The day broke out and the four members woke up and grouped up together in the lobby of the inn. Fiona held her satchel and made sure the cube was protected and she needed a plan to find This shadow. They all walked up the path past the market and shops, Fiona felt afraid of everything around them but she held on to the bag with everything she has.

The castle came into the view, the usual checkup happened with them being interrogated once again. Lily didn’t like the guards inspecting her weapon as she whimpered when they took it away for a little inspection. After handing it back to her she gave the guard who took it from her a look of disgusted.

Guard 1: Enter the kings room with caution, he has been on edge ever since you four left.

Guard 2: Don’t try anything funny.

Fiona: We wont.

Fiona was glad the guards didn’t find the cube she had hidden in the satchel. After they walked a bit further closer to the door she felt the cube get hotter and hotter. And once they got to the door the satchel was so hot it burned itself through the bag and onto the floor. Fiona went to grab it quickly before the others saw it. Covering her hands in frost to pick the cube up. After the cube for some reason cooled off again she let it rest in the satchel once again.

Jacob: All right time to get this reward. Fiona you have that weird cube right?

Fiona: Yes its in my bag.

Lily was excited as she was about to get more money then she ever had in her life before. Daniel smiled a little and took Lily to enter the room with Jacob and Fiona. When they all entered they saw the King in his seat, he stood up in joy and got excited to see them back.

King Harold: Your back! I assume the mission was successful?

Fiona: Yes it was, however we have no body to show you or items to prove we killed Carter.

Harold: Damn it… then he could still be alive? That means no pay-

Lily jumped up interrupting the king.

Lily: Wait! The man he… he got sucked up into a cube, Fiona.. show him, show him!

Fiona: Jeez Lily fine… ill show him.

She reached into the Satchel carefully worried she might be sent into that place again. Suddenly she heard a voice It sounded like the shadow and was told to just trust the cube. She trusted this being and grabbed the cube and pulled it out. She raised her hand pulling the cube only to take out a severed hand, bleeding as if it was just cut off. She dropped the hand in fear as everyone in the room gasped in horror as she did that.

Fiona: What the hell?

???: Explain that is Carter’s hand to test it…

Fiona: Okay… I will

She snapped out of her fear and collected herself as the guards rushed to protect Harold.

Harold: What the fuck is that?! Is that a hand? Who’s hand is that? Explain yourself Fiona!

Fiona sighed and stepped forward to speak freely.

Fiona: This… this is the hand of… of Carter. General Carter.

Harold: Impossible you must have cut a hand off one of my citizens! If that was Carter’s hand it would have stopped bleeding by now.

Fiona: Trust me… this is his hand. Have your mages examine it with a clairvoyance spell. Do it and see for yourself.

Harold: Fine.. Court mage examine that… that hand.

The King’s royal Mage went over past the guards lowering down kneeling facing the hand. He casted a clairvoyance spell. It took a few moments before he slowly turned around to face the king.

Harold: Well what is it?

Court mage: After studying this hand, I come to the conclusion that this is indeed, General Carter’s hand. He has been killed my lord.

Harold: I see…Well then, I would like to apologize to you four, it seems your backgrounds seem to prove your history right. Guards! Bring the rewards in!

He yelled for his guards as the barged into the room and the look of Lily’s eyes was enough to shine the darkest room. The guards gave each of them a bag of gold up to 20 pieces and a bag containing 30 platinum coins.

Lily: so… heavy…

Daniel: Of course it is Lily, but im sure you can hold on to it till we spend some of it okay?

Lily: Okay.

Jacob: This is an extraordinary amount.

Fiona: We can buy so much…

Harold: Yes however your little friend mentioned a cube that ate Carter? Where is this cube?

Fiona was starting to feel worried and panicked a little but once again the shadow reassured her that everything will be okay. Trusting the being again she slowed her breathing again.

Fiona: We did have a cube, however it didn’t seem important to us so we just left it in the keep. Is it.. Valuable?

Harold: Quite, it is- I shouldn’t speak of it really its secret but thank you for at least telling me where that cube is, I’ll send a detachment to the keep in short time. But for now go spend your money!

Fiona gave a sigh of relief as the shadow once again was right. Once the group left the castle they all separated and agreed to meet back at the market after they had finished their shopping. Lily ran off to buy her new robe and accessories. Daniel went off to the nearest alchemist shop and Jacob went off to the temple to grab some new restoration and potions for healing and other potions from the priests. Fiona? Well she went off to a small library to look for any information on this cube she has gathered.

Lily found her new robe, a violet colored robe with black lines outlining the robe, she was so excited to grab it she wanted it to become invincible. She visited the local enchanter and had her robe enchanted with a spell of protection from magical attack and physical defense, while wearing the robe her stamina is also increased.

Daniel found some books on summoning familiars such as wolves, trolls, and falcons. He spent a fair amount of time inside the shop crafting potions to use in battle.

