Fantasy World of Gea: The Greatest Adventure [IC] [CLOSED]

[Dmaster]

When placed as second in charge of the adventuring caravan, Gawain merely stood in place beside the road as he idly looked about the enlarged spiders and their webbing. It was fortunate that they were not so aggressive to begin leaping at the company members as they drew close, yet he knew better than to press luck when it came to their temperament. As the others had pointed out, he did get attacked by an enlarged arachnid in the days prior to this discovery. It hardly bothered him however, as there was always a price to exploration and solving ancient mysteries.

His jaw yawned open and rolled around with quiet clacks of jerking movements, a bit of a nervous habit he had developed when he was otherwise unoccupied and thinking of other matters. Edgar's voice got him to bite down on his teeth, rather annoyed at the lich's mental interjection. "Must I? I'm fully aware that they're walking straight into their demise," Gawain asked coldly, yet part of him focused on their auras anyway. His eye sockets grew alight with blue-purple arcane flames as he blankly stared ahead.

Upon seeing the massive aura, he spread his stance with the slightest semblance of alarm. "Madame," Gawain finally spoke, turning to his side in search of Cecilia. "we need to bring every able-bodied fighter into the woods after our scouting team. With incredible haste." With that warning the undead wizard began to jog into the woods, calling back to her and the company.

"There is little time to explain - but I spot an aura about the size of a small homestead rushing for their position!"

As he pushed through the forested path, a thought occurred to the wizard: Why am I running after them?! He knew the risks of going into this place, and even warned Alberto and the others of it. This situation was not too dissimilar to those his late apprentices would find themselves in. 'Sink or swim', as some might say - and each time those bright minds typically sunk as Gawain absolved himself of responsibility. If people would not heed his warnings, why should he risk himself to right their mistake? Perhaps the leadership position given to him in the company was getting the best of his judgment. How troublesome...

 

[joshuadim]

Gsera waited eagerly to see the survivor hoisted down to safety from their current entrapment of the circus cage, and was also ready to take a look at their leg if need be. The sudden arrival of a pony-sized spider got Gsera to take a few steps back as it was swiftly dealt with but she soon moved back to near under the cage they were working on getting its occupant out of. She was so focused that she nearly missed the distant sounds of chaos from the birds of these woods; those that had managed to avoid the spiderwebs all this time. Her head turned towards where the cawing and shrieking of avians were coming from as she took a few steps forward. Her head tilted with both confusion as well as apprehension going through her mind. It seemed as though nobody else noticed it at the moment.

What was cause for concern for the ddraig however was the sounds of those birds grew more intense as more were disturbed closer to their position. "Um... everyone?" she managed to get out, while maintaining her gaze out towards dark thicket beyond. "...do you hear the birds?"

 

[Taigakitt]

Chi'sa
"Szitakötő! - Dragonfly!"
Interacting: Vexumin and joshuadim ​

Once at the open entrance of the wagon, Chi’sa looked down at the ground, noting the weapon-baring people hanging out. At first, she startled and shuffled behind Nora with a shuddered breath.

Not a moment later, the other had spoken down at them. With that, Chi’sa was able to conclude that they might be traveling together.

A group of strangers?

Or–

When Chi’sa looked back down, she saw the spider try and lunge at someone down below, but was quickly ended.

Strangers. Definitely.

She didn’t want to be spider food after all.

"Those spiders really pulled you up pretty high. Just be careful. Not sure how much movement the webbing can take."

The child nodded, the original question temporarily forgotten, as she stuck her head out to get a view of the wagon, her eyes seemingly starting to calculate how the webbing held the wagon and how far to the ground the drop would be.

Without explaining what she was going to do, Chi’sa nimbly climbed upon the wagon, balancing on one of the ashy bars of her wagon, specifically on her uninjured leg. Her tail was helping her balance.

Now that she wasn’t in the shadow of the wagon, it would be more notable that she had scraps and cuts throughout her visible skin.

Reaching down, she gripped the edge and let herself drop down carefully, using both hands to then grab a wheel and dangle in the air.

As she was dangling there, it was then that the silver-haired lady with the antler-like horns brought up the birds.

"...do you hear the birds?"

Chi’sa was too focused on her task at hand to worry about birds, but she did answer, her voice still raw-sounding, “Birds are noisy sometimes.” She didn't understand the need to comment on birds voices, but wanted to contribute.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

When he noticed that the wounded survivor was a child, everything else became secondary for the older knight. He became completely ignorant of his surroundings, concentrating on the young Chi'sa as she stood at the edge of the wagon next to Noradriia, the child then nimbly moved down the wagon, getting a hold of one of the wheels and maintaining a firm grip of the object, the young girl even took time to respond to Sera, her voice sounded raw, definitely affected by the horrifying night she must have gone through. "Now, please be careful dear." said the old knight as he clenched his fist on his beard, pulling it slightly as the child continued to hang from the wheel. "Sentry, be ready to catch her, please." His voice clearly full of concern.

Interacting: Sentry ( Breadman ) Chi'sa ( Taigakitt )

"Madame,"

Absorbed by her work, Cecilia was completely unaware of Gawain sudden shift in behavior as the undead wizard grew more tense with what he had seen, but when he called forth her name, the scholar raised an eyebrow, looking at the undead wizard as he started to walk away at a hurried pace.

"we need to bring every able-bodied fighter into the woods after our scouting team. With incredible haste."

"Wait... wait, what's going on Gawain?" She asked as she lowered her charted maps, she and Cassandra walked towards the marching wizard as his hurried walks turns into a job. "Gawain! What's is going on? What do you see?" She asked again as Gawain starts to sprint to the tree line. Unbeknownst to her, her shouts attracted the attention to the rest of the company, that now watched as Gawain was ready to enter the copses and forest next to them.

"There is little time to explain - but I spot an aura about the size of a small homestead rushing for their position!"

"WHAT?!" She shouted with utter shock. Not everyone got back up, the majority was too confused to understand what was going on, but some fighters and a couple of rogues went after the wizard as he disappeared behind the webbed trees. "W-wait, Gawain get back here!" She shouted as the last of the volunteers, Ahmed, entered the woods to chase after Gawain, the rest of the company looked at her, confused and somewhat shocked, even Pepin was a bit loss for words at the moment. "W-what do we do...?" asked Paulin, who had spent most of his time laying down next to Petrocles. "I... I don't know..." answered the scholar, dread building up in her mind.

