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Post by Scar on May 10, 2006 0:15:42 GMT -5
Conflict racked Artemis' brain. On one paw he wanted to get Divna and run to safety but on the other he didn't exactly want the paladin or his comrades dead. And on another paw (he had four after all) he didn't want that ... thing wrecking havoc on the elven village, especially not after their hospitality.
All doubts however vanished when he saw Divna sprawled out on the ground, unmoving and unconscious. Artemis bared his teeth and began chanting the words of the spell. "Eat entangling roots you bi --"
~*~*~*~
"By Selbaden, you've killed her!" Khestrel managed to gasp at the sight of the elfling's body. In a mix of foolish anger and surprise, the paladin did something that his brethren had not taught him when dealing with Morphos.
He bit Rileth.
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Post by Kat on May 10, 2006 2:36:41 GMT -5
(Pardon ze plot twists. ^^; Kat could not resist.)
Somewhere in the hospital, one of the nurses glanced out at the window. She had long, flowing brown hair underneath a cap that indicated her rank, her fringe dipping into two emerald-green eyes. The nurse towered over some of her colleagues and looked relatively human, despite having rather elfish features, like pointed ears sticking up underneath that mane of hair.
"Look," she said, prodding a nearby man who wore the same cap and white uniform that she did. "There's a fox out there."
"Wild beasts," he muttered in a distinct baritone. But his comrade plodded on.
"Ronan, don't be silly. Squirrels and chipmunks are fine, but foxes? Why would they want to run around here? Or...could it be hurt?"
He sighed. "Gemina...I know you always want to help animals, but..."
"Tell the doctors that I'm off to handle an emergency. Which is true right now. That fox could be sick or something!" said the one called Gemina defiantly. And, pushing past Ronan, she burst out of the hospital, much to the surprise of her other fellow nurses.
~*~*~*~
Gerard desperately worked his hand through to dig out the dagger's hilt. But just as he was about to tug the entire weapon out to stab Rileth, he saw Khestrel out of the corner of one of his icy blue eyes and had to admire the warrior's guts.
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Post by My email doesn't work anymore on May 10, 2006 9:17:33 GMT -5
((Paws, nice xD))
By that time a crowd of elves had gathered around the site, but tried to stay rather discrete to save face for none really knew how to deal with the situation at hand. But as soon as the paladin bit down on the scaly flesh Rileth began to shriek retchedly and all the elves took a few steps backward at the same time. Hissing and sputtering her head dove at his neck, fangs beared and dripping with vemon.
But just as she was about to clamp her jaw something whipped her neck back with frightening speed. The colossal head smacked hard on the ground as more and more vines began to sprout from the grassy ground and tangle the serpent's body. Her muscles contracted violently in one last feeble attempt to crush her prey but the frantic vines had slipped between the coils and began disjointing the fatal embrace.
Humiliated and vanquished Rileth lay there and let the vines constrict along her form until there was a sickening crack. Hesitantly the vines retreated and the basalisk began to shrink and dissolve until only the body of a young elven woman was left behind.
A bit cold-heartedly Thak glanced down at the body and then his axe. Sure she'd been a Morpho and that was of course what he had been hunting but it really wasn't all that enjoyable when he didn't even kill his own trohpy.
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Post by aerisangel01 on May 10, 2006 15:27:38 GMT -5
(A character of one of my story is called Gemina!)
Aerisa put her sister next to a tree, farther in the forest, where she would be safe, and put some blankets on her. "Stay there, Liger." She listenned at the shout, looking at Lorraine. "Still want to go?"
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Post by Scar on May 10, 2006 19:48:45 GMT -5
Artemis watched the vines constrict the snake with some satisfaction. However, he didn't stop to admire his work. Ignoring the snake thrashing nearby, Artemis darted out from the bushes and ran towards Divna. He reached down worriedly and felt the side of her small neck with a paw, exhaling deeply in relief when he felt a pulse.
He quickly bit down on her collar and threw her atop her shoulder before running like a bat out of an infernal pit into the safety of the woods, not once looking back.
~*~*~*~
Khestrel stumbled from Rileth's crushing embrace and spilled out onto the grass. He watched her revert to her normal form and growled. "And to think I trusted you." When the vines had disappeared into the ground he walked over to the prone elf and looked her over. He spotted a tiny bite mark on her ankle and snickered in satisfaction, kicking her for good measure.
He turned towards Thak and Gerard. "Any of you got any rope?" he asked.
Much as he wanted to kill her, she was worth more alive than dead to the Church.
