Fandom Power Rangers Sentinels

[Steel Accord]

Poor Gawain. This must be how Rip Van Winkle felt. To feel like no time has passed for you at all but your entire world (or at least the immediate people he considered family) was gone. Dylan was about to start comparing the two, offering condolences about how one can move on and accept a new life. Thinking on it though, that probably wasn't the smart thing to do. Dylan might be excitable sometimes but he wasn't completely tone deaf. He wasn't about to say the equivalent of "other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the show?" to Gawain's face. There is a time for healing and there is a time for mourning. Gawain needed to mourn. As such, he didn't offer any parting condolences to the Ranger as he rode off, only saying a silent prayer that he would find the peace in Merlin's explanation that he sought. Because who else would he be riding to see?

Dylan also agreed with Erin about the forest. With the Ryxen defeated, hopefully whatever Chance had gone on about was at least curtailed for the time being. Speaking of which, Dylan had some choice words for the trickster next time he saw him. This wasn't an amusing side tour, they almost died! Chance could have been an accessory to dooming Camelot, Earth, and the entire web if Gawain hadn't come in. And if that was his goal all along . . . well that's a pretty tasteless way to simply have them make a new friend!

 

[marorda]

Erin nodded to her friends. Today was weird. A man turning into a crow that happened to be Fate's brother and the embodiment of literal Chance pointing them to the woods, almost getting murdered by even uglier and powerful versions of Spawners, meeting Gawain again, figuring out he's been here for hundreds of years while he thought it to be mere weeks... Was it just her or was this giving the others a mild headache too? At least they could all agree on getting out of these woods as fast as possible. Even if it looked a little better and brighter now that the Ryxens were gone and Gawain had literally shed some light on the place, Erin didn't really want to stay any longer. Food, that's what she wanted. And a bath to get rid of the sticky undead-leaves feeling. She shuddered, convinced she'd still be picking leaves out of funny places for hours to come.

Benji and April agreed trying to find Chance might be a good idea. Dylan seemed less eager, however. Clay... who knew what that guy was thinking? Erin for sure knew she wasn't all that eager trying to find Chance again. There's something weird about that man, really. And while Erin doesn't exactly dislike him, she's not too sure whether or not Chance could be trusted. He's a weird fellow, for sure. Kind of like a villain in kids movies. Not exactly evil, but still just enough to give you all sorts of weird feelings. But in this highly magical context and after he pretty much send them to their doom until Gawain showed up, Erin could see him capable of destroying the entire universe. Be it on accident of because it seemed funny. But as any freaky magical entity that might be able to just constantly read their minds like his sister can do would, sure enough Chance popped up right in front of them.

Or well... a crow flew down from a tree and transformed into the man, exactly the same way how his sister had when Erin was about to say being chosen by Fate was a whole lot of bullshit.
"Oh, I can tell you, alright," he said, shaking his body and pulling a few feathers out of his messy hair. He put his hands behind his head and leisurely stretched before heading to the edge of the woods, walking in front of the rest. "You see... time works in a funny way. Time here passes a lot slower than in your realm. Days here might just be a mere few hours in your world. However... sometimes events in the one world cause a disruption in the stream between both worlds." Just like how his sister explained stuff to them earlier on, Chance used illusions to illustrate what he was saying.

"Almost 900 years ago, Gawain and his friends walked the Realms as Sentinels. Although Avalon wasn't the first Realm to be targeted by Vorkalth, he eventually showed up here, practicing his dark magic. The six of them fought very bravely to keep those pesky Ryxens underground and to send the creatures Vorkalths magic... spawned right back to the abyss."
"Did you just make a pun?" Erin interrupted Chance. Here she thought knightmare and anything involving "hell" was bad. And then there's Chance, making a spawning pun while the footsoldiers are called Spawners.
"Please don't interrupt me, dearie," Chance said. Okay, that sent a shudder down her spine. She did not like being called dearie, especially not by the potentially evil brother of Fate. But this really once again confirmed the two were related.

"Now... where was I... Ah, yes. You see, one of the creatures that rose from the dark magic was a tad more powerful than the then-Sentinels anticipated. They only barely managed to defeat the thing, but at a great cost. Our dear friend Gawain there was mortally wounded in the battle. He could be saved, but it was quite the task. Merlin, Morganna, and me had to discuss the course of action with my dearest sister and Novus, as well as Gawains' friends. To save his life, he had to be made a part of this world and its legends. We crafted his story, of him being related to Arthur. However... this had to result in two things. First of all, the Gawain of Earth would have to.... disappear, if you get where I'm going at. Secondly, making him a part of this world would result in a sudden bunch of new legends that had yet to take shape. And a massive chance like that causes friction of sorts. A great disturbance. As a result, your world leaped decades, if not more than a century forward. By the time Gawain woke up again as a part of this world, his former friends in your world were all long gone already. And since I don't doubt Merlin has already told you about this world being in a gigantic loop..."

"But... if Gawain of Earth died and he's been a part of this world ever since... how come he remembers things? Like his friends, or the Ryxens?" Erin pondered out loud. If anything, her headache was only getting worse. Chance explained it quite clearly, she thought... but still.. This was confusing. And if she was already confused at this all... imagine how terrible it had to be for poor Gawain when Merlin would explain this to him!
"Ah, good question, dearie," Chance chuckled. "You see... it seems as if he kept some of his memories, albeit blurry. Dear old Merlin has been playing most of it off as visions and nightmares as not to bother Gawain. But now that Vorkalth is back and his memories are resurfacing... It's time he learns the truth about himself and about what happened."

As they reached the edge of the woods again, Chance turned around and smirked at the five Sentinels. "Now then... Any more questions left?" He slightly tilted his head, waiting for a response. If there was anything they wanted to say or ask, now was the right time. He still had some places to explore and things to figure out for himself, after all.

 

[PenBlade1326]

See one bird-turned-person and one has seen them all. The crow being Chance did not startle neither Benji or Clay in the slightest as he dropped from above. Maybe the artsy one was annoyed by his introduction as opposed to a simple announcement beforehand, though. Just once it would be nice to meet somebody tied to this adventure who was not a total quack. Duck sound aside, they walked with him and their friends without a word uttered. At least exposition was happening, here.
Fate told them stuff like this before, about time and all that. Benji nearly stopped in his tracks. "...he totally made a pun," Benji commented as Erin pointed out the crow-man's pun on spawning. Of all things, that's what stood out most? Not Gawain and his friends being old Sentinels fighting the good fight almost a millennia ago? And he didn't even admit to it! At least admit when you make a pun! Clay just smirked slightly and kept his big arms to himself as they walked. Not only was exposition in store but so was a show, apparently.

Shortly put, Chance and company spared Gawain's life after coming close to death but killing him in one world but making part of another. However that works is beyond them... But Gawain is alive and well, albeit confused and weary. Making him sleep or something and having him wake to a whole new time and setting. Wibble wobble. Somehow this confusing shit was clear to Benji. Had he been made impenetrable to weirdness? Clay stood solid like a rock--go figure.
"You killed him? Or had him taken out of Earth?" Clay asked through the weird stuff going on all at once. Sure they wanted to save Gawain but...remove him from a world, they can figure that out? Sounds pretty obvious... The group all reached the mouth of the woods, finally seeing something other than this damned forest. Back to Merlin?

