Closed A New Expedition: Halfway point[Xii]

[Clyde Sullins]

78 Spring 515 They were about halfway between Ravok and their destination today. Or they would be at the end of the day. The caravan/expedition had set out 8 days earlier, on the 70th, and it had at least another 8 days till they reached the shoreline. At least assuming all went as planned and there were no delays. Then they'd need to pick a site and begin work on the outpost. For the last few days they'd been passing through wetlands, marshes, the occasional bog. Having to find a clear path through that for the caravan had been slowing them down, and so they were likely already a bit behind schedule. Still they found the occasional dry patch, solid ground, even the occasional stout tree. Though those were often lopped down and used for firewood for the night once they stopped. The weather also seemed to be going sour. While it had been nice enough out the last few days, warm but not overly hot, the sky was slowly darkening and the cloud cover thickening. Rain would be coming, which would make travel even more miserable. Hopefully it wouldn't last long, but one thing Clyde's magic didn't allow was to predict the weather. Though considering his previous expeditions he'd been on, being wiped out by a horrible storm wouldn't be too far from the norm. Of course Clyde was a much greater mage now than he'd been on his last trip... He'd never attempted to fight a storm, but if he had to he could. Near the head of the caravan was Samara Alenta, who Clyde had convinced to get on board with the trip. Technically she was in charge, though it was Clyde's idea to make the outpost. But she'd be running the outpost once Clyde left, so he did his best to keep on her good side and defer to her. Plus, after the utter failure of the last expedition she'd led, perhaps she'd been looking for a chance to have a win. Apparently Clyde's personal guarantee to see them to the shore safely, and to watch over as they made the first stage of the outpost, had been enough to convince her. But then, she'd seen Clyde in action. So perhaps she simply knew Clyde could back up his word by his own personal power. Clyde wasn't certain were Xii was, or where she'd gotten off too. Probably milling about the caravan, or getting into trouble. They'd been given horses to ride, her a smaller one little more than a pony, he a full grown horse. At the moment though he'd tied off the horse to a caravan, and was walking along. It was nice to stretch his leg, and he wasn't that good at riding. A bit of motion out of the corner of his eye caught Clyde's attention, and he turned his head quickly to look. He'd sworn he'd seen some kind of movement, motion, in the waters off to their side, deeper into the marshes... But now that he concentrated his gaze, he saw nothing. Just dirt, mud perhaps since it was underwater, long grass, and masses of vines... No movement. Perhaps it had been a trick of his eyes. Or perhaps some small fish had darted by and moved something. Surely it was that.

[Xii]

Admittedly Xii was having a blast. She hadn't liked traveling all that much before... more like downright hated it. She'd always thought that it was the traveling itself she hadn't liked. But now she knew better. It was the people she'd been traveling with. Now she was with a group that really didn't bug her as long as she didn't bug them, and that was great. She still felt that itch to mess around, to test the limits ~the anger~ of the people around her... but she also knew that doing too much bad stuff, out here, wasn't smart. That sort of thing was okay when she was inside a city, since it was easier to get away and stay away from someone you'd annoyed. These people she couldn't escape. More importantly, they were ones she had to rely on. So she'd decided at the start not to cause too much trouble, and stick to herself. That had been pretty easy considering how she couldn't figure out how to ride her horse. She hadn't bothered to ask anyone for lessons, yet, and so generally rode at the back of the pack. She'd had an old mount, Thisbe, but she'd had to sell her for the trip and get a replacement pony instead. That wasn't a big loss in itself ~Thisbe was a 'good' sort of horse that always did as she was told, and thus she was boring~ but the problem with selling Thisbe was that she'd also sold all of her other horse-related stuff. And the problem with that was that she didn't know how to ride a traditional saddle. She'd learned what little she knew of horsemanship and animal care from the Drykas, and the Drykas used special equipment~ a yvas, specifically. A yvas was way different than a normal saddle, sort of more loose, like a harness, and there were no reigns. It was more animal-friendly, and, begrudged as Xii was to admit that the Drykas were good at anything, their saddles just were more comfortable and all-in-all made more sense. She would have kept the yvas and sold it later but... to whom? Who could she possibly sell a saddle to after they left the city? She didn't want to have to carry it around with her forever. So now she had a normal saddle and she could barely sit in it. That was okay though. Most of the time the caravan moved so slowly ~the ground was somewhat mucky and wet here~ that she could get off of her own little pony and walk along. She noticed that Clyde Sullins sometimes did that too, as he was right now. She didn't really know what it was he did all the time, but Xii spent the days exploring around, never going completely out of sight of the caravan, but looking for interesting stuff in this swampy land. She'd never been anywhere like this before. Everything new was interesting to her. There were many plants she didn't recognize, and that she picked and inspected while she walked. There were also odd mushrooms and animals. She was hoping to see a creature larger than a fish or a turtle, even something dangerous like a monster would be better than nothing, but so far she'd been disappointed. Now as she walked Xii dipped and threaded her way in between the riders and wagons and other walkers until she came up by Sullins' side. He was looking out at the murky water and she asked, "See anything interesting?" Currently she had her fishing kit out of her backpack and was fiddling with it. She was trying to figure out how to catch frogs or turtles on a line. Either one of those would be fun to study, and possibly ~if she got the time~ to dissect. receiptmixed blood horse +50.0.0 yvas +2.0.0 horse grooming kit +2.0.0 large saddlebags +8.0.0 = +62.0.0 gm

