Andras turns to Hyacinth.
If Huberic is dead, I'm as good as dead too.
He carefully approaches the window, craning his neck, trying to get a good look inside. The webbing looks dark, and shadowy, and ominous. That faint light still comes from within, but the webs obscure his sight, preventing him from seeing what awaits them inside the house.
The light is a good sign. But I don't like the look of these webs one bit. I know spiders are drawn to movement, so hopefully there's no nasty surprises here...
He draws his saber and shield, and using the tip of the sword, gently begins trying to tear apart the webbing.
Erik remained quiet as the others talked to the halfling woman, wanting to do anything but think about the home that he had been planning on leaving behind and instead was taken from him. His body ached, he was tired, and he just wanted to rest. There was nothing else to do though but grab some bread, cheese, and maybe a few pieces of fruit before leaving the ruined homestead behind. Between Hydrand and himself, they carried the man alternatively on their back like a backpack until they finally began to gain consciousness. Erik felt him stirring on his back and gently set him down and took a step back, wanting to ensure he didn't take a good strike to the chin or back of his head when he awoke.
"Thank you Geraldd. I am sorry for Alison but I am glad we rescued you." Erik mumbles, more from pain than from disrespect. He didn't like having this many people with him but he couldn't just let them suffer and die alone either.
"More targets for others to kill first. We'll survive brother." The aberrant thought echoed in his mind for a second. Erik shook them off, more interested in making their way through the dangerous forest. The webbing around them seemed to only grow in thickness, trapped animals occasionally fluttering helplessly in the sticky strands. Erik had begun to dislike this plan more and more as they finally approached the home that belonged to Huberic Bithclump. The place was practically enveloped by webbing, making Erik's stomach twist in the remembrance of pain.
Hokey began to cast a spell again now and once more, a brilliant and shining beacon rose from her high up into the sky. Erik's stomach dropped out from underneath him now before he let out a small laugh.
"This has to be the way I die. I f**%ing hate festivals." He thinks to himself as Hokey tells them all to run and escape. Andras tells him the very same and the young warrior straightens up and the morbid humor on his face disappears.
"I made an oath Andras. I won't break it. I will be behind you though, if you'll forgive me." There was a small, pained smile on Erik's face as he readied his shield and axe, following behind the brave nobleman who approached the webbing to look inside.
Ugh. We need more time!!
Hokey looks dismayed at effectively killing at least some of these people, most strangers more than acquaintances. She looks over at the door.
"This stupid spell only lasts a minute, Andras. I'll wait by the door. On your go, I'll breach in and scope things out."
Hokey was about to dissuade Erik from participating, but she bites back her worry for Erik's condition.
I don't have any room to talk. Whatever, focus on the task at hand.
Several of you step forward towards the cottage, and now that you're closer you can see hundreds of tiny spiders crawling all over it. The multilegged creatures, a dozen of which could fit on your pinky fingernail - are letting loose strands of webbing. The morning wind catches the webbing and lifts them off into the sky, carrying them away.
Andras quietly moves forward to the open window covered in cobwebs. The webs stick to his sword as he moves them, but he's easily able to clear an opening and look inside. Erik and Geraldd are just behind him. Hokey moves to the door and prepares to knock the door in on a moment's notice. Just as soon as she gets the signal.
Awful, Bertram, Hydrand, and Hyacinth all hang back.
There's a single, thick candle still lit, flickering on the center table. It is a nub at this point, nearly completely burned out. Based on how thick this candle it, it's been burning for some time.
Also on the table is an ink well that has been knocked over. Ink stains the table in a pool that leads to the edge, and there is a stain of ink on the floor as well.
before...
before that happened. Her chest has burst open. Tiny spiders crawl out of it.
Bertram takes up a quiet position behind Hokey with his sling in hand. How many more variations of spider could this area have? He prepared himself to sling a stone when Hokey took down the door.
Erik follows behind Andras, his axe ready as he watches hundreds of tiny spiders take to the wind and float through the air. He swats a few dozen away from his face with the flat side of his axe as they approach the window. Inside, the candle burns nearly down to the bottom and barely illuminates the room within.
The webbing and dim lighting prevents him from truly seeing what may lay within the home though, shaking his head as he peeks over Andras's shoulder.
"I don't see anything."
Hydrand, seeing his stalwart companions opt not to split up, decides that playing the sentinel would once again be beneficial, especially considering the target they'd just painted on the area.
"I'm going to keep watch, shout if anything comes up, and I'll do the same."
The Orc was definitely present enough to know that it's one of us causing those beacons. He did seem a bit mental, though, maybe he wouldn't put two and two together...
