Two Vikings and a Huscarl are all that separates Flynn & Null from the necrostone they've made their next target; shouldn't be too difficult to overcome. The three guards form a tight shield wall fighting shoulder to shoulder and making themselves hard to hit as well as supporting each other in gaining the tactical advantage over our heroes. Nonetheless they charge in, Null laying in hit after hit with Latharial's Wrath and Latharial's Grace and Flynn pulling apart the shield wall with Eldritch Blasts.
Recognising the might of their foes the Viking trio resort to knocking down Flynn, dragging him closer to the necrostone and locking the door after them to take out Flynn and Null one at a time. At the same time more Cold Light Walkers seem to be approaching the necrostone to corner Null on the other side of the door. With doors and walls being no obstacle to Null she deftly ghost walks through to join Flynn and starts laying in to the Huscarl once more. Coupled with a mental Prison from Flynn one of the Vikings is down, the Huscarl on the ropes when Null hears a message in her mind "Everything ok? It's been a while since you checked in where are you guys?"
Berrick and Lotty are still held up in the middle of a mountainside with Karroll the bartender discussing the best steps, despite being two individuals of impressive intelligence a capable plan seems like a huge stretch. They've been surrounded by Cold Light Walkers who are now just idlily pressed up against the hut, they're safe whilst the magic holds but will need to move quick when the hut goes down. They contemplate flying out and Lotty hands Karroll a flying potion, as she explains they might need this at some point and to keep hold of it Karroll downs the potion in a panic and starts floating around the hut. Not being a person of magic there was at least a little moment of respite for the poor innkeeper as he experiences the sensation of flying around inside a tiny hut for a short while. Lotty and Berrick continue to debate the merits of making a break for it at dawn by flying out of the hut, maybe polymorph one of them, perhaps they put Karroll in a resilient sphere and use him as bowling ball to knock out the walkers and follow behind. As they start using the walls of the cave as a makeshift chalkboard for more and more elaborate plans they realise it's been a while since they heard from the other half of their party; Berrick checks in with Null and relays to Lotty that they're fighting, they're doing ok and if they don't hear from them in 5 minutes their probably dead. Back to the cave wall to work out travel times and trajectories to get to Null & Flynn in time.
Due to a wild magic surge when Flynn cast Mental Prison he finds himself stuck inside a divers suit barely able to move and hampered in the fight, as he starts to make his way out of the suit the Cold Light Walkers break through the door. Whilst the light blasts from the Walker's eyes are easy enough to avoid for the most part they deal heavy slam attacks; Null and Flynn are downing one health potion after the next as Null takes on the Walkers and remaining Viking warriors and Flynn sets about laying in to the stone. Every time Flynn hits the stone he feels the same amount of damage hit in straight back with necrotic energy, the two swap jobs as Flynn eventually gets out of the suit. With Null's resistance to necrotic damage she take out the Huscarl sets about the stone whilst Flynn attempts to finish off three guys at once tackling the Cold Light Walkers.
The Necrostone stone lets off a terrible scream as it becomes damaged and almost kills Null when she finally destroys it but she's made of sterner stuff than that. Enemies defeated they need to find somewhere to lay low before their seeming spell wears off and Flynn looks like his goblin self again. Null pulls up the hood of her invisibility cloak and disappears in to the night, Flynn's spell of invisibility doesn't last as long so he decides to pull up his bearskin cloak and... make like a bear? Against all odds Flynn does kind of look like a bear cub wandering the streets and the two head for Grove, a place Null previously knew as sanctuary.
Arriving at the Grove, Flynn & Null find nothing but snow and ash. Ghost walking down in to the earth and back out Null realises this previously sacred place was turned in to a mass grave some months ago. The site has been desecrated, burnt to the ground and the earth salted for good measure. Chilled to the bone the pair find an abandoned House in the slums to hide out in for the night.
Lotty gets a message from Flynn to say he has destroyed the stone and single-handedly taken out the guards and walkers. Lotty relays to Berrick that Null probably took out the stone and they defeated any enemies pursuing them and they're as safe as can be for the night. Via Flynn's book the two halves of the Ashen Company update each other on current positions and plans then try to get some rest until morning.
Berrick and Lotty know the tiny hut will fall before they can get a good night's rest and agree to take catnaps in shifts for a few hours to gain what rest they can and encourage Karroll to get some sleep.
In the abandoned house Null is trying to work out when Flynn is going to go to sleep, she wants to tap in to a part of her skills she's never used before but is unsure how her friend will view her unique talent. In the end she explains to Flynn she can ask a question of someone she has recently killed by releasing their soul from her token but she's never done it before and needs to make sure Flynn can be chill about it. Flynn has sent some update messages to Latharial and had no response from Remmi or Derrick so settles in to watch what happens. He's a little disturbed and backs away just slightly when Null changes her form to look like Calitrax and begins to float gently in the air, when she releases the soul of the Huscarl a green, gaseous, smoke rolls from Nulls mouth as she asks "There have been interlopers in the city - which of my stones are still secure?" The reply from the Huscarl seems to also come from Null as two voices are heard in the smoke, Null and the Huscarl both say "my queen, we have lost another one, I don't know about the others". Flynn is a little freaked out but tries his best to remember how much he trusts Null as she tries again with the Necromancer, asking "There are interlopers in my city, where did you last see that which is most precious to me". The necromancer seems to realise that although the the questioner looks just like Calitrax it isn't her and replies "you are not my queen". Null thinks on it and realises that Calitrax would have spoken in abyssal to her most trusted advisors not the common that Null used.
In the mountain side Berrick and Lotty can see through the tiny hut a volley of flame arrows heading their way in the darkness.