The group stares at Horatio’s cold corpse as his blood spills from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Doctor Iris rushes to his side, checks his pulse, and then feels his neck.

“His neck was snapped. He’s dead.” Doctor Iris says.

“You all saw him. He was attacking her! I didn’t mean to kill him.” Xanther backs up, knocking over a chair, as he retreats from the group.

Erevan steps forward, lifting Horatio’s body into a chair, before taking out one of his empty alchemical cartridges. He collects some blood pooling out of the man’s mouth. He then takes a napkin and swabs the inside of Horatio’s mouth.

“What are you doing?” Amaranth cries out.

“He’s checking for poison.” Doctor Iris replies.

Erevan turns and nods to Doctor Iris before walking to the kitchen. He mixes the blood into a pot filled with water and begins to cook it over a stove. He then sets the napkin in a kettle with water and sets that on the stove. Once it’s boiling he starts to mix the contents around.

There are black flecks in the pot that is boiling. In the kettle, he separates out some plant fibers. He digs through the kitchen finding Silversage, Nightlock, and Pondweed. These three plants could have adverse effects when mixed properly and match what he's found in the samples. But no common maid would be able to accomplish such a thing.

Erevan walks back into the dining hall. He gathers the other Champions.

“This is a murder. No one gets out. Noah, questions the attendees. Drek, watch the door. Krenshaw, check for any traces of magic. Hera, come with me. We are going to search for the maid.” Erevan looks to the other party members as they all nod agreeing to their assignments.

“Stay safe,” Drek says.

“I’ll do my best,” Erevan replies.

Hera and Erevan heads past the kitchen to the flight of stairs. They go down into the basement where it seems many pieces of furniture, wine, and other oddities are stored. Off to one side is a servant's quarters. Erevan and Hera enter the quarters, finding them empty. There is a bed, a chest, and a table with a chair.

Hera sits on the bed and some dust comes up from it.

“How can a maid live somewhere so dirty?” Hera asks.

“Who knows,” Erevan answers as he kicks open the chest.

Flies buzz out. Erevan waves them away and looks down. The chest is full of chopped body parts. But the maids face stares up at him among the gore.

“Is that what I think it is?” Hera asks with a gulp.

“Yeah,” Erevan says questioningly, “but she looks like she’s been dead for days. Rot has set in.”

Erevan closes the chest and the two return to the party upstairs. Erevan see’s Krenshaw and goes to him.

“Detect any magic?” Erevan asks.

“Yeah, Xanther is wearing armor that protects his whole body with an aura effect. Amaranth has a magic ring that makes her whole appearance about ten years younger. And the others have some little trinkets of protection and beauty. Nothing big.” Krenshaw says.

“Good.” Erevan nods.

“So you’re a Raven?” Krenshaw tilts his head slightly.

“Not the time. Where is Noah?” Erevan asks.

“Went into the library. Already interrogated Amaranth, Xanther, and Iris. He’s in there with Ordel now.” Krenshaw replies.

“Alright, I’ll give him more time.” Erevan nods. “The maid was in disguise, she killed Horatio, but her disguise was perfect. Meaning she can probably mimic anyone, I wouldn’t trust any of the guests at this dinner party if your eyes went off them for a second.”

“That just leaves Amaranth, Primrose, and Professor Bisman.” Krenshaw says.

“I know.” Erevan nods and looks back at Hera. “Stay here with Krenshaw. Watch Amaranth.”

Erevan heads to the entrance of the house to where Drek is. Drek nods to him. The ratfolk is once again strapped with a sword. Erevan grabs his blunderbuss and slips his helmet back on.

“Brother, has anyone tried to leave?” Erevan asks.

“No one.” Drek answers.

“And you don’t think anyone had the chance to leave before Horatio’s death?” Erevan asks another question.

“It’s possible, but not through this door.” Drek replies.

“How can you be certain?” Erevan looks over at the heavy wooden doors.

“Their creaking sounds like the screams of a child. Of my kind at least. I would have heard these doors open.” Drek answers.

“Very well then.” Erevan nods and turns back around.

Noah is standing in the open doorway of the library showing Ordel out. He waves to another attendee. Professor Bisman walks to the library and enters. Erevan steps forward to join them when he hears yelling from the dining hall. The hunter quickly pivots and goes back into the room.

