NationStates Jolt Archive

+========Semi-OOC/Bear with me here, it's neccessary background========+

The Jungles of Novar Ohan are a wet, steaming mass of life and entropy, a green hell in every sense of the word. Only loosely a part of the Divine Imperium, they are populated primarily by primitive Melanesian tribesmen, who wander the jungle in tribes of various size.

In recent years, however, the Imperial Government has been trying to gain more control over the so-called 'Fifth Duchy'. Their external colonial ambitions cut short, they have taken a route similar to that of the Tsarist ancestors of most of their population, and directed their ambitions internally.

So far, two small towns have been built, and from these two settlements Imperial Control waxes unendingly. In theory. Since nomads are notoriously difficult to get on census rolls, the imperial government generally leaves well enough alone. One town is in the barrier mountains (BlackStone), and the other (Jungleton, near the centre of the 'duchy') is connected to BlackStone by the only road/trail/anything-remotely-similar in the jungle. Legionnares patrol the road constantly, but will not leave it. Ever. No matter what. Not even to help a fellow legionnare. A man could get eaten like that.

Most odd of all things about the jungles, though, are the ancient ruins to be found around the place. While some of them are currently being explored by members of the Imperial Guild of Geographers, Historians, and Explorers, the majority remain unknown. There are rumours that a few of the ruins have been siezed by the Imperial Military, and destroyed. But of course, these are only rumours...

the truth might be much stranger. Massive amounts of treasure and gold have been found in some ruins, so there are always treasure-hunters and fortune seekers wandering the jungles.

Of rather more interest to civilised people, of course, is the abundance of natural resources. Oil, fruits, lumber (well, actually, that one was obvious), and more can be found, a veritable profusion of money-making objects. The Imperial Government is actively encouraging foriegn investment in the jungle wastes.

+========Semi-IC/What you don't know, can kill you fast.=======+

Excerpts from Professor Montgomery's 'Wildlife of Novar Ohan'


[b]Aserix

The Aserix is a large feline. Shaped like a panther, its fur is black all over its body, and its green eyes can be frequently seen peering from the darkness. It rarely attacks humans, preferring instead to eat jabberwocks or smaller animals.

They have been known, however, to kill for fun. Be on your guard. Though I say that there is no animal that can't be frightened off with a loud, clear, tone of voice.

http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SwDtAnkXnI4Jr2bmGQEf8I9GNtf7vN3KYdBE!ss365Vtrt84KLqF7TNSM3O1Hpm6P0HaK1ahyWD*dSo2Y9k54vFn5WnTstk4Yca qvkgyyTvhlpgwdv5ltQ/wendigo_02.jpg
Roanian Wendigo
(Figmenticus Rex)
Oddly for such civilised and intelligent people, the Imperials dedicate much of their time to fending off creatures that does not exist. The Wendigo is a case in point. The Polizei maintain an entire action squad dedicated to investigating reports of this so-called creature.

When asked why, they claim that they are privy to knowledge foriegners do not know of. When it is pointed out that the so-called Wendigo has appeared in a variety of forms, and there is no ready agreement on its shape or method of killing, the natives invariably turn rather nasty. It's best not to discuss it.

The Polizei posts in each major city in the mountains or on the Jungle border maintain a list of the various forms the 'wendigo' has been known to take. If, at any time, you see something that even remotely resembles any of the forms, run. It won't save you, but it will give you something to do while you wait for death. But you won't see them. Because I, for one, do not believe they exist and intend to lead an expedition into the jungles to prove it once and for all.

Editor's Note: The good Doctor disappeared in the jungles a year after finishing his book. The survivor of his expedition has been surprisingly close-mouthed, but he did mention an animal which fits the picture we have placed to the top of this article. The Imperial Touristry Board advises us that there is no such thing as the wendigo, and encourages people to come and look for themselves.

http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SwDVAsoXvqLPhBE6zBln50aJzrslWXFDABNX2vL3Wydz4Ks!Ap2re2tn5I4ARUY8HEQdVmalf9rXs6g02sIRGdZpl0*UTy2MPpZ dZXo7M6BI9m9mEv8g9w/chupacabra.gif
Jabberwock

It is unknown why this beast is called the Jabberwock by the tribes people. It is a large, sloth-like, animal, which preys almost exclusively on the tarsiers and capuchin monkeys which call the jungles home. It is claimed that this beast will steal children when it can, to devour voraciously. This photograph was taken at no little risk, and it is imperfect. The Imperial Ministry dedicated to administration of the jungles has said it will take no responsibility for people who do not take adequate safety precautions, and parents are advised to leave their children at home.

The Jabberwock's cry is a distinctly loud shriek, and its movement is a loping stride. It is most active at night.

Lake Dweller

Lake Dwellers are a strange and rare species of snake. The largest reptiles on the planet, reports have arisen of them displaying almost human intelligence. They spend most of their time in the water, but will rise to attack something they doubt can fight back succesfully. The largest on record was nearly three metres long.

Scientists call them snakes, but they do not react well to attempts to catch them, and thus the belief is still common that it might just be a large amphibian. They often have precious stones in their stomachs, according to hunters.

+========In Character/Still with me? Good! Here we go!========+

The sun rose over the treebranches, revealing the thick covering of rain that had fallen in the night. Government offices in Jungleton opened a few hours later, as the Jungleton clock rang and Imperial Legionairres changed watches on the town-walls.

The small communities one hotel also started to serve breakfast. In the jungle, life began to stir, and the daily business of the jungles got underway.

In the hustle and bustle of energy, no one noticed a single man wandering outside the paths of the tribe. He was gathering wood for the white-men-from-beyond-the-great-rock, and he had no time to pay attention to his surroundings. Until he looked up, and saw, all around him, hundreds of ravens. Sitting there. Just staring at him.

His body was found, a little later. His frail body looked to have been punctured by hundreds of daggers.

In the jungle heat and moisture, a green mold had already started to cover him.

OOC: Right, that's it from me for right now. Start your rping! You can start anywhere, and doing anything (within limits) that you please. No, I won't be making any more posts larger than the Constitution of the United States, before you ask.

[Tag for later, real post.]

[Oh, and fix that quote tag, thwap!]

[Tag for later, real post.]

[Oh, and fix that quote tag, thwap!]

((SIR, YES SIR!))

[Tag for later real post. Anyone else going to try and find the Wendigo?]

Tepak could taste the pungent, musky scent of the Jabberwock as it quietly made its way through the upper canopy of branches, hundreds of feet above the jungle floor. He tracked his prey with stealth, downwind to mask his own odor. Tepak had been following this huge beast for almost 2 full days, stopping only to refill his waterskin and take a quick bite of his hardtack. This particular Jabberwock was a fully-mature male, weighing upwards of 500 lbs, most of it pure muscle, and equipped with razor-sharp claws and foot-long fangs. Known by the tribe as the “Ender of Dreams”, the Jabberwock was a reluctant, but deadly adversary.

Tepak took no pleasure in this hunt: in fact, he and his tribe lived a very harmonius life with the other denizens of the Novar Ohan jungle, but this time he truly had no choice: the Jabberwock had gone rogue, and was responsible for the death of his young cousin Tepan just a few days ago. Tepak fought back his sorrow at the thought of her, and focused on the resolute anger that flowed through him, giving him new strength. Though he could barely see his prey through the spider-web of branches above him, he knew exactly where the Jabberwock was. Tepaks people, the Onuhan, were born with the empathic ability to communicate with all the creatures that inhabited this planet. This telepathic gift was mild in most, but every generation produced a least one tribe-member whose powers were considerably more powerful.

Tepak eclipsed them all.

The Jabberwock began to settle into the branches, and Tepak sensed that it was drowsy, and ready to nest. His opportunity was NOW, and the young tribesman sent an image of peace and safety to the beast’s primitive mind. Quickly, the Jabberwock began to snuffle loudly, deep in a primordial sleep. Tepak carefully notched an arrow on his bramblewood bow, and in one swift movement, pulled and fired the arrow confidently into the air, though he could not see the intended target. His senses guided his aim, and his aim was true. Seconds later, the mortally wounded Jabberwock crashed to the ground, bleeding out at Tepak’s feet. The beast was still alive, barely, and Tepak could feel it’s confusion and growing fear, even as its life force began to fade. With a tear in his eye, Tepak unsheathed his daru, and in one merciful slash, ended the Jabberwocks life before the pain truly began.

Tepak spent the next few hours cleaning the carcass, preserving the fur and internal organs for later use by the tribe, and sang the Sparksong to celebrate the life of the ill-fated beast. He cupped his hand in the still-flowing blood, and drank deep of the hot, crimson liquid. He spoke the words that would help guide the Jabberwocks spirit to the after-world, bowed deeply, and began his long trek back to the valley of the Onuhan. He settled into a loping stride, and sped towards his village. Very quickly, his sadness was replaced by anticipation, for tomorrow was his Bandulai, the biggest day in a young Onuhans life. This was the day the tribe celebrated the coming of his manhood, and a feast was being prepared in his honor. The next 24 hours would be filled with a bountiful feast, music, laughter, dancing…and Daria. The thought of the beautiful young tribeswoman caused Tepak to smile, and run even faster. Surely this would be a night to remember!

TAG for later posting...

:Bump:

Gawdly, that assuaged my concerns. Very good post! I'll respond after I'm certain everyone found this thread.

The small communities one hotel also started to serve breakfast. In the jungle, life began to stir, and the daily business of the jungles got underway.

The first member of the team that was awake, Jack Tanner decided he wasn't going to wait for the rest of them to get up before eating. He closed the door quietly to let the rest of them rest.

He walked down to the dining room and sat down. Might as well enjoy one more decent meal before going out into the jungle. They'd heard stories of cities in the jungle, gems just sitting for the taking. He didn't know if they were true or not, but if there were... he could finally get out of this business. Maybe settle down and start a family.

He looked up at the waitress, "Yeah, I'll have the bacon, pancakes, scrambled eggs and grits." He looked back to the rest of the people in the room, and past the windows as the town started to bustle for the day.

((Nice post, Gawdly, I like the idea of a tribesman being controlled by a player. I'd also like to make the note that one of my main characters swears more than a boatload of sailors, so expect him to spout off at least a few times like he did in Roania's preceeding story to this one. Just fair warning. And there is no relation between the Cyberutopian Black family and the Roanian Black family. Or is there? *dun dun dunnn*))

Roy Black's eyes flashed with gold as he read over the official government notes on the Jungles of Novar Ohan.

'Scary beasties...hey, Wendigoes, I remember those sons of bitches. Hmmm, gold. Gold is good, these jungles are sounding a lot better than they're made out to be.' The Hunt Marshal thought, grinning to himself in his dimly lit cottage on the outskirts of the Crags. 'Should be fun, lots of things to hunt, and maybe I'll get lucky and stumble on something interesting. Hopefully something interestingly worth a lot of money.

The hunter glanced at the bottom of the notes. Råyven's approval was added at the bottom, along with a small note:

Roy, if you even think you're going to get me to come with you on this, buck off!

His grin broadened. 'Hrm, and I should nag Ray to come too. Yes, this could be fun indeed.'

He keyed in Råyven's personal desk number into the telescreen, and her soft face, currently marred by annoyance, came on screen.

"How did you get this num...oh...hi Roy. What's up?" She asked him, pushing a smile onto her face and anticipating his next words.

Roy held up the notes, the title clearly reading Jungles of Novar Ohan for her to see. "Hiya sis. Guess where I'm going, and who I'm taking with me."

Ray's smile faded into an exasperated frown. "Didn't you even read the note? I told you, if you called me about this..."

"Note? What note?" Roy's grin transformed into a smirk. "There's no note. And besides, your note actually said that if I even think about calling you...oh crap."

Now it was Ray's turn to smirk. "Gotcha."

Roy rolled his eyes. "God Ray, why won't you ever let me expose you to a little fun? You're always working, and it takes a toll."

"Fun? There's all sorts of creatures that'd eat me in that jungle." The Chairwoman retorted.

"Oh c'mon, the name 'Wendigo' practically screams 'fun filled vacation.'" The Hunt Marshal pleaded.

"There are no such things as Wendigos." Ray said, leaning closer to the screen.

"Are too, I saw one. And don't change the subject. Just come with me for once, blow off some steam, and if it doesn't work out for you, I'll never ask again." Roy said, truely dead set on getting her out of that stuffy office.

Råyven chuckled and let out a sigh. "Well...alright. I'm not going to enjoy it, but I guess there's no harm. See you at the airport."

"Right." Roy responded with a contented smile, clicking off the telescreen and getting up to gather his equipment.

Back in the office of the Chairwoman for the Committee of External Affairs, Råyven Black laughed in realization.

"'No harm in it'? I'm going into an unexplored Roanian Jungle with who knows how many ravenous creatures waiting for me. That boy is getting such a talking-to later. Hopefully not while we're suspended above a pot of boiling oil or cornered by an Aserix." She giggled at herself, while packing for the trip.

She hefted a long barreled hunting rifle after pondering about it for a moment, and slung it over her back while she walked out.

---

Several hours later, the pair stepped off of a skimmer shuttle at the closest airport to the jungles, and looked around.

"What now, hunter boy?" Råyven remarked, smirking at Roy.

"Um, to the jungles?" He said, feeling his face go red. "It's been a while since I've been in Roania, ok? We should probably find some of the others going into the jungle first, I wouldn't want to go in there alone."

"You're in charge here, little brother." The young woman said, looking around them.

Roy felt the sting of the comment and responded grudgingly. "Right."

The wind hissed and roared through the jungle, making trees bend as it passed. As it blew past Roy, it was almost as if it spoke to him, saying in a voice that was horribly familiar...

All that was, all that is... shall belong to me...

But it was just for one second. And of course, wind doesn't talk.

===========

The waitress was old, cynical, and not someone happy about this latest posting. She silently brought Jack what he had ordered, and walked off to find some place to smoke her cigarette.

A little monkey wandered inside the bar, looking around for something to eat.

===========

As Tepak ran, the life of the jungle enfolded around him. Distant roars and loud grunts could be heard, as well as more artificial sounds like distant drums. Ancient trails went past him, their lengths untravelled by human feet, possibly ever in their history.

Ancient ruins, of impossible geometry, loomed out of the shadows. The tribesmen had no word for, or concept of, euclidean geometry or the lack of. But they could recognise architecture that was un-natural. And these ruins were wrong.

The addled professor awoke with the first light of dawn streaming into his window. He stuttered, looking around confusedly for a few minutes before remember that he was in Blackstone. Ah, yes, Blackstone. Good, good. Very good. Quite good even. He wandered over to the small desk in his room, opening up his laptop and powering it up. Connecting to his university account via sat-phone took only a few moments, and he sent what would be his last update for awhile to the dean.

[code:1:bc4d1d6524]I've arrived in Blackstone, and will be beginning my search for the Lost Ruins of Amon-Kha. The local cartographers are drunkards and louts, and are busy searching more... mundane places. My only fear is that the superstitious imperial guards have razed it. They seem to rather like doing such things. I shall give a full report on my return.[/code:1:bc4d1d6524]

Closing the laptop, he meandered over to his backpack, checking his supplies to be sure he was ready. Let's see... change of clothes, soap, food, recorder, bug spray... He checked, and double-checked his list before slinging the back onto his back, grabbing his walking stick and heading down to the lobby.

He blanches slightly at the giant native that was waiting for him. "Um... er... T'lnok?"

The native nodded, speaking broken English, "I am... Professor."

Prof. Moran smiled, nodding to himself in the standard manner of a stereotypical addled professor, "Good, good. Yes, you'll do nicely." He grinned happily, "Don't suppose you know the exact location of..." his smile faded as the native shook his head, "...no, didn't think so. Right. Well, then, let's go, shall we?"

The oddly coupled explorers set out from the hotel, quickly heading for the jungle. The short professor Moran following the near-gigantic T'lnok. Thoughts floated about in Moran's mind about the wisdom of not taking a horde of loinclothed warriors, but he was sure T'lnok would suffice. And, if not, well... the professor had grown up in the Warrens. He might be old and addled, but he certainly knew how to use a gun.

((Where is Roy in relation to the jungle? I just stated he landed the skimmer shuttle at the closest airport to the jungle, and I realized I have no idea where that is.))

"Raven." Roy growled at the quickly retreating wind, his frown sinking deeper.

"What?" Ray asked, looking over at her brother.

"Not you," the hunter said, shaking his head, "the other Raven. The one who tried to kill everybody the last time I was in Roania. He's back, and he hasn't lost the capability to confuse me on a ridiculous scale."

"I thought you said he imploded or something." She said, in a bored voice as if they had gone over this before. "And there's no way someone or something like that could have controlled nature. Nothing can control nature like you described."

"Ah, but sis..." Roy retorted, checking his weapons, "...you've never been to Roania. And it is one screwed up place."

"Well, how did you hear him?" Råyven asked.

"Wind." Roy responded, realizing how stupid that sounded.

"I hope you realize how stupid that sounded." Ray remarked dryly.

"Look, just because you're my older sister doesn't mean you have superiority over me. This is my environment, not yours." Roy fumed.

"Ok, you're right there. Lead on." Ray returned humbly.

Roy sighed. "This is not what I had in mind...let's take a look around, I wonder if any of the others from the last trek into this hellhole have returned."

Råyven nodded her consent and the two began a leisurely walk around the city, stopping to stock up on food, water, and other necessities. Ray was sure to catch some glances, she was clothed in a tight tactical bodysuit that was a second skin to her body, and displayed her curves nicely. Roy was dressed in his usual outfit, but he had learned from his first encounter with Raven's little "pets" and now donned ultra-light carbon nanofiber armor, which he had dyed a firey crimson. His signature hand held flamethrower was slung over his back, and two oversized holsters held a pair of grenade pistols with a flashlight attachment, and a 9mm pistol barrel was grafted into it. His usual cloak was stashed in the skimmer they used to get here, the jungles simply being way too hot for a cloak.

As the miles melted away beneath his feet, Tepak let his mind wander freely through the memories of the recent past, and tried desperately to make sense of all that had transpired. His life had been the life that any Onuhan would live: growing up in a hidden valley in the Novar Ohan wilds, spending his childhood days with his extended family, climbing the giant bramble trees that shielded the valley from prying eyes, learning the lore and ways of the tribe, hunting with his brothers and more recently, exploring the strange paths of youngling love with Daria…in his mind, it was the perfect life, and the only world he would ever know.

But the jungle was restless these days, as if before the coming of a storm, and strange portents had begun to appear. None of the Elders of the Onuhan could understand why their crops had withered and died, or why three of the last babies born to the tribe were stillborn. Flocks of black-winged birds of a type unknown to even the Shaman, had been seen gathering near the settlements where the Others dwelt. The “Others” was the name the Onuhan had given to the outworlders who had built Blackstone, and the tribe avoided any contact with them. Then, tragedy had struck when the rogue Jabberwock had taken the life of his young and innocent cousin.

To top it all off, all this was happening on the eve of his Bandulai, an event he had been waiting for his whole life. Tepak had prepared himself well over the last few years, and he felt ready, and even eager, to embark on his own personal spirit quest. With all the uncertainty of the past few weeks, Tepak felt uneasy about leaving his tribe at this time. His honor demanded that his place was with them, to help them through whatever was to come. In the end, he had no choice: the Shaman had declared that this was Tepak’s time, and nothing could change what destiny had decided.

Night had begun to wend its way through leafy undergrowth, and despite the increasing darkness, Tepak didn’t break a stride. He could see quite well in the dark, as could the rest of the Onuhan. Most of the animals they used as a food source were nocturnal, and the jungle was naturally dark, so over many generations the Onuhan had developed a very effective night-vision. Coupled with their low-level telepathic skills, the Onuhan could see as well in the dark as they could in the light of day. Tepak had been running at a steady gait for well over 18 hours, so he decided that he would go to ground for the night, and resume his journey in the coming dawn. His village was still a day’s run away, and a few hours of rest would serve him well on the long run home.

He glanced around his immediate surroundings, searching for a shelter that would provide some protection from the elements, as well as safety from the dangerous beasts that prowled in the night. A heavy rain had begun to fall, and a thick mist covered the jungle floor. In the distance, Tepak saw what appeared to be a dense concentration of large trees and quickly ran towards it, knowing that they would provide a covering to keep him dry. As he got closer, he began to realize that the trees were actually huge stones and rocks, arranged in a way that told him that this was not a natural formation. He approached cautiously, curiousity and fear of the unknown fighting a battle within him. Suddenly, the sky opened up with a roar, unleashing a wall of cold, driving rain, and Tepak scrambled for the shelter of the unknown, nature deciding his immediate future.

