Sorin's Final Adventure.

The stone walls towered over the city, and as he passed through them, seeming to take notes of the town and its marketplace, which were lined with streamers and flags as if they had just finished celebrating some form of a festival. Plus, they were still tearing down decorations and cleaning the streets from the confetti used the day before Sorin's arrival. The round river rock cobblestone underfoot was a nice decorative touch that helped to enhance the charm of the large city.

As Sorin made his way through the streets, he pulled his cloak closer around his shoulders, lowering the hood over his features, still wishing to be as unnoticed as possible while sticking close to the back alleys and shadows of the city. He moved silently, and he couldn't help but notice how well-built Dvlven was. It was a towering fortress against attackers and a refuge for those who escaped the harsh reality outside of their comfortable lives.

Beggars clung near the opening of each alleyway, asking for coins or seeking work to provide something for the families they had left at home. Other beggars took the opportunity to ask for coins. Undoubtedly, spending the coins on drinks in the local pubs and taverns. Due to the beggars defecating in the streets, the city slums reeked with a stench so foul that it made your stomach churn at the knowledge that you would have to suffer with the smell as you passed through to reach the cheaper taverns in the city.

As the Tiefling moved through the slums, he took in the amenities the city held within its stone fortress. He noted a tailor, a library, a tavern with an inn, and many street stalls where many adventurers could make purchases before setting out on their adventures. However, a lingering issue troubled Sorin. Something about the city gave him a feeling that it was missing a key establishment from Dvlven's streets, which was a little unsettling. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he thought about this, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. 'What was missing from the city that caused me this mild agitation?' The Tiefling silently questioned.

Making his way to the south gate, the nagging feeling within the recesses of his mind continued to linger, causing his mood to decline due to the aggravation. This persistent feeling was beyond frustrating for him. Once, he exited the city through the south gate into a dense forest, following a dirt path leading deeper. The trees that the Tiefling passed under towered over him to the point that he dropped the glamour that hid his Wendigo features while stretching to his full height of eight feet and six inches.

As Sorin walks through the underbrush of the populated forest, he reminisces about his beginnings. The Tiefling had set out to find his brother before discovering that the boy had ultimately met his demise. He wished to seek out his brother's soul, which he had gained and was how he had earned his Wendigo form. Making deals with celestial beings that have a two-Wendigo council can have its benefits. But even then, he was still naive when following a group of adventurers that inevitably betrayed him in the end. He was fortunate and gifted in the skills of the Artificer. So, he was necessary at the point of contact with this group of people. Unfortunately, this did not matter in the long run for the Tiefling. At some point during the adventure, the party began plotting against Sorin, slowly stabbing him in the back bit by bit. They used his artificer abilities to craft augments for their gear and weapons. It boosted his esteem, only to have them crush it when they cast him aside and abandoned him while in the middle of a battle that almost took his life. And, for him, it was the last straw that broke the camel's back of rage within his soul, turning him against most of humanity and its creations. He did not feel the need to care for creatures that were slaves to the impulses of their desires, without any moral standing to back the reason for their deceit. When he realized that his party had left him as a sacrificial lamb to the slaughter, without so much as a thought to give him a say on the matter, Sorin was then soured by that experience, plus many more. The Tiefling had taken it upon himself to distance himself from the party that betrayed him and set out on his adventures without stressing about a party following him or using his resources.

Bringing us back to the present, where he was walking deeper into the forest surrounding Dvlven City. He hoped to find a place to settle and live the rest of his days in peace. Sorin soon stumbled upon what seemed to be an abandoned mage tower in the middle of the forest. With his gaze on the abandoned solid structure, he thought to make this place his, since it was accessible and ready for the taking. He moved toward the structure to take a closer look at the outside perimeter of his soon-to-be new home. As he moved, something didn't feel quite right or in the right order. It wasn't a feeling like fear, but one of superb annoyance. And there was only one thing that could cause such an annoyance. As he continued to spectate around the outside area of the mage tower, he found it. The source of his annoyance and abundance of rage, about five meters away from the exterior tower wall, was a circle of mushrooms that meant there were Fae beings nearby.

"Detestable fucking bastards. If you wish to continue living. Keep your flying asses outside of my home."

