Erevan teleports to Yokind-Burg. Having rested for a day and restocking his supplies. He heads to the tavern Valhalla. Entering the building he sees the normal rowdy Yokind-vikings. The tavern keeper nods to Erevan and then gestures to one of the doors. The hunter nods and then head into the back room.

“Well he makes six.” Crenshaw says as Erevan walks into the room.

The half-orc contact is leaning over a table, sitting around it are a few familiar faces, and Erevan smiles upon seeing them. Marvela the Shanno slime breeder, Valerie the gore kineticist, Nortom the gunslinger, and Crenshaw the pact mage.

“Good to see you again!” Marvela hops up and offers Erevan a handshake.

Erevan pulls her into a hug lifting her a bit.

“Okay, down now.” Marvela says and Erevan places her down.

“It's so good to see all of you.” Erevan says, feeling somewhat tired all of a sudden.

“Have you been doing a lot?” Nortom asks.

“More than I can handle.” Erevan replies.

“Yet you live.” Crenshaw says happily. “Up for another mission, Burkwood.”

“Yeah, let's get this shit.” Erevan says.

“Alright, there is a hunting lodge out this way reporting some monsters beyond their pay grade. I need you to go in and kill them. I’ll give you a token so the closest waystone glows. It’s an abandoned one in a cave.” The half-orc explains.

“I know where it is.” Erevan takes a gold token from the table. “I know the area well.”

The group each grab a token and leave the tavern. Crenshaw behind studying his ancient tome. Marvela and Valerie talk as they walk. Nortom jogs up to Erevan and walks alongside him.

“Hey Erevan.” Nortom says leading into a conversation.

“What do you want?” Erevan states cutting to the chase.

“So, what is your relationship with Valerie?” Nortom asks, stumbling on his words.

“Friends.” Erevan says, hearing a silent sigh from Nortom. “For now.”

The group arrives at the waystone and Erevan nods to the group before teleporting via the waystone. He steps out in the dark cave he once was in with Celise. Each of the party appears in the room and they set out towards the nearby hunting lodge. Crenshaw and Marvela take up the rear, Nortom walks in the center of the group watching ahead curiously, while Valerie walks alongside Erevan.

“I’ve been wondering if you were going to visit me again.” Val says.

“I want to, I’ve just been busy, a lot has been going on.” Erevan says feeling somewhat defensive.

“Well you can talk to me.” Valerie senses his tenseness.

“I had a fight with another adventurer. They wanted to kill me, but they didn’t. And I let them live.” Erevan says.

“Why did you fight?” Valerie asks.

“We had a disagreement of morals that could not be settled.” Erevan shrugs, but knowing more questions are soon to come he continues. “I had killed two men in self defense that were friends of the adventurer. When confronted I once again fought in defense when they would not listen to my side of the story.”

“And you decided to let them live? Valerie asks and Erevan nods. “Then you are the bigger person.”

The group comes to the entrance of a hunting lodge. A rectangular and long building. Erevan hangs back while Valerie approaches the door. She knocks on it and a hunter from the guild opens the door. A man associated with the other hunters Erevan had killed.

He’s an older, bigger, blonde haired man. He stands in the doorway and speaks. His voice resonating in his barrel chest. Crenshaw and Marvela walk up behind Valerie.

“So you lot are the ones the adventurer's guild sent over huh?" He looks over the group and shakes his head slightly. "Well, whatever. Yes, there is a lake nearby, I spotted several wights lurking near it. I would go chop them down, but we've been told to leave the wights to you people. Apparently, they curse others with their undeath?" He shrugs.

"Thank you for your confirmation. The Adventurer's Guild told us as such, but I find it's best to confirm these reports directly with those involved. Is there anything that you can tell us about the lake or the wights that might be relevant?” Valerie speaks.

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"I was out chopping wood before the blizzard when I spotted them lurking by the lake. At least four of them, but I did not stay long enough to confirm that number." The man says, nodding.

"No less than four, got it." Crenshaw nods. "Which direction is the lake from here?"

"You see that tree line over there?" He is pointing to his right. “You will find a forest trail that leads directly to it." The hunter says.

"Is this a regular occurrence? That is to say, has anything similar ever happened in this location? Wights don't spontaneously generate, from my knowledge." Valerie asks.

“We have not dealt with many undead here.” The hunter grumbles.

"That sounds about right. If we get turned, feel free to chop us down, since that probably would not be forbidden by your leaders." Crenshaw says.

"No such thing will happen to us." Valerie snaps back at him.

"It doesn't hurt to be cautious." Crenshaw shrugs.

"If they manage to kill everyone, then we no longer really have to worry about whether or not we're cut down. Not like we'll be there to care.” Marvela says in an uncaring tone.

"There are some things that extend beyond death, horned one. I'd like my body to be laid to rest." Crenshaw says.

