“Daewon,” Hansol whispered, “what are you doing?”

“Maybe she can help us,” Daewon said back, his hand still wrapped around your wrist.

“What makes you think she can handle it? We don’t even know what we are up against.”

“She took down four of those guys while she was outnumbered six to one. If they were similar in strength to the two I handled, that’s no easy feat. We need her.”

You were beginning to feel frustrated and you pulled your hand back out of Daewon’s grip. “You don’t have to talk about me like I’m not here. I assure you, I can handle myself.”

Hansol bashfully scratched the side of his neck as he realized his social blunder. “Sorry, it’s just that this… whatever it is… is going to be really dangerous and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

You considered their words. “Well I’d be dead if it weren’t for you two... danger and I are well acquainted. Stuff like this is literally my job, so what do you need?”

Daewon touched a low hanging branch of the large tree and looked at it thoughtfully. “This forest isn’t right,” he began, “it hasn’t been for a few days. The animals and plants aren’t behaving as they should and it's getting worse. The poison of corruption is running thick through this land.”

Hansol picked up the story, “Daewon reached out to me two days ago. We have been able to tell that it is originating from the center of the forest. Luckily, it hasn’t reached this far yet, but it is spreading.”

“We have to save this forest,” Daewon pleaded.

“Alright.” You adjusted the scabbard at your hip and tugged at the silver chain decorating the navy sash around your waist. “I’m in. Lead the way.” Both boys smiled at you, Daewon’s a large grin and Hansol’s small and cute. And the three of you set off.

*          *          *          *

You had been traveling for what had to be hours. You learned a lot about the two of them in that time.

“So you were raised by humans but spent most of your time in the forest?” You asked Hansol.

He nodded, “yes.”

“Why? Isn’t it a bit lonely out here?”

Hansol smiled at you. “I like it out here. It’s quiet and peaceful. It feels like home. Maybe that’s the elf in me. And I have friends out here like Daewon. He is a good person. He takes care of everyone, the animals, the plants, people.”

Your hand lightly gripped Daewon’s arm. “You’re like this forest’s guardian angel,” you said to him. His cheeks dusted pink as he held back a smile. “I’ve always liked the forest. I think about how I want to spend more time here but it seems like the only time I get in nature is while I’m on a job. I guess that’s more than most but still… I guess the city is just easier, so I don’t make it out here as much as I’d like.”

Daewon and Hansol looked a little proud that you liked their home. Daewon was the first to speak up. “I think the forest suits you well. Your steps are quiet and I can tell that animals would like you.”

You smiled at him for a second and then thought about his words. The mention of animals made you aware of the fact that you heard no sound of wildlife. While the outskirts were fairly lively, the portion of the forest felt dead. “Speaking of animals, shouldn’t there, you know, be some?”

Hansol nodded at you. “You see what we mean, then? This isn’t normal.”

You were about to say that it was unsettling when a large brown streak of fur slammed into your body. Your reflexes took over and you managed to move your arm to intercept the jaws that snapped for your face. The sharp, yellowed teeth were sufficiently hindered from reaching your skin by your thick armor. You swung your legs underneath the black eyed wolf and kicked it off of you, continuing the momentum to roll yourself into a crouched position as three more wolves barreled out of the brush.

The three of you drew your weapons. “I’m guessing this isn’t normal, either!” You shouted at the other two.

“It isn’t,” Hansol said, blocking a bite from a wolf with his scimitar.

Shimmering colors danced through your saber like an opal as it whistled through the air and ended the baying of the wolf lunging for your throat. This was hardly a challenge for a seasoned adventurer like you.

You turned to see Daewon wielding a flaming blade made of pure magic and Hansol with his scimitar, each of them made short work of a wolf.

The last wolf showed no signs of resignation. You went to lunge for it but your feet held fast to the ground. The attempt at movement caused your body to topple over. Your hands broke your fall as they touched the sticky white substance that was spreading across the grass. Webs.

You looked up to see Hansol and Daewon also held by their legs in the webs that were holding you captive. Giant spiders the size of Labradors crawled out from the trees. Their chelicerae dripped with venom.

