To Stand When Others Won't (Open to one creative female.)

[LucianDevine]

As Lucian turned to Mishta, he was surprised to see a similar look of confusion on her face. He was about to speak when she beat him to it. Her words seemed unimportant though, in comparison to what happened next. The moment the words left her mouth, the earth beneath them started to tremble. Lucian leapt to his feet and managed maybe a step or two to the side before the ground gave way beneath him. Darkness opened up beneath him, and he was quickly swallowed up by it.

How long and far Lucian fell, he he didn't know, but he landed hard on his stomach. Lucian lay there stunned for a few moments, stunned in the complete darkness that surrounded him. Turn his head as he might, Lucian couldn't see a thing, though he heard a slight scuffling to his side. Mishta's words lifted into the darkness, and he opened his mouth once more to respond, but only a startled yell came out. For the moment the words left her lips, light exploded around them. It wasn't particularly bright, only torch light, but it hurt his eyes all the same. It took him a few moments to recover, but when he did, he noticed Mishta sitting on the ground a handful of feet away from him. Without a thought, Lucian moved to her side and offered her a hand up.

Deep blue eyes now scanned their surroundings, what he saw however, was far from comforting. They seemed to be in what might be called a clearing in what must have been a maze. The 'clearing' was roughly twenty feet in diameter, and had eight different paths leading away from it. "What the hell happened, and where are we?" Lucian asked rheotorically. Almost in answer to his question, came a most unwelcome sound, the pounding of loud footfalls from all around them. With a quick flick of his eyes towards Mishta, Lucian drew his scimitars and readied himself for whatever might come at them.

 

[Medevelin]

Once the literal and proverbial dust settled and light gave way, Mishta and Lucian were again side by side, each like above sharing the same puzzled expression. His question was quickly answered as a bellow and loud, lunging footsteps pierced the silence.

She could hear it through the walls, a labyrinth. Lucian was quick to draw his blade and smartly so as the footsteps grew closer and disturbingly larger. Mishta looked around but all she saw was hallway wherever she looked. Not far ahead of them was a break in the wall where the maze would seemingly move further towards the middle. There were several others as well but this was much quicker to reach and prepare.

"Stay here." She said to Lucian as she took to a sprint towards the path's opening. She jumped up, pressing her left foot against the one side of the door and stretching into a split she braced her right foot on the other side. She stood, wedged in mid air about six feet off the ground. Waiting to ambush.

The running became imminent, the foundations of the earth shook with each thunderous step. She had the drop on whoever was coming, her blade was sharp and it would take mere seconds. Then it hit her. Literally.

The speed at which the monster burst through the wall was surpassed only at the terrifying size and tremendous impact she felt when it hit her. The impact made all the more painful by her being several feet off the ground to begin with.

In the brief moment where she stared the beast in the face she could see an amulet around it's neck. An odd design engraved into some sort of rune stone.

She didn't allow for herself to recover fully from the shock, nor did she have the time. She got about half way to her feet before she had to dive to avoid the menacing mace wielded by the beast.

She scrambled up again and ran back out into the original hallway where she had left Lucian.

"We must run!" She barely mustered between heavy panting, wondering how much adrenaline was covering up. She could feel her body ache but it wasn't serious enough to push the thought of that monster from her mind.

'What was that? A troll? Yeti?' She queried herself in thought as she came to Lucian running past with the hope he would follow her lead. The first choice in turns came up and she chose left without thought or reason.

It seemed a good choice as they had a fresh length of hallway with which to run for their lives in.

(minor edits)

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian looked around, wondering at first which direction this new threat would come from. His blades were raised and ready.

When Mishta spoke,Lucian could only nod. He wondered briefly what she intended to do, and when she did what she had planned, he couldn't help but marvel first at the atheticism of the amazon, and then at the strength in her legs as she held herself up.

Nothing could prepare either for what happened next though. Even the pounding all around them only hinted at what was to come. What did come though, was a terrible crash as a creature burst around the corner. It stood a full seven feet tall, with the body of a man, cloven hooves, and the head of a bull. As Lucian looked on, the creature effortlessly knocked Mishta from her perch, sending her sprawling to the ground. No sooner did she half recover, than she was rolling to avoid the huge hammer the creature swung at her.

In a flurry of motion, she had dodged the mace, rolled to her feet, and was running towards him. Moments later, she was running past him, her words sounding in his ears. In his mind, he knew she was right. There was more than just this one, there had to be, and they gained nothing from an endless fight here in the center of a giant maze.

Lucian turned on his heel, keeping his blades up as he ran after Mishta. He watched as she turned right, and he made to follow, not questioning her choice of path. At this point, about any path at all would be better than an encounter with minotaurs. Whether or not their flight would prove useful in the slightest though, would remain to be seen.

 

[Medevelin]

As they approached the end of another hallway she knew she had to make a decision on which way to turn. The odd pattern on the creatures amulet shot in a flash through her mind and that's when it hit her. It was a map of the labyrinth, they would need it to get out but did not need it yet. Mishta used the flash of memory to guide her next decision, cutting a quick right and at the next turn a left. Something spurred her on to make these judgments without thought but she knew it was the right way.

"This maze.... I know it. I've never seen it but I know it. Don't ask me how just..." Something she thought she would never ask of him she stopped short of saying. Continuing in a low whisper.

"Just trust me." She didn't know if he could hear the last part or not nor did she turn back to look at him, she just kept moving. The hallways and turns looked all the same and she would have sworn they were lost if something hadn't told her she wasn't.

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian's pulse pounded in his temple as he ran after Mishta. He dared not look over his shoulder, lest he take a couple of quick turns, and he lose her. The worst possible thing that could happen in this scenario, was for them to get separated.

One thing that puzzled him though, was the fact that Mishta didn't hesitate in the least when she chose first one path then the other. She seemed perfectly confident in her choices, even as she made them while sprinting.

When he heard her shout, he couldn't help but wonder at her words. Not a lick of what he said made any sense at all. How could she possibly know this maze if she'd never been here. Almost as surprising though, was the end of her statement. He didn't hear the last few words, but he knew what she was asking of him. There was naught for him to do but trust her. He'd given her the lead, and now it was his responsibility to make sure that nothing caught up to them from behind. Worse however, was that even as they ran, they heard more pounding steps from all around them.

