Deeper Felarya

Fenja looked down the path again. "Well, little man Grip here should be safe enough with me. And I'm up for heading to this New Montanna place. Like I said, I'm certain it wasn't here last time I came through." She felt her stomach rumble now.

"And maybe they'll have food... to share." she said. She was really feeling like going and picking up some juicy elves... but she'd have to watch about setting that crazy tin man off. Well, other sorts of food would be okay too, she supposed.

"Sounds like yer mother ain't in a good way," Joseph said to the (relatively) small Naga. As he moved towards the carcass of one of the kensha beasts, and skinned it, caping it so that the meat lay in the hide, instead of on the dirt. Sounds, like her mother's got some sorta parasite or somethin', seein' how their ain't now diseases in this place, what with the soil and all. Joseph finished and moved on to the next one, Hopefully at any rate, there's worse things then parasites that's fer damn sure.

After he was done dressing the second kensha best Joseph sat down next it hunched over. He sat there thinking to himself for a moment before answering. "I reckon I better help Ammia git back to her ma," he finally decided. Even if I do have a hankerin' to find out what this here New Montana place is. But I reckon I kin find that out later, providin' nobody destroys, and or eats the place.

With that he chased after Ammia.

Ha'dara watched Ammia and Joseph start to leave and stood up, picking up his fruit. "Well, maybe I'll go with them. It's one way to see new places without aimless wandering around." Looking over at the 'New Montanna' sign for a second, he moved off after them, catching up rather quickly.

Cody followed Joseph and Ammia, his wings completely healed. he held his bag over his shoulder. "so has your mother... eaten anything she normally wouldn't recently? like an odd plant?" Cody has seen a naga before who was dieing after eating a weird plant.. he then looked back as Ha'dara caught up with them. slightly showing little trust in his larger companion. seeing as he was a naga after all. cody just continued to walk on.. keeping his wings down and keeping a larger distance from Ha'dara then the others..

Geeran looked back "'Tin Man?' I may be piloting a machine... but I'm still human... Plus, I doubt the Liger likes being reffered to as tin... Legs...." Geeran stated, and the Liger nodded as it moved on.

"They can't be too far... Unprotected small people don't get very far anywhere in Felarya, and this place is more dangerous than the average... I know of only 3 safe havens in the entire dimension...."

(Heh, Geeran reffered to Myrah as Legs)

Jenny sighed she could feel ammia moving as she sat on the naga girls tail she sighed laying back she let out a sigh she gasped as she slipped backwords and fell rom ammia's tail onto the ground and when she looked up the others were out of hearing range.Jenny gasped she didn't know which directio the others were in and ran off into the forest in a random direction away from the others "this is not good"she says straining her ears to listen for any of the others but alas she could not hear them.

“Thanks Ha’dara,” Myrah said, seeing the odd naga follow Ammia, Joseph, Cody and Jenny. “I guess that leaves us three. Erm, four, sorry Grip. Well, no time like the present.” Myrah headed for the northwest path. Before continuing, she stopping a moment to scratch an arrow into one of the trees with her sword, so Cazaria could follow them if she didn’t get back for a while.

The path Myrah took didn’t last long, and at the end, the settlement was unmistakable. It was a series of glass domes, designed to isolate the interior from the outside world. Many of them contained futuristic buildings and streets, some of them contained farmland, and one or two contained artificial ponds and fields. Tubes of reinforced metal, concrete, and plastic linked the domes together.

But tragedy had visited upon the settlement. The entire place seemed lifeless. Most of the domes were broken in places. The ones with buildings and streets were empty. No vehicles moved along the streets, and all the buildings, the ones that were still standing, were dark. The ones filled with farmland were mostly overgrown with weeds and even native jungle plants, though a few were still maintained by strange metal things that moved of their own accord.

“Looks like lunch is a moot point anyway,” Myrah said, pressing her face onto one of the few unbroken city domes to look inside. Something caught her eye in the street. “Ooh! There’s someone there…no wait, scratch that, it’s just a body.” Looking closer, Myrah could occasionally see another body, but they were far too few to populate the whole city.

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Ammia continued on her way, unaware that Jenny had fallen off behind her. She eventually came to a cave, large enough for even a full grown naga to enter. Without hesitating, she slid inside. The interior was a natural rocky tunnel, but with a smooth floor. Up ahead, a fire could be seen glimmering.

As Ammia and the others drew close, a cooking pit could be seen with the fire in it. There was a naga sized cauldron nearby, along with rough piles of herbs and various plant parts. To the side of the cave, a large naga lay.