 

[joshuadim]

The ddraig maintained her gaze into the dark thicket beyond, her concern growing rapidly as yet more birds flew into a frenzy from the trees only this time this was much nearer than before yet again. Gsera quickly returned her attention to the captive, who was revealed to be a small child with scales on her much to the ddraig's surprise, and quickly moved back to underneath the cage, close to where Chi'sa was likely to fall down into Sentry's grasp. As she observed closer, the scales seemed to cover much of her body which not only gave her the appearance of that of a partial dragon, but also reminded her of someone else. Her colors are like my mother's... she thought to herself.

She could also see some of the external damage on the child's skin and Gsera quickly nodded. "I'll have a look at you when you get down." she then called out to Chi'sa, "I'll make sure you're okay!"

Taigakitt

 

[Breadman]

A child. Gods above and bellow, how did she survive? Little else mattered to Sentry at the moment. Like Alberto, she focused on the girl's safety first. The barbarian extended her arms forward and moved closer.

"Girl, just come down carefully. I'll catch you, just have some trust."

 

[Anne Boolean]

Traveling with this group was certainly eventful. So much had happened in just about a week. There were arguments about lynching someone for being a vampire, to villagers gathering to keep them out, to even graverobbing! Ziggy didn't understand everyone's motivations for their actions, but he tried to follow his own heart with any decisions he could make and help out those who might have needed it.

Today's trek had been a grueling one. Usually, the half-Cobold found he would cover more distance and become less tired in his dog form, but even as a canine, he was simply dawdling along. When it was announced they would take a break, he immediately collapsed onto a patch of nearby grass. It had been awhile since he had time to practice his magic. While there were many leaves around that he could use as subjects, he just found himself too tired at the moment.

Instead, he laid idly by as the others talked. He didn't pick up too much of their conversation, but his attention turned to the nearby trees which were covered in webs. He wasn't someone who feared spiders, but he was well-aware it was a common phobia. He had expected the whole group to want to steer clear of the woods, but it seemed some people were interested in exploring them.

They had been gone for awhile before the skeleton man exclaimed something about an aura and went rushing in after them. A few people chased after him, while the ones who were left at camp deliberated with each other in confusion. Ziggy took to his human form and stretched. He went into one of the carriages to retrieve his clothes.

"Well, everyone looked really worried when they went," he said, approaching the group once in a fully dressed state. "I don't know what an... Oh-Rah is, though. Is it really that important?"

Interactions: Cassandra, Cecilia, Paulin ( EdwardDewey98 ), Petrocles ( Emperor Sagan )

 

[Taigakitt]

Chi'sa
"Szitakötő! - Dragonfly!"
Interacting: Vexumin | joshuadim | EdwardDewey98 | Breadman ​

Chi’sa started swinging her body carefully as she was gauging the distance from her body to the ground. She wanted to make sure she didn’t break webs, but honestly, she doubted they would. After all, she thrashed in that wagon when the spiders were going after her enough to believe they were strong.

She looked up at the entrance, and asked up at Nora, “You get down, lady?” Calling Nora a lady was a guess on the child’s part, due to the voice.

"Now, please be careful dear."

With his voice sounding like it was directed to her, the dragon girl looked over at the older man. If he was asking her to be careful, then he must not have ever seen the circus.

“I can do–” she cut her voice off when a super tall woman approached as the silver-haired lady also spoke.

"I'll have a look at you when you get down." she then called out to Chi'sa, "I'll make sure you're okay!"

Being off her leg thanks to letting her arms hold her up, she was suddenly feeling a little scared to perform any acrobatics. She didn’t want to hurt more than she already did. She made enough tumbles and seemingly bad falls during some practices.

Chi’sa pouted as the taller woman moved closer with her arms extended. It wasn’t much of a stretch at all.

Her honey brown eyes glanced around the woman to see if there would be any possible corrections if her trust ended up being misplaced.

"Girl, just come down carefully. I'll catch you, just have some trust."

With a sniff, the child nodded her head and swung herself towards the taller woman, bracing for impact.

 

[Elenion Aura]

Cal thought it was a shame to deny the Orbb their well-earned meal.

"Hmph." He thought this little detour a waste of time. They'd found neither hide nor hair of the Bösench. These spiders were not tame. They were wild. And while some could be brought to heel, with the right attention, there was no point. They did not pose a danger to the Company so long as they kept moving and left the dark forest behind. Cal paid no thought to the fates of those who lived near or within the forest. It was simply providence.

He had all but abandoned his body in that dusky clearing, his mind far away, when he caught a sliver of movement from out of the corner of his eye. Unconcerned with the fate of the girl in the cage—for he knew not yet her true nature—Cal instead turned to the edge of the clearing of trees where the diminutive form of the Gendur'Orbb poked out from the undergrowth. His curiosity piqued, Cal broke away from his companions for the second time that day. He knelt down and offered the creature his hand with neither fear nor hesitation.

 

[Vexumin]

Nora watched the others gather, their concern for the girl clear, aside from the other fellow. He didn't seem to care for much, especially other living beings. However, she didn't know much about him and thus refrained from any harsh judgements. Nonetheless, Nora knew that this girl would be alright getting down. To have survived as she had for this long, the girl would have needed true grit of some sort.

She looked up at the entrance, and asked up at Nora, “Can you get down too, lady?” Calling Nora a lady was a guess on the child’s part, due to the voice.

When Chi'sa asked if Nora would be able to make it down, the cambion just waves an idle hand. "I'll be fine. No need to worry about me. A little jump and I'll be with you soon." Honestly, Nora was actually a bit amused by Chi'sa's concern as well as being called a lady. Most assumed her to be a child. Not many, if any, creatures like her were about. Was especially interesting since she and Chi'sa were a few inches from being the same height. Even so, the scaled child was able to figure her out by voice alone.

When it came to getting down, Nora was not particularly worried. Definitely far from the worst leap she's had to make. She recalls a memory of having been caught during a job. After the target was dealt with, she had to leap from a building into a neighboring one through a pane of glass to escape capture. Now that was a painful day, considering her on the job attire did little to keep from being cut up by the shards of the splintered glass after her little stunt.

