February Eve
ZD District Attorney
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2010
- Location
- USA
Btw, I forgot to mention, I love that I have a dog. Though I worry for its safety even in fic. I am overly sensitive about animals. =\ Still, yay for nifty white dogs!
Asgard Legends
- Thread starter *M i d n a*
- Start date
Myriadviper42
Fulcrum Agent
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2010
- Location
- Control
Hmmn, still no sign of me.Ah, well, good job. And why can't I give you a VM?
*M i d n a*
Æsir Scribe
Yeah, I thought about inserting a dog and give it to you as a companion, that was just random of me. Hope you don't mind.
Well, the wait is over, you appear here in this update and the rest of the updates for chapter 3.
Ah, well, good job. And why can't I give you a VM?
@Vee Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to read. @Dragon, you can write your stories and post them in your own thread. @anyone else reading...Thank you. Another kinda long part, so just read it when you have time, sorry. ^^
Part 4/6
He was covered with a purple armor from head to toe and wielded a nasty fat blade that would ignite in flames at a mere thought. He was a dark knight known simply as Lord Myriad. He was one of the last of his kin, the last Arkdainian alive. He was the leader of the Black Eye, a powerful group he had founded long ago.
The members of the group not only were human scum recruited over the years from Midgard, but there were a few who were something else, companions from many hundred years ago. Like the cruel Succubus from Hel who was always at his side and the two Lesser Vampires from Tikris he had serving as lieutenants. Those two watched over the other lesser beings and made sure everything ran smoothly within the place.
"Tonight will be the night, my love," Lord Myriad spoke in his deep, low tone as he caressed the succubus’ long black hair. He was seated in his throne in a dark room, with the pale succubus sitting on his lap and caressing his armored helm slowly in a loving way. "Tonight there will be a full moon, tonight we spill the blood of those innocent midgardian girls and open the portal to Hel again. Midgard will suffer the same fate that Arkdain suffered long ago. Hel's minions will roam the earth freely and destroy everything."
"Just as we have been planning it all these years, my love," the succubus smiled devilishly, delighting herself with every word she spoke. And why not? Lord Myriad was her puppet, her instrument of death, nothing else. He was under her spell, under her strong hold. He believed only what she wanted him to believe, like being leader of the group, when in fact he wasn’t. He did only what she told him to do, like give out the orders to his henchmen that the Succubus really desired.
Opening the portal was the main thing the succubus wanted done, it had been her idea all along ever since she had taken over as the mightiest of the place those centuries ago when she had come to this place when that same portal had been opened by Arkdainian fools. Tonight would be the night she freed her kin from Hel, tonight she would make sure she pleased Queen Hel greatly.
***
The Arkdainian ruined fort was also host to more than fifty innocent girls that ranged from ages twelve to sixteen. They were all kept in a series of tunnels underneath the base floor, where they unwillingly and unknowingly awaited their execution. Long ago, those tunnels had served as prison cells and torture rooms where the Arkdainians had had their fun with creatures who had been non-Arkdainian. And so now those cells smelt awful. The smell of ancient spilled blood and carcasses had penetrated the dark stonework of the fort over the years, making the atmosphere there more than sickening.
If that was not a problem for the girls that were jailed down there, then the water that filled the rooms was. Three feet in height those murky waters had already reached during the years. Yes, the Arkdainian ruins, the last remains of that civilization, were slowly sinking in a bog.
“Ahhhh!” came a terrifying shriek from within one of the cells. “Someone help me please! There is a creature trying to get in...Ahhhh!”
The other girls, alarmed at the shout, ran to the bars and grabbed at them in desperation, their faces set on them as they tried to take a look at the direction from where the shouter was at. Some of them could see a dark haired girl close to her cell bars, her back on them as she tried to stay away from the wall. Those that were closest to her could also hear the snapping teeth from a large animal.
“Hold on, Vatti,” a desperate shout came not far from there. It belonged to Foxy Ashad, a thirteen year old girl who was cousin to the one who appeared to be in trouble. “Everything is going to be alright.”
Vatti watched as the snout disappeared at the hole caved in the wall. She was not the only one with that kind of problem, other cells also were in poor conditions already, but none had a hole as big as her own cell.
“Stay there where you are,” Foxy advised, feeling sorry and very scared for her cousin. “You will be alright, you will see your mom again.”
“Uh-huh.” Vatti was very scared, her heart thumped her chest hard and she could feel herself trembling like never before.
All of sudden, there came the splashing sound of water from a corridor far to the east, and the girls realized it was the guard coming to see what the hel was going on.
“Why all the shouting, you pieces of crap?” the guard shouted as he pushed his way through the murky water. “I thought I told you to stay quiet! Who is doing the ****ing shouting?” and as he went by he hit the bars of a cell with the head of the nasty two-headed axe he held, making a tall, blond girl fall back scared into the water of her cell. “Well! Who’s doing the damned shouting?” And he hit another cell with his axe, this time off in the opposite side, but the girl in that cell was already far back, for she had anticipated the bastard’s move.
No one said nothing, the girls might be prisoners, might be destined to die as they all believed, but they held some loyalty to each other, no one was going to point out the girl who had shouted.
But the human guard knew exactly who had made the shouting, and so since he was up for a little bit of fun, he headed to Vatti’s cell.
“It was you, wasn’t it?” he asked the blue eyed girl as he arrived in front of the cell. He was covered all from head to toe in fine, dark garments, his face was covered as well with a hood and handkerchief, leaving only the eyes as the visible part on him.
“You saw the Marakamba, didn’t you?” the guard teased.
“The...what?” Vatti seemed scared.
The guard fed off the girl’s obvious fear, so he went on. There was nothing in his heart but malice, so he did not care about any of the girls present there, his life was as dark as the night.
“The Marakamba,” he went on to say, joyously, enjoying the moment. He stared around at the cells where other girls listened on. Knowing he had an audience, he turned his evil stare back to the small girl inside the cell, his current prey. “It’s a huge monster that lives outside this place. We’ve fed it dead corpses over the years, it has fed so much it has grown very large, more than fifty feet for sure. You saw its long, dark mouth, didn’t you?”
Vatti said nothing, but she knew the guard was speaking truthfully, for she had seen just that, a dark long mouth full of razor sharp teeth that were about the size of her own hand.
“Didn’t you!!!” shouted the guard angrily. “Spit it out or I will take you with me and tell my buddies to feed you to it!!!”
“Yes!” Vatti had to reply, and she did it with tears streaming down her face. The guard blurted out laughing loudly, but then he quieted down and said in a serious tone, “Good, kid, good for you, you saw the maw of the creature that will be eating you in a while.”
“Noooo!” Vatti shouted, very scared, and her tears multiplied then. The guard laughed at what he saw. Suddenly, there appeared the monster again, its long mouth coming in through the hole on the wall, making the girl shout in fear. Vatti again found herself clinging on to the bars of her cell while the guard laughed aloud.
Wanting to take his joke further, he glanced at the scared girl and rose his axe as he said, “Why wait till later? **** the boss, I want to see the monster bite you here and now. I want to see the Marakamba drag you out of here, kid.” He brought the axe down forcefully against the cell bars, but Vatti on pure instinct moved off to her right, avoiding the axe and avoiding heading to the back of the cell, where the monster’s mouth snapped at her viciously.
The axe had hit the cell bars so hard that it made a few sparks fly here and there. The stupid guard had hit it so forcefully that he lost the grip on his weapon, and this one fell into the murky waters. He got angry at his own stupidity that he decided to do something to calm his rage...He bent down to retrieve his axe, glanced upon the scared girl inside the cell and waited for the monster to leave once again.
With blinding rage he opened the cell in front of him, uncaring that the girl was not at fault. He rushed in and grabbed her strongly by the back of the neck and submerged her into the water using his free right arm. “It‘s your fault I dropped my axe, you piece of crap! I’ll drown you!”
“Noooo!” Foxy pleaded as she realized what was going on. “Nooo! Leave her alone, you piece of ****! Leave her alone, you bastard.”
