[Willow Woods] You, Me and a Bruxen makes Three

[Arlo Creede]

Ashan 52, Arc 717

Continued from here

It was still early morning in the Willow Woods. But the trial that they'd planned, him and Vega, was turning out very differently than the one that they'd planned. Arlo had accepted a bounty from the local butcher for them. A simple enough task he'd thought. Venture into the Willow Woods, find a Bruxen, bring it down and haul it back for its meat, and their pay.

Except that neither of them had really known what they were looking for. And once they'd found it, neither of them could actually do what they'd been sent to do. As a result, it was a sackful of blueberries rather than a quiver full of arrows they'd used. And instead of bringing down the beast to haul back in Peg's cart, now it was walking beside them as they strolled a little deeper into the woods.

Henry, Vega had called the enormous Bruxen with the lights swirling around him, and if the creature minded the name, it hadn't been enough to cause him to run off. Maybe it was the promise of more berries from Arlo's sack. Neither of them could say for sure.

When they'd introduced the creature to Arlo's mare, the two had given each other a good looking over, a sniff and appeared resolved to each other's presence. And then leaving Peg where she was tied, they walked a little deeper into the forest.

"Will we tell the butcher we didn't find one?" Arlo wondered as they walked, while the Bruxen first nudged and sniffed his pockets, then Vega's clothing looking for more berries. Meanwhile the woods had grown a little thicker and the young man paused suddenly and frowned. "You hear that?" he asked. There was nothing, not a sound except the breeze through the trees. But that was the strange thing about it. Nothing, where just a trill before they could hear birds singing.

It was a little unnerving, and as if to say he agreed, Henry stopped walking, swung his head up, sniffed the air, tensed and snorted. The Bruxen pawed at the ground, and cutting a glance at Vega, Arlo drew his bow again and nocked an arrow, just in case.

[Vega]

"I think we tell the butcher what a beautiful animal he's asking people to hurt and persuade him to stop." Vega replied, a deep frown at the thought of someone else taking this job. "Forcefully persuade him needs be." She could not maintain the level of irritated she was at, though, as she chuckled at Henry. He didn't seem to like Vega's violent solution to how she thought the conversation with the butcher was going to go and so he nuzzled against her, pushing her hand with his nose. "You know, I swear he understands us, Arlo."

She was about to say more when Arlo asked if she heard something and she listened for just a trill. No, she was about to say, she didn't hear anything and then she realised, she didn't hear anything. No sounds of birds, nothing. Well that wasn't normal, she thought to herself even as she drew her sword. Arlo knocked an arrow to his bow, but if there was something to fight, one of them would need to get close up, especially since they didn't know how vulnerable Henry was. So, Vega stepped forward so that she was in between Arlo and Henry and embedded her sword into the ground in front of her as she too pulled her bow, her currently bright blue eyes looking around with interest and a definite high level of alert.

Which, it turned out, was well founded as there was movement behind the treeline. It was dark and shadowy, but there was movement. From the shadows in there came a deep keening wail which was unnerving to their very souls and Vega did not hesitate, loosing an arrow at the amorphous shadowy form stalking around.

Just the sight of the shadowy creature itself, caught in glimpses, was enough to unnerve the young redhead and Vega did not hesitate with loosing her arrow, making sure that she aimed for the movement itself, not the darkness around it. The wailing sound came from all around them, it seemed, but there was only one movement that she could spot so she did not bother with aiming for specifics she could not see.

As Vega did that, Henry did something which might also be considered somewhat strange. He began to glow, brighter and brighter until the light started to drive away the shadows. "Arlo, we keep shootin' it unless it charges, then you shoot, I stab, yeah?" It was their usual 'plan' (and she used that term loosely, she knew) but it was always worth to check.

[Arlo Creede]

Trying to persuade the butcher that the Bruxen ought not be hunted and killed was one thing, and Arlo agreed. They could surely try. However, when she suggested more forceful measures, he frowned. And when Henry nudged her and Vega wondered, could the creature understood, the young man nodded. "I think he can," he declared, "and I think he might be saying that the local guard might not look to kindly on us for assaulting a local citizen."

