Levitha's Pearl: Rimtown, Late Afternoon
The Skimmer Crane made landfall, and didn't stick around at the base of the Pearl's formidable cliffs any longer than necessary. Keldon didn't even drop anchor, but instead muttered, "May the First Ones watch o'er ye." A long trudge up a steep and winding pathway has led the band to a one-street town lined with equipment shops, a watering hole, skinners, tanners, and abandoned buildings in various states of disrepair. Wind howls and blasts through over the cliff, as if trying to scour all trespassers from the face of the Rim, and trails of stinging dust whip around the rocks like eels lashing out of a coral reef. Some of the hardier souls of Rimtown are out and about, doing their business without any mind for the grit in their fur or burns on their skin.

Anisa trudges down the street, looking wide eyed left and right at the buildings. Adjusting her pack, she looks up at one of the supply stores. "Do we have all we need, or should we stop in one of these places?"

Gibson shields his eyes from a brief gale that flaps his ears around, squinting at his sister. "I think we have … pth! Ptu!" He spits out some wind-borne debris, and continues, "… have the essentials. How 'bout the rest of you?"

A motley chorus replies with variants of, "Let's just get out of the wind!" and a lot of spitting.

The white rabbit squints at the sharp wind, and pulls an ear around to shield her eyes. "Let's go to that tavern until this craziness dies down!" With a bound, the Lapine makes her way to the inn, quickly jumping inside.

The roar of the wind outside changes pitch to a warbling moan as the group seeks shelter in a tavern decorated with tall wooden masks, torches, and spears. A fan of sand marks the area around the entrance where people have tracked dust inside, and crunches underfoot. Simple, rugged furniture is scattered around the common room, and a circular bar dominates the center. A few weather-beaten individuals sit about, enjoying drinks, or chatting. All of them are dressed in outdoorsy clothes, and sport utility gear on frayed backpacks, belts, and the like. In one corner of the room stands a very curious-looking table with six legs, and around it are seated a small group of Jingai in Imperial uniforms and armor, talking quietly amongst themselves.

A chubby Jupani in a leather apron behind the bar looks up as the Lapi arrive, and puts down a mug he was polishing to beckon them inside. "Welcome, welcome … Come in before the wind strips everything off your bones! Belly up and have a sit-down."

Anisa scans the room, her gaze accidentally lingering on the Jingai for several moments. Realizing that she was staring, the Lapi quickly averts her gaze, and takes a seat at the bar, giving the Jupani a smile as she sheds her pack. "Good day to you sir! Mind if we relax here for a spell?"

"By all means, miss," the jovial wolf replies in a gravelly voice. "I wouldn't wish that sort of weather on the Observer itself! What can I get for you folks, eh? You look fresh, so I'll bet you could use a little something to keep you stout while you journey inland."

"I could use something to drink, and whatever you have in the way of salad." The rabbitess turns to the others, "What about you guys?"

"Beer," say the Whitewhiskers in unison. Wanda murmurs something, and in short order drinks are served up … a wheaty-looking brew for the twins, and a light cordial for everyone else except Royce, who fumes a little. A large bowl of somewhat wilted-looking but palatable greens is placed out with an oily dressing of some sort on the side.

The bartender rummages around under the bar, uncorking a cask of some sweet-smelling juice. "So, you folks headed in to bag some game? Or lookin' for a peak to conquer or treasure to filch?"

Anisa looks down at the "salad", and grimaces a little. Deciding she's too hungry to be picky, the rabbit picks up a fork and begins to chow down. "Oh, you could say that," she says, munching on the roughage, "We're here to find out a thing or two." She takes a sip of the cordial.

The cordial's somewhat syrupy, and burns just a tiny bit. Probably blackberry. Unrefined, but not too bad. The other Lapi pick at the vegetables, dipping it in the oily stuff every so often.

"That so?" asks the wolf curiously. "Can't say as you look like many of the fellas we've had pass through."

Anisa blinks at the cordial, licking her lips, and takes another sip. She then goes back to the salad, trying the weird dressing. "What did all of the others look like?" She grins, "We're not tough enough looking?"

