Competing with Beastlings

They had been in the Arboreum for far too long. Though the shadowy half of the realm had called to Alasterea, the forest was no better than those of the Lopilands and after only a few days she found herself more than ready to return to civilization. Unfortunately, to get to the rift from which they’d entered, Alasterea and her companions had to pass through the dreadfully sunny part of the forest.

As the trio marched through the bright forest, several small furry creatures scurried out of their path. They had noticed similar creatures on the dark side of the realm, though those creatures had known well enough to keep their distance. Soleil had wondered aloud several times if they would be any good for eating. Missy had convinced her to keep her blades sheathed. After all, they had no way of knowing if the creatures had any sort of intelligence, and pissing off an entire community of demon bats sounded like an easy path to an early grave. At least, that was the logic that got Soleil to back down. Missy valued life in any form, and was constantly taken aback by her companions' general disregard for anyone beyond themselves. Then again, perhaps that was why she had agreed to this journey. Someone had to keep a hold on their reins. 

Upon entering a clearing near the rift, a much larger, much-less-furry creature bounded up in front of them. “Hey, hey!” The creature called out to the trio. “Who are you?” It spoke in a squeaky voice, with an accent none of them could quite place. Soleil’s hands gravitated toward her blades, but Alasterea lifted a finger to stop her. “We are visitors, only passing through.” The dragon replied, looking the new creature up and down. It bore a surprising resemblance to the little fluffy things that had been running in fear, yet was somehow much more human. It didn’t take long for Alasterea to understand the situation, after all she looked far different from the feral dragons of her homelands. It was doubtful that these creatures could have human ancestry, considering the size and shape of their original forms. That left only one option. This had to be the work of the magic of the Reflection.

The creature stared at them with curiosity, nose and ears twitching as her eyes darted between the dragon and her lackeys. “Visitors!” The creature squeaked, seemingly excited by the prospect. Alasterea only nodded in confirmation, with how uncivilized this place was she couldn’t be surprised that visitors were a rare treat. After an uncomfortable moment of silent eye contact, the creature chirped once more. “Wanna play a game? Before you go?” 

Alasterea shook her head. “No, I’m afraid we’ve no time for your games.” The creature didn’t budge. “We have faaabulous prizes!” Alasterea sighed. “We do not need your prizes.” But the creature still did not back down. “C’mon, it’ll be quick! It’ll be fun!” 

Alasterea sighed again, flicking her wrist in indifference. “Someone, take care of this.”

In a flash, Soleil had her weapons in hand and darted toward the creature, holding one curved blade up to the creature’s neck and letting the other dangle by her side. The creature squeaked, quivering in fear as the lopilu sneered. “How about we play the game of ‘get out of our way or else’?” Less than a second had passed when Soleil’s arm was yanked away from the quaking creature by an iron grip, and before she had a chance to react she found herself flat on her back on the forest floor. Looming over her was a second creature that looked somewhat similar to the first, but was far, far bigger. The new creature shook his head. “Fighting is not a game.”

Soleil sneered, glaring at the new creature as she sprang to her feet. “What if that’s the only game I want to play?” She lunged toward the new creature, feinting with her knives and using her elbow to land a solid hit on his nose. The creature ducked, one hand finding his wounded face as he put power behind the other for an uppercut, trying to catch the lopilu in the air. Soleil dodged the punch, jumping over the creature with a flip and landing in a handstand behind him. Balancing on her hands, she used both legs to swing a wide kick. The creature sidestepped her initial attack, but Soleil kept going, swinging her legs in a full circle and successfully sweeping the creature's legs out from under him. As he crashed down on his back she leapt onto his chest, holding a dagger to his neck. Both contender’s chests were heaving from the bout, and a droplet of sweat trickled down the creature's forehead as he stared at the lopilu above him, clearly unimpressed with her tricks.

Soleil spoke between breaths. “Was that enough competition for you?” The creature met her gaze, before looking over her shoulder. A small grin settled into the grumpy creature’s expression. “Yes, this is fine.” Soleil followed his gaze, her victorious expression quickly turning to one of disgust at the sight. Missy and the other creature were engaged in a friendly game of cards, all the while casually complimenting each others outfits. Alasterea was standing to the side, arms folded and foot tapping. They had made their lady wait for far too long. 

The lopilu grunted, pulling herself off the beastling as she sheathed her weapons. She stalked over to the happy pair, cutting off Missy's compliments as she yanked the cards from the lopilu's hands. “We’re done here.” Grabbing Missy by the arm, Soleil marched away from the strange creatures. “But what about my prize~” Missy’s complaints went unheard as Soleil dragged her back toward the rift. Alasterea followed a few paces behind her companions, busy examining the prize the creature had hastily shoved into her hands. Apparently Missy had been about to win the card game. It was a strange piece of jewelry, clearly magical to some degree. Perhaps it could be sold for travel funds. For now, it was time to get away from this blasted forest.