DISCLAIMER: We play D&D for fun. If you are looking for something that follows the lore and rules 100%, then this is not for you. If you are just joining in, remember to read the character intro

Not all adventures are as exciting or action-packed as books make them seem. Balix’s adventure seemed to be proof of that and mine was turning out the same way. When I left my home in The Underdark, my biggest challenge was adjusting to the blinding light from the sun. I spent my first day wandering endlessly, trying to find someone to escort me to the nearest town. It was a relief when a kind old woman took my hand and promised to take care of me.

Sure she turned out to be a Hag who intended to rip out my heart, but I was willing to take any help I could get. Once night fell, I regained my eyesight. She realized I wasn’t blind and helpless and used Invisible Passage to get away.

Luckily, I was close enough to a town to find a place to stay and grab some food. I spent the next few days there, going out for brief periods during the day to train my eyes. Once I was ready, I purchased a map and resumed my travels.

My original goal was to discover more about my wild magic and how to control it. Unfortunately, I had no leads and no idea where to even start. What I did know was that Balix was headed to Red Larch with the Delegation. I had no guarantee that he would still be there by the time I arrived but it was something. Maybe he could help point me in the right direction.

It took me two weeks to get to Red Larch. I kept to the main roads and, finding safety in numbers, did my best to find others travelling in the same direction. After what happened with the Hag, I wasn’t taking any chances.

Red Larch was a small, waystop on The Long Road. It was named after a stand of red larch trees that were chopped down around the time the town was founded. The town became famous for its tasty, albeit mediocre, crumblecakes. We didn’t have crumblecakes back home so I tried one the day I arrived to ease my curiosity. They are moist loaves made from nuts, chickpea mash, chopped roots and greens, turkey, and wild fowl scraps. They lived up to their mediocre reputation but after travelling for weeks without a hot meal, I was more than grateful.

There was only one inn in the entire town: The Swinging Sword. I asked at the desk if Balix was renting a room there but no one seemed to have seen him. I must’ve somehow beaten him there. I rented my own room and made myself comfortable in the tavern, hoping to bump into him when he finally showed up.

Days went by and there was no sign of Balix. But I did get to know the barmaid pretty well. She was a human woman named Kaliste Urkhel. She was a strong woman and a very gracious host but her soft side was often revealed through her kind eyes. She claimed that her worry stemmed from the sudden storms that had been popping up in the area. Business had slowed because the road was often untravelable. It was obvious there was more to it than that.

The storm was particularly bad on my fourth night at the inn. The tavern was dead that night. I sat at a table in the middle of the room engaged in a one-sided conversation with a half-orc that had brought me a glass of the most bitter wine I’d ever tasted. He had made the mistake of asking what brought me here. You shouldn’t ask that question unless you are actually interested. After nearly an hour of me blabbing on about Buiyradyn, Balix, and my parents, he sighed and stomped off to his room. Alone.

The rest of the tavern was pretty empty with only two others: a halfling and a wood elf, both sitting alone in the back of the room.

The halfling’s table was covered in empty ale cups. It was obvious he had been drinking all night. He wore old, soild garb and the floor around him was littered with the packs and satchels he’d travelled with. He wore a wide hat that cast shadows over his face. He tried to hide them but his deep, jagged scars were obvious.

The elf wasn’t any less subtle in his appearance. His face was decorated in black and white war paint and he wore a large, decorative headpiece. He looked as though he hadn’t bathed in weeks. His clothes were torn and dirty. His unkempt hands wrapped tightly around a glass filled with a thick, white liquid.

It was obvious they were both hermits and spent many years traveling in solitude.

“Come up to the bar,” Kaliste shouted, exasperation in her voice. She poured herself a drink. “I’m not making any money tonight with this blasted storm. Anyone who drinks with me, drinks for free.”

I looked at my glass, it was still mostly full but I could use an upgrade. I assumed the guy who bought it for me wasn’t willing to invest a lot into his one night hookup. Maybe she had something better to offer me. I sauntered up to the bar and smiled.

“You want me to top that off for you, Malice?” Kaliste asked.

“Actually I was wondering if you had something else for me.”

“What’d you have in mind?”

“Maybe something that tasted a little more like wine and less like pond scum.”

She flashed me a half-smile. “I’m not making much tonight. You want me to dip into the expensive stuff? I’m at a loss as it is, hunny.”

A mug slammed onto the table next to me, giving me a fright. I looked over my shoulder and the halfling’s scarred face stared back at me. His skin looked like pounded pork but his eyes revealed a kind, good soul.

“Beggars can’t be choosers,” he said. “If you could top off my glass, I’d be grateful. No need to dust off the good stuff. It all does what I need it to.”

“That’s a good little man,” Kaliste said. She grabbed his glass and filled it up.

The halfling took a long drink before rolling his eyes at me. What was his problem? I had good taste in wine. I was actually offended. Maybe even a little hurt. I think Kaliste noticed.

