Aloran:

ooc

A teleportation is once more heard behind them as Alix, who hadn't been seen showed up, he's back to his apethethic self, looking over the secen boredly.

"I think I'm coming down with a cold." Cedric said to himself, feeling his forehead with his hand. He picked up a flower from the ground and started pulling the petals off, mumbling to himself.

Jericho walked out from behind a tree.

"A cold eh?"

He said curiously, looking at Cedric.

"That's sucks, anything I can do?"

"Dude, don't sneak up on people." He said, now using the back of his other hand to test his temperature. He sighed and kept walking, they were much deeper in the forest now.
"Are we there yet?" He complained, feeling a bit dizzy.

"I don't know where we are going, you sure look rough, you sure you don't want me to try healing you or something?"

Eliza held a fist up, calling a halt and signaled to the Rangers. The house was before them. She signed to Cedric to cast an abjuration to remove the illusion of the quaint cottage. It was like a cloth was pulled upwards, the cottage changed instantly to a malevolent gray stone round hut with thatched roof and smoke emanating from it. Drawing weapons they drew up towards the door. "Jericho, burn their door down!" hissed Eliza to Jericho.

Jericho sent off two fireballs at the door. The door exploded with a crack, flaming wood went everywhere.

"Too much?"

"If anything it wasn't enough." Cedric joked, shielding his eyes from the bright flames. He could hear the witches screaming from inside.

The witches and warlocks came running outside. Eliza leapt out of the bushes with the rest of her team and shouted "OPEN FIRE!" and the woods exploded in a hail of gunfire. The witches who were not kileld instantly ran screaming at them with knives, staves and magic blazing. The battle ended as quickly as it began. "Check the house, there may be a survivor."

Cedric had both guns still pointed at the house, his arms shaking slightly. He looked around and lowered his arms before anyone saw.
"Uh.. Yeah, someone check the house." He said, looking arond shiftily.

Eliza dragged Ewan and out and booted him forward. He came back dragging a partially charred person. A warlock, blood smeared his face and he was breathing shallowly. "Mustn't betray..." he whispered. "Betray who? asked Eliza. He open his eyes wide and grabbed Eliza's shoulder roughly "The Trees are alive at the Stone Circle!" before he died. Eliza stood, shaking and turned to go back tot he Fae Palace.

Jericho looked at the dying man.

"Nothing we could have done, so anyone heard of this 'Stone Circle' place then?"

Eliza turned and said "The Stone Circle was once sacred to the Fae. It is now overrun by the corruption of the Dryads. It is one of their bowers. I know where it is. And if we wish to reach there by sundown you will follow. I was there once before...." and she stared off into the distance lost in memories of fighting living trees with her master, how Felix had been plucked up from the ground and smashed into the ground. He had died in her arms, and Eliza avenged him....she had burned the bower. How could it have survived?

She stomped off, her naked sword she used to hack the brush apart. "Wait! called Cedric. "I am going, and if you want to come then follow." called Eliza angrily.

"Wow, she's angry. This I gotta see." Cedric said, following Eliza and dodging low hanging branches. He was glad the witches had been dealt with, and was in a much better mood now.

Ewan followed after Cedric and Eliza, worried about what this could do to Eliza's condition.

"Come on Rowan. Let's go after them." Ewan said to his Master. "You don't want to let the mother of your child go with only Cedric, do you?"

Eliza hacked and slashed though the foliage angrily. Seething with under her skin, she wanted to destroy these Dryads once and for all! But then she remembered the thing she carried within her, the child she was with. Rowan was her lover now, soon to be her husband. She had to let the past go. She slowed and halted, letting Cedric catch up. "I can't hang on to the past forever, Cedric. But I can destroy these Dryads for causing harm and using Witches puppets." said Eliza new fire burning in her eyes. The passionate fury of protecting the people on London from creatures who wished each and every human consummate harm.

"Are you kidding me Ewan? I wouldn't let Cederic and Eliza have all the fun," Rowan said from the treetops ahead of his apprentice. "Get a move on! Training exercise number one, jumping across trees!"

