The undead formed a wall of bone and iron, blades and claws. But for all their numbers, they could not halt Darian’s advance. His body moved too quickly, and his strikes were simply too powerful. With [Limit Break] active, the hordes could do little else but slow him down. And as he crashed through them, his target grew within reach.
Calhaven cursed and thrust his staff at Darian, beckoning his death knights to close in. But with a simple mental command, Darian directed the creatures provided by [The Law of Winter] to fall upon them.
Ice wolves and frost elementals battered at the monsters, the zapping magic of storm crows blasting the lich’s defenders away. With the buffs the lich provided, his undead were swift and powerful, but they were beginning to fall one by one. Between Darian’s summons, his own might, and Yaz’s brutish strength, they were pushing the arch lich into a corner he could not escape from.
Almost there. A little closer and Darian could dash into range. And with how hard the lich was trying to create distance between them, he figured he had the edge in close combat. But something isn’t right. He’d fought in enough battles to know how foes acted when they became desperate. Yet Calhaven still oozed overconfidence.
The bones that scattered loosely across the floor started to shake. They twitched across the ground, tugged by an unseen force toward the arch lich.
“Stop him!” Yaz cried, his blade battering down a flesh golem.
Already on it. Darian spun around a skeleton warrior’s spear, then shoulder rammed a death knight. While it crashed to the ground, he hacked his way forward, each stroke of his sword sending another summon into oblivion.
But each summon he destroyed did not dissolve into the shadows they came from. Normally a summon’s body dissolved after death, but these had their bones crawl across the ground to join the others. The shards that reached Calhaven were gathering behind him, shifting and piling onto each other.
He figured the lich was in the process of combining the bones into some new creature. But then the pieces began to float, and he realized his error.
With a simple nod of the head, Calhaven sent the floating bones at Darian in a barrage. The first shards narrowly missed his head, but the next wave cut across his arms and legs. Worse, the bones Calhaven had already fired were starting to rise from the floor.
Darian sliced across his forearm with his sword, willing the blood to flow. His divine skill made his body resistant to bleeding, so the blood was stubborn to reveal itself. But then it trickled out, little by little, and he hardened it until it formed a shield.
Manipulating the blood sent a spasm through his limbs, the strain of using a skill weighing on him while his body was already pushed to its limits. But he continued to advance. With the shield covering his left side, he was free to duck, dodge, and block the shards coming from his right. Though the closer he got, the more intense the attacks became.
“Crush their bones!” He called, sending a command to his summoned creatures and Yaz alike. The bits that were too smashed remained idle. If they could lower his ammunition, getting to the bastard would be a lot less painful.
Then heat flared in his back, and he stumbled, then fell to one knee, his left leg unresponsive. Pain swelled as a shard ripped into his shoulder from behind, his sword clattering across the metallic floor as his grip failed him. But he couldn’t remain idle.
In a burst of movement, he rolled and scooped up his sword, his shield blocking two lengths of bone but missing a third. It rammed into his ribs, piercing inches deep. Then more came from above and behind, each direction a piercing death. But even with his leg thrumming from numbness, he dragged himself forward, more bones punching into him. Some his armor deflected, but others needled into his flesh, the ground a crimson splatter.
Gritting his teeth, Darian used his blood droplets to send daggers at the lich. While they flew through the air, he grunted, waves of pain striking at his joints, making his whole body feel like it was going to tear itself apart.
But the daggers made contact, doing little damage but getting Calhaven to stumble back. And as he did so, Darian was finally close enough to bridge the gap.
Planting his feet the best he could, Darian activated [Dash Strike], designating one of the lich’s undead guards as his target. The ripping agony using the skill caused was nearly too much, but he had to persevere. As soon as his sword smashed the skeleton’s head open, he pivoted on his good leg, Calhaven as his new target.
Using [Dash Strike] once more, Darian shot forward before his enemy had time to react. And with a pained roar, he brought his sword down from overhead to crack into Calhaven’s skull. A kick came next, sending the robed monster to the floor. He made ready for another blow, but the strain on his body was too much, and all he could manage was a clumsy stumble toward his enemy.
Another shard of bone sliced across Darian’ leg and he pitched forward, his sword stabbing down to keep him upright. Then Calhaven rose, slicing out with the short scythe in his left hand. It raked across Darian’s chest, and he fell away, leaving his sword behind.
He glanced to the side, seeing Yaz bloody and beaten back, some of Darian’s frost creatures at his side. His other summons were still some distance behind, held back by the lich’s forces. No one to help me. His thoughts flashed back to when he first arrived in this world, alone and afraid, and a nagging fear squirmed in his gut.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Smothering it, he checked how much longer [Limit Break] would be active.
----------------------------------------
Limit break: 0:36 Remaining
----------------------------------------
Shit. It didn’t matter how much it hurt or if his body fell apart after, he’d have to do whatever he could to end this.
