Completed Undertake The Unknown

[Xen]

Winter 5,
514 A.V.

“”
A bright and early morning presents itself to Xen. He walks briskly through the jungle; his steps being careful and steady. Xen had learned from his encounter with the Vinumia that the ground may sometimes take on a liquid-like state. This state, carrying the likeness of both water and thick sand, can pull a person into the earth. To feel only mud fill your throat as you desperately grasp for air and the mudpits surface would be a terrifying experience. How dreadful would that be to feel the earth around you refuse to let go? And feel as though that it sought to suffocate you with water, sand, and dead matter?

Xen knew how it felt to drown in water, drowning in earth was indeed ten times worse. However, he could not help but contemplate about these ¨mudpits¨. The Vinumia's pit seemed to be composed of mostly water; its vines, and mud. The pit did not seem to hinder the creature much; probably, due to its immense strength. But, Xen remembers the moment he fell into the mudpit, and how it was reminiscent to dozens of strong vices gripping his ankles. Although, his experience was brief, it was startling and nigh life changing.

Despite the terrible encounter, Xen was thinking of something rather clever. He had water reimancy at his disposal, and with it, he could potentially create a mud pit of his own, but there was a problem. Xen couldn't manipulate the earth; his second element in reimancy has yet to manifest within him. He would have to search for soft, loose, and somewhat thick patches of earth within the jungle. That by itself was a dangerous task as he would have to spend time wandering the jungle, leaving his being at risk of an attack or becoming lost.

The mudpit would help him entrap careless prey, and reduce his chances of injury by a large margin. Now, all he needed to do was improve his proficiency in reimancy, and he'd be fine—plan wise. While walking Xen hears telltale signs of a struggle; branches and twigs were snapping while an animals was wailing loudly, going ¨SCREEEE¨. It was probably a wild boar in distress or near death. Animals this loud were either being killed or were about to die. Xen unsheathes his machete-sword, and heads in the direction he hears the death cry's from. Anything, and there was always something hungry in the jungle, looking for a meal would definitely take advantage of this opportunity, like he was.

[Xen]

Winter 5,
514 A.V.

“”
Only the gods knew what this creature was that screeched at the top of its lungs. Xen could hear the beast moving through the brush, screeching as it went. There were other things following behind it, also. The grunts and growls they made were bizarre, making even Xen, as stubborn as he was, want to reconsider joining in the fray. The creature being pursued suddenly stops, its cries suddenly getting louder and more desperate. What in Siku’s name was going on?

Xen unsheathes his machete-sword, and crouches behind a tree for cover. He could not see what was going on, but the scene was definitely growing more and more intense. Xen listens to the screeching animals movements, until it came to a very abrupt stop. The ¨stop¨ itself was more like something had struck it as there was a loud snapping sound that occurred before it halted. The creature continued to screech loudly; it did not run this time, it only shuffles along the ground.

“I want to see what’s going on,” Xen thought with morbid curiosity. However, in the back of his mind, his instincts were flaring telling him to hightail it out of the area he was occupying. Xen looks around, and saw nothing that would have him to flee and escape. Yet, Xen was not one to ignore what his instincts told him entirely, but a part of him wanted to see what was going on.

The Stygian Serpent felt conflicted!

“Alright, I’ll just peek, and then go elsewhere,” He thought, promising himself he would follow his thoughts. Although, Xen wished to move while the action was still going on—all was eerily silent in the jungle. A bad sign was already upon him and he hadn't even gotten close enough to see anything. Xen tightens his grip upon his weapon and sneaks forward as he crouches. Some shuffling was heard during the time he was sneaking, which made his urge to see and curiosity much stronger. But, something deep within him said not to look beyond the jungle brush ahead of him—it was best that he turned back.

Xen breaches the vegetation ahead and sees a large boars leg lying on the ground in front of him. He foolishly picks up the leg without thinking or looking in front of him first; his hunger was just that great. Xen finally looks upwards once he had his soon-to-be lunch within his grasps, but what he saw almost made him drop his meal—he had made a huge mistake.

