The Rocky Road to Happiness

by DarthDeadpool117

Summary:

In the aftermath of the War for Drusoth, the Raven’s Flame try to go back to something resembling a normal life, but nothing is ever quite that simple.

Notes:

This story is a sequel to The Raven’s Flame, Crimson Gold, The Growing Flame, Homebound, and The War for Drusoth. It is recommended that you read those first.

Chapter 1

The midday sun was peeking out from between a pair of clouds as Hurushi left a local jewelry shop and walked down the street towards a place that dealt in magic items and spell scrolls. Inside, he found a High Elf man sitting behind the front desk while four customers looked around - a Deep Gnome man, a Tiefling man, a Human woman, and Qirona herself. Qirona was walking towards the door with a bag in hand when she spotted him, and her face lit up when she saw him.

 

“Find what you were looking for?” He asked.

 

She shook her head. “No, but I found a couple other spells. Geas, Heartseeker, Instant Summons, Legend Lore. Oh, and Alanis sent me this new spell she developed. It’s called Toxic Bolt.”

 

He smiled. “Nice.”

 

“Come here.” She took his hand. “I wanna show you something.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Qirona led Hurushi out of the shop, across the street, and down an alley. After rounding a corner, she led him to a dead end. The sun was behind a cloud, so she conjured four balls of light and sent them forward. The wall in front of them was home to some elaborate graffiti, which saw a male Halfling and a female Goblin having graphic sex while armies of their respective kin clashed in the background.

 

“Woah.” He stepped closer, eyes wide as he took in the impressive amount of detail featured in the art. “That’s pretty cool.”

 

“I know, right?”

 

“Hike up your dress. I need to be inside you.”

 

Qirona made a sound that was somewhere between a scoff and a giggle. “Wait, what?”

 

“You heard me.” He said confidently. “When I turn around, I expect-”

 

“Dude.” She cut him off. “Look at me.”

 

Confused, he turned around and saw Qirona standing with her black dress around her waist, leaving her top half bare.

 

“Uh…great minds think alike?” She giggled.

 

Closing the distance, he wrapped his arms around her and crashed his lips to hers. She kissed back, her hands already unbuckling his belt. His hands found her breasts, then his mouth replaced his right hand while it hiked up her dress and plunged two fingers inside.

 

“Fuck!” She gasped. “Baby!”

 

Once his pants were down and she was ready, he grabbed her hips and lifted. She wrapped her legs around him, and he wasted no time sliding his thick cock into her.

 

Leaving the alley a few minutes later, they saw a dark-haired Aasimar woman approaching. She carried no visible weapons, but she wore a breastplate and had a shield strapped to her back.

 

“Excuse me.” She said. “I’m looking for the group called Raven’s Flame, and you two fit the description.”

 

Hurushi crossed his arms. “Can we help you?”

 

“I hope so.” The woman replied. “I come from Laiken. Do you know it?”

 

He furrowed his brow. “Don’t think so.”

 

“I do.” Qirona said. “South of Gold Haven, right?”

 

The woman nodded. “There are…a number of problems we’ve been facing, but the current leadership is far too reactive for their own good. I doubt they know the meaning of the word ‘proactive’.”

 

“I’m Qirona.” She said. “This is Hurushi.”

 

“Gaula.”

 

“What sort of problems are we talking about?”

 

“For one, a Mage named Henri L’ombre de la Nui has spent the last few weeks locked in his tower.” Gaula replied. “He’s suspected of murdering citizens to use in his necromantic experiments, and we have reason to believe that he’s trying to summon something called a candlelight demon.”

 

Returning home, they found the rest of the group talking with a blond-haired Aasimar man in the living room. He perked up upon seeing Gaula.

 

“Oh, good, you found them.” He said.

 

She nodded. “I did.”

 

Hurushi and Qirona introduced Gaula, and the others introduced the male Aasimar as Myrvan. Once Gaula had finished explaining the Mage and the demon, Myrvan sighed.

 

“You didn’t tell them about the attack?” He asked.

 

“I was getting to that!” She said defensively.

 

He rolled his eyes. “There’s a ship that’s been raiding settlements and other ships for the last few weeks. Recently it attacked Laiken with a horde of ghouls in the middle of the night. Our leadership has done nothing except offer a monetary reward to whoever sinks the galleon.”

 

“What sort of timeline are we looking at?” Gromak inquired.

 

“Nothing concrete, but the sooner the better.” Gaula replied.

 

“I think we can do both.” Titan said. “Especially if you two are helping.”

 

Myrvan nodded and gestured to the greatsword and maul he wore in an X across his back. “That’s the plan.”

 

“I’m going after the Mage.” Qirona said. “Sounds a lot like a Necromancer to me.”

 

“Then I’ll go too.” Hurushi said.

 

“Maybe I should go with them.” Tam said. “Might need to pick a few locks.”

 

“I’ll take the galleon.” Nazira said.

 

Tam frowned. “I’d prefer to stick together.”

 

“I promise not to die without you.”

 

Tam chuckled. “Alrighty then.”

 

“Well, I’ll take the ship.” Sharai said. “I’ve got a new Polymorph form I’ve been wanting to use, but it’s an aquatic creature.”

 

“I’ll take the ship.” Gromak said.

 

Once they had the groups figured out, Gaula pulled a helmet out of her bag and put it on. She vanished, taking everyone except Titan and Baldir with her, then reappeared in the same spot and teleported them. They appeared in the middle of a damaged pavilion, where a blue-haired Half-Elf woman was sitting on an undamaged bench.

 

“Everyone, this is Lhammaruntosz.” Myrvan said.

 

Sharai’s eyes widened. “Lhammaruntosz…the dragon?”

 

The Half-Elf woman nodded. “Just call me Lham.”

 

“Lham helps protect Laiken in exchange for a safe place to live.” Gaula explained. “She’s agreed to transport whoever’s going after the ship. She just needs a destination.”

 

“I can help with that.” Baldir started digging through his bag. “One moment.”

 

The Forge Domain Cleric took the time to ritually cast Divination, then concentrated on Gond.

 

“If we leave within the hour, what course would allow us to intercept the galleon that attacked Laiken?” He asked.

 

“South of the setting sun, but only just.” A deep male voice replied.

 

“West-southwest.” Baldir said, opening his eyes.

 

With that, Lham transformed, growing exponentially until she was a huge bronze dragon with piercing blue eyes.

 

“I will not engage with this abomination, but I will be there to bring you home.” She said.

 

Gaula climbed onto the dragon’s back, then waved to the others. Nazira gave Tam a passionate kiss, then turned and climbed up. Sharai, Titan, and Gromak followed suit.

 

“I know the way to the tower.” Myrvan said. “Follow me.”

 

Baldir, Tam, Hurushi, and Qirona followed the muscular Aasimar east, and soon they found themselves on a road through grassy hills. After several hours, they saw a tower ahead that appeared to be ten to twelve stories tall and was bathed in shadow despite the sunny weather, though candlelight could be seen in several windows.

 

“Behold,” Myrvan said. “The Tower of Flicker and Shadow.”

 

“How do we get in?” Hurushi inquired.

 

“We’ve tried teleportation, Stone Shape, and Passwall, but nothing’s worked.” He replied. “There’s a door on the far side, but we haven’t dared try it yet.”

 

“Well, it’s a good place to start.” Qirona beat her wings and took to the air. “Let’s go.”

 

Making their way around the tower, they saw a plain wooden door at the base. Qirona ritually cast Detect Magic, then slowly approached.

 

“No magic in the door.” She reported.

 

“Wait.” Baldir said. “Before we go in, I’ll get us a little extra help.”

 

The Hill Dwarf Cleric spent ten minutes casting Planar Ally, and when he was finished, the muscular form of an Efreeti appeared in front of him. He wore a fine silk caftan and damask robe over his magma-red skin and was bedecked with brass and gold rings and chains.

 

“I am Oza Ashblood.” The Genie said. “By Gond’s will, I shall fight by your side until such a time as your quest is complete, and I will only abandon you if it means saving myself.”

 

Baldir nodded. “Sounds reasonable.”

 

Tam immediately approached the door, tools in hand. While Oza took the time to summon a fire elemental, she began picking the lock. It took her just under a minute, at which point the door swung open. Myrvan drew his maul, then stepped up and led the way inside. Tam followed him in, then Hurushi, Qirona, and Baldir followed her, though the Cleric cast Death Ward on himself first. They found themselves in a circular room with a twenty-foot ceiling. A pillar of opaque darkness rose up from floor to ceiling in the center of the room. Banners displaying a silver skull over crossed candlesticks hung on the walls, flanking a large chair. A door to the left appeared to lead to a set of stairs.

 

As soon as all five of them were inside the tower, the door slammed shut, then it and the windows vanished. Half a dozen humanoid creatures emerged from the banners - three Human-sized, two Goliath-sized, and one Giant-sized. The smallest three were emitting an unbearable whistling sound.

 

Focusing his mind, Hurushi nocked and fired three arrows, hitting the largest creature in the chest with all three. The whistlers rushed forward, but instead of actually attacking, they grabbed Myrvan and started pulling him towards the pillar, and in spite of his muscular build, the three of them were able to pull him about halfway. Tam targeted the juggernaut with her Evil Eye, then fired her crossbow, hitting what appeared to be its gut.

 

Charging forward, the juggernaut let out a bellowing roar, filling Baldir and Tam with fear. It then grabbed Baldir and started pulling him towards the pillar. Myrvan roared, and a tail sprouted from his lower back as he swung his maul, destroying one of the whistlers outright. Gritting his teeth, Baldir reached over and cast Elemental Weapon, coating Myrvan’s maul in bright green acid as he managed to overcome his fright. Qirona cast Faerie Fire, surrounding the two mid-sized brutes in blue light. Grinning, Oza rose up off the ground, his lower half transforming into a column of smoke and embers. He hurled two balls of flame that set the first brute ablaze while his elemental attacked the second. The brutes both attacked the fire elemental, draining it with their touch, only for the first brute to collapse from the heat.

 

Hurushi fired three more arrows, hitting the second brute in the chest and killing it. The whistlers continued pulling on Myrvan, but his rage turned him into an immovable object for them. Despite her fear, Tam fired her crossbow again, killing the juggernaut with a headshot.

 

At that moment, a horned creature that appeared to be made of pure smoke emerged from the pitch black pillar. It gored Myrvan with its horns, then followed up with its claws, and he parried one attack with his tail. The creature immediately retreated back into the pillar. Myrvan destroyed the second whistler with his maul, and Baldir killed the second with a Guiding Bolt to the head.

 

Qirona’s eyes rolled back as she uttered a single word, and the ill-defined form of a shadow demon appeared in front of her.

 

“Kill the candle demon.” She said.

 

The demon rose straight up, vanishing into the ceiling. Oza sent his fire elemental towards the stairs, then followed it up, and the others followed him. A yellow cloud and numerous bookshelves made it difficult to see across the room, so Baldir cast Dispel Magic, and the cloud vanished. Navigating the maze of bookshelves, Qirona senses her demon’s demise, so she re-cast Detect Magic. After verifying that there were no traps, she started grabbing every valuable book she could find and shoving them into her Handy Haversack. Tam gave her a grin of approval.

 

Continuing on, they reached a reading table, upon which sat a book entitled The Dark-Hearted Oath. Hurushi reached for it, but Qirona grabbed his wrist.

 

“There’s a rune on the cover.” She said quickly. “Touching it will summon more undead, and not the friendly kind.”

 

Myrvan snorted. “Friendly undead. That’ll be the day.”

 

Qirona snapped her fingers, and her visibly rotting raven familiar appeared on her hand.

 

He studied it for a moment, then shrugged. “Honestly, it fits right in with your whole goth queen aesthetic.”

 

She grinned. “Thank you.”

 

Looking around, Hurushi spotted a tome enclosed in a glass case and pointed to it. “What about that one?”

 

Oza was only a few feet away, so he cast Detect Magic, causing his elemental to vanish.

 

“Oops.” He said dryly. “This one’s trapped too.”

 

“Let’s just keep going.” Baldir suggested, pointing to the stairs.

 

The third floor was also obscured by a yellow cloud, so Oza dispelled it. The room contained a sleeping area, a cooking hearth, and other household essentials. As with the second floor, the pillar of darkness continued upward. They searched the room, and Baldir’s Eyes of the Eagle enabled him to spot a small glass vial under the bed. Kneeling down he reached for it, but his stout arms were too short. Flattening herself to the floor, Qirona used Mage Hand to retrieve it, revealing it to be a potion of supreme healing. Her eyes widened, and she tossed it to Hurushi.

 

“Thanks.” He said.

 

The fourth floor had no yellow cloud, but the dark pillar still continued upward. Four framed stained glass windows, each with a niche in the wall behind it that contained a flickering candle, decorated the cardinal points in what appeared to be an operating theater. The first depicted a dark mist populated with ghostly faces rising over a large tome, the second a cowled wizard with a ritual dagger raised over a cat, with blood dripping off the blade to a candle. The third depicted a horned demonic creature emerging from beneath the bed of a sleeping elderly man, and the fourth showed a group of adventurers in a room nearly identical to the one they were in being overwhelmed by both demons and undead.

 

A wooden table nearby contained spell components, organs in some sort of fluid, blood, bile, and a number of other substances. Each was labeled with cramped handwriting Seventeen humanoid bodies lay on slabs, each covered by a plain white sheet. Qirona’s face lit up, and after verifying that there were no magic traps, she rushed forward and began removing sheets. The bodies she uncovered included eight Humans, five Elves, three Dwarves, and a single Tiefling. Each one had symbols painted on it, and she recognized them as preparation for animating the dead. Giggling, she cast Danse Macabre, and five of the corpses sat up - two Elves, two Dwarves, and the Tiefling. Oza cast Detect Magic, then his eyes widened.

 

“The windows are magical.” He said. “There are runes in the lead between the panes. I can try dispelling them, but it looks like there are locks you could pick.”

 

“Try dispelling them first.” Baldir suggested.

 

Nodding, the Efreeti cast Dispel Magic on the first window, and the candle behind it went out. At that moment, the horned candlelight demon emerged from the pillar in front of the second window. Hurushi immediately fired his yumi, but the demon dodged it, vanishing back into the pillar as all three intact windows exploded. Glass sprayed inward, cutting everyone in the room. The candles behind them went out, plunging the room into darkness. Qirona shrieked, and the pain caused her to lose concentration, which caused her reanimated bodies to collapse.

 

At that moment, eight of the corpses still on slabs stood up, each with shards of glass protruding from its body. Grateful for her Goggles of Night, Tam targeted the first corpse with her Evil Eye, then shot its right eye. Emerging from the pillar again, the candlelight demon and cast Suffocate, only for Qirona to stop it with Counterspell. It promptly retreated back into the darkness. Keeping his distance, Hurushi loosed three arrows, killing the one Tam had shot and damaging another. Above and behind him, Oza hurled two balls of flame, setting the second corpse ablaze.

 

Qirona recast Danse Macabre, targeting the same corpses as before. Rising up, they attacked the other corpses, destroying two and cutting themselves on the glass in the process. Seeing the self-inflicted damage, Myrvan swung his maul carefully, breaking a few of the fourth corpse’s ribs without hurting himself. He followed up with his tail, but the attack missed. At that moment, the five remaining corpses each unleashed a volley of glass shards, pelting Myrvan and all five of Qirona’s zombies, one of which was completely shredded by three different volleys. Moving up, Baldir held out his holy symbol, and golden flames erupted from the ground, reducing three of the corpses and one of Qirona’s zombies to ash.

 

Tam aimed her Evil Eye at the seventh corpse, then shot it in the chest. The candlelight demon emerged from the pillar and attacked Hurushi, who managed to either dodge or tank all three of its attacks. As it retreated, he reflexively threw a punch, narrowly missing.

 

“Someone Fireball that pillar!” He shouted, putting three arrows in the eighth corpse’s torso.

 

“Demons have fire resistance!” Qirona pointed out.

 

Oza hurled two more balls of flame, destroying the eighth corpse, and Qirona downed a healing potion while her zombies finished off the last corpse. Baldir downed a healing potion, then handed another to Myrvan.

 

“Thanks.” The Aasimar Barbarian panted.

 

Hurushi and Tam recovered a couple intact arrows and bolts, then Hurushi and Myrven led the others up to the next level. The stairs ended at the fifth floor, which had a black candle atop a pedestal next to the pillar of darkness and four mirrors mounted on the northwest, northeast, southeast, and southwest parts of the circular wall.

 

No sooner had they entered the room than the candlelight demon emerged from the pillar, startling Hurushi. The wispy Fiend hurled a ball of flame at Qirona, hitting her in the side before she blocked the second by casting Shield. It hurled a third ball at Tam, who nimbly dodged it.

 

Tam’s Evil Eye locked onto the demon, and she fired her arm-mounted crossbow, using the Curse of the Debilitated to channel necrotic energy into its body as the bolt hit. Charging forward, Hurushi attacked with his swords, landing six hits in as many seconds and missing only once. Qirona missed with a thunderous Chromatic Orb, then sent her three remaining zombies forward, and they attacked the demon from the sides and back.

 

At that moment, the northwest mirror filled with darkness, and a Human man stepped out of it. He stood just below average height, wore dark red robes, and carried a gray wood staff covered in runes. Henri L’ombre de la Nui cast a spell that Qirona didn’t recognize, so she cast Counterspell, only for him to do the same. Suddenly he was on the other side of the room, a bolt of lightning ripped through Oza and Baldir, and a Fireball exploded in the middle of the group, burning everyone except Baldir. Baldir lost concentration on Elemental Weapon, and Qirona collapsed, as did her zombies. While Baldir rushed over and healed Qirona, Oza hurled two balls of flame, one of which hit Henri in the side. Myrvan’s tail reappeared as he drew his black-bladed greatsword, and he charged forward, carving into the candlelight demon once before it cast Shield. His weapon briefly glowed, and he slashed a third time, only to be stopped by the invisible barrier.

 

The candlelight demon immediately retaliated, goring and scratching the Aasimar Barbarian until he collapsed. While Tam fired her crossbow and missed, Hurushi attacked with his swords again, hitting once with each blade. Picking herself up, Qirona cast Telekinesis. The demon cast Counterspell, so she did the same, then yanked the staff out of Henri’s hands with the greatest of ease. Glaring at her, he cast Blight, but her connection to undeath gave her innate resistance to the necromantic attack. Baldir cast Guiding Bolt, hitting the candlelight demon and making it glow. Oza hurled to balls of fire, but the demon dodged them both. On the ground, Myrvan inhaled loudly as he regained consciousness.

 

The candlelight demon turned its attention to Hurushi, getting through his armor with its horns but failing to do the same with its claws. Tam shot it in the head, and it let out a hoarse wail as it evaporated into a cloud of smoke. Sheathing his swords, Hurushi focused his mind and fired three arrows. The first hit Henri’s left shoulder, and he blocked the second by casting Shield, only for the third to hit his left leg. Qirona cast Blight, and Henri winced in pain.

 

“You call yourself a Necromancer?” She asked, seeing how much the spell had drained him.

 

“I don’t limit myself to one school of magic.” He snarled. “I’m above all that.”

 

“You’re fucking pathetic, is what you are.” She snapped.

 

Henri cast Cone of Cold, and the blast hit everyone except Myrvan and Oza, and Qirona collapsed. Baldir cast Banishment, but Henri stopped him with Counterspell. Oza hurled two more balls of flame, hitting the Wizard in the gut. Staying down, Myrvan downed a healing potion.

 

That candle’s light suddenly flared, and the candlelight demon reemerged. It launched itself at Tam, who dodged its claws, only for it to gore her with its horns and put her on the ground. Hurushi immediately fired three arrows, not at the demon, but at the candle. Despite its small size, he managed to hit it with his third arrow, though the demon remained.

 

Henri used Misty Step to distance himself from Hurushi, then hit the Half Orc Samurai with a powerful Fire Bolt. Baldir cast Healing Word on Qirona, then charged forward and brought his axe down on the candle, splitting it in two. The demon let out another hoarse wail as it evaporated. Drawing a scimitar, Oza closed with Henri and slashed at him, cutting through his robes and into his body. Picking himself up, Myrvan moved up behind Henri and swung his black greatsword. The Mage stopped the attack by casting Shield, only for the second attack to break through and cut deep into his back. Hurushi fired and missed, then fired again and hit just below Henri’s right eye. The Wizard collapsed, Qirona immediately began looting his body while Baldir rushed over and healed Tam.

Chapter 2

The excitement of riding a dragon lasted about half an hour before the buffeting wind became uncomfortable. Rain soon started to fall, and as it intensified, Lham suddenly let out a mighty roar. Startled, Nazira and the others heard a distant screech, then turned and saw an absolutely gargantuan bird - a roc. A humanoid figure was riding on its back, and it was in the process of turning away.

 

“Looks like a scout!” Gaula shouted. “Can you catch it?”

 

Lham shook her head. “Too fast! If it comes back, I’ll keep it off your back!”

 

They kept flying, and after another half hour, they spotted an armored dreadnought made of metal and bone plowing through the fog and waves, driven by banks of bonelike oars. Flames leapt from a brazier mounted to the mainmast, and the ragged sails appeared to be made of worn leather. A Giant’s skeleton clutching a halberd was lashed to the bow. Several figures were visible on the deck. A massive bird nest was nestled at the back of the main deck.

 

As they got closer, then Giant skeleton suddenly fired a bolt of lightning, but Lham absorbed the hit without issue. She retaliated by exhaling her own lightning bolt, not at the skeleton, but at the brazier on the mainmast, destroying it. As the dragon dove, those on deck fled below, and Lham dropped off her passengers. No sooner had she taken to the air than the roc returned, slamming itself into her. A moment later, five ghastly creatures appeared on the deck. Each one had glowing yellow eyes and looked like it was wearing a crown.

 

Sharai was the first to leap into action, casting Dissonant Whispers on the first wraith and sending it fleeing in fear. Gromak’s staff glowed, and four Fey creatures appeared - two Quicklings and two Faerie Pests. All four attacked the second wraith, stabbing from below and slashing from above. Gaula held out her left hand, and the weapon that appeared was unlike any Nazira had ever seen. It was clearly a warhammer, but the handle ended in a metal loop, inside of which was a head made of pure light. Charging forward, she destroyed the second wraith with a single hit, then slammed the weapon into the third wraith’s head.

 

“That is an awesome hammer!” Titan shouted as he caught up with the Aasimar. He slammed his maul into the third wraith’s head, killing it.

 

Nazira cast Divine Favor, then slashed at the fourth wraith with Concluder, cutting through its wispy form. Turning back, the first wraith attacked Sharai, who dodged its touch. The fourth attacked Nazira, draining her, and the fifth attacked Titan, who avoided its touch. Instead of attacking again, Sharai dove overboard, then transformed into a fifty-foot mosasaurus and rammed the ship with her head. As if in response, the skeleton of an ankylosaurus charged up from below, followed by ten Half-Orcs - two women in plate armor and eight men in hide armor.

 

“Destroy the heretics!” One of the Half-Orc women shouted, raising a maul over her head.

 

While Gromak transformed into a deinonychus, his Fey swarmed the newcomers, slashing and stabbing the first Half-Orc man to death before moving onto the second. Instead of attacking with her hammer, Gaula cast Scatter, forcibly teleporting the second Half-Orc woman, two Half-Orc men, and the ankylosaurus skeleton into the water. While Titan bludgeoned the fifth wraith with his Blinding Maul, the lead Half-Orc woman cast Divine Favor, then charged forward and swung her own maul, denting Nazira’s Mariner’s Plate armor. She cast Shining Smite, then struck back, cutting into the War Priest’s abdomen and causing her body to glow.

 

In the water, the second Half-Orc woman - a Blackguard - saw Sharai and immediately began swimming towards the ship, but her armor slowed her down. On the deck, the first wraith attacked Gaula while the fourth and fifth attacked Nazira and Titan. While the skeletal ankylosaurus rapidly sank, the Half-Orc men in the water swam for the ship, and those on deck cast spells. Five bolts of lightning criss-crossed the deck, hitting the Raven’s Flame repeatedly and forcing Gromak out of Wild Shape while also hitting the wraiths, two of which were destroyed.

 

In the water, Sharai swam for the Half-Orc Blackguard, who screamed as the horned mosasaurus’ jaws closed around her. While Gromak healed Titan, his Fey attacked the last wraith, destroying it outright. A pair of gold-feathered wings appeared on Gaula’s back, and she flew over to the railing and fired three Eldritch Blasts down at the Half-Orc men climbing the ladder, hitting the both and knocking them back down into the water. A few feet away, Titan threw his Javelin of Lightning and Thunder, which transformed into a bolt of lightning and shot through the fifth and sixth Half-Orc men before hitting the eighth. Charging forward, the Barbarian brought his maul down on the deck, unleashing a flash of light that blinded the second and fifth Half-Orcs.

 

The Half-Orc War Priest cast Mass Cure Wounds, only for Gaula to stop her with Counterspell. Nazira pressed the attack, casting Freezing Smite before slashing at gaps in her armor. Inside of Sharai, the Blackguard cast Shining Smite, then tried to slash with her glaive, but the cramped space made it difficult to bring such a long weapon to bear. While the third and fourth Half-Orc anchorites cast Lightning Bolts up at Gaula, the blinded pair stumbled back, and the others attacked Gromak’s Fey with their clawed gauntlets, wounding one of the Faerie Pests.

 

Sharai swam down, then burst up out of the water and closed her jaws around the fourth anchorite, crushing his skull and killing him instantly. Moving to a better angle, Gromak cast Cone of Cold, blasting all six Half-Orcs on the deck while narrowly avoiding Nazira and his Fey. The Fey turned their attention to the anchorites, cutting down all five of them. Flying down over the railing, Gaula hit the last anchorite with her hammer, then cast Banishing Smite and attacked again, hitting with enough force to break his neck.

 

At that moment, the Giant skeleton broke free of its bindings and climbed up onto the deck. Charging towards the fighting, it swung its massive halberd, hitting Nazira with enough force to puncture her armor. Titan immediately attacked the skeletal Giant, which dodged his maul in a surprising display of dexterity. The Half-Orc War Priest cast Healing Word on herself, then hit Nazira with her maul, hitting hard enough that only the Paladin’s Orc endurance kept her conscious. While Nazira healed herself, the Blackguard cast Divine Favor, then managed to stab Sharai’s insides with her glaive, causing the transformed Tiefling to glow as she regurgitated the Half-Orc. The Blackguard immediately attacked again, then turned and swam for the ship.

 

Lunging forward, Sharai closed her jaws around the Blackguard, then let go, leaving her to bleed in the water. Moving up, Gromak cast Blight on the War Priest, who winced in pain. The Fey attacked the Giant skeleton, with the Faerie Pests slashing at its head and the Quicklings stabbing its ankles. While Gaula healed herself, the huge skeleton swung its halberd, carving into Titan’s metal skin. Titan immediately struck back, shattering its legs and causing it to collapse.

 

“You are all idiots!” The Half-Orc War Priest exclaimed, her voice cracking mid-sentence as she healed herself. “We are chosen by Talos himself, and we will asce-”

 

She was cut off by Concluder, which cut into her right shoulder and hip.

 

“I am so fucking tired of cults!” Nazira shouted.

 

In spite of her heavy armor, the Half-Orc Blackguard managed to reach the dreadnought and start climbing the ladder, only for Sharai to launch herself out of the water and bite down, pulling the Blackguard under and swallowing her. Gromak cast Blight again, and the War Priest dropped to her knees before falling on her face.

