IGE Round Three with Theftera

The video hisses to life, revealing the little egg shaped man in the purple tux.1

"You would expect to see the kind proprieter of the contest, but I shall do for now, yes?2

You, Theftera, have an extremely unique genetic makeup, mostly due to your demonic heritage. Therefor, we shall try and make this interesting."3

The planet comes into view far below you, and you find yourself descending into a thick jungle.4

"We have dropped several creatures into the jungle, Cherubian Devil Hunters. You should recognize their names, they are the most potent exterminators of demonic entities in the known universe. They have been informed of your arrival and are extremely immune to any of your magic.5

Good luck with this."6

The pod crashes, your door opens, and you step into the dense jungle.7

I should add, one of those hunters has a beacon which will summon the ship to take you to the next challenge.8

You might need that.9

Theftera ungracefully stumbled out of the pod. She looked into the dense forest that lay in front of her… Perfect. Devil hunters, what kind? If they were elves like on her world that would mean trouble. Dark plumes of smoke rose from out of the pod and into the pink and orange sky. That would lead them right to her, she needed to move fast. She slid into the trees, quietly not wanting to alert the hunters in case they were close by, they must have heard the crash landing so there was no way that they wouldn’t be coming.10

The forest was dark and loud with the simple sounds of nature around her. The plants seamed similar to those of home, but was that good or bad. Once again were the hunters like elves, or not? She walked for a short while taking what was around her. The trees were tall wide and dark, they also grew in grouped batches, leaving a somewhat large path in between them that varied from four to six feet wide, it seemed to just disappear into the forest. Dark, soft green moss covered the ground, another good thing, this would keep her steps quiet and muffled. The mist was rising and it was slowly becoming hard to see, this was good but yet even if the hunters couldn’t see her, she couldn’t see either.11

It probably wasn’t a good idea to walk through on the path, that would be to obvious and they would have it covered. She slid into the trees and the dark mist. Her body was holding up well, she had gotten some sleep and eaten the night before, so she could let some of the other blood flow through her to allow her night vision to seep in. It didn’t take much so she felt fine; there wouldn’t be any problems unless she had it out for a long period. 12

The darkness seemed to seep out of every crack and corner, almost like it was a living shadow, it was strange and she still had trouble seeing through it. There was a slide here or a brush there but as for that she saw no one, and the worst part was she didn’t pick up any send of any kind of blood or human like flesh, only woods and a few small animals. This was like nothing back at home, the air had a heavier feel to it, and she didn’t like it at all.13

The air began to grow heavier and heavier and Theftera began to realize it was choking off her lungs and she was halving trouble breathing. The dark mist was not something natural of the world it was a trap. She had to get out of it fast so she began to run at full, it was harder though because a full lung of air could not be found.14

There seemed to be nothing but then the darkness cut off and she flew out into a sea of jade green, the leaves shown with a deeper shade and a soft gold, glow came from the above canopy. She could not stop to take in the scenery though, that must have been magic from the hunter and therefore, they knew where she was. She ran until her lungs burned and she could no longer catch her breath. There was a small stream that she stopped by and began to take in large gulps of air; she tried to stay quiet at the same time though. The ominous fog seemed to not be following her, it also could have just been a trap she accidently set off, or the plants in that area sent it out, but she still wouldn’t take the chance of underestimating her enemy. With someone that she didn’t know like this she had to keep all options open.15

After catching her breath she stood and started off at a walk again. It was frustrating, being stuck on a remote area with an unknown enemy, in and unknown region and she didn’t even know how to activate the stupid beaker once she had found it, not to mention what it looked like.16

So there she was a silver and red angel standing in the middle of the forest with no idea where to go. That was when she saw him, a man was standing in the woods, and the only feature she could catch was the fact that he had a dark bluish skin. He had obviously seen her because he crouched low and was gone. Theftera drew her sword and stood her ground for a moment, but nothing came. Her sword was not placed back into its sheath for the next ten minutes as she walked, but it was lax at her side. The forest felt warm and welcoming now and soon she was idly walking through and taking in her surroundings. 17

