Raider's Camp

running Linston pauses and fires a hail mary shot high, it slices through the air whistling toward the beast, it pauses at the apex of it's arc for the briefest moment, before plummeting towards the earth once again. It's razor sharp point gleams in the sun for a flash and then vanishes into the long feather like coat of the beast...... who doesn't seem to notice....

Trying to stay low, Clarice approaches from the side as the creature hesitates. Once close enough she fans out her hands and takes aim.

As the flames flow forth from her fingertips she starts to giggle; she's not quite sure why...

The beast rears, flames dance across it's beak like maw, and it let's out an ear piercing screetch.

Beast dmg (fire) 13/2 = 7

Elceran is having flash backs to an old play about a cup and something about snakes as he continues his run, feeling like he's going nowhere fast

Grim takes his whip and tries to tear into the wolf's hide as it seems to hesitate.

the beast suddenly rears as the whip bites into it's hide. It screeches like a giant bird and its grey shaggy coat is feather like around it's head and shoulders.

It eyes wee Clarice for an instant and swipes at her with its long, sharp claws, before spinning on Grim and snapping at the man who whipped him with a fiercely sharp beak.

Clarice is knocked several feet to the left, as crimson streaks appear across her arm, but she manages to stay on her feet. The beak of the beast reaches for Grim's arm, but misses and sinks itself into his belly. Blood of a worryingly deep red soaking through his tunic.

Linston has no real option but to keep running until he can get in range.

*gurgle*

...

Back so soon, my child?
It appears that way.

Clarice looks around the wonderful surroundings of the Golden Hills and is at peace.

Maybe it is for the best.

Grim not going to let the beast get the best of him gathers up his strength and unleashes an onslaught on it.

The scene is blood soaked chaos.

Runninig and screaming, Linston and Elceran are stopped dead in their tracks. When a low rumble like thunder in the distance causes the ground beneath them to tremble.

The beast ignores the pain of the whip to disembowel the little wizard, but it too is startled by the rumble. It raises it's head, looks briefly to the horizon....

then BOLTS! Loping off in the other direction, bloody footprints in it's wake.

Clarice and Grim can't see what's happening. But Linston and Elceran do.

An army is on the march.

The ground shakes beneath the hundreds and hundreds of boots. Wagons. Drakes. The mouth of the camps spews forth more and more. Smoke rising from torches, flags unfurling. A low chant begins to rise.

"hail. hail. Hail. Hail. HAIL. HAIL. HAIL. HAIL...."

With the wolf no longer being an immediate threat, Grim rushes to Clarice and administers a healing potion

Someone has been awaiting your arrival, my child.
Who?
See for yourself.

Clarice hears a familiar voice call out to her.

Clarice! It is so good to see you again.
URIZA!!!

Suddenly the vision of the Golden Hills, Baervan, and of her recently departed friend start to fade.

NO! No...

Her eyes shoot open to see Grim kneeling above her, an empty vial in his hands.

"Thanks once again, my friend."

Linston keeps running to the group.

We have to get under cover.

Elceran slides into the nearest bush cover as the camp begins to march out.

Linston makes it to the camp and slides in under cover.

Already on the ground, Clarice will crawl into whatever possible cover she can find and attempt to hide.