True Monsters – chapter 5 – Miner Troubles

The party roused at first light, well a certain someone rose at first light. They began to hammer there equipment back into shape. Causing the rest of the party to rise. Alice's head stung, despite her initial wisdom, she had succumb and tried an ale, then another it had left her giddy. Now she had come down from the high, with a pounding head, no healing spell she possessed could rectify. It would be a long time before she tried it again. A mage with their weak physiology, was not suited to any alcohol. The mercenaries were solid muscle, they could take their ale. Martin could barely feel it, his poison resistance and already inhuman endurance. Meant that regular ale was little more than water to him.

They quickly had breakfast, then went back to their more private room. Sitting around the table they wondered what to do, there was a literal wall of jobs. Things that the villagers had noted, monster sightings things to be investigated. Some things that they would need to gain a few levels before they considered taking them on. Martin shrugged, “anyone got any ideas” They looked blankly at him he shrugged. Martin put his hand over his eyes and reached out to the board. He snatched a note up.

He held the paper out to Vivian and David then turned it to Alice. He looked at himself, “This is one of the jobs that the previous team of adventures, didn't complete. There was a lot that they didn't complete, so our job is twice as problematic. It looks like some of the villagers were mining some iron ore. A small claim approximately a mile away, a couple of farmers must have had a couple of levels in mining. This was a mining town, so the knowledge has probably been passed around families for a few generations. The authority's want to know what happened to them”.

Martin looked at the map, gesturing in the general area, “now the main problem in the area is thrall wolves, natural wolves that have been infected with the vampires thrall taint. This makes them aggressive, territorial and quite dangerous. It’s the reason that they don't have enough, fire wood. People who go deeper into the woods, don't return. Or return infected and have to be purged of the taint. The local priest has a ritual for it, it is not pleasant.”

“The Thrall wolves are quite a bit more substantial, than natural wolves. They are generally bigger than the giant rats and faster. They typically travel in smaller groups. These woods have quite a lot of them. Apparently as a monster they hover in the region of 5-9. They can become dread thrall wolves if they get to level ten. There are probably one or two of these wandering the area they are no push over as far as I am aware.”

David looked at him, “these thrall wolves are there pelts worth anything”, “If I remember my teaching, the thrall taint does not have a beneficial effect on the hides. The wolf’s hide is tough, but patchy. Its fur mangy its physiology warped. So even if we kill them, we can’t use the skins or the meat on the carcases. It’s probably best we burn any remains, to this end it might be best to get some more lamp oil. We will need it if we are exploring the little mining operation.” Vivian looked at him sternly, “I will be carrying the lamp oil this time, there is far less chance of it breaking and I don't quite trust you with it”.

Martin shrugged, “we all agreed to use it that way, on the last rat nest.” Vivian still looked stern and looked at David for support. He nodded half-heartedly. Alice murmured, “Did they, I mean were they stupid enough to try, opening up the old mine”. Martin carefully read several notes, scribbled on the back of the notice. “No it seems to be something different, a smaller vain of ore. It brought in a little coin, for the community. Before things got really bad and the monster population skyrocketed.”

They gathered there equipment and some rations, they set out, the villagers waved to them in a friendly enough manner. The locals had decided to label them as useful, due to the successful vermin extermination. The guards at the gate gave them a nodding show of respect. They had even got a small discount on the lamp oil. Martin was sure, that as they proved to be more useful, the locals would be prepared to render more assistance. He was sure that the apothecary and the sheriff probably had a few useful items in reserve.

They crossed the patchy farmland, the previously deserted fields, now had several farmers trying to save what they could. David briefly stopped and had a chat with them, to determine that there were no further signs of giant rats. Either they had gotten them all, or any that were left had been driven off, by the destruction of their nests. The group moved on through the remains of the old town. Past the wooden warning notice left on the old mine, 'Danger do not dig' and towards the forest. There was a track, large enough for a small cart. It had worn groves in the ground, cosponsoring to a cart. The track was a little overgrown but still quite easy to follow.

Alice felt a pang of hesitation, they were heading into the woods. The place that the villagers were too frightened to go. She almost paused, but then she thought of the creatures that they had already killed. Admittedly just giant rats was the phrase that came to mind. She was stronger for it, so she held her objections in, as they moved forwards. Vivian pointed something out down the track.

