— The group continues seeing the town of Vale in the distance, as well as a clear end to the forest. As they get ever closer,
Donna— 
Jubei— ” Hm? What’s up Donna?”
Donna— ” Cooked meat…It’s so close…”
Dara— “Another group must be near.”
Jubei— ” We should go say hi to them!”
Dara— ” Uh…I don’t know about that.”
Jubei— ” Why not?”
Dara— ” Well, for one, the fact someone is setting up camp when Vale isn’t that far away, feels…odd.”
-Dara feels Circe tap her shoulder
Circe— ” She’s already gone.”
— Donna is indeed, missing
Dara— “…. 
“
Jubei— “Let’s catch up with her! Maybe they have a fellow swordsman, or someone we can trade all this gear with!”
———————————————————As the others follow the smell of cooked meat, they reach a clearing where Donna is feasting upon a large hunk of beef feverishly
Donna— 
Dara- 
” There’s no sign of any camping equipment, and the fire pit seems very basic.”
Circe-” It’s definitely a trap.” “But.. I don’t think it was meant for us.”
Dara- ” What do you mean?”
Circe— ” This seems like something hunters would set up. Specifically for large game.”
Dara- ” We should hurry and depart. Jubei let’s-” “Where’d she go?”
Jubei— 
” This really IS good!!! “
Donna—“Shee? letzkchodoun!!”(See? let’s chow down!!)
Dara—
“Now I’m worried”
“Jubei, we need to leave.”
— “Nobody goes anywere!!”
-There is a rustling surrounding the clearing as several orcs emerge
Orc Jobber—
“You ate bait!!!”
Dara— “There’s at least 10 of them!…We have to play our cards right”
“We apologize!!! We didn’t mean to ruin your trap!”
Orc Jobber— ” Not sorry, but you will be!!!”
Circe— ” We were just passing by. We don’t want any trouble.”
Orc Jobber— ” Rubber-neck talk too much!!!”
“Huh???”
– This entire time, Donna and Jubei have continued eating the cooked meat.”
Orc Jobber-
” STOP EATING BAIT!!!!”
” We use you two as bait now!”
– Dara rushes ahead of Jubei and Donna, kneeling before the orc group
Dara— “We can give you several sets of armor and swords in exchange for what we took!”
Orc Jobber— “Hm…”
“Head hurt, ask leader”
— An eleventh orc finally arrives
Circe—
” So that one’s the leader”
” Looks tough”
— An orc baring absurdly long talons on their fingers comes into view
Circe—
” That garb…a priestess.”
Orc boss— We have no need for paltry gear. Do you think us so easy to appease?”
Dara— “!!! I just thought we could make it up to your group.”
Orc boss—
“Do you know what we’re hunting, girl?”
— As the orc speaks, she flicks a pebble at Donna’s forehead, which bounces off her head onto Jubei’s
Jubei— ” Ow!!!”
– As Jubei rubs her head, Donna looks up
Donna— 
“Oh, hey, orcs showed up!!”
Orc boss— ” We are seeking to capture a creature our clan’s chieftain desires.”
“A fleecemane lion“
Circe—
” That sounds familiar…”
“Those are a breed of lion said to be twice the typical size of something of their species.”
“What could an orc chief want with something like that? It couldn’t be for domestication..?”
Orc boss- ” With our bait so thoroughly reduced by your group, our hunt is lost today.”
“But we will still walk away with a reasonable prize, to make amends.”
Dara— ” She’s accepting the deal!!”
“Thank you for considering our ter-“
Orc boss— We will be taking the human girl and the tiefling”
Dara — ” W-what?????”
Jubei— ” Huh?”
Orc boss- ” It is clear from their appetites, mixed with their physique, that they are prime child rearing candidates.”
“We will put them to task, amongst our fold.”
Dara- “What did she just say??? “
Jubei—
” Child rearing? But I got way more to accomplish before I do anything like that!”
Donna— ” What’s that mean anyway? Is it like babysitting??”
