Vescrutia: Legacy

Far beyond the outskirts of Mek's stone skyscrapers, nestled just before the shores near Edo's end, resides a realm shrouded in a bewildering mist that hides a sprawling expanse of jagged roots and myriad mysteries. A domain where nature thrives in abundance despite the light of the twin sun barely penetrating its dense canopy. A labyrinth of thick foliage littered with horrifying beasts stalked its grounds. At the same time, its underbrush was riddled with massive carnivorous fauna, ready to devour those fools hardy enough to track this place. The Carnage Jungle was home to legends of ancient treasure capable of turning meager men into kings. Though many have entered its brush in the hope of such prosperity, very few have ever lived to speak of it, and those that did leave with hands empty of riches and minds full of nightmares.

The ambient noises were a series of growls, rustling of leaves, and screeches that only made the voyage all the more intimidating. Under cover of night, when the jungle was at its most lethal, would be a mass that appeared like a blur quickly and quite effectively navigating its sinister scene. Shadowfang, with the elegance of a gymnast, soared to the brush of trees and toothed plant life. Despite the ferocity of the land's legend, he traversed it uninhibited by any notions of fear or anxiousness.

"This feeling...."

Performing a series of acrobatic maneuvers, swinging between vines and sliding across the tree branches, he was like a serpent flickering the shadows.

"It's like...my entire body remembers this place...."

He thought as Kuro slithered from under his hood. Now that it was nighttime, he had risen from his slumber. Shadowfang twirled into the air via the momentum from flipping off a tree trunk. His glasses could pull up the best ways to navigate the brush, but he didn't need assistance for reasons still eluded him. It was as if he had traveled these parts a thousand times before. Though his disposition might suggest he was unawares, in truth, his most primal instincts were alive, his blood like fire in his veins. Here...in this place, he felt free, connected. Just being here on the ancestral ground of Zaria, he could understand why Yin returned here to die. Yet his true focus, the lost Shi castle, Dominance, was still quite a ways off.

"It all began here, Kuro...the place that spawned the first of Shinobi kind here on Edo."

When he was younger, he remembers Yin telling him that the original natives learned to wield naten through their bond with the land. The bases for what would later become Ephemeral art were crafted from observation and interaction with nature. Could it have been in this harrowing jungle that they first learned to tap into the world around them? It seemed this place proved true to its legend; just being here raised more questions than answers and a slowly sweltering yearning to discover more.

Two hours went by as the young Shi traversed the thicket of the beautifully chaotic wilderness, and it was no surprise that he caught the eye of those who would see him as their next meal. Blissfully aware of the terror that lay lurking beneath the cover of the brush. The notion that death was around every corner of wood, every twist of vine, was enough to drown even the most sane of mind into a pit of paranoia. If not for the bioluminescence of the plant life and various insects, the forest would be a blanket of shadow, further adding to its menacing presence and swallowing the foolhardy. Beneath the veils of opulent colors were the eyes of a predator. It's step silent as if he trekked upon the air itself. Nary a whisper of its being, as if grafted from the shadow itself. Each flicker of its leer traced the unsuspecting meal's movements, learning to swiftly the way its potential prey navigated so that it could plan the proper response.

It clung loosely to Jao's trail, relying on its incredible sense of smell and night vision to remain on his trail constantly. As he neared the center of the jungle, the shinobi would come across a clearing that differed from the usual ambitious landscape. A giant pond that served as a watering hole for the various species laid in its center. A place of such serenity, it seemed almost divine. Typically, such a place would be overrun by different animals. And yet...all fell silent as if its resident knew to hide.

As the minutes passed, he nearly forgot his objective; just being amongst the fresh foliage brought a sense of joy that he had yet to experience. His journey thus far, the few sights of Edo he could see, only furthered his desire to keep his promise to Yin and Lady Rhea. Greedy corporations only concerned with their advancement would drink the world dry, endlessly consuming it to expand. Zaria remained one of the remaining lands nearly untouched by human hands save for his people, who at one time learned to live in harmony with the jungle. Well, harmony might have been a stretch; at best, he could imagine they knew how to avoid being eaten. He wondered what life was like before the dawn of shinobi and the first conflagrations of war spread across its plans. What it was like to have even the time and peace of mind to foster a bond with the world around them.

"I've only ever separated myself from my clan, leaning on their fear of my power...or my lack of control. I wanted them to see me as a monster; that way, they'd stay away, and I could be less concerned about hurting anyone. ..but that thinking, it only leads to arrogance."

He said to Kuro as they stopped just before stepping onto a plant resembling a regular lily pad. However, noticing the fangs around its brim, Jao avoided stepping on it. He preferred his limbs intact.

