Enter the Jungle (OPEN)

[Periwinkle]

(OOC): This is an open battle. Please use appropriate language and content.



It was dusk and the sun was melting into the horizon.

Perri paused to admire the great stone slabs before her, then walked up them into the Citadel.

"Wow. Bet you'll be right at home in here, huh, Jada?" Perri stroked the viper on her shoulder.

They stood at the edge of a vast wood, spread in all directions, thick with wide-branched trees, tangled vines, scraggly bushes, and a few trickling streams here and there.

She grinned, drank in the sounds of screeching birds and chirping insects, and took her first steps into the forest.

Only a minute or two went by until, still exploring, Perri realized the only noise was her feet crunching on dead leaves. Everywhere else was silent.

Suddenly something snapped behind her. She stood still and her eyes narrowed. Steeling herself, Perri gripped her bow in her left hand and slid her right hand around the knife handle at her belt.

Then she turned to meet the intruder.

[Skie and Avery]

It had been almost too long since Avery had stepped foot into the Citadel. The long hallways reminded him of his childhood, when he and his sister Skie had come running through. They'd met their father there, and they'd met battle more than once. The musty stone, lit by torches, held almost too many memories to hold. He chose a room at random, closing his eyes and allowing his magic to weave around him as he opened the door.

The scene beyond was a lush forest, and as he stepped in, the illusion was complete. Magic cloaked his visage, making him appear as a woodcutter. His usual naked frame was clothed in linen and leather, an axe no more real than the clothes hanging at his side. His face remained the same, bright green eyes glinting with a predatory smirk, his long brown hair pulled back into a low tail. For a moment he scratched his strong chin, careful of the blades he wore on his fingertips. Masked by the illusion magic, he pulled his wings close not to keep them from sight but to keep them from brushing the branches and vines that hung from the trees.

It was not long until he came across his companion. He saw her as he crept up, his footing no stranger to the forest. A cascade of brilliant red hair moved with the wind and her own steps, her stride cautious but confident. Immediately he smiled, baring sharp canines. She looked tasty, and it had been too long since he had indulged in a treat. When she heard him and whirled, he saw her young face and felt a surge of dark delight.

He bowed, concentrating to keep the glint of his fingertip blades hidden by magic, and smiled graciously at her. "Good morning, love," he said, his voice rolling and deep. "What a fine morning to come worship at the temple, don't you think?" His eyes focused behind her, just over her shoulder where a small stream bubbled and flowed. It cut through the grass and brush of the forests and Avery's smile grew as a shiver of anticipation crept up his spine. How beautiful it would be were he to make the stream run red with her blood!

[Periwinkle]

Perri studied the man. Charming though he was, there was definitely something sinister about that smile. Years of traveling through magic creatures' domains had taught Perri not to trust first appearances.

She took a step backward for better balance, her eyes never leaving the mysterious man. Jada was winding herself around Perri's neck, who realized the viper was upset about something.

I am too, Jada, Perri thought.

She stalled, allowing herself a quick glance at her surroundings. Her carved oak staff was leaning against a large, low-branched tree, both of which might prove useful. She returned her attention to the man in front of her.

"Who are you?" Perri asked sharply, pulling her knife an inch out of its sheath.

[Skie and Avery]

"Would you believe me if I said I were a king?" he asked, his tone still light and full of interest. What did it matter to this girl who he was? Did she even know what she'd gotten herself into? Avery remembered the first time he and his sister had snuck down the hallowed halls of the Citadel, finding battle when they'd merely been looking to satisfy a harmless curiosity. Perhaps it was this way with the girl as well. After all, she did look young and lost. A dark voice inside of himself reminded him that young and lost was the sweetest combination of tastes.

"My name is Avery, m'lady." he said, bowing down before her. He could almost smell the distrust on her, her apprehension rolling off her body in waves. As he stood inclining a hand towards her and asked, "May I ask your own name?" he allowed some of his pheremones to roll from his body and be carried to her by the breeze. The natural attractant smelled of flowers and wine, a dark and heady smell. If he had his way, she would soon be on her hands and knees, begging for his touch, no matter how much it hurt.

[Periwinkle]

"I'm Perri."

She felt drawn toward this Avery, which unusual for her. She looked into his confident eyes and noticed a strong scent in the air. Perri inhaled, vaguely aware of stumbling toward the man. Why am I doing this? She tried to think of a reason but could only think of Avery. Remembering the plans of adventuring she had been so set on not long ago, Perri struggled against her dreamy state.

