Slorp. Slorp. Slorp. Gurgle. Gurgle. Slorp. 

It was hard not to make a ridiculous amount of noise while traversing through the flooded bog that is the Hauntwood. Every step leads to one sinking a full foot deep in peat and mud and it took great effort to free a boot from the suction effect. You can kiss dry socks goodbye as well as the stale water seeps through leather boots and cakes any trailing clothing in mud. Don't even try to bring a wagon into the area either as it was sure to be swallowed whole by hidden mud pits. Walking was your best bet, or flying if you had a mount capable of that, or just avoid the area all together. Too bad none of those were options here. 

Zarius understood that in the pursuit of knowledge one would go to great lengths, but even he had his limits and this was starting to push it. Curse that monster hunter, he was a charismatic son of a beholder. They had gotten talking when they crossed paths in a tavern and Lloyd managed to leverage Zarius' curiosity with his talk of his ooze research. Lloyd had a point, information on oozes was hard to come by as most folks tended to avoid them or have them exterminated. He hadn't considered that there would be some sort of purpose oozes could serve, but perhaps learning more would reveal the potential of them.

Honestly, he was grasping at straws at this point, too many leads had dried up and what connections he had made were still shaky at best. He had gotten luck in one regard though, this task gave him a perfect excuse to possibly gain an even greater ally in his current traveling companion.

"Do you see any better path, friend?" He calls through the darkened forest to one Caedes Oleander who he offered to pay for helping with this research task. 

Their paths crossed by happenstance, but Zarius recognized his name as soon he offered it. The Oleander family had a reputation of which he was keenly aware, though Zarius had been under the impression that they had fallen into obscurity after The Crimson Hand has soaked their home with the blood of the infamous Shadow Crawlers. What he had considered a missed opportunity all those years ago had now come back from the dead.

He is pretty sure from their interactions so far that Caedes does not know who he actually is. Maybe if things go well, they can have a chat about more personal matters and what can be accomplished if the Shadow Crawlers were to be revived.

"Do you see any better path, friend?"

Oh... are they on 'friend' terms, already?

A shadow amongst the shaded darkness of the bog turns to look at Zarius; behind the black cloak, his white skin fades to a light grey; but a hint of red in his irises seems to reflect the available light, glinting like those of a cat's. He looks thoughtful for a moment, about to speak— when his eyes tilt upwards. "Hm... possibly." he remarks; he reaches out an upturned palm towards the branches of the trees.

At first, seemingly to nothing; but some seconds later, a glistening spider appears out of thin air, and lands upon his welcoming hand from a near-invisible thread of web. It appears, visually, like a black widow— a large red hourglass of warning placed on its abdomen— and long, spindly legs tapping their way up Caedes' arm, towards his cloaked head. "Did you find anything from above?" he asks it, his voice icy in the primal hum of the bog. He tilts his head towards the spider as it approaches, and its fangs click at him— almost like it's speaking— and if one were to listen closely, they would indeed hear inaudible whispers in tongues from the creature on his shoulder.

"M'hm... Mm. That's good. Thank you."

He dismisses the spider with a small waive of his hand, and displaces his cloak; flickers of shadow billow from the innards. The arachnid scuttles from his shoulder— disappearing somewhere inside— before Caedes lets his cloak fall naturally again. He motions for Zarius to come closer to him.

He had met the Tiefling by chance; and by said chance, a job offer was extended to him.

This job.

In which he mucks through the bog alongside the Tiefling, in search of beasts of slime he could not personally care much about. They have been considered pests for so long, that he too, considers them to be one... but it's not necessarily the promise of knowledge on the Ooze he's most interested in, nor the promised payment.

No.

He swore for just a moment, there was a gleam in Zarius' golden eyes when he introduced himself.

It was small; only a tiny glint of acknowledgement; and it was gone in an instant.

He doesn't know what it means. He does not know who Zarius is, no; but the job offer extended to him that same night gave him the opportunity to pry further into something he believes may not have been just a sway of chance. Convenience, even, to have been offered work in that same evening. He wants to see where this might lead; is willing to roll the dice and take the gamble.

So far, there has been no hint; no alternative motives; no talk of anything that could lead Caedes to believe he has any involvement with the Ashen Fathers, nor the Crimson Hand, nor anything else of interest; but he is a calm, patient man.

He's willing to wait.

As Zarius approaches, Caedes points up— hanging moss drapes from the branches high above them— creating a strange line, almost like a guide, or pathway through the bog... "It thinks it spotted one of your employers' beasts cradled in the fork of a massive oak. This," he gestures at the moss. "originates from that tree; following it should take us there."

Zarius watches the curious interaction between Caedes and the spider. Good to know that if he suddenly felt ill it could be due to the venomous sting of the widow's bite. It was handy to have such a creature about. Even a bird would not bother it as it crawls around and scouts ahead. 

Zarius pulls his feet free of the muck and trudges over to Caedes when he beckons him over. 

The more time he spent with Caedes the more his mind reeled with possibilities and what this could mean for the future. A Shadow Crawler, possibly the last one, in the flesh and blood standing just a few paces away. Even though they had been quietly dispatched by the Crimson Hand, there was still meaning and weight to their name. What kind of reaction would the Crimson Hand have to learning that one survived? What kind of reaction would they have to find that the last one was backing a rival crime family? The possibilities were oh so enticing. It could possibly shake up the current political standing within the city of Darkveil.

