Adventuring, at its core, is about choices — when to press forward, when to rest, and when to trust the stillness of a cave that may not be as empty as it seems.

This session picked up on the razor’s edge of exhaustion. The party had barely survived their clash with ice frogs, dwarven handlers, and clouds of ravenous bats. Bodies bruised, spells spent, and nerves raw, they staggered back to the mouth of the cave to regroup. The decision to rest wasn’t unanimous — Noah argued that their enemies would only have more time to prepare if they lingered — but the need was clear. One by one, they agreed to make camp.

A Night on the Edge

Sleep in a monster’s lair is rarely restful. The drip of water echoed through the cavern. Strange croaks reverberated off stone walls, and faint crinkling sounds carried just far enough to keep watchful eyes twitching toward the dark. Yet nothing attacked. Watches passed in uneasy succession until dawn’s pale light filtered in through the cave mouth. Against the odds, the adventurers awoke restored, their wounds knit and their spirits steadied.

Across the Water

With the day ahead, they returned to the subterranean pool, its black surface still as glass. Renewing the blessing of Walk on Water, they moved carefully across. Memories of Noah being swallowed whole the day before lingered heavy in the air, and each ripple drew wary glances. This time, no frogs rose from the depths.

On the far side, the cavern split. Left or right? Torchlight and Bobby’s enchanted glow revealed little more than rough walls and scattered debris. After brief debate, they pressed deeper, the passage narrowing until it funneled them into a chamber strewn with guano. The smell was unmistakable. And so was the sound — a soft rustle overhead.

The Ceiling Comes Alive

A flurry of wings burst from the shadows. Bats — dozens, then hundreds — swarmed down, shrieking and clawing through the air. These were the remnants of the colonies that had fled during yesterday’s fight, now returning to defend their roost.

Three swarms descended at once, blotting out the meager light and plunging the adventurers into chaos. Every movement became a gamble as wings buffeted their faces, teeth snapped at exposed skin, and the sheer noise of the swarm drowned out shouted commands.

The Swarm Battle

• Bobby, towering and relentless, waded into the cloud of wings with greataxe in hand. Each swing carved wide arcs through the mass, scattering shredded bats across the cavern floor. His strikes anchored the party’s defense, a bulwark in the madness.
• Noah, quick as lightning, darted through the fray, blades flashing. He sliced through clusters of bats, whittling down the numbers with surgical precision. His final blow — seizing a bat mid-air, pinning its wings, and stabbing it until it went limp — put an exclamation mark on the fight.
• Yami unleashed her ether blade, channeling arcane power into a searing strike that cleaved through the swarm. A critical hit split the mass in half, buying the group precious space to breathe.
• The others added their own desperate measures — arrows loosed into the dark, spells cast in the chaos, wild swings at the shrieking cloud around them.

The swarms pressed hard. Wings tangled hair, claws raked flesh, and every heartbeat threatened to tip the fight into disaster. But the adventurers stood their ground, holding the line until the cavern floor was littered with broken bodies of bats.

Aftermath

Silence returned slowly. The drip of water reasserted itself, joined now by the rasp of exhausted breathing. The stench of guano lingered, but the shrieks were gone. The cavern was theirs, at least for the moment.

Battered but unbroken, the party had survived the night, braved the cave’s depths, and conquered the swarming horrors that lurked above. They stood, bloodied and wary, ready to press deeper into whatever else this lair might hold.

The maw of the cave had not devoured them. Not yet.