The guard heard her but did not care. He was enraged, and so he kept the little girl underwater...
***
“What has this place become?” Vee asked as the group safely arrived an area where there appeared to be solid ground. For the last three and a half hours they had been walking in two feet of murky water. They knew the place was something like a bog, land turning slowly into marshland. Trees and bushes came out of the water, no land had been on sight ever since they had hit water.
They had not met any threats so far but had had a few unsettling sightings, like that of a huge greenish winged bird that went flying from a large tree on to another and disappear from view entirely. And then there had been weird, hissing noises all around them. The group had not seen anything moving that could have been the cause of the noise, just many darkened vines embracing trees and large boulders that had been about. The worse threat had been keeping the large mosquitoes off of them and keeping from falling when stepping on holes within the murky water.
“I am hungry,” Calvin spat aside. “Got anything good in that bag of yours, Eve?”
Eve set the axe down and against her thigh and examined her satchel. “I brought cheese and a loaf of bread along with some sweet muffins grandma made a day ago. Shall we feast here?” she looked around at the others as she tossed Calvin a muffin. The young man caught it and started eating it.
“Good a place as any,” Bosh declared, also digging in his own satchel. “I got some chicken legs here, too bad we don’t have a fire, eh?”
“I’ll pass on the chicken legs,” Vee commented. “I just want a piece of bread with cheese, not really hungry.” Her face seemed troubled, and Eve knew that the toll of her missing daughter was finally beginning to show on her sister, more with what the group had had to endure on this awful looking place. She also felt like her, but did not show it much. The fact of the matter was that Eve was stronger in spirit than her older sister, but Eve still felt heavily the loss of her dear daughter, she just did not show how troubled she really was.
The group settled down and ate quietly while still keeping an eye out for any signs of danger. Even Sadanjer ate a piece of chicken leg that Bosh had been grateful enough to throw at him. But, as the group ate, several shadows moved about the thick line of trees off to the sides. One of the companions was about to see death in the eye.
***
Valkyrion Saga and his helpers had been keeping the road clean of threats for the humans. When Saga and his group had joined the humans invisibly, he had cast a powerful spell that would negate the humans from realizing monsters and other sort of creatures were falling dead close to them as they had been traversing the bog.
But, as they kept watch while the humans ate on top of a mound of solid ground they had found, Saga was alerted of two threats all around them.
Damn it! he communicated with his companions merely by speaking out in his thoughts. The Einherjar and the fairy heard him as if he had spoken out aloud.
What is it, master Saga? Shan was the first to ask upon seeing him react.
Trouble all around us, Saga responded as he took off flying to the north end of the area, leaving them all alone in the middle of the bog. Do what you can, protect yourselves and the group, I have to deal with something else over here...
Master Saga! Wait! Shan shouted at him but upon seeing how fast he had left them behind, Shan gave up all hopes of him turning back. He did not, just kept flying away, Shan thinking that he was actually leaving them to die, so she watched feeling very scared.
What is he talking about? I see nothing... Kenji started to say, but then, upon quickly casting a spell of seeing, the mage realized the danger all around them. What in the hel!
What is it, mage? Shan gripped her Razor Shaft strongly, the Einherjar fearing she would be using it shortly. She was right.
Corrosive Vines, Kenji replied and was already making suitable preparations for the battle to come. Poppy, Shan, stick close to me, fire is the only thing that will damage them, I have plenty of that in stock!
I don't see them, damn it! Shan glanced about, desperately.
They are disguised as light shadow, invisible, Kenji explained and fired off his first blast at the things. We should levitate and stay away from the water...
And what about the humans?! Poppy also communicated using her intellect. Saga told us to protect them!
And we shall...from above, Kenji said and took off from the water.
Shan and Pop did the same seconds later.
Below, the corrosive vines continued their advance, even though they had been spotted.
***
It was Eve Ashad who saw the burning vine over to the west, and that made her raise her eyebrows in surprise. "What in the hel? Look.." And she pointed over to the west, where the vine burned and shrieked then totally disappeared.
The others turned and barely saw the vine sinking underneath the water.
"What the hel was that?" Vee questioned, bringing her sword out.
"I don't know," Eve responded and also grabbed her axe and prepared for battle just in case it came to that. "Seemed like some sort of plant that was burning."
"Vines," Bosh explained as he too grabbed his spear and looked all around the place. "I heard a tale about them before from a friend but didn't think it was true. He said those things are a type of rare plant that can turn invisible in order to near its prey before killing it."
"Are you saying there could be more of those things around us?" Calvin shouted, scared. Suddenly, he was able to glance down at his boot as he had felt something entangling around it. When least he expected it, he was simply dragged away forcefully, the boy landing on the ground solidly on his back with a loud thud as his legs had been cut off from underneath him. He let go of the bow, for the blow had hurt him badly.
"Aghhh!" he shouted in horror as he was then dragged through the water by invisible tentacles of some sort. No, not tentacles, rather tendrils.
"Calvin!" Eve shouted upon seeing the scene develop. Without thinking it much, the valiant woman went after the boy, splashing water as she ran through it. Sadanjer followed her, barking along as he smelled the corrosive vines.
"Eve!" Vee shouted, but then, she too felt some sort of invisible form entangling around her boot. She reacted on instinct and brought the sword down in a downward slice, slicing whatever it was that had attempted to grab her.
Bosh wasn't as lucky as Vee, he was entangled by both feet and when the vines pulled him off the ground, he fell face first against the ground. "Noooo! Help me...help me!" he shouted before being dragged off from the mound, his fingers raking the ground as he attempted to hold on to something. Scared much, Vee watched him go, and just like her sister had done earlier, she too went after him in an attempt to free him.
That's when fireballs started falling all around her, one hitting so close to Vee that it made her fall into the murky water. Shrieks and even hisses were heard all around, and Vee was able to stand back up, though she was now fully soaked.
Meanwhile, Eve was able to catch up to the boy, she was amazingly fast for her age, and she managed to chop the vines that pulled him out. She did not realize the mess they both were in then. Invisible vines were all around them, their long, brownish tendrils coming at them from every direction.
"You alright, Calv?" Eve asked the boy as she helped him up, unaware of the tendrils coming at them. Sadanjer kept barking off to the east.
"Yes!" Calvin shouted, his face awe stricken. "Thank you, Eve. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" and he embraced her strongly, for she had saved his life.
"Not now, Calv," Eve told him, pulling away from him, that's when she heard a cry of pain from her dog, and she turned around to see what was going on but suddenly felt some sort of tendrils entangling her from her arms and torso. The axe fell into the water, Eve very surprised at feeling so many tendrils enveloping her from every part of her body. She cursed silently when she noticed her dog also entangled and crying out in pain.
Calvin found himself entangled once again, the tendrils driving the air out of the trio as the vines attempted to squeeze the life out of them...
Eve felt her lungs wanting to burst, they asked her for air...air that was not going to come...The tight squeezing made both humans cry silently, their faces slowly turning purple. Just when all hope seemed to fade, when Eve and Calvin thought that was the end of them...Eve saw a blurry figure off in the distance...a blond haired woman who had fired off a large ball of fire...
(Part 4/6)
Hazel
A Frog
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2010
- Location
- on my bean bag...
Wow Saga I love it! I didn't see any typos and I really think that you brought us into the story. Great job!
... I wonder if I will be in it...
... I wonder if I will be in it...
vatti
The Acorn sized Magician
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2010
- Location
- Riding Epona around Hyrule!
OMG am I gonna die????????????/
*M i d n a*
Æsir Scribe
Yes, Froggy, of course you are in it. I think you are one of the last recruits that Valkyrion Saga gets. Keep an eye out, I will update this very soon as well.
Lolz, I dunno, Vatz, anything is possible with me. Keep a sharp eye out, eh? I am full of surprises.
Along with Hazel, Meego is one of the last recruits to join Valkyrion Saga and the others for the mission. Also, thanks for reading. ^^
I think I will need a few more parts to finish this chapter, so I am extending this from 6 to 10 parts.
