Star cursed when she heard the Firewarrior. She shook her head and pulled the bow from her back and looked around at the gust of winds outside the ruins. "Using a bow will be a bit more difficult in this weather, but I should do okay."
She turned to Harnio as he walked out of the ruins and smiled. "Hey Harnio… Wait up!" She ran after him ignoring the Firewarrior behind her. She turned and looked at him. "Remember what I said… Hunt… you… down..." She smiled at the Firewarrior as she pointed the bow at the Firewarrior. She turned and walked behind Harnio. "This armor is great Harnio. Thank you."
"Ittt's not a ppproblem tribes-person."
"You can call me Star. Okay?" She went to touch his shoulder and frowned when it hit some barrier. She frowned. "Sorry."
"I don't like being toucheddd. It is better if you don't try and touch me..."
Star nodded. "I understand. Have you thought of a plan about how we're going to collect our sample, so you can do your work on it?"
She watched as Harnio shook his head. "Nnno. I ttthought the bothhh of you would solve thattt."
She nodded. "Yes. That's probably for the better." She glanced at the Firewarrior. "Hey, muscle brain. I guess you don't have any ideas in finding our prey and bringing it here?"
"The name's Stannir. Yes. I have a few ideas. It just depends if we need to bring it back alive or dead." She looked at him and rolled her eyes waving her hand at him. "Fine… Maybe you have some use after all. What are these plans of yours?"
"First off. I need to find out if they are needed alive or dead… Harnio?"
"Alive… I neeeddddoneeeeallivee. I want to see it moving. Then we can learn how it works."
She looked at Stannir frowning. "What is it? Is there something that we should know?"
"When I was fighting them in the swamplands. They communicated with each other with roars and growls. There was a point when I was against one of them. It roared, and several moments later a small pack of them appeared."
"So, you're saying if we capture one of them, and it starts roaring we're in trouble?"
She frowned at Stannir's nod and sighed. "We may not be able to bring one in alive Harnio… But we'll try."
She looked in the far distance. "I fought them in the forests outside this area. We could try drawing them in?" She turned to Stannir and frowned as a sword appeared in his hands. "How did… you do… that?"
"We don't need to draw them in… They're here already. I can feel their presence they're still quite far, but there's a large number of them."
She looked at Harnio. "Can you feel them with the wind?"
She watched as Harnio closed his eyes, opening them nodding. "Yesss. They're here. My guess is that they have their ownnn tunnel system."
"Let me go scout them out. I've got the eyes for that."
Star started climbing the ruins using her bow to pull herself up to the top of the ruins. She took a breath and balanced herself before closing her eyes. "Where are you, you mangy, disgusting beasts?" She opened her eyes and started scanning the plains.
She looked down at Harnio and Stannir. "We've got four legged walkers and two legged walkers. Seems like two packs moving towards the tower slowly." She jumped down the ruins landing in front of them with a smile. "Which one do you want?"
"Bbbboootthh. I want bothhh."
Star nodded and looked at Stannir. "Let's go hunting then. You said you have a plan what is it?"
She walked with Stannir as they walked through the ruins. "Something along the lines of separating the packs. Keeping them apart, and then separate one from the rest by knocking it out and wrapping its mouth up."
She looked at Stannir up and down. "It does seem you have a few brain cells."
She saw Stannir smile. "Or. We push them back to the tunnels, after we single out the two, we need."
"Second plan does sound better." She saw Stannir frown. "What's the problem now?"
"If we push them back into the tunnels, there's a chance they'll regroup and then attack us. The both of us won't be able to take on large packs on our own…"
"You're forgetting Harnio. He may look weak and fall over with the slightest of breezes, but he's stronger than the both of us…"
"Are you sure about that? Have you seen his strength?"
"No. But I've seen his brain work. I've also seen the things he's made. If there's an attack after we seal the tunnels. The three of us will be able to deal with it."
She watched Stannir turn and look at Harnio standing at the ruins looking around. He pointed. "You trust in his abilities?"
"What a stupid question… You're wearing the armor he made for you. He made my bow as well as this armor. He knew about my…" She closed her mouth and cursed.
"Your what?"
"Nothing… Let's go hunt these beasts and push them back into the tunnels they've come from."
She started to run and could hear Stannir running near her. "How do you plan to separate and push them back?"
"I'll push them back. Your job will be wounding our targets, so they get left behind."
"You didn't answer the question…"
"With this…"
She looked at Stannir's hand and saw a fireball grow and dance around his fingers. "Won't these winds make the fire go wild and out of control?"
She stopped running and looked at Stannir shaking his head. "This fire is under my control. It won't burn things I don't want to burn and will move in the way I tell it to move. It doesn't need wind to push it or make it stronger. It just needs me."
Star nodded. "Fine. I'll wound two of them, you deal with the rest." She ran forward through the grass and stopped when she could see them in the distance.
"Rrrroarr! Know… There! Rrroarr! Smell… Fire!"
Her eyes widened. "They're talking? They've evolved so fast." She aimed with her bow and searched for her targets. Star smiled. "There you are…" She turned and looked for Stannir and frowned. "Where did he go to now? I've got my targets, so he better do his part."
She aimed and fired two arrows in quick succession. She lowered her bow and watched them slice through their legs causing them to fall onto the ground with a yelp. Star smiled and dusted her hands. "Easy… Now it's his turn." She frowned and felt worried. "Can he do what he said, or has he run away from fear?"
