The Black Bog, a stinky, dirty, mud filled place contaminated with disease, filth and all kinds of vermin. It was one of her most favorite places in all of Charon, one the young woman was not able to visit as much as she would have liked. Her youth was spent scouring these swamps, catching rats and playing pretend in many of the buried ruined castles. It was a place that brought back fond memories, a time in her life before all the chaos and confusion, when things were simple. 

Today was not the day for reminiscing however, Plague had journeyed back to the bog on a mission, a very important one at that. A local researcher by the name of Lloyd had started studying a type of creature that lived out here, an Ooze is what the common folk called it. She knew a little about these things, having run into a few baby ones as a child. We apparently they were starting to become very popular, as word spread of their increased activity, to did interest in capturing one. 

Rumor was there was a nest out here in the bog, and a band of hunters from Gazablaak were on their way to capture and even kill the slime. After hearing this Plague decided she was meant to intervene, not only would she be protecting a piece of nature, but she could rid the world of selfish vile men at the same time. 

The trip was rather simple and uneventful, she had a rough idea of where she could locate the nest of Ooze. Dressed in her normal leather, mask and hood, Plague ventured through the swamp, eventually stumbling upon a large muddy crater in the ground. There in the center of the crater was three decently sized green slime creatures, just enjoying a snack and blobbing around. She could not see any other signs of life, no other researchers or monster slayers. 

Luckily she was the first arrive. Her first thought was to save the creatures, carry them off to a new home. Not only was that going to be an impossible task, it also would not do anything in the long run. As long as these hunters lived, they were never stop their rampage of carnage. So the woman decided to hide, tucking herself away underneath a fallen log and allowing the shadows to cascade over her. It was a fine spot, one that would conceal her until the hunters finally decided to arrive. 

Xalmann walked through the bog with a slight feeling of nostalgia. He was born in the marsh flats and still considered it his homeland, even if he hadn't been particularly fond of it. It was annoying to trudge through the thick muck of the swamp. The mud clung to his feet and tried to hold him down. At least the mosquitoes weren't able to pierce the thick scales of his skin, but he still had to wave them away from his eyes. They seemed especially drawn to the Lizardman's eyes now that they had begun to glow from his fiery magic. He wished he could just burn them away, but that would also dry the mud around his feet, entombing them, and possibly even set fire to the trees around him. He'd just have to bear with the small annoyance.

He hadn't come back to this area just to visit his home turf. Lloyd was happy with his previous work of watching an ooze multiply and came to him to ask him to go do it again, but this time with a slime in the bog instead of the forest. He wanted to know if there'd be any noticeable differences in their methods. Xalmann really didn't care, but they'd offered more coin and said it would be the last one he'd have to watch. Lloyd had also been satisfied with Xalmann's fighting ability and this time knew there would be hunters going after the ooze. Apparently these hunters weren't the most upstanding of citizens either, so Xalmann was free to take care of them as he pleased.

As he walked, he eventually saw a clearing with three oozes in the middle. Perfect. He could get this job over with.

It was her very generous employer who had signed her up with Lloyd, the creature researcher that her caravan had stumbled into at the Safe, Dry, Eat, Sleep Spot. She was not feeling particularly enthusiastic about the job description at first, but as Lloyd had continued explaining his desires to her, she slowly became more interested.

She did not care much for the ooze which Lloyd was so passionate about in his new research; although, she supposed she admired the lengths at which he could talk about the mysteries of a sulfuric blob known only in her homeland to be a pest... but there were rumours of hunters coming after those innocent, misunderstood beasts. A nest nearby, one he had been studying, was in danger— and he was greatly distressed about it— as a researcher, and not necessarily a combatant.

Orym, in all his goodwill, had been sure to point Leni-Aura's status as a talented combatant; and the researcher had looked at her with such sparkling eyes, in addition to Orym knowing she can't say no to his requests, and... well... she accepted the job. Orym was pleased, Lloyd was pleased; and the two old men rambled about stuff for the rest of the evening, after Lloyd had given her the run-down of his expectations.

And, the fact that he had hired others— and there was a chance she might meet them.

The rabbitaur bounds cautiously through the thick undergrowth of the Marsh Flats, joined by the swooping silhouette of a tiny reptillian. "Quiet," she scolds the small beast as it chirps; happily, it perches on her back, folding its wings to its lithe body. Nimbus had finally found his wings, albeit only recently, when he'd swooped into the arena to try and defend her in a duel. She would have been happier about it, had it not meant that he'd put himself in danger.

