I guess necromancers are supposed to be creepy guys after all.

At first glance she nearly assumed Sam wasn’t human.

He strode up to Ashely and Silira with a grin plastered across his face. The smile was too wide – his mouth seemed to take up an unnaturally large portion of his face. He was tall and thin, and his eyes were intense. His nose was too pointed and too big, and his ears were long and fleshy. Her first instinct was to see him as some kind of huge, pale goblin.

His robes were long and dark and looked vaguely like silk. They shimmered and flowed as he moved. He had a silver chain around his neck and big green and red stones on rings on most of his fingers.

Strangely though, his bearing wasn’t menacing. If anything he seemed calm and casual. Possibly he was even trying to be friendly.

"Silira, long time no see," he said.

His huge grin flickered a tiny bit when he finally got a good look at Ashley.

"And you must be the Night Queen. Impressive titles for someone so... recent."

He stuck out his hand and Ashley took it immediately, not wanting to look hesitant in front of the crowd that was watching the three of them from a distance.

"I did luck out a bit," she said. "plus the murder thing really was an unfortunate accident."

She hesitated.

"Go ahead," he said. "I don't mind."

It was like he was reading her mind. She had been too distracted to Appraise him when he first appeared with his group.

In fact she'd had to resist the urge to turn and run. Out of the forest had come actual monsters. The troll which had lumbered from the woods had been three times her height and had arms as thick as her whole body. But ultimately he was just a giant goblin. What came next had spooked her and it took all of her resolve to not recoil from them.

The two Spectres glided out of the dark trees like living nightmares. They were bedraggled, floating, cursed things with skin and eyes that looked like half-rotted corpses. They had both zoomed towards her without hesitating, and circled her watchfully.

Fuck. I'm the Night Queen right? These are my subjects.

"Appraise"

Spectre (Level 77); ???; ???

Allegiance: Chaotic Evil

Spectre (Level 63); ???; ???

Allegiance: Chaotic Evil

What am I supposed to do with these things? They could take me without any effort at all.

After their appraisals scrolled a list of attributes which she didn't even try to look at.

They appeared to be waiting for something.

It had to be her aura. Her appearance. It was the only thing that was keeping them from attacking her. She was sure of that much.

There was no choice. She was vaguely aware of a few other creatures who had joined the group, but none of them mattered compared to the awful visions in front of her.

"My children," she said as confidently as she could. "I have come to take you home. Your time serving the Demon King is over. We will return to our lands and you will be free to serve as you choose."

The higher-level of the two Spectres drifted forward towards her. Its bulging grey eyes and gaping mouth were vile beyond words. She wanted to look away from it, but held her gaze steady. It seemed to be examining her carefully. She heard a sound that could have been sniffing.

She sighed.

"I am diminished right now, it's true. You can sense it. But I am the Night Queen. I am your Mistress. I will love you and protect you when none else will. Help me regain my power, and we will all return home in triumph."

She wasn't entirely sure where the words were coming from, but they seemed to be right there in her head, waiting.

Rebus had been lurking behind her legs, trying to keep her between the creatures and himself.

"Well said," he muttered. "I think they might buy it."

There was a maddening whispering noise that rattled through her head. It was the Spectres talking to one another.

I hope you're right.

Then they both whipped around and bowed down low in front of her, shrieking terrible howls that made her feel small and young and frightened. She wanted to run away again, but stood her ground.

When they straightened up, new text scrolled past.

Leader, Minor Warband - Band Size Increased

Allegiance: The Damned

Band Size: 22

HP Increase +10x6; Now 410

HP Increase +100x2; Now 610

XP+600; Now 6650

XP+400; Now 7050

I guess I get an extra boost from the spooks. Neat.

She tried to look imperious. Her new mobs were all bowing down in front of her. Even like that, the troll still towered over her. There were three Kobolds, who looked liked some kind of lizard made partially of rocks, and two tiny Gnolls with backpacks as big as themselves. They were the smallest of any of the group and seemed to be made of dried-up wrinkled leather, but she was already wondering what they might be able to do for her.

