Authors' Notes
Holly-chan: Hello and welcome to the second installment of the Kallo'Yel series: Stuck with You. This installment is MUCH longer than Black Druid, but it is also being co-written in many parts by my dear friend SL, who goes by Tiger of the Wind1 here. Read her other stories, dammit! …Uh… after you read this, that is. ; But anyway… if you haven't read "The Black Druid" yet, you don't have to in order to understand this story; heck, you actually might be more surprised if you didn't read it; but it's up to you. (You can find it in my author profile.) For those of you who did read Black Druid, keep in mind this takes place a year after the end of the last book; what Serosa'ruth and Ky'itae did in the year before the start of this story will come up later, so don't ask about that.
This story is still in progress; so far, there are over 75,000 words written by SL and myself, but there are "gaps" we've left, so to speak, that need to be filled in before the chapters are posted. Not to mention I'm going to college in a week, and SL's gonna be in her senior year of high school, so we might not have as much time to write together. Still, we've already got a good chunk of the story ready, so… good for you, the reader! ;
Oh -- If you catch any mistakes -- grammar, punctuation (though that might be FF-net's fault… it seems to like removing half the punctuation in the stories I submit…), and whatnot, please, let us know so we can fix it. Praise is always nice, but so is constructive criticism -- NOT flames -- constructive crits help us improve as writers. If you've read this far, I thank you and hope you enjoy Stuck with You.
Chapter 1
Serosa'ruth sighed, looking up at the mid-afternoon sky from his perch in the tree. Even after a decade on the surface, the sunlight still stung his eyes slightly. Grateful for his cloak hood, the elf pulled his cowl down, shading his eyes more. A fighter of notable skill, the fae also delved in the druidic arts, his alias and brown/green attire attesting to the fact.
He was dressed quite oddly -- Baggy, thin, earth green leather pants covered his legs down to his shins, where his enchanted boots of speed began. A loose cattle leather shirt, dyed green, covered his torso up to his biceps, serving as light armor. Simple enchantments enhanced protectiveness of the clothing. Reddish-brown bindings ran down the elf's arms, concealing his skin up to his wrists. Leather gloves reached up to an inch below Serosa'ruth's elbow, and over them were padded bracers.
Two belts stretched over Serosa'ruth's shoulders, under his cloak, and met at a metal ring in the center of his chest. On the bottom of the ring, another vertical belt extended downwards, hooked to the buckle of the belt around his waist.
This semi elaborate system was meant to hold his two swords in place on his mid-back. His black cowl was pulled over his head, and a long piece of cloth covered the lower half of his slightly long face. Blue eyes peered out from green skin. A simple enchantment kept his skin that earthen color; he could remove it at will, but so far, his skin remained emerald. Obviously, this druid wanted to keep his subrace a secret.
Sighing once more, Serosa'ruth leaned back against the tree, folding his arms behind his head. Things had been slow in the adventuring department recently. He'd spent a good portion of the last year hunting down orcs with his moon elf companion, whom he'd actually met in a battle with orcs. The two had become close friends quite fast, and while he enjoyed the other elf's companionship, he was itching to see some action in the field of battle soon. Unfortunately, the duo had heard little news of orcs, or any other trouble, since entering Triboar.
"What the hell is this?" exclaimed a rather odd looking woman. At least, odd by the town of Triboar's standards. Much like Serosa'ruth, she seemed to prefer "green" as her theme -- all of her clothes, save for her boots and belt, were some varying shade of it. A medium-green tunic adorned her torso and stopped about half a foot from her knees -- there she wore equally green, somewhat loose pants. The short sleeves of her tunic inches before her elbow, leaving the rest of her arm bare. Dark chestnut boots covered her feet just past the ankles. She wore an olive cloak with its hood pulled down; a clasp in the shape of a unicorn head -- symbol of Mielikki, goddess of rangers -- held the cape in place.
The young woman of short, raven black hair and medium brown skin thrust a short sword dangerously close to a large man's face. He edged back a bit nervously, although he looked just as angry as she was. "You call this a short sword! I couldn't cut butter with this thing!" Her odd eyes -- the right emerald, the left a dark brown -- flared in irritation.