She readies herself at the entrance of the cage before leaping. As she made contact with the ground, she sends herself into a roll, making her landing a smooth one.

 

[Breadman]

"Gotcha!" The child leapt down towards Sentry and fell straight into her arms. The barbarian did a half-spin once she caught her to carry the momentum before easing off and stopping. "Rest easy, you're in good hands now." She told the little girl with a reassuring smile before switching to a more concerned look "Hmm, you're a bit warm. Did you catch a fever while up there?" Sentry went down on one knee to let her down on the ground and motioned for Gsera to come over "Come see to her. I'll see to helping Nor-" A gentle thud on the ground interrupted her train of though as the nimble rogue landed with little issue on the ground.

 

[FloweryMuffin]

Korzhev smiled at the knight upon hearing his request. He didn’t do much else to honour the request though, as he let Sentry set the child they have fished out from the cage down on the ground. Perhaps, deep down, he still worried about coming off as…there was a word he was searching for. Ah. Unapproachable? Repulsive? Thankfully, his height made him seem less threatening than her believed himself to be and with that consolation in mind he finally approached the child as well.

“Hello there, little miss. I’m Korzhev and I am this company’s shaman. I hear there’s a leg you have in need of checking out. Will you let this old man see to it?” he tried to keep a gentle voice, but he had to wonder how much it succeeded on a non-Vodyanoy child.

 

[joshuadim]

Gsera eagerly awaited the arrival to the ground of the survivor, sparing a quick glance back to the thicket before turning her full attention to the task at hand. As both Nora and the child went down below, Gsera knelt down next to Korzhev to take a closer look at Chi'sa now that she was among them. Gsera almost stilled upon seeing how draconic Chi'sa appeared to be overall, but quickly recomposed herself and got to checking her. It would be a question for another time.

A few scratches and a hurt leg, she was definitely fortunate to have survived all this with such minimal harm. the Ddraig then thought to herself. She gently lifted one of the girl's arms to observe for a moment before allowing Korzhev to use his bandages. "You'll be fine, nothing to worry about little one." Gsera then replied with a soft smile, "We'll get you out of these woods. Back to sunlight and open air!"

Another disturbance of birds then cried out, closer yet again, which caused Gsera to dart her gaze over to its origin and she let out a nervous sigh. She then turned her attention back to the one at hand: "My name is Sera." she then spoke, "What is yours?"

 

[Taigakitt]

Chi'sa
"Szitakötő! - Dragonfly!"
Interacting: Vexumin | joshuadim | EdwardDewey98 | Breadman | FloweryMuffin ​

”Gotcha!

Chi’sa heard the word and felt arms hold her tight not long after swinging herself off the wagon.

There had been a brief flash of worry that she would get dropped and not be able to correct the movement but it turned out the worry was not needed as the tall, pretty lady kept her promise.

The child’s arms wrapped around Sentry’s neck as they swung that once. Mostly, she was looking at the woman’s hair. After the spin, she weaved her smaller fingers through some of the strands as a whispered “Pretty” in Mezeikan slipped between her lips.

"Hmm, you're a bit warm. Did you catch a fever while up there?"

Chi’sa tilted her head at the question, her blonde bangs sweeping in her eyes slightly. Her “compatriots” never really commented on her warmth, at least, not in her recent memory. To Chi’sa, Sentry felt a little colder, but the child thought that was normal. At least, she thought that's what they were talking about.

“I feel okay,” she responded as she was being set down. Her eyes caught a glimpse of Nora making the jump and her eyes went wide; not in fear, but in amazement. The other was roughly her same size, so seeing Nora’s acrobatics excited Chi’sa momentarily.

The girl wanted to run over to Nora and ask her more about what she could do, but alas, the other pretty, silver-haired lady had to look over her as her arm was lifted.

It was a strange thing– being fussed over.

Even her fellow performers couldn’t fuss too much over her if she took a tumble. The owner claimed it was “coddling” and taught “bad habits.”

"You'll be fine, nothing to worry about little one." Gsera then replied with a soft smile, "We'll get you out of these woods. Back to sunlight and open air!"

Chi’sa nodded, echoing a small smile in reply.

Then, one of the strangest things approached! And that was weird thinking considering where she’s been her whole life!

A frog about her size was talking.

She blurted, trying to communicate in their language, “You don’t look like old man! You look like cute froggie!” Her eyes widened slightly, “Wait, are you old man prince?” Then her hands went to her mouth, “Have you never gotten kissed?!”

It was then she realized she should probably also answer the frog’s question as she stood on one leg and lifted her injured leg a little in the air, her tail once again helping her keep balance in silent consent for him to look. The two nice, pretty ladies were soothing enough to be around, and a talking frog didn’t call for concern for her. There were others around, but she wasn’t necessarily paying them much attention yet.

As the frogman did whatever, the silver-haired lady introduced herself.

"My name is Sera." she then spoke, "What is yours?"

Looking over, uncertainty crossed her features. She was always told not to give her actual name to non-performers.

But after what happened…

She fidgeted her fingers a little before saying, “Um… My performing name? It’s Szitakötő– Dragonfly.” Szitakötő was Mezeikan, but she wasn’t sure if everyone knew the language, so she also said it in Ællian. She had no idea what it was in their language.

Spoiler: Hot-Blooded

Her blood is as hot as boiling water and has the capability of burning normal, warm-blooded flesh. Due to her hot blood, she can feel quite warm to the touch by warm-blooded beings and hot to the cold-blooded beings. In her perspective, warm-blooded beings are cold, while cold-blooded beings are a little bit colder. Dead-blooded beings are absolutely freezing. If she stands in the cold, visible steam will roll off her body.

 

[FloweryMuffin]

She blurted, “You don’t look old man! You look like a cute froggie!” Her eyes widened slightly, “Wait, are you an old man prince?” Then her hands went to her mouth, “Have you never gotten kissed?!”

“What a considerate thought you’ve put in for me, miss! Korzhev chuckled, his reluctance gone entirely now. “I’m afraid that even with a kiss, I would still be an old man! Albeit then perhaps, I may find myself seeing eye to eye with sir Alberto, which might spare him a good many sore necks!”