Then again, such an ally brings with them all the history and baggage attached to the infamy. It was too soon to be beligerant. This was a secret he would have to guard closely even if he parted ways with Caedes, never to meet again. The Crimson Hand were after all scared of the Shadow Crawlers which is what led to their untimely demise. If word spread that a rival family had taken the lone survivor of the night under their wing, they would surely be targeted as well. He needed more time. They weren't strong enough yet to take such a risk. 

Zarius' eyes follow the path Caedes was pointing to. "Hm. Quite the climb. Though I suppose it should not be much of a problem for someone of your skills." He looks at Caedes with a toothy, knowing grin.

While he still wants to be cautious about what he says around the man, he isn't opposed to tilting his hand now that they are far from prying eyes and keen ears. There was no real value in keeping to his usual facade around this one. In fact, if he lied too overtly to Caedes he would not be surprised to find a knife between his ribs later.

As far as he was concerned, they were not inheritably enemies. Though they were still far from being allies either, and who knows what Caedes has been through since the incident. 

Zarius finds a root to drop some of his gear on. The less things to get snagged on during the climb, the better. Briefly, he laments not having a rope and makes a mental note to pick up a grappling hook the next time he is in town. He thinks about the spider for a moment and recalls a shop with magical boots which would allow someone to simply walk up vertical surfaces. He curses under his breath for not picking those up sooner. 

"Hm. Quite the climb. Though I suppose it should not be much of a problem for someone of your skills."

Caedes looks to the Tiefling, catching the knowing grin on his face before Zarius ultimately turns away to find somewhere to drop his gear. Hm... so, maybe he hadn't been seeing things, after all. He blinks slowly, smiling thoughtfully in return, with a slight tilt of his head. "You're too kind; unfortunately, I haven't learned to sprout wings." The tone of his voice is a cold, but almost playful jaunt; it's not necessarily hostile, nor dangerous; but holds something more beneath it. "I'm afraid it'll be climbing for me, as well."

There's a small tilt to his voice; something knowing, yet unspoken; something which they both seem to have in this moment, which will remain unvoiced for now.

A tension lingers under the surface; neither friend, nor foe.

From beneath his cloak, he pulls a dagger. He quietly approaches one of the nearest trees and paces around it in a circle— seemingly looking for something. The first one doesn't have it, so he moves on— but he does find it eventually in a particularly mangled beast of a tree. It's ugly, with knots in the gnarled, damp bark and strange forking growth patterns— thick vines and moss which drape and hang... all which could serve easily as hand or foot holds.

He visualizes his path up the tree, onto the lowest branch, and... yes, this should work. 

From there, it should be easier to gain height; and from the moss, it should be easy to follow. The branches are close enough together that the only thing they'll really need to worry about, is them breaking once they're on them. Caedes flips the dagger in the palm of his hand, blade out; the bark of the tree cracks and splinters as he jams it deep into its flesh far above his head. He tests his weight on it before using it to lift himself; taking hand and foot holds where he can find them, until he can make the leap to the nearest branch.

He feels the branch dip, leaves rustling as his weight pulls it down; but he manages to flip up onto the top, his dagger still left in the bark of the tree. The wounds have begun to bleed sap; cautiously, so as not to fall, he moves to yank it from its last placement, and looks to where he last saw Zarius.

"How's it going over there, partner?"

Watching Caedes scale the tree, Zarius couldn't help but wonder how many lives he has taken using that same knife. He couldn't help but wonder if one of those lives was someone he knew. His expression darkens for a moment, but he shakes the thoughts from his head.

Even if that were to be true, the Shadow Crawlers were merely providing a service for their client. Had their client not made the order, then they wouldn't have acted. He also doubted that Caedes had any connections to those messier incidents. He seemed too young for the timeline of events to match. 

He takes a breath to center himself. One thing at a time. As much as he wanted to just talk to Caedes, he had hired him for a job. It would be bad form to ignore that and likely come off as a set up. Focus on the task at hand.

The tree was a behemoth and towered well over the surrounding forest. It was just their luck the slimy little bugger had found the biggest damn tree to hole up in. What a pain.

Zarius leaves his bag at the base of the tree and stretches out his arms. All things considered, he felt pretty good today. Some of his previous wounds had healed up well enough, though he would likely carry the scars for the rest of his life. Mementos, his father would say.

He gauges the distance to the closest limb. It was high, but there were some vines that dangled down to the ground. Rope climbing then. Hopefully he didn't biff it and embarrass himself in front of Caedes. He crackles his knuckles and shakes out his hands as he approaches the vines. Using his grip strength, he starts pulling himself up the side of the tree while finding a few foot holds along the way.

There's a point where he's just out of reach of the branch but the limb was definitly flexing under his weight. Great. He'd have to jump and try to stay pressed up against the trunk where the branch was thickest. He breathes and adjusts his grip on the vines. Using his upper body strength and core muscles, he rotates and swings a leg up and over the branch.

It bounces a bit and Zarius holds still while hanging upside down with one leg hooked around the branch, just hoping it would hold him. When it stops bouncing he breathes and clambers up the rest of the way. Slowly he stands up and leans against the trunk to keep his balance.

He smiles at Caedes over on the other side of the tree. "It is going just fine. Race you to the top?" It was intended as a joke, but if Caedes was up for it he wouldn't back down from the challenge despite knowing he would likely lose. 

