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Sent Kobold

Chapter 4: Travelers' Rest

Both Kobolds search an isolated land, and it's horrors.

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"That's the third village we've been to this week. Still nothing?"

Baous looked down at the small kobold underneath him, smaller still since he was sitting in a tree.

Serhis shrugged, wings and tail as well in unconscious concert, "Nothing. People going missing here as well, but no telling where gone," Serhis paused, pondering, "Well, maybe something. Only thing I find is most gone when going West. Since last village say some gone when go North, maybe something between here and there? I don't know, maybe just big pack of wolf of something, but would leave stuff behind. Don't seem like bandit or anything like that, people would know if strange group wandering around." He leaned against the tree, sagging from fatigue.

Baous looked down beneath his branch "Hmm, you tired? We didn't walk that far today, is something wrong?"

"Nah, just used lot of healing. People here no talk to me that much, just stayed at tavern and made some gold using that. Sometimes, if what they say interesting, that pay for healing," responded Serhis, rubbing his eyes. Eyes closed, Serhis asked, "Don't mind just stay here for an hour maybe? Not much need for hurry."

Baous shook his head, fur buffeted by the wind, "Nah, I don't mind."

"By way, why you up there?"

Baous answered, "I kinda got bored waiting for you, I thought maybe I'd see a bit more off the ground up here. The breeze is nice though."

Serhis fished through his pack, holding up some bread, "Want something to eat? Got these for payment instead. Come down, I don‘t think throwing would be good idea."

"No thanks, I'll just stay here."

"Maybe water as well? Know we don't have much since last stop."

"I'm fine."

"You stuck up there, huh?"

"... maybe a little," Baous meekly replied.

Serhis just sighed and grinned, jumping and using his wings to reach the limb Baous had climbed up on, "Hmm, I guess breeze is good up here," he said as he passed Baous the bread loaf, "Rest for a while, then. If you want come down, I got rope in pack," he said as he nestled between Baous and a limb of the tree, listening to the rustling of the wind over the plains. Baous enjoyed his impromptu picnic in the trees as Serhis closed his eyes and hummed a hymn.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After a whole week of investigation, they finally had a lead, albeit an extremely loose one and no indication what could be causing it. They had been attacked by a few of the local wildlife or a bandit during the two week journey, but nothing that indicated it was responsible for the rash of disappearances. The fact that whatever attacked never had the chance to do it again made sure of it. However, information hasn't been easily gotten, since two Kobolds wandering around asking strange questions don't exactly inspire trust. The people around here weren't hostile, but they weren't cooperative. Serhis suspected since no Kobold cities would inhabit the area, most of what they heard about them would be hearsay and stories. Which was to say, unpleasant stories.

The afternoon sun beat down on the pair as they crossed the wide plains, as they looked for anything related to the numerous disappearances. A body, a dead body, scattered possessions, anything. And for the whole day, nothing.

Serhis came down from a small hill, "Auuggh! This is frustrating! We don't even know what we looking for," he vented.

"Nothing again, huh," replied Baous, more of a statement than a question.

"Feh, you would think maybe find something by now. From what I learned, some of the people who gone missing had big wagons and other stuff. Hard to miss out here. And now getting late, and soon not even be able to see much."

"Huh? I thought you could see in the dark?" asked Baous.

Serhis put his pack back on, ready to move again, "Yes, but only so far. Anyway, I saw another village over there. We'll stop there for night, then keep searching next day," trudging along with Baous following up.

What they found in the village was something of a surprise. They both saw what looked like farmers working their fields as they came into town, but the fields were weed filled and they looked like they were completely still. They approached one that was standing near the road and leaning against a post looking away from them, asking about where to find a room for the night.

Baous tapped the farmer on the shoulder, trying to get his attention, "Excuse me. Hello? Oh, never mind," he said as he found what he was tapping was a mannequin, straw stuffed in the clothes and tufts of it all around the neck, arms, and legs. It's face was painted clay, not perfect, but certainly good work and it smelled heavily of saw dust.

Baous muttered, "Weird," as he looked around, inspecting it from different angles, "You think all of these are the same thing?"

Serhis did an all body shrug again, "Don't know, but why would someone make these things?"

Baous looked like he was going to reply, then looked further down the road, "I guess we can ask him," pointing to a man walking down the road towards them

The approaching person was a male elf, tastefully dressed in greens and yellows, his walk, composure, and even the surrounding countryside making the normally clashing colors work for him.

He visibly paused when he got a good look at the both of them, but strode on and made a graceful bow, then standing with a regal grace and in one smooth tone, "Welcome to Le Nurl. Would you care to take the tour? Or have you met one of those that have passed through here and make an investment, or perhaps migrate here? Standard rate is one thousand two hundred gold pieces for a home if you care to move in. An investment in the project of ten thousand will give a return of one thousand five hundred in profit in five years, two thousand five hundred for an investment of twenty thousand, with the possibility of a quality home at a vastly reduced price for your helpful investment and the knowledge you have helped to create a thriving community."

The Kobolds stood there and could only look on speechlessly as he made his pitch, Baous looking on as with his muzzle agape and eyes wide open, Serhis looking at him with one eye squinted at the incredulous nature of what just happened. They had just been subjected to a business proposal.

He continued on, "However, if a down payment is not an option for you, I happy to provide information about loans, mortgages, and install-"

Baous snapped his jaws shut, then remembered he could speak, "Uh, I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I am Faresterear Amblack. What are yours?"

"Baous Winterstone, and this is Serhis," Baous responded, still taken aback from the whole thing. He had the odd sensation that he should have said he was not interested and shut the door, if he had a door.

"A pleasure to meet you both. I'm quite sure that others would be glad that our village is a tolerant and peaceful place where productive people are always welcome should you choose to live in our -"

"Wait, wait, wait, before you go on, can you please tell me what this place is? We just wanted a place to stay for the night," interrupted Baous.

Faresterear still looked like he had been full of air, which then deflated when Baous interrupted, "Oh? Just passing through? Well, I guess we have rooms for the night, we certainly have the spare space. Follow me."

He walked down the dirt path towards the village, the two Kobolds looking at each other with perplexed faces, then followed.

The elf kept talking as they walked, "My apologies for my behavior, its just that after getting this village built, absolutely no one has moved in, and I'm getting a bit desperate. I've sunk a lot of money into this, and I'm not one to let it go easily."

Baous and Serhis looked around as they approached the village, a few more mannequins here and there, doing what you would expect someone to do in their day to day lives, washing clothes next a well, looking as if they are walking to a destination, carrying a basket. A woman cradling a wrapped bundle, perhaps her baby. Baous asked, "Why are there these... things here?"

"Oh, the mannequins? A touch to make the place seem more comforting, since not many people are here. A bit of a project for our resident artist, after she had finished with all the other aesthetic touches. It's something to keep her occupied, now that the village is finished, but since no one has come, no one buys her wares, so I encourage her to make the best of it," answered Faresterear.

"So someone else is here?" asked Serhis.

"Well, it's just her and her husband, they've both been of tremendous help, but I feel a bit guilty for keeping them cooped up here with nothing to do. You're our first visitors in a while and most certainly one of the more unique ones. What with people going missing all over, travelers just don't come around here often."

Baous ears flicked up as he heard that, "People have gone missing near here?"

"Yes, and it's killing my business. I'd hire someone to find out, but I've little in the way of capital now, my assets are tied up here and the rest is just to pay for food and other necessities. I'm bleeding money and I've got to spend more to stop it," groaned the business elf.

"Well, me and my friend here are looking into why people are just vanishing into nothing. Do you know anything that could help us?" asked Baous hopefully.