She was two feet away from Avery when she felt a sharp prick on her shoulder. Excruciating pain followed, flowing in waves down her arm and up her neck. Perri cried out, releasing her knife back into its sheath and clamping her right hand on her shoulder. She was no longer aware of the intoxicating aroma. Looking up into Avery's face, she gritted her teeth in agony - and rage, for she now realized she had been tricked.

Holding her bow close with her left hand, she turned around and lurched toward a cypress tree, intent on climbing it. She made a mental note to thank Jada later.

[Skie and Avery]

He smiled as she had come towards him, almost as if she were a ghost and her footsteps were cursed upon a path towards him. It was short lived, however, as her pet bit her. A half circle bite appeared against her flesh, blood welling up where the fangs of the viper had stung in and trailed down pale skin. Avery was almost jealous that it hadn't been him that had drawn blood on the girl. Something flashed behind her eyes, and she began to take to a nearby tree.

"A bird can fly fast, but can she fly far?" he called mockingly as she scrambled away, chuckling under his breath as he watched her. He had no need for hasty attack, he had all the time in the world. Instead, he thought to himself that he would like very much to play with his prey, batting her around like a mouse caught in the claws of a cat. From deep within himself, he could feel the stir of magic. Calling upon it, he began to play more with light and shadow, casting an illusion on the cypress tree that Perri was climbing.

A cascade of insects from thick juicy grubs to shining beetles began to emerge from the tree. They came in droves from under the bark, between splits along the rough surface. Most were able to crawl or skitter down towards the girl, but some began to fall from the sides, six thread-thin legs flailing as they did.

[Periwinkle]

Perri had just gotten to her feet on the first branch when she heard scratching noises right above her. It sounded like someone was crumpling paper up in the tree. She looked up, and gave a sharp gasp when she saw at least a hundred bugs of all types swarming down to her. A fat white worm of startling proportions - about the size of a sausage - fell close to her face, brushing her nose as it passed. Perri gave an involuntary shudder, fighting the urge to scream. Although she was a tough girl, this was just disgusting. How is this even possible?!

She leapt to the ground, backing away from the infested tree. Several insects were crawling through her hair; Perri shook her head vigorously to throw them off. She glanced at Avery, knowing how easy it would be for someone to take advantage of her distraction. She reached behind her and drew an arrow out of her quiver. Trees would obviously not be the best place from which to defend herself. So Perri ducked behind a shrub, positioned the bow and arrow carefully, took aim, then released the arrow through the leaves toward Avery.

[Skie and Avery]

He smiled as he watched her, giddy with delight that his illusions were having an effect. After all, he'd never pushed them this far before. He wanted to keep pushing, to stretch his limitations and see how strong the magic in him could surge. And yet, at the same time there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head that he was tired. Some small part of him wanted to turn and go home, curl up and sleep, satisfied and spent. He'd never held an illusion over his own body so long before as he was doing now with the huntsman's clothing, and it had been particularly hard to infuse the insect illusion with the sense of touch. Still, the way the girl had jumped back and shook had been so delicious he could almost taste the sweetness of victory.

Now she had ducked down behind the foliage of a shrub. He could catch glimpses of movement, a stray hair pulled by the breeze, but what could she be up to? Avery began to walk forward slowly, his head tilted to the side. A mocking curiosity was plastered all over his face and he called out to her.

"Oh little Perri! Why are you hiding? You don't need to be afraid of me. I promise I only bite when asked to."

[Periwinkle]

He called out to her, mocking her, as she released the arrow. But it missed! Perri bit her lip, watching the arrow speed right past Avery's chest. Her nerves were too high-strung and jittery to allow her precision, but her failed shot was mostly because of Jada's venom. Her left arm wasn't responding properly; even now it was becoming more difficult to move it.

Avery was walking towards her shrub.

Her hands were trembling slightly with mounting dread, but she refused to give in. "Do not speak to me, filth. I know your evil ways."

Perri lifted a branch to see out better. There was something strange about Avery's clothes, well-matched for forest excursions. She blinked, knowing it must be due to her tired state of mind. Everything about Avery is strange anyway.

