Hadama was, indeed, unsurprised when Melita chose violence. He nodded in solemn solidarity to Isla's efficient summary of the situation but held his position with the cart, both to keep the horse calm and to guard the greater stash of their remaining stones. His heart was in the right place, but in spite of his aquatic half-equine shift he was himself no horseman, as was soon to become painfully evident.
Beginning with things that worked, Melita was a frighteningly accurate shot with her bow. The arrow flew straight and true and the Hel, it must be said, never even saw its death approaching like a tiny, fiery comet. The large Hel burst into a cloud of flaming feathers, not unlike the poor bird that got between a Diamondbacks pitcher and home plate during spring training. The rock it had been trying to abscond with fell back to the ground only a few feet from where Melita had originally placed it.
The other Hel was undeterred - or perhaps just too stupid to realize what had happened just yet. It made to lift off with its own ill-gotten gain when Isla turned herself into a large, flaming cat and let loose a mighty roar. The bird flinched and almost dropped its shiny treasure, but managed to keep its grip and began to flap away with it. Burdened as it was, however, the transformed Ancient would have no trouble batting it out of the sky with her paws.
But that was where things took a turn for the unlucky.
Hadama's instincts were sound as he remained with the horse and cart, for while Melita's fire arrow did not cause the stolidly dependable gelding to so much as blink, the sudden appearance of a molten tiger so near at hand was another matter entirely. Especially when that tiger let loose a mighty roar. The Hel might have been nonplussed, but the horse was very much aware of where it stood in relation to the local food chain, and it jumped and bucked in its traces. It first attempted to rear, and when the weight and harnessing prevented that it bolted, tearing the reins from Hadama's startled hands.
"The stones!" Hadama called to his helpers to draw their attention to the new crisis unfolding as their cart of precious protective markers took off down the lane.
Good job on taking care of the Hels, but now the horse and cart have bolted! Off we go on round 3 to get them back!
Beginning with things that worked, Melita was a frighteningly accurate shot with her bow. The arrow flew straight and true and the Hel, it must be said, never even saw its death approaching like a tiny, fiery comet. The large Hel burst into a cloud of flaming feathers, not unlike the poor bird that got between a Diamondbacks pitcher and home plate during spring training. The rock it had been trying to abscond with fell back to the ground only a few feet from where Melita had originally placed it.
The other Hel was undeterred - or perhaps just too stupid to realize what had happened just yet. It made to lift off with its own ill-gotten gain when Isla turned herself into a large, flaming cat and let loose a mighty roar. The bird flinched and almost dropped its shiny treasure, but managed to keep its grip and began to flap away with it. Burdened as it was, however, the transformed Ancient would have no trouble batting it out of the sky with her paws.
But that was where things took a turn for the unlucky.
Hadama's instincts were sound as he remained with the horse and cart, for while Melita's fire arrow did not cause the stolidly dependable gelding to so much as blink, the sudden appearance of a molten tiger so near at hand was another matter entirely. Especially when that tiger let loose a mighty roar. The Hel might have been nonplussed, but the horse was very much aware of where it stood in relation to the local food chain, and it jumped and bucked in its traces. It first attempted to rear, and when the weight and harnessing prevented that it bolted, tearing the reins from Hadama's startled hands.
"The stones!" Hadama called to his helpers to draw their attention to the new crisis unfolding as their cart of precious protective markers took off down the lane.
Good job on taking care of the Hels, but now the horse and cart have bolted! Off we go on round 3 to get them back!
