Maiden in Distress [Drake]

[Rena and Vince Russo]

Rena and Vince

[/color] russo[/size][/right]


Swept completely off of her feet, the young maiden felt disoriented and terrified. She kicked violently, but her small stature was no use against the iron muscles and thick arms of her holder. "Vince!"[/color] she cried desperately, but she couldn't even see him in the distance anymore. "HELP!"[/color] her Amethyst eyes began clouding with wet tears, the poor girl couldn't even feel them running down her face due to the speed of the large man who carried her away through the dark trees of Gaoracchia Forest.



Rips scarred his clothing as he struggled to get back onto his feet; dried blood matted where the skin was exposed. Vince lay on the ground, his heart sunk and his spirits low. Defeated, he felt as if he had just died... even though he hadn't. Death would have been a better punishment. His little sister had just been taken from him, and in the Labyrinth forest was no match for him. The fight with the bandits had been tough enough as it was, but trying to follow him through a mirror-like forest full of dangerous monsters and untamed pathways.

Struggling to sit up, Vince slouched over and wished that he had at least learned to cast First Aid; Rena was the healer, and now she was gone. At this point, he just wanted to take one of his daggers and stab himself for his idiocism. Or maybe a monster or two would come and devour him. Rena was probably going to be killed or sold on some sort of slave market, and there was nothing he could do because of his condition. His adrenaline had already run out, too. Vince was surprised he was still concious. Moaning in pain physically and emotionally, he fell over again.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[Shara Kaline]

Shara wondered, why would bandits put their base in Gaoracchia Forest? Sure, it would make them difficult to find, but how did they manage to survive the monsters? Either they were incredibly stupid, or these were NOT ordinary bandits. ...Or both. Though somehow, she had the feeling that something was wrong here.

As she got closer to the forest, she saw something happening at the edge... Was someone being attacked?! She began running as fast as she could, but it wasn't fast enough. The bandits (or at least, she assumed they were the bandits) had just taken a girl into the woods with him, and the other person was clearly too exhausted to pursue them.

Gaah... If only she'd been faster, she might have been able to stop this. But she had to do her best to make sure it didn't get any worse!

The man (as she could see now) fell over again before Shara got close enough that he'd hear her armor as she ran. However, she soon go there, and asked him, "Are you alright? What happened?" She then reached into her pack and took out a small red, clear item, and handed it to him. "Here, eat this. It should help." Of course, the item she gave him was an apple gel.

Honestly, Shara thought that the gels resembled candy more than anything else, and certainly tasted like it, but she couldn't deny that they were useful. They were actually a somewhat potent medicine that gave energy back to anyone who ate it almost instantly. Hopefully it would be enough to get the man back on his feet, and that she wouldn't have to use a life bottle instead...

[Rena and Vince Russo]

Hearing the clacking of armour in the distance, Vince sighed; it was almost as if the angels had approved of his prayer. The monsters were on their way to devour him almost instantly, to put him out of his misery. Although, the monster seemed to have a voice, and called out to him, asking if he was alright. d**n, he thought, I must bare my misery a bit longer... where he moaned and tried to speak clearly. "Rena... they... they took her..."

[/color] he rasped, although when he felt a gel jiggle in his fingers, he quickly took it up and felt a bit of energy rush into his veins. It was just enough to get him to sit up, where he rested his elbows on his knees and thanked her very kindly. "Those bandits. They took my sister, Rena. -pant- but I didn't see which direction they went in... she's gone..."[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[Shara Kaline]

So those had been the bandits after all. Shara responded, I saw them go into the forest, I just wanted to double-check what had happened. I came to get rid of these bandits anyway. Don't worry, I'll go find your sister for you." She paused, "Can you fight? I could use all the help I can get against those bandits, and I'm sure you're worried about your sister."

Shara then sighed, "If not, you should probably find somewhere sheltered from monsters. Ozette might be a good idea... She didn't realize that the man was a half-elf, but a little bit of disgust entered her eyes upon thinking of that city. The majority of the people there were worse bigots than those in Meltokio, and they killed half-elves on sight. Shara couldn't stand people like that... But it wasn't like there was much else she could do...

[Rena and Vince Russo]

He looked up at the strange woman as she spoke; she was human... seeming to be a bounty hunter by the looks of her. Apparently she'd been tracking the bandits all along, and said that she would get Rena back for him. The qualities of his expression were dim; his eyes were slightly hollow with defeat and pain, but he seemed to get a little more life in him. As the effects of the apple gel began taking more effect, he was able to stand and growled, "I'm fine to continue on."

