Bo thinks she is sneaking quietly but the figures freeze as she approaches.
'What was that?" One hisses.
A bulky figure steps out and Bo notes he has the same tusks and green-ish skin she does. He has a heavy axe at his belt and other survival gar slung to his back. In a moment he spots Bo and shouts, "Stealers! Quick, let's get there first."
He growls at Bo, 'This one is ours."
Then he turns, and with his friend (who looks softer and pinker) run into the clearing toward the floating jellyfish, weapons drawn.
Bo chased after them, drawing her scimitar as she did so. "Wait! I'm not here to steal anything. What is this, and why are you after it?" If she could get them to talk, great. If not, hopefully she could stop them from killing it.
The men ignore her, only shouting, "Look lively boys, we have company!" The way the leader shouts, she feels there are more then just these two.
As they burst into the clearing, the jellyfish's long tentacles retract into a defensive position. The eerie song stops and the glade falls silent, except for the crunch of dead leaves. Bo notes, with surprise, that the beast doesn't seem to run away.
The long tentacles rise up, ready to attack anyone who comes close.
Seeing that the men weren't interested in anything except attacking the strangely beautiful creature, Bo stopped trying. Instead, she looked to the jellyfish, seeing that it had no cover at all. Throwing her hands out to the sides, she called out a few words in a language she didn't even recognize. As she spoke, she lifted her palms to the sky, as if drawing something out of the ground. And in response to her words, a white mist did, in fact, rise up out of the ground. It swirled and eddied around the creature, and moments later, it was obscured from sight.
Bo then moved towards the humanoids, drawing her blade as she did so, wooden shield on her other arm. "Pearl! Flank them!" she cried out, pointing to the north edge of the clearing, and the cougar bounded to obey.
Bo moves toward the creature, hoping to shield it with a fogbank. As she does so pearl runs around them, growling and hissing. The sudden appearance of a massive cat seems to put off the men, for a second anyway.
As Bo runs toward the jellyfish, suddenly one of the tentacles whips out, lashing at her. They are much longer then hey first appeared...
The long tendril misses, but for lack of trying.
Sure, as it's already acted, I'll go ahead with my action.
Dodging the waving tentacle, Bo moves closer and casts her spell. Instantly a thick mist arises out of the bright air, turning a pearly white, shimmering.
Instantly Bo is caught off from sight, and she is trapped in a swirling bank of fog. Dimly she can hear Pearl growling and hissing and the men cursing.
Fearing for Pearl's safety, Bo hustled out of the fog towards the sounds of the fighting.
Bo pokes her head out of the roiling fog, and it is like emerging from sleep. The white haze recedes and she sees Pearl growling and pawing at the air. The two men are obviously unwilling to engage with an angry panther of unknown orgion, but can't just ignore it. Instead they seem to be focusing on the cloud, trying to see the jellyfish inside. They spot Bo's face and shout, pointing.
Suddenly an arrow comes streaking out of the trees. It is a yard long, and barbed. A hunting arrow fired from a longbow.
The druid can't see where it is coming from.
Realizing that she was making a target of herself, Bo still couldn't leave Pearl to fight alone. Running from the fog, she hefted her shield up for protection and took a swing at the nearest fighter.
Bo rushes out of the fogbank, happy she can at least provide some cover for the floating jellyfish. She wonders if it will try to escape.
Moving to protect Pearl, Bo slashes at the back of the one..hunter? bandit?
He blow misses, but she further distracts the man.
Bo considered telling Pearl to attack, but at the moment nobody had actually hurt each other, so she let the cougar continue to pace and snarl, distracting but not actually attacking the men. If the battle turned bloodier, however, she would need Pearl's help.
Behind them the fogbank swirls, hiding the strange floating creature inside.
The men look confused at Bo's re-appearance and her control over the hissing panther.
The leader, the stocky half-orc says, "Who even are you?" Bo detects grudging respect and confusion in his voice.
As he asks, another arrow comes whistling from the trees.
It misses Bo's head.
This time she can see where it comes from. In one of the trees on the edge of the glade, she can see a young half-elf hiding among the yellow leaves, holding a longbow.
Trying to split her attention between the archer and the leader, Bo said, "I'm Bo. And I've been tasked with protecting that creature. Why are you after it?" She kept her scimitar and shield ready, but made no overtly threatening move. Perhaps this could be solved with words, after all.
