CHAPTER TWENTY – THE BEAST

 

While in Rauxes, Lili reads the documents that were found in the lich’s possession. One of them gives details of the wizard Zane (the lich), and how he went mad; a second document, written by Zane, gives details of the plague, and where he believes the mastermind to be (Brekstad). The third is a letter from a cobbler in Twilight Hollow, telling of a noble lady who has had her soul trapped. After various discussions, the party (now without Fritz) decides to visit Twilight Hollow on their way to Brekstad.

 

15 September 1003 (Festival of Ehlonna, vernal equinox)

 

Before leaving the port, the party buys a wagon and fills it with imported goods. Dyes and farming tools are the products of choice. Half a ton of cheap dyes and 40 pounds of expensive dyes take up some space, along with about 100 farming tools.

 

The road becomes progressively worse and filled with ill-shaped rocks. By mid-afternoon it is only a dirt track and the party is heading into a forest.

 

16 September 1003

 

Early in the morning, the party is going hard through the forest, when Corin reports back that there is a dry riverbed that the party could use for the wagon. Corin takes the left side, and Errol takes the right side. The party continues without event to their campsite. During the night, the winds cools and a fog descends.

 

17 September 1003

 

Morning breaks, and as Lili is cooking breakfast, a band of bedraggled people approaches out of the mist. Takashi hails them, only to find out that their village has been destroyed by “dog-men”. Apparently there was a massive great lizard thing, and flying beasts. One more yells something about the Tarrasque.

 

A couple of the villagers rabidly refuse to get help from Lili but accept water from Corin. Corin informs them that Lili is her companion and they form a circle muttering “witch” and “sorceress”.

 

A group of soldiers, apparently having been through a battle, ride up. The group of Whitecloaks, as they turn out to be, seems to be in the middle of a conflict, with the officer deep in argument with one of his underlings, who has a sunburst symbol on a chain around his neck and a red ribbon tight around his neck, like a line of blood. The officer is dragging a sledge containing a screaming statue of a Whitecloak.

 

He speaks of a group of gnolls fighting from the back of a huge beast that looked slower than it was. Apparently the beast is going from town to town.

 

The priest walks over and informs Takashi that the lieutenant considers tactics dishonourable. The lieutenant yells at Takashi that he could never catch it “in that thing”, Takashi informs Corin, who appears out of the forest, that they may have to go for a bit of a ride, and that they are going to make a swap.

 

The party, accompanied by Father Rhonehart, heads about ten miles on, coming out of the forest. The Father points to the Southwest, away from the tracks that lead away from the village. The party heads for the village, which is now rubble and ash, though the ash is still warm. About a hundred feet away, as the party enters the village, a group of about four creatures is sifting through the ash of one of the houses. Errol and Corin flank the group on horses. Takashi advances on foot, Krugnut dismounts, as does Lili, who carefully takes the reins of the horses. Father Rhonehart looks at the group with a great deal of satisfaction as he takes out the lance from under the covers and sets it, maneuvering his horse into position.

 

One of the figures lets out a loud yelp, while Errol cuts off the major escape route. They pick up weapons and charge at Corin. Takashi tries to intimidate them as he swings his sword around his head. Errol charges one, and hits one with his horse and another with his rapier. Rhonehart charges another with his lance, while Ulmor advances. Corin, atop her horse, drops two with her bow, and sticks an arrow into a third. The remainder take their chance to surrender to the knightly figure.

 

A short debate ensues as to whether they should be able to go free. Rhonehart, Corin and Errol seem not to mind their freedom, while Ulmor wants to kill, hamstring, gibbet, or any other nasty thing. Corin and Errol manage to find the tracks of heavy warhorses with shod hooves, light warhorses, and the signs of a cart.

 

The party finally reaches the site of the battle. Rhonehart finishes his conversation with Errol, revealing his name to be Kalen. An examination of the battlefield leads to a discussion of tactics and a polite analysis of the defending force as “brave”.

 

Tracks of light horses and a wagon lead off to the Northwest. Kalen mentions that Gildalen, the beast’s expected destination, is through a pass to the Southwest. The party follows the tracks for about an hour, until they find the beast’s tracks once again. Corin mentions that the party is keeping pace with the beast.

 

The party comes to a copse of trees at about dusk, which has been completely demolished by the beast. They argue about watch order, assuming that Kalen is not a spellcaster. Kalen and Errol eventually agree to take first watch, Corin and Ulmor take second watch, and Takashi and Lili take the dawn watch.

