WQ - Strong to the Finish | Page 2

Dog woman? Iván was still reeling from getting knocked out by @Janet Reilly's shield when she started yelling at him. Well, not at him. It was probably some sort of misdirected anger, the kind you have when you get really mad at the store not having ready-to-eat tacos even though it wasn't their fault, it was the distributor's fault, the store just carried them, and since you can't yell at the distributor and you're really hungry and it's half-past-midnight, you settle for yelling at the 18-year-old walking acne in front of you. Thankfully, Iván didn't have acne, both in this game and in the real world.

He listened intently, at least as intently as he could, to both Janet and @Libitina Cerin's argument against their job not being done. Technically, it was done. They were there to help nurture nature or something along those lines. King Astor of Astorea had asked for their help, not just them but everyone willing to lend a hand, in the restoration of the great Player nation. Their job was to simply help the farmers cultivate their lands, aid their own efforts in getting their lands back, their farms, come up with ways to facilitate that and stuff. Their job did not include getting mauled by some sort of plant witch.

Iván groaned, massaging the back of his neck, ears still ringing from that massive AOE howl. He turned to @Babushka who just shrugged at him. Janet often cared too much and Libi? Well, she was young. Such idealism were often plentiful with the young. Babushka, however, was probably a lot more wiser, experienced, than the three of them combined. The look she gave Iván wasn't that of disappointment, of strong agreement with the two other women, but rather of someone who knew that based on what they had just experienced with their first encounter with the plant dog woman witch, going after her might be a bit more than they could handle. Still, she did not express disagreement or agreement with anyone, which meant she probably did not feel strongly towards either option but would still be down for whatever.

"Whatever," Iván mumbled dryly, not out of disrespect but simply out of having no real options. The only real option they had, really, was to call it quits, call their mission a success, having introduced that formula to the farmers, the formula they've all been working hard on the past few days, the formula that pretty much accomplishes their goal with this town, and go back home. They didn't need to do anything else. They couldn't do anything else. The plant woman witch dog was clearly more powerful than all four of them combined. Their best bet would be to tell King Astor about that menace and maybe he'd send some better, stronger fighters to deal with that weed, cut her down on his own time. This was his kingdom. It wasn't Iván's. "Whatever...course of action we take, it wouldn't matter. Not if we don't know where she's hiding."

As if on cue, one of the farmers suddenly made his presence felt, "I might be able to help you with that. My name's Poppy the Smoker. I can bring you folks to that psychotic poacher's hideout, but I don't really know a safer route, so we're going to have to go through the nest of them monster pests the Nightmare Wolfmaster brought with her earlier. Well, you lot will. I can only bring you near that nest. You just have to go through it, the end's where her hideout is."

Iván narrowed his eyes at the old man who was smoking a pipe as he spoke. He surveyed the other farmers and some of them nodded at what Poppy was saying, the others simply shying away from his gaze. Iván turned to Janet, Libby, and Babushka, giving them a shrug. The Nightmare Wolfmaster was powerful. They've all had a taste of her might. What was going to be any different should they take the fight to her? Iván sighed. Looks like I'm dying again.

 

It wasn't hard to notice the lack of enthusiasm of Ivan's. It was obvious he had no interest in picking a fight with the wolfmaster. She looked at one of the farmers. "Give me something I can use to fight with. Anything will work" She said to the man. "What? do you not have a weapon with you?" the farmer questioned. "If I had known we would have to go against an annoying bitch, I would have." she answered, removing her hair from the pony tail, letting her long hair flow down. The farmer nodded and went to the tool shed to get her something she could use.

"As for you Ivan. In the end of the day, coming with us is your decision. You are not being forced to tag along. Just because we lost right now, it does not mean we will lose again. The only reason she won was because we did not see it coming. Now ,we will be more prepared. So do not think we cannot do this without you. Even if it is just use three or two, we can do it. I would understand if you say that you are too scared to fight" She snickered, pushing her hair behind her shoulder. "After all, you were thrown away like a broken ragged doll."

Her words were blunt and to some extent, insulting. She was basically calling the man a coward. In her eyes, she saw Ivan's decision as a cowardly, not practical. "And do not look at the decision of following the wolfmaster as something made from a naive and helping nature, not from my part at least. I am doing this to show her just how pitiful and weak she really is." she clarified. Her words came out as calm but the blood lust was evident in her eyes.

She nodded at the information Poppy had given them. She turned around to her teammates, more specifically, towards Janet, since she was the only one who was willing to come. "You have nature magic correct? do you think you can weave the veins as some sort of cage? It might save us time when we get attacked by those scorpion insects." Even though those insects were small, if they could place veins in front of those pests eyes, they could escape from that area without actually having to fight. At least, that was what Libitina was thinking of.

"Here you go. It is the sharpest tool we have" the farmer handed the short girl a scythe, that seemed way too big for her. Luckily for her, the metal was light, making it easier for her to move the weapon around. "Thanks. Shall we head off then?"

 

Monster pests? Who was this so-called Poppy the Smoker, and what did he know about the woman who’d kidnapped Farmer Jean?!

Janet frowned suspiciously at the farmer who’d suddenly revealed himself, uncertain about this new development. “You could have spoken up a little sooner,” she said with a hmph. Also, smoking was bad for his lungs. Since there were no children who could be the victims of secondhand smoke, however, Janet held her tongue. They had a mission to accomplish, after all.

She was surprised by Libitina’s speech and put her hands on her hips as the other girl spoke, nodding along. “I agree!” she declared firmly, “If we make a plan and carry it out, there’s no reason we shouldn’t succeed!” They had magic on their side, didn’t they? Of course, that woman does too… nature magic, like mine. Though how she’d made a whole plant-wolf familiar was beyond her. Maybe it was in her spell list.

