>She stuck close to him, making sure that she didn't get distracted by anything else around them and somehow lose him among the trees. >Hopefully this was just a short detour and they'll be back in the village before long.
>>41250199 >Unfortunately, this was no small detour. The direction Patrick had been following was actually that made by something else and, rather than retracing his own steps, he'd been following the shuffled leaves and snapped twigs of something a little less friendly. Though light could clearly be seen throughout the wood, the shadows were long and anything that opted to lurk most certainly had a chance to within the bushes and underbrush, or behind the thicker of the trees.
>Patrick was beginning to feel uneasy. It wasn't a rare thing to find himself in a difficult situation, but this was closer to dangerous than he wanted to expose Melody to. Once he'd realised his mistake in pathing, it was already too late and he'd walked straight into trouble blindly, at far too early a time.
Alright...
>Suddenly he stopped, a little too abruptly for it to be a calm decision. Holding his arm out in front of her, his eyes stared around him trying to catch a shimmer of anything unusual in the light, particularly when the breeze passed through.
... no matter what happens, don't run, don't panic and don't do anything rash.
>His voice was far more serious than it had been before, the same kind he had used with her occasionally whilst stuck in his prison cell. Sure enough, the reason for him being so revealed themselves all too willingly...
>>41250260 Gruugh... didn't think human were stupid, like you.
>A low, gruff voice bellowed across the small portion of forest with a deep, rumbling tone. It spoke in what seemed like broken common, but it was difficult to tell given how animalistic it sounded. Suddenly the sound of steel being dragged through the forest could be heard, snapping twigs and branches along the way whilst it grinded against the stone just beneath the surface.
>A shadow came into view, large, spikey and lumbering out from the bushes, moving through them as though they were merely a hindrance than an obstacle. With the light passing through the trees, its figure became visible, a large man-beast with a blade at least the size of its ridiculously large arm, covered in white, wild hair that adorned it from head to toe. Where it was thinnest, the most noticeable traits were scars, tattoos and rough skin, sometimes covered by crude metal armaments that looked either home-forged or patched together from the broken plates of the fallen.
>What stood out most, however, were the skulls. It wore three around its belt, each one etched with markings that Patrick couldn't understand, despite his light knowledge of languages.
We warn you. Our land start at the white death tree, you come no further. If ignore...
>The beastly mouth of the creature turned into a sick grin, the vastly uneven teeth turning it into a menacing snarl as it looked downward, the claw of its free hand pointing at the skulls adorning the belt.
>>41250260 >>41250278 >Melody froze the moment Patrick stopped her. She's been in situations like this in Frost Fade in the past and knew very well not to disobey someone more experienced in this situation.
Ok.
>Of course, every muscle in her legs wanted to do the opposite when she saw the towering monster that was approaching them. Was this.... a beastkin?! Victoria's stories were true. She didn't want to believe that they were frightening monsters that could easily be capable of killing with their bare hands. Yet in the face of this, she all her hopeful expectations withered some.
...
>As the creature motions to the skulls on it's belt, Melody closes what little space is between her and Patrick, clinging to his arm without really her knowing it.
>>41250278 >>41251695 Maybe you just didn't get the message across well enough, then? It's kinda hard to tell what words are coming outta your mouth when you speak.
>Bad habits tended to stick, and mouthing off to the people that stood in his way tended to be one of them. Still, he wasn't being completely stupid; there were more than just him out there, and it'd be a bad idea to engage them, let alone with Melody in tow. The longer they waited where they were, the more danger they were in of being surrounded, even if there were only as few as three.
Why don't you just turn around and head back, we'll do the same, and we can all go back to what we were doing without having to worry about tending to injuries, yeah?
>>41252354 >>41251695 Gruuughhuhuhuhuhuuu... we know human. Persistent, arrogant. We give inch, you claim all.
>The bushes rustled around them and several more shadows appeared, similar in size but bearing easy to spot differences. Two were slightly more armoured than even the largest one, the slightly orange one in particular holding a large axe, whilst the other two, including the less armoured of the extra three, simply opting to bare their teeth and claws.
Talking with human not bear fruit. Learn only through death. Your words difficult for us, true, but all know meaning of corpse.
>The four had quickly surrounded them in all directions, having used their hunting prowess to shift through the woods as though nature were guiding them. No matter what direction Patrick would turn, at least one of them was staring down at his position. Both of them were in a really bad spot, and none of the beastkin seemed particularly interested in a peaceful solution to whatever 'problem' the intruders had caused.
>>41252354 >>41252358 >Oh, oh they were in a bad situation. What were they going to do now!? What will these... things do to them if they can't stop them?!
I hope you have a backup plan...
>Melody knew that her adventure wouldn't exactly be a safe one, but she didn't expect to have the life threatened so early into it... Not that she ever wanted it to happen, but life always a way of throwing wrenches into the works.
