by Tom Gallier
Does he have unlimited mana?
He held a long staff with a large red ruby. The staff was the source of his lightning bolts. So far, he hadn't used any other spells on her, but she was sure he had lots to choose from.
The powerful drow necromancer was throwing those super-charged bolts so fast the elven sorceress hadn't had a chance to counterattack. Worse, undead minions were running around looking for someone to attack. So far their addled brains hadn't figured out the enemy was invisible, much less her location.
Lord Kathro paused in his attack to direct his minions below. "She's invisible. Follow my lightning strikes to find her exact location and attack it."
She scowled up at the necromancer. Lord Kathro was an intimidating figure standing atop the towering keep. He was very tall, broad-shouldered, and looked physically powerful in a way to make a woman swoon. His long white hair whipped in the wind like a banner, but his glowing red eyes made her think of demons. Of things Dark and evil.
Asha cast her Bind at him. The necromancer paused, and then shook it off. He laughed.
"Nice try, elf. You're magic is pathetic," he said. He threw another bolt at her. "She's right there!"
His strike forced Asha to one knee. She was sweating, panting, really feeling the strain like never before. Undead orks, goblins, humans, and drows were charging toward her. They had her surrounded. There were no gaps to exploit, and even if there were Lord Kathro could see and counter her every move.
I have to get out of here, she thought, and leapt up and back. Her levitate spell kicked in, lifting her up to the top of the gatehouse. She threw a thunderbolt at the necromancer, who slapped it aside. How did he do that?
Ka-Boom!
Asha barely got her shield back up in time. The blast still knocked her down. As she tumbled back across the top of the gatehouse, the sorceress bowled over three zombies. All ork warriors.
Pulling one of her curved elven swords, Asha quickly beheaded one ork struggling to his feet, thrust her blade through the heart of a second, and lashed out with a foot to kick the third over the side. Then she had to bring her shield up to defend against Lord Kathro's continued attack.
"You're good, elf, but not good enough," he shouted down at her.
"And you're not actually badass enough to defeat me, necromancer!"
The sound of footsteps coming up the wooden stairs drew her attention to the hatch in the middle. She turned to defend against that attack, but then she saw Lord Kathro leap off the keep. He came crashing down atop the gatehouse, right next to her. Asha swung her sword at his throat, but Kathro parried it with an armored arm, before pounding a fist into her chest.
"Uggh!" she cried as she was smashed back and off the tower.
Asha fell all the way to the hard-packed ground. She landed flat on her back, knocking her breath out and leaving her dazed. The pain was intense and filled every square inch of her body. As blackness creeped in from all sides, she used the last of her strength and wits to call up her Healing spell.
Both extreme cold and heat flowed through her body, out to her very fingertips and toes. It washed the pain and fatigue away in a flash, leaving her fresh and restored. Her eyes popped open to find a ring of undead drow warriors were closing on her fast. Worse, she was visible to them.
The sorceress reactivated the Robes of Concealment, vanishing before their eyes. She rolled to the side and rose into a defensive stance. Sword in hand, Asha surveyed her situation quickly and attacked the closest foe. Smashing his spear aside, Asha took off his head with the backstroke. She pivoted on a foot, and thrust through the heart of the drow next to him. As they began dying, the other zombies figured out her location and turned toward her.
She dropped low, waiting for them to converge on her. At the last second Asha levitated up and threw a thunderbolt at Lord Kathro.
Ka-Boom!
He had thrown a bolt at her location, just before she levitated up. So his bolt killed several of his own minions, while hers took him by surprise. The necromancer was knocked back a step, but pointed his staff at her and sent another bolt straight at her heart.
Asha threw up her shield, but the power of the bolt and the concussive impact of the explosion knocked the sorceress out of the sky. She landed better, tucking and rolling back to her feet.
Taking the opportunity, she slashed left and right, killing two more zombies. Then she ducked between two others, hamstringing them as she passed by. Even zombies can't walk if hamstrung.
"Burn!"
