Open Chronicles Spiders in the Hall

[Tera Lynx]

On the road again.

A small wagon loaded with a few supplies and pulled by a single horse rattled its way along the packed dirt road. Little clouds of dust rose from the earth in the dry summer day but a cool mountain breeze blew it gently away and out of the eyes of the travelers.
The travelers were adventurers hired to handle some simple monster hunting. A nest of giant spiders was discovered in a nearby ruin that caused trouble for a small town and those who traveled through the area regularly.

The local adventurers guild set up a reward and encouraged anyone capable to form a party and go in and exterminate these monsters.
Tera Lynx sat in the back of the open wagon with the supplies. She had volunteered to come along as a doctor for the group, but she truly wanted to harvest several alchemical components from these giant spiders and these components required an expert hand to extract properly.
She looked about at her companions and took in their faces and appearances, as a doctor she had promised to take care of these people to the best of her abilities, she just hoped that they were as appreciative of her as she was of them, without these experienced people she could never complete this journey.

She wasn't a fighter in any sense of the world, but she had a good head on her shoulders and she could certainly handle most of the hardships that came with the territory of her work.
She was dressed in practical traveling clothes, it wouldn't make sense to wear a sterile apron or gloves on the dusty road, she had those packed away for when the need arose.
For now she turned to the person closest to her and decided to strike up conversation.

"Hi, we didn't really get a chance to meet at the guild hall. My name is Tera!"
She introduced herself cheerfully and put her hand out to shake.

 

[Lechies Delrio]

Lechies wouldn't say she appreciated the colder climes of Arethil, but an unfortunate consequence to being relatively well-traveled was that one tended to collect friends in all sorts of places, including the cold ones. Garreth was a fine friend despite his questionable fondness for Belgrath's icy streets, so two days ago, Lechies had bravely weathered the frigid path between the dwarven city and its portal stone to pay him a visit. He was delighted for the company, of course; Lechies suspected she heard every story he hadn't told since the last time she was here, and probably some he already did. She made sure to ask him for any recommended artificiers in the neighborhood so she could get her staff maintained, just so she could say she'd done something productive.

The morning of her departure, Lechies caught wind of some trouble that had befallen townsfolk in the forests at the base of the Spine. It sounded like a simple enough job, one that might benefit from the aid of a College-trained wizard, and the Greendawn's accountants were always glad when their agents found means to fill out their own purses. So, Lechies sent a bird ahead to let Dakota know she would be late to their meeting, and went to join her prospective allies. Dakota would be annoyed by the delay, but it wouldn't be the first time. He would live.

Lechies now sat at the rear of their band's little wagon, doing her best to squeeze her body between the backboard and a high crate filled with cargo that was unknown to her but smelled faintly of herbs. The sky was clear and cloudless, a deceptively peaceful blue, and their party visibly armed. Still, Lechies had some concern that highwaymen might be taken by a fit of undeserved courage and try to attack them anyway. She kept a close watch on their environs, knees tucked against her chest, staff leaned on her shoulder.

The hand that suddenly appeared in her frame of view startled Lechies out of her vigil. She recovered quickly, however, and returned the woman's smile. Lechies's hands were both gloved, the leather of fine make with silver thread forming runes in the palms. They shimmered gently in the light as she grasped the woman's hand.

"Well met, Tera. Lechies Delrio."

Lechies fidgeted slightly, wishing to stretch her legs but unable to do so without kicking either their supplies or the person sat across from her. She sighed, but her smile remained intact as she returned her attention to Tera.

"You mentioned you were a doctor, yes? I must admit, I'm rather surprised you asked to join us. Not that traveling doctors are rare, but most of the ones I've known to stride so eagerly into danger have some measure of martial talent themselves."

 

[Nycto]

Lechies Delrio Tera Lynx

Nycto stood near the front of the wagon, scanning the horizon. If the others were intent on relaxing near the back, that was fine with Nycto, but he wanted to remain on guard and scout out the area. Plus, his eyesight was far better than any of theirs.

Nycto had been hired for his... special skills. Namely, his proficiency at exterminating monsters. That was something Nycto was extremely good at. That was precisely why he had been hired, he was well known for exterminating droves of monsters. He was an excellent addition to the team.

The light touched his mask. He would have preferred to do this mission at night, there were less dangers, and he was far stronger at night, but he would have to make do with the situation, despite what he would prefer. He was dressed in his standard long sleeve clothes, completely dressed in black, with gloves on his hands and heavy boots on his feet. He was covered head to toe in clothing, no part of his body showing. His mask covered his face, completely hiding him.

Then, Nycto heard some voices behind him. He turned around and looked. The other members seemed to be introducing themselves. One of them definitely seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite but his finger on it.

"Hi, we didn't really get a chance to meet at the guild hall. My name is Tera!"

"If I had a bar of gold every time I met someone named Tera, I'd be rich." Nycto joked. He thought that he had met her before, but he wasn't exactly sure.

The other woman introduced herself as... Nycto didn't even know. He had no idea how to pronounce that. That was definitely a strange name.

"How do you pronounce that?" Nycto asked the woman with the hard to pronounce name.

"Right, I'm Nycto." He said, nodding. "I'll be your monster-killing extraordinaire for the day."

