Jeze ran fast alongside the Frostsworn Carls as they navigated the ash and dirt pathways that twisted between mausoleums and the many large tombstones that jutted from the ground like a forest made out of stone. Just ahead, Jeze could make out the huge form of the Corpse Eater as it chased the hordes of undead in the area. The enormous construct rapidly caught and gobbled up about a dozen of the zombies and ghouls by the time the Frostsworn arrived.
"Jeze, get its attention," Dunar ordered.
She nodded and Summoned, Shaped, and Controlled a boulder that struck the Corpse Eater's leg. The magical rock shattered, and the behemoth buckled to its knees before it spun around with rage clear on its malformed face.
"Good work, pup!" Orn boomed.
The Berserker clanged his two battleaxes together. The sound resonated outwards like a celestial gong that announced the arrival of a god. Jeze had to pause to admire the speed and agility that Orn demonstrated. He was lightly armored with a mail shirt and the Frostsworn helm that covered the top half of his head. Orn's thick beard bristled, and his blue eyes appeared to glow from beneath the helm, giving the Berserker a mystical appearance.
"For glory!" Orn roared, and Jeze felt the cheer vibrate within her bones.
"Hurrah!" She and the others cried back.
The Corpse Eater rose to its full height, and it made Orn look incredibly small in comparison. The monster shot its arms out to crush and grab the charging warrior but missed each time. Orn gracefully leaped, dodged, and twirled out of the way of the behemoth's massive clawed hands.
"He is impressive, no?" Gunhild asked Jeze.
All the teenager could do was nod in agreement.
"Aye, but this is not a show, pup. So get to work!" Gunhild snapped.
"What can I do?" Jeze wondered.
Orn leaped high onto the Corpse Eater's abnormal chest, which was made up of viscous flesh, dirt, and stone. The Berserker embedded both axes into the monster and used it to climb higher up onto its shoulders. The Corpse Eater spun and tried to snatch and slap away the Berserker, but Orn was too fast and nimble. In moments, the Berserker was burying his axes into the creature's eyes. It howled and slammed its hands onto its face in an attempt to crush the smaller warrior, but Orn leaped and flipped out of the way to land behind it. The Berserker clanged his axes together again. The echoing sound invigorated the Frostsworn.
"Freeze it!" Gunhild ordered.
This snapped Jeze and Mikal into action. The two Rune casters Shaped the new Rune chains they learned as they Summoned and Shaped the heat away from the thrashing Corpse Eater. The monsters' widely flailing arms kept the Carls at bay. The massive fists slammed into Rolfe and Dunar's shields, and the force sent the large warriors tumbling back.
"Oh, ya, that monster is strong!" Helga observed from a safer distance.
The temperature around the Corpse Eater rapidly dropped as Mikal and Jeze siphoned the Heat away, and frost formed along the monster's massive and twisted body. It visibly slowed to a halt, and this allowed the Carls and Proven to engage. But Jeze's sharp eyes spotted something unusual. A shadowy skeletal form rose from the ground in front of the Corpse Eater.
"Watch out!" Jeze cried.
Frode, the tall Frostsworn who wielded the spear-sized two-handed sword called a Montante, was the closest. He swung his blade with graceful ease and cleaved off one of the Corpse Eater's arms. Frode was set to swing his sword again, but the dark figure gave him pause. He took a step back. At first, Jeze thought it was a Wendigo, as it was wrapped in fluttering shadows that danced around it like black fire. She changed her opinion when more features took shape along its skeletal frame. Leathery gray skin formed along the bones, and a deep purple robe materialized around it. No! It can't be! Jeze thought to herself, and she glanced up at the dark ceiling. The fighting had stopped between Couzart and the Lich.
"Dunar! It's the Lich!" Jeze told the Leader.
"Are you sure?" He asked.
Jeze nodded and shouted, "Frode! Fall back!"
The tall Frostsworn smirked at the thin figure before it. It was well within reach of his mighty sword, and Frode attacked it, but the undead moved faster. Jeze couldn't decipher the glyphs the Lich formed as his hands blurred the patterns. A ray of red and dark energy lashed out like a whip and struck Frode across his chest as he was in mid-swing. The tall Frostsworn warrior choked and stumbled back as his sword fell from weak hands. In horror, Jeze watched as the warrior's skin withered and turned black as it decayed. She recognized the red energy as being a part of the Affliction aspect, but what was the dark energy? Necromancy? She guessed.
"Frode!" Gunhild cried, and she ran to his aid.
Jorgenson and Orn moved and provided her with protection, but the Lich made no other move to attack. Instead, he held out a thin hand, and black ichor pulsated out of the Corpse Eater and latched on like spiderwebs to the Lich's outstretched hand.
"We must stop him, no?" Helga cried.
"How?" Mikal asked.
