-last edited on Aug 4, 2017 14:44:18 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 4, 2017 14:43:59 GMT
Chapter 232
Legolie awoke on a strange bed. It was off-white in color and appeared to be made of a bundle of strings somehow stuck together. It was soft and springy, like nothing she had ever seen before. Fingolfin and Harrox lay on similar beds to either side of her. They appeared to be in a room made of woven sticks, illuminated by glowing orbs on the walls. There was a large open space that appeared to be a door. As Legolie stood, a little shakily, she looked up. On the ceiling was a horrifying creature with the lower body and head of a spider but a strangely humanoid torso. Suddenly, Legolie’s memories began to return. She remembered being stuck, and a creature like this one taking her away. She reached for her sword, but it was not there. Before she could run, the creature descended from the ceiling on a strand of web, landing between her and the door. “No afraid,” it said hesitantly, as if the words felt strange in its mouth, “Safe.”
Taking a deep breath, Legolie spoke back, “You can talk.”
“Talk? Yes, yes, talk.” The creature’s mandibles contorted into what Legolie hoped was a smile.
Before Legolie could reply, another creature, larger and hairier than the first, entered through the door, “Tepidiari not know speak well, no. I speak much well, yes. I Fibriati. You?” Tepidiari scuttled out of the room at a glance from Fibriati.
“I am Legolie, Queen of the Elves,” Legolie finally said after a long pause, “With me are General Fingolfin and Harrox of the Bandits.”
Fibriati made the same smile-like expression that Tepidiari had before, “Been long time since elves visit. Long time, yes. We think we forgotten, yes. You are queen? I take you Arachnidian queen, yes.” He began to walk out of the room, gesturing for Legolie to follow. She did so, still a little hesitant.
-last edited on Aug 6, 2017 23:10:40 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 6, 2017 23:10:19 GMT
Chapter 233
Fibriati led Legolie out of the room and onto a rickety bridge. Looking down, Legolie saw that they were suspended in the air high above the forest floor, held up by strands of what she now knew to be webbing. Though it was dark and many trees obscured the view, she could tell that there were many buildings of a similar style, stretching on farther than she could see. The same strange glowing orbs illuminated them.
Legolie followed Fibriati along a series of bridges, being careful not to fall from the unstable structures. On their way, they passed many buildings and many more Arachnidians, all of whom seemed to be interested in them. Apparently, Fibriati hadn’t been lying when he said it had been a long time since they had seen elves. At last, they arrived at a structure larger than any of the others. A tall, slender Arachnidian stood in front of the entrance.
“Greetings, Agersti,” said Fibriati, “I bring visitor, yes. Visitor to see queen, yes.”
Agersti looked down at him, “Why bring?”
“Visitor elf queen, yes. Queen to meet queen,” Fibriati gestured to Legolie, as if submitting her for Agersti’s approval.
Agersti thought for a moment, “Stay.” She entered the building and came out a short time later, “Enter.”
Legolie followed Fibriati inside. The interior was dim, only lit by a few glowing orbs, but the light was great enough for the elf queen to see a massive Arachnidian perched on a bed of webbing. The Arachnidian queen was perhaps three or four times the size of Fibriati, darker in coloration, and covered in short fuzz. Fibriati bowed low, and Legolie bowed her head, not wanting to offend the queen.
When Fibriati finished bowing, he spoke, “Queen Phronetia, I bring Legolie, Queen of Elves.”
-last edited on Aug 7, 2017 15:48:29 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 7, 2017 15:48:10 GMT
Chapter 234
Queen Phronetia looked at Legolie curiously, “Why here, elf queen?”
Legolie met her gaze, “My companions and I were exploring this area of the forest. It has been a long time since anyone has come here.”
Fibriati provided the rest of the story, “Queen, others, sleep on hunting webs. Bad place sleep, yes. Cancredis find, bring to safety.”
“Elves welcome here,” said Queen Phronetia with a smile, “Stay long, yes.”
Before Legolie could reply, there was a commotion at the entrance, and a small, reddish Arachnidian with black arms and legs entered. She was holding Legolie’s Honorblade. Queen Phronetia peered down at the Intruder, “Flevasces, why come here?”