With another grunt in disgust, he turned toward the entrance, wishing to remain as far away from the Fae call signs before he had to deal with them. Sorin and Fae beings were never a good mix. There was always some form of destruction when the two crossed paths. His reasons were due to the little floating bastards continuously attacking him without a fair reason for doing so. He stopped as he turned away from the offensive circle with a wicked smirk forming on his lips and then pivoted on his heel before heading back toward the mushrooms. Once at the offensive welcoming call, he raised his hoofed Wendigo foot and stomped on the circle. To add extra damage, he dug his hoof deeper into the soil before dragging it back to smear the destroyed mushrooms across the ground, showing his clear stance that the Fae were not welcome here, and then turned to make his way toward the entrance of the mage tower.

To his absolute displeasure, Sorin did not find any Fae inhabitants in the circle of mushrooms and kept his eyes peeled for any more of those welcoming circles. As the Tiefling stepped through the entrance, he was assaulted within moments by the powerful magical auras shrouding the tomes on the recessed dark oak wood shelves. Most of the interior wall was similar to exposed brick, but this wall allowed for green hanging vegetation and moss to grow and collect. As he made his way through the towering structure, he couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that enveloped him. Despite this, he continued to carefully survey the interior of the mage tower, trying to make sense of the situation and assess what lay within. The entryway was moss-covered stone with dark oak wood framing. Beyond the frame, the area opened into a large, circular room with bookshelves lining the interior walls. Each book gave off an ethereal glow as vines and vegetation crept down the bookshelves, creating a veil of foliage over each one.

The large bookshelves spanned the entirety of the first and second floors, which led to a catwalk that accessed the other books that rest on higher walls of the second floor before leading to a second set of spiral stairs that appeared to travel to the third floor of the tower. Sconces decorate the thick, solid pillars of dark oak wood, casting soft, glowing light into the area around the bookshelves. On the main level of the two-story library, there is a large desk with a single lamp resting on top of the mahogany wood surface. The dark wood of the desk was ornate and elegantly decorated with intricate carvings that cast an air of superior elegance along the sides of the desk's exterior design. The brass handles on the ornate desk added a touch of charm to the furniture piece. In front of the desk sat a winged high-back chair with dark leather upholstery that appeared plush and comfortable once sat in. It helped tie the room together, along with a small table and couch set near a fireplace to the left of the chamber, while a door lay to the right of where Sorin stood at the entrance to the large expanse of the room.

Sorin glanced around the expansive library, noting the tiny birdhouses that rested along the walls and corners, some in clustered groups but not in such a fashion that it was unsightly to behold. He moved past the entryway and toward the number of bookshelves with books that cast magical glowing auras from the covers, taking a closer inspection at some of the books and noting that they are all protected by every magical spell to prevent them from becoming eroded over time. The Tiefling reached out with a burgundy hand to take a book from the shelves, and upon inspection, he noted that the books read like journal entries with detailed locations for specific herbs and plants. Placing the book back onto the shelf, Sorin turned his attention back to exploring the area of his new home. He spent hours roaming the interior of his established residence and discovered an alchemy lab in the basement, in a back room off the kitchen. The third and fourth floors above the library housed living quarters and an attic with stairs leading to the roof, where a griffin's nest could be built or used for a watchtower. By the end of the evening, after the Tiefling had discovered every secret he could of his living space, he was exhausted from climbing the stairs and exploring the mage tower, now his home. The day drew to a close, and he moved back to the living quarters within the structure. He adeptly began the ritual of getting ready for bed. The Tiefling washed and changed to a tunic and loose cotton pants before he entered the bedroom chambers of the mage tower and noticed that the room held a certain comforting charm that he had not expected to find in such a place. The decor is simple yet quaint. Some paintings and tapestries hung around the room with a calming mix of vegetation and art. There's a large plush yet firm-looking bed that rests against a wall, jutting out from its resting space but not overpowering the area of the room. The bed is covered with luxurious silk sheets and the finest quality cotton comforter, ensuring a perfect night's rest.

