The Mythical Forest

[Comic]

All it would take is a little more pressure and the crescent shaped blade she held in her hand up against the creeps neck would slice through his delicate skin. "I told you to leave her alone, I warned you that if you touched her if you even went near her, I would end you." The man before her was a lowlife thug who lived in this cursed forest. A week ago a witch, who to her surprise was quite pleasant, asked for her services. Diana, being a mercenary was sought out all the time by all the different types of creatures who lived in the forest. But, never had a witch ask for help. The witch seemed to be scared, young and new to her craft. She had said that she was being followed and harassed by a brute who thought that muscles were better than brains. Surprisingly enough to Diana, the witch refuses to use her magic for any evil purposes, but desperately wanted this creep off her tail. Diana had told her she would help and immediately found the brute and threaten him.


As most idiots do, he ignored her warning, and she found him in the bar, trying to take a grab at the young witch's bottom. He wasn't so smiley after Diana dragged him out of the bar by his shirt and held him by blade against a tree.


"So why the hell are you grabbing a feel?" She growled at him " Better yet why were you in the same place as her?" Diana held her gaze with his terrified eyes. The man shamefully started to beg,


" Please don't kill me, please-"


"Enough." Diana shouted, she stood silent a moment hesitating on whether she should just kill him now and eliminate any further problems, or take the chance of him bothering her again. "Leave this area of the forest, if I ever catch you anywhere near this part of the forest, I will not hesitate to kill you." She removed the crescent sword from his neck, gave him one last warning look and walked back to the bar. The witch, who had been watching the events take place through an open window, thanked her and went back to her drink. Diana found a unoccupied table in the back, and ordered a drink.


The bar seemed to be full and loud. It wasn't Diana's first choice of a place to stop, but she didn't feel like traveling farther for a simple drink. Some fool came to her table in the back corner of the bar, using a drunken pickup line, and partially spilling his drink on the floor. All she had to do was shoot him a warning look and he turned right back around and went to the next table. After she watched him stumble away she sighed and sipped on her ice tea that the waitress had given her and continued to survey the bar.


Diana sipped on her tea for a while longer, watching as people go in and out the bar doors. She closed her eyes and listened to all the different conversations in the bar. Nothing was of interest. The waitress came over and asked to fill her drink, but Diana kindly declined. She paid her tab and left the bar. She didn't have any other clients for the day so she had no where to be. As she departed from the bar, she thought it would be nice to find a nice spot, and clean her blade. She walked away from the town hoping to create enough distance to where there would be no disturbances from any of the townsfolk. Aimlessly walking throughout the brush she felt she had neared enough distance. That was until she notice someone was passed out beneath a canopy of trees. She moved closer to the creature trying to get a good view, but her vision was obscured by the bushes around the body. "Hello, Are you okay?" She asked in the direction of the body.

 

[Yoki]

The day had been just like any other, the same village, trees, animals, nothing had really changed... Well...at least Jax thought that it hadn't. It seemed he was wrong though. There had been no time to react, no time to fight back with what little they had in the village. An army came, an army bigger than anything they'd ever seen before, more people than Jax had ever encountered in his life... Their only goal? To find him. He hadn't known it at the time, but apparently everyone else did. The young wizard had been sought after for years, only when this strange, dark army appeared in their little village was he informed. Apparently there were a lot of people who would gladly take him away from his home and use him for their own gain, this was due to his parents, the parents he'd never met. He'd been told they'd died, fighting with many other, not long after he was born.


He hadn't known what to do, people ushered him away, tried to hide the fact that he was even there...but...that came with a price, people died, houses were burnt...and eventually? Eventually he was found.


People stood in their way and their chopped them down without any remorse, not that you could have told, they wore large suits of armour and rode black horses, intimidating most that crossed their path. Once they'd found him they destroyed nothing else, and no one else dared get in their way. They didn't want to use Jax, they wanted to kill him...sacrifice him for something...greater... It was dark, and it was afraid of what might happen...but he didn't know what to do, there was nothing he could do.


