[Flashback]Heart of the Jungle (Gunto pls)

[Siiri]

Siiri saw Gunto adjust his stance as much as he could with the constraining vines wrapped all around him and, in the last instant before she spun, noted the small metal shield in his arm.

That should hold. It has to, she thought, suddenly upping Gunto survival to her attack to fifty-fifty.

And then she struck, the thick, solid blade of her greatsword careening perfectly to its target. It was powerful, much too powerful than she had initially intended, pouring all her strength into the blow when she saw the shield, and she watched in satisfaction as Slayer easily sheared through the vinumina's leg as if it was hot knife through butter. Her expression quickly changed to horror, however, as her weapon continued traveling through its horizontal arc, blasting Gunto away. There was a loud, screeching noise as steel connected upon steel, the impact jarring Siiri's brain and rattling her teeth. She imagined Gunto could not be better off, the force of the strike numbing his arm for sure.

The vinumia itself appeared to reel from her blow, the loss of its leg unbalancing it. It had plucked the fallen Gunto from the ground as if he were a child before it fell after him, too top-heavy to remain upright. But even as it lay on the ground seemingly stunned, Siiri could see the surrounding plant matter around her being drawn towards it, being absorbed to replace its lost leg. The warrior ran to her fallen comrade, dragging him away from the abomination.

"I've heard reports about vinumia but this is the first time I've seen one - if it even is a vinumia," she shouted over the rain. "I'm not even sure if it can be killed. It seems to be regenerating!"

She turned, regarding the fallen Derro only several feet behind the creature. Retreat would be feasible had it not been for him; even carrying the man between her and Gunto, they would still be slowed down enough for the vinumia to catch up to them. They had to kill it, but how?

"Guess I'll just have to hack off its limbs two at a time or something, see if it can keep up with that amount of damage. You engage it from behind with your shorter blades! Strike to disable - slash, don't stab. Go!"

Siiri reasoned that whatever foul magic holding the creature together must still follow the laws of nature, and attacking the parts that allowed it locomotion - body parts that would be the equivalent of things such as the spine, tendons and sinews on a human - would render it immobile and thus give them the time to find a way to completely destroy it. Putting words into action, the Snapping Jaws warrior leaped at the vinumia, arms raised and ready to bring her greatsword crashing down on the creature's head.

[Gunto]

Gunto felt himself being dragged across the ground, and forced himself to his knees as he attempted to stumble alongside Siiri. He grunted in response to her commands, trying his best to not appear feeble. In fact, he did feel feeble. His body was shaken with fatigue, odd as the battle had only just begun. Something that about that creature had sapped his strength... Gunto would be wary of it's grasp from this point on. Summoning with little reserves he had left, Gunto pushed hard and darted away from Siiri into the leafy foliage surrounding them. The shambling creature had targeted Siiri as the more dangerous of the two, and it's hulking form lumbered past him as he crouched amidst the mud and rain. Once Gunto felt he was in a superior position, he charged forth albeit without the typical bellowing warcry of his clan. He lunged towards the beast, rapidly tearing at the vines that composed it's backside with his curved blades. Kukris were extremely effective at chopping, and they served him well despite the innate toughness of his opponent's tangled body. Gunto's right hand blade sawed through a thick mass of vines along what he supposed would have been a spine had the creature had one, and his left swung back across using the momentum in his hips to annihilate the structural growth along the creatures lower back. Gunto's arms flailed wildly, and he seemed to be making progress in slowing the creatures assault. He couldn't tell exactly what Siiri was doing in front of him, the bulk of the creature blocking her from his vision. Gunto had only just begun to question whether or not Siiri's attack had been successful when his view of the monster's back was replaced with a spinning cascade of blurry green and brown. Gunto throw his arms outwards, a natural reaction to falling he had learned when wielding his knives. The last thing he wanted was to land and end up impaling himself. A rather annoying side effect of this technique was the obligatory loss of his blades as he impacted the ground and rolled. Something had pushed him back, and though he hadn't seen the attack he knew it had been the creature. Only then did he notice a firm pressure around his right ankle, and the feeling of being dragged forward. Gunto's hands found the leather bound hilt of one of his knives, and with a jerking motion he leaned forward towards the offending appendage. With a decisive chopping motion, Gunto freed his leg from it's grasp. He was on his haunches, blade in hand... yet what had his assault even accomplished? Gunto hoped that somehow Siiri had managed to capitalize on his attack and momentary distraction.

[Siiri]

Slayer cleaved through creature's head with ease, the mass of vines and plant matter hardly offering any resistance against the blade's keen edge. Had it been any other opponent, they would have instantly died from such a grievous wound. But the beast hardly seemed fazed by it, backhanding Siiri with one of its massive limbs. The Myrian was only able to avoid it by ducking under the swing at the last second.

The move did not save her from the follow up attack, however.

