Crimson Blade

by Corey Soreff

  The remaining gorgen was on him, and its two hands were clenched together and about to hammer down atop his head. He broke the illusion spell with perfect timing, and sidestepped while also slashing at the demon's ribs. A small gash opened up, but not enough to seriously wound the demon. It was hard for a slashing attack to pierce that skin.

  The demon was temporarily distracted and annoyed at its wound, so it wasn't paying attention to detecting the presence of his enemy. To Thundrin's dismay.

  It was too late by the time the barbarian saw the drow below him, bending his knees right before him in a crouch. Jin'tul sprang up from the crouch, blades soaring with him, and Thundrin's hands fell from his wrists. His sword also dropped to the dirt and he howled in anger and pain for a moment, before Jin'tul plunged a blade through his heart.

  Thundrin thought of Vorthas, dropped to the dirt, and let the sleep take him.

  Seth'nerak reached in every direction, frustration clearly evident on his face. His teeth clenched, his eyes narrowed, he growled as he tried to draw the soul from Eucibous's body. But he felt no soul.

  "What madness is this?" Seth'nerak yelled. "You have no soul, crimson one?" The drow saw his mistake when he heard the voice from behind him.

  "Wrong body," Eucibous whispered into the drow's ear from behind.

  Instinctively, Seth'nerak tried to dodge as Eucibous swung his massive sword. But he was too slow, and the blade passed through him harmlessly once again.

  "Come out and play, coward." Eucibous beckoned.

  "I'm capable of playing and hiding at the same time," Seth'nerak gloated. "On another note, when did you replace yourself with a clone?" The Liche King had not seen Eucibous cast the spell this time, nor had he ever noticed two bodies.

  "The dust," Eucibous answered simply.

  "Ah, smart," said Seth'nerak. "But it would have been smarter to attack Kuldric, who you might possibly be able to harm, unlike myself."

  "And end the fun so quickly?" Eucibous asked. But he had actually attacked the liche to verify whether or not he could indeed be harmed. If the last time had been a trick, he couldn't simply give up attacking him when he could possibly have hurt him the whole time.

  "You're a fool," the Liche King stated.

  "You're ugly," Eucibous smiled. How am I going to kill this wretch? He had never met a foe he couldn't hurt with blade or spell. He was beginning to get annoyed.

  Kuldric jumped at him, his hammers now snapped together in one piece.

  Eucibous roared, sounding like a caged beast. He didn't even bother bringing up his sword in defense; His arms hung at his sides, muscles flexing in anger and excitement. Strong winds shot in every direction, coming from Eucibous himself. Everything raced through his mind at once. The enemy before him that he could not cut, his friend Ginin that had died, the Goddess he wouldn't lie with again if he died here…

  Kuldric had been a breath away from attacking the defenseless Eucibous when the winds hit him. Not only did they stop his advance, they actually knocked him backwards. He spun through the air uncontrollably as he fought to maintain some sense of balance, and eventually managed to land on his two feet when he hit the ground. His dirty blonde hair looked as if it would fly off his head. He tried stepping forward to attack again, but found he could not go any further.

  The Godwill, thought Seth'nerak, as resentment flowed through him. Seth'nerak didn't have the Godwill, or if he did, it hadn't revealed itself yet. He was soon to become the first God in history that he knew of that did not possess the Godwill.

  The Liche King was not affected by the physical forces of the world, and therefore the winds did not hold him back. He walked right up to Eucibous and reached forward his hand once again. I will have that soul.

  But his hand stopped within an inch of his target. "What?" Seth'nerak said in frustration. He reached with all his might, but his hand would not go any closer to Eucibous's chest. Does the Godwill transcend dimensions? If so, that did not bode well for him. Eucibous did not know the full extent of the Godwill yet, nor how to control it, but if he had time to learn…

  No, Seth'nerak thought. I will not give him time. He dies now. Eucibous Dan'anti was known to be a very fast learner, and his vast array of spells was evidence of that. He couldn't let this battle carry on much longer.

