Into The Wild

[Veatrix]

((SOLO))

Falling asleep uncomfortably beside a mangled old tree, she woke up that morning in a shock. Resting on her Tome of Lestrange as a pillow, she hugged her water satchel tightly. A mouse ravenously tore away pieces of fabric from her pants. Sitting up, she kicked the horrid creature away and she slumped back in disappointed.

The morning seemed much brighter, though, like an actual good day. The sun was where it was supposed to be at 10 o’clock in the morning, smiling upon the land with motherly warmth. A light breeze brushed Veatrix’s pale skin and the faint smell of spring grass danced around her nostrils… and freshly baked bread? Looking back, she realized that she hadn’t traveled that far from the village, as she could still see its outline on the blossoming horizon, smoke and smells wafting into the air.

Looks like I haven’t gotten that far, she thought, sighing heavily.

Picking up her Tome and water pack, she walked the opposite direction, away from her village. It took all her strength to turn the other direction, for the delectable scent of buttermilk and vanilla assaulted her. Her nose pleaded her to go back to the village, even for just a second, to ask for some food, as she hadn’t eaten since last night’s supper, which, arguably, wasn’t so long ago. Nevertheless, she turned.

Wasn’t there another town here somewhere…?

Time stood still, as Veatrix Bane wandered aimlessly on the green outskirts of what was her home. Bats, beetles and nocturnal fruit flies kept her company through the night. Bees, birds (the annoying kind) and daytime fruit flies kept her company while walking in the sun. Hornets zoomed over her head, speeding to wherever it needed to go, while birds landed close to where she was walking, staring excitedly at her with their beady black eyes, hoping for some bread crumbs or leftover meat. Fruit flies hovered around her head, zipping past her eyes and ears in the exact same fashion as their night time counterparts. She swatted them away, annoyed.

If she wasn’t born a half-Butterfly Elf, she wouldn’t be walking around the outskirts of her village, bothered by insect and birds and the infuriatingly delicious smell of bread. She wouldn’t have slept under a tree, shivering in the cold, while being munched upon by beetles and rats.

She would be in bed, waking up to the annoying store bell. Her father would be whistling his favourite church song while trimming their hair, happy as a clam. Her mother would be dropping the pot, screaming for her daughter to help her with the thick, murky soup, “It’s boiling!” She’d rush down to grab the pot with the kitchen gloves, while her mother screamed hell’s fury in the kitchen.

Veatrix shook her head. She had better things to think about. Like how far the next town was.

She swung her satchel bag over her shoulder, miserable and hungry, waiting for her mother and father to come running from the village to rescue her. But that was the naïve, helpless part wishing. The murderous part of her wanted to stab them with cooking utensils, preferably the jagged kind. But she’d rather have a saviour than a victim.

Her stomach said so.

Squinting her eyes almost shut, in the far, far, far distance was the outline of a small town, barely visible in the bright sunlight, but there. Looking back, she found that her village was nowhere in sight. The bees, birds and flies had stopped following her, and the smell of bread was long gone. Strangely, everything else seemed to have gone as well. The birds had stopped chirping and nested anxiously in the tree tops. Bugs had stopped their buzzing. The breeze had stopped breezing. The trees had stopped dancing in the wind. Even the grass seemed to cower, looking wilted and afraid. Veatrix looked around for any sign of strange behaviour. No breaths of fire, no unnatural weather disasters, no oversized domestic animals. Nothing.

Strange, she thought.

A butterfly flapped hastily through the air, looking like it was either late for an appointment, or it really, really wanted to be somewhere else. It looked like a busy little thing. Following it with her silver eye-lashes, she made butterfly noises at it, variations of hisses, clicks and a random bark for good measure.

What’s going on?

It was strange to see a butterfly cock its head towards someone, mainly because they don’t really have heads to cock. But it looked like it did. Taking an aerial detour, it made its way closer towards Veatrix, flapping harder and faster than before. Coming closer, she saw a beautiful pattern of reds, oranges and golds colouring the scaly insect wings. It had a bulky black body, covered in little insect hairs, similar to her thick and inhuman eyelashes. She reached out a frail finger for it to land on.

You can speak it?

Yes, she said, noting the hurried tone in its voice as it landed on her finger. Now, what’s wrong?

You must leave, run away! The butterfly lifted itself from the finger, taking flight. It flapped its wings away, but not before shouting a last warning. The Beekeeper is coming!

I forgot about him. Veatrix turned towards the village in the distance and broke into a run.

[Veatrix]

“Just -huff- until the next -huff- town,” she said to herself, breathing heavily. “I’ll figure it out -huff- from there.”

Veatrix Bane dashed through the fields as fast as she could, which was not very fast, since she had asthma and useless cow hide shoes, not meant for running. But as fast as her legs could carry her, she ran. Running was a much more desirable alternative when dealing with the Beekeeper. If you fancy loud noises, an insanely large net, sharp shears and the smell of sweat and honey, then you may enjoy chatting with the Beekeeper.

Numerous insects have stood against the Beekeeper, real name unknown. An avid bug collector, he resided in Veatrix’s village, living manically in a house on a hill. Sounds of evil laughter would erupt from his house from time to time, and he was quite the violent eccentric. He was an oldish man, with patches of greying hair, ragged clothes, and an enormous net he always carried around. He always looked strange, as if he wasn’t really made of flesh and bone. It was rumoured that he battled the Giant Spiders of Brokenthorn Forest in Scara Brae, back when he was in his prime, slaying the great mother of the spiders with a net the size of a horse, and a rusty short sword. Rumours are rumours, but then again, nobody really found out the truth.

As if they wanted to.