"Hold on just a second...Gawain is in for a rude awakening later, yeah. But why here? Why did he have to be specifically tied to Avalon to survive? Why not Earth with your sister, somewhere he could be safe from the confusion or at least given a chance to start the fight against the Legion earlier?" Benji asked demanding. Did he make sense, or did he even get his question across? He wanted to know why here and why he wasn't told of his fate sooner. Huh... legends causing a chance of friction, all as a twist of fate. That can not be coincidence. Benji just looked at Chance at the edge of the woods with curiosity and wonder in his eyes.

 

[Lady Insanity]

Accidental puns and man-to-bird transformations aside April was surprisingly not amused. She handled it well, in the start. One detail in particular stood out to her that was just not okay. Long ago Gawain fought with his team, a team now long gone. But bad things happened and long story short Gawain had to be plucked from one world and placed into another. That meant one thing. Cue a slap! April legit slapped Chance in the face. Not super hard, but enough to get her point across. This is coming from the gentle one? Aiyna is confused, now...
"What the hell gave you the right to play God? How can you all just decide a mans fate by killing him? Who made it so you have such divine power you...you sick son-of-a!" She stopped herself. No use in getting mad. But she kind of was. After dealing with the Fishermen Spirits in Ebongrove she was a bit sensitive to people warping others' fates. Chance sounded a lot like Nenet, now. Loops in time and new legends are stupid if they mean someone had to basically get yanked around like a trans dimensional sock puppet! The wind was quiet to her all the way to the end of the woods. She felt enraged at him and even Merlin, everyone who chose to 'remove' Gawain from Earth just to make him part of another world. April was supposed to be the gentle one. What a woman to go all bonkers! "I don't have questions. Just a statement. Seeing how miserable and confused Gawain is now because of what he's been through? Maybe he'd be better off dead and at rest...at peace," she said with sincerity. Truly she meant that...maybe he should have passed on...with his friends 900 years ago. Surely another could have taken the Gold Sentinel mantle. Why Gawain was denied his eternal rest was a question for the ages. April wouldn't forget that.

 

[Steel Accord]

"No, Arpil, you're totally right! Even if it was to save his life, you've doomed him to eternal regret. Friends he can never save. A disaster he knows of but can never stop." Dylan was very familiar with Hell. Not just in now battling those that rise up from it but in the conceptual, theological space of Hell. While Dylan was sure Vorkalth's realm was not a pleasant place at all, anywhere could be Hell. (Especially if the mad Shaman below has his way that they are fighting to prevent.) Hell is state of being. Gawain's outcome sounded remarkably similar. He dies on Earth and is then placed in a realm he can never escape from and he is forever caught in a loop of the worst moment of his life. If that wasn't Hell, it was a particularly cruel form of Purgatory.

While April specifically asked "who are you to play God" and who would wield such Divine power, he would think that Fate itself and Merlin were authorities well in their right to make that call. That being said, he was with her on Chance apparently being included on that council and that he would contend that even if they had the right to make that call, it was the completely wrong decision to make.

 

[marorda]

"Hey now! Are you going to slap Merlin, Novus, and my sister too next time you see them?" Chance asked, perplexed. He rubbed his cheek. For the one chosen by the oh so gentle Aiyna this lady here sure knew how to slap someone! "It was a choice made not just by me. We all agreed on it back then. Gawain's friends wanted him to be safe and alive. He wouldn't have made the journey back to your realm. The choice was to either make him a part of this world and letting his Earthern self die, have him suffer horribly, or put him out of his misery and he would be dead in all worlds." That should answer to both April's statement as well as young Benjamin's questions, should it not? "We all agreed to make him a part of Avalon, so he would be safe, alive, and could continue fighting the good fight when time came around for him again. And here we are now. Gawain gets his second chance at fighting Vorkalth, and the lot of you will have an ally with centuries worth of training. It will be a rude awakening, yes, but he will be fine eventually. Aurelis didn't choose him for nothing."

"I still don't quite understand," Erin said. "All of the other past Sentinels died, either in battle or because their fight was over and they all continued to live their lives... And yet here we are as a new generation because the Spirits have chosen us. Why could this not be the same for Gawain? Why couldn't... Aurelis, you said?... Why couldn't that spirit just pick a new Sentinel as well?"
Chance laughed, lightly shaking his head. Almost as if he were amused by the questions or maybe the inexperience. Or maybe and most likely, because he knew things they didn't. Things he might not be telling them either because he didn't want to, or because some rules of time and magic telling him it wasn't allowed. "Not all spirits are the same, I'm sure you could already tell that just by the personalities of your five spirits. Some are much more... fickle. Or picky, or they just don't show themselves until they deem themselves needed. Some won't pick another 'host' for hundreds of years after the previous one died. Some might choose to never pick another host again. If Gawain would have died, it might as well have been the end of the Shining Light legacy. Why risk that if there was a way to keep him safe?"

Erin nodded, thinking she understood and taking in the news that there were many more spirits like their own out there. How many would it be? A dozen? A hundred? She might not quite agree with the choice of ripping Gawain from one world and tie him to another, much like the rest of her friends, but if it really was the only way to save him....
"Wait..." her head perked up suddenly. "So what would happen if Gawain would join our team and travel back with us? Would he have to be ripped from this world too, or would he just disappear and would it mess up any legends he's involved in?"
Chance glanced at her, a thoughtful look on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but remained silent. He thought deeply, obviously. Chance... did not know the answer to that question.
"We're gonna have to consult the rest on that one..." he muttered. "For now, I say it's best to just head back to the Castle and get some rest. Today has been hectic enough as it is for all of you."
---
And speaking of the Castle, Gawain had arrived there just a few moments ago, heading straight for Merlin's lair. He walked straight in, a grim expression on his face.
"A few hundred years?" was all he asked the wise old wizard.
"I tried to warn you, Gawain," Merlin sighed and turned around to face the knight. "But you were so eager to charge off like always..." He gestured towards a chair, beckoning Gawain to take a seat. Merlin sat himself down as well and folded his hand. "It's a long story, but we all owe you an explanation."

END OF TALE 6

 

[marorda]

Tale 7: The Lady of the Lake

Vorkalth felt... conflicted. On the one hand he was definitely satisfied that his dark powers had spread far enough for the Ryxens to rise from their long-forgotten graves. They would be a wonderful aid in what had still to come, and they had proven themselves to be strong against the Sentinels. On the other hand, there was a new Sentinel. One he presumed had died generations ago. He had dealt with some of the others of that generation, and he knew this Golden Sentinel had fallen in battle back then. So how was this man still alive in this day and age? Who had saved him? The return of another Sentinel was bad news, for it could mean there were others as well, waiting for their chance of returning. Chance... Vorkalth growled. It wouldn't surprise him if that pest had a hand in this matter.

