AW7 CH1

BW2: Life Bonds has gone live and we're now onto the preview chapters of AW7: Darkhand. I hope you enjoy your trip though this door.

Chapter One

Stacia woke them at the appointed time, all of them still thinking about the revelation from Vladimir the night before. The city of Peace held many dire secrets, all of them important in their own way. Sir Carter’s quest involving the Urn of Souls was something that could greatly impact the world. In addition, Dimitry Dracon, once known as the Dragon Eater, was imprisoned under the city and Vladimir was going to kill him.

Stacia’s face filled with dismay, “Oh, tha’ is nay good.”

“What’s wrong?” Alburet asked.

“We will be missin’ Erin’s weddin’,” Stacia said. “She sent out invites last week, just after we set out. They will be havin’ the weddin’ in two more days. Erin was askin’ if we were goin’ to make it, since we never answered the invitation.”

“I don’t think we’ll be back in time,” Alburet replied. “I’m sorry.”

Stacia shook her head, “We be doin’ this for our family. It be sad we miss her day, but Ma’ will help explain thin’s,” Stacia said, pulling out her Mindstone. “I just be hopin’ tha’ she will nay hold it against us.”

“Between your mother and Wilbur, I’m sure she will understand,” Alburet said, taking her arm when she put the Mindstone away. “We have to focus on the here and now, we’ll apologize after.”

“I’m sure she will understand once we explain when we get back,” Fluff added.

“Family can be prickly, but your family is close, so she’ll understand,” Karen said. “We’ll have dinner with them after we get back. Okay?”

“Aye, it be for the best,” Stacia sniffled, holding back tears. “We be doin’ this for us, and we must make sure tha’ be our priority.”

Alburet pushed the tent flap open, “Ladies, after you.” He silently hoped that Stacia would be able to put her sadness behind her.

Armored and ready to start another day of travel, the group left the tent. Kemper, one of the Shamans, was kneeling next to the fire cooking breakfast as they emerged. “Morning. You are the first ones awake,” he greeted them.

“That is unusual,” Alburet said as he took a seat with Fluff to his left and Stacia to his right. “When is my turn for cooking breakfast?”

“I think it’s the day after tomorrow,” Kemper replied. “Tomorrow is Rolland’s turn, though our stock of food for cooking is running low, so we might end up having to use the rations instead.”

“Can Stacia get some if you dismiss her?” Fluff asked in a whisper.

“Nay,” Stacia replied back softly. “It does nay work like tha’. Iffin I be dismissed, I come back in the same state tha’ I was dismissed in.”

Fluff nodded slowly, “Oh, I guess that makes sense. If you put all the stuff into your bag, though—”

“Tried it once before,” Stacia shook her head.

“Okay,” Fluff sighed. “Guess we’ll have jerky and tea after the foodstuff runs out.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Vladimir said, appearing next to the fire from the darkness. “I have a bag with things to turn into meals.”

Alburet’s eyebrow went up, “Are you feeling more sociable now that you’ve told us the truth?”

“A certain weight did lift from me last night,” Vladimir replied. “We still need to hurry, though.”

“We will,” Ioaniss said, coming into the light of the campfire with Sala behind him. “It seems that both your and Sir Carter’s tasks lie in the same direction inside the city, so maybe we can manage both of them.”

Vladimir’s eyes flickered to Carter’s tent, “I hope that my sister doesn’t know that the Urn is in the city. If she finds out, she will surely seek to take it to Stein.”

Ioaniss blanched, “Oh Justice, that would be catastrophic.”

“Indeed,” Vladimir said as Renful led the other Shamans to the fire.

“Sorry we’re late,” Kim said, taking a seat near Stacia, with Rolland beside her.

“It seems Carter is the one who is late this morning,” Vladimir sniffed.

Renful went over to Carter’s tent and began to knock on the post, haranguing the noble to wake. Carter abruptly exited after a few moments, making Renful step back. “I was already moving,” Carter told Renful with a flat stare.

Carter got his tent put away and Renful came back to the fire, just as Kemper began to dish out thin porridge. Vladimir looked at the meal with a frown, “Renful, make sure the provisions bag is accessible for dinner and the other meals going forward.”

“It will be done,” Renful said, his lips twisting in distaste as he looked at his bowl.