Despite being isolated and ignored by the village, the Beekeeper took a strange obsession with Veatrix. It wasn’t normal for an old man like him to be drawn to such a young girl, Lolita-style. He approached her once or twice when she was a child, mumbling words and staring her down with his manic eyes. A nine-year old Veatrix once went home crying because he violently grabbed her, running his wrinkled hands over her back.

Experience dictated only one path for Veatrix to follow, concerning the Beekeeper.

Run.

Unfortunately, she never did have much breath, so with the next town still fairly far, she stopped, huffing and puffing from too much running (which, realistically, could have been only ten minutes). Crouching down, she rested but still aware that she was vulnerable to anything and anyone. If the Beekeeper chose that moment to attack, she would have to defend herself.

And it was so. Coming out from the distance was a swarm of angry hornets, buzzing so loudly that even at a distance, Veatrix could hear their sound. Coming closer in a clumsy, sort of drunken way, she realized that the swarm was immense. It was as if millions of the livid little buggers decided to have a family reunion. Staggering for breath as she looked back, she tried to run away, but the swarm tackled her, sending her gasping for air on the grassy grounds. The swarm felt like a million bees brushing against her all at once.

Buzzing over her golden blonde hair, she heard the swarm speak in a heavily accented Pharotongue. Hello, zeettle prettiez. We’ze been waitingz for you.

With a glazed look in her silver-crowned eyes, she tried to stand back up, tears of fear starting to well up. The swarm knocked her down again.

It’z time to have what we’ze wanted for zo longz.

Seeing the swarm transform into an entirely different being was the stuff of nightmares. The black jacket hornets drew tightly together. Pressing hard against each other, their black and yellow little bodies formed human body parts: arms, legs, torso, head. The body rippled, buzzing loudly, scaring away animals that were afraid to fall into its path. It was old, with saggy yellowing skin, and it was naked like a summer’s day. Hairless and pasty, the Beekeeper looked like a fetus, only it was fully grown.

“W-what do you want with me?” Veatrix dragged herself from the ground in a wary sitting position, voice trembling in sheer fear.

It’z been a while zince we’ze had Butterfly Elvez bloodz. Almost 100 yearz, dear. The Beekeeper stretched out a pale hand, hornets undulating under his skin. We’ze remember it waz zo tazty… you’ze prolly be tazty, even zough you’ze half-blood. He laughed hysterically. We’ze going to eat you alive, little prettiez. We’ze going to zting you until you can’t move, wiz you’ze eyez open and all. We’ze going to tear off your zkin, little prettiez. You’ze be so tazty…

The hand trembled, revealing the insects still buzzing underneath the muscle. Cringing, she raised a hand towards the Beekeeper, desperate for anything to keep him away.

“Protego.”

Should could barely hear herself under the noise of the buzzing hornets. The Beekeeper stood in mid-motion, confused. Feeling the invisible barrier, before him, he tried to push his quaking hand through. Realizing magic was at work, his eyes turned to her in an evil glare and he laughed evilly. Veatrix was white-faced.

Magic? You’ze thinkz magic will workz against uz? You fool!

The Beekeeper disassembled himself, sending millions of angry hornets everywhere, raising their stingers to attack. The sound was unbearable, imprinting horrific buzzing forever in her memory. A little scream escaped from her mouth, as sweat and small tears began trickling down her face. Keeping the protective barrier between herself and any of the hornets, she closed her eyes as thousands of them lunged at her, ready to strike. Bracing herself for a sudden death, she gasped.

[Veatrix]

The hornets, stingers bared and thirsty for blood, froze in mid-attack, their seething bottoms stuck against Veatrix’s magical barrier. With a hand raised and her brows drawn tightly together just enough to make them form a distracting faux-unibrow, Veatrix tried to hold off the attack for as long as she could. Sweat beaded their way down her pale face, dripping down as they should down her nose and chin. Concentration was key and fear nor sweat nor self-imposed unibrows would wreck that, lest Veatrix wanted to willingly lay herself for the Beekeeper.

A face reformed in mid-air, hornets clustering onto each other for a grip. A righteous scream erupted from the Beekeeper’s yellowing mouth. A visceral roar filled with passion that sent shivers down Veatrix’s spine. The invisible wall trembled uncertainly.

Drop youz magicz, fool! You’ze like a quick death!

Harder she concentrated, pouring all her power into the barrier. “PROTEGO!” She screamed, intensifying the shield. Fatigue was quickly coming over her, as her vision began to blacken, dark spots dancing in her line of sight. In equal strength, the Beekeeper persisted, hornets hammering away at the shield.

It was only a matter of time before she faltered.

But she persisted. As much as she could, she persisted.

Suddenly, a hateful hiss escaped from the floating head’s mouth.

Fine then! You’ze wantz a real fight?!

To Veatrix’s surprise, the hornets retreated from the barrier, drawing their stingers from the spell. The Beekeeper reformed again, harried and angrier than she had ever seen him. Opening and closing its hands to bring back the feeling in his muscles, the Beekeeper smiled manically.

I likez chazez.

In the three seconds that took the Beekeeper to reassemble himself like a constantly reconfigured robot, Veatrix had already broke out into a hasty run, trying desperately not to look back, scared to see a massive amount of hornets buzzing their way towards her. Focusing on the destination ahead, which couldn’t have been at least a half an hour walk away, Veatrix ran like hell. Who cares about asthma, she thought, thinking of her mother calling out “Don’t run, you’ll have troubling breathing!” As long as I get through this alive.

Delighted with this little goose chase, the Beekeeper gave her a head start, relishing the idea of hunting, after so long. A straying bee found its place within the Beekeeper, crawling on the white eyeball with its puny insect legs, sneaking into the eye and planting itself somewhere near the brain. The Beekeeper just blinked the nuisance off nonchalantly.

I’m comingz after you’ze, little girlie!

