Twin Terrors [Artemis & Rayne]

Artemis wandered through the forest alone.  Blinding sun filtering through the trees in beams, illuminating the rocky path ahead.  The uneven terrain expanded ahead for what seemed like miles.  Artemis sighed as she trudged along the path looking for any sign of the "weak" monsters she had been told lived in these woods.  Though the six hour hike through all this was starting to deter her.  The humid air was bearing down upon her,  making her even more upset.

    As Artemis approached a clearing,  she contemplated turning back.  This is stupid,  she thought to herself.  She stopped before the clearing and turned around.  She decided impetuously that the small bounty wasn't worth her time.  She marched back through the forest,  mumbling furiously about wasting the entire day chasing a red herring.

    Later in the day as the sun was setting,  Artemis realized she had gotten lost.  The path was gone and there were no recognizable landmarks nearby.  Turning around, she looked for any sign of the path.  Orange and pink light glimmered through the leaves as the sun began to set.   The humid air was cooling off quickly causing the air to become hazy with mist.  As the fear set in, Artemis remembered her survival training.

    Find a river,  follow it downstream. She stopped and listened, straining her ears for the sound of rushing water.  As she stood there,  she heard a small trickle off in the distance.  Artemis turned and swiftly ran towards the sound.  As she arrived at the stream she was disappointed with how small it was.  Even though Artemis was tired of walking she paraded along the riverside.  The air now freezing cold, leaving her shivering.

    Hours into the trek Artemis heard a deep voice off in the distance.  Excited, she ran towards the voice.  As she ran, she heard a second voice respond to the first.  She ran quicker,  stumbling in the dark.  The first voice spoke again, this time just a few feet away.  Confused, she continued through the darkness, when she felt a sharp jolt as her shoulder collided with a large tree.

    Dazed, Artemis limply fell to the ground,  only to roll a couple feet and hit another tree.  There she laid,  gasping for breath.  Helpless as the troll she hit picked her up.  Struggling to find words, Artemis stuttered.  The troll threw her violently into a tree,  uprooting it and sending Artemis sprawling across the rocky forest floor.  Limply, she struggled for consciousness.  As the world faded to black, all Artemis could think was oh no, not again.

It had long grown dark in the forest, and it was no longer the mildly welcoming place that it sometimes seemed during the day. True enough, it was always dangerous out here, but in the day light the forest seemed something that it wasn't; something that the nighttime revealed. Now the what little light remained grew long and speckled the ground only in patches. It was getting late enough that Rayne was actually headed back into town for the evening, but taking her time. There was time enough left for her to wander a little, so she found the little stream that marked her passage back to the nearest town and began to follow it.

Which is when she heard it just ahead of her. The sound of voices talking to one another. She stalled for a long moment, uncertain if she wanted to interact with anyone else on her way back to town. There were NPC's as well, and some rare monsters that could speak. Any number of those might be ahead of her.

Wary now of the danger and at least interested enough to take a look, Rayne slid into stealth mode. Carefully she edged her way through the forest, each step taken with care so that she didn't upset a stray twig or the underbrush. In the dark it was an even greater challenge than normal, but she simply took more time to be careful and eventually rounded into a small clearing; managing to stop before she actually revealed herself.

She couldn't help but grin at the sight before her. A pair of trolls.

Huge brutish monsters, they weren't terribly strong from what she'd heard, and better yet - they had a huge bounty on them right now. The two were talking to one another in a low guttural language she couldn't understand. They were standing together over something on the ground beside a tree. She couldn't quite make out what it was from her vantage point however, and before she attacked she wanted to make sure it wasn't some kind of rare monster that was going to try and eat her while she dealt with the trolls.

What she found laying on the ground as she edged closer was most assuredly not a monster. It was an orc. An NPC or a player, she wasn't sure. She'd have to get much closer indeed to find that out. Either way she couldn't just back out now. If it was an NPC she'd get a hefty reward for the rescue and the bounty, and if it was a player... it'd be cruel to leave them to the mercy of the trolls.

So she did the only thing that came to mind, she picked up a rock, and threw it into a bush several feet away from her. The trolls looked toward the sound and grunted at one another. Then, slowly but with gusto the pair moved to the bush that she'd thrown the rock at. With a quiet grin on her face she took off like a bat toward the person laying on the ground. While the trolls poked and prodded at the bush, she grabbed the shoulders of the orc, and started shaking them furiously.

"Wake up! Hey! Wake up!" Her voice was a furious, hurried whisper. Failing that, she'd slap them awake. It wasn't a pleasant option - for the orc - but one that she was willing to use.

A quick jolt of pain washed over Artemis as she was startled awake,  face stinging.  Artemis panicked, worrying that the... thing, was coming back to finish her off.  Alarmed she leapt to her feet.  Bounding away from her perceived attacker, Artemis struggled to her feet as a black haze began to draw in around her vision.  Painfully,  she held herself up,  swaying dangerously.  She drew her weapon and fell against a nearby tree.

