"Alright. It looks like it's the four of us. Let's do a quick introduction and take stock. " Nella finished her piece from the shade of a low hanging tree. She looked to the others to gauge their reaction.

Spider looked at her and shook his head softly, he wasn't going to as usual.

The others, their two new companions obliged.

The first to speak was a girl about her age, her early teens, by the sound of her voice. She spoke fiercely but calm.

" My name's Vienna. My weapon of choice is throwing knives. My specialty is my nose. "

Spider's head rose.

"Tell me more about that. " He spoke in a soft voice.

The girl nodded, this time more enthusiastic.

"My father and his father and so on, are all hunters of mixed blood, so I've got a little hound in me. Wherever the enemy is I can track him. "

With the girl's face covered by a thin mask, her only distinct features, were two twin puffs on her head. Nella now saw them quite puppy-like with the new information.

She resisted an urge to pat the girls head and looked toward her other new companion.

"And you? " She said gesturing.

The boy in question, a tall boy with gruffy hair and a slouch looked toward his left.

"You." He said pointing to spider.

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"I joined because I thought you'd be leading this little group. Are you the boss, or is she? "

Spider who sat on the forest floor with his head relaxing against a tree, lifted his head toward him slowly.

"What's your name?" His soft voice spoke.

"Roger. I'm Roger the Impaler." Roger patted a short, blade tipped rod at his back.

"Roger.

My name is Spider. Her name is Nella." He pointed to them both as he spoke.

Then he tilted his head in thought before answering the question like a matter of fact.

"While we're out here, I want you to listen to Nella. "

Roger turned away and laughed spitefully and Vienna shifted her feet uncomfortably and spoke up.

"I thought you were taking lead as well. No offense but I'm here to win. I know spider but I don't know you." She said toward Nella

Roger nodded along.

Nella frowned beneath her mask and thought carefully of what to say next, when spider spoke up again.

"If you can beat her, you don't have to listen to her."

The words were a dare and they all knew it, but by the face Roger made when he heard them, Nella knew he had bit the bait.

"Alright." The boy spoke confidently.

With a smooth motion he had his weapon unbuckled, the rather short spear swiftly flowing from one hand to the next.

Nella, could see Spider judge his form from his seat. He looked at her and nodded.

She lunged in quickly and with a pivot of her left foot threw a right straight as fast as she could toward the boys gut.

Roger smirked as he went to deflect the blow with the but of the spear.

Like water breaking through dam he was blasted away. Roger made it six feet before he stopped spinning and another five before he stopped rolling on the floor.

He slowly lifted himself off the floor and looked at his spear that had bore the force of the blow.

The bottom lay disfigured and twisted.

Roger looked at it for a while before looking back up.

"You're the boss. "