The Journey of Alanna Ch. 19

Author's note: Aha! You all probably thought I was dead, didn't you?! Actually a bunch of stuff just happened: new job, natural disaster and a bunch of personal affairs that took out all my time and motivation to write. Rest assured, this is a story I intend to tell, it just can't be my fulltime job. Next update will be as soon as I'm done writing it.

End note.

Alanna awoke, though today not in her suite at the Guild, instead having rented a much cheaper cot. Nywen slept on the cot next to hers, still snoring as the sunlight started to creep in. Other adventurers in the same dorm as them were doing their best to quietly gather their gear and get ready for the day.

Her new accommodations were definitely a downgrade, but after getting that sword she had to cut back on her expenses... At least until the next big haul.  

They've been doing little quests together until then, mainly scouting missions, a few foraging missions and a quest where a trader had to abandon their cart due to being attacked by monsters and needed someone to pick up the abandoned goods. They didn't pay nearly as well as monster hunting, but going outside the outer walls of any settlement was dangerous, so it was still much better pay than toiling the fields.  

Even so, Alanna had found that despite Wildbrook having lots of accommodations for adventurers, it all came at a serious cost of gold. Everyone knew adventurers were on the fast track to become wealthy, so even basics like shelter and food came at a premium here.

Today, however, it was time for another big quest, and she was giddy with excitement. There was a nearby village that claimed that a horde of goblins had been harassing their hunters and were closer to their town. A handful of goblins weren't a big issue to deal with, even a town with no adventurers could deal with those, but an entire horde was an entirely different story.

This was gonna be a tough quest, so she and Nywen had decided to find some other adventurers to team up with. She had gotten some good replies to the note she left with Renestrae, so she and Nywen went down to the guild hall to meet their top candidates.

"My name's Reizertoli, of clan Toli," said the black-haired dwarf sitting across from Alanna. He wore a suit of plate and carried a heavy shield on his back emblazoned with the emblem of a pickaxe. His beard, though short, was braided and decorated with copper bands. "Though you can just call me Reizer. And this beauty right here," he said, taking the hand of the dwarven woman sitting next to him. She too had black hair, tied in a bun, and wore a lighter suit of mail, as well as a warhammer, clearly meant to be wielded with both hands, on her back. "Is Yudeatrudi, though she goes by Yudi."

"Pleased to meet both of you," she said, nodding her head in greeting.

"Great to meet you," Nywen said. Alanna had opted to let Nywen handle introductions, as she was the more experienced adventurer between the two of them. "So you two are a Fighter and Cleric duo?" 

"Aye, and a good one too," Reizer replied, beaming with pride. Alanna figured that pride was warranted. Fighters were a pretty common Class, but Clerics were not, since every adventuring group needed support to make the team shine and Clerics were the foremost choice for that role. He then raised an eyebrow as he seemingly studied Alanna. "You're that Peasant-adventurer, aren't you?"

Alanna knew that question was coming. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves before giving her answer. "Yes, I am."

Reizer broke into a wide smile. "I knew it! You're the one who gave Jarnam his first big win in years. He's been down on his luck for Thun knows how long, that is, until you showed up with that alraune's head. Treated all of us to drinks the next day." He then put his elbows on the table and leaned in conspiratorially close. "So, I've heard you've gone on a few quests already. You must have some skill, otherwise there's no way you would have survived this long. What's your specialty?"

"Alanna is a phenomenal tracker," Nywen answered. "I'm a Rogue myself, and she's at least my equal in a straightforward fight."

Alanna felt shame burn in her chest at the fact that Nywen had to stand up for her, but the Rogue's praise went a long way to boost her confidence.

"I suppose that makes two of us that came from humble beginnings then," Reizer started with a nod, seeming to approve of what he heard. "Are you familiar with Clan Toli?" 

"No, I fear I haven't heard of it," Nywen replied, and Alanna shook her head to confirm she hadn't either.  