“Don’t worry, lass. You’ve been here a few days. I’ll give you what I have.” she reached under the bar and pulled out an elegant bottle. “It isn’t much but it’s the best we’ve got.”

I smiled and hopped up onto a stool next to the halfling.

We were joined shortly after by the elf. He cleared his throat roughly before speaking.

“I have run out of milk of yak,” he said. “I would also like an upgrade. Do you have owlbear blood?”

Kaliste stared at him for a moment. “No, I’m afraid not.”

The halfling smiled at me with lips so thin I thought they were going to split. “Owlbear blood? Is this forest creton for real?”

I was still a little ticked off about the eyeroll so I didn’t reply.

“We don’t have any blood here,” Kaliste said. “But if you happen to come across an owlbear, bring it here. We would be happy to drain it for you and stock our shelves.”

The elf nodded. “Milk of yak is fine. Thank you.”

She topped up his glass and gave me a wink. “He brought this from home. We’re just keeping it cold for him.”

The elf shuffled up onto the stool next to me, making me the meat in a weirdo sandwich.

“So,” Kaliste said, pulling out a rag to wipe down the countertop. “What brings you three here? We don’t get many people sticking around as long as you have. Not that I mind.

“I’m interested in you particularly.” She smiled brightly at the halfling, seemingly unphased by his appearance. “I’ve heard stories about you. They say you were found nearby in rough shape. Those scars? What could’ve caused something like that?”

The halfling finished his drink and pushed his empty glass to Kaliste.

“I’ll be honest with you,” he said. “I don’t know much myself. I awoke in a bed with healers gathered around me. I have no memory of where I came from, or what I’m doing here. I don’t know how long I’ve had the scars or where they came from.”

She nodded at him and refilled his glass. “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s worse than I thought.”

“Then again,” he smiled. “Maybe it’s just this ale talking.”

She smiled back but her signature worried look returned to her eyes. She wanted to say something but held it back. The halfling picked up on it as well.

“Lass…” he said. “It there something…”

“I’m looking for someone,” I interrupted. “A drow. Looks like me only male, and old. He was supposed to arrive weeks ago but there’s been no sign of him. Have you seen him?”

She shook her head. “You’re the first drow I’ve seen in here in a long time.”

I slumped into my stool. My search for Balix was growing tiresome and hopeless.

“What about you, handsome?” she asked the elf.

“I also do not know why I’m here,” he said. “My memory is intact, and I have no scars, but it was not my choice to come here.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I was meditating one afternoon surrounded by the thick trees of the forest. I was at peace and entered a deep trance. While there, I heard a calling from an unknown force. I don’t know what this town needs from me, but there’s something dark here and I am answering its call.”

At the mention of “dark forces”, Kaliste lost her grip on the glass she’d been idly cleaning. The elf’s hand shot out and he grabbed it before it could break against the wooden surface.

“Thank you,” she said. Her hand shook as she accepted the glass.

Concerned, the halfling took her hand in his. “What is it, lass?” he asked. His voice was calm and gentle. I no longer resented him for the eyeroll earlier.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ve been a little on edge lately. There are too many stories of what’s happening outside of town.”

“What stories?” the halfling asked. “About the storms?”

“No. It’s more than that. There are rumours…about undead. People are rising from their graves.”

“Undead?” I asked. “That explains the smell.”

“I’m sorry,” she said., “I don’t mean to worry you. I want you to enjoy your stay here. Please ignore me.”

“Tell us more,” the elf said. “Where do you think they’re coming from?”

She bit her lip in hesitation before continuing. “There’s a cave to the north near Lance Rock. Those passing by claim to have seen the undead there. It’s where the stories have originated from.” She turned to face the halfling. “Maybe it has something to do with what happened to you? Maybe you were attacked or bewitched by whatever was there?”

“We can check it out for you,” the halfling said.

He shot a look at the elf who nodded back. They then both looked at me, expecting some kind of response.

What did they want? This didn’t have anything to do with me. How’s this supposed to help me find Balix? Stuff like this should be left to adventurers. Give it to…”

“The Delegation,” I said.

Kaliste turned to me. “What was that, hun?”

“Have you heard of The Delegation?”

“Yes,” she said. “They booked a room here weeks ago. Why?”

A glimmer of hope. “My friend is with them.”

“Oh really? You haven’t mentioned them before.”

“Well I am now,” I bellowed. “When did they arrive?”

“They didn’t,” she said. “I’m sorry but they never checked in.”

Fantastic. Back to square one. What could have kept them from arriving?

“Lance Rock,” I said, pulling a map out of my bag. “Could you mark it on my map?”

She slapped her finger against the map, pointing at an area not far from Red Larch. “There.”

The area wasn’t directly in line with the path I had assumed the Delegation would take to get here. But it wasn’t far off. It was quite possible that something happened to them there.

“Say, fellas,” I said. “What are the odds of the three of us meeting at this particular bar on this particular night. Whadaya say we check out this undead problem?”

