Night fell quickly upon the town of Hazelgulch, for all who lived within these lands knew that daylight barely graced the lands for a few hours before retreating elsewhere. These were the forsaken lands after all, cursed to never grow fruit or wine and children themselves were lucky to be born.
Narni stirred the now cold corpse of Yuri, her eyes vacant and watching her dutifully. "We have to go get you home with the others, I don't think they will appreciate you living here anymore." Taking the undead woman by the hand Narni exited through the front door.
'I need to get some new boots' Narni thought to herself as her toes squelched into the icy mud. No horse nor person breathed a sound as she walked through the silent road and back up the path toward her home.
Windows shuttered closed, and the faint candle light hidden within rooms slowly crept as eyes watched her carefully from afar. "I really wish they would come out and say hello, but they always throws stones and knives at me when I get close, why do they hate me worms?"
"It's because you are different dear sweet Narni, and people don't like it when you're different." A worm said coming from her forearm and nuzzling itself just under her skin.
"Maybe I can find out more in this Fiedal? I do very much want to see the civilized world." The worm wearing glasses appeared on Narni's shoulder and sat back against her neck as he removed a dusty tome from his robe. "let me see..." he said with a curious stare flipping back and forth between the pages.
"Fiedal, once known as Royal Fiedal use to be home to the most powerful wizards, mages and priests of this age. The house of Xuria ruled there for over a thousand years...oh dear." He said digging his nose deeper into the tome.
"What is it, is it something bad?" Narni asked turning to look toward the busy worm.
"It says that the Royal family were all killed, that the priests corrupted with power overthrew the families. They claimed that their gods commanded them to do so, but after they rose dark powers flooded and cursed the lands, and that was almost three hundred years ago." Snapping shut the book the worm burrowed its head into Narni's shoulder and disappeared without saying another word.
What the worm had told her excited Narni, the thought of more mysterious dark powers growing through the lands meant that she would have places to visit. For her the light that was often called upon on people dying breaths always left her feeling somewhat itchy, and though no actual spell had ever touched her skin the worms had told her that the light the priests wielded would almost certainly end her life.
There was an ancient library somewhere deep within the labyrinth of Amaranth but the worms had also tricked her, or made her get lost they didn't want her finding the place of knowledge. They told her that she wasn't ready for the powers that were upon those texts. It was these very texts that many adventurers had lost their lives for, coming to claim the dusty books for one master or another.
The town was a strange place for Narni to visit, she wasn't sure why the worms wanted her to go there, aside from the newest addition to the family she didn't find out all that much.
Perhaps the worms would blame her for this development, she was too enthralled by Yuri and her warmth that she almost forgot to ask others for assistance, though it wasn't like Yuri didn't help clear a few things up her at least. Family members are always more helpful than the worms.
She would have to question the worms when she got home, and this time Narni swore she was going to demand answers from them, after all a man wielding the light came to her door step, times are changing.
Introducing the new member to the family would have to wait, the horde was getting hungry and they would likely feast on Yuri if she brought her down stairs, so tonight she would sleep with her in the bed. But not after she made a nice broth.
An hour passed and the worms gathered around the stew, some happily feasting whilst others waited in large bowls for Narni to smother them with the delicious substance. Even Yuri reached her hand out wanting a bite.
"No one eats, not until the worms talk to me about what is going on, I know they are hiding things from me." Narni's ordered ceased the worms wiggling as they slowly congregated into one huge heap upon the table and formed a misshapen mouth.
"What does Narni order us to speak of?" the voice rumbled, the intense vibrations rattled her bones and for a moment she wanted the mouth to stop speaking, but she took in a breath and focused herself.
"I want access to the ancient tomes, the ones deep within the labyrinth."
The mouth of worms chuckled a vigorous laugh as it spat out worms like spit, "We have told you Narni, that those tomes are not for you, not yet."
Narni removed herself from the table and went toward the kitchen, retrieving the mans blade she held the hilt with a thick piece of cloth around her hands and pointed the blade toward the worms.
"Narni what're you doing?!" it said panicking moving away from the tip of the blade.
"Tell me why they have come for me with this invisible fire and call upon the names of gods" She could feel the bite of the paladins sword even through the cloth, it felt like holding a bundle of fiery coals.
"We do not know, our reach and influence does not go that far, Narni please put that blade down and let us all be family okay, and family doesn't threaten family?" Dropping the hot blade onto the ground Narni agreed nodding her head.
"Only if you help me, I am going to leave for Fiedal with or without the texts from the Labyrinth." Sloping the stew into the bowls the worms could hardly maintain their form as the food lay so close to them.
"Alright, we will help you, we promise." The mouth fell apart and spread across the table hungrily.