Roll, roll, roll on ze plains
Lantern Year 15 for Draco Vita:
Undomiel was getting nervous. Without Cassie, the team was weakened, and it was not that he didn’t mind taking a new hunter out to face the dangers. It was more a concern that he was running out of time. There was no ideal candidate to wield the Black Sword.
The Hunters gathered, they needed to destroy another Spidicules. The creatures were starting to return in greater numbers and Draco Vita would not allow their bitter enemy to grow too strong. Undomiel gathered the others and they set out. There was sightings of a large Spidicules stalking the denizens of Alter Lumina. This simply would not stand.
A small copse of trees rise over an otherwise lifeless plain. Enticing red fruit hangs from the branches. The group stops and began to gorge themselves on fruit. Undomiel was the first to realize that they won’t stop eating willingly. With a call, he rallied his hunters and they slowly managed to leave the trees and their dangerous fruit behind.
The glow of the survivors’ lanterns blur, forming trails of light behind them. Suddenly they stop. They’re standing in the nest of their quarry. Undomiel blinks, confused, and quietly signals to the hunters. They get into position.
Showdown Quarry (Spidicules level 3)
This creature was ancient, but needed dealt with. A Spidicules allowed to age, allowed to gain the height of their power couldn’t be tolerated, not so close to the Settlement. They were ready, Alta was young and inexperienced but she had three veteran hunters beside her. The battle would be chaos, but they came as conquerors not prey.
They soon learned that they couldn’t be heroes with bravery alone. The Spidicules was cunning, powerful, it fought with an uncanny intelligence. Using its incredible speed to stay away, catching the hunters only when they were vulnerable or isolated. The Survivors fought to keep the spawning Spiderlings at bay but just as soon as they dispatched them, more would emerge.
Charade turned and found himself buried beneath the sharp unrelenting teeth of Spiderlings. His armor was broken in seconds, his blades resisted, striking back until one managed to leap onto his arm. The weight of the creature pulled his arm out of socket, its teeth biting deep into his hand. Charade cried out, killing the creature but he was surrounded now. Undomiel rushed to his aid, cutting down the infant monsters, from the side Orson charged smashing them against his shield. Charade had been spared a grisly fate, but his wounds were deep.
Alta was caught between the Spidicules and its offspring. She jammed her spear through the tiny beasts but was caught by their Broodmother. It’s claws tore through her, disemboweling her as she fell to the ground. She screamed out, hoping her fellow hunters were nearby. By luck she was spared the maws of hungry beasts. Undomiel and Charade swept in clearing the monsters out one by one. Undomiel huffed, already two of his Hunters were seriously wounded, and Orson’s strength was waning. He needed to act fast.
Undomiel looked up to discover he was in the shadow of the monster. It’s strange stalk attempted to impale him, yet he narrowly dodged. This monster recognized his strength. Undomiel was the last thing holding their team together. His grip tightened on his weapon. He would not give up, he would not give in. He stepped in under the shadow of the beast, screaming with fury. His axe bit deep into its twisted body, lopping one of its hideous limbs off. The Monster gave a horrific pained cry and shuddered, the blow had staggered it. Undomiel stepped closer, anger kept his hands tight on the haft of his weapon. A tremendous hand-like appendage swiped and sent Undomiel rolling over the forest floor. He gasped hard, the wind was knocked from him. He rolled, trying to pull himself to his feet but couldn't.
Spiderlings hurled themselves upon the already weakened Charade and Alta. A stray swipe broke Alta’s jaw and a headbutt smashed into Charade’s pelvis, breaking his hip. The two fell and the Spiderlings swarmed.
Undomiel got to his feet. He needed to distract the creatures. He leapt into the fray, drawing the Spiderlings attention as he bounded for their mother. The Spidicules screeched, calling out to her soldier children for their protection. Undomiel’s axe morphed that screech into a pained scream as he smashed the Spidicule’s eyes, popping and blinding several of them in the process. The Spiderlings hurried to save their mother, and their wicked little teeth stripped armor and bent metal, but none managed to wound Undomiel.
It wore them down. Fighting wave after wave of Spiderlings, their armor was cracking. Charade and Alta were leaning on the other, far too wounded to engage the Spidicules in any meaningful way. Terrified of another attack coming from an unseen angle. Charade had his good arm out, weapon ready frantically keeping an eye out for their quarry.
Orson’s shield was all he had left of his armor. His crystalline skin was broken, shattered, blood leaking from every break. Undomiel was still standing, wheezing from exhaustion and exertion. He had fought the hardest of them all. No price was too high for the safety of his hunters and he knew this.
The Spidicules was hiding. By now it had only one leg left to move around, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous. Undomiel was waiting patiently, looking for an opening. For a weak point. There! Undomiel’s axe swept down and the creature dodged, but too slowly. What came tumbling down from the trees resembled something of a pathetic creature. A large bulbous body bereft of limps. It hissed and sputtered in anger and pain, but Undomiel took no pity. Instead he saw opportunity.
The survivors bound and muzzle the creature, keeping it from biting and begin to roll its rotund body back towards their encampment. The Spidicules who preyed upon Draco Vita, would soon wind up a prisoner o fits former prey. Undomiel hoped to harness its silk spinning. He was sure some of his more innovative survivors could figure something out.
After the hunters return home with the captive Spidicules its decided Draco Vita will create a reenactment of their glorious hunt. A terrible accident occurs when the actor portraying the monster accidentally gouges the actor portraying the hunter. The survivor died of their wounds in the night.
~~ Oh man, that was a lot tougher battle than I expected it to be. In the end I got it, but I had to pull out a few too many lucky rolls. Charade is all kinds of busted up and Orson was barely hanging on. Looks like next year we have the return of another nemesis monster. Good luck Draco Vita!~~
