//------------------------------// // Panda Expressions // Story: The Equestrian Gourmet // by Gamel_Lightshow //------------------------------// Richard jumps back as a red bulbous flower burst from the ground below him its teeth closing around the air and dirt flung up with it. Despite the close call to death, he scrambles to keep his balance and backs further away from the chaos swarming around him. Earth shoots up into the air following another plant's emergence from the yielding field under him covering himself and anything near in dirt and clay. Richard grits his teeth and shakes his head while moving further away from the fight happening around him. He proceeds to go through his inventory to find his more helpful supplies. "Our Lord, that art in heaven, just why!?" Richard yells tossing some exploding shrooms into the maw of one such carnivorous plant. He chances a look back towards Blake whose currently in the thick of it all. Blake finds himself being backed by his treants who swing their arms through the mass of void creatures attempting to get at the both of them. Sadly, it seems that some of the other treants didn't get the memo of whose enemy and foe. Each of the turned treants has flowers blooming from their bodies, unlike their unturned brothers. More importantly. they are just as vicious when not under Blake's control. Maybe even a little bit worse. "Just stop already!" Blake yells into the face of one of the turned treants before moving out the way of a hulking fist, "What do you mean you can't!" The day was proceeding on so well. Their spirits were high and it seemed like the clouds that were gathering ahead were no longer present. A beautiful clear day through the forest on the way to their next designation. And then Richard just had to open his chat. He had to meet someone new and head out for them. Which leads to the three strikes against the two. Three strikes that lead to a bad day. What should've been an easy kill and grab turned into something far worse. It was going great until they came across the area they needed to be in. The first indication that they were in the right area was the giant cultivated hedge suddenly filling their vision. What came next was an utter mess. Void creatures attacked them from seemingly nowhere all with this crazed determination. And it only seemed to get graver from there as when one died, several others would take its place. And now, here they are wondering what they're going to do against the mobs of creatures attempting to hound them. Richard finds a moment to breathe as he gets back behind the line of war. He thinks back through the day seeing if there was any sort of warning sign they might have missed. "Think this is it?" Blake asks as the two travelers come up to a rather large hedge that reaches up to the bottom of the trees above their heads, "It feels pretty solid too." "Yeah? This might be it. Though the message said that this was supposed to be a giant garden. I don't see the garden portion yet, but I guess we'll first need to find the entrance for that. I also still haven't gotten a reply yet." "Cool. Cool. So, which way should we go? If she's not replying than she probably needs help or is busy with something." "Maybe... But Snake says go left," Richard says chuckling to himself and closing out of his menus. Blake wrinkles up his nose in disgust, "Why would ever listen to a Skyn? They've been known to be nothing but liars and slavers. Many consider the two to be the same." "No no. Snake is the name of a video game character. Not a race. Different worlds remember. Besides, the only talking snake I can recall from mine was, I believe, supposed to be the devil playing a trick against God's greatest creations." "Right! Right. Sometimes I keep forgetting you're not some sort of hairless animal." Blake admits slightly embarrassed while rubbing the back of his head. "What would that be considered as? Some sort of leprosy? Albinism? Can you guys get that? Like, what's the human to the animal ratio for you guys?" Richard asks as they make their way around. "What's Leprosy?" "Right. Child. You probably haven't learned that. Or you guys don't have that. Sorry. Forget I asked." Richard says dismissing the question. "Done! Now, how about some more snacks for my good deed?" Blake says smugly. "You already ate on the way here. You remember what happened last time you overindulged." "But I've been practicing!" Blake says pouting moving in front of Richard. "Oh? So what you're saying is... You're the reason why certain ingredients have been disappearing huh?" Richard says popping his knuckles and looking the deer-morph in the eyes. "I er... no?" A screech of inhuman proportions knocks the two out of their talk. Their heads lock in the way they were headed to see several creatures making their way towards them. Several dark imp creatures, several void bats, and a few darkened wolves make their way towards them with destructive steps. "Incoming!" Richard yells reaching into his bag for the shrooms, "Plan C Plan C." "Got it!" Blake yells running up to a nearby tree and causing it to rise out of the ground, "Come on guys! Let's do some damage!" The treants begin to rise and swat several of the dark creatures away and into wisps of black smoke. Vines erupt from the treants capturing and crushing others. Blake leaps into battle punching and slamming everything around him. Richard throws out several shrooms to scatter out the larger clusters. "Why are there so many!?" Richard yells jumping away from the snapping jaws of a wolf, "I was expecting a fight sure, but not on this level!" "Who cares! Let's just wipe the floor with them!" Blake laughs out heartily. "Stick to the plan!" Richard says getting behind the defensive line of growing treants. "Yeah hahaha!" Blake laughs out darting around the battlefield now bitting into enemies. Richard looks around the vanguard around him and quickly picks up a rather long stick and enchanting it with fire. "Weapon ready!" Richard yells throwing it towards Jake. Blake quickly snatches it out of the air and brings it down through the skull of another imp. "Thank you!" Blake yells. "Just hurry up and get rid of all of them will you?" Richard mumbles to himself trying to keep an eye on the battle and his own set. "Move damnit! Blake, we need to back off and rethink our entrance strategy! The foliage is too thick and if we try to burn them we might have a forest fire on our hands along with who knows what else!" Blake says nothing as his enchanted stick, whose name is now, Burnabus, brings down another shadow imp with its fiery enchantment. He jumps away from more of the carnivorous plants and stumbles a bit from his over usage of his muscles and treant making skills. Sure the food buffs are helping, but they can only last so long against wave after wave of enemies. Blake, as per usual, seems upset at the idea of backing down but retreats away nevertheless behind Richard. The two back away from the shadows and treants with Blake running interference for anything that tries to stop them. When they get far enough away they proceed to keel over trying to catch their breaths. No matter what anybody says, Richard is not suited for combat and the fact that the two of them can get away with this is nothing outside of a miracle. "So... What now, huh?" Blake says after flopping to his back, "I'm pretty upset we couldn't keep fighting those things. Pretty sure a couple more would've given me a level..." "Yeah, well. We still don't have a clear idea of what those things are, do we? I mean... we have an idea sure, but where do those void portals come from? Even more so, why are there so many in that one area? Is there a portal nearby? If there is, we need to take care of that first and deal with the plants second. "More importantly I need to send a message to our new friend to make sure she hasn't run into any trouble on her end. And maybe see if she can help us out some. "Also... Did you notice anything of importance from when you were fighting? Like the direction that they were coming from? Or any irregular patterns?" "Nope!" He cheerily replies. "Ah... yes. I should've figured.." Blake cocks his head in confusion for a moment, "So, what are we eating tonight?" "A nice cold soup of defeat," Richard sighs, "Served with herbs and spices of your choice." "... Think I could warm it up with Burnabus?"