Flevasces raised the Honorblade, “I find, yes.” She pointed at Legolie, “Is hers, yes.”
“Is yours?” the Queen asked Legolie.
Legolie nodded, “It is why I am here. I was told that another like it resides in an ancient forest, possibly this one. Do you recognize it?”
The Arachnidians all laughed. When they were finished, Queen Phronetia spoke, “The Other gave it us. Keep safe, yes. Powerful weapon. Save world, yes. Why you look for?”
“I need it to save the world, like you said. The power of the Well has been released.”
“When Velasco gave sword, said might happen, yes,” said the Queen, obviously in shock, “But also said Morath seeks swords. How prove you not with him?”
Legolie thought for a moment before she realized something, “The Honorblades were hidden hundreds of years ago. That would make you…. No, it doesn’t matter. If I was Morath, or working with him, I would just take the Honorblade. You told me it is here. Morath is powerful, and anyone working for him would be too. If I was one of them, it would be a simple matter of finding the Honorblade, taking it, and leaving.”
-last edited on Aug 9, 2017 17:11:28 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 9, 2017 17:10:53 GMT
Chapter 235
There was a long pause as the Queen considered her appeal. At last, she spoke, “You speak true, yes. Fibriati bring back to friends. We return supplies and bring weapon, yes. Then you go. We send warrior, help, yes.”
“Very well,” said Legolie, following Fibriati out of the room.
They returned along the same route by which they had come to the Queen. When they arrived at the building they had started in, they found Fingolfin and Harrox talking to Tepidiari. The former two, not very talkative at the best of times, were mostly listening, which must have been difficult since Tepidiari did not speak their language very well. When Fibriati and Legolie entered, Fingolfin stood and bowed to his queen. Harrox stood.
Legolie nodded in their direction, “They have the Honorblade we’re searching for. They will bring it and our supplies shortly, and one of their warriors to help us.”
If Fingolfin was surprised, he didn’t show it, “Excellent. We have been having a… conversation with Tepidiari, here. We have learned much of interest. Apparently, the glowing orbs that illuminate this place are made from insects.”
They talked for a little while longer before a large and hairy Arachnidian, bluish in coloration, entered. She was carrying a large bag made out of webbing, the contents of which she spilled out onto the floor. “I Levridum, yes. I bring supplies. I guide. I help fight.”
Legolie, Fingolfin, and Harrox began collecting their belongings, along with a few that must have been gifts from the Queen, including a few of the orbs. Also included was the Honorblade, which Fingolfin took.
-last edited on Aug 16, 2017 23:28:43 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 16, 2017 23:27:07 GMT
Chapter 236
When they were ready to go, Levridum led them out of the building and to a rope ladder that went down to the forest floor. Legolie saw that Levridum wore a strange weapon- a hooked spear with a short shaft attached to a loop of webbing. Presumably, the webbing would allow it to be retrieved easily, or even be used to pull enemies closer.
Once they reached the forest floor, Legolie took the lead as she knew where they had come from. By the light of the orbs, they walked back the way they had come until Levridum determined it was night. While they walked, they talked about the worlds they had come from. Legolie was interested in the mysterious Arachnidian society that had remained hidden in the forest for so long, and Levridum was curious about the outside world. They also talked about their quest for the Well, about the events that had led them to where they were now. Fingolfin joined in occasionally to clarify or add information, but Harrox was silent. He kept rubbing the pouch at his side, but Legolie dismissed it- he was a strange man, and a dangerous one too.
When Legolie awoke, a goblin in fine clothing and a strange crown was sitting in the middle of the group. There was something familiar about him, but she couldn’t place it. He smiled at her, “Good morning. I thought it would be rude to wake you. Ready to go?”
Legolie placed her hand on her sword, “Go where?”
“Why, the castle of course. There is very little time. Everyone’s waiting for you.” The goblin stood, and extended a hand to help Legolie up.
She didn’t take it, “How do you know this?”
The goblin smiled, “I know a great many things. Now, as I said, there is not much time, so as soon as your companions wake we must be off.”
-last edited on Aug 17, 2017 22:49:47 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 17, 2017 22:49:24 GMT
Chapter 237
Legolie drew her sword and pointed it at the goblin, “We’re not going anywhere. Explain yourself.”
