Harpers Quest Two- Beyond the Mists

Chapter Seventeen

Sithicus- The Demiplane of Dread- Kythorn 1373

"So there's our objective" said Trias the next morning as the party stood atop a hill looking over the tower/monolith whatever it was that Mendis had been referring to.
"What is that?" Liarna asked shuddering as she felt the menace emanating from it.
"That is our goal" said Trias "that is what Mendis and I saw yesterday".
Josalyn said "Jondalar and I didn't know what to find" she lowered her head "poor Jondalar" she adjusted her pin which she was wearing.
Trias looked at the rest of the group and said, "well I guess we go down and meet our fate".
Josalyn nodded, she turned to the rest of the party "thank you for rescuing me".
Mendis nodded "it was the right thing to do" he reached under his shirt and pinned his pin to the outside of his shirt "together we stand Josalyn and together we shall triumph".
Meriel who had been praying quietly, made a gesture and suddenly another earth elemental appeared "we may need it" she said.
Jack said "Hang a sec" he made a couple of gestures and twenty skeletal warriors stood there "we may need their help" he said.
"Want me to summon more?" K'hari asked as when they had come out that morning they had found that the bear and the stag skeleton were still there as well as three other skeletal warriors.
Trias looked at their group and said, "what we have should be enough, we have 23 skeleton warriors, a bear and a stag skeleton and an earth elemental along with a Dragon, no I think we are fine and besides I don't really like this summoning of Undead especially here in Sithicus".
"I could probably supply some bats and rats" Narache offered "can also do wolves, though it is daylight my powers are weakened during the day".
"No" said Trias.
"How about a couple of ghouls then? I could do two ghouls" said Narache.
Trias shuddered "Uh no thanks, er thanks for your offer Narache I can handle skeletons but Ghouls that's drawing the line, ghastly creatures!"
"Ok" said Narache "now if you all excuse me I'm going into vampire mode, I fight better that way and I think we may need it".
Jack nodded "I'm going Corporeal I can't cast much of my combat spells otherwise or fight" Jack shuddered slightly and he looked solid and pulled out his mace "Narache and I will go first see what is waiting down there for us".
"Agreed" Narache said, Trias shuddered at the transformation that had come over Narache, Narache had grown claws, fangs and seemed more feral somehow and his eyes glowed slightly, he knew that Narache was a vampire but somehow he found it hard to connect the usually serious and somewhat sad and tormented Elf, whose kindness and goodness shone out behind his sad silver eyes to this feral looking creature with fangs and claws.
Narache said "we will go down and see what is down there as there is something down there I can smell the blood I will send a light bolt from my blade, that is our signal ok? Come down then".
Josalyn looked at Narache in amazement "you really are a vampire!"
"Hmm yeah" said Narache "unfortunately the longer I remain on this plane the more my darker side shows through I really hate it here! The Undead will follow Jack and me, we can't help that, they automatically come under our control, seeing the two of us are both pretty powerful Undead and together we are stronger here".
"Not just here" Jack added "we are the Bands secret weapon, noone expects to find two such powerful undead working on the side of light, like Narache said we will go down first see what is waiting there for us and then we will send you a signal the rest of you come then we're gonna need your help and damn it Baldur! Put your holy symbol away!" as Narache let out what sounded like a growl low in his throat and turned away, Jack said "come when we signal ok?"
"Ok" said Varharland.
The pair walked down the hill followed by the skeletal warriors, and the bear and the stag, Slayer, Grace noticed had started to glow as she detected Undead.
Trias turned to Varharland "are those two really going to be Ok?"
"I hope so" said Varharland "they are both strong but even they can get overwhelmed".
Trias said "Narache! The transformation he has undergone it's. . it's I don't know!"
Var said "they do it all the time, just keep out of his way ok? It is not like he will hurt you intentionally, Narache has too much goodness in him to ever become evil but he can be dangerous in vamp mode as sometimes he goes into Blood Frenzy and you really don't want to be anywhere near him when that happens!"
Trias said " I pity him, really I do, I wish there was a way we could lift the vampire curse off him it is a wonder he hasn't gone crazy".
Varharland said "Narache lives with the darker side of his personality every day of his life; I think he has gone a little mad, who wouldn't! Having to live with such a curse like that, he is tormented and you can see it in his eyes, the pain, the suffering he endures it is cruel that Fate has paid such a cruel trick on him on someone with such a beautiful soul inside him, even tortured and pain wracked as it is. Narache has way too much goodness, too much love and too much honour in him to ever turn evil, he doesn't believe that though, poor guy he lacks the confidence in his own self!"
"Are you sure there is no way he could ever turn evil?" Trias asked.
"None at all, he is not fully good but he will never turn evil, yes his soul has taken a beating but he is stronger than he realises, that light in his soul refuses to go out. Narache will never turn evil but one day he may tire of the struggle and the pain he has to endure and give himself over to the final death, just to get peace, but he has too much of a love of life to do that anytime soon" Varharland said "do not fear for him Trias, he is who he is".