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Obscured Strength - The Second Task


Criala
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The First Climate and Item

 

Neia had always had a soft spot for the tundra, so that one would likely be left for last. Otherwise, deciding where to go was difficult. In the end, she decided to let her instincts guide her and her feet. After quite some time and a semi-lengthy journey, she found herself in the jungle. 

 

“And I thought Elvenesse was warm..” The ‘aheral mumbled to herself.

 

Heat was one thing. She could handle heat. But this was wet. It was almost suffocating with how wet and heavy the air felt. Strands of her pale blonde stuck to the edges of her face, and any hair that hung over her shoulders clung to the sides of her neck, along with the back of it. With a grumble, she pulled the crimson tie from her hair so she could pull her hair up to keep it off her back and neck. It didn’t do much, but at least the annoyance of her hair sticking to every surface of skin it touched was gone. 

 

She maneuvered through the jungle, bypassing shrugs. Every so often something would catch her attention, whether it be a pop of color from a flower, movement from the corner of her eye or the shape of a leaf, but after a short time of observation, it wasn’t quite what she was looking for.

 

By now, even her clothing was starting to get damp and feel weighted from the humidity and perspiration. A huff escaped her as she yanked her gloves off. Probably should have done that sooner, but alas. The gloves were shoved into her pants pocket. At least her hands were a little cooler now. 

 

Eventually, she came across a body of water deeper within the Jungle. She slowed to a pause at the water's edge, her head tilting to the side ever so slightly. A few lily pads were spread out across the water, at least three or four. She eased herself down, so that she could watch for some time. 

 

What she observed was something she found interesting. Frogs appeared to often sit on the lily pads. There was only one frog on the lily pads right now, but a couple of them before had jumped on to the lily pads and hopped away. Being on the lily pads was apparently safer than being in the water. At first, she thought it was just so they could eat whatever insect flew by. But it wasn't just that. Water snakes seemed to enjoy frogs, and she'd seen them try to go after the frogs multiple times, only to fail when the frogs hopped onto a lily pad.

 

"Who would have guessed?" She commented to herself, adjusting herself so she could scoot closer to the edge of the water. The frog one of the lily pads paid no attention to her, as she reached towards one that had no frog sitting on it. Her hand dipped down into the water to grasp the stem of it, giving a gentle tug. It was pulled free, and she was able to pull it out of the water. 

 

With that, she eased herself up, now standing at her full height. She turned away from the water, leaving the frogs to relax and eat flies as they pleased without being watched by her, not that they had seemed to care about her. "Now to get out of this jungle... Way too hot and damp here..." She cleared her throat, which was followed by a couple of coughs. Her chest felt a little heavy from all the humidity. At least she was done here, and she didn't have to spend more time here. It was onto the next climate now.

 

"Four more to go."

 

The Second Climate and Item

 

The desert was where Neia found herself next, by following the directions that Avius had given her on how to get there. While the desert was hot, at least it was a dry heat. Not where it felt like you were gulping in water with how wet and humid the desert was. Her hair was already tied up, so it was off her neck. Maybe that would help her stay a little cooler longer this time.

 

"Ahernan, Avius. Could have been wandering around a while, if not for you." She spoke, despite the 'ame not actually being there. The smug smirk that would have been on his face was easy to picture.

 

Sand, sand as far as the eye could see. Also cacti and brown, almost dead and dried up looking shrubs. Cacti weren’t what she was looking for. Too obvious a choice for her liking, considering it was only the first thing she saw and how abundant they were in the desert. It wasn't that she wanted to find something rare, just that she'd rather find something by observing and spending time in the climate. 

 

"Hopefully, there's more than cacti and dead looking plants here..." 

 

Sand, sand, more sand, even more sand. She was beginning to think there was no end to the sand. Her throat was dry, and sweat was already starting to bead at her brow. While it wasn't humid and wet like the Jungle, it was still incredibly hot. 

 

"Your desert is only full of sand, Avius." A huff escaped her, her gaze narrowing at the sand on the ground. "And cacti!" She threw her arms up into the air, narrowed gaze burning a hole through a nearby cactus. She hadn't paused to shout at the cactus, her stride continuing with a huff.

 

"Surprise. Another cactus." Her voice came out as an irritated grumble. The heat must have been starting to get to her head. It was almost as if she could hear the sand talking to her, taunting her with how much there was of it, and how many cacti there were.

 

Suddenly, in the middle of her wondering where exactly her mind had gone since the sand was talking to her, she stumbled over something. This caused her to go face first into the sand. She pushed herself up, sputtering out a mouthful of sand. Sand was sticking to her face, and in her hair, though due to the light shade of it, it was hard to tell. 

 

With a huff, she forced herself up so she was on her knees. First, she brushed off her face, bits of sand falling down onto her shirt and shoulders. Next was her shirt, though most of the sand didn't come off. Too frustrated to deal with that right now, she looked over her shoulder to see what exactly it was that she tripped over. A tortoise was there, making its way across the sand.