Like the daughter Ammia, she had dark golden scales, though they appeared pale. Her skin was pale and clammy. Her breathing was rapid, her chest heaving as if she were working hard. Though it wasn’t immediately visible, any who put a hand on her could tell her heart was racing. As Ammia entered, she turned her head weakly to look at her. “Oh, my dear Ammia…don’t leave like that…you make me grey before my time,” The naga said, as Ammia rushed up to her and jumped into her arms.

“Momma! You’re paler…” Ammia said worriedly, hugging her mother’s arms.

“Don’t…don’t worry about me…It will pass…” The mother said, weakly stroking Ammia with one arm.

“But what if it doesn’t? It hasn’t gotten better yet, what if it keeps getting worse?” Ammia asked. She turned to look at the others with her, Ha’dara, Cody, and Joseph. “Can you help her? Please? Make whatever is hurting her stop! Please!”

Spoiler:

Cazaria had finally made her way to the pier, landing where the pier connected to the ground. Seeing the man fishing at the end of it, she quickly chanted a spell, making her wings disappear so that he didn't startle him...yet, and began to walk towards the man. "Hey, there! You have any luck catching anything yet?" she asked him.

“Eh? Oh, good evenin’ miss,” The fishing man said, sitting on the end of the pier. He looked over his shoulder to take a look at Cazaria, not suspecting that she was actually a fairy. The fishing man was of a rather large build, and had a big bushy beard. He was dressed in a simple white shirt, tan jacket, blue jeans and boots. There was a tackle box at his side and a sizeable pile of fish behind him. “Aye, they be bitin’ like none other today. An’ the mermaid ‘asn’t shown to boot. Dunno why, but I ain’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. I’ve caught enough to last me fer the month. I’ll be set once they’re salted and smoked. Heck, ya could ‘ave a few if ya care fer the flavor.”

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Nearby Jenny’s position, from the myriad of shrubs, bushes, and plants along the path’s side, there came a low growl. There was a soft sound of large paws padding through the underbrush and leaves, and once a twig snapped under some weight. A large kensha was moving through the brush, gradually approaching Jenny’s position slowly and steadily.

Jennys breathing was hard and ast she could hear the sound of something aproaching but what she had no idea she backed away from the directin the noise was comin in she let out a gasp as she fell back onto her butt looking in the direction that the noise was coming from.

"I don't even know what's wrong with her," Joseph said shaking his head, "I never had to worry about disease here before. Maybe one of the others knows more about this sort of thing, but its beyond me."

Joseph, paused and looked around, "Hey where in tarnation is that kitty cat?" He sniffed the air around him, hoping to find some trace of her scent. "I blind neko in Deeper Felarya ain't gonna do to well for long."

He turned to Codda and Ha'dara, "You two see if ya can help Ammia's mother. I gotta track down our missin' tabby," he said as he exited the cave, following the trail the group had left.

Fenja sniffed the air.

"Hrm. I can't really tell what sort of predator was here before. Either I don't recognize it, or it's an older scent."

"How do you know it's a predator - a regular one, I mean?" asked Grip. "There are worse things than predators out here, I've heard."

"I know. I told you that." said Fenja. "It could be... that might explain the odd body, but it could just be a predator that's a sloppy eater. But I think it's that it's an old scent. I mean, weeds have even started to grow."

"You're right..." said Grip. Fenja at least had basic wilderness know-how. "So whatever was here is gone... right?"

"Oh, really? Thanks! I'd be happy to try some of the fish out! I'm sure you're quite the cook!" Cazaria said to the man, quietly reaching inside her pouch for an electricity rune. Hearing that the mermaid the man mentioned hadn't shown up was extremely suspicious, especially considering the fact that there were plenty of fish around, which probably meant that it was a trap.

Still, if one did show up, it would mean she'd have someone else to spar with. On the other hand, if one didn't show up, it would mean that she'd have plenty of energy for when she went back into Deeper Felarya to fight the other creatures inside. Either way, it was a win/win situation for her.

With almost an hour without interruption, Rand eventually prepared his spell of clairvoyance. The materials were readied, the circle was set, and his mind was clear. All he had to do now was go through with the spell. Its range would be short, and its time even less so, but it would give them a crystal clear view of the ford and what awaited them outside - if anything beyond regular jungle. Slowly, he began to chant the incantation.

Slowly the vision of the room began to fog up. His sight grew poorer and poorer, and soon his vision was as good with his eyes open as it was closed. Along with the fading vision came an encroaching silence, further depriving him of his connection to his surroundings. For a few moments, Rand was left with little more than the sensation of his breathing. Then, in a burst of stimulation, he could see clearly once more. Instead of the worn dirt walls of the cave interior or the sound of the trickling water and comrades, Rand looked down from above the ford above the canopy - the noise of the jungle greeting him.

