Closed Falling apart at the seams, it seems... (Tinnok)

[Evalin]

Gresshal hissed, "Ssstupid Monkey."

"Now now Gressh, calm yourself. And lower me down, I shall stand on my own two feet for the time being." The Dhani shook his head, still glaring at Tinnok as he set Evalin gently on her feet. The nuit used the serpents arm to steady herself as she straightened, her decaying body protesting against the action yet she knew that it would hold. It still have several days left in it, but it was caution and experience that pushed the Immortal to find a new body as quickly as possible. That and she could not stand the site of extreme decay. It marred her natural beauty, or so she would have thought had she anything natural left.

"It is good to know that we may count on your aid child. I believe you shall prove most useful indeed, far more so than I had anticipated." She released the Dhani, standing on her own power as she looked at Gresshal, "Take you now your human form. Best that we avoid any necessary notice from wandering scouts, and as you are you stand out far too much."

Gressha grunted, glared in turn at Evalin, but at length he would begin his transformation. As he did so Evalin would return her attention to Tinnok, "Now then I have had some pondering of you which I which to now investigate. Something about you is... off, different than the other Myrians and Dhani I have met." She came a step closer, licking her lips as she tilted her head to the side as if to examine the halfbreed, "While many of the Dhani and Myrians venture out into the jungle regularly, so very few spend much time in the open here. Yet you... You exist between these two worlds of snake and monkey, and between these two cities. You willingly kill Myrians so I might come to believe that they do not harbor you within their city, but neither are you a part of the nest for surely you would be dead." She inched a step closer, leaning down to look at Tinnok, "How is it that you do this? How can you live between worlds, open in the jungle, and live? No matter how I think of it I cannot justify why you have not yet been killed by the dangers here."

"Monkeysss climb high in the tresss." Gresshal had fully shifted now, taking on the form of a wide shoulder, barrel chested man six feet tall with well pronounced muscles. His eyes were still snake like, and his hair was cut short to his scalp, but beyond that he was just a very naked man in the woods, "Ssshe mussst scamper away when the firsst sssign of danger showsss itself." He sneered, spitting on the ground as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Evalin smiled and looked at Tinnok, "Is this true?"

OOCSorry for the wait! Got busy with life and mod stuff ^.^

[Tinnok]

Tinnok smiled serenely at the snake as Evalin bade him to follow her suggestion. That was why she would show him how to kill Myrians. Her people often chided the great beasts, saying they had no skill in combat, only using their size and strength against them, that is was the only reason they weren’t already eradicated. Too late Tinnok realized she had used the words ‘her people’ unbidden in her thoughts, and mentally winced. She knew this statement wasn’t altogether true now. She had seen Aka and Svan, they were not as large as Constrictors, but had their own potent skills, Aka especially so. No one could say she simply used size or strength, but her superb magical prowess. Even thinking on it Tinnok shuddered a little imagining how effectively the tiny viper could destroy whole swathes of the jungle with her fire, it made her Gnosis ache to think about.

But suddenly she realized that Evalin’s eyes were on her, her rotting legs holding themselves up on the ground, her red eyes staring at Tinnok curiously. The half breed got the sense then of the creature’s age. She must be old, much older than her at least. She so casually addressed the problem of finding another body, and her curiosity…it was of a creature who didn’t find many mysteries in the world, but simultaneously wanted to unravel them all.

Tinnok paused, taking time to absorb the Dhani’s insult and give him a hard stare. “I do hide in tree.” She gestured upward her finger spiraling around. “All way up. I move from above, come down for hunt, return when done.” She let that sink in for a moment, pondering. From her angle Evalin probably couldn’t see the Gnosis mark on her arm clearly, the vivid tattoo of a strangler fig crawling up her shoulder, ferns and other plants exploding out from the bottom, monkeys and birds up in its branches, some undisclosed cat peering out of the shadows at the base of the tree. If she attempted to hide the mark more that would be a dead give away. Why not show her? Part of her mind asked. She should know she isn’t the only one with mysterious powers. But caution kept her from revealing everything. It may not be better for her to know what I am, she could try to use me, and whatever she is…it does not go with Caiyha’s realm. She has mysteries, let me keep mine own, I suspect the creatures of the jungle would be eager to help me against something of her ilk.

“I would like see big snake do better.” She offered to the grumpy Dhani, now in human form. “Better this way so I can hunt Dhani and Myrian alike.” She grinned, lips turning up maliciously. It was not her purpose here, and she couldn’t say she had actually single handedly killed a Dhani…ever, but her strength was growing, and the whiny snake nor Katherine needn’t know the truth.

A thought occurred to Tinnok then and she glanced at Evalin curiously, that feeling returning that made her stomach churn and the hairs on the back of her neck prickle, Phylonura mark pulsing uncomfortably. “Why jungle? dead body rot fast here.” She hoped the woman would take the whole of her meaning. Why would an undead creature come here of all places, where the humidity and heat were overpowering, where neither Dhani nor Myrian would think kindly of a creature who shirked the normal cycle of life. If she was so old and wise…that seemed a grave error in judgment to the half breed’s thinking.

[Evalin]

While Gresshal frowned and looked away in irritation Evalin chuckled in amusement, "Honest she is at the very least. No shame can there be found in preserving oneself. Only the young or the idiotic throw themselves into Dira's clutches so willingly."

