[IC] The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

[BrokenPromise]

_{@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin}

And why not feel something was afoot?

Even if one chose to rule the cat’s position as a coincidence, it was still an unusual sight. Small cats like this were ill suited for the forest, often preferring to remain hidden from their many predators. The last place you’d expect to see a cat was perched on a tree branch. Even if Ethelred didn’t know much about wildlife, it must have seemed unusual that it hadn’t run off yet. Instead it looked back at him, its large eyes staring at his frigid helm.

It seemed content to do nothing. Its tail wagged side to side as the knight and feline continued their staring competition. But it did not remain this way for long.

”The talking ice block wants to know what I am?”

The cat’s form shifted. Its form grew taller, its shoulders spread apart along with its hips. Fur gave way to cloth and flesh, and the feline’s diamond shaped pupils turned round. In a matter of seconds, the cat had turned into a woman.

Braided red hair, eyes some shade between sapphire and emerald. They say that the clothes make the person, but it was hard to tell much about this woman by how she dressed. Her shirt and pants were short like an entertainer might wear, but she also had an ugly belt pouch that served some practical use. She wore lots of jeweled accessories, but her boots and gloves were well used. A bandit would have been more discreet, a commoner less so Which meant...

”I’m a human, of course! One who practices druidcraft.”

A human with a very large, very ominous looking spear. It’s grim appearance was a stark contrast to the woman’s lighthearted personality. She hopped off the tree branch and landed at the base of the tree.

”You’ve got a Tuatha kid, the most sinister looking sword woman I’ve ever seen, and you look like some crony a wizard would use to guard his tower. Yea, like, an ice golem or something.” She placed a hand on her hip and kept her spear pointed in the air. ”You still think i’m the weird one? The fuzzy eared kid must have excellent PR skills if he can get you two around without frightening entire cities. I dunno what you’re paying him, but its not enough.” Her grin got just a bit wider. ”So aside from slaying plants and accosting the local wildlife, what are you doing out here?”

[Crimson Paladin]

Ethelred wasn't too surprised that the cat to talk back to him, or that it was quite smarmy. He was, however, surprised to see its shape shift into that of a human woman.

By all accounts it was good news that this cat was actually a druid rather than a disguised Unseelie. He wasn't too pleased with her attitude, however, although he wasn't entirely sure if she was insulting him on purpose or if it was what passed for compliments from someone removed from human civilization.

"If you must know, we're knights of Queen Sorcha. My name is Ethelred, and I can assure you that despite my appearance, I am human. The swordswoman is Elnith, the squire is Lugh. We've come here to investigate Unseelie activity and some disappearances of local villagers," he answered, trying his best to act professionally. "I've been told that the Unseelie have been using singing to lure people into the woods. Judging by these unnatural flower beds, the monsters, and...this," he said, pointing his lance to the arm that he had excavated, "Our foe shouldn't be too far away."

"What about you, Druid?" he asked. "What brings you here to the site of the Unseelie's murderous games?" As long as Lugh wasn't sensing any corruption on her, the Frozen Knight was willing to give her the benefit of a doubt.

@BrokenPromise

[BrokenPromise]

”Totally didn't retroactively change my banner.”

— Luana Roycroft

_{@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin}

”The queen…” The druid’s smile relaxed as Ethelred introduced himself and explained the situation. But once he asked her to do the same, her smile returned. ”Oh, I don’t know if I’d quite call myself a druid. I haven’t had much practice with magic. I’ve been a hunter far longer than a druid.But since we’re all on a first name basis, why don’t you call me Luana?” She nodded, as if affirming an approval Ethelred had yet to give. ”As for why I’m here, I really just wanted to see some elves. I don’t know if there are any here, but I thought there were a lot of Unseelie. I mean, logically, you’d have to assume they are sort of related. Legends tell of times when elves protected the fey, so there has to be a chance the fey here know where the elves are, right? Right? Of course I’m right! And that also means our interests sort of align, don’t they? Different mysteries with the same common thread.” She rubbed her chin with a hum. ”I’d better come with you. You might actually find your mark if I stick with you.”

Luana opened up one of her pouches and pulled out a handkerchief. It was a dull red and quite old, and wasn’t difficult for her to cut one of the corners off. She twirled the corner with her fingers and stuck it in her ear. ”Your mark is a shrewd one. They won’t come out and fight us while we’re at full strength. They like to subdue their targets, maybe divide them up.” She cut off a few more strips and rolled them up. ”I wouldn’t take a chance with that song either. If we can avoid hearing it, we should tune it out.” Once she finished making a second pair of earplugs, she tossed them to Ethelred. The cloth froze in his hand as the heat escaped as white mist. ”Then again, maybe some of us should be able to hear the song.”

