as written by FizzGig and Tiko
Taylor hadn't paid attention to where the first cat landed. She'd sensed that something else was close, and had turned in time to watch the larger cat drop from the branches above, causing her own branch to shudder and sway in a manner that nearly sent her careening to the ground. She had sure footing, though, even as the imp suddenly slammed into her side, clinging to her in a way that made it difficult for her to get to another arrow.
She grit her teeth, forgoing wasting time and breath to chastise the odd creature, and slipped her bow over her shoulder while she reached with her opposite hand into the infinity satchel. She couldn't risk using Amuk Ra again, not when she was so high up and there was very little guarantee that she could cling to the branch above her, manage the imp, and still have the presence of mind to deal with the feline when it inevitably ascended the trunk of the tree to come after her.
She withdrew a set of stilleto blades, their sharp points glinting in the low light. Ignoring the wailing imp, she crouched, braced against the tree trunk as she held the long pointed knives in a defensive stance, ready to catch the creature if it chose to pounce. She had the advantage for the moment, since her position was a bit more sturdy, but she knew that could turn on a dime.
She bared her teeth in a low growl, and waited for the feline to make the first move.
I've faced down dragons and gods. I swear I won't let this place kill me.
____
Springing from the muck the cat she had shot down landed atop a fallen log as it looked up into the trees at her. It appeared now a ghostly spectre as the others rushed her.
The animals works in unison to try and leave openings to get at her with tooth or claw, and whenever her stilettos struck flesh, they would rend a spectral image of the feline creatures free as the physical body fell away to be swallowed up by the swamp below.
All around her she could hear the whisper of voices rising through the swamp.
Come to us...
Leave this place...
Your magic, it will be ours!
Flee while you can...
Give it to us... give it to us... give it to us!
Do not fight the inevitable...
Join with us!
The cacophony of voices ran together and over one another like the rapids of a river, until she could scarcely pick out one voice from another. Snippets and bits of the whole broke through here and there, but the voices of many swiftly drowned out the individuals until they became nothing more than an indiscernible roar.
It was a strangely surreal experience with no discernible source for the voices. They seemed to be everywhere, and nowhere all at once. They where both distracting and disorienting as if a weight was crushing down upon her that she couldn't see.
Meanwhile the specter images of the cats began to hop their way along the branches, closing in on her casually even as she fought the physical ones that flung themselves at her with rampant disregard for physical safety. Like the fairy creatures before them, there seemed no end to their numbers.
Should any land tooth or claw against her skin, the wounds would smoke tendrils of the same unnatural green light as the eyes of the specters did.
The imp it would seem despite his wailing, was no longer the target of the felinoid creatures who continued to single in on Taylor herself.
____
She wished desperately that she hadn't removed her armor. With each stinging strike of claw or tooth, she felt moist warmth that threatened to impair her grip on her weapons. The smoky remnants left behind by their claws were distressing, but she had no way to address it. Not yet. She was singularly focused on removing as many threats as was feasible, ignoring the steady rise of whispers that pressed in on her, like she was being pulled under a powerful tide. It was impossible, how many their were, and she was beginning to get tired.
Finally, the tree branch she was standing on could no longer withstand the weight, and it snapped with a resounding crack, sending her spiraling sideways and down for a few feet before she caught another branch, her chest slamming into the wood and sending the breath out of her lungs with a whoosh. Gasping, she tried to ease herself down, dropping the last ten feet or so before setting off at a sprint, away from the water, away from whatever monsters pursued her.
She needed to think. She was exhausted, disoriented by the rising tide of voices that had blended into a horrible cacophony.
She scrambled for an arrow, struggling to knock it before she spun around and aimed up, where she assumed the monsters were clustered.
"Ignis!" she cried, letting the arrow fly and ducking her head when it struck some ten yards above her head, causing a roaring explosion that set the canopy ablaze. She didn't pause to see what would happen next. She just started running again.
____
Try as she might, the more of the feline creatures she felled the more of the specters she created. Every step, ever weave and dodge, another feline specter was lunging out at her from the surrounding undergrowth, and the branches overhead. Some were leaping forth from the flames themselves and each one that struck her was another weight that seemed to drag at her vision and her feet. The imp's incessant wailing seemed distant and faint beneath the roar of voices.
