Lashana and Telca own only themselves, Tvashtar, Kadrith, the three dragons and Telca's cat. Every other character belongs to someone that isn't us.
The Elf and the Digimon
Chapter 1 - This ain't no vacation spot
I can't believe that she did it again! Lashana grit her fangs together as she stomped through a forest and tried her best not to go ballistic. True, this time it seemed that it hadn't been Telca's fault, but still! Once again, that bedamned portal had sent her flying into a different world. Or, perhaps 'crashing' was a better term than 'flying'. Telca still hadn't fixed that little glitch that made the portals open fifty feet above the ground, or if she had, she hadn't bothered to give her the privilege of not slamming into the ground at a high speed. This is probably punishment for stealing her X-Men Dvd...
A sigh escaped her as she rose her gaze to the canopy high above her, squinting to try to see through the tangles of branches and leaves, hoping for a glimpse of the sun and blue sky. The forest she was in was impressively dense, so much so that only few beams of sunlight managed to sneak through the treetops, giving the area an eerie, ominous look. Shaking her head a little to calm her imagination before it had her in the throes of panic, the Elf returned her gaze to the ground ahead of her, and froze in place.
Someone... or something had been here before her. Underbrush was trampled, trees sliced in half and carelessly knocked aside, making a large wide path through the otherwise impassable forest. My Gods, what did this? Curiosity overriding her common sense, she stepped out onto the packed earth and looked around for a moment before turning to face in the direction the destruction had had seemingly headed towards. Not that I'm suicidal, but this path is a hell of a lot easier to walk on than trying to fight my way through those bushes again.
Her mind made up, Lashana broke out into a full run, glad to finally be going somewhere instead of being held up by trying to ease her way through the woods. Still, she thought to herself as she ran, relief rising in her when she saw an opening in up ahead. I don't think I'd like to meet what did this. I may have gotten better at my magick, but there's no way I want to get into a fight with something that seems to have made deforestation it's favourite past-time.
She slowed to a stop five minutes later, breathing heavily as she looked out over a sparse meadow that dwindled down into a desert wasteland that seemed to spread out into eternity. Lovely. Just.... lovely. Cursing this world to the farthest reaches of the Universe, she stalked out into the hot sun and clambered up a small hill, hoping for a better vantage point. Sure enough, the extra height rewarded her with the sight of what seemed to be some sort of temple a little ways west of her, and she felt her heart skip a beat with wary hope when she saw a jeep head straight for it. Yatta! Maybe I can get myself a little help!
Hope giving her renewed strength, she skidded down the side of the hill and tore out over the sands, inwardly cursing everytime the loose soil gave way under her weight, nearly sending her crashing to the ground every two minutes or so. She was a mere twenty meters from the temple when a huge explosion sent her sprawling backwards, her new position giving her an unwanted view of the destruction as red energy tore and ripped at the temple, sending hot whirlwinds of dust and debris washing over her.
Any thoughts of trying to find someone who could help her vanished as she scrambled to her feet, rising her arms to protect herself from falling debris as she frantically put distance between herself and the temple, turning back in time to see it collapse onto itself. Well frak.
A loud frustrated roar sent chills down her spine, and she rose her gaze to look at a black armoured form as it shot up through a cloud of settling debris and flew south, leaving the crumbling temple behind. Okaaaay... that was...
"Lookout!"
"Eh?" She spun at the yell and screamed as a Jeep ploughed over a sand dune, her breath leaving her lungs quicker than she could turn it into another scream as the vehicle tried to swerve to avoid her, only to lose traction in the sand and send her crashing onto it's hood.
She took the smug knowledge that she had greatly dented the car into the darkness of unconsciousness with her.
~*~
Light. Bright light. And stifling heat. Dry wind that almost stole the moisture from the air.
Nuugh? Lashana groaned softly and cracked an eye open to look up at the rapidly passing clouds and the sun that beat down on her. The ground lurched beneath her then, and she grimaced as she came crashing down again, a part of her mind belatedly wondering why her hands tingled. Coherency demanded that she find out, so she forced her eyes fully open and took a look at herself, frowning in curiosity when she saw that they were tied together with what seemed to be old half-rotten bandages. Ewwww! Gross! The ground lurched again, and this time she yelped more in surprise than anything else when she realised that she was in the backseat of the Jeep that had hit her Lords only knew how long ago.
"Hey. The brat's awake."
Eh? She looked towards the voice and fought down the urge to grimaced at the gnarled face that was looking at her in the rear-view mirror. The passenger in the front twisted around then, and the Elf quirked an eyebrow at the woman. "Dear Lords, what fashion statement were you trying to achieve, exactly? Because, yo, you missed by a mile and a half there, lady."
