RP:Island In The Sun

Part of the Hungry Like The Wolf Arc

Summary: The Adventurer's Guild gains the first piece of the amulet that Meri has been seeking, bringing them one step closer to helping her solve it's mystery. There are of course complications to gaining this piece of the amulet, because why wouldn't there be?

Ominous Pyramid

Meri sent word to Adventurer’s and all other interested parties: if they wanted to make the trip to Selen Island they would need to come down to the docks of Cenril, they were to specifically seek out a ship called the Tranquility. When the time to set sail comes, they embark on their journey! It’s not a long trip for this particular island is really not that far off the coast of Cenril. It is significantly closer than Rynvale and also significantly smaller. Much like last time, those partaking in this mission would be provided supplies, on the off chance that they did not bring their own. The gear offered up this time is slightly different than what was presented for their scouting mission: there was water, machetes, rope, and bug repellant. Note: this bug repellant is some sort of natural concoction, probably made by a witch Meri knows. Multiple maps of the island were not provided, not this time, but there was one decently sized map of the small mass of land laid on the gear table for people to study while they sail. The map of Selen Island reveals that while the place is small, it’s terrain is depicted as rugged. Given what they are seeing, it’s no wonder that some rich folk from Cenril have not decided to turn this still feral land into some ritzy vacation spot. The map shows jungles, cliffs, gorges, with patches of quicksand being prone to forming on the western side of the island. Thankfully, they are not looking to travel to that side of the island. Meri has actually circled a structure that is on the eastern side of the island. The fact that there are any man-made structures sown on the map suggests that despite the hostile environment, the island must be inhabited to some degree. Or at least, it was at one point.

After about an hour of sailing away from Cenril, they approach their destination. There is no dock for the ship to approach, so they will be forced to anchor just off-shore of the island and take a couple of row boats to the shore. After the rowboats are safely beached, the team is given a small break. Rowing can be a lot of work! While they catch their breath, the lycan explains, “We’re going to be traveling straight through the jungle, probably having to carve our own path most of the way. Obviously there are a number of creatures that live in the jungle.” Sounds of that wildlife can definitely be heard even hs Meri talks, the jungle does not seem to care about their presence. Meri looks to Lanara. “Bats included...but I am also pretty sure there is a tribe of people living -somewhere- on this island. So as normal? Be on guard and stick together.” And with that said? The guild’s leader begins to lead the team from beach to jungle, keeping their path set on a north-east course, which is roughly in the direction of the structure they were looking for.

Lanara is excited to feel her hiking boots hitting the sand as it means the adventure was truly about to begin! Sure, the witch enjoyed sailing and feeling the breeze in her hair, but after an hour or so the repetitive scenery grew boring. At least she was in good company as her guildmates and best friends were aboard the ship, and she had remembered to bring some sprigs of spearmint for everyone to chew upon to prevent seasickness. Tiber isn’t at her side today as he claimed he had already climbed two mountains for his girlfriend and didn’t want to sail the ocean to prove he was smitten. Lanara missed his obnoxious mannerisms and their constant banter, but the thrill of looking for clues in a jungle surpassed any feelings of missing the lycan. Clad in tan cargo pants, a fitted green tank top, and wearing a brown bikini beneath her clothes in case they had to take a dip in any water, she’s ready for anything! Lana pauses beside Meri as she fixes a utility belt about her slender waist and studies the horizon. “Ooh! I hope there are some tigers! I haven’t seen one of those in a very long time!” As the mention of people being present on the island, she nods, “I prefer the animals… I wonder if there will be monkeys!” Obviously, the witch chooses to fixate her mission on the possibility of an animal encounter, as she dangles the machete in her hand and eyes the rugged terrain that lies before the team.

