The Mercenaries retreated at the noble’s behest. Though a few had taken up the order before it was issued, running away in random directions from the chaotic fight, covered in light claw and talon marks. They moved far into the woods until they had to stop to pant. The monsters probably wouldn’t be able to find them, they probably even wouldn’t be able to find the tavern again for that matter.

The blonde haired wizardess tries her best to keep everyone together, though also looking back sometimes frequently to make sure they weren't being chased or followed, how were they supposed to deal with that troll if it came after them? Or even that harpy? The young noble woman continues on with her group, pausing when they seemed to be free from danger or at least safe for the moment, "Ugh that wasn't expected, I didn't think that would be a hideout for even more bandits..." She brushes at her curls before she frowns and squirms a little under her dress, her blue eyes blinking before looking a little fearful, was something else there?

Her eyes start to dart around a little afterwards, looking up to the trees and more around them as she pants a little, her nose taking in more of the air before she blinks once more, when had everything smelled so clear? "Mmmh... I think we'll be ok here but I think it'd be safer and better to move on..." Her body and breasts heaving against her dress a little with her breaths while looking to the others.

A cloud of bats flew far overhead out of reach, the seemed to be carrying something by small tethers... a cup? a small drop fell onto the ground before them, it was far too dark to see what it was.  The trees skittered with life, massive webs lining them like veils. The crew of mercenaries whined, not wanting to move anymore.

Her eyes dart to look upwards after hearing something, her head following suit as her eyes try to scan and look up at the darkness, not seeming able to really see much although. Her blue eyes drift and dart over what features she could see and make out with her breathing still heavy, "Rest here...? Well I suppose we could try..." She glances around afterwards, "For the night though? Did we have any camp supplies?"

The blonde haired girl tries to talk to them, only to be distracted as her nose briefly sniffs at the air, the wizardess gasping afterwards and holding her head with her dainty hands as she tries to steady herself with the sudden stimulation of her senses. "Ughh...?"

"Are you okay milady?" The burly woodsman approached her, bandages already in hand from nursing a sprained wrist after being tossed by the troll.

The gruff sorceress squeezed out her skirt, seeming to have been soaked in beer during the brawl. Her eyes also focused on the wizardess, but hers seemed sharped, more judging. "Our supplies should last us a few more days, Milady. Though our stupid cartographer went running in the other direction..." Her nose wrinkled angrily. "<DarkBlue>Oy, you know magic too, right? Did you get a good look at that troll scroll that hit you?</DarkGreen>" She approached too.

She takes a few heavy and deep breaths once more as she tries to nudge away the feelings from before, her blue eyes blinking before she tries to straighten and look to the two, "I think so.... Just feel a little restless I suppose? Maybe it's disappointment...?" She frowns to herself before looking to the sorceress, "I do... And i'm not really sure what happened? It all happened rather suddenly?"

Her lips purse in thought as she tries to remember what she could of the scroll, her face and nose wrinkling at the smell of all the alcohol afterwards, her hands briefly rubbing at her nose to try blocking some of it before she perks up. What was that? Did they throw some food at her too? Or was it the pack? She sniffs briefly before looking to the packs a little hungrily, "Did we have anything to eat? Or did they happen to throw something that was being cooked on you too...?" Afterwards she flinches and looks back the way they came, "What...? Is someone following us?" She squints back a little uncertainly, "Or at least I think someone is... Was that one from our group?"

Staying several yards back, Sierra followed the group of mercenaries lead by the rich girl. It was extremely easy to do so, as they were not exactly trying to hide their tracks, or if they were they were doing a lousy job of it. It didn't take long to catch up to them, either. As she followed the now visible group, she kept to the trees, keeping her footsteps light and planning every step carefully so as not to alert them to her presence by any slight noise. Whenever they stopped, she pressed up against a tree, forming a plan of escape each time in case they should decide to wander back over.

When the young leader of the group looked back towards the trail they had already passed over, Sierra made sure to stay as still as possible behind the trunk of the tree. She was sure she was far enough to the side that the girl wouldn't notice her, but she still had to be careful.

