Still staring at me with its hollow, empty eye sockets, the Revenant tilted its head slightly, as though pondering my existence. Then, in a voice that sounded like sandpaper being dragged over stone, it rasped, “Well, that was rude. Is this how you greet everyone, or do I hold the honor of being your exclusive target for unprovoked violence? It is not as though I have hurt anyone.”
He quickly amended his statement, "Well, perhaps a goblin or two, and admittedly this Nyxalith and her mate. But beyond that, I assure you, no one else has been disturbed."
Confused by his words at first, I realized that while he was killing the forest, I did not know why. It could very well be that it was just a part of his aura, and he lived nearby. Not only that, but I had not seen anything other than goblins that had been turned to zombies. So maybe he was a good undead creature that was performing some weird magic ritual in the middle of the forest, that was causing a lot of death to the surroundings.
Giving him a slightly incredulous look I responded, “I have to admit that this is the first time I have done that. That said, meeting an undead in the middle of the forest doing creepy magic on a caged-up animal does not look the greatest on your part. Why don’t we head back to the city, and we can get the guards involved and see what they have to say?”
The Revenant chuckled at my response, “Oh, there is no need for that. No harm done, as they say.” After finishing his sentence, he turned to the weird pitch-black ball sitting in the cage. “Do you know anything about Necromancy? Most assume that it is only about raising the dead. However, there is much more that can be done with it. Take the Nyxalith here for example. I have used a spell that will make it as though it is just being born.”
Curious about why the Revenant was sharing all this, I straightened up and cautiously moved closer to the strange ball-like egg. Its dark, swirling surface radiated an ominous energy that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "Why would you do that? Does it hurt it?" I asked, my voice a mix of suspicion and genuine curiosity, unable to pull my gaze away from the eerie object.
“Curiosity mostly, and no it does not hurt, though I also wanted to see what would happen if I flooded a creature that had a very small amount of affinity to the void, with more void.” He responded in the same raspy and scratchy tone he had been using. “Most creatures cannot survive with void mana running through them. The only thing left it needs is time. Time to finish its incubation.”
The moment he finished speaking, Ravros unleashed a swirling ball of greyish, blackish death energy, hurling it toward me with devastating intent. Unfortunately for him, I had anticipated such a move. As he turned to aim, I used Arcane Step, vanishing in an instant and reappearing silently on the cage behind him. With precise timing, I swung the edge of my Arcane Armor-covered shield toward the back of his head, the energy humming with power as it cut through the air.
Ravros was no fool. A shield of death energy encased him, effectively countering the waves of Arcane Surge I had been unleashing since the beginning of the fight. As I disappeared, he rolled forward with practiced agility, evading my attack. Reacting quickly, I used Arcane Step to reappear directly above him, timing my descent to catch him mid-movement. I used Arcane Manipulation, crafting sharp tendrils of energy aimed at piercing his death shield, while channeling Arcane Detonation to shatter his defenses in one explosive strike, hoping to end this clash swiftly.
Instead of landing the blow, a powerful blast wave erupted from Ravros, sending me hurtling backward and shattering my Arcane Armor in an instant. The force of the attack left me momentarily stunned, my mind racing to understand how he had broken through so easily. Then it clicked—he was doing the same as me, radiating waves of invisible, yet palpable death energy. The realization added a sense of urgency as I hastily reapplied Arcane Armor, my gaze locking onto Ravros, who now appeared slightly out of breath, his chest heaving despite his undead nature.
“My, I haven’t had to fight this hard in quite some time,” Ravros rasped, his voice a sinister blend of amusement and malice. “You have an interesting talent there. When I kill you, I’ll ensure you return exactly as you are—just with unwavering loyalty to me.” His gruesome chuckle echoed, carrying the weight of his dark intentions.
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Knowing that he couldn’t see my face, I cocked my head to the side, letting the moment linger just a bit longer. "You talk like you’ve already won," I said, my tone light and teasing. "But let’s not forget, you’re the one gasping for air. Aren’t you undead? Care to explain why you even need to breathe?"