Aira knew they weren't going to be traveling to Rynvale Island on this journey, but anytime she traversed too far to the coast of Cenril, her anxiety ticked up. It wasn't that there were questionable folks in the seaside town, but rather she was in closer proximity to the that hellish high elf society. There was also a part of her brain that worried that she'd run into someone from her past (which was nonsensical because Orikahn had made sure to kill the two main torturers in her previous life). So as she waited with the rest of the guild to set sail and even while the were on the ship proper, the vixen was more agitated than normal. She took to sulking, keeping out of the way of everyone if she could help it, her metallic eyes darting over the ocean waters towards the direction of Rynvale. She needn't worry, though, those particular enemies weren't the ones she'd be facing today. Much like every other time in the past, Aira is dressed in different attire this time--trading in her usual leggings for a pair of denim shorts and green tank top to help combat oppressive heat and humidity. Only her usual boots are present today. She's folded the longer locks of her platinum in a single braid over her shoulder and she keeps her bow slung across her chest with a quiver full of arrows strapped to her back. She's also carrying several daggers but they are hidden on her person. This time, however, she's accepted the various supplies being offered, the machete even managing to coax a grin out of the grump huntress! The trip across the water is uneventful and as the group anchors, Aira volunteers to row her party towards the edge of the island. Her arms burn with exertion by the time they disembark but she doesn't complain. The vixen keeps near the back of the group, arms crossed over her chest (looking as uninviting as ever) with the machete in her right hand, and awaits further instructions. She nods when Meri takes the lead and follows the others, swiping her newly acquired blade at some nearby vegetation to test out its weight.

Despite the fact that they were in the jungle and she probably should not be wearing black OR leather, Khitti wore it all anyway. She was at least smart enough to forgo her usual black makeup and put her hair up. “I’m going to need a bath after this,” she muttered to Brand as they took their break from rowing before heading into the bug-infested forest. “Make sure you fry anything buzzing that comes out way because I am so not into doing Warrior’s Guild Bug Fest Part 2: Brand Gets Bit By Spiders Boogaloo.” Meri soon mentioned that they’d have to carve their way through the jungle and Khitti opted to raise her hand, “Can we do this with fire? Or does it have to be physical weapons?” Look, fire would be a lot easier. But, if Meri suggested using swords or whatever instead? Khitti wouldn’t have much of a problem with that either. She -had- just gotten some practice in on that sort of thing the night before with Quintessa, so she was feeling rather hyped about destroying pretty much anything. Yes, today, she was feeling quite stabby.

See, this was why Brand married Khitti. She asked the fire question before he could -- two people, one brain. When he was sure no one was watching, he gave her a look of admiration. Yep, that's his woman. Almost as much of a pyro as he is. Brand would eventually shake off his thoughts so he could pay attention to any further instruction, but... honestly, he'd probably be doing whatever the hell he wanted, regardless. Especially if it meant more fire.

Khitti wants to use fire and Meri is not so sure this is a good idea. Like, can we not burn the whole island down before we leave it? Maybe on the way out? A look is given to her Khitti, suggesting that she should put her red-head rage to good use. Stab the trees, Khitti. Brand is also given the look, for Meri is familiar enough with Khitti’s husband to know he’s probably excited at the thought of burning things. Despite warning that they should be on guard, so far nothing overly concerning has been happening as the group hacks their way through the dense jungle. The group might be able to hear the sounds of animals in the forest from a distance, but nothing has come close enough to cause alarm. Save for the occasional bird that the Adventurer’s manage to spook from their hiding places while they create their own path through the jungle via machete. Were the jungle not so dense, they would have made better time to their destination. It is probably a relief when they finally can see the shape of some sort of building, it means they are one step closer to no longer having to battle the heat and the bugs. Surely if they were to meet any sort of resistance, this is where it would happen? This is not the case. They get closer to the building and it soon becomes apparent that this building is in fact a pyramid. What the structure has been built from is hard to say as the pyramid has been consumed by the jungle, plants hang off of every stone and roots snake across every step. It might be hard to make out at first glance, but there is definitely a staircase that travels part way up the pyramid. At the top of those steps is a door that seems to lead into darkness. Because...why would our adventurer’s adventure any place that is full of light? Where is the fun in that? Geez? Surely someone is savvy enough with their fire magic that they are able to light the way and reveal what the inside of this temple looks like. The first room has been overtaken by the jungle, making it largely unimpressive. At least when compared to what it could have looked like before it fell into disrepair. As they explore this forgotten temple more closely, they will soon discover a room that is full of gold items. Gold coins, exotic gold jewelry that are slathered in precious gems, the sort of horde that Tiber would have LOVED to have find. His loss on this one, right? Maybe not. This is all too easy. Who just leaves their precious stuff out in the open like this? So much bling...Even Meri thinks so, but her attention is surprisingly not on the gold or jewels. It is on an altar in the center of the room, where right in the middle of this altar is half of an amulet. It is half a wolf head, shaped in an identical manner as the medallion that started off this whole adventure. Meri really wants to pick up the piece of the amulet, but she does not. She looks, she studies, she’s trying to figure out why this was so dang easy because they literally had to try and defeat and undead dragon last time they attempted to make progress on this quest.