 

Once the Blackguard had succumbed to Sharai’s stomach acid, she intentionally regurgitated the body, then turned back into herself and climbed up the ladder to the deck. Looking up, they saw that Lhammaruntosz had defeated the roc and its rider and was circling overhead.

 

“What now?” Nazira asked, looking to Gaula as she landed nearby.

 

“We destroy the ship.” Gaula replied, downing a healing potion. “Unless you’d rather loot first.”

 

“Always.” Titan said.

 

She nodded. “Then loot fast.”

 

Heading below deck, they entered the room at the front of the lower deck and found a chart room. The ceilings were only around six feet high, forcing Titan and Nazira to duck their heads. Heading towards the back of the ship, they passed a row of lockers and entered what were clearly the captain’s quarters.

 

“We should just take the damn ship.” Titan remarked.

 

As if in response, the ship’s hull groaned.

 

“Or maybe not.” He muttered.

 

Searching the cabin, they found a number of historical tomes that Sharai recognized as valuable and began shoving into the Bag of Holding she’d borrowed from Tam. Nazira found a liquor cabinet containing ten bottles of rare spirits and started putting them in the magic bag as well. They also found a spell scroll for Chain Lightning and a chest containing one hundred Platinum and five hundred Gold. Eight skeletons suddenly burst in the room wielding shortswords, only to be cut down with little difficulty.

 

Heading down to the oar deck, the party found the floor littered with a layer of humanoid bones that was around a foot deep. They were immediately beset by over two dozen skeletons, but they killed that group as well, losing only Gromak’s Fey in the fight. Heading towards the front, they stepped through a damaged door and found a cabin containing little more than a bed and a desk. Searching the drawers, they found a potion of invulnerability, which Nazira pocketed.

 

After searching the magazine and crew quarters, they made their way down to the hold, they found nothing of value in the galley or medical cabin, then moved on to the bow of the ship. Inside, they found the corpse of a knight in plate armor slumped on a throne at the rear of the compartment. The body was surrounded by treasures, including hundreds of Platinum and a number of expensive-looking gems. While the others were looting, Nazira approached the corpse.

 

“Why have you come?”

 

The raspy voice made all five of them jump, and Titan winced as he hit his head on the ceiling.

 

“To ensure that the attack on Laiken is not repeated.” Nazira replied, realizing the voice had come from the body.

 

“Then you have succeeded.”

 

She tilted her head to the right. “Is that so?”

 

“Her conquests are not mine.” The corpse rasped.

 

“Would you allow us to rest for a short time before we depart?” Sharai asked.

 

“I don’t have any problem with that.”

 

They went up to the deck to rest, during which time Gromak spotted a pair of huge sea turtles called archelons swimming near the surface.

 

An hour later, they climbed onto Lham’s back, and she began the journey back to Laiken. After about twenty minutes, the bronze dragon suddenly turned to fly southeast.

 

“What’s wrong?!” Gaula shouted.

 

“Dragons north!” Lham replied.

 

Turning, they saw two absolutely massive dragons to the north - one red and one blue. They were also heading southeast.

 

“Klauth and Iymrith.” Lham explained. “Two of the six dragons I’ve ever known to mate outside their own color, which is why it’s a shame these two are absolute monsters. I know I’m not a match for either of them, so I keep my distance.”

 

“Any other dragons we should know about?” Gromak inquired.

 

“Not around Laiken.” Lham replied. “Not recently or regularly, anyway.”

 

“What about in the past? Or irregularly?”

 

“A dracolich called Oracs used to live in this really old keep in the mountains to the southeast, but he hadn’t been seen in decades.” She snorted. “Funnily enough, before him, there was another dracolich named Ebondeath. There’s a green dragon named Claug…Clog…Claugh…”

 

“Claugiyliamatar?” Sharai asked.

 

“That’s the one!” Lham exclaimed. “She doesn’t really have a permanent lair, so sometimes she uses that cave for a few weeks and then moves on. One time a blightscale dragon showed up in a village farther east, and I was the one to hunt him down so he wouldn’t spread his pestilence.”

 

“We’ve encountered a blightscale before!” Nazira shouted.

 

Lham nodded. “I pity them, but it’s not like there’s a consistent way to cure them. Let me see…oh! About eighty years ago, there was a team of Shadar-kai dragon riders who rode their shadow dragons through Laiken on their way to some big meeting farther north. One of those dragons claimed to be related to Karketh the Sable Despoiler, but even now, I’m not sure I believe her. Every now and then I hear stories about dragon turtles attacking ships, but I’ve never actually encountered one.”

 

“Did you hear about the Yamata no Orochi that attacked Honey Harbor during Lolth’s incursion?” Sharai asked loudly.

 

The huge bronze dragon suddenly beat her wings, bringing herself to a hover.

 

“The eight-headed serpent?” She asked incredulously. “The one dragon that may actually be stronger than Tiamat?”

 

“Yeah!” Sharai exclaimed. “I didn’t actually see it, but I met the team that killed it. They said it was the toughest fight of their lives.”

 

“I bet.” Lham chuckled. “Any other dragons I should know about?”

 

Nazira shrugged. “Well, I haven’t met him myself, but I know a Paladin and Druid who apparently have a good relationship with Akuthrem the Majestic.”

 

“Ah, I know Akuthrem. One of Eilistraee’s.”

 

With that, Lhammaruntosz leaned forward into a dive, rapidly gaining momentum before pulling up around 150 feet above the sea. She stayed at that height as they continued on, and before long they saw buildings on the horizon.

Chapter 3

Three weeks later, the sun had just finished setting as Ser Nazira the Righteous stood in a waiting area beneath the Crystal Bay Arena. She was joined by Tam, Gromak, Sharai, Hurushi, Qirona, Baldir, and Titan. They had been given a minute to prepare for the coming fight, and Gromak and Qirona spent that time conjuring a grotesque, hunchbacked Annis Hag and reanimating half a dozen piles of bones respectively. During that time, Baldir cast Death Ward on himself, then reached over and cast Holy Weapon on Hurushi’s katana. The Druid and Necromancer had just finished their spells when the gate in front of them opened.

 

“From Maple Ridge, please welcome the heroes of the War for Drusoth, the Raven’s Flame!” A boisterous Minotaur woman announced.

 

The team entered the arena to applause from the crowd.

 

“Facing them, all the way from the continent of Svallengos, please welcome the Feral Foxes!”

 

The gate on the far side of the arena opened, and the opposing team walked out. They were led by Eraseth, a black Dragonborn man in plate armor who appeared to have control over an undead Frost Giant. Next was Sari, a light brown-skinned Halfling woman in studded leather who was followed closely by a hamatula, also known as a barbed devil. Arelo was a bald Goliath man in studded leather, Mithzori was a red-skinned Tiefling woman in fur-lined robes, Tandri was a brown-haired Rock Gnome woman in a maroon shirt and pants, Elren was a dark-skinned Wood Elf man in a breastplate, Rasami was an Orc woman who wore plain clothes made of animal hide, and Bronlen was a redheaded Mountain Dwarf man in half plate armor.

 

As the two groups sized each other up, both sides drew weapons. Bronlen drew a battleaxe and longsword, Arelo readied a longbow, Rasami drew a greatsword with an ice-colored blade, Tandri and Elren raised light crossbows, a flaming rapier appeared in Sari’s right hand, and Eraseth gripped a warhammer, the head of which burst into flame. In contrast to what was obviously a Flame Tongue Warhammer, Sari’s weapon was engulfed in white flame.

 

“Remember, no holding back!” The Minotaur called out. “Ready? Begin!”

 

Eraseth, Rasami, and Bronlen charged forward, followed by the barbed devil and zombified Frost Giant. Nazira, Titan, and Hurushi charged to meet them, followed closely by the Annis Hag. Rasami was the first to engage, swinging her greatsword at Hurushi but failing to do more than graze him. Keeping his distance, Arelo magically marked Gromak, then sent two arrows flying through the air. Gromak blocked the first with his shield, but the second burst into flames before hitting his right thigh.

 

Sharai muttered an incantation, and a storm cloud appeared overhead. A bolt of lightning struck the ground, shocking Elren and Tandri. Moving up, Tam targeted Bronlen with her Evil Eye, then fired her Lycan Hand Crossbow, hitting his unarmored left leg. Sari pointed with her rapier and muttered the incantation for Circle of Death, and when Qirona cast Counterspell, Mithxori did the same. Negative energy rippled out from a point above the Raven’s Flame, hitting Sharai, Tam, Baldir, Gromak, Qirona, and all six skeletons, five of which were destroyed outright. At the same time, the barbed devil hurled two balls of flame, one of which hit the Annis Hag.

 

Multicolored lights shimmered around Titan as he swung his glowing maul, getting past Eraseth’s shield and denting his armor. He swung again, and when the weapon made contact, it emitted a bright flash of light, blinding the Dragonborn. A few feet away, Nazira cast Blinding Smite, then slashed at Bronlen with her Blackbone Longsword. The Dwarf dodged both attacks, then struck back, and Nazira could just make out the symbol of House Blackbone embossed in the blade of his axe before he buried it in her hip. He attacked six more times, hitting twice more with his axe and once with his longsword, the latter of which made her wince due to the acid coating its blade.

 

Moving closer, Gromak cast Blight on Rasami, who winced as the spell drained her. At the same time, the Annis Hag struck back at the devil, scratching with her claws and following up with a bite. Eraseth used Lesser Restoration to end his blindness, then swung his flaming hammer, hitting Titan in the head. Instead of swinging again, the Dragonborn Paladin exhaled a cone of acid, hitting both Titan and Hurushi. Lumbering forward, the undead Frost Giant destroyed Qirona’s last skeleton with a swing of its axe, then swung up at Qirona herself, forcing her to perform an awkward aerial dodge.

 

Taking a knee, Tandri took a moment to examine Baldir’s movements, then fired her crossbow, only for the bolt to bounce off his armor. Hurushi’s katana was still giving off a golden glow, and after focusing his mind, he swung it with both hands, opening five cuts in Rasami’s unarmored torso. Above and behind him, Qirona’s eyes rolled back.

 

“Armanite.” She muttered.

 

A portal opened, and a Centaur-like demon with a sharp, blade-like tail charged through. At her direction, it hurled a bolt of lightning that hit the Frost Giant Zombie, Tandri, and Elren. Elren cast Shield of Faith on himself, then cast Starry Wisp, hitting Sharai with a mote of light and causing her to lose concentration on her spell. Without speaking or moving her hands, Mithxori cast Disintegrate, and Qirona narrowly avoided the deadly green ray. A pitch black wolf appeared near the center of the arena and immediately charged forward, biting into Baldir’s shoulder. He retaliated by casting Inflict Wounds, but no blood sprayed out of the wounds he caused.

 

Rasami adjusted her stance, then slashed at Hurushi again, getting past his guard and cutting into his abdomen. Behind her, Arelo fired two more arrows, hitting Gromak’s right arm before an invisible barrier stopped the second arrow. With her storm cloud gone, Sharai cast Polymorph, transforming into a giganotosaurus and letting out a mighty roar. Tam fired her crossbow again, hitting Bronlen under his left arm.

 

Sprinting forward as fast as her short legs could carry her, Sari attacked Tam. Tam dodged the Halfling’s first thrust, but the second caught her in the leg, and the third hit her belly. Tam winced as the blade pierced her body, then cried out as the white-hot flames burned her. At the same time, the barbed devil continued attacking the Annis Hag, using a combination of claws and spiked tail. Titan hit Eraseth, who retaliated by casting Hellish Rebuke. Nazira cast Divine Favor, then slashed at Bronlen, blinding him with a flash of light. Gritting his teeth, he struck back with his axe, managing to hit her left hip.

 

While Gromak healed himself, his Hag continued attacking the barbed devil with her claws and bite. Eraseth healed himself a bite, then swung his hammer again, only for Titan to dodge both attacks. At his direction, the Frost Giant zombie closed with the armanite and swung its axe, carving into the demon’s durable hide. Staying where she was, Tandri fired her crossbow again, hitting Qirona in the side and making her cry out. Ignoring his throbbing wounds, Hurushi slashed at Rasami again, cutting into her chest with his glowing blade.

 

In the air, Qirona hurled a Fireball, then countered Mithxori’s Counterspell, allowing the spell to burn Mithxori, Elren, and Arelo. Rearing up, the armanite struck back at the undead Frost Giant, using its hooves, serrated tail, and claws to weaken the zombie. Elren muttered an incantation, and a column of brilliant fire roared down from above, burning Titan and Nazira. Nazira wavered, saved only by her innate endurance. Mithxori cast Blight on Qirona from beyond its usual range, transmuting the necrotic energy into pure flame in the process. Qirona dropped, leaving her demon uncontrolled. The Hound of Ill Omen continued attacking Baldir, who healed Qirona before retaliating with Toll the Dead, causing the hound to vanish.

 

Gritting her teeth, Rasami renewed her assault on Hurushi, cutting into the right side of his torso. Instead of attacking Gromak again, Arelo cast Dispel Magic, and the Annis Hag vanished. Stomping forward, Sharai swung her tail at the barbed devil and missed, scratched Bronlen, and picked him up in her mouth. Moving away from Sari, Tam fired a third bolt at Bronlen, who lost consciousness in Sharai’s jaws. Instead of pursuing the Changeling Rogue, Sari turned her attention to Titan, landing two burning stabs on the Barbarian’s back.

 

With its opponent gone, the barbed devil hurled two balls of flame, hitting Sharai in the side with the second. Titan turned and swung his maul, catching Sari in the shoulder and blinding her with a flash of light. He immediately attacked again, breaking two of her ribs. While Nazira healed herself, Gromak’s staff glowed, and six Fey creatures appeared - four Sprites and two armed Satyrs. While the Satyrs kept their distance and fired their shortbows, the Sprites flew in close and stabbed at its head with their needle swords.

 

Eraseth’s hammer started to glow as he swung it at Titan, denting his metal back and making him glow. The Frost Giant zombie swung its axe again, carving into the armanite’s horse-like lower half. Turning her attention to Baldir, Tandri fired another bolt, only for it to bounce harmlessly off his armor. Hurushi focused his mind, then attacked Rasami again. She dodged the first slash, but the second cut into her right arm, and the third into her left leg, which nearly buckled.

 

Picking herself up, Qirona cast Enervation, sending out an inky black tendril that wrapped around Elren and drained his life force to heal her. The wounded armanite struck back at the undead Frost Giant, taking the zombie’s head off with its tail. While Elren healed himself, Mithxori cast Blight on Hurushi, who winced as the spell drained his vitality. Baldir cast Mass Cure Wounds, healing himself, Hurushi, Qirona, Titan, Nazira, and Tam.

 

In spite of her severe wounds, Rasami continued attacking Hurushi, slashing recklessly and cutting into his abdomen. Arelo sent two more arrows flying through the air, hitting Gromak’s shoulder and chest. Dropping Bronlen, Sharai broke the barbed devil’s neck with a powerful swing of her tail, then scratched Sari and picked her up in her jaws. Tam moved her Evil Eye to Tandri, then fired her crossbow, only for the Gnome to dodge the bolt. Cursing, she quickly reloaded, then fired again. Tandri twisted her body, causing the bolt to hit her left arm instead of her chest.

 

Turning back to Eraseth, Titan swung his maul, only for the Paladin to block both attacks with his shield. As soon as her vision returned, Sari vanished from Sharai’s mouth, leaving behind a shockwave that made the Bard roar in pain. Nazira cast Shining Smite as she attacked Eraseth, cutting into his back and making him glow. In retaliation, he burned her with Hellish Rebuke. While Gromak healed himself, his Sprites and Satyrs attacked Arelo, stabbing and shooting him respectively.

 

Eraseth cast Searing Smite, and the flames engulfing his hammer’s head intensified as he swung it at Titan, who managed to dodge both attacks. Retreating towards Elren, Tandri took a moment to study Tam’s movements, then fired her crossbow, but Tam twisted ehr body, causing the bolt to hit her shoulder instead of her head. Feeling his second wind hit, Hurushi slashed at Rasami again, cutting her down with a swing of his katana. He then turned his attention to Arelo, getting past his guard and cutting into his belly.

 

Taking to the air, Qirona used her tendril to draw more life force from Elren, who winced in pain. While the armanite hit Gromak’s Satyrs with a bolt of lightning, Elren cast Mass Cure Wounds, healing Bronlen, Rasami, Sari, Arelo, Tandri, and Eraseth. Tam invoked the Curse of the Plagued, reducing the amount of divine energy that reached Tandri. Transforming into a giant gorilla, Mithxori charged forward and attacked Sharai, dazing her with a punch to the head before missing with her follow-up punch. At the same time, Baldir hurled a bolt of light that hit Elren square in the chest.

 

Picking herself up, Rasami turned her attention to Titan, carving into the glowing Warforged with her Frost Brand Greatsword. Drawing his scimitars, Arelo cast Hunter’s Mark on Hurushi, then attacked, cutting into his chest. Sharai broke the armanite’s neck with a swing of her tail, then attacked Mithxori. The transformed Sorceress dodged the bite, only for the claws to catch her in the face.

 

Sari muttered an incantation, and spirits of the dead began flitting around her. Moving towards Hurushi, she drove her rapier deep into his back, and he yelled in pain as he nearly lost consciousness. She stabbed him again, and he collapsed. Raising his Blinding Maul over his head, Titan slammed it into the ground, unleashing a flash of light that blinded both Rasami and Eraseth. Grinning, he slammed his maul into Eraseth’s chest. Nazira cast Freezing Smite, coating her blade with frost as she also attacked Eraseth, cutting into his lower back.

 

Picking himself up, Bronlen activated his battleaxe and attacked the Sprites, killing one and wounding another. A shard of ice appeared between Gromak’s hands, and he flung it at Arelo. The shard hit the Goliath in the side and exploded, spraying him, Sari, Bronlen, and the Sprites, killing one of them. While the Sprites continued attacking Arelo, the Satyrs fired their shortbows at Elren, hitting his left hip. Eraseth ended his blindness, then swung his warhammer, hitting Nazira’s right shoulder and hip. Drawing a scimitar, Tandri closed with Tam and slashed at her, cutting into both of her legs. Qirona drained Elren again, and while he healed himself, Mithxori delivered two more punches to Sharai’s horned head, and Baldir hit Elren with another Guiding Bolt.

 

Arelo cut both remaining Sprites out of the air, then moved his Hunter’s Mark back to Gromak. While Sharai scratched Mithxori’s chest and bit her neck, Tam drew and activated her Blackbone Shortsword, then drove the blade deep into Tandri’s gut. Moving away from Hurushi, Sari took Nazira down with a stab to the back, then took Titan down with a stab to each leg. As soon as her vision returned, Rasami slashed down at Titan, who went limp.

 

Activating his longsword, Bronlen turned his attention to the Satyrs, who nimbly dodged all three of his attacks. Gromak healed Nazira, then hit Elren with a Starry Wisp. Swapping their bows for shortswords, the Satyrs stabbed Bronlen from both sides. While Eraseth killed the Satyrs with a single blow each, Tandri slashed up at Tam, cutting into her belly and causing her to collapse. Dropping her spell, Qirona cast Blight, and Elren nearly collapsed, only to be saved by his Death Ward. He cast Cure Wounds, only for her to stop him with Counterspell, earning her a glare. Mithxori punched Sharai out of her beast form, and Baldir cast Mass Cure Wounds, healing himself, Sharai, Hurushi, Nazira, Tam, and Gromak.

 

Rasami turned her attention to Baldir, who blocked her blade with his shield. Switching back to his longbow, Arelo fired at Gromak, hitting him twice in the gut. Sharai cast Synaptic Static between Elren and Arelo, causing the Cleric to collapse. Picking herself up, Tam cursed Tandri again, then shot her in the back. Sari joined Rasami in attacking Baldir, stabbing him in the back before he blocked her second attack, then stabbing him again.

 

Picking herself up, Nazira drew Concluder, cast Divine Favor, and attacked Tandri, cutting her down where she stood. Despite being badly wounded, Bronlen attacked Hurushi, burying his axe in the Samurai’s leg. Gromak’s staff glowed, and four beasts appeared around him - two Gith-sized deinonychus and two larger panther-like moorbounders. The deinonychus charged towards Arelo, who succumbed to a bite and scratch, then they moved on to Mithxori, biting and scratching at her legs. The moorbounders moved with impressive speed as they closed with Eraseth, attacking him with their claws to little avail.

 

Eraseth healed himself, then swung his hammer, killing the second moorbounder with two blows to the head. Despite barely being able to stand, Hurushi struck back at Bronlen, cutting the Dwarf down with his katana and wakizashi. Pulling out a diamond, Qirona cast Chromatic Orb, narrowly missing Rasami. While Mithxori killed the first deinonychus with two mighty punches, Baldir grabbed Rasami and cast Inflict Wounds, only for the Orc Barbarian to pull away before the spell could take hold.

 

Rasami immediately struck back, cutting into the Hill Dwarf with two swings of her sword. He lost concentration on his spell, with only his Death Ward keeping him up. Deciding to gamble, Sharai sat Chaos Bolt, hitting Mithxori with a bolt of psychic energy. Tam moved her Evil Eye to Mithxori, taking advantage of the ape form’s limitations, then she fired her crossbow, hitting the Sorceress in the back.

 

Moving away from Baldir, Sari turned her attention to Nazira, landing two hits on her lower back. Yelling in pain, Nazira lashed out with her own sword, cutting into the Halfling Warlock’s shoulder. She called on the Raven Queen for protection, and a shimmering field of energy surrounded her as she attacked again, cutting into Sari’s right arm and leg. Gromak cast Healing Word on Baldir, then hit Mithxori with a mote of light, forcing her out of her ape form. Breaking away from Mithxori, the surviving deinonychus joined the moorbounder in attacking Eraseth, biting and scratching him from both sides.

 

A pair of wings suddenly sprouted from Eraseth’s back, and he took to the air to attack Qirona, who stopped his hammer by casting Shield. Moving away from Bronlen, Hurushi retreated towards Gromak and fired his yumi, hitting Eraseth in the side. Qirona used Misty Step to distance herself from the Dragonborn Oathbreaker, then cast Mind Sliver, causing him to fall out of the air. Mithxori cast Synaptic Static, then countered Sharai’s Counterspell, setting off an explosion of psychic energy between Gromak and Hurushi, the latter of whom collapsed. Picking himself up, Baldir rushed over and healed the Half-Orc Samurai.

 

“Alright, alright!” Rasami shouted, seeing that all of her team’s healers were down. “We give up!”

 

The Raven’s Flame planned their return trip to reach Maple Ridge by midday, but heavy rain and muddy roads delayed them, and it was already evening when they arrived at the home Nazira and Tam shared with Hurushi and Qirona. They headed down to the basement, where a steel cage with silver-lined bars stood on the far side of the main room. Nazira helped Baldir remove his armor, then he undressed to his undershirt and shorts before stepping into the cage. He, Gromak, and Nazira played three-dragon ante while they waited, and within half an hour, Titan sprinted down the stairs.

 

“Moon’s coming up!” He shouted before he was even in sight.

 

Gromak and Nazira scrambled to their feet. After a tense three minutes, Baldir grunted, then growled as hair began sprouting from his body. Rushing forward, Gromak cast Resistance on the Hill Dwarf, then retreated just as quickly.

 

No sooner had Baldir finished transforming than he charged towards the cage bars and tried to force his way out, only to recoil in pain on contact with the silver. Nazira cautiously approached the cage, getting just close enough for her protective aura to envelope him. Qirona snapped her fingers, and the undead raven that served as her familiar appeared on her shoulder. Squawking, it flew into the cage and landed on Baldir’s shoulder, allowing her to cast Remove Curse through it.

 

Throwing his head back, Baldir let out a pained howl as the transformation began to reverse itself. When it was finally over, he dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. Tam unlocked the door, allowing Gromak and Sharai to enter the cage and cast Greater Restoration on Baldir.

 

“How do you feel?” Nazira asked.

 

“Better.” Baldir panted, picking himself up. “Thank you.”

 

Later that night, Qirona was laying on Hurushi’s chest trying to catch her breath when they heard raised voices coming through the walls. Curious, Qirona slowly approached the wall, and Hurushi did the same. They couldn’t make out what Nazira and Tam were saying, but it was clear they were in disagreement. Deciding not to get involved without knowing more, Qirona returned to the bed.

Chapter 4

Two nights later, the eight of them left the Maple Ridge theatre and started walking back to the house.

 

“I think it started a little slow, but once it got going, I was really into it.” Tam was saying.

 

“I just love the chase.” Hurushi said. “Pretty ironic that they had to work together to stop the carriage from crashing.”

 

“That’s not ironic, just situational humor.” Tam pointed out. “What’s ironic is the fact that they rode past a couple’s therapist and a place advertising team building activities.”

 

He furrowed his brow. “Wait, then what’s satire?”

 

“No one really knows.”

 

“Help me!”

 

The words were shouted by an unseen individual to the north, and they all turned in that direction.

 

“I know that voice.” Titan muttered, activating his maul as he moved towards the sound.

 

Sighing, Nazira moved to follow him, and the others did the same. Rounding a corner, they saw a bald Human man in plate armor being cornered by two armed figures in chainmail and three unarmed figures. The armed attackers blocked the Human man’s greatsword attacks with their shields, then swung their maces, bashing his head in.

 

“Hey!” Hurushi barked.

 

The five figures turned, revealing the unarmed trio to be zombies and the armed duo to be Hobgoblin men. Both men wore amulets bearing a white Human skull - the symbol of Myrkul.

 

“Get them!” One of the Hobgoblins shouted, pointing his mace at them.

 

The zombies lurched forward, but they’d barely taken three steps when Qirona used her new staff to cast a spell from a new type of magic she’d spent two weeks researching - Dunamancy. She cast Gravity Sinkhole at a point between the five attackers, and a powerful force suddenly pulled them all towards that point, with the second Hobgoblin being the only one to resist. Drawing her familial longsword, Nazira closed with the second Hobgoblin and attacked, cutting through his tan clothes and chainmail. Tam cursed the first Hobgoblin, then fired her crossbow. He blocked the bolt with his shield, so she reloaded and fired again, hitting his eye and killing him.

 

Having left his six-and-a-half-foot tall bow at the house, Hurushi drew his swords and attacked the first zombie, which proved surprisingly resilient as he cut into its body. Sharai cast Heat Metal on the second Hobgoblin, burning him with his own armor. Gritting his teeth, the Hobgoblin cast Healing Word on himself, then swung his mace at Nazira, who blocked both attacks with her shield. The zombies swarmed Hurushi, scratching and bludgeoning him with their rotting hands. Baldir hit the second zombie with a bolt of light that made it glow, so Gromak made it the target of his Starry Wisp, which missed. Titan charged forward, and when he stopped, shadowy tendrils lashed out from his body, battering the Hobgoblin and zombies. He then swung his glowing maul, snapping the second zombie’s neck.

 

Taking to the air, Qirona set off a Fireball behind the Hobgoblin and zombies, burning them and only them. The Hobgoblin collapsed, dead. Nazira cut down the third zombie, and Tam finished off the first with a headshot.

