He waited patiently as the scuffing of metal boots grew closer, hiding in a cut out section of the wall covered by a stone slab. He had fashioned himself a small shelter to lie in ambush in. The sounds became close enough that he could hear the clacking of the mage's jaw as it tried to form words but failed.
He held his breath as they turned the corner and the [Skeletal Guards] moved passed him. He let them go, his first priority being to take out the new undead that he had yet to discover all the abilities of. He knew he could deal with the armour skeletons, but the one that threw those powerful fireballs was a different problem. If it could do anything else as well as that then it would be a very real threat to his life. He [Analyzed] it through a small gap he left for that exact purpose, and brought up it's information.
[Unknown Skeletal Mage, Level 12]
[190/190]
It had a surprisingly low amount of Health for such a high Level undead, being a full hundred lower than a [Skeletal Guard] of the same Level. Though, he supposed that it could be considered high considering 190 points of HP meant 19 in its Vitality Attribute and he already knew that undead started with much lower base stats than him. To get to this point it would've had to dedicate 2 or more whole Levels worth of Free Attribute Points into the stat since he knew that it didn't have any HP boosting Titles, or any Titles at all, since none had shown up when he [Analyzed] it. Wanting more information, Liam focused on its type and brought up what his Undead Lore could tell him.
[Skeletal Mage
Undead Lore II: Evolved Skeletons that have given up their ability to create [Bone Armaments] to instead generate energy they can use in very basic spells. They still retain the knowledge of how to cast any simple spells they did in life, but may be limited in what they can do by the type of energy they produce. Their animation draws from a pool of magic that sustains their whole being, and as such they have no critical points but are instead slain if enough damage accumulates everywhere. They may be able to recover this pool if the energy that they generate is compatible with it.
Experience: This undead uses powerful fire spells
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Threat: Moderate (High when it is guarded from approach)]
Seeing that affirmed his decision to take it out first. If he didn't have a way to ambush it then it would've been the first High Threat enemy he faced. He wasn't ready to take that risk when it could be avoided, so he put his plan into action.
With a burst of power, his body uncoiled and he shot through the exit of his shelter. The slab was thrown at the backs of the [Skeletal Guards], hoping to keep them out of this fight for even a moment longer. His axe flashed and he landed a heavy uppercut with it as he stood from his crouching position. Fire bloomed into existence, but the flames didn't seem to burn the mage. Still, the damage was done and it was sent reeling back with chunks of bone flying out of it from where the axe had passed. Liam went for a second blow but the thing's reactions were unaturally fast. The end of its staff glowed with a crimson light and a stream of fire was launched towards him from it.
He had to abandon his attack and place his weapon between him and the staff to try and block some of the onslaught. What little had regenerated of his shield burnt away from the heat alone and the stream crashed against his axe and tried to go around it. It curled around the bone to get at him, but then something strange happened. The fire was rapidly weakening and dying down. He was still burned, but instead of being hit by a deadly torrent he was only licked by a few tongues of flame. The assault ceased and his axe, glowing with barely contained power, practically leapt towards his foe.
It made contact with the creature and the explosion that followed threw Liam back into the wall. He hit his head as it snapped backwards and he stumbled when he landed back on his feet. He recovered and looked about, trying to get his bearings, and was surprised to find that the mage's body had been scattered down the length of the part of the passageway they were in, with some of its bones even embedded in the floor and walls from how hard they were flung into them. The glow in his axe had subsided by half and, after processing for a second, he turned towards the remaining enemies with a hungry grin.
He set upon them with a vengeance, his blows the most powerful they had ever been besides the one just prior to this. He longed to use his [Spirit of Death] in conjunction with this, just to see the damage he could cause, but his nearly empty Lifeforce pool wouldn't let him.
He didn't use any tactics or strategies, just rushing towards them and hitting them again and again and again until they crumbled. The glow faded slower when it struck the armour, absorbing most of the flames that spilled out of the Hearthsteel to fuel his flurry of blows. It wasn't long until the [Skeletal Guards] too were just metal and bones on the floor.
When the adrenaline wore off, the aches and pains from being flung about and burned made themselves known, but they were nothing compared to the sense of power that flowed through him. He had bulldozed his way through that latest threat and discovered a new facet of his axe's abilities. The way he was feeling right now, he felt that he could take on the world.
Then, a roar echoes down the passageway and he was shaken out of delusions of grandeur. He quickly set about absorbing his fallen foes and grabbing the mage's bone staff before retreating to his makeshift shelter. That roar had been closed and he just hoped the stone slab he covered the hole with was enough to trick what was coming.