Lanara strides beside Aira, having sensed the vixen’s shift in mood the nearer they came to the island, and now her mood was downright foul. Not that she was –ever- truly in a gleeful mood, save for the day she learned that Scandal had perished. “It’s okay, I will hack at any mean vines that get in our way, as you did all the rowing back there.” Poor Aira’s arms would be aching for days, since Lanara claimed she had to work on her tan and was dousing her sunkissed flesh in bug spray, and clearly her oily hands couldn’t hold an oar! The witch looks alarmed as Khitti and Brand seem to want to burn the jungle to a crisp, as she worries about the animals that would be harmed, so she eagerly hacks and hacks and hacks some more. By the time they come to the pyramid, Lanara is covered in a thin film of sweat, but she finds that all that slashing was rather therapeutic, and she’s even smiling! “Ooh I think that was a whittlerpecker! They resemble parrots, but their talons are nearly a foot long so they can wrap completely around the thick limbs…” As she’s babbling, she spies the staircase and she snags Khitti’s hand and tries to lure the redhead up towards the door. “It’s dark… Now would be a good time to use that fire!” Assuming Khitti or Brand light the way, Lanara would follow, as she wasn’t as foolish as their last foray into the unknown. Would there be another undead dragon? Perhaps an undead gorilla, as they were in the jungle? There aren’t any animals in sight which has the witch frowning, but confusion is in her gaze as she takes in the magnificent wealth that is laid out before them. “Were these… Offerings? It feels like a trap… Right?” Glancing at the floor before she takes each step, in case there were any push plates, Lana travels around the perimeter of the room, before returning to Meri’s side. “Should we leave something as an offering and then take the half of that?” Pointing to the altar, she refers to the incomplete amulet.

Aira is having a LOT of fun with this machete. It was probably a terrible idea to give it her but there's a one hundred percent chance she's not giving it back (sorry, Meri). She's extremely enthusiastic about the whole hacking their way through the jungle thing, despite the continual exertion she's inflicting on her arms. Despite the fact that Lana volunteered to do the vine banishment, Aira would rather keep her hands (and sharp object) busy. The huntress almost seems disappointed when they finally reach their destination and she tilts her head to the side and admires the pyramid before ascending the stairs. "I know I should be more worried," she muses in a quiet voice, "but this is pretty cool," she concedes before examining the jungle-invested first room. Weren't there supposed to be mummies in ancient pyramids? She recalls reading a story about it when she was young anyway. When they enter the second room, full to the brim with gold, she releases a low whistle but doesn't make a move to touch anything. The pale hairs on the back of her neck and along her arms stand on end as she shoots a sideways glance towards Khitti and Brand. "I have a bad feeling about this," the huntress says bluntly.

Khitti just kinda shrugged at Meri’s look. The psion knew her too well and sometimes, to be honest, it was a bad thing. Okay. Save the fire for later. “If she doesn’t let us set anything on fire here, we’ll just go somewhere else soon. Venturil still needs to be gotten rid of.” She side-eyed Brand with a smirk before motioning at him to make with the lovely fire orbs so they can see where the hell they were going--his fire was much brighter than hers after all. They finally hit that room with all the gold and jewels and Khitti just… well she stared at it like she was in some sort of a trance. “Do you know how many years of college we could put Dominic through with all the money from that? Better yet… do you know how many barrels of whiskey we could buy?” Ughhh, but it almost certainly had to be a trap. Or… “Or this is someone or -something’s- hoard,” she said to Lanara. Like a dragon. Raiez had had piles upon piles upon piles of magical objects. And Khitti and Brand made so frakking much money off of the stuff they’d taken. And that wasn’t including Raiez’s lovely scales that Khitti’d had made into a nice scale-leather outfit. RIP that outfit. The urge to touch anything and everything in this room was there and the prospect of having enough money to put Dominic in some sort of high class mage college was forever lurking in her mind. “Maybe… just… one? Maybe?” Maybe Khitti picking up a lovely gold and ruby was going to do them in, but… that’s where Khitti and Brand would get to use their fire, right? Right, guys?!