The Beekeeper was inhumanly fast for a human, considering, well… he wasn’t human. Mounds upon mounds of hornets supported his feet, and these hornets were hungry for some blood. The Beekeeper walked. But he might as well have been running, because in very little time, he had already caught up to the terrified Veatrix, her golden hair glowing in the bright sunlight. If she hadn’t been running for her life, she could have been modeling for a very expensive hair product. Very commercial-like, she looked.

This only intensified the Beekeeper’s hunger even more. Drool began dripping from his yellowing mouth. Only this drool was green. Poison green.

Coming up from behind her, the Beekeeper’s hand rushed forward in a powerful punch, extending slightly as hornets unintentionally detached themselves from the arm. It looked like he was growing longer, then snapping back in place after some movement. The fist came, ploughing through the air, slicing the very atoms with the assault of bees in his arm. It narrowly missed Veatrix, who wheeled to the left. Angry hornets brushed past her bare skin. Another fist came, ready to inflict some major pain, but it missed again. Veatrix was a very confusing runner.

Terrified, her feet happily obliged to running much faster. She ran through the fields like a wild cat in heat, desperate to find refuge inside the gates of the next town. As she whisked herself away from the Beekeeper, an idea struck her so hard that she almost fell down. Falling down wasn’t the greatest thing to do when running at top speed.

Raising her hand in retaliation, she pointed at the Beekeeper. “ILLUMINA!”

Energy. White light. A hellish scream. A primeval scream of utter pain. Veatrix turned her head to see him falling down, hitting his head violently on the green grass, shattering it like glass. But instead of glimmering glass shards tumbling against the grass, buzzing hornets came loose from the body, some crushed under the force of the fall, others half-dead, still trying to fly away from the messy, bloodless mess. A painful burn sizzled the Beekeeper’s left arm, burning away any hornets that dared to face the wrath of Veatrix’s spell.

I didn’t know it would be that effective, she thought, somewhat pleased with herself, but mostly relieved.

The form of the Beekeeper slowly began to dismember, just as if it was un-forming itself like it did before. The Beekeeper’s body looked like an unfinished puzzle, pieces of his body missing. A loud buzz erupted from the seemingly still-alive corpse. He looked like a pitiful dead man covered in flies, slowly being eaten away by the millions of buggers resting on him.

You’ze think it’z over?! It’z never over, fool! NEVER!

[Veatrix]

Veatrix burst into the town, rushing past the guards, who were leaning and yawning on the stone wall. Running was the best thing to do, as she just left the buzzing corpse of the Beekeeper somewhere in the fields, and if it began to rise up and reform itself again, at least she’d put a significant amount of distance between her and the angry hornet-made man…. thing.

Startled, the guards ran up to her, concerned. “Are you okay, miss? We didn’t see you coming.”

“I’m -huff- fine. Just -huff- let me in… something was -huff- after me.”

The guards walked her to a seat near their post. “Alright, you’ll be safe here. What did it look like, the thing that was after you?”

“It was… -huff- bees.”

The guards exchanged confused looks, holding back giggles. “Alright, miss. You’ll be safe from the… bees here.”

Relief washed over her like the baths her mother used to give her, only instead of feeling cleaner, she felt safer in the hard stone walls of whatever town she stumbled upon. Catching her breath, she thanked the guards, even though they clearly thought she was a little loopy. It was a little past noon and the sun was bearing down on the town, hiding no shadows, crooks or creeps in what would be dark alleyways.

Walking past the guards, Veatrix clutched her things to her chest, looking meek and lonely. She started towards a small stall, scattered with beautiful jewels, brooches and necklaces. Different crystals and precious stones were laid out on the counter, all different shapes, sizes and colours. An odd pearl glowed in water-filled jar, floating in the middle, and startled her when it turned around and blinked an eye at her. A set of jade jewels seemed to lay dormant on a cloth, all shaped like dragonflies, but a couple of them flapped their wings. Her eyes caught the sight of a rich crimson, dangling on a nail on the stall. She gazed at the large ruby attached to the necklace, the deep red engulfing her. The jewel was calling out to her, for her to touch it, embrace it, be in it. Wrapped up in the power of the ruby, she drowned herself in its power. Reaching out a hand to touch it, a gnarly old lady swatted it away.

“No touching, dearie!” She smiled widely at Veatrix, revealing ugly yellow teeth and black cavities for good measure. The old lady stroked the ruby necklace, caressing it in her hands. “Do you even know what it is?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Aaaaaah. So young.” She smiled warmly, more in slight affection than the usual business attitude. “This pretty little thing acts like bait for insects. They’re drawn to it, to the deep red glow inside the ruby, but once you touch it… POOF!”

A queasy feeling came over Veatrix. What if I had touched that… I am half-Butterfly Elf. Motioning to the jewel, she asked, “How much does it cost, ma’am?”

“This beauty costs… 100,000 gold coins. Did you want to buy it, dearie?”

“Ummm… no,” Veatrix said, slowly backing away to another direction. “I’d never be able to afford it.”

“How sad, but I could give you a discount! I’ll give it to you for 95,000 gold coins, instead! What a cheap bargain!”

“It’s quite alright, thank you very much.” And with that, she walked away. I wonder what would happen if the Beekeeper touched that, she thought, shivering at the image of the dying predator she left. While aimlessly walking through the town, she contemplated on the possible effects the ruby necklace would have. She’d never be able to afford it, though, even if it was severely overpriced.

Not knowing anyone in the town felt awkward, especially for Veatrix, since she was already quite the awkward girl. Nobody noticed her, and admittedly, she did not want to be noticed anyway. She liked walking through the town, unhindered by anyone or anything, except for the lingering thoughts of the Beekeeper. Clutching her Tome, with her water satchel hanging near her waist, she looked comfortably alone.

Now if only she knew where an inn was.

