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 Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 3:06 pm
Harveer smiled, letting her step aside. He wasn't going to stop her openly from leaving, though something about her... Made him calm down a bit.. For a moment. She was doing something. He sighed. "Ma'am, Queen.. Whatever you prefer to be addressed as." The pale blue angel did try to delay her a bit. There were questions he wanted to ask.
"If you're investigating these marshes, why don't we try it together? A few more eyes never hurt anyone." He asked, trying to stall a bit longer. "On either party for that matter." He tried, it was all he could do for the moment. Still, someone needed to calm Lailah down. Whatever the bloodied angel was thinking over there.. He didn't want to know.
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Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 3:33 pm
Lailah stiffened when her arm was stilled, but showed no other response. She didn't want to give away her thoughts, nor any sign that anything was wrong. She simply paused, turning her narrowed eyes on Katya. As much as she hated to admit, the demon had a point. Lailah was no fool, and she saw the wisdom in her words...but it still irritated her that the others would wait until she took action to step in themselves. Like it was her fault for taking initiative.
In a low voice, slowly returning her dagger to its sheath, she answered Katya, as Genesis had already moved away, "Fine. But we have to do something. Alive or dead, we need to take her now. This is the perfect opportunity. We can't let her get away. The Guardians have delivered her to us and I will not fail them." A faux calm settled over her, like that of a predator, secretly ready to strike at a moment's notice. Instead, she glanced down at her hand, pretending to clean some mud from beneath her fingernails. She seemed bored now that there was no sign of danger in the immediate area, tapping her fingertips rhythmically, one-by-one, against her palm.
*****
Serefina had never had a bad encounter with land Pae'il before, not in her many seasons. So why did she feel so uneasy now? Even the Queen seemed wary, and from what she'd seen before, the Queen had enough power at her disposal that she shouldn't have to concern herself with a few teenagers, even if they possessed ill intentions for some reason. At best, they seemed to be acting a bit oddly, maybe a little suspicious, but...why would they harbor any malice towards the Queen and a no-name Naiad?
As the Queen moved to take her leave, Serefina nodded politely in kind to the teenagers, then responded, "Yes, ma'am, of course. Forgive our intrusion," she added, squishing through the mud after the Naiad Queen after a half-bow to the strangers. Apparently, they weren't quite ready to let them leave, however. She stifled the spark of suspicion, listening to the young angel's words. Investigating...together? Unsure what to say, and whether she even had the authority, she turned to the Queen questioningly. Did they trust these young ones? Or should they head for home and safety, trusting instinct that something wasn't right here?
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Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:29 pm
Silently moving, slowly slithering and shifting just under the surface of the murky water, tainted roots move with deliberate purpose. Soft and slow, caressing her toes and winding around her feet ever-so tenderly as to not be noticed, the root wound it's way up Lailah's ankles. Upon the teenage Angel's jerking motion when the root was noticed, it struck like a viper. Seizing hold of her feet and snapping tight as another root slithered around her legs securing its prey.
It all happened in a matter of seconds, before anypae could react to prevent the attack. The roots pulled on Lailah, trying to drag her in to the mud, to an unknown destination.
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:55 am
There was no warning before the attack came. Only a tickling sensation, like something moving around her feet that she dismissed as the sludgy mess they were trekking through, before the trap tightened like a noose. Something the other Squires would witness only rarely, Lailah let out a short, shrill shriek as her feet were suddenly jerked from beneath her and she tumbled forwards. Only her quick reflexes allowed her to catch herself with her hands before her face hit the muck as well. Trying an experimental tug at whatever had grabbed hold of her, she realized that her ankles were securely bound, and whatever it was aimed to do the same to her legs. What in the Guardians' name?!?
Her movement limited to what she could do on her hands and knees, Lailah gritted her teeth and tried to pull against her aggressor, slipping and sliding in the muck as she did so. "Leggo!" she snapped, squirming in vain. Whatever it was, it wasn't trying to crush her at least (though she got the feeling it could easily do so if it chose), but it had a secure hold nonetheless and seemed intent on dragging her away from the others. She wasn't having any of that. As the roots snaked around her legs, she sneered and drew one of the daggers from her thigh, intent on cutting herself free.
Apparently, the roots had other ideas. As soon as she drew her dagger, yet another root tendril shot out of the muck and looped around her wrist, snapping tight to pull her hand away from the rest of her body. Delicately balanced now on one hand and her knees in the slippery mud, Lailah grimaced and tried to pull her captured hand free, but the roots were like finely-woven, strong cables around her limbs. Anger gave way, for a moment, to hesitation. If anyone had bothered to meet her gaze, they may have seen a brief flicker of fear. Within seconds, she'd been brought to her knees and rendered basically helpless.
