Chapter 15 Keep Your Friends Close

It was quite the strange sight to see the oddly mixed group of about twenty people heading north away from their home. From several humans, a rogue halfling, a few A'eternian high elves, a very chatty half fairy, and a gnome; all being led towards the Jungle of Ghosts by General Gelmir. For the first few miles, once they had made it out alive, they would occasionally turn around, taking a glimpse at the once extravagant city. Perhaps in hope that the entire night had been some sort of sick joke; the fires had not destroyed their home, or that the giant octopus had never appeared out of the sea. Except now it was close to noon the following day, the bright sun high in the sky blazing down on them. Some of them still looked behind them, but the fires had done their job, and now smoke floated into the air above the city. The humans they traveled with were exhausted. Having to fight for their lives through the dreadful night with not a chance to rest, they were slowing the group down, and weren't even halfway to the first forest. While this irritated Gelmir, he was not vocal about it like Jopha was. It was about ten miles to the forest, and the A'eternian soldiers would have made it there by now, but Gelmir insisted they all travel there together. Frequently, the group heard sniffling from the only human female. Gelmir had met her and her family in the upper left barracks along with General Forsch. Introducing herself as Nina, Gelmir could tell by her clothes she also was from the poorer side of Minas Ellalas. No relation to the halfling they met, but they now knew his name was Lew. Nina was well known for her several children, most likely a result from peddling the backstreets for services, either food or fabrics, and sometimes herself. She was young, somewhere in her mid-twenties, and she might have been seen as beautiful if it weren't for her lack of self care. What most men considered an attractive physique, her clothes looked and smelled like they hadn't been changed in several weeks. There was a distinct odor that said she hadn't showered in just as long. A little girl around eight or nine walked next to her, the only one of her many children that survived. The woman's husband was just as unclean looking. He was at least twice the woman's age, and provided for his family by bartering for things he resold at a higher price. Their family and the halfling were one of the many things Jopha was complaining about.

"Why are we helping them, they're no good peasants. Why can't they go their own way."

Silence was the only response she got, or Gelmir telling them to keep moving. He was exhausted mentally from having to slow their pace to let the humans keep up, and annoyance with Jopha's constant whining.

"I don't understand why we couldn't have just gone south," Jopha protested as Nina shifted the young boy they found from one side to the other. The kid had been instantly drawn to her the moment they arrived in the upper left quadrant, Gelmir guessed that the boy's mother and Nina might have been neighbors.

"You do understand Jopha. As I've already mentioned, I won't go through that barren wasteland. Smaka died in that desert, who knows what kind of monsters he summoned there. We will not go through that nightmare of a forest just to get to the high elves of Linde. Just like our home, they haven't been the same since the war. And no," he cut her off before she could protest again.

"We are not going to seek help from the mountain dwarves of the Spires."

"Then we go west to the Highland hill dwarves," she suggested. Gelmir wasn't the only one who laughed at her request.

"You of all people Jopha, should know better," Galdor chuckled. She pierced her glittery blue eyes at him. She was quite angry at the General, but since she couldn't retaliate against him, Galdor was the next best thing. Of course, Galdor knew this, he was used to her highs and lows. He simply ignored her, moving away from her until she calmed down.

"Because," Gelmir began, stopping for a moment to let the humans catch up.

"Highland dwarves are less likely to help than the mountain dwarves. Everyone knows they don't like to help anyone outside their tribe. They're just as reclusive as the A'eternians, and don't like other races." Gelmir hoped adding that last part would make some sense to her, he knew why she was reluctant to head north with them to the Barad Military cities. It meant having to travel through the forests with the spirits of the A'eternian ancestors. The older A'eternians were reluctant in listening to their younger offspring. They were strongly against diversity, and didn't take kindly to mixed races. The half elf in Jopha, did in fact have the A'eternian bloodline in it, which made her fear of crossing paths with the army all the more understandable.

"What if we tried," she started, thinking of another route.

"Enough!" Gelmir yelled so loudly he startled the others. He had had enough though, and not just with her. From the moment Mauva, Jomond, and him made it safely to the upper left barracks, through the rest of the night's events, things turned for the worse. He knew the night would not end well when that tentacled monster rose from the sea. By the time they had run into General Forsch, as they had planned, the sea monster had broken through the city's outer wall. Hundreds of his army's soldiers ran to fight it, and did whatever they could to protect the inner wall. Even the ghost army led by General Miladir showed up to help. Arrows and different colored balls of fire flew through the air, yet nothing seemed to slow it down. It wasn't long until its tentacles made the second wall crumble, and both Generals had to yell for a retreat. Many of the soldiers had already died trying to keep the monster from destroying the inner wall. The fight continued on as those left alive ran the fifteen miles to the upper right barracks. There were shouts of surprise as two of the sea monsters tentacles came crashing down on the barracks they had just left behind.

Gelmir remembered at that exact moment, the two generals; Adar and Onwel at the other barracks were in trouble. In the distance the high elf could see an outline of another two of its tentacles. In his head the other Generals were asking him to get there as quickly as possible. The monster used two more tentacles to smash down on them as they ran. It seemed much smarter than a sea monster ought to be, as it also used its tentacle to grab any remaining pieces of the city's wall it had crushed, and flung them at the scattering people. At one point, it had used a tentacle to grab one of the A'eternian soldiers and squeeze him to death. Horrid screams of imminent death could be heard all around him. Panic had set in among the citizens upon the inner wall coming down, and now panic spread through his men at the sight of seeing one of their own being wrung out to dry. When their arrows and spells were of no use, they resorted to their blades to fend off the nasty black tentacles. A'eternian blades weren't just made with magic. When wielded by one of their own, the weapon became so sharp it could slice through the toughest of any dragon's armor. Fear had swept over Gelmir when he saw their own blades couldn't even pierce whatever skin protected the octopus-like monster. It didn't last long though, he had to force himself to get it together, for the sake of his men and the younger general next to him. He could feel Forsch's anxiety, and he could hear the panic of the oldest general, his mentor, Adar. Since he was the oldest, Adar was considered the Head General, the one who could overrule any decision. Gelmir was Second General, and everything he had learned about being a soldier for the A'eternian army came from Adar. He felt he owed the General his life, and so he rushed as quickly as possible to the city's right barracks.

