A/N: And here we are with another chapter. I apologize in advance that the majority of it is taken off with a single fight, and that fight is essentially a garden-variety random encounter, but it was a really hard fight, okay? It was a really hard fight and I managed to survive and everyone pulled off a LOT of interesting badassery. The tension and excitement was high during that fight, y'all. I just had to write about it in complete detail. I had to.
Day 85, Hour 21
Gods, Mr. Journal, these woods suck. Today, we have been attacked by the entire gamut of things what are trying to kill us: mercenaries, wolves, wyverns, and of course, spiders. Always with the sodding spiders, Mr. Journal! Every time you think there won't be any more spiders, there are more spiders. There are always more spiders. Still not as bad as the wyverns, though. Gods! So here we are, all bruised, battered, with one foot already in our graves, trying to set up camp somewhere nothing bad will notice us. I am bleeding in at least five different places, Mr. Journal. It's not fun.
As if that weren't bad enough, it has become painfully clear that we are 100% lost. Faldorn led the way to the mines before, and those of us what are still alive have zero idea how to get anywhere. Yeslick has a vague idea of how to get out of the woods entirely, but knows nothing about which way the Shadow Druid enclave is, as they set up shop here fairly recently.
But enough about where we are and what we're doing right now. I'm guessing you want to hear about how we got our arses into this mess. So. Where did I leave off?
Right. We'd managed to make it out of the mines and had stopped to catch our breaths just outside the main encampment. Got moving again right quick, though, as we were anxious to get Branwen back with us. Only really stopped long enough for Yeslick to heal Kivan and Xan up after their brush with death in the mines.
We'd been journeying through the woods for not an hour when we were set upon by a horde of tasloi. Came right out of the trees, they did. Never saw them coming. They went down pretty fast, but one of them managed to stab Xan with a spear before giving up the ghost. The injury didn't seem all that bad, and Xan was doing all right, so we kept going.
We had to stop to catch our breaths by this lake after another half hour, though, as right around then the fortitude potion Xan had drank earlier started wearing off, and suddenly he was having a lot more trouble dealing with that spear wound. Luckily, it was still minor enough that my powers could handle it. Xan was still a bit leery about me using them, though, as I've still got no idea how I ended up with them. But, I used them anyway. Figured if the spidery, spidery woods were even half as spidery as they were during our first trip here, we'd want to save Yeslick's healing spells for the big stuff.
We decided to stop at the lake a little longer and have a bit of dinner, as none of us had had much to eat in a while. Was a nice spot to sit down for a meal, too. The water was all still and clear, and the lake's edge was damn near well carpeted in all sorts of wildflowers. Right pretty, it was. But of course, Mr. Journal, it did not work out, because these woods hate us and do not want us to have nice things. No sooner than we'd unpacked our rations, a troop of Blacktalon mercenaries showed up – more of Davaeorn's men. Apparently there were some stragglers what had been out topside on patrol when the mines were flooded. Naturally, when they found out what had happened, they'd gone out to track down the ones what done it. Immy tried to negotiate with them, pointed out with Davaeorn dead there weren't no one around to pay them. No dice there, though, as it turns out they're on Rieltar's payroll instead. So, they tried to kill us.
The battle went downhill quick when it turned out they'd stationed about three archers in the underbrush. Next thing I knew, Kivan was getting shot full of arrows. When I saw him fall, I feared the worst, but then he got right back up again and straight up charged the archers. They never stood a chance, Mr. Journal. I'm sure glad Kivan is on our side.
The rest of us had our hands full with the swordsmen, but between Immy's arrows, Xan's spells, and my BOSSHAMMER, we made it out all right. Kivan was badly hurt by the end of the fight, though, and Yeslick had to heal him up again. Gods, but it's lucky Yeslick's got a lot of healing spells. Especially since after that, the trek through the woods were one endless parade of stuff what tried to kill us. Wolves, spiders, you name it. Some of the spiders were even of the sword variety, which was the absolute worst, Mr. Journal. One of them damn near killed me, and probably would have if Xan hadn't saved my arse by magically scaring the crap out of it. Oh, and Rasaad knocked it on its back into the water after that, and it couldn't get out. It was totally kick-arse, Mr. Journal.
We passed by that one wyvern cave from before sometime in the late afternoon, and that was reassuring, as it meant we were at least going vaguely in the right direction, but once we found the river and started following it like before, nothing looked the same. I was starting to think maybe we crossed the wrong bridge and ended up on the opposite bank by mistake.
And that's when we ran into the wyverns, Mr. Journal. Baby wyverns, but wyverns nonetheless. Just our luck they were out hunting at the time instead of in their cave, huh? One of them managed to get me but good, but Rasaad protected me from further harm. Kicked the ever-loving crap out of it, he did. Several more wyverns were flying in through the trees, and before we knew it, they were everywhere. Xan tried to cast a sleep spell at them, but he stumbled and faltered and the spell fizzled. Apparently, he'd gotten a splinter in his foot.
Didn't have any time to think about what was up with Xan's spells though, as another wyvern flew straight at me and started wailing on me. I got out my BOSSHAMMER, and Yeslick got out his, and we both bosshammered it straight in the face. I think that man has the makings of a potential new bosshammer buddy, Mr. Journal, I really do. Once we get Branwen back, the three of us will be able to take on the world. And the boss. With our BOSSHAMMERS.
