Beyond Twilight (Ranix Aurus and DarkAncient)

[Ranix Aurus]

The Ophius began their ascendancy nearly a century ago with the rise of the Thorn Emperor, and the years that follow was a massive expansion toward western and southern part of the Allivas mountain range. Being a race of proud warriors, the Ophius were quicker to settle with blades rather than papers, and so brutal wars were waged against those who tried to hinder their ever-growing empire.


In recent years, however, their focus was moved elsewhere, into the east. There lied a mysterious great forest unbeknownst to the Ophius, and the lizardmen eyed it as a prospect for more raw resources. The first expedition was sent two years ago toward the eastward, with first contact at the land bordering the forest introduced the Ophius to a new race: the Elves. These ancient races proved to be as tenacious as the Ophius, and the first contact battle ended with no hostage on both side as they fought to the death. Alas, outside the confine of their forest, the Elves were taken down by the Ophius. A large fortress was erected on what was once an Elven village.


Next came the siege of the Emerald Forest. The first battalion sent entered the forest with high hope for a swift victory. But alas, none survived to tell the tale. The fortress was, in turn, greeted by volleys of arrows so great it was said to cover the sun at one point.


The war had begun.


Little did the Ophius knew that the Elves they'd fought before was but a splinter of the Forest Elves' forces, a mere fraction made of Elves running away from their ancestral home. The forces within the forest was far more deadly, far more resourceful, and clearly blessed by the forest itself. And in return, the Elves protected the forest. Numerous attempt to set the forest on fire was executed with zero result. Any flame set on a tree would be quickly extinguished without much explanation. The Ophius had come to believe that nothing could be done to harm the forest lest they killed all the Elves within first. And so the war dragged on for two years, with both sides locked in a tug-of-war without clear victors.


Arcsen Artorius, alongside his squad, was drafted into this war after serving for quite a while in the western front, in order to bolster the eastern force. Since large army would be ineffective within the confine of the forest, smaller squads were sent in turn. Those who survived within the forest earned respects throughout the rank of the army. Artorius's squad was one of them, being experienced against the Elves' magic after fighting the humans for quite a while.


Today, the squad entered the forest once more.

 

[DarkAncient]

Hundreds of years ago, the elves were a race of nomads. They wandered the earth, searching for a safe place to call home and finding nothing. It was after a long search that the elves came across the Emerald Forest. The Elves found their way into its green expanses, and though they were few they set up a small village around a small lake in the center of the forest called Moon Water. This village was soon to be the capital of the elven kingdom. The Elves cared for the forest, and it returned the favor to them. When they cared for it's trees the forest provided fruit, when they cared for its flowers the forest granted wellness and long life, and when caring for the beasts that had also made the forest their home, they received happiness. It was not until two hundred years later that the elves first discovered the green crystals that grew deep in the most dangerous sections of the forest. The crystals sprouted from the ground, and gave the elves great power over nature itself. The discovery of the crystals only solidified the Elve's belief that the forest was caring for them, and that it was alive. Due to this discovery every elf alive now thinks of the forest itself like their grandfather, and would die to protect every single tree.


Then the Ophius came. They brought their siege machines and their fires and their armies. For most of the species that lived near the forest, it had become common knowledge that stepping foot into the forest resulted in swift consequence. It seemed however, that the empire had not gotten the memo. In the wake of the first attack a small scouting party was killed. In rage the elven king sent a small ranger squadron to the front lines, including Eliana, to put a stop to the invasion, it was a massacre. The Ophius did not stand a chance, they were caught off guard in their sleep with a hale of arrows. Despite this small victory, more kept coming. The platoon was pushed back, and the fortress built. A great insult to the elves was this monument of war. In anger the largest elven attack force ever sent began to siege the tower, and the arrows never stopped, but neither did the Ophius. The attack grew tiring and so a new plan was hatched. Send a single elf to infiltrate the Ophius Fortress and spread chaos and fear to demoralize the troops.


-Present


Eliana stood perched upon the branch of a strong oak tree. The tree gave her perfect cover from sight, but gave her just enough room to see her targets and launch her arrows. She was among many other things sick of seeing the Ophius, the lizards had killed many of her kind, and among their worse offenses had disrespected the forest. Eliana had been sent on a difficult mission alone. She was to enter the Ophius' fortress and she was to strike fear into their hearts.


The sound of footsteps stopped her from moving, and she sat still in the tree, a single arrow notched. She had been selected for this mission for a very specific reason, she had already gained a reputation among the Ophius forces. They called her the spirit of the woods a name given to her because every Ophius that had seen her had either died or returned alone with nothing but the tale of arrows and vines. She used special arrows each tipped with a small green magic gem. Once the gem entered a host body the magic would activate and thorned vines would quickly spread through their body causing the victim to suddenly explode with red and green. It was a vicious death, but she was a vicious elf.


