Something Afoot

by **Xen** on September 11th, 2014, 9:24 pm

Fall 1, 514 A.V.

The veil of night gives way from Falyndar as the warm morning sun replaces the cold shadows. Before the dawn, Xen was making his way through the jungle, towards the shoreline he would train on. What compelled him to do this? A feeling: a part of him that was not at rest. The instincts within him never lie, and Xen’s instincts were telling him of a bitter truth; something was afoot. “Become strong,” it said “Stronger than the present you.” And so he was here, in the jungle, at the break of dawn to train and perfect his abilities.

Xen steps through the brush, and onto the cool mud. The sun had yet to warm the loose collections of earth, and it stood feeble and easily moved beneath his feet. Xen continued through the jungle, towards the beach and the ocean shore. However, as he progresses through the jungle, he felt the mud become less dense which each step. To feel the mud become less of earth and more like that of water beneath his body made Xen distrustful of his surroundings. Instincts within him flare, and Xen could sense that the loose mud in the area would become a problem for him, if he progressed carelessly.

Beside him a massive tree rests on the ground; its long body slept on a quiet bed of shrubs, mushrooms, and flowers. The tree would allow Xen to pass unperturbed by the mud. But before he walks across the slumbering wooden giant, he looks ahead, and this time, focuses on the trail leading into the distance. Plants that should have been growing on this path were not and instead lingered on the left and right sides. What stood in front of him was an open path, devoid of plant life, and consisting of what seems to be mud. Xen steps onto the fallen tree, and carefully begins to walk across. He holds his arms outwards and balances his body during the walk. The way he held his arms outwards made him resemble a crane running with its wings fanned outwards.

To Xen’s left there was another area devoid of plant life—mud occupied places where shrubs should have been, and it too held an atmosphere around it that spelled hidden danger. Xen moved his feet along trees wooden surface like an inch worm. He slid his feet forward with as much caution a frightened person would possess, as they sneak past a sleeping beast that would surely consume them, if awakened by their steps. Xen feels his body leaning to the left and could see another big and calm body of mud patiently waiting for him. In nervousness, he tries to correct himself by leaning slightly to the right, but ends up leaning too far, and he almost falls off the log—his arms flailing.

A true test of balance and grace this was. Xen never knew how much he lacked a sense of balance, until now. This proved to be an interesting and terrifying moment of truth, showing how unfamiliar he was with Kinematics: how his body moved. Xen was wobbling the entire time as he progressed down the fallen tree. He was trying to grasp a sense of balance, which was as slippery as an eel in water. Xen then tries to focus by closing his eyes, but this only invites sir misfortune into his efforts. A conveniently placed patch of green moss laying in Xen’s path, ignorant to the harm and frustration it would bring a certain young, male viper, would be said misfortune.

by **Xen** on September 11th, 2014, 9:51 pm

Xen opens his eyes, after believing that having them closed would lead to a bad fall. A wise decision a person would say, but one that was probably chosen a bit too late. He continued his waltz across the seemingly endless body, and his left foot lands onto the moist patch of moss. When his full weight falls onto the moss, he slips—his balance compromised by this small organism, and falls into the mud pit. Xen’s legs were quickly enveloped by mud, and submerged underneath the thick and smelling blanket of soil. The first thing Xen realizes in this moment was that he felt no definite surface beneath his feet—nothing solid pressed against him.

He hugs the trunk of the tree, and quickly pulls his legs from mud pit before his waist was devoured by the muddy maw. Xen could feel something trying to wrap itself around his ankle; however, he shakes free by kicking it and climbs from the hungry pit to safety. Xen scrapes the mud from his legs and feet, and quickly crawls across the tree trunk—away from the spot he had fallen into. Xen was certain something had tried to pull him into the mud pit, yet he was not entirely sure. What he felt was probably just a stray vine—while another part of him thought otherwise.

“I’ll have to be wary of mud pits. I’ve only seen two so far, but I feel there are more in less noticeable places, ” Xen thought. He steps off the tree trunk, and walks across the solid earth. Xen was glad to be able to feel something stable and even underneath him after chimes of balancing on a tree trunk. The relief was real, but now he had no idea where he was. Xen knew he hadn’t passed the Kandukta Basin; he hopes he hadn’t. Myrians were a constant nuisance; just thinking of them in jungle was considered bad luck by Xen.

The option to continue walking appeared good to Xen, exploration and adventure was in his blood after all. Yet, no matter how good an idea may sound, one couldn’t always follow through with it. He looks into the jungle ahead, and saw a thick curtain of green and brown in front of him–leaves and large branches formed a kind of barrier in front of him, and hid the path beyond it.

