{Creature Hunt} The Death Millipede

[Namari Lovelle]

((for picture of beast, click on here... link))

The sun had just risen. The air was fresh, and warm, a comfortable day to spend outside. But not all areas in Avaleur were like this, of course. The ruins seemed to be a little less friendly lately- the air was more damp, the breeze sent shivers down many spines. Perhaps it was because the ruins were old, and filled with the past.

Or, more likely, it was because of the monster which crept through its corridors.

If one were to be standing in the old throne room at that moment, they would be simply horrified. Three unknown thieves had decided to raid the old ruins, hoping to find some hidden treasure. Sadly, they were not made aware of the creature hunt being planned in Avaleur.

They had never seen anything like it- and caught unprepared, they all were killed. Three bodies, sliced up and spread out across the entire throne room. In the distance, down the corridors, the beast was already gone. It left as fast as it came, its legs drenched in blood, the few wounds it gathered seeping with poison.

Anyone with a fear of bugs would believe this beast came out of their worst nightmare. The Death Millipede.

The millipede could barely be heard, only the slight tapping of its thin but vicious feet could be heard. It twisted and turned down the pathways, until it suddenly turned onto the wall, where a hole lay. The creature slipped into the hole, and a faint echo could be heard as it made its way through the ruins.

[Deleted]

Through one means or another Logan had heard enough to find out about this monster. He'd also been carefully quietly starting to work on trying to scout out the ruins. In his experience at least such monsters would have routine. If they didn't then they would be harder to hunt but not impossible. For this reason Logan had moved in to the vicinity of the ruins, without approaching them directly. His concealed position had been able to allow him to observe the thieves approaching. He'd heard their cut off screams yet still he'd bided his time.

Instead he waited. While he was confident in his own abilities to take this beast alone and kill it if need be having a fellow hunter might be useful. As long as they wouldn't get in his way. He knew he didn't have the poisons that he once had, and a part of him couldn't help but to remember when he'd teamed up with another before. That had been slaying a cocaktrice in the sewers beneath dungeons. How he'd ended up in dungeons was a story he chose to often not go into.

Much of his waiting time was spent in meditation, though occasionally he would leave the camp fire to scout out herbs. He knew without the potions to enhance his own skills he would potentially be in trouble, and it had been with some relief he'd found the necessary ingredients to at least create one that would enhance his already enhanced eyesight.

These potions would be toxic to anyone who hadn't undergone the mutations and training he'd been put through, but for him? They gave him another edge. If only he could make one to assist his bodies natural healing ability he would be happy.

[Analisia Moonbright]

Analisia was walking beside Nate, glad to be away from the horse for the time being. Although she had enjoyed riding for the most part, she still felt that her own two feet were more reliable. Her hair was tight in it's braid, she did not want it to block her view at any time during this mission, there was far too much at stake. Having discarded her velvet dress for her hide armor, Analisia moved much more quickly, and quietly. Her amber gaze darted this way and that, trying to take in the ruins as best as she could. 

She and Nate had stayed in the village Riverbed for a day, gathering what information through rumors that they could. None were very specific, other than a few men had recently gone missing in the ruins, and that no one went near the area often. There was only one person who even had a full description of the beast that they were tracking down. It seemed that one hunter had already made his way to the ruins, having passed through the village the day before no less. Taking all of this in, Analisia made note that this might be harder than she initially thought it was going to be. Taking care of a giant bug was one thing. Knowing that the giant bug was a millipede was another all together. From what she remembered learning about the millipede, in it's regular tiny size, they were poisonous. In a bad way. That was going to complicate things, especially since she knew she was going to change if she started to feel too threatened at any point. 

Even thinking about the possibility of going feral made her sick to her stomach. Though she did her best to hide this discomfort from Nate while he was around. Luckily, there wouldn't be a full moon for a few weeks. So she didn't have to worry so long as she could keep control of her temper, the thought was sobering. 


Upon arriving at the edge of the ruins, Analisia motioned for Nate to keep quiet.

