[i] Discoveries (original) (raw)

The heat was oppressive even though the trees that towered above him prevented virtually all of the sunlight from reaching the forest floor. Taking a moment to wipe his brow on his sleeve, Satotsu gripped his machete and began his slow journey into the uncharted heart of this jungle, slicing neatly through the multitude of tangled vines which looked like long black serpents in the dim light.

There was something unusual about this expedition, a strange feeling that he couldn't quite place, but one that he could practically feel vibrating in the thick air as he made his way through the dense vegetation. Excitement and curiosity, certainly, but those had accompanied him on virtually all his travels; it was why he had chosen this life. This was different; it had an edge, a hardness to it that instinct had responded to by keeping his aura more expanded than usual, ready to defend himself again whatever creature should leap out at him from the shadows.

It would almost be easier if something did attack him, and that was possibly the most peculiar thing of all. In all the other rainforests he had explored, they had been teeming with activity. Even when the native animals were so well camouflaged that it was almost impossible to spot their location, the songs of birds would echo in the forest canopy, the hum of insects hovering near human flesh in hopes for a meal would fill his ears, and the calls of a hundred different species would sound in intervals throughout both day and night.

This place was silent. Ever since he had first stepped beyond the already mapped edges of the rainforest, he had not seen a single sign of animal life. No prints in the mud, no clumps of fur stuck on the bark of trees, no bones, no dried feces, nothing.

It was like a tomb.

Many years ago, during one of his first ruin renovations, he had visited a burial chamber that had been located in the woods several kilometers from the rest of the village. It wasn't often that he thought of this particular expedition, but he could now recall - as clearly as if it had been only yesterday - the striking observation he had made that none of the many new animals species they had discovered would ever venture near the chamber. And after the expedition team had sketched images of the carvings on the chamber's walls they, too, had left it alone. Instinct was a good teacher and every Hunter worth his license knew better than to ignore the warnings of nature.

A sudden chill crept up his spine, but Satotsu suppressed it with the ease of a life spent learning how to control both mind and body and his calm expression never faltered for a moment. The machete swung through the air and cut straight through the center of the ever-increasing walls of vines.

Slice, then step. Slice, then step. For hours, Satotsu proceeded like this until, even to his experienced eye, the forest around him appeared as one endless tangle of vegetation, each meter indistinguishable from the last one.

Slice, then step. Slice, then step. Slice, then . . .

Suddenly, Satotsu found himself standing on the edge of a precipice that had been hidden from his view by the jungle creepers. Feeling suddenly vulnerable with no plants to conceal him, he lowered himself into a crouch before turning his attention to the area below.

In front of him spread a wide valley edged with slabs of stone, too large and too exactly placed to be natural. The further from the valley edge, the closer the stones were clustered until, at some center point that Satotsu could barely make out from his position, the vague form of a large complex built entirely of rock jutted into the sky.

Oh, but this was something. Even as the air around him seemed to grow thicker, Satotsu felt the rush of adrenalin that came with a new discovery kick in. He wanted to get closer, to unpack him climbing gear and lower himself down the edge into the valley, but his intuition told him it was best to simply observe the area for the moment.

He detected the sudden surge of aura before he saw it, a white glow seen out of the corner of his eyes, and had darted back into the relative protection of the forest before the possessor of the aura could reach him.

Instinct was a good teacher and every Hunter worth his license knew better than to ignore the warnings of nature, but that didn't mean that proceeding was impossible if one took the necessary precautions. They were explorers, after all, and the call of the unknown was their siren's song. And so, even as Satotsu made his way swiftly back through the jungle, he knew that he had just stumbled onto the find of a lifetime.

[OOC note: This entry marks the official start of the plot. However, as is probably apparent after reading, this is not a roleplay thread. Rather, this is an entry meant to provide background for the plot and as such, any information contained in this thread is considered off-limits to characters. (In other words, the players obviously know about Satotsu's discovery and I'm hoping it will give them an idea of things to come, but their respective characters have no knowledge of this event since they were neither in the rainforest with Satotsu nor have they talked with him since.)

The next entry - and first plot RP - will take place several months after this incident and will revolve around Satotsu contacting Gon and bringing Gon and Killua into the plot. It should be posted

either Wednesday or Thursday later today.

As for Leorio, Kurapika, Hisoka, Kaito, and Illumi, I'd like to leave it up to the players as to how their characters hear about the ruins. We currently have two NPCs (non-player characters) you can interact with to get the information - Satotsu and the bartender on the Hunter website - and can create additional NPCs as needed. Players can also choose to have their characters contacted by Gon and Killua after their discussion with Satotsu. If there are other ideas you'd like to pursue, please notify the mods first, but chances are slim to none that we'll say no.

Finally, I'm thoroughly enjoying the special modifications LJ created for Talk Like A Pirate Day. Avast, me mateys! To looting and plundering! In another life, the Genei Ryodan would have made great pirates.]