[Chris] Under the night sky

[estirose.livejournal.com]

Who: Chris
Where: jungle somewhere outside the Staff
When: Day 26, Evening/Night
Invited: River (or anybody else who can justify being in the jungle outside the Staff)
Status: Incomplete

Chris had wanted an excuse to get outside, and River's request had given him that excuse. He had Orbed her out to the jungle, away from other people, where she could get some peace and he could get some quiet.

He was glad that he hadn't gone on the rescue trip; he needed the break from being the camp's 'teleporter'. He had confidence that everything was going to be all right, and if not, maybe River would warn him.

River herself was waiflike, staring at the stars through the canopy, as if she wanted to go there. Maybe she could. He knew his abilities were not unique here, why shouldn't she have extraordinary abilities too?

Comments

[River]

[aliencrabcakes.livejournal.com]

River was enjoying the moonlight and stars and wind and quite. People were so noisy, even when they weren't talking. She asked Chris to bring her here under that pretense, and it was a true enough one. In reality, she wasn't sure why she wanted to come out here. She just had a feeling that she and Chris needed to be here around this time. So, she waited until her hunch revealed itself; wasn't the first time.

Chris also seemed to enjoy the quite, too. He didn't really want or need to talk. He was good company.

So she waited patiently for about an hour when she heard it.

"Chris" She spoke low. "Heads up and heads down. The stars are falling out of the sky and we must be careful." Just then, a huge thorn-dart whizzed past River and stuck several inches into a nearby tree.

[Chris]

[estirose.livejournal.com]

"Now you tell me," Chris groused, ducking down. He didn't have Paige's gift, but he did have his own abilities if he needed them. Whenever their enemy showed up, he'd try to disarm them... if he could. He hadn't used his telekinesis since he'd landed on the Island, and he just hoped it worked.

Better to figure this out before it ended up making problems for the guards. Besides, he could Orb himself and River out of danger, like he'd done so many times before.

Re: [River]

[aliencrabcakes.livejournal.com]

A strange earthy smell wafted through the air towards Chris and River. It smelled of dry earth and wet wood and something sinister between the two. "Warped wood does not grow well in thin earth." River said as she easily dodged another thorn. "The area must be kept pure. She can't come across if it isn't pure. Bless the earth, keep the dirt clean!"

"Who's she?" Chris asked and had only a moment to dodge himself as another thorn, this one big enough to be called a lance, flew by him. "And who are they?"

The sounds were coming from all sides now, but as Chris peered into the jungle, he couldn't make anything out except for dense branches and undergrowth. (Funny, I don't remember it being that dense when...)

And then one appeared. It stood about 4 feet tall. Vaguely primate looking , brown and looked as if made entirely out of branches. (Oh,) Chris finished.

The creature hissed at Chris and flung his hands out towards him, projecting 3 large thorns in his direction.

[Chris]

[estirose.livejournal.com]

Chris used telekinesis on a downed branch to intercept the thorns. "Right."

Casting a spell impromptu like this wasn't what he cared to do, but if River was right - and he had no reason to believe she wasn't - it was his turn to do something.

"Where the earth becomes impure, clean it now to ensure a barrier that evil cannot pass, a barrier that for us will last."

He was happy to see a circle of light spread out from under his feet to a ten foot radius, enclosing them both in a dome of light. The monster hissed and jumped back as the protective circle touched it, but didn't run away. Stalemate.

[River]

[aliencrabcakes.livejournal.com]

River laughed and clapped her hands together. "Momma never let me play in dirt, but dirt this clean has got to be ok!" She grabbed a small handful and flung it at the creatures. More had gathered outside the circle, on the ground and in the trees, testing it's strength by throwing darts and pieces of wood at it. They hissed at River and Chris, but ignored the dirt being flung at them. "Hmm, seems as if we are stuck here for awhile." She frowned and did a handstand as if to entertain herself.