He then moved to examine the girl’s leg, which she was graciously holding up to him. Sorting through his mental catalogue of herbs, he thought of which might work out well enough on the two puncture wounds left by the spiders, or rather, whether he needed any at all. Thankfully, the girl did not seem to be bleeding. In the meantime, she has also offered up her name. So, he started explaining his conclusion as he pulled out the webs he had gathered earlier.

“I am happy to say, miss, that these shall disappear soon enough, but you must not lean on this leg until then, yes? Well, the very webs of your attackers are also the best solution we have on reversing the damage, so I must ask not to pay much attention to them! Webs are more than suitable to prevent bleeding and infection!” As he spoke, he gently wrapped the proffered leg with the webs, tight enough for them to be held in place, but not enough to be uncomfortable. Once he was done, he gently set her leg back down, taking note of the fact that she was, well, a much warmer being that usual.

Then he moved to work on the other scrapes and cuts the girl sported, using an older salve he had prepared earlier during their march. He was one of the few who could claim that he has had time to spare then, as he didn’t take part in many of the activities. Once that was done, he offered his best smile.

“All done now! Now, come see me to change the bandages later on, yes?”

 

[joshuadim]

Gsera let out a giggle when the girl in front of her talked about Korzhev being an old prince, the thought was an innocent one that reminded her of her own first experiences coming across the Fir Bolg back home. How strange they looked to her when she was but a whelp! It was a small beam of happiness that pierced their more gruesome surroundings. But when it came to asking for her name, it seemed as though she had some reservations about that and went with her own performers name as was seen on the cage she was being kept in. Gsera glanced upwards to take a look at it again and sighed. Was she really content with having a name given to her by people who kept her locked up in a cage? Treated like some sideshow attraction rather than a person.

She then watched as Korzhev looked over the girl's wounds and did his best to heal them with his salves and other methods, which fortunately went without any sort of troubles. "Well, erm, Dragonfly... you've been very brave. Through all this." Gsera then complimented to Chi'sa with a smile to boot, "Now, are you hungry? We got plenty of food back with us! Laila makes a great stew that fills your belly!"

 

[Taigakitt]

Chi'sa
"Szitakötő! - Dragonfly!"
Interacting: joshuadim | FloweryMuffin ​

“I’m afraid that even with a kiss, I would still be an old man! Albeit then perhaps, I may find myself seeing eye to eye with sir Alberto, which might spare him a good many sore necks!”

She didn’t know who Alberto was, but she did deem mister frogman as a polite being, what with all the “misses” and “sirs.”

Chi’sa pouted for him, but got distracted with his ministrations that she ended up not responding properly besides the expression. She noted he felt a lot colder than Sera or the pretty, tall lady.

The irony was lost on her about using the evil spiders’ webbing as a bandage.

”...these shall disappear soon enough, but you must not lean on this leg until then, yes? Well, the very webs of your attackers are also the best solution we have on reversing the damage, so I must ask not to pay much attention to them! Webs are more than suitable to prevent bleeding and infection!”

As he was setting her leg back down, she nodded in understanding, “I will do my best, Mister Prince.” She wasn’t corrected in her thoughts, so now she currently believed Korzhev to be a cursed prince. Unless she was corrected, but she didn't understand it. She understood that she had to be careful with the bandages, like any other time she'd been injured.

She yelped in surprise when Korzhev started putting the salve across some of her scrapes. “That’s cold.”

“All done now! Now, come see me to change the bandages later on, yes?”

Chi’sa nodded once more, “Yes.”

"Well, erm, Dragonfly... you've been very brave. Through all this." Gsera then complimented to Chi'sa with a smile to boot, "Now, are you hungry? We got plenty of food back with us! Laila makes a great stew that fills your belly!"

As if responding for her mouth, her stomach growled in response. The child’s hands covered her tummy as a light dusting of pink coated her cheeks, “I am very hungry.”

She hadn’t eaten since dinner the night before. Breakfast was missed… due to the sticky situation.

 

[Roda the Red]

Glad that his words weren't in vain, Syll marched alongside the others chosen by Alberto to investigate deeper into the woods, a search that would quickly bear fruits, as the destroyed remains of a caravan layed scatered around the proximity, and by the looks of it, it was a pretty recent event.

The group took special interest in one specific cage that hung from webbings above, one that, by a sign, claimed to have a "Dragonfly" inside, and given the circus-like natured that the ravaged caravan seemed to show, it was doubtful that a mere common insect would lie inside. As Syll turned around and kept vigilant by order or Alberto, Syll's ears couldn't help but perk up at the sound of Nora's voice, who was now inside of the notorious cage, claiming to have found a survivor.

There wasn't much time for him to speak about their find, as the chilling, unnatural howl of a wolf spider echoed through the surroundings, quickly followed by the creature's entrance, menacingly approaching the group. Syllannan put his palms close to each other, one above and one below, in-between an orb of light started to be generated, causing a low yet high pitch sound as the energy rotated rapidly and erratically. The buildup of his incantation was short-liked, however, as an arrow from one of the archers that had happened to join them pierced through the spiders brain, making short work of the abomination. Syll extinguished his spell in response, but still remained prepared to cast it once more if necessary, no one could tell if more of them would approach at any moment.

Through cooperation, the folks nearby managed to successfully retrieve this said survivor. One that looked like nothing the elf would've expected she would. Her small frame covered by reddish scales, as well as a set of horns and a long tail. Syll could remember having read about similar features in a few of the tomes he had read fover the past two decades, but it was not like he could easily pinpoint what she was exactly. What truly mattered though, was that she was alive and, at least at a first glance, not in any immediate danger. It was reassuring to know their little detour was not in vain.

After hearing her complain about her hunger, it appeared that Syll's brotherly instincts, which had previously thought dead long ago, kicked in, the child must have gone through some absolute horrors by the looks of it, and even if he didn't know her, he wanted to at least help in whatever way he could, as limited as his choices were. He approached the small group, having confidence that Frost and Simon could keep an eye out by themselves just fine. The elf got close enough to the child and his hand, which held a couple strips of thin, cold smoked sirloin that he among other small rations.

