Karl was furiously studying the circle of runes around the chairs and etched into the wood. Nameless, Elora and Zel chased the final wraith as it flitted around the chamber. Zel launched their fire magic as Nameless and Elora tried to slice it with their enchanted weapons. The shade moved quickly and would fade from view for short periods of time.

“Hey, you all have to keep it away from me!” Karl exclaimed as he dove away from the incorporeal undead that materialized near him with clawing hands.

“Focus on getting that door opened,” responded Elora. She slashed and missed with her sword, and the specter shimmered out of sight.

She stood near Karl, facing away from the chairs and waiting for the wraith to reappear. Nameless and Zel stood off to the side with their backs facing each other. The knight with his ax and Zel with their fire magic. None of them noticed that the undead in the chair had opened its eyes and was no longer burnt-looking. Its face twisted into a sneer as he saw the enchanter kneeling before it, studying the runes.

“Gah!” Karl cried and fell to the floor.

The outline of the door disappeared as the seated wraith launched from the chair toward the Ooraki. Both wraiths sensing a weakened prey, converged on the prone enchanter.

“Karl!” Elora shouted as she slashed with her sword at one of the wraiths.

The enchanted blade sliced through the creature’s neck, and its head floated in the air as its clawed hands grasped its throat. The wraith reappeared in the chair, its eyes closed and its head floating above its severed neck. The other wraith managed to dig its skeletal claws into a writhing Karl before fading out of sight.

Elora knelt beside her classmate as Nameless and Zel stood guard above them.

“He looks so pale! Is he going to be okay?” The elf exclaimed.

Karl moaned, his eyes closed, and he was shivering.

“His soul has been attacked. It is hard to say. I don’t know,” Zel said quietly.

“Elora, keep an eye on that one. The chairs act as the switch to the door, and it heals them,” Nameless ordered.

The elf gripped their weapons and scanned the room with eyes filled with worry and tears for her friend. Karl continued to moan and shiver on the ground clutching at his chest.

The wraith reappeared again, and Nameless chopped and missed as it flitted away. Zel threw blasts of fire, but the wraith faded away before the magic could connect with it.

“Zel, can you use your necromancy?” Asked Nameless.

The necromancer tilted their head and responded, “I am not sure. I am quite skilled, but I fear wraiths may be above my level of expertise.”

“Do something!” Elora cried.

Zel nodded, and the flames disappeared from their hands as they held their palms facing each other. A sphere of midnight energy had replaced the fire. A chill that was more than normal cold emanated outwards from Zel.

The room became quiet, and the second wraith reappeared a short distance away. Zel faced it and the midnight sphere of necromantic energy crackled with dark lightning. It didn’t launch at the undead, but the others knew a connection was made as the necromancer and the wraith locked gazes.

The wraith’s gaunt face snarled and grinned as Zel gasped and grabbed their head in pain. The wraith’s grin vanished as Nameless cut it in half with his ax. It joined the other specter in the second chair, and the door opened.

“I’m okay. Just give me a moment,” Zel rasped while motioning Nameless away.

Elora kneeled beside Karl, and she pleaded to Nameless, “can you do something?”

The knight placed his hands on the Ooraki and channeled his soul energy. A blue glow emitted outwards and covered the enchanter. Karl opened his eyes.

“Karl!” Elora exclaimed.

“I feel very weak, but I think I will be fine. My thanks,” the enchanter said with a nod to Nameless.

Zel was babbling to themself and cackling with glee.

“They overdid themself,” Elora observed.

“No, I did not! I learned so much! If only you knew what I now know!” Zel cried and pointed.

The others turned to see a heavy stone slab fall down and close off the stairwell. They had no choice now but to proceed further into the catacombs.

“What is happening?” Nameless asked.

Zel continued to laugh and pointed to the beating hearts within the chests of the two wraiths.

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“Put these two out of their misery. They have suffered enough. Stab their hearts,” the necromancer said.

“Misery? Who?” The knight asked.

“They are reforming,” Karl pointed out weakly.

The wraiths appeared to be healing as they sat in the chair. Not wanting to face them again, especially after what they had done to Karl, Elora gritted her teeth and stabbed her enchanted sword through the hearts. The wraiths let out a silent scream, and the elf would swear that she thought she saw them grin as they melted away. That was odd, she thought.

“Zel, can you tell us what is happening?” Nameless asked.

The necromancer had an uncontrolled fit of laughter and held up one pale hand to motion for the others to wait. They crouched and babbled to themself.

“I never saw it this bad. You think Zel overdid it this time?” Karl whispered to Elora.

Nameless nodded his head in understanding. The necromancer had pushed their magic too far. Magic is dangerous, and if a mage exceeds their ability, they risk madness. Zel was going mad, and the others had no choice but to watch.

