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Post by manju on Oct 8, 2007 14:31:50 GMT -5
Walking for a while, she couldn't help but hear voices in the air. Whatever they were, whoever they came from, they were near. Manju picked up her pace, quickly making her way toward the source of the voices. Narrowing the gap between herself and the people, she could identify one to be that of a man, though the other's source was slightly harder to ascertain.
Her long, slender feet, covered by the customary leather Igni snakebite-guards, carried her quicker and quicker on the increasingly firming ground, spears tightly gripped in her hands. The young Igni woman had to know what was going on. Were these native villagers? Lost travelers like herself? More bizarre illusions?
Surely, they couldn't be her newly-eaten friends...
Previously unaware of what was straight ahead of her, Manju's eyes darted in every direction frantically before taking note of the gigantic tree. The one she had wanted to see during this entire voyage into the unknown. A wide smile came to her mouth, but not for long, since the same voices soon echoed through the heavy air.
Raising her eyebrow and widening her eyes, she pondered to herself, It can't be...
She bolted to her left, splattering the mud on the ground everywhere. Manju edged around a large tree root and caught sight of a huge vine-beast. An look of odd surprise came to her face before she happened to also see Nasrin standing before a prostrated Muqali.
Tightening her grip on her spears, she ran as quickly as possible toward the plant creature, hopping onto some higher roots to gain altitude. Then, without a word to her companions, she lept toward the vine beast and started hacking away at its vine body.
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Post by nasrin on Oct 11, 2007 18:40:16 GMT -5
Nasrin pulled up to a stop just in time to shield her face from the splash of water caused by Muqali's falling body. The sandbender lowered her hands and wiped her face momentarily as the other Si Wong native looked up at her from the muck.
"Hi there," was his feeble response to her look. Nasrin glanced from him toward the monstrosity of vines that seemed to be bent on their destruction.
"We should go," Nasrin stated plainly as she glanced back at Muqali for a moment. However, her gaze was drawn a second later toward the form of Manju leaping madly at the vine monster. The Igni girl had landed on the beast's back and was stabbing wildly with her short spears.
"Crazy..." Nasrin muttered, almost annoyed by the fact that Manju had chosen to fight. Even though some small part of her was relieved to see that the group had found each other, it now meant that she couldn't simply run away. Even someone as apathetic as she couldn't live with leaving a companion behind for a second time.
Nasrin widened her stance and dropped her hands down into the muddy bottom of the pool of water she stood in. Despite all the moisture, there was still earth under there, and she needed it if they hoped to defeat this creature. Nasrin's hands clenched into fists as she poured her concentration into her bending. The ground beneath her started to shift and swell as more and more earth was called to her.
A mound was beginning to rise out of the water with her perched atop of it. The dirt continued to pile up until it was nearly six feet tall, at which point Nasrin pulled her hands free and then hopped backward. She landed on the ground, feet planted solidly, and then she shovered hard at the chunk of earth with a double palm strike. The giant dirt-boulder rocketed forward, creating a large splashing wake in the process.
The earth missile struck the vine monster dead center just as it turned toward Nasrin and broke apart on impact. It wasn't solid enough to put the beast out of commission, but still the impact caused the monstrosity to to falter back until it fell against the base of the large tree.
Nasrin stood, breathing heavily at the exertion of such a strike in her current state. She could see that the beast seemed somehow less substantial for a moment after the impact. The vines that composed it seemed to slacken a bit, and its form was less defined. However, the vines were still moving and slithering over each other, and a stir of motion told her that it was not over by a long shot.
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Post by mulaqi on Oct 15, 2007 20:09:07 GMT -5
Muqali nodded in response to Nasrin’s suggestion that they leave, but by the time he had pulled himself up into a sitting position, he was bearing witness to Manju’s enthusiastic attack on the monster. He was more relieved to find her alive and well than displeased with her removing their option of retreat. However, he was unsure how much help he could be in his current state. At least, that was the case until Nasrin’s attack slammed into the monster. For a moment, the vines slackened slightly, their thrashing and wiggling ceased, and he suddenly realized that in that instance, the beast was vulnerable, if only for an instant.
“I’ve got an idea,” he called out as he rose to his feet. “Nasrin, hit it with another one of those when you get the chance. Manju, right when it hits, you need to go in there slicing. It’s got to have a heart, and that means you can cut it out.” He hefted his tonfa and gave them a little twirl, “I’ll try to give you a distraction.”
Knowing his opportunity would be short lived, Muqali jogged forward towards the recovering monster. Well, he hobbled towards it at a medium pace, anyway. There was a clear gimp in his right leg, where he felt a sharp pain in his calf. The rest of his body wasn’t much better, but it would do. He didn’t have to do much other than stay alive. As he approached, he pulled his right hand back and hurled his tonfa through the air towards the monster. The tonfa spun a little awkwardly, but it struck the wooden mask of the creature, leaving a small crack. More importantly, he got the beast’s attention.
