Erica shook the spiders off her hand in a pained fashion as the ground shook beneath her. At the very back of a small hole in the mountainside wall; she had found the stone mechanism Dror’Khanik had informed her, though much to her dismay the hole had been packed full of spiders. Although she had been promised that they were harmless, one had bit her as she reached for the pressure plate, leaving her with a stinging sensation on the top of her hand.

“The redness will fade, go now before the doorway closes and you have to stick your hand in there again.” Dror’Khanik commanded and Erica did just that. She closed her eyes for a moment and walked straight into the stone wall before her, only to pass right through it as if it was nothing but a mist-like veil. When she opened her eyes she found a wide hallway with elegant marble floors, which shook slightly as a loud grinding sound appeared behind her. Upon turning around she saw a large, iron door which had been hidden behind the illusionary mountainside wall, closing behind her with a loud bang. The walls were carved straight out of the mountain, guiding her gaze into the large room before her. Above her was a lantern covered ceiling which lit up by itself as she carefully stepped into the strange hallway.

“The fifth row of floor tiles are pressure plates. Whatever you do, do not step on them.” Dror’Khanik added in a stern tone which sent shivers down her spine.

“What happens if I do step on it?” She carefully asked only to be met with a touch of annoyance.

“The door behind you will be locked and the ceiling in the chamber before you will collapse. It will awaken the abomination of blood, bones and flesh which is resting above it, and it will absorb your very being into itself, ultimately bringing your very existence to an end.”

Stunned by his words Erica carefully stepped over the pressure plates and continued into the chamber before her. “I thought you said I’d be safe enough here to be able to relax…” She said while glancing at the ceiling above her.

“As long as you stay clear of the few traps I will point out to you, there will be few places as safe as this one.”

“How am I supposed to take a nap knowing that there is a monster in the ceiling…?” Erica asked anxiously as the chamber before her lit up by itself.

“The creature has laid dormant for hundreds of years, you have no reason to worry. For now I suggest you make yourself at home here.” Dror’Khanik reassured her.

With a deep breath to calm herself, Erica took the time to actually observe the chamber before her. It wasn’t what she expected when she imagined the home of a group of ancient necromancers, not that she had any good idea of what such a place would look like. She had expected death, decay, maybe even some blood, but what she was greeted by were elegant albeit dusty furniture. A sophisticated, wooden meeting table with intricate carvings in flowing patterns accompanied by matching padded chairs which looked fit for the buttocks of noblemen. At the other end of the large chamber stood a padded couch with matching armchairs, as well as a coffee table which matched the design of the meeting table. Though she could barely tell what colour the fabrics were in as the thick layer of dust made everything look grey. “I have to admit that this place is… not exactly what I expected…”

“Do you not find it satisfactory?”

“Oh no, this place is great! Though considering we are talking about the ex-home of mass-murderers I was expecting it to be… scarier…” She tried to explain, but something about that very statement made her feel stupid.

“Most powerful wizards are incredibly wealthy, they say that the more questionable their morals the wealthier they are... The members of the undying lived like royalty, which speaks plenty of what they did for a living.”

“Are you trying to tell me wealthy people have questionable morals?” Erica asked nervously.

“Some do, some do not. Though I suggest you spend your time getting acquainted with this place instead of asking these irrelevant questions…” The dragon said with a somewhat arrogant attitude.

“Yes, yes…” She sighed and approached the large, wooden doorway to her left with careful steps and pushed it open, though something about the door made it much lighter than it looked, as it slid open without much effort. “I thought you said this place was supposed to have been a small, barely used hideout…”

“It is, the hideouts they frequented were much more impressive than this one.”

“For some reason that makes me somewhat anxious…” Erica pointed out as she trailed her fingers across the old, carved wood of the door.

“It is because you lack the imagination to picture what such a place would look like.”

“Why do you have to be so frank about it?”

“Sometimes I enjoy blessing the lesser races with knowledge they themselves had yet to discover.” Dror’Khanik arrogantly spoke, likely in an attempt to make a joke.

“Wow… thank you for this… revelation…” Erica sighed audibly as the lanterns in the dark hallways before her lit up by themselves.

“You are very welcome.” He stated before quickly changing the topic. “Down these hallways you will find additional traps which I will be able to disarm for you, so worry not about your steps. There are a total of nine chambers of various sizes throughout these caverns and I suggest you choose which to transform into your personal quarters. Though I believe the room you would most likely want is found on the other side of these caverns.”

“Like a bedroom?”

“Yes, among other things. Somewhere you can go when you wish to study in peace or when you do not want to be bothered.”

“I am pretty sure I can ask you or the giants to leave me alone.” Erica said in a slightly more lighthearted tone, as the aristocratic atmosphere came over her. Everything around her seemed surreal, yet pleasant. Something about the raised ceilings, decor and aesthetic of the caverns made her feel important for just walking on these floors.

“With time, there will be others who will join you in fighting for this cause. With you being the first, they will consider you their leader, and it is them you may have to escape to your personal quarters from.”