 

Before the party goes to bed, they are informed by Lili that the beast is out on the plains. The night passes uneventfully, though Errol is irritated by being awoken at dawn.

 

18 September 1003

 

The party follows the tracks, which are zig-zagging South, roughly toward the pass. The tracks suddenly veer away from the pass. Takashi says the beast may be difficult to control. Kalen backs this up. Corin sees the horse tracks head on toward the pass, though the horses are moving in strange patterns. The party continues toward the pass and arrives to find the tracks are half a day old.

 

Proceeding through the pass, the beast has gone Northwest through the hills, while the town of Gildalen is clearly visible and appears to be unharmed as yet. Takashi quietly asks Lili to try to work more closely where the beast is. Lili stares at her bowl and announces that she can’t find it, then drinks the water. Corin taps Lili on the shoulder and leaves, while Kalen is speaking about tactics for town defence.

 

Takashi, Errol, Krugnut, and Kalen reach Gildalen in less than two hours. Kalen asks to be taken to the Mayor and politely informs him that there is a force of gnolls large enough to decimate forty armoured men heading for the village.

 

Corin and Lili track the beast until mid-afternoon, when they find it up to its haunches in a lake. They wait until they can be sure that it is moving again, and Lili rides back to Gildalen to collect the others.

 

Corin continues to track the beast, only to find that it is moving toward the village. She tracks back and has a deep conversation with Gustav, trying to convince him that it is necessary to tell Lili that the village is in danger to help her.

 

The party turns around, Lil and Errol are going slower than the frantic pace set by Takashi, Kalen, and a bouncing, saddlesore Krugnut.

 

(20/9/03)

 

We prepare at the village, and evacuate the villagers. An hour before dusk, Takashi and Lili see the beast coming from the North, about 5 miles away. The party decides to go a mile Northeast of the village, so we can float/fly onto the beast (there is a strong wind from the East).

 

Takashi Invisibles everyone, and Gaseous Forms Lili and Kalen. He sprouts Fire Wings himself, and Errol grows wings. We all go off in the direction of the beast.

 

Kalen spots a group of four horses attached to a winch as he lands on the roof of a tower (on the beast’s back). He strikes at the guard on the crow’s nest. Lili splats on the side of the beast, and is hanging on for dear life. Takashi flies in over the fleeing Corin and makes her gaseous and invisible.

 

Errol floats in over the central tower and lands behind the guards. Corin floats in shortly afterward, falling on top of Errol before he can strike down the archers shooting at Kalen in the corner turret, who has thrown the prone body of the gnoll down through the hole in the crow’s nest. Kalen grabs his short spear, holsters it, and swings down through the hole, grabbing hold of the ledge and using it for leverage.

 

While this goes on, Corin and Errol attack the archers. Errol strikes one down and injures the other. A voice from behind him, sounding like Corin, says, “Tie him up.” Errol threatens the remaining archer, who says “No hurt” and falls on his face. Errol ties him up.

 

Kalen retreats from the attacking gnolls, only to find them reaching out for him. He strikes one, forcing it back, while another grabs him and throws him down a hole. While Kalen is being thrown, he calls an appeal to his God, who intervenes as he is falling. Kalen grabs hold of the side and struggles to his feet as he casts Protection from Evil, repelling the attacking gnolls.

 

An aerial patrolling wyvern swoops down over Corin and Errol in the central tower. Corin manages two hits on it as it closes and swoops Errol.

 

The gnolls continue to attack Kalen, who responds by summoning a duplicate of his spear that glows like the sun. Takashi drifts in and invisibly falls through the same hole in the crow’s nest that Kalen went through before. He lands and begins slicing gnolls.

 

Krugnut bursts out of the pit where he has been hiding and grabs his whip as he jumps up beside the wagon. He cracks it at the horses, which go out of control. Lili calms the horses down, stopping the wagon while Ulmor is attacked by archers from inside the wagon, as well as the cavalry, one of which he trips with his whip. He also manages to avoid all the flaming arrows raining down on him from the top of the beast.

 

As the beast stops, Kalen grabs hold of the ladder as he falls over. The gnolls slide to the rear end of the beast, straight into Takashi, who drops one.

 

Errol pulls a longbow out and hits the approaching wyvern twice, to cries of “hit your own creatures” from Corin.

