Nathan wanted to curse out foul play, but he held himself together, barely. A single bony finger pointed in his direction had undone all his hard work. The lich hadn't even stood up from its throne, content to watch him suffer against its minions that wouldn't even help him level up.

It's like a time loop.

He almost cried at the realization. It was almost like a time loop, and Nathan wasn't even being refreshed, while the undead on the other hand looked like they hadn't all just kissed his blade.

The annoying part was that they'd managed to take out 25% of his health in their last exchange, something Nathan would've grudgingly parted with if it meant he'd get the lich one-on-one. His sacrifice had gone in vain because he'd have to fight undead skeletons he'd just ended.

So be it.

Nathan didn't charge right away this time. No, he surveyed the pit, trying to organize his thoughts as he stood still, hoping to avoid an attack from the re-risen undead. The most important task he had on his hands was to kill the lich as fast as possible.

If he did anything other than that, his efforts would be a waste. Killing the undead wouldn't even change the tide of the battle as the lich could just reanimate them as soon as he was done.

That's going to leave a couple of cuts and bruises.

With sort of a plan in mind, Nathan charged at the lich, slashing at the first undead trying to block his path, his foot already crushing the skull as he made his way to the next undead.

He split its skull to pieces with an overhead strike, already moving on to the next, even as others charged at him from behind. His eyes scanned the surroundings as his sword arched upwards, tearing through the neck of the next unlucky undead and breaking its skull from the jaw up.

Three punches at his back sent him flying forward, rolling to a stop a few feet from the throne. Nathan's grin knew no bounds as he scrambled to his feet and rushed at the lich on the throne, ready to put this farce to bed.

Nathan thrust his sword through its bony ribcage, at least he'd hoped to. The point of the blade bounced back on contact as if he'd tried to stab at a metal wall. Before he could draw back his sword for a second strike, a bony hand caught hold of the sharp end of the blade, stopping the drawback.

If this was a contest of strength, then Nathan would've been declared the loser by now. His entire arm went taut as he tried to use it to pull back his sword, but the lich's grip did not budge. Instead of Nathan pulling his sword, it was Nathan himself who was reeled in by a surprise tug in the blade.

The tug pulled his entire form up close to the lich, a lich that so quickly released his sword and punched him in the face in one fluid motion.

Crunch!

[Warning: health below 50%]

If Nathan's nose wasn't broken before, he was pretty sure it was now. The force behind the lich's blow messed up his nose and tossed him back into the midst of the skeletons with an audible thud. As he struggled to catch his breath, he did the one thing he could to improve his dire situation.

Status

Name: Nathan Orion

Moniker: N/A

Level: 16

Archetype: Blood Berserker

Class: Blood Pawn

Imprints: Balls of Steel, Skull Crusher, Bronze-Dungeoneer

Strength: 19

Dexterity: 12

Vitality: 11

Constitution: 14

Perception: 10

Dao: N/A

Ra'hal coins: 15,690

Free points: 3]

Two points to strength

One point to constitution.

Strength: 21

Constitution: 15

##

Free points: 0

A fuzzy feeling enveloped Nathan, as strength rushed into his body and his skin grew taut. His reasoning behind the specific increase in strength and constitution was simple: he needed to hit a lot harder, as it was he couldn't even chip the lich's bone. It was sad to note, but at the moment he was doing his best to rectify that flaw.

Constitution, on the other hand, was him trying to avoid permanently losing his nose in this fight. Plus, his vitality was the only other stat he could think about increasing right now, and even that wouldn't help him in this fight. After all, what point was there in having massive vitality if he could just be popped like a balloon?

"Ugh"

With a groan, Nathan got to his feet. The undead had formed a circle around him. This basically made him the middleman in what was technically a dead business.

All Nathan knew was that circle or no circle, these minions shouldn't be a threat to him if he was seriously going to fight the lich on the throne. Resolve shone through Nathan's eyes as he charged at the closest undead, his blade carving through it like it was made up of Swiss cheese rather than bones.

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He crushed the head, and from there Nathan became nothing but a Berserker, a frontliner—the frontliner. His sword sang as it broke apart different bones like they had offended it. His blood felt on fire as the thrill of barbaric battle soothed his soul.

Nathan hacked and slashed, breaking skulls like he intended to re-earn his Skull Crusher imprint, his blade blurring as it ended the struggles of undead after undead. Pieces of white bone flew about the pit as he delivered retribution.

"Rarrrrrrgh"

With a barbaric roar that made his vocal cords go raw, Nathan charged at the last four undead, delivering a single overhead strike that divided the unlucky undead into two rough halves. He used the flat of his blade to bash the skull of another, the force behind the strike breaking the skull even as it ripped it off its bony neck.

Nathan's sword whistled as he bisected the remaining two undead, his sword crushing the skull of one while he booted the skull of the other at the lich on the throne. His aim was true as it struck the lich square in its face, the skull shattering on contact.

I still got it.

He didn't stay to revel in his ability to still shoot accurately, though. He rushed at the lich on the throne, making it five steps before it did something that gave Nathan pause. The lich stood, taking its crown and dropping it on the seat of the throne before walking off while pointing a bony finger at Nathan. The intensity of the flame in its eyes was way less than the first time he'd gazed into them. It let out that bizarre sound.

Shit, I wasn't fast enough.