The warm sun kissed leaves of all the trees almost seemed to sing even though Theftera’s ears had never been in tune with plants like the other demons; she was more in tune with the earth. But even the soil felt warm, fertile, and even content just to lie in this wonderful paradise. She heard something then, it was faint but it had defiantly been there, it was a child’s laugh. 18

She instantly crouched and walked on to look over a tall cliff and down into a ravine. It was an entire city, a large silver and gray city, with flowing turrets and low rolling steam coming from a few of the houses. There was also one other thing that bothered her though, all of the houses were all connected to trees and had some kind of plant life around them. They were more than just elves, they were dryads. 19

Theftera turned to the nearest tree and let her forehead hit it with a hard thud as the final straw was pulled. In the middle of the entire city was a large tree that worked itself around a large machine that was bigger than a whale, it also resembled the stupid little egg things ship, that was the beacon and she had to find out how to use it; as well as figure out how to get to it.20

At the moment that seemed the least of her problems though. A large hand grabbed her shoulder and turned her around; she came face to face with the man from earlier. He was tall, almost 6’4 or so she would say. He had a darker blue that formed a tattoo on the right side of his face and light green eyes. His hair was a dark green and looked almost plant like itself. His clothes were dark robes that matched the colors of the woods, and allot of blacks. He had a long sword at his side that had a hand placed on it loosely. He didn’t seem like he would fight her right there but she barred her fangs at him anyway and let some of her blood out to extend them, as well as her claws.21

“No,” was all he said and pointed to the children playing on the cliff side at a ledge. “We won’t fight here.” At least she had to give him a little respect for that. They walked back into the woods there was no way for her to get out of this fight and she knew it so all there was to do was to faithfully follow and let him pick their place to fight. 22

They came into a clearing full of deep red flowers and yellow butterflies. “Are we going on a picnic or having a fight?” Theftera said with a small laugh.23

“I wish it could be the first,” he laughed back. His accent was deep and full, but it wasn’t much different from her own. 24

“Me too,” she looked away then back to him. He stood there with his sword drawn, it had a dark green blade that was made of what she thought was jade and it had a silver lining on it. “I will have no pleasure in killing you and truly I am sorry, do you not wish to inform your family of this fight, and say a proper good bye or even a wish me luck?” 25

“No my people do not truly die we sink back into the earth and are reborn into a plant form and then are said to be hatched from a seed.” He looked in the direction of the town. “And there will be no need for goodbyes, this will be over quickly. He bent into a low crouch as to make himself as small a target as possible, he knew how to fight, and he was ready.26

Theftera pulled out her own sword and went into stance, he did not move though. They stood there for a very long time waiting for one or the other to make the first strike. “He is going to counter my first blow I know that because he is so ready for it that there is no way for him to miss.” She thought to herself. “Maybe if I keep a good offences and just let a lot of good blows fall in I can tier him, he is going to be faster than I am that’s a give in.” She took a step to the left and he right. He was going to be that way about it ehh. She rushed forward and him with her, but before they came in for the clash she dropped, sliding down to her knees and going under his sword and up. 27

He countered it though, he jumped back it was a rather far jump she was impressed, they began to circle each other. “My name is Theftera by the way.” 28

“Jolstear.” He commented back and then came lunging at her once more. They had a mighty clash and pushed their swords until they rang with pain. She then spun wile ducking his blade, before she could even know what was happening her sword came up and his body sank easily onto it with a sheathed sound of contentment to be away.29

He fell to the ground and laid there in the flower bed looking peaceful in his sleep. His body began to liquefy though and turn into and amazingly clear blue. It then slid down and into the ground leaving her with only his belongings. She had no time to feel sorry for killing him, but she placed the sword in the ground above were his head should have been, she then rummaged carefully through his clothes. There was what she needed the most, a map; this would give her all the help she needed. 30

