The bit of action with Fumblies wraps up here.

Yeah- I wrote for NPC Bandit again. It was fun.

 
Warning: Language, FBomb

Other than a faint glow coming from the chamber in the middle of the room and a few sparse candles, nothing lent its light. The dusk and musky air barely moved down here. It was barely suitable for breathing.

The portal dumped Fumblies and Bandit several corridors away from the ill-lit chamber. They should have been completely lost- and might have been if not for the guiding spirit in the armor of Sir Fumblies. Occasionally they'd pass a bit of glowing fungus or oversized rats whose eyes glowed malevolently in the dark. Dusty old bones cracked under their boots as they made their way down the hallway.

Fumblies couldn't quite shake the feeling that he was being watched from somewhere nearby. As they walked he held the sword that seemed to act like a torch with its faint inner glow. From the bones beneath his feet he knew that his former mentor Kwadlin and the traitor Bones had been busy. Though it could also have been Kadlin's experiments that made him feel uneasy as the pair walked the corridors.

Bandit sighed. "It's gonna take forever to get bone dust out of my fur. Believe me, I know from experience."

"A good soak in a hot spring could be beneficial," Fumblies relied in an attempt to change the mood.

"Boring.." They walked a little further before Fumblies motioned her to be quiet. She shrugged, figuring they were close to wherever this Kwadlin creep was hiding. As the pair moved a little more silently the glow from Fumblie's sword dimmed out leaving the pair in the oppressive darkness. Almost instantly the sound of creaking bones and chanting echoed from up ahead.

"They are really bad at chanting..." Bandit's voice trialed into silence, a chill down her back. They crept up to an opening to see a hooded figure standing in between several skeletons. As the pair entered the small burial chamber they were attacked from behind by rats leading Bandit to scream and start swinging her bat wildly.

"Who has come to join my army of the dead." A raspy voice responded to Bandit's scream. Fumblies was too busy fighting off several of the rats, the armor making it hard for the rats to hurt him.

"Get off of me, rats!" Bandit swung wildly, almost nailing Fumblies.

Fumblies managed to duck just in time as he leaned forward to stab a rat with his sword. The spirit in his armor was seemingly focused on the hooded figure and something near it.

"Careful!" Bandit yelled. "You almost got hit by my bat!"

Although she seemed rather good at killing rats with that thing.

Fumblies looked up at that moment to see the pair of skeletons moving towards him. The hooded figure stood motioning with his hands as they moved. Fumblies looked to see how well Bandit was taking on the rats before he moved to cut off the skeletons.

"And that's for having beady eyes!" she yelled as she bashed another's skull in.

Meanwhile, four skeletons surrounded Fumblies. The hooded figure raised an eyebrow beneath the hood of his cloak, surprised at how quickly Fumblies dispatched them with a simple flame spell. As the skeletons fell to the ground as mere ash, the hooded figure leaned down and drug a figure to its feet. "My you have grown stronger since we last met. What a fine general you will for my undead hordes."

Meanwhile Bandit stepped up to Fumblies side, bat ready to make trouble.

"You have no idea Kwadlin."

The figure laughed in maniacal amusement as it reached up to drop back its hood. Once the hood dropped it revealed a gnaut scarred Knobbish face. Even for all of that, the face was recognizable as Bones, the former Fumblies Command necromancer.

"Shocked to see me Commander?" Bones taunted with disdain. "I should be flattered that you mixed me up with Kwadlin. That shows just how much my power has grown since I became part of the Elite 8. Though I would be careful if I were you, that is if you don't want to kill her."

The "her" Bones was referring to was revealed to be the dazed form of none other than Fahari. Fumblies narrowed his eyes upon seeing her before looking over at Bandit to see if she had any ideas.

"Relax, Fumblies.." Bandit took Fumblies hand. No one except Fumblies noticed she pressed something into it. "I'll deal with this clown."

Fumblies nodded as Bandit moved to confront Bones. He needed to be sure he could get the item in his hand to Fahari before Bones could react.

Meanwhile she walked off, circling him. He warned her to stay back. She listened. More or less. "So you probably think you have an advantage right now, don't you Kwadlin?"

"I am warning you that she will die if you come any closer." Bones smiled darkly.

"Aww, is big bad Jones afraid of a little bat? Poor little baby.. Alright." She kneeled over, dropping the bat to the ground. "There we go, big bad Jones. The bat's on the ground. Now I was asking a question. You probably think you have the advantage, don't you?"

As Bandit set the bat down Fumblies saw his chance. He had the spirit move the object in his hand towards Fahari. Once in her range of her nose it was revealed to be smelling salts. The pantheress' nose twitched, then her eyes opened, revealing a light within. She stood with a grace beyond even the monk's skills and smiled at her rescuer.