 

The Raven’s Flame could hear shouting all around them as the zombies fell, and they saw large winged creatures diving at unseen prey. Gromak spent a minute casting Conjure Elemental, and an invisible stalker appeared above him. As they ran, Baldir put a hand on Hurushi’s back and healed him, then cast Death Ward on himself. Reaching a small plaza, they saw winged drakes diving at people and snatching them up while pitch black ghasts with strangely long tongues attacked from the ground. Nazira quickly pulled a stone out of her pocket.

 

“Maple Ridge under attack.” She said. “Sky drakes and ghasts.”

 

“Look!” Titan pointed to four armored figures who were strolling through the chaos, seemingly unfazed - two Humans, an Orc, and a Half-Elf.

 

As the group watched, the Half-Elf directed one of the ghasts to a woman who was hiding under a wagon. Gromak’s nostrils flared, and he transformed into a panther-like moorbounder. Tam targeted the Human woman with her Evil Eye, then shot her in the arm. At Gromak’s direction, the invisible stalker attacked the Orc woman, slamming its entire body into her.

 

Gripping long glaives, the caramel-skinned Half-Elf man and white-skinned Human woman advanced. The Half-Elf cast Blinding Smite, then slashed at Nazira, cutting into her gut and emitting a flash of bright light from his weapon. The Human woman slashed at Tam, cutting three gashes in her chest and hitting with enough force to push her back several feet. A bolt of light shot out from Titan’s chest as he charged forward, slamming his maul into the Half-Elf man’s shoulder and hip.

 

Unable to see Gromak’s elemental, Sharai cast Synaptic Static between the Orc woman and Human man, both of whom grabbed their heads. Hurushi attacked the Human woman, who blocked and parried five of his seven strikes. The gray-skinned Orc woman attacked Hurushi, casting Divine Favor before hitting him with her ovular maul. The tan-skinned Human man healed the Human woman, then cast Flame Strike, only for Qirona to stop him with Counterspell.

 

Despite having failed to avoid the blinding light, Nazira could still see the Half-Elf man. She cast Shining Smite, then slashed at him with her Blackbone Longsword, aiming low and cutting into his legs. He grunted in pain but managed to stay upright. Taking to the air, Qirona fired a deadly green ray that hit the Human man square in the chest and left him winded. Behind and below her, Baldir hurled a bolt of light, hitting the Human woman in the side.

 

Darting forward, Gromak attacked the Orc War Priest, scratching her with his claws. At the same time, Tam fired her crossbow, hitting the Human Blackguard in the ribs. At that moment, half a dozen of the pitch black ghasts charged in, attacking Baldir, Sharai, Tam, Gromak, Nazira, and Hurushi with their claws and teeth. Gromak was forced out of Wild Shape, Tam collapsed, and Hurushi and Sharai found themselves unable to move.

 

At Gromak’s direction, the invisible stalker turned its attention to the first shadowghast, slamming into it at full speed. The Half-Elf Blackguard cast Freezing Smite, then attacked Nazira again, cutting into her through gaps in her adamantine plate. The Human Blackguard turned her attention to Titan, cutting into his back from beyond the reach of his maul. A bolt of light shot out of his back, but it had no effect on her. Titan continued attacking the Half-Elf, denting his armor.

 

Just as Hurushi regained control of his body, the Orc War Priest cast Spiritual Weapon, and a spectral flail appeared above her. She swung it at Hurushi, then followed up with her maul, landing three hits that would have put him on the ground were it not for his natural toughness. The Human War Priest healed himself, then cast Hold Person on Qirona, who again stopped him with Counterspell. Nazira cast Divine Favor, then attacked the Half-Elf again, aiming for his arms. At that moment, one of the eight sky drakes that were overhead dove in, snatched Tam in its claws, and started flying away.

 

“No!” Nazira shouted. “Tam, wake up!”

 

Qirona used her new staff to cast Gravity Sinkhole again, and the other seven sky drakes screeched as an invisible force pulled them in. Running after the first drake, Baldir burned it with Sacred Flame, then cast Healing Word on Tam. Gromak cast Cone of Cold, blasting all seven sky drakes not carrying anyone. Regaining consciousness in the first drake’s claws, Tam wrenched herself free, and Qirona saved her from the consequences of a forty-foot drop with Feather Fall. The shadowghasts continued their ferocious assault, landing bites and scratches on Sharai, Titan, Nazira, and Hurushi. Hurushi collapsed, and Gromak protected himself by casting Shield.

 

At that moment, three projectiles were fired from the second story window of a bakery to the south, and the second sky drake fell out of the sky. While the invisible elemental continued attacking the first ghast, the Half-Elf Blackguard cut Nazira down with two swings of his glaive, then cast Blinding Smite and slashed at Titan, cutting into his chest but failing to blind him. The Human Blackguard continued slashing at him from behind, leaving two gashes in his back. Another bolt of light hit the Human Blackguard as Titan swung his maul at the Half-Elf, breaking his neck. Turning, he attacked the Human Blackguard, breaking three of her ribs.

 

A red-skinned Tiefling man in blue robes burst out the front door of the bakery, gripping a wooden staff. The cobblestone shook, then cracked as a bulky earth elemental burst up out of the ground. While the Tiefling set off a Fireball in the middle of the sky drake swarm, the elemental attacked the second shadowghast, bludgeoning the undead creature with its stone fists. The Orc War Priest cast Mass Cure Wounds, only for the Tiefling to stop her with Counterspell. She then swung her spectral flail, hitting Sharai’s upper back. Rushing over to the fallen Half-Elf, the Human War Priest cast Revivify, bringing him back to life. While most of the sky drakes spread out, the fourth and sixth dove down, snatched Hurushi and Nazira in their claws, and started flying away. The first drake attacked Tam, biting her shoulder before she dodged its claws.

 

“Makhai.” Qirona muttered.

 

A portal appeared, and a two-bodied demon entered the Material Plane.

 

“Kill the ghasts.” She instructed it.

 

The makhai complied, positioning itself between three of the ghasts and spinning so that its jagged scimitars became a whirlwind of blades that carved into all three. At the same time, Baldir cast Mass Cure Wounds, healing Hurushi, Nazira, Sharai, Tam, Titan, and Gromak. Feeling rejuvenated, Gromak cast Cone of Cold again, and the four most badly-wounded drakes fell from the sky.

 

While Tam stabbed the first drake with her Blackbone Shortsword, the first three shadowghasts continued attacking Baldir, Sharai, and Titan. The fourth, fifth, and sixth ghasts converged on the makhai, which was able to defend itself despite being surrounded. In the second floor window, a green-skinned Goblin woman became visible as she fired three bolts from a crossbow, hitting the Human War Priest in the throat and killing him.

 

“GET OUT OF MY TOWN!” The Goblin shrieked.

 

While the invisible stalker ripped the first shadowghast’s head off, the Half-Elf Blackguard got up and healed himself, and the Human Blackguard healed herself as well. A bolt of light from Titan’s chest narrowly missed the Human woman, and he continued to ignore the third ghast as he swung his maul, missing with his first attack but breaking her neck with the second.

 

The Tiefling Mage fired three bursts of arcane energy from his staff, killing the second shadowghast and wounding the third. His elemental turned its attention to the third ghast, which managed to dodge its fists. As Sharai finally regained control of her body, Hurushi broke free of the drake carrying him and fell thirty feet, landing on his left side. Picking himself back up, he started towards his dropped swords. The Orc War Priest cast Healing Word on the Half-Elf Blackguard, then swung her maul at Sharai, who collapsed.

 

Nazira freed herself from her own drake and fell to the ground, but she had barely picked herself up when the drake attacked, biting and scratching at her head and shoulders. While Hurushi’s drake attacked him, the first drake continued attacking Tam. Above them, Qirona cast Blight, and the Orc War Priest gasped as the spell drained her. At the same time, the makhai turned its attention to the sixth shadowghast, cutting into the undead monster with three of its four blades. Baldir cast Spiritual Weapon, conjuring a spectral anvil. He hit the Orc War Priest with it, then followed up with Sacred Flame. She started to fall, only to catch herself.

 

Gromak cast Blight again, and the Half-Elf Blackguard winced in pain. Tam targeted the first sky drake with her Evil Eye, then stabbed it in the gut. While the third shadowghast bit Titan, the others continued attacking the makhai. In her window, the Goblin woman fired three more bolts, killing the first drake and the Half-Elf Blackguard with headshots. The invisible elemental killed the sixth ghast, then the Orc War Priest.

 

At that moment, a gargantuan black skeletal dragon dropped out of the clouds above them and exhaled a spray of acid, hitting Hurushi, Baldir, Nazira, Titan, the earth elemental, the makhai, and one of the shadowghasts. The ghast and makhai were killed, and Hurushi and Nazira collapsed. The dragon picked up Hurushi, Nazira, and Sharai in its claws, then beat its wings and took to the air. To the east, another dragon dove at unseen prey, emerging with two figures in its claws.

 

“Stop that dragon!” Titan shouted, finishing off the closer of the two ghasts.

 

The Tiefling Wizard immediately set off a Fireball above the black dragon, scorching its back. While the earth elemental pummeled the last shadowghast, the last drakes attacked the Tiefling, biting and scratching through his robes. Qirona cast Polymorph on the dragon, but it had no effect. Sprinting after the dragon, Baldir cast Mass Cure Wounds, healing himself, Sharai, Hurushi, Nazira, Titan, and Tam.

 

While Gromak killed the last shadowghast with a Starry Wisp to the head, Tam tried and failed to curse the dragon, then shot the claw holding Nazira. While the Goblin woman killed the last two drakes with three bolts between them, Gromak’s elemental caught up with the dragon and slammed into it from below. Roaring, the dragon ignored its attackers in favor of retreat, gaining considerable distance. Hurushi managed to free himself from its claws, but Nazira and Sharai were unable to do the same, and it knocked them unconscious by swatting them with its tail.

 

“Hurushi!” Qirona shrieked, too far away for Feather Fall.

 

The Half-Orc Samurai landed with a grunt, picking himself up as the Fairy Necromancer landed next to him.

 

“Next time…it’s your turn to get grabbed by a dragon.” He groaned, looking around. “Naz? Sharai?”

 

“I didn’t see them fall.” She said as the others caught up.

 

“Fuck!” Tam shouted.

Chapter 5

Sunrise was only two hours away when the six of them finally returned home. There had been no sign of Sharai or Nazira aside from what they’d dropped when they’d lost consciousness. Upon entering the house, they found a figure sitting on a couch in the living room and immediately drew their weapons. Titan’s maul illuminated the space, revealing the badly-beaten Half-Elf form of Lhammaruntosz.

 

“Laiken was attacked.” She blurted out, clutching a bleeding abdomen. “I’ve never seen so many drakes in one place. They were taking citizens, and when I found Gaula and Myrvan, they were helping.”

 

“Helping the drakes?” Titan asked incredulously.

 

Lham nodded. “I thought maybe it was just the confusion of battle, but when I tried to intervene, they attacked me.”

 

“Gaula and Myrvan attacked you?” Hurushi crossed his arms. “Why would they do that?”

 

“How the fuck should I know that?” She coughed. “I’m sorry, do any of you have any healing spells?”

 

Gromak immediately rushed forward and healed her.

 

“I almost got shot down by ballistae on the way in.” She added. “What happened here?”

 

“We were attacked too.” Tam explained. “Sky drakes, ghasts, armored humanoids. Oh, and two dragons.”

 

“Oh.” Lham sighed as her wounds began to heal. “What color?”

 

“The one that attacked us was black, but it looked like just a skeleton.” Gromak replied. “The only flesh was on the wings.”

 

“The other one was green.” Qirona added. “I got a quick look when it pulled up near some street lamps.”

 

“The black dragon sounds like Oracs.” Lham closed her eyes. “He’s supposed to have left this area a long time ago, but he’s the only black dracolich I know of.”

 

“Didn’t you mention a green dragon named Claugiyliamatar?” Gromak inquired.

 

“Yeah, but she would never be involved with something like this. Unlike some dragons, she actually has a moral code.”

 

“Then it’s just another green dragon.” Qirona said. “Whatever the case, we need to go after them.”

 

“I can barely walk.” Hurushi admitted.

 

“I’ll keep watch.” Titan said. “The rest of you, get some sleep. We’ll head out in the morning.”

 

“And go where?” Lham asked.

 

“That cave you mentioned in the mountains.” Qirona replied.

 

“We have no way of knowing if that’s where they went.” Baldir pointed out.

 

“No, but it’s literally the only lead we have.”

 

Baldir was out as soon as his head hit the pillow, but Tam found herself unable to sleep. She took to pacing the hall, and eventually she heard a door open and turned to see Qirona stepping out of her room.

 

“I can hear you walking back and forth.” She said, rubbing her eyes. “Is the argument you had with Nazira keeping you up, or is it something else?”

 

Tam blinked. “You heard that?”

 

“I couldn’t tell what you were saying, but you were pretty loud.”

 

“Do you actually care, or is this just curiosity?”

 

Qirona sighed. “Mostly I’m just trying to get you to stop pacing and go to bed, but yes, I actually care.”

 

Tam looked around. “Not a word of this to anyone.”

 

Qirona used Minor Illusion to create the image of her sewing her lips shut.

 

Tam took a deep breath. “Naz wants to get married. It’s a whole thing in her family. Problem is, I have no interest in marriage. If we love each other and want to spend our lives together, why do we need stupidly expensive rings and the involvement of a church?”

 

Qirona opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out.

 

“…I don’t know what to tell you.” She finally said. “I see the value in marriage, but I also agree that it’s not always necessary.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Look on the bright side. Once this is over, you’ll be able to finish the conversation.”

 

Tam looked down. “I’m just worried we won’t-”

 

“Nononono.” Qirona cut her off. “Do not finish that thought. I would like to be asleep when the sun comes up, thank you very much. We will get them back, and you will talk to your girlfriend about marriage.”

 

“Alright, alright!” Tam hissed. “I, uh, thanks.”

 

“Yeah.” Qirona turned to go back inside. “Seriously, go the fuck to sleep.”

 

It was the afternoon when Tam finally awakened. To her surprise, she was not the last one to join the others downstairs, as Baldir was still absent. Entering the living room, she found Lham still in her Half-Elf form and Hurushi and Titan showing her a selection of weapons. Gromak was in the kitchen, talking into a Sending Stone.

 

“I take it we won’t be flying, then?” Tam asked.

 

Lham shook her head. “Normally I prefer that, but flying to the lair of a larger, more powerful dragon is suicide.”

 

At that moment, the door to the basement opened, and Titan emerged.

 

“Vehicles are good to go.” He said. “I’ll drive the Scavenger. Hurushi, you want the Tormentor or Devil’s Ride?”

 

“Tormentor.” Hurushi replied.

 

Tam blinked. “How are those any less stealthy than a dragon?”

 

“It’s not.” Qirona replied from the kitchen. “It’s three times faster than walking and much less likely to make a dragon suspicious than flying.”

 

Tam sighed. “I’ll take the Devil’s Ride, then. I’m no stranger to scouting ahead.”

 

“I’ve never had reason to ride in an arcane vehicle before.” Lham remarked, picking up a sheathed greatsword. “This should be interesting.”

 

Once Baldir had joined them, they made their way down to the torch-lit basement, where three arcane vehicles were waiting. The four-person Scavenger still had its grappling claw, but the left and right harpoon launchers had been replaced by a flamethrower and a psychic energy weapon called an infernal screamer respectively. The two-seat Tormentor and single-seat Devil’s Ride were unchanged. As Tam straddled the two-wheeled Ride, Qirona joined Hurushi in the Tormentor, and Baldir and Gromak climbed into the side seats of the Scavenger. Titan quickly showed Lham how to operate the crane arm, then got in the driver’s seat and started the arcane engine. Qirona triggered a rune on the floor, and all three vehicles were instantly transported to the front lawn.

 

They had been driving for just over two hours when all three engines suddenly went dead. Cursing in Undercommon, Tam used her vehicle’s momentum to drive off the dirt road and onto the grass, then looked back and saw Titan and Hurushi doing the same.

 

“I thought you kept them topped off!” She shouted.

 

“I do!” Titan shouted back. “I don’t know what happened!”

 

“Incoming!” Lhammaruntosz called out, pointing to the southwest.

 

Turning, Tam saw three flaming horses with armored riders galloping through the air towards them. All three horses were barding breastplates. Leaping out of her seat, Qirona set off an explosion of necrotic energy, but the horses and their riders were far enough apart that she could only get two of each. Titan tried and failed to start the Scavenger, then activated his maul. At that moment, the horse-like nightmares dove at them, and the Infernal riders attacked Qirona, Hurushi, and Baldir with flaming lances. Qirona put up an invisible barrier to protect herself, but Hurushi took two stabs to the side, and Baldir took three to the chest and gut.

 

Grunting in pain, Hurushi drew his katana and slashed at his attacker, cutting into the Narzugon through four gaps in its spiked plate armor. From her seat, Lham cast Blight on the third nightmare, which reared up and whinnied. Tam marked the first nightmare with her Evil Eye, then shot its left hind leg. Gromak cast Blight, and the first Narzugon yelled in pain. From his seat, Baldir fired the infernal screamer, hitting the third Narzugon at point-blank range.

 

Taking to the air, Qirona used her Staff of Dunamancy to cast Pulse Wave, unleashing a cone of intense pressure that slammed into the first narzugon and nightmare, pushing the mount out from under its rider. Leaving his seat, Titan broke the third nightmare’s neck with his mual, then swung at its rider, but the Narzugon blocked the attack with its shield.

 

Hearing movement, Tam turned just as a fourth narzugon and nightmare burst out of the trees. They bore down on her, and she dodged the nightmare’s hooves, only for the narzugon to attack her with its lance. She twisted her body, taking the lance in her left shoulder instead of her heart. With Qirona out of reach, the first Narzugon climbed back onto its mount, then they both attacked Titan. While the second horse and rider continued attacking Hurushi, the third Narzugon picked itself up and thrust its lance at Baldir, who blocked all three attacks.

 

Feeling his second wind hit, Hurushi slashed at the second nightmare, cutting into its front legs. Leaving her seat, Lham transformed, taking her true draconic form and letting out a mighty roar. Grinning, Tam broke away from her attacker, then shot the first nightmare in the head, killing it. Lunging forward, Lhammaruntosz swung her powerful tail at the first Narzugon, only for the Infernal Paladin to block the attack with its shield. Moving towards Tam, Gromak cast Cone of Cold, blasting the fourth Narzugon and nightmare. While Lham slammed her tail into the first Narzugon, Baldir cast Mass Cure Wounds, healing himself, Titan, Hurushi, and Tam.

 

Qirona sent tendrils of green energy through the air towards the second Narzugon, which recoiled in pain. While the first Narzugon blocked Lham’s tail again, Titan swung his maul at the first Narzugon and missed, then swung again and hit the right side of its head. While it stabbed him in retaliation, the second Narzugon and its nightmare continued attacking Hurushi, landing two deep stabs on his abdomen. The third Narzugon continued attacking Baldir, and the fourth closed with Gromak, who blocked the nightmare’s hooves and all three lance attacks by casting Shield. Focusing his mind, Hurushi struck back at the second Narzugon by cutting its mount out from under it.

 

“Druid, move!” Lham shouted.

 

Drawing her Blackbone Shortsword, Tam attacks the third Narzugon from behind, driving the necrotic-infused blade deep into its lower back. Heeding Lham’s advice, Gromak distanced himself from the fourth horse and rider, allowing the bronze dragon to hit them with her lightning breath, reducing the flaming nightmare to ash and leaving only its bit, bridle, reins, saddle, and stirrups behind. Gromak cast Healing Word on Hurushi, and Baldir cast Cure Wounds on Titan.

 

The runes in Qirona’s staff glowed as she cast Gravity Sinkhole behind the first three Narzugon, but all of them resisted the spell’s pull. Lham promptly broke the second Narzugon’s neck with a swing of her tail, and Titan broke the first Narzugon’s neck with his maul. Instead of attacking, both remaining Narzugon healed themselves. Drawing his wakizashi in his left hand, Hurushi attacked the third Narzugon, hitting once with the shorter blade and twice with his katana. Lunging forward, Lhammaruntosz attacked the same Narzugon from behind, biting its shoulder and scratching its legs. Tam tried and failed to aim her Evil Eye at the fourth Narzugon, then settled for stabbing the third in the ribs. While Gromak healed Hurushi again, Baldir took a moment to heal himself.

 

Pulling out a diamond, Qirona cast Chromatic Orb, and the ball of energy became acidic before hitting the fourth Narzugon in the chest. Closing the circle around the third Narzugon, Titan swung his maul, shattering its spine with his second hit. The last Narzugon turned to run, so Hurushi switched to his yumi and fired three arrows, one of which managed to pierce its armor. Instead of taking to the air, Lham stayed low, chasing the fleeing Fiend on foot. Tam gave chase as well, stopping just long enough to shoot it in the back. Gromak’s staff glowed as he conjured a pair of Quicklings, which easily caught up with the Fiend and stabbed its legs with their daggers. Baldir hurled a glowing bolt of light, hitting the Narzugon’s lower back and making its entire body glow. Qirona immediately fired off another Chromatic Orb, sending a small bolt of lightning through the back of its head.

 

Lham turned back into her Half-Elf form, and once they had made sure no more threats were approaching, they began searching the bodies. Casting Detect Magic, Qirona determined that each nightmare had been controlled by Infernal Tack, which included the stirrups, saddle, reins, bit, and bridle, along with the spurs worn by the Narzugon riders. With Hurushi’s help, she removed the gear and shoved it in her Handy Haversack, reasoning that it would be worth quite a bit. An hour after they had shut down, the arcane engines started working again. They drove well past sundown before making camp. Pulling out some spices he’d brought, Gromak began preparing dinner while Qirona channeled two spells worth of arcane energy into each engine.

Chapter 6

Sharai and Nazira were awakened by the sound of a massive creature feasting on the corpse of a smaller one. From what they’d been able to gather, the green dragon Claugiyliamatar was possessed by the spirit of Ebondeath, and although Ebondeath had been a powerful dracolich, his possession of Claugiyliamatar meant that he still needed to eat in order to fuel her body. Ebondeath had allied himself with another black dracolich named Oracs the Enduring, and the pair were overseeing some sort of necromantic experiments using live subjects.

 

As she turned away from the feasting dragon, Sharai suddenly got an idea. She and Nazira had both been fitted with Magic-Suppression Cuffs, preventing them from using any magic. Unsure if actual prayer was needed, the College of Lore Bard simply closed her eyes and focused on the demon lord they’d briefly crossed paths with in the Abyss.

 

“If you can hear me, Lord Graz’zt, I’d like to make you an offer.” She thought, doing her best to direct her thoughts towards him.

 

“Give voice to your desires, my blue beauty.” A male voice said in her mind.

 

A whimper escaped Sharai’s lips; even across an interplanar connection, the Shadow King’s silky smooth voice was enough to light a fire inside her.

 

“I, uh, would like to discuss the offer you made, but I find myself caged along with a close friend.” She thought, her cheeks burning. “Break us free, and I will be yours for one day.”

 

“Intriguing.” He said. “Make it seven days, and I will see your captors ripped asunder.”

 

Sharai was so caught up in the conversation that she didn’t realize she was sliding her hand down the front of her pants until it was all the way in, at which point she was too worked up to do anything about it.

 

“Four days.” She countered, biting her lip to stay quiet as she teased her own lower lips. “Actually, if you come yourself instead of sending someone else, I’ll make it five days.”

 

“Hmmm…” He was silent for a moment. “Am I correct in thinking that the rest of your friends are likely mounting a rescue?”

 

“Very likely.” She slipped a finger into herself, not caring that Nazira was less than twenty feet away.

 

“Then I will make an appearance once they arrive.” He said. “Tip the scales a bit more in their favor. Is that acceptable?”

 

“Yes!” Sharai gasped out loud.

 

Her eyes widened, and she clamped a hand over her mouth.

 

“Yes.” She thought, already feeling herself nearing the edge.

 

“Then we have a deal.”

 

With that, a wave of ecstasy washed over Sharai, who opened her eyes to see Nazira facing away.

 

“Sorry.” Sharai said, blushing. “Just trying to get us out. Fucking demons…”

 

In the morning, Tam woke up to find Gromak speaking into his Sending Stone.

 

“Who are you calling?” She asked.

 

“My parents.” He explained. “They’ve agreed to help. Should be here shortly.”

 

Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, a Githzerai man and woman appeared just north of their camp. Both had pale yellow skin and yellow eyes and wore Glamoured Studded Leather, but that was where the similarities ended. The woman was about an inch taller and had green-toned skin and dark brown hair with a reddish orange tinge that was tied up in a neat bun. She wore lightweight clothing and carried a light crossbow, two sheathed rapiers, numerous daggers. The man was more visibly athletic and had brown-toned skin and long black hair in braids. A shortbow was slung across his back, two sheathed scimitars hung from his left hip, and a sheathed shortsword hung from his right. Approaching them at his normal walking speed, Gromak gave them each a quick hug.

 

“What’s with the extra swords?” He inquired after pulling back.

 

“You said there would be dragons.” The Githzerai woman replied. “As it happens, we have a friend who works in the armory.”

 

“He was right.” Lham stepped forward. “Full disclosure, I am also a dragon, but I’m on his side.”

 

“My mother, Kanalla.” Gromak said. “My father, Orak.”

 

“Reminds me of the old days.” Orak said once the others had introduced themselves. “What was the name of that Half-Goliath, Half-Dragonborn we ran into in Mallendril? Garmesh?”

 

“Karnesh.” Kanalla replied.

 

“Riiiight.” He nodded. “What an absolute tool.”

 

She snickered. “What an absolute fuckhead.”

 

Thanks to several platforms and railings Titan had installed, the Scavenger could carry four passengers in addition to its crew of four. Once he’d given Gromak’s parents a quick spiel on riding safely, they resumed their journey. The clear skies allowed them to see the mountain ahead, so Lham switched seats with Baldir so she could direct Titan, who led Tam and Hurushi towards their destination. As they neared the base of the mountain, Lham pointed to a small body of water.

 

“There!” She shouted. “The saltwater lake! There’s supposed to be a hole leading down to the mausoleum nearby!”

 

Sure enough, after exiting the vehicles and proceeding on foot, they came upon what appeared to be a wooden latrine in the middle of nowhere. Opening the door, they found a shaft leading down into darkness with a ladder on one wall. Tam pulled her Goggles of Night down over her eyes, then put a dagger between her teeth and began the descent.

 

The 120-foot shaft descended into a worked stone hallway. The tunnel to the west was completely caved in, and the tunnel to the east led to a pair of twelve-foot-tall ebony-colored doors. Titan joined her, then Orak, and as Titan made his maul glow, they heard a voice that seemed to come from nowhere.

 

“Who is dead but cannot die, the Lord of Bones, whose embrace is patient but sure?”

 

“That’s disconcerting.” Kanalla remarked as she reached the bottom of the ladder.

 

On a whim, Orak cast Detect Magic. “Just an illusion.”

 

“Don’t waste your spells.” She chided playfully.

 

Gromak reached the bottom next, followed by Baldir, Qirona, and Hurushi.

 

“Who the fuck is the Lord of Bones?” The Half-Orc Samurai inquired.

 

Baldir shrugged. “Beats me.”

 

Approaching the door, Titan pulled on the handle, but it wouldn’t budge.

 

“Hurushi, gimme a hand.” He requested.

 

Stepping up, Huruhi grabbed the large handle. He and Titan pulled with all their might, but the door held strong. They tried the other door with identical results.

