"Do you think it'll work?" Ursa narrowed her gaze and saw Lukas' body in the distance. It was plopped neatly against the tree and he seemed fast asleep.
"... For one reason or another, he has earned the trust of several notable individuals in our city," Theodore frowned as he backed away into the trees. "I personally do not understand why they do–but there has to be a reason for it. Something that I myself don't comprehend."
"And you?" Ursa turned to Chaerin. "You trust him because you and him copulate–"
"Woah, woah." Chaerin threw up her hands together and couldn't help but have her cheeks burn. "That's not really–I mean that's totally not… but you know?"
The atmosphere was tense and the trio had escaped from the blows of the water nymph, but somehow the bear demihuman managed to ease it up.
Theodore resisted the urge to slap a hand over his face and simply coughed.
There was the idea of knowing that a certain duo were sleeping together, but it was also another thing to have one of them jumble and fret at it being revealed.
"Are you dying?" Ursa frowned at him. "Gulped too much water when you got punched?"
Theodore shook his head and tried to ignore the drenched areas of his clothes. "It doesn't matter what she thinks–what matters more is what I've assessed the situation to be. And even if he fails? It does not mean that the other plan can't be implemented."
Already, Theodore was trying to determine how much he could use Shadow Travel and rescue Lukas from the tree and still get Chaerin and Ursa back safely.
There was a certain level of arrogance that could only be solved by having plans fall flat directly into your face–and someone like Lukas needed that.
Theodore once had to learn that lesson before, so there was no harm in that–
The ground beneath them suddenly rumbled and even the deceptively calm waters shook.
"Well fuck." Theodore didn't know if the tree would swallow Lukas whole or something and so he prepared to go, but then Lukas suddenly stood up.
"Lukas!" Chaerin's voice sounded with relief.
Behind the Vampire, something–or rather someone left from the tree and made Theodore's eyes widen.
The waters from earlier were dangerous, but it mostly stayed to its territory and didn't actually seem to have any death intent beyond making them leave.
Contrasted with the Dryad that appeared and even something left Theodore.
The fight in him went out in the absolute presence of the Dryad and all he wanted to do was flee.
Theodore's mouth went dry.
However, he needed not to stay afraid because all of a sudden, the waters also stirred in the presence of the dryad.
The Dryad was a beautiful, tall and deadly being that even trumped Ursa's already towering height but what appeared out of the waters was someone small, lithe and delicate.
Despite all the snakes, lamia-like monsters and colossal waves that attacked them–the true form of the water nymph was that of a small child.
It was easy to get mesmerized in the scene, and even the usual forefront and center Lukas was placed in the background as the two natural beings faced each other for the first time.
The Dryad swung its heavy limb and lashed at the Water Nymph.
"This isn't supposed to be happening." Theodore muttered.
"Obvious." Ursa grunted as she was already backing away.
"Lukas!" Chaerin cried out in dismay.
"Whatever your boyfriend did, I don't think it's going to save these people." Theodore glanced at Ursa and then at the frantic Lukas waving a hand and trying to intervene. "It might just rip the entire forest apart."
That wasn't any part of the plan.
When Lukas and Rhea woke up, he thought it was more or less settled–not the one sided fist fight that was happening.
"Um, Miss Dryad–!" Lukas called out.
He didn't know that the water nymph was a child–or had a child form. He wasn't sure about how things worked in nature, but the water was the younger one out of the two and was reluctantly getting knocked back the Dryad.
The language that they spoke in was incomprehensible.
"Why can't I understand them–" Lukas clenched his fist and looked at the spirit beside him.
Rhea was mostly safe from the physical attacks, but she was wary and stayed away from the two as much as possible while still staying beside Lukas.
"Dreams are easier to communicate in. The language is the same since you talk directly with their thoughts, but not in this situation."
"Oh great, oh great." Lukas glanced at the trio who were at least mostly safe and away from the ongoing destruction. "Can you try talking with them?"
"Not while they're in this state, I'm afraid." Rhea said.
There wasn't actually much harm being done because the water nymph was sturdy and not fighting back. But who knew how long was that going to happen?
Lukas was afraid that if the Dryad had her way, they'd literally kill the water nymph–and though that didn't exactly seem bad on paper… that was still having a murderer as some Overlord.
Probably not that much different to Cervus in any way.
Lukas summoned the dagger, but then it shook in its hand.
As if it wanted to hop out of its palm.
"What's the matter?" Lukas asked. "Are you trembling with excitement at the thought of–"
"Hush. Even someone such as I have not… tried contesting against beings of their nature." Drusilla hissed. "Try not to gather their ire and depart this instance."
"But aren't you–"
"Beings with blood in their veins, whether it be the greatest dragons to even the smallest of sandworms, are easy to control and bind, but these? Their nature is vastly different from ours, even if they have their own type of blood… it is too different."
"Okay, we're screwed then." Lukas still managed to have a stupid grin on his face. "But you don't want to really try?"
"No."
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