“Greetings, sister. I see you have company.”

Seven words. Two short sentences. It was enough to freeze the blood in their veins, caught by surprise as they were.

The figure had her head turned straight at them. Jack’s mind instantly tried to figure out how they would get out of it.

Oh shit! She sees us. And the nymph will see us too. Can she see through bushes? Wait, of course she can, idiot! She’s probably part-plant herself.

He didn’t dare move his head, in order to take a peek at Mrk, but he was aware he could no longer hear him breathing.

Is he still here?

As if reading his mind, something touched his leg. He almost yelped, before understanding that it was Mrk that had nudged Jack with his tail. Either to confirm he was still there or just as a sign of comfort.

Wait… we’re not doing anything wrong. We can walk through the forest, right? We just followed a mud-giant and caught her doing something freaky with a tree. No harm, no foul. Right?!

“Jack should run.” Mrk whispered, next to him. “Mrk can distract and then run too, with |Scurried Steps| Skill.”

His voice was incredibly low. Less than a whisper, it sounded like the wind rustling leaves, so faint that if he wasn’t paying attention, he wouldn’t have been able to hear him.

Jack didn’t really trust himself to whisper, but before he could try to, he was interrupted by a reply.

“Greetings, sister. May the forests grow tall and-“

“Let’s not stand on ceremony, sister. What is it that you have brought?” the other said.

The nymph turned and looked behind herself.

If I die this way, I swear I’ll set fire to her-

“This is my creation. An Earth Elemental, imbued with the essence of my forest.” She said, gesturing to the mud-giant behind her.

Oh.

Next to Jack, Mrk let out a long, long breath.

“It is my hope it will bring aid to our cause.” The nymph said.

“Perhaps.” the other said and stepped through the veil.

The veil, or was it perhaps a gateway, blurred the image enough that, though the rough shape could be seen, from the distance Jack was watching it at, it was still indistinct. Yet once the other stepped through, Jack could see her in all her glory.

She was a nymph. Another nymph. Only there were a few differences between the Nymph, that terrified Jack and Mrk, and this new nymph. This one had the same general look, only her skin was a shade darker, though still green. Her hair wasn’t as much interwoven with leaves as it as composed of leaves. Strange markings touched her body, seeming to glow, even in daylight. And there was one other salient aspect regarding her, that differentiated the two.

This nymph was naked.

Not naked as in scantily dressed. That applied to the bush-lady as well. No, this nymph was fully naked, which seemed to do funny things to certain parts of Jack’s body.

“Mrk did not wish to feel this way about nymphs.” Jack heard his friend muttering.

“I see.” She said, stepping around the Earth-Golem. “Raised directly from the forest floor, without separating earth from green. Not to mention without purifying the earth, either. I can sense debris in it.” She said, walking around the creation, before turning to her ‘sister’. “And you say you had time to prepare?”

This new nymph didn’t look menacing for a second, walking and smiling with grace all the while, but the Nymph flinched as if struck.

“I did, sister. I used it to gather moon dew, which I’ve infused into the earth, before raising my creation. I thought it would purify the earth enough.”

“Did you?” the other scoffed. “Well, I can see that this work is not your strong point. Perhaps it is the quality of the materials that is at fault here, not the skill of the shaper. And your domain is of such poor quality.” She said, looking around. “Have you not reconsidered your choice? We would be happy to have you back.”

“I have not, sister. Yet I will endeavor to bring my work to higher standards.”

The other nymph, which Jack struggled not to think of as the ‘naked nymph’, peered at the Nymph for a few second, before sighing.

“Be it as you will. There is still time. Yet, come. We shall bring your… ‘work’, before the others.”

“…we? Sister.” She quickly corrected herself.

“We. You wish to help our cause, which is just and right. Therefore, you will present your help yourself, which is also just and right. Now come.” She said, strolling back through the portal.

After a second, the Nymph gestured with her hand towards the Golem, before walking through the portal herself, followed closely by the lumbering giant.