[Bartholomew]

The caravan was incredibly bumpy and slow when Light rode on it. The slowness he could handle, but the constant need to hold something as it bounced up and down was too much. What type of rode did they travel on? Then there was the fact that this caravan couldn't get over a few muddy spaces. It was a great deal for Light to push or force it to go through instead of turning it around for another route.

Light was very grumpy today, but maybe that was because he hadn't gotten much sleep while on this journey, evident by the surreal amount of bags under his eyes. A while ago he had to go on a mission involving fighting a girl who once saved his life, and as soon as he returned home his father assigned him on this mission to guard a caravan as it made way to build a new port for Ravok.

Light always took every job his parents gave him seriously, so his person dealt with the drowsy feeling while he stayed up as long as needed to make sure everyone was safe. While they slept, he watched; as they were awake, he watched. He was the hawk in the sky, an un-restful Demi-God making sure that every body took breath. That's what he liked to think of himself as. And when he did, it kept him very happy.

While Light was "enjoying" his bumpy ride, at least that's what he would tell anyone who asked him if he was, something had caught his eyes out in the muddy waters. He thought he saw movement, the fact that the above level patterns of the marsh suddenly changed was enough to prove what Light's assumption. What could be out there? He enjoyed the thought that there would be fish good enough to eat, but he knew there was another possibility.

Light was once told that one of the faun in Ravok was alligators, so what he saw could have been a large predator hunting down one of their horses. Alligators had an act for stalking land prey in the water then dragging them under to drown. If an alligator did attack it would likely come up from the marsh and quickly grab hold of one of their steed's legs. So what could Light do to prevent that?

He hopped off the caravan with his eyes still on the Marsh. He took his hazel orbs off once to notice a young zithling attaching her horse to the convoy. He thought of warning her of the possibilities of an Alligator attack, the last thing he wanted was easy youthful prey like her getting caught, but his mind deterred that course of action arguing that he did not see what clearly disturbed the waters and would only drive these men and women into an idle frenzy. Light allowed the girl to walk past him, then moved to the marsh side. This was where he would be until their next resting place. If an alligator really did show up, what it would only have to eat is its own blood and the tip of Lights bastard sword.

[Elias Caldera]

Travesty!

That was the word.

This was a travesty.

He'd been milling on that for a while now, trying to find the right expression to sum up his assignment to this frivolous endeavor everyone seemed so damned giddy about. For the past five or so miles it had frustratingly eluded him, and as they rode through the soggy bogs and smelly swamps of northern Syliras, it was beginning to do more than just annoy him he couldn't put a word to his situation. Marshland gave way to more marshland and the mage had lost track of how long he'd been listening to the same sickly sopping of his horse's hoofs as they trudged through the soil. With a huff Elias sunk deeper and deeper into saddle.

His place among the column was near the middle, and with his sword and bow strapped to the steed he rode, he was in a fine place to respond whatever incident befell the expedition as it rumbled through these unclaimed wetlands. He had even bought a suit of leather armor to better assist him in such an important duty, but after five days of marching in blistering leather, among all the insects and swamp gas, the leather assortment now lay abandoned and forgotten somewhere in his pack. He didn't even bother sitting up straight anymore. With Paladain Samara at the head of the troop, Elias only ever felt the need to right himself when he thought the woman was about to look back. Half the time she was merely shifting her weight to alleviate the ache of the long ride, or leaning over to converse with one of her black clad underlings. The Ravokian noticed rather acutely early on that he hadn't been invited up there with the important people, nor was he one those underlings she ever turned to. Elias was useful, and he was smart, and very very strong too if he didn't say so himself. Why then didn't she bother herself with talking to him? She talked to that other man all the time, that mage with the shiny staff and an aura as brilliant as the sun. Sullins. Never heard of his deeds, but the way they all wade around him like he's majesty, he must be someone worth knowing.

Grimacing, the ravokian spat, his annoyance and weariness reaching their combined zenith for the day. Not even the notoriously unforgiving wilds had provided him with something to do! Patrols were always the worst part of being part of the sacred order, and it was the waiting that was the worst part. These long, seemingly endless stretches of time filled with nothing but empty expectations and tired anticipation. Whenever something did happened, people couldn't be blamed for going mad with excitement and curiosity. Most of the time it was scaring away some vile animal from the lakeshore, or cleaning up a petty bar brawl allowed to spiral too far out of hand. None of that for Caldera though, not today, not yesterday, and probably not tomorrow either.

Despair enveloped him.

