The scarlet robed wizard dodged heavy strikes from the skeleton knight’s rusty longsword, leaping backwards with the grace of an alley cat. He raised his hands upwards, eyes lit like embers as the ground in front of him engulfed into wild, raging flames. The hungry fire spread outwards, surrounding the shambling undead warrior in a torrent of heat, leaving nothing but charred bones in its wake.

“By the heat of my rolling fire you are defeated!” Will roared triumphantly, pumping his closed fist in the air.

“No dude. You forgot to roll for disadvantage” Elise retorted, crossing her arms with an annoyed look written across her face.

Will slumped back into his chair with a hollow thud, his glorious moment of triumph dashed unceremoniously.

“Thank…you…Elise. That was my…bad” he said, drawing out his slowly.

“But!” he began with gusto, raising his finger in a waggling motion. Will broke into a desperate plea, detailing why they should overrule his need for a disadvantage roll. The group let loose a collective groan, their eyes glazing over as they were subjected to yet another half-baked pitch.

--

It was Oliver who finally broke the now escalating hurl of insults being thrown between Will and Elise. They bickered about who was in the right and who shouldn’t be cheating.

“Alright!” Oliver commanded, standing up with a lightly raised voice, “’let’s take 15, that okay?”

Oliver turned to Ash, the groups resident dungeon master and host for support. Ash returned a slow nod, collecting the assortment of papers that were spread out in front of him.

“Yeah...” Ash sighed “Take 15, everyone go grab a drink and a snack and then we can continue in a bit when we’ve all cooled off.”

Ash stood slowly, placing his hands behind his hips and stretched lightly. The group went quiet. They wouldn’t argue further.

“I’ll decide what’s happening with the skeleton knight after that” Ash declared confidently.

--

Ash and Oliver went out to the small, cramped balcony of the one-bedroom apartment.

“It’s always those two dragging things out…” said Oliver, pulling a cigarette and small green lighter out from his back pocket. He lit it nonchalantly, leaning against the long metal bar that acted as railing.

“They can’t help themselves; they’ve always been like this. You know that” Ash replied, pausing a moment before continuing, “though I hoped it would ease off when they started dating.”

Ash watched Oliver raise the cigarette to pursed lips. He took a long, drawn out drag, holding the smoke in his lungs a moment before snorting through a scrunched nose.

“True, too true” Oliver laughed, fighting off the impending cough.

They stood there together, looking out at the city being buffeted by the building winds of a coming storm. It was loud, the gusts drowning out the muted arguing that continued inside.

“How’s work been with Josh?” Oliver inquired, interrupting the comfortable silence. He tiled his head to look at Ash, brandishing a soft smile.

“It’s been… good” Ash replied with hesitation, tracing the scar on his forearm absentmindedly. “Good to be finally getting out there again” Ash continued, offering a forced smile before looking away.

Oliver raised a hand in the periphery, reaching out towards Ash’s shoulder.

“You don't need to hold b-" Oliver began, but Ash was quick to cut him off before he could finish the sentence.

“Man, you know Coach would kill you if he saw you smoking” Ash interrupted. He knew what Oliver was going to say, he knew what he was going to imply. Ash didn’t want to hear it; he didn’t want pity anymore.

Oliver acquiesced, dropping the subject.

“It’s only one, it’s always been my ritual before a big game” Oliver replied to Ash’s taunted. He weighed his options; he didn’t want to upset Ash, but it had been a while since they had spoken about what had happened. He just wanted to know how Ash was travelling since the accident.

“The team misses you; you know” Oliver said, leaning on their shared history, “You should come round to practice and say hi sometime. They all ask about you, even coach.”

Oliver watched Ash with a searching look, hopeful for a positive response.

“I’ll try Oli” Ash began, his voice quiet beneath the rumbling thunder in the distance, “I’m just not sure I’m ready yet.”

Before Oliver could encourage him Ash raised a hand, pointed inside where the others were settling back to the game table.

“We should get back anyway” Ash said quietly as he turned and lead his former teammate back inside.

--

The groups RPG session continued through the stormy, wind gusted evening. Much to Elise’s dismay, Will was granted the skeleton knight kill.

“He put so much effort into the description, how could I not?” Ash explained.