Brand is useful! Yay. He wasn't much help in hacking through the jungle, because apparently he's a lightning rod for mosquitoes and even that natural bug repellent wasn't doing all that much to deter them from his sweet, sweet blood. (Khitti would know something about that, seeing as how she used to be a vampire and all...) Anyway, now that they're inside and there's -some- degree of shelter from the bugs, Brand can stop slapping away insects for long enough to light a nice bright ball of fire in each hand. He's a bit of a show-off, so he'll even conjure a third one and pretend to juggle them for a bit before settling into his role as human candelabra. "Y'know, I read a book like this once." Khitti knows. It was her book, technically. "If we can find something about the same size and shape as the half-amulet, we can swap them out and get outta here no problem!" ...Sure, Brand. Flawless plan. You sure are the brains of this operation.

Aira can keep the machete, with how much the vixen is enjoying it? Meri would be a little scared to take away Aira’s new found toy. “Maybe…” Meri comments to Lanara about leaving an offer. The blonde had not really considered that such a thing would be needed. These are not things that greedy people think about. Meri settles on trying grabbing a couple of gold coins from her pocket and leaving that on the altar in place of the amulet. Why did she do this? Well Brand pointed out that he read a book once, and that it should work. SO! Meri is just borrowing Brand’s idea that he borrowed from Khitti’s borrowed book. All it would take is one person to touch ONE thing in this room...and the whole scene would turn into chaos. Was it Meri that caused the whole thing to go to poop? Or was it Khitti picking up the ruby? It’s impossible to say which of them did it as both actions occurred at the same time...But someone did something. For the moment there is even the slightest disturbance to any of the treasures? There is a deep rumbling in the temple. Oh here we go again. Another dragon, right? Well...no. The rumbling sound is being created from a couple different sources this time. The first cause is that there is a stone door that is rapidly closing. Normally this is an area that our resident psion excels in, but that is very dependent on her reaction time. And this time her reaction time is being hindered by the fact that just as the doors begin to close, water begins to flood the room. And how exactly does Meri learn about the water? Well she does not just see it leaking slowly in from some random point in the room. Naw. She’s blasted with a torrent of water that has force enough to knock the lycan backward and off her feet. She’s not rendered unconscious, but she is unable to keep the temple door from closing on them and trapping them inside. The adventurer’s are going to have to think quickly if they plan to escape this temple rather than drowning within it. The water level is rising fast, filling with cold sea water. One might think that the psion could probably put her telekinetic abilities to good use here by breaking down the door and saving everyone from drowning? But...Khitti is not the only one with impulse issues. Meri is suddenly really distracted by making sure that she has secured her the half to her precious amulet...and also trying to collect some of the other shinies that were left around the temple. If she’s going to drown, she’s going to drown rich, dammit! Of course, since the door leading out of the temple was now shut, her ability to collect the shinies really depended on those fire people continuing to make light. Otherwise no one is going to be able to see anything. Bummer.

Lanara looks relieved rather than alarmed when things seem to take a dark turn, as it wasn’t her fault this time! The room filling with water isn’t all that concerning, as she could count on her magic to provide enough air and help her breathe easier… At least for a few minutes longer than the average human. As Meri is tossed back from the force of the wave and maintains a grip on her half of the amulet, Lanara glances at the door and realizes that they would very quickly be running out of time and air. Brand can juggle his balls all he wants, but soon enough his flames would be doused with rushing water. Another look is given to Khitti, but as far as Lana knows, her friend often relied on fire and that wouldn’t save their lives in this moment. Unsure what to do, she runs over to the door which is now sealed shut and gives it a useless kick, as the water is now up to her hips. “Don’t panic… Conserve your oxygen and energy!” They had to do –something- and fast! Lana’s teeth are chattering as she wades around the room and glances at the altar, hoping that her intuition was pointing her in the right direction. Wordlessly, she dives into the deeper recess of the room and surfaces beside the altar, where she hesitantly removes the half of the wolf amulet from the base. “Meri! Come here! Let’s try putting them together!” It –had- to work, right?

