Fantasy ~ FableWood ~

[Flutterby]

Quincy gave Alexander a nod, even though she was saddened by the loss of her favored bow. Maybe Trindle would have one, back in Branburn. She swallowed hard, preparing herself to deal with her shame as Leia came in and asked what had happened. She didnt answer that particular question, instead addressed the presence of the stranger. "She is a friend, at least in my book. She tried very hard to save my life. I would be dead already if not for her. I wouldnt be injured at all, if I had listened to her from the beginning." She explained, nodding to the siren gratefully. Shakily, Quincy stood and took a few careful steps before deciding that she could indeed walk and gave the protective dragon a nod to show she was okay. "Come on, we should find the others." She said, trying to keep her voice light. The kelpie turned to the healer, thanking him profusely before waving for the others to follow her out of the tent. They didnt need to be in the healer's way for any longer, so it was best they go back to the others.


@Draki

 

[SkywardSocks]

Achyls turned at the sound of Kallin speaking, only to start stuttering in disbelief. As Nyr embraced her, her fists clenched, but soon reopened, her despair ebbing away.


"I...I did nothing more than any of you. I...am no h-hero," she stammered, doubting their words. But somewhere inside her, she felt a warmth and pride replace the sadness she felt. A small smile broke through her stoicism, and finally she felt the joy she dearly wished to feel.


"Th-thank you Kallin," she smiled, before addressing Nyr, "Your words are pretence sister, but I thank you with all of my being. You are much too sweet. I...I love you too, sister,". It seemed strange to her to say such words to another being, she had not even come close to feel such happiness with anyone else, and because of that, she owed Nyr her life.


@DawnAntalios @SilverFlight

 

[Hel]

The healer seemed thankful when the others left and disappeared back into the shadows of the cave where he lived and worked.


"Say... if you folks were really helpful you could bring some herbs back with you. If you have time. Eggs are more important of course, but.... I can reward you if you bring stuff back..." With those words he left.


Alexander turned back human himself, to fit in better with those around him. He offered his shoulder to Quincy if she needed it, and helped her back towards the others.


"Sorry, I was worried about you and left your bow behind... but... Well, we'll find a new one for you, I promise." He paused then, and added, "Oh, and if she helped you, then she's a friend in my book. The healer said that what we needed was in ShadowWood... and honestly this woman did, too. She knows what we need to do to help Quincy, I think." With the last bit Alexander addressed Ward and Leia, as well as anyone else who had come to check on his Quincy.


@Draki


Anya had expected Luness's harsh words, honestly, and said nothing more as she left. She did notice the were cat seem to relax after a minute or two, though, and figured that was good enough. She was not the type to push, and if Luness wanted help, she would either accept it from others, or do it herself.


She then turned and looked around for Ethan, who had been... less than helpful during the fight. In fact, it looked as though he had never even woken up before.


She went over and shook him awake, and told him all that had occurred. He nodded as he listened, and followed her back to the ship, noticing all of the egos that seemed to need boosting around here he really started to wonder why he had been brought here. He didn't really fit in with the others, they were much more selfish and self-centered, pushing their own mental ego problems on everyone else and begging for attention.


Whatever, it seems there are plenty of others to take care of them, anyway. Ethan thought to himself.


@Sleipnir (For good measure.)

 

[SilverFlight]

((@Hel 's turning our thread into DA Inquisition gathering herbs...lols))


Ward listened to her, his brow furrowing at her words. Without warning he stepped forward and drew her into a fierce hug. He held her for a long moment, his eyes shut tight, willing her to feel the love he had for her.


"You are worth every care I have and more." He whispered in her ear, placing a gentle hand on the back of her head.


"There is a light in you Elena, I saw it when we collided on that forest path...and I see it now. It has always been there...Don't you dare let it go out."


Once the eggs and young had been safely given to their parents Kallin gave the signal to Lucille to spread the air sails.


Not far off he saw Leia, walking with Quincy and Alexander. Quincy did not look good.


"Wait until those three are aboard, then we shove off." He told the captain.


"We've got an imp to mess up."