The footsteps grew closer, and a single Ophius came into view. His uniform was that of a scout and he appeared to be leading a small party forward. She fought back the urge to swear under her breath at the creature and instead let loose her arrow. It struck its mark in the Ophius' neck and his body convulsed for a moment before the vines began to emerge from beneath his skin. She notched another arrow and waited for the others to either run or come into view.


(sorry for such a late reply things got hectic this season.)

 

[Ranix Aurus]

The Ophius feared not death, for they view death as a return to their ancestors. Thus death in battlefield was seen as the highest ascend a member of the Ophius race could achieve. It was this cultist mindset which struck fear so much into the western human kingdoms, proving itself to be the decisive factor for the Ophius' numerous victories. But it seemed that they finally met their worthy foes.


The scout's fall prompted Arcsen to halt his troops. He died instantly, with vines starting to grow out of its neck where the arrows had connected. It must be another of those damned arrows, the kind which struck through their hard, copper-like scales and delivered damage beyond repair. It was those green crystals which proved to be the bane of the lizardmen. How many archers were there? One, ten, twenty? The Elves never fought in large number, so there shouldn't be plenty. Arcsen ordered his squad to disperse, staying low in the bushes so as not to let the enemy know their position.


Deliberately taking a more open position among the trees, he brandished his sword and yelled a provocation.


"It is you, is it not? That 'spirit of the woods' thing? You damned, cowardly Elves, show yourself! Have a fair fight!"

 

[DarkAncient]

Eliana had to fight back the urge to let loose more arrows immediately. The Elves' had taught patience since their arrival in the Forest, believing it to be the core of their nature and their connection to the Soul of the Forest. Elves believe that if they can find the calmness in themselves that a tree feels as it patiently grows in the forest, that they could feel closer to the paths of their ancestor. It was because of this spirituality that the Elves had two major beliefs; Patience is the core of all things, and that one must leave behind a glorious path for their descendants.


Eliana watched the troops disperse, and began to list off their rankings in her head. She believed that a commander was at their most vulnerable when they now stood alone in a field of their underlings. This at least was what the Elves new of human and Elven feelings on the battlefield. The Ophius had been a whole new story for many things, including engaging enemies on the battlefield. Elves usually work alone or in squads of up to fifteen on average. They had always worked this way, as threats were never big enough to warrant more. THe Ophius had changed what the Elves new of threat.


Using her knowledge Eliana move slightly in the tree she inhabited and shaking its branches in one direction before leaping to the other. This lead to the two troops nearest the tree and the one in the direction of the fake shake to turn around. In this moment they each received and arrow in the neck and exploding into vines. Elenia believed that having ones throat slit was the ultimate way for their body to serve the forest, and so she always struck for the neck. Her attention was suddenly pulled to the seeming commander of the group. He stood yelling at her, the beast was yelling at her to come out. She notched and arrow and prepared to fire it straight for his neck when the floor erupted. 


Suddenly from the ground, beasts emerged. They stood on all four legs, like an ape with their chests upright, and their entire body seemed to be made of the green crystals found in the floor of the forest. All around them the forest died, like their existence drained its life. Eliana could not hold back her rage at the site of the trees death, and let out a shout as she loosed an arrow into the neck of one of the beasts, Its neck shattered, and the beasts head fell to the forest floor, suddenly just a shinning stone. Eliana held her breath for a moment, knowing she had given both enemies her locations. 

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Two more had fallen to the elusive 'Spirit of the Woods', as if taunting them. Arcsen's rage built up even more. As if that cursed Elves had deliberately ignored him to further dishonor the battle. The Ophius viewed battles as sacred activities, and a battle where one party only fought by hiding was a tarnish the the Ophius' way of war. Right at the moment when he was about to burst out into the open space, wanting to confront the offender directly, the ground split open.


The Ophius had never seen such beast before, a creature seemingly made of green crystals they'd seen around the forest floor. All around them it was as if life itself was drained out of trees, bushes, and grasses. The beast glowed an eerie dim light of green as around him everything turned into black. The color of death.


Their initial fear and awe was cut short when an arrow notched itself into the creature's neck, splitting it off its body, seemingly killing it. The green glow died off, and the stench of death stopped emanating from the beast. But with the arrow came another thing. For a split second, Arcsen caught sight of the person who had shot the arrow, hiding herself within the thick foliage of the trees above them. That small window was enough for him to know her location.


"THERE YOU ARE!"


With the open space giving him more room, he could finally took out the glaive on his back. His roar signaled his squad to converge to his location, while he himself leapt up the branches, intending to pursue the Elf once and for all.

 

[DarkAncient]

The beasts kept coming, and all the Ophius commander seemed to be troubling himself with was trying to kill her. Eliana could feel the rage boiling inside of her, the sight of her forest dying, and her enemy advancing. She took only a moments pause before taking action. Her position was compromised, and she was not going to be facing the Ophius commander head on, she knew she would not win. Instead she decided to use her skill in acrobatics to her advantage. Jumping a few branches higher, Eliana pushed off the tree trunk and soared above the head of the leading Ophius troops. She drew her short sword mid air, and landed with it through the skull of one of the slower Ophius. "Murderers!" She couldn't help now but to shout at the Ophius, and at the beasts that now sprung from the ground. 


