The Mauyonne Marketpce was not only crowded, it felt like a small town all on its own. Behind the closed doors were multiple different shop stalls, constantly expanding architecture from within the walls, and housing ranging from rundown inns to the finer, upscaled manors that reached towards the upper css sections of the city. Dante entered it alongside Ireishil, Pryderi preoccupied with obtaining supplies and equipment elsewhere while they looked for someone to temporarily join their party. Dante worked up the nerve to anxiously ask some of the mercenaries who walked past him to accompany him to Urypool, getting a simir answer each time. “Wow, the Guild definitely ran outta work if they’re shipping people off there.” A bulkier looking korr man replied, Dante looking up at him while he further prodded him on the subject. “Why? There’s just hollows there, right?” The korr ughed out in reply, smacking the table as he tried and speak, holding a finger up as he took a minute to adjust himself. “Hah! ‘Just hollows’, aye? Yeah, try a whole city that hordes and eats anyone that steps a mile close to ‘em, then see if it’s just hollows.” Dante shrugged, walking through the crowd as he felt a tap on his shoulder, seeing a scrawny, younger-looking man with feline-esque ears pointed up from his scalp the same color as his auburn hair. A couple scars were present along his chin and cheek, all alongside his top canines poking over his lips. “...hello?” Dante asked, the individual crossing his arms as he looked at him. “What? You said you needed some hands for a Urypool mission. I need thrones. Let’s go.” Dante chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he looked down at him, an already fairly short Dante still taller than him. “I… I don’t know, I don’t want you getting hurt.” “The fuck do you mean? Do you even know who you’re talking to? Me and my people, we’ve gone through a whole lot worse than some hollows.” The man stated, Dante clicking his tongue, narrowing his eyes at the stranger while trying to recall what race he was. “Right, I’m… a - aware you Yaena have elevated strength, but - ” “Oh, you did not just fucking call me a Yaena, you cornpicker torro asshole.” The man spat, Dante raising his eyebrows, stepping back while the stranger pointed a finger into Dante’s chest. “I’m a Nitlie, a fel from the berserker tribes up in Yiz Guo. I’m not some ball-licking horndog Yaena, whose wife has a bigger dick than mine.” The talk attracted the attention of a nearby yaena man, him and the nitlie turning to face one another. “What’d you just say about my people, asshole?” The yaena asked. Dante looked at the yaena to see a simir build to the nitlie, though with a straight, thinner tail as opposed to the nitlie’s more fox-like tail, as well as longer, canine ears and bck spots on their grey hair. “I only said what everyone knows. That the only thing you like more than the taste of shit is your own balls.” “At least I don’t fuck my cousins, you feral, man-eating son of a bitch.” The yaena retorted, stepping forward as the nitlie man brought his arms out and erected natural bdes from over his hands. “You wanna settle this outside, fuckface? Or are you in heat?” “I’ll show you heat when I’ve got your blood dripping hot down your neck, asshole.” The yaena replied, bringing out their own arm bdes. The nitlie’s arm bdes were a single straight bde that went over the back of their hands, whilst the yaena’s bdes were 3 thinner, curved appendages that curled over their hands. “Wait, wait… please stop.” Dante interrupted, the nitlie and yaena stopping and turning to him. “Look… I’m sorry. It was purely my fault, I shouldn’t have mistaken your ethnicity like that. It was foolish of me to be so presumptuous. If there’s anyone you should be mad at, it’s me.” Dante calmly expined. After a bit of hesitation, the nitlie and yaena gnced at one another, before the yaena mumbled something to himself and walked away. “Alright. Whatever. Let’s get a move on.” The nitlie stated, Dante stopping, chuckling slightly before responding. “Now, I’m sure you’re strong, but… I don’t know if you’re, er… able to withstand the stress of a job like this.” “What, you saying I’m weak-willed?” “N - No, I’m,” Dante stopped as Ireishil approached, her looking down at the nitlie with a snort. “We are not hiring him.” Ireishil coldly stated, Rorburn’s tail angrily flicking behind him while he narrowed his eyes at Ireishil.