—

The storm was rampant that night so we decided to wait until morning. After finishing my drink, I left the halfling and elf in the bar and retreated to my room. I readied my crossbow, bolts, daggers, and the small doll that acted as my arcane focus. This was going to be it, my first real adventure. If Balix was in that cave, I was going to get him out.

I slipped into a trance for the rest of the night, allowing my mind and body to rest for the task ahead.

When I was ready, I went downstairs to meet with my party. Kaliste was waiting for me in the lobby of the inn. She had a basket in her hands and held it out for me when I approached her. There were tears on her cheeks.

“Good morning, Malice,” she said with a smile. “I’ve prepared a small basket of snacks for you and your friends.” Friends? “I wanted to show you my appreciation. You don’t know how much it means to me. These stories of undead are not just affecting my business, but if I’m honest, they keep me up at night.”

I took the basket and emptied the food into my bag.

“Yeah…” I said. “That’s why I’m doing it…”

“May the gods bless you,” she said with a bow.

My eyes followed her as she returned to her bar. In the tavern, I saw a small figured hunched over a table filled with empty ale glasses. I approached the halfling and shook his shoulder.

“Wakey, wakey, sunshine,” I said. “It’s time to go on an adventure.”

He sprung to life suddenly. “Where am I?” he asked. “Who are you? Who am I?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I get it. Bad memory. Come on, let’s go.”

But we were missing one.

“Kaliste?” I asked. “Could you tell me what room the wood elf is in? It looks like he may have overdone it on the yak’s milk and needs a wakeup call.”

“Oh, no dear,” she said. “He’s been up for hours. I believe he’s already left.”

Wonderful. I grabbed the halfling’s bag from the floor and dropped it into his lap. “Come on. Now we’ve got to find him too.”

It didn’t take long. We found him outside the inn, staring directly into the sun.

“I was waiting for you,” he said. “Let’s move out.”

We set off towards the area Kaliste had marked on my map. The storm had subsided and the air was eerily still.

“So,” I said after nearly an hour of awkward silence. “Do you guys have names? Or should I just call you Ugly and Weirdo?”

“I am Daftmonk,” the elf said. “I hail from the High Forest.”

The halfling pulled an ocarina from his bag. “I don’t remember my name,” he said. “But I did find this and it has a name inscribed on it: ‘Jeffrodo’. So that could be my name. Right?.”

“Either that or the name of the guy who made the ocarina,” I said. “I’m Malice.”

“Well met,” said Jeffrodo.

“Where do you call home, Malice?” Daftmonk asked.

“Buiyradyn,” I said. “It’s a small village in the Underdark. Where in the High Forest are you from?”

“All over, really. I follow nature and I live with the earth.”

“Well, I live under the earth,” I chuckled. “So I guess we’ve got that in common.”

“Yes. Maybe we could bridge that gap someday,” he said with a smile that seemed a little too friendly.

“And that’s enough talking.”

The day’s travel was uneventful. Aside from us, the path was empty. We continued in silence until we came across a large rock protruding from the land. The rock was thin and came together at a point. Much like a lance.

“What do you think?” I asked. “Lance rock?”

“Kaliste said the stories originated from here,” Daftmonk said. “I guess we’d better check it out.”

We trudged along the hills towards the rock. Knowing we were close to the cave, I started to get a little nervous.

“You guys have done this before, right?” I asked. “Like, you know how to fight. We aren’t going to just walk into this thing and die like idiots, right?”

“I have trained for many years with the most skilled monks,” Daftmonk said. “I’m am not a stranger to battle.”

“That’s good to hear,” I said. “What about you, Jeffrodo? You remember how to fight?”

“My instincts are still intact,” he said. “I carry swords and I know how to use them.”

Once we were close enough, Jeffrodo sprinted forward to check the rock.

“There’s something written here,” he shouted back.

“What’s it say?” I asked.

“‘Come no closer. Less you catch the disfiguring plague that afflicts me’,” he said. “And it’s signed by The Lord of Lance Rock. Whoever that is.”

“Disfiguring plague?” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey, Jeffrodo, maybe the mystery is solved. Maybe this is where you’re from.”

Daftmonk smiled. “Does anything look familiar? Perhaps this rock is your home.”

That’s when things get interesting. Jeffrodo turned to face us and he had changed. His eyes were dark and his mouth had twisted into a scowl. Something wasn’t right. He moved towards us very slowly, his cold eyes fixed on mine.

“Do you have a problem with my scars?” he asked.

“Hey, now,” I said. “It was a joke.”

His eyes softened a little but I could see he was still on edge. Daftmonk let out a tiny, nervous laugh and Jeffrodo immediately turned his attention to the elf. His hand shot behind his back and returned with a rapier. In seconds Jeffrodo was on Daftmonk with his blade pressed against his groin.

“How about I give you some scars,” he whispered.

Daftmonk lifted his hands over his head. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I haven’t spent much time around people. Sometimes I’m uncertain of what to say. I’ve spent the last ten years in solitude.”