Needless to say, he was not in the best mood. But that might change soon, for he had picked up on something powerful. Something he knew for sure Nenet would have picked up on as well. Another artifact, slumbering under the surface of a lake. As well as... ah, yes. The energy of another potential ally. A gust of wind blew through the caverns, rustling the pages of the ancient monster tome. Aaah, a spirit eager to take shape once again. With the dark energy in Avalon right now, that needn't be too difficult of a task. But the Shaman himself needed to save his energy, as he was going to need it very soon. Perhaps make use of one of his assets? Someone more... disposable than himself.
"Nenet," Vorkalths voice rumbled through the caverns. "I request your presence. At once."
Yes... he had some very special tasks for her while Avlazor whipped the Spawners and Ryxens into shape. His time to shine again would come soon as well.
---
Dealing with the news hadn't been exactly easy for Gawain. Whereas this new blue Sentinel... Sir Dylan... had said it was a few hundred years, Merlin had informed him it was closer to a millennium. Nine hundred years. Leopold, Dederic, Guimond, Arnaut, Rosemary... All had been dead for a long time, possibly forgotten in the passage of history. How could one possibly deal with that as if nothing happened? Four days had passed, and he was still trying to get his thoughts sorted out. And it wasn't exactly made easier considering these new Sentinels were staying at the castle and he could run into them at every corner he turned. It didn't surprise him Aiyna had once again chosen the gentleness of a woman again. But Igneos? The Sentinels being led by a woman? Now that was something he definitely couldn't wrap his head around. Women weren't supposed to fight and get in danger, let alone lead warriors meant to protect the realm into battle!

As he made his rounds through the castle, he paused near a window overlooking the inner court. Young knights were swinging their blades, practicing maneuvers they would use on the battlefield. A faint smile found its way on his face, and an odd melancholy filled his heart. It had been so long since he had been in that position, even if it felt like it had been just a few years. Were there even still knights in his homeworld, or had they all been replaced by something else? Gawain gripped the windowsill tight and took a deep breath. A movement near the stables caught his attention, even if it was only there for a short moment. Gawain blinked and rubbed his eyes. A tiny shadow, only about a foot tall, he guessed. Strange glowing eyes... a demon? A demon in the court? Not on his watch. Gawain rapidly turned around to make is way down, only to stare right in the face of...

"Good morning," Erin tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "How have you been, considering the news from a few days back?"
"Ah! Lady Erin..." Gawain bowed his head. Just because he didn't agree with her leading the Sentinels, didn't mean he would be anything that's not considered very knightly. "I've been... conflicted, as one might expect. And while I must thank you for your concern, there's no time for banter. There's a demon in the court."
"A demon?!" Erin tried glancing over Gawain's shoulder, into the courtyard.
"You'd be wise to stay inside, milady. It's not safe for women to get involved in battles." And with that, Gawain made his way past Erin and rushed towards the courtyard. Erin huffed and crossed her arms. Not safe? They might all be new to this, but they had been fighting against the Legion for a while now. They could handle themselves! Plus... if she hadn't been a girl, Gawain wouldn't have responded like this. Time to prove this knight in shining armor wrong!

Erin lifted her skirts and rushed after him as well as she could in a dress, nearly colliding with April, who seemed to enjoy the ladylike castle life very much.
"Whoa there!" Erin dodged April, but pushed herself straight into a wall in the process. "Ow...."

 

[Lady Insanity]

Curious-er and curious-er. The rise of dark magic and strife from the evil ancient Gods filled the harlot of the Nile with wicked joy. She had thought of expressing her emotion with a riddle, but she bore no words to speak of. There was a time when she was quite famous for her riddles; but it would seem as if she had fallen from that tree. Nevertheless Nenet prayed to her gods that she may prove useful to her leader, useful to the Legion. Kneeling before one of her many alters, she pulled from a sack the Eye of the Serpent. Its dark power called to her, a gemstone proving useful in her progression as well as useful to Vorkalth. She squeeze the stone tightly and felt sensual feelings taking her over as if she was learning from it directly.
But another artifact spoke to her. She, too, had felt the presence of it. And what are the odds that what she felt had also come from a lake like last time? Her head perked up when called and she rose to her feet.

"I am here, master," she introduced herself and bowed her head upon entrance. Spawners got in her way so she pushed them aside. Useless creatures. "Master, can you feel it? Do we sense the same energy? I do not think it to be true; but when the Golden Sentinel rose up I began to feel it again. I doubt a connection directly, but Avalon's engulfment of darkness is making all of the old powers speak to me again!" Nenet sounded excited about this. Another artifact, a presence in water, and another human to sink her fangs into.
---
What a fine thing to do, child. Your heart fuels me, as every Sentinel I've chosen has...
Well, Ainya, it is the least I can do. People are so humble here I just want to help.

Motherly spirit and heart-driven Sentinel shared a small conversation in and out all day. Gratefully so in the woman's head, it would be strange to people even familiar with magical things if they saw a girl talking to nobody out loud as she went on about her business. Never mind the girl who slapped the embodiment of Chance. Oh yeah, that happened. Something just did not sit right in the girls mind about others deeming one to live through agony. She technically understood why if the Gold legacy would have died with him. But...is that bad? So what the Golden Sentinel legacy dies, at least them a man gets to rest in peace. For the greater good or not, it all felt morbid. April had some time to process it in her head over the last few days, but she did not like it. She didn't slap Merlin last she saw him, but she did give his beard a hearty tug to say 'bad wizard, bad!'

But what was that conversation between her and Ainya about? Since the people here are so kind and some need help, April volunteered to serve food. She spent a good time of the morning serve people breakfast in the castle, even if she were a guest. Something about serving food made her think of home. She missed the diner. While she cannot cook well, she was learning a thing or two by watching cooks here. No toaster ovens but dang were some of the cuisines here delicious!
After the castle, April went to the village. She found a merchant selling crops and other food related goods and chose to help him. People were hungry around here. A child was so thankful for the bread she'd given her, the child gave April a flower to wear in her hair!

She was just on her way back to the castle to fetch some water; the merchant also being a sort of server, not only selling food but letting people eat as well. Sort of like an Avalonian diner! When inside, she barely missed Gawain as he rushed out, and then Erin. "OH my gosh are you alright?" She asked Erin as she face planted the wall. She then did a 180 and looked after Gawain's direction. How was he even holding up...she hadn't spoken to him. "Erin, what's the rush about?? And are you trying to run in that dress...don't tell me you're wearing the heeled shoes. Get some of the flats, they're easier to walk in anyways."

 

[PenBlade1326]

Slobber dribbled and senses tingled for the big scaly basilisk monster. Avlazor knew that a new Sentinel was here. Or not new, rather, just one long-asleep or something. A sixth Sentinel and potentially more coming just means more things for his big ax to crunch down on. His ax gets hungry sometimes! Slumping over he watched Spawners and the beloved Ryxens engage one another and make mockery of every foe to have faced them. But with new arrivals and new things to kill Avlazor still felt off. Slumped on a stone seat, he heard the call to Nenet. This made him feel jealous. "Why Avlazor not go fight? Avlazor want make Sentinels dead..." he muttered to himself and slammed the butt of his ax into a Ryxen that got too close. He is not jealous. He's not!
---
Smears of paint sourced from more questionable places and a room full of kids was exactly how Benji made himself more at home in the castle. A lot of the kids whose parents served in the castle or kids from the village who didn't have a lot were the ones he brought in. Either to keep them occupied or to give them something else to do. Wait...those two things are the same aren't they? Like it matters; the point is Benji just found teaching kids about art was something he could take pride in. And he had. More paint ended up on their hands than the canvas' he scrambled up but the kids had fun. Benji had taken himself to Merlin's lair after an hour with the kids. He had green and yellow paint on his apron borrowed from the kitchen staff to use as a smock for art. "Lemme tell you, those kids love drawing anything to do with dragons, unicorns or mermaids. Are those just big things here?" Benji asked whomever might be there.
He wasn't thinking too hard about the knight who's cursed with an endless existence, he was concerned about people not cursed. He cared about everyone but...gosh, there is no side to take. He looked around to see if he could find anybody. The girls weren't here...Gawain wasn't, but why would he be? He didn't see Clay or Dylan either just yet. So maybe one of them are here, or he's alone in the room....hopefully not alone with Merlin if he's here. Nice old wizard, but it's kind awkward to be alone with someone ya still don't know too well. Or if Chance is here...Benji might need an aspirin for the ensuing headache.

