The mass of vines moved as the dirt hit it, but did not grab at it nor retreat from it.

The distraction that that exercise provided, however, allowed the tendril working its way through the shadows to quickly loop around the boy's ankle and tug.

In the time that the digging had taken, the bush had cooled a bit on its own, so the branch was warm, but not terribly uncomfortable. If you held it tight against skin, it would redden and maybe peel later, but it wasn't terrible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Narrator

In the time that the digging had taken, the bush had cooled a bit on its own, so the branch was warm, but not terribly uncomfortable. If you held it tight against skin, it would redden and maybe peel later, but it wasn't terrible.

Hmm.... well it looked like the bush wasn't too hot at the moment. Fletcher withdrew his finger from the branch and glanced down at the stone he had unearthed. He turned it over a few times and noticed a jagged edge, something akin to a serrated knife. Or at least something that he would make work like a serrated knife.

He picked up the stone, hesitating for a moment, and then sighed and started sawing away at the base of the branch. "Sorry, Mr. Bush," he muttered an apology. But how else was he to snap it off?

Hmmm. Not grabbing at the clump he'd tossed? So they were either more sentient than he wanted them to be, or they weren't that gr-

O__O!!!

"AREMAAAA!" he shouted, involuntarily. The tug on his ankle was enough pull that foot out from under him, and Raiden went down on one knee; the hand holding the rock hit the ground as he was careful to hold his light source away from the dirt.

Twisting around on the spot, he stared at the tendril for a moment before reaching toward it and attempting to remove it from his ankle. Always careful to hold the branch up.

"Aish! Let go!" he snapped, tugging his leg back as his fingers worked at it.

The bush shook as the rock worked through it, seeds falling off. It broke through, eventually, severing the branch from the bush.

You can move on, if you feel you have enough light. How many seeds did you manage to get?

When you move on, the way before you lit at least a bit by your fireseeds, you see a fork in the cave. To the right, a cacophony of sound echoes off the walls, its source yet unseen. The dischord crescendos and speeds before disappearing from notice. It then begins again. To the left, a partial cave-in and silence. If you linger too near the left, however, a foul smell reaches your nostrils. It is pungent: the kind of smell that sticks in your head.

Choose your way carefully. There is no telling whether you can retrace your steps.


As you tug, the tendril tightens in response, keeping to the shadow. It continues to tug, attempting to drag you toward the plant.

Nooooooooooooo no no no no no.

The thing wasn't letting go. Eyes widening, slight panic choking him, Raiden bent his free leg, pressing his foot against the ground and using it to brace himself. His left hand gave up the anxious attempt at removing the vine and scrabbled at the dirt next to him, trying to find something, anything, for leverage.

What he found was the rock he'd dropped. Sharpened further by his dragging it along the wall, apparently. His palm gashed on it a bit, enough to draw a little blood; grabbing it up, he leaned forward and slammed it down as hard as he could on the part of the tendril just past his foot. Dieeeeeee, evil plant, dieeeeeee.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Narrator

The bush shook as the rock worked through it, seeds falling off. It broke through, eventually, severing the branch from the bush.

You can move on, if you feel you have enough light. How many seeds did you manage to get?

When you move on, the way before you lit at least a bit by your fireseeds, you see a fork in the cave. To the right, a cacophony of sound echoes off the walls, its source yet unseen. The dischord crescendos and speeds before disappearing from notice. It then begins again. To the left, a partial cave-in and silence. If you linger too near the left, however, a foul smell reaches your nostrils. It is pungent: the kind of smell that sticks in your head.

Choose your way carefully. There is no telling whether you can retrace your steps.

Fletcher worked a bit like a cave men with a primeval tool, grunting as he severed through the firebush. He frowned as a few seeds fell to the floor of the cave... but his branch was still glowing bright.

Once he got down to where the branch was just barely hanging onto the main stem of the rest of the bush, Fletcher paused in his cutting. He glanced around him for something to wrap around the branch. If only he hadn't given away his only handkerchief....

