The Immortal Cell

[Spectre]

The Immortal Cell
OOC LINK

Begin with the mood
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It was dark, the orange glow of the sun had finally completely disappeared. The skies were clear from what the six could tell- looking up through tall tree branches and leaves occasionally. Tiny pinpricks of glittering white dotted the sky, surrounding a large pale moon igniting what could be seen from beneath the forest's silhouette. The forest was deep, and mature. Moss covered fallen trees, thin spreads of grass spread across the ground sparsely between snaking lines of brush and mud.

The group had been travelling for a few days, and it had finally stopped raining on them for their mostly somber trek. They decided to park themselves in a dirt clearing surrounded by a semicircle of thick brush. It smelled of wet soil, bark, and moss. They could tell they were going in the right direction. First, because the further north you got- it got wetter before it began to freeze. Second- and more importantly: The gigantic rectangular monolith could be seen in the distance, an easy find- peeking above the trees. Like it was watching them come closer. Now they could see the lights from the city built atop and around it- but only faintly. This was where they were heading...

A fire pit was dug and the flames danced, igniting those who sat around it, attempting to dry themselves. It didn't provide any with a sense of security, though- For their entire journey through the wood- It always seemed like they were not alone. As if eyes were watching them from behind, or something sat just outside of their peripherals. Even heard a few branches snap- or rustling leaves when there was no wind. They rested in an uneasy quiet- just as they had traveled for the past few hours. Fearing that any more noise than necessary may bring something upon them that none of them could see.... but they all could feel.

Paranoia had began to set in on each of them. But it wasn't for no reason- as a few glints of shining pairs eyes could have been seen in the distance... Flittering off and on, appearing and disappearing. No real sounds were made. Was it predators awaiting the fire to extinguish? For one of them to walk off on their own? Was it surrounding Dirks, looking to kill, eat, and steal from them? Was it harmless nocturnal animals foraging?

A snap was heard nearby, to the west- and all those shimmering eyes were nowhere to be found...

 

[Bismarck]

Burkhart looked out at the trees, giving a sigh as he took a seat by the fire. The barbarian took out his massive shotgun, the weapon itself was quite ridiculous to say the least, when compared with the size, and build of the rest of the group. Though in his hands, it didn't look much different than a normal 12 gauge weapon, might look inside the hands of the average human. Racking back the pump, he made sure a shell was still chambered, before slamming it forward, and standing up. Being from the homeland he belonged to, Burkhart despised being followed, or watched, and would sooner egg on a fight, then avoid one.

Standing in the open, he watched carefully for where the first attacker may have come from, as the fire was made, he did little to help. Instead he remained guard, preferring the simple task of being a watchful eye over the group. The man was very experienced in combat, and was much quicker on his toes than most. His strength, agility, and brutally sized weapons made him a fearsome opponent. If his skin were gray, most would be tempted to confuse him with a Dirk, or some other sort of brutal, humanoid monster. Though he didn't mind this, Burkhart knew just how much of an advantage looking intimidating could provide, plus he could hope his size provided comfort to the weakest links of the group.

Though, as the snapping of branches became clear, and all those eyes disappeared, Burkhart tensed up, and shouldered his shotgun. He took aim to the west, but kept his ears open for movement from any other direction, ready to react and turn as called upon to do so. "Ears, close." He said, using what broken language he could speak to warn his friends what he was going to do. A finger pressed against the trigger, easing it down slowly, the hand holding the pump readied itself to rip the slide back, to load another shell as quickly as possible. Then with an explosive ring, that blasted into the evening air, his weapon roared out, spraying fire from the muzzle, and launching a wide spray of large pellets down range.

Even if they didn't hit something, Burkhart could certainly hope raw intimidation, would dissuade those trying to attack them. As his massive arm racked the slide, and popped the large 8 gauge shell out, and listened to the sound as another one slipped into the chamber of his weapon. A grin forming on his lips for a moment as he got the usual satisfaction from firing his weapon. "Let us see...if fight happen. They run, probably."

