Rin's Adventures Part Sixteen

Rin’s Adventures: Part 16

Kiki groaned from her position on Terra’s left shoulder as the Naga made her way into the outer regions of the swamp. “Oh, my head is killing me.”

“So what was it like, when you were under that spell?” Rin asked. Her back was still paining her, and her skull was pounding, but she didn’t let any of it show. Right now she was still trying to get the image of Kiki attacking her out of her mind.

“It was like…like being underwater I suppose,” Kiki replied. “I could barely see, couldn’t hear. I didn’t know what was happening. All I could feel was this tremendous power, like it was drowning me. Thank you so much Rin,” she smiled. “It was your embrace that snapped me out of it. Does it still hurt?” Kiki’s eyes fell.

“A little,’ Rin replied honestly. “But like I said, I don’t blame you. There was a dark force inside of you that made you do those things. Do you know where it came from?” She asked as she brushed aside a tree in her way, sending a lance of pain down her back. She hissed in pain and her friends immediately focused on her. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” she smiled.

“No you’re not,” Terra said, looking intently at her fellow Naga. “I’ve been watching you, and you’ve been in pain since the battle with the Tonorian. Please, tell me what’s wrong,” she begged.

“I just hit my back against a tree and it’s a bit sore,” Rin said reluctantly. “I’m sure I’ll be fine in a bit. I’m looking forward to seeing Draytha again,” she added, trying to change the subject.

“So do I,” Terra said as she closed her eyes for a moment, listening for the voice of nature. Almost instantly she felt a sharp chill shoot through her.

“What’s wrong Terra?” Rin asked as she saw her friend shiver.

“Something very dark is up ahead,” Terra replied. “We have to hurry.”

“I’ll scout ahead!” Kiki said as she jumped into the air, shrinking small enough to barely be seen by the two nagas. ‘Follow as fast as you can,’ she said in their minds as she zipped off, vanishing into the mists.

“You heard her, let’s move it Rin,” Terra encouraged as she wrapped an arm around Rin’s shoulder and helped the younger naga along. “Drathla, I hope you’re all right,” she whispered.

…

“Take this!” Draytha yelled as she caved in the skull of a giant spider leaping at her midsection. As the creature’s black carcass fell to the ground the dryad swung her arm and knocked away a half dozen more as they attempted to overwhelm her lizard warriors. All around her a wave of black skinned predators scuttled towards her rooted spot, running straight into her defensive lines of lizard warriors. While at a disadvantage in size, the spiders at least twice their size, the lizards were well trained and their serrated swords and spears cut easily into the spiders soft underbellies.

“They continue to pour from every direction,” the largest of the lizards, a nine foot muscled brute with scales of deep jade grunted and he slashed a huge black stone sword through the neck of another spider, leaping into the air to avoid the poison laws of a second.

“Perfect, makes them easier targets,” Draytha smiled as she flexed her roots, sending them up through the soft soil to stab into the spiders from below. Dozens died in seconds, their black blood fouling the ground where they died. ‘Why this sudden attack?’ She wondered. Spiders rarely penetrated this deep into the swamps, let alone in such numbers.

Suddenly the ground shook as a large shape dropped from a tree overhead and landed in the middle of the spider swarm. Eight black legs supported a pale skinned upper body, framed by a black mane of hair which covered her back and fell over a pair of pale breasts. A hand parted the pitch black strands over her face, revealing glinting black eyes and twin fangs emerging from thin gums. “Sorry I’m late,” the spider girl snickered. “I see you’ve made quite the mess of my pets. Allow me to return the favor.” Dashing forward she speared five of Draytha’s warriors on her claws, deadly venom killing them in seconds as she tossed them aside.

“So you’re behind this,” Draytha frowned. “Well then I guess I’ll have to take care of you,” she said, sending her roots up and into the spider girl’s underside.  

“I don’t think so,” the eight legged girl replied as she leapt into the air and spat webbing into the questing roots, binding them together. She smiled at the strained look on Draytha’s face as she tried to draw them back into the ground. “My turn now,” she gloated as she spat a stream of venom at the dryad. Draytha blocked with her arm, but a cloud of steam rose as the acid began eating into her bark and the wood underneath. “I’m sorry, does that hurt?” She laughed.