This situation just got a bit more interesting. Hansol quickly sheathed his blade and drew the bow from his back. The wolf snarled and leapt for him. Hansol’s movements were lightning quick as he notched the arrow, drew back the string, and let instinct guide his hand. The wolf’s yelp echoed through the forest as the arrow flew through the crazed creatures open mouth and out the back of its head.

That was all the time for hesitation you and Daewon could afford. Daewon ignored the webbing around his feet, let his magic sword dissipate, and began casting another spell. You, meanwhile, had both your hands and your feet caught. You thought about what you could do. The shadow cast upon you from the canopy was too thin for you to jump from and you couldn’t summon a shadow with your hands glued to the ground as they were. You began tugging, trying to break the sticky threads from your arms as the spiders, seeing you as the most vulnerable, began skittering towards you. Daewon and Hansol flung spells and arrows at the ones approaching you, but were also occupied with the spiders attacking them.

Desperation increased your strength and you managed to snap one hand free just as the nearest spider pounced for you. Your hand grabbed a dagger from your boot and managed to raise it just on time to kill it. You used the knife to free your other hand and stood up. You twisted your body as best you could to hack at the spiders with the dagger without use of your legs. You managed to parry their attacks with your blade. Even giant spiders were no match for you. With your movement severely limited, however, you would be lying if you said it wasn't a struggle. You killed what you thought was the last of them and sighed with relief. Then you heard Daewon scream at you to duck.

You weren’t quick enough. A smaller spider latched onto your shoulder with its fangs. The sharp incisors were just able to pierce the armor around your shoulder. It didn't do much physical damage, but it didn't have to. The spider injected its potent venom into your body.

A wave of pressurized air shot from Daewon’s hands and knocked the spider off of you, the current killing it. With the last of them dead, the webs lost their adherence and fluttered away in the wind. You swayed and slumped to the ground.

Daewon and Hansol sprinted to you, but Hansol was faster. Without hesitation, he knelt beside you, held up your body, and ripped the shoulder pad off of your armor. He pressed his lips to the puncture wound and began to out the infected blood. You could just barely feel his lips against your numbing shoulder. It took a number of seconds before he got the last drop of it out of your blood stream. He spat the poison onto the ground and pressed a cloth onto your shoulder. After the bleeding stopped, he clipped the piece of armor back in place.

You felt your strength returning and you smiled at Hansol with gratitude. “Thank you,” you said to him. You looked up to see Daewon’s mouth agape. His expression was one of absolute shock. Then he erupted into laughter. “Hansol," he said between a fit of laughter, "you do realize I can magically neutralize poison, right?”

Hansol’s face turned beet red. “Oh…" Daewon was losing it. Hansol nervously fumbled with his own hands. "I panicked…”

Daewon was practically rolling on the floor. “I can’t believe you just necked her like that!”

You didn’t think it was possible for Hansol to become redder, but there he was, a shade deeper. His darting eyes met yours for just a second before he looked away. “Sorry.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at the situation. “It’s okay. I appreciate your help.” You reassuringly pat his leg.

Daewon approached you, wiping tears from his eyes. “Did that do it? Can you walk?” He held out his hand and helped you up.

You rolled your shoulder to test it out. “Yep, good as new.” You squeezed Hansol's shoulder, who was still kneeling on the ground. "It's cool." You considered teasing him that you enjoyed the public display of affection but you decided to go easy on the gentle boy. "Lets keep going," was all you said.

*     *     *     *

Two more hours of walking and the sun began to set. The three of you decided to take camp for the night. Hansol's survival skills were incredible. Within twenty minutes, he got a fire going and made makeshift bedrolls from leaves and vines for the three of you. He offered to take first watch and effortlessly climbed a tree to get a better view of the area. You watched him get comfortable on the branch with his bow in his lap. His watchful eyes were alert of any danger that might approach. Your eyes trailed back down to Daewon, who was making himself comfortable on the ground next to you. It was just the two of you now…