Getting a rather angry glare as a result - she could only guess she was getting glared at, those purple shades hid a lot. She had a feeling she should be grateful they were there. Anyway, back to the glare. As she was being glared at, she took a quick glance around her and smirked when she realised that it was a basic two door Jeep. Which meant...
"Well! Thanks for the ride and all, but this adventure into bondage with freaks just isn't working out. Ciao, babes!" Baring her fangs in a feral grin, she lashed out with her right foot and hit the release lever for the front passenger seat, yelling out as she threw her weight against the back of it, sending the woman crashing into the dashboard. Not wasting a moment, she did the same to the driver, then reached past the two dazed and cursing people to yank on the emergency brake, sending the Jeep into a wild spin by jerking the steering wheel to the right.
Laughing at the dashboard imprint on the woman's face, Lashana scrambled out of the back of the Jeep and bolted, looking down at the tight bindings around her wrists for a moment before straining at them, grinning when they snapped. Ha! Gonna need something stronger than old band aids to counteract Elven strength! She spent a second rubbing feeling back into her hands as she ran, annoyed by the itchy red welts on her wrists caused by the restraints.
A roar of an engine caught her attention then, and she frowned as she glanced behind herself to glare at the two idiots that were now hellbent on running her over. Nuts. Clenching her jaw, she poured on the speed, zigzagging to disorient them and laughing again when she skidded down the lee of a dune, leaving her pursuers to yelp in fright as their Jeep lost traction and nearly flipped over. "Learn to drive, baka!" she called, her smug grin fading when she saw the woman stand up on her seat and literally transform into some sort of mutated spider.
Spiders. She hated spiders. Of course, psychologists would say that her hatred stemmed from fear. She'd have told them they were right. Very right.
The sight she took in was more than enough to throw her into an adrenaline boosted panic, and she completely gave up trying to outsmart them as she scrambled to get as far away from these wackos as she could. Spiders! Why does it always have to be spiders?!?! Her breath burned in her lungs as she pushed herself to her limits, spurred on by the sound of the Jeeps engine and the knowledge of what was crouched in that Jeep, just waiting for her to be in range.
Her body took the fear signals her mind was sending it seriously, and almost without her realising it, flickers of fire began to dance at her fingertips, her magick rising to the occasion once again. Alright. Lesse how you handle this! Sneakers digging deep into the sands, she spun around and lobbed a full powered fireball right into the Jeep's grill, sending the hood flying off as the engine immediately caught fire, thick smoke billowing out and blinding the creepy driver.
Using their distraction to her advantage, she darted over a dune and was seconds away from pushing herself into another run when she skidded to a stop, inches away from the edge of a cliff. "Aw hellfire..." she growled in between gasps for breath, her white hair falling into her eyes as she searched for a way out of this, very aware of the spider-thing and the male that was heading towards her. No doubt they were not in the best of moods either. Think... Think!!
It was then that her Elven hearing picked up the faint sound of water over her thundering heartbeat, and Lashana frowned as she peeked over the edge of the cliff, staring at the raging river far below. Oh, yeah. Nice choice. Psycho spider people or the River Wild. The Gods are laughing, I just know it....
"You'll regret doing that!" The male growled from behind her, drawing her gaze as he transformed into a very real mummy.
Lashana's eyes widened. River Wild it is then. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she took one step back from the duo, then spun and swan-dived off the edge, feeling her stomach lurch as she stared at the rapidly approaching water. Fire crackled at her fingertips again as she threw another fireball at the river, a smirk spreading over her lips as the explosion sent huge waves of water rising up to meet her. Always wanted to try ice skating...
Eyes narrowing in concentration, she aimed both palms downward and pulled on her magick. "Ly Briem!" Frigid air erupted from her hands, hitting the high waves below her at full force, the spell freezing everything solid. She hit the improvised slide feet first, loosing a wild yell of joy as she cracked off a piece of ice and used it as a snowboard, shooting down the ramp and over the frozen river. "Yaaahoooo!! See ya suckers!! Hahaha!!"
Ignoring the yells of outrage from above her, she launched another ice spell at the water ahead, grinning when it extended her little ride by another fifty meters. Don't suppose this river comes with an exit ramp... hmm... Aha! Level ground ahead! A small beach appeared to her left, and she bit her bottom lip nervously as she leaned towards it, yelping when her 'board' ploughed into the sand and sent her sprawling face first into the dirt. "Gah! I don't understand how athletes make that look easy... ugh..."
Groaning, she got to her feet and spent a moment shaking sand out of her hair before studying her new surroundings. "Holy Goddess, this place is really fubared," she murmured under her breath as she looked at yet another forest that lay a little ways ahead of her. Granted, she didn't know how long she had been unconscious, and she could only thank her lucky stars that nothing seemed to be broken. Shaking her head a little to finish getting the sand out, she hooked her thumbs into the front pockets of her jeans and headed into the forest, a part of her rejoicing that she was once again in the woodlands. At the very least, I can get out of this sun. Maybe I can find some aloe to put on my wrists...
