Neidr held his check to stem the flow of blood. Neidr and the creature didn't move a step, both staring at one another. Neidr took a step backwards, the creature followed suit. A silent agreement to stop fighting, or needlessly risk their own lives. Both of them took one step back at a time, training their eyes on one another. When the thing was no longer within his sight, Niedr ripped his shirt and wrapped some cloth around his wounded arm and shoulder. For his cheek, he stuffed some cloth into his mouth, blocking off the wound. Then, he wrapped what was left of his shirt around his head, covering everything below the nose. Neidr started to look around for any sign of where he should go, while silently making a list of things to buy and keep on him at all times. Like knives and bandages.

The flora was identical to what he saw on his way to the Academy. However, that did not help him much as he had no idea which direction the Academy would be in. Shrugging his shoulder, Neidr simply broke off a nearby branch and threw it in the air. Where it landed was where he'd go. Now armed with a direction, Neidr began to trudge forward. It wasn't a peaceful stroll, though. Neidr kept his eyes locked on his surroundings. He scanned the tree tops and all around him, always on constant guard. Neidr traveled forward arbitrarily for hours. A voice in the back of his mind was starting to scream that he had the wrong direction, but he ignored it. Even if he knew he had the wrong direction, what was he supposed to do about that? Go a different wrong direction? Fortunately, the sound of a stream entered Neidr's ears not long after departing, and he had been following the water ever since.

Water leads to civilization,

'Probably'

Regardless, if he really got lost in the woods, water would be an absolute necessity, so being near a source was always a plus. Not long into his daydreaming, Neidr heard a piercing scream. Beyond excited, Neidr dashed towards it. Screams meant people, people meant a direction. Climbing up a hill, Neidr heard a familiar voice calling out in concern,

"Don't worry miss! I'm coming! Stay there and keep calling!"[Liam] Neidr would smile if he could, a little hero coming out to solve the issue. Neidr had nothing against Liam. In all honesty, he wanted this little kid strong and noble. There was a lot of messed up stuff that he fought off in the novel, Neidr didn't want to bother with it all. Better someone with a sense of justice deal with it.

Neidr made it to the peak of the hill and decided to watch over the situation and follow these people in secret. It's better to avoid interaction when possible. Once Liam saved the Miss, they'd figure out which way to go. Neidr would follow. When Liam looked down, he saw a young girl with flaxen hair impaled by a sharpened stick. Her face was filled with pain and her screams were heart-wrenching, but...

'Isn't that where her lungs should be?' The stick seemed to have punctured right through her lung, but she was screaming? At that though Neidr's eyes widened, and he slapped himself in the back of the head,

'stupid, now I remember.' The creature he saw before was...

'Ah, Liam showed up.' Neidr ruffled his own hair, 'Well, he should be able to deal with this.' Neidr decided that he would follow Liam after he dealt with that thing. Down below, Liam rushed towards the girl with all haste. Seeing her pain and her situation, Liam's face went pale. He sucked in a deep breath in order to not show panic and began to console the girl,

"Don't worry,"[Liam] he said, "you'll be ok."[Liam] although Liam had not dealt with this type of injury before, he began to think fast. He held out a hand and said,

"Wait here, I'll find Lizzy, she should be good at medicine." This interaction caused Neidr's brows to furrow. This conversation wasn't going a direction he liked, so he grabbed the stick he had been carrying with him and inched closer.

"NOOOO, take it out! take it out! it hurts!"[girl] Liam looked back and forth, hesitating. With her continued urging, Liam gave in and started running up to the girl in order to help her, but what he saw next he would never forget. Just four feet. Just four feet from this girl who had been suffering and calling out in pain. Another stick pierced into her right below her rib cage. Neither Liam nor the girl were paying attention to their surrounding, too focused on one another. Neither were ready for this ruthless strike. The girl shuddered twice, and stopped moving.

Liam's face was as pale as a ghost, and he was shaking in fear and despair. When he turned to see the culprit, his face shifted into nothing, but shock and anger! Although his face was covered, Liam easily recognized Neidr. Neidr wiped the sweat from his brow,

'That was close,' he looked at the Liam and shook his head. 'Aren't you my meal ticket to safe living? How could you die to this sort of thing?' Liam saw Neidr's blank gaze and erupted,

"WHY DID YOU KILL HER? I COULD HAVE DONE SAVED HER!" [Liam]

'Oh shit' Neidr wanted to explain the misunderstanding, but, he couldn't talk. His cheek had been sliced after all.

"DO YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SAY?" [Liam]

'I have a lot to say, but ah.' Liam looked at Neidr and a glint of determination flashed in his eyes. Liam lowered his voice and said,

"I thought I could get along with you, but now I see how you got your name 'peasant slayer,' I wonder how it will feel when a peasant slays you."[Liam] Without further ado, Liam raised his hand in the air and began to chant. Old wooden rings that adorned his fingers began to shine as daggers started to materialize above his head. They floated menacingly and pointed their blades towards Neidr's heart.

'Oh fuck.'