Rotten Fruit 01

Natasha and I make our way down from the mountain, past the sealed gates and head to the Festival Grounds for the bi-monthly Farmer's Market.

Natasha: It's not that I don't like your cooking. For such a place with scarce resources, making for a limited diet, I do imagine you're the greatest cook in all of the Turlo.. If not because of your interest in catering for me.

Yuria's Madness: But fire root is not a vegetable.

Natasha: Yes, exactly... Oh how I missed the Heirloom tomatoes of the southern plains or even smoke mushrooms off the log!

Yuria’s Madness: This is the most talkative I've seen you in weeks, you need not explain yourself further.

Upon arrival to the Farmer’s Market within the Festival Grounds..

Natasha's barely contained excitement overwhelms her as she rushes to the first booth eager to examine the fruit. Yuria's Madness follows behind, her gaze caught on another booth, adjacent from where her partner has already begun bartering.

Xilo: Ah I see you have an eye for great taste. I've captured only the most exotic beasts from far in these lands.. But to my surprise, the best item I have today was found in the Crow's backyard--en route to this very location!

Natasha, with fresh tomato juice smeared across her cheek, makes her bubbly way over to the Trapper's booth. In an instant her bliss is interrupted with a tight knot in her stomach.

All enjoyment of the fruit gone as Xilo reveals the head of a Mother Cockatrice..

Xilo: Unfortunately her offspring escaped while I prepared this beast for travel, or I'd throw them -

Natasha: she had just given birth.

Yuria's Madness hears the sound of the fresh fruit splattering on the ground before she see’s the look on her companion's face. Natasha isn’t even aware her prized fruit has fallen from her hands, her eyes are transfixed on the adult Cockatrice’s beak.

Rotten Fruit 02

Looking down at Xilo's broken mask, smeared with blood, Yuria's Madness found herself once again reminded of the dropped Tomato at the Festival several hours ago, almost a day..

Yuria's Madness: We'll have to get you another

Natasha: another?

Yuria's Madness: Another Tomato, or some fruit.. I know the Turlo diet isn't your--

Natasha: No. I'm not hungry right now. Besides we don't have time.. I want to go into the forests.. The offspring.. They could still be there.

After ambushing Xilo outside the Farmer's Market, Yuria's Madness and Natasha had carried his unconscious body to a small abandoned building between the Festival grounds and Putrid Forest. There they had tortured Xilo for further information.

Yuria’s Madness: The Pools of Langor

Xilo: If you let me live, I promise I won't tell anyone of what transp *cough cough*

Xilo coughs up blood, before he continues.

Xilo: If you let me live, I'll tell you something few know.

Natasha: We aren't seriously --

Yuria’s Madness: Go on Xilo, spit it out.

Xilo: The pools.. The pools aren't clear. The cockatrice cannot bare its' reflection. If the water is clear or if there is an opening for the sun to shine through then it's not the correct pool.

Xilo smiles. Thinking of the information he left out, the deadly..

Natasha takes what little remained of the cruel Trapper's life, feeling confident he can never again cause harm.

Natasha: That stupid fucking smile.

Yuria's Madness: Let's hope he was telling the truth.

They make their way to the Putrid Forests.

Rotten Fruit 03

Natasha and Yuria’s Madness begin their journey through the Putrid Forest.

Natasha: There’s too much sunlight, the water is too clear

Yuria’s Madness: The location Xilo described was deeper within the forest

Natasha: Look at these eggs hidden with a log. I wonder what kind of creature they belong too.

Yuria’s Madness: Natasha.

Natasha: And this giant white log, maybe it’s this is the creature’s nest. It almost looks like it’s mov—

Yuria’s Madness: RUN!

What Natasha thought was a white log reveals itself as a giant albino mother serpent.

Yuria’s Madness and her companion run as quickly as they can, while the sound of crashing trees and debris follows behind as the giant serpent pursues them.

Yuria’s Madness: Hurry towards those rocks!

Yuria’s madness leaps into the opening first, turning just in time to see the Serpent closing in her companion. Without hesitation she draws her bow, takes aim at the creatures open mouth and fires an arrow.

The arrow pierces the Serpent’s open mouth, causing it to coil back just enough to barely miss Natasha as it crashes into the dirt right near her.

Natasha follows her companion into the rock opening.

Yuria’s Madness: Are you alright? Natasha: Yes. I’m fine that was careless

Yuria’s Madness: Come on. We aren’t out of the woods yet.