“Oh...” Was all Xen could come to say…

These creatures looked like constrictors, but were shorter, and ugly. Their heads did not have balanced proportions and some parts of their bodies were deformed. The things he saw right now were not creatures he'd like to meet often... and he had their attention. One of the creatures had entrails hanging from its mouth, while the rest of them cease to group maul the torn open corpse of a wild boar. Xen almost vomits at the sight of things; organs littered the jungle floor, and there was so much blood on the trees.

They had torn off the boars limbs and scattered them all over the place. Such vile and disgusting creatures! Xen immediately proceeds to get the petch out of this place, running with all his might. He could hear movements in the brush behind him—the image of the wild boars corpse flashes within his mind.

[Xen]

Winter 5,
514 A.V.

“”
The chase was on!

Xen places his left foot firmly into the earth and kicks forward to launch himself across the ground! Behind him five Yukmen were thrashing through the jungle brush to get to him; they were unorganized and uncooperative, aggressive towards each other. Xen could not see what was happening behind him, the only thing that mattered at the moment was escape and he would see to it. He raises his right foot off the ground and stomps down with pure leg strength. Xen then kicks off the ground again and repeats with his left foot, propelling his body into further motion!

The viper speed of his dhani sub-race began to show as more and more distance grew between him and the Yukmen. Xen was pleased with this, but the stubborn group of landspawn continued to relentlessly pursue him, grunting as they tear through and damage all of the jungle brush he passes. These creatures, beings, or things were undoubtedly intolerable! If it had not been for their large numbers and the fact that he’d carelessly gained their attention, Xen would have decapitated every one of these abominations with his machete-sword!

“Overly destructive, crude, and loud! Not even the myrians are as bad as these creatures,”Xen thought as he ran quickly. Low hanging tree vines and thick vegetation were starting to become a hassle for him now and with the idea of slowing down, while being chased, flickering within his mind--things looked like they were going to get complicated. The last thing he wanted to do was trip and end up in pieces, like that wild boar. Xen then decides to veer to the right and narrowly avoids a thicket of vines. Behind him the Yukmen were beginning to fight amongst themselves, becoming too busy to realize the hanging vines they were rapidly approaching.

Then...

¨SHH-WOW!¨ The Yukmen group collides with the vines and the tree that was concealed by them. Most of them crumble to the ground after the impacts recoil sends them flying backwards, it was only one headstrong Yukmen in the group that recovers the quickest and continues the chase in his fallen brethren steed. Xen does not stop even after he heard the loud impact behind him; his fast paced escape would not end, until he felt calm and safe.

But security was hard to find in the jungle.

Xen ran and ran, until he heard only silence behind him. He pauses and places his back against a nearby tree, taking advantage of the moment of silence while he still had it.
Xen places his machete-sword into its sheathe and unbuckles it from his waist. The katana, which rested on the same buckle as his machete-sword shared the same fate, and both were placed into a nearby bush and covered with plant debris.

Xen would not have been able to verbally explain what he was doing, if someone asked him the meaning behind his actions. It was just that he felt the need to do so, or rather, his instincts were compelling him to. The more time he spent concealing his weapons, the more he began to understand what the presence of silence meant….danger. The enemy was doing something beyond the jungle brush, which obscured his vision and he was given a short time to decide his next course of action.

Xen was fast to choose ‘‘hide’’ as his next course of action.

He strips, taking every bit of clothing he had off and tosses them away from him. The old pants and shirt he wore flew a few meters away and land on a distant thick bush. He throws the wild boars leg next to his clothing, also. Xen then shifts into his serpent form, which only takes him thirty seconds to do so, and slithers into the thick undergrowth near him.
‘‘ I won’t disregard my instincts again! If I had just listened and been more careful. I wouldn’t be in this situation, ’’ Xen thought as he waits and listens to the jungle around him.

Nothing occurs for quite some time...

However, Xen knew the importance of patience.