Part 5/10
As he flew towards the menacing aura, Saga noticed that the bog had become more like a marshland. All he could see below him as he flew was darkish water and large trees. But then, he was barely able to make out the large ruined fortress standing very well covered behind a line of tall trees that could have easily measured fifty feet in height. It's stony walls had become engrossed by moss and vines with the passage of time that it blended right in with the rain forest. But Saga had a powerful sight, so he was able to make out the structure.
He knew that the powerful dark aura was concealed within the fortress, he could feel it and that is why Valkyrion landed on the marshland below, aware of many creatures all around, mostly large serpents and other creatures desperate for a quick meal. The water reached his waist as he took a look around. He was about to go looking for an entrance when all of a sudden his thoughts perceived that a little girl was in trouble.
He took off from his spot, and just in time before a very fat yellowish serpent came out of the water from behind him in an attempt to swallow him whole.
Saga heard the loud splashing of water as he had taken off to the air but did not mind it, instead, he focused his thoughts to better understand where the pleas of help were coming from. It took him several seconds to figure it out.
Knowing where the child's pleas for help were coming from, Saga had to fly his way around the large trees, avoiding fat branches and large poisonous serpents that snapped at him from within the trees. If he'd had the time he would have taken the liberty to kill those monstrous beings and make this marshland region a better place, but he did not, so he just flew to the back of the fortress as fast as he could. Perhaps if he lived through the mission he had to take on in the future, he would return and clean this place out, for it was very dangerous and the bog was likely to spread out.
He arrived the back of the fortress not a minute too soon and not a minute too late.
He landed just outside the stony wall, which was covered with moss and vines and surrounded by foul water that smelt rancid. Again, the water level there reached past his waist, and Saga could tell that the smell of those waters was due to too many bodies having died in the past.
Holding the Mage Slayer with in his left hand, Saga used his right hand to examine the walls. He noticed it had many cracks and a large hole that he was able to see just about his waist length where water was rushing in freely.
"Hahahaha!" Saga heard a male laughing hardly inside. Valkyrion Saga knew why he was laughing so hard, he was having fun drowning the little girl. The Valhallan warrior could see the scene that was taking place within the walls, so that made Saga furious. He bent a little and peeked in through the hole, the Valkyrion being able to see just the legs of a figure who was aiming to drown the girl in the murky water.
Using his bare right fist, he punched the stony wall and it gave in easily under the pressure of his powerful hit.
***
The guard was surprised at the booming sound from behind. So concentrated had he been keeping the girl underwater that he hadn't heard the water splashing just outside the walls a minute or so ago.
He turned around and found that a figure stood just outside, its reddish glare on him.
***
Without saying a single word, Saga flew out of the water and stood on the edge of the cell. He walked right in, staring hatefully at the man, who let go of the girl in order to bring his axe up to defend himself. Saga grabbed him using his free right hand and easily tossed him outside, where he went to splash into the murky water with a loud splash.
Meanwhile, the girl that had been close to drowning was sitting in the murky waters of the cell, gasping for air and fully in shock. Saga took a quick glance at her and noticed she would be okay. When the little girl took a look at him, though, her eyes widened in fear thinking him to be a monster. Saga tried to smile at her, but he had never done that before, so he failed miserably in his attempt to calm the girl down.
"Vatti, are you alright!" cried Foxy from within her cell, also much surprised and scared at the figure that was within Vatti's cell. Not only Foxy, but the rest of the girls were also riddled with fear, some of them had even backed all the way to the back of their cells.
Vatti did not reply, rather kept her stare fixed upon the figure. Who was he, she thought.
"Here, hold this for me," Saga simply told her and handed her the Mage Slayer crossbow. Vatti took the invisible weapon without hesitation, her young face incredulous at the notion of holding something that she could not see.
Valkyrion Saga returned his stare to the outside then, where the guard was just starting to come out of the water, axe tightly gripped with both hands and his face deformed in anger.
"Who in the hel are you!?" he shouted at the intruder.
"Your executor," Saga shouted at him from above the cell's edge. "For indeed, you are seconds away from death."
"My executor, you say?" the guard laughed lowly. "We'll see about that. I've killed many men before, are you about to join them?" And he angrily hit the surface of the water with his open palm against the intruder, trying to scare him away.
"You mean to say that you have murdered many innocent girls and old folk," Saga reproached with the truth as he himself splashed into the water a few feet away from him. "For those cruel acts it is that you will be paying now."
Saga was upon him in a snap. He launched himself toward the guard and grasped him by the collar of his chest with one hand, with the other he swatted the axe away, which fell into the water.
Saga then submerged the guard's head into the water and kept it there for a long time until the body simply stopped fighting to be let out. The guard drowned in less than three minutes, and Saga released his hold on his body.
But then, as the Valkyrion was about to turn around and go help free the trapped girls, he felt another aura coming at him from the front. He knew right away what it was simply by watching the spikes that were visible on the murky water's surface as the creature swam towards him.
Out came Valkyrie Favor and Saga prepared himself to meet the huge monster, which most likely was the bog's ruling creature.
(part 5/10)
*M i d n a*
Æsir Scribe
Do you really like to read that much? And yeah, I'll make sure to keep this story coming, I want to bring it to an end as well, it's not far now.
You are indeed great in writing Ats. But why do you always stop with a cliffhanger you meanie? 
vatti
The Acorn sized Magician
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2010
- Location
- Riding Epona around Hyrule!
OMG that is almost exactly what I would do if I was my character in that situation! You are writing it very well. As always, keep up the good work!
*M i d n a*
Æsir Scribe
Thanks for the former part, as to the latter part, I tend to do that all the time.You are indeed great in writing Ats. But why do you always stop with a cliffhanger you meanie?
(Insert evil laugh here) XDThanks, Vatti, you know I shall. And if you think your role is over, think again...just keep reading. ^^
Thanks for the support, it helps me keep going with it knowing that people read what I write.
Part 6/10
As she found herself laying on the water and breathing hard, Eve Ashad knew she would live, as would her dog and the young man. Eve rose her head and watched with teary eyes as the woman approached. She was dressed in a casual villager outfit composed of a long dress and a brownish scarf. Her hair was long and blond, and she appeared to be around thirty some years of age. She was carrying a silver scepter in her right hand.
Eve, still unable to talk clearly, simply took the woman's hand when she bent low and offered it to her. The blond woman helped her up and asked if she was alright.
That's when Vee Ashad arrived, sword in hand and wanting to know who the stranger was.
"At..ease, sis," Eve spoke with difficulty, holding her neck with her right hand. "She's the reason we are alive."
"Those damned things killed Bosh," Vee shouted, full of anger.
"What? No!" Calvin could not believe it. "Where is he?"
"Over there," Vee pointed, her face showing a sour expression. "Too many of the damned things, they punctured his body with their tendrils..."
"Nooo!!!" Calvin took off.
"Calv!" Eve shouted and started to run after him, but Vee detained her.
"Let him go, we have business here..."
Eve knew that her sister was right. They had to speak with the mage that had saved their life. She bent down and picked her axe from the murky waters where it had fallen, then she looked upon the mage.
"I did what I could," the blond woman spoke then, noticing that the stares of the two woman were on her. "I am sorry I did not arrive in time to save your other friend."
Vee and Eve looked at her with investigative looks. Eve nodded then, and Vee just spat aside. As to Sadanjer, the dog was too scared over what had happened earlier to do anything else than sit beside Eve.
"We owe you our lives," Eve said in gratitude but the woman started to shake her head right away and said, "No. You do not. I did what you would have done in my place. I'm just sorry about your friend..."
Vee, noticing that the woman was of no threat to them, put her sword back into the scabbard and moved closer to the woman and asked her. "What is your name, friend?"
The mage glanced at her and presented herself. "I am Lyseria."
"Lyseria," Eve said, casually. "Sounds like a nice name. Are you from around here?"
"This place...was...is my home."
Eve and Vee exchanged surprised glances. How was it that a place such as this bog was home to a mage? They found that notion out of place, really, but none said nothing to her about it.