[/color] Ozette was his least-favorite place in all of Tethe'alla. "I'll accompany you. Thanks for helping me out, anyway."[/color]

Now that he had a bit of mental control back, Vince examined his wounds. Two on the arm, one across the cheek, one in the knee. Now that they were scabbing, they didn't hurt so much. There were also a lot of bruises, but no major breaks or anything. He'd hold up until Rena was found... he hoped.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[Shara Kaline]

Shara shook her head at his thanks, "You're welcome, but it's not as if I could have just stood by and let you sit here, injured and exhausted. Anyway, let's hurry, we don't want to fall too far behind. The further away they get, the harder it will be to find them, and the more likely that they'll do something to your sister." She turned and began walking in the direction of the forest. As she walked, she asked him, " What's your name by the way? I'm Shara."

[Rena and Vince Russo]

Feeling a bit stiff as he shifted his weight to his other foot, Vince nodded. "You're right. Let's go."

[/color] And he followed, trying hard not to cringe with every step. Pain was seeping up his leg like a bolt of electricity; it was almost blinding. But he pushed through it; anything for Rena.

As the woman introduced herself as Shara, he nodded in agknoledgement and replied, "I'm Vince. Vince Russo. Nice to meet you."[/color] The last few words had a bit of a sour note, being bitten by the pain, but it was unintentional.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[Shara Kaline]

The man introduce himself as Vince Russo, and then said that it was nice to meet Shara. His voice sounded odd on that last part though. "Is something wrong Vince? She then realized what the problem most likely was, Let me know if you think your wounds will be too much of a problem. I have something that might be able to help.

Shara had once saved a healer from some bandits who'd given her an ointment that had managed to be infused with healing mana, so it would not only numb the pain, but likely help the wounds heal within just a few minutes. She wasn't planning on explaining this to Vince unless he wanted it however.

Shara didn't break her stride however, she figured that he'd answer if he wanted to whether they'd stopped or not, and if he didn't need the healing, she didn't want to slow down.

[Rena and Vince Russo]

A twinge of defeat from Shara's ability to pick out his tone flashed through Vince for a second; he was so awful at controlling his emotions when it tried to come through in his voice, and he was a bit embarassed. "I'm... fine."

[/color] he assured, annoyed at himself. "Really. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. We just need to focus on getting Rena back."[/color]

He stopped, though, when a sound formed in his ears; it didn't sound very good. Seemed sort of like something cracking as it tried to force its way through the undergrowth. "Something's coming--"[/color] he snapped, quickly drawing his daggers and stepping back, ready for battle.

ooc//you can decide what it is that's coming xD[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[Shara Kaline]

Shara shrugged when Vince said that he was fine. "Alright then." Then, she heard something coming, and her sword was drawn before Vince could even say to watch out. Then, suddenly, something burst out... It was a child. A young boy with pointed ears.

The boy looked terrified as he saw the two of them with their weapons out. "D-don't hurt me!" he cried out. Shara sheathed her sword, and then said to the boy, "No, don't worry, we won't hurt you. We were just afraid that the rustling was a monster. Why were you in the forest?"

The boy looked up at her, still looking afraid, but less so than before, "I... I was taken by those bad men! And so were a lot of other kids..." Suddenly, he seemed to realize something for the first time, his eyes widening in absolute terror again, "Aaah! You're a human!" Suddenly, he looked toward Vince, "But... You're a half-elf. What are you doing with her?"

What...? Shara couldn't believe it... Such a young child, and he was so scared of humans. The persecution of half-elves was truly such a horrible thing if it was scarring even little kids like this.

Shara looked back at Vince, "What do you think we should do? We can't just leave him, and we can't bring him into the forest with us. We certainly can't take him to Ozette..." She paused, "Also, sorry about suggesting going there earlier. They probably would have ripped you apart if they'd realized you were a half-elf.

Suddenly, Shara noticed something moving from the corner of her eye. She quickly looked toward it and saw... Was that some sort of tentacle?! It was coming from where the boy had appeared from. She quickly drew her sword and slashed toward it... However, then she heard a scream.

The boy was being dragged off by another tentacle, that was coming from another direction so she hadn't seen it. Very rapidly at that. Shara ran into the bushes, trying to reach the boy before whatever that thing belonged to ate him.

[Rena and Vince Russo]

Vince thought his throat had closed up when he saw the young child, and lowered his weapons immediately, mortally embarassed. A child, he had pointed a weapon at--and a half-elf, just like himself, at that. But he had then pointed out Shara as a human--and he as a half-elf. Gulping, Vince glanced over to Shara, but she seemed completely passive. Lowering his head, Shara began calming dowwn the boy, where he reported that a load of kids were being taken away. Rena...! he thought, almost instantly, and before he could think to ask where the cart was headed, Shara appologized for offering Ozette as a resting point. "Don't worry about it. Now, where did--"

[/color] before he could finish, Vince realized the tentacles were surrounding them completely.

