Metamorphosis IC

[Vhexo]

Jonathan didn't feel like he could fully trust these strangers, but he somewhat relaxed as as the hostile man became passive. "I've seen more people with my clothes. On the beach They've probably already left.", Jonathan informed the men, guessing that if the others might be aggresive, it could be wise to let them know. For now, he would follow these people if they would go back to their home, but still be on his guard, not wanting any sudden difficulties.

[Earthsage]

Rosalle is shocked to silence as she's stripped by Aeryn. She stands still, confused, before quickly donning the shirt proffered to her as she tries to be naked for as little time as possible. She doesn't want to speak, and instead sits back down, her face burning a bright red as she huddles up in her new, and probably temporary, clothing.

[RavenLord]

Claire - DaughterOfHades

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Sound of blowing wind dance at the edge of Claire's consciousness, slowly leading her towards the world of awake. Her eyes flutter and she gets the glimpse of a monochrome sky. Ground beneath her feels cold and wet but also soft. When Claire turns her head to left, white fills her vision. Snow, she is laying on a thick layer of snow she realizes, as she slowly rises herself to a sitting position. The great white expanse stretches in all directions with nothing in sight for miles. Cold winds ruffle her hair yet Claire is warm. It is then she notices she is clad in a woolen coat and a soft scarf. She tries to remember when she put on her current clothes only to come up with a blank. Her memory is very fuzzy, preventing her from remembering anything. At least, she is protected against cold for now. When Claire brings her attention on her surrounding, she notices a leather backpack lying on the ground few steps away from her. At the distance, she can see trees, and a thin trail of smoke rising from somewhere beyond.

Jason - Argonaut

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Jason wakes up inside a wooden hut. He finds himself lying on a bed made from linen sheets, wearing linen clothes. Inside of the hut is warm and pretty cozy, floor is covered by colorful carpets and walls decorated with trinkets and simple furniture. Yet try as he might, Jason can not remember how he came here or where he is. Trying to force his memory only brings about a splitting headache. He lets out a groan and tries to rise up, feeling groggy and weak. Two delicate hands help him into sitting position. It is then he notices her. She is clad in a simple cloak that covers her form. Two thin arms with smooth dark skin peak under from the fabric, leading up to same delicate hands that helped her up. Her face is hidden behind a wooden mask, decorated with elaborate carvings. Two emerald eyes stare at him from under the mask. She turns around for a second then hands him a cup full of steaming liquid with pleasant fragrance that reminds him of fresh grass.

"Here, drink this."

Raymond - Reaver

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Raymond hears a monstrous cackling in his mind. It is HER voice. Shrill and echoing, like many different voices combined into one. Raymond feels like he has made a mistake. Without any opposition from him, SHE is free to do as SHE wishes. Like a bursting dam, HER presence flows into Raymond's own mind as he feels his control of his body slip away. Muscles in his arms and legs shift and flex, causing him great pain. Any attempt at stopping HER at that point is crushed under a wave of alien yet so very familiar instincts as a single thought fills Raymond's mind.

Creatures who cornered Raymond watch in apprehension. While his previous words had no effect on those two beats, partly because they don't have advanced enough mind to comprehend humans words, and because it is not in their nature to submit to their prey, HER presence seems to unnerve those two. Even though it is only the tiniest bit of HER true presence, it is enough to scare them. Then, suddenly roles are reversed and hunter becomes the prey.

Raymond launches himself at the right one with unnatural speed, driving his hand through it's eye socket, into its' skull, giving it only enough time let out a surprised squawk. Jonathan draws out his arm. It comes out covered in warm blood and brain fluid. There are also bulging black veins visible on his skin, a result of HER influence. It is then, taking advantage of his distraction, the other creature strikes. It is only HER reflexes that save him from disembowelment. Instead, creature's serrated beak tears through the skin and grazes his ribs. Pain forces HER back, bringing Raymond back in control.

+5 mental Corruption.

Jonathan - Vhexo

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Tarm gives Jonathan a nod, seeming interested but does not ask questions. Instead he gestures towards the raft which his brother has been easing back into river.

"Let's go, shall we?"

With that, he climbs onto the wooden construct, followed by Jonathan. Last one is Tarm's brother who climbs onto raft and pushes at the riverbank with an oar, dislodging the raft from shallows into the river itself. Raft itself is pretty wide and big. One would be inclined to call it a boat if not for its' design. Tarm's brother starts steering while Tarm sits down on a crate. It is then Jonathan notices the two fresh animal corpses on the middle of the boat. Deer like in their appearance except with far thicker legs and a plate of bone covering their foreheads.