The vinumia's other appendage slammed against Siiri's face, rattling her brain and disorienting her. Worse, rather than being thrown from the impact, the warrioress found herself still upright as the creature wrapped its finger-like vines around her head. Several of its thick tendrils had already found their way in her mouth and wiggled like grotesque tentacles working their way down her throat, depressing her tongue and triggering her gag reflex. She began to choke but she could still feel others, smaller vines, trying to worm their way inside her nose and ears as well, stifling her.

On top of all that, Siiri felt the debilitating effect of the creature's life-siphoning ability, the vines akin to gigantic leeches as they fed off her body. The Snapping Jaw's warrior realized that it was what had rendered Derro senseless. Or he might already be dead. Not wanting to be the creature's next meal, her instincts took over and she began to thrash, throwing wild swings with her greatsword, hoping to somehow sever its offending limb with her blind attacks, while at the same time trying to pull away from its grasp. She was desperate; she knew she had a precious few seconds before she ran out of air. Gunto, on the other side of the beast, might not see her predicament or even save her in time.

Her blade connected at last, biting deep enough into the limb that Siiri felt the vinumia's tight hold in her grow slack. With as much might as she could muster, she threw herself backwards, tearing the mass of vines covering her head from the beast's appendage. Desperately, she ripped it from her face, spitting out blood and stomach acid as the vines' invading presence had caused her to vomit in her mouth.

Not bothering to wipe away the disgusting mess dribbling down her chin, Siiri leaped at the vinumia a second time, bringing Slayer down for another overhead chop. The beast tried to block the blade with its one good arm but the weapon merely cut through it and left a gaping slash right down its torso, from opening it from the collarbone to where the navel would have been had it been human. Siiri caught a peek at a round object inside its torso that fairly pulsed with power. Instinctively, she knew that it was what was giving the plant construct its life.

"Gunto!" she shouted over the drumbeat of the cascading rain, calling for her companion's attention. "The creature has a heart! Rip it out while I distract it on my side!"

[Gunto]

Gunto's ran his hand across his brow, feebly trying to swat the rain from his eyes. He rolled over onto his hands and knees, scrambling through the mud towards his other blade. Upon retrieving it, he stood tall and turned to face the beast once again. Only then did he hear Siiri's shouted command. "Of course... even beasts have a heart." Gunto thought, tightening his hold on his two knives and preparing to lunge forward. The sudden revelation of a potential weakness filled him with a temporary fervor that guided his next action. His body surged forward, the leather soles beneath his feet plodding through the mud as he pushed with all the strength his legs could muster. Gunto's recklessness was the subject of ridicule by many, but in the end his wild streak was something most had come to count on. This held true today, as his he launched himself into the air and came to a stop atop the back of the massive creature. The impact was harsh, and Gunto dug in with his blades to keep himself from falling off immediately. Even as Gunto's body was overtaken by the creature's own wild body, he pushed forward. Gunto tore his blades free from the Vinumia's fleshy mass, no longer in need of balance. He was hopelessly attached to the creature now. He had only one course of action left; attack. Gunto dug his feet into the creature's back, crawling on top of the beast's soldier. He raised his left hand's blade, deftly maneuvering the hilt so that the weapon fell into a backhanded position. He brought it down hard, a piercing motion into what would have been a man's chest had it obeyed the laws of Myrian anatomy. When Gunto felt a sharp resistance, he knew that his attack had been compromised. In an instant he held naught but air as his knife was torn from his grasp, yet his hand remained free to act. The creature must have detected the threat inherent in the thick edge of his kukri. No matter. He had run out of options, and only seconds until he was fully bound to the creature's body. Gunto let out a lion's roar, propelling himself upwards and farther over the Vinumia's shoulder even as it's restraints sought to hold him in check. Siiri had commanded him to tear out the creature's heart. They were both in luck, for this act was something Gunto was quite accustomed to. His fingers dug into it's chest, blindingly seeking anything that felt different than the vines that comprised it's body. He was out of time. With a final yell he took everything he could into his left hand, and tore it free from the bowel's of the creature with every ounce of strength Myri had bestowed upon him. What he grabbed was unknown to him, for his face was covered in thick bindings and his senses disoriented. If he had failed, then perhaps at least he had cleared the way for Siiri.

[Siiri]

Even as the limb she tore off the creature was reduced to its constituent plant parts, Siiri could see that the vinumia was already drawing more vegetation into its body to increase its mass and reconstruct its lost appendage. The 'wound' she had inflicted on its chest was beginning to repair itself and the a new 'arm' was starting to form on the remaining stump.

No! she screamed silently, a hint of frustration working its way into her features as she beheld the regenerative powers of the magical beast. It was like fighting against someone who could constantly heal himself no matter how grievous the wounds dealt were. The Myrian warrior knew that unless she applied a constant stream of damage on the creature, it would just fix itself good as new and she would end up facing a fresh version of it. It did not seem to tire while she was beginning to feel the strain of fatigue, making her sword feel heavier with each swing and slowly dulling her reflexes. But if she wanted the beast to be slain, she knew she had to buy her companion time to take out the source of its powers.

