Post by Jonathan Xiang-Lewis on Mar 26, 2013 16:37:55 GMT -5
January 22, 23 CLE
There are few dwellers, let alone champions, residing in the blasted and dangerous lands that lie south of the Great Barrier. Much of that world still bears the scars of past Rune Wars, especially the mysterious Kumungu Jungle. There are long-forgotten treasures in these strange places which many risk life and limb to acquire.
-Summary of the Kumungu Region in various almanacs.
The dense rainforests of the Kumungu give an idea of an exotic adventure to those willing to brave the dangers that almost certainly lurk within. However, of the very few who even enter, even a fraction of that are usually all that return, for the jungles are very unforgiving to the unknowing, and those who are not capable of coping with the conditions usually are never seen again.
Due to the relative lack of inhabitants that connect to the real world in the region, much of it is still considered a wild frontier, a place where safety usually requires the traveler themselves to be able to protect themselves quite well. The aftermath of past rune wars still linger in the place, still very much having a lingering affect on the region, with various myths of ferocious monsters and fantastic beasts likely being created from the natural elements being twisted by the effects of previously-used magics.
Long-forgotten secrets can usually be found within the dense rain forests; secrets either deliberately hidden, using the advantage of the region being incredibly hostile to anyone entering it, or just the bad (or perhaps good) luck of not remembering to bring it back out of the foreboding place.
A few secrets, however, are perhaps secrets best left hidden in the place, ones that should not be disturbed for the sake of many, or even in the biggest ones, all of Valoran.
...of course, there are secrets of this type that have to be uncovered anyway, in situations where the alternative is considered to be much, much worse. The risk in going on an expedition to uncover such a place is, of course, massive, but if the alternative means there is no good ending, then any amount of risk is worth taking in that regard.
It is in this type of a context, in which the Kumungu has found itself several interesting visitors going on a small expedition deep into the dangerous jungles, in an attempt to perhaps uncover the motives of what may prove to be a far bigger danger to all of Valoran.
It is within this group that a man, appearing dressed to tackle the regions inhospitable climate, is seen leading the way, with several small spheres floating and following behind him, and the man himself armed with an incredibly intricate weapon, one designed around expeditions such as this.
He looks behind to see if the others are still okay, as they did not stop for long in the 2 to 3 days spent travelling to this location.
"We don't need to stop, yes?" He calls back.
The man had nearly-zero knowledge of what to expect of the place outside of the limited texts and databases on the Kumungu...
...but Jon was no stranger to dealing with the unknown itself.
"There's only one thing that I know for sure is true: 'Truth is relative.'" -Jon
"What side you're on isn't of concern to me. What is of concern is that you're hurt, and I need to treat you for it." -Jon
"Contrary to what some believe, violence does not solve everything. In fact, it solves nothing." -Jon
Post by radientdawn on Mar 27, 2013 12:00:50 GMT -5
"I wouldn't say so." Leona replied back, following closely behind Jon. She wasn't use to the harsh climate of the jungles, however, the elements rarely affected her, and her choice of armor proved to be a good one as the cool air kissed her skin from time to time. Using her sword to cut down the tall foliage in her path, Leona stood beside Jon and sighed. "Where do we even begin?" She said, furrowing her brows and scanning the jungle with her hazel eyes.
Pantheon kept pace with the group quite easily. He had his spear on his back for the moment, and his shortsword drawn. The spear was impractical to use in such an environment, and the shortsword had the additional function of being a machete. Pantheon's eyes were restless, he searched for enemies anywhere they might be. He was aware that the creatures of the jungle may come forward and attack at any given moment.
Post by Jonathan Xiang-Lewis on Mar 27, 2013 14:38:17 GMT -5
Seeing that neither wished to stop, Jon simply nodded, and with a grunt of acknowledgement, proceeded to turn around and continue on the way.
He stopped a few steps in, squinting to see if there might be any decent indication of where the doors he recalled in his flash were.
The doors...
A hazy flash started to blend in his mind with the real world; was he seeing things? The world began to look whiter, and for a moment, it seemed he had left the real world again.