"Rise, all of you," she said. "This is a good night and a good meeting. I accept your allegiance. Now go join the others. I must speak with these two humans for a moment."

She wondered if the Spectres were going to take kindly to following orders from a spindly little level ten like herself, but they barely hesitated, and drifted away towards the watching crowd of Goblins. None of whom looked very excited at their approach.

Which just left Sam, the Necromancer. Standing there beside Silira and giving Ashley a knowing look.

"Appraise."

Sam of the Red Waste; Necromancer [Reaver]; Level 53

Vowbreaker, Slayer of Innocents, Necrophage, Cursed Child, Unbroken; Dark Councilor

Yikes, I guess I didn't need to apologize for my title.

Now that they were finally all alone together, she pulled out her pendant.

He waved it away with a grimace and spoke quietly.

"No good, you're only keeping secrets to level 10. Which means the heavies over there can hear you clear as a bell even if you use it."

She looked at Silira, who nodded.

"Always be aware of the levels of those around you," she whispered. "And who can hear and who can't."

"In case they get mad?"

Sam smirked.

"Those two you don't want pissed at you, trust me. They may be all that's left of the heavy magical AOE battalions. We used to have hundreds of them."

Ashley was relieved to hear it. Hundreds of those things would be too much to bear. She cast another glance over at the crowd. Many were frowning now at the three of them talking quietly to one another. The Spectres orbited slowly above her warband, looking like they were waiting for something.

"Okay," she said. "But how are you feeling about this? Don't you outrank me?"

He gave her a little mock bow.

"I don't outrank the Night Queen herself, your majesty. I am your humble servant."

"Get real," she said as low as she could. "I don't know where I stand in all of this."

He shrugged but his eyes sparkled as he looked down at her. His mouth really was much too wide, there was something going on with that.

"You wear the crown, you take the role," he said back just as quietly. "You've got an advantage people would kill for. Literally. Use it."

"I need tutorials!" she hissed. "You're both magic users. Help me. Please."

Silira just sighed and looked at the ground.

"I'm happy to help you with anything related to healing," she said. "But I won't teach you to hurt people."

Sam nodded at her.

"Not that you need much help with that based on what you've accomplished so far."

She looked at the Necromancer.

"Is there a... a guild? A group I could join? Dark Magic Users 101 sort of thing?"

"The crowd is getting antsy," Sam said, looking over her head. "This is worse than using the pendants. We can't keep this up."

"Is that a no?"

"It's not a no, it's more of a let's not get ourselves in trouble here. In a nutshell, yes. But for now we need to keep the punters happy."

Rebus was still keeping close to her ankles.

"Time to go be regal, I think," he said.

"Not kidding," Sam said. "We keep whispering to each other and they're going to start getting ideas."

Ashley could see a crowd of angry faces directed towards them now. As usual Gamgrak was giving her the eye. The two Gnolls were watching them and whispering to each other as well.

"Alright, let's go. I want to have a talk with Rogmor anyway."

Rebus tagged along as usual, but didn’t show any inclination to move farther away from her.

The four of them headed into the crowd, with Sam right by her side.

"Your Majesty," he said loudly, "As you know, the Spectres can patrol all night without fatigue. They will of course obey your orders, and it would give everyone a chance to sleep."

"Mistress will do just fine," Ashley said coldly "You can drop your majesty."

Silira grinned and excused herself.

"I'm not so young as I used to be and I'm just as happy to get some sleep, if it's all the same to you," she said.

She followed Sam's advice and commanded the Spectres to patrol until dawn. They bowed slightly to her and wafted away into the woods in their unnerving manner without another word.

Then she caught sight of Rogmor and gestured for him to join her and Sam. The big Goblin came to them quickly, and she steered them away from the crowd.

"I don't know a lot yet about how the Demon King arranged his army," she said frankly. "Are the Spectres going to get mad if I don't treat them specially?"

Rogmor grunted.

"Yours to decide, Mistress. Most of us are happy not to spend time with those things."

Sam seemed to agree.

"The Demon King forged his army out of sheer might. He was never loved like the Night Queen. The peoples that made up his legions wouldn't normally spend time together. Without him it's mostly just a lot of creatures looking for a way home."