 

[EddiEddi]

Cirdan was more than happy to make the fire and fill the role of the groups camp maker and maintainer, He even politely collected rations from the others and set about making something resembling a reasonable meal, which mostly comprised of dried rations, and a small collection of the edible mushrooms he'd found along the walk today sliced thinly and fried in a way that made them taste like buttered toast. However through all of this he watched the world around them with a cautious eye, he was trying to put a name to anything and everything he could see, Some names were ones he'd made up on his travels, others he'd heard others use. What was bugging him was that through all his travels he couldn't find anything that resembled those eyes. During the day he'd made sure to pick up several large, long sticks that could be useful

In the flickering fire light it was all too easy to see his non human nature, his verdant green eyes reflecting the firelight oddly, making them look like dancing emerald flames, his long hair looking like ivy against his back. Trusting the others to watch his back he looked up at the immense Barbarian who he'd come to learn was called Burkhart who was walking to keep an eye out. When the huge man racked his shotgun Cirdan covered his ears and winced at the firing noise. Glancing down at the food he noticed it was done and set about sharing it out using flat rocks as plates. Tapping Burkhart on the shoulder he handed over the stone with its odd looking dinner of thin fried mushrooms with crushed nuts, dried berries and some tenderized jerky.

Once he was certain everyone was fed he set about setting the end of each of the long sticks on fire and lashing it in to a upright position around the edge of the camp at equidistant points with the fires at the bottom of the stick so that it would burn upwards and keep alight. hoping to push the darkness and those unnamable eyes back at least for a little while "I think we should sleep in watches tonight so at least if whatever's out there decides to make itself known, someone's awake."

 

[Majem]

Rain. Merciless, cold, never ending rain had been pouring down on the unfortunate, ragtag group of wanderers. The ground and plants were wet and every step Gallivan took was muddy, loud and slippery. Some among the group, like the barbarian and the more plant-oriented man, might not be too bothered by this weather, but Gallivan was not a fan of rain. The man ran his fingertips across the bark of a tree he passed by closely. Too wet for him to climb comfortably. The ground beneath his feet, too unpredictable and loud to flee from danger quickly. The rain itself clouded vision and weighed down on the small man. He was out of his element.

Gallivan sighed. He'd been silently tagging along for a few days now, cowering for shelter underneath his cloak, cursing the unfortunate weather they had to deal with. Only now that their goal appeared through the forest did the sky decide to clear, which felt like mockery to him, even more so now that the moon shone bright upon the monolith further emphasising just how near it was. Under normal circumstances he'd continue walking all throughout the night, especially with these ghastly figures on his tail, but these weren't normal circumstances. Now he had a party.
Getting a fire started was his top priority and so Gallivan set about helping his greenheart companion collecting fuel and grow the flames. The warmth and light was a welcome comfort he desperately needed at this time. They were being followed by something, they always had been, and nothing unsettled the man more than being the prey, especially to an unknown hunter. Were those dirks clawing through the trees and watching from afar? Gallivan had no way of knowing. He could only hope the barbarian's hulking body was intimidating enough to keep them at a distance.

When Burkhart gave his simple command, Gallivan did as he was told and put his hands in his helmet, over his ears. If they didn't know before, now the whole forest knew they were there. As he lowered his hands again, he couldn't help but shake his head at how useless he thought that was. And yet, it did help ease his nerves a little.
"Let's hope so, big guy." He replied, still unsure just how well the man would understand full sentences. He'd heard of barbarians and how modest their intelligence was and here he was talking to one. What baffled him more was that he'd always been told not to wander into those savages' territory, especially in that of the most ruthless 'Bear Tribe' and whatever he did, Gallivan should never interact with a man named Burkhart König, giant among giants. Yet here they were. What irony.

"They've followed us for days without showing themselves. If it's dirks, their hunger will overpower their fear of Burk tonight. Sleep with your weapon in hand." Gallivan told Cirdan. Those were his thoughts and he felt the need for the others to hear them. Whatever he had to do next depended on the actions their pursuers would take in the following hours. But for now, all he could do was sit by the fire, warm his cold fingers and calm his mind.

