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Tipping the Fates


Nina

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Hmmph. Meara had been holding out on them. Artoria couldn't stay mad though, so she cracked a bit of a grin. 

 

She let go of the rope soon as she felt the slack in the line, grateful Ardan had been so quick to get up here and start trading shots with the tiny archer. Arrows were nothing to fuck around with, without a visit to the priest and the right care, a wound could kill you inch by painful inch, bedeviling you the whole way like the summer plague or bad water. 

 

Still left her with this one to deal with, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the flint blade it was wielding. Nothing that could hold up to a beating like proper metal, but still cut where it mattered when it mattered. Like here and now. She was still nerving herself up to ask the village tanner for something that could help keep her insides actually inside, so she'd just need to overpower and take him down before he got the chance to do so again.

 

Out and down flashed her knife, ready to do it's work as the blonde smith exhaled on her swing, even as she stepped into one of the loops of rope behind her from her pulling.

 

Spoiler

Annnd swing... Details:[1d20+4 (1)]

And a crit fail. Waka waka.

 

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Yoco was startled to say the least as the human male scooped up a bow and knocked and let fly an arrow in one smooth motion, however the speed detracted from the accuracy and the arrow buried itself in to the tree behind the Kobold almost a full head above his own.

 

Yoco barked out a shrill laugh as he drew his string and let fly back at the human. His aim wasn't great but it had been better than Arden's. The smaller arrow flew true slashing the human”s upper leg in the fleshy part before flying off into the ravine beyond. But blood had been drawn!

 

While arrows flew Onto had witnessed the Humans clumsy strike and with a laugh mirroring his compatriots he struck. Unfortunately he hadn't noticed the rope at Artoria's feet which had almost tripped her. Onto wasn't so lucky. The kobold' s deadly thrust was interrupted by his feet becoming tangled in the loops of the rope. As he began to topple he flung his knife away and arms windmilling sailed over the edge of the ravine as Artoria jumped aside his headlong flight!

 

Meara readied her staff but she was too far to away from the last Kobold to act so all she could do was watch the arrows fly!

 

Ardan grunted more at the missed shot than at the slash the tiny arrow had made in his thigh, his only outward sign of displeasure even as he quickly drew and loosed another arrow at the kobold archer, hitting this time, making the smaller creature squeal of surprised pain as his arrow plunged into Yoco's chest buried to the feathers!

 

Yoco dropped his bow and fell onto his back gasping for breath.

 

Spoiler


# 18
Details:[1d20 (18)]

Details:[1d6 (2)]

 

Spoiler

Arden has taken 2 points of damage to his leg. it's a shallow cut but it's bleeding a lot.


 

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Artoria couldn't help it.

 

She looked over the cliff edge to see what happened to the little monster who had almost stabbed her, and, yup, there, it, he, whatever, was, caught in some roots half-way down. Not moving, but not sure if he was dead or not. She exhaled, her heartbeat thundering in her ears, grip white-knuckled on her knife. Right right. Three monsters, and wasn't monster a surreal word, something she'd expect from the mouth of the village bard at night and not under the sun, down and no other sign of attacks on her, Meara, and Ardan... Looking at the blood streaming down his leg, the blonde bladesmith sheathed her knife and tore a long strip from the bottom of her tunic.

 

She held it out to the hunter, knowing full well he was twice as capable of taking care of the wound than he'd ever be. "Here," she grunted, before looking at the two kobolds with them, focusing on the one with an arrowing in his chest with a frown, "Meara. The one you hit. Is he alive?"

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Meara took the makeshift bandage from Artoria and shook her head, "No I hit him too hard his neck is broke, and from the sound of that one he won't last much longer either. That arrow went through his lung." She moved over to Arden as the Kobold took its last bloody gasp. 

 

"Sit down Arden so I can remove that arrow..."

 

Before he could sit a growl which turned into a roar shattered the new stillness and a huge bear crashed from the wood, roared again and stood on its hind legs in challenge!