“Your weapons are useless against me,” said the goblin with a laugh, “Fortunately for you, I don’t have any intent of fighting. I am on your side. The others sent me to retrieve you once you had the Honorblade.”
“What others?” Legolie did not move her sword.
“You know. Skrag, Hithrol, Link, etc. They’re all waiting for you at the castle.” As the goblin replied, Fingolfin, Harrox, and Levridum began to stir. The goblin smiled, “Excellent. We can give them a few minutes, but then we really must be going.”
Legolie stood, motioning for the others to do likewise, “Who are you?”
“Excellent question,” replied the goblin, “You probably should have asked that first. My name is Skirj. I am the brother of Skrag, and the current owner of the crown. I have assigned myself the task of saving the world, so if you wouldn’t mind I’d really like to get on with it.”
“Skrag never mentioned you,” said Legolie.
Skirj nodded, “Ah, yes, the two of you are friends. Until recently, we weren’t on very good terms. But we have reconciled our differences. After all, why hold a grudge when the world is about to end.”
Harrox sneered, “Don’t trust him.” He readied his weapons, and Fingolfin and Levridum did likewise.
Skirj sighed, running his hands through his hair, “I can see I’m going to have to do this the hard way.” He held up his hand and time seemed to slow. Legolie lunged in for an attack, but it was as if she was moving through water, or even a more viscous substance. Skirj waved his hand. There was a flash of orange light and the five of them found themselves surrounded by their friends. Time snapped back to normal.
-last edited on Aug 18, 2017 23:11:51 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 18, 2017 23:11:40 GMT
Chapter 238
If the situation wasn’t so dire, Skrag might have laughed at the expressions on the faces of Legolie’s group when they suddenly found themselves teleported to the Dragon castle. As it was, no one was in the mood for laughter. Together, they quickly caught the bandit, two elves, and Arachnidian up to what had transpired with everyone else. Then, Skirj began to tell them what he had learned about the enemies they were about to face, “They cannot be harmed by mundane means. Only magic and magical weapons will suffice. Those of you with magic should give your Honorblades to someone without. You’re fine, Skrag, since you already have a magical weapon.”
The Honorblades were divided up as he said, but once they were Digls and Levridum were still left without a means with which to fight. Skirj had a solution for this too. Skrag was still amazed about how much his one-time enemy had changed. “I can enchant the weapons you already have, but after that I am putting away the Crown. I have already worn it for far too long, and I fear if I do not remove it soon the temptation may overwhelm me. This, of course, means that I will be unfortunately unable to contribute to the battle. I would appreciate it if one of you would act as my bodyguard. I do not know what will happen to the Crown if I am smashed while it is in my pocket dimension but I do not wish to find out, and though we should be relatively safe out here there are too many variables to take the risk.”
Once again, Skirj’s instructions were followed, with Digls taking the position of the goblin’s bodyguard and the dwarf’s pickaxe and Levridum’s spear being imbued with magic. Seeing this enchanting made Skrag think back to the strange wizard, Beziov, he had met shortly before joining the Dragon Riders. He recalled Leif mentioning someone named Beziov, and supposed they must have been one and the same. He supposed it made a certain sort of sense, at least if viewed from the proper angle.
-last edited on Aug 22, 2017 21:45:52 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 22, 2017 21:43:58 GMT
Chapter 239
Soon, everyone was equipped for combat and a plan had been made to reach the Well. No one was quite sure how difficult that would be, but they were all prepared for the worst.
Just before they began the assault, Skrag decided to talk to Skirj one last time. “Are you sure you don’t want to join us, enchant a weapon of your own?”
Skirj shook his head, “I’m tired of war. There’s been too much of it recently, and I’ve been too involved in it. I just want to take a step back for once.”
“Sometimes it’s hard to believe you’re still the same Skirj I fought with in the mountains,” Skrag replied with a smile, “You’ve changed so much, not just since the Crown, but before that, too, while you were still with the tribe.”
“Maybe. But you’ve changed just as much as I have. Who knows where we’d be now if, well, you know. If my father hadn’t smashed Gorle.”