Gunhild desperately worked to heal her colleague, but Jeze saw that it appeared futile. Frode shivered and vomited dark blood. Orn and Jorgenson turned their attention with grim eyes toward the Lich that stood before them. The undead sucked in the dark ichor and appeared to grow stronger. The Lich, Lev Shabuyaton, spoke in a clear and loud voice.
"It is rude to break things that do not belong to you. Don't you agree?" He asked.
"We will break more than your things," Orn promised. The Berserker stood tall and clanged his axes loudly before him. The sound removed the fear in Jeze's heart like a powerful wind that blows away the fallen leaves in autumn.
Lev's gaunt, leathery lips pulled back into a sneer that showed rotted teeth. "I suppose I have a moment to play. Just a moment, mind you. I am incredibly busy," he said.
Nothing further was discussed. Each team maneuvered into position based on memory and repetition. For the Proven, Dunar and Rolfe moved to the front with their shields at the ready. Helga circled to the side, and Mikal and Jeze stood back.
For the Carls, Gunhild and Frode were out of the fight. Frode's decay appeared to slow down, but it was not clear whether he would ever fully recover.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Gunhild cried, "What did you do to him?!"
"You will find out soon enough," Lev promised.
Jorgenson stood front and center with his shield, and beside him was Berserker Orn, who was armed with his twin battle axes. Scraggly beard stood back with his bow readied in his wiry, muscled arms.
"For glory! Let's crush this Lich's bones to dust!" Berserker Orn roared.
The Frostsworn charged, and Lev rapidly countered with Rune magic. Jeze had never seen a caster form glyphs in the air so rapidly and efficiently. Walls of sharp ice sprang from the ground and smashed against shields with some spikes that penetrated flesh and turned red with blood. Mikal and Jeze gritted their teeth and Shaped the walls away to create a direct path to the Lich.
Dunar, Rolfe, and Jorgenson rushed in while Helga and Berserker Orn circled from the outside flanks. Scraggly Beard fired his bow, and the arrow soared through the gap like a threaded needle, but it was deflected off an invisible shield that flared to life with energy.
Lev Summoned, Shaped, and Controlled the deadly spell he used against Frode. It whipped out like a black and red tentacle. Rolfe completed the glyph, activated the Force aspect on his shield, and knocked the spell away. Dunar rushed forward and chopped heavily, but his axe bounced off the same Force field that blocked Scraggly Beard's arrow. Jeze promised she would learn his real name if they survived this.
Helga barreled down toward the Lich with the flame enchantments activated on her Dane Axe. She made for an impressively deadly figure, and Jeze had no doubt that her weapon would have smashed through Lich's shield if it had ever landed. The Corpse Eater, frozen and forgotten, suddenly sprung into action and swatted the warrior maiden to the side, where her heavy body crashed through two stone tombstones. Rolfe rushed over and protected Helga as the giant construct tried to grab her. The huge clawed hand was swatted to the side by Rolfe's shield, and the Frostsworn Protector impaled the other claw as it reached in.
Lev's two hands formed separate Rune patterns. Jeze's eyes went wide. The Lich was casting two spells simultaneously! A wall of flame erupted from the ground, and this pushed Orn, Jorgenson, and Dunar back. Lev's second hand continued to Shape glyphs, and Jeze recognized some patterns connected to the Affliction and Spirit aspects. What was he doing? She wondered.
Mikal completed the final movements and Summoned the Vitality Spring. A warmth and calm fell over Jeze as she Summoned, Shaped, and Controlled huge boulders to smash against Lev's magical shield. The impacts shook the area and this awarded Jeze with an angry glare from the undead Rune caster. Helga rose unsteadily to her feet and roared before charging the Corpse Eater. Rolfe continued to jab with his spear and block with his shield, which prevented him from being snatched up. Helga landed a devastating blow that knocked the behemoth onto its back. The two Proven made short work of the downed Corpse Eater.
Berserker Orn closed his eyes and chopped downwards with both axes. The weapons shattered the Lich's shield. Jeze knew that he focused his Will into the attacks in order to disrupt the Lich's magical energies.
"Impressive," Lev observed and added, "But it is of little consequence. I have taken what I wanted from the construct and finished my spell."
Red, angry spirits materialized from behind the Lich. They screamed and flexed clawed skeletal hands into the air. The blood-red ghosts glared at the Proven and the Carls before they surged forward. They moved faster than the ghosts that Jeze had faced earlier, and fear crept into her heart. Despite Mikal's Vitality spring, the enraged spirits cut through the Carls and Frostsworn. In moments, Dunar fell to his knees, gasping in pain. This was followed by Helga and Rolfe as the two mighty warriors were overwhelmed. Mikal and Jeze erected magical walls of ice and stone, but the angry specters continued after them. Out of the corner of her eye, Jeze watched Jorgenson and Orn weave, dodge, and kill the angry spirits with well-timed blows. But the two mighty warriors would soon be overwhelmed.
