3rd, Summer, 518
Syna's light showered Riverfall with a glorious warmth that was not scorching, but just right when paired with the gusts of wind that would smooth over one's face. The grass - should one chose to go bear foot - was ticklish and light, a cool counterpart to the otherwise warm feet that walked upon it. Yes, the city was beautiful, inside... and out.
Of course, Martini had still been amazed when leaving through the main gate to find her muse. She had come in through the sea gates, and had never ventured back outside of the city. The greenery was magnificent, and the smell of ocean mist and earth mixed to create a charming scent that could relax the most weary soul.
No nightmares, no people... just her and the natural world she loved to see. The flowers were blooming as the weather perked to higher temperatures, but the shade of trees and overhanging plant's made sure they didn't burn either.
Having had her fill of gazing around, the brunette put her shoes back on and readjusted her backpack before moving on. Her goal was simple. Find a scene that was beautiful enough to inspire her, and honestly it couldn't be that hard with the beauty already surrounding her.
She might even doodle a few flowers! Or maybe she'd discover new ones as the possibilities were endless. The Akalak at the gate had looked at her strangely though...
She was a lone woman going out into the wild. She had no equipment other than her dagger and the objects in her backpack, and even then she wasn't assured safety in their eyes. She had tried to scrunch her face into a scowl, and had displayed the dagger attached to her hip in an attempt to assert herself.
They had chuckled and shook their heads before letting her pass them. Her face red with fury and embarrassment she had stomped off, unaware of her surrounding... Needless to say she was lost, but she hadn't wandered to far away from the gates at least as she could very faintly hear the city bustling.
Her haired was wrapped in a loose bun to keep her from smacking her if she needed to run, but mostly because she liked to feel the sun on her back and her thick hair prevented that. She dressed casually, her sandals not the best choice in foot wear if she had to keep taking them off every few chimes. Eventually she settled on just keeping them off, opting to stick them in her bag as not to loose them.
"Now, which way?" She murmured to herself, her gaze traveling to the right as she observed the small river that ran beside her. Instead of accidentally drowning herself, she decided to go left. With nothing for navigation, she quickly lost track of her location, and even the bustle of the city had gone silent.
She looked around jovially as her nerves had yet to catch up with her. It was so pretty around her, and the leaves where finally becoming green, and - where did the river go? She looked around, panic setting in as she realized she was more than lost now, she was stranded.
She had no way to tell if she was close to the city or not, and no landmarks to guide her to a place here she could. She set out to make her way back, but the hairs on her neck had risen and the sound of something cracking accompanied it.
Martini took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves as she slowly, and cautiously put her handover the dagger hilt and turned around. That's when she saw it.
She screamed, loud and hard, hoping that anyone could hear her and provide her, her horror spiking as she watched the large headed deformed creature rise from the dirt. It almost looked human, but the cracks in it's skin and the muddy, rocky texture gave it away if not it's body. A few inches larger than her, but still a frightening site, only one this ran through her paralyzed mind.
This was a Monster. And she needed to run. Now.
