The light from within the armor of the death knight went out, consumed by the aura of darkness that sprang forth from the undead giant. Even the flames within its armor were snuffed out.

Jacob felt great pain and a wetness from his chest. He looked down to see that there were now several large wounds in his chest. When he looked up, he noticed that large black throwing knives that trailed a black smoke had imbedded themselves into the chest of his astral form.

‘Wait a minute, SMOKE!’ Jacob desperately tried to pull the knives from the chest of his astral form he had barely managed to remove one and throw it away before they exploded. Jacob was blasted against the wall. He tried so desperately to stay awake, but in the end it was futile.

Jacob felt as his mind fell to darkness. As Jacob fell unconscious, he felt his astral form beginning to dissipate, surely the same was happening to his friends. He caught flashes of what went on around him. The paladin on her knees, clutching her throat with a single hand as she reached out with toward the shadow standing before her with the other.

She seemed to be pleading with Calista, begging to know why. He blinked and she was laying on the ground.

Hellen has died…

Archival raced to help him, Jacob, to get him back in the fight. Jacob blinked and Archival too, was dead, bisected by the death knight’s great sword he had thrown like a javelin.

Archival has died…

Thomas fought with his every last breath, till every last drop of his blood had been spilt and then some from what little Jacob had seen. Jacob stirred just long enough to watch Thomas draw his last breath.

Thomas has died…

Calista stood over him, “Why…” Jacob barely managed to get out. Calista gave no response, but in her eyes, he did not see the eyes he had once seen. No now her eyes were dull, lacking life. ‘Mind control.’

Jacob watched as the death knight walked to them. When he was within range, he killed her as well. Bisecting her body from head to crotch with a single swung. Painting him in her blood.

Calista has died…

Jacob’s heart broke and he struggled to hold onto the waking world. The death knight stood over him and the two halves of Calista’s corpse. “They died because they were weak, because you were weak!” the death knight proclaimed as it pointed an accusatory gauntlet covered finger at him. “But I will make you stronger.”

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Jacob struggled to get up only getting so far as to get himself seated against the stone wall. The death knight slowly began to kneel, reaching down to pick Jacob up.

He knew that if he went with the death knight, he would suffer a fate far worse than death. Jacob raised up his hand and waved it. The world blurred as he fell through the door now open beneath him. Jacob arrived through the open portal into the main chamber with the 6 paths leading in separate directions.

The death knight bellowed with a voice that shook the earth, as he saw his prey go through the portal. He bellowed ever louder as it closed before he could grab the man.

Jacob beat his bloody fists against the stone as he tried dragging himself to the stairs. They could not be dead! How could they be dead. Jacob prayed for a miracle but received no answer from his lady.

“If only I could…” Jacob grew silent as he let that thought grow within his mind. Jacob remembered the conversation he had, had with his lady on the day he arrived. She had told him so much about this world, including that there were a few rules to which all must abide. Chief among them was, “None shall change the past. What is done, is done.”

Jacob begged his lady’s forgiveness, as he set his mind to make things right. Jacobs eyes began to glow, as he activated his skill of last resort. For this he would need a practically limitless amount of mana. And with this skill and his immortal life, he would die if only for a chance that they could live.

He heard his lady begging him to think about what he was doing, but he headed her words not. “By right of land.” The earth was beginning to shake, thump, thump, thump. In the distance he could hear the bellow of the death knights’ approach.

“By right of Sky.” The light from the sky light grew grey, he could see clouds rapidly forming in the sky. He would not be stopped. He had only known them a short while but over the several days he had known them he had grown the care for them. He called them friend, and so did they. He could not stand the thought that they had died because of him.

“I give my life for this one chance.” The clouds thundered above, roaring like a dragon. He knew this to be a divine threat, an unspoken demand that he stop. He turned his head to look down the tunnel him and the BattleSmith’s had gone down. Racing toward him down the light corridor, he saw the death knight. As it passed the torches they were snuffed out, behind it he heard a horde of untold numbers of skeletons.

“Tic Tok. Turn back the clock.” Tears streamed down his cheeks as the death knight was almost upon him, “Please world grant me this one selfish wish.” There was a blinding flash as time seemed to slow. He saw a great bolt of lightning racing down from on high. The Death knight was nearly upon him, reaching out to claim its prize.

The bolt of lightning, the divine punishment he would receive for daring to break the rules, seemed affixed in place mere inches above his chest. The death knight frozen in place hand outstretched a mere foot from him.

Sometimes…

You have to break the rules…

To do the right thing…

Jacob heard her voice, the voice of the world in his mind. Jacob blinked his eyes, and everything went white.

Pain resistance leveled up X21

You have died…

ERROR!