FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The sun was getting low in the sky as the group of adventurers stood before the tomb entrance. They had spent all day excavating it from the side of a secluded hill. It turned out the map had been worth the gold they spent after all! They had followed its directions deep into the forest, and had begun digging where it had indicated. Bran jammed his shovel into the ground, and wiped his brow. The bull's black fur was damp with sweat, since he had done the majority of the digging.

"That should do it. If not, then it's someone else's turn to dig!" Bran said with annoyance, and crossed his muscular arms.

“Great job Bran! We couldn't have done it without you!" Jared said cheerfully, clapping the huge bull on the back. Bran glared down at the young human then snorted as he broke into a grin and chuckled. It was impossible to be grouchy with Jared, his constantly upbeat attitude was infectious.

"Yes, excellent work Bran" Sonya said distractedly, and approached the sealed stone doors that they, mostly Bran, had uncovered with their digging. The vixen muttered an incantation under her breath, as she held her hand towards the door. When the incantation ended, a loud click came from the stone doors, and they partially cracked open. A powerful gust of foul smelling air blew from the gap, causing Sonya to hold her arm in front of her face and squint her eyes. The vixen's robes and silver fur rustled in the strong gust that was released, but it quickly subsided.

“Gods that stinks!" Egan muttered loudly, waving a hand in front of his muzzle, the white wolf bared his teeth in disgust.

“Smells like potential treasure to me!" Jared said eagerly, but was also waving his hand in front of his nose to wave away the foul smelling air.

“You wouldn't know what treasure smells like anyway, and I can assure you that's not it! This is only your first expedition!" Bran said, holding his hand over his nose. Almost as quickly as it began blowing, the foul wind died off, and the rancid odor faded. Sonya ventured closer and peered into the gap between the doors, then turned to face the group.

“It's been a long day everybody, and it's getting late. Let's set up camp and we can venture in at dawn. Hopefully it will let some fresh air in there as well. I'll set up a sentry ward on the entrance in case anything comes out of there" Sonya said. The others nodded their agreement, and set up their camp for the night.

The night was chilly as they sat around the fire. Jared was slightly envious of his companion's fur as he sat closest to the fire to keep warm. Bran threw some more logs on the fire, then settled down next to Jared, draping a large arm around the smaller man. Jared leaned into Bran's furry side, sighing happily, thankful to him for sharing his warmth. Bran smiled down at the young man, and patted his side gently.

“I know everybody knows their roles, but lets go over them again so we're all on the same page" Sonya said, glancing between the members of the group.

“Good idea. I think everything will go smoothly, but it never hurts to be thorough" Egan agreed. “Obviously my job is to heal any wounds, cure any ailments, and deal with any undead we might encounter. My spells are ready to go, let's hope they won't be necessary!" the wolf said with a chuckle, as he patted the thick holy tome by his side.

“Other than the digging from today, I'll be providing any necessary brute force" Bran said, hefting his battle axe briefly with his free hand.

“I'm in charge of spotting traps, picking locks and backing up Bran in any fights we might get into. I really got to thank you guys again for letting me come with you! I know it's my first expedition, but I promise not to let you down!" Jared said eagerly.

“Your friend Bran speaks highly of you. I'm sure you won't let us down. Just trust in your abilities" Sonya said with a smile. Jared smiled back and nodded, leaning against Bran's broad side.

“I'll be able to detect any magic traps, and deal with anything we might find that is resistant to Bran's physical attacks. In the off chance things go badly, I will teleport us out. I'll also make a map as we go. But based on what we know, this should be a breeze. Well everybody, let's get some rest. We have some treasure to find in the morning!" Sonya said with a smile. Everybody grinned and nodded, then set out their bedrolls.

“Is it ok if I sleep next to you Bran?" Jared asked the bull shyly. Bran chuckled and nodded, and patted the ground next to him. Jared eagerly moved his bedroll over next to Bran's, and lay down.

“Good night Jared, try to get some sleep, I know you're very excited" Bran said quietly.

“I'll do my best Bran!" Jared said, then shivered slightly from the chill. The fire had begun to die down a bit. Jared curled up under his blanket to try to keep warm, and was startled when Bran slid his arm around him, pulling him firmly against his chest. Jared sighed contentedly as the warmth from the bull's body helped dull the chill of the night.

