Flashback [The Pools of Vayt] What a Mess

[Aidus]

65th of Spring, 509 AV Silky strands of Djed poured from the Drykas man's fingers like thread from a spool, slowly expanding, twisting, intertwining, joining with the existing lay lines that expanded across the entirety of Cyphrus. With slow, deliberate movements of his fingers, Aidus began to weave the strings around and around, over, under, and through. His Strider, Moyi, had led them close to the ever dangerous Pools of Vayt, but Aidus, intending to return to this location often, wanted somewhere he could always tie into and see what was around him. There were bones to be found, but beyond that, there was danger. Carefully, intently, Aidus continued to let his djed manifest, the cords of his existence wrapping and twirling until he was satisfied. This webbing would become a new origin. It was nothing of great power, but he would plant it here and it would be tied to the larger network, acting as an entryway into the greater system. Time and time again he could use this spot, strengthen it, make it his own. With the translucent strings in his grasp, the young Drykas male continued his work. Tranced, focused, Aidus could feel the energy crawl from him as he used his own essence to power the awesome webbing, the strands of his origin attaching to that of the larger lay line. With the fibers now one, Aidus broke his trance to mark the location. A small pile of rocks was simple enough. It would act as a cairn, though not a massive one. With an origin from which to start, the young webber could take a step forwards, working towards what he had set out to do. But first he would search for danger. He would need to make his time on the webbing quick. He was already tired from creating the origin. His mastery of the web had a long ways to go, so too much time soaring through the beautiful freedom offered by it could be dangerous. Leaving behind the husk of his body to enter a free flowing ethereal form, Aidus connected himself, his body, his essence, to the web. It was seductive, really. So easy to loose oneself, and therefore lose oneself. Overextending was a temptation each webber could fall victim to, but for now, Aidus held strong. His range was small compared to that of a more experienced web walker, but he'd set up his origin to give him full view of the area immediately around the Pools. A couple dozen miles of vision should offer him plenty of protection from what stalked the region. The last thing the young maledictor needed was a beast sneaking up on him whilst he scoured for suitable bones. But really what he wanted was to find a creature trapped in the horrible tar but still alive. A fresh kill was the best. There was more power in the bones of one recently deceased. He wouldn't be able to pull them from the tar most likely, so he wouldn't allow their death to be for naught. Almost floating along the lines, the information that poured in was almost overwhelming. So many animals had come to this place. Most had turned, but not all of them. Deer, foxes, wolves, even the occasional glassbeak had come near these pools of death. Some recent, some days, months, seasons ago. All the data was there, so intense, so amazing. Just a bell before he had arrived, something wonderful happened. A lion had crossed the webbing outside of the Pools of Vayt but had never crossed it again. "Perfect," the Drykas said, flowing back into his physical body. Grabbing his spear from where it was tied to Moyi, the young Drykas was ready. Bow on his back, dagger and axe on his hips, rope over his shoulder, and spear in hand. The teeth or the claws of a lion would make magnificent talismans.