Calista pulled her blade free of the giant’s neck and wiped the blood on his hauberk. The giant’s flaming hair still burned, leaving scorch marks against the stone as burning blood sent smoke trails into the air. However, before she thought to loot the body, an explosion shook the room and she turned. Above, two robed figures were dancing in the air as electricity, fire, and ice flew between them. Lefty! That brave idiot is fighting Severin one on one.

She raced across the first level as she made for the nearest stairway. A troll, his hair and clothing ablaze, met her halfway up the steps. However, this time her foe did not see through her invisibility and so she sliced his belly open and left him screaming as he rolled down the steps. Halfway across the second level, she ran into two more trolls. Still invisible, she stabbed the first through the chest before she got behind the second and sliced his throat.

Then it was up the stairs to the third level. Bobbing and weaving between petrified trolls, she sent four more trolls to their maker before she finally reached the black building. Then another explosion shook the air as a streak of blue came falling out of the air. Lefty had lost.

The wounded mage landed and rolled to a stop next to the body of the dragon. Calista, knowing Severin could still see through her invisibility, stepped deftly behind the black building as she heard the archmage’s robes flutter to a stop on the other side. His bootsteps echoed against the cavern walls as he walked slowly toward the downed mage. Calista, moving quickly but silently, made her way to the corner of the building where she looked out to see if Lefty was still breathing. His body lay still, but she could see his back rise and fall. Her friend was alive.

Holding the Emberblade, she waited. Clop, clop, clop went Severin’s boots. He always was the dramatic one, she mused as she watched for him to come into view. Finally, black robes fluttering, Severin stepped out from the other side of the black building. Twenty meters away lay Lefty and the dead dragon. Severin drew back his hood. His eyes gleamed as he smirked and cracked his knuckles.

“Punching a little above your weight class, aren’t you? I didn’t think you, of all people, would have the stones to face me one on one. But I have to hand it to you, you lasted a lot longer than I thought you would. That wall of ice was a nice little trick, but here we are, aren’t we?” Severin then took another step forward and stopped. “You’re probably thinking to yourself, ‘Where’s Calista?’ Well, I’m pretty sure she has her hands full right now. But don’t you worry, I’ll see to her in a little bit.”

Calista held her breath as she waited for Severin to move again. She needed him to be a little bit further so she could approach without being seen. Severin, however, seemed too intent on enjoying himself as he stood there chuckling at the bodies of his two fallen foes.

“You know, this really shouldn’t be as funny as it is, but I just can’t help myself. The two of you sneak into my dungeon, get my new girlfriend to turn on me, then she brings a whole-ass dragon with her in an attempt to kill me with the very same overpowered player character I gave her, and then finally all four of you gang up on me all at once and you still can’t beat me. Ha!”

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Just a few more steps you gloating asshole. Her knuckles were white as they gripped the hilt of her Emberblade. She didn’t know that her [backstab] would be enough to kill him in one blow, but she also knew this was her best shot at taking him out.

Severin took another step and then lowered himself to a squat. “And here’s another thing. Just what did you say to Narene that made her so hot and bothered anyway? I mean, what should she care if I hang out with another woman from time to time? It’s all just playing around anyhow. She should have realized she was lucky to be with me in the first place. Both of them should have.” The arch-mage then shook his head. “Women. What can I say? Can’t live without them, but if you live with them, they gang up and try to kill you.”

He drew himself back up and adjusted his robes. Looking down, he muttered a few words as his hands lit up in black flame. “Well … I guess this is it buddy. Sorry, you got caught up in the wrong …”

As Severin prepared his spell, Calista took one step but then she saw the dragon open her eyes. Vevic’s alive! She froze, waiting to see what would happen. Severin, in the middle of his spell, recognized the danger too late. With unnatural speed, the wyrm’s head shot forward and snapped its jaws. Severin, caught off guard, fell backward, twisting as he flailed his arms. But the dragon was too fast as Vevic shot forward and closed her jaws around her target’s forearm. In an instant, Severin’s arm was reduced to a bloody stump.

Severin screamed as he crawled across the floor. Behind him, the dragon began to drag her bulk forward with her foreclaws, her maw drawn back in an evil grin.

This is my chance! However, again before she could move, Severin floated up off the ground and into the air as downed a potion he had drawn from his cloak. Then, turning around, he aimed his good hand at the ground around the dragon as the floor broke apart into two great stone arms that wrapped themselves around the dragon and pinned her to the ground.

Dammit. Screw this. She needed to take matters into her own hands. She took off the other way, back around the building. Selecting her grappling hook and rope from her inventory, she tossed the hook at the top of the black building, pulled it firm, and began to climb. As she crept atop the roof, she could see her ex’s avatar floating only a few feet from the far ledge.

“I have to admit, not bad for a last trick,” Severin said. “However, I really do need to be going. My large friend might need help with my ex-fiance.”

A few feet from the ledge, she sped up her pace, readying herself to jump. Just then, she saw Lefty lean out over the dragon’s neck as he fired a lightning bolt right at Severin’s head. The arch-mage easily deflected it with a counterspell. As the electricity bounced harmlessly off the cavern’s walls, the arch-mage gave Lefty a frown.

“You know, you really do need to know when you’re …”

He must have seen her out of the corner of his eye because he turned his head. But this time, he was too little, too late. Calista was already on him. The point of her blade struck first as it passed clean through his neck and her momentum buried the sword to its hilt.

“You can’t …” but the words died in Severin’s throat as they collided and fell.

When they hit the ground, Calista felt the point of her Emberblade bury itself into the stone. She had to brace her foot against the ground to pull it free. When finally she was able to examine the body of her ex, his eyes had gone cold. Severin was dead.