The jungles of Jahaur were oddly quiet in this particular area, there was none of the usual chittering of insects or birds and even the breeze was oddly still giving a heaviness to the air. The soft blue glow of the various fungi and crystals growing throughout the deeper forest floor cast long shadows that stretched on despite the absence of light from above. It was here that Verosh hunted the menzuri, the deadly crystal creatures that were less prey and more predator. So Verosh knew that he had to move carefully, especially since he was in their familiar territory. This was their advantage point with how the twisting trees easily hid their forms and the shifting darkness concealed any webbing that could easily ensnare a traveler. While most opted to avoid these dangerous creatures whose toxins could cause fever and hallucinations, Verosh sought them for those very reasons. His father needed the toxins to concoct a rare healing remedy for a patient who had suffered an unforgiving wound and would need to lose a limb as a result. It also helped that Verosh had encountered a local village that was being bothered by the nests of menzuri, their webs starting to creep closer and closer to the main roads that connected the village to the outside world. Adults had plenty of risks dealing with the menzuri, their lives on the line if anyone was reckless enough to wander into the nests swarming with the creatures, and it was even more worrisome to imagine a youngling getting snatched for a meal. There was also the issue of travel being blocked if the roads became impassable and the villagers feared that the menzuri would deter any travelers or merchants that they relied upon for supplies from larger settlements like Neued.

Such dangers made it very easy for the Shifters to ask the Aishan warrior for his aid, even offering to trade some of their crafted items and supplies as a reward for his success in clearing the area of the menzuri. So Verosh had quickly agreed to their request since he also needed the menzuri for his own purpose. It was far easier to clear out a menzuri from bothering a small village like this one than simply tracking down some in the deeper jungles. And so after spending a night at one of the shifter’s homes (the village was truly so small that they had a simple guest house and not really any tavern or the like) Verosh gathered his weapons and went into the deeper jungle near the village the next morning. He was thankful for the rest after traveling for the last few days, his father’s list including far more than just the menzuri toxin, and now as Verosh strode forward he found himself more alert than he had been the past few days. It was necessary considering the dense area of jungle he found himself in, the heavy atmosphere making his body tense as he caught sight of gleaming threads in the faint light cast by the glowing crystals. Thankful that Aisha had not only given him a wonderful companion, but also someone who was an amazing blacksmith Verosh relied upon his new spear that he had coated in a steaming poultice to cut the way through the webs. If he destroyed the home of the menzuri then he hoped it would deter any from returning while he would also cut down those that he could find here in this mess. It was far too close to the village, having only taken him less than half an hour to travel down the road to find the origins of the expanding nest, and Verosh could easily understand how this situation could destroy the village if they did not take care of the dangerous beasts. What he had not been expecting was how large the menzuri was and even Verosh had to fight with his all to push the creature back once it came out of hiding. Was this a great mother or something? Verosh swore before darting to the side again, a hiss of pain leaving his lips as a crystalized leg stabbed at him before the creature let out a loud chatter and scurried away again. He was thankfully good at dodging the webbing and the poultice on his spearhead could continue cutting through any of the thick funnel like material that tried to cling to him, the menzuri spitting that and toxin his way as well as he continued fighting back. Stab, dart, hide, go forward again to stab once more… The fight went on for a long time until Verosh finally got his blade wedged into the weak part of the beast’s crystal body, forcing it down into a pit full of sharp clusters of crystals that added in the process of cutting it apart. Thankful for nature’s help Verosh offered a prayer to Aisha before finally finishing the job, his body nearly collapsing as he dragged the menzuri from the nest and cut away the remaining webbing from the nearby trees. If there were more he prayed that the loss of the bigger menzuri, surely the biggest he had ever encountered, would send them further into the jungle rather than closer to the village.

Maybe just maybe this time he would actually take up an offer of reward and spend another night to recover before venturing back towards home with his prize.

[900]