Toxic Sands [Quest/Closed]

[Sir Hadrian Ecclesius]

Toxic Sands

The desert was fierce compared to the lush landscape of Hyrule Field. Minimal plantlife could be seen across the flat horizon. Snakes, lizards, insects and small rodents were the major occupants of these sands.

Hadrian had gathered the group late at night so they could travel through the desert while the sun was still down. Even the nights grew hotter than the Hylian days. The winds were quiet and the sands steady. It was a much different experience to Hadrian's first time here: Midday, horrific winds, aggressive monsters, lack of water and heavy armor made that experience one to try and forget.

The old man loaded his crew with water. Water was worth its weight in Gold in the desert and there was no knowing of how long they'd be stuck in the middle of no where until they reached the village. Thankfully, by the time the sun broke over the horizon, the blur of the village came into view. Proper navigation made the trip into the desert relatively unflawed.

At the village, they were greeted warmly. Arkuun soon met with the band, bringing them into a large tent near the center of the village.

"I'm so glad you accepted my request for aid, Hadrian." Arkuun was slightly younger than Hadrian, maybe in her mid thirties.

"Anything for an old friend," He replied with a smile.

"Let me go get you all some fresh water," She said before leaving the tent.

The old man turned to the four others. "All right, we went over the brief already but refreshers wont hurt.

Our target is Vucon, first and foremost. Any other monsters, bandits or opposing force is second priority unless your life is in imminent threat. The chances of us encountering monsters is very high, especially since that area of the desert is a hotspot for them.

Seayn will be the second-in-command for this mission. If I'm taken out of battle, for whatever reason, Seayn will take my place as leader to finish the mission.

The suspected location of Vucon and the nest is far to the West. We will have to make camp out in the desert before we reach the nest. They're giving us a Pack Lizard to carry water and supplies. While we're camped out, at minimum, one person will be awake on watch so we don't get ambushed by anything out there. We'll figure out shifts once were there.

Its going to be dangerous but by the looks of you four, we'll all make it back home to enjoy a nice, cold Ale or whatever tickles your fancy. So, rest up, get rehydrated and meet back at the center of camp in an hour. There's shops, people, and things to learn. If you can, try and gather some more information about this mission. Any questions for me, don't be afraid to ask. Lack of communications can get us all killed so I'm an open book." he nodded them off.

[My next post will be when the group leaves the village so make sure to finish up all your needs in the village in your next post]

[Sharic Village]
*Possible information gathered*
-Vucon's Poison [Toxin that numbs body and deteriorates mental functions.]
-Vucon's Weakpoint [Underbelly, eyes, back of the head]
-Poison antidote [From apothecary. Shopkeeper will give upon request.]
-Vucon/nest possible location. [Cave clusters, cave opening looks like [you fill in the appearance]]
-Protective clothes [Tailor shop. Given upon request. Loose fitting cloths that cover face and skin, tan colored]
-Other known types of serpents and venom [Viper/ Blindness; Rattlesnake/ Muscle failure; Cobra/ Respiratory failure]
*Take one or two and add it to your post if you want to. Purely optional but it will help IC. And it may give your character a bit more to do. You can decide who your character talks to and who give you this info but the facts are unchangeable.*

[Nylan]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width:410px;background-image:url(http://i53.tinypic.com/wl23uo.gif);-webkit-border-radius:150 0 50 0px;-moz-border-radius: 150 0 50 0px;border-left: 5px double #FFF; border-top: 5px double #FFF; border-bottom: 5px solid #FFF; border-right: 5px solid #FFF;] Nylan Fearon you're always hiding behind your so called goddess. so what? you don't think that we can see your face? resurrected back before the final falling...i'll never rest until i can make my own way, i'm not afraid of fading. i stand alone, feeling your sting down inside me. i'm not dying for it. The trip was a rather long and unconventional one that had little will to push her limits. So far, she had been fine, but then again, she had Gerudo blood. The deserts came natural to her. Once they arrived, she stood and listened to Hadrians speech as she sipped from a cantina. Returning it to her side, he nodded them off, and she was the first one off. Turning and walking further into the village, she gritted her teeth with pieces of sand rubbing between them. The Desert came naturally to her, and she already hated it. She visited a few shops, and the only thing she picked up was a most simple and yet useful black mesh cloak and a black mask that covered the nose and mouth. Equipping it, she removed the blade and placed it over the cloak and mask. If her hair wasn’t still visible with the hood up, you probably wouldn’t know if she was male or female. The Cloak was baggy and hid her breast. At least the mesh material would allow for her to stay cool in this desert. The next morning, she would awake and meet Hadrian, and the rest of the crew, at the agreed meeting spot.