 

[Oleg]

In the wagon's far end was a massive, disembodied, semi-ethereal hand casually sitting there, its fingers partially balled up, seemingly holding something or someone within their grasp. The digits appeared biomechanical, their clawed fingertips exuding various psychedelic shades of yellow, orange, and ochre. It was...almost shiny, uncomfortably so at that atop of being deathly still in ways that only inanimate object could.

Then the appendage twitched, ever so slowly jolting its fingers to life. The individual joints moved one by one in an eerily spider-like fashion, giving the rest of the party but the bearest glimpses of a humanoid form hiding under the grotesque exterior. It was, in fact, a grown man that the hand was clutching, cleverly obscuring his presence.

He postured up from his fetal position, head nearly hitting the wagon's ceiling. Despite his best efforts, this dirty-blonde male couldn't fully straighten his back, remaining partially hunched due to unforeseen constraints.

He had a feral charm to him, a chiseled face, a strong jawline, hooded eyes, and a sharp chin, giving him a perpetually foxy expression. He wore an unassuming attire consisting of a sleeveless, fur-lined vest, baggy pants, and a pair of boots that reached halfway up his shins.

He yawned absentmindedly, slitted pupils lazily trailing across the wagon and its inhabitants, many of whom he had already seen but had little chances of appropriately greeting.

"Fuck, I must've slept in," mumbled the tall one, fingers combing through his hair only to further mess it up and reveal the slight widow's peak where his mane and forehead met. Snorting, he stole a glance at the massive, disembodied hand, its clutches still too close for comfort. With a wave, Oleg ordered it gone, and so it disappeared into thin air. With it no longer present, he moved freely and with surprising grace, taking cursory steps towards the trio.

"Why didn't you guys wake me up earlier? Am I missing out on something?" Inquired Oleg with no small amount of interest. Whether intentionally or not, his words came out sounding lazy and relaxed.

Tera was in his immediate vicinity, so he bent down, meeting her eye to eye. His were nearly glowing, with pulsating capillaries encircling the greenishly yellow irises. "Remind me, are you the group leader, or am I mixing up people? The hours spent slumbering have dulled out my senses," Oleg knocked himself on the back of his head, craning it sideways in a much oblivious fashion, "and the brain, for that matter."

Nycto
Lechies Delrio
Tera Lynx

 

[Igni Ymaranath Ythys]

Igni was no fighter. That she was no fighter was apparent from her appearance. Though her clothes were fit for travel, they were still lavishly embroidered and made from silks and satins and only the softest of leather. Practical first, but stylish and expensive by a very close second. And though she was only slightly taller than a regular lady she was also much, much wider. Where she sat she took up more than enough space for two people. She was so big people ignored the crystal blue eyes or pointed ears. They usually ignored the jewels hanging from her ears and fingers and draped over her chest. Even her hair, long, raven black, drew no comments. All people spoke of was her immensity.

And she didn’t mind in the slightest.

She sat at the front of the wagon but in the centre, facing backwards. Nycto was in the driver’s seat but most of the others were before her. She watched in silence as they introduced themselves, plump lips smiling softly. Enjoying the company though she’d not yet exchanged any words. She might have answered that colourful creature emerging from the hand as if it were a womb, though he soon bent over to speak to Tera. So she kept her silence, for the moment.

 

[Arnor Skuldsson]

Arnor's present company wasn't making him feel particularly.... safe.

A lavishly dressed... heavier set woman sat near him. A man who used some sort of charm to obscure his presence, and a smaller man in a mask. A very small man, in fact. Which caused Arnor to raise a brow about him boasting about being a 'monster killer extraordinaire'.

Rarely, he found, that boasts such as those were compounded with experience. At least, hefty experience. It was something that Arnor had plenty of.

A redheaded wizard spoke to the leader of their party, a doctor, first. He glanced around the carriage, the largest and most quiet of them all. His features were distinct of his people. But he kept his human form for the obvious reasons, and he quietly stared out into the outside world, of which he could only somewhat see.

It was his time to speak, after everyone had said their piece- save for the lavish woman.

"I am Arnor, son of Skuld."

 

[Abrielle Huxley]

Abrielle sat with her knees to her chest in the corner at the back of the wagon. Her spear leaned against the corner, rattling occasionally as the wagon hit bumps.

She looked around at her traveling compainions distrustfully. A small kid in a mask claiming to be a "monster hunting extraordinaire". A large heavyset woman who didn't seem to have a lick martial talent judging by the look of her. Then there was a giant musclebound man - a Nordenfiir Abrielle thought she remembered them being called.

The only ones who seemed remotely normal were the two women sitting nearby. A mage and a doctor by the sounds of it. Abrielle decided she would have to stick with them as they seemed the most normal out of the bunch.

Abrielle grabbed her spear and leaned it against her shoulder. Glaring at the people around her, she hugged the spear. Weren't they there yet? This was taking forever!

 

[Tera Lynx]

"Well met, Tera. Lechies Delrio."

Lechies fidgeted slightly, wishing to stretch her legs but unable to do so without kicking either their supplies or the person sat across from her. She sighed, but her smile remained intact as she returned her attention to Tera.

"You mentioned you were a doctor, yes? I must admit, I'm rather surprised you asked to join us. Not that traveling doctors are rare, but most of the ones I've known to stride so eagerly into danger have some measure of martial talent themselves."

