Open Chronicles What Lies Beneath

[Rebecca Fourtuna]

Rebecca moved through the trees. She wanted to rest , but her curiosity and bloodlust had won out after a quick nap. Her cloaking kept her hidden as she decided to check on her woodland friend's progress. She sat and uncloaked for a moment . It took effort and was beginning to hurt her head.
Her eyes glowed in the darkness of the trees. Shifting from pink to a deep red as she spied the explorers. She hissed angrily as she saw the witch repel the first attack having hoped to see her bitten in half only to be denied.
A spine grew from her tail as she lined up a shot on the witches head ready fire and kill that nuisance once and for all. If she was going to travel and guide the trespassers she was no better.
As she was about to fire however her attention was caught by a sloth hanging from the branch just above her. Her head tilted curiously as she had never seen one before. It caught her off guard enough for the shot to thunk next to the witches foot sinking into the muck, barely grazing her side. It would burn and she may feel slightly sluggish for a few moments as the trace amount of poison ran through her system, but nothing more and not for long.
Rebecca cursed and looked back up at the sloth to swat at it angrily, but it was already gone. This confused her further as she looked around. Her tail swishing in frustration.
She snarled turning her rage back onto the exploration party.

Now was the time to strike while they were occupied. Numbers be damned.
Caution to thrown to the wind she dove to the ground gracefully as her cloaking flared up and she seemed to melt into her surroundings leaving only a hazy outline of her form further blurred by her speed as her claws sunk into the roots giving her traction as she sped towards the group taking a right flank avoiding the witch and tall man.
She struck a sailor in the back of the party full tilt as she launched her self like a crossbow bolt spearing him on her arm bone spines. Her tail flicking out and striking another man in the side like a snake.
The tackled sailor had no time to even speak as the wind was driven from his lungs and he seemingly disappeared. Only a blood smear left behind to tell the tale of his existence.
The other struck by her tail fell into death throws foaming at the mouth as the sting seemed to paralyze him and begin to rot his guts. He was dead before he keeled over falling into the water. She carried the sailor she captured a short distance before she sank her teeth into his throat.
He was able to let out a loud scream before she was able to fully pull it out turning it into a soft gurgle. Her jaw clicked twice as it unhinged. She ate him quickly.
Now full and feeling powerful Rebecca turned back to the sound of fighting, unsatisfied with her kills she wanted to more. She moved back to the rear of the group sinking into a pouncing stance, and waiting for the right moment.
Another spine sprouting from her tail made form the bones of the fallen sailor she had eaten.

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

The alligator that crawled towards the boat seemed to be as large as a tree. With its mouth wide open it hissed at the group. The witch had slowed down the other one coming their way. Raigryn would have preferred a spear, but fortunately his hand and a half sword was long enough to give him some reach.

As the reptile launched its body forwards he thrust the blade straight forwards, tapping into some of his stored Fury. The blade struck off wicked teeth but also wedged into soft flesh. He yanked the blade back and blood poured into the alligators jaws.

There was no respite. The screaming now came from behind. Raigryn turned sharply, expecting to see another alligator throwing its body onto the boat. Instead he saw the carnage as some blurred form launched itself across the boat leaving death in its wake. He brought his blade up into a defensive posture as he heard the scream from the mangroves.

Closing his eyes briefly he tapped into his Empathy. This time not to draw from his stored Aspects, but to feel the current of emotions around them. A moment later he turned towards Rebecca, eyes scanning the undergrowth.

"Stick tight, we're being hunted by worse than reptiles."

Raigryn couldn't draw from animals. Something was out there with intelligence and emotions. She would feel the edge of her anger rounded off as Raigryn drew from it. He used just a fraction of Tranquility to enhance his alertness, to ready his body.

 

[Nayella]

There was a loud snap and then the sound of rending flesh as vines quite literally tore one of the alligators into two large chunks. Blackish blood spilled into the swamp below, pouring from the corrupted creatures body like a river.

Nayella frowned a moment, glancing towards Raigryn.

"Where?" The word was quick, terse. Her hands still glowed in that sickly green aura, dripping from her palms and onto the floor. The vines there seemed to curl and move almost in their own volition, shifting about at her feet like snakes grasping at something.

Unlike the other man Nayella had no way of tracking Rebecca, not without expending too much magic.

The crown on her head pulsed though, a telling sign that something was near.

Her fingers curled as she prepared to protect herself, the vines on the floor raising ever so slightly as they prepared to build themselves up in her defense.

 

[Rebecca Fourtuna]

She felt something find her as she sat hidden in the undergrowth.
Her friends had been dispatched and now she was seen? Impossible! She dropped down from the trees in front of the group at large uncloaking for a moment. Her feet finding purchase on roots to keep her from sinking into the muck as she stood for a moment before sinking onto all fours. Her eyes glowed red as she stared into Nayella's eyes.
The witch was to blame for this. Befriending the trespassers leading them through the bayou... killing her friends!