Interestingly enough though, even though Lucian was in a situation he had absolutely no control over, he felt he could help Mishta. As he ran, he opened his mouth, his eyes still scanning each path, wary of the rest of the minotaurs that had to be closing in around them. "If you're body knows the way Mishta, just trust it!"Lucian didn't know whether or not Mishta even heard him, let alone whether or not she'd listen, but from his perspective it hardly mattered. If she said she knew the way, he'd trust her. If they lived through this, he'd explain his meaning in more detail, but that depended on their living.

Lucian's thoughts were interrupted as the second of their pursuers burst arounda corner. Mishta had taken a right, and he'd been only a few steps behind when he noticed the creature. Luckily though, it hadn't seen him yet, and that gave him the chance to act. It was sprinting after Mishta, and it was between them. Whether or not Mishta was truly aware of the minotaur directly behind her. As Lucian pursued it though, he noticed it slow ever so briefly, and he knew instinctively that they were nearing another turn. The moment he noticed it slow down, he bunched his legs beneath him and leapt towards the creature, leaping as high as he could. Lucian's scimitars were extended before him, and he felt them sink deep into the flesh of the creature. It lurched with the pain and whipped itself around. Lucian was already gone though, ripping his blades free of the creature as he stepped to it's shoulder and leapt. He saw Mishta's body take the turn he'd known was coming.

Lucian couldn't stop his momentum though, and he turned his shoulder to meet the wall as he ran into it. He was only stunned for a moment though, and he was running again. His shoulder would probably bruise, but he didn't have time to worry about that. "Quick Silver Motion!" Lucian shouted, forcing his mind and body to focus. Just as had happened before with the amazons, Lucian lurched forward, the technique giving him a brief bit of speed, just enough to be only a few steps behind her once more.

 

[Medevelin]

Mishta had a sense that there was one of the beasts behind her but she chose not to look. She was fast enough to out run them she was certain, the wind whistling past her ears prevented her from truly hearing a thing a blessing and a curse all at once. One of two blessings, the other was Lucian who she was coming to trust more and more to watch her back. If there was a beast behind her which she sensed there indeed was, it would need to deal with him. A man of extraordinary magic one which humbled her own abilities quite convincingly. That fight between them seemed long ago now and it wasn't the time to reminisce.

She took the next corner aptly jumping and pressing her left foot against the wall and pressing off it into the next hallway. She heard the fell cries of the beast which had attempted to take her and knew that Lucian was the cause of it. She never once looked back, he would be behind her and if not then she would be foolish to stop running. She had a sense that the maze was ending, each corridor was a step closer to freedom and hopefully safety. Fighting minotaurs in a labyrinth was much the same as attacking an amazon tribe in their territory, Mishta and Lucian were at a disadvantage. Taking the chance that he was behind her she spared some of her breath for words.

"Lucian, we are almost through I can feel it. We must keep up the pace." She hollered, urging him to keep moving while also begging herself not to give in. Her breathing was quick and short, meaning her air intake was lessened and that aided in the strain to her muscles and desperate gasps. She was beginning to fatigue which wouldn't bode well if they were forced into a final conflict.

(OOC short I know but I just wanted to get a post up and didn't want to go too far without discussing with you what is going to happen next.)

 

[LucianDevine]

The maze seemed to be one looming nightmare after another. Lucian had no idea where they were in the blasted thing. To make matters worse, it seemed that with each turn came another minotaur on their tail. Lucian quickly lost count of how many he'd had to deal with, but he was quickly growing tired. His muscles were screaming for a break, and his continued use of his maneuvers wasn't helping the situation.

"Lucian, we are almost through I can feel it. We must keep up the pace."

Lucian knew that it was probably a bad idea to respond, given their surroundings, but he chose to do it anyway. "Keep...going Mishta. I'm...with you."

 

[Medevelin]

Like a gift from the Almighty her words were made true as she turned another corner and could see a light shining faintly on the floor and wall at the end of that leg of the maze, certainly they were almost done. But not entirely. Another Minotaur came around the corner, as if it had been waiting for them it stood sternly blocking the exit to the hallway it's large form blotting out the light she had just seen. This didn't cause her to stop, instead she picked up speed and her face hardened to stone as she charged at the monstrosity which followed suit and charged at her.

When she was about five meters from him she lept into the air and began pressing her feet off the walls, going into the splits as she had done earlier she waited for it to get closer and when it was close enough she leaped onto it's shoulders, her knees pinching onto the Minotaur's neck and drove her blade through it's mouth before twisting her body and snapping it's neck. To finish she did a flip backwards, landing on her feet withdrawing the sword as she landed. The Minotaur crumpled into a heap on the ground, head facing the opposite way it should and blood flowing along the ground.

Mishta didn't stop to admire her work as she continued on and around the corner. The light of the end of the maze now shining directly on her skin. It was so bright after being in the dark so long that she was temporarily blinded while her eyes adjusted to the change in light. She didn't see the rope on the ground, tripping over it she stumbled and fell getting a heaping mouthful of dirt but that was the least of her worries. She could hear stone scraping against stone and looking forward saw that the entrance was being closed off. If they didn't get out before it fell shut entirely there was no telling if they ever would.

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian was only a few steps behind Mishta as they came around what seemed like the hundreth corner. His eyes caught on to the faintest bit of light ahead of them, and he pushed forward, praying for enough strength to make it that last stretch. There was no telling how many minotaurs were in this maze, but it could certainly be assumed that every one of them knew they were in the maze now, and if they didn't get out now, they'd surely be dead. The two of them, in their current state, would stand no chance against an untold number of them in their own territory.

With the end in sight, and against his better judgement, Lucian dared a look over his shoulder. He knew at once that he shouldn't have. The minotaurs were the slightest bit slower, and certainly more clumsy than the pair of them, but that didn't mean that more than a dozen of them hot on their tale was any less dangerous. As Lucian turned back to face forward, he saw Mishta leap into the air and go into a splits. He had just enough time to wonder why as his gaze lowered from her, then barely enough time to even think the words 'Oh shit.' Right ahead of him, charging him was another minotar. In his mind, he knew that at their combined speed, he had no chance. Just as he was about to try to dodge the creature though, Lucian saw Mishta descend upon the beast. Even in that place, and at that time, with certain death behind them, Lucian couldn't help but be awed by the agile beauty that was Mishta. With one fluid and continuous motion, she landed upon the beasts shoulders, stabbed it clean through the mouth, pivoted her hips and legs, breaking the creature's neck, and backflipped off. It any other time and place, he would have to have stopped in awe at it, but he forced himself to run.