Hydrand heaves a heavy sigh as he turns away from the party once more so that he can protect their backs.
Not a chance. Either he has enough head about him to put together that we're here, or else he doesn't have enough head about him not to head straight into the light. Hopefully we've bought enough time.
Another question was bothering Hydrand, however. When would they be able to rest? How close were they to some bastion that truly offered protection from such a monster? He was having trouble imagining there might be a safe place from such a thing. He knew that, barring catastrophe, he could continue on like this indefinitely, but his companions could not.
He feared for them.
He did his best not to let it get him down as he scanned the heavily-webbed forest for the Orc, or anything else that might be a threat.
He remembered what happened to Alison, though, and he swore he could feel a myriad of tiny spiders crawling around in his joints. He hoped that the sensation was phantom, and nothing more.
Andras peers into the gloom of the house. Seeing the corpse covered in spiders makes him feel a little sick, but it’s still not enough to faze him. At least the book might be useful, and it’s not a complete dead end...
S&$!. Looks like we found Huberic. She’s back there, in the corner. She’s got a book in her hands. Just steel yourselves. Looks like she’s being eaten by spiders. Don’t know what killed her, so be very careful. Hokey, if you want to go in first, go. I’ll be right behind you. Just prepare yourself. The sight isn’t pretty.
Andras keeps his sword and shield warily drawn.
Maybe best to plan on rushing in, grabbing the book, and getting out.
"Of course. Alright, let's get in and out, quick. Here, Bertram."
Hokey hands Bertram a torch and takes a deep breath.
"If I- If I'm too slow, burn it down. At least it'll be one less horror in the world."
Hokey steels herself, shield out in front, and tries the doorknob.
It's unlocked...which almost makes it worse. Sigh
She opens the door and goes in,
but uses her shield to cover the view of the herbalist. She shakily walks over to Huberic.
Yeah, nothing wrong here. What does Andras even know? She doesn't even look that-
Hokey stares at the massive hole in Huberic's chest. She can barely process the small spiders crawling out of it, she's so mesmerised by the wrongness of the hole. Hokey's vision starts to dim as her mind tries to reject the reality before her.
Hokey's mouth almost opens for a scream, before she stopped herself from swallowing something else she didn't want to for the second day in a row. Her eyes begin to wander, desperate to look at anything else and happens to land on the book in Huberic's dead grasp. Her mind instantly sharpens as she spots the prize.
Get it and go. Get it and go.
She pumps herself up while she reaches for the book.
Everyone at the window watches as Hokey quietly sneaks into the web covered house. Step after step she gets closer to the table, when she finally sees what had become of the Herbalist.
Unbeknownst to her - and to everyone - a lurker hide in the shadows. It peered down at her as she slowly walked in, closer and closer to its trap. She was almost there, almost to the human. The hidden creature knew how to lure in others - they always came for their own dead. Just like others of its kind, the lure had worked. A new victim had entered its webs.
A creature akin to a large spider with a bulbous black abdomen and bright red numbers glowing all over its carapace drops down out of of the shadows to land right next to Hokey. It's fangs sink into the magical shield, protecting Hokey from what would have been a devastating attack.
Hokey reaches for the book when she suddenly sees a blur of red drop from the corner of her eye. Her defensive training with Hydrand kicks in as she instinctively raises her shield just before the spider sinks its fangs through the arcane barriers around her and stops, gently grazing her shield.
"I knew one of you freaks would be in here.
Hokey casts more defensive spells on herself with renewed desperation. While the red clock before her was devastatingly distracting, her recent brush with death provided ample motivation to succeed in her cast. The magic also seemed to help her, as if reacting to her near panic. She also deftly moves around the spider.
Awful, wanting nothing to do with the spider house, spun on his heel and followed Hydrand as he took his position as Sentinel. Secure in the area slightly away from the house, Awful voices a thought that had been in his mind for quite some time.
"I am really, really going to burn this entire forest to the ground."
Suddenly, Hokey cries!
Immediately jumping to his feet, Awful runs over to where the others are peering into the cottage, though he can't get a good vantage to see what the commotion is actually about. It didn't matter, he knew what the best move was going to be.
"Burn it! Burn the whole place down! THROW THE TORCH INTO THE F&&%ING HOUSE!"
"Hells, more spiders! BURN IT TO THE GROUND!!" Bertram's shout joins in to echo Awful with a waver. A sling stone hurtles at the spider as Bertram hopes to provide cover for Hokey to flee.
This sling is f@#~ing useless! The stone clatters to the floor when it falls from Bertram's shaking hands. His fear now mixed with frustration.