"Likewise, well met miss Delrio!" She responded brightly at the reciprocated greeting, matching her smile.
"Indeed, I am a doctor. I know this is usually a job reserved for warriors and hunters, I'll admit I don't know the first thing about combat. Honestly the medicinal properties of giant spiders is what drew me to this mission..." She admitted with a nervous adjustment of her glasses,
But I'm sure my skills will come in handy should anyone get hurt!" She finished with a confident grin, assured in her skills to tend to any wound no matter how severe.

"If I had a bar of gold every time I met someone named Tera, I'd be rich."

Even if he didn't recognize her, there was no mistaking that mask on anyone else. She knew for sure when he introduced himself as Nycto, but she remembered as soon as she saw him and joined their group. It was another adventuring group, a noble building an expedition to a newly discovered island and she had been hired on... But they had a run in at another point... She suppressed a shudder remembering carnage in a dark alley, blissful unconsciousness, and waking up in a strange place amongst strange people.
But she smiled as he introduced himself, "Well met, sir Nycto! I do believe we've met before, an expedition team wasn't it?"
She was actually enjoying herself, it wasn't often she got to interact with people and she was often uncomfortable in groups, but her time on the road had somewhat mellowed out that introverted tendency.

"Fuck, I must've slept in," mumbled the tall one, fingers combing through his hair only to further mess it up and reveal the slight widow's peak where his mane and forehead met. Snorting, he stole a glance at the massive, disembodied hand, its clutches still too close for comfort. With a wave, Oleg ordered it gone, and so it disappeared into thin air. With it no longer present, he moved freely and with surprising grace, taking cursory steps towards the trio.

"Why didn't you guys wake me up earlier? Am I missing out on something?" Inquired Oleg with no small amount of interest. Whether intentionally or not, his words came out sounding lazy and relaxed.

Tera was in his immediate vicinity, so he bent down, meeting her eye to eye. His were nearly glowing, with pulsating capillaries encircling the greenishly yellow irises. "Remind me, are you the group leader, or am I mixing up people? The hours spent slumbering have dulled out my senses," Oleg knocked himself on the back of his head, craning it sideways in a much oblivious fashion, "and the brain, for that matter."

She was caught off guard by the disembodied hand, she hadn't noticed it before but she knew they had another companion. He was groggy as if he'd just been sleeping, that hand must have formed around him after they had started off.
He approached her walking across the cart and brought his incredible height down so he could be uncomfortably face to face with her... And the single thought that blipped through her mind before it went blank was, '... He's really tall...'

With his face so close and his catlike eyes burning through the blue of her own eyes she blinked and floundered awkwardly.
"Oh... Um... Hi! I mean, hello!" She managed to squeak out, scooting back in her seat slightly to give herself a little more space to breath. How do guys get this tall and muscular?!
"N-no! I'm... I'm not the leader, d-definitely not! Just a doctor, ya know? A r-regular doctor..." She gave a nervous laugh that she hoped would come out more lighthearted.
It's not that he made her uncomfortable... Well, he DID make her uncomfortable but not in a bad way? Normally she only got that close to someone on an operation table... And he was so close and REALLY tall!

But his eyes did catch her attention, slit pupils, almost catlike. She absently wondered if that gave him good dark vision which was a chain of thoughts that served to ground her and allowed her to recover some of her scattered senses.
"You have very pretty eyes... I've never seen the like before on a humanoid..."

There was a larger woman with them which she acknowledged. Tera had no idea what to make of her, though it would make sense if she were another magic user, could never have too many people who could cast spells.

"I am Arnor, son of Skuld."

She nodded to the man sitting up front with Nycto. He was another obscenely large man, she sorta wondered how their wagon wasn't buckling under everyone's weight.
"Well met, sir Arnor. I'm grateful to have you with us!" She called up to the front with a cheerful wave.
Anyone that old, with that physique, must really know what they're doing when it comes to fighting... Or at least, what she assumed to be his age. With the progressive ways some people procreate it was difficult to tell who in the world might be gifted with immortality or general longevity, as a doctor she's had to learn how to treat such people as they seemed to be growing in popularity in the world, at least to the point that it was actually a medical course in the school she attended.

Perhaps he wasn't even human, perhaps none of them were, that was also always a possibility that she had to consider as a doctor for this group. Different races sometimes required different treatment methods.

And lastly there was the female mercenary who also stayed quiet. Tera gave her a slight smile but decided to leave her be, she seemed impatient to get the job done and move on.

As the wagon rattled on they came to a stream spanned by a stone bridge that was obviously of dwarven craft, the stones were expertly hewn and placed with keen precision. It was a sturdy bridge and as they rattled across the stream Tera couldn't resist leaning against the side of the wagon and staring into the clear moving water. She noticed a few dark shapes of fish darting their way upstream.
She loved traveling, sure she could do without the danger but nature really made her feel at peace.

 

[Lechies Delrio]

(ooc: I'm assuming Lechies caught everyone else's names before they left the guild. Please let me know if you don't want that to be the case!)

"But I'm sure my skills will come in handy should anyone get hurt!"

Tera's confident cheer was infectious, and Lechies's own smile strengthened. "Well, hopefully none of us gets hurt, but your presence is appreciated all the same."

