aidungeon grelda

You are grelda, a witch living on the edge of the medieval kingdom of Larion. You have a wand and a pet alligator named krool. As you sit in your swamp hut mixing a magical potion, you hear a knock at the door. You open it and see a tall, gaunt man with black clothes and a black cloak. His face is white and expressionless. You stare at him in shock.

> You invite the man to come inside.
The man stares at you. His face remains emotionless.
"Can I help you?" you ask.
"I am Death."
"Well, erm, nice to meet you? I mean, like, erm, good to see you, erm, I mean..."
"Is there anyone in the house with you?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"OK. Good."
He begins to walk around your small hut, staring at everything.
"Are you here to kill me? Is this some kind of joke? I don't find this very funny."
"I'm not here to kill you. I'm simply here to inspect you."
"What?"
"I'm simply inspecting you to see if you're a suitable candidate to join the League of the Black Rose."
"What is this 'League of the Black Rose'?"
"It's a secret society. We have lodges all over the kingdom. We're sort of like the....I'm not exactly sure how to describe it. A secret society, but also a club.

> You say "What does the League do?"
"The League of the Black Rose is a society of people who share a common interest in the art of assassination. You'd be a good addition to it."
"Why do you want me to join? What is it you want?"
"The Black Rose is looking for new members. We're sort of like the gladiator's guild, but for killers.

> You say "I want to join"
"You're serious? You want to join?"
"Yes."
The man steps forward, and looks at you for a long time.
"You seem very sure."
"Yes."
The man nods, and pulls a black cube from his cloak. He places it on the table.
"OK. Glad to see you're so serious."
The man takes off his hood, and you are surprised to find a young boy, barely older than twelve. His face is emotionless, as is his black hair, which is slicked back from his face. His black eyes seem lifeless. You notice a small silver cross around his neck.
"My name is Karol. What's yours?"
"Grelda. It's Grelda."
"Ah yes, I've heard of you. You're a very powerful witch. Am I correct?"
"Yes."
"Yes, you are. Very few can claim such power. Most witches are ignorant brats who go to school and burn ants with their words. How old are you?"
"I'll be sixteen in a month."
"I am impressed. Few can master such a powerful art form at such a young age. How many have you killed?"
"I don't know."
Karol nods.
"I see... So, how many can you kill?

> You say "As many as needed"
"As many as needed."
Karol nods.
"Yes... You would be useful for the Black Rose. We do have a... A quota, if you will. How long can you go without food?"

> You say "I can conjure food"
"Really? That's great! Most can't do that. How long can you go without water?"
"I can also conjure water."
"Good. We have a lot of dry members. How long can you go without sleep?"
"I don't need sleep.
"That's great! You would be very useful for the Black Rose. Now, how is your strength? Can you lift say, a carriage?"
"I can."
Karol nods.
"Good. Can you kill a man with one blow?"
"Yes.
"Excellent! There's never a lack of killers in the Black Rose. Now, can you handle a gun?"
"I can. I've killed men at long range with my rifle."
"Good. Do you have any tattoos?"
"No."
"You don't?"
"No. Why?"
"Well, some of us do. You'd look pretty cute with a few on your body. Now, tell me, do you have any criminal ties?"
"No. What do you mean?"
"Well, do you have any known ties to the criminal underworld? Any past life as a bandit? A thieves' guild liaison?"
"No. Why does it matter?"
"Just asking."
Karol shakes his head.
"That's it? You want to join the Black Rose?"
"Yes. Why is there a need for so many questions?"
"You don't seem like you have a criminal past. That's good. Most who come here have at least a petty gangster life."
"What do you want from me?"
"We're heading to Jicol. Do you have any ties there?"
"No."
"Are you going to?"
"No."
Karol nods.
"Good. We don't want anyone there who can get in the way of the job. Now, you come with me.

> You follow Karol.
You follow Karol. He leads you through the halls of the League's headquarters, and soon, you find yourself outside, in a gray dawn, on the streets of Nuro.
A carriage waits for you, its coachman having already been bribed. You climb in, and the carriage sets off towards the inn. Along the way, Karol begins to speak.
"So, you're a witch."
"I am."
"Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?

> You say "I'm a very bad witch"
Karol laughs.
"Yes, I suppose you are. That sounds like my sister."
You stare out the window as the streets pass by, and soon, you find yourself at the Nuro inn
.

> You say "Is your sister a witch?"
"No. She's a doctor. Actually, she's the one who raised me after my parents died. They were killed by a monster, you know."
You look at Karol, surprised.
"Really? Were they killed by a dragon?"
"No. A vampire."
The carriage comes to a stop, and the coachman turns to you.
"The gentlemen will be with you shortly."
"Thanks." You say, before turning to Karol. "My parents were killed by a vampire."
Karol looks at you, surprise etched on his face.
"You're really a witch. I had a feeling."
"You did? Why's that?"
"Because you're obviously very powerful, but you also don't know anything about my organization. I don't think the Mayor's secretary does."
"The...?"
"Yes, the Mayor of Nuro is also the leader of an outlaw gang called the Nocturnal League. We rob trains, banks, and government depots, and we don't like government spies snooping around.

> You say "Does the Nocturnal League have ties with the League of the Black Rose?"
"Yes. We also fight against the demonkin."
You lean back in your seat, thinking.
"So you fight demons as well as the 'normal' crime? What do you fight them with?"
"Melee weapons, mostly. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious.

> You say "My witch skills will be useful for fighting demons"
Karol laughs.
"You're a girl. You're not going into battle. If you run into any, they'll just burn you with a look."

> You say "Don't patronize me, I'm older than you, Karol"
Karol laughs again.
"Okay, you're definitely a girl. But I was just saying-- we don't need girls, in particular, on our side for this fight. The less involved, the better."
"I see... So why ask me at all?"
Karol sighs, as the coach pulls up to the inn.
"I was bored. And it's not just me; all the members were. So we did a survey of our potential allies, and found you."
"Survey? What, like a vote?"
"More like a popularity contest.

> You say "Did I win?"
"You won. Congratulation, you're in."
"What did I win?"
"The popularity contest."
You frown.
"So how did I win? I don't feel like I did anything to deserve winning."
"You didn't do anything... But the guy who did is dead."
"Who was that?"
"Nobody. I mean, nobody important. One of the members died, and you replaced him."
"I replaced him? I didn't even know there was anyone else but me."
"Yeah, it was a pretty sudden thing. You just weren't around much before the guy got killed, and after his death you just stopped interacting. So we did a survey, and when you didn't reply to our letters, we came to get you.

> You say "I didn't receive any letters"
Karol shakes his head.
"It was an internal matter. Don't worry about it."
You get out of the coach, and pay the coachman. You look at Karol, as he walks ahead of you into the inn.
"So, the "Inn", is it?"
"Yep. Come on."
You follow Karol inside.
The place is dimly-lit, as opposed to the more traditional western style of lighting most places use. of course, it helps if you have magical abilities, but even without them you can see fairly well. You're led to a table in the corner, where you notice four other people sitting. Two women and two men. The two women are drinking wine, while the men are drinking some kind of beer.
"This is Elias, our leader. Becca, our second in command, and last but not least, Victoria, our... medical assistant."
The man smiles, nods at you.

> You say "Good evening"
The other man nods, then goes back to his beer.
The two women turn and look at you. One is around your age, while the other is much older.
"So... You're the one who killed Ian?" The woman says.
"I didn't."
The woman smiles.
"I know you didn't. Ian would never have allowed you to live past that shot. He was an idiot, but he was a man of honor."
"So... What are you doing here?" You say.
The woman smiles again.
"We're here to relax, of course. Enjoying the off season."
"But..."

> You look at Karol with a questioning face.
Karol gives you a stern look, as if to say "Don't even think about it". You shrug, and sit down.
The woman speaks again.
"My name is Becca, this beautiful girl is Grace, and the silent one is Natasha."
The man nods, but says nothing.
"Where are you from?" Becca asks.

> You say "I'm from the witch village of Nostralda, it's very far from here"
"Oh? Where exactly is that?" Becca asks.
"It's... A very long way from here." You reply.
"How far?" Becca persists.

> You say "About a week away"
"Oh, really? Wow, I didn't even know there were villages that far away from civilization."
"There isn't." You reply.
Becca's eyes widen in shock.

> You say "They are hidden for a necessary reason, they are cursed"
Becca's eyes narrow, and she speaks with a cold voice.
"How much do you know about our situation?"
"Situation?

> You say "Karol said the League of the Black Rose needs a new assassin"
Becca's look turns to one of anger.
"He WHAT?"
Karol looks nervous, and the man with the beer suddenly looks scared. You continue talking.
"The League of the Black Rose is an assassins guild, it needs to hire someone to kill people for money."
Becca just stares at you.
"I thought the League would be happy with that reason alone." You reply.
Becca's eyes widen, and she stands up.
"Do you know who I am?"
"You're Becca, you're the leader of the League."

> You say "I thought Elias was the leader"
Becca grabs you by the throat, and you realize how much your magic has decreased since you left home.
"I AM the leader of the League!"
Becca throws you against the wall.