When they got to it they found, half a dead giant rat. The front half of it had been chewed away, leaving its hind quarters on the ground. They looked around, Vivian pointed a few bits out to Martin he nodded. “Yes I can see signs of thrall wolfs”, he pointed to an area by the side of the trail. “The oily fur on the bush, the large slightly miss shaped tracks”. He nodded, “definitely a thrall wolf from what I have been taught”.

They walked on for ten more paces and started to turn round a bend. There was a creature sitting in the way on the trail. It looked like a large black dog, that was not quite right, not a dog a wolf. Its shape was odd, as if its muscle growth was irregular and distorted. Its head was slightly lopsided, the jaw didn't fit quite right, too many teeth. Its coat was grey in some places, black in others and worn thin in spots. This impression took a fraction of a second, intelligent eyes looked at the party.

This was not as idiotic a monster as the rats. The thrall wolf was alone, it sensibly moved away into the forest. Before Martin could draw his pistol, or Vivian could strain her bow. The group shared a knowing look, they would be on a higher state of alert in the woods. It was not a casual stroll. Vivian kept an arrow notched, Martin a pistol in his hand. David had his sword drawn and Alice kept a spell at the ready.

It was only two minutes later, when the thrall wolf returned with friends. There was a group of three wolfs on the trail. The one that they had seen, with two slightly smaller and less warped creatures, standing behind it. The creatures charged forwards, but acted far more tactically than the rats. The two wolves behind the first, ran around Martin and David heading for the back line of the group. They were using the trees as cover. They were definitely a bit more intelligent. In terms of opponents, than the low bar set by the rats. They were able to coordinate, not just charging forwards blindly.

But then in balance if the rats had levelled up further, then they would have become more strategic creatures. The wolf at the front was a distraction. It kept back from David, but moved so that Martin was blocked by David. They had been flanked, Vivian kept her cool and Alice reacted as best she could. As the wolves got closer to them there cover evaporated, this allowed Vivian to attack with a power shot. Hitting and slowing the wolf coming to her but not killing it. Alice used her fire bite spell injuring the wolf barrelling towards her. The beast went for her throat, but got her arm as she held it up to protect herself. Alice screamed in pain, as its jaws clamped down on her arm. Despite the enchanted resistance, form the garment she wore. She cast a second fire bite in desperation. Hitting the beast and in the face, forcing it to let go of her mangled and slightly burnt arm.

Martin twisted round, he put a focus shot into the skull of the wolf attacking Alice, killing it. Vivian put a second shot, into the wolf heading towards her. Crippling it and leaving it on its side, scrabbling about trying to get up. Martin turned his focus back to David, He lunged at the wolf in front of him, and again it backed away. But it gave Martin a clear shot with his pistol, the bullet struck the beast in its hind quarters. It yelped and twisted, giving David the opening he needed to land a power shot killing it.

Vivian put two more arrows into the wolf, which had attacked her. Before she was certain that it was dead. Martin went over to Alice, “let me check that wound before you close it”. She nodded gritting her teeth. Martin cleaned the wound out with alcohol, then nodded to Alice. She used her healing magic, the wound closed up, and her arm straightened out. There were still blood stains and tatters on her clothing, where the wolf’s jaws sank into her. Alice gritted her teeth, as she voiced her concerns, “I really need to find some light armour”.

Vivian recovered her arrows, David cleaned the wolf guts off his sword and Martin reloaded his pistols. They dragged the wolf carcasses into the centre of the trail. David looked at Martin, “do we have to do this every time?” Martin shrugged, “it’s a good habit to get into. Do you want to fight the same creatures again raised as the undead? Or do you want to fight a thrall bear, which ate one of these things and became infected”. David shook his head, “I suppose you have a point”. Vivian splashed oil over the remains, Martin lit them with his tinder box. A fire quickly sprang up to consume the remains of the tainted wolves’ carcass.

They moved a few hundred yards down the trail, a wolf’s howl could be herd for a second with another howl the other side of the trail. Martin drew both his pistols, the group closed formation expecting an attack from any side. They moved warily down the trail, another yard then the thrall wolves struck. A larger group of five thrall wolves emerged, three from one side of the track two from the other. David sprung forwards to meet the first wolf, cutting it across the head. Vivian let lose a power shot. Striking a wolf in the centre of mass. Alice focused on the same wolf, hitting it with two fire bites leaving the creature dead.

