"Just some forewarning, Miss, this is kind of a free for all and not everyone is as nice as I and the unconscious one."
"Ah..."
Mentally Yinha nearly screamed at herself as reality hit once more again. That was right, it had become a free for all here after...oh! The star that had fallen in this area! Frankly speaking, she'd mostly been absorbed with tracking down those undead after detecting them. Then had come the nearly dying, and a crazy old man, and a building collapsing among other things that had been more immediately concerning than the free-for-all. The High Elf seemed to quickly shut her mouth, however, before quietly following along with Kaze as they moved over to the people at the bottom of the tower.
Truth be told, however, upon getting a closer look these two figures seemed more well-dressed than she'd expected. While the woman seemed wary enough at first, she at least seemed to be peaceable when they came over with the unconscious Wood Elf Paladin to try to get some more help. Not that Yinha herself didn't have a good amount of mana left...but conserving amidst this greater overall situation seemed to be wiser. Yet the other individual was visibly a male human, but seemed to give off some kind of 'air' that slightly got under the elf's skin. He was even wearing a mask at that. However, regardless of this Yinha gave a soft smile to both the man and woman and a light bow before she helped move Vani over to the woman and spoke again.
"Thank you. It feels like it has been one thing after another today, especially when things broke out around here. But if you need, Miss, you may request some assistance from my angelic summon here if that could help."
As she finished speaking, the High Elf mage's eyes seemed to trail up the tower and then back down at Artemisia.
"I pray whatever that fallen star is, it isn't something dangerous to everyone here."
Yinha let out a small sigh after her comment, some worry reflected in her eyes as she simply stayed in place with the noble looking woman that would be looking over her former compatriot.
"Scarlet! Scarlet!!!" a young, brown-haired girl called out as she ran down the long school hallway.
The pink-haired Tamaranian, dressed in comfortable black stretchy pants and a red tank top hidden underneath a black, hooded, and zipped up sports jacket, seemed to perk up as a familiar voice came to her ears. Scarlet stopped where she stood in the hall, a couple of books and a binder stuck underneath her right arm, and let a wide smile come to her face upon seeing who it was. Rachael Cross, all around geeky nerd, straight 'A' student, and ultimately the first person to be nice to her rather than make yet another "idiot redneck and incest-indulging hillbilly" joke on her first day at a new school. Not that some hadn't stopped making those jokes after a 'small' incident and one jock boyfriend's broken right arm.
In truth, the disguised alien girl almost had no idea how her and Rachael had kicked things off after that, but safe to say it felt better to have found some kind of friend here in the last year. Especially when they knew some juicy new manga to read online at night...
"Ey Rachael!" Scarlet said, throwing up her left hand in a casual, lazy wave as her friend approached in a seeming hurry, "What's tha' rush?"
"You have NO idea!" Rachael said, a worried look on her face as she scrambled to catch her breath and speak more, soft blue eyes looking back up at her, "A freshman girl collapsed in the hall earlier, threw up everywhere even, and no one knows why! Someone said they saw her father take her out, but the teachers aren't saying anything! Then apparently there's a bank robbery...but someone looking in the teacher's lounge just saw someone crash in through the roof like a superhero!!!"
Wait. What.
"Wow there," The green-eyed girl said, putting up her hand for a moment as she visibly tried to process what she had just been told in such a hurry, "So a freshman girl just kinda' collapses on tha' ground without any warning, and some woman jus' went in full Might All on a bank robbery?!"
Rachael nodded hastily, before straightening her back and looking Scarlet in the eyes.
"I mean, I think they are. Its makes no sense, but then I went and saw the TV to make sure! The teachers can't even keep everyone away from the lounge because everyone is pushing in there to see! The video is even online right now!" Rachael said, pulling out her phone and hastily pulling up the video of what was going on in front of Scarlet's face.
"...Hell."
For a moment, the Tamaranian had hoped that it would be a normal day...though as she watched the video a million thoughts felt like they were running through her head. Rachael wasn't one to cock up some kind of idiot rumor, her friend was wanting to be an engineer for pity's sake! But other than herself and her mother, which was just one of the dark secrets her family had basically, she'd never seen anyone else who could fly...or bend gun barrels and all of that. It was like a shot out of a superhero movie, or big-shot anime like "Hero Class Academy", but more than that it made her curious...
...Was someone else like her out there? Her mother had explained her situation to her a time ago, which frankly she thought was a heaven-send to avoid falling into some trope-ish pitfall there, but even so she had only ever seen herself and her mother with abilities like that. At all. Even her human Pa' was not that strong for sure, and he'd been a navy seal!