"How far up do you think it is?" He asks as he looks up at the branches above them. Oozes climbing trees was new to him, so at least they could write that detail down for Lloyd.

He doesn't wait for a response and starts climbing up to the next branch, figuring they can talk and climb at the same time. 

Caedes balances himself cautiously atop his chosen branch, his line of focus adjusting when Zarius' voice resounds from across the way— just above, on a low-hanging branch. A laugh reminiscent of a huff of breath escapes between his lips; and he lifts a brow as Zarius jokes about a race to the top. "Is that a challenge?" he asks, head tilting; Zarius doesn't elaborate, and instead looks up above them.

Caedes follows his gaze.

The branches above them are dark; hanging moss drips from their branches, interlaced with vines of varying thicknesses; but it's hard to tell exactly how far away the top is from this angle. The Changeling blinks, looking back to Zarius as the Tiefling climbs up to the next branch; defenseless, from his perspective.

Again, the question flutters through his mind: Who is he, really?

Although Zarius' language, body language, and behaviour seems to be normal— even friendly— by all accounts; those cryptic, knowing words and expressions still have occasionally teased through his lips; and Caedes would have to be incompetent to not notice anything suspicious about it. The idea that the Crimson Hand has figured it out had certainly crossed his mind; but have they?

They would waste no expense in eliminating him, if they knew he'd been risen from their onslaught.

So, why draw it out?

Sure, he could be leading him into an ambush, but he wasn't; he had been very clear with his familiar on its trip through the branches; and there was nothing in this bog but muck, moss, and ooze.

So who is he?

Caedes closes his eyes for a moment, listening to the rustle of the leaves; and he dismisses the thoughts of the Tiefling— for now. Opening his eyes once again, Caedes looks up. Bunching his muscles, the Changeling makes a jump for the next branch— he snatches it with one hand, then swings his body to allow him leverage to grab with the other. He pulls himself up, hooking a knee over the next branch, and sitting on it for a moment— one leg over each side; he looks to Zarius, nearly on equal height with him at this point, a mischievous glint in his cold gaze.

"I'll let you know how far up it is when I beat you to the top, alright?"

Indirectly accepting his joke as both a challenge, and a test of this stranger's skills, Caedes pushes himself to his feet; and leaps at the trunk of the tree. He catches himself with a crack as the dagger pierces the tree's bark, and starts scaling to the next branch, towards the top, at a pace clearly intended to push Zarius to move faster— win or lose. The old, but massive beast of a tree barely shudders despite the pace of either climber; though, as they climb, the branches gradually become a little unsteadier.

Caedes doesn't hear any cracks, but the branches begin to bob with his weight the farther up he goes, until—

well, they're not quite at the top, but he thinks he sees their little blob; it's nearly invisible, shimmering against a ray of light that has begun to peep through the tallest branches— camouflaged by dangling moss that, for some curious reason, it has not assimilated into its globbing form. "Hold up," Caedes balances a bit awkward on a bobbing branch, his dagger still pierced into the thick of the bark to hold him steady. "That our ooze?"

He looks for Zarius— whether above or below— and gestures towards a fork in the tree farther above them, where the ooze seems to be resting.

"Is that a challenge?"

Zarius glances back at Caedes with a mischievous grin. Part of him wanted to see what Caedes was really capable of, and another part of him felt somewhat nostalgic. Caedes appeared no older than one of his siblings, and he would be lying if he didn't feel homesick from time to time. He missed having someone to banter with. 

He hauls himself up onto the next branch with a huff. With any luck, the ooze wouldn't notice their approach. Getting jumped by it up here would be a precarious situation and while the ooze may not be capable of killing them, the fall just might. 

He wasn't afraid of heights by any stretch of the imagination. He had taken some significant tumbles before while training with his father. Gods know how many times he had been thrown to the floor. The thing that was more concerning is how many branches would one bounce off of on the way down. He really had no interest in being impaled on a branch. 


Glancing back down at Caedes, he can see him watching closely. Perhaps his words had gotten him thinking. What thoughts were going through his mind right now, he wondered. If he asked, Zarius had already decided that he would answer in earnest.

Worst case scenario, Caedes merely kills him here. He was likely more than capable of it and there wasn't really anywhere to hide from the trained assassin. In that case, he at least hopes to have a chance to ask him to at return his body to his family. Though that was asking a lot of a stranger. Really just a proper burial would be more than he deserved if he was being honest with himself. He wouldn't blame Caedes for just throwing his corpse in the bog and wiping his hands of the whole interaction. No one would know.

Morbid thoughts like that came naturally to Zarius. He thought a lot about the hundreds of ways he would likely die. It didn't scare him really, it was inevitable after all. Everyone dies eventually. He was more concerned with the consequences of his death. What would it mean for his family? Would they be okay without him? They probably would be. They were all capable. But still, he did not want to cause them any unnecessary grief. There was too much to do and more important things to focus on.

He watches Caedes spring up to the opposing branch and their eyes meet. 

"I'll let you know how far up it is when I beat you to the top, alright?"

The corner of Zarius' mouth twitches and a toothy smile spreads across his face. This cheeky brat. 

He pursues Caedes up the tree, pretty much having to rely on his grip strength to keep from falling back down to the marshy ground below. He gets lucky with a few branches that are perfectly spaced to basically speed climb up the side of the tree he was on and for a brief moment he was neck and neck with Caedes. 