"Hello little one, perhaps you may want a snack before we get there? I promise it is good"

He tore off a bit of one of the strips and put it in his mouth as to prove to be offering something harmless.

"...Well, perhaps a little salty"

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Away from the constant talking from the others, Calocis would encounter a diminutive, puppy sized young specimen of Gendur'Orbb and while his movements, always straight and calculated, were not out of character, his attempt to lure the little creature was quite peculiar. However, the others were too preoccupied looking at young Chi'sa to notice this small change in behavior. The Gendur'Orbb lifted it's front legs in a defensive manner when the dark cleric neared his hand to it, but as both creatures gazed upon each others eyes, the spider crawled into Calocis hand and arm, remaining still as the dark cleric got back up.

Studying it further, it appeared this small creature had the most intricate patterns and an exquisite blue hue to its fur. Were he back home, Calocis knew those vain priests would talk extensively about the creature on his hands, the thought was a reminder how much he detested some elements of his church, yet it also left a lingering feeling of nostalgia. Calocis would look down again to the little creature on his hand, it's glazy eyes looking up at him, he decided to keep the little creature, for even he had a soft spot for it's comical visage.

"Hey... hey, hey Simon mate!" said Frost as the others continued to heal little Chi'sa. "The fuck you want Frost, we need to watch over the woods mate." said Simon in response. "I am watching over the woods you bellend, I am just a little confused at what I'm seeing!" said the portly archer as he pointed at something coming up north, Simon sighed and approached his companion, looking at what he pointed at, but his eyes widened the moment he laid eyes upon it. "W-what... bloody Hel, Frost you knobhead!" he exclaimed as he raised his bow, firing it at the distance, upon seeing his reaction, Frost focused back at what he noticed originally, and now aware of what it was, he fired his bow while shouting at the top of his lungs. "MASTER ALBERTO!" If Simon firing his bow didn't caught any attention, Frost's terrified shout definitely did, Alberto jogged to their spot to look at what they were firing at and he gasped. "KHORZEV! GRAB THE CHILD!" He commanded before looking at the rest.

"RUN!"​

Upon hearing his command, Simon and Frost were the first ones to run away as the others looked at what they were running away from. A monstrous spider of a size none of them had ever seen in their life, charging at them at an incredible speed, bending or destroying trees as it attempted to get to the company. Khorzev did as ordered, getting a tight hold of Chi'sa and jumping away with incredible agility, normally the old Vodyanoy would not make such a leaps, but upon seeing such a terrifying sight, adrenaline ran through his weary veins while also trying keep the young and wounded acrobat away from harms way. Alberto let out a labored shout as he soon started to run, shouting at everyone else to move, he might have slayed the Tarasca once, but facing a giant monster was always terrifying.

And upon seeing the veteran knights fright, Gsera and Syllannan's expressions of shock quickly turned into one of fear as they ran away as quickly as possible. Calocis, being stoic and unnaturally brooding most of the time, did not feel the same fright the others did, but he was shocked and his face showed it, his wide opened silvery eyes looked at the monster only a few meters away. That's when it dawned on him that, whatever this creature is, it was desperately trying to get to him, and with wicked intentions in its mind, he soon started to run away, following his useless companions. Sentry stood in place, the grip on her blade tightening as she looked in awe at the size of that spider. Ages ago, she and her people fought great titans and giants, so seeing a creature this big did not terrify her as it did the others, but she knew she wouldn't survive on her own without preparation, she soon started to run behind the others. Nora was the last one to run, for she was frozen in both fear and shock as the creature neared it's monstrous arachnid face to her - but right as the monstrous creature was about to strike her, she ran like a bat out of Hel.

Slicing their way through the webbings and the pathways, abandoning all caution that they had before, the group hurriedly retreated as quickly as they could. The sound of the wagon Chi’sa had been in crashing to the ground and subsequently crushed under the weight of this new threat signaled just how nimble the beast was: as fast the those in the woods could run, the spider kept pace without trouble. No number of trees would stop its relentless advance as wood cracked and broke, sending shards of wood and splinters flying as it charged onwards. One such shard nearly hit Gsera as she ran, spiking into a nearby trunk as she ran past it, only for moments later for that same tree to be felled with ease by the creature hunting them.

Gsera turned her head behind her to see a great ball of legs, fangs, and eyes continuing its march to kill them and her mind raced as to what she could do. She ran as hard as she could but noticed that Nora, having ran last after everyone else, had now bounded ahead of the entire group with her nimbleness as she was able to squeak through other parts of the trail they had previously ventured on. For the Ddraig, her heart raced as she exerted herself while trying to figure out what she could possibly do. Perhaps she could… speak to it? She did not know how this would turn out, though she had success with Fluffy back in Waterham. She focused once more, trying to establish something, anything, with the spider.

Food.​

Gsera’s eyes widened as she heard the voice plain as day, turning her head again towards the creature. FOOD. She sputtered out in confusion as she continued to run, nearly tripping on an exposed root of a tree from such an incredibly harsh presence in her head that was now practically screaming.

FOOD. FOOD. FOOD. FOOD. FOOD. FOOD. FOOD.​

It was such an overwhelming force in her own mind that she teared up and shook her head to try to push this connection away, focusing instead on her own survival and those around her. Simon and Frost in the meantime, panicked as they were, loosed arrows when they could to try to do what they could in this situation. A few times their arrows went wild, or simply stuck into the spider’s legs with no visible effort. But then, a lucky shot from the latter landed straight into one of the beast’s eyes which caused a visible hiss of pain from the creature to rumble through the air as it staggered back a few steps, allowing some breathing room to be given.

By this point, Alberto could see Gawain in the near distance having traveled towards their position. Nora had sped past him already but with a mighty shout, it was the older knight that directed the sorcerer back: "RUN! RUN BACK TO THE ROAD!"

Nothing else was needed for his call to be heeded as the skull-faced man did so promptly, before the thundering of legs was heard again a short-distance away. The beast had recovered and returned to charge again, felling more trees in its path as it rampaged onwards. Nora was the first to see daylight as she burst out from the treeline, practically out of breath and filled with adrenaline from such a close call. Moments later, the others quickly sped out of the woods with varying degrees of exhaustion. Alberto, with as short of breath as he could, quickly drew his blade and directed it towards the woods. "MAKE READY!"