 

Spoiler

Big bear .... every one make a wisdom check and animal skills will give +1 to your stat. Initiative is Arden,  the bear, Artoria, Meara.

Happy hunting!

 

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Ardan shook his head.  "Of Course, now you show up."   he growled out.  Running was out of the question, what with an arrow in his leg, and the need to cover Jhan.  

"Leave it Meara, we'll have to kill it.  It can follow us all the way back and it's going to be able to outrun all of us."  He noticed the bear's eyes were an unnatural red.   "Something's wrong, they don't normally have red eyes."

The young woodsman readied his bow once again, knowing he'd end up having to switch to the sword now that he couldn't move around as easily.   "Damn I hate bears."  With that utterance, he loosed another arrow.

 

Spoiler

wis check  
Details:[1d20 (7)]

 

attack check

 

Details:[1d20 (12)]

 



 

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Arden's arrow sank deep into the bears upper chest, he had aimed for the heart but missed. the Bear swatted at the arrow snapping it off but leaving a god four inches in the wound, as it came back down on all fours with another roar it lunged toward Meara!

 

The girl screamed as the bear lumbered at her moving much quicker than it's bulk seemed possible of. as it came close it swatted at her with its great paw. Meara tried to scurry away but was too slow and at the last moment her staff twisted to interpose itself between her and the monster but the defense was not enough. The beasts paw struck the staff slamming it into the girl its wicked claws puncturing her abdomen but not as deeply as it could have been nonetheless she was lifted from her feet and tossed a yard back where she landed with a thud the wind knocked from her.

 

The Bear did not pause or turn aside but continued its lumbering charge toward the fallen girl!

 

Spoiler

Meara has taken 4 points of damage an dis lying on the ground stunned.

 

It is Artoria's turn

 

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For a second, Artoria could have sworn the the bear had a vague halo of sorts, the shadow of a human outline framing it's bestial skull to go with the blood-red eyes. Then there was the way it focused on Meara. Ardan had shot the damned thing, and still was focusing on her downed friend. She'd have to ask Meara about it, spooky was her specialty, right?

 

That meant getting this beast to retreat or something, so that Meara would be around to ask.

 

The blonde bladesmith charged in against the bear, grabbing her axe to bring to bare against the beast. Time to see if all those hours of practice meant anything.

 

Spoiler

Using Axe on Danger Floof.

23
Details:[1d20+5 (18)] 23 to Hit.

Whew. So if that hits...

10
Details:[1d8+5 (5)] Ten total damage.

 

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Artoria sank her axe deep into the bears back as it lunged for Meara, almost wrenching it from the blacksmith's daughter's hands. But she held on and with a mighty wrench, pulled it free in a spray of blood.

 

As she pulled back to swing again the bears hind legs collapsed and it growling turned to a whimper, momentum carried it forward but it was unable to strike at Meara who kicked her legs trying to scurry from it snapping maw. Then it was still. Its forelegs folded and it head rested in the ground as it lay dying.

 

Arden knocked a second arrow as it body twitched then they all saw the red cloud rise like smoke coming from it's mouth, eyes, nose ,and ears. the cloud formed a foot or so above the beasts still quivering body.

 

As they watched the cloud formed into a misshapen small humanoid form, a horrible beastial caricature of a human, some sort of demon or evil spirit. It hissed toward Meara and both she and Ardan felt that they knew this thing. Then the sun came from behind a cloud and the rays of sunlight fell upon the thing and with a painful wail it spread stunted wing and vanished into a cloud of smoke which streaked away into the trees.

 

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Ardan held his breath reflexively as the creature came from the bear, and exhaled only once it was gone, the bowstring taut and humming almost from his own tension.   Still, when it vanished, he released  eased the tension and slung his bow.  His leg ached and despite that he moved to Meara's side, dropping down heedless of his own pain.  He examined her wounds, noting it was a miracle she was even alive.  "She's hurt bad, we need to act fast.  In Jhan's pack, there's a lesser healing potion, for emergencies.  It won't fix his broken leg, but it will at least help keep Meara alive.   Get it for me, and I'll administer it."  He said to Artoria, the only one of them still in decent shape.  He could only hope that it was still there.   The very real possibility that Jhan had been hurt enough to have drunk it already,  despite knowing it wouldn't fix his leg, or that it had been crushed in the fall.   He had faith in his mentor,  and in the gods, that they could save both his friend and his mentor.