"Or you could take a break and let others do it for you." Cedric said, smiling at her. He was worried about her and her baby, although he wasn't sure if that was the reason he felt so sick.
"Weird question, does my forehead feel warm?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood.

She felt his forehead and said "Unless you are making eggs and toast in there, then yes its unnaturally warm. Come on, if we reach that circle before sundown we will have some light with which to kill these Dryads." and walked though the forest with Cedric after her. "I'm worried, Eliza."
"About what?"
"Your baby. Shouldn't you be keeping it safe?"
"I am, I m killing what could kill it."
"I understand but, what happens when you are too heavy to walk?"
"Then I stay at the Sanctuary and let Rowan have some fun."
"Oh...."
"And wait, Cedric. You are worrying? This isn't normal who are you and what did you do with Cedric?" asked Eliza with a good-natured smile on her face "You and feelings don't mesh well. You don't want those young ladies knees getting weak or you will end up getting laid more that Aselavara does."
"Aselavara is a Madame and she's a Vampire, Eliza. She isn't even in Britain anymore!"
"I know, I know. Edinburgh. The Blazing House of Serrys? They have been fighting the Icebound House of Crellyx for years.." commented Cedric....walking onwards.

Alix followed behind thr group, keeping to himself. He makes no noise.

John followed about ten paces behind Cedric and Eliza, his gun out and at the ready.

It was the Dryads who had killed his Knight Order. Now was time for revenge.

Damien walked onward, polishing his weapons, cleaning the blood off of them. They made a sickening 'shhk' sound every time the stone passed the blade. He was ready to kill.

Rowan lept through the trees, barely touching each branch before it snapped and jumping to another. Ewan was having...difficulties with this task. "Don't think, just act," Rowan laughed.

"That's one of my biggest problems." Ewan admitted. "I can't just will myself to stop thinking, it's difficult. I over-analyze things and get nervous... That's probably part of my issue with guns. I keep imagining that something will go wrong and the gunpowder will react badly and backfire. The same thing goes for these branches. I keep imagining that I'll miss a step, or slip, or they'll break too soon."

Ewan took a deep breath and tried to do as Rowan said... Simply acting and not thinking. He cleared his mind of everything, and focused on one thing... Jumping.

Eliza held a clenched fist up to stop the group. Before them a great circle of stones, cockeyed and covered in vines lay ahead. In its center, lay a single of saplings their branches curling around a throne built of vine. And there, sitting was the shadowy outline of a woman. No man could have such excessively thin curves and still be alive. Stepping into the clearing the figure rose into the half-light of the setting sun. They had been walking for quite some time, Eliza remembered quickly. "Guardians? How pathetic......I was hoping for a more substantial meal...." and her features came into view as she approached "But you will do..." she had long gleaming fangs in ehr muth. Long serrated claws and was skin and bone, long arms and legs made her look gangly. "Dryad, I give you this one chance to leave." said Eliza calmly "This is my home. My children grow here...I will not leave...not while they live." Jericho picked up a bauble and threw it at the circle of saplings,bursting them into bright flames "Will you consider it now?" said Jericho sarcastically. The Dryad's face creased with anguish as she wailed. Growing taller, limbs transforming into long birch branches. "HOW DARE YOU DEFILE MY CHILDREN!" and it swung a huge wooden fist down, grabbed Jericho and lifted him up. Then everyone opened fire, making her drop Jericho and begin attacking. She was now about 9 feet tall and towered over the circle. The Dryad swung her arms out, squished one Ranger, smacked two others aside and picked up another balled it up and threw it far into the woods. The last one it picked up hungrily and threw it into her now wooden visage, her teeth now sharp metal spikes.

Damien grinned. time to go. with a hiss of steam 5 blades sprang out of the armor and locked into place right in front of his wrist. they met in the middle. With another scream of steam, the blades spun in unison. it was now the world's most lethal drill. He attacked the Dryad, using his other hand to climb up the monster's legs to reach it's heart. he cut out the tendons of one of the legs and continued.

