One-Shot - Tangent 7 - "EL^MENT"

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Azizrian
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Re: Begin Again

Post by Azizrian » Tue May 21, 2013 5:18 pm

Caile shifted the straps of her human-made pack across her shoulders and squirmed in her climbing belt. She knew already that she wouldn’t be able to redistribute her weight more comfortably, but her tufted tail lashed in silent frustration anyway. She sighed and checked her progress—the glowing stone she had dropped to the bottom of the sinkhole was still about twenty feet down, and its light was fading. Caile drew another small rock from the pouch at her belt and scratched a symbol into it with one of her hard, claw-like fingernails. Bright blue light swelled within the rune and as it began to engulf the rest of the stone, Caile dropped it to the bottom of the sinkhole, where it clattered against previous, faded rocks she had dropped during her climb.

A glance up to the top of the hole, over one hundred feet above, revealed the rim of a noon sun—plenty of daylight left, but there was no point wasting more time on the climb down. Her descent into the human ruins had been slowed plenty already by the thick webs crisscrossing the hole. She’d not yet seen any of the giant spiders that made such webs, but expected their presence in the tunnels below. Caile checked the antidote vials on her belt yet again; hopefully they would be unnecessary, but not something she wanted to find herself without.

The remaining twenty feet went swiftly, despite ever thicker webbing, and opened finally onto a set of high-ceilinged tunnels. As she reached the bottom, Caile unclipped herself from the climbing belt and crouched against the nearest wall, listening for giant spiders.

Nothing.

Their absence made her nervous—had something scared them off? Surely it was dark enough down here for the noon sun not to bother them. She shook her head. There was a job to be done. The faster, the better. Caile pulled a torch from her pack and whispered a single word: blue flame engulfed the tip. Its dim light was more than sufficient for her slitted brown eyes, and it glittered in the gold plume of her hair and the tawny fur that covered her catlike legs. Slinging the pack once more across her back, where a streak of gold fur partially obscured the protective circle tattooed into the skin, the lion-woman loosened the straps holding her twin daggers in their sheaths and took off silently down the corridor.

Caile’s wide-set, pointed ears swiveled slightly as she ran, seeking out the slightest sound. Still nothing. Grateful for the age of these ruins—their original builders had never anticipated the structure would house priceless relics, and had therefore never accommodated traps—Caile sped down the tunnel, map in hand. A few minutes brought her to what should have been a T-shaped intersection, but was filled with rubble.

Scanning the pile for a possible way through, Caile’s eyes caught a glimmer among the piled stones and crushed plaster. Gingerly avoiding any sharp rocks, Caile approached what she now saw was a pool of fluid. She knelt over it, flat nose twitching. It was at least a few hours old--though still wet, the sulfuric scent that assaulted her nostrils was relatively mild.

She allowed herself a quick curse—“Shit.” Basilisk. It was only when she looked up from the puddle of drool that she realized that she was staring into another tunnel, a much narrower one reaching into the blackness; its opening, she suddenly realized, coincided with the tunnel’s collapse. Fifty feet away, in the pitch darkness of the burrow, a pair of glowing eyes flickered into life.
Gæð a wyrd swa hio scel...
Волков бояться, в лес не ходить

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Azizrian
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Re: Begin Again

Post by Azizrian » Tue May 21, 2013 6:25 pm

Caile lurched backward, determined not to make eye contact. She could hear the basilisk’s scales, slick against the sides of its hole as it charged her. Caile threw herself away from the opening; a quick twist of her tail helped her keep her feet and then she leapt back down the corridor from which she’d come. “Shit, shit, shit,” she hissed through her teeth.

The map, fortunately, was still in her hand. The “X” that marked the location of the relics lay down the corridor behind her, she knew. She had to check if there was another way to the room in question. Caile turned a corner, skidding on some loose pebbles, and dove into a small alcove, frantically muttering an incantation. As she finished, she shoved her hands, palm outward, toward the opening, and held her breath.

The basilisk lumbered around the corner, feathered face sweeping from side to side in search of its prey. Caile snapped her eyes shut and hoped, as silent and still as possible. She’d had no reason to worry—in an instant it was gone. The illusory wall she had conjured was sufficient to convince it that she had moved on. She heard its scaled tale slapping against the walls as it continued down the hallway.