     "Who are you?" Artemis challenged, her stance not meeting the firmness in her voice.  She held her weapon up, only to lower it again as pain erupted from her right shoulder.  Slouching lower against the tree now, Artemis spoke.  "Stay back!  I'm not afraid of you,"  though the tremble in her voice said she was.  Using all of her strength was barely enough to keep herself up against the tree.  How am I going to fight this thing?  As she continued holding herself up, she noticed a burning pain in her lower thigh.  The chunk of wood embedded deep enough that she felt it on the other side of her leg.  Ignoring the pain, she forcefully requested again  "Who are you?"

It was startling how quickly the orc woke from their slumber, jostling awake suddenly and pushing themselves to their feet and away from her. Suddenly she was very much doubting that she was saving some NPC and much more certain that she was saving an actual person. This was made more certain by the person's worried words wondering who she was.  She sighed through her nose irritably and held up her hands to try and get their attention. "Shhh!"

Her hushing didn't seem to work, they were too concerned that she was something that they were going to have to fight that they weren't even listening to her. Too busy talking to notice that the trolls were ceasing to play around with the bush and starting to look over in their direction again. Rayne was all too aware of this fact however, and the moment they started turning in their direction she scurried over to where the muscular orc was slouched against the tree.

"I'm Rayne, and you're going to draw their attention again if you don't shut up." She said the last firmly, eyes watching the trolls look at where their toy had been only a moment ago. They were stupid enough that they started arguing with one another in their guttural tongue about where it had gone rather than notice them immediately, but she doubted it would take very long at all if the orc kept talking. Rayne lowered her voice considerably and motioned for the orc to move around the tree and hopefully out of the sight of the trolls. Rayne wanted to kill the pair sure, but from a nice safe distance where they would never notice her.

"Go that way. Come on!"

Artemis pushed herself up from the tree,  the piercing pain in her leg not forgotten.  As she followed Rayne instructions,  she slowly limped off in the implied direction.  Turning back she noticed two large, hulking figures fighting.  Their deep guttural voices projecting clearly across the forest like a herd of elephants.  Their massive, broad arms like trees.  Her heart stopped.  She froze at the sight of the mountainous beasts as they continued fighting.  Straining her eyes to get a better look at the monsters,  she stopped to notice the golden pocket watch hanging from one of their waist.  Artemis looked back towards Rayne and towards the beasts.  Low level encounter my ass, Artemis thought to herself.  If that old man wants his pocket watch back,  he can come get it himself.  She continued staggering towards Rayne,  warm blood gushing down her leg.

    Remembering the potion she had picked up in town,  Artemis pulled it out.  She looked down.  The broken branch extruding from her leg.  Will the potion heal it in?  She reached down and gripped the branch in one hand and held the potion up to her mouth with the other.  With each step the slightest touch of the branch erupting in pain.  She said a quiet prayer, downed the potion and then quickly yanked the stick.  A gasp making it past her lips.

    The trolls hearing this turned towards the escaping duo.  A look of realization spread across their face as they broke into a run.

    Turning back to the thunderous steps, Artemis saw the trolls approaching.  Panicking,  she said the first thing that came to mind.

    "RUN!"

"RUN!"

The other's voice was like a shot through the forest. Not that it mattered, the trolls were already headed right toward them. Still she wanted to smack the orc. What if there were other trolls? Well, if there were, they were surely on their way now! She cursed loudly and resisted the urge to do something drastic. After all running wasn't the worst idea, at least not now that the girl was healed it was an actual option, but...

Taking one look at how quickly the trolls were moving quickly disabused her of the idea behind running. There was no way that they'd get away faster than the trolls could move. All this flew through Rayne's mind in the space of a moment before she shook her head at the orc and firmly drew her weapons from their holsters on either hip.

"Get behind that tree!" Rayne pointed to the one that the orc had been limping away from and gave her a shove for good measure, but she was preoccupied with taking aim at the trolls. The lead troll was already nearly to them, but she shot the thing dead in its giant face and it went down in a tumble of limbs so easily that Rayne nearly laughed in relief. These things were lightweights!

It was a grin that quickly fell when a second later the troll's arm twitched and it began to ponderously get to its feet once more.

Artemis stumbled to the ground as Rayne pushed her in the opposite direction.  As Artemis climbed to her feet, she watched as Rayne knocked over a troll.  "Nice Job!"  Artemis shouted as she ran towards the second troll.  Using her enlarge feat,  she swung at the standing troll,  sending it flying.  She turned towards Rayne and saw the surprised look on the other woman's face.  

