The group of eight spread out to search the jungle clearing where their prey had just been. All clues they found taunted them more than anything else. There was a small brushed aside area where camp was likely made, and had been kicked aside in a hurry from their best guess.

There were a few broken branches, footprints no one could really make out, and more absolutely nothing of value to help any of the eight.

Except one.

“I found a stick!”

Jearx dragged a hand down his face as he groaned, pulling his basilisk to a halt to turn to his idiot. “And how do you think this helps us?!?”

“It’s uh….um…” The orange hobgoblin looked down and away to his canine familiar offering only a head tilt in response. “Well it’s pointy so...and there’s two!”

He grabbed the other pointed stick he had found leaning against the towering tree with an outstretched branch just out of reach for anyone not sufficiently tall, holding one out in each hand in triumph to a gallery of unimpressed stares and a chorus of croaking frogs.

“IT’S THE JUNGLE!” Jearx growled through grit teeth. “THERE’S STICKS EVERYWHERE!”

The orange hobgoblin wanted to point out the points on them but relented as he slumped his shoulders and slunk off to keep searching.

Tikonel rolled his bright blue eyes and spurred his forest rhino to continue pacing around the perimeter. “Come on, we all heard that splash. I believe I heard running water over there.”

Jearx heard a snapping branch from somewhere behind him. He turned to see a still swaying vine next to a tree and grew a wicked, toothy grin. No one else seemed to hear it, but no one else had ears like he did. With a wave of his hand, his own three confused looking companions drew closer to him while the other group of four paused their advance to the sound of water with even more visible confusion.

The goblin spoke in a low voice. “There, by that tree with the hanging vines. They think they can hide. Prove them wrong, and if any of them try to run I’ll have Yezat here freeze them in their tracks.” He said as he pat his basilisk on the neck. “Now, go remind me why I keep you around.”

The hobgoblin, bugbear, and goblin that questioned their friendship and prospective business union with him each day waited until they were out of earshot to groan and grumble to themselves while investigating the noise that Jearx almost certainly imagined.

Each of them was ready with a spell in hand and a beating at the ready just to get this over with. That thicket of hanging vines just before that upturned tree with exposed roots did look like as good as any place to hide and with luck they could get through a few broken bones before lunch.

Jearx scowled as he scanned the jungle for more movement, pulled his canteen from his backpack and downed the last of it before narrowing his eyes at the empty container. “Anyone got any more?”

“Oh now he wants to go check out the water.” Tikonel’s lizardfolk companion said with a roll of her eyes from where she was leaning against a tree, dark green and black coloration disguising her well aside from her sun blue uniform.

The jungle troll atop the forest rhino let out a loud sigh. “Zoli, be nice and get our guest some water while we keep watch with his expedition. Shout if you find anything.”

Zoli’s tail thrashed about behind her as she stomped off towards the sound of running water with her small raptor in tow as the remaining four eagerly watched Jearx’s companions search for the reward of his superior goblin hearing.

The lizardlass’ screams amid crashing water followed by silence drew everyone’s attention to where she had disappeared around the trees and underbrush. The four stood unmoving, staring at that spot in the forest where last they had seen her like she would return at any moment.

“Kuhri…” Tikonel called to the goliath girl at his side with the mountain lion crouched next to her. “Why don’t you go see what that was about.”

The tall girl took a wavering step as she looked to Tikonel and the other jungle troll boy called Votan at his side, failing to meet her pleading gaze right as three cries rang out from behind them to call their attention to where Jearx’s companions had gone searching.

Only to see them dragged up into the thick canopy by an apparent snare as three figures descended on ropes while using them as counterweights.

And before they could react, to the intense confusion of Tikonel who was the only one to spot the unexpected sight, a cave octopus sailed through the air above them and released a large glob of ink that was hit with a bolt of water to atomize it into an inky cloud to blind them all.

Screaming and shouting followed as the four tried to escape the ink cloud while rubbing at their eyes.

Votan heard someone dash into the cloud, swiping at them and flinging small fireballs every which way until he fell hard after taking another step to find someone hnd roped his ankles together. His monkey familiar scampered off, trying to gain high ground only to be carried off by an overly colorful vulture.

