Jin and Tess sit in the front and put all they can into making Presto and Vivace continue along the trail. May knelt in the back and stooped over Zilo and Zatrian who could barely muster the energy to sit up. May referenced a book from her pack as she examined the reclined bard.
"No cuts on the body, so it wasn't blood based, I seem to be fine plus we we outside, no way he could use a gas poison. That leaves contact as the best bet, all he'd need to do is touch us when we aren't expecting it."
May begins to meditate and Zilo tilts his head toward her and asks, "Can you do anything about it?" May puts her finger to her lip and shushes him before going back to meditating and says, "I'm praying right now. I need a new set of spells to deal with this."
Zilo clams up and after an hour May is back from her prayer and immediately casts Detect Poison on Zatrian as her eyes glaze over with a black mist and she looks hopeful at first, before her face turns grim and she goes right back to her book and says, "Okay I think I got it, it looks like he may have use some doses of Moonberries on you guys, Once they make contact with a target it make's your body's over all physical ability take an absolute nosedive and fail outright."
"That doesn't sound good." Remarks Zatrian. May holds up the book and says, "Not as bad as you think, it only effects the body immediately and if you stay alive then that's the worst of it. It's not like other poisons that hurt more over time, it's meant to kill outright after contact, meaning that you all should be alright now."
The four poisoned heroes let out a weak cheer for May. She puts away the book and smiles, before saying, "Not only that, but I think a quick spell will have you all right as rain." The Shadow Hand puts together her hands and casts Lesser Restoration, only to have her expression of joy fade as she sees the poison's effects remain.
She looks back to her book and says, "Oh hell. Was I off? Why isn't it working?"
"You did your best May, but I need you to take over up here, I didn't get that much rest and could use another few blinks." States the female elf guiding the horses.
May takes over for Tess for a few hours to let her rest and Jin and May do their best to keep a steady pace. Then May stares at the treeline the entire time she is in front, worried. Jin asks her, "I know, I tink he's watchin us too."
"What do you mean Jin?" Asks May whispering.
"Me body ain't feelin good, but me ears are still goin strong, somethin is followin us, but it's too wary ta get close ta us."
"Why doesn't he just strike then? We are weakened now more than ever."
Tess pipes up, "I say we count our fortune then. Jin, rest up, no way we make camp like this, or he'll take us for sitting ducks." Jin hands the reigns to May as the dragon disciple takes over the spot for the night fall that is coming.
The heroes might be feeling even more tired now, but they were a mere week from the wood elves now, if they could hold out for that length and keep on the move then they should be able to get to the city, and a more skilled cleric than May to use Restoration, and hopefully that can solve the problem.
The night covers the sky and the trail turns cold and silent as the heroes settle in for a much more demanding final leg of their journey. May keeps her head on a swivel the entire night as Tess drives the cart. Once the moon has reached its peak she gives up on trying to see past the treeline, looks to Tess, and says,
"Tess I can't make heads or tails of anything out there, gimme the reigns, you get on watch." Tess doesn't respond, her silhouette only wobbles in place. May casts Light on her scarf before holding it up to Tess. May recoils in horror for a moment and accidentally pushes a bit to hard on Tess, making her flounder over the side and sprawl onto the dark trail.
May immediately orders the horses to halt and she hops off, finding Tess nearly run over by the cart's back wheel. She kneels down and looks upon Tess's face, her skin is a sickly green and her cheeks are sullen with exhaustion, she looks like she has been to hell and back, a far cry from her appearance this morning.
May stands and throws her book on poisons at the ground shouting, "DAMNIT! Its not Moonberries! What the bloody hells is it!?"
"It's King's Sleep." Came a voice from a short distance down the trail. A man caked in ethereal darkness. He looks to have black wrappings obscuring his face and sewed down into a cape. His attire looks to be nothing more than a simple set of padded armor besides his black cloak and wraps.
The only part of his face that May can see is his crimson eyes that look to be the color of blood set against the bright moon. The assassin takes off his strung up bow and quiver. He reaches behind his back and he pulls out a curved elven blade with a purple gleam to its edge a tell tale indicator of the keen enchantment.
May flicks out her scythe and hears a fumble to her side to see Jin standing beside her, but his skin looks to be starting to show the same discoloring as Tess' face.
"Jin, you aren't up for this stay with the others."
"Just a bit o' poison, nothin new. I poison me body every day." Jin takes a swig of his tail flask and coughs a bit of it up, but steadies into a stance. May's eyes flash for a moment, finally taking in what the assassin had mentioned and she speaks to her adversary.
"King Sleep was it? A deadly choice indeed, rather than a quick death it drains the body of its fortitude over time, killing after a few weeks of deteriorating health. But I thought It had to be... The DEER! You poisoned Zilo's deer!"
The assassin chuckles and waves a bit of magic in his hand before speaking, "King sleep once digested is what kills, so soaking through some open wounds into the meat kept the beast alive, then a few cure spells stitch him back up for my prey to feast on." May looks to Jin who grits his teeth regretting his meal weeks ago before the two of them nod to each other and move in.
Jin still proves to be more capable than a normal warrior and unleashes a flurry of attacks, landing a quick jab followed by a spinning back kick on the assassin. May snaps back around the Assassin and with a flick and stab she lands a sneak attack on the elf.
The elf kneels from the pain before whirling about and slicing at May. For a split second May feels nothing before suddenly paper thin cuts appear on her torso. Before he looks back to Jin and he holds in his hand May's scarf that he cut from her body and stows it below his cloak. The battle goes pitch black as the assassin flees into the tree line away from the glowing light of the moon.
May rises a bit and cases Cure Moderate Wounds to be able to stand again. May quickly casts Light on her Scythe, but she's too late, the assassin has vanished into the dark. Jin arrives at her side to hold her up as best he can with his weakened body.
"He's got the edge now, We need to find him fast or he's liable to kill in an instant. But if you can spot the death attack it won't be nearly as fatal." Responds May, knowing precisely what she would do. Jin begins to look around at the trees with May scanning the trees on the other side, but after a few moments Jin falls to the ground, not moving and the assassin stands atop him.
May spins to attack the man, but this time he blocks her attack with his blade, his wounds not seeming to hold him back at all. The assassin flicks his blade about a bit more, and more paper thin slices appear across May's body. She falls to the ground before the assassin turns and says,
"I spare you and your friend for now, the poison will likely finish him either way, but I must see to my job now and kill Zatr-!" In an instant the Assassin is hit in his shoulder by an arrow that left behind a streak of silver light out from the back of the cart.
In the cart Zilo he has another arrow strung up in kneels, shaking his bow from strain, but his eyes are glazed over with the silver tint of his darkvision. He strung up and other arrow ready to loose it again as the assassin looks to the glowing arrow in his shoulder and mutters, "Why must you continue to be a problem."
The assassin streaks off into the trees before Zilo relaxes his arm and shouts with a weary finish, "Back in the cart, we cannot fight this man!" May drags Tess and Jin to the cart, and Zilo and her each struggle to get the two of them into the back before May hurries around and gets the two horses running on full blast.
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