[SE] Unexpected Entanglements

He had not intended to come hunting today.

The Tidebreaker had stepped through a portal of moonlight into the Hollowed Grounds bearing gifts in the satchel at his side. But the old woman who he had approached for directions to the Dusklight had been bemoaning to her neighbor about the lack of efas herb lately. Apparently a pair of Void Tangleweeds had rolled into the Labyrinth and become trapped in it... and now preyed upon anyone who went to gather the herb.

So Hadama had asked for directions to the Labyrinth instead and stood now outside its entrance, contemplating the great hedgemaze with a thoughtful, measuring gaze. It looked wilder than the Queen's Gambit, with fewer roses and more thorns. A Leafchange mist crept along the ground from the entrance in spite of the early afternoon hour, as if the Labyrinth was exhaling it. Alive and breathing in its own right.

From the rumors of the place, perhaps it was.

With a respectful tilt of his head to the hedges, Hadama strode to the mouth of the maze and stepped inside.

Aithne

Aithne

I see how this is gonna go

There are rumors about the Labyrinth, tales about the way it shifts and changes like the weather. Some say it used to belong to some wealthy estate; others call it an old attraction gone rogue.

Whatever the truth, Aithne is eager to find out more.

The hedgerows rustle in a faint breeze as the Ancient stands with her hands on her hips, considering the two paths that stretch out on either side of her. To her left, a straight (if somewhat narrow) row of hedges leads off into the mist; to the right, she can see another branch in the path, a split that could lead her to Dygra knows where. All the girl has to do is decide which way to go. With no particular destination in mind, it shouldn't be that hard.

And yet, here she stands, looking between her two choices with her lips pursed in concentration, as though she will be able to discern the most interesting path if she simply stares at them long enough.

Touch me and you'll never be alone

A left turn and then a right before coming to a fork in the path. Hadama went right again and listened to the rustling of leaves that might have been a breeze, or the squirrels that scampered through the hedges, or something even less benign. There was no obvious threat, however, and he continued onwards at his slow and steady pace, dignified even on the hunt.

Perhaps it was no surprise, then, when he followed a stretch of the maze without much bending, walking the straight and narrow path with calm purpose. The mist prevented him from seeing very far ahead, and so it was a bit of a surprise when the form of a young woman appeared out of it. He paused, contemplating the chance that she was an illusion or a trick—

But he resumed his soft-footed approach until he reached the fork in the path. She stood in an opening leading to another path to his right. Straight ahead of him the path forked yet again but first he stopped a short distance from the stranger and inclined his head in quiet greeting. ”Good afternoon,” he rumbled courteously. ”Are you also hunting the Void creatures in this place?”

Aithne

I see how this is gonna go

Aithne is nothing if not confident - perhaps overconfident, given her relative newness to the world - and shyness has never been something she can claim for herself. So when a figure appears out of the mist, she is utterly convinced of her ability to handle whoever or whatever it may be, friend or foe. The stranger solidifies into the form of a man - one who inclines his head rather politely and greets Aithne with a question that takes her somewhat by surprise.

She shouldn't have assumed that the departure of the Family would mean the departure of the Void, she supposes, but here she is, wandering anyway without a care in the world. What kind of Void creatures would even come here, anyway? Wouldn't they just get lost in the hedgerows, doomed to starve or some such thing? Either way, Aithne is always up for a challenge, so she bares a fanged grin at the stranger and says, "I am now." Turning from the split path to face the man head on, Aithne adds, "What kinds of Void creatures are there here?"

Touch me and you'll never be alone

Like most Ancients of his acquaintance the stranger seemed up for a challenge and Hadama inclined his head to her in respect of her willingness to help. The tall once-Mer considered the young woman for a moment while he put his thoughts in order so as to better answer her question before he spoke.

"There are reports of a pair of Void Tangleweeds in the Labyrinth--" He began to explain, but his words were interrupted by a rustling from the remaining path - the one to Aithne's right, and straight ahead for Hadama. Breaking through the mist, a Void Tumbleweed came rolling at them with tendrils of shadow and vine whipping towards both Ancient and Demigod alike!

---

Void Tangleweed(uncommon - Hollowed Grounds): The normally spherical and sentient Tangleweed has been corrupted by the void. Its limbs, once resembling branches, now writhe with shadowy tendrils. Touching the Void Tangleweed not only induces numbness but also opens a temporary connection to the void, causing unsettling visions and hallucinations.

Aithne

I see how this is gonna go

Aithne's tail flicks behind her as she listens, not unlike that of a cat who has caught the scent of some new prey. She bares her teeth in a fanged grin, already eager to get started on their hunt. But it seems that their conversation is destined to be cut short. There is a rustling on the path to Aithne's right, and the girl turns to find that tendrils of shadow-vine are whipping towards both her and the stranger.

