Thomas was up early the next morning, thinking about what he needed to do. He didn’t want to break things off with Frank, but the way the bard had acted the night before was unacceptable.

He sat beside Garyn and set about emptying his mind, asking Belvira to bestow her wisdom upon him. When he came back to his senses, he stood up and made his way to the kitchen.

Cata was busy slicing pieces of bread, placing a cooked egg between the slices.

“Good morning,” he said brightly. “I figured everyone would want a good breakfast to start the day.”

“Thank you,” Thomas smiled, taking a plate from Cata.

The two sat at a table and quietly ate their meal. When they were finished, Cata turned to Thomas.

“Listen, I heard what Logan said to you last night,” he said.

“You knew about me and Frank already, didn’t you?”

Cata switched to the elvish language.

“I know about the two of you now, and it does not lessen my admiration for you,” he replied. “I was referring to what Logan told you about me.”

“I’m sorry about that. Logan is always trying to mess with me and Frank. I can assure you that there were no ulterior motives in my decision to help you,” Thomas said.

“I wouldn’t mind, actually. It’s just, some of the things the kobolds did…” Cata trailed off as he glanced at the stairs.

Logan was standing halfway down the stairs, glaring at the two.

“Spreading gossip about us already?” he growled.

“Actually, Thomas was telling me about how you helped him save Garyn from a bear trap,” Cata lied smoothly.

“I did no such thing. I wouldn’t save that mutt if my life depended on it,” Logan snapped. “And don’t you think I can understand you? I am an elf after all.”

“You’re different from any elf I’ve seen,” Cata said.

“You haven’t seen many elves stuck in that nest of reptiles.”

Marc chose that moment to walk down the stairs.

“What’s going on down here?” he yawned, holding his head.

“Cata and I were talking,” Thomas provided.

“I’m surprised they weren’t doing it on the table,” Logan said in Common.

“Knock it off Logan. You know Frank and Thomas are together. Speaking of Frank, that was some performance he put on last night.”

“We didn’t do anything,” Thomas said. “I was not about to have sex with a man who was so drunk he was foaming at the mouth.”

“Common please,” Marc grimaced. “A hungover brain is no friend of translating.”

Thomas breathlessly switched languages, and said, “Sorry.”

“I’m surprised you three don’t have hangovers too,” Marc said, sitting at the table, as Logan moved to the dark corner of the room.

“I got some eggs and bread cooked if you want them,” Cata said.

“I’d love some,” Marc said. “Thank you.”

Cata made his way to the kitchen, and Thomas turned to Marc.

“Marc, I actually need some advice. I don’t know what to do with Frank. He got really drunk last night.”

“So did I,” Marc reminded him.

“I slept in a different room last night.”

“That is understandable,” Marc nodded. “I have to admit, I am a little surprised you rejected him though.”

“If Margaret were drunk out of her mind and you weren’t, would you have sex with her?”

“Point taken.”

Cata placed a plate on the table in front of Marc, then took a plate to Logan.

“I don’t want your food,” Logan snarled, and Cata hurried back to the others.

Thomas sighed.

“I’m sorry,” he said to Cata, as Margaret entered the room.

“Thanks for the water,” she said, kissing Marc on the cheek.

“We are not drinking from that cask again,” Marc said.

“Agreed.”

“Thomas?” Frank’s voice called from the stairs.

Thomas stood up.

“I’ll be back in a bit,” he said, before heading to upstairs, followed as usual by Garyn.

Frank was standing in front of an open door. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked miserable.

“Can we talk?” he asked.

Thomas motioned toward the room, and the two entered, closing the door behind them.

“I’m sorry,” Frank started.

“For what? For making me look like this is just about sex?”

“I don’t even remember most of last night. Did we... ?”

“What the hell?! What makes you think I would have sex with a slobbering drunk man who just dragged me to a room?!”

Frank’s face broke into a look of cautious relief.

“I have never been that drunk in my life Thomas,” he said.

“And I hope you never are again. If you ever try to have sex with me while either of us is drunk, it is over between the two of us,” Thomas said, before heading back to the group.

“Good morning Frank,” Cata smiled, as the bard made his way down the stairs. “I made you some breakfast.”

“So, what are we all doing today?” Margaret asked as she finished her own plate of food.

“I want to go back to the forest, and get some wood to make a bow for Cata,” Thomas replied.

“I’ll go with you,” Frank said.

“I need you here Frank,” Margaret denied. “I need you to help me figure out what these casks are labelled.”