Skrag nodded, but didn’t reply, instead choosing to switch the topic, “Where do you think you’ll go when all this is over? What’s next for you after this?” What he didn’t say was ‘after the Crown is gone’, but he didn’t need to. Skirj knew what he meant.
“I don’t know. I’m not going back to the tribe. I can’t, not after everything that’s happened. You’re lucky in that way, you know. You have Zargan and the Riders. You’ll always have a place to go.” He smiled, “Actually, I think they’re calling you now.”
They were indeed calling him. It was clear that they were ready to go. Skrag began to walk towards them, but he stopped and turned back, “I’m glad to call you my brother. If you ever need a place to go, I’ll be there.”
“That… means a lot. And I’d do the same for you, brother.” And then the half-breed turned once again and joined his companions as they marched to war, to face whatever was waiting for them in that once-mighty castle. Skirj hoped they were prepared for it, because the only true family he had had in a long time had just disappeared through those doors.
-last edited on Aug 23, 2017 21:49:59 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 23, 2017 21:49:48 GMT
Chapter 240
Fighting the shadows was unlike anything Skrag had ever done before. They seemed to be mindless, intent only on tackling their targets to the ground where they could pounce on and thus destroy them, as Septimus had said they had done to Doli. The shadows hardly seemed to notice that their prey was fighting back. If they hadn’t been so easily destroyed, they probably would have overwhelmed the entire group all too easily. For most of them, one or two strikes with the Honorblades or another weapon were enough. Each step by Zargan or Olifin crushed a few beneath the huge claws and the shadows fell to Septimus and Graylin’s magic in droves.
Pushing farther into the castle, they all did their best to stay together, but it wasn’t easy with so many enemies and so many passage ways and soon they were separated into groups, all making their way towards where they knew the Well to be but all doing so by entirely different routes. For their part, the Dragon Riders managed to stick together. Skrag and Zargan, Hithrol and Olifin, and Alis: the mysterious sister who had apparently been kidnapped by Marrzak and raised as his daughter. Skrag didn’t know what to make of her. On the one hand, he couldn’t truly bring himself to trust her. He remembered all too well the spiteful evil of Marrzak and couldn’t help but wonder what the dragon might have taught her. On the other, Hithrol seemed to trust her completely, and as much as she reminded the half-breed of Marrzak she also had an undeniable and striking resemblance to her brother, both in appearance and mannerisms. Moreover, Skrag could tell that Hithrol, despite being amidst all this danger, hadn’t been so happy in a long time. And then on some third hand, as much as Skrag didn’t want to admit it, they needed Alis. As young as she was, she fought better than either of the Dragon Riders. Apparently, Marrzak had taught her one thing of use.
-last edited on Aug 24, 2017 21:14:30 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 24, 2017 21:09:30 GMT
Chapter 241
Even though they were separated, Skrag still caught glimpses of the others from time to time, through cracks in the decaying walls and where corridors momentarily intersected. The three elves were together, a whirlwind of blades and magic (the latter supplied by Fingolfin), and Levridum was close behind them, apparently devoted to following Legolie. The blue Arachnidian’s strange, spear-like weapon was not the most effective way to fight the shadows- Skrag thought it rather obvious that the weapon had been designed for hunting, not combat- but Levridum made up for it with her startling agility and her almost savage ferocity.
Leinad and Gyr were fighting their way through the shadows back-to-back, the Lion and the Dragon working together in a way their respective kingdoms rarely did. Of course, there was no true Dragon Kingdom any longer, so perhaps that old animosity had finally been forgotten.
The two sorcerers had split up, which Skrag though was probably for the best- they were among the more effective fighters against the shadows, after all. Graylin had gone with Irya, the Other in the skin of an orc. Septimus, for his part, fought alone, which was not a surprise.
That only left Harrox and Alkkuto, the two bandits, clearly still mourning the loss of their leader, though this seemed to apply to the latter more so than to the former. Skrag was honestly surprised the erratic, often hostile bandit was even still with the group. It was probably a good thing they all shared a common enemy, and a powerful one, for if not the group might have torn itself apart long ago. Perhaps that strange old man, wherever he was now, would have been able to hold them together in any case. Skrag pushed aside the thought. Such distractions were dangerous in the heat of battle, especially such a dangerous one as this.
