Around the worlds 3 - Golems & bears

"Oh, I'd like that", Michela purred, throwing him a smirk. "While I doubt I will ever take you to my world. First, I have no peculiar outfits to wear and make myself look fabulous. Second, other vampires are way more good looking than me. What if they steal you away? I'd have to kill them!" She said with a dramatic gesture.

Maverick made a small smile, keeping silent. Then his hand went back nervously playing with his long hair. "W-what's wrong? Is there something on my face?" He asked, not able to keep it for himself.

Neos laughed softly. "Thank you, Michela," he told her as he gently squizzed her hand in his.

"No ?" Karl kept looking though. "Why are you uncomfortable ?"

Michela smiled, happily accepting his hand. "Whatever you're thanking me for, you're welcome." She shifted a bit so that she was walking nearer to him now.

"Well it's just- it makes me feel a bit nervous when people stare at me. Self conscious", Maverick answered, nibbling on his lower lip. That's another reason for which he mostly kept alone. He was a bit shy.

Neos sighed. "At least now I'm less angry. I'll ask questions before setting their village on fire," he told her.

"... Oh." Karl finally seemed to understand, and stopped looking. "I'm sorry. I... social standards still feel so foreign to me."

"That's so considerate of you! I did not think even for a minute of asking questions before snapping someone's neck", Michela said all too merrily, smiling brightly. "That usually impresses people enough to make them talk without any further invitation."

"It's okay!", Maverick said quickly. Maybe too quickly. "Don't worry too much about that. I'm just shy. But staring at the wrong person too much could lead you into troubles." He stopped, sniffling around. "We're near." He nervously looked around. In fact, not far away, there was the beginning of a rough path, that led into an opening in the forest. Some stone houses could already be spotted through the woods.

Neos frowned slightly. "...Are you still joking, or should I start to get worried a little ?"

Karl looked around, curious. Especially when he saw the houses. "Who shouldn't I stare at ?"

Michela sighed. "Maybe I should end all of my jokes with saying 'I'm joking!', before you start to think I am a crazed psychopath."

"In this village? Anyone, really." Maverick began walking again, but anyone could sense the uneasiness in his steps. "They don't like when you stare at them. They think you want to challenge them. Just, look for your things and then go away. Probably seeing me back will be enough to make you go unnoticed."

"Eh, sorry but I can never know. I'd have found it almost ok for you to snap someone's neck before negociating, given the circumstances," Neos justified himself.

Karl laid his hand on Maverick's shoulder, forcing him to stop. "You don't have to go there if that causes any kind of trouble to you."

Michela shrugged lightly. "If I'll get the right occasion, I'll probably do that. I'm rather angry about how they messed up all your notebooks. And my stuff! Where is MY stuff!", she added with a snarl.

Maverick smiled a little at Karl, taking his hand off of his shoulder. "It's ok. I feel a bit responsible, actually. I should've told your friends to get all their important things with them." He walked further, finally getting out of the woods.

Neos looked at her. "Did you have anything valuable that they took ?"

Karl followed Maverick close, not satisfied with his answer. Which was... Something new to him too, but he didn't reflect on it much.

"Well, not really. But my things are mine, you know? I have memories about them, and they're private. I'm jealous of my stuff. It's as if someone went rummaging through my panties!"

Maverick guided them into the town. It was not very big actually, and he seemed very intent on keeping on the most hidden roads, that were thankfully deserted. Then, at a certain spot, he stopped to talk with his companions. "So, listen. These people don't like foreigners, and they don't like me either. So, what I'm saying is, please be as careful as you can."

Neos frowned slightly at Maverick's words. "Hold on a second, I didn't come here to hide and get my stuff back. I want to confront the assholes who took my magical stuff."

Maverick blinked, his expression slowly getting terrified. "A-are you serious? Do you want to confront an entire tribe of bear men, possibly ten times stronger than you and two times bigger?" He shivered at the thought. "Well, suit yourself! I will just point you to the chief's house and that will be it for me, I'm sorry. I'm too much of a chicken for this." And with that, he turned around the corner... to bump into a man that was two times as big as him, long, wild red hair and a nasty looking scar on his chest.
"Well well, look who has come back with his tail between his legs. It's our Mavey!" The man lifted him up from the back of his neck with one hand, like a disobedient puppy. Maverick shrieked and tried to get away, without success. "E-Ezra! Let me down!"

"Alright. Let's see what the shrimp I am can do," said Neos, before he rubbed vigorously his hands together. Then he separated them, revealing fresh fire, as he walked towards Maverick and the other man. "The boy asked you to let him down, genius."

