The Demons of Watchwood Forest 2

[Harri-chan]

Ginny watched her open her arms out, and it was as if her legs were moving on their own accord, her subconscious carrying her towards the woman, and into the hug. The height difference was embarrassing, the woman's breasts above Ginny's head as her small arms wrapped around the waist of the seductress, and squeezed tightly as she'd been told to do. "Are you going to use magic?", she asked nervously.

[Knight Errant]

James does not look back and walks straight on, slipping silently into the building. He peers into the dark to make sure that there were no nasties waiting for him within,

James finds what looks like a great temple. Shrines are built into the walls all along the interior of the huge dark room. In the center, a massive statue of a man in strangely familiar armor dominates the space. On the front is a plaque, reading. "Those who would face the darkness... first bring light." Below it is the shrine... empty candle holders and a large stone jar looked to be sealed with wax.

Trey's bravado was short lived as his knees impacted on the ground and his sword clattered to the dirt. His body swayed back and forth and his mind disengaged from reality. "I...I must be dreaming..." the words calmly spilled from the Knight Paladin's mouth as he looked to the monstrous snake. Squinting his tired eyes to see the beast, he pointed with his very last ounce of strength, "You haven't beaten me. I am...Trey...De-" his body thwumped face first to the ground, unable to maintain consciousness...let alone stand a fight the imminent threat.

Gregor was conflicted for only a moment. He knew, somehow, that if he accepted this offer he'd change his entire life. But there was an evil, a darkness from which he and his master could not escape, that this man was offering to vanquish. "A man is only as good as the cause he fights for and is made better in how he fights for it. As long as you vanquish evil, Gregor, you'll tread the path of valor and courage. Trey's words rang in the boy's head. "Yes. Please, help us..." he stuttered out, almost without realizing as he knelt down as well before the aged spirit. "Help me."

The giant snake's eyes gleam in amusement at the prone form of the paladin. "Sssso confident... ssso foolisssh. You will have plenty of time... to ressst... in my belly." It grins... and opens its mouth wide.

Meanwhile, the spirit nods... placing its hand on Gregor's shoulder. "So it shall be done... awake..." The mist swirls around him... he can feel himself being filled with strength... his heart full of determination and abundant courage. He opens his eyes to find himself standing... mist billowing around him, curling off of his... armor? He finds himself fully grown, dressed in the battered armor of the spirit... slightly translucent. In his hand a two handed sword... the blade of cold iron, curling with frost and mist.

In front of him, the giant snake glares... surprise and anger on its face. "Thiss is my prey, forgotten one... Thiss man iss an enemy to all our kind. The Queen demandsss their death." He hears the voice of the spirit ringing through the air. "I honor the pact of the King. My ways are steadfast... determined. Go back to the shadow if you value your life, dark one. This boy and those he cares for are under my protection."

The serpent's eyes burn. "Thisss I will not allow!" It lunges forward! Gregor feels his arm's tense... his feet dig into the earth as he strikes forward with blinding speed! The tip of the sword buries itself in the forehead of the giant snake. It twitches... thrashing and spitting. Then Gregor strikes again... neatly cleaving its head from its neck. The head rolls off... the eyes going dull as the carcass begins crumbling to dust... black smoke seeping out of it.

Trey finds the spell breaking... his eyes opening in time to see the strange armored figure swing his frosted sword one last time... the smoke shrieking in a voice eerily similar to that of the snake... The black smoke is cleaved in half... crystallizing and then disintegrating into the air.

The man nods at the clerk, "...thanks for your time." He heads off down the hallway, and thinks for the moment he should have double checked for the rules. Ovvar will have time for that, he is sure. He tightens his belt, and removes his hat as he goes along... he's inside. No need to block the sun from his weathered face at the moment.

With that he heads into the ready room.

Into the ready room he goes! He finds knights, mercenaries, wizards, all sorts either sitting, chatting, glaring, or eating at the large table set for them in the middle of the room!

Ginny watched her open her arms out, and it was as if her legs were moving on their own accord, her subconscious carrying her towards the woman, and into the hug. The height difference was embarrassing, the woman's breasts above Ginny's head as her small arms wrapped around the waist of the seductress, and squeezed tightly as she'd been told to do. "Are you going to use magic?", she asked nervously.