made by hannie of OTE

[/font][/center]

[joseph]

The scarf he always wore was currently wrapped around his head, only his eyes being shown through the rose colored cloth. His arms where bare as always, but he had no issue, not with the desert or the sand that shifted around him. It was a good feeling for him, being able to traverse through such an area with a good feeling. The magic he could feel flowing up through the sand into his body allowed him to connect with it, if he needed to use its power at a moments notice.

They made it to their destination, and Joseph listened to what he had to say about the mission he had under taken. It was to be an interesting one, he knew that much. At least now that he knew what he had to do, he figured he'd learn a bit more about the opponent he was going to be hunting down. He knew that he could probably find out a few things from the people in town, and with a small waterskin in hand he went to check out what he figured would be the best place to learn information.

The local shop. Rumors fed into most shopkeepers as they would a barman, it was always an interesting thing. He entered the shop and struck up a conversation with the shopkeeper. Not only was this snake dangerous, it was also a poisonous bugger as well. Perfect, just perfect. Upon asking about a remedy or antidote about it though, and a mention of how many would be in the group, Joseph found himself with a decent amount of antidote.

At least he'd have a way to help out his group in times of need. A good thing, always.

[Ba'ggun]

Woops: I wrote too much. Feel free to skim as much as you like. Just keep in mind the last two bolded phrases.

A female Goron was accompanying the party, likely a welcome addition to the party mostly full of squishy humanoids. When they first met in the Lanayru province, Ba'Ggun had been munching on a chunk of sedimentary she'd packed for the trip. It was light eating, comparable to a granola bar or a bit of flatbread. Not that Ba'Ggun would know much about either of those. She'd had a few of her favorite minerals earlier in the day, as a perfect send off for the coming adventure. When the party had gathered together she tucked away her snacks, and paid attention mostly to their destination.

It was a ragtag sort of group, it seemed. Their leader and his comrade were knights but in addition to that, a Gerudo and some kind of cloaked wizened type were accompanying them. Ba'Ggun, however, did not so much as feel out of place, as the only non-squishy biped. In fact, her short time in Castle Town had yielded a sense of uniqueness she rather prided herself on.

They took off for the borders of the desert, and Ba'Ggun used this time to expend some energy, rolling further ahead than the group, to do any necessary monster scouting, though lately in this area of Lanayru, monsters had been somewhat withdrawn. Still it was an appropriate enough excuse for her to get out and "stretch her legs" as it were. Though, when the sun was setting and they reached the desert, rolling wouldn't be nearly as effective, and rather than send a spray of sand across the group, she decided to hoof it like the rest of them.

She took her time, treating the trek out to the village as a field trip, enjoying the sight of the sun setting across the desert, early on, and tasting the fine grained sand for the first time in her life. There was an indescribable spice to it. Baked in the heat and ground down over centuries. Ba'Ggun took a moment (as she often did) to silently lament over the races who could not experience such a delectable taste.

She'd look around at her travelling companions, unsure of what to think. Who were they, what were their motivations? For Ba'Ggun it was simple enough. She wanted to get out and experience the world. But it would be different for others. Ba'Ggun was an adventurer who had rumbled along her fair share of tumbles. She'd come from the hardened Goron people who had their own trials and tribulations, despite their naturally welcoming nature. It is not always easy to live in the heat of a volcano, and the noble people of Death Mountain were strong because of it. What of them?

Was a Gerudo returning to her homeland, unwelcome? Was a mage seeking secrets of the desert? And these Knights... Did they know what to expect once they arrived in the village. What if all the people had been gobbled up by the mysterious monster? There were too many simple mysteries about these people, and she wondered who they were. But this was an informal military expedition. It wasn't likely anyone here would even try to make friends.

