Promith rode the horse over the hill and back down, enjoying the feel of the animal beneath him. There only seemed to be a few zombies that arose from their ashen tombs that night in the area, and the Everseeker was set on their utter annihilation. Fireballs flew from his staff, and explosions shook the ashy sand beneath him. He laughed as he watched them brainlessly wander, some towards him, and others towards the city walls. Still others fell to his comrades, who shot their own spells with him. 'The moans are loud tonight.' He thought, after killing another one with a blast of hellflame.
It was then that he thought he saw movement in the corner of his eye. He wasn't too sure of it and turned, only to see nothing there by another Zombie, wandering aimlessly. He shook his head. 'Must be imagining things.' He thought, lighting another Zombie on fire and watching it stumble around on the ash. 'Still though… there seems to be a lot of them tonight…' He was around a kilometer away from the camp, across several of the ashen dunes, but he felt uneasy.
As an Everseeker, you were trained to trust your gut.
"Let's get back." He stated to his comrades (two more wizards who nodded). They turned their horses and moved to go back only to see a massive wall of Zombies going towards them.
They were silent.
The Wizards were stunned, and their horses were skittish as more and more Zombies rose all around them. Not just one or two, but hundreds… maybe thousands…
Promith, Everseeker and master of fire magic quickly cast spells of protection on him and his comrades, but it wouldn't be good enough if they were surrounded. They quickly turned the horses, hoping to retreat, when they saw a man who was standing in front of a group of Zombies and skeletons.
A loud piercing scream came from the direction of the camp, and the sound of alarm bells rang. The Everseeker raised his staff and brought it down to teleport himself back to the camp to see if he could help, but it didn't work. He tried again, and it was canceled at the last second. He breathed deeply, attempting to calm down his brain. His companions were shouting something, screaming for him, and attempting to cut their way out with fire and light magic. 'Too late for that.' The Everseeker thought. He looked around for weak spots and found only more dead crawling from the ash, or something large. At least 3 meters tall, with gigantic arms… Promith looked at the group sounding him. Clearly, this was not going to go his way, and he could see that. What was with the man at the front? Maybe he was the key to the entire thing…
He wheeled the horse to face the man at the front and raised his staff. "I'm Promith, son of the Council and Everseeker of Tressed!" He announced, shouting as loud as he could. "Quit your attack if you wish to live through the night."
"No thank you." The man responded, a frown filling his face. "Everseekers are noted for their stupidity and insanity with their magic after all."
The Everseeker grew angry with that and quickly threw a fireball at the man. The man didn't even dodge, but instead let it wrap around himself before dispelling it. Hellfire and brimstone rained against the man, but the man said nothing and only responded with a subtle flick of his fingers in the direction that the spells were coming from.
The Everseeker watched as the man suddenly began to smile. It was almost creepy how the dark ash seemed to accentuate the whites of his teeth, and then he gave a one word. "Volgst" It was a word that the Everseeker wasn't aware of, and it was then that he recognized what he was up against.
"YOU'RE A-" His voice cut off. The power of the spell stopped him from saying the Taboo word and calling his allies. Promith pulled on the reins of his terrified horse, which bucked, but didn't throw the well accomplished rider. The horse bolted, and the Everseeker let it run. At least, all of the about 4 meters it had before it bucked again, attempting to fend off the undead as they closed in. Promith threw a wall of flames around himself, even as the first of his companions fell to the horde. The other soon followed. The Necromancer just walked towards the Everseeker, his smile undaunted. "Get away!" Promith shouted, shooting a lightning bolt at the man. It bounced away, dissipating into the ashen ground. The Necromancer pushed through the flames like they were nothing, and deflected Promith's fireball without even raising his hand. "Thank you. It was cold out here." The Necromancer said to the Everseeker. The Everseeker began to glow with power as he prepared to self-destruct, seeing the writing on the wall. "I don't think so." The Necromancer responded. Promith gasped as his 'last resort' spell stopped not even a third of the way into its initiation. 'That spell can't be stopped…'
"I'm guessing you're surprised that I can stop that." The Necromancer's voice was cold, unfeeling, and he was still smiling. The horse trotted in place, its discomfort obvious to the men. The Necromancer calmed it with a word and a touch of magic, and the horse stood still. "You should treat your animals better. This one is scared to death, and not so much of the fire." Promith pulled on the magic and attempted to explode again. "In such a hurry to die?" The Necromancer canceled the spell again. "Not today." He took a step towards the Everseeker now that the horse was calmed.
"GET AWAY FROM ME FILTH!" Promith roared, shooting spell after spell at the man. The necromancer dodged them or blocked them before finally touching the Everseeker's foot and grabbing it.
"Helg." The necromancer commanded, and the Everseeker fell off of the horse and onto the ground. The flames died, and the proud Promith lay on the ground. "I think I need to form a… fitting punishment for you." The Necromancer stated, nonchalantly, with the same tone as though he were talking about the weather. "On your knees."
"Go… go to Geez." The Everseeker muttered, spitting towards the necromancer as he obeyed the command.