Not that Arlo was opposed to insisting that the hunting of Bruxen should stop. He'd just rather not end up in the city lockup or stocks for doing it. But all that was levity compared to the building sense that something was stalking them. Something unnatural. The shadowy movement in the trees caused a chill to run up his spine, and Henry, who'd been perfectly agreeable just a trill ago, was looking a great deal more menacing now himself.

As Vega planted her sword into the ground, Arlo readied his bow and studied the lurking shadows. Somewhere at their center, he imagined that there was a sort of human-like shape. Though the general shape was the only human-like thing about it. Was it stalking them? Or was it the Bruxen? It didn't really matter. The shrill wailing that accompanied the loosing of Vega's arrow was enough. He'd rather that neither of them had to get close enough for a sword to do any good.

Nonetheless if the core of the shadow seemed more solid, it also seemed strangely fluid and he followed it along the length of his arrow before firing it. And it shrieked again but didn't relent. It only seemed to come closer while the shadowy tendrils surrounding it wisped away in response to the light show coming off of Henry.

"Sure," he agreed, and nocked another arrow. He'd shoot, she'd stab, and so he fired again and again while Henry charged forward a few paces, leading with his antlers and chest, then retreated again as if engaging in some sort of warning.

[Vega]

Henry charged forward then backed up, charged forward and backed up, glowing brightly and making a much more imposing figure than he had when he was snuffling in their pockets. But still, the shadow-like creature with what seemed to be tentacles where it's face should be was cautious but growing more sure of itself. As she loosed another arrow, aiming down the shaft and breathing carefully, Vega was convinced that it was growing more sure of itself. Firing this rapidly meant that she was glad not to be aiming anywhere specific, although the fact that it was moving made things more tricky.

Like they weren't tricky enough to begin with, Vega considered as she regulated her breathing. It was more tricky when firing at speed because it made sense and improved accuracy to be firing on the outbreath. However, she had no wish to hyperventilate so she had to keep her breathing in time with her movements.

"Arlo, I might be wrong!" Vega didn't sound like she was at all unsure of her next words as the screening wailing sound slid into her bones and seemed to make them vibrate on the inside. "But I think we're just irritatin' it, you know!"

Or maybe, she considered, tickling. Maybe it was being tickled by their arrows.

As she thought that, Vega saw the way the thing moved start to change and she said something in Rakahi which was probably best not repeated. It started to move and she dropped her bow, pulling her sword from the ground in front of her.

In the time it took her to do that, the thing was in front of them and Vega had time to consider that it was fast before joining combat with it. The thing in question was a humanoid from the waist down, but from just above its waist it was a mass of swirling black tentacles. It was terrifying and Vega felt herself take an involuntary half-step backwards before she grabbed hold of her courage and thrust forward with her sword. It was attacking Henry, so Vega of course stepped forward, putting herself between the beast and the creature. Her aim was right at the middle of the thing, in the very center of the tentacles and where it's heart would be if it had one.

Made from shadows though it was, it felt solid and she stabbed into it. It was solid, she realised but only where Henry's light shone. Henry, meanwhile was causing it to shrink backwards from his light.

Unfortunately, Vega's plan was that she would stab it and it would die because of where she had stabbed it. The first part worked fine but it did not die, not at all and three large tentacles hit her in the side. She literally took off at the strength in them and they knocked her a good six or seven feet to the right, away from Henry. Having been in the process of removing her sword, Vega and her weapon landed on the floor with pain exploding in her side. It turned to look at her how does it see!? Vega thought, wildly, and then, with a scream which would make grown warriors run away, it charged as she scrabbled up.

What she couldn't see, but Arlo and Henry could was the black gloop which was pouring out of it where Vega had stabbed it.

[Arlo Creede]

Irritating wasn't the word that Arlo would have used, there in the thick of it. Vega was right, he reckoned. But the young man would have chosen from a choicer array of vocabulary. The kind of things you didn't say in front of a lady. He would have anyway...After all, she'd stuck an elbow in his ribs once and reminded him not to call her that. But he was too busy trying to decide where to land his arrows.