Not that Ba'Ggun minded the peace of mind. She was strong and self-reliant as her Papa, and her Brothers. If someone else dropped the rope, Ba'Ggun could pull twice as hard to make up the slack.

She was quiet in these thoughts until morning when she saw the village on the horizon. Excitable, she couldn't help herself and ran off to the side, and ahead of the group a ways, the sun beginning to warm her stony skin plates. What a miraculous sensation. She felt like she could melt down into a million pieces and mix with the sand. Relaxing.

But instead she dove forward with the rockslide grace only a Goron can produce, and by the time her back had touched the ground, she'd curled up into a ball and rolled off into the distance skimming lightly on the top layer of the packed sand.

Once in the village, there was attention on her. Not overly so, but it was clear only Gerudo and the occasional soldiers arrived out here. Maybe, every now and then, a man seeking the comfort of a Gerudo. But a Goron, and a female at that, it was unlikely, and developed a sort of distraction between her and the people of the village. In half an hour, she'd had a makeshift performance with some of the children of the village, allowing them a generous headstart in a footrace, only to zoom by as they were nearing the finish line. There was laughter and merriment, and the local mothers smiled at her youthful antics.

"Would you like any water?" One woman offered, and Ba'Ggun politely declined. Water, after all, did not agree with her. But instead of make this point clear, she just lifted a string of water skins and made it clear that she was already in possession of plenty (which she was carrying for others in the group).

The Goron was busy doing something very important over the next half hour.

Making friends.

And by the time the others had caught up, she reacquainted herself with the Knight in charge, and his Gerudo friend. The following debrief came as a surprise to her. This, Hadrian, had not seemed like a man of many words, and yet he had plenty of them to spill, it seemed. Much information. Ba'Ggun nodded deeply and waited for the others to leave the tent before she planted a reassuring hand on the Knight's shoulder. She said nothing. Not because she was at a lack of wanting, but because of a lack of words. What would you say when you were told everything you needed to know, anyway?

Ba'Ggun went back amongst the villagers, and entertained some children for a while longer, who seemed mesmerized by her appetite for rocks and sand. Things that they could never enjoy, she gulped down happily, and she indulged their curiosity, showing them that she'd not hidden a speck, and had indeed imbibed the life-giving sand.

So when she finally worked her way over to a quiet tavern, she sat down among the women and was welcomed. She had uproarious stories for them, of home at Death Mountain, and her time at Castle Town, decrying the advances of patronizing folk, making jokes at the expense of every culture imaginable, especially her own. When she wasn't conversing seriously with a woman who was teaching her to fold cloth, she was solemnly agreeing with a matron about the minds of men, or she had a small group of ladies in stitches.

Finally, by the time evening rolled around, she had settled into her corner at the tavern, with an attentive group of new friends, and told them the story of her quest. Her search for a giant snake. "The Vucon..." An elderly maid mumbled over the hushed group, and a few furtive glances were cast. "You're searching for a dangerous beast." Was the general consensus amongst them.

"Aye." She spoke at first. "But I've come with a group intent on slaying the serpent. And if that's our intent-" She gently tapped the youngest of the girls assembled, a teenager, on the nose. "Then that's what we'll do."

They set about consulting amongst eachother, and by the time Ba'Ggun set foot outside the Tavern, she'd learned two new things.

"Look out for the cave of the Spider's Eyes, that casts black gaze across the sands.", for one.

"Cut the nape of his crown, slice the bulge of his belly, gouge the jewels of his eyes. He'll fall like a right tyrant of the Desert.", for two.

[Seayn]

Seayn had considered leaving his armor off until they had actually left to chase down Vucon, yet it had seemed like a silly plan to take off his armor when the snakes had been attacking rather often here. He wasn't quite prepared for the fury of the desert, feeling the heat beat down upon him. He found it quite difficult to tromp across the sands, feeling his footing shift the moment that his feet touched the ground. He had three water skins hanging at his waist, at the insistence of Sir Hadrian, he had made sure to bring enough water. Seayn was rather in awe of the hylian, it wasn't every day that you got to help a Hylian Knight. There appeared to be two more humans in the ground, one a rather... interesting looking female while the other was some kind of man wearing a trench coat and a vine, strange fashion statement. Then there was the female goron that kept zipping around, rolling in her ball form. It was hard to catch a good glimpse of her.

