A Curious Venture (open)

[Nel Quasee]

Nel crept soundlessly through the grasses. The thin blades tickled her thighs. It had been so long since she had last set out on an adventure to stretch stiff muscles; free time grew sparse with impending battle. But she didn’t mind much. Fighting was good fun. Blonde brows waggled excitedly as her eyes honed in on a lone beetle, it scurried up a tall stalk letting its back absorb the heat. Nel hunched as though on the prowl. She extended a foot, slowly stepping over with great caution. Mouth taut with anticipation she rose on her toes, standing upright. As her nose leveled the beetle it flew off, landing on its tip. She shrieked startling backwards as the bug flew off, away from hysterics.

Slapping at her face Nel let out a whistle of relief. She peered over her shoulder, bored. Now what was there to do? There were no wars to be waged, not currently as it stood, there were no games to play or people to watch. She enjoyed observing the humans and those of other races interact with one another; their customs were unfamiliar yet each held a note of similarity. The tips of her fingers prickled and Nel glanced down at the hilt of her sword, sheathed upon a bony hip. She traced its outline, poking it lightly. Nel was alone. With a simple shrug she grasped the hilt and pulled, smiling broadly as the silver glinted in the beams of midafternoon sun. It pulsated, glowing bright. Pivoting on the balls of her feet Nel swung, chopping off the top of the long grass. The dried pieces flittered to the earth. A cackle burst out between her lips. Awkwardly she attempted to twirl the blade within her hand, but the motion was foreign and hurt her wrist.

She pouted lightly. That was no fun. Her thoughts drifted back towards the beetle; its shell was black with a ruby diamond split in half, each wing painted a bloody triangle. It’s marking was simple but unique. She had yet to come upon such a creature. There were various life forms within the grasslands monitored by the Ajurah; the land itself produced little fruit but the game within was more than plentiful. Placing a hand on her hip Nel puckered, blowing a stream of air upwards to ruffle the loose strands of hair hanging before her eyes. Her weapon remained latched within a slender grip.

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[Hydra]

Hydra glided silently over the grasslands of the West. She loved being in her dragon form because it felt natural to her. Hydra had no idea where she was going but she did not care. As a nomad, she loved to travel and being alone in the sky made her even happier. Suddenly, a flash of silver from the ground caught her eye and she dropped a few feet to get a better look. Hydra saw that the silver flash came from a sword held by a stranger that looked human. Irritated by by the possible presence of one of the inferior races, Hydra went into dive with her wings folded close to her body. When she was close enough to pick up the scent of the stranger, she pulled out of the dive and sniffed the air cautiously. Hydra was surprised to find that scent belonged to, not one of the inferior races, but a rajegh. She landed nearby and shifted, rather reluctantly into her humanoid form. Hydra decided to calm down a bit before approaching the stranger.