The Jupani laughs, and pats the bar with a heavy paw. "Nothin' like that, miss. S'just that the Pearl doesn't play games, so we tend to see a either a pretty rough sort, or a pretty rich sort. I figger you must have some official business too, what with the River-Ranger there."

Spencer makes a snorting noise into his cup, and coughs a few times.

"You mean Spencer? He's just on a curiosity run, same as the rest of us." The white Lapine winks, then turns to Spencer, "You all right?"

The brown rabbit clears his throat, and nods. "Yeah! I'm just … along for the ride."

Gibson grins, and Royce snickers a little. They continue picking at the greens. The dressing is a bit too oily, and has a sharp vinegar tang, but it goes a great length to masking the bitterness of the veggies.

Anisa smirks, and turns back to the wolf. "Basically, we're just here to look and see what we find, mostly information, I guess." She takes another swig of the cordial, gulping quite a bit. "You mentioned an 'Observer'? What's that?"

"Brrr!" The Jupani shakes himself, as though shedding water. "Just the nastiest beast the Pearl holds. I'm surprised you don't know about it, seeing as you've come all this way."

"Well, we know a little," retorts Spencer, looking slightly offended. "We're not wet behind the ears!"

"Uhhh … yeah." The Lapi female nods. "We know a bit, but we're rusty. Give us a refresher?"

The bartender shrugs. "Well, there's not a lot what's seen it and lived, so there's not a lot people that know about it. They say it's a basin-scuttler … a really big one, the grand-daddy of them all … big as a house, and black as night. It's the prize that every hunter seeks, and not a one's come away with, though some have claimed so."

Anisa takes another bite of her salad, and sets her ears back, "Luckily, we're not here to hunt, so we'll be sure to steer clear of it!"

The Jupani nods, and looks a little relieved. "And you'd be smart for it! Everyone else I've seen go after it's never come back. See, I knew you folks looked different!" He grins.

Outside, there's a long, deep whistle … like a log-sized flute being blown. The Jingai at the table look up, and the sounds of many footfalls clack from the dusty stone of the street.

Taking another swig of her cordial, Anisa nods with a smirk. "We try to be." Swallowing what's left of her salad, the Lapi shoots a quick glance at the table in the corner. "By the by, what are those guys up to?"

"Movin' out, s'far as I can tell," answers the bartender, raising his voice over the din of chairs being scooted around, weapons and gear being gathered, and hastily drained mugs being thumped on the table. "Bunch of Imperials, they are. Just put down some bunch of Kavi terrorists. We thought they were just troublemakers, but it got bigger, and Nagai sent some troops to take care of it. There's a small garrison what makes sure they got 'em all, but they say they're just about done here, and probably withdrawin'."

Anisa gives a slight frown, then finishes off her cordial. "I'll take another one of those." She watches the Jingai file out. "Anything else out of the ordinary lately?"

The soldiers pass the bar, littering coins on the counter as they go, still muttering to each other. A Naga in slightly more elaborate armor pokes his head in, and shouts, "S'ser mj alweth! Alweth, tau, tau, tau!" and the Jingai pick up the pace, hurrying out the door double-time.

The bartender shakes his head. "Nah, it's quieted down since then, though we've still got the hunters." He collects his coins, and thanks the unheeding backs of the soldiers for their patronage.

Anisa watches the soldiers leave, and takes the final bite of her salad. "Just out of curiosity … have you ever heard of a Cervani named Vandringar?"

Now that the troops are gone, the table they were sitting at is easier to see. It appears to actually be a huge roach, detailed enough to have once lived, though unmoving enough to be dead now. The bartender shakes his head. "Doesn't ring a bell."

With a start, Anisa almost falls from her chair as she gets a look at the roach. "Wh-what is that?"

"That? It's a table." The Jupani gives Anisa a quizzical look, as well as the other rabbits which look somewhat taken aback, though Spencer slightly less so.

The bartender continues, "It used to be a scuttie. A hunter gave it to me after he couldn't pay his inn bill, and I had it filled with plaster and made into something useful."

"It's kinda morbid, don't you think?" asks Anisa, pushing her plate to the side. "I guess it's exotic, though." She shakes her head, and takes another sip of cordial. "You guys almost done?"

