Phioren put on the emerald-encrusted crown and raised herself to her full height, her face radiating arrogance and command. She was absolutely convincing as Queen Odriana, and every naga in the tent except King Urctanus knelt before her. I followed suit.
“What is to be done, my queen?” Urctanus asked. “How shall we respond to this attempt on your life? Shall we exterminate the green hags of the Baildril?”
“No,” Phioren said. “Green hags are attuned to the spirit of the swamp and call upon great wisdom. This was no mere attack. This was an omen.”
Phioren closed her eyes and raised her arms out to her side, as though channeling divine insight. Like everyone else in the tent, I watched in silence.
“The message is clear.” Phioren opened her eyes and faced the king. “The Baildril demands that we change our plans. Rather than attack our neighbors, we must focus on making Nagak-Thurn a finer city for our people. Only then can we satisfy the spirit of the swamp.”
“But we’re almost ready to attack!” Urctanus roared. “We’ve planned this for—!”
“We shall create new plans,” Phioren interrupted, “and forge a new destiny. A destiny of peace.”
The nagas around me bristled at this, and many of them clearly sided with Urctanus. There was only one thing to do. I raised my fist and shouted.
“Glory to Queen Odriana! Odriana the Wise!”
Silence filled the tent, and for a moment, I thought the nagas might attack me. But then they raised their spears and joined my cry. A message scrolled at the bottom of my field of view: QUEST COMPLETED: STOP THE NAGA ASSAULT. +2,500 XP!
Phioren beamed. “Join me, my beloved subjects, and we will make Nagak-Thurn the envy of the two kingdoms!”
I sighed with relief as more shouts erupted, supporting the queen. Events hadn’t gone according to plan, but the quest was complete and no one wanted to kill me. Then a thought occurred to me.
I raised my voice. “What of the other cities, my queen? As we speak, the lizardfolk of Zelenkh are planning a counterattack, and Raven’s Rest holds us in deep contempt.”
Phioren nodded. “We will send diplomatic emissaries laden with gold to pacify those we have wronged. In time, we will have trade relations, and after that, treaties.”
“As for you,” Phioren pointing a royal finger at me. “We must have words. I will lead you out of the city, and henceforward, necromancy will be outlawed in Nagak-Thurn. Is that clear?”
I lowered my head. “Yes, my queen.”
Phioren addressed the king. “While I talk to this human, prepare diplomatic missions to Zelenkh and Raven’s Rest. We mustn’t lose a moment.”
“Yes, my queen.” King Urctanus bowed. “I’ll start at once.”
⚔
The two of us left the city in silence. As soon as we were far enough away not to be seen, Phioren transformed back into a green hag, with straggly green-gray hair and a tattered robe. She leaned against a tree and collapsed in giggles.
“You certainly changed the plan.” I gave her my most withering look. “We never talked about you becoming the new queen.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Things turned out far better than we’d planned. Aren’t I amazing?”
“Amazing for now,” I said. “But things could end badly. Are you ever going to tell Urctanus the truth?”
“Of course not. The poor dear would be heartbroken, and besides that, he’s the finest male specimen in the Baildril. And we are going to reign over a golden age for Nagak-Thurn. A golden age!”
I sighed. I didn’t appreciate what was Phioren was doing, but I wasn’t in a position to lecture anyone on honesty. Besides, I had other concerns to grapple with.
“Leoren said that raising the army of naga zombies was Palomir’s idea. Do you think she was telling the truth?”
“I don’t know," Phioren said. "I used to think I was good at judging people, but I’ve been proven wrong. I knew Leoren hated the Baildril, but it never occurred to me that she would go to such lengths to leave. I’ve spoken to Palomir a handful of times, and though he was arrogant and self-righteous, he seemed devoted to stamping out necromancy. But people change, don’t they?”
I nodded. Talking to Palomir just became a greater priority.
“I’m on my way to Palomir’s temple. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
Phioren smiled. “Please do. And thank you for all your help.”
A message scrolled across the bottom of my screen. NEW AFFILIATION: FRIEND OF THE BAILDRIL. SWAMP CREATURES WILL NO LONGER ATTACK.
⚔
I returned to the necromancer's cave and burned Zuvil's black robe. I donned my snakeskin armor and boots, sheathed Ebonclaw, and strapped on my Crossbow of Murder. A rogue once more, I trekked toward Palomir’s temple.
As a friend of the Baildril, I didn’t need stealth, so I sloshed through the marshland as though I was on a nature hike. I waved to a giant spider and wished a pleasant afternoon to a group of blink frogs. They responded with friendly ribbits, then returned to chasing butterflies. Live and let live. I almost regretted becoming a rogue instead of a ranger.
As I mused on the topic of rangers, my thoughts turned to the mysterious Palomir. Was he really responsible for the gnoll raids and the naga assault? I hoped Farrow was right, and that it was just slander. Maybe Palomir had been replaced with an evil twin, like the naga queen. Or maybe he’d gone over to the dark side. As Phioren had put it, ‘People change, don’t they?’
Judging from the Global Map, I’d reach Palomir’s temple in twenty minutes. As darkness approached, lights began flashing around me, as though hidden photographers were taking snapshots. Each time I turned, the eerie lights vanished.
To my left, an orb of light the size of a baseball rose from the marsh. It was a will-o’-wisp, a nocturnal swamp creature made of light and magic. Will-o’-wisps were known to attack travelers, but this one simply hovered in the air.
To my right, four more will-o’-wisps emerged from the swamp’s surface. They didn’t seem threatening, but I was getting nervous. If they all attacked at once, I’d have a hard time defending myself. I looked behind me and counted seven more floating orbs.
I walked faster now, and to the north, I could vaguely make out the columns of a temple. When I turned, there were at least twenty will-o’-wisps following me.
“I’m a friend of the Baildril!” I called out. “Headed to the temple. I mean no harm.”
The will-o’-wisps started buzzing. There were more than fifty of them now, and they all rushed toward me. I ran toward the temple, and if any of them struck me, I’d use my Speed Burst ability.
But nothing touched me. The will-o’-wisps flew in front of me and dashed about as though chasing one another. They formed strange lines in the air, like lasers forming a holographic image.
I gasped when I saw what was happening. The will-o’-wisps formed the contours of a glowing female face. Its lips were pressed together, and I couldn’t tell if the figure was angry or afraid.
“Hello?” I asked.
The eyelids rose and a pair of dark, intense eyes focused on me. The lips parted, and the female voice was low and somber.
“Mark my words. Explore the forest to the west, which rewards adventurers who unravel its mysteries. Venture not to yon temple, whose only bounty is death.”
As the last of these words were uttered, the eyes closed. The will-o’-wisps stopped forming lines and flew apart, floating to different regions of the marsh. Without a sound, they dipped into the swamp water. In a matter of moments, I was alone.
I stood motionless, thinking about the strange warning. I hadn’t explored the western forest yet, and Tarlest had mentioned something about strange encounters there. I was sure there were plenty of wolves, owlbears, and other creatures that would give me experience, but I’d gone to a lot of trouble to learn about Palomir.
I really wanted to investigate the temple. I’d hoped to arrive during the day, but I was still interested in exploring it at night.
Besides, I could do backflips, walk on tightropes, climb like a spider, and run without making a sound. I was lethal with my crossbow, and I could mix potions and call upon Light Magic. I was a spellcasting ninja sniper, and I wasn’t afraid of anything.
On top of that, this was just a temple of rangers. What were they going to do, throw granola at me?