The woman wraps her arms around Ginny. "Mhmm... dont worry, I have you safe in my arms." She coos in the little paladin's ears... as wind rushes about them... the scenery blurring until suddenly... they are sitting on the seats of a rather luxurious carriage! Well the woman is sitting on the seat... Ginny is siting on her lap. "Now we will arrive in the city in style..." She grins.

[Blaze]

James slowly approaches the statue, wiping some dust off the plaque to read it.

"Bring light..."

He kneels to check the empty shrine, noticing the sealed jar. He takes it, and using a knife, breaks the seal and opens it.

[Harri-chan]

Ginny felt rather disorientated as she went from having her face buried in the woman's dress, to being sat on her lap in the carriage. Her cheeks went bright red again at how nice and comfortable she felt sitting there, with the woman's breasts against her back. Her blue eyes peered around in suprise, and then she twisted a little to look back at her new Mistress, "What if someone recognises me?".

[Brnin8r]

Trey Dendin's eyes still felt heavy but as the spell lifted he found himself on his back staring at an armored soul. The man looked battle-hardened, but the undeniable details of the man shaking did not escape Trey's eyes. For some reason, the man looked familiar, but he couldn't quite put a hold on it. "Thank you, good sir. Your timing could not have been more necessary." the knight-errant began as he stood up to brush his tunic of the dirt he'd sullied it with.

Gregor was trembling. The rush of courage and might had all but shocked him to the core; his sword suddenly weighing three castles. He hesitantly sheathed his sword, wondering if this was a permanent affair the spirit had imbued him with. The power felt amazing, but suddenly that feeling was dwarfed in the face of his worry that Trey might disapprove of the means of receiving that power. "Uummm...it was...no problem. I simply did what was right and just, as I've been taught." It eluded the full truth, but it wasn't a lie!"

[Vomica]

Into the ready room he goes! He finds knights, mercenaries, wizards, all sorts either sitting, chatting, glaring, or eating at the large table set for them in the middle of the room!

He sweeps into the room with a casually gait, it's not really a swagger, there might be a hint of one, but he doesn't try to walk that way. He settles down at one of the free chairs, trying to be as sly about it all that he can. These are his competition. He doesn't want to draw much attention to himself... well being able to over hear any conversations and observing what he is up against.

[Knight Errant]

James slowly approaches the statue, wiping some dust off the plaque to read it.

"Bring light..."

He kneels to check the empty shrine, noticing the sealed jar. He takes it, and using a knife, breaks the seal and opens it.

Breaking the wax seal and opening the jar would reveal it to be full of long, pure white candles. And the shrine seems to have carved holes in the side... hmm...

Ginny felt rather disorientated as she went from having her face buried in the woman's dress, to being sat on her lap in the carriage. Her cheeks went bright red again at how nice and comfortable she felt sitting there, with the woman's breasts against her back. Her blue eyes peered around in suprise, and then she twisted a little to look back at her new Mistress, "What if someone recognises me?".

The woman smiles, laughing lightly. "I don't think we will have to worry about that, dear... but if your worried..." She places her hand on Ginny's head... feeling a warmth seep through as her blond hair brightens... flushing a rich red color to match that of the demon woman's. "There we go, love... now you look more the part of my daughter."

Trey Dendin's eyes still felt heavy but as the spell lifted he found himself on his back staring at an armored soul. The man looked battle-hardened, but the undeniable details of the man shaking did not escape Trey's eyes. For some reason, the man looked familiar, but he couldn't quite put a hold on it. "Thank you, good sir. Your timing could not have been more necessary." the knight-errant began as he stood up to brush his tunic of the dirt he'd sullied it with.

Gregor was trembling. The rush of courage and might had all but shocked him to the core; his sword suddenly weighing three castles. He hesitantly sheathed his sword, wondering if this was a permanent affair the spirit had imbued him with. The power felt amazing, but suddenly that feeling was dwarfed in the face of his worry that Trey might disapprove of the means of receiving that power. "Uummm...it was...no problem. I simply did what was right and just, as I've been taught." It eluded the full truth, but it wasn't a lie!"

