by Eden Redd
A golden fairy appeared next to Renner, the axe still buried in his chest. Gylda looked down, her hands touching his cheeks as he looked to her.
“Stay safe….I’ll see you soon…” Renner coughed.
The luck fairy looked to the axe and then to the dread lord. Mad Morgan stumbled back a few paces before falling to one knee. Gazing up, the dread lord witnessed the golden fairy as she zipped up to the axe and took hold of it. With a drunken stupid smile, he coughed up greenish bile as the fairy hoisted up the axe too big for her and brought it down.
Thorrin was sitting up as he watched the rune axe split the dread lord’s head in two. The paladin was on his feet and made his way closer as Mad Morgan’s body twitched. Picking up his hammer, he charged it with holy energy and brought it down. The dread lord turned to ash and smoke. The wind picked up and carried the ash away.
Gylda fluttered to Renner’s side, looking into his eyes. Thorrin stepped over and kneeled down by the wounded rogue.
“Family looks out for each other,” Renner said with a wide smile before cracks appeared along his body.
Gylda watched with tears in her eyes. When Renner’s body fell away into shards of light, the luck fairy zipped into the sky and flew away.
“Yes, they do,” Thorrin said with a sad smile.
***
Lance stood with Shatter Light in hand. Hellhounds raced along the outer edge of Jayson and Lance, breathing fire and burning anything that got to close. Dalya was at Jayson’s side while the white knight took a step forward.
The undead moved in closer, barely being held back by the hellhound’s fire. In the distance, the two giant skeletons began to move, taking huge steps and advancing on the party.
“That’s it, everyone get nice and close,” Lance smiled.
Jayson saw the timer reaching the end and his weakness subsided. Standing up, he held his blades at the ready. Sonja rushed up and stood as Jayson’s side. The enemy closed in, weapons drawn and ready to take the very light from their bodies. Lance kept his eyes and stance steady, letting them step in closer.
“Lance….” Jayson said as the undead were within forty feet.
“Just a little more,” Lance grinned.
“Lance!” Sonja shouted.
The undead were within thirty feet. The giant skeletons moved in closer and closer to the undead army’s ranks. The white knight could see in his visual display that Luk and Balog had perished but he kept his stance strong. Jayson and Sonja were about to shout his name again when Shatter Light glowed.
Lance dug his booted feet in as he pointed Shatter Light right down the middle. The white light glowed, illuminating the entire area for a moment before a stream of power erupted. Lance felt his body push back and he let out a roar as the light blasted through the undead ranks, shattering their bodies to nothingness. The dead army was cut in half as the white light ripped them to pieces. Lance moved his arms slightly, turning the beam on one of the giant skeletons, the light striking and burning it for a second before the power petered out.
Lance stood straight up and tossed Shatter Light in the air, “Sonja, your turn.”
The blue knight jumped into the air and caught the wide sword. Lance mentally pressed a command, gifting the magical sword to the blue knight. The 24-hour timer zeroed out and power pulsed along the blade.
Sonja landed on her feet and pointed the blade at the right flank of undead. With a roar to shake the very heavens, the knight unleashed another stream of power. The right flank was vaporized as white light cut through them like air. The stream struck one of the giant skeletons across the knees. The giant opened its mouth in a silent roar as its body began to collapse. Sonja brought the stream of power across, aiming for the second skeleton before the power died.
“Jayson!” Sonja shouted with a smile as she threw the blade in the air.
Jayson sheathed his swords over his shoulder with one smooth move. Hand up, he snatched Shatter Light from the air as Sonja gifted it to him. The timer zeroed out and the knight laid the wide blade across a forearm. Jayson thought back to their planning. They all knew if they opened with this attack, there would be other surprises waiting. They had to wait till they were absolutely desperate to maximize its effectiveness. With Wynter’s shadow knights cutting down trolls and the undead army now separated, they simply had to clean up.
Jayson let the power surge before white light burst forth. The left flank of the undead army was disintegrated in a flash as light engulfed them. The power poured on as they were decimated. The surging light slammed into the remaining giant skeleton’s leg before petering out. The giant undead moved forward as the battle field was clear of the undead army.
