Hello, Everyone!
So, after last episode where we dove into our good friend Aurum’s brain, we return to our usual Mary-centric point of view. Our heroes are going on their next adventure! I hope it’ll be a good one!
As much as she was angry with Aurum, Mary couldn't deny that his presence made her feel more hopeful and happy. Now that they were all in one place, they were ready to start adventuring again. Their destination? The 'Steel Printing House' in Pamagos. Whoever had stolen Mary's manuscript and was making money out of their story, was going to get what they deserved. Her friends were going to make sure of it.
The trio said their goodbyes to Mary's family and the gnomes they'd befriended in Frinkeltong, and headed out towards Pamagos. The paved road stretched before them like a ribbon and they rode almost the whole day, before finally stopping in the outskirts of a small fishing village named Pritley.
They decided to camp outside the settlement. Mary didn't know about the others, but she, for once, welcomed the idea of finally sleeping under the stars again. She planted her wand in the ground and the magical orange tree grew from it, making their temporary base a safe and comfortable place.
It was around the time they started unpacking their bedrolls, when something unexpected happened.
At first it was just Bruno who saw it. He looked between the tree's branches and pointed it out to the others. On the nearest hill, about fifty yards from them, a dark cloaked figure stood tall and spoke something Mary didn't understand.
"It's Undercommon," Bruno said. He’d spent the last three months learning the language of the Underdark. "It says something about 'rising' and 'serving'. I can't…"
The figure finished its incantation. It sank into the ground and several feet from where it’d vanished, a small green light appeared. The temperature dropped significantly. They heard groaning and some clatter.
“What’s going on?” Mary said. “This doesn’t look normal.”
The curious part of her wanted to go check out what was happening, but she knew she shouldn’t. If she moved away from the magic dome, it'd shrink back into the wand and they wouldn't be able to summon it again until the next day. She reminded herself that it was not just a comfortable camping site. It provided them with protection against enemy attacks.
The trio was squinting at where the cloaked figure had disappeared. At first it was too far away for them to discern anything specific. Then they noticed several humanoid figures moving out of the shadow of the hill and slowly making their way towards Pritley. Metal glinted on them under the moonlight.
Now that the figures were closer, Mary could see them better. There were eight creatures, all undead. A small green light was flying about ten feet above them. Four of the undead were walking skeletons, and the other four had some grey skin on their bodies and were more sturdy-looking.
Before any of her friends could react, a blast of flame shot out of the green ball and impacted the roof of the closest village house. It immediately caught on fire.
Bruno stepped out of the orange tree and his holy symbol glowed, as the energy from his Guiding Bolt hit the attackers.
The green ball stopped and turned around, and that's when Mary could finally see what it was. A Flaming Skull, flying about ten feet in the air, no body or anything holding it in its place. It opened its jaw and gave out a screeching sound. The undead started walking faster.
Then, the Skull pulsed and a small bead of fire shot out of its mouth towards Mary and her friends. The bead reached the tree and detonated in a huge explosion. Fire burst around them, enveloping the whole area and burning hot, and when it subsided, it left a smoldering circle around the orange tree. Mary and Aurum were safe under the branches but Bruno didn't have that luck.
He crumbled to one knee and started coughing, his whole armor singed and smoking.
Mary didn't waste time. Still from the safety of her orange tree, she aimed and shot not one, but two Eldritch Blasts at the flaming skull. Almost at the same time, Aurum ran out towards the enemy, slapping a healing spell on Bruno when he passed him by. The dwarf stood up, visibly better, and followed the bard.
The undead weren’t stopping. They didn’t pay any attention to Mary and her friends and were just walking ahead towards the village. People there were starting to shout now, having woken up and noticed the fire. Mary saw silhouettes running among the buildings.
She couldn’t waste time. She needed to help protect the villagers. Soon, the undead were going to get out of her spells’ range and she would be useless against them.
Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she took her wand out of the ground and watched as the tree shrunk back into it. She ran towards the action, while rummaging through her bag. She’d thought of something that could help against that many enemies.
Her hand grasped the scroll of Chain Lightning and took it out, and she read the spell, mid run. The burst of energy almost threw her back. She watched as the crackling line zigzagged through the air and hit one, two, three, four of the undead skeletons. They all exploded violently in hundreds of bone shards.
The Flaming Skull turned to her. She felt malice in its look. It pulsed and two steaks of fire shot from its eyes towards her.
This time, however, she wasn’t protected by the dome.
Oh, no! Mary, look out!
Do you think Gillean has made her fire-resistant by any chance? Cause if he’s not… well, that might be a problem.
Stay tuned and find out what happens in the next episode!
Until then, take care and be well!
(Also, here's a link to the Chapter Guide and the Glossary for the series. You're welcome!)