"I was much stronger then," Jigano cautioned his companion, though he kept the self-aware grin on his face. He often thought wistfully of what he had once been able to do and accomplish when his powers had been at their peak and he had adorned himself with magical items that had improved his physical and mental abilities even further. Now he was... not a shadow of himself, but distilled down to his core, all extraneous aspects pared away until he was left to begin anew, to make of himself something different... perhaps something better, with the help of the friends and family he had gained on Caido. "And I freely admit, I was never terribly effective against plant creatures in the first place. No minds to influence, or ears to hear my spells," he explained, remembering another place, another time, another companion - half Ronin's size, sharp-toothed and wreathed in fire, chattering in a language he had learned reluctantly and still heard in his dreams. She had no problem dealing with carnivorous plants! They all burned alike to her.
"Ah, that does put rather more urgency on the tale," the bard admitted wryly, though his attention was also taken by the tree as he considered how best to approach it. "Some sort of... stone elemental, or earth elemental, perhaps? How did you deal with it?"
Perhaps Ronin's solution to the cat would spark inspiration for the Wicker Woman. Ever-curious, ever wanting to test and learn and explore, Jigano sent the stick ahead of them to discover what the large tree's reflexes were like.
They were quite good, as it turned out, and both Isuma and the raven on his shoulders shifted uneasily. "Well... seeing it in action is quite different from reading about it," he said softly, stepping up to join Ronin as he unlimbered the small axe. "If we could maybe... hmm... coax one of those branches out to wrap around something stable, like a rock or another tree, we could cut it off without too much danger. But I'm not sure either of us should get too close to that main trunk." Indeed, as he looked up into its boughs he saw smaller branches wrapped around a few unwary birds and squirrels who had made the mistake of landing on it, seeking rest or shelter.
A rest or shelter they would never leave, their small bodies going to enrich the soil beneath the tree and sustain it for another season.
"Ah, that does put rather more urgency on the tale," the bard admitted wryly, though his attention was also taken by the tree as he considered how best to approach it. "Some sort of... stone elemental, or earth elemental, perhaps? How did you deal with it?"
Perhaps Ronin's solution to the cat would spark inspiration for the Wicker Woman. Ever-curious, ever wanting to test and learn and explore, Jigano sent the stick ahead of them to discover what the large tree's reflexes were like.
They were quite good, as it turned out, and both Isuma and the raven on his shoulders shifted uneasily. "Well... seeing it in action is quite different from reading about it," he said softly, stepping up to join Ronin as he unlimbered the small axe. "If we could maybe... hmm... coax one of those branches out to wrap around something stable, like a rock or another tree, we could cut it off without too much danger. But I'm not sure either of us should get too close to that main trunk." Indeed, as he looked up into its boughs he saw smaller branches wrapped around a few unwary birds and squirrels who had made the mistake of landing on it, seeking rest or shelter.
A rest or shelter they would never leave, their small bodies going to enrich the soil beneath the tree and sustain it for another season.