“Thanks Bran!" Jared whispered. Bran grunted softly in acknowledgement. Jared had known the bull for many years, and was so thankful that he was there with him on his first expedition. He knew with an experienced warrior like Bran around, nothing could go wrong. Jared didn't think he could possibly fall asleep from the excited anticipation he felt for tomorrow, but the soothing sound of Bran's breathing, and the rise and fall of the bull's chest against his back soon lulled him to sleep.

The group was up at first dawn, and after a quick meal, were ready to venture into the tomb. Bran pushed the doors open further to reveal a dozen stone steps leading down into the tomb. Torches in holders on the wall at regular intervals lit the way.

“Should we be worried that there are already lit torches in there?" Jared asked with uncertainty. Sonya chuckled at his question.

“These are enchanted torches, I can sense the magic. It's actually a surprisingly simple spell. With an enchanted piece of wood, the torches can burn for centuries" I'm sure whoever set them up is long gone" Sonya assured them, and Jared relaxed a little after the vixen's explanation.

“Well, no sense in gawking, let's get a move on!" Egan said, and began heading down the stairs.

“Wait Egan! Shouldn't I go first to check for traps?" Jared asked in panic as the wolf headed boldly down the stairs.

"Relax kid, I've never seen a trap on the entrance stairs before!" Egan said with a laugh, but he stopped laughing abruptly when the next step his foot came down on sank with a loud click. A dart fired from a hidden opening in the wall and struck the wolf in his neck. Egan's eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed to the ground, his mace and holy tome dropping from his grip.

“Egan!" Sonya cried in alarm, but Jared grabbed her arm to stop her from rushing to him.

“Let me check first for more traps" Jared said nervously, and carefully made his way down to Egan where he was slumped on the steps. After making sure the stairs were safe, Jared frantically motioned for them to join him, and they hurried down to check on Egan. Sonya quickly spotted the black dart against the white fur on the wolf's neck and pulled it out. She cautiously sniffed at it, then checked Egan's pulse.

“His pulse is strong, and his breathing is normal. I suspect the dart has some kind of sleeping poison on it" Sonya told them. Almost as if to confirm her suspicions, Egan suddenly let out a loud snore.

“C'mon Egan, wake up!" Bran said, patting the wolf's face gently in an attempt to rouse him.

“I don't think that will work, the poison will have to run its course. Unfortunately he's the only one here that could cure it!" Sonya said with a frustrated sigh. “Let's bring him back outside" Bran and Jared nodded, and each took one of Egan's arms and carefully moved him back up the stairs. The wolf's head flopped back, and his tongue dangled from the side of his mouth as he continued to snore loudly. Sonya gathered Egan's holy tome and mace, then followed them out. They placed Egan back on his bed roll and regrouped.

“Well, I guess either we wait for him to wake back up, or should we teleport back?" Bran asked, looking at Sonya for her opinion. The vixen frowned as she thought about it. Jared looked at them both anxiously. So far his first expedition was not off to a great start.

“I think he'll be fine here for now, and we should go back in. We'll take it slow, and begin mapping things out. If we spy any trouble, we'll leave immediately. I'll set another sentry ward here to let us know if anybody, or anything approaches Egan. I'll also leave a short range teleport rune at camp so if the ward goes off, we can teleport back immediately" Sonya said, reaching into her satchel and pulling out a small dark blue stone with a glyph carved into it. The vixen held the stone in her hand as she recited an incarnation, causing it to glow briefly. She then took the stone and placed it on the ground a short distance away, so they wouldn't teleport back on top of Egan should the need arise. “That should do it" Sonya said with a nod.

“Allright, let's try this again without anybody stumbling into a trap this time!" Bran said grumpily.

“I'm sorry, I should have gone first!" Jared said with embarrassment.

“Don't blame yourself Jared, Egan is a very powerful cleric, but sometimes he can be a little arrogant. He should have known better and let you go first. Don't worry, I plan to give him a very hard time about this when he wakes up!" Sonya said with a smirk. Jared still didn't feel good about it, but he nodded. Bran patted his back reassuringly.

As Egan snored loudly behind them, the group made their way back to the entrance. This time they were sure to let Jared go first. The man made his way down the stairs carefully, double checking for traps once again, but the only thing unusual was the step that Egan had already triggered.

