...by a Moonlight Shadow...

As he expected, Lady Luck decided to throw him a curve ball. Unfortunately for himself, Wes'li just happened to be going nearly full tilt when this occurred. A tall stranger - rather foolishly - dropped in front of him during the middle of a run. Swearing internally, he threw himself both forward and sideways to avoid slamming into them. With another loud thump, Wes'li was back on the ground.

After making sure that everything was still connected Wes'li pick himself up, dusting the robes that were likely to rip apart if he didn't break the habit and getting his first good look at the one who landed from above. Half of the figure was in a get-up that would look more at home in some Gnomish workshop than the jungle's of Felarya, while the other half... was both average and out-of-the norm. Beings of taller-than-human sizes were not uncommon in this place. The fact that they had two legs and both were feline however was different. It didn't help that the lighting gave them an almost demonic appearance.

"What's the rush? Something chasing you?" Asked the stranger in a voice that didn't help the matter.

"Knowing enough about how the universe lay in anticipation to respond to the answer of such questions, I reserve my right to deny giving a straight answer."

When they leant back against the tree, the image projected was slightly less intimidating. Slightly.

"Want to join Aiya Mantis's group?"

Wes'li paused for a moment thinking he misheard what was spoken before responding "May you repeat that?"

And then more showed up.

The first was a quite heavily armed and armoured figure - again both average and out-of-the-norm. People from an age similar to himself and the stranger were surprisingly common, but very few wore armour quite as dark. The helmet was also a piece of common sense he thought to be dead on Felarya. Unlike the masked stranger, this one actually made some noise. Or maybe he had just been too loud to hear the jumper while running.

“Don’t run off like that. If there’s something out here, we can confront it together.”

Seeing as the stranger didn't radiate an aura of any sort, and that they could seemingly be a help in a hostile situation, it was easy to put to rest any of the thoughts that the original stranger was demonic.

It wasn't until he shook his head unsuccessfully that Wes'li acknowledged the third stranger. Looking up, he found a quite green Fairy looking at him. "Hey, uh, you're really loud you know." Immediately he lunged forward in an attempt to grab the flying bugger. Oddly dressed Nekos and a knight he could tolerate the company of, but leaving a Fairy flying around was dangerous - if not for him then at least the other two beings that would be much more appetizing.

Silla smiled at the strange golem, shifting genders once more into a male, even though the smile was hidden beneath the mask. He crossed his arms and shifted his weight onto one foot. He began walking to the golemn, ears perked in a non-threatening display, when the stranger attempted to grab at Mantis. Narrowing his eyes at a familiar sound deep in the forest, Silla shifted his position, putting one hand over his sword. "That, sir, is Mantis, and I will kindly ask you to stop assaulting him."

Pulling out the sharp blade, Silla pointed it at the strange golem. "We are not a threat to you, sir, unless you give us a reason to be," he warned, before pointing the blade into the darkness, his cat eyes staring deep into the black. He sniffed the air as well, trying to make sure he hadn't been mistaken. His eyes blinked, then, they widened. "How did it get here though...?" He muttered. "Mantis, Nordian, we have a problem. A sixty foot, insectoid, carnivorous, problem." Silla cautioned, feeling his fur and hair stand on end. An awful chitter like roar broke through the forest. Silla hunched down, glaring, and answered that roar with one of his own, his ears bristling.

Something was moving in the darkness, and it was moving fast.



((HAHAHA. I POSTED. Yes, it sucks.))

When the golem surged forward, Nordian dashed forward in response. He collided with the golem with an echoing clang, and Nordian grasped the golem’s extended arm in his hand. The golem was quite strong, but then again Nordian was as well. He didn’t need to overpower him, after all, just delay him long enough from grabbing Mantis. He held onto the golem until Mantis was safe, then released him.

“Despite what you’ve heard about fairies, you have nothing to fear of this one,” Nordian said, stepping back from the golem. He turned to Silla as she, no he now, warned them of the approaching danger. “It seems that we have trouble enough without creating it,” He commented, getting his shield from his back and readying his large flail. “I’ve not faced this type of insect before. Can it be fought? Or outrun?”

The Golem was stunned by the speed and strength of the armored figure, slowed from grabbing the Fairy and wringing its neck. Whether it was due to the fact that the man slowed down several hundred kilos of earth, or that he was rushing to the aid of a known 'prey'-killer, he couldn't be sure.

About to debate the man's actions, the masked one spoke up. "That, sir, is Mantis, and I will kindly ask you to stop assaulting him." At first Wes'li thought they were referring to the warrior grappling him, but quickly the fact dawned that it was the Fairy being talked about. Almost immediately after the realization the warrior pried himself off of the clay. “Despite what you’ve heard about fairies, you have nothing to fear of this one.”

"It was not for my sake I intervened," started the Golem, before being interrupted the masked figure's statement. "We have a problem. A sixty foot, insectoid, carnivorous, problem." The roar that followed left Wes'li sure that the stranger knew what they were talking about. However, instead of attempting to put up a fight like the others, Wes'li had another plan in mind. Quickly he reached for both the two's torsos - he would grab them, and they would run. Facing giants almost never ended well. Facing giants with a notoriety for being magic resistance always never ended well.