Shrugging to himself, he knew what he had to do. He quickly peeled off his worn, threadbare gray cardigan and wrapped it around his hand a few times. He still had a t-shirt on underneath -- hardly appropriate for the wintry weather outside, but at least now he would have a firebush to provide a bit of warmth and light.

His hand now well-protected from any sting of the branch, Fletcher reached out toward it and snapped it off. At last! He grinned to himself and pocketed his stone for later use. Proudly holding his branch up high, the boy started to march onward. Oh yeah, this was plenty of light. There were what, 50? 60? A hundred seeds on that branch? He wasn't about to count them but there were quite a few more than he had originally expected.

The firebush lit his way down the tunnel a few more paces and now Fletcher didn't feel as naked as before. He was still wandless but at least he had some kind of...er... weapon. A source of light, at least.

He paused at the fork in the cave and glanced from the left to the right. The right sounded awful, like all the workings and clanging of a human torture chamber. No thank you.

The left, much quieter even with the cave-in, would be better. Fletcher quickly made up his mind and started in that direction. Right away, however, he almost regretted his decision. The boy who lived without regrets, regretting choosing the left. What was that SMELL?! If not for the smell, the pathway would almost be bearable.

Thinking fast, Fletcher tugged his t-shirt up to cover his nose as a filter. That was... marginally better. He made a face and continued onward, carefully holding the firebush branch out in front.

The sharp edge tore into the vine, nearly severing it, which released the boy, but others from the left side began to work their way out from the massive wriggling pile.

They made their way over slowly, but there's no telling how far their reach.

As you walk, the source of the smell sticks to the bottom of your shoe. Rotten vegetation and the unpleasant excretions of the mimbulus mimbletonia: stinksap. Harmless... unless you are of a weak stomach.

As you proceed further through the tunnel, you find that it’s become packed with several leafy, non-threatening plants. Your surroundings look normal enough, until you come across a fully grown plant enclosed in a soundproof box. As you walk a little closer and get a good look at the plant, you see that the root of it is acting quite strangely. You can see its little mouth opening and closing, and you can tell, although you can’t hear, that it is screaming. Beyond this screaming plant is a solid, transparent barrier that you must pass... but how?

"Yaa! Hands off, you creepy clinger!" At that point, about a million and six swear words started running through Raiden's head. The vine had let go of his ankle, and he scrambled to his feet immediately, but he could see more coming toward him from his left. They... it... he wasn't sure what plant it was exactly.

But his brain kept yelling 'Devil's Snare, you idiot! Devil's fracking SNARE', mostly because that was one of the few plants he knew of that were grabby and not poisonous. Seeing as his hand and ankle weren't oddly tingly from touching it...

The prefect held the branch between himself and the approaching vines, taking a step or two back towards the plant blocking his way. It was a stupid move, but he was panicking a little bit. Plants weren't supposed to be grabby, y'know? And maybe that one was afraid of the light and warmth and would move out of his way or something. If not, he was going to have to run back the way he'd come, swinging the stupid rock at anything that grabbed him.

Why was his light source also his only hope? That just sucked. Half-turning toward the path-blocker, he took a chance and flicked one of the seeds off his branch, watching it fly toward the thing. If nothing blocked it, it would land on the plant. Hopefully.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Narrator

As you walk, the source of the smell sticks to the bottom of your shoe. Rotten vegetation and the unpleasant excretions of the mimbulus mimbletonia: stinksap. Harmless... unless you are of a weak stomach.

As you proceed further through the tunnel, you find that it’s become packed with several leafy, non-threatening plants. Your surroundings look normal enough, until you come across a fully grown plant enclosed in a soundproof box. As you walk a little closer and get a good look at the plant, you see that the root of it is acting quite strangely. You can see its little mouth opening and closing, and you can tell, although you can’t hear, that it is screaming. Beyond this screaming plant is a solid, transparent barrier that you must pass... but how?

Fletcher took slower and more careful steps as he came nearer and nearer to the source of the smell. He lifted his feet as if in slow motion and felt them come down with slick, sticky, and stinky vegetation now coating them. "Grossssss," the boy grumbled to himself. Good thing he was a MAN and had a strong stomach built for this sort of task. It was easier than eating food up off the floor.