Faresterear seemed to stop for a moment to process this, then gave a wide grin and turned to face the two, "Anything you wish to know, I will provide. I would be most grateful if you could halt whatever has been plaguing the area. You know what, you can stay here, free of charge."

"Uh, sure. Thanks," agreed Baous as he looked at Serhis, who could only offer a simple nod as they walked into the center of the village.

Beautiful would have best described what they saw from there, the village square was stone paved, the ornate fountain pouring fresh water from hand carved stone with statues of a man and a woman holding up a scythe and a child respectively, the buildings around them were simple one story houses, though a few had two stories, and two that looked to be lived in had three, but all had façades of painstakingly hand carved wood and clay ornamentation, some even with porcelain enhancing the structure.

Faresterear couldn't help but notice as they both stared in awe, "Elegant, isn't it? Now, as to what you wish to know. Some of the people that did pass through here had stories of something hiding in the plains further to the north, they always had the sense they were being watched, they said. About one, maybe two hours on foot out. I've heard them guess from gnolls to trolls," he finished, the rhyme made offhandedly.

"Trolls?" worriedly asked Baous and Serhis also felt a bit anxious at such a difficult foe if it were true.

"As I said, stories. Besides, I doubt if it really are trolls, they'd be hard to mistake for anything else," said Faresterear, then turning his head, causing both Serhis and Baous to look that way.

Approaching was a human woman who looked to be in her late twenties, dressed in artisans clothes, smeared with wet clay and paint, "Visitors? Or someone looking to move in?"

"Someone come to solve our lack of visitors problem, Mrs. Nikolen," smiled the elf.

She looked somewhat alarmed, "Better be careful, the two of you."

"Now, now, let's not go scaring our guests. How are your husband and child today?" asked Faresterear.

"Same as always, thank you, and I keep telling you to call me Ceil. Well, if you need anything made, come ask me," she said as she gave him a peck on the cheek before turning back to her home and business. They could briefly see the silhouette of what looked to be her husband in front of the kiln before the door closed.

Faresterear was blushing slightly, "And I keep telling her that she needs to stop doing that."

Serhis asked, "What that about?"

"Well, I helped her out about two years ago, saved her life in a way. It's a story I would prefer not to tell, for her sake. She tends to get a bit depressed if I say anything about it, but she is grateful for my assistance. Anyway, there are rooms available at the inn. Then again, there are room available everywhere, but better put them to their purpose, hmm?" the elf finished as he lead them to the inn.

All the while, Serhis couldn't feel something was odd while he was in the square.

The inn wasn't large, but it was certainly bigger than most. Serhis and Baous entered and the first thing they saw was a mannequin standing behind a counter as Faresterear led them to a pair of rooms to the right, passing one more, a maid arranging a vase of flowers in the hall. Serhis had to admit, these things made the place seem more...inhabited.

Faresterear fished around his pockets, holding up a key ring and selecting two, using them to unlock the doors. The rooms looked nice, one even had another maid that was carrying towels, "If you feel hungry, there is some food stocked in the larder. If you have any further questions, my home is across from Mrs. Nikolen's. Good night, and I hope your investigation is successful," he finished, leaving the two alone.

"Very weird place," muttered Baous, as he entered the room to the left, taking a look around. It looked very clean and neat, likely because it hadn't been used much, if at all, but it still smelled of cleaning solution and the like. If anything, the maid mannequin smelled the strongest of it, "I've got to say, Mrs. Nikolen pays a lot of attention to detail."

Serhis looked around his own room, and it was the same thing, minus the maid. The afternoon sun shown though the window to the back, slightly blinding him, glad for the chance to talk amounts themselves and without the possibility of another pitch, "Weird, all right. Feels weird too. Did Baous feel anything weird back in the center of village?"

"No. Well, kinda. Everything looked so neat and shiny. Almost reminds me of a doll house, but bigger," he replied.

Serhis didn't know what a doll house was, but whatever it was, he was inclined to agree.

"Well, first, going to grab something to cook, then going to sleep for the night. Come on, need some help carrying the heavier stuff," Serhis declared, shaking off the feeling, stepping back into the hall, "Hmm, first, need help finding the larder first as well."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After a large dinner, on account that the larder was very full, the Kobolds wished each other good night and went to bed.

Serhis laid on his front, unable to get to sleep in another bed that was too large, that eerie feeling still plaguing him. Faresterear and Mrs. Nikolen seemed friendly enough, but something about the village itself made Serhis lay awake, fretting about it. That, and his dry scales.

I'll have to shed again by the end of the week, thought Serhis, and hope I'm lucky and find someplace private.

Idle thoughts kept intruding on his need for sleep, before he finally forced himself to concentrate on nothing and started to doze off, before he heard the creak of the door.

Serhis rose from his bed, turning around and looked to see who had entered, blinking to clear his eyes, "Baous, that you?"

Instead of the furry Kobold, he saw the maid mannequin walking into the room.

He scrambled off the bed, reaching for his pick and turned to face the intruder. Though he knew he didn't need to bother. A loud snapping noise echoed though the room and the mannequin fell forward as it's foot got ensnared on a trap. Ever since the incident in the "Fox's Gem", Serhis felt a bit paranoid about getting attacked in his sleep again, and he only got lucky that time since he was too exhausted to take off his chain shirt.

Paranoia stemmed from unfounded fears, so this more qualified as excessive caution.

Serhis strode forward, pick at the ready dismantle the thing, then having his blood run cold as he heard a muffled cry cut short in the next room.

He ran over the fallen maid and rushed to the next room, only to find it locked. He could hear struggling inside and almost started to hammer away at the door, but held back, knowing he'd wouldn't be able to break it down in time. Instead, he pulled a weak ditherbomb out of his pack, removed the safety, shook it hard, and jammed it into the lock before backing far away.

By the time the lock was dripping metal and the wood started to crackle, Serhis had already stormed in.

Baous struggled to breathe as the mannequin pressed down on him, strangling him with its arms and crushing the air out of him, trying his best to move the arms, but they were secure and he was in a poor position to do much else.

Gripping the pick, Serhis hammered with all the force he could put at the point of the pick, before a blow to the arms loosened the thing's grip on Baous and he fell to the side, desperately clawing for his hammer while Serhis kept up the assault.

Baous picked up his war hammer on the table and turned, but Serhis had already finished the job, it wasn't moving any more, the pick lodged in the torso. Both were panting from exertion and panic, Serhis nearly falling down from being so spent while Baous lowered his weapon, only to raise it as other the mannequin maid dragged itself over. Serhis tugged at the stuck weapon and only succeeded in dragging the thing off the bed, but the pick wasn‘t needed.

This time, Baous' wrath replaced fear, striding over and smashing in it's skull in a heavy overhead swing.

Serhis gathered his wits, freeing his weapon, then approached Baous, "You okay, nothing hurt? Broken?"

"My throat's sore, but I think I'm alright. What are these things?" he answered, voice a little raspy.

Kicking the body over, Serhis examined the supposed mannequin, "Think maybe magic animated thing... or not," he amended, now getting a good look at it. Baous hammer blow to the face had shattered the fired clay, to reveal that it had masked the gaunt face of a dead woman.

Baous shuddered at the sight, gripping the war hammer that his knuckles turned white, "More zombies. Even more zombies."

Serhis gave a weary sigh while he shook his head as he looked at Baous.

That's the second time we've been attacked in our sleep by these things, he thought bitterly, I'm going to have to get him an amulet of protection or something so he'll be able to sleep. Or I could just give him one of my traps.