Unfortunately for her, since she hadn't bothered to look back the way she had fallen, she completely missed seeing a black form stand tall at the edge of the cliffs for a moment before hopping off and slowly flying down to land on the sandy riverbank, pausing briefly before following her.
~*~
"Ahhh! This is much better!" Lashana grinned as she reclined under a large willow-like tree, raising her arms to lace her fingers behind her head as she closed her eyes and revelled in the breeze that played with her unbound hair. Well, other than those two wackos, this seems to be a pretty relaxing place. A beam of sunlight snuck through the canopy above her, warming her face as the long leafy branches of the tree rustled in the winds, adding to the peaceful ambience. It was so relaxing that she was actually well on her way to falling asleep when her hearing picked up the sound of heavy footsteps approaching her location.
Inwardly cursing whatever it was that was interrupting her alone-time, she lithely rose to her feet and climbed into the tree, taking refuge high up so that she was almost completely hidden by the gnarled trunk and swaying leaves. The height gave her a lovely vantage point, allowing her to watch as a dark shadow moved through the forest, pausing only to knock a tree out of it's path. Aha. Mr. Deforestation, I presume. She crouched low and relied on her Elven instincts to keep herself hidden, her breathing slowing and softening until it was almost impossible to detect as her hearing told her exactly where the being was. Hmm, metal? So he's armed. And it's definitely male judging by the sound of his breathing and that low growling. Too deep a sound for a female to make...
"I know you're there."
Wincing at the call - her hearing was really too sensitive at times - she silently moved closer to the trunk of the tree, starting to pull power to herself as she pitched her voice so that it would be carried by the winds, hiding her true location. "Well good for you. What do you want?" The male stepped into the open then, and she stifled a gasp at the sight of him.
A little over eight feet tall, the male that looked like a humanoid dinosaur stood nearly right below her position, black and silver armour glinting dully in the light, as if it was absorbing it instead of reflecting it. Gauntlets with wicked-looking triple blades protected his arms and hands, and she let her gaze travel over the chest and shoulder armour, belatedly noticing the leg and crotch guards before she focused on his face, frowning when she saw that it was hidden under a horned helmet. Harsh golden eyes searched the landscape, and she was glad that her trick of letting the winds carry her voice had worked, she was certain that he wasn't there for a social call. Man oh man, what have I gotten myself into?
"How did you defeat Arukenimon and Mummymon?"
Who? He must mean those two idiots. "Intelligence," she said simply, smirking when she heard the wind distort her voice, making sound like it came from all around them.
"Don't play games with me!"
"Oh? I answered truthfully. Would you rather I lie?"
A growl rose above the whisper of the wind as he darted his gaze around the small clearing. "Where are you?"
Her chuckle echoed around him. "As if I'm going to tell you that. Do you think me daft?"
"Bah. Coward."
"Quite the opposite actually," she smirked as she leaned back against the trunk and folded her arms over her chest, staring down at him as he tried to locate her by listening to her voice. Grinning, she lowered her tone to a whisper. "That won't work." The three words echoed all around them, making it sound like she was in every tree, behind every bush, over and over until his patience was visibly cracking. "Temper, temper. You've destroyed enough trees for one day. Now, you answer my question. Why did you follow me?"
"What makes you think I followed you?"
"You saw me with those two idiots. I doubt that you just happened to be coming this way. It was you that destroyed that temple, wasn't it? Damn near got me killed."
"You survived."
A single fang protruded from between her lips as she fought to keep from chuckling. "Always." He fell silent for a moment, his eyes closing as he took a deep breath. She nearly leapt out of her skin when he growled and turned to look right up at her. Hiding her shock, she smirked and dropped her arms to hook her thumbs into her front pockets. "Heyla."
A look of disgust flitted through his eyes. "A human? Hmpft. Worthless."
Lashana blinked as he turned away from her and headed away from the tree, then growled under her breath. "Worthless? Human?!" Another growl left her, insults strung along with it as she slammed a fist against the tree. "Kisama...." Anger flooded through her, and she bared her fangs as she rose her voice. "I'm no more human than you are, you great brainless barbarian! If I wasn't in the middle of a forest I'd launch a fireball up that armour of yours! Bastard!"
Her temper now in full control, she somersaulted out of the tree and landed in a crouch, hands already making arcane gestures in the air. "Wind which blows across eternity! Gather in my hands and become my strength!"
Alerted by her voice, he half-turned to look over at her, eyes widening in surprise when he saw a bluish sparkles gathering around her, a rising wind lifting her hair from her shoulders. Perhaps this will be a challenge after all...
