Lund stopped by, dropped fresh beers and grabbed empty plates from the table. “Are you set for tomorrow? I want to go early - dawn or thereabouts - and try to run it off. I’m not sure it will work. It might just attack us, and if that happens…. Wyvern are big and fast. They make 2 attacks, Isa, and they fly. So you need to be ready.”

“Why are you saying this to me? I’ll be ready.”

“Alice,” he said, “do you need anything special? I’ve got a nice room on the 2nd floor for you both. Tris has a fire going already.”

“Thank you,” she said. “We, ah, we got off to a bumpy start. Thank you for the wonderful hospitality.” She picked up the glass of beer. “And for taking such good care of us. This is like a boutique hotel. Do you have a pillow menu, too?”

Lund blinked. “Is that a food? I don’t--”

“She’s making a joke, buddy. Don’t sweat it.” To Alice she said, “It’s been a long day. Let’s finish with these spells and get to bed.”

Twenty minutes later Alice downed the last of her glass and stood. “Peck, can you find a nice place to settle down for the night?”

Lund came over the get the dirty glasses. Alice continued to the crow. “Stay out of Mr. Lund’s way, alright?”

“It’s Subash, my last name is Subash,” Lund said.

“Alice Fondel.” Alice stuck out her hand. “At your service.”

“Oh, ah, thank you?” Lund gave Alice’s fingertips the barest squeeze. “Um, good rest. To you both.” He nodded at Isa. “I’ll call for you at dawn.”

As they walked upstairs Isa said softly, “Maybe Princess Alice has made another conquest. Breaking hearts all over Varana, eh?”

“Hardly.” Alice laughed softly.

“So I warn you,” Isa had her hand on the door of their room, “no heating, no indoor plumbing. It’s a bit like cabin camping.”

“It’s an adventure, and we’re together. Nothing else much matters.”

The room was warm and bathed in the yellow light of the fire. Two quilts lay folded across the bottom of the large bed. “This,” said Isa, “is much nicer than my old room.”

Alice ran her hand along the mantle and then walked over to the dresser. “It’s going to take me a few days to stop questioning the reality of all of this.”

“Oh yeah, I went through that, too.” Isa sat on the bed and began to unlace the boots that Ysel had given her.

“Is that true?” Alice turned to look at Isa. “I don’t believe that’s true. You’re at home wherever you are, Isa. Nothing fazes you. Ever. I bet,” she plopped down beside Isa, “that you simply squared your shoulders, took a deep breath and waded in without a second thought.”

“And that’s a good thing right?” Isa shoved the boots under the bed.

“Well, now, I couldn’t say; I barely know you.” Alice put her hand on Isa’s cheek. “We just met downstairs, and you enticed me up to your room with sweet promises.”

Isa smiled. This was a game they liked to play sometimes. “That’s true.” She leaned in and kissed Alice’s lips. “You haven’t even told me your name.”

“Perhaps,” Alice’s fingers went to Isa’s side, and she began to unbuckle Isa’s chest armor, “I’m traveling in disguise.”

Isa lifted the surprisingly light armor off her shoulders. “Then perhaps you were foolish to come to a stranger’s bedroom. What if I knew who you really are, Princess?” Isa gently laid Alice down and looked at her. “What if your mother sent me to find her runaway daughter?” Isa stood up and unbuttoned her pants.

Alice sat up and began to unbutton her shirt. “Maybe I knew that, and I want to seduce you to keep you from following the queen’s orders.”

In a few moments they were both naked. “Well,” Isa said, “you are known throughout the kingdom for your clever ways.”

“I’m more than just a clever woman,” Alice said as she ran her hands down Isa’s sides.

Isa laughed. “Don’t I know it!” She pulled Alice close. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m so sorry that you got caught up in this, but I’m glad that you get to experience this world.”

Alice slid her hand between Isa’s legs. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

***

The next morning Isa woke to Alice reading her spellbook in bed. She said, “You’re going to ruin your eyes, reading in this dim light.”

“I couldn’t sleep anymore. I’m too excited.”

Isa sat up. “But you…” Her hand went to her shoulder to indicate Alice’s wound.

“Oh yeah, I slept enough. I’m just anxious to explore the world and see everything.” Alice closed her book and jumped off the bed.

Isa looked at the puddle of clothes on the floor. “Someone got crazy last night.”

A knock on the door, and Lund’s voice came through the wood. “You two up? It’s almost full light.”

