Vdekshi sat cross-legged in his meditation chamber, his eyes closed. A low constant hum emanated from his throat, out his bovine nostrils, and reverberated against the bare stone walls of the room. A small bowl sat in front of him with two sticks of incense burning inside. One stick produced a thin stream of light purple smoke as it burned, and produced a sweet, earthy scent that evoked images of springtime hillsides and freshly fallen rain. Black smoke trailed from the other burning stick, bringing with it a stinging, spicy odor of fire and metal and ash.

With each deep breath Vdekshi inhaled, he imagined each trail of smoke rushing into separate nostrils. He would then hold his breath for a moment, envisioning the two colors of smoke swirling and mixing within his lungs. He would then focus on using his humming to transform the smoke mixture into a golden energy that bounced off every surface like ripples in a pond until settling in his ears. After running out of breath, he would begin the process all over again.

Vdekshi had learned the technique as a young monk early in his training at the monastery. While the exercise had not cured his youthful impatience, it had certainly tempered it. Many years ago, one of his instructors had begun a similar meditation while a nearby caterpillar was weaving its cocoon, and the elderly monk had not opened his eyes again until the moment it had emerged as a butterfly. Vdekshi had asked his teacher what he had hoped to gain from such an experience.

“Nothing at all,” the old monk had told him. “If I was trying to gain something, I never would have succeeded.”

Vdekshi contemplated the memory as he continued the exercise in his chamber. He wanted so desperately to want nothing, but there were far too many pressing matters that required his attention. He had to keep his supernatural servants active enough that they could be called upon at a moment’s notice, but he also had to restrain them enough that they did not devour or drive off the entire nearby mortal population. Maintaining such a delicate balancing act was exhausting, and Vdekshi longed for a momentary respite.

Vdekshi sought peace and acceptance of the fact that the incompetence of Laronius and his other servants had led to the escape of his prized dragon test subject. The memory of that event still evoked aggravation and annoyance that Vdekshi couldn’t seem to suppress. After all, the experiment had shown significant promise, and starting over from scratch was a frustrating prospect.

As always, there was the lingering guilt and disgust that Vdekshi felt after a necessary treatment for his… condition. He had accepted the fact decades ago that such sacrifices were necessary for the greater good, but he hoped that the meditation would remove any residual remorse. At most, the solitude offered him an opportunity to review his justifications for the deaths he caused.

And now there was a new concern on Vdekshi’s already troubled mind. It was obvious that his old servant Krall had been poisoned by his dragon while on the loose, but the blood in his body had been untainted. How? How could a simple orc figure out the answer that Vdekshi had been searching for all these years? What did these strangers he traveled with have to do with it, and why were they in his land? And why was it taking so long to get them here in his fortress where he could ask them these questions himself?

The longer that Vdekshi pondered on these questions, the more frustratingly elusive the answers seemed to be, and the more agitated he became. It was not long before Vdekshi opened his bleary eyes and rose stiffly from the ground. He regularly tried to use the old ways he had been taught to find clarity and answers, but every time he came to the same conclusion that the old ways were not sufficient for the obstacles his life faced. Things were not as simple as they once were, and while simple humming may have been able to soothe his younger, happier self, he no longer had the luxury of being so carefree. Difficult days called for difficult decisions, and Vdekshi’s eyes turned to his staff leaning in the corner of the room. The green crystal at its top glowed at him expectantly.

If this had been a meditation room at his old monastery, the staff never would have been allowed of course. For one thing, the monastery allowed nothing within the walls of the meditation chambers except the incense and the monk doing the meditating. For another thing, the monastery would have considered the staff itself to be an abomination. But, Vdekshi told himself, the staff’s existence was an unfortunate necessity, as was its constant proximity.

Vdekshi stomped out the embers of the incense and tried to ignore the stiffness in his joints as he walked to the corner of the room. Grabbing the long, polished staff in a mixture between a clench and a caress, he snorted at the luminescent green stone at the top.

“Wake up Gravine,” Vdekshi said gruffly. “As much as I hate to say it, I’m going to need your help again.”

Vdekshi’s chest constricted and his stomach lurched as the light in the center of the green stone shone so brightly that everything in the room took on a sickly green hue. A cold voice emanated from the stone, each word punctuated by a pulse of additional light from within.