Khitti wasn’t much like most cats. Well, I mean, she’s not a cat at all, but that’s not important right now. Khitti’s totally fine with water. But not -this- much water. And also not -this- fast. She’s not a mermaid, okay? No matter how much she wanted to be. Plus, it’d make Brand unhappy if she were a mermaid because there’d be, like, no sexy times. Anyway. Khitti does not = mermaid and Khitti does = human and so therefore this much water does = death. A lot of death. She’s already died twice in four years, can we not do it again so soon? It’s safe to say that there was a lot of swearing before Khitti got swept up too. “BRAND!” She tried to say more but alas, water was shoved down her throat instead. She spewed it up, took a breath, and shadow-stepped to wherever the hell Brand had gotten off to. “Do that thing you did with that fire-ice flower you gave me or it’s gonna get real dark real fast.” You know the one, Brand. That super nice gift you gave her on your second date. So, you know, your fire is stuck inside the ice and doesn’t go out. Brand’s given instructions and then his woman goes elsewhere. Where elsewhere? Right down into the goddamn olympic-sized pool of seawater that was probably going to kill them all. She was seriously going to have to figure out a way to do that whole blood-psychic link thing again that her and Brand had when she was still a vampire. Because now would be a nice frakking time for it. But, Khitti’d made her choice and now she no longer had that luxury. And now she hadn’t had the luxury of time to explain that they needed to find where the water was coming from and plug it up with ice magic. Little did Lanara know, but the Black Tides came with more than just fire and shadows. It came with ice too and if Khitti could just figure out where the hell it was coming from, she’d stop the flow of water for as long as she could. They had to live and make sure the world wasn’t destroyed by their toddler-mage-child. Because he’d do that. He’d just let the chickens live.

Luckily for them all, Brand understood what Khitti meant. As the water rose up around them, Brand would conjure a single large orb of flame and surround it in a protective casing of ice -- the light wouldn't last forever, but one way or the other it wouldn't need to. "Can't you just shadowstep us outta here?!" he'd ask Khitti, but she was already underwater. Well, who could say if the idea would even work, anyway. A place like this probably had some sort of magical barrier preventing that, knowing their luck.

Lanara was indeed on to something, except the key was not utilizing the single amulet half that they found within this temple. They key was actually the medallion map. It was the key last time too, in fact it seems to be a very useful little trinket for them all around. Sometimes it is a map. Sometimes it is a key. If Meri had studied a bit longer before trying to swap out the amulet for coins, she might have come to this realization sooner. Brand and Khitti’s efforts helped to slow the flow of water, giving Lanara and Meri more time to figure out just what they are doing with the key and the altar. It also makes things significantly colder, thus harder to manipulate and position items. Meri was shaking uncontrollably. The two eventually figure it out, the key is put into the correct position on the altar and the door opens. Our adventurer’s manage to escape death by drowning or hypothermia, if only narrowly. By the time they break through the stone door of the temple, enough water has collected inside of the temple that once the door breaks it floods down the stairs of the temple. Meri loses her footing and is carried off in the current, but at least she has managed to get her preciouses shoved into her satchel by then. Hopefully they’re not lost! That would be a sad day. It would be nice to think that the team managed to avoid death and were delivered into a peaceful scene in the jungle. This is not the case though. All of the wildlife that they were hearing prior to them entering the temple? It has gone silent. Eerily silent. The sort of silence that really only occurs when smaller animals sense some sort of predator around, causing them to hide or flee from the area. Except...there was nothing to be seen? Which may not be surprising given how thick the jungle was. Their next foe makes themselves known by issuing growl of warning, except this noise is coming from all around them...and from multiple sources. Were they surrounded? Yes, yes they were. The exact source of the growl makes itself known as a large lycan steps through the forest. This is not the sort of werewolf that walks on all fours, nope. They were facing the more bipedal variation of lycan. Given Lanara’s sensitivity to the animal sort, she can probably tell that there were definitely a large number of werewolves surrounding the group and they were easily outnumbered. She might also be able to tell that there was something a little off about these man-beasts. If she was hoping that she would be able to charm and influence these beasts like she can most others, she’d find that she cannot. Not because they were not amongst the living, but these creatures were already twisted and corrupted by...something. That one lycan would not waste any time in attacking, Brand would be it’s target of choice...and his friends would soon join in on the assault. Everyone would have at least three werewolves trying to face off against them, and who knows how many more were hidden in the jungles still. Meri was really cold, fighting was not a thing that she wanted to do right now. She’ll have to. They’ll all have to. “Back to the ship…” As in fight our way back to the ship. “Hurry.”

