Quest Slither Home Now (Zharus, Mamoru)

[Kalesserimamoru]

Myrians were quick little monkeys, as the Dhani was learning more and more, as he continued to face them. The male slipped passed his attack, and darted away into the bushes where Mamuro lost track of him. But the female wasn't so lucky, the bone-like weapon that extended from the Dhani's tail had ripped her open and left her a mess of blood and flesh. Mamuro narrowed his eyes as he cast an icy gaze upon the injured Myrian. Turning his body, he rolled her shoulders and turned his Naginata down to stab it's blade right into the face of the woman.


"Ahh...hahaha."


There was a sick smile upon his face as he realized the damage that he had just done. Not a moment passed, and the Trickster whipped his tail out, letting the thick of the meat slam right into the woman's body to sent her tumbling backwards into the forest. With Agolyss gone, Mamuro was left to finish off the last of the Myrians that had crawled out of the undergrowth. "Flamessss. Where did you get to you dirty, brown insect??"



His answer came quickly, and loudly as the last Myrian exploded from the brushes, wielding ax and dirk and racing towards his back. Mamuro glared over his shoulder and flicked his tail out and bringing the half curled mid section to slam into the Myrian. There hadn't been enough time to give a direct attack and the block he put up was to save his back from more stab wounds. Mamuro hissed and growled again as he returned his tail and found an ax embedded in his flesh. With a snarl he ripped it out and slung it towards the Myrian.


"Thisss time, you DIE.." Mamuro grumbled in a very deep and sinister voice.


The bronze warrior easily deflected the wild and un-timed ax throw, and recovered with his dirk still ready to use. The Dhani slithered closer and snapped the blade of his weapon out towards the Myrian, who returned the favor with a strike of his own. Both warriors slowly circled the other, before they both charged in again in and all out fight. The Myrian attacked with speed and precision, while Mamuro returned the volley of strikes with his own, wild, but deadly strikes. The weapons continued to clash, sparks flickering into the air between them as their heated fight continued.


The battle of blades ended when the Myrian was somehow able to slice across Mamuro's hands and rake his weapon away from him. But the Dhani wasn't finished and quickly grasped the Myrian with both meaty hands and held him in place as he slammed his skull covered forehead right into that of the Myrian's until blood flowed easily down his face. With the small man dizzy, it took nothing for Mamuro to lift him up and sling him into the near by tree. Still, the warrior fought on, sluggishly standing up again and raising his fist in front of him.


The trickster slither forward, clenching his own fist as he dashed forward and took a swing at the man. The quickness of the Myrian saved him, as he ducked and rammed his fist into the Dhani's gut one after the other. Mamuro glared down at him and took another swing with his fist that slammed into the tree rather than the man who continued to duck his punches. The Myrian had been lucky, and fighting on the last of his adrenaline, but it had to run out in the end. A wicked fist to the gut caught the human hard and knocked the wind out of him. From there, another of the Dhani's fist crashed into his jaw, where it unhooked the bone. The trickster finally slammed his elbow into the face of the man and..

Sqush!

[Traverse]

The Myrian's body collapsed in a limb pile of bones, blood, and flesh upon the ground, Mamuro suddenly finding himself alone and surrounded by the bloody remains of the insects he had felled. A silence hung about him for a moment, even the birds and actual bugs having gone silent...or simply fled during the raucous fight.

And then the slithering mass of Agolyss, covered in blood herself swept into the clearing, holding the crate with her precious cloth in it. She shook her head, as if that entire scene had been nothing more than a nuisance.

"Petching ssswine." She glanced at the ring of bodies surrounding Mamuro and hissed thoughtfully.

"Not bad trickssster, but we besst get a move on, where theresss sseven Myriansss theresss a hundred more." And a hundred was a bit too big of a number for even two Dhani to take on. She did not mention Zharus's disappearance, nor did it appear as if he was returning...at least not yet.

The weaver took off into the undergrowth, tail undulating behind her. Amazing how fast a Dhani could move if they had the will.

[Kalesserimamoru]

It was a mess, a beautiful wreck of destruction that even a Myrian would have to approve. His enemies laid at his feet, bodies torn and ripped a part and even a smashed head. Mamuro looked around the field and was pleased with what he saw. He didn't need Zharus after all, the trickster was capable of handling himself just fine on his own. Taking a breath, Mamuro released his djed and the bone-like armor thinned out and receded back into his scales. The spiky bone at his tail was also reformed back into it's normal bone shape.


When Agolyss appeared covered in blood and carrying her things, Mamuro could tell that she wasn't in a good mood. She was more into her clothing and designs than fighting as he was. Still, he had to admit, there was something about the woman covered in blood that did something for him. But there was no time for admiring scales, they needed to move before more of the monkeys showed up.


"Not too bad yoursself. I wouldn't have thought that behind all of that elegance wasss a warrior."


Mamuro followed behind Agolyss, keeping the Dhani female close by as it was his job to guard her. He would see his friend again soon, and would give him a friendly thrashing for abandoning them in the middle of a fight. They slithered on through the jungle until they found familiar territory. They were closer to home he thought, and at least from there he would know the area.