"Ours is a sad tale," Reizer stated with a grim expression. "We used to own a large sapphire mine in the north of the Great Plains... Before the calamity occurred and they became the Badlands."

"The Badlands were created when the Great Dragon Gehenna invaded, right?" Alanna asked, feeling almost like she was back in one of Headmistress Sonya's classes.

"Aye... Cursed be the beast's name," Reizer stated, then took a swig from his tankard. "We went from one of the most prosperous clans in Varghast to one of the most impoverished. But I have a dream!" he said with a grand gesture. "One day we will return and reclaim what's ours from the foul dragonkin that nest there now, and our banners will fly off of the walls of Varghast's keeps as one of the foremost amongst Dwarves once more!"

Reizer beamed with pride  as he delivered his speech, as though his success was already assured. His wife watched him with admiration, smiling sweetly as though she had heard this speech a dozen times before and still hadn't had enough.  

Alanna thought it was an admirable goal, though the Badlands were notoriously dangerous. An adventurer's paradise if you were strong enough, but only then, and only for adventurers.

"With the four of us we should be able to deal with those goblins with no issues," Reizer stated, taking out a handful of small, smooth pebbles and placing them on the table. "We'll visit the village first to get some intel about our foes. Should we engage them before then I will lead from the front," he explained, arranging a single black pebble on the table to indicate his position, then moving several others to indicate what their formation would look like. "Do not worry about me, unless they have a shaman or some kind of strong, tamed beast in tow, those weaklings will not be able to pierce my armor. Both of you will watch our flanks and take care of any stragglers or wolf-riders. Yudi will remain in the center of our formation to cast spells as needed and provide support if any goblins get between us. A goblin horde can be tenacious, but kill enough of them and they'll turn tail to run. Once we reach that stage we can rely on our tracker to follow them to their lair, free any captives and finish the job."

Alanna watched Nywen nod along and make a few suggestions, such as what spells they expected Yudi to prepare, how many potions everyone had and what they did, backup plans in case things went sour, and other details. She hadn't considered that not only would their quest get harder as they got stronger, but that having a bigger party also demanded they had to spend more time on their coordination as well. She did her best to pay attention, despite how her heart fluttered with excitement, so she could learn as much as she could.

After about an hour of discussion and planning, both Reizer and Nywen seemed satisfied. "I believe we have planned out everything we needed," Nywen said. "We'll meet at the north gate in three hours, then we'll depart for the village that needs our help."

"Agreed. Meet you there," Reizer said, giving Nywen and Alanna a firm handshake before departing with Yudi. They were going to the market to stock up, while Alanna and Nywen went to the armory to get their gear.

Alanna felt energized. This felt like the next milestone in her career as an adventurer and she was barely able to contain her excitement during planning. However, she didn't want to come across as an overly-excitable newbie, so she did her best to just watch.

At the armory they opened a locker they had reserved to keep their gear in. They had gotten a decent stash of items that they had needed for some earlier quests, but were too situational to bring with them every time. Grappling hooks and climbing gear they had used to scale a particularly enormous tree, some camping supplies for missions that took them a week's travel into the wilderness and some oils and whetstones to maintain their weapons with.

Alanna eagerly sheathed her sword and stuffed her backpack with a few elixirs she had prepared the other day when she noticed Nywen staring at her.

"H-Hey Nywen, everything okay?" she asked, trying not to let her voice tremble. She knew that would arouse even more suspicion.

Nywen folded her arms, her eyes narrowed just slightly. "Everything's fine. I just noticed that you're putting a lot more potion vials in your backpack than you reported having. Are you sure you told me everything you've got? The more your party is aware of your arsenal, the better we'll be able to anticipate each other during battle."

Alanna hadn't told her about any of the elixirs or alchemist's fire she had. That would require far too much explaining, and she was still desperate to keep her alchemy a secret.

"I told you everything! Not all of these are potions you know," she said with a chuckle that came out just slightly strained.  

"Then what's in those vials?" Nywen asked, a menacing pur in her voice.

