Ulric was never sure how these skills and traits interacted with him as a person. Were they sort of overlayed on top of him, his base personality being added onto as his soul grew? Were they simply manifested as reflections of changes that had occurred in him already? It was a mystery.

What wasn't at all mysterious was that he'd gone out of his way to bait this sister of Brighteyes into an attempt to kill him. He wasn't sure why, except that he was hurt and furious and every instinct in him screamed that she would be coming for him from behind if he didn't settle her now.

It didn't matter now though, events were in motion.

She was every bit as fast as he suspected and it was only Brighteyes acting as a barrier she had to bypass that gave him the time to react, even though he'd been as ready as he could be for her to attack ever since he'd began instigating this situation by saying the worst things he could think of.

A rapid sidestep took her around her brother, followed by a near seamless lunge, knife rushing towards his chest. As soon as she moved the world crawled to a halt. The silver sheen of sharpened metal seemed to move so slowly, he could count nicks in its edge. His body felt like molten lead, heavy but liquid. Her attack was what he'd hoped it would be, direct, straightforward, and without subtlety. He'd known ever since seeing her move between trees he'd never keep up with her if she fought a tactical, technique oriented fight. She was far, far more skilled than he was. He had hoped to use anger to steal that advantage from her, and she, already half-way there through sheer contempt, stopped regarding him as a threat and treated him as a bug to be squashed. Varda always punished mistakes.

At her lunge he threw his knife hand forward, opening his hand so the weapon came free, moving ahead of his arm, while he turned his body by pivoting on his toes. His chest moved from the angle of her knife, and it scraped harmlessly by the hardened bone plate in its murderous passage. His knife skipped hilt first off of her shoulder but it hadn't been intended to wound, only to distract her from his lead hand gripping her triceps underhanded while his other latched onto an overhanded grab of her wrist, screaming when he felt his arm send white hot pain up through his spine.

Her weight, not insignificant, moved into him with force, driven by her speed as they collided, she grunted when her face smacked into the suddenly unyielding bone plates, stunning her slightly.

He stepped back, pivoting and pulling her arm, not letting her motion stop completely, as he used that momentum to throw her over his hip, slamming her legs, hip, and side into the earth viciously. He heard her muffled yelp but disregarded it, tightening his hold while he reached again for his core with most of the last he had.

Triumph roared in his heart as he unleashed his magic to even the scales her for her attempt at taking his life. Distantly, a nagging voice in the back of his thoughts was concerned. He hadn't been this way back on Earth. Had he? Reason was drowned out by visceral need to destroy threats.

[Voltaic Grip]

Surging arcs rolled through the limb he held and into its bearer. Muscles spasmed and the knife fell loose to the ground while her spine arched. She made one sound, a strangled growl that cut off as the magic raced through her body. She kicked violently for a moment but without control and Ulric pulled back on the mana flowing into his spell without ending it.

He didn't want to kill her, well maybe a little but he wouldn't do that to Brighteyes. Pain though, pain was a wonderful teacher and he'd only want to give this lesson once. Could only give this lesson once, after this it would be to the very end. A few moments passed, Ulric's mana was running low now, but he wanted to be sure his point was made.

Brighteyes had made no move towards the two of them, so quickly had the assault happened. He flinched as if to move towards them when Ulric's spell took hold, but visibly restrained himself. So…not willing to intervene but he didn't look very happy with events.

As much as Ulric wanted to continue scolding this beautiful, violent, creature he didn't want to alienate his first friend by too gratuitously hurting his family so he released the spell and let her arm drop, kicking the knife away as he stepped away from her. Like dealing with a viper, it was.

"Apology accepted, Taipan." He told her in her own language.

Best to rub the salt in the wounds while she couldn't move. If she'd been inclined to kill him before she'd probably be ready to discover time travel to kill his ancestors now, just back to the future him from existence. Serves her right though he thought, nobody makes me bleed my own blood, you bushwhacking murderess, he thought. And his arm was pure throbbing fire by this point.

