Quest The Extermination Pt. 2A: The Hunt

Kwantu, Kol, and Zemeia are investigating what is causing problems in the jungle

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This is Falyndar at its finest. Danger lurks everywhere - in the ground, in the trees, in the bush. Only the strongest survive...

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The Extermination Pt. 2A: The Hunt

Postby Voodoo on August 10th, 2014, 6:02 pm

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Well, this one had a little bite to his words. Somewhat infuriating to the warrior, and then it was somewhat calming. At least she didn’t have a pushover on this mission. Although she didn’t take kindly to having information, especially pertinent information kept from her. While brooding, she listened to his words. Physically stronger with teeth, distracted with loud noises – some of these facts she already knew, and some were new to her. She expected that the new information about loud noises would come in handy. Her concern was on the killed. So, these things had been in the forest for some time. Now that was worrisome. Before she could continue to grill him with questions, he was disappearing into the jungle to aid Kwantu’s call.

Meanwhile, her companion was dying. Her eyes were wide with fear, her body growing cold as Zemeia inspected her. Blood gushed from the open wound onto the lap of her friend. For a split moment, with the healer there, she thought everything was going to be okay. She tried to speak, but all that came up with bright red blood in frothy foam. Her hope shattered when Zemeia began to pray to the gods, to Myri and Dira. It was then that tears pricked her eyes. Again she opened her mouth in efforts to say she didn’t want to die, but again only foam was emitted. In the distance, Kwantu was calling out. She wanted to react, to leap up and aid her champion, but her body was not responding. It was the first time in her life that she felt incredibly cold. Dira’s grip was already working to lure her soul back into the cycle. Cold steel brought her thoughts away from her body. Zemeia was taking a kind action, and the scout accepted this fate. Closing her eyes, she moved her head only slightly in acceptance. Gingerly, she was embraced by the healer just before the cold steal was thrust into her back, piercing her heart. Ba-dum, Ba-dum, Ba… With that, Dira had claimed another.

The scout that was now covered in blood took the time to lay her friend down and in a way that was honorable. Even though it would have been easier to take her body directly to Taloba, this was but a casualty of war. They still had a mission. Relieving her dead friend of her bow and arrows, a curved dagger, she too disappeared into the jungle. The head scout then came over to pay brief respects, circling the area on the map so that they could come back for the body. ”Myri will be honored to have you back sister.”

-----


The rider was practically shredded, his left leg angled in a way that implied it was dislocated from the hip, wretched to one side, and violently twisted by something that had wanted to rip the appendage off. Half his face was covered in blood, the eye missing from its socket. The right arm was broken, bone protruding from his forearm where it had been snapped. He stared, gasping for breath. There was no hope for this man, clearly, but there seemed to be a glimmer of light in his one remaining eye as Kwantu approached him. The rider took a ragged breath before going into an abbreviated version of the story.

”Mon-monsters. From the earth. Yuk-yukmen. Monsters from children’s stories. Ambushed. Took my Tokoh and another Rekrut into the jungle. Took my Lolani…” This brought a new bite to his words as he spat curses out. It could be implied that Lolani was his tiger, his bonded friend and companion as a Bahadur rider. Reaching out, he snagged Kwantu’s shoulder with a good hand, a mix of rage and fear swimming in his eye as it began to grow distant. ”Avenge me. Avenge Lolani. Bring the earth-witch to the pyre, burn her, burn them all.”

Then there was nothing but silence. The group was all accounted for, dirty, bloody, and most likely all around exhausted. They had been traveling for many bells now, and then sun was beginning to creep towards the horizon. Another three or four bells and it would be dark. Setting her things down, the inferior scout lowered her head to pray for another fallen Myrian. The head scout circled another spot on her map before addressing the group. ”I think this has become far more than six…uh, five of us can handle. He has confirmed Naekasi’s suspicions. Which means, it is now I who should inform you all entirely of our fears.”

Sitting down, she opened the map one more to give a complete description. Sure, she seemed heartless for not empathizing with her comrades and offering prayers of her own. Yet, she was geared to the mission, to save further death and destruction. ”These red spots have been bodies, or parts of bodies, that we have found. Animals, Myrians, and the occasional Dhani carcass. Every one of them showed bite marks, very humanoid like. They encircled this clearing, which made us believe it was an organized attack from some small camp. They were attacking out of spite…they were hunting.”

She let her words sit for a moment. ”Somehow, they have learned. With Kol’s information, and our fallen rider here, the pieces all fit. These Yukmen have been around for half a season, at least, and they have been learning. This ‘earth-witch’ must be some form of leader, the most advanced of their kind. I suggest, with a heavy heart, that Kol, Kwantu, Zemeia, and myself push forward. I shall send this scout swiftly back to Taloba for reinforcement riders. With Myri’s grace, maybe they will arrive in time to save our hides. No matter what, we have to try and complete this mission. We have to kill them all, and we have to burn their bodies and return them from where they came from.”

She rolled the map up, looking sincerely at each one of her champions. ”What say you?”

