Fandom Power Rangers Sentinels

[marorda]

Erin snorted and glared at Benji. "Another smart comment like that, and I'll feed you your brushes through your ears when we're back," she said coldly. Really, she got they were in a forest. But WHERE?! Surely Avalon had more forests... and who was to tell just how big this forest was? Were there villages in the forest? How deep where they in? So many questions, and they had no answers... And no help, it seemed. As she heard Clay complimenting her and April, she felt blood rushing to her cheeks. Being complimented while she was so out of her element, no pun intended, was so awkward. "I'd be feeling a whole lot better if I wasn't wearing this stupid dress!" she called. Being raised all outdoorsy, dresses had always been seen as impractical. So her times at those schools with uniforms where girls HAD to wear skirts... those were nightmares.

Well, at least April was happy to be in a dress. Erin just really, really wasn't. Especially not stuck in the woods, having to walk to find civilization back. Not that she's against walking. Heck, Erin loves to hike in the woods! But hiking in a dress? That's just terrible. "I'm not a fan of yelling in the midst of the woods. Who knows who can hear us?" Erin said. "We know there's evil magic here. Best that whatever evil is lurking doesn't know there's five helpless targets being hopelessly lost, right?" Her eyes shot past the surroundings again. Still there was this lingering feeling of being watched... But not a sound to be heard except the creatures of the wood. Almost as if the very trees were watching them at the moment. Could that be, in a world full of magic? Ents and such everywhere? Elves and more fairies, sitting in the trees? Erin flipped her hair in frustration, both at being lost and being in a dress. And the fact nobody else seemed to have the feeling being watched. Surely she wasn't going crazy...

She almost stumbled backwards as Dylan called upon Deluvian... and the spirit appeared right in front of them for all to see. They could do that? That's awesome! They could just all call on their spirits and ask for help when in a pinch... Except Erin wouldn't call on Igneos here... in the middle of the woods. Wouldn't want to burn down the realm they're trying to safe, right?
Unfortunately Deluvian wasn't able to point them to a river nearby. But... the spirit could point them to another nearby body of water. A small pond in the woods. Sure, it wasn't a river, but maybe someone lived nearby there?

As they walked towards the water Deluvian pointed them to, the shadows seemed to be growing darker and darker, and not just because the trees were closer to each other or because nightfall was nearing. This was evil magic at work, Erin could sense it to her very core. It made her shudder. What definitely didn't make the eerie feeling any less terrifying, was the sound emitting from further in the woods. It sounded like... like thirty couple hounds yelping. As if they were on a hunt of sorts... and the sound... was closing in.

 

[PenBlade1326]

Benji tossed his hands up as Erin spooked him. "Hey, I was just saying. We're good, we're good," he said and slowly backed away in a playful manner from Erin. But really looking around, these woods were huge...how were they ever going to get around? The girls both looked nice, and the guys all looked pretty dapper. But their appearances weren't going to help, were they? Clay smiled as Erin's cheeks flushed.
"Hey who said we're helpless? Hello? Power Rangers? Sentinels? Magical powers?" Benji said to Erin as a huge 'uhhhhh duh?' Really, if anything happened, they could handle themselves. Not with a lot of finesse, but they could protect their asses from whatever was out here if they were in trouble. All of the trees seemed to close in...Benji felt okay. Like a bunch of Sylvan copies were all over the place. He half expected one of the trees to start talking in rhymes and let everyone else hear the weirdness.
"I reckon even if we can help ourselves we still best be moving..." Clay told the others.

When Dylan summoned Deluvian for a short time, Clay and Benji were amused. They could physically call the spirits? Sort of? "Makes me wonder...Sylvan? Are you out here somewhere? Is this a family reunion for you?" Benji asked the trees. But no tree answered him. "Why do you ask this of thee? A simple spirit tree?" Sylvan mentally chimed. Okay, so Sylvan isn't just standing out here with them. A shame. He could just point the way through all of the trees. But the thing about a river should work. A pond showed some promise. Now a river but still water. The group went over to the pond, getting closer...and seeing it was getting darker. And bone-chilling howls were in the air. The yelps of hounds...gulp. "I don't like the sound of that..." Benji said, looking around.
Clay turned on his heel. "I hope no critters are lookin' for a snack..."

 

[Lady Insanity]

April couldn't help but just liiive in this dress. She was like a fair maiden in a fancy court full of people who wished to...court! Wait, court has multiple meanings, one of which is...okay never mind that thought. Just let the girl enjoy looking cute! She eyed Dylan. "Eyes are up here and only here," she jested and looked around. She though Benji was right. If trouble came, surely the super powers they had could be of use. Right? Like that's still a factor so bad guys should think twice about it! April glanced around as Deluvian made a semi cameo with a spout. Huh...didn't know they could do that. Aiyna too let herself console the Sentinels, a gently breeze blowing by as three were guided to a smalll water body. Gentle but comforting at least. April felt like her mother was there...perks of bonding with the motherly spirit Aiyna. She walked with the others close to that pond...and of course things would go weird. Shadows fell darker, mad vibes all around. She didn't like this...April breathed calmly. Just on unfamiliar turf with a wide range of possible deaths around them in the woods. Big whoop. Must be a Tuesday...

