The Druid of Haven

The forest was buzzing with activity. That was new. Faint tremors of footsteps rumbled through the soft soil, leaves crunching faintly in the distance as they were crushed. The druid stood up, wiping his dirtied hand on his cloak. Visitors, walking off the beaten path.

He sighed. Everyone knew that you kept to the path. That was the deal his family had struck with the locals – one safe route through the heart of the forest in exchange for their privacy. Which meant these interlopers were either trying to find him, lost, or poaching. The druid shook his head as he began to walk, reaching out to brush his hand along the bark of trees he passed. He was going to have to confront them. If he didn’t, they would end up blundering around the forest until they ran afoul of one of the predators that lived here.

A bird cried overhead, seeking out its own prey as he headed towards the edges of his domain – Haven Forest, the humans called it, after the sanctuary he had offered to the first crusaders. The overgrown ruins of that outpost could still be found in the heart of the wood, and acted as a temporary shelter for any travellers walking the path. From time to time he had to go in and chase off a predator that would take the ruins as a lair, but it had been over a decade since the last one. Seemed like the animals of the forest had learned to leave the path alone.

And now someone was tramping along off the beaten track. The druid lengthened his stride, moving amongst the trees towards the source of the little disturbances plaguing his home. His blue eyes narrowed as he peered ahead, making out a group of figures picking their way through the wild terrain with care.

There were ten of them – a large party. Too large to be poachers – the criminals worked best in small teams numbering no more than four. It let them move swiftly and quietly. This group wasn’t even bothering with stealth. They were still advancing cautiously however, as if expecting attack. So, they knew the risks of stepping off the path. Which meant they were looking for him.

He was the only reason someone would enter Haven Forest and not just pass through. Now the question was whether his…guests…had benign intentions or nefarious ones. He muttered a few words under his breath before stepping forwards, revealing himself to the intruders. They didn’t notice him for a few moments, before one of their scouts – a human in a rough grey cloak and leather armour, holding a bow at the ready – glanced his way.

The woman immediately froze, her weapon twitching towards him before she mastered her surprise. She raised a fist and the group stopped, following her gaze to the druid. The guards made to ready their weapons, swords leaving sheaths before a swipe of an arm from a black robed figure made them pause. Only three of the group wore the robes that he recognised.

Keepers. Hoarders of artefacts and knowledge, based in a great fortress some way to the south-east of the kingdom. The druid sighed slightly, stepping forwards with his hands at his sides, palms up in a placating gesture. It wouldn’t be the first time Keepers sought him out, but that didn’t make this meeting any less unwelcome. The lead Keeper, the one bearing a golden mask, stepped forwards to meet him.

“Well met,” the black robe said, their voice deep and gravelly. The druid raised an eyebrow as he nodded back in greeting. Strange – the Keepers who sought him out tended to be young, idealistic and full of ambition – the kind of scholars who sought to make a name for themselves by managing to wrangle some of the secrets of Haven Forest from its taciturn guardian. This man sounded older, and probably knew better. “Are you of the forest?” the Keeper asked.

The druid nodded, offering his hand. “You may call me Tatsuya,” he added, as the Keeper reached out and grasped it, giving it a solid shake. It wasn’t his true name, but he rarely went by that these days. It was easier to let people think he was merely the latest in a long line, than the same man that had sheltered the first crusaders and witnessed the kingdom’s foundation.

The Keeper bowed his head respectfully as he spoke once more. “We apologise for the intrusion, but our need was great – we seek a fugitive.” And like that, he had Tatsuya’s attention. So this wasn’t about him. That made a nice change. The druid motioned for the black robed magician to continue. “One of our order was discovered practising forbidden arts, and fled before we could apprehend them. We have tracked them to this forest.”

Tatsuya stroked the stubble on his chin. Very few disciplines were forbidden to the Keepers – they were after all the seekers of knowledge. It was thanks to their mastery and understanding of death that had resulted in the legalization of necromancy in the Illin Kingdom. “What forbidden art?”

