PM to join [The Bronze Wood] To train a horse... (Beodan)

[Verinskae]

Summer 82nd, AV 15, Early Morning, {Human Form}

He is not coming... The morning sun was already starting to rise, golden rays bathing the bronze wood in it's warm light. A slight chill in the air marked the end of Summer, and the beginning days of Fall. All was silent, yet for the rustling of leaves, and trickle of the nearby river. The horse Kelvic was not here. Skae felt a wave of relief wash over her, having no desire to bring anyone else into the chaos she had brought upon herself. Yet, somewhere, back in the dark places of her mind, she felt a slight pang of disappointment. Had she been expecting otherwise? She did not blame Beodan, not at all. Any sane creature would of walked away, knowing they put their lives at risk, simply by being in her presence.

She had been working on sharpening a thick branch with a stone. She raised it over her head in the light, admiring her work. It was a long piece of wood, ending in a vicious looking spike. Sharp enough to kill..., she mused. Skae had not slept since the previous night, she had a lot on her mind, rest would not come, even if she willed it.

The Dhani had gotten lucky earlier in the night at least, catching and eating a fully grown deer. The best meal she had had in a long while. Normally she would have spent the rest of the morning, lazing around in the cover of foliage to digest her prey, but she didn't have that luxury today, not with the possibility of the Kelvic arriving at the time and location she herself had set. She only ever shifted forms without fully digesting in emergencies. It left her feeling sluggish and a little uncomfortable, much like being forced awake suddenly from a deep and peaceful slumber. Her belly was still slightly swollen, her human stomach doing it’s best to digest the remnants of the beast.

Leaves rustled to her right, something was coming. Did he… did he really come?... The wave of relief dissipated, something else filling it’s place. Anticipation, excitement, anger, guilt, despair? She could not tell. She wanted to scream ‘You should not have come, fool!’, yet, the words would not escape. Skae raised the makeshift weapon, in front of her, holding it out from her body like a spear. She waited cautiously for whatever would emerge from the brush. There were plenty of other things that resided in this wood, far more deadly than a horse.

[Beodan Clathony]

That tree there certainly looked taller than the others, but it did not have a broken branch near the top. With a sniff of exasperation, the Horse Kelvic continued to jog along the river, a stone's throw away from the bank. It was true what they said. If you needed to hide a tree, put it in a forest! Shed leaves crunched under his hooves as he wound his way through the Bronze Woods, his ears twitching at every sound that breached the ambient noise. What was he getting himself into? The question had been running through his mind constantly since she had left just a few bells earlier. The unexpected visit had spun his head right around, leaving him to wonder when the dizziness would end.

After Skae had vanished into the darkness, Beodan had stood at the door, hoping beyond hope she would return and tell him there was no danger. That they could associate without fear. Though, after chimes alone with the night, his brow furrowed and froze like that. He sipped tea and brooded, horrible what-ifs plaguing his thoughts. The normally calming liquid, with its charming steam and aroma, proved to be ineffective for relaxation. So he stayed up until the sky turned the dark blue of early morning before setting off to meet the Dhani, curiosity and longing getting the better of him.

Which brought him to now, fighting through the plentiful bushes that grew near the river, slowly heading towards a landmark he had never seen before. Chimes later he was still crashing through the brush, when his a familiar scent filled his nostrils. He stopped, and brought his head up high and crinkled his nose to trap the air. There was no mistaking it, Skae was nearby, along with… blood? He followed the trail, the scent growing stronger as he went along. The greenery meant he could not see more than a few meters in front of him, vines and twigs brushing past his head. Dan did not see her until he had nearly walked on top of her. His brown eyes twinkled and he gave her a nicker in greeting, dodging around the strange branch she held to nuzzle her forehead. With the greeting out of the way, he shifted in a flash of light, a crooked grin on his face.

[Verinskae]

A horse's head sprang from the bush, the full length of it's body following behind. It made a soft whinnying sound as it moved cautiously around the wooden stake. There was a blinding flash of light, and Beodan stood before her as a man, a crooked smile upon his features. She couldn't help but smirk. "Sssoo, you actually came? ...a little late though, aren't we?" Skae paused, staring at him for the longest time. Her mouth was on his in a sudden blur of motion, her free hand gripping at the back of his head as she forced herself upon him. They held each other for a moment, as if one, trading ecstasy through their lips. She pulled her head back, gasping heavily. He leant in closer for another serving, but Skae pushed him away with the blunt end of the branch.

