Roff sat up in the darkness feeling lightheaded and confused. His body felt stiff, and he realized he had been lying awkwardly on a stone floor. Where was he? It was not the first time that Roff had ever woken up in unfamiliar surroundings, but it always left him feeling angry. As a mercenary, he was accustomed to setting the terms of a confrontation, and he didn’t like the idea of someone having an advantage over him.

He patted his hands on his vest and pants. He could still feel his small pouch of coins on the inside of his vest pocket, so he hadn’t been robbed. But his sword, dagger, and crossbow were gone. Whoever had disarmed him had even managed to find the small carving knife he kept in the inside of his left boot.

As Roff’s eyes adjusted to the dim light of his surroundings, he could see that a few feet in front of him was a wall of ornate, but solid looking metal bars. Past the bars there was a stone archway leading to a hallway with a faint blue light. Down the hallway, Roff thought he could hear sounds of howling and screaming, but it may have just been some unseen draft playing tricks on his mind.

Roff suspected he was in some kind of prison, but he didn’t remember doing anything recently that would have gotten him arrested. At least nothing that anyone else would know about. But what could he remember? The first thing that came to his mind was the girl with the strange piercings and tattoos. What was her name? Trish? Tresh?

Roff felt a sharp pain in his temples and his head began to swim as he tried to recall the details of his encounter with the girl. He remembered she was pretty, but he couldn’t remember exactly what she had looked like. She had been dancing alone in the tavern and invited him to have a drink. She had been very interested in him. Or at least she had been very interested in the job that brought him to this part of the country. Had they talked about anything else?

There was something about the girl’s dancing that Roff had liked a lot. Even now sitting on the hard stone floor his heart started to pound as he thought of the way she had moved her hands and hips in rhythm with her feet. It was like she had put a spell on him. Too late, Roff realized that was probably exactly what she had been doing.

She had asked him to come with her on a walk in the moonlight. Roff had been more than happy to follow to somewhere more private than the tavern. Except it hadn’t been. Soon after they had gotten out of sight of the tavern, Roff had tried to wrap his arms around the girl in an embrace, and that’s when someone else had showed up.

It was clear from the grin on the man’s face that he wasn’t the girl’s husband or father, but he did seem to know her. Was he perhaps her brother? No, his skin had been much paler than the girl’s. Why did the pale stranger look so happy to see Roff? His unnerving grin was the last thing that Roff remembered seeing before waking up on the cold stone floor.

Anger began to boil up inside Roff and he could hear the blood pounding in his ears. He grabbed the metal bars in front of him and tried shaking, but they held firm. He grunted and his muscles rippled as he pulled and struggled against the bars. He rammed his shoulder into them, but they would not budge. He kicked hard, imagining what he would do to the young woman if he ever saw her again. “I’ll get you, you stinkin’ little witch!” yelled Roff.

“You’d better save your strength,” said a deep voice behind him.

Roff spun around, realizing for the first time that the room was much larger than the dim light from the hallway had revealed. Out of instinct he reached for his sword, but then quietly cursed as he remembered it wasn’t on his belt. Roff brought up both fists menacingly and shouted, “Who’s there?”

“Calm down,” said the voice from the shadows. “I’m not going to attack you.”

“Are you a prisoner here too?” asked Roff, his fists still raised.

“I suppose you could say that,” said the voice, very calmly. “I have been here for a very long time. Why don’t you sit down on that bench over there and we can talk?”

“I think I’ll stand,” said Roff. “Why don’t you come here where I can see you instead of sneaking around in the shadows?”

“I’d be happy to come over,” said the voice. “It’s just that humans tend to get… agitated… when they see me before we get to know one another. I thought it would help you stay calm if we spoke a little first.”

“You mean you’re not even human?” shouted Roff. “Alright, that’s it! You step out where I can see you now, and no sudden moves!”

“I told you to calm down,” said the voice in a tone that was soft but firm. “There’s no need to shout. I’m stepping forward now.”

Something hard and heavy hit the stone floor in the darkness, and then again, and again. Roff realized that the sounds were getting closer to him, and it dawned on him that what he was hearing was footsteps. His fists dropped and he backed up until his back hit against the metal bars behind him. The unearthly blue light from the hallway cast strange shadows as it passed through the ornate bars, and it took Roff a moment to clearly make out the large and hairy shape that was emerging from the shadows in front of him.

In front of Roff stood a black wooly minotaur that was twice his size. The minotaur was dressed in black robes with gold accents, and his hair was braided with several intricate ornaments that lightly tinkled when he walked. Rather than having the usual straight horns and long muzzle of a bull, this minotaur’s horns were curved close to his head, and his nose seemed pressed flat against his face. It occurred to Roff that the minotaur reminded him of a musk ox he had once killed while hunting in the icy north.

Roff slowly inched his way over to the bench in the other corner of the cell and sat down. “You’re a minotaur,” he said quietly.

“Yes,” said the minotaur. “And I’m glad to see you finally took my advice and calmed down.”

