Unexpected Detour (Razgriz x Wingshadow)

Undine let out a sigh of relief as the flames engulfing Sam were finally quenched, his better judgement winning out against his new-found destructive tendencies. The look of concern remained, but she decided against speaking her mind. It was clear enough from her demeanor that she did not get along well with the fiery-spirited elemental, and disliked the influence both her powers and personality had on Sam following the forming of their contract. She understood the importance of contracting all four elementals, but that did not make her feel any more accepting of her polar opposite.

Gnome appeared beside him in physical form and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder, her large round eyes peering out from under her hood expressing her deep-felt support for him. She understood the danger involved in allowing an elemental's powers to overtake the contractor, a danger which only increased with each successive elemental contracted. With herself and Undine being the two first elementals he had contracted which also happened to be the most stable out of the four, Sam had yet to fully experience the contradictory forces involved in harnessing all four elements within his own body. Still, this was the path he had chosen, and she would stay by his side until the end, no matter what end that would lead her to.

"Of course I can, Cupcake," Ignus smiled, shifting her weight to her right leg slightly then back to her left in a playful manner, not at all afraid to exhibit herself in front of her contractor and lover, "Are you sure you want to contain all of this raw power within your body? Power is best put on display rather than hidden within a mortal frame..."

"Its because of that attitude of yours that you had never gotten a contractor before now," Undine replied to Ignus' comment coldly.

"Aw, don't worry... Cupcake will be happy to give all three of us the love and attention we need, no need to get all possessive," Ignus laughed, "Your mother was much the same way." Without further ado, she vanished with a sudden flash of light, going into spirit form within Sam. The other two soon followed after her, resulting in all three of them residing within Sam's consciousness.

Sam realized it was probably getting tiresome for Undine and Gnome to be dealing with his mood swings, but he was thankful they had yet to raise a fuss about it. Still...With Ignus now on his side, at least he would be stronger than before. He certainly felt more energized, more vitalized than he had for a while now. But what that meant for the future...He couldn't say. Not with one hundred percent certainty, at least.

He decided to not intervene when Undine and Ignus had their little spat; seemed the former did not particularly care for the latter. He supposed it made sense, as the two were certainly complete opposites of each other. Undine was very calm and collected, whilst Ignus seemed to more 'in-your-face''; granted Undine herself was very forthcoming as well, but she had a different delivery style when it came to her speech. He just hoped the two of them could work past any differences they might have.

"Alright, you two...We can all be friends here." he then said distractedly; closing his eyes, he could see and feel the three Elementals presence within him. To think there could be a fourth joining them. He flexed his hands, rolled his shoulders, did everything he could to feel out his body. It felt very different from before; but then, he barely remembered what he was like before landing on this world. He'd long since lost track of how much time he'd spent here, and who knew how much longer that would be.

That was neither here nor there, and he really needed to move on. "Alright...Focus, Sam. You're all juiced up. You can do this." He figured he would try again to summon the fire. It was easy to psyche himself up, get his blood boiling...The problem was tempering it. Refining into a usable style, one with a large degree of control. The flames soon began to slowly burn on his flesh, that presence of destruction beginning to resurface in his mind. His lips twitched in repressed rage, trying to find that perfect moment to seize the power he could handle. And try as he might to probe Ignus' thoughts for clues on how to handle it, the truth was she had so much experience with her element it was almost impossible to teach someone else how to wield it. Nonetheless, he thought he had it and with a mighty cry let loose the fury.

And shot like a cannon off the island back towards the mainland by complete accident.

His body recoiled from the massive explosion, thrown at supersonic velocity; he was lucky Gnome's power had enhanced his physical toughness, else his body would have sheared itself nastily from the sudden acceleration. He flew straight over Arisa's reconstructed home, the sonic boom rattling the sturdy structure. He opened his eyes just in time to see the ground rapidly approaching him and on reflex hardened his flesh with Earth energy; the human landed with a great 'thud', the ground trembling and cracking beneath the force of the impact and leaving an impressive crater.