Imperial Guards watched as the Professor and his large servant marched down the carefully cut path to the jungle. One of them turned to a companionn. "Who's that fool?" He asked, resting his rifle against a tree-stump. "Whoever he is, he's a brave man... for an outlander."

"Professor Moran... his papers check out," the captain answered, as he stepped from the guard post. "He's from some University or something, in Most Glorious Hack...and pick that gun up, soldier!"

The man grabbed the gun up, quickly, and gave a sharp Imperial Salute. "Apologies, Sir!...might I ask if we know what he's looking for?"

"I don't know, some ruin or other. He's a lot more polite than the Guildmen we get here, though he made a curious yelping sound when I mentioned that we occasionally demolished the ruins." The captain left the reason for the demolition unsaid...some news spread through the military, and there was no need to allude to it in a civilian encampment.

The jungle pressed around the professor and his bearer as they stepped off the trail and into the unknown... a sensation of being watched took over them. Occasionally, ancient ruins reered up from the jungle floor, and T'nolk looked around nervously.

Once or twice, unusual signs of discoloured vegetation would appear, such as bleached grass or trees of a hue un-named. When these appeared, the large native stopped, in his tracks, and said a small prayer in his native tongue.

===============

((Nearest Airport is in Jungleton...you're in the heart of Raven's new demesnes.))

As Roy and his sister wandered into the jungle, a strange sensation of being watched constantly followed them. Shadows briefly held strange glimmers, and there was an occasional sound of feet quickly following them. Occasionally, on the ground, the ruins of an ancient road were seen, the tiles shaped like stars and in their clean nature seemingly more frightening then the jungle around them. But Ray and Roy were here to hunt, not to look at interesting parts of the landscape. And clean or not, the road was dead.

And the hunt was soon to begin...

===============

Tepak reached the dry ruins, quite safely. Occasional signs of an Aserix living within could be seen, but the last traces were more than two weeks old. The young native could see within the ruins, and could see an ancient tunnel leading further within the building.

A chill wind occasionally blew from the tunnel, but if the young native bunched himself up in the corner, he would be able to sleep a quite sound sleep. And what dreams he might be able to speak of...

===============

The small monkey leapt up onto Jack's table, and regarded his food with interest. It leapt forward, trying to grab one of the grits.

The small monkey leapt up onto Jack's table, and regarded his food with interest. It leapt forward, trying to grab one of the grits.

Jack chuckled as the monkey jumped up on the table and grabbed for a handful of grits.

"Someone's a little hungrier than I am," he smiled as he put the bowl on one side of the table and watched the monkey hop over and start eating.

"That's hard to believe," a woman's voice said from behind him. "You making new friends already Jack?"

"Of course, Cara. You know me, somebody's got to make friends for our group. God knows I can't depend on you guys to do it."

Cara's tall, lanky form sat down across the table from Jack. She looked at him with green eyes from behind the mess of sandy brown hair popping out of her cap.

"And you didn't think to order anything for us?" she asked taking a piece of his bacon.

"Well, to be honest, I was hoping to order, eat and get in the Range Rover and get a day's head start on you for the treasure."

"Ha ha, very funny."

Two more men sat down at the table and the three quickly ordered some coffee and breakfast.

"So we need to get a move on today Jack," Henry Jones said, as he looked at the monkey curiously.

"Right," Jack said, "We'll finish up here, grab the Range Rover and our gear and get outta here."

The team watched as the sun grew a little higher in the sky, quickly finishing breakfast, Jack stood up and found the monkey attached to his sleeve. "Hey, looks like I've got a new pal." he said as he put the monkey on his shoulder. "I'll go get our ride and pay for the rooms, you guys pay for the grub."

The woman at the counter looked at Jack askance. "Mr. Tanner, am I correct in assuming that you intend to drive a range-rover into the jungle?"

"Yes ma'am, that's the general idea, unless we'll be breaking some kind of environmental safety laws," Jack smiled as he paid for the rooms.

"Well...there is not really a road...or a trail...or anything like that, really..." She said. "But, your decision." She looked at the monkey. "Why do you have a monkey?"

The monkey was curled up on Jack's shoulder, seemingly asleep.

"Well, that's why we figured on the Range Rover, strong enough to off-road with, plus a winch on the front to pull ourselves out of any mudpits with," Jack replied.

"The monkey? Well, he kinda found me in the dining room, I guess the little guy was hungry," Jack said as he looked at it on his shoulder.

“Damn it!”

Shaking the clock, the young woman looked at the stilled hands, they were pointing to three fifteen, but the light streaming through the window indicated the hour was later than that. Jumping out of the bed, she grabbed around for her watched, finally grabbing it from the bedside table.

“Sh*t!”

It was worse than she suspected. She did the strap up around her wrist, as she rummaged around for her clothes, as she rushed around trying to get her stuff organised. Almost tripping as she placed a foot into her slacks, she muttered to herself, suddenly realising how foolish it was to study late into the night. She ran her hands through her hair, pulling her untidy dusty blonde hair into a band, before throwing some things into her bag. A quick glance inside ascertaining that she had all she needed.

Another look at her watch, as she shook her head. The Professor had given a time that they were to leave, and she had managed to sleep right up to it. Pushing her feet quickly into her boots, she dashed out of the door, laces trailing as she ran.

* * * * *

Running all the way from the hotel to the meeting spot, Tara arrived at the place slightly out of breath, her mouth drying as she rapidly breathed in the humid air. She looked around as she bent over, trying to catch her breath, knowing that he couldn’t be too far ahead. Quickly tying her shoelaces, she pulled her bag snugly onto her back, and continued up the path.

Several minutes later, she spotted the familiar appearance of her former Professor. “Professor Moran!” She managed to find a little breath to let out a raspy cry, as she continued to catch up with him and his guide. “Professor, I’m sorry I’m late.” She gulped in some more air. “Stupid alarm.” She smiled at the guide as she brushed some loose strands of hair from her eyes. “I’m Tara Craven, grad-student. Learnt everything I know from Prof.” She rambled.

Falling silent, she gathered herself together, trying to put on a look of order. She ran her tongue over her dry lips, as she took a moment to look around her surroundings, suddenly wondering what possessed her to pester the Professor to allow her to accompany him.

In the damp gloom of the ancient shelter, Tepak shook himself, removing the excess rain from his glistening body. The sound of the raging storm outside the cave-like structure was muted, and the young tribesman listened intently to his surroundings while he withdrew a flint-stone and some dry kindling from his hunting bag. As he set about the business of starting a fire, Tepak used his empathic communication abilities to tap into the minds of the creatures that were sure to be found close by, in hopes of learning more about the place he now found himself in. He was shocked to find that there were no beast-thoughts to touch…in fact, there seemed to be a complete dead-zone around him, and he sensed no other living being anywhere in his vicinity.

This frightened Tepak more than he’d ever been frightened before, because since birth there had always been the chatter of all the jungle denizens floating in the back of his mind. Now, there was more than just silence… there was a VOID.

As the fire flared into a smoky stability, Tepak looked around his shelter. It was obvious that this was not a natural formation he found himself in, and he noticed that there were strange markings on the walls, as well as some curious objects scattered on the floor. He gathered the various items he found, and piled them together. In one corner, he noticed the spoor of an Aserix, but it was old and stale, and Tepak knew that the fearsome beast was long removed from this place.

As the light from the fire began to warm the dampness from his bones, Tepak settled back on his haunches, took a bite of hardtack and slowly started to look through the stack of items he had discovered. Most of it was assorted bits and pieces of broken pottery, but there was also an arrowhead which looked like it came from the Konkali tribe of the Northlands, some bones (animal and human) and an item that he had no word or concept for. It was a small thing, shiny and made of a similar material as his daru. The “daru” was a curved blade about 14 inches long, and passed down from generation to generation. It was the only metal that the Onuhan tribe had ever encountered, and no one knew the origin of how these mystical blades had come to pass, except for the Shaman…and he would only share this secret with whoever would become the next Shaman.

As Tepak turned the object around in his hands, he poked the bumps and protuberances gingerly. Suddenly, there was a small “click”, and the item made a whirring sound as a green light began to blink. Tepak dropped the thing as if he had been burned, stepped back and unsheathed his daru. He watched apprehensively as the device continued to make weird sounds, then just as suddenly, stop. After a moment, he approached it cautiously, fear and curiousity once again fighting a difficult war within him. He reached out and prodded the slim metal object with his daru, and when nothing untoward happened, he took another step closer. It was then that Tepak’s world came crashing down about him: the alien object was ALIVE!

The shiny metal box spoke, “ Personal Log, 1st Sgt. Daniel Logann, Alpha 2 clearance. If you are listening to this message, then I am probably dead, and the mission a failure. Only 3 of us left now, including the Professor. Private Vellera died yesterday, and all because Montgomery thought he could scare off an Aserix by flapping his skinny arms and yelling at it! That old fool is responsible for the deaths of Vellera and the rest of the team, and if by some chance we get out of this hell-hole alive, then the information on this data recorder should be sufficient to bring him to justice, and shut down the Titan Project once and for all. Give this tape to Roy Black: he’ll know what to do. Either way, the Prof has been missing since last night, and no man can survive alone and unarmed in this jungle…God willing, justice will be served. Please…tell my wife and boy that…I love them.” With that, the voice stopped, the green light disappeared and the box became lifeless once again.

Tepak was in shock: his mind had no words or concepts to describe the technology he had just witnessed, nor did he understand the jabbering sounds that he had heard…but the TONE of the voice was clear enough, and he had felt the anger and sadness without knowing the meaning of the words. Tepak realized that the Shaman needed to see this, and may even have an explanation of what this totem might mean. Cutting a piece of Jabberwock hide from his hunting bag, he used the skin to wrap the strange object completely. After putting it in a corner, as far away from him as possible, Tepak settled in front of the fire and slowly fell into a light and fitful sleep. His dreams were filled with fire and screams, and the morning took a long time to arrive.

Roy remembered the overbearing feeling of being watched he had his first trip into the Roanian wilderness, and shook his head to clear it.

"They're just illusions, but the sensation often heralds some malice spurred on by Raven." The hunter whispered over to his sister, who had noticed the feeling too.

She looked up through a hole in the canopy. "There's rain several miles off, looks serious."

"Good, we can get there at little after it's stopped, and catch some prey before it's had the chance to move on." Roy said, his spirits lifted by this news.

An aserix's low growl could be heard behind Roy. Unlike the Dire Wolves, aserixes can not bite through steel. However, they can crush bone and flesh very, very easily...

also, in the shadows of their jungle home, the black cats are rendered nearly invisible.

============

The sleeping native was, in his dreams, thrust to a dark void. In the middle of this void a man, blacker than the night, stood. Tepack could not see his expression, but he could tell that the man hated him, hated his people, hated everyone beyond what was possible.

In this endless void, the man suddenly looked up, and into Tepack's own eyes. The man's eyes glowed green, a sickly colour, one unknown to nature. The dreaming man could hear, somehow, the words All that was, all that is...shall belong to me... curse him...the hunter...

The dark man reached out for Tepack, but then there was a sundering. The image became interposed with one of a strange machine, and the outlanders in their curious uniforms, staring at it. One of them yelled, in a language Tepack couldn't understand, Success! Titan works! We can...

Then Tepack was torn from that scene, and his other dreams sent him to places beyond mortal understanding, to places horrible beyond description. Beyond the worlds he knew, beyond the worlds any knew...

==============

The woman nodded to Jack, and then took his money. "Well, have a profitable trip," she said, as he left the room.


==============

((GT, I'll let Hack respond to that.))

Prof. Moran spins around with surprizing alacrity for an old man, his .50 cal hand cannon raised, pointing it directly at Tara's nose. T'lnok raising his spear briefly, realising who Tara is a few beats before the professor. Moran blinks a couple times, lowers the gun and gives her a bland look. "You're late." He returns the gun to his holster, and sighs, "Sorry for that. Jungle's a little creepy, and we're jumpy."

He shrugs a little, "At any rate, I'm glad you were able to catch up with us. T'lnok seems to believe that we're getting close to the ruins, and an extra pair of hands will be most advantageous." He hands her a camera, suddenly smiling brightly, "Right then. Let's find us some ancient secrets of eldritch lore, hey?"

The cold and wet dawn brought no comfort to Tepak. His night had been filled with a restless sleep and his dreams had left him with a feeling of apprehension and foreboding. The Dark Man who had danced in his mind had filled him with a nameless dread, and his haunting words echoed in Tepaks head "All that was, all that is...shall belong to me."

The young tribesman hurried to break camp and leave this spiritless place once and for all. He gathered his supplies and the alien device in his hunting pack, and scattered earth on the still-smouldering fire to smother it. After singing a quick song of thanks to the shelter that had protected him from the elements, Tepak slung his bag over his back and settled into the long run home.

As he accelerated into a distance-eating gait, Tepak’s mind dwelt on the memories of last night: first, the discovery of the strange ruins, abandoned by man and beast alike. The discovery of the mystical “talk-box”, which his mind could still not fathom, and the dreams of evil and blackness that ran rampant in his sleep, all contributed to his growing sense of unease. The Shaman would have the answers to these mysteries, of this Tepak was certain. He ran on, gliding through the dense underbrush.

He smelled the smoke long before he saw the flames. It hung in the air, rampant with the bitter-sweet taste of burnt bramble-wood….and something else. The unmistakable charred smell of burnt flesh tinged the air around him, and with a deepening sense of alarm, Tepak pushed himself to run even faster. As he descended onto the hidden path that led to the Valley of the Onuhan, Tepak came upon a scene of viscious destruction. The village he had grown up in, a village filled with simple laughter and pure love, no longer existed: in its place stood a burning pyre of death.

Every hut had been razed to the ground, and charred corpses littered the land. In shock, Tepak staggered through the village, calling out his parents names. No answer came to him on the wind, nor in his mind. With tears of shock and loss in his eyes, Tepak searched amongst the dead tribesman, seeking his family and friends.

As he sifted through the smoking remains, Tepak began to notice that the dead tribesman were all of the Warrior Caste…he could see no women or child-sized bodies anywhere! A faint hope blossomed in his chest, and he sent his mind out, seeking the eyes of the jungle. Quickly, he connected with the thoughts of a silver-backed capuchin primate who had dwelt near the village since Tepak had been a youngling. He replayed the images from the monkeys mind, and tried to make sense of what he saw and heard: peace and normalcy shattered by noise, fire, screams and FEAR. In a blur of images, he saw his brother warriors fighting against faceless, man-shaped demons, bravely battling until they fell. In the sky, a flock of black-winged birds circled the massacre, screaming their disdain. In the distance, he could see a line of women and children, rushing quickly away from the destruction, with the shadow of Grendelhaus looming in the background.

The Onuhan had a second home, built amongst the natural caves of the Grendelhaus mountains, and they used it in times of extreme weather or danger. As Tepak broke the connection to the primate, he felt a ray of hope: Daria might yet be alive!

He unsheathed his daru, and slid the razor-sharp edge along his hand, a line of blood quickly welling up. Raising his eyes to the heavens, Tepak invoked the Song of Passing, helping guide his tribemates spirits to the after-life. His soft voice carried into the tree's, and the creatures of the jungle paused in their actions, hypnotized by the sounds of pain and loss in Tepak's soul.

Tara looks about her as she tries to calm her nerves, its not every day she finds a gun and a spear pointing in her direction, not that she holds anything against the two men’s reaction. “There certainly is something eerie about the place.” She secures her camera around her neck, taking a moment to check the piece of equipment before returning her attention to the professor and his guide.

“Professor, I’m assuming you are expecting some…ah…trouble on this journey?” She cast her eyes about the jungle, not entirely sure what she thought she would see, her anxiety rising as they walked along. She couldn’t help wondering why she hadn’t had the foresight to bring along a weapon.

INTERLUDE

The line of refugees moved quickly through the near-hidden trail in the jungle. Most of them were women, all holding children of various ages in their weary arms. They had been traveling for almost a full day without pause, and though they had not eaten or rested for many hours, the children made no noise at all. At the front and the back of the line stood a number of younger women, all fully-clothed in warrior garb and, wielding wicked spears and notched bows. They were there to protect the weaker members of the tribe from the myriad dangers of the jungle, though they knew they would be next to useless if the Evil came for them again.

Daria stood at the end of the line, making sure her charges were moving ahead at a steady pace. They would be safe once they hit the sanctuary of the caves. Only then would the wives, mothers and sisters of the Onuhan tribesmen stop and grieve for the loss of their loved ones, ruthlessly slaughtered by the Black Demons. Daria helped an old lady across a moss-covered fallen log, and stared back to where their home had been. Nothing could be seen except for a light haze of smoke in the distance.

She was now the Tribal Mother, leading the survivors of Onuhan in their flight to safety. The only remaining man was the aged and wizened Shaman, but he would not assume leadership as the Shaman does not lead, he only guides. Daria hefted the daru in her hand: her family had no sons, so the mystical blade had been passed on to her. She traced the etchings in the razor-edged blade with a long finger, and quietly spoke the Words of War, invoking the spirits of long-dead Onuhan warriors. With new determination, she vowed to protect her people until the time the spirits would come for her soul.

Daria stroked the downy fur of Dendala, the capuchin companion that had life-bonded with Daria on her 4th birthday. She looked into its deep eyes, and quietly sang “Find Tepak. Show him the way. Bring Tepak. Show him the caves.” The small primate looked at her for a moment, then with a screech he launched himself from her shoulder and disappeared into the treetops. Daria watched through his thoughts until the distance became too great, then turned back to her duty, and her tribe.

Evan Hunter, previously of the Canadian Armed Forces, looked out at his assembled convoy. A pair of army grade G-Wagons fitted with fifty-cal machine guns were at the front and back. Three more vehicles carrying a couple of workers, scientists, and equipment in their search for oil and possibly whatever metals could be found.

Seven other men, all having served with Evan in the CAF, were there as well. They constituted a newly formed small security firm which had assembled the workers and scientists for an expedition to Novar Ohan in search of riches.

They believed the riches were raw materials, which were all well and good to Evan, but he felt the true riches lay in the ruins, which was why he offered to bring the scientists along in the first place.

The convoy was resting in Blackstone, as Evan had to get the proper papers to enter the wildlands. He walked up to the woman at the desk and handed her the necessary information and payment.

The woman chatted to Evan for a minute or two and Evan got the necessary papers, then went back to his convoy. He and the seven other ex-soldiers all wore canadian woodland camo, along with load bearing vests and a couple of other things. However, there sleeves were rolled up, and they wore no armour seeing as it would be to hot and unnecessary as they weren't expecting to get shot at.

The convoy started rolling down the road, passing by Imperial patrols, then, Evan ordered them to move off the road, towards a set of ruins. Instantly the radio went off as the scientists started asking what was going on.

The head scientist, Doctor Van Lafen, had never taken any sort of a liking to Evan since the start, and now he was bitter, "This isn't the route I suggested, where are you taking us?!" he demanded.

"I'm sure there'll be some oil for you to find, and as for our heading, we're going to visit some ruins" he said as they continued through the increasingly dense foliage.

As they neared the dark ruins, a sense of foreboding started to take over, and the temperature dropped a little. The ex-soldiers took out their weapons as they came to a stop and started setting up a small camp.

Roy grimaced at the growl behind him. He cautiously unslung the flamethrower from his back and flicked off the safety. He held it in a ready position in front of him. Råyven glanced over at him, and he nodded to his sister. She did likewise, and held the hunting rifle in two hands. They slowed their walk to a halt and waited, neither daring to pass a breath. Roy let himself feel outwards, ignoring his eyesight and instead relying on the elusive "sixth sense" of humans, of instinctive premonition.

The aserix growled at Roy, hungrily. The huge cat leapt for him, claws extended. A single raven flew far overhead, more observing than anything else.

============

Imperial Legionnares suddenly sprung out of the bush by the Canadian men. "Halt in the name of Kaiserin Malissa Black!" The commissar said, nervously. "We'll cut you man-demons down!"

Another man put a hand on the commissar's gun. "Sir, these aren't...the fallen ones..." The other legionnaires, however, kept their guns trained on the Canadians. Fear was evident in their eyes, and their uniforms were ripped, dirty.

============

The guide looked at the professor, and Tara, nervously. "Badness is near... Omo-te-goro ke nar" He held his spear, as if the jungle had suddenly become hostile. "We are too close, too close to the ruins..."

============

In the ruins of an Imperial Fortification, a man sat and gazed out, as if he was seeing through eyes besides his own. Or, at least, he was wearing the shape of one. I will send them my servants... let none stand in the way of those who are greater...let the humans know that there are greater beings than them on this world... He closed his hand, and then opened it. There is one servant, who I can recall...the great turtle...the tarasque...