So hastily she almost ripped it in half, Caile laid out the map on the floor. One glance told her everything: the original plans had only provided one hallway to access that room. Based on the trajectory of the basilisk hole, she might be able to use it to get in—which was all very well and good until the basilisk got tired of chasing nothing and returned to its burrow. She’d have considered exploiting one of its weaknesses to smoke it out, but unfortunately lacked the requisite weasel or rooster. Perhaps she could distract it—it wouldn’t have made its home in these ruins unless there was plenty of food.

A thought flashed through her head: I could just leave. But she instantly shook it away. She needed the money too badly, and these disks would bring in enough cash to set her up for a few months. Caile gritted her teeth. She’d have to hope for rats. Otherwise…she glanced down at her daggers. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

Swiftly and silently, she dodged back around the corner and headed back to the basilisk hole, muttering a prayer to Lady Luck as she went. Her furred ears worked in overdrive, and lay nearly flat against her scalp as they strained for the hint of returning scales. Caile reached the hole without incident and flung herself inside. It was large, but not high enough for her to stand, so she ran on all fours. For a moment, panic rose in her throat when the burrow curved away from her destination, but she sighed with relief as it turned back and suddenly opened into another hallway. Here she paused, trying to restrain the sounds of her gasping breaths.

Caile listened.

Silence.

Just as she began to move forward again, the sound of a pebble bouncing against stone brought her up short again. A second attempt brought alarming results—after a long silence, she heard the soft but unmistakable sound of scales on stone. The basilisk was in the tunnel. It was stalking her.

The lion-woman’s mind raced. It could not move quickly and be so quiet. Therefore, if she seemed not to notice it, the creature might keep its distance—for a little while. Caile consulted her map. Only a few more hundred feet; she could do it. Taking one deep, steadying breath, she began to walk. The basilisk followed at the same pace.
Gæð a wyrd swa hio scel...
Волков бояться, в лес не ходить

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Kaome Sky Deathand
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Re: One-Shot - Tangent 7 - "EL^MENT"

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Tue May 21, 2013 7:29 pm

He watched her enter, eyelids slitting open to allow in the light.
It was interesting, waiting there in the shadows, woken by the sound of clattering rocks, pebbles really, that glowed with an unnatural glow. A shade of blue that was surely never the normal intention of the earth. Little by little, slowly but surely as the increasing tempo of the vibrations upon the thin silken strands the figure lurched into view.

She had a curious piece of equipment, a harness of sorts as far as he could figure that more or less mimicked what he could so naturally do. She herself was an interesting catch of sorts. More lion than woman. From his vantage point in the shadows at the far corner of the room she descended into, he watched with interest. The light she made did not bother him so much, in truth this was not the only place he resided, just the coolest under the noon day sun. He shifted in his self made hammock of silken strings, lounging on one side, to get a better view.

The woman seemed to have her wits about her. She moved quietly, looked for signs of danger, and had come armed. Off she went, torch in one hand, map in the other, down a tunnel he knew for certain would not bode well for her. Still... he sighed lightly and redid the bindings on his boots. The leather was thick, soles sturdy, bound by steel clasps on the front. He sat up slowly, resting his hands on his black cargo pants and testing how snugly his feet fit in the boots. Satisfied he stood, rolling his shoulders and gently cracking his neck, stiff from the way he had been laying, before checking his gear.

The long sleeved garb he wore was muted grey and black, a hood hung behind his head that he could draw forth to conceal his eyes but usually just kept the rain off. His hair was unkempt, bangs falling about his face, also the color of night but with vivid streaks of a sickly red running in them. He reached across to smattering of web and picked up his belt from where it rested. Clipping the majority of his odds and ends about his waist, he adjusted the weight and position of his sword so it wouldn't disrupt his soon to be traveling arrangements. A quick check of the scabbard now about his left thigh told him his notched dagger was in order. Necessities, but not his preferred method of taking something, or someone, down.

"Welcome to my parlor..." he whispered at the tunnel she vanished into.
He flashed a wicked grin, long eye teeth predominant and began to travel a route that he was sure to see the lioness again...assuming she made it that far.
Cruor Vult

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion,
simultaneously the source of our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness.

Soon we shall be One...joined in the Word.

