The Ro-mantis Ruins

[A Nony Mouse]

Follows the events of Mistakenly Tagged.
Quest received in the Corone Employment Board.
Closed to Kially

Travis dug his hoe into the dirt, trying to loosen a particularly large clod of dirt. The sun's rays beat down on his bare back, creating even more slick sweat to mix with the grime he was already coated in. This is hard work, he thought, but he didn’t mind.

Weeks earlier, he and a few of his traveling companions had found jobs in Corone doing various odd jobs for the locals. Brammas, Nicodemus, and Drizaghar had agreed to help a man clear his property of monsters while he and Vana'diel had traveled north to do some other work. The half-gigas had wound up with a job in a lumberjack camp, something suited perfectly to his prodigious size and strength. After seeing him off, Travis had continued on to the Strock Farm just below the Comb Mountains to lend his hand as a farm boy.

He didn't mind the hard physical work; it gave him time to think about things. Recently, he had a lot to think about. Edon, the man who owned the next farm over, had put out a request for adventurers to find a mantis nest nearby. The huge green bugs had been terrorizing his animals and ripping up his crops. The poor man had been barely getting by and now, with the infestation of mantises, was going to have a rough winter.

The Strocks were doing all they could to aid him, but their little farm couldn't support two whole families. Travis had agreed to help the elder farmer and would be investigating that very afternoon. But for now he needed to plant these seeds before Mr. Strock got done on the western field.

The dull blade of the hoe smacked the earth again and again, churning up the clumps into loose soil. Like most everything on the Strock Farm, the hoe was well-used and nearing the end of its long life. Soon they would have to break down and buy a new one.

The snort of horses broke his focus and Travis looked up from his work to see a wagon pull up to the barn. Odd, he thought, We're not expecting any supplies today... Shouldering the hoe, he leapt the fence and headed toward the driver.

"Hello," he greeted the grizzled man. "What can I do for you?"

[Kially Gaith]

Kially found himself in the locale of Corones fantastically green countryside. The air was clean and one would be hard pressed to find blood spill, just what an innocent like Kially needed.
On his travels, he couldn’t help but notice all the varying farms. But one happened to catch his eye in particular, for just in site, was a hutch and a run of rabbits, Kiallys’ personal favourite animal.
This, for sure, required further investigation!

Small steps brought him across luscious grass, where nimble feet avoided fresh cow pats and horse dung. It didn’t occur to him that he was trespassing, he was only 7 after all.

Finally, he reached the wire and wooden fence overlooking the rabbit hutch and run, and just behind it, a hulking male tended the soil. The male however, did not have a single ounce of his attention, as Kially would pick a single blade of grass and hold it to one of the many gaps in the wire, hoping a rabbit would meet his desires with a visit closer. However, after 2 minutes or so of trying to bait the rabbit closer with grass, failure on his part was made ever clearer. The rabbits, indeed, had much better feed within their hutch.

“Aww…” Came a rather quiet disappointed sigh, as he took the message that the rabbits were not the least bit interested in his presence nor the grass he offered out, bringing his hand back on to his knees where he was knelt.

Then came a gruff voice from the hulk and bulk of what he believed was some sort of human, his attention to the rabbits was lost for a brief moment. He decided he may as well listen in.

[A Nony Mouse]

The man stepped down from the wagon, his potbelly hanging over the belt of his dirty pants. He wore a vest made from what appeared to be sheepskin, but the once-white material was now stained with awful streaks of brown. The man’s leather boots were beaten and battered beyond repair and his cap had holes all over it. Travis sized up the man as he waited for a response, deciding almost immediately that this was a man he would never normally have dealt with. Since he had no idea what the traveler could be looking for at the Strock Farm, however, he had to indulge the filthy man.

“Ahm lookin’ fer a fella by the name o’ Travis… Kill-tease?” the driver had a thick drawl, but the red-haired worker could still make out the words. “This shipment is fer ‘im.”

Travis was wary of the man, but had no solid reason to distrust him. Still, it never hurt to be cautious. “He’s not around at the moment, but I can put it inside for him,” he lied to the grimy driver.

The man nodded and moved to the back of the wagon slowly. Travis gave his surroundings a cursory glance, scanning for anyone hidden and waiting to attack him. Seeing nothing, he turned his attention back to the unkempt man and his delivery.

As the driver loosened the ropes securing the load, Travis got a glimpse of the mysterious contents of the wagon. “Wha’s yer hurr-eh?” the driver asked, turning his head slightly to reprimand the farmhand. Confused by the man’s reaction, Travis stopped trying to see inside the wagon and took a step back to wait for the man to finish.

With a flourish, the cover of the wagon flew off and revealed the dried husk of a giant insect. “Them’s the bugs what’ve been terrorizin’ the farm!” the man stated, pointing to the mantis-like beast. “Edon wants Travis to come right soon and investergate. Pass along the message?”

Travis breathed a sigh a relief, concluding that the grimy driver of the wagon must’ve come from the next farm over. Though the news he brought was grim. The creature’s shell before him stood nearly five feet tall and had arms like scythes. One swing from those blades was liable to cleave a man in two. Shuddering at the thought of encountering a live one, the red-haired worker helped the man move the carcass into the edge of the barn.

“Well,” the man drawled when they had set the thing down inside. “I guess I oughta get back to the farm. Guh-bye!” With that, the driver climbed back atop the wagon and followed the dirt road connecting the two farms. Travis watched him go and then stared off into the distance for several minutes.

