Ragna and company thought they had set up their campsite against an old maple tree that had smooth, grey-green bark, but as it turned out, it wasn't a tree at all. It was a strangler plant of gigantic proportions. Most stranglers had only one head and were about a man's height, but this one was easily twenty feet tall, had three heads, and a trunk you could barely wrap your arms around.

As soon as Tealeaf saw her two friends dangling from the plant like rag dolls, she sprinted toward the strangler, transforming herself into a werewolf mid-run. With her powerful hind legs, she leapt into the air, aiming for where the plant's pedals were closing in around Aiz'lee's face. However, before Tealeaf could reach her destination, one of the strangler's tongues latched onto her. Now, all three females were struggling to stay alive!

Meanwhile, Ragna and Kirkley had woken from their sleep and had unsheathed their weapons. Ragna jumped on the bare back of Blood Meridian, and started riding around the strangler. Like a perfectly tuned instrument in the hands of a musician, horse and rider acted as one. Whenever one of the heads of the strangler swung down to bash Ragna, Blood would swerve out of the way, smoke billowing from his nostrils. Ragna shouted, "Hoorahhh!" The battle cry seemed to agitate the giant plant and energize Blood at the same time. When the strangler raised its heads back into an upright position, (it couldn't remain bent-over for long without damaging its trunk), the horse would close-in on the plant, allowing Ragna to slash at it with his sword. Not only did Ragna's attack prevent the plant from devoting all of its energy to killing its captives, it gave Kirkley time to start chopping away at the thick trunk with his axe. But, this plant was smart. It knew the best way to stop Kirkley was to counter-attack quickly, and that meant freeing-up one of its lethal tongues. Therefore, the plant dropped the dazed and semi-conscious Wyn, and with renewed vigor, the strangler's tongue headed for Kirkley.

Kirkley quickly uttered, "Denara deteri," and then grimaced as foot long spikes of hot, calcified skin, shot out of the back of his leather cuirass. This "spiked armor" was a special draconic skill known only to those trained by the old Dragon Knight masters. It made him look like a porcupine with its quills on fire. When the strangler's tongue finally slammed into Kirkley like a whip, rather than knocking him unconscious, it barely stunned him. And even better than that, the fiery spikes made the plant recoil in pain.

Seeing an opening in the strangler's defenses, Ragna kneed Blood and the horse leapt high into the air. Ragna released his grip from his mount, letting momentum carry him toward one of the strangler's heads. With both hands on his sword, he brought the blade down full-force across the plant's neck, severing off one of its heads. The plant shivered violently and made a strange, moaning sound.

With its vitals draining, the plant released Tealeaf and Aiz'lee and tried to counter-attack yet again, this time successfully knocking Kirkley to the ground. But by now, the base of the strangler was cut halfway through. Ragna and Kirkley charged into the weakened trunk, pushing it over just enough for gravity to take over. The trunk snapped and the plant crashed to the ground with a loud rumble.

As his adrenaline started to wane, Ragna staggered to the ground, holding his lower back. "Accursed, bloody back!" He winced as he gingerly lay across the trunk of the fallen strangler.


Aiz'lee spoke in a soft, trembling voice, clearly not her usual, energetic self. "I'd say, we cheated the reaper, this day, my friends." The young, High Elf's face was pale and swollen. Plus, ruby colored lacerations ran across her face and neck. She remained prostrate on the ground as Wyn held a damp cloth over her eyes.

Wyn replied, "Yes, we're all lucky to be alive." Wyn had her own fair share of facial lacerations, too. She continued, "Especially you, Sister. A few more seconds in the clutches of that dreadful thing, and I fear you'd have left us for good." Kirkley and Tealeaf sat on the nearby stump of the strangler plant, tending to their own nicks and bruises. Meanwhile, Ragna remained sprawled across the trunk of the fallen strangler, rubbing his aching back. He felt around inside his leather pouch for a piece of mandrake root, but finding none, he tossed the pouch into the woods, disgusted. "Yeah, a real dearth of death," then he pointed at Tealeaf. " No thanks to little Miss Mudcrab there."

Sullen, Tealeaf rose to her feet and drew out her sword. But Ragna didn't care, he certainly wasn't afraid of her. He continued. "It was your watch, Mubcrab. If you'd have been doing your job instead of daydreaming, none of this would have happened." Tealeaf's face turned flush and her jaw stiffened. She wanted to speak, but forced herself to remain silent.

Wyn removed the cloth from Aiz'lee's eyes and said, "Alright. See if it's any better."

The young, High Elf opened her eyes, but shook her head, "No, I still can't see anything…" She started to sob.

Tealeaf moved closer to Aiz'lee and whispered. "I'm sorry, Kid."

Ragna cracked, "You should be sorry…fivefold."

Tealeaf then waltzed over to where Ragna lay, and placed the blade of her sword against her own wrist. "Yes, this was my fault, and I am sorry, beyond measure." She pressed the blade hard against her skin, drawing blood to the surface. "On the life of my children, I swear it will not happen again. Otherwise, as you are my witness, I will cut off my own, damn hand!"

Ragna expected an argument from the Wood Elf rather than an apology, and that surprised him, but he pretended not to care. "That's a bit extreme, but…alright, then."

Wyn wiped the tears from Aiz'lee's face. "Listen Sister, your sight might yet return, once all of the toxins leave your body, so don't give up hope. Even my vision is still a bit blurry."

With his back throbbing, Ragna was in a foul mood. "Ain't this sweet. We haven't even reached the ship yet, and we're already half blind and beaten down. And on top of that…" He glared at Wyn. "Our healer ain't much of a healer. We're in real trouble, I tell you."

Wyn rose to her feet, and calmy crossed over to where Ragna lay. She matter-of-factly spit in her hands, rubbed them together, mumbled, "Edora Oko," and then slapped Ragna so hard across the face, he fell off the trunk of the strangler. He stumbled to his knees, stars dancing before his eyes. "Explain yourself, you…you, accursed woman!"

Wyn just stood there smiling, her arms folded.

Ragna bellowed, "I'll strike any woman that deserves it wench, now speak up!"

Wyn replied, "How's your back now?"

Ragna gently twisted his back around a little bit. "It…feels good," he said, astonished.

Kirkley said, "Not to interrupt folks, but I think we need to get Aiz'lee up on Blood Meridian, and be on our way." He pointed to the middle of the river, where a barge loaded with Drublog Wood Orcs was gliding towards them.