He knew he'd have to dress his own wound soon, and sighed.   If he went down too, they'd be completely done for if something else came, but Meara's wounds were far worse, they had to stabilize her fast.  He hoped Jhan would forgive him for using his potion on her, and knew he'd have to work hard to repay him for it.

 

Spoiler

wis check
Details:[1d20 (5)]

 

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He didn't need to tell Artoria twice, the bloody axe dropping to the ground as the big girl went over to Jhan, and with all the grace she could muster in her distracted haste, moved the older hunter enough to access the bag and the potion. She grabbed the item, and hustled back to Ardan, all but thrusting it in his face, concern playing across her face. Her eyes flitted between him, her, and the sky where the spirit had fled. She guessed it was a spirit anyway. Spirity? Whatever.

 

"Here. Do yourself next and quickly. Don't want to see how far I can drag all three of you back towards the village," she grunted, jerking her thumb at the kobolds, "Don't want to see how it takes their friends to show up."

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As Arden knelt to administer the potion, Meara raised a hand to stop him, "No I am alright the wounds aren't deep, save the potion for Jhan he will need it." She sat up and grimaced then tore strips for bandages from the bottom of her dress.

 

As Meara undid her bodice and pulled her dress down to reveal her torso and the claw punctures, Arden's cheeks reddened and he turned away quickly, "I'll see to Jhan," he said with a cough to clear his throat and hide his embarrassment.

 

Artoria shook her head at the hunter then walked to the bear with the intention of collecting some trophies but as she approach she recoiled at what she saw. The bears carcass was rotting in front of her eyes, already the fur falling in clumps, the flesh had turned green and maggots were crawling all over it. It was disgusting.

 

"How is this possible?"

 

Meara, wrapping the bandages around her abdomen, shook her head, " The spirt of chaos that possesed it caused this. I have read of such things." She glanced at Arden who also looking at the bear with wide horrified eyes. "I believe it was the same spirit you rescued me from last fall, Arden, only more tangible, powerful, and more cunning. We will never make it back to the village before dark, but there is a cave not to far we can rest in and I think I can place a protection to keep it from returning. And if the potion works as well as you say, Jhan may be well enough that we can return to the village on the morrow.  What say you both?"

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Ardan nodded.  "No small wonder then that it managed to surprise Jhan.  we're very lucky to still be here."  He said quietly.  "Let's go to the cave,  Artoria can gather some wood for a fire, and we can take a look at my wounds.   I have water and some food in my pack, since we were getting ready for a hunt,  but probably not enough to clean our injuries and to drink through the night for all of us."   

He wasn't happy about having to stay out in the woods for a night, but they'd have to  'The explanation when we get back to town is going to be real fun."   He looked to Artoria, to see what she had to say on all this.

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Ick. Seeing the bear melt into rot right in front of her had put a further damper on her mood. Her eyes clearly communicated the fact that the other two *were* going to tell the long version of that story once they were settled down by that fire, sure as hammer and tong. The idea of something, anything, able to take another creature for a ride like a hay wagon rattled her, not that she was going to give that away the other two.

 

"Sounds like a plan," she grunted, walking over to where the two kobolds lay, the arrow-struck one have finally stopped moving while they fought the bear. Nothing they could do about checking on and retrieving the last one, much as she'd like to. She stooped down and rolled first one and then the other on to their back, arms at their sides, expression serious as she scanned once for some sign, a token that might point out if their kin took revenge. The cooling flesh had been human-warm but scaly, minimal garb giving her no clue. Fine then. They'd just have to wait and cope. 

 

Artoria grunted again and rose, new bloodstains on her hand, "Sorry, guys. We can go now. Didn't just want to leave anymore angry ghosts behind us." 

