Merlianious glowered at the boy-turned-man and sighed heavily. "Great, just what I wanted..." he muttered to himself as he gazed around and still didn't see the source of the Dryad voice. Well darn. They couldn't just stand around here staring at the forest or they would get eaten by the great gods only knew what. So instead of bidding his time to be somethings dinner he started walking again. He didn't wait for anyone to follow him he just headed out down the trail.<br/><br/>Best get to town before dark or they'd be camping out. Like as not they'd get set upon before them, but he didn't want to give the nasties a bigger chance at his back then he had to...<br/><br/>Merlianious looked back at the young woman, "yah could say we were chosen, most apt we were forced to me," he grumbled. He at least hadn't been given a choice in the matter and that was about as much good will as he could muster at present.<br/><br/>"We keep moving, if the Dryad shows it shows, otherwise I'm going this way you lot can stay and get eaten if you choose, but don't expect me to wait. I'm an old man and time doesn't wait on no one!"  Merlianious, who only looked in his late forties, said in a dark angry tone and kept going.<br/><br/>They hadn't gone forty paces when a high pitched whine sounded, like a wounded animal in distress. Merlianious stopped cold in his tracks his eyes wide he cursed foully. Anger coursing through his blood as he realized what was coming for them. He'd barely had time to get good and angry before two large red eyes filled the darkness before them. Growing larger as it entered the path and stood facing the group. The beast had the head of a spider with pinchers before its sharp mouth full of curving fangs. It had two huge blood red eyes which actually turned out to be a bunch of much smaller eyes making up the illusion of two huge ones. It had a huge exoskeleton that looked like a beetle wreathed in fire with eight large legs. Fire danced down its carapace to splatter harmlessly on the forest floor. The creature stood at 6 feet tall and glared menacingly at them from three feet away. It's pinchers clicking and that odd whining sound coming from it's chest.