Clay joined a bunch of knights in the courtyard opposite of wherever the girls and the golden boy were. He thought it'd be cool to invite a bunch of the round table and some other 'background character' style knights to a good ol' sport of hammer throwing. Yup. Bunch of guys, and select women if possible, tossing hammers for contest. Simple, but it was right up Clay's ally. He invited everyone to play, but mostly knights showed up. Would Arthur come too?? Or is there official business to take care of and Clay is just messing around... oh well. He invited the other Rangers to come, too, show off their brawn a bit no nobody had come yet. Clay stepped up among a circle of knights with a hammer in hand. "Now boys this here is what I like to call a cowboy cootah," he announced. He swung the hammer round and around, Grondo getting a kick out of raw strength, Clay swinging the hammer away and shouting out a loud 'cooooootah!' in the process. Good distance, but one burly knight had been champion so far.

 

[Steel Accord]

Dylan had since returned to his mingling among the common folk. With him attending mass, one of the practical functions of a religion, building a community bond, helped him significantly. He had grown close to Father Cornell, visiting him for confession and talking theology with him. Speaking on the medieval celestial sphere model of the universe was interesting considering that Dylan was now privy to the existence of the web of worlds. While he didn't admit the existence of the cosmology, he didn't lie about it either. Either redirecting questions or answering vaguely. Dylan could tell from the glint in Cornell's eye that he knew his young parishioner wasn't divulging all his knowledge but he didn't pry. He did however ask for Dylan's help in one particular fashion, for Dylan to act as a kind of outreach for the Church, making essentially spiritual house calls. As Dylan had grown close to several families already, he was more than willing to take up the task. He spoke with them about their anxieties and share prayers with them. Dylan still didn't divulge that he was a Power Ranger hear to protect them, only that the Sentinels were at work and would protect them. He didn't go so far as to say they were sent by God (Pride IS one of the Seven Deadly Sins after all and who was he to say he knew God's will?) but he did believe that they were.

In any case, when he did make it back to the castle, he tried to connect with Gawain but all his interactions with the literal living legend never went anywhere. Not that he was anything but polite but Dylan got the distinct impression that Gawain didn't want to talk to him. He couldn't really blame the guy considering what he now knew, but still, they were both Sentinels. They should have at least some common bond. How could they be a team if they never really talked?

"What do you think Deluvian?" Dylan thought.

. . . Nothing.

"Deluvian?"

Still no response.

That was worrying. Dylan could still feel the spirit's presence and could call upon it, but Deluvian would not speak to him. This wasn't some silent treatment, Dylan could still feel the fluctuation of disappointment and attention grabbing that act consisted of. No this was just silence. Like Deluvian had lost his/her voice. The spirit was a lot of things, as is the nature of water being anything it wants to be, but taciturn was never one of them. What could be causing that?

 

[marorda]

Vorkalth smiled under the skull and nodded approvingly. Of course the Sphynx had sensed the strong dark magic in Avalon. He had been bleeding into the realm for a little while now, and the darkness was spreading. More people fighting one another, the Ryxens were back, and creatures who weren't necessarily good were more than eager to join his side in the war again, and yet again there was an artifact slumbering underneath the surface of the water. Another artifact that would give him more of his power back. Whether it would be enough to show himself to the Sentinels or not... time would tell. But for now... for now he would stay in his own dark realm.

"We do indeed," he spoke. "Our magic might have caused another Sentinel to rise up, but he is not the only one. Our dark powers are returning to us again. He rose a cloaked arm and pointed in the direction of the Tome. "Take a look." Vorkalth himself didn't need to look to see where the Tome had flipped open. Morag wanted to aid them again. Aah, it had been a long time since she helped them out. Wasn't that... wasn't she the one who nearly led to the demise of the Sentinel who wasn't as dead as they thought him to be? Yes, yes. Nine hundred years and his memories hadn't failed him. "I need you to head to Avalon. Find her, retrieve the artifact, and stop those pesky Sentinels should they get in your way."
---
"I'm okay. Yes I am. No I'm not," Erin answered April's latter three questions in order before readying herself to dart on, not even realizing she probably sounded like she had no idea whether she was okay or not. "I don't know what's going on just yet, but Gawain said something about a demon in the courtyard. I'm not hearing panic just yet, buuuuut..." If there be demons, there was something they would have to do in order to keep Avalon safe! "Either one of the guys was accidentally showing stuff the people here would consider foul magic, or Vorkalth sent another something this way. Also, Gawain thinks we women shouldn't get involved in battles, so I want to punch his face." Not very ladylike, she knew that. But Erin just wasn't ladylike, never been, never would. In the back of her mind she could feel Igneos chuckling.
"You've got a fire in your soul. And it's not me!" he said laughingly.
Erin smiled softly at the notion in her head.

In the courtyard she spotted Clay throwing hammers with some knights. Typical, really. She lightly shook her head, looking around to see the would-be demon or anything that might give them a general idea. Nothing. No Dylan or Benji to be seen anywhere around either. So then... was there something here? Was Gawain just seeing things? She spotted a murder of crows sitting on one of the rooftops. Cue a shudder. Partially because she really didn't like the idea a group of crows was called a "murder", and partially because now she couldn't help but wonder if one of those crows might be Chance watching them and enjoying himself. After all, he did seem to enjoy the chaos.
"So where's this demon, huh?" Erin questioned, spinning around once more. Gawain took more time to calmly look around, hand on the hilt of his sword. It had been near the stables when he last saw it.

His eyes darted towards a haystack. Something was rustling in there, and it could be anything. One of the castle kids playing hide and seek, an animal... or the demon. Gawain slowly approached the stables and heard the sound of restless horses. No kids or animals then... horses didn't respond that heavily to those things. But they did react strongly to supernatural presences. And while he was paying closer attention to the possible demon in there than the two female Sentinels behind him, he could tell at least one of them was following him.

"Why yes they are. Most of them, anyway," Merlin turned around in his seat to face Benji. "Gawain used to have a dragon, there's a unicorn somewhere in the woods... but mermaids are more a thing of storybooks around here. I know my allies dealt with mermaids back in Olympus about a year or thousand... maybe two thousand ago. But around here we have our own water creatures to worry about."