“I’ve had worse,” Draytha smiled in reply, enjoying the enraged look on her opponent’s face. “Now let’s see how you like some razor leaves!” She shouted, plucking a handful of leaves from her head and flinging them at the spider girl. She tried to dodge but the leaves, sharp, pointed edged weapons, carved five deep gashes into the spider girl’s left side and cut off a large chunk of her hair. “Hmm, haircuts, I hadn’t thought of using them for that.”

“You bitch, you’ll pay for that!” The spider girl shouted as she pressed her hands tightly together, then pulled them apart, sending an arrow of black energy straight into her opponent’s chest.

Draytha screamed as she felt poison enter her body, more potent than anything she had felt before. A great cold began seeping through her, and already her arms were losing strength.

“It won’t be long now,” the spider girl smiled, “soon it shall be mine.” As she reached forward, her clawed legs stabbing the few lizard warriors able to break away and face her, a fireball burst against her back. “AHH!” She cried. “Who did that?!”

“That would be me freak face,” a crimson haired fairy replied as she swooped down from above, becoming larger every moment until she equaled the spider girl. “Picking on a dryad, I thought their bark make you barf! HAHA I’m so funny,” she giggled.

“DIE!” The spider girl shouted at her annoying new opponent. She sent a barrage of venom streams at the red haired girl, who dodged easily and actually slapped the spider girl as she flew by. Shaking with rage she collected a ball of black energy in her hands. “Black tempest!” She cried as she fired, but to her shock the blast simply vanished into the girl, though she did crash to the ground clutching her chest. “Hmm, that never happened before,” she remarked, confused but happy with her results.

…

Kiki tried to get up, but her body was burning. The spider girl’s energy had somehow been absorbed right into her body. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, and then it hit her. This was just like before! “Oh no, please no,” she whispered as she felt the rage and power of just a few hours ago flash through her body, this time accompanied by a cold flash of fear as she realized what was happening. Already she could feel her wings heating up, preparing to shatter and become the black pinions from before. Closing her eyes tightly she poured all her energy into thinking of Rin’s embrace, trying to hold onto that one memory as the darkness took her and everything went red and black.

…

Eshka smiled as she approached her fallen prey. She was lying face down, arcs of energy dancing across her skin. With the dryad losing her strength rapidly, she could afford to take her time. “It’s been a few days since I’ve tasted fairy flesh,” she smiled, licking her lips in anticipation of her sweet feast. Suddenly thought she was blasted off her legs as the arcs of power condensed into a wave of black energy. “What was that?” She asked as she quickly sprang back to a vertical base.

“That was me you bitch,” the fairy replied, only now she looked much different. Her wings had grown huge, transforming into mighty black bird wings, and her hair had turned black with three red streaks. But her eyes, her eyes glowed a bright red, highlighting the dark smile growing across her face. “I don’t know what you did to me, but you’ll regret it!”

“I don’t think so!” Eshka said as she sent a barrage of venom and power at the black winged fairy, who simply raised a hand and a glowing crimson barrier deflected them all.

“My turn!” The fairy replied as she formed an launched a sphere of red and black energy which sent Eshka flying back through a pair of thick trees, cutting her back badly against the rough bark and splinters. Before Eshka could recover the fairy was on top of her, driving clawed fingers into her shoulders. “How’s this feel,” she asked as she twisted her hands, drawing a scream from the spider girl.

“Kiki!” Came a sudden cry as Rin and Terra burst into the clearing near Drayla and saw Kiki. “Oh no,” Rin whispered.

“Hey Rin; come to join the fun?” Kiki asked, smirking at the naga and enjoying the look of complete shock on her face. “It’s fine, I’m not going to try and kill you this time,” she assured her naga friend, who suddenly hissed and clenched her fists. “What’s wrong Rin?”

“She’s…she’s the one I saw,” Rin hissed, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “Terra, she’s the one!”

“Yes, I know,” Terra replied. “I can still smell my sister’s blood on her.” Terra’s normally calm demeanor had vanished, and she now looked ready to rip the Spider Girl apart. Her calm green eyes were narrowed and her teeth showed as she glared at her enemy. Her hands were clenched so tightly a drop of blood fell from one as it shook.  “I’ve wanted to meet you for a while.”

