When the party approached the guard stationed at the western gate of Greenreach, he blocked their path and looked them over. By now Ithan was able to walk on his own, but Taer’inar had wrapped him in an additional layer of clothing to keep him from freezing in the cold mountain air. Ithan had protested, of course, but as he shivered from his fur being drenched in water he eventually agreed.

“You lot look a bit worse for wear than when you left a couple of days ago,” the guard said as he eyed Taer’inar. “But at least you’re not dead.”

“Did Fenvyre make it back okay?” Taer’inar asked.

“Yes, she got back to town yesterday morning,” the dragonkin replied. “She was with an enforcement unit. I figured he helped her get back after you all got killed.”

“The mines were too dangerous,” Taer’inar explained, “so we sent her back with him. I’m glad to hear they are safe.”

“Oh, did you clear the mines, then?” the dragonkin asked expectantly.

“Er… no,” Taer’inar muttered, lowering his head. The guard frowned. “I want to know more about what’s actually down there before going back.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate,” the dragonkin replied. “We were really hoping to be able to access those mines again by springtime.”

“There’s still plenty of time for that,” Storm said. “We just need to prepare better next time.”

“If you say so. Well, I won’t keep you any longer.” The guard looked at Ithan, who still shook every so often as he listened to the conversation. “That one there looks like he’s going to freeze over. Get him on over to someplace warm.” He stepped aside to allow the group passage, and as they passed, he smiled and said, “Laht favor you.” Ithan heard this many more times among the other dragonkin as the party made their way through town, and when they arrived at the square, there was a small group of young dragonkin gathered around the ignan.

“Laht watches from above and grants favors to those she finds worthy,” the ignan’s voice rang, “and if she grants you a favor, you are quite fortuitous! But remember, children, you must earn her favor! Take risks! Seek adventure! Only then will she grant you her divine grace!” Then, as the ignan raised their hands above their head, the dragonkin scattered across the square.

“Laht favor you!” some of the children shouted as they rushed past the group. Ithan nodded as they passed, watching them retreat into their homes. Home. This… could be home.

“Hello, friends!” the ignan called, breaking Ithan’s train of thought. “Have you returned to hear the teachings of Laht?” They approached the party slowly, their smile widening as their gaze met Ithan’s.

“We’re not interested in your false god,” Taer’inar replied. The aggravation in his voice was nearly palpable.

“I haven’t the slightest idea what you mean, dear elf,” the ignan said, cocking their head to the side as they looked at Taer’inar. “Laht is just as real as any of us. I, Apostalite, have been given the humble task of spreading the good word of Laht across these lands.” They looked back at Ithan, their face beaming. “It would seem you have already earned her favor, my lovely Mor’lavan.”

“Wh-what‍—” Ithan stuttered as the ignan ran up to him. They grabbed his hands and warmth began to spread through his body from them.

“Yes, there’s no mistaking it!” the ignan shouted with glee. “You have been graced with Laht’s presence! Tell me, how does it feel?”

“I feel like I almost died yesterday,” Ithan muttered as he pulled his hands away from the ignan.

“Ah, but you didn’t!” the ignan continued. “And why? Laht found you worthy, so you were saved by your friends!”

“I’ve heard enough of this,” Taer’inar grumbled. “If you want to keep freezing out here, Mor’lavan, be my guest.” He stomped past the ignan toward the inn.

“I should be going,” Ithan said to the ignan as Storm and Dhurik followed Taer’inar. With a wave, he stepped away past the fountain, eyeing the ignan carefully as he walked. When he entered the inn, Taer’inar and Storm were ascending the staircase and Dhurik was drinking at the bar.

“You!” Briryn shouted from behind the bar. “Get your sorry-looking self over here!” Ithan shuddered. Maybe if he ran now he could avoid Briryn’s wrath. Before he could act, though, two dragonkin at a nearby table grabbed him and brought him over to the bar. Briryn motioned for the pair to leave, then grabbed one of Ithan’s antlers and yanked his head close. The pressure he felt on his skull was nearly unbearable. “I told you to take care of little Fenvyre, didn’t I?”