Slashing out with his weapons, Vince sliced the tentacles to shashimi, although he noticed that they grew back almost instantly, and the boy was being taken away by them. "Hey, get away from that boy!"[/color] he roared, and slashed out a Double Demon Fang to lash right through the tentacles, very careful to avoid hitting Shara. But he felt one beginning to wrap around his leg, and before he could turn to cut it away, they knocked him clean off his feet, and one of his wounds opened up again. Trying to ignore it, though, he stabbed his dagger into the ground and pulled away, managing to break free from the plant's grasp. Back on his feet quickly, Vince continued cutting through the tentacles, despite how little effect there was on them. If he cut quickly enough, he thought, he would be able to take them out before they had time to grow back.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[Shara Kaline]

It turned out, Shara hadn't needed to go after the boy, as not one shockwave cut through the tentacle, but two. Shara knelt down next to the boy, "Are you alright?" He nodded. "Good. Stay close!

However, something was strange... The tentacle was regrowing! The severed part didn't move, but the part it had come from was regenerating quite rapidly. This wasn't good... If they couldn't cut the things apart, what could they do?

For she now realized that there were more than one. Far more than one. And coming from all around... Suddenly, she got an idea. She could pull up whatever they had come from!

Shara grabbed several in her hands, and quickly tied them into a knot. One that they didn't escape from. She then pulled with all of her (quite incredible) strength, in an attempt to pull whatever the source was up. A couple simply snapped, but she was able to feel that they apparently all came from one place... That was good to know. Shara quickly grabbed as many as she could, tying them into one ridiculously huge knot. Then she pulled on them. And they didn't snap.

[Rena and Vince Russo]

Turning in Shara's direction with his attacks, he noticed what she was doing and thought it quite clever. It was a perfect, flawless strategy--pull up whatever the hell it was that was attacking them. As she knotted the tentacles, he joined her, grabbing a few loose ones from a little farther off, and joined in the pulling. He wasn't much of a help, but a help nonetheless; enough to pull the beast right out of the ground and into a range of visibility. "--!!"

[/color]

The monster was a huge plant--it had leaves like a flower, and the tentacles extended right out from its center, and the stems that held it in the ground were a purple, glowy color with spikes poking off of them. They looked poisonous, and even more painful because of the spikes. The Tentacles were massively long, and tangled through the undergrowth able to come out in all directions; their regeneration came from the long, petal-like leaves, which pulsed with white magic energy.

"Ew..."[/color] Vince panted, and slashed the tentacles out of his grip, going to leap right in for the leaves so that it couldn't regenerate itself anymore.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[Shara Kaline]

The creature that appeared was truly a monstrosity. A vile plant monster that looked more like something out of a nightmare than anything natural. Perhaps the forest really did deserve its reputation as being cursed. Or perhaps something else was going on... She supposed it didn't matter. Either way, they needed to get rid of it. "Run!" Shara shouted to the half-elf child.

The boy didn't hesitate, he got out of there as fast as he could. Shara hoped that he'd be able to find shelter... She was prepared to defend the boy from the monster, but that proved to be unnecessary, as it seemed to be focused on the ones that it realized were a threat.

Shara thought about trying to tie the remaining tentacles into the knot, but decided to just go for the kill. The glowing leaves looked like a better idea than the stems that held it to the ground. As far as she knew, it needed the stems to stay alive, but if she cut them and that wasn't the case, it might be able to use them to attack, which would NOT be a good thing.

Shara rushed forward toward the creature, and slashed at the nearest of its leaves. Unfortunately, what she had failed to take into account was that even though the tied up vines couldn't wrap around anything, they COULD work together and slam into things. Namely, Shara herself.

Shara felt something slam into her back, HARD, even going so far as to dent her armor. And she was sent flying toward the creature's mouth. "Crap!" she shouted as she realized what was happening. She was NOT planning on being digested by a gigantic weed. Shara couldn't stop while she flew through the air, but she WAS able to bring her sword up quickly and then swing down, hitting the top of the creature's... Lip?

Shara slowed down enough that she didn't go hurtling all the way into the thing's throat. She sliced her way out of its mouth and then walked out. Its tentacles were heading toward her again now... Wow this thing was stupid. Shara simply jumped out of the way, and it started eating its tentacles. Evidently, it couldn't spit them back out either.

Shara had to fight to concentrate instead of just bursting out laughing, but she managed to keep focus, and she began slashing at the leaves nearest to her...

[Rena and Vince Russo]

Noticing that the tentacles were focused mainly on Shara, Vince had a clear shot right to the leaf... petal... things. He knew Shara would be able to handle them herself, as she had before, while he took care of its white magic. Slashing clean through like a knife in cheese, the leaves began to wither and the healing magic was seeping out from the dead plants. The base of the monster was still alive, though, and now that it could no longer heal itself, it was very open for rapid fire attack. Vince lashed all out, and then saw Shara suddenly exlpode from inside the monster's mouth, and then it ate its own tentacles... ew... The monster didn't really move afterward.

"Well then... that was..."

[/color] he then realized that the kid was gone, and he hadn't gotten to ask where the Caravan carrying all the children was. "Where'd the kid go?"[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]