Twisting in his saddle with a yawn, the ravokian searched all along the line of rumbling carts and adventurers, searching desperately for even a sliver or relief from his boredom. Instead, all the mage found was the disheveled and confused form of the bounty hunter he had 'met' a few days earlier wandering off the beaten path. He wasn't sure what to think of the kid, and what made him nervous was the fact that he had no idea what the young man thought of him either. Would he want revenge? Would he even care? He had noticed the swordsman had joined the expedition severely lacking any sort of mount save for the tale end of whatever wagon would have him. Elias himself had known what kind of a fate that was as he had been subjected to it for most of the trip from Zeltiva to Ravok, a plight much longer than this one yet troubling how they seemed just as grueling. It wasn't something he wished lightly on any man, not even his fellow guardsman.

The mage twisted himself further, his eyes eventually falling on the chestnut mane of his pack horse. Tied to the side of one of the wagons Elias trotted alongside, the mare was a fit enough animal, obedient and well trained in most manners, but its current and only duty at the time was to carry the rest of the Caldera's belongings. With a pack horse to handle his heavy, cumbersome gear, he and his true mount, the black mix blood he had hastily purchased for the slave hunt, were free of any hampering weight should the need to sprint and gallop arise. He had driven the poor creature hard and restlessly back then and had learned his lesson from that, but perhaps a little more weight wouldn't harm anyone.

For a long while he debated the prospect in silence. In the end however, it wasn't an answer to his question that brought about his sudden surfacing from his slouched position, but instead the sight of something in the water.

It caught the light and shimmered under the sun, and he wasn't the only one to take noticed. It had been off to the left where the muck and water got deeper, and before he realized it, Elias was veering of course and slowly making his way to whatever it was that had latched on to his attention.

receiptMixed Blood Horse - 50 GM
Saddle – 10 GM
Bit & Bridle – 2 GM
Saddlebags - 5 GM
Halter & Lead – 1 SM
Leather Armor -10 GM
5 Pint Flasks of Oil -5 SM
Regional Map [Sylrias] -10 GM
Retractable Metal Shield -50 GM
Shield Teeth -10 GM
Garrote -5 GM
Teethed Gauntlet -10 GM
Hidden Blade Boots -20 GM
Dagger -2 GM
False Tooth x3 -6 GM
Poppers x3 [Drug] -18 GM
Funkus x3 [Drug -18 GM

Total: 216gm 6sm

[Clyde Sullins]

OOC note: Xii, assuming you plan to take the offered staff in our prior thread, feel free to rp having it in your possession/use. IC: Clyde shook his head at Xii's question, and let out a sigh before responding. “MMm... No, not particularly. And I'd like to keep it that way. I'd prefer a dull journey over trouble. Trust me, I've been on a few trips such as this before. Boring is preferable to... Other things. But unlike those trips, this one is going to succeed.” Less than a chime after Clyde stated this fact, the rain started. At first it was a drizzle, but within a few more chimes it picked up and was a steady pouring and drenching rain. Clyde was tempted to ward off the rain and keep himself dry with Reimancy, but fought off the urge... He hadn't done much magic during the trip, and so he was getting a bit itchy. Itchy like an addict who'd not had his fix in too long. Clyde's hand absentmindedly stroked Cha for a few moments, a calming gesture that helped Clyde in such situations, not that he noticed he was doing it. Taking on a serious demeanor, Clyde turned to the girl. “That being said... If something does happen, make sure you stay close to me. Don't stray. And don't get in my way, or between myself and whatever I'm after. You do that, and you should be fine.” For a moment Clyde's thoughts drifted to one of the members of the group, a male he'd met at some point and who he was fairly certain was a mage. He'd felt his inexperienced and fumbling attempts at examining his aura. Clyde could have hidden his aura, or distorted it, something he'd learned to do when he was learning morphing, but he'd yet to do so. But if he found the mage doing so again, he planned to mess with him by altering his own aura to appear as something quite different. Perhaps it was simply an excuse to use magic, but it could turn out to be interesting. Of course, it wasn't just his own aura. Clyde and his belongings were likely the strongest single point of magic in the entire group. His staff Cha was strongly enchanted, a Magic Staff. His Stryfe robes were also enchanted, another work of Magecrafting. And he himself was a potent user of djed. He couldn't blame him for finding interest in him. There was also yet another mage, some man who'd come by his house and attempted to get him to instruct him in the ways of djed. He'd managed to annoy Clyde though in his attempt to force Clyde by magicking his mind. He wasn't sure how so many magic users had ended up on the trip, but perhaps it said more about Clyde himself the company he kept and those that followed on his endeavors. His thoughts however were interupted by a sudden barking from Rye his guard dog. Until he'd barked he'd forgotten about the dog, but now he recalled him and looked in the direction he was facing. Out into the rain, into the marshes, in the general direction from which he'd seen the movement... Rye was well trained, and wouldn't be barking at nothing... But along with that, he had special vision particular to his breed, and could see even without light that humans needed. So perhaps he could see something that was obscured in the darkness of the rain. As Clyde looked on he saw some kind of motion, and then felt a scraping against his aura, a feeling of something strong thrust against him. At the same time there was a yell from one of the guards of the caravan, as his horse suddenly fell over on its side as if its feet had been yanked out from under it. Clyde couldn't see clearly from there with his mundane sight, but he could tell it was something large, the size of a horse perhaps, if not larger. He could also see a... Glow? Two pricks of luminescence poking out of the dark. Focusing his djed, Clyde willed it down into Cha, flowing it through and out of her and towards the mass he could not see. Focusing in on the one aura, its image bloomed into his aura sight. At first he thought it was a plant, a bush or tree covered in vines. But he quickly saw that was not the case, as it moved and was alive. But along with that, he could feel a pulsing of djed within, strong, from within whatever it was. If he knew more of monsters, or had met one before, he might have known it was a Vinumia. It being a rare creature however, he'd never heard of it before, let alone seen one, and so didn't know what it was. That pulsing from within though, that strong emission of djed, that was more puzzling to him. “Ah petch” was all Clyde said as he turned to face the threat, holding up Cha before him in a warding gesture as he washed his aura sight against it.

