Louanbona was a slow, cumbersome lug of a man. Rumours of his true appearance during the Sovereign Cities’ healthier years bordered on the nonsensical. Some claimed he was so handsome that he was forced to cover his body in armour lest women be blinded by his radiance. Others claimed the opposite - that he was no man, but a beast. The unholy offspring of a human and a wolf. Nobody could say for certain which argument was more believable (or unbelievable).
As she watched on from behind a partition of thralls, Lieze could only conclude a single truth about the hulking man: that he was stubborn, if nothing else.
Louanbona’s HP - 512 / 5,240
Despite being left alone to contend with the Drake, Louanbona had yet to perish, though his time in the world of the living was being drawn to a close. It was impossible to discern his intentions or desires. Indeed, it seemed very much like he had every intention of laying down his life. The Drake had foregone every ounce of animalistic pride its kind was renowned for, reduced to little more than a wounded animal searching for an escape route.
Drake’s HP - 961 / 9,915
“What better time to strike than now?” Drayya wondered, “Let’s be done with this.”
She wasn’t incorrect. Lieze turned her head to scan their remaining thralls. A good 40 or 50 had been dispatched by Stürm’s blade, but she couldn’t be certain those numbers would be enough to finish off both remaining combatants.
“Let’s not be hasty.” She decided, “The longer we wait, the easier the fight will be. Our victory is already assured. There’s no need to incur extra losses just to save some time.”
Lieze’s MP - 30 / 770
“...And, I’m in no state to even the odds if things don’t go quite the way we expect them to.” She finished.
Her outrageously large [Blood Spike] was a sight to behold while it lasted, but the attack had shaved off just about her entire pool of MP. She cringed a little, recalling that it hadn’t even hit its mark. [Mana Burnout] was no longer a slap on the wrist. If Lieze was caught out without access to any of her spells, then it would be over.
“Have it your way.” Drayya replied, “Let’s enjoy the show.”
-And what a show it was. By all regards, Louanbona’s speed should have been comparable to a glacier, but the man was rather adept at throwing himself around the clearing. Combined with the Drake’s sluggishness, he was having no trouble manoeuvring around its wide, sweeping blows, picking up counterattacks whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Drake’s HP - 611 / 9,915
Sunlight beamed through perforations in the beast’s crimson wings as they unfurled from its back. It was attempting to escape - a cruel fate to which death was often preferable in the esoteric society of Dragonkin. Panic quickly set in the creature’s eyes, however, as exhaustion proved too great a burden for its wings to carry.
Ever stalwart, Louanbona didn’t allow the opportunity to go unexploited. Sinking his steel foot into the blood-soaked grass, he heaved his battle-axe up from below, splitting the Drake’s scales as it tore through the beast’s proud chest in a single, masterful movement. Boiling steam poured from the wound, revealing a puzzle of bone and muscle through the haze.
Drake’s HP - 0 / 9,915
The ground shook as the Drake finally collapsed, fire still licking at its frozen jaw. It was impressive enough that Louanbona had survived against the beast on his lonesome, nevermind slayed it. However, the battle had left him in a sorry state. His heavy armour, while instrumental to his victory, was suddenly more of a burden than a boon. It was a miracle that he was still standing.
Louanbona’s HP - 399 / 5,240
“How very impressive. He’ll make a wonderful Briarknight.” Drayya remarked, “Would you like to do the honours, Lieze?”
“I would. But I’m not sure that I have it in me.” She replied, somewhat downcast, “I’ll leave it to you this time.”
“Have it your way.”
Drayya was already preparing another [Blood Spike] before she had finished speaking. Thanks to Stürm’s messy dispatching of Lieze’s thralls, there was no shortage of blood available on the battlefield. Louanbona, meanwhile, found himself unable to so much as stand tall in retaliation, dropping to one knee under the weight of his armour.
What final thoughts occupied his busy mind? Did he feel betrayed? Defeated? Even as Drayya approached, she couldn’t get a read on the man beneath that helmet. It was no wonder so many had labelled him a beast. Even as he raised his head, all Drayya could see was the cold steel masking his every expression. She was almost forced to respect his silence. Almost.
Louanbona didn’t attempt to stop the oversized [Blood Spike] from careening towards him. Even so, the spell was only just powerful enough to pierce through his chestplate, creating a clean hole where the wicked javelin bored into his innards. There was no exclamation of pain from the hulking man as the life went out of his eyes. Perhaps it was a final act of resistance to the Order - disallowing his killer the pleasure of hearing his last words.
Louanbona’s HP - 0 / 5,240
In the next moment, the clearing was silent. All that remained was a ringing in Lieze’s ears from the chorus of battle which dominated her senses just moments prior. Seconds later, a notification appeared from her scale.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Secret Quest "The Silent Warrior" Complete! Description - Kill Dendrin Louanbona Reward - 2,200xp
Level Up! You are now level [21] HP + 10 MP +45 MIND +1
“Another level…” Lieze smirked, “I do wonder…”
Lieze’s MP - 30 / 815
“Levelling up doesn’t restore my MP…”
It was a useful fact to keep in mind. One thing she’d noticed was that her constitution was quite possibly the worst out of anyone she’d ever met. Granted, she was a necromancer, but it would only take one well-placed blow from an experienced fighter to put her down for good. Losing access to her spellcasting in the middle of a battle would make her completely defenceless.