The walls of this room still hold the same stone and vegetation as the entryway in the main library on the first floor. There is one difference. The timber in this particular room differed from the dark oak log framing in the library and entryway. This timber is lighter and takes on more of a birch wood appearance.

The room was adorned with neatly arranged potted plants, contributing to the cozy and welcoming atmosphere where Sorin found himself. When he stepped toward the bed, he waved his hand, casting a dimensional portal to cover the door that entered the sleeping chambers of the mage tower before he fell into the comfortable bed and quickly drifted into a restful slumber.

An unfamiliar figure observed the Tiefling as he placed his dimensional portal around the door, allowing it to manifest while employing his magic to alter certain aspects of the created portal. A smirk formed on the unknown figure's features while the excitement inside them built, knowing what would come of this in the morning. They disappeared as quietly as they entered the tower and watched from afar.

The Tiefling awoke early in the morning and stretched his arms languidly above his head before relaxing and moving to the edge of the bed. He stood from the bed and continued the morning ritual by performing his necessities before continuing down the spiral staircases towards the library on the main floor. While he descended the catwalk and spiral staircase, he heard soft scurrying noises but could not pinpoint where they were coming from, causing him to wonder if there was a rat and mouse infestation within the tower.

"Seems I may have some rodents to deal with."

He grumbled to himself while casting his gaze around the main room of the mage tower, descending the last stair, trying to catch a glimpse of what caused the scurrying sound moments ago, with nothing immediately standing out to him. Sorin turned his gaze toward the tomes that lined the shelves of the expansive wall of dark wood recessed into the stone wall, and his curiosity began to eat away at him. The Tiefling moved to the bookshelves and grabbed a couple of the books before heading to the desk in the center of the library, after taking his seat behind the expensively ornate and decorative desk in the high wing-back chair with cowhide upholstery. He ran the pads of his bony fingers over the leather bindings of the book before turning to a random page within the tome and reading the pages inside.

"Journal Entry 435: day 732,

While traveling through the Maikoh territory, I discovered a tunnel system that contained a wide variety of rocks and stones that I had never seen before. I gathered one of the rocks to bring back for experiments.

There appear to be a couple of pages torn from the diary entries that could describe the rock or identify its details.

Journal Entry 438: day 735,

Experimentations yield some results, but not many. Further experimentation with the rock is needed.

Journal Entry 439: day 774,

SUCCESS!! I have finally had an experiment that yielded many results! The stone, when blessed, changed the blessing into a curse, and when used with weapons, it will cause the wielder to take damage. Damage extent unknown."

As he was reading the journal entries, he heard scurrying noises coming from the kitchen and near the door to one of the cloak closets tucked away to the left of the entryway, causing him to be interrupted from his perusal of the words scrawled on the pages inside. A scowl forms on his Tiefling features at the sounds, his head quickly looking up from the pages.

An unknown figure sat outside the mage tower with a smirk on their lips, watching as the chaos began to unfold inside Sorin's home from a hidden spot in a tree about 5 yards away. The mysterious figure chuckled in a deep and rumbling tone as they used magic to draw more things toward Sorin's home through the dimensional portal that the Tiefling had forgotten to close in the morning. With a quick flick of its wrist, the entity used glamour to disguise itself as a field mouse before slipping inside the tower to watch the mayhem unfold. After crawling under the crack in the door of the tower, the mouse scurried across the floor of the main entryway towards the coat closet to the left, causing a slight noise, which was lucky enough that other mice had created a distraction to cover its entry into the building and the blunder of accidentally announcing their presence.

With a growl of contempt, Sorin stood from the desk, causing the chair to slide back against the wooden floorboards with such force that the chair toppled down, creating a loud clattering sound to fill the otherwise silent library.

"How is it an abandoned tower can have so much noise!?!"

