54. Chased by three
Ultimately, Celia decided that the issue of trying to convince Haet’s crew was an issue for later. She was far from a motivational speaker, and she likely had better odds of discouraging them rather than the opposite. So like half of the problems in her life, she decided to push it off till later. Which she was sure wouldn’t bite her in her massive butt later.
For the time being, she focused on what she was more confident in. That is, crossing the forest to the first of her, so called, designated search zones. A journey that took her over twenty minutes to make. With most of that time spent double checking her surroundings to make sure a certain hydra wasn’t lying in wait for her. And thankfully, he hadn’t been.
Unfortunately, the forest had other native nuisances to bother her with. Like a horde of bees growing human hands out their faces. A turtle that was more plant than living beast. And last, but certainly not least, a black three headed lion that filled the air with various runes.
Celia had slain none of them. In fact, she had gone out of her way to avoid them. But even that turned out to be a taller ask than she had expected. Resulting in her current situation: Running from all three of them.
The lion was the closest behind her. Leaping from tree to tree and releasing blast after blast of magical energy. Pursuing her from the left, came the swarm of bees, spreading decay to everything they touched. And making sure she didn’t fly too high came the turtle, a whole host of green tendrils growing in place of where it’s flippers should be and connecting it to the ground. Seemingly, as it made giant drops of acid fall from the sky.
It was a sort of chaos that Celia realized she had kinda begun to miss. Far more normal than the very strange - and sentient - kind she had been running into as of late.
Which earned her a mark of disapproval from Vice.
Something Celia was quite okay with living with. Though, she idly wondered how much longer she would be doing even that as she dodged a fireball made of small screaming heads. Which immediately took the cake for weirdest display of magic she had seen yet. Closely followed behind by the explosive cake the lion had summoned earlier.
She was embarrassed to admit how close that one had gotten to doing her in. She was less so about the giant rock the turtle threw at her. The projectile flung from a leash of vines and hurling straight towards her. Barely giving her a second to react to it. But she did, flying a little lower so that it flew over her head.
She wound up flying right into another of the lion’s spells. A black miasma that hit her with a burst of madness. Thoughts twisting against her and leaning in ways paradoxical to how she normally thought. Ripping into her from within.
It was an attack that might have incapacitated her were it not for the unique nature of her mind. As, rather than being consumed by the madness, her other selves tore into it. Savaging it with their own understanding of her, and dismantling it in only a few seconds. But that was all the time needed for the swarm of hand-bees to catch up. Swarm zooming straight for her as she fell.
Celia doubted she would react in time.
Fortunately, she wouldn’t have to. The swarm, in their haste to end her, wound up flying straight into the lion who had lunged for the kill a second before. The two of them momentarily forgetting about her as their aggression was turned towards each other. Bees savaging about as the lion repulsed them with a barrier of runes. Symbols and shapes that bled into the air, scarring everything they made contact with.
And they would have made contact with her if she hadn’t regained control of herself, and flew out of the way. Climbing back into the sky. Where she immediately found the turtle waiting for her. Launching itself at her from off a tree, vine like limbs lashing at her with reckless abandon.
Celia increased its gravity by a fraction of a percent. There wasn’t enough time for her to do more, but even that was enough. Slowing the turtle down by a mere imperceptible amount, and giving Celia just enough time to quickly construct a wall of ice in between them. A wall of ice the turtle flew through, and quickly found its weapon used shell clashing with her new sword in a clash of sparks.
Then came a wave of searing heat from behind. A temperature that bled wrong. As if it was heat derived from twisted pervasion of nature. Celia preemptively dodged. Pushing the turtle away from her and flying away from the point of their clash.
And half a second later, a lance of dark fire smashed through where she had been. Spearing up and into the clouds, leaving a dark trail behind it. Meanwhile, down below, Celia found the lion standing triumphant over the bees. His body covered in spots of decay. Another spell forming in two of his mouths, as the third bared it’s fangs her way.
A towering limb of twigs and vines slammed into her from behind. Bringing her toward the ground like the blade of a guillotine.
She became another version of herself a second before impact. Vice emerging from the cloud of dust with a feral roar. Leaping toward the turtle, claws cleaving through its green limbs as she lunged for him. Biology shifting to a thing of dread horror. Wings becoming bat like, fangs erupting out her maw, and armor growing out the surface of her body. Jagged and as hard as steel.
The turtle blasted a thing of nature at her. A cone of leaves and pines and wood. They nicked and cut, trying to push her back. But Vice had become a thing of motion now, tentacles and tendrils gripping onto a nearby tree and flinging her out of the way.
She rebounded back in a second. Launching off a tree and coming at the turtle from the side. Three claws scattering sparks upon its shell, while her sword was driven into one of its openings.
Celia/Vice felt the fight go out of it. Tasted the fear of it waft through the air. She had broken it.
Lightning sounded off from behind her. Twin streams of bluish white light flooded towards, scorching the ground below. Arcs of electricity struck out at the world, and traveled faster than she could have any hope of reacting too.
Vice bit the inside of her mouth and tasted of her own flesh.
Her flesh bloomed forth with sharpness tinged metal. A coating of meaning that she used to shoulder one of the incoming lightning bolts. Wincing as it spit down the middle and flew around her. Touch leaving her flesh in a state of ruinous burns.
The second hit her dead on. Piercing straight through two of her arms and knocking her off her feet. Force carrying her further and throwing her into the turtle back first.
But she wasn’t out of the fight yet.
“Is that the best kitty’s got?” She teased as she rose back to her feet. Upper left arm and lower right limp at her sides, a furious glint in her eyes.
And then, before she could regret taunting the lion, she ripped a handful of strange looking grass out of the ground and shoved it into her mouth.
Much to Celia’s horror.
What are you doing!?
“Eating.”
Grass?
Vice didn’t get the chance to answer that. And was instead forced to dodge as the lion launched another spell her way. A hall of red fire exploding where she had just been a second ago. Flames roaring as her wounds began to slowly heal.
And in the midst of her regeneration she leaped back towards the turtle and the fire that had washed over it. Reaching with one of her still good arms to grab her sword which she had left plunged into the turtle. Yanking it out, bladed teeth severing vine from flesh as she did so. And found itself back in her hands just in time to block another incoming fireball.
Force throwing her back and spinning through the air. End over end over butt before she hit a tree. Impact somewhat cushioned by her growing girth. Reminding Vice of another hunger of hers as she righted herself back onto her feet.
Followed immediately after by her biting the tree and ripping a chunk of it free with her mouth. Swallowing down the bark like it was jerky, and once again causing her flesh to begin its slow regeneration.
And as her flesh knit itself back together, she spat a globule of molten spit directly at the lions center head. Watching as it tried to dodge, and promptly fell over. A half decayed leg failing it.
Vice took her sweet time approaching it after that. Her steps slow, minimal, cruel. Until eventually she stood over the lion, lifted up her new favorite sword, and drove it down. Sharing in the feeling of contentment coming from the blade.
Which gave her a wonderful idea.
“Anyone else up for a quick snack break?”
Both her other selves sighed.