"And so you came to our rescue because you knew of our presence, right?" Vee asked. "Knew that we needed help and you decided to help us out."
"Actually," Lyseria said, "I was on my way to a ruined fortress to the north of here when I came upon this trouble. I was on my way to finding trouble myself."
Eve found that interesting, so she asked, "Really? What kind of trouble?"
"It's a long story, really," Lyseria said after she sighed deeply. She put her scepter back in a small holster she carried at the side of her right hip. Staring at Eve, she added, "Story you gals do not need to know. All I can say is that I was on my way to free a bunch of girls who have been kidnapped by a group that resides within the ruined fortress, and then I planned on doing something else."
"Really?" Vee jumped closer to her and even touched Lyseria on her shoulder. The blond mage glanced at her, making Vee release her right away. Lyseria simply offered her a smile.
"Yes," Lyseria gently nodded at her. "You two do not even need to tell me your story or your reasons for being here, I can read your thoughts. You are here because your daughters were kidnapped, right? You came looking for them here."
Surprised, Vee and Eve exchanged glances again. Eve was the one who spoke right away. "Yes! How did you...Never mind, you must be a powerful mage if you can read thoughts."
"You have no idea," Lyseria said and glanced away at the young boy, who was knelt near the fallen human and apparently crying for him.
"Well, would you mind if we join forces?" Eve asked then, a little excitement and fear in her tone. "I mean...we could benefit helping each other out."
Lyseria did not speak, rather kept her stare on the boy. She actually did not need their help, she was very powerful and would be alright on her own. The dangers of that soon-to-be-swamp had never scared her, in fact, those dangers had been scared of her.
But Lyseria could read pain in beings as well as she could read off a tome. Of that pain she saw too much in the two young woman in front of her. That is why the mage opted to lend them her aid. Lyseria knew that if she left them alone they would not survive long. Sooner or later they would fall prey to the monsters that called this place a home.
Perceiving something in the air, Lyseria said, "Excuse me for a bit."
During that moment, Lyseria decided to cast a silent spell of true seeing that would permit her to look beyond the veil of reality. She was not surprised to see the three invisible beings hovering off in the distance. They were keeping an eye out on them, but from what Lyseria gathered, they were not enemies.
She returned her stare to the two woman and nodded at them saying, "Alright...fine. Let us join forces and see if we can find your daughters."
"Yeah!" Eve said full of excitement. "You are doing the right thing by joining forces with us."
Vee simply stared at the mage and offered a smile and a nod. "Let us go, then," she said and started off. "Every second we waste could mean life or death for our daughters."
"I will take the point," Lyseria offered, kindly. "I know the place a bit and will see danger coming if it comes."
Vee and Eve couldn't have been more grateful.
"Alright," Vee agreed. "We got your back. Now let us go get Calvin and get the hel out of this place."
The trio of woman and the dog walked to where Calvin was at. It was Vee that knelt beside him and hugged him, telling him that everything would be alright, that Bosh's death would not be in vain.
Eve knelt as well and touched the man's face as a final good bye, and she dropped a few tears just like the rest of the party, save Lyseria, who was too concerned with the presence of the other trio.
After a while of crying for their dead friend, Calvin stood up, ready to move on.
"The dangers in this place are many," Lyseria told them and brought her scepter out. She rose it up to the air and called forth its power. A light reddish light shone from the tip and covered them all as Lyseria spoke in a tongue that the others did not understand.
"What did you just do?" Eve asked, feeling an invisible protective aura around her.
"A protection spell," Lyseria replied as she started to move ahead. She was well aware that the three invisible beings were following them off to the side. Lyseria believed that they were watching over the humans, but she did not mention anything to them. Time ahead would reveal to her what they were really doing.
"Protection from what? Spells and curses? I don't think we will be finding necros here, Lyseria," Eve chuckled, nervously.
"You came ill prepared for the horrors found in this place. I have protected you all with a steel skin spell, which will negate a few attacks on you, should they come."
"A steel skin?" Vee asked, mostly to herself as she followed Lyseria. "I heard of that type of spell, but according to the source I heard it from, only very powerful wizards or necromancers can cast them."
"Are you sure we will be well protected with this spell?" Eve asked as she followed close behind, Calvin at her right side with his head half hanging down, shoulders slumped, for Bosh had been a great friend back in the village.
"For a while, yes," Lyseria responded from the front as she kept herself alert. "But it wont last forever, every blow you take will diminish it's magical stamina."
***
We follow them, of course. Shan spoke after Kenji had asked what they should do. Poppy nodded her head and assisted Shan by saying, Saga said we should watch over them, so we better follow them.
And what about Saga? Where has he gone to? I hate this place. Kenji confessed.
Shan shook her head, not knowing what to say. She offered, Perhaps he sensed danger somewhere else...Come, let us follow these humans, Saga will surely find us.
I hope that he does, Pop said. And quickly, too. I am with Kenji, I am starting to hate this place.
Shan said nothing else, rather was the one who flew away first after the humans. Poppy and Kenji joined her soon after.
****
Lyseria and the rest of the group kept crossing over the bog as the minutes went. At times Lyseria and the group faced danger, mainly medium sized water snakes that Lyseria was able to scare away with a simple hissing noise that she made. She had to fire off a couple of fire balls to scare several weird looking four-legged beasts that the humans had never seen before. Those ran back and lost themselves in the greenery, making weird, howling noises.
Noticing her efficiency at keeping them alive, Vee and Eve felt grateful of the woman's assistance. The two sisters understood then that they alone would have never managed to make it even to the place that they were crossing at that time, too many monsters.
Up ahead, they noticed how the water level begin to rise. Nervous at that observance, Eve decided to ask, "How far is this ruined fortress you spoke of, Lys?"
"We are not far from it now." was all Lyseria said. She was right, the ruined fortress was some fifty yards away but well covered. Eve had to pick up her dog and carry him over her back, for the water was high and she did not want to see her dog swimming.
They kept on traversing through the bog, careful of their surroundings, but danger never showed up...until the group arrived to what seemed a dead end.
"Well it looks like we have come upon a dead end," Eve thought she had seen the scenery up ahead well. She--and the others--saw gigantic trees, which made her eyes widened in amazement. Never had Eve nor her sister nor Calvin seen trees that big.
Vee shuddered at the sight of one huge fat snake that slowly slid down one of those trees and went into the water. She grasped Eve's shoulder and pointed at the snake. Eve barely saw the tail as it disappeared into the murky water.
"The fortress is behind those trees," Lyseria explained. "It is actually part of those trees, it actually blends in...the forest has covered it well over the passage of time."
"I think I just saw a huge snake sliding into the water," Vee gulped, wanting to alert Lyseria to it. "I...I...think if we let that thing get too near us it will swallow us all in one attempt."
"It's not only one," Lyseria warned, glancing all about them.
Eve and Vee suddenly felt scared, so did Calvin, for coming down from the large trees were serpents that varied in sizes and colors, some as large as the trees themselves.
"Holy damn!" Eve shouted, feeling fearful all a sudden. "What are we going to do now? It looks like we are about to become serpent meal."
"Stay close to me," Lyseria shouted, and she even turned around to grabbed Eve and pull her in closely. Calvin and Vee moved in closely as well, both feeling terribly scared.
Out came Lyseria's scepter, but the trio that accompanied her doubted that her magic would save them from the numerous serpents that were swimming their way.
(Part 6/10)
*M i d n a*
Æsir Scribe
(Part 7/10)
The bog creature was enormous. More than being a serpent it was a reptile, a monster which could have been close enough to resemble a dinosaur. Its body was long and slithery yet hardened and filled with rows off foot-size spikes. It also had four strong legs, two up front and two at the back. Its tail had two nasty spikes and its mouth was similar to that of a crocodile, but bigger, about the size of a man.
Valkyrion Saga noticed its head as the creature approached him, for the creature had brought it out from underneath the water to take a good look at its prey. A pair of plate-size black eyes met with the demi god's reddish orbs. If the creature was afraid of the stare Valkyrion Saga was given it, it did not show, instead, the monster opened its mouth, showing the chooser of the slain rows upon rows of sharp teeth that had devoured countless humans and other small monsters before.