"By the way, here, catch!"

Tarm throws a wooden mask which Jonathan easily catches. It is a simple thing with no decorations or carvings. When looks back at Tarm, he sees him wearing a little bit more decorated version of the mask he is currently holding onto.

Aeryn, Rosalee - Nobudi, Earthsage

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Aery ends up half naked once more with Rosalee's wet shirt in her hands while Rosalee herself gets good view of Aeryn's naked upper body again. Feeling of embarrassment Rosalee feels is made worse by the fact that Aeryn got to see her less well developed chest naked while she stripped her. While Aeryn doesn't seem to bothered by this, Rosalee's blush can be seen from miles away. On the bright side, her new clothing is much drier compared to ones Aeryn stripped off her but it is also a little bit loose.

While Rosalee is huddling up and fighting down her blush, Aeryn starts wringing her friend's shirt. It is apparent though without a fire going on, there isn't much Aeryn can do to help Rosalee get dry and warm. Yet even if she did find some flint stones, lighting a fire means also giving away their location to anyone nearby which might bring some unwanted attention. Decisions, decisions...

Sean - Spitfyre

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

It takes some time for Sean to reach the source of the light and he almost loses sight of it few times among the dense canopy of the forest as it flickers. Light seems to be coming from further inside the jungle forcing Sean to journey deeper. He walks past a tree with sack dolls hanging from its' branches, a curious sight which he makes a note of before continuing onwards. A feeling of being watched settles inside Sean, like something or someone is stalking his every moves. It is after some time, he manages to catch a glimpse of the light's source between the trees, a single torch, held by someone. From the sounds coming from farther away, that person also isn't alone. While Sean isn't close enough to get good look on these people or even see how many there are, going any further brings the risk of exposure.

[Vhexo]

Jonathan plucks the mask out of the air, and gives it a look. He turns it around in his hands, curious why he may be in need of such a mask, and he asks: "What is it for? Just protection?". Whilst saying this, Jonathan looks out of the boat at the shores of the river, and he realises he's still standing. He sits down, making sure he's not too close to the animal corpses, and looks at Tarm waiting for his answer.

[Earthsage]

Rosalee kept hugging herself tightly, letting out a deep breath as she tried to combat her embarrassment. "P-perhaps we could cuddle together to... S-stay warm, if you wanted to do that..." She's not sure why she asked, but she is quite cold. She chalks it up to that, and tries to stay as warm as possible, huddling her body up... And not being able to do much else, she just shivers.

[spitfyre]

"Shit" Sean thinks to himself. "It's probably more natives. I should get out of here." Backing away slowly, Sean starts to head back to Rosalee and Aeryn to tell them what he saw and heard. He shivers, a little cautious and paranoid at the feeling of being watched.

[TheDaughterOfHades14]

Claire groans as she sits up. "Ugh. Where am I?" she asks out loud. As she notices her surroundings she stands up and makes her way to the backpack. She goes through all of its contents before picking it up and taking it with her. She looks up and notices the smoke trail. "Well; that can be either be good or bad. Probably bad." Claire says as she begins to walk in the opposite direction of the smoke. She walks a few feet before sighing. "Curse my curiosity" Claire says as she turns around and makes her way towards the smoke.

[Nobudi]

Aeryn put on the slightly damp shirt, it was a bit small for her, so it made her nipples erect right through the fabric.
Being a member of the pool made her quite resistant to cold, so she didn't mind.
Upon hearing Rosalee offer to cuddle, she grinned sinisterly and hugged her from the front, allowing the fact that both the girls breasts were touching.
"Thanks for the offer Rosalee~," she said as they 'cuddled'.

[Earthsage]

Rosalee snuggled up to Aeryn, smiling shyly as she did so. "T-thanks..." She didn't seem to care that she was rubbing breasts with Aeryn, not really realizing it could be taken sexually at all. she's more concerned with getting warm, trying to keep close and keep warm to the very best of her ability.

[Gorbaz]

Flushed with the success of finding the map, Melanie is struck dumb as creatures she has never seen before burst out of the wilderness. Everything happens so fast and her mind reels from the sudden assault, and all she can do is stand there and watch as one of the bigger ones captures one of the people she was with, and the man getting threatened by two others. Then he shifted, his body contorting and turning into a... a monster. That finally shunted her mind back into gear and, turning on her heel and keeping the map clutched tights, she bolts away from the scene to try and find somewhere that she can hide for the time being

[RavenLord]

Jonathan- Vhexo

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Tarm gives out a small chuckle.