A few seconds after they’d gone through, there was only silence. Both Jack and Mrk were too stunned to speak, able only to stare the gateway through which the two had passed.

“At least they didn’t catch us.” Jack finally said.

“Mrk was afraid to be caught. At first. Then second nymph came and Mrk wished to be caught a little.”

“I get you buddy. I get you.”

“But. Mrk thinks Nymph dangerous. Mrk thinks naked nymph more dangerous. I thinks we should think with head, not with second tail.” He said seriously.

“Hey, hold on! I’m not the one that wanted to be caught by the ‘naked nymph’!” Jack said, peeved that someone got to say that, before he did.

“And Jack not wants to be caught by naked nymph?” he asked, cunningly.

“Well, that…” he said spluttering. “Aright, tell you what. We both agree that we want to be caught by naked nymphs and we both agree that it’s a bad idea.”

“Hmm. Deal. We go back now?”

“Uhm. No. Actually, I wanted to take a peek inside that gate thingy.”

It had to be said that, though Ratling faces were by now almost as expressive as human faces to Jack, this was the first time his friend was giving him the ‘are you truly stupid?’ look.

“I thinks that would be bad. Die with branches in butt, bad. Mrk says we go back.” He said, pointing back in the direction from which they came.

“Well, Jack says we go look at the thing.” He said, pointing at it.

From outside, it looked like a stand-off, until Jack remembered Ratlings could handily win eye-staring contests. Just another unfair advantage of their species. Sighing, he got up.

“Fine, you sit here. I’ll go take a look and be right back.”

“Why?”

“Because it might be important. I want to find out if another nymph will come to live here or if this nymph goes away, don’t you?”

It was a lie. Jack just wanted to take a look closest thing to magic he ever had a chance to see. But he was getting rather good at this making stuff up thing.

“Hmm. Fine. Mrk agrees. And stays here to look for Jack. And wait!” the small fellow said, crossing his arms.

“Yeah, yeah. You know you’re overprotective sometimes, right buddy?” Jack said, walking away.

“Mrk would not be, if Jack didn’t get lost for two days in village!” he hollered back.

Jack had to laugh at that. If he was getting good at lying, Mrk was getting good at come-backs.

Stepping closer to the veil, he could see more of the other side. It looked like a forest, only dark. The trees looked somewhat the same, for all they loomed taller. And there were shapes in the background, moving slightly. It looked like one such shape grew bigger.

A painted hand jutted out from the portal and grabbed Jack by the front of his tunic.

It quickly drew him in.

The experience was a novelty for Jack, whose only episode of walking through a doorway was in Helmrest and it didn’t compare at all to what he just now experienced. Less stepping through a doorway and more being hurled through an abyss for a second, before landing on soft earth. He stumbled, lost his footing and promptly fell on the ground in a heap.

Distantly he thought he heard Mrk shouting, but looking back he saw only two trees, with nothing in between.

“Well, what is this?” The naked nymph asked. Jack thought it was her that drew him in.

“You had guests, sister. Is this one of the poor ones you allowed refuge within your domain?”

“…it is, sister. My most humble apologies for this. I did not expect one of them to follow us.” The Nymph said, while glaring daggers at Jack.

“One of them? So, there are more seeking shelter in your glades. How pitiful. Though I imagine the nature of your domain is plain enough that critters, such as this one, do not defile it. Much.”

It seemed to Jack that the naked nymph took some pleasure in mocking the Nymph he knew. Not that it mattered much, at this point. He thought he was minutes away from becoming tree fertilizer.

“Allow me to escort him back to my domain, sister. If it will help to make amends-“

“Nonsense. Whether by fortune or ill-fortune, this… human has come to stand upon our sacred grounds. We should show him to the others, do you think not? After all, it will be informative to our kin, as to the state of your domain.” She smiled.

“…yes, sister.”

“Enough of that.” The naked nymph scoffed. “While we walk this ground, there is no call for as much ceremony, Melena.”

“Yes, Neda.”