"Run, Hokey!" Bertram presses against the door, waiting for his ally to run back to him.
The giant spider again tries to sink its fangs into Hokey.
The shield Hokey conjured deflects the venomous fangs before they can penetrate her skin, allowing her to survive for just a moment longer.
Erik was watching inside of the house but he could not see what Andras was seeing. It was only when the massive spider descended downwards to try and feast upon the faun did the injured warrior spring into action. Rushing around to the front, he would see Bertram drop the stone as he looked in once more at the terrifying beast that laid within.
With shaky hands, he would reach for the sling that Bertram had given up and gathered the stone as well. Trying to stifle his fear and fight the urge to run, Erik spoke to him.
"L-let me try." He said softly, his voice shaking as he began to spin the sling with enough momentum to make it dangerous.
More spiders, great...
Andras' eyes flick from the giant, bulbous abdomen of the beast, to Hokey, to the book.
I think I can make it.
Holding his shield high, in case the spider decides to lunge at him, he prepares himself, taking a deep breath, then sprints into the hovel. Neatly sidestepping Hokey, he rushes in, picks up the book, then sprints out.
I've got it. Hokey, get out of there. We'll seal it in. Then we get the hell out of this place.
The last page in the book is addressed to Hartwig. If you want to read in more detail, it will require an action.
Hydrand hears the commotion, but his name wasn't on the plea for assistance. He keeps his eyes on the forest while he backs his way towards the house where everyone is gathered. He positions himself to one side of the doorway.
"I'm ready to get the door shut, once the last person is out let me know!"
Hydrand checks the doorway so he knows where the door is and how to close it in a hurry before turning a weather eye back on the forest. He could only hope that any foes secreted away in the forest wouldn't come creeping towards all this shouting.
Andras runs in quickly, dodging a swipe from the terrifying spider as he grabs the book from the hands of Huberic. Her grip on the book is strong; her corpse hand frozen around it.
As he grabbed the book, and pulled at it, aiming to get out, Andras realized that it was stuck. His original plan of running out of the hut won't work now.
S$~!.
He tugs again at the book. The rigor mortis had completely set in, causing the hand to clamp shut with surprising strength.
Damn it.
He looks around frantically, then makes a snap decision. Grimacing slightly, he takes his sword, and slices at the hand of the woman. Mercifully, his sword is sharp, and cuts through the flesh and tendons fairly easily.
Now, holding the book and hand, he realizes he doesn't have time to get out before the spider takes another swipe.
As Andras chops the hand off, the book is completely free and he's able to make an escape with it. Unfortunately, spiders poured out of Huberic's body and into the room.
As the spiders swarm out of the hole that was Huberic's chest cavity, Andras deftly steps out of the way, spiderlings squishing under the soles of his boots. He retreats out of the hut, shield held high, avoiding any potential lunge from the large spider.
Hokey sees Andras charging in like a meteor, securing the book along with the hand of its original owner. Andras tells Hokey to get out before quickly taking his own advice and retreating.
"I'm right behind you. Keep going!"
Hokey pump fakes an attack and then sprints out.
"Close it! I'm out! says Hokey as she runs past, not stopping until she is well, and truly, clear of the house. Then she stops, drops and rolls to kill any spiderlings while making vague threats about spiders.
Hydrand dives through the doorway just far enough to snatch the handle and swing it closed. It slams with a satisfying click, and Hydrand immediately reverses momentum, bracing the door with his shield against anything that might attempt to break through it from the other side.
"Assuming our business here is concluded? Fire or not, you all should get moving; I'll take off as soon as you've begun running."
The last page of the book is hastily scrawled in messy and shaky writing. It’s the writing of someone dying and trying to get their last words out. The majority of it is illegible. Between the ink and the blood, many of the words and letters are smeared. What isn’t smeared is overwritten as if she couldn’t see where she had last stopped or where she was starting again. But still, it has the information you need.
----------------------
Hartwig,
stotphe orc fdas;bbv 890987sadf*(&^*^%
Findt he Savage Ornament fhas9787nn;ljnv dsajn
Savage Orname-asfp98j*&( vaiua-alen Hollow
Fsa;j
Valderhalen Hol-0-vnasu gfsd 0 *0p7-untains
the orc killed isa9u- 8nafs&%&$# 76tbv v58*() asthib54u s hunting asnuf -usland.
must stop hm
--------------------
The rest of the book is an herbalist’s journal. It is filled with information about various plants and herbs. If you take the time to use this book as a reference right now, you might even be able to find some beneficial herbs within the herbalist’s house - although doing so with a giant venomous spider inside may prove exceedingly difficult.
