Mark was left hanging as no magical ball flew out of his hand this time. Closing his eyes to block out the visual sight of charred bodies, some still moving, Mark tried again.

The stone floor below Mark’s feet wiggled, and Mark quickly stepped back. Suddenly, a hole appeared, centered on Jax. A circle of disappearing stone quickly widened. pulling Jax and a couple of rugs down into the open room below.

Off balance as he tried moving back, Mark tripped as the stone under his feet disappeared. He managed to throw the fireball out and it flew down the hallway as he fell down.

Mark managed to hang onto the floor as it expanded so his feet were beneath him as he fell. Landing on both feet with a loud groan, he quickly stepped off the lumpy rug before it moved. A groaning Jax rose from the floor, casting the rug off like an impractical blanket.

Glancing around, Mark saw that the room was well-lit, with sconces all around. He saw several guards standing behind a tall, blond-haired man. The tall man looked at Jax's rising figure and spoke.

“Good Paladin, I am the King of these lands, and my word is law. Your friends are trying to kill me; step aside so I can carry out my judgment on them.” The King waved his hand in a dismissing manner toward Jax. Behind him, the guards started fanning around, making a large circle. He brought his right hand back around to point at Mark.

Thump! Thump!

Two more people fell from above. The subsequent groans let him know the two who just fell were Reggie and Henderson. Mark looked up. The hole in the floor was impressive, easily double what he could have done with that spell. He couldn’t see Todd anywhere. Carefully stepping away from the King, Mark reached a hand back to get it far enough away to create a wall of magic.

“No, I will not stand down. I refute your…” Jax’s reply was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a magical ball of force flying from the king’s hand. The ball knocked Jax off his feet and hurled him into Mark.

Mark tried to brace himself, but he got scared by the amount of armor Jax was wearing and tried to step to his left side.Jax slammed into Mark, hitting him high on the right shoulder, throwing them both backward before Jax slid down to the ground. His armor scraped along Mark’s clothing, and the pauldron caught on the crossbow bolt still stuck in Mark’s shoulder.

Jax and Mark lay on the cold stone floor for a few seconds. Mark was barely able to muster the strength to sit up. He reached over and shook Jax, but his friend didn’t make a motion.

“Fuuuuuck!” Mark shouted as he shook harder and gathered mana.

Another familiar voice spoke up behind Mark, “If you’re so good and righteous,” Reggie said before a feeling of good and warmth filled the area. Jax started moving a little after the wave washed out over them.

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The king Bartolo took a few steps back, but the wave quickly passed through him. His skin almost seemed to wither, pulling tight and thinning, and some of his hair fell out. His haughty, arrogant look of satisfaction turned into a sneer.

The wave rolled out beyond, hitting some of the soldiers around the group. Several of them were left with open eyes and mouths as they took a step back. A couple of others sneered as they took several steps forward.

“Kill them!” the king yelled.

“This is gonna hurt for a second,” Jax said into Mark’s ear as he reached up and ripped the bolt from Mark’s shoulder.

Before Mark could scream in pain, the incredible healing quickly replaced the blood and pain. He was left panting as his friend casually threw the bolt to the ground before stepping between Mark and the King.

“Foul undead beast, surrender, and I’ll send you swiftly to hell,” Jax said. His words reverberated through the room.

“Undead? Ha, I’ve killed each of you at least a dozen times. You’re the ones who are undead.” Bartolo the king said.

Jax ran toward the king, his warhammer arcing as he swung.

Mark spotted that most guards around them had taken at least a couple of steps back. A third had taken a dozen steps back, but their weapons were still up. Mark briefly prayed for forgiveness for what he was about to do.

Mark aimed the fireball toward the largest section of guards that only took a step or two back. The ball of fire hit a point between the two and exploded, throwing four flaming bodies to the ground.

“Four down, twenty to go,” Mark said.

Nearby, Jax connected with his warhammer on the King’s shoulder. Armor crumbled under the weight of the blow, but the king did not stagger. He sneered at Jax, and another glowing blue orb appeared, exploding against Jax's chest.

Jax stumbled backward, but this time, was braced for the attack. He swung his warhammer again, clipping a hand, crushing one of the king’s fingers.

“Ha, each time I fight you, it seems you get dumber,” The king said with a laugh. He held up the hand with the crushed finger, and it straightened out. He closed his hand in a fist and swung at Jax.

Sluggishly, Jax tried to move out of the way but could not avoid getting hit. The King struck Jax on the side of the face. Jax went to a knee but managed to bring his warhammer up to block any subsequent attack.

Mark grabbed the collar of Jax’s armor and pulled him back. His friend collapsed behind him, unresponsive. The king swung his hand, a dagger appearing out of nowhere as he slashed the air where Jax had been. Stepping around Jax, Mark dove forward to try and managed to grab the King’s arm.

The rush of exquisite healing energy Mark expected never came. The feeling of oil coating his hand and slowly crawling up his veins until it reached his shoulder made him feel sick. Mark spat out a mouthful of bile and then gulped back the rest of his stomach. He tried to pull back his arm, but The King grabbed Mark’s arm as he fought with the nausea.

“Silly boy, didn’t your teacher ever teach you,” The King smiled and gripped Mark tighter. “Don’t play with dead things.”

Mark’s heart skipped a beat, and he started feeling weak and shaky. He collapsed to the floor as his legs could no longer support him. Above him, the king laughed and licked his lips.

A pair of feet, followed by legs, and a flying figure in armor flew over Mark. The feet connected with the king, throwing him thirty feet back.

Like a pig thrown through the air, Todd landed with no grace. A cry of pain as he hit the floor next to Mark.

“Let’s finish this and go home,” Todd said as he leaped to his feet. He reached a hand down to help Mark up.

Mark stood up and pointed a finger at the quickly advancing king. Not wanting to hit them with the spell, Mark aimed it on the floor behind the king’s right side. The king saw Mark’s hand pointed at him and dove to the ground.

Mark’s world exploded in light and fire. He briefly felt the explosion tear apart his skin as the fire burned everything else. The world went dark.