But right now, he had those who had come from underneath, from the ruins.

The woman nodded to Jack, and then took his money. "Well, have a profitable trip," she said, as he left the room.

"That's the hope at least, thanks ma'am," Jack said as he walked out of the room and towards the garage to pick up their range rover. He pulled out a sat phone and dialed up Cara in the dining hall as he reached the vehicle.

"Come on you three, we've gotta get a move on before the sun gets too high in the sky," he said as he checked the equipment in the vehicle.

"Right, we'll be right there." she replied before hanging up.

Damn these roaming charges are gonna kill us...

A few minutes later the rest of the team walked into the garage and up to Jack and the waiting Range Rover.

"Are we gonna take him along?" Cara asked, pointing at the monkey on his shoulder.

"Sure, why not. It'll be good luck."

The team quickly filled the Rover and Jack pulled the vehicle out onto the roadway towards the main gates.

The funeral pyre burnt brightly as Tepak sang the Song of Passing, and through his tear-filled eyes he looked to the heavens, seeking answers that would not come. He honored each of his fallen tribe-brothers by singing their names in a pure, clear voice which occasionally cracked with emotion. He had reverently gathered the dead warriors daru’s, wrapping each in their own skin for protection. These legendary blades had been in the Onuhan tribe for as long as the sun had been in the sky, and Tepak vowed to ensure they would be protected. When the appropriate songs had been sung, and the daru’s bundled into his hunt-bag, Tepak considered his next move.

It was obvious to him that the surviving members of the tribe had made it to the safety of the Second Home, deep in the heart of the Grendelhaus mountains. They would be well protected by the Sylar, the female warriors of the tribe. There was no immediate reason to get to them, as they were as safe as they could be. For now.

An ember of smouldering anger flared within him, and in that instant he realized that he had a duty to avenge the lost souls of his slaughtered tribes-mates. Earlier, he had followed the trails left by the strange invaders that had raided his village, and they had all led to the Other Path, a dirt-road of sorts that had been cut through the jungle by the other-worlders. Constantly fighting off encroachment by the dense undergrowth of the jungle that threatened to engulf it, the Other Road was the only man-made path through the Novar Ohan jungle. It was a dangerous road, for deadly creatures lurked in the darkness, and watched the trail carefully, looking for their next easy meal. All of the tribes in the area also avoided it, but not because of the native beasts, of which they had no fear: it was the other-worlders themselves that the tribes wished to have no part of.

Tepak knew his answers would lie with the other-worlders. Only they had the strange magics that could cause such unearthly damage and destruction as had befallen his tribe. He knew that he could not stand long against the powers of their black mysticism, but he vowed to take many of their souls with him when he died. With a last look at what was left of his home, Tepak turned away towards the vengeance that called to him. He had taken only a few steps when he heard a presence in his mind.

Suddenly, a mass of screeching fur burst from the trees, landing squarely on Tepaks back. He was forced to the ground, a mouthful of mud as his reward. He came to his feet quickly, laughing loudly. “Dendara!” he exclaimed, happiness welling up inside him.
“What tales have you for me?” asked Tepak of the little monkey “sing to me of the past.”
The little capuchin looked deep into Tepaks eyes, and a moment later, his shoulders sagged with relief.
“She’s alive” he breathed, “Daria, my soul, still lives!”

Now he knew that the path he had chosen was the right one. Daria was safe, and was in the solid protection of the mountain sanctuary. Tepak sang his reply to the monkey, telling Daria of his plans, and sent the little primate on its way. As he watched it retreat into the forest, Tepak unsheathed his daru and held the blade to his forehead.

“You will be needed, old friend” he whispered to his daru. He began to make his way quickly out of the valley, heading in the direction of the Other Path. As he walked, he sensed that he was being…watched. His mind told him that there was no danger from the jungle beasts around him, but still the feeling of ominous surveillance persisted.

A strange cry drew his eyes skyward, and he saw a single black bird, circling high above him.

Roy sideslipped and sent a gout of flame into the aserix's backside, charring the nearby foliage a dark gray. His sister aimed for a moment and pumped a round at the base of the ravenous creature's neck before it could turn for it's second lunge. The hunters felt something above them, and Roy looked up for a split second.

"Take out that damned raven!" He shouted to Ray.

She looked at him for a moment, and then protested. "But it's just a–"

"Do it!"

The hunting rifle spit a bullet into the sky, rocketing right to the raven. The young woman worked the action and brought the rifle in line with the aserix before them.

The gate slid open, revealing that...there was no road, just an almost solid wall of trees and a pedestrian path. The actual road was in the opposite direction, back up towards BlackStone. Several soldiers and civilians gathered around, wanting to watch this.

"Care for a push, sir?" A commisar asked, laughing.

===============

As Tepack took another step...the world changed. He had stepped into a glade. And this glade had not been there yesterday, and would not be there tomorrow.

A murder of ravens settled on the trees surrounding him. They all moved and acted as one. After a few minutes of watching, they took flight, and then moved to circle around a central spot...coalescing into the black man from Tepack's twisted dream. He turned his head and regarded the native with an almost sinister sneer. You have something of mine...

================

The aserix blinked, and then, with its last active gasp, scratched for Roy's leg, claws dripping with blood.

Jack grinned at them, "No need for a push, I guess I should have laid off the goldschlager last night."

Cara turned the map around in Jack's hands, "It would help if you held the damn map the right way, bucko."

One hand in the back quickly shot up to the front of the vehicle and smacked Jack upside the head.

Jack surged the Range Rover through the gate and onto the road towards BlackStone. The city gates passed in the distance and after a few miles more the vehicle stopped.

"Doesn't look like there are any other roads," He said as he scanned the map.

Cara nodded as she opened the door, "Well, no other way to deal with this then." She walked to the rear of the Range Rover and opened the back. "Grab your gear guys, we're gonna have to walk it for a while."

After a few tension-filled minutes, with only the sounds of the jungle to break the silence, the group was finishing getting ready to go into the forbodding jungle chasing fortune and glory, while Jack parked the Rover and covered it as much as he could.

"We'll mark our trail as we go," Jack said as he walked up to them. "Shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Evan had his C-7A2 rifle up at his shoulder, but as one of the imperial legionnaires and commisar lowered their weapons, he did likewise, signalling to his men to do the same. Though their weapons were ready to come up and fire in a split second, it looked much less threatening this way.

Evan looked at the ragged, and obviously frightened men, and spoke, "What in the hell happened to you?"

The jungle of Novar Ohan had a voice of its own, and as Tepak ran he listened to the sing-song of the lifeforms around him. He sensed that all was not right, and a feeling of trepidation and anticipation emanated from the creatures around him. As he considered the mood of the jungle, Tepak was suddenly stunned by a scream in his mind. Somewhere, not far from where he stood, an Aserix had cried out in pain, and its death-knell reverberated in his mind.

The Aserix was one of the deadliest beasts on the planet, and had no natural enemies to speak of. Tepak threw his mind into the ether, and connected with the Aserix, seeing through his green-gold eyes. Two Otherworlders stood there, a male and a female (a beautiful female, Tepak noticed), brandishing the soulless fire-sticks of their kind. He realized with some satisfaction that the Aserix had not gone down without a battle, and that the male Otherworlder had been gravely injured. The male would now die a slow and painful death if his wounds were not treated quickly, for the Aserix had a powerful, fast-acting venom secreted from its rapier-sharp claws that first paralyzed, then suffocated its victim. He watched as the woman screamed out “Roy!”, and ran to the fallen man. This word was familiar to Tepak, and he realized that he had heard it last night, spoken by the mystical talk-box he now carried in his hunt bag. At that moment, the noble creature breathed its last, and the connection to Tepak was broken.

Tepak paused to sing for the soul of the Aserix, and with a heavy sadness in his heart, continued his journey. He did not know what “Roy” meant, only that these Otherworlders may have answers to the questions that were plaguing Tepak. As he ran, he vowed that this senseless death would also be avenged. As he leapt over a mound of lichen, Tepak found himself in a clearing, a strange thing to find in the overgrown undergrowth of the jungle. The area was noticeable for its lack of green…the undergrowth was a blood-brown color, and the trees that encircled it were lifeless, grey and threatening. Again, Tepak sensed a Void where normally the chatter of the jungle would be. He stopped and looked around, and notched an arrow in his bow.

A fluttering of wings drew his eyes skyward, and Tepak saw scores of the strange black-winged birds alight on the branches around him. The birds regarded him with a palpable malice, then as a group took flight, circling Tepaks head. To his utter shock, the birds then flew in front of Tepak, dancing in a tight formation. They flew faster and faster, until they became a blur of blackness. In disbelief, Tepak stared as the birds slowly took on a man-shaped form. Blinking rapidly, he stepped back and watched his nightmare come to life.

Standing in front of him stood the Dark Man of his dreams. Blacker than the night, the Dark Man glared at Tepak with glowing eyes of fire and pure evil. Fear froze Tepak where he stood, a bitter coldness seeping deeply through his bones. Reaching into the core of his soul, the young tribesman somehow found the strength to lift his bow and let loose with the arrow he had notched earlier. The bolt sped towards the Dark Man, shocking Tepak when it simply vanished before hitting its intended target. The eyes of the Dark Man bore into Tepak, and a voice of power and dread spoke to him.

“You have something of mine…”

The words were alien and unknown, yet Tepak understood them clearly. With a sudden clarity, he realized that the talk-box he had found was the reason that the Dark Man now confronted him. With that knowledge came power. Tepak knew that the device he carried was an important part of the mystery surrounding the destruction of his village and the massacre of his brethren. With a growing resolve, he decided he would rather die than let this evil being take possession of it. Somewhere deep inside him, the seed he carried flared and blossomed into newfound strength. A glow appeared around Tepak, growing brighter until it was as blinding as the light of a thousand suns. As quickly as it grew, it died, and when the light returned to normal, Tepak was no longer in the strange glade. All that was left was a burgeoning greenness where he once stood. The Dark Man uttered a single word, seemingly amused:

“Interesting….”

The professor nodded, grinning slightly at the native's remarks, "Something along those lines, Tara." He shrugs slightly, "Actually, travel in a jungle is always risky, all sorts of wild animals about, you know. However, there is some rumor that these particular ruins are cursed. Or haunted. Or some such primative rot." He urges T'lnok ahead before continuing to talk with Tara, "The particular ruins we're here to explore were once an ancient temple to a local blood god. The rumors of hauntings and ghosts are probably just cultists who can't let go of the old religions, but are more likely just the product of overactive imaginations." He adjusted his glasses, "My interest is that it seems there's some similarities between the practices of this cult and those of a few other sites I've been too." He grins, "Oh, and the archetecture, of course."

Ray let the hunting rifle fall into the loamy soil and knelt beside Roy's prone figure.

"Roy!" She murmured urgently. "Please tell me you're alright..."

The hunter coughed and sat up, looking at the scratches on his armor. "Yeah...didn't hit my skin, just scraped the armor. I wasn't expecting that."

He took out a long knife and stood over the still gasping form of the Aserix. Gently he turned the giant cat over and sliced its throat with the razor-sharp knife, pouring it's blood over the dark brown dirt and ending it's life painlessly. He cut the claws from the creature and stored them in his backpack before setting to work on the pelt. A few minutes later, the rest of the corpse was off the trail, and the pelt was in Roy's pack. The two hunters moved further into the jungle, weapons at the ready.

A flash washed through the trees, shattering the gloom around them, and when brother and sister took their arms from their faces, the forest was back to it's dark self. The two looked at each other and quickened their pace, heading off of the trail in search of the source of the blinding light.

As the explorers wandered into the jungle, the monkey started to seem very agitated. Around the Larkinians, life and death continued to play out their eternal dance. Rotting old trees were garlanded with vibrant green mistletoe and mold, and distant roars could be heard.

The monkey suddenly ran on top of Jack's head, at the sound of a strange moan coming from up above. A green figure loped along a branch of a tree, occasionally turning to glare at the newcomers which had disturbed it. Suddenly, the Jabberwock leapt to the ground, regarding the explorers balefully.

===============

The soldiers looked around, nervously. "You wouldn't believe us if we told you...put those guns down all the way, if you please," the Commissar ordered, gesturing to the ground. "Won't do any good, we outnumber you and those...um...never mind that."

Two of the legionnares pulled a stretcher with a man on it out of the undergrowth, and lay it in the clearing. The man lying down twisted and turned, muttering unhelpful things like, "the darkness between the stars...the Dark Man...a cacophony of screams...great wings, soaring from the sky... bullets passing through..."

The Commisar coughed. "Anyway, we're about to demolish these ruins..." he gestured to the dark ruins, and to the dynamite packs nearby. "They...um...stand in the way of road building..."

==============

A voice carried after Tepack...

Be wary...be truly wary...the Jungle is my world, and the world is my jungle...there is no safety...All That Was... All That Is... Shall Belong to Me...

The young tribesman stood once again in the jungle, no trace of the strange events around him...suddenly, a loud howl broke the unnatural silence... to the natives from the other side of the Border Mountains, it would have been easily recognised as the call of a Dire Wolf... but Dire Wolves didn't live in the jungle, and only rarely came down from the Misty Mountains to hunt the tribesmen close to their forbidding reaches.

Tepack turned around, worried that he might be near those accursed peaks, whose internal vallies and plateaus hid terrors beyond even those of the jungle... no, he wasn't. He could see the distant line of mist, but knew that he was safe... and he also might have recognised the howl.

Hunt...must hunt...hunt the living, hunt the dead...must hunt... Bipedal clawed feet could be heard from the other side of a low copse. Fearfully, the young native looked over the bushes, and...

he saw two Wendigoes carrying their spears, sniffing the air with their wolf-like muzzles.

================

T'lnok went on, nervously, but he clearly did not like this. Strange sounds drifted from the gloom, darkness seemed to press upon them...but the otherworlders had no idea of what they were looking for...

he had made a blood oath to protect the otherworlders, so he would try to protect them. But he had made an earlier oath to his tribe's gods not to have dealings with the Men of the Blackbird...and if these otherworlders proved to be distant connections with that foul and accursed tribe, he would have to slay them.

================

The two Cyberutopians reached the site of Raven and Tepack's meeting, but found no evidence of it. The mysterious glade had vanished, as if it had never been... distant howls came from the west, though...

Watching the guide move ahead, Tara felt uneasy at his words. She had been on field trips and similar excursions before, but there was something about this place that had her feeling more fear than she had in a long time, of course she could be picking up the nervousness from T’lnok, but she was feeling uneasy. She watched the surrounding forest as she walked.

Trying to distract herself, she began to think about what lay ahead, ancient temples were one of the highlights of her chosen profession, unfortunately ancient civilisations were even more paranoid that people were nowadays, and made sure that their most sacred buildings were no walk in the park. She had read countless stories about traps laid to catch out the unwary visitor.

And temples of cults tended to be the worse of the lot. She guessed that if you were a dedicated religious follower, you would have been informed of the proper way through, perhaps even your faith played a part in it too.

Pulling her mind away from what might lay ahead, after all, they might be lucky, she smiled, trying to at least appear more relaxed than she felt. “In a way, I’m kind of hoping it is over imagination, although it would be more interesting for there to be a basis for the beliefs.” She flicked a fly away from her face, one of the worse things about walking in jungles, the clouds of insects tended to snack on human blood. “I just hope there isn’t one of those strange curses you hear about.” She chuckled to herself as she recalled the countless movies she had seen that always seemed to contained one.

As the explorers wandered into the jungle, the monkey started to seem very agitated. Around the Larkinians, life and death continued to play out their eternal dance. Rotting old trees were garlanded with vibrant green mistletoe and mold, and distant roars could be heard.

The monkey suddenly ran on top of Jack's head, at the sound of a strange moan coming from up above. A green figure loped along a branch of a tree, occasionally turning to glare at the newcomers which had disturbed it. Suddenly, the Jabberwock leapt to the ground, regarding the explorers balefully.

"A jabberwock," Jack whispered to himself, "Come on guys, let's move back into the forest a little, give him some space," he added while backing up, his hand on the base of his rifle, just in case something happened.

The rest of the group crept backwards, seeming to keep their eyes on the jabberwock and the rest of the forest at the same time.

T'lnok overheard her, and smiled thinly. "There are none so blind as those who can see, and none so deaf as those who can hear... the darkness surrounds us all, and there be more things in this world than you can ever understand..." he said, pushing aside a tree-branch and stopping.

Looming before him was an immense, ancient structure...its curves and angles were indescribable by any human tongue. One could almost feel the blood shed within, see the infathomable and foul dances performed before it. The native stepped backwards hurriedly, and set his eyes right, making sure that neither otherworlder had seen the temple. "There is nothing here... we must have gone wrong way."

==========

The Jabberwock kept a close eye on them, and especially the monkey. But it didn't seem inclined to do anything else, and they were about to get away when...

the beast shrieked hungrily and lunged for Cara, seeming to think her to be the weakest of these strange creatures.

Cara shouted and jumped back as the Jabberwock lunged towards her. A half-second later Jack whipped up his rifle and squeezed the trigger at the beast.

Eyes gazing around the area as she walked, Tara hadn’t notice until the last minute that T’lnok had stopped, and just managed to stop herself ploughing into him. Stepping back, straightening off her clothes, as if they had suddenly been messed up, she raised her eyes to where the guide was looking in time to see him release the branch and speak.

She looked at him credulously. “The wrong way? You are a guide, how could you have brought us the wrong way?” She shook her head, and stared at the man before her. “Then what is that way?” Pointing she indicated the tree that he had just moved. Suddenly realising that it was up to the Professor to question the guide, she turned and faced him, falling silent.

The professor puts on a face that was an interesting combination of befuddlement and irritation. "What in the name of N'Kai do you mean, 'the wrong way'?! I'm paying good money for you to lead us in the right direction! Pah!"

He digs around in the numerous pockets of his vest, eventually extracting a pair of eyeglasses and puts them on before digging through his pack. "Oh, bloody Hell... where has it... Ah-HA!" He pulls out a large map, unfolding and re-folding it several times before seeming to be satisfied. "Let's see... the hotel in here... and we should be... here. Ish." He glances levelly at T'lnok, "Are you sure we're heading the wrong direction?"

INTERLUDE I

Gnarled hands gave a shake, and the bones were rolled for the third time. Again, the meaning stayed the same, as meanings are wont to do. With a resigned sigh, the Shaman scratched at himself underneath his loin-cloth and pondered the destiny that lay at his feet. The signs of the Rising had become clearer and more forceful in recent days, and the burden of this knowledge weighed heavily on the old mans conscience. The wizened Shaman had seen much in his long life, and had been aware of the Coming of the Dark though he was powerless to stop it. What was ordained by the Gods of Novar Ohan was unchangeable, unyielding and unstoppable: only the power of the Rising could possibly change the black future of this world. The Rising was a gift from the jungle, and the jungle protected its own.

END INTERLUDE I

INTERLUDE II

Daria held the injured child protectively as he cried out in anguished pain. The little boy had been badly burned during the massacre and subsequent flight of the Onuhan, and changing the dressing on his wounds was a traumatic experience for him, and an exhausting ordeal for Daria. She softly sang the Song of Healing, and within moments the little boy fell into a fitful, fevered sleep. He would be all right, given time…but her people would not. They were dead, slaughtered by the Black Evil, and her world had permanently been altered. As she pondered her new reality, Dandera came bounding out of the branches, a fur-covered ball of chattering excitement.

“Calmness, little one…sing to me of your journey” she smiled at the little primate.

Within moments, Daria knew that there was a future for the Onuhan, and selfishly, herself: Tepak yet lived, and where there was life, there was hope.

END INTERLUDE II


Tepak floated, lost in the threads of the here and know, tangled in the whispers of the what could have been, and choking on the splinters of the shards of who once was. Life was color, and color was song. He traced the spidersilk thin lines of energy that danced around him, and saw that each was a life-force, all connected to the soulspring of the Jungle. He knew not of WHERE he was, only that he truly WAS. It was a vibrant, electric thoughtscape of being that he swam in, a rainbow reality bursting with the energy of glorious life-light…except for a spot of solid, pulsing BLACKNESS that grew steadily, rapidly eclipsing and extinguishing the glowing threads of the living. When he blinked, he was no longer there, but here. Now.