“Y-yes,” Ithan managed to say through the pain.

“What did I say I’d do if something happened to her?” Briryn continued as he pulled on Ithan’s antler again.

“Y-you said you’d―” Ithan cried. He looked over at Dhurik, who seemed to be oblivious to what was happening next to him.

“You’re lucky that enforcement unit brought her back safe,” Briryn muttered as he let go of Ithan. “Next time, I’ll really do it. You understand?”

“Y-yes sir,” Ithan stuttered as he pressed a hand to his head.

“Now get upstairs and rest,” Briryn said. “I’ve got chores for you later.”

“Chores?” Ithan asked.

“I’m not going to break your antlers off because little Fenvyre’s safe,” Briryn explained, “but I am going to make you do chores for almost getting yourself killed.” He pointed behind him at the kitchen doorway. “You’re going to be in there cleaning tonight.”

“Yes sir,” Ithan repeated. It was the least he could do to repay Briryn for allowing him to sleep here. “When should I start?”

“Get rested up now. I’ll send someone up to get you when I need you,” Briryn replied. “All right, big guy, don’t drink yourself into a coma, now.” Dhurik gulped down the mug of beer that Briryn had set in front of him. Ithan shook his head and retreated away from the bar and up the stairs. The door to his room was slightly open. Expecting Ian to be inside, he quickly kicked it the rest of the way.

“Lava!” Fenvyre shouted from behind him as the door slammed against the wall. Before he could turn around, he was being squeezed tightly by the green dragonkin. “I was wondering where you were!”

“I was having a nice chat with Briryn,” Ithan gasped. “Could you let go of me, please?”

“Not yet!” Fenvyre protested. “Your fur is so cold, I’m trying to warm you up!”

“I can’t breathe.”

“Oh! Sorry!” Fenvyre loosened her hold on Ithan, but kept her arms wrapped around him. “How’s that?”

“Better,” Ithan replied, “but I really need to lie down.”

“Aw, not feeling good?”

“It’s been a rough couple of days,” Ithan said. “I just need to relax before my chores.”

“Chores?!” Fenvyre cried, releasing Ithan and spinning him around to face her. “Briryn’s making you do chores?”

“I didn’t keep my word to him, so I owe him.” Ithan backed into his room. “We can talk later, okay?” Fenvyre frowned.

“Fine, I guess,” she muttered. “But don’t let him push you around too much. See you later.” She stepped away from the doorway so that Ithan could close the door behind him. He locked the door, then took a look around his room. Ian did not seem to be hiding anywhere. He would not have found anything to steal anyway.

Ithan took off his armor and the clothing that Taer’inar had given him and set them in a pile next to his bed. He took the boots from his bed and set them and his bag next to the pile, then threw himself onto the bed and tried to make himself comfortable. He lay on his back for a while, his hands behind his head, before shifting to his side, his back facing the window. He closed his eyes and tried to think about something relaxing. A song came to his mind from long ago, a lullaby that his mother used to sing to him. It was in a language he did not know, but just remembering the melody gave him comfort as he rested.

A few hours passed before Ithan’s stomach began to growl. He reached over to his bag to search for food. When he found none, he got out of bed and started making his way down to the bar.

“Hi there, doggie!” Ian called from across the hall as Ithan opened his door. He grinned as he held up a stick about as long as he was tall. “Wanna play?”

“Go away, runt,” Ithan snarled. He closed his door, locked it, and began walking down the hall.

“Aw, come on,” Ian said as he followed behind Ithan. “Are you still mad at me from the other day?”

“No, I just don’t like you,” Ithan grumbled.

“Harsh words from a mongrel.”

“Just thought you should know. You know, dogs are more likely to bite people they don’t like.”

