VEIL K-27: Containment Facility for Violent Offenders of Covenant Law
The ancient men who wrote of hell and suffering in the afterlife must have caught a glimpse of the early days of K-27. The plane is trapped in extreme environments, from suffocating jungles to huge, empty, suffocating deserts under a cruel, unforgiving sun. Where the sun doesn't scorch the earth it retracts its heat entirely; rocky, barren landscapes hide deep pits of ash and slumbering volcanoes. The environment is almost as hostile as its inhabitants, who have eaten all of the natives save the natives that have eaten them.
Suffice it to say, it is not a kind place.
A flash of light dropped
Theo and Diji just outside of a huge Mayan-like temple within a claustrophobic jungle. Theo caught himself on his hooves deftly, crouching close to the ground and scanning the area for immediate enemies. His horn glistened with sweat from the poisonous flora nearby.
Lakutos dropped directly beside Theo and Diji. He chuckled softly, "I was right, that armor does look better on a horse."
"Too bad we didn't drop in one of the oceans,"
Theo said, annoyed at his persistence in calling him incorrectly. "Doesn't matter what you dress a fish in, it's useless out of water."
Diji was alarmed by their surrounding. She had backed up, closer to Theo without looking at him. Her eyes were locked on the angry volcanoes in the distance. Diji bumped into him and when she turned around, she found herself staring at the stomach of a horse-like being. Theo's pearly white coat almost glowed in the fiery atmosphere. Diji was in the form of her usual, child self now. She walked around to his front, "Theo?"
Theo glared at her with his usual annoyed eyes. "Oh, hey, you got little again."
Lakutos let out a quiet hiss at being referred to as a fish yet again. "I am a reptile. When will you get it right?"
"Maybe when you finally evolve enough to understand the very significant difference between a horse and a unicorn,"
Theo replied sharply.
Diji looked at herself, "I did." She grabbed her chest and puckered her lips, seeing that there wasn't anything to play with anymore. At least she could run and move about without them bouncing all over. Diji's attention went back to Theo, "I think your very pretty." she grinned.
"You're not helping,"
Theo groaned, then glanced around. "What is taking Nessa so long, anyway?"
Lakutos chuckled as Diji said Theo was pretty. He shook his head lightly. "I don't know, I just wish she'd hurry it up, seeing as she's the one who knows what we need here."
All of a sudden the great shaggyness that was Niko landed on all fours into a crouch, hair standing on end and a deep melignent growl issued from somewhere deep within him.
Borris touched down a moment later. He held one of his overly large weapons in his hands and was apparently ready to smite anything that happened to pop up. Seeing nothing the matter, he patted Niko on his side and told him "Hush." Niko obliged and bolted down the steps. "He'll check the perimeter, see if it's safe to go on."
Nessa, very unceremoniousl
y, dropped face first into the cold stone behind the group. She quickly popped up like a daisy. "I'm ok!" She dusted herself off "Customs decided to "Raaandomly" security check me. Seriously, when will they learn?"
Lakutos shook his head as Nessa spoke of the veil security force. They always had a tendancy to check at least one of them whenever they travelled. It's been a while since he was checked, so on the way back it might end up being him, for all he knew.
At this point, Diji was gracious for the boots that were given to her by Nessa. The ground was covered in warm, dangerously sharp rocks. At the moment the heat didn't bother her too much. In her own veil, she was used to humid and hot rain forests.
"Delightful," Theo said, glad to have Boris and Niko show up. To Nessa, he asked, "So where is this plant you're so insistent on getting? I don't want to spend a second more here than I have to."
"It's a root I need." Nessa explained "But the plant usualy grows about three feet tall, with gnarly black and blue flowers." She tapped the ground three times with her staff and said something in her native tongue that caused a sort of holographic image of the plant to appear for a few seconds. "Or it just looks like that."
"Would it be somewhere near here?" Theo asked dubiously, feeling a little skittish.