How to go about this… he turned the situation over in his mind, trying to reason it from all angles. Without a clear strategy, he headed toward the Strock’s home to tell Mr. Strock the news. Guess I’ll have to leave sooner than I thought.

[Kially Gaith]

The actions of the two just ahead of his position were of no interest to the lad, just idle chit chat and discussion it seemed, that was, of course, until the cover of the wagon was removed revealing the husk of a great and mighty…Insect? Kially really couldn’t discern, in all his time, Kially had never come across an insect of that size, with the largest having been a peaceful beetle the size of a small puppy which Kially had took much joy in petting and playing with, even the beetle had been surprisingly receptive and without fear of the lads antics, scuttling about his feet as it took pleasure in the larger beings presence…Ah, memories.

This husk was the only thing that piqued the mind of Kially now, he MUST investigate, he decided, standing to his feet and moving round the farm to reach the location of the fellows who’d carried remains to where, he was not sure. It would be surprising to say, the rabbits were completely out of mind.

His little feet would pitter patter, as the sky quietly overcast, the floor becoming darker and lighter over and over again as clouds passed by the sun in a mid-speed wind high above. Eventually, Kially found his way to the front of the farm, where the entrance to the barn was located. Neither of the males were nowhere to be seen, though a little husk was visible from the side of the door frame, the door apparently having been left open.

“Ooo…” A quiet running pace quickly brought him to the barn, his head peeking in inside tentatively, checking for the man he’d seen earlier, loading said husk into the wooden building. When it became clear that no one was in site, he edging his way in like a nervous but curious kitten as to to take a closer look at the husk.

[A Nony Mouse]

Arriving at the Strock homestead, Travis opened the door and poked his head in. Seeing no one about, he decided he would have to go in and find someone. He leaned his hoe up against the doorframe and began searching the house room by room. He heard humming coming from somewhere and entered the kitchen to find Mrs. Strock standing by the laundry bin drying her clothes.

“Hello Mrs. Strock, is your husband about?” the farmhand asked pleasantly.

The amiable woman turned around and saw who was addressing her. “Oh Travis,” she greeted. “I believe that he’s- ” she stopped when she got a good look at him; he was covered in dirt and grime and was leaving terrible footprints all over here clean floor. “Young man!” she chastised him and shook her finger. “Go and wash up outside this instant! Did even bother to put the tools away?”

Travis knew better than to argue with the woman and he bowed his head so she wouldn’t see his grin. “Yes ma’am, I’ll get to it.” Leaving the house and grabbing his hoe, he trudged his way back to the barn. “Put the tools away,” he muttered. “Why? I’m just going to use them again tomorrow…” But rules were rules. As he hung the hoe in its place in the barn, he heard a noise behind him.

Turning around slowly, he saw a young boy with chestnut brown hair poking at the insect husk he had brought in earlier. Chuckling, the red-haired man shook his head. Young children were always so curious.

Then he realized that the boy was not one of the Strock boys and his muscles tensed. In his travels across Althanas, he had come to realize that things were not always as they first seemed. Fae seemed like young girls, but could easily be over one hundred without showing a sign. Immortals sometimes roamed the lands, their countless years meaning nothing in the physical world as they chose a manifestation that suited them at the time. Deities appeared in whatever form they chose, age meant nothing here.

His approach became more cautious and he called out to the diminutive wanderer, “Can I help you?” Fearing the worst, Travis braced himself for the thing’s response.

[Kially Gaith]

Travis was indeed before a servant of a goddess, a timeless immortal that was of no threat to the fellow, but took the guise of a small child, birthed with such form..

A tilted head continued to exam the corpse silently, fingers prodding for sheer curiosity, the shell surprisingly smooth whilst the bladed mandibles were surprisingly sharp, this creature was not your run-of-the-mill insect, instead, a giant mutated horror of something usually much smaller and less dangerous.

Kially had failed to note the arrival of Travis, a mistake he soon learned the hard way as the man spoke from behind him, making him jump on the spot, the hairs on his arms standing on end. Even a child could tell it was in a place it was not supposed to be. Slowly turning, Kially found the towering fellow to be just steps away. He could only assume the fellow had gained his distance whilst Kially had been lost in a little thought regarding the insect.

“Wha’s thi’?” He pointed to the creatures corpse, his fear subsiding as the human did not seem hostile, instead, probably just as curious as he was, regarding either the lads presence or the unnatural size of the giant insect husk.

Travis could definitely rest easy, Kially was an angel for sure, but not an angel of death, quite the opposite, instead an instigator and supporter of great abundances of thriving life.

[A Nony Mouse]

“Well, that’s a good question,” Travis replied as the young child pointed to the large insect carapace. Such curiosity and innocence; surely he could mean no harm. It appeared as though the being before him was simply a human child, but the farmhand was still wary. His natural response to new situations was to take in as much information as he could while remaining detached from the goings-on. In this case, he had no information to go by… he’d have to trust his gut.

Putting his feelings aside for the moment, he explained what he knew of the insect. “Old man Edon has these things all over his farm. I’m going to go check it out, would you like to come?” He wasn’t sure whether it was such a good idea to bring a child along, but the offer had already been extended.

[Kially Gaith]

The offer would not be turned down. It was Kiallys’ job to attempt to maintain normality within the balance of nature. These fowl beings were obviously not a normality, which were both destroying the land of honest works who meant no harm and had mutated much past the planets allocated size for such beings.

