Chapter 6: Rough Night, Rough Day

As Allium tried to sleep, she was plagued with nightmares and visions involving the man that had attacked her. She woke up many times in a cold sweat and could not stay asleep for more then a few minutes at a time.

As the sun finally rose, Allium looked incredibly sickly and pale. Nadia and Clavidicus got up to start the day but Allium didn't get up from her bed, but continued to experience confusion and nightmares.

"Oh man, she looks pretty bad" Clavidicus commented as he and Nadia stood over Allium. "Perhaps we should just leave her in bed to recover this morning."

Nadia felt Allium's forehead. "She looks like she has a fever but she's just about deathly cold to the touch. Allium dear, if you can hear me, we're going to go look into selling some of this stuff, stay here and try to get better."

Clavidicus grabbed all the loot from last night and followed Nadia out the door. Just outside the room, Nadia whispered to him "She's probably not going to make it, we should be prepared for the very real possibility we'll be returning to a corpse. Oh and I call dibs on her body."

"I'm very much hoping you mean her possessions."

Nadia smirked. "Sure, lets go with that."

Clavidicus frowned. "I really shouldn't be surprised anymore, but yet I still am. Well anyways, time's a wasting, and my stomach and pockets are empty, a problem I'm sure you never experience."

Nadia punched him hard in the shoulder. "I get by alright, what's the big deal?"

The two moved downstairs and grabbed a quick breakfast before heading out to the local shops to try and unload what 'valuables' they had happened upon the night before in the graveyard. Among the loot were various trinkets and jewelry that were probably family heirlooms buried with the deceased residents of town. These poor souls were most unfortunately used as undead and now their relics were about to be pawned off for a few measly silver pieces.

"Hello fair folk, welcome to my humble little shop" said the old shopkeeper as Nadia and Clavidicus entered. "You do not seem familiar faces, so visitors to our town you must be. I bid you a hearty welcome and hope you'll find something to your liking."

Clavidicus dumped the bag of treasure onto the front counter. "Today we're interested in maybe leaving this stuff off here in exchange for some of your coin."

"Sure, lets have a look at what you have here. Perhaps a few of your items will I purchase today." The man took out a piece of shaped glass and started to investigate what was laid before him. "I would ask where these items came from, or why they are covered in dirt and mud, but I suspect I wouldn't like the answer."

Nadia punched Clavidicus in the arm. "See I told you we should have taken them out to the river to rinse off some of the mud, and the decayed fle..uh flower petals." She looked back at the shopkeeper. "We'd like you to make us an offer on the whole pile and don't hold back any. My boy here needs all the money he can get to buy me nice things, I deserve nice things don't I good sir?"

The shopkeeper smiled. "Yes M'Lady, I think I can offer you a more then fair price for what I see before me." He then scanned the pile one more time before counting out a pile of gold and sliding it in a bag over to them.

After returning to the inn, Nadia and Clavidicus stopped to talk to the injured old dwarf who had returned again. Nadia asked Clavidicus to just stay back a little and keep his comments to himself as she conversed with the dwarf. "Good day honored dwarf, what manner of beast has inflicted these wounds upon you."

"Aye I be minding my own business the other day as I traveled from the north and I find myself surrounded by little reptile-faced creatures with spears and slings. Where as I have no doubt I could have taken a couple or five, they just kept coming and I was overwhelmed fast. I was only able to escape with my life after I abandoned all my possessions and ran as fast as my legs could take me. I think they were more interested in my stuff then in me luckily. I had sustained a good amount of injuries and am stuck here till I recover. Then I'll be on my way. I would suggest if you travel that way, you be prepared for trouble from those little buggers."

Nadia said "I appreciate your warning, we shall keep it in mind were we to head that way, good day." She then motioned Clavidicus to follow her up to the room. When they opened the doors, they found that the room was unusually dark on account that someone had placed blankets over the windows. "Allium, you still there?"

Allium answered "Yes, I'm fine, I guess. Come in and close the door. There's been a slight development." Nadia and Clavidicus looked at each other and then moved in and closed the door behind them. "I think I figured out what happen to me in the alleyway."