The half-orc leader only says, "We aren't after it, we want the eggs. I don't care who you are. get out of the way, this is your last warning. if you don't, Tireze will put an arrow in you." he waves to the half-elf, who is already readying another arrow.
'And call off your cat too."
Bo thought she understood. "And it's protecting its eggs? If you have to go through it to get the eggs, then I will stop you. And if Tireze,"' she raised her voice here so he could hear,
The half-orc forwns and says, 'Listen-"
But his words are cut off as the jellyfish erupts from the fogbank, tentacles waving madly toward them. The once ethereal song is replaced by a horrid screeching.
The first two whip out at Bo, who is standing closest to the apparently now enraged creature. The druid nimbly dodges both of them, watching with weird fascination at the biting mouths at the ends of the long trailing appendages.
A thrid loops over her head toward the hunter, who also dodges it.
From the tree another arrow comes humming.
It misses the jellyfish by a mere inch, sinking into the trunk of a nearby tree, causing a cascade of leaves to fall.
Which direction is Tireze and his longbow? Can you put him on the map?
"Pearl! Attack!" Bo motioned to the archer in the bush, and watched as Pearl bounded away to attack Tireze. Overhead, Shriek shrieked in outrage, and swooped down through the trees to join Pearl in her attack.
Meanwhile, Bo stepped forward, hoping to avoid any further attack by the creature she was protecting. She also swung hard at the nearest foe, hoping to end this quickly and get away from the angry mother.
The archer lashes out with a sword near at hand but misses, so startled by the charging cat.
Pearl's claws rake the half-elf, making her scream in pain and shock. Shriek's attack misses, but further diconserts the archer, and Bo is quite sure she won't be shot at for awhile.
Bo's own attacks land heavily, and her scimitar takes a chunk out of the short half'orc's shoulder. His blood gushes out, splashing on her shield and face. It feels hot, sticky and very unpleasant.
It return he raises his own weapon.
It just misses Bo, who narrowly ducks. She can feel the breeze off of it, tugging at her short hair.
Meanwhile, behind them, the jellyfish attacks again, tentacles flying.
Again Bo manages to dodge the flying arms, and she begins to hope she can duck and weave for long enough to finish off these hunters, poachers, whatever they are.
Bo dodged the tentacles yet again, surprised at how far they could reach. She swung again at the half-orc, hoping to finally convince him to leave. "Just go! These eggs aren't worth dying for!"
Meanwhile, Pearl continued to harry the archer, this time leaping with both paws and trying to bite her foe. Shriek lived up to his name and filled the glade with noise as he again tried to scratch the archers face with his talons.
Bo's attack misses, but her words seem to strike home. Under the assault of both Bo and the jellyfish, the hunters break and run. The half-orc leader and his ally turn tail and run, kicking up a whirlwind of dried leaves.
Meanwhile though the jellyfish lashes out at the only foe left in reach.
One of the tentacles bites her and she feels a burning sensation on her skin. But Bo is tough and she manages to fight off...whatever that effects is.
Feeling a bit woozy, Bo shakes it off and backs carefully away from the jellyfish. "Pearl, Shriek, to me!" The animals stopped attacking the badly hurt archer and returned, the cougar licking blood from her muzzle.
Sheathing her weapon, Bo kept her arms tight to her body so as to not look like a threat. Her voice calm and soft, she she said "There, it's okay, you're safe. No danger from me."
The half-elf archer falls/climbs down from the tree and vanishes into the undergrowth.
Bo simply runs away, trying to be nonthreatening. her words don't seem to effect the floating creature at all which chases her to the edge of the clearing. It is faster then she would think, but Bo is quick on her feet as well. With Pearl and Shriek following, they move into the stands of hickory and oaks. In a few moments they lose their pursuer and are alone in the woods.
Around them the forest sits silently, leaves gently falling to the ground, creating pools of bright yellow and orange. The air is fresh and cool, with a slight breeze. It seems a world away from the hot humid jungle.
Bo leaned against a tree and caught her breath. After a few moments, she carefully made her way back towards the clearing, curious about what the jellyfish was doing. She wanted to be sure that the hunters didn't return.
With Pearl and Shriek following at a distance, Bo picks her back through the woods toward the clearing. She detects no danger and finds a wide tree to use as a shield.
