“Alright, everyone, do what you gotta do and grab your gear. We will not be making unnecessary stops, Swaggle. That means you.” Delphi clacks.

“It’s too early for this.” Hooknose grumbles.

“I just need to stop sometimes, that’s all!” Swaggle yells.

“So which way do we go, oh fearless leader?” Bobbi asks.

“Well? That’s simple, N.A.V.I. Which way? Delphi asks.

“Oh, it’s this way.” N.A.V.I. hums while drifting off to the group's left.

“See, it’s this way,” Delphi says confidently, following N.A.V.I.

“Silly question, but which way is that way?” Swaggle asks.

“Now that’s a good question.” Hooknose retorts.

“Stop messing around, and let’s get back to business,” Bobbi growls.

“Killjoy.” Swaggle mumbles.

After walking for a few hours, N.A.V.I. says. “This is it, my favourite spot. This grove is one of the most magical places in the forest. Betcha can’t tell why?”

“Is it the sword sticking out of the stone?” Hooknose asks.

“Nope! It's that... Hey, wait, how did you know?” N.A.V.I. stutters, “That sword is legendary and heroes from...”

“Legendary, what good is a sword in a rock,” Swaggle says, cutting off N.A.V.I..

“Yeah, you can’t cut anybody with the blade because the rock is in the way and too unwieldy to swing. Take that from a professional.” Hooknose says with pride.

“Who put that in there anyways?” Delphi wonders.

“A moron, that’s who N.A.V.I.. I don’t know why you had to show us this, but can you get us back on track?” Bobbi asks.

Tinting with a deep crimson N.A.V.I. says. “I don’t know what I was expecting, but yes, we will leave the ‘Legendary Sword’ and go deal with those flesh bags.”

“Thank you,” Bobbi says with a smile.

“We will be arriving within the hour, so everyone start getting sneaky,” N.A.V.I. states, finally calming down.

The group arrived at the edge of an artificially created clearing full of tree stumps, a ramshackle log building in the center, and a few tents. The fog was dense from the evening sun obscuring their approach.

“Alright, everyone, huddle up,” Delphi says in a hushed, clacking voice.

“What is it?” Sawggle asks as they all group up.

“My plan is what,” Delphi replies, then continues, “This is going to be tricky. We need most of them alive and none to get away, so head count, please?

“I saw five by the by tents, by the way. I want those. They look comfortable,” Hooknose says.

“Agreed, oh, and I saw three by the murdered tree pile on the left side of the clearing,” Bobbi chimes in.

“Beds and covers, how nice, and I saw two on the other side of the clearing talking to each other,” Swaggle says.

“So ten of them in all okay. Let me look them over real quick.” Delphi steps away from the group and looks over the camp. “Interesting,” Delphi says to himself and returns to the group. “They look much weaker in comparison to those others, including their gear,”

“So this is going to be fun,” Bobbi says with cruelty in her voice.

With eye sockets glowing red, Delphi responds, “Yes, and time for my plan. Swaggle, use your magic from a distance to kill any who try to flee. Bobbi, you keep them alive at the same time whether they want to die or not. Hooknose, get the attention of the big group and knock them out. I will go for the three on the left. Hopefully, the other two will join in the fray. If not, Swaggle will do his thing.”

“Hehe, yes, I will,” Swaggle says with a dark joyfulness.

“What about me?” N.A.V.I. asks

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“Oh right, help Hooknose and blind them,” Delphi adds.

“Yes, blind them, not me,” Hooknose exclaims.

“I gotta say good plan Delphi,” Bobbi comments.

“Thank you. If I could, I would blush, but now everybody, sneak around and get into positions, and when we’re there, Hooknose starts the battle.”

As everyone gets into positions, Hooknose Closes his eyes and says to N.A.V.I.. “Do it now.” N.A.V.I. flies up to the unsuspecting group and flashes a blinding pink colour. The group of men begins screaming. In an instant, Hooknose draws his sword and shield and steps into the middle of the group letting out a fierce battle cry activating {Warcry}. The other two groups draw their weapons, looking in Hooknose’s direction, missing Delphi stepping out of the shadows and taking {Brawler’s Stance} and delivering a sicking punch to a young man's jaw, dislocating it and sending several teeth flying. At once, the group on Delphi turns their attention to their new foe. Fear in their eyes, they swing wildly at the skeleton, screaming nonsense. Out of the group on the right, one dashes towards Delphi to help his comrades while the other drops his weapon and screams. “I don’t wanna die.” And tries to run. [Flamebolt] From Swaggles scaly palm, a red and purple fireball appears and is Hurrled at the fleeing man lighting him on fire. Inside the large melee fray, Hooknose parries several wild blows off his shield, then lunges in the air with his shield held high aimed at a man's head and activities {Shield Bash}, knocking the man unconscious.

