The bird experiences a similar strange calling, though they are less prone to wandering after it. The giveaway that something is off for Fish is that they don't hear someone calling their name....instead just the sound of a blade in the air.

FWSHH

FWSHH

In a very, very technical sense, the boogaboo was trying to trick Fish with their name, but really only Fish knows that. A little known fact about the bird is they wanted their name to be the sound a dagger makes through the air.....but people can't mimic sounds like Fish can. So, through a bastardization process, their name became Fish.

"Fish is aware....there is a difference in the frequency of a voice when it is real and when it is magic." Fish was much, much better at picking out auditory hallucinations than any other kind.

They had a lot of practice with sleight of hand thanks to their own work and practicing with Morrigan, but something about their bird senses made hearing even more prominent. It was rare the two ever came to complete agreement on something, but the pair were certainly deadset on teaching this boogaboo a few lessons. Neither considered themselves warriors, but they both could be petty bitches about anything.

“Right… I forgot about your sensitive bird hearing.” Morrigan grumbled. They held their arm out, pressing their hand in a fist and bringing it to their mouth to let out a sharp bird call that cut through the Bogaboo’s illusions. From where she was patrolling above, Nugget fluttered down to land on their arm, staring at the forest surrounding them. The Bogaboo was in there somewhere… taunting them. Screw the bounty for Lloyd - this was personal, and Morrigan was not above scorched earth techniques to get what they wanted.

With a majestic fire chicken perched on one shoulder and their hand alight with the runes etched into their palm, Morrigan turned to Fish, a thoughtful expression on their face. As much as they wanted to simply get rid of this pesky creature once and for all so they could leave this swamp and take a nice, relaxing bath in a place with a roof and a dry floor, they didn’t much fancy the idea of joining this cavalcade of forgotten skulls in the swamp. They were far too pretty to die. Exercising some caution would be necessary here. They whistled once more, waiting for a tiny bird of paradise to flutter from the air as well, this one tiny enough to land on their finger. Morrigan whispered in its ear, prompting the creature to tilt her head before letting out a cheep that sounded eerily identical to a noise Morrigan themselves would make.

A second later, the alchemist pulled a vial of a deep, crimson liquid, uncorking it with their thumb. They took a swig of the contents before dropping the glass into their bag.^[1]

“There. That should do it. If we let Chiquitita fly in front of us, she’ll mimic our noises and lure the Bogaboo out - while we lurk behind, completely silent.” They looked rather proud of themselves for the clever trap. Chiquitita fluttered ahead, mimicking the sound of Morrigan’s voice and footsteps. With any luck the bogaboo might leap before it looked - giving them an extra measure of security while they hunted the bastard down.

---

1. Potion of Shadows

Fish is both a tiny bit annoyed that Morrigan would think to stress the finer points of stealth to Fish, but also intrigued at their enthusiasm to do something. Normally, this type of planning only comes out when they have a scam to run. They must be really annoyed.

They let Morrigan go forward a bit, closing their eyes and standing still a moment. Deep breath in......slow exhale....deep breath in.....slow exhale. It still took time for Fish to settle in to some of the ki training they had been learning with Del. Fish had a good eye and mind to track things on the move when they could see things, but spotting things in mist and smoke still took a moment if they weren't ready.

Deep breathe in.....slow exhale. There was Morrigan's signature...that one was hard to mistake. A set of hip bells, to some a chaotic mess, but there's a melody, a method to the madness. Fish could hone in on that and keep track of the fellblood.

Now, what was the other sound? A harsh dissonance with a rough and jagged form like iron dragged against stone. That was probably it. Fish's eyes snap open as they slink into the shadows to follow after Morrigan. Wherever this thing was it wouldn't get the drop on either of them.

---

1. One with the Shadows

Morrigan Moonweaver was many things. A coward. A bastard. Vain and self obsessed, always willing to start shit but never finish it. But sift through enough shit and one might eventually find gold, and Morrigan was not without their own tricks up their sleeve. Cunning and ambition when their back was pressed to the wall. One that usually only reared its head when it was for their own gain, the love of the scheme in their veins. And without a drop of magical talent to be found anywhere within their blood, the Wizard of the Wastes had been determined to carve a legend into Charon’s bones, whatever means necessary.

