Saturday, October 28, 2017

Master of Strings Ch11: King of the Undead

Zilo and his friends stood shaking as the Lich King rose to face them. His cape flicked in the air as if wind ruminated the cavern. Then a void like power shown from his sword that rode its way along his shoulders into his right arm and then bursting out toward the group.

"First, my attacker, Suffocation."

Suddenly May's eyes go wide and a black energy grips her neck, letting her scythe clatter to the ground. Maldrek whips around his spellbook and shouts.

"Try to break his concentration! Hurry!"

Zilo, Alaroc, and Cruxis immediately charge the Lich with their swords out and at their sides. Zilo being the quickest arrives at the enemy first and swings wildly to his side. The tyrant parries easily with his longsword and follows forward with a rough kick to Zilo's gut, sending him back three meters into a roll.

Alaroc arrives second with a jumping  downward slash. The king sidesteps and flicks down his blade guiding Alaroc's blade downward, spiking it deep into the ground. Alaroc tries to turn, pulling up his blade as he does, but the depth of the blade is substantial and he merely jerks at it.

Cruxis takes a moment and drops to a low stance. as he does so his blade lights up and he lunges forward piercing as he shouts. " I SHALL SMITE THY HEART DEMON!!!"

The Lich King whips his blade forward to block the stab with the flat of his blade. For a moment the blades of darkness and light rip across the air between the two warriors, and in the end the paladin strikes true and the blade does indeed pierce his heart.

The paladin looks up, hopefully, but his hope is crushed immediately as the Lich's eyes stare down at him. The Lich raises his sword to strike the paladin, but Cruxis dodges, letting go of his sword in the Lich's torso.

The Lich sneers as he looks back to his target, only to see  Maldrek holding open his spellbook smiling, and May taking her Scythe back in hand. Maldrek had taken advantage of Cruxis's distraction to cast Dispel Magic on May.

The Lich stares them down as the 5 friends slowly form up surrounding the Lich. Zilo's violin begins to float and play his battle ballad while he raises his bow. Alaroc's blade is removed from the ground and he holds it forward toward his enemy.

Crusix reaches down to his side and produces a small dagger to hold along with his shield. May flicks about her scythe readying it for a charging sweep. Maldrek flips to the section of his book titled 'Combat Spells'.

"COME!"

Zilo fires an arrow at the Lich's sword hand and manages to pierce it in his upper forearm. Alaroc lunges at his legs, but is stopped cold by the Lich's swordmoving toward his head. Alaroc jukes to the side, but suddenly, the Lich rips Zilo's arrow out and jabs at him with it.

May and Cruxis charge the back and front of the Lich and May does a quick flip driving her heel into the tip of Crusix's blade. Meanwhile Crusix throws his dagger, nailing the Lich in his eye socket and as he does his blade pops out of the Lich's torso from May's kick.

Cruxis deaftly snatches his blade and both he and May twirl along the Lich's sides and cut into his hips. Maldrek collects a ball of magic in his hand and fires off a Magic Missile.  All of the missile are aimed at the pommel of the dagger in the Lich's eye.

The dagger is forced deeper through the Lich's head until it escapes out the back of his skull and clatters to the ground. The Lich's head with a large hole in it smiles and his sword is coated in necrotic magic.

"Necros, spread thy seed."

May and Cruxis with their lives in churches are the only ones who react quick enough to take cover, but Maldrek, Alaroc, and Zilo are all struck by a black torrent of negative energy. It is like May's Channeling, but dark, and draining.

The Lich by contrast stands taller and his head hole forms back together, but his other wounds remain. he then charges to the downed Zilo and his sword once again radiates darkness that flows to his opposite hand and he speaks.

"I still ache, Vampiric Touch"

The Lich grabs Zilo and his face looks to turn from grey to white as the Lich's Wounds heal from the dark energy flowing into him. While Zilo loses his power Maldrek's eyes suddenly glint with understanding.

"DISARM HIM! HIS MAGIC COMES FROM HIS BLADE!!!"

The other three look to Maldrek then nod. as Cruxis launches forward he is suddenly stopped by Zilo being flung at him. as Zilo clatters to the ground, drained Cruxis decides to use the last of his magical power to try and get him back up.

Alaroc and May flank the King on each side, May spirals about in a flashy show of force making the Lich move his sword rhythmically to block. While the spectacle is showy, there is no force behind her swings, and she is quickly brushed aside.

Alaroc takes advantage of the Lich's attention being diverted and his sword begins to glow. Zilo's head raises to see Alaroc holding his glowing blade.

"But the Lich isn't a dragon," says Cruxis , looking puzzled. Zilo grips the paladin's arm and says

"Don't you understand? He's no dragon, but Alaroc is too drunk to know the difference!!!"

At that Alaroc dashes forward and suddenly the Lich's sword and arm are sent skyward as the blade separates arm from shoulder in one clean cut.

May jumps to the air and tries to snatch the blade, but the sword is repelled from her grip.

"What!? The sword refuses to obey the living?"

Cruxis raises his finger and says, "Ummm, actually May. the sword is the Sword of the Lich 'KING'."

"WHAT!?" Shouts the woman as she lands and marches over to the sword which is repelled further away toward Cruxis and Zilo. The sword is not repelled from them.

"A FREAKING SEXIST SWORD!" Shouts the woman.

Cruxis rises and puts his hands up in a calming motion.

"Hey don't blame me I just read to books, I didn't make the rules."

Zilo puts his hand out to May and places it on her shoulder... This could only indicate bad things.

"May if it makes you feel better, I occasionally find you quite manly"

May whips back her hand to punch him, but her fist is caught by Maldrek who looks to the three of them.

"First off, we will have time for that later, and second off..." Maldrek turns to Alaroc and The Lich King. Alaroc is currently being held down by the king's foot as the arm he has left is being brought forward and back smashing into Alaroc'c helmet. Alaroc himself looks absolutely out of it with a combination of drunk, punch-drunk, and a concussion on his eyes.

Maldrek, May, and Cruxis begin running to Alaroc's aid. Zilo runs to join, but he trips over the discarded Lich's arm. Meanwhile the rest barrel toward the Lich who kicks Alaroc to the side. Maldrek acts as the opener flinging his sword forward, making the King dodge left away from Alaroc. Maldrek follows by a direct hit Lightning Bolt.

Cruxis leaps in as the lightning falls and the Lich raises his gauntlet to hold back Cruxis' blade. As this happens May circles around and cuts into his lower torso deep, puncturing through. The king jolts up his arm knocking the blade off his gauntlet then grabs May by the skull and smashes her head first into Cruxis.

Cruxis tries to rise, but his head is quickly kicked away by the King. The Tyrant slowly marches toward Maldrek, Who is flipping through his spellbook, desperate to find any spell he has yet to use today. He looks up to see the monarch with his 3 unconscious friends behind him, and his dead friends almost entirely bled out.

"You've Failed."

"NOT YET HE HASN'T" Shouts a voice from behind Maldrek.

Maldrek turns to see a thin man clad in the same armor as the Lich, but the armor looks new, and matched to the thinner form. The figure holds the Blade of the Lich King aloft with a dark energy coursing through the sword into the armor. Maldrek's mouth falls open.

"WHAT!"

"Ah... The Torch is passed, Now I may Rest."

"WHAT!?"

Suddenly the man rushes forward with the Sword in hand. He leaps over Maldrek and decapitates the Lich King letting the head roll to the ground. The Lich King's body goes limp and the figure in new armor sheathes his blade, making his armor fade away to reveal Zilo, who faints as soon as the blade is sheathed.

"WHAT!!!!!!"

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