ONE
A temple near the West coast of North America
September 3rd
15:21
"Die!"
Lysanna's growl resounded through the dark hallways of the Temple of Trials as she drove the spear through the thorax of the giant ant, the exoskeleton giving way with a short crack. The ant wriggled for a few seconds longer, but stopped as Lysanna placed her bare foot on its body and yanked the spear free. Yellow slime hung from the tip.
"There," she gasped quietly at the lifeless ant. The first two had been dispatched with relative ease, but the third one had managed to get its mandibles around her left leg, hurting her badly even through her leather breeches. And this one had gotten her twice, once tearing at her right ankle, and again, ripping a bloody gash in the same foot. Even now the ragged flesh was swelling, and hurting, badly and blood was oozing from the tears. The first bite had been especially painful, the mandibles wrenching the muscles in her calf. The explosive strength in her legs had suffered as a result, making her an easier target for the overgrown insects.
And the bugs were fast, no doubt about it. Skittering on their six legs, they dodged spear thrusts with remarkable agility while lunging it her bare feet. Still, if the Elder thought a handful of bugs nibbling at her feet would stop her, well... She tore some rags from her shirt and messily bound her wounds, then proceeded through the torch-lit hallways, trying not to put her weight too much on her wounded leg.
As she carefully progressed through the dark corridors, her thoughts wandered to the Elder. Lysanna still didn't know why the Elder had insisted on his test. She had been very vague about the whole thing, saying something about a quest, and sending the 'Chosen One', but that had been all. What quest was she talking about? And was she that Chosen One? Maybe the Elder wasn't sure, and maybe that's why she had sent her to the Temple of Trials... to see if she was, indeed, the Chosen One.
Her thoughts were broken by a click underfoot and a hiss that could only be the sound of a projectile speeding toward her. She threw herself out of the way, but it was too late. There was an explosion of pain in her side, and even though she'd tried to get out of the way, the foot-long stake that struck her managed to make a vicious tear in her side. Thankfully, it was a glancing hit, and the projectile wasn't all that sharp, so the stake spun through the air after striking her. Her maneuver and the force of the stake knocked her off-balance, and she fell to the ground, her weight on one of the tiles sending another stake flying over her.
She rolled over on her back and took a look at the wound. It seemed to be a mere flesh wound, but it was still bleeding pretty severely. Clenching her teeth, she brought her hand to her belt and pulled off a small bag. Hakunin's healing powder... a foul smell wafted up from the bag, but it was supposed to help heal wounds and recover blood and even tissue loss, since it had been imbued with the magic of the shaman ancestors... or something like that. Closing the bag over her mouth and nose, Lysanna inhaled sharply, pulling the powder into her lungs. Immediately, she felt its soothing effects. The cold dulled and the pain lessened, a wave of lightheadedness sweeping through her. She shook the bag empty on the wound in her side, then closed her eyes, her head spinning.
When she opened her eyes (had she slept?) the pain had subsided almost entirely. Might be a good idea to see a doctor after this though, because the healing powder was also known for numbing pain and giving the user the wrong impression about the severity of the injury. The dizziness wasn't gone either though, and she had been told that the warriors of her tribe needed a night's sleep to shake off the effects of the price they paid to the spirits, who borrowed part of the user's mind as they restored the body. Lysanna didn't figure spirits had much to do with it, but that didn't mean the effects were any less real. Her side pounded with pain, but for now it was still bearable. She peered into the gloom and felt her muscles tense. Up ahead, about ten metres away, was a shape as large as a mediumsized dog. It was definitely too large to be another of those pesky ants, plus it had a tail, which was raised over its back, and it held two large pincers out in front of it... a Radscorpion!
It was the first time she had seen on of them in real life, only having heard tales of the hunters. Regular Radscorpions were supposed to be bigger though. This was probably a younger specimen, or one of a lesser variety, since the hunters weren't quick to exaggerate. The scorpions were told to have been much smaller once, but the Gods had made them larger as part of the Great Punishment. Anyway, younger or lesser or whatever, she would have to get past it. Carefully, she inched closer, her palms sweating around the shaft of her spear. These creatures were reputed to have a lethal toxin in the stingers at the end of their tails, and many times traders and explorers had come across a bloated corpse or animal carcass not far from a dead Radscorpion's body. Occasionally, the hunters even brought a wounded comrade with them after a fight with one of the huge bugs, and the wounded man had invariably died afterwards, his cries of pain echoing through the village... she would have to be extremely careful.
The Radscorpion had apparently noticed her: it brought its pincers up and scuttled towards her. Lysanna didn't have time to think and, eyeing the stinger on the creature's tail, she staggered backward, the pain in her legs temporarily forgotten. The thing apparently sensed her fear and clicked its pincers in anticipation, but before it could reach her, Lysanna threw her weight forward, despite screaming protest from her legs and a terribly painful ripping sensation in her side, and launched the spear toward the creature with all her might, her fear increasing her strength. It turned out to be a lucky throw, the spear impaling the Radscorpion, pinning it to the ground. It didn't give up easily however, scraping its plated legs across the ground and click-clacking its pincers together, yellow slime flowing from the cracked carapace. Eventually however, the creature surrendered and lay still, one leg still twitching slightly.
Lysanna lowered herself against the wall, warm blood seeping down her backside. She panted and closed her eyes, knowing how lucky she'd been that her throw had actually struck true. Next time she probably wouldn't be so lucky, and panicking was definitely a surefire way to get killed. Her breathing was still fast and shallow, and she forced herself to slow down. No use berating herself for losing control now. The scorpion was dead, and she wasn't, and that was the most important. She quickly checked her side side was bleeding again, but nowhere near enough to be dangerous. She got up again (every time seemed more painful than the last) and shook the dead scorpion off her spear. A heavy stone door stood before her, blocking her progress.