 

[Lady Insanity]

Nenet's fingers slithered along the pages of the Tome as the pages flipped in a kind of gust. The smell of old paper filled her nostrils and her mind with with nostalgia. Countless times this had been used for the summoning of great and fantastical beings. And it hadn't failed to deliver. Morag had appeared in the Tome. "Oh, Morag!" she praised. Nenet sensually caressed the page, the feline part of her sphinx genes kicking in. If only they were stronger she would purr! Centuries ago this one had been of great use.
"I swear, your greatness, I will find Morag, take what we need, and I personally will see to the slaying of the Sentinels. Especially our shining pest. History may repeat itself, I hope." Nenet cackled. Their magic would flourish once more.
---
April nodded her head furiously at the rapid fire answers provided for her. "Gee, the way you recount all of what's in your head you could be a lawyer..." she commented softly and adjusted the fluffs to her skirt. Not an overly poofy thing but she had decided to add a little fluff! "But demons or no demons, we need to see what's going on," April said logically. Typically Erin led her and the others around. She may be younger than her, but April didn't mind following. The adventuring one versus the gentle one like her, who would you rather follow around? One takes people to exciting places, the other...well she'll comp your meal if you have a special occasion and her boss/parents aren't paying attention.

Crows all around, Clay with a band of knights doing their own thing, nothing too out of the ordinary. And no, April hadn't just let the 'no girls allowed' mindset over her head. Just nothing had come to mind for a comment yet. She did pick up her skirt a little and follow Erin around. When she saw Gawain he looked like he was hunting. Maybe demon hunting is a type of hunting...oh wait, it is. Wow, good thing she didn't say that out loud...
Dear girl, you're lucky you have such a big heart. Ainya was nice about it, but even she called her out mentally!

She stayed behind Erin as the and Gawain neared a haystack with something in it. "I wish Clay were here...I'll bet he is good at finding needles and demons in haystacks. Or Dylan...he could fork whatever's in there out with the trident." She peered to look at the stack and whatever may be hiding in there. "Should I just blow the hay back and make it come out?" April took a huge breath and started to focus. Maybe she won't cause a hurricane in the stables. Maybe.

 

[PenBlade1326]

The burliest knight of the group assembled stepped up. Tall, muscles bulging out through his clothes, a looming sense of the ability to break people about him. He grabbed a hammer and simply flung it across the courtyard. Give the guy a Russian accent, he could be a stereotype from mafia movies. I break puny things. Being the most iconic stereotype line. Clay had been dumbfounded by this and gazed off as fellow knights cheered the guy on. He glanced over at the girls running after Gawain in the distance over something. Were they going to beat him senseless or were they just desperate to talk to him? The guy had been a little hard to talk to. Clay excused himself from the knights, despite several shirtless warriors advances to keep him on for more throwing of the hammers! The men were civil and good natured, but put them in a friendly competition and they were different people! Clay grabbed at his charm and focused.

Ben, Dylan...I saw the girls running after Gawain going somewhere. I gots a funny feeling. Should we meet up and follow 'em? He thought to the guys mentally through Essencia.

Benji let out a huge gulp. Dragons, unicorns and mermaids being real being not even the most horrific thing he'd learned. But mermaids...he gulped for a different reason. Cue a fantasy montage of Benji with mermaids frolicking underwater. If mermaids or any other creatures living under water could actually frolic. Still, it was cool to know they were a storybook thing here, but they were probably a thing somewhere else! The next place the Sentinels liberate, he hoped it was there! Mermaids!
"What do you mean he USED to have a drag--" Benji started asking the old wizard before hushing and listening to the incoming mind invasion. Why is it always telepathy? Get out of his freaking head! I guess it's worth following up on. What do you think Dylan? Benji thought hard and then looked at Merlin.
"Merlin...I don't suppose you could see if there's anything weird going on? Clay says he saw the girls chasing Gawain..." Benji told the wizard.

 

[Steel Accord]

Oh snap! I'm on my way now! Dylan said, responding mentally to the telepathic call. Could they always do that? Dylan shrugged, it didn't matter. Trouble was afoot and he needed to foot it back to the castle. He gave his regards to a family he was talking to and bolted on top of a horse, giving it a nudge to get going. By the way Benji, not that I was eavesdropping but I got some surface level thoughts about mermaids? Wanting to actually see mermaids on top of that? Trust me, no you don't! Dylan telepathically inflected. By their mental link, Deluvian was roused and sent images through Dylan to Benji. Beautiful faces suddenly revealing the cold, dead eyes of a shark. Men looking up at the surface getting further and further as precious oxygen was forced from their lungs.

. . . Uhhh thanks for the visual aid, Deluvian. Dylan said as he pulled up to the stables. Fittingly enough, that's where he ran into the others. "Erin, April, Sir Gawain." He greeted each as he dismounted. "What's up?"

 

[marorda]

"Then go," Vorkalth pointed to the rip in the veil he had created earlier. Nenet could easily tear it open further and step into Avalon. Morag's spirit would follow, if she wasn't there already, scouring the area for a new suitable body that would serve her in the inevitable battle she would have with the knights. She had proven herself strong enough centuries ago, when she left the Shining Sentinel so weakened his allies had no choice but to abandon him in this world. Oh, he would not be so lucky this time. No, this time around, the golden sentinel would perish, and the others with him.
---
"Well, he..." Merlin started, silencing himself as Benji looked like he was getting a message over the mental intercom. "Hmm..." Merlin scratched his beard and looked at the window overseeing his realm. "I do see something near, no.. inside the stables. A source of magic. It's weak, but potent. Like something that hasn't fully grown into its power yet." He kept looking at the screen, tilting his head and focusing, hoping to see more. "Perhaps you should go too and join with your friends," the wizard told Benji as he saw Dylan approaching too. What could be lingering in the stables? It sure seemed to make the horses a bit nervous. And Gawain looked upset. Merlin didn't yet get the impression there was something dangerous going on, but as he had noted, it was a potent source of magic, something likely not fully grown yet. For all he knew it could develop into some strong and powerful monster right in the courtyard. Whatever this was, it was something definitely worth investigating.
---
"There's a demon hiding here somewhere," Gawain replied, not even looking up at Dylan but continuously eyeing anything in the stables that looked off. A shadow not supposed to be there, unexpected movements... anything. He was sure there was something here: the horses were nervous, after all.
"I don't see anything..." Erin muttered. She too was looking around, unsure just what they were searching for. She believed Gawain, sure... but... she saw absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.
"Perhaps you ladies should leave this to someone with more experience," Gawain suggested. "Sir Dylan, could you perhaps investigate the back of the stables while I..."
"Now hold on a moment," Erin interrupted. Oh, there were so many things she wanted to tell the knight right now. Was he really trying to brush her off and push her aside for being a girl? The monsters poking fun at her for not being a dude was already bad enough. Novus and Fate being confused and surprised about it didn't make it better. But a complete stranger who was supposed to be their ally just pretty much taking over leadership here and now? She opened her mouth, closing it again, opening it... like a fish out of the water. Even with all the thoughts in her mind, no words were coming out. And if she would be saying anything, it would likely be a lot of curses which didn't really strengthen her position here and now.

In the back of the stables, a pitchfork fell off its hook suddenly, as if whatever had been hiding in the haystack had used the brief distraction of another arrival and the moment between Gawain and Erin to escape to a new dark corner. Hay and straw fluttered through the air. Whatever was in these stables, was now hiding in the very back, in one of the empty places. Gawain narrowed his eyes and slowly approached the place, hand on the hilt of his sword. Erin glanced at the rest. "Let's look," she said quietly. Having seen this here just now... yeah, it was clear there was at least something strange in here.

