Left to Die? (Green_Jay)

[Tassadar]

Spoiler

Serielle Westhaven: HP = 62, PP = 42, EP = 78, Status = Fine

Alone. All alone, everything she had ever had lost to her. Her home, her possessions, and her title gone, all lost to the invaders from the sky. Her people had tolerated her, for a time, but even her most loyal servants had come to resent Serielle for her arrogance and uselessness, and they had today abandoned her by choice. Her only possessions left being the ragged clothes on her back, a roughly carved stick, and a small knife, the former noblewoman had been left to fend for herself in the exceedingly dangerous Pfitherian jungle, the deadly barrier separating the Badarian Empire and the more civilized portions of the Amazon that was filled with deadly creatures and dangerous environments that her "tribe" had barely survived in after they had been forced to flee into it.

After spending a portion of her fury upon her surroundings in the form of her recently activated powers, however, Serielle was confronted with the choice of what she would do with herself. Alone and with no supplies, she would have to figure out how to live to see the next day by her own wits and what little survival skills she had come to possess. She was in the jungle, where she'd been left, and with no discernible landmarks visible from her present position by which she could navigate, and thus she would have little to go on to pick her current situation.

She knew, at least, that to the East was dangerous, for they had come from there. Raptors patrolled the area in packs, deadly and hungry predators that had left them alone while they were in a group but would have no qualms about going after a lone woman. To the West was the deeper jungle, and the unknown, for they had avoided going there. Straight south had been the original direction that they had been going, towards the road leading West to the Ironrose Monastery, but it was easily possible that her people had gone another route instead to lose her, as she lacked the ability to follow even the most simple tracks. North, the direction they had come from originally, had a small lake connecting to a river system that spread across the Amazon, where they had traded with some trading boats for food, but that would mean having to deal with people, which could lead to its own set of dangers given the unscrupulous characters who often traveled the waterways on such vessels. There was also no guarantee that anyone would be around, of course, but that at least would mean finding (relatively) clean water from the lake.

 

[Green_Jay]

Re: Left to Die? (Green_Jay)

The nerve of them... the nerve of ALL of them! Didn't they know that without her, they were NOTHING? Who was going to take them seriously? Who was going to be their voice, the one who carried the burden of being the last beacon of the old ways? There wasn't another of them like her among them- why, without her, they were just going to wander the jungle like a pack of herd animals for the rest of their lives, not even dreaming of trying to regain what they used to be!

If they didn't want her around, well, fine- they could swing from the trees, for all she cared! Every single one of them could just honestly find themselves ending up stranded in the woods, just like she was- in fact, if this was how her fellow humans were going to treat her, well... maybe she'd just let them go on their merry way and prove that she didn't need them, it was them- the ones who were no doubt scrabbling around in the dirt, looking for a berry or chunk of fruit that one of the local animals dropped- that needed the bastion of order and gracefulness, not to mention nobility- that was Serielle Westhaven.

Oh, they would come scrambling back soon enough- but it would be entirely too late. After all, once she'd done well for herself, she would watch as they asked, pleaded, maybe even begged for her to come back to them- and she would give them that smile of hers; the one that had launched a thousand hearts- and then shattered them, like a pane of glass falling to the ground... and refuse.

But first things first... she needed to find her way out of here. She'd never bothered to learn how to tell where others were going- after all, someone had always been showing her the way- and what need did she have for getting down in the dirt when others had gladly done it for her? At least she knew how to tell directions, though...

Heading east involved facing packs of raptors- that would be out of the question. They'd never approached the tribe as a whle, and honestly, she would not stand a chance even against one of them, she assumed. Suffice to say, they would not be getting the chance to dine upon her, if she could help it. South? That's where her tribe had gone- no sense heading that way. The last thing she wanted to see was them right now, anyways. That left north- towards the lake- and west, into the great unknown. They'd always avoided heading west, for some reason, but she never bothered learning just why.

North would at least promise water, but it would also mean dealing with people- and she wasn't in a mood to trust anyone currently. Besides, she wasn't that thirsty... yet. Not to mention that sooner or later, she knew she'd stumble across a stream or river- and flowing water was always better to drink than standing- or at least that's what the young explorer she'd found smitten with her had told her- obviously in an attempt to impress her with his knowledge.

So she decided to compromise- she'd head west, keeping an eye out for water. River water would be a step down from what she usually drank, but it would be better than other things. And this was a forest- there had to be fruit growing somewhere, right? She'd just grab some if she saw it.

