The Forest Aflame

A Diversion

I slogged through the thick mud, each step met with a wet pop as I wrenched my soaked boots from the ground, muttering to myself all the while. Dorothy walked an inch above the mud in front of me, a soft shimmering field under her feet keeping her high and dry.

"Don't suppose you could share the magic carpet, eh Dorothy?"

She turned and exhaled smoke slowly from her pipe, shaking her head from side to side.

"It's not one solid mass, I have to form it with every step. It would be a pain doing it for you too." I briefly had an idea, staring at my foot in curiosity before she cut me off with a frown. "Don't even try it. You lack the control for anything remotely precise. You'll just blow your legs off."

I dropped my foot back into the slimy mud with a sigh, looking around the swampy forest. Above the tree line I could make out smoke, but we still had quite a slog before we reached the source. Jeanne walked behind me, stomping through the swamp in full plate without even the smallest complaint, lifting her visor and giving me a reassuring smile as she saw me glance at her. The two of them were quite capable, but I still felt somewhat understaffed. Miranda hadn't woken up yet, the Berserker going into some sort of healing coma after her battle with James, Catherine being left behind to monitor her condition. And Red was likewise back at base, experimenting with a crude prosthetic that Dorothy had fashioned out of archaic magic and distorted animal bones. Poro also refused to leave Red alone during her rehabilitation, which left our party feeling rather bare. But I didn't want to project a lack of confidence, instead taking a deep breath and walking resolutely forward.

——————

Half an hour later I was wrinkling my nose, staring at the twisted and black distorted shape in front of me. The fires raging around us had flash boiled the muddy swamplands, leaving nothing but dried and cracked ground as we examined the carnage.

"Dorothy, what the hell am I looking at?"

She took a drag on the pipe, thinking, as Jeanne chimed in.

"T'would appear to be a weaker demon beast, although I can't say I've ever seen a creature so depraved as this one."

Dorothy exhaled, a strange expression on her face.

"That's because it's not a demon beast. This is the real deal, a minor demon. It would have been unable to cross the threshold between realms on its own. Someone summoned this."

Jeanne harrumphed, crossing her arms as she grew indignant at the thought.

"The realm already grows dark as demon beasts plague the people, yet some foul warlock is summoning an even more sinister evil?"

Dorothy was still examining the corpse, nervous energy emanating from her. I walked close, trying to find some clue in the burnt and twisted body.

"What's wrong? If they're only summoning grunts like this, they can't be that scary, right?"

Dorothy stood, gesturing to the burning forest around us.

"Whoever got here before us came in force, a force much larger than necessary to merely kill a minor demon. And no self respecting warlock would bother summoning such a beast intentionally. They're savage and bloodthirsty with no strength or inherent power to back it up. Practically useless as meat-shields familiars. Which means..."

She nodded to me like I should have understood what she was explaining. I did not. I gave her a clueless shrug as she rolled her eyes, pointing her staff deeper into the forest, where the forest burned even brighter.

"The summoner more than likely summoned a major demon. A higher minotaur or saturos quite possibly. The lessers are more than likely thralls to that creature.

I paced back and forth, considering our options.

"Miranda told us the Trial was around here, right? Doesn't that mean they'll have a handle on it? In all honesty, shouldn't we just wait till Red and Miranda are healed and go straight for Cinderella?

I expected Dorothy to retort, but instead Jeanne stepped forward, raising her sword dramatically towards the fires.

"It is the duty of the just and the good to protect the weak and misfortunate. If the Trial were to fail, how many might be slain by a torrent of such creatures? Nay, we must at least confirm the demise of the mastermind."

I sighed, rubbing my neck to get rid of the massive knot coming on. Something about all of this didn't sit right with me. Dorothy's sudden insistence on coming here was also suspicious. But Jeanne had a point. There'd be no point in getting rid of the fog if the world got swarmed by demons.

"Fine fine fine," I acquiesced, throwing my hands up in surrender, "We'll deal with the monster demon. Can't be worse then James anyway..." I muttered under my breath.

Dorothy nodded, and the three of us started heading for the largest fires. A translucent dome covered us as we walked, shielding us from heat and burns even as the flames raged around us. It was almost like an unorthodox picture of autumn, the flames licking through the trees and leaves as it painted everything in a soft orange glow.

Jeanne stared at the burning forest with wonder, before turning her head with a questioning look on her face.

"Who do you suppose set the forest ablaze? Such careless destruction...but the demons were obviously not exempt from the fire's wrath. Was the Trial guilty of such an act?"

"Bah, you put too much faith in them." Dorothy snapped derisively. "They're mindless brutes, ferreting out their 'justice' like a common lynch mob. Fire is a common tool of such animals, easier for them to burn it all and sift the evidence through the ashes left behind."

Jeanne looked uncomfortable, shifting her weight back and forth. This seemed to annoy Dorothy more, who pointed at me as I raised an eyebrow.

"Do you think my apprentice deserves the vendetta on her head? The Trial determines guilt based on a system no one understands but them, and then forces their conviction on those who can't fight back."

Jeanne looked upset but nodded sadly.

"You're right. The Undead has shown herself to be an ally of justice, any who claim otherwise are misguided. If it comes down to it, I will not hesitate to strike them down, regardless of their reputation."

"Excellent." Dorothy gave a curt response as she turned, our attention suddenly turned to the corpses littering the ground. More of the charred minor demons littered the floor, a variety of tentacled and grotesque bodies that defied any sort of intentional design. The more interesting sight was the knights in blue armor. They were in the minority, one knight for every four or five demons slain, but it was clear the Trial had started to take losses. Dorothy was prodding at a massive demonic corpse with her staff, the beast resembling a bull-headed man on two legs. I glanced at it, ignoring the smell of charred meat.

"Seems the Trial got the big boy after all, eh Dorothy? This one's several steps above the minor demons, right?"

Dorothy stood, suddenly running towards the inner part of the forest leaving the swamp, where the fires were kept at bay. I shared a confused look with Jeanne before I rushed after the witch, trying to keep up.

"Was that not the major demon we sought?" Jeanne chimed in, panting as she rushed next to us in heavy plate.

"I still feel magic," Dorothy responded without turning, still rushing forward.

"Someone's fighting in this direction and both parties are powerful. Much more powerful than the body we just saw. And that means..."

I was growing frustrated with the riddles.

 "It means what? Just spit it out before we run into this damned fight."

"It means that the major demon wasn't summoned intentionally. More than likely something much bigger was pulled through first. And it left a tear. A tear large enough for many more to follow."

Which means we were about to run into something insane. Greaaaaaaaat.