Dawn was on the horizon as the small group finally arrived at the upper right barracks. The Blood Moon no longer hung in the sky, instead shades of reds and oranges blazed in the distance like fires. It was an indication that the day ahead was going to be muggy and hot. None of the soldiers from the other barracks survived, only General Forsch. The right barracks, or what was left of them, were a lot worse than Gelmir expected. The monster had gone for the building's foundation, proving again how smart it was. Though several soldiers and both Generals were still holding off the tentacles, Gelmir knew it was a losing battle. He was excited to see that Galdor and Jopha were both still alive, and holding their own quite well. General Adar quickly made a plan with the other three to abandon their home. He had Galdor and Jopha lead the survivors with Onwel, a one hundred and fifteen year old pure blood A'eternian, the youngest of the Generals. Gelmir and Forsch were to be the last with a few others, and Adar would come along soon. It was in the last second, Gelmir realized what his mentor was doing. The high elf, a younger looking Miladir, was sacrificing himself to let them get away. It was a split second decision, and it was the only option the High General could see. He had already expended all of his energy, they all had, and he was tired of fighting. Run, run, run! He shouted in Gelmirs head, but Gelmir didn't budge. He couldn't leave his mentor. He didn't want to leave his mentor. He was frozen in terror, and couldn't move. He couldn't run away, like Adar was telling him too, and he couldn't run in to save him. It was General Forsch who pulled him out of his shock, and started to drag him away from the octopus. But not before he saw the same black ooze that came from the plants, dripping from the octopus' suckers. At first, Gelmir thought it was just the very dark water from the Maelstrom sea, but soon realized it was the poison. A stronger version of it apparently, as the moment it touched his mentor, his armor melted. Then his body. Then his skeleton. The sight forced him to turn around, and he began the long walk to the city's south entrance. They had heard the monster shriek, it's high-pitched howl rang in their ears as they rushed through the broken streets. It was as if it was its mission all along, to kill the Head General.

Gelmir hadn't had time to think until they made it safely out of the city, and had headed two or three miles north. No one had said anything, there was no need too. They all just followed him. With Adar dying, it meant that Gelmir was now in charge. If it had been any other way, he would have been grateful. Now it felt like it was just thrust upon him, and he didn't want it at all.

"Come on, Mom. You'll be fine," Jas, one of the younger soldiers said.

Jopha said nothing. What she had wanted to say was that it was easy for him because he looked more like an A'eternian than she did, but Jopha knew when she was defeated. They all walked in silence for several miles, in twos or threes. Jopha by herself, veering away from them a few paces. The edge of the forest came into view, and it made her even more nervous. Up ahead, her son walked next to his father, Galdor. Now and then they would turn around to check on her, but she only turned away, indicating that she was still angry at them for not taking her side. Mauva walked next to Gelmir at the front of the group, she could feel his pain, yet said nothing. She knew no words would help soothe what he had gone through. The other two generals, Onwel and Forsch walked with the rest of the soldiers at the back, the humans and halfling not too far behind.

Jomonds' coughing started up again. Gelmir did his best to ignore it, the retching sound of coughing up blood made him uneasy and nauseous.

"Please, we need to stop. He needs to rest," Nina said from the back of the group, placing the little boy on the ground. He clung to her knee as she pulled out her only cloth, and handed it to the blacksmith. The newly Head General reluctantly stopped, and the rest followed suit. If it were any of the other humans, he would have pushed them to keep going, but he was beginning to like the blacksmith. Jomond had proved himself beyond useful back at the city. There were several moments he did more than help; saving multiple lives, but there was a moment where Gelmir envied him. The blacksmith had held up one of the heavy pieces of wall, which had to be over a hundred pounds, to let one of the A'eternian soldiers go free. The soldier of course lived, he walked with them now, a slight limp to his right side. It would be a few more days until he would completely heal, but Gelmir had noticed a significant improvement already.

"No, no. We need to keep moving, I'll be fine," Jomond said between coughing up blood into Nina's dirty cloth. With his hand he wiped the sweat that dripped from his face. They were all sweating from the eight mile walk in the hot sun, but Gelmir knew Jomond had a fever. His coughing had been getting worse since they left the city, and he knew it was from the poison in his bloodstream. Jomond knew what he had done back in the city had earned him the utmost respect with the A'eternians, and even though he had never been any good at reading the emotions of other people, the look on the faces of the group surrounding him told him they understood. The problem was, Jomond wasn't the type to hold people up, or slow them down in any way. He also knew, while doing his best to hide it, that his chances of making it to the end of the night were slim.

"Do you need a healing salve?" Mauva searched her many pockets. She too had grown fond of the blacksmith over the last several hours.

"Or maybe a calming spell?" She asked instead when she couldn't remember which pocket her potions were in.

"No, I'll be fine. It's really not as bad as it looks," he lied. Jomond knew she was low on energy from the previous night. He knew they all were. The last thing he wanted was for them to use the only reserve they had left when they were about to enter the Jungle of Ghosts. He could see the edge of the forest just ahead of them, maybe a little over a mile to go.

Mauva stole a glance from Gelmir when no one was looking. He nodded at her. They both knew Jomond was putting up a front, but for whatever reason they weren't sure. Still, they thought it was best they didn't let the humans know. Tension between them all was already pretty high, what with no rest, and Jopha's irritating comments. When no one looked like they were going to budge, and they started placing their bags down, Jomond spoke again.

"We're almost to the edge of the forest. How about we get there first, then I'll opt for a rest," he suggested. Gelmir thought in silence as the others stared at him, waiting. He hated this feeling so far. A'eternians would follow their General into anything, even death.

"Okay," Gelmir finally agreed, and they picked up their stuff and started moving again. Lew, the halfling, had been chasing the little boy around, but Nina only had to call the boy once and he was back to clinging at her side.

"Seriously? He needs to rest." Jopha had been glaring at Jomond, now she was glaring at the General.

"Do not manipulate his situation for your own fear," Mauva said, her finger pointing at Jopha.

"I don't know why you're so scared of the forest," Jomond said, already walking to catch up with Gelmir.

"You should know why. They'll kill you too," she yelled after him, stomping her foot.

"If the A'eternians wanted to kill you, Jopha, they would have done so back in the city," Galdor told her. She crossed her arms over her chest, and pouted. He only shrugged, and walked off after the others, their son, Jas following after him.

"There's other things you should be scared of in that forest, girl. Ghosts, shapechangers, and shapeshifters," Nina said, hoisting the young boy on her hip.

"Don't forget the gas spores and the supposed trickster lizard," her husband followed up.

"That's nothing," Lew began.

"As a spy, I have to know things that most wouldn't even believe. There's a A'eternian turned vampire deep in that forest. Apparently, he sold his soul on his last breath."

"Now you're just stretching things," Mauva scoffed. Though part of her felt like maybe the rogue wasn't lying.