He was still on alert; sitting, waiting for the slightest change to occur.
‘‘ YEEEEUUUUUUK! ’’ And that’s when a loud cry surges through the jungle, sending birds chirping in the canopy flying in panic. Xen coils back in surprise, although he felt something was going to happen, the sound still caught him off guard. Then multiple figures burst from the jungle; one, two, three and then five! It was the group of Yukmen that had chased him before, they were definitely looking for him.

The group immediately takes notice to his clothing, charges and mindlessly tears his pants and shirt to pieces. ‘‘ What the petch, man?, ’’ Xen thought as pieces of his clothing softly touch the ground and then are stomped on. The boar leg he threw was torn to pieces, also. What remained was eaten, even the bone was chewed into bits.

Terrible creatures!

Xen did not sense that he was safe, even in the thick undergrowth. He needed to move while the enemy was unaware of his location. Xen turns away from his foes and abandons his two weapons for now, he would have to out wait the enemy and see if they’d lose interest in him. Xen lowers his body to the ground and slithers slowly across the jungle floor. He could still hear the Yukmen group behind him, they were looking for him, but the amount of effort they were putting into their search did not make it seem as though they’d be successful.

The Yukmen were simply wandering about, they did not make attempt to check the nearby bush or branches within arms reach. One could assume that they were looking for signs of movement or Xen’s ‘physical’ appearance and not just his scent. Xen was glad he threw his clothing in the opposite direction he was moving in.

[Xen]

Winter 5,
514 A.V.

“”
While slithering away from the Yukmen group Xen hears movement behind him. ''What now?'' The heart within his chest began to race as the stillness and silence of the jungle encloses on him. Something was in the brush with him but the thick undergrowth obscures his sight, preventing him from seeing it. Instinct begins to kick in and Xen coils his body to assume a striking position. Deep down his senses were telling him not to move and that he should observe his surroundings before moving forward again.
Xen did not move.

He lowers his head onto his coils and waits silently. The sounds of movement drew closer and closer towards him and so did the thing that caused them. The vibrations Xen could sense along the ground got stronger and stronger with each passing chime, until a foot drops down in front of him. The skin had an earthy tone and small rocks were pointing out the ankle portion of the foot. The Yukman, which had placed his foot before Xen, made a huge mistake. Xen lunges forward and bites into the Yukman's foot to deliver a dose of his venom.

The Yukman yelps at the sudden sharp pain in his foot and reaches down into the undergrowth to see what had bitten him.
Another big mistake.

Xen strikes the hand, delivering another dose of venom to the Yukman's body. The Yukman with frustration settling in began to tear and thrash into the undergrowth to find the creature responsible for biting him. The other Yukman, heard the loud movements and came running to the scene. Xen had already started backing away from the first Yukman and the sound of the rest of them approaching only made him do so much quicker. He slithers with the swiftness of a viper and delves deeper into the undergrowth patch. Xen at this point did not care if his movements were heard, the advantage here the growths was his and the Yukman would risk receiving multiple venomous bites, if they pursued him.

''I'll have to wait for my venom to take effect before acting again, '' Xen thought as he progresses through the undergrowth. The Yukmen that heard Xen moving abandon their comrades and pursue him, but quickly after their pursuit, the thick roots and uneven ground began to affect their ability to run. The undergrowth, which was up to their wastes, only made their attempt to run even more difficult and forces them to their chase entirely.

Now they were away from their group members...

Xen still could not see the Yukmen from his position, but he could smell them and hear their panting beneath the undergrowth. The scents of these reminded him of freshly turned over soil, if only they hadn't behaved like feral beasts.

Xen finds and stations himself in an empty tree stump. He decides to wait for nightfall, where he had somewhat of an advantage in the dark.
.

[Xen]

Winter 5,
514 A.V.

“”
Night fell quickly.

Xen rises from the undergrowth to see if those abominations were still in the area. He saw nothing and the jungle was quiet, seemingly at peace. However, Xen knew that silence and stillness did not always mean tranquility. Especially, in the jungle where thick vegetation granted cover for ambush predators. He did not trust the way things were right now. He needed to check the surroundings for the presences of his enemies. Xen shifts into his dhani form and then scans the area for changes.