Lanara is grateful when Brand provides some light as both the darkness and the water were threatening to consume them. Aira lingers somewhere to the side, still brandishing her machete, as she is helplessly smashing it against the wall. It’s useless, but now wasn’t the time to argue about dulling a perfectly good blade! Khitti swims into the depths of the pool, looking very much like a siren, and Lana’s eyes light up as the area where the water flowed in from is now sealed by ice. That weapon had saved their lives! After some deliberating and shivering, Meri figures out that the map is the key and the door opens, only for more water to flood into the pyramid. Gasping from the chill and the rush of the waves, they are all sent back the way which they had come, and though Lanara tries to grab onto something for leverage she’s unable as everything is so slippery. The bikini had come in handy after all, if only she had removed her outer layer –before- getting so drenched! Coughing up water, the witch is on all fours when the first growl is heard, and the hair on the back of her neck rises as a feeling of dread consumes her mind. Sensing that some sort of canine was near, and that her empathic abilities were snuffed out by an unseen force, the witch scoffs angrily. They had nearly drowned, nearly froze to death, and now they were going to deal with a pack of rabid jungle mutts!? Lana pushes herself to her hands and watches as Aira flawlessly battles the three that target the vixen, and Meri doesn’t need to tell the witch twice that they had to flee to safety! “Um…” Not knowing what else to do as she had somehow lost her machete back in the pool room, Lana begins to shed her clothing. As her soaked tee shirt is tossed into the air, both lycan’s dive for it, thinking it was the witch. Their muscular forms collide and ire is evident in their eyes, as they begin to claw and snap at each other, trying to ascertain which was the alpha. Two down for the moment, and one to go? Lanara removes the utility belt from around her waist and uses it as a short whip, whacking it viciously over the head of the beast that uses speed and force to tackle her to the ground. Rolling to her side, Lanara calls upon the power of the wind, as she narrowly dodges the lunge of the lycan. Overhead a massive tree limb answers the call of the witch, as her spell manifests, and it comes plummeting down onto the lycan. A crackle, following by the sickening crunch of bones breaking is audible, before the witch struggles to her feet and makes a mad dash for the boat. Lana loses her pants somewhere along her trek down the beach, and ends up leaping into one of the row boats in her hiking boots and bikini. Breathless, she readies the oars and waits for the others to arrive and board the boat.

There wasn’t much time for a breath once Khitti finally made it back up top after she’d plugged up the water, for they were soon spilling back into the jungle. Khitti tried really hard not to get tossed out of the pyramid, but alas. Whomever managed to come back into this place would find a hell of a lot of scratch marks in the limestone walls in various places. Sadly, Khitti is not Spider-Man. This idea hadn’t worked. She’d eventually find herself outside the pyramid and plopped smack dab in the middle of a whole gaggle of rabid bitey pupper people. Lanara might be calling on wind to help her, but honestly… this was the perfect time for Khitti’s other plan: the fire one. But… what if they needed to come back here again for something? Sigh. Khitti attempted to keep the fire contained as much as possible as she lobbed huge balls of shadowflame at the lycans, trying to keep them off their heels until they got to the boats. She was also keeping an eye on Brand--this would not be another instance of her leaving him behind, whether she knew about it or not.

For some reason, Brand's first instinct was to roar at the werewolves to assert dominance. He couldn't truly be surprised when it didn't work, though. Welp, time for Plan B: see how they liked electric bolts thrown right into their faces. The noses would be a particularly sensitive target. And once there was an opening? He'd make a run got it. He knew when he was outmatched.

Meri had also lost her machete, but that really did not seem to deter Meri. The werewolf was suddenly feeling a little competitive and was more than happy to engage any of these beasts in battle. It is the voices of her friends that keep Meri from entering a fully reckless state and turning into a bitey pupper herself. Probably for the better, she’d probably be mangled were she to try and take on the entire pack herself. Everyone is fighting their way back to the beach, well. Except Lanara, who as usual has her own creative way to deal with the conflict -- distract the lycans be throwing articles of clothing. She might need to take them off to be able to throw them, but hey. The team makes it back to the row boats, they manage to push them away from the shore, climb into them and begin rowing back to their ship. Meri would ask Brand and Khitti to do the thing they enjoy the most: commence with the fire. This would help to keep the lycans on the shores of the beach long enough for Meri and Lanara to row, row, row their boat quickly the hell out of there. Once they are about part way back to the ship, that wild pack of lycans loses interest in their hunt and begin to disappear back into the jungles. Our adventurer's live to see another day, possibly out of sheer luck.