The new arrival to the scene was stealthy, no normal person should have been able to find her, but both her and the noble would have noticed something odd.

The others were not so keenly aware, they started taking out supplies in preparation of a meal since the noble was hungry. The woodsman stacked some kindling and the sorceress lit it with a spell. Soon they were roasting some food, bringing a pleasant smell to the air.

Starts to nervously fidget as she looks to the trees and bushes around them, trying to find the source of whatever disturbance there seemed to be, something was out there, why couldn't anyone else tell? "T-there's something out there, or someone! W-what if it's that troll or something worse that is following us?" She bites at her lips again while partially pacing, trying to find someone there she could convince to go out and investigate or look.

"I don't know if we should stay here, what if it's some of those from the tavern? What if they are after us?" She looked a little more frightened or worried now, her blue eyes wide as she looks towards the direction of whatever or whoever was out there, slowly edging back further to try keeping her distance from whatever was coming.

Sierra frowned as she watched the young woman fidget oddly, seeming anxious and paranoid. She kept glancing back towards the area Sierra was hiding, as if she knew there was someone there and watching them.

The girl suddenly started spouting paranoid ramblings to her team about the possibilities of being followed, getting all the more visibly anxious. Weird...the girl couldn't know she was there, could she? Sierra had been so cautious, there was not way the noble girl should even be remotely suspicious of her existence.

...Something wasn't right. Did the girl have special powers? Magic? Was something unusual going on? Sierra wasn't sure, but she decided to stay extra still and keep watching. She rested a hand on her weapon, prepared to fight if she should need to do so, which was becoming increasingly more likely at the point.

"Hmm..." The mercenary sorceress thought for a moment, then poked at the fire for a bit. "Flames of light, flames of life, share your glow in this dark night." The light of the fire dimmed and lights spread out to the nearby beings, coating them in a faint glow. It was a medium level seeking spell that would wear off in a few second; but what it revealed was much more than anyone could have expected. All the people there glowed a bit, including Sierra, but so did the upper branches of the trees; hundreds of eyes; each in clusters of eight; spiders, predatory, they leap out and attack the people in swarms, knowing that they had been revealed.

Watches and looks around more apprehensively, what was out there? And what was the sorceress doing? She tries to watch and see what she might of been trying to do, flinching when the spell worked before she starts to look around. "What did you do? And...?" She blinks after noticing more than a few things glowing, first looking at them there and then to the figure in the distance, and then to the branches. "Umm, what are those?- Eeek!" She shrieks out after finding out they were spiders and were jumping after all of them panicking a little she swats and slaps at getting the ones away from her as she tries to run and get away from the awful looking bugs. "Eeek get rid of them!"

Admittedly, Sierra got a bit nervous when the lights suddenly appeared and spread out. She really didn't want them to see her, as her plan had been to stalk them a while longer and get more information. Apparently, that plan was about to change. She lowered her hand to her sword as she kept her head turned towards them, getting ready to fight the mercenaries should they discover her.

That was when the shrieks kicked up and Sierra watched as the mercenaries were ambushed.

Shocked, Sierra froze up. What were those things attacking them? Spiders? Whatever they were, they were certainly disgusting. She sighed, contemplating the idea of running up there and saving them. Doing so would for sure ruin her "stalk them a while longer and get more information" plans. But...she wouldn't be getting any information at all if they died right here and now.

With that, Sierra gave a grunt, drew her sword out, and started dashing around the trees. The best thing would be to keep herself hidden until she got close enough to ambush the spiders, she thought. So, she wove between the trees, running as quickly and quietly as she could.

Then, as soon as she was only a dozen feet from the group, she leapt out from her cover and swung her sword at the nearest spider, her war cry ringing out into the night.

The spider fell quickly to Sierra's blow. They didn't seem particularly fast or strong, but their numbers were overwhelming. They piled on top of the mercenary sorceress biting her before she screamed and cast another spell, blowing a small group away. "You'll pay for that!" She said immediately going back into the fray too. Her movements slowed a bit though. The woodsman rallied what few mercanaries were left, staving off the tide somewhat as the were held back with Sierra's help. still, the numbers seemed to be staying steady even after the many they killed.