Ulric stood straight, raised his face to the sky, and let out a deep breath, willing away the urge to finish a fallen opponent. It was surprisingly difficult. It took a few more breaths to return to calm. He was starting to suspect something might be wrong with him, violence wasn't supposed to be satisfying. Finally he looked over at the young elf lord and nodded to the panting assassin in the dirt who had rolled to her stomach groaning.

"Am I going to have any more trouble out of her?" He asked, raising his mask and letting the hood drop. Little damned good that had done.

"No, Ulric Glade Chief. This is out of bounds of honor. I told her you were under my protection, that you were my ally. She was not within right to attack without notice, not when we make no aggressive moves, but is excusable for concern about me. After though, to attack after I make claim to your safety, even if you say terrible, terrible things, is insult to me, to our family, and to her. We will have recourse, later."

By his tone Brighteyes was truly pissed, something Ulric had not seen in their time together. He delivered his response in the tone of a judge proclaiming a guilty verdict. He hadn't been this mad when he'd been carving monkeys like pumpkins. Seems Elves took their vouching for someone seriously.

The two of them shared some words too fast for him to follow, and Sister Taipan didn't seem to like any of them, though she hadn't rebutted her brother, instead glaring at him coldly and remaining seated. Eventually, Brighteyes offered his hand to help her up and she took it, coming easily to her feet. Extremely easily, she was totally fine, even after the electricity. That was sort of concerning to him, she must have been way tougher than she looked.

The kid came to where he was standing, recovering from the ambush and the aftermath.

Now that things had settled down Ulric was feeling the gash in his leg as a distinct burning, beyond what such a wound warranted. Gods knew he'd had enough recently to know. He was also noticing some nausea and he knew that he wasn't squeamish about blood, he'd gutted too many game animals for that. Even as that took hold, he was also feeling a cold chill that didn't have anything to do with the weather creeping through his body; he'd been toasty from his unprompted tumble routine only a few seconds ago. Ulric was suddenly conscious of the brews he'd put on his arrows back in the woods. The arrows he'd only use to kill monsters he didn't plan on eating.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Hey kiddo, what are the odds those arrows were poisoned?" He asked.

That got Brighteyes' attention. They both looked down at his leg. Around the clean line of blood that marked the wound, which should have been little more than a scratch, veins under the skin were abnormally prominent and dark blue…and spreading. Shit.

"Ulric this is bad. Arrows not poisoned for hunting, only war. She use [Striped Bark Snake] venom. It is powerful, cause death in an hour or days, depending on dose. First is burning in flesh, then sickness, then fever, then death. At high dose it kills when blood starts to thicken until heart stops. Venom paste is only potent for a few hours, you may be fine if it is old. Not worth risk, we get antidote."

Brighteyes furiously turned and approached his kin in a stalk to loomed over her, which shouldn't have worked since he was the shorter by over a head. She had not stopped her baleful glare towards him but gave Brighteyes her attention when he stomped to stand before her.

Ulric knew the kid said it was over, but that was not really the look of someone who was ready to let bygones be bygones.

"Geyrt, where is the antidote? I know you would not travel without it, even you are not so bold. And why are you traveling with poisoned arrows? You cannot have been expecting us, we didn't even know when we would arrive. For that matter, you were waiting in the trees, I would not have missed you if you were not using [Conceal], why are you here when there are no other Hunters or Iriel'en attending the wood?" Brighteyes demanded to know.

She looked in Ulric's direction and spit on the ground before answering.

"I will not give that bastard antidote for all the fruit on the [Tree of Life]. And you, you know nothing, Lumyt'seit, about what has transpired. We thought you dead; father went insane with anger. He called on all of the Hunters in Irielhos to find you. They found your blood and the body of your trainer and friend. We tracked you all the way to the [Ancient's Gate] and Hunters even dared the Plateau to face the [Forest Lord]'s wrath, until we found the fate of the vermin who took you, your blood again, and no sign that you had escaped their fate in the boughs of the [Forest of the Forgotten]."