A second wolf attacked Martin clipping him, Martin holstered one pistols. He griped his holy symbol, “wrath” a shot rang out, the wolf died with a faint white glow. Martin rapidly drew his second pistol, “wrath”. He aimed and fired. Another wolf glowed briefly white and hit the floor. The remaining wolfs looked at each other. Then retreated narrowly being missed by an arrow from Vivian. Martin has a handful of throwing knives in each hand, they had killed three of the attacking wolves. The remaining two had escaped back into the forest. Vivian looked at the spot the wolves disappeared into. “They are smart creatures, smart enough to retreat they might come back in larger numbers”.

Martin started to put his knives away, then re-lode his pistols, his eyes flashed and his body shuddered for a second he murmured in a quiet voice “level 8”. David gasped, “I don't believe it Martin you have overtaken me, admittedly these things are vampiric minions. So I know you get bonus experience from killing them, but this is getting ridiculous”. Vivian put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, “It’s not that big a deal as he levels up it gets harder to do. You will catch up soon enough”.

David shrugged “I suppose it can’t be too long with your crafting levels, before you reach veteran status. Then you need to perform a feat of strength, to keep levelling right?” Martin shrugged as he loaded his pistol. “I believe that you can get a total number of crafting levels and combat levels, to 25 before you would need a breakthrough, on either one.”

“So theoretically someone could have 25 crafting levels and 25 combat levels before they would need to break through either by a feat of marshal strength or creating a masterpiece work”. “Oh” was all that David could say. But then Martin had been alive for a decade longer than he, had so there had to be some benefit to it. Even if it was a handful of skills that synergised with maintaining his equipment.

They cleaned the blood of their equipment. Burnt the thrall wolfs remains, cautiously they ate there rations. They moved on down the track. Around 500 yards further down the track they came to the end of it. There was a cave cut into the side of the mountains, with banks of lose excavated soil and rock piled up over the surrounding area. David was the first to go over, he looked at the piles of material. “I guess that they were very busy, look at the amount of rock that they must have moved. I guess they must have been doing this quietly on the side, for decades to earn a bit of money”.

Martin looked around, “maybe longer, I imagine something thought that this mine would make a good home. Then removed the miners, rather than they dug something up”. Vivian shrugged, “It could have just been a cave in, gas or another sort of mining accident”. Alice looked about holding her hand out, “I can’t sense any sort of magic, we can stand hear all day, or we can go and investigate”. Vivian took one torch and handed it to Martin. She handed a second torch to Alice. She hooked it over her staff so she had one hand free to cast.

Martin holstered his pistol, he drew a long handled wooden mallet from inside his jacket. He probably had a few stakes in there as well. The mallet was made form a dark red hardwood, that seemed aged and used. It had a leather wrap around the handle, a few nails in the joint holding the head to the handle. David looked at him, “you know how to use that?” Martin nodded, “I took two levels in general melee proficiency when I levelled up”. David shrugged, it was not that impressive a skill, but flexible. Allowing many different types of melee weapons to be used. They kept in a tight group as they slowly moved down the mine tunnel. It was supported by planks here and there some of them quite old.

The tunnel turned and twisted a few times. As the miners had followed the seam of ore. On the third bend they found the bodies of the miners. They were quite easily recognisable desiccated, dried out completely. One man face down seemingly reaching for a pick, one body was huddled in a corner as if he had been trying to defend himself, with his arms crossed. A third was up against a wall a smashed lantern dropped by his side. Martin made careful note of the puncture wounds all over the men's skins, the way that they had died. He turned round to the rest of the group.

Martin was about to triumphantly announce, what type of monster had done this. “It was”, when a giant bat, with a four foot wing span. Flapped past him heading for the tunnel exit. Martin pulled back his mallet to make a swing. David was closer, he intercepted it. Easily pushing the weak creature up against the wall with his shield, killing it easily with one strike from his sword.

Vivian looked at them, “well simple enough, we found the bodies we know what killed them now we go back”. Martin shook his head, “no chance we have to bring the bodies back. For last rights, we have to kill or chase off the rest of the bats”. David looked around, “if they ever do restart this little claim. They might want to put a sturdy door at the front right”. Alice looked about, “why do people live in places like this, risk their lives like this”. Vivian responded with a hint of annoyance, “Because there is nowhere else for them to go. The bats are easy kills come on let’s get some experience”.