Right, the line about harvesting reagents from the spiders rang familiar. It wasn't a bad idea, really; if there were enough of the creatures, and their group managed to eliminate them all, then perhaps Lechies could secure a sample of her own. She had little talent in alchemy, but a select few colleagues from the Greendawn Academy might make use of their venom sacs.

"How do you pronounce that?"

Lechies's attention turned towards one of the party's more, ah, unusual-looking members (though far from the only). Nycto's pale hair was a stark contrast to the dark clothes, and even more of a curious accessory was the full mask. She wondered at the reason for his wearing it. A facial disfigurement, earned while hunting monsters?

She repeated her name, this time exaggerating the syllables. "LE-chies Del-RIO." Her smile was friendly as she answered him, impressed by how he easily kept his balance on the moving wagon.

Lechies fell back into silence as the others exchanged brief words -- or not -- and swept a thoughtful eye over the rest of the wagon.

Not far from her scrunched position, the enormous hand unfolded, letting its occupant out. Both it and its owner had startled her at first, but he seemed to have a carefree spirit, so any initial fear had quickly faded in favor of curiosity. By now, Lechies was mainly intrigued by what discipline of magic Oleg had studied to be able to control such a fascinating construct. A branch of summoning, she assumed.

The woman, Igni, appeared to be a wizard too. She carried herself as confidently as Tera on this excursion despite her lack of visible weapons or armor. Not even mentioning that her build was rather unlike that of a traditional warrior's...

Especially when compared to Arnor, seemingly the warrior of warriors. Sturdy from head to feet, a quiet but dependable type. He reminded Lechies strongly of Dakota, though without the rural Allirian accent.

"Well met, indeed, Arnor," she replied politely, a smile still on her lips.

The other warrior among them could not be more different from him. Lechies had been surprised to learn that Abrielle was a melee fighter when her slight stature was closer to Lechies and Tera's. But she did move with the discipline of a trained soldier, so Lechies shelved her concern. In the end, each of them were here by their own wills, trusting in their own abilities to emerge victorious from peril.

All told, Lechies was greatly pleased with such an interesting assortment of allies. This was why she traveled the realm, and took on quests beyond the ones assigned to her by the Greendawners -- the opportunity to meet even a few of the many, varied souls who walked Arethil, and bask in what made them all unique. Time would tell if she still felt the same way once they had to contend with the giant spiders, but for now, she was satisfied.

As they came over a bridge, Lechies tried to place the stream's location -- and their location -- in her mind, but failed.

"How much further to the ruins?"

She'd lost track of who had their map.

 

[Oleg]

She was caught off guard by the disembodied hand, she hadn't noticed it before but she knew they had another companion. He was groggy as if he'd just been sleeping, that hand must have formed around him after they had started off.
He approached her walking across the cart and brought his incredible height down so he could be uncomfortably face to face with her... And the single thought that blipped through her mind before it went blank was, '... He's really tall...'

With his face so close and his catlike eyes burning through the blue of her own eyes she blinked and floundered awkwardly.
"Oh... Um... Hi! I mean, hello!" She managed to squeak out, scooting back in her seat slightly to give herself a little more space to breath. How do guys get this tall and muscular?!
"N-no! I'm... I'm not the leader, d-definitely not! Just a doctor, ya know? A r-regular doctor..." She gave a nervous laugh that she hoped would come out more lighthearted.
It's not that he made her uncomfortable... Well, he DID make her uncomfortable but not in a bad way? Normally she only got that close to someone on an operation table... And he was so close and REALLY tall!

But his eyes did catch her attention, slit pupils, almost catlike. She absently wondered if that gave him good dark vision which was a chain of thoughts that served to ground her and allowed her to recover some of her scattered senses.
"You have very pretty eyes... I've never seen the like before on a humanoid..."

Tera was a fidgety lady, and Oleg caught wind of that, posturing up as much as he could without bumping his head against the wagon's wooden ceiling. She was tiny by comparison to him, a fact he readily akacknowledgeTo accommodate, he took two steps back, giving Tera some necessary breathing space.

"A doctor?" He cocked an eyebrow, curiously eyeing the girl's features. She was pretty but admittingly ditzy and skittish, compelling Oleg to prod her, hoping to extract further reactions. "That's a noble profession if I've ever seen one," joked the male, relaxing his hooded eyes, which quickly lost their supernatural glint. Still, they were as sharp as ever, locking themselves onto Tera's feminine frame.

"I too studied anatomy...for reasons other than helping people." After much consideration, it crossed his mind that the girl wasn't retaining eye contact throughout the duration of their conversation but was instead focused on his height and physique, ogling fearfully. His lips curled upwards into a goofy grin, showcasing Oleg's larger-than-average canine teeth, four in total, two for each jaw.

"Thanks for the compliment, pipsqueak," Oleg brought his dish-plate-sized hand upon Tera's head, enveloping it with his long fingers, not unlike a child holding their favorite toy. For a moment, it looked as if he could remove Tera's head with an insignificant amount of effort. Instead, Oleg ruffled her hair, passing by to get a better picture of the group's remaining members.

"I'll make sure to return it." One playful wink later, and his attention no longer rested solely on Terra but was instead equally distributed amongst the wagon's inhabitants.

"Well, this looks like a group of fun-loving people, amirite?" It was more of a rhetorical than an honest question that escaped his lips. Half of his soon-to-be partners exuded an aura of stoicism. Oleg momentarily found himself worrying about their verbal capabilities.