 

Takashi tumbles past a gnoll and stands beside Kalen, obliterating a gnoll as he stands. He then stabs another one, and lays a healing hand on Kalen. Kalen summons another sunlit spear, only to be smited unconscious. Takashi attacks the remainder.

 

Corin and Errol take down the wyvern, which crashlands on the tower they are standing on. The shock forces Corin to her knees, and as she stands, something cold strikes her on the arm. She spots a retreating group of gargoyles, then begins shooting at them. Errol shoots at the gargoyles as a wyvern swoops down and carries Corin off.

 

Lili, meanwhile, throws some Pirean Fire at the wagon, setting it alight. Krugnut throws some acid inside the wagon as a distraction. Lili stays invisible and lobs another Pirean Fire onto the roof, setting it alight, while the axle continues to burn.

 

Takashi heals a prone Kalen, restoring his consciousness, and destroys the last gnoll. Takashi then drops down the ladder.

 

Krugnut follows the wagon and looks around to see where the fire has been coming from. Errol is the victim of a second stinkbomb, as well as a flash. While this happens, Corin hits the wyvern and forces it to drop her 120 feet.

 

Takashi goes below deck and clears the galley, disposing of the two gnolls within. He continues down into a set of sleeping quarters.

 

(27/9/03)

 

Lili goes back to the wagon, only to have the horses bolt as she tries to calm them down. Lili chases after the horses. Three gnolls turn and try to ride down Krugnut. Krugnut fails to take out one of the riders, and they ride on past, failing to hit him.

 

A gnoll emerges onto the top of the tower, howling. An arrow comes from the far corner out of Errol’s vision, hitting him. Several other arrows rain down on Errol.

 

Something spins down from on top of the beast’s head and narrowly misses Krugnut.

 

Errol swings and misses the gnoll emerging from the hole, focussing on its actions so it doesn’t take him by surprise. Two vials of acid drop down and splash one of the gnolls.

 

Takashi stands behind Kalen and casts Endurance. A sense of inner strength fills Kalen as he looks out over the winch to see a gnoll on a basket and three more by the winch.

 

Lili tries again to cut the reins, but fails to slice through the toughened leather.

 

A volley of flaming arrows streaks out of the sky and one strikes Errol, still alight. Meanwhile, the archers at the head continue to rain down arrows on Krugnut, who fends off another pass from the cavalry. A horn sounds on the left of the beast.

 

The wyvern dives from a height of 120 feet, streaking down toward Corin. She fires a barrage of arrows, while the overly aggressive wyvern misses.

 

A gnoll who has his head on fire emerges from the trapdoor into the point of Errol’s sword. It struggles up through the trapdoor. A sudden burst of fire erupts over the scene. Errol dodges and finds himself occupying the same space as some gnolls who seem to be in shock from burns.

 

Krugnut waits for the cavalry to come past once more, while Lili tries one more time to calm the horses as the gnoll driver finally manages to pull them to a halt.

 

Takashi becomes the target for a few shots, while Kalen, in the room below, pulls some rope from his pack and begins fashioning a lasso.

 

Corin continues shooting at the wyvern, although it still has not dropped.

 

Takashi takes flight on wings of fire, striking at one of the gargoyles with both his wings and his fists, then again with his wings as the gargoyles fly away.

 

The wagon falls over with a mighty crack, although the horses keep running, getting further away from Lili. Ulmor gets his whip out again, but still seems unable to to drag the rider off his horse.

 

Takashi dodges a rain of arrows, while Errol is hit by another flaming arrow. Kalen’s lasso lands on the deck beside the gnolls with a pathetic flop. The gnolls look up.

 

Errol jumps down into the chamber below to find a dozen gnolls. A sudden lurch unbalances most of the gnolls in the room. Two slide past Errol, who whips his rapier out and scores some wounds in their sides. Kalen falls against the window he was looking out of, then struggles back to his feet.

 

Krugnut finally connects with his whip as the inept gnolls ride by again.

 

Takashi heads for one gargoyle, only to find that he is pursued by two more.

 

Kalen goes down into the kitchen, finding a couple of gnoll corpses, one with a detached head.

 

Errol, surrounded by six gnolls, is still only hit by one. He tumbles back to a wall, and attempts to fend off the gnolls.