“ I’ll have to go back, but I really don’t want to, ” He thought. Xen heard splashing behind him, and turns to see a man trying to strike him. He steps back, and raises his shield to block to warrior’s weapon. The axe hits the center of his shield hard ! CHUN! , and screeches as it grinds along the shields surface. Xen growls and pushes the human back with all his strength.

The myrian stumbles back, and before he could attack again a vine wraps around his ankle. The warrior didn’t pay any attention to it, and tries to kick the vine away. Xen unsheathes his machete while the human struggles. It was humorous seeing, who presumed was a jungle dwelling warrior, being entrapped by the environment he loved. However, Xen follows the length of the vine with his eyes—expecting it to be attached to a large tree branch, but as his eyes are led into the deep, murky mud pit…something unnerves him.

by **Xen** on September 11th, 2014, 10:00 pm

Xen backs away from the human, who was as disturbed as he was. There was something wrong about that vine. The way it wrapped around his ankle, and slithers it way up his leg was unnatural. Afterwards, another vine emerges from the mud pit, then another, and another. A chime hadn’t passed, yet there were vines entangling this man, and were beginning to dig into his flesh. The human male was yelling and cutting the vines with his machete, trying desperately to remove them from his body. Xen believed that the human could sense that something was wrong and looks on in morbid interest.

“Arrrgh” These vines were digging into his skin, and sliding through his leg muscles. He began to yell and Xen quickly raises his right foot and kicks the male in the chest. There was a look of hatred in the human’s eyes as he fell backwards.

All he could see during his fall was Xen watching him with expressionless eyes. A loud splash disrupts the singing of the jungle birds within the canopy, and the sound of a man gasping for air replaces their pleasant sounds. Xen backs up to a safe distance from the mud pit, and watches as something large pulls the myrian beneath mud. He remains silent and unremorseful even as the bubbles from the human’s last breath appear and then finally cease on the murky pools surface. “Oh, so this pool isn’t made up of just mud, but of a considerable amount of water also,” Xen said in slight amusement. “Interesting, a heavy downpour must have filled in a hole in the ground, and made this pool,” he said informatively, as though speaking to someone.

Xen picks up a few rocks, and tosses one into the mud pool. He watches as vines float to the surface in search of what would dare to intrude on their pool. After a minute passed the vines descend back into the mud. A sentient creature had to be lurking in this mud pool—Xen was certain of it. But the creature seemed incredibly stubborn, and refuses to leave its pool. Xen tosses all four rocks into the pool, and searches for something heavier to throw into it. He was going to agitate this pool guardian, and force it to appear.

Xen scrambles in the jungle, and finds a big branch. He hugs the heavy tree limb and grunts as he tosses it into the pool. A wave of mud escapes from the pool, and coats the surrounding vegetation in thin blanket of brown. Xen was glad then as a large, muddy, and vine infested creature crawls from the pool, and walks towards him—he was starting to have regrets. “SHRRREEET,” the creature emits a strange cry from an appendage that appeared to be its mouth. Xen backs away from the creature with all its strangeness.

by **Xen** on September 11th, 2014, 10:07 pm

He did not know how to approach his foe. It was slow moving beast, and Xen believed he could outmaneuver it with his speed. The creature began to slowly walk towards Xen, paying no mind to the small danger he posed it. TheVinumia was preparing to lunge, and just before it prepare its sluggish assault, its focus was interrupted by something else, momentarily.

He rushes the Vinumia before it could prepare its body, and swings his machete down on the landspawn’s head. The steel blade of the weapon slams into the center of the Vinumia’s head, and cuts through compact vines. Xen then pulls away, and begins hacking away at the Vinumia’s body. He cuts the arms, shoulders, and chest in his furious attack until he was out of strength.

The Vinumia withstood every strike; unmoving, like a large stone before the force of a stream. The power of this viper was not enough to stop it, and he would pay for disturbing its territory.

Xen did not realize that creatures inattentiveness until he jumps away from it, and observes the creatures demeanor. It was as though something else had its attention, something probably much stronger than he was. Xen did not like the idea of sticking around a difficult foe when there was another foe lurking about; one stronger than his current opponent.

The Vinumia lifts its left appendage from the earth, and swings its thick arm at Xen's head. Earth, and small stones fly through the air, as the Vinumia's arm glides towards Xen. Xen raises his shield in time to block the blow, and was thrown to the side by the creatures power—he hits the ground, after a few ticks of hurtling through the air, and slides across the muddy foundations below him.

by **Xen** on September 22nd, 2014, 2:10 am

Xen groans, and stands with his body aching from the fall. There were no indications of hesitation within the beast in front of him; its movements oozed with murderous intent. The Vinumia's attacks were meant to kill, and every blow was life threatening—if one did not dodge carefully—death was certain. Xen eyes the hulking mass of vegetation, watching as every wound he inflicted upon it heals. There was something so unnatural about this creature—yet, its presence was similar to that of natural flora. Xen could not help but sense these things; however, felt as though it was too late to approach things from a peaceful perspective.

