Legacy of Oblivion

Night had finally settled completely over the land, meaning the fire in Stonard was finally out. Arachne did not care about the calamity either way; the darkness simply pleased her.

She was riding hard through the swamp, heading away from the military outpost. The usual sounds of travel were muffled by the soft mud and she bent over her horse’s neck to avoid low hanging branches. Though she urged her demonic mount onward, it was not with a sense of urgency or panic, but one of steadfastness – her tasks would always be accomplished as long as she was diligent.

Earlier that evening, Caulbraen had sent her to find their missing companions and retrieve them. Locating them had been the easy part. Most of the missing party had indeed reached Stonard as they had intended, but never made it inside. Emberchill had been taken captive by a group who had set fire to the Stonard Inn and Sabe and Arcadi, in no condition to attempt a rescue, were, in fact, attempting a rescue. The only one missing was Thundrax, but she simply could not be bothered with him now; a new group had appeared and were pursuing Sabe and Arcadi. She did not know who this new group was, but found it curious that all of them were trolls. Though one of them was a hunter, they left a trail even a warlock could follow. Each group was unknowingly being pursued by another, and Arachne was playing the predator sneaking up on the rear.

As soon as they were away from Stonard, they had avoided the main road and cut west through the swamp. Despite the wild terrain, they were making good time. When the deep and clear imprints of domesticated mounts crossed the road that led south, she knew they would be heading to Deadwind Pass. Eventually the procession turned northwest, back toward the road, as if they intended to circle around by the old wooden bridge. She continued to follow, making sure to keep her unflagging demonic mount from gaining ground.

When she finally reached the road, she was treated to a surprise: The old bridge was no longer there. Debris had been scattered everywhere as if the Old Gods had struck the land in their wrath, trees were unearthed and scorched and large craters were embedded in the terrain. Native lifeforms of the swamp had been sacrificed in the assault and their innocent corpses littered the scape.

It was beautiful work. Unfortunately, Arachne had no time to admire the artistry. Snorting silently, her steed sauntered up the hill with the ease of a being not constrained to the mortal plane. Pulling the reigns to the right, they turned the corner and left the soggy swamp behind.

Something was wrong in Deadwind Pass. Normally the grim scape and continual reek of death did not bother her, but tonight it did. Everything was still – too still. Carrion birds that should be perched atop limbs in a nocturnal state and the stale wind that commonly whipped along the road were absent. Warped, dead trees were twisted in such a way that if one stared long enough, it was possible to see tortured faces that stared back and watched travelers as they passed. Something had wounded the strength of this place, and the evil that lived here was recuperating from it. At the very least, it meant travel through the Pass would be uneventful.

The living mounts she followed would be getting tired around this time, so she slowed her demon to a brisk trot in order to keep from bumping into the mysterious group ahead. From what she could see before leaving Stonard, the group was made up of five trolls, and one of them had an animal companion. This meant a hunter, and she would need to stay just beyond their periphery to keep from being detected. Other than a profound interest in Sabe and Arcadi, she did not know who they were or what they wanted. The only way for her to find out would be to get close enough to eavesdrop and, to do so, the hunters would need to be eliminated.

She continued to dwell on his through the remainder of her trip through the Pass. As she neared Duskwood, she kicked her horse into a gallop.

The transition into Duskwood was abrupt; a line in the earth where the grass began was also the line of enchanted shadow that covered the forest. The road ended just as abruptly with a crossroad turning either right or left, and a wooden fence attempting to discourage travel forward. On the other side lay a steep incline of jagged rocks that divided the forest in half. Those she followed would not dare climb it with their temperamental, living mounts, nor would they follow the road on the left as it led to a human settlement. That left the road to the right. As they had all been traveling for half the night and into the early afternoon, each group would set up temporary camps to rest. Though she could not track like a hunter or telepathically sense a variety of lifeforms, she was not worried about finding them. Thick bushes and continual shadow made things difficult to see on the horizontal plane, but the clusters of bracken were spaced apart, giving an advantage to anyone above. Leaning down low over her mount’s neck, she urged her demon over the fence and up the hill.