“That’s Baron Gravine to you,” said the voice. “And why should one such as I help a pathetic little monk like yourself?” The cruelty and disdain in the statement twisted like a knife inside Vdekshi, but also helped him regain his focus. Vdekshi used the staff in his hands to steady himself, and when he responded his back was straight and his face was hard.

“You’ll help me,” growled Vdekshi, “for the same reason you always do, Gravine. Because I am not the same simple monk I used to be, and you know who holds the keys to that prison of yours. And as much as we hate each other, you know we’d both be far worse off without each other.”

“True enough,” said Gravine, “for now. Very well, my jailer. I will give you my help once again, but I will require a favor from you in return.”

“What favor is that?” Vdekshi asked. “You know I will not grant you your freedom.” Vdekshi did not hesitate to ask the question, but he braced himself for the answer all the same. Gravine’s favors always ended badly for someone.

“Simply put, I am weary of your constant presence,” said Gravine. “I ask for nothing more than for you to put down this cursed staff and leave it alone for one day.”

Vdekshi laughed mirthlessly. “You expect me to just put you down and walk away so you can lure someone else to help you escape? What kind of fool do you think I am?”

“Words cannot express the kind of fool I think you are,” Gravine said. “Still, you needn’t worry. Lock me up deep in the dungeons bound by chains for all I care. I will still be there when you return. Only, let me have a respite from your disgusting presence.”

Vdekshi hesitated for a moment. This request was far less ghastly than most from Gravine, but that only worried Vdekshi more. Still, if his foul prisoner did have something more sinister in mind, at least this time he wouldn’t have to know all the grisly details. “Very well,” he said. “Tomorrow I will leave you locked up in the dungeon, but tonight you give me your help.”

“Excellent,” said Gravine, and his voice seemed to echo around the room. “Now what’s this trouble that has you so worked up?”

“It’s about that orc slave again,” said Vdekshi. “The one who used to hunt dragons for me.”

“The one you didn’t kill when I told you to,” Gravine added.

“And who never should have escaped if your enchantments were as strong as you claimed!” Vdekshi snapped back.

“Temper, temper,” said Gravine. “As I already told you when you brought his body back last month, I have no idea how he escaped his bonds. Nor do I know how his blood avoided being poisoned with those dragon quills in him. So unless you have some new information for me, I see no point in wasting time on old arguments.”

“He had companions with him,” said Vdekshi.

“Yes, I remember,” said Gravine in a bored tone. “The elf and the dwarf. Their remains were hardly useful either, except to note that they were poisoned.”

“Yes, but…” Vdekshi paused, reluctant to continue. “It appears he had other companions as well. Two who are still alive. And… within our borders.”

“Fascinating,” Gravine said, and the green stone glowed brighter than before.

“Judging by your pathetic tone, I would assume you’ve known about them for a while. Why did you not inform me before now?”

“Because you didn’t need to know!” said Vdekshi.

“No, I suppose I didn’t,” Gravine slowly replied. “But now I do, because you are unable to get them here yourself. Am I right?” Gravine chuckled coldly and shadows danced across the green light reflecting off the walls. “The Great Vdekshi, with a supernatural army at his command, cannot capture two simple dragon hunters.”

“Enough!” Vdekshi shouted. He was now pacing back and forth in the room. “It was my intention to invite them here as guests, not capture them. I’m not a monster like you.”

“Of course you’re not.”

There was heavy silence in the room while Vdekshi seethed and Gravine glowed with satisfaction.

“But enough of this pointless bickering,” said Gravine. “If I’m to earn my day of peace and quiet, then we had best focus on the task at hand. Tell me all the newest information you have.”

“Of course I will,” said Vdekshi, calming down a bit. “Or rather, I will as soon as my lieutenant Laronius finally returns from his mission. I summoned him back here nearly an hour ago.”

“Do you mean that incompetent coward you asked me to help you transform into a vampire years ago?” said Gravine. “I told you that it would have been better to completely remove his free will when you made him. You really must learn to control your pets, Mendoji.”

“I told you not to use that name!” Vdekshi snapped. “That name is-”

But Vdekshi never finished his sentence because at that moment the door rattled and Laronius burst into the room, covering the right side of his face with a large bandage.

“Forgive my delay, Master” Laronius whimpered. “And… for my failure.”

“What are you talking about?” said Vdekshi, inspecting the vampire’s torn clothes and disheveled appearance. “What happened?!”

“I’m afraid these strangers are far different from what we expected,” said Laronius.

“Your invitation was rejected, Master. They aren’t coming to talk. They come to destroy.”