After dragging him along for hours their group had stopped for the night, once they'd tied the young male to a tree, they started squabbling. He'd listened to their conversation, some of them wanted to go on, they thought it would be better, others wanted to stay behind. In the end they ended up splitting into two groups, he was left with the group resting for the night.


Unable to sleep, he'd stayed awake worrying about what would become of him...until someone appeared. They stood up from the group of sleeping soldiers and walked over to Jax, taking off their helmet and kneeling before him. The only thing they said to him? "Sorry." After uttering the words to him in a deep and quiet voice everything went black...





Jax groaned as he heard the voice of someone nearby, he rolled over onto his back and shook his head, eyes suddenly shooting open. "W-Wha-!?" His eyes darted around, afraid that he was still with those monsters...or something worse... He didn't expect to be unconscious and alone, well...apart from one lady who was standing just a little away. He sat up, bewildered and confused, blinking bright crystal blue eyes. "Where the hell...am I?" One hand went to the male's head a he turned to look at the person who had woken him up, "What's...going on?"

 

[Comic]

As she moved closer to the man her fingers danced behind her back on the handle of her blade. However, once she glanced down at him she noticed the abrasions on his wrists she thought twice before deciding it was safe to keep the blade sheathed for the time being. Her eyes searched around for anyone else who could possibly be in his party. She listened for indications that they were not alone but found no reason to suspect other wise. Her eyes stared back down at bright blue eyes. He looked worried and confused and he voiced his concerns to her as well as beginning to ask questions about his current whereabouts. Diana remained silent, quickly taking in the situation.


Another glance at him told her that he must have been knocked out due to the large lump forming on his head. Around him were scuffs in the dirt indicating that there had not only been someone else there but it looked as if he had been dragged to where he was. They wouldn't want to go through all that trouble if they wanted him dead. Her mind brought her back to the blue eyed man. The only sounds that could be heard were his frantic breathing and the wind rustling the leaves of the bushes and trees. Her long blonde hair that was pulled back swayed back and forth as the wind picked up.





What was he doing here? Why go through all the trouble of abandoning him? Something was not right with the situation and Diana intended on figuring out what was going on.





“You're in the middle of a forest. Quite a ways from the nearest town.” She finally said, breaking the silence. "You look like you took a pretty hard hit." She said raising an eyebrow.

 

[Yoki]

He really was quite confused, why had he been brought out here? He was pretty sure that he was supposed to be killed... That made no sense at all. "Huh?" Jax looked up at the woman as she started to speak, she seemed to have a weapon on her, her hair long and blonde, what was she doing out here? "So...I've just been....dumped?" When she mentioned he'd been hit he rubbed his hand across his forehead and sighed. So that's what had happened, that man must have knocked him out, but why? Why did he bother to knock him out and bring him here? Why did one of them save him? It had to have been him who brought the young wizard here right? No one else could have done so... Of course he was thankful, but he doubted he'd just be left alone now, he'd have to be careful where he stepped.


"Yeah...it seems I did..." He mumbled back to the woman looking over at him, after a second of holding his head, he lowered his arms again and rubbed his wrist. They were still quite sore after he'd been dragged around and tied up for so long, he had no idea where he was close to...or how to get home... He couldn't go home though, that would just make more problems for his village. His village. Jax gasped, remembering what had happened to them because of him, he looked down rather sad...he wanted to go back, make sure they were alright, but he'd bring more trouble... Plus they probably all hated him after that...


He turned back to the blonde lady and smiled, though his eyes were still full of sorrow, "You...wouldn't happen to know the name of the nearest town would you? I...just....I have no idea where I am...or...how I got here..." He guessed he was knocked out and brought here, but how did he know that for certain?

 

[Comic]

Diana let the silence creep in as she watched the man try to recollect the previous events that lead to him being where he was. It was odd to her that he seemed more confused than her. Not only that be he seemed as though he was at odds with himself, as if he was trying to make a strategy but did not know where to start.


To her surprise the man looked up and smiled, asking for directions. His blue eyes hopeful, but pain loomed over his expressions. Diana quickly contemplated the situation. It had taken her over an hours walk to get to the current location where they stood. The forest was thick, once you started walking in one direction you could end up in the complete opposite in the matter of minutes. She had the option of pointing him in the right direction, however, the odds of him getting there are not in his favor. On the other hand she could take him there herself, and possibly get answers while they walked back.