“Good. Now, if you could bring the human along, we are to meet the others.” She said, stepping away.

While the naked nymph, who was apparently called Neda, walked away, the Nymph approached Jack.

“You will follow me. You will not talk, gesture or do anything else, while you are following me. Is that understood?”

“But-“

A vine suddenly tightly constricted itself, around Jack’s throat.

“In my domain I have offered you sanctuary, human. This is not my domain. You walk this ground, not out of ill intent, but out of sheer foolishness. That is the sole reason why you still draw breath.”

She was looking at Jack like one would look at a smelly insect, that wandered inside a house. An insect, which the owner was greatly restraining themselves not to squash.

“You will do nothing, but follow me. Do my words make sense, human?”

Not having the breath to speak, Jack only nodded.

“Good. Come.” She said, turning.

“…it’s Jack.” He said, not knowing when to shut up.

This time, two vines constricted around Jack. One at his throat, as before and another around more sensitive parts.

“What is?”

“…my name. You called me ‘human’. My name is Jack.” He managed to squeak out.

She stared at him for a long moment, before the vines retreated.

“Melena. Now come, Jack. And not another sound.”

He followed her then, after that short, yet tense exchange of words. Getting a better look at the Nymph, he saw that she was a lot more muscular than he was. Though muscular was not the correct word. She was lean, with muscles that were clearly visible under her skin. Yet she didn’t look like she had worked in a farm year-around. She looked like a predator, ready to follow you up a tree or chase after you over the hills. In short, impressive.

Looking around himself, Jack was surprised to see just how much he had missed, while being terrified for his life. The forest was dark and the trees were tall. Yet it wasn’t night time. Judging by the colors of the sky, it was around sunset, but the looming trees cast great shadows, which made everything darker.

Wooden houses stood around and on such trees, using their branches as support. And as Jack peered more closely, he noticed the houses were not build out of wood… not exactly. It looked like the trees themselves grew branches that transformed gradually into structures. Houses, bridges hanging in the air, arches and more.

And if you looked closely, there were more nymphs. More and more as they went deeper into the forest. Different types of shades of green. Different types and styles of hair. Some wore bracelets and necklaces, while others held spears and bows. Even staffs. A few even had curious markings on their body, like Neda. Yet two things stood out the most.

They were all women.

And they were all naked.

Jack spent the reminder of his trip looking squarely down, even though the architecture kept growing more and more impressive.

It lasted for a little while more after that, but at some point, Jack found himself stopping, before noticing he now stood next to Neda and Melena, all three positioned at the periphery of a glade. In the center of it stood a grand tree. It wasn’t that tall, though it easily reached the height of the trees surrounding it. But it was wide, resembling an oak. And it somehow radiated an air of power, with its silver and pink leaves.

I really hope this isn’t the part where I’m turned into fertilizer.

Neda looked at Jack, which made him gulp and think that maybe he shouldn’t be thinking so much, before stepping forward.

“We have come here to beseech you, old sister. Would you show yourself to us and look upon the faces of those who would be your protectors?”

Nothing happened for a moment. A long enough moment that it allowed Jack to contemplate what a talking tree really would look like.

Before he could properly start imagining it, the tree changed. It started blooming, flowers appearing on all of its branches. They glowed softly, with a white-pink light, before exploding in a shower of petals. They drifted towards them, like they were being carried by the wind, before coalescing in a form.

To Jack, it looked like someone stepping out of mists. Only the mists were the petals and this person was of the petals as well. A woman came forward, skin the same white-pink color as the petals it had been formed from, hair as well. It didn’t look like normal skin, yet Jack had no words to describe it. It was as if the soft material of a petal continued to flow across an entire body, with minute markings where the individual pieces connected. Yet, that was not seeing the big picture.

The woman stopped, a few feet in front of them. She looked human to Jack. Well, not human, but certainly more resembling a human in features, than a nymph. Everything about her was pink.

And she was naked.

What is it with these people? Do they have an aversion to clothing? It’s not that hot in here.

“Neda, Melena. I welcome you.”

