Sorry for the delay in getting this story out, life has been absolutely crazy lately but hopefully I'll be able to get back into a regular schedule this and/or next week. Anyway, this is a continuation of the last story Shadows of the Future about the three known as the Outcasts plus a new player character who recently joined in and graciously let us play at his house. Please enjoy.

Wigfert, completely drained of every drop of his energy from the encounter of his foretold future dropped to the floor unconscious. Rhialla finished looking through the new tome they obtained entitled Barlo's Field guide before using her magic to heal Wigfert and regain his energy, causing light to shine brightly from his eyes and mouth as a slight side effect. She picked him up in her arms, and the Outcasts made their way back through the dank and dark crypt that was once the lair of the infamous Barlo. And as the three exited the crypt and into the dark and cool night there stood before them the entire town with torches, pitchforks, and other makeshift weapons waiting for their arrival. The people of the town were already extremely upset by the reckless way the three outcasts had dealt with danger in town (which resulted in the burning of the mayor's house who's owner mysteriously died right before), not to mention the grave robbing they were witnessing, but they now stood before them with an unconscious child still emitting beams of light out of his face. All three of them took a moment to process the situation as did the shocked and disgusted townsfolk, before collectively coming to the conclusion that they could not talk themselves out of this one.

Rhialla and Theodrick both bolted for the small fence that bordered the small industrial town as the mob began to close behind throwing rocks and knives and picks at them. Theodrick escaped by flying above the reach of their throw, and Rhialla cast a spell to bend the light around her and wigfert to make them both invisible as they all made a mad dash for the dense woods. Rhialla, blinded by the light being bent around and away from her eyes by the magic (quite an unfortunate side effect), she hoped for the best as she reached the edge of the woods and prayed they didn't hit a tree.

They did.

Theodrick lost the two others as they ran into the woods not only from them both being invisible, but also from the foliage of the woods being too dense from her high view. He did, however, see something else odd: The townsfolk were apparently not happy with someone else, whom Theodrick being thrown into the woods by the angry mob. It was a small figure, but he was too high up to see quite who it was. At any rate, Theodrick continued to blindly look for his two companions when he heard the most terrified scream he ever heard. Wigfert had awoken by now, and was screaming from the terror of waking up next to an ancient female Impisi in the middle of the woods at night.

Wigfert was still recovering from the shock when Theodrick landed near them when they all heard something shuffling and mumbling in the distance. In the dark shadows of the night a very small humanoid who appeared drunk shuffled towards them without even knowing where he was much less what had just transpired. He had been seen working with the outcasts by the town who assumed he was part of their company and was cast out into the woods.

Xalin, an alcoholic kleptomancer,  tripped on a root and fell flat on his face. Theodrick picked him up in his wings when another shadow came shuffling through the woods from behind them. This time no one recognized the figure, half mumbling something that vaguely resembled a drinking song as it came closer and the shadows revealed a similarly small figure slightly less drunk than Xalin. As the four foot human approached the group, light from an opening in the trees revealed the small white human that looked somehow even more ancient than Rhialla herself with wispy white hair floating in every direction and more wrinkles than a shar pei. They each watched each other for a cue until Rhialla spoke up first, "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" His gravely voice mimicked the question almost as if he hadn't heard her only for her to throw it right back again. He looked off into space for a minute to try to remember his own name before resorting to something easy, "I think I remember someone calling me...Tom, wait, Uncle Tom. By the way, any of you got any alcohol?"

At this Xalin woke up just enough to point out that he had drank it all already, but fell back asleep. 

"So, uh... Who are you guys again? and, what are we all doing in the woods?" Uncle Tom asked, to get a bearing of his situation and what to make of it.

Rhialla got wide eyed as she got an idea to get him on board. A great and terrible idea:

"We're the alcohol club!"

"OH! Well count me in then!" Uncle Tom was too excited and drunk to question the sincerity of the statement as long as it included alcohol of any kind. Plus at least one of them was obviously proof, and looked like he wouldn't join them if they didn't have some kind of steady supply. 

Suddenly Rhialla piped again up after looking through Barlo's Field guide for clues on where the Feather of the Night is being hidden, "Why don't you come with us? We're going to hell!"