.::Apollo & Exxy::. The Labyrinth

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I think we'll just go ahead and go with what we've got for a plot, and see where it goes, mmkay? :] We can have them stumble upon some sort of forest-y destruction or something, they can trace the source of the magic from the destruction to the caves, yadda yadda :]

Rhavaniel blinked happily as she strolled through the trees, reaching out and caressing the newly budding leaves, a sign that spring was just around the corner. The Forest of Azavanna had been her home for over a decade now, and though she had been living on her own for a majority of that time, she never felt lonely; she sang to the trees to make them grow, and talked with the creatures to learn about what was going on outside the forest. There was only one place in the forest that she refused to explore, and that was the Cave of Korathym. It was a place of darkness and mysticism, and because of the blackness within, as well as her fear of small spaces, she had never ventured in.

The elf's short, choppy hair had grown down to the middle of her back, and she saw no point in cutting it off; she didn't get too many visitors, except for knights or warriors passing through the area, and even so, she wouldn't really care what she looked like anyway. One unusual aspect of the elf was her eyes. While they themselves were a normal shade of olive green, she had small, swirling, tattoo-like designs framing them, along with a slightly orange tinge, giving her face a glowing appearance. Her build was small and petite, which was useful for her favorite hobby, dancing. She found that she could prance around with hardly any effort, and often did so, just for the fun of it.

While everything had been calm and peaceful since she had lived in the forest, something had felt a little off lately. She couldn't quite place what it was, though, and had pushed it to the back of her mind. She knew that she would run across the disturbance eventually, if there was one. Today, she was planning on picking the quickly growing plums that she had found the day before, and then perhaps finding some fresh mint to make a tea with. She was an herbivore, and refused to eat any kind of meat, no matter the time of year. The forest provided all of her needs. She found the tree that she was looking for, and began to pick the ripe fruit from the lower branches, stowing them in the large wicker basket she had placed on the ground.

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That disturbance would be met with a smell of burning cinders. There was a firey demon lurking through the forests, having come from the cave. It traveled through the forest quickly, searching for any sign of life, wishing it to be destroyed. It mowed down trees in its path, albeit a very narrow one, leaving a charred path behind it. It wasn't traveling to Rhavaniel, but to the place she lived in. Once there, it set fire to it. When it found itself victorious, it let out a boar-like roar, heard for miles around. All the animals that were in earshot, ran for cover, sensing the dangerous presense all of a sudden. Though however, there was a wolf-man who had been traveling the forest as of late. He wasn't evil, and some of the animals he had seen, had taken to him. This day, he heard that roar, telling him that a demon was lurking in the forest. He had only come across Rhavaniel once or twice, but he went in search for her, hoping that she was alright.

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Rhavaniel felt the pain rippling from the trees before she heard the roar, and the agony and ferocity of it alone brought her to her knees. "No!" she cried out to no one in particular, then stumbled to a standing position, dashing away towards her home, plums forgotten. She was met with a fiery inferno, destroying her small abode and all the plants within a hundred feet. Whatever had caused the terrible scene seemed to have fled back the way it had come, leaving a charred path in its wake. She began to sob quietly, watching the flames as they slowly died out, showing the black carcass of the house within. She could build a new home, yes, but the trees and plants would take many years to grow back, and the fire left a huge scar on the beautiful forest. She didn't want to think about how many animals had died in the inferno.

She looked back to the trail, noticing, not surprisingly, that it led to the cave that she despised so much. What had caused the creature to finally come out of its lair to attack her, unprovoked? And what was it? It obviously was a being of power - the fires were proof of that. Would it attack again? Should she leave the forest? No, she couldn't do that! It was her home. She crumpled to her knees on the ground, shivering, and unknowing of what to do.

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The demon returned to its cave, triumphant in causing its first amount of chaos. It was going to try to burn the forest, but it decided not to do so, wanting to cause it all over time. Exxor eventually happened upon the scene, after the flames subsided. "Its returned..." he murmured. Then he saw Rhav there, bundled up in her spot, sobbing. He walked up to her, placing a paw gently on her shoulder. "Don't worry..." he murmured. "Whatever, or whoever caused this... I'll find and defeat. This shouldn't have happened today. And I'll make sure that it won't happen again." He looked up again, seeing where the trail of charred death came from.