And right now, that fire was alight in icy eyes, a jester’s grin on their face while they set out through the swamp, silent as a mouse. Not even their bells made a sound through the marsh, only Chiquitita’s echo of their voice the only sound the charlatan made while the criminals trudged along.

Interestingly enough, the pesky fog that had plagued them earlier seemed nothing but a whisper. Funny, how the woods seemed to have no qualms about letting them pass when they would be marching to their deaths… or at least, any lesser hunters might. Fortunately, though he might not’ve known it when they took the contract, Lloyd had set criminals to task after this monster, and neither was so keen on charging in recklessly like a hero.

And yet, even though the two had gone through great lengths to conceal themselves in the dark (Morrigan… a great deal less so than Fish), the night was… still. Save the whispers of their name on the leaves. Not even the ambient chatter of animals resided this deep in the murky woods. Where was the Bogaboo? Had it evaded Morrigan’s bait after all? Morrigan reached for their bag, movements still silent from their potion, pulling out a bauble filled with explosive powder, clutching it in their hands as if ready to let it fly any moment. The forest only seemed to grow darker around them, with no sign of the Dead that haunted it.

Their traipse through the trees was interrupted by the sensation of something scratching at their legs, like a clawed hand wrapping around their ankle - Morrigan nearly let out a shriek, clamping down on their lower lip with sharpened teeth to prevent the sound from escaping their mouth as they frantically pulled their leg away from the thing that had grabbed them, only to step on something sharp through their sandal. The alchemist was not light-footed enough to stop from falling on their ass, muffled from the effects of their potion. Clutching at their foot in pain, they leveled a sour glare at whatever had tripped them up… only to spot the patch of thick brambles that they’d accidentally trodden on. Ugh. Now their sandal had a great big hole in it, and their foot was bleeding, and their pedicure was most definitely ruined from the scratches at their legs - but more importantly than that, despite the charlatan’s skewed priorities, was the fact that they’d accidentally stumbled upon their first roadblock, of sorts. Thick, sharpened vines and dead brambles blocked their path, growing wilder the further they pressed on.

Not enough to impede them, but enough to slow them down.

'Oh, hell', Morrigan mouthed.

If it was up to Fish, they would just raze the bramble and call it a day. Unfortunately that wasn't much of an option given the need for their own safety and not bringing the boogaboo immediately to them. Traveling through the shadows meant Fish wouldn't really be slowed down, but they couldn't risk getting separated from Morrigan.

They look around the immediate area, slipping up through the shadows to hand Morrigan cloth for a bandage. The bramble wasn't too wide of an expanse....but it was annoyingly shaped. Just big enough they couldn't jump over it, but small enough that going around it would just waste time.

"Wait one moment." Fish slips back into the shadows as they have an idea. Nearby Morrigan would hear soft tapping...a pause...more soft tapping...another pause....one final set of soft taps.

Along the treeline, Fish had set up some wires into a makeshift zipline.[1] It wasn't elaborate, but it was enough distance to get Morrigan across without worry. They pop back up beside Morrigan, handing them a carabiner and hook.

"Go up this tree and attach to the wire...it should let you slide across the gap and get to the other side of the thicket. Do not jostle yourself too much, Fish adjusted for your weight, but no need for unnecessary risk." They nod firmly and slip back into the shadows. Fish certainly hoped Morrigan wouldn't fail, it isn't like Fish could pull them from the thicket afterwards.

---

1. Improvisation Engineer -- used wire, carabiner, anchors

Morrigan huffed but remained silent while Fish told them to wait - not because they wanted to listen obediently, but because their foot hurt and they didn’t much feel like throwing themselves into the brambles again when it would result in another injury and possibly give their position away. So they reluctantly accepted the cloth bandage, wrapping their foot while the rhythmic tap-tap-tap of little bird feet and tinkering in the trees above made up an ambient symphony for them. In the distance, Chiquitita chattered on, still playing faithful bait… but still no sign of the bogaboo.