Eventually, the young centaur woman approaches the outskirts of the underbrush; her ears tilt forwards, catching the oozing, globbing sounds of the movement of something much too viscous to be the swamp. Nimbus, using her hair as a ladder, peeps over the top of her head— looking out at the crater, and the three oozes sliming around in it, with great interest.

"Those certainly look like— hey! No!" Nimbus tries to fly off her head to head towards the slime creatures, but Leni-Aura hops out of the underbrush; breaking her cover for the briefest of moments, and yoinks the small beast back into the shade by its tail. It objects with a wiggle as she holds it in her arms. "Are you serious? Those things would eat you! We're not here to play, okay?" She looks around in a slight panic, scanning the bog beyond her hiding place for the movement of the hunters Lloyd had described.

Her vantage point was a good one, having dug in to a nice little hiding spot while awaiting whatever, or whoever was going to come after these creatures. Plague had been sitting for roughly thirty minutes before the sounds of someone approaching could have been heard pushing through the brush. Startled for a second, the young woman shifted and watched, trying to see who had entered the area. 

But before she could do so, the sounds of another's approach was heard directly south of the first sound, coming from roughly the same direction. This person was rather easy to spot, as some small odd creature flew through the air, leading some kind of rabbit horse towards the crater? It was all very odd to her, who where these people and why were they here? Her only explanation was that these people belonged to the hunting party currently looking for the creatures. 

However this idea was instantly proven false as a group of three rough looking men had just pushed through the brush on the opposite side of the crater. They were all human and looked like they had seen better days. Each one brandishing a weapon of some kind, from swords to axes, and all looked to be in a foul mood. Their gaze instantly shot to the three slime creatures in the crater. 

These had to be the monster hunters, so who were the other two that had shown up first? Regardless of who they were, the killers had finally noticed the rabbitaur, calling out and shouting as they prepared to move into the crater. Plague gripped a few of the bottles on her waist and waited, wanting to see what played out here before making herself known. The element of surprise was on her side at the moment, and she was going to use it to the best of her ability. 

Xalmann noticed the drake fly from the brush and get quickly pulled back by a woman with rabbit ears. He was a bit surprised by the sudden appearance, but his attention was almost immediately pulled away from the two by another appearance. A group of three humans who looked like they immediately set their sights on the three oozes he was here to protect and observe. The rabbit woman could wait.

He snuck around just outside of the clearing to get behind the group of three while they were all distracted by the rabbit woman with a wiggling drake in her arms. He approached the one at the back of the group, an archer wielding a short bow. He was the biggest threat to keeping the oozes safe right now since he could target them from a distance. The axe wielder and swordsman would have to reach the center of the clearing first.

He stepped behind the archer who sensed his presence at the last moment and began to turn around, but it was too late. Xalmann stabbed his kukri dagger into the small of the man's back, paralyzing him with a look of horror on his face. The man lost his breath from the dagger piercing into his back.

The Lizardman raised his axe to the man's throat and finished him off. He caught the man's body and prevented it from falling to the ground. The thud would have surely attracted the other two men, still oblivious to the death of one of their companions thanks to their shouting at the rabbit woman, they hadn't heard the man's dying breath.

Damn it!

Leni-Aura, despite grabbing Nimbus successfully, finds herself facing three hunters farther across the clearing. She grimaces, brows furrowing as she plants her paws firmly into the earth. Nimbus, able to catch a hint, stops squirming while she holds him; but squawks nervously in her arms. She snorts; with her cover already blown; she reaches for the spear on her back.

"If you're here for these," calls one of the hunters— the one with the sword— with a slight, but hollow laugh. "You're going to have to find yourself another nest." She narrows her eyes, releasing the baby drake from her arms; Nimbus swoops around her, landing obediently on her back. No sooner does she move to step towards the group of three, does she see movement; her eyes flick briefly towards a Lizardfolk as he sneaks behind the three men.

He grabs the lagging archer.

Is he...?

She looks away, not wanting to give him away. "I do not want them." she calls back, bounding forwards several steps; the man with the sword pauses— pointing the tip of his weapon at her in a silent threat. From her peripheral vision she sees the Lizardman quietly lowering a body to the ground. Leni-Aura skids to a stop, doing her best to preoccupy the hunters; she flicks her tail, sparks dancing across her weapon as she lowers her ears.

"Oh?"

"Lloyd wants to preserve these creatures; and I will not let you have them, either."

"Lloyd?" The man laughs, making a hand motion— a simple gesture towards the Rabbitaur— one which she believes may have been for the archer, before he was killed. "Get her out of here."

It's only a matter of time before they find out.

Plague watched the entire scene play out from her hiding spot. It appeared as if no one had caught on to her yet, having completely ignored the fact she was there. This was good for the alchemist, she could await the perfect moment before entering the fray. 

