Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I'm doomed! This was the only thing running through Neyan's mind. She panted, fleeing for her life as a large, angry basilisk stormed after her, its dragon-like tail whipping from side-to-side as it squawked and screeched loudly. She dodged low-hanging braches, leaping over rocks and roots, hoping to lose the animal along the way. Her attemps were futile, however, the basilisk just gaining on her more and more despite her attempts.
She squealed as she tripped over a hole in the ground, falling onto her hands and knees with a thud. She looked back at the creature, now looming over her as it expanded its leathery, feather-lined wings, letting out a menacing hiss. Her eyes widened, crawling backwards until she hit a tree. The basilisk dove its beak down at her, snapping at her neck with razor-sharp teeth. Neyan brought her foot up, kicking it in the face a few times, hoping to buy her some time. Though, it was clear now that she was as good as dead. After all, there was nobody in Draconi Forest for miles.
Neyan was heading back from Ketra, where she had been making profit by treating an outbreak of parasitic diseases. Her curiosity was what had gotten her into this mess... She just had to go towards the sound of squawking. She just had to investigate those weird tracks in the dirt. This was the first time she had ever seen a basilisk, and now she was paying for it.
It was the distinctly human squeal that caught his attention more than the squawking and hissing of the basilisk. Theoden frowned, irritated that his hunt had been interrupted, but when he heard the soft cry he figured he couldn't just leave whatever poor bastard had gotten themselves put on the creature's menu.
Running toward the sound, he saw the basilisk first and immediately nocked an arrow, drawing back and letting fly in less than a moment. He hadn't been aiming to kill, so the bolt struck the creature in the shoulder, a warning more than anything else.
Jumping forward, Theoden finally saw the young woman on the ground. "Get back," he said sharply, putting his body between her and the momentarily disabled basilisk.
Neyan blinked at Theoden. She was stunned for more reasons then one. First of all, the arrow that seemed to fly out of nowhere and save her life. Second of all, that her rescuer was none other than a Wood Elf. The type of person you don't see too often. Not in her case, anyways.
As soon as his words registered in her mind, she scrambled to her feet, stumbling in shock as she got behind him as fast as she could. At this point, the basilisk had gotten back to its feet, bleeding heavily from its shoulder as it charged at the two of them. Neyan winced, expecting something bad to happen.
Theoden swore under his breath and fired another arrow, this one skimming just under the creature's eye. He really didn't want to kill it, not if he didn't have to, but this thing was pissed, and it was probably going to just keep coming.
Using his several moments of distraction, he tossed over his shoulder at the girl, "Get to a tree and climb as high as you can. They can jump pretty high, but climbing is beyond them." The basilisk lunged forward again and he shot another arrow, this one lodging in a wing joint. "Go!"
Partially out of fear, partially out of just wanting to obey the man's orders, Neyan turned towards the nearest tree, running after it. She clawed into the bark with her nails, climbing for dear life. Every now and then she would slip, the bark offering very little to grip on with her hands and feet. She finally reached a sturdy branch that could support her weight, although it wasn't as far up as she had hoped. She remained here, however, looking down at the Elf and the basilisk.
She flinched as an arrow penetrated the basilisk's scaly hide, locking deep inside one of its wings and possibly permanently destroying one of the joints. The creature screeched in pain, back stepping for a little while before running off, a bloody trail being left behind it.
Neyan opened her eyes after awhile; she had them closed so she didn't have to witness the violence and brutatilty. She trembled, slowly looking down at Theoden. She felt bad... Mainly that he had to save her, and that the creature's attack was her fault. "I-Is it gone...?" She asked, her voice breathy and high-pitched.
Letting out a sharp breath of relief, Theoden looked up at the woman. "It's gone," he assured her, breathing rather heavily.
He moved toward the tree and leaned against it, hand going to a sharp pain in his side. The damn thing had spat at him as it left, the caustic saliva starting to eat away at his skin. "What the hell did you do to piss off a basilisk?" he asked gruffly, not looking at the woman as he spoke.