“You won’t bite me,” Ian taunted. Ithan spun around on the stairs. He had already taken a few steps down, so he was at eye level with Ian. He let out a growl and bared his teeth. Instead of fleeing, Ian smacked the top of Ithan’s head with the stick. Ithan yelped. “Bad dog.” The halfling backed away as Ithan reached out for him, running back to his room and slammed the door shut.

“Brat,” Ithan muttered. He turned back and descended the stairs. The tavern area had become packed with dragonkin. Briryn was busy serving drinks to the ones at the bar, and Fenvyre was dancing around the crowded tables serving food. Ithan spotted Taer’inar, Storm, and Dhurik eating at a table in the far corner of the room and began making his way through the sea of people over to them. A gnome was seated with them, waving his hands about as he talked.

“You’re supposed to be resting!” Fenvyre called as Ithan passed her on his way to the table.

“I got hungry,” Ithan shouted, trying to make sure she heard him over the people around them. “Who’s that with the others?” he asked as he pointed to his companions.

“I forget his name, but he’s very loud,” Fenvyre replied. “If you’re hungry, go over and join them. We’ll talk later.” She squeezed past Ithan toward the bar to grab another tray of food. Ithan pushed his way through to the table where his companions sat.

“There he is!” Taer’inar yelled as he noticed Ithan approaching. His face was less pale and more light pink. He and Storm were surrounded by various bottles of liquor. “Come, sit and eat with us!”

“Birdbrain and Blue Man tried out-drinking me,” Dhurik said as Ithan looked over at him. He took a seat between Dhurik and the gnome.

“Hello there!” the gnome shouted. “I am Bimpnottin Bafflestone! And who might you be?”

“Er… Mor’lavan,” Ithan replied. The gnome’s demeanor was quite similar to the ignan’s.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“A pleasure!” Bimpnottin continued. “I was just regaling these fine gentlemen here with some of my great achievements!”

“Oh?” Ithan feigned interest while Taer’inar struggled to open another bottle of wine. “Do tell.”

“Why, of course, my fine… whatever you are!” Bimpnottin said as he looked Ithan over. “You see, I am widely regarded as the greatest wizard of the time!” Taer’inar’s face scrunched up at this claim, which Ithan took to mean that he objected. “I can perform magic unlike any you have ever seen!”

“Would you care to show me some of this magic?” Ithan asked. He had his doubts about Bimpnottin’s claims, but he had to admit that he was just a bit interested in what the gnome could do. A powerful wizard could be a useful tool for fighting Varian.

“Yes, yes!” Bimpnottin replied. “Shall we step outside for a moment, then?” He hopped out of his chair and began walking through the tavern toward the entrance. Ithan grabbed a piece of meat from the table, shoved it into his mouth, and ran through the crowd after the gnome, leaving the others to their drinking.

Ithan was able to get a better look at the gnome outside in the sunlight. He stood just over half as tall as Ithan‍—perhaps a tad taller than Ian. His short red hair stuck out in all different directions. His beard, unlike the rest of his hair, was well-trimmed and ended in a point not far from his chin.

“Now then, let’s begin!” Bimpnottin exclaimed as he waved his hands in the air. Before he could cast any spells, however, a scream echoed through the square. “Well, that was quite disruptive, wasn’t it? Now where was I? Oh, yes!” Ithan ran past Bimpnottin toward the source of the cry. “Where are you going? Don’t you want to be amazed by my powerful magic?” Ithan ignored him as he rushed past the fountain.

“…taken by spiders!” a young woman sobbed as he got closer to the western gate. When he rounded the corner, he found the guard comforting a young dragonkin near the gate.

“Are you sure? The Spider Forest?” the guard asked her.

“Yes,” the woman replied. “The tracks lead right to the forest, through a hole in the webbing.”

“What happened?” Ithan asked as he approached the pair.