Wynter, Thorrin, Lyra and remaining concubines ran forward to the three knights. The trolls tried to regroup but seeing the awesome power of Shatter Light stunned them from doing anything more. Jayson stepped to Lance and handed him the sword. The white knight took it as Jayson gifted it to him. A timer appeared and it read twenty-three hours and fifty-five minutes.
“I guess the timer is designated to each player who wields it,” Lance said and he sheathed it over his back and drew his rapier once again.
The group moved through the devastated battlefield as bonfires burned. The remaining troll soldiers stood their ground, not perusing the party. Jayson looked up to the small mountain cliff as Kurss looked down with arms crossed. The giant skeleton moved in closer, bony fingers curling and flexing.
“Think we can take down the giant skeleton before Kurss does something?” Jayson asked.
“If you give me Shatter Light, then yes,” Thorrin smiled.
Lance shook his head slightly, “Wish we could. Only knights can wield the blade.”
Thorrin kept his grin as Lyra sent healing energy through the party, “I think we can still take it.”
Lunatina handed out elixirs and the remaining party members drank them down. Attribute stats raised to max and the team was fully healed again. The giant skeleton moved in closer. Tilting its head and lifting a boney arm.
“It is filled with dark energy,” Lyra said.
“And has a lot of hit points,” Lance added.
Jayson watched as the giant’s hand opened and came barreling toward them, “Hit it!”
The entire party darted to the side as the boney hand smashed into the ground, shaking the entire area. Lance bent his knees and activated his Pure Slice technique. Body turning into a comet, he flashed forward, aiming for the skeleton’s ankle. Sword out, he slammed into it. The white knight thought he would keep going but he noticed he stopped; his rapier only a foot into the white bone.
“Shit,” The white knight said as he pulled his blade.
Sonja whipped her blade, sending ghostly shards at the skeleton. The gray swords pelted against white bone but did little damage. Thorrin raised a hand and blasted out golden light. The holy energy slammed into a leg and burned through but the skeleton came at them again, dragging boney fingers across the earth and into the party. Everyone was thrown aside by the force and rolled back to their feet as dirt blanketed the area. Lyra pointed her hand and blasted out holy light. The beam struck it and did little damage.
“We need to do more!” Jayson said as she spun into a whirlwind.
The mini tornado, spun on as golden blades appeared and fired out at the skeleton. Energy blades exploded on bone but the giant continued to move like it was unharmed.
Lunatina watched as the knights and clerics fought on. Wynter stood back and summoned shadow knights while hellhounds breathed fire. The jester knew that the longer they fought; the less power they would have to keep going. With a heavy heart, she pulled potion from her satchel. Remembering that she had taken bone shavings from the skeleton, she hoped her potion would be enough to help turn the tide.
Popping the cork, the alchemist drank down the contents and then threw away the bottle. The party continued to fight as Lunatina looked on. A sudden pain coursed through her body and she grunted. Looking at
her hand, it began to grow. Soon her entire body began to grow, arms and legs lengthening.
Lyra stepped back and was ready to call on her goddess when she watched the jester’s body grow and grow and grow. Lunatina let out a maddening laugh as her body grew taller and thicker. Hand diving into her satchel, she pulled her hammer out and held it. The skeleton stopped its attacks as the purple and black jester grew taller. Lunatina thought she would reach its height then attack. When her body stopped growing, her brow wrinkled. She had only reached the bottom of its rib cage.
“Damn,” the jester hissed as she held her hammer at the ready.
The giant skeleton’s jaw opened with a silent roar and it charged. Lunatina bent her knees and brought her hammer across. A rib shattered as boney fingers slashed at her. She backed up and cried out as boney tips raked across her shoulder. She swung her hammer again, cracking a thigh bone as the giant came for her.