Allium met the two in the middle of the room where there was just enough light to see each other. Nadia said "Well what happened, you look and sound a whole lot better though still incredibly pale." Allium grinned at Nadia. Nadia then responded "Oh, uh, those are some nice fangs you have. Are you contagious?"

"Not unless you want me to be" she said laughing. "I'm thinking I'm going to sunburn easy from now on."

Clavidicus just stared on in disbelief before talking. "I used to think I had an interesting life. These last couple days, I've been proven so very wrong. You can borrow my thick cloak if you need it."

Allium grinned. "I think I'll take you up on that offer."

Nadia cut in. "That reminds me, I managed to find us some more entertainment. There appears to be some manner of reptilian bandits just north of town that might be fun to visit today err...this afternoon. I'm sure they've amassed more then what we made last night. Speaking of which, here's your cut of the goods from last night." Nadia counted out a share of gold and dumped them into Allium's hands.

The three spent the rest of the daylight in the room doing their own things. Allium spent most of the day experimenting with all the new feelings she was experiencing. Nadia sat in the corner doing a mixture of meditation and reading from some dusty tome. Clavidicus sharpened his blades the whole time which seemed to irritate Nadia enough that she eventually kicked him outside the room to do it.

When evening fell, they stopped in at the inn on their way out to grab some dinner. Allium ordered three rare steaks this time, as bloody as they could come. Clavidicus broke down and got the steak as well, though his was at least partcially cooked.

Afterwards, the three set out of town along the north road hoping to find some trouble. As they walked, Nadia spoke. "This can't be all that bad a development, I've always felt I do my best work at night and I've never been so fond of light. I always felt that the more interesting people come out at night anyways."

Chapter 5: What Were We Thinking

"This all seems so cliché if you ask me." Allium said as the three of them stood at the entrance to the Windy Tree graveyard.

"What are you talking about?" Clavidicus asked.

"Well look, we have an extremely weather worn wooden fence, a gate hanging half off the hinges, and billowing fog rolling from somewhere deeper in the graveyard. Is it really that much effort to take care of the fence, maybe replace it when it gets too worn?"

Clavidicus examined the gate a bit closer. "You have a point, this gate was supposed to keep people out at night. It doesn't seem like it's serving that function anymore, so whoever was locking it, just decided to stop?"

"Maybe it was locked to keep something in" Nadia added. "And whomever was locking it at night didn't manage to lock it fast enough one night before something got out and got him."

"Why do you say things like that, you're really creepy you know that?" Clavidicus said as he looked wearily over at Nadia.

"I'm not saying that that was what happened, though it's an explanation all the same." she retorted.

Allium cut in. "Well explain to me the swirling fog and mist but no apparent wind to be moving it like that."

Clavidicus nodded. "Yeah Nadia, explain that." He paused for a moment before realizing maybe he didn't want to hear her explanation.

"Despair."

Allium and Clavidicus both said "What?" pretty much at the same time.

"What, oh it's varying differences in temperature close to the ground that cause localized air movement which is pretty much undiscerable to us."

Clavidicus groaned. "Whatever, can we get on with this little trip? I'd like to get some sleep before day break."

Allium added "Yes shall we?"

The three stepped through the open gate into the graveyard. The graves consisted of roughly cut headstones and in many cases, loosely packed dirt patches. Clavidicus bent down to investigate one such dirt patch closely. "Doesn't anyone else find it a little disturbing that so many of these graves have recently disturbed dirt?"

Nadia answered "I don't" and Allium just shrugged.

He continued "I'm just saying this sort of thing would only be caused by a few situations, none of which seem all that comforting. Either recently a whole lot of people in town died, which doesn't explain how old these headstones look. And who is dying exactly? Maybe they don't like visitors all that much and we're about to be waylayed by a mob of townfolk which can easily push us into an open grave. After they dispense of us of course. Never been a big fan of being buried alive."

Allium cut in. "What better a way then to be killed by the earth's loving embrace?"

