"<>," intoned the Cleric, and a pillar of blinding white light fell upon my shoulders just as I stared at the apathetic Mage with confusion.

"Ow," I cried out, as the stinging light entered my entire being. It was as though something was trying to make me fall asleep whilst tearing the very fibre of my entirety. This was not a pleasant feeling, to be honest, and I would not wish this upon any other Undead, no matter how much they piss me off.

Once the light faded away, however, it was revealed that I still stood tall, but my metallic body had blacked somewhat, and there was smoke rising from my body. "That was not very nice." Gone from me was my joyful self, and replaced was my frustration, my anger, and my hate for all things living. For I was a Lich, and those who used Holy Magicks were a bane upon my and mine own existence.

"<>," I intoned, as my four claws formed a funnel in which the blackened flame could escape. Which shot out in a gout of flame akin to a young dragon's breath, but this did not produce any heat. No. Instead, it absorbed all life.

"Move, Aclara," shouted the veteran, as the flames burst forth towards her general direction, causing the world around the flames to cool rapidly to the point of frost forming upon the ground. He then bashed the Cleric out of the way with his shield, then quickly braced it in front of himself just as the flames did their best to engulf his entirety. For they howled in anger as their primary prey was lost, and raged as they tried to take the life of the male before them.

Well, that was what was supposed to occur, but was interrupted with Amira bashing my wondrous body off to the side, and into the mountainside. "What was that for?" I called out, pushing myself out of the crater created from such an impact. Just in time to see the veteran standing tall in red and white armour with a large kite shield with a red cross upon a white background deflecting my Hellfire back towards the area I was just at.

"You do know Hellfire can't hurt me, right?" I was angered at this point, but quickly calmed down when the others directed my attention. For the Hellfire had been purified into Holy Flames, and I felt an mental bead of sweat trickle down from my temple. 'This is not going to be easy,' was my thought, as I glanced at the Mage who had yet to move, then back towards the unknown veteran who chose to reveal his strength to us all.

"<>," Iinidra intoned as she swayed her scaled hips in the direction of the veteran in strange armour. Of whom turned towards her with great disgust as his lower half slowly made its way towards the Lamia. To which she then rocked her entire body in a rhythmic manner which caused the male Human to fall to his knees, then his face with the rump still up in the air.

As to the Cleric? Well, she was shivering as all eyes turned towards her person, and was about to be obliterated by yours truly, but was instead knocked unconscious by a powerful blow to her abdomen from Shauu. This led to my pouting as I was not able to perform fully, and crossed my four arms to sulk.

"Well, that was fun," spoke aloud the Mage with a bored and neutral voice, "So? What's to happen with us?"

"You are to be given to our Lord who will pass judgment upon you all," came Sia's voice as she stepped into the firelight with a drooling and unconscious Gnome being dragged behind her. It appeared as though he had tried to escape, and was subsequently caught by the Wolfwoman.

"Alright," he stood up and brushed off his dark coloured robe, "Well, let's get a move on then. I want to see if I'll be rolling a new character or not."

We blinked at his speech, none too sure as to what we just heard. Even as my eyes drifted over the others, they each did not know what this meant, and shrugged as they prodded the Mage forward and down towards the village below. Of which seemed to have some sort of celebration occurring within the walls. Well, we'd get there eventually.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

*

Once we did, we noted our Lord standing behind five new metallic, Human skeletons. Of which turned as one towards our group, and mechanically joined us as the Mage, Cleric, and old veteran were tossed to His feet. The Gnome, on the other hand, was gently handed over to Him by Sia, who spoke of how it was this creature who cast such magicks.

"Ah," His eyes flared briefly, a grateful smile spread upon his features as he accepted the creature, then shocked its body awake.

"Yow," it cried out, and glared, searching for the one who awoke it. However, it soon realised that its body was being manhandled by He who was our God. "Y-you," was the exclamation, as chaotic energies raced down our Lord's  arms and into the creature's body. There it screamed a delicious scream that caused all to hear it to either shutter with pleasure, or despair.