Whatever she was saying, she was seriously not happy. Brighteyes grew less happy as well, so it couldn't have been good. He was only picking out words though, her molten flow of words was far too fast to follow as she continued whatever diatribe she was spouting.

"We returned empty handed but with enough blood to Call the souls of the fallen, of which you were not found, and father gathered his war counsel to deal vengeance to the men and beastkin who took you when he learned their identity. The lord of human lands denied us justice. They protected the company of supposed poachers who took you, denied they sent their people into our lands, insulted father, murdered the emissary we sent, and started burning the forests of northern tribes. The Otherkin mercenary company from Prespang that were hired to protect the poachers claimed that we murdered the brother of their leader and they will have vengeance. They assassinated the lord of Lagranel, of the Plainsfolk, in his home, with his family. That they have planned this attack for years is clear. Father gave me a Blood Cutting from our family tree to feel if any part of you should return to the wood, to find your killer. When it showed me you had returned I left my post and came, all the way from Zelas, to avenge you. And now I find you, alive, and in the company of one of those animals. We are at war, Lumyt'seit. And we are at war for you."

All of this was delivered with spiteful tone and various gestures that suggested no good was coming to anybody.

Ulric, of course, had no idea what they were talking about, he made out maybe one word in three and couldn't piece enough of it together to make heads nor tales of their discussion. It would only be much later that he would be filled in. At the moment, he was retrieving his knife, spear, and pack and giving Brighteyes some room to deal with his kin. That and try to feel if his heart was stopping. Can you even feel that? It seemed like it would hurt.

Whatever she'd said, Brighteyes had evidently decided he was having none of that shit. He took hold of her collar and started shaking her while screaming into her face. This was why Ulric stayed out of family stuff.

"I care not for your excuses Eldest Sister, you violated my guest right! If you knew not who we were then I only say you are reckless, but you knew exactly who I was and you attacked anyway. Did I look like I was in danger? Walking as if with a friend of years in a stroll through tamed gardens? Then you try to kill my guardian after I offer my name for protection. That you would deliberately try to kill the Elf friend who took vengeance on my behalf, rescued me from the interlopers, and then gave me protection from the time I healed until we journeyed all this long way, despite my oath of safety, is beyond bounds of honor." Brighteyes yelled.

"You have made my word as mud and, if he had not beaten you like a mongrel wolf, I would demand satisfaction. What made you think it was a good idea in the first place? I know you used [Scan], you were always sure to identify targets, Father praised you always for it. You saw that he slew the [Forest Lord], what made you think you were going to defeat him in battle? If not for my interference he would have stopped playing with you and called skylances down to turn you to ash. Then what do I tell father? Hmm!? Tell me that idiot sister!"

Brighteyes punctuated his diatribe with a single finger held vibrating under the Taipan's cute nose. Wonder of wonders she actually looked ashamed. The kid must have unloaded on her, whatever he was yelling.

"I know now that you are stalling, hoping my guest would die before I asked. You will give the antidote. You will apologize for throwing my honor into the mud. Then you will take us to father and we will make our enemies regret touching flame to Elven lands. On my name I swear this, Geyrt." the young Elven lord hissed at her.

That pretty much put an end to things, as near as Ulric could tell. Taipan, chastened, maybe, handed Brighteyes a vial from a small pouch in her belt and stood away from him, slightly shaky of step, so maybe the [Voltaic Grip] had been set to stun after all. The Lord to Be came to where he was leaning against a tree, trying to stay as calm as he could knowing that venom was moving through his body and resisting an incredibly powerful urge to vomit his guts. The entire situation was awkward as hell. He was starting to miss his quiet home in the wild.

"Ulric Glade Chief, I, Lumyt'seit, son of Bald'rt Iriel Chief, apologize for the attack on you and the break of guest right. Please forgive my eldest sister this attack, she was unreasonable from grief and worry. I bear responsibility and will make good on this, I promise." Brighteyes spoke solemnly.

