Merryn dragged her feet, zigzagging as she staggered up the inn stairs. She flopped on the bed. She struggled with the confounded top armor piece then threw it on the floor. The shirt alone was so comfortable; she wiggled under the covers and fell asleep. 

In the middle of the night, the skin between her shoulder blades tore open. She howled, trembling as a wet creeper passed out of the wound; blood streamed down her back as it moved. 

It wormed up over her shoulders to her neck inching upward. What manner of evil is this? It started again. It wasn't imagined after all. The dark god tricked the Adapts. Oh, gods, oh gods, make it stop. 

A rolling laughter resounded in her head. 

The vines? Why the vines?

If her skin could crawl off her and escape, it would. This had to be a trick! Stretching her hand behind, she brushed against a few leaves. She jerked at the vines. They popped out. 

The roots clung to bits of her flesh. Still holding the vine in her hand, she tossed it across the room, where, it wriggled about in the moonlight. She screamed, breathed in several more times, and screamed again.

#### 

Some time later, an unfamiliar touch pulled her back from the nightmares. She startled. Just who was this? Cool blue half-moon eyes on a high-boned scruffy face, framed by black hair that had escaped from a leather tie. She recoiled and rolled away. 

"Don't touch me again. Get out, now."

He ignored her and pressed something to her back. A soothing sensation from some balm. The pain dulled some. A long cloth was torn in strips beside her. He grabbed several and wrapped her from back to front over her shirt. 

She flinched and pushed down a want to pound his rugged face into the floor. It ranked that he was in here, but it would be wrong to act so ungrateful for his help. She chewed on her lip--hard.

"Do you have any idea what that thing was?" He stood then pointed to a mass of green vines mashed to a pulp. 

Some of the stress in her shoulder relaxed. "No." The lack of sleep didn't help. 

He walked over to the fireplace and leaned against the mantel. 

"The vine was crawling towards the door when I came in. You can have my room if you like." 

There was no elsewhere. It traveled with, but he didn't need to know about that. She re-positioned her body, sitting upright. "It's gone now; there's no need." 

He never answered the first question. It was hard to think clearly through the fog of pain. 

"I still don't want you in here. Leave."

"Right away madam." He bowed stiffly with a flippant rolling hand wave. His expression hardened and his eyes pinched. 

"Just go." She hissed through her teeth. How dare he! He turned towards her at the doorway as if he wanted to say something, his upper lip twitched but stopped. With that, he left. 

She shadow boxed the wall pretending it was him. "Arrrg!"

####

Waking up the next morning, she pulled her armor on quickly and rushed out the door. She smacked right into someone, her forehead knocked back. Ouch, what a hard head. 

"Well, good to see you again. But -" She opened her eyes. 

"Slow down; what's your hurry?" He rubbed his temple. 

She lunged towards the stairwell. 

He grabbed her forearm before she reached the first step. She wrenched her arm back and forth. Can't use full strength on him. It's forbidden. 

"Stupid human, let me go now." She stared him down, unflinching. 

A corner of his eyelid twitched. 

"I only wish to help. No more arguments, I'm coming with you. As a Paladin, I'm honor bound to protect those in need." 

No mere human treated me this way, the arrogance of the man! It was strange he was so determined to protect. It didn't add up. 

She wrenched her arm free and tried to control herself, as she didn't want to alert any guards. She breathed in. Remember the treaty. She shoved him away. 

"If you value your fingers, don't do that again," she said. She hissed.

He slid back and bumped into the end of the hallway wall. He opened his mouth and closed it several times. 

Should knock him out. No, the guards might find him. Turning around, she walked down to the lobby and bought assorted supplies, filling her backpack, as stealing anything would grant unwanted attention. 

An hour later, she found him leaning against a tree, near the town's back exit. She stopped, spun around, and speed walked to the front entrance. Her mouth dry and her hands of frost, the warm night did nothing. Dang it, why was he there? Following her? 

Need to get to the seaport, but with him, it'll take much longer walking. She backed up and sat on a box beside a stall that was shrouded with hanging linen shirts. She smiled and stood back up.

It took another hour of pushing past the citizens. She managed to make it out to the woods just past the front gate. At night, the night vision activated. Everything now was of sharp gray lines highlighting them in the darkness.

Scanning ahead and towards the left was an area where there was a grove of trees. There a shack in the middle. A while later, she reached it and stepped over to it. She knocked on the door several times. No reply. She pushed it open. 

Spider webs adhered to her hands. She batted them away. The light sensation irritated her. 

She stepped inside the shack. Hum, it's empty-everything inside had rotted. Camping may be a better option, as the shack looked like it's liable to fall down any moment. Behind the shack stood a large pine tree. 

She sat down and started scraping at the ground, clearing away the pine needles, to uncover the bare dirt underneath them. Another lonely night, it was better this way. Whether she liked it or not, death followed close behind and always had his way. 

