Epilogue

The withered rudra walked steadily, though painfully, through the halls of Fomoria, holding onto an adamantine staff much like Oydd's, but with a stylized claw at the top grasping a smooth, blood-red stone.

He paused only once, bringing a thin cloth to his beak. He coughed small flecks of blood onto the cloth then returned it somewhere inside his black and green robes. Along the hems, embroidered, golden runes lined the green strips, and occasional streaks of crackling energy arced between them.

He held one of his arms, a greying, rotted mess of a limb, stiff at his side—the pus from its open wounds soaking into his robes.

The two giants stationed outside the throne room guffawed when they saw the tiny, unannounced humanoid. The larger one nudged the smaller with his elbow and began to raise his weapon. Instantly, his body blackened and fell aside as a steaming husk. Before the second giant could respond, his own face began to rot and drip from his skull. A moment later he toppled before the doorway.

With a wave of his hand, the rudra sent the enormous corpse hurtling across the room, then proceeded into the throne room.

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Indech sat upon his throne, laughing and speaking with a woman fomorian that knelt before him. Seeing the rudra enter, he stood to his full height of sixty feet, glaring down at the intruder. He beat a hand against his chest, speaking his own name in a booming voice.

"Indech!"

The other fomorians copied the gesture of the king, and their voices rang out, singing his name.

When the clamor died, Indech looked down on the rudra and commanded, "Pitiful human, bow before the most mighty Indech!"

The rudra replied coldly, his voice rasping and slow, "I do not take orders from kings."

As the giants began to roar, he reached out a hand to the king. With a strained scream, the mighty fomorian fell to his knees. His veins turned black, and bulged from his skin.

Fomorians screamed and ran while others bellowed and attacked. None came within ten yards without being hurled backward. One clever giant tossed his gigantic axe at the elder rudra, which stopped midair, some distance away, spinning in place. Suddenly it darted back at the giant, nearly severing his head with the returned force.

The stone atop the rudra's staff began to glow a dull green, and soon Indech's eyes followed. The king struggled as the black magic converted his still-living body into a ghoul, screaming in horror and pain throughout the long process.

Then, without another word, the rudra turned and began a steady, pain-filled walk from the chamber, with his servant in tow.