The dragon was a grotesque patchwork of human, animal, and monster bones, clumped together to form this nightmarish creature. Surrounding it, the undead horde continued to swell.
Despite having only bones for wings, the dragon took to the air with unnatural ease. I fired a magic missile, but it was unaffected. I called Bree, urging her to hit it with her ice magic, but nothing happened. It seemed the beast had resistance to magic, projectiles, or perhaps both.
The dragon retaliated, swooping down on us. Its movements were sluggish, allowing us to dodge with minimal effort.
"Egil, it's looking bad," Gale shouted over the din of battle. "We need to find a way to beat that thing, or we'll be fully surrounded in no time."
I scanned the area and saw the undead's numbers continued to increase, likely drawn by the commotion of our fight.
"Go ahead and thin out their numbers as best you can," I ordered. "I'll figure something out with this giant chew toy."
"Lady Ness, please keep Lady Bree close," Arthur added, his voice laced with concern.
With them focused on the horde, I could deal with the monster without distraction.
The dragon persisted with its simple attacks while I lured it away from the others. I needed to ground this monstrosity; otherwise, this fight would drag on endlessly.
An idea sparked in my mind – reckless, but possibly my only shot at defeating the dragon.
I waited for its next swoop, and as it drew near, I leaped, landing atop its bony back. It rolled in the air, attempting to dislodge me, but I clung on with every ounce of strength. With one hand gripping tightly, I drew my knife with the other and began carving Ancient characters onto its skull. Once complete, I channeled my mana into the runes.
Instantly, we plummeted. The "Increased Weight" rune I'd inscribed left the dragon unable to lift its head from the ground.
Experimentally, I struck it with my fist. Finding it wasn't immune to physical attacks, I pummeled it relentlessly until it crumbled into ash.
As I turned to rejoin the group, a dark spiral mass materialized before me – a portal. From its inky depths emerged a suspicious figure.
He wore a black tuxedo and a smiling mask with threads crisscrossing its lips as if sewn shut.
"Well, well, well," he drawled. "What do we have here? Even though I consumed considerable resources to create this, it was destroyed like nothing."
"Who are you?" I demanded. "State your purpose. Did you summon all these undead?"
"Since you've piqued my interest, I'll humor you. My name is Bizar, and yes, I created all of them. As to why?" He shrugged nonchalantly. "I forgot. I think it had something to do with plunging this continent into despair, somewhere along those lines."
His casual tone infuriated me. It sounded as if he were operating under someone else's orders.
"Not that it matters," Bizar continued, his laugh sadistic. "I already sent a horde of them to the east. I can make more after they raze the cities, kekeke."
East? That's the former Easton Kingdom! I had to stop this maniac's plan before it was too late.
Without warning, I lunged at Bizar, my knife aimed at his throat. I thought I had him, but he stopped my attack with a single finger.
"That's dangerous, human. You might hurt yourself," he said, his tone suddenly serious. The fingers on his right hand transformed into long, razor-sharp blades akin to claws.
I leaped back, bracing for a counter-attack. But he was so fast, that I barely reacted in time. Blood trickled from a nick on my cheek.
"Great reflexes," Bizar mused. "I was sure I decapitated you back there."
Using Mana Arts, I enhanced my stats to match his speed and imbued my knife with mana, making it sharper and more durable. We exchanged blows, locked in a stalemate until he jumped back, ceasing his onslaught.
"Good, good!" he exclaimed, his glee evident despite the mask. "At first, I wasn't expecting you'd keep up with me. Entertain me more!"
His bloodlust was palpable, and I realized with a chill that this was no mere battle – it was a game to him.
"Try to keep up," he taunted.
Suddenly, Bizar vanished from my sight. In the next instant, searing pain exploded from my left arm – or rather, where my left arm had been. He had cut it clean off.
The shock was so profound that it took several heartbeats before the pain truly registered.
"Is that it?" he asked, his voice dripping with disappointment.
The pain was unbearable. I dropped to my knees, clutching the bleeding stump where my left arm once was.
"Haah... After all that effort, you amount to only this. How depressing," Bizar sighed.
He sauntered towards me, delivering a vicious kick that sent me rolling across the ground.
"And here I was, thinking I could finally go all out. You've ruined my expectations," he lamented.
With his transformed fingers, he impaled me through the gut. I retched, blood splattering the ground beneath me.
I didn't want it to end like this. I still had so much to do. How could I face Lucia in the afterlife, knowing I'd failed to keep my promise?
I willed my body to move, but it betrayed me, refusing to respond. Bizar raised his hand, poised to take my head as I lay half-dead on the ground.
But then, the earth beneath me began to glow with an unearthly radiance. Bizar froze, surprise evident even behind his mask. I wasn't sure what was happening, but the light felt warm and comforting. Then, I passed out.
"Egil, wake up. It's not your time yet; you still have much to accomplish. Stay strong."
I could hear someone's voice. The voice was achingly familiar, one I hadn't heard in what felt like an eternity.
"Lucia!" I shouted, bolting upright. Was it a dream?
It took a moment for my surroundings to register. I was lying in a bed, in an unfamiliar room. As memories of the fight with Bizar flooded back, I frantically checked my arm – it was reattached as if it had never been severed. I searched my body for the stab wounds, but they too had vanished.
I collapsed back onto the bed, trying to recall what had happened before I lost consciousness. I was so engrossed that I didn't notice Ness and the others enter the room, accompanied by a stranger.
"Egil, you're finally awake!" Ness cried, tears streaming down her face as she rushed to embrace me. Arthur and Gale stood by the wall, relief evident in their smiles, while Bree peeked out from behind the door, her eyes filled with worry.
"Good to see that you're doing well," said a handsome man who appeared to be in his late twenties. With short golden hair and a slim yet chiseled build, he could have been the lead in an action movie.
"I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. I am Korys, an emissary of the Goddess Hemerea."
An emissary – a being granted a god's favor rather than blessings, gifted with abilities similar to their patron's, albeit weaker.
"Rest easy, Egil. I'm a friend, as the Goddess Hemerea is a friend of the God Nox," he reassured me.
"Do you have direct contact with your goddess?" I inquired.
"Of course. Wouldn't it be the same for you?"
I was taken aback. Never had I been in direct contact with the Goddess Hecate, whose emissary I was. This revelation was news to me. I made a mental note to question Ness about this later.
"I know you have many questions," Korys said, "but let me answer those later. Take this time to talk with your friends."
I recounted to Ness and the others what had transpired at Three Roads – my defeat of the skeletal dragon and my encounter with the source of the undead horde.
"I was terrified when I saw your condition, Egil," Ness whispered. "I thought you were going to die again."
Arthur's face was a mask of shame. "Lord Egil, I apologize for not being able to assist you. Embarrassing as it is to admit, I'm still lacking. I would have only hindered you."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Arthur," Gale interjected. "We all feel the same way."
I turned to Bree, still half-hidden behind the door. "Bree, I'm sorry you had to endure all this. It must have been incredibly frightening."
She remained silent, her eyes downcast. The ordeal had clearly left its mark.
"How long have I been out?" I asked, my voice hoarse from disuse.
"You were unconscious for three days, Egil," Gale answered.
The information hit me like a hammer. "No!" I cried, memories of Bizar's gloating words flooding back. "The citizens of Barta are in danger! Bizar sent a horde of undead to that city."
Their eyes widened upon hearing it. Arthur's face grew pale as he clutched the hilt of his sword. We needed to find a way to reach Barta as soon as possible.