But why? Why did she feel like she needed answers? Why did she feel inclined to help him? What mysteries did this man hold that could lead him to being abandoned in the forest? She needed to make a decision. Although something told her that her mind was made up the instant she discovered him.


Once again she looked him over with suspicious eyes. “The nearest town is an hours walk from here.” she said reaching a hand out to help him up. “I can show you the way.”

 

[Yoki]

Jax's hands had balled up into fists, he felt like screaming or crying, but he didn't quite know which one...so he was just stuck in the middle, doing nothing. He wanted his make-shift family back, the people who had protected him all of these years... It hurt to know that they probably didn't care at all for him anymore, now that this had happened.


"An...hour?" His eyes widened at the realisation that he had, literally, been dumped in the middle of nowhere. Something bad could have happened to him, but...no, he had to be thankful towards the man who had done this. He'd saved his life, but from now on Jax knew that he had to be more wary than ever. He couldn't pretend he was free anymore....because he wasn't.


"Really? You'd do that?" Again the young wizard smiled and took her hand, pulling himself up. He dusted himself off and sighed, shaking his head, "This is so...strange..." He muttered, practically to himself, it was all he could come out with at the moment. Then he looked towards the woman again, "I'm sorry...about this, but uh, if you're really willing to help me I guess I should tell you my name." He held out his hand, "My name's Jax, Jax Winters, it's nice to meet you."

 

[Comic]

Diana pulled the man up to his feet. Her eyes went back to the abrasions that covered his wrists and parts of his arms. "So he had been tied up. Bound and carried to the middle of the forest. What was the point of that? They took the restraints off him, so they must have wanted him to live. But why go through all that trouble?” she thought to herself as she let the man regain his balance and brush off the dirt that he had acquired from sleeping on the ground.


The man mumbled to himself before holding out a hand for her to shake as he introduced himself. Diana hesitated, “Jax Winters, where have I heard that name?” she thought to herself a moment before reaching out her own hand and giving Jax a smile. “Diana Loorea” she said shaking his hand and then releasing her grip.


She turned her slim body in the direction of the town. “ We will need to stop walking if you want to get there before it gets too dark to navigate.” she said to Jax before starting her pace in the direction.


Diana was fairly tall for a women, standing five feet and nine inches. Her long blonde hair was usually pulled back in a makeshift ponytail that still left her ears covered. The mercenary’s eyes were an unusual grey. Of course in her line of profession she had to be fit, which, she was indeed. Since the altercation at the bar was the only job she had for the day, she wore her dark blue cloak, that was easily adjustable in case of combat. Underneath she wore a simple black tunic with short sleeves, black pants accompanied by black leather boots that laced up just below the knees. In the sheath that hung on her lower back was her crescent shaped blade that was never far from her side. She kept her pace slow so that Jax would have no difficulties keeping up with her.


After a couple minutes of walking she decided to start trying for answers. “ So should I ask what happened to you? Because I'm pretty sure you don't know.” she asked.


Diana continued walking but turned her head to the side. Her grey eyes searched the thick of the forest in search of the source of a sound she thought she heard, but she was unsuccessfully able to locate it.

 

[Yoki]

(Sorry for the spaced out replies, I've been a little busy. I'm good now.)


Jax nodded, Diana, that was a nice name. Having never really been out of his village before, he didn't know much about the outside world, obviously she seemed to travel...it would be convenient to hang around with her for a bit...if she'd let him that was.


"Diana, well...thanks for...uh, y'know, waking me up." He laughed awkwardly and then shook his head, "Sorry, I'm just a little out of my element." Usually he was a rather social person, but in his village they didn't get villagers often, and he'd known everyone in there since he was a baby... They'd looked after him and raised him, he knew everyone there, now he was left in the outside world with absolutely no one that he knew...it was extremely daunting.


