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The Three Kingdoms

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((sounds like Naiads have it easier, you can't dry up a river or lake and flush them out. kekeke)

â??Alright then Calâ?¦â? Masako said and nodded, stretching out some to limber up. â??That works fine with me, I couldnâ??t pronounce your whole name even if you paid me to.â? She laughed jovially and studied his pack and equipment for a moment, it seemed to be in good enough condition but not topnotch and that pack seemed heavy enough. Sheâ??d easily be able to keep up, specially if she was used to wearing heavy armor while fighting with her own style. Yeah the Etanans didnâ??t have much in the way of a good reputation with the rest of the world, just like Vaskans did probably. â??Then we have an agreement then Cal, youâ??ll get your reward when we get back to Kassan.â? She said and thought about it, she was free and could take off running if she wanted; but that would only speak badly of her.

â??The knife here? It should be enough to deal with brigands and bandits but wontâ?? do much good against heavily armored enemies.â? She said. â??I know, Iâ??ve tried one in the past.â? She said ruefully. â??I should be able to well enough Iâ??m not as encumbered as you are by that pack.â? Masako said and continued walking, slightly behind him to give the impression of being a servant if anything else. She looked the part as well, and the collar looked like it was just a decorative accouterment. â??But how do you propose to get through the checkpoint in Volarra?
 
"Ah!" She gasped when she felt the hand grasp her leg, it was warm and firm, fear overwhelmed her when they made contact. She had heard of Dryads being caught before but it was so rare all the nymphs thought "Well things like that happen to other nymphs." Then eventually the sad reality sets in that to other nymphs you are included as an other Nymph. She started flailing her leg, hoping to free herself from it's grasp, but she couldn't help but come off balance as her hand started to pull out of the tree, the human fully pulling her out undoing the magic that was in progress.
 
Cal didn’t seem overly burdened by the pack at all as he strode down the streets, Masako a few steps behind. “Don’t you worry about that. Provided they haven’t upped the toll again, I should have enough. If they have though, well, then we might have to cut through the Green a bit. Either way, we got a long walk ahead.” He reached back into his bag without breaking stride at all and pulled out a small package. From it he revealed a few pieces of flatbread. Each was about the size of the palm on one of his huge hands, both in diameter and thickness. He broke the round flat loaf in half and passed one of the fragments to Masako. “Here, this will help keep your strength up. Knowing slavers, I’m guessing you haven’t eaten since being captured in Vaskaan.” He was mostly right, the guards had given her a few bits of stale bread and a sip or two of water while she was a captive. Cal’s flatbread was very dense and full of seeds, nuts, berries, and chunks of dried fruit. Each mouthful would have taken a very long time to chew and swallow even if the bread was fresh, but this loaf was dry and tough, well on the way to stale.

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The young hunter and Lynise tumbled down the tree to the soft earth below. The wet nature of Dankwood made the ground even this far west slightly spongy, which was fortunate for the young hunter as it allowed him to hit the forest floor without sustaining any injury beyond a few bruises. The dagger was thrown wide during the fall and now rested with the blade half embedded in the earth a few yards away. The hunter scrambled to his knees and tackled Lynise, pinning her arms down. He was panting hard. His pale green eyes looked down at her through his mess of thick brown hair. “Be calm, I don’t want to hurt you.” He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Can you understand me?”
 
Masako nodded but was ravenous and eagerly accepted the fragment he gave her and looked at it for a moment. It looked like a kind of ..trail mix bread, it contained all the needs for the body in one place except the meat really. Itâ??d power you for a while but wasnâ??t really too reliable as a main source of food at least. â??Uh thanks.â? She said and took a bite of it and winced some at how hard and stale it seemed to be and shrugged, dealing with it. Hopefully the tariffs in Volarra were at least the same price and not higher because getting lost in the green would be a very BAD idea.

Sheâ??d just trail along thinking and blushed at various catcalls and even some shouted offers for goods in exchange for an hour with her. â??I wish theyâ??d shut upâ?¦ itâ??s embarrassing..â?
 