Theftera, also took the man’s long cloak and a leather strip from his boot to tie back her immensely long silver hair, that would probably be a little too noticeable. The cloak was a very good size on her, the hood was a little big but that was good she could shadow her eyes and keep all her hair away. She began for the city.31

It was very musical and there were lots of art shops left and right. The ring of blacksmiths hammer, and children squealing in the street reminded Theftera of home. All the people greeted each other with large smiles and laughs; this was not a world Theftera wanted to hurt. She then looked up at the tall, white building. It had a large tree growing up all around it and twisted through the windows and doors, would it even still work. Well, the proctor said it would so he better not have been lying, there would be large problems if he did.32

“Hay you!” She turned to see another man similar to the first come running towards her. He came up to her as she looked down to the ground. “What do you think you’re doing? You didn’t use the front gate and you know there is a demon on the loose, I want to see some identification right now as to who you are.” He yelled with all the authority of a man in charge and she knew that she had been caught. If only she could get up the tree a ways and buy some time. There was some very dried grass that went around the edge of the building and tree; it must have been hogging most of the water, she was in luck. 33

“Alfandrain.” She set the dry grass alight and leapt to the tree trunk and went up, leaving the cloak on the ground, the man started shouting and she saw others come running from the woods. There were at least eight. “Just a few!” she said climbing higher and higher, she came to the closest window and it was tight fit but she got in. There was a large metal plate there that she picked up and slammed against the opening she then heated soft metal she found around the outside, this would keep them from getting in the same way as her.34

She ran over to the thick branch that lied on the floor and dug its roots deep into the ground. She sat upon this branch and placed her hands on it feeling the strong burning life inside, she hated to do this but it would help her, it might also make her very tired but it would help more than hurt. She cut a large slit in the tree with her boot knife then she slit a very small cut on her arm. The blood flowed into the tree and mixed with the sap. Theftera them lit a small fire and cauterized the wound before it could do a lot of damage to her. She winced at the pain and gasped as the blade melted her skin together but still she wouldn’t die. Then she went to the tree again, a small pouch lay inside her boot that she only took out once in a blue moon.35

A silver powder came out and she slipped it into the tree as well, now all she had to do was wait. After about ten minutes passed a deep rumble came to the earth and the inside of the tree became a beautiful silver, touched with blues and a bright shining green that moved like veins. She then heard the roar and the anger the tree let out, it was not happy with her but she had to have done something. She placed her hands upon the trunk once more.36

“Listen.” She let it sail through her mind and into the wood, she could not speak and listen to a normal living tree, but she had infected this one with the same disease around her home as the other trees. “Listen, I know that you are angry with me right now but I have to ask you a favor.” The tree lashed out at her with anger sending a painful sting into her head and throughout her entire body. It pulled at all of her nerves and made them feel as if they were being pulled out but she had to fight it. 37

“Stop.” She demanded sending a strong force. “I know the fear of all trees and I know your fear, it’s to die.” She felt it back off reluctantly. “I will let you keep this gift I have given you if you simply help me, you will live 10 times as long with you new gift.” She felt a sigh of content from it and then a welcoming opening in its roots. “Thank you, now I need to find out how to activate this thing your growing on and you know it better than I please lead the way for me you know it and I know you do.”38

There was another tearing roar and she knew that the hunters had just forced themselves inside from above somewhere. Then the branch she was on began to glow in a certain area and move towards the door, it would lead her.39

Theftera opened the lock and walked out only to get a dagger to fly for her face; she slid back and let it keep going on into the darkness. She turned to see a woman there in the same flowing robes as the others she pulled out two more daggers and came at her throwing one and holding the other up to her side. Theftera blocked the first but there was no way to block the second one coming in at her. A large trunk of a tree came bursting down from the ceiling and landed on the floor causing a wall. “Thank you.” Theftera breathed as she ran down the hall. She heard the shouts of all the dryads coming for her. She fallowed the glowing branches up a long crumbled stair way and into a circular room the top branches opened up to show the sky and there was a long panel of boards and keys at the one end, she now had to activate it.40

