"Parthanax misty jumps to that busted up ledge. No- not that one... That one. Then he casts eldritch blast on the skeletal lady until she dies."

  The sound of dice hit the table as they rolled for damage. 10 damage total hit the lich boss.

  "She doesn't go down."

  The dungeon master told them. The room erupted into sighs and groans.

  "Really? She looks so weak!"

  "Can I use my reaction to throw a haste potion at Parthy?"

  "There is no reaction like that." The DM said.

  The players bickered about potential solutions to their dire problem.

  The big bad hadn't died- and their turn was over. Of the 5 players, 3 were down. They were on the ropes to say the least.

  "Wait, I'm a half orc! I use true grit to go up from 0 to 1 hp! I can do it once every long rest!"

  They all breathed a sigh of relief. Though one player seemed skeptical. They pushed up their glasses;

  "Uhm actually, players can only get back up with their bonus action and half their movement. So what could you do anyways?"

  The half-orc player crossed their arms.

  "Run while they eat you. Get help. Maybe resurrect you."

  The table went silent at that. It was true, death wasn't always final in this game. It was difficult- especially at level 5- but possible to bring back dead players. It'd be a chore that sidelines their adventure though.

  "Or... I could use the homebrew scroll."

  "You still got that?" the DM said, surprised.

  He'd given the half-orc player that scroll as a reward earlier in the campaign. He wasn't sure which one.

  "You know I do," the player smirked "It works right? Bonus actions work on scrolls?"

  "In this campaign sure." the DM lied. He was bailing them out again. "What's the spell?"

  The player squinted down at the slip of paper that represented the 'item' in question.

  "Dimension Vortex: Teleport a random ally to the battle. Huh, it even has a bit of latin or something written here..."

  The DM flushed. It was another aspect to his items, he wanted them to fit in the universe so he used faked a language using broken latin to sound like what he thought the original spells sounded like.

  "Yeah..." he rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly. "Is it weird?"

  "N'awe, it's funny. Look-" he showed the other players. Parthanax smirked then said; "Motus'perspatium'Amicus?'"

  The light flickered.

  Parthanax raised an eyebrow.

  "That was a weird coincidence. 'Motus'perspatium'amicus'."

  A piece on the board shifted a bit then.

  They all shared a nervous glanced and laughed a bit.

  "Motus'perspatium'amicus!"

  The barbarian human player said more enthusiastically.

  The tiny plastic model that represented the skeletal lich boss snapped around to face the barbarian.

  Her face blanched and she swallowed hard looking towards the other players. Who all looked at her in confusion and fear. Then they smirked. And laughed as if some hilarious joke had been made.

  The tension deflated from the room as they did so.

  "Alright, alright! You guys got me, but seriously, how did you do it? Do you have a magnet under the table? Because that's brutal!"

  The barbarian player giggled.

  And so did the DM. But then he noticed all the expectant gazes on him.

  "What? I didn't do it." his smirk slowly faded.

  Parthanax rolled his eyes and looked under the table. Then back at the board. Then back under the table.

  He repeated this process a few more times.

  His expression became more stern and confused each time. Then he stared hard at the board piece.

  "Motus'perspatium'amicus"

  It turned to face him.

  "Everyone raise your hands."

  Parthanax ordered instantly. They complied, all 6 of them raising their hands above the table.

  "Motus'perspatium'amicus"

  The DM said and to no ones surprise it turned to him. In disbelief each player began to say the spell causing the board piece to turn and face them. Everyone trying to figure out how the trick worked.

  The energy around the table turned haunting as their dungeons and wyverns board game turned into a ouija board instead.

  After spinning around to face them so often the piece began to rattle and vibrate in place. So forcefully that it began to leave marks on the table.

  They stopped chanting the spell then- but it seemed to be too late. The lights began to flicker and the ground moved beneath them. Books fell from shelves and distant dogs started barking in the quiet neighborhood. All in the matter of seconds.

  "Brett, if this is some kind of elaborate prank- knock it off!"

  Tessa- the barbarian player told their dungeon master in worry and frustration. She was genuinely scared. But so was the dungeon master.

  "It's not me I swear to god!"

  Brett said as he hesitantly made his way over to a light switch. He tried flipping it off but it kept flickering anyways.

  "This is like some demonic shit!" Parthanax said. Ducking beneath the table.