  Minutes of loud, incoherent arguing led the nitlie and Ireishil into a back alley behind the tavern. Dante was still trying to diffuse the situation, but had still yet to gain any results. “I - Ireishil, please! We have better things to do, let - let’s just leave!” He excimed, Ireishil not paying any mind to him as she took off her coat, her sleeveless tunic freeing her arms. She brought one arm over the other, doing a few arm and legs stretches, looking back at the nitlie while he prepared for the coming fight. “Oh yeah, I’m sure running’s a way better idea, coldblood.” Rorburn taunted, Ireishil putting her hands up and taking a boxing stance. Dante winced while fidgeting with his fingers, feeling like he couldn’t look away while the both of them lunged at one another. A threatening crack came from Ireishil’s stomach as the nitlie drove his fist into it, him reeling his hand back and looking down to see blood trickling down from his knuckles. The nitlie groaned out while he leaped over Ireishil’s leg sweep, him then quickly going to climb over Ireishil’s shoulders, swinging his lower body over her head and driving his elbow into her back. She fell forward and turned her body around, driving her foot into his chest as he tried to nd on her. He jumped back, rubbing the dirt and blood off his face, revealing an increasingly angered expression. His arms unsheathed the natural bde-like growths from over his hands, him running at her and swinging them wildly. She stepped to the side, hammering her fist down onto his back. He only endured the blow, instead jumping on top of her and wrapping his legs around her chest, throwing her against the ground and sshing his bdes at her face. “Get off me.” She muttered, the nitlie only ignoring her order as he stabbed her cheek, leaving a deep flesh wound. Ireishil suddenly brought her arm up, grabbing him by his neck while he continued sshing at her. Standing herself up while strangling him, she paid little attention to his bdes leaving several cuts along her arms, throwing him down onto the ground head first. She quickly followed it by driving her foot down onto his neck, her expression completely bnk as her heel pressed against his chin, stopping only once a loud gasp left the nitlie, followed by a crack from his neck. Dante quickly jumped from the sidelines, running over to the nitlie’s body. His head just happened to be driven a little too much to the left, his neck swollen to a gnarly, purple hue. Dante went to readjust his spine, successfully doing so before beginning to revive him. As the nitlie’s body began pulsing against Dante’s fingertips, Ireishil rubbed her hand along her elbow, putting her coat back on as she went to apologize. “...sorry.” She said to Dante, him sighing while the nitlie woke up, him choking on his own saliva for a bit as Dante helped him off the ground. “It’s not me you should be sorry towards! You - you just killed someone, in the middle of a city! Who knows how many people saw you do that?” While he got up to start tending to Ireishil’s wounds, the nitlie kneeled down before Ireishil, her looking down at him, visibly confused at what he was doing. Dante finished up her wounds before he too saw the Nitlie bowing before her. “Uh… are you alright?” Dante asked, not receiving any response from him. Ireishil continued staring at him, sticking an arm out to try and poke some life into him, only for him to take her hand and kiss the top of it. “Huh?” Dante blurted out, turning his head to see Ireishil’s reaction. The arterian tilted her head, raising an eyebrow at the nitlie’s sudden advance. “As per my folks and their binding of Daidui… I am in your service.” The nitlie softly spoke. Ireishil backed away, quickly retreating her arm while she answered. “I’m… not interested.” The nitlie shook his head, standing up and letting out a bit of ughter, before going to expin himself. “No, no, not like that. My tribe, we have kind of an honor system, called Daidui. If someone has the option to end your life in fair combat, but spares you, then you’re indebted to them. And… that’s you. I’m indebted to you.” He took a step forward. “I’m Rorburn, by the way. But you can change it.” Ireishil shrugged, looking over at Dante while she thought for a second at how to respond, Dante only giving a gallic shrug as the two met eyes. “Okay. Us two, as well as another, are off to Urypool. You, Rorburn, will come alongside us.” Rorburn nodded, Dante quickly stepping in between