Sadness, sorrow, tiredness—you could see all of it in their eyes.

  "How much longer do we have to endure this?" some old man muttered.

  Another one clenched their weapon harder.

  “How many decades has it been?” an old lady whispered, voice heavy with despair.

  Then out of nowhere—

  SCREEEECH!

  The sound ripped through the air, sending shivers down spines.

  Their eyes changed.

  Something sharp snapped into place behind all that tiredness.

  They raised their weapons.

  Small creatures from the nearby fields and forest scattered.

  The tides from the seaside churned violently, growing louder with every passing second.

  One by one, dozens of unidentified monsters began to crawl out of the water.

  As the moonlight touched them, their shapes became clear… Tree Imps.

  The old folks tightened their grips.

  Then something else dropped from the sky.

  A shadowy figure.

  Landed near them with a heavy thud.

  Their faces darkened further, sorrow and fear deepening in their eyes.

  Tch… an old man clicked his tongue in frustration.

  Another shed quiet tears, unable to bear it.

  "I'll end your suffering as soon as I can… Greyedge,"

  the chief muttered, her voice trembling, tears sliding down her face.

  He stood strangely, almost detached, mind blank, thoughtless, zombie-like.

  His pale sprout, once full of life, had withered into sickly black and purple.

  The Tree Imps skitter closer to him…

  [Monster Data]

  Name: Tree Imp

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Rarity: Common

  Type: Swarm

  Threat Level: E-

  Description:

  A three-foot-tall predator with bark-like skin and a sturdy exoskeleton. Do not be fooled by its cute demeanor. It plays harmless until you are in range, then strikes without warning.

  Abilities:

  Pike Form: Solidifies an arm into a rigid, spear-like wooden stake for piercing attacks.

  Vine Form: Transforms the other arm into a flexible, whip-like vine for grappling or slashing from a distance.

  They slowly moved toward Greyedge.

  Not just him though… The swarm spread toward the old folks too.

  Hopping around.

  Tilting their heads.

  Acting all cutesy tootsy.

  Greyedge, who'd been standing frozen, slowly turned his head toward the Tree Imps.

  Then—

  —SCREEEECH!

  Inside the chief's house, Dumdum's ears shot up.

  He covered them with both hooves, face scrunching in pain.

  The old folks? didn't flinch.

  Hooray for old age and losing your hearing, wink wink.

  The Tree Imps' cuteness flipped fast.

  One second they were hopping around like little puppies.

  Next second—pike arms jutting out, whip arms snapping through the air.

  The fight started.

  They swarmed Greyedge first, but not just him.. They spread, attacking the old folks from every side.

  Three Imps with pike arms thrust out at an old man. It cut through the air toward his face.

  He raised his sword and blocked.

  CLANG.

  "Fuck off," he growled. "Even if age caught up to me, I can still deal with the likes of you pretty easily."

  Another old man beside him—this one holding a massive axe—turned his head.

  "Ha?"

  The sword guy blinked. Kept his sword up, but one hand curved near his ear. "What?"

  The axe guy's face scrunched. "What did you say?"

  Sword guy stared at him.

  Confused.

  Lowered his sword for a second.

  "...Use hay?"

  He looked around.

  Scanned the field behind them.

  Near the edge, past all the fighting, there they were.

  Bunches of hay stacks

  "HA? Way? Other way?" the old man with the axe shouted.

  “Other hay?” the sword guy muttered, squinting, tilting his head.

  He scanned the field again. “THERE’S NO OTHER HAY!” he finally shouted.

  “HA?!” the axe guy yelled back, confused, wobbling on his feet.

  A whip-arm Tree Imp lunged straight at him. He ducked, rolled, and swung his axe.

  SLASH!

  The axe bounced. Recoil rattled his arms.

  "DAMN! SHIT! SO TOUGH!" he cursed, glaring at the tiny bastard.

  Sword guy barely heard him. “HA! FUCK OFF, YOU SHUT UP!”

  The axe guy blinked. “EH? I SHALL TAP?” He slammed the flat of his axe down, smacking the Tree Imp into the dirt.

  BONK!

  The Imp stuck there, stunned, flailing a little before giving up.

  “Oii… it works!” the old man grinned, thumbs up mid-air.

  Somehow, their chattery made the battlefield feel a little lighter.