Neyan was hesitant, but she eventually built up the courage to jump down from the tree, looking at her feet in obvious shame whilst pulling up her hood. At his question, she immediately looked up, eyes wide. "N-Nothing! I don't think I did anything... Did I? Well... I might've gotten a little close..." She answered, biting her lip and looking off to the side.
"I'm sorry... It's just... I've never seen a giant lizard-rooster before... And it was sooo cool!" She grinned, still amazed that such a creature could exist. She gazed at his wound, realization finally hitting her. "Oh no... Oh no... Um... I-I'm a healer, sir! I could help!" She smiled nervously, hoping to repay him for saving her life.
Theoden simply blinked at her at first, rather taken aback by her sudden chatter. He did snort a bit at the "lizard-rooster" comment though.
"A healer?" His eyebrows went up. That was lucky. "Uh... Yeah, actually, if you could take a look I'd be grateful." He tried to lift the edge of his shirt, hissing as the cloth scraped against the wound.
"I don't have coin to pay you," he warned, looking at the woman. "Not at the moment, anyway." Maybe she'd accept one of the rabbits he'd snared earlier as payment?
Neyan shook her head rapidly, smiling as she pulled down her hood once more. She blinked her big, greyish-blue eyes at him, straightening her short, messy hair. "No need, sir! Sit down and I'll take a look!" She urged.
As soon as he was seated, Neyan kneeled, waving her hands over the burnt, raw skin. Her fingers and palms glowed a bright white, the girl mumbling long, obscure words under her breath. After a few minutes, the wound began to light up as well, the raw skin slowly being replaced with new, albeit scarred, tissue.
"There we go! It might ache a little... That's a side-effect of the magicy stuffs... Sorry!" She giggled, cocking her head to one side. She hugged him tightly out of nowhere. "Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!!! I was so sure I was gonna be rooster-food!" She exclaimed, immediately going back to her overly-excited aura that she almost always possessed.
Theoden winced at the foreign feeling of magic wandering over his skin, but he wasn't exactly about to complain. Especially if the girl wasn't going to ask for payment.
He froze when she threw her arms around him, eyes wide and jaw dropping. "Um. Yeah, sure. No problem." He patted her shoulder awkwardly, hissing in a sharp breath as the sudden hug jarred his side. She'd been right, it was a little sore.
Better than basilisk venom eating at his skin though. He'd have to figure out a way to pay her back for that, no matter what she said.
Neyan pulled away, smiling at him and holding out her hand. "Neyan Addyanna! I'm... Technically a noble, but you can just call me your everyday healer!" She giggled, looking him over. "Wow... A real Wood Elf! I've only seen those High Elves that live near cities and whatnot... They're mean. But you're not! At least... I hope not." She rambled on giddily.
"Is there anything at all I can do for you? You deserve it! You're a hero!" She exclaimed, grinning. "Not only that, you're an Elf-rooster-slayer-adventurerer... Whatever! You get what I mean!" She laughed, jumping up to her feet and doing a little twirl. She was definitely energetic. A little too energetic...
Taking her hand, he just gaped at her as she chattered and bounced around. "Uh...Theoden," he introduced himself awkwardly, eyeing her up and down. Was she mad? She seemed mad.
"Theoden... Ooh... I like that name!" She smiled sweetly. Although she was hyper and overly happy about everything, she seemed harmless enough. Besides, with zero weapons and such a short frame, what danger could she really possess?
She tilted her head, still smiling as she put her hands behind her back. "So... Where are you headed, Mr. Theoden? Ketra? I could show you the way! I just left Ketra! Or... Maybe you were just strolling through Draconi Forest! That's it, isn't it? I can see why... Nature is so beautiful!!!" She talked fast, not even stopping to breathe.
He blinked at her. "Just- just Theoden," he stammered out weakly, protesting the Mister. Pulling himself together, he shook his head and offered a small, rather bemused smile.
"No, Miss. Don't worry about it. I'm just on a hunt, I know my way around here." His brow furrowed and he glanced away into the trees. Any game for a mile would have been scared off by their little scuffle. Damn.
She gasped, as if highly intrigued by something. "Hunt? You're a hunter?! Well... I guess that would make sense, with the bow and all..." She grinned. "What kind of animals do you hunt?" She asked, rocking back and forth on her feet.