She was quite a ways above the forest floor when the ledge leveled off and widened slightly, although the brush grew even more dense so their travel was not made any easier. Along the way, another path broke off and inclined up to another level, creating a wall on her left side and narrowing the road. Wild plants growing in the crevices grew thick and dense, pinning her against the stone. Progress was slow. Thorns grabbed at her clothing and a stray branch had given her a bloody lip, but it was a small price to pay for the high ground. When the growth was too thick to continue, she dismounted and traversed the ledge on foot.

A dip in the ground caused her to stumble. Hissing a curse under her breath, she grabbed a nearby branch for support and looked down at her feet. It appeared as though a small landslide had damaged this portion of the rock and a boulder had slammed down the side of the cliff, clearing a path that led almost to the forest floor. Something had ended the boulder’s descent, and the large rock was firmly lodged into the side of the cliff. Staying as hidden as she could with surrounding brush, she climbed into the groove, made her way down a few feet and looked out.

Immediately she spotted the two groups. Emberchill’s captors were burning a small fire, and had set up camp up ahead on her left. To the right was the group pursuing Arcadi and Sabe – the number of their group including mounts and pets made it impossible to miss. Arachne found herself conveniently stationed in the middle. For a brief moment she thought she had lost Sabe and Arcadi completely, until familiar voices floated out from under the fallen boulder and up into her ears. They had set up camp smartly against the wall, under the boulder.

“She is never going to be interested in you.”

The hostility was unmistakable in Arcadi’s tone. “Why?”

“Because she’s a druid,” Sabe answered, “a lover of life and nature.”

“So?” The priest retorted indignantly.

“You’re dead.”

“And you’re the expert,” Arcadi said. “A troll and an orc – now that’s an uneasy visual.”

“I never said that,” Sabe said defensively. “There’s nothing going on between Barathron and me.”

“Sure. Whatever you say.”

“Trolls are a very spiritual people. Barathron respects my dedication and servitude to the spirits of nature. That’s all.”

“If that’s what you want to call it, fine, but don’t point fingers at this whole thing I have with Autumnwolf.”

“You have a thing? She ripped your arm out of its socket!”

“That was an accident.”

“What!?”

“It’s not as if she goes around doing that to everyone who annoys her.”

They weren’t shouting, but it was more noise than Arachne would have liked. Hopefully the sound was only echoing upward and the bushes below muffled the noise, preventing it from being heard across the forest. This untamed land had more dangers than a handful of strangers. She decided if those two idiots were going to attract the attention of everything in the forest, they were on their own. Before she could decide how upset everyone would be if she only returned with Arcadi and Sabe’s mutilated corpses, movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention.

Two trolls and a raptor had left the camp to the right, and were headed toward Sabe and Arcadi. Noise from below had dwindled to practically nothing and, considering how badly they looked earlier, they were in no condition to defend themselves from anyone. From what she could hear, they would be passed out from exhaustion by the time the trolls arrived. It was time to go to work.

Working her way back up the groove, she climbed back onto the path where the brush was thickest. She held out her hands. A dark incantation was uttered as her hands were lifted, and the air around her thickened. Her cloak and hood fluttered slightly, trembling at the pulsing orb of raw magical essence she held, its existence both terrible and beautiful. Runes skittered around her feet and she focused her thoughts on the magic. Her companion appeared at first as a shadowy silhouette, but as she continued the form became solid. The demon moved to stand next to her, then was still; an obedient servant.

The demon followed her back down the path and into the crevice. Both trolls were getting closer now. The hunter and raptor were making good time and were headed for the right side of the boulder. The second troll left the hunter and started to circle wide around, headed for the opposite side of the camp. A flash of light caught her eyes – two daggers appeared in the troll’s hands, and then the troll winked out of sight.