The party makes their way through the forest to a frozen lake. As the group steps out into the open they see on the lake three wights. One of the undead spots the party approaching and roars. The three undead turn and run towards the party.

Erevan sets up his ballista, shoot the nearest one, the ballista sails through its midsection but it keeps lurching towards the party. Valerie steps forward, slowly tracing one sandal through the snow, as she takes a firm stance.

"See if you can use fire against these to make the job go more smoothly. It seems as though these creatures aren't too strong. This seems as though it will be easy." Crenshaw says as he flips through pages of his magical tome.

“I feel like you may have just jinxed it." Marvela says as she takes out a small containment cube.

"Jinxed? There's no such thing as luck. If we're prepared and capable, all will go well." Crenshaw replies.

As the first undead reaches Valerie it swings a clawed hand at her. She grabs its arm, kicks one of its legs out from under it, and flips it over her. The creature lands with a harsh crack on the ice.

“Maybe stay off the ice!” Crenshaw calls out.

Nortom runs forward, onto the ice with Valerie, and fires three shots at a wight running towards them. The creature doesn’t flinch as three holes rip through it. It reaches Nortom, slashing out, as the gunslinger raises his arms defensively. The claws rake through his flesh and soul draining him of life and energy.

Crenshaw blasts the far wight with an explosion. The wight crosses its arms, tanking both attacks, before beginning to stalk forward again.

Erevan fires his ballista at the wight attacking Nortom. He swings his blunderbuss around and steps out onto the ice. He aims down at the wight Val slammed onto the ground. He fires a slug into his head killing him. It cracks the ice underneath him, but not all the way through.

Erevan sighs with relief. There is a dark shape that grows moving closer to the surface of the lake. Erevan reloads his blunderbuss as he yells.

“Something under the ice!” He aims his gun down at the ice as another wight bursts from underneath. The ice shatters in a spiderweb formation. On one side of the wight Valerie slips and slides into the water with the undead. On the other side Erevan falls through the ice and plunges into the cold depths.

Erevan feels a rush of energy, pain overwhelming his mind, and the urge to gasp for breath. The extreme cold of the water threatens to take him under as his heart beats out of control. He can see the wight in front of him, sinking, holding onto Valerie.

Erevan raises his right arm and fires a crossbow bolt from his bracer. It slams into the wights back. Val breaks free of the creature's grasp and slams her hand through its head. She pulls herself up onto the ice. Nortom grabs her and drags her away. Erevan swims up. His arms hit ice above him.

He’s trapped under the ice. This isn’t how he wants to die. His body is so numb it's burning. He can’t control himself any more. Gasping for breath the cold water fills his lungs. He sticks his right fist up and fires his crossbow. It barely hurts the ice. Erevan looks around, trying to swim, trying to escape.

Erevan is panicking. He knows he is. He needs to focus to live. Focusing on the ballista, it reloads, and fires at the ice. The bolt punctures through the ice and part of it sticks out the bottom of the ice. Erevan grabs that bit of ballista bolt and injects himself with a dose of the werewolf serum.

A red glow comes from above the ice as it melts around him. The bolt loosens and begins to sink. A half dozen hands reach down, grabbing Erevan, pulling him out. They drag the hunter towards the snow away from the lake. He coughs, gags, turns to his side, and vomits. Retching the water out of him as he struggles for breath.

He feels the hypothermia, the frost bite, the burning in his lungs, fading quickly with the regeneration from his serum. He also knows his helmet is gone, lost in the icy water below.

“Out of the way. I can heal him.” Nortom moves his fancy needle towards Erevan’s arm.

Erevan grabs Nortom by his wrist and looks up at him.

“Don’t.” Erevan says.

“It’s not your time to die.” Nortom says.

“Not that. I’m fine.” Erevan says as he pushes himself to his feet.

The others back up staring at Erevan.

“Why aren’t we worried about Valerie?” Erevan asks.

“I can control my body heat, and I was barely in the water. You drowned.” Valerie moves forward putting a hand on Erevan’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I’m fine. I’m stronger than I let on.” Erevan says, shaking his head slightly.

He holds a hand to his head, he has a splitting headache. He walks back over to the edge of the ice and holds out his hands. Erevan mutters an incantation to make them lighter. His blunderbuss and his helmet bob up where the ice is broken. He reaches down and picks them up.

As he lifts himself up he sees four more figures on the other side of the lake. A wight in robes steps forward behind three undead werewolves. Erevan’s mind starts to piece things together. They must be going the backway towards Hvardrik’s cave.

They need to kill these four here at the lake. He can’t let any retreat to the cave and he can’t let any of his friends follow their trail. This has to end here. If the adventurers find Hvardrik. They will kill him for being a necromancer. For practicing dark magic.

This has to end here or Erevan’s best friend could die.