[Xii]

“MMm... No, not particularly. And I'd like to keep it that way. I'd prefer a dull journey over trouble. Trust me, I've been on a few trips such as this before. Boring is preferable to... Other things. But unlike those trips, this one is going to succeed.” Well that was no fun. He preferred a dull journey. Where was his sense of adventure? Of danger? Of course, Xii had long learned that her mentor was more... reserved than she was. Most people ~most humans~ were, though. She supposed she shouldn't blame him for it. They thought different. She was considering whether or not it was wise to bother him for details about that last intriguing sentence ~"this one is going to succeed"~ details like how many other trips like this he'd been on and what for and what went wrong with the others, when it started to sprinkle, then rain. The Zithling girl drew the red hood of her cloak over her head, stuffing the fishing wire she had been fiddling with deep into her pocket with her hands. The rain picked up, and Sullins looked displeased. Idly he petted Cha, something she had seen him do many times before. She was beginning to wonder why he did it; he didn't seem to notice when he did. Some sort of habit? Or something more? She was in the middle of her musings ~having nodded her head once in response when Clyde gave her instructions about how to keep 'safe', ugh~ when she heard a bark ~Rye~ followed by a shout and a strange screaming whinny. Something had happened to a horse. There was a loud thump and commotion as the animal fell and thrashed its legs from the ground. Beside her Sullins muttered, "Ah petch." All of that had happened within ticks. Xii only now managed to look up from her feet. She'd been looking down, lightly hopping over the little puddles that were rapidly forming in the slushy mucky goop of the trail. Now she watched as Clyde turned towards the sound of the disturbance. She turned with him, standing slightly behind and back, peering around. There was something out there, and her first reaction was scowl in annoyance that she hadn't noticed it sooner. It was hard to see through the gloom, but there was a big hulking shape lumbering up from the water. Her second reaction was to smile, a sharp-toothed grin. This ~no matter what Sullins had said~ was what she was waiting for. Something big and unknown and dangerous to study, at least from afar. Even better if she could get close. She leaned forward slightly, squinting through the rain. It was a... plant thing. At first sight she thought it was a bear or something, but the head was too small and the eyes too bright glowing green, and when she really looked it appeared to be made out of vines, or mud, or stones, or flowers... maybe all of them mashed together. She drifted a little more to the side, not paying attention to the puddles anymore and splashing through to get a better look. She still stayed behind Sullins, though. Xii took his warning seriously, though she longed to get nearer to the thing. At least back here it would be a good spot to watch and see what her teacher might do. What sort of magic would he reveal? Others had noticed the creature ~hard not to notice when it made a horse scream like that~ and were facing its way, brandishing a variety of weapons. Xii herself hesitated, then reached back, bypassing the 4 foot staff strapped diagonally to the back of her pack, and reaching instead for the short bow slung over her shoulder. She pulled it off and to the ready, drawing an arrow and setting it to the string, though she didn't pull back yet or loose. Instead she watched. She couldn't tell if the thing was going to attack anyone else or if it just wanted the horse. She hoped they would kill it regardless. Her black eyes flicked side to side, and she half-turned and looked behind. Just making sure there weren't others trying to sneak up from another direction. OOCSorry again for the delay.

[Bartholomew]

Nothing.

There was absolutely no queer disturbance in the water, from what Light could tell. He was sorely perturbed by the lack of action on this trip. It was good to not have to worry about dangerous obstructions, yes, but Light had hoped that he would be able to place some impression on Paladin Alenta of his intelligence and skills. The road to apprenticeship was a slow one that would probably speed up if he could gather more higher authorities on his side, like the beautiful one leading the group now.

It seemed that others had the same idea, because many looked gallant and strong when she watched them. Of course, she only paid attention to those who were high in power or handsome in looks.