“Take a breath, Jeffrodo,” I said. “We don’t need to kill each other. I’m sure whatever we are about to go up against will be happy to do that for us.”

He stared deeply into Daftmonk’s eyes for a while before finally lowering his sword. Without saying anything, he stormed off, past the rock and along the trail. We followed him but gave him some distance and time to cool down. There was more to him than we thought. There was darkness there.

It wasn’t hard to find the cave Kaliste mentioned. Jeffrodo got to the entrance first but waited for us. We approached him cautiously but when he turned to face us, his eyes were back to normal. Whatever had happened to him, seemed to have subsided.

“I feel something emanating from this cave,” Daftmonk said. “The wind doesn’t feel right and it smells like death.”

“I smell it too,” Jeffrodo said. “The smell is familiar to me and I’m afraid to know why.”

“Have you been here before?” Daftmonk asked.

Jeffrodo shook his head.

“Don’t look at me,” I said. “Up until a month ago, I hadn’t even seen sunlight.”

Jeffrodo was the first to enter the cave. He slowed his pace and the sound of his footsteps vanished completely. If we weren’t watching him go inside, we never would’ve know he was there. I was impressed.

“I thought only elves had that level of stealth,” Daftmonk said.

“He’s full of surprises.”

We followed Jeffrodo into the cave, also using our light footing to our advantage. The cave was dark so I allowed my darkvision to take over. Everything came into focus as if it were day but all colour was gone. I saw things in greys and blacks.

I glanced at Daftmonk. His eyes shon a bright white the way I was sure mine did. All elves had darkvision and, judging by the way Jeffrodo was moving, I suspected he had it as well. At least the darkness was one less thing we had to worry about.

As we entered the cave, I could smell what the other two had smelled before we entered. The stench of death and decay was overwhelming and the deeper we went, the stronger it got.

It wasn’t long before we met our first corpse. Huddled on the cave floor was the body of an old man with the same colour hair as Balix. I feared the worst and rushed to the body, flipping it over to look at the man’s face.

No. Not Balix. A human.

I only had a moment of relief before a deep moan escaped from the dead man. His hand shot towards me in an attempt to grab me. I avoided it but stumbled and fell backwards. He rose slowly to his feet and towered over me. I needed to get away before it tried again..

I jumped to my feet and attempted to run but I wasn’t fast enough. The zombie slammed its body against me with more strength than I ever thought it could have. A flash of white light filled my vision as a sharp pain shot through my body. I was knocked several feet away and was forced to use whatever strength I had left just to keep myself from falling over.

Adrenaline pumped through my body and I realized how afraid I was. This wasn’t an adventure I read about in a book while staying safe in my study. This was real and I was far from ready. My hands were trembling but I knew I had to do something. The zombie was quickly moving towards me, ready to finish what it had started and I had no idea what to do.

Daftmonk rushed in from behind me, a bo staff spinning in his hand. Het met the zombie head on, slamming the staff into its shoulder and severing the arm from the body. Before the arm could hit the ground, he brought his knee up, striking the monster in its thigh.

There was no running now. Daftmonk needed my help. But I was shaken up, scared, upset. I could feel myself surging. The chance of my wild magic kicking in was very likely so, instead of casting a spell, I pulled out my crossbow. I pointed a finger at the zombie and closed my eyes, allowing my True Sight to take over. I could instantly see the monster’s vulnerabilities, which greatly increased my chances of hitting it hard. I aimed my crossbow and pulled the trigger.

A loud crack echoed off the cave walls as the bolt was released. It shot through the air and into the zombie, striking it just above its pelvis. The bolt sank into the flesh with a thud but the zombie didn’t react. Instead, it slammed its body into Daftmonk, knocking him back a few feet. The sheer force behind the attack must have done a great deal of damage but the elf showed no sign of it. He recovered in an instant and slammed the end of his staff into the zombie’s face. Its skull let out a crunch as the staff pushed through the bone and out the other side.

The zombie slumped over, the bo staff keeping it from falling to the ground. Daftmonk let out a scream as he kicked it square in its chest, knocking it back and into the wall.

The elf didn’t give it a second glance. Instead, he turned his attention to me.

“Are you ok?” he asked.

I didn’t respond. My first battle and I was almost killed. This whole idea was a mistake. I never should’ve left my home.

He put his hand on my arm but I immediately pulled away.

“Don’t,” I said. “Please.”

He nodded. “Let’s step outside. You need some air. I will start a fire and we will rest a moment. Clear our heads.”

“Yeah,” I said. “You got hit pretty hard. You could use a rest…”

The three of us walked out of the cave and rested under a nearby tree. Daftmonk started a fire and Jeffrodo pulled some of the food from my bag and handed it out.

“I don’t mean to pry,” Daftmonk said. “You asked us earlier, but do you have any experience in battle? You seem…”

“Of course I have experience,” I shot back. I took a big bite of hard bread. “Well…I’ve had training. I train.”