Fireballs struck undead drow warriors, who were being joined by hobgoblins, orks, and even an undead centaur warrior. The burning zombies still attacked her, but they were quickly being consumed by the flames.
"Aggh! Dammit," she cried when an ork slashed her lower back. It was a lucky hit since he couldn't see her, but that slice was enough damage to destroy her Robes of Concealment's enchantment. She repaid him with a sword through the heart. "Go to hell."
He was a mob, so there was no hell or Purgatory for him. And there was no coming back, either. They were all mobs as far as she had time to check. Her PK number wasn't rising, so there was that.
"Asha!" Petriana screamed as she ran out the gate. "I'm going to make you pay dearly!"
I should've killed her, she thought. Even the thought made her cringe, since to kill a helpless prisoner was murder. Even knowing Petriana would not remain dead didn't help.
Asha threw a lightning bolt at the drow sorceress, who simply dodged it. When a drow warrior thrust his spear at her throat, the sorceress wrapped a hand around the shaft, kicked him in the nuts, and then pointblank blasted his head with a thunderbolt.
Drow blood and brains flew everywhere and splattered her. She felt a brief second of disgust, before pulling the spear from his now completely dead hands. Using it more like a staff, she smashed aside another warrior moving in on her, before stabbing a goblin in the heart. Asha kicked, kneed, and otherwise fought off more undead minions. And then she found herself in a circle of undead monsters, facing the drow sorceress.
"It always boils down to drows against elves, doesn't it, Asha?"
"And it never turns out well for you, does it, Petriana?"
The drow smiled cruelly. "Allow me, master! In a few minutes I'll deliver to you this beautiful elfmaid sorceress to subjugate and enslave."
"Very well, Petriana, show me what you can do," Lord Kathro said. "Entertain me."
The elven sorceress quickly checked her stats.
Current status:
Name: Asha
Race: High Elf (Desert Tribes)
Class: Sorceress (Novice)
Level: 17 (57% to next level)
Alignment: Neutral
Health: 85/100
Strength: 15/20
Endurance: 34/40
Agility: 14
Mana: 1025
Skills: (Click to View/Hide)
Possessions: (Click to View/Hide)
Player Kills: 8
Deaths: 2 (83/90 days)
Health down fifteen percent. Her endurance, agility, and strength had taken hits, too. Worse, her mana was almost half gone. And Lord Kathro's attacks would continue after she wasted time, energy, and mana on the drow bitch.
Where are Killum, Fergus, Tiana, and Rand?
Being rescued was always embarrassing, but it was better than getting killed. And being killed in the Game was a thousand times better than being captured, subjugated, and forced to serve a Dark necromancer.
She refused to accept Lord Kathro's undead warriors had killed her friends. They would come as soon as they defeated the force he sent against them, but would it be soon enough? The sorceress couldn't see a scenario where she defeated Petriana, Lord Kathro, and his countless Dread Ones without help. So if her friends were killed or captured, then she was in deep shit.
A dozen schemes and ploys danced through her head. To win free she'd have to outwit them. So she stepped closer to Petriana, who also moved forward as she dropped into a figh
ting stance. They stared into each other's cold eyes a long moment, spears pointed at each other's hearts.
Asha suddenly dropped her guard and stood straight. Petriana moved back a step, watching her warily. She smiled at the drow, and then slanted a look up toward Lord Kathro.
"My Lord Kathro, maybe we can strike an agreement."
Petriana's eyes widened, before she looked to her master. Asha saw her chance. She lunged forward, the spear spinning round to snap into position to pierce the drow's heart. Her foe cried out, sweeping an arm around to block Asha's death-thrust. So the elfmaid swung the shaft around and smashed it brutally into Petriana's face.
The drow sorceress cried out and fell back, but then dropped low and swept Asha's feet away. The elfmaid rolled to the side a split second before the drow's spearhead slammed into the spot she'd fallen. Asha was on her feet in a flash, spinning around as she swung her spear like a cricket bat.