"But I'm starting to see...that isolation. It might be the thing that has tweaked me and my clan the most. This is why the other families keep us away from each other, force division...whoever this Shi is that's working for the Owaki defectors...I must know for myself. Why would they rather feed into this ploy than seek out the clan? Heh, perhaps that inquiry might prove hypocritical of me. To achieve greater strength and border clarity, I had to leave my clan behind...but I will return..."

Kuro flicked his tongue at Jao's face.

"Oh, right...we will return."

Then, Jao caught the smell of clean water, a brisk yet cool smell. After traveling for quite some time, he found himself in need of a drink. However, along the currents of wind that carried the scent of the potential oasis was the faint trace of something else...something that alerted Shadowfang enough to place on his radar what he suspected the moment they entered the jungle.

"...Blood..."

He thought to himself. It had been hours since they first entered the brush, yet Jao did find it curious that they had encountered minimal dangers. It was faint but enough to place the hidden threat on his radar. The treachours terrain aside, they hadn't seen many lifeforms, and the few they did happen to catch a glimpse of sooner retreated than confront them. Initially, Shadowfang thought this was because they could sense the danger he posed to them. Beasts tend to have the initial awareness to know what may be prey and what might make a prey of them. However, with this newly risen scent, he began to believe they fled not because of him but because of a more known and menacing danger. Before Jao departed, Baron, Reha's attendant, warned him about a creature native to the Carnage Jungle, a beast that could prove troublesome even for him. He didn't give any specifics as there wasn't much intel on the creature, save that even in the old times, shinobi would rather avoid confrontation than risk the lives needed to kill one. A creature considered more myth than anything but that he should be careful, as the Carnage Jungle had a way of seemingly bringing life to legend.

"We might have company, Kuro...perfect."

He said as he contemplated the best way to handle this beast. It was cunning, that's for sure. To have been able to stake him out for this long so effectively, the many different scents of fresh and old carcasses made it challenging to gather specific details on the smell's origins. His hearing helped little; the creature could mask even its steps and breathing. However, being so close to fresh water, it was much easier for him to disguise the various smells, and with a sense as fine as his, even the carefully hidden machinations of this most welcomed challenge became bare to him. But to let the beast know he knew of it could place him at a disadvantage.

"Let's play a game..."

Just beyond where he was, he could see the expanse of water. Seeing it void of visits only affirmed his suspicions. He made his way to it. Under the veil of his cloak, his hands remained hidden as he began to string together a set of ava. He knelt as if he were drinking water, leaving himself entirely at the mercy of whatever was targeting him.

The beast stalking Jao in the Carnage Jungle peered directly into the top of his head from the canopy above. It climbed up silently with the shadowy stripes that cover its body, disappearing into the murky darkness a good bit away from the edge of the pond. It ruled over its territory with an iron fist and whatever space it occupied became its territory. It perched on a low branch, near the trunk of the tree and well hidden by layers of leaves in the thicket between them, shadowy stripes recoiling as the large, feline creature stood ready to pounce.

But it paused. Its piercing eyes locked on to this interesting looking prey. It drank in the silence around it, basking in the shadows that concealed it. Peering through the forest leaves it waited for its prey to come into contact with the water. He paused, like the pond could have a strange odor, or seeing something beneath the water, anything that seemed off could start its mark on its way and ruin its ambush. The creature clad in shadow waited, its breathing slowed down, eyes dilated. Ready to strike, but still poised. Something gave it pause.

"It's smart...whatever it is."

Jao thought to himself as he realized his attempt to draw whatever lingered around him to strike, but he should have expected more cunning from a creature who lived beside the Shi. This Jungle had earned its reputation, It seemed, just not on the merit of the strength of its inhabitants, but their intellect appeared to play a part in it as well. And though he smelled the scent of blood clearly, it was difficult to detect such a well-hidden target with his senses alone. He imagined that these best, to be able to stand against shinobi, had learned to mask their presence just the same. A crafty devil indeed.

"Fine then...I have other things to worry about."

However, after noticing his initial ploy failed, he used his hidden technique to concentrate heated naten into the palm of his hands, still obstructed from view by the shroud of his cloaked attire. He rose from his knelt position, turning his back to the pond, resolving that it was best for him to continue. He began to walk past the waters; hands firmly gripped onto what lay under his cloak. Guarded, seemingly unassuming, he made his way back into the brush. Perhaps placing himself in closed quarters would assure the beast of its victory and, hopefully, provoke its folly.

The creature’s eyes dilated as its prey turned its back. It’s formidable legs bulged with the tension they gripped into the tree. A lightning Fast shudder ran through its body before it launched off the tree into a open clawed pounce at the moment most vulnerable. It’s prey grew closer and closer in a split second, its terrible maw dripping, craving the satisfying crunchy of its kill, the moment its body goes limp ant it can eat in peace. The shadowy stripes morphed to form ridges coiling around it, keeping it on target and producing a high pitched whine to any other creature within earshot.

