Sometimes Percia really wanted to smack the Dwarves upside the head for all their stubborn stupidity. Did they not listen to the conversations going on when they were brought in? How Bard had argued with that Alfred character? People were starving here, barely making enough to survive. Did they honestly think he would have the type of weapons a soldier gets? Clearly this so-called Master had the town under his thumb, did they really believe he would allow anyone to have weapons? And in truth what Bard had given them would work. Heck, one of Chiron's favorite exercises was making them learn to fight with random items just lying around. He called it character building.

Of course the group planned to leave immediately, only to get reminded Bard's home was being watched. Said man had slipped out sometime ago and his children were left in charge. Bain tried to keep them there, but Thorin would have none of it. Poor kid had no chance.

Sadly her fatal flaw wouldn't let them wonder off on their own, so she followed after them preparing to rob the armory. Considering this group, there were so many things that could go wrong with this plan.

Without warning she felt the pulse from the water again, a clear warning of danger. The hairs on the back of her neck and arms stood up. Adrenaline pumped through her veins in anticipation of battle. This sensation did not come from their current circumstances. In fact she had not felt anything like this since she was back in her world. This was the presence of a monster. A monster from her world.

She fell back into the shadows, easily dislodging from the group as she had stayed near the rear. Closing her eyes she let her senses expand. It hadn't reached the town yet, but it was dangerously close. While she wanted to help her friends, she didn't want to draw the beast into the town. These people would be defenseless against it, and she seriously doubted the Mist worked here. Considering her sword worked on mortals of this realm, she doubted they would escape any damage caused by the fight.

Torn by her circumstances she struggled to determine what she needed to do. In the end though she had to push back her loyalty to the dwarves and choose what was right to protect the innocents of this town. She would have to meet the beast head on, away from here.

"Percia?" Balin's sudden appearance next to her caused her to jump, though she refrained from screaming. "What is it lass?"

"I have to go," she stated succinctly.

"But…"

"No Balin. There's something out there. Something from my world," she emphasized. "If I don't go to deal with it, it will find me here and attack innocent people, as well as you and the others."

"Is it dangerous?" His old eyes took her in, noting her paled skin and determined stance.

"Very. I will try to catch up to you once I've dealt with it. If I don't… well, you can assume what happened."

"One of us can go with you," he offered halfheartedly, clearly torn himself between their quest and a danger to her. She smiled at him kindly.

"No Balin. This is my fight. An obstacle to my quest that I must overcome," she chided gently. "You and the others still have your own obstacles to overcome on your quest. Don't worry my friend; I'm not so easily defeated. Just ask Dwalin." She winked cheekily to ease his anxiety.

He rolled his eyes some at her humor but relented. "We have to get to the door by tomorrow night. Deal with this 'obstacle' then head for the mountain. That's where we'll be," he informed her, patting her arm encouragingly.

Nodding in agreement she moved to the side of the dock and slowly, quietly slipped into the freezing water. Once fully submerged she headed towards the feeling of the disturbance, easily breathing under the water. Though dark her eyes easily found her through the depths of the lake towards the far shore, a good distance from the town. A few fish swam by her, some circling questioning her presence, sensing her as something more. Yet she did not linger, focused on her goal.

Soon enough she reached the edge of the lake, the bottom tapering up to the muddy shoreline. The water was iced over here, but it easily parted for her. Slowly she stepped from the water, dry as ever, one hand pulling Riptide out to the ready. She so loved her weapon's ability to magically reappear on her person no matter what.

Eyes sweeping the area she tried to find the monster she knew hunted her. Already the night had grown dark, the stars and moon the only real light as even the torches from Lake Town were far off. Idly she thought of how much Grover would love this world with how untouched it was.

A snap of a branch to her left brought her back to the present. She really needed to watch her ADHD. All around her the sounds of nature dimmed until near silence blanketed the area. Cautiously she relocated to more solid ground, not trusting the slick mud and sand to give much purchase during the fight. The trees were dense closer to the lake, but started to open up allowing more maneuverability.