Stepping over the once more dead corpse, Serhis collected his leg snare and looked cautiously through the hall, hearing noise, movement. More than likely the "innkeeper".

They grabbed their equipment and turned back into the hall, though both didn't have time to put on their armor, knowing they wouldn't have much time to properly wear it. Seeing the zombie innkeeper approaching with a club, Serhis shot with his crossbow

And missed.

Something alarmed Serhis, in the same way he felt about standing in the square. Even though the shot was hastily aimed, he was sure that it would have hit, but the way the bolt seemed to curve as it approached made him certain something was up.

Baous rushed forward, his own attack well aimed and powerful, but it almost seemed to sway a bit, though it did hit, while the walking dead didn't manage land a counter attack.

As they looked at the shattered clay face of another fallen foe, and now with time to think, Baous asked, "What's going on? Dressed up zombies with clay masks? Something's really wrong here. And what about that Faresterear or Mrs. Nikolen? Do you think they have something to do with this?"

Serhis clenched his jaw, himself unsure, "Don't know, but going to very much ask," both going to the exit and walking into the square.

They could see light from Mrs. Nikolen's house, flickering and shimmering, perhaps from the kiln, while the second floor of Faresterear Amblack's home was lit, though curtains obscured any view.

Baous headed towards Faresterear's home, "He be the one in charge of everything here," he muttered, and Serhis was inclined to agree, but he grabbed the hem of Baous' tunic, seeing something in the darkness.

All around, the mannequins that looked beautiful in the sunlight had turned into shambling marionettes, walking dead with faces of paint and clay, all of them heading for the pair, numbering perhaps over twenty, perhaps thirty.

Holding forth the Star, Serhis tried to turn them away, only to feel a stifling force hamper his attempts, the strange feeling he had been feeling the whole time since coming here now affecting him with full force, and none of the approaching undead were dissuaded.

"Serhis, they're still coming," commented a worried Baous.

Hissing in frustration, Serhis tugged Baous to get back into the inn. He knew he might be able to turn some of them away, but not without great difficulty, "Get back in, bar the door."

Scampering back inside, they slammed the door shut and put down a chair to jam it, "Upstairs, move up and destroy the stairs while up there," Serhis suggested.

Baous nodded, a bit unsure if he heard that correctly, but following the logic. By the time Baous was picking splinters out of his fur and off his hammer, the undead had already battered down the door and climbed in through the windows.

The Kobolds watched as a few tried to climb up to them, only to fall back to the ground floor, while others milled about. They were safe, for now.

Baous turned to what he believed to be the resident undead expert, "Now what?"

"And now, I don't know. Way too many to fight. Can run away using the windows and some rope, zombies are slow," Serhis suggested as he looked out one window, "No. Whole place surrounded."

"Can't you fly out or turn them away?"

"Can, but can't carry you with me, so not that way, and something making them stronger against me, can‘t turn them easily, and Serhis just not strong enough," Serhis grunted as he reloaded his crossbow, then firing into the crowd.

He had fifty seven bolts on him, so he could afford to thin out the crowd a bit. It was like shooting fish in a barrel, although they were fish that stunk worse than any fish market and would rip you apart if you fell in it. It was also a futile way to relieve frustration.

This was bad. He still hadn't rested properly to recover his spells after using nearly all of them earlier today. He had no idea what the involvement of the residents of this town to the disappearances, but he had an inkling that Mrs. Nikolen had a hand in the zombies, considering she was the one who dressed and masked them, but that was only the physical features. Who supplied the knowledge and skills to animate the dead? And where did all the corpses come from? Though he more than suspected these were the missing travelers.

He exhausted a quiver of bolts and only saw that he had felled three of them, certainly not enough to make a difference among the dozen crowding the ground floor. Baous and Serhis donned their armors, looking down at the milling mass underneath.

"Any new ideas yet?" asked Baous.

"Not yet. Maybe check rooms, maybe something useful there," thought Serhis.

Searching though the rooms, they found what looked like personal possessions. A deck of scuffed cards, a used comb still with strands of hair in it, a small bag of seasoning, an abacus, some broken bits of string, a pair of sowing needles, and a small flask of ale hidden in one of the cupboards.

On closer inspection of all the rooms, signs of struggle could be seen, where a bit of cleaning and rearranging couldn't cover up. Though all the rooms smelled fresh and clean and the woodwork polished, scuff marks could be seen under proper lighting, as well as the barest traces of blood stains. People had been murdered in these rooms.

Giving a deep growl, Serhis gathered what he could find, going back into the main hall, hearing Baous rummage around in the rooms across the hall. As he looked out the windows, the undead still surrounded them, and he had the unnerving feeling there were still more out in the fields.

"Baous, find anything useful?"

A quiet silence was all that he heard, making him worry a little, "Baous, you alright?"

"... yeah. I- I'm fine," Baous finally replied from the furthest room in the hall.

Walking over, Serhis could see other items piled on the bed, Baous kneeling near a bed, looking like he had reached underneath the bed and holding something.

Going to the other side, he could see Baous with mixed expression of shock and sadness, looking down at what he held in his hands, "Baous, you find something?"

Baous looked at Serhis with the sad eyes only a canine could give, lifting what he held into sight. And it made Serhis' heart freeze over.

A small doll, simple and plain, something a mother would make.

His mind remembered the mannequin with the bundle. No. Not mannequin. Corpse. He desperately prayed that it was just a bundle of cloth.

No. No. Think. Focus. Think of a way to stop this from happening here again. Serhis' thoughts turned from escape to retribution. Whether it was the businessman or the artist, someone had willingly caused death here.

"We do something about it, Baous. I know that. Bahamut aid me," offered Serhis. It was all he could do.

Baous turned at Serhis, still with a sad look, but nodded, using his war hammer as a cane to stand. He picked up the other things and left back into the hall, leaving Serhis with his own thoughts. He had left the doll on the bed.

Was it right to bring you on this type of journey? Will you be fine witnessing the horrors that you never witnessed back home. No, you have witnessed these horrors and were too young to remember. I'll help make things right, I swear this oath to Bahamut.

As he looked out the window of the room, he could see Faresterear's home, the light still on and the curtain had been shifted. Looks like he had a hand in this all right.

Looking at the collection of objects, there wasn't much that could be worked with to solve the mobile corpses beneath them.

"Hah, wasn't even sure going to find anything useful," sighed Serhis.

Baous held up a bottle of oil, then to the crowd below, "I don't think lighting one on fire and hoping it bumps into the other ones will work, huh?"

"Heh not without burning inn down on top of us," idly commented Serhis, picking though the bits and pieces of a torn up journal.

Baous picked though more bits and pieces of items, visibly trying to stifle a yawn.

"Try and get some sleep, I keep watch," muttered Serhis, sleepy himself, but not subject to the panic of waking up and being strangled.

Rubbing his eyes, Baous asked, "You sure?"

"Go ahead. I make sure nothing comes up," Serhis assured him, pulling up a chair that was from one of the rooms and sitting on the landing, crossbow across his arms.

The tall Kobold moved to go to one of the rooms, stopping suddenly, and instead unrolled his bedroll and slept next to Serhis. The short Kobold could understand the need for that.

Turning back to face the horde, Serhis sat and thought. He was bright, but not as book smart and knowledgeable as Rhasalis, he always knew that, but he was perceptive.

Now, the problem was survival. The main points he kept asking himself were how for both of them to escape unharmed, what to do about Faresterear and Mrs. Nikolen, if they could get to them, and what did they expect to gain from this.

The last one was the one that nagged at Serhis. He knew that he had enough to piece things together, the previous ones of great importance, but he could do little about those facts.