Her tongue produced a clicking noise, as she waved a finger in his face, teasingly. "Ah-ahhh... SsSuch rewardss require hard work and effort..." She punched him in the arm playfully, perhaps a little harder than intended. “If you are interessted in purSsuing thiss perilousss… bond, then you musst be trained to properly defend yoursself…” She hissed, pressing the hefty wood into the Kelvic’s hands. The sun had well and truly awoken from it’s nightly slumber now, it’s warmth felt good on her bare skin.

Her demeanor changed suddenly, taking on a colder form. “The mossst effective way to kill a Dhani…” She paused, momentarily in thought, “...to kill one of me… isss to sStrike jusst under the jaw…” Skae gripped the wooden stake in Beodan’s hands and pulled the sharp edge up, barely an inch away from her chin, to emphasize the point. “Sstraight through the brain, quick and decissive, like sso…” She took the wooden weapon, Beodan’s hands still moving with it, and pretended to jab at random areas of her body, the vicious spike hardly a hair’s width from her own flesh. “Sstriking at any other area of their body will only prove to anger them, resssulting in your hasstily death…”

Skae released her grip on the branch and took a few good steps back into the open grass, creating a good distance between them. Time to see how well he can handle a weapon… “Come at me with that branch in your hand! Don’t hold back! ...Thosse that hunt me cccertainly will not!” She called across the space between them. He looked awkward and confused, with the sharpened wood, like a child discovering something for the first time, unsure of it’s purpose. She frowned at his apparent dismay of the object in hand, clearly he was not comfortable wielding it. She attempted to reassure him. “Do not worry too much, I doubt you could hit me even if you wanted!” She chuckled mockingly, hoping to stir something inside the Kelvic.

OOCFeel free to take partial control of Skae in the upcoming posts if need be!

[Beodan Clathony]

“Sssoo, you actually came? ...A little late though, aren’t we?” Beodan looked down at his feet, a sheepish grin on his face, “Yeah, I got a little lost on th- Mmp!” Skae’s hand had snaked around the back of his head, pulling his lips to hers before he knew what was happening, interrupting his speech in the sweetest way. She kissed him hungrily, roughly tasting him. Desire swelled in both of them, and he was happy to let her flood his mind with bliss. Too soon, she pulled away, breathing hard. Only when his head cleared did he notice that he too needed his find his breath. Air or her lips? No contest. He leaned closer, seeking more of his sweet addiction. He was stopped by a round pressure on his chest. Momentarily confused, he looked down to see what had pushed him away. She had nudged him with the branch, and from the look on her face, enjoyed to tease him. “Ah-ahhh… SsSuch rewardss require hard work and effort…”


Sobering up, he schooled his expression and nodded. He was here to learn how to fight, despite his inhibitions. He had decided that it was better to have and not need, than to need and not have. She playfully punched his arm, and he rubbed the place of impact. He would later discover a colorful new bruise in the shape of a line of knuckles, a memento of his first combat experience. “If you are interessted in purssuing thiss… bond,” she said, iliciting a wince of pain from Dan at the word that carried so much weight for him. His thoughts flickered to Moxie for a moment before he quickly refocused on Skae’s flowing words, not wanting to begin brooding. “..then you must be trained to properly defend yourself.” She thrust the crude spear into his unpracticed hands.


The poor Kelvic gingerly held on as she demonstrated how to best kill other Dhani. People like her. His face grew paler as she talked, eventually settling in a slightly green shade of grey. Skae stepped back, and challenged him to come forward and attack her. How was he supposed to do that? Just hit her with the wood any old way? He figured that if stubbing a toe on a stray root hurt as much as it did, a branch hit anywhere would hurt like hell. He hesitated, not quite sure how to begin. “Don’t worry too much, I doubt you could hit me even if you wanted!” she taunted, attempting to rile him up. He took it literally, and relaxed a bit, hefting the spear like a bat. With a grunt and a ripple of back muscle he sent the branch towards her neck in a large sweeping motion. She stepped out of the way, not moving more than she had to. Another grunt and another wide swing, his knuckles white as he gripped the spear, not wanting it to fly out of his hands. This was not getting anywhere! He was hopeless. He changed tactics and jabbed at her with the pointy end, hoping that the sudden shift in approach would at least get it to graze her. All of this hitting air was exhausting.