 

[Steel Accord]

Dylan nodded at Benji.
"Hell yeah Benji! Speaking my language now." He high fived him for his reminder that, yes, they were a team of badasses. Ehhh grudges are stupid and juvenile to hold anyway.(Dylan approves. +5) Dylan's eyes widened a little at Erin's frustrated hair turn. He was liking Avalon thus far. At April's chastisement Dylan simply answered.

"My fair lady. You wound me that mine eyes would commune any untoward intentions." He said with a hand over his heart. "Of course, keeping my eyes upward doesn't deprive of them of anything exactly." He said with a wink as he followed his spirit. Here he was thinking he could be clever and use the river to find their way to a town. Of which Dylan was surprised Clay didn't suggest given that he was from a far more rural environment. But Deluvian did give them something they could use as a landmark.

One that might come in handy if the hunting party that sounded on the approach proved enough to separate them. Dylan didn't take on his fighting stance but he did clench his fist and could feel his charm warming against his chest.

 

[marorda]

"Brushes," Erin hissed at Benji, shooting him a semi-playful glare. "We may not be entirely hopeless, but we still don't know what the hell it is we're dealing with here. Unfamiliar world and all..." And why the hell was Clay smiling like that? Ugh... Magical worlds and everything were awesome and all, and being responsible for saving it before things would tear apart was slightly terrifying... but the dresses? That really was the main reason why Erin wasn't liking Avalon so far. That, and being lost. And this was one of her favorite Mythological realms she knew about! That said something, she assumed. Well... better than being stuck in a world where people would wear fewer clothes, or more revealing things... Although... maybe she wouldn't mind that as much. As long as she wouldn't have to wear a dress.

"Many fancy words," Erin grinned. "You're trying too hard." She was joking, and hoped he 'd realize and not feel offended or hate her forever... That would be bad. In the few months that had passed since that first encounter with Novus and the Spawners, she had started seeing them all as good friends. April was her roommate and kind of like the older sister she never had, and the guys... well... they're guys and they're awesome people. Some more than others, and some just confused her whenever they spoke... at times. But she liked each and everyone of them.

Then it appeared; the source of the sound. And where the Rangers assumed it was a hunting party approaching, this was most certainly not the case... Although the being did seem to be on a hunt. And it looked... angry? Possessed? Whatever it may be, one thing was obvious: the creature was hostile. It had the head and neck of a snake, the body of a leopard, the haunches of a lion, and the feet of a hart. It barged through the undergrowth and didn't look like to was going to stop for the five humans in front of it.
"I'd say this is a great time to run. Or jump aside at the very least," Erin said, following her words up with the action of leaping aside. As far as one can leap in a dress, anyway.

 

[PenBlade1326]

A high five and a playful back away. Benji was so conflicted with how to act now...Dylan and Erin made his ashen blonde artistic head spin. Ohh, that's one thing Benji wants to see about Avalon. What kind of art exists here? Paintings, statues, he's curious to see it all! Sadly no sight seeing...but hey, who said he can't mindlessly gaze at whatever they come across in the background of any given area? Nobody. Take that, Fate! On a note not-so loophole focused, Clay continued smiling both at Erin and April. Lovely ladies, they were. Maybe he'd not tell them that so directly on account of getting punched in the neck and having his windpipe shattered. By one of them, anyway. The other may just smile and return a compliment back.
"Buddy you're being a bit forward," Clay whispered to Dylan. Really...being a little too forward might drive a lady off and put you on her mental coocoo train.

Out of nowhere just as everybody was getting a little more used to the strange woods of Avalon, the beast making those sounds had made itself known to everybody. Part snake, leopard, lion, hart...this thing is a monster if there ever was one. And of course it looked like it was something straight out of Castlevania. "What in Sam Hill???" Clay shouted as the creature appeared, jumping to the side per Erin's suggestion. Benji just stared at the thing, tripping backward over a root and rolling away. His outfit had leaves all over it now. Boo. "What is that thing?" Benji asked everyone as if they knew. "Should we..." He began, gripping his charm and thinking maybe changing would be a good idea...

 

[Lady Insanity]

April snickered at Dylan as he tried so hard. "I agree with the cowboy. A little subtlety goes a long way," she said softy. Not that she didn't appreciate it but being so direct is no fun. A little game of cat and mouse would serve well, wouldn't it? Cue mental and emoji winks here. She continued to fiddle with her dress and bask in the glory of its flowing beauty while trying to find out what the heck that sound was. The woods are creepy enough as it is without animals lurking around hoping to catch a meal. But in every animals defense, the team is in their habitat and territory...so animals had rights to be pissed. If April caught Erin going through her drawers without asking, she'd be pissed! Not the same thing but you catch the drift. Also who's to say the clothes the Rangers are wearing now aren't made from skins or hides of creatures dwelling in these very woods. Gross...April didn't like that very much.
It just wouldn't be a normal day for Sentinels if a monster didn't jump out at them. April leaped aside with Erin and clung to her. Not physically clutching her but just staying close.

Whatever this thing is it's like a chimera...granted a chimera from what April knows is made from a snake, lion and goat. This thing is made of at least two of those and a couple more. "I don't wanna be an April sandwich today!" She called out and stared at this menacing monster. Transforming might be a good idea but how would they go about fighting a wild animal? If you'd call it that, now...

