Fantasy ~ FableWood ~

[BloodThunder27]

After all the chaos ended, Ashley took a deep breath. When Leo asked if he could carry her, she gently declined. "No thank you, I'd like to walk for a bit. If you carry me, you'll just have trouble keeping me out of harm's way. I'd also like to stretch out my legs, if you may be so kind."


@zCrookedz

 

[zCrookedz]

Leo smiled at her. "Of course my lady, but please ask of me when your legs are tired. You carry a special gift and you should not strain yourself." Leo kept close to Ashley as he felt it was his duty to protect her and her unborn child as long as they were in his forest. He began to think about that for a moment. Was this truely HIS forest. True he still connected with the forest and was able to draw his powers as he always had from it, but he was no longer aloud to venture into the forests heart through his meditations. No longer was he able to commun with the spirits of the land through the forests conduit or talk to the spirit of the forest itself. HE was afraid that this darkness that had created the void he saw, might have damaged or even removed the spirit of the forest all together. These thoughts wieghed heavily on his mind as he waited for the others to ready themselves. HE stood with his arms crossed until he saw his furry companion on his shoulder. "You my little shifter friend are welcome to hitch a ride whenever you likem so long as you behave your self." He grinned as Banba, watching the others.


@Jecklyn

 

[SilverFlight]

Leia watched the lion guy..Leo, she hadn't really had a chance to speak with him, or any of the new faces so she moved over to where they stood. She stopped in front of Leo, pretty much staring into his diaphragm and looked up. "You are literally the coolest thing I've ever seen." She stated, slinging her bow back over one shoulder. Just then the attention shifted to Saer.


"Hey! Its the champion lurker." She walked over to him, but stopped as she saw his unease. "Look, um, thanks. Without you our friends may have been in serious trouble." She had a gut feeling that this stranger could be trusted, and now she knew. "I hope you're not leaving...I think we could really use the help."


Ward nodded to Qunicy, confirming her statement. "That is indeed what we are doing. The prince is not far."


Following the pendant he led them deeper into the forest. The trees began to grow taller, and vines began to rise up around them, chocking the forest floor and keeping them on the narrow trail. After that whole ordeal the effect of the reflections was not so strong, but the gryphon had a feeling that there was something more in here. The vines, upon closer examination were not made of glass at all, but a thick, leathery skin.


Leia poked one with the end of her bow and jumped back as it twitched. "That. Is seven different kinds of wrong." She said uneasily.


The path was twisted and lead them this way and that, Ward slowly realized there was no getting back out in any sort of rapid way. To his relief the vines finally fell away, curling eye-height about a wide clearing. At the far end of the clearing was a shallow pit with a stone statue of an axe, jutting out of the ground on a black pedestal and there, tied with his hands behind the axe's handle was a man. He was slumped to his knees, his cloak and tunic torn in many places and stained. His head was down, locks of ebony hair covered his face, obscuring it from view.


The most alarming thing about him however was the fact that he wasn't all there. Literally. His legs and torso were transparent, as if he was fading.


"Its the prince." Ward said gravely, with none of the excitement Leia expected.


The lip of the pit was shrouded in shadow, enough to hide something big.


"Whatever darkness is lurking here I am sure is not done with us yet. Get the humans back."


"Like that's gonna happen." Leia shot back stubbornly, pulling her bow off her shoulder and swiping an arrow to be ready.


Just then something moved in the darkness.


"Fior!" Ward called. The man slowly lifted his head, taking a moment to squint through the darkness and realize that the group wasn't an illusion.


"N-no, stay back! Its a trap!"


Something writhed in the darkness.


"Ooof course it is," Ward said in a sarcastic tone. The shadows reared up to face them, a hundred vines and at their center was the ugliest flower he had ever seen. It was fat and fleshy, with rows of spiked teeth at its center and plenty of slimy drool pouring out of its mouth.


Leia grimaced. "Ugh!"