“The stairs are all good, come on down!" Jared called back to them. Bran came down first, his axe ready, and Sonya followed after him. At the bottom of the stairs, a wide corridor of grey stone stretched before them, the ceiling was obscured by shadows. Moving cautiously, Jared took the lead and checked closely for any more traps, but the corridor was clear, and eventually they came to a four way intersection. Sonya scribbled on a piece of parchment with a charcoal rod as she followed Bran.

“Which way?" Jared asked quietly, peering down each corridor, on the lookout for anything that could indicate another trap.

“Hmm, I usually like to head right when I come to intersections when exploring. I'll make an arrow on the wall indicating which way leads back to the entrance" Sonya explained, as she drew an arrow on the grey stone pointing back the way they came. They suddenly heard the sound of claws scrabbling on the stone floor from the left corridor. Bran quickly moved himself between Jared and Sonya and raised his axe in anticipation. The torches were spaced far enough apart on the walls that it made it so there were pools of shadows between them, and they saw something slinking between those shadows. Jared quickly unsheathed his dagger and short sword nervously.

“Here it comes" Bran warned, clutching the handle of his axe tighter. The group tensed as a giant rat the size of a large dog emerged from the shadows, charging right at them. Bran raised his axe above his head and swung at it, but the rat avoided his blow and ran between his legs. The axe blade crashed into the stone floor, kicking up a spark. The rat leaped towards Jared who deftly stepped aside and with a lightning quick motion, stabbed it in the neck with his dagger as it sailed past him. The rat gave an agonized squeal, then crashed to the floor, its body sliding to a stop in front of Sonya. The vixen grimaced in disgust at the still twitching corpse in front of her.

“Well done Jared!" Sonya complimented, poking the rat with the toe of her boot to make sure it was dead.

“Indeed! Especially seeing as how it was your first time! Let's hope that giant rats are the worst thing we see in here" Bran said, smiling with pride at the young man. Jared looked stunned at what had just happened.

“I can't believe I did that! It felt like my body acted on its own!" Jared said in surprise.

“That's what happens when you trust your training, continue to do so, and you'll do great!" Bran encouraged him.

“All right then, let's continue shall we?" Sonya suggested. Bran and Jared nodded, and they continued down the corridor. There passed more intersections, and Sonya updated her map, and marked arrows on the wall. Other than the trap on the stairs, Jared had so far not detected any others. Bran was walking just behind Jared as he scanned for possible traps, when clumps of dirt suddenly began to drop from the shadows on the ceiling in front of them. Bran looked up in alarm as they heard a strange gurgling noise, and quickly grabbed Jared by the back of his coat and flung him behind himself. Bran had turned to retreat himself, when something dropped from the ceiling and landed on him. Bran grunted as he hit the floor, and his axe slipped from his hand, clattering across the floor past Jared who had fallen on his ass where Bran had tossed him to safety. Jared's eyes widened with terror when he saw what was on Bran. A giant slime had pinned Bran to the floor, and covered him to just below his arms. The slime pulsated gently as it contracted tighter around its prey.

“Bran!" Jared shouted and scrambled to his feet and grabbed hold of the bulls hands, pulling for all he was worth, but Bran was held fast by the slime. Bran panted in fear, and clutched Jared's hands tightly as he continued to try and pull him free.

“Sonya, do something!" Jared pleaded, but she just stood staring in shock at the scene before her.

“I..I don't have any spells that will work on that!" Sonya stammered, stepping back in fear. “Bran…I'm so sorry" she whispered.

“Jared…I'm sorry it turned out this way. AAAAH! Gods, I can feel it…inside of me!" Bran gasped in fear and pain, gritting his teeth. The slime began to slowly ooze up his arms towards his hands where they gripped Jared's, sensing more possible prey.

“Jared, we're getting out of here! I'm starting the teleportation spell to take us back to camp, hurry to me!" Sonya shouted, and began to recite the incantation. They had done practice drills before coming, it took Sonya about ten seconds to recite the incantation, and once she started, she couldn't stop. If the spell was interrupted mid cast, it could have disastrous results to her, or anybody nearby. They all had to be in physical contact with her when she finished reciting it, or be left behind.

“Bran, no!" Jared cried, tears streaming down his face as the slime continued to engulf his friend.