"No, my friend. It is... Well... How do i explain this... You see, among peoples of this land, showing your face to someone is seen as intimate action reserved for only your family and close friends. Those who do not cover their faces are seen as deviants. Basically walking around with your face naked equals walking around without your pants. While you are a foreigner and they may cut you some slack, going with a mask would make a better first impression."

You can see that Tarm is embarrassed to be explaining this to you. It seems he is not very proud of this tradition either.

Aeryn, Rosalee - Nobudi, Earthsage

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Cuddling together Rosalee and Aeryn share their bodyheat. Though having body of another pressed so closely to hers makes the thing inside Aeryn's mind start moving again and Aeryn starts to feel flushed as her body gets warmer. This helps Rosalee relax in Aeryn's grasp. Unfortunately while Aeryn's body is warm, it is not enough to help Rosalee who once again starts shiver in Aeryn's embrace. Sun has also disappeared behind grey clouds and without sunlight, air will only start to get colder. What's worse is clouds look like it's going to rain soon.

Sean - Spitfyre

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Sean turns back and starts moving, trying to put as much difference between him and the natives. Soon torch becomes just a light again yet feeling of being watched does not fade. Sean makes his way through the jungle with relative speed but after some time he comes to stop inside a clearing he doesn't remember passing. What's more is none of his surroundings seem familiar. It is then Sean realizes that he is lost. Some kind of creature howls in the distance, adding to Sean's problems.

[Vhexo]

Jonathan didn't see the awkardness that Tarm had explaining this tradition, and he shrugged his shoulders as he placed the mask on his face. "Seems reasonable enough.", he answers, before looking around, getting familiar with the feeling. Jonathan would be quiet for some time, wondering how long the trip was going to take, and after sitting there idly for some minutes, he asked these men: "How's life here? Are those... beasts, are they common?", wondering if he would need to be prepared to face such a creature again, something he didn't look forward too.

[Earthsage]

Rosalee shivers violently, cuddling as close as she possibly can to Aeryn. She shuts her eyes, miserable, as she tries to think if they were given blankets to work with... She didn't think so, but another idea pops into her head. "C-can w-we share a sh... Sh... Shirt?... W-wear it l-like a blanket to k-keep warm... Or s-something..." Rosalee was finding it hard to speak, her teeth were even chattering...
"I m-mean, c-can we both wear the sh-shirt at the same time, so it traps m-more body heat?..." She'd be happy to donate her own, even if it would stretch it by quite a bit. She didn't mind very loose clothing, after all...

[Reaver]

Raymond could still feel HER lurking in the back of his mind. She had made such short work of the first creature and had only been driven back by pain. He knew that a thing, a creature like that would never be tamed in the world or inside of his mind but he knew in this instance he depended on her to finish this fight. He wasn't sure if calling on HER constantly was a much better solution but he couldn't risk being killed. He clutched his cut side, gritting his teeth as he opened his mind to HER again. "I'll finish you." He muttered as he gave up control for now.

[spitfyre]

As soon as Sean realized he was lost he stopped and said, "Oh no, no, no please no. I don't even have any of my stuff." Immediately Sean realized that if he found the river again, he might be able to find his way back to Rosalee and Aeryn, so he kept moving hoping to find the river in time for him to be safe. "Safe? Safe from what?" he thought. He then heard hears the howl and realizes that he may me in more trouble then he thought and breaks out into a run, trying to find the river.

[Nobudi]

<Soz about the lateness. Trying to rest my arms to prevent Carpal Tunnel.>

Aeryn was intrigued by how... forward Rosalee was becoming, whether she realized it or not.
But, there were more pressing matters than those of her own pleasure. The fact that Sean had left his stuff there and not come back yet did worry her.
The weather also did not seem to be looking any better for her.
She would take his pack with her, but not any of the supplies within. If he did come back, it would be a load off her mind to return it.
"That's a nice offer Ros...," she said as she tried to pull the two of them onto their feet. "But we need to find Sean and some shelter. We probably can only look for one before the weather takes a turn."
"What should we do?"

[RavenLord]

Jonathan, Sean - Vhexo, Spitfyre

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Depends on which side of the river you are on. While there are dangerous beasts on both sides, there are also many watchers on eastern side. You might have seen one since there are also few at western side. They look like sackdolls, usually hanging from a tree. In truth, chime sprites inhabit those dolls. A kind of wind spirit that creates a sound similar to a chiming bell whenever there are dangerous creatures nearby. That way, it makes it easier for people to avoid large monsters or in case of hunters and pathfinders, track them."

