[SE] good will hunting

I can't control their fear, only my own.

His next step sinks lower than the last, water reaching up to his calf and into his boot with an uncomfortable seeping of cold water into his sock. Zavien sighs down at the muddy depths but doesn't pull his boot from it. "I think I prefer the maze in King's End," he says to Kai, his gaze sweeping suspiciously to the brambles that line their path ahead and behind. "I swear the path keeps changing here." Being the worst at directions, he could be wrong, but his gut never lies and something about the hedges bothers him. 

Sol has refused to walk with them, flying ahead like a quiet sentry to scout the path towards the center, a golden glint in the otherwise overcast sky. When Zavien looks up to him, he tilts his head, trying to ascertain if his companion has spotted the plant he'd described, but he didn't feel any shift along the bond to indicate as much. "Hopefully the Efas herb isn't too much farther." Supposedly, the medicinal plant sits in the center of the Labyrinth, its healing properties guarded by the winding path. They'd agreed that it would make an impressive offering for the Flower Festival later in the season.

Zavien

I will never be too afraid to bleed, giving all of me

Wearing bright red goloshers that go up to his knee like a very practical stripper, Kaisel wades after Zavien through the labyrinth. Despite his rather dry socks, his mouth is turned down into a chebis slug worthy frown. He finds little comfort in nature normally, but this soupy version really isn't earning any stars from him. 1/5 on TripAdvisor after this. "Agreeeed," he groans after Zavien about the King's End labyrinth.

"That one felt like it changed to and would scratch you up, on account of all the roses though." Which still ranks it higher than this one, but is worth noting it's also no picnic in the park. "Can't even leave a trail on the ground here either. It'll just float away." Thankfully they do have the dragon guide, although Sol's distant enough right now, still scouting instead of directing, that they're just blindly meandering.

"I just wanna know what crazy gardener came up with the idea of labyrinths." Even as he says it, he can perfectly picture Mateo doing some shit like this. He shakes his head, batting away a stray branch that leans out for him with hsi chakram. "I mean, I appreciate the challenge, but I'd rather fight something than wander in circles."

Kaisel

I'll be more than just a fable, I'll be written in the stars

I can't control their fear, only my own.

At least the roses are nicer to look at, and his socks don't squelch uncomfortably in his socks - or try to steal his boots. When he lifts his foot, the deep water and mud hold fast to his shoe, earning another glare as Zavien rips his leg from its grasp. "Mhm. This is like its creepy cousin." And without a path back, it would be that much easier for the swampy labyrinth to swallow them whole, leaving no trail for people to find them - or their bodies. 

But Zavien isn't much of a pessimist and he trusts his companion to get them out of this maze. As for who made it, he scans the paths that are more twisted than the thoughts of whoever came up with it. "Someone with a sick sense of humor." He tilts his head, another thought occurring as he adds, "Or something to hide." As long as the person has no plans to retrieve it again later. 

He looks to Kai when the man slashes a stray branch, his own sword held at the ready. "You and me both." Looking closer at the hedges, he shrugs his shoulders, looking ready to take a swing. "We can always start hacking." Whether that forges a new path or just pisses off the sentient plants, it might be better than wandering and waiting to stumble on the right route.

Zavien

I will never be too afraid to bleed, giving all of me

"Or bored," Kaisel adds in after the humor, thinking of how many times he's created obstacle courses for bugs as a way to burn idle time while waiting or when assigned to very boring guard posts or patrols. Perhaps this is just the gods' version of that.

"Not a very good hiding place if you ask me," he reasons as he's forced to fight to retain his own boot. It frees with a wet and sickening pop. "I mean, anyone with a flying shift can just soar right over to the middle, and I'm betting some earth or water users would have a much easier time than we are." They could call their own spirits to their aid if they really wanted, but laziness does not seem worth the cost, although time is a more valuable commodity than it's often given credit for. "Definitely makes it more annoying, I'll give it that." An earned worthiness is maybe the point. To be tested, rather than just strolling to it.

It gives him an idea though. "Not sure we want the long-term consequences of rearranging the sentient shrubbary," he says with a shake of his head, even if he is confident they could handle it. "Do you think this bush has enough strength to hold us? You could hoist me up on your shoulders, and I climb up[/i] to the top of the shrub, and then I can haul you up, and we run along the tops?" A hairbrained scheme maybe, but Kaisel has always preferred to get to the high ground in a situation and after feeling a bit crowded by all the looming greenery, he'd like a reminder that there's a world outside these twists and turns. "We might have to run fast, so it can't catch up to use." It, of course, being the maze, who he's certain won't appreciate being clambered on. This is assuming their fast enough to even make it up there, but Kaisel would ebt they could (note: Kaisel is not an adept gambler).