Everyone on ground watched as the jester fought the giant skeleton. They clashed again and again but the thing had height and reach on her. Lyra prayed to her goddess as the battle raged on. Jayson rallied the party to support Lunatina as she fought. Fingers stabbed into her chest and raked across. The jester screamed as she continued to fight.
A light touched Lyra’s mind and she thanked her goddess. An orb glowed above the giant as it pressed its attack. The orb lengthened and blazed with a warming light. A pulse wave rippled across the night sky as a wide beam of light engulfed the skeleton. The giant tried to move but Lunatina turned her hammer sideways and slammed the long handle against the skeleton’s pelvis. It clawed at her, ripping at clothes and skin and the jester grunted with each strike but never backed down. The blinding light pulsed again and a surge of power travelled down the beam. The giant looked up just as the pulse struck it in the face. Bone cracked and then shattered as the beams shredded the giant skeleton. Lunatina stumbled back just as the pulse sent cracks down the skeleton’s bones. The party smiled as the beam decimated the giant and ground it to dust. Sparks of light floated and the light was gone. The orb winked out of existence and night covered the sky once again.
Thorrin turned and ran to Lyra, his arms wrapping around the cleric and holding her close, “That was amazing!”
Lyra leaned her head into his neck, “Thank you, Thorrin,” The cleric said simply.
Lunatina stumbled back a few steps before her eyes rolled into her head. Swaying, she fell back and landed with a crash. Moans floated up as her body began to shrink. Jayson, Lance and Sonja were already running to her. By the time they were to her side, she had shrunk down back to normal and lay, battered, bruised and bleeding.
Jayson fell to his knees and held the jester close.
Lunatina’s eyes moved back into place and looked up at her lord, “I’ll be alright….I’m immortal now….”
“I’ll send you back to the keep,” Jayson said with sorrow in his eyes.
“”It’s…too late…..I’ll see you soon….my lord….” Lunatina smiled before cracks appeared along her body.
Jayson held her as her body shattered into points of light and drifted away. The knight slowly stood up and turned to what was left of the party. Everyone looked the same, dirt covered their faces and their clothes were torn at places, with armor dented. Thorrin and Lyra stood together, looking to the knights. Wynter stood with six shadow knights circling around her. Sonja and Lance were close by as were the hellhounds and Dalya. Jayson stood up and checked on the status of his concubines, all had perished during the fight except for his last four.
Eyes turned upwards to the master and two dread lords. Gathering together, the remaining members of their party were at the ready, the mountains pass just seventy feet from their location.
Kurss looked down with amused contempt, “Harkkon, I require a new army.”
The blindfolded dread lord’s jaw clenched, “The necromancer still has my eyes. If I perform this act, I will be unable to aid you for some time.”
The master barely gave a nod, “I will reunite you with your stolen eyes. Make me another army.”
Harkkon stepped forward and held up one hand. Jayson and the party looked around until dark light caught their eyes. Behind them, rows and rows of arcane circles appeared. They turned until the very ground began to shake. The glowing rows turned from twenty to a hundred and then into thousands in a blink of an eye. The party gathered closer to one another, weapons in hand.
Behind the nearly endless rows of circles, the remaining troll army gathered. Spears rose up from their ranks and they stood in a solid block formation. Dark eyes shined in the bonfire light as they stood at the ready.
From the rune shaped circles, armored skeletons rose up. Their numbers in the thousands, hollow eyes looked on as they reached their full height and stood at attention. Jayson took in a deep breath and glanced at the mountains pass a short distance away.
Kurss turned his head slightly to the dread lord behind him, “Riktess, assist with your fellow dread lord. I shall retrieve the star myself. Chase down any who escape.”
The feminine dread lord bowed his head and stood up, wrist bent and finger against bright red lips as Harkkon stepped back. The blindfolded dread lord’s shoulders sank down and he leaned against the mountain side for support. Kurss turned to the remaining adventurers and leapt off the small cliff. The master landed, barely bending a knee and began walking toward Jayson and his party.
“I have taken down whole armies. Do you think you have a chance against me?” Kurss said as he held out a hand. Red energy rippled along his thick forearm and gathered at his hand. The energy shifted and shaped into a red sword, bolts of crimson energy arcing along its razor edge.
