Sewer Experiments [B/Job]

Spoiler:

The cool night breeze in Reim was far more comfortable than in Heliohapt. The desert country’s climate was rather harsh with blistering heat during the day and bone-chilling cold by nightfall. Walking leisurely along one of Remano’s busier streets, Ayero and Kabu keep an eye out for work knowing that bandits and thieves often prowled the darkened streets. Snacking on an apple, the Fanalis woman’s expression was glazed over with boredom.

”I-I swear! It was this massive thing, with a giant tail like a worm—“

The shout of a middle aged man drew her attention and a spark light up in her eye at the prospect of something exciting happening. Something exciting that she could potentially made money on. Taking a bite out of the apple she chews thoughtfully while making her way toward the group of men that had gathered around a distressed looking man.

”I couldn’t help but overhear. Is there a problem?”

She enters the conversation swiftly, casting a curious gaze over the small crowd. “Nothing but a drunk old man telling tall tales of a “monster” he saw!” One of the men barks with laughter, his reaction luring a scowl of indignation and angry words from the other man.

”I’m not a drunk, and I’m telling the truth!” His fists ball in rage before turning to Ayero with a softer expression, pleased that someone was giving him a chance to be taken seriously. ”I’ve seen all types of strange beasts down in these sewers, but this was a monster! It...looked like nothing I ever saw. Lashed out at me with it’s tail, it did, barely got my hide away from there before it took me down for good!” He steps closer to the red head with a pleading look in his eyes. ”Please miss, you seem like a strong type. We can’t have a creature like this in our sewers, it could destroy everything down there!” His words pull a laugh from the other man.

“Don’t waste your time, lady! This old geezer is known for his crazy stories. Looks like those sewer fumes finally got to ‘em!” Laughing again at his own taunt, the group of men begin to depart.

A hard look of anger appears in the remaining man’s eyes. Closing them for a few moments to steady himself, he reopens them to look up at Ayero. ”Please believe me miss, I know what I saw. This thing is real. If you could at least go down into the sewers and check the place out…” Casting a skeptical look toward the man, Ayero rubs at the back of her head and appears hesitant to answer. ”I can pay you! 5,000 if you just go down and check, and another 10,000 if you take down whatever’s causing a ruckus down there.”

”You have that sort of money?” The skepticism remains about the young woman and the sewer worker takes off his hat and bows his head slightly.

”Erm…well no, not that much on me miss. But if I can prove that this thing is really down there and you take care of it, the committee in charge of infrastructure will have to pay you! Honest!”

Staring into the man’s earnest gaze, Ayero sighs and slumps her shoulders slightly. ”I suppose I could take a look. But I want that 5,000 Huang up front.” Nodding eagerly, the man fishes into his pockets and hands over the coin to the woman.

[575/1500]

”This is disgusting.” Ayero irritated comment echoes off of the sewer walls. I can’t believe that I’m actually doing this. This place smells, there’s grime in my hair that’s going to take a week to wash out, and I can barely see a few feet in front of me. Waving the torch the old man had given her from side to side, she tries to make out the width of the sewer and look for any potential clues that would indicate the presence of an animal. ”Let me know if you hear anything, right? Or smell anything…or see anything. Can you see in the dark? Better than me I hope…I can’t see for shit in this awful place.”

A soft trill of a hiss is Kabu’s response, blinking his large red eyes with nearly seem to glow in the darkness of the sewer. Not wanting to cheat the old man, Ayero resigned herself to walking around the city’s sewers for several hours in the area where the man had his alleged encounter. He’d lead her several hundred feet into the sewers before he could go no further, wrought with nerves. He’d warned her to keep a sharp eye out (as much as she could in the darkness) and to not cause too much damage lest she cause the underground tunnels to collapse.

After about an hour of patrol, Kabu’s keen senses pick up a flicker of movement. His Predator’s Sense flares into action allowing the snake to sense the presence of other life forms in the vicinity, even if they were to be hidden in their surroundings. Flickering his tongue out and twisting it about to gather the particles in the air, Kabu lets out a low warning hiss into Ayero’s ear while rearing up and pointing his head straight ahead. Knowing the warning all too well, Ayero roots herself to the spot she’s in and draws her blade, keeping it down to her side and at the ready. It isn’t long before she hears heavy footsteps approaching.

[913/1500]

Stamina: 155/160

Active Trait (Predator's Sense):

Her eyes narrow and she tightens her grip on the hilt of her sword, watching carefully as the beast slowly emerges from the shadows. Standing several meters from her was the most disturbing creature she’d ever encountered. It didn’t look like any animal she’d ever seen, but more like a horrible collage of many different beasts. She only has a few moments to gawk at the horrific monstrosity before it lets loose a guttural cry, lurching forward while it’s worm tail lashes out at her. Remembering the old man’s description of the creature, she stumbles backwards just out of the monster’s reach and almost drops her torch.

”What on earth…” Steadying herself, she passes the torch off to Kabu who wraps it around his tail, holding it out and away from Ayero so as to not accidently burn her. Lunging forward, Ayero sprints toward the creature and uses her now free hand to deliver a punch to the beast’s middle. As her fist makes contact with the creature’s skin, she notices that it’s nearly like punching metal. The monster grumbles in irritation and Ayero looks up, unused to a reaction to her physical attacks that wasn’t immediate pain. Staring up into the monster’s horrible face, she’s frozen with shock for a moment. A moment is all it takes for the beast to grab her by her head with one hand and toss her against the side of the sewer’s concrete wall. Gasping in pain, Ayero coughs a bit of blood as she sinks to the ground. Pushing herself up with her elbows and then her hands, Ayero stands shakily and faces the beast once more.

