Underneath the sycamore tree - by Tibron (day 19)

We discovered a large lonely tree that had a hole leading down to a larger cave. We sent Belos and Andrezi down to scout the cave, Belos being blessed with his small size and Andrezi able to squeeze into most places. The moved as stealthily as they could, not making a noise. Why they brought a torch baffked me, would that not light them up to everyone down there? Then again, who was I to question a master of stealth like Andrezi. The rest of us kept lookout. It did not take long before they encountered some mites and battle ensued. 

The rest of us heard the ruckus, but when we realized they were fighting mites we were quite convinced they could handle them. The clamor continued and they started yelling about a centipede as well. What a pair of girls, afraid of a little centipede. Vasili decided to enter the tree as well, either out of concern or boredom. He ended up in another part of the cave, facing some mites with small centipedes. I and Irad could hear the struggle getting more and more frantic down there. Shaking my head at their incompetence I jumped down and found Vasili surrounded by mites with small centipedes. I smashed the centipedes and left to find Belos and Andrezi who were sounding more and more desperate, Vasilis and Irad could handle the rest of those mites. Andrezi and Belos were barely standing when I arrived, bleeding from several cuts and bruises. And they were only facing a score of mites, although there was one important looking mite riding a spider … all the way in the back. 

 “This is the last time they go out on their own” I mumbled to myself as I was running to their rescue, and was hit by a brick wall in the form of an impossible giant whiptail centipede. 

I chopped at it as its giant pincers threatened to take my head off. It was like something out of a nightmare, its horrible insect face just looking worse for every second as I chopped at it and Belos burnt it. It would not do, it would not die. Belos was more dead than alive and Andreazi had his hands full with the rest of the mites. To make matters worse the mite rider jumped at us with his spider. Since he looked important I did the best to knock him down. The giant whiptail used the confusion and scored a direct hit on me, nearly biting me in half with its powerful pincers. Vasili entered the fray, finally I and Belos would receive some healing. Vasili on the other hand did not give us healing and did instead engage the giant centipede. Hitting the mite rider was difficult and the centipede hit me again with a glancing blow, a,irect hit would have killed me. I was bleeding, the damn whiptail would not die, I could not see if Belos was still standing and why did not Vasili heal us. The giant whiptail moved in for the kill and I lost it. I ran and ran until I had scrambled out of the cave. Once outside abruptly stopped, what was I doing, abandoning my companions in the heat of battle? No, this is not the Surtova way. I turned on my heels and ran into the cave again, bellowing “Ours is the right”. I ran into the chaos, chopped the head of the mite rider, put an end to the frenzied spider and together we brought down the giant whiptail. Having lost their king and mutant pet, the rest of the mites ran for their lives.

Turns out the mites were torturing a kobold. Said kobold was very grateful for being spared. According to Irad who could speak the wretched creatures language it came here to retrieve a statue the mites had stolen from the kobolds. While this was all very exciting to Irad and Belos, Belos being glad to meet someone of his own height and all, I had to leave for Olegs. Vasili managed to stabilize my wounds but I would have to get more extensive care at the outpost.