by Aleron Kong
“No,” Richter answered shaking his head. He had already asked Hisako. The Hearth Mother had been clear that either the wounded could be brought back through the portal, or reinforcements could be sent, but not both. And if the more troops were sent, it would be a one-way trip. Richter had hoped he was making the right choice, but he couldn’t just send his people or his allies here on a suicide mission. Not when there was a chance he could finish this himself. He had learned the lesson, painfully, that he must rely on others, but in that moment of choice, he had also learned a corollary to that rule of leadership. Sometimes you had to trust in yourself. It was with a will stronger than steel that he knew he would not fail.
Looking back at Caulder, he asked, “Why haven’t the vampires attacked?”
“I do not know, my lord. We have only seen the two you mentioned from the ghast’s memory. They seem content to wait above. One of the sprites shot an arrow up at them, but it broke against a shield near the top.”
Richter internalized all of this, then looked at them both. “I think I have a way to get by the vamps, but it might not work. The memory I stole from the ghast’s said that these two were master necromancers. I’m not going to lie. If it comes to battle, the three of us, attacking two master vampire magi that know we’re coming… it won’t end well. I think it might be time for you two to head home. I can handle this.”
Sion and Caulder just looked at him before looking at each other. The sprite held his hand out and with a sigh, the sergeant took a pouch out of his armor and opened it. A moment later, Sion was holding a gold piece with a grim grin. Seeing Richter’s confusion, he told him, “We had a bet going that you would say something stupid and noble before the end of the battle. Caulder had more faith in you. I, unfortunately, know just what a gyoti you really are. So how about we finish this fight and then head home… Does that work for you, sunshine?”
Richter looked back at them, then laughed in spite of himself. He immediately felt bad, laughing when he was surrounded by the dead, but it felt good to be reminded of who he was. He was Richter. He was just a man, not a god that had to shoulder all the world’s burdens. He just had to do the best that he could, and thankfully, he didn’t have to do it alone. Richter had friends and comrades, and come what may, they would do their very best. He nodded thanks to both of them. They nodded back, understanding him without words.
“I’m assuming you have some sort of plan?” Sion asked.
“Yeah,” Richter replied slowly and with obvious reservation. He brightened a bit, “You know, depending on your perspective, thi-”
“Shut the fuck up and tell us the plan,” Sion snapped at him, clearly no longer in the mood for banter. That might have had something to do with the fact that both the devastator and the void mauler’s battle had made its way from the second level of the Mausoleum up to the fourth. There also seemed to be more voidlings than before. Richter decided his friend had a point and outlined his stratagem in a few sentences. Sion stared at him incredulously when he was done talking. The sprite’s only response was, “Next time, don’t tell me,” but he still hitched his bow and turned toward the final stairwell.
The three men walked up the stairs, trusting in the mist workers to get the remaining wounded back to safety. Richter also gave instructions to carry the dead to the portal, but not to push them through. If there was time at the end, they would retrieve their fallen, but not at the expense of the living. When they were halfway up the stairs, Richter took an arrow enchanted with Death magic out of his quiver. Another several steps later, he saw the shattered remains of an arrow and knew they must be at the edge of the spell barrier. The three men stopped.
Both vampires stood, not twenty yards away, looking down at the three of them with contempt on their faces. Richter lifted his arrow and took another step. Still on the string, the enchanted arrowhead came in contact with the barrier that flared with both the purple-black color of Death magic, but also the neon green of the eldritch. His enchantments would not pierce this last defense. The vampires apparently thought the same.
“Now you will die, blood bag,” one pronounced with relish. “The lich ordered us to leave you alive unless you somehow managed to survive the guardians and attack this final shield.”
“For your arrogance, however, we now get the joy of killing you!” the other finished.
Both vampire magi raised their wands and began to chant.
“Wait!” Richter called out. “Lucasz. Mikaal. I have a gift for you.” Neither vampire stopped the buildup of their magic or cared a bit for what they saw as a last-ditch effort by prey to avoid death. That all changed after he withdrew the severed head of Nien from his Bag of Holding.