[Veatrix]

Midday had come upon the town so quickly, Veatrix barely even noticed. Still walking around, browsing through the shops and peeking through the windows of the more high class stores, she pulled out her small money bag and counted how much money she had. 200 gold coins. Maybe I should get a room and something to eat, she thought.

*grumble grumble*

Definitely something to eat.

Walking back to the Hungry Plate, an inn she found a couple of hours ago, Veatrix walked into a dark, cloaked figure, catching her by surprise. “I’m so sorry, excuse me.” Quickly gaining her bearings, she walked away hastily.

“Mmm, alright,” said a deep and gentle voice, strangely close and homely to Veatrix. The sense of familiarity came over her, forcing her to whip around, looking for the cloaked man.

“Dad?”

Turning around in hopes of finding at least one person she knew in the unfamiliar bustling town, she searched the crowd for her father’s face. No cloaked figure could be seen, as if he was just an illusion. Disappeared into thin air. All she could see were the shopkeepers selling their wares, customers buying and haggling for prices, and everyone else simply going about their business. No mysterious cloaked men walking around looking all ominous.

Huh..., she thought. I swear I heard him…

Unnerved and slightly disappointed, she turned back to where the inn was, pushed around by the people hurriedly passing by. Lost in her thoughts, she wondered was she would have done had her father been there. They did kick her out of the house, after all. The first couple of words were sure not to be “I missed you.” Maybe a punchy “what the hell” or a hearty, emotional “get away from me.” I wouldn’t be running to him, excited, that’s for sure, she thought sternly.

Opening the rugged wooden doors of the Hungry Plate, an assault of wonderful smells assaulted her nose, knocking her clean out of her reverie. The warm aroma of roast beef, glazed with honey, and buttery mashed potatoes made her already grumbling stomach call out like the ravenous animal it was. Despite the grungy appearance of the Hungry Plate, the food smelled wonderful, and that’s what really mattered to Veatrix. Plus, that’s the best she could afford, wanting to keep a close eye on what little money she had.

Approaching the hairy, bear-like man at the desk, she daintily rung the little bell there. “Hello, sir.” When he turned around, the hairy back, showing from beneath his yellowing wifebeater was the most attractive part of him. His beady eyes stared at her like dead fish eyes’, all watery and disturbing. The thick beard her carried had beads of saliva and pieces of leftover meat stuck to it, while his face was hardy and uncomfortable.

“Hello there, beautiful girl.” A strange grin curled around his lips as his eyes darted from Veatrix’s face to her girlish frame. “Seeking some loving tonight?”

“Ummm, no sir… just a room. And some food as well.” A nervous smile painted her paling face. Maybe the Hungry Plate wasn’t such a good idea.

“Of course, beautiful, of course.” Reaching out to one of the hundreds of keys nailed onto a wall, he pulled hard, unleashing the key from its corkboard cage. “Here. We’ll bring you up the dinner special. Room 14. You can pay for your expenses tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, sir.” Grabbing the keys from his grubby hands, Veatrix quickly walked into the hallway, eager to get out of the bear-man’s line of sight. Slipping into a narrow corridor, doors loomed at her, left and right, and everything looked dank and raunchy. Room 14 was at the very end of the hall, and walking up to it, Veatrix noticed some mildew stains on the door.

Hungry Plate definitely wasn’t a good idea, she thought.

Plugging the key into the lock, she opened the door, and saw that really, the room wasn’t much. A bed, a small desk, a shoddy oil lamp and an empty drawer, presumably for clothes, although the cockroaches nesting in them prevented anyone from using it. Taking a seat on the lumpy bed, covered in dirty white sheets, Veatrix buried her face in her hands and sighed loudly. Half an hour after she settled in, placing her Tome, water pouch and the rest of what little she had on the desk, a knock came from the door.

“Excuse me, miss, I have your dinner ready for you.”

Recognizing the grubby innkeeper’s voice, she pulled herself from the bed and opened the door. His bearded face beamed at her, while the smell of roast beef and potatoes attacked her hunger. “Thank you, have a good night, sir.” Taking the plate from him, she turned to close the door, when the innkeeper’s hand began pushing the door open.

“You know, beautiful…,” he whispered. “My wife hasn’t been too generous lately…” His eyes crawled down to her breasts, which were practically exposed because of the shoddy clothes she was wearing. “You wouldn’t mind, you know… having a little fun, eh?”

“No, please… leave me alone…” Setting the plate on the desk, she tried to coax him out of the room, but he persisted, eventually landing a hand on her. With the door hanging wide open, the innkeeper tried to rip off Veatrix’s tunic, taking large whiffs of her sensual aroma. “Please… no…”

Suddenly, a cloaked figure walked into the room, confident and determined, grabbed the innkeeper’s shoulder and pulled him off Veatrix. Surprised, the innkeeper stood there for a second, confused, until the cloaked figure drew his fist. Giving him a hard punch in the gut, the innkeeper clutched at his belly, making his way out the door in a hurry. Standing in shock, clutching her tattered clothes, Veatrix looked at the cloaked figure curiously. The same cloaked figure from that afternoon.

“You better eat those,” he said, pointing at the steaming dinner. “You don’t want it to get cold.”

“…Dad?”

[Veatrix]

“I didn’t want you to leave, Veatrix.”

“So what are you doing here, then?”

Screaming and loud banging erupted from Room 14 for a good portion of the early night, scaring the more paranoid residents of the Hungry Plate. The mother next door rushed her two little boys inside her room, where the father was waiting, to keep them all safe from a potential ugly scene. The innkeeper didn’t dare re-enter the room, to get the plate for his wife to wash, since he was more afraid of awkwardly getting caught in a vicious father-daughter argument.

“I came to talk to you.”