The bloody angel did not like the feeling. Not at all.
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 7:39 am
Since Genesis had moved away from Lailah, she hadn't notice anything until she screamed. Genesis shot a look at the so-called queen. Perhaps she had been wrong to assume the queen could do nothing to harm them, Genesis did not like being wrong. It seemed they had been lured into a trap by her. She hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should seize the blue naiad or defend her peer. Genesis was still had more of a defensive mindset and instinct took over as Genesis dashed over to Lailah as fast as one could dash in muck. She might not have been for making the first aggressive move, but this was now defense. Genesis pulled out her long sword from its holster and swung at the roots.
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 1:58 pm
Tariel stared open-mouthed at the sudden fall of the teenager. It had taken a few seconds to register what had happened and it wasn't until the second teen rushed to her aide that she realized she needed to get out of the marsh as fast as she could. The Taint had already started blocking her powers, so if she was captured too, she'd be a goner.
Without another thought, she grabbed Serafina by the wrist and told her to run. The distraction with the entangled teen would suit as a perfect get away.
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 2:52 pm
At first, all Serefina could see was the murky water roiling with something beneath the surface, the teen struggling to rise. Had the Queen...? No, one look at the Queen's shocked expression cleared Serefina's mind of any thought that this might be her doing. Then what...?
No time to question their 'good' fortune. They were Naiads needing to outrun land Pae, they'd need any headstart that they could get. Her instincts had been screaming at her that something wasn't right here, so Serefina took the Queen's command to heart, turning to go as fast as she could...but then she hesitated, looking back. What if the 'something wrong' was actually what had just made its appearance, that these teens were innocent. Was it right to leave them like this and just run away? She bit her lip, her mind racing, then looked back at the Queen. No, there were plenty of them here...they could handle whatever was going on. They'd save their companion, she was sure, and in the meantime, she and the Queen could retreat to safer waters.
Justification securely in place to battle any objections from her conscience, Serefina turned and followed after the Queen.
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 3:48 pm
Even in her current predicament, Lailah's golden eyes tracked their quarry, trying to make an escape. She didn't know if Genesis was having much luck with her sword yet, but given the continued taut hold on her limbs, it didn't seem so. That wasn't important now, though. The mission came first. Their mission for the Guardians; their greater work. Without hesitation, Lailah barked out, "Don't let them escape! Get them before th--ACK!"
A violent tug from the creeping roots sent the angel plummeting face first into the murky water, her hand slipping in the deep mud beneath. She was plunged into darkness, immediately struggling to claw her way back to the surface. Her free hand grasped for purchase, finding only more mud. She squirmed and struggled, somehow managing to turn herself over in the water. She was still ensnared, but at least she was sitting on the bottom and could rise up and get her head above water again. She emerged, coughing and spitting from the foul water, shaking her head at the passing thought of how embarrassing it would have been to drown in a couple feet of mud and water.
Her chest heaving, she tried to track the fleeing Naiads again, trying to ignore how the roots were continuing to climb and ensnare her body. The restriction, the darkness when she'd gone under...everything was closing in...she was fighting a panic attack with the only thing she knew how to use: anger.
Stay focused on the mission, her purpose.
They could not fail.
She could not fail.
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 7:32 pm
Dante drops his pad, startled, at Lailah's initial cry. He bobbles it in midair a moment, trying to catch it, but ultimately it sinks into the mud. It's useless now.
But Dante has more pressing matters to attend to. He rushes to Lailah's side, skidding in the mud, splattering it to his knees. He kneels at her side, tucking his staff under his arm and trying to pry the vines from her wrist. Unsuccessful, he takes Lailah's own dagger from her belt and tries to cut through the vine. Why is it always her that makes trouble? he grumbles internally.
As the vines pull her further into the murky swamp, Dante crawls on his hands and knees to follow her, finally sitting on his bottom and wrapping his arms around her torso, providing resistance to her being pulled by wrist and ankle. He wishes she'd shut up about the fish-queen; it's obvious there are more dangerous creatures here than her, especially since she'd told her own comrade to run. Besides, he thinks in Lailah's direction, You're no good to anyone drowned at the bottom of this cursed swamp.
Lailah finally slips from his grasp, his arms covered with the muck that had been on her body, and is pulled under. He contemplates going in after her, but he doesn't want to risk being pulled under by vines as well. After a moment, though, she surfaces and Dante breathes a sigh of relief. He offers her his staff, wiping the mud off his hands so it wouldn't slip from his hold too. He sincerely hopes she's not a fool (this time) and takes the staff.
