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fandomhigh2018-01-31 10:47 am
arboreal_priestess) wrote in fandomhigh2018-01-31 10:47 am
Entry tags:
The Cryptozoologist's Field Guide, Wednesday, Per 1
From the moment the class stepped into the Danger Shop, they could probably tell it wasn't going to be a fun class. Three steps into the room, they'd find themselves in a swamp, complete with squelching, sucking mud and the stink of rotting vegetation.
"Finding and working with cryptids often means going to unpleasant places and dealing with unpleasant things," Verity said, strolling up to the class in tall waders and a thick, leather apron, carrying a big jug of dark red liquid. "Take the North American bloodworm. There are eleven species that have been positively identified and there are probably more that we just haven't discovered. Bloodworms are giant terrestrial leeches, more or less, usually one to two feet long, who burrow in the ground and only come out when they sense..." She upcapped the jug and poured the liquid on the ground. A strong coppery scent rose in the air, "their main food source, blood."
The blood spattered on the ground and less than a minute later holes started appearing in the ground and large, grayish-brown worms started tunneling up to the surface. At first glance, they were more just ugly, but Verity reached down and snagged one, picking it up to show the class its mouth--a hole with rows upon rows of oversized teeth, much like a lamprey.
"The bite of a lamprey is painful, analogous to something like a hornet sting. But they're often raised by cryptozoologists, because of a quirk in their biology makes their blood--" Verity pulled out a penknife and nicked the side of the worm, bringing purple, shimmery blood to the surface "--is a powerful attractant for most known predatory cryptids. Bloodworm breeding andfarming is a fairly profitable side job, though it's not without its own dangers. Bloodworm blood never washes off and its attractive properties can be sensed up to several miles away by the more sensitive species, like maticores, questing beasts, and--"
Verity was cut off by a loud shriek and the sound of something large stampeding through the underbrush. "--lindworms," she finished calmly.
"Finding and working with cryptids often means going to unpleasant places and dealing with unpleasant things," Verity said, strolling up to the class in tall waders and a thick, leather apron, carrying a big jug of dark red liquid. "Take the North American bloodworm. There are eleven species that have been positively identified and there are probably more that we just haven't discovered. Bloodworms are giant terrestrial leeches, more or less, usually one to two feet long, who burrow in the ground and only come out when they sense..." She upcapped the jug and poured the liquid on the ground. A strong coppery scent rose in the air, "their main food source, blood."
The blood spattered on the ground and less than a minute later holes started appearing in the ground and large, grayish-brown worms started tunneling up to the surface. At first glance, they were more just ugly, but Verity reached down and snagged one, picking it up to show the class its mouth--a hole with rows upon rows of oversized teeth, much like a lamprey.
"The bite of a lamprey is painful, analogous to something like a hornet sting. But they're often raised by cryptozoologists, because of a quirk in their biology makes their blood--" Verity pulled out a penknife and nicked the side of the worm, bringing purple, shimmery blood to the surface "--is a powerful attractant for most known predatory cryptids. Bloodworm breeding andfarming is a fairly profitable side job, though it's not without its own dangers. Bloodworm blood never washes off and its attractive properties can be sensed up to several miles away by the more sensitive species, like maticores, questing beasts, and--"
Verity was cut off by a loud shriek and the sound of something large stampeding through the underbrush. "--lindworms," she finished calmly.
Sign In 5
Re: Sign In 5
Re: Sign In 5
Listen to the Lecture
Lindworm Attack!
Because, yes, that was a giant lindworm crashing its way towards you.
"This might help," Verity said, a box of
moddable within reasonweapons materializing in front of them. "You've got about thirty seconds before the lindworm gets into view. Are you going to fight? Run? Hide? Better figure it out."Because, honestly. Getting ambushed by a lindworm was practically a cryptozoology rite of passage.
Re: Lindworm Attack!
She looked at her classmates with a grin. "Not that I'm planning on abandoning any of you." She was going to follow the lead of her classmates.
Re: Lindworm Attack!
C'mon, Molly, like she hadn't taken that into account when figuring out the proper cryptid for an ambush!
Re: Lindworm Attack!
"Really wish I had some of my friends with me," she grumbled. She thought for a second about doing some mild resurrection work to bring in some fodder to distract the creature, but that seemed especially bad since the only sources for life force in the area were the worm, her classmate, and her teacher.
So instead, she followed Yang's instruction and, well, got behind her.
Re: Lindworm Attack!
"IF YOU'RE SQUISHY, GET BEHIND ME," she bellowed, grabbing a box of caltrops and the grenade she could see, shoving the caltrop box in her cleavage, the grenade going into the back of her pants.
Sure, she could use Ember Celica if it came down to it, but Yang was aware part of the reason Tai had signed her up for these classes was to get her to think outside her comfort-zone. Too bad for him, everything she'd met so far was very punchable.
Re: Lindworm Attack!
"I've got your back," she said.
Re: Lindworm Attack!
She was possibly going to need to eat three times her weight and sleep for the rest of the day to get her aura back up if this went south, but as long as she didn't land in the clinic, it'd be a win.
Re: Lindworm Attack!
"...Really wish Archie was here," she muttered. She was really better with some undead friends around when it came to these sort of situations.
Talk to Verity
OOC