Soon after that, the mist thickens around the armored warrior... into a small dense cloud. From inside, Trey can hear a voice speaking in the mist. "I hold no illusions to the possible outcome of this, but illusions are not of my nature. I will stand before you as I am, nothing less."

The mist recedes, revealing Gregor standing on the ground, the armored figure standing behind him. But the man was clearly transparent... "Not all souls are evil... just as not all men are evil. We tread a different path... alongside the living. Though men's hearts can be easily clouded by lies. I know what you are, It is marked on your soul brightly... a man to whom duty is a life and honor and righteousness pursued and guarded."

The spirit looks over Trey, his eyes sad. "I can help you... but such a thing must be asked. By the ancient law of the King I have saved your life, your ward is indebted to me. But such a thing is temporary. He is required to build a small shrine, or burn an offering to my memory. Beyond that, nothing. And should you leave, I will not see you again. My spirit is bound here... and while more aid than this I can give you... the price is higher, as are the consequences. But be not under an illusion... true monsters lurk in these woods. Without aid you shall perish."

He sweeps into the room with a casually gait, it's not really a swagger, there might be a hint of one, but he doesn't try to walk that way. He settles down at one of the free chairs, trying to be as sly about it all that he can. These are his competition. He doesn't want to draw much attention to himself... well being able to over hear any conversations and observing what he is up against.

He hears the lively chatter of some rogues, discussing everything from the maidens in the inn they were in last night, to vital points for stabbing. Most of the people are quiet... eating, or silently contemplating the trial ahead.

A guard walks in a door from the other side of the room. "Ten minutes, men." He says, before closing the door.

[Blaze]

"Don't need to be a genius to figure this out..."

James starts inserting the candles into the slots before looking for some means of lighting them.

[Vomica]

Ten minutes? Ten minutes!? He could finish all the battles by then! The man settles down on a chair at the table, and glances around. He's not going to bother anyone unless someone bothers him... they aren't worth his time at this point. Really. He can learn all he needs to know by just looking at them.

[Brnin8r]

Trey looked, in awe and frozen shock, at the spirit behind Gregor. The consequences and outcomes of Gregor's actions trying to weigh themselves against what Trey had been taught his entire life. His brow furrowed and his heart hardened to the advice of the spirit. "Despite your help, there must be some evil end you work towards." he spoke, relying on the close-minded and assured principles of his faith, "No matter your lies, I know that no true and just king would sell his sword or soul for the assistance of you foul spirits...now leave us, that I might cleanse myself of your filth." he insulted as he glared to his squire. "We will discuss this further once the spirit leaves us."

Gregor was dumbfounded. The combination of the spirit's power leaving him and the utter denial Trey was showing in the face of such justice. Had he not just been about to be eaten by a gigantic snake...a force neither of them could even hope to defeat without the help of the spirit? Without a word, he turned to the edge of the forest and began gathering sticks and grass. There was a compulsion within him to repay the spirit with all due haste. He had some rope and a few copper coins in his pack he intended to use as well...regardless of what Trey thought of it. "I will always seek to repay the help you've given me..." he whispered under his breath, "I ask that you also help in showing my companion the error of his thoughts by helping me to further prove justice and righteousness. No matter the cost."

[Harri-chan]

Ginny felt herself relax as the larger hand pressed over the top of her head, and she leaned back slightly against the woman's chest before gasping as she saw her hair turn red right infront of her eyes. Her hands reached up, grasping at strands, pulling it right out infront of herself as the blonde disappeared from the tips. For some reason, a shiver went down her spine as she pressed her hair against that of the woman and saw it was a perfect match. It felt silly, but it was almost as if the change in hair colour was a bigger shift in her identity than the stolen age. After all, she'd not always been a woman, but she HAD always been a blonde. There was a look of nervous awe across her young face as she peered up at the laughing Seductress.

[Knight Errant]

"Don't need to be a genius to figure this out..."

James starts inserting the candles into the slots before looking for some means of lighting them.

