Giselle nodded looking appropriately fearful. She held her breath hoping the silent EMP would do its job. Giselle glanced over at the artificial light as it flickered and then died.
"Dammit." She heard Madhava curse as he approached the failed light source to see what was wrong.
Giselle debated moving to press herself against one of the trees to wait out the coming attack, but as she started to move a light filled the small clearing. She looked to see Madhava had lit a torch. Quickly she sat back down.
In the distance there was a great commotion. It had begun. The sounds of shocked cries and fighting erupted all around. Vigdis stumbled out of his tent as the sleeping warriors rose up in shock.
"What the hell is going on?" Vigdis bellowed.
"Report." Madhava grabbed his comm and yelled into it only to see that it was dead. "We're under attack."
Just as Madhava uttered those words half a dozen Toufik came barreling out of the dark forest. They moved fast attacking the startled warriors with a ferocity that was unrivaled. The shadow from the torch Madhava gripped made the Toufik seem larger than they truly were. The warriors were so stunned to see how violent the gentle Toufik could be that several were dead before anyone raised a weapon. Giselle cringed as a warrior's neck was twisted with a sickening crack by a set of large hairy hands, less than a foot away.
The fight was picking up but the Scelus Cadi warriors were no match for the Toufik among the trees. The hairy beast descended from the trees, attacked with deadly accuracy, then retreated, only to strike from a different angle a moment later. Madhava realized this as he guarded Vigdis, his sword drawn.
"To the open road." Madhava gestured.
"What is wrong with those beasts are they diseased?" Vigdis shouted.
Giselle was ready to slink off but Madhava gripped her arm and gave her a suspicious look as he tugged her behind him. Several enemy warriors followed as they abandoned camp but through the shadows Giselle saw the Toufik picking them off left and right. There was a barrage of distinct crunches or gurgles as the men at the edges of their group were thinned out.
They made it to the road as other enemy warriors poured in from the forest all around them. From this vantage it was harder for the Toufik to come out of the forest and attack then melt back in without being seen, so they held back. The Scelus Cadi warriors all around her looked into the dark forest clearly shaken. They never expected such an attack from the Toufik.
"What the hell was that?" Vigdis demanded. "Why the hell won't the damn rota work and where the fuck have half the manx gone?"
Giselle knew the answer to those questions, but she did her best to look appropriately afraid.
Madhava shook his head in confusion, obviously disturbed.
"Well you better figure it out or your head will be next on a fucking pike." Vigdis railed.
"Why don't you tell me what is going on here since you my Daimio are completely capable of striking out on your own." Madhava sneered.
The Scelus Cadi warriors were overwhelmed with shock and confusion, many standing frozen, others turning in wary little circles looking for the angry Toufik. Giselle had to repress a smile. The goal had been to shake them up, and it was working.
All was now quiet. It was like the Toufik had never even been there, just some vengeful woodland spirits that disappeared into the mist. That seemed to unsettle the group more than the surprise attack.
Light was starting to peak over the horizon just barely penetrating the dense forest. That meant there would be no more individual sneak attacks on the Scelus who had been herded to the road. It was time for phase two.
Madhava looked around attempting to assess the situation and reorganize the men while Vigdis stood bitching. Giselle took the opportunity to look up into the hills. She was in a bad spot here. The section of road they were on was not safe. As she looked back Madhava was studying her.
"Do you think they're coming back?" Giselle asked with concern she didn't have to feign, though it wasn't the Toufik she was afraid of.
Madhava was eyeing her too intently.
"Daimio you should take one of the few manx that is left." Madhava suggested as he pushed Giselle towards one of the striped beasts.
Madhava leaned into her as he gripped her arm. "I noticed you were the only one who didn't seem surprised when the Toufik attacked."
Giselle did her best to not stiffen up or look surprised.
"I'm was stolen from my planet by aliens that I didn't know existed, stripped naked and sold as a pet on a foreign world. I'm over it." Giselle deflected.
Madhava raised one brow as he shoved her up on the back of the manx behind Vigdis. Giselle sighed in relief hoping she'd covered her mistake well enough. Unless she said something Madhava would never come to the conclusion that she knew more than perhaps the barest details of what was going on. The Cadi's innate prejudice wouldn't allow them to think a female let alone a pet would be privy to such things. Though Madhava seemed to have building suspicions.