Nothing had changed from his perspective, which makes Xen think. ¨Those things are probably waiting for me or have wandered elsewhere,¨ The abominations could have done both, Xen silently considers to himself. But, the possibility of them having wandered off and situated themselves in another location was also quite low. The tenacity they showed before has haunted Xen since then, they chased him this far and tore his clothing and meal to pieces, there was no way they'd leave him be in the jungle that easily and after coming so close to catching him.

He needed to find out where these things were and kill them, quickly.
Xen slithers forward while low to the ground. The undergrowth before him parts as he pushes through it and encloses over the rest of his body. Only his head could be seen gliding over the vast green passage; he looked quite similar to a crocodile swimming on the surface of water.While moving forward the brush ahead of Xen is suddenly disturbed and a body shrouded by the night emerges. It was one of those abominations from before. Xen didn't think twice, he simply reacts! He opens his mouth and projects a small stream of venom from his fangs.

The sudden attack surprises the Yukmen! Xen watches as the landspawn blindly swings its fists in the dark and grins slightly at the Yukmen's misfortune. ¨YAH! YEEEUUUK!?,¨ But then landspawn began to yell loudly, which forces him to become expressionless. Xen began his retreat immediately and slithers back into the direction he came. In the distance Xen could thrashing and the faint sound of thudding footsteps. He just knew those sounds were caused by the other abominations; they were coming to check on their comrade.

But it was entirely different....

A large body bursts through the brush with an object within its left hand. The Yukmen that had been blinded by Xen turns to face this bigger and taller entity, only to have its face smashed by a club. Xen cringes at the sickening sight and the sound of bone being brutally crushed. He had been desensitized, the sight of death does not bother him anymore, but the sheer and unadulterated killing intent he felt when the Yukmen's face was smashed... life changing.

The distinct smell of blood fills the air.

Xen watches the dead Yukmen's body hit the ground and then changes his gaze at the figure before him. It was huge. Far bigger than the other abominations he had seen. Xen did not notice this thing running behind him before, it must have followed the smaller abominations to him. A chill runs down his spine; it was mortifying. To think something like this had been silently lurking around the jungle. Xen backs away. There was no way he was going to be able to proceed with this thing in front of him. He would need to go around it in order for him to retrieve his weapons and escape.

Then more figures start to emerge from the brush, grunting with that weird Yuk of theirs. They were going to make things very complicated. Xen watches these figures as they approach the dead body of their comrade; he was wondering how they would respond. The two Yukmen step over the corpse of their fallen kin, as if it was nothing, and started shuffling through the brush. ¨These creatures, do they care for each other?¨ Probably not, judging from their behavior. But Xen knew he did not have time to worry about the ethics of abominations and shifts into his serpent while the enemy was distracted.

Now it was time to move.
.

[Xen]

Winter 5,
514 A.V.

“”

The three remaining Yukmen were conversing, using garbled tongues and grunts. The 'language' they spoke was strange and too foreign. Xen couldn't understand a word they were saying. But, his mind was too preoccupied with the retrieval of his weapon and his interests did not remain on the subject for too long. Xen, he continues to slither as quietly as dhani-ly possible through the jungle brush, his dhani form gliding softly through the undergrowth.

Then a vine suddenly decides to attache itself onto his scaly body and refuse to let go. If this situation had not been a dire one, Xen would have tore the stubborn vine off his body, but he could not afford to create unnecessary amounts of noise at the moment. So, he was forced to take his time and carefully remove the vine instead.

When Xen successfully removes the vine, he continues through the brush, slithering quietly as he did before. ¨What were they doing?¨ Xen thought while he crept. The Yukmen were still chatting. No, chatting is not what they were doing. Xen could not call this intelligent speaking. These creatures were chattering now, speaking quickly like a bunch of parrots sitting in the canopy. This sudden change of pace in their speech, combined with the tense and dense atmosphere surrounding him was starting to affect Xen's mind.