Meanwhile, N.A.V.I. begins wisping around the battlefield, maniacally laughing and taunting her enemies. “So you can kill helpless trees but not me eh fine drown in a puddle of your own blood flesh-bags.” Delphi lets loose a {Staggering Fist} into the gut of his nearest target, bringing him down with ease. Causing another one to flee in panic. [Ruin] evil laughter fills the air as the man who tried to run rapidly decays, falling to the ground leaving all the rest of the *adventurers* in terror and with no will left to fight, falling to ground cowering before what truly is their death.

“Swaggle, grab some rope, tie them up and make sure their bonds are good n tight.” Delphi Orders.

“Only two dead and eight bawling and pleading left, not bad,” Hooknose says with pride.

Bobbi walks over to the young man with a dislocated jaw. “Hold still. This will hurt. I guarantee it,” She finishes with a cackling peel of laughter and casts [Natures Mend]. A large cast of stone envelopes the young man's face pulling the jaw slowly into place with sickening snaps, and crunch’s muffled screaming can be heard from within the stone until it fades away, leaving the young man passed out from sheer pain.

“Pathetic, you weaklings can’t even stand to be healed,” Bobbi says as she spits on the ground in disgust.

“It’s getting less noisy. Are they dying?” Delphi asks.

“No, I’m stuffing cloth in their mouth’s so they will quit whining after I tie them up,” Swaggle says.

“Good thinking, hmm… looking around, these adventurers looked much younger than those others and didn’t know how to fight.” Hooknose points out.

“Your right. That must be why they were on firewood duty. I mean, look at this camp. All that’s here chopped trees made into smaller chopped trees.” Delphi says.

“All done, they are tied and gagged and have soiled themselves a lot, disgusting,” Swaggle says while pinching his snout shut. “Also, I found a small stream over there.”

“Good, we will need that later,” Hooknoses says.

“Yes, yes, more importantly, it’s my turn to play,” Bobbi says with a wicked smile.

As Bobbi walks up to the nearest man and ungags him, an angry ball of light flies into his face and begins yelling. “Where are they flesh-bag? And don’t play dumb with me, or I will have my friends here take you apart piece by piece. Do you understand me?”

“No, I don’t understand what’s going on. Someone, please help me.” Calls out the young man

“Wrong answer, flesh-bag. Bobbi, I saw you melt someone. Please melt parts off him till he answers my question.”

“With pleasure.” [Ruin] At once, the man's veins begin to turn sickly colours as his flesh decays.

“Now, where are they?” N.A.V.I. demands

I don’t know. The man says, choking on his own tongue.

Then you will be an example to those who do know. N.A.V.I. then flies up a few feet and floats in a circle as the man dies.

“Ah ha, Bobbi him over there. He knows he is the only one who looked away.” As Bobbi and N.A.V.I. approach the man, he tries to back away, scuttling on the ground.

As Bobbi ungags him, N.A.V.I. continues. “You know what I’m talking about, so spill it with or without pain.”

With a deep gulp, the young man speaks. “I was with some of the older guys. They needed extra hands to carry cages and jars. I thought it would get me ahead in the gang. Then we just stopped in a small clearing with flowers, and they pulled out a flute. Then I saw the most beautiful thing in my life, fairies, real fairies dancing to the music like in a trance or something. Then the others said to hand them the jars and cages, so I did. They opened them up and caught them like fireflies, and once we were done, he stopped playing, and the fairies screamed in terror and fled while the other guys in the gang laughed. I don’t know where they are. Only the boss does, I swear.”

“And where is this boss?”

“That I’m not telling.” Gaining his resolve, the young man looks back and forth between Bobbi and N.A.V.I.. “We are sworn, blood brothers. We will never tell you where the boss is.”

“OH, but you will,” Bobbi says as she reaches into her pouch with delight. “I will start with your eyelids so you can’t look away, then your fingernails because, why not? Sounds fun to me,” then, showing him the King's Foil she had picked earlier, she continued, “I will make you eat this and watch as you beg me to make it stop when you tell me what I want to hear, I will make it stop. If not you, I have six others who will test that brotherhood of yours.” Bobbi says with a grin.

An hour later, a puss and boiled-covered young man. Begins begging for his life. “I will tell you, just make it stop!”