They went deeper into the mine tunnel reaching the apparent end of the excavation, there was something big in the end of the tunnel. Attached high up on one wall. The group got ready. Martin held the light up to it the thing moved. The group moved back a step, the light on it showed that it was not one creature but many. An entire nest or flock of giant bats, at its centre were two quite large specimens one the size of a man the second considerably more so.

Martin activated a blessing “armour of faith” to make himself temporarily tougher, David and Martin started swinging as the bats as the swarm headed for them. They hit some but more flowed around them to attack Vivian and Alice. Alice started to use her magic sending fire bit spells into the mass. Easily killing a bat with each shot, Vivian was much the same with her bow not even bothering to draw it back all the way her, shots easily killed the weak bats.

The two larger specimens waited, judging their opponents. Casually sacrificing their brood to weaken the attackers. Martin was hit a few times, but the bats did pathetically low damage and he barely noticed it. David was hit a few times ankle and wrist, but again it didn't do that much to him. Vivian had to twist away, a bat managed to maul her across the cheek, even with her helmet. Alice received several bad bites to her left hand. But she was not letting go of her staff. Or the light.

Vivian and Alice soon found themselves running low, Alice was down to 4 spells and the charge on her staff. Vivian had 5 arrows left, two of those were the silver ones she kept in reserve. David and Martin were acutely aware, that if this fight went on very much longer. They might end up dying a death of a thousand cuts. Brought down to nothing by the mass of bats. It would take longer than the miners, but they could end up sharing their fate. They both surmised that if the alpha and the matriarch were dead then the rest of the flock would dissipate. The close confines of the mine tunnel, would probably help them to achieve this. The beasts being forced to only use a fraction of their abilities. David charged into the alpha delivering 3 fast power attacks while suffering a few blows in return..

Martin took on the matriarch, hitting her in the face with a focus melee strike. She knocked him backwards causing the mallet to fly off into the darkness. Martin retaliated drawing both pistols and using a focus shot each to strike her in the face. He pulled three throwing knives from his belt and threw them with a focus multi throw. Wedging them into the beast’s face, a second fan of knives a second focus throw and Martin was out of weapons. Scrambling across the floor to find his mallet, before the enraged beast recovered.

Vivian saw what was going on, she let lose an adrenalin power shot into the alpha giant bat. David hit it with two more adrenalin power strikes, finally killing the creature dead. The swarm of bats seemed to pause for a second. Then the matriarch went mad and tried to push her way out of the cave to escape. Marin pushed in front of her, there was a glow “guardian angel”. The giant bat pushed against the defensive barrier and achieved nothing. Alice kept her magic in reserve to heal the wounded party members. She nervously reached for the mana potion, just encase things went bad and she had to do something.

Vivian still harassed by the bats, put a power shot into the matriarch. David stabbed the creature again and again. Not using up his last power attack lest he succumb to exhaustion. The giant bat charged Martin again the glow that stopped her faded as she was halted a second time. This was enough for Martin to have recovered his mallet. He struck her three times with focus strikes. Aiming at her limbs, trying to cripple her. The beast pushed on, Vivian sent her last regular arrow flying with a power shot into the beast.

Vivian shot her last two silver arrows at the creature and fell back, pulling Alice with her. Martin charged it once more, “Shield of faith”. Activating his last defensive blessing, he landed another quick succession of three focus strikes to its leg. Before the impact from the beast, shattered the glowing shield and sent him sprawling. David pulled out the last stop, he dropped a power attack on the beast’s side. Burying his sword into its flesh, not having the strength to recover it he fell to one side exhausted. He handed his silver dagger to Martin. David half collapsed into a corner using his shield to protect him from the swarm of bats. Martin used the dagger with a focus throw to embed it into the neck of the creature it twisted. Martin used this opportunity, to catch up with the matriarch. Getting his mallet ready and delivered a focus strike onto the end of David's sword, causing it to sink deeper into the monster.

The matriarch pushed forwards, leaving Martin behind as he dealt with the mental exhaustion assaulting his mind, he had burnt through his reserves. The matriarch pulled itself out of the mine, to come face to face with Alice and Vivian. Vivian threw the bottle of lamp oil at the matriarch. Alice hit it with a fire bite spell at the same time, striking the creature in the face. It went up in flame, the beast finally twisted screeched and collapsed dead.