Nall walked on along the forest road heading ever further away from Kassan, staff tapping the ground in time with each step. The young mage was bored already, it would take quite some time to walk the forest road and reach the Great Green. He could have rented out a horse from one of the stables but... he had never got on well with the beasts. Shaking his head in irritation he glanced to either side of the road, making a cursory check for threats. While his appearance as a spellcaster would ward off some lesser threats one never knew who would be desperate enough to try something.

As he walked he removed a small mirror from the pocket of his robes, and began to mutter an incantation over the glass, as the fingers of his free had twitched and moved through the basic mystic passes for a scying spell. With only a description and a name, it would be difficult to even find, let alone discern anything about his targets location, but it was worth trying at least. Finishing the spell he gave one last glance around and focused on the mirror, trying to make out something, anything in the swirling mists that now obscured the reflective surface.
 
She looked up at him dazed. "Yes, let go." She said plainly hoping that by speaking back to it, the human would listen to her. She tried to pull herself up from under him but could tell she was fully pinned down. "Can you understand me?" She says knowing it's a full phrase by repeating him. "Let go." She tries to act collected to intimidate the human, trying to sound threatening while remaining calm.
 
Cal laughed. ”Embarrassing? I think maybe you are looking at it the wrong way. Think about this, Sumeragi, would you rather be like me, having to pay for a little company? I know you’re nobility and a knight and all that, but does that really mean you have to be above enjoying yourself? You have features some women would kill for, be proud of them.” The northern gates of Seranto loomed a ways ahead. Dozens of people and carts swarmed the streets. Both men and women stared at Misako as the two strode down the main road. ”Sumeragi, if I had a body that made people stare, I wouldn’t be wishing I could hide it. I’d be walking tall and showing it off with a smile. But hey, maybe that’s just me.”

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The image in the glass cleared, but all Nall could see were bits and pieces of images: a broken cart half covered by a large bush; a thin trail winding through the forest; a clawed metal gauntlet on a muscled caramel-coloured arm; and wild long blonde hair. After that, the mirror went dark. Various travellers continued to go by, many on carts, most on foot. A small wooden hut with a low fence could be seen in the distance on the edge of the forest. It was the Silver Road tollbooth.

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The young man eased his grip a little and slowly looked her over. His eyes widened. ”You aren’t an elf are you? You-you’re a tree nymph!” He took another slow breath and calmed himself. ”Ok, you can speak a little, and I’m guessing from that you understand me too.” He moved off her until he was sitting next to the beautiful nymph. He still held one of her wrists. ”I’ll let go as long as you promise not to run away from me.” He paused and thought for a moment before continuing. ”Nod your head if you agree.”
 
Masako looked at him and blinked a few times, he was really right. She would have to relax and perhaps even just flaunt her features and all but she had a problem. The more skin she had exposed the stronger her insuppressible aura of sexual appeal got. THAT was the reason why so many people were staring after her and talking amongst themselves, it took a person of strong will not to be affected by it. Yeah some nifty gift from the gods that was huh? Sheâ??d try that out though and stiffened her posture a bit more and relaxed carrying herself with a quiet dignity that made her look like a noble woman out on the town. â??Iâ??ve had to pay for company sometimes. I have a reputation as a huge bitch even at home in Etana.â? She sighed some. â??But if I can ask: where are you from?â?
 
Cal looked at her incredulously. “You’ve paid for companionship?” He scoffed. “Cold shoulder or not, surely there must be a few desperate men in Etana that would have serviced you for free. I mean… far as I’m concerned, regardless of your attitude, if I wasn’t getting paid for this trip I’d jump you myself.” He laughed. “But then, legally speaking, you do belong to me.” He gave her a wide, playful grin. “And of course you can ask where I’m from. You must have missed it in that overly long jumble that was my name.” He laughed again. “I’m from Whitalfelser. You’ve probably never heard of it unless you’ve taken a Seranto trade boat up the coast for a week or so.”
 
â??Itâ??s more like Iâ??ve just been really mean and bitchy to people in the past because they approached me the wrong way.â? Masako shrugged some as they continued along and blinked some, hearing of where he was from and looked momentarily nervous about what he said about jumping her. Oh how glad she was to have money to offer! â??A Seranto boat ride wouldâ??ve cost me my arm, leg and probably virginity.â? Masako said in a snarky sounding laugh. â??Itâ??s like everything here costs an exorbitant amount of money or other capital.â? She said to him with arms crossed, feeling exposed due to all the stares subconsciously. â??I guess someone like me could use some humility in the world.â?
 