Groaning as he stood up, he muttered, "Well...That was unexpected." He then brushed himself off and jumped out of the new hole in the ground, looking around to see no one present. Little did the human realize just where it was that he had landed.

The open landscape with dotted trees in the distance conjured up vague memories in the not-so-distant past, the Deadlands residing to the west from their current position. The sky loomed over them, cloudless and still as the same dull air hung like an ever-present accusation over their heads. The three elementals remained silent, no words needing to be exchanged. These were the lands that made up Arisa's domain, and with the arrival of a certain pack of monster girls it became readily apparent that a certain someone had noticed their rather unexpected arrival.

The Alpha from before bounded toward Sam, a few of her most trusted pack members accompanying her as the others merely encircled the rather sizable hole they had defaced the ground with. They all stood at attention, raised up onto their back legs as they cast uneasy glances toward each other, awaiting their leader's command. She stepped up toward the elemental contractor, still boasting with pride yet slightly less confrontational this time around. "So, you've managed to return in one piece? Perhaps humans really are more sturdy than they look," she waved her clawed right hand in the air dismissively, "I trust you managed to accomplish whatever it is that you wished to do here, correct?" Her words lacked much bite, but her displeasure with him was rather evident, perhaps founded in his refusal to her earlier offer presented in their last meeting.

A few of the Omega wolves exchanged glances, uneasy yet at the same time somewhat longing as they gazed upon the prime male in their presence. Doubtless their leader bore a similar sentiment, but tried hard to conceal it behind her show of bravado and command. The Alpha's right ear twitched, her gaze momentarily surveying the man's stature for a moment. Had he grown taller since they had met last? She rarely lost track of such details, so this fact alone surprised her. The pack leader kept her musings to herself for the time being, however, as she awaited his reply to her inquiries.

Sam's body tensed a little as the Wolves encircled him; he really didn't want to fight them. Well, that was only partially true...Some of the residual energy upped his confrontational aspects a few notches now that Ignus was under his belt. His eyes then turned to witness the Alpha from before; memories of the fight with her underlings flashed in his mind. The golems, cracking the earth apart, even attacking the Alpha herself pre-emptively.

He could hear the disdain in her tone quite clearly; he guessed she was still sore about him not wanting to become her mate. Well...That was too bad, because he didn't really have the time nor patience to try and do...whatever it was Wolves did with mating rituals and such. If there was any. Plus, he was on a bit of a schedule.

"You might say that" he stated flatly; closing his eyes, he let the flames begin to smolder from his skin, radiating an impressive amount of heat. It would be fairly obvious his control of Ignus' power was far from perfect, but the fact that a human even contract her at all was an accomplishment in and of itself.

"Before I go, however...There is something I wish to get off my chest." he then added, focusing directly on the Alpha. "I do not intend to become part of your pack. Not now nor ever. That being said..." He then bowed his head, "I do wish to seek forgiveness for my earlier harshness to you and your subordinates. You did not deserve that kind of treatment, and I won't hide behind the excuse that I was not myself. This world has changed me, but it should not undermine the fact that what I did was reprehensible. And so I hope that we can part ways on peaceful terms." And with that, he continued to stare determinedly at her, waiting to see what she might say to his request.

The Alpha blinked, more than slightly shocked upon hearing what Sam had to say. He behaved so much differently upon their last meeting, full of bravado and pride in his power and strength, merely toying with her subordinates before knocking them away like so many chess pieces from off a playing board. To someone like him, they were of little to no consequence, yet here he stood, bowing to her and asking for her forgiveness. The Alpha let out a silent sigh, "Humans are so difficult to understand... You want me to forgive you for making a show of your power? Very well. We will part without further ill-feelings."