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Rhavaniel sniffled, and then flinched as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She whirled around, prepared to fight whatever creature had caused this destruction, when she realized who it was. She blinked in confusion. She was happy to see the Paladin again, but what was he talking about? "Wha...What's returned?" she asked, wiping away the last of her tears, a lame attempt to hide her fear and sadness. "I've never seen anything like this before. For the past ten years that I've lived here, nothing has ever disturbed the peace." How could he stop it? Sure he was powerful, but so was the beast that caused this.... "What do you have in mind?" she asked, turning back to the charred remains of her home. "The trail leads to the Cave of Korathym. No one has ever ventured in there and returned." She shivered. She thought she now knew why. It was the lair of some evil demon, apparently... A sudden surge of anger and rage momentarily pushed aside her fear, and she looked up into Exxor's face with determined eyes. "If you're going, so am I." She didn't stop to think about her claustraphobia, or the fact that the cave was said to be filled with tricks, traps, and dead ends that could take days or weeks to get out of, if you made it out at all.

We can think of some of the things they have to go through in the caves. We'll make it super long and dangerous so this roleplay will last a while :3

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"If you can face your fear of small spaces..." he said. "You'll be able to make it through. But don't worry, you're with me." Exxor could see that Rhavaniel wanted to fight back. It was rare for elves to find the strength and determination to fight back, at least that's what he had seen. But her willing to do so amazed him. She was going to fight her claustrophobia, to face off against this demon. With that, Exxor knew that they had a much higher chance of turning up successful, and alive, for the most part. Exxor smiled, seeing the determination in her eyes, and then searched through his bag, pulling out a weapon that Rhav could use. "This will help with you fighting back." he said. "It wouldn't be a good idea to face this demon without any weapon." He began to walk, and beckoned her to follow along, if she was ready.

((Okay then. Since this is a fiery demon, I'm guessing something along the lines of volcanism, like a dungeon full of lava pits.))

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Rhavaniel gave a stiff nod. "I... I think I can do it," she replied, glancing once more at her ruined home. She normally had a bow that she carried with her for safety, but it, along with the rest of her belongings, was now part of the black carcass of her home. She grasped the weapon Exxor gave her, frowning. It was a small, curved sword, and almost seemingly elvish-made, from the shimmering luster on its blade. "I have little practice with a blade, but I'm sure I can pick up how to use it fairly quickly." She would have to; her life might depend on it, although with Exxor along, she knew she would be protected. She glanced up into his eyes, giving a soft smile. "Thank you," she murmured, touched that he was willing to venture into the depths of the caves just to help her. She then turned her attention back to the charred path, letting out a deep breath in an attempt to prepare herself for the fear that was sure to be soon to come. "You have something to light the way, I'm assuming?" she asked. It would be even more suicidal to go into the caves blind. Maybe they should leave some sort of marking on the walls as well, so they could find there way back out... If, that is, they made it out at all. She shivered, and brushed the thought away. She nodded to the path. "I guess we're wasting time standing here." She began to walk forward, slowly but resolutely.

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Exxor nodded, and walked along with her, until they reached the mouth of the cave. Exxor could pick up the faintest smell of brimstone, signaling that there was a threat of intense heat on the inside. But he felt it wouldn't be to the point where they were unable to venture all the way inside. "With where we're going... we may not need a light source." he said. Though he snapped his fingers, and formed an orb of light in his paw. "But I'll have this with us, just in case." He went on inside with her in tow. He kept her close, so she wouldn't be lost. As they ventured further inside, the smell of brimstone became more prominent, and it began to warm a little. As they continued to venture, they would eventually see a soft, orange-red glow on the cave walls. Exxor knew right away what they were walking into. "This is a volcanic cave..." he murmured. "Keep on your toes, and for the sake of the gods, be careful."

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Rhavaniel shook her head. Of course, Exxor could use magic, so they wouldn't need a lamp or torch. She hesitated at the mouth of the cave; it's dark, cold opening looked hungry for a kill. She swallowed hard, then followed after Exxor, sticking close enough to him so that their hips were practically touching. She too sensed the heavy smell in the air, and grimaced at the rumble and gurgling noises that she could hear within. What was she getting herself into? "I'll... be careful," she muttered, and as they turned a corner, she was met with a frightening sight. She felt a sudden blast of intense heat hit her, and she recoiled, shielding her eyes against the lava pit within. How could she have not known this was here!? The cavern was enormous, and she realized that they must have traveled down for quite a ways for such a colossal cave to exist. The room was dotted with twisting passages and doorways, all leading to different caves and crevices in the wall. "How do we know which way to go?" she asked nervously, pressing even closer to Exxor in her fear. She could already feel the sensation that the walls were closing in around her, and she fought back panic... She had to do this. She gripped the hilt of her sword defiantly, and stepped to the side, only to be met with a screech. She looked up, and a blood-red bat shifted above her, opening its black mouth and letting out another terrible cry before taking off further into the cave. Rhavaniel shivered. This place was not natural.