As she had foreseen, the hunter was going to give her problems because she did not want anyone detecting her. To stay invisible, she would need to direct her pet from above and, at all costs, keep her presence a secret from Sabe and Arcadi. The last thing she needed was those two bungling up her work. Once she had eliminated the hunter, she would need to move her pet to the other side of the camp to take out the rogue. This was another challenge in itself as the rogue was invisible and, even if she could see them, her pet would charge straight through Arcadi and Sabe’s camp. Somehow she would need to move her pet around the outside and she was not yet sure how to do that yet.

Her lips pursed together tightly and a smile appeared in the corner of her mouth. Arachne enjoyed challenges.

Working her way down the groove, she noticed a tree trunk leaning away from the cliff at a good angle. She climbed behind it and slowly brought her weight down until she was laying against it, allowing it to support her frail form. Both hands were now free and she had a good view to the forest floor below. Her wand came to one hand and a long, curved dagger came to the other. By her estimates, as long as the hunter stayed down on the forest floor, she would be safe.

Below, a raptor’s head bobbed stupidly above a clump of bushes, looked around, then ducked down. The hunter emerged alone and walked into the center of a small clearing. Placing a small trap in the center, they covered it with leaves and stood. An arrow was nocked in a bow, and then they backed up into the bushes.

Arachne smiled and focused her thoughts on the hunter. Her felguard obeyed, becoming a blur as it raced down the hill. Sword raised, it sliced silently through branches and bramble that lay before it. Arachne had expected a little more noise and disruption, and was elated at how well the demon was doing.

The hunter could hardly help but notice the hulking form speeding their way. An arrow flew from the bushes but was parried by the demon’s blade. The hunter ran. Stepping from the bushes, they tried to back up and notch another arrow in a bowstring, but the demon was faster, slamming quick, powerful sword strokes into the hunter’s side. From behind, the raptor pounced upon the demon, raking with its talons, but it seemed to have little effect. The hunter had no distance to use their bow and the beating from the demon’s sword kept nearly knocking them off their feet. Turning, the hunter ran in the direction of the trap. Arachne let the demon follow a short way, then, before they reached the trap, she commanded the demon to turn onto the raptor.

Furious, the raptor dug into the demon, but was not doing well against the demon’s sword. The raptor was driven back a few feet from the force of the blows. This had given the hunter enough time to gain the distance required for their bow; something her demon would not fare well against.

Arachne called her demon to return. It obeyed her immediately, pivoting and moving back toward the steep cliff where she was hiding. Confused, the raptor followed, still attacking the demon. As soon as the demon was angled away from the trap, she sent it back on the hunter.

Frustrated, the hunter dashed out and away from the demon again, trying to lure it into the trap. Arachne commanded the demon back onto the raptor, slamming into the animal with enough force to drive it back and away.

More than a few arrows had broken the demon’s leathery hide and its strength was fading, but Arachne was ready for this. She closed her eyes and focused, allowing her own lifeforce to flow out in a steady stream toward her demon. Her own body was weakening, but the tree she was laying upon supported her.

The demon’s attacks renewed and she sent it away and back into the hunter. The hunter was unprepared for a fresh assault and fell to their knees, drawing out a small axe that blocked the attack. With one hand, the demon reached down and grabbed the hunter by the throat and squeezed.

Desperate, the hunter slammed their axe into the demon, but every stroke became weaker until the axe fell to the ground and the hunter stopped moving. Arachne stifled a triumphant laugh and turned her attention back to the raptor. This part was going to be a little luck and a great deal of chance.

Commanding the demon to attack the raptor, she gave more of her own lifeforce to her faithful servant. The drain made her tired and very weak. Pointing the dagger at the raptor, she focused her energy on a new spell. The dagger flickered with a malicious light that winked out as quickly as it had appeared.

The badly injured raptor turned and fled directly away from her, then bounced erratically from tree to tree. The demon chased it, still beating it with their sword. The enchant ended and the raptor turned on the demon. It hadn’t gone as far as she had hoped.

She tried again. Again, the raptor turned and fled, this time arcing wide around Sabe and Arcadi’s camp until it reached the general area of where the rogue had disappeared earlier. The demon followed, racing to keep up with the panicked animal. When the spell ended, the raptor stopped, blinked, and turned on the demon.