"Run Jeze!" Mikal gasped as he also fell to writhe in pain on the floor.
She knew the feeling of the Grave touch and Jeze needed to get the silver vials to her teammates as fast as possible before it was too late. But first, she needed to stay alive. Jeze Summoned Shadows and disappeared among them. The angry spirits howled as they searched for her. Jeze used her stealth to sneak away.
"I admire your persistence," Lev said as he watched the two seasoned Frostsworn warriors dodge, weave, and attack the spirits that swarmed them.
The Berserker was hit a few times but managed to fight through the intense pain. It was only a matter of time before he also succumbed, Jeze realized. She remained hidden but also wondered, where was Couzart? Could the Lich be in two different places at once? The last she saw of the Elite was high up in the air on the other side of the necropolis. Her teammates lay crumpled on the floor, and soon, the ghosts would settle to consume them. Jorgenson howled in pain and fell to the ground, leaving Orn by himself. Jeze had to do something and do something fast! At first, she considered using the Light aspect to create a huge flare. This could direct Couzart to their location. Assuming the Elite was alive, or even if he would help them. Jeze shook that thought from her head. The Elite would help, but she also needed to do something about the spirits.
"Think Jeze!" She said to herself.
She knew the light and fire aspects made up the Holy aspect. But, she was not confident that she could complete the complex Rune chains to Summon it, especially under such dire circumstances. Then it hit her! She didn't need to Summon the Holy aspect! She had a tool that could do it! Jeze frantically dug through her pack for the Globe she had taken from the pyramid. Its cold surface brought joy to her heart as she felt the numerous etchings of Runes that covered the entirety of the object. Jeze closed her eyes and felt for the Fire and Light aspects and where they were intertwined. She found them and rose up from her hiding. The Spirits turned as one to face her. Orn had just fallen, and she felt the Lich's gaze upon her. He had a smirk on his gaunt face.
"I will wipe that grin off of your face," she growled to herself.
Jeze completed the activation glyph and held up the stone high. It flared with a brilliant Holy light that caused the rageful spirits to howl in agony. The closest to her were completely destroyed as the others fled. Even Lev flinched from the spell but managed to recompose himself. Jeze tapped the Light aspect runes and completed a second spell to summon a great ball of light in the air above her. She hoped this would alert Couzart to their location. Or, at the very least, other adventuring teams. Lev clapped his hands.
"Well done! It is a shame that I have to kill you, but first, let us take this deadly toy away from you," The Lich said.
Lev casually Summoned the Force aspect to pull the Orb out of Jeze's hands. She knew enough of the aspect to grit her teeth and focused her Will in order to Shape the spell away.
The Lich's eyes went wide, and then he shrugged. "So I underestimated your Will. It is surprisingly strong for one so young."
Jeze Summoned Shadows and Shaped them around her to hide. The Lich casually broke her foci and Shaped the shadows away. Jeze felt exposed. Hiding was not an option, and running was out of the question as the area began to swarm again with undead. That left only fighting. Jeze tapped the Globe and infused her Will again to activate the Holy aspect. She directed the flare at Lev and charged while pulling free her battleaxe.
"Commendable but futile," Lev said.
Jeze continued her charge. She leaped over tombstones and dodged magical blasts of fire, earth, and stone. Lev Controlled the angry Spirits to return and attack her, but they were destroyed by the Holy Light from the Globe. Jeze was getting closer and closer. But in the end, the Lich was correct. Her efforts were futile. She failed to dodge a wall of spiked ice and was nearly impaled. Her blood dripped to the ground as she sprung to her feet and ran around the wall. Jeze ducked and dodged two boulder attacks but was knocked off her feet a second time by an exploding fireball. She quickly rolled back up and continued her charge.
Jeze dropped the Globe during her fall and had a free hand to Shape glyphs as she ran. She entered the familiar flow state. Jeze felt calm and at peace. She launched boulders that the Lich easily deconstructed and countered. Jeze got closer. The Lich Summoned the familiar black and red energy that whipped out her. Jeze ducked under the attack and, slid closer to Lev and chopped with her axe. The blade embedded itself into the Lich's thigh, but he pulled back his hand. The magical whip struck Jeze, and agony spread across her body. She felt the Affliction caused her skin to rot.
"That was a good effort," Lev said. He sounded almost kind.
The Lich suddenly glanced up, and his eyes went wide with shock. "I was wondering when you would come to the party," he said.
Jeze, in her agony, looked over and saw Couzart storming toward them. Lev smiled and held his hands to the side.
"You got me," was the last thing the Lich said before his body was obliterated by Couzart's scythe.
Jeze knew that the Lich was nowhere near defeated and that this was only one of his vessels. His true form was hidden within the necropolis. If Jeze had to guess, it was probably near the massive glowing pillar. The pain became too much for her, and she passed out.