“Calm down?” said Roff, careful not to let his voice rise again. The last thing he needed was to be splattered against the walls of the cell. “You don’t talk like any minotaur I’ve ever met before. For that matter, I didn’t realize minotaurs could talk.”

“How many minotaurs have you met?” asked the minotaur.

“Well actually just you,” replied Roff. “Though I had a buddy once who claimed he and a few others once killed a minotaur that was terrorizing a village.” Roff then realized what he had said and hastily added, “Uh, no offense.”

“No need for apologies,” said the minotaur. “Unfortunately, most of my kind come by their reputation honestly. My people are something of an exception, however. We are called the Minovous. Or rather, we were when there were more of us. I’m afraid our brotherhood has become much smaller.”

“Brotherhood?” said Roff. “You some kind of priest or something? Your clothes remind me of a priest.”

“A monk,” the minotaur replied. “I once belonged to a monastery that was charged with protecting the world from a great evil.”

“No kidding,” said Roff. “Well maybe you can give me a few pointers for when I get out of here. I’ve been hired by some villagers to kill a guy they say is evil incarnate. Now I’m pretty good at bashing heads in, but if you’ve got any kind of holy mumbo jumbo that can help me out, I’d be happy to hear it.”

“Hired to kill, you say?” said the minotaur. “You are an assassin, then?”

“Do I look like the sneak around type?” asked Roff. “I like to think of myself as an adventurer for hire. Though I’ve been known to answer to being called a soldier of fortune or mercenary in a pinch.”

“I see,” said the minotaur. “And who is this evil incarnate you seek to kill?”

“Some kind of death wizard called Vdekshi,” said Roff. “Apparently the creep has been stealing corpses and scaring the locals for years. You ever heard of him?”

“Indeed,” said the minotaur. “We are currently in the dungeon beneath his fortress.”

Roff began muttering a string of profanity under his breath as he walked back over to the ornate bars. He grasped the metal bars again and began to throw his full weight against them, grunting and shouting as he did so.

“I think you should sit back down,” said the minotaur. “That isn’t doing any good, and you should save your strength.”

“Why?” asked Roff with a panicked look in his eyes. “Do you know a better way for me to use my strength to get us out? Come on, you said you’ve been here a long time. Any idea how I can escape?”

“It wouldn’t do any good,” said the minotaur. “Just sit down and try to relax. I think I’ve got an idea to help you be calm.”

“Calm? Relax?!” shouted Roff. “Do you know what the locals say about this guy, monk? They say if he catches you he experiments on you and drives you mad. Then, once you’re good and crazy he steals your soul and adds your dead body to his collection of undead slaves. Is that what you want, monk? You want to spend forever as a huge ugly skeleton or walking corpse?”

“I’ve heard the rumors,” said the minotaur. “But there is nothing you can do about that right now. If you don’t calm down soon you’re going to pass out again and then you’ll be worse off than when you arrived here.”

Roff began pacing back and forth in his cell, his breathing became shallow and his head started swimming again. Then in the darkness he heard a low mild rumble. The sound wasn’t terribly loud, but he could feel his insides vibrate as the pitch subtly rose and fell. The sound seemed to resonate from his head down to his knees. When Roff turned around he saw that the minotaur’s eyes were closed and the sound was coming from deep within the minotaur’s throat. Roff took a deep breath and sat down on the bench again, much of his panic having been shaken loose by the vibrations.

“That was an ancient chant from my old monastery,” said the minotaur. “The whole mountain would shake when we sang together, and he would help keep us calm and focused when the whispers would start.”

“Whispers?” asked Roff.

Just then, Roff saw shadows moving across the walls of the cell and realized that someone was walking towards them from the hallway. A moment later, Roff saw the tall pale figure that had been with the young woman in the woods when he had been captured.

“You!” shouted Roff, jumping to his feet, all thoughts of calm and relaxation rushing from his mind. “I’ll kill you!”

“Not likely,” sneered the pale man. He flashed his wicked grin at Roff, sending him into another rage.

“Your timing is as horrid as ever, Laronius,” said the minotaur, with a great sigh. “I believe I clearly stated I did not want to be disturbed.”

“My apologies, Lord Vdekshi,” said Laronius. “You also ordered me to come to you at once if I had any news of Krall’s traveling companions. Since I do have news, you might understand how I was conflicted with my orders.”

Roff whipped around to look at the minotaur in the pale blue light. When he had heard of the necromancer Vdekshi, he had imagined a frail sickly old man cowering pathetically behind his undead slaves for protection. He assumed that if he could somehow get past the skeletons and zombies that it would be a simple task to dispatch the death wizard. Seeing the massive minotaur in front of him, and knowing he had already stated his intentions of trying to kill him, Roff’s knees buckled and he sank to the floor.

“Spare me your apologies, Laronius,” said Vdekshi. “You always manage to find the most creative ways to disobey and undermine me. I hope you know you’ve ruined a perfectly good conversation.”

“Personally, I liked him better when he was unconscious,” said Laronius in a mock whisper.

“Enough,” said Vdekshi. “I’m growing impatient, and I’m starting to lose my temper. You said you have news of Krall’s former companions, so share it. If they have any idea how Krall’s body could have two of those quills in his leg, but his blood wasn’t infected, I need to know how. Have they crossed into our territory yet?”