The Tiefling shouted into the open air in the library with him. He spun around to the toppled chair, and a murky figure zipped past the edge of his sight, prompting him to shoot a disapproving glance in the direction where he last spotted the shadow. With a critical eye, Sorin scanned the area where the apparition was, but still did not see anything noteworthy. Turning his focus back to the toppled chair, he bent over to lift it back to its previous upright state with ease before realizing that his habits from his Tiefling life had come knocking. A low rumbling noise emanated from his abdomen, prompting him to seek a food source. He moved toward the door that led to the stairwell, heading toward the kitchen and dining area of the tower. His steps and the muffled rustling of the fabric from his robes filled the stairwell as he continued down the stone and mortar staircase, lit by the candelabra sconces on the walls. After entering the kitchen, Sorin takes note of the herbs that hang upside down on drying racks bolted to the stone walls of the kitchen. A circular metal meat hanger with various types of drying meat hung on a chain from a long mahogany rafter that supported the main floor above the kitchen on the opposite side of the room. An island with polished stone countertops sat in the middle of the room, with a chef's metal display rack for pots and pans hanging over it. The room's wooden floors were of a light oak color, styled in a Versailles Pattern.

As he took in the kitchen's appearance, he suddenly desired to make his father's spicy beef tongue with onions. He turned his attention from the room's appearance and decor to glance at the meat selection and looked for the preferred style of meat so he could start preparing the dish. A sound of exclamation left Sorin's lips before he walked to the hanging beef tongue, which was well hidden amongst the other pieces of hanging beef.

Off in the room's shadows, a mouse wiggled and squirmed, becoming impatient at how slowly the situation unfolded before it. After the Tiefling male turned around, he came face-to-face with several glowing red eyes. With disgust and a shock noise leaving his throat, he lunged for the nearest object to him from the hanging chef's wrack above the island, pointed his cast iron pan, and held it in front of him like a true samurai warrior at the dire rats that were in his kitchen. A look of triumph formed over his features until they fell at the realization that he was holding a cast-iron skillet in his hands with pride like a sword. He grunted angrily at his luck before charging into the fray of dire rodents.

With a quick swing, the sound of the skillet clapping with the sound of the rodent's head made a sickening clang, causing a sinister smile to form on Sorin's features. After the successful hit, the Tiefling roared in triumph. Becoming overly confident that he could handle so many alone before miscalculating how many of the dire rats were in the large kitchen.

A couple of hours afterward, Sorin stormed through Dvlven City, tugging at his robes and grumbling in frustration.

"Rats! Dire Rats! And how the hell did those bastards Faes get into my home?!" The Tiefling's frustration rose the further he walked and tugged at his robes. He glanced down at his attire, spotting a tiny burning spot on his clothes before he stamped it out and carried on with his tirade.

"If those damned journals and magical tomes didn't pique my interest, I would have destroyed that blasted tower." He continued down the round, cobbled river rock path of the city in an unruly fashion through the city's cobblestone streets, muttering to himself as he searched for a Guild building. After an eternity of searching for the Guild shop, Sorin stomped into an inn and shouted out.

"DOES THIS CITY NOT HAVE A GUILD!"

The patrons who moseyed around the inn stopped and glanced at him before they all burst into laughter at his expense. A voice rang out from around the patrons of the inn.

"Alright, you assholes! Go about your business!"

Once the patrons heard the female voice telling them to mind their business, a beautiful blonde-haired Elven cleric with bright blue eyes and alabaster skin approached the Tiefling.

"Is this your first time in town? Because if you were a regular, you would know this town hasn't had a guild for ages."

The Elf woman addressed Sorin with a gentle and kind tone, eliciting a displeased grunt from him before he gave her a brief nod.

"Not that it is any of your business. I have just purchased a tower outside of town and need a group of adventurers to exterminate the problem without destroying my book collection."

He retorted in his still disgruntled tone from earlier events. The woman didn't allow his attitude to slip any further. With a slight scowl of displeasure forming on her elven features, she dropped her tone to a motherly chiding tone before addressing the matter.

"Okay, well, maybe if you were a little nicer, people would want to help you more."

As she spoke to him, the elf woman crossed her arms over her sizeable assets before cocking her hip slightly to show her disapproval towards his manner while addressing her. Her lashes lowered to a glare of annoyance, expecting his apology. Realizing his mistake, the Tiefling cleared his throat behind his fist, showing a hint of humility for the earlier transgression.

"I apologize. Do you know where someone could find adventurers willing to help me eradicate my problem without causing damage to my book collection?"

He asked in a calmer tone, causing the elven woman to smile and nod as another voice came beside Sorin.

