Caelin stalked through the jungle. It was hot and humid and his armor clinged to his wet skin, as he slowly made his way further into the jungle. The lizardmen living here feared him by now, they even had a nickname for him. He had seen them standing around their dead comrades, yelling excitedly about "Zzuglor!" He had no idea what it meant, but it was clear that it was a word they used for him. For 5 days, he had been stalking the jungle of Feerrot, killing the lizardmen whenever an opportunity showed itself. It often did. Although lately, there had been fewer and fewer opportunities. The lizardmen had started to be careful and only travelled in big groups. Luckily Caelin was soon finished here. He needed a break away from this jungle. The small scratches and wounds he had received during his fights here, had started to turn red and sore. He wasn't a healer, but he knew that they would require some kind of treatment soon. He just had one last task to do and then he would head home for the security of the city and his new apartment. He knew the jungle by now, every path and every corner of it. That was also a reason he needed a break soon. He was beginning to get careless. Fatigue and a false sense of security made him make foolish mistakes. Mistakes he would never had made the first days he was here. Twice he had been caught by surprise by the local monsters, of which there was a lot. Feerrot is a dangerous place. But Caelin was an accomplished fighter and even when he was too close to use his bow, he was not easily defeated. But these unplanned fights tapped his energy. Energy he needed for this last task he had to do. Arriving at his target, Caelin took shelter in a low fern, making sure he was covered on all sides. Now he just had to wait. The halfling was sure to show up here soon. That was what the information he had gathered since coming to Feerrot told him. This was where the traitor would meet with the lizard priest. Caelin still didn't know what this meeting was about, but he knew he had to stop it. The hours went by and just as Caelin started to doze off, something started to happen. A group of lizardmen showed up, walking carefully, scouting the area around them, they made it into the small clearing. They whispered to each other, obviously not wanting others to notice them. They took up positions around the clearing, one of them standing only a few feet away from Caelin. Five minutes later a new procession entered the clearing. The jewelry and headpiece of the lizard in the middle, clearly identified him as the priest. Now Caelin only had to wait for the halfling. The halfling was his target. There was no way that Caelin could defeat all the lizards present, but he only wanted the halfling. Once he was dead, he planned to make a run for it and escape into the jungle before the lizards could get to him. He didn't have to wait long before the halfling showed up. A small hooded figure entered the clearing and startled the lizards. "You guys should be more careful. It's easy to sneak in here.", the halfling said as the lizards quickly pointed their weapons in his direction. The priest smiled, "I am glad you could find us. Feerrot can be quite confusing. Lots of people has gotten lost here, never to be found again." The halfling smiled at this badly veiled threat. "Let's stop with the pleasantries and get down to business, shall we?" This was the time when Caelin decided to act. He could wait longer and hear what these two sinister characters were planning, but he knew enough to know that it was vital for Qeynos that their plans did not succeed. And he had a perfect view of the halfling from here and at any moment the lizard near him, could take two steps in the wrong direction, and either stand between Caelin and the halfling or trip over Caelin. He needed to act while he had the opportunity. Slowly he drew an arrow and started to take aim. It was difficult, to say the least, to lie down and fire his bow, but he did not dare to sit up. Then the lizards would see him for sure. Just when he let the arrow fly, the conversation in the clearing halted abruptly as the halfling disappeared in thin air. Caelin's arrow flew straight through the air, where the halfling had stood only a splitsecond ago. Then everything was chaos. The lizard priest started to shout orders, while the air around him started to simmer with magic. The lizards sprang into action. A few of them made a circle around the wizard while the rest started to search the immediate area while shouting incoherently to each other. Caelin sprang into action. The lizardman in front of him, died with a surprised look on his face, as Caelin's dagger entered his chest. Immediately the other lizardmen turned to Caelin. They had found their intruder. Caelin started to run, and could hear the pursuers only a few feet behind him. A spear flew past his ear and split the trunk of a tree, just as Caelin rounded it. He started to run even faster, no longer caring what he might meet on his way. He had to get enough distance to be able to hide again. Then he could use his magic to get to Qeynos and try to figure out what went wrong. There was no way the halfling could have known he was there. He must have had some kind of magic protection up. A few minutes later, look smiled on Caelin. The pursuers was still close on his heels, but suddenly he found himself in a clearing filled with jungleleapers, the very poisonous spiders of Feerrot. They were very surprised to see a woodelf running through their midst, but just as they had decided that he really was for real and a big meal was running just a few feet away, they were even more surprised when a group of lizardmen tumbled into them. Caelin ran a few hundreds yards after hearing the lizardmens surprised yell. The sounds of battle rang through the jungle, and Caelin knew that his pursuers were busy fighting spiders. QUickly he started his ritual to call back to Qeynos. No need to stay any longer in this jungle. He had to figure out what went wrong and what he should do know. He had spent 6 days tracking this halfling and now he needed to start all over. Luckily the haflings plans were disturbed as well. That should give Caelin some time. With this thought, Caelin felt the familiar tingle of the spell starting to work. Time to go home and rest a little bit before continuing the hunt.
