The walk continued on, maneuvering around other monsters nearby and stifling any sound they made. With how slow they were going, thirst would more likely kill them instead of the monsters.

"What is it this time?" Vesta asked Hilke.

The elf raised a hand to signal for silence as she eyed the creatures in front of her. They weren't big, but not small either. The creatures resembled large land lizards but with a mass amount of bone-like needles protruding out from their back and long tail. Long lips covered whatever teeth they had, making it difficult for Hilke to know how much of a threat they were.

"They're lizards with spikes all over their backs. Probably as long as we are tall. For teeth, I can't see them. These things have excessive skin there."

"Think they're a threat?" Vesta asked from his place behind her.

Hilke glanced back at him and then at the others following her. "Only one way to find out." She extended her hand out, wanting a small object.

One member found a thick branch, broken up by a creature far along gone, and handed a portion of it to her. She shook it lightly in her grasp before throwing it overhand, hitting the opposite side of the region the creatures were roaming.

In an instant, many of them had their tails raised as a hiss emitted from all of them in the pack. Just a second later, projectiles flew at where the chunk of the branch had landed, becoming embedded in the ground. The items were the thin, bone-like needles that were on the creatures' backs and tails.

"Well, shit..." Paskalin muttered. "Those things can launch those things out of their skin."

Cassia leaned forward, grabbing Paskalin's shoulder. "Say, think you could make one levitate from here and make it shoot the others?"

Vesta listened in and turned around to look at Paskalin and Cassia. "If that doesn't work, I can make the one floating think the others are an enemy. Maybe it will then attack its own."

"What of the remainders then?" Hilke asked, still keeping her voice hushed. "We still will have to fight a few."

Eadward immediately went to grab the black-tied pouch on his strap. "I have these smoke rocks."

The rest of them looked at the bag in Eadward's hand before smiling and nodding. They had a plan.

The next few moments took careful consideration, each person moving to somewhere new around the large boulder and tree that shielded them. Paskalin had scaled up the tree, making sure to have cover and see the animals below him. Cassia and Hilke were stationed just to the sides of their shielding. Vesta had taken a place slightly lower than Paskalin in the tree, but also kept himself well shielded. Brune and Eadward were ready for a full-on charge but set back a bit with Eadward holding one of the black stones in his hand.

A nod was sent from Paskalin down to Vesta, the black-haired male then sending the signal to the others. The plan was set, and Paskalin went in by focusing on the member that was centermost. The movement was fast as the animal went up a good five feet in the air, startling the flying one and those still on the ground. Strange chirps and gargling noises came from the animals, not knowing what was happening to their comrade.

Next was Paskalin trying to see if he could manipulate the held creature, to see if he could force one of the needles on its back to fly out and strike. He started to pull his fingers inward, drawing them towards the shape of a fist as the corners of his eyes crinkled from his focus. Nothing seemed to change with how the spikes were on the animal's back. It was time to change to the next part.

"I can't do it, Vesta. Do your move." 

The lower male quietly confirmed before sending an image of a large predator to the levitating animal's mind. It wouldn't mask all of the ones on the ground, still startled to only look at the one in the air, but it would hopefully take some of them out. Results were almost immediate as the suspended animal started letting out sounds that sounded more like it was initiating a war and a spike from its tail went flying at one on the ground.

The hit came, but only wounded the one on the ground. That only initiated the same type of cry from that one, it shooting a spike back at its flying sibling. The two exchanged fire until the one on the ground seemed to heap over, taking a few of the spikes into its flesh.

"The one in the air isn't looking good," Paskalin noted. "It got hit once, but I avoided the rest. Whatever is in their spikes must kill anything. This one looks like it's going to die any second."

Vesta took a glance at the ones still on the ground, counting how many there were. "There's five on the ground still alive. Let's move to the next part." He signaled for Eadward.

Eadward saw the queue and stood upright, throwing the black stone over the big rock. Black smoke immediately began to appear, filling out the area the animals were in and then seeping past the tree and rock. This moment would put the animals at another disadvantage, where they wouldn't see Hilke or Cassia coming at them.