 

"I thought they needed a lot of water... Can they survive long here?" She murmured to herself, curiosity upon her features. She pulled herself to her feet, so that she could follow wherever it was that this tortoise was going.

 

It was slow paced, since tortoises weren't very fast, but she still trailed along behind it. The journey eventually took her to a spot somewhat nearby. Once it stopped, it did something Neia hadn't expected. It began to dig little holes, at least a few of them. It didn't stop until the holes were finished, and then it sat nearby. 

 

Curiosity was what kept Neia there, just observing this tortoise. Time dragged on, feeling like it had been forever. By now, she was sitting a short distance away from the tortoise. Nothing had happened so far, and she was beginning to wonder if hole digging was just a little quirk tortoises had. Digging holes for no reason. Maybe that's all it was. She hadn't encountered tortoises before, so what did she know?

 

A sigh escaped her, her hand lifting up to rest over her eyes. Her head was feeling somewhat light due to the heat, and her eyes felt dried out. Maybe closing them for a bit would help ease both feelings. It wasn't like the tortoise was going anywhere. And if it was, it wouldn't get far before she opened her eyes again. 

 

She dropped her hand from her eyes, opening them when she felt something on her head. Her head tilted upwards to find that it had actually started to rain. She cupped her hands together, allowing the water to pool in the palms of her hands. Once it had, she lifted her hands up to drink it. This was done a couple of times more to ease her dry throat.

 

The rain didn't last for very long, but it was welcomed. Now her attention shifted to see what the tortoise was doing, if it was even still there. It could have wandered off while she was distracted, but it hadn't. Instead it was in front of the previously dug holes, sucking down the water in one of them. It didn't stop there though. With the current hole emptied, it moved on to the next to do the same thing. The cycle was repeated until all of the holes were empty. That was what the holes were for. Gathering water for it to drink when it did actually rain.

 

"Strong little thing, aren't you?" She asked, moving over so she could pick the tortoise up. It wasn't 'little', but she found what she was looking for. It was time to move on from the desert, with the tortoise in hand.

 

"Three more now."
 

The Third Climate and Item

 

After the heat of the jungle and the desert, the ocean was the next stop. Neia paused at the shoreline, looking over the vast body of water. Water as far as the eye can see was much preferred over sand. If she never had to look at sand again, it would be too soon. 

She turned her head to the right, hoping to perhaps see something on the shore, but there was nothing. A look to the left showed nothing as well. A sigh escaped her, her gaze falling on the ocean before her. Swimming under the water and trying to find something that way it was. 

 

Taking a minute to bend down, she began to unlace her boots. One foot at a time she pulled them off, left then right. She also undid the sheath to her sword, so she could set it with her boots. Her gloves were left on. With her boots and sword off, she took a moment to properly stretch her muscles. Don't want to pull anything while swimming after all.

 

Now that she was done stretching, she faced the ocean again. Instead of diving right in, she started slow by just walking into the water. The swimming started when she was waist deep. She waded further out, but not too far that she couldn't see the shore yet. Nothing coming out of the ocean, not that she was expecting it to. It just would have been a pleasant surprise. 

 

With a deep breath, she ducked under the water so she could swim downward. It was hard to keep her eyes open underwater at first, but she adjusted after maybe twenty seconds. She had limited time to be able to look around before having to go back up for air, so straight to the task at hand. Her exploration took her a decent way beneath the water's surface. Some fish swam by, but they went by much too quickly for her to even think of trying to grab them. 

 

Deeper she went into the depths, hoping she could find more. More kinds of fish and other kinds of ocean mammals, along with some underwater plants. What really stuck out to her was all of the kelp. Lots and lots of kelp spread out across the ocean's floor. Many fish and the other kinds of critters lingered by it or in it. Before she could venture any closer, a slight sting began to twinge in her lungs, the sign that whatever air she had left was starting to run out.

 

She pulled up, so that she could resurface to get air again. A few gulps of air, before taking a deep breath and diving back down. Her route took her straight to where she'd been before, and this time she was able to get closer to the kelp. Not only were some of the underwater critters appearing to use it as a home, but others appeared to be munching on it for dinner. So, it was both a home and food for those who inhabited the ocean. She drew closer, so that she could pluck a piece from the nearest kelp.

 

With it in hand, she made her way back to the surface. She burst from the water, wasting no time to suck in a deep breath. A moment was taken to catch her breath, but as she did, she held up her hand to look over the piece of kelp within it. She swam to the edge of the ocean, pulling herself out of the water and dripping all over the sand and dirt. Her sword was strapped to her hip once again, and her boots pulled back on.

 

"And two more."

 

The Fourth Climate and Item

 

Since Neia was saving the tundra for last, the mountains were the next destination. It wasn't too hot, and not all water. The temperature was perfect for fall weather. Up the mountains she trekked until she was closer to the top. Of course, this wasn't done easily. A few times she slipped on the way up, but she managed to catch herself so she didn't go tumbling down the mountain.

