The dream felt so real, the sort of clear crispness that is often more vivid than life itself. I was back in Wisconsin, at my home out in the sticks of Merrill. The fields of tall grass danced with the wind, and the distant sound of chickens clucking brought a smile to my face. Across the way, the forest stood majestic and welcoming, its trees rustling with tales of old adventures. Above, the sky painted a vivid blue, with clouds so fluffy they looked like they’d go well with some gravy.

     Walking around my lawn, memories flooding back, I called out, “Jacob? Casey?” But there was nothing, just a silence that filled me with dread. The house sagged, panels falling off here and there with the front door hanging askew. Cobwebs draped over railing and patio furniture, and a thin layer of sooty dust, untroubled by footprints, lay over everything.

     My heart quickened, adrenaline coursing through my veins. They hadn't been around for ages. My eyes welled up with tears. I rushed inside, the door coming off its hinges in rusty squawking protest as I ran inside.

     “Nicole?”

     No one. I walked through the rot of my living room, turning to the door of my bedroom and dreading what I would see when I opened it. Inside was nothing but dust and memories, and the familiar sight of my bed. I lay down in it, letting my racing heart slow and my thoughts drift, feeling myself fall away from my own mind and into the mind of a powerful, freezing other.

     I woke up to the cool feel of mist on my skin.

     Blinking, the dreadful warmth of the dream faded, and the reality of my situation flooded back. I was here in another world, in a medieval campsite, underneath a sky of stormy gray, a gentle patter of light rain falling down over everything. I groaned and stretched, the ground mulchy against my skin.

     “You too, hey?” Jon asked. I looked over to see the centaur pushing himself up off the ground in a manner that looked awkward but worked surprisingly effectively. He grinned at my expression. “Yeah, it might look goofy, but it works,” he informed me, successfully assessing my thoughts.

     I got up off the ground and surveyed our surroundings. By the firepit the party members sat, hands out-stretched before a two-foot tall being made entirely of orange-red fire. Streaks of yellow roiled through it as it danced and spun, putting on quite the ballet performance. I caught a glimpse of its eyes; they were bright glowing embers that twinkled like the stars at night. And as it pirouetted through the air, I noticed tiny little horns atop its head, coal-black and reminiscent of charred wood.

     He landed his jump, and sank to his knees, his arms outstretched in the universal form of theatrical supplication. The rest of the party clapped, and the little being opened his mouth, sparks spitting outward as it talked in a high-pitched squeak.

     “And that is the tale of the Hamor and the Carbon Shuffle. Thank you for your enthusiasm. You’ve been a great audience. Now I must attend to other shows, my friends. Goodbye and good luck in your journeys!”

     The bizarre little creature flashed away, a pile of ash dropping where he had just been standing a short time before, and the rest of the party turned to face our direction, eagerness written over their faces.

     “What the hells was that?” I asked. Inside me, Jeldorain laughed uproariously.

     “That was a fire imp,” Schustak answered, his voice lilted in a way that seemed to suggest he was talking to the slowest kid in class. “Those are beings of the elemental plane of fire, a mischievous lot that love tricks, theater, and storytelling.”

     I nodded, taken aback. I’d never really considered what new and strange forms of entertainment might exist here. Lords of Chaos mostly just hackneyed it, having any games that got mentioned be the same old stuff that real medieval humans did back on Earth.

     “A fire imp. Thanks for letting me know.” I walked over to the group, Jon on my flank. Everything had been packed up, I saw, excepting the unused items of loot that were invariably too big and useless to be lugged around.

     As Jon and I approached the campfire, we were greeted with nods and smiles from our companions, all of them standing up as we came near.

     “We were beginning to think you two might have decided to sleep in,” Ike said, his reptilian grin revealing rows of tiny draconic teeth. “I’m glad that you didn’t.”

     “Yes, as pleasant as another night might be sitting in the same spot as last night, it is time to get moving,” Kevinar began, his voice low. “The weather might turn worse, and we're exposed.”

     Ike nodded in agreement. “Yup. The ruins atop the hill could offer good shelter. We’ll have to be careful though. These encounters, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that a tribe of orcs has attacked us twice on our way in.”

     “Another merry entanglement in the ruins of the once great sounds like a tremendous ode in the making,” Brandosyeus interjected merrily. “The call of adventure beckons!”

     Kevinar snorted. “Many odes become dirges if the heroes aren’t careful enough.”

     I summoned my icearigama to my hand. “So then we’ll be careful,” I said. Jon summoned his own lance, its now ghostly green shimmer lighting an aura over us all.

     “We’ll have to be watchful for Goblin Empire adventurers as well,” Ike added. “They're after the same thing we are. Be cautious, move silently, and be ready for anything.”

 

     We all nodded in agreement, forming up ranks to move out. I’d take the rear, with Kevinar far out front, Schustak and Brandosyeus in the center, with Ike on the left flank and Jon on the right. Trudging up the hill, we moved forward at a slow pace, eyes watching and ears listening. The quiet was quite beautiful, the light patter of raindrops and the fresh scent of their fall threatening to lull me, but I couldn’t shake the symbology of the dream I’d had. It felt like a portent of what was to come if I didn’t succeed in getting home.