> You say "Sure, whatever you say"
"Do you know who I am?"
"Elias was the leader, I think you're the second."
"Do you realize who I am? I am a shadow of the shadows, the hope of an ideal, the love of a friend, the faith of a disciple, and the magic of a magician!"
Becca's eyes widen.
"I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."
Becca lets go of you, and sits back down. She looks sadder now, rather than angry.
"I... Thank you. I am the hope of an ideal, the magic of a magician, and the love of a friend."
Becca looks up at the man with the beer.
"Do you have any beer?"
The man nods, and gets up to go fetch some from the kitchen.
"Sorry about that. My name is Karol, this is Natasha, and that's Elias."
"I'm Grelda." You say.
Karol nods.
"You should go back to sleep, Becca. You're still recovering."
"Okay."
Becca stands up.
"Well, I'm off, I'll leave the two of you to talk.
Becca leaves the room, followed by everyone but Elias who looks at Grelda.
"So, you're the new girl. It'll be our job to get to know you."

> You say "What's wrong with Becca?"
"Becca has cancer."
"Cancer?"
"It's a disease. It'll kill her in a few months, I'd say about ten."
"That's terrible. Is there nothing that can be done?"
"Sadly, no. It's terminal."
"Is there nobody that can help her?"
"Unfortunately, the only person who can help her is Karol."
"Why doesn't he help her?"
"Because he doesn't care, that's why."
"But I thought you said he was nice."
"He's... Kind. But nice? I doubt it. If anything he's a sadist."
"What's the point of that?"
"The point is, Becca needs Karol to make her life miserable so she'll want to live. The more she wants to live, the more life she'll be able to get, and the less likely she is to die. It's a vicious cycle."
"What happens if he doesn't make her life miserable? Won't that make her life better?"
"It could, but then she's likely to die even quicker. Or at least that's what I'm hoping will happen."
"Why would you want her to die? She's the second in command of the League of the Black Rose after all."
"Why wouldn't I? It's a waste of life to not die eventually. Death is a natural part of life. The point of life is to grow old and weak, then die peacefully at home with your loved ones. I'm trying to encourage that."

> You say "Enough philosophy, what do you want me to do?"
Elias sits up and looks at you, a serious look in his eyes.
"I need you to go into the city and get the book, Vampire: The Ultimate Evil. I don't care how, just get it."
"What do I do with it once I get it?"
"You destroy it of course. That book is the most evil thing in the world, next to me of course."
"You're in it, Elias. Doesn't that make you a bit evil?"
"Ha ha ha! But I'm also in it to introduce more good, just not as evil as that book."
You raise an eyebrow.
"Okay, maybe a little evil." He laughs. "But seriously, you can't mess up. This is a very important task, so important that I'm going to help you."
Elias snaps his fingers and a wind begins to form, swirling around you.
"What's this?"
"It's a magic spell. You need to head to the book store and get that book, and when you do, I want you to bring it straight back here.

> You say "And we'll destroy it"
"And we'll destroy it."
You nod your head.
"Okay..."
"Remember, don't get caught." Elias says.
"Well obviously." You retort.
Elias laughs, and the spell dissipates.
"I have to go now, but remember, don't get caught."
"Yeah, yeah." You reply, walking over to the door.
Grelda leaves the Inn and heads to the book store of the city. It's a rather short walk from the Inn to the city gates, so you walk there as quickly as you can. You have the book store stumped and ready plan in your head. You're going to be incredibly fast, sneak into the basement and leave the city with the book. You'll figure out the best way to destroy it once you have it.
When you get to the book store, you sneak in through the back door and look around. You're just in time. Several guards stand at the front door, and a few more roam around, but you manage to avoid them and make it to the basement without being seen.
The basement is dark and eerie, but you manage to avoid bumping into a guard.

> You cast a spell to light the room and look for the book.
You light the dark room with a flash of lightning, and look around for the book.
"Huh? What's this?"
You look down at the hard cover and see that it's the book.

> You take the book and leave the basement.
You walk up the stairs slowly, but manage to sneak past a few guards. When you get to the front of the store, you see several guards milling about. Quickly, you open the door and look around.
Suddenly the windy spell that Elias had casted activates and makes the guards leave the place. You find yourself being blown back and manage to get out of the store. You look up and see the inn roof collapsing down, and only barely manage to run away in time.

> You go back to the Inn to give the book to Elias.
You walk back to the inn, but before you even get there you feel your feet transforming into hooves. You stop and look down at your feet, feeling a little weird about it.
You shake it off and continue walking to the inn. Before you even get there, you feel your body start to change. Your arms thin out and your body starts to resemble a long legged beast of burden. Your fingers shorten and harden. Your ears start to protrude from your head and your teeth turn into a beastial chewing mouth.
You reach the inn and knock on the door. Before the person on the inside can open it, you start to transform back. "Hey!" You say as the transformation stops. The door opens and you see a short woman with short brown hair.

> You say "Hi, is Elias still here?"
"Yeah, come on in." She says.
You walk inside and find that the place has changed quite a bit.
Elias sits in a corner nursing a bottle of alcohol.

> You say "Here it is" as you hand the book to Elias. "It transformed me briefly into a horse".
Elias takes the book and looks at it.
"Ah, yes. I should have realized the curse might come in handy one day."
Elias stands and walks towards you.
"Right then, it's settled. I'll perform the ritual."
Elias turns to you.
"You'll be fine. You're a powerful witch, I have no doubt that you'll survive."
Elias turns to the book and starts reading from it.
You stand in the corner of the room, feeling a little nervous.
Suddenly, flames start to rise from the floor.
"Ah, yes. I should have had carpet installed." Elias jokes, before a red circle with a line through it appears on the floor.
Elias mumbles something under his breath and the circle begins to glow a bright red.
"Okay, you can enter now." Elias says.
You walk up to the circle and enter it.
As you step into the circle, you feel yourself being pulled into it. You try to pull back, but find your body incapable of movement. It's like your mind is still fighting the process, but your body has already been forced into this shape.
You're hit with the most painful shock you've ever felt. Your body breaks down and rebuilds itself. The painful process takes a few minutes, but soon you find yourself feeling better than ever.

> You say "Thanks... I guess... should we destroy the book now?"
Elias nods and goes to the book, which is lying on a table. He picks it up and looks at it.
"Right then, we should burn this thing."
Elias walks over to the fire place and tosses the book on top of it.
The book burns, turning from a heavy old book to ash.
"Well then, I guess we're done here."

> You say "Am I a member of the League of the Black Rose now?"
"Sure are. I've made you a free witch."
Elias hands you a glass of some clear liquid, which you sip from. It's pretty good stuff.
"Ah, excellent. Glad to be in it." You say.
"Yeah, well best get used to it. You're a powerful one, remember?"
You nod, smiling.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Here's a present for you." Elias says, handing you a black amulet.
You look at it and put it around your neck. It feels cool on your chest.

> You say "Thanks, what is it?"
"It's an amulet of course. Good luck and all that."
"Is it magical?"
"No, it's a normal one.

> You say "Is that another joke of yours?"
Elias grins.
"Okay, maybe it's a small one. Anyway, you should get some rest. Don't want to be seen with you if people start getting suspicious."

> You say "What do you mean?"
Elias laughs and waves his hand.
"Just you know, have to keep an eye on you and all that."

> You say "Sure, I'll go to sleep"
Elias nods and you start to walk towards the bedroom. As you pass Elias, you feel his hand on your shoulder.
"I'm really glad you came to us, we could have used someone like you a long time ago."
You nod at Elias and walk into the bedroom. As you lie in bed, you think about what Elias said.
We could have used someone like me a long time ago...
You go to sleep and have the best dreams of your life.

> You wake up the next morning.
You wake up and find yourself in a huge, wooden room. There's a big wooden table in the center of the room and seats for everyone in the League. You notice there are also a bunch of doors that presumably lead to different parts of the League headquarters.
In the corner of your eye, you see Karol walking around. He's carrying a tray of coffee, tea and milk. He looks at you and you nod. He puts the tray on the table and heads off to the other end of the room.

> You get some coffe.
You walk over to the tray and start pouring yourself some coffee. You take a sip...and nearly spit it out. The coffee tastes foul. It's hot, but tastes musty and old.
"How can anyone drink this stuff?" You mutter.
You put the cup down and walk over to Karol. You grab him by the shoulder and turn him around to face you.
"How can you make coffee this bad?" You say.
Karol looks at you blankly.
"I'm sorry?" He asks.
"This is what I think of your coffee." You reply, before spitting.
"Really? This is what you think of my coffee? I make a mean cup of coffee. People pay good money for it."
You sigh.
"I'm just a simple witch, Karol. I can't take it if you keep mocking me." You say.
Karol immediately drops the arrogant demeanor and looks terrified.
"No, no of course not! Apologies, Miss Vampling." Karol says.
You let go of Karol and take a seat at the table.

> You say "How did you know my last name is Vampling?"
Karol looks at you nervously.
"Erm, well we have access to a lot of information when we're recruiting." Karol says.
"Ah, okay." You reply.
You finish your coffee as Karol heads to the other end of the room and begins talking to another person. You're not sure who that was, but it can't be good news. Elias must have been a late riser, because you haven't seen him yet. You take another sip of your coffee and go to the bathroom.
When you come out, you see Elias talking to a dark-skinned woman with long curly hair. They both turn to look at you as you approach.