"Doubtful. That would make this all too easy." Lakutos told him with a grin.
"Um." Nessa began patting herself as if looking for her wallet. She looked inside her sleeve as if there was a trick hidden there and pulled out a book that was far too large to hide in the sleve of her armor. Burdened by it's weight she set it down on the floor and began turning the tattered, aged pages. "It should tell me in here...doot da doot do doot... here it is... wondermus... it grows in the caverns." She closed the book with a slam "Looks like this is going to be harder than it looks."
"It kinda looked hard to begin with." Diji stated, being somewhat of a little smart ass.
"Hush," Theo said on reflex. "Well, let's go then, before anything finds out we've been standing here and discussing this without a care in the world." He stretched up his neck and gave a look around. "Caves, over there." He started walking.
Diji started to walk as well, though she was clearly having problems with this sort of terrain. The ground was composed of sharp, jagged rocks. She was so small, it was a little difficult to maneuver through them like the adults could. She fumbled a little but caught herself quickly, hoping no one saw that.
Theo glanced over as she stumbled, clearly not doing well with small feet against sharp rocks. He siezed her by the back of her shirt with his teeth and flung her on his back without a word, moving forward on his superior-equipped footing.
Diji's eyes widened and she was a little shaky from the change. It felt quite different from when she usually pounced on Theo. She grabbed onto his stark white hair to assist balance.
Lakutos sighed, he was really kind of hoping to have his own statement proved wrong. K-27 was not somewhere one wanted to simply walk around. He unsheathed his rapier, clutching it a little tighter than usual. He wasn't afraid, he just wanted to be ready should anything happen across them.
"The caves and canyons where the first of the prison systems." Nessa said taking up her enormous book and stuffing it back in her sleve.
Somewhere in the distance a dog howeled, long, lonely and ending in a sharp yip.
"Niko..." Borris whispered. That was all he said but the word fell with the heartach of a thousand centuries.
The cry made Diji's ears stand straight up. She leaned up and placed her feet on Theo's back, trying to see over the hill where the dog's voice echoed.
Theo whickered. "Over there," He whispered through his teeth, his huge ears finally doing him some good. He shifted again, but differently this time; his neck widened and sprouted arms and shoulders, turning him into a centaur. One arm went behind his back and pulled Diji back down so she wouldn't fall. "Come on," He hissed, trotting forward quickly where he had heard Niko's yelps and disappearing in the trees.
Diji sat down and held on for dear life. She kept her torso leaning forward to assist in the aerodynamics. Diji's head was a little behind Theo's hip. Quickly she grabbed a dagger from her rope belt and held it back, away from Theo's body. Diji, despite being a child, grew up in the wild and dangerous jungle of her veil.
"No, dear friend." Borris said placing his large hand on Theo's shoulder "If he lives he will return, if not... we must not make this effort for naught."
It was far too late for that, however, since Theo was already gone, and moving at such a pace where if Borris had actually put his hand on his shoulder, would have thrown Diji off his back and thrown Theo to the ground. Fortunately, for everyone involved, Theo was not close enough to see, let alone touch.
They raced through the jungle, Theo deftly leaping over intricate root systems and huge rocks. He kept focused in his mind where he had last heard Niko's cries.
Diji had to resort to sitting on Theo's back once more as he jumped and hurdled through the dense and rocky terrain. To assist aerodynamics, she crouched down in hopes that the run would be easier for Theo. As they raced towards Niko, Her cat-like eyes scouted to the left and right quickly.
Lakutos looked to Nessa and Borris. With a shrug of his shoulders, he rested his rapier against his shoulder. "Perhaps we should accompanying them? There is no telling what may have just attacked Niko, Borris. There is no reason for us to leave him behind."
Borris sighed and trudged off after the the trippy Uniman and his newly found ward.
"Keep an eye out for the plant!" Nessa said causing the giant book to vanish. She snatched up her staff and followed. "Two birds with one stone." She said as she passed Lakutos.