Mikaal’s eyes widened in feral delight and his fangs grew longer in his joy. Lucasz had seemed offended that a mere human would speak his name, but then he laughed with pure, savage pleasure when he saw the malformed features of his hated enemy. Both of their wands remained raised, but the light died out from the ends. The sounds of battle continued to rage behind Richter, but he kept his eyes glued on the vampires.
It was Mikaal who spoke, “You did this, human?”
“I did,” Richter replied. He kept the head held high in one hand and the other open and far from his weapons. Sion and Caulder had no such reservations. Both had their weapons in hand, but to the aristocratic vampires, they might as well have been the help. Meant to be used and ignored.
Lucasz had already walked down several steps to get a better look, but Mikaal had remained wary. After Richter answered though, he lowered his wand for the first time and the chaos seed finally got the prompt he’d been praying for.
Know This! By leaving active combat with the vampire magi Lucasz and Mikaal, the Symbiosis Boon: Deadly Charisma, of your Mark of the Adventurer, has activated!
+2500 Relationship Points with any sentient dead, undead, or living dead.
+10% Relationship Points with any sentient dead, undead, or living dead.
Your Deadly Charisma Boon and your gift, the severed head of their mortal enemy, have greatly increased your relationship with both Lucasz and Mikaal.
Know This! You are considered food by the vampires Lucasz and Mikaal. – 25% to any Relationship changes.
You have gained +6,612 (base 8,816 – 25%) Relationship Points for gifting them with the severed head of their enemy.
+1,875 Relationship Points (base +2,500 – 25% for Deadly Charisma Boon)
Total Relationship Points: -1,906 (base 2,118 +10% for Deadly Charisma Boon)
Congratulations! Your relationship with the vampires Lucasz and Mikaal has improved from Angry (-10,000) to Apathetic (-1,000). “Live… die… your fate matters not to me.”
Richter breathed a silent sigh of relief. It had been a huge gamble for him to choose the crypt mistress Boon of his Mark of the Adventurer. The Siphon boon would have greatly increased his stats and made him much more dangerous in battle. When he’d seen the hatred between the vampires and the ghast though, he’d known there was an opportunity here. The Deadly Charisma Boon had opened the door to negotiation, now he just had to kick it down before the army or undead caught up with the three of them and literally ripped them to pieces.
Both vampires gazed upon the head for a few moments more, but neither came close to the spell barrier separating them from Richter and his comrades. Mikaal spit on the ground, then looked back at Richter.
“For this gift, I will spare your lives. Leave! You are not strong enough to overcome our shield in the small amount of time that you have left, not with it bolstered with the magic of the Mausoleum, and we could not allow it even if we desired to do so. The lich’s retribution would be fearsome. Take the few men and women you have that still draw breath and depart.”
“Run and hide,” Lucasz echoed. “The only reason you remain alive is because the lich is busy communing with his master. When that is done, and he has the power he needs, he will rain a powerful vengeance upon you. Enjoy the last days of your life. W
e will allow you to leave, but if you attempt to breech the shield again, gift or no, we will destroy you.”
Sion and Caulder looked at Richter, but the chaos seed’s eyes remained on the vampires, “I know that you have no love for your master.” Both of the vampires’ eyes tightened in disgust as they heard the last word. “Let us pass. I will kill him.”
“No,” Mikaal intoned. There was no room for another answer in the vampire’s tone. “We do hate Singh. The lich has oppressed my people for centuries. He murdered members of our clan that were so old and venerable that they remembered the dawning of the last age. While you have pleased us by delivering the final death to the ghast, you have also made it impossible for us to help you. Centuries ago, our ancestor surrendered our birthright to the lich. Without it, we cannot protect our people.” The vampire’s lips twisted in anger, “Go!” he ordered dismissively. “I will waste no more time with you.”