Alenta was an esteemed seductress, from what Light could tell, and almost any man who wanted her for their personal needs knew it, so many were happy to flirt with her when given the chance. Light would as well if that meant gaining her favor; however, he had heard a rumor about Paladin Alenta within the midst of his research conducted about her. The rumor said that she allowed men to lure her to their home, had her fun with them, then killed them when she was done. From the way she acted sometimes, like a true seductress, it was hard for Light to tell if the rumor was actually true. Paladin Dicey never raised his son to take risks without being 100% sure of survival, so Light kept himself away from Alenta's eyesight, lest he wanted to be one of those men in the rumor.

From the back, near the convoy he was guarding, Light could pay heavy attention to everything. He noticed what every ebonstryfe soldier did when Paladin Alenta and other esteemed officials were not paying attention- how some relaxed themselves while others talked; and how some men made lewd comments about the women that they had slept with compared to the women they wished to sleep with. One could not imagine how many times Alenta's name was mentioned while hidden under the clacking of hooves. Some soldiers were fun to listen to, others seemed mean while some were quiet yet had a good sense of humor when spoken to. It was a nice gathering of people to be near. But sadly, Light could not be apart of them. Not until he was an apprentice, at least. It was saddening, but hopefully this journey would get him far in the organization.

Light exhaled and looked towards the sky while he traveled the depressing halls of his unconscious. He thought about all that happened and will happen in the future. He focused on his future goals and possible inspirations, mulling over the success, wealth, and wife and children that he would have in the time ahead. They were dreams now, but he was set on making them real.

Light was suddenly awoken to conscious by a small droplet of water that fell on the bridge of his nose. Before he knew it, the water droplets turned into dribbles. Rain? He thought, then felt despair as the dribbles turned into a downpour. Great! More puddles are gonna show to push the cart through now...

Light prepared his muscles for the arduous and agonizing task that would soon be at hand; for pushing the caravan through watery craters in the ground took a backbone of one-thousand soldiers. However, it seemed that he would not need to use his preparations since a sudden disturbance among the group persisted everyone to stop the journey.

A horse had been terrifyingly spooked somewhere in the group, which had led to a large bloodcurdling neigh and a thumping sound which could only be made by something falling. Someone fell off their horse? Was his initial thinking, but the amount of swords and other assortment of weapons being drawn, even one by a little zithling, told him to think differently.

Light moved posthaste from where he was to a cart. He climbed it's wet body so that he may be able to see what had everyone else on the defensive. When he was high enough to catch a perfect view of the situation, he was left speechless. Far beyond, but still close enough to the convoy to give a scare, and hidden within the shadows were a set of glowing green eyes which Light knew no sentient being could create. It looked towards the caravan with ferocity which even seemed to worry the famously known magician Clyde Sullins.

Light stayed where he was, on top of a cart not closely positioned towards whatever those eyes were. He would stay there for the longest time until he knew what the creature wanted or whether it was friendly- as everyone should do if they knew any better. For now he would watch, but something about this monsters appearance unsettled him.

[Elias Caldera]

Vinumia Wiki

Almost there... Almost... Got it!

A wet, sucking sound of protest trumpeted Elias's success as the ravokian yanked back on his prize with a toothy grin, his pestering diligence finally seeing the thing freed from the mossy grasp of the swamp. The glimmering object beneath the shallow, yet nebulous surface of the water had given him more trouble in its retrieval than he had been prepared for, and as he now held it in his hands, he recognized why; it was cloaked in a thick carapace over overgrown roots and vines that still fought against him even now. He gazed in bewilderment at the dripping hunk of... well he wasn't entirely sure what it was to be honest. It was heavy, and metal, and its odd shape gave the soldier pause as he attempted to study it in more detail. ...What is this?

The disconcerting realization that soon came to him left a sour taste in the young man's mouth. It was a cuirass. It was a torn, dented, shredded up piece of armor, and its owner was probably lying somewhere in the mud right under his feet. As if to make the image even more appalling, something green and uncompromisingly gross sloughed out the bottom and plopped back into the murky waters before Elias could get a good look at it. The ravokian turned back to his four legged companion, who had been curiously peering over his shoulder up until that moment, and both he and his horse shared a knowing look with one another.

Something positively dreadful was about to happen.

The bone chilling screech of a horse in peril cutting through the tense, dreary air heralded just that, and Elias instantly knew then that his peaceful, boring ride had just come to an abrupt end. Thank Rhysol. Finally! He mused gleefully as he tossed the sundered suit of armor aside.

Every head in the rumbling convoy turned to behold the source of such a grating noise as panic and dread washed over the caravan as thickly as the rain. "Vinumia!" Someone hollered from the back, as if giving a name to the terror would somehow make it any less terrifying. The monster was huge, towering over most other men by a solid foot or more, and its grotesque, flowerbed of a body was a writhing, tangled mess of vines and plant life, each one indiscernible from the other as they seemed to grow into one another like a jumble assortment of marshy muscle and flesh. In its unnatural grip flailed a horse, wide eyed and dumb struck with fear as it was dragged kicking and screaming into the depths of the muck the monster had suddenly been birthed from. The grip the monstrosity held on the struggling beast must of have been ungodly in its strength to pin the poor creature like it did, and Elias knew any soul unlucky enough to be caught by that slithering mess of green serpents warped into the mockery of a hand would surely be done for. It didn't help then that the thing had four of the damn things to spare.