> You say "Good morning Elias, who is this woman?"
Elias smiles as the woman turns to face you.
"This is Zalmora, a freelance contracts killer." Elias says.
"A pleasure to meet you Zal." You say.
Zal nods, but doesn't speak. She has a cold and ruthless stare that makes you feel uncomfortable. Elias introduces the both of you properly and goes on to explain that Zal will be living with you until you're ready to move into the League's headquarters.

> You say "I thought this inn was the League's headquarters"
Elias laughs as Zal moves away.
"Ah, the League's headquarters is a grand name for an abandoned bath house we're using as our office at the moment." Elias says.
Elias takes you to the bath house Elias mentioned. It's quite a grand place, with a large bath house and a small medical bay attached to it. The medical bay is currently unused, but the bath house is still being used. Elias leads you into a room on the top floor where a young women is soaking in a large tub. She has long blond hair and fair skin. When she gets out of the tub she reveals she is naked.
"This is Elizabeth." Elias says.

> You say "Should I wait outside until you dress up?"
Elias nods as Elizabeth looks you up and down.
"What the hell, it's not like you're my husband." She says as she wraps a large towel around her.
Elias and you both begin to head out of the room, but as you pass Elias he grabs your bum.
"Just checking if your gun is clear." Elias says with a cheeky grin.

> You slap Elias. "You better not touch me like that again."
Elias takes a couple of steps back as you approach him.
"What? I didn't mean to offend." Elias says.
"Don't you EVER touch me like that again." You reply in a firm tone.
Elias nods as you walk out of the room with Elias following behind.
"You're really no fun." Elias says.
"My fun is not your fun, Elias." You reply.
You arrive back at the table where Karol and another man are already seated.
"Ah, Grelda, you're back. And you've brought a friend!" Karol says as he stands up.
You glance at the man, who gives a small nod.
"This is Jacob. I'd like you to meet our new ally." Karol says.
You offer your hand to shake, but Jacob just stares at it.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Jacob." You say.
Jacob slowly nods his head as he grabs a bottle of alcohol from the table.
"I'll be right back." Jacob says as he heads to the bar.
Karol sits back down as he sighs.
"That was kind of a weird introduction." Karol says.

> You say "I've seen worse"
Karol smiles as Jacob returns with a bottle of rum. He opens it and pours some into two glasses. He gives one to Karol, who quickly drinks it down.

> You say "Isn't it a bit early to drink?"
"Nah, it's fine. Besides, you know how it is with us. We need to keep our strength up if we're going to get through the night." Karol says.
Jacob nods as he sits back.
"Right, let's get down to it." Karol says.
He explains the plan to you, which is simple. They are robbing a travelling merchant of valuables, and will be leaving in the morning. The target will be arriving by carriage any minute now, so Karol wants you and Jacob to come with him to ambush the man. Karol says he will take care of the driver, while you take care of the guard.
"We'll meet up at the old hiding spot afterwards." Karol says.

> You say "I thought we're assassins, not thieves."
Karol laughs.
"You got it in one." He says.
The four of you head out of the room, and find Elias waiting for you in the hallway. He flashes a toothy grin at you.
"Ah, the famous party trio is complete." He says.
"What?" You ask.
"Karol, Jacob and me are the only three left of the original League." Elias says.
"Really?"
"Mm-hmm. Though I guess you could say we're the original three still."
Elias laughs as Karol and Jacob join in.

> You say "What's so funny?"
"The original three, still together."
"What's so funny?" You ask again.
"You asking us what's so funny."
"I'm genuinely interested to know. Please explain."
"You really want to know what's so funny?" Elias asks, grinning.
"Yeah, I do."
"Fine, fine. In that case, I'm the only original member that's still alive."
Elias snorts with laughter as you feel Karol and Jacob staring at you.
"What?

> You realise Karol and Jacob are undead.
"Oh come on! You're both undead!" You say.
"Yes." Elias says.
"Oh, so that's why you're so cheery."
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, I mean considering..."
Elias bursts into laughter as Karol and Jacob join in.

> You say "So about the merchant you want me to rob..."
Elias sighs as he stops laughing.
"Yeah, we'll get to that later. Let's go." Karol says.
The four of you head downstairs and out the front door. A carriage with the Wilfreds coat of arms on it is pulling up the driveway.
"There he is!" Jacob says as he points at the carriage.
Karol nods.
"Alright, everyone out of the way. Let's give him a Wilfred welcome."
The four of you move out of the way, and Karol quickly gets in front of the carriage.
"Hold it right there, criminal scum!" Karol says.
The two passengers get out of the carriage, and Karol quickly takes the driver hostage.
"Now, you will return what is yours, Wilfred!"

> You hold the other passenger so Elias and Jacob can register the carriage.
Karol holds the driver hostage, leaving the passenger unprotected. You grab the passenger and hold him over his head.
"Hurry up and get this guy registered." Karol says.

> You register the passenger.
"Got it." You say.
You walk up to the passenger and begin to register him. The man begins to complain, but you ignore him. Once the passenger is registered, Jacob walks up to the man.
"Please stop your resistance, we are only doing our job. You will not find it amusing if things go south." Jacob says.
The man looks at Jacob for a moment, before looking over his shoulder.
"Get this carriage out of here. Now."
"Alright, you heard the man. Let's get out of here." the driver says.
The passenger nods and walks towards the carriage. Jacob walks up to Karol.
"Nice work, I have what we need."
Elias grins as the four of you head towards the house. You quickly look around to see if anyone saw you helping the League, but it seems like all of the citizens are too terrified to move.
The four of you go back to the bath house. Jacob takes a moment to clean off the blood of the earlier fight, then takes you to meet the head of the League.
"This is Jacob. He's our accountant and head of internal security."
"Nice to meet you." you say.
"I'm sure. The job went well?

> You say "Yes, we got what we needed from the carriage"
"Good, good. It's always good to work with the Wilfreds."
Jacob nods as Elias laughs.
"I'll just leave you three to talk. Good to meet you, Jacob." Elias says, before leaving.
Jacob and Karol are quick to bring you into the plan. The League has its own hideout, where they are holding all of their stuff. Every now and then they will pull off a job and bring the money back here, where it can be better protected.

> You say "What did you get from the carriage?"
Karol pulls out a roll of parchment with writing on it.
"We got the location of the Thieves' Guild. It's in a small town not far from the Kishak border." Karol says.

> You say "So we made a theft to catch some thieves?"
"Yeah. Let me know if you have any other questions."
You realize that the League is like your family. You understand them and they understand you. This bond you have with them is a good thing.
"Alright, let's go through the plan again."
Karol goes through the plan as Jacob and yourself take notes. After the plan is complete, you feel like you are ready to take on the Guild.
The next day, you meet up with Elias in the forest.
"Ready for some assassination?" Elias asks.
"I'm ready to make them pay." You reply.
Elias grins as the two of you set off on your quest.

> You meet Karol, Jacob, Becca, Elizabeth, Zalmora, Victoria, Grace and Natasha.
You meet up with the rest of your friends in the forest, which has not changed at all.
"Are we ready?" you ask.
"Yes." They all say.
"Alright, let's do this. Don't do anything stupid, and most importantly, don't die."
"Got it."

> You say "cast a spell of Fortification on the League members"
You take a deep breath, and focus your mind.
You concentrate hard, as the weave of magic is complex. You need to be exact in your weaving. You weave a magic shield to protect the group from the crossbow bolts fired by the Guild, it works. The bolts bounce off the weave of magic.
"How the hell did you learn to weave?"

> You say "It's very important for a witch, now get ready to fight the Thieve's Guild."
You grab your sword, and stand in front of the group.
"Let's do this."
You charge at the Thieves, who begin to yell and run away. You run after them, hacking one of them down.

> You cast a fireball a the other thieves.
You raise your hand, and a fireball flies at the group of thievery, engulfing three of them. You run to the last one, who grabs another crossbow and fires it at you.

> You get hit by a bolt.
You feel the bolt hit your chest, but your spell protecting the group protects you from major damage.
"What's going on?"
"The Guild is fighting back!"
All the League members charge forward, attacking the rest of the thieves. You grab a crossbow off the ground, loading it in.
"Let's finish them off."
You point your crossbow at one of the fleeing thieves, firing. The bolt flies, hitting the target, killing him.
"Let's go!" you yell.
You all run after the thieves, fighting the rest of the Guild in the process. You catch up to one, stabbing him through the neck and killing him.
"Victory!" you yell.
"We need to stop fighting, we need to get a lead on the Guild, they'll be regrouping."

> You say "Elias, what now?"
"We need to go back to the city, we can't afford to be out here."
"I agree, let's go."
You and the rest of the group head back to the city.

> You say "That was a good fight, good job everyone"
You walk through the woods, heading back to the city.
"How is everyone?" you ask.
"I'm fine, a bit tired, but otherwise fine." Karol says.
"I'm fine, a bit tired, but otherwise fine." Becca says.
"Good, good."
You walk into the city, and head to the Inn.
"We did it, guys."
You arrive at the inn, and you and the rest of the group head to your rooms. You put the spare key under the mat, and enter. You put your weapons in the corner, and collapse onto your bed. You are overtaken by a deep, dreamless sleep.
Hours later, you wake up. You glance at the window, seeing the sun shining through. You grab your weapons, and get dressed, before heading down to the common room.