Andras squints at the barely legible writing.
Stop the orc. Find the Savage Ornament. Valderhalen Hollow. Mountains? The orc killed Isa? Isabella? My sister. There's a lot there that's unreadable. Maybe the orc killed her husband. I haven't heard anything new regarding her. But she lives quite far away, and news travels slowly. That last bit is obvious. Hunting Andras Cousland. Me.
Andras wracks his brain to see if he knows anything about the Hollow.
Maybe Hartwig's stuffy books weren't quite so useless after all. He remembers something vague, that he read in a tome somewhere...
Erik listened in as Andras looked over the book; the words and letters meant nothing to the uneducated youth. Yet he hears Andras mumble something about a Valderhalen Hollow. It brought memories of stories being passed around when he was much younger.
The memory slips free though, lost to pain and other memories that now just serve to haunt him. His grimace grows; they were running out of time.
After writhing on the ground to her satisfaction, Hokey finally gets up and groups up with everyone. She moves between Hydrand and Erik, ready to support Hydrand with the door, or cover Erik, at a moment's notice. She listens to Andras reading the seemingly incomprehensible message to Hartwig.
What is going on here? Were Hartwing and Huberic really who they seemed to be? And who or what is isa? Like, Isabella, a person?
"I guess the orc has a fondness for killing women? I don't know who or what this "Isa" might be, but I saw "Smiley" chasing after a girl in the woods, once. I might've also come across a corpse he was responsible for shortly after, but I was busy hiding from the orc at the time, so I can't say for sure."
"Also, I think I've heard of Valderhalen Hollow...but I also can't remember where I've seen that name before, though. Guess we should look for clues for this "Savage Ornament" there. Anyone else have any clues?"
Hokey looks around while quietly sighing to herself.
More running away and more questions. I just want to sleep.
"In any case, I say we move on. Since we know that the orc is hunting Andras, let's leave a clue for the orc to find and waste time in this house. A small bit of cloth from your cloak should be enough, I think. Also, can you think of any reason that might've caused the orc to come after you like this?"
Isabella is my sister. She was meant to be married off to some wealthy merchant’s son. Cousland fortune isn’t what it once was. He was a nasty piece of work. Lecherous, lazy and unfaithful. He had a dalliance with some red headed farm girl. Isabella wasn’t happy. She also wasn’t quiet about it.
Andras smiles faintly at the memory.
Thats Isabella for you. Always strong willed. Never lets herself be pushed around.
Andras’ voice becomes more serious.
Anyway... Man was found dead two weeks before the wedding. Ripped apart. Limb from limb. People always blamed her. Said she hired a Jotun to do the dirty work. No one would deal with her after that.
A faint hint of anger enters Andras’ tone.
I know her. She always looked out for me when I was small. She would never... I know she was distraught. No one believes her but me. Even Father...
Suddenly, Andras starts.
Hokey. This girl you saw him kill. Was she red-headed? Isabella always spoke of a faun she saw, the night of the murder. Is that... you? And if it was... what a strange coincidence.
Hokey looks stunned at this revelation.
What an incredibly small world this is turning out to be...and, yet, home is still so far
"Uh...she was red-headed... This is an awkward question...but was your sister blonde?"
Hokey clears her throat uncomfortably.
"I...did trip- I mean, stumbled on a horribly mutilated corpse shortly after escaping from the- Smiley. And another girl, blonde, ran up to the body. She was sobbing her heart out." Hokey manages to mumble and stutter out. Her unusual demeanor and the mixture of tenses and pauses seems to be done in an effort to soften the blow of the news.
"Can't say I really saw or heard anything, just that there was a sobbing blonde and probably 2 more bodies to Smiley's count."
Hokey shivers, despite it always being so damn hot in this godsforsaken frontier. The memories from that day were best forgotten, lest she feels the terror she felt that day, in this new, but ever familiar, situation.
"Let's go and try to avoid being 6 more to his count. Too many questions to answeron the run."
The Hollow didn't ring any bells for Bertram. His mind was still reeling from the fright of a giant spider nearly devouring Hokey.
"I've never heard of the place. Maybe we can head there next? This Orc doesn't have any qualms about attacking innocent people, but surely he wouldn't do so without a plan first. It could buy us time."
Bertram gives one last look back at the Herbalists home. He hoped all these creatures were giving the Orc pause and wearing him down.
Awful's fading grin came back to life in full force with the mention of Isabella's name.
"Ooooooh yeeeeah... I remember your sister. She did alright in my book! I heard the scene was just beyond gruesome. I always thought she was passionate enough to have done it herself, no help whatsoever..."