To Arachne’s satisfaction, the rogue had seen the commotion. Realizing there was trouble, they came to the animal’s aid.

The demon staggered under the blow of two daggers digging into its back, but it finished off the raptor easily and whirled on its new opponent. Sword raised and eyes flashing angrily, it bore into the rogue, walking them back away from the camp.

The rogue had made a poor choice. Arachne wondered if they had realized it before they breathed their last. Silently and swiftly, the demon left the corpse in the bushes and began its climb back up the cliff to where she lay against the tree.

As she rested, she scanned the area again and noticed with some amusement that her demon had not dispatched the hunter after all. Badly wounded and moving slowly, the hunter rolled over and pushed themselves until they were sitting upright. Given the distance, she had a hard time seeing what was produced from a bag and quickly consumed, but she guessed it was something to heal their wounds. At her command, her demonic minion rushed down the hill towards the hunter to finish the task.

More movement drew her attention away and she forced her demon to an abrupt halt. From the camp on the left side where Emberchill was being held captive, figures were emerging and heading her way. They were doing well at keeping to the shadows and bushes, so she could not yet make out how many there were. Arachne was not in any rush, and was content to wait patiently. As they got closer, she could see one was a tauren trying to hide their bulk under a massive, dark cloak, and the other was an orc warlock with a demonic companion in tow – a felguard that looked very similar to hers. The trio was heading in the direction of the camp below the boulder. Arachne suspected they were sent to investigate who had been following them.

While she was waiting, the hunter pushed to their feet and went in search of the missing raptor and their rogue friend. Both groups would intersect where the corpses fell. A laugh like a hiss escaped her lips and she called her demon to return. Together, they waited.

Still a few yards away from the camp, the hulking mass stopped in their tracks. The warlock was right behind and knelt down. As Arachne suspected, they had walked right onto the rogue’s corpse. That they lingered over the body meant they knew him. While they were inspecting the scene, the hunter arrived.

Even from such a great distance it was easy to see the hunter was startled and they ducked into the bushes to watch.

After a few minutes, the tauren and orc stood, quickly looked around, and left to report what they had found. The hunter waited until they were gone, then emerged. There was nothing the hunter could do for the rogue, but was able to call back the spirit and soul of the raptor. The hunter then gave the animal something to eat, and returned to his camp.

Arachne smiled her amusement. The hunter’s camp now thought Emberchill’s captors had attacked them. She was definitely going to use this to her advantage.

Prying herself off from the tree, she climbed back up onto the path and sat down to eat. At the end of her meal as she was packing everything away, she found a small package of sweets in the bottom of her bag. Opening the package, she pulled out one of the striped candies and popped it into her mouth. It was sweet.

Swirling the little confection with her tongue, she got up and made her way back down to the leaning tree. By the time she had gotten into position, the hunter was on his way back to where the rogue’s body had been left, and he had brought a friend. Arachne waited until they had reached the far left side of the boulder, then focused on the priest.

Her demon rushed past her once again, down the same path cut earlier. Surprised, the priest leapt back from the demon and ducked away from the blade, but was not so lucky against a massive fist. The priest was knocked to the ground and immediately rolled, trying to get away from the felguard.

Behind the demon, the raptor was trying to rip into the felguard’s back with their massive claws; both followed the rolling priest. This gave the hunter more than ample time to gain distance they needed for an attack with their bow, something that would cause her minion severe damage quickly. Every arrow lodged itself deep into the felguard’s muscular back; the force of the blows driving the demon’s muscular body to bend with every hit.

Undaunted, the demon was driving their sword down with powerful strokes, but the blade was not getting anywhere near the priest’s body. Snarling silently, the demon followed the priest who was intentionally rolling toward the base of the cliff. Arachne knew the priest’s protective spell would only hold for so long. Grabbing out her dagger, she focused on the raptor. The dagger flashed. Immediately, the raptor opened its mouth in a silent scream and fled into the forest. She didn’t give herself even a second to pause, but extended long, gnarled fingers toward the priest. Dark magic was such a part of her being that she did not even need to utter the words, only barely think them. A swarm of shadow surrounded the priest, then another, and another.