Keep it preoccupied, Siiri repeated to herself over and over again as she sought to find her second wind. She did not want the vinumia to turn its attention back to Gunto and possibly ruin their one chance in defeating it.

Taking a deep breath, the warrioress tapped into the reserves of her strength and unleashed a flurry of blows upon the beast. Her assault was akin to the savagery of a wild animal when cornered, a berserker rage where she went all out and gave it everything she's got. Slayer sung with her every swing, powerful shots that bit deeply into the leafy mass of the vinumia. She stood within its range to be more effective with her strikes, accepting staggering blows from the beast that sent her reeling in pain, only to jump back into the fray with an attack of her own, pouring even more strength behind her return swing.

The two of them, woman and abomination, appeared like two titans in mortal combat. Siiri, tall and powerful, seemed the very picture of a Myrian champion as she skillfully handled her massive weapon to deal as much damage as she could, not giving an inch against her larger and much heavier opponent. The vinumia, a towering mass of vines and other plant matter, appeared like a monster of legend, flailing away with heavy-handed blows at the puny warrior that dared face its wrath. One of Siiri's eyes was almost swollen shut from the amount of direct damage she absorbed and dark bruised covered the rest of her body, though the vinumia was not much better off as large chunks of its leafy mass had been sheared off by the Myrian's greatsword.

Siiri's stamina was nowhere near the beast's almost boundless energy, however, and her efforts began to flag. Her wild and powerful swings eventually became ineffectual swipes and she took in more damage than she returned. It appeared as if the vinumia would prevail against her and she almost accepted her fate, not bothering to pull up Slayer in a defensive posture to guard against an incoming attack from the beast, for her arms felt too heavy to bring the weapon back up.

But the vinumia shuddered, its large limbs falling limply to its sides. The Myrian looked up tiredly, wondering if it was some sort of ruse from the beast, but all she saw was her companion, clutching a red orb triumphantly between his fingers.

"Praise Myri," Siiri breathed, falling heavily to her knees in exhaustion. "About damn time, Gunto. About damn time."

And then she looked up at him, a tired grin on her lips.

"Help me up. I can't feel my half my body."

[Gunto]

Gunto had been dangling from the creature's backside when it's grasp suddenly went slack. He slid free from it's tangled mass, thumping into the muck below while batting away the mess of vines that still wrapped around his limbs. The creature had gone limp, seemingly stationary and unmoving. Only then did Gunto see from his position on the muddy ground a large red seed. It seemed to glow faintly, as if clinging to it's last moments of life. He had done it. He'd torn the heart from the beast's very chest. Gunto let out a heavy sigh, glad that the battle was over. As short as it had been, any longer and the two Myrians would have been overwhelmed by the demon's boundless energy. Gunto crawled towards the orb, plucking it from the mushy earth and clutching it in his hand as he thrust it into the air triumphantly. Siiri spoke to him, evoking a slight smile from the man. "You fight like a demon, Siiri of the Snapping Jaws." Gunto said as he dropped the seed into a small leather pouch on his waist. "The Shadow Hand would do well to have more warriors like you." Gunto reached her kneeling position, and hooked his arms underneath hers and around her back to hoist her to her feet. Once Siiri was standing in a relatively stable position, Gunto's eyes wandered to the fallen form of her comrade. She had called him Derro. He left Siiri there under her own power for just a moment, walking towards the fallen scout. It only took a momentary examination for Gunto to surmise that Derro was long dead. Without a word, he hoisted the battered man to his shoulders, gripping his upper legs with his arms draping down his back. His weapons were lost in the mud, and Derro's own spear lay shattered at his feet. He had no time to search for his own or bother with carrying the scout's; they belong to the jungle now. Returning to Siiri, he offered his other side's arm to support the taller woman as they made their way back in the miserable rain. Gunto's burden was heavy, but his triumph fueled him with fervor. That seed had seemed to emanate some sort of power. Perhaps back in Taloba, he could discover what it was. In this moment, he simpled trudged forward with the burden of one dead and one wounded Myrian upon his back.

[Cayenne]

This was a great thread, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The combat was extremely well-written, and you both used the jungle well! Thanks for being true to it and Falyndar. I hereby award each of you the following: Siiri: Tracking: 2 XP Observation: 2 XP Weaponry – Greatsword: 5 XP Leadership: 3 XP Tactics: 2 XP Lore: Vinumia Lore: Tracking in the Rain Gunto: Tracking: 2 XP Observation: 2 XP Weaponry – Kukri: 5 XP Weaponry – Buckler: 1 XP Tactics: 2 XP Unarmed Combat: 1 XP Lore: Vinumia Lore: Tracking in the Rain Other: Vinumia’s Seedheart