by Richard Jesel

Created on: March 09, 2009

Baltazar awoke from his spot near the fireplace feeling an eerie, yet familiar, presence. He looked to the assasin keeping watch by the window but Theo gave no indication of having noticed anything wrong. Baltazar wasn't surprised. He would have been preoccupied as well after just having heard that his bloodline was cursed.

"Theo." The assassin turned, suddenly focused. "Get Delia."

"What's on your mind, old man?" Baltazar ground his teeth, hating to be reminded of his frail body.

In a loud whisper he said, "Just get her! We have trouble coming." Just like that, Theo was gone, quick, silent. The knives and daggers draped about him made not a sound. The best assassin that ever existed. Baltazar slowly raised himself off of the floor with a groan, using his staff. He could feel the magic building now. The necromancers must have followed them to Delia's manor. Baltazar groaned again. This was not a good place to be right now. Not against these dark sorcerers. Baltazar knew that if it had been him out there, he would be raising every corpse he could in the cemetary surrounding the manor. That, he knew, would require alot of energy, or, he amended, more than one necromancer. Baltazar felt three out there. This was going to be a long fight.

Necromancers rarely fought anyone directly, feeling more secure raising zombies and skeletons to do their bidding, trusting them to destroy their enemy. A couple hundred of these things might make swift work of Baltazar and his friends, unless they were lucky.

"What's going on?" Delia strode to the main room, completely dressed; tunic, breeches, boots, light leather armor, several daggers, knives and a short sword. She seemed ready for anything and baltazar wondered if she might have slept with all of that on. It would take any normal person half an hour to get all that together.

"We are about to be attacked by the residents of your lovely cemetary, mercenary. I suggest you ready your home against bloodthirsty intruders." Baltazar's sarcasm washed over every word.

"Damn! How did they find us?" She asked. Sudden moaning outside, carried by two hundred voices suddenly caught their attention.

"Can't you do anything, old man?" Theo asked. "Block the building with magic? Blow these bastards away?" He gripped his weapons, standing as if he would leap into action in a blink.

"No, I am not that powerful. The best I could do is secure the doors and windows. You two had better find a way to kill the necromancers controling them." Then there was

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