The Keeper seemed to hesitate, weighing up the pros and cons of telling him no doubt, before answering. “Soul magic.”

Ah. That would do it. Necromancy – raising the bodies of the dead, was one thing. Messing with people’s souls – the only truly immortal parts of themselves – was quite another. Tatsuya nodded. “That is a serious charge indeed. How may I be of assistance?”

“We think the fugitive has taken shelter in this forest – amongst their notes we found mention of a cairn?” the magician continued as the rest of his party approached to better hear the conversation.

A cairn? There wasn’t a – oh. Tatsuya’s eyes narrowed sharply. “I know the place. Come,” he said, turning on his heel and marching swiftly into the forest. The Keeper blinked in surprise before looking at his compatriots. The warrior with the bow just shrugged her shoulders before following.

There was no cairn in Haven Forest. But there was a tomb. A series of tunnels long ago carved into the earth by a burrowing beast of legend, slain by his mother. Tatsuya remembered the story well. The battle had taken place atop a small hill deep in the tangled heart of the forest, the worm erupting from the ground after being baited by his father. Once it had been slain, all manner of creatures had infested the tunnels it had left behind, before his parents hired a Keeper to seal the tunnels off with an enchantment.

One he had lifted himself to inter the bodies of all those innocents who fell afoul of the forest’s predatory nature. The tomb held the remains of wounded warriors and lost children alike, their bodies buried in the very walls of the dirt tunnels, their remains feeding the soil from which new life would spring. A copse of trees had begun to grow on the hill, feeding on the rich soil he dutifully maintained. They helped to disguise the entrance into the burrow, which itself was behind a slab of stone.

Maybe that’s why this fugitive had called it a cairn. Or maybe it was to throw off any pursuers. It was a decent idea, the druid supposed, except that there tended to be a pattern to the behaviour of fugitives, no matter their crime – one, they always headed underground, hiding away from their pursuers. Sewers, dungeons, it didn’t matter. All who fled sought shelter in the dark. Two, fugitives always hid out in places that had a sense of familiarity – places that reminded them of home or better times.

So it made sense that someone who was dabbling in soul magic – an offshoot of necromantic research – would be drawn to the greatest concentration of death in the forest. Though if they sought to raise any of the dead interred there, they were in for a nasty surprise – the roots of the growing trees had grown into the remains so much that any risen corpses would essentially be pinned in place.

“How many are interred around the cairn?” asked the golden-masked Keeper, keeping good pace alongside him. Tatsuya was quietly impressed. Most of the elder Keepers tended to focus on their studies and allow their bodies to become frail, leaving the arduous task of hunting down new knowledge to their students and apprentices.

“At last count about a hundred intact, though the tree roots bind them to the ground,” the druid answered, not bothering to correct the wizard on the true nature of the location they were heading towards. He would see soon enough.

The Keeper seemed to do a double take as they marched. The two other magicians were behind them, warily eyeing the surroundings as they went deeper and deeper into the woods. The mercenaries they had hired had scattered out like good little scouts, a pair walking parallel to their route some thirty paces off to their right, the archer somewhere off to their left, and the remaining four swordsmen acting as a rear-guard. All unnecessary of course. The predators of Haven Forest knew better than to cross paths with Tatsuya. He could sense Greytail’s wolfpack roughly a mile to the south, having already caught his scent and swinging west out of his way.

“What about animal remains?” the Keeper continued, eyes narrowed as he undoubtedly began thinking of the spells he was going to require in the coming confrontation.

Tatsuya shrugged as they neared the burrows. “It’s a forest. If they’re bothering to raise those, it’ll be mostly to use them as a delaying tactic whilst they attempt to flee. Best have your little gang surround the hill in that case,” the druid advised, spying their destination. The trees, not even a century old, ringed the top of the hill like a wooden crown, their leaves swaying in the gentle breeze.