It was then that Lucian watched with horror, as Mishta stumbled over something and fell to the dirt, landing hard. "Mishta!" Lucian screamed, pusing forward with that word on his lips. He was beside her in an instant, helping to pull her to her feet. He then heard what she'd seemed to hear, the slow grinding of stone. His eyes turned towards the entrance, and saw it slowly but surely getting smaller. "Run!" The word seemed redundant, but Lucian pushed Mishta ahead of him, putting himself between her and the oncoming minotaurs. There was no time left now. Lucian bolted forward, running hard just a step behind Mishta. Either the pair would reach the end and make it through, or they would be crushed intot he stone and dirt by their enemies. It was with those results in Lucian's mind that he ran, calling on the last of his reserves now, when he truly needed them most.

 

[Medevelin]

With the opportunity of escape dwindling as the stone closed excruciatingly slow yet with little enough margin for error in their approach Mishta knew that it would be a rough exit from the maze. She also knew that if she didn't make it through cleanly she could cost Lucian his own escape, she knew she had to dive and meet the ground hard and all that was left in her control was whether she slid out head first or feet first.

Head first would be more painful but with the balance of her weight forward would allow for a better slide, it seemed the more practical approach and was the one she decided on. With just under two feet of space to go she took a breath and made the fated leap forward crashing hard and scraping through the receding maw of the death trap.

She quickly pulled her legs through, worrying about cuts and bruises later as she awaited Lucian whom she had no idea exactly how close or far behind her he had gotten, guilt promised to punish her if he hadn't made it through. Odd that she would feel guilt over a man dying, that he had become something more important to her survival than she ever thought a man could. Yet she found herself agonizing over the milliseconds that passed and each inch of space disappearing.

"Lucian!! Lucian hurry!!"

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian's feet pounded at the ground as he ran, pushing every bit of strengh he could from his tired legs. He watched with true elation as Mishta dove beneath the closing stone door. He knew instantly why she'd dove instead of crawled. Inwardly, he was touched that she would risk injury so that he might have a chance.

With his pulse pounding in his own ears, and the sounds of the pursuit long since lost in the depths of his mind, Lucian's deep blue gaze focused on one thing and one thing only, the closing portal that was in front of him. Even as he ran Lucian knew what he would have to do, and he was not looking forward to what might happen if he was a fraction of a second too late.

With the last fleeting bit of his strength, Lucian reached the door and threw himself to the ground on his side, trusting the dragon scales to protect his body from cuts, if not the bruises. He hit the ground hard, parallel to the door. Without ever stopping, Lucian used his momentum to start rolling. With each brief spin of his body on the rough ground, he caught a glimpse of what was above him. First he saw it before him, and them directly above him. For the briefest moment, Lucian feared his shoulders might catch between the closing door and the ground, but in the next moment he found himself threw and out of the maze.

Out of the corner, of his eye, Lucian could see Mishta a few feet from him. The look on her face spoke more than words ever could. Just the relief on her face and in her eyes made him smile nervously, as only somebody who had just narrowly escaped death could. Even still, he didn't dare try to move just yet. His frantically beating heart would scarcely allow him to turn, let alone try to rise.

After a few long, and welcome minutes, Lucian finally rolled himself to his stomach and pushed his arms beneath him. His elbows shook with the effort, reflecting the strain that the flight had put on his body, but soon enough he was on his knees facing Mishta and the room around him. There wasn't much to the room itself. It was simply a circular room with the door behind them, and a similar closed door on the opposite side of the room from them. What drew the gaze however, was a pillar located in the direct center of the room. The thought that they might be one step closer to their overall goal meant more to Lucian than he could express, and it gave him a brief bit of strength, with which he pushed himself to his feet and gestured towards the pillar.

"I don't think whatever is on that pillar is meant for me Mishta. Your words triggered the floor collapse, and it was your intuition that got us here. Whatever is on that pillar is for you and you alone."

Lucian didn't know if his words made any sense to Mishta at all, but in his own mind it made sense. What good were relics of the elements without champions to bear them. The fact that they were even in this room was because of Mishta, and Lucian wouldn't hesitate to admit it. All that remained, was to find out what had been so important as to be guarded in such a way.

 

[Medevelin]

While surely only a few seconds had passed it had felt longer, somehow it seemed to stretch unbearably as she tensely awaited him to come through. When he finally did roll out at the last possible moment, relief flushed through her and she quickly came to his side. Looking down at him she placed her hand on his cheek and moved her head towards him, only to pull away quickly once she realized what she had almost done. Turning her eyes from him she stood and put some space between them.

“I thought you weren’t going to make it.” She stated coldly almost angry at him for what she had nearly attempted. After a few moments to regain his composure he began looking around at the room, something she had yet to do. Odd as it was for her not to be fully aware of her surroundings, though her attentions were fully directed at his near-crushing at the base of the giant stone slab which acted as a door. Thankfully the beasts they had encountered hadn’t made it in there with them.

”I don't think whatever is on that pillar is meant for me Mishta. Your words triggered the floor collapse, and it was your intuition that got us here. Whatever is on that pillar is for you and you alone."

Mishta turned to the pillar and with one brief look to Lucian she slowly walked towards it, as she got close she noticed a strange script spiraling up, a faint blue light glowed from far above, though only encompassed the pillar itself and didn’t spread from it’s small radius. She could also see odd symbols, circular medallions embedded into the stone. Stepping into the light she noticed that through tiny cracks something glowed within the pillar, seeping out through the medallions. She pried away one of them and a beam of light shot straight out emblazoned now on her chest. She stepped aside and the light shone past her onto the wall. She followed it to where the wall impeded it and noticed that the light completed a design engraved upon the wall.