 

[Lady Insanity]

Nenet entwined her fingers around Vorkalth's hand and bowed her head in servitude. The sphinx then turned her head and gently pulled apart the rip the veil already provided by her master shaman. Morag was out there just slipping through every crack waiting for her, she just knew it. The artifact would be theirs and this golden boy would have his head mounted on a pike along with the other Sentinels. Just like the Legion had done with Sentinels in the past! Nenet walked through and entered Avalon, sealing the veil behind her, but not before allowing a small legion of Spawners and Ryxens to accompany her. Escorts were required. Plus, how fun would it be to scare some random villagers? Nenet led her forces to their destination.
---
April's arms limp and her breath let out, she gave up the whole idea of just blowing the haystack back. Fine, let someone else make a plan. Somebody needs a raspberry blown at them right about now. April acknowledged Dylan's arrival with a head nod and mouthing the words to him 'I have no idea what is going on' as discreetly as she could. People always looked so silly mouthing words...especially when they over pronounce(?) words and end up looking like they're trying to chew an incredibly thick piece of tree bark up like it's mashed potatoes. April peered over Erin's should but didn't see anything either. Unless whatever is hiding here is just invisible and standing right in front of them.
"Hold on just a minute, there, mister...mister glitter!" April said to Gawain in protest that the ladies should stay back. Chivalrous as knights could be he was just being rude. "I don't think being a woman means I should stay back. Now let's march on over there and see where this thing is hiding," April protested, chest out and lips puckered. She's adorably trying to be imposing. April huffed and marched up to wherever the thing had moved to in the moment of everything giving it a chance to come out. She stopped in the middle of the stables. "Alright you...thing you. Come out this instant." Mom alert!

 

[PenBlade1326]

What? N-no...nothing about mermaids...man this is just em-- Benji thought while connected to Dylan but then shook his head. "Embarrassing," he said to himself, finishing his thought out loud. Washing waves entered his mind, a little gift from the fluid Spirit, no doubt. Wow. Some of those things he really could have gone without seeing. Wait? Maybe...and nope, now it's weird. His face washed over white and pink, awkwardly scratching his head. "So...bad thing potentially hiding? Better go, shouldn't I? I think I should, later beardy," Benji said and fumbled out the door. Did...did he just call perhaps the greatest wizard of all time "beardy"? He stumbled out of the lair and traveled to where he was needed. He got there as quick as he could, walking inside the stables just as April stormed off to the dark part of the stable and demanded whatever is in there come out. He tapped Erin and Dylan's shoulders.
"Um...why is April being macho...to a...wall?" He asked them both.

Clay just said goodbye to the Knights and left them to compete as they wished. He took the 'go' from Merlin and just crossed over to the stables, not too far from where he was. He'd overheard a little of the situation, the girls taking some offence to something and Gawain being his knightly self. Southerners are no strangers to chivalry at times but downright sexism didn't fly. Unless it's like the deep south; that's when things maybe go a little downhill. About as downhill as a rock slide... Holy crap, where is this even going? Clay folded his arms and took a look over yander where everyone was looking in the stables. "Man it smells like horse poo in here," he vocalized. Because that's so important! Benji eyed him with the look of 'well we are in a stable after all...'
He too wondered why April was suddenly so out of character and being all stand off-ish with a dark part of the barn. Unless whatever they're chasing is there! Clay picked up the fallen pitchfork and took April's side. "Darn tootin' you had best come on out!" he said, accent really strong as per usual.

 

[Steel Accord]

Dylan nodded his head at Gawain's command and was about to follow it but then Erin got in his way with fire in her eyes. (Literally.) No words were needed to communicate her intent.
"Uhhh deepest apologies good sir. Erin is the one I take orders from." Dylan said this while not taking his eyes off hers. "I'm . . . not in trouble am I?" He asked. That's when the pitchfork fell. "Ohhhhhhh no. I am NOT having a pitchfork with demons about!" Dylan threw out his hand and blasted a leash of Essencia to the object. Wreathed in water, it came flying into his hand and morphed into a facsimile of his Ranger trident. "Much better." Dylan did start poking stacks of hay and trying to soothe the horses, as he had worked with them at a stable back on Earth. To Benji's question, Dylan shrugged.

"Trying to be defiant to what we think is something hiding there. Oh! Sorry about that little mental backwash I gave you, buddy. That wasn't something intentional." Dylan apologized.

 

[marorda]

The dark presence of Morag's eager soul shot through a gloomy marshlike area of the forest. Which really was most of the forest now that the Ryxens had shown up again and Vorkalth's magic was slowly draining the life out of everything it came in touch with. All Morag needed was a suitable body, and she knew where to find it. Coincidentally... that was in the very same area where Nenet needed to be. Might as well lead the Sphinx to her destination and please the master, not? She had nearly killed a very pesky Sentinel before, hundreds of years ago. And now was the time for her to finish the job. And kill more Sentinels in the progress!
---
"Apparently there's some kind of demon of sorts hiding out in the back of the stables," Erin said quietly to Benji, swallowing back another series of cusses and curses. Part of her understood, really... Gawain was just acting on the things he had always been taught were acceptable. They shouldn't forget these Sentinels came from a completely different time, an odd 900 years in the future of where Gawain came from.. But that didn't mean she liked it! The stares of the court, the mocking of the villains, the confusion of their mentors... it was all a bit much and it didn't really help her feel comfortable and secure in the position of the leader of the Sentinel Rangers. Well... at least her friends stuck up for her. She shook her head at Dylan and took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second. "You're not," she told him. She wouldn't try frying his butt if he would have listened to Gawain... after all, he was much more familiar in this world than any of them were.

Everyone seemed ready to find and possibly attack the demon that was hiding in the back of the stables. Erin stepped forward, not-so-gently pushing Gawain aside and into a haystack. Just you wait mister shiny ass... these two girls would show just how capable they were of handling themselves. They didn't need a knight in shining armor to protect them. She walked up to the others in the middle of the stables.
"Let's go," she told them under her breath, moving steadily towards the back. As they approached, they could most definitely hear something moving about in the last box. Shuffling of feet, small noises that... didn't sound that threatening coming from a demon. One thing was sure, the sounds definitely weren't coming from an animal. It sounded... humanoid, in a way. Like a small child that can't quite speak yet. Erin's eyes widened. What if there was a kid in there WITH a demon? Okay, she hated kids... but just as much as she didn't want that entire bus to explode when Golem was walking around... neither did she want a little kid to fall into the clutches of some demon.

Erin stopped and peeked around the corner, only to notice something brushing past her. And then Gawain stood in the middle of the box, hand on the hilt of his sword. HOW DID HE GET PAST HER THAT SILENTLY?! Erin nearly jumped and yelped. Who could have thought knights could be silent and sneaky like that. Gawain almost seemed to glow with some holy magical aura. Then... there it was! A small whimpering sound from a slightly rustling haystack, bark and twigs sticking out where they definitely shouldn't be. As the knight closed in on the haystack, the whimpering and rustling increased. Out darted the small figure with green glowing eyes, ducking underneath Gawain's grasping arms. It rushed out of the box, only to stand face to face with the five Sentinels just outside.
"Pyoo...?" it curiously looked up at them, twig hands near his chest.
"Aaaawwww~! It's so cute!" Erin called, looking at the little creature in front of them. Never thought she'd say that from a demon. Then again... this little thing couldn't possibly be a dangerous demon, right? This merely looked like a toddler made out of tree! The little being continued to observe them for a moment before deciding to hide itself behind Benji, hugging his legs from behind.