It is some time after Tarm finishes his explanation that the raft reaches the eastern shore of the river. Tarm and his brother quickly jump into water with a rope in hand attached to raft itself and pull raft onto shore. After they pull the wooden craft far away from water's reach, two of them grab the fresh animal corpses, hoisting them over their shoulders. Jonathan joins them and together they make their way into the jungle in silence.

Some way into the jungle, Tarm's brother suddenly stops. He raises his hand, motioning you two to stop and stay silent. He seems to be focused on something but Jonathan can't see anything out of ordinary around. Then he hears it. A soft chiming sound. A deep, garbled howl soon comes after but by then Tarm and his brother have already dropped their burdens. Tarm's brother throws one of his spear to Tarm before turning to Jonathan. He hesitates for a second before passing him his spare spear.

"Don't make regret this." He mouths before drawing rather large knife himself. He then turns back, facing the direction the howl came from. A minute pass, then another. After what feels like a torturously long time of silence, Jonathan hears the sound of something approaching, fast.

Sean runs. A few glances backwards reveals that while whatever chasing him is still far enough to be obscured by trees, it is closing fast. Few glimpses of it's form tell Sean that it is big, bigger than him at least. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, Sean runs, in the direction he guesses river is, beast hot on his trail. He jumps over couple of tree branches. A stone trips him, but Sean regains his balance before he falls and continues running. Suddenly trees give way and Sean finds himself in a clearing, facing three men in wooden masks who stand in his way, armed with wooden spears and a knife. Meanwhile, beast is not far away and soon will be upon him.

Raymond - Reaver

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

HER presence hits Raymond like a fire truck as once again SHE takes control. His body moves under HER influence. Raymond can only watch as his body moves once more, like some sort of spectator. This time though, his opponent is alert and even with HER in control, fight does not end instantly. As Raymond watches his body's motions, he realizes that SHE isn't actually controlling him, not consciously at least. It's HER instincts that control his body. It seems at the moment, only HER barest, simplest and most primal instincts are able to reach him. So much power from so little...

Fight ends soon with Raymond emerging as victor but not before suffering two new wounds, one on his right arm and one on his left leg. Thankfully they are nothing serious and close under HER power yet the wound on his side is still bleeding. It takes Raymond some time to regain control and fight off HER instincts. He manages, but in the end he is severely weakened from the ordeal and now has to find some way to treat his wound.

+7 Corruption

Aeryn - Nobudi

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"You are r-right... I-i don't know h-how long i c-can last h-here... I- would like t-to f-find a warm, safe p..pl..place first... -B-but if we d-do that... S-sean won't b-be able to f-find us... I-it's b-better you d-decide."

Aeryn pulls Rosalee on her feet who in turn leans on Aeryn for support. While the food and rest did rejuvenate Rosalee, she still seems to be weak and shivering lightly, leaving Aeryn with two options. Either look for Sean and risk Rosalee getting sick or find somewhere safe and warm for Rosalee and risk leaving Sean alone.

Melanie - Gorbaz

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Melanie is able to make her escape while monsters are busy with Raymond and Orla. She runs deeper into the jungle, trying to put some distance between her and the creatures and doesn't stop until she is sure that creatures are far away. She feels exhausted when she stops. Her lungs burn and she can barely feel her legs. What's worst of all is the thing her mind. It is clearly awake now and very agitated. Melanie can feel it shift and slither. On the bright side, at that moment, she is safe.

+1 Corruption

[spitfyre]

Seeing the three men wearing masks and holding weapons Sean thinks to himself, "Shit Natives." then saying out loud after briefly stopping, "Please don't kill me, there is something big right behind me and you should kill it first." With that he gets behind the guys with the weapons, ready to run if they can't take the monster that was following him.

[Gorbaz]

Feeling her heart pound in her chest, Melanie took the time she needed to find a dark corner and crawl into to hide and rest. Her breath was ragged, limbs quaked, and something felt like it was moving around in her brain. She had a bad feeling that she didn't want it to get too agitated, whatever it was. Screwing her eyes shut she tried to calm herself down before opening her eyes once more to take stock of her situation. She still had her bag and, more importantly, the map. Perhaps it held some clue or indication of where to go?

[Nobudi]

Aeryn didn't like the situation.
Sean had left his stuff behind, and Aeryn would want nothing more than to give his stuff back.
However, Rosalee was freezing, and the weather wasn't going to help her situation.
Gritting her teeth, she collected both the packs and began searching for shelter.