From the number of undead, and the freshness, it was safe to assume that these were the disappearing travelers. From the way Faresterear presented it, others had passed through here unharmed. It was a way to deflect suspicion, though narrowly, it allowed the place to be labeled a safe haven, while those passing though would talk about a place where homes could be bought and the like, attracting more people.

They choose their targets, but how did they select them?

His business pitch. The moment they stepped foot here, Faresterear had asked questions, reasonable questions, while offering information for nothing. If someone was interested in moving in, more questions could be asked, such as if they notified anyone else that their address had changed or other questions that would have seemed innocent. If they were transients, homeless, they would have made easy marks. People always on the road would be hard to find if they disappeared. Anything that made them a hard target, and he would probably come up with some excuse that made them ineligible and had them on their way without any suspicion.

Not hard to guess why they'd been targeted, they were actively searching for missing people.

Maybe, maybe, the owner of the doll was one of the ones that went away, he hoped.

The way he was charming and suave also made you want to keep answering questions, Serhis would have probably counted how much money he had on him to find out if he had enough to invest.

A spell maybe? It was hard to tell. But that there was some force at work, there was no question. The whole time he had been shooting at the corpses, he watched the bolts fly, and there was a force at work that protected the zombies, made the bolts turn away a bit or softened the impact. In hand with the resistance to his turnings, he was under the impression that the village had been unhallowed, a sanctum for things that thrived on negative energy.

Whoever had done so was more powerful than Serhis, and definitely richer, since the consecration of an area to any power demanded herbs, oils, and other assorted items that would cost a small home.

Judging from the way Faresterear operated, he'd be able to finance anything given enough time. It was simple enough to claim valuable possessions from the dead.

Was the motive to gain wealth? Maybe, but it could be other things. And who was responsible for what? Well, they would find out when they confronted them. Despite being sorely outnumbered and operating on ground that favored the enemy.

They would confront them. I just need a way out.

Two hour passed as Serhis pondered, then he saw movement outside the downstairs inn window. A flash of an elven face, looking in. Serhis aimed at the face, but he had pulled back.

Serhis nudged Baous with his tail, daring not to look away.

"Hmm, ah! Something happen?" roused a sleepy Baous, war hammer already in hand since he slept with it in the bedroll.

"Sorry for quick wake up, no undead problem, but Faresterear outside. Not sure what he doing, but not liking him out there," Serhis replied, trying to be calming.

"Thought of a way out of this yet?" asked Baous hopefully.

"Maybe, just get ready to smash the roof."

Baous nodded, trusting Serhis, and readied the hammer.

Serhis gathered everything he deemed flammable, the flask of alcohol, oil from the bed lamps, pieces of paper, and dumped as much of it downstairs in a pile or on a zombie.

As he lit a piece of wood and rags, they both could hear someone speaking outside the window. Not speaking, Serhis realized, but an incantation.

"Baous, get back, away from window!," he yelled as he moved, dropping his crossbow in favor for his pick.

Baous stepped back, and missed being showered with sharp glass as a summoned hell hound broke through the window, breathing fire on both them.

It burnt both of them, but they still stood, Baous meeting it head on, Serhis offering what aid he could and healing with what power he had left. Twenty seconds later, the body of the hell hound faded away with broken bones, but the Kobolds had suffered a bite or two, and most definitely needed a soothing ointment for the burns.

Serhis hissed, apply the last of his healing to Baous, then himself, "Hah, ow. Look like Faresterear wants to be more direct, not use undead to kill. Smash roof, now!" he said as he lit the makeshift torch and dropped it down.

Three zombies immediately caught fire as they stood in the puddles of oil and alcohol, even more turned into macabre moving torches as the rest of the wooden floor started to burn. Smoke started to fill the inn, though some relief was offered when Baous broke through the roof.

Wings open, Serhis jumped through the hole, carrying a coil of rope in his hands, securing it on the roof, then helped pull Baous to the top of the slanted tiles.

Laying on his stomach as he coughed and wheezed, gulping an lungful of air and asking, "Where do we go now? The ground's still full of zombies and I don't see where Faresterear went."

Flapping his wings and blowing a bit of ash off, Serhis looked around.

Looking down, they indeed were still surrounded, then hearing the elf command the zombies to leave the burning building. Faresterear was looking though the window into the fire that raged inside the inn, searching for the Kobolds, then looking around. Serhis was sure he was spotted when Faresterear looked straight at him, but the elf kept looking around, unsure where they went.

The fire must be playing Hells on his night vision, and the smoke doesn't help either, thought Serhis, still looking for a way off the pyre they stood on.

"You think you can jump over there?" asked Baous, pointing towards another home, over a gap of twenty feet.

Serhis looked at the balcony of the opposing house, judging the distance. He could only still glide rather than achieve actual flight, but he'd need a strong jump to reach it. Anything less, and he'd be on the street, alone, a easy target. Not that he had much choice.

"Yeah, I think," grunted Serhis as he tied on end of the rope to the edge. Holding the other end, he went back as far as he dared to the other end of the burning inn, then made a running leap, wings spread, even trying to make use of the updraft from the rising heat.

He cleared the gap, which felt like a small canyon to Serhis as he flew over, then tucked in his wings as he reached his destination, otherwise risking his wings clip the sides, but resulting in him being reminded of his first attempts at flight, rolling as he hit the balcony.

A bit dizzy, he tied up his end of the rope to the balcony railing, allowing Baous to cross using his arms and legs. As soon as Baous was over, Serhis untied the rope and with Baous' help and strength, yanked hard, pulling the rest over.

The fire had finally spread to the roof, the insides were gutted, but they both turned to face the home they had landed on and entered. Faresterear would think that they had died from the hell hound or by the fire set by it, but he would have to wait until the fire burned out and morning light to look for the bodies.

Though the zombies forming a bucket brigade from the to the inn was a new sight, thought Serhis.

Again, they were safe, for now.

Setting up some of the nastier traps on the stairs up to the second floor that would also serve as an alarm, the Kobolds found uneasy, but needed sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Morning was a tense affair. Serhis prayed and focused, renewing his powers and Baous stood watch, out of clear sight of the window, but still had a view of the village. The inn was half gone and looked like a heavy gust of wind in the right direction would bring the other half the rest of the way.

The corpse mannequins were still around, in their still positions, but all of them closer to the center of the square than before. They were sentries and would likely start moving and groaning if they spotted the Kobolds, remaining still for anyone else. The masquerade was still in effect.

Serhis stood up, powers refreshed and went over to Baous, healing whatever he couldn't last night.

Baous breathed a relieved sigh, unwrapping bloody bandages that were no longer needed, "Ah, thank Serhis. What do we do now? I think if we get to the road, we'll outrun those things."

Serhis shook his head, "Won't do much good. Since Faresterear can summon something faster than us, moment one zombie see us, we get chased down and have to fight. We stop and fight, we get surrounded. Can't stay here too long either, he see that no bodies in the inn, he look around whole village, he know we didn't leave with no zombie seeing us go out. He just hasn't bother to ask yet."

"Those things can talk?"

"Not really, more of a spell that let him talk to them. Risky, very risky, but need a way to get rid of unhallowed, thing making turning away undead very hard, or get rid of person who control them."

Baous never turned away from the window, still keeping watch, but Serhis could hear the nervousness in his voice, "A- all right. I know you're better at this planning and, uh, tactics business, since you help protected your own home and all. What's your idea?"

