EVENTS:
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The group ignores the strange wildlife and focuses on covering as much of the forest's area as possible, in search of the lumber mill.

Eigla's navigation skills are on point that day, and soon enough they see a dilapidated tower in the distance. Possibly their target?

On the way there, the party comes across another clearing in the woods. At least two dozen large wolves are sleeping on the grass. Two more stand guard, though they look... Different. One's mouth is far too big and tooth-filled, and the other's skin hangs loosely on its body, red flesh paws sticking down from under its frame.

The wolves seem to not have noticed you, at least yet.

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BATTLE:
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Taking aim, Peggy fires. Her first shot misses completely, the noise waking up the sleeping wolves!
Sweating and feeling Eigla's gaze on her back, she chambers another bullet, breathes deeply, and shoots the large-mouthed wolf's side, bursting a hole through its entrails!
One last shot, she thinks. Setting her sights on the skinned wolf's head, she pulls the trigger and-

It was, all things considered, a perfect shot. Straight between the eyes. Any normal wolf would have been felled by it.

This was not a normal wolf.


Peggy's bullet is caught on the many folds of the wolf's pelt, pulling its loose skin off its body! Underneath the partially rotted covering, you see the "wolf" is completely skinless, and not a wolf at all; Instead, it is a distorted amalgam of human and animal parts, with no sort of order to it. Long, spider-like legs sprout from its sides, and it leaps towards you, slobbering blood-red saliva through its wizened human face.

Peggy loses her cool, throws the sniper back at Rosa, and climbs up the nearest tree.


Klimt moves forwards, intent on unleashing his powers at the packleaders, but the wolves simply run around him, barking and evading his grasp! The largemouth leaps towards Rosa and eigla, ignoring the shots it takes on the way, and begins distending its jaw to howl!

Realising the danger, Eigla activates her Crawling Flesh, assorted body parts flowing and constricting around the wolf's mouth, stopping it from making a noise. The creature shoots out tendrils through its skin, trying to break free, but they're not enough to stop Rosa from shooting it until only a head on a bloody spinal cord remains.

The wolf pack comes in aid of their leader, biting and harrying Eigla's fleshy form. Not even her armor is able to defend against such a large mob, and they rip out part of her animated intestines, spraying bloody, half-digested meat all over the battlefield.

The skinless wolf shoots a long, tooth-covered tentacle off its mouth, wrapping around Klimt and covering his torso with many small cuts and scrapes. The boy tries to retaliate, but the creature is too fast, leaping out of the way of danger!


Everyone takes a point of Madness.




Battle map:
[] - Tartarus
[] - Hades
[Klimt] - Limbo
[Biter] - Elysium
[Rosa,Eigla,Howler,20Wolves] - Eden

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BATTLE:
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Rosa quickly finishes off the Howler with well-placed shots to the eyes, then turns her attention to the wolf pack. She fires at them repeatedly, but the animals scatter and move back, evading her bullets!

Klimt is harried by both the biter and its pack, who dance just outside his reach. The toothy tongue wraps around one of his arms, right where the flesh begins to divide into tentacles, and rips it off in one swift move! Meanwhile, the wolves gnaw at his legs, badly mangling his bare feet, despite Eigla's flesh wrapping around their legs and tails to hinder them.

Powering through the pain, he surges after the Biter, but the creature leaps back and, with a powerful slash of its tongue, cuts off one of Klimt's legs at the knee. This is not looking good!


Everyone suffers 1 point of Madness.


Battle map:
[Biter] - Tartarus
[Klimt, 20Wolves] - Hades
[] - Limbo
[] - Elysium
[Rosa,Eigla] - Eden

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BATTLE:
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Rosa: "Klimt, fall back!"

Klimt: "Oh ♥♥♥♥."

Klimt, realising he's outnumbered, quickly begins to run back to the rest of the party. The Biter takes position to intercept him, however, and another vicious tongue strike rips off his jaw and part of his skull!

Eigla screams something, but it is inaudible among the fierce barking.

The wolves continue to circle and bite him, but Eigla's entrails entangle them enough to prevent any serious damage. Rosa places her sniper on her Shield's shoulder for support, takes aim at the charging tonguebeast, and presses the trigger.

*BANG*

A miss. She sweats as the writhing appendage strikes again, this time tearing away Klimt's arm at the shoulder.

*BANG*

The bullet pierces through the Biter's skull, exiting through the base of its jaws and obliterating one of its front knees.

*BANG*

Another leg is blown cleanly off, spraying dark blood like a nightmarish fountain.

*BANG*

The biter is hit straight in the mouth, and the lower part of its head explodes. The vile tongue spasms futilely, trying to grasp onto something like a frenzied anaconda. The creature collapses, flaying helplessly in the mud.


The wolves, realising their leader is defeated, or perhaps simply scared of the gunshots, quickly turn tail and escape through the trees.

Victory!

Your treasures remind you of happier times, and everyone loses 1 Madness.
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EVENTS:

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Peggy looks down from her perch, while Emilia comes out of a bush, proudly displaying a small beetle she'd just found.

Peggy: "I-is it over? Are they gone?"

Rosa and Eigla's coffins beep, indicating they're functional once again.

Looking over the dead bodies, the party determines there's about 3 Flesh available, maybe 4 if they finish off the disarmed Biter. No meat, though. You're not sure if the wolves were alive, but their leaders were definitely undead.

Klimt spits blood through his jawless mouth. It hurts terribly. It's almost like yesterday's memory. His body seems slow and heavy, and his vision is spinning.

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