 

“Myrkul.” Lham blurted out. “Myrkul is the Lord of Bones.”

 

The door swung open without making a sound, revealing a chamber filled with bedrolls and a lit brazier. There were two doors on the left wall and one on the right wall. A High Elf man in dark red robes leapt to his feet, as did half a dozen Humans in chain shirts and two Dragonborn women in studded leather - one black and one green. Six gray-skinned ghasts that were crouched in the corner rose to their feet as well. The High Elf man immediately cast Mage Armor on himself.

 

Orak kicked things off by casting Fireball. The High Elf man cast Counterspell, only for Qirona to do the same to him. The spell exploded in the middle of the ghasts, catching one of the armored priests in the blasts as well. Gromak unleashed a blast of cold air, and all but one of the priests collapsed, dead. Instead of charging in, Hurushi fired three arrows, hitting the green Dragonborn’s right hip and grazing the skin under her arm. Kanalla drew one of her rapiers, and green flames engulfed its icy blue blade as she dashed forward with impressive grace. She stabbed the first ghast in the face, and a burst of flame jumped to the second.

 

The Dragonborn pair advanced on the group, spears and shields in hand. The black Dragonborn exhaled a line of acid, and the green Dragonborn exhaled a cone of poison. The former hit Titan and Kanalla, while the latter hit Orak, Hurushi, and Qirona. Kanalla muttered an incantation, drawing some of the acid into her weapon. As Titan advanced, he suddenly vanished, teleporting past the Dragonborn and appearing in front of the High Elf. The Barbarian swung his glowing maul, only for the Mage to dodge both attacks.

 

Keeping her distance, Lhammaruntosz cast Chaos Bolt, killing the second ghast with a bolt of psychic energy. Tam targeted the Mage with her Evil Eye, then raised her right arm and shot him in the side. Gritting his teeth, he cast Circle of Death, setting off a necrotic explosion that hit everyone except Kanalla and Titan. While Baldir cast Death Ward on himself, two of the ghasts attacked Kanalla, and two attacked Titan, using both their claws and teeth. Seeing how badly hurt the remaining priest was, Qirona cast Chill Touch. A ghostly, skeletal hand reached up from the ground and squeezed him until he collapsed, dead.

 

While Orak turned invisible, Gromak killed the second remaining ghast with a mote of light to the head. Hurushi put two arrows in the Necromancer’s gut, and Kanalla stabbed the first ghast, channeling her absorbed acid into the strike. Advancing, the Dragonborn pair attacked Hurushi, stabbing him from both sides. Titan swung his maul, but the Necromancer protected himself by casting Shield. Titan then teleported away, reappearing next to Kanalla. Lham cast Charm Person on the Necromancer, who resisted the spell.

 

Tam fired her crossbow at the High Elf, but the bolt bounced off the invisible barrier around him. He cast Cloudkill, then countered Qirona’s Counterspell, only for Kanalla to counter his. Baldir missed the third ghast with a Guiding Bolt, then it joined the other ghasts in attacking Kanalla, who nimbly evaded them. Gripping her new staff, Qirona cast Gravity Sinkhole between the Dragonborn and High Elf. The Dragonborn resisted its pull, but the Elven Necromancer was crushed by the gravitational force.

 

Orak became visible as he attacked the ghasts with an acid-coated scimitar, decapitating two of them with a single strike each. Gromak moved up and healed Hurushi, who drew his katana and slashed at the green Dragonborn, cutting into her torso through her armor by slicing between the studs. Kanalla cast Green-Flame Blade again, then put her Frost Brand Rapier through the last ghast’s head.

 

Realizing they were alone, the Dragonborn turned and ran, pushing through the door on the south wall. Titan gave chase, using his teleportation to catch up. The room they entered was clearly a wine cellar, but the small, round peg holes on the walls were all that remained of the wine racks. It also contained half a dozen zombies in tattered clothes. Moving his maul to his left hand, he threw two javelins, hitting the green Dragonborn woman with both. Entering the room behind him, Lham cast Blight, and the green Dragonborn fell on her face mid-stride.

 

Running to catch up, Tam crouched down, targeted the black Dragonborn with her Evil Eye, and fired a bolt between Titan’s legs, hitting her lower back. Baldir missed with a Guiding Bolt, and the zombies chose that moment to lurch forward. Five of them attacked Titan, but the other three couldn’t get close enough to reach him. Flying into a better angle, Qirona set off a Fireball in the wine cellar, burning the Dragonborn and six of the eight zombies.

 

Stopping next to Qirona, Orak set off a Fireball of his own, burning the same seven enemies. Gromak’s staff glowed, and two Quicklings darted between Titan’s legs and attacked the surprisingly resilient zombies, cutting one of them down. Drawing his swords, Hurushi pushed into the next room and attacked the first zombie, cutting into its rotting back. Sheathing her rapier, Kanalla switched to her crossbow and fired at the first zombie’s head, only to hit its neck instead.

 

Turning, the Dragonborn woman pushed past the zombies and stabbed Hurushi with her spear. Titan swung his maul again, hitting the second zombie’s torso. Behind him, Lham hurled another Chaos Bolt, hitting the fourth zombie with thunderous energy. Baldir destroyed the first zombie with Sacred Flame, then cast Healing Word on Titan. The other six zombies attacked, splitting their numbers between Titan, Hurushi, and the Quicklings, managing to kill one of the small Fey. Flying higher, Qirona hurled a Fire Bolt over Kanalla’s shoulder, hitting the second zombie in the eye.

 

Drawing his shortsword in his left hand, Orak moved up and attacked the third zombie, cutting its head clean off. While Gromak moved up and healed Titan, his Quickling attacked the Dragonborn woman, stabbing at her ankles. While Hurushi cut down the second zombie, Kanalla fired her Hellfire Light Crossbow again, killing the eighth zombie with a headshot. The Dragonborn moved to a better angle and exhaled more acid, hitting Titan and Hurushi.

 

Titan continued swinging his maul, breaking the sixth zombie’s neck. Lham cast another Chaos Bolt, and a shard of ice killed the Dragonborn before transmuting into acid and jumping to the seventh zombie. Tam moved her Evil Eye to the seventh zombie, then killed it with a headshot. Baldir burned the last zombie with Sacred Flame, and it continued attacking Hurushi, heedless of the danger. Qirona cast Mind Sliver, and it flinched, allowing Orak to cut its head off.

Chapter 7

While Tam and Hurushi were retrieving intact bolts and arrows, Orak healed Titan, who in turn channeled arcane energy into Orak, Baldir, Qirona, and Gromak. Once Hurushi had finished, Baldir and Gromak both healed him. Qirona went around the room, feeling the walls, and eventually she found a hidden door on the east wall. She opened it, revealing a tunnel that turned northeast after about twenty feet. Titan led the way, using his glowing maul to illuminate the tunnel, which soon turned straight north. They could see a turn to the northwest ahead, but halfway there they stopped in front of a door on the east wall. Opening it, they walked about thirty feet before reaching a four-way intersection with three sets of stairs leading up. Gripping his staff, Gromak cast Locate Creature, causing his Quickling to vanish.

 

“Sharai is straight east.” He said, pointing straight ahead.

 

“And do we trust that this tunnel doesn’t lead to a dead end?” Qirona inquired.

 

“I wouldn’t.”

 

Everyone turned to see the unnervingly attractive form of the demon lord Graz’zt standing behind them.

 

“Easy.” He held out a six-fingered hand. “Your Bard cut a deal, so I’m here to help.”

 

At that moment, a ball of fire exploded in front of them, burning Titan, Hurushi, and Orak, while Kanalla and Tam threw themselves clear. Everyone turned to see an armored figure with only its glowing red eyes visible behind its helmet. Graz’zt cast Banishment, and the Death Knight promptly vanished.

 

“Give it a minute.” He said. “As I was saying, I don’t know the layout of this place, but I’d wager it’s either left or right.”

 

“My money says left.” Titan said.

 

“Mine says right.” Qirona countered.

 

“She’s smarter than me.” Hurushi said. “I say right.”

 

Titan, Hurushi, and Orak each downed two healing potions, then the former pair led the others up the stairs to the south. Sure enough, the straightaway ended with a left turn, and after choosing to ignore a door on the north wall, they eventually reached another left turn. The tunnel north led to graven steps, which ascended into a wide, octagonal chamber with a high, vaulted ceiling. The mosaic floor was littered with rubble, and a pool of murky water flooded the far side of the chamber. Strange fungi clung to the moist walls, and as they entered the octagon, they saw six cages in a crevice to the south, two of which contained Nazira and Sharai. To the north, an arched hallway plunged into the darkness.

 

“WHO DARES DISTURB THE REST OF CHARDENSEARAVITRIOL THE EBONDEATH?” A hollow voice roared from beyond the light.

 

Not missing a beat, Lhammaruntosz transformed, taking her true draconic form.

 

“I thought I smelled dragon.” Graz’zt remarked, drawing his wavy greatsword.

 

The green head of Claugiyliamatar emerged from the darkness, followed by the black skeletal head of Oracs the Enduring. They were followed by the familiar faces of Gaula and Myrvan.

 

“TRAITORS!” Lham roared.

 

“That implied we were on your side to begin with.” Gaula countered, manifesting her glowing hammer in her left hand.

 

Lham launched herself forward, but Myrvan was faster, sprouting a tail as he closed the distance and then carving into her with his black greatsword.

 

“Get us out of here!” Nazira shouted.

 

Lham’s wounds were already starting to heal as she unleashed her lightning breath, shocking Myrvan and both larger dragons but missing Gaula.

 

“Sorry about this, Claugiyliamatar!” She shouted.

 

Kanalla cast Fly on herself, then took to the air. Rushing over to the cages, Baldir swung his axe at the lock of Nazira’s, breaking it off with ease, then he pulled the door open. A pair of golden wings sprouted from Gaula’s back, and she flew up to engage Kanalla. The Arcane Trickster blocked the first attack by casting Shield, but the second broke through and hit her left shoulder.

 

Rearing up, the possessed Claugiyliamatar exhaled, not poison, but necrotic energy, catching everyone except Baldir, Nazira, Sharai, and Kanalla in the blast. Gromak collapsed, and the others stumbled back. Rearing up, Lham beat her wings, buffeting Myrvan with wind that knocked him off his feet. She then closed with Claugiyliamatar, ensuring that Oracs couldn’t use his own breath weapon without hitting them both. Noticing a Magic-Suppression Cuff on Nazira’s wrist, Tam targeted Myrvan with her Evil Eye, then ran back to the cages and successfully picked the cuff’s lock.

 

Just as Ebondeath slammed his tail into Lham, Graz’zt turned himself invisible, charged forward, and attacked the green dragon, carving into his underside with his acid-coated blade. Ebondeath swung his tail in retaliation, but Graz’zt easily dodged the attack, then sliced into him again. Hurushi downed his potion of supreme healing, then fired three arrows at Oracs. Only one hit, so he fired at Claugiyliamatar/Ebondeath, hitting her/him twice. Rushing over to a set of lockers the others hadn’t noticed, Nazira broke one locker’s rusted lock with brute force, then pulled out Concluder and her Sentinel Shield. Qirona downed a healing potion, then took to the air and cast Disintegrate. A deadly greey ray shot out from her palm, hitting Gaula right in the sternum and visibly winding her.

 

“I will make you my undead bitch!” The Fairy Necromancer snarled.

 

The invisible Graz’zt slashed at Ebondeath again, and the possessed dragon managed to land a hit with their tail. Lham swung her own tail, catching the larger dragon in the jaw. As Titan charged forward, he suddenly teleported, appearing directly behind Gaula. He swung his maul, getting past her shield and hitting her right shoulder before falling back down. Rearing up, Oracs exhaled a line of acid, hitting Orak, Baldir, and Sharai. Tam threw herself out of the way, but Orak collapsed.

 

Searing light briefly radiated from Myrvan’s eyes and mouth as he attacked Hurushi, cutting into the Samurai’s torso. While Graz’zt dodged Oracs’ tail, Lham lashed out at Ebondeath, biting the green dragon’s neck and scratching their wings. While Graz’zt carved a gash into the green dragon’s side, Kanalla drew her Frost Brand Rapier and cast Booming Blade. Thunderous energy engulfed the icy blue blade as she attacked Gaula, who blocked the blade with her shield. The Githzerai woman followed up with a dagger, driving the blade between two of the Aasimar’s ribs. While Oracs managed to hit Graz’zt with his tail, Baldir broke the lock on Sharai’s cage with his axe, then cast Healing Word on Gromak.

 

Gaula cast Forcecage around Qirona, and Qirona’s Counterspell failed, leaving her trapped in an invisible box. While Claugideath bit and scratched Lham, Tam opened the door to Sharai’s cage and tried to pick her cuff’s lock, but complex mechanism proved uncrackable for the time being. Graz’zt remained invisible as he attacked Claugideath again, cutting through the green dragon’s thick hide.

 

While Claugideath and the badly-wounded Lham traded blows with their tails, Gromak’s staff glowed, and three Fey creatures appeared - a Human-sized Faerie Pathlighter and two smaller Faerie Pests. At his direction, the Pathlighter removed a healing potion from his belt and poured it into Orak’s mouth while the Pests flew up and attacked Gaula with their stingblades. Graz’zt cast Dominate Monster on Claugideath, but it had no effect. Feeling his second wind hit, Hurushi ignored Myrvan and fired three more arrows at Oracs, hitting with the first and third. Stepping out of her cage, Sharai snatched one of Tam’s daggers, ran over to the lockers, and used the weapon to leverage one of the doors open. Inside were her bag and armor, but not her weapons.

 

Digging through her bag, Nazira pulled out her Potion of Invulnerability and promptly drank it. Graz’zt slashed at Claugideath, they swung their tail and missed, and Lham hit them with hers. While Qirona tried and failed to teleport out of her cage, Titan teleported behind Oracs and slammed his maul into the dracolich’s hind legs. While Graz’zt slashed at Claugideath again, Oracs swatted Titan with his tail, then turned his head and followed up with his acid breath. Titan collapsed, and Graz’zt dodged Claugideath’s tail.

 

Myrvan attacked Hurushi with renewed ferocity, slashing three times and hitting twice. In spite of her wounds, Lham slammed her tail into thte side of Claugiyliamatar’s head, breaking her neck. As she slumped to the ground, the translucent spirit of another dragon remained, giving Lham a death glare. Snarling, the bronze dragon unleashed her lightning breath, hitting Ebondeath and Oracs but failing to avoid Graz’zt. Rearing up, Oracs beat his wings, buffeting Graz’zt and Lham and knocking the former off his feet. The dracolich then glided across the room, bearing down on Nazira.

 

“You think you can escape your fate?” Oracs snarled. “It is already set!”

 

Turning away from the dragon’s ghost, Lham launched herself at Oracs, biting and scratching his exposed spine. While he slammed his tail into the side of her head, Gaula ignored the aptly-named Faerie Pests in favor of attacking Kanalla, invoking Hexblade’s Curse before swinging her hammer. Kanalla blocked the first swing by casting Shield, only for the second swing to break one of her ribs. Flying across the room, the spirit of Ebondeath flew into Hurushi, successfully possessing him. Catching up with Sharai, Tam successfully unlocked and removed the Magic-Suppression Cuff from her wrist.

 

“Blue beauty!” Graz’zt shouted. “Do I kill the Half-Orc or knock him out?”

 

“Absolutely not!” Qirona shouted.

 

“What?” Sharai turned to look out into the room.

 

“He is possessed!” The demon lord shouted. “Do I kill him or not?”

 

“No!” Qirona shrieked.

 

“Get it out of him without killing him!” Sharai shouted back.

 

Graz’zt became visible as he cast Telekinesis, successfully restraining Hurushi in an invisible hand.

 

“Those tits of yours better bounce like crazy!” He shouted, closing with Hurushi and punching him in the head.

 

Picking himself up, Orak muttered an incantation, and a crown of holy flames appeared on his head. Oracs slammed his tail into Graz’zt’s ribs, but the demon lord was completely unaffected. Sprinting across the room, Gromak pulled out a diamond and used it to cast Revivify on Claugiyliamatar, who inhaled loudly.

 

“I’m a friend.” He said gently. “You were possessed by Ebondeath. The dracolich and the two Aasimar are his allies.”

 

While the Faerie Pests continued attacking Gaula, the Pathligher landed next to Gromak, took a healing potion from his belt, and poured it into the green dragon’s mouth.

 

“I know it’s not much, but it’s what we have.” He added.

 

Wincing, Claugiyliamatar cast Cure Wounds on herself. While Sharai followed Orak’s example and cast Crown of Radiance on herself, Nazira cast Shield of Faith on herself, then got behind Myrvan and attacked, slicing into his unarmored back with Concluder. While Qirona tried and failed to escape her invisible prison, Oracs slammed his tail into Lham’s head, and she collapsed as he attacked Nazira with his claws and teeth, easily piercing her unarmored skin. She swung her sword in retaliation, cutting into his jaw.

 

Turning away from Hurushi, Myrvan attacked Graz’zt, cutting into his legs and lower back. The demon lord retaliated with his own greatsword, cutting into Myrvan’s chest, and the Aasimar winced as acid burned the skin around the wound. Claugiyliamatar became visible near the east wall as she exhaled a cloud of poison, engulfing Graz’zt and both Aasimar while narrowly avoiding Nazira, Hurushi, and Kanalla. Gaula retaliated with Hellish Rebuke, burning the badly-wounded dragon.

 

While Gaula dodged Kanalla’s rapier, Baldir cast Dispel Evil and Good, and shimmering energy surrounded him. Gritting her teeth, Gaula cast Banishing Smite, only for Sharai to stop her with Counterspell. She swung her hammer anyway, hitting Kanalla’s ribs on both sides. Graz’zt knocked Hurushi out by slamming his sword’s pommel into the Samurai’s head, and Ebondeath reappeared. The dragon spirit immediately tried to possess Graz’zt, who proved far more resilient to such intrusion than Hurushi.

 

At that moment, two giant shark skeletons dropped down from the hole above the pool of water, then started to walk out onto the floor with skeletal legs attached to their bodies. Tam invoked the Curse of the Insensate, and Myrvan suddenly found himself unable to see or hear. Squaring up with Ebondeath, Graz’zt swung the Wave of Sorrow, cutting through the translucent spirit. Orak cast Healing Word on Titan, then looked up at Gaula.

 

“It’s a real shame.” He said. “You’re not even hot enough to get away with being crazy.”

 

Rushing over to Lhammaruntosz, Gromak used his last diamond to cast Revivify, bringing her back to life. The Faerie Pathlighter turned her attention to Ebondeath, firing two beams of light from her lantern while the Pests continued attacking Gaula. While Myrvan dodged Graz’zt’s acid-covered blade, Sharai transformed into a spinosaurus, then moved to block the skeletal sharks. Moving away from Myrvan, Nazira cast Freezing Smite as she slashed at Oracs, cutting into his right wing.

 

Rearing up, Oracs beat his wings, knocking Nazira off her feet but failing to do the same to Graz’zt. Not wanting to keep wasting spells, Qirona cast Far Step, but her teleportation failed a third time. Sighing, she pulled out and drank her last greater healing potion. While Claugiyliamatar healed herself, Titan picked himself up, and magic infused his maul as he charged forward and swung the weapon at Ebondeath. While Oracs brought his bony tail down on Nazira’s unarmored chest, Graz’zt opened a gash in Myrvan’s right thigh. Turning to look back over his shoulder, Oracs the Enduring exhaled a line of acid, hitting Nazira, Graz’zt, and Gromak but just barely missing Lham. Gromak dropped to his knees, then fell on his face, and his Fey vanished.

 

“Fuck!” Myrvan shouted. “I can’t see! Can’t hear!”

 

Instead of attacking, he carefully uncorked a potion and downed its contents. Claugiyliamatar unleashed her poison breath again, and both Aasimar collapsed, only to immediately rise again. A moment later, Lham unleashed her lightning breath, hitting Oracs and one of the skeletal sharks. Kanalla downed a healing potion, then fired her Hellfire Light Crossbow, hitting the back of Oracs’ head. While Graz’zt turned and slashed at Ebondeath, Oracs swatted Nazira with his tail, and Baldir cast Mass Cure Wounds, healing himself, Gromak, Hurushi, Kanalla, Lham, and Claugiyliamatar.

 

“Stun.” Gaula whispered.

 

Every muscle in Baldir’s body suddenly locked up, and Ebondeath chose that moment to enter Sharai’s body, successfully possessing her. Near the water, the shark skeletons moved past the spinosaurus and attacked Claugiyliamater by biting her front legs. Rearing up, she beat her wings, knocking them both on their backs. Tam tried and failed to target Oracs with her Evil Eye, then shot Gaula in the back. Graz’zt cast Dispel Magic, forcing Ebondeath/Sharai out of Polymorph, then he slashed at Myrvan again.

 

Activating his Flesh Eater Scimitar, Orak attacked the second shark skeleton, cutting into its right fin. Gromak’s staff glowed, and two Quicklings appeared in front of him. While they ended the first shark skeleton and damaged the second, Hurushi picked himself up, focused his mind, and fired three arrows, hitting Oracs twice. Nazira’s sword started to glow as she slashed at Oracs, cutting into his left wing. While Qirona continued trying to escape her cage, Titan downed a healing potion, then swung his maul, hitting Oracs’ right legs. Roaring, the dracolich bit and scratched Nazira, whose potion gave her extra resilience.

 

Graz’zt slashed at Myrvan again, cutting into his shoulder. Myrvan slashed blindly, and the demon lord easily dodged his blade. Claugiyliamatar exhaled a condensed cloud of poison directly at the possessed Sharai, and despite her Infernal constitution, she collapsed, causing Ebondeath to leave her body. Lham immediately pounced, biting and scratching the spirit until it wailed and faded away. Kanalla shot Oracs in the neck, and he collapsed.

 

“If that thing is a lich, we need to find its phylactery!” She shouted.

 

Gaula fired a beam of brilliant light from her glowing hammer, hitting Hurushi and Gromak and causing the latter to lose concentration. The remaining shark skeleton bit Claugiyliamater again, and she retaliated with her tail, breaking some of the cartilage on its right side. Drawing her Blackbone Shortsword, Tam moved up and stabbed Myrvan in the back. He howled in pain, and Graz’zt chose that moment to strike again, cutting off the Barbarian’s head and the tip of his tail with a single swing of Wave of Sorrow.

 

A scream of anguish left Gaula’s mouth as Myrvan’s body hit the ground. Orak sent a discordant melody into her mind, and she winced in pain. While Gromak rushed over to Sharai and healed her, Hurushi fired three more arrows, hitting Gaula twice and causing her to collapse.

Chapter 8

Once the second shark skeleton had been destroyed, the group split up. While the dragons curled up on the far side of the room, Nazira and Sharai went to retrieve their gear, Qirona finally escaped her cage, and the others searched every inch of the mausoleum, eventually finding a seemingly ordinary stone chest with arcane sigils on the inside.

 

“So, um…” Nazira paused putting her armor on and looked over at Sharai. “Graz’zt being here wouldn’t have anything to do with you rubbing one out in the cage, would it?”

 

Sharai’s cheeks turned red. “I kind of made a deal with him. He helps us, he gets me for a few days.”

 

Nazira raised an eyebrow. “You better not come back with a baby bump and the ability to cast Eldritch Blast.”

 

“Oh, no.” Sharai waved her hand dismissively. “Nothing like that. No, I think it’s just a five-day fuckfest.”

 

“Sounds like you’re looking forward to it.”

 

She shrugged. “I mean, I wouldn’t have made the deal if I wasn’t at least a little into it.”

 

“What about Calli?” Nazira asked.

 

Sharai was silent for a moment. “I haven’t heard from her since things settled down. If I do, I’ll be honest with her.”

 

Nazira shrugged. “Fair enough. Just be safe.”

 

The pair was in the middle of looting Gaula and Myrvan when the others returned. To their disappointment, Gaula’s Helm of Teleportation was absent.

 

“Well, the phylactery is destroyed.” Orak announced. “Oracs should be gone for good.”

 

Lham lifted her head. “Good.”

 

The north side of the room was clearly a burial hall, and they found heaps of treasure, including 1,800 Platinum, 14,000 Gold, two supreme healing potions, a potion of Storm Giant strength, and a Lantern of Revealing. A second search and a Detect Magic spell revealed a hidden door on the north wall. After dispelling four different magic traps, they opened it, revealing two items. The first was a wide belt made of thick leather branded with an unfamiliar symbol. The second was a skeleton key that appeared to be made of mithral. Qirona ritually cast Identify twice, identifying the belt as Stormgirdle and the key as an Infiltrator’s Key.

 

Sharai’s heart was still pounding, so while the others searched the secret room, she sat down, crossed her legs, and began improvising a tune on her violin. She didn’t see or hear Graz’zt approach, but she suddenly became aware that he was sitting right behind her. She resisted the urge to look back at him, instead continuing to play, and he waited exactly one minute before grabbing her sides and pulling her closer so her back was flush with his chest.

 

“Keep playing.” He whispered, his silky smooth voice lighting a fire inside her. “I just want a taste before we depart.”

 

With that, he magically unbuttoned her blouse with a wave of his hand, then reached around and cupped her breasts in his large hands. Sharai stifled a gasp as she continued playing, then stifled another when she felt his hot breath on the right side of her neck.

 

“Fuck it.” She blurted out. “Let’s do this. Take me somewhere private.”

 

Suddenly she was standing in a lavishly-decorated bedroom completely naked. Looking around, she saw her clothes and armor neatly folded on a dresser, as well as a bed large enough for Graz’zt. The demon lord himself stood in the doorway, also bare of anything clothing. Sharai bit her lip at the sight, then climbed onto the bed without a word. Steeling her nerves, she propped herself up on her elbows and spread her legs invitingly. Graz’zt immediately pounced on her, licking from her crotch all the way to her neck.

 

“Fuck!” She gasped.

 

As the sound left her lips, he was already teasing her lower lips with three of the six fingers of his right hand.

 

“I think two is enough.” She said breathlessly.

 

“Enough is a lie.” His voice was like sweet honey, and he sucked on her neck, leaving a mark. “Moderation is for the weak and repressed.”

 

Whimpering, she bucked her hips, unable to rebuke his claims.

 

“Then change my mind.” She gasped. “Make me want three.”

 

Chuckling, he lifted his head to look down at her. “I will make you beg for it.”

 

With that, he slipped two fingers in and began working them inside her. Sharai bit her lower lip so hard it bled, only for him to nullify the effort and rip a moan from her lips by curling his fingers in just the right spot. More moans followed as she squirmed beneath him, and his deliberately slow pace ensured that her walls crumbled after only a couple minutes.

 

“One more!” She gasped, gripping his pitch black shoulders. “Please, Graz’zt, I need it!”

 

The smug grin that appeared on his face as he slipped a third finger into her would have been a turn off on the face of anyone who didn’t radiate an aura of desire. Sharai felt like a musical instrument, with the Lord of Forbidden Pleasures using his fingers and mouth to elicit different sounds from her. After what could have been four minutes or four days, his fingers suddenly and vigorously assaulted her g-spot, and she threw her head back as a wave of ecstasy washed over her.

 

“I hope you’re comfortable.” He practically purred in her ear.

 

After parting ways with the dragons and Gromak’s parents, the rest of the Raven’s Flame began heading home. The journey was refreshingly uneventful, and after returning the arcane vehicles to the basement, they decided to split up to sell what they weren’t keeping.

