Raising Allies

by Sarah Lin

  Slipping away from the fight against the ghouls, Danniah had put herself into position without even Bloodwraith noticing. As soon as she saw the scepter, she rushed in and slammed Raigar full in the chest. He crashed backward, the scepter flying from his hands and bouncing through the sand.

  Bloodwraith ran for it first, but from his prone position Raigar hurled a fireball that sent the scepter tumbling out of reach. Izilthor began to run after it, but one of the enemy ghouls dove onto her from the side. They fell to the ground, hissing and tearing at one another. Though Danniah tried to keep Raigar pinned down, he began flinging life-draining spells in every direction, forcing her back.

  Ignoring them, Bloodwraith just focused on retrieving the scepter before anyone else could. Yet only two paces from reaching it, Raigar slammed into his back. He felt like a solid pile of reinforced bone, hitting like a load of bricks and sending them both tumbling to the ground.

  When Bloodwraith tried to push his way up, Raigar punched him in the face. His helm blunted the blow, so he struck back, his superior strength knocking his opponent away. Yet as they stumbled up, Raigar kneed him in the stomach and Bloodwraith felt a stab of pain.

  It had been hidden underneath his opponent's robes, but Raigar had refashioned his kneecaps to have spikes of bone at the top. Stupid-looking, inconvenient, and lacking in magical value... but they did hurt in a fistfight. Raigar threw another burst of flame out, which Bloodwraith could barely dodge, then stabbed an elbow into his chest. Damn, those were spiked as well.

  Knowing that his opponent would soon remember that he had life-draining spells, Bloodwraith retreated to pick up his sword. Raigar let him, instead lunging for the scepter. Izilthor darted into his path, but he kicked her aside with a brutal blow that sent her skidding across the sand.

  Then he reached down, but at that moment Gharavi sent another lightning bolt straight through his chest. While Raigar was convulsing from the blow, Bloodwraith stepped in, swinging at the arm that had grasped the scepter.

  This time his sword hit the clavicle and sheared through, severing Raigar's arm from his body. But before the blow struck, Raigar managed to toss aside the scepter and catch it with his other hand. In a single smooth movement he swung it out and released a beam of destruction toward Gharavi's position.

  Had she been struck by the beam? There was no time to even check on her and nothing he could do to help, so Bloodwraith decided to press their advantage. But though he struck out and his opponent had only one arm remaining, Raigar attacked with even more intensity, forcing him back.

  Until a column of light fell from above, piercing his chest and binding him in place.

  While Raigar thrashed and hissed, Bloodwraith turned to see that a man in official city robes was approaching with two priests at his side, power still radiating from their hands as they maintained the spell. It seemed they had Raigar fully bound, but he wasn't letting go of the scepter. But when Bloodwraith tried to go take it, the spell of light repelled him as well.

  "You've done enough, adventurer." One of the priests gestured for him to back away. "But he's beaten. We'll take it from here."

  "He still has more artifacts." Bloodwraith knew they were likely ordered to take control, but desperately argued in the hope they would see reason. "We need to destroy him now."

  "And we will. But first we need to seize that weapon. It is now the property of the city of Manascas."

  Of course the Governor planned to take it for himself. While Bloodwraith thought that was likely to destabilize the region, and he'd wanted the scepter for himself, this was not the time to take risks. If the Governor's assistance was enough to end the battle early, he could accept those terms.

  When he turned away, he saw Herskeh standing at the edge of the sands. The undead raised a wand of bone and necromancy shot through the ground, calling to the undead through the channels beneath the world. Moments later, they began to pour into the arena.

  Chapter 27

  In moments the Red Sands Arena went from being guards and adventurers surrounding Raigar and two ghouls to a pitched battle. Though the adventurers were skilled and reacted quickly, they were also outnumbered. Most of the guards fared worse, falling to the undead horde... and rising soon after as Herskeh continued his work.

  Bloodwraith realized that he should have calculated for this. Of course Herskeh would never allow a human authority to obtain such a weapon. Instead of being another card held in reserve, Herskeh might prove to be their undoing.

