The party, now numbering ten, put some distance between them and Black Hall before making camp to rest up and collect themselves. The freed elves were traumatised and fearful, but Mayatanay was able to reassure them and secure their trust in these Ironlanders. They were all too young to have met her before, though one knew of her by reputation. They bickered a little in their own tongue and hushed voices - some of the party suspected they debated the specifics of Mayatanay's crimes, but could not divine them.
MAKE CAMP - Strong Hit
They found a secluded grotto in which they could relax in relative safety. Artiga separated himself from the group almost immediately, finding a quiet spot to read scripture as the new-day sun slowly dawned on him. Luiden set up his hammock and chewed noisily on some medicinal herbs with incense burning beneath, wreathing him in pungent smoke. Williarth and Bjorn each took some time out to focus on what they did best - the bard jotting down notes for his ballad and the scout working on his self-confidence with a spot of light hunting. The latter was wallowing in the depths of pessimism and self-doubt and even acquiring a brace of tasty pheasants didn't buoy him any. He was quite sure he would not live to see his homelands again.
Only Kabeera consorted with the elves, learning about the way ahead and the feasible routes to the Deep Wilds that would avoid the roving warbands. She also saw to it that they were given spare clothing from the supplies to keep them warm, for some of them were not even fully dressed due to the nature of their incarceration.
As most were drifting off into much-needed sleep, Artiga approached the bard and requested he, as a learned man, tend to the deep wound on his arm. As Williarth prepared, the old priest tried to assist with his knowledge of battle-wounds.
AID AN ALLY (Loyalist) - Miss with Complication (4)
PAY THE PRICE - It is stressful
ENDURE STRESS - Weak Hit
COMPLICATION - Passes out
The effort of remaining conscious in spite of the pain was too much for Artiga and he passed out rather suddenly, his wounded arm flopping on the bard's trappings and getting blood all over his notebook. Williarth was highly displeased, but at least it shut the patient up. He tended to the wound unhindered.
HEAL - Weak Hit (Wounded cleared)
He did what he thought was a reasonable job and left the soon-snoring Artiga where he lay.
That afternoon, in something of a role-reversal, Artiga was the one to be rudely kicked awake for he had overslept and the others were all ready to go. He muttered about needing to say his prayers but they weren't waiting. The party headed south-west in an arc to circumnavigate the war-footed region. The elves were local and knew the safest and stealthiest routes to pursue. Kabeera led, employing all she'd learnt the night before, whilst Luiden took point and scouted ahead.
CHANGE RANK OF JOURNEY - Formidable down to Dangerous
AID YOUR ALLY (Luiden) - Miss
PAY THE PRICE - Delayed (Lose momentum)
UNDERTAKE A JOURNEY [5/10] (Kabeera) - Strong Hit (Burn) [7/10]
Luiden was perhaps still a little groggy from the incense for his wits were none-to-sharp and he nearly walked them straight into a unit of soldiers out on maneuvers. He motioned for them all the take cover and kept them there for a couple of hours in silence until he was sure the coast was clear. But Kabeera kept the course true and swift over the next couple of days, feeling something of an affinity with these lands after hearing so much of it from the elves. The woods and copses grew thicker and bigger until before them was nothing but a humbling expanse of deep, dark forest. They had reached the edge of the Deep Wilds and already the atmosphere was primal and foreboding.
Where the Ironlanders were apprehensive though, the elves were of course delighted and hurried ahead to some invisible site of interest. As the rest of them caught up they saw that here on the fringe of the Wilds, high up in the trees, was an outpost of treehouses and rope bridges manned by elf warriors in creepy masks made of bark, moss and other gifts of the forest.
The elven outpost is an impressive stretch of cleverly-constructed wooden huts and landings, camouflaged high above the forest floor. One could walk the length and breadth below it without every suspecting it was there at all. Part watchtower and part gatekeeper, it serves to ward away threats to the elven communities deeper in the forest and to keep tabs on the surrounding lands of the Havens. As yet the Ironlander armies have no idea of its existence, but for how long?
Mayatanay surprised them all by pulling a mask of her own from her bag and donning it with reverence. They waited below a hoisted rope ladder to be acknowledged and the captain of the elven settlement, a tall woman called Dotani, was sent for. Dotani addressed them from wooden battlements, half-obscured by leafy branches, and bade them make their case for being in elf territory at a time of such unease between the two races. Kabeera explained their quest and asked for their hospitality, whilst Luiden backed her up with a less-than-brief account of the rescue from Black Hall.