Give it to us!, a voice shrieked above the rest as a rather large spectre slammed into her chest only to vanish in a bright flash of green light that was reflected in Taylor's eyes, and the strange wounds that covered her body. Icy fingers seemed to close around her heart, squeezing and drawing the breathe from her lungs.
West. Quickly. The tree atop the rise!
You cannot escape us!
Keep moving! Do not falter!
The swamp was giving way to more solid footing and though the earth beneath her feet was still spongy, the forest up ahead appeared healthier. Bits of green crept through the sickening rot that seemed to permeate everything around her, and up ahead the tree line broke just enough to make out a gnarled old tree atop a small rise. The tree looked sickly, but bits of ivy and flowering buds grew entwined around its ancient form.
It's too late, she's gone...
No, she'll make it.
____
Someone was screaming. Distantly, she recognized that the throaty, frustrated roar was ripping from her own lungs as she pushed through the heavy haze of feline spectres. Her head was thick with fog, the cacophony of voices sparking a sharp, throbbing pain at the base of her skull. Still, she continued to run, stumbling more than once as the monsters tried to bring her to her knees. Suddenly, she was blinded with green light, and a weight slammed into her chest, sending her stumbling back as ice filled her lungs. The roar of her own heartbeat drowned out the sound of the voices as her pulse quickened, chest working to suck in air that felt frozen in her throat.
West. Quickly. The tree atop the rise!
Her limbs trembled from exhaustion, but the voice had broken through the haze with startling clarity. She forced herself to move, gritting her teeth, heading West with the only hope she’d had since she’d arrived here. She honed in on that voice, forcing everything else to the back of her mind, forcing herself to ignore the stinging pain, the wail of the imp, the sound of the swam willing her to fail.
The ground grew more firm, and her footing became more sure. The treeline broke ahead, and she saw the tree through her own haze. One last surge of adrenaline numbed her body against the pain, and she burst into a sprint, her satchel slamming noisily against her thigh as she cleared a fallen log. Her cloak streamed out behind her, and she felt like she moved in slow motion as the distance quickly closed.
She didn’t know what sort of help this would offer. She didn’t even know if this would be safe, but it was either this or succumbing to the spirits of that swamp, and Taylor wasn’t the type to succumb. Not easily. So, without any other options, she leaped to the nearest branch, as close to the trunk as she could get, and hauled herself up.
“Imp!” she grunted, remembering the creature for the first time since being pursued. “What is this place?”
____
The imp was well beyond hysterics and proved little use as it either ignored her or didn't hear her question over its wailing and cursing. Instead her answer came froom the haze of voices that filled her head.
"This is the boundary," a voice murmured.
"We are forbidden beyond this point," another answered.
The haze of other voices was still there, but it was distant and muted beneath a growing hum as the green light within Taylor's eyes and open wounds pulsed and struggled against some oppressive force that cloaked her. As the light receeded, so too did her strength wane into exhaustion.
"Sleep now. The Aberrants cannot cross here."
And true to the words, the ethereal felines had fallen away at some point in her mad dash for the tree, and not a one remained to be seen. Though a careful eye would detect an occasional blue whisp of movement in the surrounding trees.
____
Her head felt like it was filled with cotton. The voice that urged her to rest felt like a heavy blanket over her head, and she found herself settling against the trunk, shifting so that her back rested and her legs dangled on either side of the branch. The imp was still wailing, but the sound seemed distance, like the voices of the swamp that had faded to a barely perceptible hum. She was aware of how much blood she'd lost. She could feel her clothes sticking to her skin, and her face felt caked with the wounds from the tiny fliers as well as the swamp cats. She didn't have the energy to bring her hand up to wipe at her eyes, and she was sure that she looked like quite the sight.
"Aberrants," she murmured, closing her eyes and leaning her head back. Her breathing began to slow, the heaviness dragging at her like stones. The term made her wonder, not for the first time, just what this place was.
A face floated in front of her eyes as they closed, familiar and painful, and she felt herself sigh in frustration. Enda, I swear, once I get out of this place...