Oli discovered the location of the Lich the adventurer’s group were hunting down, as well as a magical locked amulet that he crooned about. Josh and Mia had both managed to level up their characters, acquiring a new set of spells and abilities that would aid in the coming boss fight.

This group were Ash’s oldest friends; they grew up together, gone to the same Universities, some had even begun dating. Ash and his closest friend, Oliver, had been on track to become professional athletes, at least until Ash’s injury.

Ash had experienced all the highs and lows of lifelong friendship with these people. Now that they were older, they met up to play games from their younger days and reconnect. Ash always sprinkled in jokes and stories from their past into these game sessions. The evil Lich’s lair he had prepped and ready for a boss battle, was based on the old, abandoned classroom they had used as a hangout in high school, tucked away from the prying eyes of nosy teachers. Ash hoped that once the Lich was defeated, this lair was to become the adventuring parties base for the ongoing campaign.

The group played on into the evening, the storm engulfing the apartment building by the time they reached the climax. Winds battered the windows, the doors clattering under the force of nature outside.

“Guys, I know this is spooky but that’s perfect for this” Josh said, “It really feels like we’re in a creepy dungeon now, right?”

The atmosphere Josh described was the storm caused blackout that had rendered the apartment in darkness. The group was forced to use their phones to dig out some candles that Ash had tucked away, the only other source of light the erratic clap of lightning nearby.

“You enter through the large, iron framed door embossed with the symbol of the God of Death. The door opens slowly, scraping across the ground with a metallic pang that reveals the inner sanctum of the cursed Lich. His enormous skeletal form sits atop a throne of skulls whose eye sockets glow with an ethereal light. What do you do?” Ash asked, looking at each member of his group as another thunderous rumbling rocked against the apartment.

“T-That’s getting worse, hey” Elise said, her voice shaky.

Will wrapped an arm around his girlfriend, reassuring her that everything was okay.

“I rush forward 5 feet and wedge my shield into the ground between the two main pillars of the room” Josh announced, lost in the moment. As the groups tank he was usually the first to rush shield first into danger.

“Mia, Will. run through the middle using Josh as cover then peel to the right and take up defensive positions behind each Pillar” Oliver commanded, “Elise, use stealth to take a forward position, I’ll take the front line with Josh and when we take the Lich’s attention, I want you to strike using backstab.”

Oliver paused, scratching his chin as he considered the best angle of attack.

“Then We’ll have Mia and Will fold in and blast him with Magic.”

Oliver’s plan was met with a series of nods and confirmations.

--

The wind howled loudly, the windows shuddering and forcing Ash to raise his voice to be heard. “The Lich rises from his throne, chains draping from the links in his archaic armour. He raises one hand in front of him, slowly tracing symbols in the air charged with pulsating energy. ‘Fools…’ The Lich whispered as shadows raced across the floor of the dungeon forming into masses of shadowy, moving liquid. Limbs grew out from the darkness, twisted and elongated mockeries of the human form that rose to flickering feet and held taloned claws in front of their breast as if like soldiers at attention.” Described Ash, searching his friends’ reactions. He was returned a mix of anticipation, excitement and awe.

“Wow…” said Mia, leaning forward as lightning cracked outside the windows.

“Guys that’s getting really close” whispered Elise, turning to watch the branches of old trees waving in the courtyard outside.

“It’ll be fine, it’s just a storm” Will said, reassuring her.

Will cupped a pair and shook them vigorously before rolling them out on the table.

“16! I use AeroGale to push the summoned monsters back!” he exclaimed; his lips curled to one end.

Playing the villain, Ash let out a loud cackle laced with forced melodrama.

“The shadow soldiers advance forward, the magical spell evaporating in front of them” Ash announced, his smile twisted into a wicked grin.

Oliver rolled 3 dice in response, 2 red and 1 black.

“I sprint forward, igniting my blade with holy fire at the same time!” Oliver called, his voice loud to fight off the ongoing storm outside. The rain had picked up now, a heavy cascade that beat against the roof of the apartment.

Ash cackled again, “The Lich closes his fist as you hear whispers all around you calling ‘bind…. bind…. bind’. Shadowy Tendrils erupt from the ground, climbing up your legs and wrapping themselves around all of you, binding you in place. How do you respond?” Ash finished, placing his hands gently atop each other. He had a look of pride as he waited for the group’s response.

