A looming beast hidden within the shrubs and grass. Haunting pants as they eyed on the three children like a fresh meal. Its crooked mouth salivates, the carbon left behind dribbling down, still staining his teeth after his last chance for a bite. He watched as they'd pause themselves, looking around, inching out his long, thin arm to take one for himself. As he does so...
SHIKK!!!
An immediate slash across the arm, cards fluttering over Applin's head, as Shady swooped on with a massive cleave, pushing the children away once the cards shifted into a monster, quickly exploding into icicles and cones. "THERE IT IS!!" Solomon shouted, quickly casting a plague of fire and locusts to both swarm and consume the plant-life, exposing the massive beast as it tries to recall back and keep himself hidden from view. Once such sunlight exposed his frame, it decides to shift again, taking on a larger form. Black ink would splash out from the stump, quickly writing down an object for the kids to be forced to follow: "Stone." Upon such inscription, all three were forced to be held in place, dragged across the ground and left on the ground as if they were petrified. None of them could properly budge, as they watched the card-like beast began to close in, seeing such a maw shift around to become a Jaguar's mouth. Even with such stiffed movements, Shady would be quick to operate outside, as he is merely his shadow, not his body. Materializing the Book and letting it grow to a greater size, he'd use this as a shield and barricade, bashing and pushing it away as much as possible, watching it try to swerve over for a better angle.
Knowing this blockade, the beast quickly shifts its arms once again, now changed to a bat-like creature, quickly scattering into smaller bats, whilst splitting his maw just as much so they can carry its main ability: Survival. Shady would try to blot out their path by stretching or wrapping the shadow around, but every time he does so, they find a way to reach out. Their eyes gleamed in white and blue, slowly shifting to grant them stronger vision and even infrared to see their body heat, allowing them to gun for such a path and weave around whatever isn't counted as red. With such a swarm and being inches away, Shady would try to take a risk and create a wave to shove the children away, whilst also shifting the trees with such strength to catch the attention of whoever was nearby. With such trees falling down and causing a small scene, harsh steps were heard to aid against the behemoth. The Beast was quick on shifting to another card, a massive flame escaping from the darkness to split it apart and expose Shady, a ring of fire and lava, a river of hot blood. It was carrying Enma's main ability of weaponizing Dante's Inferno.
The deck given to Harvard back in Khepros in animalistic form. A Creation by Jesta to act as his personal guard dog.
"HEY! STAND DOWN! CARTA! HEAVE YOURSELF NOW!!!" Orders quickly barked by afar, as the living Card Monster was holding itself back, returning back to its original state of scattered cards piled into a behemoth, with Fleisher's head once properly visible, now replaced. A couple would approach the creature, one with a sundress and sunhat, another with a white vest and black pants. It was as if they were trying to go out for an evening stroll, yet here they are taming the creature as if it was a pet. The magic left on the children wore off, and immediately they retaliated and held their guard up, with the couple quickly covering for Carta to protect it. "WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! Let's not get too violent here, children. He was just getting hungry and we haven't fed him yet. Aren't you, Carta?" The man asked, quickly petting the beasts head and watching it nod in accordance.
"One: Violence is usually what happens here. Two: HE TRIED TO EAT US! WHAT DID YOU EXPECT US TO DO!? LAY THERE AND TAKE IT!?!?" Stolas shouted, already having Sagittarius prepared on the off-chance it disobeys.
"You have to understand, his urges are hard to control. Sometimes he'd even try to snack on a few woodpeckers if they ever came close to our base. He's like a big, silky, silly doggy. Aren't you? Yes, you are! Yes. you. Are~!!" The woman replied, taking on a babyish voice and providing her own pets to the behemoth, baffling the children further. Were they not aware of what it was? What it can do? Solomon was starting to infer these people either must be blind, dumb, or following Jesta's orders after recalling it being the beast that he stole during Khepros' watery cataclysm.
"Urges? URGES??? URGES!??!?!" The Biblical Sorcerer was starting to get just as infuriated, but was quickly silenced by the man.
"Okay, okay, I'm sensing a lot of hostility. Very much understanding to why, trust me." He'd began, noticing over Applin's scared reactions when she stared directly at Carta, knowing fully well she was going to be dinner to it, offering his hand up to shake for the children. "...Sooooooo in response, how about we let you in our abode? Give us a chance to explain, and if you still feel insulted-"
"WHICH WE ARE!"
"Ahem, Then I can reach a compromise and be under your favor. How does that sound, hmm? Can we shake on it? I believe a deal like this is something we can shake on."
"You have 5 seconds before I decide to flood everything."
"OKAY! No shaking required! We'll do both and then some!" The man was quick on retracting his hand and letting them lead on to their base. "For reference, by the way, I am Johanne. She is my lovely wife for five years, Janie. Charmed, I'm sure..."
"4..."
"RIGHT! Right! You want to hurry up with the formalities. No need for your names then, we'll just take a wild stab at it!" The two hurried themselves and let the children be. While they are more than aware to stay away from this campsite and keep themselves as far as possible and take the metal back, they do know they need some level of intel to learn regarding their competitors. With hesitance, as well as dismay, the three got themselves up and cautiously followed inside.