Serhis could think of a way out, but he wanted every chance that Baous would be unharmed, whatever the outcome, "Can't sneak to Faresterear, too many out there. So make something very obvious no one can miss."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Self-analyzing himself, Serhis was sure he wasn't a pyromaniac. The way flames burned and flickered always attracted attention to watchers, but he was sure he took to much pleasure in watching a plan come together, especially if it involved contraptions and explosions.

Hand on the door handle, Baous was ready to swing it open and bolt out when the time came.

Hand on a piece of string and back to the large barrels they were hiding behind, Serhis tugged, let go and covered his ears. What counted for his ears anyway.

There was a clink of metal, a rattle, then silence.

Then the explosion.

Coughing as a bit of the dust cloud reached them, he looked over the barrels that had served as their shelter and saw that they had destroyed a quarter of the house. Judging from the fires igniting from the flammable debris they had set to spread out from the blast, they could add two more houses to the score and a field of assorted vegetation through the hole in the wall.

Turning around, Baous had already left, the door open.

Serhis wished him good luck.

Walking into the light of day, Serhis looked around. Baous was nowhere in sight, but the multitude of undead were certainly there, moving towards the explosion. He ran, dodging the approaching crowd, making sure he was a briefly glimpsed by a shocked elf though his home window to see what the noise was, just to dash out of sight behind another building, making a round about path to his destination.

Looking around the corner, he saw the square empty, all the mannequins had left, Faresterear shouting from his balcony to comb the area.

Entering Mrs. Nikolen's shop, Serhis went in quickly and shut it as fast as he dared, taking care not to slam it on his tail. Inside, he saw Ceil Nikolen, framed in a bright light as the kiln behind her was a lit furnace, expressing first shock, then steeling herself. Mr. Nikolen slept on a cot near the door, facing away from it. He slept like a dead man if he didn't wake up from the noise of the explosion, but he'd most certainly wake up now. And right next to Ceil, a crib, a shawl covering it.

Serhis had serious reservations about accosting a mother right next to her child, but he remembered the undead in the streets and the rooms in the inn. He would try his best not to harm her, but she had a lot of explaining to do.

Marching past Mr. Nikolen as he roused from his sleep, he stood ten feet away from Ceil with pick in hand, as she held what looked like a small scalpel, a tool more than a weapon. Both held their ground, Ceil being the first to speak, "What are you doing here?! Haven't you caused enough trouble? Get out, now, leave my family in peace!"

Serhis had had it to this point, the fury and exhaustion from the entire event coming to the front, "And what trouble have you cause to people who come here! How families have you torn apart by death? And for what? Tell me!"

She refused to answer, a scowl aimed right at Serhis, but a movement in her eyes said something, as they looked briefly above Serhis. Above and behind.

Serhis turned and swung the pick in a blind attack, blind luck aiding him, as the blunt end of the pick slammed into head of Mr. Nikolen, hopefully incapacitating him.

Hearing a loud crack, Serhis got the sick feeling he'd hit too hard and smashed his skull, but seeing the face of Mr. Nikolen, he'd needn't have worried.

The clay fragments imbedded in the decaying face, the deceased husband swung hard, a fist slamming into Serhis' chest and badly knocking the wind out of him.

Reeling back, Serhis fought to regain his balance, glancing briefly behind him to see if Ceil had taken the opportunity to take a stab at him, but saw her reaching into the crib, then fleeing up the stairs. While still in the influence of standing on unhallowed ground, a fight here would be more difficult than normal for Serhis.

Taking his chances, he fled from the zombie to chase after her, intent on getting answers, though a new question now was if that zombie used to be her real husband. Running up the stairs, she was already at the top and had just turned to lock the door to the top floor.

Serhis made a mad dash, took a flying leap at the door and used to wings to slam into the door as fast as possible, shoulder first. He made a small yelp as he rammed, nearly falling back down the stairs, though it had sent Ceil stumbling back, attempting to keeping her balance and failing, before coming to a skidding stop on her back. Rising quickly, he entered the door, slamming it shut and locking it, catching a brief glimpse of the possible Mr. Nikolen at the bottom of the stairwell.

"Augh, you bastard! What kind of monster are you, throwing a mother with a child to the floor?!" shouted Ceil. She still carried the child in her arms, bundled up since she had taken him without drawing aside the veil, but she tenderly brushed aside the cloth.

Serhis replied in low growl, "I say sorry to your child, but I have no apology for you. Tell me, were you the one who made those things? Were you the one who made them kill so you could make more? I'd say you are a true monster if you did. Or do you have nothing to say and I must use a spell on you to answer the truth?" He still had the pick in his hand, but didn't keep it ready to strike, she was unarmed. What he didn't have was a spell that compelled her to speak, he was bluffing. But to her, the longer she could stall for time, the better her chances.

Now that he had time to look around, he noticed the upper floor was almost barren. No decorative furniture, no objects that would indicate a hobby, only a bed, bare wood walls and floors, a hearth with a small fire burning with a pot over it, and more tools of her trade, at odds with the detailed decorative items in the other home. Behind her was a very large window, Slightly over two meters tall and three meters wide, it was entirely covered in carved white porcelain vines. This was an important detail as it allowed Serhis to see the fountain and the entire square down below. The zombie mannequins were spreading out, searching.

Making an indignant huff, Ceil talked, "I haven't killed anyone. I have given life to what would have been lifeless. I have given a purpose to their existence, both in life and in death. My work is blessed by the divine, and the people who pass though here have also marveled at my work, sometimes paying well for a chance to take such exquisite objects with them. And they always come back, in the arms of my creations, to become just as beautiful."

She seemed a different woman as she spoke, even though Serhis only met her briefly, speaking with a mad glimmer in her eyes, an artisan that regarded her own work like holy writ.

Serhis was disgusted at the thought that those who might have gotten away might have been killed only a day later by the undead dolls, and had little stomach for the way she so casually regarded their deaths like material for her work. He opened his mouth to speak, then was interrupted by a loud banging from the door behind him. The zombie had reached the door and was trying to break in.

Ceil stepped to open the door, but Serhis stood his ground and spread his wings, covering as much ground as possible.

"You better let Barry in, he's all thumbs when it's anything that isn't making my work. And he gets upset when he can't see me," she said, cold and hostile.

"Barry? That thing your husband?"

"Don't call him a "thing"! Don't you dare! Not after what he went though, not after what we went though!" she exploded. The baby moved in his bundle of veil, Ceil raised it to her face, "Oh, hush darling, don't cry," she soothingly said.

Never mind, she's a lot of different women, at once, Serhis noted sarcastically to himself. Off track, keep asking specific questions.

"And Faresterear? What does he have to do with this? And this town, what it for?" he demanded.

She lowered the child, cradling him in her arms, "Faresterear is my savior. He will save me from this. He will save me from you. Like he will save Barry from his fate. And Robin. And all those poor people that we needed to give meaning to."

Ceil was starting to creep Serhis out a little. It was something to have a conversation to a serial killer, but this was unnerving in multiple ways.

"I have so much to thank him for, and he's always so humble. Maybe I'll thank him later, you'd make a very unique addition. A miniature dragon, that's something I've never dreamed of, but Faresterear's just like that, always giving me more to do."

Very, very unnerving.

Almost as unnerving as seeing Faresterear across the square on his balcony, looking through the window at the both of them. He had to finish this quick.

As much as he would have like being called a dragon, even a miniature one, coming from her, it was an insult, "Don't think I die just that easily just because I am small! And what of Faresterear? What can a petty businessman do, besides set up this little village that does nothing? And for what? You‘ve killed people for nothing, murderer!" he said with as much disdain as he could, hoping to rile her.