Seeing the bruising begin to form rapidly on his master’s back, Kabu retches for several moments before vomiting a hefty dose of Healing Touch spit down Ayero’s back. The cool tingle of the healing secretions begin to soothe Ayero’s aching body as they go to work, allowing her to regain her mobility.

[1240/1500]

Stamina: 125/160

Healing Touch:

.

Letting out a guttural cry, the monster rushes at her once more just as she pushes her body from the wall, sprinting at the creature at 15 m/s. Sword held low to her side, she lunges at the beast and digs the blade into its shoulder, using the force of her lunge to spiral around the beast until she reaches its waist…or what she believe to be its waist. It was disturbingly difficult to discern what parts of the creature were something she could recognize. With her Devil’s Graze complete, Ayero drops the the ground. Her head shoots upwards upon hearing the beast’s roar of pain, wincing at the sound it emits while it crumples to the ground.

”What the hell are you?” Her incredulous tone rings down the sewer, but he Fanalis woman doesn’t have much time to look. Whatever she had encountered had company, if the distant roar and massive footsteps behind her were any indication. Turning on her heel, she clenches her teeth and weighs her options. Should she charge toward the approaching creature, or wait here for it to find her? Gripping her talwar tightly, she glances over at the dying creature as an idea slowly forms in her mind.

[1444/1500]

Stamina: 95/160

Spoiler:

The sewer walls began to shake and shudder at the arrival of the second beast. She couldn’t tell if it was identical to the first, but it appeared just as horrifying and nauseating. ”Whatever you are, you’ve got some pretty thick skin…” Eyes narrowing in concentration, she lunges at the creature with her sword raised above her head. Bringing it down upon the beast’s arm, she attempts to see how deeply she’d be able to cut into its flesh. Before her strike lands, the monster creates a Flesh Block on the area Ayero had been aiming for. Grunting as her blade is now stuck in the beast’s arm, she attempts to free her weapon. With an angry roar, the monster’s other massive arm raises in an attempt to swat away the woman. Catching this movement out of the corner of her eye, Ayero curses as she is too late to parry or block the oncoming assault.

Kabu however had been carefully watching the monster’s movements and quickly slid from Ayero’s body and around the creature’s threatening arm. Squeezing tightly, Kabu’s is able to Constrict and effectively paralyze the monster’s thick limb. Letting out an almost human-like cry that was laced with fear and pain, Ayero winces before finally pulling her blade from the thick mound of flesh that had absorbed her attack.

”Let’s finish this quickly…”

[1500+/1500]

Stamina: 75/160

Constrict:

Angling her blade nearly parallel to the monster’s rough skin, she swings her blade back and forth several times, shaving off several layers of thick dermis with each swipe using her Samehada technique on the beast’s free arm. Slithering back to safety, Kabu binds himself back to the Fanalis woman once his assistance was complete. ”This should do it…” Hoping that she’d removed enough of the beast’s heavy skin for her hits to cause their normal damage, she aims a quick jab at the monster’s arm. Its pained cry is relief on Ayero’s ears, figuring she’d finally created a way for herself to take down this creature without allowing it to shatter her body.

But the monster was quick to counter attack, lashing out with its worm-like appendage. Too close to dodge its strike, the thick trunk of the tail catches her in the ribs and slams her against the sewer wall, chunks of concrete tumbling down from the force of the Worm Whip. Stumbling to the ground, Ayero catches herself with a shaky hand that keeps her from face planting onto the cement floor. Kabu trills in concern as she lifts her head, drawing in slow heavy breaths while holding her ribs. Damnit, that might’ve broken a few… Wincing as she stands to her feet, the beast is thankfully preoccupied with moaning in pain and confusion, one of its arms throbbing from her assault and the other remaining paralyzed thanks to the desert snake.


[Stamina: 55/150]

Samehada:

Realizing that she’d taken a lot of damage, the fanalis woman drops her sword. The clatter of metal hitting the ground doesn’t even reach her ears as all efforts are focused on survival which meant defeating this monster. Letting out a primal yell, she lands another heavy blow to the beast’s injured arm followed quickly by jab from her other fist. Leaping into the air, she raises her right leg high and brings it down on the neck, landing awkwardly on the ground as she feels her stamina drain from the combination of expending energy and the injuries to her body.

The monster’s heavy fall shakes the sewer’s walls and a few more pieces of loose cement come tumbling down. Rising to her feet, Ayero places a shaking hand on Kabu’s head, rubbing the snake’s scales as if it would soothe her nerves. ”C-cmon Kabu, let’s get out of here…I don’t like this place, it smells.” She skirts her way around the fallen beast, eyes glued to its form as she passes by incase the creature was truly not felled and sending another attack her way. But she watches the beast shift about in pain, it’s movements becoming less and less until it lapses into silence. Shuddering and feeling a bit of bile well up in the back of her throat the Fanalis woman presses onward, heading back toward the entrance to the city as fast as her damaged body would allow.

Nearly halfway back, she happened upon the bodies of a handful of men who appeared to have been crushed to death. ”Are these…thieves?” She eyes the bodies of the bandits curiously, their dress and the weapon they carried with them signifying that they were men of ill repute. A blood stained letter sticks from the back pocket of one of the bandits, and the Fanalis woman nudges Kabu to retrieve it for her. Breaking the seal on the envelope, her eyes scan the words. Ayero herself wasn’t terribly literate, able to read and write well enough for someone who makes a living taking on odd jobs. Whoever wrote the letter used flowery language, using many words Ayero hadn’t seen.

”Chimera…? Is that what those things are?” The word catches her eye, seemingly referring to the beasts that had attacked her. Sighing, the woman tucks the letter into the armor of her breastplate and continues on her way. She’d need a good rest after this ordeal.


[Exit]