"True thing that," Rogmor said. "Goblin trade with Gnolls and Trolls sometimes, but Spectres? They live in deep dark places. Maybe we never saw them before the Demon King came. Same with Wyverns and Dragons. They eat us now and then, that's all. Don't even know where they went."

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"I imagine the ones who are left are up in the mountains," Sam said. "We could use a few of them with us for the journey. They're good for scaring away anyone who isn't really serious about a fight."

Ashley couldn't help showing her surprise.

"You're coming with?"

Sam gave her a wink that Rogmor couldn't see.

"If you will have me, Mistress. I was already planning to group up and head north in any case. Now with your arrival, what else can I do? It's not every day that prophecy is fulfilled."

Rogmor grunted again.

"We get too big, that's a problem. But maybe if they see we are leaving they will let us go."

Then he seemed to remember who he was with.

"But not my place to say Mistress," he said with a quick half-bow. "We all go die now if you tell us to."

"Without hesitation," Sam said, and she wondered if she saw Rogmor give him an angry glance. "But travelling with the Night Queen herself, I expect our numbers will grow pretty rapidly. We should have a plan for dealing with that."

They talked for a while longer, and she guessed it was full midnight by the time she was ready to lie down again.

Sam said he was going to go sleep with the troll.

"Urgmuk isn't much of a conversationalist, but he and I have developed a relationship," he said. "And honestly I think he gets lonely."

Ashley was just as happy to not have the strange figure sleeping next to her and Silira, so she bade him and Rogmor good night and went to find the Mage.

But part of her wasn't at all surprised to find Silira gone when she woke up the next morning.

Ashely[4]: Where did you go? I was hoping to learn more things. And I need spells. You said so yourself.

The reply came back a few moments later.

Silira of New Highwater[4]: I don't trust the Spectres to stay peaceful with me. They're not like the others. But I left you a present and I will tell anyone who might want to join with you all about the Night Queen. We will see each other again.

Ashley[3]: I have to ask about Sam. What the hell? He doesn’t look completely human.

Silira of New Highwater[3]: I’m not sure how to put this delicately. You’re under the same influence. It’s part of your alignment. The more powerful you get, the more frightening you will become.

Ashley[2]: Just great. How bad is it right now?

Silira of New Highwater[2]: Most ordinary people would be terrified. The NPCs I mean. Players will still feel it but most of us are used to it.

Ashley[1]: I have a bad feeling the number means that’s how many messages we have left. When does it reset?

Silira of New Highwater[1]: Every day. Reset is at dawn. First sunlight. You can count on that at least.

Ashley[0]: One left. This is frustrating, I want to sit down and talk for about three days. Can you please give me any advice you think I need? I don’t know if I can trust Sam. Should I?

Silira of New Highwater[0]: You have the loyalty of your people. The crown is valuable and Sam is powerful but I doubt he would openly attack you. Particularly with the Spectres around. They’re unpleasant but they are good insurance for you. Honestly he’s probably a better teacher for you than me anyway. But the more of your people you have with you, the safer you will be. I will be in touch again. Stay well.

She asked around, but nobody had seen her go, apparently.

"Maybe she finds more Goblins to help," Gravmok said with a shrug.

But one of the tiny, wrinkly little Gnolls looked like it had been waiting for a chance to talk to her. When it heard her asking about Silira, it jumped forward to stand in front of her.

"She's a White Mage Mistress! Very powerful! Lots of Illusion magic too! She could still be standing right here and we wouldn't know it!"

The Gnoll's voice was high-pitched and high-speed. Unless she listened carefully it was easy to lose track of what it was saying.

"But we found a thing! Lying on the ground beside us! We're both very sure she left it for you!"

It held out a bundle of deeply dark blue cloth to her with jittery little hands.

Fine Avantium Fabric (1 Bolt); Crafting Material [Defensive, MP Source]

She guessed Silira had left it with the Gnolls so they could make something nice for her. But what fell out of the bundle was even more exciting. It was a slim leather-bound volume, not much bigger than a tiny notebook.