“Do I honestly look like someone who possesses leadership qualities..?” She asked as if the answer was beyond obvious.

“No, but with my guidance I am confident you can do it. All you have to do is follow instructions, just like you have up until now.”

Erica simply sighed at his words of encouragement. No matter how strange or wrong it felt to have someone believe in her this much, deep down she knew that the only way she could change that mindset was by not voicing her disagreement and simply trying to go along with it. As such she simply continued down the dark hallway in silence, peeking into each of the chambers she passed. Large, oak wood doors, reinforced with iron, left open by whoever last walked down these hallways. Each hiding a grand chamber on the other side of the carved wood. Dusty bookshelves emptied of most of its contents, the remains of broken alchemy equipment, various left-behind furniture that none of the previous residents likely wanted when they left this place to the fate of dust and termites.

At the end of the hallway stood one final, ominous looking door which was much larger than the rest. The only doorway which had not already been opened before Erica’s arrival. As she placed her hand on the door to begin pushing it open, the dragon’s voice stopped her before she could put any weight on it. “I suggest you leave that room be, as you will not like what you find on the other side. We should have the giants clean it out before you enter.”

“Clean it out? What do you mean? What exactly is on the other side?”

“A ritual chamber which was forgotten when the war came to an end. What awaits on the other side is nothing more than death, and I can assure you that it is not something you will forget once you see it.”

“I… what exactly happened here?”

“Dark magic once tainted these halls, and this very room was its source. Foul rituals were cast here, and the remnants of them still remain to this day.” Dror’Khanik carefully explained without the slightest hint of concern in his voice.

“Is it… really alright for me to be here?”

“There is nothing for you to worry about, even stepping into this room is harmless for your physical form. Though I am not sure you are ready to see the death that awaits on the other side of this door.”

“So I was ready to face giants and the possibility of my own death but not what is on the other side of this door?” Erica asked as her curiosity momentarily overcame her fear and anxiety.

“Perhaps I am mistaken and you are ready… Though if you choose to let your curiosity conquer you and open this door, remember my warning when you witness what awaits you inside.”

She moved her fingers across the door’s oak wood surface as her curiosity tickled the depths of her mind. Part of her wanted to slam the door open and face the ritual chamber inside head on, yet something told her she would regret it. Yet now that her interest had peaked it felt as though she had an unscratchable itch, and the only way to put an end to the uncomfortable sensation was to open the door no matter what she would face on the other side. “What is the worst thing that could happen to me if I open this door?” She asked the dragon as her fingers trailed towards the large door handle before her.

“You could be traumatized I assume? Perhaps you may feel disgusted? Though there is no magic inside or anything else which will target your mind or scramble its contents… yet as I am sure you are aware, necromancy was banned after this war for a reason. The contents of this room should perfectly explain to you why such a ban was put into place.”

She took a deep breath and swallowed her anxiety before slowly pushing the door open just slightly, only to be greeted by a scent like nothing she had ever smelled before which creeped through the gap between the doors. A strange mixture or rotting flesh, blood and ashes, with a touch of something fruity. The vile stench caused her to gag to the point where she could taste the vomit at the back of her throat, and made her head spin as if she had recently hit her head.

“What is that smell?” She asked as she slowly pushed the door open, only to be whole-heartedly welcomed by the foul scent.

“The preserved flesh of approximately 200 peasants from the region now known as the deadlands. Strung together by magic into a fleshy abomination which the Undying were planning to grant sentience and unleash upon the kingdom of Elladonia. Though the war ended and the Undying fell apart before they could perform the needed rituals.”

As the large blob of flesh and bones came into view Erica could not help but empty her stomach on the floor next to her. Her throat burned as she vomited, yet when she finally calmed down the door had closed itself again, likely thanks to Dror’Khanik’s efforts. “They… they just left them there? For 800 years?” Erica panted as she struggled to keep herself from vomiting once again.

“They had no need for it anymore, it would be a waste of their time to come collect it.” Dror’Khanik responded a little too castually for Erica’s liking. “Though I still suggest that we have the giants clean the room out before you open these doors again. I can have them do it as soon as they return.”

While leaning against the wall Erica stumbled back towards the main chamber, all while trying to force the image of the cursed room out of her mind. “Why aren’t they here?”

“I sent them out to seize an opportunity which presented itself. Consider them to be out on a scavenging expedition, as we will need bountiful resources to achieve what it is that we hope to do. Until then, I suggest you rest. You look as though you have gazed into the great void. Pale as the snow of the northern arctic.”

“Did they suffer?” Erica stuttered as she grabbed onto the cloth of her dress near her chest. As her own heartbeat made it difficult to breathe.

“What?” Dror’Khanik asked curiously, as if he had failed to understand the context of her question.

“The people from the north who… were turned… did they suffer?” Erica asked as she gazed back at the large, ominous door behind her, all while swearing to herself that she would never open those doors again.

“Oh you mean the flesh abomination? They are still suffering I am sure, but we are about to change that.”