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Re: One-Shot - Tangent 7 - "EL^MENT"

Post by Azizrian » Tue May 21, 2013 7:35 pm

Caile reached the door to the room her map indicated. She paused again to listen—the basilisk was closer, now. Its tongue was audible as it flicked from between the creature’s lips. Fighting down panic, Caile tested the doorknob; it was open. She let herself quietly into the room and shut the door, dragging a metal cabinet, a desk and a bookshelf in front and piling a few chairs on top—for good measure. Then she turned to the rest of the room.

The client had told her to look for the grey rectangular boxes. Holding her torch high, Caile could see six sitting on desks around the room. Moving to the nearest one, she inspected it. She had seen grey boxes much like this one before, but each she encountered seemed to be a little bit different. Previous boxes had had little trays containing the relics that could slide out for easy access. This box, however, simply had something resembling a mail slot where this tray should have been. Caile noticed a button that she remembered had released the catch on the trays—she pressed it. Despite a satisfying “click,” nothing happened.

Caile paused for a moment to listen. She could hear snuffling around the outside of the door, but nothing to cause panic. Yet. The lion-woman brought her torch to bear on the problem. She could make out a sliver that looked to be the edge of one of the relic-discs. Though she suspected she could reach it with her claws, she needed to make sure she didn’t scratch the surface. Folding the map and stuffing it into her pack, she turned to the leather pouch on her belt that held a set of fine metal tools—her most prized possessions. Selecting a pair of tongs so slim as to be tweezers, she carefully inserted the tool into the slot and grasped the disk.

Caile pulled gently with the tongs, testing how well the disk was anchored. It slid out easily into her hand. She inspected the surface in the torchlight. One side was grey, with a set of (what she assumed to be letters) scrawled on the surface. The other side was the important one, though—all silver and gleaming, almost rainbow-colored in some light. Holding the disk gingerly around the edges so as not to smudge anything, Caile tilted it at different angles to check for scratches or markings. There were two or three, but they seemed to be merely surface blemishes, nothing to worry about. She took a soft piece of buckskin from her pack and wrapped the disk in one corner, then moved on to the next box.

Four more boxes went smoothly; the difficulty of extracting the relics varied only slightly. Each disk as Caile retrieved it joined the others in the neat buckskin packaging. As she began work on the final box, Caile realized she had not heard anything from outside the door for some time. The silence continued. Had it left her alone? Decided she wasn’t worth it? She returned to the box. It was as she was coaxing the disk from its slot that the first crash came.

Jumping nearly a foot in the air and scoring a small gouge in the relic’s side, Caile looked again toward the door. Another crash came, and the furniture pile by the door shook. The basilisk was trying to batter it down. Caile finished extracting the disk as she looked around the room. There was nowhere to hide, no rafters to climb into, no cabinets that she might fit inside. Another crash made her jump even worse than before. She had to stifle a scream. Folding the final disk into the buckskin and stuffing it into her pack, Caile glanced once more around the room, holding her torch high.

There! In one corner, on top of some desks, was a hole in the ceiling. It was barely large enough for a mouse, but it gave her hope. As the basilisk continued its assault on the door, she leapt across the desks, scattering old papers and dust everywhere. Caile lifted the torch to the hole in the ceiling and felt around its edges. The material crumbled in her hand, and she seized it; a small square of the ceiling tumbled down on her head.

“This stuff is crap,” she said out loud. It weighed about as much as paper and hurt about as much, too. Caile examined the ceiling again. There was a metal frame that she hadn’t noticed before. It seemed to form a grid that extended throughout the room. There was space above the ceiling! Perhaps she could use it to crawl toward the sinkhole and avoid the basilisk burrow altogether.

The realization that the hammering at the door had stopped caused Caile to pause. Her muscles tensed as the silence stretched out.

With a roar, the basilisk burst through one of the plaster walls, shaking dust and bits of wood and stone everywhere. Yowling, Caile scrambled into the ceiling.

“Oh please, Lady Luck. I could really use a nest of rats right now,” she gasped as she began to crawl in the direction of the burrow. She counted herself lucky, though, that the ceiling space was not partitioned as the rooms below were.

The basilisk’s head burst through one of the ceiling tiles, spraying Caile with plaster. She flung an arm over her eyes and pulled one of her daggers, waving it wildly. When it connected with nothing but air, she risked a glance. It was gone, and she scrambled forward. If she could make it into the next room, that might delay the basilisk a bit.