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Post by Kat on May 10, 2006 23:46:36 GMT -5
('Twas the first girl G-name I could think of, Aerisa. XDDD)
Gerard winced as he hit the ground face first, and after checking if he had chipped any teeth or if he somehow broke anything, he turned to see Rileth, bundled up in vines like a great grotesque package, transform back into her elf form. He looked up, slightly dazed, as Khestrel asked for rope.
The thief fumbled through his pockets and the light pack he often carried around. "I know I've got a bit here somewhere," he said. At last, he drew a decent length of rope and walked over to Rileth.
"I'm sorry, dear cousin," Gerard whispered with a hint of a smirk on his face. "But what goes around, comes around." He glanced at Khestrel. "Oy, do I tie her up now?"
~*~*~*~
Lorraine bit her lip. "Should we wait for Artemis?" she asked worriedly. "Or did he tell us to go on without him? If so, then I'm still going."
~*~*~*~
Gemina ran, trying to follow the fox, with her hair flying behind her like a great brown banner. But just as she was close to it, he disappeared through some bushes. Instead of sprinting after it, she stopped and watched the scenario unfolding before her eyes. There had been three people - or were they actually real people? One of them looked too large to be considered a real person, and another also had elfish characteristics - and they were being strangled by a large serpent several seconds earlier before it reeled and got entangled in vines that sprang out of nowhere. Strange, it was.
And through it all, she saw the fox she had been tailing pick up a small elf and take it into the woods. Perhaps it wasn't an ordinary fox...and it was all the more reason to find out what was wrong with it.
But the nurse hung back, even as her quarry and the elfling disappeared into the forest. She was too shy, and she wasn't about to risk getting constricted or anything. It was only her love for animals that drove her to try some stealth tactics.
Not minding the dirt and grass that would get onto her immaculate white uniform, Gemina dove for the nearest tree and hid behind it.
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Post by My email doesn't work anymore on May 11, 2006 18:25:03 GMT -5
Thak waited for Gerard to finish with his knotting and slung the limp elf over his shoulder. Neither of them seemed to really care where their liberating vines had come from in the first place so decided agains bringing it up. "So I 'sume it's back ta Zeromus then?" This hadn't been quite how the orc expected the so-called 'Quest for Selbaden' to end up but he was fine as long as it ended up in coins shined up on some holy scoundrel's behind.
The hushed murmuring of the elves scattered throughout the clearing was becoming rather irritating. "Oi! Haul yer arses bac' ta where they were goin'! Nothin' left ta see 'ere 'nless ya wanna complimentary evisceratin'!"
The crowd couldn't have dissolved faster.
Bumbling along the forrest floor Divna was slowly bounced awake but still felt rather woozy. Lazily she rubbed the sore spot on her head and hugged the warm and fuzzy thing that was carrying her along.
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Post by Kat on May 12, 2006 2:04:45 GMT -5
Gerard whistled. "They must've thought we were putting up a play or something," he remarked. "Well, where do we bring her now? We can't just lug her about." For a moment his elflike ears pricked up towards a cluster of trees, but he thought nothing of it.
~*~*~*~
The nurse inched towards the next tree trunk, wincing and biting back a squeak of terror as a stray twig scratched her arm. Still keeping her eyes on the roving shape of the fox and the elf it carried, Gemina tried to keep as hidden as possible. She did not like the looks of the people around and wasn't about to reveal herself to them.
She stepped over a gnarled tree root, and crouched behind a bush. The nurse was now a good distance away from the suspicious-looking guys, and any movement or noise she would make would be blamed on woodland creatures. But Gemina did not want to take that chance.
She continued to pursue the fox.
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Post by aerisangel01 on May 12, 2006 18:22:26 GMT -5
"He said to wait." Things seemed calmer in the city already. I wonder if both he and the kid are safe...
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Post by Scar on May 13, 2006 1:20:38 GMT -5
Artemis burst through the bushes at the edge of the clearing and, spotting the rest of his friends, ran in their direction, depositing Divna at Lorraine's feet.
He turned to Aerisa and shouted, "Let's go! They could be coming our way any minute now!" Then his ears pricked up and he added discreetly, "And there's someone following us ..."
~*~*~*~
"Let us use her to get into that building," Khestrel remarked. "We can say we found her like that and are bringing her in for medical attention. That way we get the other Morphos as well without getting into a fight."
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Post by Kat on May 13, 2006 2:50:36 GMT -5
Gerard nodded. "I like that idea, sire," he said, his voice not a bit sarcastic at all. "And I can play the part of the sad, horrified cousin who wants nothing but to see her alive and well." Then he paused for a moment. "Hang on...why are we going to find Morphos again?"