“Sonys’s family was abducted by giant spiders, she says,” the guard replied. “Taken as food, no doubt.” The woman began to wail as he said this. Ithan scowled at the guard, who winced and shrunk back a bit. “I’m sorry, Sonys, I meant that… um…”

“Where is this Spider Forest?” Ithan interrupted. The guard’s eyes widened.

“I-it’s to the south of the trail you took to get to Rockfall,” the guard stuttered.

“Easy enough. Miss Sonys?” Ithan knelt down to be at eye level with the woman.

“Y-yes?” Sonys cried.

“How many of your family were taken?” Ithan asked.

“M-my parents and m-my little brother and s-sister,” she replied. “They were taken right from our home!”

“Her family lives on a small farm outside of town,” the guard explained. “Her parents refuse to move within the city for better protection.”

“I’ll bring them back,” Ithan declared. The guard’s and Sonys’s eyes went wide with shock.

“Are you mad?” the guard cried. “There’re countless spiders in that forest!”

“I’m not afraid of a few spiders,” Ithan said. “Besides, I’ll have some help.” He held out his hand to Sonys. “I can escort you over to the inn, if you’d like.” Sonys slowly took Ithan’s hand, rising with him as he stood up.

“Th-thank you,” Sonys sniffled as Ithan began walking with her back toward the square. She wiped the tears from her eyes. “You’re a lot nicer than you look.”

“I get that a lot,” Ithan chuckled. “Say, you’re friends with Fenvyre, right?”

“Oh, yes,” Sonys said. “Well, I’d say we’re a bit more than friends… Oh, that means you must be Mor’lavan, right?”

“She told you about me,” Ithan said.

“She tells me everything.” The dragonkin was calmer now, though still sniffling. At least he was able to lift her spirits just a little. By the time they reached the fountain, Bimpnottin was gone. The ignan was there instead, shouting their daily prayers to Laht.

“Oh my, what have we here?” the ignan asked as Ithan and Sonys passed. “What ails you, dear child?”

“Not a good time,” Ithan said curtly.

“I was not speaking to you,” the ignan retorted. They turned to Sonys. “Now, tell your friend Apostalite what is troubling you.”

“My family was taken by spiders,” Sonys replied. Tears began to form in her eyes again. Ithan narrowed his eyes at the ignan.

“Dear child, worry not,” the ignan said, smiling at Sonys. “Laht smiles upon you.” Sonys sniffled and gave a light smile in return.

“Thank you, Apostalite,” Sonys said as she and Ithan continued on past the fountain and into the tavern.

“Sonys!” Briryn called as he saw her entering the tavern. “What’s wrong?”

“Do you have a spare room?” Ithan asked as he brought Sonys closer to the bar. “She needs somewhere to stay for a while.”

“I think so, but what’s going on?” Briryn asked.

“I’ll explain in a minute,” Ithan replied. “Can I get a key?” Briryn fumbled through his pockets for a moment before producing a key. “Thanks.” He escorted Sonys up the stairs and to the corresponding room at the end of the hall. He unlocked the door for her and handed her the key.

“Thank you again,” Sonys said. “Please be careful.”

“Leave everything to me,” Ithan replied. Sonys smiled and nodded. Ithan closed the door, leaving Sonys to herself, then rushed back down the stairs to the bar.

“Oi, what’s going on?” Briryn yelled at Ithan.

“Sonys’s family’s been taken by giant spiders, and I need people to come with me to help them,” Ithan replied hastily. “I’m going to need to do those chores later.” Briryn stared at Ithan for a moment, then shook his head.

“You’re going to the Spider Forest, then?” he asked.

“Yes sir,” Ithan said. “And I’m in a bit of a hurry, so I’m not really asking for permission.” He walked away from the bar over toward his companions, who were still at the table in the corner.

“Didn’t I tell you not to get yourself killed?” Briryn called after him.