Once Luana had filled her ears, and made any more ear plugs that were requested of her, She stood up straight. ”If you want to lead the way, sir knight, I’ll keep an eye on our back. Just uh, someone give me a poke if something happens. I can’t promise I’ll hear anything unless you’re loud enough.”

[VitaVitaAR]

Fio gritted her teeth in frustration. She'd completely failed to account for her situation after getting out of the water. She could have brought something to dry herself off with, and a spare set of clothing.

She hadn't done any of that. She'd bee so focused on her other preparations she hadn't even thought about it. And now she was left without any way of getting dry, aside from some old sacks, or...

...

That really was the only option, wasn't it?

The Sword Witch was only growing even more frustrated as she came to realize just how she was going to have to dry herself off. She didn't like it one bit, but she also couldn't sit in the prison, bereft of anything to wear, until someone slipped a towel and a change of clothes through the door. She was tired enough as it was, and there was no way she would admit to her situation to begin with.

And so, the only dry article piece of fabric that wasn't her own clothing had to be acquired.

Maybe that would shut the Cethlann up a bit. Make her share in the embarrassing experience.

Once she had acquired the coat and used it to dry off, at least she could put on her dry clothing, sans underclothes.

@Rune_Alchemist

[Guy0fV4lor]

---

@Rune_Alchemist

Reinhardt's smile froze on his face as the second half of the Mage's exclamation reached his ears. The Knight had gotten so caught up in the rush of a fight without stakes that he'd nearly forgotten why he'd come out here to isolate himself in the first place. Gone was the jovial smile from before; replaced by his usual stoic expression.

"Better it be a second rate like me than anyone else..." he muttered under his breath.

Elias' feet dug in as he faced the oncoming tentacle, his chest igniting with orange light as he gripped the hilt of his axe with both hands-- and meeting the tentacle with a downward swing!

[Rune_Alchemist]

Location:
Nids End
@Pyromania99

---

The elf’s wrist was caught, Luna barely managing to grab it before the weapon was brought to her neck. Sarah gave a mildly surprised grunt as Luna’s head met hers, the impact of which caused her to stumble backwards just a bit, head swimming from the rough impact and shortly followed by a blow to her stomach from Luna’s shield.

“So you do have some tricks, huh.” Sarah replied, barely managing to deflect Luna’s sword, holding her sword with both hands beside her head, blade pointed towards the other knight. She was clearly on the defensive now, though how long that would stay so, remained to be seen. The elf in retaliation would attempt to side step around Luna, attempting to flank her with her speed.

Location:
Hjrelskins Fall
@Crimson Paladin

---

“Ah the cat talked!” Lugh would exclaim as Luana made her presence known. Elnith’s hand tightened on her blade, clearly wary of this feline beast as it began to speak, and only until it revealed itself as a human practitioner of druidcraft did her grip on the blood red blade relax a little. “Ah, the cat turned into a pretty lady!” Lugh would astutely observe, earning a soft bop on the head from Elnith.

“A druid…out here…mhm, did you learn from the Tuatha?” Elnith would inquire, still a bit wary, shaking her head and declining the offer of earplugs. “My hearing is…far too good for those to be effective. I should be fine, for a while at least. My curse at least offers some resistance to other curses and spells.”

“Hmm…seems fine.” Lugh nodded. “Not bad. Pretty lady is just pretty. Not Unseelie or Fomorian. Don’t think earplugs work.” He’d point to his large, fluffy ears. He’d need a lot of cloth for that. “But Sorcha says I should thank you for the offer so thank you.” This, was about when their conversation would be interrupted. Not by unseelie or fomorian, or something else attacking them.

But by a song.

The entire forest went deathly quiet. An uneasiness settled over the air, birds that had been flying above fell from the skies near instantly, one falling to the ground near Ethelred as a few more could be seen falling in the distance, forced into a sleep while they were still flying.

It was a mysterious, otherworldly noise. Whoever was singing, was singing something none could understand, but if it flowed like water but was dissonant as the grinding of stone.

“...it hurts.” Lugh winced.

Every single one of their bodies, save for Luana would find themselves briefly turning in near unison towards deeper into the forest, an almost uncontrollable urge to follow overcoming them.