A few tense moments later, Fish returned with a couple of tools that they thrust into Morrigan’s hands. Morrigan stared at them, dumbfounded, while the little criminal explained the rig that they’d developed in the tree for Morrigan to obtain safe passage across the brambles. Morrigan stared at the pieces, dumbfounded. What were they supposed to do with these? What wire? But before Morrigan could ask anything, Fish melded back into the darkness once more, leaving the brightly colored fellblood alone.

‘Just use the wire, it’s easy!’ Morrigan mouthed, mocking, though they followed Fish’s instructions nonetheless. They’d take it to their grave, but they were relieved that Fish had taken the time to rig something just to help them through the rough patch. It was a little kindness, and more pragmatic on Fish’s end than anything. But it was still something nice they’d done to help Morrigan, which warmed their shriveled little black husk of a heart.

They struggled, for a moment, setting up the carabiner and the hook in the way Fish intended - though eventually, Morrigan managed just fine on their own. Using this single small wire to get from one end of the thicket to the other felt almost impossible… would it not snap under Morrigan’s weight? Fish assured them it would be fine, but Morrigan had a hell of a time believing this flimsy string would allow them to fly through the air.

Fish was a conniving sonofabitch, and clever to boot. Morrigan had seen the little thief’s smarts for themselves - the two might often butt heads due to Morrigan’s capricious whimsy and Fish’s calculating demeanor, but even though Morrigan made a show of huffing and puffing and teasing them, but they would never underestimate Fish’s smarts.

Alright, then, here goes nothing…

Morrigan hoisted themselves up and propelled down the line.

It took all their willpower not to scream while the wind hit their face with the force of a spell. Their mouth hung open in silent terror, an exaggerated caricature of fear - and as they were flung across the gap, nearly choking on the swamp-bugs, Morrigan held to the equipment for dear life, until after what felt like an agonizing eternity, their ride slowed to a crawl and came to a stop.

Morrigan awkwardly finagled themselves out of the equipment, nearly tripping and falling back into the menagerie of sharp thorns, but they managed to stick the landing.

They hadn’t accounted for their potion wearing off so soon.

They hadn’t accounted for the sound of sandals striking dirt and the faint jingling of jester’s bells to stir up such a sound.

It was not a deafening boom - but in the silence where stealth was the difference between life or death, Morrigan had broken the cardinal rule.

They’d given away their position.

Fish wants to be mad that Morrigan would break the silence like that, but there's a weird sensation in their chest when Morrigan isn't turned into shredded fellblood. Were they....glad Morrigan wasn't hurt?

There is no time to process that thought as Fish picks up on the faintest of movement in the shadows. A stir in the wind...barely able to be heard. You can do all sorts of magic to quiet yourself, but an object in motion is still going to displace air and that subtle shift gives you away. Fish the Sneak was not only a master at sneaking, but they were impossible to sneak up on.[1]

The bird waits maybe a bit too long for Morrigan's comfort, but they want to be sure of their target.[2] Weapon discipline mattered more with a gun. Just as the bogaboo breaks from the stealth, swamp water frothing in its boney jaws looking to clamp down on Morrigan, a loud sound cracks through the swamp. Being silent is off the table now that the thing has attacked, so Fish is not being coy.

A cracking sound is heard as the bullet passes through the jawbone and out the other side leaving wide holes in its mouth. The bogaboo veers off course and back into the shadows with a screech.[3]

---

1. Magician's Secret
2. Quick Draw
3. Crippling Wound

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Ambushed!
Participants: Two or more
Location: Marsh Flats
Post Requirements: 5 post per person, 200 words per post
Description: Well you found the Bogaboo, or it found you! In the dead of night the undead amalgamation has sprung, using the darkness and mist as a cover. You are now in a fight for your life. Defend yourself, fight hard and bring down the ominous Bogaboo!