 

[Steel Accord]

"It was just a joke." Dylan said, kicking the dirt, now ashamed and embarrassed. His guilt was only exacerbated by the fact that, a few months ago before his life had changed forever, it would be he telling a friend to treat women with some propriety. Just hounding women with endless praise, such was the actions of a dog with one goal in mind however distantly he may hide it behind pretensions of chivalry. So Dylan tried to live chivalry honestly, key word being tried and perhaps he did at one time. Now that he was a Power Ranger, now that he had power beyond his imagination, he had let himself stray from that original and noble ideal. He had fallen from grace and become the thing he hated, or at least he was on his way to doing so.

Deluvian detected this mood whiplash from ecstasy at being in a world of adventure and chivalry to crushing guilt and self-resentment at, what was really only light rebuke which Dylan always, without fail, took as harshly as a ten minute blasting from a drill sergeant. Deluvian swelled in strength from her empathy with his Sentinel . . . and decided to take advantage of that.

"Look at you, pathetic little excuse for a man. You think yourself a knight? You think yourself a romantic who cares for women's souls or their pride as people when really you create fictions and manners to mask your desire for them." Deluvian sternly sounded like the Captain of the seas in his head. Deluvian then took on the visage from a vague, stern, masculine abstract to a very specific symbol of authority. "Nearly all men can withstand adversity, but if you truly want to test a man's character, give him power." Spoke from the lips of President Abraham Lincoln.

"In that test, I have failed." Dylan thought. He was standing apart from his friends, lost in his thoughts and ruminations on the degradation of his own moral character in regards to how he treated women, his friends, his enemies, and the corrupting influence of power no matter that power's source of purpose. So inattentive was he that he didn't notice the creature, nor that his shame induced self-displacement from the group had put him right in its path.

"Oh! What's that thing called again?" Dylan wondered before the beast barreled past him, knocking him into a tree with its powerful neck. " . . . . . Ow." He said.

 

[marorda]

"Dylan!" Erin's eyes widened in shock as her friend got swatted aside by the creature's neck. The beast dashed past them, turning around and making that noise again. It glared at the Sentinels with unseeing eyes. Really, it looked as if the creature couldn't see them, but was definitely aware of their presence. Against what everyone else would call common sense, Erin scrambled back to her feet and rushed towards Dylan to check up on him. The beast charged again, and Erin definitely planned on leaping aside, ducking... or really do anything to get out of its way... but the dress restricted her movement, especially when it got caught in a bush. Erin tugged her dress, trying to get it loose before the beast would reach her. Her heart was throbbing in her throat. They had only been in another world for a little while and things were already looking pretty bad. She didn't plan on dying here in the woods! Especially not in a dress! She managed to free herself from the branch, but not in time to get away. Now she too was swatted aside by the powerful leathery neck. Erin yelped as she was knocked back and landed near Dylan. "Well... so far the checking up on you..." she muttered, hissing in pain as she pushed herself up.

"Guys... be careful," she called to her friends."This fella here is the Questing Beast. It took multiple knights with decades of training to take this one down." If this one were the normal one from the legends, that is. The creepy aura of lingering evil magic weren't making things any better. And the story on how this creature came to be was already a nasty one.. so imagine if this one was under the influence of Vorkalth's evil magic... twice the demons! Unless... what if Vorkalth was the devil in some legends? Considering how he led a legion of demonic beings, it did sound plausible... anyway... one way or another, this wasn't good. The beast turned around again, swinging his log neck around, knocking down anyone that came too close.
"I repeat my previous idea. We have to get away from this thing!" Erin called, ducking just in time to avoid the creature's neck from hitting her in the head with full force.

---
"Pyooh." Tiny eyes between the trees watched as the strangers who appeared in the woods were dealing with the Questing Beast. It was all kind of scary. Strangers appearing, the Beast itself, the other people and things wandering the woods. Thankfully nobody could see him, right? But it was also kind of lonely. "Pyooh..."

 

[PenBlade1326]

This strange and ugly creature swatted Dylan and then Erin aside like nobody's business and posed a high threat. An unfamiliar region, lost, and mildly uncomfortable but dapper clothing had the team on edge. And at a disadvantage. Clay would have raced to help Erin, but after seeing what her helping Dylan led to maybe he'd not run to her side just yet. Didn't wanna get smacked into a tree and be impaled on a branch. "Questing Beast?" he asked as the fire-haired girl explained. Maybe the bits she knew about other eras would come in handy. Granted she knew more than bits, it was obvious.
"Aye now I've tangled with bigger thangs 'an this! Yeeeeeeehaw!" Clay shouted and pounded his chest, running up to the Beast and going against Erin's words to run and straight-up tackled the thing. He dodged its neck as it nearly hit him, too. He grabbed onto the Beast as if he were bull riding and held on tight, the creatures neck flailing Clay around in the air like a rag doll with all its might. Clay obviously couldn't hold onto it forever, but he was sure as Hell trying! "This here puts me back in Louisiana just south of muh papaw's rodeo show!"