  Eucibous's fist came fast, smashing into the nose of the Liche King with fury. Wrapped in the Godwill, the punch rocked Seth'nerak's brain, dizzying him. Blood sprayed from his nose, and he was disoriented when Eucibous put his hands around his head.

  Holding the back of the drow's head with his palms, he pulled the liche downwards as he blasted him with repeated knees to the face. The platemail on his legs was covered with the liche's blood.

  Kuldric fought with all his strength to join the fight, but he still couldn't get any closer to Eucibous. Even in the confusion of the fight, the strong winds remained. He tried to throw his hammer, but it only soared a few feet before dropping to the ground. His circle of death was out of range as well.

  Eucibous brought his hands back and wrapped them around the liche's throat. Lifting him off his feet, he choked the life from the drow as feet kicked at him.

  Seth'nerak had never been in such a dire position, except for the tortures by Sargath, in which he wasn't allowed to fight back anyway. He knew a large number of spells he could cast at Eucibous, but the intricacies and fine details of the spellcasting eluded him as panic gripped his heart. Spellcasting required absolute concentration and confidence, both of which he did not currently have. I am about to become a God! I defeated Sargath! I will NOT die! He fought for breath as he cursed Eucibous inwardly for being able to attack with the Godwill so quickly.

  Eucibous was not his usual composed, calculating self. His fury drove him, drove the Godwill, and his fighting instinct had taken over. He didn't need his blade, he didn't need his spells, he just wanted to crush the life out of this insignificant creature. If he had been his usual self, he would have seen it coming.

  It didn't take Kuldric long to think of the solution. He couldn't reach Eucibous himself, nor could his physical attacks. But he had magic, and many types of magic were not affected by wind. "Shackles of dread," he spoke.

  Shackles and chains burst from the ground below Eucibous. They didn't appear to be iron, or steel. They were made of some unknown substance present in the realm of death. A substance that seemed to be separate from the physical world. They shot up and wrapped around Eucibous's wrists, ankles, and arms. Then they snapped downwards back towards the ground, and Seth'nerak fell free as Eucibous's arms were forced down to his side.

  Eucibous screamed in rage as he tried to break free, but there was a ghastly magic that was holding him, not the shackles themselves. They glowed with a dark energy, and he felt violated just being so close to the devices. They were not of this world, nor were they meant to be here. "Dispel," he said, to no avail. His dispel magic spell did nothing, and the shackles remained. "Fists of flame," and his wrists and fists burst into powerful white flame. The fires from his wrist consumed the shackles, but did nothing, and they remained untouched when the fires subsided. His screams became louder, and veins in his neck looked about to burst as he flexed every muscles to its fullest. The winds became stronger, and Kuldric was forced even further into the distance.

  Kuldric followed that spell with another, and a bolt of darkness flew at Eucibous. It seemed that wherever the bolt went, everything else became…nothing. It was as if nothing itself was attacking.

  The bolt of darkness struck Eucibous in the chest, but fizzled away as the Godwill fought to protect him. He roared once more, and the shackles and chains shattered and faded away.

  But Kuldric had achieved his objective.

  Seth'nerak was back on his feet. It seemed as if he had finally caught his breath, and he stared at Eucibous with malice. He decided he would still stay between the dimensions, since Eucibous's spells could not affect him, even if his physical attacks now could. "You surprised me.
I shall not lose my concentration again," he promised. "Venomous bond," said the liche, and a smoking green ooze shot at Eucibous. But the target was gone when it arrived.

  Eucibous was already at the source of his latest annoyance, and he stood behind Kuldric after dashing behind him.

  Kuldric went tumbling away from the closer presence of the Godwill, and he grunted as he rolled across the ground. But every time he was knocked away, Eucibous would return, sending him in the opposite direction. Then one time he appeared on top of him, and his hand grabbed at his throat as he smashed him down into the stone street. Kuldric's head smashed off the ground, and the Godwill seemed to suffocate him with its source right on top of him.

  Seth'nerak stepped through the folds of space and arrived at the scene, but Eucibous had his sword in his free hand and immediately slashed up beside him, not even bothering to look at the liche.

