[Eric & Lovvorn]

The two friends made their way through the abandoned graveyard toward
the large crypt that lay at its center.   The dry grass was waist-high,
turning the the field of crumbling tombstones into a military obstacle
course.   Eric Hood navigated the field with silence and ease.   His
portly companion was not as adept...nor was he completely sober.

"OOOPH!  Dammit!"  Lovvorn picked himself up from the ground.  The
mage's purple and green robe was soiled with grass stains and cemetary
dirt.   It actually made the robe look quite a bit better.   "You
know... I don't even see why- OOOPH!  Ouch!"  Lovvorn tripped over a
broken headstone and was down again.    Eric stopped and helped his
friend up.

"Thanks."

"Didn't want THIS thing to go out when you fall and brain yourself."
Eric pointed a nimble finger at the glowing orb that floated a few feet
above them.   It was their only source of light in the dismal home of
the dead.  "Why don't you just teleport us inside?"

"You're trying to get us both killed, aren't you?"  said Lovvorn.
"Never... I mean, NEVER teleport into another mage's house.  Ever!"

"You've done it before."

"Well that was different.  I was drunk then..."

"You're drunk now."

"But that was a different mage.  This is... HIM."

"Fine, the least you can do is walk in my path and watch yer damn feet!"

"Nooo.... No, I have a better idea."   Lovvorn pushed up the sleeve of
his robe, revealing two pale limbs that were covered with runes and
power signs.  Each spell was carefully tattooed onto his skin with
exacting precision.    Lovvorn tapped a rune just above his left elbow.
The mage rose three feet into the air and slowly began floating in the
direction of the crypt.  "Now, you follow ME."  he taunted.   Eric
followed him through the maze of obstacles without tripping once.

The found the crypt door wide open.  The dark interior was illuminated
by Lovvorn's globe.  At the very rear was an iron door which, when
opened, revealed a winding stone staircase.   Lovvorn floated to the
ground, and Eric took the lead once more.  They entered and descended
into the catacombs.

"Do you know where you're going?"  said Lovvorn.

"Yeah.  There's another door down this way."

After wandering among the vaults for perhaps ten minutes, they came to a
jagged opening that seemed to have been *chewed* into the stone wall.
Beyond was yet another staircase that lead to a large room beneath the
catacombs.   Their journey had ended.

The chamber was rectangular, and was lit only by the candles that
flickered and smoked in each corner.   The place reeked of powerful
incense and fresh blood.    Greasy red and brown stains spotted the
stone floor.   In the center was a short, wide mouthed cauldron.  Before
the caudron sat the Living Zombie.   The dead, yet somehow living
abomination that called itself  N'Doki.

He was naked, save for the loin-cloth around his waist.  The skin of his
dark-brown body was shriveled and leathery... more like an old suit of
armor than anything remotely human.  His long, bony legs were folded in
front of him in an impossibly tight lotus position.  He clasped his
hands before him at chest level, with his clawed fingers arching
gently.  N'Doki's back eyes focused on Eric and Lovvorn as they entered
his abode.  He smiled, revealing perfectly white teeth which had all
been filed down into sharp, wicked points.

"Uhhhh...."  said Lovvorn.  "It's just us.   Lovvorn and Eric.   And
Lovvorn."

"Indeed it iz,"  said N'Doki.   "Oddahwize you would not haf survifed de
trip.  Why dit de little mage not use hiz magic to bring you here?   It
would haf been much easier, no?"

Eric gave Lovvorn a foul look.

"What?"  the mage shrugged his shoulders in innocence.

"N'Doki, we need your skills.   There's been a murder in town."

"Dere haf been many murders in dis town, Mr. Hood.   It is de nature of
man to kill his bruddah.  You above all, should know dis."

"Dis one...uhh.. THIS one is different.   They found a body in the river
a day or so ago.  It may-or may NOT- be the body of a royal envoy from
Bleckner."

"And NO,"  added Lovvorn, "Eric did NOT kill him."