"Hm," Saga told himself and thought about getting out of the water. Staying there would have meant an easy meal for the monster, but Valkyrion Saga had also known that if he did not meet the monster's charge, the monster would most likely go for the opening on the wall and into the cell-filled room where the girl awaited with a frightened expression.
He planted his feet underneath him, hoping to use his brute strength to quickly impale the creature's head with his powerful sword and stop its advance with his sheer power. Saga had done that kind of thing many times ago with monsters from the abyss and other places, but he had never done it while more than half his body was covered with water, so he knew this was different. Still, he had to do it, for Saga did not want to use magic for fear of it spreading into the cell-filled room and hurting any of the prisoners there. When he used magic, it was very powerful, regardless of him using it as a simple spell.
Saga planned to do just that: to confront the creature face to face. It was the best plan he had at that moment, but the monster had other plans. As it was ten or so feet from getting to its prey, the creature left the water, taking off to the air in an attempt to come down with its mouth opened, which would surely fall upon and devour its prey.
Saga followed the creature's movements, having not expected it to do that. He improvised at the last moment, though, taking off flying toward the monster, sword leading the way as Saga clutched it with both his hands.
Saga drove it as deep as he could into the creature's mouth. The monster wailed in pain, and started to shut down its mouth. The Valkyrion was forced to let go of the blade when that nasty mouth came shutting down in a flash.
The force of the five ton monster began to fall upon him then, but Saga embraced the creature's long mouth and flew upwards, taking it along with him for a ride, else he would of had been crushed.
The creature was heavy but Valkyrion Saga was as strong as beings came to be. He had not fought the All-Father for simple show, Saga had been known to be even stronger than Hel herself and many other gods of the netherworld, that is why he had been sent to deal with Odin. Of course, he had failed, but he knew he would not be failing there and less with a creature such as an earthling over-sized monster.
Saga slugged the creature several times with one of his hands, hurting the creature and even stunning it. He could feel the creature trying to open its mouth, but he did not let it. Saga slugged the creature again and was about to toss it back into the water below, but just then, some other creatures that had caught a glimpse of him entered the fray.
Those were guards that had been stationed on top of the fortress's railing. They were firing arrows at him using their bows. Saga came to realize their presence when an arrow struck his left forearm.
Having had plans to drop the monster from great heights above, Saga changed his mind and flew toward the old fortress. The guards moved about and kept firing their arrows at him, but Saga had shielded himself as he had twisted the monster's hardened top skin to do the shielding while he remained hidden behind. The arrows just bounced off from the creature's hardened skin. Saga released his hold on the monster and this one fell on to the railing, scattering the twenty or so human guards that were there.
Most of the guards started to run for it, but the braver ones stayed to deal with the creature. The Marakamba, wanting only to kill and feed, grabbed those that were too near and ate them in a single gulp. With its spiked tale it crushed several of them as well.
Freed from the monster, Saga prepared to launch a spell and kill two birds with one rock. He lifted his arms up and summoned his magical abilities. Fire appeared and sizzled in his hands. He called forth more and more fire, creating a great ball in mere seconds. Then he released it downward against the monster and those that were fighting it or trying to escape it.
The fire ball hit the monster squarely in the back and exploded, creating a hole on the roof and causing large blocks and debris to fall inside and outside as well. So powerful was the explosion that Saga himself had flown away in order to avoid getting pelted by the debris. He knew that sooner or later he would have to find and retrieve Valkyrie Favor, but for now, something else was more important.
Triumphantly, he landed back on the edge of the prison cell, where he found the little girl stunned with his sudden appearance. She retreated to the back, for she had been standing close to the edge, wondering where her rescuer and monster had disappeared to.
"And...the monster?" she stammered.
"The monster is dead," Saga simply said and walked toward her. The girl offered the invisible thing she held on to him and said, "You want this back?"
Saga shook his head and responded, "Hold on to it for a little while more, I have something to do now." He walked towards the steel bars and grasped them with his hands as his red orbs noted the other girls behind the other cells. There were many, he understood, all scared and dirty looking. He began twisting the bars easily as if they were nothing but rope, the girls watching him in awe and wondering just what the hel he was, for with his display he was telling them all that he was not a mere human.
"We must get you all out of here," Saga glanced back at the girl as he continued to bend the steel bars. Vatti, suprised at the strength he had, covered her mouth after seeing how the bars that had kept her captured had easily been turned into an O. He went past her toward the opening and tossed the bars outside. He then came back at the girl, taking the weapon from her.
"Alright," he shouted as he stood on the room's corridor and observing some of the girls that were behind bars. "The monster is dead, there are no other monsters nearby at the moment. I will start removing the bars from your cells. You all must now go out through that opening on the wall there and into the water. Enemies are coming even as I stand talking to you. If you want to live, you will follow me where I go, are we clear?"
"Yes!" many desperate shouts came from all over the large prison block.
Saga went to work right away, bending part of the bars of a cell using his left hand. He created an escape hole for the lovely prisoner inside. A black haired girl quickly exited the cell. She at least turned to regard him and gave him a thankful nod before heading toward the cell where the large opening was.
***
"Stay close to me," Lyseria shouted at her companions. "I'm gonna fry these monsters!"
Vee, Eve and Calvin wondered what she was about to do, but they did as she told them. They remained closely next to her as she began casting a spell. They sweat it out terribly, for the serpents were within ten feet from them...
Lightning appeared at the top of Lyseria's scepter, and she lashed it out, spreading it out all around as she let out a cry of pain. The lightning surged through the edge of the water and even below the surface, enveloping every creature that had been swimming over their way.
The powerful spell did its work, shocking and killing every creature that was caught with it. In less than a minute after it had been sent out, many lifeless serpent bodies and other monsters filled the bog's surface for the group to see, their bodies dismissing grayish smoke.
"Ahhh!" Lyseria again cried out in pain.
The spell had been grand, but it had taken a toll on her, who slumped lifeless into the water, face first.
"Vee!" Eve shouted, keeping her dog well gripped over her shoulders. "She collapsed, get her!"
"Yes..." Vee walked forward, amazed at the mage's power. She had just saved them from certain death, and with a simple lightning spell.
"Is...she dead?" Eve asked as she saw her sister pulling the mage out from the water. Calvin was too scared to even speak anything, his eyes were on a snake's head, the one that had gotten closest to them. He got scared just by looking at it that he had to get nearer to Eve, who understood the guy's fear.
"She's breathing," Vee informed after she had checked Lyseria's body. "But we must get the hel out of the water."
"I...I am so scared that I can barely move," Eve pointed out. She was even trembling and wasn't the only one.
"So am I," Calvin assisted.
"Still," Vee said as she lifted Lyseria on to her shoulder. "We must get the hel out of the water. Calvin, be a good lad and fetch Lyseria's scepter, it fell into the water, she lost her grip on it."
"Ahh...right." the boy moved to do just that.
It was Vee who led the way for them moments later, leading them to the closest side of the bog, the right side.
***
It was in that side that Pop and the two Einherjar had been watching in anticipation what they would do to help. Kenji had wanted to blast a few snakes away but his magical stamina had depleted when he had battled the vines, so he could just watch.
As to Shan, she had indeed fired her Razor Shaft but it had done nothing more than to kill a few of the smaller serpents. She sighed heavily when she noticed that somehow the mage had saved herself and the others with that terrible lightning spell, which had sent lightning skipping all over the water.
I hate Saga, she said moments later as she saw the humans moving over to the right side. When he gets back, he will hear it from me. What if that mage had done nothing to save the humans, what would he have done to help them?
If he is alive, anyway, Kenji said, glancing at her. For all we know, maybe he ran into some trouble and wasn't able to deal with it. Maybe he lies dead somewhere in this bog.
Saga is fine, Pop intervened, not wanting to believe that. Let us stop worrying about him and instead choose what to do next. Do we sit tight undercover and watch over the humans or do we show ourselves to them and let them know of our presence?