Location:
Airedale Forests
@Guy0fV4lor

---

The cephalopod tentacle slammed into Elia’s legs, but in the same instance the axe was brought down onto its body. The axe cleanly swung through the flesh, cutting another deep gash into the writhing mass as it’d attempt to now coil around its leg…but that was all it could do. It shuddered, a wet squelching noise coming from it as it went momentarily rigid and then completely limp, falling to the ground and releasing the brief grip it had on Elias.

Its body would turn translucent, before ultimately disappearing in little motes of light.

“...haaa…” The mage relaxed now, shoulders slumping a bit as she’d pull herself to her feet, rubbing the back of her neck. “I suppose I should thank you.”

Airedale Prison
@VitaVitaAR

---

“Eh, why aren’t you saying anything? Fomorian caught your tongue?” Cethlann didn’t seem cowed by Fio’s silence. If anything it seemed to amuse her. “Come ooon, what’s the matter? Surely you’re gonna tell me? Eh? Why are you coming closer?” Those words had barely just left her mouth as Fio began, of all things disrobing her.

“Eh?! Eh!? What are you doing!? Are you actually a high class witch?!” Cethlann would shriek, only confusing what exactly she thought a ‘witch’ should be even more as she’d struggle a bit in her bonds. “I’m a married woman you know! You’d do this to a married woman!?” Well, that was…information. Probably false, considering this was under duress and there was a high chance Cethlann was just messing with her.

Still, this little show would continue as Fio managed to pull the Fomorian’s coat off of her, the fabric surprisingly soft and extremely clean, and just the right size for Fio it seemed like. Cethlann herself was left red faced, and naked, aside from her own undergarments.

This, would allow Fio to see the rest of her body. For the most part there was well, nothing of note.

Save for a large, vertical scar that ran the length of her stomach. She could barely make out another, much larger scar on her back.

“...I-if this is how you torture people I may have to rethink my opinion of your…witchiness.” She’d grumble, seeming more like she was pouting than actually upset at the turn of events, though whether that made Fio feel better or not…remained to be seen.

[BrokenPromise]

”I was not pinged, probably because of the earplugs.”

— Luana Roycroft

_{@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin}

Luana had mostly been addressing Ethelred, but the other knight and squire found time to interject with their own comments. If she heard Lugh comment on her beauty she made no attempt to acknowledge it. Elnith managed to catch the druid’s attention when she asked about her teacher.

”No!” She practically shouted her response. ”I mean, maybe? Possibly? I don’t know.” She hugged her spear against her side. ”Ever since I started my quest to find an elf, I’ve spent a lot of time in forests. Living in them, hunting in them, and once you become the forest’s friend, it starts to talk to you!” She held her chin. ”Or that was what I had assumed. Maybe the whispered instructions of the forest were actually a Tuatha who took interest in me. Maybe a distant admirer? But then why wouldn’t they approach? Oh, maybe it was an elf!”

But dreaming of such fantasies would have to wait.She offered makeshift earplugs to each of the knights.

”Oh yea! I should have known you were too cool for that sort of thing.” Her grin got just a bit bigger. ”You’re still not the coolest one here though.” Lugh’s refusal seemed to hurt her more, as she almost looked concerned. ”Really? I mean, your ear canal can’t be that wide, right?” She shrugged and grabbed a hold of her stocking. ”I think I’ve got some more material here to shave off.”

But she wouldn’t have time. Birds started to fall out of the sky, and Luana’s new companions were drawn towards something. Cloth ear plugs weren’t the best, but they seemed to do their job. She gave the knights a quick glance before correcting her posture and resting her spear on her shoulder.

”I’ll keep us safe.”

She remained behind the knights, ready to mirror their behavior. Their mark might know where they were, but had they anticipated one of them would be immune to their charms?

[VitaVitaAR]

"I'm not torturing you," protested Fio, already having to deal with enough of an awkward situation as it was without Cethlann's comments. Married? Obviously not even close to the truth.

She tried not to glance in the Fomorian's direction, and used the outside of the jacket to dry herself as opposed to the inside. Leaving a prisoner to sit and grow increasingly cold without any form of clothing was torture, and even if said prisoner was a Fomorian it was wrong to do such a thing. So by using the outside of the jacket instead she could keep it from getting too wet.

"What exactly do you think a witch is?" she complained. Why was this what Cethlann expected from a witch? What part of this situation screamed witch to the fomorian, exactly? What kind of experiences did she have with witches? Was that something she could have discovered if she went the other way in Cethlann's dreams?

On second thought, perhaps she didn't want to know.

