Kigen, as well as twenty experienced fairies, were hovering under a tree near a particular clearing in the forest. They'd flown here first thing in the morning, long before the hunting teams had even set off.
Most importantly, they had flown in as covertly as possible, making sure to remain hidden, just in case of any enemies lurking. Not long ago, they had discovered the enemy lurking around as a puddle of mud. Hence, they were being extra careful.
For the sake of caution, of the top five seniors, only Nixa had tagged along to make the introduction. Everyone else remained on guard, protecting the mother tree. They felt especially vulnerable now that Kigen was not around.
When Kigen sent the two, the elder druid had been agreeable to meeting the guardian fairy some place closer to home. After all, he understood the need to protect one's home. However, there was still a need to keep this alliance between fairy and druid a secret from the enemy. Therefore, they were taking precaution.
It was then that the idea of meeting in this clearing was born. Both would try to maintain their movements under the radar. That way, they would protect this alliance that was in its cradle.
After a little while, Kigen heard the rustling of leaves and movements of the foliage. After a little while longer, the druids appeared out of the forest, making their way to the clearing. Kigen took a moment to observe them.
Standing little over three feet, the druids looked much like little humans, or children. In a different world, they would look like hobbits, only they were green and more adept to the forest. As for the druid in the lead, despite their apparent old age, they still were very agile and dexterous as they moved across the forest.
As they looked around, Kigen realized they had not yet seen them. He had instructed the fairies to remain hidden in the forest, and it seemed their ability to conceal themselves had grown in leaps and bounds. The moment the druids arrived, the fairies had perched on the branches, to prevent the movement of their wings from giving them up.
After a few more moments of observation, Kigen flew out, exposing his position to the druids. The moment he moved, the druids instantly spotted him, showing how alert they had been.
"Noble fairy, we kept you waiting," the elder druid spoke, while bowing slightly.
"Noble druid," Kigen nodded back. He did not know what the response was, or what a noble was. By now, he was beginning to think a noble was a form of greetings.
"We are nowhere near nobility, Lord," the druid chuckled. "Our race is inferior to yours."
Kigen did not know about the hierarchy of beings, so all this was lost on him, but he got the general picture. This made him feel especially proud of his race.
"There is much we can offer each other," he said with a smile. This was his goal, to form an alliance with these druids, and learn as much as possible, especially about the enemy. He was being as diplomatic as possible.
"What you speak is true. In fact, it is truer than you think," The elder druid said mystically.
Elder Maa looked at the little fairy with scrutiny. All his life, he had been told by his elders since he was a child that the druids once served a royal lineage of fairies. He could still remember the pride in his grandfather's eyes as he regaled them with tales.
Time had passed, and now he was the elder of this druid community. They were reduced to nothing of the proud druids they had been before.
Matter of fact, none of the current generation ever experienced that glory. Rather, they had been born into this, a jungle, running around like rats, never settling down anywhere. This was the life their ancestors had charged them with, all for one reason: find a worthy fairy lineage.
Many druids had gone off, straying from the family and living in cities. However, the community remained united, even though they were living a nomadic lifestyle. This was because of the promise of glory.
There was one more thing about Elder Maa, something that very few, even among his people, knew about. He had a hidden ability, one that had been discovered, and horned, by his grandfather. He had also instructed him to keep it secret.
Elder Maa was a seer. Once, seers were looked up to by druids, seen as a limelight. However, seer went off the rails and started using their powers to disrupt and create chaos. Dark times ensued, and it took time for these nomadic groups to ever trust the seers again.
There was also another reason. Seers who disrupted the flow of destiny would attract a dark fate upon themselves. Hence, they tried to remain hidden. However, sometimes, the gift would come in handy.
Over time, Elder Maa had learned to trust his instincts. Right now, the gut feeling he was feeling for Kigen was one of profound trust, as though they had known each other for countless lifetimes.
All this flashed through his mind as he pondered how much he should disclose. There was much he had to offer, be it resources, weapons, and even information, but did these fairies warrant it?
"Tell me, has any fairy been captured yet?" the elder asked.
"None," Kigen answered, "However, two gave their lives protecting the family."
"Good," the elder said, but then turned around and whispered. "My condolences for the loss of your kin, but it is better to be dead than to be captured by those foul things."
"It happened to your people?" Kigen asked. He saw the look of anger and loss on the elder's face, and he understood.
"Once, our community consisted of almost a hundred druids," The elder explained. He did not go into details, but Kigen could tell, their number had gone down considerably. "My own son killed his wife and two children, while still very much conscious."
"What do you mean?" Kigen asked, horrified. He couldn't imagine someone doing something like that.
"How much do you know about the enemy you're fighting?" The druid asked.
"I hear he is a necromancer, and a golem maker. I am guessing all these are fancy magical words to say he is a powerful witch," Kigen explained, causing the druid to chuckle.
"Have you noticed that some golems are very much alive, while others are vacant and dumb?" The elder asked. Kigen had noticed the first part. His interactions with the golems did not show them as empty puppets, but creatures with a personality. As such, he wondered why they were called puppets.
"The reason for this, is because of that first word: necromancer. The enemy can twist the souls of those he kills through some dark ritual, making them completely enslaved to them. That way, even your closest friend will easily kill you without batting an eyelid." The druid explained.
"They are not even allowed to keep their own bodies," a druid behind the elder lamented softly. She looked as though she had lost someone too.
"This was my son's plight. He and his team, the best of us, were out on a hunt when the golems attacked. They captured and enslaved them, tr-transforming them into-to into ... go-golems," towards the end, the elder's voice was beginning to break. His eyes were watery.
Behind him, several druids also wore the same expression. "The worst part was, they returned to us. We thought they had escaped, somehow managed to slip the clutches of the enemy. Why wouldn't we? They looked like them, even thought and sounded like them. By all means, it was them, e-except it wasn't them!"
"What happened next?" Nixa asked, fully immersed in the story.
"When we slept, they turned on us, starting from their loved ones," the druid that had spoken earlier spoke up again. It was one line, but one could feel the horror of that night. No wonder the druids were this enraged.
"It was a massacre," the elder concluded, closing his eyes. A tear dropped from his eye. He was reliving it all again.
"We have to get them back for this," Kigen said resolutely. He was angry about the death of the two fairies, but his losses seemed to pale in comparison to the druids.
"Yes, we will," the elder said. "However, only a few remain that are able-bodied enough to fight. These are the ones we depend on, the providers. We can hardly spare them."
"So, what do you suggest?" Kigen asked. While he was overcome with the notion of vengeance and justice, he was not about to let his kin be used in someone else's plot. Since it was an alliance, the druids should contribute something.
"We can offer you, and your kin, something you've never had before, resources and weapons," the elder said as he presented a pendant. Curiously, it was made for a fairy to wear.
Cautiously, Kigen reached out and took the pendant. He could sense a mystical power around it. He had felt it before, from the ring. He understood what it was, a storage device. Focusing, he channeled his consciousness into the pendant, just to see what was inside.