Retreat

Brina let out a long sigh as she sagged in relief on the ground. Serra is safe, she thought. Now I can get to work. She looked around the room with interest, taking note of the strange carvings on the wall that had become visible now that the purple spongy material had evaporated. On the far side of the room there stood a single doorway, over which was perched an ugly stone gargoyle. “I wonder if that’s a clue to the next room” she wondered, aloud for the benefit of her friends who she knew were watching.

Brina pushed off the floor and grunted as pain shot through her body. “Ugh, everything hurts.” The sorceress grasped her side, wincing as she felt her ribs flex slightly. “I think my ribs are broken.” She took a deep breath to brace herself against the pain and **** herself up off the ground. Brina was torn between her intense curiosity and the knowledge that she was too hurt to conduct a proper investigation.

With another deep breath she took a step towards the gargoyle before crying out in agony as a fiery pain shot through her torso. “I can’t do it” she groaned. “I’m sorry, I have to go back.” It wasn’t easy making the long trek back through the preceding rooms, but Brina slowly accomplished it. She was met outside the dungeon by a team of knights who swiftly carried her to an infirmary to recover. As soon as her head hit the pillow she passed out into a deep sleep.

****

“Brina will recover in time” Nora reported to Valerie. “She’s banged up, but with no permanent damage. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for Serra.” The cleric paused, unwilling or unsure how to continue.

“What’s wrong with her?” Valerie asked with concern. She reached forward to touch Nora’s shoulder, rubbing it reassuringly as she watched the cleric.

“The thing, the monster, it…it implanted eggs in her, and we’re not sure how to get them out” Nora confessed. She opened her arms and brought Valerie into a tight embrace. “I’m sorry, I know how much she means to you. We’ll keep looking for a solution, but we just don’t know if we’ll find something before they…hatch.”

Valerie gasped and recoiled, but Nora held firm and hugged her tighter. The Princess-Knight fought back a sigh as she sank against the cleric and squeezed her back. They held each other for a few minutes before Valerie finally relaxed enough that Nora released her. “Keep a close eye on her, and not just with doctors. If those creatures do hatch we’ll need to be ready to destroy them.”

“Of course, Your Majesty” Nora agreed.

“We cannot wait until Brina recovers to decide on our next course of action. We need to send the next adventurer into the dungeon” Valerie decided.

“Agreed, but with this new information you cannot go in. We have no idea what to expect, and we cannot risk your being captured. You see that, right?” Nora implored.

Valerie didn’t respond. “I’ll have a notice sent to the Adventuring Guild looking for more recruits. But in the meantime one of us will have to go in.”

“There’s still the thief we captured; she’s a perfect candidate. She can scout out the next room while Brina recovers. When we know what we’re dealing with we can decide how to proceed” Nora suggested.

Who should go next?

a) Valerie the Princess Knight – Health: 12, Attack: 10, Defense: 12 Pros: Strong fighter, well equipped, lots of gold to purchase supplies Cons: Not good at scouting and searching. Losing the Princess-Knight in the dungeon could have serious ramifications for the Kingdom

b) Nora the Cleric – Health: 10 Attack: 8 Defense: 10 Pros: Has divine magic, good armor and defense, moderate searcher. Can heal herself between battles Cons: Bad at scouting

c) Tori the Thief – Health: 8, Attack: 6, Defense: 6 Pros: Expendable, good at scouting, gets two strikes when attacking from stealth Cons: Mediocre health, weak attack and defense