Gibson nods thoughtfully, and likewise pushes his empty glass away. "The sooner we start out, the better, I think. The ship'll be here soon, and I'd rather be underway by the time they get here."

Now it's the Jupani's turn to be taken aback. "But it's only a few hours until nightfall!"

Smacking her forehead, the white Lapi gives a look of pain. "I forgot about that stupid ship! We have to get out of here, and fast!" She turns back to the Jupani. "How much do we owe you? And don't worry about us; we don't need light to find our way around." She points to her giant ears as an example.

"Uh … fifteen shekels," says the wolf. He drums his knuckles on the bar. "But are you sure? The scutties really act up at night; that's when most of them come out to do their feeding. The hunters sometimes go at night to get the bigger scutties, but I haven't heard of any really green ones staying more than a night out there. Lissen, it's only thirty shekels for a room… "

"But we don't have the time to spare!" She looks back to Gibson worriedly, chewing on her lip. "Wh-what should we do? We can't wait here, or Vandringar will catch up with us!"

The black rabbit frowns, his expression concerned. "They'd probably check an inn first thing, too… I wouldn't doubt they'd ask around about us. Between them and the scuttlers, I'd take my chances with the bugs."

Digging in her pocket, the white Lapi pulls out seventeen shekels and tosses them on the bar, shouldering her pack. "Thanks for the warning, but we'll be all right! Keep the change!" She turns back to the others. "Let's get out of here!"

The confused Jupani barely has time to say, "Thanks for coming! Be careful out there!" Outside, Imperial troops are still milling about as dusk slowly creeps over the rim. Rokuga tauroids and more humanoid lizard-like soldiers keep an eye on their commander, who seems to be busy looking at a ship approaching on the horizon, close enough to be made out. He comments to his second every so often.

Once outside, Anisa peers in the same direction as the commander. "That must be them!" She looks in the opposite direction, hopping from one foot to the other in anticipation. "Hurry up you guys, we don't have all night!"

Some of the reptilian soldiers give the rabbits curious looks as they cry out at the sight of the approaching airship, whooping and carrying on as they are. Kurt unhitches the Drokar, and, as though borne on the strong winds themselves, the rabbits and their Skeek companion barrel pell-mell down the path on the edge of town towards the jungle below.

It's really quite a distance, actually. By the time they slow their descent, no trace of Rimtown can be seen on the cliffs above, just the winding path upwards. Then, the jungle engulfs them in damp, green, muggy dark.

Looking back behind them, Anisa gets a bit of an uneasy feeling. "Maybe we shouldn't have been so quick to get out of there. I mean, where are we going?" Moving closer to her big brother, Anisa gives the jungle a browse. "Got any ideas, runt?"

The darkening jungle seems to press inward as the sun begins to set, spots of orange and red barely visible through the thick canopy. Chirping and buzzing drone all around, constant but not unpleasant, though the variety Anisa can pick out with her hearing nearly boggles the mind if she thinks too much about it. Royce scratches his head somewhat nervously. "Um … well, I did a little more reading, but there wasn't much that was helpful. As far as I can tell, they say their … whatever it is … is at 'The Center'. I figure we might as well move farther inland, and when we get the chance, climb a big tree or something to check where we are."

Spencer nudges Anisa with his elbow. "From a survivalist standpoint, I think our first concern is finding shelter. We're not going to make much headway in the dark anyway."

Nudging Spencer back with a hip, the white Lapi smirks. "That's your department, Mister River-Ranger." She grins. "Where do you suggest we set up camp tonight, or should we put some more distance between ourselves and Vandringar?"

The brownish Lapi puffs out his chest a little. "Leave it to me! Hmm … well, let's try to work our way deeper in, so our trail isn't so easy to follow. If we can find a clump of rocks to set up camp by or in, I think it'll be better for us. Otherwise, if we don't want to risk a campfire, I learned a few techniques for setting up a camp of sorts in trees, which might be safest where detection is concerned."

"A fire would be nice, actually," suggests Anisa, shivering slightly at the wind. "I guess let's keep moving inward. I'm not that tired, since we got to sleep on the ship."