Kaisel

I'll be more than just a fable, I'll be written in the stars

There is no wind across the open ground, yet a round tangle of dry branches rolls over the hard-packed earth in a few uneven bursts before going still. Another rests half-buried near the path, with several more gathered in a shallow dip as though carried there together. Each is a tightly packed sphere of snapped twigs, hooked stems, and old grass, ordinary enough to be mistaken for debris left after a storm. Beneath the dry outer layer, branches flex and settle with faint wooden clicks. The ground nearby is scored with short, broken tracks, all of them ending amongst the cluster.

When disturbed, the bundles unravel with startling speed. Branch-like limbs whip outward in a grasping net, barbed twigs seeking anything close enough to seize while numbness spreads from every point of contact.

---

You've encountered a Tangleweed (or Tangleweed Variant)

---

Tangleweed Areas Found: Hollowed Grounds, King's End, Hak Etme — Common Appearing like nothing more than an amalgamation of sticks, the Tangleweed is actually an arguably sentient creature. For the most part it appears spherical in nature, keeping its many limbs tightly pulled against itself to form a round shape. It moves as if blown by the wind, suddenly rolling forward on the hard packed earth and then stopping just as suddenly. Having almost no natural predators, these creatures are found in great numbers especially along large, flat areas. It is often impossible to tell if a Tangleweed is dead or alive unless they are touched. If interacted with, the branch-like limbs will lash out and close quickly on whatever they can grasp, at which point a poison is released which causes the skin to numb. Then, quite like other species of carnivorous plants, the Tangleweed slowly begins to digest its prey. Challenge Rating: Easy HP: 30 | To Hit: 2 | Dmg: 14 Movement: Roll 20 ft.; Lurch 10 ft. (limb-propelled); Creep 5 ft. (against wind) SPECIAL SKILLS Lash & Latch: branch-like limbs whip out and close quickly and effectively on anything they can grasp; Numbing Poison: contact venom causes skin to go numb where seized; Slow Digestion: like other carnivorous plants, it digests prey over time once secured; Grip Net: multiple limbs interlace into a living snare that tightens with struggle

TRAITS Stick Camouflage: looks like an ordinary tumble of twigs and branches; Spherical Compact: limbs tuck tight to form a rolling, round body; Wind-Feign Locomotion: advances in sudden windlike rolls, then freezes; Dormant Deception: impossible to tell alive from dead until touched; Field Congregation: commonly accumulates in large, flat areas; Few Predators: little in the wild bothers a tangleweed’s dry, woody mass ACTIONS Sudden Roll: bursts forward in a short, windlike tumble to collide with a target; Limb Lash: snaps out hooked twigs to seize wrists, ankles, or gear; Numbing Seep: exudes the numbing toxin along gripping limbs to deaden sensation and resistance; Enfold & Digest: wraps prey into its core and begins a slow digestive process

I can't control their fear, only my own.

Whether the labyrinth is a good hiding place or not, they're still left with the unfortunate circumstance of having to find the herb within. "Too bad neither of us have wings," he sighs, looking up at Sol with a bit of envy for his easier - and much less muddy - path. 

But maybe Kai's onto something. Koa had been rightfully cautious of sentient plants, and they can't guarantee it won't strangle them to death if they try to cheat the system; but maybe up is still the right answer - wings or not. Taking in the towering walls, he's not sure the hedges are thick enough to withstand their weight. Still, he hums, considering the option amidst the others. "Hmm. It's worth a try."

He shrugs his shoulders and slides his sword into its scabbard to free his hands, clasping them in front as a step up. However, when Kai places his foot, Zavien suddenly jerks, losing his hold as something latches to his leg. "Wha-!" He stumbles away from the tangle of sticks that have moved from where they'd been half-submerged in the water, a strange numbness already starting in his calf.

Zavien

I will never be too afraid to bleed, giving all of me

Worth a try is probably one of Kaisel's top ten sayings for things he likes to hear. Number one, of course, would belong to there being a sale on gummyworms, at least when Flora says it. "That's the spirit!" he crows, one fist thumping down into his other palm, the motion a tad awkward to avoid cutting himself on the blade dangling from its smooth gripping section on a finger. The connection of the idea in his palm makes the blade shiver into motion, swinging like some plant-guillotine.