Lakutos couldn't help but scoff as nessa said that, rolling his eyes a little bit as he turned and walked after them. The plant may be the reason they were here, but he was looking forward to bumping into a few of the 'inmates'
The stone steps steeply decended directly into the forest floor. The vines and trees swallowed the steps into a suffocatingly humid jungle. The indegenious plant life rusteled as animals scurried away to determin the travelers edibility from a safer distance.
Diji kept crouched on Theo's white back, it was hard to hear the scurrying animals over Theo's hoofs. She really wasn't liking how this forest was starting to feel like. "Theo...should we wait for the others?" she offered, clutching tightly to his white locks.
Theo slowed to a stop, his teeth gritted. He glanced around, ears keen for any sound from Niko, or the others, or anything that thought that they looked tasty enough to risk. "I don't sense anything," He said.
"But that's just it-" Diji began, "This is a forest of some kind. Life should be everywhere. It's...frightening." she admitted, gripping to his white hair a little tighter.
Lakutos couldn't help but look around curiously as he trecked after the others. It was so quiet here, it was unnatural. K-27 was the new home to every single murder, rapist, and down-right bad guy to ever cross the viels. It should never be quiet.
Nessa kept her antenna curled close to her head which was still messing with her equilibrium. Since walking wasn't working very well she opened the demure shells on her back and unrolled her small but effective wings. With a soft humm she took to hovering a few inches off the ground and relied on her eyes for balance. She was quite absentmindedly inspecting the plants and fauna that grew wildly around them.
From deep within the brush and darkness several small glowing orbs blinked in pairs from all around them. Hardly noticable between the floresent incects which had begun to emerge within the trees.
Diji brought her knees in and planted her feet on Theo's back. Perhaps she could see ahead from up in the trees? She jumped up and grabbed a thick branch, pulling herself up. In her normal form, it was easy to maneuver within the busy branches.
"Careful," Theo hissed after her, wiping his face as the sweat from his horn began to drip down on his brow. "A great deal of these plants are very poisonous."
Diji heeded his warning but kept quiet. She scurried up the tree like a squirrel until she got as high as she could without any branched breaking.
Borris, great in size that he was made hardly a sound as he crept threw the brush. His eyes where peeled for would be attackes.
Lakutos focused and activated his camoflauging ability. The rings on his skin shone as the light bent around him, rendering him nearly invisible to the untrained eye. Since he was moving, however, one could see him if they were looking.
Diji poked her tiny head out of the treeline and lifted her hand to shield her from the hot sun.
Just then a Harpie, who had been imprisoned for stealing the heads off little girls, flew by and tried to snatch Diji's head off her shoulders.
Luckily Diji's keen ears picked up the wings of the harpy and turned towards it. She stared wide eyed at the enormous, dinosaur-like talons that were heading straight at her. Diji rolled to the right and dropped down to a branch that was just below the one she was on previously. The only thing between her and the harpy was a thick branch.
With a screech of annoyance the Harpie circled round, tucked it's wings in and dived for the canopy, it's ultra violet vision could sense Diji threw the leaves. She apeared as an violet figure amid a sea of bright yellow.
"THEO!" Diji shouted in horror, trying to maneuver through the dense branches as fast as she could. She was quite swift in the treetops but it was nothing compared to the speed of the harpy. Diji rolled over a branch and let herself fall. It was the only way she could even get close to outrun the large, feathered beast above.
"Diji!" Theo shouted back, craning his head up to try and spot her. He saw her blurred form falling through the branches and rushed forward, catching her in his arms. Immediately he bolted, his four legs taking them far away from where they had stood. "You okay?" He asked.
Her body was trembling. Diji nodded slowly. Her arms and legs were cut up a bit but other then minor bruises, she was fine. The shriek of the harpy echoed down into the forest. Diji jumped and hid close to Theo like an animal cub. "I'm sorry! I won't do anything like that again..."