Pop! We are spirits! How can we alert them of our presence? Shan wanted to know.
Maybe you are spirits and cant be seen unless Saga allows it. I, however, can show myself at will.
She was right, both Kenji and Shan knew.
I say we let them know of our presence, Kenji said. We band together and hope Saga returns soon. Night is coming in a few hours and this place feels unsafe even if that mage took out those many monsters just a few minutes ago.
I agree, Shan quickly agreed. We stick together and side with the humans and face together any danger that comes at us.
Then I will alert the humans of our presence, Pop said, nodding. Come with me and keep quiet. Not that your voices will be heard anyway, at least not by the humans. And poppy finished with a chuckle as she flew away.
Shan and Kenji stared at each other. Kenji smiled and Shan asked him, Remind me to tear her wings later on, okay?
Kenji shook his head and away he went after the imp. Shan followed, smiling to herself, realizing that Kenji was not one for jokes.
(Part 7/10)
(Part 8/10)
Girl after girl fled their cells and went out into the water. The smaller ones and those that could not swim were helped by others. Saga took a break from releasing girls and went to take a look through the opening on the wall, just to see how they were doing. He noticed that the girls were doing exactly as he had ordered. They were to head to where the tall trees stood not far from there. Vatti and her cousin Foxy were leading they way for the rest of the girls, a task that Vatti herself had pleaded her rescuer to give her when he had asked a few girls who would lead the rest out.
Knowing he still had like ten other girls to release, he went back to do just that. But then, the Valkyrion felt the movement of another powerful aura he had not read inside the fortress.
It apparently was coming down to where he was, with a large force accompanying it. Saga had to hurry. He headed over to the farthest cell and bent the bars as he told the little girl to get a move on. She obeyed, and so did the others that Saga released after her.
When last he released the last of the girls, he told her to hurry and swim away.
"I can't swim!" the blond girl confessed with a scared face.
"Someone will have to help you then," he told her. "You must be on your way now...trouble is coming, if you stay here you will surely die."
He grabbed the little girl and gently set her into the water and shouted at the rest of the girls that they needed to help her since she did not know how to swim. A tall black haired girl said she would help her out and Saga nodded at her. He then turned and went into the prisoner room, ignoring the girl's questions, which had been:
"But what will you do? You wont come with us?"
****
The group had found a good spot to call a small camp, though no fire had been lit at Vee's orders. Lyseria came back to her senses after fifteen minutes or so and had explained why she had fainted. Every time she used powerful spells, she would lose her energies for a period of time, and so that is why she tended to lose her senses.
Pop materialized a few feet away from the group when they had been discussing what they were about to do next.
"Whoa!" Eve shouted, being the one who saw the little imp first. She had been sitting and keeping her dog close to her, but upon seeing the little creature, she stirred. "What the..."
"It's alright," Pop shouted, trying to calm her and the others down. "I am an ally, not a foe."
The others stirred at the commotion.
"What in the..." Vee said when she caught sight of her. She quickly stood up and brought her sword out immediately. "What the hel are you, runt? A little demon, perhaps?"
"An imp from Asgard," Pop responded, flying close to her face, her little wings buzzing furiously. Vee looked at her thoroughly and noticed that the creature was delightful to the eye, not scary looking as she had accused her of being.
"An imp?" Calvin shouted the question, but Lyseria stood up then and calmed them down with her hands.
"She does not lie," she said. "She really is an imp, and she's got two invisible friends with her, though none of them appear to be our enemies."
"What, where?" Vee looked all around, clutching her sword tightly.
"Just over there," Lyseria pointed out.
A surprised Calvin stood up and asked the mage, "You can see them?"
Lyseria glanced over at the young man and nodded, "Yes, I have known of their presence ever since we dealt with the vines."
"You knew?" Vee asked, going toward her, sword still in her hand. "And you said nothing about them to us?"
"I wanted to find out whether they were enemies or friends," Lyseria stood her ground. She was taller than Vee by two inches or so. She saw as the two invisible beings made their way toward the group, one of them carrying a mighty looking crossbow.
"I assure you, we are friends," Pop insisted. Vee followed the little imp with her eyes. "That lightning spell you performed was awesome."
The group settled down again, even though Vee was not quick to sheath her sword she did moments later when Lyseria assured her that Pop was a servant for the gods. The little figure even introduced herself and her companions moments later, even told the group what they were doing there.
"Oh my...Are you..." Lyseria spoke as she walked away from the rest of the group and facing the direction in which the mighty, well hidden fortress stood. "Are you saying that a Valkyrie, a chooser of the slain, is here?"
"A Valkyrion," Pop corrected. "The first ever male appointed to handle the job of a Valkyrie. I am proud to serve him even though he left us to..."
Shh, Shan thought it would be best for the imp to quiet down. She had said too much already and Saga would not be happy to hear that Pop had accused him of leaving them all alone.
Oh let her go on, Kenji told her. Saga will not mind. He deserted us and left us to die.
Untrue, Shan said, even though she knew part of that was true. She did not believe that the Valkyrion had left them purposely to die, though.
"Go on," Lyseria told Pop and remained staring ahead.
"He left us by ourselves and took off in this direction. We haven't seen him since," Pop concluded.
Lyseria nodded and took her hand to her mouth, the mage thinking hard. "Maybe he went after whatever lies inside the fortress," she spoke. She turned around and found everyone staring at her, even Sadanjer and the two spiritual beings. "Should we move out and try to get inside? He might be fighting in there."
"Well," Vee was the one to answer to that. "If my little Foxy is in there, I am sure as hel going in there."
"As am I," Eve nodded and seemed at the ready. "I came here to fight for my daughter and that's what I will be doing."
"And we will help," Poppy added to that. "However we can."
Lyseria glanced all about, noticing that the group was roused and ready to go. "Fine, again I will take the point. Let us go!"
***
The Succubus had been alerted of the intruder only because one of the guards keeping watch at the top of the fortress had been able to get away from the Marakamba that the intruder had dropped on the rooftop. He had run downstairs and had gone directly to the guy in command. He in return had warned one of the Lesser Vampires and that one had roused the boss.
The Succubus had sent Lord Myriad to deal with the trouble himself. Losing a girl was not an option since they had the amount required for the sacrifice, so she was positive Lord Myriad, her puppet, would have everything under control before nightfall arrived.
***
And so Lord Myriad found himself leading the two Lesser Vampires and the remaining human scum, which amounted to twenty two.
Down to the sub level they went, crossing cold-felt, smelly corridors.
Lord Myriad kicked open the door to the prison block. When he went in, he noticed that it was dark and quiet and that the cell bars had been tempered with. All the girls were also missing and that made him put an angry expression behind his helmet. The only noise that the arkdainian heard was the trickling of water somewhere at the other end of the room, but light shone forth through one of the cells halfway through the room.
He lifted his hand up, signaling that none of the rest should join him. In reality, he had also wanted to draw his sword out, which he did. The sword came to life and sprouted flames, which lit the darkened room. He started walking down the corridor, his armor resonating lowly with every step he took.
***
Hiding behind one of the walls that had imprisoned the first girl Saga had rescued, the Valkyrion knew the aura approaching him was strong but not as strong as the other one that remained somewhere else within the fortress, and one that Saga knew he had to confront soon.
Suddenly, Saga left his hiding place. He simply came out of hiding and rose his cross bow and aimed it at the powerful knight that he found coming his way not ten feet or so away.
In return, Lord Myriad wasn't surprised at the apparition, he had known by instinct that someone had been waiting within the large room. He stopped walking when he noticed the fiery red eyes of that being.
The figures did not speak, they just remained there standing, glaring at each other.
(8/10)
The bog creature was enormous. More than being a serpent it was a reptile, a monster which could have been close enough to resemble a dinosaur. Its body was long and slithery yet hardened and filled with rows off foot-size spikes. It also had four strong legs, two up front and two at the back. Its tail had two nasty spikes and its mouth was similar to that of a crocodile, but bigger, about the size of a man.