Seayn nodded as Hadrian spoke, listening intently to the elder knight. It seemed unwise to ignore the leader of this adventure and he knew that this older man surely had experience that the young human was lacking. It seemed like a rather odd choice to pick him as second in command but he was determined not to let this "Vucon" do any more harm if he could manage to prevent it. The young human turned after the Hylian Knight was done speaking, determined to learn a few things in the village. He wasn't particularly good at social interaction but a few straightforward questions seemed to get him somewhere. There were a few different kinds of snakes that were out here. Some of them caused blindness, while ones with rattle-like tails caused muscle failure, and the ones with strange hood-like necks caused difficulty breathing.

Seayn went about, bought some food and drink, devoured it quickly and headed back towards the original spot. He knew that this was going to be a difficult thing to do, so he wanted to be as ready as possible. He ran a hand through his hair as he arrived quite a bit before the designated time. The young man took a seat, leaning backwards with his hands planted on the ground to keep him in an upright sitting position.

[Sir Hadrian Ecclesius]

The lack of questions was somewhat reassuring. They knew what they were getting into and what they needed to do, Hadrian liked that. He didn't underestimate the skills of these people; he wouldn't have carried on with the mission if he didn't think the crew was going to succeed. Indeed, it was a rag tag group but together, they'd make easy work of these monsters.

Hadrian stayed in the tent as the rest left. The Goron put her hand on the old knight's shoulders. He smiled warmly. "We leave soon, make sure you're ready," he said kindly. As she left, Hadrian moved to the back of the tent. Out of his bag, he pulled out a long, curved object, Vucon's Fang. It was easily two feet long, with a hollow point extending through the inside of the fang, where the poison flowed out.

During his first encounter with Vucon, he lost three men to the serpent. He'd lose none this time. He'd made sure Vucon stayed dead. He stared at the fang, red stains, serrated down the length. He put the fang back in the bag, turned and left the tent.

He gathered water in pouches and canteens and loaded it onto the mount. After getting some clothing to protect him from the harsh, whipping sands, he awaited at the designated location for the others. Before they left, Hadrian had them share any information they gained with the others so everyone knew what to look for.

***

It was a few hours into the sands before they even saw any sort of activity. Skiddish creatures dashed across the sand and into holes in the ground. Sweat gathered on Hadrian's brow as they ventured further. The sun only got more harsh as the day went on. They still hadn't got into any conflicts by the time night set in. It was cooling off quickly, supplying the team with some reprieve.

"We'll set up camp here," he said. "Sweep and clear the area, make sure you aren't sleeping on a scorpion or anything. Ba'ggun, take the first watch. If you see anything that you can't take care of, make sure to get everyone up. After you, I'll take the next shift so get me up in a few hours." Hadrian said as he started making some bedding. "No tents, no fires. They'll only attract attention. Its a full moon so the light should be more than enough."

He laid down on his back, his sword and staff next to him. He closed his eyes hoping to get a little bit of rest. "We'll continue on early in the morning."