The sight of the scar on the Fomorian's torso wasn't lost on Fio, and there was an even larger one on her back. Initially Fio assumed it was the result of self-experimentation, but it only took a few moments for the Sword Witch to realize why that didn't make much sense. Cethlann had not endured her own pain particularly well.

While she'd like to assert that it wasn't important, there was every possibility it was.

"I-in any case, I certainly learned some interesting information," Fio added, doing her best to not directly reveal anything she had learned yet and try and keep her mind off of the general awkwardness of the situation. The three-armed Fomorian was associated with Cethlann, and on top of that the latter had been getting pressure for results from another party. She'd have to investigate more, when she was able.

She tossed the jacket back onto the Fomorian and set about retrieving her own clothing. Certainly her undergarments were soaked, but the rest of her clothing wasn't.

Soon enough, she was adjusting her hat back in place.

@Rune_Alchemist

[Crimson Paladin]

Ethelred declined the crude earplugs. "I appreciate it, but a curse prevents me from removing my helmet to insert them. Like with Elnith, however, it should provide some resistance to other curses." Unsure if she heard with her ears plugged up, he tapped his helmet and tugged on it slightly to show that it could not come off.

He wasn't sure what to make of this woman, but he couldn't see any fault in her logic or reasoning. He was willing to work with her for now. Besides, unlike that elf, this newcomer didn't disparage him for being cursed. She made some blunt remarks and jokes, perhaps, but he sensed no contempt in her tone.

As she tried to convince Lugh to take the earplugs, which he declined due to the size of his Tuatha ears, it happened. Something changed. Birds started to drop out of the sky. In the distance, Ethelred could hear a haunting sound.

It was singing. A strange, unnatural singing in words that Ethelred could not discern, probably in a language he did not know. They had found the source of the disappearance- but it had also found them.

Ethelred turned towards the source, gripped in its compelling spell. He felt a powerful urge to press on in that direction. A part of him wanted to flee, to resist with all his might and do the opposite of what the voice wanted, regardless of the pain and exhaustion it might bring him. He saw the aftermath of one who had followed the singing, he knew that those who fell under the spell perished.

He could not, however. They were here to find this voice and silence it forever, and that meant heading in the direction that it was pulling them. He feared that doing so might make it harder to resist.

He looked about. Lugh was pained by the singing. Ethelred's horse was visibly agitated. Both of those things made for strong motivations to resist this magic. The druid was behind them, promising to keep them safe. Could he trust her to watch his back in this...afflicted state? It's not like he had much choice- he had to put this thing down.

"Onward, we...need to silence...this thing forever!" he commanded, his voice audibly pained. As he headed towards the noice, he took his lance and scraped its spikes against his helmet, trying to create an abrasive noise in his ears to drown out the singing.

@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist

[Pyromania99]

Luna recovered from having her blade deflected in time to notice Sarah attempting to flank her. The Knightess would have difficulty keeping up with the speed of a well trained elf and at this point, she wasn't highly confident in her strength against this woman. Well, if the elf was going to try getting around her, Luna didn't mind too much. She kept her shield high and defended the back of her head as she hunkered down and spun on her heal to her right, swinging her blade low attempting to slice at the elf's thigh and following up with an additional slam from her shield into Sarah. Keeping the elf on the defensive was the best thing Luna could do at the moment.

[Rune_Alchemist]

Location:
Nids End
@Pyromania99

---

Sarah managed to bring her blade low, steel clanging together as the elf deflected Luna’s strike. She’d smile, seemingly none to concerned as Luna would attempt to bash her shield into her midsection, sending her stumbling backwards, though only briefly. The elf dug her heels into the ground, shifting her stance to quickly and easily regain her balance. In retaliation, the elvish warrior would grab make to grab Luna’s wrist, pulling her close and ram the pommel of her blade into the other warrior's head.

Location:
Hjrelskins Fall
@Crimson Paladin

---

Seeing that he was in fact, not fine from the apparent singing fey, Lugh would quickly grab the cloth from Luana, stuffing it quickly into his ears. If nothing else, he was quick on the uptake and to rectify a mistake of his.

“...that is a horrid song.” Elnith replied, holding the side of her head and cupping one of her ears. “Don’t worry, Ethelred.” She’d offer the frozen knight a smile. “Whatever that thing is…we can handle it.” She’d begin walking forward, shortly followed by Lugh as the group began moving deeper into the forest.