Valkyrion Saga noticed its head as the creature approached him, for the creature had brought it out from underneath the water to take a good look at its prey. A pair of plate-size black eyes met with the demi god's reddish orbs. If the creature was afraid of the stare Valkyrion Saga was given it, it did not show, instead, the monster opened its mouth, showing the chooser of the slain rows upon rows of sharp teeth that had devoured countless humans and other small monsters before.
"Hm," Saga told himself and thought about getting out of the water. Staying there would have meant an easy meal for the monster, but Valkyrion Saga had also known that if he did not meet the monster's charge, the monster would most likely go for the opening on the wall and into the cell-filled room where the girl awaited with a frightened expression.
He planted his feet underneath him, hoping to use his brute strength to quickly impale the creature's head with his powerful sword and stop its advance with his sheer power. Saga had done that kind of thing many times ago with monsters from the abyss and other places, but he had never done it while more than half his body was covered with water, so he knew this was different. Still, he had to do it, for Saga did not want to use magic for fear of it spreading into the cell-filled room and hurting any of the prisoners there. When he used magic, it was very powerful, regardless of him using it as a simple spell.
Saga planned to do just that: to confront the creature face to face. It was the best plan he had at that moment, but the monster had other plans. As it was ten or so feet from getting to its prey, the creature left the water, taking off to the air in an attempt to come down with its mouth opened, which would surely fall upon and devour its prey.
Saga followed the creature's movements, having not expected it to do that. He improvised at the last moment, though, taking off flying toward the monster, sword leading the way as Saga clutched it with both his hands.
Saga drove it as deep as he could into the creature's mouth. The monster wailed in pain, and started to shut down its mouth. The Valkyrion was forced to let go of the blade when that nasty mouth came shutting down in a flash.
The force of the five ton monster began to fall upon him then, but Saga embraced the creature's long mouth and flew upwards, taking it along with him for a ride, else he would of had been crushed.
The creature was heavy but Valkyrion Saga was as strong as beings came to be. He had not fought the All-Father for simple show, Saga had been known to be even stronger than Hel herself and many other gods of the netherworld, that is why he had been sent to deal with Odin. Of course, he had failed, but he knew he would not be failing there and less with a creature such as an earthling over-sized monster.
Saga slugged the creature several times with one of his hands, hurting the creature and even stunning it. He could feel the creature trying to open its mouth, but he did not let it. Saga slugged the creature again and was about to toss it back into the water below, but just then, some other creatures that had caught a glimpse of him entered the fray.
Those were guards that had been stationed on top of the fortress's railing. They were firing arrows at him using their bows. Saga came to realize their presence when an arrow struck his left forearm.
Having had plans to drop the monster from great heights above, Saga changed his mind and flew toward the old fortress. The guards moved about and kept firing their arrows at him, but Saga had shielded himself as he had twisted the monster's hardened top skin to do the shielding while he remained hidden behind. The arrows just bounced off from the creature's hardened skin. Saga released his hold on the monster and this one fell on to the railing, scattering the twenty or so human guards that were there.
Most of the guards started to run for it, but the braver ones stayed to deal with the creature. The Marakamba, wanting only to kill and feed, grabbed those that were too near and ate them in a single gulp. With its spiked tale it crushed several of them as well.
Freed from the monster, Saga prepared to launch a spell and kill two birds with one rock. He lifted his arms up and summoned his magical abilities. Fire appeared and sizzled in his hands. He called forth more and more fire, creating a great ball in mere seconds. Then he released it downward against the monster and those that were fighting it or trying to escape it.
The fire ball hit the monster squarely in the back and exploded, creating a hole on the roof and causing large blocks and debris to fall inside and outside as well. So powerful was the explosion that Saga himself had flown away in order to avoid getting pelted by the debris. He knew that sooner or later he would have to find and retrieve Valkyrie Favor, but for now, something else was more important.
Triumphantly, he landed back on the edge of the prison cell, where he found the little girl stunned with his sudden appearance. She retreated to the back, for she had been standing close to the edge, wondering where her rescuer and monster had disappeared to.
"And...the monster?" she stammered.
"The monster is dead," Saga simply said and walked toward her. The girl offered the invisible thing she held on to him and said, "You want this back?"
Saga shook his head and responded, "Hold on to it for a little while more, I have something to do now." He walked towards the steel bars and grasped them with his hands as his red orbs noted the other girls behind the other cells. There were many, he understood, all scared and dirty looking. He began twisting the bars easily as if they were nothing but rope, the girls watching him in awe and wondering just what the hel he was, for with his display he was telling them all that he was not a mere human.
"We must get you all out of here," Saga glanced back at the girl as he continued to bend the steel bars. Vatti, suprised at the strength he had, covered her mouth after seeing how the bars that had kept her captured had easily been turned into an O. He went past her toward the opening and tossed the bars outside. He then came back at the girl, taking the weapon from her.
"Alright," he shouted as he stood on the room's corridor and observing some of the girls that were behind bars. "The monster is dead, there are no other monsters nearby at the moment. I will start removing the bars from your cells. You all must now go out through that opening on the wall there and into the water. Enemies are coming even as I stand talking to you. If you want to live, you will follow me where I go, are we clear?"
"Yes!" many desperate shouts came from all over the large prison block.
Saga went to work right away, bending part of the bars of a cell using his left hand. He created an escape hole for the lovely prisoner inside. A black haired girl quickly exited the cell. She at least turned to regard him and gave him a thankful nod before heading toward the cell where the large opening was.
***
"Stay close to me," Lyseria shouted at her companions. "I'm gonna fry these monsters!"
Vee, Eve and Calvin wondered what she was about to do, but they did as she told them. They remained closely next to her as she began casting a spell. They sweat it out terribly, for the serpents were within ten feet from them...
Lightning appeared at the top of Lyseria's scepter, and she lashed it out, spreading it out all around as she let out a cry of pain. The lightning surged through the edge of the water and even below the surface, enveloping every creature that had been swimming over their way.
The powerful spell did its work, shocking and killing every creature that was caught with it. In less than a minute after it had been sent out, many lifeless serpent bodies and other monsters filled the bog's surface for the group to see, their bodies dismissing grayish smoke.
"Ahhh!" Lyseria again cried out in pain.
The spell had been grand, but it had taken a toll on her, who slumped lifeless into the water, face first.
"Vee!" Eve shouted, keeping her dog well gripped over her shoulders. "She collapsed, get her!"
"Yes..." Vee walked forward, amazed at the mage's power. She had just saved them from certain death, and with a simple lightning spell.
"Is...she dead?" Eve asked as she saw her sister pulling the mage out from the water. Calvin was too scared to even speak anything, his eyes were on a snake's head, the one that had gotten closest to them. He got scared just by looking at it that he had to get nearer to Eve, who understood the guy's fear.
"She's breathing," Vee informed after she had checked Lyseria's body. "But we must get the hel out of the water."
"I...I am so scared that I can barely move," Eve pointed out. She was even trembling and wasn't the only one.
"So am I," Calvin assisted.
"Still," Vee said as she lifted Lyseria on to her shoulder. "We must get the hel out of the water. Calvin, be a good lad and fetch Lyseria's scepter, it fell into the water, she lost her grip on it."
"Ahh...right." the boy moved to do just that.
It was Vee who led the way for them moments later, leading them to the closest side of the bog, the right side.
***
It was in that side that Pop and the two Einherjar had been watching in anticipation what they would do to help. Kenji had wanted to blast a few snakes away but his magical stamina had depleted when he had battled the vines, so he could just watch.
As to Shan, she had indeed fired her Razor Shaft but it had done nothing more than to kill a few of the smaller serpents. She sighed heavily when she noticed that somehow the mage had saved herself and the others with that terrible lightning spell, which had sent lightning skipping all over the water.
I hate Saga, she said moments later as she saw the humans moving over to the right side. When he gets back, he will hear it from me. What if that mage had done nothing to save the humans, what would he have done to help them?
If he is alive, anyway, Kenji said, glancing at her. For all we know, maybe he ran into some trouble and wasn't able to deal with it. Maybe he lies dead somewhere in this bog.