“Go Jared, take care of Sonya and Egan. You've been a very good friend to me" Bran said, then grimaced again in pain, as the slime fed on him. Bran shoved Jared away, then shuddered as the slime oozed up and engulfed him completely. Sonya clapped her hands loudly to get Jared's attention as she continued the incantation. Jared quickly turned and ran to her...and promptly tripped over Bran's axe, causing him to sprawl to the floor. Sonya's eyes widened in shock as she finished the incantation, then disappeared in a flash, followed by a loud pop. Jared had been left behind.

It took Sonya a moment to regain her bearings, as it usually did after casting a teleport spell. She had to get back to Jared and get him out! She shook her head to clear it, then gasped in shock. Sonya was back in her room at the mage's guild. She had cast the wrong teleportation spell by mistake in the heat of the moment. She was a day away from the campsite, and out of range of her teleportation rune she had left there. Sonya shrieked in frustration, but quickly calmed herself. She had to get back as quickly as possible. Jared was in trouble, and Egan was defenseless. Sonya quickly ran from her room, and down the corridor to get back to them. Some other members of the guild had poked their heads out of their rooms when they had heard her shriek, but she ignored their shouted questions.

Jared couldn't believe it. He was alone. The slime gurgled behind him as it continued feeding on Bran, and Jared quickly regained his wits. He had to go, and now. If the slime hadn't been already busily working on a meal, it would most likely have also taken him by now. Jared scrambled back to his feet, and looked back at the slime, but wished he hadn't. Bran floated in the creature, patches of his fur were missing as the slime devoured him. Jared quickly looked away with a sob. He bent down to pick up Bran's axe, but it was incredibly heavy. Jared had hoped to bring it with him, but clearly its weight would dangerously slow him down. Despite not wanting to, he couldn't help himself and he looked back at the slime again, and was alarmed to see it had begun slowly moving towards him. Apparently it had decided why settle for one meal when there are two available? Jared turned and ran, he had to get out. He came to the last intersection they had passed, but didn't see an arrow. Had Sonya forgotten? Jared looked around in panic, he couldn't remember which way. Randomly, he chose a corridor and hurried down it. The next intersection also had no arrow, but it was clearly the wrong one since it only branched into two corridors. Jared pulled at his hair in frustration. Glancing down both corridors, he noticed one ended in a small chamber with a large ornate chest in it. The prospect of treasure caused his panic to momentarily fade. Jared eagerly approached the large chest, and without hesitation, opened the lid. He had forgotten the golden rule of rogues: Always check for a trap. In this case, it was something much worse than a trap. Jared was briefly confused by what he saw, the contents of the chest writhed with movement. A large eye opened on the inside of the chest lid, and Jared immediately realized just how much trouble he was in. It was a chest mimic. Before he could react, tentacles erupted from the open chest, quickly snaring his arms. Jared cried out in fear, and attempted to push off from the front of the mimic with his feet, but more tentacles emerged and quickly coiled around his legs as well. Jared struggled as the tentacles held him suspended off the ground before the mimic. A large tongue unfurled from the mimic and licked up his chest and across his face. Jared grimaced and turned his head away from the foul smelling tongue. More tentacles slithered from the mimic, curling around his chest and neck, and more slid underneath his clothing and eagerly explored his body. Jared shuddered at their warm slick touch as they slid over his skin. Tentacles hooked into his pants and pulled them down to his thighs, causing Jared to resume struggling, but the mimic restrained him easily. The large tongue slowly licked him again, and Jared wondered why it hadn't dragged him into its mouth yet. One of the questing tentacles slid between his asscheeks, and brushed against his asshole. The pointed tip paused in its exploration, then forcefully surged into him. Jared yelled out, but was abruptly silenced when another tentacle shoved itself into his mouth and down his throat. His eyes bulged with discomfort and panic, not understanding what the mimic was doing to him. Jared tried to bite down on the tentacle in his mouth, but its slick surface was surprisingly tough, and the tentacle was undeterred in its exploration of his throat. Almost as quickly as the tentacles had entered him, they were suddenly withdrawn. As relieved as he was that they were out, he was still utterly confused as to what was happening. As he watched, two more tentacles emerged from the mimic, but these ones had thick blunt tips instead of pointed narrow ones like the others. One of them slid beneath him and mercilessly forced its way into his asshole, lodging itself deeply inside him. The pain caused him to cry out again, which the other blunt tipped tentacle took full advantage of, jamming itself into his mouth and sliding down his throat. Despite already knowing it was futile, Jared resumed struggling. The thick tentacle in his throat made it so he had to fight for every breath. Just when he thought it wasn't possible to be more afraid, Jared watched with increasing terror as bulges began to move down the tentacles lodged firmly in his body. He tried biting down on the tentacle in his mouth again, but the bulge squeezed by and down his throat, nearly blocking it completely as it slid down the tentacle. His asshole stretched painfully as another bulge worked its way inside of him from below. The bulges continued to come down the tentacles, and Jared grunted with pain each time one went into either end of him. His stomach and intestines felt like they were filling up, and with horror, he realized what was happening. The mimic was laying eggs in him. After about another dozen more eggs were forced into him, split between his mouth and ass, the mimic's tentacles abruptly released him, dropping him to the floor. The tentacles withdrew back inside the mimic, and the lid slammed shut. Tears of humiliation streamed from Jared's eyes, and he slowly pulled his pants back up. He unsteadily climbed back to his feet, and left the chamber. Jared clutched his bulging stomach as he made his way back to the first intersection he had made a wrong turn at. When he arrived, he saw the arrow. Somehow he had missed it in his panic. With a resigned sigh, he made his way back to the entrance of the tomb. He didn't encounter any more giant rats, or other threats. Finally, he saw the stairs leading outside. Jared perked up slightly on seeing the sunlight shining down the stairs, but was still traumatized by what had happened to Bran, and the terror of what would happen with the eggs inside him. He hung his head as he approached the stairs, but paused when he heard the sound of footsteps descending them. Utterly exhausted, Jared half heartedly drew his dagger and short sword, waiting to see who or what was coming down the stairs. Jared held his breath in anticipation, then released it in a shuddering sob of relief when he saw it was Egan. Jared's weapons fell from his hands and clattered to the floor as he ran to him, throwing his arms around the surprised wolf as he began weeping.

