The Heartwood to pick the ship up, leave it clean

do you want me to have iliksis chased off by PPCs/NPCs next post? lmk!

the boy was defenseless against iliksis' onslaught, and iliksis noted cruelly that lucca did not even try to fight back, or defend himself. iliksis found that to be a shame, for he wished for challenge today.

perhaps a man of better moral fiber (certainly not he) would have found the encounter piteous and loosened the vicious nature of his assault, or tempered it in some way to match lucca's compliance with being savaged: but iliksis was not a gentle or merciful creature, and as he fell to lucca with teeth barbed and snapping, he found his head pounding for harm, for hurt. there was an anger that speared through his mind and focused on lucca with vehement hatred; he did not wait -- instead, he hastened.

as his teeth connected with lucca's muzzle he sought to put his entire weight down on the boy and slam him into the snow. if he was successful he'd search along the boy's neck for purchase and would slink powerfully over him, attempting to pin him down into the dirt in the most debase and humiliating manner possible.