“There, can you see it?” Astarion questioned, muscles tense and ready to strike at a moment’s notice. The boar was mostly concealed by the underbrush, his unfortunate victim wouldn’t realize until it was too late that it wasn’t a Mind Flayer.

The very second the boar darted from the bushes he withdrew his dagger, closing the remaining distance between him and the stranger. He slipped an arm around them from behind, the sharp blade of his dagger pressing against their throat. To further minimize the chance of them fighting back, he lurched backward. He brought the both of them to the ground, ignoring the grunt that came from his prey’s lips.

“Shh…” Astarion cooed as they struggled, keeping the blade firmly pressed to their throat despite the defensive hand at his elbow. His eyes roamed their features, the dirt on their cheek, the burst blood vessel in one of their eyes, the fear. “Not a sound. Not if you want to keep that darling neck of yours.”

His eyes flicked up to his victim’s other companion.

“And you, keep your distance,” Astarion growled, leveling the other person with a glare. “No need for this to get messy.”