“Jared! What happened? Where's Sonya and Bran?" Egan asked, gently hugging Jared, and patting his back to comfort him.

“Bran's dead! Then Sonya cast a teleport spell to take us back to camp, but I tripped and couldn't reach her in time! Isn't she with you?" Jared asked in confusion, looking at Egan as tears continued to stream down his face.

“No, I was the only one in camp when I woke up. What do you mean Bran is dead, what happened?" Egan asked, putting his hands on Jared's shoulders, holding him at arms length as he looked at him with concern.

"A slime got him! He pulled me to safety, if not for him, it might have been me. It should have been me instead! But then I got caught by a mimic and it laid eggs in me, so I'm probably going to die anyway!" Jared wailed, and buried his face in his hands.

“A mimic laid eggs in you!?! I know it was scary, but that's easily remedied, we'll take care of that later. Now how long ago did the slime take Bran?" Egan asked urgently.

“Maybe less than an hour ago?" Jared guessed, feeling a sense of relief hearing that Egan could take care of his egg problem.

“Then there's still time. Can you take me to where the slime was?" Egan asked.

"Yes, Sonya marked the way with arrows. But what are we going to do about the slime? Sonya couldn't do anything against it" Jared said hopelessly.

“I'll handle the slime, now lead me to it" Egan said grimly. Jared nodded with uncertainty, and guided Egan back into the tomb.

As Jared led the way, he could hear Egan reciting prayers quietly behind him. As they approached one of the intersections, they heard the sound of claws clicking on the stone floor. Jared readied his weapons, in anticipation of another giant rat, but flinched in surprise when he felt Egan's hand on his shoulder, as the wolf gently moved him aside. Jared gasped when the wolf stepped in front of him, a soft golden glow infused Egan's body.

"Leave this to me" Egan said softly. As Jared expected, another giant rat emerged from the shadows. It leaped at Egan, but the wolf swiftly swept his mace in front of him, and with a sickening crunch, the rat's skull caved in. The rat's body bounced off the wall, and crashed to the floor. Jared could only stare. Egan flicked the blood from his mace with a quick twist of his wrist, then hung it back on his belt. “Let's go" the wolf said. Jared could only nod wordlessly, and led on. In another moment, they came upon the slime.