And at the foot of the hill, facing them, the entrance to the burrows lay open. The heavy stone slab normally keeping it sealed from intruders and scavengers lay discarded to one side. The Keeper was talking to his compatriots, but Tatsuya paid him no mind as he approached the tunnel entrance, kneeling down to rest his fingertips on the disturbed soil. He traced the patterns and imprints, running his fingers lightly along the ground. A fair few people had gone this way, travelling light.

He wasn’t a skilled tracked, but he could tell that this was a small group, probably smaller than the team the Keeper had brought along with himself. A tad more than Tatsuya felt he could handle, especially in the tight confines of the burrows. He stood back up, wiping his hands on his trousers as the gold-masked wizard re-joined him.

“Are there any other exits in the forest?” the Keeper asked, nodding at the darkness in front of them.

The druid shook his head. “No. Keep most of your men stationed here. The rest should head in with me to flush out your fugitive,” he advised, rolling his shoulders. It had been a while since he had cracked some skulls. And here he thought today was going to be just another day. A feral grin worked its way onto his face.

“Hmm,” the magician tapped the chin of his mask. “I’ll have my students and their retinues encircle the hill. I’ll accompany you with my two guards. Is the tunnel system large?”

“A few branches, but nothing extensive. It shouldn’t take us long to flush them out.”

It took them only an hour.

Ducking beneath a wild spear thrust, Tatsuya shoved the shaft with his shoulder, trapping the weapon against the wall. The orc holding it snarled in annoyance and released his hold, hopping backwards as he drew his sword. Tatsuya followed him, swinging his hatchet up at his opponent’s chin. He was too slow, and the wooden haft clanked against the short sword now held in the orc’s hands.

The druid smirked as he hooked the blade with the edge of the axe’s head, and pulled it aside. His enemy blinked in surprise – no one ever thought an elf could outmatch an orc when it came to feats of strength after all – before Tatsuya drove the edge of his palm right into the man’s throat. The orc dropped to their knees, sword clattering onto the ground as he pawed at his crushed windpipe. Tatsuya ended his suffering with a swipe of his axe.

“Clear,” he called out, scanning the collapsed tunnel in front of him. They had pursued this mercenary to a dead end, where he had chosen to stand and fight than surrender. Interesting – associating with a criminal was one thing, but a mercenary contract tended to provide some protection since many reliable employers tended to keep their business to themselves. So that meant this orc had either been an active part of their fugitive’s soul magic research (unlikely), or they were already wanted for other crimes.

Tatsuya knelt down, inspecting the fresh corpse. Maybe if they had anything distinct about them he could hand it in at the nearest watch station, claim the bounty if it existed. He found it when he stripped the chainmail shirt off – a metal mark, embedded into the shoulder. The druid’s lip curled in disgust as he pulled out a dagger. Brass Keep renegades. That explained why the orc didn’t surrender. He worked quickly, cutting the emblem free of the flesh before pocketing it. It would do.

He’d clear out the body itself after all this excitement was over. He strode back to the main tunnel, the one that had been reinforced with carefully directed roots, nodding at the swordsman who gave him a respectful nod. The plate armoured fighter seemed unease to be underground, but was handling himself well. Tatsuya clapped him on the shoulder and offered a grin.

“Easy does it,” the druid said. “We’re almost done.”

“True,” the other man replied, shrugging slightly. “But isn’t there a saying about cornered mice biting the cat?”

Tatsuya frowned. “Not that I’m aware of. I suppose it’s something the city-folk say?” His companion nodded. “I suppose it’s about how cornering something makes it more dangerous?” Another nod. “Well…that is a point,” Tatsuya conceded, having just been involved in a good example of that himself. There was nothing for it though – they either flushed their prey out of the burrows or cornered it and killed it.

“Tatsuya! Alexander!” he heard the Keeper call, emerging from another branching tunnel slightly behind them. “Any luck?”

The fighter shook his head. “No. Dead end. The druid killed them when they turned to attack.”

His employer sighed but nodded. “Third one now. Think there are much more?” the golden-faced figure asked, looking at Tatsuya.

