Ethan watched as the rain poured down from the skies, the water dripped from the sheet of ice he created over his head, he, all of the elves and the wolves sat around a large guardian tree. The fire they had going didn't help with the cold that started to invade their bodies hours ago, for him it wasn't really a problem at all but he could do without the rain if he was honest with himself. After they found the ambush location and secured the hand of the necromancer they decided to follow the trail further.

That led to a scavenger hunt that only wasted time on their end, while they found more of the black ooze and multiple ritual sites it was clear that James was just playing a game with them, one they were currently losing. The nature mages were especially concerned that someone managed to trick their connection to nature in such a way. Ethan sighed and his eyes wandered to the clock on his status screen.

Time remaining in the tutorial: 19:22:49:21

While his time wasn't running out for a while he still wasted a lot of it with the hunt for James, during their search they at least had the feeling that they moved into the right direction. Their target actually took the same route Ethan wanted to take, around the mountain and towards the supposed edge of the tutorial area, at least that was what he believed was there.

Then a few hours ago the rain started, gentle at first but it became apparent that this wasn't a simple rainshower but a literal downpour. When Ethan asked about it he was told that the rainy season was still a few weeks away from the jungle but now he sat here without the confidence to continue their search, all of them cold and wet while the world was colored gray from the ongoing rain.

He jumped from the root he sat on and decided to look for Lorena. She was sitting next to the fire and handed out some flat tough bread and dried fruit, a bit of dried meat was also added to each meal. Ethan sat down between two of the elven mages and received the same meal as them. He nodded in thanks and slipped some dried fruit in his mouth before ripping the bread into a few smaller pieces. The dried meat he would save for later.

All of them ate in silence which made the whole situation even more depressing with the rain going on, all of them looked worse for wear after running around the forest for a few days. After swallowing the fruit he asked a question. He looked into the round, not addressing the question to someone specific.

"I wanted to ask you something if you're willing to tell me about it. The guardian, what is the story behind it?" He raised an eyebrow and waited for a reaction. Most of them looked at each other and to his surprise they focused all on one of the mages sitting outside the circle, she looked young but all of them did with the exception of Lorena. Ethan's gaze wandered over to her as she turned her head. Green eyes stared at him with an intensity he wasn't used to.

"Normally we don't share anything about our history with outsiders, our stories define who we are as people, pale wizard. But I suppose…there are exceptions to every rule, if the others agree with me?" The young woman looked into the round and she got mumbled affirmations from most of them, no one confident enough to speak up for all of them. "Very well, I will tell you the story of our guardian. The Elysarion as it's really called. Are you ready to listen? Not just hear the story but feel the truth of my words?" The elf stood up and walked into the circle, taking a seat opposite from Ethan, she crossed her legs and rested her hands on slender knees.

Ethan nodded. "I'm ready, please tell me the story." The moment he saw the creature he was fascinated by it, his curiosity was at an all time high with the mysterious tone the woman set. The elf, whose name he didn't know pulled a small leather pouch from her belt and grabbed something from it, one quick movement later her hand threw some kind of powder into the fire. The smoke turned green and blue before settling on into a shade of teal. The smoke stopped floating away and instead gathered into an orb as wide as Ethan was tall. The teal colored smoke filled the orb completely, then a picture appeared on it, the guardian flying through the air, its wings disturbing the smoke of the orb.

"The guardian came to this land a long time ago, not even the oldest of us remember when it showed itself to our people. Colossal and graceful it circled over our ancestors' heads. They didn't know if they looked at friend or foe so they hid away in the depths of the jungle, living underground and only coming outside during the day to gather fruits and hunt animals to feed the people. It was a time of great fear that defined us for far too long.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Before the Elysarion showed itself we went outside the jungle and traded freely with the other races, building relationships with each other to bring things into the jungle we didn't have while sharing our fruits. furs and meats which were considered exotic outside the jungle's boundaries, but what those races didn't share was our long lifespan and so we were forgotten with enough time, as we hid away between the tree roots.

For generations we lived hidden from the world, our ways changed and we became very protective of the jungle and its inhabitants, we returned to the way of the forest and honed our skills, formed bonds with the animals that we shared our home with. Still we hid every time the guardian left its nest on the tallest mountain, today we know our fear wasn't necessary but we stood eye to eye with nature incarnate so we avoided any kind of confrontation, so fearful were we of being attacked by the guardian. At least until she rose from the people.

The one we call the great mother was once a young elf just like us, she was born during our time of hiding but never bothered to keep out of sight when the guardian showed up. She was scolded for her reckless behavior and was punished with the undesired tasks we had to perform in our daily lives. Still, she never stopped to admire this creature and so one day she snuck away from our village.

Alone and with just a small bag she ventured out to the mountains, her journey was filled with hardship as she had to avoid predators and dangerous plants that thrive in the depths of the jungle, even the elements hindered her on her path, as she had to fight through downpours and storms. Once she reached the mountains she started her ascent, one close call after the other made her look into the face of death but she never stopped, when she fell she just climbed back up again. She had a strong will and a goal in mind she wanted to achieve. She believed in something greater, that this was a guardian and not some mindless beast born for slaughter.

So she persisted again and managed to reach the summit after everybody in the village thought her dead for weeks. When she climbed the last meters her body was a mess. She was bruised, her hands and feet bloody but she was there, looking over the jungle that she only ever saw from the ground or the tree tops. But what she saw filled her with terror, during her climb a fire broke out, far away on the edge of the jungle but it was ravaging the outskirts and burned bright and mighty. The elves wouldn't see it fast enough and she couldn't get down to warn them. So she did the only thing she could.

Her mind was clear and her faith was strong as she approached the guardian, the beast resting in its nest as she approached it. She called out to it, her voice firm and unwavering, she begged the guardian to extinguish the flames that would destroy her beloved home, begged it for help as this way also its home for such a long time. Her cries turned from strong words to sobbing as she saw the first ancestral trees go up in flames, massive guardians that would dwarf even the guardian trees of today.

Not sure if the guardian even understood her she walked back to the edge of the summit and was about to climb back down again only for her to be picked up by its massive beak, the guardian was silent in its approach and held the young elf back. Their eyes met and understanding was shared between them, she realized the greatness of this beast and trusted it completely to help her people.

The guardian descended down the mountain, its wings carried it over the forest at an impressive speed. A breath of cold extinguished the flames like it was child's play to its greatness. As fast as the fire started even faster it was stopped and the young elf returned to her people the following day, sharing her tale with all who listened. After that we stopped hiding and built our settlements high in the trees so that the guardian can watch over us as it circles the jungle.

The young elf became the great mother and to this day she is the only one that shared a connection with the guardian, while we know it will protect us we don't dare to go up the mountain, because the last thing she shared with us before her death was the existence of an egg, the guardian choose this place to have its offspring. So we fiercely protect the jungle and the guardian the same as it does us.

Now that I have shared its tale with you, are you still persistent in your quest to go up those mountains as you told Lorena?"

Ethan stared at the last picture that hovered in the teal cloud, an egg so pure in silver that it looked like a star, a celestial object more than the shell of a being. He reluctantly pulled his eyes from the smoke and stared back into her green eyes. His mind was spinning, he looked back at the rituals, how James evaded them and that little piece of information he received at the end of the story.

"Yes I plan to go up the mountain, because now I know what the target of our little hunt is actually planning."

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