The three humans reached us, and I smiled. "Hello! Well met. How may I help you today?" I asked kindly.

One scowled, but the woman stepped forward. "Sam?" She asked incredulously.

I blinked. "Do I... Ah! You're that girl that got lost in the woods! Well Met indeed! I'm happy you're alive, little one." I nodded, my smile widening.

"Little one? But you haven't aged much..."

"Time works differently in a Magic Forest." I shrugged. "It's been maybe 4 years for me. Probably closer to twenty for you, hmm?"

She nodded slowly. "I see... I suppose we're in the wrong place, then-"

"No we're not. That boy is the source of the magic." The third person said, and slowly removed his hood.

I stiffened when I saw he was a pure Fae, and an elder, from the look of him. "Ahh... An Elder Fae, visiting my humble forest... to what do I owe this... Honor?" I asked slowly, being careful with my words.

"I've been looking for you for almost seventy years, you know... To think it'd been only 15 here... It should've been obvious, of course, you were left so close to the King's death march..." he slowly drew a long, wicked dagger from his sleeve, and I immediately sought out my connection with the forest.

I shifted just as he lunged, and I flexed, making the very stones and dirt under him shift. Then the plants came alive, and he barely shielded himself from their onslaught.

"Foolish Fae... You are a power unto yourself... YES... But I am The Forest." I intoned, the rocks vibrating to make my words.

He growled, and then started chanting, eyes closed, but I interrupted him, lashing vines and roots around his form. I made a form out of roots, and stood in front of him, tightening the roots uncomfortably.

"Release me you foul Mutt!" He snarled, dropping his dagger accidentally.

I looked at it, and smiled, destroying it by pulling apart the core components, and sinking it in the same place I'd put the iron.

I looked at him. "You know... insulting your captor is not exactly the best choice, in this Fix you're in. Not Very Intelligent at all."

I began tightening the roots and vines, and he snarled louder, before muttering a small curse, making his body incinerate itself with all of his available mana.

I quickly covered the humans and Alex in several hundred layers of vines to protect them, and let it happen.

---

I blinked, surprised to find myself in human form, and slowly sat up. I attempted to rub my eyes with my right hand, only to find it gone, along with everything below my elbow.

It was burnt closed, so I assumed it'd happened during the blast. I looked up, and the layers of vines unwrapped the humans and Alex, and released them.

Alex quickly rushed to my side. "Gods above you stupid boy! What've you done now?!?!" She hissed, surveying the damage.

"It seems I accidentally shifted, during the explosion... humph. It doesn't hurt, paradoxically. Is that bad?" I asked, gazing at the lost limb, and spotted the charred remains of my hand a few feet away.

I picked it up with my left hand, and hummed. Alex drew back a little. "What do you plan to do about it? Can you grow a new one? Plants regrow things all the time..."

"I'm not a plant, Alex... but you have a point. I am something far more powerful. I am Claiborne," I said softly, and plunged my arm into the ground.

I quested for metal, and was rewarded with an Orsinium Deposit, 75 feet down. I pulled at it, and refined it, then built an Orsinium replica of my old hand, with purified iron laced into the general makeup (keeping it away from my skin, of course), and capped on the knuckles and fingertips.

My burnt hand acted as a catalyst to fuse it with my arm, my blood and bone enough to make the metal part of me.

The result was a red-ish metal appendage, with blue veins, knuckles, claws, and a ribbed texture, filled with more of the blue iron.

It was injected with helium, in place of blood, and lightened to that of my normal arm. I pushed magical nerves into it, so I could feel it physically, and clenched my new fist, humming.

Alex gasped. "Whoa... I admit, while I'm slightly annoyed you lost an arm, that's awesome." She nodded.

The woman and man were both a mixture of disgusted, afraid, and amazed, but couldn't seem to decide which emotion was more powerful.

I smiled at them. "Now that that's taken care of. What are you here for?" I asked them pleasantly.

The man swallowed his fear and stepped forward. "Why did the forest eat Bryan's legs?" He growled.

"Ah. That was me. He was about to use an iron axe, and cut one of my trees. I can't have that. As you've seen, the trees are literally part of me. I can't let people cut pieces of me away with mähe, can I?" I smiled.

He frowned. "Mähe?"

"Magic killer." I shrugged. I pointed around. "Magic forest. If you use magic killers to cut trees, you'll kill them. I can't have that. Don't cut down my trees. Period." I said, and looked him in the eyes.

He narrowed his eyes. "We need the wood."

"What for?" I asked, smiling.

He ground out an answer, clearly losing patience. "Cabins."

I smirked. "You'll make due without magical trees. They don't make good houses. They hold grudges. Have you ever been in a sealed box, made of things that want to kill you? It's... deadly, or so I'm told." I raised an eyebrow.

He clenched his teeth, and then turned and started walking away.

I tripped him with a root. "Did I say you could walk away from me? Or turn your back? You are being extremely rude to a being that could and would kill you without a second thought or even much effort..." I hissed softly.

He stood slowly, eyeing me. "Is that so?" He drew a dagger from his belt, and I chuckled.