“Yes puh-lease.” Kially once again turned to the remains of the overgrown bug, looking over it for something, what, he did not know, nor did he find it. This left the child somewhat confused, both admiring the corpse and expecting it to show some new birth of life, which had long since been taken from it.

Still, the frame of the being remained, lay upon dried hay and soil, the grass green shell cracked in places where whatever had killed it, had obviously struck it with some force…Just what in the name of Althanas was making these creatures so huge?

[A Nony Mouse]

After telling the child to wait where he was, Travis quickly washed himself and returned to the house. Dodging Mrs. Strock, he made his way to his room and gathered his supplies. Dressed in his steel chainmail, Damascus bracers, steel greaves, and Italic helm, he looked every bit the adventurer. His simple pack rested on his back, carrying all the supplies that he would need while he was away. He hoped he had enough for the child as well. Grabbing his pole from its place in the corner to complete his ensemble, he took a moment to admire it.

The Akashima redwood made the polearm a beautiful weapon to behold. Its soft shades seemed to capture the light and it had been meticulously carved so that the entire length of the shaft was smooth and uniform. Such worksmanship. The steel tip at the end shone in the light; Travis polished it whenever he got the chance. He took pride in caring for all his equipment and expected no less of others.

The dehlar short sword resting on his nightstand slid through his belt and he was ready to head over to Edon’s farm. He only hoped he would be a match for the giant bugs he’d find there. Hefting the spear, he wove through the house and made his way back to the barn where he hoped the child still waited.

Pushing open the door, he called into the building, “Ready to go?”

[Kially Gaith]

Waiting as required, he took the peace and quiet of his location to get a few moments of careful prodding of the being, when reaching the cracked shell of it’s large abdomen, he gave it a soft prod, squeaking in surprise when it oozed a deep brown blood. “Ew!”

It was strange that the sight of blood had bothered him, but this was not exactly anything he had seen the blood of before, having never killed a creature in his life other than a human and a dwarf. This dead item would be given much thought in the time before the arrival of the man from earlier.

Upon the fellows return, he nodded eagerly, bounding towards the door, skipping playfully much like any normal child would, soon out of the door seconds after the question had reached his ears, his hair bobbing about his face, with the bow tied into the upper right of his hair wobbling contentedly in place.

The difference in ground was quickly noted, the hard soil beneath his feet revealing the boy back to the daylight sun. Today held much prospect. Perhaps he could finally do his first duty as a surveyor of the planet and discover why these overgrown bugs had come to be.

Kially took a few steps ahead before realisation set in, he was not sure quite what was required of him, the direction they were going, or what the plan was. The only thing he could gather was that the older male deemed the need to be armed as one of importance, so combat seemed a possibility yet again.
Oh dear…Mother would not be pleased, but it was his duty as a Naturian after all.

[A Nony Mouse]

As the small child skipped out of the barn, Travis closed the door behind him and thought of the trials to come. Who knew why these giant insects were attacking Edon’s farm? However, he did know that the answer would come in the form of blood. That was sure.

Turning to face his young companion, Travis introduced himself, “My name is Travis Kiltias. What’s yours?”

“Kially,” the boy answered, smiling up at the taller adventurer.

“Well, Kially,” the red-haired warrior explained, “We’re going to have to do some fighting, I would imagine. Why don’t you show me what you can do?”

The boy’s smile only widened as the pair headed for the edge of Concordia Forest not too far away. When they arrived, Travis found a slumbering porcupine and motioned for Kially to get closer. His voice dropped to a whisper, “Let’s see it.” He sat back and waited for the boy to act, tense in anticipation as well as readiness. If Kially only angered the creature, he’d have to be swift with his response.

[Kially Gaith]

The name exchange had been swift, simple and without conflict, just as required.

Following behind in the requests of Travis, the boy soon found himself at a familiar place, that of Concordia forest. Ahhhh, a place where he felt safe, more so than even the presence of a thousand guards, the trees his watchers and the animals his favoured legion.

Combat was mentioned, he had took note of this and request of his abilities was also taken. He was however disgusted at Travis’ request for him to spill the blood of an innocent, where Kially immediately moved into the path between Travis and the porcupine, scowling heavily up at him as the boy quietly knelt to pet the slumbering creature. The porcupine did not stir, so gentle, pure and familiar was the lads touch that dainty fingers did not wake the small animal. “No.” came an average volume statement denying any and all harm to the rodent species beneath the boys fingers. This of course, woke the creature with a start, that, which instead of attempting to protect itself, scuttled off into the forest as it sensed no harm from the child giant above it, for it would have been attacked and ate long before it had awoken.

Kially, standing to his feet, was satisfied with this outcome. However, the thought of violence towards Travis crossed his mind for a brief second, before it removed itself from his mind as quickly as the porcupine had ran. Travis obviously meant no harm, though Kially now believed that Travis had no respect for the natural resources and life around him, a quality that corrupted the majority of humanoid species and led them to death and disease.

[A Nony Mouse]

Travis saw that he had angered the small boy and sighed. As Kially scowled at him, he pondered his next course of events. He wasn’t sure what exactly had angered the child, but he knew that he had precious little time to fix his error. Children of this age were easily upset and, if not appeased, could quickly become sour for elongated periods of time.

Racking his brain for a simple solution to his issue, he saw the boy’s scowl deepening. “That was wrong of me,” Travis apologized to Kially, still not sure what he had done. “But I have something I want you to see.” The boy seemed mildly interested, but still very upset. Hoping that his plan would work, he pulled his rywanwood ocarina from its place at his belt.