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After wrapping bandages and building a makeshift littler they could put Jhan onto to drag the Three youths and their wounded friend set of toward the Cave Meara told them about. Ardan was wondering a lot about those caves, she hadn't mentioned them before and while not as wideranging as Jhan or some of the other hunters, he had been all over these hills and had never found any caves. But he trusted Meara so with Artoria on one side and he the other the pulled the litter with Jhan, following Meara.

 

It really wasn't that far and before the suns rays vanished over the mountains in the west the came upon the small opening behind the fallen boulders. Neither Artoria nor Arden were sure they could find the cave again if they tried for to them it had seemed as though she had led them on a roundabout way in an effort to keep her secret place hidden. But that is only what it seemed, in truth Meara had led then in as straight a route that she could without any thought to keeping the secret from them in this time of need. But the cave long the home of that ancient wizard had itself deigned to remain hidden and so its magic effected the others and made its true location unknown.

 

Thye had to remove Jhan from the litter for the opening was only large enough for one to squeeze through and the first passage was very narrow and the ceiling short. Artoria, whose size was great had to shuffle through sideways and bent over but the cave did open into the a larger chamber. It was dark in the cave, but Meara supplied a light though neither had seen her light a candle and when they came into the larger portion of the cave they saw that it was the end of her Ash staff which glowed with a ball of white light.

 

She indicated a place to place Jahn after they had gone back and dragged the litter inside to provide him a bed off the cold stone floor. Meara showed Arden where to light a fire using wood that she had stored here on previous visits. Arden was doubtful of lighting a fire in the confines of the cave but when he started building the fire he felt a small steady draft though he could not see any openings above and once the fire was going the smoke was drawn toward the ceiling where it seemed to vanish through the cave rook.

 

"There is a crack," Meara said when she saw Arden staring a the roof above the fire, " in the rock it is not visible unless you get close with a light."

She and Artoria had settled Jhan onto the litter and covered him with a blanket that was already there in the cave. The hurt hunter was restless and feverish and after the fire was built Arden came to administer the potion while Meara held his head. "I don't know how long it takes to work," But from listening to the older hunters it uses the bodies own reserves to heal and that after using the one healed will need good healthy food and a lot of it," explained Ardan.

 

There immediate tasks done The sat around the fire and took stock of their supplies for they were all hungry and had missed meal time.

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Ardan took out his own pack, now that they wouldn't freeze, and set out his waterskin, which thankfully was full, and another bag which had Tack bread and jerky from the last big hog and deer that he and Jhan had brought down.   "It was meant to be enough for me for at least a day, so it should at least stop our stomachs rumbling for the  night."  he was worried about his mentor, but there was nothing else he could do.  Given that Meara was watching her flock, he figured she had at least some food herself, but if not, well they couldn't be too choosy.   He didn't think he'd be able to hunt anything up, especially in the dark.  Come the morning though, he could at least try.

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Artoria chewed her jerky with a grateful nod, and spent a few minutes checking her weapons for nonexistent battle damage, chewing her thoughts and trying to not let the relative-emptiness of her belly color her mood too much. Chips. Flakes. Stress fractures. Just plain old bad iron. The hundred and one flaws that could turn hours of work into so much trash if one didn't keep a close eye on the balance of hammer and fire. Which all devolved down to chaos in the end. And that bugged the large blonde, working her thumb in circles on the handle of her battle axe where it leaned against her leg. 

 

Keeping one eye on the entrance to their shelter, she tilted her head and smiled, voice a bright chipper tone that would send alarm bells ringing through Ardan and Meara's head after years of her mean-spirited mockery, "So. Tell me about this chaos spirit with a grudge please."

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Meara added the food she had carried to the combined supplies, a half loaf of bread, a small cheese, and two dried apples they could cut up.

When Artoria asked about the spirt and the tale it involved, Meara chewed silently cutting a glance or two at Ardan. She had kept the secret for almost two years before Ardan had interrupted the ritual and saved her from the spirit last fall, and he had kept her secret since then as well. Not too long ago she would not have trusted Artoria with her secret. She had been egotistical, and mean a bully, but after the accident she had change and was now a friend.