 

[SilentxChaos]

Hoshi appeared from the treeline, dumping her pack in front of the fire and huddling close to it. "Traps are set at the north and south points. Assuming someone does not shoot them off," she pointed a glare at Burkhart. She spoke with an accent, oddly lyrical for a beastman, in which her s's dipped and r's rolled. She also carried a half-smile that made it impossible to determine if she was serious or mocking. "Really, a little warning as to which direction you are firing would be appreciated."

Accepting her rations from Cirdan, with a nodded thanks and a wink, she ate quickly and enjoyed the warmth of the fire. Hoshi had set simple trip wires attached to smoke bombs just beyond the radius of their camp. She hung the smokes in low branches and strung them to five feet of trip-wire laid an inch above the forest floor. A trap meant to stun and warn them of circling threats. It was the best she could do with her limited supplies; she left her pack horse at the last town in order to keep pace with the group. All she carried was a single coil of wire and rope, her travelling tool kit, four grenade casts, a pouch of incendiary powder, the odd bits of metal and trinkets she tinkered, and cleaning supplies. Every article of clothing Hoshi possessed she currently wore, the northern temperatures and chilled rain equivalent to the bite of mountain peaks to her colder blood. The cold made her wish the barbarian had not scared off their stalkers. She felt their heat signatures vanish like mist in a fog when his shotgun fired. She tasted the air with her tongue, but only registered the shotgun's discharge, rotting flora, and her companions' scents. As if the eyes that followed them had molded into the forest, like a fallen tree becomes part of the forest floor or a dead mouse part of its inhabitants. They became nonexistent. Unmade.

Shuddering, Hoshi threw what trash there was into the flames and brought out her holo-map. It stopped functioning that early morning, and had been malfunctioning for the last two days. The thing was old- a relic of her mentor who never said how he got it and never made use of it- but nevertheless the growing sense of unease layering the group infected her too. She wondered if it was a coincidence or the forest itself somehow contorting her tech. She mumbled an old gyspy protection prayer beneath her breath as she began tinkering with it, hoping to bring it back to life. Hoshi was hardly versed in how tech functioned, yetendless building and fiddling made her good at puzzle-solving her way to a solution.

As she worked, she remarked to the others, generally, "I do not suppose one of us knows how much father we have? I cannot be the only one who thinks our chance of survival grows slimmer the longer we stay beneath these accursed canopies?" Hoshi sneezed, violently, and cursed the rain and the cold.

 

[Spectre]

Making his way to the fire from checking the saddle on his avian mount, he looked up with orange eyes at the sound of what could be mistaken as cannon fire. His large hood- normally used for concealing who (more accurately- 'what') he was- also helped shield him from the elements. The rain had recently let up- but that didn't make the trek much more comfortable. The ground was still slippery, and everyone had been unnerved by their tails- some creature, or creatures, from the darkness.

The large man in the group opened fire with a large thunderous blast toward the first- and last noise their stalkers made. Maybe that was what scared them away. . . . Hopefully, that was what scared them away.

Now sitting at the fire, he gave a nod at Cirdan as he doled out their night's rations. Somehow making whatever random entities they all had into something with taste. Reaching up from his sitting position by the fire- he gave a quiet "Thanks," to the man.

Near glowing orange eyes looked to the human after he spoke about the danger - especially if their creepers were dirks. Gallivan was his name- quite the skilled burglar, it seemed. The skills that man had was something almost necessary for anyone who was in their position- though he seemed to exceed expectation. Ren also provided a "He's right..." to the small human speaking to Cirdan. The first words he'd probably spoken all day. Honestly most of them had been pretty quiet during the last of the day's pouring rain.

The snake creature reported in. He smiled- his thin grin visible beneath the hood. He thought it both funny and quite well placed- her worry about Burkhart blasting one of her traps. Though she was as concerned as the rest, surely. The journey so far hadn't been a delightful one. Thankfully, they didn't have much longer.