"And cowardsss run from death out of their fear of it." The Dhani muttered, turning his back on them both.

"True enough, but who is it that lives to produce offspring and to fight once more the next day? The cowards of today are the heroes, and villains, of tomorrow. Respect the cowards as they are wiser than the brave certainly."

Stepping back Evalin turned until she found an upended root of her own to perch on, resting her rotting legs and folding her arms over her chest. She pulled absently at the flaking skin of her hand, and looked at Tinnok with a raised eyebrow when she was posed a question.

"Why indeed..." Evalin said slowly, looking away out into the jungle, "Perhaps I got lost, or perhaps I came here with a purpose originally. Whatever it was, however, I could not say but it is of no consequence. Know I not they why I came, but know I why I have stayed. There is still much to be done in this place steeped in hatred and death... Much indeed." She looked sideways at Tinnok, "Curious I am sure you are, but worry not. Soon, very soon, you will see my purpose for coming. All of this region will see it. Oh how the blood will pour and the hatred redouble. What a wonderfully awful place this jungle is, would you not say?" She laughed and closed her eyes, pointing her face forward once more.

Gresshal stared back over his shoulder at Evalin, his eyes dark and brooding and, for just a tick, the flicker of real hatred was there. He despised Evalin and all that she was, but there was nothing he could do against her. If he caught Tinnok's eye he would quickly look away, ignoring them both.

"Ah, they are found." Evalin opened her eyes and stood, setting her hands on her hips and cocking her head to the side as if she were listening to something, "A group of nine it seems. Four female, five male. Ohhh one of them is perfect... She shall fit nicely indeed." She paused, tapping a finger on her thigh, "All have swords or axes of some kind, two of the men hold great swords. The women all carry bows, such nuances, and all are alert. They have separated from the main ring, then let us bring them closer." She smiled and closed her eyes. Gresshal grunted and turned toward Evalin, "How do you expect to take your chosssen one? They are well armed, and all trained sssurely and we are ssso few."

"It is not the numbers which decide the conflict," Evalin responded quietly, "It is the strategy used." She opened her eyes, "They come toward us now. Tsenrika is leading them. I shall section them off when they come closer so that they cannot escape or gather reinforcements. Tinnok child," She looked at the halfbreed, smiling, "Would you care to greet them?"

OOCI opted to not do the entire beginning of the conflict in one thread in favor of giving you a chance to weigh in on the strategy ^.^

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[Tinnok]

oocThanks! I kept Tsenrika's description (well really lack thereof) super vague since I didn't know what form he'd be in to lead the Myrians back, if I need to alter anything lemme know!

Her eyes narrowed at Evalin’s words, slowly translating them, and liking them less and less with every phrase she could understand. She spoke as if she was going to level all of the land in one blow. It seemed impossible that one such being could hold so much power as that. If she seemed intent to damage the jungle itself Tinnok would have bristled with rage, but no…she senses Evalin was more interested in the beings within it. There a deal of hate festered certainly, and it was surely this to which she was referring to. At her semi-rhetorical question, Tinnok snorted.

“Jungle is wonder. Only Dhani and Myrian in it awful.” But she doubted a being steeped in death could appreciate the preciousness of her biome.

It was then she caught the human formed Dhani glancing at the witch. She was taken aback by how much hatred festered in his gaze towards her, and felt a pang of sympathy rise up in her gut. Whatever power the undead woman held over him, he must be utterly powerless to stop her, and while Tinnok couldn’t quite fathom that kind of helplessness, she knew how it felt to be trapped by beings you hated, people that used you as a tool and nothing more. Her own gaze was open and pitying, and she saw the serpent turn away ashamed, one blink of her golden eyes evaporating the emotion. It would do her no good here where she had no power to do anything about it.

Then information began filtering in, and Tinnok’s mouth was agape again. She could communicate…without seeing or talking to that strange thing. Well that wasn’t true, they were surely talking now, but…through their minds? She had never heard of anything like it. Was it like looking into the eyes of a bird and seeing where it had flown and the view of the canopy below, could Evalin see through the blue orb’s surface like a window? More questions she didn’t have answers to, and most likely wouldn’t receive. Instead she focused on the information, sheathing her dagger and closing her eyes.

“Best take out bows first, if you can show me which Myrian is body I will get others..” She ran her free hand over her daggers. Greatswords were powerful weapons, but she was quick with her daggers, they wouldn’t be able to land a blow on her. “I will use bow as long as able, then join fight.” She said, then glanced around the area they inhabited looking for a good position to set up in. If the creature was leading them directly to their location, she only needed a good vantage point. Her eyes traveled up into the tree they had been sitting around and judged it a good perch as any. Summoning her djed into her hands and feet she felt the exhilarating experience of pushing that energy into her extremities, her mind focused upon the claws she had become so adept at forming on her toes and fingers. It took half a chime for them to form, thick and sharp, the half breed focusing on her breathing in through the nose out the mouth envisioning the calm center of her being on an island in the middle of a mirror smooth body of water. Here she was one with the magic she still was trying to grasp correctly. Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she hopped onto a tree root, then leapt up a good few feet onto the tree and began climbing, her claws sinking deep into the bark of the tree, her connection with her Gnosis mark prickling as she felt the calm energies of the great and ancient plant she ascended, helping her focus before the bloody confrontation to come. She climbed up onto the lowest branch, a good twenty feet off the ground, and drew her bow, notching an arrow as slitted pupils scanned the foliage, knees bent and toes curled around the branch, claws keeping her steady and balanced as she waited for the Myrians to come. She kept her Djed claws, thinking they might be of some help in the fight to come.