"We aren't sure how the beast tracks down it's prey. It could be by scent, it could be by sound. Either way, we should stay quiet if we can. And we should stick together, getting separated could mean both of us dying." She whispers as silently as she can. She kneels down, trying to catch sight of anything that might lead them in the direction of the beast. Finding what looks like small scrapes in the dirt, she points them out to Nate, silently seeking his opinion.

[Nate]

Nate fiddled with the straps to his pauldrons to be sure that they fit snug to his shoulders as he walked alongside Analisia. He had a stoic look to him as he walked, his eyes only focused on what was ahead of them. The information that they had gathered was disconcerting, to Nate at least. Ignorance truly was bliss, his confidence was mostly gone after learning the dangers of the creature they would be fighting. Not only was it massive, and not only was it a massive bug, but it was a massive bug that was poisonous. In the time during their arrival in Riverbed, Nate had found a stable to keep Tarian for a while. He had also prepared five additional arrows, and the rest were fastened with a mixture of cloth and wire, then soaked in oil. They'd light at the slightest spark, and with the arrowhead exposed, it would surely bring down anybody's day if they were to be on the receiving end.

Those that had tried and failed before him didn't phase his confidence. He was not the kind of person to compare his own chances of success based on another's failure, a trait bestowed and drilled into his head by his late father. He examined the ruins, overrun with the life that had continued to live beyond its time.

“Hm.” he exhaled as he turned toward Analisia who gestured for him to fall silent, which he did. As she began to speak and knelt down, Nate pulled the bow off his torso and withdrew a single arrow without the cloth fastening. He pulled the nock onto the string and held it loosely with his hand. “Staying quiet sounds good.” he said in a lowered tone. It wasn't quite a whisper, but it definitely wasn't regularly audible at a distance. “Stay quiet and stick together, got it. The tracks head into the ruins, so it looks like we'll be going inside. I'll take point, since I've got the range 'n all.” he said, though he didn't move. He awaited a response before acting on his own.

[Analisia Moonbright]

Analisia nodded in response to Nate's question. Then motioned for him to take the lead. She grabbed her daggers and held them out to her sides, at the ready. If they ran into the beast, stabbing it at such close range wasn't the best idea, but if she could manage to get on the beast's head and give it a sharp stab to whatever brains it had, they might make short work of it.

She doubted that that would be the case however. Right now, she was in a mainly scout capacity. Analisia didn't want to bring attention to it, but the whole place smelt badly of decay and death. And something else, more... rotten. Still crouching, she traced the tracks in the dirt. Occasionally tapping on the floor to get Nate to look at the small change in direction the tracks would take.

Then she smelt the blood.

Her eyes going wide, her nose twitching like mad, she waved a hand to catch Nate's attention. Trying to warn him to slow down. She made her way off to the side, until she came upon a splatter of blood. Following that to the next pool. And eventually she came upon the place where the bodies of the thieves laid. Or the pieces that were left. Her mouth fell open. She had assumed the men were dead, but she never expected such carnage. Never.

[Nate]

Nate was attentive to what was in front of him, not what laid on the ground. The signals and cues from Analisia kept him on the right track, if it could be called that. To any sane man, they would be going the wrong way. The only correct way was where they came from.

The smell of rot and blood was mostly lost on Nate. There was definitely something off about the ruins, the damp air having allowed for many undesirable things to grow, but the air was rather uncomfortable. It simply felt as uninviting as it looked. They had traversed the inside of the ruins now, and with every step they took closer to the throne room, the stench of blood grew thicker.

He smelled the rot before he saw anything, turning back only once to glance to Analisia with a concerned look. He watched her move off to the side and kept to his own side as well as she moved forward. With the bow still held tightly in his grasp and an arrow at the ready, he proceeded onward. Nate stopped behind Analisia and lowered the bow, yet still held the arrow against the string. “Whoa... That's not good.” he said in a whisper like tone.