The three hunters were now at the edge of the crater, calling out to the rabbitaur, trying to warn her that these oozes belong to them. While it was surely an intense moment for everyone involved, Plague was rather enthused, stifling a giggle as she saw the entire thing. The stupid hunters were not aware of the red lizard man sneaking behind them. It was a very clever play, both the lizard and the rabbit were using each other as a distraction, allowing them to pinch the group between themselves. 

The lizardfolk had managed to navigate around the group, and was currently dispatching the archer in the back, silently removing him from the game while the rabbitaur called out to the two left, letting them know that she was here to protect the slime babies. Plague grinned, it seemed as if these two strangers could be her allies for the moment, like their interest aligned against the monster hunters. 

The one with the sword, the apparent leader, was now issuing orders, an attack on the rabbitaur inevitable at this point. Deciding she needed to readjust her advantage, Plague quietly stood and began to move around the edge of the pit, making sure to stay in the confines of the brush. While moving she uncorked one of the glass bottles on her hips, taking a quick sip of her shadow potion. In an instant all of the girls movements went completely silent. Her foot steps, the brushing of her clothing, even the grass and mud underneath remained silent while she moved. 

This allowed her to pick up the pace, almost jogging now as she moved from bush to bush closing in on the two men. They were bound to start a fight, especially after realizing one of their own had already been taken out. This was going to be an easy fight. However a sharp crack to her left caused Plague to stop. The sounds of voices could be heard as two more hunters were slowly approaching the pit. They were coming from a different direction, and would soon be on the pit. This was not good, the other two were not away of these extra men, reinforcements coming to assist their comrades. 

She froze, ducking back down into the muddy, thorny bushes. Things were about to get crazy. 

The swordsman in front signaled the archer to fire on the Rabbitaur with a hand gesture. He and the the axe wielder smiled maliciously as they expected an arrows to fly from behind them at her. After a couple seconds of no arrow being shot, the swordsman scowled and looked back to berate his lazy comrade for not doing his job.

"Hey, shoot the damn-" he started, but was shocked to see the archer already dead on the ground and a red Lizardfolk swinging a battle axe into the side of his other ally's neck. The man dropped his axe, his eyes open wide as blood leaked from his mouth. He had also grown annoyed with the archer's lack of response and had started to turn around as well, just in time to cause the axe to hit the side of his neck instead of the back. He fell to the ground, his hands on his horrendously bleeding wound to try and stem the flow, but he quickly went still.

The swordsman, the last of the three, backed up and shouted.

"Backup! I need backup here!" he called out loudly for anyone nearby to hear.

His message was meant for the other two hunters that had split off from the group to approach from a separate direction. The group's plan had been to stop the oozes from escaping by pincering them, but they hadn't expected to encounter others here to protect them, especially not someone like the ruthless Lizardman.

"Hey, shoot the damn-"

The man turns, witnessing the brutal demise of the axe-wielding man behind him; but it's far too late for him. There is no recovering. She is no medic, but she knows the flow of a fatal wound when she sees it. The young woman lays her ears back, a vicious nostalgia pulsing into her bones; years of training which had been suppressed in favour of a more peaceful land than her own.

"Backup! I need backup here!" She lunges forwards the second the words leave his lips; grass scatters as she leaps towards the man. He gasps, swinging around to face her with his sword drawn— alone, now that the Lizardman has taken both of his allies in silence. A dull thud of wood against metal resounds as Leni-Aura catches the sharp of his sword against the haft of the spear; she pushes forwards, using it like a pivot to control the man's weapon.

From behind her, Nimbus swoops between them; his eyes whiten, and lightning crackles over his scales. It is not a strong attack by any means, but it's enough to make the man panic; he swings towards the baby drake. With the Lizardman behind him, Leni-Aura bearing down, and the Drake hounding him— there is really only one outcome to this situation for him. She hears a cry from the edges of the clearing as she readjusts the angle of her spear.

"Hurry up, you—!" the man tries to bark, but he cuts off as Leni-Aura's spear pierces his stomach; one of the extra hunters, another archer— crouches towards the edge of the clearing and fires. Nimbus zips out of the way, but Leni-Aura takes the hit in the shoulder of her rabbit-like body. She hisses through grit-teeth through the pain as another sword-wielder comes sprinting towards the scene, wielding his blade towards the Lizardman; the archer behind is nocking another arrow, fixing to sprint towards them.

She pushes her spear further into the man, then pulls him forwards. "You want this nest so much?" she spits at him, "Have it." Quickly removing her spear from the man's stomach, she hears a soft choke of distress from him; she slashes the man one last time— a mercy blow across the throat.

