A long chapter, so it might be filled with spelling errors and the like. Well, whatever. Enjoy!
Chapter 7:

"Sim! We heard you came to defend the BSN and we wanted to help! Well,
she wanted to help, I wanted to see how badly you'd do without me."

"Hey Despair, that's kinda mean. Come on, lay off poor Sim. He's been through enough."
Despair Demon is a Highwayman. Little better than a thug, he enjoys bullying SimfamSP every chance he gets to show his dominance over the Leper. Unerring, he very rarely loses focus and is able to shrug off ranged attacks better than most. On the other hand, his Unquiet Mind does not allow him to find peace in meditation. Being a tough Australian, he is a straight shooter. Well, in most things. One thing is certain though, Despair Demon is deadly at Point Blank.
OneWomanArmy is quite the contradiction. Despite being a Vestal, she is very happy to engage in a certain type of stress relief after dungeoneering, as her Nymphomania suggests. She's also quite the Shocker, prone to being stunned by the grotesque monsters that are attacking the BSN. She is not one to shy from battle however, and using her inner strength as her guiding light, she passes swift and righteous Judgement on the evils that try to take over the forum. 
"Why are you leading, Sim? I thought Bunz was leading this group."

"Bunz is dead. I'm the leader now."

"Pfft, I bet it's your fault Bunz died. Did you loot his body afterward, Sim? You know what? I'm out. I'll look for some real help. You do whatever you want here, but I'm not going to get myself killed following you."
And, as quickly as he came, Despair Demon leaves. Presumably to find others who would be more capable, and less blameworthy than Sim. Rounding up Jock Cranley, Eternal Phoenix and OneWomanArmy, Sim leads them into the Weald. 

"I know you guys may have reservations but this is a boss. One of the fiends that's causing the problems here. If we take it down, we could go a long way in fixing this place."

"Think of all the Gold we could get too! I'm in."

"Hmm. I do like the sound of more Gold."

"Then we all agree. Lead on, Sim."
Preparing enough supplies for a long trek, they descend into the Weald to hunt down the Wizened Hag. They travel along the beaten path and soon encounter venomous spiders.
Sim charges the beasts, beat them down with reckless abandon. They quickly fall to his blade.
The Lobbyists enter the first room. Unsurprisingly, a collection of monsters awaits them.
Sim gets the jump on the hostiles, swinging hard and delivering a lethal blow.
Before the other enemies have a chance to react, she casts Judgement on one of the Ectoplasm Undead, tearing it into pieces.
The others don't offer much resistance either and the Lobbyists cruise to an easy victory. Ever the opportunist, Eternal Phoenix rushes to the treasure chest and attempts to keep the spoils to himself.
They continue down the forest path.
Cranley soon gets his wish.
The next room holds no treasure nor no Hag, what it does have, is a pack of Wild Dogs that attack the Lobbyists.
The Dogs scratch and bite the party members, with Eternal Phoenix receiving the worst of it.
The Lobbyists prevail after a hard fought battle, with Sim leading from the front. However Eternal Phoenix is badly wounded, and they discuss the prospect of camping out to recover their health.

"You guys need to stop and give me some healing. Especially you OWA, I wouldn't mind some one on one healing from you, heheh... since you're a Vestal and all."

"Riiiiight."
Sim however, puts his foot down. 
"No. We've barely scratched the surface of this area. We need to be well rested when we take on the Wizened Hag. There's only enough supplies for one campfire. Just grit it for another room or two, Phoenix. We'll be okay."
With the matter settled, they press onward. However, they're ambushed by disgusting Maggots and a Spider before reaching the next room.
Jock Cranley moves swiftly and decisively to protect the injured Eternal Phoenix, slashing his way through several of the Maggots.
However, the Maggots sense Phoenix's weakened state, and swarm him before anyone can rescue him.
The Jester lands on the ground with a loud thump, his blood discolouring the grass around him. Sim, OWA and Cranley eliminate the last of their enemies and rush over to Eternal Phoenix. He was beyond saving. 
"I-I told you... need h-healing. T-too late now... Go. L-leave me h-here. It.. a-all... ogre........"
Fighting back tears, OneWomanArmy closes the eyes of her fallen comrade. Eyes that would never open again. Mind racing and hands shaking, Sim finally feels the weight of leadership. 
"O-okay... I-I think we should make camp in the next r-room. Heal up. Then w-we can make a decision where to go from there."
Cranley glares at Sim, but then nods and agrees. OneWomanArmy on the other hand, took Sim by the arm to reassure him. 
"It's okay, Sim. It's
not your fault. You did everything you could. We trust in your leadership."
Thanking OWA, they bury Eternal Phoenix, marking out a small gravestone for him and leave for the next room where they could find respite and clarity. Unfortunately, neither was forthcoming in the next room.
The Wizened Hag. They had found her. 
"
Ah you've got to be flippin' kidding me! Of all the rotten luck..."
Too stunned to move, OneWomanArmy was helpless as the Wizened Hag charged at her, and picked her up. The Hag throws the Vestal straight into a boiling pot, presumably for cooking.
In excruciating pain, OneWomanArmy cries out for help and Jock Cranley is the first to provide it. Acting swiftly, he knocks over the Cauldron and allows OneWomanArmy to escape.
Enraged, the Hag attacks the Lobbyists with vicious intent, closing in on them and swinging wildly.
She then picks up Cranley and throws him into the Cauldron.
Sim and OWA work together this time, and tip the Cauldron over, letting Cranley slide out.
The Hag closes in once again, this time lifting Sim up off his feet and dunking him into the Pot. This was one powerful Hag.
OWA and Cranley make a desperate rush towards the Cauldron to save Sim, they're pushed back by a powerful attack from the Hag, and Cranley, unable to handle the pain of his burns, falls in battle.
With Sim being cooked alive, and Cranley now dead, OWA is pushed to the edge of her limits. On the verge of death herself, her resolve is tested.
And she rises above her fears, drawing on her inner strength to give her courage and focus.
She unleashes a primal scream, stunning the Hag for a moment and lifts up the boiling Cauldron with her hands, freeing Sim from his predicament.
No longer taken aback, the Hag charges at the two of them, knocking both of them over. Neither Sim nor OWA could defend themselves against such a fearsome attack.

"
OWA! Noooo.... n-not you too..."
Sim gingerly gets back up to his feet, the Hag chortling with laughter and pointing at the Cauldron. Sim's fate. Taking a deep breath, Sim pushes aside the pain and the feeling of loss to focus on the here and now. 
"Eternal Phoenix. Jock Cranley. OneWomanArmy. My comrades. My
friends. They have given up their lives following me. The least I can do is die with honour. I musn't run away... I musn't run away. I mustn't run away!
I MUSTN'T RUN AWAY!"
...

"ohgodohgodohgod I gotta get out of here!!"