The shock of the situation lasted barely a fraction of a tick as surprise and confusion among the ranks of the Ebonstryfe gave way to duty and training instead. An arrow unexpectedly sprouted from the monster's head, followed quickly by half a dozen more as the archers draped in black began their retaliation. Others were beginning to stir as well, spurred to action and order by the loud, resonating commands of Paladin Samara whose voice, even in the downpour, carried with an eloquence and assertiveness that only a paladin of her stature could exude. What I wouldn't give with a night alone with here Elias mused dreamily as he launched another arrow from his own bow. He drew another from the quiver he had hastily snagged off his mount and notched it, the taut string drawn back until he could feel the slight graze of his thumb upon his cheek. As he loosed a second shot however, he realized, and so too did many of the others, that it was a futile gesture. The arrows found their mark, sure, but the monster barely even seemed to notice, and if it did, the damn thing didn't even have the courtesy to at least show as much. They may as well have been planting more mushrooms on its body for all the good their attacks did.

One man in particular, a guard Elias recognized as the one whose horse had been stolen out from under him, took it upon himself to boldly slay the beast himself. With spear in hand and a roar on his lips, he charged, ramming his weapon deep into the meatiest chunk of squirming green vines that he could find. For his bravery he was met with a manner of savagery that left Elias dumbstruck. The mage barely recognized the brown blur for what it was as the Vinumia hefted the animal in its verdant clutches and swung the thing with terrifying force and speed at its rider. The next Elias saw of either of the two was as they crashed into a nearby cart, the sheer impact of which showering the caravan in a spray of screams and splinters. Cargo and passenger alike went flying as the wagon capsized, blocking the path of the others and severing the convoy in half.

Elias dropped his bow, helplessly picking his jaw off the floor and nervously affixing his mind the to task at hand. He held out his gloved palm to the side, glaring at the monster as it continued to encroach on the caravan. "I'm going to need my sword for this." He proclaimed in a thoroughly heroic and expectant manner as he flexed his fingers with impatient trepidation. A sudden giggle burst from the soldier before he could contain it as he felt his horse begin to nibble at his hand, the gesture confused with that of being rewarded with a snack.

It tickled quite inappropriately.

"Knock it off." He snickered, suppressing the laughter as he snatched his hand back irritably from the gnawing maw of his partner. "This is serious." And it was. Not with dealing with the monster, that would be a simple matter for one such as he, naturally. No, the real dilemma stemmed from deciding how best to impress his superiors in the process. Its going to have to be something grand and spectacular...