Though her people were attuned to using pictures to pass information she couldn’t make out the picture. It was more akin to writing than image, she returned to the pillar and proceeded to remove the remaining medallions, each of which pointed to a different portion of wall. There were eight in total. Eight beams of light emitted now from the pillar but nothing happened, no door opened nor an answer to this puzzle revealed itself. Looking closer at the medallions it became clear that they had not themselves matched the engraving they were opposite to. She set about replacing them in their correct order. When the last one was set in place the light from above shot down even brighter, covering her in it’s aura. She smiled as the pillar began to spin and lower itself. Once the top of the pillar had cleared the ceiling a thick mist came flowing down over them and soon the pillar was gone.

The ground shook tremendously as if the Almighty had stepped onto the plain. Then to her disbelief the walls began to spin. The odd scriptures began to mix together and soon her grin was taken away as they melded into the writing of her own people. She could read what it said and it was not what she had hoped for.

The mist continued to pour in until it was so thick she could no longer see the walls nor Lucian. The tremor receded and the mist began to solidify, evaporating into a single form. Soon the mist turned to scales and towering above them was a magnificent creature formed of eight heads and a serpent-like body.

“Lucian.” She barely got out as she backed away from the creature.

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian was surprised when Mishta had reached down to touch his cheek, but he was even more so when he saw her head dip down. He knew instantly what she was intending to do, and he didn't move away. In a way he wanted it too. It wasn't to be however, because as he looked on, Mishta pulled away from him and turned her face away.


“I thought you weren’t going to make it.”

Though the words seemed caring enough, the tone of Mishta's voice was quite the opposite. It was cold and almost angrily. Lucian was taken aback first from what she'd done, and then what she said, but he forced it from his mind as he saw Mishta starting to walk towards the central pillar.

Mishta's intuition seemed to take over again, so Lucian let himself relax as she worked. He watched as she removed first one thing from the pillar itself, and then more. There were eight in all, each shining a light towards the wall. The symbols seemed to say something, or indicate something, but he had no idea what it was. Lucian was about to shrug and approach Mishta when he saw her starting to replace the things she'd removed. When the last one was in place once more, the light around her shined brighter.

Lucian took a small step towards Mishta, a smile on his face. He stopped moving though, when he saw pillar start to spin and lower itself. Shortly after that, the walls started to spin as well. Lucian stood stunned as he watched the spectacles, both spinning. When the top of the pillar cleared the floor though, he'd expected the door to open. He certainly hadn't expected the thick mist to start to come down from the cieling. Lucian held his breath at first, wondering if the mist might be dangerous. Soon enough though, he ran out of air in his tired lungs and forced himself to take a breath. He gave the slightest bit of a sigh in relief, but that sigh came up short as he watched the mist start to gather in the center, gather and solidify.

Lucian watched on in shock as the mist turned into a massive beast, one with scales much like the armor he wore. They were different though. The scales that he saw were smaller than the one's on his armor. As the top part of the beast solidified, Lucian gave a moan in dismay. Legends told of such beasts, but never had he thought he would encounter one.

“Lucian.”

Lucian heard the word Mishta spoke, but dared not take his eyes off of the hydra. It hadn't moved yet, and he was afraid of making the move that would awaken it. A force that Lucian didn't know of made him step forward, and before he truly knew it, he was standing beside Mishta once more. As one their gazes were drawn to this beast, looking on in awe. The beast was massive, a full twenty feet long counting the massive sweeping body and tail. It was the heads and body that drew the gaze though. Eight heads, frozen in time for now, each open and showing dozens of dagger like teeth. Even the scales themselves were something to behold. They were not of any solid color as one generally expected of hydra's and dragons. Rather, the scales were prismatic, light reflecting off of them all aroung the room, showing off every color of the spectrum.

In his mind, Lucin was already thinking of how two people could destroy such a beast. As he thought, his hand reached towards Mishta, closing lightly around her arm. His gaze flicked to hers, a serious look on his face as hers turned to meet his. Without speaking a word just yet, Lucian guided Mishta backwards, backing slowly away from the hydra.

"Eight heads to be severed in the span of seconds, or a blade driven cleanly through it's heart Mishta." Lucian said calmly. As he looked into Mishta's eyes, Lucian's own gaze changed quickly. IT was no longer the stunningly bright blue gaze that came naturally to him, but rather the shining violet that preceded combat. There was no fear in his eyes, simply confidence, steadfast confidence.

"I have a plan Mishta, but one that I cannot do without you.' Lucian paused as he spoke, lifting both of his hands to lightly hold her arms as he looked hard into her eyes. "You're faster and more fleet of foot than I, but I am stronger and more skilled. Between us we have what we need to combat this beast, but I must place all my trust in you as you do the same in me." Lucian's violet eyes shone brightly as he spoke. The plan was simple in it's words, but acting it out would be far more dangerous. "One person to distract the heads, and one to get around behind it, run up it's tail and body, driving a blade into it. Then we will have time, but seconds only, to sever every head. For each one severed, two will replace it within a minute. I am asking you Mishta, for your trust and for your help. I will do the best I can to distract this beast, but I need you to do the other part, to run up a moving hydra without missing a step so that you can drive a blade into it's body and buy us the time we need to sever the heads."

Lucian took a brief moment, when he had finished speaking, to study their weapons. They had four in all, a small number for combating a hydra. Mishta had her machete, and he had his katana and his scimitars. After a slow breath, almost unable to believe what he was about to say, Lucian spoke. "Your machete is too short to penetrate to the beasts heart Mishta. I would ask that you...bear my katana." The words were unfathomable to so many people Lucian being one of them, but his gaze reflected his true feelings. To hand over the weapon one was most skilled with, moments before a battle when he would likely need it most, showed many things, but one thing most of all...trust. Lucian didn't move and didn't speak after he asked her to bear his katana, but rather kept his gaze locked with hers, hoping she would understand and be able to do what they both needed her to do.