Making an abrasive noise seemed to assuage the song only slightly…at least the singing was both a blessing as it was difficult to deal with - it made it extremely easy to track the source of the singing. All they had to do was…let it lead, and not become enraptured with its voice. Deeper into the forest it would lead them, past more beds of fey flowers. Some trees seemed to have been twisted in the form of human faces upon their trunks, but it was likely just a trick of the light, surely. Some of the impish green creatures would run across their path, but ultimately not bother them as they ventured further.

Until the point where the small group would find themselves standing before what could only be described as some sort of large tree, reaching high into the forest, a bit taller than most trees while its trunk was easily large as a house. Twisted, gnarled roots dug into the ground, licking up nutrients from it while its branches were barren of any leaves. Its bark was moving as though it was breathing, steady, rhythmically and it was clear the singing was coming from within this tree's interior.

It was clear if nothing else, this tree was the source of the singing, but it didn’t seem to bother or acknowledge them if it were even capable of it.

Airedale Prison
@VitaVitaAR

---

“This is torture, what else would it be? You beast, you absolute lecherous beast-bweh~” Cethlann was silenced by having her coat tossed back onto her, though it was a bit harder to get it back on then take it off with the restraints covering the fomorian in place. “And now I’m…clothed again. Tsk, for a witch you sure are whimsical. You want me one second then the next you don’t. Did I not squirm enough~?”

Cethlann would fall silent as there came a knock at the door to the cells.

“Fio? Its Vyrell,” The friendly, familiar voice of the knight, muffled from the otherside of the door seemed a bit concerned. “I’ve bought food for the prisoner…are you alright? You’ve been in there for quite some time and the guard seemed a bit distressed...I've also bought a change of clothes, if you so happen to need it. Call it intuition.”

[BrokenPromise]

”That tree looks spoopy.”

— Luana Roycroft

_{@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin}

Catch up reactions

Luana tipped her head when Ethelred placed his hands on the side of his head. ”You’re going to cover your ears? But isn’t your helmet in the way?” She shrugged her shoulders. ”Well, suit yourself.”

Her head snapped over to Lugh when he snatched the ear plugs out of her hand. ”Yea, something’s better than nothing, isn’t it?”

Luana continued to mimic her fellow knights’ behavior. Though it was difficult to do from the back. Ethelred was wearing a helmet, and the earplugs prevented her from hearing him well. Elnith wasn’t any more helpful. Her billowing hair made her face impossible to read. Lugh might have been a safe person to mimic, but his short stature and bushy scalp also obscured his face from Luana’s position. Was pulling your hair back out of style? Did obscuring your face give some advantage when fighting the enemy? Were thick bangs just “in” this year? She could make an exception for Ethelred and Elnith because one was wearing a noggin protector and the other was a woman. But little Lugh had no reason to grow out his hair like that. Though if it grew out enough, maybe it would cover his ears and he could pretend to be a plant. He’d need to dye it a bit, but it was workable. Maybe it was okay that he was growing his hair like that.

Still didn’t help Luana’s case.

It didn’t take Luana a moment to know that there was something up with that tree. Her imagination immediately got to work thinking of nightmare scenarios. They walk into the tree, one at a time, and a series of blades come out of the walls and dice them up. Or maybe the tree would draw them in and then crush them with a single chomp. Perhaps the trunk of the tree ran deep into the earth where a great beast waited to devour them. Her grip tightened on her spear. Her lips closed. Her brow furrowed.

”You’re going down!”

She charged to the front of the group and hurled her spear into the air. Poets would write about the speed of her throw, or how it cut through the air, but it was on par for an experienced spear thrower. Unless the tree moved, the spear would continue its arc and smack into the trunk.

[Crimson Paladin]

Ethelred wasn't entirely sure if he was seeing what he thought he was, or the song was causing his eyes to play tricks on him. His ears, however, were quite insistent this massive tree was the source of the song.

Lugh did mention that the Unseelie can disguise themselves as trees, he thought as he looked at this bizarre tree. He didn't see a face or mouth from which the sound emanated, but its bark seemed to be moving like skin and the sound was definitely coming from here. Judging by the gnarled roots, his best current guess was that it was feeding on its victims.

The Druid wasted no time, and attacked the tree almost immediately. Ethelred didn't know if stabbing it would have any effect, but he opted to do the same. He raised his lance and drove it into the tree's bark and attempted to freeze it. He hoped that it'd at least cause the tree enough pain to cease its singing.

"Elnith, Lugh, help us silence this thing!"

