The Age of Worms / The Champion's Belt pt. 15 / Von the 17th through the 18th, 3593 CE / 8-14-22

Having agreed to escort the undead Lahaka through the sewers in order to deliver her to Efraym Smallcask, the party consisting of Hush, River, and Nataliya find themselves confronted by a pack of gricks. Nataliya reveals that he has another companion, an enormous emperor cobra named Essster. Together the team is able to fend off the gricks and complete their journey through the sewers, meeting up with Efraym (whom Nari helped escort back out of the Titan's House) in an alley, where Hush puts in some more requests for supplies. Back in the Coenoby, Lulu is reeling from the effects of having read the Apostolic Scrolls. River and Hush succeed in sneaking past the guards to rejoin their teammates, leaving Nataliya to her own devices in the Titan's House. Hush crafts some more non-lethal ammo and flirts with the leader of Drunken Devilry, a tiefling named Zealous Edge. The next morning the new matches are announced and begin shortly after breakfast. Moth is upset that her new friends the Crazy 8 get disqualified after brutally executing their foes the Gutluggers. After that it is Not by Choice's turn in the arena. They will be up against the dwarven barbarians, Pitch Blade. At the start of the match, Hush once more tries to win the crowd with his music, but is dismayed that Arena Master has invited his own bard to play for this match; Ellival Moonmeadow, the Prince of Strings, whom Lulu recognizes as being a resident of Ludon. There appears to be another purpose for Ellival's participation, however. After the teams are announced and the match begins, Nari and her companion Idra once again prepare to cloak the team in fog. But Ellival's harp appears to be magic, and pushes out a perpetual gust of wind spell which will soon disperse Not by Choice's cover completely. Meanwhile one of the dwarves has revealed that he had a potion of flying among his arsenal as he leaps into action and quickly covers the ground between the two teams, battering at them with his axe and smashing one of Hush's pelletbows. However, the dwarf's brother, whose name it is revealed is Pharbol, appears to be acting strangely, strolling casually over to the party and then racing around them declaring he actually holds allegiance to Nataliya! Both Not by Choice and the Pharbol's brother are baffled by this behavior, but the battle continues on as Moth recklessly attacks the dwarven barbarian who does not seem to have lost his mind, only managing to avoid his deadly swings by sheer luck.