 

“There is no need to watch the entrance, nothing unbidden can enter here. When I discovered these caves I found a book in the chamber beyond. I found, to my surprise, that I could read this book. It was a book of magic. A book such as you here of in the tales handed down. I learned things from it, I learned to make magic.

 

I thought myself special, but I also knew that others in the village would be fearful, so I kept this place, the book, and my new skills, secret. The book spoke of things that I did not fully understand and one night when I was supposed to be watching the sheep I tried to cast a spell I did not read correctly and,” she pauses with a sigh and looks away embarrassed, ”I called forth that thing from somewhere else.

 

It did not look today as we saw it that night, it was more amorphous, a thing without form or body, It did not want to come to this world or so I thought. It attacked me but I had taken at least some precautions that I had learned and while I was locked in battle with it, it could not get to me and I could not harm it. Then Ardan heard my struggles while he hunted and came upon us. Ardan shot his bow to no effect but when he drew that sword the thing fled.

 

Until today I believed that the thing was gone returned to its world, but now...” Meara stood and took up her staff, which had been leaning against the wall. She walked to the rear of the cave to the opening to the chamber beyond, the chamber where the book had rested for ages, raised the staff and placed it tip into the middle of the opening where it stopped as if coming against something solid. She spoke a word which neither could quite make out and there was a sort of bluish glow, very dim, which spread from the tip out to the edges of the opening then the glow vanished. And she stepped through, “Come, let me show you.”

 

The other two had listened and watched and when the show of magic, for that must be what it was, had occurred they had been awestruck. Neither had seen magic, real magic before.

 

They followed Meara. Beyond the opening was a larger chamber. It had been cleand of the debris Meara had found and the old bones and scrabs of clothe placed with reverence in a box she had had made in the village. The box rest in a stone niche in which it fit perfectly. Near it ona stand also made in the village sat the ancient book. There were several other shelves and even a bookcase thought here were only a few scrolls resting there. Books and such things were not easy to come upon in the village and these had been givin to her by the wizard who had given her the staff.

 

“This is where I found the book,” she strode up to it and rested her hand upon it, “and this is the book. It is old, older than you can imagine. It is not written in our tongue, and I do not yet understand how I came to be able to read it. Myr… the wizard who gave me this staff said that the book may have wanted me to read it and that since I could read some but not all that it was only allowing me access to what I was ready for.

 

But that is not what I wanted to tell or show.”  She opened the book and gestured them forward. On the page was script neither Ardan nor Artoria could decipher indeed, the writing made their eyes blur and their heads ache, but on the page opposite was a drawing depicting something that looked a lot like he form of the thing that came from the bear.

 

“This is a Chaos Spirit, not to be confused with the spirits of the dead, but rather a sort of demon which has no form of its own when it occupies this world but this is what they look like where they come from. I believe this is what I summoned by accident that night. And it is still here, and I believe now that it wants me.”

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There was a lot about this scenario Artoria didn't know what to think about. Magic was a thing for stories or the healer's hut. And she didn't get it, much as she was seeing it. Buuuut... Lock Ardan or Meara in her family's smithy and tell them to make so much as a new nail, and the blonde smith didn't want to think how much of a mess they'd make of her tools. Probably burn the place down or smash a finger trying.

 

"Okay," she allowed, trying to reframe the problem in a way she knew, "So you let this pig out of it's pen, and now it's running around hurting people. What do you need to get it back where it came from? Hitting it didn't seem to work."

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Ardan shook his head.  "Hitting it directly probably would.   We didn't do that.  That's why it doesn't like my sword, there's something special about it.  I am just not sure what."   

He took a portion of the food, careful to leave some for Jhan as well, for when he woke.  He'd need it too.   

"We won't let it get you Meara.   We'll stop it together."

