12. Save the bunny

The chamber loomed before them—vast, soaring, and unnaturally bright compared to the oppressive darkness of the cavern system they had traversed. The light pooled from a well at the center, a luminous beacon in the eerie silence. But their eyes were drawn to something far more chilling.   Daisy.   The harrengon they had fought so hard to find lay crumpled inside a steel-barred cage, her fur matted with blood, her form unnaturally still. Had they arrived too late? The thought struck like a blade.   Then came the voice.   “Well, well, well… little bunny looks like we have some company.”   It slithered through the space, smooth yet venomous. From behind the cage, spindly, elongated spider legs curled around the bars, clicking softly against metal. The creature emerged—a woman, impossibly thin, her skin ghostly pale. Black, greasy strands of hair clung to her frame as she twisted into view, her lips pulling back into a snarl.   “Boys… come greet our guests.”   The darkness rippled. Three figures stepped forward—lavender-skinned warriors, their muscles gleaming beneath flickering torchlight. Their elven features were sharp, distorted by malice. Each perched atop a monstrous spider, its obsidian legs tapping against the stone floor, eager for blood.   The fight erupted like a storm.   Steel met chitin, spells illuminated the chamber, and bodies clashed with ruthless precision. But there was something unseen lurking in the shadows—something waiting.   It struck without warning.   A blade flashed from nowhere, a silent assassin given form, and in one brutal instant, Talon fell. No cry, no warning—just the sickening sound of flesh yielding to steel. He crumpled, lifeless.   Then—Gwen’s scream.   It ripped through the chamber, raw and despairing, but instead of grief, it carried power. A swirl of black feathers erupted around Talon’s broken form, the unnatural vortex coiling around his body like a resurrection spell born of agony. His eyes snapped open. He was back.   And he wasn’t done.   The battle turned. One by one, the adversaries fell, their monstrous forms crumbling beneath steel and spell. Morgana’s portal crackled into existence—a glowing escape beckoning them all. Daisy was freed, though the fight had left her barely standing.   They fled, each slipping through the portal, one after another.   But Ygwain lingered.   A heartbeat stretched, then another. Long enough for Talon to kneel beside one of the fallen warriors, his fingers swiftly plucking daggers from their belt—something told him he’d need them. Only when he had what he came for did he move.   They vanished into the swirling abyss just as the shadows stirred once more.   Behind them, something loomed, something hungering—   But they were gone.