Maybe I left out the fact that my only battle training had been shooting rats in the tunnels. They didn’t need to know that and some of those rats were vicious.

“I see,” he said. “Maybe…”

“Maybe it’s none of your business,” I said. “Maybe we should be asking where Jeffrodo was during that fight.”

“I couldn’t see,” he said.

“Excuse me?”

He shrugged. “It was really dark. I couldn’t see anything.”

“I thought you had darkvision like the elf and I. You were pretty nimble for someone who couldn’t see anything.”

“I saw light down the hall. I was just trying to get to it. I heard you guys fighting and turned around. But by the time I’d found my way back, the fight was over.”

We stayed there for an hour or so before we felt ready to head back into the cave.

Daftmonk lead the way. We moved quickly through the room with the zombie who attacked us and down a hallway. The hallway opened up to a large room with a dome ceiling. In the center of the room was a flat boulder covered in dark stains. The eastern and northwestern walls had openings that led to other parts of the cave.

I moved to get a closer look of the boulder. It looked foreign to the area, as though someone had brought it there. As I approached it, I heard a gasp from Daftmonk. I turned to him just as two rocks fell from above and crashed into the floor, feet from Jeffrodo. I looked up just as two more zombies dropped from a ledge above.

We were ready for them this time and made quick work of them. Jeffrodo ended the fight by slashing the final zombie across the stomach, spilling bile all over the floor. We thought the smell of death was bad and this stuff smelled like something death shat out. I started to gag but forced myself to regain my composure.

“Not bad, guys,” I said, gathering up my fired bolts and putting them back into my quiver.

With the room cleared, I was able to investigate the flat boulder further. The surface was covered in layers of dark red blood. I could sense no magic emanating from it but it had definitely been used for some kind of ritual. I ran my fingers along the surface. The blood was dry and old.

“They were waiting for us,” Jeffrodo said. I turned to see him studying the bodies of the zombies who ambushed us. “Someone’s using them. Controlling them somehow.”

I nodded. “And I think we’ve found where they were made. I don’t sense magic here but you can’t make undead without having dead in the first place. I believe this boulder is where they were turned.”

“Check this out.” Daftmonk was standing in the opening on the east wall, staring into the room next to us. Jeffrodo and I joined him,.

The room was small with a low ceiling. The floor was covered in corpses and skeletons. Scraps of armour and weapons decorated the walls and a few short swords rested among the bodies. It was obvious the bodies had been there a long time. None of them moved.

“I think these were the failed experiments,” I said. “Dead who did not properly transition into the undead so they were tossed aside.”

Daftmonk reached down and grabbed a short sword from the pile. He put it in his bag and we left the room.

The tunnel to the northwest became more and more narrow as moved through it. We were forced to walk single file. The walls were stained with streaks of blood as though something had been dragged through the pathway.

“Yeah,” I said. “I feel really good about where we’re heading here. Nothing bad down this hallway.”

Before long, the path opened up into a large room. Directly in front of us was another pathway. Near the southern end of the room was another exit but three zombies hung out at the room’s centre. They were dressed in sparkling showgirl dresses and were…dancing. Not dance-swaying like the typical zombie. They were performing an actual, choreographed dance.

I raised a finger to my lips and pointed to the path across from us. Maybe we could get out of the room without attracting their attention. Daftmonk and Jeffrodo crept across the floor but the moment I took my first step, my leg went weak and buckled. I fell to the floor with a scream.

The zombies immediately stopped dancing. They turned their attention to me and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. They stared at me for a long moment before losing interest and continuing their routine.

“That’s interesting,” I said, getting up onto my feet.

“Why are they doing that?” Daftmonk asked.

“It’s like Jeffrodo said. Someone is controlling them. For whatever reason, they were commanded to do this. It’s a very specific spell. You give them orders and that’s all they care about. Order them to dance and they’ll dance until you tell them to stop. The problem is, I’m not sure what other commands their master gave them.”

“I’d rather not find out,” Jeffrodo said. “Let’s keep moving.”

We left them to their routine and squeezed into the tunnel. The walls were even more narrow here than the last path. We were forced to shuffle through sideways. Jeffrodo took the lead, followed by Daftmonk and myself. My body was crammed pretty close to the elf and I felt his hand brush against my thigh.

“Hey!” I grabbed his hand and pushed it away. “Watch the hands, buddy.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Yeah, you’ve been alone way too long, pal,” I said. “Get your head together.”

The tunnel exited into a small room. The three of us poured into it and looked around. It was empty.

“Dead end?” Daftmonk asked.

“There must be more to it,” I said.

Something caught Jeffrodo’s attention and he quickly moved across the room.

“There’s a hole here,” he said.

I joined him by the wall and saw that there was, indeed, a tiny hole with a bright light shining through. The hole was only slightly bigger than Daftmonk’s bo staff.

“Hey, Monk,” I said. “Stick your staff into this hole.”

The elf shrugged and shoved his staff in. He wiggled it around, widening the hole a little before pulling it out again. Jeffrodo pressed his eye up against it again.