"Quick disclaimer, I know little in regards to hunting monsters, and I am no adventurer by profession, not yet at least." Oleg awkwardly scratched the back of his head, eyes resting on the northerner, a broad, hairy, bearded man who had so far uttered a total of few words.

"Some of my living relatives and now deceased ancestors have dabbled in the arcane, as have I, which is not to say that I know much about non-supernatural critters as they've never been a point of interest to me."

"What I'm trying to say is that one or multiple of you will have to give me an in-depth explanation of our monster-hunting objective." Oleg could've sworn that his statement elicited more than one sideways glance. "I have little to no idea who or what we are supposed to kill and for what reason."

Arnor Skuldsson
Lechies Delrio

 

[Nycto]

Oleg Lechies Delrio Tera Lynx Abrielle Huxley Arnor Skuldsson Igni Ymaranath Ythys

"Well met, sir Nycto! I do believe we've met before, an expedition team wasn't it?"

Nycto shrugged. "Maybe. You do seem familiar, I just can't remember where we've met before." He said. Of course, that was a lie. He did remember her. It wasn't the first time they had met under strange circumstances.

Then, the others began to introduce themselves, and began talking amongst one another. For now, Nycto remained at the front, standing up, letting the others introduce themselves and chit-chat as they made their way towards their destination. Nycto had never really been one for socializing.

"LE-chies Del-RIO."

Nycto nodded. "I'll try to remember that, names aren't really my strong suit." He replied, memorizing the name in his head. That one wasn't a lie, he actually did have trouble with names and being able to assign a name to a person's face.

"I am Arnor, son of Skuld."

Nycto chuckled. "Man of few words, aren't ya, big guy?" Nycto asked him. Nycto liked this man. He could practically smell the secrecy and mysteriousness around him. There definitely was something strange about him.

"What I'm trying to say is that one or multiple of you will have to give me an in-depth explanation of our monster-hunting objective."

"Our objective is simple. Go in, eradicate a nest of spiders in a ruin, get out. Standard operation, should be a breeze." Nycto told him. He had been on countless expeditions like this, tasked with eradicating monsters. Hopefully this one wouldn't be too different.

"We're getting close anyway. I can already smell our monster friends." Nycto said. Nycto had far better senses than most of the other members of the party, and spiders gave off a very distinct smell.

 

[Arnor Skuldsson]

A mouthy bunch.

The discontent with the amount of talking between the party was present on Arnor's face.

He was here to kill monsters, get paid, find a woman, drink, and leave.

One boasted about smelling the spiders.

Of course. But Arnor knew not to rely on a single sense. Spiders smelled nearby were not an indication they were close. That- and the light of day touched the surface. Spiders tended to not enjoy the sun, much like many other monsters.

Arnor thumbed the axe on his belt, carrying his twin swords. One silver and steel, one made by the Dwarven smiths at Belgrath. A truly well crafted pair of swords- one for the ethereal and other worldly, and one for the more corporeal threats of the world.

Arnor said nothing still, seemingly irate with the constant yapping of the party.

 

[Igni Ymaranath Ythys]

The cart lurched on the rocky road, and Igni found herself nearly thrown off her seat. Ideally she would have used magic to steady herself but her hands whipped out regardless, grabbing Arnor by his belt. Then the cart lurched the other way and she found herself being flung back in her seat.

“Sorry, Arnor,” she said to the mountain of a man beside her, as she untangled her little fingers form his belt. “I am Igni, by the way. A magician.”

She figured she ought to tell someone her name. And Arnor had just shared his. Still, she now felt particularly awkward, despite herself. Damn but how she hated carts and carriages. Much better to fly, but up there the company wasn’t so good.

Here she was at least amused by their prattlings and boastings and jokes. To Igni, being around these sort was like watching children play.

The only one who didn’t come across like a child was Arnor. In fact, going from his sour expression, he came across as an annoyed parent. Igni grunted in repressed laughter when she saw it.

“Not your usual choice for company?” she said.

 

[Arnor Skuldsson]

Arnor looked over at the woman accompanying him, who posed a question.

"No."

He replied, rather curtly.

 

[Tera Lynx]

"Our objective is simple. Go in, eradicate a nest of spiders in a ruin, get out. Standard operation, should be a breeze."

She nodded, in agreement, "Yeah, that's a pretty good summation. Although I do request a bit of material acquisition in the process, as I mentioned there are several useful parts of the spiders that I would like to harvest."
She rested her head on her elbow on the side of the cart and looked back at the group.
"I believe Mr Arnor has the road map to the site, thus he's the driver. I think the guild master said the cartographers only managed to map about half the ruin before the spiders moved in, and that was with the protection of monster hunters who cleared it out originally."
She took her canteen from her belt and took a gulp before stoppering it and putting it back.

"We probably have a few hours if I read it right after a cursory glance. We should easily be done with this mission in one day if we survive the journey, especially with all of your skills combined!" She added cheerfully... Which was a bit draining for her... She didn't like being the center of attention if it wasn't in an operating room saving a life, or at least talking about medicine or something similar like biology or some of the other sciences.
She looked back out of the cart into the forest as the cart neared the end of the bridge, hoping to quietly fade out of the conversation and not reveal any of her societal awkwardness.

