Hello everyone, this is Asclepius, with the final instalment of this wonderful story from Andartianna. It is entitled

Harvest of the Shattered Moon

Background music by Smartsound

Chapter 9, “Promise, Prison, and Pennyvise”

Iron Marshall and Blight Mister finished off the rest of the skeletons and the party cleared the way to the top floor of the tower. The top floor was filled with all sorts of torture devices, chains, and other horrors. Zazeriz saw Boniface slumped over, hung from chains, in one of the corners. Zazeriz raced over to Boniface and was struck with a Death Ray. She quickly repaired the damage with Healing Touch, but stopped where she stood. A deep booming voice rang throughout the hall. “Servant, have you brought the bonesteel dagger you promised me?”

“Demonic spirit of Saul the Damned, I will do nothing for you. I have burned your mark and extinguished your fell blue flames. You will free Boniface and leave me and my companions in peace or step forward and be destroyed by our hands.” Zazeriz said.

“Small words from an insignificant being. I, however, sense that you have brought the bonesteel dagger with you. I will relieve you of the dagger and your bodies of their flesh and put your skeletons into a prison for all eternity as my slaves.” Saul the Damned said.

The blue light near Boniface began to intensify and an undead mage appeared. He immediately began resurrecting the skeletons that lay around him; each of their creaking brittle bones reforming into hideous abominations. Saul the Damned’s army of skeletons began attacking Zazeriz and her companions. As Zazeriz cast healing spells over her companions, she noticed that each of the skeletons that fell were quickly revived by Saul the Damned.

Zazeriz began searching for a way to prevent the skeletons from reviving. When a close one fell next to her, she quickly dug through its bones searching for whatever items kept it under the control of Saul the Damned. After Zazeriz removed all the items from the skeleton, the bones no longer revived. Zazeriz called out to her companions, “Quickly! Loot every corpse that falls. Take all their items. This prevents them from resurrecting.”

Iron Maiden dashed forward as another skeleton fell and grabbed all the items on its body. The rest of Zazeriz’ party quickly followed suit and within a short time Saul the Damned was all alone. Now the entire party focused all their attacks onto Saul the Damned, which quickly crushed his health. Pennyvise surged forward to crush Saul the Damned’s last health point, but the skeleton mage exploded into blue flames before Pennyvise could hit him. Saul the Damned’s ominous voice rang throughout the hall. “You have defeated me this time, but I will have my revenge should you ever be foolish enough to enter the Artifice.”

Chapter 10, “Saul, Scroll, and Surprise. “

Saul the Damned’s fire vanished from the room and Zazeriz rushed over to Boniface. She reached into her pouch and took out a health potion then slowly dropped it into Boniface’s mouth. Boniface shook with terror for a moment then opened her eyes and saw Zazeriz standing in front of her.

“Ugg those health potions are so sweet. I don’t know how people can drink them.” Boniface said with a half smile.

Zazeriz stifled a laugh then quickly broke the chains that held Boniface to the wall and carefully helped Boniface cross the room. Iron Marshall stepped forward and lifted Boniface into his arms and helped carry her out of the Shuttered Eye Tower.

After about a week of recovering in Ardoris, Boniface was ready to travel back to Ecteter. She was able to stand long enough to use a recall scroll to teleport back to Ecteter. Zazeriz stayed in with Boniface for a few days making sure that she was cared for. Snip-snip visited frequently, and after a short while,