[IC] A Hero Tale {Complete}

[Jensoman]

Jenso gave the sparrow a confused look. Why was it here? Was this what the birds in this forest often did? Jenso didn't know. Still, the bird didn't seem to pose a threat. He smiled at it, and turned to the right to see exactly what was there. He prepared to move. Whichever was on his right side was nearby, and could mean immediate danger.

[tex]

A few steps and it happened. The sparrow dived into the trees on Jenso's right, and several small purple spiders hopped out at him from the same side of the path. They were pretty big, perhaps a few inches in diameter from the tip of their leg-span, but they could definitely jump. As they did this, the smell got stronger. It was coming from the spiders. They used it to lure unsuspecting prey, but for humans who knew about they threat of Perfume Spiders, it was an indicator to turn back lest they walk right into a swarm of them.

They worked as a group, all attempting to land on Jenso and bite him. Their poison was merely paralyzing, and designed to stun small creatures, but if enough bites got him, Jenso would be immobile for the spiders to feast upon at their leisure.

[Jensoman]

As the spiders leapt at him, Jenso quickly dashed to the left to avoid the spiders. He would grab a nearby boulder, and use it to smash the spiders. He certainly wanted to avoid being bitten, despite not being sure if any of them managed to bite him when he dodged.

[tex]

The boulder was big enough to squish a small portion of the spiders, leaving behind an even stronger smelling scent that pulled at Jenso's sense of smell. It was hypnotic, and a defense mechanism that stopped predators from killing the entire swarm. If Jenso let it take hold, it would force him to mindlessly walk towards the spiders. However, with so many of their kin dead, the spiders scattered back into the woods.

The little green sparrow flew back into view and squawked at Jenso, hovering in the middle of the path nearby. As soon as Jenso looked at the sparrow, he would dart back into the woods, like he was urging him to follow.

Something else was in the woods though, and it would be waiting for Jenso to slip up before it attacked..

[Jensoman]

Jenso looked up at the green sparrow as he followed. Was this yet another trap? As he moved, he kept his guard up even more then before, looking in front of him again. This forest was very dangerous, and he couldn't afford messing up.

[tex]

Making his way into the thick overgrowth proved to be difficult. Brambles scraped at his ankles and vines fell into his path with every few steps. But a few minutes is all it took for him to find a small hut wall, buried under a boulder that was bigger than a house. It was an underground hut! The clearing it sat in was rather small, and the sky above it was visible. Unless somebody could fly, finding this house would be damned near impossible in the Zentai forest. Was this where Lark lived?

As Jenso stepped into the clearing and saw the wooden wall with a small door, something huge jumped out of the trees behind it. It was a massive purple spider, nearly the size of a horse! It had several babies following it as well, climbing all over the boulder on top of the house. It hissed at him loudly, sitting above the entrance and waiting for him to approach.

[Jensoman]

Jenso got in a combat stance as the giant spider appeared. 'Darn..just how many of these things are out here?..' He thought, looking at the entrance. He needed to get past, but the beast was in his way. He cautiously moved closer, waiting for the spider and it's children to make their move. The last thing he wanted to do was charge in recklessly and get eaten.

[tex]

The spiders looked like they were ready to jump at Jenso and outright overpower him with their sheer numbers, but suddenly the mama's hissing stopped, and the door below her opened. A man with grey-blonde hair and a thin, chiseled jawline appeared from inside, with the green sparrow from earlier on his shoulder. He walked out, looked up at the spider, and waved it away with his hands. "Shoo, shoo! Don't be so rude to our guest!" The man urged it. Within seconds, it ran off into the Forest with its babies in tow, not willing to pick a fight. The man turned back to Jenso and smiled. His little sparrow chirped happily and he nodded.

"Ah, yes. He's a spry one, aint he?" Lark admitted, laughing aloud right after.

---

~ End Of Chapter 4 ~

[tex]

Chapter 5

_{The Last Gaian}

Lark invited Jenso into his little house and closed the door behind him, clapping dust off his hands with a sad expression. But once he looked up, he smiled and narrowed his eyes happily, rushing over to the table in the center of his small hut. The room was about as large as Bill's dining room, but with a low hanging ceiling, vines growing everywhere, and no furniture except for a bed, a table, and a few chairs, along with several torches lining the walls with stone surrounding them so that they wouldn't burn down his little house. The only wood was the wall that blocked his home off from the rest of the jungle.