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 7:48 pm
Katya had taken wing the moment Lailah shrieked, her blood running cold at the disturbing sound. Her hand reached instinctively for her bow, but it grabbed only air- the demon had left it at the castle, thinking that for a simple flight day it would only encumber her. Cursing her own complacency, she initially wheeled towards the two fleeing ancients, intent on following Lailah's instructions. After all, it seemed like Genesis and Dante were already helping their comrade and the pair were getting away fast.
But what am I going to do on my own? Katya paused, realizing that even if she could somehow knock both of them down, to buy the others time, they wouldn't be going anywhere until Lailah was free. And she wasn't about to take on two adults Ancients by herself; they were going to have to attack as one, or wait until another opportunity presented itself.
Katya circled back, once again looking at the other squires struggling to free Lailah. From directly above, she could make out the darker trails of roots stretching under the murky surface, from the sparse trees to Lailah's writhing form. Every tree's roots in the whole swamp looked as though it was interlinked with those of the trees next to it. The demon was about to fly down to help when she noticed a particularly thick knot of roots from which a lot of those attacking Lailah originated. It was difficult to see, since the thrashing of the limbs was churning up a lot of silt, but if it had anything to do with the attack, it needed to be a priority.
"It's coming from over here!" She called loudly, pointing to the object just under the surface. "Just a little longer Lailah, Hold on! We're going to need you ready for the pursuit."
The demon cast her mind back to their magical training. Her shield, despite being her much stronger technique would not be of much use here. She needed her light blade, and this was no time or place for the timidity she had felt in class. She reached out to the warmth of the light in the world around her, and was more than a little alarmed that it did not shine with the same intensity as it did in the castle. Regardless, with intense concentration and considerable effort, the short blade appeared in her off-hand after gathering what energy she could and channeling it through her.
With a few heavy beats of her wings, Katya climbed to a couple dozen yards above the marshy surface, before swinging back around, face down and sword-arm outstretched. It was at that moment that she saw more than five other such sinister knots of roots rising out of the mud nearby, and that was just the result of a momentary glance and count. The sight sent a chill down her spine, but she didn't have time to change her course. Just a few feet above the water, she suddenly flipped forward so she would land in a feet-first crouch, her wings tucked in and holding her sword so that it would strike the roots before her heels would.
The impact was far worse than the little demon had expected. The landing jarred her ankles, and drove an almighty splash of water out in all directions. Her magical sword plunged deep into the knot of roots, but upon doing so she realized there was something... Dark, something vile, coursing through them. Whatever it was, some of its energy fed back through her sword and disrupted her connection to the AiKa and, unprepared for this reaction, Katya was unable to prevent herself from flinging her arm back, crying out in pain and letting go of her sword at the same time. The blade immediately shattered into fragments of light and dissipated. Katya staggered backwards, falling off the roots and landing on her back in the swamp.
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Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 7:43 am
Closing in...can't move...can't breathe...suffocating...
Lailah was vaguely aware of the others trying to help her. She might have had something more to say on the matter, if panic weren't threatening to overwhelm her. The roots might as well have been cocooning her, for as little as she could move. Her captured hand, still clutching her dagger for dear life, had been twisted behind her and trapped against the small of her back, so she still couldn't use it. The roots seemed to be climbing from her feet, to her legs, now as far as her torso. She'd been squirming, but her struggles seemed in vain. That didn't stop her from fighting though when the first roots started to creep towards her wings. Drenched and unable to be used for flight, nevertheless, they were still hers and she wanted to keep them that way.
Never had she ever felt so helpless before. She didn't like it one bit, and it was clear to her why she fought with everything she had to become the best, the strongest, the most fearless. Fear was crippling...as she knew well at the moment.
A shout shook her from her thoughts, and in a dazed manner, she glanced towards the sky in time to see an orangeish-red blur shooting towards the water. Was that...Katya? It had to be, given the blurred outline of demonic wings. Glowing blade in hand, she shot down towards the murky depths, fixated on some target they couldn't see below the water. The resulting acrobatics and explosion of water was impressive, and even Lailah had to admit that it was something to see.
Was that really Katya? 'The little one?' she thought in disbelief. The angel had to admit; she'd never known the other had it in her. She'd earned a few points in Lailah's book for that stunt, no matter what the result.
She still wondered at the fact that the others had ignored her insistence that they go after the heretics. At first, she'd been angry, but as her predicament worsened, she had to admit, at least privately, that she was starting to be glad that they had.