It was still a solid few chimes until she heard the stomping of feet. They were not being cautious these Myrians, but if they had seen what she had with the strange glowing blue thing…well it seemed unlike anything upon Mizahar, and if anything could keep a Myrian from thinking straight it would be a potentially dangerous thing that you didn’t understand. They would simply want to crush it, or him if it had become its man self again. Anything that wasn’t Myrian was an enemy, and enemies were met with a singular end.

She crouched lower and drew her bowstring back fully, lining up the bow with her hip, elbow raised, keeping her breathing even. She didn’t know which female to hit yet, so taking down one of the males would be beneficial. Her vision narrowed, focused on the half exposed bodies pummeling through the foliage after Tsenrika. There, a stocky male with a Mohawk, a great sword strapped to his back, no helpful when running to have that thing out in your hands after all. The half breed focused the point of her arrow, waiting, keeping pace with the male’s movements. A shout went up, perhaps they were starting to realize this could be a trap, he slowed, and that was enough for her to take careful aim, making sure the longbow was fully taught, inhaling slowly, then releasing the weapon on the exhale, arrow soaring through the air and hitting her target square in the chest. She grinned as he toppled, then shifted against the trunk of the tree, using the foliage to hide her. Unfortunately that would be the easiest shot to get off in this battle, now that they knew she was here, they would be wary of arrows. A couple more shots and she’d descend down into the fray, for now she inched back out and looked down to see what the undead woman and her two servants were up to.

[Evalin]

Evalin offered no resistance to the woman's plan, and she watched with interest as she focused. The nuit knew it must be magic, and as she watched claws sprang forth on the woman's fingers and toes. How amusing, that this child could use the same magic as she. A wonder it was how the magics spread, entwining through every region despite the overall hatred for it. It was one of the great and twisted ironies of this world, and one that made Evalin smile.

Looking back at Gresshal Evalin slowly stood to her feet, "Go now then and circle to the side. Act as a distraction to draw their attention while we remove those that we can before the true fighting begins. Then come and join us to finish off those that remain." Evalin looked up at the tree after Tinnok, and she whispered softly, "Aim you straight and true. Care I not to have damage done to something that is mine."

After a few chimes had past Tsenrika would appear through the brush, still in his orb form having quickly gained ground on the Myrians as their suspicions began to grow. Evalin smiled and extended her hand, palm up and the Irylid floated over it, "They come, just a few chimes behind. They are disciplined and remain close to one another, often paired or in groups of three. They remain in view of the others in their party as well."

"Excellent... then the barrier need not be so large. Let us create and enclosing, fifty paces should do it."

"They will quickly be within 30 paces." Tsenrika informed Evalin, but the Immortal shrugged, "Then let us be on the wary side. Now then my dear Tsenrika... Come to me."

"As you wish."

The Irylid gently landed on Evalin's palm, his smooth cold surface brushing her skin and sending a pulse through her entire body. She hissed and closed her eyes, leaning her head back as the ice flooded her veins. Tsenrika seemed to melt into her body, quickly spreading up her skin so that within ticks he covered her completely. The ground around Evalin's feet began to whiten with frost and the rippling surface of her skin smoothed and became reflective like the Irylid's was. Crystals of ice began to collect from the very air, forming cascading 'wings' of ice that sprouted from her back, and in three places her surface rippled. 3 little orbs, a little smaller than the Irylid's natural form itself, bubbled to the surface and detached themselves to float freely around Evalin's body.

Evalin could SEE everything, in all directions, all at once. If she focused she could pick up even the smallest details in the world around her, but for now she was not interested in such things. The Myrians were growing closer, and it was time to create the trap. Evalin gently touched the power within her, and it sprung readily to her fingertips. Evalin was surprised at how quickly it responded, res flowing out of her faster than it ever had before. She summoned more and more. More res than she had created before, more res than she had ever seen Aka use, and somehow it all felt so natural, so easy. It was like breathing. She thought it and her power responded. She willed something and it happened. She gathered enough res around her that the jungle seemed to twist and bend as it was seen through the translucent res. With a wave of her hand the res decided into perfectly equal proportions (how did she make it so equal?) and began coursing through the jungle. She could feel it moving, and directed it with a thought, making a half circle nearly fifty paces in radius. The Myrians were inside, she heard their calls even as she saw the arrow overhead sent by Tinnok. Every sensation was heightened. Evalin felt powerful, unstoppable!

She knew what she wanted, and what she needed to do. Evalin and Tsenrika's collective knowledge and experience made the task simple, and precise. Together they were stronger than ever before. Together their skills were beyond a master's. They could do anything... absolutely anything. So with one hand Evalin gestured like she was conducting an orchestra, and the res she had sent out began to rise up, and up, and up until it was nearly 20 feet high. Behind her she saw Tinnok beginning to climb down from the tree, but to the left she saw through the dense trees Gresshal pulling the myrian's attention in his direction. If she looked closer she could see that Tinnok's arrows had put down at least 2 of the male Myrians, and injured a female. Not the one she was interested in of course, so it mattered little to her.