Jacob spent his money partly for new healing spells and restorative potions for mana and stamina. He was going to give the spells to Fiona and Lily since they use the most mana of the group.

Jacob: Good these should do just fine for them.

Fiona finally found a quiet area to use the cube to get more answers. Picking the cube up and letting it prick her skin as the world suddenly became dark and she once again was face to face with the shadow. Its whispering voice she was now used to, thanks to her Ears she is able to hear the being more easy.

Fiona: Hello again Who ever you are.

???: Yes, what can I do to answer your questions?

Fiona: I want to know what you are, are you really this thing that lives in this cube? Or are you something else?

??? Was silent for a minute before bobbing

???: Okay… I am not this shadow you see before you, however I am a real being your answers will be shown to you soon. Is that all you wanted?

Fiona: Actually I have one last question. How did you give me Carter’s hand when I reached down and picked this cube up?

???: He isn’t dead, dead… I just absorbed him and… am currently holding onto him for… sustenance.

Fiona: Sustenance? I uh.. okay That’s all I have for now, ill wait for your message to show me where you are then…

The shadow left the view of Fiona and the world returned back to normal Fiona took a heavy breath and looked around, it seems the world froze for her and has begun to start working again.

Fiona: This thing… is the weirdest piece of shit I have gotten in these past 5 years…

She went off to the market to purchase some new equipment and gear. She wasn’t weirded out by the cube anymore, but she needed to tell the others about this cube now and where she had to go. An hour passes by as the group regrouped finally again. They all showed off what they got, Jacob handed the items to the two girls to hold onto. Fiona however looked different to them.

Daniel: Hey Fiona, are you okay? You seem quiet.

Fiona: Oh its just well…

Jacob: It’s alright whatever it is we will help.

Lily: mhm.

Fiona sighed and took the cube out to show the group.

Fiona: This is the cube we picked up at the keep. Well when I picked it up I was transported to another reality and faced this shadow being. Now it is telling me to come to its home. Alone.

Daniel: Alone? And this shadow being wasn’t a dark one? Or god?

Fiona: I don’t think so. It was whispering in a voice weak and sounded like it was suffering. I think it needs me to heal it somehow. I feel compassionate to help.

Jacob: I don’t like the sound of this, but if you have a good idea of what this is i’ll trust you, wait do you even know where this place is?

Fiona: It said it will reveal to me, but the place is called the shadow lands. Find out where that place is so you know where I am.

As they were walking past the midtown portal Fiona felt her arm start to burn as it was being burnt with no fire. She screamed in pain and the people around her came to her aid. After a minute of pain she was healed by random strangers, she looked down at her arm to see numbers, in three places, the coordinates to the shadow lands.

Jacob: Fiona are you okay? You just started to scream out of no where.

Fiona looked at her arm to see the numbers, but when she tried to show them what was on her arm they saw nothing. And when she tried to saw what was on her arm all she could do was choke on her own words. Something was keeping her from telling her friends what happened to her.

Fiona: I.. I um, it’s nothing I’m fine Jacob thank you for asking. But I have.. I have to go somewhere. You guys go on without me. How about you all go find something about this place in the great library.

The three others were confused at first but took her word that she was okay, they continued to the portal that would lead to the elven capital city in short time.

Fiona waved goodbye and headed for the portal typing the coordinates the portal opened up glowing the normal blue, but as she entered it the world started to spin around her. She fell down protecting her face yelling out in fear as she was teleported, stretched out squished together and spread around like putty. And she fell out of the portal, turning around the portal was black and glowing white particles. The land around her was dead, charred, burned, fires burning in the distance. She panted and looked around dazed and confused of where she was. Suddenly a vision appeared before her the shadow figure was in front of her and wanted her to follow it.

???: Follow….

Fiona: Follow? To where?

???: Follow…me…

Fiona: But, how can I trust you? I’m not gonna just follow you for no reason.

???: Follow me now!....

The shadow grew angerly towards Fiona as it was losing patience but still kept its mysterious tone as it spoke and floated in front of her.

Fiona gave in and followed the being up a mountain past a burnt village and into a cavern, coming up to a large cave opening where the shadow being disappeared.

Fiona: What? Where am I now Shadow where did you go?!

Nothing

Fiona: I, my name is Fiona I followed you here with your assistance. Now what is it you need or want from me? I want to get rid of you and I believe you want to get away from me I presume.

???: Poor, young, child… Entering the beast’s den and still confused, why don’t you come a little more forward…

She listened and carefully stepped forward.

???: A little more….

She again took a few more steps.

???: One more step…

Fiona took another step and felt a cold breeze mixed in a warm fire.

Fiona: Why am I cold yet warm at the same time…

???: Hehehe… Welcome to my home Fiona… it’s been a long time since my last Visitor.

Fiona laid her eyes on something horrifying to the eyes, a being, cracked, dried up and chained, bleeding yet dripping with a weird black substance dripping from it’s mouth.

???: Welcome come please… we have much to talk about….