"Finally."

Was Jao lone thought as his stalker attacked just as he had hoped. His hands were firmly pressed upon a pair of hilts that hummed with a warm energy that suffused itself into the weapons he held beneath his veil. As the beast neared him with unrelenting speed he channeled nestu through his body, a technique that increased parameters around speed and reflexive ability. Ephermal Art, Sunbear. Prioritizing his legs in this instance, he pivoted off his left leg just narrowly evading the creature who managed to snag his cloak as he jumped back 2 meters. The cloak obscured him for a moment before a pair of twin Wakizashi blades were unveiled. They radiated a purple hue by unsheathing the blade with fearsome speed while endowing them with his aura of nestu, increasing its slicing power. He released a pair of condensed X-shaped heatwaves before sliding on the ground, positioning himself for a follow-up offensive.

"Sinder Style, Black divide."


Jao had never seen such a beast before. A tiger but... its stripes hung from its body, wisping around it like serpents forged from shadows. It must have been a powerful hunter to possess the skill and patience to hide its presence as cunningly as it did. If he didn't know any better he would say this beast might've studied the ninja it fed upon. But could it make a meal out of Jao, before he made a a meal of it?

The Carnage Jungle cat's claws ripped through the cloak without making their mark on the target. The lunging bound let the creature bound off the ground and away from the crossed slashes, into the deeper thicket of the trees. The shadowy stripes draping from its body made the dark canopy its shield, obscuring it from sight save for its piercing yellow eyes primed for vision in the Carnage Jungle's inky darkness. It growled in anticipation, stalking its prey for a second strike from the shadows. In a few moments, the beast circumnavigated its prey, gripped the trunk of its second vantage point, and launched off it with a more determined force, gnashing its saber teeth fervently. Its takeoff branch shattered in its wake sending the shards everywhere and the tiger straight toward its prey again.

The creature possessed uncanny speed able to narrowly avoid Jao's attack and take back to the shadowed brush. It was impressive, to witness a creature capable of avoiding a strike by him. True to its nature Jao was sure it hadn't let him out of its sights just yet and was more than likely preparing for another strike, as if it had merely been testing his reaction speed. Testing the wit of its prey, unfortunately for the creature Jao was a morsel outside of its comprehension and would waste no more time playing tag with the beast. With his cloak no longer on his person his Snake Jar was revealed. A silver and obsidian encrusted jar that wheld his supply of Phidian a metal that when heated properly developed an aqueous form. He weaved a set of av his after sheeting his blades, his hand touching the jar absorbing the conjured heat required. The top of the jar slid open and from it, an amorphous tendril of liquid metal emerged.

"Tag..."

The Carnage Jungle cat's claws ripped through the cloak without making their mark on the target. The lunging bound let the creature bound off the ground and away from the crossed slashes, into the deeper thicket of the trees. The shadowy stripes draping from its body made the dark canopy its shield, obscuring it from sight save for its piercing yellow eyes primed for vision in the Carnage Jungle's inky darkness. It growled in anticipation, stalking its prey for a second strike from the shadows. In a few moments, the beast circumnavigated its prey, gripped the trunk of its second vantage point, and launched off it with a more determined force, gnashing its saber teeth fervently. Its takeoff branch shattered in its wake sending the shards everywhere and the tiger straight toward its prey again.

His ear twitched as the beast mounted its assault. Its speed was even more blinding than before but mid-leap and moving at such a velocity made it more than a prime target for his next technique.

"You're it..."

Just as the creature neared him, its claw so close to his face it would find itself unable to reach him as the molten tendril became a large serpent bearing serrated fangs. Plunging its teeth into the belly of the beast it's scalding heat searing the beast's flesh while. This was his signature technique,

"Sinder Style; Dark Matter..."

With a powerful lung, he tossed the beast towards a neighboring boulder, the blade-like fangs cleaving a large laceration leaving its entrails to spill on the ground.

Its prey's quick response turned the tables on the hungry feline, sinking its searing fangs into the tiger's formidable frame. The shadowy tendrils dripping from its coat recoiled and jittered for a moment, writhing in reflex like any creature's body would with a blazing hot maw ripping into its flesh. A desperate snarl ripped through the shady forest, sending what few avian creatures that remained skyward, their startled flaps and cries breaking the canopy and casting spotty shadows on the survivor. The beast's body went limp and hit the jungle floor, its deep crimson, almost black blood pooling around its defeated, deflating corpse. Unfortunately, hunting this prey in the Carnage Jungle, showed the beast bit off more than it could chew.