Then his foot slips off some loose moss mid reach. For a moment his body feels weightless and he glances down at the bog far below them. While the landing might actually be soft, such an impact would probably end up with him being swallowed whole by the mud.

Zarius quickly twists his body and grabs onto the branch his foot slipped off of, locking both his arms around it. The branch flexes under his full body weight and he holds still, curling his legs and tail up under him like a cat. 

He breathes. Saved it. Then he glances over at Caedes as he speaks up. Saving himself from the embarrassment of almost falling to a pitiful end, he lets himself dangle from the branch and monkey bars his way over to a branch just below Caedes. 

He looks at where Caedes was gesturing. Squinting against the daylight, it did look like they had found the ooze. And luckily for them, it didn't seem to notice them either. Zarius tilts his head, it almost seemed like the ooze was nesting like a bird in the tree. Was that normal? He didn't know, but he makes a mental note of it for their research task. 

As he's about to reach up to get on the same level as Caedes, he pauses and listens. 

Slorp. Slorp. Slorp. Gurgle. Gurgle. Slorp.

It sounds like several creatures trudging through the bog not that far from them, and they were drawing nearer. Zarius reaches up and taps Caedes on the side of his boot, then puts a finger to his lips and points in the direction of the noises. They had company. 

Much to his surprise— or, perhaps to his unspoken expectations— Zarius clearly has more than charisma under his belt. The Tiefling had kept in pace quite well, even with Caedes' advantages in consideration. Not only did Caedes give himself a head-start, but he also had his dagger to use as a stabilizer against the bobbing branches and slippery moss that made up the furthermost reaches of the trees as they had climbed.

If nothing else, their sprint towards the top told Caedes a few things: Zarius was strong, he was fast, and he was either reckless or confident. Each stride he took; each jump and reach; declares that there's something more than just chance and luck behind his movements. He hadn't hesitated in the slightest— pursuing him persistently, until the changeling thought that Zarius might even overtake him— and force him to eat his own smug words.

Then, as Caedes had come to his halt on the branch, Zarius disappeared from his peripheral vision. By the time he turns to look at the Tiefling once more, Zarius is on an opposing branch, dangling from it by each hand.

Did he slip?

He hadn't even heard a sound from the Tiefling, save for the rustle of the branches when Zarius must have caught himself. He watches Zarius swing his way to a branch below, and turns his gaze back towards the Ooze nestled comfortably in its strange moss-nest. He waits for an affirmation, a confirmation, or a comment from the Tiefling below— but it doesn't come. Instead, Caedes feels a tap against the side of his boot; and naturally, he looks down at Zarius below.

The Tiefling puts a finger to his lips, and points down towards the bog. Caedes purses his lips, following the line of his finger, and listens.

Slorp. Slorp. Slorp.

Ah.

Gurgle. Gurgle. Slorp.

His eyes narrow towards the bog; it seems they do, in fact, have company.

Caedes nods slowly, affirming to the Tiefling in silence that he hears their new arrivals, and he moves his body closer to the trunk— if Zarius dares to climb any further to join him on the branch, he now has the room to do so. Caedes extends a hand from his cloak towards the trunk of the tree; in a flicker of strange refraction and fluttering shadows, the black widow from earlier crawls its way across his wrist, over the back of his hand, and onto the trunk.

Its fangs click as it turns with ease on the vertical surface, its multiple eyes looking at him expectantly.

Caedes makes a few gestures to the feline-sized spider with his free hand, then nods over his shoulder. The spider remains motionless during this, simply watching, until it is gestured to move; and then, it scurries its way— silently— down the tree. Its body disappears as it passes the branch Zarius was dangling from; but, if one were to look closely, they might see the way the light refracts off of its large, arachnid form as it scuttles further down the tree to investigate the newer arrivals at a closer distance than either of the two men could get without being noticed.

Using his hand to create some tension in the meantime, Caedes silently slips his knife from the trunk of the tree— just in case it might be needed.

From somewhere below, distant voices start to come into earshot.

"...w many of these things have we put out by now?" The first voice, albeit feminine in pitch, has the smooth cadence of a cheese grater behind it. Their long notes catch in their throat like grit. "Five? Six?"

"What did you expect? A place like this is bound to be oozing with those things." A howling, hyena-like laugh is unceremoniously cut off, followed by an animalistic sounding snarl. From beneath the branches, comes the silhouettes of what looks to be a humanoid, followed by a large gnoll, who rubs at its side as though it's been struck.

Two smaller silhouettes, which Caedes cannot determine the nature of, follow.

"They may not have ears, but even the deaf could hear you screaming." A different voice, one of the smaller silhouettes most likely, tells the large, bi-pedal hound with an annoyed tone.

The spider can camouflage itself. Of course it can. He really hoped he could stay on Caedes good side. He hadn't though about how painful of a death it would be to be bitten by an invisible spider until now. 

He pulls himself up and quietly makes his way over the space Caedes made for him. He crouches next to Caedes, balancing on the balls of his feet and using his tail as a counter balance. 

"Four of them." His eyes narrow. "No, five." He points towards the back of the approaching group where the fifth member was lagging behind in the mud due to their short stature. 

From their vantage point, they could clearly make out the group as they approached the tree. There was the loud cackling gnoll carrying a nasty looking greatclub; the female human with the grating voice and muscular build; the two smaller silhouettes; possibly human as well or maybe halfling; then the one lagging behind with large ears and eyes, a goblin. 