“There’s a room on the other side,” he said. “But I can’t make out much detail.”

While he and Daftmonk took turns looking through the hole, I searched the rest of the room. This time, I focused my attention on the ceiling. After what happened earlier, I didn’t want another ambush from above.

A ledge ran along one of the walls and on it was two boxes. A rope was tied to the lids and then appeared to exit through the back wall.

“We’ve got company,” Daftmonk shouted. “Something just ran by the hole in the other room.”

I immediately looked back up to the boxes. The rope went tight and the lids began to lift. I had no idea what was in those boxes but someone was trying to release it into the room.

I grabbed a dagger from my belt and threw it threw it upwards. The blade sliced the rope part way and the tension from whatever was pulling on the other end caused it to snap. The lids of the boxes fell shut.

The light shining through the hole went out and a shrill voice came from the other side. “You dare pit yourselves against the Lord of Lance Rock? Death will be your reward.”

The voice let out a high-pitched laugh before whoever was there ran off.

Without wasting a breath, Jeffrodo took off out of the room. Daftmonk and I followed after him.

“Where are we going?” I shouted.

“After that voice,” Jeffrodo yelled back.

We ran past the dancing girls in the other room. As we did, one of them waved to us and I caught a glimpse of what they were when they were still alive. I waved back.

We ran through the exit and into an enormous cavern illuminated by several torches. Three, flat boulders not unlike the one from earlier, were near the entrance. They seemed to serve as tables for human corpses. At the end of each table sat a bucket, filled with body parts covered in dry gore. A hooded figure stood with its back to us. I could see a bone needle in its hand, threaded with dark cord. The figure appeared to be sewing a corpse back together.

I raised my crossbow and aimed it at the hooded figure.

“Hey,” I said. My voice was quiet and the figure didn’t react. I cleared my throat and tried again a little louder.

The figure groaned and stopped working. It slowly turned to look at me, bone needle in hand. I backed off a little while keeping my crossbow aimed at its head. Black, matted hair poked out from the hood and its face was severely disfigured.

As it moved forward, I could see something rummaging in the corpses. Four disembodied hands crawled their way out and scuttled towards us.

“Watch the hands,” I shouted to the others.

Jeffrodo didn’t waste time and stormed the hooded figure, pulling out his rapier and swinging at the zombie. The blade missed its body but sliced one of its hands clear off. It falls to the floor with a thud but doesn’t came after us like the others.

A loud wooshing noise shot by my ear as Daftmonk twirled his bo staff through the air. He swung it hard, bringing it down across the zombie’s shoulder. There was a loud popping noise as the arm dislocated from its socket. He followed the blow up by bringing his elbow down hard against the other shoulder, dislocating that one as well. The figure stood, staring at us with both arms hanging limp under its robes.

I reached into the bag at my side and felt for my doll. My fingers found it and I gripped it tightly. I could do this.

I positioned myself into the center of the action, steadying my breath and calming down my beating heart. I mouthed a few words and unleashed one of the few powerful spells I knew: Earth Tremor.

The ground around me shook violently. Body parts fell from the tables and onto the floor. Three of the hands were tossed around. They tried to stabilize themselves but were jerked so abruptly that they broke fingernails and bones trying to hold on. They fell to the ground and didn’t get back up. I’d lost sight of the fourth hand and assumed it was outside the ten foot radius of my spell.

The hooded zombie was caught off guard as well. It tried desperately to keep its balance but fell hard to the ground, slamming its head against the stone. Bits of bone and blood squirted out from behind its skull. It let out a loud moan.

Jeffrodo immediately jumped on the now-immobile zombie, pushing his rapier through its eye. When he pulled the blade back out, he took most of the brain along with it.

The final hand emerged from the far table, leaping from its surface towards Daftmonk. The elf avoided the attack and the hand landed softly on the floor. He swung his bo staff at it, sending it flying through the air and slamming against the distant wall.

A scream erupted from across the room.

“Come on,” I shouted to the others.

We took off in the direction of the scream and came across a man standing behind a table similar to the others. The table was covered in bottles of embalming fluid, bonesaws, files, and other tools. Everything was very cleaned and organized. Whoever used this table, really cared about his work. Behind the table, the man stood with four skeletons standing at attention by his side.

“Don’t move,” I yelled, pointing my crossbow at the man’s face.

“Stop killing my people!” he screamed at me. I recognized the voice right away as the one that claimed to be the Lord of Lance Rock.

“Don’t move,” I said as Jeffrodo and Daftmonk caught up to me.

The man glared at me. “You better not have touched my ladies.”

“Ladies?” I asked. “You mean the dancing zombies?”

“Yes!” he said. “The Fleshettes. They’re practicing for their performance later this evening.”

I looked at Daftmonk. “Yeah… This guy’s lost it.”

“I think you should leave,” the man said. “Before it’s too late.”

“Right,” I said. “Listen, buddy. What are you doing here?”

