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Where: The Two Faced Forest
When: Starting Dusk on the 20th of Rebirth's Height and ending in the morning
What: The Forest reacts to the New Moon

Even the natives to the Kingdom who had been out and about during the day closed up shop early as it started to get dusk. Windows were shuttered, doors barred and an eerie hush fell over the down. Dark clouds had started to roll in, obscuring the few stars that were trying in vane to fill the void that the moon's absence had left, the land laying utterly still in the darkness.

Those who were in a position to see the Forest just outside the boundaries of the city would notice something strange: or rather a strange lack. The magical thorns that nightly grew to cover the edge of the forest, keeping intruders out and horrors with in had not grown. With no moonlight to trigger their transformation from harmless shrubs to formidable wall, there was no barrier between those who ruled the night and those who feared it.

Dare you walk the streets tonight, heroes? Will you stand guard at the walls and watch the shadows bleed out of the woods like ink across a pond? Or will you hide inside where it is safe, where the wards and spells so diligently held up month after month would protect you from the creatures that roam the land forsaken by the light?

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"There might be a clue in their absence, if nothing else. We, we might find out just what they're supposed to be keeping in this place. And, um, having access to them closer to the city proper...well, I don't like it, but at least we can examine the thorns closer to home, rather than riding out past what little civilization there is here and trusting that nothing will, will try and eat us before we can learn anything or get help."

"The thorns influence is rather powerful. There h-has to be something causing it. Maybe dark magic gone awry or, or a spell of some sort. They also might be sentient themselves..." though Helios would like to think that's not the case. But who knows in a place like this. After Luceti he's always thought a lot of things to be possible, but after Luceti? Yes. He's more or less open to the most radical of ideas at times.

"Sh-shall we then?" He'll step forward and under a low hanging branch as he continues to make his way inside the dense forest. His eyes glow green as he uses wind spells and earth spells to move the trees slightly out of the way instead of hacking them up. Any minimal damage to be done to this forest the better. He doesn't know what kind of spirits reside within it of course. Helios shudders a little as he remembers the draft, the rainforest, the shift hunters. He'll close his eyes briefly, pausing in a small outcropping devoid of trees.

"I haven't seen or heard anything. It's rather strange, isn't it?"

"Perhaps whatever lives here is, um, is as startled by tonight's happenings as we are." Giles falls into step just behind Helios, appreciating the other man's efforts to keep the trees out of their path.

"I thought something or, um, someone, might actually be controlling them from a distance. Giving them sentience, rather than, um, their having sentience to start with. All plants are, um, are aware, to some degree, but true sentience is...well, something else entirely."

There's a moment's hesitation, before Giles ventures another comment: "Do you, um, do you want to stay..."apart" for, for whatever's about to happen?"

He's still having a bit of difficulty with the concept of possession, even if, well, they had proven that it was manageable without any real mental strain.

"I wouldn't be surprised. The lack of in-information about this place, especially at night, if um...hard to work with. I-I don't think we have too much to fear though. But you might be right about the plants. D-Dryads..." and here he'll falter slightly mentioning them, "d-drayds are certainly capable of it. Magicians are as well if they have the right spells and enchantments." Helios will look around some more and orb of light splits from the lone of, basking the area in a bit more light.

It helps a little as the overhanging branches and leaves are dense and blotting out of any and all light that could be cast in the forest. Helios pauses in his continued descent into the forest almost not entirely sure he heard Giles' question but, no, he did ask that just now. Helios shakes his head chuckling. "I-I don't mind Giles. It might be easier to-to keep an eye out on each other if you did..." that statement is said in all sorts of awkwardness. It's still a very odd thing to go through and while mentally nothing bad happened...the constricting pain in his chest afterwards was indicative that something wasn't right physically perhaps even on a spiritual level. His soul wasn't in the best of shape, true, and he's never been possessed before so that might just be the reason. It couldn't possibly be...

Apep. No. It couldn't be, but it most certainly felt like it. Helios obviously never told the other because it wasn't really that big of a deal. The pain only lasted a few minutes and he was perfectly fine afterwards. He managed to play it off as nothing just to not make Giles worry about him or anyone else for that matter. No need to worry, nothing was wrong.

Oh, but Giles did know about Apep. He was unlikely ever to forget those hideous black eyes, seen and reflected a thousand times in the broken fragments of a funhouse mirror. He didn't know the name, he didn't know the circumstances, he just knew that, at some point, something had been a blot on Helios' soul where it shouldn't.

And he wrote off the dizzy, disorientated, nauseous feeling that he always felt upon leaving Helios' body to the natural oddness that was being a ghost. Perhaps if Giles admitted what he was feeling, or Helios...they might have been able to sort out what was happening.

"And easier to, um, t-to escape, should it come to it, without leaving one another behind."

The old adage about outrunning a bear has never really applied to Giles and Helios, has it? Even so, he can't help but ask, just as awkwardly: "Are you certain?"

