Morlaf meets Makfire at the stables and they quickly ride out of town to find the others. They get to the gate without incident but as they’re going through a guard recognises them and orders the cart to halt. Makfire drives the horses a speed making the guards dive out of the way and as Morlaf jeers at them from the back of the cart the archers on the walls get him with a couple of quarrels.
As they flee a gargoyle flies over the wall and lands on the back of the cart. He offers to join them and drops a huge pouch of gold as an enticement. “You can call me Stone.”
From his hiding place in the bushes Osgoth sees this and runs to meet them on the road. He explains that his mother is still in the city and that they must get her but this is met with derision.
Hydrix meanwhile is just getting to the gates but has to step aside as a group of guards on horseback gallop past shouting “Make way!”
As the horsemen charge those in the cart gallop away but Osgoth stands firm. Makfire and Stone jump off the back of the cart in time to see Osgoth get attacked by all four riders as they charge past him. One doesn’t make it as Osgoth tears his sword through his armour and the guard is dragged away by his horse with his foot stuck in the stirrup. They all make short work of the riders as the swing back for another charged.
Further back towards the city gate Hydrix moves out of the way again for another lot of mounted guards. This time she stomps as they pass and all the horses fall. Seeing Osgoth charging towards them on foot they pick themselves up and a couple of them meet him on foot while the other two mount their horses again. Osgoth swipes a guard from his saddle who lands dead in a spray of blood and Stone helps him finish off two more. The last flees back to the gate on his horse.
Reunited and with a couple of new horses that the guards had they drive the cart north and sleep at the edge of Shadow Wood.
In the morning they spot an approaching rider. Makfire and Osgoth ride to meet him but he spurs past and into the woods. Makfire gives chase but gives up when he can’t catch up. Stone flies quickly and catches up in the middle of the forest raking chunks out of the riders back. Sprinkling dust the rider and his horse disappears but Stone persists and contuse to claw where he hears the hoof beats. After a while a bloody mess on the back of the horse appears and it seems that stone killed the rider several miles back but has been continuing to worry the corpse.
He returns with the news that the rider is dead. Makfire rides ahead to see what knowledge he can gain from the rider’s belongings. After taking the belongings from the grisly mess on the horse he is attacked by orcs. He rides off without a scratch but the horse he leaves behind is not so lucky.
The rest of them on the cart see a hillock near the bridge that seems to be moving. They wait on the bridge and it is then that Makfire comes galloping back. All the animals are spooked by the monster and Makfire’s horse rears and throws him off. The thing continues to slowly approach the cart. Morlaf legs it in the opposite direction. Makfire tries to climb on the back of the 40’ long monster 15’ tall mass of monstrous vegetation and hacks away at its rear end. Stone flies over to assist and together they hew. The poor carthorse cannot escape and it is swallowed hole. Eventually the back of it is rent and gush of fowl liquid knocks Makfire off his feet. It seems dead.
An attempt to recover the fleeing animals gets Makfire his bear back but the horses are gone.
The tendriculos unexpectedly rears back up but Osgoth wades in and it doesn’t get a chance to attack again. He spends some time hacking it in half.
The group walk along the road and soon smell cooking horseflesh. They swarm the orc camp and the four orcs that attacked Makfire earlier are easily despatched. The camp and food are put to use but they don’t get a nights sleep as Stone sees the tendriculos approaching through the trees.
They make their way to the tunnel entrance southeast of Shadton and are in the town before lunch.
Shopping is done and a carriage is put on order by Osgoth and Makfire. Morlaf does half a days work as an apothecary with Fnipper Rooner and then goes to see the town mage. He hires Ezemarn to research making the spell Haste permanent.