By the pond

"Wow aren't you one ugly, mother, f-" Is all he gets out when he notices the creature's hostility, leaving back in time to just narrowly avoid a very serious injury, but not avoid injury entirely as the creature's claws cut four shallow furrows across his chest, before he leaps back, drawing his flaming sword, and now in the absence of any would be spectators the blade erupts into flames, which he swings at the creature's face, narrowly missing it's face and realizing it didn't have any eyes for him to blind.

"Lovely, no eyes," He says, taking a step back and sensing the edge of the pond, and looking back to creature he grins, as a thick thorny vine pushes up through the earth and begins ensnaring itself around it's right leg.

Staring hatefully at the flaming sword the creature's tongue whips out from it's mouth and lashes around Shard's hand, wrist, and the hilt of his sword, which it then uses to tear the sword from Shard's hand, flinging it behind it, towards the inn, before launching itself at Shard, pouncing on him and biting into his left shoulder.

Manages to just barely keep his balance and prevent the creature from knocking him backwards into the pond, barely having the time to shout, "Extinguish!" The blade, to prevent any unintentional fires, when he feels the creatures teeth sink through his shoulder, piercing through flesh, muscle and bone, forcing a scream from his lips as he struggles to wrestle the creature off,
"Damn you! you've almost caused me to lose my deposit you bastard!" He shouts, letting the vine cinch around the creature's leg, and forcing another vine up through the ground and willing it wrap around the creatures upper mouth, effectively wrenching the creature from his body, then having the vines to lift the creature up and depositing it into the pond.

Reaching for Frost, he notices absentmindedly that his right hand, wrist and forearm are bleeding, undoubtedly from being ensnared by the creatures tongue, but ignoring the pain, he whips around and plunges the blade of the sword into the pond causing the surface to rapidly freeze solid.

Sliding out of the kitchen, Anna's blue eyes scan the yard for the disturbance. Her foot stops the kitchen door from closing and making a noise. She knows the area like the back of her hand and even in the dark she is able to determine which shapes are part of the natural landscape and what doesn't quite fit in.

Holding the pistol at her side until she has further information (understandably not wanting to shoot an innocent person out of reflex), she sees the lake oddly frozen and Shard on the ground, the sleeve of his shirt too dark to be anything but blood. A colorful swear runs through her mind as she stays close to the wall of the inn, eyeing the lake with trepidation.

Figuring the element of surprise is her best asset at this moment as she sees no dead bodies around the injured man, she does not announce her presence. Anna Maria assumes the assailant(s) is more than likely either frozen beneath the water or preparing another attack.

Trapped underwater, the creature begins slamming it's body repeatedly against the surface, until it finally manages to crack the layer of ice, then swimming to the bottom, the creature launches itself to the surface, shattering the ice and coming down on the edge of the pond just mere feet from Shard. This time whipping it's tongue out and around Shard's leg, yanking him off his feet and begins pulling him closer to it.

Shard curses at the sound of it breaking the ice, then again as he feels its tongue wrapping around his lower leg, sawing through his pants and leggings, to the tender flesh beneath, he fights the urge to try and kick his leg free knowing doing so would only cause it's tongue to cut deeper and tighter around his leg. He quickly decides his only option is to bring frost around and down on the tongue, severing it from the creature's tongue from it's face. Then summons several thorny vines and around the creature, covering it completely in his attempt to crush it until the thick spiky vines, and stalks.

Taking an involuntary step back putting her back flush against the wall at the sight of the large (and though she can't see the details from this distance, she assumes very ugly) creature projecting from the ice, Anna aims her pistol at the back of the thing's head watching the steady progression of the vines creeping up it's body.

She calmly fires three of the 12 bullets currently loaded before soundlessly stepping along the wall towards the garden where it there is more darkness to cover her, getting the strong impression that staying in one spot would probably mean hear death.

Finding the corner of the wall she peers around it to asses the damage or lack thereof. Keeping her weapon aimed in the vicinity of the big ugly, she crouches down slightly and pulls a slender blade from her boot beneath her skirts.

Screeching as it thrashes against the vines threatening to cover it, it explodes in in a animalistic rage, a moment before three well placed shots slam into it's face, causing it throw it's head back, letting loose a chilling roar before finally breaking free from the vines, and leaps free, landing on all fours, face bleeding from where the shots founds purchase, with more blood flowing from it's mouth, it leaps on top of Shard, slamming one of it thumb claw through his abdomen, and lowering his face to shards before letting lose another screech into his face.

Cursing again, he struggles to to push and hold the creature off of him and away from his face,
"You have got the worst breath..." Shard mumbles, and uses one hand to fumble for one of his pockets, finding what he he wanted, he slams his fist against the ground, summoning earth and rock up to cover his fist, which he then uses to slam into the creatures mouth and giving it something harder to chew on.

