The Hunt for the Night-Cursed Crone

Does your character go towards the gathered people, or do they pursue the monster?

Hidden behind her box, she prayed that someone would swoop in and save her. She could feel the burn from the many eyes that burrowed into the back of her head. It was watching her, waiting for her to make the first move. It was like an old western stand-off, hands poised, ready to grab that gun and shoot their enemy in the chest. Roe's breathing was erratic, splinters of wood digging into her back. Her instinct was telling her to flee but something was keeping her planted here, her hooves sinking deeper into the mud the longer she stayed stationary as a sign she was making the right choice. White-eyed, she looked around, desperately searching for someone to help. She dare not make a sound.

Her saviour come in the form of frightened shrieks. All the villagers were now out in the valley. They stood, huddled together, freaking out. Their emotions were heightened even further by the ominous atmosphere that the creature secreted. It made the corrupted mage turn on its heels, chirping its interest towards the new fascination. Roe blessed the patrons for her life but was now equally as worried for the lives of those who were now being targeted. She scuttled from behind the empty storage box, keeping low in the shadows. She moved to get in a better position to view the scenes across the plains, scrambling together a plan.

It squawked again, its thick, ugly tentacles lashing out towards the blackened crack of night sky. There was a pause of pure silence like someone had hit the mute button on the world then the terrible storm came. Down, meteors fell, crashing down to earth. One fell a little close for comfort to the little doe, causing her to jump away in fright. They crushed houses, people...they had no benevolence with where they fell. The screams from the terrified group became even louder now, the odd few darting away from the group to escape their demise. Their direction of flight drew the attention of the creature and it became entranced with the glowing lights in the distance of a small settlement close to the jungle. With a wail, it changed its course, pursuing the new prospect of destruction. Unluckily, the meteor shower didn't follow and continued to rain down upon them. One such rock landed amongst the group, causing them to scatter in different directions. These were their friends - their family - being squished and killed mercilessly. It was enough to bring Roe to tears. The sorrow was uncontrollable. She had to help.

Without thinking, she raced through the dangerous maze of plunging rock and fire towards the crazed group of frantic strangers. They had nowhere to run and no means of escape. Seemingly, all was lost. And what could Roe offer? She was nothing. She had no experience. She couldn't claim she knew what was going to happen next. All she had was a half-thought out plan, a bag of exploding flasks and a weak grasp of plant knowledge which was useless to her. She had a small hope that the Order would jump in but it was doubtful...the monster was probably their own doing, crushing the hidden and wild mages which plagued them like fleas on the back of a dog. To them, these people were nothing more than vermin which needed exterminating. The thought made her sob even louder in pity of the sad lives these people lived. Not only were they ridiculed, banished and chased into the corner of nowhere, they were now dragged even further into the dirt. Roe couldn't even imagine what life would be like.

She sniffled back the tears, composing herself before approaching the group. They were a mixture of species - some equine, some bovine, some cervine and more. The one collective thing they all had in common was that they were scared. They had lost hope many years ago about the possibility of being accepted by society. That's why they dwelled in the bogs, in the mud and filth, squalid with the lower beings of the world. The monster was confirmation that their lives were already signed to be short and they had begun to accept their dismal fate. Nervously, Roe cleared her throat before speaking to the band of misfits.

"H...hello...I'm Roe. I want to help. How can I help?"

It took a little courage but she found the words she needed but her tiny stature and shaky undertone was laughable. One such mage scoffed at her, turning their nose up in disgust.

"You can't help," one said, with a heavy emphasis on the 'you'. "What you can do is piss off."

Ears flickered back, the mumbling among some of them causing a stir.

"No no, I disagree. Never judge a book by its cover, Uness." Another spoke up this time, sticking up for Roe. Again, there was more murmuring.

The first speaker hissed, baring their teeth. "DON'T call me that."

There were more mutters, eyes shifting to her and then back again.

"We need to make a decision or the decision will be made for us."

A solemn glance was given towards their friend who's only visible feature was a leg beneath one of the comets. This seemed to solidify their agreement in trusting Roe (even with Uness' disapproval).

"Okay," they turned towards Roe once again. "We're cornered down here. We run south, we hit the water. We run north, we hit the monster. It's going to be difficult."

"What do you suggest then, smart-arse," Uness piped up.

"We all have abilities. We need to work together to save our own skins. Nobody is going to do it for us and there's no point standing around, waiting to be killed. I'd rather be killed actually doing something useful."

A few months ago, those words wouldn't have come from her mouth let alone stood in front of a small audience, giving a speech. Under normal circumstances, she would've been proud of herself but there was no time for that now. With a lot of nodding heads, it seemed as though her little gang agreed with the idea of a group attack. They sprung into action, anxious to move as the heavens still continued to thrash the world. They stepped carefully, avoiding any looming shadows or potential striking spots. The beast was slow, its massive frame creating a crater in the mud for them to follow. Its advancements were ground-shaking and the closer they got, the more they began to believe they were never going to succeed. These thoughts were probably the crone's own magical doing but it was difficult to ignore as it got stronger. Nevertheless, Roe urged everyone to keep going and power through the dread.

Finally, they caught up and they hatched their plan. Those who could fly would take to the skies and form the first stage of the assault. They would draw its attention away from those on the ground. Roe could fly but she preferred to keep her feet firmly on the floor so she didn't join the winged brigade in their flight. Instead, she took charge of the ground division. She waited until all the green gems were focused upwards before she launched forwards. She rapidly covered ground, galloping as hard and as fast as she could. They threw stones, sticks; whatever they could find. Some used their magic where useful. Roe used her magic to summon the old tree roots from beneath the ground. The trees in the jungle were centuries old and their underground root network was vast and expanded for miles. It wasn't hard to feel them beneath her, humming with life. They entrapped the beast in a web of trip hazards. The onslaught went on and on, every hit causing the crone to cry out in pain. The final blow was Roe tossing another explosive flask towards it. It smashed on impact. It was the straw that broke the camel's back and the beast lashed out with all it's pent-up aggression. Its tentacles writhed and whipped out at the flying bugs above its head, catching one or two of their posse, sending them flying. Those who doubted the plan in the first place began to take off, not wanting to stick around for their own deathbeds to be made. Even the ones that believed in Roe started to back off. It's harrowing wails could've shattered glass. It stepped back, tripping over one of Roe's branches and it tumbled backwards, hitting the ground like a felled tree. No celebrations could be had though as its wing pushed its cumbersome frame back to its feet. With every last ounce of strength it had, it leaned forward, opened it beak and screamed. It was enough to make everyone else leave Roe behind, scarpering to save themselves. What was best - being eaten or being crushed? It was a choice that was quite easy to make apparently.