"No." With that, the Necromancer placed his hands on the Everseeker's head…
Gerald had enjoyed tormenting the fool of an Everseeker. 'Not even that powerful.' He thought. 'Guess it's better to be over prepared than underprepared.' He held the man's gaze as he placed his hands on the Everseeker's head. "HAG SHA MAL." He ordered. The Wizard immediately began shrieking into the night as the pain took hold. Each second to Gerald felt like an eternity of pain to the Everseeker, as his bones changed their forms… Unlike with the creation of Fash, this time his bones shrank, and his feet bent inwards. Fur sprouted along his legs and his knees reversed themselves. Long teeth grew beyond their limits in his mouth, his hair fell out, and his eyes became sunken. At last, the Necromancer smiled at his handiwork. True, there were still some in the far corners of the world, but they were constantly being hunted.
The Ghoul looked around. "Food…" It muttered. "Master… Food…" It sounded like a high pitched voice, and the flaps of skin from the recently shrunk man hung off him in folds. His hands were now long, clammy, and his skin yellow and pale. It sniffed the air. "Food… that way…" It pointed to the caravan. "Master."
"Your family name is Smythe." The Necromancer acknowledged. "Be gone. Report only when called. Be cursed above the beasts of the earth. There may be Goula following behind you, should you wait for a day."
"To hear, is to obey." It muttered before turning back to the caravan, and running off, dragging its left leg behind it. "Flesh…" Was the last word that Gerald heard from it for a long time.
"That was a horrible curse you just placed on that man." Came a familiar, and unexpected, voice. Gerald turned around quickly to see someone he didn't expect walking amongst the Zombies, and flanked by four skeletons.
"Lydia." Gerald said. "What are you doing here?"
Half an hour earlier:
"I… I need to see this." She responded to the skeleton's question. "I… I don't want to believe…" She walked over and patted a horse. "Please Poli."
"The master said that you were to be kept safe. The fact that you are out and about after nightfall means that you are not safe."
"Then let me see your 'master'. I'm certain he'll let me be near him."
"He is currently busy."
"I'm sure that he is. But I need…" She trailed off, took a breath, and then continued. "I need to be busy too."
At this, her skeletal guard tilted its head. "I understand that." He chatted something in a bony language that Lydia couldn't understand and then sat silent for a moment. "Wait here for a few moments. We'll have an entourage for you." Soon, four skeletons, including Poli, surrounded her and were walking with her out of the gates and into the camp which lay in chaos. Zombies ran rampant and the screeches of the living filled the night's sky. Soon, the daughter of the House of Roses was heaving again. The blood… so much blood… She finally got a hold of herself and looked around. The sight of the dead, dying and transforming grew cold to her. It was upon seeing a Zombie bite a young Wizardess that she finally stopped them. "Let me talk to her." The guards surrounded them, blocking a Zombie, who went to look for easier prey. All around, bodies of Zombies lay, mostly charred and black.
She leaned closer to the woman. "I need to know something, and I think you will be the one to tell me." The woman looked at her harshly.
"Go to Geez."
"VIR" The Druidess said, her magic filling the mind of the young woman who was already beginning to show signs of transformation. Now she could no longer lie or not answer her questions. "Were you and your group about to exterminate the non-magi in Portal?"
"Yes."
"But… why?"
"Because they are filthy." She responded, her smile at her statement unnerving the Druidess. "They deserve it. As do all non-Wizards." This last section caught the Druidess by surprise.
"But what of those who are of mixed race?"
"Cull the herd, and the herd will be better for it." The woman responded. "Tressed will bless us for our work in cleansing the impure. It's just a pity I can't see her before I leave this world…" A silence followed as she died, and the skeletons shooed her away from the Wizardess. The spell broke on its own as the Zombie woman rose again, her eyes unfocussed, but then turned and shuffled away from them.
"Are you hurt my lady?" A skeleton at her side asked.
"I… No… Just…"
The skeleton looked her over magically. "No bite. No problem." It stood at attention. "I think it was a little bit too close there. If we are to be beyond the walls, we should take you to the Master." She was then guided away from the woman, and more away from the battle as well. A spell shot over her head, a sign that there was legitimate fighting going on behind her, but she had seen enough death. After they topped the next ridge, she could see the flames of the Everseeker. Suddenly, the flames were extinguished and the man was on the ground. The skeletons moved her closer and she watched as the man shrank, the contortion of the man's body horrifying to watch, and yet she couldn't look away. The Zombies parted for them, and while some looked longingly at her, they didn't dare make a move. The master had spoken, and she was off limits.
Gerald looked stunned as the Druidess told of her brief foray into the battleground. He frowned at her depiction of his battle. (He honestly thought it quite a boring retelling.) She finished and looked at him. "Why is it that you always seem to be right?" She muttered.
"I'm not always right." The Necromancer admitted, "I just have experiences that you don't have yet. Oh… what's the old saying?..." He puzzled in thought for a moment before his eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh yes… The only difference between the master and the apprentice is that the master has failed more than the student has tried." He smiled at her. "You will get to be just as wise as me if you live to be my age. Maybe wiser." Her frown didn't shake or waver. "But I doubt you will live as long as I do." He smiled. "Do no despair. This week will not be the norm." He grabbed her chin and pulled her gaze up from the ashen ground. "Come. We should leave here. Hermina." The Vampress materialized from the shadows. "Please ensure that this girl gets a dreamless sleep. And NOT by way of a baptism."
The woman curtsied. "As you wish. May I keep her guards? They've done a fantastic job of keeping her safe so far."
"You may." The women went off and Gerald now had the rest of his battle to finish.