Felarya: Temple of the Hunters part one

Yuna blinked. She was surprised how talkative the stranger was when she was startled. "Please, can you slow down? And calm out. I am only curious about you and what you are doing. I am Yuna, a Canopy Fairy."

"Fairy?" the stranger studied Yuna curiously. "Ah! So that's how she mistook me for one. The wings are what it takes. Well, you can look but don't mess with my work! I am Sinnea, a Gremlin."

"Good to meet you," Yuna replied absentmindedly. She flew to the inscription and read 'Emergency vehicle! If in need, the keys are engaged! Enough fuel to reach the safety. Enhanced speed!' in large visible letters. In a lot smaller ones there was more 'We apologize if it doesn't react in turns swiftly enough.' Yuna was perplexed. "What did you do? And why?"

"Weell," Sinnea smirked. "As you heard I managed to get away from a fish girl who tried to eat me, don't know why, and she was so upset. I told her that she could ask for something in exchange for not eating me. She told me that if I managed to get her some humans, not only she will let me be but provide me with some fishes small enough to eat. I saw this transporter when I searched for some civilisation so I turned it into a trap. If what Mona - the fishgirl I mentioned -  told me is true, the people not only wouldn't think twice but they will overlook my warning as well. It will be hilarious!" Something in one of her pocket started making beeping noise. "Quick," Sinnea shrunk down to insect size, "hide! The first costumers are here!"

Startled, the Canopy Fairy hid beside Sinnea in the tree's branches. And in time. Group of dishevelled and panting humans and Nekos burst into a clearing, casting frightened glances back. "Oh, God say thanks!" A bespectacled man cried out when she spotted the vehicle and the writing. Without hesitation he vanished inside. "Guys!" he called out. "There really are keys in the starter!" The vehicle came to life. "On board! Negav awaits us!"

Yuna observed as they all hurried inside while a cheerful voice called out "Where are you, little morsels? Don't worry, Crisis only want you to dinner!" The second the vehicle sped away a giant naga burst out of the trees. "What?" she stared at the impossibly quick transport speeding down the road, it's engine roaring. She started pursuing it, but the vehicle was fast. Slowly the distance between the humans (and Nekos) and their pursuer grew.

"Teheehe," Sinnea giggled. "The snakegirl has no chance. I tweaked the engine and the chassis for speed. I bet that transporter is the fastest vehicle in this world right now. Of course," she giggled mischievously, "there is a price for it. The vehicle has no way to change its curse quick enough. And where they are going, there is a REALLY sharp, ninety degree curve. And a river the road is following after that. Want to see the aftermath?"

So the Gremlin and the Fairy flew after the vehicle and its pursuer. They came to the end of the drama. The vehicle was slowly sinking, the humans (and Nekos) swimming around it. They were trapped. From the shore a winded and unhappy Naga was trying to reach them while from the river a large blue mermaid surfaced and started to feast. "Hello," she greeted the Naga cheerfully. "Sorry, but it seams they are mine now." She quickly showed several inside her mouth, grabbed four with each hand and swam away before the Naga could react. Disgruntled, the Naga slipped into the river to catch the rest of the adventurers. "At least they crashed the thing," she was murmuring. "Or they would be first that would escape me. Anna would have a field day with it." The Naga quickly ate the rest of the humans (and a lone Neko left behind), then paused. "Should I get that thing to Anna? It was fast and she likes such things. On the other hand, it IS rather heavy and large. But if I brought it home, perhaps Anna will smile at me for once, and forgive me the Televisio I ate by mistake." She decided and with some effort fished the sunken vehicle out of the river. With it under her arm she slithered away.

"What dumbas could eat a TV by mistake," Sinnea stared in the direction the blonde naga went. "On the other hand the Anna she mentioned sounded like someone to mess with."

"That was Crisis," Yuna deadpanned. "She will eat anything she thinks contains people. I heared about her and her friends. Anna is rumoured to be no fun. She is mostly in her hole in the Great Tree doing something. I like Subeta the best. She is good hunter and she likes to collect strange things. I heard she wants to build a dungeon like my sister and I. Say, Sinnea, how good are you with traps?"

