By the time Kaelem and the party had made their way back to the mercenary guild hall, the sun had already started to set. They had taken the full day to travel back leisurely, heavy with exhaustion, but carrying a strong sense of triumph.

They pushed through the large wooden doors, greeted by the usual warmth of the activity within the guild hall. The receptionist who Kaelem recognised from his first visit, a sharp-eyed woman named Fenn who kept order in the hall - raised her gaze, her brow arching slightly as she noticed their battle-worn expressions.

“Didn’t get lost on your way to the goblin mine, did you Olrik?” she asked, a note of surprise in her voice as she straightened her chair. She took a glance at the party, the bloodied armor around Olrik’s shoulder, Annara’s bandaged leg, and the general weariness that seemed to hang over the group.

“Something like that. The job’s done but it wasn’t exactly what we had signed up for.” Olrik explained, offering her a tired grin.

Fenn’s fingers paused over her parchment as she looked up again at Olrik. “Go on.”

“There was only a Death Knight lurking at the bottom of the mine.” Olrik said, folding his arms as his voice became graver. “The goblins were no problem, but that knight… it was like fighting death itself.”

Fenn’s eyes widened. “A Death Knight? In a goblin infested mine?” Her voice dropped to a hush, though there was a notable urgency to it. “That’s… highly unusual.”

“Tell me about it,” Rod chimed in with a wry smirk, flexing his shoulders as if he was still feeling the tension from the fight. “I’ve seen some nasty things in my time, but nothing that made goblins look like pests.”

Fenn scribbled some notes with her quill. “I’ll add that to the official record. I’m sure the higher-ups will want to start an investigation into the area if there was a Death Knight left there.”

Olrik shrugged his shoulders. “If they’re concerned about the necromancer who raised it, we took care of him too.” He glanced at Kaelem and gave him a cheeky wink.

Fenn added to her notes before looking back up at the party. “No wonder you all look like you’ve been through the wars. I’m sure they’ll still want to investigate the area, necromancers are no laughing matter.” She smiled at Olrik before attempting to raise their spirits, “but hopefully that’ll put you all in good stead for a bonus.”

Olrik handed over the guild token for the job, proof of the mission’s completion by returning it. His tired expression lightened at Fenn’s mention of a bonus.

“Oh, Kaelem right? The Ice King left you this.” Fenn handed over a note she had been keeping on her desk, a hastily scribbled message in Selkor’s handwriting:

“Off to see an old friend for advice on our mutual acquaintance. Olrik and his team are a reliable bunch, so hopefully they showed you the ropes well enough. A goblin mine should have been a decent warm up. Stay with Olrik until I get back and look after yourself boy.”

Kaelem read the note twice, he was both curious and concerned. Selkor was off somewhere, to meet a wizard. Considering Eryndor’s potential threat, it made sense. However he couldn’t help but wonder who Selkor was meeting.

“Selkor will be back soon,” Kaelem said to the group after digesting the contents of the message, a hint of relief in his voice.

“Good, no need to worry lad.” Olrik clapped a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “He’s an odd one, but he’ll be back before you know it. Not many people would be stupid enough to mess with the Ice King.”

Kaelem let out a self aware chuckle, it wasn’t that long ago that he had tried to steal from him.

Once Fenn had finished the paperwork, the group moved to one of the guild hall’s back rooms to rest - a quiet place meant for debriefings. They settled into worn chairs surrounding a low wooden table. Kaelem sunk into a seat across from Annara, feeling the fatigue catching up to him.

“So,” Olrik began, looking around at the group. “What the hell happened back there?”

Kaelem looked over at Olrik, the recent battle playing out again in his mind. The sight of the Death Knight’s relentless pursuit sending a shiver down his spine.

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“It almost felt like it was waiting for us, boss,” Rod said, Annara nodding in agreement. “Like the goblins were just bait.”

“Possibly,” Vex agreed, her eyes drifting off in thought. “That necromancer… He definitely wasn’t an ordinary apostate. His magic was old and dark - lost magic you’d only read about in history. He must have been powerful when he was alive, but succeeded by his own creation though. Tragic.”

“I felt it too, the dark magic the necromancer used - it was horrible.” Kaelem said, glancing at Vex.

“I’ve faced plenty of undead, but nothing like that. It wasn’t just attacking us; it felt like it was trying to drag us to whatever hell it came from.” Annara said, rubbing her leg.