He sighs, briefly lost in thought.
Coming back to the present, he *snaps* his fingers sharply and points at Andras.
"Wait one whole moment, I know a thing or two about Vanderhalen Hollow!
So, thing about the place is..."
In some versions, the Beast is a horrific monster that captures and devours the good-hearted, the kind, the innocent. In others, the Beast is a savior, a true protector of the very things it is so wrongly accused of devouring.
Hokey looks around, seeing recognition flash across Andras's face and a smirk plaster itself on Awful's, as he recounts the tale of the Savage Ornament. When he gets to the part of the tale where the artifact was protected by a beast, enlightenment dawns onto Hokey.
"That's why I remember it: there's supposed to be a Legendary Beast there! I know where Vanderhalen Hollow is; it's a small village in the Shield Mountains between High Stone and Tear. Wonder why that's the key to defeating Smiley..."
Satisfied that they now know where they're heading to next, Hokey starts digging in her pack to grab her tinderbox and lights up the torch she gave to Bertram. Working with Bertram, she gets the house on fire, which wasn't hard due to the copious amount of aged and weathered webbing present everywhere.
"Alright, I'm good to go here. Andras, would you mind if I held onto Huberic's book? I'd like to study it when we can finally get some rest. And speaking of, we should probably set up a camp or something tonight. I don't think I can go without for another day without some."
"Then that is where we need to go." Erik said, shuffling his weapon back onto his belt and shyly returning the sling back to Bertram. "Thank you."
"We can stay at my home for the night. I need to grab things from there before we go. There will be food and a place to rest." His bow, his packed belongings, all of it was waiting there for him. It would be good to be home one last time as well, gather something to remind him of better times. Once the web-covered home was set ablaze, he would then begin to lead the others down the road he was vaguely familiar with and back to his now empty home.
Andras passes Hokey the book.
Here you go. We can discuss my sister later - she is blonde. I am sure it is related. At least it is good to know that she was telling the truth. And if this orc is truly behind everything, we might be able to clear her name.
He packs up his stuff, looking forward to getting some rest, and the hope of shaking their pursuer.
"You made better use of it than I did." Bertram accepts the return of his sling. "I... uh... appreciate you stepping up, Erik. I lost myself for a moment."
Bertram stowed what he had left along with his embarrassment.
"We can think of plan once we reach the Hollow. Sounds like you knew more about this monster than you thought, Andras. Dont die before you can share it."
Erik casually tosses the lit torch into the webbing as everyone prepares to walk back up the miles long path that leads to Alison's home. The webs are slow to catch fire, but soon enough the old cabin starts to burn as well. Tiny spiders spin their web parachutes, which also catch fire - unfortunately they help the fire spread to the surrounding trees which are all covered in webbing as well.
Soon, the forest starts to blaze around you and you realize that you may have made a terrible mistake - not necessarily a mistake about setting the entire forest on fire during a year long heat wave and drought, but mostly because you're stuck right in the middle of it with nothing but a path barely wider than a deer trail.
You run. You run in desperate hope that you can outrun the spread of the fire. You run with all your might, being forced to turn here as a tree falls and blocks the path, or leap across a gorge there when you see a clear escape. You run.
The good news, for those who survive, is that it's guaranteed that the forest fire will completely eradicate your tracks, as well as every living creature who cannot escape the blaze.
Hydrand backs away from the house, no longer bracing the door with his shield now it's obvious nothing's trying to break through. He takes a few steps back so that the whole house is within his field of vision.
He watches as the blaze begins, and is startled at how rapidly it grows.
Good, whatever was in there isn't likely to be getting out.
However, he notices little wisps coming off the house, and...
He vigorously gestures at everything as it's all going up, and fast.
It doesn't take much more for the party to get moving.
Hydrand digs in with his first two steps. He wasn't the fastest in the party, but fire was good motivation to challenge that paradigm. The way the heat rose so rapidly as the nearby trees went up was startling, but he made it through the opening they came through originally before the fire was near.
Blessed with a Clockwork body, Hydrand wouldn't tire. He had strength to spare to help him keep on keeping on, and he dug into that limitless reservoir of un-fatiguing strength to carry him through, even as he could see the fire all but exploding through the forest on everyone's flanks.
Then there was the gorge. The fire had already come through below them when the party reached the cliff, and it occurred to Hydrand a second time in as many hours that he wasn't the fastest in the party. After seeing others leap across, he got his best running start...
...but it wasn't enough. Barely. The edge of the opposite side of the gorge takes him in the chest, and things get hot on his feet as he scrambles up the wall and out of the heat of the inferno blazing below.