Looking around it, she spots the weird jellyfish hovering in the middle of the clearing, seemingly at peace. The strange ethereal song is once again filling the air, and the lightly stirring the leaves.
Shaking her head, Bo leans against the tree and slides to the ground. She takes a drink of water, and just takes a few moments to enjoy the peace and beauty of the glade. Nicer here than in the jungle. Too bad she didn't know where "here" was. Otherwise, it was a bit tempting to just stay here, push on from this spot, and see where adventure took her. After all, there was nothing to go back to, other than a blazing, humid sun.
Seemingly of its own accord, her hand went to the locket around her neck. Bo touched it, then sighed. There was no choice, not really. She knew she'd go back.
Bo waits, watching and waiting for any further threats. Nothing happens, and she is just about to try and follow that stanrge pathback when she hears a noise behind her.
Whirling, she spots the massive bear lumbering out of the trees. The ursine seems more natural here, in the cool air among the widely space trees. He stops for a moment to sniff at a pile of dead leaves, blowing them with his breath.
After a moment he walks up to Bo and sits back on his haunches, 'You have done well, traveler." The voice is that same deep growl, "You saved the skirk nettle and you didn't even kill to do it. I admire your skill and restraint."
Bo smiles slightly, and bows her head in acknowledgement. "A skrik nettle? A very strange creature. Will it be safe now from further poachers?" Despite the nettle's aggression towards her, she bore it no ill-will; after all, it had been protecting itself and its brood.
She looked around, expecting the other animals to come. "The rest of the jury isn't here? Do I get to ask a few questions, or are you here to set the next task?"
To her first question the bear says, 'For now, at any rate. This is not an easy place to get to, even for experienced hunters. Defending all of them is beyond us, but I was curious how you would fare."
To her next question, the bear almost smiles. His lips curl (revealing a set of very large teeth) and his nose twitches, "You are perceptive. Yes, I am here without the rest of the 'jury'. If you have any questions, please ask. I do not promise to answer, obviously. "
Bo continued to watch the skrik nettle float and sing. "What is it about the eggs that are valuable? Is it native to this place? How far are we from where we were?" Again, she appreciated the pleasant climate; she wasn't really excited to return to the jungle.
After a moment, she said, "Do you know why I was in the jungle, and what happened to my memory? It is...unsettling...to know my purpose, or the identity of the my deceased companion. Unless he was my foe, but it didn't feel like that."
The bear rolls his massive shoulders, "The eggs are useful alchemical reagents, quite valuable. My old master used them quite frequently."
'As for the jungle...this is where we were. At least, partially. It is a tad confusing."
His eyes narrow as he ponders her last questions, 'I am sorry but we do not know. We are very curious but we know nothing more then you. We only noticed you shortly before we revealed yourself to you. I would give you those answers if I could."
The beast sniffs the crisp, clean air. "I made arrangements for you to stay here this night, to rest. It is a pleasent place, if you avoid the skirk nettle nests. Your next task will be tomorrow, set by the snake. Be warned, he is cunning and wishes you to fail. His task will not be as gentle as mine."
Bo raised an eyebrow. "This is where we were? Confusing is right. This seems to be a much less tropical climate. Surely we are somewhere far north, or perhaps south, of where I met you last. Is all the jungle like this? Pockets of different climates?"
After a moment, she said, "In the other part of the jungle, I came across a...man, of sorts. He seemed to be made of sand, and he fell apart before my eyes, while asking me riddles. Can you tell me of him, or that place?"
Above, the sun slowly set, sending beams of warm orange light among the trees. The straight brown trunks suddenly seem to lit with burning fire, with the swirling colored leaves like a cool inferno.
'This is the jungle, at least, part of it. Space is....very odd here. You'll get used to it." The bear shrugs again, a very odd gesture for such an animal, 'Or you won't."
'As for the other...the jungle has many inhabitants, many of them far older and stranger then I can imagine. This is their land, in many ways. You have met a few and you'll probably meet more in the course of your travels. Maybe even tonight, if the fates have it. The others have forbid us to put a guard on you, so you will be on your own. "
The bear then adds, voice pensive, 'There is many mysterious about you, things I do not know. It makes me uneasy."
After a long moment for this dour words to sink in he says, 'Have a pleasant night. " And begins to amble off into the undergrowth.
"Many mysterious things? Other than my missing memory? Can you explain that, please?"