Perhaps if they did have a talk about it, yes. Perhaps if they did then unforeseeable events regarding such actions could be prevented. But as it stands Helios wouldn't say much about it or let on that anything is wrong.

"Hopefully that won't be the case but, yes, you're entirely right." Hopefully they won't be running for their lives from something living in here. Helios doesn't like dense forests like this to begin with. If the draft was any reminder about them he rather evade them all together. But this isn't the time or place to allow his fears to get the better of him.

He's snapped out of his thoughts at Giles' awkward questioning. Helios will give a small light smile. There's a hint of hesitation in his features which is thankfully clouded by the poor lighting. "It's-it's fine Giles. I-I told you before that I didn't mind." He'll stand still then looking back at the other man with sincerity in his voice and expression.

"Most definitely certain." An added nod to make his point.

Giles remembers. The darkness, the way the trees cluster around them like something alive and hostile...it probably wouldn't make very much difference if he were blind again, back in the jungle, back with Helios and Frederic and the Shift Hunters closing in...

If he possesses Helios, and something terrible does happen, at least Helios won't be the one feeling the pain this time.

Unable to make out much of Helios' expression in the darkness, and knowing that he's being overly fussy and uncertain in any case, Giles only has Helios' voice to go off of and that sounds sincere enough. So he nods, takes a breath he doesn't need, and sets to work.

After a few second's concentration, he slowly fades from sight. Helios will feel the probably now not unfamiliar sensation of someone else taking up position behind his eyes, a soul trying not to take up too much space but who's presence is nevertheless undeniable. When Giles opens his eyes again, he's solid, standing firmly on the ground, and can feel the cool night air against his face.

He'll never admit this to Helios, but Giles needs this, these brief reminders of what sensation is. They've been a point of stability thus far, and will likely continue to be so.

Lead the way.

Helios will gasp slightly when Giles possess him. That all too familiar feeling of having another person behind his eyes. It's strange looking around and not seeing Giles there, but knowing that he's there anyway.

"R-Right. Which, which way? Right or left?" Helios will look around taking an unsteady step forward, a deep breath, exhaling and then continuing forward. It was always odd to have your ability to perceive sensations dampened. It made his movements shaky and uncertain until he got used to it again.

Edited 2012-05-12 02:27 (UTC)

Not sure it, um, makes very much of a difference, actually.

...left. Why not?

Occupational hazard of being possessed. Giles, of course, was caught just as off guard as Helios was, in many ways. It was so strange, having weight again, having presence, actually standing on the earth and feeling the cold wind.

But Giles tries to keep his presence as small as possible, lets Helios have the reins and feel where they're going. This is a way for them to keep track of one another. Nothing more.

Keep an eye out for signs of...well, anything, I suppose. We don't know, um, what sorts of creatures live here, after all.

Sure enough, if Helios looks at the ground, his orb of light might be just enough to illuminate what might just possibly be tracks. Very large tracks. Tracks as large as Helios' own feet, although unmistkably belonging to some beast.

"Left it is." It's odd to hear Giles' voice in his head and he sometimes worries if the other can actually see his memories, hear his thoughts before he even says them. He's never been possessed before so he has no idea of the principles running such things.

And sure enough they eventually find something, what it is Helios doesn't even know himself. He'll bend down, fingertips brushing the dirt as he looks at those tracks. "Interesting." He'll look up gazing into the surrounding forest.

"I wonder what it is."

Giles can certainly feel something wrong. But, well, the whats and whys and reasons are still very much beyond him. A shame, and he'll realize as much after too much longer.

But that's for another day.

The paw is as large as Helios' hand, appearing faintly feline in shape - reminiscent of a rather large cat, but with claws more like a bird's digging into the ground and hard edges kicked out of the ground that a cat's soft pads couldn't manage.

Something especially large. Beyond that? Nothing I've ever seen before. It looks...something like a cat. A lion, perhaps?

The whys and hows Helios knows very well it's just that he never attributed them to being caused by it. Helios will bend down to get a closer look. His eyebrow raising in confusion.

"No. Not a cat or lion. This was something different. S-Something like a griffin m-maybe? I've seen the markings before I just don't remember from where." Helios will stand straight then and then continue to follow the path made by the unknown beast. Not the best of ideas, to be sure, but it's the only lead they had right now.

It's all they've got, and if they have to run at least they can run together.

Rustling leaves and the sounds of branches creaking sets Giles decidedly on edge, a feeling that Helios will feel himself because of the possession.

Giant cat...giant cat with claws too long...and there was, um, s-something else. Somehing familiar, about the markings, I just...

His wordless musings are cut off with a yelp as, with an almighty "crash", a tree just ahead of them splinters at the base and begins to fall, taking a few smaller saplings with it.

Helios' own feelings of being on edge compound on the feelings he's getting with Giles'. He'll walk tentatively and shakily, uncertain and unsure, as to whether this was a good idea or not. Helios literally jumps when the tree crashes to the ground. He'll move out the way just in time to miss getting crushed by it, but only just be a fraction of an inch.