They were a rough looking lot with worn leathers and scraps of armor that didn't match. Their weapons were a mix of ranged and melee including a few crossbows and scimitars between them. One of the humans-- or halflings-- didn't appear to have any weapons on them and they had less armor than the others. It was likely they were a caster of some description. 

Zarius pulls his knuckle knives out of his pockets and slips them onto his fingers as they watched them close in on the tree. 

The gnoll snorts and sniffs the air. "Hold up, something ain't right here."

"Hm." The female member crouches down and looks at the footprints Zarius had left in the mud.

As the group spreads out, Zarius swears under his breath. He had left his bag down there so he wasn't weighed down while climbing. He glances towards where he had stashed it and glares as the goblin scuttles through the mud over to it. 

"Looks! Looks! Looks what I foundses!" The green creature holds up the bag with glee. 

Nodding at the other human who pulls out their crossbow, the caster circles around the other side of the tree.

The gruff woman lumbers through the mud and takes a glance about. She doesn't seem to have pinpointed their location yet.

"All right! Come on out! We aren't here to hurt nobody! Show yourself!"

Zarius looks at Caedes and whispers, "Watch my back." 

He stands up and reaches for a nearby vine, getting a grip on it then stepping off the branch. He swings down to the lower branches, landing within their view as the branch bends and shakes.

"No need to shout, you will disturb the local wildlife. What do you want?"

The crossbow wielding one trains his weapon on Zarius.

"He he he, this yourses?" The goblin asks pointing to the bag. 

"Yes, and I would appreciate you leave my belongings be."

The woman trudges closer, looking up at Zarius with a crooked smile. "What you doing up in that tree, huh? Don't you know there are all sorts of dangerous creatures out here?"

"I am aware. That is why I am out here. I am collecting observations for a researcher."

"Researcher, huh?" She puts her hands on her hips, a spiked mace hanging off her belt. "Let me guess, you working for Lloyd?"

Zarius narrows his eyes. "Is it any of your business if I am?"

"Lloyd is an ooze-loving crazy. Always putting peoples lives in danger to learn more about those killer acid blobs. You best turn back and give up on that fool's errand."

"Oh? Are you some sort of expert on oozes as well?"

"Yeah, expert at exterminating them."

"Ah, well best of luck with that venture." He waves his hand dismissively. "Be on your way."

"How about you tell us what you were doing up in that tree first?"

"I would rather not."

"Then come on down here so we can have a conversation like civilized folk."

"When you meet some, please do let me know."

That pissed her off and she motions for her group to spring into action. 

The branch bobs slightly as Zarius pulls himself onto the branch beside him; Caedes takes a brief look at the Tiefling as he does, before looking past him. Following the line of his finger, he narrows his eyes as the fifth member of their little surprise party comes into view— a small goblin, trekking through the muck with much effort. "Mm..." he agrees, the hum of his acknowledgement muted over the natural gale that sways through the branches at this height. "I see them..."

Briefly, his attention drifts to Zarius: the Tiefling is already pulling out weapons— a pair of knuckle knives— and slipping them onto his fingers.

So, he wasn't expecting this, either?

Caedes draws his eyes back to the group, his brows furrowing as the gnoll snorts; it lifts its head, sniffing at the air

"Hold up, something ain't right here."

He frowns, flexing his fingers slowly, one at a time, over the hilt of his dagger. The woman stoops down to investigate the traces they'd left behind in the muck; admittedly, a mistake on their end... but then again, this is the heart of the Marsh Flats.

Not exactly a high-traffic location...

"Bad luck." he murmurs to Zarius as the Tiefling swears under his breath; the goblin's on its way to his bag. It sludges through the mud, happily collecting Zarius' belongings as though it were a treat. "Looks! Looks! Looks what I foundses!" Its voice is high-pitched, grating in a different way. Caedes stifles a sigh, breathing his exasperation through his nose, as the two smaller individuals begin to circle the tree, arms at the ready.

It looks like they're in for a bit of trouble.

"All right! Come on out! We aren't here to hurt nobody! Show yourself!"

Caedes turns his head slightly to meet Zarius' eyes when the Tiefling looks at him; he nods, but doesn't respond; seconds later, Zarius is gone. Caedes watches the man swing from a vine, landing on one of the lower branches; it shudders with his weight. Caedes, meanwhile, allows the shadows of the tree to conceal him further; while Zarius speaks, he slips quietly around the trunk of the tree, to the opposing branch that Zarius had nearly fallen from earlier.

"What you doing up in that tree, huh? Don't you know there are all sorts of dangerous creatures out here?"

He looks down from his perch, eyes focusing on the caster; the halfling is on his side of the tree, but its eyes are focused on Zarius.

"Is it any of your business if I am?"

Caedes slowly descends; carefully lowering himself onto a branch beneath even that— one closer to the halfling.

"Oh? Are you some sort of expert on oozes as well?"

He touches the branch below him, narrowing his eyes at the halfling below.

"How about you tell us what you were doing up in that tree first?"

He crouches, envisioning his angle as the conversation on the other side of the tree intensifies.

"When you meet some, please do let me know."

---

As the group lurches in anticipation towards Zarius— the woman reaching for her mace, the gnoll readying his club in both hands, and the crossbow-wielder notching their arrow— a yelp and a splash echoes from the other side of the tree. The crossbow-wielder panics, and a shot fires into the shade; it's followed by a muted thud.