-last edited on Aug 25, 2017 21:15:30 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 25, 2017 21:15:21 GMT
Chapter 242
From behind a crumbling wall, an elderly man in a long jacket watched two people battle the shadow creatures. He heard something, a slight scratching sound on the rocks to his left, and turned to see a small, brown lizard basking in the sun. “What was that? You compare me to a river of annoyance? Clearly, you don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m an ocean of annoyance….” The man trailed off, trying to grasp at a memory that eluded him. He couldn’t remember how long he had been here, or why he was here, or even who he was. He tried to remember, but there was nothing, and soon he forgot what he was trying to do in the first place. His attention turned back to the lizard, “It’s too bad you’re a lizard and not a person, because you can’t appreciate my brilliance. At least, I think I’m brilliant. I can’t remember.” Can’t remember? Can’t remember what? He turned back to the lizard once again, “What? Stop saying you’re a stick. You’re not.” The lizard blinked once and scampered away. From behind the wall, the man’s eyes landed on one of the people fighting the shadows. She was familiar. Maybe she could help him remember.
Graylin and Irya fought their way through the shadows, taking them down one-by-one or several at once. Irya looked up from the fighting for a brief second and saw a man walking towards her. Is that…? It can’t be. The shadows noticed the man. It is. “Hoid!” she shouted. Irya ran towards her friend, leaving a confused Graylin behind.
The woman reached Hoid at the same time the shadows did. For a second, there was only darkness and pain, but then it was gone. The woman bent over him, “Hoid, what are you doing here? Where did you go?” Hoid stared at her blankly. More shadows came and she fought them off. Hoid simply sat there and watched. The woman grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. She looked at him appraisingly, “Are you okay?”
-last edited on Aug 26, 2017 22:16:22 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 26, 2017 22:15:58 GMT
Chapter 242
From behind a crumbling wall, an elderly man in a long jacket watched two people battle the shadow creatures. He heard something, a slight scratching sound on the rocks to his left, and turned to see a small, brown lizard basking in the sun. “What was that? You compare me to a river of annoyance? Clearly, you don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m an ocean of annoyance….” The man trailed off, trying to grasp at a memory that eluded him. He couldn’t remember how long he had been here, or why he was here, or even who he was. He tried to remember, but there was nothing, and soon he forgot what he was trying to do in the first place. His attention turned back to the lizard, “It’s too bad you’re a lizard and not a person, because you can’t appreciate my brilliance. At least, I think I’m brilliant. I can’t remember.” Can’t remember? Can’t remember what? He turned back to the lizard once again, “What? Stop saying you’re a stick. You’re not.” The lizard blinked once and scampered away. From behind the wall, the man’s eyes landed on one of the people fighting the shadows. She was familiar. Maybe she could help him remember.
Graylin and Irya fought their way through the shadows, taking them down one-by-one or several at once. Irya looked up from the fighting for a brief second and saw a man walking towards her. Is that…? It can’t be. The shadows noticed the man. It is. “Hoid!” she shouted. Irya ran towards her friend, leaving a confused Graylin behind.
The woman reached Hoid at the same time the shadows did. For a second, there was only darkness and pain, but then it was gone. The woman bent over him, “Hoid, what are you doing here? Where did you go?” Hoid stared at her blankly. More shadows came and she fought them off. Hoid simply sat there and watched. The woman grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. She looked at him appraisingly, “Are you okay?”
-last edited on Aug 27, 2017 22:26:19 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 27, 2017 22:26:09 GMT
Chapter 243
Hoid nodded, looking the woman up and down, “Who are you? I know I’m supposed to know you, but I don’t. I know I’m supposed to be here, but I don’t know why.”
Irya sighed, “Of course you don’t remember. I don’t have time to explain everything right now. We need to get to the Well to stop all of this, to save everything.”
