Yem had no time to think and reacted on instinct. It was all he could do to sacrifice the spear in order to avoid getting caught in the web of the Drider. The weapon got stuck, glued to the sticky thing, and the beast tore it from his hand by twisting its head sideways. Armed now with only a knife, the situation looked grim. He felt the beckoning of the relic in the fire, and let his eyes get drawn to it. The stories said they were full of power, those relics. Power he could probably use now. He still hadn’t discerned whether the fire was magical or not, but at this point his options were dwindling fast. He would have to risk the fire, flee the scene or fight the Drider practically unarmed, probably resulting in his death. Yem had no wish to die, and fleeing after having come so close left a bitter taste in his mouth. He would brave it, then, and curse or thank himself later. Now there was only the matter of the Drider and how to distract it. 

He suddenly turned, as if to flee, and when he was sure the creature was lounging after him, Yem twisted back and threw the dagger at it. The Drider was too distracted with charging to evade in time and was struck by the sharp blade, and so Yem seized the opportunity and dashed for the relic. He could hear the creature screeching behind him as he ran, but it wouldn’t be able to catch him before he got there. He realized that he had nothing to grab the amulet with from the fire, but decided to proceed anyway. The flames licked at him as he reached in and snatched it from its place, but the pain was distant, unimportant. The adrenaline was keeping him sharp, and his body was tough when in totem shape. He stared at the relic, unsure what to do with it now that he had it, and watched with mounting terror as the monstrosity came charging at him through the night.

Then, just as if he’d known it his entire life, it became apparent. He closed his eyes, and the totem ceased.

She opened her eyes and saw the monstrosity before her. It was a simple matter of bending the darkness in front of its eyes in order to escape its charge. The creature stopped and looked about, puzzled, shaking its head and clawing at its face is confusion. She had, meanwhile, produced her bow and was lining up a shot even as the creature was still trying to regain its sight. With a soft twang, the arrow left her bow, and with a quiet thud it embedded itself right between the eyes of the Drider. It gurgled, still more dumbfounded than before, and touched its hand to where the arrow was lodged into its skull. Then it started swaying, mildly first but soon wildly, and finally collapsed in a jumble of chitin and undead flesh. She dismissed the magic with a thought and walked up to the beast. The bowstring hummed once more, another arrow digging into the creatures head, just to make sure it stayed dead this time. The she put her bow away and inspected her surroundings. It was a strange place, this. She recognized it slightly, as if she’d seen it in a dream somewhere, but couldn’t place it. Then she looked at her hands, and her feet, and touched her hand to her face. Now this was interesting. Suddenly, there was a tugging sensation in her stomach, and she felt her conscience rapidly fading. She closed her eyes, believing she was about to faint, and then everything went black.

He opened his eyes and took a desperate, ragged breath, like if he’d been drowning. That had been… interesting, to say the least. Unexpected, but interesting. He had seen everything, seen how he had killed the monster with a bow he apparently no longer possessed, seen him inspect himself. He hadn’t heard himself say anything, or think anything, but he knew somehow that another mind had been in his body. He had done all those things, yes, or at least his body had. This truly was unexpected, but not unwelcome.

Pain rushed to greet him, and he grunted as his burned hand and cut back made themselves known to him once more. He would need to rest and heal, preferably somewhere safe. He would have to find a tavern, or a farm with rooms to let. Night or no, he could not stay here.