After a moment, the creatures stopped their movements all at once. The all looked at the dome of light and hissed together in a low noise that sounded like dryied dead branches moving against each other in the wind. Then, the sound of creak and breaking branches filled the area as the creatures began to change. They began to flatten and merge into each other, creating a wall of thorns that completely surrounded the globe, shutting out the light from outside, plunging Chris and River in total darkness. In that darkness, they heard a crackling sound that started to get louder and louder. It was accompanied by hissing and screams of pain. The creatures were making a concentrated effort against the dome in the hopes of overloading the magic, one that didn't have it's consequences to them. "Oh, oh," River said, "darkness if flooding out the light. She'd better come soon or we'll be skewered." The smell of burning wood began to fill the dome, "And roasted like a BBQ. You like BBQ, Chris?" River finished absently.

OOC eek!

[starborn-scribe.livejournal.com]

Nice!

This'll learn you two to wander off in the jungle by yourself. :)

[River]

[aliencrabcakes.livejournal.com]

River and Chris watched as smoke slowly filled the now seemingly too-small dome fill with smoke. "We can't leave till she comes!" River insisted, but wouldn't elaborate further. A moment later, the earth shifted and rumbled as if a tiny earthquake were occuring right below them. a tiny dome or dirt appeared in the center or the ring. "Mother Earth's giving birth!" River exclaimed. The earth shuttered again, but then stopped. "Breach! It's a Breach baby! She can't get through!"

Meanwhile, the dome sparked and winked out for just a second, just time enough for a branch to fly in and head straight for River.

[Chris]

[estirose.livejournal.com]

Chris stopped the branch, directing it away from River, while desperately thinking of a new spell to keep the dome going for whatever needed to happen. He would have Orbed away, could Orb away at any second, but they could use a new ally.

"Light and dirt to give way, brightness and hope to save the day, brighten earth so day shines clear, give assistance to what's needed here!"

The light seemed to renew itself, strengthening the dome around himself and River. The dirt dome started spreading, but Chris kept a hold on River, in case they needed to get out of there.

(OOC: Sorry, my Chris muse was being pissy.)

Re: [Tara] I'm baaack!

[aliencrabcakes.livejournal.com]

(ooc: np)
The light did indeed strengthen itself, but it didn't do anything to get rid of the acrid smoke inside. Rive and Chris both started coughing as the smoke gathered inside the dome. River bent down, "Better do something soon. Smoke's not good for the air. Makes it smell." and spoke to the mound of dirt and she pinched her nose.

Just as she did that, the earth exploded into the air, throwing River back into Chris' arms. The creatures screamed in unison as Tara appeared from the hole in the earth. Or at least, what appeared to be Tara. Her torso and face were the same. Her eyes were a deep green and her hair was a mass of dead oak leaves. Her arms faded into gnarled branches. Her legs faded into the earth where they turned into gnarled roots that supported her in the air. She hovered and wavered for a moment, taking in her surroundings. Then, she waved her hands in the air and the smoke disappeared, then the dome disappeared.

The creatures immediately took the opportunity to attack the group, but Tara didn't give them much opportunity. Every branch or thorn they projected was deflected easily by the Tara-thing. When they changed tactics and started attcking Chris and River, she somehow summoned a wall of swirling leaves around the two and protected them. She had gotten rid of Chris' protective dome for some reason that they didn't understand until she did her final thing. She thrust large oaken looking roots from the ground into the wall of creatures, ripping the wall apart from it's inside. Ichor flew everywhere and the smell and screames filled the air.

[Chris]

[estirose.livejournal.com]

"Wow," Chris said finally as the thorn creatures were torn to shreds by the Tara-thing. "Tara?"

But it felt like Tara to him. It had to be Tara. As she continued to decimate the population, he put together another spell, a small one just in case he and River needed it.

[Tara]

[aliencrabcakes.livejournal.com]

"Wow" Chris said, "Tara?"

Tara looked at him and smiled. It was Tara's smile, but at the same time something else. She didn't say anything, though, just turned back around and continued to finish off the creatures. "Missed one!," River pointed in the woods with a smile at Tara. Tara nodded slowly and then threw her own branches out into the depths of the forests. More screaming could be heard in the jungle.

When her arms came back, they weren't empty. On each branch was an impaled dead creature. She brought them to Chris and dropped them in front of him. then she proceeded to gather all the dead creature parts and made a stinking pile of corpse wood. River helped. When she was done, she turned to Chris and looked at him and nodded slowly.

"I *think* she wants you to burn." River said and Tara simply smiled.