An agreement is reached, and the party presses on. Warmth becomes less of a problem … as the vegetation becomes denser, the clime starts to feel warmer, and a little moist – not hot, but noticeable. The sky continues to darken, and as the path fades away, footing in the vines, grasses, fallen logs, and mushy ground becomes somewhat treacherous. It's anyone's guess as to how far's been covered, and though Periwinkle proves to be fairly sure-footed, the Drokar still seems cautious, and perhaps a little skittish.

Time passes…

The sun finally sinks all the way below the horizon, and the sky that can be seen through the canopy is azure, and continues darkening. The occasional point of light from a star can be made out, and the jungle seems … livelier. Rustles and hisses can be heard amidst the trees, as well as loud buzzings that move across surprisingly broad vectors.

As they move along, a low-hanging vine that Gibson didn't see in the dark slaps him in the face, and he sniffs. "I wonder if it isn't time to bring out the lanterns."

Ears which normally hang down as a fashion statement now stand straight up as Anisa hears all sorts of noises from all over. Wide-eyed, and a little spooked with her heart racing, she wields her machete, hacking at the vegetation, her usually white fur stained with dirt, plant juices, and small traces of crimson from small scrapes she's received during the trek. "I'd say it's a great time to pull them out."

Spencer nods. "Maybe so … I didn't really see much that – "

He's interrupted by a voice. It sounds far away … thin and reedy. "Help! … Help me!"

"Where's that coming from?" Anisa perks her ears high, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise.

Wanda starts to comment on the sight of four pairs of long ears standing straight up and rotating around being like a field of corn in a tornado, but Gibson shushes her. The cry comes again. "Help! Someone, please!"

The white Lapi's ears focus in front of her, and she swivels to the right just slightly. "There … that way! I think it's coming from over there!" Machete held high, she begins to stalk slowly forward, trying to hear better,

The others nod, and fall in, Gibson and Spencer taking up positions on either side of Anisa, and the others trailing in the back. As the group carefully moves closer, it becomes easier to pinpoint the sound, and adjust progress accordingly. Soon, it sounds quite close, plaintive and pained now that it can be heard more clearly, just past a thicket.

Anisa hacks away at any vegetation that gets in her way, then, nose twitching wildly, peers through the clear to the thicket. "Hello? Who's there?"

"H-help … please… " The hewn away gap in the brush affords a look into another thicket of sorts, with a few clear patches in the midst of a copse of closely spaced trees with droopy branches. At the base of one of them lies a bright green Naga, slumped against the trunk and lying in a pile of vegetation. He wears the same armor as the Jingai back at Rimtown were wearing. His chin lies on his wooden breastplate, and his neck and head are covered mostly in a light chitin-scale armor. "H… help… me… "

"It's a Naga! I wonder if he-" Anisa stops herself short, straining her ears even more. "Wait, he's not the one saying it … it's… it's something behind him?" Slowly, Anisa paces closer, still keeping a respectable distance, and has her machete to the ready.

"Please… h-… help me… someone… please… " The Naga doesn't move, though it does sound like a Naga's voice. It's hard to tell at first, but it does indeed seem like the voice isn't coming from him. Listening a bit closer, it sounds like it's actually coming from the center of the copse of trees, though nobody without Anisa's sharp hearing would be able to tell.

The white Lapi circles around the Naga body, and over to the copse, peering inside. "Hello? Are you hurt?"

There's a rustling from above in the center of the copse of trees … then a noise like a coil of rope suddenly being snapped taut sounds through the leaves.

Anisa quickly dives out of the way, then crouches down low as she keeps her machete held high. "What was that? Some sort of noose?" The Lapi gets on her guard.

A long creeper whizzes past Anisa's head, then draws back. The copse of trees seems to come alive like one cohesive being, drooping branches lashing around and more vines lowering from branches to quickly snake out towards the rabbit. The voice distorts, becoming rasping and thick. "Help… me! Someone! Hssss… " The voice changes to that of another Naga, sharper and with an authoritarian edge. "Pesh'tuan! Azeth, tau!" then to something even thicker and deeper … Jupani, possibly, or a large Khatta. "Kill it! Kill it!"

