There it stood, a slimy lizard covered in leaves, it stared into Trent's hopeless eyes as the thick vine left it's mouth.
"It's going to eat him! Emma, please do something!", cried Ann looking at Emma.
Emma was a little weary to chant a spell, she didn't know what to do just yet and was left in awe of the Lushwshisper.
"Don't worry, buddy! Gavin has your back!", yelled Gavin as he leaped towards the lizard with his mace. He came down like thunder as he smashed the face of the Lushwshisper with his strong mace. This too, did little, the lizard's face distorted due to the blow but was immediately reshaped by the lost leaves. It now stared an angry eye at Gavin the Troll.
"Oopsie" Gavin said in fear of the Lushwshisper.
The lizard sent out it's strong vine angrily, catching Gavin in his chest and sending him flying far back.
"Built this for the Aquillith, but no reason I can't use it now!", said Trent as he pulled out the knife launcher he had made from Sylvanora, in it he quickly loaded a knife from his trenchcoat and shot it at mach speeds at a tree that was behind the mythic. The knife made contact and a rumbling sound was heard. The Lushwshisper turned around and saw that the tree had detached and was aiming it's way towards it! Trent, extracting the best of the opportunity, got up and ran away for he too was in the line of the tree's trajectory. The tree smashed the Lushwshisper with a loud thud as it crushed it strongly. The forest floor was now covered in leaves which once hoisted a large mythical lizard.
"Phew.", said Trent panting.
"Good job, Trent! That was coo-", Ann said approaching Trent, but just then the leaves once again recollected and reformed the entire body of the Lushwshisper, as if nothing had happened.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me!", said Ann as she shot three arrows as a reflex in its way.
The arrows hit the Lushwshisper and fell out with no damage. The Lushwshisper was now angrier than ever, it may be a slow moving mythic but it isn't something you want to fight in the background of Floriana. It shot out it's vine for a tongue in a feat of rage. The vine shot strongly towards Ann, catching her at her chestplate as it sent her flying, this was enough force to knock her out.
"Ann!", cried Emma as her eyes purpled.
"You bitch!", she said as a swarm of purple aura left her hands as a beam and struck the Lushwshisper again, but this time too they were brushed off as if nothing had happened.
"Emma, normal shit won't harm it, we need fire!", said Trent as he shot three more pellets at the thing, with no damage.
"Trent, I haven't used elemental magic in a long time, I don't even know if I can control it!", she said looking at her hands.
"Emma! Stephen is down, Gavin and Ann are unconscious, it's you and me against that thing! Please!", he said as he shot more pellets. The Lushwshisper went aback a few steps and vanished into the environment, it may be a slow lizard, but when hidden it's near impossible to detect.
"Okay, that just made things much worse.", said Trent as he tried to make out where this thing had gone. Finding out a Lushwshisper's hiding spot by your naked eye isn't only difficult, it's impossible. For it moves so slowly you can't tell where it is, with its scales the shape of leaves, it's impossible to detect!
"I think I can try something.", said Emma clenching her fist.
"Tell me, quickly.", said Trent aiming his pistol into blank air.
"I need you to wait for that thing to strike, when it does, I'll hit it with the fires of Pyrothos to my best abilities. Either it works or I burn the whole place down.", she said clenching her fists tighter.
"Well, that way either me or that thing dies. I'll do it.", he said gulping.
He walked a few steps forward as he yelled, "Hey, fuck face! How about you come out your stupid hiding hole and play with the big leagues? What's the matter, chicken?", said Trent, he'd learnt all this from Stephen. Finally in jumped the Lushwshisper from above him, crushing Trent with its humongous body. Smothered by it's weight Trent was left strongly dazed on the ground, with the creature above him.
"Trent! If I torch him, you burn too!", cried Emma.
"Just fucking do it!", he said gasping for the last drops of air.
"Alright, mom please watch over me.", she said as her eyes reddened a bright red and flames surrounded her hands.
"Fiyera-a-Pyrothos!", Emma gave a loud cry as a strong dazzling beam of fire left her hands.