Shouted the knight as the rest of the company, who had heard the sound of trees crashing down in the distance, looked at the knight with both fear and confusion, but nearly all of them got back up, reading their weapons. Ceclia, clearly concerned but mainly confused, approached Alberto and Gawain as the latter prepared an spell, looking into the woods awaiting for the marauding beast. "What the Hel happened in there Alberto, w-who's that child? Gawain, what ha- WHAT THE HEL?!" She screamed as the beast crashed through the tree line, sending panic at the entire company.

​

Chaos, pure utter chaos broke out amongst the company are desperate screams of terror and shock are heard throughout it. The spider raised its front legs and pedipalps in a defensive stance, it's glazy eyes looking down at the company as fighters and archers clumsily tried to kill the creature. It's only when the fighters charged the beast that it began it's attack, it's front legs smashing down the ground, nearly crushing down several fighters but destroying one of the wagons, scattering valuable travelling supplies. Sentry and Berchar, one of the company fighters, would be the first ones to land a few cuts on the monster, Sentry trying to whack at the creatures legs while the fighter got a luck hack with his axe on the spiders frontal legs, but both of these cuts did not seem to bother the spider, who kept making a deep, cello-like, growl that vibrates all around the massive.

"VAMOS! A LA CARGA CAMARADAS! FIGHT! FIGHT!" Shouted Alberto as he hurriedly charged the rampaging beast, who was now attacking furiously with its frontal legs, trying to crush as many adventurers as it could, sadly, in one of it's attacks, it managed to kill some of the horses, but thanks to the quick thinking of Cassandra and the assistance of Olga, Volga and Holga, they managed to lead the horses away from the battle.

The company charged again, arrows and spells hit the creatures chitin, doing little to no damage to it, it's glazy eyes reflecting the magics casted upon it. "I-It's a Maelanima... it's resistant to magic!" shouted the trembling Cecilia as she clutched her necklace. "M-mom, not like this!" She muttered before looking through her bag which contained many magical scrolls. As the scholar rumaged through her magic bag, Petrocles, Paulin and Alberto stood face to face with the creature, swinging their weapons at it's face, but the beast was nimble enough to move away from the attacks of the three warrior and using its pedipalps, it pushed Alberto away, causing the Minotavur to stop fighting to assist him back up.

Sentry would lead another charge at the creatures side, her summoned stone armor protecting her from the creatures wicked hooked claws. She and a couple of fighters attempted to cut the creatures legs, but her blade was unable to cut through the beasts chitin. However, Hrongar, one of the Dverger warriors, managed to make a cut deep enough to cause the creature to instinctually kick the dwarf away, Sentry quickly rushed to help him, but when she turned around, Yvette, one of the younger warriors of the company, tried to stab the creature with her spear, that's when the creature turned around, it's glazy eyes looking down at the young warrioress as she stood there frozen in fear - and that's when the creature grabbed the young girl with it's pedipalps. "S-SENTRY!" shouted Yvette as she desperately fought against the spiders grasp. Sentry, Syllannan and Kastalli would try to help her out, Sentry attempting to get her down by grabbing the girls legs while Kastalli and Syllannan tried to force the creature to let her down by trying to stab it's eyes, avoiding the spiders chelicerae and it's poisonous fangs.

But they were not able to to hurt the beast, and Sentry was pushed away with one sudden jerk of the spider - the company watched in utter horror as Yvette was being pushed into the creatures mouth, naturally, spiders would use their venom to kill and then liquidate a creature to later drink it's juices, but this immense being did something so horrible, that it sent further panic down the lines of the company, they watched helplessly as Yvette was being pushed into the spiders mouth directly, all while screaming as loud as she could. "ALBERTO! A-AUNTIE SENTRY! P-PL-!" She shouted as her head was shoved in first into the beasts mouth, before being quickly sucked in.

• Yvette (Fighter) was killed by the Giant Spider •​

"WE ARE GOING TO DIE!" shouted a warrior as he attempted to run away, only to be stopped by Pepin. "ENOUGH! EVERYONE! ON ME! WE ARE NOT GOING TO DIE, WE ARE KILLING THIS MONSTER AND MAKE IT PAY!" Shouted Alberto at the top of it's lungs as the spider attempted to attack again, but the company listened as they tried to show some cohesion. "I WANT EVERY ONE OF YOU TO REMEMBER WHAT AWAITS YOU BACK HOME! THINK OF YOUR FAMILIES! OF THE REWARD THAT AWAITS AT THE END! THE GLORY OF ACCOMPLISHING THIS QUEST! WE WILL KILL THIS MONSTER! TOGETHER!" He shouted again, before pointing his spear at the spider. "FOR THE COMPANY! FOR OUR COMRADES!"

"CHARGE!"​

​

• GIANT WOLF SPIDER •
• 1200/1200 Health Points •
• Arach-Attack: The Spider can attack 4 times at 3 random targets, 1 target always being the Company | Maelanima: Magical attacks directed at this creature will receive a -2 point debuff •​

The commotion has attracted the attention of nearby parties, a group of strangers will aid the company in a few minutes. (Olivier's Party arrives in 2 turns) While another, larger group will arrive in 8 minutes. (Pandora and the Guild Members arrive in 5 turns).

 

[EdwardDewey98]

• Spider's Turn •​

"DON'T DISPAIR!" shouted Alberto as he led the charge against the beast. But the spider would not let itself be cornered by it's prey, it began a violent attack to keep it's victims at bay. (1d10 = 6 | 4 damage | Success |Company loses 4 fighters) The company watched in horror as the creatures violent trashing killed more of their people. The first one to fall was René who was crushed instantly by the creatures frontal legs. "B-by Gaia!" shouted Paulin as he and the other fighters continued their charge against the beast. The next one to fall was Maryvonne, who with her spear tried to stab the creatures mouth, but before she could move away, pierced her her chest with it's fangs, her twitching body remained hanging from the beasts chelicerae as the battle continued. The next unfortunate soul would be Mathéo Gérin-Lajoie, often referred to as the "Princeling" by his comrades for his alleged noble lineage, dying a very unceremonious way as the spider simply bumped against him and fell into a jagged rock. The last warrior to fall would be Milo, an old warrior who put up a bit of a fight, slashing desperately at the creatures chitin before being crushed by creatures legs. "It's killing us all!" shouted one of the fighters. "I said don't despair! FIGHT!"