Dara—
Circe— ” ..Sorry but, we can’t let you do that.” “I’m traveling with the blonde one for a reason.”
Orc boss— ” Then you will DIE!!!”
—The other orcs arm themselves, giving off an intimidating aura
Circe— ” I still don’t have all my mana back from earlier against the hobgoblins..”
Dara— ” What are we going to do?”
— There a piercing low rumble that tears through the foliage, as though in response to the heightened energy in the vicinity
Orc boss- 
Jubei—
Dara —
Orc Jobber—
-Out into the clearing, bounds a creature that can only be described as ” too big”
Circe—
“So there it is.”
“The Fleecemane Lion”
—The lion casually strolls towards Jubei and Donna
Jubei— ” Its fur…and mane…its shimmering..”
— It focuses on Donna, who’s still holding a morsel of meat.
Donna— “Want some?”
-scans Donna’s offer, answering with a lick of the scrap
Orc boss- “Truly fortune smiles upon our clan.” “Two wenches and a magnificent lion.”
“Subdue them all!!!”
-The orcs prepare to carry out their leader’s directive
-there is the fire of an eldritch blast shooting past the orc positions as Circe begins moving in a semicircle towards the opposing force
Circe— ” The priestess is going to be a problem”
—Dara slips into the bushes as chaos begins to unfurl, The lion let’s out an ear splitting roar, which shakes many of the combatants to their core. The orcs mount an assault despite the threat display from the fleecemane, battering it axes and thrown javelins amid its roars of protest. it begins to buckle (Lion remaining hp 3)
— ” It looks like they’ll be too focused on hauling off the lion in a second.”
“Jubei and Donna just have to get out of there and we can go”
-Jubei cuts at one of the orc’s legs as she stands to fight
Jubei— ” You can’t just decide to abduct wildlife against it’s will!!!”
-The lion cleaves at the yelping orc, with it crashing down beneath the creature’s paw
A shining bolt of energy rockets towards Jubei, which she deflects at the last second
Orc boss— ” You will not interfere.”
Circe— “That was a guiding bolt“
“If that had landed, she’d be down for the count.”
Orc boss— “The next shall not miss”
-Donna, rising up, rushes the leader, drawing her greataxe
Orc boss- “You will not best me in close quarters!”
-It is in that moment of the priestess’s dodge, that she notices something unusual in the barbarian’s strike. Donna’s axe lands a solid cut upon the orc (Orc boss hp 32)
Orc boss-
” I know I dodged that attack, how did she..?”
Circe— “Looks like she’s noticed.”
—Circe continues making his way to join Donna, while shooting one of the lion’s assailants dead with an eldritch blast.An arrow flies out at another orc from the surrounding bushes
Dara- “Part of me figured those two would just start swinging… “
” Oh well. I’ll do what I can.”
—The drow remains on the move as an unseen support, changing her location between shots
—Meanwhile, the Lion sputters, exhaling as its body falls silent.
Orc boss-” Take the axe wielder DOWN!!!”
-5 orcs aid their boss, attacking Donna in a flurry of their own axes
Jubei— ” Hey, that’s not fair!!!”
-She narrowly dodges the attack of one orc pouring its attention onto her
Orc boss- “How do you still stand…?”
-An axe strike cuts into Donna, and yet the bleeding is minimal
-Jubei defeats her opponent while closing in on the rear of the orc group crowding her ally
Jubei— “Donna, hang on!”
Orc boss— “She must be dealt with. Then her allies will fall in kind”
Dara— ” She’s using an incantation against Donna?”
-Donna slashes at the leader, as her incantation continues in her backpedal
Orc boss- ” I bestow this curse. Suffer..!!!“
Jubei- 
Donna-
—Malicious energy fires at Donna, coursing through her body
Orc boss-” All will fall at the might of the orcs!!”
Donna- “….
Orc boss- ” What’s wrong? Do you feel it necessary to beg for you life now?”
Donna- ” N…no, its not that…” “I just don’t know what you did.”
Orc boss- “The curse is afflicting you this very moment wench”
“Surely you feel its malfeasance within you”
Donna— ” Nope.”