“We were both thrown,” Janet reminded Libitina a little stiffly, still cross that the wolf’s sonic bark had blasted through shield and her and Iván. “I can certainly try to muzzle the beast! Vines aren’t the easiest for me, but if I prepare something beforehand I should be able.” Focusing and channeling her magic into something that long (which often had a mind of its own) and trying to control its movement was something the eighteen-year-old had always found very difficult. Haru had taught her how to make dormant vine-bundles that detonated like plant-grenades with vines all at once, however. I dare say I can make one or two of those on the way there, even if there are bug-monsters!

“I think Iván should whip up some homemade bug spray for us,” Janet proposed as an alternative, giving a little sniff. Still, the idea of a “mosquito net” to protect them wasn’t bad. Was there a way to make some kind of barrier around them all? Her oak shield wasn’t much good against flying pests. Maybe… Her mind was ticking. She might not be able to make something big enough to cover them all at once, but maybe an armor of sorts—like a bee-suit that beekeepers wore. Would Haru’s Strangleweed alone do the trick?

“I’ll work on something,” she assured, making up her mind. After Babushka seemed willing to follow along, albeit not too excited or against the idea, Janet gave a nod. “I’m going to...pack us some sack lunches for the journey,” she announced and headed off to the kitchen. Since Farmer Jean wasn’t there, surely she wouldn’t mind if Janet borrowed her icebox for preparing travel snacks. And if she could find anything for a modified Strangleweed armor in there… well, that would be excellent!

The brunette returned a little while later once the farmers had dispersed and the group of players had everything they needed together. Having packed four healthy lunches in remarkable time, Janet seemed quite satisfied and ready to begin the rescue operation. “Hold onto this, please, and don’t eat it yet,” she told each member of the party, handing them out. “You’ll need them when we reach the insect den.” She looked Poppy the Smoker up and down critically, ready to follow the farmer’s lead.

@Libitina Cerin @Iván Carl

 

PEST CONTROL

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Iván just stared at the youngest member of their group with one eyebrow raised. She didn't even bring a single weapon to protect herself and yet there she was, spewing some long-winded narrative about something or the other. He didn't really pay much attention to it, to what she had said, considering his head was still on mend, nor did he feel motivated enough to consider her less experienced view on things. To be fair, though, Iván didn't care much about listening to really long monologues from people he has never seen fight. Some people can be all talk, no real bite.

Yawning, he was momentarily distracted when @Janet Reilly mentioned his name. Throughout the conversations around him, he was mostly spacing out, not even bothering to notice the old man staring intently at him with narrowed eyes. Must be the mask. Some people, especially older ones, don't really care what you accomplish, even if your accomplishment benefits them the most. What matters to some people more is the way you talk, walk, act, look like. One mistake, and you're branded a terrible person. One misunderstand, and poof, you're dead to rights.

"Bug spray? I think I have something better," Iván pointed at his bag and a little girl, a farmer's daughter or niece or something, awkwardly went towards it and got it for him. He didn't really expect for anyone to do anything, but he couldn't help but smile when that tiny girl showed more courage than most of the other farmers combined. He turned to Poppy the Smoker, "Hey, old man? How long has this wolf woman been around?"

The old man was caught surprised by the question. It took him a minute or two to answer, consulting his memory as thoroughly as he could, "I can't say... I was born here but I traveled for quite a while... More than a year, perhaps?"

Iván sighed, shaking his head. He turned to the other farmers with a scowl from behind his mask, "And none of you said anything to any of us?" The farmers turned to each other, some ashamed, most speechless. This was not good business. Iván was going to ask for something more than just a thank you when all this was said and done.

"Thank you," the old man bid them farewell from atop his donkey. Their journey wasn't long, but it wasn't easy, either. While Poppy and the farmers lent the others donkeys to ride on, Iván insisted on simply summoning his magic familiar, which took on the form of the Spire's Snow-Quilled Guardian, as his mount. He was more comfortable riding that monster than accepting any more kindness from the farmers. "This is where we part ways. I cannot go any further. I am too old to fight."

"Of course you are," Iván deadpanned, his back turned to the old man. He didn't want to waste any more time. Instead, he started surveying the area, the entrance to the nest, as much as he could. The old man said they just needed to reach the other side, and they would find themselves close to the wolf woman's hideout. Forward, onwards, no other detours. Easier said than done.

"You wouldn't need me, anyway. I'll just slow you down," he nodded towards everyone, anyone, who turned to face him, before nodding towards the entrance of the cave. "I've heard rumors that it's quite dark in there. Keep your eyes open. Those things might be poisonous."

"Of course they are," Iván sighed, his mind already running through different scenarios. They could just speed past everything. With his aeromancy, they wouldn't even need to fight anything, nothing would even need to notice them. Then again, he might not be able to accommodate everyone. Maybe if they rode the same mount? Nah, there was still no way to be sure. He waited for the old man to go before he addressed the rest of the group. "So... What's the plan?"

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Better than bug spray? What could that possibly be, a flea collar? Janet thought about this, also thinking that Ivan probably shouldn't call the knowledgeable farmer old man even if that was less ridiculous than "Poppy the Smoker". Who could easily be the poster for an anti-smoking campaign alongside a bright-eyed child with an opposing name, like "Drug-Free Darla."

So for more than a year, that hussy had been antagonizing the farmers of this area. That was longer than Titanius's corruption had been poisoning the ground. Had she just been forgotten in the wake of the monstrosity, or were occurrences like this simply a daily chore for this community? Janet had no way of knowing, but the indignity of it all astounded her.

It sounds like they thought Astorea wouldn't help if they admitted the problem was bigger than just the crops not growing, Janet thought in exasperation, putting her hands on her hips. What did they think they were? Astorea had plenty of able-bodied warriors willing to tackle something like this. As it was, the group only had them, the nutrition specialists and physical laborers, to rescue Farmer Jean before it was too late. For goodness' sake...