> You see all the League members waiting for you.
You walk into the inn, and see all of the League members waiting for you.
"Hey, everyone, we did it. We killed the Thieves' Guild."
"We sure did."

> You say "Elias, who asked the League to kill them."
"I did."
"What, why?"
"Because they were a threat to the city, that's why. If the Guild is gone, there's no need for protection."
"I don't understand..."
Elias stares at you.

> You look at Karol and Becca.
You walk over to Karol and Becca, who are staring at Elias.
"What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know, he just doesn't have a care in the world."
You stare at Elias. He's smiling, but it's a fake smile. You can tell he is happy about what happened.

> You realise Becca is coughing blood.
You walk over to Becca, who is coughing up blood.
"What's going on?"
Becca takes a deep breath, before collapsing to the ground. You sprint over to her, as she begins to cough up blood.
"No!"
You hold her hand tightly, but she squeezes your hand in what you believe to be her final act of life. She breathes her last breath, and dies.
"Becca!" you yell.

> You cry over her death.
You sit on the ground, holding Becca's hand. Your mind feels numb, and all you feel is an immense feeling of loss. You weep uncontrollably for a few minutes, but eventually your tears dry up.
You stand, and head to the exit of the inn. You raise your fist to strike, but stop yourself. You turn around, looking at Karol and the rest of the group.
"Well?" he asks.
You look at Becca's body, lying on the ground.
"Well what?"
"What are you going to do?"
You stare at Becca's body, lying on the ground. You remember all the laughs you had with her. All the laughs you will never have again. You remember the trust you had in her, and the love you had for her.
You drop to your knees, and bow your head. You raise your hand, and strike it against the ground.
"I'll continue her work."
"Perfect." Karol says. "Well, I suppose you better get started."

> You say "What do you mean?"
"I mean what I say. You need to get the job done, and I doubt if you'll be able to do it without help."
You frown.
"What kind of help?"
"You will be fine.

> You look at Elias.
You walk over to Elias, who seems very amused by all of this. He stands up, and pulls Becca's body off the ground.
"You sure you're okay?" he asks.
"I'm fine."
"I don't think so."
You stare at Elias.

> You say "What did Becca mean to you, Elias?"
"Everything."
"Why?"
"Because, she gave me a reason to live."
You nod slowly, almost in a trance. Elias stares at you, and nods.

> You say "Will Becca receive a funeral?"
"Yes."
"Thank you."
Elias smiles, as he leaves the room. You stare at Becca's body. You can't believe this. All the time you spent with her, and she gave her life to save yours.
You stand, and look out the window. The sun has finally come up. You begin to leave the room, before stopping.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
You bow your head, and exit the room. You walk down the hallways of the inn, which are now filled with an assortment of people. A few League members stand guard, but most are just going about their day.
One woman with a dark aura stands by the bar. You can sense she's an emotions vampire. She stares at you, before walking over to you.
"Who are you?

> You say "I'm Grelda, the witch, a new member of the League."
The woman looks at you.
"The witches have abandoned this city. You're not one of them."
"No, I'm new. I've only just arrived. A League member found me, and told me to come here."
The woman seems to relax.
"I'm Julia, I run the bar here.

> You say "Hi Julia, can you serve me a drink?"
"I'd love to."
You smile, as you lean against the bar. Julia smiles, and pours you a drink.
"Thank you."
"Welcome."
You take the glass, and sip it slowly. She seems to watch you while you drink, and you feel like she's staring into your soul.

> You say "Did you know Becca?"
"Becca? Sure. I mean, she was nice to me. I didn't know her that well though."
"What did you know of her?"
"She was a witch.

> You get shocked.
You jump back, grabbing your heart as you fall backwards. Julia laughs as she comes up to you.
"What? I'm just messing with you."
You breath deeply, trying to calm yourself down.
"No, no, it's okay. She was a witch."

> You say "Really? Where was she from?"
"What does it matter? She's dead."
You sigh, as Julia stares at you.
"Do you not know where she came from?"

> You say "No, I just met her a couple of days ago."
"She was from Holgard. I know this because she told me, and I would be able to sense it."
You frown. You sense the woman is telling the truth. You don't know why, but you trust her.
"I see...."
You stand up, as Julia nods.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Grelda.

> You say "Same Julia, see you at the funeral."
"See you there."
You wave. You sigh, and head out the door. You walk along the street, heading towards the graveyard.
As you walk, you think about Becca. You think about the time you had spent with her. The times you had laughed with her, the times you had raged with her, the good times, the bad times, the happy times, and the tragic ones. You think about how she had died. You think about the horror she had experienced before she died.
You reach the graveyard. After the funeral you walk towards the small, simple grave. You kneel down, before placing the flowers by her grave. You bow your head, and say a quick prayer. You stand, and head towards the inn. You arrive an hour after your departure, and are met by several of the League. They ask if you needed a drink.

> You say "Yes, serve me something, Julia."
You nod to her as she heads to the bar. You walk over to the group, and begin talking to them. You ask them about the city, and what they do in their spare time. You discuss politics, religion, and various other topics. After an hour, you find out that the group is fairly knowledgeable on many subjects. You learn something new every time you speak to them.
You finish your drink, and head to bed. You spend the rest of the night chatting with the group, before passing out.
You wake up the next morning, and head down to the bar for some food.

> You find Elias cooking and join him.
You walk into the kitchen, and find Elias cooking up a storm.
"Hello Elias, I see you're doing a lot more than normal."
Elias turns to you, a smile on his face.
"You're here early today. That's good, I'm almost done with cooking."
"Do you want any help?"
"No, I got it, thanks."

> You say "Do you like cooking, Elias?"
"I love it. It's something I'm really passionate about. Not many people appreciate fine cooking, but I'm trying to change that."
Elias smiles as he turns back to his cooking. You continue to chat with him for a few minutes, before he finally announces that his cooking is ready.
"I've made some chicken curry, does anyone want some?"

> You say "Yes, please!"
"Coming right up!"
Elias grins as he begins to serve out the curry. You smile as you begin to eat, and you quickly polish off your meal.
"Wow, that was great, Elias."
"Thanks. You like it because I'm really good at it."
"You're joking right?"
Elias shakes his head, smiling.
"I love cooking, it's one of my greatest joys. I can't wait for the other day, so I can cook all day and make a bunch of money."
You laugh as you stand up.

> You say "What will the League do next?"
"Next on the agenda is the sewers. I've been in contact with a group that would like us to meet them there."
"What for?"
"We think they're planning to ambush some of the high ranking members of the Klyton militia."
"Why would they want to do that?"
"Because it's what we do."
Elias bursts out laughing as you roll your eyes.

> You say "What is the Klyton militia doing in Nuro?"
"The Nuro magic college is where they make all the wizard guards. If the wizard guards start going down, then the militia starts going down. It's a cycle. We keep a tight leash on the magic going on in the city, so the militia doesn't get too powerful. It's a delicate balance, but I think it can stay that way."
"Seems like a risky plan. What if the wizards suddenly start throwing fire and lightning around? "
"Well we haven't seen that yet, but I think we're getting close. Like I said, it's a delicate balance. Any new major magical inventions that take place in the city are usually the result of suppressed magic for years or decades.

> You say "Does this have anything to do with the mayor of the city and his Nocturnal League you mentioned the other day?"
Elias smiles as he leans back in his chair.
"You're learning, kid. You're learning."
"So what did the mayor do?"
"He legalized magic. It's been going on for about ten years now, but just on a small scale. Not like this. It wasn't until this that it started to become a real industry. The wizard guards have kept the magic usage in check, but now that this is all legal, well the magic is getting wild. There's a lot of competition and a lot of backlash. Soon it'll be regulated again, but in the meantime... Well let's just say there's a lot of money to be made."
"I see... So what's next?"
"What do you think? We capture the Klyton militia, of course."
"You can't be serious."
"I'm being very serious.

> You say "And then what do we do with them?"
"Then we overthrow the government of course! With the militia out of the way, it should be easy to take over. Then we can start a new era of freedom and anarchy. Wouldn't you want to be a part of that? Wouldn't you want to help bring down the oppressive government that exploits and enslaves you? Don't you want to be free?"
You look at Elias with a skeptical expression on your face.
"Well... Yeah. I mean, why wouldn't I?"
"Good! Thank you for your support, it'll be more than a pleasure to massacre the Klyton militia with you! We leave in a day."
"A day? That's a bit sudden."
"We have preparations to make, don't we?

> You say "Yes, I'll be in my room, see you tomorrow."
Elias nods, stands up and begins to leave.
"Until tomorrow then."
You return to your room and begin to get your things in order for the trip.

> You see Zal entering the room.
Zalmora enters your room, giving you a big grin.
"Well? What's all this about then? Elias leave without us again?"