 

[DawnAntalios]

Nyr smiled at Achyls as she drew her in close. Her body radiated with soft, white light for a few moments, signifying her joy. She then finally let go of the raven girl after giving her a kiss on her forehead and now looked at her.


" Mother Moon told me that this is a sign that one loves forever - be it because of family or because of being your mate. " she said, referring to the kiss " And I love you sister, more than you can imagine. "


She looked away for a moment, her smile vanishing. Suddenly guilt filled her as she looked back.


" I am sorry. I should have looked after you better in the past days. I should have seen that something was gnawing at you. " she flapped with her wings before drawing them in " You will never be alone, Achyls. I will be always here to protect you, to be here for you. " she placed her own hand on Achyls' heart, feeling it beating as she smiled. " Always. "


Snapping out of the sappy conversation she chuckled and smiled.


" Come now, sister. I am pretty sure that was enough emotional bombardment for one day. We still have a demon to defeat, let us rejoin the others, shall we? "


@SkywardSocks

 

[Lioness075]

Hearing Kallin speaking of their impending fight with Rumpel, Luness snapped out of her trance, feeling a bit more like herself now that the dragons were out of her head and such.


Looking around the ship, Luness saw that nearly everyone was present minus Alexander, Quincy, and whoever else had joined the pair at the healer's cave.


Luness was already beginning to feel antsy about the upcoming fight and started to shift uneasily on her two hind legs, clenching and unclenching her paws at the thought of how many dragon eggs and hatchlings Rumpel had stolen up to this point. Those children were needlessly being tortured and their minds altered. It was a dark thing to do and far darker since it was being done to children and newborns of all things.


Luness was not going to go easy on Rumpel and she'd enjoy watching him suffer before dying, as he had been part of the process of torturing so many children.


Still, the idea of going to ShadowWood frightened Luness. She'd had little experience with the place herself, but had used it to conceal herself from Bigby and his pack when she was but a kit. After all, it was impossible to scent someone in ShadowWood, or at least, Luness had figured that one out on her own when she'd fled there from Bigby's pack.


Luness hadn't known what ShadowWood was or how it affected one prior to going there herself. She had sprinted out of there as fast as possible, but when she'd left it behind her, Bigby's pack had already left and presumably lost track of Luness.


Still, Luness knew how ShadowWood affected people and it would no doubt darkly affect the group the longer they were there. They needed to get in and then get out as fast as possible.


Maybe even drag Rumpel's sorry butt out of there to make sure they had enough time to get answers out of him.

 

[SkywardSocks]

Achyls nodded, though looked down at the mention of her solitude. She scrunched her eyes closed for a second, before lifting her head and looking back at Nyr.


"It is always good to show one cares," she said with little expression. Realising the coldness of her tone, she picked herself back up with the thought of a new battle. A fresh new enemy to destroy. A hope blossomed and a small smile brightened her face.


"Let us join them. What do you know of this demon?" she asked Nyr, her curious nature taking hold once again. She had not been present for much of the group conversation, and was in dire need of a run-down. She walked with Nyr to join the others, the flames of excitement rekindling.


@DawnAntalios

 

[Bea Delaine]

Elena wanted to argue further, but knew it was no use. Ward was stubborn when he was standing by his ideals. She let him hug her, enjoying his warmth and the feeling in her chest that reminded her this was the one she loved. She felt greedy for it. He has given so much... And no matter how much hope he had in her, he still deserved more than she could give him.


"I'm not sure if you're right. I love you though.. And I won't let you down again."


She waved half heartedly as she saw the others approach.


"We haven't much time left.."

 

[Flutterby]

The kelpie slipped her other arm around his waist, not leaning on him but using his body to balance a little. She felt as if she had drank one pint too may, just enough to feel a little clumsy and tipsy. "Forget that bow, it can be replaced." She reassured him simply- the more that they walked the less she wanted to talk. Quincy figured she had needed another minute or two of rest before trying to move around, but they couldnt wait any longer to rescue the dragons.