[Verinskae]

The Kelvic's shoulders sagged, a deep sigh escaping his lips. Had her words actually made an impact? There was a grunting sound followed by a sudden rush of air against her face. She took an instinctive step back, the makeshift weapon missing her by a fraction of a chime. She blinked, surprised the Kelvic even had it in him. Another grunt, the second strike, a great horizontal swing. The attack was slow, predictable, and she was ready this time. Skae ducked, shifting her weight to the right, preparing for the next blow. He places too much power into the swing and not enough on accuracy, his footing is all wrong, he will soon tire himself before the fight has even begun...

There was determination in the Kelvic’s eyes at least. His hands shifted position on the crude weapon, as did his feet upon the ground. He came at her with a flurry of swift jabs, the pointed end of the branch moving back and forth in a mechanical motion. Better, but still terribly predictable… Her abdomen snaked left, twisted right, avoiding the potentially harmful blows. She allowed a few to barely miss her, creating the illusion that he was not as awful as he really was, not wanting to douse the small, already dying flame.

It was time to intervene, before he drained himself completely of stamina. “Wait!” She called out, moving into the small gap between them. “I thought you an elegant horsse, yet you fight like a cornered ox!” Skae scorned, circling around the Kelvic. “You put too much forccce into your sswingsss, relax your body, relax your mind. Pick a target on your opponentss body and focus on sStriking that area! You musst be like water, not like a rock!”

“Again!” She called, distancing herself between them. He came upon her once more, his attacks quicker, with more purpose, and less wasted energy. Good, he learns quick… perhaps this won’t be so difficult after all… She ducked, twisted her body left and right, strafed to the side as the edge of the spear drew closer and closer. Beodan prepared for another strike, his body reared up for another jab on her right side. She twisted to the left in anticipation, yet the spear was thrust in the same direction. A feint!?... Skae quickly twisted her head to the side, but she had been caught off guard, and the sharp end of the stake flew past her ear, leaving a long, shallow cut across the side of her cheek.

Beodan stood frozen, perhaps worried he may have actually hurt her. His mistake. Skae grabbed the crude spear with both hands and pulled the Kelvic forward in to her reach. She grabbed him under the elbow, sweeped at his legs with a foot, and flung him over her shoulder. He hit the ground with a sickening thud, the weapon rolling out of his hands. The Dhani wiped the blood from her cheek and licked it from her fingers. She sat on the prone Kelvic’s chest, and leant over, knees drawn up to her chin. “Firssst blood, congratulationss… now for your reward…” Her lips found his once more, her tongue artfully caressing his. Heart pounding in her chest, threatening to burst out. They rolled around on the grass playfully, their face and bodies mingling together in a passionate embrace. They rolled until she found herself on top of him once more. She forced herself off of Beodan and stood, brushing away the dirt and leaves. “Again…”.

[Beodan Clathony]

The jabs had not phased the athletic Dhani. She flowed out of the way of each one, as if she could see the future. He was almost encouraged by the fact that some were getting close to hitting their mark. Almost. A miss was a miss after all, and could spell Beodan’s death in a real fight. He vastly preferred his passive herbalist lifestyle. No waving tree branches around, and not dangerous if you did not try to eat plants you did not recognize. But who would do that? So, feeling like he was wasting time, he continued to try his best to his Skae, just once!

A chime or two later she called for him to stop, and he buckled, putting his hands on his knees and breathing hard at the ground. He had not done something this strenuous for his upper body in a long time, his muscles felt hot and invigorated. She came up to his doubled form and scolded, “I thought you an elegant horsse, yet you fight like a cornered ox!” He wanted to point out that hooves were much easier to land a hit with than a tree branch, but he thought better of it, not wanting to bring up the time at the Falls where she had learned of horse combat first hand. He still felt guilty for that. She continued, “You put too much forccce into your sswingsss, relax your body, relax your mind. Pick a target on your opponentss body and focus on sStriking that area! You musst be like water, not like a rock!” Dan nodded, his breath returning to him. “Less force, relax everything, target and strike, water, no rocks. Got it!” he echoed, panting between each word. She walked back into position once more and commanded, “Again!”

The Kelvic took a breath with his eyes closed, then opened them, his chocolate gaze falling on his waiting opponent. He shifted his eyes to the gap between her collarbone, so he could see her entire body pretty well, and picked his target as he had been told. He would aim for the middle of the chest, and switch to the neck every few strikes as she had instructed. With a sharp intake of breath, he started his assault. Jab after jab he struck at her, the cool morning air held at bay by the heat of his body. Sweat beaded on his skin, making him lightly shine as the sun glinted over him. It certainly seemed like he was getting closer and closer to hitting her, but always when he thought he had her, air took the place of flesh. He needed to do something differently. He noticed he seemed to be moving exactly when he started to, and thus got out of the way every time. So, he pretended to jab to his right, but pulsed his back right after the movement had started, causing the spear to head left. His eyes widened as he saw her check ooze red ichor, he had hit her. Suddenly what had been his goal for the entire fight felt like losing. He stopped, spear loose in his hand, “Are you okay? I’m so sor-” Before he could finish apologizing he found himself knocked off balance and his back to the forest floor.