While it had been a genuine suggestion, he absolutely did not expect Zavien to lean into it, so it's with ample enthusiasm that he turns to get into position, quite certain they need to do it quickly before Zavien changes his mind. Mended as things may be between them now, a past Kaisel tries not to haul up if it can be helped, he expected some healthy skepticism or arguing over who would be hoisting who. It isn't many who go along with his general problem-solving, which involves a lot of trial and error, heavy on the error. He knows they could keep marching, but the world is always a little more fun when you try some shit.

Zavien doesn't withdraw his agreement, Kaisel unaware of the soggy extent to which Zavien has fallen, prolonged dampness a strong motivator, but the labyrinth itself certainly makes a statement. Perhaps he should have whispered the plan.

He's just lifted his wet, red boot from the ground to place it in Zavien's brace, one hand steadying on Zavien's shoulder, the other arced back with the chakram in hand, when suddenly a bundle of sticks snaps at his weapon-hand like a school teacher with a ruler on a warpath. "OW!" Kaisel cries, jerking his hand back suddenly in the same moment the grip beneath his boot staggers away. "Whey!" he wails, his free hand windmilling as he stumbles with a series of splashes back into the flooded trail, catching himself with a wince. A series of red scores color his knuckles, and his fingers wrapped around his weapon begin to tingle, his grip slackening enough that it kersplashes into the gloom of their trek. "O, fuk!" he swears, kneeling down to search for it in his best Velma from Scooby Doo impersonation.

Kaisel

I'll be more than just a fable, I'll be written in the stars

I can't control their fear, only my own.

Perhaps working so long with Koa has left Zavien immune to strange ideas. Add in that hesitancy has never helped him made a better decision, he has his hands out, ready for Kai to take the first climb. Only for the tangles of sticks to lash out at them simultaneously, as if reprimanding them for the stupid attempt. 

They break apart, both crying out at the ambush. Hearing them, Sol's concerned roar echoes through the misty fog, the flap of his wings growing closer when he turns back to help the fumbling accepted. Zavien reaches out to try and steady Kai, but stumbles through the mud, his leg beginning to tingle and spread in a dull numbness that doesn't support his weight. He only barely manages to keep his balance by propping a hand on the hedge. 

"You okay?" he calls out, pushing himself straight up so he can redraw his sword. Kai's vulnerability makes him even more alert, eyes scanning their surroundings for signs of the threats. "Do you see them?" Hopefully they'd seen the end of the sticks' mischief, but Zavien isn't so naive to assume this was over.

Zavien

I will never be too afraid to bleed, giving all of me

"I'm good!" he answers, looking anything but as he does a poor man's attempt at bobbing for apples, known as find your fucking weapon in the murk. He shakes his hand that had been in charge of the chakram, the tingling sensation localized to his fingers where he'd been struck, his other hand seemingly fine as it slides through the silt. "You??" He spares a glance up, especially when Sol's distant roar thunders over, and he's surprised to see Zavien sagging against the hedges.

"Uh, them?" Kaisel glances around, just then finding the hard edge of his chakram with a vicious little greeting. He flattens his palm, grabbing hold of the safe edge and withdrawing it, only faintly nicked in the process. "How many was there? I didn't even see what the hell it was, did you?" Or, he did, but he doesn't really want to say aloud that a plant just kinda kicked both their asses.

"...It was the hedges, right?" He peers with a fresh wariness at them as he rises to his full height, brushing off his weapon and dirtied hand on his pants. "My hand feels funny." He keeps shaking the numb one, as if all it's done is fall asleep and needs to be awoken.

Kaisel

I'll be more than just a fable, I'll be written in the stars

I can't control their fear, only my own.

His initial scans show no signs of their assailants, the path returning to its quiet gloom of stagnant water and mud. Although he doesn't lower his guard, Zavien spares a glance at Kai to reassure him. "I think I'm okay? It got my leg pretty good, but I've got my ring." He raises his hand where the golden band glints there then reaches down to where his calf had been slashed by whatever attacked them. It glows faintly, the skin stitching together and returning most of the sensation to his muscles so that he can stand straighter on the uneven surface. 

"I'm not sure," he says of the culprits, still trying to spot what he thought he'd seen in the single moment of snapping attacks. "There might have been a flash of sticks? Or two? I couldn't tell." Zavien furrows his brow, trying to remember what he'd seen and comparing it to the plants around them. "It could have been the hedges..."

Looking to Kai's hand, concern lines the crease of his eyes. "Do you have healing?" He'll otherwise offer his own methods but doesn't want to push the fragile boundaries of their recently repaired relationship by assuming the man doesn't have it handled.

