Chapter 3: Dead Not at Rest
Night fell like an ebony blanket upon the sky. The hot sun of the day had dried the world making the great rain into no more than an unpleasant memory. Even in the pitch darkness the two tumeroks moved onward.
"How much farther to Mayoi? I can't see a thing," said Xenorath, just before he stepped on something sharp. "The portal is just up ahead. What are you doing?" Said Keltslash. "Something just impaled my foot. Would you mind giving me a hand with this?" Xenorath grunted as he pulled out the offending object. Keltslash sighed and played the rhythm of healing on his drum. As the healing glow surrounded Xenorath, they both saw what the object was.
A Tumerok's fang. Still attached to a bleeding jaw.
Xenorath leapt to his feet. "Poor bastard," he mumbled, "I'll bet he had an unpleasant trip to the lifestone," He drew his hatchet and readied his mask shield as he lowered himself into his combat stance. Keltslash was already crouched and swaying as he tapped the precursor to an attack spell on his drum. "What do you think it is?" Xenorath whispered as his eyes darted back and forth, feebly trying to locate whatever threat they were up against in the pitch-blackness. "Ero-bal," Keltslash said quietly, not missing a drumbeat, "Has to be. Darkenfoul are the only other beast that could attack completely without light, and no Darkenfoul in this area are strong enough to do that to someone," Xenorath groaned. Caught off guard by the undead twice in two days. This was not proving to be a good week.
Two points of light tore through the darkness.
"There!" he shouted. He was about to leap when a bolt of lightning flashed past him, painfully bright to his dark-adjusted eyes. As he reeled from the sudden illumination, he heard the fiend roar in agony as the bolt struck it. He opened his eyes slowly and through the after images saw it bent over and grasping its skull; the mist that poured from it scintillated dimly as the electricity dissipated. A tree nearby was ablaze - a bolt must have leapt from the fiend and struck it - illuminating the area. He blinked a few times to clear his vision and steadied himself. The Ero-bal was only beginning to recover as he began to charge it; hatchet held back for a powerful swing. The wraith let go of its skull and crossed its skeletal arms in front of it. Xenorath swung and there was the clash of bone against bone...and the sound of bone shattering.
Xenorath hit the ground and leapt back to prepare to strike again. As he focused on the Ero-bal he froze and his eyes widened.
It was unharmed.
The Ero-bal started to charge, but Xenorath was still frozen in place. He was staring at his hatchet. The blade had shattered.
The defiled spirit slammed into him, knocking him off his feet. It began slashing with its bony claws as he fell, lacerating his motionless form. He hit the ground and the Ero-bal raided its skeletal fists to crush his wounded body.
Its fists began to fall.
They froze in mid fall as pulses of violet light burst through it. Xenorath opened his eyes. His vision was again impaired, this time by blood and tears, but he was able to see the floating from in front of him descend slowly to reveal a figure behind it. He squinted, trying to see whom it was, but his vision was too blurred. All he saw was a blue tumerok form.
The figure suddenly vanished as he heard a Mumbu's death cry and after a moment the beat of a drum. As his wounds closed and his vision cleared he heard Keltslash's voice behind him.
"A mimbu snuck up on me. Looks like I should have given you more help than a single lightning bolt. You're lucky you aren't at the lifestone right now,"
Assuming all goes well, I should add a new chapter every week on Friday. If you have any comments, email me at editor@warcry.com