 

Takashi flies around past the front centre tower, and past a gargoyle, switching his Fire Wings off. He falls, saving himself with a Featherfall, only to cast a fireball into the centre of the pavilion containing burning pitch.

 

The resulting explosion attracts a little attention, especially from those inside for the few seconds they still live. The room does not completely explode, but the catapult and the ballista are obliterated, as is a passing gargoyle.

 

Five strange multi-winged birds attack Takashi as they appear out of nowhere. They then spew tiny lightning bolts at him.

 

Krugnut feels a sensation of magic within him as the tin can becomes a clay pot. Krugnut is turned to stone. Lili runs back to find that Krugnut is stoned.

 

Errol faces off against flame-haired gnolls, until Takashi glides in from above, dropping a fireball on the unsuspecting gnolls. This kills a number of them. He follows this up with a Major Illusion consisting of another 25 Takashis on the tower roof with him.

 

The sudden reappearance of a massive creature in the room with Errol causes a little bit of a problem. The creature raises seven gnolls as zombies.

 

Lili distracts the cavalry from taking out Krugnut by exploding his stone body. She yells and screams at them from behind, waiting for them to turn around.

 

Kalen climbs up a rope to a nearby tower, while 25+1 Takashis’ Magic Missiles destroy three arrowhawks and a gargoyle. A gargoyle swoops over and drops two boulders on Takashi.

 

Errol is confronted with his worst fear, his fiancee, who is in reality a phantasmal killer. He successfully disbelieves the spell and nothing happens to him.

 

Takashi casts a fireball downstairs, after Errol has already fled the room in fear through the trapdoor. He finds a young woman trapped in a cage, who curls up in a ball when a jet of fire comes down the opening.

 

Kalen reaches the window of the nearby tower. He tries to pull himself throught the window and slips. He manages to grab hold of the ledge with one hand. Pulling himself in throught the window, he does a one-handed chin-up. As he does so, he is hit with fire by a gargoyle.

 

Lili suddenly wonders why she was trying to put the gnolls to sleep. She very suddenly remembers that the gnolls are her friends…

 

Errol goes down through the trapdoor and finds the treasure hoard. He cowers among the treasure, while the girl screams abuse at him.

 

Kalen is knocked unconscious by a gnoll with an axe-handle.

 

Lili decides to try and climb the beast, and considers tying a rope to a crossbow bolt and using it as an anchor.

 

Errol cowers in a corner, drinking healing potions. He sees green smoke seeping down into the room and filling it up. He goes up the ladder, through the smoke.

 

Takashi talks to the girl, convincing her that she needs to fly to get off the beast. Errol collects his sword and gets up to the top. Takashi tells him he needs to get Kalen. Errol introduces himself to the girl with “Errol the Bard, heard of me?” She responds with “Not THE Errol?” She then turns to Takashi and asks him if he is a wizard. He replies that he is a little bit of one. She asks if he can heal her as he does, restoring her to full health with a Cure Light Wounds.

 

Takashi tries to climb in through a window, after jumping to a nearby tower. He then falls off the side after most of his spells go down. A massive lightning bolt sears out of the sky at Errol, who ducks. Takashi climbs back in through the window and attacks the gnolls.

 

Lili ties herself to the beast’s leg, while she attaches the other end of the rope to another crossbow bolt and shoots it further up.

 

Kalen gets to his feet and stabs the nearest gnoll. Takashi finishes them off and Kalen knocks the surrendering one unconscious. They discuss that Errol needs to be healed to have a chance. As they talk, Lili gets up and painfully sets off a sonic alarm. She emerges into the crew of a ballista as a gargoyle flies over and drops both frost and fire onto the horse right beside her.

 

(12/10/03)

 

Takashi jumps out of the window, tumbling as he hits the ground. He attacks the gnolls surrounding Lili, dropping the one menacing her with a Magic Missile. Corin fires an arrow into the leg of the beast and begins her ascent. Meanwhile, Kalen gets to the base of the tower, searching for the door to the room containing Errol.

 

Lili takes a swipe at the gnoll between her and Takashi, slamming her staff into its groin. Meanwhile, Takashi is hit on his shield from behind, resulting in a glow of green. Takashi takes a slash at one gnoll and hits. He then turns and in one cruel swipe, cleaves a gnoll in half.

 

Kalen charges into the door, failing to break it open. He then opens it as the remaining gnolls and Lili are caught by black tentacles that erupt from the platform Kalen is standing on.