Tepak blinked again, and saw the comforting jungle around him. He was no longer in the strange clearing where he had been, and the Dark Man had gone. Around him, the business of the jungle continued on. Tepak could see the Other Road, stretching away from him, miles closer than before. As he was digesting this new development, Tepak heard the sounds of voices, raised in alarm. At the moment, he felt the presence of an angry beast…a Jabberwock! He probed deeper, and a sharp stab of fear bit into his heart: this was the bond-mate of the Jabberwock Tepak had been forced to kill days ago, and she was seeking revenge...

Tepak bolted towards the action, notching an arrow in his bow as he ran. He did not notice the eyes of the Wendigos that watched his back as he ran. The Soulless Ones were seldom seen, except by their victims.

*BUMP CITY*

Tara looked between the Professor and T’lnok, as Moran spoke, her eyes lingering on the guides face, looking for signs that all was not as it seemed; it didn’t take much to know the man was afraid. She was sure that with the tales that surrounded this place, she would be a little unnerved, but she had always tried to keep an open mind, even if she was fascinated by myth and legends.

“Perhaps we could just keep moving on, Professor?” She smiled kindly at their guide before continuing. “It could just be that T’lnok has mistaken where we are, and as we go on, will recall the exact location of the Temple.” She removed her hand, and used it to fan herself as she ran her fingers through her hair, flicking the loose strands out of her face. “If this is the right path, the Temple should show itself pretty quickly, I’d imagine.”

She replaced her hat, as she flicked her gaze between the two men. She couldn’t help hoping that they reached their destination before it became too hot, even under the shade of the trees she could feel the heat beginning to close around them.

Tepak burst through the undergrowth at the edge of the Other Road, stopping just short of the demarcation between jungle and dirt trail. In the near distance, he saw that the Jabberwock was preparing to lunge, his huge leg muscles coiled like springs. With one swift motion, Tepak let his arrow fly. It flew straight and true, imbedding itself in one of the few vulnerable points on a Jabberwock...the eye. With a squeal of surprised pain, the Jabberwock crashed into the woman, thrashing wildly as it died.

Running along the edge of the accursed road, Tepak unsheathed his daru in case the large creature yet lived. He took no notice of the people who's lives he had just saved...but they certainly noticed Tepak. The two travellers watched as the muscular tribesman ran towards them, and mistaking his advance for an assault, prepared to defend themselves.

The professor nodded, "Hm, yes, I suppose you may be right, Tara." He carefully packed the compass and map away, taking great care to put them in exact places, clearly designed to allow him to avoid fumbling for them as before. A tactic that all but seemed to guarantee that he was forget where they were placed, and cause more fumbling at a future date. He cleared his throat with a loud harrumphing noise, before removing his eye glasses. "Yes, seems the heat is getting to me. Lead on, noble T'lnok."

As they followed T'lnok, retracing their steps, he could be heard to be muttering softly about his blood being too thick for this weather.

OOC: Sorry, gentlemen, lady...I'm gone for tonight, tomorrow, and possibly Sunday... I'm only on now to say that. Hack, if you and GT want, you can have T'lnok trip or something, and knock the tree away, revealing the temple.

Tara watched the Professor and the guide move off in the direction they had just come, feeling slightly disappointed that they had gone this distance with nothing to show, and there was nothing worse than retracing your steps, made you feel like you were getting nowhere quick. Pulling her bag over her shoulder, she made to follow them.

“Ouch!” A stone had somehow managed to find its way into her shoe, and was lodged by the arch in her foot. “Professor, I need to deal with my shoe, if you go on I’ll catch you up.” Grabbing hold of a branch to steady herself, Tara fiddled with her laces, balancing precariously on one foot, as she attempted to yank off her footwear. Unfortunately, the particular part of the bush that she had decided to pick was not as strong as she thought, and as her full weight was placed on it, it gave up its hold, causing her now off centred balance to toss her into the bush.

Landing on the floor with a bump, she struggled to pull herself out of the greenery, as she raised her head, she saw a sight that she had not been expecting. “Professor?” The sound was little more than a whisper. “Professor!!” She regained her footing and stared before her. “Professor, I think you should see this.” She pulled back the branch to allow Moran to see the view.

Moran nodded dismissively as Tara checked her shoe, "Yes, yes... I'm sure you'll be able to catch up, just follow the twice stamped path..." He continued muttering darkly to himself, only stopping when he heard her calling for him again. "Good Lord, what's that girl's problem now?" He turned, barking sharply, "Now see here, Tar-" His voice cut off instantly as he saw the crumbling ruins of the lost temple. Pushing T'lnok to one side he rushed over to where Tara was standing, "Oh my goodness... this is it..."

Gingerly running his fingers over the rune-inscribed obelisks and walls, shaking slightly with excitement over the find. "This is spectacular..." Snapping into lucidity for a moment her turns to Tara, "Take as many pictures as that datacard will hold... wide frame and focused on runes. I want as much documentation as possible." He resumed murmuring softly, half-translating some of the inscriptions, seemingly baffled by others, his hands never stopping to take notes, however.

Tara watched in silence as Moran move excitedly around the temple, trying to suppress a giggle. She had been a student of the professors, and everyone in the school, even those not taking his classes, knew that he had a tendency to be rather…eccentric. A lot of her fellow students had considered her request to tag along on his latest jaunt had been foolhardy, but standing here, a spectator of his enthusiasm, she was pleased she had.

Rummaging around in her bag, she pulled out the camera that he had given her earlier, and quickly got it ready; snapping pictures of everything she could lay her eyes on, while still trying to follow his actions and words. Though some of the runes appeared familiar, she knew that if Moran was struggling with them, she didn’t really stand much of a chance.

“Professor, are you planning on entering the Temple?” She called over to him, hoping not to put him too much off his stride. Although looking at the writings on the outside of the building, she couldn’t help thinking it would take a while to decipher it all before even attempting to enter a place that was more than likely cursed with booby traps and who knows what else.

T'lnok looked confused. "Oh...oh dear...oh my...Lhassa Hunumbo..." He didn't like how this was turning out...they weren't meant to find the temple... "Yes, it seems like..."

He paused. The beating of drums seemed to spring up somewhere within the temple.

============

OOC: I'll wait for Lark to respond to Gawdly...

===========

The Legionnaires continued to watch the Canadians carefully, wondering what was going on.

==========

A single raven flew over the Cyberutopians again, looking down on them. Should have stayed at home, Red... the voice blew from the jungle, easily heard by both of them this time.

At the same time, the wendigoes seemed to start to gravitate towards the pair.

The professor nods, only half paying attention, "Hmm? Yes, yes, of course we will. However, there's plenty to explore outside, don'tyouthink?" His speech was speeding up again, as it often did when he was excited by some random ancient ruin. It often happened in class, hence the proliferation of audio recorders in his classes. "I'vestartedtotranslatesomeoftherunes..." he started before rambling on for a good five minutes. He doesn't stop until he hears the drums, "Eh? Whazzat?"

He moves around the ruins to the entrance and listens some more, "Hm. A native cerimony? This is quite a find!" He motions for Tara to follow him, quietly. He carefully inches his way inside.

Following the excited professor around the outside of the Temple, Tara got caught up in his euphoria, and continued to take pictures of the runes. She listened to his chatter, smiling to herself as her thoughts turned to the work ahead, translations of runes, though very time consuming, did leave her feeling like something had been achieved. In class, she had always been pretty good at deciphering, so she made sure that each picture contained a clear, focused shot of the symbols.

Finger poised over the button, lining up the next shot, she looked up suddenly as the sound of distant drumming reaches her ears. She turned to Moran, searching his face as if it held the answer to her unspoken question, but his expression and then his words left her with no doubt that he had not been expecting it either.

Brushing aside a loose strand of hair that chosen that moment to attach itself against her lip, she moved in the direction indicated by the professor, following along silently, curiously more than a little concerned. When she did speak, her voice was little more than a whisper. “Do you think this is a good idea, Professor? I would hate for us to stumble upon and anger a religious cult.”

She shook herself and raised her eyes to heaven. Damn it, Tara. You’ve been watching too many movies with fanatical worshippers.. Continuing to silently berate herself for being foolish, she stepped into the Temple after Moran.

The professor grins slyly, his curiosity clearly in the process of bludgeoning his common sense into submission, and whispers back to her, "This, my dear, is why we must be quiet."

Despite his erratic movements on the surface of the temple, he seemed almost a different man. He moved quietly and cautiously, carefully peering around corners, and looking every bit the international spy. Aside from being far too old and a bit overweight.

*BUMPO*

<<OOC>>Anyone see Lark anywhere? I'm sorta stuck without him at this point...

Moving inside the Temple, the sudden quietness of the group seems to make the drums loudly, or it was the sound of her racing heartbeat pounding in her ears. A mixture of excitement and fear spread over her, her eyes darting around trying to take everything in, while looking out for some hint of booby traps or strangers. She released a long drawn out breath as she tried to calm herself down.

Running her fingers along the wall, she could feel the coolness of the stone, this chill factor always seemed to be present in places of worship. Obviously gods disliked the heat. She turned her attention to Moran; no one would believe her when she told them, he always seemed so erratic, and here he was…normal, cautious. It was hard to see the real person until they were seen away from their normal environment.

Tara lifted the camera to her face, and looked at her surroundings through the small digital screen, unsure whether there was enough light in the area to stop the flash from going off. The walls were covered in strange depictions with left the outside of the Temple looking rather plain and bare, the runes were more pronounced and would picture perfectly. Damn, we really should have brought a camcorder. She had one back in her room, but in her haste had forgotten all about it.

She had a million questions to ask the professor, but she feared how much her voice would carry, and she certainly didn’t want it to reach the person who was drumming. She shivered as she thought what would happen if a crazed mob of worshippers were to suddenly appear, angered by the fact that a couple of strangers had disrupted their ritual. As her eyes continued to travel over the walls and ceiling, she wasn’t sure that the god of this Temple would be an overly friendly one.

((Heh, I suppose I've let this thread slip away from me for a while... :oops: ))

Ray heard the eerie voice this time, too. Her hands began to tremble as she realized that Roy wasn't just trying to kid her.

"Do you believe me now?" The hunter asked darkly.

"Y...yes...what was that growling?" She asked, quivering.

He let out a long breath of air and unholstered the two grenade pistols. "Wendigoes. More than one, for certain. This will be interesting, very interesting. But we have the advantage of an open space to fight in."

The growls got closer and rose in magnitude, and both of their breaths caught in their throats. The ability to talk suddenly crept away from them as they strained to see into the surrounding jungle.

Tepak burst through the undergrowth at the edge of the Other Road, stopping just short of the demarcation between jungle and dirt trail. In the near distance, he saw that the Jabberwock was preparing to lunge, his huge leg muscles coiled like springs. With one swift motion, Tepak let his arrow fly. It flew straight and true, imbedding itself in one of the few vulnerable points on a Jabberwock...the eye. With a squeal of surprised pain, the Jabberwock crashed into the woman, thrashing wildly as it died.

Running along the edge of the accursed road, Tepak unsheathed his daru in case the large creature yet lived. He took no notice of the people who's lives he had just saved...but they certainly noticed Tepak. The two travellers watched as the muscular tribesman ran towards them, and mistaking his advance for an assault, prepared to defend themselves.
((Holy Post-A-Rama Batman! A thousand apologies, I never saw this before taking off this weekend! :oops: ))

Cara watched as the man advanced, she'd been able to recover from the Jabberwock slamming into her as she stood up and moved back to Jack as quickly as possible

Jack kept the rifle up and trained on Tepak as the Jabberwock fell and he approachced. The other two men slipped back into the jungle.

Every ten or twelve feet, Moran would stop and listen to the growing sound of drums. He wasn't so sure if he was heading in the right direction, the temple lay-out being far from straight forward, and glancing at the runes next to him.

Deeper and deeper into the temple they crept, until he stopped, almost in shock, turning to the wall to his left and blinking several times. He traced his finger over several of the runes, mouthing their translations silently. He shook his head slower, and looked over them again, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Peering over over his shoulder, Tara finds bizarre runes that look different to the other runes, and were probably incomprehensable. He ponders for a moment before pulling out a few sheets of paper and a pencil, and takes rubbings of the runes. Two copies. He hands one to Tara, wordlessly impressing the importance of keeping her copies safe, before carefully folding his copy and stuffing it into a small inner pocket.

He gave the runes one last look before turning and heading into the bowels of the temple, looking twice as excited, and five times as cautious.

OOC: All together now? Sing it!

IC:

((Hack, GT))

Tl'nok waited outside, on guard. He sighed, and rested his head on the door post.

He didn't even scream when the scaly hands reached for him...

=======

The proffessor and Tara rounded a corner, and...there it was. A massive ceremony, stretching far into the distance, down a flight of stairs. Huge pillars reached up to the distant ceiling, their tops invisible. Just within sight a massive idol sat on a huge stage, its features un-explainable, undescribable. In short, unknown. At first glance it was a man, but on the second, it was something else...some foul mix of man and half-man.

What was worse was the congregation of this foul chapel, though. A horde of naked natives writhing and chanting in a strange, harsh language. The hallway, too, had been strangely uneven, but only in the harsh light of the massive bonfire could the markings be seen.

The floor had been worn by footprints, hundreds of them over hundreds of years...and not all the prints were human.

((Larkinia, Gawdly...))

-Ah, nice. I'll contact Gawdly with the link again. Thank you all for your patience.-

((Gawdly))

A raven flew over the shaman, peering down, before flying off once more to seek its master.

((Cyberutopia))

The wendigoes advanced into the clearing, neither displaying any signs of hostility. They both held their spears backwards, attempting to show peaceful intentions.

One of them coughed, and spoke haltingly in common. "You...hunters?"

Taking the paper without a word, Tara folded it carefully and placed it in her bag, making certain not to catch the rubbing on anything. The fact that the Professor had trusted her with something that he obviously thought important made her smile, although a moment later the smile with wiped off her face.

Looking up, her eyes were drawn to the scene in front of them. The vast crowd of people gathered before them made her feet stick to the floor, unable to make another move. Her gaze swept over her surroundings, and no matter how hard she tried to drag her eyes away, they remained transfixed on the writhing bodies before them.

“Professor?” She breathed out the word on a sigh, afraid that the tiniest sound would travel to the crowd before them. She fumbled for the camera, not sure whether she should keep it out or put it safely back in her bag.

Råyven felt her jaw drop open. These things seemed...intelligent. Roy's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he lowered his weapons in return and forced the barrel of Ray's hunting rifle down.

His voice came out in a whisper of caution. "Not...not of your kind..."

The professor seemed oddly nonplussed at the scene before him; he softly uttered a strange, decidedly non-English word. Possibly the name of the deity-thing the natives worshiped. He fumbled in his bag, eventually extracting a notepad and pencil, making quick notes on the ceremony before them, glancing around, trying to figure out the ambient light levels. Eventually, he tore out a sheet of paper and made a quick note for Tara:

Turn off flash and take pictures. Esp. the idol.

HERE, NOW

Time seemed to slow down for Tepak as he got closer to the female Other, and the dying Jabberwock. He watched as the beautiful woman (and she was beautiful even to to Tepak, which both excited and frightened him) pushed the beast off of her, and began to move towards the protection of the male Other. Her back was turned, and she was unaware of the dripping claw of the Jabberwock, which was poised to strike one last time.

Tepak saw it all, and saw that the distance was too great to intercede. Desperation mounted when suddenly he felt a flush of heat and reached inside himself to find a burst of speed. He dove at the Jabberwock, one hand deflecting the onrushing claw, the other deftly sliding his razor-sharp Daru across the jugular of the viscious beast. A great gout of crimson life sprayed out as the Jabberwock toppled to the ground.

As he came to a stop, Tepak regarded the slain creature. He closed his eyes, and began to quietly sing his apologies to the noble Jabberwock and wish its spirit well. He bowed once again, then carefully cleaned his blade on the animal's fur. Only after he sheathed his Daru did he look once again to the Others.

THERE, LATER

It was watching him, and in turn, he was watching it. The Avatar of Night flew on high, and the Shaman knew that the eternal game was once again being played, with the stakes being the souls of all who breathed. On the wings of the Black Eye came the storm, blue sky giving way to the grey thunder. A silence fell across the mountain sanctuary and a chill wind blew, more ferocious by the second. For the first time, the Shaman began to feel unsure of the outcome of the Great Game, because for the first time...

...something had changed the rules, something black and cold and unrelenting and unstoppable: something evil.

((Gawdly))

The ravens swooped down around the Shaman...in reality, in his dreams...who is there who can speak of the difference between the two? A voice...the voice of a cold god from aeons past, from worlds where time is death and death is a release...spoke in his tongue. And if the rules have changed, my dear sir?...come now. There is no need for this...why should there be any game? Leastwise, between us?...you can not win, you know. The other temples were destroyed by the outlanders...the cities of their keepers, shattered. None may stand against me. The outlanders unwittingly move through their part, without even my guidance... it would be so easy for me to take a hand and reveal this secret place to them.

The wind came on, and the voice sounded like the beating of hundreds of wings. You could be great, you know...you and your people. I can give you greatness. All you must do is agree to serve me...live for me...die for me...bring me what it is I desire. I can make you young again, my friend. I can save your people from the outlanders who even now strive with violence to tear your world away from you. You would be first of my servants.

((Gawdly, Larkinia))

The storm broke overhead, lightning crackling and rain falling in a torrent. The small monkey curled up in a little ball on Jack's shoulder.

((Cyberutopia))

"We...no...mean...hurt...to...those...who hunt...with...the...bang-sticks..." the creature said again, pointing towards the guns with its spear. "We...hunt...the...black...eye...and...the...soft...brown men..." Both wendigoes sniffed the air, cautiously. "Your... scent is...unknown...to...us..."

((GT, Hack))

The chanting seemed to reach a fevered pitch now, the rites taking a turn too strange to be even described. Through the orgiastic writhing and the loud chanting, regardless of how loud it reached, the sound of the wind was even stronger.

For a wind was welling up from unknown depths in the far reaches of this immense room, and the scents it carried were strange and unpleasant...scents of decay and death, of strange fungi from the lower depths of this earth.

The inscriptions were not written in any script known in the outside world save, perhaps, in similar gatherings (if any did exist, and it would be better for the world if they did not.)

Jack reached up and scratched the monkey's ears as he watched Tepak, the rest of the group waited for Tepak to finish singing before Jack raised his hands up looking as peaceful as possible.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

TEPAK

Tepak looked up at the male Other, who was grunting something in an unmusical voice. He stared at the man with an uncomprehending glare and noticed the small capuchin monkey perched upon his shoulder. Tepak threw his mind into the ether and connected with the primate. Probing the monkeys mind was easy, and he quickly realized that the beast had soul-bonded with the male….which could only mean that this particular Other was of the Jungle…which of course, was impossible: he was an Other! Tepak felt confusion as his eyes turned to the female Other. Once again, Tepak had to catch his breath for the woman in front of him was truly beautiful, even though she was an alien interloper in his Jungle home. The native gave her a small, shy smile…which, to his surprise, she returned.

There was a reason Tepak had found these Others, though the Song of Reason was not clear in his mind. He needed to know what their mutual destiny was, and the first step would be to try and communicate with them. Tepak pointed to himself, repeating his name a few times. He pointed at the dead Jabberwock, calling it by its name. He then pointed at the male and female Others and smiled, waiting for their reply.

SHAMAN

The old man was dying, and had been for many, many years. Age and hardships had taken their toll, and the Shaman knew that his Life-Song was coming to the end. Despite his physical weakness, the Shaman still had a soul of steel, and an unyielding will of iron. His whole life had been spent guiding, and protecting, the Onuhan tribe. This was his only task, and he would do it until his dying breath. For the first time in his long life, the Shaman felt he could no longer watch over his people, for the events of recent days were beyond his ken. Now, he was being offered the chance to not only protect his tribe, but to lead them to the greatness that was rightly theirs to inherit. This would be his legacy and final gift to his people…safety from the Darkness that could not be stopped.

As the Shaman came to a final decision, his normally bright, intelligent eyes clouded over and when they cleared, two black orbs remained. He whispered in a voice that was bereft of song:

“My soul…I give to you. Command me as you will, Master.”

Reading the note and following its instructions, Tara turned off the flash and began to take pictures of the Idol as the Professor had asked. She made certain that the image was a crisp as possible before clicking the shutter button, the absence of a flash seemed strange, and oddly discomforting. She continued for several moments, until her brain began to focus of the chanting again, the camera lowered in her hand, barely remembered.

She once again gazed at the scene before her, the frenzy and ecstasy compelling on the eyes, transfixing her to the spot. The smell filled her nostrils, the nauseating scent causing the bile to quickly rise in her throat, as she fought to keep it down. The breeze that should have been cooling and pleasant on her skin, made her shiver, and not just with the cold.