"June and I can give ya' a hand since we are in town together."

A gruff male voice spoke from the right side of the Tiefling. The sound was grumbling and primal in a sense. Turning his head, the Tiefling glanced at the person who spoke. He saw a half-orc and half-human monk in similar robes adorned with a holy symbol matching the one on the cleric's robes.

As his eyes traveled over the monk, he noticed that the orc male appeared to be a hybrid with one hell of an underbite and tusks on his lower protruding jaw that made the Tiefling wonder how the male talked, let alone ate his food. His eyes focused on the male before traveling lower to the half-orc's features, as a thought crossed his mind that he had to hide behind a stoic mask.

'This orc thing has a butt chin!'

The half-orc saw where he was focused on before his temper flared, and a fire sparked in his eyes. Clearing his throat harshly, attempting to get Sorin's eyes off his chin, the monk introduced himself as Foo. The retired adventurer nodded in acknowledgment of Foo's introduction while also taking in the detail of the mask that hung off to the right side of his head, which resembled a porcelain Foo Dawg face.

"Nice to meet you both. Tell me, what will the price be to have you both enter my home and destroy my infestation without damaging anything?"

The retired Tiefling Artificer leveled an open-for-discussion gaze on the two others.

The two adventurers gave each other a silent glance as if they were talking among themselves without speaking verbally. After a few minutes of consideration between the two, Foo was the first to voice his thoughts on the payment process.

"How I see it. June and I can handle your little problem if you pay for our room at the inn. We hope you will be gracious with your accommodations: one gold a night for a room, two rooms, five gold for each of us by room payment, and we can take care of your problem."

The Wendigo listened intently to their proposal before falling into a critical and analytical thought process. They wanted five gold coins each to pay for their rooms at the inn. After taking a few minutes to think the proposal over, Sorin decided that this was a reasonable price for what he was asking them to do, even though he wished he could have negotiated the price lower. Due to the importance of everything in that tower, he refused to let any of it get damaged in eradicating those pests. With a subtle nod, the Tiefling agreed to the payment negotiated by the two adventurers in front of him. He stepped up to the tavern's counter to pay for the two individual rooms to complete the transaction before leading June and Foo back to the tower outside Dvlve City.

"I appreciate that you're accepting my quest. I could have taken care of it, but I despise Fae creatures so much that I might have destroyed my tower and everything inside while dealing with the issue."

He called over his shoulder to the duo following him to the tower, currently infested with all sorts of Fae creatures that could be causing a ruckus within the walls of the magic building.

"It is understandable. June has more patience with them than I do personally. But, due to how important things are inside, she can negotiate with them to leave, or we may have to fight them. Either way, the rooms at the inn will be well worth the outcome."

The half-orc reassured the Tiefling as they stopped outside the magical building that they had received payment to clear without damaging the tomes.

"Let me go inside and try to talk with them, see if we can peacefully get the creatures to move on from here before we have to strategize a plan of attack."

The Elf woman spoke her cautions before gazing at the monk and Sorin. After receiving a nod from Sorin and Foo, June smiled before she headed for the door and disappeared into the tower. Foo turned a knowing glance after June, knowing what she had planned. The half-orc turned to the Tiefling before voicing his thoughts about giving her time to handle the situation.

"Negotiations could take a few days. Let's head back to the inn and wait for June there."

He then turned with Sorin and returned to the tavern in Dvlven city, allowing June to take care of the situation in the mage tower.

Upon entering the tower and closing the large, heavy wooden door behind her, she blocked the creature's exit by locking it. She saw the absolute chaos that was taking place with all the Fae creatures on the main floor of the building. June noticed how the creatures had started to stare at her. The main floor of the tower had Fae creatures littered around the inner area that had crafted a makeshift village using writing and scripting supplies, scattering them among the floors. The elven woman forced a pleasantly tender smile onto her features and lowered her register to speak in a smooth, almost delicate whisper.

"Greetings, little Fae. I have come here looking for your leader. Could you please tell me who among you is the chieftain of this lot?"