Janet whistled for her own horse when the farmers brought out donkeys to help bear the willing adventurers (some less-than-willing) and the chestnut mare galloped up merrily, tossing her head. As they traveled, Rebel periodically surged ahead to try and goad Ivan's Snow-Quilled Guardian into a race, though the bizarre white beast's stumpy legs and waddling gait made it a poor match for an able-bodied horse. Disappointed, the mare finally let a triumphant Janet rein her in and the trip went unhindered.

"O-oh. It looks quite foreboding," the eighteen-year-old spoke up uncertainly as they stood before the entrance. Was that a low hum she could hear distantly, the buzz of wings and skittering legs from inside the nest? Maybe I'm imagining it. After all, peering in from the opening, she couldn't see any of the pests who'd descended upon the farmers. It worried her that the wolf-woman had somehow been able to control them. What if she sent them out after them again? "Everyone left their lunches, right?" she said, trying not to fret. "I packed a surprise in them for when we meet the insects, I hope none of you ate it!" She frowned at @Libitina Cerin , who she swore she'd seen crack into the brown paper sack before her cue.

The 'surprise' looked like a raw brussels sprout about the size of a walnut, which Janet had infused with just a touch of her power. She'd been concentrating on it the whole time they'd been riding and hoped she'd put enough energy into it now to suffice. Once Janet activated them, the sprouts would hopefully activate all at once with thin, elastic leafy vines across the holder's arms and upper body, hopefully protecting their arms, chest, and neck against insect bites and stings.

She hadn't dared enchant them to grow down to tangle legs as well, especially when they had to keep moving. She'd intended them to grow towards the light, however-- oh, she hoped it wouldn't be so dark within the cave that they wouldn't work properly!

"Let's leave the donkeys here," she said, answering @Iván Carl . "They're not very fast and they might buck some of us off if they get hurt, so let's not risk it." Without knowing if @Babushka or Libitina knew how to ride, Janet didn't want to test their luck. "Libitina, I could take you on Rebel if you wanted to-- to ride behind me. I think there's space to move inside." The footing wasn't great, but as much as her chestnut mount liked to jump over obstacles, that shouldn't be a problem. Babushka seemed spry enough to keep up with them despite her old age, and Ivan... had some sort of insecticide prepared, didn't he?

"Well! Ahem. Once we're all ready, I say let's go." Shield held in one hand, Janet nudged her mount forward. I hope we're not too late to save Jean.

 

Libitina was about to open the bag Janet gave, curious as to what it was. She was even getting hungry but the moment the nature magician told them not to eat it, a disappointed look was evident on her face. None the less, she followed the instructions given.

The girl was upset that they were not informed before but by now, she wasn't even surprised. The farmers obviously were a bunch of wimps and they must have thought just because they wouldn't help, that no one would. She watched as the farmers provided them with donkeys for their travel and she got on them. The more energy they conserve, the better it would for them. She watched as Janet called in her own horse. 'Note to self. Earn enough money to buy myself one of those'

During the journey, the girl's stomach had growled like a beast which tempted the girl to at least look at the lunch Janet had made. 'eh? this is just one brussels sprouts. How is this a meal' she wondered as she shut the bag once again with complete disappointment.

On arriving to the cave, libitina cringed in disgust at the sight. The smell was absolutely terrible, enough for her to lose her appetite(which was a big deal). The insects sound was audible from where they stood. She noticed the frown directed to her by Janet and she raised her hands. "I swear I ate nothing. Just opened the bag" she admitted in her defence.

Seeing that it was more reasonable to leave the donkeys, she hopped off it. "Are you sure you want me to ride your horse"Libitina glanced at the old woman, who she knew was faster than her and Ivan's, the man who could probably use his mastery to move quicker. "I suppose I'll take you up on that offer" Lucky for her, she knew how to ride a horse so staying in balance wasn't going to prove difficult for her. She climbed onto the horse with ease and held onto Janet with one hand, the other hand holding her weapon. "Ah, one thing I would like to add." she pointed her scythe toward's a direction. On looking at where she was pointing, one could see a pile of human skeletons. "be careful or we might turn up like that" she stated

 

Iván simply watched as the others did their thing, his mind wandering from possibility to possibility of what could happen, what should happen. This was a Pride thing, a Zeus thing, and not at all an Iván thing, going further than the actual quest, mission, itself to save some NPC. Heroics wasn't the masked illusionist's thing, but he was outnumbered, seemingly 3 to 1, and in Astorea's new democratic platform, that was just how things work now. At the very least, Iván could ask for more money, more rewards. This was a deviation in the original set-up, anyway. He could bargain for more payment once this was all said and done.

"You three can leave your donkeys, your mounts, and hop on Snowy," Iván commented dryly, without looking at any of them, his eyes glued at the entrance, as he hopped off the magical familiar. It let out a guttural noise that seemed to function as a protest, a sad one, towards its summoner. In response, the masked illusionist placed a hand on the side of its head as a sign of reassurance. It was the only way. "I can imbue her with aeromancy. You three can rush through the entire nest. I'll distract the insects."

That was a good plan, an efficient, in theory. Imbuing his magical familiar with aeromancy can 100% make that summon quicker, faster, and in mere minutes, reach its destination with little to no resistance. Distracting the insects, however, was something else. Iván put a hand inside his coat, feeling the bottle of ant juice he kept with him at all times. Maybe if he had some sort of armor, things would be more reassuring. Unfortunately, the clothes he wore didn't necessarily scream bug bite protection.

He wondered if he could take them all out swiftly with Lightning Ironworks' bugscreen. Every one of those bugs needed to be in close proximity to the gas, though. He needed to get all of them, catch all of their attention, get them as close as he could to him when he'd unleash the gas, for that plan to work. Easier said than done.

"I'll catch up as soon as I can, but once you're close to the wolf woman, once you find her, you should probably keep the element of surprise if you get it. She's far too strong and Snowy might disappear once she gets you where you need to be," he finally turned towards them, nodding at each of them, especially at @Janet Reilly whom he has fought beside against Titanius, with Witch Ops. Turning his back at them, he started to walk to the entrance, inside the nest, offering his allies his final suggestions, "Get on the mount. Give me three minutes. As soon as you hear something loud, ride. Don't die."

