"I see. Well they certainly sound like a nuisance if nothing else, but at least there is one creature her we don't have to worry about wanting to devour us."

Xanthius smiles and takes you further into the jungle.  At one point, he stops and sets his bag down.  "Come here for a second."  His voice is not commanding, asking respectfully as if he wants to show you something.  He kneels down to the ground and clears away some jungle detritus.
This message was last updated by the GM at 16:33, Fri 01 Mar 2013.

Cecil moves forward "What?" he asks simply.

"Do you see this series of long marks in the ground?  These are the tracks of a young metal eater.  They are relatively fresh.  If we leave our bags here I could show it to you.  We have the drop on it."  He looks up at you and smiles.

"Is that a good idea? Leaving your bags here unattended? If you really want to fight this thing we can, just reminding you that we had another goal in mind here."

"It's only the one and this is just scrap metal for the forge.  It would be good practice for you if you've never seen one.  Also, it eliminates one from growing into an adult.  If you don't care to, we can continue on home, though."

"Ok, I'm sorta want to see what one of these things looks like anyway."

The two of you quietly put down the bags. Xanthius grabs his walking stick and leads the way through the brush.  He seems quite knowledgeable about the fauna and makes little imprint on it as he moves.

After several minutes of hiking, he stops and points.  At first, it is difficult to see.  A few moments later, you make out the outline of the rust-colored body buried partially in the dirt.  It looks to be about eight feet long.  It's body segments are akin to most insects, divided into three parts, head, thorax, and abdomen.  Large, muscular legs are folded at the back, ready to leap.  Middle legs are rotated forward, horizontal to the ground.  Forward legs have some kind of padded pincers that are likely for holding on to metal somehow.

Two massive feelers jut from its oblong head.  At the moment, they wave randomly in the wind.  Two deep red mandibles, shot through with dark metallic grey, clack lazily together.

It appears to be napping...or waiting.

Cecil looks at it for a moment and then carefully tries to move closer to get a better view and possibly get into a better position to ambush it. He moves slowly taking in his surroundings as best he can while doing so. taking particular care to be on the look out for other creatures and possible paths this insect like beast could take to escape.

[Private to Game Master:
19:10, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 12 using 1d20+4. spot.
 19:10, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 13 using 1d20+7. stealth.]

As you move around, the feelers instantly twitch in your direction.  The bug makes no other move.

So he noticed me...But he's not alarmed. good. Cecil then motions for Xanthius to move over to the other side of the creature so they could flank it and catch it between them. Once Xanthius is in position Cecil flashes a few hand signs. The first is his hand with three fingers raised. The second is his hand with two fingers raised. The third is his hand with one finger raised and then finally he shakes his fist. Cecil then moves forward, hoping Xanthius understood his signals and advances forward with him. When he gets with in range Cecil lashes out with a powerful two handed blow attempting to bring his stick down hard right on the top of the creatures head.

[Private to Game Master: Cecil will attack using emerald razor. hopefully Cecil will be able to flank with Xanthius to get the +2 and make it a touch attack vs flat footed ac. full power attacking.

attack: 17 (19 if flanking) vs touch ac ( or flat footed touch if flanking)
total damage: 20

18:04, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 2 using 1d6. punishing stance damage.
18:04, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 18 using 1d6+16. damage.
18:03, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 17 using 1d20+4. full power attack.
 ]

Xanthias is late to act on your instructions and is nowhere to be seen in the brush.

The cricket lashes out at your weapon with its feelers, ignoring your attack.  The feelers do nothing to the wooden club and hit the head of the creature full on.

A crack in the shell appears, but the creature does nothing more than scurry back.

Xanthias stands up from some brush with his staff.  His utter lack of armor and his stance indicate that he has little experience in martial combat.  He stands straight and confident, but appears simply to be watching and waiting for an opening or something.

This didn't feel right somehow. Sure the creature may eat metal and is probably a pest, but it didn't strike back despite Cecil's attack. It didn't even flee really. Just backed away a bit. He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for it. For years he had known nothing but violence, bloodshed and terror. He had escaped that, but now here he was visiting this upon another creature that didn't even feel the need to fight back. It made him feel a little sick inside. It was one thing to hunt out of some need, but for sport? He was sick of "sport". He had enough of it. He didn't want to be that anymore. What was the point of escaping the fighting pits if he would willing start up doing it again here? It's not like he didn't believe Xanthius. These metal eaters were probably a bane. But until they threatened him or his property Cecil just didn't have the heart to kill it.

"What are we doing to this timid thing? Ya know what? If you want it dead so much kill it yourself." Cecil then carefully backed away.

