Surprisingly enough this Tahm kench fellow was more useful than Kayn had anticipated, and in less than normal ways too. As agreed he got the group over to the other side of the Swamp. The three were corralled into his frighteningly large mouth where they uncomfortably sat in careful disgust. But, it did the trick. He took them deep into the murky water, under the boggs and fallen trees. They must have been scoring the very bottom of the swamp because as Kench swam it became cooler and cooler, suggesting they were leaving the warm surface that had been baking in the sun all day.
The reached land and Kench had unhinged his large jaw to allow them to crawl out mostly unscathed save for their now damp clothes that reeked of his fishy dinner. He had unloaded them a couple hundred feet away from this camp. It was surrounded by makeshift docks and dimly lit jars of fireflies. In the center of it all stood a rickety old hut with smoke billowing from it's chimney. It looked like whoever was here now had been here for some time.
"How long have they been here for?" Kayn whispered.
"This group? a couple weeks." Kench's thick accent rumbled from the pit of his stomach. "They invaded the chump that was living here. Not sure where he went, but they took over his home and land." Kench shook his head in disgust. "Poor sap."
Kayn nodded as the story began to piece itself together. "About how many of them would you say?"
"Maybe a dozen. They come and go, usually bringing more with them. But it sounds like those plus ones aren't there by choice based on your story." Kench said as he picked his teeth with his nails, his tongue wiping them clean.
"So what's the Plan?" Petra finally spoke. "How are we going to do this?"
"I've got a couple ideas. Just follow me and stay quiet. I'll explain everything to you when it's time."
A loud shriek echoed from inside the hut and Soraka perked up. "That was Lulu." She was frantic, her eyes darting left and right. "We need to get in there!" She was raising her voice. "We need to get Lu-" Kench laid a big hand over her mouth.
"Hush now, darling. You're going to get us all killed." He slowly released his hand from her lips and made sure she was calm.
Kayn slid through the tall brush on the edge of the water. There was one person that guarded the door, it looked like the same guy that had been pacing at the edge of the swamp earlier. He was sitting on the steps of the hut peeling an apple and popping slices into his mouth. It was a young kid, his skin was dark tan, his hair was in a tall white mohawk. He stood out like a sore thumb and Kayn was surprised with how young he looked. He began sizing him up and devising a plan.
"Petra start placing crystals along the edge of the water. Do what ever you need to get yourself prepared. I need you prepared." He made direct eye contact with her. She looked terrified, but still she nodded and crept away, playing crystals of varying sizes in her wake.
"Kench, I want you to get into the water and try to lore this kid out onto the dock. Take Soraka with you, and don't make too much of a commotion."
Kench nodded "Can I eat him?" He asked.
"Wh-what? Ya, ya sure. Whatever you want. Just don't draw too much attention to yourself."
"Delicious." He growled, grasping Soraka's small hand in his and puller her into a corner by a tree. "Stay here, girly. Help when you feel it's needed." The creature lowered himself into the water, his yellow eyes faded into the darkness of the swamp.
"What about you?" Soraka asked, crouching down next to the water.
"Don't worry about me. Try and keep them alive." Kayn disappeared into the brush, all of them now split up with their own tasks. Kayn hoped they could handle it.
Petra had set up close to a hundred crystals. She admired how pretty the looked next to the dreary marsh. They gleamed dimly, swallowing all the light they could get. She sat back in the grass and silently watching the hut. While she waited Petra remembered what Kayn had said about having ammunition on her at all times, and so she began creating smaller bullet sized shards of crystal and tucked them into her bosom for safe keeping. She felt as ready as should could be.
Kench dove deep under the water. He caught glimpses of the boy on guard through the rickety old docks and decided that was how he'd lore him out. He swam up under the wood and began knocking, the quiet thuds vibrating up the structure and to the steps the boy sat on.
"Who's there?" The boy asked, rising to his feet. He pulled a glowing sword looking piece from his back and stepped out onto the dock.
Kench moved further out, still tapping lightly against the wood. The boy hesitantly followed the sound, his weapon handy and ready. He lured him out to the very edge of the dock and stopped tapping at the wood. He waited now...
"Man," The kid started "I'm loosing it."
Kench watched as he shook his head, placing the weapon on his back once more. He turned to start walking back towards the hut, but just as he let his guard down Kench leaped from the water grasping the boy's ankle and knocking him down. He began to yell, but was silenced by the water that flowed into his lungs. Kench pulled him deep into the swamp, his glowing sword like weapon sliding from his back and floating down past them to the bottom of the bogg.
"Delicious..." He gurgled, pulling the boy into his jaws.
A tattered red scarf floated to the surface of the water, and just like that the boy was gone. Erased from existence.
Kayn had watched the whole thing happen. His body tensed at the brief scream and loud splash that echoed throughout the trees. He turned his attention to the hut's door and watched quietly as two men stepped out onto the porch. To his pleasant shock he spotted the vampire from earlier. He looked like he was still in bad shape, which made Kayn grin. The other man, however, was big. He wasn't human, in fact Kayn didn't know what he was. His eyes glowed red and so did his stomach. His jaw looked to be metal and pointed, almost like a crown. This creature would be the bigger problem on the two.
He creeped closer and closer to the hut, monitoring the two that had come out to check on their dear friend. They had stepped put onto the dock, the vampire heading towards Soraka and Petra who were hidden in the brush. The juggernaut of a creature was sent the other way. Perfect Kayn thought. They've separated themselves.
Kayn prepared himself. He got close to the building and intentionally rustled the bushes, sending a frog into the water. The vampire heard the plop of the animal as it hit the the still swamp and stepped off the dock onto the marsh. His face was still beaten and bloodied from their fight earlier and Kayn was prepared to finish what he started.
"Fucking frog." The vampire cursed as he watched the small amphibian swim away under the dock. With in the same moment of the vampire's doubt Kayn lunged from the brush raising Rhaast high above his head sending it crashing down into the ground next to the vampire who faltered for a moment. Kayn dashed forward whipping his scythe into a large circle that sent the vampire flying back into the water.
You're making too much noise. The Darkin spoke. You're going to blow it.
"I won't." Kyan growled to himself before jumping at the vampire. The scythe landed directly into his chest, a loud crack of his ribs ringing out into the air. The vampire reached up and grabbed at Kayn's neck. Blood began to flow from all of Kayn's open wounds and the in only a second the vampire seemed refreshed. He pushed Kayn back and stood, walking over to finish it.
"You're fucking done." He spat, blood circling around his body. He released his fist and the blood shot out in all directions, piecing Kayn's chest. "I'll kill you and then I'll find your girl and finish her off too." He laughed, reaching down to grab Kayn from the ground. Just as Kayn was about to take a devastating blow a large crystal shard landed directly in the vampires chest and went flying out the his back. The vampire staggered back, grasping at the hole in his chest.
Kayn fell to the ground and watched as Petra glided over, crystals hovering around her body as she moved. She sent several more flying towards the vampire and watched as his limp body fell into the swamp, slowly sinking towards the bottom.
"I did it." She whispered, then turned towards Kayn who was grinning wildly.
"You did." He pulled himself up, his wounds healing as he caught a glimpse or Soraka from the side line. Impressed, he admired their team work but then quickly realized they needed to move as the juggernaut of a beast was likely headed their way. "Hide." His hissed, shooing Petra away as he too slid into the darkness behind the hut.