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Chapter 116 Rhander Group Part 1
🕑 Added 2023-04-19 08:00:02 +0000 UTCChapter 116 Rhander Group Part 1
"AHH!!" Rhander swung the stick he found like a golf club, hitting the spider and sending it flying.
"Rhander! Fall back!" Rhegar shouted. "Everyone, form a circle! Don't let the spiders hit you from the back!"
Rhander quickly ducked down and moved out of the way of the others. The dwarves gathered together to avoid being bitten from behind. They were elite soldiers, and these spiders posed no real threat to them with their heavy armor unless they got a lucky bite in the gaps.
An hour later, the spiders dispersed. The group didn't come out unscathed. Rhegar had been bitten briefly on the left hand and now could only use his right arm as the paralysis spread but withered at the base of his arm, likely due to the brief contact with the spiders. Others were not so lucky. Thorek had been fully dosed and could only move his eyes. Ugrek and Boord were also struggling, with Boord needing to be carried by Ugrek after falling victim to the spiders. Rhander had managed to hit the spiders with fireballs to drive them away and prevent them from kidnapping the helpless dwarves.
"Only Helmet and two other dwarves are battle ready. The rest are down. I can still fight, but without my left hand, I can't use my shield and will likely fall victim soon. This is bad. If we get attacked again, we won't even have Rhander's spells to save us," Rhegar lamented, and Helmet nodded in agreement.
"We need to clear our surroundings! If we clear the vegetation around here, we won't need to worry about being ambushed," Rhegar suggested.
"Damn it! Where is that damn lady elf when you need her!" Helmet cursed, voicing the group's collective frustration. Rhander understood what he meant, as he too, wished for his lord's help.
The group set to work, cutting down the forest to create a camp. Rhander wasn't the best at camping, but his training at the Synctail Academy had prepared him to some extent. The camp was rudimentary but functional.
As an elf, Rhegar was skilled in forested areas. However, being in unfamiliar lands, rushing toward resources, and dealing with foreign troops hindered his abilities. He was now deliberating on how to proceed.
"Rhander, use your feystones to make water," Rhegar instructed.
"But if we use them all, we won't have spells when we need them. What if we need light or fire?" Rhander voiced his concerns.
"We are in a jungle. We can make a natural fire for light," Rhegar explained, considering his options. They could make fires since there was plenty of wood around. The river was nearby, but sending a party there to fetch water posed a risk of ambush. They needed to rest here for the night until the poison weakened. Rhegar judged that the poison was not lethal, as he would be dead, or his hand would have started to darken with rot if it were. For now, his hand hung numbly, indicating that the spider had likely used only paralysis poison, which didn't last forever.
"No, we don't know what creatures inhabit this forest. Using fire will attract unwanted attention. We are not fit for another confrontation!" Helmet exclaimed. Rhegar fell silent. He was right; they didn't know what enemy they would face here. Even if a weaker enemy, such as salamanders or needle spewers, attacked them in their current state, they would not be able to defend against it. Only Helmet and two other dwarves were battle-ready, after all.
"Alright then, Rhander, make water. We will camp in the dark, no fire, everyone!" Rhegar nodded.
Rhander used all his feystones and made ten liters of water. The water was split evenly, and they rested.
"Sorry, but I have to ask all of you to stay up for the night," Rhegar said, looking over at the dwarven trio.
"The mage will not stay watch?" one of the surviving dwarves complained.
"Nah, even if he stood to watch, he would not be able to do anything. He looks like he would collapse anytime soon anyway," Helmet shrugged.
"Damn, he should have trained his body more. Even Risa was able to wield a battle hammer despite being a mage," another complained, only to be chided by another. Rhander was triggered by such remarks but held himself back from shouting. He was too tired, and screaming wouldn't help anybody. Everyone was equally tired, exhausted, and hungry.
"Nah, Risa was only able to use single spells. He could use at least three. It's just that elves like to specialize in things. And he was able to fill those feystones much faster than her too," Helmet concluded.
Eventually, Rhander was left alone and slept as soon as his head touched the simple bedding made of leaves. Not even hours later, a shout woke everyone up.
"They are coming! Bees!" Rhegar moved in, holding his sword as a dozen giant bees swarmed them. As the bees shot their needles toward the trio of dwarves, Rhegar dashed and killed them with a single swing. His swordsmanship was still mesmerizing, even though his left arm was incapacitated.
Helmet and the two others were having difficulties with the bees. Their short stature made it hard to reach them. However, they were good for distraction, as their armor and shields made the needles useless against them. Rhegar picked off the strays from Helmet's group with repeated upward swings. Rhander wondered how they could organize and work together so well, despite never studying together. Rhander had learned from books and practice how to behave like a mage in a group from his coach in Synctail, but he still did not have the situational awareness that this trio of dwarves had.
"Rhander, go back to sleep. We need your strength tomorrow morning," Rhegar heaved a sigh, and they returned to their guarding spot in an orderly manner. Rhander nodded and did as he was told, but he couldn't go back to sleep after what had just happened. The thought that he might die if he closed his eyes kept him awake. He rested his body nevertheless, and after a few hours, he received new orders from Rhegar and Helmet.