Ceil snapped from being the thoughtful artisan back to the embodiment of rage, "How dare you! Faresterear is more powerful than you, and his master is more powerful than life itself! This village will be something great, and they have given me the great honor of being part of this creation. The people who come here will become part of the great creation! Where they were once materialistic creatures or wandering fools without a purpose, what they have become, and will become, is something beyond your comprehension."

"They still living beings! People with friends and family and feelings, who mean you no ill, and now they are only fake life, walking around for no purpose at all but someone else's. And what of you? Are you a puppet of Faresterear and his master, whoever he is, like the undead you make?" retorted Serhis.

He could see a flock on undead coming into the house, Faresterear shouting at them all and pointing to him though the window.

Seething anger hung on every word of her response, "I am no puppet. Would they gift a puppet with a reward that they didn't need to give? They've given me back what I've lost, if only in a small way, but their generosity knows no bounds. When our work is done, all the friends I've lost, and my family, everything will be all right, we will have our paradise. We will take the souls of the corrupt and the worthless and use it to bring back the people I hold dear. No, Faresterear isn't petty. He promised me that he would bring my darling back to his full self when we are done. Even though he knew I would work for his great cause even without that reward. He‘s done so much now that we‘ve settled here, even without his master‘s aid."

"You don't need other people dead to bring someone back if didn't die naturally. A powerful cleric an do it if they strong enough and have enough diamonds to use as energy and beacon for reviving," said Serhis, more of a thought out loud than a response.

"Wrong! Liar! I know you're lying to me now! Who ever heard of such a ridiculous thing, using diamonds to bring back someone you love from death? Faresterear is a true cleric, and he knows that only with enough souls of others can someone be brought back. I've seen it, he used a small back gem to make my husband what he is now, so that isn't the answer. Things like gemstones only make fake souls. No, once we have brought enough souls to this place, he can do his work. And then, I will forever be thankful to him not only because he brought me back once, but has done everything to bring back my village. He will be strong enough to make sure another slaughter like that won‘t happen again," she finished in a small whisper. Ceil lowered her head, reliving a horrid memory, clutching her face with a free hand, a finger rubbing over her cheek.

Though all her rambling, Serhis could pick out the details. Faresterear had a master, the one who made this place unhallowed, but he wasn't here. It was an important piece of information, but nowhere near as disturbing as what Ceil had been told to believe. Her very world seemed to center on Faresterear and anything that was to believed as truth had to past the test of being approved by him. And to her, the deaths of others would be used to resurrect those that she loved.

Serhis had fully intended on getting at least something that would explain what was happening here, but he didn't expect that he would be talking to someone with a barely lucid hold on reality. Any attempts to figure out what the undead were truly meant for would be futile, she would either not know or had been deceived.

He never intended that he would find the mind of a truly broken woman, who's very words and actions, even existence, spoke of witnessing horror he could not comprehend.

The door shook on it's hinges, splintering down the middle and the frame. Serhis past Ceil, looking at Faresterear.

Ceil turned, looking where Serhis was watching, "Ah. So that's it. You want to use me as a hostage. Poor Faresterear won't have the heart to order our creations to kill you if you did, and I'm not strong enough to fight you. So..." she said as she quickly ran to the hearth.

Serhis moved to stop her, but she had already acted.

Kicking hard, she scattered the blazing wood across the room, the bed catching fire easiest and small fires erupting everywhere.

"Faresterear will breathe life into me once more. Both of us will burn here, but I will rise from the ashes, death only too eager to give me back when he calls. It will take a little longer for him to do it, when I'm not there to help, but I have faith he will," she said, looking at the scattered ashes at the hearth, then turning to face Serhis, iron poker in hand.

Serhis' mind was slightly in shock, "You really nuts! I never hold anyone hostage, especially mother and kid, even if she crazy. And what about baby?!"

The smile she gave was one of most frightening he'd ever seen, if only because he knew of the shattered spirit that moved it, her face now showing a deep, wide scar that extensive make-up had covered, before tears and her hand had washed it off. Ceil held the iron rod high, then swung hard at the window, cutting herself as it shattered, but seemed not to take notice, before shouting out, "Death itself will catch my child and keep him safe!".

Holding the child over the open air, Serhis started running to stop her, but again, too late. She let go, Serhis jumping out the window to catch the falling baby.

As he reached the window, Ceil reached out and grabbed Serhis, trying to bring him to the floor. Serhis was caught off guard, especially considering what she had done, and struggled to get away, but she was persistent, her strength was that of a person to commit one last act before death.

Ceil was not an experienced combatant however and Serhis struggled out of her grasp, her bloodied arms slipping. A loud crack announced that the zombies had broken in, the fire giving off little cracks and pops as the room was being consumed in the blaze.

Serhis took the only way out, the fire blocking the path and zombies crawling up the stairs, jumping out the window himself.

He looked down, fearing what he would see. Serhis couldn't bear the thought of harm coming to a child, no matter what species, in the way he couldn't stand to hurt the defenseless.

Directly underneath, the child had indeed been caught by death. A zombie had followed the vague order, catching the falling bundle of cloth before it hit stone and was already shuffling off, away from the burning home.

Never had he been so grateful for the presence of an undead creature.

Now he concentrated on the next part. Confronting Faresterear. Using the updraft from the burning homes, he glided over the wreaks he had made. The streets still had zombies in them, but it looked like half the village had stormed Ceil Nikolen's home and now were caught in the inferno.

Faresterear was still on his balcony, watching. Risking a glance behind him, Serhis caught a brief glimpse of Ceil and her beloved "Barry" hand-in-hand, dancing as the fire surrounded them, Ceil leading and her undead husband stumbling though steps.

Serhis could only imagine what was going though her mind, then focused on getting to the one who commanded this death trap. Faresterear saw him approaching and moved away from the balcony, only to have a Kobold ramming feet first into his back at full speed.

Serhis shakily rose to his feet after giving the equivalent to a hurtling drop kick, warily watching as Faresterear also stood up, clutching his back, "Humph. Hoped maybe broke your spine when did that. Not so lucky," spat out Serhis. They were standing in an room that looked like an office, a wall lined with shelves and partially filled with a few books, but mainly scrolls, a few chairs, and a desk with an open book on it with what looked like a silver object.

Faresterear rubbed his back, leaning on the desk for support, "Augh. Damn, I knew you were going to be a problem as soon as I saw you. Robes were obviously clerical vestments, but I didn't recognize the emblem. My small library offered some help about who and what you are, but I am at a lose about your companion. Hmm, where is your furry friend? Fled the field while you stayed to fight? How noble, cleric of Bahamut."

Taking a step forward and hold his crossbow ready, Serhis declared, "Faresterear Amblack, I stand here to bring you to justice for crimes you have done. The murder of many people will be answered, as well as whatever you did to Ceil Nikolen."

Keep them talking. Don't say anything that sounded like a question that demanded to be answered, let them say it themselves. A year traveling with one of the canniest negotiators he'd ever met had left some lessons. Sometimes, talking to someone who's guilt was undeniable brought extra information to light. Sometimes, it just showed that some their motivation was to see the world break.

"Poor Mrs. Nikolen. Eternally devoted to me for supposedly bringing her back from death. I did no such thing, but since she saw me after her town burned to the ground, the sole survivor, still alive and intact, barring the scar, she assumed, and I wasn't inclined to tell her otherwise. A loyal fanatic to my ambitions, willing to die for whatever purpose I desired," he said, looking past Serhis. The roof had collapsed, there was little doubt she had died, "but, the trouble with fanatics is that they tend to sacrifice themselves too eagerly, and generally for the wrong reason. Tell me, why did she do that, I'm curious to know?" Faresterear asked, regaining his composure, a tone of smug superiority edging into his regal voice.