There is a small box also in the sealed jar. Investigation would show a flint and tinder! Meanwhile he can feel a sense of rightness fill the room as he does this. And the feeling he is being watched.

Ten minutes? Ten minutes!? He could finish all the battles by then! The man settles down on a chair at the table, and glances around. He's not going to bother anyone unless someone bothers him... they aren't worth his time at this point. Really. He can learn all he needs to know by just looking at them.

The ten minutes pass agonizingly slowly! Most of the contenders keep to themselves, unchanged by this news. Some start some last minute preparations... sharpening of blades, preparing cantrips, such things.

Finally the doors open once more. "Right, everything is set. Follow me." He opens the doors wide, revealing a long tunnel... and at the end, the brightness and sand of the arena.

Trey looked, in awe and frozen shock, at the spirit behind Gregor. The consequences and outcomes of Gregor's actions trying to weigh themselves against what Trey had been taught his entire life. His brow furrowed and his heart hardened to the advice of the spirit. "Despite your help, there must be some evil end you work towards." he spoke, relying on the close-minded and assured principles of his faith, "No matter your lies, I know that no true and just king would sell his sword or soul for the assistance of you foul spirits...now leave us, that I might cleanse myself of your filth." he insulted as he glared to his squire. "We will discuss this further once the spirit leaves us."

Gregor was dumbfounded. The combination of the spirit's power leaving him and the utter denial Trey was showing in the face of such justice. Had he not just been about to be eaten by a gigantic snake...a force neither of them could even hope to defeat without the help of the spirit? Without a word, he turned to the edge of the forest and began gathering sticks and grass. There was a compulsion within him to repay the spirit with all due haste. He had some rope and a few copper coins in his pack he intended to use as well...regardless of what Trey thought of it. "I will always seek to repay the help you've given me..." he whispered under his breath, "I ask that you also help in showing my companion the error of his thoughts by helping me to further prove justice and righteousness. No matter the cost."

The spirit listens calmly to Trey... and then Gregor. Smiling slightly as the boy begins his work. "The young... blessed with innocence. And eyes that are unclouded by preconceptions." The spirit looks to Trey. "I told you, I could not leave this place. This is the place of my power... the sight of my final glory. Let me show you... so that you might come to know me better."

The mists thicken and swirl around them... as new forms begin to take shape. Men and monsters, clashing under the boughs of the trees. The faint sound of iron blades clashing with claws along with inhuman snarls and too human screams of pain. The battle is clearly going badly for the men, who upon closer look all seem to be wearing uniformed armor of a slightly antiquated style. The voice of the spirit speaks up. "Later I was told it was called the Battle of the Black Boughs. One of many battles we faced here... to tame Watchwood for men." The soldiers seem to be about to break, when a familiar armored figure charges into the fray, wielding a frosted blade. "I was the commander of the Twenty-Third Frontline Infantry Division. The monsters had attacked a village... and the King ordered us to make sure that did not happen again."

The man with the frosted blade rally's his troops, striking deep into the enemy's force. Where his blade touches, what isn't sliced is burned with frost, or even frozen solid. "Few things could hurt our enemy... but our King Arleigh had made a pact with a witch who lived here long before we arrived. She gave us the tools to fight back. Enchantments and weapons imbued with the spirits of the elements. She became our Queen... and gradually we became one with the land we set out to tame. However... this land reflects the souls of those who dwell in it... and men are ever conflicted..."

The soldiers seem to have turned the battle around... when out of the woods roars a horrific thing. All muscle and teeth and claws... vaguely resembling a bear. It smashes into the ranks of the soldiers, sending them flying. The man with the frosted blade turns to meet the new foe... charging forward heedless of his men's cries to retreat. Man and monster clash with a terrifying crack. The man's sword had been snapped in half by the monster's claw... which had then buried itself deep in his chest. Bleeding, and looking on the edge of death, the man lets out a cry and sweeps upwards with whats left of his sword... burying it in between the eyes of the bear monster. The creature's eyes go dead... falling over and crumbling to dust. The rest of the monsters turn and flee into the woods. The last image is of the man with the broken sword... lying on the ground surrounded by his men.

