An angry coven

The tunnel continues to plunge deeper into the earth, a few more skeletons leaping out of the crumbling alcoves as you follow its path as if obliging your need to blow off some steam. Eventually, it bottoms out to reveal a large, vaulted, two-story room. The top floor consists of a seemingly inaccessible balcony supported by rows of pillars which cast long shadows in the flickering of your torch. The area under the balcony is lined with sarcophagi, and the entire room reeks of stale rot. An arch on the far side of the room, roughly a hundred metres away, leads back into the winding corridors of the crypt.

You snuff your torch and your eyes slowly adjust to the black-and-white, two-dimensional world you see without light. You move to step forward, but Ari motions for you to stop, and given your recent experience in the crypt you reluctantly obey. Motioning for you to be quiet, the warlock loudly begins to walk back the way you came, then quietly turns around and creeps back to your position as stealthily as she can. Moments later, you hear muffled, wizened voices quietly conversing from above. Looking up, you can faintly make out slight movement from the balcony. It looks like you won't be getting through here without a fight.

Ari nocks an arrow her bow and it begins to glow with an subtle, reddish-black aura, and you shield a small flame in one hand with your other. With a nod, the two of you launch your respective projectiles at the figure above, and suddenly you are nearly blinded as the fiery explosion lights the room. Several hunched figures stand on the balcony, one pierced with an arrow, his wound oozing thick, black blood. They raise their staves and green light rushes around the room, some passing you while two pierce the lids of sealed coffins. You hear the scrape of stone against stone as bony hands start to push the two sarcophagi open, and with a rattle and a burst skeletons begin to pour out of the alcoves behind you. Your party rushes into the room and you fill the way you came from with flames to protect your flank from the horde.

As you ready another barrage and Tlax begins climbing one of the vaulted pillars several thuds from behind you announce stone slamming against the dirty ground. You turn to see skeletal angels rapidly forming from bones left in the ancient crypt, long lines of bone forming mock wings. However, suddenly the skeletons stop, and a cruel voice from above says "Wait." Confused, your group freezes in place, still defensively holding your weapons and spells, when an ancient man peers over the balcony and points a bony finger at you. "You."

"What do you want, necromancer?"

"You are a monster. So is the snake-woman. Why do you stand against your own kind with this... invader?" He points at Ari. You're confused for a second but then you laugh, telling him that he misunderstands your relationship: she was an adventurer who you turned.

"Then why do you attack our lair? We should work together to defend our homes against intruders, not turn against one another and make their job easier."

"I understand your frustration, necromancer, but my new companion needs equipment; equipment I hear lies deep within your dungeon."

"And why would we reward traitors with our treasures? Would you simply give us the contents of your treasury if we began slaughtering your minions and destroying your lair?" He sneers back at you. Meanwhile, Ari whispers in your ear that she can faintly make out the clash of steel above with her sharp ears. She winks at you and then replies to the decrepit wizard, her voice taking on their pompous tone.

"Look, we're very sorry about all of the mess, but I really do need the equipment, and we did paid dearly for the information on where to find it. Perhaps you would like to join my lord's dungeon rather than staying in this place? He's quickly building one of the greatest lairs in the region, and you could far better for yourselves as lieutenants there than in this musty old crypt."

The necromancer frowns. "Oh, and who so graciously offered you this information?"

"A sorceress by the name of Zalreanne." At that, several hisses come from the crowd, and one of the bone angels takes a step forward to attack before the warlock holds up her hands and the muttering dies down.

"Believe us, friends, we have no more love for her than you do. She **** her way into our home and gave us **** but to comply. I expect you understand?"

The necromancers look hesitantly at one another and then the leader nods.

"Well, she has forcibly taken up residence at my lord's lair. Perhaps we can join forces? You can enter our service, becoming lieutenants of a dungeon which is rapidly becoming one of the preeminent powers in the region." You hear the crunch of footsteps in the distance, but the necromancers are too busy paying rapt attention to Arialle's words. "And when we have the chance, we'll turn the tables on the sorceress and avenge all of our humiliations tenfold. Imagine the prestige and power of becoming early lieutenants to the great Azazel, future boss of all Imporne! Imagine the satisfaction of tearing down the usurper who sought to control us!"

"An intriguing offer, traitor. But how do we know that you are not working with her to further torment us for not teaching her the art?"

"Well, we already taught her, so why would she care about you anymore?"

"Blasphemy! You offer the magicks of monsters to the enemy?" The undead angels step closer once again.

"Well, what would you have done? She shackled us to the walls and **** us to watch as she flattened our lord repeatedly with walls of earth." You're glad at the embellishment of how long it took you to surrender.

"Do you think she did not do the same to us? Pah, cowards and traitors the lot of you! No surprise that someone who betrayed her old allies betrayed her new ones as well!" They motion to attack, but she holds up her hands and they stop once again.

"Now, now, let's not be hasty. There's still more I haven't told you which you can use to your advantage." She pauses for effect, or maybe to think up something to keep them busy. "You see—" Suddenly, the spokesman sputters and falls over as a splash of acid leaves a smoking hole in his neck and splashes the opposing balcony.

"Oops, gotta go~" Ari gives a smirk and a wink as she skips to the exit.

A certain female barbarian's voice suddenly booms through the room. "Now, which one of you creeps wants to be flattened first?" You and your naga companion join the warlock in dashing for the opposing door, unopposed by the confused and disorganized necromancers rushing to defend against this threat from their flank. The din of battle slowly sinks into the distance. "You see," your warlock looks back to you cheerfully but smug, "sometimes you simply need to wait and an opportunity will present itself." You snort, not wanting to admit she has a point, and slap her firmly but playfully on her ass. "My lord!" her smirk betrays her mock indignant voice. She bends over seductively, licks her lips, and sticks her right hand under your clothes, giving your shaft a few quick strokes before letting go and putting her mouth to your ear. "We still need to hurry, but you can continue punishing me for my disobedience later," she whispers huskily, her ass swaying seductively as she skips back ahead. She turns around and sticks the fingers of her right hand up to her mouth, winking as she seductively licks them one at a time. You try to ignore your painfully hard erection and resume your hike through the crypt, your earlier foul mood forgotten.