“Is that so?” Eshka smirked. “Well then, allow me to shake your hand, right off your arm!” She shouted as she managed to hook to legs under Kiki and flip the fairy into the air, slamming her into a tree with a vicious right cross. As soon as she was back on her feet she sprang forward, her front legs reaching out to impale Terra on their tips. As she came down she suddenly saw a carpet of spikes burst from the ground. Launching a string of web, she stopped her self just short of being impaled. “Nice t-” she began just as she was tackled from the right by Kiki and driven into a tree, causing a flock of purple birds to fly from the upper branches.

“Nice one Kiki!” Rin said as she launched an icicle which grazed the spider girl’s shoulder as she dodged. “This is for Terra’s sister!” She cried as she blew a frost breath which froze the spider girl’s web, sending her to the ground.

“Not this time,” Eshka laughed as she shot a web out of her hand and swung to the edge of Terra’ spike trap, landing safely. “I didn’t think my lunch would have friends. Oh well, guess I’ll just have to come back when things are quieter. Later freaks!” She said as she shot a web strand into the trees and pulled herself up into the air.

“Not so fast!” Terra cried as she shot a barrage of small green spheres at the retreating spider girl. A fair number hit, releasing small rivers of blood as they bit deep, but she still managed to make in into the canopy and vanished from sight.

“Don’t think so!” Kiki replied as she flew up after the spider girl, but felt a tug on her leg. Looking down she saw Rin latched onto her leg. “What are you doing?! She’s getting away!”

“Kiki, Draytha’s hurt. We need you, please!” Rin begged from per position below Kiki. Kiki looked down at her with such anger that for a moment Rin was afraid her friend would attack her.

“Fine,” Kiki growled as she landed. The red glow from her eyes had faded, though her pupils were still bright red like arterial blood. “How can I help?”

“That spider girl hit Draytha with poison,” Terra said as she clasped one hand around her crystal and pressed the other against Draytha’s wound, which was blackening and leaking a thick yellow fluid.

All around the drayad’s island the land was torn up, with fallen trees and shredded shrubbery mixing with the blood from fallen spiders and lizard warriors, and the stench of death hung heavy in the air. The surviving warriors were scavenging the armor and weapons from the fallen and heaping the dead into a funeral pyre. Two of them were chanting in a guttural tongue as each new body was added. The bodies of the spiders were being collected and unceremoniously dumped into a hastily dug pit below a black barked tree.

“Oh, I feel sick,” Draytha groaned as she leaned forward, hands clutching her stomach.

“Don’t worry, I’ll heal you no problem. After all, I am a naga of nature,” Terra smiled up at her friend. As she sent her energy into Draytha she felt an intense cold creeping up her arms. “Something’s wrong,” she said just before a pulse of energy from within Draytha’s body threw Terra onto her back, sending a wave of mud over the assembled lizard warriors and sputtering the funeral fire. “Sorry,” she said to the warriors, who simply nodded and returned to their work.

“What happened?” Kiki asked as she probed Draytha’s wound with her own energy.

“Something lashed out at me,” Terra replied as she sat up, brushing a tide of mud out of her hair.

“There’s something inside you,” Kiki said to Draytha. “I’m going to try and take it out, but it will hurt.”

“I don’t even know you,” Draytha said as she covered her wound with her hands.

“She’s a friend of mine,” Terra explained. “She saved my life and I trust her. Please, let her try.”

“All right,” Draytha relented after looking into Terra’s eyes. Slowly she removed her hands and allowed someone she had just met a few minutes ago to probe inside her body. Waves of pain wracked her body as the fairy’s hand felt around within her. She kept herself from crying out, but she clenched her hands so tight her bark cracked as Kiki gripped something inside her and pulled hard.

“Just hang on,” Kiki grunted as she pulled as hard as she could, until the thing she had a hold on popped out. “Uh-oh,” she said as she looked at a bundle of black vines which writhed in her grip. “This is very bad.”

“What’s wrong?” Draytha asked, her voice quivering a bit as she looked in Kiki’s eyes.

“These are Blood Creepers,” Kiki explained as she threw the vines to the ground and stomped on them hard, causing them to spasm and go limp. “They infest their host and drain their life force until the host dies and a spider girl comes by and consumes the life force in the Creepers.”