The bloody angel, the violent sadist who occasionally unnerved even her comrades, was frightened. She was trapped, helpless and being dragged off to Guardians only knew where, and the only ones that could save her were those same comrades that she frequently belittled in her head for thinking them weak and unwilling to do what was necessary when the time came and the chips were down.
Never had she wished more that she might be wrong.
Anger was gone now, replaced only by shock and fear. Katya was down, hopefully not out, and something slid into Lailah's view. Dante's staff. She looked up the staff to the angel holding it out to her, trying to save her. She still had one hand free, her off-hand. Shaking the most of the muck free, she reached out to take ahold of the staff tightly, no longer caring that her fear shone clearly from her golden eyes.
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Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:57 am
Genesis' sword might as well have been blunt for all the good it was doing on the vine. She sheathed it and paused to think, as much as she had to act fast, just trying out random things was not working.
The queen was out of sight by now, this root that was attacking Lailah wasn't just some enchanted root under the naiad's spell, there was something more darker more sinister to it. It seemed that Katya had the right of it attacking with her light magic, and perhaps if Genesis, and even Dante, contributed as well it would be enough to overwhelm it. There was something Genesis wanted to try first though. She had learned of it, and as far as she knew it was to be used on tainted pae, but this root seemed tainted as well so perhaps it needed to be cleansed.
Genesis cleared her mind to focus, ignoring the sounds of Lailah flailing and everything else around her. She held out her hand and began her attempt to draw the taint out of the root. Genesis could feel the energy draining from her with her attempt, but she was uncertain if it was working or not...
[I don't think cleanse was covered in magic class yet, but I assumed it will be, so I did my best guess as to what her basic knowledge of the skill would be that she had taken away from the class]
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 10:47 pm
It seemed that Katya and Genesis had had the right idea. Though, it may not be enough...
An ear-rending screech tore through the air, the roots recoiling and writhing as if in pain. But only for a moment. They had loosed their hold on Lailah, as if losing interest in their first quarry, a number of them sliding away and slithering after Genesis instead. Like writhing water snakes, they lashed through the muck towards the earthen-hued Angel.
The stunned Katya fared no better. The roots, sensing momentary vulnerability in the one that dared hurt them so, rose up like a terrifying wave, ready to crash down over the prone Demon.
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 11:04 am
It had seemed like something that she or her peer had done had worked, when the screeching sound sliced through Genesis' ears. Concentration was lost at the sound and her attempt to cleanse the root was brought to a halt. Genesis quickly brought her hands to her ears to cover them until the screech was over.
Genesis' eyes grew as the root turned to pursue her. She started to back up, as quickly as one could in this thick mire, the fight becoming more stressful now that she was the target. Genesis was a protector not an attacker, but right now she needed to protect herself, and felt weak to do so. "Dante, Lailah!" she called out, the only names she could think of with the threat now on her. It was going to take all of them to get out of this if they could.
Genesis tried to start the cleansing ritual again, but she felt almost completely drained due to her last attempt at it, "The cleanse or the lance!" she shouted at them quickly, panic thick in her voice. Genesis drew up her light wall in front of her to at least keep the roots from her for a short while. The light wall was the most she could do right now since it was the only magic that Genesis had that was close to becoming second nature, it wouldn't last long with how little energy she had.
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 7:16 pm
To Katya, the world was murky and quiet. What sounds there were seemed to be dulled and distant, and yet despite how peaceful it all seemed, her heart was pounding and her mind was in a state of near-panic. It took a moment of dazed, puzzled thought for her to realize she was completely underwater (or under whatever muck this swamp was made of) and that she needed to breathe. She yelped as she came to this realization, blurting out a cluster of bubbles before she flailed upwards...
The red demon sat upright with a spash, gasping for air, once more fully alert. The marsh was not deep, so simply sitting up was enough to get her out of the filthy water. She couldn't see, so she wiped the muck from her eyes just in time to see Genesis preparing her light wall to defend herself. Katya was still somewhat dizzy from the magical feedback in her left hand, and she hadn't been able to clear her eyes completely so her vision was blurred. She extended her right arm towards Genesis, who was just a little ways away and trying to cast her light wall. Perhaps if she could get close enough, Katya could amplify that ability enough so that there'd be protection for them both. Taking a groggy step towards her comrade, the demon tried tapping into her own magic to assist, but something was blocking her connection. She was just starting to puzzle over that when a number of the foul roots came crashing down square on top of her head, knocking her senseless.
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