This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/Internal-Ad6147 on 2025-07-01 06:44:29+00:00.
Thanks to Boarif’s map, we made it out to the cave without incident. The route was narrow and winding but clear. Now, we were approaching Baubel—a small town nestled on the edge of Thornwood.
“So,” Revy said, narrowing her eyes at the treeline in the distance, “we’re still stuck on this side of the woods. Think those spiders are still out there?”
Before anyone could answer, the smell hit us.
It was like rot and moldy socks soaked in vinegar. Everyone recoiled.
“Ugh!” Talvan gagged, clamping a hand over his nose. “What could cause that reek?”
Leryea did the same, pulling up her scarf. “It smells cursed. What even is that?”
Even Revy, usually unfazed, held her breath and whispered, “Don’t breathe too deep.”
That’s when we saw it.
Dozens of spider corpses lay scattered across the road and grass—twisted legs curled, greenish ichor leaking from shattered abdomens. Crows were already circling, landing to peck at the remains.
“What happened here?” Leryea whispered.
Revy, already tying a cloth over her mouth and nose, pointed at one of the spider bodies. “Look. Those aren’t just bite marks—that’s from something big.”
Talvan crouched closer, his expression grim. “Something tore through here. Fast. Strong. Precise.”
The group fell silent, the weight of the scene sinking in.
“Do you think it’s still nearby?” Leryea asked, voice hushed.
Revy’s hand dropped to the hilt of her blade. “If it is… let’s hope it’s on our side.”
At some point, the smell just became too much.
We retreated upwind from the massacre of spiders, staggering back like we were escaping a poisonous cloud. Once we were clear of it, we all took a deep, collective breath.
“Oh gods,” Talvan wheezed. “That was way too much.”
“Somehow, I didn’t puke,” Leryea muttered, pulling down her scarf and fanning her face. “But I was close.”
“Maybe someone in town saw what happened,” Revy said, trying to refocus. Talvan was still sucking in the fresh air like a man who’d never tasted clean wind before.
“Let’s keep moving,” Revy grunted. We all gave the spider graveyard a wide berth, circling far around it. But every now and then, a whiff of that stench drifted over on the breeze—and every time, we recoiled.
“It never gets better, does it?” Revy asked, hand clamped over her nose.
“Nope,” Talvan said flatly. “Don’t think it ever will.”
Eventually, we left the foul scene behind and made our way toward Baubel.
A lone guard stood at the entrance, leaning casually on a weather-worn post. He barely glanced at us. No questions. No challenge. Just a long, bored look like he couldn’t be bothered.
He didn’t even try to stop us.
Inside, Baubel was quiet—almost eerily so. Barely anyone was out and about. Those few who were wandered slowly, heads down or staring off into nothing. But something about their eyes… it wasn’t fear. It looked more like relief. Worn, tired relief.
Talvan approached one of the townsfolk—a weathered man with soot-streaked sleeves and the kind of tired posture that said he’d seen too many bad winters.
“Excuse me,” Talvan asked, “do you know what happened in the forest? With all those dead spiders?”
The man gave a slow nod. “That? Happened about a week ago now. We would’ve cleaned it up, but…” He wrinkled his nose. “That stench. Ugh. Dragon did leave a mess.”
Talvan blinked. “What dragon?”
That’s when Leryea jumped in, wide-eyed. “Wait—dragon?!”
“Yeah,” the man said, scratching the back of his neck. “While the mail carrier was in town. Black dragon, huge thing. Didn’t even slow down. Just tore through the spider nests like they were made of paper. Hasn’t been a single one since.”
“You’re saying it cleared the whole region?” Talvan asked.
“Think so,” the man replied, glancing toward the Thornwood’s edge. “Spiders had been plaguing us for months—lost livestock, lost people. But that dragon? Wiped ‘em clean out. Not sure why it did it. Maybe it just didn’t like the smell either.”
Revy, frowned. “These bite marks… I think the dragon was eating them.”
Talvan recoiled. “You sure? You’d have to be nose-blind to want to eat that.”
Leryea made a face but added, “Well… they did say it happened about a week ago. Maybe by the time the dragon got to them, they didn’t smell as bad.”
Revy and Talvan exchanged a look, both with the same grimace.
“Still,” Talvan muttered, “that’s one bold dragon.”
The old man nodded. “Whatever its reason, it took care of the spiders. Haven’t seen a single one since. We even sent Vivlen to scout the woods him being an elf and all.”