Unfortunately, this put him a few paces behind the party, and he can just barely make out the back of someone in front of him up ahead. He does his best to follow, but with all the heat and sparks in the air, he believes himself lost on more than one occasion.
He keeps on running.
As he begins to outpace the blaze, he catches another glimpse of someone up ahead, and zeroes in on them. Catching up to the rest of the party as they catch their breath, he slows to match their pace. He begins to say something, but then he notices, nobody is speaking.
The silence is brief, but Hydrand can feel how the oppression of the day is hitting home with everyone right now. He flashes back to some of the things that he was sure would leave lasting marks, and considers them briefly before deciding that these were opportunities for growth, not horrors he would allow to live in his head without paying for the stay.
With that settled, he shakes himself as he comes back to the moment, and begins to do a head count to be sure everyone made it alive...
The forest catches on fire swiftly, flames jumping from tree to tree by burning insects. The webs catch quickly and a frown spread across Erik's face; this was happening too quickly.
"C'mon! This way!" Erik shouts as the fire begins to pick up quickly, the heat having dried everything out so much that the foliage caught the flame quickly. They had to run, they had to escape.
Erik quickly makes his way through the burned foliage, outrunning the fire that burned behind them. Exhaustion pushed at his legs, his whole body beginning to feel heavy. He had to fight through it though, slowing down would let the fire catch up.
Despite the fire, despite the exhaustion, Erik continued to run. Flames began to roar around him, his skin covered in soot and ash. The gorge ahead was burning with flames. There was no way back and, taking a few steps back, he ran to leap across.
Like Hydrand, he hit the other side hard and his legs fell into the inferno. Erik pulls himself out of the inferno, patting at his legs and trying his best to put out the flames. Pain, exhaustion, fear all begin to take their toll and the effects of the poison still had not passed yet. His eyes rolled back as shock took him, his consciousness failing.
Erik stirred after a moment, sitting up from the ground and shaking his head at his comrades that came to his aid. He was fine, he was still here, he wasn't going to let this damn forest take him down. As he moved though, the fire consumed the trees all around and a cacophony of shattering timber and falling limbs began to ran down around him and his comrades.
Through the fire and flames, Erik looked for a way out of the hellish forest fire they had unleashed. Another tree exploded in a rain of wooden shrapnel but as it fell, its motion exposed a route out of the fire and into clear air. A clearing that had become nothing but dried ground and long-since dead grass. Too small and empty to truly be a danger. Erik ran as fast he could towards that escape and out into the clear air. For the first time in months, the wind felt cool against his reddened skin.
Out in the dead field, the burning forest behind him, Erik stops for too long. His mind finally begins to try and process everything that he had seen today, everything that had happened, every horrible thing he had dealt with in the last twenty-four hours. Something in him breaks. Tears well in his eyes as his voice cracks with a sob before they run down his face. He screams. He claws at the dirt. He pulls at his hair and screams again until his voice goes hoarse. Everything went wrong.
Andras is so preoccupied with the thoughts of his sister, and the thought of a nice comforting meal, that he almost doesn't notice the whole forest becoming ablaze... He sees the rest of the group sprint ahead, and follows them in a daze. The edge of his cloak catches fire as he makes his way through the woods, searing his flesh, and he rips it off and stamps on it, wasting precious time.
His tired limbs fail him, the exhaustion of the day catching up to him. He stops for just a moment to catch his breath, the smoke-filled air burning his lungs. But as luck would have it, his brief slowdown creates an opportunity. A tree falls ahead of him, clearing a path through the inferno.
He keeps running, until they reach a large chasm. Taking a run up, he sprints towards the edge, and puts all his energy into the leap. He soars through the air, and slams into the side of the gorge. Hard. His hands scrabble for purchase as he falls down, thinking this might be the end. By some miracle, he catches on to a shrub as he falls, the barbed twigs creating lacerations on his hands and forearms. But it holds his weight, and he's able to haul himself back up, and away from the fire.
His body is tired, and his mind fails him too. He misses a branch on the ground, stepping on it awkwardly, and spraining his ankle. Crying out in pain, he looks around in panic for a way out. He finally catches a glimpse of blue sky through the roaring flames and cracking wood. As the forest turns to charcoal, he falls to the ground, unconscious.
Looking at the devastation they caused, Andras just feels dead inside. Had he been more hale of body, he might have felt some tinge of regret. But he's tired, his hands hurt from the scratches, and he just wants a nice, hot meal. Those more base concerns keep him from worrying about what they've done.
