Zenith writhed on the floor with the cable on him, the bogguards set their spears against him,
"Psst Spectran, what's on my inventory?," He whispered as they closed in, unknotting the line, the hound's gave a shrill sounding scream that made him grind his teeth, he was tied to a corner_literally.
The guards looked at him hungrily like they just caught the biggest fish in the sea. He dangled on the back of a hound_You've got to be fucking kidding me. He thought and huffed as his face turned red as blood flowed into his head.
They were travelling through the misty mountains with giant birds in the sky, their beaks were as colourful as a toucan's and they had the muscular bodies and wings of a pterodactyl, their bodies were an unholy green and their slow but steady movements in the air made them look impossibly like devils out for a hunting.
The atmosphere was tense and the First hounds AKA Tribid dogs whimpered but they glided past them to perch by the furthest mountain side. The Forst bogguards were unhurried as they travelled in a bunch watching out for themselves in the isolated rock ville. Zenith huffed "Water, I need some water," His head tossed beckoning and he stopped at the bogguard who stood over him, his woody face clenched in a scowl, his hair seemed to be the long slender branches of a willow, swaying and he had a stub for a nose, his lower lip was longer and he punched him.
Zenith blinked at the branchy sleeves around his fist, if it weren't for them, his punch wouldn't have been more painful
"Shut up," He said sauntering to the front hound.
They reached a darkness in the gashes of two large rocks and the hound's steps were cautious, thanks to their heightened senses, they could smell their way out.
The trees that sprouted out of the rocks on each side of the path were mighty, if he didn't know better, he may have seen it's roots overwhelming the rocks to crumble. The green grass spread through the stony field before them to more trees with exotic pink and yellow flowers with spines and white bolls on the tips.
Guy (Zenith) was too hyperventilated to notice a tree growing into a path above a rift, sewing itself like fabric to a temple that encompassed the clouds. The hounds hopped on the tree and kept strolling to a gate that unravelled itself.
As soon as they entered, Guy rolled over and met a forst giant crouching by the large door that just closed, he gulped at its antlers and plant covered face, it had a green core on its chest with the trunk around it like the hollow of a tree and three twigs crossed over it to reinforce it.
The hall was a tan colour compared to the golden exterior and it was merely translucent with the branches curling up into spirals overlapping, to be just one great design, the top were open with holes and sunlight coming through. They tossed him down taking him before the viceroy.
A large green boggard covered entirely in the green, the vines on his side stirred and the human/boggard/sprite nobles, priests, acolytes and guards gasped shuffling to give way to let them take Zenith in.
Maybe Akero was feared by many but Zenith was a complete hair raiser. He stopped in front of the viceroy who sat up on, he was sitting in the cradle of the biggest tree that stretched across the wall with sprites sitting on the branches and their feet dangling, they lit up on the Elder Tree like bright ornaments and their heads lowered to him. A sprite caught her colleague from collapsing.
"Oh dear, he's quite a stunner,"
"Too bad, he might die,"
"A shame indeed," A female human fanned herself.
(Guy) didn't know why he was smirking when they pushed him to the viceroy, whose name was Bob.
In the literal sense, his hair was pliant and they bobbed like springs, his black beaded eyes held stars and they blazed when he stepped up, he was the size of a colossus and at every pace, he came down to the size of a man.
The guards weren't sure that having the thief and the viceroy in the same room was a good idea but the viceroy personally ordered them to bring him.
Zenith was arrogant and he never backed down from a death stare, even if the viceroy's were blazing. "You'll make for a greater bait for my monsters but you're well worth it as a warrior," He stepped around him and raised his hand, the colossus Zenith saw by the door trod in, and his body creaked like a loose door as he slowly took a knee and the branches from his chest extended the Emerquoise gem to him. It was egg-shaped and had the features of a screw around it.
He handled it with caution and Zenith's eyes lowered. "Go on...take it," He urged and walked around him to wave it in his face, Zenith's eyes drifted to the gleam in the fresh water contained in the round roots of the Elder Tree. He saw dry leaves falling from the colossus, it was a decoy. The heart of the colossus itself.
The viceroy's eyes followed his to the water and crushed the core. Did Zenith think he would just give up the Forst Seed? It was the source behind all Forst life itself.
"I've been tested and proven," Zenith staggered forward a bit dizzy. His smile didn't wane putting the viceroy in disquiet.
"What's to say you won't use the gem against us?"
"I'm not here for a reprisal, I came for something different entirely, if you don't mind, I might as well be having it now," His head tilted and he was grinning like a maniac.
"You've always been an entitled brat," He turned his back walking back to the Elder Tree.
"Hmm, if only you knew me, then you'd be surprised," His eyes danced over his green face in mockery.
The Viceroy turned briskly and sneered "There's nothing Zenith Tomley does that ever surprises me," He declared openly to the guests.
Tsk tsk tsk.
Zenith flipped the switch on his refractor and countered the cables as it spun back in, as soon as it loosened, he pivoted amid the cables prostrate with the grace of a ribbon dancer and kicked the two bogguards away_"What was that?" He said afterward then he gripped the end of the cable before it went in entirely, the guests screamed as he whisked it up to the chandelier and swung to the Elder Tree.
"Whoa!" He dunked into the water and gasped diving, it was deeper than it looked, he swam deeper into the murky water and escaped the vines that penetrated the water and gripped the gem cradled in a wooden platform that had the branches twisted around it. As soon as he harnessed it, the root monster awakened.
The viceroy gasped at the fibrous root monster emerge causing a big splash. It gripped him within its limbs and Zenith coughed as he stepped out of the water on to the tiles with the gem, the airflow around the castle heightened.
The bogguards stepped foward "You wouldn't want to hurt me,"
The gem offered immunity where he stood and compelled them however he pleased "I contain the Forst Seed,"
Bob dangled as the roots swallowed him up, he stretched his hand and whiffed at the roots that gripped it pulling him back. He grew but the roots adapted squeezing him.
The washed up guests quivered.
"I don't blame you for compelling Woodwind to employ Akero to hunt me down, I'm just that good,"
The place warped and he gasped coming out of the game, his eyesight was vague but he couldn't tell if it was the side effect or just him. He pushed the cradle open and
his head reeled.
The guards stepped back and he walked into a table.
"You're a natural kid, I like you,"
"I'm not a kid," He shut the lid and ruffled his green hair.
"Of course you are, you ran away from daddy because you're not man enough to run a firm," He laughed into the microphone from the control room and Guy looked bleak.
"Four point five," He raised four fingers and was sure he saw him quite clearly.
Sebastian glared under the spotlight at him from the control room "What's that supposed to mean?,"