As they drew near the ship, she bit her lip, looking at the steep gangplank (gangway?) they would have to climb to board. She gritted her teeth and, keeping the arm on the side that had been shot tucked in against her chest, climbed up the wood to the deck. By the time she got all the way up, Quincy was panting softly from the exertion.


She glanced around at everyone on the deck, suddenly uncomfortable around them in light of what had transpired. Of course, they didnt know what had happened and would probably react with only love and support for her, but she couldnt shake the shame of it. With a weak grin, she tried to joke about the situation, not wanting their pity or to stall the mission any longer. "Has this boat been turned into a cruise ship? Lets get a move on!" Quincy's voice came out a little softer than she had planned, but her point was made. With that, she found a crate nearby the group to sit on, so she could rest but not be far away.


@everyone!

 

[TheDayDreamer]

(Sorry sleeping for 11 hours wasn't exactly a plan of mine )


Thea looked at the real worlder, What the heck is a real worlder? she wondered, since the Siren was Estranged from most of the world she wasn't exactly sure what most things were, Just go with it, "Hi I'm Thea a Siren." she stated, "And I was wandering around when I came upon the Kelpie -Quincy I think, and there was this male, an elf named Lorence she was talking too, I didn't like him so I got a tad nosy and asked if everything was okay then he said some crap about being reunited with his love. Then I sang a song to figure out if he was who he claimed to be, and it escalated then Quincy ended up being shot but I slowed it down enough that it wouldn't be fatal."


she finished then took a long breath.


The Siren followed the others for awhile, thinking for a bit then realizing she never told them what the cure was, "It's Jamborandi leaf by the way, the cure that is. The only down side of it is that it's touch stings so I suggest someone with gloves holds it." she stated, and she knew they'd probably hate having to find the tiny plant but sometimes the most necessary things are the hardest to get.

 

[SilverFlight]

Leia tried to follow most of what the siren said, she had heard mention of Lorence before, but he had died hadn't he? Quincy had been poisoned..that was definitely bad. but the cure was in the ShadowWood...which was where they were headed now.


"We have an airship, we should get going and find this plant. We also have to find a guy called Rumpelstiltzkin...he has the rest of the stolen dragon eggs. You know, your voice could be really useful...You wouldn't want to come with us would you?"


@Draki


Ward Held onto Elena for a little longer before letting her go.


"You haven't let me down." He lifted her chin with a soft touch. "I love you too. Now and for always."


@Bea Delaine


Lucille gave the order and the ship pulled away slowly. Cruising the gusting night air back to the cave where they had found the eggs. Dawn approached as they started their decent.


The first rays of the sun peeked through the dissipating clouds.


"There won't be any sun in the ShadowWood." Kallin cautioned as the rope ladder was thrown down. He was the first off the ship.


"Be careful mes amis," Lucille said as they climbed down to the portal rift. "I 'ave 'eard of zis character...he is very powerful...and full of tricks."


Ward changed back into his gryphon form, checking on Elena once more before he bounded off the side of the ship and glided down to the massing team.


Kallin found the rift as he had before just as his powers started to return. He grinned his mouth-less grin at Nyr, his bright eyes shining and held out his hand.


He didn't let it show that he was nervous. He knew the dread raven's power was fantastic, channeling it would be a task in itself.


"I'm ready." He said, and began casting the bracers for the portal, preparing for the final surge to open it.

 

[Lioness075]

Luness heard Quincy' voice before she saw her and turned to see how weakened the kelpie now appeared.


Hearing the mention of a 'cruise' ship, Luness could only wonder what the kelpie was referring to. Was that a ship designed to be in the water or air?


Upon hearing the mention of someone named Lorence, Luness was still at a loss, as she had no idea who that person was or what he meant to Quincy.


Yet, once she heard that Quincy had been poisoned, Luness then understood why Quincy looked so frail in the moment. Hopefully they could get the cure as well as defeat Rumpel in good timing. They wouldn't have too long to get all of this done unless anyone planned on going mad in ShadowWood.


Climbing down from the airship upon their arrival back at the cave with the rift inside of it, Luness then joined the group, as she stayed a bit aways from Kallin and Nyr, rather nervous about them opening this portal and hoping nothing unpredictable happened. Then again, this was magic they were dealing with.