  Both priests struck out at the nearest undead, light tearing them apart in an instant. Unfortunately, they didn't destroy the two ex-adventurers, who were fighting further away. Danniah had joined them, helping Izilthor get back to her feet so they could fight together.

  And Raigar was slowly moving his arm to point the Scepter of Annihilation at them.

  There was no time to choose, Bloodwraith simply acted. He swung his sword and released an empowered Sword of Rage directly into his opponent's back. With the priests distracted, his swing broke through the spell's defenses, then snapped through Raigar's spine.

  Raigar tumbled to the ground, eyes going wide in shock. Though he might not feel pain, he was not a natural lich and wasn't used to such damage. But since his remaining arm was still attached to his upper body, he could still be a threat.

  Slamming his sword down point-first, Bloodwraith managed to sever his arm as well. Then he hesitated for only a second before he drove his sword directly through the face that had once been his.

  The blade crunched through, the necromancy that had supported the body weakened by all the damage and the holy spells.

  Like that, it was over.

  Bloodwraith stared down at the bony remains around his sword. That had been him, once, a body he had crafted with so much care. And not only had he just destroyed it, he knew that he had made the right decision.

  Not letting himself get distracted, Bloodwraith reached down to take the scepter. But before he could, a ring of light bound his arm in place.

  "That's enough, adventurer." One of the priests approached, shaking his head. "Manascas is grateful for your help, but we can't let you take a weapon like that."

  "We can negotiate that later!" The battle was still raging all around them and Herskeh remained a major threat. He didn't want to deal with the Governor's men, but as they placed another binding spell on him, it became obvious that he didn't have a choice. "Take it if you must, but we can't waste time like this."

  "The situation is under control. Now, we need you to cooperate and come with us."

  "You're arresting me? After we took down the lich for you?"

  "Your reward will be permission to leave Manascas without punishment, but first, the Governor has some questions. Now, come al-"

  All words were overwhelmed by a clear tone that pierced through the sounds of the battle. The note grew louder and louder until it became a roar, almost like the sound of flames. Bloodwraith could feel immense power gathering, yet he couldn't identify the source until a column of flame burst into being directly beside him, hurling both him and the priests back.

  As he managed to pull himself back up, Bloodwraith saw the worst. The column of flame was dying away, but something hung within it. Raigar floated back down to the ground, his body fully restored and glowing with the same fire.

  "Phoenix Amulet, bitches!"

  That meant nothing to Bloodwraith, but he saw a necklace around Raigar's neck. It was burning brightly, beginning to dissolve into embers, so he quickly focused on it before the artifact could disappear.

  [Phoenix Amulet

  When the wearer would otherwise be destroyed, the Phoenix Amulet will activate and prevent death as well as fully restore Health and Mana. In addition, the user will gain the permanent trait "Flameborn." The Phoenix Amulet can only be used once per character and is consumed upon use.

  Durability: N/A

  Rarity: Ultra Rare]

  The amulet dissolved the next moment and the box
went with it, but Bloodwraith was left staring. Such a thing existed? And of all the people to use it, Raigar was the one?

  As he settled back to the ground, the Outsider was grinning madly. Worse than that, he was reaching into his cloak and pulling out another artifact. It appeared to be a delicate cage of glass surrounding a sphere that seethed darkly. Nothing that Bloodwraith knew, but he had a feeling the boxes would be familiar with it...

  [Mana Obliviator

  Single-use item. When broken, the Mana Obliviator will consume all mana in the region, including the user's mana, mana stored in objects, and potions that restore mana. For a period of one hour after it is broken, mana regeneration will be severely impaired in anyone who enters the affected area as well as anyone struck by the effect, regardless of if they leave the area.

  Durability: 1/1

  Rarity: Ultra Rare]

  How many allegedly rare artifacts could Raigar have, to keep saving him from danger? Bloodwraith knew that he should act, and even raised a hand, but what good would a burst of force do? The Mana Obliviator only needed to be destroyed to be used, and he had few skills that did not destroy.