 

'That's a cute name' Libitina thought as she saw the masked male hop off of his familiar and gave it a pat to calm it down. On hearing Ivan's plan, the girl raised an eyebrow. One moment he was ready to go back home and call it a wrap and the next he wants to play hero and let them escape while risking his own life. Did he have a split personality? 'I have never met such a confusing man. Is he being practical with this decision? True, having someone distract the insects will increase our chances to leave without having all of us engage in a fight but is it really worth putting your life on the line?' She let out a sigh, not understanding his reasoning. His words and action amused the girl and filled her with curiosity. In her whole 18 years of living, she had never taken interest in other human beings but now, ever since she joined Terrasphere, she gets surprised and curious about most individuals she meets.

" I do not mind you sacrificing your life but just to confirm, so that you hold no grudge later on, are you sure you are ready to risk your lives for a bunch of npcs?" She waited for an answer before speaking once again. "If so, I have another plan that doesn't involve leaving you behind but still puts you at risk. You said you had a sort of bug spray.If we sprinkle that spray on them we can kill them right? Use your Aeromancy to lift the mount high then draw their attention by some means and while they will be busy with you, we can use that bug killer to kill them all. You won't be put in a complete disadvantage since Janet's magic lunch will protect you." Libitina knew her own plan was more time consuming that Ivan's but she didn't mind. What's the worst that could happen if they arrive a bit too late? Jean's death?

She gave a shrug "But hey, if you think your plan is better, I'm fine with that too."
She glanced at the other two teammates, wondering what they thought they should do. The two had to choose. Risk Ivan and have more percent of chance to save Jean? Or be there for Ivan's and risk having Jean dead by the time they arrived.

 

“But—oh, Iván,” Janet said helplessly, putting her hands on her hips. Her shield bumped awkwardly against her shoulder and she reached up to rub the place, still looking at the masked player. “Why do you think they’ll go for you instead of the rest of us?” The question was mostly rhetorical. The brunette didn’t expect an answer—she’d worked with Iván enough times to know the illusionist usually had a plan, even if he didn’t put it in words. Could she trust him to do what he said he could do?

“Hmph!” Janet lifted her chin, tossing her long hair. “Fine, then—I trust Iván to carry out his part of the plan. Bother!” Hopefully the self-sacrifice wouldn’t be necessary! She gave a sigh and slid off her horse, offering a hand to help the other girl town as well. “Come on, Libitina, Babushka, let’s get on… Snowy.” The name made the faceless monster, with its long white fur and sharp quills, seem much safer. Friendly, almost, despite its fearsome red complexion.

“Everyone, please hold onto your lunches!” Janet called to the others like a teacher giving last-minute instructions on a field trip, “I’m going to start the magic when I hear the sound you mentioned. For goodness’ sake, be careful!” She called the last after the man’s back as he strode into the insect’s den. Janet had perched cross-legged atop the spiny beast, holding her shield in one hand and onto Snowy with the other. Her heart beat faster as she waited for the sound, the starting gun, the signal. “Ready, and—eek!”

Faster than she’d possibly imagined the Spring Guardian could move, ribbons of wind trailing from its pudgy form, they were in motion. Janet barely had time to activate the nature magic pods before they were rushing through the entrance like a zephyr into darkness, a pile of human skeletons at its gate. “Eeeeek!” Janet clung on for dear life as thin vines burst from the sprout in her pack, knitting themselves in a rush of springy plant matter to protect her upper body.

Antioxidant

Beside and behind her, the sprouts were doing the same for @Libitina Cerin and @Babushka . While they were resilient, they were quite thin—too much movement would snap them easily despite the protective layer they offered against bug bites and stings. Thank goodness that we’re just riding Snowy! Janet thought as the hum of wings and clicking legs increased, thrumming from the heart of the nest even as the trio flew through it. I’m not sure I could move covered in all this—oh! Iván!

She wondered how @Iván Carl was doing. She wondered if he’d succeeded. She wondered if his sprout had activated at all within the darkness, or if the thin vines had tangled and hampered him at a crucial moment, or if her small contribution had even saved the man’s life. It was hard to know. Don’t die. It was the last thing he’d said to them and in her heart Janet fiercely thought the same words even as they flew onwards to save Farmer Jean, leaving the alchemist behind.

Don’t die, Iván!

 

THE FINAL SMACKDOWN

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Iván listened at what @Libitina Cerin had to say and waved her off, yawning. It wasn't meant to be a sign of disrespect, though it could've been considered that way. Iván has never really considered the concepts of respect and disrespect that much. There was a job to be done, there were people to work with, everything was like a well-oiled machine to him, all cogs were as important as the entire thing. He smirked from behind his mask, "It's cool. It'll be faster this way. I'll catch up after I'm done with these things. Besides, I've died before. This'll be just another walk in the park." With him locked out of his UI, there was no telling if that was still the case.

The masked illusionist had died three times already. First, to the failed expedition that at least had him enlightened by the purple god. Second, to a pack of talking crystal wolves that plagued him with Zalrisis. And most recently, to Titanius, the Ancient Dissonance, which had bestowed upon him an insatiable hunger whenever the sun went down. Two curses from three deaths wasn't that bad. Hopefully, this last death wouldn't be his final one. He'd grown very attached to this world, to some of its Players, a few of them anyway. It'd be a shame if he couldn't come back. Ah, well.

"They'll see me first. I'll make sure of it. Once they do, I've just got the thing, things, to keep their attention while you all make a run for it towards the real target," Iván patted something, some things, inside his coat, making sure @Janet Reilly saw him do it, and the rest as well of course, confidence brimming if only the rest of them could see his face. It was, during moments like this, that justified the illusionist's preference for wearing that mask. The mask might be stinky and creepy, but it sure does it's job of protecting his face well. With a final wave of his hand, Iván went off, into the nest, disappearing out of sight.