Clavidicus looked over in Allium's direction. "You're officially on the same list as Nadia for level of creepiness Allium." Allium winked at Clavidicus, or he thought she winked. It was getting harder to tell what anyone was doing as the fog was obscuring what little light his torch was providing. "The other possibility is that there has been a large group of grave robbers here recently which is a little easier to handle for me. Men I can kill, in smaller amounts then a town-wide crazed mob at least. Perhaps that dwarf in the inn is somehow involved. All I know is if that dwarf comes at me, I'll give him something to bleed about."

"You're leaving out a third possibility" Nadia said ominiously. "You probably don't want to know what it is."

Clavidicus felt a chill go down his back. "Yep don't tell me, I'd rather not know."

The three continued cautiously down a worn dirt path deeper into the cemetary. It wasn't long before their trip got interruptted by a group of skeletons that seemed to be animated still long after whoever's bones they were had died. "And this would be the third possibility" Nadia said as she reached into her dress for her necklace.

"I would have been ok not ever seeing reanimated bodies in this lifetime" Clavidicus shouted as he drew his weapon. "Hopefully Nadia, you really can defend yourself as good as you say you can. And Allium, stay back unless...oh you have daggers, nevermind."

The undead approached with unrelenting vigor with clawed hands flailing emitting horrible noises as they attacked. Clavidicus was able to place a couple well placed hacks into one while Allium took focus on another with precision cuts.

Nadia got close to her two companions as another two skeletons approached them. She held her necklace out shouting "You will stop before me, for returning to the dust awaits you!" Both skeletons stopped their approach and just crouched cowering in front of Nadia. "Finish them off, they shall resist no longer" she said to Clavidicus. Clavidicus did as was requested and before long the three of them were scattering the bones of the redeceased looking for anything of value.

"That wasn't so bad now was it?" Nadia asked of Allium and Clavidicus.

"Now that I know what I'm up against, it's not so bad I guess, but I think maybe I would have declined had I known ahead of time" Clavidicus said as he picked up a dented piece of jewelery.

"My weapons aren't nearly as effective as I'd like but if more wealth is to be got, I say bring em on." Allium was showing a whole lot more energy and excitement now then when they had first met her. She really seemed to be in her element out in the middle of the night.

"That's the spirit" Nadia said excitedly. "Lets see how deep this path goes."

They hadn't traveled too much further before they ran into more skeletons as well as some undead that still had flesh hanging off them. As the three fought these creatures, Allium asked "What are these with the flesh still hanging on their bones, my weapons seem to be slightly more effective."

Nadia answered "Those are zombies. They're more resilient, and use a slightly different kind of magic to animate. They have more surfaces to attack, so your weapons should do more damage to them in the process of attacking."

Clavidicus though it was quite disturbing how knowledgable Nadia seemed about these things. He was a little too caught up in the battle to give it too much thought, but less and less was surprising him every moment he spent in her company.

Adjusting for the new kind of enemy, Allium and Clavidicus along side Nadia were able to take down the whole lot of undead as they approached. As they were looking for things of value upon the fallen foes, a large wolf sized rat creature with a disturbingly large toothy maw showed up and started feasting on one of the zombie corpses. Allium pointed from a good distance away at it. "What is that thing?"

Nadia responded "That's a corpse eater, a distant relative of the common rat that grows excessly mutated and large by feasting on tainted flesh and bone. They're pretty dangerous, so we'll keep our distance if we can help it."

"You don't have to tell me twice" Clavidicus said as he hid from the creature behind the two women. All three backtracked a little ways away from the creature.

Seeing as the battles they had endured started to take their toll upon the adventurers, they agreed to call well enough alone and take what treasures they had found and go get some rest.

It was well into the night before they managed to make it to their room at the inn. They all but colapsed into the beds after securing what they had found in a chest in the corner and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 4: Getting Inn Trouble

Nadia followed close after by Allium and Clavidicus examined their surroundings as they entered the inn. The first thing they noticed were the pleasant sounds of music that seemed to fill the room ever so slightly louder then the mixed chatter of all the tavern patrons. Looking around, Nadia determined the source to be a lone bard sitting in the corner by himself strumming timidly on his lute.