Spell Tome

Healing 2 (30 MP; 75 HP)

Cure Poison 2 (60 MP; 75 HP; Cure to Poison Level 5)

Double Health (80 MP; HPx2; 5 Minute Duration)

There was a "learn" button, so she selected it.

Thank you, crazy lady.

She would have to send her a nice note at least.

"Mistress," the Gnoll squeaked. "We can craft the cloth for you! It is a great find!"

"I thought as much," she said. "Any suggestions?"

"What does Mistress desire? A robe would be more fitting for the Night Queen!"

The other Gnoll had scuttled up to join them now.

"Much better than ugly leather things!" it said.

She elected to ignore that.

"Tell me your names, children," she said.

"Magwa!" squeaked the first Gnoll.

"Omro!" chirped the second.

They both did a rapid bow for her.

"Robes would be more fitting, I agree," she said. "But what other options could I consider? Just so that I know."

They both frowned seriously.

"A cape," said Omro. "That would be fitting too! We could enchant it with protections but it would not generate magic."

"Also pants and a shirt," said Magwa. "If Mistress would rather wear those instead! They would be almost as strong as the cape!"

"That's it?"

"Sorry Mistress," Magwa said, and its little face scrunched up unhappily. "In our workshop we could do much more! Here we have almost no tools and no materials!"

She nodded gravely at the two wrinkly beasts.

"You will have your workshops again. For now, I wish you to make the robe for me."

She was certainly tired of the sweaty and smelly leathers that they had stripped from the dead human. Plus Sam was be-robed as well, and it had to be standard caster attire.

Both of the creatures started jabbering excitedly at one another at such high speed that she couldn't catch a word.

She kept the spell book but let them take the cloth away with them. They instantly sat down right where they were and started pulling things out of their backpacks; bright silver scissors and needles and spools of what had to be metallic thread, as well as several unidentifiable objects that sparkled with dark red magic.

Sam was on the other side of the camp, but she waved the book at him. He gave her a thumbs-up, then said a few words to his troll and walked over to her. They stuck close to the two Gnolls so as not to generate any aggro while they talked.

"Very nice of her," he said. "What did you get?"

"All heals."

"Great," he said, grinning. "But you need to kit up with something a bit more hardcore."

"When I can," she said. "Rebus suggested dungeon crawls."

"Your highness, you're not a pleb. I don't think anyone expects you to muck around in musty old dungeons."

He still had his annoying smirk, but his eyes were serious.

"Don't call me that, okay? Leaving what?"

"Mistress, you're surrounded by willing servants. They will happily bring you the best treasures they can find."

She nodded.

"I guess I'm used to being on my own. It's a fair point."

Rebus cat-stretched and yawned beside her.

"You should ask him where the best places to look are."

The cat seemed to be speaking only for her ears, since Sam didn't appear to notice.

"Any suggestions around here?" she said.

He shrugged. "There are some ancient ruins a day or so north. Might be a good starting point."

"Wait, won't the things down there all be the damned anyway? Shouldn't they just hand their stuff over to me?"

"They're bound. Not so easy to sway, but if any of them survive being defeated then they might join up. Could even be a net increase."

Which sounded worth the gamble. She waved at Rogmor, who jogged over to her.

"I want to send out a party to look for spellbooks or any other good stuff in the ruins north of here. Sam can give you more details on how to get there. You choose who goes, okay?"

The goblin considered it.

"We can spare four or five, but it probably get messy down there. We could use the troll."

"He's yours," Sam said. "But they should take one of the Spectres too. It will outlevel just about anything they meet."

Rogmor frowned.

"The guys won't like that, but it will keep them safe. Spectre will do as the Night Queen says."

In the end it was all organized at speed. They were clearly used to carrying out orders. Three goblins were going - including Garmak, her original first goblin. He looked excited to be doing something special for her.

"I bring you great treasure, promise!" he said.

"I'm sure you will," she told him. "I'll be rooting for you to level up more too."

Even the looming presence of the lower-level of the two Spectres near him wasn't enough to wipe the smile off his face entirely.

You're certainly not much use to me like this, of course.