Covers her face and coughs as she tries to stop some of whatever she was smelling, "Ugh, get away from them, they're making some sort of poison in the air!" She coughs a bit more, trying to get her mind to focus to try using a spell to blow away what she could with gusts of wind and air.

The spiders fell one by one as the mercenaries gradually retreated. The spell seemed to word, with the air growing purer with the breeze. Unlike the the silver eyed woman though, the mercenaries weren't prepared for the fight. They seemed to be getting overwhelmed when something appeared from the trees. A quick streak moved quickly allong the trees, and as it went, dead spiders rained down, completely taken apart.

The figure landed once the trees became silent; it appeared to be a woman dressed in finery. Her pale mouth was covered in a dull red.  She smiled warmly, looking from Sierra, to Melinda, and the mercenaries. "I'm sorry, I heard a commotion, are you all alright?"

Sierra had been fighting diligently, cutting away at the spiders as quickly as she could. She couldn't contain her grunt of annoyance at the inability of the mercenaries to effectively help her cut through the numbers. Honestly, they all seemed like terribly poor fighters, at least compared to other mercenary bands she'd been with. Though, in their defense, these spiders did seem rather endless in numbers...


...Or not. All of the sudden, there was a strange streak, and with it came the deaths of the swarm of spiders. Sierra hardly had time to process this fact before the woman appeared.

When she spoke her question, Sierra straightened, keeping her sword out and her mouth shut. She wasn't part of this band of mercenaries, so it wasn't her place to speak first. Not yet, anyway.

The blonde haired wizardess keeps working on focusing on her spell with the worry on her face about what the poison could do to the others if it wasn't stopped somehow, her body tense with her efforts until the strange woman helps them or at least seems to with the spiders being killed. Was it her that did it? She stares in surprise and a little shock at first before she covers her nose with a grimace, "Thank you... Miss?"

Her blue eyes drift over the new arrival uncertainly before she continues, "I'm not sure, there was some sort of poison I think that might be affecting everyone and I don't know who might be hurt from all those awful spiders." She grimaces after looking all the bodies with a disgusted grimace, where did they all come from anyway? "I'm not sure if we would've been alright without any help..." She looks between the two that had helped them, still not sure what to think of them.

"Branwen of Appleweald" The lady bowed politely. "This county is under my jurisdiction, so I take full responsibility for what happened to you and your people. My sincere apologies milady." She said sincerely.

"I've been incapacitated by the master of these spiders, and just recently had been rescued from his curse during a run in with some bandits." She smiled gently, revealing two long fangs in her mouth. "You shall all b fine with a night's rest; the spider's venom jut causes lethargy... The only complication is if one allows themselves to be dragged away afterwards."  She explained grimly. Drawing closer to Melinda, her ees glowed a light yellow for a moment. "You have been infected with something worse though, haven't you? I feel it on you, a powerful spell... May I take you all to a private retreat so you might calm yourself while the others rest? I fear you are a danger to yourself an others if you go into the city just yet."

Nods and briefly manages a small curtsey of her own in response, "Oh um... It's nice to meet you...?" The curly haired girl looking unsure and a little worried about the woman, "There was a larger spider even and a curse?" She flinches back after seeing the fangs on the woman, her eyes widening in surprise at the sight of them, "O-oh umm well thank you, i'm hoping we could rest for the night here maybe, though we might move to find a safer spot now...?" She cringes back a little more when the woman approaches, trembling a little before biting at her lips. "Hmm? What? A spell? I don't know what you mean... U-umm and i'm not sure if I want to leave everyone on their own after what happened..." She tries to think up a better excuse, her eyes drifting to look at the fangs uncomfortably and a little worriedly.

"But of course; everyone is welcome to come along. I would recommend it. There woods... they aren't safe yet." She frowned. "The one controlling the spiders is not a spider, it's a human man, a Magus Priest serving the Order of Achilles in Galdcavern." The way she said human suggested she was not one. The countess backed away with an apologetic look, noticing Melinda's discomfort.

