Celise raises her bow at the necromancer, beginning to mutter an incantation. Corvo and Anna aim their crossbow and bow at the huntress. The group filters into the room save for Marvela who is trying to contain Edwin yet again. Valerie steps in front of Celise turning to face her.

“He surrenders.” Valerie says with some hostility towards Celise.

“We are hunters, not politicians.” Celise spits. “I will not be talked down from doing the righteous thing.”

“Righteous. He’s overwhelmed, outnumbered, completely surrounded. This is not a glorious kill.” Valerie argues.

“He is a necromancer. By the laws of Myandra, Catania, Yokind-Burg, and Ashsuru he should be put to death.” Nortom says.

“You left out the part where your religion makes you severely biased against necromancers.” Crenshaw says.

“I have turned a blind eye in regards to what you are. Don’t act like I am some irrational cultist.” Nortom huffs.

“I’m sorry, does your religion permit you to kill a defenseless man who is giving himself up willingly?” Hvardrik raises his hands, wrists turned up, locked together, as if manacled.

“My religion specifically says anyone who walks the path of death has forgone the right to life.” Nortom answers.

“I didn’t choose this path.” Hvardrik scoffs.

“Necromancy is akin to slavery!” Nortom screams, growing very noticeably upset.

Erevan throws down his helmet. The group turns, looking at him, looking at his scared face setting with rage, and his black curly hair.

“What do you know of slavery?” Erevan asks.

“What do you know of my struggles!” Anna yells across the room.

“What it’s like to be looked down on.” Corvo mutters.

“What would you have me do?” Hvardrik stands from his seat. “Go back to society and be a slave. Does that fill your heart with joy?”

“I, um, I…” Nortom mutters backing up.

“Stop fighting!” Valerie yells, taking a step towards Nortom. “We can figure this out. We can accept his offer to surrender and bring him to an impartial judge for a fair trial.”

Celise pulls her bow up, quickly drawing, and releasing her arrow. It hits the stonework behind Hvardrik, and explodes in a blast of fire. Hvardrik is thrown forward onto the table. Celise’s father leaps onto the table and charges at the necromancer.

Corvo fires his bolt at Nortom. Valerie, reacting in a flash, catches the bolt out of the air.

“Why did it come to this?” Val groans as she charges down the side of the room towards Corvo.

“Crenshaw, kill the hunters.” Erevan says

“Gladly.” Crenshaw runs forward forming an explosive in his hands and tossing it at Celise’s father. It explodes in the air beside him, sending him flying into the wall. He slams against the stone and falls to the ground.

“What are you doing?” Nortom looks at Erevan with wide terrified eyes.

“The hunters guild took everything from me.” Erevan says.

“Lies!” Celise draws her silvered dagger and lunges at Erevan.

Erevan throws his hands up defensively. The dagger stabs through his left arm. Erevan grabs Celise and tosses her towards the exit. She slams into a large and imposing figure standing in the doorway.

The werewolf Erevan set free stands in the doorway, emaciated from being constantly drained of blood, with bits of flesh hanging from his maw. A purplish blood smeared down his chest. Erevan looks past him. Marvela lies on the ground, her throat ripped out, and the containment cube with Edwin in it lying next to her.

The werewolf grabs Celise by the jaw and slams her against the wall. He bites into her shoulder and she lets out a muffled cry. Erevan rips the silver dagger out of his arm and stabs it through the werewolves back.

The lycan howls in pain as Erevan twists the blade and drags it down his back. The werewolf slumps over dead and Celise drops to the ground next to it, holding her shoulder with one hand.

Crenshaw and Anna stand on either side of Celise’s dad. Anna aiming her bow, Crenshaw preparing an explosive blast.

“Stop!” Valerie yells.

Erevan looks in her direction. Corvo lies unconscious on the ground, probably beaten by Val. Valerie stands over Hvardrik with her bone sword to his throat.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Valerie, we don’t want any more blood shed.” Erevan says calmly.

“Val! Celise was bit.” Nortom is kneeling down by Celise wrapping a bandage around her shoulder. His gun is on the ground next to them.

“Fuck!” Valerie clenches her fists.

“I can cure her.” Erevan says.

“Only a priest can do that, and I’m not strong enough.” Nortom argues.

“I can do it with alchemy. My father had a recipe.” Erevan slowly walks down the room towards a side door. “Just let me grab some supplies then I can help.”

“Fuck this!” Celise’s father kicks his foot out as Erevan walks past.

He trips Erevan, who falls to the floor in front of him, before he swings his axe down in an arc that will decapitate him. Anna and Crenshaw fire at the man. The arrow strikes his heart and the blast of fire from Crenshaw shoots the axe out of his hand.

“Kill him!” Celise screams as she fires the cannon.

