Ulmwin recalls bulette's being rumored to have an arcane origin of a wizard's experiment gone wrong, and that hydra have an innate ability to regenerate, allowing them to not only heal, but regrow new heads rapidly, as long as they are not subjected to fire damage.

Nature: 10

Randy's too busy examining the watchers to worry about a hydra fussing with burrowers.  VERY quietly to the others: "We've got lurkers in the trees watching the show. Camouflage and crossbows, at least 4."

Dornikal looks at the trees to try and spot these supposed watchers

Perception: 20

"Right," Ulmwin whispers back. "I guess it'd be too much to hope they're friendlies with how far we're from civilization right now..?"

One of the bulette seems pretty injured, and there are hydra heads strewn about where the mighty jaws of the bulettes managed to sever the necks, but the hydra seems to be rallying, as more heads begin rapidly bursting forth from the severed stumps, forming into fully functional heads in mere seconds.

This seems to have garnered the interest of the watchers in the trees, as crossbows are raised and a series of bolts rain down towards the combatants, but the four bolts miss, falling short, but kicking up a burst of fire where they smolder in the ground, giving off a faint trail of smoke. An arrow, similarly misses and likewise causes a small flare of fire.

Those of you with better hearing may hear slight curses coming from above.

Randy peers upwards to see where the cursing is coming from.

Seems to be one of the camouflaged folks in the tree nearest Randy, some 40 feet up in the tree.

"Seems like they're on the hunt? Maybe we'd just ought to sit back for now... Unless it appears as if things may go south."

A bulette leaps on the back of the hydra, and begins chewing at the base of one of the necks, but isn't able to gnaw through. Five heads dart down and savage the armored beast, while another five snap at the bulette darting around its legs, though only two of them hit.

There's a sense of urgency from the fellows in the trees, as another volley of projectile's flies towards the combatants. They have a bit more success this time, two of the bolts and an arrow hitting and unleashing a brief puff of flame, sending the heads and necks writhing.

Zokk gives a low moan at seeing fire that could be mistaken for wind sighing through the branches.

"Not our fight, aye agree we just see where this goes. The watchers look to be rooting for the bulettes though? Or maybe they just don't want to have to fight a fifty headed hydra?"

He pats Zokk reassuringly, then notices he is patting just a regular tree and pretends to just be feeling the grain of the wood as he focuses a little too hard on the fight.

"It's almost as if the bulette are their hunting dogs.  Can they be trained to do that?  They're using some kind of fire arrow to hunt the beast, so they must have come prepared  for this kind of encounter.  If it does go south, our amulets may enable us to take the beast down.  And one other item, in an emergency..."  He touches a certain pocket on his shirt.

The bulette attack, the more hearty one managing to chomp through a neck, leaving blood fountaining across the meadow, but the haggard one is rebuffed.

Five heads dart forward on the more injured bulette, and four of them sink in and savage its body, flinging half in one direction, half in an other, with a spray of viscera and blood. The other four heads snap at the bulette that just removed one of their fellows.

The archers above keep up their volley, sending bolts and arrows streaking towards the hydra and bulette.

Even with the distance, three of the bolts and an arrow strike true, puffs of flame washing over the beast. The observant among you notice that the severed stump has grown over with scales, rather than regenerating additional heads.

Somewhat more unexpected, a figure jumps or falls from the tree, only to slow right before contact, landing lightly on their feet and sprinting into the meadow. There are soft cries of surprise from others still in the trees as the figure dashes 60 feet towards the fight.

"Well that's one's not too bright or it knows the hydra is going down soon and wants to be brave fighting a nearly dead beast."

The bulette snaps at the hydra, but doesn't manage to sink its teeth in. It plunges into the soil, its massive claws and pointed head burrowing it rapidly into the earth. The hydra snaps at it with all nine heads, some of which find purchase, but none of which come up with the creature. 

A few of the heads snap at bits of the other bulette, or any of the number of hydra heads littering the ground, but a majority focus in on the lone figure running towards it, and with a modicum of protest from the remaining heads, it begins lumbering in their direction, picking up speed as the dissenting heads swivel around on the approaching figure. 

For their part, the lone figure slams to a halt before casting something, and rapidly rising straight up into the air as bolts and arrows zip underneath them towards the hydra. Most miss, only one bolt finding purchase.

((The figure is 60 ft from the treeline, and now 40 ft in the air. The hydra has sprinted closer and is now some 300 ft from the treeline.))

((Should any of you wish to get involved, no need to roll initiative, just jump in when you want, and you'll be in the rotation.))

Randy growls softly. "We may wind up involved, whether we want to be or not.  If the hydra gets much closer..."  He readies his bow. 

"Then how about we back up? Aye don't see any reason to get involved, especially since those up in the trees could decide to start shooting us as well."

Randy gives a small grin. "It's a ranger thing. We don't like dangerous monsters like that hydra wandering around.  Innocent creatures and people could get hurt. But you could be right. Before we mix in, maybe we should give them a chance to deal with it first.  It does look like they came hunting it specifically.  We could wind up interfering in someone's rite of manhood hunt." His grin disappears. "That being said, if it looks like it's too much for them to handle, we probably should pitch in before the situation gets too much worse. The idea of dealing with a hydra with 40 heads doesn't appeal to me."

"Ah, but that'd be a story to tell!"

The hydra charges forward towards the floating figure, who rises further up into the air and emits a sparkling shower of lights, perhaps to draw the hydra's attention?

Two of the figures in the trees begin rapidly climbing down, using metal pegs set into the side of their trees, one will reach the ground near Dornikal, the other nearer to Coljin, though they have not yet reached the bottom.

The two crossbows remaining in the trees fire, but the bolts deflect off the charging hydra and their charges are spent in the grass of the meadow. The arrow strikes true, but without a puff of flame. 

((The hydra is 240 feet away, the floater is still 60 ft away, but now 60 ft up in the air. Two crossbow users are in the tree, along with the archer, and the other two have climbed to within 15 ft of the ground.))