"Alright, I guess we get going." He quickly started walking after Diana, catching up to her after a few seconds, he wasn't wearing clothes fit for travelling. In fact the clothing he wore made him look rather poor, brown pants and a short sleeved beige shirt with rope tied around his waist. His boots were a light brown laced that went just past his ankles. Next to Diana he felt rather inferior...he didn't know what it was, but that's how he felt, it seemed she knew how to navigate, he, however, did not.


"Uh...yeah...I don't really know." Althought Jax knew he probably shouldn't speak about what had happened to him, he didn't know who he could trust, but he wasn't one to keep it to himself. "I was...taken by some sort of army, from my village, and uh...I- they...wanted to sacrifice me or something... Some guy woke up in the middle of the night after they stopped to rest and....I guess he knocked me out. That's really all I know." He was being truthful, he really didn't know much more than that, but he was a little scared they were still around...turning his head rapidly to make sure they weren't.

 

[Comic]

Diana listened as Jax told his story. His words sparked a recollection in her mind. Two days prior Diana was traveling through a town on her way to another job. While passing through, the town crier was going mad over some attack that happened on a town north of their location. However he was the only word of this, and he had mentioned a secret army. Diana was curious by the old town crier, but at the time it didn't need her immediate attention. The name Winters kept repeating in her mind. That must have been what the old man was muttering to himself before he was hauled off by the town authorities.


Diana had heard about other mysterious raids, but it has been a while since any have happened. Besides that there are no tales of any survivor of these raids. Not to mention Jax’s talk of a sacrifice. How did he fit into all of this? More research was needed, this much Diana knew.


To her Jax didn't seem to be that much of a threat. There was something…..different about him. Diana wasn't quite able to place what it was. But, he didn't seem threatening. Although If Diana didn't have her sword then she probably wouldn't either, which would be a mistake any enemy would regret. But what did an army want with him for a sacrifice?


Diana searched for the words to respond and finally decided on a fair response. “ That sounds like an awful lot of trouble for someone to go to all those lengths to get someone, and just release them.” She said.





“Do you have any thought as to why they would want you? Or who they are?” she asked.


Before Jax could answer Diana's head shot to the side, and her hand raised in the air motioning to Jax to stay silent. The sounds of the brush shifting as well as the crushing of leaves underfoot could be heard from a distance. Voices began to echo throughout the surrounding forest. This close to nightfall no soul dared to remain in these parts of the forest. The closest town was too far away for safe travel. The voices slowly increased in volume, and the movements crept in closer. Diana stood silent and listened.





“This is ridiculous” one of the men started. “ I can't believe the bastard and got away.”


“Relax, will find him, and whoever helped him escape.” the other said“ The beggar said that he saw someone dragging a body through these parts of the woods. We will just keep going until we find his scent.”


“I told you I caught a whiff of him back there.”


“We keep going this way. I don't trust that nose of yours. Besides I smell him too. But something is masking the smell.”


“ What are you too close to your own arse?”


“Shut up, it is something stronger, I haven't smelt something like it before.”


“ I don't smell anything.”


“Which is why I don’t trust yer nose. No shut up it's getting closer”





The men were further into the forest to the left of where Jax and Diana had been traveling. The men were dressed in all black armor. Their helmets were off, and they were using swords to cut away at the surrounding brush. Diana back over at Jax. “ Friends of yours?” she asked sarcastically before shaking her head slightly. “ They caught my scent, they are too close for us to escape without being noticed.” Well that wasn't completely true. If Diana was alone, it would be no problem for her to slip away, but her mind was made up about Jax, she wouldn’t let anything happen to him just yet. She needed to find out what is going on. “Stay behind me, and don’t get in my way, and I will get you out alive.” Before she was able to get another word out one of the men caught sight of them.





“EY you there.” the taller one of the two said.





“Look that’s him there. Haha what I’ll tell you? Told you he was this way. He got farther than I thought.” The men approached them walking tall attempting to appear tougher and scarier. It don’t intimidate Diana, but, it did tell her exactly how to approach them.





“That pretty little thing is the source of that smell? You must be joking.” The taller one of the two with long brown hair said.


Diana slowed her breathing and came up with a plan. “Oh come now, that’s hardly fair.”


“Ah, what a pretty bird.”