Alanna swallowed dryly. "Oil. For taking care of my sword," she lied.

She could see the gears turning behind Nywen's eyes. There was a moment of silence between them, then Nywen turned and grabbed her backpack.  

"I'll believe you, because I trust you," Nywen said, and while there was no hostility in her voice, Alanna still felt put on the spot. "If you have everything you need, Reizer and Yudi are waiting for us at the gates."

"Right, coming," Alanna said. She packed her remaining gear and followed Nywen out. She tried her best not to think about whether or not she really had convinced the Half-Catfolk of her lie or not, instead going through her sword practice routine in her head to calm her racing heart.

After meeting at the gates the group set out to the village that had reported the goblin raids. It was a two-day hike through forest trails, but they were well-worn and patrolled every few days by the Wildbrook garrison, so even into the second day they had encountered little resistance.   

"So there it was! A nugget of gold the size of a man's fist!" Reizer stated in dramatic fashion, cupping both hands to indicate its size. "Cousin Bryer ran into the clan hold and was practically jumping up and down with glee at his find, thinking he had made it big! He said he found the largest vein of gold in the clan's history! So Elder Seegson calls him over, tells him to show him the gold. He hands it over, Elder Seegson spends two seconds looking at it, then crushes it in his fist! It took three men to make Bryer let go of old Seegson's beard and explain to him that it was pyrite, not gold at all!"

Reizer laughed boisterously, wiping away his tears. Yudi politely covered her mouth as she laughed, while Nywen couldn't help but chuckle, though Alanna noted how the half-Catfolk's ears have been swiveling the entire time.  

"Something wrong, Nywen?" Alanna said with a smile. The trip had been downright pleasant so far, with no sight of monsters.  

"No, just keeping a lookout," Nywen stated.  

"Should we expect trouble?" Alanna asked. She didn't think there would be any reason to be careful this close to the road.

"Not really. It's just... It's been really quiet. We're far from Wildbrook, and our companions are... Not quiet," she said, her voice dropping low to avoid being overheard. "I would have expected at least something to come to check out the noise. A harpy, warg, maybe a goblin scout... I just have a bad feeling about this, that's all."

Alanna's brow furrowed in thought. Neither her sensitive hearing nor her nose had picked up anything out of the ordinary. Usually, when they went on a trip this far out from Wildbrook they would encounter some small fry on the way there.  

"It's probably because we're with a lot more people than usual," Alanna said, donning her best reassuring smile.

The Rogue tried to fight back a smile of her own, in vain. "You're probably right. Maybe I've gotten too used to running a duo operation with you."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Alanna asked.

"No, not at all. I just figured I'd given up on running with a full group," Nywen said wistfully. "Who knew that the only thing that could defeat a bad reputation was to join up with the one-and-only Peasant-Adventuress?"

"What a title that is," Alanna replied with a sigh. She still wasn't sure if she should be taking pride or offense at that unofficial title. For now she had decided on pride. She had already outlasted most rookie adventurers, even with her Class, and that meant she had nothing to be ashamed of.

"Look alive ladies," Reizer stated. "We're getting close to the village that put out the quest. We don't know if the goblins are actively besieging the town, or laying in ambush nearby, so draw weapons and be ready for a fight."

Alanna did as she was told, and as she drew her sword from its sheath, her nose warned her before any of her other senses did. The smell of death and decay were heavy on the breeze.

They approached slowly, keeping the noise they made to a minimum. Reizer took the lead, his armored bulk providing cover for the rest of the party, while Alanna and Nywen covered the party's flanks.

They knew they had come too late as soon as they broke the treeline. Much like with Wildbrook, this village had cut back the trees near the town, not just to use the logs to build a wall surrounding the settlement but also to provide a clear line of sight to anything that might approach. Even from a distance it was clear a disaster had occurred, a large section of the town's wall had been destroyed, blown inward as though struck with a mighty fist. The smell of death was becoming unbearable, and as soon as the group neared the town it became clear why.