"What in the world....?" Gawain walked out again, no longer glowing and scratching the back of his head. He looked at the little creature, who tried to hide even further behind Benji. The shiny man had scared it! Gawain blinked and slowly raised his hands in a sign of surrender. "I never thought to see one of those again..."

Reference Picture:

 

[PenBlade1326]

How had the obvious thing not come to mind? A demon hiding here, of course it was. Or probably something else vile and just downright bad to the bone. Benji had let it go over his head until Erin mentioned it to him. He brushed Dylan off. "Uh...yeah no big deal..." He said to him and then leaned in close for a whisper. "But please keep my fascination with mermaids to yourself I beg of you..." Insert awkward plea here! For some reason he as embarrassed by his fascination with the sea sirens of legend. Something about them just made him wonder. Mostly artistic wonders, mind you. Anything else it'd be downright weird. So then why was he so hush about it again? Shit why is this on his mind now? Demon in the stables! Benji formed up with everyone as Erin not-so gentle shoved Gawain aside and fixated his eyes on where everyone had their attention turned.

Jeez, someone didn't like Mr. Shiney Pants. Erin sure seemed annoyed with him when she put him in a hay bale. Clay hadn't seen anyone shoved into hay like that since his last family reunion! Course there was a few things missing like his aunts and uncles, cousins, the cows, etc... Shuffling around in here somewhere was something little and possible dangerous. But it sounded small. Just the scuffling sounds made it easy to predict size. A box had something in it, that much was obvious. Clay and Benji carefully looked at the box in question. If this is just small demon then they were going to catch it! They hunched their backs and sprawled out their arms in a hunt-like position ready to pounce like lions on a zebra!

It got out without being seen! Whimpers her and there and the thing revealed itself as...
Wait...
A plant? A miniature humanoid tree? Sylvan personified, minus the size? Like a baby it got away from Gawain as he spooked it from its hiding place. Clay melted at the sight of the thing. "Well I'll be...I reckon its just a little tot!" he said and slapped his knee, having gone from hunter to admirer in seconds!
Benji looked at the little tree person that couldn't be too dangerous and jumped back as it latched onto his leg after making the cutest little sound! Benji held his arms up and out, not touching it...but it was sure touching him...there goes that nature bond, again. It's almost like Benji's element was just tied to everything now! "Um...hello...little guy...you aren't Sylvan are you?"

 

[Lady Insanity]

Keeping that glare of every mother in literally every world April remained glued to the wall oblivious to all. She'd show that knight that girls are just as brave and good as guys. Sometimes even braver! Just because she's a waitress from Ebongrove who got stuck into a weird fight with her dorm roommate and sent into a forest then given magical powers to fight basically undead things from God knows where didn't mean she was a little scared at all. Gloss over her trembling knees on the possibility that something is actually in here that could eat her and her friends with one big gulp. She stood her ground until everyone was coming over and let some air out of her chest. A girl can only hold in her breath and puff out the chest for so long before needing to just exhale already. She did that and rested a hand on her stomach gently and slowly approached where the thing was hiding.

Small sounds and odd little whines escaped it and rang in her ears. Then dash, it was out and running! April clumsily belly flopped onto the ground to try and nab the thing before it got away. But then she had a reaction like everyone else as the LITTLE TREE PERSON clung to Benji's leg. April sat up on the ground and her eyes went wide and her mouth opened. She let out a squeak! "Oh my gosh...that's adorable! Hello!" April said with a baby wave to the thing, wanting to poke it and just pinch it's little barky cheeks!

 

[Steel Accord]

Dylan was relieved when Erin let him off the hook, but then she shoved Gawain into the hay! He facepalmed. Dylan went over to help the knight up.

"Are you okay, Sir Gawain?" He asked. Dylan was trying to wear many hats here in Camelot. On the one hand, he was possibly more old fashioned than even Clay was in terms of sensibilities referring to faith, power, the dichotomy of good and evil, etc. On the other, he was still a kid of his era raised in a meritocratic culture. He could understand Erin's frustrations but he didn't want to A ) speak for her because she's the Red Ranger and can take care of herself and B ) didn't want to speak out of turn to a Knight and Ranger who was his superior by rank and centuries his senior. Respect your elders and all. So he wanted to remain true to principals he believed are right but not at the cost of dignity to his leader and friend.

When the creature appeared. Dylan actually remained on guard. Not pointing his Trident and threatening the being but he wasn't fawning over it either. "Careful guys. This could be a fey . . . one of the fair folk. Gawain, do you recognize it as such?" Dylan asked, speaking with more authority to his superior. Like two men more in the know about a subject such as their shared trade.

 

[marorda]

"I'm alright," Gawain plucked some straw out of his hair and clothes. Straw... made for a good bed, but it was itchy when it got stuck in all sorts of places. He cautiously eyed the lady in red. She had a fire to her, alright! Made sense, if she was the Red Sentinel, after all. Yet... as much sense as it might make, women shouldn't be leading... on their own. It was too dangerous! He wasn't calling the ladies weak, not at all. Just he wanted to keep the ladies out of harms way. That's how it's always been. Demons, men with foul intentions... No, he didn't want to think of all the harm that could befall upon the fairer gender.

"You are concerned about this little thing being Fey or Fair Folk, but you've got no issues at all with Novus being a fairy, Fate and Chance being shapeshifting magic users, and the fact that our magical companions are spirits?" Erin raised a brow at him. That didn't make much sense. Okay, okay granted. Novus, Fate, and Chance came from a different world and maybe fairies and the like in other realms weren't as friendly, but... No, that really did make a lot of sense, in hindsight. But still! This thing didn't look like anything too dangerous. Most seemed to have lowered their guard, anyway. Even Gawain looked a little bit less threatening now that he saw the creature hiding behind Benji. Erin glanced from Gawain to Dylan as the latter asked his question.

Gawain tapped his chin and considered for a moment. "Possibly, but a harmless one at that. As Sir Clay pointed out, this one's just a babe. I believe the correct name for this creature is a Spriggan. Forest guardians and spirits of nature. Much like Sylvan. Just... many centuries younger."
So it wasn't directly Sylvan... but the same type of being. Possibly a descendant? Erin pondered on that thought. How would that work, a descendant of one of the Spirits? What was next? A small hopping rock being a descendant of Grondo? A living torch flame like Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle? A intelligent swarm of butterflies? A living lake? She shook her head. Thoughts going to weird places there. Well, at least Gawain thought the little thing was harmless. No demons in the stables, thank goodness!

The little creature tugged Benji's clothes, trying to get his attention. "Pyoo.... pyoo nyu pyoo... pyu..." It sounded... agitated, a tad afraid. And as if it were trying to tell them a story but didn't know the words to. It let go of Benji's legs and raised his arms at him, as if the little creature asked to be picked up. And as the boy did so, the Spriggan briefly glowed with magic, showing the Sentinel of Nature what it had seen in the woods. And though the images passed by in a matter of seconds, they were none the less detailed.

