Welcome to Gaia! ::

*Hours indeed. Its was almost 4.30am before they all left. The man who had said he'd call Frion was last to leave, locking everything up before he went, leaving a guard outside the lab as he yawned and left.

The specimen, if Reign descended to see it, was locked very securely in a cage that was part of a line of the same. A - J was labelled over each, the creature sitting in 'F', with the others empty. If disturbed, it would reveal what it actually was. Not a chimera... its roaring would draw the guard outside inside should that happen.

If the man was followed, he would be seen meeting with a man in the carpark, dressed all in black. He would report that he had spoken to Frion about the break in, didnt have a clue as to who, and couldnt do more till morning and would happily speak to anyone who needed more from him.
The man in black would nod and vanish behind several more cars, failing to emerge on the far side of the third. Then the scientist would go home to bed in a nearby town*

The amazon. Iden hadn't known quite what to expect when he reached the amazon. All at once, the change in environ met him. The warmth was pressing, smothering compared to the norm of Gaia. That, the humidity, the bugs and sounds of life...it was a whole different world. And here Iden was, standing at the edge of the river, waiting for it. All he had on him apart from his clothing was a ROMAN with a little ammo spare...

...it would be an interesting venture. He wished he'd remembered a machete.

Not even an hour in, Iden was beginning to realize just how ill prepared for the place he was. The rainforest, even at night, was the polar opposite of everything he was. He was a dead man (which was likely the only reason he'd manage to get anywhere, as it seemed), whereas it almost seemed as if this were life incarnate. More importantly, this life was well suited to the near pitch blackness of the forested night. Iden's eyes glowed a piercing red as they cut through the shadows of the deep growth. Even that vision was strained, as with the foliage thick as it was, his range of vision was for the longest time hardly outside of throwing distance. With all manner of insects and other creatures flitting about and investigating the intruder, Iden was glad he was not living. Had he been, the bugs alone would have overwhelmed him, compared to what he was used to back home.

Worst of all, though, was the creeping sensation. No matter where he was, after the darkness swallowed Iden, he felt as if something was dogging his steps. There was a presence that made the skin between his shoulder blades crawl, as if he were being scrutinized with every footfall.

The nights dragged on. Iden had known it would not be a single, overnight venture that saw him through this. He'd expected that much, and when the sun threatened to filter through from the dense canopy above, he took to the earth, and slept. The trek was...harsh. Iden's shirt had been a lost cause from the start. It had torn many times over, leaving him to inevitably discard the garment. His pants suffered as well, though he kept them. The rips and tears in the fabric were not so extreme, as they were military surplus; meant to endure fieldwork. This left the young Cainite to become covered in grime and dirt as he slogged through the waters when he thought them safe, and trudged through the thick forests when the waters were not. By now, the wound on his back had attracted several manner of creature. Some large predators followed him, he knew that much. They kept their distance though; while unafraid of man, Iden was not human. The scent of something aberrant to life was not lost on the beasts of the wild. It was almost as if they knew his kind.

Such thoughts were not good to dwell upon. Roan had warned Iden, certainly enough. She had been right; this jungle was maddening. Were he not clinging to the river in his travels, he would have been lost before the end of the first night.

Food, as well, was a challenge. He was an interloper in the wildlife's own habitat. He found that hunting for prey was difficult, when even the largest of creatures could slide into the thick foliage and be lost to him. The first two nights, Iden had nothing, and he could feel the hunger edging at the ends of his mind.

The third marked his first meal: a snake. It was a large constrictor, which he found himself being crushed by as soon as he tried to kill it. The fight had been brief; undead strength and stamina outweighed the powerful coils and saw the reptile's head bashed against a tree until it was struck dead. The body had been left utterly drained; it was not so satisfying as Iden would have wanted, but it was enough.

That night had marked a significant change in the nature of his foray. Hunting grew easier after the first prey had been scored. Iden was growing used to the endless sounds and teeming sights of the forest, and as he crept forward with his slow, roundabout pace, he made good time, better than he'd expected. Still, he felt eyes upon him. It was as if the whole of the jungle was watching him from just outside of his perception.

The hell...?

It wasn't the wildlife. He could tell that much just by the proximity. Most of the native fauna had avoided his resting places. Even the big cats, fearless though they were, kept away from his refuge.

That meant it was something more intelligent. That alone made it worth following. With his nose to the ground (figuratively), Iden began creeping forward.

Tracking in the jungle was a difficult endeavor. He was not incredibly proficient with the art, which made it a long and arduous process that trailed through the jungle at a crawling pace.

Silently, he cursed. The hostile environ had been wearing at him for a week now. Even after that much, he was unfamiliar, ill prepared, and poorly suited to this kind of search. When he found himself at the base of a hill, he took the chance to lay back and rest his legs. He'd not taken a break since he had started walking a week ago...the sleep didn't count, it tired him almost as much as it rejuvinated.

He wiped some of the moisture from his brow. The humidity made for an effect similar to sweat, making his form beaded with water. It was only a mild discomfort, so he kept his mind from it. Even so, he needed the minute of rest. It felt good to let his back sit upon the moss...the wound was flaring up with pins and needles since after the first night, when his shirt had started tearing. Now that his back was bare, he found he was brushing against all manner of things, and it wasn't pleasant.

The firmness of the moss was what gave the structure away. It didn't give like the ground around it. It took a few minutes, but soon Iden turned and poked at it. The moss gave way, and soon he found stone. THe discovery prompted further investigation, until he came to realize what he was sitting against.

Well...I'll be damned....

The sound of water was omnipresent. The forest was prone to rain, he wasn't surprised at all. What held Iden surprised was the scent. Even then, it wasn't too out of place...he'd caught wind a time or two when an animal had slain its prey and began eating. It wasn't the first time, it wouldn't be the last. What was strange was that it was coming from above, high in the trees, and dripping down...Iden's gaze lifted, and he squinted in the dark with his glowing crimson eyes. He had a bad feeling now, as he looked about. His hand was drifting to his thigh, where the ROMAN lay holstered.

Iden did not draw his weapon, but his hand was resting on it now. Whatever it was, it sure as s**t sounded hostile. Most of the wildlife had been content to leave him be. This wasn't just a predator looking for a meal.

Slowly, he backed against the ziggurat and began edging his way up. The vantage point would be invaluable.

Ritual...sacrifice?

The scene was one alien to Iden. He looked at the remains, knowing that this was not the work of predators just by the way it had been dismembered and eviscerated.

His fingers ran through the blood, and brought it to his lips. He sampled the taste, then spat it aside. As if his nose wasn't enough, he was certain...the poor soul was a regular human.

Now the young DeSeer had a keen awareness of his surroundings. The kill was too fresh, too well displayed for the killer to not be nearby. Slowly, he began easing his way back down the temple steps.

Go figure.

It explained why he had felt such a crawling sensation for so long. The sight of the panthers had him turn to face the altar. With the woman emerging and speaking, he broke into his cocksure smirk. The shirtless brawler looked more like a victim than anything else, but he was confident as he placed his boot on the blood-slicked stone and met her gaze.

I think you're mistaken...I don't dance.

Quietly his boot began to tap on the stone, rubbing the toe against the arm of the disemboweled victim.

And what can I say?....I'm allergic to cats.

His cocksure grin belied the cold mind that was runnign the odds. She was attractive...and reminded him of a host of things he would rather not be forced to remember. It was a violence he was not eager to reinact, nor was the corruption something he was keen on enduring once more. His hand drifted away from the ROMAN, for the time being, and rested across his lifted knee.

So...whatsay y'all shoo before I start breaking out?