A cannonball, small enough to fit in the hand cannon, launches out. It flies through the room and crashes through Crenshaw’s chest. It rips through him, as bone fragments and blood bursts out the otherside. The man falls, crashing down next to Erevan, staring at him as he heaves his last breath.

Hvardrik tries to kick Valerie’s leg and roll away. The kineticist is unphased by the attack before she stabs down with her bone sword. Erevan shoots his hand out and stops the sword for a fraction of a second as the necromancer manages to move out of the way. He tumbles off the table and onto the floor.

Val slams the sword through the table before retracting it back into her arm.

“What the fuck Erevan!” Valerie screams.

“He’s my friend!” Erevan struggles to his feet, but Anna helps him stand straight. “And this is my sister.”

Erevan turns towards Valerie.

“He reanimates the bodies of people I kill. So if you are going to kill him then kill me first.” Erevan raises his arms with open hands.

“I could never.” Val mutters.

“Do it!” Celise screams as Nortom holds her down. “Kill them both, they killed my dad, they killed my friends, they killed my brother!”

“This is the adventurer you fought with and let live?” Valerie asks.

“Yes. She believes incorrectly that I killed her brother. Her brother was killed by the same hunters who killed my father. Her so-called friends are murders just like me. Maybe I deserve the same fate.”

Erevan shrugs.

“I surrender and will submit to any lawful trial that you think you can ensure me.” Erevan says.

“No, I think we lost the necromancer, but sadly there were losses. Celise did not make it back.” Valerie turns towards where Celise and Nortom are.

“We can’t kill our own.” Nortom says as he stands and faces the group.

“It’s her or me.” Erevan says.

“I’ll kill you.” Celise struggles to her feet, throwing the hand cannon at Erevan. It clatters to the ground halfway to him.

“Do you know what I do to wolves when they don’t leave me alone?” Erevan asks.

“I’m not afraid of you.” Celise spits blood to the side.

“Good.” Erevan flicks a finger and a ballista bolt slams through her.

Her body flies backwards and skids across the stone back towards Marvela’s corpse in the previous room.

“You killed her!” Nortom screams.

“Then leave.” Erevan waves to the door.

“But we were friends!” Nortom cries out, holding his sides as his body shakes.

“We were.” Erevan states.

“I have to tell them. I have to report back to the Seers and they’ll know. They will know what you did here.” Nortom tries to stand straighter, putting on some strength, as tears flow down his cheeks.

“Why did you say that?” Erevan flicks his hand and the doors to the room close. “Why did you say that!”

“Erevan?” Valerie steps off the table towards him. “It’s okay. We can give you a fair trial. I’m on your side here.”

“I’ll take the blame.” Hvardrik says from the otherside of the room.

The group turns to face him. He swallows his fear and continues.

“I’ll go with Nortom to the Seers in manacles. I will take the blame for everything. Nortom won’t be questioned because they’ll have a scapegoat. And we don’t have to worry about this happening again.” Hvardrik explains.

“That could work.” Nortom says.

“I don’t want to lose another friend.” Erevan looks back at Crenshaws unmoving corpse.

Valerie quickly wraps Erevan in a hug.

“We’re going to lose everything if we keep fighting.” She says while moving a hand to the back of Erevan’s head.

“They're dead because of me.” Erevan chokes on the words.

“You can’t think like that. Let's turn him in and finish this.” Valerie says.

“Okay.” Erevan says.

He walks around the table to Hvardrik and wraps his arms around the necromancer.

“I’ll miss you.” Erevan says.

“I’m going to be relieved having you out of my hair. Been really dragging down my potential.” Hvardrik tries to joke but his voice cracks as he starts crying. “It’s the end of the road.”

“It’s the end of an era.” Erevan grabs Hvardrik’s head and presses his forehead against his.

The two feel more like brothers now than they ever did. Two Crows against the world.

“Be free for me. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.” Hvardrik steps away.

The Nercromancer walks to Nortom, who handcuffs him. The group collects the bodies of Crenshaw, Celise, Marvela, and Celise’s father. They take them of the cave, under the night sky, and light the corpses on fire. All of their guild insignias remain with Valerie.

They walk to Arfall and take the waystone from there. Erevan teleports to Yokind-Burg first with Valerie, Anna, and Corvo. Anna and Corvo head to the shanty town to visit Erevan’s mother. Valerie and Erevan head to the tavern Valhalla.

Inside they meet up with the adventurer’s guild contact. They give the half-orc the insignias and report that a necromancer was found, the battle was hard fought, and that Nortom is bringing the necromancer to the Obsidian Seers.

Valerie heads back to Tamwall in Myandra, but Erevan stays inside the tavern. He orders a drink, the strongest one he can get. By the time he is on his third he looks down the bar and spots the orc woman, Tzegava. She smiles at Erevan and the siege mage waves to her. Erevan feels how short his life is, how close to death he always gets, and feels like cutting loose for a change. Ignoring the traumas of the day with strong drink and a stronger woman.