Alburet agreed with their looks after taking his first bite of the hot, but distinctly bland, food. The meal was quick, no one wanting to linger over it. As soon as the bowls had been washed and packed away, everyone got their gear ready for the next attack as Ioaniss stood next to the Campstone.

Alburet summoned Bob and Tiny, before quickly copying Stacia, then doing the same for Tiny and Bob. “Everyone ready for another day of sand and trudging?”

“I don’t have to trudge all day,” Bob said as he and BJ took to the air. “Mother says we are closing in towards Peace. She will have the Infernals break off from the lead of us, so as to not draw attention to us coming.”

“She said that she was going to have them take up camping positions between here and there,” Tiny rumbled.

“It seems your connections are smoothing the way for us again,” Vladimir said from a handful of yards away. “We’ve gone faster than we might have if I hadn’t waited for you.”

“Is everyone ready?” Ioaniss asked. Once they all nodded, Ioaniss pulled the Campstone, quickly tucking it away before pulling his crossbow.

Everyone was spread out, unsure if another Elder Sandworm would come for them. Luckily, it was just three groups of Forgotten Dead, but the mobs had changed. Forgotten Shields, Forgotten Bastards, and Forgotten Shadows came out of the sands.

“I will take the three Bastards,” Renful called out, his hands beginning to flow with the motions of a spell.

The Shadows vanished into the still air while Sala, Tiny, and TJ went to clash with the Shields, who were obviously Defenders.

Gerald fell back next to Marysue and the Shamans, “The rogues will be coming for the healers. We need the three Bastards dealt with first.”

Alburet summoned Imp Storm, “Get the Bastards that aren’t being controlled by Renful.”

Fluff was flushed red and waiting for the Shadows to show, and Rolland was holding a cascading white and blue spell in his hands. Kim, Jones, Karen, and Vladimir were nowhere to be seen, as Alburet turned his attention towards the healers. The hairs on his neck stood up as he looked at Marysue, “Rolland, cast it now!”

Following the command, Rolland unleashed the Blizzard on top of the healers. All six Shadows appeared a few feet from their targets, their legs encased in ice as the spell anchored them in place and broke their stealth. “Nice timing,” Rolland said as his hands wove another spell.

The six Shadows all split into Shadow Clones, which weren’t trapped in the ice. “That would have been the reason to wait,” Vladimir said, appearing behind one of the frozen Shadows and jabbing his blades into its back. “Kill the frozen ones and their duplicates will vanish.”

Gerald used area taunt to pull the Shadow Clones to him, before Ground Stomping. “Al, area burst on me.”

“Imps, new targets. Burn the Clones down,” Alburet called out.

“I’ll finish the Bastards,” Renful said. His three minions continued their attacks on the other Bastards, having already engaged during the initial barrage from the Imps.

Everyone jumped on the Forgotten Shadow that Vladimir had attacked, while the healers backed away from Gerald. Alburet managed to keep his focus on the Shadow he was throwing Fire Blasts at, despite the Fire Bursts going off on top of Gerald.

The Shadow Clones were blasted into nothing from the sheer firepower brought to bear on them. The Imp Storm vanished a few moments after the Clones had been dealt with, while the rest of the group moved onto their third Forgotten Shadow.

“I require some aid,” Sala called out. Both TJ and Tiny had both been slain by their mobs, leaving Sala to handle all three Forgotten Shields.

Gerald glanced over in time to see the three Forgotten Bastards controlled by Renful attack Sala’s mobs from behind. “You’re good.”

“So it seems, thank you,” Sala said as more heals washed over him.

“Ice coming off,” Rolland called out. His Blizzard effect was about to break, and three of the Shadows still lived.

“They’ll vanish,” Vladimir said as the ice holding the mobs cracked.

“Everyone, draw in towards the healers,” Alburet shouted. “Be ready for the attacks.”

The ice broke a moment later. As Vladimir had predicted, the Forgotten Shadows vanished. The trio of mobs reappeared after only a moment, and Alburet crumpled to the ground as six blades pierced him. Before the mobs could strike again, one was encased in ice and another in amber, while Gerald taunted the third to him.