“Oh.” Veatrix crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. “Well, that’s a bloody relief! I thought you wanted to bring me home, because I really want to be back there,” she spat sarcastically. “Thanks so much, Dad.”

“I’m not asking you to come home. And everyone else is a little… happier, now that you’re gone.”

“Oh.” Ouch, she thought. Didn’t expect that to hurt as much as it did. “Well, good. Because that village was just plain… dumb.”

A smile crossed Victor Bane’s face. Even under the shadow of the cloak, his face, if anyone knew him, was unrecognizable. Warm, gentle and slightly awkward, his beard was closely shaved, but had started to grow out. He had a couple of scars and blemishes on his face, mostly from popping his pimples in his teen years, but some from a couple of dangerous nights. But Victor wasn’t one for violence. Thin brown-gray hair covered his head, hinting at the possibility of baldness in a couple of years. He looked tired, and very much depressed, but that smile. Unmistakable.

“So… how’s Mommy?”

“Crying her eyes out, mostly sorry for what she’s done, and just a little angry.” Victor took off his black cloak, tattered and dirty from travelling. Placing the cloak over the chair, he sat down tentatively, keeping his eyes on Veatrix, who wouldn’t even look at him. “What you did, Veatrix, was what she wanted to do to her mother years ago.”

“Is she angry at me?”

“Not at you. At herself. And she says she’s sorry.”

Rolling her eyes, she retorted venomously, “And I wholeheartedly accept her apology. Because, you know, I’m not that emotionally, physically and mentally scarred for life. I only have wing stubs on my shoulders, nothing really major.”

“Veatrix…”

“No, Dad.” She exhaled, letting out all the frustrations she had for years into a single word. “No.”

“Well… for what it’s worth, we’re both very sorry and hope that you can forgive, though I’m not sure how you would do that.”

A penetrating silence filled the room. Victor and Veatrix did not make any eye contact, one angry and painfully hurt, the other desperate and filled with deep regret. Victor scratched the brown stubble that had begun to grow since he left Veatrix’s mother, Cassandra back at the village two days ago. Veatrix played with her blonde hair, an oily mess from gallivanting about. In the quiet, Veatrix realized how tired she was. The oil lamp flickered once or twice in the silence, hypnotizing her eyes into drooping, lulling her to sleep. After a long day of running from the Beekeeper, walking around in an overly crowded town and meeting the father that cut off what would have been beautiful butterfly wings, fatigue was more than expected to hit her.

“You should get some rest.”

Veatrix lifted her head a little, opening her eyes. “Where’re you going to sleep?”

“Just… get some rest. I’ll be here.”

Turning over on where she was sitting on the bed, she lightly placed her head on the pillow, not caring how grimy and yellow it was. She fell asleep even before her head hit the lumpy material. Victor gazed at her lovingly, a gaze filled with so much sorrow and remorse. He just wanted to hold her, his little girl, but she wouldn’t even look at him. She wouldn’t let him touch her. Sitting back on his chair, he stared at Veatrix.

[Veatrix]

Leaning heavily on a tree on the outskirts of the village, a figure stood panting, hungry and filled with rage. His skin rippled and writhed and the occasional bee would fly away, only to realize it was too far from the rest of the colony and fly back. The scraggly man looked uglier and dirtier than usual, but lying half-dead on the ground in the heat of the sun would do that to you. Staring knives at the village, yellow eyes pulsating with the life of bees, hornets and pure wrath he seethed.

He couldn’t believe a simple light spell rendered him almost dead, and from a weakling half-Butterfly Elf. He forgot how annoying those Illumina things were. No matter, he thought. She can’t stand a chance against me, anyway, that weak little girl. She’s nothing against the Beekeeper. She doesn’t even have wings, how pathetic is that?

After a long while of ruminating and planning out, the Beekeeper decided that there is no need to plan for a kill this easy. She was just a poor, unprotected girl, with no one caring for her, and no one looking over her. She would be the easiest and most satisfying kill he’d have in decades. The taste of Butterfly Elf lingered in his mouth, fuelling his deadly craving.

Fearlessly, he walked up to the village, which could only have been a ten minute walk away. To ensure he would get through easily, the Beekeeper disassembled into his bee form, making a swarm of thousands of bees flying through the air like a dark, moving cloud. Separating from each other, the bees flew over the small wall the village had to protect itself from enemies. Too bad they weren’t protected from airborne creatures, let alone a full swarm of deadly bees.

Three stray bees wandered over to where the guards where standing, talking and slacking off, doing the usual guarding duties. Bloodlust came over the bees and without hesitation they zoomed towards the guards, stinging all three of them in the neck, killing them instantly. The green poison oozing from their stingers flowed into the human bodies, killing off cells quicker and more efficiently than any other bee poison in existence. The guards jerked around awkwardly, until they fell to the ground, dead, green poison oozing out from their eyes and mouth.

Meanwhile, the rest of the swarm searched the village quietly, looking for any trace of Veatrix. Her scent was everywhere in the city, like she walked around the city the whole day, but they couldn’t pinpoint her exact location. Aside from that, their night vision wasn’t as good, since bees were not nocturnal creatures. But despite that, they kept searching, killing as many guards roaming around as they could.

Soon, all the village guards lay dead on the dusty ground, stung by the Beekeeper’s bees. Tired and exasperated from all the flying, stinging and searching, the Beekeeper reformed in the shadows. “Where iz zhe?” Loud buzzing emitted from his body, populated by fatigued and ravenous bees. The buzzing was so loud that a couple of windows opened, curiously looking for the source of the sound.

Veatrix, on the other hand, dared not to open her windows. The moment she realized what the buzzing was, she shot up from her, deathly afraid, and woke her father. She was pale-white, and the father, still sitting on the chair looked scared as well.

“He’s here.”

“I know, Veatrix. Let’s go.”