She extended her right paw toward the elemental contractor, the members of her pack exchanging confused glances. They had been raised with the mentality that the weak were to submit to the strong, yet here was a human whose power far eclipsed their own who humbled himself to such an extent to treat them as equals. Undine, Gnome, and Ignus all gave their silent approval as well, as none of them stepped up to voice a word of protest. Even the fire elemental understood a measure of Sam's sentiments, the newly-forged bond between them allowing her to internalize a measure of his feelings on the matter. While she would have preferred to wreak havoc against her enemies, these werewolves had done nothing worthy of invoking their ire.

Sam questioned whether or not the Alpha would accept his apology; in truth, he was expecting her to tell him off because of how he had acted. Something that would not blame her for, especially given that she DID help him find Arisa. His body relaxed a little as she accepted his offer of peace, glad to see that they could part ways without further conflict. Shaking her paw, he said in a soft tone "Thank you, Alpha."

But it was here he realized that he had no idea where to even look for Sylph; he did not know if the Wolves would even know how to find her. But it might not hurt to ask..He just hoped they were willing to help.

Giving a slight cough to clear the tension he felt, he then asked "Sorry, but may I ask something else? I'm looking for the last Elemental. Sylph. From what I understand, she's quite flighty. Do you have any suggestions on where to look? Or what to look for?"

Upon merely uttering Sylph's name, the entire pack of werewolves with the exception of the Alpha began to crouch down onto the ground, their heads bowed with reverence and awe. Even the Alpha wolf herself withdrew her hand and bowed her head slightly in honor of the spirit of the wind. She paused for a moment before replying, "Sylph is revered as a sacred spirit within the pack's culture. She is the embodiment of the wind, honored for the role she plays in the hunt and in the speed and skill she blesses our warriors with in the field of battle. Stories of her kindness and generosity have been passed down through the generations. Perhaps hearing some of them may grant some indication as to her whereabouts."

Given the descriptions that the other elemental spirits gave concerning Sylph, as a rather absent-minded and ditsy person, this version seemed somewhat different on many points. Perhaps the werewolves immortalized Sylph's legend without ever meeting her in person? In any case, the Alpha wolf cleared her throat before beginning her first tale. "Many moons ago, there lived a young alpha wolf who had come of age to take up the leadership of the pack like her mother before her. However, she was small and inexperienced, her mother having passed into the arms of the ancient warriors before she had a chance to teach her daughter the arts of war. So, she resolved to speak with the mighty spirit of the wind, Sylph, for guidance. She did not know where to find her, but she was determined to seek her out, so she bid farewell to the pack, leaving a Beta wolf as the leader during her absence."

"She traveled for many days, crossing jagged mountains, traversing vast forests, and passing over arid deserts in her search for the spirit of the wind. Her legs grew weak from fatigue and her eyes grew weary of seeing until at last she collapsed on the side of the road, her body at its limit. She lifted her eyes up toward the skies, then lifted up her voice in song, letting her mighty howl resound one last in that forsaken place... But it was not the end for the Alpha, for in that moment she realized her mistake. Throughout her travels the wind had always been with her, in the mountains, in the forests, in the plains and in the deserts. Lifting up her voice once again, the Alpha sang to the wind, her voice dancing upon its currents and winding within its paths until at last it reached the ear of the mighty spirit of the wind."

"Sylph appeared before her in all her splendor, swift and wise as she addressed the young Alpha with words that have been cherished for many generations to come..." the Alpha cleared her throat as her pack recited the words along with her in unison, "Do not be afraid, young wolfie. Stand up and be strong, for the wind is playful and kind, blowing how it wills and playing across the world. Can you hear the voice of the wind? Do you answer to its call? If you can hear the song of the wind even as I heard your song, then do not be afraid, young wolfie. Play with the wind, little wolfie, play with the wind and listen to its call."

Undine, Ignus, and Gnome all let out a soft sigh upon hearing the words of Sylph recited by the wolves. Although the werewolves revered Sylph, the quote did seem somewhat accurate (especially with the word "wolfie" being used), although the words themselves carried far less wisdom and insight than they attributed to them. They kept their peace for the time being, however, remaining in spirit form. It wouldn't do to break it to them now, after all... Perhaps there was a clue hidden in there somewhere, however.