“That doesn’t smell like a bird” The other chimed. “What are you? You don’t smell human.”


Diana’s lips curled into a smile. “Neither do you boys. I’m getting a hint of undead.” She said crossing her arms across her chest.





“Who the hell are you?”


“She knows too much. She is probably the one who helped free him last night.”


“Shut up Greg.”


“Well I’m sure you two are busy so we are just gonna be on our way.” Diana said still smiling.





“Don’t move.” The one next to Greg said to her. He drew his sword. “You never answered my question Girl, What are you?”


Diana just kept smiling “Oh but you boys wouldn’t understand, I’m afraid your undead minds wouldn’t understand.” she said mockingly.





“Watch your Tongue broad” The one named Greg shouted.





“It seems she is trying to challenge us Greg.”





“What she gonna hit us with her pretty little sword?”





“That’s it get angry” Diana thought to herself as she mentally readied herself. “Oh if it’s so scary I can fight without it I’m sure you two could use the extra help.” Again she tested their patience.





“You think you’re hot shit?” Greg asked. “Ah come on pretty bird, that wouldn’t be very fair now would it? Two of us against you? We are trained to kill. Well you you’re taught to please. So why don’t you hand over the mage and we will let you go to the nearest brothe-” The man was cut short when Diana intercepted his words.


“Enough of the maiden talk boys. I’m sure there is no reason for you to fear fighting me, that is unless you think you’re gonna lose.” Diana said unsheathing her crescent shaped sword from her lower back.





“Come on Jones, let me take her. You get the mage, Blade will have our skin if we aren’t back soon.” Greg said in almost a plead.





“Fine just hurry it up, he’ll already have our heads for losing him the first time.” Jones said walking toward Jax. Greg came towards her and raised his sword at her. He licked his lips and smiled as he charged at her. Instinctively Diana caught Greg’s blade with her own, catching it’s end in the curve of the crescent shape. In a moment she pulled back on it, pulling the blade out of Greg’s hands, sending it flying toward some trees. In a flash she appeared before Jones who was just getting in front of Jax. Jones jumped back in defense and watched as the white glowing beams of light disappeared.


“What are you?” Jones asked as he braced his sword in front of him.





“She is as good as dead” Greg said, back from retrieving his sword. He raised it above his head about to strike down, but Diana was already behind him, sword in her hand, following close behind her striking him under his chest-plate.





“She teleported!” Jones yelled to Greg, who put a hand to his gut. His hand revealed black liquid, blood of the undead. Greg staggered back and looked at Diana with rage in his eyes.


“Get her Jones!” Greg yelled. Jones ran straight for her, trying to get his sword to get in range of her. Greg followed with another attack, but both of their swords met her blade. Again both men staggered back. They came at her in unison. It wasn’t until one of them attempted to trip her that one of their blades brushed against her shoulders. Red blood gushed out and stained her tunic. She didn’t let them see her pain, instead she let out a burst of white light that forced the two undead creatures off her. Both of them were sent back flying through the air. Greg flopped on the ground trying to regain his balance. Jones was back on his feet in an instant and lunged at her. Her blade struck through the chest plate below his back.The blow sent him to the ground, unmoving. Greg had regained himself and watched as his comrade was taken down. He let out a roar of anger and ran out her, growling in a pit of rage. With a flash she was behind him, and he was spilling black blood onto the ground.


Diana took a couple deep breaths before letting a small smile tug at her lips. She looked at Jax, and smiled. By now he would have noticed the glowing moon symbol on her forehead. It revealed itself when her powers were in use.





“Well, that was fun.” She let out a couple more breaths and put the sword back in her sheath. “Shall we continue?” She asked Jax as she began walking in the direction of the town.

 

[Yoki]

Jax listened to Diana's questions and shook his head, he wasn't really all that sure that they wanted to do with him...just that they wanted to sacrifice him for some reason... Of course he knew that others had been willing to try and kidnap him many times before, but...he still didn't quite understand the fuss himself. What made them want him over anyone else? They could get any old wizard or Mage for what they wanted couldn't they? So why so many attempts to hurt or take him? None had ever really gotten past the towns folk, not until now...