There are cries of alarm from where Gibson and Spencer are, along with confused shouts from the other Lapi.

The white Lapine gives out a shriek of fear, and begins to slash wildly at the creepers, trying to fight her way out of the tree's grasp. "Gibson! Help me!!"

With a rather un-Lapi-like bellow, the black rabbit bounds forward, choking up on a length of his skedat whip to spin the blade on the end, thrashing wildly it at the vines, "Get back! Get away from it, Anisa!"

Anisa sprints over as fast as she can from the reach of the tree, slashing at the tree with her machete as she nears her brother. Once she reaches Gibson's side, she stops and helps him slash away. "Let's go!"

Gibson nods grimly, spinning his whip in a crossover pattern in front of himself. Chunks of green muscle-like fiber and sticky fluid fly in different directions, and smear both the rabbit and his blade. The monstrous plant-thing screams in four different voices … one of them Anisa's.

There's a woody-sounding thunk as an arrow embeds itself one of the copse's trunks, and some tendrils flail in Gibson's direction, though they can't quite reach him.

The white Lapi grits her teeth, trying to keep her wits about her as she hears her own high-pitched scream emanate from the tree. Grabbing her ears, she runs for the clearing they originally came from, trying to catch sight of Spencer and the others.

The vines are held at bay enough to allow an orderly retreat out of the thing's range, and its creepers settle down reluctantly. They begin pulling back towards the upper branches, the wounded ones curling in over themselves as they go.

Spencer comes crashing out of some bushes he'd been firing from. "What by Dagh was that?!"

Royce scurries into sight close by him, looking confused and scared. "What just happened?!"

Wanda peeps out from behind a tree, looking more serious than usual. The Skeek turns toward a bush. "Coast's clear."

Kurtis rises up from it, his brow knitted up. "Is anyone hurt?"

Once out of range, Anisa collapses to her knees, panting to get her breath back. "I- I dunno … It sounded like someone in trouble, but it was just mimicking voices." She rolls over to sit on her end, and to gaze back at the tree. I'll bet you there's more of those around; we'd better be careful."

Kurt scratches his ears, looking somewhat worried. "So you're not hurt? Good." Gibson, meanwhile, just catches his breath, shaking his head.

From the clearing comes that Naga's voice again. "Help… help me… someone, please… "

"Yeah, we're fine," the female Lapi says in a slightly sarcastic tone, shooting Kurt a glare. Her ears fold back in a wince as the voice starts back up. "There it goes again. That must be that poor Naga's voice."

Kurt doesn't seem to notice the glare, just looking away back towards to tree. "Yeah … I wonder if he's dead."

Standing back up, Anisa looks back out into the clearing. "Well, he didn't move when I came near, so I guess the tree got him." Her nose twitches rapidly. "Even if he was alive, I don't know if we could be of much help." She sighs, and turns her back on the plant. "So do we press on, or make camp here?"

Spencer shudders, but removes the arrow he'd nocked to his bowstring, returning it to his quiver. "It's getting dark… I think it'd probably be best if we make camp somewhere nearby, as much as I don't like the idea of being near that … that thing."

Frowning, Anisa nods to the brown Lapi. "I guess we'll have to pass on a fire tonight, but at least we can get some sleep."

Gibson speaks up, having finally gotten his wind back. "Whew… puff … someone give me a couple of the lantern oilskins, and a torch."

Anisa hefts her pack onto her back, and halts as Gibson gets back up. "What for?"

"I'm gonna burn that tree-thing," he answers, standing back to his full height and looking toward the clearing.

This time, it's Wanda who comments. "I don't mean to be unsympathetic, Licorice, but that's the oil that's going to keep us lit up, remember?"

The sister Lapi's jaw drops, and she looks up at her brother in disbelief. "Are you serious?" She nods to Wanda. "We need all we can keep. Besides," she turns to the Spencer, "it might set the whole jungle ablaze, right?"

The ranger nods worriedly. "It's in kind of its own little clearing there, and most of this foliage is pretty damp and green, but it could happen if the fire gets too big."

