Adventure Time (Chaznut)

He shouldn't be here.

By all rights, he was trespassing—encroaching on holy grounds without permission from the matriarchs; the elders from the tribe he belonged before his exile. Yet he couldn't stay away, not after news of something crashing near the surrounding area; having been sleeping under a roof of a kind family of farmers in the Spinach Wastes when he heard the odd story.

"A twinklin' star fell frum thuh skies!" The man of the house said to him from the porch of his home, watching vigilantly over the horizon with a trusty shotgun in his hands while his family inside prepared for the day. "Yet it didn' look like inny shootin' star I've ever seen. Seemed like it wuz headed right fer Korin Forest. Watch yoreself out there, sonny. *spit* Strange tahms we're havin'."

He left the family behind with a farewell and thanks for letting him sleep under their roof, soon traversing the achingly familiar lands of Korin Forest, heading deeper and deeper inside as he followed the state of destruction he had seen on the horizon when he flew up high.

He found what seemed like a ship, oval in shape and the source of the destruction around it. There didn't seem to be anyone nearby, but he knew appearances could be deceiving, so he focused as he let his senses expand outward, feeling out the energy around and beyond, even going as far as to take in the scents he could detect with his nose.

In no time at all, he noticed the familiar energy of Rensou, heading in a direction where he faintly recalled was one of the tribes was located. He hissed between clenched teeth, hands clenching into fists as he shifted from foot to foot as he warred with his emotions, but ultimately decided to needed to see what was his reason for being here.

He hoped the teen wasn't trying to start some trouble, as while the tribes weren't extremely hostile to strangers (even with plenty of reasons to give them the high ground), they weren't all that hospitable to strangers either. Plus with how vast the teen's energy seemed to have grown in the span of a few weeks (enough that it made Chaz felt an acidic pit form in his stomach), he knew that none from the tribe could even stop him if he truly wanted to do whatever he wanted.

He paused once he was close to the village, crouching as he laid back to observe what was going on. His sight quickly found Rensou as he approached one of the Matriarchs, his sharp ears barely catching his question as the old woman gave the teen an odd yet suspicious look. "And what purpose do you need to visit The Lookout, young man?" The woman asked firmly yet not entirely hostile.

Chaz was so glad he was a Ghost; someone without a sense of self otherwise his sudden spike of energy from his surprise would've alerted anyone near his location. "What are you doing here, Rensou?" He asked the empty air, unsure of how to proceed without alerting the tribe of his whereabouts and possibly causing a stir.

---

Thread PL: 14,000
Modifiers:
Transformation PL:

Summary:

No Items - KP: 6/6 - MP: 0/6 - HP: 0/250
Traits: Anti-Sense (On) || Restrained Might (on)

WC: 531
TWC: 531

"It's a sacred location for our tribe." The Matriarch said gravelly as she continued to observe the young man before him with a slight squint. "We don't know where it came from, it was there well before my time and the time of my predecessors" Her tone was reverent and heavy as she brought her hands together in prayer for a few short seconds. "We've made sure its location remain secure—protected from anyone that'd dare to defile it." Yet the woman didn't seem like she'd be all too against telling Rensou where the large spire was located, though it was clear she still have some small reservations.

So the reason why Rensou wanted to see such a place was mere curiosity? Chaz hummed thoughtfully as he shifted slightly, one of his legs having to go numb and feeling like a swarm of ants were crawling up his thigh, yet he couldn't help the small yelp that came out of his muzzle at being found so easily by his quarry. How did Rensou saw him? He thought his presence was well and truly hidden, perhaps he heard his muttering from early, or heard him moving about behind the thicket of trees?

Caught red-handed, the large Tigerman slowly stepped out of the grove, ears prickling as the whispering immediately following his reveal. "It's him?" "What's he doing here?" "Death-Seeker..." "So he's still alive?" He refused to show how nervous he was, walking with a steady gait as he nodded at Rensou. "As the high Matriarch said, it's a sacred spire that stood the ages well before our time. Some say it was the home of a God once," he said with severity, giving a small bow to the woman once he was near and receiving a respectful nod in return.

"He's right. So you can see why we're cautious about anyone coming here to ask about it." She said, her stare still centered on Chaznut, who shifted in place as he spotted the glint in her eyes. "But perhaps with an escort, I'll feel a bit calmer about letting you know where it is," she said, voice sly and plotting. It put Chaz's fur on edge because he knew what she was trying to get at, and honestly while some part of him was excited about seeing such a sacred location, the other was apprehensive of what they might find.

"Death-Seeker, will you accompany this child to the sacred spire?" He was right indeed, she was planning on using him instead of one of her brave warriors to see to it that Rensou didn't cause any sort of trouble. Chaznut couldn't really refuse, he had broken taboo by showing his face here after his self-imposed exile and walking upon this forest once more.

And also, another part of him was excited to see what was about this location that made it so special to his people.

"I'll make sure he behaves, High Matriarch." Chaznut intoned with another bow, motioning for Rensou to follow him as he walked out of the tribal grounds, heading back to the woods yet with a clear path in mind.

"You're very lucky," he said once they left the tribe behind. "If you had come two years ago and asked such a thing, I'm pretty sure you'd been chased out with a raging tribe right behind you." He looked over his shoulder, a bushy eyebrow arched as he asked. "Also, is that ship I found yours? You caused quite a bit of a stir when it sailed over a farmhouse."

