"Drop the crossbow, or I'll tear her throat out."
"Psh, go ahead. Kill her. I couldn't care less. Huh, can't even wear a skirt like a proper woman." Brace replied.
"Tell you what, he said. "I'll make you a deal. I'll give you the wench, if you'll give me that crossbow bolt I shot you with back there."
The creature snarled in reply. Brace's smug, congenial smirk disappeared, and was replaced by a flat, angry expresion.
"Fine," he said, "if that's the way you want it, I'll take my bolt from your rotting carcass!"
As Brace swung the crossbow up to fire, the creature flung Rae to the side and leaped, snarling, at Brace. Brace shot the creature right between the eyes, tied up the woman, claimed the reward for the beast'd death, then sold the woman on the slave market to the highest bidder. At least, in theory. When Brace fired, the bowstring snapped, sending the bolt flying to the left to thunk into the trunk of a nearby red oak tree, not that he would have hit the creature anyway. Brace flung his crossbow at the creature and turned to run. Unfortunately for him it was too late. The creature came up behind Brace, plunged one clawed hand into the small of Brace's back, and with one swift yank, ripped out Brace's spine. The creature then calmly walked up to Brace's violently flopping body, and, grabbing him by the hair, pulled Brace's head clean off his neck.
After that, the creature held the still-dripping head out in front of its body, dropped the head, and punted it above the trees into the forest, disturbing a small flock of starlings that were roosting in a maple tree as the head fell to earth. Rae watched all this in a kind of shock, having struck her head on a rock protruding out of the ground when the creature threw her aside. The creature turned, as if suddenly remembering she was there. It slowly advanced on Rae, a murderous gleam in it's eyes. As it advanced, the creature growled, "I thought I told you to leave me alone."
By then, Rae had recovered her senses and began to summon her druidic powers. A not quite invisible field of energy surrounded Rae as she got to her feet. Rae's hands began to glow the brilliant green of growing things, shot through with streaks and flickers of light blue. The creature snarled and began to run toward her with inhuman grace and speed. A blinding nova of light exploded in front of the creature, knocking it off its feet and causing it to lose consciousness. Hands still glowing with power, Rae called upon the earth hold the creature within its embrace, and stepped into the nearest tree, coming out of the tree that rested almost in the exact center of her clearing.
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