    "No need to applaud, I'm just that amazing."  She turned to see the first troll lumbering next to her.  Taken aback, Artemis turned back to face the second troll to see it standing up.  She swung uselessly at the first one,  flail whipping in the air.  The troll reached out and grabbed the rose head and yanked hard,  ripping the weapon from her hand.  Now panicking, Artemis rushed forwards knocking the troll to the ground with her.  Tumbling over the troll, she kipped up.  As she turned to pick up her weapon the troll grabbed her leg.  Kicking hard with her high heeled boots she escaped the trolls grasp.  Grabbing her weapon she turned to Rayne and said
 "Okay... Now we run."

In spite of the clear danger rising before Rayne's eyes the orc was rushing forward with her flail in hand. Interestingly enough the weapon was growing in her hand, getting bigger and bigger with every step she took. By the time that the orc reached the troll it was significantly larger and packed a whollop that sent the troll flying in the opposite direction of the orc. If it hadn't been for the fact that there was a troll rising right up next to the orc Rayne might have congratulated her. - Something which the orc seemed to think she deserved if her words were any indication.

"Watch out!" Rayne cursed, her cry seemed to go completely unheard as the orc looked up twice to meet the gaze of the troll that was already on its feet. Beyond the pair of them Rayne could see that the troll that the orc had sent flying was slowly rising upwards. These things might be easy to take down, but it was clear that they weren't so easy to kill. In fact the bullet hole caused by her first shot was rapidly healing on the first one.

Carefully she marked her next shot, ignoring the sudden spurt of close-combat going on between the troll and the orc she'd saved. However brief that respite now seemed. For several long seconds there was simply no clear shot, and then the orc managed to kick away from the troll and Rayne's second shot took the same troll down that her first had. She didn't bother to think that it might have killed the blasted thing. No, clearly this creature required special consideration.

 "Okay... Now we run."

"Much as I'd like to..." Rayne gave the orc a short look, partially for her earlier comment about applauding and partially for her plan. "They're faster than we are. Which means if we go running recklessly we're going to end up dead."

Speaking of, the trolls were gathering their wits and eyeing the women balefully. Rayne glared her best right back at them, but a hard look wasn't going to kill the monsters. "We've got to figure out how to kill them. It can't be too hard; they're a low level monster. So here's the plan. We take turns drawing their agro. They'll focus on me here for a few seconds and I'll lead them around that tree where you can set up an ambush and take them down. That'll give us a few seconds to think about what might actually kill these things."

She met the orc's gaze steadily with eyes that sparked with irritation. "Got it? Good." She didn't wait for an answer. "Now get the fuck away from me before they decide to split their chances and grab us both. GO!" She moved away from the orc and waved her hands at the trolls.

"OVER HERE YOU UGLY SON'S OF A SECOND-CLASS -" The rest of what she said was nearly lost by the bellow of anger from the trolls. Maybe they spoke English as well as whatever gutteral language they spoke amongst themselves.

As Artemis dashed behind the tree she thought to herself.  What we need is a distraction.  Could I set up a trap to keep them off of our trail?  No, that would take to long.  How about we light them on fire?  that would keep them off of us long enough for them to put themselves out and for us to run.

    "Hey I need you to keep their agro off of me for a bit,  I have an idea."   She dropped to the floor of the forest and started bundling the nearby twigs and leaves.  Unfortunately the leaves were damp from the settling mist.  She dug around looking for dry kindling until she had enough that she could create a nest for the flames.  She rummaged through her inventory, looking for anything to light a fire with.  Finding nothing she gave up, picking up two sticks she rubbed them together hoping for anything, a spark, a flame, anything.   She continued for a second then realized the wood was damp. Thinking quickly, she grabbed her flail and used growth.  Taking the branches that grew from the hilt she rubbed the twigs together until the heat made the sticks combust.  She set the blazing sticks into the bed, lighting it on fire.  Grabbing her flail she lit the end on fire.

    "Okay I'm ready now bring them this way!"

It was probably for the best that Rayne had no idea that she was being paid about as much heed as a buzzing insect. Less even. By the time Artemis speaks up Rayne is already moving away, already calling out to the trolls. It's too late then to give up on the plan, one which neither of them fully has the other half of.

Rayne takes off like a shot away from the trolls and prays as she runs that she is far enough away that the trolls aren't going to be able to catch up to her right away. That prayer is answered when she reaches the tree without dying. Stopping there, she catches her breath briefly; gasping for it.

Grunt, grunt. Come the trolls, either they're breathing hard as well, or they're talking in that odd language of theirs as they run, and she honestly can't tell the difference. Ignoring it she waits until their voices get close enough that she can't convince herself not to run, and takes off once again. Which is when she catches sight of the orc once again, standing triumphantly with a torch in one hand. Well...

They were plants, so maybe fire could hurt them?

She ran right past the orc without a word, lungs burning so hard that she was starting to see little spots. Nor did she stop until she reached the next tree. Only then did she turn back around to see what had happened while she'd been running.