"Rrrroarrr! Firrreeee!Rrrroarrr! Bbbackkk!"
She looked in the direction of the beasts coming and watched as tiny specks of fire travelled through the wind and landed on the beasts turning them into ash. She cursed and looked at the two she crippled. Her eyes widened as the specks of fire flew over them turning other beats to ash. She smiled. "Not bad… He does have some ability after all."
"Remember me! Taste my sword again!"
She sighed and shook her head as she watched Stannir stand up and start running towards the group waving his sword. She cursed as the beasts made their way to him circling him. She raised her bow and stretched her arm getting ready to shoot. "At least he's pushing them back. What's he planning to do?" She lowered her bow and watched him and the other beasts backing away from the specks of fire.
"Rrrroarrr!"
She turned and looked at the two she had shot. They were starting to move around. "They need to stop calling out or we'll have trouble." She started running towards them keeping an eye out for any other beasts.
"Rrroarrrr!"
"Smack!"
"That's enough out of you." She hit one of the beasts on the head and jaw. She smiled as its head swung to the side and its body fell limp. "One quiet now the other."
"Go back where you came from or take the edge of my sword!"
She looked at Stannir as he ran towards the next group of beasts that weren't falling back and swung his sword in their faces causing a wall of fire to turn them into ash. "A sword that shoots fire… Firewarriors do get interesting weapons." She looked at her bow. "My bow is still better."
She ran towards the second beast swinging her bow towards it.
"Smack!"
She wiped the sweat from her head smiling. "And that's two… Now just have to wait for the stupid ass to finish what he's doing."
"Rrrrroarrr! Bacccckkk!"
"The ass's plan is working… Imagine that." She smiled and rolled her eyes at the same time. "My blood brother would've danced a lot better. I think. He would've had more fun doing it too."
She leant on her bow and watched as the beasts turned from Stannir and ran backwards away from them disappearing. She cursed. "They've gone into their tunnels… How are we going to find them now?"
"Boooom! Booom! Booom!"
She felt the ground shaking as booms echoed throughout the plains. She turned and looked at Stannir who was making his way towards her.
"What the hell? What the fuck was that?"
"I just destroyed the entrances of the tunnels. Those fire specks just exploded that's all."
"That's all? Didn't you think that everyone could have heard that and are making their way up here now?"
"They won't remember this is a forbidden area... only Harnio comes up here. I guess they'll think it was some ruins falling over due to the winds or something similar."
Star shook her head at Stannir and pointed at the beasts. "They're alive and knocked out. Harnio is waiting for us we need to hurry."
"Good. You did your part… Let's go."
Star felt her shoulders twitch and goosebumps formed on her arm when spoke. She cursed. "Just because I said that, doesn't mean you can always say that. Ass."
She watched as he picked up the beasts placing them under his arms. Her eyes widened. "Stop smiling at me ass." She looked at the ruins in the distance. "Hurry before they wake up. I broke their jaws, so they should be quiet for a while."
She turned and started walking towards Harnio. She looked back at Stannir. "What are you doing? Let's go." She cursed herself as she said those words and stormed ahead ignoring the laughing behind her.
"Hahahahaha… Star you did well. It seems they can no longer walk. Star? Why are you ignoring me? Star!"
She turned and looked at him rolling her eyes. "I know I did well. I never miss. If I miss people die… Are those muscles just for show? Hurry up." Star waved her hand at Stannir while she turned and increased her pace to the ruins."
She saw Harnio coming towards them from the ruins. She smiled and waved. "Harnio! We got them… You can begin soon." She felt a strong breeze push against her. She shielded her eyes from the wind and lowered her hand staring at Harnio in surprise. 'How did…?"
"Winddissssmyyyfrieeennd… Was that shakkking the tunnels being destroyeddd?"
"That's right. I sealed them. It should give us time some time…"
She looked at the smiling Stannir. "Feeling proud of yourself for killing a few of them and sealing tunnels." She clapped her hands slowly at him. "Good job… See I'm clapping for your excellent effort." She rolled her eyes at him and looked at Harnio. "As he said."
"That's gooddd. It should give meee time before they counterrr. They'll know two are missing and not deaddd shortly…"
"That's what I said… You also think they may want to attack us?"
Star turned to Stannir and cursed. "So why are we still standing here? Let's get this finished before they come again."
She looked at Harnio as he walked towards the beasts and stared at them. "Ttthankk you Firrewarrior… I'll take them from hereee. Youugettt ready… justtt in case."
She cursed as Stannir dropped the beasts on the ground and her eyes widened as Harnio started writing in the air in front of him. A strong wind blew, as she covered her eyes again with her arm. She cursed when she lowered her arm. "Great… He's already gone…" She looked at Stannir.
"He didn't take all the beasts… Pity."
"What's that supposed to mean? Are you calling me one of them?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying…" She looked around. 'I need some high ground so if they come to rescue these two. I can spot them."
She looked at Stannir frowning. "What is it now?"
"Forget about our differences for a moment. I think they'll be coming sooner rather than later."
"What do you mean…" She looked at the ground and cursed. "They're moving underground." She cursed as she turned towards the ruins and started running. "He better be safe by the time we get there, or I'm going to call on my words sooner than later ass..."