“B-but where…?” Standing up immediately, she grabbed her things from the desk, but looked panicked. “I don’t want to go out there.”

Standing up as well, Victor put on his cloak and headed for the door. “We just have to get to my friend’s house. We were going to take you to Scara Brae in the morning, but we have to leave.”

“But Dad!”

“Now.”

[Veatrix]

“We have to leave now, Victor?”

The fireplace in Sir Chris Forrester’s house burned cheerfully on such a terribly night. The warmth emanated from it, wrapping itself around Veatrix’s body, to keep her from shivering. Even the friendly dog, a very large one that came up to Veatrix’s knees, tried to keep her cool. She patted the hound nervously, while it licked her hand, trying to warm her up. But she shivered anyway. She knew the Beekeeper was out there, looking for her, the loud buzzing that everyone seemed to have noticed pointed that out. It was only a matter of time before he found her and devoured her. And she could only imagine how horrible that would be.

“Yes, Chris. Just get me to Scara Brae.” With his cloak still on and a worried look painted upon his face, Victor Bane persisted his long-time friend. Motioning towards his daughter, he whispered, “Please… she’s in so much danger here.”

Adjusting his royal garb, expensive-looking garments and all, Sir Forrester leaned forward, looking warily at Veatrix. “I’ve heard about this Beekeeper. He never stops… I don’t think you’ll be able to get very far.”

“But we have to try, don’t we?”

Sighing heavily, the royally-dressed man nodded. Turning to his butler, who was standing nonchalantly beside him, he spoke, “Get the boat ready. And if anybody asks, tell them I have business about next week’s wine to attend to.”

“Yes, sire.” The butler walked away, suit billowing.

“Get your daughter ready, Victor. We’ll have to sneak her on to the boat.”

Preparing for voyage didn’t take as long as Veatrix figured, but maybe that was because they were all in a hurry. Other butlers and maids rushed around the house frantically, under the forceful orders of the master of the house. Sir Forrester kept a close eye on his bustling servants, since he owed Victor Bane a very large personal debt, and he was a man of his word. Victor was lucky to have a friend like Sir Chris Forrester. Fortunate, because Veatrix wanted to get out of town as soon as possible. There was no way the Beekeeper was going to touch her again. She never wanted to feel his pulsating hand upon her skin again, because once was enough.

Soon, Victor, Sir Forrester and a couple other servants were walking hurriedly towards the dock. To conceal her identity, Veatrix was dressed in beautiful robes, probably belonging to Sir Forrester’s daughter. For an escapee and an exile of her town, she looked exquisite, wearing a dark olive dress, decorated beautifully with a floral pattern and wonderful lace around the shoulders. Sir Forrester said his daughter didn’t want it anyway, so it was a gift for Veatrix, one she felt she was highly unworthy of. Blending into the small party, she looked much like royalty’s daughter.

Spotting the boat, Veatrix gasped. It was the biggest boat she had ever seen in her life, not that she had seen many boats before. It looked like the transportation for a king, with beautiful dark blue flags and white sails. It looked stood out so much that Veatrix wasn’t sure she would be safe in it. Climbing on to the vessel, she looked out to the village, seeing how it was more than a village, because in full view, it was huge. Houses were scattered everywhere, as well as the shops, but Veatrix looked for something more dangerous than a house or a store.

“Dad…?”

“It’s alright, Veatrix. We’ll sail as fast as we can, we’ll be in Scara Brae by morning.” Victor smiled at her reassuringly, but his fear was betrayed in his eyes. Taking her hand in his warm, smooth ones, he held on tight.

“No… Dad?”

“Don’t worry. You’ll be safe here, Chris set everything up so that you’ll be protected. Who would recognize you in clothes like those anyway?” he joked.

“No, Dad! Look!”

Pointing behind her, a black cloud came, fast approaching, speeding through the streets of the village, across houses and terrified villagers, towards the boat. As it came closer, Victor realized that cloud usually did not zip towards people, unlike dangerous bees. A loud buzzing emitted from the cloud, and an evil laugh exploded, echoing throughout the village.

I’ze gotz you’ze now!!!

[Veatrix]

Panic on the boat ensued as the Beekeeper, in his ominous dark cloud form, flew directly at them, hungry for Veatrix’s blood. Sir Forrester’s servants ran into their cabins, cowering. Rising up with fierce determination, he called out to the caption of the ship, ready to leave the dock, despite the impending danger.

“Captian!” he bellowed over the screams of his servants.

“Yes, sire!”

“Prepare to leave, NOW!”

Veatrix turned to her father for protection, but she knew nothing could protect her from the Beekeeper. Blonde hair flying in the ocean breeze, she clutched at her father, scared for her life. Victor held his daughter tight, trying as best as he could to keep her calm. She winced when another burst of evil laughter exploded from the ravaging creature.

There’z no ezcape!!!

Rising from the streets and flying up to the height of the boat, the Beekeeper formed a black cloud, shaped like a giant needle, ready to strike the ship, hoping to bring it down. Reeling back, the swarm of thousands upon thousands of bees struck mightily.

“Protego!”

BANG!

The giant bee-nail clashed excruciatingly against the magical barrier, caught unawares. Streams of jet black and piercing yellow lashed out from the collision, dead bees pouring out of the needle form, as well as an almighty scream of pain and anger. Veatrix had her hand raised, pointing to where the Beekeeper was about to strike, as purple and silver energy licked out from her fingertips. Her hand quivered, shaking with electrifying magical energy. The barrier was weak, but catching the Beekeeper off guard proved to be fairly advantageous.

“I can’t hold it for long, Dad!” She was still buried in the arms of her father, but fatigue quickly took her over, as she slid to the floor, panting and sweating profusely.