the two of them. “Wait, wait, I still don’t think he’s ready! You defeated him without any weapons!” She shook her head, walking out the door with the Nitlie closely following her as Dante continued protesting. “He fought better than you think, Dante.” She stated, Dante giving a choked exhale as they neared the exit. “I just - I don’t know. I expected to get someone a little… bigger, if that makes sense?” Rorburn turned back at him, snickering while the 3 of them walked out. “What? Do you want some big, burly man to be your companion? Do you want him to cuddle you in bed, too?” “N - No! That’s not what, that’s not…” At a loss for words, Dante simply pouted while the 3 of them waited at the meetup spot, standing under a tall statue of an armored kyvernite man while they continued going over the pn. “Are you sure only 4 is a good idea? How many people usually go to Urypool?” Dante asked, Rorburn checking his nails while he answered. “We’re just doing an extraction, right? Four would probably be better for that, we’d get a lot less attention than bringing a whole ptoon of mercs.” Ireishil nodded, leaning against the podium as she look down at Rorburn, eyeing him while he remained closer to her. “I guess. I only hope we don’t end up like the one we’re going to rescue.” Rorburn turned his head, rubbing his chin as his ears perked up. “Who was the sucker that got stuck there, anyways?” “Someone named Chartael, his full title is Chartael the Deadsbane or something like that.” Rorburn snickered, sitting down on the floor. “Pfft. The Deadsbane? Really? Did he just waltz in there alone?” “I… suppose he did. Is he known among the locals?” Dante asked, Rorburn chuckling and shrugging his shoulders. “Eh. Just some monthly celebrity, prociming he’ll put a stop to all the hollows or whatever. Guild goes through ‘bout a dozen of them a month.”

  The 4 of them got onto an armored cart, shortly afterwards beginning to be hauled by a pack of ox. They all sat across from one another, with Pryderi on the opposite side of Rorburn, the former looking to the nitlie while introducing himself. “So, you’re the new guy, huh? Can’t tell you much, I myself only joined yesterday.” Rorburn shrugged, leaning up against the wall as the floor bounced beneath them, likely a result of the rougher, less guarded road they were taking miles away from the city. “So, Dante. This is gonna be our first mission together, isn’t it?” Dante looked over at Pryderi, chuckling as he responded. “Hmm? I think that whole bandit camp raid was a task, and then some.” “Heh. I mean just us few. I’m surprised you got someone hailing from that berserker tribe out of everyone there.” Dante turned his head, looking at Rorburn while the nitlie picked up his zweihander. The weapon was easily longer than his body, Rorburn holding it up without effort as he sharpened it. “I don’t completely understand you. You look like, I don’t know… like you wouldn’t be able to even pick that thing up.” “Got thinner muscles, pal. Helps us stay small and sleek. Helps make us a little more enduring, too.” Rorburn responded, Dante watching in awe as he effortlessly leveled the zweihander back onto the floor with just one arm. “I, er, suppose that makes sense. Though that petite body of yours is still rather misleading for a warrior.” Rorburn snickered, kicking his feet up as he turn his gaze over to Dante. “Why? You got the hots for me or something?” “Ugh. Must everything be reduced to some sexual quip, Rorburn?” Dante remarked. It was obvious to Rorburn that this sort of teasing was quite off putting to the tovron, Rorburn looking as if he was gonna tease further before getting gred at by Ireishil. The exchange was short, with the cart stopping, the 4 of them getting out while the coachman stepped out and met with them. “Look at there map you got.” The coachman said, Ireishil taking it out as she looked it over. The city was still half a mile away, but apparently a hole inside of the rge cesspool that rested under the city was a safe entrance into it. “I’m sorry, what? We need to traverse through… filth?” Dante asked, the other 3 seeming indifferent about the coachman’s answer of a simple nod. Sighing, he decided not to protest any further while they climbed up into the deposit. It looked as if though it was some sort of dug out series of tunnels, lined with excrement and garbage. A foul, sulphuric stench held a strong presence in these tunnels, having an aroma between a cesspit and a long-expired