He was about to answer Diana's questions and explain, but she told him to stay quiet. He froze as he heard something up ahead. Who was there? Soon enough voices could be heard, they seemed to be annoyed about something...oh...yeah, that would be him. Fear overwhelmed him as he heard the voices of two people who must be involved in the dark army that he'd seen before, he didn't want them to take him back to that group...he really didn't want to die yet. The young magic user's eyes were wide as he just stared on at the path in front of himself, hoping they'd leave...hoping they wouldn't even come close...but of course he was never that lucky...


They walked right in front of the two, and soon they'd seen them. Almost immediately, out of instinct, he stumbled back, not wanting to be caught by anyone... Wanting to run away and hide, then just hope they never found him. That wasn't going to happen however, since they were already talking about taking him and getting rid of Diana. She didn't seem to happy about it all though, he didn't quite understand why she was fighting for him...why she didn't just hand him over. It really wasn't worth even getting minorly hurt over, he wasn't here to get other people into trouble...but it seemed he was pretty lousy at protecting himself.


That dark armour just made him feel so afraid, he'd only seen if for the first time a day before and already it made him want to curl up and forget. This he didn't understand, why did he feel that way? What made him feel that way. There was no running, he couldn't leave Diana here....especially with these two winding her up...because that's exactly what they were doing.


He hadn't been able to take much in before the fighting started, all he knew was that Diana had gotten seemingly angry at them... Then one of them was coming towards Jax, and he was backing up, whilst Diana rather skilfully disarmed the other. The longer he watched, the more surprised he was... They'd talked about her smelling strange, they were undead yes, but what was she? The way she fought was unlike a human...it was something else, she was something quite different... How did she do all of that? How did she down them so quickly? She'd saved him from going back with them, even though she didn't have to, and in mere seconds...


Once it was all over Jax let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and looked from the bodies on the group up to Diana. Was that...a moon symbol... "Y-Yeah..." He replied, laughing slightly, "I'm...sorry, guess I'm kinda useless, thank you...though." With that he started to walk forwards again, but he wasn't done. "Diana...what was that? How did you do that....? I've never seen anything like it before..."

 

[Comic]

The glowing symbol faded away. Diana straightened her posture. Her shoulder began to throb, and her tunic was definitely stained. It was best they both got to the town so they could patch up. Jax seemed even more confused than he was before. With good reason of course. Diana wasn't exactly human, and she didn't just do a human like thing. Diana contemplated her response to his questions. With out turning to him she spoke "Practice."


Diana assumed they would reach the town before night fall, if they were lucky. Her mind wondered over the situation. Jax was a mage, which explained the unusual feeling she felt when she first met him. Why did an undead army need Jax? Who lead this army and why was nobody doing anything about it? This wasn't a small organization, this was something much bigger. Her mind flooded with thoughts, unable to get any answers she wanted, but rather get more questions.


She looked over at Jax who seemed to be keeping pace with her well. It had been a silent travel. She wondered what was going through his mind. What he had done to anger and entire army. For once, Diana was uncomfortable with the silence and felt the need to speak. "So Jax" She began, "You're a mage?"

 

[Yoki]

Jax was a little confused by all of this, he may not have seen much of the world, but being one who dealt with magic on a daily basis, and was rather good at controlling it, he knew that that was not normal... Her speed was much more than any human's, those markings on her head...he'd never seen them in any book he'd read, nor heard of a spell that would cause such things... Maybe he just wasn't educated, but he got the feeling that she was hiding something from him. Still, he had no right to pry, and so he kept his nose out of it. "Seems I need to practice a little more then." He joked, laughing awkwardly.


Whilst they were walking, and Jax's mind was on the amazing stunt he'd seen just a few minutes ago, he heard Diana's voice again. "Huh?" He turned his head to look back in her direction, smiling, "Oh...ah, yeah, that's right." He was a mage, a wizard, sorcerer, people called him a lot...but he dealt with magic, that was his thing. "I doubt I'm a very good one...compared to others..." Apart from himself he'd only met one other Mage...the elder who lived in his village, and the man never showed off any magic...or taught him anything. He never understood why, but he said it was 'for the best.'