Several large pits had been dug around the town. Each was an open mass grave, containing the bodies of elven men, women, children and dead goblins. Alanna had to fight the urge to gag, even before she looked and saw the butchered bodies. A thick swarm of flies clung to the area, the noise of their buzzing drowning out the forest's noises.

"What could have done this?" Alanna asked the group when they convened a respectable distance away from the pits.

"A lot of the bodies had slit throats, which is common for goblins, but they wouldn't go out of their way to dig mass graves like this, not even for their own," Reizer stated, scratching at his beard. His brow furrowed in thought. "They'd just mutilate the bodies for a laugh and leave them to rot."

"I'm more concerned over whatever destroyed that wall," said Nywen. "There were scorch marks on those logs. I'm convinced it was magic."

"It probably was, but I'll take a look just to make sure it wasn't the work of a drake," Yudi replied. "Those of us who hail from Varghast know the work of dragonkin when we see it."

As Nywen and Yudi went off to investigate the wall, Alanna couldn't help but feel a pit form in her stomach. Reizer nudged her, his beard bristling as he gave her a smile.

"Something on your mind?" he asked her. She wondered if she really was that easy to read.

"If that's not the work of some fire-breathing monster... That means other humanoids did this?" she asked.

Reizer's smile faltered and something dark passed over his expression, but he tried to hide it. "Lass... Try not to... Uh, don't take it too hard, okay? It's not that different from if a bunch of monsters had taken the town. I know that doesn't really make it better, but it's best not to dwell on it. Once you let stuff like this get inside your head during a quest, it's all over." 

Alanna felt Reizer pad her on the back, but it didn't stop the sinking feeling in her stomach. She knew the stories of what happened when adventurers lost to monsters, especially if they were unlucky enough to be caught alive, but the idea that other humanoids would do this to each other... Women and children. She questioned what the point was of such senseless slaughter and could not provide an answer she could live with.

Then she felt it through her boots. A tremor in the ground. Something was approaching.

"Everyone!" she cried out in alarm, putting her hand on the ground. Without the thick leather of her boots separating her skin from the dirt she could feel it coming clearly. Whatever it was, it was heavy and approaching fast. "Something's coming! It's big and heading our way! Get ready!"

She heard the group draw their weapons. They formed up around Reizer, just as they had planned earlier. She heard Yudi chant a prayer to Thun, followed by a white glow suffusing the party. She felt lighter, stronger and quicker, a Blessing spell. Not very strong, but great in every situation. She believed they were ready for anything.

That belief shattered when she saw it crash through the treeline. Pushing aside smaller trunks like they were twigs, its ape-like arms swung with unbelievable strength. Branches snapped on its thick hide, and behind two massive tusks set into its warty face she could see its eyes burning in their sockets like coals.  

"Troll!" Reizer yelled out. Their entire battleplan had to change immediately. They were supposed to fight off a horde of goblins, maybe with some wargs or other dumber monsters the goblins used as fodder or mounts, not something that could easily trample any of them, including Reizer. They scattered out of the way as the troll lowered its head, trying to use its tusks to gore someone as it charged right through the group's original location.

"Keep it distracted, don't let up!" Reizer yelled, then turned to Yudi even as he charged the troll's flank. "Now's the time, use the scroll!" 

They had pooled some of their gold to purchase a scroll for the group, just in case things really went downhill on this quest. A fireball scroll, high quality at that. Scrolls had a spellcaster's magic imbued in them, all someone needed to do was read out the chant on the magical parchment and follow the hand gestures and even a non-spellcaster could cast a spell using a scroll. However, doing so was not a skill non-spellcasters typically had any experience with, so scrolls were normally kept by the party's spellcasters in case of an emergency. This was one such time.

Alanna saw Reizer and Nywen attack the troll. Nywen threw several glowing daggers through the air, which seemed to hone in on the troll as they raced through the air, then buried themselves to the hilt in the troll's hide. It barely seemed to notice, instead being more preoccupied trying to swat Reizer, who was expertly batting the troll's hands away with his shield, backstepping to avoid being slashed by the troll's dirty claws.