 "I don't intend to force you or anyone else to go along with this, but I implore you to consider this. The Order will not aid you at this point; they loath any who are cursed as much as they hate any who were not born into their rather narrow expectations... I vow upon my title and my lands, I will do all I can to help you if you allow me to, for your sake, and everyone elses." She turned away, casting a worried glance towards Sierra and the mercenaries.

Looks to the others uncertainly, "W-well... I don't really know and what do you mean cursed?" She frowns while looking to her afterwards again fidgeting and looking nervous after getting a better look at her again, "I'm not sure who that is but I don't think I could leave everyone here if it's unsafe either... But I don't want them to get hurt at all too."

At last, Sierra felt she should pipe up and give some input. Sighing at her body's heavy exhaustion and taking a moment to gather what strength she had left in her, she turned to face the young leading girl, Melinda.

"Excuse me, ah...ma'am," the words came out tasting bitter, as she often did not refer to people in such a formal manner. "I know you don't know me, but I'm going to tell you that I think we should listen to this woman."

She lowered her voice and leaned closer to the girl, training her gaze intensely on the young mistress. "She does seem suspicious, and normally I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her, however several of your members are suffering from this poison and many have probably sustained injuries. Continue on into the forest, and you and your men will likely die. This woman at least gives you a chance at living."

Leaning back, Sierra straightened and shrugged. "It's your choice, of course. But as a mercenary and someone who just helped to save your life, I would hate to see you throw it away so easily."

The countess nodded thankfully towards the other silver eyed woman. "These forests are very dangerous a the moment, I'm not even certain what other human traps might have been laid in my slumber, and I cannot protect any of you during the day." It was a long ways forward on foot toward the north, cutting along mountains. "If we leave now, we can make it to my ship before dawn, and to the retreat before moon's fill." She said this ominously.

Drawing closer to the noble sorceress, she spoke softly so that her hirelings wouldn't hear. "I'm afraid that if my senses are correct miss, you are cursed with lycanthopy, an unnatural variety. The shamans of the region used to use it as a weapon. They would use runes against their enemies so that the affected would tear their comrades apart during the full moon. I can help you, we can control this." She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder reassuringly.

Frowns in thought while listening to the woman while looking to the forest around them uncomfortably, thinking of more of the spiders or worse that could've been hiding in the shadows and darkness. "A ship? You have one? And where would we be going afterwards?"

She blinks at her a little afterwards before she gasps out and flinches back, "W-what? I can't be, and how?" She cringes then looking disgusted or even frightened, "How do I get rid of it, or what do I do?" She looks over to where the group was resting with a worried look then, not seeming comforted much by the woman's efforts.

"There is an island to the north; just across the sea to Galdcavern. It's uninhabited, meaning no one will be hurt if you cannot control yourself..." She gave Melinda a pitying look. "The curse of the lycanthrope is strongest when the moon is full. Most cannot control themselves at this point. Many would not even be able to control themselves at this point."

She turned to the side, staring off towards the distant moon over the seas. "I do not know how to cure you. We must manage one problem at a time though. You need somewhere to transform without hurting anyone. After that, it's possible you can learn to control yourself better, and at the very least it will be another cycle before the moon is full again. Afterwards, if you feel you can control yourself, I will ferry you to Galdcavern or Grhinat. It's your choice, but please make it soon."

Listens and bites at her lips with worry, her eyes drifting to look to the mentioned directions, "An island away from here? How would I get there or even get off of it?" The girl nervously fidgets in place afterwards, "U-ummm i'm not too sure.... Don't really want to hurt anyone but I don't want to be stuck and trapped somewhere, and I have to eat and bathe and everything too?" She peeks over to the sea afterwards with her blue eyes.

Having no desire to be rude and ruin any chances of getting the, unfortunately, much needed help, Sierra decided to stay silent and look away as the odd woman moved away to talk to the young lady.

However, this silence could only last so long. Sierra could feel her impatience swelling within her, and it only got worse the longer the two women stood to the side and chatted.