He gave me a look of shock as if it was ridiculous to even ask such a question.

“I am the Lord of Lance Rock! This is my new home and I’m making my people rise again.” He glared at my crossbow. “It wouldn’t be wise for you to continue pointing that thing at me.”

I lowered the crossbow as Daftmonk stepped forward.

“What kind of spell are you using on these people?” he asked. “Why do you think you can control them? Release them!”

“Why would I release them? They are here to serve me. The Fleshettes are performing better than they ever did when they were alive.”

“No,” Monk said. “Let them die. Let their bodies return to the earth.”

“Never.”

I sighed. This wasn’t getting me any closer to finding Balix.

“Ok,” I said. These dancing puppets of yours. Do any of them look like me? Or, more specifically, a male drow?”

“No,” he said. “Not like you. I would be blessed. You have beautiful skin. You know, you’d make a lovely Fleshette.”

“Enough with the sweet talk,” I said. I turned to the others and shrugged. “Let’s get out of here. Leave him to his silly game. He isn’t hurting anyone and this is a waste of our time.”

“Why are you doing this?” Jeffrodo asked. “Why are you raising these people from the dead? Let them rest in peace.”

“I have to,” the man answered. “They were murdered by my own kind. Then I was tossed out alone. I had no one.”

“I wonder why,” I said. “You’re batshit crazy.”

“You don’t…sleep with them. Do you?” Daftmonk asked.

“Nice,” I said. “Daftmonk with the important questions.”

The man looked down at the table in disgust. “Of course not…”

“Who cast you out?” Jeffrodo asked. “Who caused you this injustice?”

“It was Marlando,” he said. “Him and his friends. They banished me.”

It was obvious the others didn’t share my disinterest and we weren’t going anywhere until we resolved this. I needed to step in and speed things up a bit.

“What’s your name, friend?” I asked.

“It’s Orath,” he said. “Lord of…”

“Lord of Lance Rock. Yeah, we got that part.” I flashed him my sweetest smile. “So, Orath. I love what you’ve done with the place. You obviously have talent. I mean, the dancing girls are great but…”

“Oh, thank you!” he said. His voice suddenly became very cheery. “I’ve worked very hard on them.”

“Yes, I can tell…”

He clapped his hands and The Fleshettes seemed to appear out of nowhere. They surrounded us and continued their dancing. Their mouths curled into a smile that tore the rotted flesh around their lips and revealed what was left of their rotting teeth.

“Oh boy!” I said. “It’s a party. This is great.”

“They dance quite well,” Jefrodo said.

“Yes. I’m jealous.” I said. “But what’s the point of all of this? Your people only do what you command them to do, right? They no control over their lives. What’s the point of having life without having the ability to live?”

“I care about them,” he said. “I care about all the people of Red Larch. I couldn’t just leave them to die.”

I pointed at The Fleshettes. “These are not the people of Red Larch. They are rotting meat.”

“What else am I to do? This is all I have left.” He started weeping.

“Cry it out, big fella,” I said. “Let those tears flow.”

“I’m not welcome in Red Larch anymore. My people here accept me.”

“Because you tell them to!” I said. “I can promise you, if they had a will of their own, they would leave in an instant.”

“What can we do for you?” Daftmonk asked. “How can we help?”

“Get my revenge.”

“On Marlando?”

“Him and the others. They ordered me to leave the town and, when I wouldn’t, they killed those I loved most. Which is why I dug them up and brought them here. So we could stay together. Forever.”

“How long have you been here?” I asked.

“Four years.”

“Then you haven’t heard,” I said. “Marlando is dead. He died a few days ago.”

He stopped crying and looked into my eyes. “Are you certain?”

I nodded.

“Well that’s fantastic!” he said. “But the others…”

“They’re dead too,” I said. “Yep. An explosion I think. Took them all with him.”

“I heard it was a stomach virus,” Daftmonk said. “He got it, then his friends got it. Then they died.”

Jeffrodo grabbed my shoulder and pulled me aside. “No!” he said. “This is not how we do this. Lying will not help him heal.”

I broke away from his grip and turned my attention back to Orath. He seemed to be carefully considering what we had said. He started mumbling to himself before turning his back to us and walking away.

“Well,” I said to the team. “Shall we leave?”

Jeffrodo shot me a look and I could see a flash of that anger I’d seen earlier. He pushed past me and after Orath. “There’s more to his story,” he said.

Daftmonk shrugged and followed behind Jeffrodo, leaving me alone with The Fleshettes and the skeleton bodyguards. I sighed and went after them. The Fleshettes shuffled after me, dancing the entire time.

“Fuck my life,” I muttered.

I followed them into a cavern. At the center of the room, a pedestal stood – fashioned from severed arms clutching one another in a cone. Cradled in the utmost hands was a bright sphere with a dark sigil floating above it. The sigil was made of crafted stone and valuable jewels. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before and I had no idea what kind of magic was emanating off of it.