"Keep up," Gelmir shouted from ahead of them.

"And I want silence the rest of the way."

Jopha realized she was defeated yet again when she was only the one who hadn't moved. Annoyed, she threw her hands up in the air and began to follow them, though she made sure to keep her distance. Gelmir was thankful for the peace, he still had a lot on his mind, and not just about his newly acquired ranking. Something deep in his gut told him this wasn't a random attack, that it was the first of many more to come. He knew of the rumors that had taken the land by surprise, disbelief, and fear. He wasn't sure which he felt, but he knew one thing for sure. A war was coming, and this time he would do all he could to gather every race to work together, for the sake of their realm.

Aramil was standing face to face with Sparray's King, a half-elf who looked older than his actual age. King Reder was a short man in his mid forties, and looked more human than elf. The only elvish thing about him was his brown eyes that were thin and slanted. He smelled of battle, and if that wasn't enough, his entire body, armor included, was covered in dried blood and dirt. Both men had been quiet for several minutes now, just staring at one another. It made the room cold despite the warmth coming from the stone fireplace.

"You're absolutely sure what took Chauncey Stronghold from us, has spread inland to Terreja Woods?" The King was the first to break the silence. There was a shiver in his voice, and he ignored making eye contact with the Captain.

"I'm positive." Aramil's armor was the complete opposite of the Kings, clean and shiny as if it had been polished. The fire's flames reflected in it.

"Though I'm not sure how the Elysian Sea became poisoned like the Eurynthian. Except," the high elf began.

"About fifteen miles south of Caer Cati, the grassland has become marsh-like. It's got a lot more water around it than normal. I'm thinking the poison that is in the Jungle of Devouring is somehow seeping underground, and spreading."

"How long has the grassland been like that?" King Reder finally looked Aramil in his eyes.

"About three months? Maybe a little more. It's been difficult to send my men out there often. The Hunters of the Terreja Woods came to me about a month and a half ago, telling me their home was in trouble. I wasn't able to get our Kings permission until a few weeks ago." A somber expression came over Aramils face at the thought of his King.

"Something happened?" The half elf inquired. Aramil only nodded.

"Whatever's at Terreja Woods is worse than I thought. I didn't plan on it being so deadly. I brought most of my men there, including my second in command, Vorahel."

King Reders eyes widened at the mention of Vorahel. He too was a half elf like himself, and he also knew he was King Oron's son.

"We arrived there mid afternoon, and nothing looked abnormal. The Hunters who guided us just said to wait. I brought our cities' only scholar along with us to test the waters and such. He said the water from the sea was normal, it was only a bit more murkier than it should have been. Yet, he did sense something off about it, but couldn't place what."

The King listened intently as Aramil continued on.

"As the sun went down, things got weird. At first we all thought we were seeing things, but soon the trees came to life. Then the ghosts of dead Hunters showed up. We were holding our own pretty well, that is until the men from Chauncey Stronghold came around. I mean it was them, but it wasn't. I only recognize them because they had the same armor.

"They pushed my men and I back to the Elysian Sea's shoreline. I swear they were strategizing it. And then, the weirdest thing happened, if that's even possible at this point. The plants along the shoreline turned into these tentacle-like hands, and started pulling people out into the sea.

"I didn't bring all of my men, but I did bring most of them." Aramil was surprised to see that the King showed no signs of shock, as if he had been through something just as weird.

"How many men did you lose?" King Reder in fact had been through something similar, and it was no surprise to him at all to hear about the Chauncey men coming back to life. He did wonder, however, how or even why they had traveled so far north.

"Fifty. Only Vorahel, and one of my younger recruits, Pank, made it home with me. I left Bran, my priest and Pank with the half elf to go get Oron, but Vorahel didn't make it through the night. Our King is grief stricken."

The short man across from him only nodded. While he didn't know what it was like to lose a child, he would be devastated as well if he lost any of his daughters. He walked over to the fireplace, touching the antiques and stone figures on the stone mantel.

"These are no coincidences. The Eastern Alliance is in trouble," the King said, holding his favorite piece from the mantel, a sculpted elephant with a large yellow gem on its forehead.

"I am not surprised by what you have faced. I've seen the same things too," he continued, rubbing two of his fingers over the gem.

"Which is exactly why I'm here. I was hoping to get a few of your men to come with me west, to the Barad cities. We've never been fond of them, but I see no other resolution, unless you can think of something?"

"No, I agree. What does Oron say?"

"Nothing. He's isolated himself from all of us. I went to him and asked for his permission, and he said he doesn't care, and to do whatever I want. He's so upset with the loss of his only son, he's neglected his duties as our King."

"Look, I'd love to be able to help," Reder began, placing the elephant back on the stone mantel, and turning around to face the high elf again.

"But, as you can see, I don't have the numbers to support your journey. Most I could do is ask my men who would be willing to help. They'd have to volunteer of course, I give my men choices. I won't be able to send more than three to accompany you though."

As soon as the Captain met with the King, he could see that Sparray Castle was in as much trouble as his own. Eastern Alliance Kings never went into battle with their men, unless absolutely necessary. Seeing King Reder in his bloody armor told Aramil that they too, were indeed losing their men.

"I understand, and three would be better than none." Aramil was smiling, any assistance from Sparray would be useful. He wasn't keen on riding through The Skyfall Desert with just five of his men. Even with his entire army, he wouldn't be, but it was the shortest route straight through to the Barad military. No mountains or seas, no, but worse than the cultists that wandered about, there were monsters that came from underneath the sand. Unless you kept a sharp eye on the sands for movement, one could easily be swallowed up without even knowing.

"I'll be bringing five of my own men. Bran, my priest. Pank, my newest Commander I appointed, and three of my soldiers. I left the rest home to keep an eye on the King, and to protect the city of course." Aramil saw the King raise his eyes at the mention of his priest. He didn't blame him though, Bran might have been very knowledgeable, but he wasn't a people person.

"What about that lady friend of yours? The high elf, what's her name?"

"Delara?" Aramil said, and the half elf nodded.

"Hmm," Aramil grunted.

"I had to fight her tooth and nail to not come. I explained to her that what we were doing was a man's job, and she should just stay home and take care of the smaller children. She's been driving me nuts lately, constantly on my case and doesn't let me be."

"Well it is a man's job. That desert is no joke. I've sent several of my own men out that way, to the Barad cities for help, none of them ever returned. Same as the men I sent south through the jungles to contact the wood elves. It's why I'm now fighting alongside my men, we're losing our army, and fast."