Inside, everything was dark. There was a faint source of light way out into the other side, quite probably the exit of this tunnel, this nest, and the entrance to the wolf woman's lair. Iván took out a makeshift glowstick he had tinkered up with Lightning Ironworks. It was a sufficient source of light, especially in such a dark place. "This is just like the Spire..." he mumbled to himself before he started hearing weird noises, skittering, the insects' warning call?

Iván steadied himself, "It's showtime, buttfaces." He brandished his trusty hammer and channeled his aeromancy. His whole plan to get the insects' attention? Break their earbuds (do insects have earbuds?) with homemade thunder. With his hammer and his aeromancy, Iván figured he could recreate thunder in that bottle, the bottle being the nest. Lightning, specifically the sudden increase in both pressure and temperature from it, creates a rapid expansion of the air surrounding a bolt of it and also within it. That expansion then gives birth to a sonic shock wave, a sonic boom, which is what people know as a "thunderclap." "Easy peasy."

The first boom? Angry insects made their complaints heard albeit in skittering, chittering? The second boom? Yeah, that got their attention. They all flew towards Iván, quick to realize he was the man behind the disruption. Thankfully, Iván was covered from head to toe, the stink from the red mask discouraging most of the insects from actually attacking him head-on. It helped that he had taken a swig of the ant juice, because when has he never? The ant juice's stink, Iván could manipulate with his aeromancy. Well, just redirect the smell to form a consistent aura of sorts around him as he exhaled, blew it out of his mouth every now and then.

The first boom should've been the others' signal, and right on cue, Snowy running caught Iván's attention from the corner of his eyes. Around the same time they pushed past him, the illusionist caused another boom that kept the insects to him and off his teammates. A few, one or two, ended up chasing the others but it was better than all of the insects. When he saw the others were far enough, Iván grinned and dropped his bug bombs on the ground. "Later, haters."

As Snowy the Snow-Quilled Guardian zoomed through the tunnel, thanks to Iván's aeromancy, which had sputtered right after everything behind the girls became covered in smoke, the light at the end grew bigger and bigger, closer and closer. Soon enough, the spinach girls breached the exit, the entrance to the wolf master's lair. Unlike the nest behind them, this lair was bright. It wasn't as dark. Everything was green at a varying degree.

Thanks to some weird trees within that lair, there was enough hiding places for the three to, well, hide in, should they prefer to keep the element of surprise. The wolf woman was on the opposite side of the room, across a makeshift flowing stream, seemingly busy with feeding its giant thorn wolf, a corruption or a magical familiar? Regardless, once the girls get off Snowy, the strange creature would slowly disappear, turning to where it's master had been, back in the nest of insects. Did that mean Iván was gone? No time for such questions. Their mission was to find and rescue Farmer Jean, who was apparently trapped inside a cage made of twigs and vines, floating lazily overhead, at the other end of the room where the wolf woman was feeding his creature.

"This was not how I wanted things to go, Jean. All you farmers should've just stayed away, moved away, left me be. This is my domain, and mine alone. I can't have a growing farm close by. Merchants would soon flood in, tourists, and my way of life will be made extinct. Why can't you all just leave me and my creatures at peace? It's all I ask. No one needed to get hurt, Jean."

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Iván had warned them that Snowy might disappear once they got where they needed to go, but it was still unnerving to watch the great beast fade from sight, as if it had never been there to begin with. “Um. Thank you,” Janet told it before it was gone completely. Whether it could understand or not, it had protected them faithfully from the insects. The few who had buzzed near them had been easily kept at bay by the Spring Guardian’s spines or Janet’s sprout-armor.

The teenage girl was still wearing the mat of greenery as she turned towards their final destination, eyes lingering on the verdant landscape before her. It’s almost like a jungle. Her heart stopped when she saw their final nemesis and she quickly ducked behind a tree-trunk. Did she see us? She peeked out discreetly. It doesn’t look like it. But Janet did notice something else, and it felt like the teen’s heart skipped a beat as she did: Farmer Jean, suspended in a floating cage of vines.

It occurred to Janet that their plant-coverings the three women were wearing might serve a new purpose and beckoned her companions close, hunching down and covering her mouth with one hand as if gossiping about the neighbors. “She’s got that dog with her,” the brunette whispered, lingering distastefully on the word. “We have to get rid of it, or its howl will hurt all of us at once.” Babushka’s uppercut hadn’t been enough last time. Janet glanced at Libitina’s scythe. What better way to harvest a plant-wolf than with a farming implement?

“If I distract her, do you think you can sneak close enough to do a… a surprise attack, I suppose?” Janet whispered to the other girl, struggling to come up with the words. “If you’re both still wearing the Antioxidant Armor I made—that’s a working title, sorry— you’ll be camouflaged. I think.” She hesitated. Janet was normally a very confident person, but that little moment of self-doubt always bit at her. Uncertainties. Variables. Wondering what Iván would do if he was here. Hadn’t he told them to surprise her all at once?

Janet took a deep breath, gave Libitina and Babushka a nod, and stepped out of her hiding place. Greatshield held before her in case of an attack, she approached the Spinach Witch (or was Janet the real Spinach Witch?) “I’m here for Farmer Jean!” she called in what she hoped was a heroic way, feeling silly, and peeked over the top of her shield. “Nobody else would come, but I’m a naturamancer! So I’m not afraid of you... you h-heathens!” Could the woman hear the shrillness in her voice, the fear? Janet could only hope the woman would feel so confident faced with a single foe that she wouldn’t attack outright.

