Halligan tumbled through the raging currents, and he slammed into the stone walls of the sewers. He held tightly to the woman in his arms. Urielle buried her face into his chest, and Halligan did everything he could to protect her. The currents shifted violently, and he felt himself get pulled in a different direction only for it to suddenly stop. Halligan slid across the stone and gasped for breath when the water quickly receded. A wall of ice had formed with the sound of running water behind it. He heard coughing coming from Giale and Elizar as they spat up water.
“Is everyone alright?” Halligan croaked as he coughed up the disgusting water.
Urielle gave him a shaky smile. “I’ve been better.” She slowly crawled off him and looked around. “Where are the others.”
All eyes turned to the ice wall. “I think they split us up.” Elizar groaned, wringing the water from his clothes. “I’m starting to get concerned,” he said, “This Reviled Legion has the power to summon a storm out of nowhere and can control the currents at will. I have never heard of such power before, and I fear we are in over our heads.”
“It’s too late to worry about it now.” Giale rose to his feet and drew his sidearm. “We should continue on until we can get out of here.”
“Agreed.” Halligan and Urielle nodded.
Halligan took point with his short sword held in front of him. Urielle conjured motes of golden light to illuminate the way, and he was thankful that she had been able to keep her staff. They silently moved down the tunnel, keeping their ears open for any strange sounds, but it was hard to hear over the rushing water flowing through the canal. Water from the storm continued to pour in and it drenched them whenever they passed under a water grate. As they continued, they noticed a flicker of light coming from an intersecting tunnel.
Halligan peeked around the corner and noticed a roughly made wooden wall. Rope held the haphazardly made pieces together, some of the wood looked to have come from broken furniture and doors, and what looked like gates were left wide open. To think there was a wererat camp so close. Halligan desperately tried to ignore the itching sensation from his left arm.
He waved at the others to proceed. “There’s a wererat camp down the tunnel. Let’s get a closer look.” He crouched down the tunnel with the others following.
“What’s that bastard doing!” Halligan’s ears perked up at the sound of the squeaking voice. “Is he trying to drown us along with the enemy?” Halligan pressed himself next to the wall.
“Who knows.” Reviled’s chuckle sent a shiver down Halligan’s spine. “We think he simply wanted to show off.”
“I understand that master, but this is reckless.” Concern flooded Halligan as a woman spoke. “If the wererats weren’t prepared then the storm could have swept them away.”
Giale’s sneer drew Halligan’s attention. “What are we waiting for, it’s right there?” he whispered.
“True, what are you waiting for?” Ice ran down their spines, and fear caused their hearts to thunder in their chests. “Come now heroes. We see you hiding.” Halligan furiously looked around and found a black rat staring down at them from the wall. He couldn’t help but feel it smiling at them. Halligan swallowed and marched into the camp with the other’s behind.
Besides from the wooden wall, there wasn’t much in the camp. Empty cages sat scattered throughout the camp, and weapon racks sat empty on the other side. Reviled stared at them, its crimson eyes searing into them. Behind it, sitting on a stool was a woman in black, gold, and red robes. An instrument sat between her legs, tucked in the folds of her robe, and a black fox mask obscured her face. Nearly a dozen wererats glared at them with an albino rat wearing a fine coat at the head.
Reviled stepped forward, water splashing with each step. “You all looked tired.” It cackled and turned back to the woman. “Dear, please play something to help soothe them.”
The woman nodded and plucked a string. The deep, somber tone blasted Halligan in the face. She continued plucking the strings in slow, methodical order of a lullaby. With each note, Halligan’s arms grew heavy as exhaustion crept into his mind.
“Dammit, she’s the one behind the music.” Giale glared at the robed woman. Anger filled his bloodshot eyes. “I’ll kill that bitch!”
“Graceful Aura!” Urielle’s spell seeped into their bodies and eased the effects of the music. “Keep your anger in check,” Urielle said, “We’ll need clear minds to destroy this monster.”
