117 Will (1/2)

Iona put her hands together atop the table, her pale hinds striking out a contract against the stained wood. She pursed her lips, her hazel eyes focusing on her hands as she went into contemplation.

It was here that Li recognized that Iona seemed a little less healthy than usual. Her skin had more of a pallor and the dark circles under her eyes had intensified, though she was not nearly as emaciated and deprived of energy as the first time he had met her.

”You intend to have the farmers worship you? You as you are now, or you as you are in a more…spiritual form?”

”Spiritual form. If I assume it just once and spread the news that some kind of great forest spirit is roaming around the forests again, then I'm sure they'll come out to see what the commotion's about, and then I can convince them to farm again at my behest.”

”Will the knights of Lys and adventurers not try to strike you down first?”

”I don't see why they would. These people used to worship our kind. They must have lingering respect for us.”

”All faiths beside the light have been persecuted into oblivion.” A weary expression formed on Iona's face. ”You can see evidence of that with me. I, a forest spirit, was classified as a monster to be executed in the capitol like any common beast.”

”You did kill three or so humans, though, didn't you? I'm not belittling you, just pointing out that people can be tribalistic and reactionary when one of their own are killed.”

”They would have accepted it were it not for the duchess's rule. Before the end of all guardians, it was not uncommon for human sacrifices to be offered to us. Of course, my forest did not partake in such acts, as we were far removed from dealing with mortals, but those more acquaintanced with them such as Morrigan made liberal use of such power.”

”I see. So opinion has turned against us to the point where we'd just be considered monsters.” Li shrugged. ”Well, I can tell you I have thought of this reaction and assure you that so long as I can get these farmers to come back to the farms under my orders, then I can deal with the politics.

What I wanted to know from you was what this would do to my humanity. What kind of toll would it take on me?”

”Hm.” Iona looked at Li for a few analyzing seconds. ”It will certainly reinforce your divinity, though to what degree, I cannot say much. It is hard to draw a comparison with you to Dagda, a being who held not a single ounce of humanity within him, but to Morrigan, it is more apt.”

Li's attention piqued. ”The Winterwood's guardian? She was like me, you think?”

”In a sense. I did not know her nor her roots directly, but she was one of a kind in that she was a fusion of human and guardian, explaining why she alone among guardians decided to love and aid the mortals near her so.”

”Fusion between human and guardian? How did that come to pass? From what I feel, the two seem fundamentally incompatible. The average human mind simply cannot process the sheer complexity of functions needed to regulate lifeforms on the scale of an entire forest.”

”Certainly, she was not a natural existence, no.” Iona looked down at one of her hands as she raised her fingers one by one. She hovered between raising four or five before shrugging.

”Perhaps five centuries ago, the guardian of the Winterwoods was much like all the others. More like a golem than an independent being, dedicated solely to regulating the functions of the forest, maintaining the delicate balance of life.

Riviera at that time was a burgeoning town constantly under attack by hinterlanders, and to bolster their defenses, they decided to expand, and for that, they required wood for walls and armaments.

They sought to cut down the Winterwoods, and as they did so, the guardian at the time came upon perhaps a rather drastic calculation – that humans, though harmless now, would proliferate to disrupt the balance of life.

The guardian chose to eliminate this human disease before it spread, and increased its production of monsters, sending them crashing against Riviera.”

Li could not imagine spear and sword wielding level 20 soldiers in a regular old town competing against armies of monsters and what was likely a mid level 80s guardian spirit. ”A little town against a guardian? I can't imagine that went well.”

”Certainly, it did not, no, but, as you can see from the sprawling city around you, Riviera won at the end. A witch of the highest caliber throughout all of humanity at that time fought against the guardian and bested it.”

Li calculated that the pinnacle of human power in this world was level 70 at the very best. Even Old Thane who neared that level did so because he had giantsblood that allowed him to exceed the limitations of his fragile human form.

Hardly enough to beat an army of monsters, forest spirits, and then a guardian spirit.

”Were humans stronger back then? Hard to believe that a single witch brought down a guardian, considering how disappointingly weak everyone seems to be now.”

Iona shook her head. ”The witch fought, but she could not win. Instead, she utilized a ritual that fused her being with the guardian's, banking on the condition that her will could manage to survive melding with such a being.

And it did. Humans are fragile little creatures, short lived, weak boned, and prone to dying at the slightest scratch. They bare neither fangs nor claws nor can they close their wounds. Their magic is mere imitation of divine teaching.”

Iona put a hand to her own heart. ”But what I have learned from taking in their souls is that their wills are supremely powerful. Their willpower is packed with emotions. Anger, sadness, love, hope – all of this swirls within them in a storm greater than any physical or magical prowess they hold.