The demon’s sword finally cut through the shield and, after a couple of swift strokes, ended the priest once and for all.

By now the raptor had awoken from her spell and was on its way back, but she ignored it when it emerged from the bushes and sent her demon to the hunter. This time the hunter was prepared, and the demon stepped into a trap. A block of ice shot up, encasing the demon and rendering it immobile.

This was fine with Arachne, as it gave her time to impart her lifeforce to the injured demon. The hunter had done more damage than she would have liked, but she was able to stabilize the felguard in the few seconds that the trap held. The drain left her a little weaker than she would have liked, but she was safe in the tree. When the demon was free, it charged the hunter, knocking them off of their feet and slicing away with its weapon.

Again, the hunter ran back in the direction of the cliff, dropping another trap. This time it was badly placed and did not catch her demon. Frantic, the hunter grabbed some of the lowest hanging limbs and pulled themselves up the cliff, trying to get out of the felguard’s range.

That was when the hunter finally detected Arachne, but it was too late. A dark bolt of energy left her hand and slammed into the back of the hunter’s head, knocking him out of the branches. The hunter fell from the cliff and hit the ground hard. Another bolt followed a few seconds after. A dark cloud then appeared, smothering the hunter’s armored form. Head lolling, they scrambled on all fours to get away, but the demon did not stop until the hunter was dead. The body convulsed in the final throes of death and blood sprayed out of the mangled corpse, splattering the demon and coating the forest floor.

Confused, the raptor stopped, casting a blank, wide-eyed stare at its fallen master. With its consciousness still tied to the hunter, it was no longer receiving signals on whether or not it should even still function, much less fight back, and collapsed into the grass, dead.

Arachne gazed indifferently at the damp mess below and popped another striped candy into her mouth.

Her demon returned to her on the side of the cliff. She rested for a few more minutes, and then decided it was time to eavesdrop.

Picking her way down the side of the cliff was difficult and dangerous. Even though she used the path her demon had cut earlier, it took a long time to get to the bottom. On her way down, she caught a glimpse of the camp Sabe and Arcadi had made under the boulder, behind a thick wall of bushes. Arcadi had just woken and was sitting upright, looking around as if noises had woken him but was too disoriented to decide what it had been.

As quietly as possible, Arachne and her minion dropped down to the forest floor, away from the boulder, and crept off toward the troll camp on the left.

She could hear voices as she approached the remaining members of the mysterious party who had been following Sabe and Arcadi. They spoke in Zandali, the native language of trolls. Taking up a hiding spot behind a cluster of bushes, she sat down on a rock, produced another striped candy, and placed it into her mouth.

“Where are they? They should have been back with Kiljir by now.”

“Some resurrections take longer than others, depending on how long the spirit has been away from the body.”

“There’s no time, mon. Our orders are to take the shaman and her friend to Zin’Rokh.”

Arachne sucked thoughtfully on the confection. She had never heard of a troll city by the name of Zin’Rokh. To her knowledge there was not even an ancient city by that name.

“Then why are those fools attacking us? They know who we are – we were together when our instructions were given out.”

“Perhaps they wish to impress Prynex?”

“Other races do not impress him.”

“I do not know the reason, but we should not sit idle and wait for them to attack again. As soon as everyone returns back at the camp, we will eliminate them and take the mage by force.”

“What is the mage for?”

“Leverage, mon. Her boss is on his way to the big meeting and Prynex will use her to his advantage. They will cooperate as long as we have her in custody.”

“Not such an insignificant group, I think. You know who is in league with them.”

“Yes, and that’s why we need the shaman, though her friend is not important. He can be killed and left to rot.”

A slight pause and a mumble of agreement gave Arachne time to bite into the candy. A burst of sweetness filled her mouth. Pleased, she grabbed another one out of her bag.

“They should have been back by now – I think something has happened.”

“Okay, let’s go check it out.”

Arachne grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder and led her demon behind a tree. From there, she watched the two remaining trolls head back to where she had left their companions’ corpses. She decided Sabe and Arcadi should be able to protect themselves from these two, and went off to rescue Emberchill.

