A peaceful negotiation: that had been what Natsumi was hoping for. The illithid was leaving, using the limited powers of levitation to make it across the lake, and the mad man was proving amenable to wisdom for the moment. It should have gone smoothly; yet, as seemed to be a law of misfortune, nothing involving crazy could ever go according to plan.
Like a child, the illithid began launching spells at Silanus over a little rock. He wasted what time he had left in levitation to get revenge, and even lit the forest on fire. Had he restrained his attacks to the mad warrior, Natsumi might have abstained from the conflict altogether. Yet, he did not. He chose to bring the homes of local wildlife into the conflict, and, in so doing, earned the ire of the druid.
'Kino,' she thought in aggravation while looking out at Xallithelid. There was no need to speak, for the artifact knew of Natsumi's intent. The cloak she had worn up until this point vanished in a flash, revealing the dark green tunic and white pants she wore underneath. Her visor appeared over her eyes in the same instant, all while her weapons were exchanged. In a display of bright, arcane power, her claws and spear disappeared, giving way to an ornate longbow and quiver.
"We can agree on one thing, at least," she said to Silanus while looking toward her enemy. "He is an idiot in need of a lesson." Just then, it became apparent that nature, as well as the two on the beach, was against the illithid. Water nymphs protected the local forest, and were beginning to shoot streams from the lake at anything ignited. The forest fire was being put out before it got out of hand, but Natsumi also knew they would aim for the illithid if he continued his wanton destruction.
Unfortunately for Xallithelid, the druid was not content to wait until that point for him to receive judgment. Cocking an arrow into her bow, she loosed an attack at her target with deadly precision. It flew out over the lake quickly, igniting mid-course on its way to impale the illithid's right shoulder.
To those unfamiliar with strategy, this attack would have appeared plain. However, its true purpose was part of a complex plan. First, Natsumi wanted to throw the illithid off balance, as he probably wasn't expecting an attack that could reach his height and distance so soon. Second, her arrow was hot enough to ignite clothing even if it completely missed its target. Since the water nymphs were extinguishing all objects on fire, Xallithelid would become a target for an additional attack from below even if he narrowly dodged the body of the arrow. Third, and finally, if the illithid did get wet, his actual weight would increase. The weaknesses of levitation magic, as Natsumi recalled from her studies, lay in the fact that it was only ever temporary and that it became harder to maintain as the weight and levitation height of a subject increased. The reckless illithid was already pushing the limits of his magic by extending his height, and additional weight from water would make his spell run out even faster. Considering he was already nowhere near land at the moment, loss of his levitation magic would make him a sitting duck.
"Go soak your head," Natsumi whispered as she entertained thoughts on what to do after her opponent was in that situation. Perhaps she would turn him into a pincushion: a warning to those that would defile the wilds. It all depended, as she surmised, on what the nymphs were planning for him. This was their domain, after all, and they would decide final judgment.