"That is not running!" Benji scolded from afar, scrambling from the leaves after tripping. If this thing really took a lot of people with a lot of training to beat it maybe they shouldn't linger around and see what it has to offer on the pain scale. But here the cowboy was just riding it like a moron...kind of funny, but scary. Benji and his common sense wanted to get away and seek shelter before they all found themselves in whatever kind of morgue Avalon has. He huffed in frustration and extended his hand, attempting to use the forest around him to manipulate and disable the thing. So they can get the crap out of here! He managed to make a pile of leaves burst up and fiddle with the Beasts face. It let out that evil sound again and shook Clay off...right into a tree. Cue cringe. "Sorry, Clay!" He called over, the cowboy just giving a thumbs up from the ground, picking himself up. Benji may have just angered it some more, however. Is now the time to run?

 

[Lady Insanity]

Not wanting to be eaten alive, April sought the best possibly plan of action aside from running. Seeing the events unfold before her as her friends were batted around, she stuck to the trees for cover in efforts to check on Erin and Dylan. She knelt down by Dylan and Erin when it was clear. "You guys okay?" She asked them softly, looking up at this apparent beast. Erin seemed to know about it, probably from her studies and whatnot. All anyone without that knowledge knew was that the monster was mean, ugly, and really didn't like them. Well, now that adds another one to the list.
Question Beast...hmm. Like it was deliberately created? Creepy. Her eyes felt glued to it as Clay jumped on it like a theme park ride. "I don't think Clay gets what getting away from something is..." she commented. Her eyes were on Clay as he flung around, riding the things neck and aimlessly soaring around. Leaves bursting distracted it but only made him fall into a tree. Novices in their respective elements meant they'd all have a few kinks to work out when it came to performing tricks on the field. Once might think Benji being in his element--literally--he'd be stronger. Not the case it seemed...and April is technically always in her element, so maybe she'd give it a try. "I really think we should run!" She yelled and narrowly avoiding being slammed by the beasts neck. She flung her arms in front of her and directed a strong gust of wind at the monster to little affect. All she did was cause a breeze and toss leaves in the air. She tried.

 

[Steel Accord]

Dylan heard his name called and then felt something land next to him, hard. It was Erin, who spoke weakly. Dylan chuckled at his crack and the two of them were joined by April. To her suggestion, Dylan hand sprung back to his feet but stumbled a little bit.
"No way! Whoah- I'm not running. I'm helping Clay out. Hold on there buddy!" Dylan said as he launched himself into a flying kick at the questing beast's midsection. Which probably wasn't the best move he could have done because it's body was pretty close to the ground. So Dylan ended up sailing over his target and into the water.

. . . He was a high risk, high reward sort of guy. Didn't always pan out.

"Hey Deluvian. Care to lend me a hand here?" Dylan said. Deluvian let out a soft yawn of a babbling brook.

"I'm taking a break. I helped you get here. You can handle this," she said. Deluvian said. Dylan had the mental image of a nymph strapping a sleeping mask over her face and napping off. Rolling his eyes and thoroughly on his own here, Dylan swam back to the surface and at least used his powers to dry himself off and tried to engage the Questing Beast again. Waiting for Clay to provide an opening, Dylan instead tried for a drop kick to the creature's side.

 

[marorda]

The Questing Beast made its yapping noise again, shaking Clay off and sending him into another tree. It growled as Dylan kicked its side, snapping at him with its serpentine head.

"Wait a moment..." Erin carefully pushed herself up again and crawled away from the Questing Beast. "Guys... I think... I don't think it can see us. Look!" Even as there was nobody near to be hit, the beast still wildly shook it's head around, now seemingly more terrified rather than angry. Or maybe both. Really, animals didn't exactly have clear facial expressions. As Erin had noticed before, the creature just stared around with unseeing eyes. Shadows of evil magic lurked around it. She kept very quiet, motioning her friends to do the same. Maybe if it didn't see them and couldn't hear then anymore, it would just walk away? Granted, it meant there would be a possibly evil monstrous creature roaming the woods, but at least it would give them some more time to device a proper plan here.
---
"Merlin, you seem distressed," spoke a man to the older wizard. Merlin nodded faintly, not pulling his focus away from the Scrying Window. Where had they ended up? The portal Novus and Fate created should have been near them, Merlin should have been able to pick them up and take then to the Castle where he could tell then what was going on. Was Vorkalth so strong he could disrupt portals? Merlin hoped the Sentinels didn't wind up in the woods. To anyone not from around here, the woods seemed endless. One could easily get lost forever in there... And with Vorkalths evil corrupting everything, the forest was not quite the safest place.
"I think, my dear nephew, that you might want to send your knights to the woods, or at least some of them. I'm expecting visitors to help us with the increasing darkness in the realm, and I fear the evil sorcerer responsible for this may be bringing harm to them." If only anyone else here remembered this had happened before. They would be more alert than now...
---
From the Scrying Glass in the underworld, Vorkalth enjoyed the show. The magic he, Nenet, and Avlazor had been putting through the tear was doing ita work, and doing it very well, at that. The beast might still be fighting against the increasing darkness in its mind, but soon it would succumb. Soon, it would be theirs. And then, then it would crush the Sentinels before they had a chance of saving Avalon and finding the secrets that were hidden there.