He held the firebush branch up higher and hoped it wouldn't catch or start a fire on any of the leafy plants now packing the tunnel. What the hell, man? Who planted giant, green, tropical leaves in the middle of a firebush tunnel?! Fletcher wrinkled his nose, hoping that none of these were all touchy-feely like the venomous tentacula that had gotten a hold of him last year.

Continuing forward, the boy parted the leafy green plants and stopped suddenly, staring at a random (glass?) box placed in the middle of the cave. Ooookaaaaayyyyy. What was up with that? Was the plant moving? And... and was that a little head? A little SCREAMING head?!

Fletcher gasped and took a few more steps toward it. Hey, he had heard of these things! MANDRAKES! Right? The stupid dugbogs that liked to gnaw on your hand also liked to eat them! Fletcher approached the glass and then tap-tapped on it with one of his dirty fingernails.

Was it supposed to do something? He knew fully-grown mandrakes -- like this one -- could be dangerous if you heard their screams.... but since he wasn't hearing anything, he assumed the box was soundproof. All right. Fletcher walked all the way around the box, still staring at it, and then he bumped into something that pushed him back to the box.

Now what was up with that? He turned and looked from the box to the continuing tunnel, then back to the box. Fletcher put out his hand and it stopped, flat, against some invisible barrier.

"Great," he said to himself. He decided to try his other hand, the one with the firebush branch, and waved the branch all around the barrier to see if it could break through.

The pursuing vines ceased their pursuit when the fire seed branch was held in front of the boy. Indeed, they didn't just stop. They retreated, rejoining the mass of wriggling vines.

The one seed landed on a vine, which promptly jerked, knocking the seed to the ground, though no moved into that space. The vines kept their distance from the seed, but retreated no further.

At the tap, the root stopped for a split second before launching into a wail that contorted its face dramatically.

The waving of the branch jostled loose nearly two dozen of the boy's seeds, but there was no effect on the barrier, except for a little shimmer from the light.

Okay. Okay. It was definitely Devil's Snare, or something very close to it. Devil's Snare didn't like heat or warmth or light, which Raiden was holding in his hands. Their retreat gave him a moment to draw a deep breath.

Calm. Stay calm.

Freaking out wouldn't help him in this situation. Raiden remained motionless for a half a minute, pushing himself to center again. Center was calm. Center could do this.

The thing blocking his way... the young man took another step toward it, eyes wary of anything that should try to lash out at him. Ears strained to hear the sounds of vines that could be moving toward him, even over the distant honking.

He held the fiery branch closer to the plant blocking his way. Would it retreat? Or the vines that were blocking either side? He could slip through, maybe, if they moved...

The few steps into the cave were torturous. Her eyes could not adjust - it felt like one had been stripped of an entire sense. She was vulnerable. She didn't like being vulnerable.

Her steps were counted, calculated and hesitant. Hands splayed against one side of the cave she was a few metres in when she was a type of light glowing from further inside the cave. Now with a point to anchor herself to, she walked in the general direction, her ears hypersensitive to everything.

She reached the plant - or so it seemed to be - and stared at it cautiously. It was light. This plant was emitting light. Light that could be precious to her. She frowned a moment. It was hot - or so it looked. If she touched it.. would it burn her?

Curiously, she wondered if it was the seeds or the actual branches that were emitting the light. Were the seeds on fire?

She bent down, ignoring the fact that the heat stung a little, and blew on one of the seeds. Taking the whole bush would be a pain, but just the seeds would be easier to carry.

Would they go out?

The tendrils in front of the branch pulled away leaving a space to walk into the mass of vines, but it wasn't a clear path all the way through. Where the heat failed to radiate, the vines did not move. The space it made was large enough for the Champion to step into.

Perhaps it would continue to part if he pressed forward?

The seeds dimmed briefly as she blew on them, but brightened again, perhaps a small bit dimmer than they had originally been. The heat radiating from the seeds was intense. So near the champion's face... must not be too comfortable.