"With that, the Alpha wolf was filled with strength, returning to her pack to rule with the strength and wisdom granted to her by the spirit of the wind," the Alpha concluded, "That Alpha was my great-great grandmother, one of the few members of the pack who was blessed to meet with the spirit herself in person. If you happen to meet and form a contract with her please visit us again. For that, we would be eternally grateful."

Sam didn't say a word as the Alpha told her tale; he listened to every word, trying to distill any information about how to find the Wind Elemental. Even still, it was quite an impressive tale of survival and perseverance; he would be lying if he said he didn't feel the least bit inspired by how she never gave up. It was a kind of reminder of what he needed to do: Forge ahead. Keep going no matter what.

By the end of it, though, he was still confused; how would this help him find Sylph? Sure, it was truly a magnificent insight into how this pack held belief. And it gave some clues as to Sylph's own personality; though he was kind of unsure of which side to believe. If only because he never really met the Elemental herself. The two versions were almost complete opposites of each other; but then he imagined Gnome, Undine and Ignus would likely know who she was best. However, one thing that was consistent between the two was that she was incredibly flighty.

Regardless, with the Alpha having finished her story and placed a request for him to return if the contract was made, Sam gave her a smile and replied while keeping up what he hoped was a facade of strength, "I'm sure I can arrange that." Of course, it was assuming that he was successful; and with how things looked right, it was all still very up in the air. And he of course, was still stuck on what direction he should go. He couldn't really afford to waste any time...Not with what was at stake.

"I appreciate the help, Alpha. But I am still confused: The story sounds like it says if I call to the wind, she will come. But how long could that take? I do not have much luxury with time...Is there any chance you might know where she was seen last?" he then asked her; he didn't want to sound ungrateful, but he needed at the very least a general direction to go on. The wind might blow where it may, but if he was going the opposite direction, then he would be spending more time simply trying to get close enough to where she might hear him.

"Many have sought out the spirit of the wind, but precious few have ever been successful," the Alpha replied calmly, "It is said that she seeks out her own, places were she can be fully herself. I have heard tell of a certain place to the south, a mountain peak known as the Tip of the World in our tongue. It is believe that the planet itself turns upon its tip, moved by the winds which blow in wide circles eternally. If there is anywhere in the world I can think of that she might frequent, it would be there. If you have the strength to reach its summit, I believe there is a good chance you will find her, or at least a clue as to her whereabouts."

"I will not deceive you... The journey will be difficult and wrought with perils. I wish to make the journey myself someday, but my place is here, protecting the pack in these times of trouble. They need me here, not seeking out my own dreams abroad," the Alpha turned her head slightly, "Where others have failed, I believe you will succeed... You have the blessing of three spirits already, do you not? That alone shows the potential you possess. Perhaps the Goddess herself has granted you her blessing as well."

The Alpha leaned forward, looking at Sam from a slightly different angle from before, "When you see the spirit of the wind, be sure to sing a song to her. It does not matter what the words are, or if there are words to go with the tune at all. As long as it is a song from the heart, the spirit will answer in kind." Undine and Gnome in their spirit forms nodded, giving their silent agreement that such was likely the case. They had heard of similar stories themselves concerning Sylph, the embodiment of the wind incapable of resisting the temptation to sing along with any song that caught her ear. Perhaps that was one of the many reasons she wandered so many miles each day... She longed for one to sing with her and listen to the voice of the wind.

At least I have a location now, thought Sam; though he couldn't help but picture the world spinning like a top, with this enormous mountain acting like the base to hold it up. While it seemed a sure thing if he just stood here and sang, he knew getting up high would help carry his voice further and more clearly. He didn't know how far he would need to travel, but he imagined it would be fairly easy to find. And he could probably get there quicker now that Ignus was here to boost his abilities further.

And with all the advice she was able to give him, Sam knew he was ready to seek out the final Elemental. Being the most elusive, he had no doubt she would be very difficult to contract. But he would not fail; too much was riding on his success.