It could be that only one of us will get out of these woods unhurt - it's gotta be me. She was still trying to calm her nerves when thunder rolled across the sky like a struck gong, making Perri jump. A cold water droplet landed on her hand, then one on her forehead, and then they were pouring everywhere. The leaves crackled when hit. Jada hissed her displeasure and ducked her head under Perri's thick red hair in an attempt to stay dry. The rain was falling with increasing speed and concentration, so much so that Perri was finding it difficult to see more than a couple yards.

[Skie and Avery]

He'd been stopped in his tracks by the arrow, whizzing past his body. The quiet thoom of the shaft piercing the air beside him was unnerving. He'd left his shield when he came today, determined to throw his all in wanton destruction. He would have to be more careful, even if the little archer was injured one mistake could be deadly. Even as he stood there, straining to see her movements behind the bushes, it was getting more difficult to concentrate.

"Filth?" he asked casually, barely registering her words. He batted them aside like they were useless trinkets. Instead, he smiled when the downpour started. The skies opened up and began to dump buckets of water on them, hissing and thumping as it pelted leaves and ground. Within moments, he could barely see her, but for a shadow moving hunched to the ground. He let his illusion fall as he began to move to the side, edging around a tree. He was sure that she wouldn't be able to see him, but adding some distance might be the best idea. His mind still lingered on the arrow that had almost pierced his arm.

Once he was near the tree he began to look around, searching for a line of trunks that he could edge around to get behind her. He would have to move slowly, so that she might not catch him in the act. How he would enjoy the surprised look on her face, her eyes wide, her mouth slack, when he cut her throat from behind! Avery grinned and called out, "I enjoy bravery in little ladies." His voice was like honey, as if he could dangle it in front of her like a treat to catch her. "I find it very attractive. Why should we be enemies, when we could be far better?"

As he came around her side, his foot fell on a twig and it snapped. Even in the cacophony of the heavy rain, Avery knew she would hear it. He had to make a decision, and without thinking his muscles churned into action. From the trees to her right, he struck. His mouth was wide in a bestial roar, his canines sharp and menacing. His fingers flashed with the blades of his steel claws. No illusions girded his naked, demonic form. He leapt shrouded in only his anger.

[Periwinkle]

She wiped rainwater out of her eyes, struggling to catch a glimpse of her opponent. When looking through the silvery curtains of rain, every tree or bush was Avery, looming closer, ready to kill. Archery would be no good with these poor vision conditions. Perri slung her bow onto her shoulder and took out her knife. She had just decided on a sneak attack method, prepared to crawl across the muddy ground, when -

Snap.

What was-? Avery! He burst out of the foliage to her right, coming down through the air rapidly, his long fingers glinting strangely in front of him, she still couldn't quite see but he definitely didn't look like a simple woodsman anymore - He was going to kill her! Perri curled up in terror like a hedgehog, stumbling onto the ground across a rippling puddle. She did two things at once, knowing they would not help much but knowing also that they were all she could do - She brought her knife blade-up, holding it above her trembling body, and she sent as many electric sparks as possible into the puddle on the ground between her and Avery.

[Skie and Avery]

Avery hadn't expected her to move away. He had imagined his prey as a small rabbit, too scared to bolt and staring up with wide eyes. Instead, he struggled to watch her hop and curl away, a blade moving into her hand. He came down where he thought she would be and immediately began to bolt across the puddle to continue his attack. However, his foot slipped. It was caked in mud, squelching up between his toes. The wet and heavy feeling made him hesitate a moment before his feet gave way under him. Sharp claws slid from his toes, trying to gain purchase but they merely sank and slid through the thick goo underneath.

His knees hit the ground hard, sliding through the puddle as he used his forearms to keep his face from following. The rain was hard enough that it was already starting to wash the splatters of clay from his body. He looked up at her, growling, when the pain hit. Sparks flooded the water, dancing across the surface and coiling up his arms. At first his muscles burned and then locked as he shuddered from the shock. He grunted, suppressing a roar as he buzz of electricity erupted around him and then faded. When his muscles were free, they shook and he sank his face down into the muck. He didn't care that the long strands of his hair had fallen in the mire, or that his face was quickly swimming in a thick soup of dark water.

As he focused on breathing, he looked upwards into the rain at a dark shape that he thought was the girl. Avery had never been shocked before, and he was going to make sure this would be his last. Getting his feet under him and surging forward again in attack, he planned on ripping this girl limb from limb for the insult of that pain.

