The path through the underground passage. You and the peasants following you are looking for a way out. And you find something...

You and a group of peasants are walking through a dark underground passage. Only your torch lights the path. You hear the sobs and cries of frightened humans who simply have **** but to follow you. Alternative: stay in the temple building. And this would mean guaranteed **** for them.

Guaranteed ****. This is what will happen to the militiamen you left to defend yourself in the temple building to buy time for your escape.

It is extremely unpleasant for you to think about it.

You continue to walk quickly.

After twenty minutes of walking, you notice that the terrain gradually changes.

Strange moss and mushrooms appear on the walls, emitting a faint yellowish and bluish light.

You realize that this secret passage is connected to a network of large underground caves.

You think, “We are deep enough underground. We must quickly find a safe exit to the surface!”

After some time, you and a group of peasants reach a cave, the size of which is much larger than what you saw underground earlier.

Large stalactites and stalagmites. The sound of dripping water. A large amount of moss and glowing mushrooms that grow on the walls of the cave.

And something else...

In the center of this cave there is some kind of large stone, measuring about two meters in height. Your keen hunter's vision notices strange patterns on the stone.

There is a hunched silhouette standing near this stone.

It's unclear who this is. This person has her back to you.

You throw the torch on the ground and you take out your combat bow.

The strange person turns around. You see her face.

A hunched old woman who is dressed in a worn, long greenish woolen dress and an old fur shawl. Her long gray hair and her wrinkled face suggest that she is probably around 60 years old (or even a little older). The look of dull gray eyes examines you.

One of the peasants shouts behind you: “This is Meribela! What is she doing here?!”

This is enough for you. This is Meribela. An old woman who was a healer in the village. Person, in whose house the peasant militia found disgusting altars of wicked pagan gods. Person, who is clearly a traitor helping the forest monsters. On the belt of this old woman you notice a shiny thing: it is your silver dagger, which she stole from you while you were sleeping in your room inn.

Without further ado, you shoot this woman in the face.

Your hunting reflexes are fast.

Your gaze as hunter is accurate.

It would seem that in a moment the iron tip of your arrow will pierce the throat of this traitorous woman.

But something strange is happening...

Meribela makes a quick hand gesture and says words in a language you don't know. Her voice is too loud for the voice of an ordinary decrepit old woman. Seems, there is some kind of mystical power in this voice...

A strange translucent greenish cocoon of protective energy forms around Meribela.

Your arrow...

The arrow simply hovers in the air at a distance of ten centimeters from Meribela's throat.

You say, stunned: "Damn! Vile witch!"

You take a new arrow from your quiver and you place this arrow on the string of your combat bow.

However, you don't have time to shoot.

An arrow that hovered in the air quickly turns so that now the iron tip is looking in your direction.

The next second, this arrow flies at a very fast speed straight towards your face!

You barely have time to dodge, somersaulting to the left.

Behind you, one of the peasants lets out a loud cry of pain. The arrow clearly pierced the body of this peasant.

Meribela raises her hands and makes quick gestures with her palms, shouting out loud the words of the next spell.

You understand that now shots from your combat bow will be of little use.

You quickly run towards this nasty witch, while simultaneously drawing your sword from its sheath.

You're almost there...

You didn't reach the place where Meribela stands only a couple of meters.

Unfortunately, she was a little faster.

Strange rays of greenish energy erupt from her fingers and rush... towards the walls of the cave.

Greenish rays come into contact with glowing mushrooms that grow on the walls of this cave.

At the moment of contact, the mushrooms release vast grayish-green clouds of fungal spores. These clouds of mushroom spores rush towards you and the group of peasants with stunning speed.

You feel like your breathing is becoming just... excruciating ****.

The pain seems to penetrate every tiny part of your body.

You swing your right hand, which holds the sword.

Instead of a powerful blow, you make only some kind of pathetic convulsive movement.

But your pain is doubled by this attempted movement.

Paralysis takes over your body.

You fall onto the stone floor of the cave. Judging by the sounds of a couple of dozen bodies falling, behind your back the same thing is happening to a group of peasants who were following you.

All your muscles are paralyzed.

You lie helpless on the stone floor of the cave.

But your vision still allows you to see what is happening.

A hunched old witch leans over your body. She probably understands that now you are not able to harm her in any way.

A disgusting grin on an old wrinkled face. The look of dull gray eyes exudes a sadistic triumph over you.

She says: “You came here just in time, hero! And you brought three dozen peasants with you! This is very lucky! Because of your activities, my job at village of Olinsford has been jeopardized. Years of preparation were ruined because of your interference. Instead of a stable source of victims for sacrifice, the village has become a battle camp full of armed men ready to fight. And one more thing: because of you, the altars to the Great Forest Deities that existed in my house were destroyed! This is simply blasphemy! The favor of the Great Forest Deities towards my person has been shaken because of you! But... Now... Now, I can restore the favor of the Great Forest Deities... How many victims... have you brought here... Heh... Heh... And the most pleasant sacrifice is... you! Ha! Ha!"

You can't even move your tongue to answer this vile woman.

You can only watch.

Horror grips your soul when you see Meribela pick up your own silver dagger. You notice that now this dagger looks somehow different... not like before... Strange patterns are visible on its blade. These patterns are somewhat similar to the patterns that are applied to the large stone that rises in the center of this cave.

The sharp blade of the dagger approaches your wrists.

Fast movement.

The veins in your wrists have been cut.

Your blood flows copiously onto the stone floor of the cave.

Meribela, intones the words of a language unknown to you.

She touches your body where you were injured.

Her left palm is stained with your blood.

Continuing to chant strange words, Meribela smears a large stone covered with patterns with your blood.

The patterns on the stone flash with a faint bluish glow.

You almost pass out from loss of blood.

The last thing you see is the blade of your own silver dagger cutting your throat.

You will never know what Meribela did with the bodies of three dozen peasants who lie on the stone floor of the cave.

The life of the human who was called Raul the Wolfkiller is over.

His soul was consumed by sinister mystical forces.