Morrigan at least had the self-preservation and decency not to let out a string of curses at the noise. They’d forgotten about the limits of their own potion - trembling hands patted down their bag for a new elixir, coming up blank, but the damage had been done. They’d been heard, and they weren’t fast enough to save themselves from the horrid, undead creature that rose from the swamp waters like a flash of lightning, maw parted as rows of skeletal teeth interwoven with mingling, dead branches threatened to tear them in half-

But not before the BANG echoed through the swamp, dislodging sleeping birds and making Morrigan flinch.

Ah. So that’s what a gun sounds like.

The projectile ripped a chunk out of bone and organic matter, carving a wide, jagged hole in its hallowed face. It let out a dissonant yell, escaping into the dark which Morrigan could not see. The charlatan flinched away, sluggish fear wading through their mind with the realization that they were this close to being devoured. Fish had jumped in to save them. Those facts should not have felt important, but they did. There was time to dwell on that later.

Right now, Morrigan had to save themselves from getting eaten by a big fuckoff swamp skeleton.

Later retellings of this story, embellished by Morrigan, would describe themselves heroically weaving a spell of fire and hearth, lighting the entire forest on fire to smoke the Bogaboo out. But what truly transpired in the next few seconds was a pissed off charlatan, angry that they’d nearly been bisected and… relieved that Fish was hidden from harm, raised their hands to their lips and let out a sharp whistle. “Nugget!”

The time for subtlety and silence was long gone. Right now, it was just the two criminals and the forest creature, and there was one simple truth the liar knew right now; the Bogaboo couldn’t be allowed to find Fish. The bird worked best in the shadows, with little to disturb their work. Which meant Morrigan had to be as loud and obnoxious as possible, become the bigger, more delectable, sparklier target… and put faith that the bird had their back.

Odd, how Morrigan didn’t have to hesitate to clap their hands together, the bells at their wrists letting out a sharp sound that intoned through the woods. And above them, Nugget dove through the treeline, a multicolored Phoenix whose rainbow tail and feathers were a splendor to behold - and as she opened her mouth in a righteous cry, flames spewed from her mouth, a bolt of pure, kaleidoscopic fire blasting the nearby shrubs, where the Bogaboo had last retreated.^[1] Flames licked at the foliage, chasing the shadows away and allowing Morrigan a better view of the swamp. Where was it, where was it…?

“There!”

In the treeline, where it had absconded up the branches. Nugget immediately let out another blast of fire, which the Bogaboo dodged with impeccable speeds, lunging for Morrigan once more.

Morrigan had the chance to run, to dodge - odd, how they didn’t, knowing the bird watched them from the shadows. Instead, they pulled out a coin from their pouch, twirled silver between their knuckles, and took aim. With a flick of the coin, silver pierced through one of its skulls with the force of one of Fish’s own gun-projectiles behind it, throwing the Bogaboo off course - and knocking Morrigan off their feet with the force of the blow. Both charlatan and undead fell to the ground, the Bogaboo recovering first while Morrigan scrambled to put some distance between them.

---

1. Firebolt - Nugget
2. Glinting Arrow - Silver Coin Consumed

Fish would have to teach Morrigan the finer points about marksman ship and not being knocked over by recoil, but that would have to wait. They watched the fight unfold knowing this was not an ideal situation for either of them. If Fish was working with anyone else, they could trust them to deliver the killing blow. Neither they nor Morrigan had many options like that though....Except for the gun, that was a pretty good finisher.

The last shot would have to be saved until Fish could be certain it would finish of the bogaboo. Fire consumed some of the brush casting light all around, but more importantly more oddly shaped shadows. This could be the chance they needed. The bird stuck to the shadows holding their shot for the right moment.[1]

Howling wails escaped the bogaboo as it rose up to go after the fellblood. Even with its jaw barely hanging together it looked ready to consume Morrigan, but as it moved to lunge forward nothing happened. Dark tendrils of shadow had lashed out to grab hold off all four of its arms.[2]

The incredible strength of the bogaboo strains against its shadowy chains, threating to tear them. Fish exits from the shadows behind the undead barely visible except for the soft glow of the fires.