Dan groaned, the impact had jarred him something fierce. “Firssst blood, congratulationss… now for your reward…” Skae purred in a predatory tone. Reward? He had hurt her and she hadn’t been attacking him! If anything he deserv- His thoughts were cut off by a familiar sweet taste invading his mouth. His groan turned into a moan as she captured his tongue in a dance he was starting to learn the steps to, though, he would require more practice if he wanted to be as adept as a snake. His lips, still pressed to hers, turned upwards into a smile as he rolled her so she was beneath, and kissed her soundly. Dirt and leaves clung to their bodies as they continued battle in a much preferred method to normal fighting. It ended too soon. Skae got up from him and yelled, “Again!” once more. He chuckled, and readied himself for battle. After they were done he would like to treat her wound, so she did not earn a facial scar for her efforts.

[Verinskae]

Beodan raised himself from the ground, chuckling all the while, he readied himself for the next round of training. Skae smirked to herself. He is enjoying this more than I had thought... She turned her back to the Kelvic and took a few steps forward, once again creating some distance between them. Something shot past her ear, a sharp, shrill whistle sort of noise followed it's lead. There was a slight rustle of leaves as the object ended its journey among the near by bushes. Skae turned to face the culprit, a wicked grin upon her features. "Sssooo... You resSsort to throwing sstoness at your opponentss, and while their back iss turned no lessss, desSspicable!" She let out a hearty chuckle. The Kelvic gaped at her, a clueless look upon his face.

Her smirk slowly disappeared, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. Her senses were on full alert. It can't be... I scoured the area for a mile around, nothing but a handful of small birds and mammals... A second object whizzed by the left side of her face and thudded into an adjacent tree, a thin stick with a feathered end stuck in the oak, still quivering from impact. An arrow… "Beodan, get down!!"

"Ya drunk lad? Missed her not once, but twice!" Laughter surrounded them, amongst the cover of trees. "Yer takin' the damn piss ain't ya? I could of hit her with my bleedin' eyes shut! Just meant to scare her is all. Be a damn shame to waste such beauty..." Two men emerged from the tree line, directly in front. Long, shaggy hair, scruffy beards and worn leathers. One carried a wooden bow, presumably the one that shot at her. The other carried a wooden shield, an unsheathed long sword at his side, it's sharpened edge glinting in the morning sun. “Well lads, what ave’ we here? Two love birds, naked as their name day! Spiriting away for a lil’ fun, eh?”

Another volley of laughter followed. She tried to guess where the laughter was coming from, how many of them there were. She counted four, possibly five. Another emerged from her right, a lanky man with a balding head, two vicious looking knives in each hand. “I dunno, look at their muscles, they look like fighters, maybe even a pair of those damned Sylirian knights!” Another emerged beside him, a great red beard, and a deadly looking axe in hand. “Aye, they got nothing on em’.” “Fools! Stop yer’ damn whining. They got no bleedin’ armour nor weapons, and we outnumber them to boot! They must have clothes somewhere, where there are clothes there are belongings, where there are belongings there is loot!” The one with the shield yelled in response.

"And if they don't got nuffin'?" Asked the one with the axe. The one with the shield took several, brash strides forward. Examining Skae and Beodan both. Hungry eyes looked Skae up and down, flicking every now and again to the crude stake in the Kelvic's hands, then back again to Skae. "Then we take em both. A strong man like that will fetch for a few good pieces to the right people in the right cities... As for the woman, well, my bed has been awfully cold of late..." There was another roar of laughter. Just a little closer... As if Caihya had actually listened to her pleas for once, he took another few steps closer to the Dhani and Kelvic. His reeking breath hot on her cheek. He turned his back to her, to face his companions. Big mistake... "Yeah, got me thinkin' tha- AAAAAHHHH!!"