"I'll be careful. I'll be making a stop at Mineh, that small village just a few miles from the start of Skyfall. See what new information there is. Maybe get some more supplies, depending on what they have." The high elf began heading towards the doorway, Reder following him.

"Right. Do you need any supplies? Horses?" The King stopped and began to remove his dented and dirty armor.

"Horses, no," Aramil called behind him.

"Just supply whichever of your men agree to help. If you do have anything else to spare, that would be nice too." He didn't want to be too greedy because he understood the losses their alliance was going through, but trekking across the Skyfall Desert was deadly no matter how many people went, and any kind of help would reduce the risk of their men dying.

Aramil stood in the room's doorway, looking at the paintings and weapons hanging on the wall of the castle's longest hallway. His favorite was the old drawing of the three cities in the Eastern Alliance. It was still in good condition, only a few of the lines had slightly faded. He wasn't sure what kind of material was used, the drawing was at least five decades old, and it had been done by a wood elf. Shuffling at the other end of the hallway distracted him, and he turned his head to see Bell, the King's youngest daughter, walking towards him holding a blue robe. He turned his face away quickly to avoid eye contact. Bell was his least favorite of the King's daughters, homely looking and constantly talking nonstop about anything and everything, he found her annoying and unattractive. Behind him he could hear the King still trying to remove his armor, and rather loudly. Though it wasn't his castle, he worried the noise would wake someone up, and the sun wasn't supposed to be up for a few more hours.

"Captain." He heard her acknowledge him, and grunted as he moved aside to let her through. He did his best not to roll her eyes at her oily, and stringy dirty blonde hair. If she noticed his reaction, she paid no attention, and walked right into the room.

"Father," she said, stretching her arm holding the robe out to him.

"I brought your robe."

The half elf was now fussing around with his chainmail, cussing and grunting as he tried to unfasten the back. Bell went over to help him, and Aramil tried not to laugh at the weird sight occuring in front of him. Bell was more than a few inches taller than her father, so it looked peculiar to see a tall, gangly young girl trying to assist a short, stocky, but well built man. As she helped her father, she began talking excitedly about her day ahead. Unlike Aramil, the King didn't seem annoyed by her, in fact it appeared he was taking an interest in what she was saying, and even nodded or agreed with her.

The scene was too much for Aramil. Maybe it was because the sound of her voice annoyed him, or maybe because he had been riding nonstop since Caer Cati without any sleep; before he could lose it in a fit of laughter, he told the King he was going to get some rest in one of the inns. The King, only half listening, waved his hand at the Captain while listening intently to his daughter.

A little over ten miles southeast of Belronde, the snow was still falling as the girls pushed themselves to keep going. The once grassy path to Cronemoor Forest was now blanketed in soft-packed snow. The sun shined as brightly as it could behind the small gray clouds while flocks of birds flew high above them. Riswynn had forgotten all about being tired, the only thing on her mind now was getting back to the Commander as fast as possible. Had she bothered to look behind her even once, she would find her new friends straggling behind, doing their best to keep up.

Lila danced along the white path as she chased after the falling snowflakes. She preferred this snow over the clumpy hard snow that she walked on in the mountains. The cold, in fact, didn't really bother her as much as she thought it did, she just didn't like how off balance the mountains' snow had been. The dwarf had called it ice, and even the sound of the word invoked fear in Lila's mind, but this snow; this snow, the halfling gladly let it carry her away. Disia saw no harm in Lila's childlike innocence, and as long as the young girl didn't wander too far off, she too was content on letting her run and chase after the snow. The red-headed woman even laughed a few times as she watched the small girl fall into the snow now and then. The halfling got back up each time, and she quickly learned how to run in the snow that was now almost up to her calves.

While Lila may have started to appreciate the odd weather, Disia had not. The earthen realm of Enessar was only ever known to be muggy and sweaty, some days mildly humid at best. There was never any of this white stuff, and though it did rain from time to time; the excessive rainfall would cause sudden eruptions of the volcanoes, so an unlikely combination of rain and lava would pour down on the villages. Disia's body naturally gave off more body heat than, say, someone like Riswynn; so not only was she always warm, she found comfort in the heat. Of course, she hadn't come prepared properly, so while her boots were made to be light and let moisture out, they were not designed to let moisture in, and so her feet were freezing by that early afternoon. She contemplated ripping the fur coat she was borrowing into tiny pieces to stuff on the inside of her boots. Surely, they would understand. Riswynn's friends came across as nice enough people, but her parents had taught her that it wasn't right to damage other people's belongings. As cold as her feet were, she knew it'd be the wrong thing to do, so she settled on remembering the warmth of her Uncle's smith shop, and the nightly campfire's her family held.

Nim stayed back with Disia, and helped her clear their tracks, keeping her eyes on the sky and around them. The only one who hadn't gotten some sort of rest in the last twenty four hours, she was starting to feel fatigued, and with Lila immersed in the snow falling, Nim took up the job of scouting for danger. As a child, and even a teenager, Nim was always the first in need to rest when training with her classmates. Her peers and even some of the teachers would ridicule and taunt her; saying she couldn't be entirely pure, high elves were naturally born with the skill to reserve their energy, and the training was only to strengthen it. Eventually, the joke turned into a rumour that she had some human in her blood, which for the high elves of Forlonde was considered wrong, and largely looked down upon. Still she forced herself to push on. Not only because she could feel the urgency off of Riswynn, but there was also an energy to the town that didn't feel right to her, other than the chauvinistic men she kept running into.

"Ris?" Nim yelled ahead. She had looked back the way they came, and noticed the mountain peaks in the distance. Covered in snow, Nim thought the view was absolutely stunning, certainly much better than the drawings she had seen back home. It was the large dark fog covering half the side of the mountain, that worried her. She knew she needed more practice in determining the difference between which energy was hurtful, and which wasn't. It had been quite embarrassing when the men called her out on not noticing the black crystals energy; apparently Brine thought of high elves the same as her realm did. It left her feeling very disheartened, and a small part of her wished she could return home. She thought perhaps the fog was from that bad snowstorm, the silver dragon did mention it was created by dark magic, and then when the black crystal was removed, everything tied together. Yet, a small part of her told her this was something more. To Nim, it looked like a portal, an opening to a dark world; she had seen portals before, but never this dark. Or with this strange feeling.

"What?" Riswynn answered without stopping or turning around.

"Did the mountain look like that when we were coming this way?"