Not to mention that the figure in that attire felt 'familiar' somehow, at least visually, and it was like the answer was caught on the tip of her tongue.
Blah.
"Scarlet?"
The teen snapped out of her train of thought for a moment, noticing the video was over with and Rachael looking at her with some level of concern. With a sheepish grin, Scarlet rubbed the back of her head and put on another smile.
"Eh, it's nothin'," the Tamaranian said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "Was readin' some chapters last night an' got reminded of em' is all."
Rachael let out a long, drawn out sigh as the duo noted the rapidly depleting crowd in the hall. Seemed everyone else was happy to get moving after the bell. Crap. She couldn't be late to her mom driving her home again!
"Shit!!! Gotta go, talk to ya' later like usual?" Scarlet said, a light panic coming over her face as she began to run away from her friend and shouted a final message back.
"I'll call you tonight! I still need to finish my project for Mr. Henderson's class for after the break!"
...Though as she ran towards the exit doors at the end of the hall-
"Wha-?!"
BLAM!!!
When her phone began to ring, the teen had been distracted in her haste...and run face-first into a locker at the end of the hall. The girl seemed to sit there, having fallen back flat on her butt, for but a moment before she looked around herself. Good. No one around to see that one, at least. Yet as she stood up, she noted her head was fine...yet the undeniable effect on the locker was obvious. One big dent in it, like some guy had come by and hit it with a baseball bat.
"Dammit..."
Scarlet cursed under her breath, before scrambling to the right with her books and heading into the nearest girls' bathroom close by. She ran into a stall, locking the door before fumbling with her jacket pocket to get the still-ringing phone out. Yet when she saw the number, a light wave of relief seemed to come over her. Whew. Just Miss Sam. Nice lady to be sure, almost made her glad her mother had made her volunteer at the museum for 'extra educational opportunities' (not that she hadn't walked in on two interns making good use of those 'opportunities' in a different way a couple months ago).
After pushing to answer the call and holding the phone to her ear, though, she couldn't even speak before the voice on the other end seemed to come out quickly.
"Hey, Scarlet, are you all right? I just spotted the bank robbery on the news and got worried."
Hell...
"Doin' alright for tha' most part, Sam, school just let out early for ah' winter break. My friend Rachael just showed me what's goin' on tho. You doin' alright? Nothin' got to ya' from all that mess?"
While she tried to keep positive, some worry did come into her voice as she spoke to the woman she worked with in her volunteer work at the museum.
Sophia Andersen ("Titan")
...STAR Labs. A place that shone as a light of scientific innovation, engineering progress for future times. Yet those months ago, it had been the epicenter of an event that shook her life to the very core.
She'd avoided this place for those following months, mainly due to having to learn control over herself to be able to go outside at all. It had all been such a surreal experience, and yet her last visceral experience as a 'fully human' individual had been here. Research, long nights, and then an explosion and flash of light. The most frightening part was what she could remember, however, all of it down to her rescue and the pain were so easy to recollect in vivid detail that it sent a chill down her cyborg spine. Yet at the same time, she felt she could not escape this place either. She wanted to return, to do research, and just see if she could grasp that bit of work she'd...that she'd made for herself before all of this.
Sophia's hand reached in her work jacket pocket, pulling out a keycard that still had some obvious melting and marring on it, before letting out a long sigh.
"Gotta see if they cleared out my desk and called me dead anyways...," Sophia muttered to herself, before walking into the employee entrance door with her card in hand.
Day 1, Week 12, Cycle 1 Summertime, 17 C°, Overcast
Progress thus far seemed to be good, or so the Matriarchs thought. They had recently found each other's groups this particular week, and the reunion had been nothing short of joyous. To find more of their kin in this world was a delight, alive and doing well at that, one they had celebrated with much revelry in their primitive-built hopes near the tops of the trees. Cooked meats featured most definitely, abounding from a rather...'dumb' yet easy to raise fowl they had gathered from the forest. It seemed to eat about anything, usually off of the ground, and its nests were rather unprotected underneath large vegetation but they also produced many eggs to compensate. Dubbed the "Jordo", they had begun to keep a few the birds up in their own homes far above the vulnerable forest floor in order to begin a consistent food supply. Not like the birds were dumb enough to try to escape at least. Was better than nothing, at least, or just straight fruits and forest nuts.