She wasn't going to give away her best spook though. She needed at least that much as an implied threat against Sam getting any ideas.

They brought one of the Kobolds with them as well, for its tunneling and fire resistance. It bowed deeply in front of her, but she forgot its name almost instantly. She wanted the little group to get going so that her main party could work on finding more roving bands from the Demon King's army.

But Urgmuk, the big troll, apparently still had something on its mind.

Sam gave him a solid kick on his backside and said, "Hurry up, just do it." The Troll didn't even seem to notice him.

It fell to its knees again and garbled something at her that sounded like rocks grinding together. She couldn't get a word of it and looked to Sam for help.

"He's asking if he can bring back any wild Trolls they find. He seems to figure he can talk them into joining us. It would probably be better than fighting them."

"Urgmuk," she said. "If you can find me any Trolls that want to join us, they are welcome. I will take them as my own."

There was another rockslide garble from the troll, and it looked up at her gratefully. It was the first time she'd seen his eyes. They were brilliant ruby red.

Once they were gone Sam said to her quietly, "Trolls are pretty rare these days. He'll be in your debt forever if he finds any. Not that it's very likely."

But Trolls were big and tough. More of them was obviously better, so it was a no-brainer to encourage it. She mentally wished it luck.

They finally sent the dungeon group off around noon, and Ashely took the lead of the rest of her little army. She had the Spectre and a few Goblins scouting ahead, on Rogmor's advice but she gave the orders - she thought she needed to be seen taking charge. Rogmor and the senior Goblins, Gravmok included, walked behind her and the rest followed up.

Except Sam, of course, who took a position off to one side and kept giving her sidelong glances. He looked like he still had something on his mind.

The cat strolled along beside her, apparently enjoying the new scenery. They seemed to be briefly being given some space.

Or maybe the creatures need their own space without the boss hanging around too.

"Rebus," she said quietly, "I can't get a read on the Necromancer. Do you trust him?"

"You're big news. Everyone will want to join you. Get used to it."

"He's evil though, right?"

"So are you, kid. But he'll be looking out for his own interests too. It would probably be smart to dangle something he wants."

She gave the cat a careful look.

"What?" he said, staring up at her.

"There are things I want, too," she said.

"Your loyal followers aren't enough?"

"I want to return to my world. Apparently it makes everyone angry if I talk about it though."

"You got that right."

"You're not like them. Even the way you speak. You use my way, not theirs."

"I'm your familiar. I'm connected to you very deeply now, and I do what I can to make myself clear. That includes picking up on how you speak."

"But it doesn't make you mad if I talk about it."

"You're asking if I have answers. Sorry, I don't. I know this world. I know you're from another one. But I don't know anything about how the two connect."

"Not even a suspicion? Something that would..."

Rogmor had caught up with the two of them, and he cleared his throat loudly behind her. She glanced back at him, and he was frowning.

"Mistress," he said. "You hear that?"

Ashley realized she'd been so focused on the cat that she hadn't been paying attention to anything else.

She stopped to listen, and the whole group shuffled to a halt behind her.

There was a distant noise, but she recognized the sound already. Shouts. Clanging metal. It was a battle.

At the same moment the horrible form of the Spectre floated through the trees, making a beeline straight towards Ashley. It stopped in front of her, and the whispering static of its voice grated inside of her head. She couldn't understand any of it.

Sam had come over to join them now as well.

"It says that some of our kind are under attack by a group of mercenaries. Seven of them, and probably twelve of ours. Plus a number of dead on both sides."

"This is good news," Rebus said. "Now's your chance to look like the Night Queen."

She whirled around on her warband.

No time like the present.

"My children!" she bellowed. "Some of us are under attack not far from here. Would it please you to go and kill some humans?"

The group roared as one. Even the little Gnolls were jumping up and down and squeaking.

Except Rogmor, who chuckled and nodded at her.

"Good," he said. "Too long without a fight."

"There are seven human mercenaries. Are there any magic users?"

A buzzing whisper came to her from the Spectre, and Sam shook his head.

"Not one!" she said to the group. "Let's do this now, before another one of us is slain!"