As she stood waiting for the creatures to answer her question, a sudden light shone down on one of the bone Fae sitting on a makeshift throne on top of the desk in the middle of the room. Her eyes locked on it as she continued her false, delighted smile on her lips, one she had practiced over the years, making others believe it to be genuine but used to hide her true intent and make her way toward the creature. June maintained her soft register as she spoke to the bone fae.

"Hello, I have come to negotiate your removal from this tower. I hope we can reach an agreement to ensure the safety of your people."

As June asked her question, she sat in the high wing-back chair that rested on its legs before the desk and waited for the bone Fae to respond to her proposal. The bone Fae did not know that she had been silently preparing to cast magic the whole time. And because of her silent preparations, she needed to wait until her silent incantation charged enough to cast it on the army of feral fae creatures that held a semblance of humanity within them.

After placing her hands on the top of the desk in a show of peace, she saw an item on the desk that caught her interest. When the bone Fae responded to June's statement, she reached over to pick up an ink well off the desk to examine it with great interest while she pretended to listen to the bone Fae. The low, rumbled grunts in a high, squeaky tone did nothing to help her focus on gathering the mana to strike these little bastards down. The elf woman knew she needed to think quickly to deal as much damage to them as soon as possible to save the tomes and materials within the tower. Her mind critically thought of a plan to take the Fae down. She pretended to listen and strained her hearing for the creature that was answering her request for them to leave the tower safely.

"I am sorry, I have to lower my register in my dialect because I know how painful my full volume can be to your delicate ears. But I am unable to hear you. May I kindly ask you to speak up?"

The first step is to get the chief closer to her. If she could get the creature closer to her by coaxing it, there is a chance that her plan could work out wonderfully, but if she couldn't get the Fae to move closer, things may become more problematic. June made a facial expression to show that she was straining her elven ears to listen to the creature on the desk. The bone Fae made a sound of displeasure as it spoke up in a louder register, but June continued to make a strained facial expression and shook her head.

'That's it, frustrate the little fucker with kindness and respect to make him feel obligated to try, given our races are not so different from one another. Use it!' June silently thought to herself, leaning forward slightly as if showing an effort to hear the magical entity.

"I am sorry. I am still unable to hear you. May I ask you to come closer? I understand I have no right to ask such a favor from you, but I truthfully can not hear you."

Persuasion at its highest form, with a soft, sweet whisper that was so melodic that it expressed a deep desire to understand and be open with the creature. But it was a ploy, a con, a manipulation to get the bone Fae closer to her so she could enact her plan to handle them. June then slightly turned her head to the left, presenting her ear in a show of trying to hear the bone Fae speak. This request caused a displeased grunt from the bone Fae before it moved forward and repeated its response to her request for them to get out. The inkwell she held in her left hand was then placed into her right hand as she continued to prepare to set her plan in motion. She had been concentrating on her spells long enough that casting them at this point would be easy. Unfortunately, there was no fun in this type of work for her if she couldn't cause a little chaos, and that was what she thrived on. She raised her left hand in a gesture for the creature to pause in the middle of its speech.

"Again, I am profoundly sorry. But I still am unable to hear what you are saying."

By this point, the army of Fae creatures behind her was also becoming frustrated with her repeated requests for the chef to step closer or speak louder, yet sadly, due to her respectful approach, the creatures felt obligated to be patient with her requests, not understanding that this was all a ploy for June to get what she wanted.

'Take the bait,' the elven woman silently thought while schooling her features into a sweet, apologetic expression that would sway the Fae to accept her request for closer proximity.

The bone Fae huffed in frustration and moved forward again. As the Fae creature moved closer to June while remaining on the top of the desk, a slight sparkle flickered in her eyes as the creature moved closer and closer still.

'It is always the sweet act that gets them. So, unsuspecting that it may be a trap. Why would someone so cute and innocently presenting ever have ill intent towards something similar to the elf in magical abilities?' June proudly thought to herself as she continued, coaxing the chef closer with her sweet facial features and apologetic whispers.

