Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » The Headless Girl(1x1 with Novalynn)

Kara let out a sigh. "We're lost aren't we?"She asked the brightly colored cat spirit beside her. "Uh.... I think we're in... no that's not it...... maybe.... no that's not even on the map..... uh.... Yup. We're lost."Begad said, shredding the map. "BEGAD! WE NEEDED THAT!"Kara said angrily. "Oops...."Begad said given a sheepish smile. "Great... no map, lost in the middle of the forest and no doubt the HEADSMAN is following after us... how could this day get any worse?"Kara asked herself. "We don't need no stinking map!"Begad responded. "I'm a Tree ghost! Remember?"Begad asked. "I know forests like the back of my hand!"The spirit said assured of his navigational skills.

Begad quickly put his ear to a tree root, listening to it. "Yeah.... uh-huh...... got it! Civilization is precisely several miles in that direction!"Begad said, pointing in the direction of the nearest town, well... what he thought was the nearest town.

In the woods, in a bit of thicket, there was an oddly convenient space where a figure stood half hidden from view. It looked more like some sort of rich man's scarecrow than a person: thin, draped in fine cloth with a polished brass mask over its face, and standing perfectly still. Even if it were approached, it would not budge unless an attempt were made to touch or otherwise interact with it in some way.

Kara looked up seeing the figure. She tilted her head slightly confused. "Are there any Forest Spirits like that?"She asked.

"Nope."Begad said running up. "Hey! Who're you?"Begad said, looking up at the figure's mask.

Initially, all the figure did was take a step back. There was murmuring for a moment, and then the figure suddenly sprung into motion. At first, it seemed ready to fight, complete with fire flaring up about its gloved hands. The fire went out a moment later though, and with smoke still rising from its fingers, the figure swept into a deep bow. And still yet, once upright again, a booming voice chastised, "Who so rudely wakes the great Chasu Maru?"

"The great Chasu Ma... Sorry pal, never heard of ya."Begad explained. "You got any clue where we're at?"The cat spirit asked, climbing up onto Chasu.

"Begad! Get off of him!" Kara said darting over. She grabbed onto the Forest Spirit and tugged him off. "I am terribly sorry baout that Mr. Maru, He's a forest spirit and doesn't know any better, I swear!"Kara said.

"Off! Off, beast!" Chasu shook until the young woman retrieved the feline offender. "Pah! Whatever it is, it should have some respect! If there's any blue hairs on me, I swear-"

The being patted itself down, searching irritably for any stray bit of bright fur. As it looked, it mumbled to itself, "Should turn them into toads... light their hair on fire... turn their fingers into worms... make them forever smell cow pies..."

"OI! You're threatening to turn a Forest Spirit into a frog there buddy!"Begad said. "I got half a mind to make the trees swallow ya, or get some hungry bears to eat ya!"Begad said angrily.

"BEGAD! SHUT! UP!"Kara urged. "We've already got an ANGRY Troll Spirit hunting us, we don't need an angry wizard cursing us too! Need I remind you I've already got a curse?!"Kara asked. "I do NOT need another!"She scolded.

"Oh, bears and trees, I'm so frightened!" The voice was dripping with sarcasm, though certainly not so booming as it had been initially. "How about-"

The figure fell suddenly silent as the young woman spoke, then took a step closer, leaning toward her with sudden, apparent fascination. "Curse? Do tell!"

"Well I got caught by a-"Kara managed to say before a loud deep wail echoed through the forest. Kara's eyes went wide with fear. "T-Tell ya later! We gotta move! NOW!"Kara demanded. "D-Do you have a house out here somewhere?!"She asked urgently.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Kara chill! The rotten Trolls all the way on the other side of the forest! It'll be a long time before he catches up to us!"Begad reassured.

"Oh, you mean trees, and animals are gonna slow him down?!"Kara asked, clearly distressed. "Look, let's just get out of this forest! NOW!"She demanded.

"House? Chasu Maru needs no house!" Nor would a house have been much protection from... whatever it was. A troll? Filthy creatures.

The figure gestured with stiff limbs and muttered something incoherent, then threw a ball of glowing mist skyward. It flash outward in a ring, quickly vanishing from sight. Any trolls within a few miles would be getting an unexpected and remarkably localized - but no doubt much needed - shower. In just might be a little... chilly.

"Come, come! And tell me about your curse!" The figure swept its arm out to invite the pair to walk along. Or run, if they preferred.

