Time slowed, gears turned and churned till they overheated. On the inside, Iye was quite panicking.
'What now? There is an inferno coming closer and closer and the shelter I need to take is in this heat-resistant hole, to make it better I'm carrying a heavy vegetable, no offense young man'
Her wooly hand rested at her hips, looking completely unbothered to the outside.
"So, you can talk, yes?"
No
Iye nodded, going along with whatever crap they were aiming for.
"Aha so you can't talk, gotcha"
No
But its repeating vehement refusal left her confused, specifically to the one on the left.
"?"
The Oksi traced a claw to its throat, the Adam's apple.
Why is food speaking?
Its question came out genuine, not understanding why its prey talked back.
"Because I ain't"
You have a way with words cute bread
"What do you even find appetizing about something invisible?"
As she spoke and argued with the Oksi, her feet slowly danced towards Cale.
'Let's just get this guy and leave, don't want any trouble with these'
Her wooly gloves clasped behind her back, the wildfire burning the Ohrn trees singed her entire back, she glimpsed back at the flaming hurricane.
'Fuck, fire is going to be a huge problem'
She glanced back at the Oksi, instinctively taking a step inside in the wet interior of the tree, solidified soles on translucent feet carrying the owner's weight.
'My options are extremely limited'
Sprinting and hopping to another Ohrn tree proved difficult to achieve in this kind of situation.
'My insight could easily fix this problem, however the penalty would slow me down overall too much'
Stamina needed to be conserved more than anything right now, handicapping herself in this situation was the wisest choice she could make, despite also being the most riskiest.
'Ah, it's starting to close up'
The gaping hole in the tree contracted and began closing in on itself, luminescent hanging lights inside lit up in variety like glowsticks in the dark. Swaying slightly to the sides, dangling on the dark surface of the ceiling.
Iye hopped inside, roots cushioning her soles molding invisible bare feet, while Cale remained cold close at her side, she resolved to end the Oksi as quickly as possible.
'There is only three so there isn't much of a problem numbers wise'
But those were just words, one opponent wasn't much but handling three at the same time? The difficulty naturally spikes up. Even Iye couldn't focus her attention on all three of them
So what was the best plan she could make in this kind of situation? To make sure her survival chances remained at a stoic high percentage. What could she do?
"Oh my~"
?
??
???
All Oksi tilted their heads in confusion, each head growing more astonished by the exaggerated body movements of Iye, or well her clothes anyway.
The silence dragged on, so much so that the hole had almost closed up, Iye's hands that rested on her hips were both raised, a mocking tone soon followed her gesture
"THREE Oksi!"
She brought her hands to the side, the hole behind her closing completely with her slow dragging movements. Next, arms flexed and thumbs were pointed at her.
"Yet only one Iye!"
She voiced a complaint like the good consumer she was. A fist clenched tightly under the cruelty she was placed under
"You attempt to gang up on me with sheer numbers due to your lack of skill!"
Then, in a prideful, noble manner she pointed on the Oksi at the middle
"Shame on you! Animals devoid of noble pride! Does your manly fighting spirit simply not exist?!"
A....brilliant strategy centered on manipulating pride. Using the target's overconfidence to your advantage.
'As if I'm fighting all three! I'd rather fight a swarm of wasps instead of whatever this bullshit is!'
Avoiding the constant use of insight would be difficult if Iye were to fight all three, this was the best she could come up with in the current present, but the Oksi appeared to have other priorities.
Sooo, can we like, eat you? Now that you are done with your final words and all.
The one on the left said, yawning ever so slightly, brushing broken off smelly branches that laid on the floor.
"...."
'Ah right, they are animals, so why would they have any pride?'
The plan failed miserably to say the very least, but it felt like it was worth a shot in the current situation. Still Iye tried to act nonchalant and bite off of sympathy.
"Oh? So you will, in the end fight me like the little brats you are, truly the nature of the spineless, you show your ancestors the proud animal you are"
These words were not taken lightly against the Oksi, the one on the right growled with a festering desire to force prey on going back on their words.
How dare this mere cloth speak....
Let it be brother.
But!
I said let it be, she is only an ignorant fool that speaks uncouth words
'The middle one, is it their leader?'
The one on the middle calmed its brother on the right, the other on the left only spoke with claws scratching its back.
Whatever, lets end this quickly and feed our tribe
"Pf"
?
