You peered through the trees to see a circular clearing with about a 25 foot radius. Only a couple of thin, scraggly trees stood in this area. Large vines hung from the tree branches that covered most of the opening save for a small clear circle over the giant tree in the center of the grove. Instinct would tell you that this was your destination, the focal point of the corruption. But where was everything? It was silent and still. Hansol lead the three of you forward to investigate. You motioned for Daewon to take the middle and you picked up the rear. All three of you had your weapons drawn. Nothing about this place felt right.

The three of you got about halfway to the large tree in the center when you heard a slight rustling. Suddenly the vines hanging down sprang to life and shot for your appendages. You sprang into action and skipped back, escaping their hold. Daewon and Hansol hadn’t been so quick. Hansol had managed to avoid most of the vines but a thick one had wrapped around his wrist and caused him to drop his weapon. Daewon was completely entangled. As the vines shifted, you could see that they were actually humanoid monsters in the disguise of normal vines. They were vine blights.

Hansol was struggling to reach a knife at his belt while the vine blight holding his wrist began trashing his body around, and another vine blight was closing on Daewon. Daewon was completely helpless. You sprinted towards him and were about to skip around a scrappy tree in your path when it jumped into action and swiped for you. Vine blights and twig blights? Two more twig blights approached you. You did not have time for this. You could see that the second vine blight had reached Daewon and begun whipping at him with its tendrils. The one that held him was squeezing the life out of him. You conjured the power over shadows that you had within you. From your shadow rose a black wisp of a creature. “Hold them off,” you instructed your shadow. The shadow grumbled in response and turned to attack the twig blights.

You grabbed the twig blight in front of you and vaulted over it, landing directly in its shadow cast on the ground. Your body disappeared as soon as your feet touched the shadowed ground. All Daewon saw was your shimmering blade slice upward through the chest of the creature. You had materialized in the monster's shadow. You yanked your saber out and shoved the falling creature. With two swift flicks of your arm, you freed Daewon of the vines around his body. "Duck," you instructed. Daewon obeyed and you chopped off the head of the now arm-less creature.

You glanced at Hansol. He had freed his arm but not having your evasive skills, had been unable to get away from the blights to help Daewon. He looked relieved that you had gotten to Daewon and returned to his fight with focus.

Daewon looked at you, shocked. You were used to that reaction. The power you held was uncommon to say the least. You ignored his gaze and darted off to the closest approaching group of monsters. Daewon shook off his confusion and turned his attention towards the fight. His hands s through the air and a gateway of flame opened up in front of him. A small creature of pure fire walked out. Daewon and the lesser fire elemental glared at each other, fighting for mental dominance. Daewon won and gained control of the creature. The elemental turned around to go after the creatures. Hansol had slain the blights in front of him and took to covering you two with arrows. Your shadow had successfully defeated the small twig blights and was moving to back you up. Things were looking good.

That is until a vine blight managed to get a blow on you and send you flying towards the tree line. You flipped over midair and landed on your feet. What you didn't anticipate was the large claw that raked your back, sending you to the ground. Over your head, a spray of needles darted out of the forest towards your companions. They each took to a knee, assaulted by the splinters.

You scooted back away from the trees and watched as eighteen needle blights lumbered from the forest. "Really?" You shouted, exasperated. Daewon and his elemental crept to Hansol's side and you slipped into a shadow and reappeared in Hansol's. The three of you stood back to back as a hoard of twig, vine, and needle blights approached. Your shadow scampered to your side. "Any ideas?" You asked. This was a situation worthy of panic.

"Yeah," Daewon and Hansol said at the same time as if they had been in a similar situation before.

"Just let them close in some," Hansol said as he began shepherding them in with arrows at the stragglers. Daewon touched yours and Hansol's shoulders and your skin became covered in thick bark. The next spray of needles were rendered a lot less effective but they still stung. When they got about ten feet in front of you, Daewon raised his hands. Dark clouds covered what little of the already dark sky was visible. You heard the crack of thunder. A bolt of lightning struck the closest needle blight and an arc of electricity began to spread through the monsters. They screeched in pain.

Curiously, the blights didn't retreat as you thought they would. Instead they all took off for the right side of you, away from the center of the grove but not out of it, and not away from the bolts of lightning.

"What was that?" Hansol asked as many more of them fell, charred and writhing, than there would have been if they ran to the closest possible exit.

You mentally replayed what had just happened while the blights roared and began approaching you again. Realization washed over you. "The tree," you said, turning to the large tree at the center. "They're protecting the tree. By gathering away from the tree, they spared the tree of most of the damage from the lightening." The tree had barely been touched by the arches of electricity.

"It's a Gulthias Tree," Hansol whispered, clearly surprised.

Daewon spread out his hands in front of him and a wall of crackling fire rose between you and the blights. "That will buy us some time but we need to get rid of this thing fast," He said as he stepped towards it, summoning his flaming sword. Hansol strapped his bow to his back and removed his scimitar again. The three of you, the fire elemental, and the shadow began hacking at the tree. You were making good progress and several of the blights had stepped into the fire to meet their demise but most of the more powerful needle blights were making it to the other side. They were barely alive but they were still coming.

"I'll keep them off of us. You two figure out how to take this tree down faster," you yelled. You ran up to the first blight and dodged a flaming branch.

Hansol and Daewon were rapidly brainstorming. "The fire is doing more damage to it," Hansol said, "Do you have more fire?"

"No, this is all I have!"

The vine blights had figured out that they would fare better going around the wall of fire instead of through it.

"Well what else could it be weak to?" Hansol saw the situation you were in as more blights were approaching. You braced yourself as a spray of needles hit you. The bark on your skin was chipping.

"I don't know!" Daewon ran his hand through his hair, frustrated.

You were surrounded.

"Think harder!"

Three vine blights wrapped their tendrils around you.

"Don't you have some light you can shed on thi---" Daewon trailed off, his own wording triggering an idea. He looked around at the darkness surrounding the area. "Light."

The blights squeezed. You couldn't breathe. You dropped your weapon.

Daewon quickly cast his spell and a bright ball of sunlight formed between the branches of the tree. The tree ignited into flame. It cracked, hissed, and exploded, sending all of you flying. The blights let out a last piercing cry and ran off into the forest.

You coughed, struggling to get in oxygen. You all shakily picked yourselves up and turned to the spot where the tree had been. Now all that lay there was a twisted branch with a pointed end. It glowed a faint green. You approached it.

"What do we do with that?" Daewon asked.

"I know someone who might be able to contain it in Waterdeep," you said. "I'll bring it there." You unclipped your cloak and used it to pick up the stick.

The forest was already starting to return to normal. The sun was coming out and the fog was clearing. You could hear the faint sound of bugs.

"Very well," Hansol said. "We will you to town."

You smiled at them and nodded. You clutched your bruised ribs. "Just, let me rest for a few minutes," you wheezed.