Giving the Alpha another small bow, he replied "Thank you, Alpha, for everything. I hope that we may meet again someday." And with that, the man walked off before starting into a sprint, his massive form form being carried onward by his powerful legs. And so began the next leg of the race against time. Where else this might take him, one could only venture a guess.

While Sam resumed his quest armed with newfound knowledge that would hopefully aid him in his search for Sylph, a certain spirit of the forest maintained her constant vigil. She sat upon a lofty tree branch of the massive tree that served as both her physical vessel and home, her wise and attentive eyes gazing upward toward the stray beams of light which penetrated the canopy of leaves above her. Her hair flowed like a forest stream, her limbs entangling themselves with the branches as melodic tones issued from between her lips. The tune weaved itself through the nature that surrounded her as it were, a necessary and supportive part of the blissful peace which permeated the trees, rocks, and forest-dwellers around her.

Despite her calm outward disposition, she could feel that something was not right at all. A sickening chill ran across her skin, in defiance of her song. If this was due to the Succubus' expanding influence or some other source, Dryad could not say for certain. She knew that something was coming, however, and that it would be unlike anything she had faced off against before in her life. Closing her eyes for a moment she tilted her head to the side before drawing in a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

As the days passed, the corruption of darkness spread faster and faster, like a plague out of control. And even as Sam, a mortal who had proven himself against extraordinary odds, made his way to continue his endeavors to stop the Succubus, another presence was all too eager to take his herald as master of this world and all that would come after.

But then, isn't it what these women wanted? To have someone fulfill a need long left unsatisfied? And the Goddess dared sully his name by stating HE was selfish; she was the one trying to stop him from doing such things, after all! At least that's what Kratos believed to be true, as his sexual conquests continued. But here...He would try to tread into more 'forbidden' waters. While this next target had not actually consummated with that idiotic human...She was VERY close with someone who did.

Dryad's grove would receive quite the visitor: None other than Sam himself came through the thick of brush. "Still here trying to sing, Dryad? Gnome thought she heard you singing." he then asked her, a genuine smile crossing his features; though one could argue it seemed TOO genuine. Like whoever this was could not possibly be the Sam that had contracted her friend.

Dryad's song came to an abrupt end as the forest spirit turned to face the person who appeared before her. He certainly looked like Sam, but she knew better than to fall for such an obvious farce. Her eyes opened slowly, the green glint in her fair eyes reflecting his visage back at him, "Is that really necessary? I am hardly desperate enough to fall for such an obvious act... Or is that idiotic grin how you see Sam, impostor?"

Dryad was never one to beat around the bush, so to speak, and her pointed gaze shot barbs at him from her perch. She leaned forward, resting her head on the palm of her right hand, "My soul is attuned to the flow of nature itself, yet what I feel from you is not Gnome's presence at all... Tell me what you want from me and we can stop wasting our time with pointless banter." While Dryad harbored the natural desires as well as any other of her kin, she knew better than to consider someone with as insidious an aura as this particular fellow.

At this, Sam just smiled and let his facade fade; he figured she would have him made the moment he stepped into her grove, but he wanted to try anyway. Of course, the thing about being a persona was that the more it developed, the more it looked like whoever the persona was born from. In a way, it was how a doppelganger operated, minus the mind-reading. And as his chameleon act went away, there would not be much difference from how he currently looked...Physically, at least. His 'flesh' still maintained undertones of purple, but looked much more like human skin than before.

But the real deal would come from how he carried himself: Prideful. Arrogant. Relentless. And while Sam had shown these traits from time to time, this was quite different.

"Oh come now, my dear, you make sound so shallow. I do not think you're desperate...I actually find you well composed." he replied, his smile growing slightly creepy for a moment before adding, "Well, compared to many of my previous companions at least." Shrugging, he just continued "But that's not really my say, is it? You want me to get to the point? Fine."