She did not usually fare well at traveling long distances on foot but seemed to be making good time, though she was willing to concede the enjoyment of the candies were most likely what was distracting her from what would have been an annoying jog. She did not even notice how much time had passed, and was almost startled when she led her demon around a thick tree and nearly walked into the warlock she had seen earlier. This time, he was alone; his back was to her and he was relieving himself.

Silently, she watched the warlock for a few seconds while she sucked on the candy, then decided what she would do. Since she had not been afforded a dignified death, he should not be allowed one, either. It was over in a matter of minutes, in a pool of blood and feces.

Arachne popped another candy into her mouth and went to find the remaining three who had captured Emberchill.

It wasn’t hard to find them; an argument had erupted over the corpses she had left below the cliff. She leaned up against a tree and listened to the conversation from a safe distance.

“If the shaman and priest killed them, why leave the corpses outside of their camp? It would attract wild beasts. I’m not convinced it was them.”

“Because they were defending themselves. Obviously Valjir and his gang were unsuccessful in their task.”

“If Valjir and his crew were all killed, where are the rest of the bodies? I only saw one.”

“We’re just going to have to assume they are dead based on what you found. It was a failed mission that we will have to finish.”

Murmurs of agreement were faint rumbles across the grass.

“Someone will have to stay here with her while we do this.”

The conversation paused uncomfortably while they identified their weakest member.

“Very well. I will stay.”

Arachne wanted to get back to Sabe and Arcadi before these two arrived, so she jogged away from the little camp and summoned her demonic steed. It appeared out of nothing and stamped impatiently at the ground.

When she arrived back at Sabe and Arcadi’s camp, it was quiet; the two trolls were dragging the bodies of their friends away into the bushes. Hands were gesturing frantically as they talked, trying to emphasize angry whispers. Inside the camp, Sabe and Arcadi were slowly picking their way through a meager meal – both looked too exhausted and disoriented to eat.

While the trolls talked, the two from Emberchill’s camp arrived – a heavily armored tauren and the troll they had seen outside the inn. The troll’s boar pet followed faithfully behind as they dismounted and inspected the scene. The bodies were gone, but the mess remained and a bloody trail led into the forest.

The hunter gestured at the bushes where the two trolls had been arguing, but the conversation between the trolls had ended abruptly with the new arrival. Still believing the hunter and tauren had killed their friends, the trolls were now preparing for a confrontation.

In Arachne’s opinion, the situation kept improving. As she had hoped, Emberchill’s captors had thought the same of the two trolls and wore their expressions on their faces – finding the trolls at the scene of the crime led them to believe they had turned on their comrades and killed them.

Battle exploded in a clash of metal and magic. Completely entertained, Arachne popped another candy into her mouth. She tried to stay as close to the fighting as possible and hidden in the bushes. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure how hunters could so acutely detect other lifeforms, but she hoped she was close enough to another body that it appeared to the hunter as one and not two.

Movement from under the boulder was completely ignored in the skirmish. Arcadi and Sabe could hardly help hear the noise, and recognized the pair who had taken Emberchill captive. A minute later, they were leading their mounts away from the fighting. They did not know what was happening but hoped to free the mage during the confusion. Only Arachne noticed them leaving, sneaking away through the shadows. Even the hunter, completely engrossed in the battle, did not see.

Arachne thought now was a good time to do the same and dashed from the scene, hoping the hunter would not notice her, either. As she was leaving the battle, angry accusations started being hurtled back and forth between the parties. She didn’t stop to find out how the conversation was going to end up; Arachne knew they were about to figure everything out and she would need to rescue Emberchill before they did.

Her demon and horse were waiting for her just as she had left them, and she commanded the mount forward before she could even climb all the way into the saddle. The sound of battle welcomed her again, as she arrived to find Sabe locked in combat with a heavily armored elf. Metal clanged loudly as a great broadsword was parried by one of Sabe’s axes. Her second arm swung wide but caught the elf prepared; he took a hard blow in the side but held his ground.