Owwwwww.

The heat was too hot. She sighed and stepped back. Fine. The seeds weren't going to 'go out'. Well.. that was good. But still left her with her original problem.

Could she use a piece of her jumper to break off a branch? Would it burn the material?

Worth a try. She slipped off the thick woollen thing and used it to wrap around the lower branch and pushed down - it was cooler around the tree without the jumper on - and waited for it to crack.

Would it be too hot even through the material?

When the vines parted a bit, Raiden got a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. The fire seeds weren't putting off enough heat to open up a clear through path... Which left him three options.

Go back and get more fireseeds.

Go back and go down the other path.

Step forward.

The last almost felt like a death sentence. The prefect hovered, unsure. Stepping into the vines... what if they closed in on him and the others refused to part. It would be like a standing grave, and they'd likely wrap around him and crush him to death, as Devil's Snare was wont to do.

This tournament was all about risk. All about taking chances on things you believed would work, and trusting your own judgement enough to make decisions. The fire seeds were still giving off enough heat, and he had the sharp rock in his (now lightly bleeding) left hand...

Deep breath, Kururugi. Deep breath.

He stepped forward, into the space where the vines had parted, holding the fireseeds before him. Please, please move. Please.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Narrator

At the tap, the root stopped for a split second before launching into a wail that contorted its face dramatically.

The waving of the branch jostled loose nearly two dozen of the boy's seeds, but there was no effect on the barrier, except for a little shimmer from the light.

Well that was an epic fail.

Fletcher grunted to himself and crouched down to pick up the seeds he'd dropped. Great. Like twenty seeds were scattered all over the cave floor, and now he would have to try to pick the hot little things up...

Why? Hold up, he thought to himself, why am I picking the seeds up? What's the point? He scuffed them toward the barrier to see if they could burn a hole through it or something.

He looked back toward the baby!plant's box and then back to the barrier, deciding to try to feel all around and see how large it really was. His free hand went up and down, left and right all around the barrier, feeling its solidity.

Perhaps he had to do something with the box? Like.... break it open and maybe the mandrake's cries would break the barrier, like it was a sound barrier?

Fletcher really didn't want to do that. He was tempted to just turn around right now and go down the other tunnel.... because he was running out of options for this one.

At first the heat was noticeable even through the jumper, the material smoking where it brushed the seeds. But, with a little time, the bush cooled again, though the seeds still gave off light.

With a creak and a crack and another creak and still another crack, the branch broke. How many seeds did you manage to get?

When you continue on, the way before you lit at least a bit by your fireseeds, you'll see a fork in the cave. To the right, a cacophony of sound echoes off the walls, its source yet unseen. The dischord crescendos and speeds before disappearing from notice. It then begins again. To the left, a partial cave-in and silence. If you linger too near the left, however, a foul smell reaches your nostrils. It is pungent: the kind of smell that sticks in your head.

Choose your way carefully. There is no telling whether you can retrace your steps.

As you step forward, the vines in front of you part to avoid the heat and light, but once you continue in, the vines behind you will close the gap. The space you have remains the same, but you are now within the plant.

If you take a few more steps, you will notice a change beneath your feet: vines, instead of solid ground, that wriggle and threaten to curl if the light gets too far. If you don't take a few more steps, well, then nothing much has changed, has it?

The scuffed seeds began to dim further as they rubbed against the ground and became covered in dirt. As for the barrier, it remained unchanged as the mandrake continued it's silent wail.

Down the tunnel, however, from where you'd already passed through, a distinct rumbling can be heard. It grows louder and louder before stopping as suddenly as it had started.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Narrator

The scuffed seeds began to dim further as they rubbed against the ground and became covered in dirt. As for the barrier, it remained unchanged as the mandrake continued it's silent wail.

Down the tunnel, however, from where you'd already passed through, a distinct rumbling can be heard. It grows louder and louder before stopping as suddenly as it had started.

As the little fire seeds started to become extinguished, Fletcher sighed deeply and glanced back to the box. He was going to... to do something with that mandrake, yes he was. But first he had to be prepared for it. He held his arm with the cardigan and firebush out straight and ripped a small section of cloth from his cardigan.

