Erika wasn't sure what to expect of a barrow, or of her new companions, luckily both were better than she’d feared they’d be. The barrow was accessible through the mound structure, a few of the domed stone shrines half hid a shallow passageway that wound downwards into the earth below. The actual barrow was primitive looking, the floor was stone tiles but the walls were just compacted dirt, the tunnels and passages wound back and forth dozens of times and everywhere you looked were the coffins, huge heavy horizontal stone slabs with a single thin cut through their middle where they had long ago been opened for a corpse to be interred. Now after centuries in the dark the living stone would have healed around the wound, keeping the dead safe and ensuring their eternal rest.

As for her new companions? Kara Hammerfall had naturally slipped into the leader roll, probably because she was the oldest one there, she had the air (and the scars) of a veteran and Erika could tell she was a jarl, she had the unthinking confidence of one that bordered on arrogance and the poise of someone as at home at a feasting halls high table as a battle field shield wall.

“Down here! Ammeris said dark damp places, right? This way should take us to the hall of the forgotten… follow my lead.”

Gunhilda had turned out to be a Gothi surprisingly and of the little-known goddess Gefjun goddess of fertility, chastity, farming and monsters (A very weird portfolio but apparently she’d inherited some of it from her dead son before Ragnarök, as far as Erika could remember she used to just be a farming goddess). Gunhilda chattered nervously all the time, rubbing a symbol of Gefjun between two fingers as she did so but Erika noticed she had very good eyes, she barely seemed to see the gloom underground.

“Oh more rats, great, perfect, delightful…. Oh Gerfjun don’t let them touch me with their terrifying little rat hands.”

Reidar was nice as well, it turned out he didn’t dye his hair green, instead he was a sagaborn but only just, he’d happily explained to Erika that his grandfather had leaves for hair but his father only had green hair, he seemed to be the most superstitious of the group, insisting on leaving offerings at the barrow door before they headed down… but it was a barrow so maybe that’s just common sense?

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“By Magni and Modi and… that third one with the m, please don’t let me die, we aren’t here to desecrate a… was that… no no don’t worry everyone it’s probably not a draugr…. Maybe… possibly…”

The reason Erika knew all this was her new party was chatty, before they’ve gone a spear throw into the barrow, they’d spoken more than Erika used to in a week. Gunhilda chattered constantly from her spot behind Erika where she played the roll of rear-guard, Reidar had drawn a Rumbler from his pocket and taken mid-guard position just in front of Erika although he often paused to shoot a quip or comment over his shoulder, finally Kara was the vanguard and lived up to her name with the huge heavy war hammer she wielded in tandem with a wooden shield painted blue and black.

“Oh, thank the gods no more rats… just bones… lots and lots of bones.”

“Baldr the beautiful please save me and my companions… or if you can’t, let our deaths be quick and painless.”

Kara sighed and face planted into her shield. “Reidar we are guarding the vitki, you are supposed to be making a good impression not begging for death!”

“I was begging for a quick and painless death, that’s different.”

Kara seemed to weigh up the chance of hitting him with her hammer than decided against it, instead she flashed a warm smile at Erika who found herself blushing, beautiful woman paying her attention was one of her weaknesses after all, amongst many she could admit.

Like her gradually worsening guilt.

The others didn’t seem to care but if she hadn't lied and joined this expedition, maybe she could have helped them? Maybe they’d have gotten a real tier 3 to join?

With her well Drowned she was barely a vitki, usually she wouldn’t care but… she joined, all the delvers were her responsibility, if she’d cast faster or better… maybe…

Erika snapped out of her spiraling thoughts as she noticed… semaphore? Or something like it. Her temporary party were signalling to each other over her head, Kara was waving her hands in small circles, Reidar shook his head and then tapped his elbow for some reason as Gunhilda made a motion like crumbling with her fingers over her forehead.

A moment later they seemed to notice her watching them, with a sigh Kara stepped back and wrapped an arm around Erika’s shoulders. “So, Lady Erika,” she said with a voice like honey. “What’s it like being a vitki?”