Fantasy Through The Portal

[Shadowflight13]

Azalea hopped up onto the wall on the side of the bridge, walking with her arms held out like a child, an expression of pure rapture on her face. She swirled her fingers in the mist and begin to hum an eerie tune of her own invention. The mist was cool on her fingers and face, the roar of the waterfall soothing, the promised bustle of the city exciting. She'd never felt so free in her life.

 

[kaito9049]

Leoch watched Azalea warily. He had no intention of having to fish her out of the water, if she would even survive. But she looked calm, and more importantly, quiet, for once, so he decided to let her be. "Not too long ago," he answered Kenshi. "At least, not to elves. The city looked a bit different when I was last here. It's bigger as well."

 

[Field Marshall]

"That means you haven't been here during the current age. At the latest you were here when Hero King Algol ruled. Algol had went corrupt and berserk, eventually things in the city had gotten so bad that some heroes decided to investigate and they ended up dethroning Algol who by this point went completely power hungry. They restored prosperity and eventually the city grew and expanded. This was before I was born, but the event is recorded in our history texts." Kenshi said. "We should pick up the pace a bit, my mom doesn't like to be kept waiting." Kenshi adivsed. He lead the group through the city stopping at various sites or when one of the group just felt touristic enough to hold up the others. But eventually they got on a boat and sailed to the Haimura estate. Currently they are in the process of sailing from the main island to the Haimura Estate Island.

 

[Shadowflight13]

At every turn, Azalea had met the sights with excitement and interest. She seemed to almost forget the rest were there, caught up in her own little world. Now, she leaned against the side of the boat, trailing one hand over the side, reaching for the water. I never want to leave this world. She thought, sitting up and glancing around to the others. She'd never felt so happy, so free. Even fighting the monsters earlier-- As scary as it had been at the time, it woke her up. The fire burning in her heart was stronger than ever. And even just in this city, there was so much to do, so much to explore. She wanted to push herself and her abilities. She wanted to find out what she was facing and why she was here. Here, she had a purpose, she was sure of it. A smile split her face again and she leaned back over the side of the boat, listening idly to the conversations around her.

 

[Field Marshall]

The boat approached the protective barrier that protects the island, the group was able to pass through because Kenshi was with them. The group soon touchdown on the land of the Haimura Island. Kenshi quickly turnd and offered his hand to help up Bliss and Azalea, he helped them up if they accepted the hand. He motioned for them to follow. He wandered around for a bit yelling "Mom I have returned! I have returned!" He didn't detect her around but he did detect someone here. His pace increased into a jog as he then located Dragna in one of the courtyards on the island. Ken then summoned his sword and leapt at Dragna, Dragna blocked with his own sword. The force exerted was well enoughnto reduce the ground to a dirt crater but it held unnaturally together. Dragna shoved Ken back and said "Who are you?" Ken replied "More like who are you?"


@Miss Mack @Shadowflight13 @Randeruck @Nenma Takashi @kaito9049

 

[kaito9049]

Oh sure, Leoch thought. I thought you said the city had changed. Then why are people still being attacked in the streets? He did observe something that intrigued him: Kenshi and the mystery swordsman seem evenly matched, with very similar fighting styles. However, Leoch admitted, most human combat forms looked the same to him. In any case, the man seemed too powerful to confront head-on. "Bliss, Azalea, can you do something from a distance?" he questioned. "We don't want to get in Kenshi's way." The elf was already forming a plan. If things got heated, he would possibly have to cloak, though he was hoping that the others wouldn't know about his ability--provided they were too distracted to see his use of it earlier.

 

[Field Marshall]

Dragna and Kenshi clashed again. Dragna eyes becoming more beast like as the battle went on. He kicked Kenshi under the chest and Kenshi went flying into the air. Kenshi quickly regained his composure and using the air he was flying, but Dragna soon followed and brought his blade down hard, Kenshi blocked but the force knocked him all the way down to the ground. They both were utilizing Supernatural Condition:Master Level. But it was clear that Dragna was the stronger of the two.