AID YOUR ALLY (Luiden) - Strong Hit
SOJOURN (Kabeera) - Strong Hit with opportunity (6)
Dotani seemed only mildly impressed, until one of the elf girls stepped forward into clear view. Dotani cried out a name in relief and had the rope ladder lowered immediately for them all. It transpired that one of the girls was the captain's lover and presumed dead. Their reunion was oddly stoic, but tender in its own way. Dotani granted the party the freedom of the outpost, whose name in elvish was an alien sound but roughly translated to Eyes Gazing Out Upon the Waste. As the party accepted the hospitality, shedding heavy packs and enjoying refined elf cuisine, Mayatanay spoke with Dotani privately before joining them. She learned that her community was not where they were heading - being so threatened by the growing Ironlander forces, it had evacuated back to a stronghold a bit deeper into the Wilds.
REACH A MILESTONE (Escort elf outcast back to her tribe) - [4/10]
Kabeera - Plan and Provision
The noblewoman saw to replenishing their supplies and then got the lowdown from the elven soldiers on the impending conflict - sighted warbands and encounters to date.
Artiga - Plan and Recuperate
Artiga joined her in talking with the military, wary of the strangers, but soon found himself a wise woman with medicinal knowledge to help him heal up for a time. He engaged her in conversation about elf religious doctrines and practices and found it intriguing but somewhat heathen.
Luiden - Recuperate and Consort
FOCUS (Recuperate) - Strong Hit
The Skirmisher made merry with the locals and partook of some particularly strong sedatives by which to enjoy a long and resting sleep.
Williarth - Plan
The bard was in need of little bolstering so spent his time making notes on aspects of the journey to focus on in his ballad and what it might so far be lacking.
Bjorn - Hearten (Shaken cleared) and Consort
Bjorn had made something of a friend of one of the free girls and spent some time alone with her, talking over his issues of confidence and failure. She enticed him into a combat drug in heavy use among the front lines and it was just the kick-start he needed to get back in the saddle.
They spent the better part of two days and a night at Eyes Gazing Out Upon the Waste, reassured by the safety of it and the knowledge that their journey was nearly at an end.
ADVANCE A THREAT [3/10] [1] (War with the elves) - Mark Menace twice [3/10] [3]
ADVANCE A THREAT [0/10] [3] (Thornfield's doom) - Mark Menace [0/10] [4]
News from the soldiers was grim. Skirmishes with the Ironlanders had already began and to the elves' detriment. Casualties were already in the dozens. Even worse, some reported seeing victims of both sides rising up after battle and shambling away with bodies clearly no longer capable of sustaining life. The forces of undeath must be massing frighteningly quickly if the necromantic influence was stretching all the way from Thornfield to the Deep Wilds.
They resolved to move out with urgency, but Artiga wasn't forgoing his prayers again.
DEVOTANT - Miss with Complication (9)
PAY THE PRICE - It is stressful
ENDURE STRESS - Miss (Shaken)
COMPLICATION - Temporary loss of Devotant asset
His worst fears were realised there on that wooden, lead-strewn landing. Ursha was absent from him - he felt neither her voice, nor her touch nor her breath and he cried an anguished lament. He was uncertain what to make of it, but in truth she was as close as she ever had been; it was simply that in his mind the distance from his church was distancing himself from his understanding of her and pyschosomatically putting up a self-imposed barrier. He felt lost and mournful, but expressed it in a temper so foul he was the worst of company for the proceeding leg of the journey. In fact the others practically insisted that he take the vanguard position just to get some peace. Meanwhile Luiden walked with Bjorn, who was navigating, propping up his confidence with lavish praise.
AID AN ALLY (Artiga, Loyalist) - Weak Hit
AID AN ALLY (Luiden) - Weak Hit
UNDERTAKE A JOURNEY [7/10] (Bjorn) - Strong Hit [9/10] with Opportunity (3)
The forest was eerily quiet, though never without the sound of running or falling water. The canopy above grew thicker and thicker until torches were called for. Artiga jogged about ahead, crashing through undergrowth as if daring the forest to reveal something to hack at. The rest feared it would attract the hostility of some predatory beast of fearsome proportions, but instead their path crossed that of a war party returning from the Havens - half a dozen elf warriors in various states of health. With the injured encumbering the able they professed that they could do with support and so the two groups joined to press onwards to the Mayatanay's settlement. As they walked they discussed the threat posed by the rising conflict and the impact it was already having on the elf clans.