Also present in the feasting had been those odd fruits, ones which a young Velari in the northern group had found very early on. The flesh of the fruit was textured somewhere between meat and other softer fruits, protected by a sweet and thicker bright blue rind, its flesh sweet to the taste and and slightly hot as one bit into it closer to the seeds. Likewise the seeds seemed to be useful as well after the fruit had been eaten. Hardy and tough, much like its mother plant, but rather bitter, somewhat fruity, ad ultimately even more spicy on the inside. They had begun to collect the seeds and store them up as well, as they were at least edible if nothing else.
The celebration would ultimately end up going on for three days, however, and while there were the obvious 'other activities' that occurred the same young Velari from the Northern group had also recounted her story of victory against a strangely strong but lanky monster that had sought to slay her. Yet as the Matriarchs had found out from each other, after some private conversation, none seemed to know of how they had come to be here. All had experienced the same chaos. Troubling. They had to survive, but that 'something' still itched at the back of their minds like the great and totally mysterious enigma that it was.
Regardless, they knew their people would need to get moving at some point. For now, at least, they were to prepare supplies and had gotten organized. How else would they be able to see more of this island, than but to travel it? Something in them spoke true to this, a desire to see a new terrain and new place among other things. Yet they knew not the dangers of this place, not all of them anyways, despite having seen much in this dense rainforest area so far to be sure.
The people were also not so antsy as of yet, and this was good. Indeed, they would need to prepared tools, spears, bows, and supplies for this journey. Just to be safe, of course, they would also form a plan. One group would set out before the other, then, to find good grounds to reside upon before sending back for the other. This would ensure their safety, and the first would carry more warriors in order to ensure their success. Such was the decision of the Matriarchs, passed down to the people aloud before they had all departed back to their homes.
They would work to ready themselves for the time to come, the time of movement and travel...and hopefully being ready enough for the unknown of this land.
********************************
Day 4, Week 16, Cycle 1 Summertime, 17 C°, Overcast
Primitive home up near the tops of trees, giant leaves woven into primitive roofs, and the dense tops of trees being used as added cover at that. Such were the homes of the Velari, very primitive and simple yet providing seemingly 'just' enough cover when signs of coming trouble began to show themselves. Their animals seemed to change in demeanor, the birds and animals of the trees seemed to be more reluctant to leave their own homes, and the salty smell of the wind seemed to make everyone in both groups of Velari nervous...to say the least.
The first group had just moved on to find a ground to migrate to a week prior, having gathered and foraged enough to go onward. Thirty five Velari of the Southern group with their Matriarch had gone farther north to try to find and escape, almost half of them being armed with bows made from prepared animal sinews and a simple spear each, while the remaining 15 had united with the Northern group to help gather extra supplies to bring along.
The gathering of supplies had become more desperate without a doubt for the second remaining group in the northern area of the rainforest, however, especially of what nuts and fruits and plants they had found to be edible. They had lost 4 Velari in the process of this, having found some less than edible bits amidst all of this. Huntresses were left with the harder and harder task of finding game, and had begun to try different means to get them. Looking for nests, placing growing foodstuffs over dug holes to try to trap them, amidst other rather hasty or creative methods they could try to think of in a hurry. The Jordo they were grabbing up were at least something they had to eat on, and with these birds now being kept in better, more contained areas now along with their eggs it gave them a safer and more consistent source of sustenance.
And yet...
"...You must go and take two sisters to find those who went to the north. Tell them we must remain here for the season, for it would be too dangerous to fly then," the Matriarch spoke, sitting cross-legged on the floor as a solemn look dominated her face. She looked the young huntress from before dead in the eyes, enunciating her words to help drive in the seriousness of the point as well, "Once the skies pour down above us, it will be too late. They must know, and either return or await our arrival."
The young huntress, now called "Virt", seemed to take pause for a moment, before taking a knee and lowering her head before the Matriarch. The three-clawed scar now over and under her right eye caught the glance of the Matriarch for a moment, though the older Velari merely let out a small sigh. For Virt and others it was an instinctive action, though who had first come up with it was still somewhat unknown. All they knew was this was how they showed respect to the Matriarch, at least when talking to her most directly.