OOCThe entire plot has now been laid out. You can turn back now, or you can continue forward. A post from each of you will cover a span of 3 bells: of which you can ponder your decision, rest, clean up, bury the bodies, whatever. After a post from each of you, I shall move you towards the clearing. We shall see more fighting from here on out. This is your last chance to bail out. Choose wisely. Also, remember, I’m not out to kill PCs. :P

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The Extermination Pt. 2A: The Hunt

Postby Kwantu on August 10th, 2014, 8:15 pm

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His thumb brushed under the eye-less socket as he stared into the man's face, and examined his wounds critically. He had no medical knowledge but even he knew that there'd be nothing they could do to save this man - as brutally torn as he was. But the determination in his eye... it almost made things worse for him, the more he stared into it, and heard what had happened. Took a Tokoh. Took a Myrian Tiger. These things are far more deadly than we could anticipate. If they could bring down entire fangs of riders, then they'd need more. They'd need a proper force mounted together.. more than three champions. More than a fang, even. His hand slid down to the Bahadur's shoulder at the same time as the mangled rider grappled his own in an iron-like grip.

"I will avenge you. And Lolani. And you will be born again, with the greatest tiger of all." His final promise to the man was tangled with tears and unanswered questions. He needed to know more.. how they'd ambushed him, in which direction they'd taken the other Myrians.. if they'd taken them alive or dead. But at the same time, he knew those questions weren't to be asked at that moment. Not that they could, any way. The scariest part of it all, was that as he stared into those fading eyes.. he could only see his own reflection in them. He could see his body, lying against the trees in the same state or worse, mere bells later...

Then he glanced back to Zemeia. And Kol. Dirty tears dripped off his chin and his eyes were red and swollen, but he only said one thing before rising up again and turning his back on them in his return to the original ambush site. "It could have been either of you." It was what happened, when one threw themselves so unwittingly into such danger. It could have been either of their bodies they'd be putting to rest that day.. utterly needlessly. One was already gone.. and the other, with wounds too great for her own body to handle. Two Yukmen, two lives. Who knew how many others would be out there, in the forest.. or underneath their feet at that very moment, like so many of the others. He couldn't guess.. but as he returned to the pit, stabbed the butt of his spear into the ground and kneeled next to their dead scout.. staring into her face.. he wondered just how they planned to deal with this threat.

He didn't know what they'd do with the bodies. He didn't want to think of them. Because then.. he'd be choosing what happened to his own, when they continued deeper into the forest and found themselves ambushed by whatever other Yukmen could be hunting for them.. or worse, the witch. In such a time.. he could only think of one thing to do. Myri, give me strength. Myri, give me courage. Two of your children are returned to you, and by the next rays of Syna shine, more will follow. Give me the power to avenge your people, and defeat your enemies. His hands clasped around the spear, fingers entwined tight until his knuckles became white. With his eyes closed and his prayers repeating through his lips silently, he barely noticed the passing of ticks, chimes.. and bells. Others went about their business, but he paid no attention. The only thing he truly felt, were tears pricking his cheeks and the occasional tap of his spear's shaft against his forehead as he cursed himself for not acting sooner.

He remained in this pose, for nearly three bells, as the others gathered at the edge of the site. Eventually, he lifted the spear once more and rose to look over the map. Bodies. There were a lot of dots on the map; a bad sign, then. No differentiation between dhani, Myrian, tiger.. he could only stare at the map and wonder how many of those maps belonged to Myrians, or their mounts. Then the head scouts words brought him back for a moment, to focus on what he was hearing. Hunting. He didn't know if these things actually ate anything but he didn't feel like finding out, truthfully. He had a feeling that he'd be on the menu, after all. The rest of it, was mostly things he could guess already. They know how to ambush. They're not stupid. He didn't know if they had weapons other than their teeth but if they didn't, it'd be something they could put to their advantage, potentially. If most of the scouts and the other champions knew how to wield something other than a damnable dagger.

The plan hit something of a chord on him, and when it finally came to the answers.. he felt like he needed to speak out something quite important. "These Yukmen. They've already taken on Myrian Tigers.. they've taken on fangs of Bahadur riders on the back of tigers. But.. you're suggesting that four Myrians continue into the heart of what could potentially be a village.. could potentially be an organized group of these creatures, with only their weapons and the hopes that reinforcements will arrive in time for an effective strike against them." Looking at it from a completely blunt angle, it sounded like lunacy. However.. ".. If we scouted ahead, worked out a plan.. kept our heads down.. we could provide valuable information for the riders. We could plot an accurate attack pattern, even set up a defensive to fall back on. It's shaky, but... it could work. Count me in." His mind was already swimming with the consequences of what happened if they were caught. But he needed to put them aside.. for now.

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The Extermination Pt. 2A: The Hunt

Postby Kol on August 20th, 2014, 8:01 pm

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So... he had been right.