> You say "We have a new job."
Zalmora gives you a puzzled look.
"New job? What kind of job?"
"You'll see."
Zal sits down on the bed next to you and you begin to tell her about the plan.
"So, you're saying we just need to capture the militia?" she asks.
"That's about it."
"How?"
"I dunno, knock them out, stop them from fighting or something."
"I don't see how that's going to be possible."
"I'm just saying we have to do something. This plan isn't set in stone, it's just to give us a chance. We could still fail."
Zal just shakes her head and laughs.
"You worry too much. I'm sure we'll think of something."
"I hope so. Anyway, we need to get some rest. We have a long journey tomorrow."
Zal gets off the bed and heads to the door.
"Well then, I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well.
The next morning, you and the League arrive at the appointed place. Elias once again points out the militia to you.
"Right there."
"I can see them. So...?"
"So we go in there and take them out, or at least try to. Are you ready?"
"Whenever you are."
"Let's do this then. Everyone, open fire!

> You cast a firestorm at the militia.
You fire a gout of flame from your finger tips, incinerating two militia instantly. More fire flies from your hands and a man is thrown off his horse by its sheer heat. A woman is set aflame, and she and the horse both burn to death. An attempt is made to throw a firebolt at you, but you levitate of their reach and cast it back at the mage who cast it, burning him to death.
Militia are no match for you. A few cast a flame shield to block your attacks, but that easily goes up in flames. Soon, not a single militiaman is left alive.
"Alright. The Klyton militia is dead. I guess we're clear to do whatever we want now. Come on, we're leaving."
Elias turns his horse around and gallops back towards the city. The rest of you follow.
"What's the rush? We haven't cleared out the city."
"The militia could regroup. There's no sense in sticking around. We need to get this over with and be done with this mess. We'll go back to my place. It's closer anyway.
It's a short ride back to Elias' house, and soon you're all sitting around his living room table.

> You say "What do you think the mayor of Nuro will do about the dead Klyton militia, Elias?"
Elias frowns.
"I'm not sure... but we have to get this book to Draven anyway. Whether Nuro survives or not is of no consequence."

> You see Elias still has the cursed Vampire book and say "I thought you burned it!"
Elias grins.
"I did. I also thought about throwing it off a cliff, but I'd hate to have to go through the hassle of retrieving it from the bottom of a cliff. So I burned it. You don't really want to know how many times I've thrown the thing into the fire and thought about how I could've been a better person had I not read that damned book."
"No, I suppose not. So, are we going to Draven now?"
"Yes, we are. We should get there by tomorrow night."
"So, what happens when we get there?"
"We get the Emperor's help. It should be enough."
"Should?

> You say "I thought you wanted to overthrow the government."
Elias grins.
"Oh you know how these emperors work. Bribe them, threaten them, talk big, do whatever it takes, but don't actually try to assassinate them. That rarely works out well."
You nod. You've encountered enough assassination attempts to know that most of the time the person making the threat isn't even serious. Still, you know Elias well enough to know he'd never go through with it. He's not that insane.
"Besides, even if we did manage to kill the Emperor, the replacement would be another Emperor, and then the cycle would just begin again."
"Is that why you're staying in Nuro?"
Elias chuckles.

> You say "What will happen to the mayor of Nuro?"
Elias smirks.
"Oh I'm sure the Emperor will have some sort of underhanded way of dealing with him. Probably have him killed and blamed on the vagrants or something."
You nod.

> You say "I guess with the militia dead, no one will suspect a thing."
"Right. So let's get going, we have a long journey ahead of us."
You get up and start to head to the door when suddenly...
BOOOOOOOOM!
The entire house shakes, and you're thrown to the floor. You try to get up, but the ceiling collapses on you. You don't die right away, but you eventually drown in rubble.
When you wake up, you're in rough condition. Your vision is hazy and you can't see clearly, but you know something is definitely wrong.
"Hey! Hey! WAKE UP!"

> You hear as Karol is trying to save you.
"Karol? Karol where are we?"
"We're in the basement. The house collapsed on us."
"Who else is down here?"
Karol doesn't respond, but instead he just keeps trying to dig through the rubble.

> You say "Is everyone else from the League OK?"
Karol stops digging and turns his head.
"It's just us right now, but..."
Karol doesn't need to complete that sentence. You know what he means. The other members of the League of the Black Rose are dead. You knew it would happen eventually, but that doesn't make it any easier.
You're still in pretty bad shape as well. You have a broken arm, and you're pretty sallow. Still, you're alive. That's the main thing.
"We need to get out of here Karol.

> You cast a healing spell on yourself.
You cast your healing spell and it works. After a few seconds, your skin begins to glow. You pull yourself out of the rubble and find that Karol has already succeeded in digging himself out as well.
"We need to get out of here before this place collapses!"
Karol nods in agreement and the two of you crawl out of the ruins.
After pulling yourself out of the rubble you stand up. You look around to see the whole city in flames, demons screaming, running and fighting amongst themselves, and everything else imaginable.

> You say "This must be the work of the Nocturnal League, the mayor must be behind this, Karol."
Karol doesn't respond, he just stands there in shock. You grab his shoulder and turn him around to face you.
"Karol! We need to get out of here!"
"I know!" He says, turning around and starting to walk away.
"We need to contact the Emperor!"
Again, Karol doesn't respond, but instead he begins to move again. He tells you to follow him.
After running a couple blocks, Karol stops and pulls out a small bottle with some red substance in it. He drinks it and hands the bottle to you.
"Drink." He says.
"What is it?"
"Something to get us home."
You take the bottle and drink the contents, and suddenly you feel lighter than air. You begin to float into the air.
You float in the air for a moment, which is pretty cool. Then you hear a loud explosion. You look up and see the sky go dark. It didn't feel like you were falling, but you must be! In fact, the whole city is in free fall!
You float around for a moment, getting dizzy, before you notice Karol floating nearby.
"Come on!" He says.
"Hey, where are we going?" You ask.
"Anywhere!"
You and Karol begin floating around, trying to find a way out of this city which is falling towards hell. You come across buildings which are about to collapse, and you have to quickly float out of the way. It's not easy, but with a little effort you manage to avoid getting crushed. You see demons running around, and feel glad that you aren't one of them.
Then, suddenly, the city stops falling. It appears that you have reached the bottom of the abyss.
"We made it!" You shout.
"We still have work to do." Says Karol.
"We're the only ones who made it out of there alive. All the others are dead."

> You say "Do you have the book Elias had? The mayor is probably looking for it."
"No. He took it with him when he died."
You look around for a second, and then you remember that the book is in your pack! You hope that it isn't damaged.
"We need to get out of here!" Karol says.

> You cast a teleportation spell to Draven.
You begin to concentrate...
A white light appears.
When you wake up, you feel like you've just been hit by a carriage! You sit up and take a look around. You're in a small room. There's a window in the door, but the door itself is metal and doesn't appear to open. There's no sign of Karol.
The funny thing is, you don't feel all that bad. You probably could stand up, though you're not going to do that just yet. You take a look around and notice that you're in some sort of abandoned warehouse.

> You leave the warehouse and look for Karol.
As you leave the warehouse, you run into a few demons. You easily fight them off and leave. As you look around, you begin to hear horrible screams. You follow the sound to an old run down house. It appears that the demons were fighting someone. You notice a couple of them dead in the front room.
You enter cautiously, and see a demon standing over a badly injured Karol.

> You cast a frostbolt on the demon.
Your aim is true, and the demon roars as it frostbitten form turns into a normal one and falls backwards.
Karol screams at you.

> You cast a healing spell at Karol.
You begin to concentrate...
Karol begins to slowly get up.
"Thank you!" He says, "That... That was an interesting way to wake me up."
"You're welcome." You reply.
"Come on, we need to leave this place. There's a bunch of demons outside."
You nod and exit the room. You notice that there are quite a few demons outside.

> You say "We need to do something or Draven will follow the fate of Nuro."
"Exactly. We can't let this happen. The demons must be stopped."
"How do we stop them?"
"We need to get to the emperor, or whoever is in charge. Then we can organize a counter attack to take them out."
"Can we do that? Can we get in touch with someone who can?"
"I can try, but it's a long shot. We need to get out of this city first."
"How?"
You look at Karol and have an idea.

> You summon two hippogriffs to ride to the emperor's palace.
"Hippogriffs? Never heard of such a thing."
"They're mythical creatures."
"Then how do you know of them?"
"When I was little, my mother told me stories about them. She said that they only existed in her stories. When I saw one, I was very impressed."
"Well, we can't very well just ride out of here, now can we?

> You say "Yes, hop on and let's go"
Karol grabs you and jumps on the hipogriffs back.
"Ready?"
He nods, and you two take off flying towards the palace. You flap your wings as hard as you can, and...
You're not very high off the ground, but it still takes a long time to reach the palace. It doesn't help that the palace is very large either. You just hope that your plan is going to work.
"We're so close!" Karol yells.
"Keep flying towards the palace!" You yell.
The hippogriffs reach the palace, and you hope that whoever is in charge will be able to see you.
"There they are!" You hear an amplified voice yell. "Take aim!"
You look down and see the palace guards aiming their crossbows at you. You have no time to react as you hear the twangs of the crossbows.

