Adobe Acrobat Format - The Grey Company

They heard a groan and peered through the bushes again. A male grey elf was bound to a wooden
stake. The elf hung his head low, and white hair obscured his face.
"We have to save him," whispered Brisid.
"Sure you're ready?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
They separated to different sides of the clearing. Brisid peered over a thicket and accidentally
stepped on a twig. The trolls couldn't hear the snap, but the white-haired elf slowly raised his head. Brisid
realized the elf was not an elf, but an albino drow.
"Riklaun," Brisid realized with concern.
The conversing trolls grunted with a sound of agreement and one walked over to the bound drow.
With a flick of it's wrist, the troll's axe flew through Riklaun's neck.
"No!!!" Brisid yelled and charged out from his cover. He dispatched the two closest trolls with two
swings before they could raise their weapons. Waves of heat blew by him as a fireball scorched a group of
trolls a few dozen steps away. Nalynn ran into the glade swinging her broad sword through a troll. Tears
were in her eyes; she knew her friend had just been slain. Brisid turned to an advancing troll who was
showing off some intimidating moves. Brisid raised his hands and murmured, "Templa pilini'," watching
almost stoically as a magic missile burst into the troll's chest. He quickly drew a bottle of oil from his pack,
lighted it and threw it into the already regenerating troll. The elf then glanced at a charging group of
monsters and dropped a fireball on their heads.
Brisid saw a flash to his left and whipped his sword in front of his face to deflect another troll's
axe. The troll backed away, reconsidering the wisdom of attacking such an experienced fighter. Its thoughts
were abruptly halted as Nalynn's sword entered its chest.
Realizing there were no more opponents, they ran to their fallen friend. They heard a shriek behind
them and turned about to face a drow priestess. The shrieking was actually Ebonstarr's laughter.
"Ahhh... The great Riklaun has finally fallen. All alone, and from the axe of an insignificant troll.
Awww, poor little elves, are you sad your friend has left you?" the drow priestess taunted. "Don't worry,
you'll be joining him very soon."
She let loose her five-headed snake whip, and they writhed around, hungry for blood. Brisid
stepped away from Nalynn to surround Ebonstarr.
"No. I think I'll save you, stupid elf," Ebon said to Nalynn and muttered a spell, and Nalynn
disappeared.
"Tell me what you did to her!" Brisid commanded.
"You talk too much," hissed Ebonstarr who whipped the snake heads at the elf.
Brisid twisted his sword to block the heads, but two snakes got through and bit him with their
poison.
"Not this time, drow scum!" Brisid growled and chopped off the two snake heads. Two more quick
swings removed the remaining snake heads, and with a third he slipped his sword into Ebonstarr's heart.
"It is ended," murmured Brisid.
Another shrieking cackle made Brisid turn around. Ebonstarr stood forty paces away, unscathed.
"Did you really think you could best me, dumb elf?" Ebon yelled between shrieks.
He turned back to the body he had impaled. Brisid watched with horror as the body's lifeless face
changed into Nalynn's.
"No!" Brisid shouted in anguish. Ebonstarr's cackling stopped, and he turned back around just in
time to see a fireball collide into his face...
* * * * *
Nalynn and Riklaun stood over Brisid's restless form. "The drow priestess has some sort of control
over his dreams, probably created through the cursed dagger," a cleric said. "She keeps his mind awake, but
controls what he thinks. Even these blessed temple walls cannot stop it," a cleric continued, gesturing
around him. "It's like Lloth herself tied a fine string to him and gave the other end to Ebonstarr."
"Then we'll just have to sever it," Riklaun quietly stated.