She had his right arm twisted behind his back, the long sword pressed against his spine. Her free hand wrapped around the man's chest, restricting his movement. He was attempting to struggle free of her grasp, but she held him firmly in place. The others, apparently took notice, roaring with laughter at his feeble efforts of escape. "Hah, look! The great Ron iron arm, held fast by a woman!" Ron iron arm spat, still attempting to struggle. "Arrrggh! That ain't no woman's strength, stronger n' any man I ever knew!" Skae brought her lips to his ear. "Move another muscle... and I will kill you..." She whispered in a cold voice. His body became abruptly slack, the struggling ceased.

"Drop your weaponsss and leave uss! Leave now or find yoursselvesSs a pile of corpssess, sstarting with thisss one!" Another round of laughter. As it died down to the last faint chuckle their expression quickly turned from that of mockery to a look as stern as stone. They were advancing forward, weapons at the ready. She went over the options in her head. She could kill this Ron, dive in to the near by brush, and change forms. Yet, that would leave Beodan defenseless, and at the whim of these petty thieves. Skae was not about to lose him so soon. Wherever I go, trouble always seems to follow...

[Beodan Clathony]

“Spiriting away for a lil’ fun, eh?” Beodan looked down at chest, indeed naked as the man had said. A little fun? He would not call fighting fun particularly, but the man was right; he had been enjoying himself. He stood up, having crouched at Skae’s command, and gave the man a broad grin. He called out, “I guess you could call it fun! Have any luck on your hunt? It’s a nice day for it!” They carried weapons, and shields, so maybe they were out hunting more dangerous game than deer. The men laughed, as if his question was funny. He continued to smile, not getting the joke but also not wanting to insult them. They looked a bit.. scruffy, more so than usual hunters. They boasted more scars than what came naturally out of living primarily in the wilderness. He finally noticed the Dhani’s incredulous look, and he turned to her and softly asked her what was wrong.

“They’re bandits, Dan,” she said, barely moving her lips. Oh. Oh! Suddenly their worn steel weapons looked menacing, their laughter sinister. His eyes widened, smile long gone from his face, replaced with an emotionless mask. Though, there was fear in his chocolate eyes. They men talked loudly, but the Kelvic was not paying attention to them. He was trying to think of something to say, some way to get out of this place. They did not know they were anything but human, and might not have regular dealing with Kelvics, so would not expect a horse to appear out of nowhere. And Skae could be a fierce snake when she wished, though there was a brief transition period, that in this case made all the difference. He eyed the man with a sword and shield, creeping every close to them. The scar on his chest throbbed, not eager to receive another sword wound any time soon.

“A strong man like that will fetch for a few good pieces to the right people in the right cities... As for the woman, well, my bed has been awfully cold of late…” the vile man said, the talk of slavery forcing Dan to pay attention. Anger coursed through him at his last comment, he fought to contain himself. It would not do it get killed before he could escape. He heard a yell. Skae had the man’s arm twisted behind his back, the sword pressing against his vertebrae. Having experienced her iron grip first hand, he was confident that he could not escape. The bowman would be the greatest trouble, arrow wounds were hard to treat and went deep. He picked out his target, and threw the crude spear at the man’s chest. His throw was off a foot, and penetrated the man’s bicep with a spurt of blood and tearing of flesh. The man howled, and glared murder at him, a look that was mimicked by the rest of the gang. They advanced faster, and he quickly whispered to Skae, “Kill him and take your half chime. We will route them once you have scaled armor and knives for teeth!”

Beodan faced the axeman, the closest bandit, who was advancing upon him with the weapon brandished, ready to swing. The Kelvic clutched his arms to his chests, as if forming a shield of limbs, and then shifted. A flash of light stopped the man’s advance, and the two hooves snapping to be fully extended leveled him with the force of a cannon. Ribs cracked, his axe buried itself into the ground. That was his one freebie, surprise was no longer on his side. The bowman had pulled a knife from his boot, and slashed down upon the horse’s neck. He hit nothing but air. A flash of light and a man fell back to the ground, evading the deadly blade. He took a fist full of dirt and threw it at the man’s eyes. So far so good!

[Verinskae]

The sharpened branch vaulted through the air, striking the archer's arm, leaving a deep gash across his bicep. Skae blinked, stealing a glance at Beodan. Something had rapidly changed in him, the way his eyes burned, a fury she knew all too well. The kind of look that says, 'I would rather die than be taken'...

“Kill him and take your half chime. We will route them once you have scaled armor and knives for teeth!”

