He jumped back into a corner, mostly out of sight and horrified.

Venna spots him, and quickly hands him a small dagger, made out of the same golden material- presumably, evanium. "If it gets in here, stab it somewhere non-vital."

Vica tilts her head. "Strix?" She guesses. Venna simply nods in response as she starts bandaging her shoulder.

*whats that?* he asked worriedly. He put the knife down as he pulled out his tech, building something quickly.

"Owl ethereals who like to eat humans and kenindrae." Venna explains with a sigh. "They make more of themselves by turning other creatures- if you stab it somewhere non-vital, it'll revert to what it was before."

He nodded. *they weak to electricity? At least, will it stun them?* he asked, holding up his creation. It looked like a makeshift taser.

She shakes her head. "They won't care much. All that'd do is make them notice you- and you'll have to sneak up on them if you don't want to get eaten or turned."

He nodded, deconstructing it quickly before raising the dagger. *how close is it?*

"Far off, for now. But strix don't give up easily, and I'm fairly sure they're after me again." Venna flicks her tail, and begins sharpening her spear.

*why is it after you?* he asked.

"They like to hunt down creatures with traits useful to them." Venna explains flatly. "They especially like turning strong beings."