 

[PenBlade1326]

Riding the Beast and busting leaves in its face didn't do the trick, much to the dismay of the guys who'd done so. Slowly but steadily Clay got up off of the ground. He watched Dylan soar above the thing and land in water, slapping his forehead with his palm. "Bygawd, Dylan..." he said quietly to himself. As the time came he was going to make it so Dylan's kick would have been better, but he looked at Erin as she spoke instead..resulting in Dylan getting hit. Again. Oops.
"Well I'll be I think she's right..." Clay whispered. This thing...it doesn't look like it can see them! Be quiet enough and it may go away...or give them all a chance to get away safely. One would hope. Benji remained calm and quiet. This thing looked like it would make a marvelous sculpture one day...but he isn't about to make another statue of something lethal looking and have it risk coming to life again. Evil magic already swirled around this thing, not gonna make it worse!

Both men kept very...very quiet. What are they supposed to do...

 

[Lady Insanity]

Boys are so...aggressive. Watching two of the three guys in the group just charge in was a sight to see. One ended up against a tree and the other into water and just knocked back again. April felt smarter by staying back where she couldn't get smashed into mush. Sure she'd tried using her powers, but no little avail. She had also wondered just how they were going to get away this time. If her power was strong enough she'd had suggested just getting everyone together and flying out on a big air cyclone. But she isn't at that point yet. But boy would flying be a handy skill right about now. If she can make a pair of skates poof into her feet, why can't she fly? Maybe that's more of a dire situation thing rather than...well, a dire situation. Hmm.

She glanced at Erin and monitored the Questing Beast. The dark power it gave off felt wrong and just...evil. But she was onto something...this thing looked like i couldn't see out of its eyes. Really, it looked around but it wasn't really looking...it was more just moving its head around. Of course! It uses its other sense to feel around what's going on, not its sight! April shushed everyone very softly. About time everyone just play a game of church mouse. It's also a great game to play when you're in school and the teacher is kindly telling his or her students to shut up.

 

[Steel Accord]

Dylan rolled away from its snapping jaws and got to one knee. At Erin's suggestion he just tried to keep still and silent. Sure enough, the Questing Beast wasn't being actively aggressive. Then again, just because it was blind didn't mean it wasn't hostile. Dylan creeped back over to his friends, trying to make his foot falls on the grass as silent and soft as he could. He panicked a bit as he saw a branch he was about to step on but stepped out of the way just in time. He got back over to Erin.

"Okay . . . now what?" He asked.

 

[marorda]

Erin gestured Dylan to stay quiet. Sure, she could understand his question, hell, everyone wondered the same. But with the Questing Beast still in front of them... best not to make any sounds that might alert it again. The Beast whined, panicked and seemingly in pain. Maybe he was bothered by the brief and failing attacks of the Sentinels? Or maybe it were those shadows, still swirling around the creature, flinging themselves at it, trying to seep through it's thick skin and scales, it seemed. Watching from the sidelines, Erin couldn't help but start to feel sorry for it. She stayed exactly the way she was sitting, low near the ground, not moving a muscle. Though she breathed quietly, the speed at which her chest moved betrayed she was feeling at least a bit frightened. This thing seemed nearly as big as a zord, albeit a smaller one.

The beast stormed off, wildly flinging its head around, creating a path through the forest with brute force. And that seemed to bring an idea to Erin's mind.
"You know how in stories the monsters always go to the nearest village to hunt or demand a tribute?"she whispered, looking down the freshly created path. "I say we follow this new path and see if it takes us to civilization." Either that, or it would take them straight to the monster's lair. Ah well, right now it seemed to be the best thing they had. And besides.... "Never be afraid to take the road less traveled," Erin muttered. Her father always told her that, encouraging her to go her own way and not care about what others thought. Right now.. right now it might just save their lives. Or lead to a hopefully quick but definitely unfortunate death. She nodded her head towards the direction the beast had stormed off to, got back to her feet, and started to walk down the path. Even if the beast that likely weighed a ton or more had just waltzed over it, the undergrowth was still enough to be a bit of an obstacle. Now, Erin was used to hiking and taking those lesser traveled roads, but in a dress... still frustrating! Nope, she wasn't going to be over that any time soon.

 

[PenBlade1326]

Something about this monster had pity behind it. It was vicious and ugly as all Hell, but the swirls of dark around it probably had something to do with how corrupt it was. Maybe this Questing Beast sin't usually this hostile and eager to smack people around with its head. Or maybe it is and the darkness is just making it go crazy on top of being already crazy. Not a pleasant mix. Benji still captured an image of the thing in his head. Might make for a neat statue one day in his own art gallery should he have one one day. Or a drawing...painting... a fun sculpture to look silly at the orphanage. Although this thing didn't scream 'fun' to him. Clay just kind of wanted to ride it again...it hurt but golly it was kind of fun!