The druid shrugged. “Not many. The tracks outside were pretty light.” Granted, tracking wasn’t his speciality, but he remembered the basics his father had taught him. The hired swords they had run into so far had obviously been trying to map out the tunnels for their employer. They were wasting their time – Tatsuya knew that there was only one way in or out – his parents had made sure of that. “The rest are probably holed up with your fugitive down there,” he guessed, waving his arm in the direction of the darkness leading deeper into the hill. There was a small chamber at its end, where the worm had rested in between its attacks before it was slain.

He had since made it into a burial chamber – where he lay the remains dead to slowly decompose and become one with the earth as dictated by nature. It would be undoubtedly resonate with the necromancer they were hunting as a result.

The Keeper seemed to mull over the problem before speaking again. “Backed into a corner, one way in, easily defended. Not good odds. I can get us into the chamber proper, but after that…it’s in the Saints hands.”

Not entirely, but Tatsuya held his tongue. “So what’s your plan?”

The gold mask turned to look at him. “I’ll make a way in, the rest of you,” he nodded at his bodyguards, “rush in and hit them before they can recover.”

It was a good plan.

In theory.

But the problem about facing an enemy who knew you were coming was that, well, they could prepare to counter you.

So the minute the fireball conjured from the Keeper’s fingers soared into the chamber like an explosive herald, it was answered in kind by a beam of black energy which carved a great gouge in the floor before slicing one of the bodyguards cleanly in half. The man didn’t even have time to scream before his remains crumpled to the ground. The rest of them scattered, pressing themselves up against the walls of the tunnel to avoid the second beam that stabbed blindly after them.

“Well, that didn’t work!” Tatsuya shouted, peering down the tunnel. A crossbow bolt sped past the druid’s head, making him press himself against the wall again. Opposite him, the remaining bodyguard nodded his agreement, the man’s eyes straying to the corpse of his partner.

“Do you have an alternative in mind?” the Keeper snapped back, his hand going through several motions as he prepared another spell.

“Yes!” Tatsuya countered, closing his eyes, feeling the dirt against his back, held in place by hundreds of roots. Roots that ran throughout the hill like serpents in a nest. He could feel the four pairs of feet standing on the ground of the chamber ahead. He could feel the body lying behind them. He didn’t differentiate he couldn’t take the risk.

Uttering one of the words of Nature, he felt the roots infusing the hill stir, shifting out of position to answer his call. The word wasn’t necessary, but it helped focus his thoughts, to better manipulate the power coursing through him. Each druid had their own approach to magic – Tatsuya’s mother had preferred tracing runes in the air with her fingers, for example.

“FOOLS!” screeched a voice from the darkness, making the druid’s eyes snap open. He felt his link to the plant life around him shift and stretch, nearly braking before he concentrated on it once more. “You face a necromancer amongst the dead!” the voice called. Probably their fugitive. Sounded crazed enough to consider soul magic a good idea.

“Bind,” he intoned quietly, the word reverberating through his being, through the dirt he was touching, through the snaking roots which exploded into life. They surged from the soil, lashing out from all directions at the people in the chamber. Like the tentacles of sea-beasts, the roots snared and caught the limbs of those who had trespassed – he could hear cries of alarm and the sounds of people struggling.

The Keeper was looking at him with surprise, but Tatsuya ignored the old man as he brazenly pushed himself off the wall and marched down into the chamber, a victorious grin on his face.

“And you face a druid in the heart of their forest,” Tatsuya said, glancing around.

A hobgoblin and two satyrs were cursing as they struggled against the vegetation that restrained them. Probably Brass Keep Renegades – the criminal group was well known for associating with the tribal races. Besides, they all worse armour, unlike the other two figures in the chamber.

Tatsuya’s eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of a young girl, unconscious, wrapped in roots. Alright, the roots were his doing, but he somehow doubted she had been brought to this place willingly. Her short white hair was ruggedly cut, and her skin was just on the wrong side of pale to be healthy. That was all Tatsuya took in before he let his attention focus to the figure tied to the wall behind her, arms outstretched as if they had been crucified to the wall.

Their necromancer.