 

A ballista moves down off the platform and attacks Takashi, although it does no damage. Takashi is suddenly surrounded by a swarm of rats, gnashing their teeth. He steps around the gnoll and attacks a tentacle. He cleaves it in half and it falls off Lili. Takashi then casts an illusory Fireball on the vermin and gnolls. Lili apparently get caught in the blast. After some reassurance that the wounds are only in her mind, she no longer believes the fireball to be real.

 

Kalen enters the building to find an empty cage in a room with a trapdoor and a ladder. Remembering Takashi’s advice, he heads for the top of the tower.

 

Meanwhile, Lili is knocked down by another tentacle. Takashi has Dispel Magic cast on him, forcing everything except his shield to go down.

 

Kalen gets to the top of the tower. He finds an unconscious Errol, who he immediately casts Cure Light on.

 

As Lili drinks a potion, another tentacle grabs her. Then another one writhes up and grabs hold of her. She yells for help. Takashi obliges and cuts one of them open. The other is still clinging to her. As he does this, he is attacked by two of them. One tries to grab him and fails, but the other one succeeds in grabbing him.

 

A massive cloud of fog descends over Lili and Takashi. Takashi manages to keep breathing, while Lili just fails to hold her breath. Takashi tries to break free of the tentacles. Lili’s tentacle releases her suddenly as something goes “thump”. She manages to crawl away from it. Without warning, she hits her head lightly on something wooden.

 

Kalen and Errol crouch atop the tower, as Errol asks if Kalen knows where the mage is. Kalen answers that he does not, then asks if Errol needs more healing.

 

Takashi finally breaks free of the tentacles as Lili realises she is right next to the platform where the tentacles are coming from. Takashi walks off toward the edge of the beast, then steps over to avoid the cloud. He hits the ground and is still nauseated.

 

Corin ties the rope around her waist, while Lili tries to find a way out of the fog, up the stairs. As she feels around on the platform with her staff, a tentacle comes up from the front of the staff and grabs her. She screams, then there is total silence.

 

Corin shouts out, “Lili, where are you?” Kalen replies, “She’s at the top of the stairs on the platform.” As he does so, an arrow streaks out of the sky and misses. A lightning bolt misses Errol, but not Kalen. As he is struck, Kalen realises that the magical presence of the wizard is on the second floor of the left tower.

 

His decision made, Kalen whips off his cloak and invisibly zips down the line hanging on to his cloak. Errol grows wings. Kalen attacks the wizard as he enters the room, while Errol drops in from above. They both attack; Errol, raging, does massive damage.

 

Corin gets up and lays waste to the tentacles. She then hides in the building and clears a path to Lili. She gets to Lili and feeds her the Cure Moderate potion.

 

Kalen realises that the image of the mage is an illusion. Errol keeps attacking, even after Kalen waves his spear through the illusion. Errol is only moved when the girl, who he released from the cage before, calls out for him. He leaps out the window and flies over to the tower.

 

Takashi has already landed on the tower. He climbs down the ladder and has a short discussion with the girl. Errol arrives and the girl tells him she was attacked by a big, nasty dogman.

 

Corin, meanwhile, is covering Lili as the gargoyle drops yet another boulder on them. Corin goes very pale as she is hit. While this is going on, Kalen searches the room where the illusion is.

 

Takashi flies off and tries to break the yoke on the beast. He fails to break it and comes back, checking on the magic around the towers.

 

The party argues with the girl, while Kalen is pulled up the rope to join the party. The party takes a long time to talk the girl into helping them. During this she finds her spellbook and teleports out.

 

(26/10/03)

 

The party opts to use the walkway to get to the main tower. Errol goes to the top of the tower and retrieves his items. As the party leaves, they spot the girl flying away on a broomstick, carrying a bag. Corin fires at her and Kalen summons a brilliant spear of light, which immediately strikes her. Corin gets one shot off that strikes, while two miss.

 

Kalen and Errol climb the outside of the tower. Errol leads, going up past Kalen. Kalen stops to break in a window, revealing a room that has been set on fire, although nothing is burning. Errol reaches the roof, getting a nice view of the back of the beast, while the beast is only 5 or 10 minutes from the village.