Her palms dripped the sickly green aura of magic that seemed to make Rebecca's instincts scream to stay back, but she barely kept herself from pouncing as she growled like an angry jungle cat showing her two inch long teeth dripping with venom as her tail flicked back and forth in irritation.
She hissed before her tail suddenly straightened with lightening speed as she fired three spines. One flew towards the witch the other two at the tall man and his crew. She then moved to the witch's right and pounced at her, bone spines and claws extended hoping the distraction of protecting her self from the projectile would allow her to tackle her.

IF it succeeded the witch would find herself speared in the gut and pinned to the ground as Rebecca's tail would then hover above her a moment before moving to strike like a scorpion and stab her in the neck repeatedly.

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

Raigryn felt a pang of jealousy at those still on the ship as he drew from his Avarice. An invisible paintbrush carved an untidy jade streak into the air before him. The magical barrier was warped as several spines aimed at himself and the crew embedded in it.

Over the years Raigryn had learned that it was best not to fight a monster near its lair. However, getting the rowing boat back into the shallows would take the crew some time and this creature wasn't letting up on its attack.

As Raigryn drew on his Desire he felt that usual flutter in his gut. The creature, by contrast, would feel a very sudden and inexplicable attraction to the ground. As she leapt the Empathy would make her feel incredibly heavy, likely shortening the distance of her leap significantly.

 

[Rebecca Fourtuna]

She fell into the witches twisting roots as her leap fell short.
She squeaked with surprise as she suddenly found she felt extremely heavy, like someone had thrown a weighted net over her.
She struggled to leap away as the ground seemed to attract her back to it as she struggled to rise. She was hissing viciously among the writhing roots.

 

[Nayella]

The roots wrapped and tangled, swiftly shifting and grabbing.

Nayella could have crushed the thing then and there, the broken and rotting branches ready to snap limbs and neck. Yet she hesitated. Whatever this thing was, it was alive.

It had attacked them.

Part of the defenses on the island? Part of the trap that had been laid by the wizard so long ago? It was difficult to tell in truth, would be more so if she turned the thing into a corpse. Thus the Blight Witch stayed her hand, the pale green glow still running around her fingers.

A hand twitched, and the roots would stop their grasp, instead pulling Rebecca towards Nayella and Raigryn in one swift jerk.

 

[Rebecca Fourtuna]

She twisted angrily like a cat trapped in a bag.
Her spines slashed at the roots only for more to take their place wrapping around her arms and forcing them to her sides as her legs were bound as well.

Her tail rose behind her to fire another spine as it was tied to her back and a spine was fired into the air. Her fangs gnashed in her widened jaw.

Her glowing red eyes glowered at them.
Suddenly her teeth shank back into her gums revealing very normal if not slightly cat like teeth.

"Unhand me! Trespassers! Defilers! Scum! Maggots!"

Her voice caught as the roots tightened causing her to squeak in a very embarrassing and non threatening way.

"Y-you will join y-your f-friends in the bayous depths I um..I-I will feast on your f-flesh..A-and..and..."

She said spluttering into silence as her cheeks burned with frustrated embarrassment.
She flinched as she was pulled closer to the group. Her eyes never leaving the witches glowing green magic.
Fear flashed across her features as the aura of it seemed to raise the hair on the back of neck.

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

Raigryn had initially expected that the witch would turn out to be some resident of the swamps that had come to kill the trespassers. Too many fireside stories that were clearly more rooted in mistrust of single, intelligent women than any real witchcraft.

That the creature being tangled in the roots spoke brought him some surprise. It could speak but that didn't make it any less dangerous. Its venom had ended the lives of several young men already.

"Watch its spines," he called out. His sword was up, ready to swing.

"I've never seen one of these before," he added.

 

[Nayella]

"This...thing is new here." Nayella commented.

Of course the Blight Witch had no idea if this creature was native to these lands or not, rather she more referred to the fact that she herself had not seen it here in the last two weeks.

That did not mean much, but it was odd.

"I have not seen the like before." A frown touched her lips as she crouched down. "Neither here nor in the north."

Not that such things meant much, there were all sorts of monsters in the wilds. "Perhaps it would be best to kill it now."

The magic pulsed in her hands, though the roots did not yet tighten.