...well, he certainly looked the part – all thin and gaunt, at least from what the druid could see of the man’s face. Skin pulled taut against the skull beneath, sunken eyes and teeth bared in a snarl of displeasure. His wrist and waist were bound to the earthen wall of the chamber by thick rope like roots. He was dressed simply – more like a farmer than a magician.

Probably why he had managed to evade detection. Peasants were so often overlooked that one could get quite comfortably rely on not being looked at too closely if masquerading as one. A simple ruse, but one that had evidently paid off. The only detail out of place was the golden ring resting on a chain hung around the man’s neck – an item far beyond the means of a simple farmer to own.

Tatsuya shook his head as he carefully stepped around the girl on the floor, coming to stand before the fugitive. “So...you’re the villain I’ve been told about,” he stated simply, eyeing the figure suspended on the wall. He could hear the Keeper and his guard enter as well, drawing closer.

The necromancer glared down at him. “Oh, a hermit. Wonderful. I take it old Mathias over there won your help by promising some sort of enchantment to take care of your personal hygiene for you?” the restrained man drawled sardonically. Tatsuya blinked and sniffed himself. Nope, no different from usual. And he had bathed in the river two days ago.

“Daul Lumo,” declared the Keeper, apparently named Mathias, stepping up next to Tatsuya. “You have been found guilty of studying magic pertaining to the entrapment of souls, a deed that carries the highest penalty,” he intoned, obviously having rehearsed the little speech beforehand. “You have also been found guilty of breaking the fellowship of the Order, and -”

“Oh sweet Saints just kill me already and get it over with,” the fugitive snapped, grimacing at the sound of the Keeper’s voice. Mathias seemed annoyed at the interruption, and Tatsuya could only shake his head before speaking up again.

“What’s with the girl?” the druid asked, nodding his head at the prone figure.

Daul glanced at the person in question before looking back at the druid, obviously weighing his options. Eventually he seemed to realize there was no point withholding information. “She was an experiment,” he admitted.

That...didn’t sound good. Tatsuya felt his eyes narrow. So he had been practising outlawed spells on her? No wonder she seemed in a bad state. The druid turned away from the renegade and knelt by the girl’s side, a hushed word making the vegetation wrapped around her retreat back into the soil. Tatsuya was no healer, but he knew a few basics. He pressed his fingertips to the young girl’s neck, blocking out the dialogue the Keeper and the necromancer fell into without him there to interrupt. There was a faint pulse. Steady, rhythmic.

Of course, there was the possibility that the girl had been a willing part of...all this. But sometimes, you had to act on good faith. Besides, with the necromancer being so typically evil, it would be just oh so fitting if he had kidnapped someone and held them prisoner. Not that the world always worked that way but...well, stereotypes were stereotypes for a reason.

The voices behind him increased in volume, the Keeper and his prey bickering over some fine wording regarding ideology. Tatsuya rolled his eyes and quickly checked the girl over for injuries. Nothing. So she was probably just under some form of enchantment. If what the necromancer was saying was true. He had no reason to lie, being cornered like this. Unless she was some sort of monster which would kill them all once she awoke.

The druid stood up and turned to Daul. “You said she was an experiment. An experiment in what?” He could guess, considering the man was wanted for soul magic, but he wanted actual confirmation.

Mathias seemed irked at another interruption, but said nothing, clearly curious as well. Daul looked at Tatsuya with a lazy smile before answering. “Well, the binding of of a soul back to a body,” he revealed, seemingly pleased with himself. Tatsuya stared. That sounded very close to...well, resurrection. The ability to bring the dead back to life. Daul saw his look and laughed.

Mathias didn’t seem as impressed however. “You tore a soul out of its resting place and forced it back into a body?!” he yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the man he had been hunting for Saints only knew how long. “That’s...abominable,” he declared.

The necromancer sighed. “Yes well, I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

“You’ll hang for this!”