But as she began to fall into exhausted sleep, the face changed, and she saw the visage of a stern-looking man, with eyes as hard and unreadable as they were deep. For a moment panic flared, as if there was something about him she was trying desperately to remember, but before she could grab hold to it his face disappeared for good and she slipped away into darkness.
____
Whispers reached Taylor through the haze of sleep, fading in and out of her conscious awareness.
"She cannot remain."
"She will die if we abandon her."
"The decision has already been made."
"I won't lose another..."
"She's already lost."
"No, she's strong.'
"That strength will not save her when the taint reaches her mind."
"We can help her."
"Our laws are clear, she must go."
The murmur of voices faded away only to be replaced by the sensation of hot moist breath upon her face. Wide sapphire blue eyes with slit pupils stared at her face from only inches away, and furry tufted ears twitched curiously. Soft paws rested upon her chest and the fur of the animal seemed to shimmer and shift as beams of sunlight made their way through the sickly foliage of the tree. With the animals face inches from her nose she wouldn't be able make out much of it in her initial moments of wakefullness, but it felt heavy.
Bits of ivy had grown and entwined itself loosely around her as she had slept, and the wounds of the night prior had faded to faint scars. Overhead the imp was asleep on an overhanging branch.
____
She felt like she was swimming in a thick, warm ocean, desperately paddling for the surface with no sure end in sight. Her breathing quickened, signaling her return to wakefulness, but she still sensed this weight on her chest, warmth washing over her face in uncomfortable drafts. Her eyelids fluttered, the green mist having faded to reveal her light grey hues. It took her an agonizing few seconds to realize that there was something pressed uncomfortably close to her face. The creature's breath, combined with the smell of the stale blood, made her stomach flip. She tensed but made sure to hold still, searching the creature's eyes as her brow creased in concern and confusion.
This wasn't the same as one of the swamp cats, and there was something unnerving and penetrating about the cat's gaze. At first, she wasn't sure what to do. Move or hold still, reach for her knife, try to roll the creature away...
It felt heavy, but it didn't feel like it was restraining her. So she went with her instinct and slowly, slowly tried to sit up a bit straighter. The ivy broke away like fine wisps of hair, and the whole time Taylor watched the big cat, certain that it was very capable of ripping out her throat if that was what it wanted.
____
As Taylor shifted, the animal shied and jumped away warily giving her more of a full view of it. It was difficult to determine if it was canine or feline, seemingly sharing similarities to both. Its face and paws were almost fox like, but its eyes were reminiscent to that of a cat. Its size put it on par with a young wolf, but it possessed long whiskers. Its tail was long, almost the length of its entire body, and thickly furred. The fur itself was lightly spotted, similar to that of a snow leopard, but the fur was a stunning mixture of silver, grey, and a rich blue.
Overhead the imp stirred and its eyes flew open wide at the sight of the fox-like animal that was crouched only a few feet away.
With a shriek, it let loose several blue arcing balls of lightning that the animal nimbly jumped clear of before growling lowly at the imp. Like the rest of the animal, the sound seemed to tread the line between canine and feline, starting as a low mrowl and ending in something of a sharp bark.
"Kill it! Kill it!" the imp hollored loudly while pointing at the fox creature.
The animal didn't seem inclined to linger though and it turned and lept from the tree, bounding away into the surrounding forest.
____
It turned out her careful movements had done just what she'd hoped. The animal shied away from her, giving her space and allowing her to observe the rather magnificent creature the same way it was apparently observing her. She moved slowly, brushing the ivy away without ever taking her eyes from the animal, but startled the moment the imp started screeching.
She ducked, avoiding one of the bolts of lightning, and frowned.
"Come on, with all of that noise you're sure to draw something's attention!" she scolded, looking up at him. She scanned the surrounding trees, glancing further up the tree she perched in before lowering herself from the branch. Landing with a soft 'thud', she performed a once-over, looking at the backs of her hands and her arms. Much to her surprise, it seemed that her injuries were healed, though blood still stained her skin where the monsters had drawn it with tooth and claw.