The dots on the map had been bodies as he had guessed. Kol buried his pride at the correct assumption, eyeing the late Bahadur rider. He had heard the request of the dying, listening with discomfort and pain. Kwantu's tears streamed down his face, a sight that hardened the male's opinion of him. They were Myrians. If he was to be a respectable male at that, he would have to learn to stop thinking of death as so personal. It was a powerful sight. As a child, Kol had idolized the riders, daydreaming about becoming one. That child's fantasy was distant, but still shaken at the sight. And yet... it wasn't the reason he was upset.

Kol's own emotional distress, which he showed with a deep set frown on his lips and eyes that kept flickering around, searching for something... someone... Was it possible his baby sister has survived these monsters? Or was she ripped apart like the others...? Was it possible... he had been the cause? A longing built up in him, a protective instinct. And yet he held it all back, taking in the pieces.

The longer the Yukmen were out in the jungle, the more they were learning, the smarter they were getting. An anger flared in him. The Mengentai warrior was waiting for his acceptance, but his mind held onto Kwantu's words. Kol's glare burned with a fury that light up his eyes and deepened his scowl.

It could have been either of you.

Something in these words sparked something dark within him. How dare this Myrian, another male, speak to him this way? He was not a woman, an elder, or a renowned fighter to his knowledge. Kol had no reason to respect him and still it felt like he was being reprimanded. Fists clenching, Kol reeled back his frustrations, his tone brutal, "I know the risks."

His actions could get him killed. But what was that in comparison to bringing suffering to his kin? He was very aware that his death was possible, but he was even more aware that the death of his little sister was even more likely. Jumping in the hole was a dangerous move, but he did so in order to attempt to save another. If standing around in fear while someone died was how Kwantu wanted to handle situations, so be it, but it was not something Kol agreed with. There was a time for action and a time for tactics. Knowing the difference was what made him who he was. Still inwardly seething, Kol fumed with a number of responses, pushing down his aggression. Now was not the time to fight, but he made an uncharacteristic jab at male,

"I choose not to whine about everything," Changing his tone to a more acceptable one, he addressed the woman who asked about his participation, "I will continue." There were more important things in the jungle than disagreeing with his comrade.

Now, for his own plan, one that differed slightly from the other male, "We can go on the offensive, to lower numbers for the others. Experience in battle and knowing how to fight these things can keep the others alive. We can do our scouting," He glanced at Kwantu. Would that appease him? "But when the time comes, we should not hesitate. We isolate the Yukmen, recognize what they are mimicking, and use that to our advantage." The group didn't have the numbers to face them head on as a whole, but if they did the tactic he had practiced with Tazi, albeit with a bit more complexity, they could lower enemy numbers. They would have hands on experience to share.

These creatures learn quickly, but they only know so much. As long as we know more, we will prevail.
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The Extermination Pt. 2A: The Hunt

Postby Zemeia on August 28th, 2014, 10:32 pm

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While Kwantu was crying and Kol was lofting snide comments about, Zemeia was silent. For a brief moment her forehead rested against that of the now-dead Bahadur as she offered silent prayers, pleas really, for the safe passage and warm reception of his soul. Then, with the hushed demeanor of an omen, she went about carefully resetting the poor souls bones - at least as best she could - so that he could be layed to rest with some dignity. Carefully she moved him away from the tree, and stretched his form out properly along the ground, tenderly cradling his head until his body was at an honorable rest. It was sadly the least, and the best, that she could do. Slowly she stood and somberly saluted the fallen rider before moving to press a small swatch of clean linen into Kwantu's palm. Perhaps she was attempting a kindness, or perhaps she simply wanted him to clean himself up. By her anesthetized outward appearance it was hard to tell.

Careful to keep her distance from each of her companions, Mei moved with a calculated, guarded grace that whispered of the tender sensitivity which she kept carefully shielded. Pausing before their guide, she raised her eyes to meet the woman's gaze. A harsh, passionate heat blazed behind her honey-brown eyes. Without a word she gave the Mengintai a single, purposeful nod and then pushed past her, back toward the pit.

In that same reserved silence she approached the pit and for a moment stared down at the monsters with in it, pure unbridled hate seeping from her very pores. She poured it out on top of the beasts, mentally filling the pit, burying them and sealing their grave with her loathing, enmity, and venom. And when she was through, emptied of all that judgment clouding emotion, she quietly returned to the jungle and began gathering tinder. There were still bodies that must be laid to rest. Silently she worked for a time, gathering small logs and stacking by the edge of the pit, piling up small twigs and dried leaves, pulling from the forest floor and trees sweet smelling flowers and herbs to scent the flames, until finally there was enough for a proper pyre. Then timidly she approached the others, her voice was soft and resigned, "I think I've gathered enough tinder for a small pyre. We can build it in the pit to keep the fire from spreading. Before we can scout OR go on the offensive, we have to finish the job here. I say we burn this Skurak and be done with it now. With any luck the flames might even attract some attention, give us a chance to learn about our enemy, or thin the ranks if that is what we choose." For a moment she waited, meeting the gaze of each of her companions before silently turning and walking back to the pit assuming, or maybe hoping, that at least one of them would follow to help her finish this task.
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