REACH A MILESTONE (Escort elf outcast back to her tribe) - [5/10]
REACH YOUR DESTINATION [9/10] - Strong Hit
Their destination came into view quiet suddenly, despite its size and fortified structure. Mayatanay paused and muttered something beneath her mask whilst making some kind of hand motion. She introduced it in her own language, then translated it to Fortress that Catches Tears.
REACH A MILESTONE (Escort elf outcast back to her tribe) - [6/10]
The Fortress that Catches Tears has around for quite some time, though is far from the oldest of elven settlements. It hides behind a tall palisade of thick wood that is camouflaged with foliage all around. It's one of the largest, intended to be less than half-occupied in times of prosperity so that it may serve as a sanctuary for other settlements in times of strife. Like now.
The gates were opened for the soldiers, of course, but the Ironlanders were viewed with great suspicion and Mayatanay silently refused to enter without them. The lord of the clan, Rafiki, arrived minutes later, striding up with an air of great self-importance and with more guards in tow. He recognised Mayatanay instantly with a reaction that everyone was pretty sure would roughly translate to "Well, well, well, what have we here?", but he refused to address her directly. Instead he spoke only to the rest of them, in their own tongue, and revealed the nature of her transgression. His voice and mannerisms were flamboyant and almost friendly, but perhaps only because his animosity was all reserved for Mayatanay.
ACTION ORACLE - Swear
THEME ORACLE - Love
It transpired that she had entered into a pact of love with Rafiki many years ago, something akin to getting married (or at least engaged) but ran away without explanation. That was decades ago and all this time Rafiki had remained bound to her by the pact - he could not seek companionship in any other, condemned to loneliness. He explained to the Ironlanders that in elf culture this betrayal was one of the most sinful of crimes.
REACH A MILESTONE (Escort elf outcast back to her tribe) - [7/10]
Luiden employed his knack for loquaciously respectful language in requesting Mayatanay be heard by her clansmen, that she might atone for her crimes. He spoke of love across time and distance with the authority of a poet and romanticised the situation grandly - which was mired somewhat when Artiga blurted out an angry interjection about Mayatanay being a dying woman.
AID YOUR ALLY (Artiga, Loyalist) - Weak Hit
COMPEL (Luiden) - Weak Hit
Rafiki was definitely moved by what he'd heard, showing a weakening in the callous exterior he'd been working on for so may years. He agreed that her long-overdue account would be heard, but not before the Ironlanders did something for the clan as a whole so that their endeavour would be for the greater good and not just to the favour of one elf. He welcomed them all into the settlement but had Mayatanay led away by the guards to some kind of incarceration or other. He walked with the party along the main street, relating the nature of his request as they went.
Some miles to the west of Fortress that Catches Tears is the dark tanglewood known as the Bloodstained Weald of Kenrick. Many generations ago, long before the latest arrival of humans to the Ironlands, a great war raged between elf-kind. The forest was plundered for resources, both mundane and mystical, in the race to gain an upper hand. Thousands were slain over years of conflict, until a general known as Kenrick resolved to end it once and for all. The master strategist, he engineered a campaign that would see the vast majority of both forces congregated in one epic battle. He rode into that battle at the forefront of his own army, holding aloft a legendary stone said to reflect all light as pure moonlight and to a great intensity. The name of it was the Moonstone Shard. Nobody who survived the battle could be certain of what happened exactly, but the death toll was monumental and acres of forest became tainted by it. From the blood of so many fallen elves grew a tanglewood oozing with dark forces. As a sign of respect it was made forbidden for any elf to enter there, but it was rumoured the Moonstone Shard remained within somewhere. Should it ever be needed again.
The elf lord told the party that they must recover the Moonshard Stone - his people were facing insurmountable odds and all the elven settlements along the eastern fringe could be wiped out by the Ironlander menace. The artifact might be their only hope. It was unclear as to whether or not he actually believed the legend, or whether or not he actually believed they could find and retrieve it, but he did go so far as to direct them to a particular mystic in the village that would be able to provide wisdom and maps in relation to the undertaking.