Xanthius' eyebrows shoot up into his hairline.  Then he nods and backs away from the creature.  With a tilt of his head back toward the bags, he disappears into the trees.

The creature continues to eye you, but with no metal on your person, you don't seem to be something it is interested in.  After a few more moments of your inaction, its twitches its feelers and heads off deeper into the trees away from the trail.

Cecil walks back to the bags and rejoins Xanthius. attacking that creature had been a distraction. Cecil had a goal and he needed to be get stronger to reach it. That would require sacrifices of some sort. Some of his own and probably many made by others, mostly those opposing him. But he didn't need to beat that creature to death, to make it one of those sacrifices for no reason. "Killing it just didn't feel right. At least not while it isn't harming anything."

Xanthias looks at you for a moment in silence, but eventually nods and smiles.  "I admire your restraint.  It says much about your character.  C'mon.  Father will have dinner ready by the time we get there."

Xanthias leads you through the jungle for several more miles, a trip that takes over an hour, though it would take less than half that over flat, open land.  The trees break into an opening that contains several acres of land bearing various vegetables, grains, and fruits.  It looks well tended and successful.

Xanthias heads to the larger of two buildings, a massive stone construct that might be a barn.  At one end a series of metal pipes protrude emitting a tiny tendril of smoke.  The air around the tops of the pipes ripples as if distorted by heat.

A smaller structure to the left is surrounded by a low rock wall that encompasses some of the garden.  Also made of stone, this structure looks somewhat like a house.  The roof is flat and covered in branches and other detritus from the jungle above.

"Nice place you've got here. How long did it take to set all this up?"

Xanthius smiles and looks back with a mischievous grin.  "Not long."

He leads you into the larger building.  In a pile of similar bags he tosses the ones he'd been carrying and indicates you should do the same.

The building is a wide open area with no pillars to support the heavy-looking stone roof above.  Much of the area is a metalworks of some kind.  In one corner at a smelter is a beefy man working bellows and hammering something on the anvil.

"My dad."

"He looks kinda busy. Is it alright to disturb him?" cecil asks.

By way of answer, the man at the forge smiles and sets aside his tools.  He cleans his soot covered hands on a dirty rag as he walks over.  "We don't see many other humans out here.  Camran Shariam."  He holds out a hand for you to shake.

Camran looks like an older version of Xanthius.  His hair is cut short, but has the same dark wavy look to it.  Soot covers the older man and his forge apron, but the wrinkles around his eyes are lines from lots of smiling over his years.

Cecil takes the man's hand and gives it a firm shake. "Cecil Bellic. Good to meet you."

OOc; decided I need to post more here.

"So how long have you guys been here?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:43, Tue 27 Nov 2012.

Camran scratches his head with a sooty hand as he thinks.  "Oh, I'd say about thirty years or so.  At least a decade before Xanth here was born.  Came out with a wave of human explorers.  I was the head smith of the settlement and my wife headed up the decryption team.  Xamador's a mean place though.  Wasn't too long 'fore nearly the whole group, almost fifty people, was just swallowed up by the jungle.  My Jessa disappeared maybe eight years ago?"  He smiles, the painful memory now a distant one.

"Why don't we go inside and get something to eat?  Talk over a good, cold drink?"  Without waiting for much of an answer he tidies up his forge in a few quick movements then heads to the smaller structure, the house.  Once inside, he rummages around the kitchen area for food and drinks.  They even have an iced cabinet for storing drinks and keeping food cold.  One section even has small trays of some kind with frozen water in it.  He takes a few of these and fills three clear crystal glasses with them, then pours a brownish liquid from a ceramic pitcher also out of the cabinet.  He places a simple ceramic plate of flat bread, meats, cheeses and some pickled something in front of you along with one of the drinks.  Xanthius and he also get a plate and a drink.  Xanthius delves into his with relish.

"What about you?  What brings you out to this forsaken place?"

cecil takes the offered drink after saying thank you and takes a drink. It buys him the time he needs to think without it seeming awkward...or at least he hopes it does. As he drank Cecil's mind raced. What should he tell him? the truth? If so how much? would they even believe? How would they react? Can he trust them? They have been helpful so far even invited him into their home. He's going to have to trust someone sometime. why not them? why not now? If it turns to be a bad idea he'll just fight his way out or die trying. Cecil will not stand to be chained again. "It's a long story and not a pleasant one. To put it simply; I escaped from the Echtinik fighting pits and made my way here to get beyond their reach. though that may be impossible for how much they hate me. One day, when I gain enough power, I will head back and free the others."