Chapter Thirteen: The God of the Great Forest Arises
All hope was lost, Queen Faeven was finally certain of that inescapable truth. She used her connection with those loyal to her to send a message to the band of troops out in the forest, telling them the battle was over and advising them on where to flee. She hoped that together they'd have the strength to reach the forest's edge and escape to continue the fight against The Corruption. Hopefully its forces would care only about her fate, allowing them to slip away unnoticed.
She stood, looking as regal as she could, and prepared for her fate. With all her defenders subdued she knew the Minor Cock Elementals would hold back from attacking her. She was defeated, there was no need to take her powers quickly. Azel would want to do it himself. She could already see it in her mind, see the vile god's towering form coming towards her, see him making her kneel and submit to his indecently oversized manhood. Would he make her kiss it first? Force her to touch it and thus depower herself?
The myriad ways the god of cock could destroy her power flashed through Queen Faeven's head. She closed her eyes, trying to fight the flow of disturbing mental images while ignoring the world around her. She'd face her doom the way she'd faced every challenge: with calm stoicism. She let the world around her fade away, waiting for her fate.
A ripple of power exploded from the forest around them, causing her eyes to shoot open. All around her was billowing green energy, flowing from the forest and wrapping around the Minor Cock Elementals. The disgusting little demons were wrenched off the women they were attacking and flung away. As the demons were flung back the green energy began to take the form of spectral warriors. As they formed they swung long swords at the small demons, cutting them in half. The severed halves fell to the ground, convulsing then dissolving in a steam of sparking red energy.
The queen sat, looking around in confusion as she tried to understand what was happening.
Across the lake she saw Azel howling in anger, his arms out before him as he sent more of his power into his nasty little demons. But the green ghostly soldiers were cutting them all down, freeing her army one by one!
More of the green winds of power rushed from the forest, blowing over her camp. Every one of her soldiers that was touched by the wind was renewed, their clothing and armor returned which left them looking as though the Minor Cock Elementals had never as much as touched them! Her army was being saved. Their weapons, now infused with flowing green power, allowed them to finally fight back the cock demons!
But how? From whence did this green power come? What force had come to her aid?
Her army cheered as it rallied, charging alongside the green spirits and cutting down the last of the demons. They reached the water's edge, the army shouting abuse at the vile god who stood on the other side of the lake. Her brave Fey warriors knocked their bows and sent a volley of magically infused arrows flying at the angry god. She watched as his massive looming form snarled, throwing an arm up to create a red field above his head to absorb the magical arrows.
Faeven rose from her stone throne. The god's forces had been beaten back but her troops would be unable to harm him. She felt drained, although the strange green power had refreshed her slightly. Even so, it would take nearly all the power she had left to banish the god's physical form. But if doing so required her to drain all the power she had left that was what she'd do!
As she began to walk towards the water's edge she saw that her power would not be needed. The spectral green ghosts, which she now realized were spirits of the primal forest around them, began to turn into flowing green mists of magical power. It flowed together, gathering in a large swirling mass floating above the water before her army. She felt the power from it and knew what, knew
who
, had saved her!
Queen Faeven had come to this forest because of him. This forest was powerful because it had once housed the grand temple of a mighty forest deity that she thought had been long forgotten by the mortal world. There were none left that worshiped Imeyr, Great God of the Great Forest. She had thought she was one of the few beings in all of Alaria who even remembered the god's name. But even with the god forgotten she'd known some of his power would remain in the forest, making it a place where her power could be more easily channeled.
She had been wrong. Imeyr still lived!
The green energy swirled together over the water, power from the forest flowing out and gathering together. She saw The Blade of the Queen stand tall, mighty once more, and knew the forest god was calling her forward to serve as its chosen champion. Her army grew silent as The Blade stepped out onto the lake, the green power swirling around her allowing her to walk on the surface of the water. The Blade flexed, the energy flowing in and out of her massive hulking muscles. She howled a ferocious war cry and charged across the water towards Azel.
As she advanced the green energy flowing around her took the form of a gigantic man dressed in armor made of leather and bark. Huge antlers rose from the head of the green shadow-thing. It raised a spectral blade in each hand in the same manner that The Blade held her own weapons, making it look like it was a huge spectral shadow of the charging warrior woman.
Azel stumbled back as The Blade, shadowed by Imeyr the forest god, charged ever closer. The evil god sent a wave of power towards her but it broke on the green mist of power wrapped around The Blade. A few moments later she reached the shore, leaping and roaring as she brought her two blades together to cut the head of Azel's physical form off. The shadow of Imeyr seemed to move into her as she did this, lending the mighty woman his power so she could slay the vile, perverse god's physical manifestation.
Headless, Azel's body fell to the ground. It quickly began to sizzle and dissolve into the soil. Red sparking energy flowed out from it, dissipating and leaving a fresh bed of strange red mushrooms behind. As the body disappeared Queen Faeven could feel the perverse god's power melting away, feel his presence being forced from the physical realm of Alaria and banished back to the Ethereal Plane the gods normally inhabited.
The Blade of the Queen turned back, stepping away from the red mushrooms spreading on the ground and backed out into the lake. After turning she held the severed head of Azel up as Queen Faeven's army cheered. As she walked back across the small lake, the green power of Imeyr still flowing around her, the head she held in her hand began to fade. Its facial features were formless as if they had never truly taken proper shape. As she drew closer to the other side of the water the whole head became a blur, fading quickly from existence as if it had never been there.
When The Blade set foot on the shore she dropped to her knees, the green power flowing out of her. Swirling green energy pushed through the gathered army, the women parting to allow it to approach their queen. Before her the mass of green power took the shape of a man, large and looming tall with the power of a god.
Imeyr had taken physical form. He stood larger than life, dressed in a mix of leather and bark. A white hood, its fabric gilded with gold, covered his head. His face was shadowed from sight, only glowing green tattoos on his skin and brightly burning green eyes could be seen. The huge antlers still stood upon his head, looking as if they had grown through the hood.
Queen Faeven knelt before the looming god. As she dropped to her knees so did her army. "You have saved us," she said, awed by the god's presence.
"And you have saved me," his voice boomed, sounding as if it came from every tree of the forest around them. "I was but a sliver of divine power left sleeping in this place, nearly forgotten by the world. But your power and the faith of those loyal to you awakened me and have returned me to much of my former glory. Your need allowed me to grow strong so that I could use that strength to save you.
"I was one of the ancient gods that led the first battle against The Corruption," Imeyr continued. "I was one of the gods that helped seal away and imprison most of the other gods who had given themselves to that dark and perverse power. I gave nearly all my essence to banish The Corruption from Alaria. Only its return, and ones such as you fighting against its influence, was enough to bring me back. I thank you for fighting this perverse corrupting power."
The god reached a hand down towards Queen Faeven. "Stand as if you are my equal," he commanded, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. As Queen Faeven stood green energy wrapped around her arm, becoming a bracer of bark. "Wear my boon, let it make your power grow. And come, together we must cleanse the taint of The Corruption from this place."
Murmuring, the rest of the army rose to its feet and watched as Queen Faeven, hand in hand with a god, walked to the water's edge.