 

On the way up she passed by a number of grasses, bushes, a tree here and there, and shrubs. A few moments of observation for each one, before she continued onward. Along the mountain, coming up from the other side, was a long river. It went down the side she had climbed up, trailing down until it was hard to see from where she was on the mountain. 

 

 

A bird flew over head, catching her attention. From the looks of it, maybe an eagle, but she couldn't be certain. It swooped down towards the river, using its sharp talons to dip under the water and coming out with a fish in its grasp. 

 

"Well then..." Her eyes widened, watching the bird fly off with its meal. With a shake of her head, she snapped out of it. This put her focus on the river now, and she made her way to the edge of it, squatting down once she was there. 

 

Upon getting closer, she was able to recognize the fish within the river as salmon. A fish that she was somewhat familiar with. They appeared to be going up the river, against its current. Probably on their way to make the journey back to wherever it was that they came from. She knew enough to know it was something that salmon did. Unfortunately, it seemed to make them an easier target to be eaten. Still, it was pretty incredible they could make such a journey.

 

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to take one of you." Not that the salmon could hear her, but she spoke to them anyways. 

 

Her gloved hands shot into the river, hoping to catch one in the first try. Alas, this was too much to hope for. One was caught, but it managed to wiggle out of her fingers. A grumble under her breath when she pulled back her hands, full of absolutely nothing. Time to try again. Another time of thrusting her hands into the water. This time, the salmon wasn't able to wiggle free from her death grip. 

 

There wasn't much time to celebrate her victory in catching it though, because a faint noise reached her ear drums Her head turned upward to see something in the distance up the mountain. She couldn't tell what it was, most likely a bear, but she wasn't going to stick around to find out and have to fight against a bear.

 

"Time to go. If I want to fight against a bear, I'll just ask Miven to spar." 

 

She stood up at her full height, as quick as she could. The salmon was sucessfully caught. It was now time to make her way down the mountain, as careful as possible so she didn't slip and roll down it. Only one more climate to go.

 

"One more now." 

 

The Final Climate and Item

 

Even though it was incredibly cold, the chill of the frozen tundra was welcomed. There was always a soft place in her heart for it. Neia looked out across the snow covered land, her form already starting to shiver from the cold. There was even a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, hanging down to the back of her knees. Even with the blanket to help shield some of the cold, if she stayed too long, she knew frostbite would set in. Hopefully it wouldn't get to that point, because loss of flesh wasn't something she wanted to experience. But it all depended on if she found her item or not on how long she was there.

 

As she walked further into the tundra, foot prints were left in the snow. Her boots kept her feet warm, her gloves shielded her hands somewhat, and the blanket against her back and arms kept the cold air from biting at her skin.

 

It didn't appear as though there were many things that grew here, or at least could survive the intense cold. But everything was covered in snow, so perhaps there was something hidden there where she couldn't see. The only thing she could make out were snow covered trees. Only the sound of the wind was heard. Chattering of her teeth as starting, but it wasn't enough to be more than a slight noise so far. Her nose and cheeks were definitely turning red from the cold.

 

In the short distance ahead, she saw what could have perhaps been a marsh. It was a body of water, not quite frozen over fully yet, but it was getting there. Some vegetation around it stuck out, though it just looked like tall grass or something like it. She forced herself forward, despite the way her nose and cheeks were starting to tingle. If there was vegetation there, there might be something to gather there.

 

At the edge of the water, she squatted down at the edge. This caused the blanket to shift, and a burst of cold air rushed up her back. A shudder went up and down her spine, since her back had kept some sort of warmth with the blanket on it. She brushed it off though, so she could look over the water. At first, nothing caught her attention. The water had ice across most of it. She assumed that whatever didn't have ice just hadn't frozen yet.

 

Her teeth were starting to chatter harder, enough that it was starting to make noise. Since the first spot she looked over didn't yield anything, she scooted herself down along it to check further down. Every few steps she paused to check, and after a couple of times of doing this, something stuck out to her in a spot of water that wasn't frozen over yet. At the line of it was short, small moss looking plants. Upon closer inspection, she found that it grew closer to the ground, and if she looked closer, she was able to see there was plenty of it around.

 

"Bit different than the moss I've seen before... Don't think that moss grows in this way." She murmured to herself, amidst the chattering of her teeth. Obviously, she couldn't see the impact it had on the environment, but it must have been vital, no matter how small it was, since there was this much of it.

 

One hand reached out, the other keeping the blanket securely around her shoulders, so that she could gather some of this interesting moss. It was easy enough, just cold on her hand even with the glove it. The moss was picked up, and she pulled her hand back into the blanket. 

 

While the tundra was one of her favorite climates to be in, she didn't fancy losing any limbs or appendages to frostbite. The final item was gathered, so it was time to head back to Elvenesse and warm up. It was hard to feel her nose and cheeks by now, only a dull almost stinging cold in them as she made the journey back out of the tundra.

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This is great! Nice job

 

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