The rest of the climb does not go as planned.

The pass they were on turned into a small ridge that dropped directly into the thick of the forest below. Denni, light on his feet, took the lead as they climbed down into the treeline. Brudd followed, and the big man found good handholds on the steeper parts. If they could withstand his weight, they could hold the rest of them with ease.

Brudd led the magic users down the rise under Denni's guidance. Denni waved them on as he held his position. As Ria and Josk passed him, he looked back to Yolna, admiring the sight of her ass when she climbed down towards him.

Then she slipped. Her foot caught a loose rock, and she lost her grip. She yelped in surprise as she fell backwards.

"Yolna!" Denni shouted. He darted back up the climb using only his legs as he notched an arrow. He shot two arrows down quickly into cracks in the rock face. The arrows protruded there beneath Yolna as she plummeted. As she passed the first, her cloak snagged, tearing nearly clean off. She managed to catch the second arrow shaft and broke her fall completely, though she was left hanging there.

Denni clambered down to where she hung and offered a hand. Then he saw that the first arrow tore not only her cloak, but the strap of her breastplate. Her armor had fallen forward, along with the padding and cloth beneath, and Denni got a perfect view of the side and top of Yolna's heavy round breast. His breath caught in his throat and he nearly lost his balance in that brief second before the arrow Yolna held snapped.

Denni lunged forward and caught her outstretched hand before she fell. He wedged his feet behind a solid rock and held on to her as Brudd climbed up to meet them from below. The big warrior held out his arms and nodded. Denni let Yolna go, and Brudd caught her when she dropped. He let her find her own footing and the two climbed down the rest of the way. Denni joined the others at the bottom in just a moment.

"That was close," Denni said.

"You tore my cloak," Yolna huffed. She held her armor to her chest to keep it from falling forward again.

"Hey, I saved your life!"

"It's true," Brudd said. "Even if I'd caught you, you'd be dead if he hadn't slowed your fall."

"Well... thank you," Yolna conceded. She fiddled with her armor strap, examining the tear. "Should we make camp here? This position is easily defended, and I could use a rest."

"We should continue deeper into the forest," Josk said. "We can make it a lot farther before dark."

"What do you think, Denni?" Ria said. "You're the hero today. You decide."