And with that, his body shifted once more, letting the impressively sized member be revealed from his groin. Its length was already semi-erect, but still had some way to go. "Apologies if that weirded you out...But having this swingin' around makes it really hard to walk sometimes, you know?" Kratos then stated insincerely. "So, I hope this spells out for you clearly enough, Dryad. What do you say we...get to it? I got a massive case of blue balls here...Figuratively and literally, hahaha."

Dryad leaned back, her eyes fixed upon his male form as he shifted, his true intentions made perfectly clear to the forest spirit. Her gaze scanned his form slowly, as if considering his offer before she turned her head away in disdain, "Do you really think I would say yes? You're more delusional than even the rumors would suggest." She had heard of such a being before, an evil spirit of some kind which had taken the form of Sam, the one that the Goddess herself had held up as the final hope for their world. Not many monster girls were as discerning as Dryad, however, and while the offer did raise some passing interest in her, she knew better than to give in to a momentary urge to mate.

"I am the guardian of this forest, and if you wish to sate your lust upon its inhabitants, then you will have to get past me, first," Dryad slid her feet under herself before standing, holding her right hand up as her eyes narrowed. She knew better than to believe she could actually best him in a fight. Even from where she stood she could feel the power pulsing from his body, the lower half of him in particular as he doubtless entertained lustful thoughts toward herself. Yet, as a servant of the Goddess it was her sworn duty to oppose such evil.

"You're the one who wanted me to cut to the chase" he reminded her, letting her eyes take in the goods. Of course he didn't expect her to say yes. "And besides, I already had some fun with an Alraune before I came to see you. I believe Sam had seen her before...And yourself too, if I remember correctly." he then added as a lie.

"And besides, who said anything about the others? Why waste time with them, when I can go straight for the heart of the forest itself? Having you beg for me will be FAR more fun than screwing a Mantis or Juruogumo all willy-nilly" Kratos continued, taking small steps towards her, his manhood swinging back and forth.

"Now then, we can do this the easy way...Or the hard way."

"You want me to beg for you? Not on your life, corrupt male," Dryad waved her hand forward, and with it the forest itself began to shift and quake, "It has been quite some time since I last put my power to use in this manner, but even so do not expect me to simply roll over and accept your vile intentions." Deep groans reverberated throughout the forest, the wood of the trees themselves shifting and molding as nearby branches, massive and heavy, swung down toward Kratos. The tree that she stood upon extended upward, lifting her higher above Kratos while the branches delayed him, albeit temporarily.

"Taste the fury of the forest and depart!" Dryad's eyes flashed as numerous vines lashed out from the nearby branches and sharp seeds shot down from the foliage above, raining down a cloud of sharp barbs upon him. She knew better than to expect her power to triumph over someone like him. Dryad disliked violence, but the alternative was even more repulsive.

Kratos grinned as she outright refused him; good, that was what he wanted. He could feel his heartbeat coming alive, the thrill of the hunt coursing through him. He needed someone to fight back for once, not just roll over because he had a cock; while it was nice that he could get his dick wet so easily on this world, he knew having to work for it would be SO much better. Of course, he would hold back as much as possible; didn't need to needlessly mar that flawless figure of hers, after all.

"I wouldn't have it any other way" he told her as he watched her forest come to the aid of its mistress. How quaint, he thought.

"I'd rather taste that neglected pussy of yours!" he shouted happily, charging forward under the hail of seeds and vines. And while he was proving athletic enough to evade the tendrils seeking to ensnare him, he felt countless pricks of pain as the seeds embedded themselves in his flesh, unknowing what could happen...And what did happen.

Most of the seeds reacted with his presence, blossoming into thick thorn-covered vines that seemed to explode from his skin, weighing him down and slowing his movements. This in turn allowed the vines to more easily snag him, their lengths wrapping around his extremities and torso, his form soon buried under a pile of green as the thick branches collided into it, pummeling him with their weight. It wasn't long, however, before the foliage began to shake; it then burst, scattering plant debris and wood pieces everywhere.