Alanna saw her opening. She dashed forward and struck the troll on its thigh. The creature was so large she didn't think she could apply enough force if she tried to strike it any higher. She drew blood, but the impact rang painfully through her arms. Its skin was as dense as bark, and when her blade hit the femur beneath she felt as though she had struck an anvil. The troll turned on her, angrily, and she used the troll's own momentum to free her blade.  

To her horror, the flesh knitted itself closed before her eyes. She knew this was the famed regenerative powers of trolls, and that there were only two ways to put one of these monsters down: Fry its flesh with fire, acid or lightning to stop its regeneration so that it can be worn down, or cut its head off. Cutting a troll's head was no mean feat, and many-a Barbarian had died attempting it.

Alanna readied her sword, keeping it between herself and the beast to ward it off, even as she tensed the muscles in her legs to dodge at a moment's notice. All she needed to do was keep it busy until Yudi could get that scroll working. Once engulfed in fire all they needed to do was wear down the troll's hitpoints. It was a solid plan, and everyone understood their part.

However, Alanna saw the troll's gaze wander from her to somewhere else. Its brow furrowed. Trolls were often seen as stupid, but they weren't animals. While complex tactics were beyond them, they nonetheless had some cunning, and more importantly, could reasonably expect to remember simple facts. Alanna saw recognition flash through the troll's eyes as it looked at Yudi. Whether it had once seen an adventurer use a scroll or had once had a close encounter with some form of spellcaster, it did not matter, as the troll began ignoring the rest of the group and instead began to charge Yudi.

"No!" Alanna yelled, her blade swinging in a wide arc as the troll passed her. It allowed her to carve a wide furrow through its hip, its own momentum helping Alanna's blade cut deeply into its flesh, but it did not stop. It swung its arm, knocking Alanna over.

"You have taken 3 damage!"

It wasn't a blow meant to kill, it just wanted to clear its path. Alanna tried to get up and pursue the troll, but its long legs were carrying it several of her strides at a time.

Yudi was still reading the scroll's incantation, embers falling from it as she tried to unleash its stored power. Her free hand motioned left and right, her fingers forming different symbols as she followed the instructions, but her movements became shaky as she saw the approaching troll.  

More daggers flew through the air from Nywen and embedded themselves into the troll's back, one making it stagger as it struck its ankle, but it continued its headlong charge. Yudi tried to jump out of the way, causing the scroll's spell to fizzle, the air distorting and crackling around her briefly, but it was too late. The troll's fist connected with her side and sent her flying, the scroll falling out of her hand.  

She landed heavily, the wind knocked out of her. Alanna saw her trying to get up, but the troll wasn't about to let her. It pinned her beneath its weight, then began tearing at her with its claws. First Alanna heard the tearing of cloth as Yudi's cloak was torn away from her body, then the rinkling of mail being torn asunder by the giant's brute strength, then Yudi began screaming, the troll's claws rising and falling in bloody arcs.  

Reizer threw himself at the troll with a bellowing warcry, hewing at the troll's back and arms with his sword, with Alanna joining in soon after, but it was no use. Many trolls learned from experience that they'd regenerate from nearly any harm, and this one was no exception. It had identified the biggest threat and wasn't going to stop until Yudi was dead, ignoring the pain of any other injuries until it was done.

Reizer was taken by a desperate fury. He dropped his shield and hacked at the troll, drenching himself in dark blood. Alanna had to stop, her mind racing. What they were doing wasn't working.  

Fire. The only things a troll actively feared were those that could cease its regeneration. Alanna couldn't pick up and use the scroll, but she still had alchemist's fire. She had no time to consider what revealing her unique tools to her teammates would mean for her future, right now was a matter of life or death. She withdrew one flask of alchemist's fire from her pouch and threw it at the troll.