  It became irrelevant the next second as Raigar crushed it in one hand.

  The effect swept outward, a dark wind that made Bloodwraith's very being shudder. All at once both his body and his sword were utterly empty of mana, and on top of that, his capacity felt exhausted. It didn't seem to have any effect on enchantments or on the undead, but priests and mages staggered as the effect passed through them.

  Bloodwraith recovered from the shock to his system and ducked low, expecting retaliation. Unfortunately, Raigar didn't try to target him. Instead, he had retrieved the scepter and now released a beam that consumed one of the priests.

  The other priest staggered away, trying to cast but finding nothing remaining. He might have been able to escape, but Raigar rushed after him and pinned him to the ground. His new body seemed tougher than the old one, still tinged with fire, and he quickly beat his opponent to death.

  Though the ghouls had been slowed by the effect as well, the battle now resumed. Some mages realized what had happened and retreated to their allies, but others panicked or reached for potions that weren't there, soon finding themselves overwhelmed by undead. The loss of mana added a new tinge of chaos to the fighting all around them.

  An adventurer and a ghoul stumbled into Raigar in the fighting. He whirled on them and released another beam of destruction, destroying both enemy and ally. But once they were gone, Raigar returned the scepter to his robe and stalked toward Bloodwraith.

  "Dammit, I wanted to get the Flameborn trait on my new body! I was going to kill myself in a badass way and everything!"

  Though Bloodwraith raised his sword and prepared for another fight, his eyes scanned the arena for Herskeh. The small undead watched the chaos with an unpleasant smile on his face, enjoying the mortal suffering. Bloodwraith glared at him until they made eye contact and Herskeh flinched.

  "What are you looking at?" Raigar glanced over and saw Herskeh, which just made him grunt. "Good job on the assist earlier, but help me get my body back. Pin him down with undead or something."

  All Bloodwraith could do was glare. After a pause, Herskeh bowed low.

  "Of course, Lord Bloodwraith."

  With that, Herskeh drew the nearest undead toward the fight. Raigar smirked... until the undead rushed toward him. He fought back, smashing several of them, but without spells he was quickly flattened under a pile of bone. Herskeh began to approach with a smug look, but Bloodwraith glared at him again.

  "The others as well."

  "If you insist." Herskeh waved the bone wand and some of the undead shifted... but only some.

  When Bloodwraith looked carefully, he saw that Danniah was no longer under attack. As soon as she realized the undead were retreating, she rushed to help Izilthor, who lay on the ground with one arm destroyed. Both of them seemed to be intact and limped closer to the center of the arena. That was not what they had agreed, but Bloodwraith would accept the lives of those who mattered to him over the rest.

  "Well done, Lord Bloodwraith." Herskeh bowed directly to him. "I look forward to seeing this impostor destroyed permanently."

  "Don't gloat." Bloodwraith moved forward, pushing aside a skeleton on top of Raigar to try to get to the scepter. "We need to seize his artifacts before he can use them any m-"

  "You're goddamn right!" Raigar let out a roar and suddenly the undead on top of him lurched away. They swung wildly at him, forcing him back, and he realized that Raigar had somehow seized control again. Yet there was no necromantic power coming from him, only from an object he held in his hand.

  [Wand of Undead Dominion

  Use of this wand allows the user to gain control of lesser undead, regardless of the user's alignment or skill in necromancy. Control will be maintained permanently unless it is broken, but the total number of controlled undead cannot exceed the maximum that scales with the user's Intellect.

  Durability: 10/10

  Rarity: Ultra Rare]

  Another one? Bloodwraith quickly counted and determined that Raigar controlled eight of the nearest undead. His maximum capacity was unknown, but if the wand was counting from Bloodwraith's old Intellect, then the number was probably troublingly high.

  Too late, Bloodwraith realized that something was lunging at him from the side. One of the ex-adventurer undead was leaping at him - Raigar must have controlled those from the beginning as well. But he was off-balance and unprepared for the attack, so he could do nothing as it sailed toward him...