Each one of them ought to count since he didn't have an endless supply. So before each shot he followed the shadowy creature's movements, studied its form and tried to identify anything that seemed solid. Then steadying his bow, drawing in breath and slowly exhaling, he'd let another loose, only to agree with her again, that they were accomplishing very little more than making it angry. Or providing it a source of amusement.

But then when Vega took her sword in hand, the creature seemed to take it as an invitation and sailed towards them and Henry. Arlo couldn't quite say which of them it was after. But didn't matter. It was too close now for his bow to be much use and he dropped in and took his blade in hand. But by then, Vega had rushed in and stabbed the thing, then was flung away like a rag doll.

He learned something though. Just about the time it began it's furious charge, and he shouted to Vega, "Roll away, get your feet!", he spotted the black ooze and considered the reason behind it. Could the Bruxen understand him? Arlo was convinced now that he could. "Henry, light up it's tentacles!"

And when the Bruxen did just that, Arlo rushed in while the creature was focused on Vega, and slashed at the the thing's tentacles one by one and sometimes two by two. Predictably their attacker was enraged and turned on him, but by that time it had lost more than half of it's spindly arms and was spewing arcs of black goo like a sieve. In spite of it, it got another blow in, and sent Arlo off his feet and flying several yards to come down hard on his back with the air knocked out of him.

[Vega]

Roll away, get her feet? As Vega did just that she could not help but yell right back. "You should be a professional bloody advice giver. SHURRUP!" She stabbed, he twanged with a bow. It wasn't complicated and even he should be able to get it. Yet, no. As soon as she pulled a sword, so did he ~ Vega considered that if she killed him she could at least have a new hat as she charged back into the melee. Of course, not in time to save Arlo from an enormous hit from the... slithery thing, and she cursed.

"I'm going to kill you!" Vega reassured the slithery thing, or maybe she was talking to Arlo it was in fairness quite hard to tell. "Good work, Henry!" Adrenaline kept her blood pumping and she wouldn't notice the injuries until later, she knew, so as Henry continued to light the thing up and the unmistakable fountain of goo continued, Vega carried on with slicing off the tentacles. It was obviously just irritating the thing was the problem and she spent more of her time dodging around, bouncing on the soles of her feet and skipping to avoid this tentacle or that one.

Then, as she spotted an opening, and immediately took advantage of it to step in and slice through a tentacle Vega realised that she had miscalculated. Whatever this thing was, it was clever and it had left her an opening which she took. It was too late, though, for her to do anything about it as she felt tentacles wrap around her. By all the Immortals it was strong and Vega yelled in frustration as it easily pinned her arms to her sides and at it's touch she felt fear hit her like a wave breaking over her.

Vega reacted to that fear, of course, by kicking and fighting to the best of her ability. Her muscles strained as she tried her strength against its. Vega was strong, there was no doubting it, but this was way beyond her. Henry stepped forward and charged with his antlers. The monstrous thing had no leeway and just before the Bruxon killed it in a final, defeating blow, it lifted the young mixed blood woman off her feet and threw her against a nearby tree. The force of that throw was such that Vega slid down it and lay unmoving.

Thankfully, Arlo was able to see and got to witness the Bruxon killing the mass of tentacles which exploded and shed black goo everywhere. As soon as it had, Henry moved over to Vega and started to nuzzle at her, then Arlo if he was there, but it was a good minute before she groaned and opened an eye."Ow," she said with another groan, getting her bearings but not getting up. "Is it dead? Are you ok?" Then, with a wince, she tried to glare at him so he'd know she was fine, although she felt a million miles away from it. "Which bit of I hit with a sword an' you use the bow have you got such a problem with?"

All in all, she considered, one or both of them had probably better learn first aid.

[Arlo Creede]

Shurrup? Even in the thick of battle, Vega found the time to nag him. Arlo would take the time to point that out, later. But at the moment he was too busy lopping off tentacles with his sword and getting flung away much like the same rag doll he'd compared Vega too just trills earlier.

