Instead of crashing into the dense forest and running into whatever packs of wild creatures lived on this side, I decided to run along the chasm edge. It was rockier ground and the narrow sloped path would give my spear an advantage. I could only imagine it getting tangled in the thick brush.

The downside to my strategy was that I couldn't readily vanish out in the open. I wasn't sure what mechanics Haven had in place for hiding, but I had five imps aggroed on me. I doubted I could pull off a disappearing act.

And I'd thought hiding in shadows was lame.

I raced around the curve of the ledge. The bridge disappeared from sight before the imps made it across, giving me some hope that I'd made the right choice. But scaling the treacherous cliff face proved more and more difficult. My thick sandals weren't very malleable and easily lost traction against the loose rocks. I tripped and stumbled. Once I would've slipped off the cliff entirely if I hadn't planted the spear into the ground for support.

My path—my only option now—actually sloped down into the chasm, running along the wall and closer to the white water. The edge of the cliff above me was bordered with boulders and trees, but several minutes into my retreat it opened into a nice solid platform.

The only problem was it was ten feet above my head.

The imps had to be pretty good climbers. I figured they could get up there if they needed to. However, if I could do so before they saw me, I was confident I'd lose them. I put my spear away and hopped against the sheer canyon wall.

Agility Check...

Fail!

My fingers scraped against unforgiving rock, unable to find a grip.

I tried again and slipped again. My weight lurching upward only meant it would come crashing down on the return trip. I attempted a gentler climb. A careful foothold. Two hands spread wide, clutching only flat rock. I kicked up slowly and actually found another foothold. When I got there, though, there was nowhere else to go. As I reached for a jutting rock above, I slipped and slid back down to the outcropping.

The howls behind me grew closer. I was losing my lead. With a last-ditch effort, I pulled out my spear and planted the iron in the ground. I used it to climb up the wall partway. Only once I'd reached its length, I couldn't make another move.

Around the bend, two of the imps appeared. They were just as rabid as ever.

I cursed and hopped down the cliff wall. This ledge wasn't a bad place to face them, if I needed to, but I still had a path to retreat along. I ran farther as the ground sloped closer to the river.

The hollering of the imps grew louder but strangely distant. I realized the rushing of the water was drowning everything else out. I was close to it now. The splash of the waves hit my bare calves and made the path slippery.

But the volume of the current was still much louder than it should've been. Were my senses out of control again?

A hazy mist smothered me. I pressed forward as droplets dotted my skin. A sinking feeling grew in my belly. The ledge I was sprinting along abruptly ended and I almost plummeted down a sheer drop—not into the river but with the river—hundreds of feet deeper still. The noise and the mist were the result of a gargantuan waterfall.

I spun at a stray screech. The imps were closing on me, but I could see their hesitation. They didn't like the water maybe. Or the sound.

I looked down. There was another ledge, below, running along behind the waterfall. I smiled. If I knew video games, there'd be buried treasure back there. A small stepped ledge ran away from the waterfall and lowered to the next level down. Keeping my spear up in defense, I pressed my chest around the rock edge and lowered down.

The five imps converged together now. Crawling on top of each other, shoving through. All eyes were on me and the tip of my spear. I concentrated on my footholds until I found the bottom. Nice and wide, actually.

The imps stayed above, but they were between me and the waterfall now. The last thing I wanted was for them to rain down on my head as I passed beneath. I moved carefully, jabbing my weapon upward in warning. Three of the creatures were cowed, but two of them followed my path down the rocky steps. They joined me on the bottom and growled.

I was past the others, though, and the fire had left the filthy creatures. If I had to guess, the ones up top had canceled their aggro on me entirely. The two on my level followed half-heartedly. The nearer I got to the waterfall, the more defeated they grew.

The deluge of water jetted clear over the platform. A huge wall of white. It fogged the area and made the depths it reached entirely mysterious. But now that waterfall was my shield. The imps didn't dare walk under it. And as I moved deeper, I found a dark opening in the rock face.

I instinctively played the Zelda secret chime in my head.

Threat averted, I calmly strolled into the cave, eager to claim my prize. Fighting smarter, not harder, huh? I was starting to like the sound of that.

As I pierced the depths of the darkness, the deafening waterfall gave way to multiple voices murmuring in unison. I tightened my grip on the spear and crept forward. I neared a bend, hoping to get a peek at my hosts, but their disquieting chanting suddenly cut out.

I took a breath and rounded the corner. In the darkness, it was hard to see anything, but I was pretty sure two figures were standing around a cauldron.

"Who intrudes on the ritual?" asked one of them.

Pagan Reputation -20

Crap.

"The civilized world will crumble," said a scratchy voice behind me.

I spun around. Standing a little taller than me was an imposing creature. She was blacker than the imps. Less monkey, more ogre, with wild mats of long hair. She licked her lips and leaned a bony face close. I gasped as I noticed the hollow cavities of her eyes.

[Crowlat - Boggart Witch]

200 health

"All pagan killers must suffer," she rasped.

She may have been blind, but she slashed a claw so fast I couldn't get my spear up in time. My gut exploded. Not pain, but full alert. The corners of my vision reddened and blurred out, and the boggart pulled a tangle of something that looked eerily close to my intestines to her teeth.

Critical Hit!

88 damage

You are dead!