What have we intruded into? Her mind raced as she tried to answer her own question.

The thin whisps of Moran's hair fluttered in the breeze, his gaze fixed on the scene before him, his emotions inscrutable; his hands never stop writing. As the noxious fumes rose up to meet them, and the chanting crescendoed, he paled visibly, turning to Tara, his eyes flashing wildly. "We... should go." His voice is strangely hollow, as if he had seen such things before. He carefully follows Tara out of the temple, constantly looking back, and jumping at the slightest noise.

Reaching the entrance to the Temple, Tara breathed heavily as her lungs took in the fresh air. The heat of the sun caused her to shiver, as her cold skin welcomed the warmth which slowly began to seep into her body. The sound of her beating heart thudded loudly in her ears.

She turned to the professor once she had caught her breath. “What was that?” Her eyes were wide, her own fear mixing with the uneasiness she felt coming from him. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. What were they worshipping?”

<<OOC>> Waiting on the Lark-meister so we can continue...

*grumble grumble.. DSN is a more stable internet connection.. feh! *

TEPAK

Tepak looked up at the male Other, who was grunting something in an unmusical voice. He stared at the man with an uncomprehending glare and noticed the small capuchin monkey perched upon his shoulder. Tepak threw his mind into the ether and connected with the primate. Probing the monkeys mind was easy, and he quickly realized that the beast had soul-bonded with the male….which could only mean that this particular Other was of the Jungle…which of course, was impossible: he was an Other! Tepak felt confusion as his eyes turned to the female Other. Once again, Tepak had to catch his breath for the woman in front of him was truly beautiful, even though she was an alien interloper in his Jungle home. The native gave her a small, shy smile…which, to his surprise, she returned.

There was a reason Tepak had found these Others, though the Song of Reason was not clear in his mind. He needed to know what their mutual destiny was, and the first step would be to try and communicate with them. Tepak pointed to himself, repeating his name a few times. He pointed at the dead Jabberwock, calling it by its name. He then pointed at the male and female Others and smiled, waiting for their reply.

Jack and Cara looked at each other a moment. What we have here is, a failure to communicate Jack thought nervously as he scratched the monkey's ears again.

"Now what do we do?" he asked Cara.

"Hang on," she responded before turning back to Tepak.

Cara pointed to herself and repeated her name, then pointed to Jack and repeated his name before turning to where the other two men had been standing.

"You can come out now guys."

"The soft brown men...sounds like the native description to me..." Roy murmured, recalling the appearance of some of the natives in Jungleton.

"But...the black eye?" Ray finished, the questioning looking on her face matching her brother's.

"Let me ask them." The hunter responded before addressing the Wendigoes again. "Yes...our scent...we're not from around here. We're curious though, what does this 'black eye' look like? What does it do?"

The beautiful female was called Cara, of this Tepak was sure. Her voice was incredibly musical for an Other, and Tepak was fascinated by the ruby redness of her full lips. As he watched her, transfixed by her eyes, a voice in his head said, “…what we have here, is a failure to communicate.” Tepak was stunned, as he realized that the male Other was speaking through the Jungle and directly into the young natives mind. How could this be? He was an Other!!! The small monkey on “the Jacks” shoulder chattered happily, and Tepak began to understand how a life-bond had formed between the capuchin and the Other. Tepak wasted no time trying to comprehend this mystery…the Shaman would have the answers, so he instead concentrated, sending his thoughts out towards the Jack.

With his mind, he traced the contours of the male Others thoughts with his own, until at last, he saw the path that led to the Linking. It was unlike any path he had seen before, but it WAS a path. Tepak followed it with his mind, until he reached what he assumed was the Others soul. It was a bright form, unwavering in its intensity, and singing a song unknown to Tepak. He sang to it gently:

“We are the same, and we are the opposite: the Jungle grants you life, and watches over your journey: I can do no less. By the Daru, the light will guide our way. By the Daru, I offer you my Brotherhood and spear-arm. By the Daru, I will walk by your side, for our destiny has been entwined.”

Tepak opened his hunting bag, and withdrew the Daru of a fallen warrior. Looking at the blade, the tribesman realized that the Jungle was never wrong: the blade he had chosen was that of his true brother Tekar, whose soul now resided in the Jungle, a victim of the massacre of his village. He offered the Daru to the Other hilt first, and the man reached out and reverently took the blade from his hand. Tepak then unsheathed his own deadly blade, and drew it swiftly across his hand, a thin line of blood welling up. He looked to the Jack, extended his bleeding hand to him and spoke out loud in perfect English:

“By my blood, I call you Brother.”

(Hack, GT)

Before the professor could answer her, he placed his hand on one of the doorposts...and drew it away, quickly, with rich red blood splattered on it.

T'lnok had never even seen them coming.

(Cyberutopia)

"It...is...a shape...black parrot... evil...alien...brings with it the dead..." the Wendigoes looked distinctly uncomfortable...well, as much as could be told for 6 foot tall bipedal wolf-things carrying spears.

(Larkinia, Gawdly)

Jack and Cara could call as much as they wanted. But their two companions were in the jungle, and of the jungle, now.

Eyes that were not eyes blinked softly, set in faces that were not faces, as they left the silent carnage.

“We are the same, and we are the opposite: the Jungle grants you life, and watches over your journey: I can do no less. By the Daru, the light will guide our way. By the Daru, I offer you my Brotherhood and spear-arm. By the Daru, I will walk by your side, for our destiny has been entwined.”

Cara watched as Jack and the other man stared at each other for a long time. She couldn't read the expression on Jack's face, it was something she hadn't seen before.

Jack listened to the song in his mind, he wasn't sure where it had been coming from. He could see someone in his mind's eye standing before him. Something he hadn't seen before.

Tepak opened his hunting bag, and withdrew the Daru of a fallen warrior. Looking at the blade, the tribesman realized that the Jungle was never wrong: the blade he had chosen was that of his true brother Tekar, whose soul now resided in the Jungle, a victim of the massacre of his village. He offered the Daru to the Other hilt first, and the man reached out and reverently took the blade from his hand. Tepak then unsheathed his own deadly blade, and drew it swiftly across his hand, a thin line of blood welling up. He looked to the Jack, extended his bleeding hand to him and spoke out loud in perfect English:

“By my blood, I call you Brother.”

Jack was taken back by the statement. Somehow, he didn't know how, he knew what he had to do. Jack pulled out his own dagger and traced a crimson path across his hand and clasped Tepak's hand.

A cascade of images exploded into Tepak’s mind as he clasped the Jack’s bloodied hand. In a blazing instant he saw all that was, and all that could be. He saw his past, and his future, his birth and his death. He saw himself as a warrior in the NOW, and a father and life-mate in the THEN. Daria became Cara, Tepak became Jack and the Shaman became the Black Eye. As quickly as they came, the images were erased from Tepaks mind, leaving him with only a feeling of loss and quiet foreboding.

He saw the Jack with eyes that detected only the life-energy of the Other whose blood now mingled with his own. The Jack that stood before him glowed with a bright crimson light, and spidersilk-thin tracers of crackling power reached out to caress and intertwine with the ever-present tendrils of glowing green Jungle energy. Tepak watched in wonder at the delicate dance of colors, entranced by the innocence and power of the light.

As suddenly as it arrived, it was gone, slowly overshadowed by the cold blackness of a dark figure, familiar and yet unknown to Tepak. Scores of Ravens (for Tepak now knew their true name) flew overhead, screaming their disdain as the cloaked Dark Man floated ominously closer to the young tribesman. Tepak was frozen, unable to move yet knowing that the fate of his world demanded that he must. The Dark Man reached out to Tepak…

…and the screams in his head tore him from that world, and back into reality. Tepak broke his grip with the Jack and looked to the Jungle’s edge. He threw his thoughts towards the tangled undergrowth, seeking the source of the mind-scream that still resonated in his head. As he searched, Tepak moved unconsciously to stand between the Jungle and Cara.

Watching the Jungle with his eyes and his mind, the young tribesman slid his bramblewood hunting bow off his back and notched a wickedly tipped arrow. There WAS something out there, of that Tepak was sure. The only life-forms he sensed was that of the Others who stood with him, and the small monkey who accompanied them. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the Jack had come to stand beside him, his Other weapon drawn and prepared.

“Stay. Protect the girl. Listen for my song.” said Tepak, and with a last glance at Cara, turned and ran swiftly into the Jungle.

====================================

The screams of the children rang in Daria’s ears. Small bodies darted around in panic, trying to avoid the incoming missles. A little boy, no more than 6 years old, was suddenly struck in the chest and with a cry of shock, hit the ground in a broken tumble. He lay there, unmoving.

“You’re OUT, Ventak!” laughed a little girl named Petra as she helped her friend to his feet. Retrieving the lizard-skinned ball, the two younglings skipped over to where their other friends waited. It warmed Daria’s heart to see the children laughing and playing again, their resilience of spirit both impressing and inspiring her. With a sigh, she returned to the work at hand. With the loss of all the male warriors of the Onuhan tribe, Daria was now in charge of providing safety as well as food for the tribe. As she wrestled with the logistics of setting up sentrys and hunting parties, a shadow loomed darkly over her. She looked up quickly to see the wizened old face of the Shaman, who had somehow crept up behind her. His eyes bore into Daria’s, and she realized that they had changed, all the warmth replaced by…fear?

“You seem distracted, my lovely Daria”, cackled the Shaman, “perhaps I can be of service to you?”

“My thanks to you, Honored One, but my thoughts are of minor things such as our dwindling supplies, and lack of protection…we left much behind when we came here.” finished Daria, turning away from the old man.

The Shaman smiled, though humor never touched his upturned lips.

“Then the path is clear, and I will sing clearly: you must return to Onuhan to reclaim what is ours. Take four of your best warriors, and make haste. Fill your arms with all you can carry, and return to us here, in the safety of the mountains embrace. Go quickly.” With that, the Shaman began to walk away.

Daria was stunned: the village was a holy-place of rest since the massacre, and none of her people could ever set foot there again so as not to disturb the souls of those who had died there. To violate the sanctity of a holy-place was unheard of to her, yet the Shaman had bidden it so, and she was bound to serve his song. Daria could find no sense in his words: forgetting the absurdity of going back to the village, taking herself and four warriors away would severely limit the security of the mountain-hold. Something felt wrong to Daria, yet there was nothing she could do to make it right. A few hours later, Daria and her hand-picked warriors began the long trek back to their birthplace. The Shaman watched their backs as they descended the long, winding mountain trail. A gust of wind suddenly kicked up, flapping at the Shaman’s cloak. Anyone looking at him at that moment would have sworn that what stood there was NOT the Shaman, but a large, black bird…a bird of prey.

Roy gave the speaking Wendigo a nod and remained silent for a few long moments.

"I know what you speak of, I have faced it before. You will need a supernatural force to turn it back, believe me. Do you have...a large tribe? Or are you two all there is?" He asked grimly.

Moran pulled his hand back, looking at the sticky blood coating his palm. With a look of revulsion he wiped it on his pants, before cursing softly at the stupidity of such an action, "Ah... p-perhaps we should... leave. Now."

He pulled his revolver and started heading away from the temple, nerviously looking all around him, muttering over and over again, "Not again..."

((Gawdly))

The ravens circled over Daria and her warriors as they travelled back to the destroyed village. Faceless creatures peered over and around bushes...or were those shadows?

((Cyberutopia))

The Wendigoes regarded Roy uncomfortably. "There as many of us as you need..." they said, carefully, as one.

((Hack))

The jungle now seemed a frightening place to the two. Eyes seemed to watch them from the shadows, and the rythmic wind from the temple entrance seemed to be frighteningly similar to breaths in the darkness.

Something white might have flashed in the trees. Or perhaps not. The path to this place had been known to T'lnok...would the professor or Tara know of a way to return?

*BUMP*

Thank the Gawds the Forum is back...creating now, posting soon!

Not surprizingly, Moran and Tara soon found themselves rather lost, jumping at shadows and nonexistant shapes in trees. He kept moving until he tripped over a gnarled root, and landed flat on his face. He looked around, panting heavily, blood trickling from his nose; his eyes wild. "Must... calm..."

He sits up, rubbing his bruised shin and wiping the blood from his face, "Okay... we're... uh, lost. We need to get our bearings." He looked at the trees around them, "And there's plenty here that can kill us besides those... things."

Tara’s eyes scanned the trees, searching for signs of movement, but more importantly looking for something that looked vaguely familiar, a landmark or feature that stood out, but there was nothing. As she looked, she breathed in a huge lungful of air; she wasn’t unfit, but the run out of the temple had been frantic.

“I don’t recognise anything…no tree, no rock.” Her voice began to rise with panic. “Damn T’lnok!” She looked at the Professor and saw the blood trickle down his face. Almost like a calming effect, she searched through her bag she pulled out a tissue and handed it to him. “Are you alright?” Her face contorted with concerned.

*tag to catch up with Gawdly's post*

Moran nodded, taking the tissue and wiping up the blood, before lodging it up his nostral, "No, I'm fine... just a bloody nose, it's not broken." He sighs, looking around calming further as Tara calmed down as well. Moran's fading in and out of lucidity probably struck Tara as odd, but it almost seemed natural for the professor.

Rubbing his forhead, he sighed softly, "Don't curse T'lnok. Not entirely his fault that something killed him. Messily. We need to try and figure out the general direction to town. Finding the path isn't terribly likely, save by luck." He shook his head sadly, "Sorry to get you stuck in this..."

Tepak was alone, of this he was sure. Even though the mind-scream of a dying soul still reverberated in his mind, now he could sense nothing. Searching through the under-brush, Tepak came upon a sign that confirmed what he had felt: someone had been killed here, messily and violently. Droplets of still-warm blood dripped from the leaves of the giant ferns that littered the jungle floor. Tepak could see nothing but the blood, and his search revealed no body. With a last glance at the dark jungle around him, Tepak began the short journey back to the clearing where the Jack and Cara waited. As he walked, he sensed that he was being watched. He turned suddenly, bow and arrow at the ready, but there was nothing to be seen behind him. His mind sensed no creature nearby...and yet, in his heart he knew that he was not alone...but the 2 Others who awaited him WERE. A cold rush of fear tore through Tepak as he hurried back to the clearing...he only hoped it would be in time.

***********************************

The warriors slept soundly, a long day of running behind them. Daria had first watch tonight, and she scanned the blackness of the jungle's edge with her eyes, and her mind. She and her war-party were still a days run from their ancestral home in the Onuhan valley, and it had been a safe and uninteresting journey so far. Daria stoked the fire into a new brightness, and warmed her hands by its glow. It was then she noticed a glint of light to her left, a reflection of the fire she stood in front of. Her mind registered nothing except the small, nocturnal creatures who hunted in the night. She slowly turned to where the flash of light had come, and she saw a pair of bright, orange eyes staring at her. Daria tried to probe with her mind, but sensed nothing at all emanating from the unknown creature that regarded her. Slowly reaching behind her, Daria lightly gripped her hunting spear, readying it for a quick throw. The creature continued to stare, unblinking. Just as the young female warrior was about to alert her sisters to the intruder, the eyes dissappeared and were gone. A vague shuffle was all she heard before the jungle once again returned to the silence of the night. A cold chill ran through Daria, and she knew that for tonight, sleep would be nothing but a fond memory.

************************

The Shaman smiled in anticipation of the coming of the Dark One. Now that he had rid himself of Daria and the strongest warriors, the mountain-haven was left virtually unprotected. In normal times, this would not have been a problem, for the location and position of the cave was such that no man could ever find it, except by extreme chance. The Shaman did not believe in luck, but he did believe in the inevitability of the coming Darkness. Looking to the midnight sky, the Shaman began to chant in a tongue that would be unrecognizable to the rest of the tribe, the language of the Others.

"The path is clear, the sheep unguarded, the door is open...all that was mine is now yours."

As he ended his words, a low growl came from the sky, and a shadowed wall of darkness appeared. As it got closer, the Shaman saw that it was thousands upon thousands of Ravens, flying in unison and so thickly bunched together that they blacked out the already moonless night. They flew swiftly and silently towards the mountain-haven, and the unsuspecting Onuhan who slept there. A feast would soon begin, signalling the end of Light and the new reign of Dark.

Tara smiled at Moran, as she removed her hat and ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m sorry, Professor, I guess I just wanted someone to blame.” She sighed heavily, as she crouched down on the floor and tightened both the knots on her shoes. Looking up at Moran, she frowned. “If it’s any consolation, I’m not in the mood to die today, so I think I’ll postpone it until I’m old and grey.” She giggled softly to herself. “I have far too much planned to give up now.”

She rose from the floor, and brushed herself down, before replacing her hat. “I don’t blame you for this, Professor. I was the one who begged to come along, and it’s been an eye opener, to say the least.” Straightening her bag strap on her shoulder, she shifted the weight to a more comfortable position, and looked about her. “Which way is feeling lucky to you, Professor?” She asked, raising an inquiring eyebrow.

Moran chuckled softly at Tara's comment on not wanting to die, "Well, I am old and gray, but I think I've got a few more years left in me." He slowly rose to his feet, "Okay, I've lived through worse, so I should be able to manage this."

He looked around for a moment, trying to get his bearings again before arbitrarily picking south. "This looks as promising as any other direction, I suppose. That... place... is to our east, so we shouldn't go too close to it. I hope."

<<OOC>> Seem's this may be a good opportunity for the Prof. and Tara to meet up with Tepak, Jack and Cara...?

Nodding her head, Tara looked first in the direction Moran had indicated and then off to the east. The fear that appeared in her eyes made it seem like she was looking directly at the temple not at a wall of trees and bushes. She followed behind him, little more than a step behind.

“Professor, what do you think they were worshipping back there?” She sped up a little to walk beside him, turning her head as she spoke. “Obviously something worth killing for, but what?”

The professor chuckled darkly, "Would it be cliche' if I said it was a horror from out of time and space?" He shrugged a little, pushing some branches out of their way, still walking, occationally glancing over his left shoulder, as if making sure nothing was coming from the temple.

"That statue they were worshiping is a physical avatar of the foul deity they worship. Imagine a life sized cruicifix. Imagine praying before it and having Jesus come to life. What they were doing was like that." He slapped his neck, killing a bug, "But they were not worshiping a Prince of Peace. The name usually applied to it translates to 'The Devourer'; it's real name is largely unpronouncable. You probably heard its name during the chants, they were trying to bring it back." He paused to wipe some sweat from his brow, "Luckily, I don't think they succeeded. I've done research on this particular monstrosity, and the cerimonies are supposed to be at night, not during the day. Hopefully he hasn't been unleashed." He grins disturbingly at Tara, "As for the killing... well... how many Blasphemous Gods Of Time Immorial don't have fanatical followers who'll kill any interlopers?" Pause. "Or use them as sacrifices?"

Listening intently as Moran described exactly what they were running from, Tara looked at him, her eyes reflecting her growing fear. She had heard of devil worship before, and had covered many cults in her studies, but she had always been bit sceptical. Now, she suddenly found herself caught up with one, and she could feel the danger, and miraculously had discovered her belief.

Wiping her hand over her brow, she looked behind her, then into the trees either side of them. “If this thing is released, then we don’t really have much of a chance do we? I mean, us against some f*cking big-assed demon?” She grimaced at her choice of word. “Sorry, Professor.”

*Bump-O-MANIA!!!*

Moran paused, looking around, trying to see if anything appeared familiar, which, of course, nothing did. He smiled at Tara, wiping his brow again, "No, there are times when foul language is a refuge of the unwashed masses. There are other times when it is perfectly acceptable, and wholly accurate." He smiled mirthlessly, "This is certainly one of those times. In fact, I'd say this situation all but demands vulgarity." He continues to the south, pushing branches and shrubbery out of his way, "However, your assessment is quite accurate. Should a monstrosity like that be unleahed, we are indeed completly, utterly, and - in all likelyhood - fucked. I just hope my studies are correct in that the worshippers had the wrong time. If not..." his voice trailed off, not that the sentence really needed to be finished.

OOC: Ponders putting an end to the unbearable suspense...

decides to let everyone continue frightening their characters in their own special way. So, essentially, I'm just letting you people know I'm alive. And following.

<<OOC>> Evil, evil YOU!

<<IC>>

Tepak burst out of the jungles grasp, eyes scanning his surroundings for danger. He immediately saw Cara and Jack, and moved to join them. As he got closer, a sense of dread spread throughout the young natives soul. The two Others which he had bonded with remained motionless, seemingly caught in mid-gesture. Tepak walked around them, staring at their non-moving forms. A quick touch revealed that they were still warm, and the breathe of life flowed through them at a gentle pace. Tepak concentrated, and sent his mind into the ether, searching for the blood-red lifespark of the Jack.