At last, she tiredly scrubbed a palm at her eyes and sighed wearily, raising her voice so everyone could hear her. "Sorry to interrupt, but we should probably get out of here and start heading towards whatever safe haven you have for us. This forest is not getting any safer, and everyone here is extremely exhausted and needs to rest."

“We shall go by ship, and leave by ship of course.” The countess nodded to Sierra’s suggestion, and started moving towards the east, moving slowly as she talked and led them. “The Applecore Gulf is a peaceful one. There is no danger I assure you.” She smiled kindly. It was true, the gulf was famously calm and tranquil… At her last frame of reference. Though it had been the Gulf of Unity for at least a decade.

“You shall have plenty of amenities on the island, and shall be free to continue on your journey afterwards.” The mercenaries also got up, and began to follow… While they still could. Already, the woodsman had to be carried by two others as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

(( gah sorry irl was pretty crazy for a bit x.x; had to do a few trips but think it's mostly back to normal now x.x; ))

She fidgets a little more while looking between them, "Well maybe could try it..." She nods afterwards still looking uncertain about if it was such a good idea to go with the countess, trying to help get the mercenaries together and move so they could go to the hopefully much safer place to stay.

The mercenaries followed their leader, and soon the group was all moving eastwards through the woods. With the countess nearby, no animals or dared to attack. The air was just willed with the gentle sounds of nightlife, chirps and howls in the distance, muddy marching as they trudged through the twisted and soaked woods. Finally, they reached the ends of the woods. The beach was clear and bright.

The countess touched the gem brooch on her chest, and a soft green light rippled across the waters. A ship appeared from the sea caves nearby, sailing out lazily until it reached the beach. It wasn't a very large ship, not suited for either transporting goods or passengers in any significant capacity. The wood was dark, even in the moonlight, so any details of it were somewhat obscured. It definitely had some runes on it though, something preserving it, despite it not seeming to have a crew.

The gangplank lowers itself, and the countess steps on, beckoning the guests to board.

Nervously glances into the woods as they travel through it, the blonde haired girl nibbling at her lips wondering if this was such a good idea or if there would be something more that came out to attack them. Reaching the end of the woods and arriving at the beach she relaxes and looks out curiously when the ship starts to sail out towards the beach, "Ummm is that large enough for everyone to be on it safely? And I don't see any crew...." She looks at the lowered gangplank a little uncertainly.

"Tis a relic from another realm, another time... Though it's not as common knowledge now or here, in more peaceful times many enchanters were content to spend their days working on arts like this." she touched the edges of the ship, and the entire deck lit up with hundreds of runes. Each one interwoven, telling a complex tapestry of anything a ship might need to do during a voyage.

"Are you all ready to depart?"

Hmms after that, "A relic...? Ummm.... Well it does sound nice to have a project to work on, but that must of taken quite a lot of work for something so big..." She briefly flinches back when the runes appear before she tries to look them over and read what she could, "Oh that's quite a number... And I think we're ready to go?" She looks to the others and then the ship, "Is there room for us all...?"

The countess nodded, "Yes, of course, plenty of room, though I'm afraid you humans will need to keep to your rations for the moment. this ship's stores haven't been replenished in some time." She sniffed the air, her eyes turning down to the darkness below the ship. "One of your  mercenaries found us I believe. I've ordered my friends to search for the others and make sure that they make it out safely, but I'm glad another happened to reach us. Please make yourselves at home." She gave a nod to Sierra and Melinda, then moved off deck to help the new arrival.

"Er, hello. Are you hurt? Pleae come on board, your employer is waiting, and we were going to depart. I can try to assist you with anything you need once we're on board."

Mulls after getting onto the ship to look around some more, "Oh, I suppose the enchantments don't help with that then..." She perks up after hearing her before turning to look around and then back towards the way they came from, "I thought we had everyone together.... I hope they are alright, and you think you could help them find us?"

She tries to go and settle in afterwards, sighing to herself and thinking over what happened. "How is this going to work out I wonder..."