Coming back to the matter at hand Evalin clapped her hands together, and the res, all of it, began to shimmer. Ice crystals quickly began to form and from either end the wall of res became instead a wall of ice, 15 feet tall and 2 feet thick. It was beyond anything Evalin could do. It was beyond anything that should be possible, yet she had done it, and it was so simple. What was this power? It was almost... terrifying. But it made Evalin smile.

"You have done well child." Evalin said without looking behind her. She could see Tinnok where she stood, "Two of the men have been killed, and another injured in the thigh. The rest shall be simple I believe." Her voice was cold and echoed slightly. She raised one hand, res already collecting there, "I will capture the body I have chosen. We will dispose of the rest and be done with this." She could see her target, though the dense trees whens he focused. Evalin pressed her res forward, sliding it across the ground and then swarming up the girl's legs. Before she could scream she was completely encased and suddenly the Myrian was trapped in ice, and Evalin was already turning her attention to other matters.

"Come. Let us go." With confidence Evalin strolled forward. She saw Gresshal from the side taking up the Greatsword and facing one of the remaining Myrian Males who held a greatsword as well. In front of her were three women. One with a bow lowered an arrow at Evalin, the other two quickly gripped swords or daggers at their belts. The arrow was fired first, and with an almost lazy motion Evalin swept the arrow from the air, her hand moving faster than the eye could follow. Before the two remaining women could respond Evalin was already on top of them, her movements faster than they had ever been before. The nuit was surprised by her own abilities. She had not explored this forms abilities until just now, and they were... astonishing. Doubled. Everything about her was doubled. Speed, power, magic and even her mental capabilities. She could move and react faster than should be possible. She could see in a 360 degree radius with perfect detail, and combined with her enhanced physical abilities she could dodge or counter an assault from any direction. It was... Intoxicating.

Before she even realized it she held res in her hands, and at a whim they had sharpened to jagged points as ice formed over them. The two icy spears hovered over her outstretched palms, and the two Myrians looked at her, just as surprised as Evalin was, their weapons forgotten for a tick too long so that sudden from their chest now sprouted shards of ice as red fell from their wounds and they crumbled to the ground.

The last woman seemed to come back to herself and began trying to knock another arrow, her hands Evalin noticed were trembling. Before she could even draw the bowstring Evalin's hand was over the woman's that gripped the bow, a gentle gesture as she slowly made her lower the weapon. Then Evalin leaned forward, gathering res in her mouth and parting her lips. The res she sent into the Myrian's now gaping mouth, and the nuit began sucking in air. She pulled the air from the Myrian's own lungs out, preventing any further to enter, and as the bow fell to the ground the Myrian clutched at her throat, realizing what was happening too late before she collapsed on the ground, oxygen deprived causing her to lose consciousness.

Pushing the remaining res into the woman's throat Evalin hissed, and jagged shards of ice burst through her throat, ending the woman's life in what Evalin believed was a merciful way. With that Evalin turned her attention to her real prize, beginning to walk toward the Myrian encased in ice. She would let Gresshal and Tinnok finish the rest, and already she felt overgiving fast approaching. This was the price of such power. She could hold it for only a few chimes, and she would need it to break the spells she had cast previously.

OOCThis is my first time writing released form, so I decided to really live it up haha. Evalin will definitely be feeling it, but I hope you enjoyed the show ^.^

Words1500

[Tinnok]

oocEpic!

She did not realize what was happening below her perch as Evalin and Tsenrika morphed…which was good, for her next shots probably would not have hit. She saw fear and apprehension in the eyes of those that approached. Her second arrow was drawn and notched, a familiar and wondrous burn in her arm from the endurance and strength it took to keep such a tall bow taut for long. She reveled in this feeling, let it sink into her core. This was a hunt, and this what she lived for. She lived to feet the calmness of the great jungle trees of Falyndar beneath her feet, to see as birds did, to roar as tigers did, and if she got to take a bit of revenge on her Myrian brethren simultaneously? So much the better. The next male did not have a great sword strapped to his back. She saw his maw gape in fearful surprise and had a streak of pure unadulterated pride in that moment. He was a motionless target, a fair distance away, but not for a longbow. She drew in her breath, took longer to focus this time and aimed directly for his mouth, imagining his pained surprise with the point lodging itself in the back of his throat. Her eyes eagerly watched as the arrow flew from her grasp, but it did not hit her intended mark, for he started stepping backwards, and instead the arrow lodged itself deep into the soft tissue of his throat.

Not half bad.

Now Tinnok was aware of great magical power. She had seen Aka at work, felt Mamuro’s very words bend her mind to his will, seen the work of Malediction summon the soul of a creature into its deceased bones. Magic frightened her, its power, its allure. It was a double edged sword, and the downside of it wasn’t simply a cut hand, a missing finger, a puckered scar. It was insanity or worse. It was why she took the learning of her magic so slowly. Without risks her power grew only slowly, but she also grasped every facet as she learned, and this…this she could feel.

