Chapter 20: Fight! Survive!

If not now, then when? If not me, then WHO? She has destroyed our people while I have brought those lost souls salvation. I have provided our people with food, shelter, and the ability to pursue their own agendas. The undead is me and I am the undead.

Excerpt from the beginning of the Necromancer’s Rebellion spoken by Rognif Claw.

I stared in shock and horror struggling to come up with a way for survival. How can I control the situation. Shadow held me slung over her shoulder, but a gasp of shock and horror rang from her mouth as we made it outside and I felt her shuffle as the twang of her weapon fired out. I craned my neck only to wish I hadn’t as I took in the view of a man floating high in the air alive with his chest cavity torn open. It was a gruesome site and my stomach churned as I watched. My mind returned to focus on one thing as my will harden. How can I control the situation?

There were innocent people trapped below and although I couldn’t fully blame myself the necromancer was here looking for me. I had no idea why, but I assumed it to be some enemy of my parents. Necromancy, blood sacrifices, soul manipulation were all things that were banned in the Empire and looking at the carnage around me I had a feeling all three would be invoked today. The entire city was a mess with buildings looking like they were torn open and feces amongst other debris were piled about. I hadn’t seen the destruction when I was captured.

“Shadow how confident are you in being able to get me out alive?”

The sun elf didn’t even bother glancing my way instantly moving back as I heard more than felt an explosion coming from our last position. Craning my body again I saw the two ghouls had appeared where Shadow had once been.

“SHADOW? I need you to listen to me. How confident are you about our chances of escaping alive?”

An eerie voice started to chant in an unknown language and my face drain as the magic chanting slowly started to drain me of power.

“I can get you out as your mother has given me an item that will cause a spatial rend in a case of emergency. It is very dangerous, and we can pop out anywhere in the Catacombs. There is also a chance the adventurers outside the city can finish the activation of the Quick Gate,” Shadow quickly said to me her eyes never leaving the two undead which paused where they were.

The beginning of an incredibly stupid plan was taking shape in my mind, but I had a way to control the situation hopefully allowing time for Mark Magnus to free the adventurers and guards. The only problem was me. I was powerless in this situation and only Shadow had the strength to keep me alive. Now that I knew we had reinforcements coming I was more confident in my plan

“Shadow give me the medallion.”

Shadow didn’t even more eyes never straying from her targets, but the medallion moved from underneath her cloak and moved to my hand.

“Put me down.”

Her grip only tightened on me instead and I struggled to break free. I wasn’t some hero, but I couldn’t just let this town die without at least trying to help. Especially since the necromancer was after me.

“Shadow, I command you. Put. Me. Down.”

I knew my station. Shadow was employed to my mother to protect me however this was my journey, my pilgrimage to expand my bloodline power and prove my worthiness as an heir to the Kan.

My bloodline exploded outwards, and I shouted.

“My name is Aegis Kan son of Vasu Kan, Lord of the Wall.”

Everything grew still after my shout, and I watched as the Rohan Rider’s slowly came out of the castle while the guards and untouched townspeople followed. My eyes met Ryna who stared at me in shock before I moved onto to Jaecar who had a hard look set upon his face.

“It looks like Mark Magnus gets the opportunity to save his princess,” Mark Magnus said as he stared at me grinning. He was in full plate armor only missing a helmet while equipped with a sword and shield.

The grip around me only tightens and I craned my neck once again to see what the necromancer was doing.

Our eyes locked and the crazed look that had appeared on his face was nowhere to be seen. I only saw an emotionless void. As if his soul was taken away.

“AegisS KaaaaN.”

His voice was gritty and strained as he said my name and I finally took a good look at the man. He was human standing around 170cm with black hair and black pupil less eyes with a horrible scar leading from his chest to his stained robes.

I heard some shuffling going on behind me and turn to look as the Rohan Riders slowly spread themselves out weapons drawn with grim but determined looks on their faces. The guards of Comb right behind them.

My eyes turned back to the necromancer who never stopped staring at me. This was what I wanted. I needed time to be wasted. Rituals where incredibly dangerous magic but their major weakness was time. They always took an extreme amount of time to establish and if I could get the necromancer to focus on me for a small amount of time that might give us a chance to figure a way out of this situation.

“You’re after me, right? On some quest of petty revenge or whatever. Well, here I am. Come and get me.”

Shadow’s already tight grip was now squeezing me so much that my leather armor began to creak in places, and I started to feel pain. I knew I was putting her at a disadvantage and maybe endangering her life but in all honesty I was tired. Tired of being controlled and moving along to the tune of others. I had power, aspects, yet I couldn’t use them as my mana was being shackled to my body. Even now Shadow had yet to let me go and I could feel how tense her body was ready to spring elsewhere at a moments noticed. Maybe I didn’t fully understand the danger I was in and what it meant to be a ranked being. None of that mattered to me right now. I just wanted control.

*

Augustus wretch his spear from the chest of the ghoul as his sister’s magic held it immobile. The ghoul dissipated after a few moments.

“We’ve been fighting a construct. No wonder… no wonder it was too easy.”

He turned his attention towards the city where he felt the magic of the ritual fluctuate and his face turned grim.

“We have less than an hour however, if both of the other ranked beings we sense are constructs then we have a chance to save the citizens.” Octavia spoke up as she broke her magic down. Although the fight was not as difficult if they fought a true rank one being it still drain a significant portion of her mana to keep it occupied until Augustus struck the finishing blow.

“Quaver you will finish activating the gate. Augustus scout ahead I will be behind you shortly. Do not engage without me,” Octavia said as she began to remove potions and chug them down.