Theo stopped running when he couldn't hear the harpy anymore and set her down on her feet. "It's alright. You did the right thing."
The razor sharp talons came in from the left, grabbing Theo's robust, horse-like form. The momentum of the attack spuun them counter clock wise towards the ground. The Harpie bounced and lost her grip, floundering in the vegitation of the forest floor she tried to stand quickly.
Theo grunted in pain as the harpie's talons dug into his body, but did not penetrate his armor, which thickened and hardened on impact. He caught himself, but only just, and used the momentum to pull out his short, roman sword from his side. Growling angrily, he launched himself at the harpie, throwing his weight into clefting the bothersome creature's head in twain---or, failing that, falling on her shoulders or wings instead.
The Harpie struggeled, she had been tangeled in vines during her botched attack. As the horsemen barred down on her she screeched, stretched out her wings, ruffeled her feathers, and did her best to bluff.
Theo was unimpressed. The attack he had started earlier followed through as his sword struck down the middle of her face, splitting her skull in half.
The Harpie jerked and convulsed as Theo's sword effectively cleaved her head in twain.
Nessa suddenly came buzzing threw the trees. She overshot her destination and was forced to backtrack several yards "Are you two ok? OHMAGODDES!" She exclaimed seeing the harpie.
"FOR VALA-HA!" Boris Shouted as his great form bounded threw the trees. To his dismay he found the foe already vanquished. "DoH!"
Theo dislodged his sword with a grunt. "Got any need for harpy bits, now's your chance," He told Nessa, his eyes frighteningly wide and clear, yet somehow retaining that familiar sullen glower.
Diji slipped to the front side of the tree where Theo had hidden her. "Are you hurt?" she asked him, her eyes glued to the harpy's skull that was slashed open. Diji had never seen such gore before. She couldn't take her eyes off of the huge talons that brought her close to death.
"Actualy..." Nessa said and knelt down beside the beast. She removed a dagger from her belt and began cutting into the harpie. She removed the tallons, heart, gizzard and gaul bladder. She piled everything into a large bloody ruck sack and caused it to vanish "Those will come in handy. Lakutos loves my scale cream."
"I'm fine," He muttered to Diji. "We should be going," He said loudly, to the rest. "I lost track of Niko's scent with all of this going on. Can you track him down, Nessa?" He asked, wondering if she could find him with her magic.
"I might be able to." Nessa answered but then turned to Borris. "I'd need something of his."
Borris stepped forward and reached into the neck of his armor. He pulled out an amulet from around his neck and handed it to Nessa.
"What is it?" Nessa asked admiering what appeared to be two pieced of petrified wood.
"I hat his ears clipp't vhen he vas a pup." Borris answered.
Diji smiled when he told her that he was alright. She jumped up like the kid she was and hugged his human torso. "I'm glad!" Theo was both like a father, brother and best friend to her.
Lakutos reappeared after the fight was over, looking at everyone oddly. He rested his rapier against his shoulder and arched an eyebrow. "What the Frell happened?? The plants are over there." He said, motioning over his shoulder.
"Gah!" Theo gently shoved Diji off his torso before she threw him off balance. "Diji caught a Harpie, and I killed it. Any questions?"
"I..." Diji paused and let go of Theo. "I did! Didn't I?" she announced, placing her hands on her hips and smiling. She posed with her chin up, pleased in herself. "Teach you to mess with me!" she scoffed at the dead harpy. Diji made a face and stuck her tongue out at the carcass.
"You know, Diji, harpies usually come in threes." Lakutos warned her as she scoffed at the dead harpy, any second now, the other two could swoop in the finish what their sister started
Diji's pose faltered a bit, but she forced it back. "Guess I'm just going to have to beat that one up too." she said with a cocky tone. Keeping her smug grin at Lakutos, she took a long step to the left so she was right next to Theo.
In the distance came the screaching calls of two other harpies. However these calls seemed louder, more robust and possibly from even larger harpies.
