A stranger approaches...

[Lord of the Special Zone]

The forest was quiet.

The only sound came from the soft breeze which flowed between the trees, disturbing the layers of leaves scattered upon the ground. No animals skittered about the forest floor, and no birds sang in the branches of the ancient oaks, the only music coming from the endless sighing of the wind. The light was fading, not quite sunset, but approaching it, the sky just barely darkening on the horizon. The shadows cast by the lush green canopy were intricate and beautiful, and to disturb even the smallest thing would be a destruction of a work of art.

But something did.

The breeze, in a sudden turn of nature, began to whirl about violently, spiraling the leaves upwards in a whirlwind of green and brown. Oddly, this whirling gust was constrained to an area of about three feet square, as if it dared not upturn a single twig more than necessary. From the spiraling vertical column of wind came a sound, a sort of rumbling vibration which would have caused even the most dull creature to shiver in eerie anticipation. And slowly, as though reaching from a great distance, an arm emerged from the turbulence, grasping at the beams of light falling from between the branches of the trees onto the forest floor. Suddenly, in a great rush of motion, a man strode from the anomaly, and the wind stopped. In an instant, the only sound became the stranger's breathing, a quiet, steady exchange of air. He looked around at his surroundings and smiled.

"What a beautiful place."

He strode away from his area of arrival, the leaves which he had displaced falling into their original positions. His footsteps were inaudible, the usual crunching and snapping which accompanies a stroll through the woods oddly absent. His walking stick, a gnarled wooden staff, seemed to give off the faintest glow of light, but no more. As he journeyed, the man seemed to fit in with his surroundings, as much a part of the forest as the trees, or the shafts of light. His robes were of a heavy material, and colored a shade of earthy green which made one imagine gently swaying grass and leafy vines climbing upwards towards the sun. His hat was wide-brimmed, and roughly woven out of twigs. His beard was a brownish-grey, the color of the trunks of trees and early morning fog. And on his face was a quiet, content smile, as though he was at peace with everything around him.
After several minutes, he stopped at a particularly dense area of brush and vines. Kneeling down, he began to whisper in an ancient tongue, and his staff began to glow a little more brightly. The mass of vegetation twisted and reformed, becoming roughly humanoid in shape as it uprooted itself from the ground and condensed into a creature roughly two and a half feet tall. The stranger nodded at his handiwork and intoned, "Awaken, Saproling." The small thing stirred, testing it's new limbs. "I have instructions for you." The man said in the strange tongue. "I would like for you to explore and gather information about this new Plane. Go forth, and learn what you can. Make haste." The Saproling nodded slightly and scurried off into the trees. The stranger stood and watched his creation go. After it had disappeared from sight, he continued turned and continued traveling through the forest, making no sound save for whistling a vibrant, eerie tune as he walked into the still-setting sun.

((This is a character of mine from another forum, whom I have allowed to travel here for a chance at some battling. If anyone wants to fight, or even just to find out his name, just meet up with him IC and see what happens.))

[Lord of the Special Zone]

((Er... anyone? He may seem peaceful, but he's Nature in all aspects, so he has a primal, vicious side as well which makes for an exiting brawl. Come on, step right up! Satisfaction guaranteed!))

[Repster]

Working on it. Just waiting to cool off so residual rage does not spill over in my post here.

[Lord of the Special Zone]

I look forward to battling you.

Also, I was planning on having this fight judged. Is that okay?

[Repster]

Ooc: Okay... I just got nothing much on the quality meter that is entrancey today. To much rage. Soo... Recycled from the Red lions tourney. Sorry, but it's better then nothin, and starts us off.

And yeah, I don't mind for the judging.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

She came from the soil. Sprouting out as naturally as a blooming flower. Clothed in simple black, blood streaked hair fluttering in the soft wind, Leona "stood" there comfortably and waited with a smile of her lovely features. The top of her extra appendages twitched every so slightly. All fourteen of the tentacle, spider leg, stone hybrid things where easily picked out. Six across her ample bosom, four digging into the earth supporting her in place of the legs dangling a few inches from the ground, and the last top four ready to act as her hands. Her own arms being crossed patiently, the fingers on one hand drumming on the other arms bicep.
"You look tasty, I am in the mood for something more... earthy then my normal fare."
He soft voice echoed the birds in musicality.