 

[Miss Mack]

Bliss took a shaky breath and looked at the two elves before biting her lip softly. This better work. If I can control plants- her thoughts ended when she pressed her palms together in a sort of salute and letting the ground around her rumble and illuminate a bright green. She gasped softly as thick trees began to wrap themselves together, creating a large humanoid. It was easily ten meters tall and was made entirely out of trees. The massive creature pounded it's fists together then charged the Dragna, tackling it. Bliss let her eyes flash open and she gasped, looking at her hands, wondering if she really did create a monster of her own. She then bit her lip as roots wrapped around her wrists and ankles as she assumed a fighting stances. The wooden titan copied her. Testing it, she took a swing at the Dragna, sending it flying across the clearing as the tree humanoid did the same as her. Bliss was in control of the massive monster.

 

[Field Marshall]

Dragna held the monster a bay with his claymore dodging it's attacks. "The hell is it some kind of tree golem?" he asked of no one in particular. He jumped in the air with his claymore still on fire. he then brought it down on the golem unleashing his flames at close range to set the golem on fire.

Kenshi then dived in from the air to have another exchange of blows with Dragna. Dragna jumped off the ground gliding just over it. He swung at Kenshi the blow knocking Kenshi away for the moment. Dragna regained his composure waiting for the next attack.

 

[kaito9049]

For some reason, Leoch felt a strong desire to say "I am Groot", but he pushed it aside. "Well done, Bliss!" he congratulated. Unfortunately, the golem didn't last long. Quickly drawing his bow, Leoch yelled for Kenshi to keep back. He fired two arrows through the fiery remains of the titan, setting the projectiles ablaze, towards the enemy.

 

[Miss Mack]

The tree monster roared and fell to it's knees, burning before falling onto it's chest with a loud thud, completely defeated. Bliss then screamed and fell to her knees as her monster did, she kept screaming and clawing at her skin as if something was hurting her- the fire. Her skin soon grew red and then a bright orange, slowly burning off of her bones until she lay on her side, knees to her chest as she lay there in terrible pain. She glanced up at Kenshi and the monster he was fighting, I tried- she thought before screaming again as the Dragna stepped on the tree golem's arm, snapped Bliss's own arm like a twig. She herd the other elf, Lock, cheering her on but she gripped the grass beneath her, the girl's skin still burning with the tree golem.

 

[Shadowflight13]

Azalea narrowed her eyes, thinking hard. Why was it that, if this was Kenshi's private estate, this other man was here? And why the hell were Kenshi and him fighting anyway? For all they knew, they were on the same side. They didn't even know each other's names! She gritted her teeth and looked over at Leoch. "Do you think we can get them to stop fighting long enough to talk? Something isn't adding up." She wasn't sure how great elves were at diplomacy, but she was sure that him yelling 'stop' would be more effective than doing it herself. They were more likely to listen to him.

 

[Field Marshall]

Dragna deflected the arrows with the flat of his blade. Kenshi dropped back to attend to Bliss. To him she seemed to be feeling what the golem must be feeling. Kenshi tried to heal her for a moment with chi but realized this wasn't actual damage to her not yet atleast, Ken said to her "Bliss cut your connection to the golem, quickly. Your experiencing this pain because your still sensory linked to it."


(Kenshi is not an elf)

 

[Miss Mack]

Bliss screamed again in pain and pressed her forehead to the ground, breathing heavily and nodding slightly. She knew Kenshi was right. With a deep breath, she began to pull the roots from her arms and legs, glancing up at Ken with bloodshot eyes. "H-help... The roots-" She said lightly, pushing off some of the smaller ones. Almost immediately the pain from the golem began to lessen, bringing sweet relief to Bliss as her skin started to go back to normal a bit.

 

[kaito9049]

Leoch quickly ran possible scenarios through his head. Diplomacy seemed to be a rather weak option, but with Kenshi gradually losing the fight, there was little other option. He put away his bow and smoothed his clothing. He took a deep breath and stepped forward.


---


After Leoch had left the merchant's estate, he went to his next destination: a local gang's hideout. These gangs were fairly well-known, as the police failed to take care of the issue, so it wasn't hard to time. Approaching the front door, he quickly checked his appearance, looking for any wrinkles or smudges. Satisfied, he knocked on the door.


"Name?" a gravelly voice demanded.


"Leoch," the elf responded.


There was silence for a second, and then the door opened. A man with three missing teeth grinned at him. "Welcome," he chuckled.


---


"Excuse me, sir, my name is Leoch Bjerksin, ambassador of the elves," he said. "There seems to be a misunderstanding here. Perhaps we could speak in a more suitable setting? I'm sure that we'd be willing to overlook any accidental offenses."

