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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Haraash Saan" data-source="post: 5104212" data-attributes="member: 46615">As one the bows of the Hydra were nocked, shafts were loosed into the vines. Unfortunately they seemed to have little effect, for the vines at the base of the menhir scrambled away and cleared a space. They revealed a most unusual sight, if the vines actions in themselves were not unusual enough. A strange plant like maw with large spikes stretched out of the gap that the vines had made and snapped enticingly at Argonne, who was still being swung about by the vine that had grabbed him, and then it let go!     Argonne fell straight toward the gaping mouth and in one giant bite he was gone. I watched wordlessly, feeling useless. Zhontell however was not. Instead of looking on dumbfounded like I was he leapt into the writhing mass of vines. He dodged, hurdled and tumbled his way through them until he stood over the great mouth that had swallowed our companion.     It was insane! There is no other way to describe it. Zhontell began to flail at it with his fists. Suddenly Moxadder and Morgan were right there with him, each attacking with dagger and sword respectively.     Inspired I shook myself free from my stupor, threw my bow down and leapt into the fray. However my grand plan for aiding my fellows was thrown into chaos as I was immediately faced with a vine that intended not to grab me but smash me against the earth.     Again and again I thrust and slashed at it with my trusty blade. As I fought I could see the ongoing battle at the plants mouth. Whilst Morgan and Moxadder were attacking Zhontell had managed to open the great orifice, reach in and wrench out Argonne! As he was pulled free, the hand that Zhontell had clasped transformed before my eyes. Fingers became feathers and where Argonne’s hand and arm once were was now a wing!  Suddenly from the mouth of the planet a great eagle flew out and to safety beyond the reach of the vines.     I saw no more as the vine that had engaged me renewed its attacks and I had to use every bit of my agility and luck to dodge its flurry of blows. It reared up in front of me. The vine, as thick as a Halfastian wresters arm, slammed down hard but I just managed to leap backwards before it thundered into the space I had just vacated.    I took a moment to gather myself before once again entering the fray when I saw that miraculously the brave Zhontell and Moxadder had feed themselves from the plant. Zhontell stood calmly to one side, appraising the situation, whilst Moxadder sat hunched and bleeding from several gashes he had sustained from the bites of the plants mouth.     Where was Morgan? An immediate answer was forthcoming. He was now trapped in the vines grasp.     Above us the great eagle screeched and swooped, but just before it landed its talons morphed into boots, and the rest of it followed suited, transforming into a man. Finally as its beak opened once more they transformed to lips, and its head to that of Argonne.    “Release my companion!” commanded Argonne.     I glanced quickly to see who he was addressing. It was none other than our feline observer, the orange and black striped cat. It prowled through a strange and thickening fog that began to spring up around us.     Stravarious too caught sight of the beast and let out a triumphant holler. “The cat! It’s mine!” he screamed. But as soon as he uttered his ecstatic cry the fog thickened and surrounded him.     “Damned fog!” he wailed, “Can’t see the cat! Where are you kitty? Strav’s got a present for you!”      “Release my companion!” demanded Argonne once again. The cat, now only five feet from him, turned its head as if to consider him and the vines ceased their strangling grip on Morgan. He slumped to the ground and sucked in precious air.     What was this cat? It controlled the plants and the called forth mysterious mists. It made no sense to me.     Further to the peculiar situation, the cat then gently grabbed Argonne’s sleeve in its mouth and pulled him toward the menhir. As they both approached the vines that had covered the mighty menhir slid away to reveal it in all of its glory. The huge rock stood defiant encased within twelve bands of bright white metal.     Argonne was transfixed, his eyes wide with an excitement that I had never seen before. He reached out to touch one of the bands.     Morgan, at last satisfied that he could breathe again, cried out, “Don’t touch the bands!”     But it was too late! There was a loud crackle and the band that Argonne touched emitted a violent blue spark. Argonne screamed in pain and fell backward, grasping his burnt hand. I could see that it actually smoked such was the energy that had struck him.     “It is the symbol of Gerech! Twelve lines of white!” continued Morgan.     He was right of course. Gerech’s symbol was a hub that radiated twelve white arrows. I should have understood the significance all along. This menhir had been trapped from some reason by the Gerechian Convocation over a hundred years before.     We had all been struck dumb by what we were witnessing, but Morgan’s cry had alerted Strav, who had been calling out to the cat all along, and given him a direction to travel through the mists.      He appeared, like an apparition, mist from the thick fog that had enshrouded him clinging to his frame. The cat was his target. He saw it instantly. Strav’s arm rose quickly and from his fingers came a green crackling light like lightening. It slammed into the cat before it could react. The huge feline was thrown to the ground with a thud.     “No!” cried out a shocked Argonne.     Strav, ignoring the woodsman’s order, cackled manically to himself, “Puss, puss. Come to Strav. I so would love you to come to me.” As he strode forward he stepped through the vines that had been stilled. Suddenly they once again came to life! In an instant they had Strav entangled in their grasp and had him spread-eagled so tightly that it looked as though his limbs would be torn from their sockets.     Then I reacted. “Wait!” I commanded to the cat, who had now staggered to its feet.     “He offers you no more harm. Leave him be.” I continued, hoping against hope that I could reason with the orange and black striped beast.     It turned its attention to me for the first time. I felt a bead of nervous sweat roll from my forehead down to my cheek. And then its gaze moved back to Argonne.     Strav, although unable to move, no longer seemed to be in any harms way. The vines had eased their grip so that he was no longer in any obvious pain. But he was completely immobile, which was the perfect position for him in his current state of madness.     “We must break the bands.” said Mortec “Once we do that, I think everything will become clear.”     I could see nothing wrong with the thought. If the Gerechians had sealed the rock then it was most likely something that was used against them. And in my opinion then that is no bad thing. Bloody Gerechians. As for Strav, he could wait. He could do no harm where he was.    Argonne tried his axe, a branch as a lever and countless other methods, but the bands stood fast. Eventually night fell and the exhausted Argonne joined the rest of us.     We had been talking amongst ourselves, too excited by the days events, while Argonne had whacked away and Mortec tinkered with some strange gadget.     Argonne found no respite though for we bombarded him with questions about his transformations, although his answers were in no way useful at all.        </blockquote>

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