Unfortunately, the basilisk found its way onto a set of shelves and burst again into the ceiling, crowing and roaring. Though the weak metal grid could not support its weight for long, the beast began to move toward Caile, dragging itself across the collapsing ceiling.

Coughing out plaster dust, Caile crawled as fast as she could to the creature’s burrow. Punching out one of the squares, she checked her progress. The basilisk’s tunnel was just visible at the edge of her torchlight. Swinging down from the ceiling, she dove for the hole just as the ceiling gave way behind her and the basilisk crashed partly through the wall into the hallway, bellowing.

Not daring to look behind her, Caile sprinted on all fours down the tunnel. She emerged panting from the other end, tumbling onto her feet and stumbling toward the sinkhole. Enraged hissing and roaring poured from the burrow’s mouth and echoed down the halls. As Caile turned a corner, she could see the faint light of the sun glowing from the sinkhole above.

And at the other end of the hallway, the scaled flanks of a second basilisk rippled as it turned towards the sounds she made.

Fixing her eyes on the floor, Caile flung her torch toward the creature. Perhaps it sailed past it to serve as a distraction? Another prayer to Lady Luck. Her climbing belt remained, though scratched a bit from the passage of the basilisk. Caile clipped herself back in and hauled herself up, adrenaline supplying the strength in her trembling limbs. She heard screams from either end of the hallway as the two basilisks saw her. Kicking frantically at the rope, Caile almost vomited as the smell of their sulfuric breath became almost overwhelming. She heard the snapping of their jaws beneath her feet and nearly leapt the next few feet. Though exhausted, the lion-woman almost allowed herself a sigh of relief. The basilisks could not climb to catch her, though their shrieks in her ears threatened her hearing.

Gasping, she mumbled one last prayer as the roaring began to subside and the sunlight grew stronger: “Please, just don’t let the rope break.”
Gæð a wyrd swa hio scel...
Волков бояться, в лес не ходить

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Kaome Sky Deathand
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Re: One-Shot - Tangent 7 - "EL^MENT"

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Tue May 21, 2013 8:15 pm

Again he watched as she dallied about.
One could learn so much by simply watching someone work. She had the tools and apparently the talent of one sneaking around and retrieving what one aught not to. She didn't seemed worried at the slightest about the creature following her, though she knew. Her stack of impromptu objects against the door being enough sign of caution. He 'sat' in silence, his current point of perspective half hidden by moldy ceiling tiles and upside down. She moved with a steady stride and practiced hands, retrieving various shining discs from the old tech that languished here.

He didn't care if she was or was not stealing from the dead. The discs held no use for him in any manner and so she was free to take whatever she wanted. He was here for the amusement that was soon to come. He licked his bottom lip with the tip of his tongue, tasting not only his last meal but the acrid stench of sulfur. Sure enough the beast below made up its mind and charged the door. The lioness jumped and he stifled a laugh. She surveyed the room beneath him and as she made for the hole in one corner he knew it was time to go.

Grasping at the silken strings about him, he pulled himself 'upright' and began his journey back to the main rooms. The way was narrow, but well traveled by him. The webs made the journey that much easier as well. Vibrations intensified through his hands, sending his body into a jittering fit before it calmed. There was a loud crash and a roar that could only belong to the basilisk. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he wondered if she would make it back, but he dismissed the thought as he traveled on.

Darkness gave way to faint light and with a final twist he was back into his lounging area. Without pause he brought his left hand up and unfolded a blade in the confines of his sleeve on his right forearm. The steel stuck out a reinforced hole near his elbow, protruding just past the joint. His right hand made a curious motion, thumb and fingers caressing his palm before brushing against the rocky ceiling. A curious thing, raw silken strands leaving a trail as he jumped from his vantage point toward the opening. His hands finding purchase with the right 'application' of webbing, his boots crunching into the rock as he now made his way along the ceiling and toward the hole on little more than his hands and knees.

A quick and dextrous 'flip' at the lip of the opening and he clambered his way up and up until he found his suitable point at which to stop. Clearing the false wall of webbing, he slid himself in and rested there for a moment and watched with delight as the lioness not only made it, but lunged herself up her curious equipment. The smell of sulfur was intense and he averted a direct glance but instead chose to keep her at the edge of his vision. Satisfied she was out of harms way he answered her plea with a small thin smile.