 

[Shadowflight13]

Azalea knelt down next to Bliss and helped to pull the rest of the vines off. Her fingers were surprisingly nimble and gentle, pulling each root away without hurting her further. "You should be more careful about this kind of thing." She whispered with a small smile, shaking her head. She listened carefully to Leoch, hoping he could make them see reason. She suspected Kenshi would back down at once if there was a peaceful solution to be found, but she didn't know about the other one... He seemed to be wilder. Feral, almost.

 

[Field Marshall]

Dragna glared and made a few growling sounds at Leoch. He pointed his sword angrily at him. "Fucking elves, this is not elven territory why are you here? Why are any of you here? How did you get passed the barrier only the Haimura can do that." Dragna said. Kenshi looked at Dragan questioningly, Kenshi began trying to make sense of things. "Wait giant sword, beastly when fighting, and was able to pass through the family wards leaving them undisturbed. Could you be Dragna Haimura the Beast Paladin?" Kenshi asked. Dragna held his blade and backed up a bit though ready to strike any one of them. " Yes I am, now answer my question." he barked.


Kenshi said "Well the thing is I am your little brother Kenshi Haimura the Holy Swordsman." Dragna looked at Kenshi with disbelief. "So your the kid mom and dad had after I left? Should've known by the way you pass through the wards so easily." Dragna replied. Kenshi made his sword disappear and then turned to Bliss/ He used chi to heal Bliss or at least numb her pain giving of a green aura. But Dragan on the other hand still held his blade poised to strike down the elf.

 

[Miss Mack]

Bliss looked at Azalea and Kenshi, nodding in thanks. She lay there, closing her eyes and breathing softly as she tried to regain herself, listening to the conversation the man and Ken had. Siblings- anybody could have guessed. She thought, shaking her head a bit to herself and wrapping her arms around her chest, letting a soft moss grow under her. It was cool and lessened the severity of her burns, but not as much as Ken's chi had. Bliss lay there, glowing slightly with green aura.

 

[kaito9049]

"And the plot thickens," Leoch murmured, relieved that the fighting was momentarily stalled. He thought about he next words, knowing that they could be the difference between life and death.


---


"I admit, I was surprised when you contacted us," the thug had said, welcoming Leoch in. "We don't usually get elven visitors."


"This is a special occasion. I don't usually associate with drunkards and thieves," he had retorted rudely. Yet another mistake that a more inexperienced Leoch had made. The man had flinched, but quickly recovered. Sitting down at a table opposite Leoch, he had pulled out a ledger.


"This contains all of the...business deals we have made with corporations," he said.


"Good. Hand it over."


"Not so fast. We require...proper compensation."


Leoch had sighed, but he was expecting this. "I am willing to offer you three gold elven coins, worth about five standard gold coins in your city."


The thug had roared with laughter. "As if!" he bellowed. "We will accept nothing less than ten standard gold coins. After all, we are taking substantial risk."


Glaring at the thug, Leoch had snarled, "Absolutely not. You are a corrupt man under a corrupt king in a corrupt city."


The man had leaned back and shrugged. "I'm very sorry it came to this, Mr. Leoch," he sighed.


Before the elf could ask what he meant, five other men stepped into the room. All were armed.


Perhaps I should have chosen a better set of words," Leoch had thought, all too late.


---


Leoch finally spoke. "I, as well as the group that includes your brother, are on a confidential mission--not only for the elves, but for humans as well. It was suggested by one of our members that we stop in this city, and Kenshi wished to see his family one last time." Leoch didn't care if this was true or not, he simply had to make it sound true. "None of us know if we're ever going to see our loved ones again," he added.

 

[Shadowflight13]

Azalea got to her feet and looked from Leoch to Dragna. She raised an eyebrow at the elf's speech, but said nothing. She certainly didn't care whether or not she ever saw her parents again, and it wasn't like she had any friends back on earth who would miss her. But she didn't think the rest of them were the same-- Bliss certainly acted as if all she wanted to do was leave, at least.