"Have we made it out?" she wondered, looking at odd division of trees. It seemed that the sickly trees faded into healthier forest, almost creating an invisible line in the woods. Could she be so lucky?
____
"Made it out?! Stupid girl doesn't even know where here is!"
The imp started hitting itself on the head in frustration before pointing a finger at her.
"You go where you want. Tokarattihael find his own way!"
It made it so far as turning around to catch the gleam of eyes from the forest before having second thoughts. A moment later, the weight of the imp was once again latched onto her back.
"Tokarattihael change his mind. Stupid girl won't last a day on her own," he huffed disgruntled.
There was little to Taylor's surroundings to give her any idea of which direction to head, other than the sickly swampland being an unlikely choice. With the rise of the sun to give her some semblence of bearing, it would seem that the swamp lay to the south, with healthy forest stretching northward as well as extending east and west along the border of the sickly tree line.
____
The wan expression on Taylor's face was likely lost on the imp, but she adjusted her satchel and bow to accommodate the creature when he decided to stick close to her after everything. She turned toward the North, and with no real idea or inspiration as to what part of north she should walk towards, she decided that straight on from this sentinel tree would do for now. She'd need to find water soon. If nothing else that would serve as a priority until she could better get her bearings.
"Just be sure to stay quiet." she warned him, padding forward on almost silent feet as the pair proceeded to walk further into the healthier part of the wood.
After all, she would be so disappointed to lose him.
____
The imp's silence lasted all of ten minutes before it's shrill voice whined.
"Tokarattihael is bored. Stupid girl got Tokarattihael into this," it muttered. "Go find Scarlet, she says. Tokarattihael isn't an errand boy. Go anyways she says. Tokarattihael hopes stupid girl got eaten."
The creature's whining was broken by its abrupt and rude rummaging as it started to dig through Taylor's pack for something to entertain itself with.
____
She brought the satchel around to the front of her while the imp rummaged through it, knowing he wouldn't be able to find anything useful unless he knew for sure what had been packed into the bag. At the very least, he'd be entertained while he dug around inside of it. She cradled it almost like she would a child, and continued walking forward, keeping a sharp eye out for, well, anything. As she listened to his incessant muttering, it took her a moment to realize that she wasn't the 'stupid girl' who he was referring to.
What an unusually pleasant surprise.
"Be careful now," she warned him. "If you get lost inside the satchel I might not be able to retrieve you." When that didn't seem to be of concern to the imp, she ventured forward with a question of her own.
"Who is Scarlet?"
____
"Stupid girl's stupid aunt," the imp answered.
The imp paused in its rummaging to hold a piece of dried fruit to its nose. The imp promptly wrinkled its noise and tossed the food over its shoulder to be replaced with a bit of dried root. The imp nibbled at the gnarled plant before making dramatic gagging noises followed by tossing the root over its shoulder as well.
"Why does stupid girl care about other stupid girl's stupid aunt," the imp asked.
It was becoming rather clear that the imp referred to a lot of people as stupid.
____
Taylor's brow furrowed. "Be careful with those herbs. They're meant for healing." She took the satchel from out of the imp's reach, then rummaged through it herself before bringing out a rather complicated looking puzzle. It was constructed from wood, and made up of several linking pieces. She handed it to the imp to try to solve, securing the mouth of her satchel and slipping the strap up and over her shoulder.
"Scarlet is a familiar name. I suppose I was just curious. Were you looking for her in the swamp or did you accidentally end up there?"
Before the imp had a chance to snap out a reply, she added, "I was looking for someone too, and I ended up in the swamp on accident. Her name is Enda."
____
The imp promptly bit down on the puzzle, to determine if it was edible. Once ascertaining that it wasn't, it was abruptly discarded along with the other objects it had haphazardly tossed from Taylor's satchel.
"Why look for stupid girl's stupid aunt in a swamp? Tokarattihael isn't an idiot," the imp declared with a roll of his eyes. "Ever heard of Academia Celestia?" it inquired. "Or are you too dumb for that too."
The imp hopped from his perch upon Taylor and flew upwards through the tree branches where he hovered overhead.
"Ugh. This forest goes on forever!" he whined from his vantage point.