 

Errol attempts to climb the next tower, only to find the whole wall becomes greasy and slippery. Kalen crawls across the beam to the gutted room. The others follow him, although strangely, Errol almost falls. Kalen and Lili both complain bitterly about the heat, and the party emerges onto the platform containing the catapult. The party runs into a sonic trap. The fight is then on, as a group of six tentacles appear. Takashi starts and takes down two tentacles. Corin destroys a tentacle and wounds another. Lili takes down another one. A tentacle grabs Kalen, who falls unconscious. Takashi destroys the tentacle holding Kalen, following it up with another swipe at the last remaining tentacle, destroying that too.

 

A few arrows fly in the direction of Takashi. Errol, meanwhile, grabs Kalen and drags him inside the burning building, then flies over and up to the top of the tower in front of the party and hits the gnoll on the roof with his bastard sword.

 

Takashi asks Corin if she can jump the gap. The response is “That’s a twenty foot gap!” Takashi tries to force his way in through the window. Corin shoots a gnoll, but it doesn’t drop.

 

Meanwhile, Errol has some fun with the guard on the roof. A cry of “That head must have gone thirty feet!” is heard by the rest of the party.

 

Lili tries to grab Kalen as he begins sliding to the other end of the room. One of the gnolls attacking Takashi half-falls out the window. It then goes “urgh” and drops out as Corin takes a shot. The other gnoll in the room is attacked and severely wounded as Errol drops in from above.

 

Takashi flies in through the window and charges the gnoll. Errol tumbles around the gnoll that comes up behind him, and begins to flank it, while Takashi strikes it, hitting. Takashi sees another gnoll coming up the ladder and instantly takes a series of strikes. It releases the ladder and falls through the hole in the floor. Errol kills the remaining gnoll easily.

 

A polite exchange, where both Errol and Takashi motion for the other to go first, eventually leads to Errol going down the hole before Takashi. They cross in midair as Errol lands first. Takashi finishes off the gnoll and looks around the room at the fingerpainted mural of the beast attacking a village.

 

Errol flies back to the bridge and tells Corin about the tower below the bridge. Corin ties off the rope and starts down. Takashi jumps across, only to find the wall is greased. He begins sliding down until Errol grabs hold of the rope below Corin and maneuvres it so that Takashi takes hold.

 

Takashi tries to smash into the shuttered window, but sprains his ankle against the wall. Errol goes up to the window and breaks it open. Takashi tumbles in, down a floor and few feet across the floor, to rise and strike an Alsatian-headed creature. He strikes a gnoll wearing a helm with a dagger, killing it instantly. Errol comes flying in and attacks the creature with his rapier. Corin comes in through the window and begins shooting. The creature swings back at Takashi, taking a bite out of his hand, as well as hitting him twice with a battle chain.

 

The creature grabs the helm from the gnoll’s corpse and disappears. Takashi and Errol quickly rejoin Corin as Kalen enters. A quick discussion reveals the creature to be a Hound Archon. Errol also tells people that the creature should be good and that all he can guess is a Mirror of Opposite Alignment.

 

A shrieking noise is heard as Lili turns around to find the Archon behind her. It attacks, but misses twice and fails to bite her. A crossbow bolt has also hit her from somewhere. Takashi and Errol make it up there to check on the noise. They find the Archon and Errol stabs at it. It disappears again and the party slowly reforms. Every round the Archon appears in a different place, along with a crossbow bolt.

 

The party hides in the room that Takashi blew up earlier, then continues across the beam. As they go across, Kalen falls off, catching hold of a hunk of the beast’s fur. As he strains to pull himself up, Lili falls past. Kalen grabs her and hauls her up with him. The party reforms and returns across the beam to find the Archon hiding in the tower again. Takashi shoots a few more times, while Kalen Blesses the party to help stave off the fear caused by the crossbow bolts.

 

Lili is hit and falls unconscious. Corin stays with her while Takashi, Kalen and Errol go down into the drive room to find a gnoll acting strangely. After a long discussion, Takashi leaves and disguises the party with an illusion.

 

Takashi head off the back of the beast, taking illusions with them. As they go down, the remainder discuss what to do. The monster shakes from side to side, making Errol’s plan to jump out difficult.

 

It is all solved in the end, as all three hold hands and jump out as one. As they begin to scream and hall hideously, Errol simply casts Featherfall, allowing them to leave the beast safely, as it wanders off into the pass, through the woods.

 

They get back to the village to find that part of it has been destroyed. After a LOT of healing for Kalen, Lili and especially Takashi, Kalen waits for the rest of his colleagues.