The fire shot caught the Lushwshisper right in it's torso, squeaking a horrible sound it cried as it toppled over the ground, several times trying to put out the flame. The fire however, had hit Trent too, it burnt his right shoulder as he was now immobilised.
"Trent! Oh my god, I'm so sorry!", she came running as she started healing Trent.
"nnn... Don't worry about it, that was sick!", he said as his arm slowly regenerated.
"We don't have a lot of time before that thing puts out the fire, let's grab the team and run!", she said as she healed Ann and Gavin.
The four got up on their feet and ran in the direction where they had last heard Stephen's cries.
"Where is that imp?! The one time I want to see him he isn't even there!", cried Emma as they all rummaged along the bushes of the forest trying to find their fifth member.
A minutes' panic and they finally laid eyes on the imp. There he lay, in an awful state he truly was, his feet, hands and mouth tied with a strong vine as he lay unconscious on the floor, snoring.
"Oh thank God!", Emma sighed as Gavin picked up Stephen on his shoulders.
"Where do we run?!", asked Ann looking in all directions.
Just as she said this a horrible cry came from their whereabouts, the Lushwshisper was once again at their tail.
"We neet to get out of this forest, really quick!", said Trent as he pulled his pistol from his trenchcoat again.
"It's miles wide! We're stuck here atleast for another day! How the fuck do we get out?!", cried Emma.
A rustling of leaves was heard above as a sharp cry came from the skies.
"Everybody, move!", yelled Trent as the team ran off from the place they were at, wise they were to do so for the Lushwshisper landed on the ground as it shook the whole forest floor. The team was terrified as they ran fast, and they ran far.
"Emma, any chance you can do the fire thing again?!", asked Trent panting and running.
"I'm not sure. It was hard enough to get it controlled in the first place, I don't know if I can again!", she responded, panting as well.
They ran together as fast as their feet took them, the trees begun to become less vibrant and the fruits became paler.
"We're on the boundary of Floriana! However, it would seem we're going to the place where we came from!", cried Trent as he saw the berries they had eaten on the forest floor.
"Fuck the path for now! Just run for your life!", cried Ann as they all made quick work of the path.
They kept running as fast as they could, one behind another. Stephen was still fast asleep on Gavin's shoulder. The air around them took a nectar scent all of a sudden. They halted.
"What's that smell? We're at the edge of Floriana it shouldn't smell so goo-", Trent was just about to finish and in jumped the Lushwshisper from the shadows, raining down on Trent's chest.
"Ahhh!", he cried as his ribs snapped.
The smell was the lizard's, it marked it's trail with a fruity mist.
"Get off him!", screamed Ann as he launched a few arrows towards the thing. The Lushwshisper brushed them off. It then opened its mouth which was aimed at Trent, a pink sugary scent escaped it's jaws as it caught Trent in his face, sending him to a state of sleep.
"Guys! Do something!", yelled Ann.
"Everybody, back off! I'm trying this shit again!", yelled Emma as she stepped ahead. Once again she muttered a spell as flame surrounded her hands. The Lushwshisper felt the heat radiating from Emma this time, it turned it's leafy head towards Emma and charged.
"Take this!", she said as another beam of blaze left her hands as it caught the Lushwshisper right in the face. It squealed a horrible sound as its face melted on the forest floor!
"Take Trent, and run!", said Emma as Gavin now had picked up Trent as well, on his other Troll shoulder.
The team ran faster than before, they knew they had some time while the Lushwshisper would try to put out the flames. The trees lost their vibrance as they ran further, it would seem they had finally crossed the gardens of Floriana. They then heard a screeching sound from behind them, they halted and turned around. There it was again, the awful lizard.
This time, however, it didn't chase them, rather just stood there snarling angrily at the five.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm more than thankful, by why isn't it chasing us?", asked Ann pulling out her bow again.
"Maybe it can't come outside Floriana? Perhaps a curse? An enchantment?", Emma tried to answer.
The Lushwshisper snarled louder at the five, but they just stood there not afraid anymore, for it wasn't approaching them.