SWEAR AN IRON VOW - Troublesome [0/10]
SOJOURN (Williarth) - Weak Hit
Kabeera and Williarth - Plan
The lady and the bard went to see Etana, a wizened elf of incalculable years with frizzy grey hair and studious spectacles. She was excited to talk about the Moonshard Stone legend, even with outsiders, and drew up several detailed maps for them to follow to reach the tanglewood. She certainly seemed to want it to be true.
Williarth also took some time to ask around about the legend of Kenrick and the Moonshard - seemed excellent ballad-fodder
REACH A MILESTONE (Write an exceptional ballad of Mayatanay's quest) - [3/10]
Luiden - Consort
The corpse-obsessed Luiden noticed that the settlement had a lot of animal bones hanging from low branches and posts all through it. He enquired about it with a local and struck up a conversation about this peculiar custom and the elven view of death as a whole. Some of the larger bones he considered to be of particular interest, though he didn't let on why.
Artiga - Hearten
Bjorn - Consort
The scout addressed Artiga's psychological state with him very gently and at an opportune moment suggested perhaps the elves had some kind of intoxicant that might put him more at ease. After all, they did for him! Artiga apprehensively agreed and they sought out the elf equivalent of an apothecary or herbalist. Not long later Bjorn was having a riotous time with the locals whilst Artiga zoned out in a borderline-transcendental trip.
Come the morning they were all seized of the task at hand. They studied the maps and though they seemed to make little sense there they proved to be exactly what was required, using just the right landmarks at just the right points. After only a few hours of trekking through the damp, misty forest they saw a distinct change in the vegetation ahead. The darknesses seemed darker, the trees thicker and more gnarled. Something about the way ahead sent more than one chill down a spine and they entered the tanglewood with weapons at the ready.
REACH A MILESTONE (Retrieve the Moonshard Stone) - [3/10]
DISCOVER A SITE - Bloodied Weald of Kenrick (Corrupted Tanglewood, Formidable, Denizens: Bear, Bonewalker, Marsh Rat, Nightmare Spider, Bloodthorn, Hollow, Nightspawn)
ORACLE (Feature: Aspect) - Unnatural
ORACLE (Feature: Focus) - Lair
Ahead of them, and far to the left and right, the dense forest was strewn with sinister spiderwebs of giant proportions. Some featured large, encased lumps a foot or more in length. The ground was very rocky and everywhere they looked there was a small cave or a large crack hiding some arachnoid peril. Bjorn, still a little bouncy from the feel-goods, took point and proposed a strategy of haste. He didn't wait long for an answer and was very quickly high-tailing it through the maze of silk.
DELVE THE DEPTHS [0/10] (Haste) - Strong Hit
The others struggled to keep up, particularly with the terrain being as difficult as it was, but overall the approach was a good one. Just once or twice someone saw some movement, or thought they did, and it sparked a huge new burst of panic and adrenaline, but amazingly they all came out the other side without issue. Luiden looked back and thought he could make out glinting eyes in several dark crevasses. As they caught their breath Bjorn sat down and dislodged a rotted moss-covered root revealing the bones of two or three bodies in some stained and rusted armour.
Luiden practically pounced on them. He had everyone hush and rolled a few of the bones around between his palms as he closed his eyes and hummed softly. He was looking for a spirit among the remains, hoping they hadn't all departed fully long ago.
GATHER INFORMATION - Strong Hit
REACH A MILESTONE (Acquire the remains of legendary warriors to oppose the doom) - [0.5/10]
A broad smile stretched across his face, and he stashed the largest surviving bone in his pack.
Artiga looked on the armour - it was in shaky condition but bits of it was serviceable and from the look of the soldiers they'd met elvish metallurgists knew what they were doing. When Luiden was finished with his devilry Artiga crouched in his place and began shifting through the bits of metal for pieces he could use to complement his own.
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE - Miss
PAY THE PRICE - A new foe is revealed
One piece was stuck and he had to yank hard to free it, but doing so dislodged a large mound of moss and earth and in the next second the screeching was all anyone could hear as a dozen marsh rats came bolting out of their burrow. Each and every one the size of a house cat and baring massive white fangs ready to strike.
ENTER THE FRAY - 3 x pack of 4 marsh rats (Dangerous)
...(Heart) Kabeera - Weak Hit (Burn)
...(Wits) Artiga - Weak Hit (Burn)
...(Heart) Luiden - Weak Hit
...(Heart) Williarth - Weak Hit
...(Heart) Bjorn - Strong Hit
Artiga threw his arms about frantically, desperately trying to bat them away as they came swarming over him.
