Life Found in Entropy   

[pitcure] 

As the thunder sings, the rain falls onto laying skulls and standing corpses, as they twitch with growing shrooms spreading out their pores. They move as one to a city locked in the forest! As soulless knights move in rusted armor, while dead mages with mana bones rush in from behind… So, too did dead banshees cry for unjust deaths! 

[Sir Dodds…] said a random night guard, as he watched the back of the man standing at the end of the tent in the middle of the rain. 

[what is it?] replied Dodd 

[Sir! the men are reporting strange sounds coming from the forest] replied the man 

[And! Since when are the men so skittish? We hear strange noises at night all the time! So, what of it?] replied Dodd 

[sir! These aren't the usual wolf howls or the occasional undead growls! The men say the forest has gotten darker this night!] replied the man 

[umm… tell the men to quiet down! But I'm ashamed to admit, that I to feel something is wrong this night… make sure you tell them to be extra vigilant] replied Dodd, as he placed his hand on the young man 

But as the young man turned to leave, they both suddenly heard screams of terror coming from their patrols up ahead! 

Abercrombie short POV 

[Finally! Made it back to this cursed town! God, I hate this town! I swear I will see it destroyed before my time is up!] said Abercrombie to himself as he stared at the compass that led him back to the entrance of the Inn 

[well? Quickly get your stuff! I want to head back to the captain as soon as possible!] demanded Cutford 

[tsk! Look here Cutford, I may be old but I'm not senile yet! If you can't wait, just go back. After all, didn't Dodds instruct me to spend the night here anyway?] replied Abercrombie with a smile 

[just hurry…] replied Cutford 

Hearing the doorbell ring at such a late hour the mistress of the inn said: 

[Abercrombie? Why are you doing back here? Didn't you return to our house at the cemetery?] 

Knowing it wouldn't be smart to tell her the same excuse he gave the Nightwatch, Abercrombie came up with another quick lie: 

[sigh, if you can believe me, mistress the patrol wouldn't let me return. For the road was too dangerous of late! So, they have instructed me to stay the night here and return in the morning. Do you perhaps have any room available for the night?] 

 [well, you're in luck tonight, some of the adventures who rented out the space have departed to the jungles of Stranglethron, you can have their room, we just finished cleaning it but a few moments ago.] replied the mistress 

But as Abercrombie passed by a certain room, his compass began to shine in a dark light only a necromancer could see. 

[So, the object of my lord's desire is in this room… did perhaps one of the adventures left something behind?] said Abercrombie 

But as he tried to open the old wooden door, he noticed it was locked, annoyed but not unexpected! Knowing he couldn't just open the door; he took out the corpse of a dead squirrel from his pocket and raised it from the dead! As the squirrel twitched and spasmed around for a moment. For it needed to get accustomed to the dark magic that now circulated in its feeble body, but would Abercrombie wait for something so insignificant? Of course not! He immediately ordered it to search for a way inside! 

As the corpse squirrel forced its tiny body through the underside of the door, Abercrombie chanted a spell of shared vision to see what his vessel was seeing! As the squirrel looked around the bedroom, Abercrombie quickly noticed that the person sleeping on the bed was familiar… 

[Isn't that the elf that came crashing in this morning? Is she carrying my lord's object?] thought Abercrombie as he looked through the eyes of the squirrel 

But as they continued their search, they noticed a faint light escaping a small crib, that lay silently next to the elf. Curiously, they cautiously approach the crib to see a sleeping gnoll child! 

[So, this child is the keeper of the light my master seeks… umm, this will be difficult…] thought Abercrombie, as he left the squirrel to look after the gnoll, as he left to find his room. 

A few moments later in his room 

He began a strange ritual… a ritual of candles made from the very fat of humans and gnomes mixed with a tiny bit of elf blood. That completed a dark purple pattern to scorch the floor of the inn! That caused invisible dark tendrils to reach out from the void of death to link his mind to that of the squirrel for full control! 