 

[DawnAntalios]

" The demon is an imp, whose name is so long that eludes me right now. " Nyr explained to Achyls " It is said that he is a vile creature, despite his fragile looks mostly operating with tricks and illusions we must be cautious around it. "


Finishing her sentence she saw as they approached the rift where the portal once was. She nodded as she threw herself off the ship, gliding towards the place. There she already felt the strange energies in the air and was wondering why did she miss such surge of power before. Stepping near Kallin she nodded and closed her eyes, sitting down on the ground.


At first seemingly nothing happened, the dread raven sat silently, taking deep breaths. Then suddenly her eyes popped open - her left eye burning in a white, her right eye in a dark flame. The air momentarily intensified around her as the powers amassed then she pointed at the mage. Suddenly the forces around her swirled as she uttered but one word.


" Zhajzs " the foreign, ancient word left her mouth as the energy around her vanished, dissipated into thin air. Suddenly she felt a pressure on her forehead, knowing that the link has been established. Looking at Kallin she nodded.


" It is time. Do what must be done. "


@SkywardSocks @SilverFlight

 

[Flutterby]

On her crate, Quincy winced at the mention of Lorence, turning her head away from the group. She gazed at the mountains as Thea explained what happened, feeling the wind against her paled skin, trying to block it out. It was too recent to already be reliving it. The ride was short, but even the little bit of rest helped her feel a little stronger. The kelpie stood carefully, and just before they reached their stop, she spoke again, to those that were listening to Thea and seemed interested in the details of her situation. "When this is over, I will explain it all to you. But we have other things to focus on now." She said simply, and then disembarked with the rest of them. Even she could see where the portal would be, and briefly wondered if it would be better for her to stay behind. Without a weapon, she would be less than useless in a fight, she would be a liability. And she would slow them down, especially the longer it took and the more hold the poison took. Perhaps I shouldnt go through the portal, I dont want to hurt the mission, she thought to Alexander, reaching for him timidly.


@Draki @Hel @SilverFlight

 

[Bea Delaine]

Elena sat, awaiting the arrival. Her thoughts and feelings pushed aside to make room for her objectives and emotional detachment needed to finish te day. She did not like this place. Not at all, no offense to Malachai and Alexander. She was ready to finish the job and save Quincey.


She looked up at Ward as he stood and changed, meeting the rest of the group. She sighed and got up as well, climbing down to follow. The portal was open. It seemed Kallin and Nyr were prepped. She mentally reminded herself to try and learn magic from them.


She saw an ill and frail looking Quincey joined and raised a hand to offer support, then stopped. She couldn't do anything for the girl until they found the cure.. And she was sure Quincey would rather have Alexander to comfort her. Instead she just gave a genuine smile and whispered.


"We won't let anything happen to you.. And no matter your state, it's important to us to have your presence near.. So um.. Please hold on.

 

[zCrookedz]

Leo watched from the edge of the ship as the world passed beneath them. He saw Nyr and Achyls during their talk, glad to see the two ravens enjoying a tender family moment. He began to think that after all this was over, he should spend some time with Achyls as well as Nyr. His inner thoughts were interrupted by the ships hault. He looked down seeing kallin and some of the others leave he grabbed hold of the lowered rope ladder and went to the ground. He followed Nyr and Kallin to the rift to the shadow wood and waited for the all clear.

 

[SilverFlight]

Kallin gasped as the connection was made. The power was immense...and so different from his own. Where his was chaotic and nearly impossible to bend to his will. This magic was controlled..and deadly. He Used it so establish the rest of the bracers and tear the rift wider. A green-blue lighted fissure opened in the air before them. Kallin plunged his hands into it, forcing it apart slowly, straining under the immense power he tried to wield.


Without warning the magic exploded and kallin was blown back into Nyr. He apologized as he picked himself up painfully...and looked as the portal stood open.


The ShadowWood stood, ominous and silent on the other side. In the grey gloom a small trail could be seen.


"Everyone be on your guard." Kallin said as he grabbed the rim of his hat and forded through the portal.