The troll responded immediately as the flask broke apart on its back, spreading burning liquid everywhere. It roared, this time in pain and fright rather than anger, getting up from Yudi and hopping around as it tried to reach the burning patch on its back. It swung its arms around wildly, accidentally striking Reizer and sending him flying.

Alanna's blood ran cold when she saw the sheer amount of blood where Yudi had fallen. The Cleric wasn't moving.

Alanna did not have long to think about her next move, as the troll had the bright idea to drop, stop and roll through the grass. Alchemist's fire was sticky, but not anymore potent than a mundane flame. Within seconds the fire had gone out, suffocated between the troll and the dirt. The troll rose to its feet, its eyes scanning around, until they settled on Alanna with a deep, rumbling growl. It may not have had the intelligence to know what exactly she did, but it knew she was the source of the fire that had burned it. Now she would be the next target of its ire.

Alanna backpedalled rapidly. If she got caught, or took a direct hit from its claws, she knew she'd end up just like Yudi. It did not approach her at a charge, however. It knew she had some source of hated fire, it just didn't know how much or what form it took, so it approached her at a steady pace, keeping its eyes on her for any sudden moves. It grabbed a large branch that had fallen nearby, a leftover of its dramatic entrance charging through the treeline, and hurled it at Alanna. It was as thick around as her torso and easily heavy enough to crush her bones if it hit.  

She ducked, the branch flying overhead. The troll used the opportunity to get even closer and began lashing out with its fists, trying to crush her. She narrowly dodged every attack, and she could feel its immense strength reverberate through the ground every time it missed and impacted the soil.  

She wasn't getting any time to think, every ounce of brain power she had was dedicated to reading the troll's movements and avoiding its next attack. Trying to make some space she took her remaining two vials of alchemist's fire out of her pouch and threw them at the troll.

It blocked the two vials with its thick arm. As soon as the liquid spilled out of the broken glass and caught fire, the troll pushed its arm into the dirt, extinguishing the flames, then resumed its attacks with a roar.

Alanna swore internally. That desperate gambit just cost her the one ace up her sleeve that she had. Now all she could do was dodge until the troll tired her out and got a hit in.

From the corner of her eye she saw Reizer trying to wake up an unconscious Yudi, to no avail. Nywen rushed to the fallen scroll, picking it up. She began to read and motion through the air.  

Reizer jumped up and ran to Nywen, his voice booming through the clearing. "Don't do it, you foolish girl! There's no telling what'll happen if you get even a single finger twitch wrong!"

"We all die if we don't get this spell off!" Nywen yelled back, then started to chant the incantation. Her voice was unsteady and she kept halting as she tried to figure out how to pronounce certain words, but sure enough, a ball of flame began to form in front of Nywen. She finished the incantation, then threw her free hand forward, as though directing the fireball's target, which then flew through the air in an arc, striking the troll directly on its back.

Immediately the troll was consumed by a wave of flames, scorching its back and making it roar in pain. This time its little trick of rolling on the ground did not work, the magical flames burning for as long as they had energy no matter how the troll tried to put them out. It ran into the forest, briefly the world's most dangerous living torch, until it disappeared from sight.

Alanna sheathed her sword, her hands still trembling. They had the tools to win this encounter, but even then they only got away by the skin of their teeth. She ran over to Nywen, who was breathing hard and clutching her arm, the one she had used to direct the fireball.

As she got closer, she noticed a shimmering haze around Nywen's hand, as though it was emitting an intense heat. Nywen was sweating, panting, and gritting her teeth, as though she was trying to suppress great pain.

"What's wrong?" Alanna asked with concern. She could feel actual heat radiating from Nywen's hand, as though it were aflame.

"When you don't-" Nywen began, then hissed as she did a sharp intake of breath, her arm starting to tremble. She watched herself flexing her fingers on her affected arm, as though trying to make sure everything still worked. "When you don't cast a spell just right, it causes Fractures. I must've gotten a word wrong or something."