Remaining quiet, calm, and still, both of them watched with the others as the beast charged off, leaving a path in its wake. Sure the forest still proved a struggle, but it was a clear path. Clearest patch of forest so far. Clay looked at Erin.
"You want us to follow that things path? What if we git right into its nest over yander?" he asked in a hushed tone and stood up, moving freely and stretching his knees.
"Kind of nuts, I agree, but hey it honestly might take us out of these woods. I'm dying to get out of here, I say we do it," Benji commented, not as skeptical for a change. He didn't like the woods...not these ones anyway. Ironic, given his element of power to wield as a Sentinel. Following a deranged monster had never looked too appealing, but in this case it was the best chance of being out of the woods and hopefully somewhere without all of the trees in their way. He felt sorry for the girls since they'd have to traverse the in dresses. They didn't look that uncomfortable but they sure didn't look like they were good for hiking or anything.
At least they were clear of the beast for now.

Both Benji and Clay grouped with the others and began following the trail. "I can carry ya if this here's too much," Clay offered Erin. How kind! Maybe weird, but kind. Benji would offer the same...but honestly as scrawny as he is? At least his legs could power through overgrowth in a clear manner.

 

[Steel Accord]

Dylan nodded frantically and did the zipper motion over his mouth. Erin was right. If the creature operated by hearing, best to shut up. He also followed her logic of . . . well following it. Monsters in myth seemed to only exist to harass and be killed for it. In Greek myth's case, Zeus forced Echidna into birthing monsters specifically for that purpose of getting killed by heroes, most of whom were Zeus' kids. As much as Dylan would now never say this out loud given that he knew Zeus existed somewhere and merely speaking ill about him would invite his wrath, Zeus was a dick!

In any case, Dylan crept along with the other rangers, following the poor creature. He hoped that King Arthur was as fair minded as the legends say he was. That, and he really hoped for an excuse to morph again soon because after his pathetic display against the Beast, he needed to redeem his honor as a capable fighter.

 

[Lady Insanity]

Quiet Mouse was the perfect game to play right now. So was Statue. Not making a sound or moving a single muscle to let this beast get confused in its blindness and just leave. Pity could be felt for the poor thing because of the dark around it, but it was still a killing machine that likely has killed people before. April didn't want her and her friends to be added to this things body count. Especially not while wearing a pretty dress. Erin may not like this too much, but April was soooooo living the life right now. Maybe she can get a change of clothes later if she hates this so much. April would stay in the dress, or maybe get a new one! If she can buy one. Do they even have a currency to use here? April didn't know if she'd be able to buy food...or if any of them would...if they found Merlin, surely he'd hook them up.
The beast stormed off and cleared a path. A point was taken...this thing may actually lead them to civilization. Or to its lair of death and bloody murder. Hopefully the former. "I'm gonna say the path will take us to a city or something... maybe one's close. I didn't know about the hunt and tribute thing... But I'm glad it's a thing," she said to the others and started on the path.

Overgrowth wasn't an issue. April just held the dress up enough so she could walk more comfortably. Erin struggled, and the men had it easier. If you knew what you were doing this wasn't so bad. "Hey, if she says no then I won't deny the offer," she butted in for Clay as he offered to carry Erin. "Or from anyone," she said to Dylan and Benji. Being carried like a fair maiden? Not so bad! Might as well live while she can. Especially before meeting some chivalrous man in Avalon that fits a stereotype...just wait until she changes in front of someone and kicks butt if need be.

 

[marorda]

Erin shot Clay a meaningful glance. His offer was kind, sure, but being a damsel in distress was not something she wanted to be. The dress was bad enough, this situation didn't need to be added to it. "No thanks," she said, pulling her dress up and stomping on through the undergrowth Not quite ladylike. But let's be fair, Erin wasn't ladylike. Part of her just wanted to tear the side of her dress so she could walk and possibly run more comfortably, but she had enough common sense to her to know that would likely give off a wrong image should they run into civilization. As they kept plowing and or stomping their path through the undergrowth, it seemed the path was getting smaller. Kind fo weird, considering how large the Questing Beast was. From not all that far ahead of them, a bone chilling sound could be heard. It was very similar to the Questing Beast, but... something about it seemed different. The yapping and whining sounded more like a... growl? And more... humanoid? What the actual...?

Erin didn't hesitate for a moment and jumped into the bushes, away from the path. Ahead of them was a clearing, and in the middle of it stood the Questing Beast. It was turning around and around, flinging its head around, seemingly in dire pain. "The poor thing..." Erin muttered. Despite the fact the very same creature had flung her into a tree not too long ago. Maybe this being wasn't all evil? Maybe it was the evil magic Vorkalth was pouring into this world that did this to the Questing Beast? After all, according to the legends she knew it didn't seem like the Questing Beast was a blind raging maniac. Then again... stories differ with time, probably also with worlds. The Questing Beast sank to the ground, more and more dark magic swirling around it. And all that dark magic caused the creature to transform. A more humanoid, but still definitely monstrous being sat in the clearing on hands and feet, taking a few deep breaths before rising up.
"I'll do the bidding of my master!" it called up to the sky.

