Prologue Episode 1: Into the woods! That tree isn't a tree!
-Maka Perspective-
I was maneuvering through the woods via the forest floor path which was made all the more difficult due to the tangle of roots and undergrowth. Right behind me was Kid and his two weapon partners and above me being inhumanly loud was Black Star who was being followed by his partner Tsubaki who was attempting to get him to shut his mouth. My partner Soul was in his weapon form just in case we came under attack by one of the strange creatures that are said to inhabit this vast and highly magical forest.
"Maka something doesn't seem right," Soul told me, "There's no animals or wind."
"You're right Soul," I answered stopping to scan the area, "where approaching the heart of the woods but we haven't encountered any of the creatures that are said to inhabit this area"
I continued to walk along the path keeping my eyes focused on what was in front of me as I tried to navigate the wild undergrowth.
"This forest is a dirty horrid place," Kid began pouting, "and there is no symmetry what so ever…this place is monstrous."
I sighed as I continued along the path which was so choked with undergrowth I began using Soul to cut a path for myself.
"Maka look!" Soul shouted confused, "The undergrowth grows back within only a couple of seconds of it being cut down."
"Well I guess it's the magic of the area feeding the plants and encouraging their growth," I sighed knowing that this would make that much more difficult.
"I'm number one," Black Star screamed at the top of his lungs from overhead, "I'm the greatest, I'm the best, and I'm invincible."
"Black Star," Tsubaki shouted, "Black Star please you must be quieter or we'll be heard,"
"What could hear us Tsubaki?" Black Star continued shouting, "There's nothing here."
I sighed knowing that though he was powerful he was very arrogant and would more than likely get them into trouble with his loud mouth.
Creeeeaaaaak!
"Maka did you hear that?" Soul Inquired.
"Yeah, I did," I told him, "but what was it?"
"I don't know," He told me, "but whatever it was it sounded close."
As I slowly and cautiously continued down the path on the lookout for any danger I could have sworn I saw one of the trees in front of me move even though there was no wind. As I slowly approached it Black Star was recklessly leaping from branch to branch still shouting at the top of his lungs. I began to yell at him but was cut off by a very strange event. As soon as Black Star touched the tree I thought had moved, the tree literally grabbed him, and whipped him into another tree.
"Black Star!" Tsubaki yelled the concern evident in her voice, "Black Star are you okay!"
As she took off to go help Black Star I examined the monster before me. It looked like a giant tree that had taken on the features of a human. It had hands that held seven digits each on its hands, legs that ended in feet with ten toes on one foot, three on the other, a head with surprisingly intelligent eyes, and top that all off with it being a good fifty feet tall.
"What the hell is that thing?" Soul inquired as we dodged an attack from the monster.
"It's the legendary guardian of Witch Wood," I shouted trying to find an opening for me to launch my own attack, "I think it's called a Trent!"
As I continued to evade its wild attacks I looked for an opening to launch my own set of attacks but every time one opened it was closed only a few seconds later way too fast for me to circumnavigate its powerful attacks.
"Damn it," Soul shouted in frustration, "We can't even get close enough to hit the damn thing!"
"I know," I shouted right back, "and we can't keep evading its attacks all day!"
"You're…a…MONSTER!" Kid shouted behind me firing wildly, "I'll rid the world of your ugliness."
"He's gone completely ballistic," Soul sighed as the spirit bullets whizzed by us, "but he's making a good distraction."
"We can't let this chance slip by us," I shouted leaping up a tree to try and attempt to reach the height of the trent's head.
As I reached the height of the things head I realized something, Kid's attacks weren't harming it in the slightest, and that was unnerving with how it just simply shrugged off his attacks. I by now was level with the trent's head so I now launched my attack on the distracted creature. I leapt from the branch Soul held high as I made my attempt at removing its head from its shoulders. When I brought Soul crashing into its target I felt the blade strike the bark skin of the trent and that was it.
"What!?" I yelled as the attack didn't even faze the monster, "How is this possible!?"
I had now drawn the attention of the trent which lashed out at me with lightning fast reflexes. I barely dodged the attack as Black Star who had apparently regained consciousness, begins launching his own serious of attacks. He was attacking with Tsubaki who was in her chain scythe form but like everyone else he was having little to no effect. As I maneuvered to try and attack its feet to hopefully bring it down it did something completely unexpected. It extended its arms a good thirty feet to strike at Kid who had tried to put some distance between himself and the monster. Black Star took this opportunity to begin hacking at its arms with little success. Kid barely dodged the attack launched from the trent while had unsuccessfully attempted to destroy its legs.
"What does it take to kill this thing!" Black Star Roared in frustration as he evaded a counter attack launched at him by the vines now erupting from its arms, "This thing is going to kill us before we can even figure out how to hurt it."
"Maka I hate to admit it but he's right," Soul shouted, "If we don't think of something fast we're mulch."
"That's not funny Soul!" I yelled evading several vines that had been launched at me.
"I wasn't attempting to be funny," Soul hissed at me, "I was serious about what I said."