The Vinumia was a fine model to study, and he was memorizing, and absorbing the creatures form, cries, and movements into his mind—assimilating all the knowledge into his being, as it flows into his senses. Xen raises his machete-sword, and keeps his shield close to his body. He crouches slightly, and crab-walks to his left—he would flank the Vinumia, and attack from the side. The creature seemed to favor swinging its arms in large arcs: a method that allowed it to gather power, and momentum, after it rears back, and throws its arms forward.

Xen was going to take advantage of the Vinumia's advantage, and gain an advantage—advantagception. He creeps outside of the Vinumia's reach; it follows Xen as he does so. The Vinumia watches him carefully, angry, but not entirely willing to pursue Xen, and place distance between it, and its water supply. Xen rushes the Vinumia, then jumps back, and runs to the side. The first action was to draw the Vinumia's immediate attention, and have it attack right away—which it did, using its long arms to try, and grapple Xen. The Vinumia misses, and its fatal error allows Xen to position himself behind it.

He rushes his opponent, and swings low, aiming for the back of the legs. The blade of his weapon chops through the thick vines with a soft CHING. Xen pulls his weapon from the creatures hide, and swings his again to chop. The Vinumia responds with its natural slowness, and swings to hit Xen with the back of its arm—again vines met with steel, and Xen was pushed back from the Vinumia. He stood up panting with dirt, and leaves coating his hair, and body—no way, no landspawn was going to defeat him.

by **Xen** on September 25th, 2014, 11:30 pm

Xen takes a step back just as the Vinumia steps towards him. This creature was a natural anomaly—one of which he could not let live—now that he had discovered it. It was beautiful, and a stunning specimen, but not something he could handle effortlessly. What Xen hadn't realized yet, was that in his efforts to defeat his foe he was becoming less, and less aware of his surroundings. And as the battle progressed the mind he possessed was searching for weaknesses within the Vinumia, with undying persistence.

The Vinumia growls underneath its breathe. This prey was too fast, and difficult to handle. The Vinumia could feel the water inside its body fade with each passing chime. And with the sun beaming onto its hide through the canopy—every chime spent outside its swamp meant death. However, what stood in between it, and home, was Xen. Upon sensing these things the Vinumia chose to retreat; survival to it was more important than territory—an action that would turn the battle from its favor.

The Vinumia found the silence behind it strange, but did not mind it. It did not assume that Xen had fled, or contemplate the possibility of him lurking in the shadows. The simple mind it possessed was driven by basic instinct; logic and reasoning—it did not hold. Xen tested the creatures strength, and discovers that he did not posses the strength required to take down the Vinumia.

by **Xen** on October 4th, 2014, 7:50 pm

Xen decided to retreat, thus following the Vinumia's example. The beast would live another day, while he improved in strength and technique. He would return, if he could remember this place, considering how dense and vast the jungle was. While he backs away, Xen was left with a strange feeling. It told of the landspawns stubbornness and that the Vinumia was not a creature to be taken lightly. He loved the landspawns tenacity, and fierce endurance, for it was something he strives to obtain also.

Upon his return to this small, muddy area, he would have to make this whole place his hunting ground—thick mud in the area would make moving difficult for predators larger than he was, and he would be able to kill them while they were immobilized by the mud. The idea wasn't bad, but with things as they were, he would not capable of slaying the Vinumia for its territory. In a way, Xen felt like this was a loss on his part. He'd encountered a foe that was greater than him, and as a result, had to retreat.

This was a scene he wished for no one to see, because it would have been embarrassing to admit that he had to retreat from a battle he could have won. Of course, his retreat would be questioned, and he'd look like coward later on, if he could not explain himself properly. But he would go on to tell no one of this battlefield blunder, turning the moment into a secret that only the gods themselves would know. Xen then disappears into the jungle, leaving the Vinumia be, for now.

by **Traverse** on October 14th, 2014, 2:15 am

Xen

Experience:

Acrobatics 2 XP
Climbing 1 XP
Endurance 2 XP
Machete 2 XP
Observation 3 XP
Shield 1 XP
Tactics 1 XP
Unarmed Combat 1 XP
Wilderness Survival 3 XP

Lore:

Sink Holes: Marked By a Lack of Foliage
Vine Creature: Perfect Morphing Model
Acknowledging a Superior Foe
The Location of a Singular Vinumia

Injuries:

+ 1 Blossoming blue/purple/yellow bruise on Xen's lower back from being thrown by the Vinumia, will take 3 weeks to heal and be very sensitive until then

Additional Notes :

If you have any questions, concerns, accolades, complaints, etc about your grade, drop me a PM and we can most certainly talk it out.

As always, Safe Travels!