He landed hard, it knocked the air out of him and it took just a couple trills longer to fill his lungs with air again and stumble to his feet. And then it was back into the fray. He wasn't about to let her have all the glory after all. It was a tricky creature though and somehow Vega had found herself wrapped up in it's tentacles. While she struggled and fought, Arlo relied on Henry to light the thing up so he could identify the best places to stab...without running Vega through in the process.

But then when Henry charged in, Arlo was quick to get out of the way, just in time to have Vega collide with him as she was hurled against the nearest tree. The beast had exploded to bits though, and there was black glop everywhere. He mostly ignored that however as he rushed to Vega's side. Out. She was out cold, and for a long bit Arlo worried that she might not wake up on her own. To the extent that he was already planning out how to get her in the back of Peg's cart in order to haul her back to town.

The irony of course was that Arlo had a first aid kit. He'd purchased the thing before they'd left Desnind. But while he was well enough equipped, he didn't actually know how to use the thing. Though when she finally came to, it didn't appear that her prickly disposition had suffered any. He frowned, and snorted. "I've told you before. I'm not going to be shooting anything while you're standing in front of it. I might be getting better at firing a bow. But you're still made of solid stuff."

"Be still," he told her then as he dug into his sack and pulled out some bandages and a vial of alcohol. If there were any cuts or scrapes on her, he'd use the alcohol to clean them first, then the bandages to keep them covered before finally asking if she was able to stand. At least long enough to get back to the cart, where he'd insist that she ride in it on their way back to camp.

It was only a short walk to where he'd left Peg, and he'd lend Vega a shoulder as they went. What they hadn't expected, maybe, was that Henry wasn't inclined to part ways with them and was content to follow along, constantly nuzzling and sniffing of both of them to make sure they were alright.

[Vega]

Vega connected with the tree and she felt the crunching impact on the back of her head even as she slid down the trunk. Thankfully, as far as she experienced the world, she did not lose consciousness or anything like it. Instead she just had a little lay down for a few moments and then she frowned at Arlo with a confused expression on her face. "Arlo? 'ow'd you get there? Stop that." He was swimming around and not staying still. It was nauseating and a very irritating habit, all told. "I know what you've told me, but you've got legs." She frowned at him, quite sure that she was supposed to frown. "Little legs, granted, but you could run an' move an' shoot. Try it. You might like it." Then, with a beautiful case of hypocrisy in action she added, "an' you might stay alive longer, too."

He sat her up and then started attacking her with some sort of swab of something or another and Vega slapped away the Arlo in the middle. "Gerrof! What are you doing? Are you a licensed medical practitioner? OW!" Her confusion did not aid her mood at all and Vega tried to get him off her. Ineffectual as it was, she did her best. She gestured over to where the now-dead tentacle-creature was. "We should collect some of that, an' like, take it as a trophy." She waved a hand, her gesture only vaguely in the direction of the corpse. "An' some gloopy stuff. Did you see it? It might be useful if we need gloop."

He helped her up then and Vega was insistent, "I'm fine. Really. I dun't need any help. Are you hurt?" Yet, she leaned on him as they made slow progress to the cart. However, once there, she was more than determined, her chin jutting in a very determined manner. "I'm fine, Arlo!"

She said it more than once and then she looked at the cart and her "No. No, not happening. No." was emphatic. Nearly, it must be said, as emphatic as her "Gerroff!"

[Arlo Creede]

"Says the woman who just rushed in without thinking and got herself flung up against the nearest tree," Arlo muttered when Vega continued to complain about his fighting methods. "And be still and stop grousing about it." Because no matter how she protested, no matter how many names she called him, her scrapes and cuts were going to be cleaned and bandaged. They wouldn't be tidy fixes. He'd probably get laughed out of even the most backwater healing stations. But they'd be cleaned and stopped from getting dirty on the way back to camp.

