Beacon and Berik ran into the mansion, hoping beyond hope that it wasn’t too late to save their coach from whatever horrible creature had attacked him. The interior was dark, save for a few lights lit intermittently along the hallway. It was completely silent inside, and, for a moment, it felt like they were trespassing.

“Does Coach live here?” Berik asked. He asked in a hushed voice, like he might wake someone up. “Or is it just Lord Monrovedere?”

Beacon looked around for any clues. “I think it’s just the owner. Coach Beardenbeard has an apartment in the same complex as Euclid and me. But I don’t know if he’s there now.”

The [Fighter] tried to shake the Arcane Eye. Though it was made of nothing but light, he was somehow able to hold it and take it with him. “Coach, are you home?”

The orb was silent. Even the sound of struggling would be more welcome than nothing. Except, after a bit, there was a sound. A noise that came not from the Arcane Eye, but from further on down the hallway. It sounded raw, ragged, like someone trying to saw through a particularly gnarly branch. The two of them froze.

“What the hell is that?” Berik asked.

Beacon drew her bow. “It sounds like some kind of monster.”

They listened again. The sound of a snarling beast echoed down the hallway from a room further on.

“From Coach’s briefing, it sounds like there are quests set up in most of the rooms in the mansion,” Beacon said. “I think maybe a monster from one of the room-quests got out and is wandering around.”

Berik unsheathed his sword and took out his shield. “Maybe you’re right. But whatever it is, we can take it.”

“Quiet, now. I don’t think it knows we’re here,” Beacon said. She crept to the end of the hallway where it opened out into the foyer. The room was completely dark, save for the lights back in the hallway they had just exited. They could only see a vague outline of the splendid room.

Priceless art glared down at them from the walls as they snuck into the receiving room. Beautiful furniture and flawless marble flooring only served to make them feel like trespassers in a world they were forbidden to see.

The sound emanated from a long divan set against a wall with two matching chairs sitting nearby. Whatever it was growled again, a low, ragged, snarling sound. It didn’t sound like it was moving around, but it still sounded big enough to be a threat. Beacon nocked an arrow as she ventured further into the foyer, quiet as a shadow. Berik tried to emulate her, but his armor was just too bulky. Despite his best efforts, he clanked as loudly as a band during the annual Dawnport Ocean Gods Appeasement Day parade.

Beacon made a gesture towards the plush divan. Berik finally caught up to her and crouched with her behind a bust of an important, terrifyingly old man. “Do you think we can just sneak by?” he asked in the barest of whispers.

“Maybe. But I want to know what Lord Monrovedere has prowling in his house. We aren’t told nearly enough to make this job any safer. So let’s do some reconnaissance of our own.” Before Berik could stop her, she darted to the divan in a low run. He had no choice but to join her. And when he did, he could finally see what the horrible monster of the foyer was.

Nirlid lay on the divan, long lanky limbs sprawled out as he slept like he didn’t have a care in the world, especially not trespassing.

“What is he doing here?” Beacon asked. She lowered her bow.

Berik shrugged. “Maybe he was tired from practice today?”

“We should…we should just leave him,” Beacon said. “He seems cozy enough.”

Berik nodded. But when they turned to leave, Nirlid’s eyes opened. Faster than should be possible, he leaped onto the divan, snapped a leg in a crushing kick and sent Berik flying into the bust. It fell to the floor and shattered into a million pieces.

“Thieves? In my home? You won’t survive tonight!” Nirlid yelled.

Beacon held out her hands. “Whoa, calm down! It’s us! Your party members!”

The sea elf blinked and ran a hand down his long mustache. “What are you doing here? Everyone else went home.”

“Yeah, except for you,” Berik said, standing with a wince from the rubble of the bust. “What are you doing?”

Nirlid sat back down on the couch. “Me? I live here now.”

“What, in the mansion? Or just the foyer specifically?” Berik pressed.

“My mom has been pushing me to move out of the house. So I told her my employer has a place I can stay,” Nirlid said.

Berik sheathed his sword. “I sure wish Lord Monrovedere had given me that offer! How much is he charging you for rent?”

Nirlid yawned. “Nothing.”

“Nothing? How did you manage that?” Berik asked with the desperation of a man who had always lived paycheck to paycheck.

“Does he really need more money?” Nirlid asked.

“Monrovedere doesn’t know you’re staying here, does he?” Beacon asked.

Nirlid said nothing. His perpetual frown only intensified.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

“Nirlid, that’s called “squatting”. And it’s illegal in Dawnport,” Berik said.

“Why?” Nirlid asked.

The [Fighter] was blindsided. Weren’t elves supposed to be wise and mystical or something? “Because of property laws. Look, you can’t stay here.”

“Monrovedere doesn’t even know I’m here,” Nirlid said. “It is possible that he won’t even see me. His home is so huge and wasteful.”

“It’s still squatting,” Berik said. “He could call the Watch on you. You’d probably lose your position in the Dawnport Dragons, if you didn’t just go straight to jail.”

Nirlid cracked his knuckles. “I’d like to see them try.”

Beacon shoved her way between them. “We got more important things to worry about! Coach Beardenbeard is in trouble!”

Berik nodded and held out the Arcane Eye. “Right. We heard his voice through this. It sounded like he was being attacked.”

Nirlid rubbed his bald head. “Can he not handle himself?”

“His attackers didn’t sound human,” Berik said.

“I’m not human either.” The sea elf reclined on the divan and waved a hand, gesturing to them to leave him alone.

