It’s Dungeons and Dragons time! Here’s the latest installment of the epic journey of our heroines, Danaeryzard and Alaria! (If you’re new here, check out the entire saga in order by reading the chapters organized on the D&D tab of this site!)

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This wasn’t the first time Bikira had encountered an Orc party in battle. She had studied them for years during her training to be a Fighting Instructor. She knew which attacks they favored and their typical weak points.

But these Orcs were different. When Bikira lashed her sword at an oncoming Orc running at her from the woods, the blade practically bounced off of his armor. Worse than that, Bikira noticed a strange milky whiteness in the pupils of his eyes, which was not normal… the Orc attackers were clearly under the influence of an evil spell!

Danaeryzard was too busy trying to survive to notice their eye color. The Orc Leader had honed in on her, wielding a super-sized battle axe. He began to chant in deep tones as he raised the axe and smashed it down onto Dany’s shoulder. Her body crunched to the ground from the impact, causing massive damage. The other Orcs joined in with the Leader’s chanting with deep harmonic tones, creating a haunting melody.

The Orc that Bikira tried to hit answered back with a tough blow to her side with his axe while chanting along with his group. Meanwhile, Alaria had pulled back so that she could use her new Piercing Crossbow from a safe distance. She took a shot at an Orc but an unfortunate gust of wind sent the bolt off target. The Orc she had aimed at turned and began to run toward her.

Dany was in poor condition and needed a desperate move. She used her Quarterstaff of Eternal Life and smashed it at the Orc Leader, using necromantic energy to leech life from the monstrous foe.

As Bikira continued to fight her Orc attacker. she could feel her rage building inside. This was an ability she liked to use in volatile situations; as a professional fighter she had learned to channel her rage into battle prowess. Smoke began to billow from her dragonlike nostrils. Bikira stabbed at the Orc with such precision and speed that she was able to strike several times – the last stab skewering the Orc completely through his body. She lifted her sword into the air with the Orc still on it before dropping him into a dead heap on the ground. Bikira grunted with satisfaction and looked up at stone ruins containing the giant crystal slab, just a few yards away. She walked into what remained of the structure and studied the crystal. She knew it was important, but she had not been briefed on the significance of the giant crystal slab or how to destroy it.

The Orc Leader raised his giant axe once again to target Dany, but his attack missed, barely. Dany was still very low on health and starting to think that she needed to get away from him rather than try to take him on her own. 

Alaria too was making her way towards the stone ruins. She tried to shoot at an Orc but continued to have issues with her new crossbow. She cursed herself for not practicing with the weapon before using it in battle. It was jammed! She squatted down to get a closer look at it as she fixed it. 

Dany decided to try and run from the Orc Leader, despite knowing he would try to attack her as she ran past him. Being in close range with him was seriously dangerous and she needed some breathing room. The Orc Leader sliced at Dany’s side as she ran past him but she was able to get some space between herself and the massive Orc. As she ran, she gripped the Circlet of Blasting that she wore around her neck but always seemed to forget to use during battle. Much like Alaria, Dany wasn’t familiar with how it worked, but knew that the circlet could produce a Scorching Ray spell once per day. Now was as good a time as ever, she thought… but unfortunately only one of the three rays of fire actually hit an Orc. At this point, Dany realized that she didn’t see Bikira. 

“Bikira! Where are you?” she hollered out.

Bikira heard her friend and rushed out of the stone ruins, appearing from between the bushes and shrubs growing around the old structure.

“What do you know about a glowing crystal?” Bikira hollered right back.

“SHOOT IT!” Alaria screamed as she continued to make her way up the hill. 

The Orc Leader, with nobody nearby to fight, began to chase after Dany. Luckily his attack couldn’t quite reach Dany, because her health was still very low. At the same time, Alaria was also being pursued by an Orc and she felt inspired by Dany to use one of her rare items as well. She reached for her Wind Fan and sent a mighty gust at the pestering Orc. It did some damage but didn’t stop the Orc from chasing after her. 