The beasts seemed to congregate to the fresh corpse forcing Eliana to quickly move aside. They grasped at the dead flesh and began to shovel it into what could only be described as their mouths. Eliana was sickened, but if the Ophius would not leave her alone, she would have to deal with them first. She drew an arrow and fired at the tree she had just been inhabiting, the shot hit the bark, and the entire tree exploded with branches, falling heavily to the ground. Eliana stopped for a moment to recite a prayer begging forgiveness from the Forest. 


Eliana's pause was her first mistake. In the moment it took her to recite the prayer, the crystal beasts seemed to have satisfied themselves with dead flesh, and they began to run for anything that moved. A group of them headed towards the Ophius, some of whom now lay on the ground, and one of them hit her hard over the head with its glowing arms. She could feel her body grow lighter, and she knew immediately that she was bleeding, but she willed herself to stand, just long enough to loose two arrows, one into the beast standing right before her, and another into the beast that lead the charge towards the Ophius. "I'll be damned if I let a monster handle MY business." With those words she fell to her knees, her mind still conscious, but her body weakened. 

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Everything was chaos. Instead of fighting the Elves, Arcsen's squad was overwhelmed by the green-glowing creatures coming out from the ground one after another. The green crystalized monster was not hard to fight, but mortally dangerous. They seemed to not fear damage, blindly rushing toward any Ophius they could get their hideous claws on. The Ophius' swords and spears were ill-matched to fight these creatures, and so each one downed was paid with the price of their own life. Still, the lizardmen refused to back down from any fight, against monsters non-withstanding.


Arcsen, however, was occupied with something else. The Elf. He turned his glaive to the blunt side, and used it to smash the monsters instead of slicing them. That seemed to be more effective. A monster tried to scoop him from the left. He gave it a swift lunge at the jaw instead, shattering its head. For monsters seemingly made of magic crystals, their bodies were somehow brittle.


"DON'T YOU RUN AWAY YOU FILTHY ELF!"


WIth a roar, he dashed through a group of charging crystal monsters, slipping through a gap between them before they noticed his presence. They were too occupied with fighting his squad anyway. He managed to run around the battlefield, going toward the Elf from her blind spot. A monster managed to hurt her before she killed it back. It was his chance.


He pulled out his sword with his left hand, and then closed the distance with a strong leap. He landed right beside her as she fell to her knees. There was blood running down her face. No matter, she was an enemy of the Ophius. If anything, this only made it easier.


"I finally caught you, damned Elf...prepare to d...HUH!?"


He was about to stab her with the sword, but another monster came charging at them. He was forced to push the Elf out of the way before smashing its head with a downward slice with his glaive. The charge didn't stop, however, and he was pushed quite a bit before he managed to leap to the side. When he recovered, more beasts were surrounding them, cutting him from the rest of his squad.


"What the hell...what are these things?!"

 

[DarkAncient]

Eliana could barely see what was going on, her vision was growing blurry, and blood was filling her eyes. She watched as the Ophius commander rushed, and in that moment she closed her eyes and accepted death. Despite this death did not come, instead she felt herself be pushed to the ground, and watched as the Ophius commander was pushed back by one of the abominations. Their numbers seemed only to grow, and the forest only continued to die around them. Watching the scene of chaos before her, Eliana could no longer hold in her emotions. She cried, and felt her resolve melt. She was not ready to die, she was not ready to die to these damned creatures. 


There was suddenly a hail of arrows each one landing without effort in the neck of one of the green creatures, knocking their heads off. The arrows did not stop, the trees suddenly exploding with arrows every few seconds as more and more of the creatures fell. An elven squad had happened upon the scene while patrolling their side of the forest, and now served as reinforcements, hidden in the trees. They had no time to think about what the creatures were, but they knew that they had to kill them.


"Filthy creatures!"


Eliana spoke with her last bit of strength, yelling at both the Ophius and the green monsters, both were ruining the elve's forest, and they both treated it with as much respect. She tried to draw her sword again, but did not have the strength to pull it from its sheathe. Before she could try and move any further, the evlen forces leaped out of the trees, and revealed themselves.


"There will be a retreat from your forces Ophius, or there will be consequences." 


An elf decorated in golden armor stood in front of ten others, each with an arrow notched in their bow aimed at the Ophius forces. A healer immediately broke rank and began to treat to Eliana's wounds, while the elven commander began to motion for his troops to fan out. The ten soldiers created a half moon shape around Eliana as the commander took a few more steps towards Arcsen.


"I expect that you will respect our choice not to shoot you along with the monsters, and that you will peacefully return with your forces to the fortress that you carved into our forest. Blood will be shed another day, but I hope that you will see that the odds are not in your favor right now."