It was pretty clear that the bard was just fiddling around with it, perhaps composing a tune, but not really trying to perform it for others. The music was pleasant and flowing yet had a very haunting charm to it. The bard also seemed to be contributing further to the tune by humming to himself, as he worked through its melody.

No one in the inn seemed to have paid any attention to the three as they entered, as everyone seemed to continue minding their own business. The only exception was the barkeep who threw a rag over his shoulder and nod in their direction. He soon after moved on to help another patron that was sitting at the bar and had amassed a sizable collection of empty tankards already.

"Lets grab a seat close to him so we can perhaps gain a word or two of his lyrics as we listen" Nadia said as she pointed to a vacant table in the same area of the inn as the bard. Neither of her companions put up any objections. The three made their way over to the empty table and sat down.

Soon after sitting down, Allium laid her head on the table. Nadia started playing with Allium's hair. "Rest for a little dear, you're still not looking so hot." Nadia then noticed that Clavidicus was looking off to another part of the room. "What are you looking at big guy?" she asked.

"There's an old dwarf that looks like he's been roughed up pretty bad judging from the scars and the bandages that are bleeding through" he answered smiling to himself.

Nadia looked over in the same direction. The dwarf Clavidicus was talking about did look in pretty bad shape. He seemed pretty entranced by the fire nearby and was staring intently into it. "Are you smiling because he's injured?"

Clavidicus laughed "I'm not a big fan of dwarves to be honest. I've had bad experiences, you know, my fair share of bad dreams about axe-wielding dwarf murderers. When I see a dwarf injured as bad as that, I think that he probably had it coming."

A waitress walked close by and Clavidicus flagged her down. "Can we order some food
please."

She smiled and walked over. "Yes, what can I get you tonight? Our special tonight is the steak."

Allium lifted her head up suddenly. "I'll take two plates of the special, rare as it comes" before slamming her head back down on the table.

"And what about you two" the waitress asked to Clavidicus and Nadia.

"I saw someone else had a ham and vegetable plate over there. I'd like one of those and one of your house ales" Nadia asked politely.

"Yeah same here, but make it two pints of ale for me" said Clavidicus. After the waitress left, Clavidicus asked Allium "You're such a small little woman, sure you're going to be able to handle two steak plates?" Allium lifted her head just high enough to give him a look that verified she meant business.

When the food and ale arrived, Allium tore through both of her steaks with her bare hands in a most disturbing fashion while Nadia and Clavidicus sat and ate quietly. Clavidicus spoke soon after saying "I'm sorry I doubted you shorty, and might I say you're looking a little better now. Also this ale isn't all that bad, and its almost cold too."

After the three were about finished with their meals, the barkeep wandered over to their table. "Hope ye found the meals to your liking mates. We don't get a whole lot of visitors these days. I thought I should give you a word of warning, strange things seem to occur near the graveyards at night that no one can explain that well, so ye best keep your distance till morning's light. I'd recommend you stay indoors at night as well but that's for your safety. Ye don't know what might be lurking in the shadows. But seeing as ye folks seem to have your wits about ye, I'm sure ye know how to handle yourselves in the presence of danger."

Nadia smiled at the man. "The meals were great and thank you for your warning. We shall take it under advisement." After hearing that, the barkeep returned to behind the bar to again help the patron sitting there with his collection of empty tankards.

Seeming a little more refreshed, Allium commented "Well he pretty just asked us to go check out the graveyard, a task I feel quite inclined to fulfill."

Nadia laughed. "I couldn't agree more, think of the adventure that awaits us within the fog filled reaches of that cemetary. Clavidicus, wouldn't you agree?"

Clavidicus looked around uneasily at both Allium and Nadia and seeing the sparkle in their eyes, quickly changing his demeanor to appear more confident. "Yes this would be a ...uh...grand adventure, no danger too dangerous, no challenge too challenging, let's be off and all that." Clavidicus tried his best to hide a yawn as the girls headed for the door to go get into some trouble in the town's graveyard. "Hey wait up!" he said as he scurried to catch up.