"What-what do we do?" Alanna asked, panicking. "Would a healing potion help?"

"No, get Yudi up," Nywen hissed. "She's a Cleric, she'll know how to fix it. Just hurry."

Alanna nodded and ran to Yudi's side next. She was in much worse condition than Alanna originally thought. Her once-pristine mail had been ripped open like a tin can, and the troll had not stopped there. Many of her insides were now outside. Alanna swallowed down bile as she approached.  

Reizer was lightly tapping Yudi's pale cheek, trying to wake her up.

"Come on lass, don't do this to me. Don't do this to me," he said softly.  

"Why haven't you given her a healing potion yet?" Alanna asked. "Won't that wake her up right away?"

"Look around you!" Reizer responded in anger. "A healing potion would close her up, but not regenerate any of her insides! Then what?! She'd be in agony for days before all those missing organs would kill her anyway!" He put his forehead against hers, tears streaming down his face into his beard. "I'm sorry, my sweet! I should've stopped the damn thing!"

Alanna paused. She could scarcely believe it. She was so sure of their victory, and now, there was a very real possibility they'd lose a fellow adventurer anyway. "... Isn't there anything we can do?" she finally asked.  

"If we can get her to wake up... She can fix herself," Reizer said slowly. "Healers... They know where people's bits go. It won't be easy, but she's tough. She'd be able to do it, and then cast healing magic to close her wounds. But she won't wake up!"

Alanna's breath caught in her throat at the sheer despair in Reizer's voice. She struggled to think of a plan. It would take them two days to get back to town, minimum. If they had to carry her that far she'd die before the first day was up.  

She toyed with the vials in her pouch. All they had were bad options. As her fingers touched a regeneration elixir, she wondered if perhaps there wasn't a better option. All she needed to do was awaken her, and if she regained enough hitpoints, she would wake up immediately.

She took one of the elixirs out of her pocket and unstoppered it. "I-I have something here that will help wake her up," she said hesitantly. The slow-acting healing effect would wake her up in a minute or so, and then she'd probably have enough time to fix herself before her wounds completely closed. She didn't know how she would explain to Reizer what these were without giving away that she knows unconventional techniques, but at this point a person's life was at stake. She did not want to risk Yudi dying just so she could keep her secrets.

As she moved to feed it to Yudi, Reizer grabbed her by the wrist, his face contorted with fury.  

"What are you doing?!" he yelled, "I just said a healing potion will only make things worse!" His grip was like iron, and he was squeezing hard enough to hurt.  

"It's not a healing potion!" Alanna retorted.  

"Then what is it?!" he demanded. His tone was full of desperation. Allana knew he wasn't thinking straight right now, so she picked her next words very carefully.

"It's something slow-acting," she said. "It'll stop her bleeding, and hopefully wake her up if we give it some time. It won't close her wounds, at least not immediately, so she'll have a chance to put herself back together. It's complicated. We don't have time for an explanation, if she loses any more blood she could die!"

Reizer's eyes darted between her and the vial. He was clearly considering whether Alanna was lying to him or not, and what she could possibly be describing if not. Every second counted. Slowly, she felt his grip on her arm lessen, then let go.

"Do it," he said, seemingly resigned to whatever comes next. He probably made the same calculations in his head Alanna did: Either they were gonna get Yudi back on her feet here or not at all.

She opened Yudi's mouth with care and tipped the vial over, letting the liquid run between her lips. The effects were slow to become manifest. Her bleeding slowed, then stopped, and some of the color returned to her face.  

With a groan of agony, her eyes fluttered open. "Reizer?" she asked, before groaning again. "By Thun, the pain, Reizer!" she called out as her breathing became rapid and shallow.  

Reizer took her hand, squeezing it. "Yudi, look at me. We drove the beast off, but you're in bad shape. We need you to..." he paused, his lip trembling. "You got to put yourself together. You're the only one who knows how. Alanna gave you something that stopped the bleeding, but we need to fix you up all the way."