Daul grinned. “You know...I don’t think I will,” he said, snapping his fingers. Fire burst into life, as if the man had been doused in lamp oil. The Keeper leapt backwards at the sudden rush of heat, and Tatsuya felt his eyes water but stood his ground. The roots turned black as they burned, curling up and flaking away. But they burned much slower than the man. His clothes and skin turned ashen, falling apart and cracking. His eyes stared at Tatsuya, lips peeling back to reveal a manic grin.

Tatsuya watched him burn. The roots didn’t last, dropping the flaming corpse onto the ground where it burned with the sickeningly sweet stench of overcooked meat. Mathias approached, idly prodding it with his boot, careful not to set his robes on fire.

“Burning isn’t a much better fate than hanging,” Tatusya observed idly. He wasn’t disturbed by the man’s suicide – he had seen a lot of horrifying deaths over the years. Men and women torn apart by starving animals. A child caught in a house fire. Some poor sod struck by lightning. Oh and one poacher dissolved by one of the more...carnivorous plants that lived deep in Haven Forest. “I suppose he found it more fitting to die on his terms than yours.” He could understand that, respect it even.

Next to him, Mathias was quiet for a moment before letting out a frustrated sigh. “Idealistic prat,” the Keeper muttered, making Tatsuya glance in his direction. “Probably wanted to deny us his findings as well.”

Ah. So actively researching souls was forbidden, but the knowledge gained from it was not? The druid supposed that made sense. The greatest magical discoveries had come about from less than savoury practices and needs. Maybe whatever this Daul had discovered could have been useful – but he would never have reaped the benefits. If anything, Mathias would have been the one immortalised for bringing back such difficult to acquire knowledge. Tatsuya turned away and went back to the pale girl. Her breathing had deepened, now being more akin to that of someone who was asleep. Whatever enchantment the necromancer had put on her had faded with his death.

Sometimes, magic was really convenient.

“So...now what?” he asked the Keeper.

The magician was quiet before turning away from the dying fire, marching past him towards the exit. “My duty here is done. I leave these criminals,” he looked at the restrained renegades, “to you. Their bounty should offer enough compensation for your assistance, druid.”

Tatsuya raised an eyebrow as he looked up at the man’s retreating back. There were three simultaneous cracks as the roots tightened on the necks of the three remaining captives, breaking bone. He dismissed the roots and let the bodies hit the floor. “And the girl?”

“None of my concern,” the Keeper answered, the weariness clear in his voice. “Come Balthasaz. Don’t forget to bring all of Tobias.” He must have meant the poor bastard who got cut in half by Daul’s spell, Tatsuya realized. So they were going to reclaim their fallen and just leave?

The druid sighed again and rolled his shoulders, feeling the adrenaline draining out of his system. That was for the best. He liked his privacy, and with this potential threat to his forest nipped in the bud, he could rest easy for a few more weeks before his duties called him back to the capital city. Actually, he could take the girl with him, see if anyone there knew anything about her. If not, find a magician who could track down her origins.

He nodded to himself. That was the right thing to do.

He turned back to look at the smouldering skeletal corpse of Daul, lying in a heap where it had fallen. Something glinted on his neck. Oh of course. The druid walked over and knelt down, sweat forming on his brow from the dying heat. There. Almost burned into the man’s chest, was the ring and chain. Still tied around his neck. It hadn’t deformed from the heat, though Tatusya didn’t doubt it would burn him if he touched it.

Fishing around his pockets, the druid pulled out a simple metal hook and some wire that he used to fish from time to time. He carefully swung it onto the chain and pulled up, carefully lifting the item of jewellery off the corpse. It was a simple metal chain running through a simple band of gold. No obvious runes or etchings of any kind. But he could feel...something, if he focused on the item. Probably cursed or useless, otherwise the necromancer would have used it themselves.

Shrugging, he let it cool in the air before dropping it into his pocket and turning to the girl. It...didn’t seem like she was going to wake up any time soon.

He ended up carrying her home.

If his parents were still alive, they would have never let him hear the end of it.

