This is your fault, Ran.
There were five of them. Three others besides her and the other student. (She never got his name. He smiled and said it was Relian, but she doubted it.) One of them, a warrior with a dinged and battered sword, stayed behind to investigate some ruins on the river near Southshore.
That left four. Her, the other warlock, a young lady in practice armor, and a elf who stayed to himself and seemed to be always sharpening his knives when Mireli tried to get his attention. "There's something watching," he said once, when he was sure no one else was near. "Always watching. I can feel the eyes on us all the time."
He had been right, of course. When they reached Andorhal, it was quiet. Relian turned to the group and grinned widely. "You all wanted to be here. Well, here we are!" Then they had attacked. Shambling corpses, skeletal figures, and abominations stitched together from different bodies.
Relian turned to them, beaming. "I did good, right? He'll appreciate it!" One of the skeletons struck him down with a single blow. He smiled even after he was dead.
The elf died next. He posed the biggest threat. (There was a badge on his tabard. A silver sun.) As tough as he was, even one person couldn't fight four of those things at once. The lady lept into the fray to help him.
Mireli turned on her heel and ran. Maybe if she reached the river again, she could run to Southshore. Or there might be someone lingering in the area. There had to be a way out, right?
There wasn't.
That left four. Her, the other warlock, a young lady in practice armor, and a elf who stayed to himself and seemed to be always sharpening his knives when Mireli tried to get his attention. "There's something watching," he said once, when he was sure no one else was near. "Always watching. I can feel the eyes on us all the time."
He had been right, of course. When they reached Andorhal, it was quiet. Relian turned to the group and grinned widely. "You all wanted to be here. Well, here we are!" Then they had attacked. Shambling corpses, skeletal figures, and abominations stitched together from different bodies.
Relian turned to them, beaming. "I did good, right? He'll appreciate it!" One of the skeletons struck him down with a single blow. He smiled even after he was dead.
The elf died next. He posed the biggest threat. (There was a badge on his tabard. A silver sun.) As tough as he was, even one person couldn't fight four of those things at once. The lady lept into the fray to help him.
Mireli turned on her heel and ran. Maybe if she reached the river again, she could run to Southshore. Or there might be someone lingering in the area. There had to be a way out, right?
There wasn't.