"What—!?" The woman with the mace lurches forwards, but stops; a halfling's limp body is tossed unceremoniously from the darkness, landing with a Sploosh! in the mud. There's a bolt, quite unfortunately, sticking out of her chest. It's unclear if she's dead, or simply unconscious, but she doesn't seem to be moving. The woman with the grating voice reels back, eyes wide; Caedes swings lackadaisically from around the trunk of the tree, smiling in a way that could be interpreted as both mocking, and apologetic.

"In all honesty, I wasn't going to hurt her; turns out, your crossbow's a bad shot. Four against two's a much fairer fight, though."

"You...!" It's enough to turn initial attention away from Zarius, and to him; and the unceremonious, potentially self-imposed, fall of one of their teammates springs the gnoll into action. The massive beast snarls, charging him from across the muck, his giant club pulled back for a swing as he runs.

There's a scramble to readjust with a new addition to the fight; the crossbow wielder's hands shake as they load another bolt and take a few paces back. Beneath the tree, a surprised yelp sounds— the goblin bounces away from Zarius' bag, upon which a large black widow has appeared— and pulls twin daggers from somewhere on their person. The woman with the mace reels back— pulling her mace from its holder— as the fight fully breaks out in the heart of the bog.

Zarius glances down towards the now downed halfling. Perfect. The caster was going to be annoying if she had gotten the chance to cast any spells. He grins at Caedes as he makes his presence known.

The hunters' resolve had been shaken and their formation broken. The odds were moving in their favor. It had been a while since Zarius last felt excited to get into a fight. He cracks his knuckles and a malicious smile spreads across his face. Given his present company, he had no reason to hold back. 

The gnoll was charging forward at Caedes, but there was no doubt he could handle the raging mutt. Zarius targets the woman with the mace, she seemed to bark orders so taking her out quick would break the moral and will to fight of the others.

He springs forward off the branch in her direction and lands with a roll to get right up into her face. As she pulls her mace up to defend herself, he goes low and slams his fist straight into her gut. The layer of leather armor takes the brunt of the force, but she does stumble back with a grimmace.

Zarius feels his feet to start to sink into the mud and he quickly darts around behind the woman as another crossbow bolt goes whizzing by. 

"Don't shoot me! Shoot them!" The woman shouts at the crossbow weilder. 

"I'm trying!" He reloads, still shaken from accidentally shooting his ally. 

The woman whips around with a wide swing to try and bash Zarius in the side of the head. Zarius reacts with stepping in close and bracing his arm up against the side of his head, taking the hit from the the shaft of the mace rather than the jagged end. 

The woman is surprised he stepped closer in towards her instead of keeping his distance. 

He grins her face. "You really should have minded your own business."

His left fist bashes her in the jaw with a quick hook out of her periphery. 

Meanwhile, the goblin bounces from leg to leg and points its daggers at the spider. "Bad! Bad! Spiderses! I'll cuts you! I'll eats you!"

Like smoke, shadows billow from the hem of Caedes' cloak; he offers the gnoll a taunting smile as the tendrils of darkness consume him, plunging him fully into obscurity before it can reach him. ⁽¹⁾ In the additional shade of the bog, it's like he's disappeared; he hasn't, of course, but the additional darkness makes him significantly harder to see.

The gnoll seems to be completely unphased by the swath of shadows in its rage— which is what he expected; it charges into the mass, swinging its club wildly. "Coward!" it barks; Caedes feels the wind as the large club passes close to his personal space, grazing his back while he ducks around to the opposite side of the rabid hound. "Come out! And fight!" The gnoll grunts with each fury-filled swing of his club— he cracks into the trunk of the tree, splintering dead wood from its base.

Caedes takes his shot in that same moment.

From the shadows, a weight leaps onto the gnoll's back; one arm hooks around the creature's neck, stifling its airway— the other plunges a dagger into its chest. It chokes out a snarl; and begins to thrash violently, swinging its mace every which way as a barrage of horror fills its mind.⁽²⁾

He holds no real grudge against the beast; an end by this dagger wasn't really meant for him; but in the moments that follow, it experiences each gruesome death of the souls trapped in that dagger— the souls of his syndicate— as they fell to members of The Crimson Hand that night.

He pulls out the dagger from the gnoll; steadying himself as it thrashes and swings— until it rears forwards and slams its back against the gnarled tree. Caedes feels weight from either side crushing him; he feels the breath forced from him. He grunts, the bludgeoning pain quite clear; but doesn't loosen his grip on the beast. "Stop...! Make it stop....!"

With Caedes still clinging to the beast's back, it pushes itself away; and Caedes knows it's going to try it again. Still thrashing wildly, the gnoll slams back into the tree once more; and it yelps sharply as it slams both Caedes, and his dagger, placed hilt-first against Caedes' sternum, into his back. Caedes winces as he's crushed between beast and tree once more, and lets his grip fall from around the gnoll's neck.

The gnoll stumbles away, swinging wildly and dreadfully hurt, into the shadows left behind, leaving Caedes to fall against the thick roots of the tree— dagger held firmly in his hand.

It's not dead yet, still howling into the swath of shadows like he's amongst it, but he suspects it will be with a little time. It's preoccupied, at the least.

He pushes himself up, using the tree as leverage, and turns to look at the damage Zarius has left behind.