@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist

[Pyromania99]

Luna smirked slightly as she managed to bash her shield into Sarah's midsection, only to have her own wrist grabbed by the elf and pulled in just as she had done earlier. Sarah brought the pummel of her sword forward to bash her forehead. Luna calculated her options as quick as she could as she attempted to pull her head to the side of the pummel. She couldn't bring her sword forward in time to parry or attempt an attack to make the elf back off... So instead, she jerked the wrist that Sarah was holding toward her person to throw her aim off and bring her closer. After that, she purposefully took a glancing blow to the side of her head. It hurt a hell of a lot, but she had to fight through for now.

Luna then, with a new welt to the side of her head, would bring her head forward to headbutt the elf to make sure the elf lost grip on her wrist and, if successful on that front push Sarah back a small bit before taking the small bit of distance she created to try tackling the elf to the ground. She hoped that her stubborness in taking pain could out-do the elf's. Willpower starting to dwindle as her head continued to ache.

[Rune_Alchemist]

Location:
Nids End
@Pyromania99

---

Something in Luna’s psyche was telling her to fight more. To push harder. To burn every ounce of strength she had to defeat this elf in front of her, even if she wasn’t quite aware of it herself.

“Guh-another headbutt-!” Sarah complained, head reeling again from the second impact, likely earning a small concussion now and losing her footing. It was perhaps, quite an inelegant fight that they were having, but the fomorian and elvish spectators seemed to enjoy the spectacle regardless as Luna would lunge towards Sarah, body crashing into hers, the two of them falling to the ground.

Yet, it was not Sarah that would end up pinned.

A swift motion as they fell. Luna would feel Sarah’s hands gripping her armor, pivoting with one of her feet as she’d catch the humans lunge using the momentum to spin them around and slam Luna’s back into the ground.

“My my,” Thus, Luna would end up with Sarah on top of her, straddling the other knight with one hand pressed firmly into the ground next to Luna’s head. “Its rare a human can even match an elvish warrior, let alone even hope to defeat one.” Sarah would say, smiling confidently. “You’re lucky that your head is unusually hard. Shall we consider this a draw, Miss Luna?”

Location:
Hjrelskins Fall
@Crimson Paladin

---

And smack into the trunk it would.

A solid, wooden thunk as the wooden implement impaled itself on the trunk as Ethelred soon followed, driving his lance into the base of the tree, ice blooming from the wound. Elnith followed suit, the crimson blade shimmering as she’d swing horizontally, space warping and distorting along the length of the tree before it sharply snapped back into place.

It seemed to have some effect. The sound of wood cracking and twisting as a large crack appeared in the trees bark, starting at where Ethelred had impaled it with his lance and all the way up to where Luana’s spear had embedded itself in the side of the tree.

“...Ah! Wait! Everyone move!” Lugh shouted, forgetting that Luana was ear plugged.

A sickly sweet smell emanated from the crack, making all present feel tired and sluggish…and then the tree moved. The branches above twisted and swayed in the wind, the ground beneath them rumbling as earth was ripped beneath their feet, malignant roots whipping from the ground and lashing out towards Luana and Ethelred. Some would wrap around Ethelreds’ torso, though they’d quickly freeze. Another root would grab hold of Luana’s ankle, more quickly aiming towards her.

The branches above twisted and turned, almost taking the shape of a wooden hands as a group would attempt to slam itself into Elnith.

The singing was getting louder. Urgent. Gleeful sounding as the groups strength seemed to slowly be sapped by the music and whatever scent was coming from within the tree.

Airedale Prison
@VitaVitaAR

---

“...was I just…ignored…” Cethlann seemed particularly offended by that, falling silent as Vyrell offered Fio the spare change of clothes while she’d get dressed. The fomorian would earn a cold glare from Vyrell, who’d pull out some spare strips of cloth. He’d walk over to their prisoner just as Fio would start to leave. “Sad, leaving so soon miss witch? Careful you don’t get mud on your clothes on the way out migh-” Cethlann would say as Vyrell started gagging her again, cutting off whatever other words she was going to say as they’d soon be muffled from the cloth.

As the pair would leave the prison, Vyrell would offer Fio a small cup of tea after having apparently asked a servant to prepare some for later, escorting her up to the queens chamber and knocking on the door.

Only to receive no response.

“...My lady? Queen Sorcha?” Another knock from Vyrell. After receiving another few long seconds of silence, Vyrell tossed open the door to an empty, if somewhat still messy room. A balcony on the other side of the room had its doors slightly ajar, but a quick check would also soon reveal no sign of the Queen either.