An emptiness of spirit was all he felt, and he knew that the two Others were now in grave danger, unable to defend themselves from any attack. Tepak lifted the Jack onto one shoulder, and Cara onto the other with surprising ease. Despite all the trials and tribulations of the last few days, Tepak felt stronger than ever, as if his body was going through a massive change. He loped to the edge of the clearing, searching for a safe area. He found it in the multi-crossed branches of a Gefilta tree, many metres off the jungle floor. He climbed it rapidly, depositing the Others unceremoniously into the safety of the branches. Tepak looked down at Cara, and felt his heart begin to race. Her beauty oiverwhelmed him, and he felt as if he'd known her forever. Tepak vowed to do everything in his power to save her.

He took their hands in his...the Jacks - rough and battle-scarred, and Cara's, soft yet with great strength. Closing his eyes, Tepak began to sing the song of Finding, his melodious words becoming a shining beacon in the darkness of their minds. The night crawled over the land, and the young tribesman sang while the darkness listened.

**********************************

Daria saw the invaders as they slowly circled the camp. She saw them with her eyes, but not her mind, which is how they were able to surround her without her awareness. The beasts were fur-covered and vaguely man-like, carrying huge javelins and battle-blades. Daria screamed an alarm, but no sound issued from her mouth. She tried to lift her spear to defend herself, but she was unable to move. Her tribemates slept on, oblivious to the scene around them. One of the creatures came towards Daria, staring at her with probing, orange eyes. He reached out with a massive hand tipped with rapier-sharp claws, and touched her face, tracing the contours of her eyes, nose and chin. The beast drew its hand back, sniffing and tasting the fingers which moments ago had been exploring Daria. The creature seemed to smile, revealing huge, yellowed incisors. All at once, Daria's blood ran cold for she finally realized what confronted her: the nightmare legend known as the Wendigo.

********************************

A dry wind blew through the mountain haven, scattering the ashes of a still smoldering fire. The air was quiet, except for the occassional cry of the carrion-birds who circled high above the scene of the massacre. Corpses, some complete and others not, lay scattered throughout the camp. The Darkness had come, and with it the end of the Onuhan.

The Shaman sat cross-legged among the corpses, laughing wildly to himself.

Stopping another branch swinging back and hitting her, Tara edged through the bushes behind Moran. She couldn’t remember having this much trouble on the way to the Temple, and couldn’t stop the churning feeling in her stomach that screamed her fear that they were getting into deeper and deeper trouble. With her thoughts drifting away from her actions, she was rudely awakened by a twig that flicked back and caught her cheek.

“Ah!” She watched the back of the man before her, as her hand flew instinctively to her face. Removing her fingers, she checked for signs of blood. “Professor, I’m not sure this is the right way.” She looked around her at the thickening shrubbery. “The entrance we used seemed much more open than this, if I recall.” Of course, she couldn’t be totally sure that her thoughts were in line, considering what they had been through lately. I really should have stayed in bed this morning.

#retagged...

<<OOC : if Lark doesn't reply soon, I'll just leave Jack and Cara's bodies in the tree...I ain't carrying them around the jungle!>>

*another Bump*

Moran paused, looking for a moment like he was going to spout out a snide remark, but simply blinks at Tara a few times. He looks around, frowning. He ponders his sidearm a moment, then puts it away in its holster. Tapping his chin as he thinks, he looks around wordlessly.

After being quiet just long enough for the situation to cross the border into the realm of uncomfortable silences, he turns to her, "You're right. This isn't the way. However, once we stopped running from the temple, we were lost, so we're still lost, just lost in a different place.

"The question is no 'Are we going the right way,' but 'Are we going a direction that will eventually lead to safety?'. I'm not really sure if we are, but... I don't have too many ideas on that right now." He levels his gaze at her, "So... if you've got any suggestions, I'm listening."

*another Bump*
OOC: Gawdly, tried tming him with the link yet? I'll wait a day for them.

Shifting uncomfortably, Tara realised that she might have overstated the obvious, and shook her head slowly as Moran turned to her and spoke. It wasn’t like she was trying to be obnoxious or anything, but when she was afraid, she tended to say the first thing that came into her head, almost as if the sound of her voice comforted her. “No, Professor, I have no suggestions.” She smiled slightly. “This way is as good an any other.”

She listened to the surrounding jungle. If there was anyone following them then there were either quite a distance behind, or had stealth feet. There was barely any sound around them, in fact it almost seemed too quiet. No cries of birds, no rustling of animals in the undergrowth. She turned back to the Professor. “As long as we are moving away from the Temple, I guess we are going the right way.” Although she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was no safe place anymore.

<<OOC - yuppers, TM'ed him but maybe he's on vacation..?>>

<<IC>>

Tepak could hear the sounds of movement long before he could see the cause of the noise. Listening intently from the bole of the tree, the young native knew instinctively that the noise was human in nature, and not the approach of one of the jungle's denizens. The sounds were coming from the direction that Tepak himself had recently followed, and for a brief moment, Tepak worried that he may have disturbed the spirits of the Temple in which he had taken shelter, and that they were coming for revenge.

He heard nothing at all in his mind: Tepak quickly realized that there could only be one reason for this...more Others were coming! He had no idea whether they were friends of the Jack and Cara, or whether they were enemies, seeking to cause his bond-brother and the woman whose eyes had captured his soul, much harm. Tepak vowed silently to let no harm befall them, unsheathed his razor-sharp Daru and sprinted towards the sounds of movement.

Tepak approached close enough to hear the soft, alien mumblings of the Others. Spying a Tengol tree nearby, he quickly scaled the trunk and hid himself in the webbed expanse of its thick branches. He looked down, and was amazed to see 2 humans standing there.

Tepak had only seen two Others in his life up to now, so he was shocked to see that one of the Others below was the oldest creature he had ever seen in his life! The Other had white hair and not much of it, and lines in his face that bespoke of much history and wisdom. Tepak felt no danger from him, in fact, he felt drawn to him in a way he did not understand. The woman with him was just finishing speaking to him, and Tepak overheard that the old one was named "Prof'sor".

The female Other who stood beside him exuded confidence and caution at the same time. She was striking, not beautiful as Cara was, but with a steely hardness in her eyes that spoke of a great, hidden strength.

He reached out with his mind yet again, probing, but a blank slate was all that he received. Tepak needed to get help for his friends, this much was clear. During his soul-bonding experience with the Jack, Tepak had absorbed the language of the Others, and though the knowledge was fading over time, he still remembered enough words to make his message clear. Tepak stood up on the branch, revealing himself to the two Others that stood below.

"Lost you are and helpin my need you are?" said the tribesman, unsure of whether his words made any sense. He focussed his thoughts once again, concentrating on using the right words.

"Me am named Tepak. You am named Prof'Sor? My Jack, my Cara am needs you. Help am." the native choked out the last few words, the memory of English slowly fading from his mind. He looked at the two Others, and pleaded silently with his eyes.

The professor spun in a decidedly unnaturally smooth and rapid manner, the pistol drawn from his holster and trained on Tepak around the time the third or forth word of battered English was uttered. He frowned, looking the native over, releasing he wasn't a blood-sucking daemon from beyond the bounds of space and time, or some other such unpleasant creature. Instead, he was... well, what appeared to be a local tribal in need of... help?

The native appeared to be determined to make his case, hence the continuation of his speach despite Moran's gun. That, or he didn't know what it was. Either was possible, all things considered. He pondered, staring at the native for a moment or two, trying to sort out the proper responce in this situation. He glanced over at Tara; her look was a familiar one, actually. A slight hint of paranoia danced in her eyes; much like was probably in his now, and was present when he first fled through a jungle from raving cultists. However, he could see that she also seemed to trust him, so the choice was his.

Kill this guy, or help... kill, or help...

He slowly lowered the gun from pointing at Tepak's head to pointing at his leg; casually enough to make it look like that was just where he stopped moving his arm, as opposed to specifically targeting the native's kneecap. Clearing his throat he softly asked, "Where are Jack and Cara?" Glancing at Tara again, he couldn't help but notice that she wasn't thrilled with his choice. Better than being lost, he figured, besides, if those cultists come, we just have to outrun him...

Tara almost jumped out of her skin when the man appeared, her eyes wide with fear. As the man spoke, she watched as Moran pulled the gun, and felt oddly connected to the old man, as her thoughts matched his. Although, she was not entirely sure that she wouldn’t have fired first, then asked questions later, that’s if she hadn’t already legged it down the path.

But she trusted the professor to make the right choices, he hadn’t let her down so far. So like him, she listened to the new arrivals broken speech, and watched a little sceptically as Moran lowered his weapon. She turned towards him questioningly before returning her eyes to the stranger, as Moran asked after the man and woman. She didn’t want to ask the professor outright what he was doing, at least not until she knew exactly who Jack and Cara was, and why they needed help. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this could be some kind of trap.

When the old man said the names "Jack and Cara" in a questioning tone, Tepak was relieved that his words were understood. Not even noticing that a weapon was trained on him, Tepak leaped gracefully from the tree and landed lightly as a cat, despite the almost 20-foot drop. The Prof'sor was just beginning to react when Tepak reached out with his muscular arms and hugged the old man tightly to him, a huge smile splitting his face.

"Me am Tepak, you am Prof'Sor, me sings you life-tale" bubbled the excited tribesman, and began to sing a melodic, trance-like song. Though the Professor and Tara recognized no words, they understood that this was a special moment, and that the native was...honoring them in some way. The song seemed to come to an end, and then Tepak released the Professor. He looked behind them, with the cautious stare of a hunter.

"Am much bad from that," said Tepak quietly, indicating the path that Tara and Moran had taken, "him not safe, him much evil."

Tepak reached out his hand, taking Morans in his grasp. With a pleading look in his eyes, he turned in the direction of the clearing where the Jack and Tara lay, and began to gently pull the Prof'Sor in that direction.

"Come now, come Jack and Cara way is here."

******************************************

The beautiful warrior was a living statue. Try as she might, Daria was unable to move any part of her body. Her eyes were frozen open, staring straight ahead. Tears of frustration began to form, and she was grateful for the relief to her drying eyes. The large creatures - the Wendigos - darted in and out of her vision, touching her lightly as they passed. She could hear them moving about her camp, rifling through the warriors’ hunting-packs and communicating to each other in a harsh, guttural, barking language of their own. She had no knowledge of what had become of her sister warriors…she had heard no movement from them, and hoped that they were simply frozen in sleep, much like she was now. Except that Daria was awake, and her childhood nightmare had come to life.

A huge beast loomed in her vision, the biggest she had seen yet. It looked like a large, fur-covered man with a face that was wolf-like in a…human way. Daria stared, frightened yet fascinated by the glowing eyes of her personal boogeyman. The Song of the Wendi was never spoken about by the Onuhan villagers, yet somehow each generation of children always knew the lyrics, and the horror behind them. Something was different though, for the Song portrayed these creatures as slavering, howling, baby-eating monsters, yet the creature that stood before her now exuded a sense of gentleness and nobility. Suddenly, Daria felt her fear fade away and a moment later, she was able to move again.

Before she could do more than blink, the massive Wendigo spoke:

“Daria...black parrot... evil...alien...brings with it the dead…”

The young tribeswoman was stunned: the creature was speaking to her! The words confused her…black parrot? What did “alien” mean? Daria looked at the creature apologetically and spoke to it, slowly and clearly. “I do not understand your words…what do you mean by them?”

The Wendigo’s demeanour suddenly changed, and the creature seemed to shrink slightly, and its face took on an expression that was filled with sadness. Looking deeply into Daria’s eyes, the creature spoke haltingly once again:

“Daria…darkness feasts…bones bleached…”, the Wendigo paused and reached out for the her hand, “Daria…last…of the Onuhan.”

Whatever Tara had been expecting the tribesman to do, it had not been to sing a song as he grabbed the professor in a bear hug. When he had first taken hold of Moran, she had instinctively moved as if ready to strike; her bag already slid down her arm and caught in her hand, to be used as a basic club. But her hand had been stilled as she realised that her companion with in no danger, the strap of the bag, resting lightly over her fingers.

Barely recovering from the scene before her, Tara had little more than a moment before the tribesman hand once again grabbed the professor, although this time he had hold of the older man’s wrist and was pulling him into the jungle.

Replacing her bag safely on her shoulder, she stood for a moment, her eyes scanning around her before she took off after Moran and their new guide, as they went in search of these two people. “Professor?” She walked beside Moran, her voice lowered, not that she thought the native would know what she was saying. “I don’t like this.” Her eyes were flicking around as they walked.

Moran looked almost offended and the tribesman clutched him, his professorial dignity (what little he had left, being lost in a jungle and on the run from a death-cult) was rather solidly shattered as he sputtered helplessly. "Er, well, yes... that's all..." Turning to Tara, "Singing?!"

He yelped in surprize as Tepak jerking him bodily through the forest, "Now see he-URK!" Sighed, feeling resigned to his fate, he let the native drag him through the jungle, largely failing to find his footing due to the shock, which made for a rather comical stumbling gait.

Around the time Tara caught up with him he had managed to finally get his feet to cooperate with his forward momentum and he nodded to her, a look of irritation on his face, like a parent might have when being yanked about by a small child. He grinned slightly as he remembered the pistol in his free hand; with deft fingers he spun it around, grabbing it by the barrel, handing it to Tara with a knowing look, "Just in case..."

Taking hold of the gun, Tara looked questioningly at the professor as she tightened her fingers around the grip, following the two men through the jungle. She had never shot anyone before, but if it was a choice between the lives of Moran and herself, she would fire first, then question her decision from a safe distance.

Nodding her head to the professor to show that she would use it if the moment arose, she left the weapon dangling loosely down the side of her body, but in such a position as to be easy to bring into play quickly.

Confident that the Prof'Sor and his female were following him, Tepak let go of the old mans hand and darted ahead, using his Daru to cut a path through the dense foliage, and into the clearing. He looked behind him, satisfied that the two Others were able to follow, and ran swiftly over to the tree where the immobilized bodies of Jack and Cara lay hidden.

As Tepak approached the tree, he sensed that something was different around him. He came to a halt at the base of the trunk, searching around him for the source of his unease. Seeing nothing with his eyes nor his mind, Tepak turned to climb the tree. As his gaze turned upwards, the tribesman saw that he was not alone. A large black bird, one of the creatures the Others called "Raven", was perched on a branch, staring at Tepak intently with glowing red eyes.

The young tribesman returned the Ravens stare, unconsciously snapping his wrist and readying his throwing darts. At that moment, the large black bird spread its long wings, and took flight. As it vanished into the waning night, the Raven let out a cry that sent a shiver through Tepak, a sound akin to laughter that was almost human. A wave of dread slammed into the native, and he leapt into the tree, climbing rapidly towards the nest of branches where the two bodies rested. Pulling himself over the last branch, Tepak's darkest fears were confirmed:

Jack and Cara were gone.

<<OOC- Ok, if ever Lark comes back, his characters are safe...or at least, in limbo, and I can move on! >>

*BUMPED*

<<OOC - I'm on vacation as of next Friday, and will only post sporadically for the following week...>>

*BUMPO*

<<OOC - Hey Roania, think you can pop in and direct the story just a teeny bit?? Thanks!!>>

*CHECKS THE PULSE OF THIS RP*

<<OOC:
"She's dead, Jim."

"That...can't...be possible."

"Dammit, I'm a doctor, not an NS RP moderator!"

"Keptin, Keptin, I'm picking up something on my sensors"

"What is it, Jackov?"

"The end of everything...summer vacations">>

Moran clucked his tongue as he watched the native stare at a bird and then climb the tree. He turned to Tara, blinking, "Er... he's an odd one." He sighed softly, watching the native peer around some branches and up in the air again, "Either these people are gone, or he's completely nuts. Not sure which is worse, really."

<<OOC - Dearest Hack...as you can tell by my post count, I am a relative noob to RPing...howzabout some feedback as to whether I'm doing things right? The reason I ask is that I was accused of Godmodding in another RP by a veteran RPer (Draconis Nichtcrawlis) because my space faring characters have exo-skeletons. He has chosen to ignore me, which makes it hard to find out the problem, or finish that RP. I love to write, and I hope I have found a place to express creativity, but if I'm doing something wrong, I would like to know. Thanks in advance...>>

:headbang: <<Direct the story?...if I must...I say, though, that you make my job difficult...>>

The ceremony finished. And a door in the jungle opened, its opening being foreshadowed by an intense light, a light that drew the eyes of all, Raven and heroes, to it.

<<And...I had a nice picture, only something went wrong.>>

Moran glanced back towards the temple, his face falling. "Oh, fuck." Moving again with his unnaturally rapid speed, he spun towards Tara, snatching the gun from her hand and double checking that it was ready to go. Kicking the tree with a booted foot he called up to Tepak, "Hey! Monkey-boy! Get us out. NOW!" He was in no mood for communication difficulties, so just to be sure, he called up, punctuating his words by pointing towards the temple, "Leave! Escape! Here-not-safe!"

Not waiting for Tepak's responce, he dropped to his knees, pulling up the leg of his pants a little, and extracting a small .22 from an ankle-holster. He handed it to Tara with an almost apologetic look on his face, "It's not much, but better than nothing." Lowering his voice to an almost conspirital level, "If it's you or him, shoot him."

[OOC: Eh, you're doing fine. Generally, new nations aren't "allowed" advanced tech such as space stuff or exo-skeletons, etc. but not everybody much cares about those restrictions. The skill of the writing is far more important. I wouldn't worry too much, really.]

Eyes drawn to the light that emitted over the jungle, Tara knew that this was a bad sign, and muttered something under her breath, something her mother would have not been impressed to hear, but at this moment, she could think of nothing else. She pulled her gaze away and turned to Moran, in time to see him reach and grab the gun from her hand, not that she gave any resistance, her grip on it was almost non-existent.

Suddenly, as if awoken from a dream, a flood of reality entered her mind, and she could feel the panic in the air, the professor’s words just registering as she tightened her hand around the weapon her hand given her, wrapping in it her hand, her finger already resting against the trigger.

“Yes, Professor, I will.” She answered, although the thought of actually shooting someone filled her with dread, but if it came to him or her, she knew that survival would dictate her actions. Survival of the fittest, or at least of the one with the best weapon.

With another look at Moran, she began to move in the opposite direction from the light, which in a way made missing the Temple a lot easier, even if it did fill her with a sense of impending doom.

((You know, a really brave man would return to the temple to try to destroy the creature while it's still weak and groggy...remember, by Moran's own admission, if that creature attains its true strength, no-where is safe...

Oh, wait. I'm not interfering. ^_^ Just...don't kill Raven. He no die yet. Still, I'll let you work it out...if you decide to run away, I'll alter accordingly. Don't worry, be happy!))

[Ya know, most brave men are also stupid, heh. I'll give Gawdly a bit to respond, otherwise I'll just go ahead.]

((Oh yeah...I guess I've been playing so much Eternal Darkness that I forget that most humans, when faced with ancient evil, undead monstrousities, and monsters the size of houses would do nothing but hide until the noise stops. Shall I have a post with the creature appearing? Or shall I return to the shadows...))

[Eh. Give Gawdly a chance to respond I guess]

[OOC: Feh. Back to the shadows with ye, foul GM]

Moran frowned as Tepak delayed up in the tree, looking torn between fleeing and waiting for the native. As he mentally danced from foot to foot, he let out a cry of realization, scrambling to rifle through his pockets; tossing papers, coins, and the occational bit of string onto the ground of the jungle. Noticing Tara's puzzled look, he said quickly, "The rubbing from the temple! I gave you a copy to hold on to. It might help!" He dropped his backpack to the ground and started to frantically dig through it.

Tara just stood looking blankly at the professor as if he had just spoken to her in some foreign language that she had never heard before. Her brain was yelling at her to run, and yet her feet would not move. Suddenly the penny dropped, and Moran’s words seemed to translate into an order that her body understood.

Dropping to the floor in a crouch, she began to rummage through her bag, knowing she had followed her mentor’s instructions and kept them safe. Her hand brushed against the paper, her fingers clutching it desperately, as she pulled it free and thrust it at Moran. “Professor!” She looked at him expectantly. “You think that might be the key?”

Moran smiled, snatching the poffered paper from Tara's hand, "Yes, I think it just may." Wiping his hands off on his pants, trying to get the sweat off of them, he smoothed out the paper, adjusting his glasses, murmuring to Tara, "Let me know if that temple does anything..."