¨What if they know I'm here and letting me believe that I'm escaping?¨ Xen thought with a bit of suspicion. ¨There could have been more of them,¨ He looks into the distant darkness ahead of him¨Many more hiding within the brush...where I could not see, ¨ Xen continued as paranoia sets in. He could not trust his surroundings, he wanted to be somewhere safe, somewhere more secure than this ocean of thick and green vegetation. Xen eyes quickly found the next best thing ¨The trees, ¨ The canopy would give him a wide and elevated view of his surroundings, but the noise that he'd create during the climb would alert the Yukmen.

So, he had to bare with the jungle floor.

Xen hated having so few options.

There were no other choices; he had to endure the tense atmosphere, deal with his current situation, and survive this night to live another day. Xen at this point was able reach the spot he had hidden his weapons. The vegetation he used to camouflage his possessions had been disturbed; it looked as though something had trampled it and some of the undergrowth covering it was removed. Other than this, everything was where it needed to be. A sense of relief washes over Xen as he retrieves his belongs, but this was short lived. Upon hearing a familiar grunt Xen unsheathes his machete-sword and ducks into the undergrowth, once more.

Three Yukmen burst through the brush with all their brazenness; they were the stubborn abominations from before, whom Xen did not like. The gang of Yukmen were carrying clubs now and were definitely intending on using them as weapons. The two shorter Yukmen held a single, thick branch in their hands, while the much larger Yukmen had a more 'refined' weapon. The object looked smooth and it was long and thick. In the hands of this Yukmen it appeared light, but it was an long as Xen's arm with a dark, crimson red hue to its blackened form.

¨ That weapon...has been permanently stained by blood,¨ Xen thought as a chill runs down his spine. This weapon made of bone was probably white at one point, Xen assumed. The weapon had lost its color and purity to blood, which dyed it and gave it a new visage. Yet, despite what ominous tone of this object had, Xen wanted this weapon as his own with the head of this alpha Yukmen included. He was going to repay these Yukmen with death, or at least kill two of them and leave happily.

[Xen]

Winter 5,
514 A.V.

“”
However, three problems remained, which prevented Xen from getting away; he was outnumbered, he did not have a concrete plan at hand, and was not particularly proficient in combat. He was weak in many aspects, and situations like this one forced him to face these weaknesses and make use of them. In life making use of your weakness, and overcoming them made you stronger. I was just having to deal with the injuries later that made things not so enjoyable.

He felt along the ground for something to throw and feels his finger touch a solid object. Xen grips the object and lifts it so that he could see what had been found. ¨ A rock? ¨ Xen sat up from his hiding position and rears his right arm back as far as he could. He then concentrates all the strength of his upper body into his shoulder blade and right arm, until the veins in his arms pulsed beneath his skin. He then throws the baseball sized stone with all his strength.

The stone flew towards its target, but curves to the left, while in midair, away from its target, which was suppose to be the alpha Yukmen. Instead, the rock collides with one of the weaker Yukmen, hitting it right between the eyes! A sickening crack could be heard before the Yukmen fell backwards; motionless. It was probably dead. However, Xen could not go and confirm the Yukmen's death, because its comrades were quickly approaching him! He tightens his grip on the handle of his weapon and waits for the two Yukmen to enter his attack range.

The Yukmen eyes were filled with madness as they charge towards Xen; they're grotesque faces were brimming with murderous glee. The jagged teeth in their mouths peek from behind earthen lips as the two Yukmen ¨YEEEUUUK!¨. If Xen had seen these faces before, he would've slithered away without an afterthought.

However, it was too late now; he couldn't leave. He had to kill these two now, or they'd pursue him relentlessly through the jungle; things had to be dealt with here. The two Yukmen have now entered his attack range, but Xen could only target one of his fast approaching foes, and with little time, he could not be hesitant or be choosy. Xen chose the closest of his foes, which was the shortest of the two Yukmen. He leans his head forward and opens his mouth to project venom from his fangs. The targeted followed on with its assault, unbothered by the venom hurtling towards its eyes. All it knew was ¨living prey was within its grasp¨ and it needed to be killed! The venom flew and collides with the Yukmen's eyes, gracing them with searing pain.