...Oh right! My swords on my back. Silly me.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde was more focused on his magic and the thing he was trying to inspect, to the feel of Cha in his hand and on his skin, than the other people about him. But then using magic as he was wasn't an easy task, let alone one a person could do while also spreading their interest and perception over the various parties about the area. His main focus was on Auristics, extending out his aura sight to wash over whatever the thing was. As he pressed deeper, he saw the feel of the pulse, that odd beat of djed oozing out from within the body. The body itself had a much weaker aura, though oddly enough one connected and intermingled with the inner strong mass. For a moment he'd thought perhaps the monster had swallowed something magical, and it was a different and separate thing within him with such strong djed. But by the way it connected, how it existed, it was clearly one thing though of disparate parts. As he inspected such things, he also did a secondary thing in beginning a Reimancy spell. Instead of flowing it outward though, he sent the djed and res inward to a niche within Cha, forming and storing the spell and freezing it in action so he could release it at a later time and at the opportune moment... And when the spell was finished. Under his breath Clyde began to chant a short rhyme over and over, helping him to focus on the disparate acts of djed. Though if nothing else both acts of djed usage were external, if differing in specifics and application. “A whistle and wobble the whipped does whimper... A thistle is thoughtful though not of good temper.” As he pressed inward in his reading, made more difficult by the distance and the many other sentient things about, he saw the source of the pulse, shining brightly within. It was colored a deep blueish green, while the mass around it had a almost dead or asleep haze of gray. But they were connected these outer things to the inner brightness. Not one thing, but of one. Its size though did surprise him. While the overall thing was huge as compared to a human, the source of the strong djed was tiny... It was about as wide across as his longest finger was wide, though he did have particularly long fingers. Still, for the overall mass it was tiny and unassuming and hidden inside the depth of its gut. Not the head, which would be the automatic target that most aimed for by instinct. A human went for the head if they could, but this foes head was clearly a facade. A distraction. A lie painted in clear sight, fooling those who used assumptions. “A whistle and wobble...” Fire was of course the most straightforward of elements to use in combat, and one he'd been using longer than any other. The spell he built and stored was of course of fire. A stream of flame, compressed in a point along a line. When released it would spread out into a swathe of fire rushing forth. With his mind and will he shaped the flames of the spell, compressing it tighter and tighter, elongating it, heating it, fueling it. The shape was reminiscent of a lightning bolt, long but potent of djed. But unlike lightning it would not keep this shape for long. For flame naturally broke apart and spread, and so the flames would naturally dissipate over the distance. Thus a second layer was needed, a thin misting of gaseous res spread about, which would act as a secondary attraction to hold the spell together on its rush outward, so it could hold in a stream long enough to meet its target. Everything else about him but himself, Cha, and the monster, was but a distraction. All that existed was these things as he breathed in and out, shaping his magic. He ignored it all, pretending as if the monster was not a threat but simply a thing to be examined, calming and focusing himself. Clyde did not note the scream of the name Vinumia, he heard it but did not connect it to anything. It was but a disconnected voice without purpose. The actions of the guards acted simply as a stalling tactic in Clyde's mind, a distraction to let him do his work. He didn't even realize they were attacking until he saw the arrows appear as they struck the monster and entered within its aura. However from his all sided perspective he could see the arrows strike, could see their impact and effect on the creature and within it... Or more to the point, the lack of an effect. Finally he was done crafting his spell, and so he took a step forward towards the beast, focusing for a moment on Cha and his Reimancy and only holding the Auristics stable. He couldn't spare the attention to continue delving forward into its aura as he worked his magic, but he couldn't afford to fall back. Plus he'd need to see the effects of the spell, if any, and that meant keeping a hold of its aura. Taking up a steady and solid stance, Clyde loudly spoke one word in his most commanding voice, followed by making a parting gesture with his hands. Hopefully his intent would be obvious, since he was far to focused on his task to notice if anyone got in his way. “Move!” With that he slammed the butt of Cha onto the ground once, and closed his eyes. With a release of his will that had been holding the spell frozen in place, like a archer releasing the pressure holding back a string, he released the spell. All at once their was a heat of flame, as the fire belched forth from a single constrained point of Cha's skin. Like a arrow loosed from a bow, albeit a bit slower, the flame rushed forward, pushed not by attraction but by the onslaught of fire behind it rushing to escape from Cha. The secondary attraction of the loose and sparse bits of gaseous res only acted as a small constraint, keeping it from getting too wide to soon, and carried along in the momentum of the spell. Within traveling forward six feet towards the monster the stream of flame had widened to a foot across. In another six feet it was three feet across. By the time it had reached the monster it was a good six feet wide, brushing the ground and scorching and drying the wet and muddy ground underfoot. As it traveled their was also the hiss and smoke of flames on water, as drops fell and struck the flames. But the rain did little to put out the strength of such a fire. When the stream of flame met the front of the Vinumia it struck the grassy and plant bits that made up its outer shell, a hiss and burning as the flames swept over and around and past the monster, dying out another seven or eight feet past it, smoke rising and obscuring for a moment as the rain about the monster was flash boiled in an instant and turned to steam. For another bit of time no rain fell on it, perhaps a fifth of a chime, but soon the rain overpowered the heat of the flames, and commenced falling upon the monster again. Soon after it began to heal its wounds, as it soaked up the water, repairing its body of the damage the flame had done. Most of this wasn't visible however to the naked eye, except the fact that it was regrowing or replacing its damaged bits. If nothing else the flames had slowed the monster, and was more successful than the onslaught of arrows. Of course Clyde hadn't noticed the horse nor its rider, or where it was situated when he unleashed his spell. He'd been focused on only his foe. And he had given an order to move...

[Xii]

