MHA Fantasy Quest for the SOL

Part 25: Fay Forest 3/3

Shoto was not wandering for much longer before Hitoshi gave him quite a scare by appearing out of the trees. Shoto almost took his head off with his sword before he explained he was trying to help. Shoto didn't believe him, but since he was lost, he had no choice but to follow him. "We'll find your party, your lady should be fine as long as Mei is with her," Hitoshi explained calmly. "My---oh, Momo," Shoto frowned. "You shouldn't imply things like that." "I'm implying nothing," Hitoshi said roundly. "But if you feel it is disrespectful, I will refrain. I knew you would get lost immediately, but I was surprised she got carried away so easily. Should have noticed that injury sooner... Mei will fix her up, though." But after peering at the trees a while, he grew annoyed, "Your party is splitting again, I can tell... blast! Those fools!" "They must be looking for us," Shoto said flatly, "perhaps had you informed us you intended to follow and rescue anyone who got lost, they would not be doing this." "Did I not specifically warn you not to separate!" Hitoshi said, annoyed. "I have a feeling you knew what would happen, you're toying with us again," Shoto said darkly. "I am getting very tired of people doing that, tricking, kidnapping, threatening, and it will only be worse if we get out of this forest!" "Self pity does not look good on a prince," Hitoshi replied pitilessly. "I prefer not to explain myself in great detail, what difference would it make? Would you have followed my orders any more, as I am part fay? Or do you just not trust me from the start?" "You lied to us from the start," Shoto said. "I never lied to you," Hitoshi said. "I consider lying beneath me." A very stiff pause followed this. Hitoshi seemed to be listening to the forest itself. Suddenly, he turned sharply. "Not good," he muttered. "What?" Shoto had his hand on his sword. Soba flicked his ears nervously. "It sounds as though Mei ran into more trouble than I expected," Hitoshi said, frowning.

Mei had actually done nothing whatsoever, neither had Momo, they had both sat very quiet and still while waiting for Hitoshi to come back, and hadn't even noticed the forest subtly changing around them, until vines had wrapped silently around their feet suddenly tightened without warning, Momo had one around her neck before she even knew what was happening, struggling, she formed a blade next to her wrist and started cutting through, she managed to free her throat before it choked her, a few feet away she saw Mei struggling violently, trying to use one of her tools like a saw. Momo kicked furiously as the vines tightened and pulled at her. The trees seemed to hiss with derision, were they alive? Were they dryads perhaps? The hissing seemed to form itself into words in her mind "Goddess of Craft, of blade, of tools, slayer of many trees and plants. Taste our wrath..."                                                                                                                                        This was at best the general idea of it, as Momo didn't speak Tree, but she felt all the malice. Then she remembered that Mei's patron goddess was also Creati, of course! The trees would hate both of them... Though it was against the Order to slay dryads, and not all trees had spirits in them, likely just the ones in the enchanted forests, but...accidents happened... Momo tried to fight back. "Stop! I've never slain a dryad!" She tried to keep her neck away from the vines, but they kept coming, too quick for her to do anything. Mei kicked at one. "Blasted trick willows! Clinging vines! It was one time! I didn't know it was a sacred tree! I thought it was a regular plum!" "You slew a dryad?" Momo was horrified. "Oh, no, I use a holy tree branch for a footrest," Mei said, as if that was better. "It didn't have a sign or anything, how was I supposed to know? The dryads just hold a grudge." "Couldn't you pay a fine or something?" Momo cried, as her arms got yanked back. "They weren't interested in money--" Mei was losing her grip. "Maybe your goddess can save us, does she show up when you call?" "I--" Momo hesitated, using the blessing, it might work, she could destroy the trees... maybe... but, that was just proving their point. She couldn't use Creati's power to destroy, it wasn't right. Not unless it was to stop evil, and this didn't seem like evil. "I-- can't do that," she said aloud. "It's forbidden... they are just angry, not dark magicians." "Who cares? They're going to kill us! Or possibly absorb us into the trees! Or maybe turn us into trees! I don't want to be a tree!" Mei was actually panicking, Momo had never seen her so emotional, she bit her lip, she couldn't just let Mei die. But... "If you let Mei go, I'll stop fighting!" She called. "It's okay...I want to do the right thing." "What?" Mei said. There was a whisper, perhaps a tinge of fear, the trees didn't like to see what a paladin would do if she tried... The vines released Mei, who started coughing from the pressure easing. "Don't try to destroy them!" Momo said, dropping her knife. "Just run! Run!" "But you--" Mei began, then she narrowed her eyes. "All right. I'll be right back!" She dashed away. Momo was pretty sure there wasn't going to be enough time for that, she was already starting to lose her vision.