She needed to buy time for Libitina to sneak close to that mongrel. Here I go! Calling out with an edge to her voice, Janet continued to approach. “Please! Why are you harassing the farmers? The valley is peaceful, surely some… some compromise could be made!” She was standing on the near bank of the little stream now, a short girl with a bark shield. “Who are you really? What is your purpose?” Janet’s eyes strayed for a moment to Farmer Jean, the pretty blonde still suspended above. I’m coming, Jean! Her gaze flicked back to the Wolfmaster, praying for this to work.

 

Libitina let out a sigh, seeing him wave her off. She would be lying if she said she wasn't annoyed by his action. In a normal situation Libitina would have threatened him to take her more seriously, but seeing as they did not have enough time, she let it go. Although she made a mental note about it. 'If he treats me like a kid one more time...'

She got onto the man's familiar and rode of. Luckily for them, snowy was fast enough (thanks to Ivan's aeromancy) to out run the few insects that did try to follow them. "I need to get one of these" She said, mostly to herself as she enjoyed the feeling of cutting through the air.

The moment Libitina got off of the familiar, it disappeared. She was too busy admiring her surrounding to actually worry about Ivan's. The girl touched the nearby plant, enjoying the texture of the leaves between her fingers. 'I can never get tired of how amazing this world is. The creators must be really creative to come up with unique scenery like these.'

Libitina glanced at her teammates, only to see them hiding. The girl furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and looked to where Janet was looking, only to see the wolfmaster. She immediately took a hiding spot beside Janet. Normally, libitina did not like the whole "hide and sneak attack" She found those type of fights to be unfair and a tact that only the weak would use. But she did want the wolfmaster to get a taste of her own medicine. She listened to the plan Janet had and nodded. "You really are a caring person Janet" She whispered before moving away from Janet to commence their plan.

The wolfmaster snapped her head to Janet's direction and glared at her, obvious signs that she did not appreciate the brunette's presence. "How dare you" She walked towards the woman in a slow, intimidating pace. Her wolf had gotten up and lightly growled at the intruder. She had their complete attention. "Who gave you the right to come into my territory!"

Libitina found this to be her chance. With silent footsteps, she walked towards the wolf and attacked it from behind, right on the middle of the head. She was impressed by how sharp the scythe was. The attack was so quick that the animal did not even get a chance to react. Surprisingly, the beast had some sort of black blood in its body which ended up covering the girl from head to toe. Libitina had a look of disgust as she tried to wipe off the sticky black "blood" from her body and scythe.

Meanwhile, the female version of hulk did not hear the death of her companion. She snickered at Janet, obviously feeling cocky to know that the woman was alone. "My reason? It is obvious. I do not like sharing my land with others, especially humans. Why should I share them with inferior creatures? Having you all cultivating on my property does not benefit me in the slightest. You are a fool.Coming here all alone, thinking you could defeat me, the moss boss. I will commend you however, to be able to make it so far. My wolf was getting hungry, you will certainly make a fine starter before the main course"She let out a sinister, villain like laughter as she pointed at the brunette. "Go forth my wolf, your meal awaits"

Silence. That was all she heard. The wolfmaster turned around only to see the young girl covered in blood and two pieces of her animal. "my..my child"She whispered, obviously shook by her pet's death. Libitina did not feel bad for the woman though and only smirked at her. "Now would you look at that? you are now a master of a dead wolf. How amusing" she mocked, this time trying to distract her so Janet could attack. She glanced at the brunette and lightly nodded her head, as though saying to attack the woman when she got the chance.

"This is what happens when you become too selfish. You look down upon us humans yet you seem to only hold worst qualities of ours. You are 10 times more inferior to our kind. How does it feel like? Being on the receiving end of a sneak attack?~" A mocking tone laced the girl's voice as she spoke, her amethyst eyes gleaming with amusement

 

The insects, the pests, were feisty, that much was obvious from the start. Even against death, they fought back, willing themselves to survive, even for one more day, one more hour, minute, second. What were seconds felt like minutes to Iván, minutes hours, hours days. Despite the armor that out of nowhere appeared on his person, thank Janet for that one, his flying adversaries were determined to get their vengeance on him, scratching, cutting, stabbing, at the masked illusionist as best as they could, as much as they could given their dying circumstances. For his part, Iván fought back, swinging that hammer at anything and everything he could.

But he knew it wouldn't be enough. So when he got his chance, the man ran. Through that smoke, he ran towards the direction he remembered the others had gone. It was poisonous to humans, that smoke, but it was still a little terrible to the nose, the taste, the lungs. Thankfully, when his fellow tinkerers developed that weapon, basically just a more powerful and less available bug spray, they also came up with the appropriate face mask, which he had worn, underneath his face mask, seconds before dropping those bombs.

A lot of the insects, pests, fell to that smoke. Not instantly but over time. A few seconds maybe? Minutes? A few did survive, only to fall to his hammer. Fewer of the remaining insects, pests, were smarter than their peers. Instead of staying in that enclosed space, seeking vengeance in futility, they instead chose to get the heck out of there, realizing that the old adage "live to fight another day" would be the key to their family's survival. Do insects even have families? Iván wouldn't know. He wasn't an entomologist. Maybe it was more of a colony than a family. Who knew? Certainly not the illusionist who was finally feeling exhausted after using up too much of his mana, his energy, his magical juju.

The light at the end of the tunnel... It was close enough, yet Iván's body had taken the most appropriate of moments to finally get bogged down. His strength was at a low. His stamina? Yikes. Too low. He could feel himself losing consciousness. In a matter of seconds, maybe minutes, he would go down, he thought to himself. The combination of that smoke, physical fatigue, and magical drain was terrible, especially for someone who wasn't actually doing his best to reach his peak conditioning. Iván made a mental note to do squats if he survived this, whatever they were.

The Nightmare Wolfmaster, or whatever she was really called, was not amused at the spinach girls' intrusion of her really green abode. She was not amused by how @Janet Reilly had distracted her, the feeling of having been tricked by a seedling left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth. Like vomit. Yes, exactly like vomit. Janet was vomit to the wolf woman. She was more than not amused at @Libitina Cerin cutting her giant thorn wolf in half.