Riswynn sighed and stopped. She didn't want any more distractions, they had already made a good enough distance in the time they had, and she had been ignoring her hunger pains since earlier that morning. Her eyes widened when she had turned around. Disia let out a gasp, and even Lila stopped playing with the snow to look.

"Cool!" Lila exclaimed.

"What is it?"

"A portal, I think," Nim told her.

Riswynn didn't confirm or deny Nim's suspicions, she only narrowed her eyes and said sternly,

"No. It wasn't like that before. It's probably best if we hurry quicker now." With that the auburn haired dwarf took off moving again. Disia and Nim shared a concerned look. Even Disia, who had no sense of magic or energy forces, knew something wasn't right.

Lila simply went back to jumping around in the snow, she was the only one who wasn't thinking about the strange fog.

Several hours later, they had walked far enough that they could now see the edge of Cronemoor Forest. The treetops glistened with the recently fallen snow, the sight just as beautiful as the Dragonrend Mountains. Tired and hungry was not a good combination for the girls. The same exhaustion they had in the mountains, now slowed their pace significantly. Lila was no longer dancing or chasing after the snow, instead she dragged her feet. The snow was barely visible now, it had turned into light flurries. Even Riswynn was dragging her feet, and though they heard no more motivation from her to keep moving, she still continued on like a zombie with one thing on her mind. With seeing the strange dark portal, and the obsidian gem holding a magic so evil, she finally remembered where she had heard the name Wulfa before. She chose not to share this new information with the others, it would only scare them more than they already were, but there was an even bigger urgency now to get back to Commander Biri. Every step she made closer to the forest and Nim had not mentioned anything dangerous, or more importantly, that men weren't coming after them, made Riswynn feel a bit relieved. It was why, despite her hunger pains, she kept moving. They just might make it, she hoped.

"I'm hungry," Lila whined. The other girls stopped abruptly, they recognized that tone.

"Maybe we should stop for a bit to eat," Disia said, she was feeling hunger pains too.

"I'm a little hungry as well." Nim wasn't just starving, she wanted the moment to take a rest too. Her body was sore, and her legs ached. Since they left the gates of Belronde, she had been holding onto her sun engraved amulet in case she needed it quickly. Part of her was tempted to use what little energy she had left to ease her aches, but she also knew it'd be foolish of her if she did. Their luck had been so far so good, but it never seemed to stay for long. Something was bound to happen against their favor eventually, and it usually came at bad timing.

Riswynn had been contemplating. Yes, it had been awhile since any of them actually ate something. In fact, they hadn't had anything since before the fight with the orcs, which was *ENTER DAYS HERE* She was just as hungry as they were, maybe more, but there was that nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that kept telling her bad things were already happening and more would if she didn't get back to Cronemoor soon. Then she remembered that food was important, beyond the taste of it anyways. Sometimes it helped focus and think better, and sometimes it would refuel the energy, and she needed both right now.

"Well," Riswynn finally said, turning around to face them.

"We're only about ten miles from the forest. We can stop now and eat something quick, but then we'll have to keep going again, until we find that clearing where we killed the kobolds. Or we can keep going now, and eat and rest when we get there."

"Why don't we just eat as we walk? It's something we used to do back home when we were traveling," Disia suggested.

"That's not too bad of an idea." Riswynn's eyes lit up, as she placed one of the bags Suse gave her down on the ground and started rummaging in it. She had peeked in the bag before they left the gates and knew it'd be the perfect thing to eat and walk at the same time.

"Wait, what about the crumbs. They'll lead those men to us," she said, and that's when she noticed the footprints in the snow behind Disia and Nim. Riswynn frowned at them.

"You guys haven't been clearing our tracks?" She said, disappointment in her voice.

"We stopped a while ago, actually. Think about it Ris, they know where we're from. They'll know to head to Cronemoor anyways, with or without any tracks, or crumbs to follow," Nim told her. The dwarf's thinking face replaced her frown.

"You're probably right," she finally said. Though truthfully, she really wanted a piece of Martia's bread. It was a mountain dwarf recipe, and Riswynn was starting to feel a little homesick lately.

The three girls eagerly watched as the dwarf pulled from the bag something wrapped. Lila's eyes lit up with hunger and excitement, as if a really expensive gift was being given just to her.

"It's burnt?" Disia asked after Riswynn had unwrapped the loaf of bread.

"I don't care, I'll still eat it," Nim said, walking over to get a piece.

"It's supposed to look like that," Riswynn explained to her, as she pulled a chunk off the end of it and shoved it in her mouth. She savored the taste with closed eyes and a smile on her face.

"Hey! Share," Lila demanded.

"Sorry," Riswynn mumbled, chewing her food, crumbs falling from her mouth. She wiped the pieces off her metal chest piece before tearing off a piece for Nim.

"Hold on, Disia," Riswynn said, seeing she still had a look of distaste.

"I think you'll actually like this bread. It's my family's recipe, and it's a little bit sweeter than the usual. We call it Yoswava, and it's made with beer."

Nim held the piece she was given, and it felt much heavier than it looked. At the mention of her favorite thing in the world, Disia perked up. She never would have thought to mix beer with food, and the concept sounded delicious. It was Nim's turn to close her eyes in delight as she took a small bite of the bread. Her taste buds exploded in her mouth as she chewed the sweet and tangy food. She half expected it to be hard to chew, but instead it was spongy soft, and melted the moment it went in her mouth.

"Beer?" Lila asked, pulling back her outstretched hand. She remembered the odd tasting liquid she had tried, and even more so remembered how embarrassing it was when she spit it back up.

"Yes, but don't worry," Riswynn said, noticing the halflings discomfort, and then recalling the incident which was obviously Lila's first time trying beer.

"There's not enough beer in this to make even you drunk, and knowing Martia she most likely put a little less than what the recipes called for, knowing you didn't care for the taste."

"You guys have to try this, it's really good," Nim said, popping the last piece in her mouth.

"Really, it doesn't taste at all like beer." She tried to reassure Lila, as another piece of bread was handed to her.

Disia became skeptical again. Why on Enessar would someone put beer with food, if it wouldn't taste like it. Except her stomach had been growling for the last several hours, and any food at this point would be good enough. Lila was still apprehensive as she watched Riswynn give Disia a piece. While Disia didn't close her eyes like the other two, she seemed to enjoy it as she took large bites. The small girl was starving, but she didn't like to try new things.

"How about I give you just a small piece to try, and if you don't like it, I'll give you a piece of cheese or an apple?" Riswynn asked, tearing a small piece of hers off, and handing it to her. The halfling nodded as she slowly took a bite of the Yoswava. What she tasted wasn't at all what she expected. It was good, as she greedily took another bite, while reaching her hand out for another piece.