“Wait, you got me confused now.” Cal stopped and looked her over. “You’ve a virgin? But I thought you just said you’ve paid for company before.” Cal successfully ignored the looks and calls Masako drew from people who passed by. “And you’re right; this is a city for people with money.” The comment reminded him that his current income relied on getting her back to Etana. He turned and started walking again. “Of for people like me, who get paid to either protect the people with money, or do jobs that they are unwilling or unable to do themselves.” He smiled. “Taking a ship here though didn’t cost me a single coin. I worked for my passage.” He chuckled. “It was fun at times. I got to cross swords with a number of pirates; some of them were damn good fighters.” He ran his fingers through his hair and looked off ahead into the distance. “Seems like that was a whole different lifetime now. I hardly remember what it was like before I came here…” He trailed off, lost in thought for a moment before snapping back to reality and looking over to Masako again. “You don’t seem overly proud to me, so I’m not sure about having to learn humility. What do you mean by approaching you the wrong way?”
 
â??Yes I am.â? Masako said casually like it didnâ??t bother her. â??When I said I paid for company, I meant basic human company.â? She said and sighed a bit sadly. â??I donâ??t have that many friends really, everyone just sees me as either possible fucktoy or a stuck up bitch of a knight.â? She said and shrugged some. It didnâ??t really bother her and she just wanted to live her life without being molested or overly involved with many people but it was a lonely life. â??I mean they came on far too strong.â? She said. â??Itâ??s insulting to have people trying to stalk you just so youâ??ll look at them.â? Masako said. â??I havenâ??t been a very nice person for a long time.â? She said with a shrug. â??You see, what I was bornâ?¦â? Masako explained the aura she had around her as a supposed â??gift from the godsâ? yeah some gift.
 
She nodded slowly, but tensed her legs, preparing to get up and sprint away. She looked a bit angry, having gotten her hopes up she would be mistaken for an elf but his comment swiftly dashed those hopes to the ground. "Just let go, ok?" She says simply jerking her arm back, tugging at him to get his hand off of her wrist.
 
Cal nodded slowly. “That might explain a few things, but I think you put too much emphasis on your ‘gift’. I’m not sure what you’ve heard, but the truth is that men like strong women. Also, you do have an amazing body.” He grinned. Actually, couple all that with the aura thing, and you can hardly blame a guy for fixating on getting you into bed.” He laughed loudly. ”You don’t have to worry about me though. I know how to keep my hands to myself.“ Neither Cal nor Masako could tell if her aura worked on him or not. Cal found Masako incredibly attractive and made no attempts to hide it, but he was controlled and polite in his own simple, direct way. He glanced at her frequently, but not so much as to become awkward or impolite; he appeared to just be checking that she was still with him and doing the polite thing by acknowledging her when addressing her. ”You know, it’s impressive in a way that you’ve made it to your age with your virginity intact. In some cultures, you might be marrying off a daughter of your own by now.” He thought a moment then looked at her again. ”Unless that is your one of those women who… uh… prefer the company of other women. I’ve heard stories of those, and it doesn’t bother me if you are. I’m not sure, but I think I knew a girl like that back home when I was growing up. She was nice.” His statement was followed by him falling into an awkward silence.

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The man started to ease him grip, then noticed the canvas bag lying next to the dryad. The sapling was fine, having only lost a little dirt in the fall. He let go of her wrist and picked up the bag. Holding it with both hands, he examined the sapling growing out of it. ”What’s this? Do you collect plants?” He stood before she could react, still carrying the bag, as he walked over to where her staff had landed. ”I’ve never seen anything like this before.” He turned back to her with a smile. ”Or like you for that matter, at least not up close.”
 
Nall cursed under his breath as the mirror went dark and then slowly cleared up once again merely reflecting his face now. That had been... less than informative but at least it gave him a few images and possible starting points. If not for the fact that angering...whatever had given him this job was likely a bad idea he would probably just abandon this wild goose chase. Glancing up he saw the toll booth, a small wood and stone hut which housed the guardsmen who collected the toll from travelers. There was a relative dearth of foot traffic so he was not held up long.