“Well thanks for saving me then,” Draytha smiled, though she didn’t feel any better. If anything she felt a bit colder. “I’m still a bit cold.”

“That’s the bad news,” Kiki said, hanging her head a bit. “I took out the Creepers the spider girl put into you, but they’ve already spread.”

“What’s going to happen to her?!” Terra demanded, grabbing Kiki by her black top.

“Let me go and I’ll tell you,” Kiki replied, grabbing Terra’s hands and pushing her a few feet. “Now then, I’ve taken out the main mass of Creepers but a few fragments have already penetrated deeper into Draytha’s body and there’s no way I can remove them without killing her.”

“Then what can we do?” Terra asked. “None of the herbs I know work that well against something like this.”

For several long minutes everything was silent as the two nagas and fairy wracked their brains for a solution. The crackling of the funeral pyre punctuated the air every few seconds.

“We can go to my home!” Rin answered finally. “My Daddy can help us!”

“Your home? What can they do?”

“They have medicines a lot better than anything we have out here,” Rin replied. “I’ve seen them heal a man who got bitten by a Scarlet Leaper. I’m sure they have something that can get those Creepers out of Draytha.”

“And you did say you were planning on going home soon,” Terra added. “Do you really think they can help?”

“If anyone can, it’s my Daddy and his friends.”

“Who are you talking about?” Draytha asked from above the Naga and fairy. Her wound had lost all feeling and the numbness was slowly spreading.

“The people who rescued me,” Rin answered. “They cured me of a Spider Girl’s venom, so I’m pretty sure they can help you. Even though you did almost eat one of them,” she smiled.

“I remember,” Draytha replied. “Well it’s not like I have a lot to lose. Is there anything you need?”

“Some of your blood would probably be nice, and those Creepers Terra took out of you,” Rin answered.

“All right,” Draytha said as she reached over and plucked a large gourd from a tree and broke the top open, pouring out a thin, clear liquid. Pricking her fractured palm, the allowed her thick yellowish blood to fill it before sealing the top with a bit of mud. “Will this work?”

“It should,” Rin replied as she carefully gathered up the Blood Creepers Kiki had stomped and quickly dropped them into another gourd. “I promise I’ll do everything I can to help you.”

“Thank you Rin,” Terra said as she drew the ice naga into a hug. “You’re a good friend.”

“Thanks Terra,” Rin replied, blushing as she felt the elder naga’s breasts press against her own. “Hey, but what about Kiki?” She asked as she embraced Terra in return.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine this time,” the fairy replied. “I don’t know how, but I can control myself a lot better this time. I think it’s because of how you saved me the first time this happened,” she smiled.

“Really?” Rin asked. “Well I’m glad I could help.” Breaking her embrace with Terra she took the two gourds in her hands and headed off towards Frost Peak.

“Wait,” Kiki called, and as Rin turned she caught the young naga in a gentle embrace. When she moved away she was pleased to see a nice blush across her friend’s face. “Now we’re even,” she smiled.

“I guess so,” Rin said quietly as she turned away. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she promised as her friends vanished into the mists as Rin entered the trees. “I have to hurry,” she said to herself as she brushed a few overhanging vines out of her way. One of them lunged out at her, a small fanged mouth flashing towards her face. Opening her mouth, she caught the attacker and sucked it down like one of the noodles her Daddy had fed her. She sighed in disappointment as a severed end passed through her lips. “Aww, I almost got the pod this time,” she said as the severed head of the vine pod twitched in her belly. “Still, gotta hurry,” she repeated as she moved fasted over the damp soil, following the path she had burned through her memory the first time she had visited this swamp.

After several hours of travel the trees began to thin out and Rin caught a few glimpses of Frost Peak. She felt a surge of happiness in her heart as she thought of seeing her daddy again. “I hope he’ll still love me when he sees how big I’ve gotten,” she whispered.

When Rin finally made it out of the forest she saw she had made it to the base of the mountain. Placing her hands on the ground she grew a spire of ice, making it as tall as she could so it could be seen clearly from the peak. “Daddy,” I’m coming home,” she said with a smile as she started up the snow covered mountain side, the two gourds carrying the last hope for Draytha held securely in her grasp.