Dementation

Carl Tansler was a cleric of Chiron.  Although silver in rank, he had received a lot of offers from other parties due to his amazing healing capabilities. 

Nonetheless, he would always rescind them in favor of being in a group together with his childhood friend, a blue skinned tiefling named Elena. 

They had known each other as far back as they could remember. Even their families knew it was inevitable that they would end up together.

As they grew into adulthood, Helena bloomed, her charm was starting to attract suitors, but the tiefling would reject them for she already had her eyes set on a certain someone. 

Unable to bear the thought of her beloved childhood friend being with somebody else, Carl had decided it was time for him tell it straight to Helena how much she loved her.

And thus, she invited her over into his house one night for some wine. But he was a nervous wreck, the fear of rejection hanging over his head. As the night deepened, the disappointment in Helena's face was getting more and more apparent, driving Carl into panic. 

With their evening about to come to a close, he invited Helenato listen to him play the piano. It was his hobby and also his last chance to woo her before she leaves.

The tune he played was outpured from his heart and into his fingertips. The melody of his serenade touched Helena's heart. 

Although it was played at  midnight, his neighbors couldn't help but admire the sweetness of the tune coming from Carl's house. 

After his breathtaking performance giving him courage, the feelings from within him he was finally able to vocalize. Helena reciprocated. 

The residual passion from Carl's performance was what led to them consummating their love for one another that very night. The two declared that from now on, not even fate would be able to tear them apart. 

Perhaps because they tempted fate, that it reared its cruel head. 

A week later, Helena had been decapitated by a powerful living armor from the dungeon that Carl and her party was raiding. 

The distraught Carl tried to heal Helena for hours. Although the tieflings are blessed by their patron deity by regeneration to the point that they can regenerate missing limbs, decapitation would still lead to their final death. 

His faith in Chiron now abandoned, Carl wallowed in despair, drowning himself in alcohol day and night. 

If only necromancy wasn't outlawed, if only it was that easy to find the tomes that would teach him such taboo magic, he would raise Helena from the dead without hesitation. 

A foul idea forms inside of Carl's demented mind. Even if there was no necromancy, what was it that's stopping him from raising Helena back from the dead? 

What was once sweet was now nauseating as Carl's piano would play the same melody every midnight without end. But the horridness doesn't end there, the stench of decay would always follow after his grating performance. 

Having had enough, his neighbors banded together to alert the city guards. 

Soon, the guards forced his doors open. The odor that assaulted them was so putrid that they all vomited on the spot. The deeper they got into the house the stronger the vile stench became, until they had finally traced the source. 

Inside Carl''s living room was a glass coffin, inside of it was the naked corpse of Helena. 

Her head sewn back to her neck by piano wires. Her skin preserved by mortician's wax. Her fallen hair all collected and fashioned into a wig. But perhaps the most wretched aspect of Helena's desecration, was the tube inserted into her nether region. 

Carl was making love to a death decaying corpse. 

And right next to Hlena's coffin was Carl himself, holding an empty poison bottle in his hand. His heart would not be able to take being seperated from Helena a second time, it was the only conclusion that he could think of. 

+++

"Fuck, Yulia, that was so dark!" Antani clutched Ellamir's hand tight as she was still reeling from how sordid the tiefling's tale was. 

Deep within the dark forest, the moon shone above as they all gathered around a bonfire. 

Only remnants of the cozy atmosphere had remained when they first started ever since Yulia let loose that ghastly story of hers. 

They asked for Yulia for the scariest story she got, what they received was her most disturbing. 

"That can't be real, no sane cleric would dig up the corpse of their beloved just so he could violate it!"

Their very own cleric deemed the story to be improbable.

"Have you missed the part where he became insane when he lost Helena? It's very real. At least that's what Dax told me. He said it happened around 20 years ago. But as the years went by it was mostly relegated as an urban legend."

"Well, if the cleric only remained steadfast in his faith he wouldn't have had such a gruesome ending. If he only held on to his faith it might have given him the strength to overcome his grief."

"Don't sermon me, go back in time and tell it to your fellow cleric instead."

All the while, Ellamir glanced at the one clasping her hand tightly. The grief Carl must have felt resonated a bit with Ellamir since she had already lost her lover once.

Antani noticed her lover's gaze. The amazon's lips formed a mischievous smile.