"Good lord. I-I didn't even see anything that-that would cause that." His voice is barely above a whisper as he peers around into the dense underbrush and trees. Something was here. Something very large and massive and that had claws. Claws that remind him of the shift hunters and all their pain and agony they brought him.

Something was here. something very large and massive and clawed and angry. Something that didn't take kindly to intruders in its territory.

And, like a lion taking its place on a cliff face to survey its domain, the creature steps up onto the tree it had just downed. Six red, hungry, mad eyes focus in on them. Three heads turn to focus on Helios and scent the air, judging his potential as prey.

The chimera begins to pace with the slow ease of a confident predator towards him. Giles is trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

...my god.

Helios' breath catches in the back of his throat as he pauses, half out of fascination half out of horribly gut wrenching fear. A Chimera. He hasn't seen a Chimera in a rather long time and especially one that was angry. Helios will just move slowly backwards keeping his eyes not entirely trained on the beast but never looking away.

"W-We should g-go." Yes that is the understatement of the century Helios. The biggest understatement ever. "W-We didn't mean t-to disturb you."

It's a whispered apology and one Helios isn't sure the other thing really understands at all. But it's out there as is his all too apparent fear.

Yes, we should. Giles steps back with Helios, keeping his gaze trained on the slowly advancing beast with all the mingled fear and awe of a man who had survived Sunnydale, California. W-We, we should go. It's just...dammit, Helios, you...you can't outrun something like that!

The lion head begins to drool, and the goat head lets out a long cry that echoes around a forest suddenly silent as the grave, but for their footsteps.

...tell me you can still teleport.

"I-I can, I think. I haven't tried since arriving. It's just...it's just I need to draw out the sigil and I don't know how long it'll take before this thing is, is on us b-both." Running seems like the only viable option at this point. But they both know that would never work.

"We need a distraction..." An illusion could work...

A distraction...

...Helios, I can distract it. I-I can distract it long enough for you to try.

Or for him to run, but Giles knows that Helios would rather die, and just might if he says as much.

I'll be all right. It, it can't hurt me.

Helios shakes his head an action Giles will readily see. "We don't know that. W-We don't know what it can do. M-Mythical creatures have differing powers than others." He's not outright opposing the idea but Helios is still slowly stepping backwards from the steadily closing in Chimera. He couldn't forgive himself if Giles were to get hurt. And no, no Helios would never run not in a million years and even if Giles begged him to. He would stay and fight if he had to.

But looking around now there's not much else they can do. Nowhere else to run and Helios feels his stomach drop at that realization. Cornered. Nowhere to run. No this was not going to end up like the draft again. No. No. No. There was always another way. Always was there had to be.

We know what it can do.

What it can do is eat them both. And the dragon head is licking its chops with a long, forked, serpentine tongue.

Helios!

All around them, the forest stretches, endless and dark and hungry as the beast that has them cornered. All is silent but for the Chimera's footfalls, as though the other creatures of the forest had the good sense to get out while they still could.

M-Magic. Can, can you attack it? I-Is there anything you can hit it with?

Giles is torn between a desire to leave and serve as a distraction and a fear over what might happen to Helios if he doesn't, a shared recollection of the draft, and the knowledge that, if it does come to a slaughter, he's slightly more likely to be able to keep Helios's body crawling away.

"Ah. I-I d-don't know if, if attacking it w-would be wise. I-I can try to, to impede its m-movements though." Helios is all for protecting himself but he's not sure if attacking it would just make it more angry. He's almost hesitant to even try this spell as it were.

"I-I'll see what I can do..." And here Helios will stop dead in his tracks to face the Chimera. His eyes glow a bright green. The ground and trees around them might begin to sway and shiver as if coming to life. Helios will flick his wrists and then a bunch of vines and roots from the surrounding trees will try to wrap around the beast in anyway possible to stop it from moving.

At first, it looks as though his efforts will be for naught. One good bite is enough to completely sever any errant roots responding to Helios' call. But there are always three more to take a dead one's place, snaking in insidiously as only a plant can, and soon the Chimera finds itself quite bound and quite pissed off about it.

This time, all three heads let out an angered roar that shakes the leaves from the trees, before all six eyes focus on them in rage.

You...probably have just enough time to try a sigil, now.

Excellent work.

Helios lets out a very relieved sigh as his shoulders hunch. He is so damn glad that, that's working because the Chimera looks awfully angry right now. Helios mutters an apology under his breath as he gets to work on the sigil. He'll break a branch off from a nearby tree and begin tracing the outer circle first and then inner. He has to pause several times to remember how to draw it, the stress of the situation isn't helping either.

Helios will draw a shaky breath as he watches the Chimera struggles against the roots and vines of the trees.

Here is one good part about having another pair of eyes and another mind to focus on the problem, as a raging beast trying to tear its way through to them. Giles, having one extra obstacle between the chimera and him, is able to point out a few of Helios' minor errors before they become major ones, and give him a stuttering nudge along if it looks like he's faltering.

Ready?