A single appendage lashed out at the nature man, much like a whip. A simple opening move, mostly as a test of his reflexes.

[Lord of the Special Zone]

The stranger ducked.

The stony appendage flew over his head, grasping nothing but air. In a single, fluid motion, he lightly jumped backwards, away from the monstrous woman. He looked up at her from beneath the brim of his hat, and his gaze locked onto hers. His eyes were ancient and knowing, sorrowful and glad, a thousand years of life gazing calmly at his opponent, their raw intensity enough to frighten even the most cruel beast. He spoke gently, his voice deep and melodic.

"I am sorry. I do not make a good meal."

He adjusted his grip on his staff, it's head glowing faintly. "However, I would imagine you do not care what I taste like. If we must fight, then we shall."

He swung his staff in smooth arcs, mutering in his ancient tounge. As he droned, the vegetation around him rustled softly, stirring as though awakened from a deep slumber. With a mighty thrust, he jabbed the wooden stick towards the beast, and vines burst forth from the ground, writhing like snakes, curling around appendages and tangling together to bind the woman. More and more continuously exploded from the earth, wriggling like mad in an attempt to catch their target.

[Repster]

She gave surprisingly little resistance, the vines would not press against her tightly enough to be a bother for some time.. She did however, fight back. Stone burst forth from the earth heading straight for his head, much like a spear. He evaded with ease, and backed into the second length. It was little threat beyond stopping him. The first crossed with it, and the third stretched out as well. His movements restricted, more and more and more joined in caging him. Then they began to constrict. Much like the vines wrapping around Leona.

Similar shafts of smooth rock shot up and twisted around her. Breaking apart the vines with ease. Still the vines grew and tried to enveloped and crush her, yet stone would prevent the second from happening.
"And eye for an eye."
She giggled, a pure innocent sound, with such malicious intent behind it. She moved forward, her supportive appendages never leaving the soil and passing within it with ease. The vines snapped from the force, and more replaced them. A little luck and it would be a simple mater to quell her meal's resistance. Her top appendages rose like viper ready to strike, and in the scant moment it would take for her to get to the caged one, they would. Impaled and slowly being crushed, it was going to be a start.

[Lord of the Special Zone]

The stranger wordlessly maneuvered his staff, drawing back the vines, returning them to the earth. He could see that they were of little use. As the stone pillars slowly began to crush him, he began to chant anew. His staff, which usually only gave off a pale luminescence, began to shine brightly. With each word, the man seemed to grow larger, reaching seven, eight, nine feet, and onwards... the stones slowed their assault, eventually stopping altogether, unable to push their target once the spell concluded. The stranger, now almost three times his original size, toppled the rock structures with a sweeping blow, reducing them to rubble. He swung his now-massive staff in circles around him, being sure to demolish every last one. As soon as the last of the offending pillars was felled, he began to shrink downwards until he reached his original size, his staff simultaneously glowing fainter and fainter until he had returned to the small, frail man he was. He brushed himself off, standing amongst the scattered rocks and smiling. "I guess I'm not as weak as I look." He chuckled at the surprised woman.

In a rapid movement, the stranger slammed the butt of his staff into the soft earth. At the moment of contact, the staff head glowed unbearably bright, flashing a iridescent halo which lit up the surrounding forest for a split second. At the same time, a deep, almost impossibly low rumble was heard, a single pulse deep underground which spread for miles in all directions. In this brief moment, all other things hushed, and so when it was done, the forest was impossibly silent for a few seconds which seemed to last forever.

"Be patient."

The man stood still, smiling his content smile as always. For about ten seconds, the earth held it's breath, waiting in anticipation for the strange thing which were about to ensue. And, just as the silence was to be broken, a sound suddenly began to come from all sides, low as well, and quiet, but growing louder at a steady pace. The man looked up at the woman. "They will be here shortly. Since you are doomed, do you have any burning questions you wish to ask? Any last requests?"

[Repster]

Ooc: Since I don't have anything to actually counter...