Just as quickly the barrier came, it left, lasting for only a couple of seconds due to the sheer force of power it deflected. Huffing, puffing and on the verge of unconsciousness was Veatrix, hair sprawled out on the deck. Victor crouched down, looking to see if his daughter was alive, when the Beekeeper, completely unfazed by the counterattack, flew on to the ship.

Reforming into itself naked, pasty old man shape, the last of the people on the deck witnessed the horror of the Beekeeper. Sir Forrester ran to the captain of the ship, who was steering the boat. Filled with rage and drooling disgusting green saliva, he lashed out his right arm, sending a small horde of bees towards one of Sir Forrester’s servants. Quickly overcome by the insects, the servant died of poison shock, while the bees tore away at his skin, biting off chunks of the raw flesh. Again, the Beekeeper attacked, this time pushing one of the female servants overboard.

Come here, prettiez!

Veatrix lifted her weary head, and with one last ounce of strength, she screamed, “Illumina!”

Casually, the Beekeeper waved a hand, forming a small shield of bees, and kept the slim bolt of light at bay. Hopelessly, Veatrix collapsed on the floor, giving up all will to live. As the dreadful thing approached, Victor Bane jumped up to protect his daughter. With a fierce look in his eyes, he dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out something he had been keeping.

A beautiful necklace with a large ruby attached to it dangling from his hand. Its deep scarlet light burned warmly, calling out to Veatrix. Slightly rejuvenated, she grabbed hold of her father’s ankle, drawn to the magics of the jewel. But Veatrix wasn’t the only one drawn to it.

The Beekeeper stopped peculiarly and stared, taking in the power of the jewel, sucked in by its hypnotic gaze. Instead of walking towards Veatrix in hate and hunger, he took each step with caution and curiosity. He reached out a hand to touch the ruby, but Victor kept walking. Silence ruled the ship as Victor walked closer to the edge of the boat, the Beekeeper walking along with him, drawn to the ruby. As he walked away, Veatrix followed the jewel with her eyes, blinking her silver eyelashes as if she was looking at the sun.

Givez me that…

Suddenly, Victor threw the necklace overboard, the ruby glinting in the night’s darkness. The Beekeeper jumped, turning back to his bee cloud form in mid-air, desperate to catch the falling necklace. Even Veatrix, who was lying on the deck of the ship, gasped as the necklace soared over the ship’s edge. The ruby necklace didn’t even reach the ocean when the Beekeeper got a hold of it.

Power surged through the Beekeeper’s body, as the ruby necklace embedded him with intense energy, power so raw that it made his own look like child’s play. Glowing a faint red, the Beekeeper fizzled with magic, black, yellow and red jets of energy spilling out from him. Rising up from mid-air, in a transitional form of half-man, half-bee cloud, he smiled malevolently, feeling every fiber of his being bubble with strength. As the power engulfed his whole being, he let out a horrible laugh.

You’ze just made me ztronger!!!

BOOM!

Then everything went white. Veatrix closed her eyes, shielding herself from the blinding energy. She heard an explosion, several cries of shock and her name being screamed. Then she knew no more.

[Veatrix]

Veatrix?

Don’t worry, Talidus… I’ll catch that ostrich later…

Veatrix… come on. Wake up.

I said, I’ll catch it later… the mushroom guy isn’t here yet…

Wake up!

……………………………………………………………

Cold ocean water splashed across Veatrix’s pretty little face, courtesy of Victor Bane, who was standing, smiling at her cheerfully. “Good morning, sunshine!” The beautiful rays of sun bleed through the white curtains, revealing a wonderful morning. But her father’s happy mood already betrayed the wonderful weather outside. Veatrix was lying down on a comfortable hammock inside a slightly musty room, presumably one of the rooms on the ship.

“Huh…?”

“We survived!” Wiping his hands on his dirty old pants, he grabbed her arm, pulling her out of bed. “It’s a great day, too. You should see it outside.”

“Ummm, yeah, thanks, Dad,” she said groggily.

Hopping off the hammock, Victor led her out of the little room, out the corridor, into the warm sun. The ocean breeze tickled her porcelain skin, fanning out her lush blonde hair, which was still slightly dirty from last night’s scuffle. Veatrix was still wearing the dark olive dress that Sir Chris Forrester gave her, though stained in places. The servants were standing on the ship’s deck, looking better than last night. The captain was peacefully manning the ship, while Sir Forrester was standing beside him, chatting the day away.

Turning to her father, she asked, “What happened?”

Victor wasn’t wearing his cloak, likely because he wanted to relish in the weather. She knew he hadn’t seen the sea in a very long time. He looked genuinely happy to be with her, despite all the troubles they both ran into.

“Well, I had him touch the ruby necklace I saw you staring at a couple of days ago. I overheard from the shopkeeper that it was deadly to insects. It simply was a power overload. That thing exploded, I guess, and the remains fell underwater.”

“And how did you manage to get that necklace?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I knew it would come in handy!” He raised his arms in defensive, joking around with her just like he used to. “Do as I say, not as I do, so I say, don’t steal.”

Veatrix smiled. “So, how far until Scara Brae?”

“Maybe a couple of hours. You’ll see it in the distance.”

Turning to her father, she blinked her long, silver eyelashes at him, surprised at the realization that he might be accompanying her. “But what about Mommy?”

“What about her?”

“Who’s going to be with her?”

“Oh.” Victor walked close to the edge of the boat, holding on to the railings while he looked out to sea morosely. He sighed a heavy sigh. “Well… I’ll be with her.”

“But won’t you… oh.” Veatrix’s eyes dropped to the deck, filled with sadness. Just when she and her father started to get close again, he decided to leave her. But admittedly, she wasn’t surprised, they didn’t want her anyway.