“Destroy us.” Reviled’s laugh echoed off the walls. “We’d like to see you try.” It turned to the albino wererat. “We’ll leave this to you since you wanted to prove yourself. Do not disappoint us.”
The albino nodded. “Swift formation!” The wererats drew their weapons. Clear short swords shone in the golden light. The wererats spread themselves out into groups of four. “Attack!”
The wererats charged forward. Halligan met the Albino rat head on blocking the attack, and his arm ached from the strength in the attack. Two jumped up attacking his sides while another went for his feet. Halligan yelped in surprise as the blades whistled past and he stumbled backward. The rats pressed the attack. They ran around him in circles with one blocking his blade while the other three attacked his open flanks. Halligan gritted his teeth in frustration. He had no opening to retaliate, and the rats were too nimble. It was hard to strike back as his arms screamed from the exhaustion that was amplified by the music. A squeal of pain drew his attention.
Giale was fighting ruthlessly. He didn’t dodge when the rats attacked but took the hits. Their blades scraped against Giale’s armor, but some made it through, biting into his flesh. That didn’t stop him. He focused on the one rat in front him, his strikes knocking the rat off its feet, and Giale stabbed his blade into its head. His anger burned through the exhaustion produced from the music.
Elizar and Urielle stood within her Divine Ward supporting them from behind the protection. Elizar’s spells struck at the wererats nipping at Urielle’s shield. The mage’s spell sent a rat flying across the canal, and another rat squealed as a bolt of magic tore off its right arm. Sweat poured from both of their faces as they continued to support the two fighters.
Halligan took a deep breath and began following Giale’s lead. He slashed at the wererat in front of him and smiled when their blades connected. “Sun Flare!” A ray of fire engulfed the wererat in front of him, and Halligan whipped his hand around to engulf another in fire. The Albino ducked under the ray and slashed at Halligan’s feet, but the warrior kicked the rat away. We can do this! He quickly glanced at Reviled Legion, but the monster simply stood there with black smoke coalescing around its hands.
“Pathetic, is this the best you and your soldiers can do.” Reviled growled as it turned to the bard. “Change the song to enhance our fighters. Leave weakening the enemy to us.”
“Yes master.” The Bard groaned.
The music in the air shifted. The minstrel’s fingers danced across the strings as she played a fast-paced song with a thundering pitch. She plucked a cord causing a deep thrum to come from the instrument, then her right hand slip up the neck turning the sound into a high-pitched shrill. Sweat started forming on the woman’s exposed neck and cleavage, but Halligan couldn’t focus on her.
The wererats were moving faster, and a few of their attacks bit into Halligan’s skin. “We need to do something!” He screamed. He quickly glanced and noticed Urielle and Elizar panting heavily within the shield. Giale panted over the body of another rat, but blood was seeping into the water at his feet. Then his left arm screamed in pain as his body ceased to move.
“What happened?” Giale cursed as he stood frozen in place. He screamed in pain as the rats stabbed their blades in between the gaps in his armor. Halligan also screamed when the blades pierced his own flesh.
“Superior Mage Bolt!” Bolts of magic struck the rats attacking the fighters and sent them flying. “Barrier!” A translucent blue shield surrounded both warriors. “The monster cast Noxious Miasma. Lady Saint, is there anything you can do?” Elizar groaned as he fought to keep the shields up. The blue energy wavered each time the rat’s struck it.
“Virtue’s Domain!” Golden light radiated from the Urielle’s staff, and it expelled the black fog swirling at their feet. “That’ll exorcise all necrotic mana from the area!”
Halligan sighed in relief when his body started moving again. He glanced over at the monster. Its left hand pressed against its chest, and it glowered at the Saint.
“It looks like your spell has weakened it!” Halligan cried as he stabbed at the wererats from within his shield. “Arcane Blast!” Halligan raised his left hand towards the monster. The spell shot towards the monster.
