Quest Slither Home Now (Zharus, Mamoru)

[Traverse]

Slither Home Now
2nd of Summer, 513 A.V.

The Mission: Zharus and Mamoru have been tasked with escorting Kisssalagolyss (Agolyss), a rising star in the weaving and clothing design market of Zinrah, back from Black Rock with a shipment of new fabric. The order is quite valuable, consisting of Symenestra woven silks, as well as several fabrics from Ekytol.

Location: The three Dhani currently find themselves on their way back from Black Rock. Though a valuable member of Zinrah's nest, Agolyss insisted on inspecting the shipment with her own eyesss, refusing to trust the ghosts of Black Rock with something so precious. They now find themselves only a few days out from the nest, having successfully avoided any Myrian confrontations...thus far.

oocAlright, so a little overview of your mission. Unfortunately starting you from Black Rock would make this obscenely long, but perhaps another time, haha. You guys can manipulate Agolyss as needed and begin to make your way back towards Zinrah. I'll pop in every now and then with little prompts, and I'll let you know if I want you guys slowing down for more heavily moderated spots.

[Beisathrazharus]

"I don't know why I'm wasssting my time with an essscort." Zharus had made it clear throughout their journey that he was less than a fan of this Agolyss. "Ssstupid ssstuck up weaver." A litany of complaints had flowed from Zharus' mouth for what seemed a million bells. He didn't care about being quiet. He didn't care about upsetting their mark. The shyke sucker could just deal with it. "I don't underssstand what's ssso important about anything you have in your ssshipment."

Agolyss had long since stopped arguing with Zharus after realizing that the loud male was constantly in need of blowing off steam. He'd not stopped talking the entire time they'd been companions on this painful trip. The shipment was worth it though, so he was able to keep vigilant and move onwards. Not that he wasn't going to continue getting an earful from the loudmouth.

"If only sssomthing would happen, at leasst it would be worth it, all." Zharus adjusted the wicked axe from one shoulder to the next. His beautiful prize, that's what she was. And oh how she thirsted for combat. It's what he lived for, and what he would likely die for, but that fact didn't matter. "Mamuro. Why ssso quiet? It makess me nervouss."

Mamuro was a troublemaker if he'd ever met one. It was somewhat surprising to Zharus to find that his long time friend and rival was in the same profession as he. The male was a trickster, not a warrior. "Are you plotting sssomthing? I'll cut you in half if you pull one of your ssstupid pranks on me." He'd tried to do just that a time or two, but for now Mamuro remained in one piece.

"Besidesss, Mamuro. I'm ssure your ssister would be upsset if anything happened to me. Sshe desiresss me ssso." It was a lie, outright, but Zharus was nothing if not boastful. He grinned, tossing a sideways glance at the trickster. Oh how he tried to get under Mamuro's skin.

It felt they were an eternity away from the nest, but all they could do was take it one step at a time. He could be ride of the weaver and Mamuro and do something much more useful than protecting a worthless clothing shipment, or whatever it was. "Ssstupid weaver."

[Kalesserimamoru]

The mission wasn't the type Mamuro was excepting, but it wasn't very hard to figure out that they were being tested. He doubted that there was anything special about the cargo, and if it was she would have been sent with soldiers with more experience. Even hunters would have worked well enough, given they would know the ins and outs of the jungle. But they sent two of the younger soldiers to walk with her, and Mamuro joked inwardly of whether they were babysitting her, or if she was babysitting them. The trip itself had been rather boring, and if not for Zharus' constant complaining, it would have been worse.


"Are you alright Zharusss? Don't tell me that you are bored ssso ssssoon? Or isss it that thisss job isss jussst under your pay grade?"


He had great amusement watching Zharus and Agolyss going back and forth. The grouchy, male dhani had made it clear since they left that he wasn't happy about the mission, or the merchant that they traveled with. Mamuro gained a bit of humor from it and watching his friend seething was always a blast. Zharus was a dhani out for war and was always slamming his fist into something. Mamuro was different in a few ways, but he also enjoyed destruction and causing pain especially if it was to a Myrian. But for the time, nothing had happened. Their trip had been easy going and besides Zharus' bellyaching there was nothing else of note.


"You don't like her sshipment? But look at all the colorful sscarvesss and clothesss. I'm sssure that you could find sssomething for yourssself. Might even get a disscount."


