Reviving the imperium of /TLHG/, an outlook on its history

"Alright my students, we're walking into uncharted territory. Make sure to stay together, and that no one be left behind."

"Please, Mr. Vaxus. There's only the four of us; there's no way we'll be separated. And we're all honor students. As if anything out here could outsmart us." The young girl rested her hand on her hips, with an almost blinding ray of confidence.

The old man let out a sigh. "Sure, if you say so Penelope. But I am the guardian here, and you all are to be safe at all times under my wings."

"A-are you really sure we'll be safe? Like nothing will jump out at us a-a-and try to eat our brains?"

"Don't worry Simon. I'm about 80% sure nothing will jump out at us. Geraldo! Mr. Il! If you would please keep up with the rest of us, that would be most appreciated."

"Aww c'mon Mr. V. It's not very often we get to explore the wild lands and go to any ruins. We're on an actual adventure here! Think we can trigger any booby traps along the way? OR, or... stay with me here. We find some treasure and take it back. Make a killing off a scientific discovery! Wouldn't that be awesome Kim?" The quiet boy trailing behind Geraldo gave no sign of interest, nor uttered a word in response. "... W-well Mr. V! The slip mentione we were going to some kind of temple, but where exactly is this place?"

"Aha! Funny you should mention that, since we're coming to our general destination right about... now." The group stops at a cliff. And that moment, the youths couldn't help but gaze at the large field, which seemed to expand almost endlessly in every direction, no matter where they looked. Their teacher couldn't help but chuckle at the looks on their faces. "Now, take a good look at the area before you. It may look pretty now, but this is rather... spoiled soil. From the wildlands we have now entered what is known as the badlands, which before now no mortal man would be crazy enough to try and establish a civilization in. Or at least, until Archeologists took a closer look some 20 years ago. That temple you see there, way out in the distance; that is where we're aiming to go. But our trek truly begins here. I WELCOME YOU ALL, TO--"

                                                    /Trash/ Exploration: Commence

"Hmmmmm... Aha!" Mr. Vaxus spotted a path downward into the thicket below. "Single file my little /sci/entists. Unless you're a bird, there's no way you're going to survive a drop like this. Nor sprout any wings to try." At the end of the descent, the smell of the foliage hit the young ones noses in such a way that a hack or cough was impossible to avoid. It was sickeningly sweet. "Don't worry, you'll all get used to it."

Geraldo could do nothing but try to gasp while breathing through his shirt. "Man, I gotta talk about something to get my mind off this stench... Teach! So what's the deal with this 'telhg' thing? Any light you can shed on it before we reach the temple?"

"Where to begin, where to begin. /TLHG/, an acronym that stand for 'The loud house general'. Much like a country or state, a general is the term used for a group of people, once nomadic beings, coming together to form a tribe of sorts. With numbers so few, they would explode almost exponentially in due time if their influence was great enough."

"Generals... as in, more than one?" Penelope racked her brain, trying to formulate her next sentence as well as she could. "Then, what of all the others? Or are you going to tell us about them sooner? Perhaps along the way to try and fully immerse us." There was a shit eating grin plastered on her face.

"C-c-come on Penelope. We shouldn't try to patronize him, he's our only source of protection here. S-sorry."

"Hahaha, it's alright. She's right on the mark anyway. We're gonna start with the b.t. era. Before /TLHG/. It is said that this 'cursed' land in the beginning was once peaceful. Not much ever happened, with a populus few. Those who wandered these lands had relatively no worries."

Suddenly, the sound of a twig snapping penetrates the air outside the group. "Uhhh, t-t-teach?"

"Until suddenly, a new group had come to reside in this area and seek safety. Known to usually stay in their own pockets, but occasionally leak out and invade other groups, wherever they went came much disadain for their very beings. A blight on all existence, that couldn't be stamped out no matter how much you stomped."

"Grrrrrr...."

"At first, you could say they seemed normal enough, but soon their visage began to change. What was once flesh became marred by fur, as if returning to a primeval state. Their lust for the wild fueled their animalistic insticts. They were known as beastmen in days of yoder, but are now more colloquially known as-"

"AWOOOOOOOOO." Before the rest of the group could turn around to address the howl, Penelope let out an ear piercing scream. They were met with a pair of glowing eyes from the thickness of the forest. And in a menacing voice, the creature uttered, "OwO What's this!" The creature emerged, lunging at her with fangs bared.

BANG. The beastman, while midair, was flung back. Laying on the ground, the beast gave a few blood-filled gurgles and whimpers before it ceased. "Class, this is a furry. Most usually aren't this dangerous. Relatively harmless you can say. But in feral cases like so, a swift death is the best case scenario so you don't gain any harmful diseases."

"Yo, teach. When were you packing any heat? And what model of gun?" Geraldo couldn't help but marvel at the smoking muzzle.