Abrielle Huxley

 

[Arnor Skuldsson]

Theme


The cart stopped, Arnor being the first to dismount. He adjusted the weaponry on him- the silver blade he carried, his axe, and the well-crafted sword he pulled from it's sheath.

He listened for a long while, turning to the horses. With a mighty swing of his sword- he cut them loose, letting them scamper off into the woods, turning to face the cart.

"They are upon us."

And true to his word, the click-clack of pincers and the soft taps of many legs came out of the woodwork. Arnor twirled his sword, getting into a defensive stance. There was no need for the horses to remain with the cart- after all, the amount of spiders coming to them was more than enough to overwhelm most, and the horses would've been eaten, or worse, suffered and died somewhere else. As inconvienent as it was, it was more prudent and kind to cut them loose.

The spiders were more than what Arnor had imagined- and had ventured beyond their supposed cave, into the forest. Arnor realized the need for such an undertaking- any longer and the spiders, as fast as they bred, would spell destruction for nearby towns, wildlife, and the delicate act of peasants providing for themselves.

And an army of hungry, territorial spiders was certainly something that would cause problems. Famine, disease, and eventually conflict from the first two.

But all that mattered little.

The cart, as packed as it was with would-be heroes and mercenaries, was being set upon by nearly 40 large, man-eating spiders, at least by Arnor's rough guess.

Arnor, a staunch professional, said nothing else, but began to engage the enemy, driving his sword directly between the pincers of a leaping spider, kicking it off his blade with a blood-curdling scream, a rage-induced bellow that only a Nordenfiir of his caliber could produce.

And thus, the fight was on. The mercenaries and the monsters. A tale as old as time.

 

[Nycto]

Arnor Skuldsson Tera Lynx Igni Ymaranath Ythys Oleg Lechies Delrio Abrielle Huxley

Suddenly, the cart stopped, and the big man jumped out. Nycto jumped out soon after him, looking around and observing the area. Then, he heard it, the clicking and tapping of the spiders. Looks like instead the spiders had come to them...

"They are upon us."

"Yeah... Told you they were nearby." He said, pulling out his sharp, gleaming dagger. It might not be as big or as flashy as the big man's sword, but it certainly was enough.

Then, Nycto saw them. The spiders approached the cart, chittering and clicking. They were quite massive, and there seemed to be a good amount of them. Actually, quite a lot of them... They seemed to have surrounded the cart.

Then, suddenly, the big man yelled loudly, and charged into battle. Nycto shrugged and sighed. Then, he charged in after the big man, attacking the spiders. Using his dagger, he quickly and efficiently began to slice through the spiders, cutting off their legs in quick strokes, spiders crumpling as he cut through their ranks.

Today was going to be a fun day.

 

[Lechies Delrio]

Lechies let the others' chatter wash over her as she returned to her observation of their surroundings. The rattle of the wheels beneath them changed, bridge stone giving way to dirt road once more, and-

The cart rolled to a halt.

They were not yet at their destination. A forewarning prickle ran down the back of Lechies's neck, and the sensation of imminent danger only deepened as Arnor put his feet on the ground, followed shortly by Nycto. Lechies gripped her staff as she cautiously rose from her seat, not yet leaving the wagon.

In the sudden quiet, what she had assumed was the faint rustling of wind through branches quickly revealed itself to be the hungry marching beat of their quarry -- though, to see the pack of giant spiders closing in on them now like a noose, one might have wondered who the true prey was.

Steel flashed, trailing brightly-colored innards in their wake. Lechies remained stood at the back line. She chanted under her breath; silver light spilled into the shape of a complex glyph before her palm, its a melodious hum echoing as similar larger glyphs lit above each of her companions' heads. Gray would begin to crawl over their flesh, the Stoneskin spell hardening it to guard against the spiders' deadly bites.

 

[Oleg]

"Huh, what's going on?" wondered Oleg, aloud, seeing half of his crewmates evacuate the wagon with alarming quickness. He heard shouting, the drawing of weapons, and most importantly, screeching of non-human origin.

The tall male stuck his head through the wagon's only entry point just in time to see Arnor striking down the first of their many arachnid adversaries. There were dozens of them pouring from each direction, spiders of variable shapes and sizes, but none smaller than a medium-sized dog. Oleg shuddered at their numbers, wondering why and how they hid so successfully in plain sight, only to be interrupted a split second later when one of them lunged at his head, fangs bared and poised to kill.

Midway through his thought, Oleg saw it descending upon him. Mustering the quicksilver processing speed of his brain, Oleg winded his arm, feeling the magical energy concentrated within it. Without warning, he let loose of that power, launching a terrifying and unpredictable blow towards the arachnid just as its legs were about to graze his body.

The creature's thorax erupted into a shower of white goop and squishy giblets, penetrated on both ends by Oleg's spear-handed strike. Still, it commanded enough life force within its shutting frame to try and bite Oleg, failing miserably as the man poured more magic into that area, turning the patch of skin impervious to piercing damage.

"Yuck. I'm gonna need a shower and new clothes after this," mused the male, lips rising like a pair of curtains to expose a grin. It reeked of excitement. And although Oleg's vest might've been sleeveless, his violent offensive inadvertently caused the spider's lifeblood to splash all over his clothed chest and fur-lined sleeves.