Mamuro chuckled inwardly, leaving Agolyss to wonder about his true intent, and Zharus to understand exactly what he meant, without him having to explain further. He peeled his icy gaze away from them and scanned the area. All seemed as normal and he didn't sense any Myrians or tigers around anywhere either. The trickster extended his arm out and slowly twirled his Naginata outward and way from his body. Although he teased his friend/rival, Mamuro was also looking for a good fight and he was always hungry for another meal. No amount of feeding would ever satisfy his hunter for food as well as the sanity of others.


"Quiet? Not really, I jusst didn't want to interrupt your date. You two obvioussly have issuesss to work out, and I am but the fifth wheel on a cart..jusst in the way."


That last comment gained him a hard glare from Agolyss, for which he returned with a mischievous grin. He was sure that Zharus would try and make him pay for the comment, in fact, he was already surprised that the dhani hadn't attacked him sooner. Mamuro cackled lightly after the threat was issued, as he already knew from where it originated. "Zharusss, are you sstill upsset over that? It wass sssso long ago. Time to let it go, hmm?"


Not a moment passed, or a thought wasted, and Zharus was firing back with his own jab to his friend's ego. Mamuro had long known about Zharus lust for his older sister, just as he had with many of the other dhani in the nest. If his memory served him correctly, even his wrestling instructor wanted a try, and that made him laugh good and hard. "Ah yess, my ssisster alwaysss did prefer brutesss, didn't sshe. I'm ssurprissed that you're even here. I figured you'd be back at the nessst, in line with all the othersss looking for a good ssqueeze."

[Traverse]

Too loud and two long had the Dhani gone without being noticed. Or perhaps it wasn't that they hadn't been noticed...just that they hadn't been attacked...a philosophical idea that was clearly on no one's mind as the three snake's easily bantered along their trek through the jungle. All lesser creatures scattered long before the guard's and their ward came through, but large things lived in the jungles of Falyndar, that all three knew all too well.

A shrill bird call was their only warning, it sounded just like one of those strange looking wood peckers, if anyone took the time to try to identify the sound, but it mattered little, for suddenly the sky had opened up, and a hail of arrows rained down upon the three. Nothing hit, a few glancing arrow heads bounced off hard scales...but it was at least a half a dozen arrows, and was meant as a warning.

The Myrians were here.

5 of them burst form the undergrowth like so many dirty insects. It was so hard to tell them apart, all wild eyes and strange hair and markings, quite uncivilized compared to Dhani styles and fashions, especially to Agolyss.

Their charge backed up against a tree, one hand clutching a dagger if anyone got too close, her large serpentine body protecting the precious bolts of cloth they had come so far with.

There were still archers in the brush...somewhere, but for now the five out and about were what mattered. 1 held a long sword, one two daggers, 2 of them held axes carved from bone and steel and the last two brandished serrated machetes good for cleaving foliage just as well as flesh.

They all charged Mamoru, perhaps in an attempt to down one before moving onto to Zharus...like so many ants.

[Kalesserimamoru]

It had been too quiet and inside Mamuro knew this. But there was nothing to be done about it. It wasn't as if they could, or should call for trouble. If they would do something so reckless, then they weren't the best choices to guard anything. When the bird call went out, the Trickster arched a brow and looked around. Something was near...hunting them.The sudden hale of arrows that rained down upon them were met with surprise and excitement.


It was about time that something fun happened and Mamuro could already guess that Zharus would finally cheer up. He had been wanting something to do, something to smash and now he would get his chance. Mamuro bounced back and held out his Naginata, the Dhani swung it out towards slashing at the arrows and hacking away at them. The blade of his weapon slipped through so many arrows, but were able to slice through a few of them.


He coiled his tail around him and turned his weapon before slicing out a final time, sending a broken arrow shaft back into the brush just before the Myrians jumped out of the brush. Mamuro flicked his tongue from his mouth as a wicked smile rose upon his lips.


"Well Zharusss, it appearss that your blubbering has paid off."


Suddenly the Myrians attacked and they all charged Mamuro. The Dhani quickly slithered back, the gnosis on his neck beginning to glow as he prepared an illusion for the eyes of the Myrians. The Trickster opened his mouth and an illusion of fire blew from his mouth, a fire that grew bigger and wider as it progressed further from him. It was only an illusion and couldn't harm them, but it was enough to cause them to pause and cover their heads.


"Attack!!"


Mamuro roared and dashed towards them, his weapon held out as he swung it at the humans. The Naginata slashed and ripped across flesh as Mamuro wielded it. The Dhani spun himself around completely, the weapon slicing in one direction and his tail whipping out and smacking Myrian's as he twisted around.

