High Rollers - 'The Lightfall' - Episode 1

Chapter 10 - The Dryad

As the rest of the party took a minute to check that Tomas was going to be ok, Jiutou crept ahead, down the westward hallway. As she reached the end of the corridor, the roof above her opened up into a high ceiling. Worn, old archways, held up by giant, thick stone pillars, nearly 5 feet in diameter, gave the room a domed appearance. The surfaces of these pillars were covered in intricate carvings and depictions of elven runes and symbols. In front of them, beginning at the threshold of the corridor, sat a short but wide flight of stairs leading down to a slightly lowered floor. The room was massive. In the lowered section of the room, towards the north wall, sat another stone altar. This one looked more like a pedestal of sorts, with a large stone base. Behind it, stood a large, stone door, oval in shape and surrounded by even more elven runes. As she looked around, she noticed as well the presence of two figures behind the altar, in front of the door.

One of the figures appeared to be a woman. But she looked like no woman Jiutou had ever seen before. Instead of flesh, there was bark and vines, woven together to form a slim, elegant and beautiful female form. From her head, flowed a mixture of deep green vines and leaves, cascading past her shoulders. Peppered all across her body were these small red dots, which Jiutou, after looking closely, realized were tiny flower buds. In some areas, these flowers clustered to form a sort of false clothing. They bloomed across her chest, concealing her strange, wooden breasts and further down dangled around her lower regions. Her eyes glowed with an effervescent green, standing out intensely amongst her soft, feminine features.

Beside her, stood a creature much like the ones Jiutou and her companions had fought earlier. But instead of its body being comprised of flimsy bark and twigs, this one was mostly made of vines. It was much larger as well, standing at a good 7 feet, lumbering around and moving much slower. Its arms, these thick vines coiled around each other, were raised above its head and were currently holding up a human girl. Jiutou's blood ran cold as she watched the last few drops of blood drip from her neck and wrists. The creature was holding her up above the wooden-looking woman, who was clutching a small, wooden dagger in one hand. The blood from the girl dripped down, falling into a small bowl that had been placed on the altar. Then, the woman spoke.

"Very good. Put her down," she said, with a very soft voice.

The creature gently lowered the girl, placing her down on the altar. Suddenly, the woman's eyes darted to where Jiutou stood, hiding in the darkness. She called out into the shadows, shifting her head slightly, straining to see.

"Who-who's there? Renwyn? Renwyn, is that you?"

A moment passed, in complete silence. The woman turned, giving the creature beside her a confused look, before looking back in Jiutou's direction. By this point, the rest of the party had quietly crept up behind Jiutou. She gestured for them to stay quiet and stay put.

"Who's there? I know this may look strange, but this is not what it seems."

From where they were hiding, Elora peered out over Jiutou's shoulder at the two figures behind the altar. With her druidic background, she instantly recognized the woman. This was a dryad, a spirit of nature, almost an embodiment of it. They typically dwelled in trees and were seen as protectors of the land and forests. Being fey creatures there were known as allies of the woodland.

Jiutou stepped out, revealing herself. The dryad tilted her head, looking curiously at her.

"Oh, you were with the caravan," she said, gently placing the knife down upon the altar. "I know that this must seem so strange, but allow me to explain."

She remained so softly spoken, tilting her head every now and then like a curious child.

"Go ahead", said Jiutou.