The Secluded Nemesis

Circa 1000 ER (Nearly one-thousand years ago)

The sounds of his axe strokes echoed through the forest. Here it was quiet and still, a serenity some would find disconcerting. He found it rather comforting.

Soon he had cut deeply enough. He gave the tree a shove, and down it went, its massive trunk thudding to the ground. In the silence the sound was almost deafening.

Shouldering his axe, he looked down at the tree, his eyes moving along its length. In the distance he saw the top, its branches jutting out in all directions. But what was that just beyond it?

"A tower," he said. The day was over, and he sat surrounded by his friends at the inn.
"What?" said another.
"It was a tower," he continued. "Out in the woods. I saw it with my own eyes. Hundreds of feet tall. Taller than anything in the forest."

"You expect us to believe that?"
"I'm telling you, I saw it with my own eyes. Don't believe me? I'll take you to it."
"Excuse me," interrupted a voice from the shadows.

The group turned to face it. A pair of boots lay on a table in the corner. They belonged to a man shrouded in darkness, a hooded cloak covering his features. The figure spoke, "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. You say you found a tower in the forest?"
"Uh... yeah, that's right," said the woodsman.
"Intriguing. Would you mind if I tagged along to go and see it?"
"...Sure, okay. Rummaging around in old buildings ain't my job, anyway. Knock yourself out."
"Thank you, sir, very much. I promise I will not be a nuisance."

The woodsman nodded, his friends looking more or less nervous.

The next morning the group, along with their mysterious guest, walked carefully through the woods. This part was noisier, filled with the sound of branches in the breeze, birds and forest creatures, and a brook somewhere nearby. The sounds of life.

"Do you know where you're going?" asked one of the woodsman's friends.
"Of course I do," he replied.

The stranger stayed quiet. His black cloak still masked his form and his face, and the others found his presence unsettling.

The sounds of the forest began to fade, and a thin mist became apparent around the group.

"Almost there-"

Suddenly, the woodsman stopped. His friends nearly bumped into him, and the stranger seemed to glance at him, though behind the shadowy hood it was impossible to tell.

"Guys - I think you'd better take a look at this."