“What are we going to do?" Jared asked in fear, tears forming in his eyes again at the sight of Bran's deteriorating body suspended in the slime.

“Don't worry, everything is going to be fine" Egan calmly assured him. Sensing more potential prey, the slime began to eagerly ooze towards them. Jared shrank back, but Egan stood his ground without fear as he began to recite a prayer. The glow around him began to grow even brighter, eventually it was so bright that Jared had to shield his eyes. As the wolf continued the prayer, his voice grew louder, until it was almost deafening. Egan slowly raised his arm and with a final word, sliced it downwards and a blinding wave of light erupted from his hand and engulfed the slime. An explosion that sounded like a thunderclap echoed down the corridors, and when Jared uncovered his eyes, the slime was gone. The only remaining pieces of the creature sizzled and smoked. In its place was Bran's withered body. His fur was gone, and his body was a shriveled husk.

“Oh Bran, I'm so sorry!" Jared weeped, collapsing to his knees, and covering his face. Egan paid Jared no mind as he knelt down on one knee. The wolf opened his holy tome, holding it level in one hand, and raising his other hand in front of him. Egan began reciting another prayer, and Jared uncovered his eyes to watch with curiosity. As he watched, the text in Egan's holy tome began to glow, and the pages began to slowly turn themselves. A warm soft breeze began to flow through the corridor. Jared gasped in amazement as Bran's body was enveloped in a golden glow, then his eyes widened in shock when the bull's limbs began to twitch and move. As Jared watched in disbelief, Bran's body began to fill out again, his large muscles quickly firming back up beneath the rapidly smoothing flesh, and his fur began to rapidly regrow.

"Rise again in the name of the light!" Egan commanded loudly as his prayer ended, and he snapped his holy tome shut. Bran's back arched violently, and he gasped loudly as his eyes flew open. The bull sat up, his eyes wide with shock. Jared's mouth hung open, but then he scrambled to his feet and threw himself at Bran, wrapping his arms tightly around the bull's thick neck and weeping loudly. Bran curled an arm around Jared, then looked at Egan with confusion.

"Egan? Jared? What happened? Last thing I remember was that slime falling on me" Bran said hesitantly. Egan came over and placed his hand on the bull's shoulder.

“Oh, the usual adventurer stuff. You were eaten by a slime, but luckily Jared got us back to you in time" Egan said with a grin.

"Gods, how embarrassing!" Bran said and put a hand over his face. “Where's Sonya?"

“She teleported out. I was supposed to go with her, but I tripped on your axe" Jared said sheepishly, his arms still firmly around Bran's neck, unable to believe he was alive.

"Yes, and then young Jared here got himself filled up with mimic eggs!" Egan said with a chuckle.

He what?!?" Bran said in disbelief, then began laughing.

“It's not funny! I thought I was going to die!" Jared said, and smacked Bran's burly shoulder, but then buried his face in the bull's neck, so relieved he was ok.

“But since you didn't, it's a little funny!" Bran said with a grin, and hugged Jared back tightly. “I don't know about you guys, but I think I've had enough for one day. Dying really takes it out of you" Bran said with a chuckle.

“Funny, I feel perfectly rested!" Egan said jokingly.

“Yea, by the way you were snoring, your nap looked pretty refreshing!" Bran said as he climbed unsteadily to his feet. Jared hurried over to retrieve Bran's axe for him, and brought it back, holding it out to him. Jared's arms quivered from the weight of it.

“Thank you Jared" Bran said with a smile, and took the axe with one hand, then laid it over his shoulder like it weighed nothing.

“I never realized how strong you were till I tried to pick up your axe!" Jared said admiringly, still trying to come to terms that he had seen Bran die, yet now he was standing there like nothing had happened. Bran grinned down at him.

“Let's get out of here, we still have to figure out where the hell Sonya went!" Egan said, motioning for them to follow. The golden glow around him had faded away. The journey out of the tomb was uneventful, and the three of them were glad to be out in the sun again. They sat around the ashes of the previous night's fire, the day was warm enough that it didn't need to be relit.

“I must say Egan, I had no idea you were so powerful! What are you doing slumming around with a bunch of amateurs like us?" Bran asked curiously. Egan chuckled before he replied.

“I owe Sonya a favor or two. Plus it's nice to get out of the guild house every once in a while" Egan replied with a smile.