[Nylan]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width:410px;background-image:url(http://i53.tinypic.com/wl23uo.gif);-webkit-border-radius:150 0 50 0px;-moz-border-radius: 150 0 50 0px;border-left: 5px double #FFF; border-top: 5px double #FFF; border-bottom: 5px solid #FFF; border-right: 5px solid #FFF;] Nylan Fearon you're always hiding behind your so called goddess. so what? you don't think that we can see your face? resurrected back before the final falling...i'll never rest until i can make my own way, i'm not afraid of fading. i stand alone, feeling your sting down inside me. i'm not dying for it. The whole time she had said only a few words; she had kept mostly quiet and to herself. These were men, and amongst them was her, a half-gerudo half-human warrior. There was another female however; sadly neither of them had conversed. Nylan, as stated, kept to herself. Long journeys through the hot, scorching desert left room for irritability, and conflict was not an option on this mission. As night fell and camp was situated, Nylan knew they were getting into dangerous territory. As everyone prepared for bed, aside from those on watch duty, Nylan began running possibilities through her head of how they could be ambushed, and where there weaknesses were. Now that the danger was closer, it would be best to have a formation of sorts. Nylan was a heavy hitter, and her blade could demolish and cut straight through iron under circumstances. Drinking a small bit of water, and removing all of her clothing except her bra and shorts, brushed the sand out of her boots and checked her body for bites. Small creatures lived in the desert, dangerous ones. If she had been bitten, she would need time to get back to the village. It was a customary procedure for her. When she finished, she rose and walked over to Hadrian, their squad leader. “We’re in dangerous territory now. Morning comes around, I’ll take rear guard.” Rear Guard was one of the more dangerous, if the not the most dangerous, job in a squad. The Rear Guard was vulnerable to ambushes and all sorts of attacks, and responsible for stopping them and/or alerting the crew before they got hit. She didn’t await an answer. She couldn’t tell if Hadrian or any of these men were staring at her half-dressed body or not. She figured they weren’t, there were bigger things to worry about and focus on, but men always seemed to surprise her. Returning to her small areas, she checks ones last time for bites, and went to sleep. Eventually, her turn to guard would come. She might as well get all the sleep she can.

made by hannie of OTE

[/font][/center]

[joseph]

Joseph followed the group through the hot desert sands, his staff being used as a walking stick as they traversed further from the town toward the lair of the beast that awaited for them. As they wondered through the sands, Joseph kept his face covered by his scarf, enjoying the feeling of the sand beneath his feet. The desert was the place that he knew well enough, feeling relaxed here somewhat.

As the sun slowly started to set and the desert itself was beginning to cool down and darken, Joseph removed his scarf from his face and breathed a bit easier. He felt a bit better due to the cooler air began to swirl around them, but as he walked near the back of the group he began to wonder how far this snake beast was willing to go to get its prey.

However, the group soon agreed to stop for the night and Joseph sat down on a section of sand away from the other groups. With a sigh, he closed his eyes, meditating, hoping that the half gerudo woman wouldn't bother him. He wasn't too happy that she was too close to him, but she didn't seem to want to cause any issues.

[Ba'ggun]

Ba'Ggun began to feel the seriousness of the situation when they regrouped in the morning. There was an air that simply couldn't be ignored among the travelling companions, and it had an unfamiliar feeling that Ba'Ggun couldn't quite place. Perhaps some sort of unease, though Ba'Ggun wasn't naturally acclimated to shaken nerves. Simply put, she wasn't fond of the feeling.

On her feet, she was a little slower than her companions and lagged behind for most of the trek.

Late in the day when they'd made camp, Ba'Ggun was placed at the forefront, the all-important job of First Watch. She bowed to Hadrian and said a few short words to the gathered companions. "Sleep lightly comrades. I'm impatient. If we're attacked while you sleep, I might deal with the threat before you've finished wiping the sleep from your eyes."[/color] A hearty laugh accompanied the jest.

[Some time had passed.]

Ba'Ggun had alternated between patrolling and camping around, goggles over her eyes to make sure her eyes were in pristine condition. She hardly blinked for the whole time that it took place.

Which is what made the attack such a surprise. Five snakes, not like anything Ba'Ggun had seen in the Lanayru province encircled the camp, and she was slow to back away into the center of the camp, keeping her eyes on as many at a time as she could, before she signaled to the group. Three loud handclaps, the sound of rocks being bashed together, her scarf pulled tight around her neck and her goggles on tight. Hopefully they would awake soon. She didn't want to startle the enemy in the event that her sleeping comrades were attacked.

[Seayn]

Seayn had learned quite a few interesting things this day. Vucon, the giant snake, was poisonous. He didn't know much about snakes but from a few circuses he had seen, the bigger ones usually didn't even bother with poison, although this specimen wasn't quite usual. Spider's Eye cave? Sounded like they would have to check a few of them before they found the right place, spiders had bunches of eyes, didn't they? He could only wonder how they knew the weaknesses of the large snake, why hadn't they killed it already if they knew that? Perhaps the Gerudos weren't as efficient warriors as they led everyone to believe, regardless they were here to do it and they would as soon as they found the beast.

