Deadly Predators - First Blood

[Virgil]

Timestamp: 30th of Fall, 509 AV

They did not make it easy. Moving through the dense foliage of Falyndar, sweat moistened upon the brow of the man known as Virgil. The smooth tempo of his breathing complimented the echo of distant birds, as his heart rate held that same steady beat.
Ahead walked the Myrian tracker hired on the idea that humans enjoyed the company of fifty foot snakes and divinely inflamed cannibals.. Virgil was hunting something, but it was the kind of game that bit back hard.
The brown skinned hunter had commented in off hand amazement to which the comfortableness his client had taken to the heat. Virgil attributed it to a healthy diet, but inside a cascade of djed moved like the shadow of a sundial, keeping time and equilibrium of both his body's energy level and inner temperature. The experience was subtle and did not come often, but allowed the monk to focus on what really mattered most, staying alive.

Survival was key, so the man absorbed and retained as much information as he could about the nature of plants; both edible and poisonous, finding water, food, safety.. learning to follow basic tracks and avoiding the deadliest of traps. The pair had passed over the steps of the mighty tskannas, tigers and various other creatures Virgil intended to repeat in native Myrian code.

His briefing indicated there had been sightings of unique predators being transported through this lush region. It was the first step in his mission to meet with these creatures and gain their favor. Virgil had other plans.

[Cayenne]

It was extremely slow travel. Falyndar's thick jungle seemed to be diametrically opposed to their making progress, but Iemi, his guide, was knowledgeable about the land that he had lived in his entire life. So they made headway - even without all of the tricks that he could have used. But that meant revealing Myrian secrets to outsiders, and that was something that was heavily frowned upon (and severely punished) in Myrian society. You just didn't do that. And one's elders would remind them why.

"The Spiders used to live up there," Iemi indicated broken Symenestra nests above them as they passed below. "Symenestra. Gone," he ran a finger across his throat in a quick, slicing motion. Whether he meant that they had moved on (like any intelligent race faced with either genocide or relocation), they had been forced out of the area, or they had been killed was anyone's guess. Either way, the Symenestra were certainly not there any more.

The heat-wrought moisture dripped off of Iemi's exposed skin and soaked Virgil's clothing, drenching it with sweat. It was beginning to cool off again after the long summer of scorching heat and impossibly heavy rainfall. The pair carried on through misting rains that were soon deepening into a downpour. Iemi had no problem with the rain, and didn't intend to stop for it. Unless, of course, the human needed to. This wasn't the greatest place to stop, but in Falyndar, short of Taloba or Zinrah (if one was in fact a Dhani), stopping was very rarely a good idea unless you had some security.

Virgil was beginning to get the feeling that they were being watched as the day turned into night, the sun sinking beyond the trees and casting the rich, overgrown jungle in an otherworldly glow. He was also beginning to tire, feeling the effects of using Flux in such a way for so long. He'd have to stop eventually, but with a little luck, it would cool down a bit in the night.

[Virgil]

Virgil pushed through a large waxy leaf, watching the grooved trail of hooves wash under the broken collection of water. He ceased the flow of flux as soon as the effect of it's use began to tire his body rather then maintain it's balance. Nodding smoothly to lemi, the human studied the lay of the wilds, each turn and hump of earth, understanding the tracker's forbearance in revealing it's true secrets. The silent soldier snatched what he could and used that inch for a mile. Showing no gratitude or disdain, he remained mindful and aware to the words of the hunter and to what these same sentences would not say.

From this awareness grew the tingling stem of impending confrontation; that something or many things were trailing them.. The feeling had come and gone from the moment he had stepped into the woods of Falyndar, even before the arrival at Taloba and the acquisition of a guide. The feeling now spiked into something sharp and threatening, yet due to the constant approach of danger, the sweating monk had the ballast to remain true. Up above the Symmestrian nest spilled open dry and flaked into the underbrush, it's gutted remains soaking uncovered beneath a rare glimpse of heaven. Symbiotic vines choked their hosts yet nothing swayed but the flutter of leaves hit by rain.

[Cayenne]

As Syna gave way to Leth, Iemi moved through the heavy leaves, now weighted down with rain. It was just as well that they weren't stopping, because if they were going to stop to wait out the rain, they'd like as not be there all night and the rest of tomorrow. Virgil had learned that the region saw more rain in a season than some saw all year. The wonder was that they didn't drown from it, considering the heavy rainfall last season...

If Iemi was feeling what Virgil was feeling, he didn't show it. He likely knew better, after all. If something was tracking them, why tip your hand and let them know you knew? Then you could deliver a bigger and better surprise when you acted in defense rather than being taken off-guard. Beneath them, shoes and boots sank on the moss, cushioning their steps as Iemi lead the way southeast. The heady perfumes of the jungle atmosphere was almost overwhelming, sweet and clean and fragrant. Iemi turned, and pulled Virgil around suddenly as he felt the wind of and heard a snap somewhere near his ankle. "Plant," the guide told him, using one of his short swords to lift some protect brush, and revealing a bulbous plant recoiling. "Usually eats rodents... but when they get bigger, they like bigger prey," he told the man in a hushed voice.

