The Adventures of Lurit Crazysparks, part III: The Cactus of Twilight

12th of Galena, 683

Lurit Crazysparks the Corteous Decay of Sacrifices is how I’m known throughout these savage lands. I’m known for killing terrible beasts and creatures of darkness that wander the lands murdering people and spreading terror. I’ve been helping the peoples of the Rustic Confederacy, in my travels along the coast of Strabo Uktang, the Ocean of Crypts.

I’m a veteran axe fighter, with several scars and a broken ear to prove it. I am especially proud of a massive jagged scar across my chest that was the result of a bite from my first kill, the twilight hag Ameli Eaglescarred, which I fought alone.

I’m currently crossing the Grooved Mire with seven companions, headed west to fight the swamp titan Meden Pantedspurted the Cactus of Twilight. We are at the service of Lady Lershi Hoistled, a lady of the Rustic Confederacy that rules over the lands around the fortress of Furtiled.

Adil Dinnerferries and Ilpi Gemshowered have been with me since I enlisted their help at Heavensriddled, about a month ago. We have shared many victories, and collected a few scars together. Adil limps a little, because he broke his left leg more than once, but he is still more than capable in battle. Ilpi lost a tooth and two toes, but has proven to be a very reliable swordswoman. A hammerman by the name Daslut Datespoons joined me at the same time as Adil and Ilpi, but his life ended during the battle against Tup Sweltedirons and his band.

The other five are still very green recruits that have seen very little combat.

Isdi Prankshowers and Opra Scrapepale joined me when I left Heavensriddled to kill Lozu Faintphantom at Tombdusk. The other three soldiers that joined us at the time with them have long since had enough of adventure and retired for a quieter life. One day, I will retire as well, but my name will be written down in the books of history as a mighty hero.

Rusna Insightangel and Ebdi Yorobeyed joined us at Furtiled to fight Itha Crowdleaves. Ebdi was not brave enough to accompany us against the swamp titan, and left shortly after Lady Hoistled gave us that task.

Ibon Scaldcurious, a spearwoman, and Ilpi “Greeneyes” Temptedconvents, a swordsman, joined us recently when we stopped at the capital, Goodace, seeking to write their names in history as titanslayers along with the rest of us.

13th of Galena, 683

We had been travelling through the Grooved Mire for one day, towards the lair of the swamp titan, when we were ambushed by a party of goblins that called themselves the Monsters of Connecting. There were nine of them against the eight of us.

It was a gruesome fight. We lost Rusna, and several of us were wounded. Of the goblins, Ibon, Adil, and Opra killed one each, I downed two, and Greeneyes took care of three others. Their leader, Zom Hategripped, cowardly fired at us from across the river. Once his friends were all gone he cowardly ran away.

Ilpi got some more scars from that fight, and two of the green recruits got their first one: Opra lost a toe, and Isdi had to pull arrows out of his belly and his right leg. The other two were not wounded, but they both got their first kill. It seems we will all face the titan as veterans now.

The coward goblin leader managed to shoot me in the chest with one of his arrows while I fought his companions. It hurt like hell, but I was lucky it didn’t puncture any organs.

We have given Rusna a small burial ceremony and we’ll continue heading west.

14th of Galena, 683

We made camp near the lair of Vinena Smithtempests, the creature that Lord Ala, the law-giver, wanted us to get rid of. We found the lair by the first ray of sun. It was a rather long underground tunnel with two small chambers at the end, where the beast stood and fought us.

It was a quick fight. While I slashed across its lungs with my axe, Adil spilled its reeking guts with his halberd. I put the thing out of its misery by chopping its wretched head off.

We found a large pink tourmaline decorated with spikes of magnetite among the human and elf body parts the creature collected. It will do us no good against the titan, but it will fetch some coin if we survive.

It seems the wound from the arrow that pierced Isdi’s guts did not heal right. He is constantly nauseous and vomits regularly. We tried telling him he was in no condition to face the ancient beast, but he insists he prefers the glory of dying in combat against a titan to the humiliation of vomiting to death.

We made camp a few hours east of the titan’s lair, and will spend what can possibly be our last night here.

15th of Galena, 683

We stand now at the entrance to Cactusvale, the lair of the swamp titan Meden Leromguthstak Kithin Ingtak.

The entrance has a smooth floor of conglomerate, and a large pillar on the right side. The creature made its lair on the ruins of a shrine, atop a small hill. The shrine is paved with conglomerate and there are a few pillars all around. The shrine seems like a place worthy of such a fight.

I hope that all of us will come down the shrine carrying its head.

 

We won!

The beast was a huge scaly ribbon worm, with a broad shell with jagged and close-set scales. On its back was a sting that was no doubt poisonous. It growled something when it saw us, and charged forward between the pillars. It stung Isdi and while he was paralyzed by the poison the beast ripped his left arm off.

The rest of us, we fought it for a while and despite the various cuts and punctures we inflicted upon it, it didn’t seem to lose any of its strength. It stung me in my hand, but Opra cut the stinger off before it could inject me with its venom.

Ibon lodged his spear in the beast’s mouth, and twisted it around, causing severe damage to the beast. The mouth got covered in its ichor, and the pain infuriated it. Ibon seemed to have found a weak spot.

While my companions defended against the furious strikes of the wounded titan, I kept hacking at its shell until I finally wrenched it off, leaving the body completely unprotected. But even after the shell was off, the titan proved to be a very tough opponent. Even with cuts, bruises and punctures all over its body, the giant worm kept on fighting as if it was perfectly healthy.

It attacked us a couple of times, and I got bruises all over my body. Opra was not as heavily armored as I was, and the beast hurt her pretty bad.

In the end, the beast fell on its head after another well-placed stab from Ibon’s spear. Greeneyes jumped on it and stabbed its head with the sword, finally strucking it down.

After the beast was down, we couldn’t save Opra, who suffocated from her chest wounds. We gave her a proper burial, and I am eternally grateful of her saving my life by cutting the stinger off.

There were several human and elf skeletons in the lair, a few coins spread around, and some pieces of armor that probably belonged to one of the dead men. We butchered the worm and took scales and the stinger as trophies.

After we took care of Isdi’s wounds, we set up camp nearby and spent the rest of the day resting. Despite his terrible condition, it appears that Isdi will survive for now.

A leopard attacked us during the night, but we took care of it easily. We are titanslayers now, what can a leopard do against us?

17th of Galena, 683

We finally made it back to Furtiled. Lady Lershi Hoistled was very happy to hear the news. She threw a banquet in our names, and we became famous throughout the land. Happy that we made a name for ourselves, we stopped wandering the land in search of adventure and decided to rest for a while in the capital of the Rustic Confederacy, the fortress of Goodace.