"The Northern city isn't too far. Another day's travels and we'll be at their gates." He imagined it- just like the first time he'd been there. "Spire City" in the northern parts of the country most called 'The Rhone'. The city's massive monolith- a gigantic mineral block jutting into the sky, with hipped buildings atop it. Nearly a century ago- one of the eastern civilizations approached, slaughtered the inhabitants nearby and erected their city around- and atop the monolith itself. The natives were peaceful and advanced, and their peacekeeping nature didn't allow them to fight back in the manner that required their survival. The magic was strong there in the earth. Radiating from the monolith structure itself. Some large chunks of land float by the monolith- where some building are erected atop. Such a surreal vision it was... Surreal feeling, even. The magic was so strong- even those who weren't attuned to it could feel it ever so slightly in the air. The top of the monolith could still be seen towering over the horizon. Even in complete darkness, tiny little dots- like stars- sat atop the structure.

"Think I'm just happy to be rid of this forest soon." he held his hands out to the fire - covered with black gloves, but his blue wrists were exposed from his gray shirt's elastic cuffs. Looking on as Hoshi peered at her holomap. Ren knew a lot about most basic tech, and could probably help her get her holo up and running again. Though he wouldn't offer his help. Not yet, at least. His hands were waterlogged, and he didn't have the tools necessary to work with the intricacies of it's inner bits.

It was then that they all would have heard. Maybe even have a moment to be thankful to Hoshi's having set tripwires up. To the south- a thin snap, then a loud bang accompanied by a flash and the pound of a shock-wave. Animalistic chittering could have been heard there, too. Sitting at the north side of the fire- Ren stood up, flung his hood back, and placed his left hand atop his visor- pulling it down over his eyes to briefly scan the southern area for anything he could see. His night vision visor was low on power, and wasn't great- but it was better than being able to see nothing. His right hand went to his belt's holster- where his hardlight blade's hilt rested.

 

[Majem]

"Yeah. I think I've had my fill of this place." Gallivan replied to the unenthusiastic remarks about the forest. He was sitting at the west side of the fire, using his dagger to clean his nails of some filth that had collected underneath, trying to stop himself from looking around at every little noise he heard. But the snap to his right did catch his attention. Instinctively, his head turned towards the noise, but his body turned the other direction when he rose from the ground just a moment later. If their pursuers were halfway intelligent, they wouldn't attack the group from that direction, but rather use it as a distraction. That's what he would do, at least. Plus, the rest of group would be looking out for the noise.

With his back towards the fire, Gallivan was looking out towards the north-west, checking both his own back and that of Ren. His eyes darted around, trying to spot any sort of trouble, but the light from the fire made it harder for him to see in the darker parts. "Animals?" He asked Ren. His hands were at his belt on his scimitar's hilt, the dagger put back in its sheath. Even his gun was hanging there now, as it made him feel more secure during the trek.

 

[SilentxChaos]

Hoshi's forked tongue flicked out. "I smell nothing," she said. Sitting at the southern point and closest to the trap set off, she placed her back to the fire and had her rifle pointed at the treeline.

"I hear nothing either. Strange. They should choke." Hoshi purposefully filled her smoke bombs with coal dust. When her prey got caught, the dust would be inhaled and coat their throat and lungs. Enough dosage and they'd suffocate to death.

She bounced on her feet, then said, "I'm going for a closer look." Without waiting for a response from the others, she veered to the west and into the tree lines. Her eyesight permitted fractional nightvision and she was never one to wait for the enemy to come to her. Shouldering her rifle, she exchanged it for her glaive and extended the staff to its full length, 6 feet. The hardlight blade added another foot but she kept it deactivated to avoid detection.

Hoshi kept the campfire within her senses as she crept closer to the trap. She paused when she smelled the smoke. She licked her lips. No scents. No sounds. The hairs on her neck stood on end as she felt uneasy. Alright, vermin. Where are you?