Calhaven came down with the gnarled end of his staff with surprising force. If Darian’s shield hadn’t arrived to block it, he’d have been skewered to the floor. But as the lich raised his arm for another strike, Darian rolled away and raised his palm, fire sprouting out to blast the lich in the face.
An attack that would deal nearly no damage, but he didn’t need it for that. With the fire flashing in the lich’s face, Darian mentally pulled on the blood that had pooled beneath him, more crimson daggers stabbing at the monster’s exposed body. Then he rose on his good leg, each puncture in his body crying out, his muscles nearly failing him.
His fist smashed into Calhaven’s jaw, bone cracking beneath his knuckles. Then he ducked back from a slash, a left hook smashing the arch lich in the ribs in retaliation. Calhaven swung his staff next, electricity crackling from the tip. Darian tried to back away, but his bad leg was slowing him down. Instead, he took the electrified staff on the arm. His flesh sizzled beneath it, rabid agony exploding throughout his whole body. But he would not let the lich escape.
Darian grabbed the staff with one hand and pummeled the lich with the other. One, two, three punches and the monster’s face had become a ruin. He kicked him in the shin, snapping something and sending the lich to one knee. With him lowered, he grabbed the back of the monster’s head with his free hand and kneed him in the face. Before he could deliver another blow, a figure appeared beside him.
He heard the rattle and swoosh of a rusty blade, then he was pressed against the wall, his shoulder torn wide open. His arms pressed against the bone knight that pinned him, but it was as if all his strength had been snuffed out.
----------------------------------------
Limit Break: 0:00
----------------------------------------
His legs kicked out, his boots thudding harmlessly against the knight’s armor. He clawed at its arm, but the beast had him pressed tight. Then he watched as Calhaven rose, darkness swirling around him. The cracks and fissures in his face clicked and shifted, all signs of damage fading in mere moments.
“Good effort, puppet. Even if it was wasted.” The Soul of Domination flashed, whispers clawing into Darian’s thoughts.
He was bleeding, cut open and gashed, spears of bone jutting from him like a dozen enemy flags. He was the weakest he’d ever felt, and the edges of his vision began to darken, the world narrowed to a tunnel. Blood pounded in his head, life trickling out of him little by little.
The death knight that had him pressed into the wall faltered, a blurred shape striking it from behind. And as soon as the pressure left him, Darian fell to the ground. He crawled, not sure where he was headed. But then his fingers brushed the steel edge of his sword, and some of the clouds over his mind cleared.
A gargantuan bone golem was beside him, its claws rending wave after wave of lesser skeletons. The death knight that’d been pinning Darian was in pieces, Calhaven already at work summoning another. With his attention elsewhere, the artifacts hold on Darian’s mind lifted enough for him to stand.
He retrieved his sword, the haze clearing enough for him to realize the bone golem was Alistair’s unique summon. It was about twice the size of a normal variant, with attacks that carried immense strength. Even the other bone golems were defenseless against it.
A bolt of dark energy zipped across the battlefield, striking Darian in the chest. His body crackled with the foul magic, his pain lessening as it invigorated him. I’ll have to thank the necromancer once this is over. His body was still far too weak to move quickly, but he marched toward the arch lich with violence in his heart.
He was hissing some kind of insult toward Alistair’s golem when he noticed Darian. The whispering came back in full force as he drew near, the voices piercing his brain like hot needles. The room, the sound and smell of battle, they all began to fade. He raised his sword, but the will to attack was replaced by a numbness that swallowed him.
Sleep.
Darian’s eyes felt so heavy. His feet shuffled forward. What had he been doing? It seemed important, but he couldn’t remember what it was.
Rest.
His sword slipped from his fingers.
No more pain. No more struggle.
The cold metal floor pressed onto his knees; the agony of existence purged from his body.
Welcome oblivion.
Only the light existed. Beautiful—a purple star in the void. It called to him with a thousand hushed voices. They wanted him to join them forever. To add his voices to theirs. And he wanted nothing more than to join them.
“No,” he said through gritted teeth.
Still with his eyes on the shining purple star, he used every ounce of will he had left to reach up and seize it. And as he squeezed the gem, the image of Calhaven appeared in the mirk, the world returning to focus.
The lich cursed, then slashed Darian across the stomach with his scythe. But he did not let go. If this artifact could control the undead, then that extended to the arch lich himself.
He pulled, ripping the gem from the staff. And with it in hand his thoughts slammed against the lich, demanding control. But the monster resisted, slicing across Darian’s hand, severing his fingers.
The Soul of Damnation fell, blood shrouding its brilliant shine. And as it tumbled, both Calhaven and Darian reached for it, their fate sealed by whoever seized it first.
***
Darian rose out of bed with a start, the bright morning sun outside hot against his cheek. His arms shot up to defend himself, but no flame consumed his flesh.
“What the hell?” He looked around, then froze.
He was back in his old bedroom.
“Darian?” A soft voice said from the door. “Are you alright?”
His mouth fell open, the voice sending hot barbs through his chest as tears formed in his eyes.
“Mom?”