“Superior Lightning!” Elizar shot a bolt of blue lightning shot towards the monster.
Reviled jumped backwards dodging Halligan’s spell. “Arcane Deflection!” It caught the energy in its right hand and tossed it to the side. The electricity arced across the metal pipes multiple times, filling the camp with a brilliant blue light momentarily. However, charring blackened its right hand.
“Dammit, It can deflect magic!” Elizar growled, looking around frantically. His gaze lingered on a stream of water pouring in from above and fell onto the stone walkway. “That’s it. Halligan, Giale, stay in your barriers!”
“What? Why?”
“Trust me!” Halligan stared into the mage’s determined stare and nodded. Elizar pushed his hand out of the shield and onto the stone walkway. “Superior Lightning!”
“No!” Reviled turned to the bard. “Barrier!” A crimson shield surrounded the bard as the Albino scurried up onto a cage.
Blue lightning arced across the stone floor. The wererats squealed in agonizing pain as the electricity struck them. Fires erupted across their fur, and they were quickly set ablaze. Reviled howled when the bolts arced up its body. Angry popping came from the monster as its lower mouth flew open, and its bladed tongue lashed out wildly. As the magic died down, Reviled stood completely still with smoke rising from its body. Its red eyes barely lit.
“Master! Master!” The woman screamed, running to the monster. She jerked her arm back as the residual electricity shocked her.
“Run…” The monster croaked. The woman cried but jumped off the cage and ran to the exit on the opposite side of the camp. The Albino was right behind her.
“You’re not getting away!” Giale snapped, ready to chase the woman.
“Leave them, the monster is more important.” Urielle dismissed her shield and approached. “In the name of Lady Shecoga, Virtue of Mercy and Compassion.” She pressed her staff against the monster’s back. “Reviled Legion, return to the Prison from whence you came!”
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
----------------------------------------
The crimson space swirled with lights coming from the souls glowing onto the dark nebulas within it, but right now, Reviled’s focus was directed to the edges of its core. It could barely make out the noises coming from beyond its body. Melgareth had prepared for such an incident. He had built shunts in the connections to the core. Their purpose was simply to protect it from sudden surges of mana meant to damage it. Unfortunately, it resulted in Reviled losing control of its body. It pressed against the edges of the small universe, trying to regain control.
“Reviled Legion, return to the Prison from whence you came!”
Reviled roared in anger. It slammed against the sides of its core desperately trying to make any connection. Not again! Its anger caused the souls to sparkle with an ugly yellow light as their fear tinted the edges of Reviled’s consciousness.
Reviled returned its attention to the swirling galaxy of souls. Many of the souls glistened like stars, orbited by their memories and subconscious thoughts. At the core of the galaxy were the five souls that brought it to life, and Laegyn was the heart of the martial core which was nestled right next to them. The magic core sat on the opposite side. These souls needed to be protected at all costs, so it turned its attention to the souls on the outer rim. These worthless vagabonds with no skills were the perfect shield to protect the inner souls, but right now, they were needed for something else.
Reviled’s consciousness grasped ten of the souls. “We appreciate your sacrifice.”
Fear. Pain. Anguish. These emotions resonated from the ten as Reviled tightened its grasp on sun that made up core of their souls. They pleaded, no, begged for mercy as their memories shattered, and subconsciousness collapsed in on itself. Then, the suns exploded, and necrotic energy flooded space. Reviled pushed the necrotic energy outward, and it reestablished the connection to its body. The necrotic energy sparked throughout Reviled’s body. Its eyes started to glow when its consciousness regained control.
Mina and Skivret were nowhere to be found. Instead, the Saint’s party stood around it. Reviled twitched, trying to regain control of its body, and the bearings made an ugly shrieking sound with each movement. Its body felt sluggish, and it could hear metal snapping within itself. The lightning must have melted some of our gears.