> You cast a protection spell.
You quickly cast a protection spell as the bolts fly towards you. You raise your hand and the bolts are absorbed into your fingers.
"Hmm, didn't expect that to work. How did you do that?"

> You say "I don't know, let's land and explain the situation."
"Good idea."
The two of you slowly descend to the palace gardens. Karol gets off first, before addressing you.
"Stay here. They're probably going to come running soon, and I don't fancy your chances against them."
Karol runs over to you and helps you off the hippogriff, which walks away shaking its head. You stand next to Karol, who is staring at you.
"Well, you're either very lucky or very skilled. I guess we'll find out which it is in the future."
"What do you mean?"
"Come on, we need to find the Emperor."
You and Karol go into the palace, where you enter a massive dining hall. You find the Emperor sitting at the table, reading through some papers.
"Emperor!" Karol yells, running forward. "We have to talk!"
The Emperor puts down his papers and stands.
"What's all this about?" He asks.
"There's a conspiracy going on, and I think I know how to stop it."
"Oh? Go on.

> You say "The mayor of Nuro has unleashed hell, there are demons everywhere. They have killed Elias and everyone in the League."
"Is that so?" The Emperor remarks.
"Yes! I'm sure of it!"
"Hmm, well that's rather serious."
The Emperor begins walking with you and Karol back to the dining hall.
"I've never heard of demons being in the city before."
"Well they are now!" Karol says.
"Don't worry, we'll deal with this. I'll get the item you need from my personal storehouse and we can destroy the creatures."
You thank the Emperor profusely and run off. You're glad the Emperor isn't mad at you, and you feel like this is your chance to prove yourself.
"What are you going to get?" Zalmora asks.

> You say "Zal! You are alive!"
"Of course I am. So what do you need?"
"I need to get something from the personal storehouse. Can you come with me?"
"Sure, what is it?"
You and Zalmora traverse the palace, where you walk down to the depths of it. You eventually reach a storage room, where dozens of boxes are stored.

> You say "The emperor says it's something that will kill all the demons."
"Hm, this should do it. Emperor said he wanted it taken out as soon as possible, though."
Zalmora goes over to a box and opens it, revealing an odd cube made out of dark metal. She carries it out and places it on the ground.
"What now?" Zalmora asks.
"Now we wait."
Time passes, and eventually some of the guards come back, talking amongst themselves. You hear one say that the palace is clear.
"Emperor?" Zalmora asks, as you get up.
"Yeah?" The Emperor responds, appearing from the shadows.
"The palace is clear. What do we do with the cube? "
The Emperor looks at the cube, and smiles.
"This is perfect. Let's use it to get rid of the demons."
"What? Are you serious?"
"Yes. It's what the Emperor would do."
"But you just said this thing kills them."
"Yes, but I have a better idea. The demons are somewhat tied to Hell. If we can somehow link this to Hell, then we can draw the demons out of it."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm going to use a ritual, and we're going to tap directly into the energy of Hell."
"And that'll kill them?"
"No, but it will tie the cube into Hell's own power. It'll be like a magical battery, except for evil. Once we do that, we can use the cube to destroy the rest."
"How do you know all this?"
"I... I just know. Also, we don't have much time. We'll have to start it right away."
Zalmora nods, and the Emperor disappears into the shadows once again.

> You begin the ritual to tie the cube to hell and get rid of the demons.
Karol and Zalmora begin the ritual to tie the cube to hell, and you stand by their side as they chant, with your hands on the cube. You begin to feel a pulsating evil enter your body, and you moan in pain. Zalmora screams out, as the Emperor suddenly appears in the room.
"What the...?!" He says, as the rest of the wizards in the room wake up.
"You said this would kill them!" Zalmora yells at him.
"It does!"
"I felt pain!"
"You did? Ah, yeah... It's going to take a little time for you to get over that one."
The Emperor begins walking towards the cube, which begins to shake and glow.
"Emperor! What are you doing?" Karol cries.
The Emperor pauses, and then speaks slowly.
"I'm destroying the demons tied to this cube. I made it so it taps directly into the energy of Hell. They'll all be dead in a few seconds."
You begin to feel pain, and the cube begins shaking faster. Suddenly, you hear a voice.
"Stop him. He knows what he's doing."
The voice is quite... interesting. Aristocratic, with a hint of an accent. You've never heard anything like it before. You also notice the person who's speaking isn't a person at all.
A spirit? you wonder. Or some sort of demon. Either way, you need to stop this. The Emperor has stopped walking, and is watching you.
You quickly make up your mind on how to proceed.

> You say "How do you know all this, Emperor?"
The Emperor frowns, as the voice in your head ceases.
"How do I know what?" he asks.
"How do you know all this? About the demons being tied to the cube, I mean."
"I made the cube."
"You... made it?"
The Emperor nods.
"It was quite difficult. Took me years to perfect it."
"Why? What's it for?"
"The primary purpose of course, is to hold demons. You see, Klyton is infested with the things. They're probably more numerous than the Klytons."
"What else?"
"Well, it taps directly into the infernal realm, so once we're done here, we'll be able to destroy the demons with relative ease."
"What about the voice in my head? The one that told me to stop you?"
The Emperor pauses, and you can see a look of worry come onto his face. He's silent for a while, before speaking again.
"I guess... that was the demon."
"Demon? You mean there's a whole other bunch of demons running around, trying to stop me?!"
"No, I don't think so. I think it's just one... or perhaps a few. It's been awhile. I think it's alone in this world, for once. But that's not important. What is important, is that YOU are important. You mustn't let it influence you. Now, let's get on with the task at hand."

> You help the Emperor destroy the cube.
The Emperor's right, you have to focus on the task at hand. The cube. What's inside it. How can you destroy it?
Your mind flashes back to your training under Master Ebon. During your time with him, he had explained the various types of magic, as well as had he had warned you about demon magic. He had told you that demon magic was... well, a terrible thing. That it corrupts, and enslaves, and destroys all that it touches. And you saw that for yourself when Mr. Mol challenged you to a magic duel. He was a demon, and you saw the horrible destruction he caused.
But demon or not, Mr. Mol was no mere mortal. You've seen the power of demons before. The man must have been a powerful wizard to have defeated your master in a magic duel, and killed many of your fellow witches.

> You say "I know what to do."
The Emperor stares at you intently, and nods.

> You begin casting a very powerful spell to destroy the cube.
You start to chant, starting slowly... but soon your voice becomes louder and louder as you gain more and more power.
The Emperor stands beside you, also chanting. Soon, the two of you are chanting, and it's almost as if time has stopped. Your actions become faster and faster until you're practically ripping the syllables from your mouth. The Emperor, true to his word, attempts to block out all external sounds, but his voice strains under the strain of your own.
Your voices become one with the other, becoming an indistinguishable mass of sound. The room around you becomes a blurred mass of black, as your eyes begin to roll into the back of your head. Your surroundings become a haze, as you focus on nothing but the spell, and the cube. You can see the cube clearly in your mind, as if it were in front of you. It sits on the table, mocking you. And then, it disappears.
You stand still, but the room feels different. You don't feel winded, you feel as if you could keep this up forever...
But then, the haze clears from your eyes, and you open them.
The Emperor stares at you, a look of surprise on his face, but soon, he smiles. "Yes, yes! You did it! We did it!"

> You hug Karol and Zalmora.
You quickly walk up to the two, before embracing them. They hug you back, grinning.
"I'm glad you're safe, sis!" Zalmora says.
"Oh, you're certainly welcome to hug your old sis, Zal," you say, giving her a big grin. "I'm so glad you both are okay."
Zal smiles. "Thanks for saving our lives again, sis."
"I'm glad I could help"

> You say "Thanks, Emperor."
The Emperor smiles. "I'm sure Elias would say the same, should he still be alive." He pauses. "I think the most important thing now is to meet with the Grand Alliance and explain what happened here."
"Yes, yes!" Karol says.

> You say "What is the Grand Alliance?"
The Emperor laughs. "An impressive-sounding name for an alliance of governments whose military might is hardly impressive." He pauses, thinking. "I believe their military forces combined would not even equal that of a single Kishak war wagon train."
You pause, not having any idea of what the Emperor is talking about.

> You say "What will happen to the Mayor of Nuro, Emperor?"
The Emperor sighs. "I don't know. I assume he'll be held accountable for the attack that took place here."
You nod. "He should."
The Emperor nods. "Well, I suppose I should meet with the Grand Alliance then."
"I'll come too!" Karol says.

> You say "I'll go with Zal to Nuro and see what's left of the League's bases."
The Emperor smiles. "Very well."
The Emperor summons his transportation. You step forward, toward Zal. You wave, and the two of you disappear from the Emperor's view.
Hours later, you float through the air, hovering over a destroyed landscape. The town you're in looks completely burnt down, with corpses lying around the streets. A large crater lies in the center, the site of a violent battle. Blackened skeletons lie among the rubble.
"This is... a terrible sight," you say.
Zalmora nods. "I think we may have hit the old League base."
"Do you think you can find the old base?" you ask.
Zalmora shrugs. "I don't see why we couldn't. It's not like they could have moved it.