  Izilthor screeched from the side, striking ferociously. The ghoul fought back, one heavy fist slamming into her chest and breaking several ribs, but she kept attacking furiously with her remaining arm.

  Though Bloodwraith wanted to help her, he knew that Raigar was the larger threat. Herskeh was struggling to regain control of the nearby undead via sheer willpower, since his mana would have been drained as well. Meanwhile, Raigar looked smug until Bloodwraith's sword hit him in the neck.

  Though Raigar staggered, his bones failed to break. Bloodwraith was seriously concerned for a moment before he realized that he hadn't received a message about his opponent's defense being too high. When he checked Raigar's box, he saw that his Health had decreased, he had simply failed to deal a disabling blow. Bloodwraith pulled back and drove the sword into his opponent's chest.

  Ignoring the blow's damage, Raigar instead grabbed at the sword. The two of them struggled for a moment before Raigar managed to tug the sword out of his hands. It fell to the sands below and Raigar whirled in, spiked elbow stabbing into Bloodwraith's face.

  He fell back, but let his body's instincts take over. When Raigar tried to strike again, Bloodwraith dodged aside and then struck him in the face with his fist. It felt like punching stone, but he was covered in enchanted armor and had been raising his Might statistic for a long time - he could punch down a stone wall if he needed to.

  Unfortunately, he only landed one more blow before Raigar caught him in the leg with a kick. Raigar attacked him in a flurry of mad blows, not elegant but far from unskilled. Bloodwraith could only fall back before his ferocity, since his opponent's body was made of reinforced bone and enhanced by his recent revival. He tried to come up with another plan, but suddenly his legs were swept out from under him.

  Even before he fell onto his back, Raigar was on top of him, punching down. Bloodwraith tried to hit back at first, landing a glancing blow to his opponent's jaw, but Raigar kept hitting more aggressively. It was the most Bloodwraith could do to raise his arms before his face, letting his heavy gauntlets absorb the majority of the force. That didn't stop Raigar from hitting repeatedly, as if he could punch straight through his armor.

  "You like this? Huh? I've been doing nothing but grinding my stats since I got here, and what have you been doing?" Raigar shrieked out the words as he kept punching. "Your build is complete shit! What did you do to my perfect character?
"

  Before Bloodwraith could come up with a plan, he noticed something. He could barely see them, but two figures stood at the edge of the Red Sands Arena. Meara was handing Gharavi a potion - a potion that had escaped the Mana Obliviator because it hadn't even existed not long ago.

  Smiling, Bloodwraith just did his best to defend himself while Raigar screamed at him. Soon after, a bolt tore through him, knocking him off of Bloodwraith and into the sand. That was a difficult shot, but he trusted Gharavi to make it.

  Pushing himself up, Bloodwraith struck out at Raigar. Not to beat him down, no: just to push him to his feet, then kick him away from the others. Another lightning bolt struck him as soon as there was a line of sight and he let out another scream of rage.

  Raigar didn't risk taking out the scepter again - which was smart, because Bloodwraith had been fully prepared to knock it out of his hands. Though he had a secondary strategy, there was no time to use it, because at that moment Herskeh appeared nearby, raising his bone wand.

  Several undead turned away from the main battle and grabbed Raigar from behind. He struggled with them, but after having taken multiple blows and then lightning bolts, he wasn't at his best. All he could do was hiss and struggle as Herskeh approached, holding the wand higher.

  "That's enough from you, fool." Herskeh waved his wand... toward Bloodwraith.

  Too late he started to move, but there were already large undead grabbing him as well. Exhausted as he was, Bloodwraith knew he couldn't overpower them. Instead he let them bind him in place while he took a moment to recover, just glowering at Herskeh.

  "This is for your own good." Herskeh shook his head as he made the undead push Raigar and Bloodwraith down to the sand, facing each other. "You're still a genius, Bloodwraith, but your fleshly body has clouded your mind. I saw that you had become weak, so I planned to save you from yourself. Perhaps we can restore you to your true body, but if not... better a new undead than this mockery of yourself."