"N'Doki cares not for de affairs of kings and queens.   N'Doki cares
only for de dead... and for N'Doki."

"If this thing goes unsolved too long, there's likely to be an increased
royal presence in the town.  They'll intercede with the local
government.   Maybe even declare martial law.   That's not good for
business, ours, yours, or anybody else's."

"And you want N'Doki to summon dis one's spirit to find de one
responsible."

"Yes."

"And what does December haf to say about dis?"

"We haven't told him.  He's busy with... personal matters."

N'Doki frowned.  He was obviously displeased with something.

"But if we can find the killer and take care of the whole thing,
there'll be no need for him to even know."

"Bring de body here so N'Doki can commune wit de spirit."

"Well, uhh..."  said Lovvorn.  "You see...uhhh...we don't actually have
the....uhhh...."

"Word is that Bryce Amberghylles has the corpse."

"Amberghylles."  hissed N'Doki.  His displeasure deepened.  N'Doki's
frown transformed his hideoous appearance into something truly demonic.

"Dammit Eric, now you've gone and made him mad!"

"What?  All I said was-"

"Shhhh!"

"Let Amberghylles haf de body, if he needs it.  N'Doki does not."

The necromancer stood, carefully unfolding his skeletal legs and drawing
himself up to his full, nearly 7' height.

"Uhh...Yeah,"  said Lovvorn.  "He's  probably worked it over pretty
good, but we haven't heard what he found.   If anything.  Do you think
you can find out what he learned?"

"Tis a simple ting.   Dis man is not bettah dan N'Doki."

"Okaaaay..."

"Tell me de name of de dead man.  N'Doki will summon his nkita, his
spirit."

"We don't....uhhh... know exactly."

"The corpse is unidentified as far as we know.  Like I said... it may or
MAY NOT be the royal envoy, who's name hasn't been disclosed."

"Dere is no name.   Dere is no body."

"No.  Can you help us?"  said Lovvorn.

"I bet Amberghylles could do it."  said Eric.

"Eric!  Shhhhh!"

"Well that's just what I hear.  Much Bad Magic."  Eric winked at
Lovvorn.

"He is not bettah dan N'Doki!"

"Well, that's just what I heard."

"Eric, hush before he turns us into frogs!"

"If Eric and de little mage want de knowledge so badly, why not go to
Amberghylles and ask hem demselves!"

"Why do you people INSIST on trying to get me killed?"  mumbled Lovvorn.

"If he's no better than you, why don't you just pop on over there and
snatch that body right out from under his nose, then?"

"Because N'Doki does not need de body, OR de name!  Dis dead man was
found in de river... so to de river we shall go!"

"To the docks."  said Eric.  "Let's go, Lovvorn."

Lovvorn grabbed Eric's arm in his pudgy hand, then he smiled at N'Doki.

"Meet us there... Sorry, I don't give rides to ghouls.   Bye."

Eric and Lovvorn vanished.

N'Doki walked over to the wall and stepped through his own shadow as if
it were a door.

---

The dock was deserted, save for the few homeless derelicts that called
it their late-night home.  Most of them paid no attention to the sudden
appearance of the brightly-dressed mage and his companion... but seconds
later, when the buzzing swarm of stinging flies and wasps arrived and
solidified into a 7' tall walking skeleton, every one of them decided to
give up drinking and make their bed elsewhere.  They scampered from the
docks like frightened rats.  N'Doki watched them go.

"Showoff."  said Lovvorn.

"Dis is de place."

"I think so."  said Eric.

"N'Doki was not asking de question... did IS de place.  Now let N'Doki
speak wit de Afiriti and de spirits of de mud."   N'Doki strode slowly
toward the edge of the dock.

"What's an 'Afiriti'?"

"Beats the hell outta me,"  answered Lovvorn.

The watched as N'Doki calmly stepped off the dock.

"HEY!"  said Lovvorn.  "Can he SWIM!   Oh... never mind."