"Thought I would take her hostage, thought you won't do anything that could harm her, so she tried to kill us both, knowing you'd raise her. With souls," the last two with as much rancor he could put in them.

Slapping his forehead, Faresterear chuckled, "Ah, indeed she would think that. Another mistaken assumption, as I simply don't have the capability, though I do have the resources. The soul resurrection, I'm sure you know that wasn't true, but it was certainly motivational. ... Well, not entirely untrue. I think there may be something like that, but I digress. Though I still need viable life energy for what I intend. Bah, never mind, it's not as if I wanted to raise her from the dead even if I could, she could only serve as a shield. Well, she did serve, anyway, just poorly. Even more reason not to."

Serhis counted himself lucky that Faresterear was the talkative type, not the type to brag but the kind that loved to articulate what was happening.

"Your plan for village has gone up in smoke. Or a pile of ash. Surrender now and come with me to nearest town to face justice," ordered Serhis, taking one step closer.

Faresterear stood taller, defiant, "I still have options. Quick and easy money and cadavers won't be available now, but that doesn't mean I'm weak. Far from it, I am stronger than you, and I aim to make that clear."

Serhis pressed on, trying to eke out what the hell the plan even was, gathering life force was simply too vague, "I can defeat you, then all the zombies in town. When your master come back to here, I find and beat him too!"

Heaving with laughter, Faresterear said with an amused grin, "Foolish little kobold, who's name I've already forgotten like all the rest that have come here, even if you did in some miracle survive this, a confrontation with Master Pieran would be a foregone conclusion, your death. Not that he would return here without ample cause. ... How did you know I have a master? I never mentioned it before, I made sure of that."

Ah crap, he's caught on. But his little display had done the trick, he had a name from that outburst of ridiculous bravado. Just that he still had no clue what was their intentions.

Thinking a bit, Faresterear concluded, "Ah, Mrs. Nikolen, you truly were no longer needed then," before taking a dive away from the crossbow's firing line.

Serhis was quicker, ready and tracking the man as he dived behind his desk and as he turned, chanting an incantation. He shot then, hitting Faresterear and interrupting the spell.

Grunting as the bolt hit, Faresterear crouched behind the desk for cover, but noticed that the Kobold hadn't followed. Poking his head up, the elf saw Serhis leaping out the window, something shiny in his hand. Looking down on his desk, he muttered an Elvish curse as he started running down the stairs to follow.

Gliding down, Serhis had few options of where to land. The square was again full of undead, now not as many, but one area lay open and barren. Coming to the half standing inn, Serhis kicked up a cloud of ash as he landed, taking a good look at what he'd lifted.

In his palm, the symbol of Nerull, god of death.

There were many gods who's domain included death, it was part of the natural world, but Nerull was one of the more distasteful, actively causing death instead of presiding over it.

As much damage as he would have inflicted on Faresterear, Serhis knew in a toe-to-toe fight, he would have lost, and was fortunate to get the drop on him. Tossing it into the ash, he looked at the fountain, it symbols now contained more meaning. When this was over, he'd desecrate it himself.

Assuming everything went well.

Zombies again surrounded the inn, blocking any exit, and Serhis stood his ground in the center of the burned out wreak, the section still standing casting a shadow on him. Twelve of them surrounded him, and they waited for their master's command to attack. Serhis took what time he could to prepare, enhancing himself with spells that increased his strength or protected him.

Faresterear walked out of his home, taking a leisurely pace as he saw that Serhis had been cut off, "I'm not quite sure what you had hoped to accomplish there. Attack."

All twelve lurched forward, some looked to have gotten out of the fire, the clothes on them burnt away. Holding the Star high, Serhis looked to the true North Star in the morning sky. He felt the suppressive strength of the unhallowed ground on him again, forcing him to do his best or not at all.

The results were spectacular.

Flooding the area with a holy aura, eight of the twelve turned to dust. Faresterear's face of superiority now had an edge of doubt, as the four remaining dragged ash on their feet towards the equally surprised Kobold, who had only expect to turn some away. About to be outnumbered, Serhis committed himself to this fight.

The grin was gone now, Faresterear looked on with a set jaw as the Kobold cast one more spell, and turned away as the flash of light marked its completion.

A luminous armor had been summoned to Serhis and he turned to face the walking dead. Only a very lucky strike would connect on him, with did not occur, as he lodged the pick into a rotting head.

He though he was doing very well considering the circumstance, then leaping back as Faresterear charge forward, hands outstretched, but his path was blocked by a flanking undead farmer. Beautiful hands imparted deadly energy as they slammed into Serhis, the armor no protection against this attack.

Faresterear had that grin again, "Thought that I would only stand by, that I wouldn't enter combat myself?"

Serhis coughed and wheezed, feeling as if half his chest had been dead for a second, standing shock still and focused all his attention on the cleric of Nerull.

Just so he offered a grin of his own.

A blast of volatile chemicals known only to Kobolds ripped though the supports of the sagging inn, something meant for going through solid rock easily knocking away the already weakened columns, turning it into several tons of unbalanced wood and timber. All of it coming in the direction on the remaining zombies, Faresterear, and Serhis.

Faresterear turned to get out of the way, but the ash and rubble easily made him stumble. As he fell, his last sight was seeing was seeing a brown blur moving out of sight, Serhis leaping high into the air, above the wreckage as it crashed down on zombies and himself, and he arms raised in a futile attempt to ward off the approaching mass.

Landing in a crouch, Serhis could only turn over and fall on his back, stunned. His chest hurt from the destructive energies that had been pressed into him and he had little power left, expending the last of his reserves to heal himself, if only slightly. Dust and ash settled down and covered him, the cloud of debris coating the entire square. The aura of light faded as he dismissed it, sagging a bit more as that spell demanded a temporary sacrifice of strength.

Even though he was pained, he still had a satisfied grin. He had been outnumbered and outclassed, but he had not been outwitted.

In a fair fight, Serhis would have lost, no matter how prepared. Thankfully, Kobold cunning and battle tactics rarely ever revolved around the concept of fairness. Digging through what portable snares he had in the morning, there were none that would have turned the tide of battle. Ditherbombs were powerful, but unreliable, the time they would blow up was a bit left to chance and the explosive force ranged from a strong puff of scorching wind to gouging several feet of rock, and that was assuming the target didn‘t make an attempt to dive out the way, so outright blasting Faresterear and the zombies wasn‘t an option. The inn outside their window was a disaster waiting to happen, it just needed the right push.

Sometimes, the best traps were what geography and placement could provide.

His talk with Ceil was simply to gather information, as well as gain height to fly into Faresterear's home. The amount of insanity he experienced was not part of the plan. Luring Faresterear out was one of the more difficult parts, he'd imagined he would have to do something to prompt him to face Serhis directly. Snatching the symbol of Nerull off the elf's own desk did nicely. What was the most unexpected aspect of the whole thing was his own success with the undead, he'd imagined he would maybe turn away a small number of them, except that affecting so many in such a way was a delightful surprise. After that, all that was needed was to be bait in the trap, one only able to be harmed by Faresterear. Being surrounded in shining armor and looking to have prepared extensively for a dragged out fight helped the ruse.

The main complication was that if Serhis had tossed the ditherbomb himself, there was the chance Faresterear wouldn't have entered the engagement or he would have had fled before it blew. The ditherbomb had to be placed as he was distracted.

Turning his eyes to the side, Serhis could see furry paws walking over the ash towards him.

Baous looked perfectly fine, if extremely dust covered, and extended a hand "Need some help up? You look a bit lower to the ground today."

