Jorg jumped onto the clearing, rushing towards the female mage. With a quick gesture, he produced a shield out of his inventory, just in time to block the torrent of flames that surged his way. Jorg hit the female with the edge of his shield, caving in her chest. She coughed up blood and tumbled backwards. The campfire’s flames danced as wind blew through them. The male mage’s hood got blown off. The lights and shadows of the campfire wandered over the male mage’s face, highlighting his feeblish face and unhealthy skin color. Jorg roared and stepped up to the mage, shield raised. The mage touched his head and conjured a human skull out of thin air. He threw it at the ground before Jorg. He motioned with his hand, and the skull was pushed underground, out of sight. 

While Jorg distracted the male mage, Larry had ran up to the female. She was heaving herself up, blood dripping from her mouth. Larry kicked her in the face and she fell backwards. He quickly took the metal pipe out of his inventory, the last item he had left from his fight with the beast, and walked up to her. What was he going to do now? Killing her seemed like the wrong thing to do.

She chuckled, the light of the fire reflecting of her bloody teeth. She smiled at Larry.

“Kill me, you worm,” she said, pointing to her face “Or I’ll bite of your nose.”

“Crazy bitch,” Larry said, but the mage just laughed.

“I’ll show you how crazy I really am.” she said. She tried to wipe the blood of her mouth, but only smeared it across her cheeks. She laughed again. “You really should not have let me touch my head like that. That’s a rookie mistake.”

Larry realized his mistake and swung the pipe at her hand, but it was already too late. She summoned an object out of her inventory. A potion fell into her hand. Larry reacted right away, swinging his metal pipe at her hand, and broke the vial she held. The pipe crushed her fingers and the vial, and a clear liquid ran down her arm. The fluid burned her, melting through her skin. She twisted, her screams intermingled with howls of laughter. Her sweat drenched hair fell over her face. She raised her healthy hand.

“Devil's Fire!” she screamed.

Larry jumped to his left, the fire exploding just past his right side, where his arm would have been, if he still had it. The woman stood up. Smoke rose from her acid-burned hand. Larry could see the sweat running across her face, and the way her eyes moved slower than before, unconsciousness only moments away. Again, she pointed at Larry. But this time she didn’t use magic. She spoke, her voice trembling.

“You are already dead,” she said “You just don’t know it yet.”

“Believe me,” Larry said. “I’m fully aware that I’m in the afterlife.”

She laughed.

“Devil’s Fire!”

Larry jumped again, but this time forward, half of his body submerged in the flames. He felt the fire burn his right side, but he didn’t care anymore. He had to act, or he would die. The fire torrent stopped, and Larry stood before the mage. Her eyes widened at the site of someone who would willingly jump into her attack like that. Larry swung the pipe, hitting her right at the head. She fell, her body hitting the floor like a cut down tree. Larry watched her a few moments, wondering if she was dead. But she came back to consciousness, taking in a sharp breath. She arched her back in pain, her head pressed against the group, heavy breaths escaping her lungs. She looked up to Larry.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“You have no idea what you are doing,” she said, biting into her own hand. She screamed, the sound muffled from her flesh. She let go of her hand, smirking at Larry. “I gain power from my pain,” she laughed.

Larry walked up to her, the metal pipe raised.

“So do I,” he said, and swung.  

Larry turned around. Jorg was still fighting with the male mage, who had somehow managed to hold of Jorg’s powerful attacks. At some point, Jorg had taken a warhammer out of his inventory. Jorg wielded the giant hammer like a toy, holding it in one hand, were others would have failed to lift it with both. As the hammer rushed towards the mage, the puny man took a step forward, his arms stretched to out to his sides.

“Barrier!” the mage screamed, his voice raspy.

Jorg’s hammer bounced back off an invisible wall. Only a quick flicker of blue light revealed were the barrier had been. Using the opening in Jorg’s defense, the mage took another step forward, his hand trying to reach Jorg’s chest. Jorg hastily moved his shield between him and the mage.

“Crushed Bones!” the mage said, and Larry could hear the bones in Jorg’s shield arm splinter, even though they should have been protected by the shield. Jorg howled, but raised his hammer again, preparing to attack. But the mage jumped backwards, away from the hammer. He whirled his arms, drawing invisible symbols in the air. Jorg ran at him, but the mage touched his head, summoning a flask out of his inventory, he threw it at the ground before him, and a wall of flames shot towards the sky. Jorg backed off.

The mage put his hood back on, and raised his arms into the sky.

“It is time,” he said. “From your grave I call you, Knight of Bones!”

The earth rumbled. Larry saw the ground crack open where the mage had buried the skull earlier. A green light shone from the crack, and whispers filled the air. Slowly, a skeleton climbed out of the crack. Its eyes were glowing green, and a robe as black as the night itself hung from its shoulders. The skeleton twisted, and its bones grow outwards, forming an armor around itself. A blade made out of white bone expanded out of its hand.

Larry threw a glance towards Jorg. The man was was panting heavily, and his shield arm hung uselessly from his shoulder. Larry gripped his metal pipe harder.

“I’ll take care of it,” Larry shouted towards Jorg.

Jorg simply nodded, and turned back to the mage.

Larry felt the side of his face throb. The flames of the female mage had burned the entire upper right part of his body. When his arm had been blown off, it happened so fast he had barely been able to register the pain. This time, his skin felt like someone was violently stabbing barbed needles into it. And the worst part, it smelled. The pain pulled at his mind, and Larry wished he could just give up and fall unconscious. But he had promised himself that in this life he would act. He would be not a bystander anymore.

The moonlight reflected off the Bone Knight’s sword, giving it a silver glow. Larry smiled, and looked at his metal pipe.

“Time to switch weapons,” he said, and charged at the knight.

----

Mattlean relaxed in his study chair. He browsed through writings of unimaginable magical power. Generation of mages had spend their life to collect these scrolls and books. Blood and soul had been poured to achieve this knowledge of the highest order. Mattlean yawned. But to him, it was nothing new.

“I’m deeply sorry, master Mattlean,” the servant of Mattlean's library said. “I should have known that someone as formidable as you has already grasped such lowly information on his own. I will remove it immediately, if you so allow.”

“Do as you wish,” Mattlean answered the servant, waving his hand in dismissal.

Mattlean watched the servant remove the things. It was true. Mattlean was a one in a kind genius. A magical talent that would only be found once every hundred years or so. But that was no excuse to be such a kiss-ass to him. After all, compared to his father, he was nothing.

The servant left the room. Many years ago, that same servant had come to him, and asked him for work so he could feed his baby sister. Mattlean wondered how that girl was doing now. She must be around the same age as his own daughter. Tomorrow Mattlean would give the servant double his usual pay. He deserved it.

Mattlean closed his eyes and smiled. He couldn’t wait until his daughter returned. He had so much to teach her yet.