Immediately, vines lashed out at him. With only one tonfa, Muqali was unable to simply beat them off, and his injuries made jumping around difficult. Instead, he flailed his one remaining tonfa about, scrambled, and rolled around on the ground in an attempt to fend off the beasts attacks. It didn’t work too well. One vine smacked him in the right should, another right in the forehead, and finally one took him out at the knees. Falling to the ground with a thud, Muqali desperately crawled to a nearby tree and propped his back against it. The monster was bearing down on him, sensing he was overwhelmed. However, he had done what he wanted. If the monster had been facing towards Nasrin’s position, Muqali would be on its right flank, but in its tenacity, it had turned to face Muqali.
For now, its side was exposed to the earthbender. How long it would be before the monster realized, however, was anyone’s guess. Hopefully, their attack would work in time…
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Post by nasrin on Oct 15, 2007 21:02:38 GMT -5
“Nasrin, hit it with another one of those when you get the chance."
The sandbender's head slowly turned to regard Muqali after she heard his plan, her eyes blank with shear disbelief. He could not be serious...
Still, though, as she continued to breath in heavy, labored gasps, her fellow Si Wong native seemed to be expecting her to comply. After all, he wouldn't last long against that vine creature. Aside from ditching the both of them, she was compelled to comply.
Nasrin let out a groan of sheer exhaustion and then mustered up every bit of willpower she could in order to repeat her last attack. She sloshed through the water of the pool they were standing in, moving to a different section where there was more earth to bend. After a few moments of relocating, she once again settled into a low stance and plunged her hands into the mud. Her eyes were focused on the earth below her, though in the edges of her vision she could see Muqali being tossed around like a rag doll.
Several more seconds passed and she could feel the earth building up solidly under her feet. The mud started to swell and she was lifting steadily above the water. Muqali was thrown against the root of the massive tree that boardered the pool and the vine creature was closing in.
Just a few more seconds and...
Nasrin slid back off of the mound, planted her feet, and thrust her hands at the clod of earth with all her might. Like before, there was a trail of splashing water as the projectile soared across the surface of the pool. Nasrin practically collapsed in the aftermath of the attack, falling down onto all fours and panting. Though she did managed to keep her eyes trained forward enough to see the earthen missile connect solidly with its target.
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Post by manju on Oct 18, 2007 13:11:05 GMT -5
The previous earthen clod thrown by Nasrin loosened the creature's form, making Manju have to hang onto the vines carefully as such a thing happened. Muqali, the fool, tried to attack the creature and was now being tossed about like a ship on a stormy sea. Though the orders he shouted out beforehand actually made a lot of sense.
"Manju, right when it hits, you need to go in there slicing. It’s got to have a heart, and that means you can cut it out."
Inwardly, she smiled at this - it would be her time to shine. Though the loosening of vines caused her to see something that made her think, in some odd way, that the vine beast wasn't quite what she thought it was. When Nasrin shoved another earth fragment at it, colliding with the creature, Manju slid between the parting vines as quickly as possible.
Slashing insanely inside the weakened creature, she caught sight of a vague outline of the "heart" of the beast - a man. Though her eyes widened in surprise, she hacked once at a few vines before alerting her comrades. The person within would hear her voice, but she didn't care. Nasrin and Muqali needed to know what was attacking them. Though it was tough to breathe, Manju bellowed with all her might.
"Dere's a guy in here!"
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Post by mulaqi on Oct 25, 2007 23:51:00 GMT -5
"Dere's a guy in here!"
From his position up against the tree trunk, Muqali blinked a few times and stared befuddled at the vine monster. A guy? This thing was being controlled by someone? If that was the case, then maybe they could reason with the person. Considering that they’d failed to defeat him with that last attack, that was really their only choice at this point. Using the tree trunk to pull himself to his feet, Muqali raised his hands above his head and dropped his remaining tonfa. Taking a step forward, he waved his empty hands at the mass of vines.
“We don’t want to fight, and we’ve got nothing to steal,” he said. “Please, release our friend and show yourself. We don’t mean any harm. We just want to get through the swamp.”
For a moment the vines remained as they were, twisting and writhing. Finally, they slowly halted. The creature seemed to melt as the vines slowly descended to the earth. Manju was released none too gently onto the ground, and from behind the vines was revealed a pudgy man in a loincloth made out of some kind of foliage. Despite the apparent ceasing of hostilities, the man’s expression still seemed rather grim and serious. With a sigh of relief, Muqali took a step back and gratefully resumed his position resting against the tree trunk. Standing was both taxing and painful at this point. He already seemed a little short on breath.
“If you know, there’s no point hiding it anymore, but you’d better offer me a good reason why I shouldn’t just rope you up right now. For all I know, you’re Fire Nation,” the man stated. “Well, speak up!”
Muqali wearily glanced towards Nasrin and Manju. He was worn, and not thinking too clearly. Hopefully, one of them would be able to diffuse the situation…
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Post by nasrin on Oct 27, 2007 22:40:25 GMT -5
Nasrin sat up on her legs, kneeling in the water that came up to her waist in that position. The revelation that this creature they were fighting was actually a man had managed to keep her attentive enough that she didn't simply flop onto the mud and gasp from exhaustion. As the vines fell away to reveal a rather heavy-set man with a mop of grey hair and a prominent beard, wearing nothing but a breechcloth, she strained her ears to pick up what was being said.