 

“Before I forget, I got a message from my father last night.” Nazira said. “There’s a noble family in Elmhurst who might get in touch with us about a job, so keep an eye out for any messages or messengers.”

 

Titan nodded. “Will do.”

 

Baldir was the last to return, arriving with a cart full of freshly-cut lumber, and Nazira watched with mild interest as he began muttering an incarnation. Over the course of the next few hours, he repeatedly cast Fabricate, building four walls and a roof before finally adding a door with a lock.

 

“Figured we could use a shed.” He explained, wiping his brow and turning to face the others.

 

“Cool.” Qirona stepped forward. “Here’s what I bought.”

 

Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a small metal cube and placed it on the ground, then beat her wings and flew back.

 

“Erection.” She said, giggling.

 

The cube rapidly expanded into a metal tower measuring twenty feet on a side and thirty feet tall with arrow slits on all sides.

 

“In case we need a defensive position on the spot.” She explained.

 

Hurushi chucked. “Gods, I love you.”

 

That night, Nazira entered her bedroom to find Tam sitting on the foot of the bed in her true form.

 

“I’m…sorry about what happened the other night.” Tam said slowly. “If anything I said gave you the impression that I don’t want to be with you long term, I need you to know that that’s not the case. All my criticism was directed towards marriage as a concept, not the prospect of being married to you.”

 

Nazira was silent for a moment, then she shut the door behind her.

 

“I didn’t mean to put pressure on you.” She said. “Marriage is an important thing in my family, and I guess I’ve always just considered it a given.”

 

“It’s not that I’m against it altogether.” Tam clarified. “But I want no part of it if it’s being done for the sake of tradition or expectations or whatever.”

 

“I understand.” Crossing the room, Nazira reached down and took Tam’s hands in hers. “There’s no rush. It’s not like there’s a set age I have to get married by.”

 

Tam chuckled. “That would be too far.”

 

Down in the Abyss, Sharai was face-down on a padded table while a Marilith gave her a massage that only a creature with six hands could. The Tiefling Bard had awakened to find Graz’zt gently caressing her tail, and after riding him to orgasm, she had been escorted to a dining room by an impossibly attractive Succubus. Said Succubus was standing a few feet away while the Marilith worked Sharai’s stiff muscles.

 

“Have you come to a decision?” The winged Fiend inquired once the massage was complete.

 

Sharai nodded. “I think I’ll pass, but maybe another time.”

 

“Very well.”

 

Two days later, Hurushi and Qirona were returning home from the market when they saw three figures approaching from the opposite direction. The first was a dark-haired Forest Gnome woman wearing a blue cloak, the second was a Minotaur woman whose plate armor gleamed brightly in the sun, and the third was a red-haired Firbolg man in studded leather who stood almost eleven feet tall. The Minotaur carried a greataxe and several javelins, and the Firbolg had a Blink Dog walking by his side. Spotting them, the Minotaur waved, only for the Gnome to elbow her thigh. The Firbolg reached into his pocket, so Qirona reached for one of her component pouches, only to watch as he pulled out a pendant bearing a black skull and crossbones with Orc tusks.

 

“We represent Ser Baric Nylef.” He said. “I believe you’re expecting us.”

 

Qirona glanced up at Hurushi. “If they make one wrong move, start slicing.”

 

He glanced down at her and nodded.

 

“Identify yourselves.” She requested.

 

“My name is Tramath.” The Firbolg gestured to his dog. “This is Bree.”

 

“Kiata.” The Minotaur said.

 

“Qinoa.” The Forest Gnome said. “Sorry if we scared you.”

 

“One moment.” Qirona turned to Hurushi and lowered her voice. “Does that name mean anything to you?”

 

He shook his head.

 

“Me neither.” She turned away and cast Sending. “Firbolg, Minotaur, Gnome with Blackbone symbol. Say they’re with Baric Nylef. Name unfamiliar to us. Legit or threat?”

 

“Legit.” Nazira replied a moment later. “Baric is Elmhurst nobility. If they have our symbol, trust them for now.”

 

Hurushi and Qirona led the trio to the house, where Nazira and Tam were waiting outside. Kiata perked up when she saw Nazira, who immediately recognized the Minotaur.

 

“Still refusing to use a shield, I see.” She said teasingly.

 

Kiata chuckled. “Wouldn’t be an issue if I had an extra arm.”

 

“Can we move this inside?” Qinoa asked. “I’ve got an illusion up to deter unwanted attention, but it won’t last forever.”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Nazira opened the door. “Come on in.”

 

Kiata led her companions inside, and once Nazira had shut the door, Qinoa cast Detect Magic, scanning her surroundings as Tam led them to the living room. Baldir, Gromak, and Titan soon joined them.

 

“Last year, House Nylef acquired several powerful magic artifacts.” Tramath explained. “Sometime since the start of this year, that information got out. At first it was just vague threats from anonymous sources, but it’s escalated to the point that numerous guards have broken their oaths and tried to steal them. The family has decided to go to a safehouse in Emberhaven, but there’s been a complication. For some reason, all attempts to teleport there have failed. They’ve decided to travel by carriage, but with so many guards proving untrustworthy, they reached out to House Blackbone for extra protection.”

 

“And Mom and Dad recommended us.” Nazira surmised.

 

He nodded. “Without hesitation.”

 

“Alright.” She rubbed her chin. “How many trustworthy guards will we have to help?”

 

“Six.” Kiata replied. “Including the three of us.”

 

“One of us is currently off-plane, fulfilling her end of a bargain.” Baldir said. “When is the family planning this journey?”

 

“As soon as possible. It’ll take somewhere between eight and fifteen days, depending on the weather and how busy the roads are.”

 

“Will they be coming to us, or will we go to Elmhurst?” Hurushi inquired.

 

“We’ll be taking you there.” Qinoa replied.

 

Tam raised her hand. “How much does it pay?”

 

“A hundred Platinum each upfront, plus another four hundred each on arrival.”

 

“We’ll discuss it with Sharai when she gets back.” Nazira said.

 

“If you can contact her now, that would be preferred.” Tramath said. “The family has a backup plan if your answer is no.”

 

Nodding, Qirona cast Sending.

 

“Escort job when you return.” She said. “Five hundred Platinum each. Still deciding. Thoughts?”

 

“Mmm…alright.” Sharai replied. “Could be a nice change of pace.”

 

Qirona turned back to the others. “Alright, she’s in.”

 

Down in the Abyss, Sharai was writhing and squirming as Graz’zt worked his inhumanly long tongue inside her. Just as she felt her climax approaching, he stopped, climbed on  top of her, and began thrusting into her.

 

“Fuck!” She cried out, clinging to him as she came hard.

Chapter 9

Once Sharai’s five days were up, Graz’zt transported her back to the house, where she found the others waiting for her. Qinoa had drawn most of a teleportation circle in chalk on the floor of Baldir’s new shed, and once Sharai was ready, the Gnome drew the last line. She dashed through the portal that opened, and the others followed suit, appearing in a very large set of stables.

 

A green-skinned Spring Eladrin man flinched when Qinoa appeared, and she introduced him as Galrion as he led them outside.

 

“Terry, come!” He called out.

 

Hearing wings, they turned to see a leather-colored pteranodon flying towards them, and it landed on his shoulder.

 

A red-skinned Hobgoblin man in plate armor and a tan-skinned Human man in studded leather were standing guard while nine others finished packing three carriages. Connected to each carriage were two horses in full plate barding that looked old and worn. A gray-haired Human man in his sixties turned to face them, and although he didn’t smile, his expression and posture became slightly less tense.

 

“Nazira?” The man asked. “Wow. The last time I saw you, you were about waist-high.”

 

She nodded. “You don’t look a day over fifty, Baric.”

 

He snorted. “You’re a good liar, I’ll give you that.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Nazira quickly introduced the others. Baric’s wife was Urgala Meltimer, a dark-skinned Human woman who was a year or two younger than him. Urgala’s brother was Markham Stockwell, a bald man who shared her skin tone, and Markham’s wife was Augrek Brighthelm, a redheaded Dwarf woman. They had a mixed-race teen daughter named Jenlyn, who had her father’s dark skin and her mother’s red hair. Baric and Urgala had two adult daughters - a white-skinned woman named Darathra and a darker-skinned woman named Beldora. Darathra’s husband was a Human man named Othovir, and they had a son named Richard who was no older than six. Jenlyn’s eyes widened at the sight of Baldir, but she composed herself and went back to loading the fourth carriage. Urgala gave everyone except Nazira a suspicious glance before doing the same.

 

“So, how are we doing this?” Sharai asked, scratching her left horn.

 

“As inconspicuously as possible.” Baric replied.

 

“And what exactly are we protecting, not including your family?” Qirona inquired.

 

“If you don’t mind.” Nazira added, knowing the Fairy Necromancer wasn’t the most persuasive of individuals.

 

Baric’s eyes narrowed, then he motioned for them to follow as he approached the first carriage. He opened the door to the back row, and they followed him in, with Nazira shutting the door at his request.

 

“We’re in possession of eight powerful items.” He said. “Two are spellbooks - the Grimoire Infinitus and the Demonomicon of Iggwilv. Three weapons - the Will of the Talon, the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords, and a hammer called Whelm. A deck of cards called the Tarokka of Souls, an instrument called the Ollamh Harp, and something called a Luxon Beacon.”

 

Qirona’s eyes widened. “How likely are we to be attacked on the road?”

 

“Very.” He replied bluntly. “We’ve done our best to look as inconspicuous as possible, but protection comes first. Six armored horses are going to stand out no matter how old the armor looks.”

 

“I consider myself a fairly accomplished Wizard.” She said. “With your permission, I’d like to use Identify on the spellbooks, if not all of the items. If we’re attacked, they may come in handy.”

 

“If you trust Qinoa, it might be a good idea to give her access to one of them.” Nazira added.

 

 He rubbed his chin. “I don’t know. The Grimoire could be useful, but the Demonomicon is a different story entirely. It is the most thorough and arguably blasphemous tome of demonology in the world, if not the multiverse.”

 

“Think about it, at least.” Nazira said.

 

He sighed. “I will, but only because I trust you and your parents. The others will have to earn my trust.”

 

Qirona rolled her eyes. “I suppose that’s fair. Just don’t freak out when I conjure some undead shit.”

 

He turned to look at her. “I’m very familiar with Necromancy. Zombies and ghouls are nothing new to me.”

 

They rejoined the others, and Baric addressed the group again.

 

“Before we go, is there anything we can do to make your job easier?” He asked.

 

Gromak nodded. “If there are any stretches of road that are more likely to be used for an ambush, let us know before we get there so we can prep some spells.”

 

Before they departed, some of the family donned armor - plate for Baric, studded leather for Urgala, a breastplate for Darathrw, splint for Markham, and a breastplate and a shield for Augrek. The family split up into groups of three. Baric, Urgala, and Beldora took the first carriage; Darathra, Othovir, and Richard took the second; and Markham, Augrek, and Jenlyn took the third. As they rode, Galrion moved to sit with Qirona and Hurushi in the first carriage.

 

“You guys do this kind of job often?” He asked.

 

Hurushi shook his head. “I’ve done escort jobs before, but never with this group.”

 

In the second carriage, Cal and Tramath were playing a duet on a lute and dulcimer respectively, so Sharai joined in with her violin, improvising a third part to their melody. Tramath wore a simple tunic and pants, while Cal wore a leather coat over his armor.

 

The dirt forest road grew humid over the next several hours, and eventually they stopped short of a stretch of road that was flooded. Kiata stepped out of the first carriage, and Tramath and Bree joined her in approaching the water. They stopped around thirty feet away, and Tramath cast Detect Magic.

 

At that moment, a humanoid figure with very long green hair and clothes made of aquatic plants burst up from the water. All three drivers immediately activated defensive enchantments that manifested iron walls around them. Rushing forward, the Sea Hag attacked Trath, raking the Firbolg’s chest with her claws. Before he could respond, three more monsters emerged from the trees on either side of the road - a gargantuan demon called an udaak, a five-headed hydra, and a monstrous creature with three large head that resembled a cross between a dragon and a snake and dozens of much smaller heads.

 

“What the fuck is that?” Nazira asked, looking out of the third carriage.

 

“Language!” Markham exclaimed.

 

“That would be a Typhon.” Augrek said, gripping a warhammer.

 

Rising to her full height of 7’8”, Kiata charged the gorilla-like udaak head on. Without warning, a translucent gray silhouette-like duplicate of her appeared directly behind the demon. She swung her greataxe, carving into its hairy chest, then her echo carved into its back. They alternated attacks, striking seven times in total. Leaving the first carriage, Galrion cast Lightning Arrow, then shot the hydra in the chest. He whistled, and Terry attacked the Sea Hag, perching on her back and biting her shoulder. She snarled, and a swarm of snakes suddenly appeared on the ground around her.

 

Hurushi was the next out of a carriage, peppering the Typhon with half a dozen arrows in as many seconds. Stepping out on the other side, Qinoa cast Ray of Sickness, hitting the Typhon’s central head with sickening green energy. Titan was next out, throwing two javelins and missing. The udaak punched Kiata’s echo, which disappeared. She dodged its second punch, only for it to lash out with lightning-fast reflexes, bite her, and pick her up in its jaws. Stepping out of the third carriage, Baldir reached out to Gond in silent prayer, but nothing happened. Cal was the next to leap into action, peppering the hydra with half a dozen Scorching Rays and killing one of its remaining heads. Sharai transformed into a giganotosaurus, causing Richard to shriek. Drawing Concluder, Nazira cast Divine Favor, then attacked the udaak, cutting deep enough into its neck to kill it.

 

Roaring, the four-headed hydra attacked Galrion, biting through his armor. Approaching from the rear, the Typhon attacked Hurushi, only for Qinoa to cast Temporal Shunt, causing it to vanish. Near the water, the snakes attacked Tramath, biting at his ankles. He promptly vanished. Following Nazira out, Tam targeted the Typhon with her Evil Eye, then shot one of its larger heads.

 

Rushing outside, Gromak cast Blight on the Sea Hag, who barely noticed. Hearing wings, those outside looked up and saw a huge black dragon diving towards them. It exhaled a line of acid, hitting Galrion, Nazira, and Qinoa. While Ekron healed Qinoa, Qirona cast Disintegrate, but the Sea Hag dodged the deadly green ray. Tramath became visible with seven motes of light orbiting his head, and he fired one at the Sea Hag, hitting her in the chest.

 

At that moment, a thin, one-horned demon called a babau suddenly burst up through the floor of the third carriage and attacked, raking Markham with its acid-coated claws and making Jenlyn shriek.

 

“Jen, get in the back!” Augrek exclaimed.

 

Drawing his longsword, Markham swung it with both hands, cutting into the demon’s chest. Instead of taking cover, Jen grabbed a shovel from behind the back seat and swung it with both hands, hitting the back of the demon’s head. Augrek then swung her warhammer, but the babau dodged the attack despite the cramped space.

 

“We need help in here!” Markham shouted.

 

Glaring at Tramath, the Sea Hag cast Fear, but he was unaffected, so she healed herself. Kiata charged towards the hydra, and her echo reappeared, joining her in attacking the four-headed monster. As soon as her blade pierced its hide, blood sprayed from the wound, hitting both her and her echo. The echo vanished, and she winced as the acidic substance burned her. Gritting her teeth, she attacked two more times, cutting off one of its heads and powering through more acid in the process.

 

Galrion cast Hunter’s Mark on the dragon, then shot it in the leg. Terry attacked the snake swarm, killing two of them with a single bite. A second Sea Hag with even more intimidating features than the first suddenly appeared on top of the second carriage, filling Sharai, Titan, Galrion, and Cal with fear. Moving away from where the Typhon had been, Hurushi fired an arrow at the newcomer, only for it to pass through the illusion. Turning, he fired up at the dragon, hitting its right wing. Spotting the babau in the third carriage, Qinoa cast Blight, and the demon snarled loudly.

 

Turning away from the second Hag, Titan activated his maul and attacked the hydra, breaking one of its necks. At that moment, a second udaak burst up from the ground and attacked Nazira, pummeling her with its fists before missing with a bite. She swung her sword in retaliation, but the demon dodged the counterattack. Baldir cast Healing Word on Galrion, then Sacred Flame on the babau. Cal cast Dissonant Whispers, but the babau barely noticed. Turning away from the carriages, Sharai joined Titan in attacking the hydra, biting both of its remaining heads off and causing it to go limp but spraying both them and Kiata with acid in the process.

 

Nazira cast Freezing Smite, and frost coated her blade as she slashed at her attacker, cutting into its legs. At that moment, the hydra sprouted eight new heads and lashed out, biting Kiata, Titan, and Sharai multiple times each.

 

“Qi, blast that thing!” Hurushi shouted.

 

At that moment, the Typhon reappeared right where it had vanished from. It studied Hurushi for a moment, then charged forward. It tried and failed to wrap one of its necks around him, then followed up with a bite from its central head and a flurry of bites from its smaller heads, piercing his armor and causing him to stumble back. As it attacked, he noticed some of its wounds actively healing. At the same time, Galrion’s winged companion dodged several snake bites.

 

Tam invoked the Curse of the Insensate, blinding and deafening the Typhon. Gromak’s staff glowed, and two blue-skinned water nymphs called Naiads rose up from the water flooding the road. They attacked the Sea Hag from behind, sending psychic energy into her body with their touch. In response, the Hag transformed into a wave of foaming seawater, retreated back to the flooded road, and reverted back to her true form.

 

Diving, the black dragon bit and scratched Sharai before going back to circling the carriages. Ekron cast Banishment, and the hydra and udaak both vanished. Gripping her new staff, Qirona cast Gravity Sinkhole, creating a sphere of crushing force between the Sea Hag and her snakes that killed the latter. Tramath hit the Hag with a mote of light, and as she collapsed, the second Hag vanished, and the water in the road began to disappear. The Firbolg whistled, and Bree teleported into the third carriage and sank her teeth into the babau’s tail. Snarling, the demon stayed focused on Markham, casting Heat Metal on his armor before scratching him again. He struck back with his longsword, cutting its head clean off.

 

Kiata’s echo reappeared as she attacked the Typhon, alternating attacks and hitting three times out of four. While Galrion fired at the dragon and missed, Terry attacked it from behind, biting at its left wing. The dragon retaliated by swatting the beast with its tail. On the ground, Hurushi put three arrows in the dragon’s belly. While Qinoa hit the Typhon with a Fireball, Titan slammed his maul into its central head, and its wounds stopped healing.

 

While Baldir missed the dragon with a Guiding Bolt, Cal cast Healing Word on Kiata, then hit the dragon in the head with a mote of light. Sharai let out a roar as she closed with the Typhon and bit and scratched one of its larger necks. Nazira charged in next to her and attacked the central head, cutting deep enough that the entire monster collapsed. Tam tried and failed to curse the dragon, then fired her crossbow anyway, hitting its front left leg. While Gromak healed Nazira, his Naiads cast Fly on themselves.

 

The black dragon unleashed its acid breath again, hitting Nazira, Titan, Sharai, Galrion, Ekron, Kiata, and her echo, forcing Sharai out of her beast form. While Ekron missed the dragon with a bolt of light, Qirona cast Finger of Death, hitting the dragon with deadly energy. Tramath hit the dragon’s neck with a mote of light, then killed it with three Eldritch Blasts to the head.

 

Everyone was patching each other up when the hydra and udaak suddenly reappeared. Qinoa was the first to react, hitting the hydra with a powerful Fireball. Galrion cast Lightning Arrow, then fired at the udaak, which dodged the crackling projectile with surprising grace considering its twenty-foot height and muscular build. He missed with a regular arrow, then whistled, and Terry attacked the demon as well, biting the back of its neck. Having just finished retrieving several intact arrows, Hurushi fired his yumi, killing one of the hydra’s heads.

 

Tam locked her Evil Eye onto the udaak, then shot it in the chest and used the Curse of the Debilitated to send necrotic energy into the wound. At that moment, the hydra struck, biting Hurushi and Qinoa and breaking through a Shield the latter threw up. Kiata manifested her echo, then attacked the udaak from the left and right. Sharai manifested a painfully intense ringing noise directly above the demon, which howled before collapsing.

 

Cal hurled four Scorching Rays, only for the hydra’s heads to dodge all of them. Taking to the air, Qirona set off the most powerful Fireball she had left behind the hydra, burning it so badly that all seven remaining heads went limp, followed by its entire body.

Chapter 10

The rest of the day was comparatively uneventful, and when they passed a sizable clearing, they pulled off the road and set up camp. Nazira and Tam slept most of the night before Gromak woke them up for the last watch, so they were conscious when the others started to wake. By the time everyone was up, Jenlyn had taken a sickle from one of the carriages and was sparring with Kiata’s echo. The Minotaur was wielding an axe with a wooden blade, ensuring that any blows the echo landed wouldn’t leave wounds. Kiata’s movements were noticeably slower than they had been during the previous day’s attack, and her attacks were more predictable.

 

“You’re getting pretty good with that.” Augrek remarked as she tightened the straps of her breastplate.

 

Jen grinned. “When can I use a sword?”

 

“When you’re 16.”

 

“Ugh, fine.”

 

“Mom, when can I fight?” Richard asked.

 

Othovir patted the hilt of his rapier. “When you can wield this without dropping it or falling over.”

 

“Absolutely not.” Darathra snapped. “Otho, a rapier weighs, what, two pounds? Set the bar a little higher or he’ll actually hurt himself.”

 

He turned to look at her. “What would you suggest?”

 

She patted the pommel of her greatsword. “When he can wield this without falling down or dropping it.”

 

Near the third carriage, Nazira was putting her grieves on when Urgala approached her.

 

“I used to be an adventurer like you.” The matriarch said. “I know how treacherous they can be, and so far you and your friends are proving yourselves better than that. Thank you for helping us.”

 

Nazira nodded. “Of course.”

 

After packing his tent into the first carriage, Baric approached Qirona.

 

“I’ve given some thought to your inquiry yesterday.” He said. “I would be willing to allow your team access to one or more of our items, provided that you leave some of your own in their place. Preferably something of equal or greater value.”

 

“How about four sets of Infernal Tack?” She asked without hesitation. “By my estimate, they’re worth at least 40,000 Platinum each.”

 

Baric blinked. “Uh…sure. That works. I’m not ready to give up any of the artifacts, but the hammer, beacon, harp, and Grimoire are available for your use.”

 

“Two of those monsters yesterday were demons, and if we’re attacked again, there’s a good chance there will be more demons.” She pointed out. “I’m not asking to keep it, just to use it until the journey’s end.”

 

He crossed his arms. “We’ll see. Don’t push it.”

 

“Alright.” She turned to face the carriage. “I’ve got the tack in my bag. Out of curiosity, what measures have you taken to protect the items?”

 

“All three carriages are lined with a layer of lead.” He explained. “It blocks all but the most powerful magical detection.”

 

He led her inside, where he retrieved the magic items from their hiding place. After putting three sets of Infernal Tack in with the artifacts, she retrieved the Grimoire, the Ollamh Harp, and the hammer called Whelm, the latter of which she gave to Sharai and Baldir. Meanwhile, Hurushi topped off his quiver from a supply of arrows in the second carriage.

 

As they set out, Qirona severed her connection with the tattoo on her left arm, and the magic needle appeared in her lap. She then spent an hour attuning to the Grimoire Infinitus, a Vestige that, even in its dormant state, was still very powerful.

 

The second day of travel was uneventful, and on two different occasions, they altered their course to throw off any potential pursuers. The forest terrian soon gave way to grassy hills, and that evening they found an abandoned fortress. After searching it, they decided to settle in for the night.

 

The third day was hot and humid, and as midday approached, the hills gave way to more trees.

 

“Qirona, can you send a message to the others?” Galrion asked.

 

She nodded. “What’s the message?”

 

“Keep an eye out. I’ve traveled these woods before, and they’re home to a plethora of monsters.”

 

Qirona sent the message to Gromak, who replied immediately.

 

“Gromak wants to know if he should summon a flying Fey for protection or if he should wait.” She said.

 

He shrugged. “Up to him. If we make good time, we should be out by evening.”

 

She relayed the message, then listened. “He says to tell him when we’re around an hour from the end of it.”

 

“Will do.”

 

As they continued on, Sharai started playing a familiar song, so Tramath played along, and Cal started singing along, earning a smile from Richard.

 

“Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the sea…”

 

In the first carriage, Qirona flipped through more of the Grimoire Infinitus. The book had a seemingly infinite number of pages, most of which were blank, but the first few contained a number of spells, including several she hadn’t learned and even some that were beyond her capabilities, such as Antimagic Field, Control Weather, and Foresight. She set about copying Faithful Hound, Mislead, Prismatic Spray, and Teleport into her own spellbook.

 

“I love the way your brow scrunches when you’re focused.” Hurushi said.

 

Qirona couldn’t help grinning, and after copying the spells, she used the knowledge from her staff to copy Fortune’s Favor, Pulse Wave, and Gravity Sinkhole into the Grimoire.

 

“What’s that for?” Urgala inquired.

 

“One thing most Wizards have in common is a desire to impart our knowledge onto others.” Qirona explained. “Now whoever ends up with this book will know a bit of Dunamancy.”

 

Next to Urgala, Baric was adjusting his fur-lined coat when something slammed into the left side of the carriage with enough force to tip it over, sending all seven passengers crashing to the side. The other carriages skidded to a stop, and Tam leaned out the second carriage’s window just as three orangutan-like barlguras became visible next to the overturned carriage. Opening the door, she targeted the closest demon with her Evil Eye, then shot it in the shoulder. It growled in pain, and all three demons turned invisible.

 

The doors of the second and third carriages opened, and everyone but the family rushed out. Tramath cast Detect Magic, then pointed to a spot between the first two carriages.

 

“Right there!” He shouted.

 

Sniffing, Bree darted towards the space and tried to bite the demons but missed. Playing a chord on her borrowed harp, Sharai cast Protection from Evil and Good on herself. While Hurushi helped Qirona out of the first carriage, Titan readied a javelin. At that moment, five makhai became visible behind the third carriage. As they charged, they spun like whirlwinds, attacking Baldir, Gromak, and Galrion. Titan threw two javelins, both of which missed.

 

Pulling out a crystal rod and three silver pins, Qinoa cast Chain Lightning, unleashing a bolt that hit the first makhai, then split into four more bolts and hit the other four demons. Three tanarukks - Orc-like demons with Minotaur-like horns - suddenly became visible to the right of the carriages as they charged in, attacking Nazira, Tam, and Cal with their teeth and jagged greatswords. Tam evaded her attacker, but Nazira and Cal each winced as a blade cut into them.

 

Two more demons appeared in front of the carriages - six-armed, snake-tailed mariliths. Just as Kiata was helping Ekron out of the first carriage, the newcomers attacked. Hurushi dodged the first marilith’s tail, only for her to carve into him with five of her six swords. Qirona cast Shield, blocking her attacker’s tail and two of her six swords. Both Necromancer and Samurai stumbled back, bleeding heavily. Cal cast Forcecage, trapping the second marilith in an invisible box. Gromak’s staff glowed, and four beasts appeared - two deinonychus and two larger quetzalcoatlus. All four attacked the first tanarukk, biting and scratching it from all sides until it collapsed, dead.

