(Writer: Baele) Baele looked up. The webs were getting more and more frequent. Tyric was right. They were getting close.
"Maybe I should help them…." Baele thought to herself. She thought about it, but decided against it.
"Look!" Silverleaf yelled. Everyone turned around and gasped. Another large group of Weavers was coming right toward them.
The sight of them all made Baele’s stomach turn. "Oh, sick..." she muttered.
Hopp turned around and looked Baele in the face... again. "Once again, if you can’t handle it, leave. You’re going to have to be able to defend yourself in these woods, or you’ll get yourself killed."
Baele felt like transforming right there and showing her up, but she resisted. Instead she just walked off.
Tyric ran up to Hopp. "Hopp! That girl was pretty suspicious. I really think she could have helped us if we just gave her the chance!"
"Oh please! She didn’t help us before, do you really think she’d help us now? She was just a scared little girl who got lost in the woods." Hopp picked up her staff, and Tyric summoned his. "Now come on. We have to beat these things!" She charged off towards the beasts.
"Wait hopp!" yelled Bolt. "there’s too many now that Silverleaf is injured!" These words had no effect on Hopp as she continued on her way.
Baele was watching all of this from behind a tree. "I should help them," she said to herself, "but that doesn’t mean they have to know it’s me." Out of sight of the four warriors, Baele said the magical words and transformed.
(Writer: Tyric) The words "this isn’t going too well" came to Tyric’s mind as he tried to sum up how the battle was progressing. Scanning the clearing, he saw that Bolt and Silverleaf were working together, Silverleaf shooting from behind Bolt trying to hold off a pack of Weavers. A large patch of smoke identified where Hopp was, faring slightly better by setting the hairy beasts on fire. Tyric’s scanning was cut short by a Weaver attempting a swipe at him, which he promptly dodged and responded to by sending a flurry of ice shards. Taking advantage of the time given by his attack, he tried moving closer to Hopp.
Hopp saw something move toward her in the corner of her eye, and gathered fire between her hands preparing to blast it.
"It doesn’t help to set your comrades on fire, Hopp." Recognizing Tyric’s voice, she sent the ball blazing to a group of the giant spiders sending them scurrying away on fire. One of them slammed into a tree, causing tongues of flame to begin to climb up the trunk. Thinking the flames could set the whole forest alight if not controlled, Tyric gestured and caused a spray of water to douse the flames. Hopp smiled gratefully.
"Sorry about the fireball..." Hopp frowned and surveyed the scene. "we’re not doing so well, there’re too many."
Tyric nodded. "Yeah. C’mon, let’s get closer to Bolt and Silver, it’ll work better rather than fighting alone." This was said as they stepped over a pile of smoking ash. "Well, kinda."
Reaching the other two, they hastily began adding their attacks to Bolt and Silverleaf’s bolts and arrows. It was helping, but at the rate they were ridding themselves of the monsters, it would be taking a long time. Just then, something strange happened.
"DARK STAR X!" The words, in an obviously female voice, slice through the sounds of fighting, which would’ve normally drowned out someone speaking. What was odd was what happened in turn- A purplish, almost black star streaked into the clearing and exploded into a fine mist. (Writer: Baele) All of the Weavers stopped in their tracks and collapsed.
"It won’t last for long! Kill them while they’re down!"
The group decided to question ethics later and handily finished the beasts off. Tyric looked around. "We can’t see you!" he yelled.
"Hello!" Bolt yelled. "Who are you?" But there was no answer.
Sailor X ran off and hid behind the tree, transformed back. "What do I do now?" she thought.
(Writer: Bolt)"Well," Bolt remarked. "That was interesting."
Tyric frowned and looked back and forth. "I would’ve liked to know who did it. "The rest of the group nodded in agreement.
Hopp chuckled. "you know, a few days ago I thought I was about the only person in this forest. Now suddenly there are twisted spiders, adventurers, and strange voices. I guess this beats being bored..."
(Writer: Hopp) "We should hurry," Silverleaf suggested. "Before more come. This place reeks of blood."
"More like spider goo, "Baele muttered privately. " Whatever it is."
"Let’s get going then. The spire shouldn’t be far." Tyric nodded and the group took off again, Baele following closely and secretly behind.