Seayn waited as Hadrian spoke, knowing that it was best to listen to the leader carefully. "I'll take the shift after you, sir, if you don't mind." He stayed close to the Hylian Knight for a while, until Nylan walked through the camp in nothing but undergarments. His eyes wide as pointedly avoided looking at what he thought was an indecent woman, he went to make his own bedding. He carefully removed his armor, keeping it next to his bed as he went to sleep. While it was good protection during the day, it was horrible to attempt to sleep in armor especially when it was partially filled with sand. The day had felt like torture in that armor yet when in constant danger it was best to keep it on at reasonable times.

Seayn scrambled to his weapon at the sound of Ba'Ggun's clap. It was obviously a warning for danger and he now wished that he had found a way to wear his armor whilst sleeping. He moved towards the large figure, warily examining the ground since it was more than likely some kind of beast that was attacking since the Gerudos had been so accommodating that it was unlikely they'd attack their camp. "What is it?" He asked, attempting to lose his grogginess in the adrenaline rush that had woken him.

[Sir Hadrian Ecclesius]

Hadrian nodded, approving Seayn's request for the watch after Hadrian's own. This boy seemed determined to prove himself. That was a good sign; Seayn would be hard to break, but that seemed true to all of the crew. In the morning, they'd continue on until they reached the caves.

Not long after the old man laid down, Nylan came to him also offering herself to a specific position for once they set out again. "Very well. I assume you already know the risks that come with it so make sure you're well rested," He peeked one eye open to make eye contact with the female, completely disregarding her lack of attire. In normal circumstances, he'd be far more charming to a woman that beautiful but his mind was rightly preoccupied with the mission at hand.

The silence of night fell upon them for quite a while until the loud cracks of stone on stone emanated through the camp. Hadrian was up almost instantly. He was disciplined, always sleeping with one eye open. His staff was in his hand before he even stood all the way up. The sound of rustling sand all around camp made him uneasy. "Quick, what did you see?" But before the Goron could reply, Hadrian caught a glance at the snakes.

He rushed to the outer perimeter of the camp as the rest of the team did as well. Three of the snakes burrowed into the sand. The remaining two lashed out; one at Ba'Ggun, the other at Nylan. Hadrian immediately conjured a ball of light at the tip of his staff and stuck it into the ground, illuminating the immediate area. He clenched both gauntlet hands, switching his fighting to a hand-to-hand style. A staff versus a serpent isn't too effective.

The two visible snakes were Cobras.

Cobra I:


Cobra II:


Unknown Serpent x3

[The health bars are just for reference, we're not using LS style]

[joseph]

Joseph was getting to his feet before the claps came from the goron woman, already sensing the trouble in the sand around them during his meditation. However, the loud claps that shook the silence stunned him for a moment, causing him to stumble a bit a blink several times. It sounded as if thunder was having a game of patty-cake no more then a few feet away from him.

Soon after he recovered though, he moved closer to the group, though not to much closer to the women and a little closer to the old man, who seemed to know what he was doing. The light from the staff was at Joseph's back, though he didn't need to see too much in front of him, holding his staff at the ready in front of him. While the old man didn't take much faith in his staff as a good weapon against snakes, Joseph trusted his with his life.

He couldn't see the snakes, but as he got ready to control the sand to his will, he'd be able to feel them if the decided to get a little too close to the mage.

[Ba'ggun]

Ba'Ggun grimaced as Hadrian jumped into action. He was a seasoned warrior, and she, a cautious combatant. When ambushed, by animals especially, she would have preferred a tender approach to defeating the animals. But that is where their styles diverged and he was immediately waving his staff at a snake, causing them to scatter. At least it would be interesting. If Ba'Ggun had enough time to think, this is what she would have thought.

But a series of events took place surrounding this. Joseph, who was especially sensitive to the sound of her clattering clapping, stumbled, Seayn approached from behind, and Ba'Ggun bellowed. "Snakes. Five of them."[/color] And those were the only words she could speak as a snake lunged for her, and in turn she lunged for it, aiming to grab it around its.... Neck? The spot behind the head, so hopefully it would have a harder time biting her.

Meanwhile, the palms of her hand grew spiky and sharp. If she could get a grip, the snake would find itself in a most unpleasant situation... Only to be thrown in a relatively straight path at Joseph, a line between Hadrian, Seayn, and over Nylan.