[umm… this body is weak! But it will have to do! I better hurry! My master is not one to wait!] said Abercrombie to himself 

But as he will the body of the squirrel to touch the very fringes of the garment covering the gnoll child, a bust of pure light engulfed the pair! Drowning them, with the purest of holy energy that threatens to turn them both to ash! But as the body of the squirrel began to turn to dust in that light, Abercrombie quickly cut the connection! But not without a cost! For his eyes burned with energy that conflicted with his inner self! With veins popping around his eyes, his actual eyes burned to ash! Leaving behind emptiness! But while he screamed in fury, the soul of the squirrel returned to consciousness, with tears! As it felt every inch of burning flesh, without respite! For even the critter of Azeroth had once dreamed of a better life! 

[knock] 

[who's there?] replied Abercrombie through seething teeth and a bloody face 

[just your friendly neighborhood adventure! Anyway, I heard you screaming! Is everything ok in there?] replied a distant voice 

[Yes, I'm fine… I just stubbed my toe, is all! No need to worry! Please just go back to sleep!] replied Abercrombie 

Meanwhile back in the forest of Duskwood 

[Cutford! Thank the Titans you are here! Hurry, we must return to the town and prepare it defensives!] yelled Dodds 

[what happened here?] replied Cutford to the scene of many dead night watchers, some of which Dodd had to put down himself. 

[The undead! They are coming!] yelled Dodds  

A few hours earlier 

[sigh, that foolish old man is taking too long!] yelled Morbent Fel to the orb that lay in front of him. 

[enough, if you want something done right you just got to do it yourself!] said Morbent Fel with mockery 

[I didn't want to have to use this spell yet, but you have forced my hands with your failure Abercombie!] continued Morbent Fel 

He then proceeded to the basement of his home that oversaw the cemetery of Raven Hill. But as he entered those blood-soaked floorboards made of wood, he skipped past his instrument of torture as he continued to overlook a few fresh corpses. 

[Ah! There you are] said Morbent Fel with excitement as he stared at a bunch of women and men all tied up with blindfolds. 

[Time to use your souls for something grand! You should rejoice! For I could think of no better repentance for hubris in challenging me! You weak so-called 'adventures!] said Morbent Fel with much vile 

[Acolytes to me! We shall play the song of the dead! And with it crush that annoying town once and for all!] said Morbent Fel 

In spiked chains the captors walked, with bleeding flesh they wailed for freedom! With disease notions they walked… they walked… as buzzard bugs flew in and out of open wounds, while their children ate them from the inside! 

[This is perfect! Acolytes with me let us begin the song of the dead!] yelled Morbent Fel 

As the acolytes began to sing in a language unknown to the slaves, they sat there in weak candlelight to the smell of decay. But as the singing continued the ritual pattern beneath their feet began to glow in an eerie color of purple! The slaves knew something was happening but could not see it! But as the singing continued, they found themselves unable to hear it… but though they couldn't hear it, they could feel the channeling of strange magic! 

And then like a painful needle, it stuck without warning! Pain! Pain in its purity! Pian that was far worse than any torture they had been made to suffer these many days trapped in a cellular wishing for freedom! The pain made their bodies glow in a purplish hue that burst from their eyes and mouths! 

Their cries coupled brilliantly with the tone of the acolytes as they gave their song! While the light gave marriage to the atmosphere of the dark forest of rain! So potent was the spell, that even the creepy things that hid in the bushes of Duskwood turned off their light for this very moment! 

[Yes! YES! THATS IT! SING FOR ME! SING FOR ME!] yelled Morbent Fel in ecstasy 

But as the spell neared its end, the slaves' skin began to harden like a stone! Realizing that he didn't have enough souls to complete the spell, didn't bother Morbent Fel in the slightest for even this was enough to accomplish what he wanted! For even just one-fourth of the dead that heed the call, should be more than enough to crush a weak dilapidated town! For as the light faded, all that was left of the slaves were perfectly made statues of what were once people! Forever frozen, with the face of terror plaster for all to see! 

[HAHA! Let's see how you handle this NIGHTWATCH!] continued Morbent Fel 

[Ummer sir?] voiced a random acolyte 

[yes?] replied Morbent Fel 

[where do you want these statues?] replied the acolyte 

[Oh! Them… Aw! I know! Just place them in the center of that abandoned town at the edge of the cemetery! That way everyone can enjoy the artwork!] replied Morbent Fel through grinning teeth. 

 But as he celebrated this joyful night, a certain child awakened to the sound of alarms!