“Your spies report they will be entering soon from the west,” said Laronius. “But there is a complication. That girl and her noisy band are back.”

Vdekshi growled and stood up. Roff noticed as the minotaur began to pace that he looked considerably more agitated than just a few minutes ago. “This report is taking too long, Laronius. Why should I care if the girl has returned?”

“She makes your errands more difficult for your servants,” said Laronius.

“More difficult for you, you mean,” snapped Vdekshi. He was now starting to stamp one of his great hooves.

“Am I not one of your servants?” asked Laronius. “Come master, just give the word and I’ll lead your legions to wipe out the brat and her little noisemakers.”

“There’s no reason for it,” said Vdekshi, panting and leaning against the bars of the cell. “We kill out of necessity, not because it makes our lives easier. Besides, she gives the locals hope. Take that away and soon they would leave and you would have to travel much farther on my errands. Leave her alone, Laronius. You are not to disobey me on this.”

“Of course, my lord,” said Laronius with feigned surprise. “You know my only desire is to serve you.”

“You know, Laronius,” said Vdekshi through heavy breathing, “with all of my other servants, I never know when they’re telling me the truth or lying. At least with you I always know you’re lying. AHH!”

Vdekshi suddenly grabbed his chest and fell to the ground. Roff didn’t know what was going on, but he knew an opportunity when he saw one. He rushed over to Vdekshi’s side and began feeling the pockets of his robes. Within a moment, he had found a long silver knife and held it between himself and the minotaur.

“I’m warning you!” Roff shouted to Laronius. “Let me out of this cell right now or I’ll cut your master’s throat. One way or another I’ll be getting out of this dungeon alive!”

Laronius let out a high and chilling laugh. “Hasn’t Lord Vdekshi already told you?” he said. “You’re a living dead man already!”

“Enough!” shouted Vdekshi, and Laronius fell silent. “I’ve told you how I feel about you laughing like that before someone dies. It’s no laughing matter.”

Roff kept his grip tightly on the silver knife in his hand. “What are you talking about?” he shouted. “I feel fine. How can I be dead already?”

“Calm down,” Vdekshi said. He was breathing more heavily than before, but was beginning to regain some of his earlier composure. “You are not actually dead yet. You see, Laronius may be despicable, but he is a very gifted sanguimancer.”

“A what?” asked Roff.

“A master of blood,” said Laronius. “A connoisseur of crimson. A patron of plasma. An artisan of arteries.”

“You’re a vampire!” shouted Roff, backing away once again.

“If you want to be so uncouth about it,” said Laronius, rolling his eyes. “The point is, one little taste, and someone’s blood becomes my plaything.”

Roff raised the silver blade and pointed it at Laronius. “Well you’ll get nowhere near me or my blood, demon!”

Laronius began to chuckle and shake his head. “You know,” he said, “it’s a good thing you were so much tastier than you are bright. I’ve already tasted your blood. You ever get a scab after getting injured? What am I saying? Look at you, of course you have. Well imagine having a scab in the middle of that brain rattling around in your head. I must admit it’s taken longer to kill you than I expected, but you should be dead any minute now.”

Roff grasped his head with his hands, trying to feel the scab that Laronius was talking about, seeing if he could somehow pick it off. “No!” he shouted, dropping the knife and kneeling next to Vdekshi. “Please, Lord Vdekshi, spare my life and I will serve you very well. I can even give you the names of the people who paid me to kill you.”

“I’ve already told you so many times to calm down,” said Vdekshi, panting. “You will serve me well. Being alive will just have nothing to do with it. And don’t worry about your death. Laronius may be cruel left to his own devices, but I’ve ordered him to make your death entirely painless. You might experience a light buzzing, but there will be no pain.”

“But why?” Roff asked, growing hysterically. “Couldn’t I serve you better if I were alive?”

“Roff, let me ask you a question,” said Vdekshi. “Is there any nobler act than giving one’s life for a cause you believe in?”

“How should I know?” asked Roff. “I’ve never had a cause I believed in, especially not whatever crackpot cause you’re asking me to die for!”

“To answer the question,” said Vdekshi, ignoring Roff’s response, “yes, there is a more noble act. When you’ve already given your own life, being willing to even give the lives of others. It’s a painful choice, but that’s the burden I’ve taken upon myself.”

Vdekshi got up and walked back into the shadows from which he had originally emerged. “But hopefully,” said Vdekshi’s voice from the shadows, “I feel that is a sacrifice that will soon be coming to an end.”

From within the darkness, Roff saw a sickly green light begin to grow. He looked through the darkness and saw Vdekshi in the light holding a long silver staff with a glowing green crystal at the top. Roff tried to scoot himself off the floor and back against the far walls of the cell.

“Please, I’ve told you,” Vdekshi panted. “Save your strength. I’m going to need it.” The glow of the green crystal intensified, Roff heard a strange buzzing sound, and then there was nothing but black.

Vdekshi
Art by Ryan Salway