A large shadow flashed by just out of the corner of her peripheral. Keeping her sword at the ready she tried to track it but had little luck. Taking a deep breath she focused on her surroundings like Chiron taught them. As usual it was her reflexes that saved her life, as she ducked and rolled just barely missing the spines that lodged into the ground she had been standing on. The dirt and foliage sizzled in a clear indication of a poisonous substance.

"Right. Don't get struck by the spines," she muttered to herself.

The Manticore poised on a group of trees, its body large and muscular. It looked like a deformed lion, its mouth short and full of rows of razor sharp teeth, its fur mangy and dark, the feet ended in dangerous looking claws far larger than any she'd seen before, and its tail looked like a mix between a scorpion's and a snake's, multiple spines sticking out from it. A pair of bat like wings stretched out menacingly as its blood red eyes glared at her hungrily.

Only the slight bunching of its muscles gave her warning as it launched off its perch straight towards her. Percia dived out of the way, twisting at the last moment to avoid the deadly tail. She swept her sword up in an arch blocking a second strike from the creature. Throwing the tail off, she slashed at its face, barely managing a hit before it hopped up into the air to dive-bomb her. She took off weaving in and out of the trees trying to use the landscape to her advantage.

The creature was relentless in its pursuit, claws slicing through trees like they were nothing, teeth gnashing angrily as it tried to bite her in half and its tail swinging to and fro trying to skewer her. As it was she barely avoided the poisoned spines, unfortunately the claws managed to glance off her a time of two, leaving her bleeding and wounded.

When she could she countered, managing to wound the creature as well, though not enough to stop it, or even really slow it down. At one point it knocked her into a section of bush, Riptide sliding off to the side. Scrambling she found a large branch, one part broken off. Using it to her advantage she rolled under the beast's swinging forepaws managing to get to her knees and stabbed upwards. Sadly it shifted just enough that she did not get the main body, but it did rip into its left wing tearing the membrane enough to hinder its flight capabilities.

The loud screech of rage almost deafened Percia, her ears throbbing from the sound. But she ignored it and scrambled to the side, sweeping up Riptide back into her grip and running further into the forest back towards the lake. She would need her best weapon to deal with this foe.

Behind her she could hear the creature barreling through the trees and brush, slightly more clumsy with its injury. Spikes sped past her, lodging deeply into the trees and ground, more than once coming so close she could feel the brush of air on her skin as they passed her.

Suddenly the tree line broke to a small overhang maybe a few feet over the lake. She tried to push her legs knowing if she could get to the water she could renew her strength. Muscles burned with the exertion, pain lancing through her in dulled throbs. Not even thirty feet from the edge the manticore pounced, its heavy form slamming into hers, claws sinking into the flesh of her shoulders and lower thigh. Screaming she fell under the onslaught, forcing herself to roll to throw her attacker off. While she managed her objective the creature now stood between her and the lake. Blood ran down her back and one leg in streams, her energy dissipating with the loss.

It immediately threw spikes at her, which she only just barely avoided. Her legs shook under her weight, the injuries too much. Her vision started to grey around the edges and a sharp pain in her heart whispered this might be her end. A strange anger flooded through her at the thought of her eminent demise.

Suddenly a radical idea occurred to her. It would be near suicide, but she had to try. This monster would not stop until either she or it was dead, and if she died she couldn't verify it wouldn't harm anyone else. She would only have one shot at this.

Gathering the last of her strength she leaned down and grasped one of the stones littering the area. With a yell she threw it at the beast causing it to rear back slightly. Running full speed she brandished her sword as she tackled the creature throwing it off balance. Her weapon speared its chest, the loud cry echoing through the night. Already she could feel it falling backwards, its claws digging into her back again to drag her with it. Which is what she wanted. After all, the water would heal her, she hoped.

Soon the weightless sensation of falling took her over despite struggling to push her sword further into the struggling manticore. With one last roar the beast's tail lashed out, skewering her through her middle. Percia barely let out a breath as they crashed into the ice below breaking through to the watery depths.

Just as they did at home the monster disintegrated upon its death. Percia though continued to sink into the water, consciousness fleeing as she succumbed to her injuries.