N'Doki was walking across the surface of the river as if it were dry
land.  When he reached the river's midpoint, the necromancer stopped.
He stood still on the surface for a moment, and then began to sink.  The
water came up to his knees... then his waist... then chest... and
finally N'Doki was gone.

"Do you think he can breathe under there?"  asked Lovvorn.

"When was the last time you saw him breathe?"

"Well he HAS to breathe... he's not really dead, you know   He's just...
you know... dead.  But not dead-dead, the OTHER kind of dead."

"There's more than one kind?"

"Oh, forget it."

The pair stood patiently for a while.  Five minutes...   Ten...
Twenty...

"Maybe he's dead."  said Lovvorn.

"Which kind?"

"Shut up."

...thirty...forty...forty-five...

"You think something's GOT him down there?"  said Lovvorn.

"Why don't you go on down and take a look?"

"Yeah.  Right."

...fifty...fifty-five...

"He'd better hurry up.  I'm going to be sober in a few minutes-"

The river began to bubble and churn as if some huge battle were being
fought beneath its surface.   The disturbance grew... and finally N'Doki
erupted from the depths.  He stood atop the river just as he had before
and walked toward the dock.   When he reached it, he rose up and stepped
onto the land.  Surprisingly, despite spending an hour underwater,
N'Doki was completely dry.

"De spirits haf much to dis night."

"Anything about our mysterious body?"

"De river say dat it receive de body, but it did not take de life."

"Huh?"

"De man dit not drown.  He was dead before he come to rest in de water."

"Somebody dumped him.   Did you... uh... did the river see who it was?"

"It did not see, but it felt de magic."

"A mage?   Did YOU kill this guy, Lovvorn?"

"No!  Besides, when I do someone, threre's no body to dispose of.
Unlike SOME people...""

"What else, N'Doki?"

N'Doki held out his fist and opened it slowly.   A stream of dry sand
poured from his hand and made a small  pile on the wooden dock.

"Kupiga Ramli!"

On N'Doki's command, the sand began to swirl and move about under its
own power.  It formed a symbol...

"De mud-spirits say dat dere was a ring.  De ring bore dis symbol-"

"Oh, crap."  said Lovvorn.  "Royal seal.  We're doomed."

The sand continued to move... now it formed a face....

"Dis was de face of de dead man."

"Or what's LEFT of it."

"Looks like he got beat up pretty good.  Well, that's something."  said
Eric.

"Dere is more."

"Oh?"

"De river say dat dere is a man who comes to dis spot often.   He did
not come here before de murder."

"The killer!"  said Lovvorn.  "They always return to the scene of the
crime!"

"I don't."  said Eric.

"Nor does N'Doki.  T'would be a very foolish ting, no?"

"Well... that's just what they say.  Did you get this guy's face?"

"De mud did not see.  But de river say he stands here-"  N'Doki pointed
to a nearby spot on the dock.   "Always in dat place."

"Could be somebody that's just curious."

"Or maybe not.  Thanks N'Doki."

"N'Doki did not'ing.  He just talk wit de spirits of de river and de
mud.   Such tings did not occur to Amberghylles, no?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Dey did not.  Now you see dat he is not bettah dan N'Doki."

"Well...uh...thanks anyway."

N'Doki bowed and walked away.   He was not headed toward his
graveyard... he was going off in the same direction as the bums that had
left so hastily earlier.

"You know,"  said Lovvorn.  "If he's so darned high and mighty... how
come he doesn't get that stupid accent fixed?"

"Ask him de next time dat you see him."  said Eric with a smirk.

"Uh-huh.  Sure.   So we've got a corpse with a royal ring and an ugly
face?  What now?"

"We've also got a lead.  This guy-"  Eric pointed to the spot N'Doki had
indicated.

"So what do we do?  Want me to turn invisible and watch out for him?"

"No time.  We need to know where he is right now."

"So what do you... oh.... we're going to see the Boss, aren't we?"

"Yep.  We need the services of the world's greatest tracker..."