Adventure Time (Open)

[Gar]

An uncharted island? As if I would miss this, the possibilities are endless here. Gar was brought here by a tip from an old captain he had in the past. He didn't waste time attempting to look around the camps for other people oriented for combat. Maybe I can discover some new species of animal or plant, even rocks. I could call them Gar-nets. That would be cool. Gar contemplated a large rock with a white hue in the middle. If something that amazing existed I would’ve heard of it by now huh? Gar chuckled to himself and crossed the deck to the landing plank. When he reached the sand of the shore he spread his arms and inhaled deeply.

“A new land. A new adventure.” He turned to see the encampment of excited explorers. Tents, quickly made, half-ass shelters, and fish on the campfire. "Looks like you all need some hunters." Gar himself had little experience hunting game, but he was up for the opportunity.

"Hey you! You look capable. Would you like to search the land for the herbs in this book? Trust me I'll pay handsomely." Gar considered the man’s offer as he took hold of the book. Gar read the cover. The healing process. “Alright I’ll help you out. And I’ll tell you what old man, I’ll do it for free, if I could get a few capable friends to help me out.” The old man looked at Gar once again and nodded. The pirate laughed.

Harhar This adventure will be one to remember. No one has been to this island before. Let’s make a name for ourselves and most importantly, let’s have some fun.

[Aeos]

A small group of Nabatan's managed to make their way onto the uncharted isle. Their small group of tents added to the the rest in the make shift colony of Aurnion. Unfortunately for them the trip to the isle was met with a small bit of bad luck. A storm managed to blow them off course which waylaid the crew for an extra week. As a result the small amount of food they had on board spoiled and rendered most of the crew ill. Those of the crew who were in better shape landed on the shores and began to scramble for fresh supplies. Aeos sighed softly as he skimmed through the small flyers announcing different jobs and requests.

"Hmm.. something simple for now. The other guys are out gathering food.. water.." His fingers pulled up some of the requests to read the ones underneath. It was an odd feeling being on an entirely new island. Even while majority of his crew mates were busy throwing up and suffering through fevers he felt good. Perhaps a bit too good. He chalked it up to the fact that it just felt good to be on dry land. His green eyes kept scanning the papers and found a request that seemed simple.

"Ah! A request for herbs. That be something we are familiar with." He made his way over to what he believed to be the right tent. An old man and a young pirate were already there.

"Excuse me sirs, is this the place for the herb gathering request?"

[Gar]

Gar and the old man turned as another man entered asking about a quest for gathering herbs. "Why yes, this is the right place. Looks like you two will be working together in finding these plants. That is okay with you two correct?" Gar looked over the Nabatan. Nothing seems too off about this guy. He turned back to the old man. "That's fine with me. I always enjoy a little company in my travels." Gar reached out his hand toward his new companion. "Hey there. My name's Gar. What's yours?"

With the introduction out of the way, Gar began to leaf through the book. It listed many herbs needed as ingredients for medicine. So these plants can cure like headaches, stomachaches clean cuts and wounds... Thats cool and all but I've never heard of any of these plants before in my life. Gar closed the book and handed it toward Aeos. "Hey, you want to take a look at these herbs? I'm not any good at telling one plant from another. They all just look like green leaves to me. Maybe you'll have better luck."

Gar then made a quick search through his belongings. Water, bread, axe. I would like a map in case we got lost but I guess we can just walk toward the coast until we find our way. Gar was satisfied with his belongings and walked toward the exit of the tent. "Alright, ready to go when you are. Have no fear old man, we'll be back with those plants in no time."

[Aeos]

Aeos quickly glanced between the two men. He had no problems with taking on the job with another person. As a matter in fact it would probably make the job funner.

"Yes that is fine with me as well. Pleasure to meet thee Gar. My name is Aeos." The Nabatan shook the young sailor's hand. With the introductions out of the way the pair of them could focus on gathering the herbs. Aeos was offered the book of herbs and took a quick look. He recognized a few of them and then there were some that were completely new to him. But at least he had enough knowledge of herbs and plant life to pick out the difference between them.