“No, it’s still moving!” Urielle screamed, striking her staff against its back. “Holy blaze!” Reviled growled as the divine mana surged through its body, but the excess of necrotic mana quickly snuffed out the holy magic. It stumbled forward until it could finally run. “Sir Giale, we need to stop it!”
“Hollow Step!”
“Divine Ward!”
Reviled teleported behind the Saint and clawed the golden shield, but its fury continued to burn. Giale and Halligan stabbed at the monster, but their blades slid across the monster’s armor leaving only a scratch. Reviled grabbed Giale and threw him into Halligan, sending both men tumbling across the walkway. Then it went back to attacking the Saint.
“Superior Arcane Blast!” Reviled was knocked off its feet as the blast threw it across the camp. Sparks flew as its claws dug into the stone. “Winter’s Chill!” A cold blast struck Reviled in the chest causing the water coating it to freeze. The Mage looked over at the Saint. “Lady Urielle, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Urielle regained her breath. “Sir Halligan, Sir Giale, can you both still fight?”
“Yes.” Both men stood up, readying their weapons.
Reviled tore free from its icy bonds and charged at them. Halligan and Giale met the monster with their swords, and Reviled parried their strikes with its claws. It roared in anger and frustration as the gears in its arms slipped, and a sword its guard. The blade screamed as it ran along its armor, leaving a long scratch in the metal chest piece. A bolt of magic shot past Reviled’s head, and it glared as the mage ran around trying to get into a good position. The Saint once again blessed the area in divine mana. The necrotic mana flooding its system dimmed in the presence of the holy magic.
“Hollow Step!” Reviled teleported behind Halligan.
Halligan screamed as Reviled’s claws buried themselves into his side, and a chunk of the man’s flesh was torn free. Blood poured out of the wound. Reviled reached out to Halligan’s face, only for the paladin to pull him away at the last moment. Sword met claw, and the two stared at each other.
“Righteous Fury!” Divine mana coursed through Giale’s body causing his veins to bulge, and the power behind his sword started pushing Reviled back.
Giale’s strikes came faster than before but sweat poured profusely from his brow. With each blow, the blade bit into the metal of Reviled’s claws, but it caused the edge to dullen with each strike. The blade soon became blunt. We grow tired of this! Crimson Strike! Flames engulfed Reviled’s claw and it slashed at Giale. The paladin screamed as blood poured from his chest, and his blade fell at his feet glowing a dull red.
“Barrier!” The magical shield enveloped Reviled. Its flaming claws dug into the barrier causing it to shake.
“Shecoga’s Mercy!” Giale sighed in relief as the wounds on his chest healed, but the flesh was still raw with the claw marks visible.
“Quick, let’s get out of here!” Elizar gestured to the edge of the camp. He and Urielle were helping Halligan to the camp’s entrance.
“Fine.” Giale growled turning to follow.
Hollow Step!
Blood sprayed the surrounding area as Giale’s body fell to the floor. His head rolled across the stone walkway, the contempt still on his face. Reviled crushed the paladin’s body under his feet, and he glared at the remaining heroes.
“Go, get out of here!” Elizar yelled pushing Halligan and Urielle away. “I’ll hold it off!” He stepped forward and raised his hands. “Water Shape! Winter’s Chill!” Water hung in the air until it became a veil between them. Then the water froze becoming an icy wall that spanned the entire tunnel. Halligan and Urielle could barely be seen as they hobbled away. Elizar wiped the sweat from his brow. The two stared each other down.
“Hollow Step!”
“Hollow Step!”
Reviled teleported and struck with its flaming claws, but it only met air. It glared around and found the mage on the other side of the tunnel. “Superior Lightning!” Elizar’s spell shot towards Reviled.
“Arcane Deflection!” Reviled caught the spell and tossed it to the side. The electricity arced across the metal pipes lighting up the tunnel. Elizar knelt with his hand on the ground.
