[水] Copper Canyon Trails || Twisted Hollows

[Rexnov]

[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]

Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar l King of Frostblight l D - Rank

A relieved sigh escaped me once I emerged from my crystalline orb and found the cave to be cool, damp and devoid of all life except for mine. Every step I ventured away from safety and toward where the explosive red fury once stood was filled with hesitation. Nevertheless, I took them. Before long I stood among a pile of bones, all of them human, and I began to put them together, collecting them into a neat pile. Once there I covered them into a crystal circle, and beneath both the circle and myself I made a crystal platform which was pushed into the sky by a second crystal structure that would take me, and the bones, outside of the cave and above the canopy in hopes that I could get a clear view of what was around me, and the fastest way back to the relative safety of the river.

Techniques used:

Crystal Manipulation C-Rank x3


PA - Oppression: Reduces the cost of ninjutsu techniques by ten [10]
PA - Incantation of Blood: Ninjutsu techniques can be used by reciting a spell instead of hand signs.

Chakra: 285 l 375
Stamina: 150 l 150
EXP: 510 l

Lanfaer

 

[Lanfaer]

______________________The Narrator Howls ||

tab As the platform rose into the air there came a flap of wings a moment before something rattled his eardrums and slammed into him, sending him flying off of the structure along with it in tow. Leathery wings clawed at the air as teeth and claws raked at Reza's face and body as it tried desperately to make purchase. The back attack had been a swift one with little to give notice except that last movement. Yet the sound it made as it attacked, the hissing and screeching, told Reza all he would need to know as to who his attacker was. The creature hissed as it's chest mouth opened wide, black clay spiders pouring from within it to creep and crawl over the boy unless he found a way out of this mess even as he freefell towards the treetops below. If the boy could spare a moment to look down he would see a hole in the earth below him and off to the side, a hole different than the one he'd just escaped.
tab Could he reach it?

Rexnov

 

[Rexnov]

[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]

Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar l King of Frostblight l D - Rank

The sound of flapping wings put me on alert. It seemed that my trials and tribulations were far from over. Before I could pinpoint where the sound came from, the creature tackled me off my bridge and both of us fell from the canopy. It began to strike me, and I winced as it did, but my time was now. “Oh devilish creature, I will make sure you never see the light of day.” I growled at it as I put my hands on its side and let my chakra pour out of the palm of my hands and into the creature’s body, beginning the process of crystallization of this great foe. The crystals began to expand out from my hands and onto the creature’s body, first its chest, and if it did not let me go quickly the creature itself would become enveloped in crystal before long. Should the creature not take evasive maneuvers and release me, I would flip its fully crystalized body and use it to break my fall; the crystal would be solid enough not to shatter. If the creature did release me however, I would quickly encase myself in a crystal ball and fall onto the ground. Safe, for the time being.

Techniques used:

Crystal Manipulation B-Rank x1


PA - Oppression: Reduces the cost of ninjutsu techniques by ten [10]
PA - Incantation of Blood: Ninjutsu techniques can be used by reciting a spell instead of hand signs.

Chakra: 255 l 375
Stamina: 150 l 150
EXP: 510 l

Lanfaer

 

[Lanfaer]

______________________The Narrator Howls ||

tab The hellish monstrosity felt the sting of the crystal before there came a sudden eruption of pain. To say it wished to avoid this agony as much as possible would be an understatement given the sound it unleashed and the speed at which it spun and threw the crystallizing boy. As it threw the boy the body began to smoke, it's body body expanding, turning red and black and white as it burned with a hellish sun within itself. From the center mouth would spill more spiders, writhing and weaving thin silk as they began to parachute after the falling king. With a crash Reza would strike the earth only a moment before another hellish blast erupted above, and from this vantage point Reza would see what happened afterwards. A thin, emaciated version of the creature fell from the smoking ruin of its body, and it spread thin, spidersilk wings to glide itself further into the trees, growing larger as it parachuted further into the distance.
tab The result left Reza within a small crater that had once likely belonged to a modern shop, though a small one. The concrete skeleton was thin, difficult to make out beneath the vines that covered it, but enough remained to paint the picture of a two bedroom house or building that held spartan definition. Nothing remained of any sign of habitation, but perhaps there was something out of sight.