"Larger piece, please," Lila said with her mouth full.

The three girls laughed while Lila was handed another piece. Finally filling their bellies with food, they happily headed towards the edge of the forest. Walking slowly, they ate and talked, checking behind them every so often.

Later that night, back in Belronde, Igin and his brother were standing in what was once their father's throne room. Their hands gripped together tightly, in fear and in strength, as Tane sat in Nosin's throne in front of them. No one seemed to notice how awkward the red haired man was sitting in a throne built for someone half his size. Wulfa and Tane arrived by teleportation thirty minutes ago, and were now glaring at the two dwarves in front of them.

"Either of you two want to explain to me how four girls escaped only hours after we received the message that they were securely in our prison?" Tane asked, adjusting himself on Nosin's throne. It was the first time Igin had ever seen the man without any of his armor on, he must have thought he was safe wearing only a white undergarment and britches. Igin saw one of their short swords tucked inside a weapons belt, it was the Captain's only visible weapon.

Wulfa held up the wrinkled piece of parchment Edgar had sent and began reading from it.

"Four girls have been captured matching the descriptions you're looking for." Igin didn't think it was possible for the man's dark eyes to get even darker. The dark cultist was obviously angry.

Igin knew he couldn't lie, so he said nothing, and squeezed his brother's hand tighter. Gyde squeezed back in return.

"So?" Tane prodded. He adjusted himself again as he patted the short sword at his side. Wulfa folded the parchment and tucked it inside one of his pockets.

"There's no point in ignoring this." Tane continued on seeing that neither of the brothers were going to speak up.

"MacNay, tell me again what you told me." The bright red haired man stood, towering behind the throne. He had a wide grin on his face, happy to see his Captain's anger, and hoping to witness a violent punishment.

"When Edgar here, confirmed they were the girls you were looking for, we took them straight to that old weapons storeroom. The one we were turning into a small prison." The large man spoke so fast, they could barely understand him with his accent.

"Hmm. Perhaps it's time we finish those cells," Tane pondered out loud. Wulfa, who was standing on his left, nodded in agreement.

"I went to get Dalton's son and Walter to watch the girls. I made sure the storehouse was patrolled every ten minutes as well. I would have stayed personally, but I had a project to finish."

"Oh, right. And did you finish what I asked?"

"Nearly did, Sir. It was a little after midnight when there was a disturbance across the street here. When I showed up, that one there was acting nuts and screaming about a strange man setting the building on fire," MacNay said, pointing at Gyde, who showed no facial expression.

Tane got up from the throne and walked across the room to look out the window. He had already gotten a glimpse of the collapsed building, but could see it more clearly now. The building was a pile of wooden rubble, the ends of some pieces charred. The buildings on either side of it were slightly charred too, but still stood.

"I stayed to command everyone. It took us over an hour to put out the fire and calm crazy one over there." MacNay waved his hand in Gyde's direction.

"And, Edgar where were you during this?" Tane didn't even turn around, he already knew where his commander was.

"Passed out drunk," Edgar mumbled with embarrassment.

"Can't even handle his own beer." MacNay bursted out laughing.

"You are really annoying," Wulfa said, glaring at him. MacNay only shrugged his shoulders.

"Stupid crazy. Yet genius." Tane turned away from the window and faced the backs of the brothers. Still tightly holding hands, they hadn't moved at all. Tane smiled to himself, he would break them.

"To risk burning down your own buildings to create a distraction," he said walking over to them.

Gyde's body tensed even more as he felt the male human's presence right behind him, almost hugging him. Gyde knew he was known for being ballsy, and gathered all of his courage.

"It was worth the risk," he responded, doing his best not to tremble. He felt quick movement behind him, and then the tip of a sharp weapon on his back, between his shoulder blades. He could hear MacNay's giddiness of excitement.

"Was it worth this?" Tane asked as he pressed the short sword deeper into the dwarf's tunic hide. Tane half expected the blind dwarf to say nothing, so he continued on.

"Whose idea was it?" He asked, still holding the short sword against his back. Tane wasn't interested in hurting Gyde. The imbecile was already blind, and he felt that was enough for the dwarf. No, his intention was to break Igin, to get him to confess, so he could kill him.

"Mine," the blind brother said hoarsely. He could feel Igin squeeze his hand tighter, but neither of them dared look at the other.

Out of frustration, Tane pushed the short sword into Gyde's back, and a small slit in his hide formed. Small beads of sweat appeared on the dwarf's neck as his body started shaking. He gritted his teeth and groaned in pain, but neither of them gave in. Tane wasn't about to give up either.

"Dalton's son already told me what happened, Igin. You were the last one known to be watching those girls."

Tane pulled out the sword from Gyde's back, letting the blood seep into and darken the thick leather he wore. The Captain paused, looking for a sign they were weakening, but still they had not budged. He moved from behind them and stood in front of them, waving the sword in front of Igin's face. It angered the dwarf to watch the blood drip from the blade onto his father's clean floor. Nosin had always been particular about keeping his throne room clean. Tane cocked a smile at the sight of Igin's anger, and he thrusted the sword against the dwarf's clavicle.

"I know it was you who helped them escape," Tane said, smearing the blood on the sword against Igin's skin.

"That dwarf, she's your cousin, is she not?" Tane's green eyes glared at him.

"Those girls killed Tattani," Wulfa howled peering over the Captain's shoulder. He had been silent the entire time, yet his body and facial expressions showed an unmistakable anger. The dark cultist wanted to see payment for the death of his pet.

"And they boasted about it," MacNay added, cheering on the violence that he was witnessing.

"Yes," Igin finally spoke.

"I helped them escape." He stared right back into Tane's eyes, letting him press the blade into his neck. Igin felt a warm trickle on his neck as the sword drew blood, but he did not flinch away from it. It was a horrendous thing for a dwarf to beg for mercy, or not look into the eyes of his killer. A dwarf's greatest honor was to stand their ground as they met their maker.

There was no mention of Martia or Suse, and neither of the girls stood in the room with them, so Igin knew they were safe. At least he hoped they were. He never wanted them to involve themselves, but Martia was stubborn like Riswynn, and insisted. Suse, thankful for the return of her belongings, wanted to help in any way she could as well. He told them the risks, and even expected someone to die for his plan, but only his brother and him stood here now. Igin was ready to die, and pushed himself against the sword, his eyes winced in pain.

"Wait," Edgar suddenly shouted, stopping Tane from slicing Igins neck, and making his head turn towards him in disgust. Igin even turned to him, giving the bear like Commander a questioning look.