That one was so ruined. Off came another little strip of cloth and then, just as Fletcher was about to stuff his makeshift earplugs in his ears..... there was a RUMBLE.

Oh..... no.

OHHHHHH NO.

Fletcher's head turned, as if on a slow, creaky hinge, toward the source of the sudden rumble.

The tunnel. The tunnel. The tunnel through which he had just passed... was now collapsed. There was no other reason that such a noise would have occurred. And just to check, Fletcher quickly darted around the mandrake box and past the few fluffy green plants in his way....

...and he hit a tunnel full of rock. Yep. Well that was that. He might as well surrender now, because he was literally caught between a rock(slide) and a hard place (the invisible barrier).

Fletcher stood there for a moment, gaping as he came to grips with this realization. Trapped. In. A. Cave. Left for dead.

"NOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" the boy cried in true teen angst. He wouldn't die here! He wouldn't! He was too handsome to die!!!!!!!

He turned on his heel and darted back through the plants toward the mandrake box, rushing like a linebacker going for the tackle. He leaned down as he ran and put his shoulder to the box, hitting it hard in the hopes that it would move or break or do something or knock against the barrier. ANYTHING to GET OUT OF HERE.

Miles looked at the bush with a raised eyebrow as he saw the light pulsating around it but didn't really feel as much heat as he thought. Pursing his lip he held one hand just barely over the seeds to see how hot it felt at that distance.

His attention was caught however when he felt a breeze in the otherwise still air of the cave and his eyes turned back to the bush in time to see one of the branches dim though still have enough light to use. Hmmmm. Looking thoughtful he frowned. His hand still held over the branch he blew on it just to make sure it had been the wind that had done it and to see how hot it still was. He could rip off his sleeve and use it to hold the branch if it was too hot...kind of like an oven mit. Gathering his energy he licked one finger and touched the branch part directly and quickly,like he used to check food sometimes to see if it was done, as he blew on the seeds around his arm. Just fast enough to see if it was hot and hopefully not hurt himself as he tried to avoid the bright seeds that he figured would be even hotter. If he could he wanted to rip the branch off but how exactly...his shirt? His belt? The leather of the belt would surely be more resistant to heat wouldn't it?

His fingers worked at his belt and pulled it off of his waist carefully. Curiously he wanted to test his theory first and placed the belt carefully around the branch and his hand gently on the top of it wanting to see if he could feel any heat through hit. If not he'd wrap his belt around it securely like a handle.

She gasped as the smell of burning cotton/polyester filled her nostrils. Her hand clenched around the branch, she ignored the searing, burning pain and tried to remain calm.

She had light.

She was still alive.

She'd done a bit of the first task!

Woohooooo!

Her jubilation quashed her fears and overtook precedence over the pain she could feel in her palm - perhaps because it'd stopped searing.

She moved faster - with light to guide her and reached a fork. Wails or wafting smell? She pulled the sleeve from her jumper and went left, using it to put over her mouth and nose - would it filter the smell?

She would go left. She was left- handed... not like it really made a difference, did it?

So dumb so dumb so dumb so-

The vines in front of him moved as the ones behind him fell back into place, and Raiden's breath caught in his chest. He took another step, then another, taking care of his footing as the vines were suddenly beneath him as well.

Vaguely, he wondered if there was still ground under there. Not that he much cared... he was standing inside a plant that probably very much wanted to keep him there. He kept taking tentative steps forward; his left hand might've trembled slightly at his side. Not a big space, was it... and vines on every which side of him.

Breaaaaaathe.

Just keep moving forward.

No going back now. The champion kept taking small steps forward, hoping that his fireseeds continued to be strong enough to allow it.

As you hit the box, the box budges and slides a bit, but the root doesn't move. There is no bottom to the box!

Your stunt has, however, caused the root's face to contort into what could only be an even more vile scream than before. With the box still over it, however, no sound can be heard.

Having cooled over time, the bush may cause some discomfort, but burns should be avoidable.