mass grave. Dante brought the colr of his robe up to his nose while he followed behind his party, trying to step along the slope of the cylindrical tunnels to avoid getting any more filthy than he already was. The thought of having to make a return trip disturbed Dante, though not as much as what came next. The cries of a roaming creature sometimes echoed out against the stone walls, disturbing Dante even more as he waded through the waste. The sounds of screaming grew louder, Dante wincing as he quickly turned towards the source of the noise, his strut speeding up slightly while he looked down an adjacent tunnel. “Where are we - ” He stopped when he bumped into Pryderi, the vinnan turning his head around as he stuck an arm to stop Dante from moving any farther forward. Fearing the worst, Dante cowered down, his hand gripping at the base of his dagger while he looked in the same direction as Pryderi. “What… what is that?” He muttered. Coming from the tunnel in front of them was an opaque, viscous-looking substance, it inching in every direction it could manage as it spread thinner across the garbage-covered floor. What little light shone into these depths seemed to fade at an anomalous rate around the dark liquid. Dante looked towards the strange substance, his focus broken when the cries grew much louder, the source of the noise now being visible. Two corpse-like creatures made their way around the corner, their skin sunken and grey, their face robbed of eyes, with a substance simir to what they were stepping on dripping from their mouths and noses. One of these moving bodies, looking like it used to be a vinnan, stood on two feet, a broken bottle in its hands while it shambled around. The other corpse, so disfigured and broken that its original race was hard to tell, id on its stomach while it crawled around, the entire lower half of its body looking as if it had mostly withered away. “Those are hollows, friend.” Pryderi spoke, drawing an arrow as he aimed his longbow at the one standing on its two legs. “And that they’re standing on - that’s the Darkness controlling them.” Dante’s befuddlement looked as if it wasn’t quite resolved, him stepping backwards as his hand shook against the handle of his dagger. “Are they - are they still alive?” “In a way. All of you, step back.” Pryderi ordered, the others doing so, him waiting for the pathway to clear before firing his first arrow. The arrow pierced into the standing hollow’s head, it colpsing onto the floor shortly afterwards. The other hollow looked towards the direction of the arrow, giving a pained shriek as it dragged itself closer to the group. That was, before Rorburn brought his zweihander up high, swinging it down onto the hollow and splitting it down to its back. Dante grimaced as the group walked over the body, looking down to what remained of that legless hollow. Where he expected to see blood and viscera, there was only a substance simir to that of the Darkness. The group then began to walk onto the pooling Darkness, Dante trailing behind as he hesitated to do the same. He looked up as he saw Ireishil and Rorburn nonchantly walk over it, swallowing as he gathered the nerve to follow behind. After a bit of hesitation, Dante stepped onto the Darkness, wincing a little from the sensation. It was squishy and slippery beneath his feet, with a strange, almost freezingly cold feeling noticeable through the soles of his boots while Dante walked across the substance. Like a light at the end of a tunnel, Dante looked up to see a dder leading to the surface, heaving a sigh of relief before going to speak on such. “Oh, that’s - that must be it. Right?” Dante asked, Ireishil looking over the map as she shook her head. “No. We go right.” Dante sighed deeply, crossing his arms as they continued trekking through the muck, Pryderi looking back at him and chuckling. “Hey, it’s this or getting torn open by a bunch of hollows. Our chances are a lot better going through this shortcut.” Pryderi stated, Dante rubbing at his own arm while he replied. “I… I know. It’s just I was expecting something a little less… nasty?” Rorburn chose to answer for Pryderi, the lot of them getting closer to the opening on the map as their words echoed throughout the cesspool tunnels. “Well, get used to it. This kind of work really gets glossed over when people talk about how heroic the Guild is. Besides, this should get us some brownie points with the higher-ups, anyways.” The word higher-up seemed