A chuckle escaped Iye's invisible lips, all the Oksi turned to her, completely ignoring Cale which worked for Iye regardless of anything that might occur next.
"Who knew the Oksi could be this dumb"
What did you just say?
The Oksi on the left stopped scratching its furry back and glared with bloodshot and salivating mouth at Iye.
"You heard me dum dum"
She stopped her playful tone and turned serious. Body shifted and twisted to the side, a stance that made her easier to be 'pushed' away, a structure made to be collapsed.
A leg was pulled back, ligaments strained and flexed, fist raised like a sword's unmovable structure. Stance shielding her core by angle, as if gripping an invisible rapier that just did not exist.
Huh, what the hell is that?
Hah! Even her way of fighting is uncouth Brother!
Iye was slightly taken aback by what she heard, not because they insulted her stance but for another reason. Quickly, however, she regained composure.
'I see, so that's it'
Her stance broke and relaxed. The giant Ohrn tree quaked with the raging fire that lashed out with physical strikes. The Oksi in the middle crossed its long claws together.
Are you not gonna take that weird stance of yours?
"No need"
?
Iye cracked her knuckles, popping sounds syncing with the loud bangs that could be faintly heard outside.
"I can beat you with just dirty tricks"
The Oksi in the middle turned silent for a few moments, in clear deep thought with the words that mocked their physical abilities. He retorted back with hard and true facts.
You can't, no manner of trickery you employ can best the three of us together, even if we handicapped ourselves and restricted the use of out long arms, you still can't beat us
"And what exactly is that strong long arm of yours capable of doing?"
She attempted small talk, to make them even a little more annoyed at them.
It is a durable and strong whip capable of destroying our prey in seconds
"That could be very fun to deal with, well not for me but for the weirdos I mean"
The Oksi on the right had enough and clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Enough with this chatter box brother Am! Finish her
A slip-up, a deadly one at that.
'Am... I will be sure to remember sparing him. Found a good use for you because of your big-mouthed brother'
Wooly gloves clasped back and held onto each other, feet raising upwards in an innocent manner.
"So who's coming? We don't got all day, I gotta kill the two of you"
Wait
The Oksi in the middle stepped forward, presumably their leader. Confused by what he heard, his hand raised upwards in a questioning manner.
Two? Not three?
She turned silent for a while, the insects bustled and moved in an organized manner like the robots they were.
"Well"
Bringing a left hand to her drooping chin, she in a mocking manner idled her body around, swaying to the right and left.
Finally, as if she stopped her slice-of life games, the inside of the tree and all three Oksi along with the insects stopped uttering a sound at the paused figure of Iye that emanated a certain unknown suffocating pressure, raising a chin towards the three with an incognito gaze directed straight at them, no emotion could be felt through that gaze, it was eerily monotonous, and so was her voice in the same manner.
"I need a suitable bait for the future, you know? In case I run into a platys and all"
'They are animals, and in the Sabe Serotifio it is killed or be killed, so they wouldn't mind much, would they?'
Expectations were laughably raised, inevitably being betrayed by the sensitive nature of the Oksi
You little shit!
The Oksi on the right raged and stud forward, ignoring the pleas of stop and caution from its allies. Arm flexed to the side, hips and torso twisting to the arm, closing the distance with its human-like legs it lashed at Iye with a whip-like motion. Towards the motionless Invisible girl.
Crack!
Its hand cracked like a whip, but the result left a lot more left to be desired.
!!!
?!
?!!!!
As the one who attacked first, it was obvious nature to be the most shocked when the attack failed miserably. A leg, in a back kick like motion had cancelled and parried the arm away before it could reach any physical pulsing flesh. Not reaching the target and instead opened a massive and fatal opening, but weirdly, Iye didn't take the chance, why?
'That mouth is just like a snapping turtle's'
Her torso would have been torn apart from the fast elongating mouth of the Oksi.
"Huhu, it even cracks just like a whip would, wonder how that works? I mean, your arm shouldn't really work like a whip even if it is long"
She took a brief step back, at a safe distance where the mouth couldn't reach her
"You misjudged my reach because I am invisible to your eyes right?"
So what?
"?"
You're talking a lot for a prey in biting range!
"Oho? Am I now?"
She scoffed, allowing the Oksi to open its gaping venom-filled mouth. At the same time she took out an item from her bosom. A spray bottle with weird branding on it, bold words that seemed to want to scam the unsuspecting consumer, but the weird purple and bright plant mark on it felt oddly enticing and legitimate.
