The puppet after confirming the shadow was unconscious finally gave up as it stabbed the blade into the ground while supporting itself with the hilt, it's eyes full from exhaustion as it felt like it will fall the moment it let go of its blade
The wooden armour that had covered it's body shattered into crumbs as the flesh which had held them in place retracted back into its body, the large deer at the back saw the destruction and felt a wave of guilt, the nature responded as the grass under its leg flourished with life
The cuts in the ground slowly mended themselves as plants began to rise from them and the trees that had previously been harmed began to absorb the energy and rapidly healed their bodies, the leaves flourished as the old ones were shedded and new branches sprouted from the stems
The sparrow saw this and couldn't help but be amazed even the puppet was surprised from the strange energy that came from the deer, the deer saw this and it's guilt disappeared after it was surprised as it stomped on the ground
Roots emerged from under the other puppets and the shadow as it dropped the puppets on the herd and it carried the shadow on its back, it looked at the puppet and spoke "let's go back, try not to exert yourself anymore I will treat you all after master gives his approval" and the puppet nodded lightly as it stood up on its legs with great effort and walked with the deer
The sparrow flapped it's wings and after great effort tried to fly as it rose from the back of the deer, the deer saw and spoke "You are hurt, don't try to use your wings for too much or it will be hard for me to heal you later"
The sparrow listened and spoke "it's fine, I will only guide u from here, this forest is too huge u may get lost" and the deer could not help but nod
The group walked through the forest and in one instance the deer looked at the puppet spoke "How come you can use wood skills?" and the puppet unaware spoke "I am not sure either, A week ago when I was fighting a ape, I could barely keep up with its attack and it's attacks were potent enough to break my bones and harm me in a brink of death I had awoken this ability and it helped me survive that day" and the deer was amazed as it spoke "wood is a element that specialises in defence, it's something that is well known amongst us beasts and I am also born with the ability to control it, the other beasts saw me as a potential kind aswell and my clan was well known but that day..."
The puppet spoke "what happened?" But the deer shrugged it's head and spoke "Nothing... Don't worry about it" and the puppet was concerned as spoke "you are under us, you should talk to us if you must, master will surely assist you" but the deer spoke "no, it's something that i must face myself i cannot let master handle it for me" and it increased its space, the herd followed
The sparrow confused spoke "What happened to her? Did you both have an argument?" But the puppet spoke "no it seems she has a trouble from her past, i will ask master later so don't disturb her with it" and the sparrow nodded as the two moved behind the herd
The puppet stood there for a long moment, its skeletal hands gripping the hilt of the blade tightly. The fight had taken everything out of it. Its body felt heavy, every joint creaking with strain. The dark aura from Necromancer's Descent slowly faded away, leaving only faint wisps of black smoke curling around its frame. It confirmed the shadow was truly unconscious — no movement, no breathing that looked dangerous, just the slow rise and fall of a beaten body. Only then did the puppet let its guard down completely. It stabbed the blade deep into the ground with a dull thud, using the hilt as a crutch to keep itself upright. Its eyes, glowing faintly with leftover energy, were full of exhaustion. It felt like the moment it let go of the blade, its whole body would collapse right there on the forest floor.
The wooden armour that had covered its body during the fight suddenly shattered into small crumbs, falling away like dry leaves. The strange flesh-like material that had held the armour together retracted back into its skeletal frame with a soft, wet sound. Pieces of wood and bone fragments littered the ground around it. The large mutated deer standing at the back of the group saw all the destruction — the cracked trees, the deep gashes in the earth, the broken puppets lying scattered — and a strong wave of guilt washed over it. Its antlers drooped slightly. The nature around it seemed to respond to that guilt immediately. The grass under its hooves started to flourish with fresh life, green blades shooting up taller and brighter, small flowers blooming in seconds.
The cuts in the ground slowly mended themselves as soft plants began to rise from the torn soil, their roots weaving through the dirt to fill the wounds. The trees that had been heavily damaged during the fight started to absorb the flowing energy. Bark knitted back together with quiet cracking sounds, broken branches regrew, and old damaged leaves shed off in a gentle rain. New bright green leaves flourished in their place, and fresh branches sprouted quickly from the stems, making the trees look healthier than before. The air smelled cleaner, filled with the fresh scent of growing plants and moist earth.
The sparrow, still perched on a low branch, saw all this happening and couldn't help but be amazed. Its small beak opened wide in surprise. Even the puppet, leaning heavily on its blade, was surprised by the strange energy flowing from the deer. It had never seen nature respond so directly like this. The deer noticed their reactions and its guilt slowly disappeared, replaced by a small spark of surprise at its own power. It stomped one hoof hard on the ground, sending a ripple of energy outward.
Roots emerged smoothly from under the other puppets and the unconscious shadow. The thick roots gently lifted the damaged puppets and placed them carefully onto the backs of the waiting herd. One set of roots carried the shadow and laid it across the mutated deer's broad back. The deer turned its head toward the puppet and spoke in a calm, steady voice, "let's go back, try not to exert yourself anymore I will treat you all after master gives his approval."
The puppet nodded lightly, its movements slow and strained. It stood up on its legs with great effort, the blade still stuck in the ground for a second longer before it pulled it free with a grunt. It started walking beside the deer, each step heavy and careful, its skeletal frame creaking with every motion.
The sparrow flapped its wings and after great effort tried to fly again. It rose shakily from the back of one of the deer in the herd. The mutated deer noticed immediately and spoke with concern, "You are hurt, don't try to use your wings for too much or it will be hard for me to heal you later."
The sparrow listened and landed back gently. It spoke in its usual chirpy but tired voice, "it's fine, I will only guide u from here, this forest is too huge u may get lost." The deer could not help but nod in agreement, appreciating the help.
The group started walking slowly through the dense forest, the herd moving carefully so they wouldn't drop the injured puppets or the shadow. The mutated deer led the way with the unconscious shadow on its back, its steps steady despite the extra weight. The air was still thick with the scent of fresh growth and healing nature. In one quiet moment during the walk, the deer turned its head slightly toward the puppet and asked, "How come you can use wood skills?"
The puppet, still walking with obvious effort, answered unaware, "I am not sure either. A week ago when I was fighting an ape, I could barely keep up with its attack and its attacks were potent enough to break my bones and harm me to the brink of death. I had awoken this ability and it helped me survive that day."
The deer was amazed, its eyes widening as it spoke, "wood is an element that specialises in defence. It's something that is well known amongst us beasts and I am also born with the ability to control it. The other beasts saw me as a potential king as well and my clan was well known but that day..."
The puppet tilted its head slightly and asked, "what happened?"
But the deer shook its head slowly and spoke, "Nothing... Don't worry about it."
The puppet sounded concerned as it replied, "you are under us, you should talk to us if you must. Master will surely assist you."
But the deer spoke firmly, "no, it's something that i must face myself i cannot let master handle it for me." After saying that, it increased its pace a little, moving ahead. The rest of the herd followed closely behind without question.
The sparrow, flying low now, looked confused and spoke up, "What happened to her? Did you both have an argument?"
But the puppet shook its head and spoke quietly, "no it seems she has a trouble from her past. i will ask master later so don't disturb her with it." The sparrow nodded understandingly as the two of them moved behind the herd, keeping a respectful distance while the group continued their slow journey back through the vast forest.