Petriana ducked, and then smashed her spear's shaft into the side of Asha's head. The elfmaid dropped with a cry of surprise. She rolled to her back to find Petriana's spear at her throat.
The drow stomped on Asha's wrist, forcing her to release the spear. Disarmed, the sorceress stared up incredulously. Defeated and captured, her mind went blank as dread consumed her.
"Master, Asha the elven sorceress is yours!"
Asha's jaw dropped as coldness filled her belly and her skin goose-fleshed. She looked at the glowing crystal in the drow sorceress' forehead. Her eyes looked past Petriana's triumphantly gloating face to find a grinning Lord Kathro. He held up a yellow crystal.
"With this crystal, I shall subjugate and bind you to my will," Lord Kathro declared. "And you will serve me obediently for eternity."
Chapter 38
The dragon's wings beat hard and fast. The wind was loud in Killum's ears as they flew faster and faster, rising up, up, up. Fergus led the charge below astride undead mounts filled with rage and ready to fight anyone, living or undead.
There was a little struggle rounding up the horses, which mostly attacked them. Tiana proved her mettle by catching them one by one, handing them off to Fergus and Rand. The dwarf complained long and loud, but worry about their friend got him atop the unholy beast.
Once they were heading up the road, Killum could turn his attention northward as well. The castle rose up out of the distant mists. Then he heard the explosions, and realized it wasn't mist, but the dust and smoke of magical battle. Was Asha fighting Lord Kathro without them?
Why aren't you heading to the castle?
Gye slanted a look back. "I need height, battle-mage. Do not worry, we will reach the castle before your friends."
"Asha is already at the castle and under attack."
The dragon didn't respond, and continued his spiral upwards. Killum was about to demand Gye head for the castle when a bolt thundered past them. It came within a few feet of hitting them.
"That's does it! I'm going to eat that bastard alive and shit him down a volcano!"
The enraged dragon veered to the north and went into a power dive straight at Warlord's Castle. His vast wings beat faster and faster as more bolts thundered up at them. The battle-mage had to lean forward and try to hide behind Gye's head to keep the wind from stripping him off the beast's back. They were going so fast he struggled to breathe, while Gye deftly avoided all of the thrown bolts.
Killum spotted Asha in a circle of drow warriors in front of the gate, with another drow standing over his friend. The enemy drow held a spear to Asha's throat as the sorceress lay sprawled before her. He tried to take aim at the woman threatening his friend, but the dragon was flying too fast and he was past her in an eye blink.
He turned his attention to the menacing figure atop the gatehouse.
Kathro. Drow necromancer (Lvl 102). -81 Dark. PK: 119.
Gye swooped down and tried to snatch Lord Kathro off the gatehouse. He forced the necromancer to jump off into the inner ward, before flying back upwards. Killum commanded him to wheel right, and flame all of the undead troops rushing towards the castle and Asha's fight.
While Gye incinerated hundreds of zombie warriors, Killum spotted Fergus, Tiana, and Rand riding up the road. They were almost to the fight outside the castle.
"Drop me off at the gate to help Asha!"
Gye wheeled around and headed straight toward the fight. The drow holding the sorceress at spear-point saw them coming, lifted her spear to kill Asha, and Killum shot a lightning bolt at her. He missed, but it gave Asha the opportunity to roll aside. He jumped off the dragon to crash feet-first in the drow's chest.
"That's for hurting my friend!"
Killum pulled his sword and plowed into the surrounding zombies. His three friends slammed into the circle of zombies at full gallop, scattering orks, drows, goblins, and humans in all directions. He saw Asha fighting with a sword in both hands, leaving a path of death through them. A second later Rand came flying when his mount went down, landing beside Asha.
With Asha and Rand fighting back to back, Killum turned his attention to the female drow. She was trying to get to Asha, so it had to be personal. That meant she was still alive.
Petriana. Drow Sorceress (Lvl 21). -7 Dark. PK: 1.