“Hey, I need some help,” Ithan said to the group as he approached them. Dhurik and Bimpnottin looked up attentively. Taer’inar and Storm, on the other hand, were hunched over each other and not paying attention at all. “A family was taken by giant spiders, and I want to go help them. Dhurik, you’d get to smash things‍—”

“I’m in,” Dhurik interrupted.

“Great,” Ithan said. “And Bimpnottin, I would really like your help as well.”

“Why of course!” Bimpnottin replied. “I have killed many a giant spider in my day!” Ithan rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the others.

“I… don’t think Taer’inar and Storm are up for this,” Ithan muttered. “Let’s go,” he said to Dhurik and Bimpnottin. He led them out of the tavern into the square.

“Lava!” Fenvyre called as the group made their way to the fountain. She was carrying Ithan’s armor. When she reached the group, she started putting it on him. “Why do you have to go and be a hero?”

“What, should we just let them die?” Ithan retorted.

“No, it’s just… You almost died yesterday and you’re already going out again to somewhere else dangerous.”

“Who told you about that?”

“Taer is super drunk right now.”

“Ah. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“Well…” Fenvyre put her hands on her hips as she finished tightening Ithan’s armor. “I’m coming with you, just in case.”

“No offense, Tree-Hugger,” Dhurik said, “but last time we chopped something up you freaked out.”

“I can’t stand living things being killed,” Fenvyre said. “But Sonys’s family is more important to me than spiders.”

“Are you sure?” Ithan asked. “There might be a lot of killing.” Fenvyre’s face tightened.

“I’m just going to have to get over it,” she replied. “I want to help Sonys, too.”

“Pardon me!” Apostalite called from the fountain. They stepped over and joined the group. “Have I heard correctly that you are searching for that young girl’s family?”

“Yes!” Bimpnottin exclaimed. “We are off to the Spider Forest!”

“I see!” Apostalite grinned. “Then I shall accompany you!”

“…Why?” Ithan asked slowly.

“I have a wonderful feeling that Laht will favor us if I do!” they replied. “Let us be off!”

“Indeed!” Bimpnottin added as he and Apostalite marched off toward the western gate. They were quite the pair. Ithan followed behind with Fenvyre and Dhurik. When they arrived at the western gate, the guard looked over the group and nodded at Ithan.

“Do you know where you’re headed?” the guard asked.

“I’m leading them to Sonys’s family’s farm to look around there,” Fenvyre answered. “We’ll be able to follow from there, I think.”

“You’d better hurry, then,” the guard said. “Looks like it might snow soon. Wouldn’t want those tracks getting covered up.”

“Thanks,” Fenvyre said, smiling at the guard. She walked ahead of Bimpnottin and Apostalite. “The farm’s not far from here. Let’s go!” She turned and started running down the road. The group followed close behind, keeping easy pace with Fenvyre. Roughly two miles down the road, they came across a small house surrounded by fence posts.

“Is this it?” Dhurik asked, looking around for something to fight.

“Yep, this is Sonys’s house,” Fenvyre replied. “Not much to look at now, but they always have the best crops in the springtime.”

“I’ll take a look around,” Ithan said as he walked up toward the house. He had to walk around the house to find the front door, which had been broken down. When he moved closer, he found black stains splattered over the walls and floor of the home. Most of the furniture was ruined, and some of the paintings that hung on the walls had been torn apart.

“Well, they didn’t go without a fight,” Dhurik said from behind Ithan. He stepped into the house and went to examine the stains. “This is blood.”

“Is it?” Fenvyre asked, trying hard not to look closely at it. “It’s black, though.”

“It’s probably spider blood,” Dhurik explained. “It’s still a little fresh, not dried out yet.” He pointed behind the group. “There’s still tracks in the snow. The spiders probably wrapped them up and dragged them away.”

“Well let’s go help them, then!” Fenvyre shouted. The group followed the trail another mile until they came upon a forest densely covered in spider webs. The trail continued for another mile and eventually turned southward into the forest. Unfortunately, there did not seem to be an actual entrance to the forest, as the trail ended in a wall of webs. If there had been a hole in the webbing as Sonys had said, it was gone now.