With a quick glimpse he could already see the damage of the battle - craters where explosions went off, splattered tree limbs where some form of attack seemingly missed its intended target, plenty of signs of an engagement. But oddly - and disturbingly - a lack of blood. Whatever the Mages did, it was obvious that they lost the engagement - not even a sign of injury against one of the earlier beasts waiting along the ford.

On the plus side, there was no sign of the Predators either. Far in the distance, Rand could roughly make out the outline of humans along the pier. Deeper in the jungle, no trees rustled nor could he see any later sign of battle. Whatever the Predators did, they were not around any longer. Just finishing this scan, he could already feel the world returning back to normal - an outline of his cavern room underneath his magic sight and the noise quickly fading to more subterranean themes. The look was done for now, but its job was done - the way was clear to move out.

"Jesus.." cody said to himself. he knew he wasn't a healer, and had no idea if his healing elixir would do any good. he put his bag down holding a bottle of glowing elixir and flew up over the two naga's he then handed the elixir to Ammia "here, get her to drink this and see if it works." cody half knew it wouldn't do any good. he himself wanted to know what was wrong with her. he then flew near Ammia's mother's face "excuse me miss, but have you eaten anything unusual? like an odd plant or a neko or something acting funny?"
cody has heard of parasites that entered larger predators through smaller beings like him, then they attacked from the stomach. but he had no real idea. and if it was the elixir wouldn't do anything except repair some of the damaged parts in her body. he listened to her breathing as it raced along with her beating heart. and he now wanted to do everything he could to help. even if he had to use his last resort. which could put him out for hours or even days.

(cody may use his Blessing, and in this case it may put him out for a day. seeing as its only healing.)

Geeran scanned the settlement as best he could, trying to find any lifesigns, but there was nothing... not even scavengers...

"Damn it..... Goddamn it!" Geeran shouted in the cockpit. slamming the contols with his fists, causing the Liger to wail a little. Convinced it was a predator or predators that did this, Geeran scowled at his companions. "Do you see this?! This is why I do what I do! Not even the children survive your kinds of murderous rampage!..." Geeran was gouing to say more, but a thought struck him.

"Wait a minute.... Liger, check for chemical or biological contamination." Geeran didn't let on why, but he knew no predator would crack open a dome and not eat or take everything... blus the breakages in the domes.... they looked outward... like they had been blasted from the inside out...

"..... If it wasn't from the outside.... What the hell happened..."

“Hmm…Some do,” Myrah said, looking at one of the broken domes. From the looks of it, one of the buildings had exploded. The technologically oriented among the group might detect a faint, harmless residual radiation from some reactor or generator explosion some time ago. “Then again, some don’t” Myrah added, pointing out another break. This one, the shattered glass had gone inward, as if struck from outside. “But some domes aren’t broken at all,” Myrah added, pointing to the unbroken dome she had initially been looking in. “This one is still intact, but there’s still human bodies in it. Maybe some nagas or dridders did come, but only after the fact, I think.”

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Ammia gingerly took the elixir from Cody, and rapidly slithered over to her mother. “Here, momma, the little harpy man says this will help,” Ammia said, slithering up to perch on her mother’s chin. The mother glanced over at Cody, gauging his expression, but he appeared sincere. She opened her mouth and let Ammia pour in the elixir.

The mother coughed a moment, then swallowed, as Ammia anxiously watched her. Slowly, the elixir’s magic began to take effect. The mother’s racing heart rate slowed to a normal pace, and her breathing gradually became relaxed. The pallor of the skin lessened. But it did not return entirely to normal. Slowly, she reached up to hold onto Ammia, and sat up. She still seemed a little weak, but she was no longer bed bound.

“Oh momma! You’re better!” Ammia cried joyously, leaping out of her mother’s hand to hug her around the neck.

“Yes, a little,” the mother said, hugging her daughter. She glanced at Cody. “Thank you. I don’t know what that potion was, but it helped. If nothing else, I at least have more time to find a cure for this affliction. And thank you for watching out for my daughter.”

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“Me? Naw, just a bit o’ smoke and seasoning. Ain’t nothin’ fancy,” The fisherman said. He briefly stopped talking long enough to reel in a large trout. After he landed this fish, he stood up. “I reckon that’ll do it. I suppose I’ve pushed me luck enough for one day.” The man said, pulling out a strange medallion and glancing at it. The medallian had a soft white glow, but he appeared undisturbed by it. “Still nuthin’ though…Ah well, I can’t carry anymore fish anyway.” The man said, loading all the caught fish onto a large net and picking the net up. He started walking into the forest a ways. “I got me a cabin a little ways into the woods, miss, if ya’d care to come. These fish will take a while to prepare, but I got some fish already smoked if yer ‘ungry.”

