“Let me get this straight,” Viel said. “You let a floor Guardian escape from the Spire?”

  They were sitting around a table in his home drinking tea and eating sweet buns. Jeze loved the buns! She allowed herself to cheat and indulged herself. Jeze figured they would be hiking for days through the mountains, so she could have one, maybe two buns. Grifus, being polite, nibbled on one. Zel, sipped her tea and tore into the buns as if they were her last meal. How is she so thin? Jeze wondered, and then she figured it was because Zel was so obsessed with her research that she would forget to eat. Plus she lived alone in a cursed valley.

  “It was not by choice,” Kalina growled. She was the only one not eating or drinking tea. Jeze wondered if Kalina could taste anything in her undead form.

  “And a bloody necromancer to boot! They are the worst,” Viel responded.

  “Hey! No we are not!” Zel exclaimed.

  Viel glanced down at her. “You are a bloody necromancer?” He cocked his head toward Grifus. “Didn’t the guild outlaw that?”

  Grifus shrugged his shoulders. He was holding his tea in two hands. “It’s a long story.”

  “Its quite simple actually, I’m his niece.” Zel twirled one hand while sipping her from her cup. “By the way, this tea is amazing! And these buns are to die for!”

  Viel’s eyes widened in shock and then he smiled. “Please help yourself to more, I got plenty.” He poured her another cup of tea.

  “Don’t mind if I do!” Zel grabbed two more buns.

  “Zel, please be polite,” Grifus reminded her. He turned to Viel. “It is quite remarkable what you have done with this place. How long have you lived here?”

  Viel and Jeze shared a glance that did not go unnoticed by Kalina. Viel answered, “Several years.”

  “How? Were you not afraid of disturbing the,” Grifus nodded upwards, lowering his voice. “The dragon?”

  Viel chuckled, but stopped when he noticed the serious look on the academy instructor’s face. He cleared his throat. “After a while, you don’t think about it anymore. It’s not like I cause a ruckus, you know what I mean?”

  Grifus nodded, staring intently at the tall man. Jeze chimed in. “Will you be joining us?”

  Viel nodded. “Of course. I owe you.”

  “Now that must be a story. How does a young adventurer earn the favor of the mighty Dark Swordsman?” Kalina asked, turning toward Jeze. “No offense.”

  “Oh, it’s a tale for the ages,” Viel said, clapping his hands. “Who wants more tea?”

  Kalina narrowed her dark eyes. “What happened on the third floor with you two?”

  “You know the story. We found and lost the Hold Core,” Jeze replied, shuddering as she recalled the memory of Zipocke’s betrayal.

  “What else occurred?” Kalina pressed.

  “A story for the road, perhaps? Let me gather my things and we can depart,” Viel responded, leaving the room.

  Jeze turned on Kalina. “What is your problem?”

  Zel’s eyes darted back and forth between the two as she stuffed her mouth with another bun. Grifus rose from his seat. “I will see what additional supplies Viel can provide us for our journey.” He followed after the tall man.

  “There are too many concerns I have let slide. This place, our traveling to this cursed valley, and us being so close to Eclipse. Who is he?” Kalina demanded, pointing in the direction that Viel departed in.

  “He is my friend,” Jeze growled.

  Kalina crossed her arms. “What is his story?”

  “That is for him to tell, not me.” Jeze shot back.

  “We have too much at stake with our quest to take any risks,” Kalina growled.

  “All you need to concern yourself with is that he is a damn good adventurer,” Jeze snapped.

  The two glared daggers at each other. While Zel nervously munched on her food, trying not to draw attention to herself.

  “Ladies, no need to fight over my behalf,” Viel called out.

  He donned his dark robe over his blackened mail shirt. Strapped to his hip was his two-handed longsword, and he wore dark pants made from heavy cloth along with a pair of tanned ankle high traveling boots.

  “I see why they call you the ‘Dark Swordsman.’” Zel muttered, in between bites.

  Grifus entered the chamber behind Viel with a cloth sack filled with additional supplies. “Are we ready to depart?”

  “I don’t like traveling with someone who has secrets,” Kalina declared.

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  Viel smirked. “From the looks of ya, you are the one with the bloody secrets.”

  Kalina scowled. “I was cursed by the Lich to be his servant, but my Will was too strong. Instead, I have turned into this. A vengeful Revenant.”

  “Oh my, you shared your story rather quickly,” Viel responded.

  “I keep no secrets from those I adventure with,” Kalina said through gritted teeth.

  “Well that’s bloody good of you,” Viel said, turning toward the others, “Shall we go?”

  In a blur of speed Kalina appeared before Viel, who responded with his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Careful now,” Viel cautioned.

  “What are you hiding?” She demanded.

  Viel answered, his amber eyes deadly serious. “I’m the dragon Eclipse cursed into mortal form hundreds of years ago by powerful Rune casters.”

  Kalina’s unnerving black eyes stared hard at the sword fighter before she scoffed. “Fine, keep your stupid secrets. But, if you try something funny, I will be on you in an instant.”

  Viel smiled. “Sounds like a date then. Be sure to bring a bottle of wine, love.”

  Kalina scowled, and before she could retort, Grifus intervened. “We have everything we need. We should go while we still have daylight.”