"We're getting clossse."

[Traverse]

Agolyss only hissed, mildly perturbed at the male's half compliment, slithering slightly behind the form of her guard as they continued on their way.

When Mamuro noted how close they were, the snake nodded. "Now we jusst have to worm our way around the barricade." Her voice was laced with the distaste any Dhani would feel having to skulk back into their rightful home, but the Myrians kept tight patrols around the entrances they actually knew about, and the city as a whole...one wrong move when trying to enter the caves and they'd be roasting on a spit before you knew it.

"We can try for the ruinss." Agolyss suggested, gesturing with her hand in a circle. It would take longer to reach that particular entrance, but it also afforded the smallest chance of meeting up with another Myrian scouting party.

"But I will let you desside." She allowed, feeling gracious despite the fact that her wardrobe had been mauled in the process of her return. Perhaps it was the prospect of the new threads within the large chest she carried that was putting the snake into a better mood.

[Kalesserimamoru]

Mamoru thought over what Agolyss had said was found it curious. He would have thought that she would be interested in getting back as soon as possible. However, he knew that she had a point, and those monkeys were like roaches, there were always more and in bigger packs. He also wondered if he would find that traitor out somewhere lurking, if the Myrians hadn't already gotten him. Of soldiers and mice, the Dhani thought, of solders and mice.


"Well...If that isss your wissh. I guesss it would give usss more time to talk."


His words were laced with sarcasm. Mamoru was certain that the woman was as interested in him as he was in her. They were both doing their jobs, and it just so happened that they made a fierce team in battle. However, once they returned to the nest, she would go about her life on a higher plain, and he would slink back into the wet, darkness from which he came. It was the simple life inside the nest, and one the Dhani was more than used too.


"If you're hungry, you could have eaten back there. I'm ssure they wouldn't have minded misssing a leg or two."


He bore a smug look upon his rough, scaled features, but he could tell that Agolyss wasn't in the mood for his jokes. "Alright then, to the ruinesss it isss." Mamoru slithered along taking the very long and round about way to reach their destination. They moved quickly, looking to shorten the time as much as they could and keep out of sight.

[Traverse]

The Dhani female snorted. "Myriansss give me indigestion." She grimaced at even the thought as the continued through the undergrowth. Perhaps taking the longer way hadn't been such a good idea. This male thought he was amusing...it was so droll.

Despite Agolyss's higher standing, she did not ask Mamuro to hold onto the chest of cloth for her. Whether this was out of pride, some instinct that the male would ruin it, or simply courtesy, it couldn't be said, but the container was surely wearisome to carry, and the Dhani did not mention it.

Allowing Mamuro to lead the way, the seamstress kept her eyes peeled on the woods and focused on making the least amount of noise that she could. Those petching insects could be as quiet as a sloth when they meant to, and as fast as one of those short legged deer that bounded through the jungle, and she wasn't about to be caught unawares.

Their route made the trip longer, but not significantly so, and after a few bells the beginnings of the ruins began to pop up, a broken pillar here, the remnants of a rock wall there. Agolyss put a clawed hand upon Mamuro's shoulder, signalling him to slow. This point may have been closest to their home, but it was also the closest to those blasted Myrians patrols, they would have to keep their movements slow and eyes open.

"Ssiku guide us." The seamstress whispered beneath her breath, and she took a bit of a lead upon her guard.

[Kalesserimamoru]

"I agree, thossse are rather tasstelesss creaturesss. Perhapsss if you had learned to cook, you could have added spicesss to help them go down better, hmm?"


He teased the woman now, and wasn't fearful of a viscous retort or bite. Being a guard was one thing, but if he had to risk his life, just so that women like Morgana could sashay around in fancy garments, someone was going to put up with him as well. Even if the seamstress decided to scold him, it was all she could do, and even that wasn't a good idea at the moment since they were trying to be silent.


Mamoru continued to lead the way cautiously. The Dhani looked in front of him as well as to both sides with eyes that could search the jungle far better than humanoid's could. They were getting closer to the ruins and also to Myrian patrollers. If he could, Mamoru would use the power of illusions to cover the sound of their arrival so that the monkeys didn't know they were coming. But his power was still very limited, the trickster had to be in range, and he also had to be able to see those he wished to touch with his magic.


For the time, he would do as Agolyss did, and slither as quietly as possible. He moved on, lightly testing the area with his tail and trying to avoid touching any light twigs, or brushing against any noisy bushes. He paused when Agolyss touched his shoulder, but said nothing. He also realized just how close they were to being home...and how close they were to being cut down. The trickster frowned and flicked his tongue from his mouth as he thought about his partner on the trip and how he had disappeared suddenly.


"Ssiku guide usss indeed."


The dhani slithered on, his weapon of choice held tightly in his grip. He lowered his form to appear smaller and even weaved between trees to make himself harder to see at first glance. The trickster was a bit ticked at it all, if not for his companion, he would change himself into something more suitable and make the journey easier. But he had to protect Agolyss and so he would. For time passed, but to him it seemed even longer and after more pillars, they were finally close enough to see the actual ruins of what was once a village.