"Er...lots of kinds." He gave her an odd look. "Deer. Hare. Wild boar, if I can find it. A few odder things on occasion. Why?"
Why wasn't she just leaving? He'd saved her neck, she'd healed him- that should be it, right? It wasn't that he objected to her presence, exactly, he was just confused by it.
Neyan shrugged, still smiling. "Just curious. I guess I shouldn't be, though... After all, I nearly got eaten by a basilisk! Like they say, curiosity killed the cat! But I'm not a cat... So I guess I'm alright!" She exclaimed.
Neyan skipped around him, humming happily. "I don't know why... But I looove meeting new people! Especially when their just so... Cool!" She yipped, stopping directly in front of him. "Oh! I know, I know! How about I go hunting with you? Pretty please? I promise I won't get in the way!"
Theoden took a step back, looking down at the woman with wide eyes, and his back thumped into the tree. He winced, brow furrowing. "Look, lady-" he tried to cut across her, but she was talking too fast.
"Would you just- hang on a second- Alright!" He finally snapped, grabbing her by the shoulders. He let go almost immediately, whipping his hands back as though he'd been burned. Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair and muttered. "Look, fine. You can stick with me for a while, but you have to stop talking."
It wasn't just that she was overwhelming to him, but she'd scare away any potential game at this rate!
Neyan blinked, seeming surprised at his outburst. Oh boy... She was doing it again... That annoying thing everyone had told her she had a habit of doing. Noticing this, she nodded rapidly, moving her thumb and her index finger over her mouth in a zipping motion.
As much as she loved talking and laughing, she knew for a fact that not everyone was a fan, even though she had made lots of friends in Ketra due to her bubbly attitude. This Theoden guy meant business and obviously didn't feel like playing games. She understood, even if it annoyed her not to be able to speak.
"Sorry, sorry... Quiet time! I understand!" She whispered, giving a faint smile.
He let out a slightly relieved breath. "Right. Okay, thanks." Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, he felt a prick of guilt at how abrupt he'd been. Damn, this was why he avoided people.
"Look, uh- it's not- I just don't want you scaring off the game," he mumbled eventually, shuffling his feet. He felt much younger than he was, uncomfortable around a stranger.
Neyan nodded. "Oh, I know. It's ok." She smiled, trying her best to show that he had a right to snap at her. After all, she knew how talkative she could be and how tiring it was for some. She stood up straight, politely putting her hands behind her back. "So... Any family? Friends? Do you live anywhere in particular?" She asked, this time slower and calmer.
Theoden sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "No, no, and no," he responded shortly, eyes flicking away from her into the trees.
He glanced back at her, brow furrowed a bit as he considered her. "You sure you want to come along? I can't imagine this is going to be very interesting to you."
Neyan nodded, still looking at him happily. "Yeah! I mean... I love nature. And the outdoors. It'll be fun!" She ensured him, still trying to keep from getting too excited. After all, she didn't want to make him angry again. "So... Are we ready to go?"
She didn't know why... But this man intrigued her. Made her curiosity spark. Perhaps it was his unique appearence, or his strange personality. Either way, she just wanted to learn more about him.
Neyan giggled, blinking and tilting her head. "Well? Are we going or not? Huh? Huh? Huh?" She asked, poking his arm and giggling even louder. She stopped herself, trying to remember that he didn't enjoy the playing around. She cleared her throat. "Um... Sorry."
Sighing, Theoden forced himself to take a fortifying breath and offered her a quick, slightly awkward smile. "Alright. Just- follow me, and try to keep quiet, alright? Don't step on any sticks or anything of you can manage it."
She gave a cute little salute. "Sir, yes sir!" She exclaimed, looking down at her feet as they began to walk, looking quite ridiculous as she avoided any dead leaves or stray twigs and sticks. She looked around at the trees, eyes narrowed as she seemed to be looking for prey. Not that she had any clue how to hunt.
Theoden's lips twitched a bit despite himself as he looked back at her. "Just- step where I step," he suggested, voice low and quiet, more a rumble in his chest than anything else.