---

Meanwhile, the black widow and the goblin are in an almost-comedic standoff of their own in comparison to the two men brawling behind them; the black widow, rearing back with its fangs bared on Zarius' pack; snaps angrily at the creature each time it tries to stab at it. It's dexterous, and hard to hit, scuttling and skirting just out of reach each time the goblin jabs; it snaps warningly at the goblin's arms as it pulls away.

"Hold...stillses! So I can kills you!"

The goblin, frustrated, throws its dagger at the spider— and the spider vanishes in a glint of light. The dagger *schlinks* into the root near Zarius' pack, nicking the fabric of it just slightly, and then begins to shake and move as the goblin scowls and tries to snatch it back up.

"E-eh?"

The spider reappears, holding the dagger's hilt in its fangs.

Regardless of if it knows what it's doing or not, it is now armed with one of the goblin's daggers.

---

^{(1) Smouldering Cape — While wearing the cloak with the hood up, the user can command a plume of smoke to escape from the cloak and cover the owner in a cloud of dark smoke. This smoke will obscure the wearer for three post until it dissipates. The cloud will be large enough to hide the owner inside of the cloud, making it hard to find them.}

^{(2) Dagger of Torment — This jagged and serrated dagger is said to be filled with the soul of an anguished spirit. This weapon has the serrated enchantment on it, causing any wound inflicted by this blade to rip and tear flesh, unable to be healed by normal healing magic. In addition the injured targets mind will be filled with horrifying images of pain and death, they will watch the death of the spirit who's soul is trapped in the blade, violent and bloody scenes playing out in their mind for a single post.}

The gruff woman staggers to the side, holding her face as blood pools in her hand and drips down in the muck. She tries to pull back from him but he reaches around her weapon and gets firm grip on her wrist to keep her from retreating.^[1] 

"Do not think you can leave so soon." He grins then hooks his leg around her knee and pulls her off balance, slamming her down into the mud face first. 

"Mrph!" She tries to push herself back up but her body was already sinking into the muck. 

A bone cracking noise rings out as Zarius twists her arm around behind her back and dislocates it with a sharp tug. He stomps down on her back and presses her deeper into the ground. 

Her screams of pain are muffled by the mud and she struggles to free herself. Her struggling was futile with how soft the ground was. The tiefling would not release his hold on her wrist and was now putting his full body weight down on her. 

He glances around and has a hard time seeing Caedes through the clouds of shadows. It sounds like he's giving the gnoll a run for his Solars though. He just catches sight of Caedes backed against the tree, he seemed okay from what he could tell. The gnoll can still be heard thrashing about in the plumes of smoke though. If Caedes doesn't put him down soon then he'd go over and help, but he had his hands full at the moment. 

A glint of light reflected off metal catches his attention in his periphery. 

"Get off her!" The human had circled around and raises his loaded crossbow, quickly aiming and firing another bolt at the tiefling. 

Zarius catches the bolt in his free hand, stopping it just inches from his face.^[2] He breathes and looks at the human. "Careful, you might hit another one of your companions with one of these things." He then catches sight of the goblin who is currently distracted by the spider. He whips the bolt around and flicks it at the goblin from behind. 

"Shoot! Look out, Caark!" The crossbow weilder shouts at the goblin as he hurriedly loads another bolt. 

"Eh?" The goblin glances back and manages to hop up, avoiding the bolt pinning its foot to the tree. It lands and looks at the bolt then grins toothily at Zarius "Ha! You misseses! Dumb demonses!" It cackles and dances, forgetting about the knife wielding spider at its back.

Zarius is unconcerned, the goblin wouldn't be as much trouble to deal with in the long run as the gnoll or the woman underneath his knee. She was still desperately attempting to get up to breathe. The human was starting to get on his nerves, but he couldn't deal with him without letting go of the hunter under him.

---

[1] Iron Grip. Due to all the training and strengthening of their hands, the brawler has gained an incredible grip strength, able to hold onto anything or anyone. Their grip is so tight now that they can no longer have things ripped from their grasping, preventing things from knocking or pulling objects out of their hand, regardless of how hard it was hit or how strong the force was. This also makes them excellent grapplers, able to hold onto an enemy without easily being pushed off.

[2] Deflecting Palm. Not only is the brawler an excellent offensive fighter, but they have also mastered the skill to defend themselves, even at a range. If they are attacked with a ranged physical attack such as an arrow, bolt or spear, they can use their deflecting palm to either knock the projectile out of mid air or even catching it, allowing them to throw it back. If a weapon is caught and thrown back, it can only go half its normal distance and will only deal half its normal damage. This can be used twice per topic.

Impressive.

As the gnoll thrashes around in the fading shadows; snarling and howling; he watches Zarius catch a crossbow bolt in his bare hands, before whipping it around at the goblin. He doesn't spectate the Tiefling much longer than that; it is a point of interest, however, to know that Zarius can not only hold his own; but he is very clearly trained to some degree.

So, he has little need to worry about him falling on his face in this fight; that's good.

Caedes turns his attention back to the gnoll, smiling when he notices it looking directly at him; its nostrils flare, blood seeping from a wound in its chest. Caedes has no doubt there's another in its back. "You!" it coughs; it turns tail and rushes towards him; slow at first, but picking up momentum quickly. The hound drags its great-club in the muck and creates a thick line in the bog. "What did you do!?"

"I don't know what you could possibly mean."