A victorious smile adorned Elizar’s lip. “Superior Lightning!” The lightning arced across the floor, and Elizar screamed in pain as his own spell shocked him.
“Barrier!” Reviled stepped off the ground and onto a magical shield that hovered a few inches of the ground. When the lightning ceased, Reviled stepped down to approach the mage. Burn marks seared his flesh, but he still produced shallow breaths. Reviled drove its claws into Elizar’s flesh and raised him into the air. Its mouth creaked opened, and its tongue shot outward. Blood seeped into the water at their feet, and Reviled tossed the body to the side.
Reviled turned to the ice wall. Mina quietly stepped out of her hiding place and approached. Her fox mask was broken with half of it sitting on the side of her head. Skivret limped towards them. Shame and regret filled his eyes as he looked at his dead soldiers.
“Master, are you alright?” Mina squeaked, staring at Reviled in concern.
Reviled’s limbs twitched in response, and it slowly moved forward. “We are… displeased.” Reviled slowly moved to inspect itself. Black scorch marks dotted its body along with the many nicks and scratches to its armor. Blade marks decorated the armor around its claws. Thankfully, the damage was superficial. “We fear that our internal damage is worse than the external. We’ll need to see Rench for an assessment.” It looked to the ice wall. “The Saint and Apprentice escaped.”
“Forgive me master. This is all my fault.” Skivret shrank into himself. “I was desperate to prove myself to you, but I failed.”
“Learn from this mistake, or else your people will need a new king.” Reviled stepped towards the bodies.
“It looks like you faired worse than I did rodent.” Eirgnon chuckled as his knights carried him into the camp. “Although, you did kill two of them.”
“Are the others dead?” Reviled asked as it tossed the bodies into a pile.
“Forgive me, my lord, but I failed as well.” Eirgnon bowed deeply. “They were able to escape the sewers.”
“Disappointing, we expected better from you.” Reviled turned to the pile. “Form Necrosis!”
The flesh and bones from the humans and wererats slowly merged into a monstrous abomination. The wererat corpses formed into the body of a massive rat with six legs and three tails and where the head should be was a human’s torso. Four arms sprouted from the human portion and the old mage’s head lolled to the side.
“Raise Undead!” Necrotic mana seeped into the monstrous body. A painful wail escaped the mage’s lips as it raised to its feet. It looked at Reviled expectantly. “Go, bring us the Saint, now.” It pointed down the tunnel. The monster groaned in acknowledgement. It charged forward and broke through the ice wall.
“Master, what will happen now?” Mina asked as she stared into the darkness.
“They’ll try to get reinforcements.” Reviled growled. “They may even bring in the guards.” It turned to head back to the tavern. “We’ll need to get ahead of this though.”
“Why not send Lady Meridith to speak with the head of the local church?” Eirgnon replied, “That way you can start to build a good report with them. It’ll also secure your position in the city.”
“Good idea,” Reviled said, “We can also have our little princess help as well.”
----------------------------------------
Halligan groaned as he held onto his side. Urielle had healed his wounds, but she hadn’t had the time fully heal him. Reviled’s claw marks would forever mark his body, but right now he was more focused on getting out of the sewers.
Urielle ran at his side, but she was quiet. Her eyes seemed distant and glassy, and her face was unnaturally pale, even in the golden light of her spell. Halligan wanted to comfort her, to take her into his arms and ease her burden, but now was not the time.
The roar of the rushing water filled the tunnel, but the streams coming from the surface weren’t nearly as strong as they were before. Hopefully, it would soon stop, and they could see the sun. Halligan couldn’t tell what time it was because of the clouds, and it made traversing the sewers harder.
“I’m sorry.” Urielle’s voice came out a small whimper.
“You have nothing to feel sorry about.” Halligan peeked through grate to get their bearings. “Once we get out of here, we can request more help from the church.” He tried to give her a confident smile. “Reviled Legion will be destroyed.” Urielle gave him a small smile, but it gave way to fear when a gurgling roar echoed through the tunnels. “Quick, let’s get out of here.”