With that settled, she took a deep breath, and slipped her knife into her pocket, remembering to point the handle upwards- it wouldn't do to slice up her fingers- and set out west, using the stick to knock aside leaves and brush as best she could. When her tribe saw her again, they'd never recognize her- she'd make certain of that.

Spoiler

Heading west. If thirst starts becoming a problem, we'll head northwest, and if it gets bad, head back towards the lake.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Left to Die? (Green_Jay)

Spoiler

Serielle Westhaven: HP = 62, PP = 42, EP = 78, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception: ???

Turning away from the section of the jungle that she knew to be infested with dangerous predators, away from where the people who had abandoned her had gone, and away from the only place where she knew she might have a good chance of running into other people, Serielle turned to the West. The unknown, toward the dark, mysterious heart of the Pfitherian Jungle, was the direction that she chose from her options, courageous or foolhardy or perhaps a bit of both.

Holding tight to her walking stick, Serielle journeyed forth into the unknown, all alone. The first bit of that journey was without any events of note, passing over a small stream in which she could get a few mouthfuls of water, and going by a bush that grew sour berries that she vaguely remembered being edible according to one of the people she had once traveled with. She had nothing to carry more of either precious resource with her, however, and neither offered enough sustenance for her to live off of.

Time was all but impossible to tell beneath the dense canopy of the jungle, the sun's journey across the sky blocked from view by the canopy, leaving the land shrouded in thin shadows save for the beams of daylight that broke through the barrier of trees to grace the earth with their caress. The light grew thinner and weaker the farther that Serielle journeyed onwards, and the trees grew shorter while the underbrush grew thicker. Her pace was slowed by the denser brush she was forced to push through, though her staff proved up to the task of clearing a path. Insects pestered her, mosquitoes mostly but occasionally larger flies or wasps, their buzzing loudened by their brief proximity and briefly drowning out the noises of the other creatures of the jungle.

As she pressed onwards, Serielle would occasionally think that she saw the movement of creatures larger than the birds and insects that she had grown used to, but whenever she turned to try and get a better look she would find herself looking only upon empty woods. The sightings would continue, brief glimpses of a humanoid figure out of the corner of her eye at best, and often only a flash of movement , but never anything solid. After a time, when the shafts of light breaking threw the canopy had adopted a golden tint and a longer angle, and thirst and hunger began to gnaw more pressingly than ever at Serielle, things would suddenly begin to grow strange.

The golden light spread, in tiny but just barely perceptible amounts, so that the jungle was no longer so oppressively dark. More movement occurred around her, less dramatic than before but more noticeable, and now Serielle would begin to see strange lights blink occasionally in and out of existence so quickly that they might have been imaginary had they not occurred so often. Whether she kept going, stood still, or even turned back, only a few moments later a soft giggle, coming unmistakably from a human voice, would emanate from a nearby bush for the span of a few heartbeats only to go silent again the moment that she looked at it.

Another few seconds later, and the distant echo of music would reach her ears as well, and Serielle would feel a natural pull toward it after listening for only a few moments. She would recognize the sound of a harp, though not the soft tune being played, but the sweetness of the sound was comforting in its own right. The music would guide her, if she let it, but the pull was not yet powerful enough to become a compulsion, and Serielle could try to move away from it instead.

 

[Green_Jay]

Re: Left to Die? (Green_Jay)

Berries and a few drips of water were not enough to fill her stomach- and not even near what she'd usually consider 'acceptable'- though it hadn't changed the fact that she'd eaten and drank as much as she could find or stomach, whichever came first. It still wasn't enough, though, as it still felt like her body wanted more, especially as she traveled on.

It became apparent that she needed to find another source of water, and soon- from what the heat, her own exertions, and the various insects that seemed to be after her blood. Her tribe ought to have left her a jar or something to carry water, she figured- did they expect her to do nothing but die, or come crawling back to them? They'd never find her- besides, there were others who would appreciate her. Others still respected the old ways, and all she had to do was find them- but that would mean resigning herself to contacting other humans again...

She pressed onward, pausing to push through foliage and smack various bloodsucking pests that seemed to do nothing but descend upon her body and treat it like their own buffet. The effort caused her to simply sweat more, and there was the occasional time when she just measured her progress by the next shady spot she could find to try and conserve her strength.

The combination of her slight level of dehydration, the heat, and her exertions had her focusing upon just the way forward, and as that became boring, she let her mind wander, thinking about what else she could possibly do- and how it had already confirmed what she had already known about herself: that she had known she was a special person, and the thought of the rest of her tribe falling on their faces when she demonstrated her powers put a spring in her step again.