> You say "This is no time for jokes, Zal."
Zalmora gulps, and begins to look around. "Well, where are we going?"
"I think we should try to find the old headquarters."
"Okay," she says.
You soar over the rubble, and begin to slowly fly around. Slowly, you begin to notice a large building off in the distance. It's in relatively good condition. "I think that's it.
"You think so?" Zal asks. "How do you know? You don't have psychic powers or something."
"Just a guess," you reply, as you continue to get closer. The building seems fairly intact.
"I don't see any other League members," Zalmora says.
"Neither do I."
You slow down, hovering above the rubble of the building's first floor.

> You find some corpses.
You slow down, hovering above the building's first floor. You peer into the wreckage, and begin to see a few corpses in tatters lying around. You search among them, but find no one.
"I don't see Elias or anyone else," you say.
"Maybe they retreated to another base," Zalmora says.
You shake your head. "If they did, they're keeping it a lot better hidden. Come on."
You slow down, hovering above the rubble. You begin to drop, hovering down to the first floor of the building. You step off, as the rubble you stepped on crunches. You slowly make your way through the building, until you find a staircase leading down. You go down the stairs, and down to the basement. It's in surprisingly good condition.

> You say "Zal, what did the League use this basement for?"
"I don't know," Zalmora says. "Let's find out."
You drop down to the floor, as your knees hit the ground. You stand up, as you look around the room. There's a large lab in the center of the room. Several alchemy equipment and flasks are placed around the room. You spot something small and black on the floor. You bend over, and pick it up. It's a small, black orb.
"Zal, what is this?"
"I don't know," Zalmora says. "Let's find out."
Zalmora walks over to you, and takes the ball from your hand. She looks at it. "I think this is a ball of darkness."

> You say "What's its purpose?"
"You can use it to communicate with the dead" Zalmora says.
"Cool," you say. "Do you know how to use it?"
Zal begins to examine it more closely. "I think I can figure it out. It's pretty simple."
"Let's do it!"
Zal begins to speak into the ball, and her face becomes serious. She concentrates, and an image appears in the black orb. You look closely at it. It's Jacob. He sits on a bed in his cell, leaning against the wall.
"Jacob! "Zal says. "It's Zal and Grel! We're here to help you!"
He doesn't respond.
"Jacob, we're in the basement of our old base." you say.
He doesn't respond.
"Jacob, please! Listen to me! We're both still alive! We can free you!"
He continues to look ahead, his eyes showing nothing but blankness.

> You say "We might need a way to communicate with the dead, maybe Karol knows how, he is undead."
"Good idea," Zal says. "We'll ask him."
Zal and you walk upstairs. You find Karol in one of the rooms, looking through boxes.

> You say "Hi Karol, how did you get here?"
"I teleported," Karol says.

> You say "Can you speak to Jacob through this ball of darkness, Karol?"
Karol pauses. "I don't know," he says.
Zalmora rolls her eyes. "Stop being a dum-dum, Karol."
"I'm not being a dum-dum!" Karol says. "I'm being realistic!"
"If you can't do it, there's no point in asking," you say.
Zal walks over to Karol, and puts a hand on his shoulder. "I know you can do it, Karol" she says reassuringly.
"Fine!" Karol says.
Karol takes the ball, and looks into it. His eyes widen, and he looks up at you. "I can see the afterlife!" he says.
You nod. "That's good, Karol."
"What is it?" Zal asks. "Can you talk?"
"Not through this," Karol says. "But the necromancer who made it can. He can see and talk through it."

> You say "How do we find the necromancer?"
"We can look in the lab where he made the device," Karol says.

> You say "The basement?"
"Yes."
"Let's go!"
You walk over to the door, and open it. Darkness awaits. You walk down the stairs, and find yourself in a large, empty basement.

> You say "So a member of the League was a necromancer?"
"Yes," Karol says. "And he raised his own corpse to be a vampire."
"Wait, what?" you ask.
"I'll explain on the way," Karol says.
"Hold on," you say. "How come you never told us this before?"
"You wouldn't have believed me."
"Try me" you say.
"Okay," Karol says. "When I first joined the League, I was sent on a mission to Nuro."
"I thought you were sent to get the incriminating evidence against the mayor," you say.
"I was... for a while," Karol says. "But when I got there, I couldn't find anything. So I did what I usually do in those cases. I attempted to break into the vault."
"You got caught?"
"No. I was very stealthy."
"What happened then?"
"A vampire came out of the vault and bit me."
"You're joking. A vampire came out of the vault?"
"No, I'm not joking."

> You say "Is that how you became undead?"
"Yes. The vampire gave me the undead life."
"That's... unfortunate. I guess."
"Indeed. But I'm getting off topic. I was sent back to the League's headquarters to become a full member, Karol. What happened next is what you might expect. I told them what I saw. They didn't believe me at first, but once they entered the vault themselves, they knew I was telling the truth. That's when they made me a full member."
"So the vampire is..."
"Dead. And his coffin is in a room filled with countless other dead vampires."

> You say "And the necromancer?"
"There's only one way to find out!" Karol says."He's dead too. The rest of the League killed him. After all this time, I still remember the look on his face when they burst into his lab and chopped him into bits. That was the last time I ever saw him."
"That's great, but what's the point of all this?"
"The Necromancer Lord... The vampire that that bit me... He told me that he wasn't the only necromancer, and that there was another one much farther north in the lands of Nalin.

> You say "Let's go to Nalin then."
"That's the plan," Karol nods.

> You and Karol cast a teleportation spell with Zalmora to Nalin.
After a moment of concentrating, a shimmering portal opens up, and you all teleports to Nalin.
The moment you appear, you hear a scream.
"TERRORIST!" a voice cries, and the people in the village around quickly begin to run for weapons.
You look at Karol, who's just as surprised as you.
"What the...?" Karol says.
The screams and shouts of the villagers quickly get drowned out by the clinking of swords and armor. You look at Karol, who seems to realize something.
"Follow me!" he shouts, and you follow him as he begins to sprint through the village. He darts from building to building, soon outrunning the sounds of fighting. You follow him through the village, soon passing the edge of the village.
You soon find yourselves on a hill, looking at the edge of a forest.

> You spot a necromancer tower inside the forest.
You notice a necromancer tower, the tall, spire like building among the trees.
"There!" Karol shouts.
You look at the spire, which seems so out of place among the otherwise natural landscape.
"Are you sure?" you ask.
"Yeah, that's the place. Let's go!" Karol says.
You nod, and you all begin to march through the forest towards the tower. The going is slow, as the undergrowth is thick, and you're all covered in mud from the swamp. The trees are Tall and bizarre, resembling palms with large, thick trunks and spheres of leaves instead of actual trees. They're so big that they'd probably blocks out most of the sun in the current climate.
You walk along, Karol walking ahead of you.

> You enter the tower with Zalmora and Karol.
You look at Karol and Zalmora.
"Do you really think we should?" you ask.
"Of course! That's where the necromancer is!" Zal says.
"And that's where we need to be," Karol says.
"Let's go, then," you say.
You nod to both Zal and Karol, and follow as you walk over to the tower.
The tower is big and imposing, made of stone. The door is a massive slab of wood, set in a heavy metal door. There's a display of the word 'NECROMANCER' in dark purple letters.

> You say "Subtle..."
"What?" Zal asks.
"Nothing," you say.
You begin to consider how best to go about this. You could just blow the door off its hinges with a well timed fireball. It would probably break anyway, but it would certainly create a large noise.

> You cast a fireball at the door.
You raise your hand and cast a fireball at the door. The spell is instantaneous, but the power of it is so great that the door is set alight, not just from the inside but from the frame.
The door bursts off its hinges, and the roar of flames fill the air. Zal and Karol both take a few steps back. You walk forward, and the door immediately closes. You look around the room, and immediately see a man in black robes, with a skullcap on his head.

> You say "Are you the necromancer?"
"Correct!" the necromancer says, as he raises his arms in a strange gesture.
Suddenly, ghostlike figures rise from the ground, swirling around the Necromancer.

> You say "I need your help."
The Necromancer laughs.
"You need my help? Ha! You'd need the help of a god to stand a chance. But since I know you're not a god, I'll gladly help you."

> You say "Can you use this orb of darkness?"
The Necromancer sniffs.
"I can try," he says dismissively.
With that, the Necromancer raises his hands up and begins to chant. At first, his words are soft, but with prolonged concentration he becomes more insistent.
Suddenly, a portal appears in the middle of the room. You watch as it grows larger, and larger, and larger...
Jacob comes out of the portal. He has undergone a transformation. His body is that of a rotting skeleton, and his face contorts with a expression of pure hate.
He slowly walks towards you, reaching his skeletal hand out to touch you.
"I'm going to find you. I'm going to find you and I'm going to kill you."
You feel the fear coursing through you, and quickly cast a shield around yourself to contain Jacob.
"You can't stop me. I'm going to kill you."
Suddenly, Jacob's voice begins to break. He begins sobbing, desperately clutching at his rotted hands.
"Why did you do this to me? I was your friend!"

> You say "I need your help, Jacob."
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Jacob's voice chills you to the core. It's high, and frail. It's not the voice of a killer.
It's the voice of a broken man. Jacob collapses to his knees.
"I... I want to live. Please. If you could just save me. Save me from myself. I'm scared... Please don't let me die."
You stand in silence, in shock.