[Analisia Moonbright]

"This is not good. Not good at all." She whispers, horrified. Still there was something about the carnage that kept her from looking away. She moved closer, studying the scene. Analisia kept her steps light, trying her best not to disturb any of the foot prints, and especially not any of the blood. "Don't get the blood on you, if he can follow scent, that will be a beacon like no other. It is bad enough that we have nothing to cover our natural scent."

She shakes her head, but continues moving through the carnage. Occasionally sweeping down to her knees to get a closer look down at markings all over the floor. "That way."

She points further into the ruins, deeper into the darkness. It seemed as though even sunlight would not touch this place. Breathing deeply to calm herself down, she tried to fight off the feeling that this was a trap. She looks back to Nate, her nostrils flaring. She wasn't afraid of bugs, but she was claustrophobic, and the way these ruins felt was definitely the opposite of open and inviting. Her hands gripped tightly onto her daggers.

After a few moments, she was able to calm herself down enough to continue. Nodding to Nate, she allows him to take lead once again, refusing to focus on anything but the task of tracking the beast down.

[Nate]

Nate examined the bodies but didn't get too close, as he was advised. “Hmh... If this thing lives in catacombs full of bodies, wouldn't it be better if we smelled like something it lives with? I mean... I'm not going to go rolling in their entrails or anything...” he said as he shot her a quick glance before looking back down at the bodies and grimacing slightly. “Just a thought, I guess. Probably isn't good to walk around smelling like a corpse anyways.” he said as he continued forward.

He stopped as he noticed something rather strange in the corridor they were headed down. It was a pair of parallel lines made from blood that had been running along the ground thus far, until they turned suddenly and ran up a wall and into a hole. “Hey, uh... Hm.” he said, his voice still low. “What's this about? There's a couple trails of blood that run right up this wall.” Nate said as he turned back and gestured with the bow and arrow in his hand, using the arrow to point toward it. The trails were made from the millipede's legs that were drenched in the blood of the deceased thieves, enough to show that their hunting target had run up into the hole.

“It heads back from the way we came.” he said upon examining the direction of the trails. “Think we should light up a torch?”

[Analisia Moonbright]

Turning to eye the tracks Nate pointed out, Analisia nods sharply. "I think a torch would be a good idea. If we are gonna follow it into that hole, I would rather be able to see past the end of my nose."

She touches the wall, just beneath the blood trails. Walking up towards the hole she eyes it for a moment. Then turns back to Nate, speaking quietly. "Our sense of sound is going to be our best ally in there. The torch can cast shadows where nothing else is, though it will help us see what is around the corner. Just listen as closely as you can, and make as little noise as possible. We don't know what that hole is going to be like, so I'm not sure how great of a range you're going to have."

Sitting down, Analisia sets down her daggers, and takes off her leather boots. She takes her pack off of her back, searching inside it for a moment before taking out a wrap of cloth. She binds it around her boots, attempting to muffle their sound, even if it would make her slightly less capable at running. If necessary, she could simply cut the knot off and they would unravel. Placing the last of the wraps into her back, she begins digging through it again. Finally grabbing her flint and steel, taking them out. Then silently offers them to Nate.

[Nate]

The damp air grew heavier with each moment that they spent in the ruins. Nate exhaled a lengthy yet hushed breath as he turned to look back at Analisia. He glanced down at the flint and steel that he was offered and took them silently, the two materials making a slight noise as they entered his hand. He pulled the arrow off the string of his bow and placed it between his teeth, then slung the bow over his shoulder as he pulled one of the torches he'd prepared in advance. It was simply a piece of wood with a bit of rolled up cloth that had been soaking in oil for a few hours prior to being wrapped up with some wire.

Nate lowered himself down to one knee and set the torch on the ground. He struck the steel against the flint and sent sparks flying. The oil soaked cloth took the sparks almost instantaneously and were lit ablaze. The dark corridor was illuminated by the warm light. He lifted the torch off the ground and handed the flint and steel back to Analisia without turning his head. “It's good for an hour, maybe.” he said after removing the arrow from his mouth while raising up to his feet.