"Worry not Gar. I have plenty of plant picking knowledge. I can tell thee which herb is which." His tone of voice was oddly enthusiastic. He gave a small smile. He made a quick check of his pack to ensure his light belongings were where they were supposed to be. The dragon in human form made a small request to the old man, if he could use some of the herbs to make a tonic for his ailing crew. Aeos was willing to accept that as a form of payment rather then gold. To which the old man nodded. Then he followed Gar out towards the exit.

"First herb in the book is Abscess Root.. that isn't it's real name but.. it be the common one. Tis be used to help with ailments such as fever and cough.. likes to live near water. Mayhaps we can find some near the streams." Aeos spoke as they made their way into the woodlands.

[Gar]

Gar was relieved once Aeos told him that he knew of the herbs in the book. Awesome now we won't be out here looking at different leaves for days. As the two entered the forest Aoes spoke of the first herb in the book, able to cure a couple of ailments. Gar was surprised that one plant could perform so many tasks. "Abscess root huh? I might have to remember that when I catch a cold on the seas. Well, ju.st feel free to let me know if you see it and I'll start gathering." The two ventured deeper into the woods and the ground was beginning to seem damper, possibly with rain water possibly because of a river. Gar however, was not paying attention to this fact. He was preoccupied studying his travelling companion. This guy is a little, different huh? Gar had developed a string of questions to ask the man. After a few moments of silence, Gar decided to speak up in one of the most polite ways he knew how.

"So what's the deal with you man?" Gar blurted out suddenly. " No offense or anything but, you talk kinda strange, and as far as I can tell you don't carry a weapon. Are you some kind of monk or something?" Gar hoped he had not angered his travelling companion in hopes of keeping the mission a lighthearted, happy one. He decided he should lighten the string of questions. " You don't have to answer mate, I'm just a little curious is all." Gar smiled at Aeos to reiterate he meant no offense.

[Aeos]

The deeper into the woods they went the better Aeos felt. He found himself staring and admiring all of the new woods and some familiar plants. This place was nothing like Bern's dense forest which seemed to be perpetually covered in mist. These woods weren't like the ones in Lycia. Lycian woods were full of oak, maple, and the occasional pine. The scent of those woods were earthy and warm. These woods smelled entirely different. They felt different. This both fascinated and excited him. Even now as they were approaching water.. something that is generally familiar to all life.. he could feel it in the air as something entirely new. There was something about this island.. or perhaps it was the combination of him being in a new place, meeting a new person, traversing through an uncharted land, or the fact that he was doing a good deed that would eventually help his shipmates. He just felt really good. Optimistic.. as some might describe it. He was so absorbed in these new sensations that he almost forgot he was traveling with Gar. The sailor was talking to him and Aeos only managed to catch part of the question.

"Hmm? Deal with me? Are working out a contract?" He gave the sailor a blank stare for a moment. No that's not what he meant! There was a slight flush of pink to his cheeks when he realized his error.

"Ah! Sorry I was distracted. Y-You meant about my speech? Yes.. well it be old fashioned. I learned the language oft my kin before I learned the common speech. So I apologize if it sounds off." He took a moment to think about his next answer.

"Monk is not too far oft the mark. I did not spend my life cloistered to a monastery.. I live as a nomad. We live and worship off the land. And that sort of life.. has taught me how to hone my skills in martial arts. My fists and feet be my weapon." He gave a smile and nod back to the young sailor.

"The air of this place has changed. It feels damp and heavy. We must be near fresh water." There was a subtle babble of a brook nearby. After a bit more searching Aeos found it. It was a small little stream of water and it was very close to the ground. Probably about five inches or so across and barely in inch deep. Along it's small banks there were plenty of plants of all different colors and varieties. He scanned the plants for a moment until he found what he was looking for.

"There by that log. See that bushel with the tiny purple flowers and yellow centers. That is Abcess Root. But watch thyself by that fallen log, there be a faint humming noise from it. Possibly from bees. I do not think either of us would like to be stung.. We do not need to grab that specific bundle.. I am sure there will be more if we follow this tiny stream."

[Gar]

Seems like he wasn't paying attention to me. Well I can't blame him, we are in uncharted territory with new sights everywhere. Gar nodded as Aeos described his past and his sensibilities. " You must be pretty good with your fists to travel without a weapon. Personally I'd take an axe over my fists any day." Gar smirked as the approached the small stream. Gar bent down and scooped some water into a cupped hand and held it to his mouth. He drank a large gulp and let out a refreshing sigh. He then unscrewed the top of his water skin and held it to the stream, allowing some of the water to refill the pouch.