"NO! You don't understand! This THING isn't just some back water troll!"Kara explained. "I-It's some kind of Demon! Or-Or Evil spirit!"Kara explained. "We have to go NOW!"She reaffirmed, with another deep moan echoing through the forest, this one clearly being much closer to them.

"Okay, yeah I'm with her on this. It got a lot closer."Begad said, hopping up to Kara's shoulders. "We really do need to get moving buddy."He said.

"Then move!" Chasu Maru scoffed and started along at a brisk pace, mumbling complaints about the world being full of idiots. The figure moved a bit stiffly, seeming almost like more of a puppet than a person, but the movements were plenty effective.

"Why would a troll be after a silly girl and her cat, anyway?" the odd, hollow voice asked. It didn't sound the least bit winded. "Is that your curse? Being stalked by annoying creatures? If so, I'd very much prefer you not following me."

"Uh... N-No... the curse I have allows me to remove my head. The troll that's following us is a Spirit, and he's the one that chopped my head off. Apparently I was the only person who'd managed to escape from him."Kara explained, looking back in the forst, seeing various animals dart by as another moan echoed through the trees.

"Allows?" the figure's own head seemed to turn just a little too far to face the young woman as it ran. "You are allowed, but not required, I assume, to do something that any normal creature would die from? Child, do you even know what a curse i-"

Chasu was interrupted by a low branch it had failed to notice in its path. One moment the sorcerer was running and the next it lay on the ground with its legs still kicking. Following a brief vulgarity an unfinished "you stupid...!" the being managed to pop back up and continue running as if nothing had happened.

"I blame you for that, girl!"

"You should've been watching where you were going."Kara replied snidly. Despite the speed they were going at, the moans and roars seemed to still draw closer.

Further behind the Headsman, a massive beast, even by Troll standards, tore through the brush at an alarming rate. It had found its trophy and it was not going to let that blasted girl and her stupid feline spirit escape its grasp this time. With a loud huff the beast swung its axe clean through a tree trunk, bring the plant down to the ground as it tore through the brush in what seemed to be a blind rage.

"I could if you would please refrain from being stupid!" came its response. After another howl echoed through the trees, it commented simply, "Annoying beast, isn't it?"

Kara didn't respond, still running through the woods.

By now the Headsman could see Kara. He could tell she was utterly terrified. The sight of the poor girl brought a terrible, skeletal grin to the spirit's face. It barreled through the brush after her, letting out loud triumphant moan.

"Oh no..."Kara said when she heard the moan and the Headsman's foot falls behind her. "HURRY UP!"Kara ordered Chasu, picking up her pace as best she could.

Rather than speeding up, Chasu Maru's strides became a tad stiffer and a soft mumbling was just barely audible. There was a slight, brief tingle in the air, and the branches of trees suddenly swung and wove together between them and the troll. Roots followed, pulling themselves up from the ground to reinforce the still-expanding barrier.

Sudden high-pitched, maniacal laughter burst from the masked figure, followed by a shout of, "She's mine now, pus bucket!"

An axe sheered through the branches and roots as the Headsman tore through them. The Troll spirit wasn't just going to let some stupid plants get in its way. Branches and roots when flying as the Troll Spirit forced itself through the branches and roots. The beast didn't even seem to take notice of Chasu at all, with its attention locked on Kara.

"Good idea pal"Begad said. Begad stopped as the roar of a grizzly was heard. His already wide grin grew even wider. He darted over to the sound. Kara already had an idea what the Cat Spirit was doing. "Get as many animals as you can to back up those plants!"Begad ordered the wizard as he approached the bear. It wasn't long before Begad had convinced the bear to try and hold off the Headsman, and soon a small pack of wolves joined in, slowing the Troll even more.

The figure turned toward the cat-thing and made a motion as if hurling a ball, despite its hand being empty. A small orb of light flew from its finger tips and dulled into a wad of parchment, its sole purpose to wap Begad in the head before opening and shoving itself in the feline's face. Written across it in lovely, looping script was simply: "THOU SHALT NOT ORDER AROUND THE GREAT CHASU MARU"

With that out of the way, Chasu sent a pulse back through the tangled trees. Every still-living plant it passed rapidly petrified, leaving creatures unharmed but surrounding the troll in a web of thick, interlocking stone. All the little plants on the forest floor also became particularly unpleasant to step on, like many stone needles and blades sticking up from the dirt.