• René, Maryvonne, Mathéo and Milo (Fighters) were killed by the Giant Spider •​

The charge continued, and the company wouldn't be the only ones getting injured by the beasts ferocious attacks. Having secure Chi'sa, Khorzev would join the fray and cast his shamanic hexes from the rear, but during the spiders mindless attacks, he saw one of the legs coming down his way. (1d10 = 2 | Failure | No damage!) But still full of adrenaline, the old frog quickly dashed away from harms way, and the spider's leg simply crushes another wagon was say behind him. "BLOODY HELL! THE CABBAGES WERE THERE!" Shouted one of the many Hob members of the company.

Sentry would be the next one attacked by the spider, as the barbarian seeked retribution for what it had just done, the creature would use one of side legs to push the barbarian away with brutal force. (1d10 = 4 | Partial Success | Sentry receives no damage due her rock hard form.) However, being as heavily armored as she was thanks to her Planetouched abilities, the barbarian did not even flinch when the spiders kick struck her chest and gut, sending her backwards several feet, but leaving her relatively unscathed.

The last one to be indirectly attacked by the creature was Gawain, as the spider attempted to kill Sentry after it's failed attack didn't work, the spider used one of it's front legs to destroy the barbarian, however, Sentry avoided the attack and was about to hit the undead wizard. (1d10 = 5 | Partial Success | Gawain receives 2 damage.) (Gawain's HP: 9/11) Sadly, not as agile as other members, Gawain wasn't able to fully move away from the spiders upcoming attack, and received a nasty cut from the creatures claw, his necrotic blood mixed with his undead essence seeping out into the ground. "Try to not die Gawain, you'll force me to actually shed a tear over your mangled corpse." said Edgar, once again willing to pester his colleague "And try to keep some of these idiots alive. It'd be a damn shame to lose so many of them." said the Lich as the undead wizard studied his wound.

• Company Turn •
​

Seeing that many of their comrades had perished on the charge, Berchar looked at his companions with an irate look in his face. "MERDE, DO YOU FUCKERS WANT TO BE NEXT!? KILL THAT THING!" Shouted the warrior as the charged at the spider. Alberto and the members of the main team watched as the many fighters, rogues, monks and the pagans of the company began their furious attack on the beast. The fighters, with their variaty of weapons, started to thrust and hack away at the the spider's limbs, it's thorax and it's plump abdomen. (1d10 = 10 | CRITICAL SUCCESS! | Company damaged multiplied by 2 | 154 Damage.) (Giant Wolf Spider's HP: 1,046/1,200) While it was hard to pierce it's abdomen, the main team watched as the fighters bravely fought against the beast, causing several wounds on it's legs and it's chelicerae. "GLORY AWAITS US IN THE CROSSROADS!" Shouted another warrior as he pulled his spear out of the spider's thorax, oozing with the spiders transparent blood.

"ARCHERS! FIRE!" Ordered Alberto as the fighters slowly pulled back from the rampaging monster to let the archers hit their target without fear of hurting their allies. Waves of arrows, bolts and a few throwing spears and throwing axes from the pagans hit the spider. (1d10 = 3 | Failure | No Damage!) But it was to no avail, the creatures chitin was too thick, and it moved away so violently it was hard for the archers and their allied ranged fighters to actively hit the creature's eyes. "You can do better lads! Keep firing!" said Alberto as he stood next to the members of the main team, ready to fight the spider alongside his friends and companions.

 

[Anne Boolean]

Moments after uttering his question, Ziggy's ears twitched. He heard soft thuds in the distance and snapping sounds that grew louder at an alarming rate. It wasn't long before the party members who had gone ahead to scout had reemerged from the webbed brush. Being carried by one of them was also a young, unfamiliar face. The half-Cobold was left confused by their panicked expressions for a moment. They matched the severity of the one that the skeleton man had when he ran into the woods earlier. He soon found the source of everyone's fear when the eight-legged giant came bounding out of the trees behind them.

As the monster immediately swallowed up and slayed at least five of Ziggy's companions, he felt himself instinctively take his dog form. He ran away from the arachnid menace with his tail between his legs, considering maybe hiding under one of the carts, and only looked back when he heard the rallying cries to fight. His canine gaze widened as many of the people he had traveled with rushed forth to heed it. He wasn't the brightest of the bunch, but even he knew this was a deadly battle. In fact, he hadn't felt this much fear since the last time he saw his master's father's angry gaze.

Still, these people had taken him in and allowed him to travel with them. They had provided food, lodgings, conversation, and even some tutelage. What kind of person would he be if he just up and ran when things got scary and they needed help? The orange-furred canine ran forth to join the fray. His fangs probably weren't as sharp as the steel blades they used and his claws were certainly smaller, but he would do his best to aid in this fight however he could. He leapt at one of the giant legs, biting and scratching with all his might.

 

[Vexumin]

Nora had been wary of something coming their way the moment she hit the ground. She could recognize a nervousness to folk looking back at the forest. As she stood fully, looking into the woods as the rest did, she could see the cause for worry. A mass of legs and glistening, hungry eyes. She could not help but stare, caught in a web of terror for the creature. Never before had she seen such a massive beast. Even as it halted before her, the intention of swallowing her whole, she could not help but stare until suddenly...

THOOM...THOOM THOOM! The sound of its legs striking the ground as she dipped and weaved away from the attacks! That icy fear thawing from the pure adrenaline that began to spike her heart and mind. It spurred her into motion. In that moment, she was a blur of movement, flying past allies, her hands having grabbed the once conventional daggers she carried with her. She spun and sliced through web, whatever she had to do to see the sun again, and when she finally did, she just kept running. She had one destination in mind, and that was where she last put her belongings.

Though Nora carried daggers with her to use in a pinch, they were far from her true weapons. As she reached the wagon carrying her blades, she takes hold of their grips before prying them from carefully wrapped sheathes. These were the tools of a killer. Her ol' reliables. The same weapons she had used to slay the undead a few days before. However, cutting through dead flesh was not difficult for her.