But this time, all it did was seemingly brighten up a certain area in his view, and upon giving off the brightening effect, as fast as it came, the flash was over; he was back in the present again.
He blinked for a few moments, before narrowing his eyes, still looking in the direction of the flash.
"...this way," Was all Jon said out of all he had witnessed. "And keep an eye for anything that might look remotely hostile; don't need to have trouble before we even get to where we need to go."
"There's only one thing that I know for sure is true: 'Truth is relative.'" -Jon
"What side you're on isn't of concern to me. What is of concern is that you're hurt, and I need to treat you for it." -Jon
"Contrary to what some believe, violence does not solve everything. In fact, it solves nothing." -Jon
Post by radientdawn on Mar 27, 2013 19:47:45 GMT -5
Leona examined Jon with mild concern as he seemed to zone out again. "Jon?" She said, reaching out to take his shoulder... but then he seemed to snap back to reality. Leona raised an eyebrow a little as she pointed out the way... wondering what he saw in that flash, however, she simply silently followed him.
She did make a mental note to keep an eye on him though...
Post by Jonathan Xiang-Lewis on Mar 28, 2013 18:21:19 GMT -5
The lingering effects of the flash were still in his eyes when Leona called out his name; shaking his head to blink them out.
"It's just another of those vision things... it's gone for now," he replied, before simply continuing his way.
He only got three more steps, however, before the sound of what seemed to be a cross between a scream and a roar split his ears; he tensed up, looking around through his hextech rifle.
"...something's noticed us."
"There's only one thing that I know for sure is true: 'Truth is relative.'" -Jon
"What side you're on isn't of concern to me. What is of concern is that you're hurt, and I need to treat you for it." -Jon
"Contrary to what some believe, violence does not solve everything. In fact, it solves nothing." -Jon
The soldier was silent, he had a debated with himself in either choosing to draw his spear or to remain wielding his kopis. This happened in less a second which appeared to be hours in his head, having the short sword as the winner of such duel thanks to it's short range that would be optimal for an ambush attack specially with the density of the jungle.
"Medic, it did a few minutes ago, it has been stalking us and it's ready to assault" - Claimed surely as his hoplon covered half of his body as the third word escaped his mouth, his gaze even though the helmet appeared to be a nuisance, did not blocked his eyes when it came to spot enemies and possible surprise attacks - "That roar means only one thing" - The soldier's tone of voice became cold and the sword grip stronger - "It's calling for companions, if the creature were to be alone it wouldn't had roared." - Stated, Leona would had probably thought about it too; Pantheon was sure of this since their education was based only upon war and it's tactics.
Knowingly he was standing in the rear, he turned one hundred and eighty degrees to avoid leaving any blind spots for the upcoming event. Trusting his companions would do the same for the remaining angles.
Post by radientdawn on Mar 30, 2013 20:45:22 GMT -5
Leona gripped her shield and sword tightly in her hands, her eyes darting in all directions, searching for anything that may come out at them... she had noticed a presence before, but could not tell if it was hostile or not, now she knew. Raising her shield in a defensive stance, she glanced over at Jon. "Stay behind me..." She whispered, eyes still effortlessly scanning the area.
Post by Jonathan Xiang-Lewis on Mar 30, 2013 21:17:27 GMT -5
Hearing Pantheon's explanation, Jon didn't need to listen to Leona's command to do it; now back onto his focusing senses, he kept a clear sweep of the area around them, making sure they weren't going to be jumped.
Keeping a keen eye, he didn't notice or hear anything strange for a minute... until the strange disconcerting sound went off again...
...multiple times.
There wasn't just one of them, that's for sure.
It only took one cry, that sounded like a roar, for Jon to turn around and face what they were very well surrounded by. His next few words was likely all the other two needed to hear.
"Great Tiger! And a whole freaking clan with it!"