“Oli, what do we do here man? I don’t have utility abilities off cool down” Josh asked.

Oliver narrowed his eyes, staring down at his ability sheet.

“Ash, are the shadow creature’s darkness elementals or undead?” Oliver asked.

“They’re both” Ash responded with a smile, “weird right?”

.Oliver tapped his finger against the table, eyes darting from ability to ability as the group waited with bated breath.

--

The thunder continued, growing louder and more violent; the building itself vibrating with each new crack of lightning. Elise shuffled closer to Will, the two nestling together and sharing a single chair. Elise always on edge, but now even Ash had started to watch outside; his attention pulled from the game. Oliver and Josh were colluding, their focus sat squarely on how best to defeat the enemy.

It was dark outside. eerily dark. Ash couldn’t make out the streetlights or the cold reflections of the neighbouring buildings. He could barely see the trees in the courtyard either. As his eyes scanned the scene outside, Ash froze in confusion. His body stiffened and his eyes widened. Ash couldn’t make out the moon in the sky. He couldn’t make out any clouds either.

“…Guys?” Ash squeezed out with an uncertain.

“I got it!” Oliver announced, his voice overpowered by the thunderous cacophony outside, “I cast Divine Light, aiming it at Josh’s shield! Then I use my secondary action to cast Piercing- “

He was cut off. The thunder surged against the building, the rumbling roaring as if it were inside, shaking the very table they sat at.

“Guys!” Elise called.

“Get down!” yelled Josh.

“This must be an Earthquake!” Cried Mia.

The Apartment whined under the pressure, bending and bracing from the storm. Small cracks began to form across the walls of the apartment, dust falling from the ceiling as the floor began to vibrate beneath them. The lightning whipped against the windows violently, whip chords of electric energy casting light inside the room and stunning its occupants.

“What the hell!” Will howled.

Oliver was already moving, having stood up and put a hand on Mia’s shoulder.

“Guys quickly!” Oliver ordered, “Get. Under. The. Table.”

It was too late.

The very walls began to crack and crumble away like a ruined tower falling apart. The room was ripped open, the force throwing the group backwards as a vortex of energy raced in and around, crackling like the very lightning they had watched moments ago.

“Guys! Guys!” called Ash desperately, his voice faltering beneath the tidal force lashing out at them. He was further from the others, being pushed to the other side of the room. What was stranger though was that Ash could make out a growing, rhythmic hum behind the suffocating gale. It sounded like chanting, like a group of people singing. It sounded wrong though. The words sounded alien, like a language Ash had never heard but somehow, he felt it calling to him.

“Grab on!” Oliver yelled out to Ash, offering his outstretched hand. Oliver had sprung to action when the walls had ripped open and blown them back; Linking arms with the others while Ash was distracted.

“Come on!” Oliver called again as Ash leapt forward, grasping Oliver’s hand as the swirling vortex of energy pulled them closer and closer.

“It’s going to be okay; we’re going to be okay!” Ash yelled out to the group, trying to reassure them. “Whatever you do, no one let go!” Oliver reiterated; his voice choked with held back fear.

Underneath it all, Ash could still hear the chanting. It was growing louder and clearer in his ears.

“What’s happening?!” Elise cried out.

“Oh shit…OH SHIT!” Will wailed as both he and Elise’s feet lifted off the ground and their bodies jerked towards the vortex.

“Guys!? Hang on!” Josh called back, trying to pull the two back down.

It was no use. One by one they begun to float upwards, drawn towards the twisting tide. Ash was last in line, the grip of his scarred arm weak in Oliver’s hand.

Oliver’s head whipped round, his eyes wide and pleading

“Don’t…” He said, “Ash don’t let go.”

Ash grit his teeth as he felt his grip slipping.

“We’re together, we’re all here. it’ll be okay” Oliver said, voice trembling.

As the chanting reached a crescendo in his ears, drowning out the voices of his friends, Ash felt his grip slip free from Oliver’s hand.

Ash watched as one by one the group were sucked into the vortex. Ash’s body was pulled alongside them, but he was falling on his own. he saw Oliver desperately reaching out to him in vain, Ash reached out in desperately in kind. It was no use. Ash watched helplessly as Oliver’s hand was engulfed by the vortex. At the point of no return, Ash closed his eyes.

--

“Welcome” Said an unknown voice.