Moments later Martin came staggering out of the cave, a flask of tip in one hand and a tinder box in the other. He slowed and stopped, the monster was already dead. The bats were no longer a cohesive attacking force, but panicking individuates running off in random directions. Vivian went back into the cave to make sure David was OK. Martin checked Alice was OK, he got a shovel from the mine and put out the fire on the giant bats corpse.

They set about pulling their weapons and ammunition out of its body. Vivian had to help David stand. He just about carried his own battered shield. He looked accusingly at Martin, “that was close”. Martin shrugged, “A large pack of thrall wolves, with a dread wolf alpha would have been far worse.”

A bat could be seen flying, as fast as it could away from the makeshift mine. The last straggler seemed to be gone. Now that the area contained no further hostile creatures the process of levelling up automatically hit the group.

Martin was barely phased, as his eyes seemed to glow he continued to re-load his pistol. His fingers stiffened, but he continued to re-load his second pistol. His muscles twitched slightly, with barely a complaint coming from his lips, “ugh nine”. David found himself on the floor under the weight of his armour. His eye glowed his body locked up violently, it was perhaps not a good idea to experience a level up, while being exhausted and standing. He found his voice coming back to him as he scream with the pain. His body shook and twitched as his muscles reformed.

His voice came slow, “level 8... If you’re exhausted, you can’t actually feel the pain so much”. Vivian was resting on a tree stump. She jammed a piece of wood between her teeth, she bit down, her eyes glowed and her jaw crunched into the wood. Her screams were muffled as her muscles altered and her body got slightly tougher. The wood snapped in half under the strength of her jaw, she panted “level 7”.

Alice had put her staff down and propped herself up against a rock. She breathed in preparing herself. Again she felt herself touch something. A job matrix that was what it was called, she remembered now. Where the creator or creators of a job stored all the relevant knowledge used to create it. She was accessing something that was both a sort of magic and a part of the world, a library of sorts. She reached out through the pain she, felt her mind gain the knowledge of the grand touch heal spell.

It was like another's memory had been forced into her head. Then that memory had been battered, moulded to become part of her. It solidified within her mind so that the knowledge was seamlessly integrated. She was at peace, it was dark then there was a stinging pain. She was being held upright by Vivian, while Martin used some of his flask of tip, to clean the wound on her hand.

Martin used his tinder box, to set the monsters corpse back on fire. Now that there equipment had been recovered. He began to clean and sheath his knives, finally his wooden mallet disappeared into the folds of his coat. Alice pondered, “Were the miners doing anything that would have attracted the giant bats?” He shrugged, “They happened to have made a place, convenient for the bats. I don't know where the giant bats came from, probably drawn hear by something in the mine. Or they just needed a place to roost and the miners were unlucky, these are a very common minion, for the vampires they uses them as fodder and scouts.”

Alice used a healing spell on herself. Then two on David, as he had been knocked about a bit. She kept a tight grip on her staff. It still had mana in it so she still could use one more spell before succumbing to exhaustion. Vivian looked like she needed her face healed. Vivian had other priorities, she went back into the mine to recover the rest of her arrows. While she was recovering her ammunition Martin was busy. He dragged the corpse of the alpha bat out of the mine, and rolled it into the fire.

He then went back, returned with an armful of dead bats, throwing them on the fire. He turned to David who was cleaning his sword, checking it for nicks and scratches. “You see why no one goes deep into these woods for lumber, the thrall wolf numbers are quite high”. Martin looked closely at one of the giant bats. Before he threw it on the fire, his voice was tinged with anger. “The bats also had the thrall taint, it’s probably why they had not attacked the wolves or vice versa”.

Martin carefully looked David over, then headed over to Alice. “What are you doing”? She nervously questioned. He looked her in the face, “checking for signs of the thrall taint. I became immune at level 5, but none of the rest of you have that ability”. Vivian came out of the mine with her quiver of arrows full up. Martin looked at her and narrowed his eyes. Vivian looked at him, “what is it?” Martin sighed, taking his holy symbol off his belt. “The bats had the thrall taint on them, I need to check you”. Vivian's shoulders dropped, “go ahead”. Martin looked, there was the faint sign of the thrall taint. From bat bite, discolouration of the skin and eyes”. Martin held up the holy symbol. “If I was level ten I would get a once a day use of the purify blessing, which can remove this sort of thing painlessly. But I don't so I must warn you it will be painful”.