Playing the melodic notes that were his familiar’s summoning song, he called Ardinne to him. Within seconds, the red river otter poked her head from the brush nearby and ambled her way over to him. He leaned down and rubbed behind her ears, eliciting a soft sound from her as she closed her eyes.

When he looked up at Kially, he saw that he had the boy’s attention. “Go on,” he urged. “You can pet her.” Knowing the curious boy likely needed no invitation, he stepped back and hoped his offering was enough to smooth things between them.

[Kially Gaith]

Kially, unlike most children, rarely held a grudge or had a tantrum, just bursts of justified anger to those who harmed or wished nature harm without a given reason, so, as such, his frown would finally ease back to neutral unmoving lips.

Travis now seemed however, to want to gain forgiveness, Kially was receptive of such and remained standing, his curiosity to the Travis’ statement only actualising when the ocarina was brought forth.
Kially listened closely to each shrill note as it eased from the ocarina, the vibrations in the air from such, obvious and clear to Kially.

His attention had been lost when the tune had finished, looking into the forest as to decide upon if he really wished to remain within the company of a man that he now saw as a possible risk to both himself and the trees ahead.

However, the small otter running out once again grabbed his attention by the balls, demanding the owner of such submitted without a fight. The stern lips that had attempted to show consistency failed in their defences as a smile piqued up at the sides of his lips. An otter. This was something he had not seen in a long period of time and unlike the ones of the forest rivers, was not afraid him. A new opportunity arose for the lad to pet the creature, and dropping carefully down onto his knees, despite some morning dew remaining on the grass, he would do such, two fingers tight together rubbing behind the small rodents ears. How the otter would react to this, Kially had not thought of, as he knew nothing of otter care or how to act within the presence of them. In the moment of petting the otter, something clicking within Kially’s mind – If Travis was able to look after and care for an otter, then perhaps he was not the horrid nature destroying fiend he had earlier made out.

It was now official. Travis had a second chance at getting on the boys good side.

[A Nony Mouse]

Seeing the young boy petting Ardinne with a smile on his face, Travis hoped he had fixed whatever wrong he had earlier committed. The river otter made pleasant sounds as the child’s fingers scratched behind her ear and Travis couldn’t help but smile too. Apparently Kially’s love for animals rivaled his own. Logging that bit of information away for later, he crouched down beside the child.

“Kially, I’d still like to see what you can do, if you wouldn’t mind showing me,” he mentioned as off-handedly as he could. He hoped that the gentle child wouldn’t mind a bit of a demonstration; Travis wanted to know what exactly he was working with.

[Kially Gaith]

Engrossed in entertaining himself and the otter, Travis’ question was not given any thought as Kially made his way over to a blackberry bush as to get himself and the oversized rodent a snack. Reaching into a bush at the edge of the forest, he brought his little finger and ring finger right hand to a partial fist, leaving his middle finger and index finger gently held together, to these, a bladed edge was given, focussing primarily on the right of his middle finger. A soft swipe of the bunched fingers cleanly cut a sprig from the bush, where he’d slowly begin to pick said berries, cycling through a process of one for himself, one for the otter, one put aside for Travis on a clean dock leaf and repeating the process until the sprig had been removed of all it’s delicious juicy blackberries.

“Here.” Stated Kially, holding up the large leaf up towards Travis, popping one of his own berries into his mouth. Most would usually clean the berries before eating, but a few good years in the forest had quickly adapted his stomach to handle such mild extremities.

“They taste good.”

The pile for the otter remained on the floor, before the creature. Kially had no idea just what otters ate, but hoped this one enjoyed the juicy savoury that was the berries.

[A Nony Mouse]

The boy seemed to ignore Travis’ request, but then headed over to a nearby bush and effortlessly sliced through a branch with his finger. Wondering just what sort of power the small child had, Travis realized he would just have to find out as they went along.

Kially returned shortly thereafter with berries for both Ardinne and her master. The river otter tentatively chewed on one, unsure whether or not she would like the flavor. After swallowing the berry and experiencing its succulent taste, she began snagging others with her tongue. Travis chuckled as he watched his familiar, popping berries into his mouth as well.

“Well, just through this patch of woods is the orchard next to Edon’s Farm,” the redhead informed his young partner. “Should we head over and check things out now?”

[Kially Gaith]

“Oh-kay!” Stated a boy with a mouthful of berries, his lips tainted light purple as he bobbed his head from side to side for self-amusement.

Watching the otter, Kially gave a contented grin, revealing teeth coloured by the black berries, seeds stuck sparsely about them, as the boy began to walk in the direction Travis had motioned to with his vision.

Kially took in each tree, making a mental note for himself should they need a rapid exit from the forest, of course though, Kially inherently knew every forest through the gift of his mother and each untried path could be trodden without a need for exploration, as a hidden knowledge of the boy would show him the way out even were he lost.

“Thish wa’.” Spoke Kially, a new mouthful of berries making speaking that little bit more difficult, as he headed for the quickest path towards the location that Travis has mentioned.

[A Nony Mouse]

Not knowing how the boy knew his way around, Travis followed cautiously. Perhaps his earlier thoughts on the child were true? But as Ardinne scurried to keep pace behind him, the adventurer had to let his doubts go. Anyone the otter liked had to be a friend. The group made their way through the forest, traveling in the direction of the orchard.