“Oh dear, however will we get through?” Apostalite asked.

“We’ll have to cut our way through,” Ithan replied as he summoned his glaive. Dhurik took his axe off his back and assisted Ithan in hacking away the webs that blocked the group’s passage. As they moved deeper into the forest, the light from the sun began to fade as the webbing on the trees got thicker. After some time, the webs on the forest floor became less dense as the group moved into a sort of clearing within the forest. Within this clearing was a small hut with smoke coming from the chimney.

“Could they be in there?” Fenvyre asked hopefully.

“Let’s go see!” Bimpnottin shouted. “With any luck, our mission is already done!” He walked eagerly toward the hut with Fenvyre.

“We should back them up, Dogboy,” Dhurik grunted. With a nod, Ithan followed Dhurik, with Apostalite following behind him.

“I’m not quite sure,” Apostalite muttered, “but this might not be the best of plans.”

“We’d be foolish not to investigate,” Ithan replied. “Dhurik, you’re ready to fight if things go bad, right?” Dhurik huffed in response. They carefully approached the structure. The door to the hut was wide open, but the inside was pitch black.

“Anyone in there?” Fenvyre called. “Hisashi? Nazita?” She took a step toward the door. “Anyone?” Suddenly, a spray of silk shot out from within the hut, wrapping around Fenvyre’s leg. She cried out as the silk tightened and pulled her off her feet. Then, as Dhurik cut away at the silk, another spray covered his face, causing him to swing wildly around him.

“Dhurik, careful!” Ithan cried as he tried to see what was attacking them. He could not get a good look inside the hut without being a target for their unknown assailant. So, he blindly channeled a blast of energy into the hut hoping to hit their attacker. Something inside uttered a strange cry, and a monstrous creature ran out of the hut. The creature stood around seven feet tall and had large, spider-like mandibles. Its hands and feet ended in two-toed claws, and its entire body was covered in a layer of short hair. It screeched at Ithan as it shot webs from its mouth. Ithan was able to dodge well now that he was able to see the creature, but he was unable to get close to it. He tried to fire another blast of energy, but he missed while moving out of the way of another web. The creature let out another screech, and giant spiders began to surround the group from the trees.

“That’s a lot of spiders!” Bimpnottin shouted. He pointed at one of the spiders and fired a blast of energy at it.

“More things for me to smash!” Dhurik exclaimed, having finally gotten the webbing off his face. He leapt at one of the spiders and cleaved it in two. Apostalite fired their own blasts of magic to aid in the fight as Ithan tried to get Fenvyre free from the webs that the large creature had made. In his desperation, he did not see the creature approaching him and was knocked onto the ground a few feet away.

“Lava!” Fenvyre cried as the creature lifted her up and began carrying her away. She struggled to get free, but the webs were too tightly wrapped. The spiders continued to assault the rest of the group for a while, then retreated into the trees after the creature was out of sight. Ithan tried to run after the creature in the direction it had headed, but Bimpnottin stood in his way.

“It’s too dangerous to go deeper!” Bimpnottin shouted. “The spiders will eat us all!”

“What happened to the ‘greatest wizard of the time?’” Ithan asked. “There’s nothing great about you. And you’re hardly a wizard.”

“I am so!” Bimpnottin argued. “And I am great!”

“Get out of my way!” Ithan yelled as he ran past the gnome and out of the clearing.

“Oh dear,” Apostalite said as Ithan entered back into the web-covered trees, “Laht needs to shine a little brighter to get through all these webs, it seems.” He turned his head for just a moment as he ran; Dhurik and Apostalite had caught up to him and were close behind. He ran through the trees for a while, cutting away at the webs as quickly as he could. He would not let Fenvyre get hurt. He would save her and everyone else.