 

[Medevelin]

"Eight heads to be severed in the span of seconds, or a blade driven cleanly through it's heart Mishta… I have a plan Mishta, but one that I cannot do without you…You're faster and more fleet of foot than I, but I am stronger and more skilled. Between us we have what we need to combat this beast, but I must place all my trust in you as you do the same in me… One person to distract the heads, and one to get around behind it, run up it's tail and body, driving a blade into it. Then we will have time, but seconds only, to sever every head. For each one severed, two will replace it within a minute. I am asking you Mishta, for your trust and for your help. I will do the best I can to distract this beast, but I need you to do the other part, to run up a moving hydra without missing a step so that you can drive a blade into it's body and buy us the time we need to sever the heads."

She listened carefully to his plan, playing it through in her head to see if she thought it was plausible and possible. It was no simple task and to run up the beast would be a challenge. It was in her mind possible however as she had trained in navigating shaky ground with a thin margin for error. Her people tested their balance by running up a vine from the jungle while another shook the vine from below. However vines didn’t tend to have razor sharp teeth nor did they present the fear that this current monster did. She steeled herself against showing her fear, though it had been more common with these extenuating circumstances had tested her resolve. If Lucian hadn’t been around she wouldn’t have been so guarded, then again she wouldn’t be alive either.

”It will take perfection. I don’t think we will have many chances. One if we’re lucky.”

"Your machete is too short to penetrate to the beasts heart Mishta. I would ask that you...bear my katana."

It was seldom that a warrior would give up their weapon to another, especially at a time of great need. If ever there was a dire time as such it was at this moment where they faced a foe that at least Mishta had never seen. She wasn’t sure it was wise to leave him without the comfort and familiarity of his weapon but he was right, her blade would not cut as deep or as clean as his would. Reluctantly she offered him up her weapon as she took his, feeling the power it held. Without so much more as a look to him she went to work, the hydra had now taken full notice of them. Thankfully it was analyzing the danger they presented and had yet to attack.

She took a deep breath and visualized the vine, placing her mind back in the jungle and in her element. She trusted Lucian to do what he needed to do and focused all her concentration at her own task. As soon as Lucian began his diversion she would make her move.

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian watched, his blue eyes reflecting his true appreciation, as Mishta took his katana, offering up her katana to him. If it showed anything to either of them at that exact moment, Lucian hoped that it showed their mutual trust and respect in and for the other. As Mishta turned from him though, he turned towards the hydra, letting his eyes focus clearly on it. Even as he looked, some of the heads were following Mishta's movements, and that was something he had to fix.

With a steely gaze, Lucian walked, his steps slow and confident. Every step brought him closer to the being that may as well have been death incarnate. One-by-one, every head turned towards him. Words did not exist to describe what happened next, and even Lucian noticed it only just in time to avoid certain death. As one, each head leaned back for but a moment, and then lurched forward, snake-like necks whipping forward. It was only by sheer warrior instinct that Lucian dove to the side. Moments after he left his feet, he felt a surge hit the spot he had just left, and as he rolled and kept moving, he turned to see what had happened.

It was well known that hydras, like dragons, generally were attributed to one element or the other, but such did not seem to be the case with this beast. Every one of the four elements, fire, acid, lightning, and ice, had come from the jaws of this beast. Two lines of each, eight in total, had hit the spot he'd just left, leaving it scorched, sizzling, and smoking. Even after Lucian dodged the initial blast, he knew he was far from safe. He moved forward, giving a loud battle shout.

It was as Lucian rushed forward that the truest weapon that a hydra had showed in full fashion. Lucian had two weapons, but the hydra had eight. His blue eyes darted back and forth, trying to follow the motions of each head. It seemed an impossible task that lay before him. His blades lifted, parrying here, cutting there, doing anything he could think of to keep those any of those heads from getting a hold of him.

Lucian had long since given up on counting the heads. His plan was to keep all of them focused on him, but he had no way to keep track of that. There was only him and this fearsome beast, locked in a deadly dance that only one of them could survive. Even still, Lucian did his best, leaping here and there, parrying, cutting, dodging, rolling, anything and everything he could think of. Even worse than the teeth though, was the breath. That first time, the heads had breathed as one, but now they came sporadically. First he would parry a head, then twist his body to dodge another, and have to throw himself to the ground to just barely avoid a streaming bolt of lighting. As he hit the ground, he had to spring to his feet to avoid another pair of teeth, after which he had to slide to the side.

Lucian had no idea where Mishta was just then, had no idea what she was doing. His entire focus was on the hydra, and this lethal dance that needed every bit of his attention, focus, skill, and more. Within minutes his face was black from the soot of the flames. Any bit of his skin that was visible had marks of the battle, grazes of teeth and scales, or small scorch marks of fire or lighting that had come to close. Worse of all though, was the his own flagging strength. Lucian was in the grip of his own adrenaline, but even he knew that without Mishta's help, he would parish soon enough.

 

[Medevelin]

Lucian moved fast to begin his distraction of the beast, if that was at all possible considering it could just as easily split it's concentration between the two but for the time being Lucian had it's attention. Mishta didn't waste any time making her move around behind the beast though before she could do much she heard the crackle of it's magic hitting the ground not far from Lucian. In fact he had been lucky to avoid the beasts powers.

As terrifying as it was to witness Mishta knew she couldn't waste time admiring it's might and went steadfastly back to her task. The tail of the hydra swung violently around, she had barely jumped over one of it's swipes and rolled bringing herself back to her feet as quickly as she could barely in time to see one of the heads following her. It seemed to be cornering her and not allowing her to get out of it's line of sight. Thinking quickly she ran towards the wall in the hopes that it would chase her. Thankfully it did and running up a few paces she performed a back flip up over top of the head of the creature who itself slammed hard into the wall, momentarily getting itself stuck. That was enough time for her to land on it's neck and control her balance. She gripped tightly to Lucian's blade and turned around, running down it's neck towards it's core.

As the neck retracted and her footing became unsure she hopped onto the adjacent neck but as agile as she was she could not gain control of her footing and began to stumble. To make matters worse the head which had been tracking her now opened it's mouth and a loud screech bellowed out of it followed by a beam of ice, which she barely avoided by tumbling off the hydra onto the ground. It was by lucky chance that the beam hit the beast itself and froze the one neck solid in ice. It's lack of mobility now provided a sturdier platform for her. She hopped up again and ran down, landing on the base of it's neck. She brought the sword above her head and struck down at the heart of the beast. A smile grew on her lips as she heard the multiple heads squeal in pain and blood gush up, spraying her face and chest.