As they walked, Travis took note of the trees they were passing. This section of woods was mainly evergreens, but other trees stood out here and there. Tall and sturdy oak trees towered over many of the smaller saplings, but even they were dwarfed in comparison to the massive poplars growing unerringly straight from the fertile soil.

The Strock’s Farm did well because of the very same soil and Travis had a fleeting thought about what made it so life-giving. But then the tranquility of the woods captured him again and he immersed himself in the noises around him.

Kially tread lightly, due to his size and stature, and Travis was relatively silent due to his skill in woodsmanship. Their quiet passage didn’t disturb the native wildlife and so the group came across many animals on their daily routines. After several minutes of walking, Travis knew they must be near the orchard and so he picked up his pace to meet the young boy leading the way.

“Be careful,” he warned. “Apparently the mantises are coming from around here.” Thinking about their first step, he added, “Look for the estate; the orchard is huge and I have no clue where to start looking.”

[Kially Gaith]

The forest held much the environment that Kially loved – Peaceful and undestroyed. This alone had the lad keep quiet, enjoying just what he knew best as he kept a few paces ahead of Travis.

When passing a tree, Kially couldn’t help but notice a splattering of blood coating the bark, this stopped Kially dead in his tracks, staring at it, trying to discern just where the blood came from, despite a lack of woodsmanship knowledge.

A quick glance round revealed the source, however, the source lay dead and ravaged, flesh torn cleanly from bone, the poor victim being that of a deer, its’ chest tore open by what may as well have been a razorblade. The blood having stopped spraying meant that the poor animal had been dead at least a day.

Kneeling before it, Kially would sigh, his head shaking from left to right in light motion, disappointment flooding over him and a very weak urge to cry that was denied without a trouble.

Looking to the chest, Kially found the tip of a mandible of a mantis, the murderer was plain to see and the evidence was clear regarding the culprit – A mantis. Kially now knew what he needed to do and that was to remove the threat to the forest, unfortunately that threat to the forest was also a threat that he was worried he’d see many of.

[A Nony Mouse]

They came across a slain deer at the edge of the forest and Kially crouched over it, obviously disgusted by the murder. Travis continued past the scene, moving into the orchard and peering as far as he could through the branches. The mantis that Edon had sent to the Strock Farm was large, but he expected that the closer they got to the source, the more massive their enemies would become. Visions of a gigantic mantis flashed through his mind and he shuddered. Hopefully not, he thought.

Turning back, he saw Kially shaking his head and holding the tip of a mandible, evidence that a mantis had indeed been in the vicinity. Ardinne sniffed the carcass and then hid just behind the boy, not wanting to be too near the death. Travis sighed and ran his fingers through his curly hair. Am I wrong to lead a boy into such a mess?

He watched as stern resolve set on the child’s features. Travis had no idea what was racing through the boy’s mind, but he knew that the time to act was now.

“Ardinne, scout ahead and warn us if mantises approach. Kially, let’s go,” he instructed his friends. To himself, he added, “I hope we’re ready.” Though in his heart, he knew that they would never be.

[Kially Gaith]

When the otter scuttled off, obeying Travis’ order, Kially quietly followed as well, keeping just behind the otter as he refused to see the otter mutilated by some overgrown mantis.

Ardinne scuttle further into the orchard and Kially kept upto step, rushing behind it, finding it hard to keep up despite his excellent speed. It was not long before Kially and the otter came across a large hole in the ground which obviously went deeper and deeper than the entrance portrayed, more blood spattered about the entrance as prey had been brought, probably writhing and live, into the burrow.

The entrance was by far big enough for the three, indicating just how big these creatures were/could be.
The mantid family usually lived in plants, but given their immense size, these ones had taken to an underground cave. Outside the entrance littered with bones of varying sizes of creatures, from simple foxes to full grown cattle, showing the dominance the insect family had within the given area.

Kially scooped Ardinne up to prevent the otter going inside, lest it be tore limb from limb.

[A Nony Mouse]

When Travis arrived at the entrance to the cave, Kially was holding Ardinne in his arms and staring down into the foul depths below. Strange, the adventurer thought, I heard that the mantises were streaming from the abandoned manor. Pushing the discrepancy from his mind, he walked up beside the boy and peered down into the hole with him.

“Shall we proceed?” he said, his tone belying the anxiety welling within him. Dank odors poured from the entrance and Travis gagged as he made his way inside. Whistling to Ardinne to stand watch, he headed deeper. While the otter did like being held and paid attention to, she knew when there was work to be done. He was sure that his familiar would warn them of trouble; she had proved her worth before.

“What I wouldn’t give for some fire,” he mumbled to himself. The warm cave was also pitch black once they got far enough from the opening, forcing Travis to feel his way along the wall. Maybe Kially had some sort of nightvision, but that didn’t serve him at all right now. Choking down the urge to vomit as the stench grew stronger, he suddenly sensed they were no longer alone.

Heavy breathing fell on his ears; the odor emanating from whatever fell beast called this cave home. Drawing his dehlar short sword, he took a ready stance; though he faced an enemy he could not see. He prayed that the boy had followed and that he had stronger powers that turning his fingers into knives. They were in for some trouble.

[Kially Gaith]

Kially did not have any night vision of any kind but his vision did rapidly adapt to the dark – This did him no justice or helped in no manner at all. Making his way behind Travis, he stepped carefully and slowly, a crunch of unseen bone beneath his feet every few steps or so. Even Kially was unnerved at his current situation, charging both hands with a bladed edge, holding both hands to each opposite shoulder. The boy also noticed the horrid stench of death, a smell he was familiar to, but did not appreciate all the same, so each breath he took was held for as sensibly long as he could handle.

