He reached his enemy and swung down with a savage overhead blow, intent on splitting the Lich's skull in two and ending this whole nightmare. It landed, but a crimson glow emanated from the bone he struck and his axe was rebuffed. The Undead's eyes blazed with malice as they bore into him. Its hands pressed against his chest and a red rune was drawn before he could react. He struck again as it tried to retreat, breaking through the weaker glow that appeared to leave a thin crack on the bone.
He made to follow the necromancer but was stopped when the sigil just inscribed on him lit up and didn't stop growing brighter. Acting quick, he brought his axe down and chopped the part of his flesh it was attached to off. Shadowy substance filled the wound after it was cauterized and he flicked his weapon to throw the rune as far as he could away from him. Unfortunately, the brightness reached its maximum just a meter away from him and it exploded in a blinding flash of fire the disintegrated the part of him it was attached to and spread rapidly towards him. He leapt backwards and rode the wave of fire as it washed over him, subjecting himself to the scorching flames for longer in order to escape most of its conclusive force. Better his body better scorched than his organs mush.
Unfortunately, this put him quite far away from the Lich and at the last dregs of his Power as yet more Lifeforce slipped out of him. He had only 2 points left, enough to get him another minute on top of the one he had just bought. It wouldn't be enough. He looked towards the retreating form of the Necromancer, still putting distance between them even as it prepared its next barrage. There was no way he was closing the gap in the time he had left, not even with the Lich's flagging resources. He was nearing the end of what he could give, so he decided to put what he had left into one final gambit.
He gripped his axe with both hands and planted his feet firmly on the ground, ignoring the variety of flaming attacks coming his way. They would put him on deaths door, but he was dead if he didn't do this anyway. He then began to rotate on the spot, using his enhanced Dexterity to replicate what he had seen the hammer throwers doing at the Olympics. Once, then twice he span round, the spells that splashed against his body only adding to his momentum. Black crystal condensed around the blade as he channelled his entire [Spirit of Death] into it, including any merged with his non-essential parts. Then, finally, he let it fly towards his enemy in the distance, propelled by all his Strength and momentum. He collapsed to the ground as it left his hands, having put the rest of his Merged Spirit into the axe.
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"Fly true."
He commanded it with the last dregs of his strength before he was left completely vulnerable and defenseless in a room full of creatures that wanted him dead.
The crystal surrounding his weapon warped and changed shape as it flew through the air, the mist from his last infusion forming around it. The front elongated into a pointed beak whilst the rest of the crystal slimmed into a body and the mist rose up to become wings. They propelled it further and faster forwards, hunting their target with murderous intent. Finally, two red eyes formed, burning with the fires contained within the weapon, and it's transformation was complete. With a loud caw, the crow pursued the Necromancer as it tried to dive to the side, it's beak aimed right for its skull.
Flame barriers appeared in its way, but they simply blinked out of existence as they touched the crystalline construct. Fire energy was syphoned from around the room and packed into the already stuffed body of the crow, increasing its destructive potential. In a last ditch effort, several sickly green flames burst from the Lich's hands, trying to corrupt the axe before it could reach its target. It was useless, however, as it manoeuvred in the air to avoid most of them and blocked the last with its wing.
Then, it was upon the Phyris Mage. Its skull glowed red, but it was faint after Liam's last two strikes had depleted it. It faded as quickly as it came and the crow's beak pierced through its skull. Cracks and fractures spread through the bone, but it stayed in one piece for now. The blue flames in its eyes dimmed as the beak pierced the one sustaining it but it maintained enough of its consciousness to reach up and grab at the construct. Before its hands could even touch the bird, it lost its chance to as the crystal burst. The shards exploded around the room, piercing into anything they hit and robbing any skeletons or shades they hit of their un-lives, but even with that not being enough to finish off the Lich, it wasn't over yet.
Free from their crystal prison, the torrential of energies contained within were no longer bound. Instead, they were free to wreak as much havoc as they wished. Gently directed by the Will of Liam's [Spirit of Death], they leapt upon the Necromancer's skeletal body and began to consume it. The fire resistant bones started to melt from the sheer intensity of the heat, and the force of it all shattered what didn't turn to molten slag. The area around it was ravage beyond recognition, forming a crater in the otherwise even stone floor where what was left of the Lich pooled. His axe was embedded in the centre of it, drinking the molten bone as it lapped against it.
He pushed the last of his Lifeforce into his [Spirit of Death] and used the resulting mist to reinforce his spine and stand. He shambled over to his axe before any of the remaining undead could go for him whilst he was defenceless. His movements felt awards without the weapon in hand and he only felt right again once he grabbed it. Then, looking around, he realised that with their master's demise they had collapsed or dissipated, unable to maintain their un-life without their connection to the Lich.
Standing in the empty catacombs he realised, he had won.