Neyan nodded at his words. He knew better than she did, therefor she was in no place to protest. She stepped wherever his feet had lifted from, making sure to be as quiet as possible so she wouldn't scare any prey off. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a massive deer. The first she had seen this far into the forest.
Neyan smiled with glee. This was her chance to prove she wasn't useless to this man! At least not entirely. She stopped walking, cupping her hands around her mouth and looking at Theoden. "Psst!" She exclaimed quietly, then pointed at the creature.
Her eyes widened as the deer whipped its head at them, flicking an ear. She instinctively ducked, hoping the creature wouldn't be too spooked. It kept looking in their direction, thankfully going back to munching on the shrubs at its hooves. She sighed thankfully, wiping the sweat that had beaded at her forehead from nervousness and stress.
Theoden whipped around to glare at the woman, then held very still, doing his best not to spook the stag anymore than she had already.
He shook his head at her and kept walking, waving for her to follow. When there was some distance between them and the deer, he murmured, "Count the points. Anything less than four or more than eight and we leave it be."
The bucks were too young to fetch much coin, not to mention they deserved the chance to grow into their antlers before they were hunted. And stags with more than ten points were sacred, or at least that was the superstition. He wasn't particularly spiritual, but he knew better than to mess with forest lore.
Neyan nodded, counting the points slowly. She smiled gleefully, seeing the points add up to six, three on each antler. The sunlight cut through an open space in the trees, highlighting the deer brightly, giving it a very majestic look as it peacefully munched on the grass. She waited, excited to see Theoden in action with that bow once again.
Silently taking aim, Theoden paused a moment, not even breathing, and said a silent prayer of thanks to whatever gods may be listening, then loosed the arrow.
It was a clean shot. The buck was dead before he hit the ground. Letting out the breath he'd been holding, Theoden shouldered his bow and moved toward it.
"Yes! That was awesome!" Neyan let out her excitement, jumping up and giving a little fist-pump. She paused, covering her mouth with her hands. "Sorry!" She whispered, grinning nervously. Seeing such a perfect shot just fascinated her... Then she saw the dead deer...
She gave a small huff, frowning at the carcass. She understood the principles of hunting, but she hated seeing things die in such a brutal fashion. Like she had said before, she loved nature. Every bird, tree, cloud, rock, and even the tiniest of bugs. She could handle it, but it still slightly saddened her. "Poor thing..." She mumbled, scratching her arm slightly as she stared at the dead animal.
Bending to heft the deer over his shoulder, Theoden paused and glanced at her. After a moment, he cleared his throat and mumbled, "If it make you feel any better, I'm a good shot. Probably didn't feel a thing."
"I sure hope not..." Neyan mumbled, walking over to him and giving a warm smile. "What now? It's getting dark, dark, dark! Maybe we should set up camp for the night? Ooh! Have some deer jerky! I love deer jerky! Sure, it gets caught in my teeth, but... I love it!" She exclaimed, now deciding to let her bottled-up enthusiasm out after holding it in for far too long.
She wasn't wrong about it getting dark. During their little fiasco with the buck, the sky had turned a pale orange, the sun hiding somewhere out of view. Not only would they need to prepare some form of food, they would need firewood and a place to set up camp. Tiring stuff... But Neyan didn't seem to mind helping.
She paused, remembering her new friend's little wound from earlier. "Ooh! Ooh! Your side! Does it still hurt...? I have potions, you know! Maybe I could find something for pain relief!" She said, getting right in his face as she stood on her tip-toes to try and match his height. Even with this, he still dwarfed her. She was definately a Connlaothian, no doubt about that. The short frame, the blonde hair, the pale skin... It was unmistakable. It was to the level where any sane person would be puzzled at the idea of her being anything but an industry worker. A mage? Not typical Connlaothian practice.
Theoden took several paces back from her, eyes wide. "Camp is a good idea," he rumbled, glancing around and setting off down a game trail. "But you'll probably still want to keep quiet. Most hunters come out at night."
Neyan blinked, a shiver running down her spine. Most hunters... As in... People? Or animals? She didn't wanna find out. She just nodded rapidly, keeping her mouth shut like he suggested and continuing down the trail with him. She stuck close to his side, giving him a friendly grin every now and then as they walked. She sensed how awkward around people Theoden was... She planned on changing that. She planned on becoming his friend and breaking him out of his awkward shell. Well... Hopefully.