As Aeos informed Gar of the abscess root's location he nodded and approached the cluster of flowers carefully. "I'll try my best not to disturb the bees." Gar said as he crept slowly toward the bushel of flowers. Gar removed his axe from his sash. The buzzing was getting louder as Gar got closer to the flowers. Steady... Gar told himself and he gently wrapped his fingers around the stems of the abscess root. With his other hand he carefully cut the base of the flowers, removing the handful of plants. A few bees took to the sky and Gar quickly retreated, almost losing his balance and falling into the stream. Luckily, he caught himself and the bees settled down, crawling back into the log.

Gar smiled. He separated the root into two handfuls and placed one in his satchel, while offering the other to Aeos. " That wasn't too bad. What's next on the list?" Gar looked over the stream and figured it would be a good idea to find the source of the fresh water. They were explorers and explorers needed supplies. Perhaps, they could find a lake if they were lucky. " Aeos, would you mind if we searched upstream a little? I'm curious to find the source of this stream. Unfortunately, it may take us away from our herb collecting, but hopefully well be able to complete both tasks at once."

[Aeos]

“Yes well.. to be honest people see you differently when weaponless. Tis be easier to get rides on boats and wagons.. after payment oft course. But thieves often like to follow." Until we beat them up. He kicked away a small pebble that was by his feet.

"Though I wish sometimes I can carry an axe or lance with me. A weapon that be tools. Chopping down logs with thy fists and feet alone is very painful… And impossible.” He scratched his head for a moment. Aeos could technically break wood into smaller pieces using his dragon strength. But actually chopping them into neat little logs, without some sort of sharp tool was difficult even with his draconian strengths. Aeos then watched as Gar gently approached the small brush of Abscess Root. He could hear the buzzing get louder as he approached. Aeos found himself frozen in place with his hands over his mouth. The hands hid a mild yelp in surprise as Gar nearly lost his balance. Gods no! don't anger the bees! Fortunately for both of them Gar managed to get the plant without the air turning into a swarm of bees.

Aeos breathed a sigh of relief when he was handed the plant to put into his pouch.

"That was a close one. Thou had me holding my breath." He spoke as the careful put the herb in his pouch. He took as moment to calm down. Gar suggested an idea, to search upstream to find a larger source of water.

"Mm.. I have no objections. A lake twould be a nice find. As for the next herb.." He flipped open to the next page.

"A plant known as bitter leaf. Good for thy gut... Terrible for thy tongue." He put the book away and started walking up stream with Gar.

"Tell me a bit about thyself Gar. Like where are you from.. And how long has thou been sailing?"

[Gar]

okay, Bitter leaf is next. I'll have to keep an eye out. Gar continued walking upsetream with his new companion. The stream was slowly getting wider and deeper as the two progressed. Aoes decided to ask gar of his past and Gar contemplated how much information he should reveal. This guy seems nice enough. I can tell him who I am. Gar began his tale from the beginning.

"My past huh?, Well, Born in Sacae but my parents moved to the shore before I could know anything about the land. Otherwise I guess I could have been a nomad like yourself." Gar chuckled for a moment, then continued his story. " Anyway, My old man got a ship and became a merchant. When I was thirteen or so he handed it over to his first mate and retired. I stayed on the ship, and the new captain had a... different way of handling business." Gar paid attention to Aoes' reaction to this revelation.

"Yea, so I became a pirate. Yarr!" Gar laughed again." Overall a nice one I'd like to think. From then on I've been living ship to ship, under many different captains, and well..." Gar decided not to continue as he hear sounds coming from the brush. Some small rustles broke his train of thought.

"Hold on... did you hear that? could be danger..." Gar said to Aeos as he drew his axe. He put a finger to his lips to indicate silence as he crept toward the bush which the sound originated. Once he was close to the bush he heard a deafening squeal. Gar fell hard onto his backside and he turned to his companion.

"Did you see that! It must've been twice my size! Let's track it. "

[Aeos]

Aeos walked and listened to Gar talk. He continued to monitor his surroundings as they walked. He lightly tapped into the power of his stone to gain some stronger senses as they marched deeper into the woods. The small stream that they were using as a trail slowly got larger and turned into a river. Off in the distance he could hear the sounds of water running off a cliff which meant they are probably near a waterfall of some kind. It could also be rapids.. I can’t tell from this distance..