A barbed arrow this time sat in the worn cradle of her bow, fingers curving tightly around the weapon, hand drawing back once more. The Myrians were scattering, but sticking together even with their already reduced numbers. She trained her arrow on a female whose bow was trained on what she could only imagine was Katherine, another two searching in the trees to try to find her location and identity. Tinnok grimaced and trained her hooked arrow on one female particularly covered in ink. She was moving quickly through the thick foliage, this shot would not be easy. Tinnok aimed for the stomach of her. There she could spill out her guts, make her bleed out. She followed the woman with her arrow and loosed it in what she thought was perfect timing, a bit ahead due to a small breeze, but she had aimed too low and the arrow caught her in the leg instead. Tinnok cursed, the female going down on one knee, and began drawing another arrow when two arrows zipped past her head, a third slicing a chunk of skin off of her left arm.

The half breed reacted immediately. A branch slightly lower and around the back of the tree was her answer, and she half rotated, still crouching and leapt off of the branch in one calculated motion while swinging her bow over her shoulder and letting her arrow drop to the forest floor, her hands then free to swing on the branch and drop, digging her claws into the bark. For a moment her weight dragged her down and she thought she had miscalculated and she would fall to the ground, probably breaking something. Then her body stopped, the morphed claws holding, and she proceeded swiftly downwards, separating herself from the bark when she was ten feet off the ground and landing on the balls of her feet before leaping around the tree and snatching one of her daggers from her hilt, dashing around the tree to see…

It had to be the rotting woman, that is what it certainly had to be, but Tinnok was speechless, thoughtless for several ticks as she processed the wonder there. She had barely noticed the wall of ice go up, though now it glistened brightly around them. She knew not of Summoning, of creatures from other planets, but she could deduce what had happened based on the miniature blue orbs circling around the being, the beautiful being made of ice, a substance with which Tinnok had actually…never seen until this day, the idea of it an entirely foreign concept in the entirely tropical climate that was Falyndar. The being knew she was there without looking, just as she had known the numbers of the Myrians. She was still too stunned to think properly, but the compliment, it felt like something you would tell a faithful dog when it brought you back the dead bird you had killed.

She felt that fear again. Tinnok was familiar with fear. To shirk fear, she had been told, was folly. It was a natural part of being mortal, and that as long as the fear did not control you, as long as you didn’t let it, it was a healthy thing to have. But this being had already told her she was not immortal, and for a moment, Tinnok wondered if Katherine, if this icy being…was a God.

She is not a God, not yet, but a dead thing, leeching the bodies of the living, perhaps hoping to be one one day. If she needs to steal the bodies of Myrians, she is no god. This thought snapped her out of her reverie, and Tinnok drew another dagger in her hand as the creature killed two women with icy shards and seemed to suck the life out of the last woman. Her eyes flitted to the remaining Myrians left. The snake was fighting with the remaining great sword Myrian, there was one living male apart from him, and the injured female, temporarily forgotten by the icy entity that had replaced Katherine.

One thing Myrians could be relied on was their perseverance even in dire circumstances. Tinnok stalked over to the female she had shot in the leg, but would not take her enemy by surprise. She was up and limping directly towards her. Her eyes were bright brown with blue green flecks to them, standing out starkly against chocolate skin. Her head was shaved on two side, the part in the middle grown out long and braided in wide plates that wound down her neck and between her shoulders. In her hands were a gladius and a hand axe, and with a pang Tinnok recalled Razkar, half a world away, and how those were his favored weapons.

She growled at Tinnok, and the witch summoned her djed, pooling it in her throat and remembering nights spent with packs of Akila hounds, and alpha members putting their packs in line, hunting. It was a sound with a tenor too deep for humanoid throats, but she felt her vocal chords expand and lengthen for the act of mimicking, letting her own deep, guttural, and entirely inhuman growl. The look of fear that flickered across the woman’s face was not the same as those terrified stares summoned by the icy being somewhere to her right, but it did the trick in a pinch, and Tinnok released the djed and charged forward, yellow eyes glinting towards her opponent.

The woman was taken aback enough that she could press the advantage at her first attack. The wound in her arm stung as she spun, swinging one dagger low towards the female’s stomach and spinning around on the ball of her right foot, hoping to slash the second dagger at her throat. Her first attack hit, barely slicing the flesh and drawing a thin line of red across her dark flesh, but her opponent leapt back with a pained curse, and brought up the wooden hilt of her axe to parry the slash at her throat, coming in towards Tinnok, stabbing her gladius towards her neck, but coming in low with the axe, a vicious vertical swipe just looking to injure her, someway, some how.

Tinnok spat and leapt backwards out of range of both attacks, then sheathed one dagger. She still wasn’t good at executing attacks with the two of them. She charged forward, shoving her shoulder into the femal’es chest, knocking her backwards, but not down. The female came in again with another powerful swipe from her gladius, trying for her neck. Tinnok spun out of the way, but only in the nick of time, a thin veil of red appearing upon her flesh, a triumphant grin appearing on her opponents face.

“You’ve lost, sister.” She said in fluent Myrian, a sarcastic emphasis on the last word. Shock, more so from the words than the dog growl came to the Myrian’s face and Tinnok grinned wildly and came in with a stabbing motion directly for the woman’s throat. The gladius came up to block it this time, but Tinnok had other plans. In reality she had dropped the dagger with the attacking hand, so her fist punched the flat blade of the gladius, sending a dull pain up through her fist and arm, while her left hand darted out, snatching the dagger from mid air and finishing the job by stabbing it directly under her jaw and up into her skull. She wrenched the blade free as the Myrian’s body went limp and collapsed to the ground, Tinnok’s breath heaving in her throat, she glanced around, seeing Gresshal was almost done with his victim, and in the back of her mind realized there was someone unaccounted for.