Augustus gave a nod before shooting off to the city of Comb.

Octavia took a deep breath before sitting down and pulling in mana using her magi core to convert the raw mana into a usable state as fast as possible.

Raw mana is mana that takes on the properties of the closest elements in this case it would be darkness for the undead energy to sustain itself and earth as they were deep underground. Air was also plenty as it moved through the passageways. By pulling in the raw mana to her core she would expel the properties the mana took on and use her core to put on a lightning charge to her mana. This took an understanding of what lightning was and how it could be used.

Quaver put the finishing touches on the Quick Gate and began to feed mana stones to get the charge needed to activate it. The Quick Gate was an ingenious idea created shortly after the establishment of the Empire to allow distant powerhouses to teleport easier. Although most ranked beings had some form of fast movement skill sometimes even teleportation for short distances a Quick Gate would negate an effects of teleportation on the being while getting them to their destination. They were used for short distance hops unlike their counterpart teleportation gates.

Octavia took a deep breath before standing up. Her eyes met Quavers and he gave her a nod while she returned a smile. With a flash she was gone moving towards the city to stop whatever trouble her brother would find himself in. They would not let the citizens of the Empire die just like that.

*

It was still silent my bloodline power burning in a 20ft radius around me and Shadow. The tension in the air was so thick it almost appeared solid, physical.

“My name is Aegis Kan.” My voice came out hoarse this time my mouth dry. It had been over a day or more since I last drank or ate anything and with my mana now active my strength would quickly diminish.

The necromancer cocked his head to the left eyes still emotionless.

“You are the boy. Part of the agreement. These souls for his wife’s and your life.”

What the fuck was that. The necromancers, no the creature’s voice came out deep and unexpected. This was not human.

“Interesting I, Nar’nazak shall |Consu-.”

Before Nar’nazak could finish that sentence and cast his spell a blue flash appeared and slammed into him. The ghouls reacted immediately, and all hell broke loose as the missing army of the necromancer began to rise from the ground. Shadow immediately tossed me back towards the Rohan Riders and by the time I reorientated myself she was gone. Flashes of black and blue appeared briefly in the air, and I deactivated my bloodline.

What did it mean to be ranked? I did not know, but after today the city of Comb would be erased from the map.

*

Quaver fed the mana stones to the Quick Gate wishing the process could be faster. Rumbles came from the city of Comb and Quaver body ached as he absorbed the blows that his teammates would have taken. His aura spread out and he directed it towards the city. Lady Caeliszar would not be happy with her heir going directly into a blood ritual and Quaver grew worried at the thought of Octavia being hurt.

“God’s good and bad,” he cursed as the gate slowly charged. Closing his eyes, he focused on his expanding sura until it hit the city and Quaver could see the battle as it raged on.

Much of the city was destroyed with the castle and walls being the only structures still standing. Therefore, ranked beings were prohibited from sparring anywhere near small towns and villages without the proper facilities. Quaver watched as Augustus drove his spear towards the necromancer but was repelled by one of the ghoul constructs. Octavia backed him up launching devastating spells while casting a shield around the remaining survivors. The elf they met earlier Shadow was engaged with the other construct launching bolt after deadly bolt hitting the undead in the joints while simultaneously firring at the necromancer. A tier 6 necromancer if Quaver was reading his aura correctly. How was he still alive? He pushed deeper hoping to distract the necromancer by brushing against his aura. What he felt chilled Quaver to the bone.

The amount of death energy was suffocating. That thing was not human. Divine. Quaver coughed up blood as he inserted the last stone and activated the gate.

*

I ducked as a ghoul swiped at my head only to receive an arrow through the eye killing the creature as its skull burst into flames. My body moved before my mind and my axe swooped low catching the leg of an undead as it skuttled around me.

“Hahaha, no one is going to believe that me, Mark Magnus saved the son of the Lord of the Wall. My name will become legendary!”

A figure flashed passed me and Mark Magnus barreled into a 5th tier ghoul stabbing it in the chest. I watched as it burst into flames before Mark Magnus moved on towards another. Strong!

The Rohan Riders where quickly disabling the ghouls while protecting the rest of the townsfolk who still lived. This was supposed to be their new recruits?

They were mowing through the undead. How did they get captured in the first place.

A hand landed on my shoulder, and I felt my body being tugged backwards. Turning to see Ryna pull me deeper into the defense.

The moment we were behind she turned to me wide eyed and smiling.

“You’re really Aegis Kan? No way. Aegis Kan the next heir to this dukedom? Impossible.”

She chuckled as she said this but slowly grew quiet as I didn’t respond to her.

“Oh, Goddess… protect us.” Ryna said clutching her staff tight against her chest.

The eerie chanting came back right after Ryna said those words and I felt the drain on my strength resume. The blurs in the air moved at increasingly higher pace and a pang spread in my chest. My ability Perfect Recall activated at this moment and my last day on earth replayed in my head. The powerlessness I felt. The struggle I went through in leaving a note behind for my family to find. My body disintegrating as I sat on the beach. I could count every grain of sand if I wanted to but the only thing, I could think of was the powerlessness I felt. It thoroughly snaked its way into my head and heart, and I fell to my knees as the experience came back.

Jaecar and Mark Magnus were busy attacking the creature that inhabited the necromancer’s body

Yet I knew it was futile the creature turned its head towards me, and its mouth split open smiling.

“|Nar’nazak Shall Consume|.”

The city glowed red, and the screaming began. I turned to Ryna only to realize that I was the one screaming. The girl’s eyes glazed over, and an object was thrown in front of me and Ryna crashed into me as the world went red.