Her pet, her loyal companion, had been with her for the longest time, and she did not appreciate how Libi struck the creature like a vegan would celery, though to be fair, if that idiot of a wolf did not notice some seedling sneaking up on it, what with its heightened senses and stuff, then it probably deserved to get taken out like a vegan's celery. The wolf woman did not have heightened senses. What was that dumb animal's excuse?

"Selfish? You know nothing, little one. I was here first. Before any of you ever saw the light of day. These lands were bountiful, beautiful... When these farmers came, I welcomed them with open arms, treated them to my kindness, shared with them the secrets to a prolific future," the wolf woman's voice sounded somewhat nostalgic, as if a college student reminiscing the good old days of high school, grade school, or being a baby, certainly a time in his or her life that did not require her to write a really long paper on spinach. "And how did they repay me? They repaid me by taking everything from me, leaving nothing to me, desecrating my very lands. I had to scrape the bottom of this barrel that is my very existence to survive until I finally found the courage to fight back, to stand my ground, to take what was mine. Just like how I will take your lives."

The scowl the wolf woman bore intensified. She stretched her arm to one side, and out from it, with it, created a makeshift sword of sorts. Sword of thorns? Yikes. That purple coloring probably meant that it was poisonous or something. One touch could probably end the life of one of these spinach girls. The wolf woman took a stance and then two steps, towards Libi, ready to rush her and strike her with that poisonous sword of thorns. If only a cabbage hadn't struck her in the face.

"What. The hell. Was that?!" the wolf woman, caught surprised, only got angrier, as she looked around her, them, to find the source of the flying cabbage. She was more than surprised, this time fully, her anger momentarily dissipating, when she found a group of people, a lot of people, from the exact same opening where the spinach girls had come from. "Farmers? You brought with you farmers?"

The wolf woman couldn't help but start laughing. That was, until an extremely exhausted Iván, helped up by two farmers on either side of him, one of whom was Poppy the Smoker, spoke up, half-panting, "Hello. Look who I found while I was about to die. Rather, they found me. Dying. Back there."

From out of the army of farmers, Poppy walked forward, unceremoniously forgetting Iván needed him to stay up, leaving the other farmer, as well as some of the surrounding farmers, to go to the illusionist's rescue as his limp body dropped to the ground. The old man had a scowl that could match the Nightmare Wolfmaster's own. Things were getting super serious. Cue theme music.

"Enough is enough, you goonish wimp! We have had enough of you and your rotten attitude! Listen here, we farmers have rights to these lands, to our way of life, and we will not stand idly by, letting others fight our battles for us!" As if on cue, the other farmers raised their varied weapons, from pitchforks to more pitchforks, in the air, letting their individual battle roars heard. "These are our lands, and we will fight for our lives, our children, our future!"

Finally... Iván thought as the other farmer who was helping him up dropped him, too, joining the makeshift army in their adrenaline-fueled, inspired yelling or something. The illusionist just remained motionless on the ground, unable to do anything else. If he died right then and there, he would never go anywhere near this farm ever again. Not worth it. Purple god, save me, please.

The wolf woman was pissed but she simply laughed the threat off. They were farmers. What could they do against her corrupted nature magic? Then again, there were a lot of them. Even if she could take out half of their army, there would still be enough to take her down. She shouldn't take the risk. Couldn't. And so she started whipping up an army of her own, an army of green leafy, others thorny, vegetables. Or plants. They were basically the same thing. "Then you will die, screaming and writhing in pain!"

What happened next, Iván could only imagine. There was a lot of screaming, as he expected, and a lot of running. Thankfully, he was left unscathed on the ground, un-stomped, as if the farmers did care enough, even just a little, to make sure they didn't stampede all over his helpful genius. Weapons clashed. Blood was spilled, some of it green. Basically, manure hit the fan.

 

A blur of motion out of the corner of her eye as Libitina lunged out of the brush, a spray of ink-black blood. Don’t look. Steeling her every nerve, Janet gazed back at the Wolfmaster. I just have to wait, she prayed, wait for an opportunity—

And when opportunity knocked, it did so with a bang.

Act One: Scythe-wielding Libitina, standing in the dark sap of the sorceress’s slain familiar with scornful words curling from her tongue. As the green woman lectured the other girl, Janet tossed Jean one last brussels sprout, a spare she’d been planning to give to Poppy the Smoker before the farmer had left them at the entrance to the cave. Following the instructions Janet mimed, Jean uncertainly held the bud of nature magic to the cage.

Act Two: Opportunity knocked a second time, and what a welcome surprise it was! “Iván!” she cried, unable to help herself. Indeed, the sticky sticker on her chest thrummed as if to agree—low energy, perhaps, but Bound Prince was indeed alive and well! One hand flew to her mouth as Janet saw the many men and women he’d brought with him. Faces she’d seen in the fields these last few days, injuries she’d patched up just hours ago. I—I can’t believe it! They came to help!

And so the armies squared off—vile, corrupted growths that wriggled from the backdrop and sprung at the farmers. They were twisted and distorted, vicious to the root and yet—There’s something wrong with them. Janet realized it suddenly, feeling her nature magic recoil from their presence. They’re…infected. It was finally starting to click. She’d felt the wrongness the first time the witch had appeared, felt in her wolf’s howl. The verdant cavern reeked of it.

As the brussels sprout finished prying a gap in the cage for its prisoner to fit through and Jean finally struggled her way out and jumped into the water, Janet turned back to the witch. Plant-monsters raged all around her, the cries of men and aberration alike filling the air. Her jaw firmed.

Like the farmers, she would not stand idly by. Like the Wolfmaster, she would stand her ground.

She would not be the one who needed to be rescued. She would not be the burden, the girl on the sidelines, the wife waiting for her husband to come home. She would not wait for Iván or Libitina or the farmers to save her.

Opportunity was knocking, and this was the final Act.