The smell of the belt's material warming, however, is noticeable. Some seeds have fallen from the bush because of the belt, and those, on the ground, have cooled to hold, as well.

Can you break off a branch? Or will you just grab the fallen seeds?

As you walk, the source of the smell sticks to the bottom of your shoe. Rotten vegetation and the unpleasant excretions of the mimbulus mimbletonia: stinksap. Harmless... unless you are of a weak stomach.

As you proceed further through the tunnel, you come upon an area that is thick with massive plants in the shape of an umbrella. Walking around these plants would be fairly easy if it weren’t for the fact that all pathways are currently blocked by plants resembling large, thick, black slugs. The plants’ surfaces are covered with protrusions that are shooting out a thick, yellowish-green pus smelling of gasoline. The streams of pus are constant, shooting across the walkway. Your only option is to go forward, though, which means you’ll need to find a way past the dangerous, pus-spewing plants.

The vines continue to part in front of you and close behind you. Part in front of you and close behind you. They continue to do this until they part and... there's a wall. The tendrils near your feet, however, have begun to churn underneath you again as the light is not as strong there.

One is about to encircle your ankle.

Miles smirked to himself as he felt the belt and noticed how hot it was but not burning hot. His nose scrunched up slightly at the leather heating reached his nose. Could be worse things...he could have burnt himself. He had more belts if this ruined this one. His eyes landed on the seeds on the ground and he pursed his lips again.

Should he just reach down and grab those? But how would it illuminate the path before him? Deciding he'd do better with the whole branch he wrapped the belt around it tightly and workedthe branch around a bit before pulling on it hoping it would break off easily and seeds wouldn't wind up everywhere because he didn't really fancy taking off his shirt to carry them if that happened.

Step. Step. Step.

Everything was okay. It was alright. The plant was moving, letting him through, and there had to be another side to it, so surely he'd find that and soon be out of it. It hadn't wrapped around him and attempted to squeeze him to death yet, thanks to the fireseeds, so all was well.

...oh. A wall.

A wall?

WALL?!

WHY WAS THERE A WALL?! Raiden's breath caught in his throat, lungs refusing to draw in another breath. Was... was this... was he trapped now? There was nothing but vines behind him, and a fracking wall in front of him, and all the vines under his feet were starting to move and oh dear god, he was screwed, wasn't he. He'd been slowly losing his calm as he'd moved through the plant, the idea of being seized and held by it overwhelming his thoughts.

"No, no, no, no, no," he murmured frantically, left hand touching the surface of the wall. There had to be a way out, right? There had to be... oh dear lord the vines were trying to get him again!

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

The frightened champion bent his knees a bit as he lifted his foot, trying to get the light/heat source lower while not leaving his head open to getting grabbed. Getting strangled would be worse than getting his ankle wrapped up again. His left hand, rock still clenched against his palm, pressed against the wall.

"Maybe... over?" he breathed, chest rising and falling rapidly; his attempts at calming himself down seemed to be met with futility. Small spaces and devil's snare were two things that didn't go well together. Looking up, he tried to see if there was maybe a top visible to the wall.

Creak. Crack. SNAP. Pulling away from the bush, the end is jagged. Some seeds have fallen off and lay on the ground, glowing. How many are left for you on the branch?

The warmth seeps into the belt, and will certainly be noticeable against your hand.

When you're ready to move in, the way before you lit at least a bit by your fireseeds, you'll see a fork in the cave. To the right, a cacophony of sound echoes off the walls, its source yet unseen. The dischord crescendos and speeds before disappearing from notice. It then begins again. To the left, a partial cave-in and silence. If you linger too near the left, however, a foul smell reaches your nostrils. It is pungent: the kind of smell that sticks in your head.

Choose your way carefully. There is no telling whether you can retrace your steps.

The swirling vines stop almost immediately as you bend down with the fireseeds, and, indeed, part below you as they retreat from the light and heat, leaving an opening into nothingness. It's not a far fall, and you should be ok, but fall you will.

Unless you'd rather grab a vine and stay in the snare?