  Then it stopped. The light was steady and the dogs stopped barking. They couldn't hear a pin drop.

  They all stood in Bretts game room in stunned silence.

  Knock-knock

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  The sound startled them all. They looked towards each other nervously.

  "Did you order pizza?" Jared- the cleric half-orc asked.

  The DM shot him a glare.

  "No."

  They all filed into the narrow hallway outside his cozy game room. The hallway was lined with multiple doors ahead of them. Bathroom, a closet, entrance to various rooms. His house wasn't massive, but it was medium sized.

  "Why is your house built like a creepy liminal space." the barbarian said bitterly. Looking down the row of doors and light shining in to the hallyway from various rooms.

  "Why are you mad at me? I didn't build it." Brett said.

  Knock-Knock

  They flinched as the heavy knocking sound came again from the front door. Which was just at the end of the hallway next to the base of the stairs.

  "Who's there?" the DM- Brett, asked.

  Silence. But they waited a moment longer.

  Knock-Knock

  Parthanax, or Bavik that is- slapped Brett on the shoulder.

  "Man! Don't you have one of those camera doorbells? Check it!"

  Bavik was right. He was always the smartest member of their adventuring party. Brett nearly fumbled his phone when he produced it. He opened the camera viewing app.

  He felt the group of players lean over his shoulders to see the buffering sign of the doorbell camera view. It wasn't even a minute but each second felt like an eternity.

  Knock-Knock

  Finally the loading finished and the camera view appeared.

  A skeleton stood there. Straight black hair hung from its skull, mostly obscuring it's face. Two red eyes were looking intently into the front door.

  "That- that's her... That's Persephone. The big bad I created for the campaign... What the fuck?" the dm shuddered in horror as he looked towards his friends.

  His horror was reflected back at him. It was written on all their faces.

  Jamie- their tall friend who was one of the players who had remained standing during their campaign began walking towards the door. They all stared in disbelief as he opened the front door.

  "You can come in."

  He said.

  The monstrosity that stood before Jamie did not look at Jamie. It looked at all of them- huddled at the end of the hall.

  White mist emitted from the tall skeletal beasts maw. And a ghost voice emerged with it. Soft and echoing. With no emotion.

  "Thank you..."

  It stepped passed the threshold and onto the hardwood floor of Bretts home. It's robes were tatters of silver and black. Possibly it was some fanciful clothing once in some ancient age but now all that remained was anything but.

  It's lifted its face enough that it's black hair parted revealing a permanent grin embedded in it's skull face.

  "Let's begin shall we?"

  The voice emerged again. They were like deer in headlights. Frozen as the thing reached for Jamie with fingers as long as dinner knives. It was a gentle and slow motion.

  And Jamie for some strange reason- didn't react as the fingers palmed the top of his head. The following happened in an instant.

  They slammed Jamie down onto to the stair handrail.

  -CRACK-

  The wood splintered despite being as thick as table legs when Jamie hit it.

  The remaining wooden pike impaled Jared through the back of the neck and out through his mouth.

  Only then did he react by thrashing around.

  He attempted to grip at his face before going still in a gathering pool of blood at the base of the stairs.

  Tessa- their barbarian of the group let out a blood curdling scream then. Which woke them up from their stunned fear. They weren't watching a horror movie. This was happening right in front of them. It would happen to them next if they did nothing.

  The skeleton lich looked at the gurgling corpse for a moment as they all ran into the game room again and slammed the door shut.

  "There's no windows in here!"

  Brett said, sweat beginning to drip down his colorless face. Bavik picked up a chair and bashed it over the table. It shattered and he lifted away a wooden stake from the remains.

  Tessa and Fresca- their adventuring parties rogue hid together beneath the table.

  Clattering footsteps began to sound as the lich approached the game room. Growing louder slowly.

  "Have you defecated yourselves? That is not very polite considering you have a guest..."

  The ghostly voice was slightly murmured by the locked door.

  "Don't kill us!"

  Tessa shouted from beneath the table. She cried. Brett took up one of the broken pieces of chair and looked towards Bavik. He swallowed and nodded. Meeting his gaze with a mutual understanding as they each took one side of the door.

  The next time the voice spoke it sounded as if it was right behind the door.

  "Oh dear... I promise it will be over quick."

  The door knob rattled a bit. Then stopped. A moment later it rattled again.

  "Or perhaps not. Perhaps I will take my time with you."