“...She’s…not here.” Vyrell frowned. “...once that gluttonous, lazy, fool returns…” Vyrell held onto one of the bed posts, knuckles going white as he’d mumble some other not so nice things that he would do to the queen, like burying her in paper work or making her clean up her room by herself.

“I apologize Fio. it seems her majesty is currently out of the building and has not informed anyone.” Vyrell would turn back to the mage after a few seconds of regaining his composure. “I’ll take full responsibility as her personal attendant for losing her.”

[BrokenPromise]

”Something smells funny.”

— Luana Roycroft

_{@Crimson Paladin}

Only the most inexperienced hunter would miss a tree, but a fool would expect to fell it.

Despite her distance, the foul tree managed to grab a hold of Luana’s ankle. Normal trees had extensive root systems that ran beyond their branches, and that was the case here as well. More roots would join this one, and the branches would come for her after they were done with Elnith. Beyond her immediate problems, she could feel the effects of the magical scent. It was impossible to discern where it was coming from, but not what was responsible for it.

While Luana’s spear had been ineffective, it wasn’t done yet. The handle grew roots like the tree it was thrust into. It had been blessed by druidcraft and was growing out of control. Luana had enchanted the spear's handle before she threw it, and had no idea where the spear would land in relation to the tree. So it grew out in all directions, twisting around anything it could get a hold of. A mere distraction for such a powerful foe, but a distraction was what Luana needed.

Her body changed again. Not into a cat, but a skunk. Her small legs were easy to pull free from the roots, which had coiled around her human-sized ankle. However, her smaller ears were not able to accommodate her ear plugs in a comfortable way. She felt like her head was in a vice, but she would survive.

Skunks aren’t known for their speed, but they can move quickly if they need to. At the very least, Luana wasn’t any slower than a human. She zigged and zagged, then zagged and zigged. Anything to make herself harder to grab. It would be problematic if she was caught a second time. She was headed for Elnith, but Lugh just happened to be on the way there. As she ran past the young squire…

She sprayed him.

If not listening to the music saved you from its effect, then maybe diluting the smell of the tree would also keep up everyone’s strength. She needed to get to Elnith to spray her, and then she could assist Ethelred. Luana had elected to help him last because he appeared to be struggling the least.

[Crimson Paladin]

The tree was not going down so easily. The first thing it did in response to its damage was release a scent from its interior, and it seemed to siphon Ethelred's strength. The second thing it did was attempt to move its branches and roots to attack the intruders. Roots emerged from the ground and grabbed Ethelred, but froze upon contact with his icy armor. While this was going on, the tree's singing became louder. Ethelred had no doubt that it was becoming desperate, so whatever they were doing was probably working.

The knights were growing weaker with every second, however, and they needed to finish this thing off before they succumbed to the sound and smell. Ethelred grabbed his lance and began to pull on it like a lever, attempting to widen the crack and break the trunk apart. But would he have enough remaining strength to do so?

As he attempted this, the Frozen Knight looked over at the others and witnessed the tree's overhanging branches twisting and converging, preparing to come down on Elnith. He did not see if she had noticed this incoming attack.

"Elnith, above you!" he shouted as he continued to pull on his lance, desperately trying to make the tree give before the knights did. The air around him became frigid as his own desperate exertion became evident.

@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist

[VitaVitaAR]

For a few moments, Fio said nothing.

Of course she was a little concerned about the Queen's absence, but given how tired she was and what she'd just experience, the chief emotion she was now experiencing was annoyance above all else.

Well, if she wasn't going to be here, then she could hardly complain when Fio marched over to the bed, grabbed one of her pillows, and say down, angrily hugging it against her chest.

"Hmph," she let out a huff, her feet kicking back and forth irritably, "I go through all that effort and collect information we probably wouldn't have gotten any other way, and she can't even be here to hear it? That's not very royal behavior at all."

Struggling in the mud and dealing with Cethlann's attitude, and now she couldn't even divulge her findings until Sorcha decided she felt like staying around?

The pillow was squeezed tighter, Fio's feet kicking faster with her irritation.

Of course. Of course she had to leave. At this point the Sword Witch was certain that the queen was completely fine, but now of all times, when she was this tired, when she was this annoyed, when she had to finish up dealing with all that, she couldn't even share what she'd worked so hard to earn.

"Hmph."