The more Xii saw of the thing the more fascinated she was. It was strong, though not fast. It resisted the rain of arrows that fired down upon it: Xii only shot one herself, loosing just for the hell of it since the others had done, but she wasn't going to waste the rest. Her arrow, she thought, had hit it in the arm, though she had been aiming for the breast, where the heart normally would have been. She'd spent too much time in Ravok, where it wouldn't do to fire a bow within the confines of the city. Without practice, her aim had already started to go sour, though it had been less than a season since she'd last been outside the walls. One arrow, she saw, had hit it smack in the head. No reaction. Whatever it was ~someone yelled something like "Vinumia!" though she didn't know if that was what the thing was called or if it was a swear or someone's name~ the thing didn't work like normal living things worked. Before her and to the side, Sullins was muttering something that she could not catch, a string of words. He didn't even seem to notice the horse and rider that went careening past through the air, flung so fast they were a blur. The sound they made when they hit the wood of a wagon ~splinters shot everywhere, one grazing Xii's cheek just under her eye~ was hard to describe. A screech, an explosion, a squelch, a crunch, all together. People fell from the broken carcass of wood, some of them splattered in gore, though Xii couldn't tell if it was their own or from the pulverized man and horse. So the thing wasn't just strong. It was VERY strong. It wouldn't be smart to get close but at the same time... what else could they do? Arrows didn't work. At least her first question had been answered. It hadn't wanted just the horse, otherwise it wouldn't have thrown it away as it had. The thing wanted something else, though the Zithling could not yet figure out what. Sullins shouted, "Move!" and then it was magic's turn at the thing. A spike of flame shot out from Cha, sending most of the people in front of the mage ducking and scurrying and rolling out of the way. The fire spread as it went, and Xii could hear the ground cracking as it dried. The flame-wall hit the plant-thing and went past, burning it, further scorching the ground, boiling the puddles of water around it away. The air around the creature seemed to snarl and hiss as rain turned to steam. Then the steam fell, and the downpour hit the beast, and the bits of it that had been burned away twisted... growing back. They were growing back. Water made it grow back? They'd have to keep the water off it somehow. Maybe Sullins could do that? Were there other mages in the caravan, ones that might control the rain? She herself had not learned that type of magic yet. She didn't even know for sure if it was possible. Magic... though she couldn't control the elements she did have something she could try. She needed to get closer. Sullins had told her not to stray away from him but as long as she didn't get in between him and it... Xii slunk to the side, diagonally away from Clyde and towards the creature, flanking it, bow still in hand. Where she stepped upon the brittle, flame-baked ground her boots burned and the soil beneath them turned to dust. It was hard to walk as the earth beneath her feet crumbled, puffing up in little clouds. Maybe if she could lure the thing off the wet edge of the swamp and onto the trail it would be separated from water enough to be hurt? Plus if Sullins or someone else could help with the rain... She was aware of others moving around her, and one man shoved roughly past on his way to attack the beast head on. Idiot. He managed to sink his ax into its woody flesh but then the weapon stuck, just for a tick. That was enough for his head to be removed from his shoulders, and as Xii watched the blood spurt out she wondered if that, too, might help the thing to heal and grow. After that others ~for the most part~ knew to stay back. Xii crept around fast as she could without drawing the thing's attention, always making sure that Sullins and his magic probably wouldn't reach her, should he choose to attack. It was annoying having to keep out of his way; this would be much easier if she could just get it over with. Well petch this sneaking about, then. She'd just go for it and try to get out as fast as possible. Likely she'd get yelled at later, but whatever. That was fine. It was only her own life she was risking, not Sullins'. The Oath ~she nearly had it memorized by now~ didn't say she couldn't risk herself physically. The Zithling felt inside for the lake of djed that she knew surrounded her. It was there; always there. She reached into it and through, and then ~from a well even deeper within~ brought forth her hypnotism. She was not the strongest in this magic, even her stupid mother had been stronger. But maybe that didn't matter. Cleverness was more important. And taking a chance. She took a deep breath, trying to shape the magic to her will. From the well she brought out the stones of 'emotion' she needed, focusing on the memories stored within each: the tan fossilized look of exhaustion after a long day's ~few day's, season's, seasons'~ travel; blank, dully reflective apathy, especially towards danger, a feeling that was strong within her; festering greenish-spiky annoyance towards the thing that was bothering her. She gathered them up in her mind. As she did her eyes flashed to Sullins for a tick, trying to tell if he was about to cast. She couldn't see really, but Cha was not yet raised for another strike, at least that she could tell. That was good enough. The Zithling dug in her heels and sprinted towards the creature. She got to within maybe seven feet of it, and then abruptly stopped, skidding slightly on the ash that was already turning back to mud with the rain. Her bow raised and she fired an arrow, so close that it hit hard, burrowing itself deep in the thing's side. She didn't know if it could feel pain or not, but at least now it noticed her; it turned to look, eyes glowering ~glowing~ down at her through the fog and murk. The first tick its eyes were on her she fired again ~another arrow already nocked~ and yelled, "Hah!" The magic released within her, directed at the beast. Djed spilled from herself into it, the lake inside thrashing as if with a great wind, and the gathered stones went with, emotions aimed to make the plant-thing tired ~hopefully slowing it further~, apathetic to danger ~so that it might step away from the water behind it~, and annoyed by the stupid girl firing at it from just feet away. As soon as the magic lashed out, the Zithling ~gasping from the expense of djed~ turned and dashed away, staggering the first few steps. She thought she heard the creature move behind her, thought she felt something lash at her foot and catch it, knocking her further off balance. Silver pain struck through her leg at the touch. She hit the dirt, coughing on the dust still lingering in the air, and felt something swoosh above her, like it had tried to hit where she'd been before she'd fallen. She rolled to the side, bow clasped firmly to her front, and then scrambled on hands and knees, running further onto dry land, still half-choked on dust. That was the point of this. Making it want to follow her. Getting the thing out away from the water. Getting it somewhere the fire magic might affect it more. And then, after it was dried, maybe the others could attack ~from multiple sides, like wolves did~ and somehow manage to take it out. Or come up with some other, better plan. OOCLong, sorry. Hopefully hypnotism actually works on it somewhat, I'll let you guys decide.