Rexnov

 

[Rexnov]

[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]

Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar l King of Frostblight l D - Rank

I waited encased within my crystal cocoon for a few moments, my eyes looking past the crystalline structure to see the winged beast hide itself among the trees. It would be back, I knew, and I had to be ready. After a second, I emerged from the casing, but remained the same, albeit more tired and battered than when I went in. My face neck and forearm stung from the biting and scratching, although thankfully, none of the strikes were too deep. Still, I felt the taste of blood in my mouth as the red fluid flowed from my face to my lips, and finally, down to the ground beneath me. “I should have brought some help.” I grumbled as I took steps outside of the crater, wincing at the pain as I walked. “Sakaar, guide me.” I said between pants as I attempted to compose myself. Even though I was in that crystal cocoon, the impact of the fall still hurt. My body ached, and my movement was slow, but so long as I drew breath, I would carry out my mission. Some feet out from the cusp of the crater was the crystal structure I had made encasing the bones; it would have seemed that in my mid-air skirmish with that devil I dropped it. Funny how one can lose track of things even as important as this when one is fighting for their life. I picked it up and then looked back upon the crater; it seemed there had once been something there, a structure now destroyed by my fall and the explosions, yet a summary inspection around me only produced trees.

A building is unlikely to stand alone here in the middle of the forest. It didn’t take a genius to know that. I pushed onward between the trees and vines and whatever else this god-forsaken forest wanted to throw my way in hopes of coming upon something that would show me the way back. In the back of my mind, a fear was ever growing. I had lost my way. In being knocked out of the sky, the creature might have succeeded in killing me not because of my injuries, but because it very well could have knocked me into the heart of a dense forest. A forest where its skies had a prowler whose name was that demon’s, and if such a thing like that can prowl the skies, Sakaar himself might only know what could be stalking me from behind the next tree.


Techniques used:



PA - Oppression: Reduces the cost of ninjutsu techniques by ten [10]
PA - Incantation of Blood: Ninjutsu techniques can be used by reciting a spell instead of hand signs.

Chakra: 265 l 375
Stamina: 150 l 150
EXP: 510 l

Lanfaer

 

[Lanfaer]

______________________The Narrator Howls ||

tab Each breath brought a new taste of Hell to the wandering priest from the torture of his body, yet it meant he was alive. This might well have been the only reason he could continue on into the long shadows cast by the canopy of trees about him. The building he left, where secrets might have lain in plenty, was lost readily in the thick darkness behind him as he continued into the wild unknown. With an overcast sky and the sun hidden behind it there would be no telling just where he was in relation to where he'd been, and as such, as the boy had already considered, he was truly in danger. As Reza made his way forward, the name of his god upon his lips in his hour of need, his faith would not go unrewarded. From the depths of the shadows around him would come a strangely familiar, and comforting, aura. Something that defied definition or explanation, but something that pulled him further and deeper into the woods. Would he continue to brave the depths of the forest, even as the hollows became deeper, as the forest floor twisted and turned, with the sounds of water bubbling nearby?

Rexnov

 

[Rexnov]

[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]

Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar l King of Frostblight l D - Rank

I pushed myself through the forest. The walking proved to be strenuous; the further I got from the starting point, the worse it was. After about five minutes of walking, I felt my legs give out beneath me and I fell to the ground. I grunted as my body hit it and pain rocked through my body. The taste of blood once again filled my mouth and I remained on the ground for a moment or two before slowly pushing myself back up. I continued walking aimlessly and I fell again. Twice. And both other times it took me a moment to get back up, each time in more pain than the last. After the third time, I decided to stop and lean against a tree to rest, wait for the pain to subside.


Techniques used:



PA - Oppression: Reduces the cost of ninjutsu techniques by ten [10]
PA - Incantation of Blood: Ninjutsu techniques can be used by reciting a spell instead of hand signs.

