The nightmare was real. It shouldn't be, but it was. Earlier that morning, Aruk thought the worst enemy he would have to face off against was at the most a few genocidal elves, but apparently the All-Father thought otherwise.
Then again, Aruk wasn't facing the abomination. He was narrowly flicking his tail back and forth to avoid hell's claws at his backside, sweat breaking all over as one foot after the other landed upon forest ground. He could feel the wind shriek at his spines as the sharp blades raked at the air.
Crystal was holding on inside Aruk's pauldron, whimpering and crying every few moments that the abomination snarled after its prey. Aruk just kept running, not even aware anymore of where he was headed. He just knew he could not stop, even though his lungs and gut begged him to rest. He forced himself to run so far and so fast, he was going to die running rather than die stopping.
But if nothing else, he would rather die fighting.
Aruk was ready to give up on running, his mind set on turning right round and charging to his death, when a shadow lunged through the sky. Or rather it was the blur of a dark figure. Either way, Aruk was ready to turn and fight, and he slid slightly to a stop ready to duck the next blade to come at him. But it never did. Aruk watched with a mix of uncertainty and awe, as the abomination turned away from him and faced another opponent.
Aruk saw the long bleeding cut along the back of the monster, and on the other side of its angered heaving mass, was a--
"Is he naked?" Crystal wondered aloud in confusion. Aruk shrugged, trying not to pay any attention to that fact than he did to being grateful to the All-Father.
"Now... We fight." Aruk commented. But Crystal noticed how short of breath he was.
"No, Aruk!" She ordered in her cute little voice. Aruk glanced at her. "Take a break! I think the strange naked goat person can kill it." She commented, moving to sit down on his shoulder and relax.
Aruk slowly relaxed his stance, holding his halberd up and stepping out to the side. He did not say anything, since he knew Crystal was right about his lack of energy at the moment. However, he did not feel at all at ease letting the nude stranger take on the monster on his own, if it was really that bad that he had to run from it. He clenched his grip around his halberd slightly, watching the stranger do battle.