> You say "Necromancer, can you help him?"
The Necromancer raises an eyebrow, and strides forward, grabbing Jacob by the skull with one hand. He pulls it close to his own, looking at it for a second.
"Are you familiar with the tale of the Ghoul King?" he asks.
"Tell me," you say.
The Necromancer begins narrating...
Once, there was a kingdom. The Ghoul King ruled from his castle, terrorizing the kingdom with his undead hordes. One day, a hero appeared in the kingdom. He was a mortal with the soul of a true hero. He defeated the Ghoul King in battle, and slew him. With the death of the Ghoul King, the undead were put to rest. The hero was hailed as a hero, but the Ghoul King cursed him... By taking his soul, he took his life. Without it, he cannot die. Now, the Ghoul King rots in his throne, forever tormented by his eternal anguish. Yet, the hero continues to fight. He continues to resist the tortures of the Ghoul King. He continues to live without his soul. And he will stay like that until the world ends.
The Necromancer drops Jacob's skull.
"The Ghoul King's torture is your torture. His agony is your agony. His curse is your curse. And when the world ends, so will you. It is a sad tale, but a true one."
He turns, and stalks out of the room. You watch as his horde quickly follow.

> You grab Jacob and follow the necromancer.
You quickly rush to catch up with the Necromancer.
"Why did you tell me that?" you ask.
"So you may learn to appreciate the small things," he replies. "Now, follow me."
The Necromancer strides forward out of the hall, and into a large room. Several large, skeletal creatures await him. They look like they're made of bone, with a layer of skin and muscle over that. They're not much higher than a small dog, and are missing most of their limbs. A row of teeth, like a skeleton's, but larger, is always on display with a horribly vacant stare. They're the Ghoulmites.
"Ghoulmites," the Necromancer says. "My little playthings. Now, follow."
You follow the Necromancer as he leads you through the tower. He stops in front of a door, one of many along the wall. He opens it with a small key he has on a chain around his neck. He walks inside, and you follow.
The room is dark, as all the lights lead out, but a candle on a stand provides enough light for you to see by. You're in a small bedroom, with a bed, nightstand, dresser and other items you couldn't identify. The room is neat and clean, with no personal effects. It's a small detail, but something about the room seems... off. Almost... sinister.
The Necromancer sits on the bed, and motions for you to sit next to him. You do so immediately, not wishing to offend.
"So," the Necromancer begins. "What brings you to my humble abode?"

> You say "Can you help me revive Jacob?"
"A likely story," the Necromancer says. "Most people aren't so bold."
The Necromancer keeps his gaze fixed on you, as if trying to read your mind. You shift nervously in your seat.
"Let me think," the Necromancer says. "Yes. I do believe I can help you"
The Necromancer gets up, and heads over to a small bookshelf. He withdraws a book from the shelf, and flips through it. He runs his finger down the page, and then makes a mark with his pen. He looks back up at you.
"Give me an hour," he says. "I'll be back with something to help your Jacob."
"Thank you!" you say.
The Necromancer smiles, and heads out.
You wait an hour, as the Necromancer returns empty handed. He shuts the door, and heads over to the bookshelf. He begins looking through it, before he stops, and makes another mark in the book. He closes it, and returns it to the shelf.
"What did you find?" you ask.
"Jacob's soul is trapped in the orb" the Necromancer says. "If I concentrate, and use my powers of suggestion, I believe I can draw it from the orb."
"You can?" you ask.
"It will take a great deal of energy, however"

> You help the necromancer save Jacob.
"Yes."
"Very well," the Necromancer says. "You'll want to be here for this."
He turns, and heads to a small table by the wall. He picks up a vial, and an uncorked bottle. He pours some of the liquid into the vial, and hands it to you.
"What is this?" you ask. "
"It's an ingredient," the Necromancer says. "Don't worry, you won't need to imbibe the potion."
The Necromancer smiles, and turns away. You wait patiently for him to begin the ritual. After a few minutes, he begins to chant.
You watch as the liquid in the vial begins to shimmer. The vial itself begins to smoke, and the liquid within seems to be boiling rapidly. The Necromancer continues to chant.
Suddenly, a blue portal opens up in front of the Necromancer. He walks into it, and the portal closes behind him. A feeling of dread fills you, and you rush to the table to look through the orb.

> You see the orb explode and Jacob appears at the room.
You watch as a portal opens up, and you see Jacob walk out of it. He is drenched in sweat, and he breathes heavily.

> You hug Jacob.
Jacob hugs you back. He is very happy to see you. You both smile at each other, and hold hands.
"Come on," Jacob says. "Let's go home."

> You say "Thanks, Necromancer, now I'll leave."
"You're welcome," the Necromancer says. "I hope to see you again some day."
"Thank you for the help, Necromancer," you say.
The Necromancer smiles, and disappears.

> You exit the tower with Jacob to meet with Zalmora and Karol.
You wait patiently for Jacob to gather his thoughts.
"So... back to the inn it is?" Jacob asks.

> You laugh, as so does Karol.
"Yeah... great idea," you reply.
Jacob laughs.
"Lead the way, Karol."
You look at Zal, who shrugs.

> You go back to the inn to talk about the League of the Black Rose.
You begin walking to the inn. Zal walks beside you, Karol and Jacob walk behind you. You arrive at the inn, and walk inside. You walk into the common room, where you see three people sitting around. Two of them you don't recognize, a vampire man and woman who are clearly in love. The third person you do recognize, a beautiful red-haired woman who is obviously the vampire's lover. The vampire sees you, stands up and applauds.
"Bravo! You've returned from your quest!" he says. "Have a drink."

> You say "What's going on?"
"Drink," the Vampire says, extending a bloody goblet to you.
"I'll pass," you say.
The vampire looks hurt.
"Come on, man. I was just being friendly. We're on the same quest. We can help each other."
"No," you reply.
The vampire sits down, and stares at you angrily.
"I'm sure we'll meet again...," he says as all three leave.

> You say "What was that about?"
"Nothing. Vampire woo," Karol replies.
You nod, and follow Zal in the inn. You walk, and Zal immediately starts talking.
"So, what happened?"
"What do you mean?"
"The Necromancer. What'd he say? Was he defiant? Did he beg? Did he give in?"
You pause, and sigh.

> You say "He eventually helped, it took a while"
"Eventually?" Zal asks.
"Yeah. He eventually gave in."
"Ah. That's good."
You sigh, and sit down at a table.
"So... the Necromancer is helping?" Zal asks.
"Yeah."
"That's good."

> You say "I guess, what do we do now with the League?"
"We?" Zal says.
"Yeah, we. Were you planning to leave?"
Zal rolls her eyes.
"No. I'm in," Zal says.
You nod. Zal looks at you.
"So... what's the plan?

> You say "Jacob, what happend to Elias and the others?"
"They're in the crypt," Jacob says.

> You go to the crypt and see all the other League members are buried.
"Oh good," you reply. "I guess we can talk about the future."
Jacob nods, and goes over to the bar. Karol joins him. Zal sits down at a table, looking impatient.

> You say "Who is the new League leader?"
"You are" Jacob says.
"Oh, really?" you reply.
"Sure. Why not?" Jacob says.

> You say "Do you agree Zal?"
"Sure, why not?" Zal says.

> You say "And you Karol?"
"Sure."
Jacob hands you a sheet of paper. You read it over.
"The League is back up and running with you as the leader. New recruits are welcome. Joining instructions are on the first page," you read out loud. "Any questions?"
There is a pause, while everyone looks to each other.
"No. I'll get started on the recruits."
"So... what are we doing?" Zal asks.

> You say "We need at least four more members in the League, any ideas?"
"What other ideas do you have?" Jacob asks.
You think about it.
"How about a bard? We could use some music to help us in battle. Some bards have almost magical powers when it comes to music," you say.
"A musician? Sounds good to me," Jacob says.
"I can get a few," Zal says.
"What about a shadow? They're always looking for allies against the Kishak, and the shadows are some of the best fighters around," you say.
"Good idea. We need the help," Jacob says.
You think about it.
"A medical type would be good. You know, to fix our losses and such. You'd be the only one, though. Unless you got someone else?"
"I got someone," Zal says. "But they'd need a place to stay and something to do. You think we could work something out?"

> You say "They could stay here when we rebuild the inn."
"No problem. They can stay here as long as they want," you say.
"That's good enough for me," Zal says.
Jacob nods.

> You say "So Zal will get a medic, Jacob will get a shadow and Karol will get a bard. Understood?"
"Perfect. What will you get?" Zal asks.
"I have someone in mind" you reply.
Jacob laughs.
"Fine by me," Jacob says.
"So, who are you going to get?" Zal asks.
You take the paper from your table and read the name out loud.
"Percival?" Zal asks. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, pretty sure," you reply.
"I've heard about him. He's pretty well-known. Not many people have actually met him, though. All I know about him is what others have told me. He's very shy. Not to mention, he's over five hundred years old. How can you be sure you got the right person?"
You show her the sheet of paper with the information on it.
"Well, I suppose it's possible he's a look-a-like. Or he could be younger," Zal says.