Counting out the few small coins for the toll he pressed them into the palm of the bored looking guard, and continued past the iron 'fence' that funneled all the foot traffic through the toll gate. In the distance he could see the deep green of the forest steadily rising over the horizon and stepped up his pace, wishing to at least make it to the forest edge before making camp.
 
"Yes, is very important it is......." She pauses thinking of something to say other than the truth. "Is the very last of that plant so you must be very careful and give it back, I need to plant the plant in good forest." She nodded and held out her hands to take the plant back from the human. "Is very important that you give me back the plant ok? ((Ugh, I feel bad, all my posts are short.))
 
Masako flushed some and sighed. â??Well I do want to have a baby of my own but Iâ??m afraid of what has to be done to get there.â? She said. â??Iâ??ve heard it hurts badly and leaves you aching for days and day>â? the blonde said, combing a hand through her hair. â??And I donâ??t think about it really, Iâ??ve never been with a girl so I wouldnâ??t know if itâ??s any better. And why is it unusual fo rme to still be a virgin? Iâ??ve simply never met anyone worthwhile.â? She sneered faintly, going haughty for a moment. Sheâ??d walk along in silence but blinked as a few guys approached Cal with offers of money for an hour with Masako and her sexy body. Offering a small bag of gold each, not much but something at least, a look of dread going across her face as she saw and heard it.
 
((I know what you mean about the short posts. I hate making them too. I feel bad how short some of my replies are, but then again, they seem long because I’m doing 2 or 3 storylines at a time, lol. Oh, and in answer to naiads having it easier. 1 word: dams)

The roughly paved road stretching out before Nall seemed to last forever. The massive trees of The Great Green gave the illusion of being incredibly close, yet there was quite a ways left. Ahead of Nall, a woman sat on the side of the road next to a small backpack. She looked up as he walked past, quickly jumping to her feet and matching step alongside him. He body was mostly hidden behind a heavy black woollen cloak. What could be made out was that she had some very feminine curves: most notably a fairly large bust. The hood of her cloak was down, revealing light olive skin, strong facial features, deep blue eyes, and a long black braid all the way down her back. In her right hand she carried her backpack. In her left she held a long wooden staff with a crook at the end. Near the crook was fixed a long narrow axe blade with a tapered head. She rested the polearm on her shoulder as she walked. She smiled at Nall as she spoke. “A mage huh? Kassan or Magewood? I’m a student of The Spire myself. So why you headed to The Green?”

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The hunter looked at the dryad, then to the plant, then back at her. ”Seems like an ordinary tree to me. Strange thing to carry around in a bag… I bet it would look good in the garden back home. And, if it is a rare tree, it will be safe there.” He slung the bag over his shoulder and picked up the staff and dagger. He put the latter back in his boot before walking over to the dryad and holding the staff out to her. ”Here, you can have your stick back.” He smiled as he looked her over again. ”Do you have a name? I’m Sean.”

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”Well, having a baby hurts, but the process involved with making one doesn’t. At least if it’s done right. It’s really not something to be afraid of.” Cal paused as the men approached and held out the bags of gold, each of them looking at his ‘slave’ with hungry eyes. Cal took the bags and thought about the offer. For a long time he examined the bags, even opening one or two to count the contents. Every now and then he would look over as Masako. His expression was flat as he carefully weighed the offer before him. Buying the woman had cost him most of his savings, and there was enough gold in the bags to buy almost a whole new outfit with enough left over for a decent meal.

Two of the men had already started to advance towards Masako while Cal thought over the proposition. A moment later, he turned to look at them. ”Where do you two think you’re going? I haven’t said yes yet.” He turned back to the men still standing in front of him. There were four or them in total. With a heavy sigh he held out the money bags to them. ”Here, keep it. I don’t need your money.” The men were outraged. ”Men like you would just devalue her. Now be on your way.” One of the men who had been approaching Masako suddenly drew a dagger and charged Cal’s back. In a heartbeat, the man fell dead. His head and his body were two separate, detached parts. Cal had drawn one long sword with his right hand and whirled around before the disgruntled attacker was even close enough to scratch his leather armour. The blood barely left a mark on the polished blade. Cal glared down at the remaining three. ”Draw your weapons if you dare, coward; although, you may want to get a few more friends to make it a fair fight.” He dropped the bags of gold and drew the second sword. Either way, you are going to have to hurry. I won’t stick around here long enough to be caught by any of the guards. . The three remaining men were terrified by a combination of their friend’s swift death, the thought of being caught by the guards, and the gargantuan fighter looming over them with swords ready and a gleam of malice in his eyes. They stood, terrified. Cal roared like a bear and brought the swords down, just missing the two men standing nearest him. The three responded by running away in three separate directions, screaming the whole time.