Biting on Shard's hand, feeling four of its teeth break off against his hand, the creature pulls its claw from his abdomen and slams its fist repeatedly into Shard's face.

"Determined little bastard" Anna mumbles... though to which being she is referring is unclear. Seeing the shots have not slowed the being now making Shard into an even further bloody mess she puts puts the knife she drew between her teeth as she pulls a slimmer, more aerodynamic blade from a special compartment sewn into the boning of her corset. A smaller blade that happens to be coated in a particularly toxic poison.

Breathing in, her focus narrows to the base of the creature's neck and throws with precision. While it slices through the air she once again aims and fires three more shots- this time targeting it's left shoulder in hopes of easing some of the pummeling occurring on Shard's face.

Once again Anna shifts her position in hopes of throwing the thing off of her exact location, taking the hilt of her knife back in her hand.

The creature throws his head back and begins howling in both rage and pain from the sudden assault and begins clawing at the blade of the knife now embedded into his neck, while scanning the garden for sign of it's new opponent, spotting her heat signature it wrenches the knife from it's throat and throws it back at her, but now covered in blood and gore.

having dropped the seed he palmed into the creature's maw, he glances back at the Anna, "Thanks!" hoping she has the chance to dodge the blade, but the distraction is enough for him to throw the creature off of him in time to trigger the seed of the willow tree inside the creature's stomach.

Suddenly becoming sick, the creature begins clawing at it's own face, throat, chest and stomach, before throwing its head back as roots and branches begin tearing the Creature's open mouth, from the bullet holes in its head and exploding from its stomach and out of its back as the willow tree slowly grows into the ground and expands tearing the creature's body apart as it twist and rends it' body into the tree.

Out the corner of her eye she sees the creature twist in her direction, it's arm moving through the air in a throwing motion. Too far from any real barrier, she sucks down hoping its aim was high.

The sudden sprouting of the (very lovely) willow tree impailing the monster distracts her from the blade. Anna is transfixed by the gruesome, yet fantastic transformation. As she stands she sheaths the larger blade though the pistol remains ready for any other interesting surprises.

Giving the new tree a wide berth Anna makes her war around to Shard while keeping an eye on the remains. "What in the ninth hell is that thing?"

"A weeping heaven's gate willow tree," Shard coughs, painfully sitting up and holding the new hole in his stomach. "I didn't have time to ask for your preference or permission, but it was all I could think of at the time, but now my turn, what in the hell was that beast, I never seen anything like it."

unseen, a piece of the creature breaks away from the body, falling to the ground, transforming into a snake like entity it slithers away, to stalk another day.

"Permission granted." She says dryly. "If my nagging thought is correct you don't want to know. Either way- that was too easy..."

Looking down at Shard, she swears again. Kneeling down Anna rips a piece of fabric from her petticoat, bunching it up and pressing against the gaping hole on Shards abdomin before he looses much more blood. Wrapping his good arm around her shoulder she wraps hers around the man's waist helping to support his weight while her other hand maintains the pressure. "We need to get you to the kitchen. I can patch you up better there."

About halfway to the kitchen door a fine sweat forms on Anna Maria's brow and her breathing becomes labored. Nearly stumbling, she notices a stinging on her arm and looks down to inspect. Spotting the scratch the woman quickly looks back up, gauging the distance they still need to go along with how quickly they can get there.

Concentrating on slow breaths Anna and Shard make it to the door which she pushes open with her foot. A small trickle of blood begins to run from the woman's nose as she leans Shard against the island, grabs is hand and presses it to his wound. "Stay."

By the time she turns to the counter her vision begins to darken and Anna knows she's about 15 second from falling down and never getting back up. Reaching the drawer which holds her concoctions her fingers pull out a small unmarked bottle. Pulling the cork out with her teeth Anna drops it before taking a swig of the bottles' contents. She slifes to the floor, head resting on her knees while she concentrates on breathing.

"easy?" Shard laughs, "What about any of that was easy? I'm terrified of what you would call difficult."


"Ah the kitchen," Shard sighs, "Don't know if you're serious or about to be served with a side of fava beans' He says graciously accepting her aid.

"Stay?" Questioningly "You look a might peckish yourself, did that thing out there injure you as well?"

Evolution occasionally triggers wondrous, incredible and sometimes terrifying change, which is what happens with the remains of the creature, which begins sprouting legs, mouths and teeth, as they begin pulling themselves from the tree, with some skittering across the grounds, while others fly, and crawl away from the tree. Devouring any small wildlife, be it moles, mice, rabbits, or the occasional very unlucky cat that had found it's way into the inn's garden.