However it did not kill the beast and one of the heads swung around knocking her off it's back. The sword still stuck in where she plunged it. At a loss for what to do and now without a weapon she looked to see Lucian still fighting for his life. She would have to try to get back on it and stab again but she was now cornered, with several of the heads coming from different sides.

"Lucian, it didn't work. What do I do? I am trapped." She hollered, as she dodged the jabbing heads but remaining contained to the same area. She had expelled much of her energy in the first attempt and needed to recover before she could attempt another feat as before.

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian had no sight of Mishta, and he had almost forgotten about her until he heard the beast scream. He turned to see one of the heads turned to a solid block of ice. It was at that exact moment that the plan came to him. If they did not possess a weapon to neutralize the heads, then they needed to turn the heads upon each other. Even his mithril scimitars seemed to bounce right off of the resilient scales. It's teeth however were sharp, and it's breath was deadly, even to itself.

"You've found a weakness we can use Mishta! We have to bait it's breath into striking itself!"

Even knowing a possible weakness of the beast didn't make the task itself any easier. There were seven heads attacking the pair now, but seven could prove to be enough. Lucian was pinned down by four heads, and three of them had turned towards Mishta. They kept her cornered and would kill her soon enough if he didn't do something. "Quicksilver Motion!" Lucian screamed the words, forcing himself to focus despite his frantic efforts to survive. Within a moment he was before Mishta once more. "Time Stands Still!" Again he screamed it, heedless of all but the task that was before him.

With the first of eight actions that would come in the blink of an eye, Lucian tossed the scimitar in his hand into the air. With the second he lifted Mishta's machete from his belt. With the third he flicked it towards her, the blade pointing up. Then, with a flurry of motion, he whipped back around, reached to grab his own spiraling scimitar from the air. Four motions remained, and he was determined to make every one of them count. A single step brought him closer to the beast, forcing it's heads inwards. His blades leaped forward then. With four lighting-quick motions, he stabbed the beast in it's body. He knew he wouldn't hurt it much, but he had other plans.

He took a brief step back and to the side, noting the location of one of the beasts broad feet. He was between it and a few of the heads, and he sought to use that to his advantage. Again and again the heads dipped and swung, this way and that, trying to penetrate the defenses of the man that defied it so. IF not for the stance that had saved him so many times, Lucian wouldn't have lived, but with each miss the creature grew angrier, and with that anger came mistakes. As one, four heads whipped back, the four on the left. Lucian was busy fending off the three on the right, but he saw them and knew what was coming. The moment they whipped back he dared to swirl in a circle, bravely brandishing both blades. It was the secret method of recovery known only to the war blades. A display of skill and speed, paired with a brief period of standstill. It left him vulnerable for but a moment, but he hoped it would take effect in time.

Time seemed to slow for Lucian as those heads whipped forward. In his eyes he saw what each head would do. The farthest left spewed acid, the next one over spit ice, the third would spit the fire, and the closest to the center would spit lightning. "Quicksilver Motion!" Lucian screamed it again, hoping that his recovery method had worked. The elements surged from the heads of the beast, and Lucian's technique worked once again. He'd been there at first, and then he was gone. Without his body there to absorb the strikes, the four breath weapons flew forth instead into the leg of the beast!

Lucian meanwhile had surged to his left. "Mishta! Be ready!" In the blink of an eye he'd planted his left foot on the knee of the beast and pushed off and backwards. As the heads roared their pain, their own powerful weapons scorching, frying, burning, and freezing it's own leg, Lucian kicked off the strong leg of the beast. He back flipped between a couple of the upraised heads and necks, landing squarely on the creature's back. "Strike of Perfect Clarity!" Lucian's voice rose within the echoing room. As he came down onto the beast's broad back, he drove his scimitars in beside his katana. Then, in the same motion, his hands grasped the hilt of his mightiest weapon. "Strike the heads now Mishta!"

Lucian's vision was swimming. Too many maneuvers in such a short period of time. He fought the the feeling though and forced one last maneuver. "Dancing Mongoose!" The mithril blade shined brightly as Lucian lifted it. The blade gleamed in the light as it surged down. One swift stroke severed one of the becks, right at the body. Again and again the mighty blade lifted and fell. Three swings severed three necks. It took both of the last two swings granted to him by the maneuver to sever a fourth. That left three active heads and the frozen one. Lucian's strength flagged however, and before he even knew what was happening, the tail of the hydra arched over itself. Lucian had just enough time to turn to his right. He saw the tail sweeping towards him, but had no defense against it. The tail hit him hard and followed right through, sending him flying against the wall. His back hit the wall hard, and he collapsed to the floor. The last thought that had passed through his mind was that he'd taken out four heads, and one was frozen. That left three heads for Mishta in but a minute's time, or all was lost.

 

[Medevelin]

It was not battle that she was seeing in Lucian but pure art. The swift and fluent motions, the grace at which he performed them and seemingly danced around the beast, it was unlike anything she'd seen before, even from him. She would have been in awe had not there been mortal danger rearing it's ugly heads at her. Lucian gave his order for her to strike the heads and with her newly reacquired blade in hand she gripped tightly and wiped the awe from her expression and replaced it with her cold steely glare.

The first head she charged at with abandon and grotesquely hacked it apart with several sloppy but effective chops, it fell to pieces on the ground as another came surging from behind her. She was ready though, knowing it would come and swiftly flipped in the air, landing in a sitting position on it's neck. Her legs squeezed either side of it's throat and she stabbed her blade down into it, first wrenching it right and then left before swinging her body down underneath it, the blade following as it cut cleanly through the neck. The second head now severed she turn her attention to the last.

She was ready for it but out of the corner of her eye she saw Lucian get struck by it's tail, in the hesitation where she almost went to his side she allowed the beast to get close enough and it's razor jaw clamped tightly on her shoulder, she could feel it puncturing and shrieked in pain as it whipped her around like a doll in mid-air. Out of instinct she began to hack at it until it let her go. She collapsed to the ground, staring up at the creature as it bellowed out before coming at her again. This time she gave it her full attention and thrust the sword up into it's mouth. It whipped it's head back but Mishta and her blade remained attached and using the momentum she swung up, the sword splitting the creature through the middle of the skull as she sat now mounted on it's head. With a loud cry for blood she unsheathed her sword from his mouth and in one fell swing beheaded the creature.