 

Drawing his Kinetic Scimitar, Galrion slashed at the fifth makhai, cutting deep into its first torso. At the same time, Terry attacked it from behind, biting its second neck. Dropping down from the overturned carriage, Kiata manifested her echo and slashed at the first marilith, who parried the first of the seven attacks and dodged the fourth. Baldir cast Healing Word on Hurushi, then slammed Whelm into the first makhai.

 

Still shaken from the crash, Ekron cast Healing Word on himself, swung his Mace of Disruption at the first marilith, getting past her six blades and hitting her in the ribs. With her attacker dead, Nazira cast a spell that infused her weapon with psychic energy, then attacked the second tanarukk from behind. It retaliated with its jagged greatsword, but she blocked the attack with her shield. Taking to the air, Qirona cast Faerie Fire where Tramath had pointed, outlining a barlgura in blue light.

 

Tam invoked the Curse of the Somnolent, and the first barlgura became visible as it lost consciousness and collapsed to the right of the overturned carriage. Moving out of the Faerie Fire, the second barlgura became visible as it attacked Kiata from behind, starting with a bite and following up with its fists. The third barlgura became visible as it attacked Tramath. He stood his ground while Bree darted in and bit the demon’s leg, and once she had teleported away, he cast Thunder Step, teleporting over to Ekron and leaving a shockwave in his wake.

 

Sharai cast Chaos Bolt, and the warbling energy became a ball of fire, which had little effect on the second makhai. Drawing his swords, Hurushi struck back at the first marilith. She parried his first attack, but he got past her guard and landed five hits on her torso and tail. Moving up next to Baldir, Titan swung his maul at the first makhai, bludgeoning its second torso. His weapon emitted a flash of blinding light, but the two-headed demon was unaffected. The wounded demon struck back with a whirlwind of blades, but when it hit him, a jolt of energy shot out from his body and hit its first torso. The second makhai continued attacking Baldir, who blocked three of its four blades, and the others continued attacking Gromak and Galrion.

 

Qinoa cast Synaptic Static between the second and third barlguras, killing the third and making the second growl and grab its head. The tanarukks both attacked Nazira, cutting into her from front and back. While the second marilith teleported out of Cal’s Forcecage, the first continued attacking Hurushi. He dodged her tail again, only for her to carve into him with her blades. While Cal hit the third and fourth makhai with a powerful bolt of lightning, Gromak cast Blight, draining the second marilith. His beasts turned their attention to the first barlgura, which regained consciousness just in time for the deinonychus to disembowel it. The quetzalcoatlus then attacked the first makhai, ripping out both of its throats.

 

Galrion slashed at the fifth makhai again, cutting into its torso and sending it flying back. He then slashed at the fourth makhai, which parried his blade with its own, then he stabbed it with his dagger. Terry attacked it from behind, but it dodged the pteranodon’s bite. Kiata and her echo turned their attention to the second marilith, then she magically swapped places with the echo. Baldir healed Hurushi with a single word, then hit the second makhai with his hammer. While Elkron healed Galrion, Nazira cast Divine Favor, infusing her weapons with radiant energy as she attacked the second tanarukk, cutting into its neck. It swung its sword in retaliation, but she blocked it with her shield. Qirona sent necromantic energy washing over the first marilith, draining her enough that she collapsed, dead.

 

Tam targeted the last tanarukk with her Evil Eye, then shot it in the back. The last barlgura turned its attention to the crashed carriage, punching two holes in its underside and looking in. Tramath cast Hex on the second marilith, then peppered her with three Eldritch Blasts. At the same time, Bree attacked the barlgura, biting its right leg before teleporting away. Sharai hummed a low note, and a storm cloud appeared above her. She pointed at a spot between the second and third remaining makhai, shocking them both.

 

Hurushi joined Bree in attacking the barlgura, cutting its head off by swinging his swords across each other like scissors. He then attacked the first makhai, and Titan did the same, hitting it from both sides. The four makhai swarmed the pair, carving into them with a combined sixteen blades. Taking careful aim, Qinoa cast Chain Lightning, sending a bolt that jumped between demons, arching around Hurushi and Titan without hitting them. Two of the makhai collapsed, dead.

 

The first tanarukk bit Nazira, who retaliated by cutting its head off, then the third tanarukk attacked ineffectively. Seeing that she only had three allied demons left, the marilith vanished, reappearing in the trees and fleeing deeper. Cal killed the first makhai with a Starry Wisp that burned through both of its heads, then healed Galrion. Gromak killed the last makhai, and his beasts killed the last tanarukk.

 

“Everyone okay in there?” Kiata asked, approaching the overturned carriage.

 

“We’re fine!” Beldora called out. “Are they dead?”

 

“Most of ‘em! Last one fucked off!”

 

Darathra stepped out of the second carriage, and upon seeing one of the barlguras twitch, she decapitated it with her greatsword. While the others were patching themselves up, Qinoa knelt down next to the mariliths and started writing something in a notebook.

Chapter 11

Once Baric, Urgala, and Beldora had climbed out, Darathra and Baric joined Kiata, Titan, Nazira, and Hurushi in righting the first carriage. Baldir and Qinoa got to work mending the hole in the bottom, chatting as they did so.

 

When they continued on, they rearranged the order so that Baric’s carriage was in the middle. Qirona periodically glanced at Baric as they rode, but she said nothing. At his direction, they changed routes around midday, taking a southbound road that slowly arched back around to the north,

 

That evening, Hurushi and Kiata were arm wrestling across one of the carriage’s small tables when Ekron suddenly perked up. Before he could say anything, a wall of ice appeared in front of the lead carriage, and the driver quickly stopped the horses. An arrow shattered the window of the carriage, narrowly missing Tramath. A second arrow hit him in the shoulder, and a third hit Darathra in the clavicle. More arrows shattered the windows of the other carriages, hitting Urgala, Cal, Hurushi, Gromak, and Qinoa. Cal healed himself, then leaned out his window and cast Starry Wisp.

 

Leaning out a window of the lead carriage, Sharai saw half a dozen winged figures circling overhead. Most were vaguely humanoid, but one had a long tail instead of legs. Seeing three of them in range, she cast Prismatic Spray, unleashing eight rays of colored lights that illuminated three beautiful erinyes, two bug-like ice devils, and the snake-tailed figure, which she didn’t recognize. The green ray hit the tailed figure, the blue ray hit the third erinyes, and both the red and indigo rays hit the second ice devil, causing it to fall out of the air. The runes on Gromak’s staff glowed, and two Faerie Pathlighters appeared above them. The pair fired beams of light from their lanterns, hitting the first ice devil once each.

 

Drawing a longsword, the first erinyes cut the first Pathlighter out of the sky while the others continued shooting into the carriages, hitting Nazira in the ribs, Kiata in the shoulder, Gromak in the hip, and Tam in the arm. Qirona blocked the arrow that would have hit her by throwing up an invisible barrier. Bursting out of the third carriage, Titan activated Stormgirdle, and sparks jumped across his metal skin. Exiting the second carriage on the left, Hurushi focused his mind and fired six arrows, hitting the tailed figure five times. The figure suddenly vanished, reappearing right in front of the Half-Orc Samurai.

 

While Ekron cast Death Ward on Kiata, Qirona cast Finger of Death, sending deadly negative energy out a broken window and into the tailed devil, who had a masculine face and long black hair. He promptly attacked with a stinger on the end of his tail, jabbing it into Hurushi’s right shoulder. He followed up with a set of obsidian-sharp claws, holding Hurushi in place and stinging him again. Exiting the third carriage, Galrion cast Hunter’s Mark and shot the first erinyes in the chest, then whistled, and Terry attacked her from behind. The male devil jabbed Hurushi again, and he nearly blacked out.

 

Leaning out a broken window behind Galrion, Qinoa cast Pulse Wave, sending a wave of intense pressure slamming into both ice devils. Forgoing her Evil Eye, Tam activated her Blackbone Shortsword and stabbed the snake-tailed devil in the back, making him howl in pain. He glared at her, and her entire body locked up as fear overtook her. 

 

“I need some antivenom!” Tramath shouted, setting off an explosion of psychic energy between the ice devils.

 

While Bree bit the male devil’s tail, the first ice devil dove in and attacked Titan with its claws, mandibles, and tails. Each time it hit him, a jolt of energy shot out in retaliation. The second devil hissed as its body slowly turned to stone, which started at the feet and worked its way up. Baldir purged the poison from Tramath’s body, then retreated back into the third carriage as a strong fear of the daytime sky gripped him. Nazira charged the second ice devil head-on, casting Divine Favor before carving into it with Concluder. Kiata was the last to join the fray, manifesting her echo and attacking the first ice devil from the left and right.

 

Cal cast Phantasmal Killer, digging into the second erinyes’ nightmares and manifesting them before her eyes. Sharai whistled a tune that wouldn’t feel out of place in a church, and a crown of golden flames appeared atop her horned head. Gromak healed Hurushi, then cast Blight on the tailed devil, who he recognized as the archdevil Geryon. The remaining Faerie Pathlighter’s lantern transformed into a glowing blade, and she slashed at the first erinyes. While she eviscerated the Pathlighter, the second erinyes fired her bow at Nazira, but the visions from Cal caused two of the three arrows to miss. The third erinyes fired at Cal, hitting his left shoulder and the right side of his chest.

 

A bolt of lightning shot out of Titan’s chest, hitting the first ice devil. He then swung his maul, hitting with the sound of a thunderclap. Hurushi tried to break free of Geryon’s grasp, but whatever venom the devil had injected him with was affecting his muscles, and he was unable to escape. Recognizing what had happened, Ekron rushed over and cast Protection from Poison on the Half-Orc. Qirona set off a necrotic explosion, catching the second ice devil and the second and third erinyes in the blast.

 

Some of Geryon’s wounds started to heal as he turned his attention to Tam, grabbing her in his claws and jabbing his stinger into her sternum. Qinoa cast Temporal Shunt as he attacked, but it had no effect. While Galrion put two arrows in the first erinyes’ abdomen, Terry missed her with a bite. Geryon stung Tam again. While Qinoa sent a shimmering green arrow streaking into the second ice devil’s side, Geryon vanished, releasing Tam and Hurushi and reappearing atop the third carriage. Barely able to stand, Tam pulled a potion of superior healing out of her bag and downed its contents, but even as her wounds closed, she could tell something was sapping her strength.

 

Tramath put a Hex on Geryon, then fired three Eldritch Blasts and hit him twice while Bree helped Nazira attack the second ice devil. Instead of attacking, it manifested a wall of ice around itself, forcing the Orc and Blink Dog back. The first ice devil ended Kiata’s echo with its claws, then attacked the Minotaur herself with its mandibles and tail. From inside the third carriage, Baldir cast Healing Word on Hurushi, then fired a flaming crossbow bolt at the ice wall around the second devil, sending a series of cracks spreading out like a spider web. Nazira shattered the wall with a swing of her sword, then cast a spell and attacked again , only for it to parry her blade with the side of its tail. Kiata’s echo returned, and she used it to attack the ice devil from the front and back, cutting it into four pieces.

 

The front right door of the third carriage opened, and Markham and Augrek led Jenlyn into the trees and away from Geryon. Cal blew his auburn bangs out of his face, healed himself, and hit the third erinyes with a mote of light. While Sharai transformed into a blue giganotosaurus with horns, Gromak conjured a pair of quetzalcoatluses, which attacked the first erinyes by biting her wings. While she decapitated one quetzalcoatlus and cut out the other’s right eye, the second erinyes swapped her bow for a length of rope. She muttered something under her breath, and the rope flew through the air and wrapped around Nazira, pinning her arms to her sides. The third erinyes put three arrows in Cal’s torso, and he stumbled back, bleeding profusely.

 

Another bolt of lightning shot out from Titan’s chest and hit the first ice devil, then he broke its neck with a swing of his maul. Climbing up onto the platform on the rear of the third carriage, he swung up at Geryon and hit the archdevil’s left leg. The maul emitted a bright flash of light on impact, but it had no effect. Feeling his second wind hit, Hurushi fired three more arrows, hitting the second ice devil’s torso and right arm. At the same time, Ekron ran towards the first carriage and healed Cal.

 

“Barlgura.” Qirona muttered, her eyes rolling back.

 

A portal to the Abyss, and the familiar form of an orange, ape-like demon charged through, causing both Richard and Jenlyn to scream.

 

“Get him on the ground and rip his head off!” Qirona shouted, pointing up at Geryon.

 

Charging forward on its fists and feet, the barlgura launched itself at the archdevil. It may as well have tried to tackle a redwood tree, as Geryon simply absorbed all the force of its momentum. The carriage roof gave way, sending them crashing down into the seats. Baldir reacted just quickly enough to get out of the way and avoid being crushed.

 

“IMPUDENT DEMON!” A male voice roared in Qirona and the others’ heads.

 

Geryon’s nostrils flared, and with lightning-fast reflexes, he grabbed the barlgura by the shoulders and hurled it east, where it crashed through the back of the second carriage and caused Baric, Urgala, and Beldora to scream and shout in alarm. While the archdevil beat his wings and took to the air, Galrion and Terry continued attacking the first erinyes, hitting once each. Qinoa cast Blight, and the second ice devil collapsed, dead. The ice wall blocking the road promptly and rapidly melted. Tam tried and failed to target the second erinyes, then raised her right arm and shot the first erinyes in the neck. Geryon suddenly teleported behind her, making her shriek.

 

Tramath conjured seven motes of light orbiting his head, then sent out shooting through the air at Geryon, hitting his lower back. Ignoring the Firbolg, the archdevil jabbed his stinger into Tam’s gut, delivering another dose of venom even as she twisted her body to reduce the wound’s severity. Dashing towards the Changeling, Bree bit the archdevil’s tail, then teleported back to her master. Scrambling out of the third carriage, Baldir hit the second erinyes with a bolt of light as he dove underneath the second carriage. While Nazira broke free of the rope binding her, Kiata turned her attention to Geryon, using her echo to cut into both of his wings at the same time.

 

“Betray!” Cal shouted, casting Command.

 

Roaring, Sharai closed with Geryon, who winced as her Crown of Radiance burned him. He dodged her teeth, only for her claws to scratch the side of his face. Running over to Tam, Gromak purged the venom from her body, then missed Geryon with a Starry Wisp. The badly-wounded first erinyes dodged a bite from the quetzalcoatlus, then landed in the third carriage and started cutting into the floor with her sword. While the second erinyes put two arrows in Ekron’s back, the third put an arrow in each of Nazira’s legs and one in her back, causing her to collapse.

 

“No!” Tam exclaimed.

 

A bolt of lightning from Titan’s face hit the first erinyes in hers, and she plummeted, landing hard on her right wing. Laughing, he charged in and swung his maul at Geryon, breaking the archdevil’s neck. Both surviving erinyes promptly turned and fled.

 

As Geryon’s body started melting into the ground, Titan felt a surge of power from Stormgirdle.

 

“Woah.” He chuckled. “I think I just got an upgrade.”

 

Ekron healed Darathra and Urgala, then joined Gromak and Othovir in repairing the damage to the carriages. Sharai healed Nazira, then crouched down next to the second carriage.

 

“You okay down there?” She asked, concerned in spite of her teasing tone.

 

“I don’t know.” Baldir admitted. “Suddenly I’m afraid of being out in the daytime.”

 

“Well, what’s changed that may have caused it?”

 

He furrowed his brow. “The hammer.”

 

“My thoughts exactly.”

 

“Perhaps I can help.” Baric said as he approached. “I think you’ve proven yourselves trustworthy, so I’d be willing to grant you access to something more powerful.”

 

“Are you sure?” Cal asked, having approached with Ekron. “It’s only been a few days.”

 

Baric nodded. “If it turns out to be a mistake, I trust you to help me correct it.”

 

Once Baldir had ended his attunement to Whelm, Baric presented him with the Axe of the Dwarven Lords, and he felt an immediate connection upon touching it.

 

As they set up camp that evening, Sharai started playing her lute. The tune was well-known, but she played it at a more relaxed tempo than was the norm. Recognizing the tune, Tramath started playing his dulcimer, and Cal started playing a lyre he pulled out of his bag. Smiling, she started singing.

 

“How can you see into my eyes like open doors? Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb. Without a soul, my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold…until you find it there and lead…it…baaack home.”

 

“Wake me up.” Cal sang, matching her slow tempo and low volume.

 

“Wake me up inside.” She continued, grinning.

 

“I can't wake up.”

 

“Wake me up inside.”

 

“Save me.”

 

“Call my name and save me from the dark.”

 

“Wake me up.”

 

“Bid my blood to run.”

 

“I can't wake up.”

 

“Before I come undone.”

 

“Save me.”

 

“Save me from the nothing I've become.”

 

After a two-measure lyrical caesura, Sharai started singing again.

 

“Now that I know what I'm without, you can't just leave me. Breathe into me and make me real. Bring me to life…”

 

After another pause, Cal joined back in.

 

“Wake me up.”

 

“Wake me up inside.” She continued.

 

“I can't wake up.”

 

“Wake me up inside.”

 

“Save me.”

 

“Call my name and save me from the dark.”

 

“Wake me up.”

 

“Bid my blood to run.”

 

“I can't wake up.”

 

“Before I come undone.”

 

“Save me.”

 

“Save me from the nothing I've become. Bring me to life…”

 

“I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside.”

 

“Bring me to liiiiiife.”

 

“Frozen inside without your touch.” They sang together. “Without your love, darling. Only you are the life among the dead.”

 

After a beat, Cal started singing solo.

 

“All this time I can't believe I couldn't see. Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me.”

 

“I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems.” Sharai responded. “Got to open my eyes to everything.”

 

“Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul.”

 

“Don't let me die here.”

 

“There must be something mooooore…”

 

“Bring me to life…”

 

“Wake me up.” Cal sang.

 

“Wake me up inside.” Sharai sang, maintaining her slow temp and soft tone.

 

“I can't wake up.”

 

“Wake me up inside.”

 

“Save meeee.”

 

“Call my name and save me from the dark.”

 

“Wake me up.”

 

“Bid my blood to run.”

 

“I can't wake up.”

 

“Before I come undone.”

 

“Save meeeeee.”

 

“Save me from the nothing I've become. Bring me to life…”

 

“I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside.”

 

“Bring me to liiiife…”

Chapter 12

Although the fourth day was uneventful, Baric still switched the first and third carriages and changed routes again, heading for a bridge across the Valto River. Cal and Kiata swapped places, as did Galrion and Tramath, ensuring that each carriage had a musician onboard. During that time, Qirona used Legend Lore to learn everything she could about the Demonomicon, which contained information on seemingly every type of demon in existence. She attuned to the book, engrossed herself in it, determined to learn as much as possible.

 

Having recovered from her time in the Abyss, Sharai spent the fifth day singing and making eyes at Galrion. Her efforts went unrewarded, but she was having too much fun making him blush to care.

 

On the sixth day, they reached the river to find what had once been the sturdiest bridge for over a hundred miles completely collapsed, leaving only the ramps on each end of the river. On a whim, Gromak spent a minute connecting himself to nature and learned that the bridge had collapsed following a flash flood four days prior.

 

“My gut’s telling me that the flood wasn’t natural.” Tam said. “Someone or something destroyed this bridge deliberately.”

 

Taking to the air, Qirona flew out over the river and tried to estimate its width.

 

“I can get us across!” She shouted.

 

Urgala gave her a thumbs up, so she cast Wall of Force, manifesting ten invisible panels, each measuring ten feet on a side. She landed in the center of her bridge to show what she had done.

 

“We’ve got ten minutes!” She called out. “Someone cast Dancing Lights!”

 

Cal complied, manifesting four balls of light. With Qirona’s guidance, he positioned two on each side of the bridge to mark the edges. Once all three carriages had made it across, she dropped her spell, then rejoined Hurushi in the second carriage.

 

That afternoon, they spotted three figures blocking the road ahead - a dark-haired Centaur woman in chainmail, a leatherbound Halfling man straddling her back, and an unarmored but well-dressed lion-like man called a Leonin. They were clearly arguing, but they stopped when they noticed the carriages. Titan stepped out of the first carriage and slowly approached the trio, and Cal and Kiata followed suit. In the first carriage, Gromak cast Detect Magic, but he picked up nothing outside the carriages.

 

“What seems to be the problem?” Titan asked, activating his maul.

 

The Halfling and Centaur shared a glance, then the Halfling drew a pepperbox from his right hip. Before anyone could react, he fired six shots, hitting Titan four times. One bullet tore all the way through his abdomen, hitting Kiata in the hip. Hearing wings, they looked up and saw two winged lions pulling a chariot through the air while an Aarakocra with a longbow and a winged Tiefling with a flaming scimitar flanked them. A brown-haired Harengon woman was at the reins, and her passengers included a Human man and a Githyanki woman. The Harengon fired three Eldritch Blasts, hitting Kiata and Cal but missing Titan. A bolt suddenly hit the left side of Titan’s neck, and he turned to see a Bugbear man reloading a crossbow.

 

Tam was already on her way out the left side of the third carriage. Spotting the Bugbear, she marked him with her Evil Eye, then fired her own crossbow. He twisted his body so the bolt hit his shoulder instead of his chest, so she invoked the Curse of the Debilitated, channeling necrotic energy into the wound. Gripping a battleaxe and shield, the Leonin man charged at Titan. His blade gave off a faint golden glow as he swung it, hitting Titan’s left arm. When he swung again, frost coated the blade, only for Titan to duck under the attack.

 

Leaving the second carriage, Qirona used her staff to create an implosion of energy below the chariot. The winged lions were able to resist its pull, but all three of the chariot’s occupants were pulled out, and when the spell ended, they fell seventy feet to the ground, only for the Tiefling to save them by casting Feather Fall. Stepping out behind Qirona, Hurushi focused his mind and fired six arrows, hitting the Halfling three times and the Bugbear twice. While Ekron cast Death Ward on himself, the Githyanki woman picked herself up. Standing over six feet tall, she had skin that was a shade closer to yellow than Gromak’s, blue eyes, and brown hair. She wore black plate armor and carried a crossbow, warhammer, and shield. She hurled a Fireball, then countered Qirona’s Counterspell, burning Qirona and Hurushi and singing those still inside the second carriage. The Githyanki then advanced, swinging what Baldir recognized as a Duergar-made Psychic-Attuned Hammer at Hurushi and hitting twice. At the same time, Cal cast Forcecage.

 

“Sunovabitch!” Qirona shrieked, feeling an invisible box manifest around her.

 

Picking himself up, the dark-skinned Human man hurled a bolt of light, hitting Tam in the side and making her glow. A winged, serpentine Celestial called a couatl suddenly dove out of the sun, wrapped her in its tail, and bit her. Diving, the mauve-skinned Tiefling woman slashed at Kiata, cutting into her upper back. While the winged lions landed next to the fallen Harengon, Kiata manifested her echo, then attacked the Tiefling from both sides. The Tiefling put up an invisible barrier, stopping five of the seven attacks. Above them, the Aarakocra conjured two Faerie Pests, which closed with Ekron and slashed at him with their stingblades, cutting his right cheek.

 

At that moment, four figures appeared on the road behind the carriages - a bald Goliath man in simple brown garments, an unarmored Shifter woman with long white hair, a dark-haired Hill Dwarf woman in half plate, and a dark-haired Kalashtar woman in studded leather.

 

“Tisla?!” Baldir exclaimed, recognizing the Dwarf.

 

Sprinting forward so fast he was almost a blur, the Goliath attacked Kiata with a rune-covered quarterstaff. He swung it through her echo, which vanished, then he moved behind her and slammed it into her back, which had no effect. He followed up with two swift punches, breaking a rib with each hit.

 

Scrambling out of the first carriage, Qinoa cast Forcecage, trapping Cal. Following her out, Baldir used his new axe to cast Conjure Elemental, and an earth elemental burst up from the grass to the north. Charging onto the road, it attacked the couatl, punching the Celestial with its stone fists. While Galrion’s skin became hard as stone, Terry attacked the couatl as well, biting at its neck. Sharai used the Ollamh Harp to cast Fire Storm, burning the Harengon, the Human man, both winged lions, the Centaur, the Halfling, and the Bugbear. To her shock, the Centaur was completely unaffected.

 

Inside the first carriage, Tramath finished casting Conjure Fey, and a female Oread appeared outside. Standing exactly five feet tall, she had skin the color of volcanic ash. At his direction, she hurled two Fire Bolts, hitting the Aarakocra with the first and missing with the second. He lost concentration, and his Faeries vanished. At the same time, Bree bit down on the couatl’s tail. The Kalashtar woman transformed, not into a beast, but into the constellation of an archer. She missed Baldir with an arrow of pure light, then hit him with a Guiding Bolt.

 

Rearing up, the Centaur woman charged, wielding a battleaxe and a tower shield. She muttered an incantation, then buried the axe in Kiata’s back and sent a psychic surge directly to the Echo Knight’s brain. Letting out a battle cry, the Shifter woman threw a javelin at Hurushi and missed, then let her eyes roll back, and giganotosaurus appeared in front of her. It slammed its tail into the Oread, who retaliated with Hellish Rebuke. Stomping forward, the beast scratched Terry with its claws, then bit down on Bree hard enough to snap her bones, and she vanished.

 

“No!” Tramath exclaimed.

 

Gromak cast Reverse Gravity, sending the Kalashtar, Hill Dwarf, and Shifter women tumbling straight up. An intangible pixie appeared behind the Leonin man as Titan activated Stormgirdle, then it exploded. Bursting out of the third carriage, Nazira closed with the Human Cleric, muttering an incantation as she attacked. As her blade cut into him, it unleashed a burst of energy, breaking his concentration. The couatl vanished, freeing Tam. The Orc Paladin slashed again, hitting below her target’s ribs. 100 feet above the ground, Tisla injected herself with something, then flew out of Gromak’s gravity well and fired a double crossbow, hitting his left shoulder with the second bolt.

 

Hopping down from the Centaur Paladin, the Halfling Gunslinger aimed at Ekron, only for his weapon to misfire. Cursing, he quickly fixed the problem, then shot the Hobgoblin Cleric’s left arm and knocked the shield out of his grasp. The Harengon Warlock picked herself up, and a gleaming rapier appeared in her right hand. Closing with Gromak, she cast the same spell Nazira had, then attacked, only for him to block her blade by casting Shield.

 

“Bruk, this one!” She shouted.

 

Moving to a better position, the Bugbear fired his crossbow at Gromak, only for the bolt to bounce off his shield. Instead of attacking again, Tam put a curse on the Bugbear, blinding and deafening him. The Leonin Barbarian slashed at Titan, and his blade glowed as he buried it in the Warforged man’s hip. Titan promptly vanished, reappearing next to Baldir on the other side of the carriage. Moving around the carriage, the Leonin slashed again, and his blade hit with the force and sound of a thunderclap, but Titan was unaffected by the elemental damage.

 

Qirona cast Misty Step, but nothing happened. On the ground, Hurushi drew his swords and slashed at the Githyanki Eldritch Knight. He cut into her shoulder with his katana, then she blocked two attacks with her shield, then he cut into her belly with his wakizashi. Ekron retrieved his shield, then cast a quick healing spell on Kiata. While the Githyanki slammed her hammer into Hurushi, Cal used Thunder Step to escape his cage.

 

“Listen up!” He shouted as the Human Cleric healed himself. “All we want are the artifacts! Turn them over and we’ll leave you in peace!”