Standing up, however, the Matriarch moved forward and took a knee before Virt, lifting up the younger Velari's head and lightly feeling over the scar she had with her left hand. For a moment the older Velari's face pursed in worry, before lightly shaking her head back and forth. Virt could handle this, that much she knew. She had shown a growth, a greater strength after her victory, and had led many a hunt and scouting party by now. The Matriarch had felt drawn to her after a time, and likewise in turn it seemed, and they had...well, become mates. Such was only a natural result of things. Virt's features seemed to soften as well for a moment as her mate caressed her face, though, before putting her own hand over the Matriarch's and giving a soft smile in return.
"I will return whole. I and my sisters shall find the path and way, and whether later or even after this season I shall return to you...I could never believe otherwise, for I desire to see our future young."
The moment of silence that followed required no explanation between the two, merely a wordless understanding before both stood once more and stood back from each other. It was dangerous, but it was necessary to send their new best huntress to track the others down. Perhaps the others who had moved on would be alright...but even so the remaining Matriarch worried nonetheless.
********************************
Day 2, Week 22, Cycle 1 Summertime, 17 C°, Overcast
The world had seemingly gone into a tumult, the skies roaring their anger down. When Virt had found the party that went North, they had just finished setting up in basic in a similar rainforest area farther to the north. They had just barely enough time to make some simple homes for themselves, and and a house-built space to keep Jordo that had been brought along or captured there in at that. Then the rains had come. The crashing of mighty sky anger above, and the fury and strength of it was poured down like the many rains and winds that came blasting through. Not much room to explore, and flight was limited to the seemingly brief time between storms and mighty winds. Ways to climb up and down on the trees under whose dense tops they made their homes had become necessary at that. Even with the tiny bit of fruit and seeds herself and his sister had been able to bring as extra, though, it was not enough to really supplement the more struggling food stores here.
As the winds blew by, however, Virt found herself trying to brave storms in order to locate anything for the warriors and others who were about her. Day in and day out she had climbed to the ground, and walked upon it to do what she could. Her mat-...her Matriarch had sent her here, and she felt an urge to not let her people die. Her sisters on occasion came along with her, and what few hunters or Jordo carers in this smaller group usually just went between storms.
It was a danger, and yet a necessity. It frightened her, and yet she pushed past it anyways. They could not all wait to the side, and not all storms stayed around so consistently. At the least, that beast from before seemed to not be here or anywhere else back where her Matriarch was.
Yet when she had gone out into the forest this day-
*CRACK*
*BLAM*
*CRASH*
The fury of the skies had struck downward, down upon the area and small clearing in which she'd stood while looking for bird nests. Wood of the trees all about her had split and cracked with the white-hot and almighty power, all as it surged down and into the ground, but even she had not gone untouched. A white pillar of light visually seemed to surround her, a moment that felt like an eternity, and it was like something had hit her full on in the body. Raw pain surged through her, however, unlike any she had ever felt before.
Virt then rapidly felt her body lose all strength, and before she could blink she found herself fallen and lying back on the ground...her spear very warm in her frozen hand and obviously very singed...but at least not actively burning.
"..."
Her voice wanted to cry out, and yet she felt the words unable to be chocked out. Her survival instincts seemed to kick in with full intent, screaming and wailing at her to 'move' and 'live' and 'get to safety'...and yet she could not follow them. She could not leave her mate alone! Not when young would be here in due time, not after all of this! She could not even fathom it, even as her body screamed out in the lingering and fading vestiges of physical pain.
But Virt's gaze was wide open as she lied there, staring up at the heavens as she listened to its roar and looked deeply into its grey and seemingly infinite expanse. Even a little smoke was coming off of her body, at that.
As she finally found herself able to close her eyes for a moment, however, the roars of thunder almost seemed to take on a...distinctive tone. Almost like a voice of some sort, calling out to her, booming and crackling ad rumbling as it seemingly reached out to her with something. Yet what did it say? Virt kept her eyes closed and listened more, even as the regular warmth of her lifeblood bit by bit returned to her body underneath the cold of the pouring rain.
Eventually, she would open her eyes and find herself able to arise from the ground once more. Slowly standing, the Velari looked down at herself to see what had become of her. Wings...fully intact. Arms and legs...still attached. And yet quickly she would find something interesting upon herself. Covering her left arm down to her fingertips, and stretching over her shoulder to the left side of her chest and up onto the left side of her neck some, was a strange pattern burnt into her. They were like the branches of a great tree, stretching out all over and caressing her form.
All so strange, and yet it somehow made sense in a fashion. The voice of the skies, the markings, and the sensations she had been through. The tingle of power beyond her own almost seemed to linger as she had lied there.
"..."