 

[Rebecca Fourtuna]

Her eyes remained red but suppressed fear was evident on her features. The witch frightened her. Yet she puffed out her chest defiantly "Yes! Kill me tresspassers! Then you will never find the Tomb you speak..." She hissed her eyes narrowing as she glared daggers at the witch. "Oh yes....It speaks of you blighted one..And yet still you wander..Deaf to its calls.."
She tried to squirm slightly only to gasp in pain as the roots dug into her flesh tightly holding her in place. She let out a pained laugh of pure malice and hatred.
"I will never speak of its location. No torture can force me to. So kill me now and save yourself the trouble. " Be off with you to fall prey to my traps and more of my friends. The bayou will drink of your blood instead of me. Now hurry. Deaths sweet embrace awaits me you filthy worms!"

 

[Peripta]

Peripta wasn't one to surround themselves with death, decay, and worst of all, bleak, unworthy environments. His time on the surface was meant to be one of exploration, discovery, and research: a muck filled swamp was hardly a place to spend his wealth of time.

Yet here he was, daring the edge of the Depths once more, stepping across the surface of the sludge that filled this place. A few bushels of leaves, a tree root, and the heart of a particularly nasty fowl had proven enough to repel the waste beneath his feet, and his stride was akin to gliding on water compared to the slowness of those less fortunate than he.

Less fortunate indeed. The Kivren had heard the struggles of land-dwellers in the distance, and a few scraps of bark crushed to a pulp later he was blending into the scenery, observing the commotion from behind a particularly old willow.

Land-dwellers. They never could get along.

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

Raigryn didn't notice Peripta approaching. Whilst he was wary of more creatures lurking in the swamps the kivren was too well concealed at that distance for him to catch his movements.

"Hold for now."

The Empath stayed his blade. He reached out to the mind of the thrashing creature. There was something distinctly familiar to its emotional state. A monster so far removed from humanity was typically almost impossible to connect with.

He drew slowly from her emotions. Rebecca Fourtuna would feel her anger start to ebb away unless she mounted some kind of defence to the intrusion. Not only would he drain what she felt now but he tried to go deep. Unless she had to means to stop him she struggle to feel the true colours of her emotions for days.

 

[Nayella]

Nayella cocked her head slightly.

She did not understand what the other man was doing, nor did she really care. The fact that her suggestion of murder had been ignored perturbed her slightly, though perhaps that was just his way. Foreigners were...strange, to say the least.

The Blight Witch had never gotten used to Southerners.

What the monster thought was of course entirely uninteresting to her. She struggled to block out the creatures incessant whining, if only because it was too much for her ears to bear. She considered gagging the creature, but realized that might lead to it's death from lack of air.

Best to let the man do whatever it was he was doing.

Of course, Nayella also did not notice the Kivren. Foolishly she searched for no other friend or foe, preoccupied with the creature before her.

 

[Rebecca Fourtuna]

"Well!? Kill me you useless pieces of trash! You ro..rotten..."
She felt he anger leave her body..In her mind he would watch her life play in fast forward.
Born in the slums,
abused,
sold to a slaver,
from a slaver to a pirate.
Beaten, raped,
shipwreck, A man, Happiness,
a new mom and father.
Pirates, no more mother, flames, screams.
Just father, vengeance, anger, no more father, loneliness, despair, hatred, blood, the mist, the promises of direction,
being made whole,
"S-stop it.." She said her voice losing its demonic tone returning to that of a young girls, Her eyes seeming to drain of red returning to a bright pink.
Her spines pulling back into her body.
"What are you d-doing.." she said her voice loosing more emotion with each moment passing. Her thoughts continued to race.. The burial, The resurrection, Blackness...washing back up on the shore..pirates had returned..Got to work..blood, hatred, vengeance, and now them..

She tried to throw up a mental wall but having never faced an empath before she had no idea what to do.

She finally hung her head as emptiness set in. She just felt empty, no tears to cry, no anger to boil inside her, no hatred to fuel her, no happiness to sooth her.
"What did you do to me?"
She struggled out looking up at the man. There was confusion and pain in her voice.

 

[Peripta]

Peripta continued to observe, unable to piece together what they were discussing. Peeling himself away from the tree, the Kivren continued to stalk closer, gliding along the muck from tree to tree. He wasn't sure what they were doing with that...individual they had caught, but from it seemed to be some sort of interrogation, from the anger and rage she was hurling at them.

He stopped his approach only a few trees away, a hand hovering over one of his twin daggers, fashioned from a translucent and resilient stone and coral mix. From what he was seeing, the human had some power over emotions, and was currently in the process of suppressing them in their captive. A disadvantage, especially to someone like him who relied on such fickle things.

For now, he observed, ever careful not to reveal himself as his eyes peered from around the trunk, skin still blending with the trees pale bark. He didn't want to fight, but if they approached him with hostility, Peripta doubted he could convince them otherwise.

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

"Nothing permanent," he replied. His lunasloth had reappeared when none of them had been looking and he scooped it up.