"What, you're not going to dig me up once I'm dead so you could shag me, are you?"

"Shut up. I'm not that demented to do that to you."

There was no romance to be found in what Carl had, only dreadful obsession. Desecrating your beloved's corpse is something that won't even cross Ellamir's mind in the slightest.

Despite having died before, Antani was still able to poke fun at her own mortality. Probably because she was still young and full of vigor that she couldn't see herself as passing again  anytime soon. Yet, the look of distraught that crossed her lover's face was something she would never poke fun at. She ought to issue an apology.

"Sorry, that joke was in poor taste." 

But the one that should have been most affected by it all only let out a yawn. 

"Friends, we must sleep, tomorrow we fight!"

To disperse the pervading air of gloom, Gloria did her best to motivate the party. 

Come afternoon, they would arrive at the Amazon's former land. Since the cover of the darkness won't truly help because of the dark elves having dark vision, they would execute their  plan without the need for the night to settle in.

Yulia stretched, they had been swapping some tales for quite some time now and it would probably be best for them all to hit the hay early so they would be in top shape for tomorrow's mission.

As the others got up and went to their own tents, Ellamir elected to remain for a little while longer. Naturally, Antani chose to do the same for she could tell that something was bothering her other than her crude teasing from earlier.

The bonfire flickered underneath the canopy of stars. The trees covering them were akin to dark curtains.

"Go sleep. I'll be right with you soon." Ellamir's tone was dour as her eye focused on the flame before her.

"If you really want me to go to our tent, then would you mind letting go of my hand?"

Ellamir immediately reconsidered. That hand is that which soothes her anxious heart.

"On second thought, stay with me."

Antani's smile was consoling, "Gladly." She was content with just being by her side, but she also wanted to ease her burden a little bit. "Something's bothering you, I can tell."

There were no words needed, Ellamir knew that her lover wanted her to open up.

Could she tell her? That she's scared shitless that they might accidentally come across her mother? And even if they don't, her mother is not the kind to turn a blind eye on those who would impede her plans. Queen Zorla will retaliate with all of her wicked fury.

"I'm afraid of my mother, of what she would do in retaliation, of what she might do to you.  I would be shivering right now if I didn't have your hand on mine." Ellamir swayed her head on her lover's shoulder. The one person she could not bear to lose a second time. The despair she felt the first time was like being kicked off a bottomless cliff, and if Antani didn't revive, she could've fallen endlessly, forever lamenting her inability to save the person she loved. 

"Don't be. You now have the same drider armor as your mother, if we ever faced her again I'm sure you would be more than a match for her. Let her come, we'll both be ready for her. Besides, she won't be able to touch us as long as we're under the guild's protection."

As much as Ellamir would deny, Antani was right. No matter how much a crummy wizard their Guild master is, she's quite aware how powerful he is in the arcane arts. She's the only person she knows who could handle her mother. 

That's why she hated it when he doesn't act with the pedigree fitting for his position. Always messing around like he's not hot shit. 

"Don't remind me of that shitty wizard." Ellamir nuzzled her head, the gentle warmth it brought swirling inside her chest was exactly what she needed to keep her anxiety at bay. "How about you? Are there things that you'd want to share with me?"

There was. Just like her lover, Antani was also afraid, afraid that Ellamir might act up, afraid that she herself wouldn't be up to the task. 

To hell with it. If her lover was able to open up, why couldn't she?

"I envy you, you know. On how you could easily relinquish the claim for the throne just to be with me. Day by day I am happy to wake up every morning with you by my side. But whenever I would go train I would get reminded of why I am doing it…" Antani paused, she wanted to gauge Ellamir if she would protest or not. Since her lover was intent on listening, she continued. "...I want to challenge my sister for the right to the throne."

"When?" Ellamir asked without a hint of disagreement. 

"A few months from now. You're not going to stop me?"

"Why should I? I'm still coming with you. If you're worried about me not getting along with your subjects then just give an order or something once you're queen, make it so that it's a criminal offense for every amazon to hate me, behead them as punishment if they disobey."

Antani chuckled, she couldn't tell if her lover was joking or if she meant it. But she decided to ignore the grimness and humor her anyway. 

"That's more than a punishment. That's a death sentence! 

Thus, the two decided to stay for a little while, having a heart-to-heart under the moonlit night.