Anisa rests a paw on Gibson's arm. "C'mon Gib, you're just spooked. Let's go get some sleep."

The black rabbit smoothes his ears back fitfully, clutching their bases with one paw. "I'm not one to tinker with nature and all that, and I know hunters know what they're getting themselves into … but did you hear it? It must be off a path hunters often come through! Who knows how many people it's caught?"

The white Lapi grimaces, "Well … can we spare the oil?" She takes off her pack, and pulls out her own personal supply. "How many days' worth do we have?"

The rabbits look at each other questioningly. "Six of us … three lanterns … an oilskin'll last through about eight hours, or one night … let's see … we've got … twelve oilskins. 'Bout four days for each lantern."

Anisa looks to Gibson, "And how much oil do you need?" Her frown deepens, but she can't argue with Gibson's logic.

"Uh … well … I've never set a tree monster on fire before." Gibson turns slightly to the side in a pretense of looking at the creature, but keeps Anisa in the corner of his eye. "It might burn like kindling, or it might not burn at all."

The white Lapi sighs, and turns to Spencer. "How much would it take to burn that thing?" She crosses her arms, tapping her foot impatiently.

Spencer looks somewhat exasperated. He tosses his paws in the air. "I'm not an alchemist, and we don't have tree-monsters in Half Valley!"

Anisa sets her ears back in agitation, then turns and tosses her oilskin to Gibson. "Here, you can use mine. I use my ears anyways. But if that doesn't work, then too bad; we can't risk wasting more."

Gibson fumbles to grab the oilskin, but manages it and looks away for a few seconds. "Thanks." He turns back to the clearing, and makes his way towards the creeper-copse. Spencer, Kurt, and Royce fidget in awkward silence.

The white Lapi follows behind her brother, and gets down low just as he enters the clearing, keeping her ears and eyes set on him and the tree. "Be careful, Gib."

"I'll be fine," replies the black rabbit, creeping closer. He watches from some cover, eyes hard and intent. "You just stay back."

Anisa nods, and crouches down low behind some tall grass, more in instinct than in anything, since it is of little use or need. She watches her brother get closer to the tree, and begins to chew on her bottom lip.

Gibson edges to the outside range of the tree, then a little bit into it, without rousing the plant. It says, "Please… help… " Then the Lapi cocks his arm back, and flings the bag. Flotch! It slaps a trunk, oil belching from the open end of the skin and dribbling over some roots. A creeper or two slither down to investigate the mess…

Perking her ears forward, the white Lapi watches the scene intently.

Nearby, Spencer nocks an arrow with something puffy on the end, and coughs. Gibson gives him a look, takes note of the arrow, then nods as Spencer lights the puffy bit from a lantern that's been lit. The river-ranger takes aim, and lets the arrow fly, which strikes in the middle of the oil puddle with a thick, wooden noise.

Nose rapidly atwitch, Anisa stands upright and watches the arrow hit home. "Now! Get out of there Gibson!" she whispers loudly.

There's a puff, and flame rises from the puddle, the creepers drawing back abruptly. The fire dances cheerily there for a few moments, not really seeming to go anywhere, and not quite reaching higher into the tree. "One more," Gibson murmurs. "You said I could use two."

Blinking, Anisa nods with a sigh, and pulls out her other skin, which she tosses to her brother. "Just make sure it gets on there!"

With a nod, Gibson hefts the skin, then launches it at the small blaze. It tumbles somewhat in the air, spraying a small arc of oil before landing in the fire, spattering a trunk with flaming droplets, and causing the main blaze to erupt upward and burn more fiercely. At this, the copse of "trees" shivers, and creaks, no longer using voices.

Anisa stands stock upright, a small smile coming to her lips as the tree goes up in flames. "Okay, that's two. Now get out of there!"

Gibson backs away, his face still intent. He stands up straight after a certain point, then just walks back to where the main group is, backlit by the fire rising into the creeper-thing's upper (apparently more flammable) branches.

"There, happy now?" The white Lapi gives her older brother a slight smirk. "Looks like we have our bonfire for the night after all."

"Yeah," replies elder rabbit, though he doesn't put much heart into it. "Well, I guess we should make camp."