  The drow expected the blade to pass through him like before, but it tore right through his left arm. He howled in pain and grabbed the wound with his other hand to stop the blood. "Shit!" He yelled. I need to stop underestimating him. The bastard had already figured out how to wrap his weapon in the Godwill, and now it was not only his body that was enveloped. "Singe," the Liche King muttered as he burned the wound shut.

  Seth'nerak took a step back, out of range, and stared down at his hated enemy. Eucibous was still choking Kuldric, paying him no heed. The fact that Eucibous was not even worried about having his back to him pissed him off. Seth'nerak glanced at his wound, and decided he could fight just fine. He didn't need both arms, good thing he wasn't a warrior. This fool will die for underestimating me. He might have won if he wasn't so reckless.

  The Liche King grinned evilly, and extended his remaining arm. "Life drain, consume magic, energy leech." He cast three simultaneous drain spells, and the ropes of magic latched on Eucibous and went to work.

  Eucibous felt it immediately. His lifeforce, his stamina, and his magic were all being sucked from him.

  Seth'nerak laughed manically as his own energies were replenished with what was stolen.

  Eucibous jumped off of Kuldric and charged at the liche, but before he arrived Seth'nerak stepped into the planes and appeared in the distance, with the spells still intact. Using his superhuman speed, Eucibous flew at him again, but every time he did so the drow simply ran again. "You fight like a girl!" Eucibous screamed. He could feel everything being drained from him, but slowly. It seemed that the Godwill was blocking some of it, and slowing the process. He also had a lot more energy than the average man, so he had time. But he wouldn't last forever. "Dispel!" He yelled, and the ropes fizzled away, but were immediately replaced as the drow cast the spells again. He tried teleporting behind the drow, but still the slippery drow again managed to evade him. This was what sucked about fighting spellcasters.

  Eucibous dispelled the magic again, and teleported behind a nearby house. The drow couldn't recast the spells if he couldn't see his target. He crouched and peeked around the corner, thinking about what he would do. His heart raced, his blood boiled, and he actually felt danger. He realized he was actually nervous about being spotted. He, who usually charged in with abandon! He chuckled to himself at the irony. This is fun! He hadn't felt this excited for a long time. But he felt composed again, and the Godwill was lessening as his rage faded. My emotions seem to drive the Godwill, but my emotions also blind me with rage during battle. How did Sargath do it?

  He realized now that he couldn't simply use his rage to fight, not against two opponents. If it wasn't for Kuldric, he might have killed Seth'nerak a few minutes ago. As if the battle for the world would end that easily. He had always fought for himself in the past, always for his pride. He never had the fate of the world resting on one of his battles before. He couldn't afford to lose. Adanantus couldn't afford him to lose. But he didn't think the drow would lose his composure so easily again. He surely couldn't have stood there choking the liche if he had been able to cast his spells. My spells, on the other hand, are useless as long as he hides between the planes. Thousands of spells have I mastered, yet most of them are irrelevant right now.

  He thought of his days with Ginin to get some of his fury back, not wanting the Godwill to dissipate. But he tried to find a healthy balance, where he could keep the Godwill but be able to think clearly. He thought he'd found it, and he tried to maintain his emotions and the Godwill at that level. It wasn't as powerful as it had been earlier, but at least he could use it. He could feel it surrounding his body, he concentrated as he willed it to once again wrap his blade. He realized he could still think rationally, and would be able to fight technically. I won't be as strong, but I can't afford to get caught by any more surprise attacks. He shook his head at the thought of the Liche King actually taking his soul. No way.

  He was about to re-enter the fight when the wall he was hiding behind burst open, and flames consumed him. He was thrown across the alleyway, carried by the fireball that had blown away the house. He smashed through another wall, and stones piled atop him. His stone skin had already been broken, and though he had a magic defense spell active, the powerful fireball had broken through that too. He hadn't taken the full power of the spell, but the flames surely bit him and his skin was badly burned. His body screamed in pain and he swore he must have a broken bone or two from the stones.