“A merchant’s son turned pirate. Ha! Well I have no qualms with that so long as thy axe is not pointed at my throat once we both hit the seas.” He gave a bit of chuckle and a soft smile.

To his left he could hear the slight rustle of the bushes nearby. Aeos stopped. Gar had also picked up on the noise and went to investigate. Aeos quietly tapped into a bit more power and curled his hands into a fist. The tips of his ears gained little scale like markings and his teeth became a bit pointier. The dragon in human guise had no idea what was behind that shrub. It could be harmless or it could be a threat. If it did turn out to be a threat then he would be prepared to fight it.

A loud squeal filled the air. AH! That’s loud! He found himself forced to cover his ears as the boar darted off into the woods. He shook his head in trying to shake the ringing out of his ears. He then helped Gar up off the ground. While the boar wasn’t exactly twice Gar’s size it was still a large boar. A large and very fit boar..

“A boar that size could feed all the camp for night. However we must be smart about it.. tracking the boar is one thing.. catching it is another.” He spoke and started to follow after the creature.

[Gar]

"Harhar! The chase is on!" Gar shouted as he accepted Aeos' assistance in standing. Nice guy, this Aeos. Gar brushed the dirt off his backside and nodded to Aeos. "Agreed, we should make a plan. Maybe try to surround it, corner it or tire it out. For now we should focus on finding where it went." Gar started off in the direction that the boar ran in. At first it was simple to track the beast. In it's panic, the boar tore up the ground and brush in it's path. After a bit, however Gar was starting to lose the trail. He wasn't much of a tracker, but the excitement kept him searching for clues. After a while of scanning the undergrowth in the forest, Gar found a large hoof-print. Ah ha! This way. Gar waved to Aeos as he continued the hunt.

I should probably look for herbs along the way. I don't want to lose sight of my mission now... But that boar was gigantic, biggest one I've ever seen. I'm sure the old man would forgive us if we brought that thing back to town. Gar found himself utterly lost in terms of tracking the boar. He turned to his companion. "Hey umm.. You got any idea where that clever thing got to? I think I lost the trail." Hopefully Aeos was a better tracker than Gar was. If not the trail may have gotten cold and they would have to give up on tracking the boar altogether. Gar sighed, he much preferred hunting giant pigs to gathering boring herbs.

[Aeos]

Aeos chased after the creature deep into the woods. The shore, the settlement of tents, even the request that they had set out to do felt so distant to him. He could feel his body welling up with excitement of the thrill of the hunt. Something about chasing wild game excited him in a manner that he could not fully explain. He could feel his mind slipping deeper into his primal instincts. He needed to be careful not to let his instincts completely take over. The last time that happened he ended up killing a wyvern in his dragon form. When the pair of them came to small fork in the woods. Aeos had to stop. Gar had lost the trail, but not Aeos. He could smell where the creature went.. he could track it's footprints.. he could almost hear it's foot fall amid their own.

He stopped and pressed his hand to his forehead. He was slightly pale and damp with sweat. Calm.. down.. Calm.. down.. He gritted his teeth for a moment and took several deep breaths. But his heart was racing... his blood was pumping.. he wanted to find the boar... slay it... eat it... horde it for himself. Leave the pirate.. take it for yourself.. Aeos shook his head. This wasn't like him.

"I... need. A moment.." He managed to blurt out in between breaths. He tried to get his head back in order. He cut himself off from the power of his stone. Quiet... calm.. focus.. The air felt cold going down his throat. Eventually the heavy breathing stopped and he felt well enough to continue running.

"Hey umm.. You got any idea where that clever thing got to? I think I lost the trail."

He scanned the floor for signs of the animal. And he soon found the footprints he needed and some tufts of fur stuck on the raspy end of some bark.

"This way.." He muttered and followed the prints.

"It.. the way the foot fall be different now.. the creature is getting tired. We will soon have to walk.. and take light steps.. so as.. not to spook it further.. unless thou..be fond oft more running."

