Chapter 4: Until Dusk

Second floor, something strange is lurking around. Tsarch raises his hand to make a halt order. This is a very usual situation where corpses are piling and the stench is everywhere. Slimes, creatures that swallow organic matter and rubbish are usually seen in these kinds of places. Some say that these things can turn into eldritch if they are not under control and roaming freely. Some say these creatures even if they are eldritch, they are still neutral and show no hostility toward anything. Tsarch sees no hostility from these creatures nor reason to fight. He sways his hand to make order to move on

"Walking all days and still have no sign of those draugrs" Tsarch wades

"It could be that they prefer living under water?" Gindel floats around

"Yaddy yaddy yargh. My patient has limits" Tsarch sways his hand.

****

After a while, Tsarch and his army make a stop. He senses a murderous intention.

Pew thump

He swings his pole to knock the arrow down.

"WHO DARED TO SHOOT THAT ARROW?" Tsarch yamps and stomps his pole

"WHO ARE YOU? YOU DARE TO STEAL MY TREASURE?" Unknown figure intimidates with his bow and arrows.

"I AM TSARCH MATROCH. <THE RED DEVIL>" <The red devil> makes a fist

"<THE RED DEVIL>? PATHETIC TITLE. I AM HALKAN MAEBI. <THE SILENT DEATH>. FIRST CAPTAIN OF SILENT LEAF ARMY" as the skeleton uncloak himself

"FIRST CAPTAIN OF SILENT LEAF ARMY IS A DRAUGR? HOW UNEXPECTED" Tsarch stomps his pole again

Pew thump

Another arrow is knocked to the ground.

Halkan Maebi swiftly shoots two arrows at <The red devil>. Tsarch stands there, deflects the arrows back to <The silent death>. He dodges it.

He then suddenly

Thack thump

The pole breaks the bow in pieces. The pole sticks on the ground near the draugr.

<The red devil> comes closer. He raises his arm up.

Thamp Thamp Thamp

"Nice fight. But your aim should be on my head, why did you try to hit my body instead?" Tsarch pats the draugr's shoulder

"I meant to test you. If you are worthy, you wouldn't get pinned by my fast arrow. But it seems you not only blocked my arrows but also broke my bow. It is nice to fight against some worthy opponent than those greedy foolish <heroes>." Halkan sways his hands around

"Name your price and I will pay you handsomely"

"While I was trying to have a quiet life here, I heard a rumor about a special weapon in a dwarven fort. It was a repeating crossbow. Not only it was light but also swiftly enough to slay 30 men in a blink of eyes. I don't know if it is still there. I tried to infiltrate that fort but I failed. Either very tightened guards or too late. We were at war at that time"

"The fort's name?"

"Maersor"

"I just raided it few days ago. I hate to break your heart that the dwarves are using weapons called thundersticks"

"Interesting."

"But the knockback is too great for humans to handle, I don't think elves can even handle it."

"Anything else?"

"Perhaps, there is a very light sword and sharp enough to cut down a drake in half as I heard from those dead dwarves" Tsarch raises a finger

"I like it. But can you get me a new bow? You broke mine" Halkan points the bow's pieces

"Fine fine, you can choose one from our armoury. Are there more Draugrs around here?"

"Sadly, they left this place due to those slimes and headed to fight drakes fifty years ago"

"What else?"

"Perhaps, treasure" <The silent death> shrugs

****

"URGENT MASTER! OUR BASE IS GOING TO BE ATTACKED BY A MASSIVE ARMY" A scout rushes to Tsarch.

"WHAT KIND OF ARMY?" Tsarch glares

"ELVISH ROYAL ARMY" He bows down

"ROYAL ARMY? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ,TSARCH?" <The silent death> glares at Tsarch

"Nothing much except the fact that i killed an elvish prince and his subordinates" <The red devil> shrugs

"This is not good," Halkan shakes his head ", HOW BIG IS THE ARMY?"

"ABOUT 3000 ARMED TO THE TEETH ROYAL GUARDS" The scout shows 3 fingers

"LET'S GET ARMED. WE WILL HOLD THIS BASE UNTIL NEXT DUSK" Tsarch raises his role high.

An unbelievable scene of skeletons are all fired up for the next slaughter fest. Weapons are raised, flag bearers stomp their flags and their eyes glow a sparkling will to kill.

****

Here it comes

A massive army.

A marching of vengeance is coming toward dreadful land.

Armor is shining, the flag is waving and cries can be heard.

A fateful morning. Elves against a lich, living against dead

From the cave, bones are swarming like a river. Flag bearers signal the armies to stay put.