“I think last night’s experience was bad enough,” Frank told her.

“Yes, which is why I need someone who can decrypt a code. You’re a bard. You know things.”

Marc began speaking to Margaret in a deep guttural language that Thomas couldn’t make heads or tails of. The two began arguing, motioning toward Cata several times.

“I’d like to go with you Thomas,” Cata said.

“That would be great! You could learn about the different types of trees!” Logan said sarcastically.

“I’m going to stay here, and get a workshop going. We’ll get a smithy out back,” Marc said.

“I have some tools, so Cata and I might carve a few arrows on our way back,” Thomas added.

“You guys go do your thing, and don’t worry,” Margaret said.

“Screw that!” Frank yelped. “You come back as soon as you get your wood!”

“We’ll need to get an axe to cut the wood,” Cata said.

“And a sword so you have some kind of weapon,” Thomas agreed.

“Will Garyn be okay with a journey?”

“He was great on the last journey we were on,” Thomas said. “I’ll need to get you a robe too.”

“Just go already,” Margaret laughed.

Frank stood up and kissed Thomas on the lips.

“Fags,” Logan intoned.

“You better come back to me,” he said.

“Frank, don’t worry,” Thomas replied. “I’ll be okay.”

“Remember Thomas. Healing spells are your friend,” Marc said quietly.

“I will.”

He and Cata transferred their gold to a single box, and then they headed out to the stable. After making sure the horses had eaten their breakfasts, the two mounted their horses, and set off further into town.

Their first stop was a general store, where Cata bought a backpack, a bedroll, a blanket, and a pint-sized flask for water. Next, they made their way to a blacksmith, where they bought a small hatchet and a hunting knife. Their final stop was a clothing store, where Cata tried on several different robes, before finally finding one that fitted

The robe was a deep green that went nicely with Cata’s light brown hair. It offset his light green eyes, making them appear even more mysterious.

“Perfect,” Thomas smiled.

Cata paid for the robe, and the two began their journey.

“Frank! Pay attention!” Margaret called, snapping her fingers at the elf.

Frank blinked.

“I’m sorry. I was lost in thought,” he said.

“I understand, but I want to get this place opened tomorrow. We are nowhere near that point. What is this letter?”

“A Dwarven S. Margaret, I really screwed up last night.”

“You were drunk. We all got drunk.”

“Thomas and Cata didn’t.”

“Well good for them,” Margaret grunted, lifting a 300-pound cask and shoving it on a shelf. “They probably didn’t drink as much as we did.”

“That’s not the point. Margaret, I have never been drunk like that before. And now Thomas is going to think I’m always getting drunk.”

“But you’re not. He’ll see that, and this all will be forgotten. Hand me that case?”

Frank gave her a case of glass bottles. Marc shouted in pain, and Frank hurried to see what had happened.

Marc was standing on a half finished deck behind the inn.

“Are you okay?” Frank asked.

“Hit my thumb instead of the nail,” Marc explained, sucking the injured appendage.

“Big baby,” Margaret chuckled, kissing the human. “Frank, why don’t you help him, so he doesn’t hurt himself again.”

Frank sighed.

“I wanted to go with Thomas, but instead I’m stuck labelling casks of beer and building a deck,” he mumbled.

Logan sat in front of the local crypt, in the middle of the graveyard. Leaning against the statue of a rather large man, he muttered under his breath as he copied a spell from his book onto a scroll.

”Greetings. You’re Logan, right?”

Logan looked up from his work to find the mayor standing in front of him.

“Yeah,” he said, standing up. “What can I do for you?”

“I noticed that you can write. Can you write any other languages fluently?”

“Elvish, Goblin, Draconic, Gnoll, Sylvan, Orc-”

“Perfect. Would you be interested in becoming a scribe for me? I lost a few scribes in the attack, and I’m trying to train others.”

“What would I be doing?” Logan questioned.

“Just translating documents at first. You will receive five silver per document.”

Logan shrugged.

“I’ll do it,” he said.

“Great! Can you start today?”

“Sure. Why were you in the graveyard?”

“Visiting the dearly departed,” the mayor said, as he ushered Logan toward a carriage.

Thirty minutes later, Logan was sitting at a desk, staring at two sheets of parchment, one of which was blank, and the other filled with writing. In neat, precise handwriting, he began translating the document.

“I’m not sure about this,” Thomas said, staring at an old, half-destroyed tower that stood about forty feet tall.

They were about an hour’s walk into the forest and had not been able to find any yew trees, though Thomas had taken several branches from a fir tree. The sun had just hit its zenith, and they still had a good seven hours of daylight left.