He raised the torch above his head to the hole in an futile attempt to illuminate it, hoping to get an idea of what could be lurking on the other side. The sudden introduction of a bright light to the dark hallway had forced his eyes to adjust. Even in the dark he could still make out figures and shapes, to some extent at least, but the light that the torch provided allowed him to see the finer details.

“Guess I'll go first.” he said, any confidence that was once present in his voice having long since disappeared. Nate returned the arrow in his grasp to the quiver on his back and secured the bow across his torso. He, unlike Analisia, didn't see the need to mask the sound of his footsteps. The risk of being unable to escape on a moment's whim was just too drastic for him to willingly take. With the torch still in his right hand he took a few steps away from the wall, then sprinted toward it. He vaulted himself up the wall and grabbed the opening in the wall with both hands, one still holding the torch and illuminating further inside.

He exhaled as he pulled himself up but stopped before going any further in. Nate fell silent for a moment, the only sound came from the ambiance and the crackling of the torch's fire. “W..whoa!” Nate said through a shaking voice as he fell backward off the wall and landed on his rear. The bowstring of his bow snapped as he landed, but he didn't seem to mind too much as he turned toward Analisia with an expression that could only be summed up with one word: terrified. “Time to run!”

(Sorry for taking so long with the reply, I was at work for most of the day. Also, Namesiwa gave permission to roleplay as the Death Millipede, so dis gon b good)

[Analisia Moonbright]

Turning her head away, she covers one eye. It was an old trick to keep for being blinded by the sudden light, but it worked every time. After a few seconds, she looks back up at Nate. Accepting the flint and steel, she stuffs it back into her pack. Then tosses the pack on again. Standing up, she takes a small step to test out the binding, finding it acceptable, she walks up to Nate. Her footfalls barely making any noise at this point.

"We might need more than an hour, but so long as you have more than one torch, we can do this." She stood onto her tiptoes to try looking past Nate into the hole. She bit her lip, that hole was a little tight, no matter how big it looked with the light. That light could only reach so far, and she really really didn't want to go into the hole at all. But she could think of no other way to track the creature. Sighing, she almost stepped again when Nate spoke. "You can go first if you want, but if there are any sharp turns, that bow of yours won't do much good in the corridor. Long ranged weapons don't work well in tight corridors. But please, be my guest.

Her voice was rough with anxiety. She watched as Nate attempted to vault himself up and grab hold of the hole, that could have been handled easier with a little teamwork, but if he wanted to do it that way, so be it. It was his prerogative. However, she did take a few steps back, getting ready to jump herself.

But stopped once Nate fell backwards. Rushing up to him, she bent down, about to ask if he were alright. Only to see the look in his eyes. She could sum it up as pure terror. Gasping, Analisia took a look up at the hole, reaching a hand down to help Nate absent-mindedly. Her ears straining to hear any sound.

((Dont worry about it, I totally understand. And awesomesauce!))

[Nate]

Nate had left himself in a rather unfavourable position in relation to the hole in the wall, being just across from it. The torch he had dropped on their side of the wall only illuminated a small portion of the interior of the wall, leaving much to the imagination to what lurked just beyond the darkness. Beyond the crackling of the fire and Nate's heavy and panicked breathing a peculiar sound echoed. It hardly sounded like anything more than a slight yet rapid tapping that grew ever louder with each passing second.

He reached out for her hand, but not with the intention of simply using it to rise to his feet. Instead, he pushed off the wall he was resting against and grabbed the string-less bow that had fallen not far from him. In the same motion as rising to his feet and grabbing his bow he attempted to pull Analisia toward him. Nate lowered himself closer to the ground while attempting to pull her and, if he was successful with his endeavor, he would have her tossed over his shoulder and already running in the other direction toward the throne room.