She stopped, seeing a large clearing just off to the side of the trail. She poked his side. "There?" She asked, blinking at him. Without waiting for an answer, she skipped off. She went around trees, over bushes, and through hanging moss as she reached the clearing. It didn't look very comfortable. As a matter of fact, it was hauntingly barren. No grass, no shrubs, just... Dirt. Dirt and rock. "This place is giving me the heebie-jeebies..." She mumbled.
Rolling his eyes, Theoden sighed and followed after her. It was like trying to keep track of an overly energetic puppy.
He stilled as he entered the clearing, eyes flicking around. "Hey, lady- Neyan, c'mere," he order, holding his hand out to her.
This wasn't natural.
Neyan slowly backstepped, taking Theoden's hand and sticking close to his side. She was shaking... Visibly shaking. It was no secret that Neyan was easily scared, but this place was different. It just looked vile... Ghostly... Demonic. It was the type of place that nobody would want to step foot in.
"Th-Theoden...? What's going on...?" She whimpered, looking up at him with her big, blue eyes, holding onto his arm with a death-grip.
The elf shook his head, frowning, and automatically tucked her back behind him, taking a few steps backward and herding her along. "I don't know. But I don't like this place."
He shook his head again. "C'mon, let's get out of here."
Neyan agreed with everything he said. She walked back the way they came, wanting to be free of this place once and for all. That was, until she realized something... If this place truly was evil, then there would be demons, or angry spirits. Since they had set foot in this strange, barren circle, did that mean a spirit was following them now?
She gulped, pulling on Theo's sleeve. "A-Are we cursed now...? I'm sorry, Theoden! I should've never run out here without your permission!" She apologized, holding onto his sleeve tightly as she closed her eyes and shook her head. She immediately paused, hearing a strange, crackling noise near the center of the circle.
She turned, her eyes widening as the earth began to split and divide, a bright, blue light visible beneath the shattered pieces of what used to be the ground. The splits grew in size, expanding to where they stood. She screamed, suddenly falling onto her rear end as the ground buckled beneath her. As more and more of the earth fell apart, what was revealed seemed to be a portal, of sorts. She dug her nails into the dirt, reaching out for Theoden as she screamed, slowly sliding towards the portal. "No! Theoden!"
Theoden didn't get the chance to tell her she hadn't one anything wrong, really- and urge her to be quiet again before chaos erupted.
"What the hell?!" He grabbed for the woman's arm and hauled her to her feet, dragging her along with him as he turned his back to the cracking ground and started running.
Neyan ran with him, trying her very best not to trip over something as they escaped the crumbling earth just inches behind them. She panted, thoughts running through her mind at what could be on the other side of the portal. Knowing her luck, probably a complete hellhole. As quickly as it happened, it all came to an abrupt pause, Neyan falling onto her side in exhaustion as she looked back at the scene.
The portal resembled that of a pool of water, bright blue with currents and everything. The only difference was that it glowed brightly, all the currents rushing towards the center. A loud, humming sound could be heard coming from the portal, as well as a distant and muffled sound of crashing waves and howling wind. She stood, tempted to touch it, but she decided that it probably was a good idea not to.
She looked at Theoden, too shocked for words before looking back to the portal. In her mind, there was a decision to make. Keep walking and forget about it, or jump in like a common fool. She knew better than to decide things in the presence of smarter people, so she just nudged him. "Well...?"
"Well what?" Theoden glanced down at her, tugging her arm again. He didn't understand why she'd stopped. "Let's get the hell away from that thing, as quickly as possible."
Neyan frowned. "Oh, come on!" She exclaimed, like a small, disappointed child. "Aren't you just a little bit curious what's through there?" She asked, pointing to the wavy, bright blue portal. Something she was beginning to notice about Theoden, was that he was very cautious. Almost to a boring extent. Still, she liked his company. He was somewhat nice, in a... Quiet, weird kind of way.
"No, I'm not," Theoden replied, looking at her incredulously. "Why the hell would I want to go anywhere near that thing?"