Chakra: 275 l 375
Stamina: 150 l 150
EXP: 510 l

Lanfaer

 

[Lanfaer]

______________________The Narrator Howls ||

tab In the silence of the cavernous entrance Reza rested, gathering his strength even as the humidity did its utmost to sap it from him. ANd yet as he rested he would feel part of his body's pains begin to...fade. Just the barest edge, yet the ringing, hollow pain of a million scrapes and scratches faded to the background, almost as if they were healed or, perhaps, his brain would just no longer recognize them. A simple glance would have revealed the falsity of the former and the high potential of the latter. The pain was slipping away, but that didn't mean his senses would be ebbing. In fact, without the pain dulling them his senses would go into overdrive. Hearing the drops of perspiration from the stalactites above striking the shallow pools and the stones of the cavern floor, the scent of life and death warring in the way of any natural terrain, and the soft crunch of gravel as it shifted underneath a greater weight.
tab Almost like something was creeping up on him, out of sight. Just where was unclear, unfortunately, but given the sound it must have been close.

Rexnov

 

[Rexnov]

[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]

Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar l King of Frostblight l D - Rank

The pain subsided but I was unsure if it was because my body was getting used to the pain, because I was getting better, or maybe it was because I was slipping away from this world and would join the lord’s army in the afterlife. My responsibilities in this world had taken me away from my religious responsibilities, I could see that now clearer than I could see anything else; in my attempt to shepherd the living through the trials and tribulations of this world instead of shepherding them to our lord. I could hear movement near me. For a moment I considered not doing anything and instead just letting whatever creature lurked right behind the corner. Like hell I would let that happen. I moved my right hand behind my back and formed a six inch, curved, crystal knife, primed and ready to strike. Come at me ********, I’ll send you to meet my maker.

Techniques used:

Crystal Manipulation: C Rank

PA - Oppression: Reduces the cost of ninjutsu techniques by ten [10]
PA - Incantation of Blood: Ninjutsu techniques can be used by reciting a spell instead of hand signs.

Chakra: 215 l 375
Stamina: 150 l 150
EXP: 510 l

Lanfaer

 

[Lanfaer]

______________________The Narrator Howls ||

tab As Reza turned his eyes about, waiting for an attack, he would find a pair of startled eyes staring at him from behind a large rock that obstructed the path of the river. Clearly hidden mostly within the water the figure's eyes, human in shape and design, peeked from around the rock while the slow-moving water swelled around its shape. Black hair damp from swimming splayed out in all directions, as was common for short hair not cropped too close to the skull, and framed a face that was perfectly human. And young, given its baby fat content and the miniature scale of its physical form. It stared at him from a face pale from lack of sunlight, but with scratches sourced primarily from nearby rocks and wood, before lifting a hand and slowly, carefully waving hello.
tab

Rexnov

 

[Rexnov]

[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]

Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar l King of Frostblight l D - Rank

My eyes peered around as the sounds faded. My fingers were still curled around the crystal knife, but nothing approached me. Nothing came within range to kill me, and therefore nothing came within sight for me to kill it. For the moment, I was alone, but I felt watched. The sensation was uneasy, and the numbness wasn’t going away. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw motion and my eyes darted toward the motion. I spied a small hand hesitantly waving at me. Was this my mind playing tricks on me? Or was this person actually here? It took me a moment or two before I convinced myself the figure was real and not a specter of my mind. Slowly, I rose my hand and waved as I struggled to get to my feet. “Come here…” My words came out slowly and pained, even though I could not feel the pain of my injuries, I knew I was in bad shape. “I need your help…” I said, falling to one knee on the ground. Behind my back, my hand still held on to the crystal knife, just in case.

Techniques used:

Crystal Manipulation: C Rank

PA - Oppression: Reduces the cost of ninjutsu techniques by ten [10]
PA - Incantation of Blood: Ninjutsu techniques can be used by reciting a spell instead of hand signs.