 

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Meara rolled to her feet and went over to kneel beside Jhan. “He seems to be resting easier,” she checked the bandage on his stomach wound, “it is already scabbed over that potion is working. Good call Ardan.” She comes back tot he fire and the other two, sits between them.

 

“These things are cunning and vengeful. May I see your sword?”

 

Ardan hesitated a second then picked it up off the floor where it rested beside him within easy reach. He unsheathed it and passed it hilt first to Meara.

 

Meara closed her hand upon the hilt and took its weight, “ It isn't as heavy as I would have though.” She took her other hand and placed it on the flat of the blade and slowly moved her hand down the length, mumbling inaudibly. At he point she slipped her hand under the flat and moved it back to the hilt.

 

“You found this, it was not given to you?”

 

Ardan was surprised at the question. “Yes I found it, it was lodged in a tree. I pulled it free,” he frowned in thought,” I remember thinking it came free rather easily.”

 

“Could you find the tree again,” asked Meara as she passed the weapon back to Ardan.

 

“Yes,” Ardan nodded affirmatively, “I believe I can. Why?”

 

“The sword is magical, more so even than my staff. But I don't think it belongs to you yet. The book tells of ceremonies and bindings and that things of power weapons and staves and other things need to be passed from one to another before they can be fully used.”

 

“That is all good and well,” interrupted Artoria, “but what has that to do with the spirit demon chaos thing?”

 

“I was getting to that. The purpose of demon spirits such as this is to wreak havoc and chaos where they go. But in our world they have no true form unless given one. Usually when a wizard summons one he has a... a form waiting for the demon to take over. Given form the demon will serve the wizard as long as it is free to fulfill it's nature.”

 

Meara sighs dejectedly, “I did not understand this. In my haste to do magic I rushed and made mistakes I did not know what I was doing. This thing is here because of me, and I did not fulfill my end of the bargain and now that I know what it is I would never do such a thing.

 

But it, I think, wishes me to become its body and that is why it attacked me the first time when Ardan drove it off brandishing the sword, and again today when it came in the bear it came after me only. I also think that it is what attacked Jan after leading him to that cliff. Those cuts are from the bears claws. This makes me believe that luring Jhan away was meant to lure Ardan away so that the thing could come after me without fearing the sword.

 

I don't believe it was counting on us going with Ardan to search for Jhan, I think that is why the bear came on us after we had dispatched the little lizards. What were those anyway? I have never heard of things like that.”

 

 

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"People. Tiny scaly people but people," Artoria offered, not blaming Meara for getting dazzled by the prospect of wielding honest-to-gods magic,  "And maybe not friends of your thing if it waited until they were dead before it attacked us."

 

She looked thoughtful in the magical light of the cave, assembling the start of an idea, "Well, unless we can scrounge up a third magic weapon, there isn't a lot I can add to killing this thing. Do you have a trick in that book to tie it down long enough for Ardan to stab it?"

 

Meara thought a bit, shrugged her shoulders, and ventured, "I can be bait, but I think Ardan has own the sword first not simply possess it. *And* I don't know how to accomplish it. Probably some sort of ritual at the place he found it but... I... might be able to find out more in the book or ask someone like my mercenary friend... He might know something."

 

The blonde bladesmith's expression fell a little as she hopes of a quick solution, here, tonight, fell apart, but kept running with her low cunning, "If your friend's okay. No, if this thing wants a body to cause chaos and destruction, we've got even better bait then you: me. It knows first hand how hard I can hit, and if it maintains a grudge half-as-much as I did when I was younger, it'll get a chuckle out of it. Assuming you can trick it long enough... Keeps you free to wiggle your fingers at it while Ardan sneaks up on it once you do whatever you need to to his sword."   

 

"We are not letting this thing get bored with playing in the woods, and move onto the village," she added grimly.

 

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"They're Kobolds.  They normally would never have attacked us, not with just three on three odds.   I was busy, and the two of you are female,  and they had the element of surprise so they went for it."   He didn't have a good opinion of Kobolds, though he knew from Jhan that they could be quite dangerous if they got the drop on you.

