[Island of Bones, Dwarven Mountains Underground Level 5]
"You...", Tyrius muttered, coughing up blood after getting stabbed in the back by Karridian, the golem master
Unwilling to sustain any more damage, Tyrius took out a shuriken from his waist, which took Karridian by surprise. Although it missed his vital, it still embedded itself onto Karridian's chest, causing the assault to stop.
Tyrius was no average necromancer. Before awakening his magical talent, he created an escort guild in the Dalian Empire and rose to fame. His martial arts were not to be looked down upon, though years of not practicing had turned his skills a bit rusty. At the end of the day, a master stayed a master.
Not letting Karridian recover from the shock of getting damaged, Tyrius closed the distance and punched the golem master's liver with all his force, causing the latter to collapse on the floor, trembling in pain, not even capable of uttering sound. Blood came out of his mouth, but it was the only opening he needded. Taking out the knife from his back, Tyrius crouched and viciously slit the throat of the man he was supposed to protect.
"Impressive...But I wonder what the arcane faction will think when they discover that one of their esteemed golem master died", Gale said from a distance, taking joy in the misfortune of his enemy.
The blue wolf mercenary held a torch in his right hand, illuminating his face. Despite having taken some elixirs, Gale's face was completely worn out, and his black hair had turned grey, a result of three cumulated [Shadow Curse].
The vicious shadow-elemental spell directly targeted the victim's vitality, decreasing it over periods of time. It had not even been an hour, yet Gale was already feeling the ailments. His body felt rusted, and he was completely exhausted. Other acolytes started to worry when they saw him getting older.
However complex and weird curses were, there was a common trait to such spells. By killing the cursemancer, the curse would be dispelled, at least partially. As for the lost vitality, Gale would only to replenish it through meditation. If that did not suffice, he would purchase elixirs. However, he could not let Tyrius go, by all means.
"Taking so many precautions despite outnumbering me four to one...I must say I feel honored", Tyrius said in a provoking tone, "I do not know how you managed to turn Karridian to your side, but you have made one mistake..."
Tyrius smiled as he pointed behind Gale.
"You think I will fall for this trick?", Gale said provokingly, but the scream of his subordinate caused him to shudder, "What-"
A pack of silver wolves had jumped on his subordinate and ruthlessly bit his throat. The stealthy species was a predator in those barren underground lands, and humans like Gale, wearing blue attire and walking with torches were easy preys.
"Damn it! John, Arthur, take care of the wolves!", Gale shouted, clenching his fist around the torch at the thought of having lost one more subordinate, fully knowing that in the grand scheme of the battlefield, each death counted, "I just have to take your head to make up for it"
From a distance, Tyrius revealed a terrifying smile: "I wonder if you can manage it"
[Shadow Curse]
Casting a fourth curse onto Gale, the man stopped altogether, coughing blood.
Shadow curse was a terrifying spell that targeted the vitality. It was not known by many, and to cast it required many conditions. You needed to hold vision onto the target for the entire duration of the cast. The target also needed to be bleeding. The wound caused by his subordinate Snake had been crucial for the curse to take effect.
The more curses piled onto each other, the more the burden on Gale's organs it became.
Taking the opportunity, Tyrius sent a wave of shurikens, an art that he had picked up on eastern battlefields from mercenaries in the past. Though it would not threaten regular knights, it was deadly to regular soldiers, or, in that case, a defenseless acolyte.
*SPLASH*
Still, Gale was an experienced elite beginner rank acolyte from a mercenary group, and he had his fair share of experience. Knowing the danger of those hidden weapons, he narrowly dodged two of them, blocking the two others with his arm directly, wincing in pain.
However, this was Tyrius' last chance at survival.
"At the end of the day, I am the vic-"
*RIP*
*SPLASH*
Without a warning, a monster arose from the ground, right behind Gale. Without a warning, a swift assassination took place, ripping the blue-caped leader throat by sheer force. The monster held a dark red insigna on his dark clothing, the insigna of the crimson clan. He was Godwin, the semi-human, semi-bug being.
Chuckling, Tyrius knelt on the ground out of breath yet filled with relief: "Old friend, I never thought I would say this one day, but I am happy to see you"
[Minor Fireball]
[Thunder bolt]
Two elemental spells targeted Godwin, but the latter easily blocked them with his bare arms. Although he took some damage from the fire spell, and got stunned momentarily from the thunder, it was not enough to pierce through his defence or bind his movements. With sheer force, he punched the closest acolyte's chest, killing him on the spot.
The last blue wolf mercenary tried to cast a second spell, out of sheer hope. But Godwin easily dodged it.
*SPLASH*
Stomping the woman's head, the crimson clan had successfully annihilated the third party of the Blue Wolf Mercenary Group.
Gale, an elite beginner rank acolyte and his eight subordinates, had all died in battle.
It was not like the Crimson clan had sustained no losses either. The death of Karridian, a golem master, was a heavy blow on the clan. Even if he tried to save his own life by betraying Tyrius, he was a key chess piece in this battlefield. As for Snake, he too was a huge loss to the Crimson clan, as he possessed potential.