Orc boss- “….What???”
Donna- ” I don’t feel anything.”
Orc Jobber- “NOT NORMAL, NOT NORMAL!!!”
Orc boss- “B-by Luthic’s talon!!! WHAT IS THIS GIRL???”
Circe- “Classic”
-Donna performs a circular swing against an orc, as Circe brandishes his sword, wounding another. Right on cue, another arrow from Dara flies out of the bush, finishing off Circe’s target
Circe— ” that makes 4 of the henchmen down.”
” Things are looking better, but still volatile.”
Orc boss- ” We do not retreat. We WILL NOT RETREAT!!!”
— The orcs fight on, spurred by their leader. Donna incurs more damage, even Jubei begins taking on her own wounds through the clashing of steel (Both at 16hp)
Jubei— ” And we…don’t give up!!!”
— with a roar, the boss fires a guiding bolt at Jubei, only for it to be deflected by Circe.
Circe— ” I’m your opponent from here on.”
—He closes in on the leader as Jubei and Donna both continue to fight tooth and nail, with Dara continuing to assist.
Jubei— “3 more down!!”
Orc Jobber— ” They keep killing us…Boss help!!!”
—A frustrated roar echoes out as the leader exchanges attacks with Circe
Orc boss- ” Fight with everything you have or I’LL END YOU MYSELF!!!”
Jubei–” My head’s starting to spin..” ” We’re almost about to win, but …” (HP 7)
Circe— ” We have to end this soon”
” This priestess, she’s not all talk. I can’t even land a hit.”
-As Circe and the orc leader continue blocking and answering each attack with one of their own, an arrow strikes Jubei’s final enemy from behind
Jubei— “Thanks Dara..!!”
-Circe and the leader continue their exchange
Orc boss– ” He’s nothing!! if I can just get distance, I’ll blow him away with a guiding bolt!!”
-As she back pedals, there is something that glimmers within Circe’s eyes
Circe- 
Orc boss-
-A slash with amplified force strikes the orc, nearly tking her arm off
Orc boss– “But how..!? He has nowhere near the build to deliver such a strike!!”
“Wait!!!” ” The eldritch blasts, and this swordsmanship..” “You are a hexblade..!!!”
— She launches a guiding bolt, only for it to be canceled out by Circe’s eldritch blast meeting it in mid-air
Circe— “Hexblade…”
“I guess that’s what you could call it.”
— A critical arrow strike drops one of two remaining orc minions, with Jubei wounding the remaining one
The final crony falls back, retreating to the side of his leader, with her in the midst of healing her wound partially
Orc boss— “You will regret crossing us, filth ridden hexblade!”
-Another blast flies out, dropping her final man.
Circe— ” You’re the only one left.”
Orc boss— “Tch, damn!!!”
—The orc runs off, quickly continuing to heal herself
Eventually, there’s nothing but the soft low breathing of the lion
——————————————————–
Donna’s eyes open up slowly as a potion is adminstered to her
Dara— ” Donna?”
Jubei-” Hey, wake up!!!”
Circe- “…
Donna— ” Where’s…the meat…?”
Jubei— “Dara said we probably shouldn’t feed it something like a potion, so we gave what was left of the meat to the lion. “
—The tiefling is almost taken off her feet by a lick to her face by the lion
Jubei— ” hahaha, guess we made a new friend!”
“Wanna join our crew?”
Dara—
” I don’t think any town would allow us to take him in…”
Circe— “…
—————————————————–
After some final hugs and goodbyes, the group finishes this final leg of their travel, with a hoard of goods to cash in, all within the city of Vale. The fleecemane lion watches them exiting the forest from afar. Beside him, someone riding atop him strokes his fur, while gazing at the group in the distance
With lazy eyes that contain a sort of serenity, a crimson haired halfling atop the creature silently smiles.
————————–
★Jubei is now level 3★
★Dara is now level 3★
★Donna is now level 3★
★Circe is now level 3★
Celestial Saga 
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