The gnoll snarls, lips curled back; he swings the muck-laden club in a downwards cut, slinging mud as he rips it from the muck. Caedes dodges out of its way at the last moment — leaping upwards, he tucks his legs up and twists his body over a low-hanging branch. He flips around it, a brief tumble of darkness, before swinging back around. He kicks the gnoll with both feet in the chest, knocking the beast backwards a few steps.

He hears it huff— a heavy and painful grunt emitting from deep in its throat— as it tries to steady itself with its great-club in the muck. Caedes drops quickly, darting towards the gnoll as it looks up to him; the last thing it sees is the shadows twisting around Caedes' wrist, before it goes dark for the massive beast. ⁽¹⁾ In the same breadth that he pulls shadowed claws from the massive gnoll's throat, he feels a sharp pang of pain in his right shoulder.

He winces forwards as the gnoll's body drops in front of him; it collapses into the muck, lifeless; and he looks behind him, noting just the end of a crossbow bolt sticking out of his shoulder. He follows the line of trajectory to where the crossbow wielder stands— looking a bit panicked when he meets Caedes' gaze.

---

"Ha! You misseses! Dumb demonses!" The goblin laughs in a way that could be described as maniacal, high-pitched mocking sounds in its throat, as it dances about. The spider, still wielding its own dagger behind it, watches for a moment; realizing the goblin is far too preoccupied, it wriggles its abdomen and leaps forwards onto the smaller humanoid's shoulders.

A high pitched yelp fills the air in place of the mocking and jeering; clicking the knife in its fangs, the spider reaches over the goblin's shoulder with four of its legs; accidentally (or purposefully, it's hard to tell, honestly) slashing the the goblin across the shoulder-blade as it moves quickly. The goblin reaches back with both hands, grabbing the spider by its middle, and pulling it around to its front. The cat-sized being squirms uncomfortably, knife still clicking in its jaws; it manages to get a few smaller knicks against the goblin's wrist, but is mostly pretty clumsy. "You littleses...! I'll cutses you open!! Sees your insides!"

The goblin pulls back with its other knife as the spider clacks its fangs at it helplessly— but is halted when someone grabs it by the wrist. "Eh? Eh!?" Caedes grabs the goblin as the crossbow wielder starts to back up, looking panicked between Zarius and Caedes, and aims with his crossbow— but not before a goblin soars through the air, colliding with him and his weapon with a highpitched, fading shriek as it flies.

The spider drops, unharmed but still armed, into the muck where the goblin used to be.

The goblin and crossbow wielder both collapse into a heap together, but the goblin howls, rolling dramatically in the muck on its back, with a bolt sticking from just to the side of its collarbone.

"Gah, you shotses me!!!"

---

^{(1) Death Swipe — Causes your hands to grow claws of pure darkness that are several inches long. These claws can pass through physical obstacles (such as armor) to stab at flesh underneath, dealing moderate damage. Consequently, they cannot be used to block physical attacks.}

Zarius looks around at the scene. The caster and the gnoll were down for the count and the goblin and the human were in a pile on the ground with Caedes slowly approaching.

A few more minutes and the woman beneath him would stop her struggling from lack of breath. They could easily kill them all and let their bodies become food for the oozes they had come to hunt. It was likely the cleanest option too, if word got out that Lloyd was hiring killers to help with his research it may complicate their ongoing business arrangement. It was tempting. 

He sighs and grabs the woman by her hair and pulls her head out of the mud. She gasps for breath and sputters mud from her mouth. He waits for her to stop coughing so he could get her attention on the matter at hand. 

"Listen closely." His words are slow and precise to be as clear as possible. He speaks with a dark tone. Hopefully she some sense in her.

"You and the last of your companions can leave here with your lives. You can return home, find a new line of work, and go on with your pathetic existence in peace."

He pauses to let the words sink in. A fair offer given their current circumstances. Surely she knew she would die here if they continued to fight. There of course was a catch to such generosity. 

"But understand this, if you dare utter a single word of what happened here or get in our way again, we will not show you mercy a second time. I promise you, it will be a slow and agonizing death unlike anything you could possibly imagine." He hisses the threat into her ear.

"Do you agree to these terms? Or shall we remove your limbs and use you as bait for our own quarry?"

The woman's eyes are wide and bloodshot with fear. "I-I agree, please-!" She coughs hoarsely and begs through the mud coating her face. 

"Tell your companions to surrender then." He tugs sharply on her arm. 

She winces. "Stand down! We surrender!"

The human looks between Zarius and Caedes fearfully then tosses his crossbow to the ground and holds up his hands. The goblin continues to howl and complain about being shot, but does not seem to be willing to fight on its own. 

Satisfied, Zarius lets go of the woman's broken arm and lets it flop limply to the ground before he steps off of her. 

"Gather your fallen and leave. Now. Before I change my mind." There is a commanding but also darkly threatening tone in Zarius' voice. His expression is hardened and vicious, a far cry from the jovial front Caedes has seen up until this point. 

The woman, coated in mud, struggles to her feet and holds her shoulder as she slogs through the bog over to the downed gnoll and halfling. After a few minutes, the group of hunters manage to drag their companions with great difficulty off through the bog, disappearing past the trees. 

Zarius waits until they can no longer hear the sound of the group sloshing through the waterlogged forest then lets out a long sigh of relief.

"Well, that was certainly something." He puts on the friendly smile once again and looks at Caedes. "Are you and your spider friend alright?"