“The well?” Hoid remembered a well. He knew it was important, but he couldn’t remember why. Words came to his mouth, almost out of nowhere, “A well. Ethan. Honor. Mistakes.” Hoid was afraid, terrified. He couldn’t remember why he should be, but he was. Fragments of thoughts and memories kept surfacing, but he couldn’t put them together. The woman was talking to another woman. Hoid recognized her too, but not as strongly. The two women fought off the shadows with blade and magic. Hoid began to whisper to himself, but, like so many other things, he didn’t know why, “We’ve failed. We’ve failed. We’ve failed,” each time a little louder. “Time to go. Time to go. Run, hide, it doesn’t matter. It’s too late. We’ve lost. Time to go.” The first woman, the more familiar, heard him now. She put her hand on his shoulder with a look of concern. He shook off the hand. “Time to go. Run. Hide. It’s too late. Time to run.” Hoid ran. The shadows embraced him. There was only darkness.
Irya shed a tear for her fallen friend. By the time she had reached him, it had been too late. But there was no time for mourning now. The Well was still open. The shadows were still coming. For the time being, all she could do was remember her fallen friends, all of them. Hoid, and Ethan, and Barkot, and so many others. They would not have been smashed in vain. She would not let that happen.
-last edited on Aug 28, 2017 22:02:00 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 28, 2017 22:01:51 GMT
Chapter 244
The worst part about fighting these shadows, Legolie thought, is that they just keep coming. One after another, they attacked and were subsequently destroyed. Each time one fell, another replaced it. Whenever it seemed as if a moment of reprieve was on the horizon, half a dozen, or a dozen, or two dozen more appeared. At least they didn’t get any smarter, or stronger. Actually, they seemed to be getting weaker. What had at first taken two or three blows at times now took only one, each shadow fading away after a single swipe of Legolie’s or Link’s Honorblades, or Levridum’s spear, or Fingolfin’s magic. Still, it was as tiring a fight as the elven queen had ever been in. The constant barrage of attacks from all sides was wearing down all of them down bit by bit. It was only a matter of time before someone made a mistake. And then it happened.
Legolie glanced over at Link as she took down a red-eyed shadow. She saw him stumble over a chunk of rubble and she turned to help him recover his balance. Thus, she failed to see the shadow that tackled her to the ground, knocking the sword out of her hand in the process. Link righted himself and rushed to help her, but he was blocked by more shadows. Legolie struggled with the creature, but it was single-mindedly intent on smashing her for her strikes to be effective. Suddenly, it was gone. The elven queen looked up to see Fingolfin, across the room, lowering his hands after the spell. Before he could react, a shadow leapt onto him, and then another, and another, until the elven general was lost under a writhing mass of dark shapes. Levridum’s spear struck one of the shadows in the back as Link and Legolie hurried in vain to reach their friend, but by the time they arrived it was far too late. Bitterly, they destroyed the shadows that had smashed their friend. As the group, now one member smaller, moved on to the next room, Legolie got a sudden feeling that Fingolfin would not be the only one smashed that day. Certainly, he had not been the first, not by a long shot, to be lost in this fight.
-last edited on Aug 30, 2017 21:36:19 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 30, 2017 21:35:50 GMT
Chapter 245
This close to the Well, the shadows were so thick that Graylin and Irya couldn’t walk more than a step or two without clearing half a dozen shadows first. Both were tiring, but they finally fought their way to the Well itself. Graylin blasted away a shadow as it tried to crawl out, “What now?”
“If what the Council told me is correct, I think we do this.” Irya plunged her Honorblade into the Well. There was a flash of light, but a dark light, a void that obscured everything. The blade shattered. The shadows reeled back for a few seconds. “I think it worked.”
Septimus arrived soon after, destroying a score of shadows with a wave of his hand. Gyr and Leinad, fighting back to back, found the room next. Irya told them what to do, and together they returned their blades to the Well.
When Skrag, Hithrol, and Alis arrived, the dragons having been unable to fit into the smaller passageways, they were met with weary faces, eager to get another step closer to being done with the entire ordeal. But Hithrol shook his head as Irya explained what they needed to do, “We need to keep some of them to fight Morath and destroy the Crown.” Everyone else agreed, slightly annoyed that they had forgotten this themselves.
The elves were next, somber and one member short. No one asked what had happened, because they all already knew the answer. Finally, the bandits arrived, having a significantly easier time than the others as only a few shadows remained in the deep tunnels and not many more above. Together, the ten remaining members of the group with magic abilities or magical weapons destroyed all the remaining shadows in the area.
