Branwyn ▶️rushes to the outer edge of the group of gargoyles—
—▶️▶️and kicks one!
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”Am sorry,” Branwyn says, in a way one would normally say after someone tells of the death of a loved one.
”After we explore, find you in valley, can talk business there?” Edging a little closer, lowering her voice, she asks, ”Can have one hint?”
”I hate demon.” Branwyn replays the recent ass-kicking in her mind. ”You maybe strong, cannot finish business alone, I think.”
Branwyn is squeezing her way in behind Cyrene. She hears the commotion, and replies to the halfling, “Is Cyrene. Am Branwyn. Cyrene cannot speak, only talk with hands.” Gesturing to the weapon, she adds, ”No reason point weapon. Will not hurt you.”
Acro:
”I hate demon” is all she has to say about her worthy opponent.
The harpy rises, hardly in shape to put up a fight… yet… “I kill you, demon, even if kill me!”
Branwyn could focus her Ki to self-heal, but in her anger she takes the demon with her talons!
Branwyn’s kicks miss again—until she uses her talon to grab her foe by the throat!
Branwyn rushes into the fray…
Betray family over woman? As the whip finishes Pakano, she just says to him, “Ass.” Branwyn moves to the nearest enemy and strikes!
Branwyn snarls at Pakano, “Many die because you!”
Her guilt over killing, over letting the surrendered be killed, even finishing of the bird-man who had a burning tusk’s body without hearing the bird-man’s side of the story… It all catches up the Branwyn in the worst possible moment! Her wild attack leaves Pakano unscathed. I am ass!
Branwyn rushes to battle—
—but her form is sloppy.
“Pakano is ass,” Branwyn agrees. “Kill him, maybe no need kill other Burning Tusk. “Pakano die, even he surrender.” Branwyn has turned her back and steered clear as the interrogated were slain after talking. She understood the necessity, but wanted no part of that. With Pakano, she has no qualms about delivering pain and death.
Branwyn is dumbfounded by the scene before her. “That… escalate …quickly.” She blinks twice, smiles, and is happy to have another bird woman in the following. She and Shaggy are a cute couple.
Branwyn is very excited to meet another bird woman. “Am Branwyn! Have funny hairy man in following, tell us beautiful raven woman fly over. Is you? “Is pleasure meet you, Yraka. Thank you for warning.”
Branwyn wants to help, but sees her teammates do not. And because she cannot see how to help both sides, she makes no attempt to dissuade her teammates. She draws a line with her talon between the fey creatures. “Is line. Cross in peace, or not cross. Killing already start, so peace is difficult. We are in same situation and soon, our enemy come through this way, follow us. You value your life, make peace. When warlike human come through here, they burn, they destroy. Maybe we are not big help to you, but is impossible take side, just get here, just pass through. “Is safer for you not kill each other. Find way before enemy come. I hope you take advice, is sad you kill already. None of you so bad, must kill, must die.” Scolding the side that killed (in the not-mad-disappointed tone of a mother whose daughter spilled her guts all over the nest), she asks, ”Why you do that?”
Branwyn agrees. “Ardissa, Arianda, me… all suffer much if other people say, do not bother, is not business. Am happy we do is right for Akarta Willoweave and Uchuli the Wise.”
Branwyn says, “If there is a way to free you without fighting, is best. “Am Branwyn. What are your name? Easier to honor you, have name.”
Branwyn bows to the women. “Am sorry you die. I think you are good women, are trap by evil wizard. You wish to be left alone, I respect. “But is true, you wish this?” Branwyn’s eyes are cast down. “Woman who raise me like mother, she die, is thirty. Have tiny valkyrie like Cyrene have angel. Valkyrie say Other Mother die, is free.” Her eyes rise to meet the sisters’. “If body die, are free like Other Mother and Tiny Valkyrie. “I do not want to kill you, have no interest in body you guard. I just think is not right, you have rotting body, force to protect corpse of enemy do this to you.” She does not attack. “Do you wish to be free?”
Branwyn closes her eyes as Sabach takes the cooperative prisoner down. She understands none could be spared. Ardissa: * * *
As Ardissa predicted, seduction would precede ‘devouring’ her, though the euphemism may be lost on Branwyn. She merely keeps her promise to give the huntress pleasure, not pain. When the huntress has had all the pleasure she can bear (and more?), she may rest the remainder of the night with a harpy wing as her blanket. Come morning, Branwyn will still be at her side, though the harpy did take the time to stick a tail feather in Ardissa’s hat.