((Feel free to control this thing))

 

[zCrookedz]

Leo watched as they approached the heart of the forest slowly. The voice of the forest was gone now, All that remained was a dark scilence. Leo had prepared in the last leg of the journey and gathered as much energy as he needed for the upcoming confrontation. As they approached the clearing he looked over the area resting on man by the ancient statue. Was this the prince that his companions had been sent to find? When he heard Ward call out to the man, he was certain that he was. Suddenly the forest began to shift. Leo concentrated and felt the darkness shift and writhe in the void it had created in the heart of spirit of the forest. It was then that Leo came to the devastating realization, what ever this thing was, the darkness it had created had eaten through the heart of the forest and it was no more. A wave of devastation washed over Leo "I have failed the forest. What type of guardian lets a creature such as this kill its very spirit?" There was now only one thing that he could do for the forest, kill the creature responsible for this. With a roar of furry and rage, Leo clenched this hilt of his ax and readied himself. "Lord Griffon, the forest spirit has been destroyed by this creature. There is nothing more we can do for the forest, but that will not quell my blade from this creature."


The vines began to snap and whip as the creature became aware of the threat. Before it had time to fully awaken, Leo pounced into the clearing, jumping high over the party, landing in front of the prince. "My lord, please excuse the moment of discomfort." Leo grabbed the prince by the garment still covering him and tossed him backwards to the rest of the party, hoping that someone would catch him and keep him safe. AHuge vine came crashing down where Leo and the prince were just at, Leo however jumped sideways and hacked off the vine, a think dark good spraying the ground as it hit the ground. He continued to hack away at vines as the came in to attack hoping that a little weeding would give the opportunity to get to the roots of the problem.

 

[Bea Delaine]

Elena continued on, drawing what was in sight. She ended up falling back into the quietness of her own mind after the fight, but it was less sad and scary a place. She continued on, until she saw the first fleshy vine. Disgusted she drew it.


They reached the heart. The wilted man did not look like a prince but a poor creature with hope dragged from under his feet. He was fading, but not gone. That fleshy creature must be taking him away. Elena thought to the vines that lead there.


"Hey. I need help!" She yelled to the group lifting her sword. "A couple of people need to keep that thing at bay and.."


The now chopped vines wreathed and grew.


"I need some people to follow me and those vines. Let's find some roots." With that, she ran off, following the thickest vine in sight. If those were its flowers, it must be like a carnivorous plant, gaining energy from what's ensnared.


"Don't get caught!!" She called before her voice could distort through distance.

 

[Hel]

Plant pests were something Alexander knew how to deal with, there were few plans that wouldn't fade with a good burning, besides that it would cleanse the land the plant grew in to allow for new-purer growth. Or at least, that's how it usually worked. Alex kept up, using the space in the clearing to transform into a dragon, figuring his scales offered better protection than flesh. He flew along thicker portions, burning the length of the vine, and trying to keep the fire contained.


Anya, decided it best not to get crushed by a flying prince, and ran to follow Elena. Her plan seemed as good as any. She caught up to the girl, then motioned for Elena to follow her. "This way, we can get to the roots at the far edge of the clearing." She had no clue how she knew. It was similar to how she found her way to the castle-she just knew.

 

[Naeg1]

"Is it time already?" Zelnite said as he cut off a vine a was about to hit Leo from behind. "Hey there, the names Zelnite, I see you got the prince" He said as he continued slicing more vines. "I saw a friend of yours run towards its core, anyone going after her?" He runs toward the direction where the girl went and hoped she would be ok.


He finally found the girl "Hey, so... What are we dealing with here?" He looks around, looking for a weak spot or a heart that they can exploit.

 

[zCrookedz]

Leo continued his rampage against the creatures. He could hear the vine flying in from behind him and was just about to turn when it was taken care of for him. He looked down at the young man and gave him a nod "Thank you Zelnite." Hearing that they were making a move for the heart of the creature Leo began to move towards the center as well, slicing any of the vines that came at them. He watched as the dragon formed and began to scorch the plant. "I think the dragon has a good start on defeating this thing. Possibly continue to clear a path so that she can bring the flames to its heart?" Throughout his talk, he continued to swing his ax and keep the vines off of himself and the others.

 

[Bea Delaine]

Elena hurried through to find the root when she saw that Anya followed. She smiled at the other and nodded. This girl seemed to be figuring out her Fablewood skill. "It should work, but how did you know where the root system was?" She asked, but was too pressed for time to delve deeper into the issue.


