The Cave

The damp, cool air of the cave enveloped us as we descended into the darkness. The trek through the cave system was arduous, and the presence of the near-captive Twelve Leg weighed heavily on our minds. As we reached deeper and deeper into the cavern, Keel's keen senses once again came into play.

"More blood this way," as he pointed, his eyes narrowing as he followed the trail. I couldn't see anything in the near darkness but had to trust in Keel's instincts.

The blood trail led to a narrow ledge that snaked along the cavern wall. It was a treacherous path, but there was no turning back now. "Careful," Keel cautioned as he gingerly made his way along the ledge, his eyes scanning for any signs of movement. Gen and I followed, our hearts pounding in our chests. Light began to cut through the darkness as we made our way towards an opening that looked like it was scratched into the cave wall.

Climbing through the opening, the narrow tunnels opened up to a large cavern, illuminated by luminescent fungi clinging to the rocky walls. The blood trail led us to a concealed crevice, revealing a hidden passage deeper into the cave system.

"Looks like it's leading us to the creature's den," Keel remarked, his hand gripping tightly to the hilt of his cutlass.

We proceeded cautiously, every step echoing in the chamber. The air became thick with tension as we approached a massive chamber. At the center, surrounded by a bed of silk, was the Twelve Leg's lair.

Gen took a step forward, his broadsword at the ready, but before he could make a move, the Twelve Leg unleashed a desperate roar. The cavern trembled, and a cascade of sharp stalactites fell from the ceiling. We scattered, narrowly avoiding the deadly projectiles.

Keel, ever vigilant, observed the creature's movements. "It's weakened, but it's not going down without a fight. We need to find a way to immobilize it more."

I examined the silk surrounding the lair, that's it! We still had the silk ropes we cut from before. "I still have the silk ropes from earlier. Weakened as it is, the Twelve Leg can't break free from the dried-out silk."

Gen nodded in agreement. "Let's use it to our advantage. We need to be careful, though. Even weakened, this creature can be deadly. We don't want this thing to slip away from us again."

The final confrontation began, and we circled the creature cautiously. Gen engaged it in close combat, distracting it with calculated sweeping strikes, while Keel and I worked to secure the silk around its legs. We began to weave in and out, wrapping the legs in silk as we went in for quick blows. The creature, sensing its impending defeat, fought back with renewed ferocity. Keel went in to weave through more of the rope, the beast struck him with a barbed claw, drawing blood and sending him sprawling across the room.

Gen leaped at the beast to refocus its attention onto him so I could finish binding its legs. With him taking the brunt of the damage I seized the opportunity, hurling the web around the creature's limbs. The silk adhered to its body, slowly sapping away its strength as the more we fought, the more entangled the Twelve Leg became, its movements growing sluggish.

Keel drowsily sat up and shouted, "It's working! Keep at it!"

With determination, we pressed on, weakening the creature further. Its roars turned into feeble growls, and its once intimidating eyes dulled. As the silk tightened around it, the Twelve Leg finally collapsed, defeated but still dangerous.

As we fought, injuries accumulated. Gen bore the brunt of the creature's retaliation, his broadsword clashing against its remaining strength. Keel had made his way back into the fray, and with his agility, skillfully maneuvered around the creature, slicing away strands of silk on the walls to fashion makeshift restraints.

The battle reached its climax as we managed to weaken the Twelve Leg further, its once mighty form reduced to a mere shadow of its former self. Seizing the opportunity, Keel and I rushed in, wrapping the weakened creature in its own silk until it resembled a cocoon.

Breathing heavily, we stood victorious but battered. Gen, nursing his wounds, looked at the bound creature. "What now?"

Keel wiped blood from his face, his eyes fixed on our captive. "We can't take it back to the scrappers. This beast is too unique to give to one of those lowlifes."

The realization struck us – taking this creature back would destroy our hard-fought victory, and the scrappers would surely take credit. But what else could we do with no supplies?

I look at Gen, "We need to get you somewhere to look at those injuries, you wouldn't last a few days back at the scrapper camp with those fights. We can't risk further injury, but we need the supplies- we have no way of getting food." He nods in agreeance as we look to Keel. He grimaces and looks at us with stone-cold determination, "Let's leave. I would rather risk dying than giving a hard-earned beast to those wastes of space. We went so far without food in the woods, but there has to be prey in the jungle here for the beasts to eat otherwise how could they survive." He looks at us for confirmation, but it feels too risky, "Given our condition, especially Gen's wounds, if we run into another beast we are probably dead. I agree with not going back to the scrappers though..."

As we sat in the cavern, the dim light casting shadows on our exhausted faces, we discussed our options. The decision weighed heavy on us, knowing that going back would mean even more of that horrid cycle.

...

"How about this, we'll find a village, L you can help me forge a weapon with the ritual, and then we can decide what to do with the Twelve Leg," Keel proposed, "We know the village has to be relatively close given that family who came through the eastern wood a few weeks ago- and we know it's now Gillad owned so it must be safe for us there. We'll have to tough it out on our own, but at least we'll have something to show for our efforts."

We nodded in agreement, accepting the challenges ahead. "Making it through the rest of the jungle will just mean having to be extra cautious," I look at them both ensuring they hear my words, "No detours. no matter what we see out there we have to keep moving, we can't risk running into any trouble." Gen smirks, "Guess that will have to do for now." With a grin from Keel and the weakened Twelve Leg still bound in silk, we began our journey out of the caves and toward the jungle's edge. The prospect of a ritual weapon is extremely promising for our survival- hopefully, the village we head to has a smithy and the beast is compatible with Keel. If he can pull out the full power of this beast we will be able to make our way back through the jungle stress-free. 

 ...