¨Four down one to g-,¨ The alpha Yukmen swung it's club at Xen's head, preventing him from finishing his thought. Xen ducks down to avoid the weapon and slithers backwards to add distance between him and his foe. The solid, wooden body of the tree reflects the recoil of the avoided attack into the hand and wrist of the alpha Yukmen, making him flinch and shudder for a moment.

Xen, after narrowly avoiding The Alpha Yukmen's attack, flees from the battle by pouncing back into the thick, green sea beside him. That very brief exchange allowed Xen to see, to some extent, where he stood combat wise. The Alpha Yukmen was definitely stronger than he was, especially, when he had that bone club. But, the abomination was lacking in speed; if it had been a little quicker, things would have ended differently for Xen.

[Xen]

Winter 5,
514 A.V.

“”

The moonlight was peeking through the thick cover of the canopy.

Xen was dashing through the undergrowth, slithering as fast as he could to escape his foe! The Alpha Yukmen was lagging behind. It couldn't match up to the speed of its prey, and the undergrowth and jungle floor vines, which started to tangle its legs and feet, only aided in slowing it down.

But, The Alpha Yukmen pressed on with bloodthirstiness compelling it forward. Xen was putting his all into escaping, only wondering how The Alpha Yukmen was still behind him; running. He looks over his shoulder to get a visual on his pursuer, and some paces away from him was his faithful foe.

Xen did not keep his head turned back for long as he wanted to avoid running into a tree, and or, falling while being chased. So, he faces forward and steers to the right to an area where the jungle trees where close together and the brush was dense. Xen was greeted by a flurry of branches and vines that sought to impede his advancement. He would have turned away the moment he met a path as difficult as this one, but it was only the sound of the approaching abomination that pressured him to proceed forward. Xen moves on to power through the hostile jungle vegetation and met the strong resistance of branches and prickly shrubs.

The trees were swatting Xen with their branches in response to his sudden intrusion, and the stout bushes felt like hands trying to wrap around his tail and waist. Then vines fell from the disturbed treetops onto him and tried to coil around his arms and neck. All this was too shocking. Xen has never encountered a part of the jungle like this before: where the vegetation felt alive and extremely oppressive. Xen was beginning to regret his decision; being chased by a big headed, earth creature was one thing, but being stuck in a place like this too? It was too much for him. Xen knew he'd be unable to swing his weapon in this heavily packed jungle, also. The vines would entangle his wrist and branches making all overall movement difficult for him.


Xen sheathes his weapon and shifts into his serpent form. He did not worry about The Alpha Yukman catching him while he was shapeshifting, because the abomination was cumbersome and slow. Plus, this particular part of the jungle was thick and hard to maneuver through. In addition to the quickness of his transformation, Xen saw that things were aiming in his favor.

The brush was animated by thrashing and grunting before a figure tumbles through it. The Alpha Yukman appears with vines clinging onto its form, and an expression that exhibited pure craziness and bloodlust. It knew Xen traveled into this area; its eyes scanning the knee high undergrowth around it. Xen was prone along the ground, motionless, listening to the harsh breaths of his foe. In between him and The Alpha Yukman were just a few meters; if he was to move carelessly, his foe would know where he was immediately. It was a moment that would decide whether he would leave this part of the jungle whole, or in pieces.

Xen flattens his body as much as he could and retreats to his left. The movements he made this time were several times slower; his body in a full crawl. Xen was forced to mimic the slugs he would see in the early morning hours, crawling patiently through the dew. The Alpha Yukman saw nothing, not even the slightest disturbance through the brush, which annoyed it. Its eyes began a frantic search for Xen, but the dense vegetation was concealing him well, preventing it from seeing him. The Alpha Yukman releases an enraged ¨YEEEUUUK,¨ before swinging its bone club through the undergrowth with intense bloodlust.

[Xen]

Winter 5,
514 A.V.

“”
Xen heard a loud crash before he was showered with diced undergrowth. It was the moment when he was able to see the canopy that he abandons his stealth maneuver and dashes for dear life. The Alpha Yukman continues to swing its club blindly, until it caught a glimpse of Xen's tail. However, before it could grasp onto him with its free hand, he was gone, slipping from its sights once more. This enrages The Alpha Yukman! It sprung forward to chase down Xen, who was fleeing quickly from its reach.