"Eat this! Bram Gush..." The wind that had coalesced around her melded into a single beam of deadly wind, and she bared her fangs in a snarl as she launched it at him, watching as the spell tore up the ground as it covered the distance between them. "Break!" A single gesture broke the attack into numerous separate arrows that circled around him once before slamming into him from all sides, the explosion sending clouds of dirt into the air. And now to leave him another little surprise...
Even before the dirt had finished falling, she rose her right hand and pointed ahead of her. "Mega Brando!" A single snap of her fingers and the earth in front of her erupted with the force of a high level earthquake, making a ten foot deep crater in the ground as more dirt and debris shot into the air.
"Hmpft. Baka," she muttered under her breath as she turned and stalked away from the battlefield, struggling to calm herself. If it was one thing she hated to be reminded of, it was the fact that she was half-human. As far as she was concerned, humans as a whole were a people fated for self-destruction. The way they were polluting the world... Clenching her eyes shut, she took a deep breath and held it for a moment, letting it out in a heavy sigh afterwards, letting her anger flow away with it. No use working myself up over this. It's not like it's something that I have any control over.
Now relatively calm, she opened her eyes and reached up to tuck her hair behind her pointed ears before she brushed dirt off of her arms. Time to find another spot to relax in. With shade. Tank-tops and the desert don't mix, I've got the workings of a sunburn here....
"Terra Destroyer!"
"What in the.. ACK! Defence!!" The sphere of red energy hit her hastily risen shield full-on, and she yelped as it's sheer strength sent her sprawling, leaving her to tumble to the ground a good five meters away from where she had previously been standing. Rising a hand to the back of her head to rub at the bump she now had, she rose her gaze to the form in front of her and scowled. "What? Come back to insult me some more? Why can't you just leave me alone already?!"
Unfortunately, it didn't seem that he was in the mood to chat, and her eyes widened when she saw him charging right at her, the blades of one gauntlet aimed right at her head. Loosing another yelp, she frantically rolled to the side, feeling one of those blades graze her leg as she scrambled out of the way, leaving the gauntlet to embed itself into the tree she had been in front of. Sweet holy mother! What have I gotten myself into?! Frowning, she glanced down at her jeans and sighed at the cut she now had on them, just above her right knee. "Dammit. I just bought these."
"Ow! Watch it!"
Ow? Knowing that it wasn't her assailant's voice that had spoken, she looked towards the source of it and froze in place, a squeak that really should have been a scream escaping her when the tree that still held the blades in it's bark moved, annoyed dark yellow on black eyes opening to glare at her attacker as he yanked his gauntlet free. That's it. I've lost it. I'm seeing talking trees. Being careful not to make any sound, she slowly started backing away, freezing again when both the tree and her attacked looked over at her.
"So! Fighting humans now, Blackwargreymon?" The tree gave her attacker a condescending look. "You must have lowered your standards a lot if you're going after huma.... no wait...."
Lashana swallowed thickly as those eyes fixed on her again and resisted the urge to either run or start lobbing fireballs as the tree studied her intently. Finally, when it had gone on longer than her patience allowed, she bared her fangs and planted her fists on her hips. "Take a picture why dontcha? It'll last longer."
"I'll be. A fae! Here? In the Digiworld?"
"Where?" Her flat tone easily conveyed the fact that she had no clue what he was talking about.
"This is the Digital World. Surely you know that."
Rolling her eyes, she put all of her weight on her right leg and folded her arms over her chest. "Look, bub. I don't know what the hell you're talking about. I just got pulled into one of my friend's portals and dumped here. And trust me. So far, this place is waaay down on my list of places to visit again in my lifetime. Especially since psycho stalker over there won't leave me the hell alone!"
"You're the one who attacked me." 'Blackwargreymon' growled.
"You insulted me!" She shot back, eyes narrowed. "What tha frak did ya think Ah was gonna do? Invite ya over fer milk an cookies?!" Her voice regained her lilting Elven accent as her irritation grew, something that only happened when she was either very tired or very angry. She saw the tree move slightly then, and her eyes widened as it raised one arm over Blackwargreymon, fully intending to bash the distracted male over the head. I can't believe I'm doing this!
Reacting quickly, she rose her right arm and pointed. "Ly Briem!"
Blackwargreymon snarled as he saw the attack leave her hand and rose his gauntlets to defend himself, blinking in surprise when the blast went right past him, impacting with the Digimon behind him. Curious, he sent a quick glance over his shoulder, eyes widening when he saw that the Cherrymon had been frozen solid - and that the Digimon had been well on the way to possibly knocking him cold - one of it's branches a mere ten inches from his head. Why did she...?
Frowning in incomprehension, he turned back to her, rumbling when he only saw empty space.