As he did so, the sky darkened with pitch black clouds radiating the same atmosphere as the Hellgates did. The dark magic swirling in the shadows seemed to go crazy. It rose up into the sky and seemed to be sucked into the monster, empowering it even further. Remnants of the dark wisps swirled around the Sentinels. Erin swatted at it, not liking the idea of the dark magic coming so close to her. As she reached out her arm, however, it swirled around the scar still left on her arm from when she got attacked by Garm. "Gah!" Erin flapped her arm, trying to shake the dark magic off. And very glad the sound of thunder drowned out her small yelp. Would have been terrible if she had just given their location away to the monster. Then, as the rumbling thunder faded, another sound followed. And it drained all the color out of Erin's face. Seemingly from out of the dark clouds, like a wicked evil god, came a voice. It sounded deep, ancient, powerful... and especially dark and evil. No need to ask whose voice they were hearing there!
"Good," it said. "Then, you shall be known as Glatisant. Go and crush the Sentinels hiding in the forest like the cowards they are. Once you're done with them, take Camelot. Avalon shall soon be ours!"

The voice laughed briefly as the clouds faded and Glatisant turned around, looking at the edge of the forest where the Rangers were hiding. Had all color already drained from Erin's face? If not entirely yet, it had now.

 

[PenBlade1326]

"Aye, just offering," Clay shot at Erin and kept walking. His chest puffed out slightly. Got it, got it, he's strong as all Hell. If anyone can lift a dozen hay bails in a row and push a tractor after it runs out of gas to a nearby tank, it's Clay. So surely he can carry a girl through the woods. What did she weigh, maybe 120 pounds? That sounded about average for an adult woman....right? That's super light for an adult. Or so Clay thought. Both of the girls were small, so he assumed they'd be light. He looked at April. "Hop on, then," he told her and paused in front of her, kneeling down so she can climb onto his back. He's serious! He'll give her a piggy back ride in the woods if she wants it. Slap some mud on him and fill the air with the scent of pie, he'd be home playing with siblings or cousins. Really.

After a little long, the sound was heard. Clay stopped dead in his tracks, Benji not far behind. Both of them hid behind the bushes and trees respectively. "Poor thing, by butt," Benji whispered. The thing may be just an animal but it still tried to murder them a while ago. Inherently evil or not, nobody can deny it's a vicious thing up ahead in that clearing! The trail only got small and as the group spotted the beast again it changed. It looked like a monster...okay it always looked like a monster. But now it was more like Garm, Golem...or those fishermen spirits. Something almost artistic about the way the darkness flowed around the monster. Benji saw it, anyway. But he sees art in just about everything. That and some sort of depressing orphan poem just waiting to be written. Random? Yes it was. You try living in an orphanage with the life he's had.
Neither guy knew much about this thing or its legend but...was it supposed to talk? It's master...wait...the darkness, the little bits coming toward them. Both of them swatted like Erin did, only the thunder didn't have to cover their yelps. No scars.
Their hearts stopped. "Is that..." Clay asked the others as the dark, evil voice erupted from the sky like blazing thunder. It's roar was just cold and...actually scary. "...Vorkalth?" Benji muttered. Was this the voice of...it had to be...Benji swallowed, a bug in his throat.

Much like Erin, the color from their faces had died out. Benji's palms grew sweaty and Clay's heart raced. It was almost like air had ceased to exist because they couldn't breathe. The voice gave the beast a name, and then some orders...and Glatisant looked directly at where they were in the woods. "I think it knows we're here..." Benji said to the others, tightly grabbing onto Dylan's arm and Erin's sleeve. He was paralyzed, it seemed. Why was he so afraid?
"Oh crap..." Clay plainly stated...here it goes. Run? Morph? Scream?

 

[Lady Insanity]

Ruffling through the growth of the forest wasn't as difficult as one may think in a dress. Well to someone with experience wearing dresses. Safe to say, April was no where near as troubled as a certain fire-haired girl. "Yeehaw, cowboy," she told Clay as she denied the offer and he gave her the ride. She climbed on his back and held onto his shoulders, her legs on his hips for grip on both ends. Nothing wrong with a girl riding her friend through the woods because walking is just too much for a maiden. She's still having fun with this. Maybe she was supposed to be born in Avalon...hmm. Easy to say she just rode through the woods.
A while of riding and she felt uncomfortable. Not because of Clay, he's a dear, but because of a sound. Howls, screams...something eerie.

The path was tinier here. And the Beast was back in sight of a small area. She hopped off of Clay's back and ducked down behind a bush with everybody else. The Questing Beast was there...magic around it, it looked odd. Transforming into some kind of monster like they'd seen before. Humanoid in shape, but still a monster from Hell. Monsters came in all shapes and sizes. Scales and claws, or hungry stomachs and loud mouths. Some customers at the diner she works in can be worse than ancient evil shamans and legions of monsters from nightmares. Especially around Thanksgiving. Lovely holiday but the worst time to work in a food service joint. Not fun at all for servers, cooks, or custodial workers. Especially when her mom insisted on making tons of pumpkin pie.
April squeaked as a rumble of thunder appeared in the sky, covering her mouth and looking all around. April then became as white as her ranger suit. The voice that came down... was it....
"I didn't know that this thing spoke...please tell me we're hearing voices, too," she whispered to everybody. From their hiding spot they could all see this creature getting a name. And that evil voice from the sky. Benji took the words from her mouth. "Vorkalth.." she repeated. April looked at Dylan. "Don't suppose you have some whimsical bit of knowledge about mythos to help us here? Please tell me you know something we can do...like hide in a super way..." She said to him. Didn't make sense, but hearing the voice of their main foe sent chills through her spine.
It saw them. "Oh shit..." Glatisant knew they were here....cue a gulp. And a yelp. And a run!!! Someone start running so April can follow suit and not feel like a fool. Or someone save them...morph, something.