The light leaves his eyes just before Leni-Aura kicks him into the crater with the oozing beasts.

With three of them down there, he will not be there for long.

She spins around to face the approaching hunters, clicking for Nimbus to return to her as a distressed yell resounds across the clearing; they are, after all, surrounded by the rest of the hunters' dead party. "You monsters!"

It was hard to see everything from her current location, trying to keep one eye on the fighting group near the pit and the other eye on the approaching hunters. A comical scene of constantly altering her gaze to take everything in was displayed as Plague quickly ran through several plans, trying to figure out what to do before things got worse. The sounds of battle echoed out over the marsh, the duo consisting of the lizardman and the rabbitaur were making quick work of the hunters, having silently struck two of them down, and quickly working on the third, who would soon become food for the Oozes. 

But before the rabbitaur's spear was able to slay the man, he had let out a call of help, signaling the other two that he was in distress. They were close enough to hear the call, now alert and running right past Plague's hiding spot. As they neared the edge of the brush, the hunters came into full view of the pit, watching their fellow monster hunter get speared through and thrown into the pit. One of them with a bow delivered a quick shot towards the rabbitaur, while the second pulled out a large war hammer and began to make his way down into the pit, headed right towards the helpless creatures. 

This was her chance. From within the bush, still concealed, Plague uncorked one of her other potions and quickly downed the thick liquid. Unlike her other potion, this one was meant to help enter a battle. She could fill the strength surge through every fiber in her petite body, the effects of the bull strength potion quickly kicking in. Her body swelled slightly as every muscle in her tiny frame increased in both size and ability. 

With a blood curdling cry she tore through the underbrush, now directly behind both hunters who were still distracted by the group in the pit. Her shadow fell on the two, being the first hint that something was wrong. It was too late however, as the bowman turned to see what was causing the shadow, his face went stark white, coming face to face with the masked woman. Her right hand shot out, grabbing the man by the face and lifting him several inches off of the muddy ground. His cries for help were muffled by her gloved palm as he dropped his bow, kicking frantically in the attempt to get free. 

It was no good. As the hammer hunter continued his descent into the pit, he would soon see the body of his friend soaring overhead, having just been tossed clear across the pit. His body would hit the ground with a gruesome thud, life escaping his body in an instant. Fear entered the eyes of the final hunter, knowing now that his only way out of this was to take an ooze hostage. 

With the three near him taken care of, the only hunters left were the two who just entered the clearing and were making their way toward the oozes he was here to protect. He glanced at the Rabbitaur that had taken out the third hunter for a moment before rushing toward the pit as well to take on these new threats.

As he's running, another person charges in from the brush just behind them. He assumes this must be a third hunter since they came from the same direction, but the masked person suddenly grabs on of the others and holds him by the face. Clearly, they're not on the hunter's side, but he can't actually be sure this is an ally either. He should remain cautious of them. But at least that hunter won't be a problem for the moment, so he can focus one the one with a hammer headed for the oozes along with the dead body of the third hunter that the Rabbitaur tossed down there.

The hammer hunter is getting close to the oozes. The Lizardman won't be able to reach him in time to fight in close combat. He'll have to use fire, then. He sheaths the dagger in his hand and holds his claw up to the side, summoning a small flame in his palm that quickly expands into a sphere that he tosses at the man. They're a bit caught off guard by what he assumed to be a primitive local tribesman suddenly wielding fire magic.

They try to leap to the side to avoid the ball of fire, but they slip on the muddy ground and fall, sliding to the side. They manage to avoid being hit by the fire, which sails over them and bursts on the ground just behind them harmlessly. However, their fall on the ground left them completely vulnerable to the Lizardman who now had the time to approach them. They look up just in time to see Xalmann's axe being swung down directly into their throat.

Nimbus swoops down to perch upon Leni’s shoulder; the drake’s long body curls around her neck, the claws of his wings resting on her opposite shoulder as he flattens his head and hisses into the chaotic atmosphere. With the lizardman already in pursuit of the new hunters, she takes but a moment to curl her fingers around the offending arrow in her shoulder; with a grunt, she pulls it out. The sting from the wound is great— but it means she won’t risk it breaking in the wound in light of further combat.

She tosses the crimson-stained arrow aside, ears laying back as she charges after the lizardman, spear brandished for the fight ahead—

except, someone else joins the fray before she can reach it.