“What're you doing?! I said run! That thing's in there!” he said, his voice shaky. In his panicked state, he had decided that simply picking Analisia up, or attempting to, would be the best course of action given the situation at hand. With her mobility inhibited by the cloth that silenced her movements, he didn't think that there would be enough time for her to remove them and run. Nate would also leave the torch behind, illuminating the hole behind them for Analisia to see if she cared to look. The two would be not very far from the hole should Nate's attempt have proved fruitful before a slight rumbling could be heard over the heavy footsteps. Only an instant after, it burst from the walls, sending rubble and debris into the air. The torch would light it all up, and only then could it be seen; the Death Millepede.

[Analisia Moonbright]

Analisia felt Nate tug at her hand, and she steadied herself, ready to help him stand to his feet. Her sharp hearing picking up the rampant tapping that was echoing softly. Then she was pulled from her feet, tossed over a shoulder and carried away from the sound. Her braid swinging wildly, her hands gripping tighter to her daggers, and grunting.

"What do you think you are doing, put me down!"she hisses as she struggles to get out from Nate's grasp. Then she saw it, the Death Millipede. She stopped struggling immediately, frozen. Analisia was so shocked that she almost dropped her daggers, keeping hold of them at the last moment. "I take it back, don't bother wasting the time to drop me, just run. But when I say down, drop me, and don't stop running, or it won't be pretty..."

She knew what was going to happen. This wasn't going to be a simple hunt like she had hoped. This was going to end up a fight to the death. And one she would only remember the next day, once the Change had ended. She lifted her feet, doing her best not to unbalance Nate. Cutting each knot that held the wrappings to her feet. They wouldn't do her any good now. She watched as the Millipede slithers it's way closer, dreading every second of what is coming.

She mentally urged Nate onward, hoping and wishing that he could put enough distance between them and the Millipede that the Change wouldn't be forced upon her. She hated it so much, but she knew that when it came to fight or flight, her alternative form always chose to fight until there was no option left to run, and it wasn't exactly the smartest about that choice either. Whispering under her breath, "Please don't let me hurt him."

[Nate]

Nate had given himself enough time from when he began sprinting to when the millepede emerged to not be immediately caught by the monstrosity behind him. The second it had caught sight of Analisia and Nate, it erupted into a thunderous sprint toward them, hundreds of legs pounding against the cold stone walls and echoing past the two as they fled. It was fast too, considerably more so than Nate, so it wouldn't be long before it caught up to them.

He glanced over his shoulder to see the silhouette of the millepede closing in, then snapped his head forward again. The light from the throne room grew closer with each heavy step he took. The millepede was just barely upon them now as the two entered the throne room. Nate stepped down hard on his right foot and rounded the corner, allowing for the monolithic millepede to speed past them and into the open space. It kicked up dust and debris as it passed, and Nate didn't waste much time standing to catch his breath. He lowered himself to one knee and set Analisia down gently to allow her back onto her feet. “Shit... Looks like we're in for a fight.” he said as he watched the Millepede scramble up the far wall, barely illuminated by rays of light that broke through the rubble above.

Nate pulled the spare bowstring he kept wrapped on his wrist off with a single movement, the knot having been tied to ensure that he could do such if it was necessary. “Can you light up this torch for me? I'll keep him off you in the meantime.” Nate said as he pulled the second torch from his belt and handed it toward Analisia. “We're gonna find out how much this thing likes fire.”

He pushed one loop of the bowstring over the limb notch and pushed down to hook the other. Upon finishing, he reached back and grabbed one of the arrows from his quiver and notched it onto the string. Nate exhaled a sharp whistle in the direction of the millepede as he distanced himself from Analisia and pulled the string back with his right arm. He released the arrow toward the large Millepede which had begun to make its way toward Nate, only for the arrow to bounce off the upper section of its body.

[Analisia Moonbright]

Analisia watched the approach of the millipede from Nate's back. Her jaw clenching and unclenching as it drew closer. When Nate rounded the sharp turn, she squeaked. Having never been carried like this for as long as she could remember, it wasn't exactly an experience she would want to repeat. Far too much havoc. She sighed heavily when Nate set her back on the ground.