"There's only one thing that I know for sure is true: 'Truth is relative.'" -Jon
"What side you're on isn't of concern to me. What is of concern is that you're hurt, and I need to treat you for it." -Jon
"Contrary to what some believe, violence does not solve everything. In fact, it solves nothing." -Jon
"Great" - He replied with certain excitement as the medic yelled their enemy identity. Walking in the jungle while having the thrill of a battle at every corner or inch was starting to grind his gears like a certain mechanized golem would exclaim; quickly and precisely the Artisan of War sheathed his kopis and drew his spear into a strong grip, armed flexed - "Feral beasts. No order. They will attack once the leader of the pack jumps in." - he paused briefly as his red eyes scouted the nearby trees - Bring it to it's knees and the rest will scramble but they wont retreat" - His voice was stern, his speech was short and clear as he would normally dictate to his soldiers before a bloody battle, they always ended the same, no casualties on his platoon.
He knew this well, animals were exactly as humans or perhaps more courageous or foolish. Men would have their morale completely destroyed once the squad leader fell down, animals were more instinctive, they would continue fighting to satisfy kill it's pray and satisfy their hunger.
The plan was set, his first reaction would be throw his spear into the tiger's mouth as it would leap into the fray, he would know the direction by the mere fact that it'll roaring. It's death would be certain and retrieving the spear would be futile hence the enemy wouldn't stop. The kopis would be his weapon until the beasts were done with it's fruitless effort of getting a meal.
"This is where we fight! This is where they die!" - Yelled at the top of his lungs knowingly the beasts would jump sooner than later. And right underneath his helmet, a smile appeared.
Post by radientdawn on Mar 31, 2013 15:38:21 GMT -5
Leona soundlessly moved to act as a shield for Jon, her eyes darting everywhere. Only did she tense up when she heard Jon shout out their attackers, as the beasts came at them, she raised her shield in defense. Unable to to get to Pantheon, however, though Leona knew he was very capable of protecting himself. As one of the beasts charged her, Leona swung her shield in an arc, bashing the creature in the side of the head and sending it crashing to the ground, just as another took it's place. Using her sword, she ended that one's life as well.
She dug her heels into the ground and bashed the beasts away, more worried about keeping them away from Jon. However, one of the beasts caught her eyes... it was massive, much bigger than the rest. The leader of the pack it seems had climbed onto a tree and stared down at Jon. Just as it leaped at the medic, Leona shoved him to the forest floor and took the beast head on.
The force of the tackle sent her to the ground and down a slope. The Solari warrior and the beast were locked in combat the whole way down. Unable to get a clean strike while Leona was rolling, she merely focused on keeping the animal's jaws away from her neck. Once the two hit the ground, Leona quickly got to her feet, putting her shield in front of her as she stared the beast down... blood dripped from her arms and back where she had cut herself from fall and from where the beast had clawed her.
The massive tiger let out a roar and jumped at her once more, this time, however, it was met with searing Sunlight. Forcing the creature back, Leona then charged the beast herself, swing her sword at it. The pack leader let out a growl and dodged the attack, swiping at her shield with it's claws. Leona narrowed her eyes slightly as the two circled each other once more. Leona then threw down her shield, as it blocked her from what she was planning on doing. The tiger let out another roar and charged her once more.
As the beasts paws scraped the earth, Leona stood like a statue, she had to time this right. Just as the beast leaped at her, she ducked down and thrust her sword into it's stomach, splitting it open as it sailed over her and crashed onto the forest floor, lifeless. Leona stood to her feet and wondered over to the beast, sighing a little. She felt sorry for the creature, you cannot blame an animal for being an animal. She then looked back up the muddy slope... too slippery to climb back up, she yelled out to Jon and Pantheon.
"Jon! Pantheon! Are you alright?"
Last Edit: Mar 31, 2013 23:09:36 GMT -5 by radientdawn
Post by Jonathan Xiang-Lewis on Mar 31, 2013 21:14:15 GMT -5
After his call and seeing the other two immediate fall into combative stances, Jon re-collected his senses, and trained himself back into his focus.
Keeping near Leona, he leveled his rifle and began taking shots, not bothering to fire automatic, as one shot seemed to be enough for the beasts in their critical areas. He kept his sights on the beasts, only shooting at those that came charging along.