Natasha: Do you think it’ll follow us in here.. It’s pretty quiet.

As the two proceed deeper into the cave hidden within the Putrid Forests, they hear a familiar sound..

Yuria’s Madness: Is that..

Natasha: Water.. Are these the Pools of Langor?

Yuria’s Madness: Come on, let’s search the area for signs of the nest or the creatures.

Natasha: Do you think the chicks are still alive? There are so many predators in the forests.

Rotten Fruit 04

As Natasha and Yuria’s Madness survey the area strange sounds flutter around them.

Natasha: Do you hear that?

Yuria’s Madness: Keep your guard up

Natasha: That rock, is it moving?

Yuria’s Madness: It’s not a rock. Seems like a strange

Natasha: Toad! It’s a toad. These must be the species Xilo told us about. The one that incubates the eggs for the Cockatrice.

Yuria’s Madness: We need to find the nest.. but first what is that maddening sound?

A strange and cruel laughter echoes throughout the cavern. It appears to be in harmony with the bubbles of the pools. A familiar figure flashes before both their eyes.

Xilo: You’re going to die down here. You’re already dying hahahah

The laughter doesn’t sound natural.

Natasha: I already killed you once

Yuria’s Madness: He’s already dead. Something is wrong here.

Xilo’s laughter continues. The sound makes the air heavier and both of the women find themselves struggling to breath.

Natasha: STOP LAUGH- *She gasps for air

Yuria’s Madness grabs her companion and charges back towards the entrance. Back to where the snake had chased them before. As they get closer to the entrance the sounds from earlier subside and the air becomes easier to breath.

Yuria’s Madness: Bastard. He almost got us killed.

Natasha: That stupid grin, before he died.

Yuria’s Madness: His mask.

Natasha: What about it?

Yuria’s Madness: He must have had some filtration system to keep out the poisonous air.

Natasha: We don’t have time to head to a town for supplies.

Yuria’s Madness: We don’t have to. The land provides.. besides we’ll need to eat. But first, stay here.

Natasha: Don’t go back in there?!

Yuria’s Madness: I’ll be quick this time.

Yuria’s Madness emerges, and let’s out a huge gasp. In her hand are 3 arrows. Their tips discolored and soaked.

Natasha: What do you plan to use those on?

Yuria’s Madness: Remember the large beast that chased us into here?

Natasha: From one danger to the next..

After taking down the Serpent, the two companions go to work.

Yuria’s Madness: This shall provide plenty of meat.

Natasha: Its’ intestines can be used to make a filtration apparatus to traverse the pools and it’s skin can be woven into a flask.

After collecting their supplies, the two prepare a camp outside the entrance to the Langor Pools.

Natasha eager to test out their new equipment makes a trip in search of the Cockatrice nest while Yuria’s Madness cooks their food over an open fire.

Rotten Fruit 05

Well rested and well fed, Natasha and Yuria finish up the final touches on the Albino Snake Flask as well as their rudimentary breathing tube system using the snake's intestine.

Yuria's Madness: Natasha, we have 30 meters of intestine, it should be plenty to explore the Langor Pools without breathing in the poisonous gas.. However one of us needs to stay behind and keep the other end safe.

Natasha: Can I be the one to explore?

Yuria's Madness: I wouldn't have it any other way. Natasha: One firm pull means more slack. Two long pulls means I'm ready to come up. And any frantic pulling means I'm rushing out/danger.

Yuria's Madness: Take the flask with you.

Yuria's Madness waited patiently for her companion to return. Listening closely to the ways in which her partner tugged on the intestine understanding when to give slack and ever vigilant for their communicated signal of danger.

But it never came.

Yuria's Madness: Two long pulls. Here she comes.

As Yuria's madness carefully pulled back the line, she watched eagerly for her partner to emerge At long last Natasha returned, with the flask and something alive in the other.

Yuria's Madness noticed the toad before seeing the disappointed look on her partners face.

Natasha: There's no sign of them. I found Xilo's traps and blood from the one he killed. I collected water from the pools and this toad, if there's any chance they're still alive

Yuria's Madness: Natasha.. They were so young. If they've left the pools.. You seen the beasts out here, there's no way they surv-

Natasha: There were other footprints. Besides Xilo, besides our own. Smaller. A woman's footprint.

Yuria's Madness: We've come this far.

Natasha: Exactly. Let's at least make our way out of this forest and head to the public square. Possibly someone knows more information. The two make their way out of the Putrid Forest in search of answers..