When the white haired boy arrived, she pointed ahead.


"We are hitting the thing at its roots."

 

[Jecklyn]

As soon as Leo began chopping at the vines, Banba jumped from his shoulder, using her tiny form to scurry between and around the moving vines. She caught up to Elena and Anya, landing beside them in her lizard form.


"Let us swim, no?" She grinned, scales growing until she was an iguana as big as a


Horse. In this form she began tearing at the vines, doing her best to make a path for the two humans.

 

[Hel]

Alexander, too noticed the move towards the center, and made sure the group was covered from behind. He worried about getting his fire to close to everyone else, as he didn't want it to harm them. He layed down a blanket of fire a few paces behind them, and attempted to keep the thick of the vines at bay.


Anya smiled at everyone following them, and shrugged when Elena asked how she knew. "I don't know I just.. know." She said. Feeling the daggers tug at her hands, she hacked at a vine coming at them to their side. "Woah," She breathed as they moved forward. It seemed the dwarf was right about the weapons. She let the daggers direct her hands and found she actually could defend herself around here.

 

[Flutterby]

Quincy was too busy staring at the massive plant to jump into action right away. By the time she realized they were attacking, everyone elae had jumped away to fight. With a resigned scowl, she drew back an arrow and sent it flying straight for the center of the flower. It hit its mark and did its job: training its anger on the kelpie. Many of the vines diverted towards her, and she turned to run as she loosed another arrow. She was buying the others time to make their attacks more powerful, or at least trying. She darted in and out of the vines, successfully tangling a few in themselves. Quincy had to turn suddenly to avoid the flames from the dragon, hissing at the drying heat. But it didnt stop her; she continued to send arrows into its center and drawing its attention.

 

[Bea Delaine]

Elena ran ahead, having seen the root system coming up. Her legs pumped fast and the sting of glass cuts and the warm wet knees were pushed as a hoard of the vines with pinkish fleshy blooms coiled like flying snakes. Taking her hand drawn sword, she slashed at the vines, the weapon extending at her will to hit the targets. The wet smack of the limp creatures on glass was disgusting yet satisfying. Turning for a moment, she shouted to the others.


"See the growths in the glass floor?" They pertruded like swollen earth worms, larger than any vine. "I think those are the roots. We need to break them!"


Elena felt a quick tug on her waist and searing pain, having been distracted long enough to see it coming. Looking behind her, she then noticed an army of vicious blooms waving as a beast stalking its prey.


More coiled, and she felt nearly restrained, bites nicking her skin in various places. She took her free hand with her weapon and slashed through sloppily.


"Be more careful than before.. I think it knows it's threatened!"

 

[zCrookedz]

Leo could hear Elane over the whips and hiss of the plants. He looked down only to see more of the twisted little blooms began to sprout from the vines. He grimaced, this thing is an impossible creature of surprises. Leo grabbed the middle of the double bladed axe and began to whip it back and forth across the necks of the blooms, withering and falling to the ground the moment they were separated from the vine. Suddenly, Leo felt his heels being kicked out from underneath him. Looking down he could see a massive vine, as thick as his arms, had snaked its way past the blooms and wrapped itself around his ankles. With a sudden jolt he was hoisted into the air, dropping his ax at the floor of the battle. He roared as the plant lifted him 30 feet into the air and began flipping him from side to side. He tried to pull himself to where the root had him by the ankle and rip it apart with his claws, but the violent back and forth of the whipping motion kept him from doing so. The vine stopped for a moment and Leo looked around blurry eyed at the rest of his party. The vine whipped once more, straight for the ground. A large shattering/thud as he hit the ground creating a Leo-sized crater on the field.

 

[Naeg1]

"Leo!" Zelnite shouts as he stares at the vine. He jumps infront of Leo to protect him, continually slashing through the vines that surround him and quickly calls for a healer. Due to his carelessness a vine strikes him fron behind, knocking him up and giving the vines a chance to bind him. He gets lifted up the air, his sword falls to the ground. The vines wrap around his legs and arms, it's sharp thorns cutting through the skin before finally being focefully thrown to the ground. "We must have made it angrier, huh?" He says weakly. He reaches for his blade, standing up and giving it one more slash. He collapses, as blood continued flowing out of his body, his vision blurring. He can only watch the party as they continually fight.