Muqali informed him that they wre unwilling, though unable would have been more accurate, to to fight, and that they simply wanted to leave. The fact that the Swamp dweller responded was a good sign that he was willing to hear them out. However, Muqali seemed to fall silent at that point.
Nasrin waited in silence too, staring between the two as they did likewise. After a few seconds, she realized that some one had to explain the situation. Muqali seemed to lose his tongue for the moment, and there was no way Manju could be trusted to diffuse the situation. If she had the energy, Nasrin would have groaned at the fact that such a task had fallen on her shoulders... Why did she have to always be the one to handle these things?
"Well?" the Swamp Man reiterated, his tone showing his patience was almost at an end.
"We're not Fire Nation," Nasrin spoke up, her voice fairly low because of the dryness in her throat. The swamp man glanced her way, turning his ear toward her and brushing some of his hair out of the way.
"Speak up," he ordered. Nasrin cleared her throat.
"We're not Fire Nation," she repeated more clearly. "We came from what used to be Omashu a little over a week ago.. We are trying to head North toward some neutral territory and we figured crossing the swamp would be the fastest way across this basin..." The old swamp dweller's arms crossed over his chest and his fingers drummed along his bicep. Nasrin looked at him, too tired to make any sort of assuring facial expressions. At the very least., he seemed to be giving her story some consideration.
"It's been three days..." Nasrin went on. "We haven't had food, and we ran out of water yesterday... I just want to get out of here alive." Though her voice was as deadpan as ever, the slightest hint of desperation managed to find its way into that last word.
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Post by manju on Nov 1, 2007 14:44:19 GMT -5
The final attack left Manju flat on the ground and covered with vines and swamp plants. She struggled to free herself, slipping and falling onto the soft ground several times. Trying to stand, the weight of the plant matter would push her downward, and she couldn't simply cut her way out, since she had no clue where her spears had run off to. Sick of the restraints placed on her, she flailed around wildly and managed to break free. Immediately, she began looking around the debris for her weapons.
But she caught sight of Nasrin talking to a strange man, one she presumed was the figure inside the vines. Kicking around the vines, feeling with her toes to see where her spears were, Manju kept stealing glances at the two. Without any regard for what the two were saying, she kept pondering how different it was to see a man wearing next to nothing, though this seemed logical to her. After all, living in a humid swamp would require something like that. Still, it had been a while since she'd seen a person in so little clothing other than herself.
And at that, she threw all caution to the wind, growling flirtatiously at the man for no reason.
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Post by mulaqi on Nov 2, 2007 22:36:42 GMT -5
The pudgy old man regarded the three in front of him momentarily. First Nasrin, whose plea had been the last words spoken, then Muqali, looking beaten and worn, and then finally Manju. Muqali, having just noticed her clambering from the vines himself, felt his jaw drop and his face twitch when he realized what she was doing. Sometimes, he got the feeling that this Igni was far from mentally stable.
“I guess I over reacted a little,” the man said at last. “Travelers normally don’t come through these parts. So, when I see some strangely dressed people carrying weapons walking here on purpose, well, I guess I jumped to conclusions. Hope I didn’t hurt you folks too bad.”
Muqali breathed a heavy sigh of relief and chuckled a little. He doubted any of the damage the man had caused was anything but temporary, but it still hurt like hell. Not to mention the fatigue and hunger.
“Then, could you help us get out of here?” he asked hopefully.
A nod, “Sure can. I’ve got a boat not too far from here. I can get you out of the swamp in no time, if you’d like. Just follow me.”
The man motioned for them to follow, and began to walk off into the swamp. Merely the thought of getting out of this place made Muqali grin from ear to ear, and he quickly made to follow. However, before he could raise his butt even four inches off the ground, he felt his strength start to fail and slumped back down into a sitting position.
His grin turned sheepish and he scratched the back of his head, “Uh…could someone help me up?”
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Post by nasrin on Nov 3, 2007 11:59:04 GMT -5
A short while later, the three weary travelers found themselves sitting in a skiff as their new Swamp friend propelled it easily down the waterways with his bending. After having helped themselves to all of the remaining water in Huu's waterskin as well as the few pieces of fruit he'd brought with him, the three were finally able to get some rest. Nasrin even managed to doze off into a sort of upright nap along the way.
As they went on and the trees started to thin out and grow shorter, Nasrin woke from her daze. She glanced around at Muqali and Manju briefly, then turned her head to regard their Swamp guide.
"Almost there," Huu informed her, offering a slight smile.
"Do you have any beer?" the sandbender asked groggily while she rubbed her eyes. Huu's eyebrows raised slightly as he considered the rather sudden change in subject.
"No," he said after a moment of hesitation, "but there's a pretty big town almost a straight shot south from here."
Nasrin nodded slightly and looked ahead once more.
"I need a drink...."
(RP Concluded)
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