"I borrowed some of your anger. You carried too much." It was said in such a matter of fact manner. As if doing such a thing was as common as sharing bread. That same anger coiled up within him. A black snake that refused to settle with the rest of his store.

"You are no naga. No kivren. Geckan have poisonous darts, not their own spines. What are you?"

 

[Nayella]

Nayella remained silent.

She had not noticed the mans magic, though that was perhaps because it did not effect her. Still, she observed closely, and made a mental note.

If she later had to fight Raigryn she would have to kill him swiftly, lest he do...whatever it was he was doing to this thing in front of her.

Fingers glowed. "Speak."

The Blight Witch commanded as the vines began to tighten.

 

[Rebecca Fourtuna]

Rebecca remained silent when the man asked the question.
She wanted to glare at the man but couldnt seem to feel anything..
Let alone feeling strong enough emotion to glare.
He had taken from her, raped her mind leaving her feeling empty and violated.

Yet he spoke of it as casually as if they were discussing weather.

"Speak."
She heard the witch speak as the vines began to tighten. Her bones began to groan as they began to splinter. The vines wrapping around her neck began to choke her causing her to wheeze as she choked out an answer.

"I-I d-dont know w-what I'am.." She gasped out with a pained whimper..

 

[Peripta]

A knife stuck into one of the trees near the witch, the blade almost an inch and a quarter into the soft wood, quivering slightly from the impact.

Directly across from the projectile, but still camouflaged against the tree, was Peripta, if they detected him. His back was to the aged willow, accomplishing the audacious feet of standing on water (audacious to them, commonplace to him), while holding another dagger in his other hand.

“I find that interrogation by force rarely gets you honest answers,” the Kivren spoke, his voice bearing a subtle warble to its tone, as if it were being spoken underwater, “a scared person isn’t liable to give accurate information. Only whatever they think you want.”

He stepped away from the tree, now definitely revealing himself as he took a few steps forward across the water. “I’m sure we can all agree, that this would go along more smoothly if we didn’t strangle each other for information.”

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

"Now that is a kivren," Raigryn said. There was almost a hint of humour in his voice, but that could not be true given the situation. The empath had turned in the direction of the newcomer. He let the tip of his bastard sword touch the mud. The gesture looked less aggressive, but he wanted his left hand free to help focus his magic if he needed to defend them from another missile.

"I think we can also agree that letting this one free after she murdered half our party in the blink of an eye would be a singularly terrible idea. So where does that leave us?" he asked. Raigryn knew where it left them. Back to the solution the witch had proposed.

He had not survived so long by taking rash action, however. The strange venomous creature was restrained for now so his focus was on the kivren.

 

[Nayella]

Nayella was starting to get annoyed.

Creatures were lurking within these swamps, beings that she had neither seen nor detected before. The idea that something was lurking beyond the pale, that just around the corner something else could creep up unnerved her.

She did not like being caught unaware. "Perhaps it speaks the truth."

Nayella said as she curled a finger, the vines tightening for just a brief second...before they released just slightly. The creature would still be bound, but no longer struggle for breath. The Blight Witch was not foolish enough to allow the creature much wiggle room.

"What are you?" She asked the Kivren now, prompting him with a glare of annoyance.

 

[Peripta]

“As your companion noted. I am a child of Kiva, a Kivren, as you are apt to call us,” Peripta answered, stepping of the choking mud and onto a nearby tree root, aptly balancing on the gnarled wood. “Unlike what your companion must think of me, I don’t intend to harm you for simply being born upon land.”

He leaned against the tree, eyes tracking between the witch, the sea captain, and their captive. An oddball of very different individuals, and he was only making it stranger.

“As for your question, captain,” the Kivren continued, shifting their gaze to meet the man, “I suspect our answer lies entirely on what your captive is capable of doing. If I had to guess, not much, given she’s hardly resisting your associates bonds.”

 

[Rebecca Fourtuna]

Rebecca choked as the vines tightened for a moment watching the witches cold eyes meet her's.
There was no mercy in them.
If she could have felt any emotion to begin with fear would have encased her heart.

They then loosened.

Not too loose or positioned all that differently, but she was no longer laboring for air.
Rebecca's mind felt shattered and empty.
She barely acknowledged the new arrival because she didn't much care he was there.
Let alone did she much care about anything else..
Nothing mattered...
She simply hung her head and waited for either another question or the witch to tire of her and end her life.

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

"Why did you attack us and will you attack us again if we let you free?" Raigryn asked simply.

He could not use his abilities to discern if someone was telling the truth, but he could build a picture of the emotional resonance behind the words spoken. Raigryn was no captain, but neither he or the surviving soldiers thought to correct the kivren. With everything that had happened so far trying to establish the chain of command of the humans present seemed rather far down the list of priorities.