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Exxor instinctlvely put a protective arm around her, but still urged her forward with him. He looked fearless, but still, he wouldn't underestimate the demon that lay in wait for them. He looked at the different passage ways, and sought for the one that would bring them closer to this demon. His step was light, and careful, not wanting to take a misstep, and plunge into the hellish inferno. When he found a suitable door, he opened it, and walked on through the other way with her. This room was a little cooler, because of the room being up much higher from the fiery pits. "Thank the heavens... you've come." An etheral voice had come to them. "Do not be afraid, I am of no threat to the two of you." Exxor sensed this voice to be coming from a good spirit, so he was at ease. "Is there any reason as to why you're here?" Exxor asked. "I have been trapped here, by the demon who infests this cave." the voice spoke. "This cavern used to be pristine, and full of thriving waters. It was only a year before now that this demon took control, and brought upon it, his hellish existence. I had been hoping that someone would come to my aid, and solve the puzzles and traps the demon has laid before unwary adventurers. But... I've a feeling that you may be able to break his control, and destroy him forever."

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Rhavaniel kept close to Exxor as they made their way through the fiery cavern, tempted almost to take his hand in her own for comfort, though she knew it was a childish gesture. She was used to green forests and lush wildlife, not hard stone and intense heat. She felt herself begin to sweat in the heat, and brushed at her forehead as Exxor led the way to one of the many openings in the cave. She was surprised to see a doorway, and shrank even more, wondering if they were going to encounter the demon already. She was surprised and relieved when the voice within brought with it a fresh breath of cool air and calmness. She listened, curious and frightened, at what it had to say. "But, if the demon was able to trap you," she argued once the spirit was done speaking,"How on earth are we supposed to defeat it?" They were only mortal, after all. Although, spirits always seemed to know what they were talking about, so she would have to assume that this one did, too. "If.... If that's what we must do..." she muttered, kicking at the floor,"then I suppose we should. But.... Which direction do we go? And how will we figure out the traps before it's too late?" There were so many questions in her head, and she couldn't focus enough to ask anymore. She gripped Exxor's arm, waiting for a reply.

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"Follow your heart, and you shall come forth true..." the voice said as it faded away. As the voice said so, stone pedestals appeared before them. Exxor began to see that it was a sort of puzzle, but it wasn't much of one, seeing that he had to rely on his instincts, and his sense of right and wrong to follow the right path. Rhavaniel would have to do the same. He looked to her, and nodded. "Follow me." he said. He knew that she was frightened, but he had that sense of protection and courage that could, maybe, help her move on with him. He stepped forward, closing his eyes. It seemed then, that the path opened up to him. He sensed which stone to step on, and crossed, moving slow enough so that she may follow as well. He didn't hope that anything would go wrong, but still followed the path he thought was right.

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Rhavaniel blinked as the voice faded away. Well, that wasn't much help, she thought, until the stone pedestals appeared. Her mouth opened and she gaped for a moment, wondering what on earth it could be. Exxor seemed to know what he was doing, though, and she watched him carefully make his way over the stone steps onto the other side. She let a small smile creep up the side of her face. So easy. She was used to making delicate, perfected steps from her dancing, and this seemed easy enough. She lightly skipped over the stones, making sure she stepped on the same exact ones that Exxor had before her. Before long, she was once more next to the Paladin. "If that's all we need to do, this will be easier than I thought," she chirped, smiling widely. The stones disappeared behind them, and she stretched, turning around to see what the next obstacle would be. It seemed to be simply a dark passageway, so she began to walk forward, glancing back to make sure Exxor was following.