 

[zCrookedz]

The vine having been removed from him by Zelnite, Leo shifts himself in his hole and pushes himself onto his feet. The whipping motion had left him slightly dizzy, but the slam on the ground had more than likely cracked his rib from the pain in his abdomen. He huffed and turned to see Zelnite collapse on the ground. Pushing through the pain Leo climbs out of the hole and makes his way over to Zelnite. He kneels beside him and places his hand on his back. "Oh great Forest, heal these wounds so that he might rise to serve you and triumph over evil." A faint green aura enveloped Zelnite as Leo's healing magic began to mend his wounds. It would only take a few seconds, but they were seconds that he was afraid he wouldn't have. After a few moments, he released the magic hoping it had been enough to heal Zelnite. "Zelnite, are you alright?"


@PhantomNightmare

 

[Flutterby]

Quincy, out of her element in such a battle, moved herself back to the side of the rescued prince that Leo had thrown to safety. From there, she shot arrows at the vines attacking her now companions, pinning them to the ground. As Leo began to heal the stranger, she tried to cover them as best she could, driving the vines away as fast as she could shoot. She felt useless, but didnt allow herself to acknowledge that she probably was. The kelpie only had a moment to feel that way; a vine began sneaking past her toward the prince and she loosed the arrow quickly, pinning it down with the arrow.

 

[BloodThunder27]

During all the fighting, Ashley really did feel useless. If she had a Bow or something, maybe she could make herself useful. She loved to go hunting back in the past, but that had to slow down and eventually stop because she could no longer hunt for extensive periods of time after she got pregnant. She stayed close to the back, watching as everyone else fought on the front lines.

 

[Bea Delaine]

Elena was shaky on her feet. The cuts and bites searing and hot. She picked up her sword once again to attract, finding the more she slashes, the more she gives bitten. Her white jacket was now bloody and dirty. Elena yelled, thrusting through the group and making a shallow but visible chop in the root itself. The plant recoiled seemingly and attacked more violently but the root did not repair itself. Elena's vision became dark around the edges and she teetered on her feet, before turning and taking cover behind a trunk of mirrors. Taking out her Book with fingers slippery with leaked blood, she started drawing what she could. A suit if armor, sleek and decorated like the sword was drawn, protected by flames on the arms.


She closed the book and closed her eyes, exerting or more like sacrificing her energy to the book, while the suit materialized on her body, light but solid. Bleary eyed and dizzy, she got to her feet and ran back into the action. Attracting more attention.


"Go to the root! It can't heal itself... And I'll be a distraction."

 

[DawnAntalios]

Nyr meditated silently under the glass trees as the others fought with the deadly plant. She was no stranger to the forest's dark secrets and she knew what to expect should they dwell into the darkness. But she also knew that even in this light forsaken place the power of the elements were still present.


She tried to call upon the might of the wind to guide them but even the mystical ally refused to beckon her call. Even it was tortured and tormented by the foul magics of the woods and only came to her after a long time of waiting. It told her of dark tiding and a vision cloudy and disturbed which she could not see clearly.


Devoid of emotions she focused on the message of the wind, not allowing herself to succumb to the dark visions.

 

[Jecklyn]

Banba giggled madly, slashing and biting with her reptile claws and teeth. Gripping a particularly long vine, she raced around with it, wrapping as many vines as she could around it, ending with tying the vine to another one, close to the 'trunk' of the plant. That stopped some of them, but even more were headed towards the others. She frowned inwardly, unsure of how to help as she watched the others struggle from a perch in a mirrored tree. She glanced to its reflection, watching the movement inside the glass. Banba's eyes slowly from the reflections of the past, to the plant, and then, all at once she moved. Back to lizard girl form, she was behind Leo in an instance, gripping Zelnite's dropped sword. Silently, she hacked wildly at the plant, twisting and turning to avoid the attacks made back at her, but some dod get though. She was used to ignoring pain, though, and kept fighting. With a wide arch, she pinned a particulalry thick vine to the ground with the sword, turing instantly to fight the plant with tooth and nail.