 

The Tiefling Bladesinger muttered an incantation, and a spectral bastard sword appeared next to him. He swung it at Kiata, who blocked the attack with the shaft of her axe, then he beat his wings and took to the air, dodging her axe in the process. Kiata manifested her echo behind the Centaur Paladin, then cut into her from both sides. Above them, a swarm of insects buzzed around the Aarakocra Ranger as she fired her longbow, hitting Baldir in the shoulder and lower back. Part of the swarm went with each arrow, biting him.

 

The Goliath Monk slammed his staff into Kiata’s chin, then broke off and retreated towards his allies. Qinoa sent a bolt of lightning up into the Aarakocra, and three more bolts split off, hitting Tisla, the Shifter Barbarian, and the Kalashtar Druid. Moving to a better spot, Baldir cast Mass Cure Wounds. The Tiefling Wizard cast Counterspell, but Sharai did the same, allowing Baldir to heal himself, Hurushi, Titan, Tam, Kiata, and Ekron. With the couatl gone, the earth elemental turned its attention to Cal, punching him in the face and breaking his nose with an audible CRUNCH.

 

Galrion fired two arrows, hitting Kalashtar Druid with the first, then Terry flew up and bit her. Sharai cast Chaos Bolt, hitting the Shifter Barbarian with a large glob of pure poison. Seven motes of light were orbiting Tramath’s head as he stepped outside, and he shot one of them at the Goliath Monk, who nimbly dodged it. His Oread fired three Scorching Rays, hitting the Leonin Barbarian twice and setting his mane ablaze. The Kalashtar Druid hit Terry with a radiant arrow, then conjured a quetzalcoatlus, grabbing onto it as it flew by so it pulled her out of the gravity well. Gromak promptly dropped the spell, sending the Shifter Barbarian 100 feet straight down.

 

“Iris!” The Tiefling Wizard shrieked, too far away to help.

 

The Centaur Paladin cast Blinding Smite, then slashed at Kiata, cutting into her abdomen but failing to blind her. Picking herself up, Iris took on a beastly form, sprouting a set of fangs as she closed with Titan. She attacked, but Qinoa cast Temporal Shunt, causing her to vanish. The giganotosaurus swung its tail at the Oread and missed, then bit and scratched Baldir’s earth elemental. Gromak’s staff glowed, and two humanoid Fey appeared - a male Satyr in leather armor and a blue-skinned water Nymph called a Naiad. Both attacked the giganotosaurus, with the Satyr unleashing a hail of arrows and the Naiad using Phantasmal Force to make it see the image of an even larger predator biting its neck.

 

Titan vanished, reappearing behind the Githyanki woman and denting her armor with his Blinding Maul. The weapon emitted a flash of light, but she was unaffected. Nazira cast Shining Smite as she continued attacking the enemy Cleric, cutting into his thigh and making his entire body glow. Flying lower, Tisla cut herself on her crossbow, then shot Baldir’s left collarbone with a necrotic-infused bolt.

 

The Halfling Gunslinger turned his attention to Nazira, firing three shots and hitting her in the back with the second and third. The Harengon Warlock healed herself a bit, then drove her Divine Rapier between two of Gromak’s ribs, and her Supernal Smite broke his concentration and caused his Fey to vanish. She then stabbed the right side of his chest. While Bruk downed a potion, Tam locked her Evil Eye onto the Aarakocra Ranger, then shot her right wing. The Leonin Barbarian pursued Titan, burying his axe in his metal back. Qirona managed to teleport out of her cage, then missed Cal with a Fire Bolt. Hurushi struck back at the Githyanki, who blocked his attacks by casting Shield.

 

“Betray!” Ekron shouted, casting Command.

 

The Githyanki woman vanished, reappearing next to the Leonin. Instead of attacking Titan, she attacked her ally, hitting him square in the gut but missing with her follow up swings.

 

“Betray!” Cal shouted, looking at Sharai.

 

Sharai cast Magic Mirror, and a bubble of iridescent energy reflected the spell back at its caster, who succumbed. The Human Cleric grabbed Nazira and cast Inflict Wounds, causing blood vessels to burst beneath her adamantine armor. She swung Concluder in retaliation, cutting into his right arm. The Tiefling Bladesinger turned his attention to Gromak, cutting into the Githzerai with both his Flame Tongue Scimitar and spectral blade and causing him to collapse.

 

Kiata swung her Bloodaxe again, cutting into the Centaur Paladin from the front and back. The Aarakocra cast Hunter’s Mark on Galrion, then fired two arrows, then shot his left arm and right leg, causing him to lose concentration on Stoneskin. The Goliath Monk suddenly threw his quarterstaff like a javelin, hitting Tramath in the ribs. The weapon flew back to the Goliath’s hand, and he threw it again, hitting Tramath’s right temple and dazing him. Qinoa cast Blight on the Human Cleric, then countered the Bladesinger’s Counterspell. Baldir healed Gromak from a distance, then reached out to Gond in silent prayer, but nothing happened. While his earth elemental continued attacking Cal, Galrion called Terry down and healed him, then took cover behind the third carriage.

 

Playing a chord on her borrowed harp, Sharai cast Prismatic Spray up into the air. The yellow lightning ray shocked Tisla, the orange acid ray hit the Kalashtar Druid, and the red fire ray killed the quetzalcoatlus, but the Aarakocra Ranger evaded the petrifying indigo ray. The Kalashtar woman screamed as she fell, and the impact of a sixty-foot fall knocked her out. Tramath hit the Human Cleric with a mote of light, then peppered the Leonin Barbarian with Eldritch Blasts while his Oread grabbed the giganotosaurus and inflicted her burning touch. The Centaur Paladin conjured a spectral lance behind her, then thrust it at Kiata’s echo, which dodged the attack. She then swung her axe at Kiata herself, burying the blade in the Minotaur’s beefy right arm.

 

Iris reappeared right where she’d vanished from, then looked at the spot where Titan had been in confusion. Seeing her Cleric ally on the defensive, she closed with Nazira and attacked. Her greatsword drained a bite of Nazira’s life force as it cut into her back through gaps in her armor, and she followed up with a bite. At the same time, her giganotosaurus continued attacking the earth elemental. Picking himself up, Gromak downed a healing potion, then cast Conjure Animals. Three beasts appeared - two panther-like moorbounders next to him and a larger quetzalcoatlus above him. While the 550-pound pterosaur attacked the Aarakocra Ranger, the tusked moorbounders attacked the Halfling Gunslinger, who raised his arms defensively as they scratched him.

 

A bolt of lightning shot out from Titan’s arm, hitting the Githyanki woman in the side. He rose up off the ground, dodging her hammer but failing to dodge the Leonin’s axe as he flew away. Stopping just below Tisla, he swung his maul. She cut herself on a crossbow bolt, and Titan’s vision blurred, causing his attack to miss. Shaking his head, he swung again, hitting her lower back. His weapon emitted a flash of light, temporarily blinding her. Nazira cast Divine Favor, then slashed at the Human Cleric again, getting past his shield and cutting into his belly. He howled in pain, clutching his bleeding abdomen. Swapping her crossbow for a morningstar and shield, Tisla cut herself on the former, and swung down at Titan, managing to hit his left shoulder.

 

Drawing a scimitar and grabbing the shield from his back, the Ghostwise Halfling man activated the weapon’s acidic enchantment, then slashed at the first moorbounder, cutting into its front legs. Hopping down the road, the Harengon cast Spirit Shroud, surrounding herself with intangible spirits as she closed with Tam. Assuming a dueling stance, she attacked, only for the Misfortune Bringer to dodge both thrusts. Bruk aimed his crossbow towards Nazira, and as he fired, Tam stole some of his luck. Influenced by Sharai’s spell he had actually fired at the Human Cleric, and the bolt hit the bald man square in the chest. He stumbled back, then a light briefly shimmered around him as a Death Ward kicked in, keeping him on his feet.

 

Tam drew her Blackbone Shortsword, but instead of attacking with it, she grabbed the Harengon and cast a spell, bestowing a curse upon the Warlock. The Leonin Barbarian swung his Random Axe of Violence at his Githyanki ally, who blocked both attacks with her shield. Flying up out of Counterspell range, Qirona flipped to a page in the Demonomicon and muttered the incantation for Planar Ally. In a moment of panic, she reached out to the first sufficiently powerful entity she could think of - Orcus. At that moment, everything around her slowed to a halt.

 

“You are not among my disciples.” A commanding voice growled in her mind. “Who dares to petition the Sovereign of Thanatos for aid?”

 

Swallowing her fear, Qirona straightened her back.

 

“A fellow practitioner of the necromantic arts.” She replied with as much confidence as she could muster. “While I would sooner clip my own wings than swear loyalty to you or any other master, I’d be lying if I said I’m not impressed by your accomplishments. I hope it says something that, in a moment of panic, you were the first practitioner I thought to petition.”

 

“I see.” Orcus was silent for a moment. “What is it you would ask of me?”

 

“My companions and I find ourselves betrayed and under attack.” She explained. “I do not consider the battle lost just yet, but I’m also not certain we can win without taking permanent casualties. I ask that you send someone you trust to help us turn the tide so that I may continue my work.”

 

“Very well.” He said. “I acknowledge you as a fellow Necromancer, and I will aid you, but should you require my help again, there will be a cost. First, how is it you came to possess the Demonomicon?”

 

“It’s on loan.” She replied. “Why?”

 

“In exchange for something extra, I would ask that you temporarily turn it over so that I may remove any information about myself.”

 

She frowned. “What exactly are you offering in return?”

Chapter 13

When time resumed, a new player entered the field. The demon that appeared stood twelve feet tall and had the head of a wolf, a jagged polearm, and a snake growing out of the back of its neck. Letting out a roar, the molydeus charged the giganotosaurus head on, biting with both heads and slashing with its weapon. Moving away from his attackers, Hurushi turned his attention to Cal, cutting into the Bard with both of his swords. Ekron uttered a single divine word, and the Human Cleric collapsed, his heart having stopped. The Hobgoblin then cast Toll the Dead, and Cal winced as he heard a bell ring.

 

Shaking her head, the Githyanki Eldritch Knight closed with Sharai and swung her hammer, hitting the Tiefling in the gut and winding her. Under the influence of his own spell, Cal fired seven Scorching Rays, hitting the Leonin Barbarian with four of them. The Tiefling Bladesinger flew up and attacked Titan from below, cutting deep into the Warforged with his scimitar and spectral blade. Feeling her second wind hit, Kiata and her echo struck again, alternating attacks against the Centaur Paladin. Nearby, the molydeus slashed at the giganotosaurus again, cutting its head clean off.

 

Leaning out the window of the second carriage, Beldora fired a hand crossbow, hitting Cal’s lower back and making him yell in pain. While the Aarakocra Ranger drew a rapier and stabbed the quetzalcoatlus in the torso, the Goliath Monk attacked Gromak, slamming his staff into the Druid’s chest. Qinoa cast Blight on the Bladesinger, only for him to cast Counterspell. Leaning out the window next to Beldora, Baric fired his heavy crossbow, narrowly missing the Aarakocra. While Baldir cast Death Ward on himself, his elemental put Cal down with a punch. As the Human Bard hit the ground, he transformed, gaining the gray skin and white hair of a Changeling.

 

The molydeus cast Lightning Bolt, hitting Iris and the Leonin Barbarian. Leaving cover, Galrion fired up at the Aarakocra, hitting both of her wings. Terry then rose up to meet her, helping the quetzalcoatlus by biting her. While Sharai transformed into a horned giganotosaurus, Markham leaned out of the first carriage and fired his heavy crossbow, missing Tisla. From the third carriage, Othovir cast Witch Bolt, only for the Goliaht Monk to dodge the crackling blue energy. Tramath hit Iris with a mote of light, then followed up with three Eldritch Blasts, hitting with the third. At the same time, his Oread hurled two Fire Bolts at the Goliath, who dodged them both.

 

The Centaur Paladin healed her most severe wounds, then stabbed Kiata with her spectral lance. Iris carved into Nazira again and nearly put her down, only for Nazira to block her follow-up bite. In the third carriage, Darathra fired her own crossbow, missing the Halfling. While Gromak rushed over and healed Nazira, his moorbounders clawed at the Halfling again, and his quetzalcoatlus attacked the Aarakocra again, but she dodged its bite. Titan downed his potion of supreme healing, then let himself fall, and the winged Tiefling man screamed as the 310-pound Warforged drove him into the dirt.

 

“Lefaris!” Iris cried out.

 

Nazira cast Spirit Shroud, and translucent Pixies surrounded her as she slashed at Iris, cutting an X into the Shifter woman’s unarmored torso. Landing next to Titan, Tisla swung her morningstar down at him, denting his chest. While Urgala shot Bruk with her shortbow, Augrek missed the Halfling with her heavy crossbow. Moving away from the moorbounders, the Halfling switched back to his pepperbox and fired into the first carriage, missing Augrek but hitting Markham and Jenlyn.

 

“JEN!” Augrek shrieked as her daughter went limp.

 

Gripped by Tam’s curse, the Harengon rocked back and forth but otherwise did nothing. Drawing his rapier, Bruk attacked Qinoa, driving the blade into her right shoulder. Tam fired up at the Aarakocra again, but she dodged the bolt. Shaking his head, the Leonin man attacked the molydeus, burying his axe in the demon’s lower back.

 

Eying the Human Cleric’s body, Qirona turned her Handy Haversack inside out, dumping out the two-week-old body of a Tabaxi man. She then cast Danse Macabre, raising both him and the Human Cleric as zombies. While they attacked the Goliath Monk, the molydeus turned its attention to the Leonin, cutting him down with a bite and a slash. Switching back to his bow, Hurushi fired three arrows, hitting the Aarakocra in the chest. While Ekron rushed over and healed Titan, the Githyanki cast Phantasmal Force on Hurushi, only for Qirona to stop her with Counterspell.

 

Lefaris cast Dimension Door, vanishing out from under Titan and reappearing 50 feet above him. Kiata continued attacking the Centaur, cutting deep into her flanks. Moving to the other side of her carriage, Beldora fired at the Centaur and missed. While the Aarakocra healed herself, the Goliath slammed his staff into Gromak’s back, then followed up with two punches. After dodging Bruk’s blade, Qinoa cast Pulse Wave, sending him flying back. Leaning out the window, Baric fired his crossbow again, narrowly missing Tisla. Baldir cast Healing Word on Hurushi, then swung his new axe at the Githyanki, who blocked it with her shield. The earth elemental attacked the Goliath Monk, breaking three of his ribs with its stone fists. 

 

Galrion cast Hunter’s Mark on the Aarakocra, then fired two more arrows, hitting her left arm and leg. Terry then ripped her throat out, and she fell 65 feet to the ground. Sharai swatted the Goliath with her tail, then scratched the Halfling and put him down with a bite. While Markham shot the Harengon Warlock in the arm, Othovir hit the Goliath with a Fire Bolt. Tramath cast Blight on the Harengon, then hit her with a mote of light. The Oread hurled two more Fire Bolts, hitting the Centaur Paladin but having no effect. The Centaur stabbed Kiata with her spectral lance, then galloped over to Cal and healed him.

 

Iris healed some of her wounds, then slashed at Nazira again, getting past her shield and cutting into her torso. While Darathra fired at Bruk and missed, Gromak healed himself, and his quetzalcoatlus attacked Lefaris while the moorbounders attacked the Goliath. Picking himself up, Titan moved east and swung his maul at Iris, hitting her upper back. Barely able to stand, Nazira healed herself instead of attacking. Diving, Tisla swung her morningstar at Hurushi, hitting the back of his right shoulder. While Urgala fired at Bruk and missed, Augrek poured a healing potion into Jen’s mouth, but it had no effect.

 

Regaining control of herself, the Harengon Warlock broke the crossbow bolt in her arm, then turned to Baldir.

 

“Pain.” She muttered.

 

Baldir let out a howl as his body was wracked with intense pain. Moving away from Qinoa, Bruk turned his attention to Tam, stabbing her in the back from beyond her reach. Drawing her Blackbone Shortsword, Tam activated its enchantment, moved inside his reach, and stabbed him in the gut. Qirona used the Demonomicon to cast Magic Circle on the Githyanki, but the Harengon stopped her with Counterspell. Her zombies continued attacking the Goliath. The molydeus turned its attention to Iris, putting her down with two bites and a scratch. While Hurushi slashed up at Tisla, Ekron missed the Githyanki with a Guiding Bolt, who then caught up with Hurushi and slammed her hammer into his chest and back.

 

Picking himself up, Cal cast Mass Healing Word. Qirona cast Counterspell, but it failed, and he healed himself, the Centaur, Iris, the Halfling, the Leonin, and the Kalashtar. Diving, Lefaris attacked Gromak, cutting through the Shield he threw up and into his body with both scimitar and spectral bastard sword. Yelling in pain, Gromak lost concentration, and his beasts vanished. Chasing after the Centaur, Kiata and her echo attacked again, putting her down with a pair of deep cuts. While Beldora shot Bruk in the shoulder, the Goliath slammed his staff into Gromak’s temple, knocking him out cold. Sprinting across the road, he attacked Hurushi, opening with his staff and following up with two punches to the ribs.

 

The molydeus cast Lightning Bolt again, hitting the Githyanki, Harengon, and Leonin, the last of whom collapsed again. Qinoa unleashed a barrage of four Magic Missiles, sending them past Cal and towards Bruk, only for them to turn around and hit the Changeling Bard in the back. While Baric fired at the Halfling and missed, Baldir tried and failed to cast Toll the Dead, the earth elemental caught up with the Goliath. Its first punch hit, but the Goliath dodged the second, causing it to hit Hurushi, who nearly collapsed. Drawing his scimitar and dagger, Galrion attacked the Goliath. His scimitar emitted a burst of kinetic energy as it drew blood, but the Monk was able to stand his ground. Unfazed, Galrion slashed again, then stabbed the Goliath between two ribs. Above them, Terry attacked Tisla, biting her left collarbone. Sharai knocked the Kalashtar down with her tail, then stomped towards and attacked with her claws and teeth, leaving him on the edge of consciousness as she picked him up in her mouth. 

 

Stepping out of his carriage, Markham drew his longsword and slashed down at the Halfling, cutting his throat. While Otho hit the Harengon with a Fire Bolt, Tramath hit Cal with a mote of light, then cast Synaptic Static, only for Lefaris to stop him with Counterspell. The Oread hurled another pair of Fire Bolts, hitting Cal with the second. Picking herself up, Iris attacked Markham, slashing three times and hitting him twice. While Darathra shot Cal in the ribs, Titan teleported behind the Githyanki Eldritch Knight and swung his maul, getting past her magic barrier and  putting her down with a blow to the head. Nazira cut Cal down, then moved past him and attacked Bruk, who parried her blade with his own. Tisla flew behind Baldir and swung her morningstar, hitting twice and denting his armor. While Urgala shot Tisla in the back, Augrek stepped out of her carriage and smashed the Halfling’s head with her hammer.

 

The Harengon healed herself, then stabbed Ekron with her gleaming rapier while Bruk went limp in Sharai’s mouth. Tam locked her Evil Eye onto Tisla, then shot her in the neck, and the Blood Hunter hit the ground hard. Above them, Qirona cast Finger of Death, killing the Goliath instantly. Her zombies turned their attention to the Harengon, attacking her from the left and right. The molydeus attacked Iris, cutting her down with a swing of his blade. Feeling his second wind hit, Hurushi switched to his bow and fired up at Lefaris, hitting his left leg and wing. Ekron grabbed the Harengon and cast Inflict Wounds, causing blood vessels to burst in her right arm.

 

“Regroup!” Lefaris shouted. “North side!”

 

With that, he downed a potion, then cast Steel Wind Strike. He teleported six times, attacking Nazira, Tam, Baldir, Qirona, and Titan before reappearing on the north side of the road and taking to the air again. Qirona cried out in pain and lost concentration, causing her zombies to de-animate. Kiata and her echo attacked the Harengon, cutting into her until she collapsed. The molydeus cast Lightning Bolt, knocking Lefaris out of the air.

 

The winged lions had fled, taking their chariot with them. Ekron was already on the move, sprinting towards the first carriage and casting Revivify on Jenlyn. Baldir rushed over to heal Gromak, and the molydeus approached Qirona.

 

“My payment.” It growled, holding out a clawed hand.

 

“I’m sorry, Baric.” She said, holding out the Demonomicon. “Orcus wouldn’t accept anything less.”

 

“Orcus?!” Urgala exclaimed.

 

She nodded. “I tried to haggle, but he wouldn’t budge. I apologize, and I won’t ask for any more artifacts for my own use.”

 

Baric sighed. “I am grateful for the aid. If that’s what was required, I suppose we can afford to give up one artifact.”

 

With that, the molydeus took the book and vanished.

 

“How did Orcus even know you had it?” Urgala inquired.

 

“Because I used it to cast the spell.” Qirona replied. “Planar Ally is mainly used by Clerics and Druids, not Wizards and Sorcerers.”

 

“I just can’t believe it was Cal.” Otho said, standing over the Bard’s body.

 

Darathra shook her head. “It’s always the ones you least suspect.”

 

“Who was she?” Hurushi asked, noticing Baldir looking down at Tisla.

 

“Tisla Frostbleeder.” Baldir replied. “We grew up in the same clan, but I haven’t seen her in over a decade.”

 

The Goliath suddenly rose up, having been zombified, so Qirona sent him into the woods to kill a rabbit. Once the group had gathered all of the attackers’ magical items in the carriages, they resumed heading east, and Baldir, Gromak, Qirona, and Qinoa spent the time identifying everything. When they stopped for the night, the four of them pointed out each item and quickly summarized its capabilities. The Centaur’s chainmail - identified as Efreeti Chain - had shrunk after being removed, taking a more humanoid shape. Nazira eyed the Githyanki woman’s Obsidian Flint Dragon Plate armor, but she stayed where she was.

 

“I already have a legendary weapon.” She said, patting Concluder. “If anyone else wants the obsidian armor, go ahead. I can take the Cleric’s armor.”

 

“I’ve got fire and radiant resistance.” Kiata said, patting her armor. “I’m good.”

 

“I’ve already got poison resistance.” Baldir pointed out. “I’m debating between the Cleric’s plate and the Paladin’s chain.”

 

“I’ll stick to improving what I’ve got.” Hurushi said.

 

While Baldir was debating which armor to take, he took the Bugbear’s crossbow, which had a more powerful enchantment than his own. He decided on the Efreeti Chain, though he kept the enchanted plate as a backup.

 

Qirona took Lefaris’ spellbook, but she was disappointed when it contained no spells she didn’t already have. Sharai took the Druid’s studded leather, which was polished and beautifully detailed with intricate patterns. It was called the Hide of the Feral Guardian, and she ended her connection to the Tentacle Rod in order to attune to it. She offered the rod to Tramath, and he accepted it, putting it on his belt next to his dagger. Tam took Cal’s Coat of Lies, though she didn’t attune to it. Galrion took the Harengon’s Divine Rapier, posing with it in his right hand and his Kinetic Scimitar in his left.

 

“Very nice.” Sharai said, chuckling.

 

Nazira tried to attune to the Centaur Paladin’s axe, but it proved incompatible. She eyed the Centaur’s Battering Shield, then decided she preferred her own shield, though she put the tower shield in Tam’s bag.

 

Once everyone had taken what they wanted, Qirona began wordlessly putting the remaining magical items in the hidden compartment of Baric’s carriage. From across the fire, Tam noticed Urgala’s stern expression soften slightly. Once Qirona had finished, she returned to her spot next to Hurushi.

 

“There’s a lot more in there than the items you told us about.” She said matter-of-factly. “Where’d you get an Orb of Dragonkind, anyway? Or the Mace of the Black Crown? Or whatever the fuck that disembodied hand is?”

 

Nearby, Tramath finished casting Find Familiar, and Bree the Blink Dog was reborn with an excited bark. Having left the camp, Titan was painting the side of an abandoned cabin they had decided against staying in due to the severe damage to the roof and two of its walls.

 

“If we told you the story behind every item, we’d be up all night.” Baric said. “I appreciate that you’re trying to make up for giving away the book, which is why I’m not going to press the matter.”

 

When Qirona turned in, she saw Qinoa flipping through the pages of the Grimoire Infinitus. She found herself struggling to fall asleep, and when she rolled over to face Hurushi, she could tell he was still awake.

 

“You never talk about your family.” She said softly. “What are they like?”

 

“Warriors, like me.” He replied. “Dad was defending the fort from bandits when Mom gave birth.”

 

She let out a low whistle. “Badass.”

 

He chuckled and opened his eyes. “Haven’t been home in a while. Maybe we can pay them a visit after this.”

 

She smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

 

Two hours later, Sharai finished her watch and moved her bedroll next to Galrion.

 

“I wouldn’t mind some company, if you’re interested.” She said softly.

 

He sighed. “Tempting, but I don’t do one-offs. I need something more emotionally fulfilling.”

 

“Fair enough.” She yawned and laid down.

Chapter 14

In the morning, Titan was packing his bag when he heard rustling in the trees. The sun was still rising, so he activated his maul, and the light revealed a brown-haired Wood Elf man standing under an oak tree with a longbow in one hand. The Elf’s eyes widened in panic.

 

“NOW!” He shouted, causing Sharai to flinch.

 

Seven other archers of various races suddenly appeared around the camp, along with eight individuals in leather armor who carried rapiers and daggers.

 

“Weapons down!” A red-haired Tabaxi woman shouted, pointing her rapier at Tam while gripping a Bag of Holding in her other hand. “This is a robbery! All money and magic weapons go in the bag, and no one gets hurt!”

 

Qirona rolled her eyes. “Do you always forgo the element of surprise?”

 

“Quiet!” A Human archer snapped. “Weapons and money down, NOW!”

 

“Money?” Markham blinked. “You don’t know who we are, do you?”

 

“Why the fuck would we know you?” The Tabaxi woman asked.

 

“You know we can’t just let you take it, right?” Tam asked. “That’s too easy. You have to earn it.”

 

The Tabaxi narrowed her bright blue eyes. “Excuse me?”

 

“You and me.” Tam gestured to them with her hand. “One-on-one. That way you actually earned it.”

 

A Goblin man looked at the Tabaxi. “Bo, let’s just-”

 

“No, she’s right.” Bo slung the bag over her shoulder and extended her claws. “Alright, let’s do this.”

 

Tam drew her Blackbone Shortsword and Frost Dagger, then took a defensive stance. Bo advanced with impressive speed and immediately attacked, thrusting with her rapier and following up with her claws before thrusting with her rapier again. The first two attacks cut into Tam, but she dodged the third. She targeted Bo with her Evil Eye, then drove her shortsword deep into the Tabaxi’s gut. She withdrew the blade, and Bo stumbled back, clutching her bleeding abdomen.

 

“You’re in over your head.” Tam said bluntly. “Walk away.”

 

Gritting her teeth, Bo looked around at the others, then waved to her allies, who lowered their weapons.

 

“Hey.” Nazira walked over to Jen, who was standing next to her mother. “How’re you holding up?”

 

“Better.” Jen replied. “Thanks for this, I guess.”

 

When they departed, Darathra and Othovir’s carriage was in the lead. The rest of the day was uneventful, as was the following day. That night, Qirona stepped away from the camp, and she had just finished reanimating the bodies of four raiders as ghouls when she heard Hurushi walk up behind her.

 

“Make them look away.” He growled softly. “I’m about to defile their mistress.”

 

Qirona complied, then grunted as he bent her over a fairly smooth boulder. She gasped when he ripped a hole in her undergarments, then gasped again when he started rubbing her crotch.