@Rune_Alchemist

[Pyromania99]

Luna found herself on her back and Sarah on top of her. She was about to struggle more when her head throbbed... Despite whatever was telling her to win... Well, she could accept a draw... for now. Luna clenched her teeth for some few seconds before relaxing, "A draw sounds... Fine to me." She looked up at Sarah and remembered just how many times she had slammed her head into hers. Not that she looked exceptionally frail, but Luna had wondered as she set her hand up to the elf's head. She used her healing magic to heal any head injuries that Sarah seemed to have before she seemed to realize the situation that she was in now. She quickly retracted her hand and her face turned bright red.

"I-I... Umm, Lady Sarah... Would you mind... Standing? This position is a small bit embar-- Ugh..." Luna cut off her request as her head started to hurt a small bit. Well, that's what one would expect when they repeatedly slammed their hand into another person. Luna moved her hand up to her head and started to apply some healing magics to it. "But, uhh... Y-yea." The red faced human woman said after she started to heal her head up. She couldn't manage to look Sarah in the eyes.

[Rune_Alchemist]

Location:
Nids End
@Pyromania99

---

“...Ah.” Sarah smiled as she’d remove herself from Luna, kneeling on the ground next to her with a small smile. “Thank you, but if I allow you to heal me more, I think the elf you brought along would murder me.”

True as she said, Sucaria, though her face betrayed not much emotion…there was a subtle, small narrowing of her eyes. A glare pointed right towards Sarah as she’d quickly move over, nearly knocking the other elf over as she’d pull Luna to her feet, wrapping her hands around Luna’s arms.

“Lady Luna,” Sucaria quietly began. “...hm…your head really is…hard.” She’d comment, starting to address some bruises on the knights head. “I have some healing salve with me…it should help some.”

“Ahaha, you know what works more?” Sarah smiled, grabbing Luna by the shoulder and dragging her back to the group of elves. “Drink, Dancing, and a bit of storytelling! Come, I’ll tell you about that demon I slew!”

“Lady Luna has had enough of this drink and dancing…we should be returning to Airedale.” Sucaria interjected.

Location:
Hjrelskins Fall, Forest
@Crimson Paladin@BrokenPromise

---

Luana’s spear began growing, much like the roots that were trying to bind its owner. Coiling around the tree, attempting to bind it and restrain it with its own roots, entangling and fighting it. This, only slowed it down so much, restraining it just enough for the roots above that had formed into an oddly shaped human fist to be slowed enough for Elnith to deflect the incoming blow, swinging her blade, cutting deep through the wood and severing several small branches and twigs.

In the same instant, Lugh would make a movement to disengage slightly from the tree - only to immediately have his face sprayed with skunk.

“Bweh!? W-wha Luana why!” He’d shout, being distracted just long enough to feel a root wrap around his ankle, pulling him up into the air and promptly aimed to smash the young Tuatha into the ground. Thankfully the youth was a bit more reactive than that, taking a short blade from its sheath and cutting the roots holding him, landing on his feet.
But then, all of a sudden, there was silence.

The tree would briefly cease its movements as the cracking and breaking of wood could be heard. Luana’s spear was trying to hold the tree in place, fighting for control of its own roots while Ethelred was simultaneously trying to split the thing's interior open.

And split, it would.

The trees movements would resume, starting to get more frantic. A heavy grouping of branches struck towards Ethelred, trying to envelop the frozen knight, trying to stop his movement while its second ‘hand’ grabbed a hold of the crack that had formed and started to pull on it, trying to pull the crack wider and further apart.

…and then it tried to, of all things, flee

It ceased using its roots to defend itself, and instead tried to drag itself away from the group of knights, using its roots to pull and drag itself along the ground.

Queens Quarters
@VitaVitaAR

---

Vyrell let Fio vent her frustrations as he’d merely sigh, starting to take note of the absolute messy and chaotic state of the queens bedchambers. The bed itself was a mess. While they were well taken care of, they hadn’t been made and left in a state of disarray. What seemed to be plates of food had been left a bit carelessly out, several books, half read lay open on a desk, and a few training blades had been left where the queen had simply likely used them last. There was also the issue of her common clothes just liberally being laid in a pile, though the more fancy clothing she wore at least were put up neatly in a closet.

“You would think she would be a little more aware of her position.” Vyrell soon would reply with a sigh. “She’s made a habit of disappearing like this if I’m not watching her every five seconds and nothing she deems important is going on.” The knight frowned, glancing out of the open balcony door. “I don’t know if it's trust in us or carelessness on her part. I do not doubt her majesty can take care of herself, but leaving without letting anyone know where she is is rather careless.”

Vyrell started collecting the leftover plates of food.

“If nothing else, I’d like to know what she’s doing.”