Snippet #2681213

Teleportation was a regular event for Astris, so she needed no recuperation. As she arrived in Hell's Land, she surveyed her surroundings, wrinkling her nose in digust. The smell of dirt and animal invaded her nose, and there were trees for as long as the eye could see. With no soft beds in sight. She puts her hands on her hips and held back a groan. No use in complaining, she had to do this quest for the Wizard and fulfill her debt, or there'd be no living with him.

She looked around at the other people (she refused to call them 'companions') around her. Rupert, who she had briefly met at the Wizard's home, was there, though she wasn't sure if that was a comfort or not. A religious looking woman and a Dullahan she guessed was Allanah's sister were present also, though they were certainly no comfort.

"Ah, fuck," the only living male in the group stated eloquently. She snorted in agreement, but didn't speak.

She wanted to waste no time in starting her quest so she could leave this nightmare. She sat on a boulder and crossed her legs, fishing through her bag for her checklist. The first item she needed was easy. The second and third were achievable. She had no idea how she would accomplish the fourth, it wasn't exactly something she could find in the grass. She sighed and put her bag aside just as the man started talking.

"Hello. I'm Judah. You here ‘cause of the Wizard, too?” he asked the group.

Astris smiled bitterly. "I believe that's why we're all here. To band together," she made a punching movement with her arm at this, "and help each other complete our quests. Or more likely just to entertain our debtor when we all turn on each other."

She saw the man put a hand on his sword and thought she had already been proven right. The the hairs and the backof her neck stood up, and she instinctively turned around to see a large shadow slowly forming itself into a living creature with claw and seven red eyes. In the time it took her to leap from the boulder, the thing had mutliplied into six creatures! One of them set its eyes on her and started charging right for her. She narrowly escaped being eviserated, and rolled in between two trees close enough together that they blocked the creature from being able to get to her. Just out of reach of its claws, she dug into her bag to get the white chalk she used for drawing summoning circles, and got started drawing the intricate shapes, hoping that what she had in mind would work.