For such a spell that He had cast up was one that drained the entirety of a being's mind, body, and essence. Thus leaving only a decaying husk, which was what occurred to the Gnome, as the body fell to the earth, and crumpled into dust with His heel digging into the skull.

"So," His voice rumbled and shook with ill contempt of those before His eyes. Of which slowly retracted from their crimson glow, and towards an iron-blue in colour with a ring of gold etched around slitted irises. "You have finally come to this plane of existence... my family."

*****

"Ah, yes," droned Brutus as he stared at the pages of his Story, "I remember now. Our Lord truly did not enjoy such a group as they, except for his brother. Then again," his metallic shoulders shrugged underneath the snow white robe he wore, "that wasn't until much later."

"Uncle Brutus?" yawned Nox, who had Maya and Mia under each of his arms, whereas Anasi had created a bed of webs within a metal cart near his person, "I'm sleepy. Can we go to bed?"

The Lich King chuckled softly as he tore open a small pocket in the fabric of reality, whereupon he did place push the Story within such a space and repaired the damage done. Afterwards, he did summon up two of his own servants, which were White Bone Skeletons in the shape and size of wolves. Upon each of their backs were a small bed with four short walls that were used to keep its passengers from spilling out and onto the ground below.

There, he did lift the trio onto one, who mewed softly from the transference, whereas the Arachne only shifted and stirred slightly. Of whom were then transferred into the hybrid's room, and laid to rest upon the bed.

However, after leaving the room, and dismissing his servants, did Brutus come face to face with a disproving Sarah with crossed arms over her chest. "Yes?" he droned softly, not wishing for the children to awaken from their slumber so soon.

"I don't want you telling my son that story," she began, "They are too young for such a thing."

"So?" the other crossed his four, metallic arms over his chest and waited for her response.

"So, I want you to stop telling my son those types of stories."

"No."

"No?" Her eyes flared with dangerous colours.

"No. I will not stop, and will continue to tell His story to His son." The Skeleton made to move away from the Goddess, but was stopped by her standing in front of him. "Is there something else you wished to say?"

"I can have you removed from the castle and banished forevermore," her voice shook with barely controlled anger, which only heightened as the other laughed in her face.

"Banishment? Me? My dear woman, do you not know who owns this place," three of his four clawed hands waved at the stone hallway as though to encompass everything within and without it, "It is not you, in case you are wondering."

"Then I order you to-," but never spoke any further. For the one before her eyes was bent over, laughing at such a preposterous idea.

"Order me? Me?" he stood tall once more, then made to make a motion as though to wipe away some tears, but stopped, "You cannot order me to do anything. Only our Lord can." In so saying, he did walk away with a light spring in his step.

Just as he turned a corner, however, a light muttering from Sarah forced him to reappear and toss her person outside, into the earth below. For she muttered something which was forbidden by all beings within the Universe, as it was a Taboo. "Then I'll have to write in your story," was what she had whispered, and now found herself pinned by an angered Brutus. Of whom now wore a ghostly pale green robe with endarkened red motes of ethereal flames surrounding a crown of thorns upon his brow.

In his right primary clawed hand was a white staff with many etchings of battles carved within it, and in his left was an old tome full of magicks that was chained to his wrist. Whereas the lesser clawed hands were gone. Not missing as many would surmise, but gone. For they were not a part of his kingly guise, but of his service to the Ageless.

"DO NOT SPEAK OF SUCH THINGS, EVEN IN JEST," his voice boomed like thunder upon the horizon, "FOR SUCH A THING IS TABOO, AND NOT EVEN HE WHO IS OUR GOD WILL BE ABLE TO STOP US FROM SEAKING JUDGMENT AGAINST YOU." Such words caused her to sink centimetre by centimetre into the earth with every syllable, until it vanished. Thus leaving her extremely fearful over what had just occurred, as she was left alone to climb out of the hole that her mouth had dug for her.