The place they entered resembled a pine-covered mountain crest...but it was silent as a grave, the trees black shadows of what they should have been. The ground at their feet shifted as though it was made of mist. Everything about this place seemed as if it would crumble at the slightest breath.


Ward felt the familiar chill of the ShadowWood. The darkness pulled at his very essence, beckoning him to give up. One could easily surrender to despair in this place.


Leia however didn't seem too affected by it, more rattled at the scenery than anything else. A squirrel clung to a tree, motionless as if turned to stone. She reached out to touch it, only to have it turn to dust. She snatched her hand back in shock.


"You don't feel it?" he asked.


"Feel what?"


"The evil of this place...its desire to...to have you vanish, disappear...like a dream."


Leia shook her head. "It sure is creepy though...just like the Forest of Reflection...but I feel this has been like this for longer..."


"Humans could be immune to it then."


"Makes sense." Kallin stated as he pressed forward. "They're not fables."


Leia thought for a moment. "We can still be forgotten though..."


((@Hel do you want me to introduce Rumpel or do you and Andu have a plan?))

 

[Lioness075]

Luness yelped in surprise and folded her good ear against her head when Kallin was blasted backwards so suddenly.


She jogged up to him and Nyr to make sure the pair were okay after Kallin had been blasted right into Nyr, but Kallin was already on his feet and apologizing to Nyr by the time Luness was with him.


Glancing sideways at Nyr, Luness raised an eyebrow as if to ask her if she were okay, but then Luness was going through the portal right after Kallin before Nyr could manage to say anything to her.


@DawnAntalios


Upon entering the ShadowWood, Luness too felt the familiar chill, even shivering at its touch to her fur and skin. Its touch went further than just fur and skin though, as Luness felt her heart's strings tugged and pulled taut by the dark void surrounding them here in the ShadowWood.


She'd only been in here for a moment, yet Luness was already yearning to just sit down and give up on everything. What was the point?


Beyond the familiar feeling though, Luness almost felt as if she'd seen this place not too long ago, though this made no sense, as she'd never revisited ShadowWood once she'd gotten old enough and strong enough to defend herself instead of having to run away and hide.


It then struck her that Luness had dreamt of this place a while ago, having imagined a dark forest with ash rising from the ground and coming off of the very essence of the trees around her. In this nightmare, Luness had been revisited by the dead of her past.


Shaking slightly upon this realization, Luness hoped that her nightmare didn't come true while they were here. She wasn't entirely sure if she'd be able to handle such a visit in person.


Yet, upon hearing Kallin saying something, Luness snapped out of her trance and then joined the group, as they began to make their way to wherever Rumpel was.


Luness could only hope that this fight didn't last long, and that they managed to find the cure for Quincy along the way. Or at least found it before they left.


This place was bringing back unpleasant memories from Luness' childhood and she'd rather they were done sooner rather than later.

 

[Flutterby]

Quincy turned when she felt someone beside her, surprised to find Elena there. If she didnt know better, she would think Elena had heard her thought to Alexander. She gave the girl a shaky smile, trying to calm her own nerves about going into a fight unarmed and weak. "I'll try." She whispered back, her smile getting a little stronger with the words. She would try, but there was no way to know what would happen once they stepped into the ShadowWood.

 

[Bea Delaine]

Elena entered the portal, feeling an odd sense of disheartening. Just a tiny bit. She boiled it down to her depression that was creeping back. When Ward said something about feeling it and only those from Fablewood being able to, Elena decided against mentioning it.


She followed the group, stopping to create contact contact with a tree. She traced the root systems to find any footsteps. She flinched and retracted her hand.


"I was... Kicked out? A fluke probably.."


She tried again and gained control, but the offensive energy was more evident.

 

[Hel]

We have a different mission once we get there, love. Alexander thought to Quincy, then once they stepped through the portal he spoke aloud.


"I will take Quincy to find this plant that Thea mentioned. I will waste no time with Quincy's life at stake, you all should head on to get the dragon eggs." He said. Nodding towards the nearby cottage house of Rumplestiltskin.