FACE DANGER - Weak Hit
ENDURE HARM - Strong Hit
He came out of the onslaught with a few scratches and a nasty nip, but that was all. He was on his feet with sword at the ready in a moment.
Bjorn was straight into action, hopping up to kneel on a huge exposed root and lining up a shot to hopefully take out two at once.
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE (Archer, Edge) - Strong Hit
STRIKE [0/10] (Pack B) - Strong Hit [6/10]
END THE FIGHT [6/10] (Pack B) - Weak Hit
He landed the perfect double-kill and a couple more shots had a third of the swarm taken out. However, the remaining rats that weren't preoccupied with Artiga were heading straight for him.
Kabeera drew two knives and crouched low to have less distance to strike over.
STRIKE [0/10] (Pack C) - Miss [0/10]
ENDURE HARM - Strong Hit
She slipped on the mossy ground and fell straight into the rats. She took a few bites but managed to roll onto her feet and disengage the one caught up in her cloak. Her thick clothing had saved her from the worst of it.
Williarth came to Artiga's aid, but was struggling to single out and focus on a target.
CLASH [0/10] (Pack A) (Long-arm) - Strong Hit [4/10]
His staff stabbed out for an opportunistic strike and stoved in one the rodents' heads. Williarth proceeded to jab and sweep all about him in a circle of hardwood death, killing one more.
Luiden joined the bard and the priest, thinking that sticking together was a good strategy, extending his spear to take advantage of its reach.
FACE DANGER (Skirmisher) - Strong Hit
STRIKE [4/10] (Pack A) (Skirmisher) - Weak Hit [8/10]
He split away a couple of rats, then skewered one viciously in one decisive thrust.
Meanwhile Bjorn had four of the disease-ridden terrors almost upon him and with no arrow nocked. He made to dive and roll from his elevated position and hope to gain some reload-time.
FACE DANGER - Strong Hit (Burn)
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE (Archer) - Miss with Complication (10)
He vaulted to the ground and flowed through into a flawless forward-roll, spinning round at the end to finish smoothly, ready to release the arrow at the first pair of beady little eyes in pursuit.
His own eyes slowly swiveled in their sockets towards the inky-black pool of shadow on his flank. A horrible sound had caught him and time stood still as his mind worked up the courage to comprehend what was about to happen.
Then time sped up too much.
The nightmare spider burst with horrible quiet out of the darkness in a blur of slender, perfectly-coordinated legs. It barged him over, pinned him done with two front legs on the shoulders and jabbed its awful fangs, six inches long at least, down into his belly where they instantly discharged their toxic payload.
PAY THE PRICE - Harmful and terrifying (-1 Health and Spirit)
ENDURE HARM - Miss
ENDURE STRESS - Strong Hit
Bjorn was nothing but fear-born adrenaline now, kicking the gigantic spider off him and rolling away. His gut hurt like hell, but for the moment he still had his wits about him.
Meanwhile Kabeera attempted a surprise strike on the rats chasing Bjorn.
STRIKE [0/10] (Pack C) - Weak Hit [8/10]
She came down on one, damn near slicing it in half with a single blow, and dealing another a lethal slice to the hind quarters. A third turned and lunged for her each time she tried to swipe at it, but she was able to trick it with a feint and skewered its face. She'd overstretched though and was prone in the dirt a second later with the last of this foursome scampering onto her.
Williarth brought his whirling staff down upon the last of the group round Artiga.
END THE FIGHT [8/10] - Weak Hit
ENDURE HARM - Strong Hit
He missed his first strike, and his second. The rat was just that bit quicker than him and got its teeth sunk into his leg. The bard held it together and deftly batted the rodent off him and into the undergrowth - maybe still alive but not coming back.
Artiga was already bearing down on the new monstrosity.
STRIKE [0/10] - Strong Hit [4/10]
Just as the nightmare spider poised to spring at Bjorn again, the old soldier brought his huge blade arcing in a diagonal slash and severed a couple of legs near to the body. The spider backed up a little and turned to face him. Artiga slowly advanced, swiping to force the giant arachnid back against a wide tree trunk, calling for Bjorn to ready a shot.