Her lips parted, to refuse his ridiculous notion, yet she could see by the stern expression on his face that Beodan had already made up his mind. There was a flash of light followed by a heavy crash. The horse Kelvic lay, hooves first upon the one with the axe. That was her cue. She thrust the sword wielding hand, up and through the bandit's back. The tip of the blade pierced his heart, his lungs, and out through his chest. Warm, red liquid gushed from the wound and splattered the whole of her front side. A gurgling noise was the only thing that escaped Ron Iron Arm's lips as he sunk to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Another sharp whistle came from her right. An arrow struck her square in the shoulder, buried deep in skin and muscle. Another archer, in the trees? He must of had his bow trained on me the entire time... She allowed the faintest hiss through her teeth, as the pain burned through her body. That will be a pain to remove later... She could worry about it when the danger was over, she needed to take cover, now. The Dhani threw herself in to the bushes behind, planning her next move. Her anaconda form would give her the stealth she needed to dispatch the other bowman, without being noticed. I can't afford to waste time, not with Beodan still in the fray… Dhani form it would have to be then.

Skae emerged from the cover of leaves and branches a moment later, the woman was gone, a large, dark, twenty foot long behemoth stood in her place. She appeared to be of a humanoid shape, yet far from anything human. Arms, legs, and even a small resemblance of a human head remained, yet that was all. Skin had been replaced with scales, blunt teeth removed in favour of sharp daggers. Muscles bulged from every part of her body, and a long tail trailed out for a good distance behind. A real nightmarish monster. One to give the drunken tavern tales a run for their money.

She was off through the trees, faster than an arrow, running on two feet, clawing on all fours, slithering in between oak, then back to two legs once again. Her senses were on full alert, hearing, smelling, tasting everything. Adrenaline pumped through her cold veins, she hadn’t felt this alive in a long time. She could hear shouts coming from the thieves, they sounded confused, startled, unsure. That was good. It meant Beodan still had the upper hand in surprise, most likely they had not expected him to transform into a wild beast all of a sudden. The Dhani came upon the hidden archer quicker than expected. He turned at the sound of her approach, dropping his bow to the ground and staring, frozen in terror. His mouth opened wide to scream, yet she was quicker. Her long, clawed fingers closed around his skull. His neck gave a loud snap, as his head twisted a full circle round. The bowman slumped to the ground, speechless. Two down, three to go…

[Beodan Clathony]

The man wielding two knives halted Beodan’s progress in the fight. He kept slashing at his limbs if he came close enough to try and do another attack with shifting. A horse’s were only so long. It seemed that after the axeman and, more recently, the bowman now had hoof prints marring their skin, he was less inclined to engage in a boxing match with the Kelvic. Blood trickled down his wrist, a thin knife wound he had sustained in his other form during his first attempted. He quickly learned not to try it again. What could he do? He had to mind the trees on his right, and pay attention to the rogue to make sure he did not stick a dagger between his ribs. Skae had been shot, but he did not have time to care for her. He kept out of the new bowman’s line of sight, through that proved to be difficult, when the rogue began to kite him.

Soon Dan had left the cover of a large tree and the twang of a bowstring sounded and he threw himself to the side, an arrow whizzing over his head a moment later. He gasped, that was too close! The rogue took advantage of his loss of balance and thrust his right hand forward with a shout of victory. The Kelvic tried to dodge, by he could not evade the evil blade. He yelped as the bladed entered his side, stopping against a rib. He reflexively hit the man in the face with the back of his fist, likely breaking the man’s nose for the second or third time in his life, and ducked under the other dagger that had been descending angrily towards him. He backpedaled, putting distance between him and the man, enough to take a breath. The nick on his side was less than the size of his thumb, but it bled down his side like a much larger wound. Red ichor soaked into the dirt, a murky paste. The scent of rust filled his nostrils now that he could focus on other things than staying alive, for a few ticks at least.

Keeping his wounded arm over the new wound, he picked up a fallen branch, smashing it against a tree. It broke off with a loud crack, leaving him with a jagged spear. Not as sharp as stone or steel, but it could pierce skin. It was around as long as his arm, and he held it aloft and advance back towards the rogue with the bleeding nose. Not letting the man get a word in, he brought the branch down on him. The man finally held an arm up to protect his head. It did for the first swing, and the man shouted, a great strangled cry of fear and pain. Dan felt a twinge of sympathy, but he ruthlessly crushed it with a word; slave. The branch fell once more. This time there was no hand to block, only a sickening crunch. He let go of the club, allowing it to stick in its final resting place. He laughed. A terrifying, traumatized laugh. Each guffaw echoed on the trees and fell dead to the floor. He sank to his knees next to the twitching body, suddenly exhausted, laughter petering out with his eyes wide and flat brown.