“I-“

“I have come to present to you the gift of Melena, old sister.” Neda said, cutting her off. “She had created an Earth Golem, to aid our cause.”

“It is an Earth Elemental, elder sister.” Melena said, sounding peeved. “It is not of the highest standard, yet I bring it to you all the same, hoping to bring help to our cause.”

Jack heard movement behind him and knew the mud-giant had just appeared there, but didn’t dare turn his head. The petal-woman, as Jack internally dubbed her, simply stared for a moment.

“Yes. I see your words are correct, Melena. It truly is a child of the forest, not simple soil given form. The soil you have used for form has been purified. And you have imbued it with an essence. Is it a Wisp or… ah. I see.” She said, looking at Melena sadly.

Neda looked like she wanted nothing more than to critique Melena’s creation, but she held her tongue.

“Is your decision still causing you grief, Melena?” the woman asked.

“It does, old sister.” She responded after a moment. “Yet I stand by it all the same.”

“So I see. Know that should you ever grow tired of your new domain, this forest will always welcome you back.”

“…thank you, old sister.”

“And who is this?” the pink-woman asked, looking at Jack.

“This is Melena’s protégé, old sister.” Neda responded first. “He is one that has been given refuge, in her domain.”

Judging by Melena’s open mouth and frown, she had wanted to phrase that a little bit differently.

“Is he? Step forward, child.”

Jack did, until he stood face to face with the entity. She was beautiful, in an ethereal way. It took all of Jack’s will to keep his sight set solely on her face.

“I see your kind still suffers from the turmoil of man.” She smiled. “Look at me as you wish to, child, it causes me no discomfort.”

He thought he heard a choke from behind him and wished Melena wouldn’t rip any part of him off, after this entire thing was over.

“I, uh, prefer to look only at your face. Old sister.” He hurriedly added.

“Polite. Or at least, cautious. A rare specimen of your kind, then.” She said, still with that smile on her face. “Yet… curious.”

She reached out and placed a hand on Jack’s chest. Instantly, he felt weak at the knees. He couldn’t describe what it was that he felt. It wasn’t fear and it wasn’t awe, either. Or at least, not only that. It was a strange feeling, cousin to the one he felt when he first laid eyes on the great tree. He felt something grand, old and young at the same time. Ageless. And this something was now connecting itself to him, making him feel what a forest perhaps always felt. Calm, content. Watchful.

He snapped out of his reverie, when he felt a sharp prick at his throat. He couldn’t move his head or body, but he saw Melena helping the woman stand. Which was odd, since he didn’t remember her falling.

“What did you do?” Neda hissed in his ear.

“N-nothing.” He stammered out.

“You felt my thorn pierce your skin. Its poison is the reason you can’t move, human. Tell me what you did or I’ll let it stop your heart.” She said, menacingly.

“I didn’t do anything! She touched me and I felt… odd and when I came around she was on the ground and-“

“Enough.” The woman said.

She was standing back up now, though Melena was giving her a concerned look.

“Return his body back to him, Neda. What happened was no fault of the human.”

Jack felt the thorn at his neck disappear and Neda brushed a finger to his lips, before stepping back. Melena gave the woman one last look, before she did the same. Slowly, Jack could feel sensation again in his limbs and knew he could move again. He simply dared not too.

If I get out of here, I swear I will never… I will only annoy the Nymph from a distance.

The woman gave Jack a look that encompassed the entirety of him.

“Who are you child?”

“Me?”

Stupid answer.

“I’m, uh, Jack.”

“Yet you are not a Jack. This I feel. Do you have Classes, Jack?”

“Ah, yeah. A few.”

Since the woman simply kept staring, he started listing them.

“I’m a |Gatherer|, a |Tinker|, a |Gardener| and a |Forest Cook|.”

More chokes behind him, this time coming from both nymphs.

“I see. Quite a few Classes. I do hope it is not your intention to become a true |Jack|.”

“No, old sister. I… uhm, I didn’t really know about that whole Class thing, until after I got them.”