As if reading her mind, Victor looked at her. “It’s not that I don’t want to be with you… it’s just that your mother needs me. And look at the bright side, you’ll be able to travel the world. Learn new things, see new people. You’ll be better off without us, for now, at least.”

She had to admit, he was right. She did want to see the world, learn about its intricacies. She wanted to taste the food in Corone, meet the Dark Elves of Alerar, explore the mysterious Fallien. She wanted to experience Althanas, not just read about it in the books. And she would start that journey in Scara Brae.

“It’s going to be dangerous,” she said, half-heartedly trying to convince her father to stay with him.

“I know, but you can handle it,” he said, smiling at her, like a father would a daughter. “Did you see yourself last night? That was some pretty intense magic, Veatrix. And let me tell you… not all the Butterfly Elves were hunted down.”

“What?!”

He nodded. “You might even run into one of your cousins or something. I’m telling you, you’re not the only one left. There’s tons more of you, your mother told me so, but it’s up to you if you want to go find them.”

“Of course!” In excitement, she jumped up to her father and gave him a hug, one of the ones that mattered. For Victor, it would be one of the ones that he would remember forever. She kissed him on his cheek, brushing against the stubble that was just a little coarser than usual. She giggled. “You should shave.”

“When I get home.” Looking at his daughter, the 18-year old half-Butterfly Elf going on the adventure of her lifetime. “I’ll miss you.”

“Ditto, Dad.”

Sir Chris Forrester, who was still talking profusely with his ship captain, pulled out a telescope from his royal jacket pocket. Extending it, a wide grin stretched across his face. He patted the captain on the shoulder, laughing.

“I see Scara Brae!”

fin.

((SPOILS: Not much, just the dark olive dress from Sir Chris Forrester, which is just made of cotton. Simple embroidery, nothing special.))

[Breaker]

Into the Wild
Quest Judgement

As an opener, this is the fourth thread I've judged today, and easily the best. It was breath of fresh air after a long day, and I thank you for that.

STORY

Continuity ~ 7/10.
You did a good job here. This was an introductory quest for your character, and by the end of the thread I had a good idea of where she came from, and where she was going. A little more detail about her past would have increased your score a bit, however. You artistically implied (good job at that, by the way) a lot of the past events, but be careful not to over use this. The first time she bumped into her Dad, a few more memories might have surfaced. Overall, well done.

Setting ~ 7/10.
I felt comfortable with the setting all the way through. Not only did you describe it well, you interacted well with the surroundings. Don't be afraid to go even farther with this; try applying some of your literary devices to the setting more often, and find unique ways that such a small, light character interacts with things.

Pacing ~ 6/10.
In general this was good-- the events followed in logical order, and the tension stayed high enough to keep me wanting to read. The main improvement I'd look for here is for the sequence of events to be a bit less rushed. If you take the time for a little more realistic interaction (with characters, the setting, or just Veatrix's thoughts) the outcome of the plot won't be so obvious. Also, remember that not every event in the story has to foreshadow the ending; some can mislead the reader so that the climax is a surprising twist rather than just the logical conclusion.

CHARACTER

Dialogue ~ 6/10.
There was plenty of dialogue for a thread of this length, and it flowed nicely. I especially liked the Beekeeper's accent, which was quite consistent. But you can do more with this. Look for different words/phrases that different characters use. Also, it helps to include body language and justification alongside dialogue. You did this in the last post, but for most of the thread it was largely he-said-she-said. Think about not only what your characters are saying, but what they're doing and thinking. A tip for internal dialogue: italicizing thoughts helps the thread flow better. Keep in mind too that things like *grumble grumble* and -huff huff- really are more of a hindrance than a help. Bonus points for you because the "No, Dad!" sequence reminded me of the Breakfast Club :p

Action ~ 7/10.
Veatrix's actions were well described, and helped define her as a character. I would have liked to see a little more of the same with some of your NPCs though. Detailed actions will really help bring the other characters in your story to life.

Persona ~ 6/10.
I liked Veatrix, but she came off... dare I say it? A little bit cliched. She played the role of a rebellious teenager well, but then fell into the loving arms of her father in practically no time. In the future, I'd like to see more of her as an individual. How does being part butterfly elf effect her on a daily basis? (except that Beekeepers want to eat her, that is). Something that you kind of missed out on until the last post is her desire to adventure and see the world. Really play that up, along with her fascination/opinion of all the new things she finds, and you'll do great.

WRITING STYLE

Technique ~ 6/10.
Some of your similes really made me smile, and helped describe both the setting and characters. But you can take this further-- work into extended metaphors, hyperbole, personnification and anything else you like writing. You've shown an impressive knack for literary comparisons, and I know you can come up with some great stuff.

Mechanics ~ 5/10.
You edited the more obvious mistakes, but some things slipped past. You had some awkward sentences, verb confusion, and runons. My best advice here is re-read your posts out loud to yourself. That way sentences that you might breeze past otherwise will stand out as distinctly awkward. Despite this, most of your writing is neat and concise, and a pleasure to read.

Clarity ~ 7/10.
There were only a couple occasions when I had to go back and re-read to figure out what was going on. Again, reading out loud to yourself will cure this problem.

MISCELLANEOUS

Wild Card ~ 8/10.
I've been judging all day, and yours was the first I truly enjoyed reading. For that, and for using the word 'Lolita,' you get a bonus point in wild card.

TOTAL ~ 65/100.
This is a great score for your first thread. Work on your writing style a bit, and try developping a slightly more elaborate storyline, and you'll rise above and beyond this in no time. All in all, I look forward to seeing more work from you.

EXP and GP Rewards

Veatrix receives 675 EXP and 150 GP!

Other Rewards

Veatrix gains her requested spoils. Tucked away in the dress she finds a voucher for one free wash at Scara Brae's best dry cleaners.

[Witchblade]

EXP and GP added!