"Reizer, I can't do this! I can't do this!" Yudi sobbed. She was shaking, breathing heavily and her eyes were wide in panic. Alanna struggled not to shake in sympathy.  

"You must, my love," Reizer stated firmly. "I know you can do this. You are strong, stronger than any beast of the woods or mountains! Please... Do not let the pain be the part that kills you."

With a monumental effort of will, Yudi managed to sit upright with Reizer's help. Sweat beaded on her brow, and she winced at even the slightest motion she was forced to make. Slowly, she began to take the pieces of herself that had been scattered around her and place them back in herself. Alanna couldn't even imagine the excruciating pain she must feel having to stick her own insides back into places, but Yudi's pained expression and cries of pain spoke volumes.

It took several agonizing minutes, but when she had finally put herself back together, she uncorked a healing potion and downed it. The open wound in her belly stitched itself back together and she breathed several long sighs of relief.

Relief washed over Alanna, until she heard the screaming coming from Nywen. The Half-Catfolk was clutching her hand, which was sporadically bursting into flames now. Every time it did, she screamed in agony, her hand increasingly blackening and blistering. Her condition had definitely gotten worse while they had helped Yudi up.

Reizer helped Yudi up and the trio ran to Nywen.  

"By Thun, she cast from the scroll!" Yudi stated. "Stay still, girl. This will require all my concentration, and if I make any mistake it could make things even worse."

With one hand, Yudi planted her warhammer in the ground. She motioned her other towards Nywen's afflicted hand, chanting softly under her breath. Little cracks of light became visible around Nywen's burned hand, each slowly fading into nothingness as Yudi chanted. With each crack that disappeared, it took longer for the flames to manifest again, and the heat haze around her flesh became less intense.  

Figuring her secret was out of the bag, more-or-less, Alanna handed Nywen an elixir and made her drink it. She required several more, as it took Yudi until sunset before she had finished and the heat around her hand had disappeared.  

Everyone was exhausted, physically and emotionally. They had set up camp inside the ruins of the town, deciding it was safer behind the walls, even with the huge hole in them, rather than to attempt to venture into the woods at night.  

"You were lucky, or perhaps more skilled at the arcane than some Wizards would care to admit," Yudi said as she cast a last spell on Nywen, healing away the last of her injuries. "The fact that only your hand had been turned into an evertorch is a testament to how well you did with the scroll. Many a'young mage does not survive their first miscast."

"It sure didn't feel like I'd gotten lucky, or did well," Nywen said as she flexed her hand. It looked good as new, but the memory of the burning agony she felt was still fresh in her mind. Alanna could almost since her wince as he formed a fist, as though her injuries were still there, somehow.

Yudi let out a chuckle, but she quickly lost her mirth as she sat down at the campfire. She looked older, somehow. She turned her now tired gaze on Reizer. "Reizer, my love... I can't do this anymore. We should return to our kin."

"But what of our dreams, Yudi?" he asked, his brow furrowed with confusion. "We swore we would rebuild the clan. We have so much further to go."

"It is not worth it, Reizer. Our kin thrive, still. We do not need the wealth or fame of our ancestors. I am sure they would rather see us return alive, but still destitute, than not at all."

"We can talk about it later, my love," Reizer said, bringing his arm around to gently pull Yudi in close. She accepted his affections, closing her eyes to get some rest.

"Alanna?" Reizer asked. "Could you stand watch tonight?" 

"Yes, of course," she stated. Out of everyone, she had taken the least damage, and the guilt of that was eating her up. Standing watch first was the least she could do. She got up and walked away from the campfire, climbing atop the one watchtower that still stood in town.  

It was another cold night, despite it being late spring. Her eyes couldn't quite pierce the distant gloom of the forest, but it was quiet. Dead quiet. If anything got close, she'd hear it long before she saw it. However, her sensitive nose picked up something on the breeze as well...

Fire. The smell of burning pine, carried on the breeze from far away.