Surprisingly, he actually started to respond, his raspy voice beginning another taunt, he was probably the type to monologue his evil plans. Seizing the moment, I used Arcane Step to reappear directly in front of him. Expecting me to strike from above, he instinctively looked up—leaving himself wide open. I drove an uppercut into his stomach with all my strength, the pointed edge of my Arcane Armor-covered shield piercing deep into his abdomen. Arcane Detonation triggered, unleashing an explosion that erupted from inside his chest, sending shockwaves reverberating through his chest.
The force of the explosion hurled Ravros across the battlefield, his body crumpling as black blood poured from the gaping wound in his stomach. For a moment, I stood frozen, stunned by the realization that my attack had bypassed his shield entirely. My mind raced to piece together how I had managed to break through a defense that had seemed impenetrable only moments before. That was when I realized that Arcane Surge had worn his shield down, giving me the opportunity to strike.
Ravros laughed once again, “Good, I am glad that you are making this fun. I will need someone like you in the future. Kneel now, and I will make you transition too undead painless. If you do not, I will make your loved ones suffer, for years.”
I smirked, leveling my gaze at Ravros. "Thanks for the offer, but I’m gonna have to pass. I’m not really into the whole 'rotting corpse' aesthetic. And as for threats—come up with something original. I’ve heard better from tavern drunks."
This time it was my turn to chuckle before using Arcane Step twice in a row. First to appear in front of him and start swinging once again, the moment he went to block I stepped again, appearing behind him and hitting his spine launching him to slam into the cage. His spine broke making him slide down the front of the cage using just his arms to try and stop his fall.
Walking slowly toward him, I conjured a spear using Arcane Manipulation, its shimmering form radiating power as I prepared to deliver the final blow. Just as I was about to strike, Ravros was suddenly engulfed in a swirling greyish light that seemed to pulse with unnatural energy. I stepped forward, thrusting the spear toward where his head had been, but it passed through empty air, meeting no resistance. The sensation was disorienting, as if the light had swallowed him whole and erased his presence entirely.
Taking a cautious step back, I kept my eyes locked on the swirling light, waiting for it to fade. When it finally blinked out, Ravros stood in the exact same spot, his form now pristine—no wounds, no blood, nothing to suggest he had just been on the verge of defeat. With an exasperated sigh, I shook my head, my mind racing to adjust to this new development. Taking another step back, I muttered under my breath, "Great, this fight just got even more irritating.
Let me guess, you can do that whenever you want?” I asked resigned to the fact that this was going to be an annoying fight.
With a chuckle that sounded more like him wheezing out a laugh, he responded, “Yes, I can. Do you wish to kneel now?”
“I’ll make your face kneel!” Look, I completely understand that what I said does not make any sense. It wasn’t supposed to. I find that if you say random things that don’t make sense it takes a second for the person to process what was said and understand that either you are an idiot or you were trying to confuse them. Especially the ones who like to talk in a fight.
“Wha—” before he had a chance to respond I pounced at him hitting him back into the cage. With his back pushed against the cage I gave him an uppercut into his chin and then as quickly as I was able, I did an overhanded punch. Swing the edge of my shield toward his neck. While I was doing that, I was using all my concentration on creating a razor-sharp edge with Arcane Manipulation and having the edge of my shield covered with Arcane Armor.
Once again, a violent explosion of death mana erupted, slamming into me like a tidal wave and sending me tumbling end over end. The world blurred into a chaotic swirl of motion until my back collided with the unforgiving base of a tree, knocking the breath from my lungs. My focus on crafting a razor-sharp edge had consumed me so completely that I had failed to notice the slow, ominous shuffle of zombies converging on my position. Their movements eerily synchronized as they crept closer, tightening the noose around me with every step.
Realizing that my window of opportunity was rapidly closing, the gravity of the situation hit me like a hammer. The zombies were converging, their synchronized shuffle growing louder with each passing second, and Ravros, relentless as ever, was preparing his next deadly spell. My mind raced, searching for a way to break free of this encroaching nightmare before I was overwhelmed. Every step of the undead felt like a ticking clock, each second dragging me closer to a battle I couldn’t win. I needed a plan—and fast.