"A drow sorceress?" he said, checking her out. "Petriana? The name sounds familiar."
The uber bitch drow was also more powerful than either Asha or him. The blue crystal in her forehead said she was Lord Kathro's to command, and much more dangerous than a mere zombie drow.
"Watch out for Petriana!" he shouted.
The two sorceresses shared a hostile look before Petriana turned back toward him. He hit her with Disorientation, which took his mana so low he wouldn't be casting any other spells. When she stopped and shook her head, he quickly fumbled for and drank another Mana Restoring Potion. Only then did he take his Power Sword in both hands and charge toward the drow sorceress.
"No!" Petriana cried, throwing a hand out at him.
An invisible force struck him in the chest and sent the battle-mage flying backwards. He hit the ground and rolled to his feet, before dropping to one knee when an ork tried to behead him. Killum gut stabbed the ork, ripping his blade out with a spray of entrails and blood. He hacked left, slashed right, and kicked a goblin in the face. For a long moment he felt besieged almost beyond his ability to defend.
Fergus moved past, slashing throats and cutting off limbs as he moved. The ranger put down three of the orks threatening Killum, giving the battle-mage the opening to break free. But even so, it was looking bad.
Tiana was backed up to Asha and Rand, with dozens of bloodthirsty zombies fighting each other to get to them. The bodies were piling up around them, but also entrapping them. Fergus was outside the perimeter and being pushed back toward the open gate. And Petriana had commandeered a dozen drow zombies to fight Killum.
"Do you remember me, battle-mage?" Petriana growled. "After today you'll never be able to forget me!"
The drow sorceress came at him with a pair of drow swords, similar to elven curved swords. She and Asha fought with a similar style, which he attributed to the type of weapons they carried. It was all he could do to parry her lightning fast thrusts and cuts. She scored a dozen minor cuts on his extremities in as many seconds, while he managed to bloody her left bicep and right thigh.
"I'm a better sword fighter, and a better spellcaster," Petriana sneered. She stepped back, pointed a finger at him, and Killum's breath rushed out of his lungs. "I'm going to suffocate you. Die nice and slow for me, Killum."
GYE! HELP ME!
On my way, boss.
Blackness crept in around the edge of his vision. His limbs went slack and he fell to his knees. All Killum could see through his tightening tunnel vision was a grinning drow sorceress slowly walking toward him. Then she pulled his Power Sword out of his weakened hand.
"I'm going to kill your friends with your sword, battle-mage."
He so wanted to say something defiant and cutting, but didn't have t
he breath for it.
"Aaagggghhh!"
Petriana spun around at that enraged scream. Asha came down from the sky, thrusting a sword through her heart.
"Die again by my sword, bitch."
The spell was broken as soon as Petriana died. Asha stood over him, fighting off the horde, while Killum desperately sucked in air. He crawled over to Petriana and pried his sword out of her hand before she faded away.
Movement caught his eye. The black dragon was coming in low and fast. Lightning bolts streaked down from the keep at Gye. The dragon avoided them, but each bolt seemed to be getting closer and closer, so Killum turned his attention to Lord Kathro.
"Asha, I'm out of mana. Can you distract Lord Kathro?"
She glanced up at him. "Yes. Take over my light work, and I'll take him on."
Gye swept over them. A thick torrent of dragonfire scoured a path through the zombies, leaving many running around in flames. The dragon dropped to the ground and swept his vast wings around, smashing countless others to pulp.
"DUCK!" Gye shouted.
Killum and his friends dropped flat on their bellies before his long tail swept the remaining zombies away. Asha immediately rose up and sent two thunderbolts up at Lord Kathro. Gye flamed the downed zombies. Killum had just enough time to survey the battlefield. No zombies or other bad guys were anywhere to be seen. Of course, there was still a castle full of monsters waiting for them.
"Head for the cover of the walls!" he shouted. "We'll regroup before heading inside."
Lord Kathro threw a bolt down at Asha, which she deflected with her shield. Deflected right into his chest.