Glad to have been finally let down, despite the fact that a giant bug was chasing them down to have them for lunch; Analisia nodded, shoves her daggers into their sheathes, and pulled her pack around quickly. Rooting through it as fast as she could, she pulls out the flint and steel again. Taking the torch between her knees, she strikes the flint and steel together. The sparks miss the torch. Looking up, she sees the millipede speeding toward them again. Her hands begin to shake.

Trying to focus on the task at hand, Analisia strikes the flint and steel again. This time the torch catches, roaring into life. Tossing the flint and steel into her pack, she scoops up the torch and runs to stand beside Nate. Flinching as his arrow strikes the millipede, but only to be deflected. "Looks like we need a new plan. Any ideas? Because I am about to resort to cutting down it's legs one by one."

Her hands are still shaking. Her eyes look darker than they were before. No longer a warm amber, but instead a deep chocolate brown. She can't tear her gaze away from the beast.

[Nate]

Nate watched his arrow bounce off the Millepede's plated backside and narrowed his eyes. He turned toward Analisia as she approached him with the lit torch, and then directed his attention back to the Millepede as it rapidly advanced toward them. “Shit! Uh...” he muttered through his teeth. Nate thought quickly and acted immediately, his him was to loosely grab Analisia's wrist as she stood by his side. He wasn't being very rough, as Nate wasn't barbaric, but the torch in her hand was his aim. He would move her wrist in front of them if he had been able to grasp it and wave the torch once as the Millepede approached. Under the assumption that he did succeed, the Millepede would release a rather strange and indescribable sound as it scurried off away from the flame.

“New plan...” he muttered as he glanced down at the torch, repeating himself a few times before it finally licked. “Yeah, I've got an idea.” Nate said, only then realising that he had put himself rather close to Analisia. “Er... Uh, sorry.” he said as he released his grasp and pulled himself back, his face reddened. Nate immediately began to rummage around in the knapsack he'd brought with him and removed an oil lantern from within.

“Here's the plan. We'll smash this lantern over the thing and then I'll light it up from a distance with an arrow.” he said. Nate had brought the lantern along after becoming a bit paranoid of getting lost in the ruins. He'd filled it with enough oil to keep it alight for a few hours, so it would surely coat the millepede enough for it to the plausible for Nate to hit it. “...Sorry to put you in this position, but do you think you could get close enough with the lantern? I can tell you're a lot faster than me.” he admitted, though it was hardly a revelation. With his armour and equipment, the difference in their mobility was clear.

[Analisia Moonbright]

Nate managed to grab Analisia's wrist, surprising her. Yanking her arm and waving it back and forth along with the lantern. A little disheveled, Analisia quirked an eyebrow towards Nate, though she was glad the the Millipede seemed to back off due to the flame. When he blushed, she leaned her head to the side, eyebrows now furrowed, then decided that now was not the time to ask what was wrong. There was a much larger issue at stake. Turning back to face the Millipede, she continued waving the torch around the way Nate had only moments before. Hopefully the beast wouldn't decide that finding a way around the torch was smart.

Though she wasn't sure if the Millipede was smart enough to consider something like that.

Listening to Nate rustle through his pack, she glanced at him, now wielding the torch like a blade, out in front of her. "Faster... ha... Yeah, I am faster than you. I will get in as close as I can, but do you want me to aim for legs, or the head?"

She quickly formulated in her mind the chances of getting close to either target. She wasn't as quick as the Millipede, or as agile. But she figured that she had a pretty good chance of getting it covered in oil. And if it managed to grab her, then it would most likely be facing a wolf rather than a woman.

Nodding to herself as she thought, she holds her hand out for the lantern, offering the torch in exchange. "I'll see if I can't open up a wound or two while I am at it."

Oddly, she wondered if riding a millipede would be anything like riding a horse.