The abode he dwelled in rested in the branches of the great tree that was the beating heart of Haven Forest – a nexus of natural energy which kept him aware of all that was occurring in his domain. It was a tree his family had carefully cultivated for almost a millennium – something intrinsically tied to their very beings. That was why he had picked it as the symbol for his coat of arms when pressed on the matter.

It had been tricky to clamber up the various branches whilst burdened with the body of another, but he had managed it in the end. The girl hadn’t woken for two days – either the enchantment on her had been powerful, miscast, or she had been simply extremely tired. Maybe it was even all three.

Tatsuya had left her alone in bed all that time, waiting for her to wake. He passed the time by categorising what he had managed to claim from the trespassers, and plotting his journey to the capital. He was sitting on one of the tree branches near his home, a map open in his lap when he felt someone materialise behind him. He spun in surprise, nearly losing his balance and falling, before he caught sight of white hair and dirtied clothing.

The girl was standing there, completely unfazed at the height they were at. She was just staring at him. It was...kind of unnerving. Tatsuya cleared his throat as he stood up, quickly folding up the map and putting it in a pocket. “Ah...you’re awake. Good.”

The girl tilted her head to one side, but said nothing.

“You’re not a prisoner. I found you in my forest. Couldn’t leave you lying about – something would have tried to eat you.” Like Greytail. That old wolf would eat anything.

The pale girl blinked and nodded slowly before speaking. “Are you my master?”

Now it was Tatsuya’s turn to blink. “What?”

“Are you my master?”

“Uh...no?” he ventured. Slavery was illegal – everywhere. The only things which practised slavery on the entire continent were the scale skins, and that was because they were soulless monsters which saw everything else as beneath them. To the druid’s knowledge, there were no human slaves anymore – they had all been freed a century ago when the scale skins had been overthrown and driven into the northern jungles.

Wait...the necromancer had mentioned about bringing souls back...so...maybe...oh Saints. Tatsuya grimaced. The idiot had pulled the soul of a human who had been dead for over a century and not the soul that had originally inhabited the body now standing before him. That...made things awkward. He briefly pondered if the girl even realized she was talking a different language than the one she had undoubtedly known before her death.

A flicker of emotion passed over her face – confusion. “You bear the ring...but you are not my master?”

Huh, that’s what it was? He reached into a pouch tied to his belt and pulled out the little magical trinket. “This?”

The girl’s eyes immediately focused on the item, and she nodded.

“Sorry, I wasn’t aware,” he said, holding it out to offer it to her, but she stepped back. He had intended to let her hold onto the ring as a sign of her taking her freedom, that he wasn’t going to own her like some scaled bastard from his parents’ stories. Maybe she thought this was a test, a trick? He slowly retracted his hand and the girl stepped forwards again.

Curious.

“You’re free,” he explained, studying the girl. She didn’t seem the kind to show emotion, letting her eyes flicker up to meet his before focusing on the ring again. “Don’t worry, we’ll take you to the city and help find someone who recognizes you-”

“No.”

He stopped talking and cocked an eyebrow at her.

“I...I don’t have anyone. I...I was made,” she said, not allowing emotions to colour her words.

Wait, she was a homunculus? So that necromancer had grown a body specifically to house this soul? That...didn’t add up. This wasn’t returning a soul into it’s rightful body to cheat death, this was...well, not enslaving or imprisoning it...maybe...yes, it was more like reincarnation.

Tatsuya sighed and scratched his beard. “Ah...that complicates things.” It meant that he couldn’t just take her to the city and let someone else deal with the problem. “Well...what would you like to do?”

The fake human pondered his words, still staring at the ring in his palm. “I...don’t know.”

The druid sighed. It was going to be like that then, wasn’t it? “Alright then, why don’t you stay here for a while, get your bearings. We can figure out your options later,” he offered. Homunculus or no, she did have a soul now. Simply letting her go would be unwise, especially in her state.

She looked up at him, surprised, but nodded.

“So...what’s your name?” Tatsuya asked.

She was quiet for a moment, clearly remembering. “Mimi. Mimi Mori.”

He smiled to reassure her. “A pleasure to meet you, Mimi.”