____
"I have, as a matter of fact." The Academia Celestia was from her home world, the world where she and Railynn had lived, where she had gone on numerous adventures and spent long hours trekking through dense woods. She felt a small wave of relief and nostalgia, her eyes on the imp as he flew high up over her head.
When he mentioned the vastness of the forest, her heart sank just a little.
"We're out of the swamp, though." she replied. Thus far, it seemed their circumstances were better, but they'd only gone a short distance into the forest.
"Can you see a river from up there? Any kind of water source?"
____
"What am I, your pet?" the imp snorted as it flew off ahead, as unhelpful as ever.
____
The day would prove remarkably uneventful after the near deadly race through the swamp had proven. A sense of unease would linger upon Taylor though, something that she just couldn't place. A sense of something not quite right, but unable to ascertain the origins of the feeling. Perhaps it was simply her imagination running rampant in such a foreign place.
The further distance she put between her and the swamp, the healthier the plants grew until it gradually grew into a lush landscape of dense forestland. Where the swamp had been dull and drab, lacking in vitality or color, the forest was ruch and full of life. The earthy smells of the rich soil mingled with the pleasant aroma of flowers and damp wood. It seemed as if every inch of the forest had been claimed by some rampant growth or another, from ivy to shrubs and moss that grew upon trees and rocks.
Occasionally Taylor would catch glimpse of small forest animals darting through gaps in the canopy, but none showed any sign of hostility towards herself. If anything her presence seemed to startle them into hiding until she had continued on her way. And though she couldn't be certain, she caught infrequent glimpses of what might have been the fox creature from the day prior.
Overall one might have actually found the journey pleasant, if not for the underlying need to locate running water and no seeming end to the forest that lay before her. By the end of the second day exhaustion and dehydration were beginning to take their toll.
____
Though the scenery had improved significantly, the exotic foliage bringing a small sense of comfort in this alien place, it was impossible to ignore the physical and emotional distress that mounted with each passing hour. Though the air and the soil was laden with moisture, there had been no evidence to suggest an obvious water source. Her imp companion was only tolerant enough to fly up so many times in a given day to investigate further. Each time an inquiry was made, the same report was returned. The forest was endless, and there was no water in sight.
She was beginning to think that they might be better off resting and traveling less, since the energy she was expending was only bringing her closer to a state of exhaustion. She had a flavorless root that she was chewing to keep her mouth moist, but it did little to alleviate the brewing ache in her head that was starting to shift to a painful throb.
If only it would rain. Yet, though the humidity suggested cloud cover, there was no way to predict any forseeable relief.
She debated a small summoning spell, something Raelynn had taught her with arcane runes, but her fear of attracting something she was in no shape to fight made her instantly hesitant.
"I don't know that I have ever been so frustrated." She admitted to herself, pausing to rest her hand against the trunk of a nearby tree.
____
No doubt adding to her frustration was the fact that the imp's incessant wailing had recently resumed with frequent declarations as to their imminent and no doubt miserable deaths.
Truthfully the imp didn't even require food or water to sustain itself, but it was surely going to die of boredom if this kept on!
As Taylor pausd to rest it flopped upon the forest floor dramatically flailing in the dirt moaning in imagined agony.
It was then, while the imp was otherwise distracted that the strange fox-cat from earlier made its appearance again. It hopped its way across a fallen branch and paused only momentarily before it disappeared into the foliage once more, heading west.
____
Taylor, in spite of her own exhaustion, was still attentive to her surroundings. Though the imp was distracting, it was easy to tune out his tantrum, especially with the appearance of the fox-cat that had approached her before.
With a furrowed brow, she pushed away from the tree she rested against, carefully making her way towards the break in the underbrush as she followed after the strange feline. It was a hunch, though not a very strong one, that compelled her to follow. After all, her only other option was to keep wandering and potentially lose herself to the delirium that was sure to come.
Stepping through the brush, she paid no mind to the imp, figuring he would follow along eventually.
"Can you take me to water?" she wondered under her breath, moving quietly along behind the creature. She felt a little foolish asking out loud, but given how this entire misadventure had gone so far, it wouldn't surprise her to find the strategy effective.