to spark a bit of negative reaction from Dante, his whole face recoiling from the memories of the escaped wife of the lieutenant as they start climbing onto the casted dder, it feeling too freshly soaked for it to just be some rainwater. Now freed from the depths of the cesspool tunnel, the 4 of them gained their bearings as they looked around the abandoned city. Scattered throughout the colpsed brick and mortar structures were more of the hollowed creatures. They seemed to not have any particur order to their patrol, only walking around mindlessly, dragging their feet while they limply carried around their weapon of choice. Trying to stay low, the party kneeled behind a watch tower, the shadows covering them while they quietly discussed the pn. “They said Chartael was pnning on going to the center of the city to find the source of the Darkness.” Ireishil stated, Dante nodding as Pryderi scouted about and Rorburn sat against the wall. “Kay. Let’s go there, then.” Rorburn replied, Dante looking at him while tilting his head. “I’m… sorry, but won’t we find more trouble on the way?” He asked, Rorburn shrugging while he answered. “Well. Yeah, but only a few of 'em, probably. It’s not like they can sound an arm, they’re just a bunch of numbskulled hollows.” Looking back at the map of Urypool, Dante noticed a fairly straightforward path from where they were, it going upwards the mountain the city’s castle was built into. Everyone then quickly made their way from their hiding location, only encountering the occasional hollow on the way up the terrain.

  Reaching the top of the mountain, Dante stood in front of the entrance of the castle, his party walking stopping behind him. The castle of what was once a prosperous city was id to rubble, with any artwork or relics once present within its decorated architecture having long ago been looted. The stairs leading up to the castle had several columns which took on different sizes and lengths between steps, likely to accommodate between the smaller and rger races who once lived within the city. Dante and the others all walked along the middle column of the stairs, the tovron gncing between the rger steps on the left, and the smaller steps on the right. Once the group reached the top of the stairs, Ireishi began to push past the doors, her face straining slightly while she slowly managed to force her way past the heavy wooden sbs. Once the party cleared the entrance, they then entered the throne room of the castle, stopping for a moment to regain their stamina. Dante then began to curiously look around the interior. Despite having been ransacked and destroyed, and anything with even a slight amount of value having been stolen, there was still a faint sense of royal decorum within the throne room’s interior. It was once an elegant pce, with some of the ornate carpeting and architecture still present past all of the destruction and rotting. While Dante admired the space, he noticed multiple desiccated bodies that seemed to have been left alone from the past looting. Dante kneeled over the partially armored body of one, their whole body easily at least twice the size of his. Shallow skin was wrapped around their bones, hair from a past life gathered under their chest with some tiny creatures having burrowed within their rotting flesh. Dante winced as he saw it, backing away from it and looking back over at the other 3. Pryderi stood guard by the entrance, his bow drawn and ready as Ireishil and Rorburn looked all around the room for wherever the Deadsbane could be. Dante walked over back to them, him having searched around the area himself, walking in and out of what were once rooms for royal individuals, seeing no sign of the fellow. The time for searching for any sign of the missing man turned from minutes to hours, Dante and his group eventually gathering back together in the middle of the throne room. A noticeably exhausted look was on Rorburn’s face, his breathing heavy while sweat dripped from his face. “Rorburn? Are you alright?” He asked, Rorburn nodding as he met his gaze. “Yeah. I was just climbing around to see if he hid himself somewhere high. No dice.” Ireishil took out her map, ying a finger around the pace, before pointing over to a trapdoor that was id behind the trashed throne chair. “There’s a wine storage area under there. Perhaps he’s in there.” “Pff. In there and drunk off his ass, likely. Let’s check.” Rorburn remarked. Walking over to it with Ireishil leading