 

“You don’t scare me, Necromancer.” He said, pushing down his pants. “I know your weakness.”

 

“And what’s that?” She asked, looking back at him.

 

He responded by teasing her with the tip of his erect cock.

 

“Fuck!” She blurted. “Please, I need it!”

 

The ghouls stood guard while everyone slept. On the ninth day, Baldir ritually cast Divination before they set out.

 

“When are we most likely to be attacked today?” He asked.

 

After a moment, he heard the voice of Gond in his head.

 

“The danger is greatest when the hour grows late but the sun is still up; you’re safe past eight.”

 

“What’s the word?” Nazira asked.

 

“If we’re going to be attacked, it will likely be in the afternoon or evening.” Baldir replied. “After eight o’clock, we’re safe.”

 

With that, he cast Death Ward on himself, and Ekron did the same.

 

Sure enough, the morning was uneventful. As they continued on that afternoon, Qinoa spent a minute conjuring a stone gargoyle to fly overhead as protection. It lasted an hour, and when it vanished, Qirona conjured a vrock in its place. When the demon vanished after another hour, Gromak conjured two Faerie Pests, and after that, Tramath conjured a ram-horned Dusk Hag. When the Hag vanished, Baldir conjured a winged lion, having realized the creature was Celestial, and Gromak also conjured a five-headed hydra-like goose mother.

 

It was half past the hour when a swirling cloud of smoke and white-hot ash suddenly formed around them, forcing the drivers to stop the carriages and activate their protective barriers. To the relief of those inside, the repaired glass windows were enough to keep the smoke and ash out.

 

“DON’T OPEN THE DOORS!” Nazira shouted from the first carriage.

 

In the third carriage, Ekron cast Dispel Magic, and the cloud vanished just as quickly as it had appeared, revealing five zombified Humans and three bow-wielding skeletons standing in the road behind them. A Troll was blocking the road ahead, but unlike the Trolls that Nazira had seen, it wore a strange necklace and carried a staff not unlike that of a Wizard or Sorcerer. Three figures in some type of bone-based armor were approaching from each side of the road, greatswords in hand. As they got closer, Tam tried and failed to curse one of them, then opened the door and shot it in the shoulder anyway.

 

As soon as Tam was visible, the Troll cast Ray of Frost, hitting her right side. Exiting the second carriage, Qinoa cast Forcecage, only for the Troll to stop her with Counterspell. From the second carriage, Gromak unleashed a blast of cold air, hitting the fourth and fifth Bone Knights. The fourth Bone Knight retaliated with Hellish Rebuke, burning the Druid. The goose mother honked incessantly as it dove at the Troll, biting with all five heads and using its wings as bludgeoning weapons. The Troll retaliated with its claws, scratching the goose’s abdomen. Following Qinoa out, Baldir destroyed one of the skeletons with a Guiding Bolt while his winged lion attacked the zombies, knocking one off its feet and biting its head off.

 

All six Bone Knights cast spells as they advanced. The first and third cast Shining Smite, the fourth cast Wrathful Smite, and the second, fifth, and sixth cast Divine Favor. The first attacked Tam, the second attacked Baldir, and the fourth and fifth attacked Gromak, but the third and sixth held back. Exiting the first carriage with his swords drawn, Galrion attacked the fifth Bone Knight, stabbing with his rapier and slashing with his scimitar. As his scimitar cut into the Bone Knight’s waist, Galrion triggered a release of kinetic energy, but the Knight was able to stand its ground. Terry promptly dove at the Bone Knight, biting down on its shoulder and taking a Hellish Rebuke for his efforts.

 

Raising its staff, the Lich Troll cast Cloudkill. Qinoa cast Counterspell, and when it did the same, Sharai cast it as well. Bursting out of the third carriage, Hurushi drew his swords and moved to engage the zombies, decapitating the second and cutting the left arm off the third. While Sharai exited the first carriage and transformed into a blue giganotosaurus with horns, Titan downed his Potion of Storm Giant Strength, then stepped out of the second carriage. The Lich Troll cast Toll the Dead, and Tam winced as a bell rang in her mind.

 

Kiata’s echo appeared as she left the second carriage, and they closed with the third Bone Knight, only for it to immediately attack, destroying the echo and missing Kiata with its second slash. Unfazed, Kiata attacked anyway. It parried two of her three swings, but the third buried her axe deep in its left shoulder. While Ekron hit the sixth Bone Knight with a Guiding Bolt, the Lich Troll scratched the goose mother again, killing its central head. Tramath cast Crown of Stars, and seven motes of light orbited his head as he stepped out of the third carriage. While he fired one at the Troll and missed, Bree attacked the third zombie, biting its leg and immediately teleporting away. The two remaining skeletons backed up and fired their bows, hitting the winged lion.

 

At that moment, a winged figure became visible above them, and time stood still. She was humanoid, with gray skin, green eyes, and black hair. She wore a blue and gold dress and a headpiece with five curved horns. She fired a beam of yellow light from her finger that hit the ground between Baldir and Ekron, where it condensed into a small bead. She cast Mirror Image, manifesting three illusory duplicates of herself, manifested a Wall of Fire behind the Lich Troll to block the road, and finally cast Blight on Qinoa. Time resumed, and the Fireball exploded, catching Ekron, Baldir, Hurushi, and the winged lion in the blast. To Lady Illmarrow’s shock, Baldir was completely unaffected.

 

Leaving the first carriage with Concluder drawn, Nazira glanced up at Illmarrow, then closed with the Lich Troll. She cast Divine Favor as she attacked, cutting into its legs. Above them, Illmarrow cast Chill Touch, and a ghastly skeletal hand reached up and grabbed Baldir.

 

“Vrock.” Qirona muttered, stepping out after Hurushi.

 

A portal to the Abyss appeared above Lady Illmarrow, and a vulture-like demon entered the Material Plane, immediately attacking the winged Lich. At the same time, her ghouls burst out of their hiding places and converged on the second Bone Knight, attacking from all sides except above and below. While Illmarow hit Ekron with a Fire Bolt, the three remaining zombies surrounded the winged lion, biting and scratching its body.

 

Tam drew her Frost Dagger, but before she could attack, a Fire Bolt narrowly missed her head. She flinched, then locked her Evil Eye onto the first Bone Knight and stabbed it in the neck. As she withdrew her blade, frost formed around the wound it left. Scampering onto the roof of the second carriage, Qinoa hurled a frigid globe of cold energy towards Lady Illmarrow, where it exploded around her. While Gromak transformed into a moorbounder, his goose mother sprouted two new heads and continued noisily attacking the Lich Troll.

 

Baldir cast Spiritual Weapon, and a spectral anvil appeared behind Lady Illmarrow. He slammed it into her, then swung the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords, burying the blade in his attacker’s left hip. To the west, the winged lion bit the third zombie’s head off. The first Bone Knight slashed at Tam again, cutting into her right arm. The second Bone Knight struck back at Baldir, who blocked both attacks. The third Knight cast Wrathful Smite, then slashed at Kiata, cutting into the skin below her ribs. While the fourth attacked Gromak, the fifth turned its attention to Galrion, and the sixth attacked Nazira from behind, parrying her blade when she struck back.

 

Galrion used his new rapier to cast Crusader’s Mantle, and a golden light emanated from the weapon in a 30-foot sphere. He stabbed the fifth Bone Knight in the face through the left eye hole of its helm, killing it. Stepping over the body, he attacked the fourth Knight, but his aim was off, and his blade glanced harmlessly off its bonecraft armor. Terry then attacked the fourth Knight from behind, biting down but failing to pierce its armor. The Lich Troll cast Cloudkill, and a yellow-green fog appeared, centered on the Troll itself and causing the goose mother to begin retching.

 

With the zombies occupied, Hurushi switched to his yumi, focused his mind, and fired up at the winged spellcaster. Lady Illmarrow stopped the first arrow by casting Shield, but Hurushi fired five more, three of which penetrated the invisible barrier and hit her torso. Sharai missed the first Bone Knight with her tail, then scratched the third and picked it up in her mouth.

 

Multicolored lights flashing around Titan as he closed with the Lich Troll, powering through the poisonous cloud and getting behind the towering spellcaster. He swung his glowing maul upward, hitting the Troll’s head twice and breaking its neck with the second strike. Kiata’s echo reappeared as she swung her Bloodaxe at the third Knight, cutting its head clean off. Moving over to the third Knight, she attacked again, cutting it down with three heavy hits. While Ekron healed himself, Bree bit the closest remaining zombie, and Tramath missed Illmarrow with a mote of light, then destroyed the last two skeletons with three Eldritch Blasts.

 

Lady Illmarrow cast Finger of Death, then countered Qirona’s Counterspell, and the deadly energy hit Baldir square in the chest. He lost concentration on his spell, and the winged lion vanished. Nazira cast Freezing Smite as she struck back at the third remaining Bone Knight, getting past its blade and cutting into its chest. Diving, Illmarrow exhaled a sickly green gas, catching Qirona, Hurushi, Qinoa, and Tramath in the cloud. Coughing, Qirona used her staff to cast Gravity Sinkhole, triggering an implosion above Illmarrow, who resisted its pull with noticeable effort. The vrock attacked her again, but it was unable to get past her invisible shield. On the ground, the ghouls destroyed the last two zombies.

 

At that moment, seven more undead appeared around them - two skeletal Stone Giants to the north, two zombified Frost Giants to the south, two mummy-looking creatures called deathlocks behind the third carriage, and a skeletal boneclaw between the first carriage and the wall of fire. Lady Illmarrow turned and looked at a spot above the second carriage, but there was nothing the others could see. Unfazed, Tam downed a superior healing potion, then stabbed the first Bone Knight in the other side of its neck, using the Curse of the Debilitated to finish it off. While Qinoa set off a Fireball between the Frost Giant zombies, Gromak clawed at the second remaining Bone Knight, and his goose hydra attacked the first Giant skeleton, landing five bites out of six.

 

Baldir hit the second Giant skeleton with his spectral anvil, then burned it with divine flame. To his surprise, the two remaining Bone Knights broke away from their respective opponents and attacked the first deathlock, casting Divine Favor and Shining Smite respectively before swinging their greatswords. Galrion turned his attention to the first zombified Frost Giant, slashing and stabbing as Terry flew down and bit it. Drawing his swords again, Hurushi attacked the second deathlock, cutting into its chest with both blades. Sharai got close enough to swat the first Giant skeleton with her tail, then closed with the boneclaw. Before she could strike, it lashed out with its oversized claws, scratching her underside. She reacted with her own claws, then missed with a bite. It immediately struck back, scratching her right leg.

 

At that moment, a humanoid figure became visible in the spot where Lady Illmarrow was looking. He was bald, with gray skin that appeared to be rotting and ornate gold and burgundy clothing, and he was missing his left hand and right eye.

 

“No.” Illmarrow gasped.

Chapter 15

“I’m disappointed.” The newcomer said in a voice that was somehow both deep and raspy. “You thought you could claim what is mine and get away with it? You thought I wouldn’t find you?”

 

“You are not a god, Vecna.” Lady Illmarrow snapped. “No matter what you may think, you can be killed just like me.”

 

With that, Vecna cast Lightning Bolt, hitting Qirona through Illmarrow, though one of the Lich’s duplicates took the attack for her. He then attacked Illmarrow with a dagger, hitting her once before she dodged the second attack. Having seen the boneclaw’s reflexes, Kiata sent her echo towards it before advancing herself. The skeletal monster attacked and missed, so she positioned her echo behind it and attacked seven times, missing only once. Ekron purged the poison from Tramath’s body with Lesser Restoration, then hit the first Frost Giant zombie with Toll the Dead.

 

Both skeletal Stone Giants attacked the goose mother, slashing with their huge scimitars and cutting off its two outer heads. Tramath hit Vecna with a mote of light, only for the Lich to hit him with a necrotic burst and teleport next to Lady Illmarrow. Not missing a beat, Tramath cast Shatter between the pair, then sent Bree to attack the second deathlock. While the first Frost Giant zombie carved deep into Galrion’s chest with its greataxe, the second stomped onto the dirt road and attacked Titan, denting the back of his left shoulder.

 

Dropping her Wall of Fire, Lady Illmarrow cast Circle of Death, catching the boneclaw, Sharai, and Kiata in the necrotic blast, which destroyed the Minotaur’s echo. While the first deathlock clawed at the first Bone Knight, the second attacked Hurushi, who dodged its claws. Nazira cast Shining Smite, then attacked the second Frost Giant zombie, cutting into its legs and making it glow.

 

Qirona used her staff to cast Gravity Sinkhole behind the hovering Liches, both of whom resisted its pull. Her vrock then attacked Vecna, scratching him with its talons. He uttered a single word that sent necrotic energy coursing through its body as he teleported away, only for Lady Illmarrow to hit him in the head with a Fire Bolt. On the ground, the ghouls swarmed the second deathlock, biting at its skeletal body.

 

Tam targeted the first Frost Giant zombie with her Evil Eye, then killed it with a crossbow bolt between the eyes. Getting an idea, Qinoa cast Vitriolic Sphere between Vecna and Lady Illmarrow, only for the former to counter it and send a burst of psychic energy into her mind. Illmarrow promptly hit him with another Fire Bolt. While Gromak attacked the last zombie, the goose mother sprouted four new heads and attacked the first Giant skeleton, landing four bites before breaking its head off with its wing. Baldir hit the second skeleton again, then cast Mass Cure Wounds, healing himself, Galrion, Hurushi, Qirona, Tramath, and Qinoa.

 

While Lady Illmarrow hit Vecna with a third Fire Bolt, the last two Bone Knights continued attacking the first deathlock, carving deep into its torso. Switching back to his bow, Galrion fired at the Frost Giant zombie, hitting its chest while Terry bit its neck. Hurushi struck back at the second deathlock, delivering a flurry of slashes with both swords. Sharai bit the boneclaw’s head off, then closed with the skeletal Stone Giant and slammed her tail into its back, shattering around half of its ribs. Titan activated the awakened Stormgirdle, and sparks of lightning danced across his skin as he rose up into the air.

 

Vecna suddenly vanished, reappearing only a few feet off the ground between Nazira and Galrion and hitting them both with a psychic pulse. When he did, his burns were less severe than they had been. Waving his hands in an unfamiliar pattern, he unleashed a torrent of flying, spectral entities that pummeled Qirona, Ekron, Tramath, Qinoa, Titan, and Sharai, destroying the Giant skeleton in the process. He then closed with Nazira and attacked with his dagger, getting past her shield and stabbing her in the collarbone. Moving away from the fallen boneclaw, Kiata manifested her echo on the far side of Vecna, then buried her axe in his right arm. He promptly vanished, leaving behind a necrotic pulse that hit both Kiata and Nazira. Unfazed, Kiata threw a pair of javelins, both of which bounced harmlessly off of Vecna’s body.

 

Ekron cast Lesser Restoration on Qinoa, then Sacred Flame on the second deathlock, destroying it. Turning away from Vecna, Tramath fired a mote of light that burned through the Giant zombie’s head and destroyed its brain, then cast Armor of Agathys, covering himself in a layer of spectral frost. Instead of having Bree attack, he sent her into the first carriage to comfort Richard. Lady Illmarrow cast Forcecage, and Vecna’s Dread Counterspell failed, leaving him trapped in an invisible box. The remaining Deathlock cast Invisibility, but Qinoa stopped it with Counterspell. Nazira winced as the wound from Vecna’s dagger throbbed, then felt a rush of adrenaline and sprinted down the road, using her Aura of Courage to end Qirona, Qinoa, and Tramath’s fear. She decapitated the deathlock, then turned and slashed at the first Bone Knight, which parried her blade with its own.

 

“Hey, wing bitch!” Qirona shouted, prepping a powerful Fireball for when Vecna inevitably escaped his confinement. “I was having fun before he showed up! Whaddaya say we get rid of him?”

 

Lady Illmarrow narrowed her eyes. “Vecna is an Archlich. His true power dwarfs my own. Without the Sword of Kas, no one can defeat him permanently. What makes you think your aid will make any difference?”

 

“Who said anything about beating him permanently?” Qirona countered. “I‘m talking about ejecting an interloper.”

 

With that, she cast Negative Energy Flood, sending ribbons of green energy towards Illmarrow. Instead of harming the winged Lich, the energy mended some of the wounds she had sustained. She sent her vrock to circle Vecna and attack when he inevitably escaped his confines and her ghouls to tackle him if he landed.

 

Lady Illmarrow muttered under her breath, and a hooded figure appeared in front of her. The figure was Human-sized and bipedal, but its skin was chalk white, and it had four tentacles in place of a mouth. Qirona recognized it as an Alhoon - a Mind Flayer that had abandoned its hive mind in favor of lichdom. While Tam aimed her crossbow at Vecna, Qinoa downed her last healing potion, then prepared a Fire Bolt. Dropping out of Wild Shape, Gromak took cover and healed himself while his goose mother circled Vecna opposite the vrock. The Bone Knights swapped their swords for longbows, Galrion healed himself, and Hurushi felt his second wind hit as he aimed up at Vecna. While Sharai dropped out of Polymorph and conjured a flaming crown of holy light atop her horned head, Titan overcame his fear and gripped his Javelin of Lightning and Thunder.

 

At that moment, a humanoid figure with a skeletal head appeared in the air below Vecna. It wore bone white robes and a half-circle crown of sorts. It was then that Vecna vanished, reappearing on the ground behind Hurushi and Qirona and hitting them both with a psychic pulse. Tam immediately fired her crossbow, hitting the back of his neck, and he retaliated with a bolt of necrotic energy as he teleported 30 feet to the north, appearing next to Baldir. Qinoa missed him with a Fire Bolt, Baldir hit him with a Guiding Bolt at point-blank range, Illmarrow’s Alhoon fired two bolts of arcane energy and hit once, the Bone Knights fired a total of four arrows and missed, Hurushi fired three arrows and hit twice, and Titan hit Vecna in the chest with his crackling javelin. Roaring, Vecna cast Globe of Invulnerability, then countered Illmarrow’s Counterspell, manifesting a shimmering barrier around himself in a ten-foot radius. He then attacked Baldir with his dagger, stabbing the Forge Cleric in the gut with enough force to pierce his new Efreeti Chain.

 

Kiata sent her echo to flank Vecna with Baldir, then buried her axe in his back. As she anticipated, he immediately teleported away, leaving behind a necrotic burst that ended her echo and hit Baldir as well. Kiata immediately closed with Vecna, swinging her axe three times and hitting him twice. Ekron ended his own fear by moving closer to Nazira, then fired the most powerful Guiding Bolt he could spare. Vecna teleported away from Kiata as soon as the attack hit him, but he was still glowing when he reappeared near the third carriage.

 

The creature Vecna had summoned - which Gromak recognized as an Eldritch Lich - looked into Tramath’s eyes, and the Firbolg Warlock heard incomprehensible whispers filling his mind. He was able to power through, so it turned its gaze to Hurushi, who found himself unable to move. It then sent a Lightning Bolt through Titan and into Baldir, but the former was completely unaffected. Tramath hit Vecna with a mote of light, then followed up with three crackling beams of energy, which had no effect.

 

Above them, Lady Illmarrow hit Vecna with a powerful Fireball, which rocked the carriage and dissipated just in time for Nazira to charge in. Feeling another rush of adrenaline, she slashed across his chest, and he immediately vanished, reappearing atop the carriage. Cursing in Sylvan, Qirona unleashed a barrage of nine Magic Missiles, sending them slamming into the Lich’s chest one by one. Her vrock dove at him but missed with its attacks, and her ghouls started climbing up the rear of the carriage.

 

While Lady Illmarrow missed Vecna with a Fire Bolt, Tam tried and failed to curse the Eldritch Lich, then shot it anyway. Qinoa hit Vecna with the most powerful Pulse Wave she had left, but it was stopped by the shimmering barrier around him. Instead of attacking, Gromak cast Dispel Magic, and the shimmering barrier vanished. His goose hydra promptly slammed into the Archlich from behind, picking him up in its eight mouths and tearing his body to pieces. Said pieces promptly disintegrated, and a brown and gold book with a red gem on the cover fell to the ground next to the carriage. Lady Illmarrow immediately dove towards it, snatching it up before anyone could stop her.

 

While Baldir healed himself, the Alhoon hit the Eldritch Lich with a pair of arcane bolts. The Bone Knights fired their bows ineffectively, and Galrion showed them up by putting two arrows in its chest while Terry bit its neck. Illmarrow hit it with a Fire Bolt, and Sharai cast the most powerful Chaos Bolt she had, hitting it with a bolt of lightning. Titan flew up behind it and swung his maul, breaking its neck. The Lich’s body imploded into a worm-like creature, which promptly vanished.

 

“I will take this and consider my mission successful.” Lady Illmarrow said, holding up the book she’d snatched. “Vecna will return, be it in five years or fifty. I suggest you part ways with his artifacts before that happens.”

 

With that, she gathered the Bone Knights and Alhoon, and the latter cast Plane Shift.

 

“Why did a book come out of him?” Hurushi asked once he could move again.

 

“It’s said that the Book of Vile Darkness was penned by Vecna when he became a Lich.” Qirona explained. “I guess he kept it in his body. I’m just surprised he didn’t use it.”

 

The tenth day was rainy but uneventful, and as they rode, Gromak couldn’t help noticing how close Baldir and Qinoa were sitting and how intimate their interactions had become. When they stopped for the night, Sharai started playing her harp.

 

“When the days are cold, and the cards all fold, and the saints we see are all made of gold.” She sang. “When your dreams all fail, and the ones we hail are the worst of all, and the blood's run stale.”

 

She sucked in a quick breath.

 

“I wanna hide the truth, I wanna shelter you. But with the beast inside, there's nowhere we can hide.”

 

“No matter what we breed, we still are made of greed.” Tramath joined in. “This is my kingdom come. This is my kingdom come.”

 

Sharai could feel something building inside her, and for once, she didn’t fight it.

 

“When you feel my heat, look into my eyes.” She sang, letting her emotions into her voice instead of suppressing them. “It's where my demons hide, it's where my demons hide. Don't get too close, it's dark inside. It's where my demons hide, it's where my demons hide.”

 

“At the curtain's call, it's the last of-” Nazira started to join in, only to realize her throat was dry and start coughing. “Fuck, sorry.”

 

Sharai took a moment to mentally backtrack, then started playing at the start of the new verse, and Tramath played the second part on his dulcimer.

 

“At the curtain's call, it's the last of all.” Otho started singing. “When the lights fade out, all the sinners crawl.”

 

“So they dug your grave, and the masquerade will come calling out at the mess you've made.” Beldora joined in.

 

“Don't wanna let you down, but I am hellbound.” Sharai started singing again. “Though this is all for you. Don't wanna hide the truth.”

 

“No matter what we breed, we still are made of greed.” Tramath joined back in. “This is my kingdom come. This is my kingdom come.”

 

Sharai’s voice cracked as she entered the chorus, but she ignored it and kept going. Without meaning to, she started singing louder.

 

“When you feel my heat, look into my eyes. It's where my demons hide. It's where my demons hide. Don't get too close, it's dark inside. It's where my demons hide. It's where my demons hide.”

 

Tramath, Otho, and Beldroa dropped out, allowing Sharai to continue solo.

 

“They say it's what you make, I say it's up to fate. It's woven in my soul; I need to let you go.”

 

“Your eyes, they shine so bright, I wanna sa-”

 

Tramath had joined back in, but Sharai’s singing became sobbing, as her inner turmoil had come to the surface. Gromak and Galrion were on their feet in a flash, darting around the fire. Gromak allowed Galrion to get there first, and the Eladrin sat down and wrapped his arms around Sharai, who leaned into his embrace.

 

“It’s alright.” He whispered, wrapping her in a warm embrace. “Just breathe.”

 

Once she had slowed her breathing enough, Sharai cast Calm Emotions on herself.

 

“I’m okay.” She whispered. “Gal, can we just go?”

 

Beating her wings, Qirona flew over to a part of the clearing they weren’t using and set up her Instant Fortress before returning.

 

“Consider it yours for the night.” She said softly.

 

The eleventh day was the last day of travel, and Sharai sat with Qinoa, who was happy to teach her a bit of Chronurgy. They reached Emberhaven on the eleventh day, stopping outside a warehouse on the north side of town. Sharai returned her harp, which Baric accepted, and Baldir unstrapped the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords, presenting it to Augrek.

 

“It served me well, but I’m not a frontline fighter.” He said.

 

Nodding, she removed her hammer and held it out.

 

“It’s a Dwarven Thrower.” She said, sounding slightly stilted in the Hill Dwarf dialect. “It’s served me well for 30 years, and I hope it will do the same for you.”

 

Baldir’s first instinct was to refuse the offer, but one look at Augrek’s face told him that she wouldn’t accept that.

 

“Thank you.” He said, doing his best to sound natural in the Mountain Dwarf dialect. “I hope so as well.”

 

Augrek rejoined her husband and daughter, and Qinoa approached Baldir.

 

“I hope I see you again.” She said. “I, uh, I’m not good with this kind of thing, so here.”

 

Standing up on her toes, she kissed his cheek.

 

Baldir smiled and blushed. “If you’re ever in Maple Ridge, I can tell you where to find me.”

 

She perked up. “Alright!”

 

Parting ways with the family, the Raven’s Flame headed south, following Tam to an inn she’d stayed at before. Once they had rooms, they gathered out back on the patio, and Nazira turned to Sharai.

 

“What was that last night?” She asked gently.

 

Sharai took a deep breath. “My parents gave me u-”

 

She cut herself off.

 

“No, they abandoned me.” She corrected herself. “I guess they didn’t want a Tiefling ruining their idea of a perfect family. I don’t know. Sometimes I get flashes of them, and I guess that song made me think of them.”

 

Gromak put a hand on her shoulder. “You know we’re always here for you, right?”

 

She nodded and smiled. “I know.”

 

In the morning, Qirona teleported them home, and no sooner had they opened the front door than the molydeus appeared on the front lawn with the Demonomicon in hand. Stepping forward, he presented it to Qirona.

 

“Orcus is grateful for your cooperation.” It said.

 

“Well, good.” She took the book from it. “I’d appreciate it if he wasn’t so demanding next time.”

 

The demon grunted, then vanished.

 

“Mind explaining yourself?” Baldir asked, crossing his arms.

 

“I made a deal with Orcus.” Qirona explained. “I let him remove any information about himself, and I get to keep the rest of it.”

 

He balked. “Excuse me?”

 

She blinked. “What? Tam’s not the only one who can steal shit.”

 

Nazira put her head in her hands. “Just…promise me this won’t bite us in the ass.”

 

“You know I can’t.” Qirona said. “But I’m willing to take the blowback.”

 

“I’ve been thinking.” Baldir said. “Now that I’m getting stronger, I want to bring back Dodur. Maybe the others we’ve lost too.”

 

“Maybe.” Gromak crossed his arms. “Without knowing where they are now, they might not want to come back.”

 

“Then the spell won’t take.” He pointed out. “Either way, we’ll have a result.”

 

“Alright.” Nazira said. “Let’s do it.”

 

The next day, Qirona teleported them to the Gold Haven cemetery where Dodur was buried. Baldir, Hurushi, Nazira, and Titan got to work digging, but when they opened the coffin, Baldir stumbled back.

 

“What is it?” Qirona asked.

 

Hurushi looked up at her. “He’s gone!”

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 6 of The Raven’s Flame