"It is good to see you with her eyes. I can see why she loves you."

"I hope you don't mind holding this conversation after we take out this traitor." Fumblies replied all the while moving to take out the startled Bones.

"Oh, I am sure we will 'talk' afterwards, my good Shepherd." Fahari-Goddess said in a way that made Fumblies know there would be more than just 'talk' involved. She then oriented and pounced the enemy, her entire body a glowing weapon of spiritual destruction!

Bandit frowned. "This is gonna be anti climatic. Oh, I know. One of you turn even so we can have a real boss fight!"

Bones just laughed; his eyes started to give off a black glow. As he withstood the Goddess's attack the glow spread over his entire body. All around them the bone dust started to flow upwards to form a several dozen skeletons. Fahari-Goddess stepped back, scowling.

"As my kitten Catrina would say. 'Fuck.'"

Bandit shrugged. "Eh, I've heard worse."

"Indeed." Fumblies moved forward as both his sword and armor start to glow. "So Bones it seems you have learned some tricks but so have I."

Fumbles lunged forward with the sword and stumbled back as it impacted a blade made of dark energy. He was about to lunge again, when he felt her touch on his shoulder, hearing her words not only in his ear, but his mind as well.

"See to his 'friends', good Shepherd. His is a battle long in the coming for me."

Bones chuckled. "Not half as long as when I'm done with you, bitch!"

Fahari-Goddess snarled. "Please. I've heard better from vulpin bards."

"Haha.. " Bandit paused. "Hey, wait a minute now!"

Fumblies smiled before turning to face the skeletons with that were more dark energy than bone dust. "Are you going to just stand there?"

With that Fumblies slammed his sword down into the skull of one of the skeletons which caused a blast of power from the impact.

Meanwhile, Fahari and Bones lunged at each other again to start a grapple, their energies splitting the room between light and dark. The impact caused the chamber to rumble slightly as everyone was blinded by a flash of light. The spirit in Fumblies' armor caused him to lift his sword to block an incoming attack.

"Ow.. that.. OW!" Bandit cursed. "I just ran into a wall! Son of a... "

"Bitch, when I am done with you I am going to turn you over to the others. They've waited for eons for a shot at breeding you!" Bones growled, cut off only when Fahari's glowing claws struck his face, drawing dark blood. He then roared in a very un-Bones like way and pounced Fahari, the two going down in a jumble of fangs and claws!

As the otherworldly forces battled, the others were left to tackle the magically animated skeletons. Fumblies let the spirit guide direct his movements. Each sword strike that connected with bone sent a slight blast of power through the chamber.

As they did, Bandit was going quite insane with her bat, smashing skeleton after skeleton while humming the tune to "Dem Bones."

Bones smirked as he struggled with Fahari, the two possessed fighters evenly matched causing the darkness and light in the room to swing unexpectedly and wildly. "Actually, I can agree with you for once. I usually find vulpin bards good for only one thing, and while it might involve her, it most definitely does not involve song…" He was quieted by an old fashioned right hook to the jaw.

Bones staggered back a few steps before dropping to the ground knocked out from the vulpin rogue Bandit's fist. As Bones dropped to the ground the skeletons returned to dust as the dark energy vanished.

Bandit collapsed to her knees, panting. "Shoulda just stayed in the tower.. urgh.."

As the darkness dropped so did the Light, apparently, with Fahari dropping to her knees, bewildered. Fumblies returned his sword to his sheath then rushed to Fahari's side while Bandit started looking for an exit.

Fahari rose shakily, falling into Fumblies in a way that she, perhaps, did not mind.

"It...It happened again, did it not?"

"If you mean the Goddess then she just left." Fumblies wrapped an arm around her to hold her up as she regained steadiness.

Bandit just starred. "Goddess.. ?! Am I missing something?!"

"Long story Bandit." Fumblies answered with a smile.

Bandit shrugged. "I probably wouldn't care for it, anyway. How do we get out of here?"

"Carefully." Fumblies smirked in response before pointing towards a door that was on the other side of the chamber. "Was that there before?"

Fahari approached the door, studied it and then smiled and stepped through.

Bandit shrugged. "I'm sure she knows better than me."

Then she vanished through the door with a flick of her tail.

Bandit by Dash's handler

There we are! Special cameos for the Goddess and (I assume) a Dark One as well. Fahari and Fumblies reunite, although do they exit the portal in the same location? Where could it possibly lead?

We're on the final stretch of the mission's roleplaying and the next stop is Sassy and the Lonely Troll! And it's all leading to the big sixteen piece Series Finale!