Ardissa: Branwyn is very gentle with her. She kisses her cheek. She kisses her lips, her neck… just above the breasts, then locks lips.
Her wings envelop her. Branwyn’s body is warm and moist… she pulls back from the kiss and makes sure Ardissa is enjoying this before her lips gradually work their way down Ardissa’s body to tease the inner thighs.
Ardissa: “Seduce is in harpy nature… but I learn, cannibalism bad.”
She smiles at the huntress. “I will not harm you. Even when my friend treat you as enemy, I say is wrong we fight. And… I think you are very beautiful in hat. Heart feel pain when Bitty peck you, you rock. “Lady not always lie with lady, can say just massage, I respect. More is only if you want more. More can be warm you under wing… more can be kiss… more can be… more.”
Branwyn looks at the carnage. Will her friends kill the survivor or take him prisoner? She does not know, but either way, she will speak her mind. “Pakano is worse than ass. He order his new people to kill his old people. No matter who win, his people lose.” She gestures with her wing to the five dead (or dying?). She cannot look into their faces. “No matter what my friends do to you now, know this: “I get chance to kill Pakano, is revenge for man and woman of Burning Mammoth too. Is waste of life, one man hate this strong. “Hate is strong. Pakano is weak. Six of you learn hard way.” She steps aside. Will her friends take the prisoner or give hm a quick death? She will not look away, no matter how much she wants to. Ardissa: * * *
Branwyn asks Ardissa to remove her clothing. (If Valda permitted, she has some oil she will apply to Ardissa’s back.) She remembers what massage worked best on Valda. She’s not so sure Ardissa is looking for that!
She speaks softly, gently, “This feel nice? You tell me you like this, or prefer wing or talon.” Branwyn will try not to tickle or scratch if the huntress prefers something less skin-on-skin. “Is okay you tell me like or not like. Just massage, or want more…”
Branwyn is scared, but she ▶️rushes into the fray anyway!
Ardissa: Branwyn is happy Ardissa is staying.
Ardissa,” she says later when she catches her alone. “You are predator of monster. I am monster, predator of man. Woman who kill my mother and sister see me in nest. Am child. Cannot survive. She become Other Mother to me, teach me man is not prey, is not meat. “I spend last ten years reminding myself, not be monster. I see you rock… I hate monster bird. Bitty is worse than harpy. “I think Other Mother not leave you lonely statue, so I ask friend we bring you with us… am really glad this work out for you.” She then offers, ”I give good massage. Maybe one thing lead to other, maybe just massage will do. I make you feel good, glad you stay. “You like feather, feather is warm, is soft…”
She nods to show understanding. Am monster. Monster is needed now.
“Am very happy you survive. Bitty attack, peck you, you rock. We bring you, am scared you are statue forever, like mammoth we find earlier, think is rock long time. “Dwarf run away, wave arm, yell. Are not loyal. I think we leave you, is lonely, cannot survive.” Branwyn understands blades were swinging, and Ardissa was given a death threat. She did not voice her objection to that. She thinks her friends that don’t like Ardissa are calm, so the death threat and violence was anger. Am monster. Monster use anger for strength. Am nun. Nun learn anger is weakness. She knows which mother to listen to. “Other day misunderstanding. Do not leave, cannot survive on own. I think okay you stay, but you learn Broken Tusk rule.” Branwyn’s head swivels left, right… she leans in a little toward Ardissa. “I do not know Broken Tusk rule. I try pay attention, what peer do, and nun training help me when peer confuse me.”
Branwyn helps cover tracks. “I help!”
Branwyn considers the words. Forgiving is easy, since her friends survived (plus, she loves a good fight—and not having to murder anyone is a nice feeling too)… But she is not sure when all of the events Syarstik Painted-Tiger speaks of had taken place. “Have question. How long ago, Metuak of Burning Mammoth go away? Or cloud vision mean you lose time, cannot know how long?”
Branwyn kicks like crazy—
—and does not land a single blow! “Ah, is drawing. Can only hit outline,” she grumbles in frustration, chiding herself.