Xen was slithering with his life on the line!

He could only hear the sound of crashing and something thumping against the ground some meters behind him. Xen didn't have time to think, and simply goes by what his instincts were telling him. He maneuvers underneath a set of tree roots and slithers over a batch of stones in his haste. The jungle was reduced to a blur as he rushes through the brush to escape; things around him zipped by, with time itself seemingly in fast-forward. Xen was dashing through the brush, when suddenly everything became dark. He pauses. The silence that quickly surrounded him, startling. However, Xen takes a moment to observe his surroundings before asking of his death.

All he saw was deep shades of blue and purple in his vision. It was only after he looks up that he see's vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows. Xen was now able to see where he'd fallen from. He twists his body into a better position and slithers upwards to the supposed exit of this small pit. When Xen reaches the end of the pit, his nose touches the hard surface of a warm object; it was the reds, oranges, and yellows he saw earlier. Xen veers to the right and peeks his head from under a decaying, fallen tree trunk. ¨When did a tree fall onto me? Uuugh, I can't tell, my head and body hurts, Xen thought as he slithers from under the rotten old tree.

He was truly tired now.

Xen shifts into his dhani form and looks around. The jungle around him was a wreck. He could easily see where he and The Alpha Yukman had came from, but the rest of the destruction was definitely from his desperate foe. ¨I was so bent on escaping that I fell onto a hole beneath a stump, Xen lays his body down on the jungle floor to rest his tired underbelly. He was finally at ease. Well, somewhat. Xen knew home was the only safest place in Falyndar, and that he needed to get there, before he could rest entirely. So, he rises off the ground and slithers back to his weapons, saying goodbye to his short rest.

And unaware of the bells he's actually spent in the pit.

After several chimes Xen retrieves his belongs. Yet, he did not feel joy. The scene he was witnessing now was too grisly for him to call forth any positive emotions. The Alpha Yukmen's corpse, or what remained of it, was mutilated beyond measurement. Xen crouches down to see if he could salvage anything, but the beast that had attacked his foe left only a chopped up pile of earthy mush and intestines. He almost vomits. The only thing that was somewhat intake was The Alpha Yukmen's bone club, which Xen hesitantly picks up. He had to push dark brownish-red gunk off it with his bare hand before he could wield the weapon properly.

¨Feels like something was chewing on it a little, ¨ Xen thought as he inspects the bone club with his fingers. He couldn't see the marks clearly, due to it being so dark, but shallow horizontal marks were all along the area where the hand would grip the club. Xen assumes that what he felt were teeth marks and possibly from some beast he hadn't encountered, yet. A regular animal would have left puncture holes, but this thing left evenly carved lines into this thick and heavy bone weapon.

¨Not the best place to investigate this, it's best that I--,¨ Xen's thoughts were cut off by a loud insectoid screech that came from a distance away from him. A chill runs down his spine. That thing was probably the cause of his foes gruesome death, and he didn't want to find out what it was. Xen takes his prize and life with him, slithering with great haste.

[Traverse]

Xen

Experience:

• Acrobatics 2 XP
• Hunting 1 XP
• Observation 5 XP
• Planning 3 XP
• Running 2 XP
• Stealth 4 XP
• Tactics 5 XP
• Unarmed Combat 1 XP
• Weapon: Rock 1 XP
• Wilderness Survival 2 XP

Lore:

• Plan: To Use Mudpits to Capture Prey
• Yukmen: Disfigured semi-humanoids
• Yukmen: Form Loose Groups
• Yukmen: Can Form Leaders, but do not work Together Well
• Yukmen: Able to Use Simple Weapons

Inventory:

+ 1 Bone Club

Additional Notes :

Well this was quite the exciting thread. I think you portrayed everything here quite realistically with the exception of the rock that killed the Yukman in one throw, everything else was really nice, I liked Xen using multiple forms for different scenarios, and how running and hiding were big parts of his strategy here. If there's anything you thought I missed let me know!

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!