Sticky mud tugged at their feet as they progressed. Worse still, the ash soiled their brand new outfits!
“My trees!” Sylvia gasped.
The edge of the forest twisted where the corruption touched it. Dead branches reached out to strangle the other trees. Their warped bark resembled ghoulish faces. The wood nymph wanted to collapse and cry but she didn’t want the filth to touch her new dress. She managed to go on, with much help from her sisters.
Stormy was next to fall victim to the corrupted zone. Thick smoke rolled upward from steam vents. It filled the air with even more sulfur. Her sensitive nose could not cope with the increasing pollution. She had to rest often and needed Icy’s strong arms for support.
A small puddle of filthy water presented the next obstacle. Its fetid contents bubbled and boiled from the heat. Crys’s protestations to purify it stopped when the thing burst like a bubble. It spewed hissing acid across the ground in front of the nymphs. They all agreed to progress more carefully.
Only Icy’s domain seemed untouched by the corruption. Its moving mass disheveled the rock and stone but left them otherwise intact. The snow nymph reminded the others that this moving heat wave would soon melt her home entirely. She required immediate action to prevent such an outcome. A nymph without her elemental home would wither and die in short order.
“This is depressing,” Sylvia said. “Everything here is dead or dying.”
“We should turn back,” Crys agreed.
“But we need to help Peter,” Stormy said.
The pollution affected Stormy the most. Her urges marshaled their resolve and the nymphs continued. Another couple of steps and they stumbled upon something familiar. Not nearly as shiny as it had been days earlier, Peter’s empty armor lay discarded on the ground. A wicked burn mark across the red dragon crest showed where the bubbling geyser caught him by surprise.
“Ew, gross,” Sylvia repeated her mantra of denial.
“Do you think he’s dead?” Stormy asked.
“Serves him right for going off alone,” Icy said.
“Wasn’t very smart of him to leave if he hadn’t been sleeping well,” Crys agreed.
“We’re way smarter than that guy,” Sylvia said. “I guess that taught him not to deny himself a good thing when it appears.”
They agreed they were each smarter than the paladin and quickly retreated the dozen or so steps into the pollution they actually took. Back among familiar settings, the nymphs resumed their usual argument. Who was the fairest of them all?
“I got the farthest with him,” Sylvia argued.
“Only because you forced yourself on him so fast he couldn’t stop you,” Icy accused.
“I spent the most time with him,” Crys put forth. “I held him longer than any of you.”
“But he actually liked me!” Stormy cried. “I didn’t have to use my power on him at all.”
“So where does that leave us?” Crys complained.
“Back at the beginning with no winner,” Sylvia sighed.
“I think we all won,” Stormy suddenly said. “We are each of us the most beautiful in our own unique ways.”
They agreed with this assessment. All of them winning was preferable to all of them losing.
“And we’re all a lot better off than that stuffy paladin,” Icy snorted.
“You calling someone else stuff? That’s harsh,” Sylvia joined her sisters in a hearty laugh.
A Warning to All Travelers: Dealing with Nymphs
Half-breed elementals, nymphs combine the otherworldly beauty of pure elemental form with the body of humans. Their stunning beauty drives mortal men to madness. They originated during the elemental war when the elemental chaos invaded the material world. Attracted to beautiful places, nymphs make their homes in only pristine conditions. Any filth or ugliness in their territory will infuriate them until the offending condition is suitably cleansed.
Abandoned by their elemental fathers and dangerous to their mortal cousins, nymphs try to lead solitary lives. These fey seductresses use their charms on mortals for amusement and protection. Winning the heart of a nymph is said to be a truly legendary feat. Many are the heroes forgotten whose great quests for glory ran amuck after finding a nymph. Unwitting adventurers may find their brains splattered across a forest while their drooling bodies pursue the first nymph they encounter.
Of course, nymphs are not evil in the slightest. Though they share their parent’s tumultuous tempers, nymphs prefer peace and solitude. Above all else, they seek to maintain a balance within themselves as much as in the nature around them. When nymphs of differing elements meet, they take it upon themselves to help maintain the ecosystem and protect the wildlife between them. Many adventurers find themselves a victim of a wood nymph angered at the use of her forest for firewood.
Balance is the key to dealing with any nymph. To properly associate with a nymph and walk away from the encounter with one’s brain intact, one needs only to demonstrate superior diplomatic skill. Do not mock nature in any way or all the silver words in the world will not save the negotiation. If, in dealing with a nymph, she feels threatened or in danger, averting one’s eyes and holding one’s breath while running directly away from the creature is usually the safest option. Between her eldritch beauty and pheromone powers, mortal men cannot hope to manage.
There are many benefits to winning the admiration of a nymph. Her attractiveness aside, nymphs make superb gardeners and animal trainers. Water nymphs purify water on contact while air nymphs similarly filter air. All nymphs give off a pleasing aroma, a side effect of their hormones. Earth elemental nymphs, while exceedingly rare, can turn ordinary stone into precious jewels. So hunted were the gemstone nymphs that they face near extinction and always consider mortal men hostile. Other nymph varieties exist, most notably the snow nymph, though these are hybrid nymphs and are very rare.
In all, an adventurer may go their whole life never seeing a nymph. More often than not, meeting one would spell disaster for any mortal. Befriending a nymph or having one as a protector shows great prowess in diplomacy and physical beauty. No nymph will tolerate insult or injury and will relentlessly attack anyone who upsets her territory. Beware when dealing with such powerful fey and take all the precautions necessary to avoid angering one.
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A few words about the author:
Gilbert Peppers is a Sci-Fi/Fantasy author with too many stories in his head and not enough time to finish writing them. Calling himself Peppyroni online, his eccentricities know no bound. He likes anything dealing with mysticism and fairytales especially cats, gnomes, and explosions. His works of fiction are as far flung and farfetched as he is. He lives in a modest home belonging to three cats atop Lookout Mountain.
Fantasy Creature Spotlight: Prepare for adventure and fall into a realm of magic alongside amazing creatures. The Veil is a magical land, home to a veritable garden of paradise where many wondrous animals and people live. The most mundane of events becomes spectacular in this sylvan glade. Marvel at their beauty, courage, and adventures and bear witness to the wilder side of magic and fey creatures.
Cattails are Made for Swatting: Discover life as seen through the eyes of a little tabby kitten! The Cattails series is based on real observation of cat behavior with some slight exaggerations. Girl finds new ways of causing mischief for her cantankerous roommate, Spot, and her master all at the same time. These short stories are for everyone’s enjoyment, written so that all ages may find the delights of cat life.
Tales From the Void: Dare to embark on a haunting journey deep into the heart of the Void. From its dark abyss come unspeakable nightmares. Terrible creatures haunt dreams and tempt souls as the maelstrom of chaos and entropy spreads darkness over all. Horror tales of the most frightening monsters imaginable bring to you the thrill of the hunt, desperate survival, and lust for blood. Werewolves, Vampires, and Ghosts are but the surface of what lurks inside… the Void.
Connect with Gilbert Online:
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www.twitter.com/Peppyroni009 for updates from the wildest corners of his imagination.
www.facebook.com/Peppy-Roni where he plays Gnome Town and Farmville….
https://thegnomehome.wordpress.com/ a weblog written by his spastic gnome cohort.
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