.

- Tristan: An investigation? What for?

- Physician: Young man, we took you in here with nearly half of your bones broken. The case caused fright in the villagers and they demanded the launch of an investigation. It's been 3 weeks and still nothing. Who did this to you?

- Tristan: I--I don't remember. I think it was a bunch of bandits. - Tristan received flashbacks from that particular night, but did not want to share his experience.

- Physician: Those damn bandits..

- Tristan: Wait, you said I came in here with nearly half of my bones broken? How am I able to move right now?

- Physician: This is a good question. I don't know.

- Tristan: You don't know?!

- Physician: I was charged with keeping an eye on you during my shifts, I hardly interfered with your healing, your body did most of it on it's own.

Tristan was shocked, but kept his composure.

- Tristan: When can I leave?

- Physician: Right now, you're in perfect condition.

- Tristan: Thank you, what is your name?

- Physician: My name? I am Scarlett, Scarlett Wren, master physician and healthcare specialist. Nice to meet you.

- Tristan: It was a pleasure, Scarlett.

Tristan dressed up, took his belongings and headed out. When he left the infirmary, he was met by locals swarming him with questions, yet he refused to answer any and just headed home. On the way to his small hometown of Northshire, he saw the path which had led him to the weird scene a few weeks prior and got chills in down his spine. He considered going there again, but didn't feel ready.

Just as he turned away from the path, a sound came from one of the nearby trees..