  "You hide your presence well! But you forget who you stand against!" Seth'nerak yelled from afar.

  He struggled to push the heavy stones off of himself, and eventually managed to stand on his feet. But when he stood, his legs shaking, a large warhammer alight with evil energies smashed into his chest. The blow took him off his feet before he fell back down, sharp broken stones digging into his back. The Godwill was gone, and he had taken the full blow from one of the strongest men on the planet. He strained his neck to look at his breastplate, and it was indeed cracked. The armor he had worn for so long had finally been broken. His sternum felt like it was aflame, sharp pain shooting through his chest.

  Kuldric dashed over to him, standing proud above his mangled body. He pulled down the latches on the sides of his hammer, and split it in two. He held a warhammer in each hand as he smiled for the first time since his return. He'll be pleased. Then one hammer rained down on Eucibous's chest, and as it pulled free the second followed. The storm of hammers didn't cease, and blow after blow smashed into Eucibous's chest in sequence. The crack in the breastplate got larger at first, then after a few blows the entire chest piece just fell to pieces; The blows began to hit his chest directly.

  Everything was getting dark, and Eucibous went from being in extreme pain to being numb of everything. As he watched the hammers fall down on him, his last thought was I…lost? A calm acceptance embraced him, and he prepared to depart this world.

  Then somewhere amidst his blurred vision he saw a flash of green, and a long halberd knocked Kuldric off his feet. He thought he felt strong arms grasp him, lifting him off the ground, and he closed his eyes.

  Ceric and Velion now stood back to back, ready for what was sure to come. Now they were only two, and their odds did not seem very good. Ceric couldn't see because his back was to the scene, but Velion looked on as Jin'tul stood on top of the last gorgen, and pulled his blades free of the demon's throat. Velion let go of the summoning, and the drow fell a few feet to the ground as the demon disappeared from under him.

  "I don't suppose you could summon a few more of those fiends?" Ceric asked. Ceric hated evil magic, but he surely welcomed the help of those gorgens at this moment.

  Velion breathed heavily. "Unfortunately not. Between the tournament and this battle, I have used far too much magic this day." His bald head glistened with sweat. "I'd be lucky if I could summon a simple imp." Velion wondered if he even had enough energy left for a life drain spell. This is bad, he thought to himself.

  "I figured we wouldn't be as lucky," Ceric muttered.

  The drow stared at them and whirled his scimitars in his hands. "Which of yo
u humans wishes to die next?" He looked at Ceric. "My God tells me you're now King. Fancy yourself stronger than the King of drow?"

  Ceric couldn't see the ignorant look on the drow's face, and dared not take the bait and shift his glance. Thundrin had fell even in their formation, attacked from the front. The slightest mistake could leave them dead at any moment.

  "Screw it," Velion said. It was better to exhaust all his magic to try and do something than to be killed without a fight. If the drow appeared before him, he was done for. He was no warrior, and he had no weapon to defend himself. "Life leech," he said. He gave his full concentration to the spell, and let down all defenses. He dispelled any magical shields he had active, for they would be useless against the powerful drow. He gave everything in him to the stamina draining spell. The purple energy shot from his hand and latched onto the drow. "Ceric, attack!"

  The new King didn't care that he was addressed in such a common manner. He didn't know what this spell could do, for he was with the armies during the tournament. But he trusted in his companion, for he had nothing else. He broke the formation and charged at the drow. He saw the rope of magic that connected the warlock and the drow.

  Jin'tul felt his stamina being drained from him as the magic did its work. But he could surely kill these two before he was too badly affected. He was about to run at the approaching knight when the spell attached to him broke away. All traces of the energy faded away, and he laughed as the warlock's strength left his legs and he collapsed to the ground. The fool has used too much magic.

  Ceric cursed his luck as he saw the spell dissipate. I'm doomed. He watched the drow as he sprang towards him, and was on him in an instant. His blades flashed, and were a millisecond away from cutting him to ribbons. Then they stopped, and instead the drow snapped them around as he slashed behind him instead.