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Exxor nodded, feeling better knowing that she was smiling. "Let's just hope that it remains that way." he told her softly, still stepping across the way. Usually when things had gotten easy, something much more difficult to pass would come about. Though again, Exxor hoped that such a deal wouldn't happen. It was only a minute or so before they crossed the path over the massive pit, and they were on safe ground once again. "There's the door..." he said, then he looked to Rhav. "Let's hope for luck." He smiled, and opened the door, they were blasted with heat again, being that they ran across another room that contained a lava pit. What hung over it was a pure mithril platform, with the bottom being shaped like the bottom of a bowel. It was hooked to mithril chains that more than supported the weight. "This looks almost like an arena..." he said. "Hopefully we won't have to fight much."

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Rhavaniel nodded and followed Exxor as he continued onward, gasping in fear and bewilderment as they were blasted with heat once again as the door before them opened, revealing some sort of arena-like area where she assumed battles were held. She shrunk back, stricken with anxiety. She was no fighter, and though she may be able to defend herself for a while with her new weapon, and perhaps shoot someone from a distance with her bow, she wouldn’t last long in a one on one match with some fearsome warrior. “What do we do?” she mumbled, casting uneasy glances behind them. It was only her desire to get revenge for the destruction of her home that kept her from fleeing immediately. She took a hesitant step forward, half expecting some monster to come charging at them with claws and fangs and eyes of flame. Her only comfort was knowing that Exxor was a trained Paladin, and could fight off even the fiercest of foes – or so she hoped. “Do we have to fight someone…. Or something?” she asked, even though the question was rather rhetorical, because she was certain he knew little or no more than she of what was happening. Though they really had no choice but to continue, as the stairs behind them had already vanished….

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Exxor looked around, and nodded. "I'll defend you, if I have to." he said. "But I sense someone coming..." He looked around to see the stairs vanish, which only meant one thing... "So you've come to stop me..." a demonic voice rang out. And not even a moment after, the demon that attacked before, took shape. It was a boar-like humanoid, and the sight of him struck a look of surprise in Exxor. "Artuk!" he said, gripping his sword tighter. "What do you want!?" Artuk just stood there. "Your friend there... is what I want. I find her soul to be quite... appetizing..." He looked rather sick, licking his chops like he was hungry. Exxor growled, the way Artuk looked at her angered him. "You're gonna have to go through me first." he growled. "And you won't like to either, because I'll never let you get to her!" Artuk just laughed, and charged at Exxor, and their battle soon started, starting with a small bang.

((Sorry I took so long. x.x))

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Rhavaniel turned away from looking behind them just as the demon appeared, and she gave off a shriek of fright at the terrifying beast. She looked between it and Exxor as they spoke. The Paladin knew of this demon? She had never heard of such a thing, and was glad that she hadn't, for it was the most horrifying thing she had seen before, and if she had known that it lived so close to her, she would have left long ago, even with her love of the forest. She shakily took out her bow and notched an arrow, but it was useless; even as she did so, Exxor and the demon charged at each other, sending her world into chaos with loud crashes and bangs. She leapt to the side, unsure of how to help, but knowing that she had to. She pulled back the string of her bow and, taking a chance, aimed and fired straight at the demon's head. There was a miniscule chance that it could miss and hit Exxor instead, but she was an expert with archery, and had little doubt that it would hit her friend; if it missed at all, it would most likely just fly around the fighting pair. She stood back and watched, feeling rather helpless. If only she could use the power of the earth down here, but all she could sense was fear and fire and death.... It was nearly overwhelming, and she longed to go back to the trees and grass of her home. "Exxor, look out!" she cried suddenly as a boar-sized flaming dragon exploded from the lake of magma around them. She threw her dagger at it, and it screeched in pain, but continued on in its pursuit.

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The appearance of the dragon was the LAST thing that Exxor needed, beginning to work quite a bit on going against the boar demon. Though Artuk reeled back when he was struck right in the head with the arrow, which indeed gave Exxor enough time to strike the demon with a fatal blow, the holy power causing the demon to implode and turn to dust. Now Exxor turned his attention to the dragon. The dragon was staggering, turning its attention to the attacker, which was Rhavaniel. Exxor made a last second attempt to jump on the dragon's back, despite the fact that its back still had molten magma on it. Exxor successfully managed to drive the sword through the dragon's head, paying dearly by scorching his chest and arms. When it was done, and the dragon dead, he jumped off, his armor near-melted, and weakened by the third-degree burns. Exxor's armor cooled quickly, however, but the burns were left on him. Exxor let up huffs and whines of excruciating pain, his front side, save for his upper chest and face, burned beyond belief.