"Sustained barrages, Dryad. Going to have to do better than that if you want me gone! Can't say I'm not having fun though!" he cried out as he leaped up to avoid another tree branch that could have taken his head clean off, landing and riding it to leap to another. From there he jumped up higher and higher, using the swinging ancient limbs as platforms to reach his intended prize.

"He's closing the distance too quickly... I need to buy more time," Dryad murmured to herself, dropping her hands to her sides. Gradually, two large bulbs formed on either side of her, the folded leaves breaking through the bark of her ancient arboreal platform and rapidly growing in size. They reached the size of large beach balls before rupturing, spreading a thick cloud of paralyzing spores into the air. Hopefully they would be strong enough to have an effect, but if not then she still had a few more tricks in store to hold him at bay. She clenched her hands into tight fists then thrust her arms upward, the movement of the earth below following her direction as she raised jagged pillars one after another.

Behind and far above her, Dryad was preparing a little something to give Kratos a hard time. She doubted it would kill him, but in the very least put a damper on his sex drive and make him think twice about pursuing her further should she manage a direct strike. Long, winding branches curved into wide arches, channeling raw wind and nature energy together and compressing it into a sphere. More branches joined their fellows as Dryad continued to concentrate her power, its size and intensity growing. More arches formed leading down toward Dryad to form a barrel of sorts to channel the attack at Kratos as soon as he was within range, her body combined with the mass of the tree itself concealing her little surprise from Kratos' view.

Kratos just laughed as the Dryad continued her resistance; really, this was quite invigorating. He knew species of Mamono like the Ogre and Ushi-Oni were violent and liked to put up a fight...But it was always just a slugfest. See who could hit harder, who was stronger, typical alpha male bullshit. This, however...This was a challenge.

And as the spores exploded from their biological containers, saturating the air around him and coloring it a poisonous yellow-green, he had the instinct to hold his breath. And as he had done with the Goddess, his mouth soon became enveloped by a thin membrane, serving to filter all but the utter smallest of particles while allowing free passage of oxygen. Those that did make it through however, would certainly slow him down; he felt his body start to numb in certain areas, and selected muscle groups became increasingly unresponsive.

Despite this, Kratos would prove to be unyieldingly stubborn...And that the spores would do nothing to silence his motor mouth. "Ohohoh, Dryad, you're just making me want you all the more! Once I get you, I'll fuck you so damn hard and good all you'll ever want is to be stuffed in every hole with my dick!" Of course, he couldn't really see what it was she was doing; and while he was certain she was going to try something, he had no real way of determining what it was. And with how the spores were slowing him down, it would be fairly easy for her to land a nice hard shot on him.

And right as he was within feet of Dryad herself, a massive column of earth hit him right in the face, making him stumble and halt for that one moment...Directly in the line of fire of the Dryad's secret weapon.

Closer and closer he came, but even so Dryad stood her ground and waited for the opportune moment to unleash her full fury upon the corrupt being below her. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, teeth clenched and muscles straining as she focused all her attention on his movements, on his footing, and on the distance that yet remained between them. Then, an opportunity opened for her as one of her rock pillars landed a firm blow on his chin, the force of the impact causing the rock itself to shatter and splinter into tiny fragments of earth and dust.

The archway behind her shimmered with surges of magical energy forming long thunderbolts which skimmed the inner edge of each arch. The bolts grasped Kratos' shoulders, their opposite ends encircling the magical projectile just out of view. Dryad held her hands close together and concentrated for half a moment, her eyes gleaming with power just before stepping to the side, the sphere passing within inches of her backside as the thunderbolts hurled it directly at Kratos. The magic missile surged forward, its surface shimmering and crackling with energy, a swirling vortex of raw magical power borrowed from the forest itself as its shock wave shook the arches it passed through, the groaning of the wood mixing with the explosive expansion of the superheated air.