“You aren’t her! You can mimic her appearance, but you don’t have her taste!” Doctor Iris is screaming at Primrose.

Erevan glares at them and then turns his vision to Hera and Krenshaw glaring at them. Hera shrinks away and Krenshaw shrugs.

“So, I told them,” Krenshaw says.

“Fine. Primrose! You can follow me.” Erevan holds the door to the dining hall open.

Primrose exits the dining hall, walking past the hunter.

“To the sitting room. We can talk there.” Erevan says.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

The two head into the sitting room. Erevan closes the door behind him. Primrose glares at Erevan as he turns around to face her.

“You’ve been quiet all night,” Erevan asks.

“Well, tonight has totally blown my cover,” Primrose says.

“What?” Erevan recoils from the blunt answer. “You’re cover?”

“I was working with the maid. We were going to bring them all down. The whole lot are diabolists. The only power or magic they have comes from Devil worship.” Primrose crosses her arms.

“What’s your proof?” Erevan asks.

“They keep the contracts in a hidden compartment in the library,” Primrose says.

“Okay, so your plan was to just kill six people with the help of a maid?” Erevan asks. “When did killing the original maid come into play.”

“There was no original maid. She got me in a month ago, and we’ve been working to take them down.” Primrose steps away from Erevan.

“You didn’t notice anything weird about her tonight?” Erevan asks.

“No,” Primrose mutters. “Something happened to her, is that what you are saying?”

“Yeah, she’s been dead for a few days,” Erevan responds.

Primrose brings her hands to her mouth.

“Who have I been working with?” She whispers.

“I don’t know,” Erevan says. “Let’s find out.”

Erevan listens to Bisman leave the library. He opens the door for Primrose and nods to Noah. The three go into the library together.

“She says the others are devil worshipers,” Erevan says.

“Not surprising. They’re all assholes.” Noah says.

Primrose bends over, reaching under a desk, she pulls out a few documents and turns back around. Erevan and Noah both look in different directions.

“These are the documents.” Primrose sets the contracts down on the desk.

Erevan and Noah both peer over at them.

“Yeah, looks demonic to me.” Erevan shrugs.

“Hmm, I did not study ancient infernal contracts,” Noah says.

“Well you two are useless,” Primrose says.

“Hold on one second,” Erevan says as he opens the door to the library. “Drek! Come here real quick.”

The ratfolk scurries to the library and they close the door once again.

“Can you read infernal?” Noah asks.

“Of course.” Drek answers. “Oh, wait, that means bad things are happening.”

“Yeah, we have evil contracts in the house.” Erevan nods to the papers.

“Okay, yeah, mhm.” Drek reads them. “Standard power contracts for each guest that is here, a few more for Horatio, and even one for Primrose here.”

“For the real Primrose.” She quickly states. “You can call me Scarlet.”

“Okay, looks like Drek missed something.” Drek shrugs.

“Simple then, we kill them all?” Erevan looks up.

“No, their souls feed the devils they contracted with if we do that. It’s best to take them in alive.” Scarlet explains.

“So you were going to take on six people, who are empowered by devils, and you were going to do it nonlethally?” Erevan smiles at what seems ridiculous to him.

“You have no idea what I can do.” Scarlet answers.

“Okay, but whoever killed the maid is still here,” Erevan says.

“What?” Drek, Noah, and Scarlet all turn to him.

“They are either disguised as Amaranth or Bisman,” Erevan says.

“I will be able to tell. Bring them both in here.” Scarlet says.

“Will do.” Erevan leaves the room and heads to the dining hall.

He opens the door spotting Amaranth, Ordel, and Xanther speaking in one corner with Krenshaw. Doctor Iris is talking to Hera and Bisman on the other side of the room. Erevan walks across the room, stopping as he rounds about the table, spotting someone in their group.

Drek stands next to them.

“Hera,” Erevan calls out, his voice cracking a little.

“Yes.” Hera turns to face Erevan. “What is it…”

Hera looks down at her midsection as blood pools down her maid uniform. A small black tendril, like a hardened shadow, splits as it pushes out in every direction. Hera’s body bursts apart in a shower of gore, her legs slumping down and falling over. Eight tendrils whip through the air. Slamming into Bisman, Erevan, and Iris.