"Foul lich! You dared to kill our prince, insulted his noble soul and body by putting him standing like an underling of yours!" The royal commander raises his sword from horseback.

"How brave and foolish! You want to be my servants? You have come to the right place!" The lich poses a mocking welcoming

"YOU DARE TO INSULTED ROYAL GUARDS? MEN, CUT HIS HEAD OFF. FIRST TO BRING HIS MUMBLING SKULL WILL BE REWARDED WITH PROMOTIONS" The commander clang his sword and shield together

"Well, I suppose that we have to clean up a massive army of fools," <The red devil> raises his pole ",HALKAN! KILL ANYONE WHO DARES TO APPROACH CLOSER"

As soon as an elvish guard comes closer, an arrow sticks on his head.

"A SHARPSHOOTER, ALL MEN, HEDGEHOG FORMATION!"

The elves clump together like a giant hedgehog. They slowly advance. Until…

"What was that?" A voice from the metal hedgehog

A miasma coming out from the lich creeps toward the royal guards.

"FOCUS MEN, DON'T FALTER"

"LET'S SEE HOW LONG WILL YOU LAST" <The red devil> sways his pole

On the battlefield, any method can be used to obtain victory no matter how horrifying the truth is. Tsarch hears no coughing sound, this is supposed to be toxic air that can kill trolls or strong monsters alike in a few grains of sand in the clock. He stomps his pole, a shockwave that shakes the ground. The army of elves tumbles.

"HALKAN, UNMASK HIM NOW" <The red devil> points at a random guard.

Pang!

A horrifying truth to humans, no, to everyone including elves themselves if they see this.

A parasitic plant was planted on that guard's neck. It is controlling him. No wonder why the royal guards are very fearless.

"FILTHY ELVES. YOU DARE TO DO THAT TO YOUR OWN KIND? I WAS RIGHT ABOUT YOUR FOUL ROYALTIES" Tsarch points his pole to the leader.

"NOT AS FOUL AS YOU DID. YOU KILLED PEOPLE THEN ENSLAVE THEM."

"I DON'T KNOW WHETHER HE IS ALIVE OR NOT. YOU ENSLAVED YOUR OWN PEOPLE FORCEFULLY WHILE THEY ARE STILL ALIVE. IT IS WORSE THAN KILLING SURRENDERED PRISONER. I WAS ONCE A GENERAL, I RATHER SLAY ALL THE ENEMY IN MY SIGHT, I DON'T TAKE PRISONERS IS TO PROTECT MY ENEMY'S HONOR. YOU THREW AWAY YOUR HONOR, THERE IS NO POINT THAT I WILL LET YOU DIE THAT EASILY." <The red devil> grabs a dagger and throws it to the leader.

The leader of the royal guard dodges it and picks up the dagger.

"THE RULE IS SIMPLE. MY FACE IS RIGHT HERE. HIT MY FACE, I WILL LET YOU DIE PEACEFULLY. IF NOT, I WILL MAKE YOU FEEL WHAT THE TRUE ABYSS ON THIS WORLD IS" Tsarch points to his face then stands still with his pole.

The leader hesitates to throw the dagger at that hollow skull.

Swoosh Clang

"DISAPPOINTED, DISAPPOINTED, DISAPPOINTED. THAT WAS TOO SLOW" the lich parried that dagger.

The dagger is stuck on the leader's throat. Bleeding like a river.

The remaining seem like they have no leading voice. They go berserk. They rush to the undead like no tomorrow. Although they are fighting mindlessly, it doesn't mean they don't have what it takes to fight. They are fighting with their memories and instincts that they gather from many previous bodies. Those plants must have been carrying many techniques over many generations and offspring. These parasitic plants are treasures of the elvish kingdom and also the curse. It hungers for life energy in exchange for many ancient weapon techniques. It can also be modified to make hosts to follow any order from the master.

The metal bangs each other, the cry can be heard from both sides and the sun is setting.

"FIGHT ON, THE DUSK IS COMING. HOLD IT. WE WILL WIN THIS BATTLE. A NEW BEGINNING FROM THE END"

"KEH KEH KEH KEH KEH KEH KEH KEH KEH" The undead laughs in a hope that they will win this battle

Drums of the dead and flags are raised. A messy battle continues.

Until

There was no living left on this ground.

"VICTORY AT LAST. DRAKE SHALL FEEL MY WRAITH. I AM NOT GOING TO FORGIVE THEM. ELVES, DWARVES, HUMAN, ORC ARE NEXT" Tsarch stomps his pole a lot of times