Zavien

I will never be too afraid to bleed, giving all of me

Frowning at the rather empty pockets of knowledge they've just turned out, pooling together lint and a paperclip, Kaisel focuses on the immediate area as he slowly starts to pull his pack around to open it. His trusty travel backpack, ever in tow when out and about, rustles as he opens the top section and thrusts an arm into its bottomless depths. "Yeah," he calls out, fingers grabbing hold of the little glass bottle just then. [say}"I've got heals." Better for Zavien to keep hold of his own, unsure what else they might face, Kaisel unstoppers the fountain water and tips a gulp back. His hand continues to tingle, but now with the feeling of sensation returning.

Stowing the remaining water back in his bag and swinging it around, Kaisel does his best to then brush himself off. "Well," he sighs. "That doesn't seem like a good omen, let's just continue on the path, like we were." He steps back closer, taking the lead without complaint, before turning a corner in the hedge and jumping back at the sight of the tangleweeds. "Shit!" he calls out, splashing back a bit. "I think it was these fuckers," he grinds out. "Guess we'll have to do some weed whacking." He frisbees his chakram towards the set growing out of the corner.

---

Leviathan Chakram | An unbreakable chakram created from the scale of a leviathan by the Voice. With razor-sharp edges, this discus will always return to the hand of whoever throws it, and will always do so without injuring the hands of the thrower.Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered | Cost: Action

Kaisel

I'll be more than just a fable, I'll be written in the stars

I can't control their fear, only my own.

Although unsurprised, he's relieved when Kai pulls out his bottle of healing water, flexing his own calf to make sure the sensation has returned. "I should probably start carrying some of that myself," he comments. The fact that he doesn't already is a gross oversight on his part, but an easy fix when they get back to Haulani. 

Holding his sword at the ready, Zavien nods to the path ahead, eager to get out of this swampy maze. "Okay. Sol seems to think the Efas Herb isn't much farther" The dragon gives a chirp of confirmation from his place in the sky, already drifting in the direction he'd spotted the plant.

But they don't even make it around the first corner before trouble finds them again. Zavien whips around at the snapping and splashing sounds behind him while Kai attacks ahead, his sword swinging before Sol cries out his warning. The blade slashes through a tumbleweed leaping towards him, the dry wood cracking apart to sizzle in the water with too little resistance to stop the sword from lodging into the hedge. Leaves shrivel away from the heat, an ominous tremble passing through the Labyrinth and sending an unsettling tension coiling in his spine. 

"Uh oh."

Zavien

I will never be too afraid to bleed, giving all of me

His chakram erupts into the tangleweed nestled in the corner of the labyrinth. Sticks and brambles shoot up and fall back down like a gardener's confetti, plopping onto the wet surface of the flooded ground with barely any noise. Behind him, Kaisel picks up on Zavien's similar scuffle, a glance back only offered once his chakram has returned to his hand. As expected, the other man's opponent lies in a similar heap of sticks, looking more like an undone basket than anything that'd just been capable of gnawing on them. A slant finds Kaisel's features, lips parting to offer up something equally crooked and smug as his face is, happy to gloat over any triumph in battle, but the visible shudder of the labyrinth around them is one that promptly wipes all sense of achievement away.

"Uuuuh, how far was that herb again?" Kaisel wonders, voice bordering on concern as he tears his gaze off Zavien and to the path ahead. "We might wanna book it!" He wouldn't want them to have spent all this time getting wet for no reason, but something tells him their casual saunter will no longer cut it. "Show us the way Sol!" Kaisel urges to the dragon as he takes off sprinting down the lane of vibrating plants, grateful the dragon found its way to the center and back to them so it could direct now.

Kaisel

I'll be more than just a fable, I'll be written in the stars

I can't control their fear, only my own.

The air shifts, a rattle sounding in the leaves that could have been a breeze if he'd felt one. Zavien doesn't wait for the next wave, setting his feet into the mud and ripping his sword from where it'd become lodged. The splintering of wood echoes through the splash of his twisting movements, already running to join Kai as Sol hovers above the next path. 

"Not close enough," Zavien calls, his head whipping from side to side as he watches for more sentient plants. He moves as quick as he can through deep waters, his boots sloshing with each step closer to the center of the maze. Without Sol, he'd have been lost, but the dragon sends chirps of encouragement, dipping down to blast fire at the occasional tumbleweed in their path. It doesn't dispel the heavy tension in the air or the tingling at the back of his head, but the maze is silent beyond their loud breaths and louder footsteps. 

Certainly not willing to wait for the next ambush, Zavien keeps the pace, his sword pointing ahead when an opening appears. "There!"

Zavien