the way, they all climbed down the short dder, delving into the dark room as Pryderi lit a torch and rested it in one of the empty bottles. It looked as if something scurried along the shadows as they put down the torch, Ireishil quickly preparing her shield as Rorburn readied his zweihander. Dante walked towards it, shining a light from a casted Remedium in his hands as he investigated. He heard a yell from his right side, looking over at the source of the noise, only to see what a regur-looking Decci man, his pale skin sunken slightly, with a wide, fearful look in his blue eyes beneath his silver hair. “Hey! There’s someone here!” Dante yelled out, the other 3 quickly running over to him as the decci stood up, inhaling deeply while he picked up his belongings. “You’re from the Guild, aren’t you? Oh, th - thank the Forces, I thought I was gonna be a dead man.” Dante looked over to Ireishil, her nodding at the proposition of this being the Deadsbane, earning a somewhat confused look from Dante. “You… you truly are that Deadsbane man, then?” “H - Huh? Of course I am. Surely you recognize me, my face is all over Mauyonne.” Dante stared down at Chartael, only shrugging his shoulders and bringing his hand down to help Chartael onto his feet. As Chartael got up, he shook his head, ughing out as he picked up his longsword. “I’m… I’m just so relieved. How did you four manage to get rid of that giant korr hollow, anyhow?” Dante’s eyes widened, him looking back at the others who seemed just about as confused as he was. “A… giant korr hollow, you say?” Dante inquired. Chartael recoiled back, his blue eyes going wide while a bit of frantic, nervous ughter left him. “What?! You’re - haha, you’re just pulling my leg, aren’t you? Surely you noticed that gigantic beast.” Chartael questioned, ughing to himself, his joyous mood sullening as not a single one of the others would confirm that they were joking. “Oh… oh dear. Where could it be, then?” Chartael questioned. Pryderi shrugged, waving everyone over back up the dder. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, let’s just keep our eyes open and try to get out of here before sunset.” Pryderi stated, stepping over and pcing his hand on a bar of the dder. Holstering his bow, Pryderi elected to climb up first, letting out a sigh as he reached the top of the dder. He peered around for a moment, seeing no sign of any other life or unlife in the area. “Hm. Must’ve ran away. Guess it’s our lucky day - ” Pryderi’s speech was cut off as he yelped out, him falling off the dder when a rge mace smashed against the entrance, colliding into Ireishil and only being stopped from smashing into the ground by her catching him with one arm. Loud footsteps hinting that whatever the attacker was now was backing away from it. Ireishil poked her head out, seeing an armored hollow thrice the size of her, with rge tusks coming out of its helmet, it dragging around a surprisingly well-smithed looking mace that matched its size. It stood in a quadrupedal stance, its chest heaving while it bowed its head down, waiting for the opportunity to charge the party. “It’s the hollow. Hurry.” She ordered, everyone quickly running up the dder as it dashed over towards Ireishil, filing its mace wildly in her direction, narrowly missing the arterian dashing under it. Rorburn was the next to arrive to the scene, him raising his zweihander high as he cleaved it into the hollow’s back, it easily penetrating through the deteriorated armor but only bouncing off its flesh. Rorburn grunted while he stepped back, the hollow turning around and preparing to attack him. The two cshed their weapons together, the sheer force of the hollow causing Rorburn’s zweihander to fall out of his hands and hit against the ground with a loud cng. Rorburn went to retrieve his weapon, giving an opening for Pryderi to quickly fire a couple arrows at the beast, both projectiles nding into its chest piece, causing it to yell out and throw itself at the vinnan. Pryderi rolled out of the way, Ireishil closely chasing after it while it ran towards him, managing to get a swing into the back of its legs. “Chartael! Are you alright? I can heal you back to fighting condition, i - if need be.” Dante proposed, Chartael shaking his head while he id down, putting his sword at his side. “Ahh, I’m sorry, I’m… r - really hurting still, I need you to heal me all over.” Dante nodded, going to work on the decci while the others fought with the hollow away