[center] [h1]Journey II[/h1] [/center] [hr] The land was stained with dark blotches of crimson, fallen upon the red of plants and ferns, grasses and rocks without care. A trail of corpses followed, never far behind where the blood pooled, and smeared, and sept. [i]Corpses.[/i] Blackened, scarred, ripped and broken. [i]Soulless[/i]. Predator and prey alike shared the same fate, without reason and without remorse. It was a slaughter as Azadine carved a bloody path through the Hooflands, her body completely stained with the crimson liquid of fallen foes. She had hungered once, and ate her fill several times over, but soon enough the Reaper Mother had found herself killing anything that she came across, even if it wasn’t a threat. She was an apex predator, little could be done to stop her. The thrashing of claws, and the biting of teeth did little to harm her hide. Such was the way of things. Azadine enjoyed the hunt, the thrill of a perfect ambush, and the frightened eyes of her prey before they died. She was cruel and senseless, but driven. [i]Driven[/i]. It was this drive that propelled her further and further, through giant forests, and vast plains, towards the mountains north. But little specks at first, growing and growing, larger than even she, and now they loomed upon the horizon. [i]Home.[/i] She arrived before the rock giants at nightfall, wherein her crimson eyes gleamed in the dark, scouring the mountainside for a cave. Something dark and warm, protected from the elements and the biting sunlight. The Reaper felt at ease in then night, blending in effortlessly. It was not long when she came to rocky overhang, jutting out over a massive hole at the bottom of the mountain. She sniffed the air, taking in the scents of rot and decay. [i]Death[/i]. Something had claimed the cave already, but that could change. Silently, she crawled her way into the pitch black, leaving the outside world in the chorus of night life. There was a sudden squeal, silencing that chorus. A scream echoed in response, vibrant and wholly alien. The sounds of a struggle ensued, then followed by a large thump. Soon enough, the quiet gave way to the sounds of night once more, as if nothing had even occurred. Back in the cave, Azadine lorded over a large body. The creature was reptilian in nature, standing on two powerful legs, with a mouth ment for crushing. It stood little chance against her reach and power however, and as quickly as the fight had started, it was over with but a large gash along the creatures torso. It’s shallow breath was ragged and as Azadine sniffed, she knew it did not have long for the world. She had to work quickly. [i]Quickly.[/i] It would be the first Spawn, after all. [hr] Across the sea, in the heart of the Xishan Mountains, there resided another cave. A large hole as the base of the mountain. It sat within the heart of a small valley, snaked by a waterfall that covered the entrance ina torrent of droplets. As one entered the cave, one could see that the walls were grey, riddled with minerals and other base layers of rock. As the darkness took over the senses, and the deeper one traveled in, the warmer the temperature became. Eventually the grey of rock gave way to something not quite right, a spongy substance, that permeated the air with a stench worse than death. Here there was something glowing on the walls, deep crimson pods, littered vertical and criss cross from one another. Within those pods or sacks, were the varying states of animals, changing and growing, becoming amalgamations of their former flesh. Red veins illuminated black skin, as horns sprouted, claws grew, and tails formed. Further in, something fell to the ground with a thud, then another and another, followed by the first screams. Terrible and enlightening all the same. They had come. [i]Children.[/i] [hider=Summarino] We follow the reaper Azadine as she makes her way to the central mountain range in the Hooflands. She finds a cave and then claims it, her spawn will arrive very soon. Across the channel, at the Xishan Mts, Ansara as already established herself and her spawn are just beginning to hatch, with more already growing and changing. [/hider] [hider=Might Expenditure] Orvus; Started With: 5MP & 8FP -3FP For the Reaper Spawns. An Extraordinary, yet unintelligent species. Ended With: 5MP & 5FP Portfolios: 10/10FP Towards Asteroids Unlock > Not Purchased 5/5 Towards [b]Soul[/b] Decay Unlock > Available for Purchase [/hider] [hider=Spawns] Reaper Spawn. Notable abilities - Barely have any soul/basically soulless. Depending upon the manner of creature thrown into the sack/pod, reaper spawn will emerge. Their physical appearances will all be practically the same, just smaller versions of Azadine and Ansara. But they will vary in size and coloration, depending upon the prey. Take for example a T-rex vs a monkey. The t-rex is going to an enormous creature, and will take time to grow. While a monkey is relatively small, it will grow to fit a standard size, but not as large as bigger prey. Hoofland spawn will be far larger, more aggressive, and red in coloration. Dragon Foot spawn will be smaller, aggressive but far more crafty, and coloration that suits the environment. Also adaptable to the Jungle and water systems. The wiki will have more information. [/hider]