As she drew her long sword and its smaller twin, she falls to the ground, the weapons held in either hand, slowly falling to the ground like a pair of glinting steel wings. As far as she was concerned, they might has well have been. They allowed her to take off as the angel of death she was raised to be. Though her heart pounded after her encounter with the spider, her eyes sharpened. Though she once feared this creature, it now threatened these people.

Taking off, back towards the treeline, she could see the creature had torn through the woods, now at the roads edge and already with bodies scattered here and there about it. Nora's eyes grow cold, the sclera of her eyes growing a darker black and her pure white iris emanating a gentle wisping energy. The fight was on!

As the others begin their charge, she made pace, soon joining them. This creature had to die! Nora leaps as she nears the rampaging creature, her blades outstretched as she spun through the air. She had identified damage made by their allies earlier upon the spiders legs, and she had locked onto said damage. She targeted a small notch in its carapace, bringing her blades together as she flew towards the damage before delivering a single -heavy- strike with both weapons simultaneously.

She was not sure if her strike would even create much of a mark on such a huge creature, but she was being driven by a calm rage to avenge the fallen. A rage that she wanted to quell by helping slay this monster.

 

[joshuadim]

The return to the sun-lit outdoors, away from the dark and infested woods, was but a temporary reprieve for Gsera as she fell to both knees and clutched at her head. It had been a terrible mistake to try to commune with the spider, as its voice continued to thunder relentlessly in her mind. Accompanied with a sharp wave of pain that caused her vision to double from its intensity every time it spoke, Gsera found it hard to stand as she scampered on her legs and knees further away from where she had come from. She wanted to yell aloud, but when the spider appeared the air filled with a chorus of panicked shouts from the rest of the company as the monstrous creature came crashing out of the treeline.

FOOD.

The ddraig's vision doubled again as she clutched a hand over her eye and gripped at her hair. Gritting her teeth, she slowly stood up to fight as those around her needed her. She took in a deep breath to try to manage herself and get a sense of what was happening. The spider had just killed four of the company's fighters in such a short span, violently crushing some in a manner that one might do with an ant. She found herself looking at Mathéo's body, a man she had once giggled and laughed with along with his own compatriots as he made stories of his supposed nobility and other such tales. And now his voice had been silenced forever by this beast.

Gsera gritted her teeth and dug her hands into the ground, before focusing deep into the earth. The trees here were great in size, and old in age, and had deep holds into the earth itself. It was from this that she would call upon the roots of the woods to try to impede the creature's movements for the others to take advantage of.

 

[Breadman]

Sentry took the hit as she slid on the ground, her feet leaving tracks on the ground akin to someone pushing a statue. Her face was hidden under the rocky exterior, but her usual calm and confident face had twisted as she stared towards the spider. Fear was never in her mind. As soon as she saw the spider, she knew what type of beast they faced. It was merciless, with no chance to reason or bargain with it. And she wanted it dead! She ran towards the creature, putting behind every bit of anger in her vocal cords for a rallying cry. There was only one way forward and it went straight through its guts.

"Take the horse and be prepared for the worst to pass." Waylond handed the reins over to his cousin after he dismounted. The squire looked to him confused. At no point in their travels did he give an order like this.

"You cannot be ser-"

"Damn it man, do as I say!" The knight snapped back. One armored gauntlet pointed towards the spider "That thing will not stop unless we kill it or it kills us and I am not going to risk the last vestiges of hope for our House on a gamble. Now get on the damn horse and be prepared to ride if fate turns against us!"

"Where do I go?" The squire could only stammer that out as he climbed on the steed.

"You know exactly where to go!" The knight's faceguard came down and his sword was drawn. Whatever protests Pod may have wouldn't reach him anymore. His main concern was the battle with the monster ahead.

Nearby the bards were outside of immediate danger, but they knew they couldn't stay and do nothing but pray for victory. The sisters nodded to each other as they readied their instruments and magic. They were battle bards and would provide as their role demanded. With the magic in the air, their music and singing would reach their comrades and they hoped it would give them the strength to prevail.

 

[Taigakitt]

An approach by a pointy-eared man grabbed Chi’sa’s attention.

Reflexively, her body wanted to shy away, looking to take refuge behind either Sera or Mister Prince (Khorzev), trying to shrink her shoulders down so she could seem smaller.

"Hello little one, perhaps you may want a snack before we get there? I promise it is good"

Her eyes followed his hand, flicking to his face only briefly before returning and noticing what he was holding out.

She watched again as he proved that what he held was a trustworthy snack.

"...Well, perhaps a little salty"

A small grin flashed across her lips in response.

The strips of dried meat were familiar in appearance. The description made her believe it to be even more so. The light scent coming from the dried meat confirmed it.

She reached a hand out the same moment she felt the initially-soft thud in the earth.

"KHORZEV! GRAB THE CHILD!"

The next thing she knew, she was being carried and they were sprinting through the forest, no chance to Chi’sa to really react or make a noise in response besides a yelp from the sudden movement of being grabbed then leaping.

Rattled, Chi’sa gripped the fabric of her carrier.

Something slithered in her veins as the safety she was starting to feel quickly melted to that terror she has felt earlier on in the day. Her stomach twisted up in knots that she no longer felt the bite of the hunger she had.

The sound of cracking trees and wagons had Chi’sa peek back.

And regretted looking.

What filled her vision was this terrifyingly gargantuan spider, seeming hellbent on chasing them.

The feeling of ice rushed through her first as terror bit at her senses.

Her arms flung around Khorzev’s neck as she processed what she was seeing. She screeched in terror, and in that moment, she felt that familiar burn in the back of her throat as her body heated in response to her fear.

Her honey eyes started to melt to an orange. Clamping her hands over her mouth, she swallowed then swallowed again as she hid her face against her Frog Prince savior.

She couldn’t risk opening her mouth. She knew what was waiting for her if she did.

~*~​

She didn’t know they were out of the woods until an unfamiliar voice was asking something in a panicked manner.

Looking up, she beheld the large company, then looked back just as someone was eaten.

Eaten.

Chi’sa started wriggling to be released. She needed to get away from this spider. This monster.

She was going to get in the way.

Just like she did with her friends.