The Void Tangleweed is a many-limbed horror that has Aithne's grin melting into a snarl of defiance as she dodges out of the way of the shadow-vine reaching for her. Drawing a pair of daggers from her belt, the girl strikes out with one, aiming to cut off the tip of the tendril that had been aimed towards her.

Touch me and you'll never be alone

Familiar with several Ancients, Hadama did not seem particularly surprised or bothered by the young woman's predatory reactions. The Tidebreaker took them in stride, offering an answer that was very quickly unnecessary as one of the Tangleweeds, perhaps drawn by the sounds of their voices, wove its way through the hedges to attack.

Aithne's dagger sliced a twitching tendril from the greater mass of corrupted vegetation while Hadama, intimately familiar with what it felt like to be grasped by one of those thorny tentacle-vines, stepped up to stand at her shoulder with a grim determination on his stoic face. While she parried the tendrils that came too close, he reached for his power to deal with the main mass of hungry carnivorous plantimal. A Gravity Spike slammed down directly into the center of it, crushing the core of the creature in a brutal snapping of branches and flattening of vines. The spray of debris nearly concealed the second Void Tangleweed that had been following tightly in the shadow of the first as it launched itself through the remains of its compatriot, shadow-vines stretching out and wide to try and grapple demigod and Ancient alike.

Aithne

I see how this is gonna go

Aithne grins as her dagger slices through a Tangleweed tendril, a fierce pride on her face at the momentary victory. But the battle is far from won, and the girl focuses her efforts on continuing to parry the Void-riddled vines that come too close. She's pleased when she manages to knock every single one aside, or cut through them entirely, and she imagines that she can hear the angry plant-creature shriek its dismay. That might just be in her imagination, though.

A spike of some kind of magic slams down on the Tangleweed, and Aithne's gaze cuts to the side as she regards her companion. "Nice!" she crows, but she's celebrating too soon, for there is another plant-creature that is coming for them, barreling through the remains of its friend to launch itself at Ancient and demigod, reaching with its nasty tendrils -

And Aithne sweeps her daggers out in an effort to drive back the second just as she did the first.

Touch me and you'll never be alone

"Thank--" Hadama had begun to turn his head towards the young woman at his side, accepting her accolade with quiet pride of his own, when they were abruptly interrupted. The Ancient reacted first, slicing out with daggers extended like extensions of her body, and the smaller Tangleweed met cold - or was that hot? - steel. It may not have shrieked audibly, but it certainly vibrated as if it was doing so on some level that perhaps only plants could hear. Sharp metal ripped through shadowy tendrils, shredding them before they could latch into flesh and bone.

The Void Tangleweed crashed to the ground at Aithne's feet, twitching and oozing black-violet sap. Hadama looked down at it, a flicker of cool satisfaction in his emerald eyes before he turned to give the Ancient a proper inclination of his head. 'Thank you. That was well struck." He paused, considering both the dead and the dying Void creatures before giving a slow nod of his head as the corpses matched with what he had been told. "I am Hadama, of Torchline. May I buy you a drink for your help?" They were a long ways from the town... but there was a gleam of amusement coming into his gaze as he watched the Ancient at his side, awaiting her own introduction and answer to his invitation.

Aithne

I see how this is gonna go

Aithne's blow lands true, and the Tangleweed she struck falls in a heap at her feet. Tail lashing with satisfaction, there is a fanged smile on her face as she regards the felled creature. She has limited experience with the Void, but if they are intent upon attacking her, then she is certainly going to defend herself - and, it seems, anyone else within range.

Not that the man - Hadama, it seems - is in need of her protection. He held his own during the brief battle, and even had the good sense to compliment Aithne at its conclusion. She likes him, she decides, and she eases out of her fighting stance, sheathing her blades as she responds. "Aithne," she says. "Of... nowhere, at the moment. And a drink sounds great. Where to, Hadama?"

Touch me and you'll never be alone

His trident was still held in one hand, the tines planted firmly in the remains of the first Void Tangleweed to ensure that it remained dead. The other he offered to the young Ancient with his quiet courtesy, though there was a twinkle of something lighter than his stoic expression in his eyes. "Aithne. A pleasure." He inclined his head with as much respect as if she were a leader herself. "Hmm. I have heard of a bar in the Inner Quarter. A 'Dusklight.' I have been meaning to visit."

He looked around at the leafy hedges that surrounded them and the low mist that crawled around their feet, contemplating the difficulty of leaving the way they had come. He had heard of the Labyrinth's habit of trapping those who wandered into it, and had experienced it within the Queen's Gambit in King's End. After a moment he met Aithne's eyes once more and this time there was a hint of bright challenge in his gaze. "I can take us there quickly, if you will take my hand. And trust my magic," he added, already summoning the whisper of moonlight that he used to step between one place and the next.

Soon enough they would be sipping drinks in the comfort of the Last Whisper's most notorious bar, recounting the tale of their adventure - at least, with Aithne recounting it, and Hadama nodding quiet support to however she wished to spin their hunt.

~Fin