Another encounter from the forest.

After a few more uninterrupted miles of walking down the wide dirt road and lots of quasi-melodic humming, Echo and her semi-aquatic companion are abruptly interrupted as an arrow flys out from the nearly blackened depths of the forest and plants itself in the ground just a few steps in front of them.

Echo jumps at the noise and quickly draws her shiny blade, looking for any sign of her attack in the tree line. "Only a coward attacks in such a way, will you not come out and face me as a true warrior!?" she yells into the forest, the slight fear in her voice is overpowered by the abundant eagerness to prove her skills.

"Oh I will," says a deep voice, "that was merely my way of commanding you to stop and face me."

"Well then, let's get started, shall we?" says Echo proudly, doing a little move where she flips her dagger around in her hand.

The determination in her face drops for a moment as from the shadows of the forest emerges the largest creature she has ever seen.

As the light reveals his from Echo finds that he looks mostly human, but his skin is almost gray and his eyes seem to have a red tint to them. Other than that, he just seems to be a very large man, no less than 7 feet tall with bulging muscles, massive hands, and gnarled black hair. He wears only a knee length black pants of a material Echo can derive.

"Ah! And here I thought no one still worshiped the gods, but look at you!" he says approaching Echo.

Echo removes the fear from her face as she speaks, hoping to convey her fearlessness. "What do you mean, beast? Do you consider walking down a path worship?"

"Well you travel with a duck, woman! Surely you know that ducks are the creation and patreon animal of the Queen of the gods! Her priestesses used to be everywhere walking around with the stupid birds!"

"I am no priestess, I'm a mercenary. This is simply my new pet duck Bytch."

The man gives the duck a look and his face drops into dull seriousness. "A fitting name," he says under his breath.

"I'm sorry, did you come out here to discuss my duck or to fight me?" Echo says, beginning to slowly track around him in a combat stance.

"Ah yes well, that is quite a nice dagger and I see you have some coin at least. Very well, I guess they're worth having, along with that little body of yours," his deep voices rumbles as throws aside the bow that seems toy-sized in his large hands, and takes a combat stance himself, brandishing his massive arms as his weapons.

Echo can't help but be intimidated, but she has plenty of combat training, practicing often with the young men of Dyxville. Dispite his threats of looting and "having" her body, she thinks she can take the beastly man.

Or she could just run.