Vivian didn't look happy, but didn't want to leave it untreated. Wordlessly David shuffled over, then held her. More like a hug to comfort her, than restrain her. Martin was not sure that he was correct. As he held his holy symbol to Vivian's face, she grimaced in pain. Her face burnt on the bite mark. Martin held the blessed metal there for several seconds. Vivian screamed, Martin paused for a second. Then held the symbol up, the burning stopped after a few seconds. Vivian let one sob out. Alice used almost her last bit of magic, to heal the archers face. Martin turned to the others, “this can be why vampires are so dangerous. They can infect you by proxy via such servants”.

Alice held her staff, half leaning on it half holding it for security. “Can we head out now before any-more thrall wolves head back hear”? Martin answered, “just a little longer. Vivian can you help me get rid of the rest of these bat corpses, get the miners bodies. We can put them on a cart to transport them back to the village”. David scratched his head, “there was some stuff piled up in the entrance, they might want it back in the village”. Martin and Vivian searched in the cave the found some mining equipment and a few sacks of ore. The village could probably use it, so it was all loaded onto the one working miner’s cart.

With as much care as possible they put the three miner’s remains into the cart. To take back to the village, putting a ratty looking blanket over the entire thing. Martin and David pushed the cart, David had some difficulty balancing at first. But they soon made steady progress. Alice kept up the rear with Vivian keeping her bow ready. No further threats bothered them on the way back.

The guards at the gate let them in, after they each held onto the holy symbol outside the village, a standard precaution. The guards recognised the mine cart, they had guessed what was going on. The guards went to get the sheriff, he checked the bodies. He took a brief report from Vivian. He then handed over a small reward, totalling 1 silver 20 bronze total. Just 30 bronze each still enough to keep them in ale and good food for a while. Or something to add to the small savings from the rat extermination quest.

One of the Guards helped take the remains to church, some of their own had been confirmed as dead. Apart from the sheriff and the mayor, everyone had been born in the village. Most of the main figures in the village were there. The mayor got his fat frame out from behind his desk, he attended to pay his respects. The sheriff plus the merchant’s guild representative, the local apothecary headed to the church behind him. Quite a few other people friends and family of the deceased already started to gather. Having recently acquired a more religiously centred job, Martin had some understanding. Having seen his own loved ones off, more than a month ago. He joined the congregation in prayer.

The priest Bartholomew, started to perform the ceremony of last rights on the first miner they recovered. The bodies were covered by draped cloth to hide their distressing condition. It had been nearly two months from, when they had not come back. After the service before the cremations a group gather around. An old man talked about his two sons, his fists clenching and unclenching as he alternated between grief and undirected rage. A widow with three thin sickly looking children cried over one of the bodies, not daring to lift the sheet or reaching out and touch the remains.

David looked about especially at the children. He was hardly experienced with anything in life apart from the mercenary free company. But he remembered being a child with nothing, well not quite nothing one friend Vivian. He could see how hard it was on the small community, to lose even a few able bodied people. He paused for a second, he should be a mercenary unfeeling to these peoples plight. Just in it to get paid, but he was not that yet. He discreetly found Vivian and spoke to her, she hesitated but agreed.

The two of them went to Martin, who was sympathetic to the local village. His own home town having lost so many to the attack less than two months ago. They had the mine cart, the tools and the ore. A short chat with the apothecary, who acted as a general store manager. Indicated that the merchant’s guild would be happy to take these items. The profits would go to the families of the miners. David was sure, that if they did manage to cull the monsters in the area. More locals would start up the little mining operation again.

Three trails of smoke crept up into the air, over the walls of the village settling into the distance. The remains of the three miners, would be gathered up and put in clay urns. Interned in a vault beneath the church, with all other members of the community, which had gone to their rest. All the dead were cremated, as a ward against vampires or necromancer raising body's. Anyone of a religious job would have there remains protected, from such desecration. But few people earned the right, to be buried in a tomb like that. Most were simply cremated, there memory's slowly to fade, as the people left got on with their harsh lives.

The meal at inn was simple and a little stale, but warm and filling. Afterwards Martin stitch up the sleeve to Alice's robe. Where it was torn during the fight. Martin carried out a few other minor repairs to his own gear and decided to call it a night. The rest followed suit, for a second Alice thought that she could feel the pain form the bat bight. She shrugged there was pain, it was only in her head. Alice went to her room, let go of her staff and blacked out into deep sleep. Unfortunately the echoes of the monsters that they fraught during the day, came to her in her dreams at night..