[Periwinkle]

Perri kept her eyes on Avery's figure through the sheets of rain. She tried to calm her rapid breathing, still watching Avery. The man's trembling reaction to the electric shock had stopped, and he was lifting his face out of the mud.

Perri struggled to get her legs under her. Suddenly she felt a vague pang of regret that Avery was no longer the charming woodsman he had seemed earlier; shocked, she scolded herself to think this during such a dangerous moment. But these thoughts quickly scattered when Avery climbed to his feet. Visibility was still terrible due to the rain, but Perri could sense the man's rage. As Avery stood up and lunged toward her, Perri had a split second to make a decision: Fight or run?

Turning, feet sliding through muck, she focused on getting away from the attacker who called himself Avery.

[Skie and Avery]

His aching legs slipped from under him as his quarry slipped from his grasp. A low growl rumbled from his chest, barely heard even in his own ears past the thundering slap of rain on the wet ground. His body ached down to the very bones from the shock the girl had given him, the cold of the sudden storm chilling him. It was a strange mix of numb and uncomfortable, and he was too tired to chase after her. Still, he felt he had energy for one last game.

He'd reveled in the horror and fear that had crossed Peri's face before, and he wanted to make sure that even if she fled the arena she would not soon forget to fear him. The feeling of power he held over her kept him going, and he reached deep inside his black and twisted core. There he found the glee and rush he felt from her fear, the elation from holding something over someone he saw as weaker than himself. It was there that he drew for this one last spell.

His eyes unfocused, the world becoming a blur as he concentrated. All he could perceive was the rain, unyielding and unending, and so that was what he cast his spell upon. The final illusion, his grand finale, began to work up from his soul and into the air. His breath was charged with magic and when he finally released it upon the world, the effect was subtle at first.

The barest tint of darkness tinged the droplets around him, and then it spread. Soon, across all he could see, including the girl's retreating form, the rain came down a dark red. The air smelled like blood, thick and copper, and the rain went from the freezing prick of icy fingers to a disconcerting warmth. He himself was awash now, his skin stained a deep and ruddy red where the droplets were soaking him. Pushing ever more of his energy into the spell, he strained until the drops that fell on his lips tasted unmistakable metallic. It was the greatest spell that he'd ever cast, the most powerful in his life, and as the blood poured from the sky it was an omen of things to come.

[Periwinkle]

She dashed blindly through trees and vegetation. Her usual grace and stealth had abandoned her, but Perri let instinct take over and guide her as quickly as a gazelle. Jada had been lost somewhere in the tussle with Avery, and Perri couldn't remember where her staff was. Her bow, slick with mud, thumped against her leg with every stride. Her right hand still clenched the knife, her knuckles white against the blade.

Thoughts flitted through her mind like dragonflies. She wondered whether she would ever return to the Citadel when this was over – and whether this would ever be over. Her feelings toward Avery had gone from suspicious curiosity, to intoxication, to fear, to hatred. But she couldn’t dwell on these things now. Now, she fled.

Perri had been watching the ground before her, but now she glanced up at her surroundings. She was startled to see a red haze over everything. Leaning against a tree to catch her breath, she rubbed her eyes and looked again. Red. She stared at her hands. Droplets of rainwater streamed off them. But surely this wasn’t water—it was bright red. A thick, dark red.

She blinked, struggling to see through the storm. She raised her knife hand to her nose and inhaled. The realization struck her. After living in the woods for as long as she’d been, she recognized the heavy, sour, metallic scent easily.

Strong-stomached Perri was not easily repulsed by blood. She had seen, touched, and even tasted it many times before, but the overwhelming, unexplainable amount of it falling in gallons around her and on her still triggered a gag reflex in her throat.

It’s magic. It’s a trick. It’s got something to do with[I/] him, [I]and there’s gotta be a good way of looking at this. Perri peered through the warm splashing layers of blood for any possible shelter. A dark mass of tangled bushes stood out. She darted from the tree to the shelter of shrubs, finding it to be closely interwoven, with a dry cozy space underneath—quite adequate.

As she situated herself far back in the vegetation, keeping her blade close at hand, one advantage to the sickening blood storm occurred to Perri—the thickened, darkened “rain” would hide her better from Avery. She knew the storm would have to let up soon, but after everything that had happened that day, Perri was exhausted. Eyelids heavy, she allowed sleep to claim her—wondering, before she slipped into a dream, whether she would awake to a fresh continual of battle or an opportunity to leave the Citadel.