"Oy, guys, look at the big one! We should kill it first." His shouting overpowered the battle cries of his colleagues and the auditory rampage produced by half-a-dozen screeching spiders. Oleg was pointing to the arachnid that spearheaded the rest of its misbegotten brethren. A massive, two meters tall bundle of hairy, greenish limbs. It looked no different than a mind-bogglingly large and colorful wolf spider, prowling with grace even amidst the battlefield.

"Must be their boss, huh," thought Oleg as the "boss" stopped dead in its tracks, turning sharply to stare right into his soul with a pair of perfectly round front-facing eyes. Their shape, size, and nearly light-absorbent blackness would've been enough to make any average man question their choice of profession as a monster hunter.

Arnor Skuldsson
Lechies Delrio
Nycto
Abrielle Huxley
Tera Lynx
Igni Ymaranath Ythys

 

[Igni Ymaranath Ythys]

"Yuck. I'm gonna need a shower and new clothes after this," mused the male

"Me too," Igni said. Little fleks of spider guts had flecked her otherwise immaculate travelling clothes. At the sight of all the spiders she stood reluctantly, sighing like a lazy nanny who had to rise from rest to chastise children.

"Oy, guys, look at the big one! We should kill it first."

It seemed like a fair assumption, so Igni grasped the driver's bench and hauled herself into a standing position on her own seat. It wasn't easy to move about at her size. Every action needed to be deliberate. But from here she had a good vantage point. She raised her hands and magic runes swirled around them. A gap about the size of a marble appeared between the runes, and from it gushed a jet of burning fluid.

The flames were blue, and scorching hot, even for those not in direct contact with it. It sprayed directly towards the giant spider and for a moment Igni lost sight of it in the streaming inferno. But when she cut off her magic it was still there, burning in blue, licking flames.

But the flames didn't seem to stop it. It squealed loudly and stumbled forwards, blinded by the fire and enraged by the pain, still looking to kill.

"Hmm," Igni said, and watched to see what would happen.

 

[Arnor Skuldsson]

(Let's keep it moving!)

Arnor wasn't intent on talking- like some of the others gathered. He stepped forward, his left foot lashing out, and his body spinning- he cleaved the mandibles of the bigger spider clean off, and with a pivot and in-step, he jabbed his sword deep into it's head, killing it near-instantly.

The combined efforts of the party rendered the attack feeble, the spiders retreating in a screech of fear and loss, the many legs of the beasts clicking away, slinking back into the forest undergrowth where they seemingly appeared from.

As the flames died out, burning what little fuel they had in the colder air, Arnor turned to the group, clutching his sword tightly. Arnor rotated his sword, blood from the spiders littering the ground. A clean sword was actually a better-cutting sword, not to mention more hygienic.

Arnor wasn't impressed by the party's antics, and checked the map. The map wasn't particularly useful- it only showed the direct routes that they could take that lead up to the recent attacks. The actual lair of the beasts was unknown- after all, any forest worth it's salt had it's fair share of dark secrets that it needed to keep.

Arnor was just intent on finding out what this one had. Crouching near the marks that the spiders left, he closed his eyes. He needed to track them, and like all game, spiders left a trail. It was hard to tell, what with their many legs, the exact direction of it all, or how many were left. But the blood trails were easy to follow...

And thus, Arnor skulked away, closely following the blood trail with his eyes and nose.

 

[Nycto]

Nycto continued to slash and plunge his dagger through the ranks of the spiders, working alongside Arnor Skuldsson to eliminate all of the spiders. The big man was a strong, heavy hitter, and he clearly had a lot of experience.

As Nycto stabbed into another spider, he noticed that some of the other members were starting to turn a weird grey stone color. He could sense magic coming from Lechies Delrio , noticing that she was chanting quietly. He also noticed some weird glyphs appearing over their heads. Strange. Nycto continued on, slicing through. He wasn't sure how the protection spell would work on him, since he didn't exactly have skin.

"Yuck. I'm gonna need a shower and new clothes after this,"

"Suck it up, buttercup!" Nycto shouted, ripping open a spider. Blood and guts spewed out of the spider, as he continued tearing it open. Once he was satisfied, he continued on, searching for another spider to kill.

As he plunged his dagger into another spider, a horde of smaller, tiny spiders erupted from the dead spider. It had babies... great... Nycto began to stomp, crushing the rat-sized baby spiders. "Damn baby spiders!"

Then, a burst of flame flew past him. Nycto physically recoiled from it. Fire... he hated fire. He turned, and saw that the fire had come from Igni Ymaranath Ythys . He was starting to dislike her.

As Nycto killed off the rest of the baby spiders, he saw that Arnor had killed the big spider, and the rest of the spiders were retreating. He also noticed that Arnor was now sneaking off, following a blood trail. Nycto shrugged, and followed after him happily into the forest. What fun!

 

[Tera Lynx]

Things went to hell really quick... Like, super quick... Far quicker than she ever imagined. One minute they were having a good time of awkward but healthy conversation, and the next people were jumping out of the wagon to fight spiders, casting spells and throwing fire around! She was even thrown for a loop when her own skin turned grey and hard like a rock.
Everyone saw an opportunity and jumped into combat. So, Tera did what any sensible doctor would do. She ducked her head down and hid in the bottom of the cart. Spider gore flew everywhere and even she couldn't escape a healthy dose of it on her cloak that she covered herself with.

