“It’s locked. Now what?” Cal asked.

“We can try and smash it open.” Eva suggested.

“Wait let me have a look at it.” Arabess said.

“For what? You plan on freezing the lock?” An’ric asked.

“Ha. Ha. No. How hard could it be to jimmy a lock. I’ve done it before.”

“I don’t know Bessie, a stronghold door is a bit different than a professor’s desk draw. It’s not like sneaking a peak at a test. There could be dangerous stuff behind there.”

“Dangerous is sneaking into Magister Okore’s office after hours but we did that.”

“Not the same Bessie.”

“Relax and don’t call me Bessie.”

Arabess pulled a pin from her hair and began to work it in the lock. Her friends paced a step back, unsure what might happen next. Suddenly with a light click, the tumbler rotated and the sorceress opened the door. 

“Enter.” She said with a smile.

“Good job Bess.” An’ric complemented.

“You mean very lucky don’t you?” Cal corrected.

“Yeah that too. Anyway she did it.”

Several corridors later and a few more locked doors all ended the same. Arabess began to get a little too confident in her lock picking skill and brazen in her approach to secured doors. Cal cringed every time she worked a keyhole but he couldn’t argue the success she was having. Deep into the undermountain keep they found an iron bound door. Locked like many of the previous they had encountered.

“Stand aside.” Arabess announced. “I’m up.” 

Evalise and An’ric took a step back as Bess strutted toward the door.

“Careful Bess.” Cal cautioned.

“Relax Cal. I got this.” She winked, sliding the pin into the keyhole. “What could happen.” Arabess felt the metal catch onto something in the lock. She jiggled and pushed it trying to force the tumbler to move when she heard a ‘snikt’.

“Ouch.” She exclaimed, yanking her hand back and bringing it to her lips. 

“What happened!” Cal yelled. 

“Gods be damned needle pricked me.”

“Oh oh.” Evalise said with some worry in her voice. 

“Oh what?” Arabess asked a second before she swayed. Her legs abandoned her and she crumbled to the floor. Black ooze bubbled in the blood from the wound and her mouth had a sickly grey foam pushing past her lips. 

Cal rushed over wiping the spit way with his sleeve and tried to shake her awake. 

“Cal. It’s poison. Do something. Think!” Evalise yelled in a panic 

An’ric grabbed her hand and started flushing the hole on her finger with wine hoping to clean out the toxin. 

“No no no. Think Cal. “ He began talking to himself. The bard took a deep breath and then began the incantation. Immediately Arabess opened her eyes. Cal could see there was still a sickly yellow tinge to them. “You ok?” He asked. 

Arabess sat up slow. “A little woozy but it’s getting better. Poison?”

“Yeah. Poison. Maybe we should head back.”

“No. We’ve come too far. I say we finish it” 

“But the poison?” Evalise reminded her. 

“It’s not lethal otherwise I’d be dead. I’m sure I can manage it long enough to be done with this place.”

“ I don’t know Bessie.” Cal sounded skeptical. 

The sorceress stood to her feet and raised her protective aura. “See. I’m fine. Let’s go.” She insisted, moving further down the corridor. 

Several hours later the group emerged from the ruins.

“How ya feeling Bess?” Cal asked.

“Perfectly fine, thanks.”

They began loading the wagon and setting their packs inside. As they worked to break camp they recounted some of the highlights of their expedition.  

“We should bring that hammer to Kheldegan back in Blazingdale. It proves the stories about his kin and clan are true.” Evalise suggested.

“We could sell it back to him.” An’ric suggested. “We’re not rich you know.”

“You greedy bastard.” Cal laughed. “Is that what they taught you at the monastery? What happened to vows of poverty?”

“Wrong sect. That for those broke brothers of Ilmater. They enjoy suffering we do not.” He smirked.

“Monks of the weave… more like monks of the greed.” Arabess joked, smiling at An’ric and winking. She was only a few steps from the stream where she was going to collect water when she felt a rush of heat the world around her started spinning. “Cal?” She croaked and fell over.

“ARABESS!” Cal yelled rushing over to her.

She was breathing rather raggedly and her eyes leaked a sickly mucous colored ooze. The grey foam had begun to churn in her mouth and she was rigid as the pain of cramping muscles caused her to lurch and jerk.

“Hurts Cal…” She whispered hoarsely. 

“An’ric bring me that orc remedy!” He yelled to the monk. “I got you Bessie. You’re gonna be ok.”

He started unbuckling her sword belt and removing her armor.

“What…arg!!!… DOING Cal?” she growled.

“You’re not gonna like how this tincture works. Sorry.”

An’ric brought the bottle over, handing it to the bard.

“Thanks. If ya don’t mind could you wait by the wagon?”

“What? Why?”

“Eva, help get her out of these clothes.”

“Oh!. Yeah. I’ll be right over there.” An’ric said, hurrying away.

Arabess’ two friends stripped her of everything.

“Ok I got it from here.”

“I can help.” Eva offered.

“Thanks but you’re not gonna want to see this.” He replied, pouring the chunky potion into her mouth and forcing her to swallow.

Eva backed away as Arabess choked and cursed.

“Tastes like shit.” She snarled then began to violently retch. She dug her fingers so forcefully into his cradling forearm that he was sure she broke skin even through his shirt and vambrace. More nasty fluid began to leak from her eyes, her nose, her ears. Slowly at first then with greater flow and intensity. What happened next he wasn’t sure he was ready for. Everything in her bladder and bowels ejected forcefully and the ungodly odor that came with it had him on the verge of puking himself. Her eyes rolled uncontrollably though she managed to hold his gaze for just a moment, long enough to say “Let me die.” before she lost control and vomited again.

“Not today Bessie.” he said in a comforting tone and dragged her into the stream allowing the easy flow of water to carry away the filth and soil, hoping at the same time its cool temperature would help reduce her fever.

It was several minutes of disgusting expulsion of toxins before it waned. Cal helped her clean up and get dressed. She was still shaky and unsteady, sweating with shivers and chills.

“How do ya feel?” He asked.

“I hate you.” She grumbled trembling as she spoke. “That was beyond repugnant.”

“You just need some rest.”

Arabess half grinned half grimaced but Cal knew there was appreciation in her eyes. She signaled him to come closer.

“We never speak of this again.” She snarled through chattering teeth.

“Never.” He winked.

Something told her it wasn’t quite done but she was too exhausted and drained to argue.

“Thanks Cal.” She smiled then laid herself down to sleep.

“Always Bessie.”