[center][b][@gammaflux] (Azorel); [@Flora] (Nathaniel); [@Minnakht] (Angela); [@Blackmist16] (Vestus)[/b][/center]

[[@Raptorman] hasn't posted in a long while, and didn't reply to my PM, so I'm going to retcon his character out of existence for now; he hasn't really interacted with anyone anyways. If he comes back, he'll be treated like a new arrival.]

Before Nathaniel and Vestus have decided on their next course of action, they hear the sound of rustling leaves and shrubbery coming from deeper within the woods. Moments later, a figure emerges.

At the first glance, the figure resembles a young human woman, maybe barely more than a teenager. The first sign one may notice that hints at the woman's non-human nature is a faint, sea blue tinge to her otherwise fair and smooth skin, the coloration appearing entirely natural rather than some kind of sickly pallor; her shoulder-length wavy black hair has a similar tint. Upon further inspection, one can observe that the woman's ears have prominently pointed tips, and are far sharper and thinner than normal human ears. Gills can be faintly seen on the sides of her necks, a set of small fins protrude from the backs of her forearms and lower legs, and her fingers and toes have slight amounts of webbing between them. She is lightly dressed, wearing a midriff-baring sleeveless top and what resembles a pareo or sarong wrapped around her hips, both made of some strange, dark green leafy material and decorated with simple blue patterns; the clothes complement her tall and slender figure and make her look quite attractive by human standards. Not knowing what kind of being she calls herself, a human will likely label her a "sea elf".

However, the elven woman carries a runed hunting knife in one hand, and a wooden rod resembling something halfway between a torch and a magic wand in the other hand. And her fiery red eyes are full of alarm and hostility.

"Who're you?" The young woman hisses, trying to keep quiet and sound menacing at the same time. The language is comprehensible to all of the transhumans, but strangely doesn't sound quite like English or any other language they've heard. As she speaks, he tip of the rod in the girl's left hand bursts into flames, and the metallic blade of her dagger begins to burn red hot. "Are you with those damn pirates?! Answer me if you don't want to get cooked alive!"

[hr]
[center][b][@helltank] (Alison); [@Eklispe] (Rina); [@Grimoire] (Emeka)[/b][/center]

"Thank you, stranger!" One of the orcs shouts as he sees Aron blasting one of the spiders with cold energy. "We-"

"Ziz's dung!" The second orc curses, as he struggles to get back up and recover from the spider's earlier attack. "Now we've got a demon on our hands too?!" He mutters, while looking at Alison, specifically at the wings of black energy emanating from her back. "Yes, Ghorzak! Reinforcements! Now!"

"On it!" The first orc, apparently named Ghorzak, answers, then promptly leaps into the air far higher than even something of his strength should be able to. A gust of wind howls behind him, and he seems to glide further into the village despite his great physical bulk.

The spider that was struck by Aron's cold ray is now severely chilled, shivering and suffering from frostbite all over. However, this has caused the other five spiders to turn their attentions toward the three transhumans. Moreover, the orcs are looking at the transhumans too, tense and ready to attack; they definitely weren't particularly pleased by Alison's words.