[Traverse]

The ruins were extensive. They had, after all, been a city centuries ago, housing some ancient clan of people that had been decimated by the Valterrian. Several tunnels didn't lead to Zinrah, further hiding the real one, as well as the remnants of those that came before that were rumored to linger there after dark. The Myrians might have had their blockade, but Dhani were not lacking in their own defenses either.

Agolyss froze all of a sudden, one of her clawed appendages sliding along a pillar as her tongue darted into the air, attempting to scent their enemies.

Fat black slits turned to slivers in her face and the seamstress slithered backward, nearly running into Mamuro, angular face turning towards him.

"A patrol."

'Patrol' was entirely the wrong word for what approached them, but Agolyss was no military tactician. If Mamuro peered around the pillar they were behind he would be able to see the rustling of the tree about a hundred yards ahead, tanned forms emerging one after another after another after another. It was more than the half dozen they had faced previously that was for sure, and they were in a space where more could be called with one of those bird calls they so often did to communicate.

And of course...the party was headed straight for them.

The seamstress was no coward, but her eyes were fearful then, and she scanned the clearing worriedly, looking for an escape. They could melt back into the wilderness and hope to avoid the patrol, maybe even hide in the rubble if they were lucky...but as Agolyss began to back track away another opportunity afforded itself to the two Dhani.

A sweep of Agolyss's tail brushed away dead leaves and vines. A few rocks tumbled into the hole, disturbed from their resting spot and falling quietly down into the shadows of whatever hole the Dhani had unknowingly revealed. A single step could be seen in the shadows...leading downward.

Agolyss didn't even notice the entrance, which of course could provide as much trouble as safety, and continued off towards the thicker jungle. The choice...was up to her guard.

[Kalesserimamoru]

Mamoru had always wondered about the ruins and the creatures that had lived there well before his birth. It was a mystery, and what was even more so, were the ghost that appeared at night, or so it was said. The Dhani wasn't afraid of ghost or monsters and was more interested if there were anything valuable to claim. But that would have to wait. Agolyss' sudden dart backwards was enough to pull the trickster from his inner thoughts and bring him back to the very real problem that she spoke of.


A patrol...


He snarled and moved forward to take a peek himself. He was more than surprised at what he saw. It wasn't a patrol, but a small army of monkeys all spilling out of the brush as if they had just been cut loose. There was no way of explaining it and the irritated Dhani could only wonder if the bugs grew on tress now. There were so many of them and they just kept coming. He and Agolyss both already had wounds from the first battle, not to mention being a bit tired as well. These Myrians looked fresh and hungry for action, not the best odds for them.


"Flamessss! What madnesss isss thisss!?!"


Mamoru glanced back to his companion and noticed the worried look in her eyes. He didn't fought her for being frightened, she was a seamstress and he the warrior. It was up to him to take charge. Peeking out again, the trickster thought over his options. He could use his illusions to hide them, but he wasn't sure just how many Myrians there were. It was worth a shot, and he was thinking it over carefully. He also thought of racing out to meet them and allowing Agolyss to get into the nest safely. He was her protector, but such feats of heroism weren't becoming of this Dhani.


"Perhapssss we sshould..."


The Dhani started to speak when he noticed the hole that she had just uncovered. Interesting that he, or seemingly no one else had noticed it, at least for a long time. "And what do we have here.." He crept closer to the hole and looked down inside it. One step was all he could see giving him the impression that it was made built this way, and not something an animal dug to sleep. For Agolyss sake, he decided to go for the more safer route, though what was down there, he had no idea.


"Quick, down the sstairesss."

[Traverse]

Agolyss turned in an instant, assessing the hold suspiciously. Unfortunately, there wasn't much time to second guess their perfectly good escape option, and with a sigh the weaver lowered her chest so that she could slither downward into the blackness that waited for them.

It didn't take long for either of their eyes to adjust to the darkness of the tunnel they slid down. It was long, but the stairs seemed whole...as if fairly untouched by the years. Old dead vines reached downward for the beginning of their journey, then dissipated the further they went, the stairs continuing. It winded around itself, creating a tight curve, but Agolyss continued downward, listening to make sure Mamuro was behind her as she went.

If one took the time to check the walls they were smooth and uniform, occasionally a bit of metal to hold torches stuck out from the cold stone like strange claws. Dust and cobwebs hung from every available crack and crevice, and their path seemed to wind an indeterminable amount downward.

Agoylss stopped suddenly at the base of their descent, the stairs opening up into a hallway just big enough to fit two Dhani side by side. It was straight, and seemed to continue for an eternity. The seamstress hissed thoughtfully.

"We could continue, or sssimply wait until the patrol isss passt." She glanced at her guard then back down the hall. "There'sss a good chance we could find something unssavory down here ass well."

From the looks of it there were no doorways leading off the long hall, the same nondescript pale stone making up the walls as the stairs. Temporarily Agolyss deposited her chest upon the ground and sat upon it, inspecting the many wounds she had gained from their fight for the first time.