“There is no need to call me that.” She smiled. “You are not a part of our circle. And good. It would have impeded your fate, I believe.”

“My… fate?”

“…you are destined for more than you know.” She slowly said. “For what, I could not sense. Yet I caught a glimpse of your life vine and saw something…”

She trailed off, looking over Jack’s shoulder, before her eyes snapped back to him.

“Yet, not all that is great is good. This I learned. My nature makes me forget it sometimes, but these are changing times. Tell me, Jack.”

Her voice had gone cold.

“What is it that you want?”

“I… I’m not sure.”

“Have you not even an inkling? Is there nothing you want in life? No purpose or grand plan? |Gust of Truth|”

Jack knew that it was a Skill, as a blast of… something hit him and he felt compelled to speak.

“I want Lola to be safe and happy and for Mrk to be the same. And well-fed. I want us to be happy and safe. …and for the villagers to stop hating Lola and others because they’re different.”

Her face softened a little at hearing that.

“You desire nothing more than peace and protection, for you and yours. That is commendable. Yet” she said, as she grew wary again “that is what you wish for now.”

“You have offered me a boon, Jack. Information on you and others. Your Classes and Name. That is a gift to me and my kind. Would you wish for anything in return?”

“Ah, no ma’am. Just to go back home.”

“There is nothing that catches your eye? I saw you being tempted before. I could offer you Neda or Melena. If not that, then I could offer you the magic of my kind. Artifacts, such that humans have rarely seen before. No?”

He was tempted, but Jack shook his head. Magic sounded nice, but he thought it was a bad idea at this point in time.

“I see. Then I offer you this, Jack. Would it please you to have me?” she asked, gesturing at her body. “Few have mated with one such as me. It is a story that has made Kings out of men. Would you wish it so?”

Truthfully, Jack had an inner voice that was tempting him, even when he was offered Neda or Melena. This last offer had only made that voice scream and beg, urging Jack to accept it.

Yet…

He could see them. Had heard them. Protectors of the forest. She was only giving herself to him to test his character. And even if she was being honest, which Jack thought she might be, it was still not something he wanted.

It felt too much like it was being forced. Not something that he earned.

“No. Thank you. You are all… truly beautiful. But I can’t accept it.”

She smiled then and the brightness of her smile warmed his heart. Her entire appearance changed, looking more like a young girl, than a grown woman.

“Thank you, Jack.” She said, in a sing-song voice. “It seems the honor of humans is not yet extinguished.”

“Ah… there is something I would like to ask, ma’am. Miss. Not something I want, just wanted to know something.”

“Of course, young one. Ask away.”

“…what are you? Who are you? What… is happening?” he asked, dispirited.

She giggled at that.

“Of course. Names have meaning to you too, don’t they Jack? This I saw as well, yet I neglected to remember. I will let the others explain what can be told about this forest. As for what I am, I am a Dryad. Do you know what a Dryad is, Jack?”

“Uhm… no.”

“Then perhaps you will find out.” She laughed, softly. “As for my name… you cannot hear words, in the rustle of leaves or the tweaks of branches. Therefore, you will not understand it or perhaps not even be able to remember what you heard. But if I am to think what it would mean in human words…”

She hummed for a second.

“You may call me Rosa, Jack.”

“Rosa. Alright. Then, it was a pleasure coming here and a greater pleasure to meet you Rosa.” Jack said, bowing.

“The first part was a lie.” She laughed. “Yet having shown decorum, I can say I am also pleased to have met you.

She then turned to the other two.

“Young ones, I must have words with you. Indeed, this little visit has filled me with more energy than the sun could have done in a hundred years. And there is much to discuss.”

Jack was already inching back from the three, before Rosa approached him.

“You have asked for little, Jack and gave me more than you know. And I feel if I were to let you, you would walk out of this forest, with nothing except my gratitude.”

One step closer.

“Take this and remember. You have won the gratitude of a Dryad.”

She kissed him.

“|Gift of the Bloom|”