In a flash of light, Dharen found himself alone. A brief spike of panic seized him before he grabbed hold of it, smothering the constricting emotion. Now was not the time to lose control.

With his companions departed, he abandoned the idea of fighting entirely. They had defended with enough difficulty while working as one; alone, he might take some with him perhaps. However, he would certainly pay for his actions with his life. No, now was the time to flee, not to fight.

Decision made, Dharen burst into motion. As his enemies closed in with agility and poise, he displayed an astounding Agility of his own. The large corpse warrior, the closest to him, attacked first. It brought down a heavy hand, opting for brute strength. Dharen slipped past the arisen creature’s fist, ignoring it entirely as he ran by, keeping Restraint held within one hand. A Nulzan approached next, moving with a speed and quickness that would have been overwhelming for most. Having abandoned its attempts at stealth and no longer cloaked in shadows, the monster now appeared much different than it had just a few moments before.

The monster’s hide had a wood-like coloration, a mottled dark green and a brown that closely approached black, causing it to blend into the jungle and shadows. Brambles and brush were carefully woven into its coat, giving the monster a more tree-like appearance. It stood taller than Dharen by a head, looming over him while its long tail whipped against the ground, punctuating the strange clicking noises the creature made with a thump. The large shoulders separated into upper and lower segments, with one arm attached to each. The upper arms were more human-like in appearance; they each held a poorly-fashioned dagger. Meanwhile, the arms that originated from the lower shoulder segment were far more monstrous in nature. Though shorter than the upper arms, the lower limbs ended in sharp-clawed hands that appeared to be useful for little more than destruction. It rushed forward with a burst of speed, thrusting forward with one of its crude daggers as it did so. In the darkness, Dharen could just barely make out a discoloration upon the blade; likely one of the many toxins that the creatures reportedly coated their weapons with.

Unwilling to take the risk of receiving a blow despite his high Vitality, Dharen dodged to the side. As he did so, the creature lunged slightly closer and swiped out rapidly with one of its unarmed hands as well, the dangerous claws brushing against his side. Though the touch was light, it was enough to break the surface and cause his skin to feel as if set afire. He hissed in pain, wheeling backwards in order to avoid further contact.

Hearing a slight clicking noise from his side, Dharen threw himself abruptly in the opposite direction with his full strength. Wind roared past him as the air was sliced, a second Nulzan’s blade just barely missing its attack.

Propelled by his urgent use of strength, Dharen slid an extreme distance through the muck as a result of his sharp and impromptu dive. The uncontrolled slide nearly caused him to lose hold of Restraint - slamming his head against the ground with a jarring impact and sending him into a slight daze. The mud coated his burning side, the cool sensation soothing the pain somewhat.

Breaking out of his daze, he vaulted to his feet. Remembering the location of the secondary flash of light that signified his companions’ arrival point, he raced away on fleet feet. With a quick motion, he brought the glowstone to his free hand in order to provide a modicum of light to his path. The Nulzan were snapping at his heels; every moment, there seemed to be an increasing number of the monsters. They rushed at him from every direction, as if converging upon him from their various haunts throughout the jungle; it was all he could do to avoid their attacks.

He slid under towering roots, clambered over difficult terrain, and was all-around forced to employ the great majority of the tools at his disposal during his flight. With the lack of proper illumination to guide his way and the constant pain emanating from his side, this was a harder task than it sounded.

Eventually, shadowy apparitions assaulted him as well, slowing his passage, the result of an unknown Nulzan’s Boon no doubt. Yet, with the combination of Strength, Endurance, and Agility that he held, he finally managed to break a more manageable distance from his pursuers at last.

As he continued his flight, Dharen broke into a small clearing that was surrounded by a copse of the jungle’s gigantic trees. Dharen spotted the bright eyes of a Kerell that had been attracted to the light he carried. With a burst of speed, he tore apart the distance between them, freeing his hands and capturing the creature by its neck. It struggled and thrashed, but truthfully Dharen had greater difficulty not crushing it within his strong grasp than he did keeping it contained.

He flicked his fingers, withdrawing the drawstring pouch that he had looted from the warrior woman previously. With a few deft movements, he removed the bindings from the pouch. Affixing the glowstone to the creature’s fur, he bound it tightly before sending the Kerell fleeing through the trees in a different direction. As it ran, trampling through the jungle in a furor, he threw a few stones behind it, slamming into the nearby trees with great force, in order to generate some additional noise and ensure that the frightened beast continued running.

His decoy rushed through the jungle floor in its panic to get away, creating a loud distraction and providing a light that moved away from his own intended destination.

Though now bereft of his own light, Dharen felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He activated his stolen boon.

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Fleeting Passion

Passion burns brightly, flaring like the Sun before it dissipates, spent.

Provides increased Strength for a short duration, after which the user will suffer increased exhaustion.

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He began to emanate a slight reddish hue as the ability took effect. Surprisingly, the ability affected not only his Strength, but his emotional state as well. His muscles swelled with energy, feeling full as if ready to burst. At the same time, he activated Softstep. The shadows pooled around him, leaving a thin covering over his boots.

Preparations completed, he sprinted at a nearby pairing of Skywood trees. The trees, two of the many monoliths that towered over the jungle, crowded together closely as if waging a war for the soil. As he reached the base of the trunk, he stepped upwards, digging his booted foot into the rough wood. He pushed, throwing himself greatly upwards with his momentarily increased strength. As the wind pushed back against him like a deity offended by his impromptu ascension, he stepped once more and provided another thrust - this time in the direction of a neighboring Skywood. Though a smattering of wood fell as dust to the ground below, the sturdy tree held up resolutely under the powerful leap. The air screamed its defiance in his ears, but it was ultimately futile as he soared across the gap between the pair of Skywoods.

One foot landed, allowing him to convert his momentum and spring back across the gap and reach a higher point. He continued in this way, bouncing back and forth across the two Skywoods - softstep keeping his impacts silent. Soon, the ground had become a distant memory. Finally, he reached the thick branches that lay just below the canopy. And just in time, too, as Fleeting Passion had run its course for the moment. As it ended, the Boon kicked back, sending a brief spike of exhaustion into his muscles. His Endurance beat it back, allowing him to brush off the ability’s recoil effect.

With his Spirit running low, he released his activation of To The Victor, The Spoils - subsequently releasing his grip on Fleeting Passion as well. The Boon faded away, its activation lost to him.

Spotting the faint light from his glowstone growing dimmer in the distance, he let out a faint sigh of relief. His ruse would likely buy him enough time that he might return to the teleporter through which he had arrived and make his escape.

He would pass through the teleporter and return to the Vezian Spire. Duende and the others would likely agree that hunting at night was too dangerous; the Nulzan held far too many advantages over the group within the darkness.

A rustling from the canopy above him startled Dharen. Unwilling to let himself be attacked once more, he activated Miasmic Wreath, cloaking himself in shadows and allowing him to blend in with his surroundings.

⥫⥬⥫⥬⥫⥬

You have resisted a Mental Influence.

⥫⥬⥫⥬⥫⥬

Dharen froze. His mind staggered and jerked; the constant fugue of loyalty and admiration, something to which he had paid no real mind to over the previous few days, disappeared. A cold rage quietly settled in its place.