"Seriously? You just saw me destroy a pure blooded Fae. That little iron dagger won't hurt me." I sighed.

He seemed to understand I was right, and growled, putting the dagger away. "Fine. I'll leave your trees alone. But if you think there won't be a reckoning for my sons legs-"

I threw my dagger into his thigh, and calmly walked up as he cursed me. "I don't think you realize your situation, human... I'm choosing not to kill you. That is payment enough for your sons legs. Demand anything more, and I'll have your life as recompense. Now limp along home, pup, before I neuter you." I said quietly, and pulled my dagger out slowly. The iron on my fingers blazed at my command, and I cauterized his wound.

I turned to the female. "You as well. This forest and I are one. We are ancient, and powerful. Come upon us with wicked intentions, and your life is forfeit. Come to us for sanctuary, and we will grant it. Leave now." I waved a hand lazily, and sat next to Alex.

She started exploring my new appendage, hissing when she met the iron. "Interesting... you realize that will mess with your magic, yeah?" She asked.

"Hasn't so far." I shrugged, watching the woman and man walk/limp away.

I looked down, and realized my new hand had eaten my daggers, and my belt buckle. I quickly held up my pants with one hand, and then grinned at Alex's equally amused and seductive expression. "Well then... Eager, aren't we?" She smirked, and I blushed.

"Seems it eats metal." I explained.

"I see." She nodded, her eyes sparking mischievously. Her face turned thoughtful. "What will you tell your mothers?" She gestured at my arm.

"The truth. Nothing else will work." I shrugged.

---

I closed my eyes, breathing deeply of the forest air, and focused on all the gold and jewels I could reach. I was rewarded with a true font, as there were several hoards under the forest, all belonging to one dragon, who Alex had slain recently because it'd been getting... rude.

The Goliath I currently built wasn't humanoid, truly. It had four limbs and a head, yes, but in no world would anyone believe it was human. It was built of craggy plates of scaled gold, layered over each other to give it a rubbed texture.

The gems collected in the chest as it's organs, attached by semi-liquified crystals, and I slowly built its facilities. And by slowly, I mean it took me several weeks to get to even this point. I had sat still, building him, for almost three weeks before the first organ was finished.

When I finally finished, he had everything except a reproductive system, (which I viewed as unnecessary,) and was fully ready. All he needed was a soul. But, finding a soul for a 75 foot tall Golden Giant Golem was something beyond me.

I collected forest animals' souls for another four months, taking them just before they died, and transferring them to the Golem. It was like filling an infinite cauldron, but not quite. I just needed bigger souls. Soon, I got my supply.

--- Year 14 ---

I glared down the cliff at the humans who were chopping my forests down with iron saws and axes.

I became the forest, and savagely ripped them limb from limb, pulling their souls out with White Oak branches, and stuffing them into the Golem. It was filling more noticeably now, and I filled it just as I ran out of souls.

It awoke, and I grinned, pushing magical woods into its joints and insides, filling it with crystals and the like, so it could absorb any malignant magic used against it.

I grinned, sitting down heavily, totally exhausted. "Magnificent..." An awed voice said behind me, and I turned my head to find Alex.

"I always bump into you... Are you stalking me?" I smiled.

"Only a little. Mostly I just like your forest. I don't want to leave just yet." She shrugged and sat next to me.

I laughed loudly, falling so my bare back was in the cool dirt. "I understand. I don't want to leave yet, either."

She snapped her eyes to me. "You're leaving?"

"Eventually. I have to, remember? So many people have come here to kill me. I'd like to know why. So I'll have to go find out." I shrugged.

She hummed and laid down. "I see... that makes sense..." She propped herself up on her elbows, and looked at me critically. She came to an obvious decision, smiling. "Fine, but I'm coming with you. You can't protect yourself outside of a forest." She nodded firmly, as if that was that.

"Oh? And who decided that? Not me, that's for sure..." I teased her, laughing.

She smacked my shoulder. "Don't play games with me..."

"Meh. What else do I do with you?" I shrugged, smirking.

She raised an eyebrow. "Well... ah, fuck it. You've definitely filled out nicely." She tackled me, easily pinning me to the dirt.

I reacted, tossing her off of me, and attempted to pin her, growling in delight at the challenge.

She trounced me again and again, and eventually I didn't have the energy to resist. I huffed for gulps of air, chuckling. "That was fun." I laughed.

She smirked and leaned closer. "Not nearly so fun as what comes next, my innocent prey." She kissed my nose, and I blinked, confused. Then she kissed my lips gently, and I understood, to an extent. I decided to go along with it for three reasons.

1: I really had no objections, 2: there was nothing I could really do about it, And 3: I was too tired to outrun her.

---

I collapsed, once again exhausted, and shivered. "Gods above there's no end to your stamina, is there?" I puffed, amused.

She grinned and kissed me. "Not in the slightest."

--- Year 15 ---

I awoke from a deep sleep, and sniffed. I couldn't smell anything off, but I felt I should...

I yawned, entering the forest mentally, and gasped. The entire border of my forest was alight with Golden flames.