"You're going to need him, Captain. If he dies, the dwarves will fight back. He is the only thing keeping the dwarves in this city in line."

Tane still held the blade against the dwarf's neck, but had stopped pushing it into the muscle. He looked between the large man and dwarf, pondering what was said. His Commander did have a point, this town's community favored Igin, and it became clear when Gyde was cursed, that they respected him over his brother.

"Payment must be made," Wulfa scowled, seeing Tane taking the sword away slowly.

The Captain hesitated, he didn't want to upset his closest ally, but Edgar had made a very concerning point. He was confident they would win against the dwarves, but not without the cost of multiple lives from both sides, and he still needed the dwarves' numbers.

"Cion," the cultist commanded, and a large white wolf with red eyes casually walked into the room, carrying a bulging sack in his mouth.

"You're going to let that filthy animal in here?" MacNay stepped back from the throne, away from the beast.

"He's no more filthy than you are," Wulfa commented, piercing him with a long look. The wolf dropped the large bag at his feet, and was thanked with a scratch between his ears. Cion relaxed, his belly laying against the floor. Igin was disturbed by the sight, Nosin would have never allowed an animal in his throne room, domesticated or not.

"This is not payment enough for her death," the cultist continued on; spilling the crystals, gold, and Nosin's crown onto the seat of the throne.

Tane's eyes immediately went to the jeweled crown. He had wanted to keep it for himself when he first stole it from Nosin, but Wulfa was his closest and bestest friend, and would do anything to keep him happy. Tane knew what he meant by payment, a death for a death, but his choice was limited. He looked back and forth between Igin and Gyde.

"What's going on?" Gyde asked. He could feel the room's quiet tension, and something told him he was about to die.

With a nod and look that said it's yours now Wulfa handed Tane the crown. Other than a slight tilt off the Captain's head, the crown fit perfectly.

"Edgar, grab two swordsmen, Gili, and Mili, and catch up to those girls," Tane said after a few moments of caressing the gems on the crown.

"But there's no way the horses will ever catch up to them."

"Well try. And don't even think about saying another word. You knew those girls were an important priority, and even though you had them, you still went and got piss stupid drunk. Now, go."

"MacNay, you're going to take over his Commander's post."

"Until I get back?" Edgar asked, though he already knew he had lost his Captain's trust.

"No," Tane said, not even turning to look at him.

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir." The seven foot man straightened up, an ever bigger smile on his face. He had been wanting this for awhile; working his ass off, and kissing whoever's ass he needed to, to become one of Tane's Commanders.

"Don't screw it up." Wulfa pushed the thought into his head. The cultist sneered at the shock and fear in his eyes, and MacNay's smile and confidence were gone. Edgar dropped his shoulders as he shuffled his way out of the room, hearing the cries of Igin as Tane sliced the blind dwarfs neck. He took one last look before leaving the room, and saw Igin on his knees holding Gyde, blood pouring all over him and the floor.

"From now on, you will not leave my side," Tane said, looming over Igin.

Cronemoor Forest was darker than the girls remembered, so much so they had no idea how close they were to the clearing where they killed the kobolds. Even the sliver of light from the large moon overhead wasn't enough to guide their path. Riswynn made a note of the size of the moon, and was reminded of the stories from her crazy Aunt. Every two hundred years, just before the winter solstice, the last full moon was large enough that in some places of Brine, one would think they'd just stretch out their hand and be able to touch it. Riswynn smiled at her early childhood memories; the crazy Aunt was secretly her favorite, and she loved the way the woman was excited in everything she did or talked about. It was a beautiful thought to think how close the moon was, but it also meant that the night before, though she hadn't seen it, the Blood Moon hung in the sky. For the mountain dwarves, the Blood Moon was unspeakable. To them, it was a sign from the Gods that a war was coming, and blood would be spilled on both sides. It was all beginning to be too much for Riswynn. Too many coincidences, too many secrets, too many losses. If the stories her Aunt told her were true, the dwarves of the Bundushath Spires were probably closing up all entrances to the mountains now, and preparing to defend their home.

Riswynn was overwhelmed, and yet again she kept the newly learned information to herself. She was thankful for the darkness of the forest, and that the girls weren't really paying any attention to her, for she was sure she had a look on her face that ached to share a story or two. She walked, huddled close to Nim, the other two behind them, as her right hand searched for the hilt of her war hammer. Once her fingers found the small red jasper that was embedded into the hilt, she felt a slight sense of comfort. Every dwarf of the Bundushath Spires was given a crystal or jewel that best suited them, and was then placed into their weapon of choice. Riswynn was grateful for the gem, the tiny reminder of her family kept her sanity exactly where she needed it.

"I don't know what your friend put in that bread, Riswynn, but I feel great." Nim had conjured them another light source, though this time much larger and brighter, as if she had made a smaller replica of the large moon. An invisible tether to her right hand, she could just flick her wrist and the circular orb would move with it. A smile had not left her face from the moment it appeared, no one back home, that she knew of anyway, had ever conjured something like this. She felt different, better, more powerful and in control of it.

If only they could see me now, she thought to herself over and over as she manipulated the orbs' path to help them see. It was strange, this new darkness, other than the fact it had occurred in such a short time, they all agreed, even Disia, who had no sense of magic whatsoever.

"Did we, maybe pass the clearing already?" Disia asked, her eyes squinting from the brightness of the magical light. Nim used her hand to move the orb in a circular rotation around them. All they saw was lots of trees, the river, and the snow covered ground.

"No," Riswynn said, looking around with the other girls.

"You sure? I mean, how can you tell with this." Disia stuck the tip of her foot into the several inches of snow, and began to clear it, looking for the remains of a campfire.

"I'm sure."

Riswynn smiled when Disia had cleared away the snow only to find dead grass, and crumpled up leaves.

"There was a bend in the river at the clearing. We just keep following the river, and we'll come upon the spot soon."

"And then we'll be able to rest," Disia said, the others nodding with her.

"Where's all the wildlife? Hibernating?" Nim asked after they had walked what seemed a long time in silence.

"Mmhm, yes," Riswynn grunted. One more lie couldn't hurt, she figured. The less they knew the better, and the faster they could get to Commander Biri. It was the first thing Riswynn noticed upon entering Cronemoor Forest; no critters, large or small, no birds, not even an insect. Normally, after the first snowfall, it would be another month before the forests' creatures would take to their homes for safety, but the lack of them wasn't just another coincidence. It only meant they needed to get back to town sooner. Nim had been eyeing her suspiciously. Riswynn worried the high elf was trying to read into her thoughts, but if she had, she made no mention of it.

