[@Luminosity] [@Platinum Cobra] [@geminironin] [@Ryona Zako] [@alexfangtalon] [@Typical]

[center][youtube]https://youtu.be/5qhBk_3OT-w[/youtube][/center]
[center][color=cc9331][h1]Brenton Ackerley[/h1][/color][/center]

Right away, Brenton rushed towards the sound. Was this the sister Aubrey was talking about? Instead, when the lake came into view, so did a young boy thrashing in the water - and two green-skinned, sharp-toothed creatures. Brenton's eyes widened. Ok, there was no rational way to explain THAT. 

With no time to think on it anyway, he sped up his sprint, taking action alongside the others. Freya's attack hit home, earning a garbled screech from the target. Spitting out oil-dark blood and two of its teeth, it flailed and grasped its long fingers at Freya's ankle, while the other creature fared little better as Marcus' branch swing knocked it back into the lake. When it tried to climb out, Brenton gave it a swift kick in the forehead.

To his bewilderment, the little boy stopped struggling and laughed. Not a sound of relief, but of amusement. [color=32e3c0]"Well, that wasn't very nice,"[/color] he said, eyes turning eerie pale blue as they flicked around Aina and the others with a mock accusing look. At once, the rest of his body transformed, the air shimmering as he swelled and contorted into a monstrous [url=https://i.imgur.com/Q8PA9bn.jpg]horse[/url]. Pondweed-mane dripping, white scales all over his body glinting as he moved, he lunged to grip Aina with his teeth.

Before Brenton could process the situation, he grabbed the utility knife from his pocket, flipping up the blade even as it felt unwieldy in his hand. [color=cc9331]"Leave her alone!"[/color] He knew how to chop through branches and vines, but defending against wild animals wasn't something he'd had to master. As clumsy as his desperation strike was, though, the horse whinnied as the blade swiped across its front leg. Flesh hissed as if the metal were hot, burn marks spreading over scaled skin.

Surprise flashed across Brenton's face, but he kept enough of his wits about him to call to the others over the chaos.

[color=cc9331]"Run!"[/color]

[hr]
[center][color=de2f46][h1]Aubrey Hughes[/h1][/color][/center]

Aubrey had known this place had to have a sinister side beneath the sparkle, but this was something else. [color=de2f46]"Get away from that kid, you bastard!"[/color] she yelled, stomping on a lake goblin's hand before it could reach Freya or harm the boy - just as said 'kid' turned out not to be quite who or what he seemed.

She gasped as the trick became apparent, the boy's true, equine form showing. She was sure she'd seen illustrations like it before, but this wasn't the friendly water horse of storybooks...

[i]Kelpie.[/i]

Not that it mattered what it was called. What mattered was getting the fuck away from it. Springing into movement, she glimpsed the knife slash across its leg, the red welts as if from a burn. Through her whirling thoughts, something else from the folktales came to mind. [i]Iron. Of course...[/i]

[color=de2f46]"Quick! Does anyone have anything made of iron or steel?"[/color] she called, wrapping her arm around the torso of an injured Victor to support him. With her free hand, she unhooked her belt chain, ready to use it as a makeshift whip if necessary. Hauling the wounded guy along as fast as she could, she glanced over her shoulder. The kelpie started to clamber from the water, as did its two goblin friends, and Aubrey could only hope against hope their injuries would slow them down.