“Lieze.” Her train of thought was broken by Drayya, “I’ve just thought of a problem. How are we supposed to get these corpses all the way back to the hideout?”
“Hm…” She put a hand to her chin in thought, “...There’s no need to do that, is there? Why don’t we just raise them as thralls right here?”
“I thought you said you ‘didn’t have it in you’ to continue fighting?” Drayya crossed her arms, “Alchemy requires mana as well, you know?”
“...Well, can’t you do it?”
“Why are you asking me? I already know you can tell.”
Drayya’s MP - 62 / 982
“Right. Of course.” Lieze conceded the argument after seeing her remaining MP, “I do still have that mana potion.”
The cerulean liquid within bobbed pleasantly as Lieze held the flask out. Drayya didn’t seem convinced by the proposition.
“Wouldn’t you prefer to save that for a more opportune moment?” She asked.
“We need to move these corpses, and we don’t have any other method of doing that. I would call this a perfectly opportune moment.”
“Do you even know how effective that potion is?”
-She didn’t. But thankfully, her scale had provided a feature that would aid her in that regard. Taking the flask in both hands, she made use of her [Identify] feature.
Alchemic Drought (Greater Mana Potion) Description - Drinking this potion in its entirety immediately restores 500MP. Additionally, you gain the [Alchemy Sickness] debuff for 1 hour, preventing you from receiving the benefits of any other Alchemic Drought for the duration.
“-It’s effective enough.” Lieze summarised, “Down the hatch it goes.”
A plume of crystal-blue smoke wisped from the neck of the flask as she pulled the cork. Its chalky flavour was overpowered by the bitterness of a strong medicine. Like most remedies, it didn’t taste at all like anything suitable for drinking, but the effects couldn’t be argued with.
Lieze’s MP - 530 / 815
“Urgh…” Lieze clenched her eyes trying to endure the aftertaste, “That never gets any easier…”
“Oh, yes. I remember the tantrums you used to throw whenever Lüngen asked you to drink a potion of his.” Drayya smirked, “You didn’t have a problem with watching corpses being reanimated, but as soon as you had to take your medicine, it was time for the waterworks.”
“Those potions weren’t medicine.” Lieze replied, “They were Lüngen’s attempts to ‘uplift’ my poor aptitude for necromancy. I hated drinking them because I knew they wouldn’t work.”
“Hm.” Drayya paused, “...He was only trying to help you.”
“Let’s not discuss this, Drayya.” Lieze broke eye contact, wandering over to the corpse of Stürm. The events of the battle had almost made her forget about the milestone she’d just reached. Her newly-acquired [Greater Necromancy] feature was the best of both worlds, with a low MP cost and a higher maximum level threshold. Not only that, but any thrall she raised from that day onward would gain levels. It was a significant improvement from over earlier iterations of her necromancy. The gap between herself and the likes of Drayya was closing by the day.
Lieze’s MP - 470 / 815
Lieze’s MP - 410 / 815
Lieze’s MP - 350 / 815
One by one, the three former heroes were reanimated. As simple Gravewalkers, they didn’t amount to much. But Lieze had plans in store for them.
Ability - Necromantic Alchemy (Briarknight) Description - Spend 6 hours to transform a Gravewalker of level [20] or above into a Briarknight. Compared to lower forms of undead, Briarknights are capable of following complex instructions and can wield a wide variety of armaments. Additionally, if a Briarknight is level [35] or higher, it gains the ability to raise Gravewalkers autonomously at a rate of 10 Gravewalkers per day. A Briarknight can control up to 30 Gravewalkers simultaneously.
It would take time, but having 3 Briarknights at her disposal would turn Lieze’s cult from a nuisance into a true threat. With Marché constantly supplying the hideout with fresh thralls, it would only be a matter of days until it became a force to be reckoned with. Lieze couldn’t help but feel somewhat proud of the force she’d managed to amass in such a short period of time.
“I told you this would work out, didn’t I?” As if reading her thoughts, Drayya revelled in the success of her plan, “Not only have we eliminated three of Tonberg’s most troublesome elements, but we’re also fully entitled to the reward for slaying this Drake.”
“The guild is going to be awfully suspicious that the two of us were the only ones to survive the hunt.” Lieze replied.
“Whether they’ll be suspicious or not isn’t a problem. As long as we get the gold, we can incur as much suspicion as we want.” Drayya waved the issue away, “-We could even pay Baccharum’s loan back, if you feel so inclined. He wanted Helmach dead, certainly, but is he really going to argue if we settle for repaying him?”
“If we do kill Helmach, we won’t have to worry about repaying him. That’s a lot of extra gold we could be using.”
“Can we kill Helmach?”
It wasn’t a rhetorical question - Drayya was seeking Lieze’s honest opinion. She felt inadequate for not being able to give a straight answer. The most level-headed response would be to claim that they still needed more time, but her pride as a necromancer was tempting her to push forward with Helmach’s wager as opposed to backing out.
“...I’m sick and tired of not being able to answer that question.” Lieze admitted.
“As am I.” Drayya replied, “But we do need to make a decision.”
“I’ll decide on it tonight.” She said, “Let’s focus on returning to the hideout for now. We’ve got a long way to go.”
“Hm…” Drayya didn’t attempt to hide her displeasure, but it was obvious that her growing respect for Lieze was beginning to outweigh her habit of lashing out, “Alright. But it must be tonight. We are on the clock, remember.”