"Need a hand miss...?"
Not offering one as of yet.
Cruor Vult

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion,
simultaneously the source of our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness.

Soon we shall be One...joined in the Word.

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Azizrian
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Re: One-Shot - Tangent 7 - "EL^MENT"

Post by Azizrian » Tue May 21, 2013 8:49 pm

Caile glanced up at the question, pushing sweaty mane off of her face. A man stood politely above her. Fortuitous. Too fortuitous. Indeed…

She glanced up again. He was…yes…he might have been attractive. Had it not been for the hair he couldn’t seem to see a reason to keep clean and well-tended, or for the self-satisfied arrogance behind his politeness.

Caile remembered he had asked her for her name. Pride offered her a last burst of strength. “No thank you, sir,” she said, choosing to remain nameless, heaving herself the rest of the way from the sinkhole and kneeling to rest. She felt like collapsing into a heap and never getting up again, but once again pride reared its head. Instead, Caile began coiling her rope in her hands.

“What brings you to this part of the monster-infested jungle?” she asked, taking the opportunity to give him a proper once-over. Non-descript black and grey clothing looked loose and comfortable, good for maneuverability in a fight and effective at concealing weapons. The boots seemed to be steel-toed—something to watch out for. The sword that hung at his belt looked sturdy and well-balanced, not to mention oft-used and well-cared for. She could guess at a few concealed blades, but could not determine anything for certain without staring too obviously. Her eyes returned to his face.

She had to restrain herself from sneering at the red streaks in his hair. So tacky…
Gæð a wyrd swa hio scel...
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Kaome Sky Deathand
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Re: One-Shot - Tangent 7 - "EL^MENT"

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Tue May 21, 2013 9:57 pm

He shook his head, not surprised at all by her refusal.
All he could keep thinking was My God...that hair... but he didn't let his eyes go over it for more than a passing glance. She clambered out of the hole in the ground and he easily did the same, having a seat at the edge and letting his feet sway naturally for a moment or two. The sun was up, he winced looking into the sky then kept his gaze about her. Rough leather. Worn and dusty now from her recent spelunking. mostly humanoid about the torso, more animal in the legs. A springing step no doubt. Her mane......what grass cutter did she lose too... was a 'stylish' mohawk that was sure not to attract any attention whatsoever from any of the dives she was sure to frequent but stood out like a sore thumb in the jungle.

She was momentarily tired for sure, but she coiled her rope nonetheless and gave him the once-over. He pretended not to care, fidgeting with the cuff of his sleeve for a moment before gazing back at her. His eyes, they seemed a mix of black and red and had amusement all over them. In a dingy bar, over a glass, nay a tankard, of something probably hazardous she was sure to be 'cute'. She spoke, interrupting his mental image.
He blinked. Honestly? Jokingly? A bit of both...
He shrugged. "Oh, I was just hanging around..." he started with a wry grin, showing his teeth but not overtly so.
"...and I couldn't help but notice your entrance and spectacular run through the ruins." He shrugged as he said so.
"You seemed to have things in order though and I didn't want to interfere with your agenda lioness."
He glanced over his shoulder, senses flaring for a moment before it was gone.
Hunters? At this hour? Couldn't be...
He would remain wary but for the moment turned back to face the woman once more.
"And yourself?" He gestured with his hand. "What brings you to this spiders lair?"
Though he knew, it was...polite to ask.
Cruor Vult

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion,
simultaneously the source of our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness.

Soon we shall be One...joined in the Word.

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Azizrian
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Re: One-Shot - Tangent 7 - "EL^MENT"

Post by Azizrian » Tue May 21, 2013 10:36 pm

He was easily distracted, that was for certain. His odd black-and-red eyes kept misting over and he seemed fidgety. Definitely had something up his sleeve. Literally? Metaphorically? Probably both…In her experience, politeness always hid an agenda of some kind. And the odds of him just happening to be by the same sinkhole at the same time? Minimal.

“I had business to attend to. I’m so pleased you were impressed…” She opted not to remark on his choice not to assist. Caile began stuffing the neatly-coiled rope into her pack along with her other climbing accessories.

The wind brought a new scent to her sensitive nose. Caile stood, more abruptly than she had meant to, raising her face into the wind. She thought she had smelled…humans.

