The handle of Jarvis's dagger impacted with his skull and everything went black.

Part 3: Clash

It was nothing, Taki reassured herself. Carter must have simply gotten overconfident in his navigational skills and gotten himself lost... again. No monsters would try to kidnap him now, right? He knew enough about the forest to not get himself killed, right?

All the same he should have been back hours ago. And if he had gotten lost earlier in the day then he could have been wondering around most of the day.

Still, no sense in getting upset. No need to seriously track him. That would be overreacting. She'd just head over to where he had planned to pick fruit first. Perhaps he had simply gotten tired and decided to sleep there, letting the time get away from him. She had tried riding him quite a bit harder than usual the night before, it'd be understandable if he was still worn out...

Yes, that had to be it. That was what was most Likely. She'd find him napping under the fruit trees, she thought to herself as she raced down the path. Then she'd kick him in the side for worrying her, and then deny that she was worried. Then they'd have several rounds of makeup sex and everything would be fine. She keyed in on what she had come to recognize as Carter's residual spirit energy in the air along the path.

He had definitely used this path not too long ago.

“Everything will be fine, stop worrying,’ she repeated in her thoughts, only to stop in her tracks. She felt this new emotion, worry, grip her heart tenfold at what she saw. Something had happened here, the basket of apples Carter must have so proudly picked were strewn over the ground.

Further, three cloaks lay on the path, as if dropped there. Why?

She knelt down, her antennae twitching to pick up the scent on the cloaks. It was the scent of men... but why would they leave their cloaks here?

Her heightened senses warned her just in time. ‘A trap?!"

On reflex she leaped straight up, just as a chain shot at her from either side of the surrounding undergrowth. To her shock the chains followed her up, wrapping around her of their own accord and tightening, trapping her arms at her sides even as she extended her scythes. She just managed to land on her feet, glaring as the men who ambushed her came out of hiding.

One man stood to the left of her, the other at her right, each holding their end of the chains taut to keep her from moving toward them.

Excess chain was wrapped around that hand's arm.

The taller of the two holding the chains was a frightening-looking man with a number of scars on his face and a pair of large swords in sheaths on his back. The other's head was shaven and bore the tattoo of a skull on his forehead. His weapons appeared to consist of more chains wrapped around his arms, plus a dagger at his side.

A third, Looking to be in his early twenties, remained silent and tense behind them, a crossbow in his hand.

“Looks Like we were right to stay behind. A mantis tailing us would be plenty of trouble." Theron said.

Jarvis nodded. "I'm surprised we caught her like this, normally these damned things try to dodge sooner than that and the chains get themselves a workout chasing them."

“A grief-ridden monster girl can be vulnerable," Theron replied, "but she's also much more dangerous. Remember that sahuagin a few years back? When that fool she was with got killed trying to protect her she went crazy, screaming and hissing like a rabid beast. She managed to kill one of our rookies and slashed my face open before I could put her down," he said, indicating to the four large claw scars on the right side of his face.

Jarvis rolled his eyes. "Yeah I remember, it's only about the hundredth time you've told me about it."