The now dying behemoth whipped violently around, all of it's necks and tail desperately swinging though she knew it was no longer alive and the body was merely twitching. She rolled to the ground and ran right to Lucian, gripping her one limp arm and shoulder as she came to his side.

"Lucian, we did it. It's dead. Are you alright?" She let her arm fall to her side while her other brushed hair from his blue eyes. A smile on her face slightly hidden by the blood and gore which had splattered on it.

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian had but one dream while he was unconscious. He naturally dreamed of the hydra and the battle that had been fought and was still being fought. He saw himself, standing with Mishta. He was watching it in third person though, watching the way they'd executed his first plan. Even though it had failed, the pair had still executed it perfectly. Even he couldn't help but marvel in the privacy of his own mind and dreams, at Mishta's agility and dexterity. In his dream he'd seen her not only balance on the tail and body, but on one of the necks as well. The dream started to fade then, and he felt himself being shaken.

"Lucian, we did it. It's dead. Are you alright?"

Lucian heard Mishta's words, but he found himself unable to respond. Then, he finally forced his eyes open, a battle in and of itself. The sight before him was a grisly one indeed. Mishta was injured and covered in blood, both hers and the hydras. He had a feeling that he looked much the same as she. The one sight that made him pause however, was the sight of Mishta smiling. It was the first time he'd ever seen her smile, and it was truly a lovely sight. It was only after that thought that Lucian noticed that Mishta's hand was resting against his cheek. Their eyes had been locked from the moment he'd woken up, his deep blue with her hazel. With a groan however, he made to push himself up. A splitting pain wracked his body though, and he groaned again, giving up for now the effort to sit up.

It was at that exact moment, as Lucian lay back down that he saw the hydra give it's last twitch and lay still. He could have sworn that he was dreaming as he continued to look at it though. The beast began to shrink, and the same mist that it had been created by appeared once more. He was confused and awed at the same time. Then however, a terrifying thought came to his mind. He recalled tales of Balor demons exploding when they died, causing devastating destruction, even in death. He wondered then, if this hydra was doing something similar. Lucian feared that this gas was poisonous. He could only gasp for breath though, and point at the gas.

The gas on the other hand, seemed to have a life of it's own. No sooner had the last of the hydra evaporated into the gas, than the gas started to move. It was coming right for them! Lucian knew that he was dead if that gas was poisonous. The armor he wore had protected him from the worst of the impact, but his entire body was likely bruised. It would take him some time to be able to stand, let alone run. As Lucian looked on though, the mist started to whirl around Mishta. He knew not what was going on, but he knew that he had no way to stop it, and no way to save her if she needed saving. He could only watch and hope for the best.

 

[Medevelin]

As the grand beast finally became still it seemed to disintegrate into a mist, like that one would find at the base of a waterfall. This mist however seemed not to be scattered and instead flowed towards the two of them. Lucian was the first to notice it and Mishta only turned to look when he pointed his finger.

She had barely noticed that she had smiled at him nor took time to reflect on placing her hand against his cheek, instead she became focused on the mist that swirled around her. At first she was afraid, that the mist would consume her but it began to solidify around her.

The armor is of a cold blue steel hue, though certain parts the blue is more defined than others. The spaulder’s were unique in that each shoulder was covered by a hydra head each looking down towards the center of the plate, which itself was a solid mithril but engraved with hydra scales. It cut off above the second rib with only yet another much smaller insignia of a hydras head in the middle hanging down just to the cusp of the end of the rib cage. Unlike the spaulder hydras it looked straight ahead with a gaping mouth. A thin and highly flexible mithril mail came down the left side of the stomach, cutting around and leaving the navel and entire right side bare. It attached to the battle skirt on the left hip. The breastplate cut off at the collar bone leaving a small showing of skin between it and the gorget around the neck which was of the same flexible mithril as the stomach piece.

At the top and bottom of the gorget the trim is of two intertwining hydra necks, at the back the head of one head has it’s teeth clenched together providing a loop for the other head to attach to when putting on or removing the piece. In the front middle on the top trim a blue ovular jewel is embedded.

The battle skirt has the same trim at the top as the gorget but is two inches thick and is hooked together by a belt buckle of sorts in the front which has the same hydra insignia as is in the middle of the chest plate. The streams of mithril fabric dangle down from the belt half way down her thighs cutting off a few inches above her knees. Smaller blue jewels also ovular are embedded a centimeter above each of the strands triangular tips.

The gauntlets on her forearms have the same steel as her breastplate and a hydra head on each one pointing up her forearm, smaller versions of the images on her spaulders. Her lower legs are protected up to the knee by greaves made of yet again the same metal as her breastplate, two more hydra heads act as kneeguards. The greaves cut down below the back of the knee for flexibility and while attached to the greaves, the knee pieces are detachable and connected by that same flexible mithril. The shoes are armored on the top but only attached to the greaves by the thin mithril and the bottom is of a flexible but sturdy rubber-like material that provide good traction while keeping the shoes light-weight.

The gloves are again hydra head designs, which are made to look like a hydras open maw when her hands are open and a closed jaw when her hands are in fists. Only the back side of the hand is of the armor material and the rest is mithril mesh for flexibility. The fingers are cut off at the knuckle.

Even her blade was replaced by a sword whose hilt and guard was shaped like a hydra’s head and bejeweled with another ovular blue gem. The blade itself was longer and more slender, light-weight and agile. The blade was straight, not a single curve but had a groove down the middle of each side which would help as it was more aerodynamic.

The mist did not however merely just turn into armor around her which was shocking enough in itself. But they also seemed to cleanse her, she felt the dirt and gore rid itself and her wounds sealed and healed before her very eyes. It felt as if she had taken a bath and slept lengthily in the blink of an eye. Even her hair was revitalized and a fervently crimson red.

She looked to Lucian in awe. Unable to believe what had happened. Her old clothes and blade had been consumed and in it’s place a much improved set of armor and sword. She felt different, not only rejuvenated but more powerful. There was magic to this armor and she felt it coursing through her. It must have been how Lucian felt, though she couldn’t imagine her new power was near Lucian’s.