They fell silent, reflecting on the intensity of the fight. Even now the image of the Death Knight’s stare had a hold on the group.

“It’s just strange, that undead could have held its own against an entire army. But it was sitting in the bottom of a mine. “ Vex added, her eyes darkening.

Rod leaned back, his posture relaxed. “But we defeated it. I don’t know about you, but that’s going on my list of achievements. ‘Rod the Death Knight Slayer’.”

Olrik chuckled, though his gaze was distance, thoughtful. “Even so, Vex is right. A Death Knight staying in an abandoned mine isn’t normal. There’s something strange going on, we’re missing the big picture.”

Kaelem couldn’t help but think, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if this was somehow related to Eryndor.’

“Who knows, maybe the Ice King had a hunch at what was down there and that’s why he sent his apprentice.“ Vex said, as if she had somehow read Kaelem’s mind. “Who knows if there’s more of those things hiding out there, probably best we keep our guard up and expect the worst for a while.”

They shared a moment of quiet, each silently fighting with the thought of facing something like that again, or something worse…

Eventually the group began to collectively relax, between bouts of silence they shared stories of past encounters. Of beasts and eerie crypts, bandits and haunted houses, of dark mages and haunted dungeons. The room was warmed by laughter and merriment. Rod had hopped onto the table, proudly showing on his rear where he had maimed a bandit.

Vex leaned forward, her eyes steadying on Kaelem. “Hey,” she began, her voice as quiet as usual. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you, that shield spell you cast - it saved me from the shadow spell while I was casting.”

He looked at her with surprise, shocked she had even remembered amidst the chaos that had gone on down there. “Oh, yeah - of course. That’s what teammates are for right?” he shrugged, trying to downplay it, but he couldn’t deny the sense of pride at her praise.

Vex chuckled softly, there was a warmth to the way she looked at him. “It might not have been much, but you were quick on your feet. I don’t think we’d have made it through today if you hadn’t joined us.”

Rod elbowed Kaelem playfully under his ribs, grinning. “Our little fledgling wizard has a heroic side as well, huh? Always good to know we have another spellcaster watching our backs.”

Kaelem laughed, his cheeks flushing at the teasing. “Well someone’s gotta make sure you don’t end up with an arrow in your butt.”

As the night wore on, their laughter grew louder, Kaelem found himself learning more about the small quirks that made each of them unique. Annara, who seemed so fierce and reserved at first, was a shameless storyteller. She painted vivid, exaggerated pictures of their past battles, much to Rod’s amusement.

“And there was this one time,” Annara recounted with a grin, her eyes gleaming as she drew her dagger and set it down on the table, “I ended up facing off against a barbarian twice my size - he was massive, hulking over me like a mountain. But one well-placed cut, and down he went with his manhood.”

Rod was beside himself with laughter. “Now you’re about as much of a man as I am!” he said in his best Annara impression.

Annara rolled her eyes, but with a satisfying smirk. “Laugh all you want, but he dropped like a sack of manure. A win is still a win!”

Olrik laughed wholeheartedly, watching Kaelem take it all in. “You’ll get used to her eventually.”

Kaelem grinned, tonight was exactly what he needed after everything he had been through. He was starting to feel isolated, but the group had been beyond welcoming. For once he didn’t feel like an outsider watching from the side lines.

“So, Kaelem,” Vex said with a glint in her eye, “got any stories you’d like to share?”

Caught off guard, Kaelem hesitated, trying to think of an exciting moment. “Nothing like yours,” he admitted, glancing at the wall as he searched his memory. “I used to, um, slip past the guards in Ashbarrow to sneak into underground fights. Didn’t always end well, but I learned a lot.”

Annara let out a low whistle. “You sneaked off to watch fights? And here I thought you were clean-cut hero material.”

Kaelem laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hardly, have I told you about the time I stole a scroll from a wizard?”

As the night waned, Olrik learned forward, catching Kaelem’s attention. “You know, lad,” he began, his tone more serious, “we consider you part of the group now, after everything we’ve been through. If you’re interested, you’re more than welcome to join us on our next job.”

Kaelem’s eyes widened slightly, excited at the thought of their next mission. “Really? It would be my pleasure.”

Olrik gave him a nod, smiling brightly. “Good, we’ll rest for a couple of days first. I think we’ve all earned that much.”