     The forest began to thin out, and soon we found ourselves on the edge of a natural clearing. The ground was covered in a carpet of downy weed-grass, flattened in large concentric circles, as if the wind had played with it for ages. The scrub forest seemed to shy away from this open space, creating a stark contrast between dense woods at the lip of the hill and open land that lay before us. To my right, a massive rock jutted out, almost as tall as me, providing a natural vantage point.

     Kevinar took this moment to appear near my elbow. “The rest of the party is behind the rock,” he said, his eyes shifting in that direction. My own followed, trace the jagged lines of its surface. The thing was huge, and I had no doubt all of us could fit behind it without any trouble.

     “Two orcs,” he whispered, “on the far edge of the clearing. They're hiding, probably scouts. If we continue forward without dealing with them, they'll surely alert others to our presence. Follow me.”

     I followed Kevinar, moving slowly but quietly through the woods. The sky was starting to darken, and the shadows of day were lengthening. Hopefully adding to my attempts to not be noticed.

     Nearing the rock, I saw the rest of them huddled and engaged in idle chatter. When Kevinar stepped to the bare stone behind the boulder, their eyes met his, then mine.

     “It’s just two orcs?” I asked, shrugging.

     “Scouts,” Schustak answered, scowling. “Probably there are a dozen pairs of them situated all around these ruins.”

     I narrowed my eyes at the druid, unsure if he was mocking me for my apparent ignorance.

     He is, Jeldorain supplied helpfully.

     “An ambush, as quick and silent as possible,” Ike whispered, looking at the group. “It's our best shot.”

     Jon looked at his new lance, swirling with arcane energy, and sighed. “Guess I’ll just sit this one out,” he grumped. Brandosyeus snorted into his palms, covering his face to avoid making any loud noises.

     “You’ll get to have fun with your toy later.” Kevinar’s voice was scolding, but calm, I noted. His eyes, still bereft of goggles, stared intensely into the direction of their quarry. “I’d rather not alarm the entire orcish nation to our presence. Ike and I go ahead and the rest of you wait here in case things turn bad.” He raised his purple-aura covered blades. “Things won’t turn bad.”

     Ike, his scales shimmering slightly in the muted light, nodded. “I can take the left. The scrub forest there is dense enough for me to move without being seen.” His yellow eyes were already plotting a path, I noticed, turned away from the group and hopping through the trees to find the best angles of approach..

     Kevinar, his body already beginning to blend with the shadows, chimed in, “That sounds perfect. I'll flank them from the right. The terrain there is tricky, but I trust my movements. I will make no sounds.”

     “Perhaps a soothing stealth song will improve the impish patter of your feet?” Brandosyeus jested, meeting a stony stare from the dark elf. “Or not!”

     I shook my head, smiling. This was going to be interesting. Never in Lords of Chaos had I sat back and just let others do the fighting for me. It made me feel both curious and uncomfortable.

     The discomfort is wise. At any point, they could betray us all.

     Shut it you, I commanded. The infernal laughed.

     As Ike and Kevinar moved into position, the atmosphere grew thick with anticipation. I crouched behind the rock, trying to control my breathing. An eerie mist was rising as the day faded, one that seemed to grow denser and denser, wrapping the clearing in a ghostly veil.

     From my vantage point, I could barely make out Ike's silhouette as he melded with the trees, his every step deliberate and silent. Kevinar, on the other hand, was invisible. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get a bead on him.

     Jon, next to me, whispered, “They're good, aren't they?” I turned and saw the centaur’s crooked smirk.

     I nodded. “The best.”

     The seconds dragged on, each moment stretching out, filled with a tension that was almost palpable. We waited, ready for the signal or the clash that would tell us the ambush had begun.

     Suddenly, a muffled grunt broke the silence, followed by the unmistakable sound of a scuffle. It was brief, intense, and then eerily quiet again. Moments later, Kevinar and Ike emerged from the side of the clearing, signaling that the threat had been neutralized.

     “That’s it?” I asked, looking on their return.

     Ike shrugged. “I’m sure there’ll be more later if you need someone to bang up. They weren’t high-level. Makes me wonder why they even bothered to have scouts.”

     Turning my head, I caught Schustak staring at me. He grinned and turned, leaving me to curse under my breath. Jeldorain and I would take care of it, whatever his end game was.

     “Stop for the night?” Kevinar asked. In his hands the purple flame of his blades disappeared back into his inventory.

     Ike took a long, heavy breath, letting it out with a whistle.

     “Yeah. We’re so close. I know we are. But I’d rather tackle whatever is ahead in the daylight. Can you and Schustak take a peek while I guard first shift and the rest are sleeping?”

     Kevinar nodded his head in my direction. “I’ll take Ryan. Will be good experience for him.”

     Ike looked me up and down, taking in the entire length of my outrageously tall infernal body. “A giant infernal for a sneak mission?”

     “I’ll make it work,” Kevinar stated, his tone suggesting this was not something he would back down on.

     “Yeah okay. You two, check ahead while we set up camp. No fire tonight. And no going in the ruins without us!” he chided, wagging his finger, his reptilian eyes sparkling.

     “Scout’s honor,” I said, smiling and pumping myself up for my first scouting mission.