 

[Hel]

Alexander dove nearer to the plants biting at it and burning it, hoping to help protect the party. He was nearer to the roots, now, and landed to blow a mighty gust of flame at the heart of the plant. Just as he was about to release the flame, a large braid of vines slammed into the dragons side, knocking him aside and mis directing his flame wildly. He landed about 50 yards back and hit the ground with a large thud. Alexander felt the plant trying to coil around him, and bit and tore at the vines, trying to use his massive wings to get back in the air, and causing enough of a gust to kick up some dirt.


Anya dropped to the floor when she saw the flame coming near her. It looked as though it was coming right at her upper half! After the fire was gone, she rose again, she made her way towards the roots, trying to do more dodging and evading than slashing and hacking. She hoped her allies were seeming to be a much larger threat than her.

 

[Bea Delaine]

Elena continued to fight fiercely, though her energy was dangerously dwindling. Seeing as nobody else was getting terribly close to the root, she took a risk and ran at it, chopping heavily at the thing. Having done major damage, she took a moment of calm in the midst of the fight. Her slippery fingers clasped the sword tighter and her thinner arms lifted upward heavily and sloppily to give one last chop.


Within that moment, the fleshy creature that resembled a plant seemed to grow desperately angry. Elena lost energy, her arms falling limp and the sword disappearing into pale light before it could come down on the root to finish it off, as well as her new armor. Before she could fall, fleshy vines wrapped and flung her into and partially through a mirror tree, which was already brittle from its parasite. Out cold, Elena stayed limp in the pile of what once was a reflective tree.

 

[Hel]

Anya noticed what happened with Elena and paused just a moment wide-eyed, she tried to speed up, and as she got to the roots she did not immediately attack, she instead tried to climb inside, to destroy the inside first. 'Please don't move and crush me, that would really make me look stupid.' She thought to herself, 'But if I'm inside of the roots, the plant can't attack me without attacking itself, right?'

 

[SilverFlight]

Ward panicked as the flying prince came toward them, the prince being taller and more muscled than his own human form. Quickly he shifted into a gryphon, ramping just enough to catch the royal against his chest. He set the prince down gently before launching himself as his foe.


Ward ducked and weaved, slashed with talon and tore with beak. The sticky sap of the plant was dark and tasted absolutely foul. After tearing into it he cast a small fire spell, trying to do as much damage as possible.


The plant writhed with anger as the group fell upon it. Under their attacks it fought, but ward could feel it weakening with each strike. Suddenly a flash of movement caught the gryphon's eye. Elena being picked up and thrown with great force into a tree.


"ELENA!" He roared and leapt toward her. He did not get far as one of the vines, severed and frantic wound itself around him, dragging him back. Ward kicked and struggled for all he was worth, calling Elena's name. In his desperate attempt to escape his back claws raked the body of the plant, just under the flower head. They cut deep, sinking into the hot, sticky sap and tore a piece of flesh away. There, glistening in the acrid inside of the plant was a dark red gem, it pulsed and pumped almost like a heart. The plant hurled the gryphon away from itself, smashing him into the ground and holding him there with more roots and vines.


Leia tried as best she could to help, but arrows didn't hurt the thing much on most of its body. She watched as Quincy shot one straight at its flower center and it seemed to shriek (as well as a plant could). Vines immediately shot out after the Kelpie. Leia cottoned on and drew another arrow, shooting it at the same place. The bow did its enchanted work and the arrow found its mark lodged right next to Quincy's. The plant squealed again and forgot about the Kelpie for a moment. Leia then worked in tandem with Quincy, shooting it the moment it was about to pounce on the Kelpie and drawing its attention back. And when the thing was about to get her, Quincy's arrow diverted it again.


Her luck didn't hold however, she didn't realize she was standing too close. A vine grabbed her savagely and jolted the bow out of her hand. It clattered to the ground just next to Ashley, the arrows spilled from her quiver as well.


Leia felt the air leave her body as the thing squeezed harder. She faintly noticed Ward had been grabbed too. He was screaming a name. He slashed an opening in the plant to reveal the bloody gem. Just then Leia noticed there was another one embedded in the roots, and another in a vine.


"Hit those red things!" She called, before the plant squeezed her too tightly for speech.