Kuhri yelped as a wayward fireball hit her arm as she dashed out of the ink that was finally settling only to run arm first into something very tall, very solid, and very cooling to the burn on her arm. She looked up to see the infamous elemental rock monster standing tall over her as it casually extended an arm to blast her mountain lion with a fountain of water mid-pounce.

“Surrender is recommended.” The rock monster bellowed as she hopped back, looking over to the four for backup and instead found further chaos.

Jearx’s basilisk was the first to be blinded by the blood mage’s beam of light focused squarely on it’s eyes to prevent any paralysis. The goblin was busy slinging fireballs of his own at the human and the Honey Heiress herself both sprinting at her group with their sharpened sticks at the ready.

“Hey.” The sudden voice at her side caught the goliath girl by surprise with the sudden appearance of a drow. “I’d listen to Vidal.”

Her response was a kick that the drow blocked with a raised arm and a grunt that sent him sprawling, giving her enough time to pull Votan to his feet just before being hit square in the chest with a blast of water that sent her flying directly into Jearx to cease his fireballs. As soon as her mountain lion had recovered, a darting flash of colorful feathers was around her neck and choking her out in short order.

The rock man had to brace as the forest rhino charged into him, only the short distance and build up time allowing him to stay on his feet as the red furred beast tried knocking him down while bellowing its lungs out. Tikonel grinned wide enough as his forest rhino was proving enough of an obstacle already, but he couldn’t help but bare a knife-filled grin as he saw that same cursed octopus perched on the rock monster’s shoulder and the rock very preoccupied with fending off a rhino.

He readied a blast of lighting as a flying tackle from the drow knocked him out of his saddle and to the ground. The drow got the lightning blast grazing his leg to drag a scream out of him while Tikonel shoved the drow off of him and climbed to his feet. He saw Jearx lob a final fireball at the human who just barely dodged it before whacking him with the stick and following up with a storm spell to shock him off of his feet to lay next to a still wheezing, very much defeated goliath trying to regain her breath.

The Jungle Princess herself was faster though, already on him and a hair's breadth away from striking with her own stick just as his rhino forced her to retreat with a charge after the rock monster had deflected him to the side. The rhino bellowed and readied another charge as the Jungle Princess eyed both the rhino and thrashing basilisk with caution.

Which gave Tikonel an idea, as he cast a concussive blast at the blood mage to knock him down and end the basilisk’s blindness right in time with his rhino charging at the rock monster that had been distracted with carefully setting that cursed octopus in a tree. Votan leapt into action against the Honey Heiress as she circled with anger in her eyes, trying to catch her off guard.

And failing miserably as she wielded the long stick almost like a blunted rapier to tap him on either side of the head to daze him right before a strike to the throat to put him down and gasping for air like this team had some kind of theme going on. All as though it were nothing but a short distraction as her anger filled eyes were back on him.

“Fine.” Tikonel said as he readied another concussive blast in time with his rhino charging towards the rock monster. He wasn’t going to let the class traitor close the distance and put those legendary skills to use. “Since you have made such poor choices in companions, it’s only right of me to put you in your place. Or have you forgotten who you are Miss Ya-”

The blunt end of Isak’s thrown spear hit him right in the groin, causing him to fall to the ground with a squeak.

“Sorry!” Isak called out while wincing as Xoco looked on, completely bewildered. “I was aiming for the stomach I swear!”

The rhino was undeterred and collided with Vidal as the rock man struggled to stand his ground as he grappled with the mighty beast as the basilisk shrieked in rage to draw the attention of the two still standing. The monster had yes on Isak, weapon gone and familiar currently indisposed with a rhino pushing him back into the soft forest soil. In a few long strides Xoco was striking at the monster while casting a quick Find Weakness spell to stun it before it could paralyze anyone, following up with a two handed swing right into the neck to knock it down.