Cal laughed so hard his sides almost started to hurt as he sheathed the blades and picked up the discarded bags of gold. He then turned to Masako with a grin as he tossed a coin in the air and caught it. ”Well now, looks like I might just be able to get us a decent meal today before we leave the city.”
 
So intent on the forest ahead was he that he hardly noticed the woman until she jumped up and began keeping pace with him in the march. He gave a slight start as she did, though he hid his surprise well as he glanced over her, giving the woman a brief once over. "Magewood," he answers in response to her query a bit cautious of the girl, after all she just suddenly began walking with him and he no idea who she was or what she really wanted. he kept silent for a few moments longer as they walked and glanced over at her again, "I'm Nall, Levitas. May I have your name?" He asks, although he remains a bit guarded there is little reason to be rude.

That said he keeps his gaze at eye level when he looks at her, no reason to offend an unknown quantity who may or may not take offense. Other than his single brief query though he keeps up his quick walk scowling a bit as he looks back at the forest and cursing the optical illusion that makes it difficult to tell the actual distance.
 
Masako backed off away from the guy stalking toward her and blinked some, her hand going to that short sword of a weapon and eyed him. She wasnâ??t afraid of some untrained idiot like this but if things got hairy, which they did, she didnâ??t want to be close to the range of that sword. She was surprised by the response to it, anyone else mightâ??ve just gone along with the easy route for getting money without doing any real work. When the guys scattered like deer with a wolf after them, the busty blonde perked a brow at him. â??I suppose youâ??re right, and that was unexpected. For a moment it looked like youâ??d just let them go for it.â? She said. â??It looks like it was certainly enough cash.â? Masako said. â??After all, until we get to Etana Iâ??m still a meager slave.â? She said bitterly.

â??But if what you say about the Seranto guards is true, we should make like leaves in the wind and find somewhere to get that meal you mentioned.â? She said with a helpless shrug. â??If they come and find a deadman theyâ??re going to question both of us first if weâ??re still here and I doubt thatâ??d be pleasant would it?â?
 
"Lynise...... and I really need this tree back, is very important, too important for human so give it!" She took the staff and then pressed up against Sean not in any sort of social nature but more of a threatening one. She flexed her muscles trying to get the branches above her to reach down menacingly but her body started making a heaving noise from exerting the effort so far away from her home. The desired affect is produced but the strain of effort is obvious with a Dryad shaking from over exertion and the branches above reaching down slowly like menacing claws.
 
”I’m Melaina, Melaina Belarri nice to meet you Nall. I’ve heard you Magewood people are pretty powerful; must be to pass the entrance tests I guess.” She smiled slightly and turned her gaze to the forest ahead. ”You don’t look like your headed to Ferazi; you heard the rumours about that wild boy attacking people?”

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”You may be a slave, but you’re also my employer. You gave me a job to get you home safely and that is what I’m trying to do. Besides, even if this is all some kind of trick and you don’t plan to pay me, you’re still my slave and I’d rather not have those sorts of people going and ruining you. You deserve better than that.” Cal smiled and started walking again, the bags of gold safely hidden away inside his large pack. ”Guards here are trouble. Not just in Seranto, but everywhere in Ferazi. There is no army the way you might think of an army, with a set chain of command and formal training. This whole kingdom is ruled by wealth, and the army is no different. The guards aren’t trained soldiers, they’re mercenaries, and that makes them far more dangerous. They are unpredictable and lack structure. They have no code of conduct, only a very loose set of rules. Their main concern is to eliminate any behaviour and activities that may disrupt the business of their employers. Take a look around and you will see guards in all different colours of uniform. Each part of the city has its own mix of colours depending which Magnates are in power in that particular sector. The result is you have a very unpredictable military force that is very good at keeping order at any cost.” His gaze moved over the various store fronts as they walked. ”If the guards connected us with that body, we may be arrested for disturbing the peace, but likely only if they found out about the gold. In that case, we could try to pay them off, but it is just as likely they would steal the cash and arrest us regardless. The safest place for us to rest is by the north gate. There is a small inn there that isn’t very popular, except with those who are trying to avoid attention. It’s inside the city, but far enough from any major market not to attract much business from traders.”

