Sofia stood in shock at the scene before her. The rainforest was decimated.

“This is bad,” she heard Roquewei’s voice beside her. 

Startled, she put some space between them before asking, “Wh-what happened here?

Roquewei’s face was dark, his green eyes seething. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Destruction: logging, slash and burning, fuel dumping… Arrogant disregard for nature! Rainforest ecosystems are extremely fragile. It is nearly impossible for them to heal after experiencing such devastation.”

The elf moved into the clearing to kneel beside a stump. He seemed to be in pain and walked with a limp.

Wasn’t he fine a moment ago? Sofia asked herself.

Roquewei reached out to gently touch the stump of what had clearly once been an enormous tree. “Hundreds of years cut off in a matter of minutes…”

He reached for the waterskin tied around his waist and poured some water into his cupped hand. The elf’s lips moved soundlessly as he poured the water around the stump and placed his hand at its base. The pendant of his necklace began to glow again, but this time it emitted a warm, verdant light. When the light faded, she noticed a faint ring of green around the stump.

Roquewei rose and limped toward Sofia, his face filled with agony. Sofia, surprised by the sudden change, stood speechless. Roquewei looked up at her, tears in his eyes, “Can’t you feel the pain?”

The pain?

Suddenly, Sofia felt the air around her become unnaturally cold in an eerily familiar way.

“Roquewei, we have company!” Porgi screeched from above.

From across the clearing, a dark, gaseous form was moving rapidly in their direction. Sofia noticed that the earrings in her pocket were cool to the touch and were glowing a pale yellow. 

Ymplerim! Sofia panicked, clutching the earrings.  “We have to get back to the gate, now!”

“If we go back through the forest, they will only cause more destruction,” replied Roquewei. Tears, no longer of grief but of rage, continued to fill his eyes. “I will make them pay!”

Unsheathing his sword, Roquewei rushed forward with a fierce shout. He met the Ymplerim in the middle of the clearing and was soon surrounded. The pale yellow eyes and mouths of the Ymplerim gaped at the warrior of Lyfay in evil delight, and reached for him with grotesque, spindly limbs. 

Roquewei’s sword kept the creatures at bay, sparks of light flashing from the blade whenever he made contact with the gaseous being. Porgi, coming to Roquewei’s aid, dive bombed the Ymplerim. With the Ymplerim distracted, Roquewei was able to split its gaseous form, the hilt of his sword glowing a brilliant, angry red.

The Ymplerim released a furious, blood curdling scream, and one of the faces dove towards Roquewei with its mouth open wide, ready to suck the warrior’s energy. Instead, it met Roquewei’s sword - run clear through its gaping orifice. Roquewei shouted again as a bolt of lightning burst forth from his weapon. The creature fell to the ground, and the dark gas dissipated. Where it had fallen, a patch of bright green vegetation appeared.

Adrenaline still racing through his body, Roquewei kneeled down to investigate while catching his breath. So this is what happens?

A scream from behind startled him back into reality. Roquewei turned to see the part of the creature that had been split by his blade barreling across the clearing towards Sofia. Terrified, Sofia ran back into the forest, the Ymplerim following close behind.

“Porgi!” Roquewei called out. “Don’t let them get to the gate!”

The Aslavu dove into the dense canopy, his small body and short wings ideal for weaving through the thick trees. He soon caught up to the Ymplerim and began attacking it.

Annoyed, the Ymplerim swatted at the Aslavu. A skillful flyer, Porgi was able to dodge the attacks and shifted the creature’s focus from Sofia.

Too scared to think, Sofia continued running through the forest. Suddenly, she heard Roquewei, who was running to catch up. “Stop! Don’t lead it back to the gate!”

But her feet kept running. 

“Porgi, go after her!” The Aslavu, in an attempt to obey the order, made a miscalculation. With a single blow, the Ymplerim knocked him to the ground, stunned.

“Porgi, no!” Roquewei cried out.

The Ymplerim picked up the limp Aslavu by a foot, and dangled him over its gaseous head. Its pale eyes narrowed as it said, “What a nuisance you have been, and to be only a mere morsel.” 

Opening its gaping mouth, the Ymplerim slowly lowered the Aslavu and began draining his energy.

Roquewei, too far to make contact with the creature, ran with all his might through the underbrush. Just as the colors on Porgi began to fade, a rock struck the Aslavu out of the Ymplerim’s hands. Turning furiously, it noticed Sofia ready with another rock. 

“Ah, yes. You are worth the trouble.” The Ymplerim billowed and lunged forward. 

Her momentary bravery gone, Sofia turned on her heel and ran as quickly as she could. An overground root caught her feet, causing her to tumble to the ground. The Ymplerim was soon upon her and, despite her eyes being tightly shut, Sofia could clearly envision the nightmarish visage as she felt the terrifyingly familiar sensation of the creature’s cold, oily fingers pressing into her face.

“Do you think avoiding my gaze will protect you?” Sofia could feel the creature’s tongue on her face as it laughed maniacally. “How mistaken you are!”

Sofia could feel the creature absorbing her energy. Her body began to weaken, her will to fight disappeared. She realized, sadly, that no one back home would know what had happened to her. In the desperate moments as she felt her breath slipping away, a thought flitted through her mind: Will anyone even care that I’m gone? 

A sudden rush of wind blew past her face, followed by a bright flash. Sofia felt herself falling, and then sensed something wet, warm, and soft. 

“Sofia! Sofia! Stay with me. Sofia, can you hear me?” 

Harton was desperately licking Sofia’s face, speaking in a frantic, desperate tone. 

“Harton?” Sofia barely breathed out. “You’re all right,” she managed a smile and tried to reach for his face. 

“Y-yeah,” Harton replied, leaning into her palm. “I’m all right.”

Another bright flash.

Painfully, Sofia turned to see a group of elves and their chompánaigh fighting off the Ymplerim. Erae was on his steed, driving the dark creature back with his staff. One final arrow from Lyna struck the creature’s core and it dissipated, leaving another patch of green among the destruction it had caused during the fight. 

“Erae?” Sofia whispered. The elf rushed to her side, jumped from his mount, and carefully propped her up. His face was filled with worry. 

“How did you find…?” she started to ask.

He shushed her and carefully picked her up. “Let’s take you back to camp.”