"What you see is what you get, lady," The man growled, crossing his thick and hairy arms over his chest. Muttering a few choice words under her breath, the woman snapped the short sword back into its case, threw the amount of money on the counter and stalked out of the store.
Adjusting the pack of arrows on her back and the finely crafted wooden bow, the half-elf tucked a strand of hair behind her right pointed ear, donned with a simple gold ring earring. "What a joke," She muttered to herself, pulling the sword free and examining the, by her standards, rather dull blade. "Ugh... it'll do for now, I guess..."
"A wild half-elf in a human settlement? And a woodswoman at that, by appearances. Certainly an odd sight, eh Ky'itae?" Serosa'ruth still remained on his limb perch, but he looked down at his companion, a young, probably mid-adolescence (by fey standards) female elf, clad in a reddish-brown tunic, pants, and an old breastplate with matching metal gauntlets. Similar metal boots adorned her feet and legs just below her knees. The moon elf, Ky'itae, placed a fairly pale hand on her chin, her hazel eyes narrowed in thought as she brushed her mid-back length chestnut hair aside.
"Indeed, it is, Serosa'ruth." she agreed with her partner, "Perhaps there is some occurrence in the woods nearby that we should know about?" The moon elf asked out loud, aimed at both her partner and the half-elf. She too craved to find some adventuring to do. Sitting around wasn't a favorite pastime of hers.
The woman, who had been tossing the small sword up and down, stopped in mid throw and glanced over her shoulder. She caught the sword as it fell and arched an eyebrow at Ky'itae, studying her and her partner. "If by 'occurrences' you mean 'weird stuff', then yeah, you could say that."
"I've seen many a strange thing in my young life," Serosa'ruth noted, hopping down from the tree, landing on his feet effortlessly, "So, pray tell m'lady, what you would define as 'weird stuff?'"
The half-elf shrugged, suddenly weary of making conversation with these elves. She placed the short sword back into its sheath, eyeing Serosa'ruth's odd choice of attire. "Mainly all the disappearances that have occurred from the various elf settlements that dwell there. Their members seem to vanish and no one can track them down. Animals found dead, empty of their blood, yet no wounds can be found. Stuff like that." The ranger fumbled with the strap as she tried to tie her new blade around her waist. "I haven't seen any of it myself, however. Just heard the rumors."
"As a druid, I must take any threat to the forest seriously, even if it's only rumors," Serosa'ruth stated grimly, then added with a twinkle in his blue orbs, "and as a fighter, I can't waste a chance to battle monsters when I can. Thanks for the information. Coming, Ky'itae?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." The moon elf huffed, insuring her bastard sword was secure in its sheath before following the concealed druid.
The half-elf woman thought for a moment before hurrying after them. "I'll come with you, if you don't mind. I've got nothing better to do."
Serosa'ruth cocked his head at her, "If you intend to come to help for the sake of aiding nature, or perhaps even for the sense of adventure in itself, you are welcome with open arms. If you expect a money reward, I suggest you change your plans. On the occasion Ky'itae and myself collect, it is rarely more than what we need to pay for provisions."
The woman chuckled, running her finger along her new blade's edge. "I have no need for money, don't worry. Well, not at the moment... ouch!" Her finger disappeared into her mouth and thin red line ran down the side of the short sword. Wow, that was smart...
Serosa'ruth muttered a very brief evocation, flicking his fingers in her direction. The small cut quickly closed up, leaving no mark or sign it had been there at all, save for a small spot of dried blood.
"Try to avoid that in the future," the druid advised, turned around and passing through the town's gates, "I only have so many cure spells saved up, most of them meant for more severe wounds."
The half-elf blinked in surprise, staring stupidly at her finger and nearly walking into a tree in the process. "Huh? Oh... r-right." What surprised her was not the magic, but the act of kindness. She had experienced little of it in her lifetime from strangers. "Thanks."
"Welcome." The elven druid muttered, then fell silent as he continued westward, down the path leading to the Krypt Garden Forest. Ky'itae looked back briefly to ensure the woman still followed, then caught up with her concealed companion's stride.