She ran over to the panel and had no idea how to read the language it was written in. The door burst open as she found out how to turn it on and five men and the woman came through. They all looked rather angry at her, and came forward. Theftera had a bit of a panic attack she looked around and felt trapped. “Calm down you dunce what’s wrong with you?” She took in a deep breath then let it out slowly along with her blood. She felt the surge of power and then fell into the almost animal like instincts. Her flowing hair hung around her shoulders and the whites of her eyes became black. She felt her pupils slit at the green and gold of her eyes turned to red. Her claws turned to deadly talons and she became ten times stronger. The only disadvantage she had now was her speed was slower than theirs.41

The first four came at her with the woman and a man with a bow staying in the back; they had obviously all trained together before. Thefteras sword came out and she no longer thought she only felt because she was no longer in control of her actions. Two of them reached her first and she swept up the ones blade while the other came into her right with a spear. She rolled but an arrow struck the ground where she had planned to get up at. She was forced to jump back and have the wall at her back. They were going to corner her then cut her off then attack as a unit, it was an old tactic but a useful one.42

“I could use a little help here!” She called out and then the branches broke through the floor and became spears in themselves. The attacked the two at the back now she only had to worry about the four coming for her now with close range. She backed toward one of the branches connected to the wall and ducked sending one man past her and then shoving him against the wall. The branch lifted and wrapped itself around him making a sickening thud sound of skull on metal; he was going to have a hell of a head ache later, if he wasn’t dead. 43

The other three did not come one at a time they all came together, Theftera and attacked in unison, one from the left ,the other right and one above, the wall was also at her back so there was not much she could do. A branch came up and wrapped itself around her leg pulling her under and onto a new level. “I really owe you.” She sighed and then threw one of her daggers up toward the hole as one of the men looked in, he got a face full and fell into the hole. Another stuck his hands in and a green glow began to run from them and then it turned a bright glowing red. Theftera climbed off the branch and ran for the door just in time to feel the heat at her back and close the door, only a few flames escaped from under the heavy metal. “Well now I’m trapped,” she thought as she looked around the barren room. A hole broke through the roof but it wasn’t her loving tree it was one of the men, he came in and started throwing his swords around in a complicated pattern that she couldn’t really follow. She slid back against the wall and then pulled out her other throwing dagger and sent it flying toward his stomach. He slid to the side and came forward again, she looked around but the tree couldn’t help her it couldn’t reach this far in. She thought of the way she had gotten rid of the pirates on the other ship and so she dug her sword into the wall and climbed through. He slashed at her and caught the back of her calve. She winced and felt hot blood seep out of her and run freely onto the floor, it worked to close itself quickly but it still hurt and not her animal like side was ticked, but she was running out of time. She ran to the other side of this room and the man came though. She threw her sword and it landed right on strike slicing his rib cage open. She ran over picked up her sword and cut the back of his legs open. He could not fallow this way but he would live. She climbed back though and opened the now cooled door. She climbed up the branch and out into the opening, it seemed the tree had taken care of everything else up hear that was good. 44

She limped over to the computers and began to try and find a way to activate it the rest of the way. After trying hard to understand she had found out how to work the basics and then started it up, soon she would leave. She went over to one of the bigger branches and reopened it. She poured another small dose of the demon element into it and then placed her hand upon it once more. 45

“Well, this is goodbye; now don’t pour your pollen onto all the other trees or they will get it too, unless they want it as well that is.” She felt the understanding and the happiness but also a feeling of loss. “I know it will be hard for you to get used to for a couple years but soon you will love it.” She smiled and let the blood of the demon slow down and then subside, she felt week and uncomfortable. 46

“I hope the ship will come all the way down here and pick me up.” She looked up to the sky, she had killed so many today but at least she could go home now, then all went black as the world closed around her into darkness.47