And no, they weren't going to be wasting time with collecting whatever was left from the thing that attacked them, he told her as he pulled her up on wobbly feet in spite of her protests. And when she refused to get in the cart? Arlo frowned darkly at her and snorted. "You might've gotten a knock on the head but it hasn't stopped you from being one of the most contrary people I've ever met. And I was on the road an arc before we met. I ran across a lot of contrary travelers."

The young man had never really considered the expressions of animals. But Henry was different. And the more they bickered, the more Vega refused and Arlo insisted, the more concerned and amused, both, the Bruxen seemed to look as they traveled back to where Peg was waiting on them. At least she let him support some of her weight, which was progress. But not enough. She needed to be off her feet for the trip back to camp.

Meanwhile the Bruxen showed no signs of wanting to part ways with them. But it was when she told him to get off, once again, that Arlo stopped, causing Peg to stop abruptly behind him. "Quit being so Immortal's damned stubborn and get yourself in the cart," he insisted and if he needed to, would do it for her. The beauty of it of course that was no matter how he managed to rile her, in this condition she'd have a hard time working up the will to punch him. And if she tried, he could easily outrun her anyway.

Still, it seemed that the Bruxen had come to a conclusion of his own, and after snorting once and pawing at the ground, he lowered his head to Vega's side and gave her a gentle, but meaningful nudge towards the back of the cart. If they'd wondered if the creature could understand them before, there didn't seem to be any doubt of it now.

[Vega]

"I was thinkin'," Vega insisted, looking at the middle one of him. "I was thinkin' that you're too young to get killed by black an' evil tentacle-thing" That was as close as she got to explaining why she'd jumped in like a lunatic, but it would have to do. "OW! Will you gerrof me?" There was no arguing with him as he ministered to her wounds, but Vega did her very best. "Why are you trying to hurt me? I thought you were my friend," was her final grumble, when all else had failed.

She was one of the most contrary people he'd ever met? Vega beamed in genuine, if somewhat confused, delight and she put her hand on his arm ~ after a bit of a run up. "Awww. Really? You are too. I mean, for me. Contrary. Difficult. Obnoxious. They're my favourite things about you, you know." She beamed because, to her, that made perfect sense and it was clear, too. "And your hat. I like your hat. But that's cos Cassion gave it to you and he kissed me. No one did that before, you know, and I didn't think anyone ever would. Though, I didn't tell that to the man who ran the bath. I think he thought that I was gonna bed him. Silly men-folk. Why are men-folk always so silly?" Her bleary gaze focused on him briefly. "I mean, you're not. But you're not really a man-folk, you're a boy-folk" With a slight giggle which she'd hate should she remember it, Vega patted Arlo on the arm. "Try not to become a man, would you? They're very silly."

At least he didn't argue with her walking, she considered. It wasn't so much that she ignored his argument as that she just didn't hear it and so she walked, stumbling a little but feeling very pleased with herself. She glanced up to the sky to let Xiur know that she was alright and look, they'd met a glowing deer, and wasn't that funny but, just as she did, she stumbled and that was the last straw for Arlo, it seemed.

He stopped stock still and he spoke to her in a very determined and telling off tone. Get herself into the cart? How very dare he? Vega was fully riled up to punch his silly face in when she burst into tears. "Stop shouting at me!" Of course, she shouted that. "It hurts my head! And you do too with your... your... arms!" Why his arms? She didn't know then and she certainly wouldn't later. "I don't want to get in the cart, that's where the dead people go, I'm fine!"

Yelling at him really didn't help with the situation and, as she finished doing so, Vega turned and would have thrown up if she'd had any food in her stomach but instead she retched, leaning against a tree as she did. When Henry came and nuzzled her, nudging her towards the cart,she wrapped her arms around him and cried a little more, whispering to the Bruxon about how mean Arlo was being. Except, of course, it wasn't a whisper. Still, for reasons that her confused mind understood, and it only, she made her way to the cart at Henry's urging and then, just before she finally conceded and climbed on she looked at Arlo with worry in her currently multicoloured eyes.

"Are you gonna be a'right if I'm not here to protect you? I don't wanna leave you alone."