---

PL: 14,000
Modifiers:
Transformation PL:

Summary:

No Items - KP: 6/6 - MP: 0/6 - HP: 0/250
Traits: Anti-Sense (On) || Restrained Might (on)

WC: 593
TWC: 1124

They've been walking for a while before Rensou began to ask questions, and it was just as well; the teen looked ready to vibrate on the spot with how curious he seemed about him and everything about this forest and its sacred location. "They gave it to me, but I choose it willingly—even knowing what it'd entail taking such a name." He spoke with a deep bass, a growl in each word he spoke as he leads Rensou deeper into the forest.

"The rank of Death-Seeker is a special title among the Korin tribes. It is similar to a Seeker, a Death-Seeker is allowed to leave the Sacred Land, but with much greater consequences." He brushed a thick branch out of his path, but perhaps he miscalculated his strength because instead of merely brushing it aside, the thick bark broken apart with a too-loud crack. He clenched his hand into a fist and continued onward, while also further explaining what a Death-Seeker was.

"A Death-Seeker is one who becomes a Seeker for the sole purpose of killing others, for various reasons that you can probably think of; key of one such reason being to take revenge. In doing so, the Death-Seeker removes themselves from the tribe, any moral restrictions that come with it, and their right to live in Korin Forest, and its Sacred Land."

His voice carried loud and clear, not keen on repeating himself more than once as while it's been years the reason for becoming such a thing was still a bit of a sore wound on his heart. "Becoming a Death-Seeker, as you can probably understand given how most of them reacted when they saw me, is considered the most terrible and secret rite of the Korin tribe." He waved a hand in a circle, thoughts going a mile a minute as he tried to explain it to an outsider so they'd understand better. "The ceremony involves dragging the spirit from one's body, therefore "dying," and releasing it into the care of the Gods."

The punch was what he needed to break the small silence that followed, the Tigerman surprised at the strength behind it since he was almost forced to move sideways, yet remained standing firmly like a wall nonetheless. "That is why I don't have a presence anymore," he said as he nursed his arm in teasing hurtfulness, though it was indeed a little sore after that playful punch. "Ever since the ritual I've become a Ghostwalker, even if you see me powering up right in front of you your senses won't ping a thing."

There was a lull in the conversation for a few moments, and for that Chaz was thankful as it meant he could rest his voice for a while as he thought things over, especially how he was gonna try and break the subject to Rensou without letting too many of his emotions spilling over it. "About two to three years ago, a group of bandits came in through our Sacred Lands in search of treasure; no doubt going for the rumors that there were some to be had deep within the forest. Our tribe wasn't prepared for such a thing, much less when the Proving was going on—a special rite to receive young teenagers into adulthood," he explained quickly so Rensou wouldn't ask, as it is the topic was already grating at Chaz's ears.

"They killed many of our people, among them my family and my mate." He revealed with a too nonchalant air, trying to lock those pesky emotions behind a thick wall of indifference yet his form flickered slightly as a shroud of energy licked across his shoulders before he got himself under control.

The thicket of trees parted slightly as they walked to a clearing, and thanks to the open space provided they could see a giant spire looming over the distance, yet the awe of such a thing was muted for Chaz as he continued to speak. "So you understand now why I'm hunting bandits down, or anyone that goes about hurting the innocent..." he looked over his shoulder at Rensou, his expression neutral yet heavy with that Bitch-Face he normally sported. "And why I reacted the way I did back in the cave."

---

PL: 5,000
Modifiers:
Transformation PL:

Summary:

No Items - KP: 6/6 - MP: 0/6 - HP: 0/250
Traits: Anti-Sense (On) || Restrained Might (on)

WC: 711
TWC: 1835

Chaz couldn't help but chuckle at Rensou's attempt to lighten up the mood, having worked just as intended as a small grin showed on his muzzle. "Quite an adventure indeed, as I've never dared to set foot here before, so it is somewhat exciting for sure." He'll worry about his own dark emotions later on when he was by his lonesome, no need to drag Rensou with his churning thoughts since he wouldn't understand and would most likely just overwhelm him entirely.

Soon they stood upon the spire, the Tigerman craning his head way back to admire its majesty and size as it loomed vastly up into the skies, and even as he squinted against the sunrays he couldn't even see anything that would indicate it had an end. "No one knows for sure, for all we know is an endless spire stretching up into space." He shrugged his mighty shoulders, brushing a hand against the top of his head as he scratched behind his ears for a second. "We might see for ourselves by flying up high, but..." he dithers before continuing in earnest, energy filling his veins as he bounces on the sole of his feet.

"How about we make it interesting for ourselves?" He walks towards the spire and lays a hand against it as he looks back at Rensou with a smirk. "Let's climb this thing the old-fashioned way." That smirk soon changed into a grin as he nodded for Rensou to come closer, to accept his challenge. "A race between the two of us, who can climb the fastest to the top."

---

PL: 14,000
Modifiers:
Transformation PL:

Summary:

No Items - KP: 6/6 - MP: 0/6 - HP: 0/250
Traits: Anti-Sense (On) || Restrained Might (on)

WC: 267
TWC: 2102