"Maybe we should go ahead and get the plant." Nessa said pocketing Niko's ear clippings. "We don't need to stay in once place for long."
The Oracle appeared in the distance, half way between the plant they where searching for and the group. She held Dolly in her arms and pointed where Laqkutois has directed earlier.
Diji shrunk back to Theo when the harpy screech echoed through the woods. She had too close of an encounter with the previous harpy and was a little shaken up by it.
Theo put a strong hand on Diji's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He went over and pulled up the plant. "This is what we're here for, yes?" He tossed it to Nessa. "Let's find Niko and get out of this hellhole."
"I need time to prepare the summons and this place smells like blood." Nessa said. She hoisted her things and headed up whind of the smell.
Diji placed her hands around her mouth and started calling for their canine friend, "NIKO! Niko?! Come here boy!"
Boris placed his large hands over Diji's face. Intending to cover her mouth he basicaly covered her head with his hands "Shhh." He warned "Lest we bring any other beasts down upon our heads."
"Mmmph!?" Diji mumbled with a hand in her face. "What else are we supposed to do?" she asked after moving away from his palm.
"I'm sure Boris has a dog whistle or something a little quieter to call Niko back to him, right old man?" Lakutos said with a shrug. He looked at his drinking buddy curiously. It would seem the logical course of action, but since when were things logical around here?
"Come on, then, let's not let the squishy magician wander off by her lonesome," Theo said, cantering after Nessa.
Diji took Theo's advice and followed behind him with her hands behind her back innocently. "This place wasn't that bad really." Her eyes wandered up into the trees as she walked, "If you take out my near death experience, this world...erm...veil isn't that scary."
"I have no whistle." Borris replied "I've never needed one." He heaved his massive gun onto his shoulder and followed after them, being sure to head up the rear incase anything began following them.
In the distance The Oracle appeared. She didn't say anything but she was pointing to the east where the trees relented to soft grasslands.
"I guess we go this way." Nessa said. She had her nose in the big book of spells again and was grinding various herbs in a mortal. She clipped what looked like a few small hairs from the ear clippings Borris had given her earlier and mixed them into the mortal as well. She did all of this while she walked and read from the book.
Diji could just see the Oracle in the distance as she leaned to the side in order to see around Theo. She scampered towards Theo's front, "You know.... I don't think I like that girl very much. She hasn't even offered to play with me yet. She is...a little creepy too"
Lakutos simply followed the others, he was a little disappointed that they hadn't really seen any action yet. This was the prison viel for crying out loud. Where was everybody that they sent here?
"That's the Oracle," Theo explained, "And she's not a little girl in any sense beyond physical. She's a grouchy old seer stuck in a little girl's body." His huge ears swiveled to and fro warily.
"Oh, that's creepy..." Diji said with a twisted expression. It was as if she had forgotten that at times she was a young girl in a woman's body. She placed her hands behind her back, "Seems like no one is really what they seem, are they?"
"I wouldn't necessarily go that far." Lakutos told Diji as he eavesdropped on their conversation. "Borris is a big burly seasoned warrior, and that's exactly what he seems to be."
"But as cuddly as a stuffed animal, perhaps?" Diji suggested, guessing at an alternative for Boris.
"You'd have to let me know about that one. I think the only one who ever got close enough to find that out would be Niko, and he's not a very talkative creature." Lakutos told her with a smirk.
"THIS WAY!" Nessa screamed all of a sudden and headded running into the field.
Theo grabbed Diji under the arms and swept her into the crook of his elbow like a suitcase under his arm and broke into a gallop after Nessa.
"Eem?" Diji squeaked as Theo held her under his one arm. Hey, it was better then walking...maybe.
Lakutos hated running, with a passion. If Theo hadn't galloped off so quickly, he probably would have hoped on the guy's back and went for a ride. Instead he took off sprinting after them, trying to keep up and not get left behind
With the unnatural speed of the Naissur people Borris came up quickly behind Lakutos and quickly passed him.