Bisman slams into the wall behind him with a sickening crunch before falling limply to the ground. Iris screams before she is slammed into the table, folding over it as her back snaps, and her scream cuts out. Erevan is slammed in the chest and thrown back through the kitchen door.

“What the fuck!” Krenshaw yells.

Drek’s clothing disappears and his fur flattens across his body leaving the white ratfolk looking like he has pure white skin. The creature's mouth warps, fusing closed, its nose retracts into its face, disappearing, and its eyes fall to the ground rolling away as the sockets fill in. The creature grows standing over eight feet tall.

A blast of fire explodes outwards in the middle of the room. The creature’s tendrils wrap around it, protecting it from harm. Krenshaw readies more fire magic as the three attendees with him run towards the exit to the room. Amaranth turns the corner, running towards the exit, Ordel close behind her, and Xanther pauses in the doorway.

“Come on!” Xanther yells before two tendrils slam down on his head.

His head bursts, turned into fresh paint for the walls, as his headless body stumbles backward and falls to the ground. The creature then turns towards Krenshaw and throws itself over the table. Krenshaw leaps out of the way and the monster crashes through the wall right to where the front entrance would be.

The screams of Amaranth and Ordel are enough to know their fate. Krenshaw scrambles across the hall and helps Erevan up. Erevan’s shoulder is bleeding where his wound from yesterday has reopened.

“Fuck this man, we’re getting out.” Krenshaw drags Erevan up and the two head out of the kitchen and towards the stairs.

Noah, Drek, and Scarlet stand outside the library. Drek holds his sword out defensively, Scarlet grips a dagger, and Noah prepares a spell.

“Just run!” Krenshaw screams.

It’s too late. The monster launches across the hall, slamming into Scarlet, smearing her across the ground leaving a trail of gore. The creature turns to attack the others. With a flick of his finger Erevan sends a ballista bolt through the monster.

The bolt slams it against the wall. The creature begins to whip its tendrils around, grabbing furniture, and dragging itself off the ballista bolt.

“That always works,” Erevan mutters.

Krenshaw drags Erevan upstairs. Drek and Noah run in the other direction and into the sitting room. Erevan and Krenshaw make their way down the main hall of the second floor. The creature follows them, whipping a tendril out that grabs Krenshaw’s leg, and pulls him to the ground.

Erevan turns and fires his blunderbuss at the tendril. It lets go, as all eight of the creature's shadowy appendages whip around. One tendril slams into Erevan throwing him through a door. Erevan wheezes, feeling some of his ribs are cracked this time. Krenshaw fires another blast of fire at the monster before scrambling into the room with Erevan as the hunter stands.

“What do we do?” Krenshaw asks.

Tendrils whip through the doorway as the creature rounds the corner. Its blank expressionless face stares at Erevan.

“Fuck this.” Erevan grabs Krenshaw and dives through the window of the room.

Erevan and Krenshaw crash to the ground outside. Krenshaw rolls off Erevan as a group of town guards surround them. Erevan stares up at the window as the silhouette of the creature retreats into the house. The guards help the two up. One of the guards lets Erevan lean on him as they walk back to the front of the house.

“What happened here?” The guard asks.

“Fuck if I know.” Erevan answers.

Noah and Drek rejoin Krenshaw and Erevan. The guards sweep the premises and find nothing but bodies. Erevan takes his ballista from the entrance. Drek and Noah walk with them to waystone and Erevan goes back to Yokind-Burg with Krenshaw. The two agree not to give up each other’s secrets as Erevan makes sure his helmet covers his hair.

Upon reaching the tavern Valhalla and talking things out with their contact. The half-orc uses a spell to magically contact others in the guild confirming the story. For killing diabolists the party is awarded three hundred gold each. Erevan is more than thankful, but he is paid something else as well.

The old contact that tried to rip them off, the bearded-ginger Viking, has been found guilty of killing the guard captain and was hanged in the public square. That doesn’t sit right with Erevan. Although he did kill the captain to save his sister, so he accepts what's been done and moves on. He returns home to his mother and Anna. Staying for a few nights.