Saga is fine, Pop intervened, not wanting to believe that. Let us stop worrying about him and instead choose what to do next. Do we sit tight undercover and watch over the humans or do we show ourselves to them and let them know of our presence?
Pop! We are spirits! How can we alert them of our presence? Shan wanted to know.
Maybe you are spirits and cant be seen unless Saga allows it. I, however, can show myself at will.
She was right, both Kenji and Shan knew.
I say we let them know of our presence, Kenji said. We band together and hope Saga returns soon. Night is coming in a few hours and this place feels unsafe even if that mage took out those many monsters just a few minutes ago.
I agree, Shan quickly agreed. We stick together and side with the humans and face together any danger that comes at us.
Then I will alert the humans of our presence, Pop said, nodding. Come with me and keep quiet. Not that your voices will be heard anyway, at least not by the humans. And poppy finished with a chuckle as she flew away.
Shan and Kenji stared at each other. Kenji smiled and Shan asked him, Remind me to tear her wings later on, okay?
Kenji shook his head and away he went after the imp. Shan followed, smiling to herself, realizing that Kenji was not one for jokes.
(Part 7/10)
(Part 8/10)
Girl after girl fled their cells and went out into the water. The smaller ones and those that could not swim were helped by others. Saga took a break from releasing girls and went to take a look through the opening on the wall, just to see how they were doing. He noticed that the girls were doing exactly as he had ordered. They were to head to where the tall trees stood not far from there. Vatti and her cousin Foxy were leading they way for the rest of the girls, a task that Vatti herself had pleaded her rescuer to give her when he had asked a few girls who would lead the rest out.
Knowing he still had like ten other girls to release, he went back to do just that. But then, the Valkyrion felt the movement of another powerful aura he had not read inside the fortress.
It apparently was coming down to where he was, with a large force accompanying it. Saga had to hurry. He headed over to the farthest cell and bent the bars as he told the little girl to get a move on. She obeyed, and so did the others that Saga released after her.
When last he released the last of the girls, he told her to hurry and swim away.
"I can't swim!" the blond girl confessed with a scared face.
"Someone will have to help you then," he told her. "You must be on your way now...trouble is coming, if you stay here you will surely die."
He grabbed the little girl and gently set her into the water and shouted at the rest of the girls that they needed to help her since she did not know how to swim. A tall black haired girl said she would help her out and Saga nodded at her. He then turned and went into the prisoner room, ignoring the girl's questions, which had been:
"But what will you do? You wont come with us?"
****
The group had found a good spot to call a small camp, though no fire had been lit at Vee's orders. Lyseria came back to her senses after fifteen minutes or so and had explained why she had fainted. Every time she used powerful spells, she would lose her energies for a period of time, and so that is why she tended to lose her senses.
Pop materialized a few feet away from the group when they had been discussing what they were about to do next.
"Whoa!" Eve shouted, being the one who saw the little imp first. She had been sitting and keeping her dog close to her, but upon seeing the little creature, she stirred. "What the..."
"It's alright," Pop shouted, trying to calm her and the others down. "I am an ally, not a foe."
The others stirred at the commotion.
"What in the..." Vee said when she caught sight of her. She quickly stood up and brought her sword out immediately. "What the hel are you, runt? A little demon, perhaps?"
"An imp from Asgard," Pop responded, flying close to her face, her little wings buzzing furiously. Vee looked at her thoroughly and noticed that the creature was delightful to the eye, not scary looking as she had accused her of being.
"An imp?" Calvin shouted the question, but Lyseria stood up then and calmed them down with her hands.
"She does not lie," she said. "She really is an imp, and she's got two invisible friends with her, though none of them appear to be our enemies."
"What, where?" Vee looked all around, clutching her sword tightly.
"Just over there," Lyseria pointed out.
A surprised Calvin stood up and asked the mage, "You can see them?"
Lyseria glanced over at the young man and nodded, "Yes, I have known of their presence ever since we dealt with the vines."
"You knew?" Vee asked, going toward her, sword still in her hand. "And you said nothing about them to us?"
"I wanted to find out whether they were enemies or friends," Lyseria stood her ground. She was taller than Vee by two inches or so. She saw as the two invisible beings made their way toward the group, one of them carrying a mighty looking crossbow.
"I assure you, we are friends," Pop insisted. Vee followed the little imp with her eyes. "That lightning spell you performed was awesome."
The group settled down again, even though Vee was not quick to sheath her sword she did moments later when Lyseria assured her that Pop was a servant for the gods. The little figure even introduced herself and her companions moments later, even told the group what they were doing there.
"Oh my...Are you..." Lyseria spoke as she walked away from the rest of the group and facing the direction in which the mighty, well hidden fortress stood. "Are you saying that a Valkyrie, a chooser of the slain, is here?"
"A Valkyrion," Pop corrected. "The first ever male appointed to handle the job of a Valkyrie. I am proud to serve him even though he left us to..."
Shh, Shan thought it would be best for the imp to quiet down. She had said too much already and Saga would not be happy to hear that Pop had accused him of leaving them all alone.
Oh let her go on, Kenji told her. Saga will not mind. He deserted us and left us to die.
Untrue, Shan said, even though she knew part of that was true. She did not believe that the Valkyrion had left them purposely to die, though.
"Go on," Lyseria told Pop and remained staring ahead.
"He left us by ourselves and took off in this direction. We haven't seen him since," Pop concluded.
Lyseria nodded and took her hand to her mouth, the mage thinking hard. "Maybe he went after whatever lies inside the fortress," she spoke. She turned around and found everyone staring at her, even Sadanjer and the two spiritual beings. "Should we move out and try to get inside? He might be fighting in there."
"Well," Vee was the one to answer to that. "If my little Foxy is in there, I am sure as hel going in there."
"As am I," Eve nodded and seemed at the ready. "I came here to fight for my daughter and that's what I will be doing."
"And we will help," Poppy added to that. "However we can."
Lyseria glanced all about, noticing that the group was roused and ready to go. "Fine, again I will take the point. Let us go!"
***
The Succubus had been alerted of the intruder only because one of the guards keeping watch at the top of the fortress had been able to get away from the Marakamba that the intruder had dropped on the rooftop. He had run downstairs and had gone directly to the guy in command. He in return had warned one of the Lesser Vampires and that one had roused the boss.
The Succubus had sent Lord Myriad to deal with the trouble himself. Losing a girl was not an option since they had the amount required for the sacrifice, so she was positive Lord Myriad, her puppet, would have everything under control before nightfall arrived.
***
And so Lord Myriad found himself leading the two Lesser Vampires and the remaining human scum, which amounted to twenty two.
Down to the sub level they went, crossing cold-felt, smelly corridors.
Lord Myriad kicked open the door to the prison block. When he went in, he noticed that it was dark and quiet and that the cell bars had been tempered with. All the girls were also missing and that made him put an angry expression behind his helmet. The only noise that the arkdainian heard was the trickling of water somewhere at the other end of the room, but light shone forth through one of the cells halfway through the room.
He lifted his hand up, signaling that none of the rest should join him. In reality, he had also wanted to draw his sword out, which he did. The sword came to life and sprouted flames, which lit the darkened room. He started walking down the corridor, his armor resonating lowly with every step he took.
***
Hiding behind one of the walls that had imprisoned the first girl Saga had rescued, the Valkyrion knew the aura approaching him was strong but not as strong as the other one that remained somewhere else within the fortress, and one that Saga knew he had to confront soon.
Suddenly, Saga left his hiding place. He simply came out of hiding and rose his cross bow and aimed it at the powerful knight that he found coming his way not ten feet or so away.
In return, Lord Myriad wasn't surprised at the apparition, he had known by instinct that someone had been waiting within the large room. He stopped walking when he noticed the fiery red eyes of that being.
The figures did not speak, they just remained there standing, glaring at each other.
(8/10)
Hazel
A Frog
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2010
- Location
- on my bean bag...
Hey, that was awesome, Atsie. I didn't see any typos.