With that he pulled Quincy with him to find this root, then realized he had no clue where it would be.


That's when Anya spoke up. "I'll take Quincy. I'm less useful in a fight and more useful for finding things, trust me, Well find the plant then get back to and through the portal."


Reluctantly, Alexander agreed, and let go of Quincy's hand with a serious look. He didn't like leaving the two alone, but splitting up was safer, given the circumstances.


(Go ahead and introduce him. I can't take lead again for another hour or two because I have to run practice again tonight. Living with a pregnant mother sucks when she doesn't warn you that you'll be taking her to appointments and doing her job for her. *sigh*


Sorry! I'll try to get posts up on breaks and stoplights!)

 

[zCrookedz]

Leo stepped through the portal behind the others and watched the woods carefully. Instantly he felt the darkness, and in his mind made the nevissary preparations. He severed his connection to Lilly and placed her behind his strongest barriers. The loss of power was a disadvantage, but it would have to be done to keep another incident from happening, or worse. His compaignion safe behind his.minds sheilds, he let his consciousness touch the woods and immediatky shrank back from its darkness once again Let us end this quickly, these woods hold so much darkness within them.[/color

 

[Flutterby]

Quincy followed uncertainly through the portal, pausing on the other side as crushing heartbreak settled upon her. Tears actually well up in her eyes, making her wish to sit on the forest floor and sob until she dried up. Is this what the ShadowWood does? She thought to herself, rubbing the tears away quickly as to not worry anyone. She hardly heard Alexander speak, but caught what Anya said. The kelpie gave her dragon a nod, releasing his hand and giving him a gentle push toward Ward and the others. We'll be fine. See you soon. Her thoughts to him were short- she was focusing on keeping herself from succumbing to the misery of the ShadowWood. "Thea should come too. She knows the plant." Quincy said to Anya softly, her gray eyes looking at the girl distractedly.


@Draki

 

[SkywardSocks]

Achyls entered the portal and was immediately struck by the feeling of darkness. The familiarity was odd, as if instead of making her want to leave, it was beckoning her closer. As if the dark magic inside her was drawn to this place. Looking around, she couldn't help but feel comfortable-ish here. She looked to Nyr with a half worried expression, asking through her face if she could feel the same. She was unsure however, as Nyr's power was of Mother Moon, unlike Achyls' darkness. Continuing on, she spoke up from the back of the group, reiterating her question originally asked to Nyr.


"Who is this...demon?" she asked, eyes flitting from one point to the next with distinct interest. Once or twice, she could have sworn she heard a whisper from within the shadows, but she did her best to ignore it. From the looks of everyone else, they seemed to be overcome with misery or at least affected by the ShadowWood...why not her?

 

[DawnAntalios]

Nyr almost screamed when Kallin used his power to open the portal and could barely recognize the words of the mage when he apologized to her. Still shaking from the power loss she forced herself up and weakly walked towards the portal. Regaining her balance she stepped through.


And a sudden sensation of familiar dread welcomed her. Almost immediately she felt agonizing pain in her head as the darkness within reveled in the eternal shadow lingering in this place. Putting her hand on her forehead she forged onward with the others, still experiencing the burning pain in her mind. She expected this place to make the darkness rise again but she knew not that it would happen this fast.


Her wings and her hair suddenly started to change back to black - but then the transformation came to a halt as the pure, white part seemed to stand against it. She felt the power within her to stir uncomfortable but she resisted the urge to yell or scream. She can't show herself being weak in such crucial moment. Hearing Achyls' question she tried to answer.


" All I know that he is a powerful servant of Caraboss... he might even know where she lurks. But one thing is certain: he will not go down without a fight. "


In the meantime the darkness crept around Kallin as it sensed the link between him and Nyr. Curiously it encircled the mage.


" Innnteresssstinggg.... " it whispered, could only be heard by the cursed wizard " A difffferent sourccce... You are unlike than that missserable ravennn... "


It continued to lurk around him.


" Wiellld my powerssss, magusss.... " it whispered " Show thessse weaklingssss what isss the true powerrrr of the darknesssss... "


@SkywardSocks @SilverFlight