We found Orath, sat and staring at the sphere. Without looking at us, he said “Don’t you see it? It’s the eye. It sees every move. Don’t you fear it? It’s what gave me the power to do this in the first place. Without it, I would have lost them forever.”

“Where did you get this?” I asked. I was mesmerized and found myself moving closer to the orb.

“I wandered the area after being banished. I came across this cave and it was already inside.”

“Why do you still have it?” I asked. “You’ve accomplished everything you set out to do. What more can it do for you?”

He shook his head. “I need it to tell me what to do next. I don’t know where to go. I need to be alone.”

I couldn’t turn away from the orb. I felt fear. Not of the orb itself but of its existence. Whatever it was, it was pure power. I reached out to touch it.

“Don’t bother,” Orath said. “It can’t be moved. I tried.”

He stood up and walked over to me, breaking my fixation on the orb.

“I can’t go back to Red Larch,” he said. “There’s nothing for me there.”

He was defeated. I could hear it in his voice. Believing his wrongdoers were dead, he had nothing left.

“I love my people,” he continued. “I didn’t mean to disgrace them. I did what I could. It was what I believed to be right at the time. But I know now I was wrong.”

“Then let them go,” Jeffrodo said.

Orath nodded and The Felshettes stopped dancing. They collapsed lifelessly to the floor.

“It’s done,” Orath said. “They are all released from my control.”

“This orb,” Daftmonk said. “It’s power over you is too much. It’s hurting you. You need to leave this cave.”

“Not yet. But I promise I will no longer bother anyone.”

Jeffrodo moved to stand next to Orath. The two began talking about what was to happen next. As they did, I took a better look around the room.

The walls were lined with shelves filled with spellbooks. I recognized most of them as warlock spells. It was obvious Orath was well-read and spent a lot of time learning what he needed to do.

At the back of the room was an old wooden desk. The desk was covered in papers, notes on what was required for his spells. In the center of the desk, was a sphere much different to the eye on the pedestal. I recognized it right away as a Drift Globe: a small, floating sphere that acts as a light source. I pressed my hand against it and it woke up, glowing brightly and floating above the table. I knew it would now follow me around wherever I went so I grabbed it and slid it into my bag.

I was about to turn away when I caught sight of something under the papers. I brushed the stacks aside and revealed a wand. It was an elegant, dark coloured wand with a shining blue handle. I picked it up and turned it over in my hand. I didn’t recognize it but it was definitely beautiful.

“Malice!”

Daftmonk’s voice startled me and I shoved the wand into my bag.

“Nothing!” I said. “I mean…yes. What? Are we leaving?”

“There’s nothing more we can do for him,” Jeffrodo said. “We need to leave him to his own thoughts.”

We left Orath alone with the orb and made our way out of the cave. We found the bodyguard skeletons collapsed where they once stood. It seemed as though he kept his word and released his control on the others as well.

—

Kaliste greeted us at the inn when we arrived. The tavern was a little more lively than when we had left.

“My goodness,” Kaliste said, eyeing the blood and dirt on our clothes. “What happened to you? I’m so sorry, this is my fault.”

“It’s fine,” Daftmonk said. “We have taken care of the undead. They will no longer bother you.”

“Guilidia!” Kaliste called out. A young woman rushed to her side. “Go and draw baths for our guests. Prepare the finests linens for their bed. They will rest easy tonight.”

“You know someone named Marlando?” I asked.

“Marlando? Yes. He’s a barber around here. Not the most pleasant person.”

“Really? A barber? Well if you run into him, tell him to stay away from Lance Rock. It’s for the best.”

She gave me a confused look but didn’t press. “You made it to Lance Rock? What did you find?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “Your theory was right. We found the source of the undead and they are gone now.”

“So the storms will stop?”

“We didn’t find anything about the storms.”

There was disappointment in her eyes but she was grateful anyway.

“Come in,” she said. “Please eat. Anything you want is on the house for the remainder of your stay.”

“Do you have butter of camel?” Daftmonk asked.

We limped into the tavern and chose a table to eat at. We ate and drank in silence, all three of us looking forward to our rest. We didn’t say it but we knew our job wasn’t done. We’d have to find the cause of the sudden storms.

Once I finished eating, I went to the bar to speak with Kaliste.

“Have you heard anything about my friend?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I’m afraid not. But a man stopped here today. I hope it isn’t related but he spoke of finding graves on his way here. I don’t want to upset you but the gravesite is along the path the delegation would have taken to get here.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

I turned to leave and found both Jeffrodo and Daftmonk standing behind me.

“We think we should investigate the storms,” Jeffrodo said. “These people need our help.”

I shook my head. “You are welcome to go without me. There’s a personal matter I need to look into.”

“We heard,” Daftmonk said. “We are willing to escort you to the graves. It’s not safe out there alone. Besides, we have nothing to help us solve the storm problem. We don’t even know where to start.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I need to rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”

I climbed the stairs to my room, my muscles screaming with every step.

Chapter Two is now live! Check it out!