from them, the hollow looking progressively more angered as Pryderi shot more arrows at it. “It’s real pissed at me! Take its fnk!” Pryderi yelled out, Rorburn returning out a quick “Alright!” in response as he tched onto its back, the hollow filing around while Ireishil hacked away at its legs and Rorburn attacked its back. She seemed to strike a weak spot in its legs, the creature colpsing against the floor while Rorburn drove his zweihander into its upper back, its flesh starting to come apart from its mounting injuries. That was, before it suddenly stood up, throwing Rorburn off as it and sending him rolling across the room. The hollow ignored the zweihander lodged in its spine while it continued to move, immediately tackling Pryderi and smashing him against the wall, caving in through the bricks and causing the vinnan to slump down limply to the ground. It turned back over at Ireishil, rolling over into her and smming her into the floor beneath its hands, her shield keeping her whole body from getting crushed while Dante looked back at the scene. He saw the injured Ireishil buckling against the hollow as it started to put more of its weight against her, her face red with strain as her arm started to give way from the hollow’s supernatural strength. “Ah! I’m so sorry, Chartael, I - I have to go help!” He yelled out, him running over to Pryderi and getting him back on his feet while the Deadsbane sat up, crawling away from the scene and trying to hide from the hollow’s sight. Dante managed to nd a Pervestigationis bolt on Ireishil, restoring her vigor and giving her the energy to slide under the mace the hollow smmed towards her. As the fnged head of the weapon struck against the ground, it sent broken shards of stone flying across the interior, Dante diving to the ground to evade a chunk flinging towards him. Pryderi drew his bow, quickly firing a volley of shots at it, the hollow letting out a deafening scream in response and turning back at Pryderi. It readied its legs in a lunging position and readied to once more throw itself as Pryderi. That was, before Rorburn jump up onto its back again, the nitlie unsheathing his arm bdes and using them to climb across the hollow’s greyed, Darkness-leaking flesh. Rorburn grabbed his zweihander and dragged the bde further down the hollow’s back, leaving a rge pool of Darkness accumuting under the both of them. He then jumped off of the creature and caused it to colpse to the ground, its rapid and jerked movements ending shortly afterwards. Chartael got up, dusting himself off as he greeted the recuperating group with a smile, resting his hands on his hips. “Good work, all of you! I’m gd you - ” “You!” Rorburn yelled out, pointing his finger into the decci’s chest and looking up at him, a trail of blood leaking down Rorburn’s face while he shouted. “You fucking coward! You just sat there and took attention from our cleric! You didn’t even get close to that damn thing!” Dante walked between the two of them, making an attempt to mediate the argument. “Rorburn… I’m sure he was exhausted from his st fight. He likely needs rest.” “Droneshit. That thing didn’t even have a scratch on its armor. Either Worksbane over here ran away, or he’s a shit fighter.” “No! I fought it! Its armor must have had some sort of restoration spell, didn’t you see? I would’ve had it, too, hadn’t it been.” Rorburn pushed past Dante, grabbing the decci by his tunic as he shook him by his shoulders, squinting his eyes. “Don’t you lie to me! We’re gonna go back to Mauyonne, and I’m gonna let them know how much of a formici calf you are! You call yourself Deadsbane, and you can’t even fight one with 4 other people.” Pryderi tapped Rorburn on his shoulder, Ireishil and Dante getting ready to leave as Pryderi nodded his head at him. “I think he’s had enough. We ought to head back, now.” Pryderi calmly spoke. Rorburn shot the decci a fiery scowl while Chartael hesitantly followed them. With a feeling of relief, Dante looked between his party, them all stopping at the pace entrance while the bleeding corpse of the hollow sat behind them. “It seems that’s over with. How shall we get back to the cart?” Dante asked, looking over at Ireishil while she put away the map. “The same way we got in.” Dante nodded without much further reaction, before realizing that meant he had to walk through the cesspool again. “...damn it.” Dante muttered, Chartael looking between them confused as they made their way back to the dder.