That was when the arrow sank into the back of her left thigh, sending the half breed sprawling forward, pain surging through her body and being released out of her mouth, her control on the djed in her toes and claws released, her brain no longer focused on the fight, and only on the pain in her muscles.

She heard steps behind her and with moans of pain made her body turn over enough to see her attacker, the last male, holding a bow from one of his fallen comrade’s just before he threw it to the side and drew a wickedly curved hunting knife from his belt, holding it over her.

“I know who you are. You’re the with traitor with skurak blood. I will die today and go back to Myri’s embrace, you? You will die and goes petch knows where, but Taloba will rest easier without you haunting our forest, Caiyha be damned!” On the last words he stabbed the dagger down towards her, but Tinnok was ready. She had one last trick up her sleeve, and she had used the trick once before, so it was familiar to her. As he spoke she felt for her center, and found her res, unlike how she pooled her magic into her fingertips to form claws, this time she forced it out into the open air, the silvery substance pooling out into the jungle, her mind willing it to circle behind the male, crawling up through the air until it snaked around his throat and she forced it into his mouth. Even as the dagger was coming down she pushed the res to fill up the entirety of his throat, letting no oxygen get into his mouth or nose. A choking sound escaped the male who stumbled back, looking at her in alarm. Tinnok merely panted, the last of her energy focused on maintaining her focus on the res, which she pushed further, and further down his esophagus, watching wearily as he clawed at his own throat, face turning blue, then purple. He fell to the gorund, and Tinnok met his confused and panicked gaze, holding it, her voice a whisper when she spoke in Myrian.

“I will care for this jungle no matter what, no matter how many of you come after me, no matter what my sins as a former Myrian. Caiyha is my only mother, the jungle my only home, and not you, not anyone can take that away from me.”

And then he was dead.

Tinnok sighed softly, muttering a short prayer to Dira for sparing her, and to guide the souls of these fallen Myrians safely to their homes, then proceeded to stand painfully, glancing at the arrow imbedded in her thigh, assessing Katherine and what she was doing with her frozen Myrian body.

[Evalin]

Evalin placed a hand gingerly on the frozen figure, her fingers tracing delicately over the uneven surface as she stared into the unseeing eyes of the myrian girl within. She had a nice face, hair long and tied back into intricate braids and warrior knots. Her body was slim and fit, muscular but not so much that it took away from her feminine beauty. Most likely she was still very young and the harsh task of survival had not yet chiseled her body into hard lines and muscles. Some curves, yes, but her figure was rather boyish Evalin noticed as she examined her closer. Which was certainly fine with the nuit. Having so many extra parts impeding the movements of her arms was certainly not favorable.

The nuit saw Tinnok take down her brothers and sisters behind her, but her attention was so far removed from the moment that she took no notice of it at all. Her thoughts were instead focused on what had to come next, what had to be done.

Gresshal stepped out from the folds of the jungle, sword held easily in one hand as he hacked away a branch in his path. His body was battered and bruised, new cuts now certain to scar his chest, and a deep gash ran along his upper right arm. The blood flow, however, was not as heavy as it should have been, a token from his partially undead state. Flipping the sword point down the Dhani drove it into the ground, leaning on the hilt as he looked toward Evalin. The hatred appeared there once more, and he glanced sideways at Tinnok, "Worssse than monkey. You kill your own kind who raissed you. Dissgraceful." He spat and stared back at Evalin's back. The nuit began to raise her arms, tilting her head back as she began a spell. For the moment Evalin took no notice of the two behind her.

Gresshal looked at Tinnok again, chewing on something he had to say like it was rotting meat before he nearly spat it out, "I hate Monkeysss more than anything... but ssstill it isss better to work with a monkey than to ssserve a monsster." He looked back at Evalin, his voice lowering, "Ssshe isss going to kill usss all. Monkies, Dhani, everyone. Ssshe hasss to be ssstopped before ssshe completesss her plansss." He looked down at the ground, real emotion in his eyes as he continued, "Ssshe can control me. I am powerlesss againsst her, but you halfling." He looked at Tinnok, for the moment some of his hatred subsiding, "You can kill her before it'sss too late. Before hatchlingsss are lost. Before both of usss are killed." Gresshal was ordered to not speak of the details of Evalin's plans, but that did not mean he could not warm Tinnok of Evalin herself. Gresshal, more than anything, wanted to get rid of the thread to his home, his nest. He would do anything for that, even pair with a half monkey like Tinnok...

Evalin was oblivious for the time being, her focus completely on the walls of ice that surrounded them. She had left just a small amount of res within the walls, and now she called it all to stir. The nuit raised her arms out at her sides, palms up and as she did the sounds of shifting and cracking eyes could be heard. She raised her hands higher and higher, shifting the res into every small crack in the structure she crafted, using every last bit of experience she had to draft this spell. The res now in place Evalin willed it to become air, pressing it in further and further to destabilize the structure until a loud crack filled the air and the wall all round them crumbled, falling to the jungle floor as frost and crystals of ice flew in every direction. Ice rained down on them, little particles cold to the touch as icy air flew past in the collapse. With that the wall was no more, and soon the ice would begin to melt. Then, Evalin turned her attention to the Myrian on ice, "Come Gresshal."