"In a month, the streams and rivers will freeze over," Riswynn said, hoping to ease Nim's suspicions. Behind her, she could hear Lila and Disia shifting their bags.

Lila was the first to notice the bend in the river. Though she had been quiet for most of the night, she had been paying attention, at least enough to know they had finally reached their resting spot. Exhausted, sore, and achy; Lila had immediately thrown her bag onto the snow once she had told the others the clearing was found. Her thigh throbbed in pain where the blood hawk had pecked its way into the muscle. Disia helped her shovel the snow away with their hands to find the campfire.

"Should we make a fire?" Disia asked once they found it, both her and Lila's hands bright red.

"Yeah. Nothing too big though, just enough to keep us warm." Riswynn had set her bag down next to the others.

"Wait, hold on," Nim said, looking around the forest, the magical orb floating in mid-air beside her.

"Something doesn't seem right."

Riswynn grabbed her shield and war hammer, and looked in the direction Nim was. Disia was already reaching for the axe on her back.

"What is it, Nim?" Riswynn asked, not seeing anything to be worried about.

"I'm not sure. An animal, I think. Or not?" Nim was already unraveling her sun shaped amulet from her wrist.

"It's a mixed energy. I can't tell what it's intentions are. I'm sorry, sometimes I still can't determine which energy is which."

They heard rustling behind them, where the trees began to thicken. Lila grabbed her longbow, an arrow, and aimed in the direction where the rustling continued. Nim used her orb to light up the area, but nothing could be seen.

"Invisibility spell?" Riswynn asked, and Nim shrugged. Still the rustling continued.

"Come out! Or I'll come in there and kill you myself," Disia yelled, her axe held high above her head.

The rustling stopped. Seconds passed. Minutes passed.

"Whatever you do, don't let your guard down," Riswynn whispered.

The girls were too busy staring where the trees had rustled, waiting to see what it was, that they were unaware of the large wolf leaping through the air as if it had jumped from the top of the trees, and pounced onto Riswynn. She fell backwards onto the soft packed snow, trying to fight off the beast that was at least two times her size. Snow flew in every direction as she wrestled with the wolf, Lila's arrows sticking out from the sides of its fur. Riswynn found an opportunity to bring the shield closer to her and began bashing it against the wolf's head. It did nothing but only anger it more. It's yellow eyes glowed, and yellow colored saliva dripped onto her as the beast continuously went for her neck.

"Roark's Sake! That things bigger than that mountain tiger," Disia shouted, still standing in the same place, her hands firmly grasping her axe. She didn't know what she should do. Riswynn and the gigantic wolf were tussling around so much that she worried she'd end up striking her friend instead. At least Lila was making her shots, or most of them, but it only seemed to anger the beast more, because it snapped its teeth and snarled in Riswynn's face.

Then there was Nim, who seemed to be struggling to cast a spell, the light orb hovering above them.

"I'm sorry guys," the high elf said, frustration in her voice.

"All my energy is being used for the light, I can't cast another spell."

"It's fine, Nim. Just keep it lit for us," Disia said.

Shit. Shit. Shit. The words ran through Disia's head like a drum's steady beat. Her hand reached for the javelin strapped in her belt. If she couldn't slice with her axe, she'd try and annoy the beast by poking it. As she waited for the chance to strike, she was unaware of another three of the wolves appearing from where the rustling had been moments before. Almost too late, she saw them out of the corner of her eye. The dark mangled fur creatures, each with different color eyes, were heading for Lila, a look more deadly than just plain hunger.

Disia was about to tell Lila to turn around, but Nim beat her to it.

Holy. Disia mouthed as she watched several lightning bolts shoot from the orb. Each of the wolves took two or three of the bolts and yelped in pain, bits of their fur singing. From the look of surprise on Nim's face, she hadn't intended to do that, but still received a nod of thanks from the small girl. A moment's distraction had Riswynn open and vulnerable to an attack from the wolf, whose teeth latched onto her free arm, and tore through the leather armor. The dwarfs' scream of pain was louder than the wolves, and it echoed through the forest. A sudden chilly wind blew through the air, making the treetops sway.

"I don't like this," Nim said, shivers running through her body. There was a feeling of an energy much stronger than the wolves. She continued to fight off the three wolves, but she could feel her energy being sapped away. Lila, the wolves too close to use her bow, had switched to her close combat weapons, the two short swords. She wasn't as skilled with the swords, but with Nim's magic, together they were holding them off.

Disia seized her opportunity to help Riswynn, and began prodding the wolf with her javelin. Still the beast wasn't phased, it only clamped it's teeth down harder, blood filling its mouth and dripping all over Riswynn. The snow soon became drenched in the dwarfs blood. Disia watched as Riswynns eyes fluttered, the dwarf going in and out of consciousness. She poked and stabbed as hard as she could, but the weapon would not penetrate through the wolf's thick hide. The wolves from Enessar were never this much of a problem, but then again in the short time she had been in this new world, she had seen some weird things. For Disia, there was one thing left she could think of. To use her hands. The javelin was tossed at one of the three wolves, Lila and Nim were barely holding their own, the large beasts were slowly closing in on the halfling. Disia knew Nim's energy was draining, the light she had produced became more dim with every bolt she made from it.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Disia said to herself again, laying her axe on the ground, close to her. The creature didn't even try to defend itself as she straddled it, and wrapped her hands around it's snout. Try as she could, the wolf was too strong, and she couldn't unhinge its mouth from Riswynn's arm. The dwarf howled in pain, louder this time as the beast sank its teeth in deeper. Disia's body shivered, a queasiness in her stomach. The skin on Riswynn's arm was mutilated, and the blood still flowed all over. Disia was hit with a flashback to a similar situation, one where she had held the person in her arms until they bled out.

Another howl, from the left, brought Disia back to the moment. There, emerging from the trees, was another of the wolves, except much larger, and white. Its red eyes glowed as the beast snarled at her.

"Shit." She heard Riswynn mumble.

For the most part, though she kept going in and out of consciousness, Riswynn could piece together what was going on. She was in the worst pain she had ever felt, and she knew she was bleeding out. The creature must have bit through an artery, she had never seen so much blood. She also knew there was no way for her, and perhaps even the others, there was no way out of this.

"Dire wolves," she muttered softly, looking Disia in her green eyes. There was no doubt about it, she was indeed a gorgeous woman.

What she needed now was no less than a miracle.