Branwyn dashes▶️ to Ari’s aid, and tries to kick the painting come to life. “How is possible?” she scolds the creature for daring to exist.
Unfortunately, she’s not an expert on much, so if there’s anything special about those markings or the natural formations—or maybe unnatural, or supernatural?—the harpy is oblivious.
Branwyn is struggling to remember something. Before getting back to the water-woman and frog-men, she says, “We enter cave, not know frogmen inside, are not bad, gross morlock very bad, have pretty water-woman. Am happy we help. “But why we come here in first place?”
Branwyn ▶️dashes! She kicks!
She grabs!
Branwyn says, “I sing too! Valda sing, and you are nice. Blindhelm nice too. We help!” Branwyn turns to her friends. ”How we find strangle guy?” To the naiad, “What he look like?”
Branwyn stands tippy-talon for a couple step as she feels Valda squeeze. She turns with startled eyes, but her lips form a catlike grin. —then she gets back to looking adorable to not scare the frogmen. * * * When questioned, Branwyn actually does not know exactly why the group is here. She thinks she should not give the full answer, but also thinks the water woman is pretty and sounds nice and should not be ignored. “Am Branwyn. I sneak in cave, see frogmen, tell Cyrene. She help them. Friends better can explain why we come, but hope you see we help frogmen. You live here, Gathganara? Is many broken things in frogmen room, I think belong to whoever hurt frogmen. Is guess.”
”Am impressed!” Branwyn says. She tries to be super quiet and look harmless as she follows Sabach.
Branwyn says, “I support you, Cyrene. Need help, you flee and make many noise. Is wine everywhere. Can take bottle, smash mean we run in, help you. Is good signal, cannot talk?”
Branwyn happy describes the frog-men. “Is pink. Have big muscle. Hands and feet same, have claw.” She raises a talon for emphasis. “Teeth. Very sharp. Rah.” She leaves her mouth open a second or two, baring her own sharp teeth. “Much shaper than mine. And the eyes…”
Branwyn sneaks out the way she snuck in.
Once outside, she says, “Two frogmen in there. Very lazy. “We go in there?”
She holds her position for now. What are the frog-men doing? Are they standing guard, ransacking the place, about to f$*$?
She sings to her. The singing does not help the huntress, but Branwyn feels like it is a nice thing to do.
Branwyn gives Cyrene a feathery hug. “Thank you, you understand, I train not become monster. Is easy for me, ha-ha is what you get, statue is fate. Not because angry. “Human way is angry, draw sword, kill. Harpy way is not angry, is hungry. Kill is need, not want.” Branwyn does not have an eloquent way to explain how this relates to her moral compass. She turns to Sabach. “Can push-pull statue in cage together?”
Branwyn looks at the food. “We take rations. We take meat of bird. All this come from Ardissa’s work. Is not gods who take, is us. Leave her here no food, nobody heal bird peck, cannot survive, is not gods. Is us. “Am strong. Can lay statue in cage, use rope, tie cage to waist, I pull.” Branwyn says this with conviction. “I live because Other Mother take me from nest when four men say, leave harpy, she somehow survive, not our problem. Raise harpy child while travel in snow, many mountain and cavern, many enemy to fight, is not easy way. But Other Mother do this, cannot leave me in cold, alone, no food. “I leave Ardissa because is easy way, Other Mother is disappoint.”
“Is not dead?” There is pity in the harpy’s eyes as she looks at the calcified Huntress. “We keep statue? Alive but not know, worse than death. “Ardissa say stupid thing, make Cyrene angry, think monster is pet, make mistake, have poor judgment. Not bad person deserve die or worse. Even Pakano, deserve die, not deserve this.” Branwyn kicks the dead bird. “Nobody deserve become statue, cannot live, cannot die. “I hate cockatrice. Even I am true harpy, am not as evil-bird as cockatrice.” She kicks the corpse again and stares at the huntress statue.
Branwyn is horrified to see the huntress’ fate, even if she got herself killed by keeping dangerous beasts… or is she not actually dead? “Can save person is stone?” Branwyn really hopes so as Jorum’s wish to fight from a distance is not granted by the monstrous bird thing. “I take chance—must kill monster bird, worse than harpy!” She ▶️rushes into flank position and strikes!
She knows stepping back would be smart. But Jorum is in grave danger. She makes a futile attempt to grab the beast!
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