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The quest they’d been tasked with wasn’t especially dangerous, Harkas invited Y’shtola along more because she wanted to spend some time with her friend than anything. Certainly, any average adventurers could have tackled the sudden influx of Drowned near the Serpent’s Tongue, but with the Dragonsong War seeming to come to its pinnacle, Harkas needed a bit of room to breathe, and fighting off a couple of Leviathan’s tempered seemed just the thing to help her relax.
They made their way out from Aleport, everything mostly peaceful on that route, and headed up through Sahagin territory towards the Sapsa Spawning Grounds. The citizens of Aleport didn’t seem to have any overwhelming fear of the Sahagin at the moment, no more than usual, so she and Y’shtola let them be, continuing towards the beaches of Serpent’s Tongue. That was where the Drowned were said to be appearing, so many that the Maelstrom was worried they might start climbing out on the shores near Aleport instead.
Normally, it was the Reavers that frequented that area, but even they had stopped taking shelter there as often due to the sudden population of Drowned settling onto the shores. As they arrived, it was indeed clear that the tempered sailors had taken over the fort. They were walking about outside, just down the shoreline from where Harkas and Y’shtola stood.
“Best get to work, then,” Harkas said, hefting her axe over her shoulder.
“Indeed,” Y’shtola agreed, casting a quick Protect and trailing after her.
The first few Drowned they encountered, Harkas took out swiftly. They weren’t exactly a terrible threat to the highly trained Warrior, it just felt good to sink her axe into something that wasn’t also twenty times her size and somewhat likely to tear her asunder.
Y’shtola kept her well healed, fixing up what few injuries she did sustain, and they started making good progress, working their way down the shoreline together.
Suddenly, Y’shtola let out a very uncharacteristic yell, some mixture of pain, surprise, and fear, and Harkas whirled around, ready to sink her axe in whatever monster dared harm her.
It wasn’t one of the Drowned, though, or a Reaver. Just a jellyfish, one of the Sea Wasps that floated about by the shore line, and not even a very large one at that. It looked like a young one, a baby, and it had floated right over and latched itself to her arm.
“Harkas,” Y’shtola said, eyes wide in fear, tail puffed up, and at that Harkas rushed over, but she couldn’t very well cleave the little creature in two when it was stuck to Y’shtola like that. She lowered her weapon, letting it fall to the sand.
“It’s okay,” she said, “It’s just a little one, here, sit down.”
“Get it off me!” she snapped suddenly, and she was trembling, her eyes wide as she stared at the creature, trying to pull away from it, but she didn’t get further than jerking her arm and stumbling back a step before she froze again in fear.
Gently, Harkas took her other shoulder and her hand and coaxed her down onto the sand. “I’ll get it off, just breathe, it’s okay. It won’t really hurt you.” She was smiling a little, though, as she finally got Y’shtola to sit and started working her hands along the jellyfish’s tentacles, trying to peel it off. It really liked Y’shtola for some reason, it had a strong grip on her.
“Look,” Harkas said, trying to keep her friend calm. “It’s just a baby, it’s not even fully grown yet.” The adults were about the size of an average person, this one was maybe half that. “It just wants to be friends,” she half-laughed.
“I’d rather it didn’t,” she said, voice wavering.
Finally, Harks managed to peel one of the tentacles off and started working on the others, holding part of it with her other hand away from Y’shtola so it didn’t just latch onto her again.
“You never told me you were afraid of jellyfish,” Harkas chided, still smiling. “I wouldn’t have brought you out here.”
“I didn’t think there would be… so many…” Y’shtola muttered.
“And you don’t like telling other people when you’re afraid.” Harkas grinned.
“I suppose.” She frowned. “Ah, that stings.”
“Yes, it’s a jellyfish. I’m sure it stings a little. It’s almost off.” There was only the large, suction cup tentacle left, and she worked her fingers under it, getting the creature to let go. “What’s so frightening about these things anyway? They’re more or less just giant rubbery balloons.”
“Balloons that sting,” Y’shtola countered. “They’re dangerous. And creepy.”
Harkas couldn’t help but laugh a little again as she finally pulled the jellyfish loose, grabbed it by its head, and tossed it back towards the ocean as hard as she could, watching as it tumbled through the air and caught itself, floating above the waves.
“Stop laughing at me!”
“Sorry,” Harkas said. “Here.” Still smiling, she pulled the Miqo’te into her arms. “You’re safe now, see? It’s all right. No more jellyfish.”
Y’shtola let out a quiet sigh, resting her head on Harkas’s shoulder for a moment as the other woman held her tighter.
“You know I’ll always protect you,” Harkas muttered to her. “Even from teeny tiny harmless little—”
“Oh, stop it.” Y’shtola elbowed her in the ribs, but there was just a flicker of a smile on her face, and she’d stopped shaking. She sighed. “The fear is… irrational, I know, but I’ve always been. Afraid of them."
“Then we won’t come to any more beaches if there might be jellyfish there,” Harkas promised. “If you want, we can leave right now.”
“No,” she said. “We’re here. I want to finish what we started. Let’s take care of the Drowned just… stay close.”
Harkas smiled and bumped their noses together. “Don’t worry. I won’t let any more jellyfish get you, I promise.”
“Oh, and Harkas?” Y’shtola said as they got to their feet and Harkas picked up her axe.
“Yes?”
She folded her arms. “Don’t you dare tell anyone about this.”
Harkas smiled. “Of course not.”