Slowly but surely, Virt would return to the other Velari in the smaller group. Step by stumbling step, until her stride once again returned to normal and the squish of mud and plop of water became as normal as they had been in this last while. For her mate...for her future young...she had to get back at the very least. But more than that, what she had just gone through had to be relayed.
Upon seeing her approach, whilst sitting near their tree-home's entrance, the two sisters she had been sent with here seemed to perk up. Their voices called out, and more heads began to look out at news of the lone hunter's return. Never had she been gone this long, nor come in so very late. They had about all assumed the very worst overall, some already had, and yet here she was once more. As the rain began to lighten up some, several Velari began to climb down and make their way to her. Among these was even the other Matriarch, who as the others chirped about with words of concern took pause as she saw the younger Velari's sky-wrought burns. More so...
"Virt...what has happend to you, young one?"
The Velari took pause as the other Matriarch carefully reached out, hovering around her left shoulder before gently touching it. Virt winced in slight pain, simply if anticipating it, though after a moment seemed to return to normal as the Matriarch examined her. It...didn't hurt? The young Velari and Matriarch eventually looked at each other, their eyes meeting in a direct gaze between each other.
"I...it is a strange thing to explain" the huntress said, pointing up at the sky with her spear-wielding left arm, the very singed weapon still with white-hot cracks near its tip away from the huntress' hand, "The sky, it surrounded and held me in its power. I could not move, but merely stare back as her as she roared...yet soft words were spoken into my ear. Strange words, yet ones which I eventually came to be able to understand after being said again and again. She, the sky, spoke to me like the roar of a great beast as I lied before her mercy."
The Matriarch and others stared back at her silently as she spoke, and even a little after, even as the latest storm in their area for the day would begin lightening up even more about them. Yet as if on cue, a final and rather loud growl of thunder rang out in the sky directly above Virt's right after she had finished speaking. The other looked up towards the sky suddenly as the sound rang true, suddenly at this time standing out from all the others they had so often heard before. Yet Virt's eyes did not go up, but remained steadfastly forward-aimed at the others.
Things had begun to click in the Velari's minds with this, and their eyes seemed to open as they stared up at the few rays of sunshine that began to now peek through the branches. Like clockwork they began to now look one to another, wondering if those about them were thinking the same. Words were tossed around, some were made up, and a mixture of hesitation and reverence seemed to settle over those who were near Virt right now. The light, as with the final crack of thunder, seemed to finally spark something within them. A fire perhaps...even an awakening of sorts.
This would change things...this would change things without a doubt.
Time Passed: None, this is the the first day!
Time Until Next Turn: 3 months
Events/Developments:
Virt's personal experiences, the southern group splitting up to scout out new grounds and hopefully safer haven, and plans/issues centered around migration have begun.
The Velari have acquired an animal to domesticate: The Jordo! A fat, plucky type of Dodo that has a very tough beak and plump, tasty body, they lay a great many eggs at once to make up for the vulnerability of their nests and utilize numbers to overcome their natural weaknesses. They generally eat scraps, scavenged food, and whatever they can eat as a digestive-hardy-and-versatile omnivorous species. Often are located in forests and rainforests where their nests can be built with more materials and hidden under larger vegetation usually.
???Beginnings of Religion???
Tech Research Progress:
Finished - Animal Husbandry/Irrigation
Now Researching - Pottery
If pic link ever doesn't work, just imagine a fancy colored dodo here instead. XD
Basic Summary: A fat, plucky type of dodo-ish ground that has a very tough beak and plump, tasty body, they lay a great many eggs at once to make up for the vulnerability of their nests and utilize numbers to overcome their natural weaknesses. They generally eat scraps, scavenged food, small ground insects, and whatever they can eat as a digestive-hardy-and-versatile omnivorous species. Often are located in forests and rainforests where their nests can be built with more materials and hidden under larger vegetation usually. Their beak is a painful weapon to face, however, when or if gaining their ire.
Yinha: Hey we need some help here! Others and Xalt: Eh? Are those some big tiddies shaking over there? Yinha: Wait, THAT was the first thing you noticed?! Others and Xalt(probably): Yeah, dem's some huge bazongas. Yinha: What?! Kaze and Vani (maybe): *nod in fervent and serious agreement with the others* Yinha: (TwT)
XD
Quickie post with some Yinha trying to call for help and begin healing Kaze and Vani.
Zapdos
Xaltwind
Spiffy
dwyer austin
The Otter
Dezuel
Izurich
Danyel
Aku the Samurai
tundrafrog1124