“What can we do?” The knight asked.

“Nothing. We just pray that Zel is able to pull through,” answered Elora.

“If they don’t recover. We can offer an end to their misery,” offered Karl as he weakly raised his handaxe.

Elora opened her mouth in shock, and her eyes narrowed as she glared at the Ooraki.

“Don’t be so dramatic! You have little understanding of what I am capable of,” Zel said. Their voice was like the calm before a panther pounced.

Their relaxed tone was more unnerving than when the necromancer was erratic and laughing. Elora and Karl took a step back, and Nameless gripped his ax.

“Oh please, I have no reason to hurt you. Truthfully, I do not have the capability either. At least not yet,” Zel said.

The others stood where they were. Nameless, still holding his weapon.

“I was joking! I’m still the same Zel with the same dream of spreading the wonders of necromancy! Now stop being silly and pay attention,” the necromancer said and motioned with a quivering pale hand.

“They don’t appear to be tainted with the madness,” Karl whispered.

“What happens if they are?” Nameless ask.

Elora shrugged and replied, “they become gibbering lunatics or ….”

“Very dangerous,” Zel finished the elf’s sentence with a hiss.

They tensed, gripping their weapons, and then Zel laughed.

“Okay, that was a bad joke. I did brush up against the taint. I danced along the edge of madness! But I won! Now I am much stronger!” Zel cried, raising a fist in the air.

The others did not move but stood ready to fight.

Zel sighed and closed their eyes to breathe deeply. After several moments they looked up.

“I had connected with the wraith and saw into its horrible mind. These two were once named Sarah and Jason. Hedge mages from the countryside who traveled here to Tameal more than one hundred years ago with the hopes of enrolling in the famed Wizard’s University,” Zel began while motioning to the now vacant chairs.

Zel looked off in the distance as they recounted what they learned from when they had linked with the rageful spirit.

They continued, “Sarah and Jason dreamed of becoming adventurers. One of the favored of the gods, and to explore the world. To fight monsters and find powerful artifacts in ancient dungeons. But they were tricked by the maker of this catacomb. A wizard by the name of Sargus.”

Zel said the name with a curse. Nameless reattached his ax to his back, and the others visibly relaxed.

“Sargus made these catacombs? Why?” Elora asked.

“Not made, altered. Sargus did it to trick eager applicants to the university. He told them these catacombs housed the dead of former wizards, and it was a test. If the applicants passed, they were granted entry into the university. It was a lie, and he played upon the naive hopes of poor hedge mages!” Zel said harshly.

“To what end? Did he kill them? Turn them into those hideous wraiths?” Asked Karl.

Zel’s face lit up as they motioned to the chairs and replied, “now, that is a clever method. He tied them to chairs and ripped out their eyes and heart while they were still alive. Their horrific deaths caused their spirit energy to form into wraiths. Wraiths are not normally stable on this plane….”

“We don’t have time for a lesson in necromancy!” Nameless interrupted.

“Speak for yourself! Did Sargus enchant the chairs to bind the wraiths?” Karl asked his injuries to his soul forgotten as he kneeled to reexamine the runes.

“Yes!” Zel said, sharing their classmates’ excitement.

“That is horrible!” Elora stated.

“Can we focus on how we are to escape this death dungeon?” Nameless growled.

“To what purpose?” The elf asked, but the knight was ignored.

Zel shrugged, “I do not know. But I imagine if we travel deeper, we can uncover more answers.”

“For one thing. This Sargus was also a very skilled enchanter. Not only did he etch runes to bind the mages, but he also added a logical component that required the soul energy of the wraiths to trigger the door to unlock and the other door to close,” Karl said while tapping his chin in thought.

“It was a trap?” Nameless asked.

“I think so,” the enchanter replied.

Elora glanced at the opening, turned to Zel, and asked, “do you suppose there is a way to escape this dungeon?”

“Sarah thought so. She and Jason failed and paid the ultimate price,” the necromancer answered.

“At least we freed them,” Nameless stated.

Zel scoffed, “they were long dead. What we killed were residual remnants of negative energy that would have come after us if we did not destroy them.”

“But you were able to hear their stories,” the knight stated.

“Echoes of their memories. Like you said, I do not have time to give you a lesson on necromancy.”

“Do you think this dungeon leads to the university?” Elora asked.

“Only one way to find out,” Karl said and motioned toward the darkened opening.

“What can we expect?” Elora asked.

“Undead, I hope! So much more to learn. I already know how to create wraiths!” Zel cried with glee.

Elora and Karl looked on with horror. Nameless’s expression was impossible to read as he was just a great helm with narrow eye slits that ended in dark pits.

“I won’t, of course! The knowledge in itself is powerful,” Zel explained.