[Traverse]

oocApologies for letting this slip away Mamuro! Zharus, if and when you get back, PM me and we can start a new job thread.

A Dhani tail was not a weapon to be taken lightly. Not that the Myrians did of course, but it was one thing to take that scaly thing seriously, and another one entirely to manage to avoid it. None of the Myrians seemed able to do so.

Bowled over by the slam like wooden pins they went scattering. One was knocked into a tree, another one recovered swiftly, a lithe female who performed an elegant backwards somersault, feet sliding through loamy soil with the power of the impact. Two more were swept into the undergrowth, but they did not return...Agolyss and Zharus slithered off into the shadows of the trees. Perhaps to circle around, perhaps to escape from the main force and simply leave Mamuro to die (Hard to tell with Dhani), but regardless, the two Myrian seemed to follow them, leaving Mamuro with three he could see readily, the third of which was up and next to the female.

They charged him simultaneously, the male with the long sword sweeping towards the base of Mamuro's tail while the female charged with her axes, jumping over the appendage to try and get behind the Dhani, perhaps one of the only tactics that would help two Myrians versus one Dhani.

An arrow whizzed by the trickster, however, clearly a warning to show that he had more foes he simply couldn't yet see...

[Kalesserimamoru]

"Cowardsss!! Both of you!"


Mamuro hissed and cursed when he realized that he had been left to fight off the group alone. The Dhani coiled his tail around him and lifted himself up while puffing out his chest to try to appear more intimidating. Things were looking bad, very bad. Mamuro was alone and possibly surrounded by Myrians. It was about survival now, and the excitement of battle had quickly turned to something close to blinding rage.


"You think you can take me? Come at me!!"


And so they did and all at once too. The Dhani started to slither back, but soon found himself with Myrians in front and behind him. He tried to curl his tail tighter under his upper form, but wasn't fast enough before he felt the sword slash across his tail and the blades of axes at his back. Mamuro howled and quickly spun around again, allowing his tail to sweep out at anything near by. The Myrians were quick and jumped back again, and both landing safely on their feet. Mamuro used the tick to scurry backwards and away so that they were both once again in front of him.


"Cursess, Zharus where did you go?"


A sudden arrow darted by barely scraping across the think meat at his shoulder. Another followed and landed with a pinch inside his forearm. The Dhani growled and quickly snatched the arrow out where a thin stream of blood started to wet his arm. Luckily the arrow hadn't gone deep enough to seriously harm him or cause more lost of blood. The longsword and axes had also pierced flesh and blood seeped out onto his scales. Mamuro was pissed now, and learning that there were even more hiding in the brush, only fueled his anger more. The trickster called upon the power of his gnosis again, creating the same fire effect as before and opened his mouth to appear as if he were breathing fire at the Myrians to keep them back.


It worked, the Myrians darted back a pace, and even shielded themselves from what they thought was fire. Then it was time to do something more real and very harmful. Mamauro welled his djed to pour from within him and set into his shoulders, back and down his tail. The skin there became thicker with small spikes sticking out of the flesh, and even longer thicker spikes growing out of his tail. Lastly he pushed the flow of djed to rest upon his head where a skull-like mask was created. A thin strip of bone coursed over his head and brow to meet with the thick, beast-like bone structure around his mouth and the back of his head.


Mamuro glared at the Myrians through the wide opening in his newly formed mask, and pressed his scaled body hard to the ground as she quickly slithered towards them. Naginata in hand, the Dhani swung it wide and wildly towards the Myrian wielding the longsword, and followed the attack through by spinning himself around to swing his spiked tail towards any of them standing in it's way.

[Traverse]

One Dhani was a doable proposition, they were big, but Myrians liked to abide by the phrase that the bigger they were, the more meat they could eat off the corpse when it collapsed to the ground...or something along those lines.

But it wasn't often that these warriors had faced a beast that could breathe flames from its mouth....nor grow a hard skull and spikes from that already dangerous tail, and suddenly the battle's tides had shifted.

The third warrior, who had taken the brunt of the blow from mamuro's first tail swipe, rose just in time to get punctured in several places by the newly sprouted bone protrusions of his tail. Needless to say he collapsed back onto the ground, blood sputtering out of his mouth, unlikely to rise again.

The other two, already up, and suddenly considerably more wary than before, leapt backwards, wishing they had their bows as well, for the idea of getting near this monstrosity had suddenly become a potential nightmare.