Of course, by now she felt like she was being watched. There were several times she would half-heartedly jab her staff into the brush to try and knock something loose because she could have sworn there'd been something in there... but the giggling was just getting frustrating. Giggling meant something human, and human had to mean food and water. So her feet began to creep forward, wandering towards where she heard the voice.

That was when the music hit her ears. It was soft and soothing, and more importantly, it was a sign of some sort of civilization. That meant she could at least find something to eat and drink... maybe even a way to refresh herself.

But she wasn't going to let her guard down- if her own people were capable of dumping her in the forest, then she needed to be careful. She tried to remember what she'd done to ignite her hand, and if things went wrong, well... she'd seen what it could do to a tree. People were usually less sturdy than trees.

So she began to walk towards the song, a hopeful look upon her face as images flooded her mind- food to eat, something to drink, maybe even water to wash herself in, with actual soap...!

Spoiler

Heading towards the music. Keeping Starblade on standby but not activated.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Left to Die? (Green_Jay)

Spoiler

Serielle Westhaven: HP = 62, PP = 42, EP = 78, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Resistance: ???

The music seemed to grow louder and more defined as Serielle approached it, and the closer she drew the faster her feet seemed to carry her. The parasitic insects who had been hounding her so aggressively seemed to fall away as well, and a slight shift in the light towards dusk took place as she broke out into slightly thinner trees. She would see a clearing up ahead as she proceeded towards the source of the sound, and after a few moments she would step onto a path that was winding but obviously made by no wild animal.

Whatever caution that might inspire, Serielle would be drawn to carry on by the music's comforting melody and the call of her body's needs. Walking forward, a few moments later the clearing she had seen, her destination, would become more distinct, a large opening in the jungle canopy produced by a massive boulder, smooth of surface but with a handful of jagged angles seemingly perfectly crafted to allow one to climb it from any angle. She would not find the source of the sound that had drawn her until she finally stepped forward into the gold-lit glade, however, as she would look up towards the peak of the massive stone to spot a figure that appeared, at a glance, to be human.

A man sat at the top of the rock, on a small platform, his fingers carefully dancing across the strings of a harp. Her gaze was initially drawn by the angle from which she viewed the scene to the instrument through which he produced the alluring sound, at first appearing relatively primitive but on more determined inspection revealed to be as flawless a specimen of the rare instrument as she head ever seen, the bow carved perfectly from strong oak and inlaid with intricate carvings punctuated with raw gems and lines colored with polished bronze and silver. Such an item would have fetched a high price back home, at least before the acquisition of basic needs had made wealth, luxury, and beauty things of no importance to her people.

The player behind it, on top of working the string to produce the most beautiful, joyous music that Serielle had ever heard, a song that seemed to lift every weight from her heart all at once so long as she heard it, was by far the most handsomely featured man that she had ever laid eyes upon. His eyes were closed softly but fluttered beneath their lids as he played, his strong brow and chin combining to form noble features while his soft lips and the gentle lines on his face bespoke of a natural kindness. His chest was completely bare save for a bit of dark hair matching the long black plait that disappeared behind him, displaying a muscular body that might have been a marble sculpture of some masculine god or conquering hero from legend, carved by the greatest sculptors in Celesis or Badaria. His skin was lightly tanned, almost bronzed, and seemed to glow in the golden light that shined down upon him from the sun as it began its descent towards the mountains.

The beauty of the man and his harp, combined with the angle from which she viewed him, the glare of the setting sun, and his sitting - or perhaps more accurately kneeling - position ensured that Serielle didn't initially notice his inhuman features. Two short, curving horns that started just forward of his temples tapered into points ending just above the line of his hair, the black bony protrusions blending into his silky locks. Covered in a long brown smock, a few moment's gaze would reveal the thick hair, more accurately called fur, covering the figure's entirely inhuman lower half, jointed like those of a beast rather than a man and tipped in cloven hooves rather than feet.

The mysterious figure didn't seem to notice Serielle, and continued playing his music so long as she didn't interrupt him. There were plenty of spots where she could sit down and rest for a while, shaded from the heat of the sun, that would be at least as comfortable as any of the places she had been forced to stay in the wilds over the last two years, and here at least she would have the benefit of the strange man's music to entertain her. Over in the back, she could see a small, clear stream running at the edge of the glade, offering water and, courtesy of the orange tree leaning conveniently over it and the growth of blackberries sitting next to it, a bit of food as well.