The quiet dead
Sparky trots along in front and you and Grom have to run to keep up.
"It's leading us astray," Grom complaigns but your trust in the dog is rewarded when it leads you into a large cavern with homes for walls and a roof of floorboards. There's no one in sight but you can hear a noise eminating from a squat stone building standing on its own. The exterior is plain but an enormous set of gold doors take up the front wall. They gleam with an inner light and you feel yourself drawn to them but as you take a step into the open a hooded figure leaps out to block your path.
"You fools! You've stumbled into my trap," the hooded figure proclaims as she raises her arms revealing coils of tight black script scrawled all over her skin. "Now you will die and join my undead army. Kevin, attack!"
A door to your right bursts open and a suprised skeleton stumbles out. It takes a second to look back at the door and then to the hooded figure.
"Well done, Kevin," the necromancer says kindely. "Now if you would kill them but take care not to damage their heads, you know how much I love skulls."
Grom gasps before collapsing at your feet leaving you to face the skeleton alone.
Kevin staggers toward you, his bones rattling but before he can take a swing at you Sparky leaps to your defence and latches onto his thigh bone.
"No!" the necromancer screams as Kevin collapses into a pile and Sparky proudly trots back to you with a leg in its maw. "You will rue the day that you crossed Ruby the Necromancer."
Ruby flees leaving you with an unconscious dwarf at your feet and a happy dog gnawing on a bone.
After checking that Grom is unhurt and leaving Sparky to watch over him you approach the temple doors to study the relief panels set into both. Scenes of forests and mountains share space with deserts and stormy seas. As you stare you feel yourself drawn in and a music grows within your soul filling you with a warm light that has you rising on to the tips of your toes. An intense feeling of joy and happiness washes over you and you stay until the song starts to fade and you become aware of someone standing behind you.
"Do you want a return ticket?" Grom asked hopefully. "You only paid a one way. If you want me to show you the way out then it will cost you."
Buy a return ticket
Return ticket for you and Sparky
Find your own way out.
You and Sparky find your own way
by Chris Noonan
Parent Plot
Comments