Time to change tactics.

She held out a hand. “My name is Caoileanne Óruairc. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
Gæð a wyrd swa hio scel...
Волков бояться, в лес не ходить

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Kaome Sky Deathand
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Re: One-Shot - Tangent 7 - "EL^MENT"

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Tue May 21, 2013 11:22 pm

She stood abruptly and his hands flinched.
He relaxed a fraction as she only sniffed the wind. However she now probably knew what he knew a few moments ago. They were alone for the moment, but in a few minutes there would be others here. Predator or prey, hard to say. It didn't really bother him, he could always slink back into the darkness and ignore or kill them one by one if they entered the ruins. He had an area nearby that would suffice as well assuming he could make it there in time.
She offered a hand and he glanced at it warily.
She did however, sound at the very least convincingly genuine.
He narrowed his gaze and made up his mind.

"Caoileanne...an interesting name." He said it slowly, making sure the accents were right.
He stood, put on a display of bowing before taking the lionesses hand in his and inclining his head toward it and her.
No kissing on the first meet little one, proper manners or otherwise...
"They call me Zephyr in these parts on account of I inhabit Zephyrs Gorge."
He released her hand, sure to catch her reaction to his sudden display.
"You may call me Spyder on account of the soon to be informal situation we could find ourselves in...thoughts to that?"
He asked arching an eyebrow and facing the direction she was sure to be catching a scent from.
Cruor Vult

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion,
simultaneously the source of our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness.

Soon we shall be One...joined in the Word.

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Azizrian
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Re: One-Shot - Tangent 7 - "EL^MENT"

Post by Azizrian » Tue May 21, 2013 11:59 pm

Caile retrieved her hand as quickly as possible. “Spyder, huh? In that case, friends call me Caile. Feel free to do so.” She sniffed the wind again. The human scent was stronger, but she couldn’t get a read on how many there were…No animals though. Probably not merchants, idiot settlers, or even bandits. Probably a group that was used to traveling in the jungle.

“I can’t yet determine how many there are. They might not be hunting us, but I expect they’ll attempt to take us on if they locate us, and probably have the resources to do so.” She scanned the nearby foliage for assistance. “I don’t expect we have time to dig any traps, though we might consider some trip-wires around the clearing. We can wait in the trees for the trip-wires to do their work. I have some skill at producing illusions—could try to make them think they’ve been fenced in. Thoughts?”

As she spoke, Caile hoisted her bulging pack onto her shoulders. She turned to a nearby plant with large blue-green fronds and spiky, bright pink fruit. She drew one of her spiked daggers and cut a fruit from the plant and then, careful not to let any of the juice touch her skin, plunged the dagger into the pink flesh. Caile withdrew the blade, checking to see that it had been completely covered in the sticky juice, and then repeated the process with her other dagger. “These plants are slightly poisonous. Not very, but the poison is quick-acting and will make your target wish they’d stayed in bed. You might consider doing the same.” She offered Spyder the spiked fruit.
Gæð a wyrd swa hio scel...
Волков бояться, в лес не ходить

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Kaome Sky Deathand
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Re: One-Shot - Tangent 7 - "EL^MENT"

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Wed May 22, 2013 12:30 am

Trip Wires. Illusions.
He shook his head, holding his counsel for the moment. He didn't feel threatened which meant her intentions were at least honorable to a point and that the humans coming to them were likely little more than idle passers. That meant targets, which meant fun. He grinned a devils grin and licked the back of his long teeth inside his mouth. He turned his gaze away from the jungle and back to her as she explained to him the dubious properties of a local weed.

He looked at the plant, then at her saying with a smile.
"Ah, well Caile, I am supplied with my own poison..." His fangs began to glisten. "...and I have trusted it above all others."
He turned back to the jungle, in a direction not far from the humans.
"I have a vantage point not far in the trees just beyond the clearing." He turned back to her. "I could show you before they arrive and you could put your illusions to work..." He shrugged. "Its not the nicest of places if you don't like heights accompanied by webs. Your call though, but either way that's where I shall head off when we decide a plan of action."
Cruor Vult

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion,
simultaneously the source of our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness.

Soon we shall be One...joined in the Word.