“You’ve become what you hated, Moss Boss!” Janet called, wind stirring her light brown hair. The stout, plain girl raised her shield, grasping with her other hand for her focus and summoning her power. “Progress is here, whether you like it or not! These farmers are here to stay, and killing them all won’t stop more from coming! Astorea is growing!” Her voice built on itself, higher-pitched and piercing. Janet began to wade forward, forcing a path through the monsters towards the sorceress. “You said you welcomed them, long ago, and they betrayed your kindness! But it is not these men and women tilling the land that corrupted your heart—it was your hatred!”

Closer and closer Janet came, sweat bright on her brow, her eyes fierce. She was within range of that purple sword now, that venomous thorn-blade which had so nearly ended Libitina’s life. “Idiot girl,” the moss boss breathed through gritted teeth, astonished. “It’s too late for that now!” Janet held up her hands. Waves of nature magic, pure solar energy, began to radiate from her palms. “You think that will defeat me? I am nature magic, imbecile!” The wave increased, becoming brighter. Sunlight streamed from Janet’s fingers, bathing their nemesis in warmth.

“Yes. I know.”

“What? What do you mean, foolish child? What is this?” The sorceress demanded, raising her blade after a moment’s hesitation. The cries of the clashing armies were fading, the world around her darkening. Janet’s arms trembled as she closed her eyes and sought out the corruption, chasing the blight, seeking out the darkness the same way she’d found and neutralized spores from her friends at a certain Iván’s Curry House, the way she’d banished black Dissonance from the fallen queen in the belly of Titanius.

“...The cure.”

The words were delivered almost in a whisper as Janet watched her energy meter tank and the corners of her world recede, her vision flickering. The scream of the witch faded in her ears as she felt someone catch her before she hit the earth—

When she opened her eyes, she was looking at Farmer Jean's concerned face. The woman was soaking wet, having fallen into the stream earlier, but was as gorgeous and reminiscent of Scarlett Johansson as ever. Janet choked. “O-oh! You’re all right, thank goodness. What happened to—”

She turned to look at where the Nightmare Wolfmaster had been.

Flower petals were drifting from a still, human-shaped figure. Where it had once held a sword, it now held a branch of flowers. Where its eyes had once gleamed with hate, a sprinkle of petals blew away to reveal a distinctly female face, skin tinged slightly green but otherwise quite ordinary. The blossoms continued to fall from the body. Where they fell, tiny seedlings broke the soil and spread their leaves, clustering like chicks at their mother’s feet.

Janet sucked in her breath. “Is that… her?”

@Libitina Cerin @Iván Carl

 

Libitina snickered at what the witch told her. It wasn't that she believed what the witch said, just that she thought the way the farmers reacted and took away things from her was only her fault and no one alone. "What do you want me to do? Feel bad for you and your sappy story? oh boo hoo"She rolled her eyes as she once again glanced at Janet. Why was she not using this opportunity?? The disgusting black blood had started to become more like a cap on her scythe so even if she wanted, the weapon would do no good for her. Same could be said for her mobility. It was as though the blood had a mind of its own and it wanted to insure the master's victory. 'ha. Even in its death, the dog protects its master. Not a good sign for me' she thought. The wolfmaster, obviously enraged by the things she said, summoned a purple sword that looked deadly to the touch. Libitina took a step back, in an attempt to create distance between the crazy woman's weapon and herself so she could have a chance to dodge, but it seemed the green woman would have none of that as she closed in on libitina and raised her sword to attack. She closed her eyes and braced for the impact, hoping that the purple weapon wasn't poisoning to the touch.
. . .
Nothing happened. She felt no pain, no stab, nothing. Was that how it felt like dying in one swing? She honestly thought she was dead until she heard the woman bellowing in anger, this time not in her direction. She opened her eyes and noticed the male tinkerer along with some farmers. While Poppy made his inspiring speech, the young girl took her time to move away from the wolfmaster.

'maybe they aren't the wimps I thought they were' she thought as she watched the farmers letting @Iván Carl go to attack the woman. 'Ouch. That's got to hurt' she thought as she walked up to Ivan and grabbed him by the collar to pull him aside so that his unconscious body did not get hurt. The thing was, libitina did not have the physical strength needed to carry heavy things. Swinging equipment? easy because of her mastery but carrying things?nope, not so much. and Ivan's was very heavy, to her at least. So it took her a great effort to actually drag him to the corner where it would be the safest.

She looked back up to see just how well the farmers were doing against the green woman, only to faceplam in disappointment. 'such a great speech only to run away' she sighed as she shook her head before looking at Janet, wondering what the hell she was doing.

She watched as the young girl talked to the beast woman while conjuring up some sort of spell. She was pretty far so she wasn't sure what they were talking about but she hoped whatever Janet was doing, she would do it quickly. A lime green light flashed, causing the girl to close her eyes. On reopening, she found the wolfmaster was no more and instead, a still statue stood. Her teammate had collapsed but seemed to be in good care of the female farmer. The monster veggies had turned back into planets. It seemed the end of the wolfmaster stopped the veggies from moving. Libitina let out a sigh of relief, happy it was over. Now all she wanted was to take a bath and good food. She shook Ivan's in an attempt to wake him up. She for sure wasn't going to carry him back home after all. She went close to his ear and took a deep breath before screaming. "IVAN WAKE UP! ITS OVER!"
If the male still did not wake up, then she could do nothing more. She walked over to the statue of the wolfmaster and climbed it to stare in her eyes, wondering if that was really he end. She poked the face and nodded, as though confirming that the body would no longer move.

When @Janet Reilly opened her eyes, she would see Libitina swinging on the statue's arm. "Indeed. All her. You did this Janet. Congratulations, your mastery was really useful. If it were not for you, we'd be veggie food" she said, letting go of the arm. "Seeing you in action made me almost want to pick it as my fourth mastery" she said as she offered her hand to the magic user to stand up on her feet.