Tedrin lead Anya away from the grave-like pathway and he allowed her to sit against a tree as she sobbed to herself. Tedrin took a deep breath, calming himself before he asked her if she was okay. through sobs she managed to choke out, "I'm...I'm okay, Teddy, I just- Tedrin, how could thi-"
The tears came again and Tedrin was on his knees, pulling Anya close. In most cases he would not have done this but there was no helping this, there was nothing that could be done aside from to allow them to grieve. Tedrin was not an evil man. Whatever force had done this was evil. That was for damned sure. Tedrin blew an angry breath through his nose as Anya asked him, "Can we even combat this evil that would do this, Tedrin? I can't stand the thought of killing you, of firing arrows into Junpei, of Oleris squeezing the life from my thr-"
"That's not going to happen," Tedrin said, cutting the hysterical woman off. But he didn't know that. He was lying to her. But that was what she needed and there was nothing that he could do about that. She began to jerk as she began to cry again and he wondered what it was about this sight that was so painful that it had this reaction on them. Why hadn't the sight in the valley had this effect? Could one really feel for his enemy so? They'd been angry when they'd found their own comrades, their own countrymen. But to find the enemy, in their own home, slaughtered, drained of blood, made to kill one another, had hurt much more deeply. Such small, happy creatures found with their heads removed, swimming bodies in pools of blood. Some of them had even been choked with their own wings. They'd died, with stares of pure joy on their faces, with their own wings shoved down their throats. This didn't make any sense. He found himself squeezing Anya. But she didn't seem to mind. He left her to her own tears and he found a place to be alone. He clinched his fists and smashed one against a tree with so much force that he splintered it.
His face contorted with anger and he dropped to his knees. He looked down at his gauntlets and his fists erupted with flames. He stared into the darkness of the forest and found himself staring through white hot flames that swirled around his body, burning away the brush, causing the earth beneath him to dry out, to crack, turning to glass.
he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the crackling earth and he simply said, "I don't know if anyone is listening to me... For I have never asked of anything....from any God. But if you are there...if you can hear me, please give me the strength to avenge these deaths..."
Anya screamed Tedrin's name and when he jerked up, the flames extinguishing, a large, strange figure was floating between the trees toward him.
Tedrin gasped as the being whispered, "I knoooow whaaaaat yoooou seeeeek, Siiiiiir Teeeedriiiin..."
Tedrin was quick to his feet. He took a few steps and found Anya's arms wrapping around his left arm. "Who are you...?"
"I aaaaam the spiiiiriiiit of thiiiis foreeeeesst... And a deeeemoooon haaaas coooome heeerrreee..."
"Why....why did he do this...?" Anya asked.
As the being began to speak again, the others found their way to them. The Forest Spirit smiled as they neared and though it was an ugly old smile, it made Tedrin feel better. "Theeee deeemooon waaants to corruuuuupt....eeeveeerythiiing thaaaat iiisss heeerreee..."
"Why?"
"Heeee haaaas beeeen tooolddd to doo....sooooo"
The spirit moved closer to Tedrin, grabbed the tree next to him and wrapped its spectral body around it, taking hold with both of its gnarly hands before leaning in, its face only inches from Tedrin's. "Kiiiiill iiiiittttt..."
"How do we find it...?"
"It seeeennnddds creeeaatuuuures to defiiiilllle my laaaannddds frooommm the Boooggsss... Gooooo"
"Okay... We will go..."
"Buuut yoooou muuuust kiiiiilll....hiiiis....chaaammpiiiooonn..." the spirit said and turned toward Anya. It released the tree, disappeared and appeared again, hanging on to a tree above Oleris' shoulder. "The creeeaaatuuuree is taaaallleeer thaaaaan thiiiis oooone heeeerreee... Buuuut yoooou haaaave yoooouuur reeeee-ssssooooolve... Goooo.... Aveeeenge uuuusss..."
With that, the creature released the tree and was gone.
Tedrin was silent just as the others. He took a deep breath but before he could speak, Anya yelled, "What the fuck, Tedrin!?"
Tedrin shook his head and said, "It looks like we're going to the Bogs of Halimar..."
"But don't we need to go to Feneris," Junpei asked.
"Yes, but this cannot wait. We must go after this demon..."
"Tedrin, I-"
Furious, Tedrin turned to Anya and yelled, "Do you see what he has done!? Do you see how those people have slaughtered each other. They have pulled out their own entrails, they have slit their own throats, smothered their friends and comrades and you dare question me!? Don't you dare, Anya, I swear to the Gods you should think against it! I will not allow this to continue! This thing will die...even if I have to choke the life from its body with my own hands! If you have an issue with it, then go back, run, go to Feneris! Be my guest! I am going into the Bogs. I will find this thing...and I will return its lifeless body to these God forsaken trees. These people need vengeance. There are over ten thousand beings that need this and I am going..."
With that, Tedrin walked around Anya and began trekking through the forest.
(If all characters follow Tedrin, Anya will as well. If anyone wants to go to Feneris, then you may elect to do so, and continue with Anya.)