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Azizrian
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Re: One-Shot - Tangent 7 - "EL^MENT"

Post by Azizrian » Wed May 22, 2013 12:52 am

Caile couldn’t keep from looking a bit startled at the sight of his fangs. Nevertheless, her pride helped her rally again and she drew herself up to her full (though not considerable) height. “I have issues neither with heights nor with spider webs. Now—my nose can only tell me so much. You clearly were able to sense the humans some way even before I did. Have you been able to determine anything such as their numbers?

“Furthermore,” she reached into her pack again and pulled out a loose cotton shirt, which she tied around her neck, “I hope you won’t be offended if I mention I trust you even less now than I did a moment ago. If it is the best tactical position, I will of course accompany you to your…web? However.” Caile narrowed her eyes. “However, I will be keeping a close eye on you. And I would like to know why you were watching me in the ruins.”
Gæð a wyrd swa hio scel...
Волков бояться, в лес не ходить

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Kaome Sky Deathand
Assessor of the Black Tontine
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Re: One-Shot - Tangent 7 - "EL^MENT"

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Wed May 22, 2013 1:06 am

He chuckled. It was a little ugly chuckle, filled with nasty delights.
"To answer your first query, no. Only intention. Although I am certain its at the very least three."
He watched her tie a shirt about her neck with wry amusement, slightly shaking his head at the action.
Why do they always think its the neck...wrist...leg...it all works the same...
"Keep as many eyes as you want lioness. If I had wanted to do you in, the ruins would have been an ample place." He took a last glance at the open sky then proceeded to head toward the jungle line. His walk was brisk and he turned to say back to her. "Besides, you woke me."

He ignored the first tree and clambered up the second as natural as could be. He paused, simply suspended there, one boot resting on a low limb. He turned back to the lioness and pointed to her pack.
"Your rope...unless of course you'd like to climb a tree or a thread of webbing."
He grinned at the last option.
Cruor Vult

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion,
simultaneously the source of our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness.

Soon we shall be One...joined in the Word.

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Azizrian
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Re: One-Shot - Tangent 7 - "EL^MENT"

Post by Azizrian » Wed May 22, 2013 1:15 am

Caile’s scowl would have dropped a bird from the sky. As it was, it ricocheted off Spyder’s retreating back and was absorbed harmlessly by a nearby tree

“I can climb trees without rope just fine.” With that, she flexed the retractable claws in her fingertips and paws, and with one powerful leap began to scale the tree.
Gæð a wyrd swa hio scel...
Волков бояться, в лес не ходить

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Kaome Sky Deathand
Assessor of the Black Tontine
Posts: 1175
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:14 am
Location: Lingering at Life

Re: One-Shot - Tangent 7 - "EL^MENT"

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Wed May 22, 2013 1:35 am

"Very well."
Zephyr moved with a fluid grace, dodging limbs and switching to other trees when the opportunity presented itself. He stopped or slowed occasionally just to be sure she was following along just fine. The trek wasn't far but it was bordering difficult for one unaccustomed to it. He nodded in approval to her as she did seem to climb just fine. It was not long before the first few strands of web began to grace the treetops and then began to cover them. This wasn't the only hideaway he had in the area, but it was one of his favorites.

"Over here..." he called out in a whisper.
"Any other tree will give you a nasty trap but this one is fine. Mind your step up here..." He pulled himself up onto the 'webway' and stood on the 'solid ground' to look back at her. "...it will support you no problem, but mind any web that looks shiny and of course the murder holes..." He smiled and offered a hand, doubting she needed or would accept it.

The view once she would see it was an impressive one. High above the earthen floor the webbing provided a great vantage point overlooking a section of the jungle and primarily the sinkhole that led down into the ruins. Various holes, large enough to accommodate at least two, were scattered about the webway and piles of stones or hunks of metal lay nearby them. Their meaning clear...weapons or at least distractions. The tree they ascended was the center point with several other large trees marking the boundary lines. Two of which had thick sections of web and one of which had something that might have been someone a long time ago. To one side there was a large twisted knot that led into the hollow blackness of an ancient tree. outside of it hung bone chimes that sang in the breeze. A few skulls for a delightful display rounded out the impromptu shelter.

"Welcome fair Caile..."
Cruor Vult

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion,
simultaneously the source of our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness.

Soon we shall be One...joined in the Word.

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