The form of Hilke seemed to melt away as she disappeared into the smoke, a snarl coming from her as she dove into the first victim she'd create. Bared teeth aimed for the neck of the large lizards, digging deep in and yanking back out. It was fast and efficient, something that helped her tackle down two in the smoke before the third target was no longer in its spot. She took this moment to retreat from the smoke and return to her normal form.

"Two are down!" Hilke then quickly dodged as a flurry of spikes came out of the smoke in the direction of her voice.

Cassia had stepped up close to one, two daggers in her hands. With a leap behind it, she somersaulted in the air and extended her arms out as they reached the neck. The blades cut into the skin and went through before slipping back out at another cut at the top of the neck. Blood began to spill out, but Cassia didn't wait to see if it passed on. She landed in front and went to kick it in the side, tipping the spiked lizard onto its back, before making a break out of the smoke.

"I hopefully killed a third," Cassia spoke loudly and clearly. She also had to make a dodge as another active one shot in her direction. "They definitely rely on sound when blind..." She cut herself off as she felt a sharp pain hit her in the thigh, deep enough to pierce the leather armor.

"Cassia?" Paskalin called out from his spot in the tree. Spikes launched into the trunk, startling him as he started to maneuver down.

As he reached the same area as Vesta, he whispered in his ear, "I'm going to check on Cassia. Help Brune and Eadward finish the rest."

The smoke had begun to clear, starting to reveal what damage had been done. Two had their throats mauled out thanks to Hilke. The one struck by Cassia flailed still, but its movements continued to slow, indicating the animal was no longer a threat. Only two living ones remained, their main target still being where they heard Cassia just moments ago. 

Brune was first on the scene, a large rock held with both hands. He charged at one, being quiet but still fast as he went in for a strike. He lifted the rock above his head and slightly to the side as if carrying an empty basket. He then threw it down onto the back of the large lizard, hitting it hard on the main bed of spikes. A mere second passed before the force from the rock pushed into the lizard, sending the lizard to burst into tiny bits.

Eadward came in only a moment later, running at the last lizard alive. It hissed as it saw him and went to send off what remaining spikes were on its back, having expended most of them. Eadward easily blocked most with the arm bracers he wore, the rest simply deflected off of the metal chest plate he wore. He continued his speed before jumping up at the last moment and angling his lower body toward the lizard. His left foot collided with the head, the right coming down a second later onto the spine. The force resonated throughout the creature's body before the sound of cracking bones filled the air, small splinters of the broken skeleton flying out as Eadward's full force came on the lizard.

"That's the last of them," Brune spoke. He went up and clapped Eadward on the shoulder. "Show me how you did that, by the way. I'd like to try that for myself."

Eadward nodded his head before looking over toward Paskalin and Cassia. "How is she?" He began to move forward, Brune and Hilke also walking with him.

"Barely there..." Paskalin spoke as he went to wave his hand in front of Cassia's eyes. "She's not responding."

Hilke went down on the opposite side of Cassia, placing her fingers against the bare inner part of Cassia's wrist. Her eyes shot up after feeling what heartbeat there was. "Her heart is faint and slowed. Lin, put her down all the way."

Lin listened to Hilke and helped rest the girl down on the forest floor. "She's cold... Sweaty too."

"And barely breathing," Hilke noted as she observed the other behaviors Cassia was displaying. "We need to get whatever this is out of her fast."

Vesta started taking off the pack on his back, fishing out a small medkit he was given. "Where was she hit at? We should tie it off to stop any more spread."

Hilke showed Vesta where it was located and they both worked on making a tight tie around Cassia's upper thigh. They didn't know how deep the venom from the lizard had gotten but they would try anything to save the girl. Bleeding also seemed to be an issue, most of the others going on a hunt for moss or another absorbent material in the wild to help soak it. 

At this point, Eadward was worried. They needed more than just mending Cassia, they all would die if they didn't get to a water source. And he did not want a child to die either.

With a white stone in his trembling hand, Eadward had a choice to make.

Call for help and risk another fight to save Cassia or she'd die.

And there's one thing Eadward told himself.

He was not going to let Cassia die.