"Pij tells me you walked right into Zentai all on your own, kiddo! That takes some serious guts, especially during Perfume Spider season," Lark started, inviting Jenso to take a seat as he did so himself, "Mind tellin' me why?"

[Jensoman]

Jenso smiled as the spiders left the scene and he was invited inside. He took a seat at the table. "I'm looking for a man named Lark." Jenso stated, looking around the hut for a moment. "Wait...Pij? Who's Pij?" Jenso asked him shortly after. Had someone been following him the entire time?

[tex]

Lark frowned, but smiled again when Jenso mentioned Pij. "Pij is my friend here," He said, pointing at the bird on his shoulder. She tweeted and nodded to him. "Heh, I taught her how to do that. She's the one who let me know you were here... But she didn't say anything about somebody trying to find me! Haha, guess I'm pretty popular!" Lark chuckled and pidge shook her head dismissively. "Why would you brave the damned forest to find me? Don't ya know this place aint safe for people like you?"

[Jensoman]

"Wow, cool!" He complimented Lark and Pij. He thought it was amazing how the man got along so well with his sparrow. But how did the bird inform him? Did he learn her language? As Lark stated that he was in fact the person he'd been searching for, he stared in shock for a few moments, then sighed and looked at the ground in shame. "I'm here...because a man named Prisma killed most of the people in my home town, Arcadia. I failed to beat him, and because of me, most of the populace is now dead." Jenso said, clenching his fists. "Please...I was told you know about magic. The Prisma guy also used magic..if I can learn how to use it too, I'll be able to kick his ass, and make sure that if more people like him show up, they'll get brought to justice!"

[tex]

Lark's eyes widened when Jenso announced that most of the people in Arcadia had been killed by this mysterious Prisma character. He clenched his fist, but didn't say anything. Was Harold still alive? Lark was struck like a tree in a storm. This was a horrible bit of news. However, as Jenso began speaking about Magic, Lark's composure loosened.

"I don't teach magic, kid. Especially not to naive wannabe heroes who don't even introduce themselves to new friends," Lark said sternly, crossing his arms, "A little rude, don't ya think?" Lark shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry."

[Jensoman]

Jenso frowned and stood up. "I'm sorry...I'm not really good with introductions. I'm Jenso." He stated, standing up as he pulled the enveloppe out of his pocket. "Harold wanted me to give you this.." He said, handing Lark the letter. "Apologies for not telling you my name sooner, I'm not exactly proud of myself after failing my people." he stated.

[tex]

Lark huffed at Jenso's words and rolled his eyes, overcome with relief to hear Harold's name. "It's fine, I'm sorry for your losses," He said, taking the Letter from Jenso and slitting it open with one of his overgrown fingernails. He read the letter over while still talking to Jenso, "I'd probably be pretty pumped up too if I had to go through something like that. I'm glad to hear that Harold survived. How is that old asshole?" Lark asked, still reading the letter over.

[Jensoman]

Jenso gave a faint smile. "He's still staying strong despite everything that's happened. It's really impressive.." He muttered, giving Lark the time to read the letter. He did want to get stronger as soon as possible, but rushing things wouldn't help. After all, Harold did have a point. He had no way to find Prisma. Not yet, at least.

[tex]

"Haha, would you look at that," Lark whispered as he finished reading the letter with a strong frown. He crunched it up and threw it into a nearby corner. "He called you a wannabe hero too." Lark stood up and Pij flew over to the table in front of Jenso. "Kid, truth is, teaching magic aint a thing. If you don't have a natural ability, you won't be able to use magic." Lark shrugged and turned to him with a fake smile.

"I'd be willing to teach you the basics, but I can't teach you how to harness your abilities."

[Jensoman]

Jenso got a wide grin on his face. "Hey, that works for me!" He shouted in an excited tone. "Well, I'm not sure if I really do have the ability but...only one way to find out, right?" He added.

[tex]

"Actually, there isn't," Lark shrugged and chuckled. "I can't sense Ki or Arcane energy, so I can't really judge your aura at all, haha! Sorry kiddo."

[Jensoman]

"Well...how do I start?" Jenso asked, eager to start his training with Lark. He did not know much about the man, but if Harold trusted him, so would he.