The Ballad of Adler Young, Canto 2.5

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>Adler: You are standing with your bow in hand... Why are you... instead of the vial you see a never ending field of the dead... Estemere's alive? ... Instead of Estmere's face you see a desiccated skull

For some reason I was standing in the scrying tower, with my bow in my hand. What was I doing here? I had to get outside and rally my troops! I dashed out the door and saw the vial of Plague of Battles spinning like a top, teetering on the edge of the balcony railing. I lunged desperately to catch it, but it tumbled over. Looking down to see where it landed, I beheld a horrible field of dead and mangled elves strewn all the way to the horizon in all directions. I stumbled away from the railing as a thousand voices shrieked my name. I fumbled the door open and dashed back inside, and there was Estmere with his back to me, staring at the scry orb. I tried to call his name, but the sound caught in my throat and I just croaked inarticulately. I reached forward and put my hand on his shoulder, and he turned around to reveal a ghastly skull where his face should have been.

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Its jaw fell open and a sepulchral voice issued from the opening, rasping out "DUUUUDE, WHYYYYY?"

>Adler: You bolt upright in a cold sweat and your heart beating in your throat. You are still in the wooded clearing in the same grass you laid down upon.
>Ixies and Burnside: What's wrong?

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I awoke with a blood-curdling scream. I was lying on the grass, in the stone circle, and Burnside was inexplicably snuggled up against me.

"Calm down, sugar," she murmured soothingly. "I don't even have a knife or nothin'."

"Sire! Art thou all right?" some Ixies asked as they buzzed out of the bushes. "We thought we heard thee screaming."

"I had a bad dream," I gasped. My heart was pounding furiously. "How long was I asleep?"

"About a day," one Ixie said with a shrug.

"Nineteen hours, to be exact," another Ixie declared.

"Fuma's Musk!" I exclaimed. "Why did you let me sleep so long?"

"It seemeth that thou needed it," another Ixie replied. "When was the last time thou slept?"

"Plus you looked so cute an' peaceful lyin' there," Burnside added. "A nice rest was doin' you good."

"I don't have time to drowse the days away!" I objected. "Elves don't need to sleep! Especially when there is important work to be done! I have preparations to make! I have to get ready for my presentation to Rebecca's coven of witches!"

"Oh, about that," the Ixies interjected. "We were coming to tell thee, they are on their way."

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"What??" I blurted. "NOW???"

"They've reached the edge of the forest and will be here in an hour."