“It will be great! I’m sure we can find all kinds of gold and treasure,” Cata said.

He approached the tower, and heaved open the warping door. Sighing, Thomas followed him into the building, whistling softly for Garyn and leaving Collin outside the door. He breathed a word on a stone he pulled from his pocket, and a bright light appeared. Thomas instantly clenched his hand, dimming the light.

“That’s a neat trick,” Cata said before the two took stock of their surroundings.

The hall they were in was about two hundred feet long. The walls were covered in a dark wood that seemed to absorb the light Thomas let fall upon it. The floor was made of a slightly brighter wood, though it was covered with dust. On either wall were several doors, all made of the lighter wood, and also covered in dust.

Thomas made his way to the end of the hall, keeping the light just bright enough to see. He found a winding staircase on the left, and an alcove on the right with a skeleton lying in it. The skeleton was covered by a shirt of chain and scraps of cloth lay around it. In a hand was a rusted sword, and lying scattered beside the skeleton were several arrows in various condition. Thomas picked through them, finding a couple that were in useable condition. A longbow was lying in three parts under the corpse, and he sighed at it. Thomas grabbed the rusted sword, figuring it could at least slow down an enemy.

As he returned to Cata, Thomas motioned toward a door on the right, and Cata went to open it. As the elf’s hand brushed the handle, the wall beside him suddenly morphed into a large mouth that bellowed, "WHO DARES ENTER THIS PLACE AND INTRUDE UPON THE SANCTUARY OF ITS INHABITANTS??”

Cata yelped, but was drowned out by a second mouth on the opposite wall.

“ONLY A GROUP OF FOOLISH ADVENTURERS SEEKING DEATH. THEY SHALL PERISH IF THEY PROCEED!”

The two mouths began cackling, their laughter growing in volume until they vanished with a slight pop.

“Shit, that scared me,” Cata said.

Several squeaks filled the air, and Thomas glanced at Cata.

“Here. This will work better than nothing,” he said, handing the rusted sword to the elf.

“Thanks…”

They backed up toward the door, as hundreds of rats poured from the walls. Thomas unsheathed his sword and stepped in front of Cata, getting into a defensive stance. Several rats leapt at him, and he sliced through them, getting several minor bites and scratches in the process.

Cata stepped up beside Thomas and swung wildly. Rats went flying into a wall, where they remained, lifeless. On Thomas’s other side, Garyn snarled, lunging at the rats. He caught one, and bit its head off, spitting it back out almost immediately.

A rat leapt for Thomas’ neck, and he swung wildly. Sharp fangs bit into his neck but missed the major arteries. Thomas tore the rat from his neck and hurled it against the ground. Bringing his sword around again, he swung down, but his sword met only the wooden floor.

Cata struck again, his blade hissing through the air, as Garyn bit and clawed through several more rats. Holding his neck, Thomas dodged a flying rat and hacked through a clump of the beasts. Cata swung low and completely missed the group.

The rats were starting to thin out, several edging away from the pack, though a dedicated core battled on. Garyn leapt through the swarm, emerging from the other side with a rat clinging to his fur. The rats lunged at Thomas, and eight slammed into him, bowling him over. Thomas rolled away, and swept his blade around, finishing off the last few rats that were still attacking him.

Standing up, he looked Cata over.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” he asked.

“Am I okay?! Thomas, those things bit the hells out of you!” Cata cried.

“I’m fine Cata,” Thomas said, limping slightly as he made his way to Garyn. He checked the wolf over, He noticed that Garyn seemed to be avoiding the rats, and figured they probably had some kind of disease. Thomas began wracking his brains, trying to find a way to cure a disease, but nothing came to mind.

“Cata, I might be diseased,” he said. “You’re going to need to watch me, and tie me down if I do anything weird.”

He handed Cata the fifty-foot coil of rope he had in his back and took a moment to pray to Belvira for some healing, in hopes that it might ward off the effects of whatever disease the rats carried. Several of his wounds healed, but he continued to walk gingerly, phantom pains lingering.

Thomas picked up the glowing stone from where it had fallen, and the two opened the door that had triggered the magic mouths, holding their breath. They let out a sigh of relief as the hall remained quiet, and entered the room.

In the room, the walls changed to rough blackish stone, though that wasn’t what caught the elves’ eyes. Arrayed around a tiled floor were fourteen pools, all about five feet in diameter. The air was filled with a myriad of smells, some sweet, and others pungent.