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Padding softly, the kensha walked up to Jenny. It didn’t dash, leap, or pounce, but it quietly came up to her side. Jabbing its cold nose against her, he began sniffing her all over. It growled faintly at the scents it smelled, and tensed a little bit, but it didn’t claw or attack. Rather, it just tried to bite onto her clothing and start dragging her off.

"Sure thing! You're awfully nice for someone who hasn't met me before!" Cazaria said, placing the rune back in her pocket as she went back behind the fisherman. She assumed the medallion was a kind of predator detector of some kind, but if that was true, why didn't it do anything different with her? After all, she may have made her wings disappear, but she was still a fairy.

"Anyway, I'm Cazaria. It's a pleasure to meet you, mister...um...yeah, it's kind of hard to call you by your name if I don't know it, so...anyway, could I help with those fish? It'd be awfully rude if I didn't give you a hand." she said to the man.

“Naw, I’ve got it miss. Mighty nice o’ ya to offer. But anyway, us small types gotta stick together,” The fisherman said, as he carried the net full of fish over one shoulder. “Name’s Ezekiel Harrison. But I jus’ go by Zeke usually.” It didn’t take him long to reach a tiny camouflaged cabin in the woods, wedged between two large rocks and covered with vines and thorny brambles. It was cunningly painted to look like a stump, and Zeke opened a door that appeared just like a flake of bark. The interior was plain, with a bed, a table with a few chairs, a cast iron stove, a cabnet and bookshelf, and a few other scattered furniture items. There was also a stair leading down through the floor and into a basement.

“Jus’ make yerrself at home miss, an let me get these fish stored away,” Zeke said, heading down the stairs into the basement.

Joseph kept following the trail until he could smell the scent of neko again. He looked around trying to find the trail the neko had left, looking at the ground. He checked for markings, and sniffed it, looking for any clue to where the neko was. Finally he picked up the trail and ran after it, hoping to find Jenny at the end of it.

And that is when he started to smell the musky scent of kensha beast.

Ain't that a kick in the teeth.

Joseph ran down the trail faster.

"Hnn... Your right.... Scans confirm a reactor detonation some time ago.... Radiatin is still a lot higher than usual, but not lethal. It may be interfering with my radio scanners. Switching to laser scan...." The Liger's eyes emitted a bright red wavelike light that swept over the ruined settlement.

"These people..... Of those that remain, I'm detecting high iron content in their bodies... looks like they had a taste for beef... Myrah, does your predator sense detect life anywhere inside? My scanners show movements inside one of the smaller buildings in the civilian quarter, but I can't confirm lifesigns, too much interferance" Geeran didn't like this... not one bit... if there was radioactivity in the settlement, how much would it have affected the inhabitants, or the surrounding forest for that matter

Jenny gasped she felt a harsh tugging upon her clothes she got to her feet but fell back down to the ground whimpering slightly she did not get up of try to more or less wating to know what would happen now something had her clothes inside its mouth.sshe could feel drool were the kensha beast had bitten into her clothes and its hot breathe upon her skin he was curious as to what it was going to do with her.

----

Serena wept she'd been in the medical bay all this time waiting beside her husband until moments ago he'd passed away the burns upon his skin had been too severe and now serena had no idea what she should do tears flowed down her cheeks as she got to her feet and began pacing up and down she had quite a lot of blood on her and then she froze she could hear talking from the outside they didn't human she quivered looking around,there was a locker nearby quickly she moved to it,it was large enough for her to fir inside after she'd removed the stuff from the inside she closed the door to the locker waiting anxiously.

Fenja paused. "I don't know. I think we should just go round. This place smells... badly." she said. There were none of the normal smells of a place like this - everything was mixed up or missing.

"It smells like rust and death..." she muttered.

“Hmmmm…Actually, I do think there’s someone still here, tin man,” Myrah said, kneeling to look closer in one of the buildings. “In this building here, I believe.” Myrah began looking into the windows, searching one floor at a time. She paused at one floor, it looked like someone had been in it recently. There were rows of lockers nearby, and one of them looked like it had been emptied in a hurry, with misclaneous items of clothes and objects strewn around.

“I wonder…” Myrah muttered. She reached her hand into the building, easily shattering the glass window. She brought her finger up to the locker in question and tapped on it, then listened for any sort of response.

Serena gasped the tapping on her locker was loud very loud,she used her hands to cover her ears for protection but soon she let ot a sneeze by accident,Serena gasped whimpering slightly as she pushed the door open quick and made a mad dash for the exit.Serena looked behind behind her she could see the hand she burst through a door and to her dispair she had reached an emergency exit as quick as she could serena began climbing down the ladder there as fast as she could.