But all the bosshammers in the world couldn't help us when the wolves showed up. Charged in right after us while we were still fighting the sodding wyverns. To make matters worse, Yeslick had just used up his last healing spell covering my sorry arse! Xan tried to hold the wolves off long enough for the rest of us to change our battle formation, and got his sword arm completely mangled for his trouble. Immy managed to get off a blast from her Wand of Sleep before the wolves could mangle anything else though. Hit all of them, and bought us some time to finish off the wyverns, but unfortunately, that little delay also bought the wyverns enough time to surround Yeslick, cutting him off from the rest of the group.
Another wyvern broke off from the group and started chasing Xan, who really couldn't fight back with his arm the way it was, and the rest of us were divided between trying to take the damn things out before they could hurt Xan or Yeslick. Kivan and Rasaad were trying to fight their way through the wyverns surrounding Yeslick so they could join him in the fight, and Immy and me were shooting at the one chasing Xan in an attempt to bring it down before it could catch him.
Rasaad managed to royally piss off one of the wyverns near Yeslick, and lured it off away from the others, and when he called to me for support, I had to leave the one going after Xan to Immy. So Rasaad was wailing on this one wyvern while I shot it full of magic missiles. A couple seconds later, though, it stung Rasaad with its tail and he stumbled a bit. He'd been poisoned, Mr. Journal!
Well, I shouted out to him, then, without really thinking, tossed an antidote in his direction. Luckily, it didn't backfire on me, because he caught the thing straight in midair and downed it in one swift motion!
Rasaad is the most badass, Mr. Journal.
Meanwhile, Kivan and Yeslick, having finished their skirmish, had joined Immy in trying to go after the wyvern what was chasing Xan. Xan was pretty much running for his life at this point, and I went to go help him, but then the other wyvern up and poisoned Rasaad again. I had to run back to try to get another antidote to him but once I got there, the sodding poison had already done so much damage that Rasaad could barely stand. I ran between him and the wyvern, bosshammer at the ready, and damn near shaking in my boots.
So, while I was standing up to this wyvern, the other one had caught up to Xan, who was completely flipping out by this point. I saw him out of the corner of my eye, saw him start running as fast as he could, with all the strength he had left in him, Mr. Journal. He got out a sling, started loading it best he could with only one good arm while he was running. And then, as a last ditch effort, he took the sling in his off hand and lobbed a bullet straight at the wyvern. It threw him off balance and the last thing I saw before having to turn back to block an attack coming straight at me was Xan falling over on his arse and the wyvern taking that bullet straight to the head and crumpling to the ground dead.
After that, only the wyvern by me and Rasaad was left, and I was tiring out fast, not to mention hurt as all Hells. Yeslick came in to help me out, but the both of us were on our last legs. A few seconds later, Immy and Kivan's arrows started whizzing past the wyvern, a few of them hitting it. Then, its tail lashed out at me like a blur, and I couldn't get out of the way in time. Suddenly, I felt real dizzy, and I could barely stand. My bosshammer dropped to the ground. I saw Yeslick next to me and he looked ready to drop as well. And then, I heard Xan's voice chanting behind us, and after that, the wyvern screamed as it was wreathed in flame and fell down dead. Xan had managed to get back up, Mr. Journal, and had rushed in and pulled off a one-handed Burning Hands at the last minute!
After that, all that was left was to pick off the wolves before they woke up and attacked us again. Immy and Kivan went to do that, as they were the only ones left what weren't gravely injured.
We've stopped to rest now, as none of us are in any shape to move on after those wyverns totally wrecked our arses. Immy and Kivan have been forced into the lion's share of the work setting up camp, as my legs refuse to work, Xan's arm is out, and Rasaad keeps drifting in and out of consciousness. Yeslick is still in good enough shape to help out a little, despite his injuries, but has had his hands full tending to our wounds best he can without any spells left. He finished patching me up a few minutes ago, and he's over there trying to get Xan's arm in a sling right now. He said that he's going to go prepare healing spells once he's sure the rest of us will manage. He told me I should be able to walk again when the poison wears off in a few minutes, and I've offered to help him out in any way I can once the feeling in my legs comes back. He's taken me up on the offer. Told me that once he goes off to prepare his spells he's going to need someone to keep an eye on Rasaad and make sure his condition doesn't get any worse. I may be aching all over and battered up six ways to Second-day, but that, at least, is one thing I can do.
So, now you're all caught up. I'll write you again later, once I've got more to say. Hopefully, our little campsite will look a bit less like a temple emergency ward by then. Fingers crossed, Mr. Journal, fingers crossed.
A/N: And that's where we're stopping for now. Tune in next time as our heroes continue on towards the Shadow Druid enclave and hopefully avoid getting their asses handed to them by any more wyverns. IF you have questions, comments, or concerns, please leave a review. Your feedback is important, and I thrive on it. And if you hated it, by all means send constructive criticism. Or flames. The former will help me improve my writing and the latter WILL ONLY MAKE ME STRONGER AHAHAHAHAHA. At least, I assume that's what will happen. I have never actually gotten a flame before. Um. Anyways. Toodles!