Leona tapped her fingers against her arm.
"Aww... poor little boy can't fight by himself?"
She giggled.
"Well, if your so kind to grant me a 'last request'. I should ask your name should I not?"
She tilted her head and waited. It was best to do so, and not have her guard directed towards only one thing. A smile, the barest curve of lips, mirrored the amusement in her dark eyes.

[Lord of the Special Zone]

((You could have just attacked me straight out...))

"My name... an understandable request. It is common to want to know the identity of the person who killed you." The stranger was motionless, calm.

"Turin Darkoak."

The rumbling grew louder each passing second, but it did not seem to effect him. The trees began to rustle, pebbles danced along the forest floor.

Finally, the noise reached a point at which it could grow no louder, and at that moment, an army of Saprolings burst from the surrounding foliage, hundreds of small green creatures formed of vines and roots and twigs all bound together, each one weak, but together strong enough to destroy an army through sheer numbers. The rumbling had been the sound of the massive battalion charging for miles from every direction, and now they had all converged onto a single point: the woman. They flung themselves at her in droves, slashing with thorny appendages and simply piling onto her in hopes of crushing her under their combined weight.

[Repster]

Ooc: I could have, but not quite my little girl's style. I obey the nature of what I create, if not there is no use giving them a mind.

The horde descended upon Leona's position. She sighed, and looked upon Turin with disappointment in her eyes. There was the briefest spark of emerald green within them. Wood and vine collided against stone as it tore up and crashed against and cocooned the woman. A simple defense, to simple. It took little time for the Saprolings to break threw and toss aside the crumbled stone. They stood there, confused. She was simply not there.

The earth rumbled as a stone pillar rose, throwing aside the wooden creatures that stood where it now was. A solid cylinder some three feet wide, seven feet high. It cracked, the exploded sending large chunks of rock in every direction. Then came the appendages. They shout out flailing wildly, braking apart the fragile Saprolings with ease. Leona stood there in the single clear spot for quite some distance. Ten, all but those holding her aloft, of her appendages worked to keep the Saprolings at bay, and did so with ease.

Arms still crossed she tisked.
"Come now, where is my doom? I await your wrath Darkoak. Or are you so limited as to rely on such pathetic aid? By the way, watch your feet. Oops, to late."
Something coiled around his ankle and yanked. He fought the pull, and was spared by a mere inch as he stared at one of the woman's appendages coming form the earth itself. Blood streaked along his cheek from the gash, both it and the one around his ankle snapped back and wait into the soil once again.

The woman giggled. The constant sound of her appendages whipping around and of twigs and vines snapping surrounded her.

[Lord of the Special Zone]

((Arrrg. I haven't forgotten. Post in a day or so.))

[Lord of the Special Zone]

The cut on Turin's face did not bleed, but rather poured forth a steady trickle of sap. He did not have flesh, but rather a kind of plantlike tissue. Even as the woman laughed, small greenish tendrils snaked across the wound, knitting together and rapidly regenerating him. In a matter of seconds, his face was again normal, with no trace he had ever been wounded.

Turin sighed.

"Ah, my poor little saprolings. They are much more effective against beings of flesh. I suppose I must find some larger help..." He expertly twirled his staff and brought it crashing to the ground once more, this time with less dramatic flair. The magic again rippled through the trees, calling some far-off creatues into action. "I suppose there's no point in trying to awe you. I shall simply let my allies speak for themselves." He chuckles. "But this time my friends will be a lot slower in coming. I'll have to do something to fill the time, I suppose." He chanted quickly under his breath and, with a green flash, grew again to tower above the treetops. He charged the woman and swung his staff in a horizontal arc, aiming for her midsection.

[Repster]

The woman looked up as the tree sized staff came towards her. She uncrossed one of her arms, extending her hand and caught the staff. Her anchoring appendages stretched with the blow. The staff stopped, all it's force absorbed, it's effectiveness dropped down to a mild sting in Leona's hand. Then came the appendages, Saprolings now over and done with, they were free to attack.

The first wrapped around the staff. It held a surprising amount of strength. The four buried into the earth did much the same all quite some distance away dragging it down ever so slightly. Six took their original positions around her bosom, which left three to go for Turin. One for the face, another the spleen, and the last his right shin.