[Seayn]

Seayn growled as he looked at the two snakes. They both had those flaps right behind their head that marked them as... cobras, right? If he remembered correctly, those led to difficulty breathing. It would probably be best not to be bit by one of those things. He had his sword at the ready but he'd always heard that snakes were incredibly fast, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to stop them. Everyone seemed up and ready to deal with these things, which was good. It was always best when everyone was alert and ready to move out of the way or attack at opportune moment. This wasn't that big of a threat... except the goron had said that there were five snakes. That left three unaccounted for. The young man felt rather unsure of what was going to happen when they unexpectedly popped up, so he kept an eye out for them.

Seayn reacted when the two snakes lashed out, attacking Ba'Ggun and Nylan. The goron reacted more quickly than he did but that didn't stop him from throwing himself between the female gerudo and the aggressive snake. He brought his sword whipping around, hoping to slap the cobra off to the side, whipping Excalipur along with his dash, hoping to use his momentum and strength to disorient the attacking reptile.

[Ba'ggun]

[OOC: Nylan just told me to tell you, Mr. Hadrian; she can no longer actively participate, and feels she will only hold the RP back.]

[Sir Hadrian Ecclesius]

Seayn, miraculously counter attacked at just the right moment. The blade of his sword swept the snake right past the jack, severing its head from its body. As the headless snake hit the ground, its muscles contracted violently and it thrashed about on the ground for a moment before becoming completely still. The other, that Ba'ggan grabbed by the neck, impaled by spikes also began to thrash around, even after being thrown. It continued to do so in the sand, staining the grains a deep red.

The other three were still no where to be seen. Seayn hit the ground after lunging in the flight path of the serpent and just as he touched the sand, a viper shot from the sand, fangs bearing with venom dripping from them. It lashed out at Seayn's face while the last two came up out of the sand behind Joseph and Hadrian. Quietly they slithered closer, making no noise at all, ready to attack.

[Seayn]

That had gone better than planned. Not only keeping the deadly snake away from Nylan but he had managed to kill it as well. Hopefully things would go this well for killing Vucon as well. The young man didn't have time to gloat in his victory though. his attack had brought him to the ground, not having been able to keep his footing when he had thrown himself between the danger and the young woman. "And who said chivalry was dead." Seayn muttered to himself as he struggled to stand with the shifting sands. Unfortunately the snakes had already decided to attack. One with a diamond-shaped head and eyes with slits. It was going to be very painful if this snake managed to latch on to his face.

Seayn attempted to bring his shield up and around but at the same time expanded it. This would cause the nearly indestructible shield to push down in the sand, hopefully either keeping the snake away from his face, cutting through it, or shoving it back beneath the sand.

[joseph]

Joseph could hear the chaos behind him, but he had faith in the fighters behind him, not bothering to look back as he felt the sands all around him, his magic flowing from him to the sand and back. That was why he was able to feel the last two snakes as they moved toward him and toward the older gentleman who had hired them. "Two snakes... just in range... lets see how they like to have the desert bite them first." He said softly, his magic building up as he figured how he wanted his spell to go.

"Sand Magic: Manipulation." Joseph said softly as he caused twenty sharp spikes of sand to rise up from the ground, ten beneath the snake aiming for him and ten beneath the snake heading toward the old man. The spikes rose up to impale the two slithering creatures without any issue. "Die."

[Ba'ggun]

Ba'Ggun glanced around unable to determine an enemy she could sink her metaphorical teeth into.

[Sir Hadrian Ecclesius]

The two remaining snakes died, killed with ease. And the sands were silent from then on. "Good work. Is anyone injured?" Hadrian asked. Everyone seemed to be fine, physically. "Alright, I'll take watch now. You three get some sleep." the old man said.

The rest of the night was calm, no more disturbances. The sun rose and the group was on their way again.

Hadrian was at the front of the pack, leading them in the correct direction. "So, where are you all from?" he asked.

[Character Development time . This is a chance for our characters to get to know one another while nothing else is going on but walking. Posts can be short with the majority of it being verbal communication and what not, if your character is one that would share these kinds of things.]