He couldn't help but chuckle, Serhis grunted as he was pulled off the dusty ground, "More short jokes? You can do better than that. You okay?"

"I'm the one who should ask that, you look terrible. I was worried something would go wrong or something. I was kinda nervous seeing all those zombies walk around, but you really gave me a scare, leaping out of windows of flaming houses, chased by zombies and facing that guy alone."

"Your not the only one that worried. Did spell hold?" asked Serhis.

Baous nodded, "Yeah. Hiding behind a building in plain sight, the zombies just walked right past me."

It was a basic cleric spell, blinding the sense of the undead to the living, but it only worked on the empty husks, Faresterear or Ceil would have spotted Baous if he ever came into their line of sight, and it only held as long as he didn't take any overt action.

Continuing, Baous asked, "What happened to Mrs. Nikolen? I saw her dropping a bundle of something out the window, then a zombie caught it. I wanted to follow it, but I needed to stay close by to toss the bomb."

"Where it go? I explain as we go," prompted Serhis, following Baous.

Recalling his experience, Baous' reaction was of horror, then disgust when he mentioned Faresterear's involvement, "That...That's insane. Letting a baby drop out of a window, and she thought he was safe?"

"Parent's will do anything to keep child safe. When I assigned to make new trap to protect hatchery, made deadliest things I could think up, protect all those eggs. Probably what she was thinking when try to kill me with her," said Serhis, uncomfortably remembering how Baous came under Innoc's ward. Not anytime soon would be a good time to bring that forward.

What would be a good time?

"Still can't figure out what Faresterear wanted to do by killing all those travelers. There are some spells of vile nature that are like that, but I not know what they are. Caught on to me about asking, but this Master Pieran has something to answer for, if we ever find," muttered a vexed Serhis.

He imagined the both of them would need to tear through the late Faresterear's house to find any indication what that may be, but his thoughts were interrupted as the zombie came into view.

Standing in the shadow of a house, it was facing the road, staring blankly to the horizon. This one was clothed and molded in the guise of a market woman, dressed in fine garbs that would attract attention. It held the child, cradled in its arms, still covered in the black veil.

It didn't react as they approached, it was still likely following orders, to protect the child. It no longer had a master, though Serhis couldn't figure out if that made it inert or still dangerous. Baous cautiously reached over, the spell still in effect, as Serhis held the Star.

Carefully, Baous picked up the child, the zombie not reacting, and took two long steps back, the baby moving in it's cloth wrappings "Serhis, what are we going to do with him?"

Still holding the Star in hand, he shook his head, "Don't know. Don't know if any orphanage around here. Maybe a temple or something? First, check to see if hurt from fire or fall."

Pulling back the shawl, "It's okay, you're safe, we- AUGH!" Baous shouted as he recoiled in horror and disgust. He held as far as could an undead child.

Serhis blanched, unsure how to proceed. Baous took deep breathes, lowering it to the ground with shaky hands.

In all of the time he spent with Helena, he knew of depredations and atrocities that could be inflicted between one being to another and worked tirelessly to prevent them, but this was something altogether new. It was missing an arm and part of it had been burned, but the wounds looked old, very old.

No doubt the child had been animated by Faresterear, as a way to motivate a mother to bring her own child fully back from the dead, but if he or his master were the ones responsible for his actual death, he'd shed no tears on their death. Particularly if was gruesome. Faresterear was very likely dead now, but if had somehow survived and was now trapped underneath, Serhis hoped he spent the rest of his short life in deep regret.

Backing away, Baous retched, the breakfast rations they had eaten now gone, and made shallow, shuddery breathes as he tried to calm down. Steeling himself, Serhis understood that the undead child was no threat, it didn't even had teeth to gnaw, but knew that he couldn't leave him like this.

It. He thought of the child as it, not he. Whatever soul that it had possessed was gone now, replaced by energies that made it move in a false life. Some part of Serhis said he was trying to justify what he did next, yet it still seemed right. Eyes closed, he focused on the holy symbol, and open his eyes to see dust blow away in the morning wind.

Reaching up and patting Baous on the shoulder, he offered what comfort he could in the face of the past days events. Sitting down in the grass, they both looked at the remains of the village, parts of it still erupting in flame or just catching fire from the rising embers. They had finished their task without grievous injury and no one would be further harmed, but victory brought little joy.

"Baous, do you blame me for bringing you?" asked Serhis.

Baous was sitting with knees to his chest, looking down sadly. He didn't answer for a moment, talking when he gave it some thought, "No, I don't. Things like this aren't your fault, even if I follow you to them. It's just... when I heard the stories from dad, about how he faced great odds and dangerous stuff, I thought that when he won and finished the story, he would always be happy, that he did something to make things right. Coming with you, I thought maybe I'd be the same way, but now that I think about it, when I remember him talking about some of the times he did won, he sometimes had a sad look in his eyes, even though he smiled to me. Those times, he told of the times he did win, but something was gone that he couldn't bring back or make right. This is one of those times, I guess, we still won, we did what we said we‘d do."

Sighing, Serhis laid back, watching as the morning stars faded away in the light, "Going with Helena, I suppose I thought the same way, since when we did those things, we did always did something to help someone. Helena was strong though, she always made sure she did everything she could so that whoever we help got away safe. She always so determined, I think some time ago, something happen she couldn't fix. I don't know that for sure, but... I think that may be why she looking for something. Maybe. When we parted, I thought maybe I be like her, able to know how to keep someone safe at all times. Now, I'm not sure I can do that, but I think I can just as powerful. I know that if someone or me ever died, Helena could even make that right. Someday, I be strong to raise dead that got killed."

The little hamlet was the only thing breaking the silence of the moment, the fire crackling through tinder and the roar of a home collapsing. Looking at Serhis, Baous asked, "If something ever happened to me...?"

"Baous, I make sure nothing happen to you. And, Bahamut hear me, something did, I would always make sure you come out okay. I do my best that dying would not harm you," Serhis said, conviction held to each word.

"Thanks Serhis."

They waited and watched until they thought it was safe enough to go back in. Faresterear's house was still intact, one out of only three. They spent most of the day searching the whole house. Nothing related to the overall plot was written down, but in the basement were the markings of a ritual. Candles, incense, chalk, the whole room was covered in it. Serhis couldn't recognize any of it, but that didn't stop him from turning it all into a mess. He wasn't sure if it actually did anything, though it certainly made him feel better. All the books and scrolls contained information about the world in general, but nothing that indicated a relation to the ritual.

The Kobolds left the house carrying plenty of valuable items, over three hundred platinum coins, various spell scrolls, the odd potion, and any other trinket they thought might have some value.

In Serhis mind, he added up the tally. One cleric of Nerull, a sadly broken mother, and thirty odd zombies, dead, a hamlet nearly razed to the ground, counting seven buildings and two fields, and every single ditherbomb he had carried had been used. No more travelers would be vanishing around here in large numbers again.

His thoughts turned to what Baous had said, about how they had still won. Having finished their task, now, he didn't know what to do again. He hadn't heard anything special in his week combing for rumors.

"So, were do we go now?" asked Baous, interrupting his train of thought.

"Well first, we go to nearest town, tell of what happened here. Then... we go find a Kobold city, if one around. Will be something for you to see, I know. That, and I need new supplies for ditherbombs and bitter leaf oil. Getting itchy again," Serhis replied, scratching at dry scales.

From there, he had no idea. But he did realize that if he didn't have a purpose to his travels, he could just disrupt someone else's. That would work just as well.

They walked out of the village on the same path they came from, but they might as well have let the wind carry them were they wished, and it would have done just as well.