Second Time's a Charm (MxM)✔

Chapter 14 - The Dryad

Warning! Awkward/NSFW chapter!!!

Cain stared at the sigil in his hand, wondering when he should dare use it since he had caved on purchasing one.

The underground auction had given him a good dose of modesty when it came to his funds. As much as 10 million lyers were, some items had been bought for twice as much. The one thing he could afford was a barrier totem that only protected against fire, but Cain thought he could find a good use for it, and thus was headed for another unplanned destination.

The great oak forest was a patch of land owned by one of the young lords in the empire. He'd purchased it hoping to sell the wood and start a business but found that neither he nor his men could survive wandering the perilous forest since the trees themselves seemed to lash out and kill all who trespassed. It took less than a year for it to be renamed, The Forest of Death.

It was now a useless bit of land that nobody wanted, and in Cains's previous life he recalled how the Emperor eventually set fire to the whole place to quell the public's fearful rumors. Once it was all burned down, they found a dryad's body and paraded it through the local villages. After that, the Emperor chopped down what few trees remained and declared that nature itself couldn't go against him. This accomplishment had garnered a rush of popularity for the Emperor at the time, which quickly diminished when the war started.

Cain initially had no intention of going after this parcel of land, but thanks to the totem he got from the auction, he felt like he could make it worth his while.

Checking outside the window, he observed how the left side of the road was nothing but rolling fields of grass, while the right side, merely a few yards away, was a wall of great oak trees.

Cain had to bribe a coach driver just to go out this far, and he'd have to walk to the nearest village to get a ride home.

The coach lurched to a halt as the horse began neighing frantically. "This is as far as we go." The driver yelled.

Cain put on his mask and stepped out. While it didn't matter if the dryad saw his face, the driver was still not to be trusted. "Thank you." He replied, and began walking towards the forest edge.

"Are you sure you want to go in there?" He called after the Marquess. "Don't you know how dangerous this place is?"

"I'm well aware of how dangerous this area is." He waved the man off.

"Well, it's your life innit? I'd offer to wait around but, well you know. Good luck." And the driver was off, leaving Cain alone.

Taking a deep breath and grasping the fire totem in his pocket, he prayed this plan would work and walked up to the closest tree.

He didn't know much about these creatures, but if the dryad could control the plants themselves, then perhaps talking to trees wouldn't be out of the question.

"Pardon my intrusion." He said to the oak, feeling utterly foolish. "I'd like to request an audience."

He waited, with nothing but the sound of birds and a slight cool breeze blowing through the field behind him. In front of him, he could see that the forest appeared to go on for miles, disappearing into an obscure green abyss. There were no trails or pathways, but he did spot a rabbit foraging some ways inside. So at least he knew life was possible in there.

He waited a few more moments and when nothing happened, he gave a slight bow, glad that the driver wasn't here to see this and stepped around. "Well, I hope you don't decide to kill me before at least hearing me out." He continued.