Turning to see the scuffle Leona got caught in, he momentarily sprinted towards the slope the Radiant Dawn and beast tottered over, but had his attention brought away from another pack that came charging at him. Shooting them dead or back, he didn't stop shooting and reloading until he was in the clear.
The smoke fizzling from the tip of his rifle's barrel, he noticed Leona had not yet returned from going off the slope. Scrambling to the edge of it, he looked over and saw Leona at the bottom, bleeding quite a bit; he resolved himself to slide down himself, though unlike Leona he saw where he was going, and so was able to avoid hurting himself aside from a somewhat annoying rear end burn.
"...I'm fine. Pantheon appeared to be okay... but are you? You're bleeding alot..." he called back, now moving towards her, a hand on his medical satchel.
"They are fast" he thought, and heard how Leona enganged in combat "Frontal assault, one down." repeated to himself and as how he expected a tiger came from the bushes to his left as he managed to spot movement from it"perfect, you have two seconds". He had to follow his plan regardless if his analysis was false, and so he threw his spear at an amazing speed.
His hand reached to the hilt of his sword and drew it right before he could hear a ripping cry of agony and a thud behind it. "One second. Be quick, their numbers are unknown" Repeated to himself as another beast leaped from the same direction.
This was easy, remove the potential threat, go in for the kill. This has always been the animal way to fight, they don't expect their pray to fight back. He was ready for the engagement and proceeded to bash the tiger as it leaped causing it to fall down to the ground creating an opening. The Artisans reflexes allowed him to pounce with his hopis ready to stab the creature right at his neck. He had to calculate the strike as the animal would be struggling to get back on it's paws.
He succeed. "Two..." but his cover left him with a big opening on his back. "Turn around? It will only expose me again.. Jump? Useless, the jungle has too many trees, it will only hinder me... Turn, no other option". His intuition was never wrong in the midst of battle. He couldn't spot his companions as his eyes darted around the area until a orange color appeared, no time to counter attack, it would be practically impossible since his stance was ended at the death of the second beast.
"Rise your shield, he did. The pounce alone made him fall into the ground. The weight of the tiger was noticeable but not enough to pin him down completely. Pantheon's head was protected by his helmet but that wouldn't last as the soon started to attack. Hardly he managed to get enough strength with his position to throw the tiger off of him and impulse himself off the floor the same way he would have before going into a skyfall, but this time he aimed for the tiger with his sword extended to stab the tiger in mid air. Three said to himself as he started to fall, pulling his short sword away from the tiger, he realized that if more tigers would had come along they would be waiting for him as he fall, he could only noticed corpses laying down.
Regaining his battle stance, he walked towards the location of his spear and pulled it out from the tiger after sheathing his side arm and heard the voices of the medic and Leona. he followed their voices as he spoke loudly - "Three are down, I'm unharmed. I believe they either retreat or all of them died." stated, finding his way to the rest of the group, noticing Leona with open wounds and the medic by her side, his eyes widen but his voiced remained firm to a certain point - "Leona? Are you alright?"
Post by radientdawn on Apr 1, 2013 18:10:31 GMT -5
Leona looked to the two of them and nodded "I'm fine, are you alright?" She asked, paying no attention to her own wounds but looking for theirs instead.
Post by Jonathan Xiang-Lewis on Apr 1, 2013 19:22:25 GMT -5
Jon nodded at Pantheon with his final remarks; he was half certain he would practically thrive in this condition, but left that thought behind as he then turned back to answer Leona.
"Panth's pretty much unscratched, and I've only got sweat... but I don't think you can continue in your current condition, especially with whatever we might face... here, let me treat you," he replied, pulling out his medical satchel: assuming Leona didn't refuse the attention, Jon would then begin prompt treatment of her wounds; he wasn't sure if she saw it, but seeing from the breathing patterns and the rate of flow of blood form her wounds, she might start feeling effects soon if they weren't treated...
"There's only one thing that I know for sure is true: 'Truth is relative.'" -Jon
"What side you're on isn't of concern to me. What is of concern is that you're hurt, and I need to treat you for it." -Jon
"Contrary to what some believe, violence does not solve everything. In fact, it solves nothing." -Jon
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