[While on a rescue mission gone crazed, a holy warrior and a rogue fight bandits, demons, and the urge to rip each other's clothes off.]
The mission, rescuing a princess, could be going better.
Séa is an earnest paladin, honest and gullible. Tash is...
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The party lounged near the top of the staircase to allow their adrenaline to drain away. Séa stretched exhausted muscles between sips of water. Chantelle introduced her raven as "My animal companion, Elegre," before the stirge-slaying corvid flapped away into the darkness. None of the party articulated a burning desire to ascend through whatever levels remained and face whatever wights guarded the castle walls. Ghomarck confessed, "I have cast every spell I know except the one I use to cheat at cards. I must have a rest, and then study my spellbook to refresh my mind. Let us retreat to the apartment and blockade the door. Please."
"Fine," said Tash from several yards away. By light of her candle she inspected the floor. "In a quarter hour or so." She shuffled along in a grid pattern in order to cover ground without missing any spots. Any gemstone formerly in the brazier now lay scattered around the hall. When Tash found one, she pounced and tucked it away in a pouch.
Séa lounged on her back, propped up on her elbows. "And she calls me crazy."
"You are." The rogue pounced on a sparkly stone.
The paladin crossed her ankles. "I'm not the one that tapped a giant lizard on the nose and said 'eat me, please.' Though, I gotta admit, it was spectacular. And in the end, you closed the gate to the Abyss." Now that I have time to think about it, her plan was insanely risky.
Ghomarck said to Chantelle, "They bicker a lot, now that they've built their trust. I'm sorry."
"It's a lot milder than when my parents argue," the princess said.
Séa grinned to herself. He's right. We're past the trust-building phase.
Chantelle tapped the wizard's robe-covered, bony knee. "How long do you need to rest and study your spellbook? I'm getting hungry, and we killed the chef. Not that I would have partaken ..."
"One night," the wizard said.
"I can survive that long." Chantelle tried to rub a blotch of dirt from her dress. She failed, but a wry smile spread over her features. "I guess I'm having an adventure. Just not the one I thought I was having."
Ghomarck stroked his beard. "I feel the same. And the next time I get the urge for field work, I hope someone breaks my leg before I get a chance to get out the front door."
Séa laughed. "Torugg forbid, Master Ghomarck!"
"Wait," said Chantelle. "Zorexis is somewhere up top, pretending to be me. He didn't come back, so he must have met some success."
"That stands to reason." The wizard's eyes narrowed and swiveled to the princess.
"Well, we decided he wanted to eventually impersonate the King." Chantelle sat upright and her spine straightened in rising tension. "What just occurred to me is that King Pharing himself is in danger. When Zorexis takes on the King's appearance, will he not then kill him?"