Maverick let out a strangled sound as Ezra let out a growl, his grip around his throat getting harder. "You brought FOREIGNERS here? You stupid, halfling ass!" He looked at Neos with hatred, ignoring Maverick's weak protests in their defence, then looked at the fire between his hands. "What kind of shit is that?" Then he shouted, calling for some other companions to back him up.
"Well this looks bad", Michela murmured, getting out herself, standing near Neos. "You'll need someone to cover your back."

"Thanks", Neos told Michela as he threw his fire, which followed a curved track to hit Ezra's butt. Because Neos was just such a clever boy, who found nothing funnier than setting someone's pants on fire.

Ezra was as dumb as he was big, so it took a few seconds for him to notice his pants were on fire. And that it burned. He let out a pained roar and threw Maverick on the ground, trying to put out the fire someway. In the meantime, other people were coming their way, looking none too happy to see strangers there. Some of them even transformed right away, ready to fight. Michela growled at them, baring her fangs. "You stole our things, and destroyed our camp! We want everything back now, or pants won't be the only thing to burn!", she said, her voice harsh.
"This is OUR territory! It is your fault if you left stuff around. Piss off, and take the scum with you! He's not welcome here", another man with a rough voice said, pointing at Maverick.
"Please!", he said. "Please, there is no need to do this! Give their things back to them!" But of course he was ignored.

"Alright I've had enough," growled Neos, who made two new fireballs appear in his hands. "EVERYBODY TONE DOWN. I'M A MANIAC WITH FIRE. GRANTED. A TINY MANIAC WITH FIRE. BUT YOU OWE ME NO LESS RESPECT."

Karl merely walked by Maverick's side, and helped him stand up again, ignoring everyone around them. "Are you alright ?"

Maverick murmured his thanks, getting up from the ground, flinching slightly. "I guess I'd be better if we weren't up against an angry mob", he said sadly. "It only misses torches and forks." He had to go get the chief before that fight went too bloody, and he told that to Karl.
"Hah! You want all your stupid books and shiny stones back so bad, you gnome? Fine with us. Defeat us, and maybe you'll get them!" Ezra snarled. He had finally managed to put out the fire, and he was getting up again. He transformed, and boy was he big.

"Your call." There was one thing that was wrong with Neos, it was his pride. His oversized pride. He started fireing at the bears around them, paying not real attention as to where the fire truly ended. It was fire anyway. It could spread.

Karl frowned at Neo's behaviour, and grabbed Maverick firmly. "Hold on tight," he whispered to him, as they... suddenly disappeared underground.

"Neos, for fuck's sake!" Michela shouted angrily, fire almost getting her clothes. Soon she got herself busy with trying to keep two of the biggest bears from snatching her head off her neck. It was quite difficult, even for someone as agile and strong as her. And when one of the bears finally was down, her hoodie caught fire. "THIS IS NOT OKAY!", she yelled, hastily trying to discard her clothes, teeth clenching from the burning feeling she was getting.

Maverick shrieked with surprise at that, scrunching his eyes tightly closed. He wondered what was happening, but he was afraid that if he breathed or opened his mouth, he'd get a mouthful of earth.

Neos calmed down when he saw he might have hurt Michela, and instantly forgot everything around them to rush to her. Which meant he could be caught by anything right now.

"Where is their leader ?" asked Karl to his ear, in a soft voice. Oddly enough, there was just enough space around their heads for them to breathe.

And as soon as Neos' guard was down, he got hit violently to the ground by Ezra, who was undoubtedly one of the biggest bears around there. His face was half burnt, and he snarled to him, big pointy teeth bared.
"SHIT!" Michela tried to hit Ezra, but she got attacked by another bear. She didn't have a second to breathe.

"In- in the centre of the village, in the biggest house!" Maverick said, marvelling at the fact that he was able to breathe. And squirming a bit because of Karl's vicinity.

Neos felt dizzy because of the sudden blow, and didn't have the time to summon a new fireball right away. He did manage to gain his compsure back though, and he snarled back at the bear - oh how mature. "Ok, one last time. Let me go."

Karl held him close to them, and whispered another "close your eyes". Maverick could feel them moving through the ground, before they emerged right inside the house of the bear's leader.

Michela was snarling herself, out of instinct. She bashed the other bear's head against the ground two times, leaving him bloody and bruised on the ground. "Oh, do get up! Give me an excuse to snap your neck!" She pointed to the other ones. "Same goes out to you, you hairy asses!"
Ezra didn't seem to be all too interested in letting Neos go. Instead, he prepared himself to hit him again.

Maverick looked around, blinking. He stood there with his mouth agape, trying to understand how he ended up there - "Boy, shut your mouth or you'll swallow all the flies of the house", a gruff voice told. It was coming from an old man, who was resting on a bed. He scratched his beard. "What do you want from this poor old man? ... wait a moment. You're not one of my boys", he said, squinting at Karl.