 

[Steel Accord]

Dylan followed with the others and had to admit he did feel sorry for the Questing Beast. He wasn't sure if this thing was sentient but if it wasn't, it was being cursed and bled and pained with no knowledge of why or how. This filled him with melancholy. It reminded him of the fishermen spirits. Even still, humans have an ability to understand things. Granted any kind of supernatural horror is going beyond normal human perception but even then, a human can recognize it as supernatural. Something not ordinarily possible by our understanding of nature's laws. Put a man in Hell, and he'll eventually realize where he is. There is some bare sense of defense or power in at least comprehending the nature of what's happened to you. With an animal, or something with similar level of intelligence, there is no such comprehension. A dog with a terminal disease can't have it explained to them what's wrong with them, they just know they hurt. Dylan was thinking of this as the Questing Beast was consumed by the dark magic, that in their . . . in his rush to fight some great evil, he didn't see who that evil was affecting. He contributed to it by attacking the creature. He was no better than Vorkalth!

Speak of the Devil . . . Vorkalth charged the Questing Beast's new persona Glatisant with the express purpose of hunting them. Dylan was now angry enough to want to crush this monster for robbing an innocent of their body and soul. He would try and reveal himself but one of his friends would probably hold him back. At which point, Dylan would cool down and remember that it's better to work as a team and heed Erin's command. Either way though, he among his friends was more ready to throw down than to retreat.

Another option presented itself though. Maybe it was Deluvian whispering the notion in the back of his head, but it occurred to Dylan that maybe it would be better to seek out King Arthur and his knights. Granted they tried to follow the Questing Beast to find a town or some sort in the first place and they were otherwise still at a loss as to where they were but nevertheless, the Knights of the Round should be warned, it's their world that is being encroached on.

 

[marorda]

"Benji...?" Erin spoke softly, noting how he seemed to be paralyzed with fear for the creature. Sure, seeing what first was more of an animal turn into a humanoid monster was weird and a reason to at least be unsettled... But to be this frightened? "You okay?" Her voice sound more high pitched and squeaky than she liked. But it was more due to hearing Vorkalth speak rather than seeing Glatisant change forms. Speaking of which... hiding the pain in her arm was nearly impossible. The mark left by Garm stung, felt searing.... as if a red hot iron was pressed against it. She gritted her teeth. It hurt so goddamn bad! She wondered what had made it worse... the voice or the dark magic swirling around that scar. Maybe it was something she should talk about with Novus or Fate or maybe even Merlin should they finally find him. Or maybe not... what if it was bad news? She felt as though everyone counted on her. If she was incapable... If she couldn't do it.... well, it would only prove she's definitely not the Son of the Archon.

Erin gulped again, feeling the eyes of the Questing Beast peering into the woods. It knew they were there, and clearly Glatisant was hostile now that his master gave him the task of murdering them. Yet he hadn't moved yet. Erin kept gulping, trying to make that squeezy feeling in her throat go away. Everyone was waiting for her to act, weren't they? Erin just had this knowing, foreshadowing feeling that it didn't matter whether she'd move or speak... Anything would give away their position to Glatisant. Their way out of the woods had turned into something wanting to keep them there and make sure they'd never get anywhere else again. Erin's gut told her to run, to flee in just any random direction and hope for the best... To climb a tree... to just disappear from the surface of the world. Anything but face the monster. But... if they were to run... then what? Glatisant was tasked with killing them. They'd never get anywhere safely without the monster following them, risking even more people getting hurt. So no matter how hard her gut feeling screamed to run, she'd stand and fight. Last time she went against her gut-feeling, she wound up in the Witchwood wit the others and this strange adventure started. Now, she was in one of those mythical realms. "Fate told us to stop whatever Vorkalth was doing. I think we found a thing to start with," she said. "You guys ready? Something tells me this won't be easy."

She rose to her feet again, getting back to the path and walking straight into the clearing, having a small stare down with Glatisant. Please please please let the others follow suit and stand with her. Part of her wanted to trash talk this being, but seeing how it was just a normal, albeit somewhat scary, mythical creature being warped into a servant of evil... it seemed out of place. "Vorkalth may have taken you... but he won't take this world!" she called, braver than she truly felt... That kind of was her thing by now, wasn't it? Appearing all brave and confident, while being this close to peeing her pants... or dress... She gripped the Charm around her neck. "Essencia Awaken!" she called. Red energy surged around her like flames. The dress made place for her suit. Much improvement there! "Scorching Fire! Red Sentinel Ranger!" Erin took her pose and took a deep breath. "Power Rangers Sentinels!"

Erin summoned the Staff and charged at Glatisant, only to be swatted away with just about the same ease his much larger form had done. "Oof..." Erin made hard impact with the ground and coughed. That hurt! Not nearly as much as the burning in her arm, but it still really hurt! She rolled over to her side and pushed herself up again. No giving up. The Questing beast, now Glatisant, might not be saved anymore... but she'd be damned if she'd let this world be lost! "Watch out, guys!" she called to warn them for Glatisant's strength... even if it may be too late already and others were being knocked around too...