Richter didn’t move though; instead, he reached into his bag once more. This time, he pulled out a small clear jewel and held it aloft. It did not glow or exude a magical aura, but it captured the attention of the vampires immediately. They bared their fangs again, but this time in pure animosity and hatred. Emotions that were focused solely on Richter. The chaos seed didn’t give them a chance to attack. He put the Heart Crystal back into his Bag of Holding.
“Give it to us, human!” screamed Mikaal. The vampire’s face had lost the elegant features of nobility. Now he was showing his true face, a sharp-toothed predator bred to feed.
“I will rip out your eyes and your testicles, then shove your balls into your eye sockets and your eyes up your ass so that you can see your own shit and cum in your own skull!” Lucasz screamed.
Richter had had a whole speech prepared to give to the vampires, but the venom in that threat took him completely off guard. Even Mikaal stopped and looked at his little brother in shock and surprise.
It was quiet for a moment before Richter exclaimed, “Fuck, man. I mean… have you ever actually done that to someone?” Sion cleared his throat loudly. “You know what? Never mind. After all this is done though, you… you should talk to someone about all that shit,” he pronounced, gesturing to all of Lucasz. “Point is, I didn’t show you the Heart Crystal to mess with you. I did it because I want to make a deal.”
“The deal is give it to us now or die!” Lucasz spat.
Mikaal was more calm, though. He recognized a Bag of Holding when he saw one and knew he couldn’t retrieve the Heart Crystal without Richter’s help, at least not quickly, and not without powerful magic. The older vampire placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder, “What deal do you propose, human? Speak carefully, for we will never be your vassals.”
Scratch idea one, Richter thought, but he didn’t miss a beat, “We have to kill the lich. You hate the lich, and I think Singh will just take the Heart Crystal back if he isn’t dead. Let us through the shield. Help us kill this asshole. And you get the crystal… plus you owe me a favor.”
“And some gold and items,” Sion kicked in.
Richter looked at his friend with a frown, but then though, what the hell, “Like he said. Some gold and items too. Now what do you say?”
The two vampires looked at each other for long seconds while the roars and howls from below grew even louder, before Mikaal replied, “No.”
“No?” Richter replied incredulously. He knew how much these guys wanted the crystal.
“No,” Mikaal repeated. “We will not fight the lich, and once we have the crystal, we will be able to handle our own defense even if Singh turns his gaze towards us. As far as owing you a favor, never has my clan been beholden to a human.”
“It’s a new age,” Richter told him. “I don’t know if you noticed way down here underground, but apparently the light show when the Age of Chaos came was absolutely fire.”
“Your words make no sense, blood bag!” Lucasz spat.
“You’re just not woke,” Richter replied. “What I am saying is that I don’t have a lot of time,” he pointed at the ever-widening battle below. The mauler was holding on to the devastator, raking it with claws again and again. The gargantuan skeleton had hold of one of the void monster’s legs and was in the process of pulling it off. There were over a hundred voidlings now, battling the thousands of other undead. It really wasn’t clear who was winning. The devastator skeleton was four times as big, but while the mauler had always been a terrifying boss, now it looked like a kingdom ender.
“And when I say that I don’t have a lot of time,” Richter continued. “I meant that we don’t have a lot of time. If you attack, you might win, but then again, you might not. Either way, I’m an Enchanter and I promise you that you will never get anything out of my bag without my permission.” This was, of course, at least partially and possibly completely, a lie. He hadn’t made the bag, and he was sure there were ways in The Land of bypassing even soul bonds on objects, but somehow, he was pretty sure you wanted to take a firm stance with master magician vampires. “Now, you heard my terms. You rejected them. What’s your counteroffer? Time is running short.”
The two vampires looked at one another and Richter had the feeling that there was some type of nonverbal communication occurring. It only lasted a few seconds. “In exchange for the Heart Crystal we will lower the shield. We will tell you how to defeat the lich yourselves. That is our offer.”
Richter only thought for a moment, before responding, “Will one of you be the Master of your restored Place of Power?”
“It will be I,” Mikaal responded. Lucasz’s eyes flashed at his older brother momentarily, but he didn’t disagree.