“What do you make of this? Did you know this would happen? I feel… I feel magic… I feel strength… I feel… power…” She said, almost euphorically emphasizing the last word. Something inside her had changed, maybe even she herself was changed.

 

[LucianDevine]

Lucian, like Mishta, was afraid of the mist at first. As he looked on though, the true nature of it became clear. Words did not exist to truly describe the transformation. He saw it as Mishta couldn't, all at once. He'd seen her looking down at herself while it was happening, but he'd watched it all. It had started to gather at her feet, but the mist had seemed to have a mind of it's own. The mist had gathered around her and her alone. It then looped up her legs, around her waist, twisted around her arms, and encircled her body and head until she'd been completely consumed and disappeared from his view.

When the mist finally started to disperse, what it left in it's wake was as beyond description as the entire experience before it. The mist broke apart, and at it's center stood Mishta, recognizable now only by her hazel eyes and suddenly vibrant red hair. The armor she wore was unimaginable. It would have taken a mast artist just to draw up such a picture, let alone a smith to craft it.

“What do you make of this? Did you know this would happen? I feel… I feel magic… I feel strength… I feel… power…”

Mishta's words snapped Lucian out of his reverie, but it took them longer to work their way into his mind. When at last they did, he shook his head to clear his thoughts. If she'd looked beautiful before, clad in her rag tag armor with the machete, she truly was beauty perfected now.

"Stories say..." Lucian began, his eyes clouding over as he became lost in his mind at the possibilities. "that when a powerful creature, or even person is slain, it can choose to remain in the world. It is said that it can bind itself to it's destructor, lending it's strength to the worthy foe that defeated it." Lucian shoved himself to his feet, ignoring for now the pain that wracked his body. He had to move around Mishta, had to see and behold what she'd become. As he spoke again, his hand reached out to touch the armor, first grazing over the scale engraved chest plate. He knew it was mithril, from the way it looked and felt. Next, his hand grazed over the large ovular sapphire in the center. Lucian cared not that he was doing something impolite. He simply had to admire the armor that had appeared before their very eyes.

Even after Lucian had taken in every detail of the armor, his hand trailed down to the sword she now held. The blade was longer than her previous one, thinner too. It was a sleek and slender blade, but the mithril it was made of lent it strength.

"Truthfully, I had no idea anything of the sort would happen Mishta. The creatures who feared the power of the elements never knew what form the power would take, or what would be found in each of the temples. It seems however, that you at least were meant to be here. This hydra was a test, and in defeat it granted you the gift that was meant for you alone. It was your words that triggered the floor collapse, your intuition that got us through the maze, and even your presence around the pillar that triggered the hydra. If there are gifts to be had by champions alone, then I think it's safe to say that you are the champion of earth."

Lucian was briefly at a loss at how to proceed, but as fate would have it, the door that had been across the room from the entrance started to slowly grind open. Any other time, Lucian would have taken the lead, without hesitation, but he was reluctant to do so now. He was injured, and she seemed to be the champion here. It didn't seem right in his eyes to take the lead, not here at least. "After you." Lucian said softly, his blue gaze still marveling at the true beauty she'd become.

 

[Medevelin]

By nature she was at first wary of him as his hands and eyes inspected her armour. Indeed she felt her armour was more extravagant than her modest attire before if not more revealing of her body. Amazons of her tribe were not born to worry about their beauty as it had no help in combat and with barbarians especially often was a detriment. Many of the beautiful women of her tribe had been subject to insufferable fates at their hands. However, despite herself and maybe not even consciously as Lucian looked her over she hoped his astonishment had something to do with her beauty. The armor fit around her as if it was tailor made for her and as Lucian explained the events leading to now, it might have been true that she was this champion of earth.

Sliding her blade into the sheath on her back she hugged her hands around her hips. The subconscious thought of wanting to be attractive to him clashed with her conscious mind and made her feel a little sick. She was not bred to be a desire of man. Still, even if she wouldn't ever admit it openly or even in her own mind there was a growing attraction and some small shameful part of her was thankful for the armour displaying her shape.

As the door opened slowly with the same grind of stone on stone they'd experienced upon entering the room her mind was taken off the internal dilemma and hopefully faded the red from her cheeks that came of embarrassment as he'd inspected her.

"Are you well enough to travel? Maybe we should rest here. Though I do desire to get out before we encounter some other beast." In her head she was pining for the days when barbarians were the only beasts she'd known. Hydra's and minotaurs were much more frightening, not that she wanted it known she was afraid. Though the nature of her pride had changed, she more and more was placing importance in Lucian's opinion and less on her own teachings. She did not know when but her hatred of him was all but gone and their first battle with each other seemed a distant memory. Being that her tribe had no word for this affection she was feeling for him she chose to ignore it and definitely would not let him know what she felt though something in her wanted him to feel the same way.

 

[LucianDevine]

Mishta's reactions to Lucian's touch didn't pass his notice, but he decided it best to just leave it be for now. The pair had more important things to worry about.

"Are you well enough to travel? Maybe we should rest here. Though I do desire to get out before we encounter some other beast."

Lucian took pause at Mishta's words. In truth he knew it was probably best to wait. Logic dictated that they were likely safe now that they'd completed what seemed to have their test of this temple, but survival instincts said to wait.

It wasn't until that exact moment, thinking about future dangers, that Lucian became aware of the fact that he had none of his weapons on him. Any other time and place, he would have instantly thought of them, but his thoughts seemed different now. Mishta's presence certainly caused a change in him.

With slow steps, Lucian walked towards his weapons. His scimitars lay near where the hydra had faded away, and his katana was not far from them. He retrieved them, sheathed them, and turned back towards Mishta. With the same slow and slightly anguished pace, Lucian moved towards her. He knew he was bruised, but didn't know what could be done about it.

"We did well against that hydra Mishta, you and I. It took both of us to beat it, and I'm glad you were here with me, even if I am not a bit worse for wear." Lucian spoke the words light-heartedly. Once he'd finished speaking he rolled his shoulders and lifted a hand to attempt to massage a knot out of his shoulder. He doubted it would do much good though, but it helped his mind to know he was at least trying.