The male with the long sword raised his blade to block, but the power of Mamuro's spin sent the weapon flying out of his hands and into the jungle. The female roared in hate and frustration and hurled one of her throwing axes at Mamuro's chest.

And then suddenly...another Myrian body, probably one of the archers, soared through the clearing, hitting the trunk of a tree with an unsettling crack before dropping to the ground.

Agolyss surged out of the jungle, her clothing ripped and bloody from a few wounds upon her shoulders, looking furious.

"Thesse ratsss are going to pay!"

[Kalesserimamoru]

A deep growl rose from within the Dhani's chest as he stood tall, wielding his weapon in one hand and a closed fist with the other. His tail held bits of flesh and speckles off blood from where it had ripped through the monkey and his weapon was also coated in the blood of the Myrians. There were scraps from arrows on his scales and a lightly bleeding wound on his forearm. All the signs of a battle being fought. Mamuro breathed in deeply, his eyes narrowed as they looked to the two Myrians still standing.


"For the next three ticksss, you will wissh that you never crosssed me!"


Mamuro growled again, something of a hissing snarl as he started to work his djed again. The flow of magic in cased his tail causing the spikes to all fall back and grow together into one hard and pointy bone. He held his Naginata in his mind while he worked to craft the bone around his tail. He imagined the length of the blade, the curve and very slight groves in the shape that made up the overall deadly weapon. Once he was finished, the bone structure in his tail resembled the blade of the weapon he held in his hand, though not as sharp or as fine, the shape was more crud and ragged, but still very dangerous.


"I think I'll eat you firsst, and make him watch. Or..maybe I'll just sswallow you both whole!"


Just then, the woman threw one of her axs at him. She was quick and since Mamuro had been finalizing his morphed tail he didn't have time to move. Instead the Dhani curled his arms over his chest and tucked his head in to shield himself. The ax whipped across the air and finding it's bedding in the Dhani's half spiked upper arm. Mamuro hissed and quickly grabbed the weapon and ripped it out, sending blood and a bit of flesh along with it. The more they attacked him, the more angry he became, and the less weapons they had. The trickster coiled his tail half way, heavily slapped it against the ground as he looked to who he wanted to strike first.


"I hope you like the feeling of ssuffocating while your bonesss are being crusshed!"


The sudden body that flew into the clearing and smashed into the tree, caught all their attention, and the three looked to the bushes were Agolyss appeared and pissed off as well. With the Myrian's eyes on her, the trickster prepared for a show of his own. The gnosis on his neck started to glow and as he slammed the bottom of the pole of his weapon on the ground, dirt was buffed into the air. The dust, appeared to spread, curling into the air until it swept over the area surrounding the Dhani's and the Myrians. They were all entrapped into a hail storm of dust that blinded them, or so it appeared.


With the illusion blinding only the Myrians, Mamuro slithered forward quickly, his fist clinched tightly around the pole of his weapon, as he slashed towards the male's throat. His tail, slapped against the ground again before it whipped up and slashed at the female Myrian chest.

[Traverse]

1v1 were not good odds where Dhani were concerned, a very unfortunate situation for the two soldiers who found two large and furious Constrictors, whose attention was devoted entirely unto them, and a scent quite satisfying slid into the air, emanating from the sweaty bodies of the vermin that stood before Mamuro and Agolyss:

Fear.

But fear was no sin for a Myrian, and to be fair, despite what would surely be the last few chimes of their lives, neither warrior wavered. The female clutched her axe in two hands, the male pulling out a dirk from his belt...and just as the two seemed ready to charge the air was filled with a strangely obscure series of dirt and dust.

The whistle of an arrow flew through the brushes and a scream that was Dhani in nature shot out from the mist of dirt and debris, signalling Agolyss had been hit by a projectile. Mamuro's swipe of the Naginata was met with just air particles, but the tail? That strange bone blade protrusion sunk into something much more solid...much fleshier. The female buckled down under the weight of the limb, her axe tumbling from her grip as she stared down in horror, seeing a massive pool of crimson erupt from her stomach.

"I am going to find that archer!" Agolyss hissed, and Mamuro could hear the female slithering into the foliage, leaving him and the male. Though his illusions would have no effect on his own vision...the male had certainly disappeared, no body to be seen. If he took the time to notice, however, the female's hand axe was not near her body either, and after a moment, a blood curdling cry of a Myrian with nothing left to lose hurtled out from the jungle...behind him as the warrior launched himself from the brush, hoping to sink both dirk and axe into the Dhani's back once more.