There was another huge Goblin roar.

She pointed at the Spectre.

"Lead us to the battle. Quickly."

But as Ashley ran behind floating form of the Spectre she took the time to check her messaging display. She wasn't going to make that mistake again.

MESSAGES

Sam of the Red Waste; Necromancer (53); in range; 1 unread message

CONTACTS

Sam of the Red Waste; Necromancer (53); in range

Silira of New Highwater; White Mage (57); out of range

UNVERIFIED CONTACTS

Andrew of Highwater Fold; Paladin; in range

Annelyn of Soren Free State; Sorcerer; in range

Oh shit.

She really needed to remember to check her contacts and messages. Thumping between the trees and trying not to catch a branch in her eye, she padded to Sam's message.

Sam of the Red Waste[4]: We should try to talk when the spook is on patrol tonight. You're probably going to see a couple of new contacts come up soon. The Sorcerer may be a problem. Remember you're the NQ now. That's yours. She's free to complain about it all she wants.

Damn. Are we running into a problem here?

"Sam," she yelled. "I sense two presences, do you? Are they with the mercenaries?"

She had no doubt he would pick up her meaning.

"They're headed our way," he said as he sped along through the forest with his robes trailing out behind him like smoke. "But they're not with this group."

They were almost on top of the battle now. She could hear Goblins growling and shrieking, men yelling, and metal clashing.

Then without any warning she ran out of the forest and straight into the middle of it. It was a clearing filled with Goblins and men, fighting without any obvious plan - it was just an open melee. It looked like the Goblins were having the worst of it. Slashed and broken green bodies littered the ground, along with a few corpses of men.

The biggest of the mercenaries drove a battle-axe through the skull of a Goblin and whirled around to see them.

"Reinforcements!" he bellowed. "Watch your back!"

To Ashley's pride her Goblins leapt into the fray without even a second's hesitation. It was the first time she'd seen Rogmor fight. He was a demon. He whirled with his sword, dancing between the groups and shouting encouragement to the new Goblins.

"Kill them all! We here now! Night Queen is with us! We cannot lose!"

Already two of the remaining men were down, and the others were falling back, obviously looking for a chance to run now that they were badly outnumbered.

Which is when the Spectre floated out of the forest behind them.

One man actually screamed when he saw it, and turned and ran. This was a significant mistake though, since it drew the creature's attention. It flowed across the ground at twice his speed and curled its form around him like a spider wrapping up an insect.

There was a gurgling scream from the man that went on for a surprisingly long time.

Ashley and Sam both held back, watching. She was prepared to send in any necessary casts to support her people, but they didn’t seem to need it. To her surprise, Rebus leapt up to her shoulder and sat there enjoying the view.

Of the remaining four mercenaries, two more were killed within seconds. The Goblins didn't have any problem with unfair numbers, that much was clear. They swarmed the men and overwhelmed them, until they fell under a rain of slashes and stabs.

The last two were killed trying to flee, and dropped to the ground with axes in their backs.

Ashley let them celebrate - it had probably been a long time since any of them had any excitement like this. The Goblins whooped and laughed, and the Knolls and the two Kobolds all watched from the sidelines looking happy too, even though this had been the Goblin's victory.

Now we can...

Contact Offer: Annelyn of Soren Free State (Sorcerer)

Typical.

She didn't really want to deal with a player conversation right now, but taking Sam's message into account this might be something she couldn't afford to ignore. She accepted with annoyance.

Annelyn of Soren Free State[4]: We've been tracking the Night Queen's Crown for quite a while. I gather from Sam that you're the one who found it. I don't want to be a pain but we need it. It's important. Once we have it we're happy to transport you somewhere safe. It's overpowered for you right now anyway. We will also give you a pretty amazing amount of gold. This is a good deal. You should take it. We will be there soon.

Shit.

She stalked over to the Necromancer, who was was pointedly not looking at her.

"You told them about me?"

He shrugged and shook his head, motioning to the crowd of creatures with his eyes.

"I also gave you my advice about it," he said quickly and quietly.

"What level are they?"

"Low fifties," he said and turned his back, walking away from her.