"I don't trust a bitch!" The cackling voice of another fellblood rings out from the aviankin, loud and brash almost the exact opposite of Fish.

Before the bogaboo can turn around a second shot from the pistol is fired, this one piercing right through the back of the skull.[3] It splinters and shatters almost immediately, one last ghostly wail rattling the bones of the two criminals.

For the moment it remains standing, but Fish can only hope it is just because of the shadow bindings holding it up. The swamp slowly drifts to silence as they eeriely wait to confirm their answer.

---

1. Piercing Shot
2. Shadow Binding
3. Back Stab

Not even a second stretched through the air before the Bogaboo recovered, picking itself up on spindly limbs while Morrigan was still struggling to recover. Morrigan winced, scrambling backwards through the dirt and grime, fumbling to pick themselves up and run. They were still winded from getting knocked back, and the Bogaboo was shrugging off everything they were throwing at it like it was nothing! This was why Morrigan despised the undead. The charlatan relied on thought, perception, and most importantly, pain to take advantage of their opponent. How did they deal with something that had none?

With no spells for them to target, either, Morrigan was well and truly fucked.

Thankfully, they weren’t alone.

While Morrigan scrambled through their bag for anything to help, damn near ready to just hurl the entire thing at the Bogaboo, the massive creature blindly lumbering after them like a creature starved; Fish finally jumped in, another crossbow bolt shot decimating its jaw. The blow barely even seemed to matter to the thing in the face of the hunger. Morrigan gasped, grabbing a potion at random - their sweat-stained fingers fumbled with the vial, and they swore in infernal - but Fish jumped in with another clever trap of their own, halting the creature in its place against darkened tendrils of swamp-shadow.

Movement flashed in the corner of their eye, and a familiar voice in the wind.

Izzy; straight from Fish’s mouth as they leveled their firearm and with another sickening, hollow BANG, reduced the rest of its skull to smithereens. The Bogaboo might not have felt the pain, but its body recognized the wear and tear. And it slumped over, unmoving.

“Oh, you magnificent bitch.” Morrigan laughed, clapping their hands together, fear lapping all the way back to incredulity, disbelief, and startled hysteria. As they pulled themselves off the ground - tried to clean the swamp water out of their braid but gave up in the absence of a real bath, they’d have to give it up for now. “Is it - is it dead? Or, well, dead again?”

Their question was met with silence - still, the Bogaboo did not move. Morrigan’s lips split into an insufferable grin, a victorious cry in their throat…

But then, the Bogaboo shifted and lurched, bits of fragmented ivory bone skull clattering to the ground in an arrhythmic plink-plink-plink. The air shimmered with a malignant rot, so potent it seemed a physical weight pressing down on them, and Morrigan felt suddenly queasy as the gnarled tree reshuffled itself, bringing another skull to the surface - and its eyes lit with a potent red light.

Startled, Morrigan leapt back from scrabbling hands, not quick enough. Even while bound, the Bogaboo was still able to move their hands, giving it enough slack to leave three bloody gashes down Morrigan’s cheek… and the shadows around it were beginning to melt.

Fish could feel the shadow bindings starting to rip free. It was only through magic they were given physical form and Fish's lack of inherent magic meant nothing they created could last long. Still, they needed it to hold just long enough to keep Morrigan safe. The bird holstered their gun as they were now out of shots, but at least they weren't out of options.

A quick hand motion is made as the pocket glitter escapes Morrigan's pockets just in time to keep them from being wounded.[1] Fish's other hand flicks out at incredible speed to toss out a throwing knife with something attached to the back.[2]

The knife impacts the bogaboo's wrist, the glass bottle attached to it swinging forward to break and release a cloud of smoke.[3] Unfortunately, Morrigan is in the midst of the cloud but it does give the Fellblood a chance to gain some sort of distance.