Behind the fighting, Arcadi had entered the camp and cut Emberchill’s bonds with a long knife. The mage was barely coherent and very weak, and none of Arcadi’s spells were helping her. He put Emberchill’s arm over his shoulders and was struggling to get her on her feet. When he saw Arachne, he shouted for her to help.

She slid off of her horse, sent her demon to the elf, then ran toward the camp.

Faced with a new opponent, the elf shouted frantically for help. One of his hands came away from his weapon and gestured in Arachne’s direction. An unseen force slammed into her, knocking her bag free from her shoulder. It fell to the ground and its contents spilled out into the grass. The world swirled and the landscape rose and fell. Her eyes flickered and she squinted, trying to focus. Arcadi’s mouth was moving, shouting for her help, but she couldn’t move and her brain was buzzing. It was another few seconds before she could concentrate again, and she whirled around to see her demon in a frenzied assault. A magical barrier, similar to the one the priest had earlier, protected the elf’s body from harm and each sword stroke ricocheted back at the demon. He fled into the forest with the unrelenting demon in pursuit.

Now that the elf had his hands full, Sabe was rushing to help get Emberchill on her feet and out of the camp. Their mounts were restless. Despite the noise, Sabe’s wolf swung its armored head around toward the forest and its ears pricked up. The confrontation in front of the cliff had ended; during the shouting they had solved the mystery and were coming.

Ducking back into the bushes, Arachne ran around to the back of the camp where a deep trench had been carved in the earth. In her rush she nearly fell in but managed to stop herself right at the ledge. Anyone falling into that would not easily get out again. On the opposite side, Sabe and Arcadi were helping Emberchill to the edge of it, and were slowly walking her around to the other side. This was going to take a while.

The elf came back. Rushing into the camp, he saw them trying to escape with Emberchill. One hand came free and pointed in their direction. This time Arcadi was the target and stumbled forward as if hit with an invisible fist and tumbled into the ravine. Sabe cried out, frantic to keep herself and Emberchill from following.

The elf made a dash toward them with the demon still in tow. Arachne brought her demon to an abrupt halt and reached for her dagger. The elf saw her reaction on the other side of the trench and laughed maniacally, as if he thought she might throw the weapon at him. He pulled up short as the dagger flashed. Both eyes widened, then the elf turned and ran, panicked, into the forest. That spell would keep him busy for a while.

Sabe set Emberchill gently on the ground and tried to help pull Arcadi out, but the slope of the earth and a twisted ankle from the fall made things awkward. There was nothing Arachne could do to help, so she thought she would go collect her fallen belongings. As she started back around the outside of a cluster of bushes, the sound of running filled her ears.

The only way to see above the thick hedge was to hop up and down and, even then, she only caught glimpses. Four figures emerged from the trees at the other end of the camp, and the elf was one of them. Arachne noted they were missing an additional fighter, and sent her demon to the troll hunter. The four were temporarily distracted by the arrival of the demon, and clustered around the felguard with weapons drawn. The hunter was trying to back away, but was unable.

A large boar charged into the camp, rushing toward Sabe. Lowering its head, it collided into her side, nearly knocking her into the ravine. Grunting in surprise, she released Arcadi, who fell to the bottom. She tried to regain her balance, but one foot slipped over the edge and started to slide down on loose dirt. Throwing her body weight back toward the grass, she grabbed the boar with one hand and dug the other into the ground. Below, Arcadi shouted and backed away from the orc, who was close to pulling the enraged boar into the ravine. The boar squealed in pain and tried escaping Sabe’s grasp. Not far from the commotion, Emberchill, wounded and weaponless, tried to crawl away from the fray.

Grabbing her wand in one hand, Arachne ran back to where Arcadi and Sabe were struggling in the pit, but kept in the safety of the bushes where she would not be seen. As she ran, she sent a series of abusive spells to the hunter. Splashes of light radiating from the elf broke the shadows, strong enough that narrow rays were squeezing through the hedge. The elf was trying to help combat the deadly spells, but wasn’t effective enough against the onslaught. Finally, the hunter collapsed on the ground, and his boar fell with him.