John fired two shots with his rifle before being knocked across the clearing by a large wooden hand. He gasped for air for a few seconds before standing up straight. He laid his rifle down and pulled out his saber.

"Your people killed the only family I'd known!" John roared as he was consumed by anger.

He rushed forward, and ducked under the Dryad's arms and slashed at the creature's knee. The Dryad turned, picked him up, and held him in her hand. "Pitiful Fae half-breed." The Dryad said as she threw clear across the clearing again, and into a tree.

John held his newly broken rib as he struggled to his feet. "I'll kill you, creature." He whispered before collapsing on the ground.

Eliza shot an entire clip, 100 bolts, into the creature before abandoning her crossbow as the creature stepped on it and began climbing it stabbing with her sword every few feet. Reaching the creatures chest she stabbed a few more times before being thrown down onto the ground on her back. Everyone stood aside as it graped her it it's fist ans brought her up to its mouth. She gulped as her life flashed before her eyes. This is it. This is how I die. she squeezed her eyes shut and waited to die. Suddenly air rushed past her and she thumped against the ground. The arm had been charred off by Hellfire. Rowan had started slicing the other arm off. Gunfire erupted, leaving the creature broken and bleeding sap from its wounds. It stumbled before bringing up a foot to stomp down. Everyone shot at the foot causing the creature to stumble into the flames.

Zeke woke up with a start. He'd fallen asleep in front of the fire again, the glass of whiskey he had had spilt over his shirt, causing the dampness to wake him.

"Fuck." He sighed, getting up and removing his shirt. He walked through to the kitchen and threw his shirt in the sink, not bothering to try and find the wash room. He was about to start scrubbing when all of a sudden a smell caught his attention. It wasn't a smell he was used to, but it compelled him to follow, to chase.

He walked through the hallways of the sanctuary, following the smell as it got stronger. Several times it almost made him lose control and abandon himself to his animal instincts. But he managed to reign in control. He kept on walking to where the smell was strongest, a room next to Eliza's. He knew that the source of the smell was behind the door and that it was driving him crazy.

He knocked on the door and heard shuffling from inside, making sure he opened the door very slowly he peeked inside. There was just a plain room, with a large double bed in the middle. However it was what was on the bed that attracted Zeke's attention the most. The woman that they'd rescued from the lycans was lying naked on the bed, giving off a scent that Zeke could only describe as "eu de 'sex me up'".

"Holy shit." Zeke said out loud without thinking, the woman's head snapped forward and she looked at him quizzically before staring at his chest. Zeke blushed, but the animal instincts in him compelled him to enter. His feet remained planted.

The woman slowly got up and walked towards Zeke, the sheet trailing off her as she did. It took all Zeke's self control to merely remain fixed in the same spot, his eyes looked upwards. She came to him and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look into her eyes. They were the same as his, the yellow of the lupine lycans.

"My name's Aimee" She said playfully, still looking into Zeke's eyes.
"Zeke." He said quickly, lest his speaking should cause him to lose control.
"I know who you are..." Aimee said slyly, grabbing Zeke's arm. He barely had time to say "Huh?!" Before he was flung onto the bed and leapt upon by the naked woman. "You're the one that smells so damn good!" She yelled as she quite literally tore off his trousers.

The last thing Zeke thought before giving way to his lycan instincts was "Well...I guess werewolves don't have it ALL bad.

Eliza watched as the creature shrunk to normal size, on fire. Rolling to put the flames out. Charred and disfigured the Dryad scream, wheezed and bubbled. It whined pitifully for mercy. But Eliza showed it none, summoning all of her effort she willed it into being. A spell she knew would not kill her but would destroy the Dryad outright. Yellow lighting bolts screamed from her fingertips and exploded against the creature sending it into spasms of pain as flesh turned to ash and thence to dust. Its flesh and muscle melted away revealing parched bones that finally burst leaving a pile of dead ashes. Eliza seethed as she ended her spell and sunk to the ground, exhausted.

"Woah." Kane said in awe. "Note to self:never get on the high master's bad side..."