"Traps?" the Gremlin girl tilted her head cutely. "I am VERY good with traps. Say, what are you planning?"

(end of the flashback)

"Hello Sinnea!" Flora smiled at her friend. Even so different, the way they met made the Flower Fairy forever indebted to the Gremlin ...

(flashback)

"I told you messing with Anna will be fun," Sinnea giggled while a howl of rage filled the air behind them. "She should know better then let such tempting contraptions unguarded."

Yuna still wondered why the tool raid couldn't go smoothly. Perhaps it was Sinnea's sense of humour that compelled her to tinker with any machine or mechanism she saw. They sneaked into Anna's lair, err, workroom, to obtain tools Sinnea told them were necessary for constructing the traps the twins wanted her to build. With the exception of the Delurans Anna was the best bet to have them. After they get what they wanted, Sinnea took some time to quickly 'upgrade' some of Anna's devices. If the roar was any indication, Anna just found about it.

"Humans," Sinnea stopped moving. They hid and saw three men with a small cage passing through the forest quickly but carefully. They were worried, Anna's scream making them fearful. But they were in danger from entirely different predator then Naga's. The Fairy twins seethed. "Fairy hunters," Yula gridded her teeth. "Unfortunately ones who knew what they are doing."

In the cage a small figure was trapped. A Fairy of some kind. The man who was leading the Hunters was obviously a mage, his robe and metallic staff was dead giveaway.

"Even both of us may not be enough," Yuna was glaring at the men with rage. "I don't even dare to use stomach warp. Who knows what he is hiding on him."

Seeing her new friends unhappy was too much for Sinnea. Before they could react she attacked.

First sign something went horribly wrong was when anything metallic on the hunters, from their weapons to the buttons and buckle, tore itself from where it was and flew in all direction. The cage too was affected - it started to fly up, lodging itself in a tree canopy out of humans reach. Then a small figure flew out from the bushes and grew into giant proportions. "I don't like you," she grabbed them firmly and glared at them.

The men didn't yet panic. They knew they had an ace in the hole. The mage quickly drew small glass vial from his loose robe and threw it at their captor. "Die, Fairy!" he grunted. The vial impacted her silvery skin and soaked her white hair, and ... nothing happened. "Why don't you writhe in agony shrunken to few inches," cried the mage. "How can Fairy withstand the potion of Faecrush."

"Because I am not a Fairy?" she inclined her head. "Although it itches. You used lavender, didn't you? Lucky me, you killed it in your potion. And no, what you heard will not help you. Yuna is telling me how humans taste. And you, scum, are ideal test subject for THAT experiment." With that said, she threw the now horrified mage into her mouth and started suck on him and slosh him around. "Hmm, not bad," she remarked after she swallowed him. "Need some salt. And some copper too." When she registered the canopy fairies starring, she smirked slightly. "Didn't I told you, I am partly metallic myself? Hold on those two, I am right back." She vanished in the direction of a nearby river to wash away the itchy potion. Partly because it WAS making her irritate and partly to not endanger her friends if the mage was telling truth how true Fairies would react to it.

When she returned, it was trivial to tore apart the cage and free the hungry and weakened prisoner. Luckily they had the two remaining goons, so Flora recovered quickly... 

(end of the flashback)

"Hello Flora. Hello Yuna," Sinnea greeted the Fairies she was living and working with for month now. Thanks to her mechanical talent and Yula's diplomacy they were ready at last. The knowledge of (true) treasures the Temple of Hunters contains was quickly spreading and with the maps Gunther and people like him were selling right now, it was only matter of time first humans will arrive. And not one of those adventurers and treasure hunters asked what the temple's name meant. Not one would guess, who build it and why - and who the sacrifices will be and how they will be sacrificed.

"Soon," Yula smiled at her friends and the priestesses of the new temple as they were eating the food Yuna brought. "And Luban may bless our bellies. The prey is coming, the traps are set. The best prey will survive, the fame of our temple will grow, and our bellies will be full and rounded."

(The END of the first part)