“It sounded like a monster, Nirlid,” Beacon said. “He rents a place in my apartment complex, so I know where he lives. If he’s not in danger, great. We’ll go home and have a good night’s sleep. If he is in danger, well, it’s good that we showed up.”

Nirlid rolled over, grumbling. “I had to fight twenty dust dervishes and solve a stupid puzzle in the tea room today. The big orc wasn’t much help. We decided to just bash our way through the magically locked door and destroy the lamp that summoned all the dervishes. That was enough to complete the quest. And that was good enough for me. I’m done doing things for today.”

“Fine. Be that way,” Beacon said. “But we’re gonna tell Coach all about your illegal squatting. And I’m pretty sure he won’t be happy about that.”

The sea elf sighed. “Fine. Let’s go visit the coach. It’s not like I have a limit to how much life energy I can use to charge my strikes or anything.” He swung his legs and stood, scowling the whole time.

“Now we’re a party of three,” Beacon said. “This will be easy.”

“As long as sprites don’t try to set the place on fire, I’m right there with you,” Berik said with a smirk.

Together, the midnight party left the mansion and ran to Beacon’s apartment complex, hoping that they weren’t too late.

****

Shady Grove Apartments stood at the intersection of Dressmakers Avenue and Spring Street. Made up of four two-story buildings, it was only a little more affluent than Berik’s own place. He knew this because there didn’t seem to be any stray dogs roaming the area and there wasn’t too much broken glass on the street.

Nirlid and Berik followed Beacon as she ran up the stairs. “I’m going to get Euclid,” she said.

“Why?” Berik asked.

She turned and looked at him in great frustration. “So we’re a complete party of four.”

Berik nodded and didn’t argue any further.

She unlocked the front door. Berik saw that it was only a one-room apartment, with the kitchen and bathroom and bedroom all being the same thing, leaving it up to the tenant to make sense of everything. The dwelling was bare of any furniture or any sort of creature comforts. A bad painting of a meadow was the only color that could be found in the residence.

They found Euclid lying on a long, roll-up mattress pad used by bachelors and divorced men all over the kingdom. His eyes were closed and he was lying as still as the dead. Berik wasn’t sure how to approach waking him, but Beacon didn’t hesitate. She just nudged him with her foot.

“Eukey. Get up. We’re going. Coach is in trouble and we’ve got to help him out.”

The strange man immediately threw off his blanket and rose to his feet. He didn’t seem to be groggy or sleepy in the slightest. Nor was he surprised at the sight of Berik and Nirlid in his apartment. “Let us make haste, then.”

Nirlid seemed to want to linger, to look around the apartment. He looked like he was focusing intently, looking for something out of the ordinary, but Beacon was already out the door.

“Come on, Nirlid! We’re movin out!” Berik said. Nirlid grumbled but he followed. Together, they dashed along the walkway until Beacon stopped in front of a particular door.

“This is it. But I don’t have the key. I wish I knew how to pick locks like…well, like Key,” she said.

A swift kick from Nirlid battered the door open. He looked at the impromptu party as if to say “After you.”

They filed into the coach’s apartment. Beardenbeard’s dwelling wasn’t a sad studio apartment like Euclid’s. He actually had separate rooms for different purposes. The living room was neat and orderly, though there were quite a few empty liquor bottles piled up in the garbage can. Berik winced. Admiral Stockington’s? Now that was a fast way to a really awful hangover.

Beacon held up a hand for silence. “Hear that?”

“No.” Berik strained his ears, trying to hear what the ranger was talking about.

“I hear nothing,” Nirlid said, gesturing to his long, pointy ears.

“That’s exactly my point.” Beacon shook her head. “He’s not here.”

Euclid closed his eyes. “He is.”

Berik wasn’t surprised at his statement. Nirlid, though, seemed off-put by the announcement.

“How do you know?” the sea elf asked.

Beacon rolled her eyes. “Spooky mind powers. Look, we don’t have time for this. We have to find Coach.”

She went to a closed door and pressed her head against it. Hearing nothing, she flung it open and drew her short sword to face whatever was inside. Inside was only an unmade bed, a set of drawers, an end table, and an ornate shield lying on the floor.

“The hell?” Berik said. He entered the bedroom and stood over the shield. It was pretty impressive. Maybe he could borrow it? It was wrought in the shape of a fearsome, snarling devil’s face.

“Eukey?” Beacon asked. “Are you picking up anything?”

The unusual [Mage] pointed at the intimidating shield. “Coach Beardenbeard is in there.”

“What? How?” Beacon asked. She looked at the shield like it was the oddest creature she had ever seen.

Euclid could only shake his head and hold up his hands. “I do not know.”

Berik was tired of poking around for answers. He marched up to the shield and poked it with his sword, hearing a satisfying clink of metal on metal.

“Well, that didn’t work. What now?” he asked.

A shrieking laugh filled the room. From the shield’s surface, a pair of clawed hands emerged, pulling along a twisted, hideous creature behind them. Leathery wings flapped, and a leering visage glared at them. About the size of a turkey, it leaped out of the shield and dove straight for Berik’s face. He swatted it away with his shield easily enough, but as soon as he did, more laughter followed.

The bedroom became filled with the sound of fiendish giggling, flapping wings, and slavering jaws. At least a dozen little imps had emerged from the shield and were ready to attack.

“Are you looking for the dwarf?” an imp laughed. “Good! Then you can join him. In Hell!”

As one creature, the imps shoved the four adventurers toward the shield. They could do nothing as they were sucked inside the devil-face and entered a realm where everything was darkness, turmoil, and fire.