"Ha! Loser!", said Gavin as he threw a stone at the lizard.
This infuriated the Lushwshisper, it didn't hurt, it was just humiliating. It snarled again, but this time began chasing the five at great speeds for its kind.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I'm sorry!", cried Gavin as he ran away, the others followed.
The Lushwshisper was on the chase again, gaining more ground on the five as time went on. Ann shot another enchanted arrow, the Lushwshisper avoided it elegantly.
"Why would it dodge an arrow when it's invincible?", Ann said under her breath. "Aha! I've got it!", she yelled again as she shot an array of enchanted arrows at the thing.
It avoided a few, but three caught it in the torso as they exploded. Smoke filled the environment, all they could hear was the squeals of the Lushwshisper. When the smoke cleared what they saw confused everyone but Ann, the Lushwshisper was running away to the gardens at great speeds.
"Did we scare it off?", asked Gavin, proud of himself.
"No, my dear cave Troll. I completely get it now, that thing can only regenerate as long as it's body lies in the gardens of Floriana! It can only connect to the trees over at the garden, outside it, it's just a really fat clump of leaves.", Ann said slyly.
"Remarkable, Ann!", Emma said surprised.
"We still might want to run, though. If it does heal up it's going to be at our tails again.", said Ann as she ran farther away, the rest followed.
They finally were far enough from the gardens to a distance which the Lushwshisper wouldn't dare go.
"Atleast we made it out alive. Now who's going to wake up these idiots?", asked Ann sitting down panting.
"They seem to be under some sort of spell from the lizard thing, if we can counteract it they should spring back to consciousness.", said Emma placing her glowing palm on Trent's forehead. "Trent's forehead is mighty warm! We need to do something fast, his human body can't fight off this heat for long.", Emma said as she rummaged through her bag looking for potions.
"I think what's happening to Trent is also happening to Stephen. Clearly that mist-thing has definitely taken a toll on their bodies. We need to figure something out, preferably a substance that can counteract the heat first.", said Ann feeling Stephen's forehead, that too was just as warm.
The three then pulled out bottles of pink potions from their bags and handed it to Emma for she was the only one who knew the right proportions.
"Gavin, fetch me a large amount of forest dirt, quick!", Emma yelled as she begun mixing the potions in an empty flask.
Gavin ran to the nearest tree he found, uprooting it he took a Troll handful of whatever dirt lay underneath. He brought this dirt and placed it near Stephen's asleep body.
"Emma, what's on your mind?", asked a confused Ann.
"Their body temperatures are growing ever fast, we don't have time to figure out a new recipie, I'm going with what I know from my days spent healing you four.", she said as she stopped mixing the three potions in the flask. The mixture gave a vibrant blue glow, she then added some sparkling beads from her coin purse into the flask, the beads produce a small explosion and the color turned pink.
"Perfect!", she said taking a handful of dirt in her hand.
She placed this dirt on Trent and Stephen's neck as she enchanted it with her spell, the dirt was radiating a purple aura.
"Please work!", she said as she opened the mouths of the two and spilled her concoction into their throats.
"Alright, this is the same stuff I used when Gavin was bitten by that venomous snake. It worked then, it better work now.", she said as she pressed the dirt on their necks.
Tears left her eyes for they had one shot at this, if this potion wasn't strong enough to withdraw the spell from their bodies, their temperatures would rise to a horrific point, incapable of being healed.
"What now?", asked Ann, her eyes too moistened.
"All we can do is wait. Either it works, or it-", Emma said as she bit her tongue, she didn't want to finish the sentence.
Time passed yet the two lay there lifeless as ever, their body was getting warmer and they kept twitching as if they were dreaming a horrible dream. The Lushwshisper's scent is strong, it attracts those who it wishes to kill by its sweet aroma, drawing them to their own doom. Much like a spider's silk, the Lushwshisper's scent is used to immobilize its prey, which it then swallows whole. The aroma has different effects on different victims, but many say it shows them their worst fear.