Healing washed over Alburet from Marysue and the Shamans, bringing him back from a sliver of life towards forty percent. “Thanks,” Alburet gasped as he got to his feet. The others had all turned on mob Gerald had taunted, Fluff’s lips pulled back in a feral rictus of hate, almost matched in intensity by Karen’s. The Shadow was quickly butchered, before everyone turned towards the two trapped mobs.

“Dropping the spell,” Rolland said, giving them time to move in closer to the mob before banishing the entrapment spell.

The Forgotten Shadow had a single moment to realize it was surrounded, before everyone piled onto it. For a few brief seconds, the Shadow had five copies of itself that tried to peel its attackers off. However, it wasn’t enough, and it quickly fell.

Sala came towards them, trailed by Renful and the three Forgotten Bastards, before the last Shadow came free of the amber trap. It was quickly butchered under the combined attacks of the group.

Alburet summoned Tiny to him, “Thanks for holding as long as you could.”

“It is my job, master,” Tiny rumbled.

Copying Tiny to bring TJ into being, Alburet found the others had already looted the corpses and Vladimir was ready to move on. “Well, looks like the morning excitement is done,” Alburet chuckled.

“That wasn’t fun,” Marysue said with a sigh. “I was going to have to use a potion if it had gone on much longer.”

“We have plenty,” Vladimir said as he started walking. “If you need to use one, do so. I’ll make sure you are restocked.”

As they began their trek across the sands, Gerald fell into step with Marysue. “He seems a bit easier to talk to today.”

“Ever since he told us about his brother,” Marysue replied.

“He did say he felt less burdened this morning,” Fluff added.

“The fact that we didn’t get upset with the revelation probably had something to do with it,” Alburet chimed in.

“How far out from the city do you think we are?” Karen asked as the sun finally broke the horizon.

“I see a group ahead of us,” Ioaniss called out, the light of day allowing them to see further.

Everyone turned their attention to what Ioaniss was looking at. Half a mile or so ahead of them, a small group seemed to be resting. Two smaller forms darted in the air above them.

“Infernals,” Alburet said as he caught up to Jones and Dracon at the front of the group. “I should take the lead here, I think.”

“That is a valid point,” Vladimir said as he stepped aside for Alburet, Stacia joining her husband. “We’ll be ready to assist.”

“I doubt it will be needed,” Alburet said as the group continued towards the Infernals.

Getting close enough to talk, the Greater Succubi and Greater Destroyers got to their feet, smiles plastered on their faces. “Greetings, Alburet. Gygax said you would be here soon,” one of the Greater Destroyers rumbled. “We will be staying for a day before dispersing from this place. Know that your path behind is safe, for a time.”

“Thank you,” Alburet said.

“Your entire party will be given a clear path to Peace. The last group will be stationed a few hours from the walls. That is the closest we will go, for fear of alerting those in the city that we are on the move.”

“That is a good idea,” Vladimir said, having caught up to Alburet who had paused to speak to the Infernals.

“Mother is working with Gygax to make sure all is in order,” the greater Destroyer said, glancing to Vladimir. “You are only a day or two from the city. We wish you the best of luck on your endeavor.”

“We thank you,” Ioaniss said, studying the Infernals.

The two Succubi smirked at Ioaniss, before licking their lips suggestively. “If you have time after your mission…”

Ioaniss chuckled, “You’re not the first Succubi to offer, but alas, I shall need to return swiftly to the King to tell him of what has transpired.”

“Pity,” the one on the left sighed. “If you make it back to the Dark Lord’s Keep, we shall greet you again.”

“I shall do my best to not keep you waiting long, then,” Ioaniss said, tipping his hat before following the others who had already passed by.

“Give our thanks to Gygax and Mother the next time you see them,” Alburet said. “I would like to stay and chat longer, but the mission calls.”

“You will see them before we do,” one of the Greater Imps said as it landed beside the others.

“Fair enough,” Alburet said. He gave them a nod and started after the others. He and his three wives were the last ones to leave the group of Infernals.

“Well, that will make part of this trip much easier,” Vladimir said as they started walking again. “Let’s hope there isn’t a hidden knife in this gift.”

“That isn’t the Dark Lord’s way,” Ioaniss said. “He has always been very upfront when he is displeased, from everything I’ve read.”

“Hmm,” Vladimir went quiet, the group continuing to trudge across the Dead Lands.