Dany, with no other choice but to engage with the Orc Leader again, heaved her Quarterstaff at his chest. She regained more health with the necromantic power but still needed to get away from the Orc Leader and his giant axe! 

Bikira rushed back into the ruins, readying her crossbow. She sent a bolt into the middle of the slab and a loud crack could be heard across the entire field. However, the Orcs were still enchanted by the crystal, and the Leader moved to attack Dany once again. She was out of options and used her Shield spell to fend off the damaging blow and keep herself alive. 

Alaria finally made her way into the ruins and saw the crystal slab. It was identical to the ones that she and Dany had encountered at Water’s Edge. She shot at the slab and sent another crack running through the huge glowing crystal. But it continued to stand.

Dany made her way up the hill and from the direction that she was approaching, she could see the crystal slab standing in the middle of the old stone structure. 

“Cover your ears! This is going to be loud!” Dany screamed as she began to conjure the Shatter spell with her crystal orb. An almost visible sound wave rippled from the orb as a flash of light and crack of thunder rattled through the stone ruins. The crystal slab was completely obliterated and reduced to a pile of crystal dust!

Alaria and Bikira, while nearby, were not in range of the spell but were close enough to have their ears ringing and serious headaches from it. Dany made her way to her friends and apologized for the last minute warning. Alaria stooped to scoop up some of the crystal dust, and only then did the trio realize that it was all quiet outside, and nobody was attacking them. 

A loud groan and a thud was heard outside of the ruins. They moved to see what the Orcs were plotting next. But the Orc Leader standing nearby had dropped his axe and was doubled over, holding his head and moaning with pain. The other surviving Orc was acting similarly. The Orc Leader looked up at Dany, Alaria and Bikira on the hill, and Bikira could see that the milky whiteness was no longer in the Orcs’ eyes. The Leader was blinking as though just waking up from a long nightmare. Seconds passed and the moans turned into wails as the Orc Leader and the other Orc began to realize what had happened; they had been under the control of a spell and several of their men were now dead. Orc bodies scattered the field. The Orc Leader continued to wail but his mannerisms showed that he was not angry with the trio, and they realized that this was the Sun Wizard’s doing. 

“What was that?” Bikira asked, gesturing towards where the crystal slab had been standing. 

“Did you know about the crystal slab?” Dany asked the Orc Leader as she stood a safe distance at the top of the hill. 

The Orcs did not speak Common language well, but the Orc Leader knew enough words to communicate. 

“Man came. Use spell… No can stop…” The Orc Leader said slowly, and hung his head in grief and shame. 

The trio walked back into the stone ruins, giving the Orcs some space to themselves. It was an awkward moment, since they were the ones who had killed the Orcs that were laying dead in the field. But it wasn’t their fault. It was the evil magic of the Sun Wizard spreading misery across the lands! He had to be stopped. 

“I think this is it,” Bikira said, breaking the silence. “This is where the base camp should be. There’s visibility, somewhat of a shelter, and this thick stone is kind of protective. It’s as suitable as any location that we’re going to find in this hostile territory.”

A shadow cast over them as the Orc Leader walked up the hill towards the stone ruins, blocking the sunlight. He had heard them and instead of raising his axe, he lifted his hand to them for a peaceful handshake. The other Orc followed behind him, showing that he will follow whatever his Leader does.

“I help kill evil man.” 

He was offering their assistance in the war efforts and joining their cause. Despite the fact that they had just killed several of his Orc party, the Orc Leader was smart enough to know that the Sun Wizard was the real enemy, and wanted to be the on the right side of the fight now that he was in control of his own mind. 

Dany reached out to accept his handshake. 

“OK… as long as you keep that axe far away from me!”

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And so ends the latest installment of our DnD adventures! Thanks for reading! I hope you like this ongoing storyline lol! If you play Dungeons and Dragons too, let’s hear about your character in the comments! 🙂