The faintest awareness, as if the little being had only just gained consciousness for the first time. The first experience of a world... of darkness and fear. Thundering sounds and a booming voice calling words it did not understand. A very rip in the fabric of the world, dark and menacing. The plants around withered, died, changed texture. The forest turned gloomy, the atmosphere thickened. The creature came out of its hideout, making its way through the undergrowth reeking of death and dark magic. A hunt began. The darkness swirling around an animal, corrupting it, changing it. The creature became blind and charged on, nearly trampling the little creature hiding in the bushes.

Another rip in the veil, but this one much less threatening. Five figures stepping through, looking lost in the woods. The beast charged past. More words were shouted that the little being couldn't understand. But they weren't AS scary. Especially not THAT one. The one with the aura of plants, something familiair lingering in his soul. The Spriggan followed, watching as the beast changed into something even scarier. Watching the five strangers change and fight, for a moment making the forest less gloomy.

But then things got worse. The fog came. There were grunts from deep within the woods. The gloom spread, turning the forest even scarier. What once was cheerful was now filled with an atmosphere of pure dread and a lingering sense of danger. If the Spriggan could cry, he would. Monsters rose from the ground, marched over whatever living plants were left. And the further they marched, the darker the woods became. Again they were there: the five strangers. And a sixth one shining so bright and warm.

Next was another presence, an evil spirit drifting through the woods, searching, longing. Another rip showed a creature marching through. Female with cat-like features, closely followed by Spawners and Ryxens. Marching through, scaring and attacking the hunters that still dared to venture out. Making their way to a village nearby a lake. Searching... They were looking for something, and they meant harm. The spirit he'd sensed before accompanied them, eager for something. Anticipating.

The Spriggan fled, moving through the shadows to get away from the darkness in the woods. Towards the grey stone of the walls where he had seen the strangers head to. They could help. They WOULD help, something inside the creature knew. On its way the creature was passed by a woman with jet-black hair running deeper and deeper into the woods, screaming. She clutched her face which seemed to crack open, dark magic seeping through... or in. She was followed by a flock of ravens as dark as her hair. They changed into women, looking as much in pain as the one leading them. Something dark was coming, and it would come soon.

The Spriggan stopped glowing. Erin looked at it, tilting her head. None but Benji had seen this vision, or rather memories. It just looked rather strange, Benji holding the glowing tree-child. "Benji... is everything alright?"

 

[Lady Insanity]

"Spriggan? That's a cute name!" April said and fondly gazed onto the little tree baby, openly expressing her affection and warm heart for it. Spriggan should feel safe in front of her! The thought of him just being this little harmless thing was so pure. How did he get here? How on Earth had this little thing arrived here on his own? Really that puzzled April the most. That and how anybody could have mistaken him for a demon. Okay, hiding away and making sounds wasn't the best move to be not evil-appearing, granted. Still. "But...how did Spriggan even get here?" April finally asked after thinking it. Then before any answers Spriggan glowed in Benji's arms. She jumped back in caution. Suddenly the cute baby-Spirit was freaking her out.

Benji entered a trance it looked like...what's going on? After Spriggan stopped he looked like he was just a bundle of bark again. "Benji...are you alright? What happened just now?"
---
Far off in the forest, traveling with a band of the undead and the wicked Morag's spirit, Nenet cackled in the marsh area of the forest, greeting Morag's energy with a jab of her fanblade into the ground. The dead woods looked so perfectly scorned and taken back by the darkness of the Legion. "Morag, you require a body. I believe I have something that may be of use, something with many abilities," Nenet said and took out the Eye of the Serpent, the gemstone found in Ebongrove Lake. She laughed under her breath and promised Morag a body. Perhaps the Sentinel she'd taken care of before's fate would be that of the ones now. Spawners and a few Ryxens crawled around the marsh of the woods. nenet motioned them forward to chaotically rampage around and attack all life near them while Nenet used the Eye to help Morag find a suitable body. "Gods of darkness and powers that be, come on to me, being forward the vessel of Morag to assist me," Nenet chanted, seeking out a body for the glorious Morag!

 

[PenBlade1326]

"Well I sure will be a frog on a lily pad on a hot summer day on the east side of Atlanta, it is just a little tot. He looks like Groot, or one of my granny's old potted plants on her front porch!" Clay said and smacked his knee in a fit of joy. Spriggan isn't a danger, just a little budding baby! Get it? Budding? Hehe. It's a joke, for fuck's sake, laugh!!! Laugh! How could anyone think this thing was harmful? As Dylan helped Gawain up from the hay, Clay nonchalantly patted the knight on his hindquarters, seeing some residual hay stuck on him. "Had a little hay stuck on ya butt," Clay told him like it was no deal at all and patted him on the back. Rather...harsh, mind you. Clay's just strong.
"What you goin' on about? I don't think this thing, fey or not, is gonna be an issue unless he starts making maple syrup come out of his forehead. Hmm....now I want pancakes, anyone want pancakes?" Clay asked around, probably not being as focused as he should be. But now he wanted a stack of pancakes...with a tree here to get sap from, unlimited syrup! That is if Spriggan is even a maple tree...

Benji cautiously aired his arms out as Spriggan behaved like a little baby clutching onto him. He felt uneasy around it--not sure if it's a she or a he or anything in between. Maybe it's a he? But the thought of it maybe being a descendant of Sylvan caught his attention. If this little guy starts busting out rhymes all of the time--damn it!!! Benji just wanted Spriggan to let go, as he felt very invaded by the humanoid tree infant. But Benji reluctantly picked up the little baby Groot wannabe as he gave a physical signal for it. WHen he did, the Spriggan gloed and Benji's eyes glowed in return. Probably a connection of nature...hadn't Gawain just said this is a spirit of nature of some sorts? Benji's eyes glowed green in a second of real time, but in his head so much more time passed.

Spriggan showed Benji memories. Painful ones...weird ones...ones that sent chills in his body. Benji accidentally dropped Spriggan as the magic faded, Benji falling on his ass and gripping at his head, eyes shut tighter than a stingy persons bank account. Clay jumped and caught Spriggan, following on the bandwagon to ask if Benji was okay. "Ah! My head...it hurts..." Benji replied. He calmed down.
"I saw visions...memories. Spriggan was in the woods when we arrived, the Questing Beast--Glatisant? He watched us fight him and win...then just a feeling of dread as the woods die out and we fight more...Ryxens later arrive... Spriggan's seen everything we have done so far, here. But then there's Gawain when he first appeared... And..." Benji paused.
"Oh God. Guys, more recent...I think NOW...Nenet is in the forest. She's got a band of Spawners and Ryxens, Nenet is looking for something in the forest and she's attacking all in her way. Spriggan saw her and he came to use for help, thinking we might be able to stop her!" Benji said and expressed his mind, standing back up. Spriggan...wants them to help? Aww!

Clay slapped his knee again with Spriggan in one arm. "Nenet? Well we had ought to take care of her, hadn't we? That old hag!" He said. Benji paused again.
"Wait there's more.... On his way out, I think he passed a woman with black hair...running, screaming, chased by ravens...she's running in the woods...I don't understand..." Benji's head hurt.