Vidal gripped and grappled with the raging rhino, striking at it’s head and neck with stone fists to disorient it enough to gain time to form water jets at the base of his feet to finally push back against the beast to knock it to the side. The rhino bellowed narrowing it’s beady eyes at Isak and charging at it’s new panicking target as Vidal launched himself on water jets towards the beast to grapple with it once more, arms around its neck with water jets in his feet angling the struggling beast away from the boy and towards a large tree.

The rock man redirected the water jets, ceasing his own struggle as he aided the rage blinded rhino in an unstoppable charge right against the tree to force it into a collision to knock the beast out cold. Without delay, he stood and ran over to Tonauac to pick him up and set him on wobbling feet.

“I’m okay! I just used my own blood to heal myself, I have plenty!” As soon as his legs were working, and after steadying himself on Vidal, he ran over to Zyn to start healing his leg as Vidal trailed behind him, stopping at his mage.

“Are you well, Master Isak?”

“I’m fine...though it might be the fear or a barely averted basilisk gaze that had me tensing up…”

“My apologies, I should have dealt with the gazing beast sooner.”

“You were fighting a rhino, and Xoco handled herself just fine!”

Xoco smiled as she held out a thumbs up while helping Zyn to his feet with a scrambling Ozzy joining him. “I...may have practiced with a rapier before…”

“And it was very impressive to watch!” Isak’s smile was pure bliss as he remembered that there was still clean up to do, and fished some rope out of his bag. “Alright, who knows how to tie a good knot?”

Only Zyn raised his hand. “It is non-optional in spelunking lessons.”

The two boys set about binding the hands and feet of their attackers, still writhing and groaning in pain. Zyn looked over his shoulders each way before kicking Tikonel in the groin again just as he was recovering to force out another agonized scream.

“Zyn!” Xoco chastised him as she stormed over to him.

“What?!? He was targeting Ozzy!” The drow defended as he pet a still skittish cave octopus. Xoco’s hands were on her hips as she tapped her foot before giving Tikonel another hard kick to draw out an undignified squeak.

She crossed her arms but bore a smile. “Next time don’t leave me out.”

“Uh..” Tonauac was the only one who hadn’t joined in on this worst of team building exercises as he rubbed at the scales on his neck. “I’m sitting this one out, the man is already dead.”

“I SAID I’M SORRY!” The human threw his hands up in the air after binding the last of their attackers. “I was aiming for the stomach!”

Xoco had taken the time to walk over to him and pull him into a hug while bearing a radiant smile. “I was looking forward to that fight, but instead I will always have the memory of my Isak annihilating him and causing his eyes to try and jump out of his head as he squeaks.”

Isak’s face was red by the time he was set back down and released from the hug. He leaned against Vidal as he did his best to play things casually. “Ah well, you know. I knew you probably had that but a man can’t just stand by and-”

Hang on, what did she call him?

“-uh...um, letawarriorladystandalone hey I probably misheard but whatwasthatyoucalledme?”

Xoco’s smile vanished as realization hit her along with a rush of blood to the head to turn her a darker green. “OH! Oh you know just...a...it’s a jungle troll thing...translations...you know, translation barriers. Idioms-”

“HEY!” Zyn shouted out to the still three still dangling in the air high above the jungle floor. “I’D SET OFF THAT FLARE CHARGE IF I WERE YOU! YOU GOT FIVE MINUTES!”

The two fools looked over to where he was shouting. Nelli finally retook her place on Xoco’s shoulders after Tonauac had taken it upon himself to bind the mountain lion to give the two a moment while Patli flew down to him to reassure him that no professors were on their way yet. “We should get moving. Find a new place to make actual camp and resupply for real this time.”

“Yes!” Isak said a bit too fast as he pushed himself off of the still unmoving Vidal, still avoiding those large pink eyes that were not making it easier to form words.

“Very wise choice!” The jungle troll said as she strolled out ahead, leading the group now and definitely not trying to hide her still forest green face. Tonauac looked over his shoulder at Isak with a shrug before following the girl. “Great job everyone minimal injuries perfectly executed plan a good time was had by all!”

Zyn stood at Isak’s side while he remembered how to walk. “Still an improvement, I’m proud of you.”

Isak blinked several times before sighing and following after Xoco and Tonauac. “Thanks.”