“Then I will agree to your terms, but I also want good relations with you. I want a promise that you will not take arms against me or my people and that we can open diplomatic relations at a later date.”
“With blood bags, nev-”
“You should really relax,” Caulder interrupted him. “Maybe get some sun.”
Not only did Lucasz’s fangs lengthen, but his talons extended as well, “You dare to mock me?” he spat. “I can already taste your blood from here!”
Richter took a step forward, putting his body between the younger vampire and his sergeant, “Just relax,” he said in a conciliatory tone. “Let me give you a piece of advice. Don’t underestimate us. We keep it light with jokes until it’s time to get dark. Then, we get pitch black.” His last words were bereft of all peace, and the threat was as obvious as a naked blade.
“Hold!” Mikaal commanded, talking to both Richter and his brother. Lucasz flashed his eyes at his brother again, but did as instructed. The older vampire looked at Richter consideringly, “You truly wish to open negotiations with my clan in the future? Even knowing that we view you as food?”
“Like I said, it’s a new age. Besides, I’ve always wanted to fuck a vampire.” Lucasz’s eyes bulged in anger again at that, but it looked like Mikaal had to stifle a smile. “Now, take it or leave it, but if you agree, I will have a Vow from you.”
The brothers exchanged glances again, but Mikaal nodded, “Then I demand the same.” When Richter nodded, he said, “We speak in tandem. I, Mikaal, leader of the Silent Dream Clan,” he looked at Richter expectantly.
“I, Richter, leader of the Mist Village.”
“Do hereby swear to offer safe passage to Richter and his comrades.”
“Do hereby swear to relinquish to Mikaal the Heart Crystal of the Shadow Trench.”
“And further swear to raise no arms against him or his people unless a formal declaration of war be made and your people be duly notified. May my words bind the actions of my people,” Mikaal finished, looking at Richter again.
“What about that secret of how to kill the lich?” Caulder called.
Both vampires glared at the sergeant, but Mikaal continued, “I also swear to give all information that I know about delivering the final death to the lich Singh.”
Richter looked at his friends, but they had nothing else to a
dd. The sounds of battle made him want to look away, but he didn’t dare take his eyes off of the vampire Mage. Mikaal walked forward, and then with a word of Power, banished the magic shield. His wand was still held tightly in his hands though, and he stopped only two steps away from Richter. The pale-skinned vampire looked into Richter’s brown face and the two of them just took one another’s measure before the master magi spoke again.
As always happened in such cases, Richter felt as if something greater than himself was speaking through him. The ritual words poured forth from both of their mouths together, calling upon magic as ancient as the Universe itself. “By these words, we do bind together our wills and intent. Let us hide not from the consequences of breaking this Vow. I do so swear. I do so swear. I do so swear.”
Lucasz, Sion and Caulder all intoned, “Thrice heard and witnessed.
You have made a Mutual Vow with Mikaal of the Silent Dream Clan. Failure by either party to uphold their side of the agreement will cause a decrease in your reputation with all beings and other unknown consequences, and will free the other member of this Vow from any obligations. Keep in mind, your word means everything.
Richter hadn’t really been super happy about the whole being duly notified of a declaration of war thing, but he couldn’t really argue against it either. Every second he would have spent dithering was one less second they had to return. He never forgot that the portal had a hidden countdown. The main point was that the shield was down, and they could finally complete their mission. There was just one more thing he was owed first. Richer took the Heart Crystal out of his bag, and said, “Spill.”
They looked confused for a moment, but the context wasn’t too hard to figure out, “The lich knows our power which is why he trusts us to guard this top floor. He also knows that we hate him, however, and so has never shared many secrets with us. What we do know is that the secret of his power is tied to his staff and the statue. The giant sculpture is a conduit to an Exile that Singh worships named Rakshasha. As destroying the statue is beyond you, I suggest you focus on destroying the staff, though I do not know how you will manage that either. If you do succeed, he will be cut off from the source of his greatest power and you will have a chance, albeit a small one. Even without the staff, he is a powerful lich lord.”