He concentrated at the strange glyphs on the paper. He felt no small amount of relief that he had made a second copy for Tara to hold on to. He knew he would lose his copy, and the ancient carvings had seemed far too important to not have a copy of. His fingers lightly hovered over the rubbing, the wheels of his mind spinning rapidly, trying to translate the near-incomprehensible scribblings.

He looked up at the increasingly nervious Tara, and gave her a resigned look. Carefully folding the paper he gave her a wan smile, "I think... I think I can stop this... that thing. If I'm right, Lord willing, this rubbing's a dismissal spell..." He pauses, before glancing into the tree, and then back at Tara, "If the native leaves his catatonic stage soon, you should have him lead you out. I certainly can't force you to follow me." He leaned in and gave her a brief, but friendly hug, and turned, trudging back into the jungle, towards the foul glowing light of the temple.

((Um...hi again...guess I let this get ahead of me, what with the vacation I took and the lack of forums for a bit. I really like this thread, and I was wondering if it's not too late to revive my part in this. Maybe someone could give me a summary of the important bits?))

Tara looked at Moran, staring as if he was some two headed monster that had suddenly appeared before her. Her gaze followed him as he walked away, then she seemed to find her feet and voice. “Professor!” She jogged after him, slowly as she reached his side and grabbed him arm. “I can’t let you do this on your own.” She smiled, and hoped she had not overstepped the line. “We started this together…” The looked she gave him was filled with determination. “I’m coming with you.”

Moran paused for a moment, looking at Tara, almost as if sizing her up before nodding slowly, "If that's your desire, so be it. Just be ready for... unpleasant sights. This will be worse than the cerimony." He frowned a little, "Far worse." Turning back towards the temple, he led the way, trying to disturb the vegitation as minimally as possible. 'With any luck those bastards will be in an orgy or something and not notice us,' he thought to himself.

As they approached the temple, Moran started murmuring softly, voicing words that seemed frightfully unnatural; like something that humans shouldn't say, or even be able to say. Handing his revolver back to Tara, almost as an afterthought, he held the paper in both hands, his voice starting to gain in strength.

Iá, x'ggh'xann, Iá knn
Iá, x'ggh'xann, Iá c'th'agn
Iá! Iá! Iá!

He grimaced as half human monstrosities turned towards them, hesitating before slowly shambling in their direction. He shot Tara a look, "Keep them away." He adjusted his spectacles before starting his chanting again, moving on to the second verse.

<<OOC - sorry guys, I was in the woods in a tent the last few days, with no high-speed access!>>

The muscular native stood ramrod straight, lost in wave after wave of images, sounds and sensations, attacking him from all sides. Tepak had just discovered that Jack and Cara were no longer where he had left them, and before he could begin any kind of search for his bond-mates, he was assaulted by a wall of...feeling.

Visions of nightmarish evil slammed past him, blackened Ravens leaving smouldering soot trails in the sky, massive creatures with mottled fur fighting (or dancing?) with people, HIS people, the Onuhan. Tepak heard the voice of the Shaman, and though he could hear the old wizard speaking, the young native could not discern the meaning of the words. Tepak reached out to the Shaman in his mind, but suddenly Daria stood before him, screaming "Not you! Not NOW!"...Tepak tried to touch the girl that had owned his heart for nigh on 18 years, but she faded away at his grasp.

A bright, glaring whiteness brought Tepak back to reality, and the jungle reappeared around him. Blinking his eyes, he tried to make sense of the images that were slowly vanishing from his mind. Tepak remembered he was not alone, and glanced towards the area he had last seen the white-haired Prof'Sor and his female. They were gone! Leaping from the bole of the tree, Tepak ran to where they had stood, and examined the tracks that littered the ground. It was obvious that the pair had returned in the direction they had originally come from, though Tepak could not understand why.

Looking towards the jungle, the young native felt a chill run through him, a familiar feeling of danger. He was growing used to his burgeoning powers and the strangeness of the unfolding world around him, and even to the feeling of danger and the unknown. The only thing he was not growing used to was solitude, and being alone. Tepak sorely missed his tribe, his family and of course, Daria. The old man and the female might be able to help him find Jack and Cara, but most of all they would help to alleviate his lonliness.

"I will not rest until you are safe" he vowed silently to Jack and Cara, as he loped off in pursuit of the Prof'Sor. Within minutes, he caught sight of white-hair, bobbing in the distance. As he got closer, he could hear the old man speaking the tongue of the Others, and the muffled reply of his female. Then the Prof'Sor did something extrodinary: he began to sing.

Not just any song, and not one that Tepak had ever heard before, and one that he did not understand now, but the power in the rhythm was obvious. The young native slowed his pace and quietly, almost reverently, came to stand beside the old man who continued his chant, oblivious to the world around him. The female had not noticed Tepaks stealthy arrival as yet, and she still stared into the jungle, her Other weapon trembling slightly in her hand. The native regarded her for a moment, then stepped towards her. Focussed on the space in front of her, Tara was not aware of the young man's approach. Tepak reached out to get her attention, touching Tara lightly on the arm.

Spinning around suddenly at the touch, Tepak was lucky to still be standing in one piece, as she just focused on his face before her finger started to press down on the trigger. “God, damn it! Are you trying to get killed?” She shook her head and turned to look back at the jungle, then fired, the sound echoing around the clearing as the first bullet went hurtling through the air, along with Tara herself as the kick back sent her tumbling onto her backside.

“Fuck it!” She clambered off her floor, regaining her feet, as she thrust the gun into to natives hands, and pointed at the approaching people. “Shoot…them!” She articulated the words slowly, and moved her finger as if pulling the trigger. “Shoot!” As she finished her demonstration, she pulled out the other gun that Moran had given her, quickly firing off another shot, watching as it hit another one.

She hoped that whatever it was that the professor had to do, it wasn’t some fifty verse spell, as she felt sure they would be lucky to hold anyone off for too long. And these people were under some kind of hypnotic spell, they probably didn’t even notice that two of their compatriots were lying still on the ground. “Come on, Professor. Hurry.” The words were spoken low, and sounded more like a sigh, as she took aim again.

Tepak stared at the young woman in confusion as she fired her strange weapon repeatedly into the forest. The explosions rang in his sensitive ears, and Tepak ducked away unconciously. It was then that the female said something to him, at the same time offering Tepak one of the Others weapons. Tepak looked at the device and frowned.

In one fluid motion he removed the bow strapped to his back, and nocked it with two arrows. He looked towards the direction that the female was shooting, and prepared to let fly with the wickedly-barbed shafts. To his surprise, and growing confusion, Tepak realized that there was nothing before him! No beasts or creatures, no human enemies, no NOTHING...just the jungle itself. What was this strange female shooting at then?

Tepak closed his eyes, and sent his senses outwards. Immediately, images materialized in his mind, visons of fearsome monstrosities seeking to feed on the souls of the living. Demons! With a start, Tepak realized that the Prof'Sor and his female were able to see these creatures of the spirit-world as clearly as if they stood before them. Weapons would not stop these creatures, not even the magical weapons of the Others, for these wraiths were not of the physical world.

Tepak stared in helpless horror as the creatures shambled closer.

[OOC: I hate to break in with an OOC note here, but just wanted to say I do have a responce in mind, however, I don't have access to my Encyclopedia Cthulhiana, which is where I plan on cribbing the rest of the spell from. As soon as I figure out which box it's in, I'll dig it out and post.

Remember boys and girls: Moving sucks.]

<How very rude... just for that, I'm going to have the big evil monster the size of the house start to dramatically slide into existence. CU... sorry, asking the wrong man here. I haven't a clue what's going on.>

There was a low groan... and above, in the sky, the clouds started to coalesce into a hideous shape. From the temple poured the human worshippers, reinforcing the half-humans.

Some of the shambling things bore remarkable semblances to the deceased T'lnok, the murdered Onuhan, and the Larkinians...

<Don't worry...no matter what, the Prof. saves the day. No one does anything with my big monster the size of a large house except Hack, goddit?>

Moran only seemed vaguely aware of the arrows and bullets flying past him and slamming into the bodies of the creatures that were lumbering in their direction. He was barely aware enough to toss a small box of ammunition to Tara so that she could keep shooting.

Pulling a small knife from his pocket, he sliced open the palm of his left hand, his blood pooling in his palm and turning from a normal scarlet to a decidedly unnormal black. He clenched his fist letting the blood drip onto the ground, soundly killing any vegitation that it lands on. He lifted his head head and continued his chanting.

Ghe'phnglui, mglw'ngh ghee-yh!
Fhtagn mglw y'tlette ngh'wgah
Ghe'phnglui mglw-ngh ahkohg'shg!

As he chanted, his voice deepened considerably, taking on a growling, gutteral tone. The paper in his hand started to glow softly, the runes from the rubbing starting to writhe hypnotically. The creatures coming towards them paused in confusion, some howling in pain, others seemingly enraged and starting to move faster, as if driven on by the amorpheous horror that hovered over the temple.

N'ggah-kthn-y'hhu!
Iá! Iá! G'noth-ykagga-ha!
Cthua t'lh gup r'lhob-g'th'gg lgh thok!
Iá! Iá! G'noth-ykagga-ha!
N'ggah-kthn-y'hhu!

A thin line of blood started to trickle from his nose as he chanted, the spell clearly taking a toll on his body. A deafening roar came from the thing above the temple as it seemingly turned towards Moran, Tara, and Tepak, its malevolence clearly manifest. Some of the creatures who had hesitated exploded in a shower of gore.

Ya na kadishtu nilgh'ri stell-bsna;
K'yarnak phlegethor l'ehumma syha'h n'ghft.
Ya hai kadishtu ep r'luh-eeh g'thynao eeh,
S'uhn-ngh athg li'hee orr'e syha'h.

Blood was now running from his ears and eyes as well. He fell to his knees, struggling to finish the last of the spell as the circle of dessicated vegitation grew around him; a nearby tree starting to wilt. More of the creatures howled in pain even as Tara and Tepak felled them. He lifted his head to continue the spell, even as his voice grew more raw and the paper now seemed to be searing his hand.

Iá, x'ggh'xann, Iá knn
Iá, x'ggh'xann, Iá c'th'agn!
Iá, x'ggh'xann, Iá knn
Iá, x'ggh'xann, Iá c'th'agn!
IÁ, X'GGH'XANN, IÁ KNN
IÁ, X'GGH'XANN, IÁ C'TH'AGN!

As he screetched out the last sylables, his body collapsed to the ground.

An almost deathly stillness filled the air for a moment as the howling winds stopped, the creatures and cultists stopped moving, and the sphere of corruption around Moran stopped progressing. The horror above the temple let out a ghastly inhuman roar, the force nearly enough to knock a person over, as its form shimmered.

A series of spider-web cracks rapidly moved across it, beams of red light lancing through the cracks, growing wider as the crevaces grew, and the form fractured even further. The red light struck all of the inhuman creatures, causing their flesh to boil away, their bones quickly following suit, leaving only a greasy black film on the ground where they stood.

The horror continued to writhe as the unholy light destroyed its unnatural minions before swirling faster and faster before collapsing in on itself into an twisting singularity which quickly winked out of existance, the natural sounds of the jungle returning as if nothing happened.

Professor Moran's body twitched occationally, the blood drying to his face and neck. The human cultists reacted chaotically. Some lifting up weapons, looking with murderous intent to the man who destroyed their god, some curled up on the ground gibbering and clawing at their eyes, some fleeing, and many standing catatonic.

Looking momentarily at Tepak as he pulled out his bow, Tara grabbed back the more powerful weapon, and continued to fire. She felt the box of bullets hit the ground by her feet and picked them up quickly, hardly missing a shot. She couldn’t help feeling that she was fighting a losing battle as more and more humans approached.

Her head was filled with the professor’s voice as he continued his chant, the words growing louder and louder. She could hear the strain that he was in as his voice rose into almost a shout, before he fell silent. Turning around as she heard the thud, as he dropped onto the ground, she wanted to check that he was alright, but then the howling filled her ears, and her attention was once again drawn to the humans, if they could be called that, who were writhing before them, but not all seemed as affected as others.

“Professor?” She called, hoping that she could raise and answer from him, but he remained silent. “Damn it!” She was torn. She couldn’t leave her position of holding back the mass that was drawing ever closer, but she couldn’t leave Moran, not knowing how bad he was. Slowly edging backwards, her weapon sporadically firing off a shot, as she crouched beside him, quickly checking his vitals, happy that he was at least alive.

We need to get out of here. Fortunately the professor’s spell had rendered most of the approaching horde incapable, but there were still a few that appeared to be out for their blood. It would those that she focused on as she continued to fire then reload the gun, as Tepak shot his arrows into the mass.

Tepak let fly with shaft after shaft, each one finding a target. For every creature that fell, 3 more would take its place. The young native observed from the corner of his eye that the female stood bravely, resolute in her defense of the Prof'Sor, despite the horror coming towards them. He took a moment to be suitably impressed by her strength, then fired 4 arrows in succession, skewering a handful of creatures that had almost circled around them.

Tepak saw the Prof'Sor fall, blood pouring from him. The female moved to protect him, and Tepak realized that with this distraction and the female concerned with the old man, they would be quickly over-run. Firing his last arrows, Tepak dropped his bow and drew his Daru. Singing quietly to it, Tepak looked deep inside himself and touched the place where his Warrior dwelt. With a surge of energy, Tepak stood straight, seemingly growing in stature.

With a scream of anger and defensive rage, Tepak plunged into the boiling mass of twisted humanity that was approaching ever closer. He wove in and out, Daru flashing and dancing in an explosion of violence. The creatures dropped before him, headless or gushing great gouts of lifeblood. Though Tepak fought like a whirlwind, the sheer numbers of enemies began to take its toll. More blood fell, this time much of it belonging to the young native.

Tepak fought on, oblivious to his wounds, knowing only that if he were to pass to a higher plane today, it would be with honor, defending the Prof'Sor. Another grotesque creature fell before the razor-sharp kiss of Tepaks Daru, and for a moment, there was silence. As if taking a collective breath, the creatures seemed to regroup, and attack as one. With a last fleeting glance at Tara, Tepak smiled and dove into the onrushing horde, dissappearing into their midst.

Moran groaned softly, raising a weak hand, trying to wipe the blood from his eyes, clearing enough away just in time to see Tepak charge into the throng of cultists. "Bloody... Hell." He gave Tara a wincing smile as she continued to fire the gun, crawling over to the discarded .22, firing off a few shots, managing to hit a couple, despite his condition and blurred vision. "Son of a byakhee... that was... unpleasant..." He spat out a bit of blood from his mouth, struggling to rise to his feet, "We need to go..."

---

The deranged cultists roared with rage at Tepak, trying to bring him to his knees, using knives, clubs, their hands and feet. Their anger at Moran, and their rage at Tepak standing in their way clearly evident. However, as the native slew cultist after cultist, the morale on the fringes crumbled even more. While they thirsted for the blood of the interlopers who dismissed their god, they feared the power of the warlock who had done the deed, and the the two who protected him.

Seeing Moran rise to his feet further degraded the morale, causing more cultists to flee. While Moran was in no condition to rain holy Hell down upon their heads, they didn't know this, and feared what terrible magic he might bring upon them.

The cultists closest to Tepak, however, were lost in their own frenzied blood-lust, and surged against him.

His world was blood: their blood, his blood, mingling and entwining and becoming more than the whole. A hazy fog hung over Tepak, and he watched himself from a distance, fighting unreasonable odds, enemies surging against him. With a sense of detachment, he observed himself battling the monstrosities with a viscious and unrelenting resolve. He watched himself critically, berating himself when he made a wrong move. These errors were beginning to mount up, and Tepak noticed that he was wounded in over a dozen places, his lifeblood pouring freely into the hard-packed earth. From this viewpoint, the young native saw the Prof'Sor slowly regaining his feet, and the effect it was having on the attacking creatures. They began to dissipate into the woods, their will and morale seemingly broken. Tepak saw his opening, and took it.

A handfull of the soulless ones still surrounded the bloodied tribesman, advancing on him, dead eyes staring yet revealing no secrets. Snapping his wrist, Tepak quickly palmed a pair of beldon-tipped hunting darts. Moving faster than the eye could see, Tepak let fly with the poisoned missiles, each one finding and dispatching a slavering opponent. Even before the darts found their targets, Tepak was in motion, his razor-sharp Daru drawing a line of death around him. His first slash nearly decapitated the closest beast, but more importantly, convinced the remaining creatures that this time, thier intended victim was not a helpless one. Horrific cries of despair and frustration split the night as the soulless ones disappeared into the darkening jungle.

Tepak took a last look around him to ensure that the attack was over, then took a wavering step towards his companions. Before he could take a second step, blood loss from his many wounds finally took their toll: Tepak's last sight was of the Prof'Sor stepping towards him, then the rushing floor of the jungle as the young native collapsed, unconcious before he hit the ground.

Struggling to help the professor, Tara placed his arm around his shoulder, taking some of his weight as she tried to get them to move. She felt guilty about leaving the native man to fend off the horde, but she somehow got the impression that was what he wanted. “Come on, Professor.” Making sure she had him tightly she turned to go.

That’s when she caught sight of Tepak, and her feet stilled. Her eyes were fixed to the fight before her, the fluid motions and his attacks were all she could see. Every time he was hit she shuddered with fear for him, and for the professor. If he failed in his endeavour, then the three of them were lost.

Then almost without her noticing, the clearing grew empty, apart from the strewn bodies, and even those seemed to decrease in number the more time you stood watching, as if their very bodies had been sucked into the ground, disappearing from sight. Watching in wonder, Tara’s eyes held Tepak’s for a moment, before they clouded over and he pitched onto the ground.

Suddenly, Tara didn’t know what to do. She needed to get Moran out of the area, but she couldn’t leave their fallen companion, not after he had risked his life for them. “Professor?” She turned to the older man, knowing that his wisdom would guide them to the right answer.

<CU... sorry, asking the wrong man here. I haven't a clue what's going on.>

((*groans* Grr, I just wanna do something to get back in the story! Somebody gimme a hand here, I'm so lost. I hate going on vacation in the middle of something like this.))

<<OOC: Cyber, your characters Roy and Rayvan were last seen talking with 2 Wendigos regarding the "Black Menace"...you intimate that you have some knowledge of this evil, and seem to be trying to start an alliance with the Wendi's...

Currently, myself, Gehenna and Hack have hooked up and joined forces...I need them to help me find Jack and Cara (the absent Larkinia) and they are investigating the temples and ruins. We just had a great throwdown with some zombies.

I tried earlier in the story to make a connection between your chars and mine. Here is a quote from an earlier entry, as Tepak huddled in an abandoned ruin.

"The shiny metal box spoke, “ Personal Log, 1st Sgt. Daniel Logann, Alpha 2 clearance. If you are listening to this message, then I am probably dead, and the mission a failure. Only 3 of us left now, including the Professor. Private Vellera died yesterday, and all because Montgomery thought he could scare off an Aserix by flapping his skinny arms and yelling at it! That old fool is responsible for the deaths of Vellera and the rest of the team, and if by some chance we get out of this hell-hole alive, then the information on this data recorder should be sufficient to bring him to justice, and shut down the Titan Project once and for all. Give this tape to Roy Black: he’ll know what to do. Either way, the Prof has been missing since last night, and no man can survive alone and unarmed in this jungle…God willing, justice will be served. Please…tell my wife and boy that…I love them.” With that, the voice stopped, the green light disappeared and the box became lifeless once again."

So, the Titan Project (unsure what that may be, but could be interesting) and your search for Sgt. Logan could be your new starting points.

Hack, feel free to go through Tepaks hunting bag while he lies unconcious. Amongst other things, the data recorder mentioned above is in there.

Glad to have you back!

*El BUMPO*

((Thank you Gawdly, I remember that connection that you set up, but our characters haven't come into contact yet...they'll follow the gunshots, I figure.))

Both of the Cyberutopians' heads perked up at the sound of gunshots in the distance. But they were not a hunter's measured shots; these were shots of panic, against a mass of foes.

"We will meet again, I am sure, and we will help you against the darkness." Roy spat out with a short bow of his head at the Wendigoes before brother and sister sprinted off into the jungle.

---

The two ripped through the foliage into a tiny clearing devestated by a short and bloody battle. The coppery stench of spilt blood hung in the air like a curtain. The first thing the two noticed was not the two figures on the fringes of the clearing, but the prone figure of an unconcious man on the ground, barely clothed and drenched in blood that could not have been his own. Rayven knelt next to the man and called Roy over, who was stooped over the man's strange sword. The black-haired man turned his wrist and a tiny syringe shot from the side of his armor's wrist, which he inserted into one of the man's veins.