The half-elf ranger watched them from behind silently, unsure of what to make of them. She figured she was putting too much thought into this, but there was something about them that she couldn't figure out. Hm... Since when did I get so curious about people...? She yawned, and stretched her arms behind her head, enjoying the walk. I wish I had some clue as to what we're even looking for...
- - -
Ky'itae rubbed her half-bare arms, shivering slightly. Even in the early spring, Faerûn's north remained chilly at most times. Her homeland lay a hundred or so miles south, so the moon elf was used to slightly warmer weather. The three of them had traveled for a few hours in silence, not even bothering to exchange names -- looking out for tracks and clues proved more important at the moment. Up ahead, the elf could see the path finally leading into the forest and felt a slight sting of apprehension. Something about the woods felt… well, wrong.
Hmph... I can't get a clue or.. ? The ranger stopped abruptly and took several steps backwards. She crouched down and touched the ground. The grass was flat. Completely and utterly flat. And the depth told it. "A very large creature passed by here," She called to the two elves in front. "Might be what we're looking for."
The two elves turned around and backtracked, Serosa'ruth kneeling down to inspect the large footprint closely.
"Any idea of what made it?" Ky'itae, though raised in the woods and more knowledgeable in the wilderness than most humans, was a warrior, not a druid or ranger, and so she trusted her companions' skills over her own in such matters.
"A bit small for a giant," Serosa'ruth observed, running his gloved fingers over the footprint, "but then again, it could be a giant of shorter stature. I really can't say. Perhaps our new companion might be able to enlighten us?" He trailed, looking up at the half-elf.
She smiled slightly. "It's 'Saeola.' Anyway... You're right that it's not a giant." Her eyes traveled back to the print and a troubled look crosses her face. "This may sound weird, but... I don't know. This doesn't seem like any creature that exists naturally..."
"Could be from another plane, perhaps conjured by a wizard." Serosa'ruth suggested, rising. "Shall we follow the prints? I can see the next one a few yards away from me, now that I know what to look for."
Saeola nodded and stood. She fixed the strap that held her case of arrows and took her bow in hand before glancing at the two. "I'm sorry. I never got your names."
"Ky'itae Rilynn'lylth." The moon elf gave a slight bow with her head, motioning for her druid friend to introduce himself.
"Serosa'ruth, just Serosa'ruth." The concealed elven male said, dipping his own head slightly.
Saeola gave Serosa'ruth a thoughtful look. "Hmm... An interesting name. Nice to meet you both." She gave a slight nod of her head as well and turned, heading off after the tracks. "Nature's Fury"... interesting indeed.
Serosa'ruth gave another shallow bow, this time leaning his torso over slightly as he stretched out his covered arms, "Well, I am a druid as well as a fighter, after all." He stated simply, then turned on his heel, his black cape billowing out behind him as he treaded for the next large footprint in the ground.
Saeola had only walked a few move paces when she found a the next foot print. She studied it briefly before continuing on. "We're getting warmer."
Serosa'ruth nodded in agreement, running his leather-clad hand along the edges of the footprint, "True, but it looks like whatever it was picked up the pace when it reached here. The tracks still probably go for some hundred yards into the woods, unless it's stopped suddenly."
Saeola shook her head, speeding up her pace. She tightened her grip on her bow. "It either knows we're coming and is fleeing... or it's waiting for us. Well, we'll find out soon enough, huh?"
Ky'itae grinned, her hand on her bastard sword's hilt, "Either way, looks like a good way to liven up an otherwise dull day." She kept up the pace with the other two easily, even in her metal boots as the three of them entered the forest.
Saeola glanced over her shoulder at Ky'itae and chuckled. "I hear ya." She stopped suddenly, frowning. She glanced around, as if expecting to see something. But there was nothing. "Hm.. the prints stop here."
The druid paused, scanning the trees, his hands flying to the swords strapped to his mid-back, crisscrossing under his cloak. He didn't unsheathe them, but kept his hands gripped on the hilts tightly as he scanned the forest. "There is something... unnatural here." He snarled. A moment later, something burst through the trees, standing before the trio.