  Zel’s eyes went wide. “What about Neebs?”

  “Who?” Viel asked.

  Grifus waved his hand. “You can work on Neebs when we make camp at nightfall. I want us to be out of this cursed valley by then.”

  “Hey! This is my home,” Viel exclaimed in mock offense.

  “Apologies,” Grifus replied, leading the way toward the stone steps.

  “Are you able to bake more buns?” Zel asked, clinging to Viel’s arm.

  The tall sword fighter chuckled, gently extracting his arm, “I packed extra.”

  Zel clapped her hands. “Goodie!”

  Jeze saw Kalina come over toward her. She was annoyed with how Kalina treated Viel, who was her friend. It’s like she does not trust me either! But Jeze kept her feelings to herself, gritting her jaw.

  “What do you know about him?” Kalina asked.

  Jeze glared back, growling, “He’s my friend.”

  “Ever since I was given this curse,” Kalina started, clenching her fist. “I can sense energy. It’s hard to explain, but I sense something very off about your friend.”

  Jeze crossed her arms. “Like what?”

  “He has a lot of energy,” Kalina replied. “More than any man should have.”

  “All that he shared was what he shared with me,” Jeze said, and felt she could be more honest. “Oh, and that he traveled with my brother.”

  Kalina glanced down at her. “Your brother?”

  “Yes,” Jeze nodded. “We should go, the others are outside already.”

  They exited Viel’s home and traveled down the short mountain trail into the ruins below. Everyone was subdued by the ominous nature of the area. Everyone except Zel. She followed Viel like a puppy with incessant questions.

  “What is it like to live here?”

  Viel smiled gently. “It is nothing special.”

  “Have you considered studying necromancy?”

  “Never gave Rune magic a thought,” Viel answered.

  “Do you have any idea why there is so much raw Affliction energy here?” Zel asked, tapping her chin as her eyes wandered around.

  Viel chuckled nervously, scratching his neck. “I have some theories.”

  Zel’s eyes lit up. “Do share!

  Viel shook his head. “Someone of your esteemed knowledge would not be interested in my uneducated guesses.”

  Zel nodded. “I am well researched on the topic, that is true.”

  Grifus, Kalina, and Jeze stayed ahead of the two. Each glad to have Zel’s attention directed away from them. More importantly, the necromancer did not wander off the path and continued walking with them. It was as if they were worried that this phenomenon was delicate and could break if they said anything. They exited the ruins into the pine tree forest.

  “Zel, be silent,” Grifus ordered.

  His niece rolled her eyes, but complied when Viel nodded in agreement. “These woods are dangerous,” the tall sword fighter observed.

  Jeze and Kalina scouted a head with Grifus behind them. Taking up the rear was Viel. Zel walked slightly in front of him. They managed to travel in silence, which surprised Jeze. How does Viel keep Zel contained?

  Viel sniffed the air and cocked his head. “I smell something unusual.”

  “Smell?” Kalina asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Not the time to question things,” Jeze hissed, crouching.

  Kalina and the others crouched and scanned their surroundings.

  “Why are we crouching?” Zel whispered.

  Viel held a finger to his lips and Jeze scanned her surroundings. It was nothing unusual, as they were surrounded with the familiar sounds of the forest. Birds chirped and the rustling noise made by pine trees swaying in the breeze. Jeze spotted a pair of crows on a nearby branch. They cawed and watched her with tilted heads.

  “Oh, that’s interesting,” Zel observed.

  “What is?” Grifus asked.

  Zel pointed at the crows. “They are spirits.”

  “That’s odd.” Viel stood up, sniffing the air. There was a sharp hiss through the trees and the tall sword fighter’s body shook upon impact. With shock, Jeze saw an arrow protruding from Viel’s chest.

  “Bloody hell!” He cursed.

  “The Tribal Council hunters!” Grifus exclaimed, and he weaved a high wall of dirt to erupt from the ground making a rumbling sound. He closed his hands into fists and the dirt hardened into stone.

  “Tribal Council?” Viel grumbled. “Nevermind, I don’t want to know why they are involved. Only thing that matters is that I owe them some pain.”

  “Let me help you,” Grifus said to him.

  “I’ll be alright,” the sword fighter replied as he removed the arrow.

  “What? How?” Grifus stuttered.

  “I’m wearing mail, mate. Must have blunted the attack,” Viel responded, drawing his sword. “Now, it’s time for some payback. Any bloody idea where they are at?”

  Jeze extended Grifus’s wall of stone and created a semi-circle. “We should run.” To herself she wondered, How did I not detect them? The skill of these hunters concerned her.

  Kalina looked over the others with her black pupiless eyes. Eventually, they fell on Zel. She shook her head. “There is no way we could outrun them with her.”

  “Hey!” Zel exclaimed, but did not argue the point.

  “It’s a blasted fight they want? Then a fight they will get,” Viel growled.

  Kalina drew her blade and Grifus readied his staff. Jeze twirled her arms and shadows floated in tendrils around them like mists to obscure their location. Everyone, even Zel, ducked to hide among them.

  “Let them come to us,” Jeze said.

  “I miss traveling with you.” Viel nodded, grinning, “It is never a dull moment.”