[OOC: Don't worry, I didn't forget, just been busy / no i-net at home / ill]

Moran hesitated, sizing up the situation. The god was gone; good. The cultists were gone; good. The native was half-dead from wounds; bad. He was terribly drained from his spell; very much not good. Tara, on the other hand, was rattled, but otherwise fine; good. Two weirdoes in strange armor just crashed through into the clearing; What the Hell?!

He quickly raised his gun, doubting it would have a chance against their armor, and with his vision blurred, the chance of a clean neck or head shot was unlikely. Still, they weren't far, and one could get lucky. He cleared his throat, trying to stand on his own feet as opposed to leaning on Tara, "I say... not to be rude, but just who the Hell are you two?"

Tara released her hold on Moran, but remained close enough to aid him should he need her. She knew that he was still weak from the spell, but he needed to but on a brave and strong appearance for the newcomers. Although she was as surprised as the professor at seeing the two people enter the clearing and approach the native, she felt certain that there were not a threat, well not like the cultists were. She was sure they could listen to reason, at least.

Her eyes remaining on the fallen Tepak and his aid givers, Tara allowed herself to release the tension she had been feeling, for the first time since entering the temple she actually felt safe. A smile crept unbidden to her lips, as she let out a long sigh.

Roy looked up at the source of the voice and stood with a heavy sigh, brushing his hair back form his eyes.

"Oh, just a pair of hunters experiencing a bit of deja vu." He remarked dryly.

<< OOC: "Rayven knelt next to the man and called Roy over, who was stooped over the man's strange sword. The black-haired man turned his wrist and a tiny syringe shot from the side of his armor's wrist, which he inserted into one of the man's veins. "

Cyber, please give me an idea what you shot into me, so I can react accordingly...mmmmmm, drugs. >>

((Lol. It's a nanobot mixture that acts as a reviving agent and a painkiller, just without the addiction of morphine.))

Tepak floated in a roaring silence, black light burning stark images in his mind. He wanted to stay here, to swim in the waking sleep of womb-warmth, but voices surrounded him and with a gasp, the young native was ripped back into reality. His eyes fluttered open to stare into the deep black eyes of the stranger who knelt beside him...

She was striking, this new Other: obsidian eyes searched his with infinite softness, and Tepak felt no danger. Another stranger strode into view, a large male encased in a shell made of unknown materials, hands filled with the weapons of the Others. This one looked deadly, and not to be trifled with.

Suddenly, Tepak remembered his friends, and with a cry of "Prof'Sor!", he jerked himself away from the Others, rolling and grabbing his bloodied Daru from the ground. He stood slowly, looking around for the old man and his female, but the quick movements were too much for the native in his weakened state. Dizzy from blood loss, Tepak fell to one knee, the Daru slipping from his hand.

Ray jolted to her feet when the native moved, and Roy made a move, though lacking urgency, for one of his pistols. When Tepak fell to one knee, the Cyberutopian woman fell along with him, immediately making an effort to get him on his feet.

Her voice jolted Roy out of his caution. "Help me already, Roy."

"Oh, right." The hunter responded, moving to get a shoulder under the native's arm.

It took a few minutes for everything to click into place, from the odd quip by the man in armor, to Tepak's revival, to his collapse. "Hm." It almost looked as if his mind had shut down for a few moments before he shrugged, slipping the .22 into his pocket, staggering over to a tree and sitting down, resting his back against it.

He glanced up at Tara, shrugging slightly, "Well... the god's gone, the cultists are gone, and the native seems okay. I'm all up for a break." Reaching into his pocket he extracted a cigar and started patting his pockets for a lighter.

((What's going on now...? :D Can I return to my shadows, or do you all want a suitably dramatic ending...and has Tepack forgotten about our black-feathered friend?))

[OOC: I banished your god, and killed/scared off most of the cultists, and killed all the half-humans and monsters.

Now go away, as I have officially stolen your thread :p ].

<< Tepak is sorta overwhelmed right now...meeting the Others (6 of them so far), his burgeoning powers, fighting to the death against overwhelming odds...tough stuff for an 18 year old. This MAY be a good time for a "Black and Evil Presence" to make a quick appearance and draw us all together...

...or Tepak may end up spending all his time cruising Rayven, Tara and Cara. He IS a teenage boy, after all... ;-) >>

Actually, after talking with Gehenna, we kinda decided to spin our characters off into another thread (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=348004). With Roania's lack of interest and the kinda stalemate we've hit... well... we're jumping ship. Feel free to check it out and such. While the beginning is loosely scripted (in mah head) the rest is pretty wide open, as my second post implies.

Anyway, I hope noone takes offence, as none is implied.

((Well damn. I wanted to face off against Roania's Raven again. C'mon Roania...think of something to reel the others back in.))

ModEdit: Flaming in a thread with a GM. Not too smart.

((Right, ok, you go on and get yourself DEATed then. Besides, not all Americans dislike the French, I find them quite agreeable. Except for you, if you even are French.))

<< OOC: Urf...ok, are you going to remove your characters gracefully from the story, or does this thread come to a shuddering halt?>>

((It will not die! I will Save (Will) with a Natural 20! Take that!))

Tara watched as the professor moved over to the tree and sat down, she followed him over and watched as he pulled out a cigar, and began to search for a light. Fishing in her pocket, she pulled out a box of matches and struck one, lighting the Moran’s cigar. “My father always told me, never to leave home without a box of matches.” She smiled. “Especially as I could never do the two sticks trick.”

Sitting down beside him, she sighed heavily; partly from relief, partly from tiredness. She hadn’t done a lot, but she felt like she had been through several rounds with a heavyweight boxing champion. She didn’t want to even think about how Moran must be feeling.

She looked over at the two strangers and the native. Whatever they had given him seemed to have a stunning effect, perhaps she could take some home for her exam period, to enable her to wake herself following many hour of studying. She smiled to herself, hoping that the native was going to be alright, the way he had fought off those cultists was quite amazing.

“I think we need to get you out of the jungle, Professor.” She didn’t want to say the next part, but well, it needed saying. “You don’t look too good, we need to get you to the hotel.” Which of course was easier said than done, being as they had been lost in the first place, and now they had absolutely no idea where to go to get them out.

Moran smiled, gently puffing on the cigar, "Thank you. Filthy habit, but given the circumstances..." He blew a lazy smoke ring, looking around, trying to fully process the recent events. He nodded slowly at Tara's remarks, "Yes... I think getting out would be a good idea." He smiled wryly, "Didn't expect it to take quite that much out of me..." He brushed a flake of dried blood from his cheek, "Literally."

He sat in silence for a few mintues before turning to look at Tara, "You did a great job. I hope your shoulder's okay." He chuckled darkly, "And, in case you feel the need to ask, you've definately earned your A." He looked back at the native, sighing softly. Hopefully he'd be conscious before too long. He seemed to be their best chance for getting out.

[OOC: Graceful exit, of course.]

The narcotics did their job well, adjusting to the natives physiogomy with ease. Tepak felt clear-headed and filled with renewed energy. His wounds had stopped bleeding, and were slowly beginning the accellerated healing process that would quickly bring him back to full health.

Shaking his head one last time, Tepak disengaged from the strong arms of the strangers holding him, and stepped towards the Prof'Sor. The old man looked drained and was deathly pale. Kneeling down before him, Tepak reached out slowly and pressed his hand against Morans chest. Looking at him with concern, the young native spoke plaintively:

"Prof'Sor...well? Tepak is...help...you." He swivelled his head slightly to look at Tara, and spoke to her.

"Tepak Prof'Sor friend...you Prof'Sor friend...Tepak is...help you?"

As the tribesman waited for their reply, he thought of all that had happened in the last few days...from the moment he had been forced to take the life of the rogue Jabberwock that had killed his young cousin, Tepaks world had been twisted upside down. He vowed to himself to help the Prof'Sor anyway possible, so that he could quickly return to his home, and to Daria. The danger of the Black Raven had not abated...Tepak could still feel a lingering presence of Darkness, and he knew his place was in the Onuhan village, protecting the tribe from the Evil that was to come.

<<OOC: I'll lead y'all back to the city, then see what Cyber feels like doing. Thanks, Gehenna and Hack, for a fun run. >>

"Help me already, Roy."

((I was hoping Tepak might notice...))

Moran gave the native a weak smile, "I've been better..." Actually, aside from looking exceptionally pale, and having dried blood on him, he looked okay. There were no open wounds on him anywhere. "If you could lead us out of this jungle, that would be fantastic." He glanced at Tara, "I think we've learned more than we care to about that temple."

Looking first at Tepak, then at Moran before returning her gaze to the native, Tara suddenly felt a little alarmed. The man had already risked his life to save them from the horde of worshippers, and now he wanted to guide them, even though he looked like he was hardly ready to get up and walk. “He doesn’t look to good.” The words were more of a thought spoken aloud.

“Well, if he thinks he can…but…um, maybe he could just set us off in the right direction and we would just continue in a straight line.” She knew she was talking nonsense, but following the experiences of earlier, she was certain she was allowed a moment of incoherent thinking.

She turned to the professor, noticing how bad he looked, not for the first time. “Are you going to be alright?” She grinned to herself, wondering how well he was going to take her next suggestion, and knowing how stubborn he could be. “I want you to lean on me if it gets too much.” She raised her hand before he could say anything. “And no arguments.”

Moran nodded absently, "Well, at the rate whatever he was injected with seems to be moving, he'll be better off than I am before too long." He shakily rose to his feet, leaning back against the tree a little, grinning at Tara's suggestion, "I think I'll be able to manage just fine, thankyouverymuch." While he attempted to put on a facade of professorial indignation at the thought of leaning on a student, it was clear that he appretiated the sentiment, even if he was likely too proud to ask for help.

Glancing at the native, he nodded, "Well... er, Tepak... if you are up to it, we'd appretiate your help. If not, I'll just sit back down."

The more time he spent with the Other's, the clearer the meaning of their song was. Tepak understood that the Prof'Sor needed to go home, to his land and to his people. The young native understood this need, as it was deep within him as well. Though it pained him that he would not have the chance to spend time with this old man he felt so close to, he knew that he must help him and his female anyway possible. He looked at Moran, and shook his head.

"Tepak help Prof'Sor...home to bring you."

The young native leapt to his feet, feeling much better than even a moment before. He looked to the two strangers that still stood at the edge of the clearing, and took a step towards them. Bowing in front of them, Tepak sang a song of Gratitude quietly, taking each of their hands and pressing them against his forehead. When his song had ended, the young native raised his head and spoke quickly:

"Tepak bring Prof'Sor...Tepak come here back...soon help you?"

Unsure if the Others had understood his words, Tepak darted away towards the Other Road, the path to the city at the edge of the Jungle. He looked back at the professor and Tara.

"Come! Tepak bring Prof'Sor home!"

Eyes fixed on Tepak as he rose from the floor, Tara once again wondered exactly what the other two people had given him. Shaking her head, she looked at Moran and smiled as the young native moved over and performed some strange song before them, then taking her hand and pressing it against his head, her expression slightly incredulous but at the same time fascinated.

Before she could grasp what he said, Tepak headed off into the undergrowth. Tara hoped that she and the professor could keep up with the newly revitalised young man. Walking beside Moran, close enough for him to lean on her if he needed to, although she knew that he would have to be dead on his feet before he would even contemplate her offer, let alone take her up on it.

She let her eyes scan around the jungle, glad that they would be moving out of this place. Although it had been terrifying and dangerous, Tara knew that even if she had the choice again, she would accompany Moran on this trip. It had been an eye opener, and had strengthened her respect for the man, not only on an academic level, but being able to see his bravery first hand. She knew that a lot of the other students thought that he was eccentric, but if they had seen him when the going got touch.

“I don’t know about you, Professor, but when we get back, I think I’m up for a quick drink, and long bath, then an early night.” Her body ached, her head was beginning to hurt, and her mouth was as dry as a bone. “Then again, I might make that several drinks.” She laughed to herself, as she shifted her bag on her shoulder.

Tepak was still in sight, which was good, and their pace was steady. She had a good feeling that they would make good time even with Moran in a slightly weakened state.

They made good time, despite the weakened state of the professor, which was improving with every step. The Other Road was clear and easy to walk upon, and Tepak sang the song of Journey in a loud, happy voice. The narcotics that the Other strangers had injected into him had left Tepak with a sense of well-being, and a slight case of the giggles. The miles melted away beneath their feet.

Tepak stopped eventually, a short distance from the gates of the City of Others. He indicated to the professor and Tara that they should continue down the path towards the heavy doors of the barricade. Suddenly, a feeling of sadness washed over the young native...he had a feeling that this was the last time he would ever see the kindly, white-haired Prof'Sor and his brave female.

Tepak reached into his hunt-bag, and removed one of the Daru's of his fallen warrior-brothers. He stepped towards them and knelt on one knee. In his own language, he sang the Bond song to Moran and Tara, softly and with deep emotion.

The song ended, and Tepak stood up. He looked at Tara, and cradling the sheathed Daru in his hands, offered her the sacred blade.

"For protect Prof'Sor...for only Warrior...you is Warrior."

Tara took the Daru from Tepak's hands, and bowed slightly. Tepak smiled, and with a last look at Moran, turned and dissappeared into the undergrowth, becoming one with the Jungle.

Watching as the native headed back into the jungle, Tara turned back to Moran and smiled. Her relief at being someone safe was evident on her face, and the sigh that escaped from her lips said more than a multitude of words could. Shifting the strap of her bag on her shoulder, she began to walk back to the hotel, thanking whatever was looking over them today.

“For a while there I thought I was going to become the next Tarzan.” She giggled at the thought of her swinging through the trees on a vine. Suddenly in her relief finding things amusing, until she broke down into a huge fit of laughter, nothing to do with what she had said. “I’m sorry…Professor.” She finally managed to spit out once she had calmed herself down.

She looked down at the blade that Tepak had presented to her, and smiled. “I’ve never been called a warrior before. Perhaps if I fail my course, I could move into personal protection.” She let her eyes move from the knife to the professor’s face, a frown marring her features. “I think we should get you a brandy. My mother swears by its medicinal qualities.” Placing the blade in her bag, she lead Moran into the hotel, heading for the bar.

Moran smiled as Tara laughed, pleased that she was getting over the ordeal already, "No, no... there's no need to apologise." He chuckled softly, "It is a pretty amusing image, after all." He laughed some more, too, clearly showing his relief, not only at escaping with his life, but with Tara's as well. Some of his previous expeditions had been rather less... successful.

Glancing at the blade, he smiled thinly, "That's something you should treasure... we both know how, er... effective it is, and I think our native friend was rather attached to it, so you must have earned his respect." He smiled slightly at the offer of brandy, "Ah, your mother's a good woman. Brandy does wonders for the soul and body. And I do believe we've both earned at least one drink." He gladly followed her to the hotel, just happy to be back in civilization, such as it was.

Heading into the bar, Moran and Tara quickly found themselves some seats, and ordered their brandy. The golden brown liquid easing their tired, stiff bodies, as it’s warmth seeps into their system. After having a second to make the most of its goodness, Moran and Tara finally part company, each heading for the comfort of their rooms. Their minds lingering on the events that had filled their day and would fill their dreams too.

The following morning, although it was nearer noon than dawn, Tara came down into the lobby, her head hurt from too much sleep. She had received a call a few hours ago from the professor informing her that transport had been arranged for that evening, a flight that would take them back to Hack. She had gone back to sleep feeling more than a little relieved at the news.

Pulling her luggage behind her, she finally reached the seat that Moran had seated himself in. He did not mention her lateness, obviously used to, or after yesterday, overlooking this little trait she had picked up on the trip. Stifling a yawn, she sat herself down in a chair, feeling the need to wake up before she checked out.

Discussing their plans for the next hour, and talking over the discoveries at the Temple, Tara smiled, pleased to see that Moran had regained a lot of his vigour back. It had distressed her to see him so beaten down, but she knew there was little that could keep the professor from doing what he wanted to do. She had recalled several occasions where he had battled through something in order to keep his commitments to his students.

It was several hours later, when the taxi pulled up to take them to the airport. The vehicle seemed to fit the backwater location, and made Tara wonder if it would actually last the journey. Finishing their beverages, Moran and his student, dragged their luggage to the car, and got in; the majority of the ride carried out in silence, with just the odd passing remark, as both said their final goodbyes to the particular adventure. Tara could not think of anyone she would rather have had with her during this trip, even during the height of the danger, she knew that Moran would pull them through it.

Later that evening, as their plane took off, soaring them into the darkening evening sky, Tara relaxed back in her seat. She looked over at Moran and smiled. “Thank you, Professor.” It seemed enough. And with a gentle nod of acknowledgement from him, she slipped into a peaceful sleep, knowing it would not be long before they were back on familiar, and much loved, ground.

The young native hurried quickly back towards where he had left the two Others, and as he ran he thought back to the events that had defined his last few days: This was the third pair of Others he had met, and each had changed his life significantly. Tepak knew he could simply turn, and head towards his home, but something inside told him that the Others played a large role in the strange drama unfolding around him.

Tepak stopped suddenly, a brief memory flaring in his mind. The black-eyed Other had called the armor-clad one "Roy", a word that was familiar to him...the young native opened his hunt bag, and removed the strange Other device he had found in the abandoned temple. Hitting the button that had made it speak before, Tepak listened to the words, and perked up when he heard "...give this to Roy..."

Tepak replaced the data-recorder, and began running full-out, back to the clearing where he had left Roy and Rayven.

((Well damn. I wanted to face off against Roania's Raven again. C'mon Roania...think of something to reel the others back in.))

OOC:...I need a better connection. Checking back, it appears that in none of my threads did my message show up. :( Essentially, I'll be in and out of existence on a fairly random basis for most of the next month. :(


Does anyone want me to do something on this thread that can be done? I'm most dreadfully sorry.

<<OOC: anything you can add will be welcome, Roania...but we'll try to carry on without you!>>

*El BUMPO*

Waiting for Cybertopia or Roania to reply...

*WORRIED BUMP*

Helloooooo?

A few more days, then I'll bring this to a conclusion, methinks...

Tepak ran on, the miles melting away beneath his feet. He thought of all that had happened in the last few days...the massacre of his people, his friendships with the Others...Jack & Cara, Prof'Sor and Tara, and even the 2 new Others, Roy and Rayven. He replayed the violence of the last few days and shuddered. Over these memories hung the image of a giant black raven, laughing softly at the scene. Tepak knew that this Dark Soul was a threat to the Jungle, and he vowed that once he found Daria, he would track down this Black Evil and remove it, once and for all.

Tragically, Tepak never noticed the trap. He fell into hidden pit, impaling himself on the sharpened bamboo stakes that were driven into the ground. He bled out quickly, and died regretting ever leaving his village. His last thoughts were of Daria, his love.

<<OOC: Well, I guess that's it. If Cyber or Roania want to revive this, Daria is still alive, the Shaman has become evil, and Tepak may (or may not) still have some surprises left...but if not, then this is...>>

...THE END.

EPILOGUE

His spirit floated freely, untethered by the mortal realm any longer. The shell that had held him, the body of Tepak, was destroyed. The Song that was Tepak continued to live, in it's own way...it danced in the ether, swirling and mingling with energies and lightning, swaying to the power lines of the life-forces around it. It sang a Song of Parting and Thanks to the meat that had been its host, and left in search of a grounding.

The soul found its home, far away from where it had been born, on another planet, in the hands of an Other. The Daru was lonely, and called loudly to the seeking spirit. As it combined itself and became one with the grounding, it realized it still had a purpose, and with purpose came power. It was satisfied, and the soulsong waited with eternal patience for the day Tepak's Song would be needed once again.

BUMP in case Roania is back, and wants to continue.

Roy never received the crucial message that Tepak had unearthed, and brother and sister took their shuttle back to Cyberutopia. Something nagged at the rear of the Hunt Marshal's mind. He never did see Raven, but he was certian he would face him again soon enough.

((Sorry Gawdly, I don't think there's much life left in this thread. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. :( Roania's Raven will always be around in one form or another though, and Roy will always be there to meet him. You are always welcome in any thread I'm involved in Gawdly, you're a superb roleplayer, and I'm sure this isn't the last time we'll roleplay each other.))

((Sorry Gawdly, I don't think there's much life left in this thread. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. :( Roania's Raven will always be around in one form or another though, and Roy will always be there to meet him. You are always welcome in any thread I'm involved in Gawdly, you're a superb roleplayer, and I'm sure this isn't the last time we'll roleplay each other.))

<<OOC: Thanks very much...I am honored by your kind words.>>