When the bone Fae was an inch away from the edge of the desk, her features fell to their baseline before a wicked grin flashed across her lips. She moved quickly and slammed the ink well down on top of the bone Fae, crushing the creature under the weight and force of her action. Simultaneously, she cast the spell 'dread' on the rest of the room, performing her first action to enhance the effects of what her actions had already caused the army. Her gentle and caring facade as an elf gives way to a cruel grin filled with malice and ill intent. With a quick and fluid motion, June stood from the wing-high back chair and turned to face the rest of the fae creatures as her tone rose in register to a dominating presence.

"Now, if the rest of you do not wish to become glued to the floor where you stand, GET OUT! Or shall I bring your leader back to tell you himself?!"

The air around her filled with fear from the other creatures within the large tower room. All of this is the dramatic flair she loved feeling from her victims as she crafted the scene of horror that would be each of their ends. The elven woman then casts her second reserved spell, 'reanimate corpse, on the crushed body of the Fae chief to bring it back from the dead, screaming in agony, to stir more fear within the army of Fae that surrounded her in the tower. She watched as the Fae creatures stared in horror as their leader came back to life with screams of agony before they panicked and fled the mage tower in droves of fearful cries and shouts.

With a grin filled with malicious intent, June raised her hand as she cast the spell Blizzard on the fleeing magical beings.

The screams stopped as the area dropped in temperature, and they became frozen in place. Some of the Fae that had resisted her 'dread' and 'blizzard' spells finally started fleeing in a panic, trying to escape with their lives. As the remaining little creatures scurry about, some suddenly burst like boils filled with pus and guts in front of their friends and family, who are frozen or running, plus screaming in panic from the tower.

The final act of her vicious devastation of the magical beings was finally ready to be enacted. A bubble of maniacal laughter burst forth from June's throat as she watched the little creatures get hit with the final spell cast on them, 'Finger of Death', which allowed her necrotic magic to explode them with rapid efficiency. The ones frozen in place were not safe from the destruction of their lives and families. As the creatures' bodies burst, some in the air while others were on the ground, some of the frozen creatures had already scattered into dust around their fear-encased Faes' feet, causing their evaporated particles to fall like a light mist over June's face as she turned it to the tower roof with a calm yet crazed expression on her features.

"More," She expressed with a giggle before her attention turned toward the fleeing magical beings. "Run faster, little darlings! Your time has almost run out!"

June danced in the vaporized mist of particles that fell around her as the Fae creatures burst into red drops, falling like a light sprinkle around her while she spun around and laughed with malice. As she danced with reckless abandon around the tower floor, her feet would stomp down on the frozen Fae, scattering more of them across the floor. Their cries and screams filled the air, causing her to hum a haunting melody that caused even more fear and panic to shoot through the remaining defiant batch. Some tried to hide in places they thought the elf would never search. But this only made things more exciting for June. She stalked around, crushing more of the Fae underfoot, as she pretended to walk past one of the hiding spots they hid in terror in before she popped back in front of them with a loud.

"Boo!"

Like she was a predator who had caught its prey but wanted to scare it far more before it died under her 'Finger of Death' spell.

When the main floor of the mage tower had cleared out, and June felt she could relax, she continued to laugh in a cynical and delightful cry before she felt a surge of energy come from behind her, causing her to pivot to face the entity that came into the mage tower with her crazed expression still on her face. As she came face-to-face with her intruder, she saw it was the monk Foo, who seemed to be delighted to see her so carefree and in the moment.

The two have a specific connection that allows each other to know how the other is feeling when this kind of episode strikes the elven woman. The half-orc knew that June was not right in the head, and when she was in this state of chaos, sometimes it would require them to spar before she would settle back into her right state of mind.

"June, we can't pull off that kind of fight in this tower. It would ruin our business."

He lightly reprimanded the woman with a mischievous glint in his eyes while the corners of his half-orc mouth curled up in a small recognition of a smile. He moved forward to survey the area around them and noted the scattered bodies and puddles on the floor.

"Have fun taking care of the problem?"

Foo's smile turned into a devilish grin as he approached the elf woman, who was still laughing.

"Most definitely. Where is the man who hired us?"

She glanced around the tower's interior and then back at the half-orc, who informed her that their client was back at the inn in town.

"Now, let's get this place cleaned up. Sorin didn't hire us to leave blood everywhere."