***
Watching the bear amble off, Bo sighed. After a while, she said, "Well, at least we get to spend the night in a pleasant place. Shriek, Pearl, let's go hunting." She led them away from the skrik nettle, hefted her spear, and began to look for game.
The bear doesn't reply and is so lost in the forest.
Bo feels a bit of irritation. It is a bit frustrating to know so little and be stuck in such a strange land. Still, nature's needs never cease.
As Bo hoped the land is fruitful and full of game. After only a few hours of searching, they all have found food. Shriek has caught a very plump rabbit, Pearl a fat deer and Bo some kind of bird unknown to her. It was big, fat with a tiny head that made a weird gobbling noise.
Still, roasting over her fire, she finds it to be quite delectable.
Bo thoroughly enjoyed her meal, and ate more than was strictly necessary. Feeling thankful for the bounty of this place, she felt a great lassitude settle over her. Banking the fire down low, she made sure her weapons were in easy reach. Curling up with Pearly, she shut her eyes and was quickly asleep.
Sleeping near her fire, Bo dreams her usually disjointed images, flashing pictures of....what? She can't tell, it all happens so fast. The blur in her dreams give her no more answers then the strange forest dwellers themselves, be they animal or shape shifting sandmen. The frustration makes her so anger she is actually startled out of her sleep.
Around her, the dark columns of the trees are awash in pale moonlight. The leaves skitter on the ground, driven by the soft sighing wind. It smells good, rich and earthy, with just the hint of cold autumn on the way.
Then, among the trees, she sees a moving globe of light. It is orange and moves jerkily between the tree trunks, flashing out of sight. After a moment, she realize sit must be a lantern held by someone walking. Listening, she also hears a singing voice from the same direction, low and melodious.
Bo breathes deeply a few times, trying to allow the cool, fresh air to help her clear away her angry thoughts. When she sees the light and hears the singing, she barely hesitates. Waking Pearl, she grabs her weapons and follows the light, hoping to see what was going on.
Between the light and the voice, it doesn't take Bo long to zero in on the walking person. Pearl is silent at her side, but the half-orc isn't trying very hard to sneak through the dry leaves.
As she draws near the light stops bobbing and a distinctly male voice calls out, 'Who goes there?"
Bo looks around a tree and sees an odd figure, holding a lamp.
The top half is that of a robust, bare chested man. A charming smiling face is topped with curly brown hair, nearly into his eyes. His bottom half is that of an upright goat, with two hoofed feet and hairy legs.
Bo's memory is fractured but her mind is telling her this is a creature out of stories, not the forest. A...faun, her brain tells her, floating the word with no context.
'Hello?" The creature calls, looking around, obviously not spotting Bo or Pearl yet.
Curious, Bo throws caution to the wind and approaches the faun. She slowly enters the light cast by his lantern, and says, "Greetings, friend. I am Bo."
The faun jumps surprisingly high on his springy legs when Bo greets him. As he flaps about, getting his bearings, Bo notes he is wearing a thick coat over his shoulders, covered in a sobriety of pockets. A set of pan flutes hangs around his neck, obviously well used.
As he calms down he says, "Sorry about that, you startled me." he takes a deep breath and adds, 'My name is Memisonme. I'm a traveling bard." he bows, a bit awkwardly with his goat legs. 'Are you from around here?" he asks politely, looking at the standing groves of silent trees.
Bo smiled; the sight of the strangle bard-faun pleased her for some reason. "No, not from around here, just passing through. I am camped just over there," she waved a hand in the direction of her camp. "May I ask, why are you traveling in the deep of the night? If you like, you can share a fire with me."
The faun nods agreeably, "That sounds delightful. I was traveling through the jungle and didn't see any point in stopping. Walking at night can be enjoyable. However, a fire with a mysterious companion? That is very tempting."
He starts to recite a bit of sing-song poetry-
The Aura of the campfire
Is magical indeed
As friends encircled in the glow
Recount their daily deeds
As they head toward the fire Memisonme says, "So, just passing through? Why, may I ask? I guess you aren't from around here."
As they reached her camp, Bo put some more wood on the fire, building it up a bit. She put a blackened pot of water over the fire to heat up. Finally, she turned to the faun and said, "No, not from around here. As for why...well, that's complicated. Looking for answers, I suppose. To a great many questions. What of yourself? From where do you hail? And where do you travel?"