Wait brother Am, what is...that?
The Oksi that saw exclaimed in surprise, it seemed something very dumb to have in the short heat of battle.
A cylinder object?
Am's eyes scanned the branding on the object brought out by Iye, but was not capable of reading the words carved into it. The Oksi could not read words, thinking they were useless and only should be known by the priests and priestesses of the Tierre.
"Now, open wide~"
Sensing the danger, the Oksi that first attacked Iye tried to close its mouth in a hurry, but that was exactly what Iye was going for.
Gaaahhhh!!!!!!!
The spurted contents of the spray bottle solidified its mouth and molded into a suitable dog muzzle that worked as perfectly as a real muzzle.
"Ah, some of it was sprayed in your eyes right? Sorry about that, it must burn..."
She crouched down to the flailing wounded animal clutching its eyes in pain. Her face was brought down close to its long ear
"Don't worry, I'll end it quickly for you"
!!
Those words that uttered themselves away and dug in the window of its eardrums awoke the primal desire to hunt its prey it hungered for. An arm once again flexed towards Iye, threatening to crush her head completely, torso raised in recovery.
However
Thud
The claw on the furry arm only tapped weakly against Iye's translucent cheek. A head of a wolf fell down like a glass cup falling onto the floor and inevitably shattering, silence dragging on till the sound of bone recoiled against the solid wood of the Ohrn tree.
Everyone inside the now heat drenched tree held their breaths, the inferno steps away from the tree, incapable of fully penetrating through the hard trunk. Iye held her breath, for different reasons than the rest of the Oksi that still remained.
'Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!'
Her jaw clenched down hard, she was barely able to hold herself back from screaming out loud.
'Fuck! It hurts! It really, really fucking hurts!'
Chest heaved up and deflated slowly down, oxygen struggling to settle in her lungs completely, and to add another full on bullshit item onto her plate.
'My right hand is completely crushed...and outright unusable'
Am noticed a certain scent wafting off of Iye, a charred smell along with something metallic, ears perked up in realization.
I see...that must be it
Iye paused, pain numbing quickly, she forced a question out.
"What is?"
Her tone didn't change in the slightest, not allowing a crack of weakness to appear on her voice or body language.
'Thank god I am invisible, at least this way, I can make a pained face as much as I want to without worrying too much'
Am's voice boomed outwards to Iye, caressing his chin with his sharp claw.
Insight, was it?
He asked for confirmation. The silence he received in kind being the only confirmation he needed
"...."
Otherwise, I just can't find another reason as to how you beat my brother like that.
Am's mouth twisted in slick controlled movement, each word meant to dissect the 5-second performance. The Oksi on the right revelled in awe and flew in the good graces of Am.
Ah, brother Am! If it really is insight that she used, we should be careful!
A brow twitched, vein popping on Iye's invisible forehead.
'Talk about obvious, It's not like that is textbook strategy against anyone dangerous, no obviously it isn't'
Glancing at his brother, Am questioned himself for a while longer and to the best possible plan he could come up with at the moment, he spoke to his brother in a cheerful and longing tone.
Then we will strike as one, she won't be able to use her insight on both of us at the sametime.
Beads of sweat trickled down her spine, signals of caution shooting up to the brain.
"You sure about that?"
Yes
"Then mind coming closer? In a line if you can, since my standards are a bit high and all"
Hah! Brother Am! Look at this cute bread acting all high and mighty after defeating the weakest of us!
Iye scoffed back, retorting his claim to make him lose even a little more patience with her.
"Oh come on, how much of a difference in strength did you even have between each other? Maybe a balls difference?"
What is that supposed to mean bread!
A tongue twisted and spat on the branch saliva, Iye's mannerisms filled with annoyance.
"Even damn animals don't get my magnificent humor"
She muttered quietly under her breath, kicking a torn branch infested with ants over.
'This is quite bad, come on! This can't be dragged forever!'
Her gaze was cast onto the fading grey figure of Cale. He was hidden in plain sight, yet that is precisely why he stayed so hidden.
'At least I drew their attention, I just have to beat them quickly and let this inferno pass'
Her wooly crushed hand was raised in resolution, her left hand rested at her hips, labored breaths became controlled and soft on the lungs.
"You on the left"
?
She declared
"I'm killing you next"
And she promised.