That's when it struck me as to what we could do. It would take me a couple of seconds to launch the attack and even a second in this type of battle could be an eternity but it would take a huge risk on the part of both Kid and Black Star.
"Kid, Black Star," I called out to them, "I need you to distract that thing for a minute."
"Oh and how the hell do you expect us to do that?" Kid screamed at me, "We can barely hold our own now!"
"Shut your mouth and just do it," I screamed at him as I began charging my attack.
"What the Hell are you doing?" Black Star yelled just barely dodging a powerful punch from the trent.
I was preparing to use one of the most powerful attacks I could muster…I was preparing to use Witch Hunter. I was so focused on trying to build the power for the attack that I was ignoring the target and what it was doing.
"Maka watch out," Black Star yelled blocking a vine that had been aimed at my head, "Look not to sound pushy but can you hurry up."
"Don't worry I'm nearly ready," I assured him.
Kid barely dodged a wild vine shot by the trent while Black Star began hacking at its legs with little to no effect and then it was ready.
"Okay!" I yelled, "Move now!"
I spun launching the attack which sent a giant energy crescent flying at the trent's head. Kid and Black Star barely managed to jump out of the way of the incoming attack. When it struck it vertically split the trent's head clean in two and it's vines stopped their attack.
"Yes, we got it," Soul cheered.
"Why isn't it falling over?" I wondered out loud a feeling of unease creeping over me.
"Who cares we beat it," Black Star cheered as Tsubaki returned to her human form, "We're number one, we're number one!"
He continued to cheer this until something very intimidating happened. The trent raised its arms and recombined the two halves of its head.
"That is problematic," I stammered in utter shock.
"You think!" Kid shouted at me, "You just split its head in half and it barely fazed it!"
By now the trent had fully healed its wounds and turned towards us the rage evident in its eyes and that rage was directed directly at us.
"I think it might be a good idea to start running," I stated the panic beginning to rise in my voice.
"You think it's a good idea to run?" Soul questioned sarcastically, "I say we stop thinking and start doing!"
"The great Black Star never runs," Black Star yelled but then a giant wooden fist came crashing down next to him missing him by inches, "but a strategic retreat is a different matter!"
All of us took off running attempting to put as much distance between us and the enraged trent as possible which strangely enough was quite easy. The trent chased us for only about two mile before it stopped and just stood there roaring at us but to make sure we continued running for five extra miles.
"I think huff huff we huff huff lost it," Kid yelled, "Can we huff huff stop running?"
"I think huff huff we'll be safe for now," I huffed slowing down to a jog.
"I can't believe huff that we huff made it out of that huff alive," Tsubaki sighed falling to her knees due to exhaustion.
"Come on Tsubaki that little run was nothing!" Black Star laughed.
All of us except Black Star and Soul who had now returned to his human form fell down from exhaustion. I couldn't believe we actually escaped from the trent.
"Hehehehehe," Someone snickered.
"Who the hell is snickering!?" Soul growled looking around.
"There they are," Tsubaki shouted pointing up and to the left.
I turned to see two spirits floating just above a tree branch and the snickering was coming from them.
"Follow us," they whispered, "follow us and meet your fate."
"What?" I said shocked as they took off through a group of weeping willows that were obscuring the other side, "After them!"
We all took after the two spirits that had taunted us and as we rushed through the willow branches we burst out into one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. We entered a clearing that was surrounded by a ring of weeping willows that blocked the sight line of people who would attempt to look in on the sight that was before us. In the dead center of the glade stood a tree of titanic proportions, around the top of the tree spun a circle of spirits, in the canopy of the tree shined many lights of varying color and intensity, and kneeling before a huge door in the tree's trunk was a man in black armor staring at us from under his helmeted head.
"Fate," a voice sounded in my mind, "has abandoned you little birds."
"Who are you?" I questioned.
"Maka who are you talking too?" Tsubaki questioned.
"I-I-I don't know," I answered fear beginning to fill my mind.
"Maka don't be afraid," Soul hissed, "I heard him too."
"Come now little birds,"the voice laughed, "Come and face your doom…face your fate."
With this the warrior got to his feet and I knew that this would be one of the toughest battles of my life.
To Be Continued…
Prologue Episode 1: Into the woods! That tree isn't a tree! Is over…
Preview of Prologue Episode 2: The Botanical Warrior! A Fated Battle!?
"I will bring you peace," He laughed summoning more roots from the ground in an attempt to skewer us, "Through death"
"What do you know about peace?" I yelled slicing through the roots with Soul, "You're nothing but a monster."
"Maka watch out," Kid roared shooting the vines that had erupted from the ground and aimed directly for my heart.
"You are nothing but a weak child," The voice continued to laugh launching another group of vines at me that were quickly shot down by Kid leaving himself wide open for my attack; "You're nothing but a cowardly fool."
"I am far from being a weak coward," I snarled bringing my scythe up to end him, "I'll end you here and now for what you've done to my friends!"
Preview over.
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