And when Kratos thought he could recover, he felt himself frozen by the tendrils of energy created by Dryad's technique. He couldn't move. The orb of energy moved so slow to him, but he couldn't move. His eyes widened in surprise; he really hadn't expected her to be able to do this. Only Dryads of significant tenure to a tree could harness energy like that, even longer if it called on the energy of the surrounding forest.

Even still, there was only one thought that ran through his head, even as the destructive wave got closer and closer.

"I will have you, Dryad."

It hit with the force of a supernova. There was no scream, no cry of anguish, only the corrupted male disappearing behind a wall of blinding light and deafening noise. The winds threatened to tear the trees out by the roots, birds being forcibly flung from their nests and leaves scattering to the wind. And as quickly as it had started, it was over: All that remained was Kratos, his body blackened and petrified like an old-growth tree. A demented grin remained on his face, every inch of him frozen stiff.

The wind-scorched ground surrounding Kratos' form had been stripped clean of grass, the blast having formed a cone-shaped scar on the forest floor with his body at its tip. Dryad looked over him for a moment, surprised that it had worked so marvelously given that she herself had entertained doubts as to the effectiveness of her final attack. The forest spirit let out a sigh, an overwhelming feeling of fatigue taking hold upon her as the aftershocks of the technique began to take hold upon her. While immensely powerful, the attack had drained her magic reserves almost entirely.

Placing her hand against the trunk of the tree for stability, she slowly lowered herself to the ground, taking one last look at Kratos before turning her back to him, intending on hiding in the forest before he recovered and attempted to pursue her further. Never before had she been cornered like a wounded dog, and like a wounded dog she needed time to rest and recover from the ordeal. Hopefully he would stay put long enough for her to do so...

"You won't have me... Not today or any day," Dryad declared defiantly, her fingertips brushing across a low-hanging branch as she walked.

As Dryad began to walk away, her reserves drained from trying to subdue her perverted pursuer, something began to shift. Kratos' form, dried from the massive vaporization of his bodily fluid, began to swell ever so slightly, the ambient moisture being forcibly drawn into his physiology. Slowly, his body began to twitch, the petrification wearing off little by little until he could move his head. And then he spoke, his voice harsh and raspy.

"Oohoohoo, that was fun."

His flesh cracked audibly, the hardened muscle loosening up and allowing more fluidity of movement. His eyes then traveled down to Dryad herself, "I told you, little tree nymph, that I would have you. And I, Kratos, never go back on my word." His upper body began to become free, followed by his legs as he stretched his muscles. "I'll admit, that was a pretty damned impressive display. Would have worked too, if it weren't me you were facing."

Where this power came from, no one could say. Only that it was there, and he was going to use it now to defile Dryad in as many ways as possible. He then strode towards in a kind of limping fashion, his movements growing steadier and steadier before he finally caught up to her. Grabbing her shoulder, he then turned and pushed her up against her home tree, growling "Look at you, you foxy little minx. All drained out..." as he reached for her left breast, grasping it through the 'fabric' covering the orb.

"Wonder if that makes you any less responsive, but I guess that's the fun of finding out. Wouldn't you agree?" the depraved persona stated with a sickening grin, his fingers slowly working the tender flesh.

"Wha-" a cold chill ran down Dryad's spine upon hearing his words, her feet nearly stumbling from the shock. The inhuman sound of his cracking flesh as he broke free of the petrification rang out clearly in her ears, the fear that gripped her heart nearly paralyzing her completely. It did not take long for him to catch her, his firm hand grasping her shoulder and pushing her up against the massive tree, the mother tree of the forest.

"What are you, you monster?" Dryad's eyes narrowed in defiance, her right arm defiantly reaching up and grasping the hand fondling her left breast. Her curved, feminine form was clothed in a fabric resembling large leaves intertwined and sewn together to form a dress, but under his touches the leaves would have no difficulty peeling back to reveal the silky smooth skin underneath. Her cheeks reddened out of shame and embarrassment, but she knew better than to expect that she would escape him now. No, she had no more strength left in her to fight.