Keeping strong against the wall, Kially maintained slow and careful steps until walking into the back of Travis, stumbling backwards and tripping up over some bones, falling flat on his behind, leaving Travis briefly alone before whatever it was he’d stopped for. "Ahhh!"

[A Nony Mouse]

Kially shouted, most likely out of surprise when he ran into Travis and fell down, but it momentarily distracted the unseen beast panting before the warrior. Lunging forward into darkness, he lashed out with a punishing downward blow. Instead of being rewarded with some kind of roar of pain from the monster before him, Travis’ arms shook as the heavy sword struck the rock wall. Sparks flew to the ground from the impact, momentarily illuminating a small patch of the cave floor. The vibration carried up the sword and into his arms, causing him to drop the sword.

Cursing lightly under his breath, he swung the redwood pole from its place on his back, trying to get a firm footing on the loose stones beneath him. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the gloom, yet he still could not see very far in front of him. Warily readying himself in a defensive position as the mantis screeched its war cry, he waited for the creature to strike.

A huge scythe-like claw erupted from the darkness before him, his head its likely target. Sidestepping and swinging the pole to deflect the bladed appendage, he narrowly avoided getting hit. In a stroke of luck, the mantis’ claw became wedged in the cave floor, probably stuck between a few of the larger rocks from the force of the swing. As the thing tried to free its trapped appendage, it set the cave echoing with noises o anger. Moving in closer to attack the beast’s body, Travis hoped his smaller companion would be able to join the fray now that their target had been identified.

[Kially Gaith]

The floor was cold and wet, Kially found himself feeling round the floor for a weapon, the thigh bone of a deer found Kiallys grip and slowly he eased himself to the floor, taking his sweet time even if he could not afford to. A sound of rock on metal signified the start of something he had not been ready for. Fortunately, however, the charge of wind about his fingers immediately shot right up the bone, give the ball at the end a mace like head and the length of the bone a bladed edge, making it a dual offensive weapon.

Using his hearing alone, he moved to the right of Travis, the mantid screech catching his attention almost immediately, giving the boy the exact location of the mantis, still, the location could rapidly change given the possible size of the cave, so, Kially lunged forward with a downward swing of the bone, tripping over yet another skeleton on the floor, his slice tearing through the appendage that had trapped itself in the floor. Kially however, continued towards the floor, landing on the floor once again, this left him completely exposed to the mantis and its’ excellent vision – Hopefully it’d be to busy writhing in pain to notice the boy in immediate range.

[A Nony Mouse]

As Kially’s weapon sliced through the mantis’ arm, the thing screeched louder than it had to that point. Freed from the floor, the beast righted itself and began flailing its one good arm about wildly. The bladed edge caught Travis on the side of the head, sending him flying into the wall of the cave. Dazed from the blow and with blood dripping down into his left eye, the adventurer could do nothing buy lie there for a few moments.

Looking over through the gloom to see how his friend was faring, he saw the boy facedown on the wet floor of the cave. As the great mantis began to realize no one was attacking it any longer, it calmed down and searched out its targets once more. It saw the boy was closer and Travis heard its mandibles click together in excitement as it moved in. Bladed arm raised high in the air so that it almost disappeared into the darkness.

Not bothering to think about the consequences, Travis pushed himself off the cool rock wall and lunged for the mantis. His redwood pole stretching through the air before him, he landed just short of the boy on the floor. Jamming the polearm in a crack in the opposing wall, he braced the other end against his back as the scythe plummeted for Kially.

The blade struck the pole, but stopped inches from the child’s back. “Go Kially,” Travis urged him, unable to hold the mantis off for too long. He hoped the boy would listen.

[Kially Gaith]

Easing himself up rapidly, Kially heard a loud tear as his shirt tore from the middle of his spine upwards, the tip of the mantis scythe tearing a large scratch up his black where he immediately began to bleed, blood gently oozing down his back in a very thin warm stream, thus causing him to suddenly yelp in pain. “Owwww!!!”

When Kially had finished his scream of pain, he shuffled using his knees to a little right of both Travis and the mantis. Putting hands blindly to the floor was a majority of dust, broken shards of bone and variating objects of differing sizes from twigs to small chips of stone. Immediately, Kially moved his hands over the items in rapid succession before bring both hands to opposite shoulders once again. The entrance to the cave provided an ample source of air which he immediately manipulated as both hands flung forwards, creating a heavy gust, only amplified by the enclosed environment of the cave. Without a single warning, small air charged razor sharp pieces of bone, wood, dust and chipped stone fragments flew up in a malicious fury at the bug, quickly impaling in every aspect of the upper torso whilst the more heavy items raced across the floor, cutting its’ thin legs with minimal effort.

In response, the creature gave yet another almighty screech at it fell to the floor, the screech showing both pain and a yielding to the multitude of its’ previous victims bones being impaled in its’ torso. The spirits of many dead could finally find peace in knowing their murderer had been put to poetic and ironic justice.

With the Mantis downed and quickly perishing, Kiallys’ hands uncharged and quickly flew to his back to try and soothe it, his fingers no sooner than having done so, than were they covered in a flood of red. “Owwy…” He’d whine, unhappy that he’d hurt himself, though uncaring and not worried in the slightest of how severe the wound could be.

