The Hunt for the Night-Cursed Crone

What does your character do?

Disappointingly, Roe found herself heading back along the path towards The Sunless Jungle. After the awful events of her last visit here, she was hesitant to return. The reason for her previous trip south was to collect some ingredients for potion making. Her professors were eager to learn a new skill, incorporating all her accumulated knowledge from the books she reads religiously. She then had that unfortunate run-in with the pair of bizarre strangers who tried to tempt her with several gifts and promises. In all the confusion and terror, she'd hastily gathered the ingredients she needed and stuffed them away to be forgotten about. When she'd finally remembered about the bag of herbs and fungi, they'd all gone bad and were useless to her. This meant another journey was required. Hopefully, this one was a little less eventful than the last.

Emrys hopped behind her, sulking. He'd been forced out from under his lovely, warm duvet to come trudge through the mud in the cold. He trailed behind, dragging his feet, hoping his silent protest would entice Roe to turn around and give up on the expedition but Roe powered on, eager to get it all over and done with. When she came to the time of river crossing, she tried to choose the narrowest section. She lifted Emrys onto her back, him kicking his back legs furiously. It was this or he would have to get his own feet wet which didn't appeal to him either. She attempted to leap over the body of water, scrambling desperately up the bank. The water had been cold before. It would be even colder now and she didn't fancy dipping her toes in to check. They made it and her angry little fluffball of a familiar jumped off as soon as he could, muttering obscenities under his breath at the mere audacity she had to drag him through this experience. The doe rolled her eyes at him, ignoring his behaviour. The quicker it was done, the quicker they could leave.

Eventually, they managed to make it to the tip of the jungle, the trees becoming denser as she approached. She stared into the darkness, a cold feeling sending a shiver down her spine. There was that uneasy feeling once again, activating her flight or fight nerves. Maybe, it was just this place that gave her the heebie-jeebies. She pulled her coat closer, tugging at the fabric in a desperate want for protection. Against the cold? Sure...that's what she was telling herself anyway.

She opened her satchel and began to forage, keeping a wary eye on her surroundings. She wasn't going to be caught unaware again. Emrys perched himself upon a tree stump, refusing to go any further than that. She didn't even bother to attempt to persuade him. If he wanted to be like that then fine - she wasn't going to rise to it. As she followed the path that winded through the tree trunks and shrubbery, it opened up to a vast valley of flooded streams. Only a few insane individuals inhabited this land, taking advantage of the fact that many would never venture this far south. The past few days had been miserable with constant rainfall and heavy winds. Today was the first day this week that the sun had decided to show itself. Despite the bitter cold, it was a relatively pleasant day for a stroll. So why was this area as dark as the night? Why were the clouds as black as a stormy sky? Why did Roe feel the never-ending gloom of doom? The hairs on her body stood erect, that shiver returning down her back. Something wasn't right here.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting wail echoed across the valley, Roe wincing in pain. It was the saddest cry she had ever heard. All the negative emotions she could ever feel took over her body, tears welling up in her eyes. She swallowed the lump in her throat, reversing a few steps as the tendrils of darkness stretched out of the blackened sky as if trying to grab a hold of her soul. So focused on the abnormality, she failed to see the real freak of nature rear its head. A winged beast with many tentacles and a raven's skull as a head stretched upwards, roaring once more. It was awake. It took a step, sending an earthquake of vibrations through the ground. Wide-eyed, she simply stared at it with horror. She felt frozen, unable to move or speak. What was she to do? Should she run and cry for help or stay and try to battle this monster alone? The habitants of the homes that were scattered few and far between had now noticed the danger, running from their houses screaming. They were equally as shocked, if not more so, and seemed upset at the prospect of losing their precious belongings. What happened in Mead was not so long ago and that caused mayhem with the residents of the village. It was still fresh in the minds of people and The Order's slow response to offer support and protection offered no hope for these poor people who lived down here. Mead was useful to the state; the lowlands were not.

The scared little girl inside of her was screaming at her to run away and hide but she knew she couldn't abandon these people to their fates. If she turned away now, she was no better than the rest of the stinking Order. With all her might, she charged, screaming at the top of her lungs towards it. With every step, the fury inside of her grew, fuelling her hatred. As she galloped, she summoned a small flask filled with a small ball of golden energy. It bounced around inside, clinking against the glass softly. As she gained momentum, the ball whizzed faster and faster, gearing up for its release. Once she was within striking distance of the beast, she threw it as hard as she could muster, willing it to hit its target. It struck the side of the crone, exploding upon impact. Shards of glass flew in every direction, some embedding themselves into the charcoal hide. It screeched in agony and turned its massive beak towards her. Every green orb stared at her, omitting the sense of existential dread before it lunged towards her. She shrieked, quickly diving out the way behind an abandoned storage box. The creature nosedived into the ground with a thud and when Roe peered round the corner to see the damage, she saw the crater it had left behind. She gulped nervously, praying others would arrive soon to help.