"Let's say, I'm a bit of a birdbrain when it comes to weapons, so I had a /k/ommando friend of mine suggest this desert eagle for easy access. I assure you, we are not without arms on this trip. ... Oh! Before I forget, are you alright Penelope? I hope you didn't have too much of a scare. We're not too far in, so there's always time to take you back an call for an escort."

Having fallen to the ground, young girl was rattled, breathing heavily. But with a second to think to herself, she soon gained some level of composure, and was able to get up on her own. "I'm quite alright. I wasn't all too surprised we would come across something, but I didn't expect it so soon and suddenly. I'm more mad at myself for having panicked when it really counted." Taking a further look around, and over at the fresh corpse, her face suddenly grew into disgust. "The real question is, why is it wearing a diaper?"

"It's... better that you don't know."

"Teacher... Weapon..." The first words that ever came from young Kim thus far. It was a claw clipped from the beast itself. "Here." He gave it to Geraldo, who was the most fit of the group.

"Well teach, looks like you're not the only one with a weapon. Now let's make haste! I wanna see more."

His curiosity getting the better of him, Geraldo forged on ahead. The spirit of adventure fully took hold. "W-wait! You have no idea what's out there! ... Alright class, let's quicken our pace and try not to lose sight of him. Now, to continue where I left off. We just happened to meet a furry, one of the more invasive clans in all modern history. But what of the smaller groups, or those that were once bigger but fell off to the wayside; some, disappearing in their entirety. We'll be seeing more of those as we're on the outer fringe of /trash/ itself. So, does anyone want to take a crack at what some of them may have been?"

"W-would any of them have to do with plants?" Startled, the group turned around to a bush they happened to pass. The voice that came from it sounded familiar. Brushing past the thick brush revealed a Geraldo ensnared by vines that looked to be filled with life, coiling around him. Kim Il took the chance to take out a camera he stashed in his bag and take a quick picture.

"Vines... plants... Oh!" A lightbulb went off in Penelope's head. "I remember hearing something on the /out/side that essentially there was a way you could try and get closer with nature. If you could commune with nature, you could breathe new 'life' into it. They were people known as druids. So, is there any chance people like that came out here?"

"Right you are. Known as the dendrophiles, they gathered to share their appreciation for all things nature. Their love and wizardry ascended and fueled plants like these with a life force and sentience. Now, where that love comes from is going to establish a running theme for the people that inhabit this land; So, just like the furries, the druids arrived here because of the limitless possibilities. There were no overstanding governments anywhere, very lax moderation and, as I said before, a very easygoing community. Everyone was comfortable being however they wanted to be. But this freedom lead to a great perversion of one's true desires. Whether it was this accursed place bringing out the best and worst in everyone, or man seeking to corrupt in complete solace. Much like for our destination. The people of /TLHG/ had to set out on a pilgrimage after they were cast aside fr-"

"Ummm, hello? Any help? I can't get out, and this thing's trying to get into my pants. I really don't like where this is goin."

"Oh, right! Just stab one of those tentacles with your new weapon. I thought you would have tried that by now." The claw was readied and pierced into one of the many limbs of the creature. The potency of the toxins on its edge lead to an instantaneous disintegration. It lost its grip on Geraldo and slinked away in fear, disappearing into the dense flora. "Good job! Now you know about how dangerous the tool you wield is. I expect you to be responsible with it."

"Yo, Mr. Vaxus. I'm lovin the praise, but that wasn't me. That thing got hold of my arms and I dropped the claw. I had no... way to get out." He chocked on his words at the sight of a levitating claw.

"Well, it's not often that visitors show up around here." They were all alerted by a lame man who put all his weight on a cane. "Don't be afraid. I'm just a feeble old man, trying to live out here in peace. The name is Huey. And let me introduce you to my sweetheart, Helan." He focused their attention to the empty space where the claw was floating.

Mr. Vaxus stepped up and finally voiced his suspicions. "Of all things I'd ever think I would see; a tulpa user in this day and age. But I thought they all died out due to bouts of-"

"No need to hold your tongue sir. If insanity was what you're going to say, then you are correct. That's what happened to most of my kind around here. Over time they went mad, breaking off too many pieces of their mind into a harem of mind puppets, instead of staying devoted to one. Dear, would you hand the boy his weapon? It's getting dark soon, and the more active threats will begin to appear." What felt like a physical touch glanced upon Geraldo's palm, as they so enveloped over his fingers to grip his prize.  "Down the road, there will be an abandoned church you all can rest in. Wherever it is you're headed will be an easy trip once the sun rises. Now, I shouldn't keep you here for long. Go on ahead, please."

The group said their goodbyes to the kinds stranger, and moved on ahead. This time, they stayed together. "Hehehehehehe. If only you knew what was lying in wait for you all. That temple, of all places. Well, it's no skin off my bones if you fools perish. If none of you were able to notice me from afar, then there's nothing for me to fear from anyone returning alive."