AID YOUR ALLY (Loyalist) - Weak Hit
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE (Bjorn, Archer) - Weak Hit
CLASH [4/10] (Bjorn) - Weak Hit [8/10]
Bjorn straightened up, defying the pain in his midrift, and line up his shot. The spider was rearing up at Artiga and it's narrow, milky-white underneath was exposed. But something was happening. The spider was growing, stretching upwards in proportions whilst Artiga was shrinking and fading, and its head started forming a twisted human face for each pair of eyes. He let go of the drawstring through shear terror and had no idea whether or not the shot landed.
PAY THE PRICE - Nightmare visions (Stress)
ENDURE STRESS - Miss
The archer dropped his bow and backed away in panic. The branches above were moving way too much and he could see thousands upon thousands more gargantuan spiders up above them. There was no hope he was ever going to survive this.
Luiden was at Kabeera's side, grabbing at the rat chewing and clawing at her back.
FACE DANGER - Strong Hit (Burn)
He snatched it up with his off-hand and tossed it clear. he brought his spear down to bear and hold it at bay.
FACE DANGER (Skirmisher) - Strong hit with Opportunity (3)
The rat ran at the spear and he used the head to flip the rodent over onto its back and then stab at its belly.
STRIKE [8/10] (Skirmisher) - Miss with complication (10)
PAY THE PRICE - Temporary loss of Blade-bound asset
ENDURE STRESS - Weak Hit
He fumbled the motion, bringing the spearhead down hard on bare rock. A fragment chipped off and dread washed over him in mocking waves. Where his wife's perennial presence should be was now a void and her sudden absence was like a knife through his heart.
The rat wasn't hanging about. Mad with anger and hunger it ran at Kabeera and she tried to keep distance between them.
FACE DANGER - Weak Hit (Sacrifice resources)
Somewhat panicked, she grabbed some food from a pouch and threw it at the rat, praying it was hungry enough to be distracted and for a moment it was. Luiden came at it. not wanting to risk further damage to his precious kin-blade he brandished the elf femur like a club. He tried to sneak up on it but the rat was too wary to be that oblivious.
CLASH [8/10] - Weak Hit [10/10]
ENDURE HARM - Strong Hit
The rat tried to get out of the way, but the bone came down on its tail and pinned it momentarily. It span round and sank vicious teeth into Luiden's wrist. Some of his jewelry obstructed the bite and now the rat was vulnerable.
END THE FIGHT [10/10] - Strong Hit
The skirmisher grabbed the rat with his other hand and this time simply smashed it on a smooth rock over and over until it stopped squirming and them stopped twitching.
All the rats were now dead and gone, but the spider remained. Williarth was at Artiga's side, whirling his staff with forceful momentum.
STRIKE [8/10] - Weak Hit (Burn) [10/10]
He smacked the spider on the abdomen and thought he felt a potentially-fatal cracking of the exo-skeleton, but was disappointed.
Artiga wanted to put this combat to bed. The spider rushed him and he prepared his counterattack. As the blur of legs and eyes and fangs shot towards him he brought his sword round low to take out more legs and set-up the killing strike.
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE (TURN THE TIDE) - Miss
If he connected with a single leg it made no difference, the spider was upon him and before he knew it he was staring up at the demonic creature and screaming in terror. The fangs struck down on him, then again, then again.
PAY THE PRICE - Harmful and terrifying (-1 Health and Spirit)
ENDURE HARM - Weak Hit
ENDURE STRESS - Weak Hit
PAY THE PRICE (TURN THE TIDE miss) - Bad reaction to the venom
The flood of venom engulfed his system, sending his senses into horrified overdrive and blotting out all reality.
Kabeera had been ready and waiting for the opportunity and came running up behind the monster.
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE (TURN THE TIDE) - Strong Hit
END THE FIGHT [10/10] - Strong Hit
She bravely grabbed it by a rear leg, yanked it off her friend and drove a dagger blade straight through its thorax. There was a rasping, ungodly squeal as it succumbed to death throes and perished in her hands.
Williarth ran over to Bjorn before the hallucinating man started attracting more unwanted attention and brought him back to the group. Kabeera kicked the dead spider down a slope into a hollow and Luiden went to help the priest to his feet.
But the old man was deathly still, staring emptily up at the dark canopy. It was a full, tense minute before Luiden could find signs of life in him - they were frighteningly weak and the priest's fate seemed all but sealed.