She lay a hand on the surface of the ice now, threading res into the cracks as she did before but on a much smaller scale. The ice cracked and shattered, the girl falling to the ground with a thud where she lay still, out cold from the freezing temperatures and barely alive. Her skin was tinted blue, ice still clung to her hair and nails, and her eyes stared unblinkingly forward. Stepping back Evalin let out a breath, the surface of her skin shimmering and beginning to ripple, flowing across her body to collect in her palm. The three floating orbs joined in with the flow, and the crystals that floated at her back fell and shattered on the ground.

Even as Tsenrika reformed himself into his Irylid body he was already shifting, taking on replicate form just in time to catch Evalin as her legs gave out and slowly lowering her to the ground. Her body was now in even worse repair, the strain of holding the Released form nearly too much for the fragile nuit form. Skin was peeling off now in large sheets, bits of flesh and muscle already coming free and white ichor starting to drip from the open wounds. As Evalin turned her head to look back at Tinnok the left side of her face was nearly comletely gone. The skin of her cheek was gone to reveal working leathery muscle and white bone beneath, stained dark by clotted blood. Even her hair was begining to come out, and when she tried Evailn could not move her legs at all. Still, however, Evalin smiled with only have her face, "Well done child... You were useful indeed."

The Dhani was already picking up the Myrian's body, his eyes looking to Tinnok for just a moment before he turned his head in the other direction. Tsenrika, now looking like a mirror image of Evalin if she were not rotting away, was slowly helping Evalin up as well, taking on more of her weight while delicately trying to keep from tearing off more skin or even limbs.

"I shall remember this in times to come. I trust that you and I shall be able to help one another soon enough." She paused, and chuckled, "Would you care to see immortality in all its horror? Certainly I could use another 'hand' to aid me to my final resting place." It was a joke, a rather morbid joke, but one that made Evalin laugh none the less.

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[Tinnok]

Tinnok glanced toward Katherine with mild interest, but her first focus was on her injured leg. The nick in her arm could be wrapped, something which she did, tearing off a strip of cloth which she listened to the Dhani insult her. She had to laugh at his words, the purest of ironies. A Dhani deciding he knew what honor was, and claiming she was lower than dirt for killing those that raised her? Everyone loved to judge her for her decisions, the decision that she had chosen on that fateful day when she had met the Phylonurist Dhani and protected him from the Myrian fang, sealing his fate. And that petching snake hadn’t even offered a word of thanks for sacrificing her entire chance of life as a Myrian before slithering off into the jungle.

She snapped the shaft of the arrow in her thigh off with a grunt of pain, taking a clean dagger and pressing the tip to her skin. She hadn’t seen or felt the type of arrow that hit her, but now she could only pray it wasn’t a barbed arrow, or a giant chunk of muscle would come out when she pulled out the arrow. She drew another dagger, placing the hilt in her mouth and bit down, digging the blade of her other dagger into the wound in order to give her leverage to yank out the remaining arrow lodged in her leg. She snarled in pain, but after a tense few ticks, managed to rip out the arrow, blood running freely down her leg, but the entry wound manageable, the head of the arrow a normal point. She had another strip of cloth to tie around the leg, taking a bit of moss to stopper the wound before tying the cloth tightly around the site and rising slowly, seeing the Dhani consider something, glancing furtively at Evalin.

When he spoke, Tinnok felt another pang of sympathy, his condition reflecting as she had imagined it to be. He was clearly a prideful creature, and it took a lot of hate…or something to tell her this, her, the creature worse than a Myrian because she chose to kill them. Tinnok stared long and hard at the snake, but did not glance at Katherine as he did. There was so much hatred in this jungle, and this woman seemed to summon it and chain it. The hate of her follower, the hate between Myrian and Dhani, a lifetime of hate that Tinnok experienced as a half breed in Taloba. She was sick of it all, and simply shook her head at the snake.

“I not care for snake or monkey. Both have made clear I am not belong.” She looked up with those brilliant golden eyes, locking with him to drive her point home. “If both Myrian, Dhani die, the jungle will live on, that is all that matter.”

And with that she limped toward Katherine. She would not try to kill this creature, even if she held great power, even though she knew the snake spoke true, and that with her presence came hate, rot, and death. Perhaps the Myrians and Dhani needed some hate, rot, and death, who was she to say? Whenever this event happened, that both the snake and the undead woman spoke of, Tinnok was sure she would be nowhere near it, she would be caring for her jungle as she always had, serving Caiyha, living under Syna and Leth, playing with Makutsi, there was no hate in the true jungle wilds, only survival, life and death. That was how it should be.
She approached Evalin, seeing that the Godlike display had taken its toll on her body, which looked fit to fall apart at any moment. She glanced at the young Myrian female. It seemed the immortal had a thing for younger women, was that a reason she stayed with Aka? Tinnok cocked her head to the side as Evalin spoke, again the words that made her sound like a tool, yet the follow up was an offer of aid. Better to have this thing owe her a favor than to try to kill her like the Dhani commanded, the woman’s previous words of survival ringing in her ears.