"Bad idea." Nessa whispered to herself as she came to a stop in the center of the field. Over twenty Elbisivni bandits stood in the grasses, swords raised, ready to take heads, gold and slaves. The trouble was Elbisivni bandits are invisible. "STOP!!" She shouted at her teammates "GO BACK GO BACK!!!" She began hovering and trying to signal them. Finaly she conjured a spell that read above her in big red letters "INVISIBLE BANDITS AHEAD!"
Lakutos felt a smile cross his face when he saw Nessa's message. "The Elbisivni...perfect." Finally he was going to get the fight he had been yearning for since coming to this frellin' veil.
"Theo?" Diji pointed at the bright sign that Nessa had created. She was unsure if he saw it since he was still heading in that direction.
Theo suddenly came skidding to a halt, kicking up soil. He rammed his free shoulder into a tree to stop himself completely and ducked into the shadows of the underbrush, drawing his short sword and waiting to see what Lakutos and Nessa would do.
Diji felt as if her stomach came flying out of her mouth as he halted suddenly. Grabbing the arm that held her, she slipped out and kept low next to Theo. Her elven ears perked up as she spied. Diji had trouble seeing her friends since she was so short but resisted climbing the tree immediately. She feared that more harpies would catch her. Instead, she kept silent by Theo.
Lakutos felt the magic coarse along his skin as his scales shifted to their cameleon mode and rendered him near invisible. The Elbisivni were truelly invisible, whereas he only was if he stood perfectly still. The effect worked on most enemies, but he had a feeling it would be less appealling to these bandits
Borris skidded to a halt and jumped behind a conveniently placed bolder. In one depth move he removed both fire arms that where strapped to his back, combined them into one impressive rifel and took aim at the far side of the clearing. He might not be able to see the threat but he was prepaired none the less.
Nessa had screwed herself big time. She was at least an acre into the clearing before she'd noticed the band of roving mongrels looming in the distance. She stood her ground, hoping they hadn't noticed them.
All of a sudden a volloy of arrows became visible, twinkling in the night sky as the magic that concealed them drifted in potency as they ventured farther away from their origination.
Not sure of anything else to do, Diji spun around, pressing her back against the tree that her and Theo were stationed at. She had been taught in school several spells to block mere arrows. But the chant escaped her as the wave of arrows flew down at them.
Lakutos felt himself smirk as the arrows glided over top his head. His eyes followed their arc and settled on the most probable point of origin. He moved slowly as to not disrupt the illusion of his appearance, still not knowing if it would even matter with the Elbisivni. He had only fought them once before and had no real reason to use this particular skill of his.
Borris took aim from behind his bolder. "Arrows? Filthy cowards!" He shouted and then proceeded to squeeze off a massive amount of ammunition from the safety of his bolder. He aimed at what he hoped was waste level.
The Oracle appeared next to Theo, her black eyes fixed on Diji. "They will take the girl." she said "You cannot prevent it." Then she flickered away creepily.
Unbeknown to Theo and Diji at least six of the bandits where slowly circling them from behind. They moved like the Elgato of Veil 32, scarcely a leaf was disturbed by their well placed footfalls.
Diji couldn't believe the Oracle girl said that! She growled and instinctively swatted at the Oracle with her claws, but it disappeared just an instant before. Her elf-like ears twitched in attention. Though Diji was young, she wasn't stupid and had spent her entire life growing up in a wild jungle. Keeping close to Theo's legs and the tree trunk, her tail swished back and forth slowly.
Nessa saw the flickering of enchanted arrows glisten off the night sky. "Dleihs!" She shouted, spun her staff over her head. The arrows struck the surface of some magic shield and rippeled like pebbels being thrown into a pool of water. They seemed fastened to the spot directly over Nessa's head while other's continued to the tree line. THe ones in mer spell however where easily sent back to the Elbasivni with the call of "Nruter!" And the the baseball swing.