They ran down the tunnels. Jumping over canals and taking turns at random. Halligan knew they were lost. He hadn’t had the time to memorize the map, and truthfully, he wasn’t smart enough to. So, he ran down the tunnels, using the water as a guide. Elizar had told him that rainwater was collected in reservoirs so that the citizens above could draw it from wells. Following it should lead to one of those wells, and it did. The massive pool of water stood before them with a single opening in the ceiling above. Halligan sighed in relief when he noticed a rope dangling from it.
“The storm knocked the bucket down.” Halligan started striping off his armor. “We’ll swim to the rope then climb up it.”
“I can’t.” Urielle blushed heavily. “I’ll be… exposed should I take it off.”
“All right. Do you have any spells that can get us across the water?”
“One, but it’ll only last a moment.”
“Then use it before the monster comes.”
“Water Strider!”
Halligan felt the holy spell lighten his steps, and he gingerly stepped into the water. The water solidified under his feet, and he brought his other foot down with a satisfied smile. He held out a hand to Urielle and they walked towards the rope. It felt like walking on an unstable wall. The water shifted beneath his feet, and at times it felt like it would give way, but they were able to make it to the rope.
Halligan gave it a good tug, nodding in satisfaction at how secured it felt. “You first Lady Urielle.” Urielle secured her staff behind her back and grabbed onto the rope. She groaned in exertion but was unable to climb. Halligan could feel himself starting to sink. “Get on my back, and I’ll carry you.” Urielle nodded remorsefully and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Halligan pulled himself up onto the rope and secured his position with his legs. His arms burned as he slowly climbed, and he felt Urielle wrap her legs around his waist. They were rising slowly. They were halfway to the ceiling when a shriek drew their attention to the edge of the pool.
Halligan’s eyes widened in horror as the undead monstrosity jumped into the water. It’s rat like body paddled towards them, and the human torso clawed at the air. Elizar’s dead face stared at them with a burning hunger.
Halligan roared as he climbed faster. His legs burned from supporting both of their weight, and his arms ached each time he pulled himself upwards. He let out a victorious chuckle when they entered the well shaft, but it was cut short when the rope violently shook causing them to slide downwards.
“It’s coming after us!” Urielle cried.
Fear grasped tightly around Halligan’s heart, and his breath quickened. He fought against the swaying rope as he climbed. For every few feet he ascended, the monster made him lose one. He groaned loudly with each pulled. The sky beckoning them onward, but Halligan’s body was screaming for him to stop. So close. They were so close. With a final pull, Halligan’s head peeked over the well’s walls, and he could see the street around them. He pulled himself onto the wooden frame and tumbled over the wall with Urielle landing beside him. His arms and legs felt stiff, and he couldn’t find the strength to move.
“It’s still coming!” Urielle screamed as she looked down the well. “It’s climbing up the shaft!”
“We need to stop it.” Halligan crawled to the well. He looked downward and saw the creature climbing up the walls. Halligan held his out towards the monster. “Sun Flare!” The fire lance engulfed the monster, and it screamed in pain. It slid down a few feet but stopped at the base of the shaft. “Arcane Blast!” The monster held firm as he magic struck it.
“Divine Bolt!” Urielle’s divine spell struck the monster in he chest, and it screamed in pain. It’s body seized up and it fell to the water below. “Holy Blaze!” The second spell struck the monster midfall, and its body erupted into a ball of white fire. Even as it struck the water, the holy fire still burned until the monster was nothing but ash.
They both collapsed against the well, panting heavily. Halligan couldn’t help it and leaned against Urielle’s shoulder, but she was also leaning against him. Their hands found each other, and their fingers laced together. Rain soaked their hair and mixed with their tears as they were buried under the weight of their failure.