He looked to Artoria.  "I'd rather it get some animal, and not any other person.   Remember, we had to kill the bear for it to show itself."   He left the rest of the sentiment unsaid, and the warning was implied.

He shook his head.  "I've heard of no such ritual, and it does at least serve my purposes when I have to fight with a sword.   If there's a way to empower it, so we can truly defeat and seal away this Chaos spirit, I'll happily participate however."

Ardan smiled at his two female friends.  "Thank you both, by the way, for coming with me.   Neither Jhan or I would have likely survived without you being there."

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The three grew silent with their own thoughts then. Ardan checked on his mentor before wrapping a blanket around himself and laying by the fire soon he was asleep. Artoria pulled her blanket tight and lay back to the fire facing the opening not completely trusting the supposed magic to keep Kobolds or worse out. She slept lightly, her eyes would often open and look around before drifting off again. Meara forgo sleeping and instead stood at the stand upon which the ancient book sat and read seeking some hint or spell that would help them. And so, the night passed.

 

In the morning Meara woke, sometime in the night she must have laid down at the base of the book stand and someone, Artoria, or Ardan, had drapped a blanket over her. Jhan was awake and sat at the fire where Artoria was preparing a meager  breakfast. Ardan had been telling the tale of how they came to be there in this cave.

 

Jhan who felt better the magic potion had mended the bone inhis leg and closed the wounds but he was not one hundred percent healed. He had explained that while he waited for Ardan some how he had become convinced that Ardan had already been at the meeting place and had not waited but had set out alone. Jhan had been overcome with the fear that something was stalking Ardan and that he must find and save him. Jhan said that he had tracked to young hunter until he had reached the ravine when a bear had burst from the trees and struck him flinging him off the cliff and that was the last he remembered.

 

Meara nodded hearing this. Sh said that she thought the spirit had used Jhan’s concern for Ardan to lure him away knowing that Ardan would follow and that if it could do the same to Ardan that the sword would no longer be a threat.

 

“Why didn’t it take control of Jhan,” Asked Artoria? Both hunters nodded, silently echoing her question.

 

“I don’t think the spirit is strong enough to take over a person. Yet. We should go to the place where Ardan found the sword and see if we can figure out how to awaken the weapon so we can banish the spirit.”

 

“No,” says Jhan, “This is beyond my ken and you are but youths. It is bad enough Meara that you have dabbled in these things and brought this thing to the village’s doorstep, you should not hasten to make things worse. We need to return to the village and make the council aware of this threat.”

 

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"Youths we may be, but it's too late for that, Master Hunter," Artoria countered, finger swiveling to point at the owner of each name as she mentioned it, "This thing has a reason to follow each of us. Ardan it's afraid of. Meara it wants for whatever magical evil stuff it needs her to do. You embarrassed it by surviving it's trap. I broke it's very good at killing things host. We head into the village, and I'll bet you my first gold piece it follows despite how stupid that is."

 

"If anything... *You* need to get out of here and get the council to act while *we* keep it's attention focused out here by doing the sword wake up ritual."

 

She laughed sharply, realizing how very very stupid this was, but gathered herself before that mood of hysteria set in, thumping her chest with one arm, "I'm not smart or wise. Don't need to outwit a piece of iron, but killing it here and now feels right to me. Achings have the same chalk in our bones as these hills, and these hills have seen off worse than this gods-forsaken wisp if half the tavern stories are a quarter true. We got this."  

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Ardan actually wasn't torn on this.   "Artoria is right Jhan."   He was one of the only younger villagers who could use his name, a product of long hunts together, and having to be clear and concise in the wilderness.  "You go back and inform the council.   This thing is after Meara, and my sword is the only thing it seems to fear.  If we stay out of the city, we won't be safe, but at least no one else will be in danger."
 

He smiled at Artoria.  "Our friend has made her choice to stand with us, though it definitely means further danger.   I ask you to let us go, so we can do what we can to fight this thing off, and protect the village."
 

"My father will be angry of course, but this isn't something new, is it?   He will understand the desire to protect the people."

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