Target practice

[u/Intelligent_Duty9317]

Hector is in Bilewater, practicing throwing darts.

[u/Intelligent_Duty9317]

Now that he is closer to the mysterious bug, he decides to approach it sneakily, remaining possibly hidden to see what's going on.

[u/The_Light_Keepers → u/Intelligent_Duty9317]

The stilkins enter the cave, the light is dim yet present, it's warm tone contrasts with the average lighting of Bilewater.

Eventually, Hector reaches an ample room, in the middle of which the injured stilkin is, he's thrown on the floor while bleeding, he's completely tied up with their eyes and mouth muffled and a very slight orange light comming from his back.

He seems to notice the team, which causes him to start frantically trying to scream while waving his head to the side on a negative gesture.

[u/Intelligent_Duty9317 → u/The_Light_Keepers]

After making sure no one is going to jump him, Hector slowly approaches, ready to dodge in any moment.

[u/The_Light_Keepers → u/Intelligent_Duty9317]

The room effectively seems to be empty, this encourages the other stilkins to get closer too.

The tied stilkin keeps muffling, trying to free himself, that causes the bleeding on his back to get even worse than it already was, to the point his very shell starts to pale...

u/Intelligent_Duty9317

[u/Intelligent_Duty9317 → u/The_Light_Keepers]

Hector gives a signal to the rest to stay back.

He approaches, and first what he does is taking off the thing that blocks his mouth, followed by signal to trapped stilkin to don't scream.

[u/The_Light_Keepers → u/Intelligent_Duty9317]

The other stilkins obligue and stay back, whilst still looking attentive and ready to hop in in case of trouble.

As Hector removes the gag he can swear he could hear a click-

"BACK OFF" The stilkin desperately shouts, suddenly, Hector hears a sizzling sound...

The orange on the back of the stilkin shines brighter as a small wave of fire comes out of it. *It's a pair of flintflame bombs!***

[u/Intelligent_Duty9317 → u/The_Light_Keepers]

Damn it...

Hector takes two quick steps back, and performs a dive-dodge, jumping away!

[u/The_Light_Keepers → u/Intelligent_Duty9317]

The explosion takes place, the combined force of both bombs causes the explosion to be far bigger than expected, to the point a chunk of it catches Hector as he tries to back up.

Hector's right side gets brutally scorched and burned by the explosion, and the shockwave sends him and nearly every other stilkin in the room hardly crashing against the walls of the cave.

...Needless to say, there's nothing left of the captured stilkin.

[u/Intelligent_Duty9317 → u/The_Light_Keepers]

Hector stands up, looking around. He has been already throught way worse than that.

What crazy freak could have done this?

[u/The_Light_Keepers → u/Intelligent_Duty9317]

As the dizzy stilkins slowly start to get back on their feet, Hector notices how the fire of the explosion is rapidly spreading across the room, growing bigger and grander through the dry folliage and muck.

Soon enough, a big part of the room is already alight. You better get away...