“I'm so glad you came with us! Otherwise Bran…" Jared couldn't finish, choking up, he broke into tears and buried his face in his hands. Bran slid over to sit closer to him, and pulled Jared against his side, patting the young man's back to comfort him.

“I'm fine, don't you worry about me! Don't blame yourself for what happened either! It all worked out in the end. Other than you getting yourself filled with mimic eggs that is!" Bran said with a laugh, and playfully poked Jared in his swollen stomach.

“Yea, about those…Egan, you said you had something to take care of them? The sooner they're out, the better!" Jared exclaimed.

“I do, but we might want to wait until we are back in town. You'll want to be near an outhouse when you take it. The term 'explosive diarrhea' really doesn't do the effects of the potion justice!" Egan said with a laugh. “Don't worry, mimic eggs take over a week to gestate, so we have plenty of time before they hatch and eat you alive" the wolf said nonchalantly.

“Eat me alive?" Jared asked fearfully, his face turning pale.

“Yes, but like I said, WHOA!" Egan cried in surprise, and everybody jumped when Sonya suddenly appeared at her teleportation rune with a flash. Everybody stared for a moment, then quickly averted their eyes since apparently Sonya's clothes had failed to arrive with the rest of her. Sonya gasped when she saw them all sitting there.

“Oh thank the Gods!" Sonya said with immense relief, then realized everybody was looking away, and looked down and realized she was naked. “OH!" The vixen cried in shock, and quickly covered herself with her arms as she blushed.

“Good to see you Sonya! We were worried something happened to you" Egan said, as he continued looking anywhere but directly at her. Sonya's embarrassment was briefly forgotten when she saw Bran.

“Bran! You're alive! Egan made it to you in time!" the vixen cried happily as she went over and embraced the bull, who patted Sonya's back, but being careful not to pat anything else by accident.

“Jared! I'm so sorry, I messed up the spell! It took me back to my room at the guild! I got back as fast as I could!" Sonya said as she went over and crouched in front of Jared, taking his hands in hers.

“It's ok Sonya, it all worked out in the end. Would you…like to borrow my jacket?" Jared asked, his cheeks turning red as he averted his eyes.

“Oh! Ah, yes, thank you Jared. That is very kind of you! I seem to have had another teleportation mishap. I rode a horse as close as I felt I could to safely teleport back. Guess I wasn't quite close enough! There is probably a confused horse wandering the woods with my bag and robe on him" Sonya said with a sigh, as she gratefully accepted Jared's jacket from him.

“Jared had a mishap with a mimic, we should get him back to town so that he can begin his cleanse" Egan informed Sonya.

“Mimic eggs? Oh, I'm so sorry Jared! Let me rest, and I will teleport us back!" Sonya said, looking at him with concern and rubbing his shoulder comfortingly.

“Thanks Sonya, I appreciate it!" Jared said, smiling at her. Before she sat down to rest, Sonya approached the tomb doors. She spoke a quick incantation, then waved her hand, causing the doors to close, and a loud click was heard as they locked again.

“That should keep anybody out, or in, for now" Sonya told them as she returned and sat down next to Egan.

“Will you be returning here?" Egan asked Sonya, then glanced at the rest of the group.

“For what that map cost? Definitely! We'll try to be more careful next time though. For example letting Jared go first to disarm the traps instead of you setting them off yourself!" Sonya said with a grin, and elbowed Egan in the ribs. The wolf hunched his shoulders with embarrassment, then grinned back.

“You would bring me with you again? After all my blunders?" Jared asked in disbelief.

“Certainly! A couple slip ups is totally natural on your first expedition, you did quite well overall!" Bran said to him, draping his arm over his shoulders and giving Jared a side hug.

“It happens to the best of us!" Sonya said, motioning her head towards Egan, then winking at Jared. “I think I'm good to take us back to town, ready everyone?" Everybody rose, then moved together, joining hands. Sonya began reciting the teleportation incantation. Just as she was about to finish, Jared spoke up.

“Let's hope our clothes make the trip with us!" Jared said with a grin. Sonya snorted, but managed to maintain her concentration. Bran and Egan burst out laughing. The sound of their laughter was abruptly cut off as the group vanished in a flash of light, followed by a large pop as the air rushed to fill the space they had vacated.