Her felguard was struggling; even with the hunter dead, it was badly wounded. Her dagger came to her hand again, and she sent the elf away into the forest. Sidling out from the bushes, just enough to clear her aim, she summoned a massive ball of dark energy and sent it slamming into the tauren’s head. Arachne jumped back into the bushes and shared her lifeforce with her pet.

The transfer left her a little tired, but she did not let physical limitations affect her. She sent a series of dark clouds to the tauren, then also the troll who was hacking away at the felguard. The elf came back, but she ducked out from behind the bush again and sent them away, running into the forest. Back behind the bush, she sat down, shared more of her essence with her demon, and sent more abusive magics to the tauren and troll, systematically stripping their lives away. She thought if she had those candies with her, she could do this all day, every day.

A panicked shout from the ravine had Arachne on her feet and hopping again to see above the bushes. The missing fifth fighter had shown himself: A troll rogue had snuck around the camp and was holding Emberchill at knife point.

“Warlock!” The rogue shouted. “Come out, Warlock! I have your friend.”

Arachne commanded her pet to stop. The demon’s movement ended abruptly and its sword was lowered. Creeping to the edge of the bushes, she peeked out.

The tauren and troll were still standing near her comatose demon, weapons out and ready. Both cast nervous glances in all directions, looking for her. Their wide-eyed stares gave away too much: they knew to fear her, she who had single-handledly dwindled their numbers within a matter of hours. Closer to her, Sabe and Arcadi were still struggling in the ravine, trying to get out. Sabe had slipped down a little farther and could almost no longer reach the top.

“I know you are there, Warlock!” The rogue continued, and held up his free hand – he had found a few of her belongings that had fallen and snatched them up. A half-empty bag of striped candies was among them.

Arachne’s eyes narrowed at the sight.

She stepped out from behind the bushes. No one said a word.

“Listen, mon,” the rogue said. “Leave now or your mage friend dies.”

Arachne’s eyebrow shot up, challenging his statement. The rogue actually looked embarrassed.

“Again,” the rogue said.

The elf came running back into the camp, seeming confused at the deflated scene.

Arachne did not look away from the rogue. She expressed nothing in her features, nor did she say a word. Mechanically, her arm extended from under her cloak and pointed her dagger at the elf. Again, the elf turned and fled into the forest. Her arm returned at her side and her dark cloak closed over her and was still.

The rogue swallowed hard and tried to look unimpressed, but she could tell he was weighing the situation carefully. Arachne alone had proven herself to be a formidable foe. If she decided to help Sabe and Arcadi out of the pit, they could easily overcome their foes and rescue Emberchill.

She made no hint that she intended to go anywhere, and her eyes stayed locked on the rogue.

“Okay,” the rogue said, his voice leveling. “What do you want? We can negotiate. Do you want money? Name your price. We can give it to you.” He gestured to his friends on the other side of the camp. Arachne’s eyes followed the bag of candy as it extended away from the rogue’s body, and back again.

The rogue paused, looking confused, and repeated the gesture. Again, Arachne’s eyes followed the bag of candy wherever it moved to. He cleared his throat nervously.

“You want… these?”  He asked, holding up his hand.

Arachne’s eyes followed the movement upward, paused, then returned to the rogue’s face.  She said nothing.

“If you agree to leave and do not follow us,” the rogue said slowly, “I will give your things back.”

A few seconds of tense silence followed the offer.

The felguard moved, startling everyone in the camp. It disappeared into the trees and reappeared seconds later behind Arachne, looming like a menacing shadow. Arachne held out her hand.

Everyone looked surprised, though there wasn’t anyone who looked it more than Sabe and Arcadi.

The contents in the rogue’s hand sailed through the air, and she caught the object of her desire: the small bag of candies. Everything else fell into the grass with a soft thud and was forgotten.

As Arachne climbed up on to her demonic steed and rode away, the sound of Sabe’s furious screams followed her.

“Arachne, you bitch! I’ll get you for this!”

Arachne laughed and placed another candy on her dark tongue. Today had been a good day.