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Rhavaniel felt rather useless as she watched the battle, and though she considered shooting more arrows at the creature, it seemed that Artuk was already losing. The arrow she had loosed had pierced the side of the demon's head, and even as she watched, Exxor fought harder and eventually, the beast just suddenly disintegrated. She gaped at the spot where it had disappeared, wondering if it really was going to be that easy. Well, Exxor was a holy warrior, after all, and she supposed that demons didn't stand a chance against him. Still, it was rather shocking. Her musings were interrupted, though, when she realized that the battle wasn't over. She turned just in time to see the dragon looming closer to her, and she let out a cry of fear at its ferocity. Before she could even think of protecting herself, however, Exxor was there, leaping onto the beast's back even though it was still covered in magma. His suit of armor began to melt almost immediately. She yelled at him in an attempt to get him off before he was hurt too badly, but even as she did so, the dragon, like Artuk, stood no chance against his blade. In a matter of minutes it lay dead on the floor, with Exxor beside it, hurt nearly as badly. With a gasp of horror, Rhavaniel ran to him, propping him up so he didn't fall over completely. His armor was scorching hot, and it took all of her courage not to let go from the pain of touching it. "Exxor, you shouldn't have done that!" she said shakily, not noticing the tears running down her cheeks until they pinged against the hot metal. "I... I don't know what to do, you've been burned terribly, and there aren't any plants down here for me to heal you with..." She tried to think of something, anything that she could use to heal him, but all she had to work with was heat, rock, and metal, and none of those things was good for healing. "We.... we need to get back outside, to where I can find something to help you. Can you make it that far?" She bit her lip. He looked like he could hardly stand, let alone walk the distance back to the entrance of the caves.

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The armor did eventually cool. But as her question was answered, a portal opened that would take them back outside. The dragon was dead, for sure, and how Exxor had hung there, the armor kept off him. "I can... make it..." he said, wincing from the heavy burns. He started walking again, with her, into the portal. When they walked through, it took them back outside. After they walked outside, they were visited by a good spirit, which turned out to be the spirit they had spoken to in the volcanic cave. "You've broken the curse of the demon boar." the spirit spoke. "He would have soon devoured this forest in flames, if it hadn't been for you two brave heroes." The spirit came down, and placed a hand on Exxor's chest, healing the burns until they weren't severe, but just moderate. The armor was cooled and didn't cause anymore burning.

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Yet again, Rhavaniel was surprised by the magic in the caves. Just as she was about to panic at the thought of dragging Exxor all the way back to the entrance of the caves, a portal appeared, and with a bit of a struggle, the two made it out. The opening shrunk behind them, leaving the horrid cavern and its dead occupants disappear into the forest once more. She turned to see the spirit they had met earlier before them, and bowed humbly as it spoke. "I would not have had it any other way," she murmured, the terror of their journey already leaving her. Soon the damaged part of the forest would be healed, and life would go on as normal. Now, however, Exxor still needed to be tended to. He looked better now that he had been healed, but he still seemed weak on his knees. "Thank you," she told the spirit, then instructed Exxor to sit on the ground and rest while she inspected his wounds. She had to carefully remove his armor to get a better look at the burns, and after she had winced and studied them long enough, she rushed away for find herbs and other supplies to help her heal him. After about a quarter of an hour later she returned, carrying a jug of water, a large handful of different herbs, and some cloth bandages. "I managed to scrounge up some things from my stashes around the forest," she explained. She sat next to him and began to mix the water and the plant together, turning it into a pulp. "I found these a herbs a short distance from here. It's a mixture of Witch Hazel, chamomile, lavender, and chickweed. It should cool and soothe the burns." After the poultice was complete, she rubbed it gently on the burns, then wrapped them in the cloth bandages. She hoped it would be enough.

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Exxor was still indeed weak, and his current condition wasn't getting any better, or any worse. The spirit had listened to her speak her word of thanks, and disappeared. Exxor did as she asked him, and winced when she would take off some of his armor, the bits of fur and actual flesh having been adhered to the burned armor. Though thankfully, he wasn't bleeding as much as he expected himself to. He was very thankful that Rhavaniel had gone this far to ensure that he healed, and winced a little bit when she rubbed his burns with the poultice. "Thank you Rhav." he said, with a smile. "You've been helpful to me this entire time, and I thank you for aiding me in the fight back there. I... don't think there is any way I can repay you for keeping me alive."