Awful stood next to Hydrand as they gazed at the fire breathing itself to life within the cottage. When the clockwork came to his realization about the impending blaze and shouted his warning, he turned to find his companion already sprinting into the forest. Fleeing without a word nor warning.
Awful just barely managed to keep a steady pace, just barely ahead of the fire.
Used to long stints of wakefulness, Awful's lack of fatigue had him feeling just well enough to keep pace.
His cunning and grace kept him ahead of the fire, under low branches, and over thick brush.
Not knowing the forest meant Awful had to look around to find Hokey to stay on track.
Doing that while running taught him how hard trees really are.
Awful can't help but blame everyone but himself for the situation they're all in right now.
But truthfully, this is what he wanted. He was prepared to make the same mistake himself... How could he be so thoughtless?
"Alright, let's get going. Fire's set, and we should get going before any "thing" shows up. Hopefully, the spiders are burned, too."
Hokey walks away from the fire, towards sleep and rest. She absentmindedly sees "sparks" flying and jokes, "It's so hot here, I'm imagining the fire is flying..." She trails off as she notices the spiderlings parachuting off by the thousands, probably in a desperate attempt to survive the blaze themselves.
"Oh my gods, " she screams as she starts sprinting as fast as she can.
The exhaustion worked against her even as the increasing heat and haze from the now inferno give her ample reason to hurry. She runs as fast as she can, surrounded by increasing amounts of sporadic arcane sparks.
Another fire flares up in front of her and Hokey falters for a moment, but gets pushed forward by Hyacinth crashing into her.
Luckily, she was just able to avoid anything more than a light toasting with that push. Hokey grunts from both the impact of the push and the close burn, and keeps going forward.
She comes across a fire-filled gorge and leaps it with ease.
Just as Hokey was about to look for the escape path, she sees Andras go down.
"Oh, no, you don't. You owe me answers and you owe me a solution to this problem." Hokey growls as she picks up the unconscious Andras over her shoulder. However, she takes damage from the fires that are raging around Andras as she does so. She grits her teeth and soldiers on, refusing to give in or give up.
While Hokey didn't mind the events of the past few days, she was experiencing one of the worst escapes of her life. Her mistakes throughout, Erik almost dying, and trying to keep the unfortunately necessary people alive in this inferno was creating a mental strain on her like never before.
Go. Move. Step. Forward. I. Will. Get. Answers. I. Will.
Hokey's thoughts devolve to simple words and begins to shut down as a response to the trauma and mental strain that is assaulting her. She doesn't even realize how the magic around her is chaotically flaring up; motes exploding brilliantly into existence before fading out just as suddenly. All she can see, hear, feel, and breathe is fire.
The webbing ignited much faster than Bertram had expected. The error and brashness of their decision suddenly became very pressing with the rising inferno around them. The Dwarf takes off after the others as quickly as his legs can carry him. They still hadn't rested, and the fatigue was burning his legs along with the flames as he flees the burning forest.
Bertram keeps pace with the others with some careful footwork as he rushes after the party. The fires are still rising around them.
Bertram falls behind as his muscles burn. The fire almost overtakes him, but Bertram forces his exhausted body to keep moving. He escapes the flames by mere luck for now. His eyes sting in the smoke as he blindly rushes after the party.
The gorge surprises Bertram. The thick smoke stinging his eyes keeps him from seeing the drop in the earth until he is upon it. A desperate leap sends him through the shimmering wall of heat, barely reaching the other side. His chest slams into the side of the gorge and he scrambles up while the flames lick his heels. He pulls his screaming body to his feet and continues after Hokey.
It's too much. The smoke, the burns, the days of running. Bertram stumbles blindly through the hellscape. A hand suddenly lands on his shoulder and jerks him to the side. Burning branches from a collapsing tree crash to the ground where Bertram once stood. Through the smoke, Bertram barely makes out the shape of Awful.
"Thank you, Human. ... Awful." He chokes out. There's not time for more. They both continue running.
Bertram emerges from the burning forest barely alive and breathing. He can hear the roaring fires and streaks of light are burned into his eyes. His exhaustion consumes him and he collapses to the ground as his mind reels at the horrors of the past few days.
We've been helpless to stop any of it. We lost everything we came here for. The town, the knight, our answers, the changeling. They all died for absolutely nothing. It's all turned to s@~&. How pointless our struggle has been. We are back where we started with only blood to show for it.
This time Bertram does not push the thoughts away. Instead he begins to laugh at the ash choked sky until tears stream down his face. It's only when the Halfling puts a hand on his arm that he stops with a jerk like a startled animal. His eyes are still wide, but the touch brings him back to the present. He buries his face in his hands and rests for the moment with shuddering breaths.