This dissolves into mist... and where the man had been lying, Trey and Gregor might notice that what had looked like a small hill is actually a burial mound, covered in weeds and leaves. The spirit stands over it, smiling slightly. "Death is not what they told us... or perhaps its different here. Your soul is blasted... shredded... only the strong ones come through it somewhat intact. What is left are your strongest characteristics... those parts of you which defined your will and existence. I can no longer remember my name... or much of my life as a man. I have become Courage, for that is what defined me up until my final moments. And that is what I will be until I pass completely from this world."

The spirit reaches into the burial mound... his hand passing through rock and vegetation. He grasps hold of something and pulls. With a sliding of stone, the iron blade is freed from the rubble. The air growing colder as it appears. Still cracked in half from its last battle, the leather of the handle all but rotted away... the metal itself remains bright and sharp, looking forged just yesterday. Cut in half as it is, its about the size of a short sword. "This is the source of my power... what my soul is bound to. Carry this from here and you carry me as well." He looks into Gregor's eyes. "If you are serious with your plea for my aid... take my blade. It will bring you courage and strength in the dark times ahead."

((Whew, I might have gotten slightly carried away with that. Oh well... BACKSTORY! WHOOO!))

Ginny felt herself relax as the larger hand pressed over the top of her head, and she leaned back slightly against the woman's chest before gasping as she saw her hair turn red right infront of her eyes. Her hands reached up, grasping at strands, pulling it right out infront of herself as the blonde disappeared from the tips. For some reason, a shiver went down her spine as she pressed her hair against that of the woman and saw it was a perfect match. It felt silly, but it was almost as if the change in hair colour was a bigger shift in her identity than the stolen age. After all, she'd not always been a woman, but she HAD always been a blonde. There was a look of nervous awe across her young face as she peered up at the laughing Seductress.

The woman hmmms, tilting her head as she looks down at Ginny. "You don't like it? I rather think red suits you..." Up ahead, the forest finally relents... the massive clearing coming into sight. Up ahead are the farms and inns surrounding the great city of Overwatch. They are within sight of their destination..."

[Blaze]

James takes the flint and tinder and uses it to light the candles one at a time! THough he stops halfway to look around, hunting for whatever could be watching him!

[Harri-chan]

Ginny didn't reply, pressing the strands of red hair against her white dress for a moment. As the trees started to disappear from view, she hesitantly climbed down from the woman's lap. Immediately she started to feel nervous, and something inside her was compelling her to stay close to her new Mother, but she moved to the window and peered out, watching the city come closer. It looked so much bigger now than it had during her last visit. "Are you sure they won't know what you really are?".

[Brnin8r]

((BAD. ASS.))

Trey trembled on his feet, barely holding himself up as the vision fell away. At first he blamed foul magic for the hallucination, but soon he realized this was no threat...in fact, it seemed as if it were from a distant dream. He'd read about the Battle of the Black Boughs. But if that was the battle he'd just seen, then that meant that this spirit was...no it couldn't be. His eyes had teared up watching men be ravaged by the monstrous threats and through bitter tears he placed his hands together and began praying, "Almighty upon high, please guide my confused mind to that which is right and just!" he shouted, shutting everything around him out and falling to his knees just before the small burial mound. He was sure that his god...the true and high spirit would glean the truth from the lies.

Gregor, unnerved by Trey's behavior, hoping that he might find reason in his prayer, looked to their ethereal visitor. "Courage." he spoke aloud, whether or not he addressed the spirit or was merely reflecting on the noun was difficult to tell. He'd lacked it his whole life, dreaming of grandeur but scared to death of what was out there. Trey was his closest friend and he did everything possible to make his Knight proud...but he was just a squire after all. The sword felt cool in his hands as he pulled it from Courage's grasp, though not a chill temperature that caused him to recoil. Almost a comforting cold if there were such a thing. As Trey was stuck in his continued prayers, Gregor looked to the spirit, "What of the Queen? What of the ways that were? Do you know how this schism happened?" he asked, feeling comfortable enough to speak to the ancient, ominous spirit. Perhaps it was comfort. Perhaps, though, it was courage.