The arrows became invisible once more as they neared the bandits. If it hadn't been for the scream and crys of pain no one would have known they'd done any damage. A few warriors fell face first into the tall grass as their illusions faded.
The bandits circling Theo and Diji inched closer while the bulk of them kept everyone else busy.
Lakutos snuck amoungst the warriors and slowly slit a couple of threoats before he was certain he had been discovered. Just when they were about to trap him, they were shot down by arrows.
Theo kept one hand on the top of Diji's head to keep track of where she was. The other hand drew his sword and held it before him. Staying in one place with invisible bandits appealed to him as a very bad idea. He reached down and picked Diji up, gently setting her on his back again and pressing his hand between her shoulderblades to secure her. "Hold tight," He whispered, and suddenly bolted, running along the treeline.
Bent down with her belly on Theo's back, Diji firmly grasped at his humanoid hips. To prevent herself from bumping off, her knees tightened around his sides. She resisted turning around to see if anyone was coming and kept her head tucked down.
As if some horrific booby trap had been tripped a multitude of vine vines sprang up all around Theo and Diji. The bandits who had been circling them moved in with ferocious speed. The vine's snare tightened and made to pry Diji from Theo's protection.
"BORRIS!" Nessa shouted seeing that they'd obviously been set up. She pointed towards Theo and Diji while she continued to aim well placed arrows back at the bandits.
Several of the bandits broke away from their formation as Lakutos began dispatching them one by one. They headed straight for the magic whielding bug girl.
Borris quickly took notice of the attack on Theo and Diji. He was a big man but moved with the speed and agility of a highschool track runner. He discarded the guns for his trusty hammer and ciccle. He slashed away vines as he sunk his hammer into anything not Theo or Diji.
Theo fell back to the ground, still pressing Diji against his back, and hacked through the vines that Borris had missed with the sword in his hand. He landed shakily, but on his feet, facing Borris.
With her squirrel-like instincts, Diji wanted to leap off of Theo's back into the treetops. Though her logic kept forcing her body down against Theo, holding him with all of her might. Her eyes were forced open by adrenalin when the rough branches and vines scratched and hit her bare arms and legs. Diji tried her hardest to remember the chant that spread plants outwards. "Snicelt...destu rompshire." she whispered under her breath, skeptical.
Lakutos cursed silently as he felt the Elbisivni move away from him. It made it that much more difficult to hunt them down. He was beginning to feel a little left out when he noticed a strange shimmer in the air heading towards Nessa. Apparently, they weren't as invisible as he thought they were. He gripped his rapier tightly and headed off after it at full speed, rather than at the slow pace that kept him hidden
The vines wrapped around THeo and Diji tighter despire Diji's halfhearted incantation. Borris too began to become enveloped in them as invisable hands took their opertunity. They grabbed Diji, some sort of silver dust flew out of no where, coating the girl and the majority of Theo's back and Borris's arms. Everything the dust touched immediatly became cloaked in the same magic as the bandits. They wrenched her from her hold around Theo and wasted no time in spiriting her away while the vines remained relentless.
Nessa Felt something sharp from behind. Had not been for her armor like exoskeleton she would have been run completely threw. SHe came around with her staff, purple and green energy wafted from it like a fog at waste level and she could disern the bandit's mass. No less than nine where rounding on her and with a shout of "Enitsaf!" the mist she'd conjured congealed and hardened like cement, leaving the bandts around her stuck in the spell. Being properly able to see where her attackers where a well placed bold of lightening dispatched them quickly enough. But even Nessa's powers had their limits and she stumbeled to her knees. The mist still hing just above the esges of the grass and she could stil see more coming after her.
Borris saw his arms vanish in disbelief as the vines began enveloping him faster than he and Theo could cut them. It didn't sway him from trying to free them. "You can't have her!" He shouted when he noticed that Diji too and half of Theo's back went invisable.
Diji was lost from sight but her scream echoed through the forest. She didn't go quietly and writhed as hard as she could. Turning her head, she started to bite down onto the thick vines. She ripped chunks off and spat them out.