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Sean looked from the dryad up to the trees that were slowly bending towards him. They looked menacing enough and scared him at first, but he quickly regained composure when he noticed that they weren’t moving fast enough to pose a real threat. He could easily step out of the way long before any of the jagged branches would reach him. This far from her home, Lynise’s powers were clearly enough to cause the massive trees to move and disorient unwary travellers, but making large trees fight on one’s behalf was a much more complicated and strenuous endeavour. The strain on her meant that, although the trees started to move as normal, the movements quickly slowed as she exhausted herself from the effort it took to get them to do so. She was too far from home, and the young sapling didn’t provide much of a battery for her to draw energy from beyond what was needed just to keep her alive with only the most basic of her otherwise impressive abilities. Such was the trade-off Nymphs who wanted to wander must make: power for mobility.

Sean pushed the overexerted nymph down and drew the dagger from his boot. ”I’ve heard Nymphs couldn’t be trusted! I thought I was being nice, and you try to scare me by making that tree grab for me. Well your tricks aren’t going to intimidate me that easily.” He watched her on the ground, clearly tired from trying to brings the ancient trees down as if she were at home in her own grove. ”I’ve heard dryads were scarier though, able to bend the forest to their will, but you look worn out after making that tree move barely at all towards me. And all because I you’re your sapling here? I said I would find a good home for it to grow…” He looked from her to the small tree sticking out of the bag. ”Unless… is this little thing your home tree?” He looked back at her in disbelief.
 
Masako listened to what Cal was saying and laughed mildly at the surprising response from the man and shook his head. Just surprised by it all and continued along, whistling softly as she walked along toward the northern exit. Masako didnâ??t want to get caught by the guards here either, sitting in a prison would be worse because then sheâ??d probably be assigned as a slave to the richest people there. Probably as his private fucktoy for the rest of her natural life, which could be a very long time. But a rundown dingy inn near the exit for people that wanted to conceal themselves sounded good but problematic. Hopefully they wouldnâ??t stay there for the night overall; sheâ??d rather sleep on the ground than a place like that. â??Are you sure itâ??ll be ok? I really donâ??t like places like that, itâ??s most uncomfortable but I guess itâ??s better than nothing at all.

It wouldn't be long before they'd reach said place and entered in, all the peopl einside almost instantly turning to stare at her. "I think indoors concentrates that aura of mine" she said apprehensively.
 
Idly tapping his staff on the road as he walked Nall nodded at her first statement unconsciously placing his hand on his right side where some years ago he had been caught on the edge of a fireball during the practical portion of the exam. He considered a moment before answering her query, "Yes... he's becoming quite a problem isn't he." He assumes his employer seeks some silence on the matter or he wouldn't have suggested Nall leave unseen. Going by his brief vision, and the lack of any other leads, this 'wild boy' could indeed be his target, it was certainly worth a shot anyway.

"What is your business out here Melania?" he asks idly more to steer the conversation away from his motives than for any other reason. He looks at the forest ahead, trees slowly looming higher and higher, before glancing up at the sky where the first streaks of red are beginning to show in the west.
 
She shakes her head, but her neck wavers, her head throbbing from the effort. "Is just..... a very rare tree, is important......" She breathes heavily as she talks obviously exhausted. "Please give it back." She reaches a hand up lazily, her head still wavering and her eyes fluttering. The whole scene looked dark around the edges as she tried to focus on the sapling that kept her alive, and the increasingly threatening man before her. The effort of making the trees move sapped most of her power, her walking stick losing it's living glow and reverted back to a mere dead branch. She almost fell backwards completely laying down but barely kept her head and outreached arm up.
 
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