This is my first D&D fanfic. Please be kind if you review. I own nothing of D&D. Enjoy!

…

Venger had never been as close as he was now in getting the weapons. He chased Dungeon Master's pupils through the forest and watched as each of the children scattered into the woods, running off into different directions. He knew one of them was injured and followed them, leaving the rest to the orcs.

The trees were thick and he could no longer track the wounded child from the air. He landed leaving Nightmare behind for the moment as she was too easily recognizable, even from a distance. He transformed himself into a horse himself to easily blend into the woods. They were used to his tricks of transformation and learned not to trust what they see so easily. It may take some patience for the child to trust his image.

He spotted the one he was seeking and smiled internally at her plight. The Thief was tending to her wounded leg huddled behind a tree. It wasn't much protection but she would be well hidden from the orcs. Slowly he walked near her, smelling the ground as he edged closer, playing the role of a horse.

She jumped up and stood against the tree wondering what was making the sound. Her eyes darted from him to an opening in the forest she could run through. "Get away from me please." She spoke to him.

He only smelled the ground some more and walked slightly away from her. His orcs were near her and would easily scare her away.

Sheila heard the familiar sound of orcs not far in the distance and looked at the fine horse that stood by her. "Well if you were Venger you would have shown yourself by now. You better run. Go! The orcs treat nothing kindly."

He became agitated and blocked her from the orcs, kneeling to have her climb on his back. It was beneath him to do so but he wanted her trust.

"Alright." She climbed on and he took off into the woods away from the orcs as well as her friends. Plans for her began to form in his head.

Sheila and he came to a well hidden waterfall and stopped. She stepped to the ground and thanked him. "I don't know what would have happened to me if I had been caught." Putting her full weight on her wounded leg she fell and gasped out in pain.

She went to the water and found even after cleaning it, it was an ugly sight. Her leg was struck by one of Venger's bolts of power as she pushed Bobbi out of the way. The skin was partly burnt and blistered and black ugly veins spread out across the flesh.

He knew the poison would spread and she would be dead by morning if he didn't heal her wound. She did her best at cleaning the wound and set herself down sitting against a tree. There were some herbs she learned to collect that helped with minor scrapes and injuries. She took them out of the small bag attached to her belt. She crushed some berries in her mouth into a fine bitter paste and placed it on the wound. It stung like hell and she covered her mouth to muffle the scream.

The Thief was resourceful to say the least. He was impressed with her collection of herbs and the care she took in drying them; she was an asset to her friends. Though the herbs were of good quality they held no magical properties to heal the quickly spreading wound on her leg.

"Hey, I am so glad you helped me." She comforted by the horse being there. At least she wasn't alone. Her eyes became heavy and she looked down at her leg. She knew that she was dying as the poison was travelling through her body. At least the herbs numbed the pain somewhat.

Venger waited until she was too weak to run or move before he transformed himself to his true form. Sheila looked up in fear and confusion. "You could have taken me at any point. Why did you bring me here?"

He knelt down and smiled at her. "I have plans for you and I vowed to Dungeon Master that I would never kill any of you. It was the promise I made when my life was spared in the Dragon's Graveyard. Though I could very well let you die now as you sacrificed yourself for your brother."

"What will you do with me?" Her voice sounded weak even to her ears.

"Heal you for a small price." His fangs prominent amongst his white toothy smile. "I heal you and you wear this." He held out a necklace of simple but highly crafted design.

"What will that do to me?" She knew it was a trap and nothing good would come of it. "I can't trust you."

"And you trust Dungeon Master? Where is he now that you need him the most?" He goaded her and as he expected tears fell from her dying eyes. "You won't make it to morning."

"What will it do?" She wasn't going to take anything without knowing what it does.

"Bind you to the realm and to me. If I heal you, you will accept a life dept to me as I had not directed the attack towards you or your brother. I was trying to force you and your friends towards my orcs." He touched her cheek with a finger. "Do you accept this fate or would you rather your little brother find you here, dead?"

There really was no choice in the matter. She nodded her head and took the necklace and placed it around her neck. Venger waved a hand on her wound and within seconds it was healed. He lifted her to her feet.

The necklace burned for a second binding itself to her skin. She tried to remove it but no matter what she did it wouldn't move.

"It can only be removed once your life dept is paid. I now own you and you'll never return home again." He smiled down at her watching her display of tears as she begged and cried for him to let her go.

His next act would be seen as uncharacteristically kind of him but she would learn that the cruelty behind the act. He would take her to see her friends one last time.

….

Venger brought her to her friends who stood ready for an attack. Though he was powerful he learned never to underestimate their skills at working together. Dungeon Master chose each of them well. He pushed her forwards to them. "I have spared her life Ranger but she is now bound to me by a life dept. She was wounded and dying."

The Ranger stepped forward and grabbed Sheila holding her in his arms. "You promised never to try to kill us!"

"You fool; she jumped to save her brother who ran towards the orcs. I never aimed at any of you so I have kept my promise to Dungeon Master. I saved her life in return for her service." The light by the campfire made him look even more like the monster that he is. "I'll break the bond of the dept for all your weapons."

Hank stepped between her and Sheila. "She's our friend and we will not allow you to harm her any further."

His fangs gleamed in the firelight. "I saved her where Dungeon Master wouldn't. The choice is yours Ranger. Break the dept she owes me by giving me the weapons or never see her again."

"I don't believe you!" He raised the bow to fire at Venger only to find Sheila walk between them.

"I'm sorry Hank, he's controlling me." As much as she tried to she couldn't move away. Every time Hank tried to move around her she moved with him, blocking his shot.

"Now do you believe me, Ranger? Make your choice, the weapons for her or she's mine."

Hank lowered his bow as everyone else watched. "You'll never get the weapons."

Everyone gasped at his choice but himself and Sheila. "I'm not angry Hank; you can't let him have the weapons." As soon as she uttered the words she fell to the ground in a heap.

"She has much to learn about being a slave." With those words he vanished with Sheila.

Hank hung his head low and cried for the first time since entering the realm. He wasn't ready to carry the burden of someone's fate.

No one blamed him for his choice and they all went over to comfort him.

…..