She rotated the skewered Fool Bird on the spit. The fire crackled from a drop of the rich fat, causing the flames to hiss. She stood up and turned around, trying to find a clear area between the trees. The sun now quite low in the southern sky. The more hostile creatures would be out soon. 

She snuffed out the fire, pulled her pack over a shoulder, and headed behind the shack. Whoever was following her was keeping their face hidden. Someone was here. The forest became silent; it seemed, not even a Harper-beetle dared wax its tune. 

It'd be a waste to use another spell so soon on something like this. She peaked around the side of the shack. 

Four curved and pointed legs stepped out of the shadows. As it continued forward, the shadows parted from its middle, a white furry body where the legs attached. It emerged skittering. Its head appeared next with a pink nose wiggling up and down, sniffing the air. 

The creature eye's were vile arachnid eyes, gleaming in the moonlight. Its ears long and fluffy, like those of a rabbit, and reached about four feet high. It inched closer to where she sat a moment before. Its fangs dripped poison. 

Need to get out of here now. Only a fool messed with them. She padded away, intending to wait until she reached the edge of the forest before speeding up. 

As she hunched low and worked her way down a hill, a man wearing a silver breastplate appeared on horseback. She cursed every god she knew, along with the ones only heard in passing. She eased down on her stomach, praying he hadn't seen her, crawling up the hill. There had to be a way to escape. 

"Hello? Miss? I know you saw me. I want to talk to you." 

She held back a snort. What an old trick. Hum, there seemed an area that was much darker off to the right of the shack but was sixty feet away. Climb up into a tree? No, too noisy. She tucked a lock of hair that hung in front of her eyes. 

Peaking at the creature again, it had disappeared. The spider-nab was up into the tree and had wrapped the branches close to it with webbing, hiding all but the tips of its legs. She swallowed.

She went over to the left, staying low, slid down, and fell. Dangling there, she waited for her heartbeat to slow before working her way back up. 

There was no choice. Just will have to try without the spell. She ran full tilt under the huge tree. A sharp burning pain on the top of her shoulder. Without looking, she pushed forward and leaped head-first into the dark area. 

She squeezed her eyes shut, half expecting to smack into a tree. Instead, her shoulders caught inside of a hole. Rolling them back and forth until the compact dirt crumbled, she pulled an arm free and worked on enlarging the hole, and she crawled inside. She turned around and backed into a tight corner hunched over. 

"Where did you go? Co-" The man yowled. A thud. The forest silent again. 

She rubbed her forehead with two fingers and swore at the gods for this wretched day. It was stupid, but popped her head out anyway. Too many trees blocked her view from here. Over to the tree, the horse's outline was a flat bloodless husk. Her mind screamed at her to run. She gripped a dagger tight and focused on her breaths. 

Where was the spider-nab? Another step and saw the online of the man. Bending over him, she squinted focusing her vision. He wasn't eaten at least. 

She put her hands on his shoulders and shook him a little. "Get up now!" 

She smacked his cheek. No response. 

A clicking and hissing behind her. 

Turning around, a branch whacked her in an eye. She rubbed at it. She blinked. Nothing was there. She did a quick search of the area. 

Hissing from behind. 

She hopped back. In the shadows? No, that's just silly. Enough of this. She went back to him and shook his shoulders. 

"Under gods below!" 

She faced him as a tickling sensation moved up her back, trying to ignore it. 

He groaned and rubbed his jaw. 

"Now!" She yanked at the idiot's arm hard and pulled him up into a seated position. 

"Ouch! Lady, ease off." He shook his head and stood up. "Hey-" "Shh! Let's get out of here before it comes back." 

She tugged on his arm with less force this time. She reached behind her back, pretending to scratch an itch. Nothing was there; need more sleep. 

She led the stumbling fool out of the woods, with the town from before ahead of him. 

"Quit following me, human." She turned towards the forest. 

"I have a name, you know." 

Should just keep walking, she muttered this under her breath. 

"Yes, and what is it?" 

"Parcival. Yours?" He straightened his chin, tilted up a little. 

"Merryn." 

He paused. He looked at her as if expecting something. 

Now, what? She put a hand on her hip and gave him the eye. Most people cleared out under that stare. Not this one; he was like a blob of tree sap stuck on your dagger handle, just couldn't shake him off. 

He bowed with his head tilted and a flamboyant flick of his hands a glint to his eyes. 

"I will bother you no longer this day."

Then headed back to town. 

After he was out of sight, she relaxed. The further away she distanced herself from him the better. And, headed to the forest as that spider-nab had to be somewhere in there.

Someone needs to put up a sign: Bloodsucking Monster! Stay out! 

In big red letters. Scanning ahead for a suitable camping area, as she continued down the path.