  "No!" Tessa cried.

  "THEN OPEN THE DOOR YOU HARLOT!"

  -CRACK-

  The door burst open as the lich shoulder checked it. It fell apart at the hinges in multiple pieces around the monster.

  Brett and Bavik lunged forward simultaneously. Their wooden stakes impaled the creatures clothes but scraped across her bone body harmlessly.

  "Hahaha... Brave, foolish. But brave!"

  The lich cackled as she flung Bavik and Brett into the corner of the room. They landed in a pile.

  "As a reward for your bravery, you two can kill each other."

  Bavik jerked and clutched his chest.

  "Bavik, what's wrong!" Brett said grabbing Baviks shoulder.

  "I.. Feel... I have to... Run Brett! Agh!"

  Bavik pushed Brett off. He stumbled back through the door and landed against the hallway wall.

  He looked back to see Bavik standing up slowly. Bavik was now looking at him emotionlessly. The lich stepped further into the room and handed him a wooden stake that they attacked her with.

  "Have fun."

  She said.

  Bavik rushed forward with the stake raised over his head- right towards Brett.

  "Bavik stop! Bavik!"

  Nothing he said mattered. Brett gripped his wrists but Bavik pressed him against the wall and wrestled the stake closer and closer to Bretts neck.

  "It's fucking with your head man! Knock it off!"

  He didn't care. He was callously trying to drive that wooden stake into Bretts face.

  They heard the ghostly laughter again.

  "Now, I believe the three of us are due for some fun."

  She reached over and turned the light switch off.

  Brett could hear the table being flipped over while Tessa and Fresca screamed. In a rushed panic he headbutted Bavik in the face. He never fought anyone before and the pain was blinding. But it caused Bavik to stumble back into the darkened game room.

  Woop-woop

  The sounds of police sirens erupted outside the house. Brett wanted to go back in the room and save them- but what could he do? He turned and sprinted down the hall just as Bavik crashed into the wall he had just been leaning against.

  'Forgive me.' Brett thought as he sprinted onto his front porch. Two patrol cars had parked on the lawn and a police officer raised one hand to stop him and put another over where his pistol was holstered.

  "Easy there- what's going on? We heard- HOLD UP! PUT DOWN THE WEAPON!"

  -BANG-

  The officer pushed Brett aside and shot Bavik as he rushed onto the patio with a sharpened woodened stake. He flinched and stumbled- but then raised the stake again.

  -BANG-

  They shot him again. He dropped the stake and ran his palms over his bullet wounds. Bavik fell to his knees and looked towards Brett with confusion.

  "What the-?"

  He began to say before he fell over dead.

  "EEEYYAAH!"

  The sounds of two girls screaming continued within the house. The two cops looked to each other with concern, then pointed their guns towards the front door.

  "Code 3, possible 415 in progress, requesting backup."

  One of the officers said as they both approached the door from separate side.

  "Be careful, it's a monster!"

  They ignored Brett and went into the house as the two girls screams went quiet.

  Brett didn't have the heart to follow them. He just sat stunned in his lawn looking at Baviks body. Then he heard the haunting voice again.

  "Oh, and who you might be?"

  -BANG-BANG-BANG-

  Gunshots rang out. The officers shouted commands at the strange creature- but it did not listen. Strange sounds followed the gunshots. It was like wind- wooshes and crashes of shattering ice.

  The officers cried out in pain and eventually one came limping out of the house frantically fleeing the scene.

  He clutched his radio.

  "Officer down- Suspect is not-"

  His report was interrupted by a blade of ice launched through the air and embedded itself through his back. He spit out blood and fell face first onto Bretts concrete walkway.

  Brett looked at his front door numbly as red and blue police lights flashed. And he heard the slow calm steps approach him again.

  "One more then?"

  They said as they stepped outside of his front door. The figure stretched out to full height. The lich had been hunched over before but standing at full height it was easily 9 feet tall. It's bone forearms were drenched in blood and it was clutching dismembered Tessa's head by the hair.

  It waited expectantly as he watched it. He heard the sound of blood dripping. Then it seemed to deflate then take a step toward him.

  "Wait!"

  Brett shouted and raised his hands to stop them. And to his surprise- they did. The skull with glowing red eyes tilted at him curiously.

  He took the opportunity to endear himself to the creature. He clutched his hands together and prostrated himself at the liches feet.

  "Make me your apprentice!"