When Lakutos saw Nessa stumble to her knees, he ran a little bit faster, gaining ground on the invisible warriors and pulling ahead of them finally. He put himself between them and his comrade and smirked when he noticed that they could finally see his prescense. "Now this is what I came for." He looked over his shoulder at Nessa, "Catch your breath and then go help the others. Leave these fools to me."
"DIJI!" Theo yelled. "DIJI!!" He hacked the remaining vines off of him and bolted, his long ears following the sound of her shrieking.
Despite how she struggled like a rabid animal, the vines seemed to pull tighter. Diji was losing the fight and the taste of the bitten vine was starting to make her ill. "Theo!" she shouted, faintly hearing his voice. "Please don't let them take me!" Though Diji feared it was starting to look grim for her situation..
Nessa nodded to Lakutos and coughed trying to catch her breath. She opened the shells on her back and unfurled her dainty wings. Her equilibrium was still effected but flying would let her catch her breath quicker than running. She flew a lightening bug sort of pattern in the direction of Theo and Borris. "Dab tnalp!" She shouted aiming her staff at the two entangeled warriors. The spell caused the vines around them to relinquish immediatly but the invisability spell they'd been doused with still caused them to be partialy invisable. "Where is Diji?" She asked when she finaly reached them.
The vines and bandits who had spirited Diji away quickly cast a spell of silence as they disapeared into the jungle.
Lakutos quickly made work of the bandits who were left to tend to him. A few got in some lucky hits, splattering his blood across the ground, but by the end of the fight there was more of their's than his.
"THey took her." Borris said slicing away the last of the vines that still hung on him. He said some choice words in his native tongue that didn't need translating.
The Oracle appeared "I have seen it." She said blankly.
"Yeah, we caught that, you useless old hag," Theo spat. He wanted so bad to just stab the Oracle in the eye, see how she liked that. "Where are they taking her? And give me a straight answer."
The Oracle narrowed her eyes at Theo, or she would have if she had any. "The Scorched Cliffs." She said blankly.
"Maybe we can track them before we get there?" Nessa asked immediatly. She obviously didn't seem keen on going to The Scortched Cliffs.
Lakutos walked up tot he group slowly, his rapier resting against his shoulder. He was covered in the blood of the Elbisivni. "What are we standing around for?"
"Because Nessa is more frightened of the Scorched Cliffs than she is concerned about Diji," Theo said. "I know where they are. Let's not waste any more time." He sheathed his sword and stalked off to the West where he knew he would find the Scorched Cliffs.
"The Scorched Cliffs?" Lakutos said quietly as he walked after Theo. "You've never been there before have you, Theo?" He asked his 'friend' quietly. Lakutos was a warrior, but the Scorched CLiffs sent chills down his spine, though he'd never openly admit it.
"Yes, Lakutos," Theo spat back, his clenched fists trembling. "I have. And no, I'm not looking forward to going back. And judging by the look in your eye you've been there, too, so you know just as well as I do a little girl, even a girl as clever as Diji, won't last long at all there."
"I'm not afraid!" Nessa countered back at Theo "It's just..." She stammered "Fine maybe I'm a little afraid but I'd feel much better with a plan. It's not like we can just stroll across the Never Never without bursting into flames." She was obviously speaking of the open expance of methane pockets that left the land baren, hot and bursting with flamey goodness.
"We'll come up with one on the way." Borris said "Unless you can get us there faster."
"Maybe, but I have to charge my staff and we need something that can keep us all together. Rope, preferably magic rope but enough of these formerly enchanted vines should do the trick." Nessa said "You guys grab as many vines as you can carry and head West. I'll charge my staff and meet up with you at the the edge of the jungle."
Lakutos sighed, Theo was right. There was no way that Diji could manage for very long at the CLiffs. But technically speaking the Elbisivni shouldn't be able to either, so why take her there in the first place
Stumble!