[A Nony Mouse]

After the mantis was skewered and fell back into the darkness and out of sight, Travis slowly pushed himself up to his feet. Shouldering the pole and fumbling around on the ground for his sword, he took a quick stock of himself. The cut on his head had stopped bleeding, but the wound was caked with dust from Kially’s gust of wind. He wiped the dried blood from his eyelid and tentatively touched a hand to the back of his head. It was sore to the touch were it had bounced off the wall, but seemed to only be bruised. He was lucky.

Turning to his partner, he saw blood streaming from the young boy’s back. “Kially,” he said, his voice worried. “Let me see that.” Pulling a pack of salves from a pouch at his belt, he applied a quick poultice to stop the bleeding and help in the healing process. “How about we get out of here?” he asked the child.

[Kially Gaith]

“Mmm hmm.” Kially stated among a wince as the solution was quickly slavered both inside and on top of the apparently not so deep cut, Kially had been somewhat fortunate. If the dust on Travis was that of Kiallys’ attack, then it was all very possible that Travis would have a few tiny cat claw like scratches on his face the wind bladed dust would have caught him, lucky that such dust had not got in his eyes.

The boy sat on the floor, still for the remainder of the salve being applied, flinching only every once in a while as it stung heavily. “It’s coooooooooooold!” And indeed it was, the cold damp cave not helping in the slightest.

Easing back up to his feet (Ever so cautiously this time), Kially would make his way towards the entrance where most likely a worried otter was panicking over its’ owner.

One measly bug had caused both of the dynamic duo what were both definite hindering injuries and it was all too possible that if this was not the home of the many other mantids, then this was only a small specimen, a weak taster of what to come. Hopefully their next location was lit or had working lights. Another cave with more than one of those things would more than likely spell death for both Kially and Travis, regardless of skill or the power of Kiallys’ techniques.

[A Nony Mouse]

Ardinne barked at the pair when they emerged from the cave, thankful they were alright. Bending down the scratch the otter behind her ears, Travis whispered that she could leave until he called her again. Rubbing her head against his leg affectionately, she turned and ambled off through the fruit-bearing trees of the orchard.

“We may need her later,” Travis mentioned to Kially, “But for now there’s no sense in putting her in harm’s way.” He stared at the trunk of a nearby tree, the events of the battle finally sinking in. One mantis had nearly been the end of them both. He couldn’t imagine what encounters awaited them in the manor itself. He shivered at the thought and had to summon his courage before turning to his traveling companion.

The ground sloped up gently in the distance and Travis pointed in that direction. “I’d bet the manor is this way. Ready?”

[Kially Gaith]

Shook up by the whole event, Kially found that he was not as eager as moments before had held, instead, he now found himself contemplating just exactly what he was doing. Nothing quite like a large slice up your back to make you reconsider your position. Still, all the same, Kially was not one to back down, an instrument of determination permanently set within his blood and mindset.

With an eased and slower step, Kially moved towards that of the manor, gazing over the large build that loomed in the distance. Outside, the sun continued to shine with golden rays of purity that did not bode well for the cut on his back, the added warmth giving an air of discomfort to his shot and damaged nerve endings, tingling with light pain.

The sky told nothing of what awaited the pair, white masses of fluff floating regardless of what happened below them, Kially stopped moving towards the large building, giving a few seconds to that of the breath taking blue beyond.

[A Nony Mouse]

The pair ascended the hill, spotting the manor as soon as it rose from behind the low crest. Travis grimaced as he saw that the ivy running up its stone walls was dead in most places and that blood left smears on the flagstone near every entrance. These mantises are out of control, the evidence of their destruction was clear and the traveler bemoaned their situation.

As they approached the empty manor, Travis pulled his dehlar short sword free from its place at his belt. Gripping the handle tightly in his hand, the adventurer motioned for Kially to follow him toward a side door. The blood trail here was lighter than at any other of the entrances and Travis assumed that was because the mantises used it less. The farther they could get in without an altercation the better.

“They’ll be bigger,” the red-haired warrior whispered to his diminutive companion. The child nodded, Travis’ statement had been fairly obvious; the closer they got to the source, the larger and more ferocious the beasts would become.

Travis cautiously pushed open the wooden door, the same stench of rotting death greeted his nostrils as in the cave. Holding his last breath of fresh air, the warrior plunged into the manor. Sunlight filtered in through the mostly broken windows, illuminating the vacant hallways and casting eerie shadows.

“Hear any of them coming?” he asked without turning, hoping the boy was following behind.

[Kially Gaith]

Kially ached and limped behind, the small child was already sore from a single one of these almighty beasts, his confidence was rather ruined for the time being and although he continued behind Travis, his eyes darting round his whereabouts rapidly showed that he was wary and nervous at the possibility a further mantis could attack out of nowhere.

“Nuh uh…” Not one, not a single over sized bug could he see, but that really meant nothing and it didn’t help that Travis himself obscured a good part of his vision in front of him, denying him a better gaze into that or the destroyed manor.

It took a while, but the scent of death once again found Kially, causing him to shiver on the spot, turning up his nose like a disgusted kitten. His clothes were dirty, his body sore and his will broken, this was not going to be an easy time. Slowly, he’d edge himself towards the door, he didn’t fear death itself, that meant nothing to him, but he was sure as hell that he’d rather not have his little frame torn limb from limb by the blades of the mantises.

[A Nony Mouse]

They found the staircase leading to the upper halls and begin the ascent. The wide spiral stairs twisted off into the darkness of the forsaken manor and Travis saw that the pictures along the wall had been slashed to shreds. There was still no sign of current activity from the mantises and the silence unnerved the warrior.