[Nate]

Nate took the torch as it was offered to him and handed Analisia the lantern in exchange. The bright flames seemed to be keeping the millepede at a distance from them. It seemed fortune had favoured them in that regard, but the flames wouldn't last forever. “Aim for whatever is easiest. Don't put yourself in too much danger to get it in a specific spot, it'll be all the same when it's ablaze.” Nate said as he reached back with his right hand and grabbed another arrow from his quiver. "..And uh... Be careful, please. As careful as you can be anyways, getting close to something like that."

“I'll keep it's attention on me so that you can get close.” he said as he raised the arrow over the torch's flame. The oil soaked cloth fastened to the arrow was lit aflame and began to burn bright like the torch. “As soon as you get the oil on it, get away as fast as you can. I'll try and light it right after.” Nate said as he prepared the flaming arrow against the bow's string. “You ready?”

Nate had been given enough time since running to catch his breath. Even as he held the flaming arrow against the bow with one hand and the torch in the other, he could feel the shakiness of his grasp fading. Perhaps it was adrenaline, or perhaps it was stupidity, but he had a good feeling about the new plan. He was blind going into the ruins, unsure of what exactly they would be facing even after gathering the information. He'd lost a bit of confidence in their chances of winning after watching his first arrow bounce off it's back, but nothing could live through being burned alive. His breath steadied as his eyes narrowed, his gaze settling upon the millepede for only a moment before he glanced toward Analisia.

[Analisia Moonbright]

Analisia took the lantern, bobbing it for a moment to get the feel for it. It wasn't too heavy so she could lob it fairly well. She just hoped she didn't miss. That would make life difficult. She looked at Nate, eyes still dark.

"I'll get as close as I can to it. And I will be as careful as possible," She smiles momentarily, then takes a deep breath. "I'm ready. Let's do this."

She turns back to face the Millipede. It was now or never. Analisia took off running. The best chance she was going to have was to get right under the beast, or over it. She was going to have to gamble. Choosing in a moment, she runs up against the wall, trying to blend in as much as she could with the shadows that the torch was throwing off. Analisia is running right towards the Millipede, if a bit to the left. Her eyes roaming to see what place would give her the best advantage. Finding a spot with what was once a window ledge just above it, she aims towards that area. Moving at full speed, despite the monster in front of her.

At the last second, just before she could reach the Millipede, she dives forward, off to the side of it's legs, towards the area she decided on earlier. Clutching the lantern to her chest, she rolls forward, over her shoulders. Now on her knees, she pivots, watching and waiting to see the beast's reaction, if it managed to notice her.

[Nate]

Nate looked into Analisia's eyes as she glanced toward him. His gaze lingered for a second after she said she was ready, and he only snapped out of it as she ran off. “Right!” he said as he dropped the torch and placed his hand upon the bowstring. He pulled the flaming arrow back and released his grasp as he reached the limits of the bow. The arrow soared directly into the supposed head of the millepede, but hit the plated topside again and simply bounced off it. The flames definitely got it's attention, though.

He raised his hand over his head and grabbed the next arrow from the quiver and lit it aflame. “Hey, over here you big... er... thing!” Nate yelled in an attempt to pull its attention. The millepede was a breed that dwelled underground and in darkness, so it's eyesight was practically useless. It had relied on various other senses, including reacting to sound, and thus its attention was dead-set on Nate as he whistled loudly while firing off the second burning arrow. The millepede had risen to stand upright as the arrow was released, the metal head capable of penetrating the softer underbelly of the behemoth.

Although the arrow did actually make contact and penetrate the beast's underside, it did very little to stop it's advance at first. However, once the realisation that the arrow carried flames with it, the millepede began to back away. Nate glanced past the millepede to look at Analisia who had positioned herself behind it now after it had begun to close in on him. If it had even noticed her, it seemed to prioritize the source of the loudest noise, which was Nate. A third arrow was retrieved and notched, then lit aflame using the torch on the ground. He waited to fire it, to see if Analisia had been given an adequate opening to act.