[Gar]

Gar was concerned with Aeos' noticeable discomfort, but he figured it was best not to mention it and allowed Aeos to recompose himself. In time Aeos was able to regain the trail and pick up the chase once again. Gar followed behind him, allowing Aeos to focus on the trail. Gar decided to use this time to try and get his bearings. We're probably pretty far northwest of the town. We should try not to get too deep into the forest before returning. Nightfall could be quite dangerous in these uncharted parts. Hell maybe we should turn back and pick up the hunt tomorrow. Just as that thought crossed Gar's mind, he heard Aeos speak once again.

"...the creature is getting tired. We will soon have to walk" Gar nodded to Aeos and crouched low to the ground. He took a few steps off to the right side of the tracks in order to flank the boar once they caught up to it. Moving slowly and methodically, Gar came upon a large bush. On the other side of the shrub was a brown boar with large curved tusks. Now that Gar had a better look at it, he saw it wasn't as big as he had previously thought, but it was still quite the beast.

Gar moved from the bush to the side of the boar opposite Aeos and gave a hand signal for when to attack it. Holding three fingers in the air Gar looked to Aeos. Lowering one finger, leaving two elevated. Gar lowered another finger leaving just the one still raised. Gar readied his axe and lowered the final finger. At this moment he leaped from the shrubs and swung his axe at the boar. A squeal and a twisting mass greeted Gar as he and the boar exchanged blows. the axe dug into the beast's shoulder as it's tusk cut through Gar's pant-leg, bloodying his shin.

"Gah son of a -" Gar shouted and he grasped the open wound on his leg. The Boar was whimpering and backing away from Gar, blood running from a deep wound on it's right shoulder.

[Aeos]

As Gar went ahead and went to the right, Aeos carefully moved over towards the left. His steps were light and careful so as not to startle the boar further. Then he braced himself. He tapped into the power of his stone lightly just enough so that he could preform a bit of a leap. He felt a light pulsating pain in his head as he fought back the urges to fully half shift himself. This was not the time or place to do that. He had to remind himself that they were simply going after a boar.. not a monster. Not a threat. If anything he was a threat to the boar. He steadied his breathing. Gar lifted his hand to signal when to strike.

How to.. go about this.. we are weaponless.. He kept staring at the boar. His eyes changed slightly to that of his dragon self. Gar lept forward and attacked the boar with his axe. This was enough to wound the boar on it's shoulder. The scent of blood filled the air.. He had a bit of a feral grin on his face.. He could parts of his skin start shifting into scales. He nearly lost himself. He bit his lip hard enough to bleed. Enough to snap himself back to reality and leaped towards the boar. The boar had no idea what had hit him. But it now found itself with Aeos on it's back with both arms wrapped around it's neck. In a choke hold. Kill it! The other part of him screamed inside his head. The boar in confusion and panic started to buck wildly in an attempt to knock off the nabatan.

"I do not know what I am doing!" He shouted. What he did know was that he was not about to let the boar escape. He pressed his legs on the side of the boar in order to hang on. Given the choke hold he was doing it was only a matter of time before the boar either died from suffocation or it's random movements lead to a broken neck.

[Gar]

Gar looked up from his bloodied leg to see Aeos mounted on the boar's back. The boar was in such a frenzied state that the man was struggling to hang on, the sight was almost humorous enough to make Gar laugh aloud. Gar was too focused to laugh, however. He regained his axe and approached the boar, attempting to zero in on it's head. Focus now. We don't want to go hacking off your new friend's arm do we? Gar began timing up the motion of the pig's head. Up, down, up, down. Left, right, left. Gar was sure he could strike clean and he raised his axe to deal the killing blow.

The axe fell with remarkable precision and chopped through the boar's skull, bringing it's body to the ground. Gar withdrew the axe and shook off the blood from it's edge, before placing it back at his waist. Gar looked at Aeos and chuckled "Got 'em." Now he had to figure out a way to transport the body.If we had rope, we could tie it to a branch or something and carry it that way.

As Gar looked around, his leg was starting to act up. When he looked back down at it, he realized the damage was worse than he had thought. The would was deep and he hadn't noticed due to his adrenaline. Damn that actually hurts... At least I can still walk. He sat on a log and removed his bandanna to wrap the wound. After he had finished, he ran a hand through his matted hair and sighed. "Say mate, does that book mention any herbs that can prevent infection? I don't wanna catch any strange sicknesses while in this forest."