Jayson eyed the master as he approached them. The troll was wide at the shoulders as he was tall. Short black hair covered his head, with a leather pad covering one shoulder and a strap crossing over his thick chest. The knight noticed that it wasn’t his appearance that was unsettling but his black eyes as they seemed to bore holes into his very soul.
“Everyone, spread out and try to hit him from all sides,” Jayson said in a low voice.
Kurss stopped and eyed the party and smirked, “Show me your power.”
Wynter pointed her staff and her shadow knights launched into the air. Kurss looked up at the six spectral knights as they all came down with swords pointed at him. The master blurred and leapt. The knights turned their blades to the parry midflight and there was a quick flash. Wynter watched as her connection to the shadow knights disconnected as their blades shattered and their ghostly bodies separated into two. Their armored bodies fell and shattered once they hit the ground. Kurss gently floated down to the ground, sword in hand and a bored expression.
Jayson, Lance and Sonja charged. The blue knight activated a technique. Two ghostly versions of herself appeared and ran by her side. Lance held his rapier to his side as he ran full tilt, outrunning his fellow knights. Jayson pumped his legs to keep up, each sword at his side. Kurss turned from the stunned necromancer and watched as Lance was coming at him. The white knight activated a sword technique and his hand vibrated with power.
Kurss lifted his red sword as the white knight barreled toward him. Light flashed and the knight stabbed outward with a 32-strike attack. Swords blazed and clashed as Kurss moved in a blur, parrying each strike. Their movements were so fast that the party’s eyes couldn’t keep up. Lance struck out again and again but each blow was parried with little effort from the master. Sonja joined the fray with her doppelgangers. The troll’s body moved as he finished parrying the white knight and turned his attention to the three blue knights. Sonja fought on, each body moving like a dancer in a storm. Kurss parried with blinding speed, sparks showering the area. Jayson spun at ten feet away. A single line of energy swords shot out like a machine gun. The troll parried every incoming attack with finesse and power. Thorrin and Lyra looked for an opening but the three knights were attacking from all sides, the troll blocking everything.
The red
blade sliced through the air and a ghostly form of Sonja separated in two. Another slice and the second ghost of Sonja was split down the middle and faded away. Sonja pressed on until a red blade curled around her sword and sent it flying. The blue knight took a step back as Kurss blocked Lance and Jayson’s attacks, he managed to move in the blink of an eye and drive his sword into Sonja’s stomach. Power surged as the player looked down to see the blade buried to the hilt in her belly. Hit points drained to a single digit and she coughed up digital blood.
Jayson stopped spinning and fell to one knee. Lance’s attack was used up and he stepped back, his eyes on Sonja. Kurss’s body solidified and he stepped away, pulling his sword from Sonja in one single move. The blue knight stood, holding her open belly and looking to Jayson with regret, regret that she could not continue. Light poured into her body and the hole closed up. Jayson looked to Lyra whose hand was up and glowing golden light. Thorrin was already advancing, hammer in hand and golden aura surrounding his body.
Kurss turned to the paladin, sword at his side. Thorrin leapt into the air, bringing his hammer down. The red blade flashed upwards in a parry. Thorrin’s hammer slammed into the red blade and sparks flew. The player kept his momentum going and raised his booted foot up, connecting under Kurss’s thick chin. The master stumbled back from the blow as Thorrin landed on his back. Lance took the chance and charged. Kurss lifted his blade and regained his balance as the white knight came at him. The knight activated another sword technique and his rapier flashed with a 64-point attack. Kurss moved in a blur, blocking each flash of the knight’s blade.
Sonja retrieved her sword and turned to join the attack as Lance moved as a white blur to Kurss’s blue and red blur. Jayson was back to his feet and ran toward the master as he looked to the corner of his visual display. The master was still at full hit points and didn’t show any sign of damage despite getting hit hard by Thorrin. The player knew they had to change tactics or they were all going to be worn down.