“We’ll be down in a few minutes, Lund.” Alice said.

Isa leaned over to grab her bra, and the Lockwood medallion shifted on the chain around her neck. With her fist closed around the symbol Isa said, “I, ah, I think I need to pray?”nShe pulled on her trousers and sat cross-legged by the dying fire. Isa had never been one to meditate, but she did so now. It just felt…. right, somehow. She let her mind wander, thinking about her first journey in this strange and wonderful world. She could hear the sound of water lapping at the marsh beds, see the shimmering spiderwebs covering the tree, and smell the fresh breeze of the woods between Bywater and Fedru’s cottage.

Fedru. Why had Joth sent her to his cottage? If Ysel’s to be believed, it was so Fedru could take the measure of his adversary. But then why didn’t he kill her when he had the chance? Anything could have happened to her that day. The spiders, the deer, even Mery might have been an enemy instead of a friend. Dangers surrounded her then and now. So why had Fedru let her leave? What was she missing?

Isa could feel her throat closing with fear. Relax, she told herself. Breathe and focus on that. In and out. In and out.

After a few cycles of breath, Isa felt her shoulders relax. Silently she said, “Ysel, I put my trust in you. You’ve helped me so far, and I guess why would that change now, right?”

With that, Isa opened her eyes. Alice was sitting on the bed, dressed with her bag slung across her shoulder. Peck sat on her knee.

“My faithful companions are ready, eh?” Isa stood and finished dressing. She got her own bag and her staff. “Let’s go see about that wyvern.”

***

Lund lead them through a forest path that cut across the road. Soon Isa was seeing broken branches and trampled bushes. “Large creature, huh?”

“Yes,” Lund said. “Unlike a true dragon, it doesn’t breathe fire, and it’s pretty dumb.”

“Dumb?” Isa echoed. “Like how dumb?”

Alice thumped Isa’s shoulder and smiled. “You want to befriend the wyvern?”

Lund looked over his shoulder. “What? I’ve never heard of anyone making a pet of a wyvern. They’re mean, unpredictable, and--”

A roar split the air and then came the sound of wood cracking.

“Not very stealthy,” finished Alice. She touched her shirt and muttered something.

Lund pulled out his greatsword, as Isa softly said, “Wrath,” and watched her staff glow silver-green.

The wyvern came into view. It saw them, let out a fresh roar, and charged. Before they could react, its barbed tail swung around and hit Lund square in the chest. A green cloud surrounded him for a moment, and then the tail was gone and the green cloud, too. Lund was on his knees, retching. Blood poured from the wound in his chest.

“Holy fuck! Lund.” Isa grabbed his arm. Alice was on the other side. They tried to drag him back toward the trees, but he was too heavy for the two women to manage.

“Hold on,” he coughed and fumbled for his bag. “Hold. On.” He pulled up a familiar vial, thumbed the cork off, and tossed it back. “Alright,” he said, but his next words were drowned out by a cascade of barks and yips.

A troop of gnolls had appeared opposite them. The throng seemed to be led by a tall, heavy gnoll with a silvery breastplate. He had a sword and shield. He spied them and sketched a bow. Then he began directing his people to spread out to attack the wyvern.

The wyvern lumbered around to face the new threat. His tail swept dangerously close to Alice. Isa clutched her, unable to speak. One swipe of that tail, poison or no, and Alice would be dead. In her girlfriend’s ear she said, “Are we fucking nuts?”

Alice nodded. The wyvern swiped at one of the gnolls, and Alice pulled a pinch of powder from her belt. “Acid,” she tossed the powder into the air. “Arrow,” she said and flung her hand forward. A green arrow formed from the dust and flew through the air straight toward the wyvern’s right side. The arrow hit and sizzled. The wyvern roared in pain and turned back toward them.

“Honey!” Isa yelled. “Don’t antagonize the nice dragon.”

It took a step toward them. Isa let go of Alice and placed a hand on her medallion. She stretched the other hand toward the wyvern. “In the Lady’s name I lay a bane upon you, beast!”

The wyvern shook its head as if Isa had hit it. The gnoll captain took advantage of the distraction to land a mighty blow at the creature’s tail. The hit seemed to make the wyvern take flight. As it left the ground, one of its back claws caught Isa across the face. It knocked her to the ground, and Alice screamed to see blood pulsing from Isa’s head.

“Veddy sorry!” called the gnoll captain.