“You had an elf?” Leryea asked, surprised.
“Yeah,” the man said. “Been here ever since the landslide cut off the road. Lives in the town now. If nothing’s gone wrong, he should be back by morning.”
The group looked up. The sun was already sinking low, Thornwood casting long shadows toward the hills behind them.
“From Thornwood to Honiewood, Dustwarth, and now Baubel,” Talvan said, rubbing his legs, “all in one day.”
“My legs are going to fall off,” Leryea groaned. She looked like she might collapse then and there.
“Let’s find an inn,” Revy said, already walking. “Before we fall over in the street.”
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
“Whooooy!” Chelly whooped as they rounded a bend in the air, the wind rushing past them and making her hair whip wildly behind her. “We’re going so fast!”
Damon grinned, keeping a steady hand on her as he watched Sivares glide. “Think you can handle a dive?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“A short one,” Sivares replied, her eyes gleaming with mischief. She climbed higher, wings stretching wide.
“Ready?” she called back.
Chelly nodded eagerly. “Ready!”
“Hold on!” Damon warned, wrapping an arm around his little sister just before Sivares tucked her wings close and dropped.
They plummeted.
The wind howled. Chelly screamed with joy, not fear—arms thrown wide as they dove fast and hard. A flock of birds scattered below them, squawking in surprise as Sivares tore through the sky, passing just overhead.
“Faster than anything!” Chelly shouted, laughing wildly.
Damon held tight, heart pounding with adrenaline and joy alike. For a moment, nothing else existed—just wind, speed, and sky.
With a powerful stretch of her wings, Sivares leveled out into a steady glide.
“That was amazing!” Damon shouted over the wind.
“Yeah!” Chelly whooped, still buzzing with excitement. “That dive was the best part!”
“We’re approaching the farm now,” Damon said, scanning the ground below.
“Aww… is it over already?” Chelly pouted.
“Yeah, sorry. We promised Mom and Dad—just one lap,” Damon reminded her gently.
Chelly looked down at the familiar landscape, her eyes wide. “It looks so small from up here… is that really all of it?”
“Yup. See the old tree by the road? The barn? It all fits.”
“Oh! Look it’s Midnight!” she pointed at the goat pen below.
As they passed overhead, the family’s black-and-white goat let out a dramatic bleat and flopped over with theatrical flair.
“She’ll be fine,” Damon said with a nervous chuckle. “She always does that when surprised.”
Sivares let out a low, tired grunt as she began to descend in a slow spiral. With one final glide, she touched down smoothly near the barn, the soft thump of her feet kicking up a puff of dust.
They were back on solid ground.
Chelly slid off first, laughing and breathing hard. “That was the best thing ever!”
Damon followed, keeping a steadying hand on her shoulder in case her knees gave out. He turned to Sivares, who was still crouched low, breathing heavily.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah…” Sivares murmured. “Just pushed myself a bit on that last dive. I’ll be fine—just need a minute.”
“Take it easy,” Damon said, giving her side a gentle pat. “You really showed off up there.”
She huffed, a puff of warm breath stirring the grass. “Majestic creatures don’t half-fly.”
Chelly beamed. “Can we do that again sometime?”
Damon smiled. “Count on it.”
“Mom! Dad! That was amazing!” Chelly shouted as she ran up to their parents, practically vibrating with energy. “We flew over the whole farm! It looked so tiny from the sky!”
Mary chuckled, brushing Chelly’s wind-tossed hair back. “Sounds like you had fun, sweetheart.”
“I saw the barn, the tree, even Midnight! She fell over when we flew past!” Chelly said between giggles.
Damon turned to Marcus, who had been watching from a distance with his arms folded. “Hey, after Sivares rests a bit, you wanna try it next?”
Marcus raised his hands and took a step back. “Nope. I’m good. Being on the ground is just fine with me, thanks.”
Damon laughed. “Fair enough.”
“So,” Marcus added, “what are you two doing next?”
“Well, we’ve got a pile of commissions waiting and a few orders we placed while out on the road,” Damon said. “But Sivares is pretty worn out from the trip, so we’re planning to rest a bit. Maybe just some light flying around the area—short hops, nothing crazy.”
Just then, a little shape scampered up Damon’s back, poking her head out from under his collar. Keys chittered cheerfully, and Damon reached up to let her climb onto his palm.
“How was the tour?” he asked with a grin.
“Seeing where you grew up? It was… something,” she said, settling on his s…
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