Meanwhile, Fish's eyes stay trained on the bogaboo.[4] Lightning starts to crackle around them as they flank behind again, letting the light and sound attract the monster. It was a risk, but Fish was willing to try and bait it to finally get the kill on this thing.[5]

---

1. Born from the Desert
2. Improvisation Engineer (Wire, Smoke Flask, Throwing Knife)
3. Smoke Flask goes off
4. Zen Archer/Shooter's Sense
5. Art of the Storm Bow

This time, Morrigan was prepared for the approach.

The scorpion tattoo at the base of their neck tingled and wrenched itself free, a trail of gold following the insect as it sprinted exactly ten feet backwards - not fast enough, as the Bogaboo reached them first - But in a stroke of luck or even something greater in play, the glitter they kept in their pockets flung outward like a shield. The Bogaboo tore through it like paper, of course. But that single second granted to Morrigan turned out to be the deciding factor between their life and death. A single second was all it took for the smoke bomb, clearly Fish’s work by the tang in the air and the textbook, precise manner by which the chemical reaction took place.

The cloud flooded Morrigan’s vision, but it flooded the Bogaboo’s too. And that second was all it took for Morrigan to activate their tattoo, yanking them ten feet backwards and reconnecting with their scorpion.^[1] Pulling themselves out of the smoke bomb’s radius, where the smog thinned and the bog appeared to be covered in a haze, Morrigan could at least see enough to start righting through their bag.

Where was it, where was it…? Morrigan always kept a select stock of their own snake oil reserves with them, but their damn bag was so messy that it was hidden under a mountain of old liquor bottles, little sparkly trinkets, loose coins, rations, and a plethora of other potions from their stock -

Ah-ha!

Not one, but two fresh bottles of Demon-Be-Gone!^[2] The holy water itself had been nabbed from a priesthood of Ginma back in Sol City some months back, but with any luck the fact that it had been obtained through robbery did not dilute its holiness. They hurled one into the smog and tucked the second in their belt, a fail-safe in case the other missed.^[3] At the same time, Fish gave away their position with a precise and sharp arrow that whizzed through the air. Morrigan was not privy to what next transpired through the thick cloud, but they heard the shattering of glass and the THUNK of an arrow and the wail of a creature who knew not pain but held the imprint of what it might have felt like.

Was it dead? Morrigan could not see within the cloud to tell.

But they weren’t taking any chances. Fish’s arrow had alerted the creature to their position, and Morrigan needed to keep the attention away from the bird. Resolve hardened, Morrigan clapped their hands together, bells clanging in a hollow ring through the air.

“All eyes on me!”^[4]

If the Bogaboo was still alive, then it would have no choice but to be compelled to follow the movements of the charlatan, their feather-light footsteps along the edge of the cloud. So impossibly alluring, like the coiled movements of a snake. And with the holy water doused all over it, the Bogaboo would only be able to stare, transfixed, afraid the snake’s maw was about to dive and devour it next.

This was all Morrigan could do. To keep the Bogaboo centered on them while Fish figured out a way to make death stick this time.

---

1. Spirit Walk
2. Alchemical Mastery (Transmuter) - Holy Water
3. “Demon-Be-Gone” Holy Water
4. Alluring Trance (Bardic Virtuoso II)

Well if Morrigan was set on being the bait, fine, Fish could work around that. It made more sense in a way, out of the two of them Fish was the one with an arsenal of actual weapons. The bogaboo was annoyingly resilient. How could it keep its form?

Fish finally notices as it screeches towards Morrigan. It is an undead, so Fish cannot treat it like a living thing. It doesn't feel pain so all of the shots will hurt it, but it's not going to slow it down. Fish needs to destroy the skulls all out once to make this easier.

They turn hard on a talon and sprint towards the bogaboo. Small paper satchels are taken from their pouch and smacked on to each skill, held in place with a strange paste.[1] They hop off just in time that a flailing arm only manages to catch the cloth of their cape.

