[i][center][h1][color=f26522]A[/color] v a d d o n[/h1][/center][/i]

Avaddon couldn't help but let his grin soften as he listened to his compatriots' chatter amongst themselves behind him. He had been a tad bit worried that the lot of them would likely stay quiet and subdued in dour seriousness the whole length fo their journey given how little most of them seemed interested in conversing in the Guild Hall. But he was glad to be proven wrong in this instance, though he chose to keep his words to himself as he continued to keep an eye out for their prey. 

Like the others, he noted the change in the air, the miasma growing thicker as they approached the lair but while they felt nervous and apprehensive at the thought of approaching battle. . . Avaddon relished it. The scales that lined his neck and shoulders were now standing up at their full height as he lumbered forward, ember-lit eyes darting this way and that at every flash of movement he could spot. One could liken his gait and readiness to be akin to that of a tiger slowly stalking his way through the underbrush, jaws open ever so slightly in anticipation for the strike.

It did not take long for the prey to show itself, however, as a miniboro scuttled out of the brush to face the party, tendrils flailing and eyes scanning them. It was the next action, however, that gave Avaddon pause. The creature, with neither brainpower to recognize it's own disadvantage nor a sense of self-preservation, ran away? Like Baldr, the large monk did not trust this development, his scales lowering slightly as he cast his eyes upward at the many trees that surrounded them. He'd little familiarity with such terrain but with how easily the bark gave way beneath his fingers. . . 

[color=f26522]"Blaike, your idea sounds good. . . but I think only one of us should move ahead."[/color] Avaddon motioned a hand upward as he began to stretch his arms and calves, not even glancing at his other companions nor leaving the decision up to them as he already began tracing a path through the treetops. [color=f26522]"You, Baldr, Mitra, and Ianthe are the best candidates to keep the others safe in case this does end up a trap of some kind, what with your combined skills in magic and martial prowess."[/color]  Having stretched to his heart's content and feeling properly warmed up, Avaddon walked backward towards the Rearguard, stopping just momentarily to cast a glance towards Luna.

[color=f26522]"You're right. Stand up, breathe deep, and face it proudly, or stay hunkered down. I doubt that this will be the worst experience you'll ever experience if you continue down this path."[/color]  With his peace said, Avaddon cracked his neck, taking a breath to ready himself before he burst into forward in a blur of action. In one instant he was in front of Baldr and Blaike, body lowered and tightened like a spring, in the next he was airborne launching himself at the base of one of the many trees that surrounded them. With a shuddering crack, the monk slammed into the bark, using his feet and clawed grip in the wood to steady himself as he took a moment to see if his new height advantage told him anything new. If so, he would report it to the group, but if not, he'd line up his next leap to the nearest tree forward, taking a moment to call back to the party if he felt the way ahead was clear or not. He never stayed still for too long, knowing that his weight would likely prove to be a mighty strain if he simply hung off it, so he made sure to keep his center of gravity as close to the tree as possible, to lessen the effect of his mass on his handholds as much as could.