“Where are they all?” he wondered in a whisper. Behind him he heard the soft footfalls of Kially as the child began climbing the steps. This was no place for such a young adventurer; Travis regretted bringing the boy along. Just finish things here and get out, he reminded himself.

His foot fell through the air, farther than his previous steps, and soon the redhead found himself tumbling into empty space. A shout escaped his lips and echoed off the nearby wall to rebound across the room. He flailed his arms, grasping the banister as his body twisted to the side. The stairs splintered at the edge of a large hole, effectively sealing off the upper hallways from exploration. Travis hung into the gaping maw of the missing steps; one arm wedged between the spindles of the banister the only thing keeping him alive.

“Kially!” he called into the darkness. He hoped that the boy hadn’t wandered off. He could barely move his arm and soon the blood rushing from the fingers would make holding on that much more difficult. Time was of the essence; there was no telling how far the drop was. Honestly, he didn’t want to find out.

[Kially Gaith]

Treading carefully, Kially had been gazing more into the building than he had focussed on climbing the stairs, thus stopping four steps behind Travis to stare at the oak floor boards below them, sitting carefully onto a step as his eyes looked into the silent dark.

And then, it happened, an almightly crack signified Travis’ sudden misfortune. Kially stood to his feet rapidly, startled, losing his composure and balance in the dark ambience, stumbling a little, falling forwards towards Travis. Grabbing out wildly and without aim, Kially found both arms wrapped around a section of banister, of which the rotted wood quickly crumbled, snapping and falling inwards into the stair case, creating a felled sideways ladder of sorts.

“Ah!” Kially hadn’t been all that vocal and rarely was unless speaking in his own tongue, but this surprise was enough to etch out a gasp of fear as his footing was lost and he lay in a little bundle on the floor, his knee pressed solidly into wood which splinter even at his light weight form, embedding several slivers of wood into his young supple knees, causing a second cry to come out from him, this one being of pain. “Argh! Sunnuvaaaa -!!!”

A tiny amount of blood pooled about the fabric of his pants where the spliter had embedded into his knee, about 2 inches long by a centimetre wide, making him as helpless and as useless as Travis was.

[A Nony Mouse]

Fate used Travis’ young companion well; causing him to create a way for the red-haired warrior to save himself. Ever so carefully, the adventurer grasped the decaying spindles in the section of banister that Kially had knocked over and hauled himself back onto the stairs. When the weight of his body was not resting over the hole in the staircase, he collapsed. Chest heaving, he rolled over and addressed the boy, “We should probably be more careful.”

Despite the near-death experience he had just endured, Travis had to chuckle. Kially’s dumb luck had saved his life. Coincidence? Travis wasn’t sure. “Well, there’s no going up this,” he told the younger traveler. “Do you think we should look for another way up? Or should we look for the basement?”

If the small boy had a preference, that’s where they would head next. The sooner they found the source of the giant mantises, the sooner they could return to the safety of their daily lives. How badly he missed his already.

[Kially Gaith]

Kially currently only had one preference, and that was NOT being in pain and with a large rotten wood splinter stuck in the ball of his knee, that wasn’t happening any time soon, Kially remained sat, not even paying attention to the circumstances that set out before him, instead, tugging slowly at the piece of wood, wincing when it only caused the pain to throb even worse.

“It hurts!” Was his decision, which was neither up nor down but eyes direct just to the place that needed attention first and that was to the dark spot located about his knee, his body quivering violently as adrenaline coursed its’ way through the boys body to ease him and try to numb the pain, to no avail other than making the boy nauseous, dizzy and somewhat sick to the stomach.

The wood was hard and solid beneath the boys buttocks, finding the lad in a great deal of discomfort adding much to the pain of his knee, though his dizziness and sickness also happened to nullify any other feelings other than what had now become a warm tingling about his knee that turned into a stabbing throb if he even attempted to move his right knee.

The stairs were truly beyond repair and had already claimed two victims, Gaia only knows how many more it had in the past.

[A Nony Mouse]

When the boy didn’t really answer, Travis sat up to see what was the matter. A large splinter had pierced the boy’s flesh, looking for all the world like a wooden dagger protruding from his knee. “I can take care of that,” the red-haired traveler stated. Digging in a pouch at his belt, he unearthed a few leaves and a small needle. Rubbing the leaves on the thin metal tip, he laced the needle with their juices before turning his attention to Kially’s knee.

The crushed leaves went around the site of the splinter, their mild toxins quickly absorbed into his bloodstream to take his mind off the pain. “What do you think that picture is?” Travis asked, indicating a mainly intact portrait on the wall. He hoped Kially would be momentarily distracted so that he could yank the splinter.

He took a deep breath and then plunged the needle along the length of the splinter. The juices from the leaves would dull the pain around the wound, letting Travis do what he needed. “On the count of three,” he told his partner. “One, two…” At the end of ‘two’ he tugged mightily one the protruding end of the splinter. Blood flowed freely from the wound, but Travis quickly covered it with a small poultice. The needle slid easily out and then he was done.

“Right as rain,” he smiled as he tossed the used supplies into the hole he had almost fallen in. “Can you put weight on it?” He hoped that the chestnut haired boy was alright; carrying his weight would slow Travis down immensely. While he waited for his companion’s answer, he realized that his first aid supplies were dangerously low. We need to stop getting hurt, he commented. Then with a sigh, he muttered, “If only it were that easy.”