Fish disappears into the smoke tucking and rolling when they hit the ground and immediately firing a bolt. The tip whistles as it hits the back exploding in a fiery blast.[2] The fire causes a chain reaction, the packets filled with gun powder exploding just enough to destroy the chunk of skulls.

Small trails of smoke rise from the bogaboo as it finally falls with each skull destroyed. Fish remains hidden in the smoke for the moment to confirm its over.

---

1. Improvisation Master (Gun powder+Sticky Paste)
2. Explosive Bolt

’Is anyone going to kill that damnedable thing already?

The unfortunate reality of having two criminals that specialized in misdirection, clever ruses, and tricks was that they both lacked firepower save in decisive moments. Morrigan was loud and visible, and Fish was fast, darting back and forth with their own flashy tricks to hold the deadly Bogaboo’s attention - and neither of them was able to land a final blow.

But Morrigan’s last gambit seemed to have done the trick - the Bogaboo was entranced by their movements, and still hissing and spitting and wood creaking where the holy water was still burning into them. It couldn’t move closer to Morrigan and it couldn’t move away. A stalemate while Morrigan was stuck putting on a show for this ungrateful creature who could not even appreciate art and culture! But it gave Fish the opportunity to fire off a devastating blow, an explosion burning the bogwood and ripping the Bogaboo apart.

At the same time, Nugget soared through the air in response to Morrigan’s sharp whistle; the multicolored phoenix caught the light of the flickering flames from the explosion and opened her beak, letting out a splitting screech whose flames rippled the air and burned in tandem with Fish’s blow.^[1]

The Bogaboo went up like kindling.

The smell of charred, rotted wood and swampwater hit Morrigan’s nose as the Bogaboo let out a pained screech, dropping to all fours and crawling around, clearly at odds with its afflicted fear and the desire to slaughter and kill and hunt to the very last moments of its undeath.

Yes, that was truly what Morrigan hated about the Marsh Flats. The abhorrent smell, and the vicious bogeymen that lurked within the deep black bog.

They stuck their tongue out, retching as the nasty, improvised bonfire blazed, leaving behind only shattered skulls smeared with ash. Perhaps if they’d had food on their person they could have even roasted marshmallows in the smoke and heat. But because they had none, they merely settled for wiping the gunk and gore that had gotten caught in their braid.

“Eugh. Nasty. But I think it’s dead… again.” They, wisely, did not step forward to double check. But they did crouch down and pluck a stone from the bog, giving it an underhanded toss at the corpse, just to make sure it wouldn’t come bounding back after them.

It did not. For now.

“... Huh. For all Lloyd was speaking about this beast, it wasn’t as horrifying as I thought it would be.” They declared, only somewhat confident in their assessment. “It should be safe for you to come out now.”

---

1. Firebolt - Nugget

Fish still waited for the smoke to pass before moving or doing anything. So long as they remained hidden, they could get the drop on the bogaboo if it decided to ambulate again. They watch the fire crackle away at the more natural parts of the monster.



It was an interesting monster in some respects. Fish always hated undead because they didn't operate within the normal bounds of humanoids which made them harder to predict. This creature being able to form parts of its body with natural things like vines was interesting. It certainly helped with its stealth abilities.



Fish quietly hops forward, head tilting as they look over the smoldering remains. It seemed like there was very little flesh or anatomy to it beyond the skulls themselves. Was it a spirit then possessing the plants and drawing together enough parts to make a body? Several things to think about when all is said and done.



They look up to Morrigan finally, "Morrigan did not need to make themselves bait, it put Morrigan in more danger than necessary. Fish had the situation under control."



It was hard to tell, but was Fish....concerned for Morrigan's safety? Fish knew the fellblood was entirely incompetent, but when it came to fighting it was usually Fish who had to do the heavy lifting between the two of them. It was rare they had to fight as a team though, usually Morrigan could talk their way out of anything. The bogaboo was unlikely to be swayed by words which is why Fish is surprised Morrigan stuck around so long.