From the broad branch overhead, a massive snake that looked to be as green as the foliage it was hiding in dropped down, lengthening and growing arms, its black and gold eyes glittering with malice. Virgil had been right - something was on their tail, and the hunters might well be about to become the prey as Iemi released Virgil and drew his second blade, whooping and startling birds into the sky as the male Dhani hissed in reply, going for what it perceived to be the weaker prey - the human.

[Virgil]

The monk didn't move. He faced his opponent impassively. The stillness of his form carefully observed the slithering creature. Given it's changing skin, the center of the Dhani's balance appeared to shift to support the upright trunk of it's conflicting nature. Virgil prepared to move only after the animal was committed to an opening assault. His eyes became slits to focus through the occlusion of rain. It was a wash of motion that flashed glistening metal against scales. He breathed. Ready to move hard right should the animal lunge, but preparing a boost of flux to drive his feet up and over with a groundless kick against the snake's kneck. It was an opening negotiation that intended to both bring the man clear of threat and deliver some of his own.

[Cayenne]

Against another race, such a kick might have been decisive and effective. But against the serpentine Dhani... A muscular forearm swiped viciously, deflecting the man's blow, using the leverage of his plunge for additional force. He got his tail under him quickly as he hissed, grasping for his planned prey. If the Dhani got those arms around him, chances were, he was going to be in serious trouble. His use of Flux had already tired him, and this predator was one of the worst sort you could ever come across in Falyndar. The savage Myrians were apparently capable of negotiation, but a hungry Dhani rarely cared for whatever bargains one could try to strike. He felt the aching tiredness beginning to spread throughout his legs, beginning to affect his speed.

Iemi, in the meantime, was dealing with the equally-dangerous tail end of the beast, and looking to get closer to him to plunge one of his blades into its green skin. The Dhani's tail gripped and swung a heavy, spiked club, forcing the Myrian to dance around and counter the blows. But it meant the the Dhani could only go so far in his pursuit of Virgil.

[Virgil]

There was no fury. There wasn't agility. There was simple, effective blunt force. Again and Again. Virgil had dropped to one knee from the sheer weight of his overgiving. Whether it was unexpected or not didn't matter. Rising slowly, the stone faced monk turned under this slippery grasp, using his fist to drill repeatedly into the side of the creature's neck. He pushed up with both legs now, utilizing the left arm to crush the serpent's hissing voice box as his right hand never stopped the cold aggression.

He risked everything by a forward assault, but would not back down nor give in even for a shivering second, hitting and deflecting in a barrage of near endless strikes. Flux deadened his arms yet he appeared to feel nothing, relentless as the reaper in contusion. He couldn't be stopped by one thread to the fabric that needed to be torn asunder. His eyes looked for some scaled anatomical weakness, playing into the dynamic of the swinging Myrian scout like a silent statue to a storm.

[Cayenne]

In the face of desperation, effectiveness was all that counted. And when you were tired, and matched against a foe who wasn't... being precise and effective was all that could possibly matter. If you didn't, you were bound to fail. A Dhani starting fresh could last a very, very long time. Virgil and Iemi had been traveling all day. As excellently conditioned as they were, the monk had overused Flux, and Iemi was busy at the other end. The snake hissed in pain, though - the Myrian's sword had cut into the tail, sunk into the hilt, and he was trying to pin the end down with the blade. Something as small as that blade wouldn't work, not against one of the Constrictor Dhani, but it would give them a bit of a distraction to work off of.

The serpentine monster let Virgil strike at him, because every time he did, he brought himself within range. Fists moved just as fast as he did, and Virgil might have realized that the Dhani wasn't trying to break anything - he was tenderizing him. Or, rather, he was trying to as the blows struck his torso. Iemi was being a distracting pain in the Dhani's ass down at the other end, quite literally. The Dhani grabbed him, then, first one wrist, and then the other, its jaws opening wide, unhinging, pulling him towards him, pinning his arms across his chest...

Only to let him go as an arrow came flying from a strange angle, from somewhere up above in the tall trees, striking the Dhani in its open mouth. The creature dropped him, giving Virgil a chance as the strong arms flailed, and the beast recoiled, bringing a whoop from Iemi as he was dragged forward by the strength of the tail until he hooked his feet in an upraised mound of roots as he was dragged towards the Dhani's torso, grunting as he dug in, and the beast kept going--splitting its tail wide open as another arrow struck the Dhani's thick, bull-like neck, its end protruding in the back. As if it was suddenly driven by a desire to save itself now that the tables had turned, the predator tried to flee, dragging its split tail behind it as it began to slither off into the thick mess of vegetation, shrinking, shifting into something that could make a faster get away and provide less of a target.

Another arrow came from the trees, striking the beast in the back of its head. It dropped where it had stood. If Virgil looked up, he would see a Myrian woman crouched in the fork of the branch, bearing a powerful looking short bow. She wore a leather shift and a linen halter wrap around her breasts, and her head was shaved but for a mohawk and a long braid that hung at its back. Her face was smeared with paint, and emblazoned over her ribs was a number of tattooed arrows, their tips dripping. The woman put the bow over her shoulder, and dropped down from the tree, landing neatly with a thump as she had a look over Virgil. Iemi had joined her there. "Anything broken?" his guide had a look over him. "This is Kul."