Gods, what will we do now?
Hyacinth and Geraldd both run the guantlet of fire along with everyone else, struggling for survival. Hyacinth proves to be a lucky halfling, just as the stereotypes say, and makes it through with minimal injury.
Geraldd is not as lucky, making it as far as Andras, but collapses under the stress and smoke and flame.
Hydrand finishes his head count only to realize they were one short. He gathers himself, knowing that his purpose had come knocking this day.
"We're short one, I'll go check for him" Hydrand said, his panicked voice at odds with the casual words.
Dashing through the smoke and thanking his animator that he didn't have to breathe, Hydrand charges back into the inferno. The path had been altered some, but every place a tree fell over the way forward, a new way was cleared. He stayed near the original path until he came upon Geraldd, panic in his eyes, fully surrounded by fiery flora.
Without saying a word, Hydrand starts on a tree that wasn't quite so on fire on his side. He breaks it down into a few smaller pieces with his mace, the wood weakened by the fire, and uses his shield to drive one of the pieces aside, opening the way for Geraldd. Hydrand shouts wordlessly to Geraldd and waves an arm in come-hither, the motion carrying him in an about face. Without waiting another moment, Hydrand takes off down the path to his friends, assuming Geraldd is hot on his heels.
You manage to escape the forest fire alive. Slightly singed, perhaps with a few future nightmares, but alive. Hyacinth and Geraldd thank you for saving them not once, but twice.
Looking around, you're not certain where you are. But one thing is sure; you've escaped The Orc. For now. There's no way he'll be able to find where you left the forest, and it's highly unlikely he'll know where you are going. The only people who know are either dead or with your group right here, right now.
You speculate about where The Orc would go next, of he survived. He probably did survive. It seems unlikely that a simple forest fire would be enough to stop him when an item legended to kill any foe was needed to stop him. Where would you go, if you lost your prey? Back to their home? Back to where they would find the most comfort? He's probably headed back to Last Hope right now. It's best to stay away.
You decided to put some distance between yourself and the blazing forest before it catches the surrounding grasslands on fire and make your way towards a river where you can hopefully strike camp. As the dawn breaks, the sky blackens from the smoke. Columns rising high up into the sky before the upper winds carry it away.
Over the next few weeks you make your way to Vanderhalen Hallow. The oppressive heat seems to dissipate a slight bit as you travel into the mountains; the higher elevation brings a lower temperature. But the smoke from the fires is still abundant, making it difficult to breathe.
During your journey here, each of you experience something unique.
Please write a short story about one of these events, as well as an explanation for your level up choices.
Please write a short story about one of these events, as well as an explanation for your level up choices.
Please write a short story about one of these events, as well as an explanation for your level up choices.
Please write a short story about one of these events, as well as an explanation for your level up choices.
Please write a short story about one of these events, as well as an explanation for your level up choices.
Please write a short story about one of these events, as well as an explanation for your level up choices.
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They found Andras lying by the side of the road. His clothes were ragged, and his skin covered in scrapes and bruises. Next to him was a deer, with deep gouges in the flank caused by what looked like a pair of tusks. His face pale, his mood sombre. He wouldn't talk about it. If you looked closely, you might think that his lower incisors had grown a little, protruding from his mouth almost imperceptibly.
That night, as they laid out their bedrolls under the stars, Andras' sleep was fitful. He tossed and turned, dreams full of the red-eyed, savage beast which he'd encountered. It was both life-like, and larger than life. Stiff bristles covered its snout, tusks as sharp as spears. The pain where they impaled him. Then snuffling, snorting, and what could almost have been human speech. But it couldn't have been. It was just an unusually large boar.
That dream. Stomping across the ground. His feet... hooves... The thrill as he gored the deer. The metallic taste of blood as it filled his mouth. The acrid burning smell of the forest, somehow more intense in his dream than life. That dead deer... a coincidence. He was just out hunting. He'd only been gone a few hours. There was a boar. It must have run away, left him for dead.
Something had changed though. His mind felt... duller. Even after waking up from a good night's rest, he felt foggy. Some part of his humanity had been left behind in that forest. A darkness dwelt within him now. A beast, waiting to show its face. Yet he'd gained something too. His senses felt keener. The breeze on his face felt more... real. He felt stronger somehow. Muscles rippled in places he was sure he'd never had any. Not as strong as Erik, but stronger than the boy who'd died in that forest. Replaced by... this. Whatever it was.
I mustn't let this control me. I am still me. I am still myself. I'll use this power to defend my friends. My family. I WILL NOT let this destroy me.