 

[Field Marshall]

Dragna growled for a few moments he really wanted to hack this elf in two, his inner beast called for it. His eyes began to glow red ish. He considered the words of the elf before saying "Little brother is this true?" Kenshi looked at Dragna though still healing Blisss and said " More or less." Dragna lowered his blade a little bit before saying "What mission tell me now?" Kenshi decided it's best to be honest. "We're currently investigating strange reports of dark and sinister denizens running around. The other humans that are with me are not of this world and came from portals. The elf happened upon them shortly after I did. I brought the humans with me to here so they can rest and train. But before reaching here we encounter a strange pair of monsters who's characterstics coincide with the rumors as well as one more figured though cloaked."


Dragna considered what he just heard. "Strange I am looking into the same thing, mom wrote me about it. I spoke to her recently but she had to leave apparently it has something to do with dad. She told me to get on with the investigation after I take a rest, she probably knew if I was here long enough I would run into you. But this elf I know of him by name......."

 

[kaito9049]

"Odd indeed, since I didn't give my name," Leoch said suspiciously. He hoped that Kenshi knew what he was doing, giving his (probably insane) brother all of the information like that. "If you could tell us what you know about these creatures, it would be greatly appreciated," he said, casually looked around for any signs of an ambush. It was one of his usual habits, and one that saved his neck more than once.


---


"Er, perhaps we can talk about this," Leoch had told the thugs, to no avail.


"We've been given a very appealing offer from the merchant you threatened," the leader had explained. "I'm afraid it's the end of the line for you."


Leoch had quickly drawn the knife hidden in the folds of his clothes, though he had little experience using it. He had gritted his teeth as he attempted to formulate a plane. "You fools," he had snarled. "You have no idea of the powers you have angered." He hoped that the common human belief that all elves were high-level mages were true. "When I return, I will bring the wrath of seven hells upon you!" he declared, immediately vanishing from the thugs' sight.


"Where'd he go?!" one of them had shouted.


"He teleported someplace!" another realized, wrongly.


The leader had cursed angrily. "Alright. We need to clear out. Scatter!" His followers didn't argue.


Leoch, who was of course simply invisible, quietly snuck up to the leader once the last thug had left and carefully slipped the ledger from his back pocket. Flipping through it, he realized that all the evidence he needed to grill the merchant's guild was there. Unfortunately, the leader had realized that someone had taken the ledger and spun around with his fist outstretched, knocking Leoch to the ground and causing him to become visible. I really need to practice my focus, Leoch thought. He looked up, seeing the man about to yell for help. Leoch dashed at the man with his knife outstretched. Without wholly meaning to, he stabbed the thug in the stomach, stopping his cry in his gut. Leoch looked down at the mortally wounded man in disbelief. He had slayed many beasts and animals, but it was the first time that he had taken the life of another sentient being.


It would not be the last.

 

[Field Marshall]

"You said your name when you claimed to be the Ambassador of the elves. You dare forget your own words elf, seems that head on your shoulders is going to waste." Dragna growled raising his sword a bit more. To Kenshi it looked like Dragna was seconds away from taking Leoch's head. Kenshi said "Big brother maybe we can discuss the mission later. Right now these humans are weary from their journey. Let me at least show them to their rooms." Dragna considered it for a moment before sheathing his sword. "Fine but I will be keeping a close eye on this elf." Dragna said before turning around and leaving the courtyard.

 

[kaito9049]

"Well, he's not completely insane," Leoch sighed quietly to the others. "Or on some sort of illegal spice. I mean, I could ask him about how many arrows I shot, or what Kenshi's parents' names are, but I think most of his mental faculties are intact." He took another look at Dragna. Well, besides being a blade-happy tuskrush, he thought. The amount of malice that the man seemed to carry was unbelievable. Leoch wasn't too sure about being in the same house as him. Nonetheless, he was able to control himself enough not to return the death glare that Dragna directed at him.

 

[Miss Mack]

Bliss groaned softly and rested her hand on her sweaty forehead. Please- to the rooms and sleep... She thought, taking shallow breaths as she slowly say up, wincing a bit as her clothes scratched at the burns on her skin. "This is why I do not fight." She muttered to herself, biting her lip and growing more cool moss which she put on the back of her hand. Bliss looked up at Azalea and from the look on the other girl's face- it was clear she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. Should I stay...? I would be better suited off here with the elves- But what about my family? Bliss bit her lip again, thinking deeply. She knew the choice would come soon. The choice to stay or go home, but to be honest, she didn't know which Psh she would follow.