>>41252358 >>41253499 >So, four total. Not the best of odds, but he'd faced worse. The most unfortunate thing about this particular instance, however, was that his typical tactic of dealing with larger numbers was no longer available, what with all the escape routes blocked off, unless he wanted to risk Melody's safety, and that wasn't about to happen.
A backup plan? Heh, that'd be great... if I was ever the kind of guy to plan stuff out in the first place, anyway.
>Bad odds, no way out, and several sets of nasty claws bearing down on them looking to make the next meal a mage stew, so naturally the best thing to do was put on his trademark confident grin. Sure, his luck might've been down a little with Victoria, but none of these beasts seemed able to freeze him solid, and as long as he could move he had a chance.
>More importantly, he wasn't alone.
Alright then, Melody, watch yourself. We're heading out of the frying pan and into the fire!
>Stepping forward slightly from Melody, both of his arms burst into flame. This was likely the first time she was going to see his magic coming out in full force, so he didn't want to get her caught up in it - after all, what was fire but a spectacle of light!
>In a quick movement, before they could be set upon by the beasts, a torrent of fire burst forth from his hands as he moved them in a wide, circular arc, avoiding Melody by positioning above her and effectively creating a barrier of flame around the both of them. They'd be sealed in for the moment, but at least they'd be protected - assuming that the flames rose quickly enough, anyway!
>The burst of flames seemed to surprise all of the four beasts surrounding them, but as several of them made the move to proceed towards it, the largest one wielding the cleaver addressed them all in a guttural tongue that neither Patrick nor Melody would understand.
Don't be fools! The idiot sorceror has just created his own tomb! Stand, wait, the flames will eventually consume the ground that they stand on. If they value their lives, they will run, and when they do it shall be into our path.
>It seemed that the leader was the wisest of them and no stranger to a variety of battles, providing the courage and will for the others to stand down and hold themselves in the place of the flame. After all, he was right - they didn't really have to do anything.
>>41254285 >>41254298 >>41254422 What are you doing!?
>She knew that Patrick could be an idiot, bout how could he forget she wasn't fireproof like he was!? >Well at least those creatures weren't going to kill her right away, but now.... now she's gonna burn to death!!
>>41254422 >>41254469 Well hey, they're not cutting us up with their claws, are they!?
>Which was a damn good start, but this was a bad situation that was going to get worse. In the height of summer it was doubtful that the fire could be put out easily, and he'd never really applied such a direct control of magic as to remove the fire before. What use had there ever been in that, anyway?
>Besides, this wasn't just a barrier - Patrick had a plan, which he could just about explain to the panicking girl over the roaring flames surrounding them.
A big fire suddenly starting in the middle of the forest? People are gonna notice it real fast! All we have to do is wait here until Melissa and the others arrive and then we'll have the numbers advantage! Well, I mean... assuming they make it in time, anyway.
>How far was the village from here, again...? Maybe they really were completely screwed.
>A ball of lightning whistles through the air from behind the leader of the band of beastkin, cracking into his back with debilitating force as a presence made itself known from behind them.
>Standing behind them, a few paces away was a young man, tall, with spiky hair, clad in a loosely fitted martial arts gi. His hand was outstretched, and a few crackling sparks surrounding his open palm marked him as the culprit of the projectile attack. His serious expression gave off the distinct feeling of someone that had dealt with this kind of behaviour before as he spoke to the group.
I take no pleasure in fighting your forces, no matter how many times they attack me or the innocent people that happen to wander through these woods...Yet I cannot sit idly by and let you harass anybody who spreads into your 'territory.' I'm going to give you the chance to leave these people alone, and walk away. If you don't...
>The man drops into a fighter's stance, confident and ready for action if it was required
>>41255406 Huh? Now there's a guy who knows how to make an entrance. Don't recognise him from the village, though...
>Then again, it's not like he remembered every face he'd ever encountered, and he might've been someone new anyway. Either that, or someone else other than himself felt a need to wander around aimlessly. It didn't really matter.
>What did matter was that whatever this guy had done, the beast with a mouth had finally shut up after it stumbled about, and judging from the blood dripping from its back that attack hadn't been pretty. Raising his voice a little, Patrick tried to address the newcomer over the sound of the raging flames.
HEY! PAL! YOU LOOK LIKE A GUY WHO CAN CATCH!
>And within the next few instances, Patrick grabbed Melody without warning and, with all the strength he could muster, threw the poor girl over the flames and in the general direction of the fellow.
>>41256170 >>41256188 >There were times on this short trip that Melody questioned of Patrick really knew what he was doing or if it was a mistake to chose him to take along on her quest for independence.
WHAT ARE YOU--
>It was only when she found herself sailing through the air, tossed by the very man she journeyed with, that she found the answer. >Patrick was indeed an idiot and so was she for picking him.
YOU MOROOOOOOOOOON!!
>His aim was quite off, and the poor girl flies over the man who had come to their rescue... and into a tree. The only thing visible in the green leafs was the girls rear and legs flailing about as she tried to get herself unstuck.