Arcane deception

Feniggan and Gareth found themselves relying on the element of surprise, knowing it was their best chance at success. Striking at the line where the unicorn was being carried might allow them to free the creature before the enemy realized what was happening.

"A bold plan. You best be swift and your blade keen to free the unicorn before they slay us with their death magic," Gareth advised.

The trio went deeper into the forest, a good distance from the trail, maneuvering through fallen logs and thick brush. The priests had an easier path along a dirt trail, making the adventurers' progress more challenging.

As they took their positions in the forest, fatigue weighed on them. Feniggan was tasked to initiate the attack with a burst of flame, followed by Gareth leaping out with his sword to cover him as he freed the unicorn. Elena remained hidden in a tree, acting as their eyes from above.

Voices reached their ears, and the priests passed by. The adventurers hadn't fully grasped the extent of the enemy's numbers earlier. As the bound unicorn drew nearer, a knot formed in Feniggan's stomach. Priests flanked the stretcher, seemingly providing protection.

The pivotal moment arrived. Feniggan was supposed to kick off the attack with a fiery spell, but he hesitated. Gareth looked to him, and Feniggan shook his head. His eyes revealed a mix of disappointment and shame.

"I cannot... To attack would be suicide!" Feniggan inwardly reasoned.

After the priests passed, Elena dropped to the forest floor.

"You are a coward!" she hissed at him. Being labeled a coward by a slight merchant's daughter wouldn't be a cherished memory.

Feniggan wondered about Elena's transformation from a timid merchant's daughter to a bloodthirsty strategist.

"Dear Elena, justice for your father's death and the countless other evil deeds will come in due time. You lack the training in warfare that Gareth and I possess. Even with a successful ambush, their numbers outweigh us," he explained.

"But there are three of us," Elena insisted, extending her palm. "Surely adventurers carry more weapons than they need?"

Gareth shrugged, unbuckled a dagger belt, and handed it to her. "Even if they retreat to a fortress, we'll pursue. I have the trust of the Captain of the Guards of Lumina Village. He won't tolerate such evil so close," Gareth assured.

They trailed the priests at a distance, mostly out of sight. Their noisy party made tracking them easy.

After about half an hour, their quarry left the trail for a field. They had to follow more closely to avoid losing them. Finally, the priests stopped on a hill with a large slab of granite at its peak, where they set the unicorn down, surrounding it.

From the treeline, hidden in the bushes, they observed. The sky gradually brightened with the approaching dawn. The priests began chanting in morgrimm, though only a few words were audible. It sounded like a prayer, Feniggan surmised. Something about forgiveness...

"I may not be a Morgrimman priest, but this doesn't bode well for the unicorn," Gareth remarked.

"They intend to sacrifice him," Elena confirmed.

"The unicorn is a 'him'?" Gareth asked.

"Yes, I observed... well, when they carried him past our hiding spot," Elena explained.

"Irrelevant!" Feniggan snapped in frustration. "Our enemies have the high ground, and they're out in the open. We can't approach unnoticed."

"Allow me to lure them to the forest edge. I'll play the part of the frightened, lost girl. They'll be overjoyed to recapture what they lost. Then you can attack from your hiding places," Elena suggested.

"No, my lady. They may harm you," Gareth objected.

"I will disembowel them!" she declared, brandishing the dagger Gareth had given her.

"I understand your anger for what they did to your father, but do not die a fool," Gareth warned.

"A fool, am I?" Elena challenged. Her face exuded malice, causing both Feniggan and Gareth to step back.

"Uh... Uh..." Gareth stammered.

"Perhaps stealth would serve us better?" Feniggan proposed. "I might turn invisible, creep into their midst, and cut the unicorn free."

"My friend, surely your powers are best spent spewing forth gouts of deadly fire, not sneaking about like a rat. Fire and steel—simple and effective," Gareth insisted.

Feniggan ultimately decided to use Elena as bait. "Very well, we shall help you get your vengeance," he assured Elena. "If you have any wish to live, do not fight them. Simply lure them into the forest and allow Gareth and myself to do the bloody work."

Feniggan and Gareth took up ambush positions on each side of an animal trail. When they were ready, Elena walked off toward the hill of the evil priests.

Soon, they heard shouting, and Elena sprinted past their hiding place. Three Morgrimm priests chased her, falling right into their ambush position.

"Nice job, Elena!" Feniggan thought. They had hoped to lure more than three, considering they counted more than twenty. Killing this trio would do little to thin their numbers. Still, three dead villains was a good start, and they couldn't let these men catch Elena.

Feniggan signaled for Gareth to wait, so he could use his Fan of Flame spell without harming him. But Gareth was too focused on the priests. There was no time to waste. Feniggan leaped out several yards ahead of the oncoming priests and outstretched his fingers. The priests couldn't halt his momentum and fell into the flames, screaming as they rolled on the ground. Gareth emerged from the bushes with his sword and finished them off. Elena came out of the forest shortly after, stopping just short of the fallen priests, beaming down at them.

"Wonderful! We should set their heads upon spikes to decorate our camp."

"Hmm, well, it's not time to start playing with their parts just yet," Feniggan said. "They've lost only three out of perhaps two dozen."

"I heard a woman scream. Was it the frightened girl or Bernard?" a voice called from the direction of the hill where the priests were. Laughter followed through the trees.

"We'd better act quickly before the suspicions of our remaining enemies are aroused," Gareth whispered.

"Oh, you caught me!" Elena clapped her hands excitedly. "Don those cloaks, raise the hoods, and drag me up the hill."

"They're not so foolish as to mistake us for their comrades in broad daylight!" Gareth remarked.

"Well, we can't attack so many without surprise, and we can't simply sneak up on them now. Surely they're watching the woods," Feniggan reasoned.

"Keep your backs to them as you drag me," Elena instructed.

Gareth shook his head.

"This ambush worked well enough. Perhaps we could call more of them into the woods. Divide them further. Shout to them that we need help searching for the girl."

"Crummage! Bernard! Come now! The ceremony must continue!" one of the Morgrimm priests shouted in the distance.

Feniggan and Gareth stripped the black cloaks from two of the dead priests and put them on. Gareth dropped his shield, bow, and quiver, doing his best to hide his sword in its sheath beneath his cloak. They all walked to the edge of the forest to begin the ruse. Gareth grasped one of Elena's wrists with both hands. Feniggan held the other, and they began to pull her up the hill, backs to their enemies. Elena struggled convincingly, perhaps a bit too convincingly. She was starting to tire them out.

"Where is Bernard?" someone called down to them. "He's dropping... a dragon!" Feniggan called back, wheezing. Laughter echoed from the hill above.

"The fool! This is no time to relieve himself! We shall put him on the rock next!" a somewhat familiar voice called down. Lord Conor? Feniggan wondered.

"Commence!" the voice commanded. A chorus of chanting began in the Infernal language.

"We praise you, ancient one. You are free! Servants! Servants! Slaves to your will! We ask not for mercy. We ask only to serve."

Over and over, they repeated these words. A few long seconds later, they had dragged Elena nearly to the top, and they still hadn't turned around. They couldn't just stand there with their backs to them; it was time to act!