~*~*~*~
Gemina bit her tongue to stifle a gasp as her head collided with a low-lying tree branch. As stars erupted before her eyes, she squinted and saw the outline of the fox and the elfling disappear through a cluster of bushes. Stepping over a few rocks and more forest scraps, she finally caught sight of the fox's moving tail as it stopped in front of a red-headed human clutching a staff and several other supplies. She seemed to have company as well.
For a moment Gemina and this stranger stared at each other.
"Who are you?" asked the stranger. She looked like a pure human mage of some sort. "What business do you have following Artemis like that?"
The elfish person took a deep breath. "My name is Gemina, and I'm a half-elf, half-human nurse at the hospital," she said slowly. "I mean you all no harm. I promise. I just thought your fox was hurt and needed help. Is he yours? Is it even possible to tame a fox?"
The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Nobody owns him," she replied frankly. "Anyway, Gemina, if you do try to harm any of my comrades...not just Artemis, but Divna, Adeesa, Aerisa and Liger, I know several hundred ways to torture and kill you. I am Lorraine Astrallien, a newly-graduated mage. I know almost any kind of magic, but I specialize in liquid or water magic. Cross me, Gemina, and you will regret it for the rest of your life. And Artemis, the fox, is not in need of any kind of medical care as of now. He just needed to save someone." She gestured towards Divna.
"I assure you, Lorraine," said Gemina. "All I wanted was to heal your fox - umm, the fox...but does the elfling need help?"
"I can take care of this myself, thanks," replied the mage, kneeling before Divna and gently humming several spell words. A stream of glittering blue light shimmered and swirled around Divna's head. "Are you all right?"
Meanwhile, Gemina hung back, watching Lorraine at work and smiling hopefully at the rest of the small group, including Artemis.
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Post by Scar on May 14, 2006 2:13:40 GMT -5
((Hmm, looks like Kat has been doing some reading on foxes, eh? Actually silver foxes can be tamed but that's another story n;) ))
Khestrel pointed his fat finger in the irritated thief's nose. "Because they are abominations and because I said so," he replied threateningly. "Now get in there and make sure those other Morpho do not get loose."
~*~*~*~
Artemis couldn't help but look away in embarassment at Gemina's stare, well aware of how pretty the half-elf was. Besides, he didn't want anyone to think he was cute in this form.
"Look, tell her I don't need healing and let's go already," he said in Aerisa's direction. "I'm not sure how long I kept our pursuers occupied."
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Post by Kat on May 14, 2006 4:39:30 GMT -5
((Eh, I just remembered stuff I read. ^^))
"Right," said Gerard, narrowing his eyes and hefting Rileth into his arms as though about to rock her to sleep. "But we have another problem. I can't just march into that hospital - I'm a wanted man! Unless you can figure out a way for me to get in there and not be recognized, I'm not going anywhere near there."
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Post by My email doesn't work anymore on May 14, 2006 19:33:57 GMT -5
Divna blinked a few times as the pretty sparkly mist disappeared. Then suddenly bolted up on her rear and looked around at everyone. The last few minutes had become one long blur of smelly stuff, scaly stuff and fluffy stuff to her. But then she began to smile and giggle with glee when she realized veryone was back together again. One by one she ran around giving them all snuggly and rather forced hugs.
"It's you it's you it's really you! You're all okay and if your'e okay I'm okay!" she chimed gleefully. Nini lept off Liger's neck and bounded off Aerisa's head and landed in her mistress' arms mewing happily and licking the elfing on the chin.
"Now that we're all back can we finally get going?" she asked excitedly snatching her meager belongings from the pile. But the suddenly the tiny elfling stopped twirling in her tracks and froze at the site of the hospital. Divna stood staring for a few tense moments and scrunched her brow in contemplation. "Wh...where's Rileth?"
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Post by aerisangel01 on May 14, 2006 20:39:13 GMT -5
Aerisa cursed under her breath as the kitten used her head as a jumping platform.
"We don't need help, lady. Divna, I'm not sure what happened exactly, but there might still be danger. We'll go somewhere safer, then I promise you we'll review everything that happened, alright?"
She kneeled next to the child.
"You understand?" She patted the kid's head, before raising herself, looking in her backpack. "As for you..." She quickly jumped in Gemina's dirrection, putting her butcher knife under her throath. "You're coming with us... or you die here." She said it in an extremely cold voice. It was easy to see she was dead serious.
(Aerisa may be with the good guys, she STILL is a villian... heheh )
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