Lich has cast Bone Armor (II):

The bones of a lich's undead army have come to serve him again even at their re-death. An armor formed from the bones of its minions, giving the wearer a 10% boost on all stats

No, that can't be right.

Nathan had been about to turn around and fight against the undead as he'd expected that to be what the bizarre sound the lich had made meant. When the notification appeared and he gave it a quick once-over, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The damned thing has its version of Blood Rebellion.

He watched in horror as the bones of the fallen minions rushed at the lich like they were magnetized toward it. With his new reality setting in, Nathan quickly pulled out his minor health potion and consumed it in one gulp, not even tasting it as it went down his throat.

The potion worked quickly, and Nathan could feel his health receive the 25% add-on, his nose fixing itself as the bleeding stopped. He estimated he was above 65% in health but not quite 75%, but the improved health had helped his marginal chances.

Before the potion could drop to the ground, Nathan charged at the lich. Its bone armor had already been completed. The lich stood still, waiting for him to attack it.

Shlunk!

Nathan's sword whistled as it broke through the first layers of the bone armor with ease, stopping at the skeleton of the lich itself. He was sure if the lich could've grinned, it would've. Instead, it settled for raking him across the chest with its skeletal fingers, the slash pushing him a few steps backwards.

At least it's not my nose.

The lich charged at him before he could even get his footing, and it was all he could do to raise his sword to block the strike. The hand of the lich came down on his blade with so much force that it rattled his bones.

With a weak groan of protest, Nathan managed to push the lich away from himself and immediately put distance between the pair. The lich was not deterred, though. It charged at him like a clingy lover, sidestepping Nathan's hasty swing as it delivered a haymaker to his right side.

[Warning: Health below 50%]

Pain exploded around that region, and it was all that Nathan could do to avoid crying out as he was knocked off his feet. The lich didn't even stop its attacks, even as he was on the floor. If anything, it intensified its efforts, likely sensing a quick victory.

"Ommff" Nathan breathed as the air was knocked out of his lungs.

The lich had stomped on his downed form, its skeletal foot meeting his chest with way more force than something as frail-looking as that should've had. His breath felt hot; it was difficult to even breathe with the foot on his chest. Nathan almost let out a sigh of relief when it pulled back its foot, just for it to kick him at his left side.

"Ahhh" Nathan screamed as he felt a rib break as he was booted away like a ball.

[Critical Warning: health below 25%]

[Blood Rebellion triggered]

Checkmate.

It wasn't quite checkmate yet, but Nathan could feel the temporary boost take hold in his stats. It'd been a while since he'd used Blood Rebellion, and he was going to make sure he utilized it like a madman.

Scrambling to his feet, Nathan rushed at the lich, sword in hand, as he intended to make the lich pay in full for all the damage it had wrought upon his body. A simple slash at the side sheared off a good portion of the lich's bone armor, with him receiving a punch in return.

Nathan barely felt the impact of the punch, but he was certain it affected his health pool as he could feel it reduce with every hit he received. Without letting the lich repeat the attack, he pulled back his sword and delivered an overhead slash, aiming to split the stupid skull of the lich.

Turns out the lich wasn't stupid. It used both bony hands to catch Nathan's sword mid-strike, trying to pull the blade out of his hands. With a growl of defiance, Nathan got both hands on his hilt and pressed the attack, hoping to overwhelm the lich. Soon enough, it became a contest of strength which the lich was clearly still winning, even with his Blood Rebellion boost.

Nathan did the one thing that he knew would work: he let go of the sword, pulling his right arm and punching at the already unbalanced lich who hadn't expected him to release the sword. Where there'd been a chance of the lich remaining standing after Nathan had left the blade, his punch had made sure that the lich fell on its arse, his sword clattering to the ground.

Seeing his opening, Nathan punched downwards with all the strength that he could muster. His fist hit the lich's skull, only leaving a crack, but he didn't mind as his second fist was already on it, hitting it with so much force that an audible - CRACK! - echoed around the pit.

The lich tried to swipe at him, but its attack was weak, and Nathan paid it no heed as he punched again, breaking through the skull and ending the lich's imitation of life. He wasn't satisfied with just breaking the skull, no. Nathan began ripping apart the skeleton of the lich with fury, tossing the various pieces in different directions.

He only stopped when there was nothing left. Nathan stood to his full height, breathing heavily as his wounds ached all over. He waited for the feeling of euphoria to envelop him, but it didn't. It took a breath or two before he noticed why.

The bones he'd just disassembled were starting to come together slowly, the pieces coming back to the spot where he'd crushed the skull.

No! No, no, noooo.

Nathan dove for his sword as he began letting his mind whir. What exactly had he been missing? He kicked away the bones trying to reattach themselves as he tried to piece the problem together, but the bones were getting together faster than he could pull them apart. How did you kill liches?

By destroying their phylactery.

The answer—a hope on Nathan's part of how this was supposed to end—came from all the books and games he'd played. The torso of the lich had almost completed itself before he broke it apart, but it just started to reattach itself faster than before.

He needed to end this, and he needed to end this fast. Scanning the pit for anything that could be the phylactery, he realized the only reasonable thing was the throne, or more precisely, what was on the seat of the throne. With his sword raised high, Nathan rushed at the throne, raising his sword as he struck at the crown that sat on the throne.

Here goes nothing.