Lund waved in response and picked up Isa. He and Alice ran for the trees. Once they were deep in the woods, Lund put Isa down and reached into his bag.

“Wait,” said Alice. “Isa bought a healing potion from a merchant. Anne something. It will be in her--”

“I’m not dead.” Isa pushed herself on her elbows. She wiped at her face and looked at the blood. “Yet.”

“You’re not going to die.” Alice handed her the healing potion she’d fished out of Isa’s bag.

“That’s 25 gold! I’ll be fine soon. Gimme a second.” Isa tried to stand but got dizzy. “Help me up, will ya?” Alice and Lund each took an arm and pulled Isa to a standing position.

Isa focused on Lund. “How are you? Do you need healing?”

“Not as much as you.”

Isa nodded and licked her lips. In the distance they heard the wyvern roar. Isa and Alice both flinched. Lund took a few steps back toward the fight. “They might be winning. So we might not want to be here if they do. Apology or no, gnolls aren’t generally the friendly sort.”

Isa took a breath, touched her medallion with one hand and her face with the other and said, “Me thrive. Heal myself, I mean.”

Instantly the blood stopped flowing down her face, and the nausea Isa had been fighting vanished.

“That gnoll,” Lund pointed at the distant fighting, “the one with the shield, he’s trying to hack off the wyvern’s tail. Almost has it, too. I’m going to see if I can help.”

“Wait!” Isa and Alice both spoke, but Lund ignored them and ran back toward the melee.

“Hey! Snapjaw,” Lund called to the gnoll captain. “Keep at it. I got the front.” He gestured with his greatsword at the wyvern. When he was close enough, Lund swung his weapon at the wyvern’s front leg.

From her spot at the edge of the woods Isa couldn’t tell if the first blow was a hit. The second certainly was. With the first blow Lund had his back almost completely to the wyvern, but as his natural motion began to swing him back the other way, Lund landed a mighty blow on the wyvern’s left leg. The beast roared and reared up. At that moment the gnoll captain delivered another blow to the creature’s tail, and the wyvern whipped around and pushed itself into the air with 3 legs. Its tail stayed on the ground. The gnoll had severed it!

The loss of its tail made the wyvern tilt wibby-wobby in the air, and it looked like the beast might crash to the ground. Lund dove out of the way, but not before one of the creature’s back claws knocked him down. He didn’t move from where he’d landed, and Isa felt her heart in her throat.

Spoiler: Isa's Character Sheet:

Name: Isa Chamberlin

Race: Human

Height & Weight: 5ft 6inches / 120 lbs

Class: Fighter Level: 4 / Cleric level 1

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Background: Stranger in a Strange Land

Domain: Nature

Hit Points: 34 AC: 16

Current Hit Points: 8 + stunned for 1 round

Combat: +6 to Hit / +5 on staff/shillelagh

Weapons: +1 Quarterstaff with shillelagh +5 to hit 1d8 +5 (one handed)

STR

11

0

DEX

16

+3

CON

11

0

INT

13

+1

WIS

13

+1

CHA

12

+1

Saving Throws: Str and Con +2

5

Acrobatics* (Dex)

1

Medicine (Wis)

1

Animal Handling (Wis)

4

Nature* (Int)

1

Arcana (Int)

3

Perception* (Wis)

0

Athletics (Str)

1

Performance (Cha)

1

Deception (Cha)

1

Persuasion (Cha)

3

History* (Int)

1

Religion (Int)

3

Insight* (Wis)

3

Sleight of Hand (Dex)

1

Intimidation (Cha)

3

Stealth (Dex)

1

Investigation (Int)

1

Survival (Wis)

Special Attack: Two weapon fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Class Features:

Second Wind - On your turn, you can use a Bonus Action to regain hit points equal to 5 + your fighter level. Short or Long Rest before you can use it again.

Action Surge - On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible Bonus Action. You must finish a short or Long Rest before using it again.

Martial Archetype: Surgical Fighter

3rd level - Clinical Eye: Spend 1 combat turn studying your enemy and learn one of the following: if the enemy is equal to or stronger than you in strength, dexterity, or constitution. Can spend up to 3 turns to discern all 3. Can be used outside of combat as a free action - spend 1 minute to learn all three.

Cleric Spells: DC = 12 Spell Attack +4

Cantrips – Shillelagh / Spare The Dying / Sacred Flame / Thaumaturgy

Level 1 - Animal Friendship (domain) / Healing Word / Bane (USED)