Chakra: 215 l 375
Stamina: 150 l 150
EXP: 510 l

Lanfaer

 

[Lanfaer]

______________________The Narrator Howls ||

tab The strange person, sickly pale as they were, hesitated for several moments before a look of consternation passed across their features. Brows lowered, stress around the eyes, and as they came more into view a tightened jaw. A little boy, perhaps no more than twelve years of age, kept low as he slid out of the water without a sound, clearly the signs of a professional swimmer or a trained aquatic killer. As he approached it became obvious the boy had been fed for as pale as he was there was muscle beneath the little clothing he wore. Barely more than a crop top and a kilt of some aquatic plant, the kid stared hard at Reza as he walked up, his knees further apart than his ankles making his walk a little on the strange side. Stopping nearly fifty feet from the stricken king the boy crouched down much like a toad and stared at him without further expression, simply cocking his head to the side as if waiting for further instruction.
tab

Rexnov

 

[Rexnov]

[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]

Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar l King of Frostblight l D - Rank

My breathing was heavy and slow. Even though I couldn’t feel the pain, in my mind the disappearance of the pain was a warning. A warning that I would soon die even though my mission wasn’t close to being finished. “I need…” I stopped to consider what to say as I reached the boy. “I need you to take me someplace safe. I need to rest. I need to heal.” With that, I fell on one knee. Not from my wounds, but from exhaustion.

Techniques used:

Crystal Manipulation: C Rank

PA - Oppression: Reduces the cost of ninjutsu techniques by ten [10]
PA - Incantation of Blood: Ninjutsu techniques can be used by reciting a spell instead of hand signs.

Chakra: 230 l 375
Stamina: 150 l 150
EXP: 510 l

Lanfaer

 

[Lanfaer]

______________________The Narrator Howls ||

tab The boy stared longer at Reza, not really reacting to his words, the pain that filled them or the movement as he fell to his knee. Instead he simply watched and thought, his intentions hidden by eyes that acted like mirrors, reflecting the viewer's gaze back at them. Finally he nodded slowly and gestured behind him, into the cave complex towards the side. "Home," he whispered in a voice that belonged to a twelve year old but devoid of emotion or care. "You go." That was all he seemed intent to say, though he did stand and hold out a hand, so perhaps it wasn't all bad.
tab

Rexnov

 

[Lanfaer]

__________________The Jackal Wakens ||
tab The pitter-patter of rain on the thick foliage above synced well with the softly whirring servos of the mechas as they made their way down the muddy paths into the forests beyond. Once a stone road formed from the blacktop of asphalt the path was pitted and scarred with mud filling the surface with varying thicknesses to create a perilous path to tread. Jackal led the way for the most part, sticking his paw or snout into those in their path to test their depths before continuing on. It made the walking somewhat slower, unfortunately, but with his speed and accuracy it would likely cause little in the way of frustration for their queen. Or, hopefully it did, anyway. There was little he could do to confirm one way or the other with snout and eyes buried in putrid and sticky mud.
tab The path led downwards at a small grade, barely perceptible in some places and incredibly apparent in others leading down a winding path into a region some knew as the Copper Canyons. From the sounds coming further into the forest the rainfall was cascading water over a cliff or six into the dizzying depths below, which really just gave the Jackal's caution more credibility. A single misstep could well send someone swiftly over the hungry edge of a waterfall to plunge to their doom below. That said, the others in the group were not quite as understanding as Jackal might have hoped, with the badger that led them constantly griping under his breath whenever he thought their queen wouldn't notice. Leading by pointing the way from time to time the little cretin clearly preferred to be at home but remained out of sheer terror at refusing, something that Jackal understood perfectly.
tab Stopping at a twist in the road that bore a steep decline on the other side Jackal poke his head over the edge and sniffed around. Somewhere a fire burned, but he couldn't pick up where exactly. Without turning he opened his mouth and spoke, the speakers carrying his voice easily to Takira. "I cannot pinpoint them, Takira," he began, his tone still studiously neutral. "But someone else lay near. Perhaps these other Anzu we've heard of, the darker ones that eat people."

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