Such an earnest kid, Ulric thought. He patted the elf boy's head a couple of times, which made the elf woman's eyes narrow before he replied.

"It's all good Brighteyes. I, Ulric Einar, [Lord of the Ancient Glade], accept your apology on behalf of your doting sister. Ah, and, I guess I'm sorry too. For trying to blow her to smithereens. And the insults. And the lightning. She kind of had my blood up, and I'm not good with people to begin with." He admitted sheepishly.

"It is fine Ulric you did as you must, though, you should consider being less...you. And she gets my blood up too, it is a thing she is good at. Here is antidote, you need drink all of it. It is beyond foul, you need to resist turning it back on the ground." the Elven kid said, putting the vial in Ulric's hand.

Ulric opened the ceramic vial and downed the contents, trying to get them into his throat without letting them contact his tongue. A wave of the most intense bitterness imaginable washed through his mouth at even the barest taste and he had to contract his entire body to keep from immediately puking.

After a couple of aftershocks, some little gagging, and a grimace that wouldn't leave his face it was done with.

"Holy shit, kid, you weren't kidding. The hell is that made of?" He asked, wiping his mouth.

"Grind [Striped Bark Snake] venom glands, dry them, mix with concentrated urine, dry again, then add to boiling [Midnight Star] herb extract, infuse with Sano, and let cool. It is the best antidote for many poisons if you have venom gland of animal to tune the antidote. If not, a broad antidote used, but these worse and slower." Brighteyes told him, like reciting a lesson from a textbook.

"Ah. Gross. I did ask though." Ulric said, trying to shove that piece of information into a box in his mind never to be opened again.

It was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, magical, the nature of this antidote. There was no way it had been able to infiltrate his blood through his stomach lining to disperse. And yet, he felt a wash of gentle fuzziness throughout his body as the toxin was neutralized. Just like that, and the effects vanished, leaving Ulric feeling hale, mostly. The chills and sickness had subsided at least. Aside from the fierce ache in his abused arm, which had not enjoyed the beating it took during his panicked scramble or the following scrap and the slight sting of the new cut.

At last, his life was returning to its default state of murmuring hazard, rather than blatant pants shitting danger.

Ulric gathered Brighteyes over to his tree and huddled conspiratorially, eyeing briefly the cause of his most recent discontent, which subject returned his gaze with a flat hostility though she'd lost most of the outright intent to kill. He was pretty shaky but he thought he might be alright.

"Brighteyes, I know we got off to a bad start, what with the ambush and all, and I know I said some pretty awful stuff to get her too off balance to murder me with any kind of plan, which she was totally going to do you know, but, I wasn't really joking. Your sister is, in the language of my peoples, a complete Amazon babe. Is she single? You think I have a shot?" He whispered.

Brighteyes mouth fell open and he looked with absolute incredulity, which was fine, Ulric knew this was coming out of left field. He'd been alone for a long godsdamned time, and adrenaline, pain, and near dying did fucky things to your head, and you never knew you had a strike unless you threw the pitch right? That little bit of sadness hurt a touch though.

But Brighteyes was a good kid, with a good head on his shoulders and did, at least, consider the idea before issuing his verdict in a similarly hushed tone.

"Ulric, there is no cure for the worms in your head. I am truly sorry." the Prince told him sincerely before continuing, "Eldest Sister Geyrt is, how would you say…difficult. She wants no suitors. She fights constantly, scorns offers from Lordlings, beats them bloody, and returns them to their household in shame. I have more fingers than Sister has friends and one of those is her bow, which you kill. She spends all her life Hunting our enemies in the wild. My other sisters do not even speak to her, she would not mind me tell you this, she thinks they are weaklings. Also, I feel it is unfair to not tell you she speaks Human much better than me."

Oh fuck. He bent even closer and spoke quickly, "Do you think she heard us?"

Lilting scorn drifted over the woods as the topic of discussion interjected with a voice like a goddess to Ulric's ears.

"Eat your own guts and die you Human bastard."