Last session we finished with the party demanding to meet the ruler of Darkthorn, so I pick up exactly where we left off.
“Thank you for your tireless work defending this city,” I tell the group as the duke. “We have been trying to hold off the wizard, but we can’t withstand his bombardment much longer.”
The others shift in their seats. “There’s a wizard?” Novaasks.
“That’s what we believe, although I’ve never set my eyes on him. From what we can tell, his ambition is to rule this city and all the lands around it. We believe he’s currently living somewhere in the surrounding forests and using his magic to create these monstrosities that he sends here.”
“Do you know any more?” Li asks. Her eyes are bright with interest.
“That he’s a coward,” I reply. “Otherwise, he would come here himself. And he clearly has no capacity for empathy. Not only has he killed many of my people, but I’ve heard rumors that his experimental spells have led to other ill effects on the surrounding lands.”
I’m hoping Li and Felix will pick up on this clue and ask for more information, though I can hardly blame them if they don’t, given how I shot them down when they tried to learn more in the past. However, Li leans forward and asks, “Can you tell us more about these ill effects?”
“I don’t know a lot,” I reply as the duke. “We’ve been too overwhelmed here to venture out and see what’s happening, but stories have come back that the land has turned black and nothing will grow or survive. I don’t know what happened to the people who used to live there.”
“We’re those people,” Felix says. “We’ve been searching for answers about what caused this blight. Our people have had to flee and are spread across the surrounding kingdoms now.”
“I can’t give answers, but the stories of the blight—as you call it—began the same time as the attacks on our city, so I imagine they’re related.”
Max gives me a small smile and I take a breath. Felix and Li are both sitting up straighter and seem as interested as I’ve ever seen them, so I think this is working pretty well.
“You said you think the wizard could be living in the forest?” Nova asks.
“We’re almost certain of it, although none of my men have been able to track him down. Or, at least, I assume they haven’t because they’ve never returned. I’ve stopped sending them.”
The four of them look at each other wordlessly and each gives a short nod. My heart twists with happiness to see them like this. United and attentive and on the same page with each other. I wasn’t sure we could get to this place, but I might be on the verge of turning this campaign around.
“I have a proposal for you,” Max says. His eyes have narrowed, and his shoulders are set. It’s Axolotl I’m dealing with now—not my cute boyfriend, if I can call him that. “I am a fighter by trade and quick with my axes. One of my party members is a ranger and she and her dog are both talented trackers. And these druids will stop at nothing to save their homeland. We are willing to travel into the forest, search out this wizard, and defeat him. But we will need compensation.”
I slowly look to each of them before turning back to Max. “Our coffers have been depleted by the attacks, but if you can bring back proof of defeating this villain, I can promise you each a title and land of your own. And, if you are willing, I will gather a search party to help these druids find their dispersed families.”
The four look to each other again, this time with grins on their faces.
“Let’s go track a wizard,” Nova announces, and the others whoop in agreement.
Everyone sits back, looking excited. “Love the way you pulled this together, Hazel,” Nova says.
Felix bobs his head. “Totally. Did you know this backstory with the wizard from the very beginning?”
I could lie, but I don’t want to run a game where I have to pretend to be someone I’m not. “Nope!” I say and the others laugh. “I was as lost as you all at first, but I found my way to it eventually. Thanks for sticking with me.”
“I love color guard, but this might be my new favorite thing,” Li tells me.
“Your DM loves it,” I tell her, “but don’t let your guard captain hear you talk like that.”
She grins. “I’ll be sure to keep it a secret.”
Max stretches and stands. “Can we take a quick break for snacks before we start tracking this wizard? In addition to killing it on the DMing and captaining fronts, Hazel also discovered dessert nachos that I’m dying to try.”
I smile as the others pass me on their way to the kitchen, but my brain is fuzzy. I feel almost disembodied. Did Max kiss me earlier in that same kitchen? Are we actually dating now, after all the daydreams I’ve had about this exact thing? It feels like the universe must be screwing with me or that I’ve twisted everything in my mind. But when I glance at Max, trying to decipher if he’s feeling the same way, he returns the look with such reassurance that I can take a deep breath.
“Good?” he asks softly. Hopefully.
Oh, wow. One word and my heart goes tumbling.
“Great,” I whisper back.
“Then let’s go eat our weight in chocolate-covered tortillas.”