“Can help.” She said simply. Honestly she didn’t care to see whatever process it took for the woman’s soul, consciousness, whatever, go into this young new body, but Tinnok was determined to see her decision through. She helped end this Myrian woman’s life by a truly terrible end, it was her duty to see what she had agreed to in helping the immortal.

She bent down, gingerly touching Evalin’s rotting flesh, offering to lift her or the whole Myrian to wherever they needed to go next.

[Evalin]

Evalin extended her hand to Tinnok, letting her take her right side while Tsenrika aided her on her left. The two of them together would allow Evalin to stand, though really they would have to take on most of her weight.

"You do well child. Come then, let us find a place to finish the ritual." She nodded, Tsenrika beginning to walk them forward as Gresshal followed behind carrying the girl. Evalin looked sideways at Tinnok and chuckled, "A curious one you are, yet in you I find something I like. You remind me of myself perhaps, the me from long long ago. Wonder I if, with enough time, you will come to the same point at which I am now hm?" She cleared her through and then spit out a blog of clotted blood and laughed, "Or perhaps your pride would be too great for this existence, despite the reason for its necessity." She shrugged.

Eventually, for Evalin had no real concept of time any longer, they found what they were looking for. The cave which Evailn had taken shelter in when she has become lost seasons before. Now it served as a hidout of sorts for the nuit, where she would go at times when she wished to do things in secret, or relative secrecy. Gresshal entered first, resting the girl on the cave floor and stepping back. The girl was starting to stir, eyes flickering in the beginning of consciousness.

"Let us place my Master here. Let her lean against the rocks." Tsenrika said in his usual cold voice. He would help Evalin sit against a stalagmite, resting Evalin's back against the rock.

"Prepare her my dear Tsenrika." Evalin whispered, closing her eyes and resting her head back against the rocks.

"As you command." The Familiar left the nuit to kneel over the girl, lowering his hand over her mouth and whispering soft words beneath his breath.

Evalin turned her head toward Tinnok, ignoring the girl as she convulsed, "Tell me child, what will you do once this day has come to an end? Where will you go?"

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[Tinnok]

Tinnok made careful note at the rate at which the skin and muscle peeled off of Evalin's bones as she walked, dried chips of flesh falling like leaves onto the earth. Yet it seemed the undead creature felt no pain, her eyes losing their life, but still clinging even now, her renewal so close at hand. What you are doing now defies Dira's will, is an abomination in the eyes of Caiyha. Her mind was coarse and harsh, but Tinnok shook her head. This is the way of the world. Some do no believe they should die, think they can escape the cycle. She thinks so, and is proving it true everyday, I have seen her power with my own eyes now, I know what she truly is. Her fingers sunk into a strange slime oozing out of Evalin's back, and she shuddered slightly. You should have done as the snake said, you are weak.

Weakness would be trusting that petching Dhani. I am a participant in this game, I have watched, I have seen what never to become, and she is in small part, once again indebted to me, to make her an enemy would be a grave error. Her angry pious half seemed quenched at that note, even as Evalin was commenting on their two apparent similarities.

Tinnok would have loved to see exactly how similar they were. Tell Evalin the story of her life without this bumbling language barrier, and to hear her own in turn. Perhaps the female was right and they started from similar origins. Maybe she had been hated just like the half breed, shunned, and driven out of society, certainly what she was now would have such an effect, but Tinnok decided, that if anything, they were opposite sides of a bikka. She had chosen to exact revenge on the world by filling herself and her servants with hate. Tinnok chose to shed herself of society and serve the wilds, where no one would ever judge or hate her again.

She would never be this thing, this rotting thing that needed to take its lives, that was so weak and frail it relied on individuals such as the Dhani whose hate was palpable to serve it, having to always guard oneself against those you could force to serve you. To Tinnok's mind...that sort of life was worse than death.

So to Evalin's comment she only remained silent, carrying her body on, limping, feeling the strain of her wounds, yet feeling a strange exultation in the idea that her flesh would mend even as the being in her arms continued to waste away, and would keep doing so no matter how many bodies she took.

Tinnok's breath was beginning to run ragged, her leg dragging behind her when they had finally reached the private place in which the body transfer would take place. Tinnok set Evalin's form down where the strangely cold man suggested, an audible feeling of relief surging through her as she released contact with the creature that defied nearly all the witch stood for.

Tinnok rubbed her Gnosis mark, reaching up to rest her palm against a collection of moss, to feel its pulsing life. It sent dark, cool, wet, soothing sensations into her mind, content in the darkness, feeding off the most minute of nutrients, the idea of the plant made her smile, and her body visibly relaxed under the contact with perhaps one of the most simplest life forms imaginable.

Yellow eyes popped open, pupils dilated in the darkness to almost normal roundness as Evalin spoke.

"I continue...what you say, 'fool's errand'. Mayhaps die." She smiled wryly then. "But I spect not. Then I trek to 'Tear of Clouds', high in jungle, far way from blockade, Zinrah, Taloba. I must seek out Caiyha, see where she need me."

She opened her mouth to ask a question of her own, then shut it when she saw the man coming back over for Evalin. She stood at the ready, eyes roving the body of the young Myrian, preparing herself for what was to come.