Foo said to June, which caused her to become angry as she glanced around at the mess. She knew it was her fault, but her OCD over the cleaning only caused her anger to grow while she grumbled about the Fae creatures being such a mess to clean up.

Meanwhile, the Tiefling sat in one of the rooms at the tavern, thinking about the town not having a guild for adventurers to come to. This knowledge brought about a string of experiments he could conduct in this town by building a guild himself. During this time, he wondered if he could create an adventure party to take him out on a grand scale. He never believed in following the rule of law based on moral reasons, and what better way to control his death than to take it into his own hands by building a group so powerful that they could kill him? And since he was practically a deity with his power as is, the torture he could put the two adventurers through by building a guild he would be in charge of seemed perfect to him. Of course, there would be a requirement for far more members than just the half-orc and the elven woman, which should be no problem for Sorin if he played his cards right with the two adventurers he had now.

He could obtain them by talking to them about setting up the guild and having them work for him, or they could point him to other adventurers wanting to find a fresh start. The Tiefling sat in silence, delving deep into his thoughts as he planned the layout for the guild building and how he wanted it to look and have it set up to provide the optimal advantage for all who traveled to his guild. With his focus on the guild building, he started making a mental list of things he wanted in this guild since this would be his legacy. He wanted his guild to be the one-stop place for adventurers, and if June agreed to stay on and work for the guild, he could have her craft up healing potions that could be given as payment or purchased by others. Sorin knew he wanted a blacksmith at the guild to repair the equipment on the grounds for the guild members and the adventurers that passed through. The guild would also need a jewel crafter and an enchanter for the weapons and jewelry. On the outside of the guild, he wanted training grounds and a blade master to teach the adventurers how to use the weapons needed to defeat him.

The excitement over his plan had him smiling at the prospect of meeting new adventures that would be unknowing subjects to his experiments. It brought a wicked and delighted half-smirk to his lips, causing a small gap on one side of his mouth from the slight parting due to his smirk. He sat deep in thought as he remained in the room, contemplating the guild and the secret experiments he planned to carry out on the adventurers who joined his guild. He did not realize two days had passed while he sat in his thoughts.

Sorin was pulled out of his thoughts as the room door swung open, and Foo and June walked in, engaged in conversation. His head snapped up as the two adventurers entered the room at the tavern. He stood from his seat on the edge of the bed in the room and adjusted his garments while he straightened up.

"I presume you have finished the job?"

The Tiefling asked as the two adventurers drew closer to him. His leveled on them in a stoic and blank stare caused the two to stop their conversation and turn their attention to him.

"Yes, your pest problem has been successfully dealt with."

The elven woman was the first to answer his inquiry with the sweetest voice, revealing nothing of her earlier brutality toward the Fae in the tower. The half-orc then spoke up while moving toward the other side of the room.

"Yeah, June has a way with words. By the time I had made it there, she had convinced all the Fae creatures to leave, and then we handled the rodents of unusual sizes in the kitchen afterward. Your books and other items in the tower are safe and unharmed."

One corner of Foo's mouth quirked up with a slight grin that exposed more of his protruding lower jaw tusk. With a nod of approval to the monk, Sorin brought up his thoughts on the guild.

"I want to build a guild for this town. And I want you two to help me with this feat since you know the area."

At the mention of Sorin's idea for building a guild, the two adventurers glanced at each other before June spoke up in the same soft and kind tone, she usually spoke in.

"Well, for any building permits, you have to talk to the Baron of the land. And he is a bit stingy on land development. But he may be willing to work with you if we can get an audience with him. Foo should know a few of the knights that work for him and may be able to get you in to see the Baron, but I am unsure of how soon that would be able to happen."

The monk chimed in with his thoughts and comments.

"Oh, that shouldn't be an issue. I will hike to the Baron's estate in the morning to see what I can get done for you."

The Tiefling gave another approving nod of his head before he made his way to the door of the room at the tavern.

"Then I will allow you to rest for the evening and look forward to hearing news from you in the afternoon."

With that, Sorin exited the room and walked back to his magical tower on the outskirts of the town to wait for word from Foo. When he entered his magical tower, he was surprised at how spotless the tower had become after the elf, and the half-orc had negotiated for the Fae creatures to leave.