A figure tears from the underbrush like a dark blur. Leni-Aura’s eyes widen, her paws skittering over the grass as she slows; at first, she had assumed the stranger was another hunter; but then, they grab the bowman before he can react. She watches as the stranger lifts them high; and no sooner have they done so, the bowman’s body goes flying over the pit seconds later; and the lizardman is already hot on the hammer hunter’s tail.

Given his performance prior, she does not think he needs the back-up.

She hears their exchange clashing down below.

So, Leni-Aura comes to a full stop in the grass near the pit, her eyes are focused on the newcomer in the mask; but her ears are tilted towards the fight occurring between the lizardman and the hunter. “Who are you?” she demands, pointing her spear preemptively at the stranger. Her hazel eyes narrow. “You are not loyal to these men; but if you wish to harm the creatures, I cannot allow you any closer to them.”

As if to de-emphasize her words, Nimbus squeaks towards the stranger in a fashion that is incredibly un-threatening.

Wonderful.

She furrows her brows, tilting her eyes briefly towards the pit, where she catches the end of the combat; the lizardman taking off the hunter's head.

She refocuses quickly on the stranger.

Her target had been dealt with, his crumpled up body now laying dead in the marshy dirt. The hunter with the hammer was now being met with the lizard who had cast a mote of fire towards him, interrupting the trip towards the innocent Oozes. From behind her tinted face mask Plague watched what was left of the hunters get finished off, these strangers cutting the men down before she had to. 

However as the red scaled lizard man killed the last hunter, the rabbitaur turned her attention on Plague, now realizing another individual was there at the pit. It seemed like three different groups had all come to this swamp, the hunters, the duo of lizard and rabbit, and then Plague. Her blood continued to pump through her veins, the effects of her potion still coursing through her body, increasing her physical strength. If she needed to fight these two to protect the limes, she would. 

However before she could react, the rabbitaur asked her who she was, claiming that they would not let the hooded woman harm the creatures. So they were here to protect them to huh? Maybe they could be allies for the moment? Both of them were strong warriors though, she could not let her guard down. 

"I am Plague, I have come to protect these cute little things. I heard of hunters seeking them out. Who are you and why are you here? I will defend those poor babies even if it means killing the two of you. "

Not only had the Rabbitaur, but the masked woman had also announced that they were here with the same goal is the Lizardman. The hunters were dealt with and the slimes were safe so long as the other two were being truthful. The job would be done as soon as one of the oozes in the middle of the clearing popped out another one. And judging from the meal they're having now, that would likely be soon.

The corpses of the hunters that had been thrown to the oozes were being dissolved and the oozes were growing in size as the three stood around them in their standoff. Xalmann decided it may be best to break the silence himself.

"Xalmann Dakarr. I am here to protect the oozes for Lloyd." he said emotionlessly.

He still held his weapons in hand in case either of the others made a sudden move, but he kept his posture relaxed. He kept a close watch on them to be able to react to their next move, but also had to make sure to watch the oozes. They had nearly finished their meal now, leaving a few pieces behind that they apparently couldn't digest, like a few coins and metal parts of the weapons that the hunters had had on them. He thought it may even be a good idea to throw the other bodies to the oozes, not only to feed them and let them reproduce faster so he could leave, but also to dispose of evidence of the bodies in general. Even if they were unlikely to face legal consequences for the killing of these men, it was still often better to be safe than sorry.

Leni-Aura’s brows furrow, hold on her spear tightening as the strange, masked woman looks to her with a question. The rabbitaur breathes an exasperated breath through her nose, looking Plague up and down, before responding. “Leni-Aura of the Thunderpaw Warren. Lloyd said hunters were coming for a nest he was studying.” She flicks her tail, taking a slow pace back as she watches Plague warily; and soon, the lizard man arrives to join them.

He mentions his name, blankly; and that he is here to protect the oozes.

Leni-Aura’s skeptical gaze lowers to Xalmann’s held weapons; and she reaches up, holding a hand on Nimbus’ back to ensure he doesn’t try to fly away. “I am also here to protect the ooze for Lloyd.” she agrees, resting the blunt of her spear against the grass. “So long as they remain safe, and we are here for the same reasons, I have no grudge against either of you.” The rabbit doesn’t want to turn her eyes from either— keeping Xalmann in her peripheral, and Plague in front of her— but Nimbus curls his head to look behind her, watching the way the ooze’s shift and work on their meal with a wrinkled snout.

The gore down below, courtesy of Xalmann, is certainly not something to sneeze at; but the oozes are most certainly enjoying their meal, growing incrementally as the hunters' remains disintegrate within them. One in particular, the biggest ooze, begins to tremble and gurble; its gelatinous form shuddering as the others inch around them, lapping at the remains of their impromptu dinner.