From outside she heard her companions calling to each other as they fought the spiders, apparently there was a big one that might have been leading them? oh, it's dead now... Maybe she would have the chance to harvest some of them before they take off again.
Things went back to fairly quiet almost as quickly as the excitement started. She peaked up from behind the cart wall to see what was going on.
"Are they gone? Is everyone alright?"

 

[Oleg]

"Me too," Igni said. Little fleks of spider guts had flecked her otherwise immaculate travelling clothes. At the sight of all the spiders she stood reluctantly, sighing like a lazy nanny who had to rise from rest to chastise children.



It seemed like a fair assumption, so Igni grasped the driver's bench and hauled herself into a standing position on her own seat. It wasn't easy to move about at her size. Every action needed to be deliberate. But from here she had a good vantage point. She raised her hands and magic runes swirled around them. A gap about the size of a marble appeared between the runes, and from it gushed a jet of burning fluid.

The flames were blue, and scorching hot, even for those not in direct contact with it. It sprayed directly towards the giant spider and for a moment Igni lost sight of it in the streaming inferno. But when she cut off her magic it was still there, burning in blue, licking flames.

But the flames didn't seem to stop it. It squealed loudly and stumbled forwards, blinded by the fire and enraged by the pain, still looking to kill.

"Hmm," Igni said, and watched to see what would happen.

Oleg watched her with interest as the fire streamed forward. He bent sideways, dodging the initial onslaught before jumping up and away from the wagon, landing feet first onto a spiderling litter.

"Impressive!" he concurred, referring to Igni's magical display. She did well to incinerate the eight-legged creatures, more than what the rest of them did through their combined effort. The chubby woman outdid him in one swoop, and he wasn't the type to let it slide.

Oleg uprooted a fist-sized hunk of granite from the loose soil, brushing it off to momentarily gauge its adequacy. Once satisfied, the male crushed it, reducing the solid mass to a handful of evenly sized pebbles.

He clasped his palms around it, tipping his whole body back in much the same manner a baseball pitcher would. "This should do the work," Oleg thought to himself as he infused the individual fragments with his augmentative magic.

His whole frame whipped forward, generating rotational force from feet up. The pebbles were gone in a second's fraction, released from Oleg's grasp to form a buckshot cluster that whistled sharply as it tore through the air.

Those spiderlings closest to him practically disappeared, reduced either to puddles of gore or hole-ridden carcasses. Annihilated were the attackers, but also a few unfortunate tree-trunks that found themselves in Oleg's immediate vicinity. They too, suffered irreparable damage, peppered on both ends with dozens of tiny, sap-leaking holes.

"Suck it up, buttercup!" Nycto shouted, ripping open a spider. Blood and guts spewed out of the spider, as he continued tearing it open. Once he was satisfied, he continued on, searching for another spider to kill.

"That's awfully rich coming from you. You have more make-up on that face of yours than all the women in our party put together."

Things went back to fairly quiet almost as quickly as the excitement started. She peaked up from behind the cart wall to see what was going on.
"Are they gone? Is everyone alright?"

"I am a-okay," responded Oleg, giving her a half-hearted thumbs up. "Can't say the same for my clothes, or them," pointed the man, gesturing at the clumps of wet exoskeleton that used to be spiders. "What about you, scared of spiders?" Oleg took a jab at Terra's lack of engagement. She was seemingly the only non-combatant amongst their team of rag-tag adventurer wannabes.

That, and he had little better to do now that he experienced the "danger" that the spiders posed and lack thereof, choosing to treat their presence as an afterthought.

"Say, do spiders get this big normally or? They aren't very strong, but the size is mind-boggling."

 

[Arnor Skuldsson]

(Post order be damned, don't want people to get stuck.)

Arnor crouched near one of the corpses of the spiders, examining it with a squint. An experienced monster-hunter in his own right, Arnor had encountered plenty of spiders. Most reached the size of a child, and the females, once experienced and well-fed, could reach about the size of a horse.

These, however, were nearly the size of men.

With a scowl, he continued trekking, until stopping. The tracks abruptly went downward, into a dry creekbed. Arnor vaulted down first- landing with a heavy thud. A telltale sign of his true nature, was that he sounded much heavier than he appeared.

The spiders, the wounded ones, were still visible, hurriedly scraping along into a divergent in the creekbed, which lead to an unnaturally large cave opening. It was too perfect. Cave formations like that would've taken thousands of years to form, especially with such a small element of water eroding the soil and rock.

He rotated the sword in his hand, turning his head. Perhaps the big man did have a point earlier.

These spider were unnaturally large.

Arnor was the first to venture into the mouth of the cave, leading the party inward. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a small vial of a yellow liquid. There was a thin piece of glass in the center, and after removing the cap and breaking it by pinching his fingers, the vial began to glow. It was a small chemical reaction that he picked up in his travels, far in the reaches of the deserts. They were used mostly in festivals to keep the night well-lit without the danger of fire, when water was not abundant.

He lead them into the cave, but found himself staring at a wall. The blood trail ended at the wall. The wall smelled oddly of sulfur and allspice.

Magic.

Out of his element.

"I suppose we can rule out natural spiders. And- I hope one of us knows how to defeat a magical barrier."

The wall was tangible- it felt like real stone, and Arnor was unable to push onto it. Out of the mages in the group, he hoped at least one would be able to help.